Friday, August 31, 2012

Birthdays and building projects

Hey everyone!
My bet is that you are all wondering what I am doing this weekend.
Am I right?
I couldn't possibly be the only one that sits around and wonders what my plans are.

{btw, writing a post with a cat on your lap is not the easiest thing in the world.}

Ok, since you are all dying to know, first and foremost I will be hanging out with some top notch people! My beautiful and amazing friend Sara and her husband Collin are coming down from Washington to celebrate their birthdays with us... and I guess their family and other friends as well.

Happy birthday to both of you! Alex and I are so blessed to have you in our lives! Collin- I'm sorry I didn't leave you an FB wall post on your actual birthday, I hope this makes up for it! Also, I told Alex to text you like 15 times, but I'm not sure if he ever did? Hopefully this makes up for that also.

We are also going to try to finish my new desk this weekend!
And for those of you that don't know (because I think I've gained like 100 followers since my last project) Alex and I like to build furniture in our free time.
Key words being free time which we don't always get a lot of.
For those of you that follow me on instagram (@tanyagrasley) you probably saw these pictures

This is what happens when you don't have a truck.
Lumber in the car.


This is going to be my new homework desk for the living room!
I'm so excited!
All last term I did my homework on the couch or the dinning room table, and it was not pleasant.
I have a personal office/ craft room upstairs but I don't like doing my homework up there, it gets lonely!
So a living room desk was the solution to all of my problems.

I'm super excited to decorate my little corner and make it an inspiring place for me to sit down every day and be productive.
I'm painting it Caramel Sugar by Valspar.
This little paint sample from their website isn't very accurate.
In real life it is more of a perfect mix of orange and pink.
I'm so excited to be adding this beautiful color to my living room.


Source

Here are some pictures I am drawing inspiration from.
The color is very similar to the orange on this first desk.

Source :: Designer Meredith Heron

Source :: Etsy shop owner at Poppyseed Living

Source

Source :: Home of Monika Hibbs at The Doctor's Closet
Source
I'm going to be installing some shelves above my desk to store a few necessities since my desk is on the incredibly smaller side (which is how I wanted it).

I can't wait to show you all some pictures of the finished product!
This may end up being the cutest spot in my whole house.
Hopefully that will make me want to sit at it for hours working on mind numbing homework.
And a great place to write my blog posts! Instead of sitting on the couch with a cat snuggled on my lap.

Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Thankfulness

I'll be honest, I have no idea what to talk about today. So I am just going to try to be random.
Which usually doesn't really work out very well for me. I'm just not a very random person.
Well, I bet my husband would disagree, but that is just because he doesn't know what he is talking about.

Alright I just sat here for about 10 minutes trying to think of something to talk about.
Actually, that's a lie. I got on PicMonkey (pretty much one of my favorite sites) and put a beard on a picture of myself.
Since yesterday I said that is what my husband looks like...


I think I was wrong about that, by the way.
Also, this beard is made from a bunch of mustaches.... incase you wanted to make your own?

Well, since I can't think of anything random to write, I guess I will go with what I was originally thinking of writing about today.
Yes, I had a backup plan, it probably should have been my first plan. I was just going to see if I could write a really great post about nothing.
I didn't.

Moving on.

{Here is the serious side of today's post.}
I'm trying to focus on being thankful lately.
Because I find that being thankful really squashes the bitterness and resentment that I find myself carrying around from time to time.
I'll be the first to admit that I am a grudge holder.
When I feel like someone has wronged me I hold onto it for a long time, even after I have "forgiven" them.
This isn't something that I particularly like about myself, it's just a fact I have come to recognize, and hopefully something I can overcome.
Part of me overcoming it is to learn how to have a thankful heart.

When you sit down and quiet yourself to think about all the details of life, sometimes it can hit you in a flood of emotion. We have so much to be thankful for.
I have so much to be thankful for.
Every day I wake up beside an amazing man who loves and cherishes me, more than I have ever known.
I have at least a small portion of time to dedicate to myself nearly every day.
My life really isn't that hard.
Maybe I haven't had everything I've ever wanted handed to me, but I think that in itself is a blessing.
We pay all of our bills.
We have all of our needs and many of our wants met.
And I'm thankful that I have a place I can come to and make a fool of myself and still be accepted and appreciated. (ahem, I'm talking about this blog guys!)
What more could I really ask for?

I suppose there is a lot more that I would like from life than to just have my needs and wants met, but that is something I can plan towards.
That is what goals are for.
To be thankful for what you have now, but recognize that there is more to this journey than just being content.

I know that my life is going to keep growing and changing, but I'm learning to be thankful in every step of the journey.
I want to appreciate where I am now, instead of striving to be somewhere I am not yet.


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Lumber jack Tanya




Call me crazy but I am so excited for fall!
It means I can start wearing flannel and sweaters.
Boots and scarves.
In general just looking like a lumber jack.

Ok, to be honest this is my first flannel shirt, but I've been wanting one for years!
So that way I can dress like my husband used to dress when we started dating...

I can't find a pictures, sorry!
Just imagine a bearded man wearing a flannel shirt and that pretty much sums it up.
Actually, just image these pictures of me with a beard.

By the way, I am blown away by all of my new followers!! I've almost reached my first 100!
Thank you so much for coming by and actually being interested in what I have to say, it's such a huge compliment!
I feel like I should do a give away or something... if only I knew how that whole give away system worked out and knew how to get people to give me things to give to you?
I'm at a loss for all of those kinds of things.
I'll try to figure something out.

Until then, enjoy your wednesday! The week is half way over!!


Linking up to:

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Dean's list

Lately I have been feeling a bit apprehensive about the coming school year.
Maybe it is because I am quitting my job and I wont have the security of knowing that I have a steady income.
For the first time in 9 years I may not have a job.
I say may not because I am still inquiring about some part time jobs.
Or maybe it is because I am moving on to a real university.
What if the work load is too much for me?
What if I give up again?

Because I have done that.
I was in the third term of my sophomore year of college back when I was still 20.
And then I dropped out.
Because I kept failing my classes and just wasn't motivated to finish.
Plus I got promoted at work and cared more about making money than I did about finishing school.

Sometimes I see people much younger than me going off to universities or graduating college and can't help but feel like some sort of a failure.
Or be regretful for not finishing the first time around.
I had that opportunity and I just didn't appreciate what was right in front of me.

So here I am, consumed with all these fears and emotions and heading back in to college again.
And then I hear the sound of a new incoming email.
It's titled "Academic Recognition", which reads:

Dear Tanya,
 It is our great pleasure to commend you on your recent academic achievement! Your grade point average during spring term of 2012 has earned you a place on the Dean's list.
We know that college is just one facet of your busy life. Our students work full- or part-time jobs, have families, are active in the community, and have numerous competing responsibilities. The fact that you've juggled all these roles and still managed to earn this impressive grade point average is a testament to your dedication and hard work.
Our congratulations on an honor that was earned by just five percent of our students this term.
 Keep up the good work! 

This was exactly what I needed.
I know that to some of you maybe making it on the Dean's list is no big deal, but it means everything to me.
I have the highest GPA that I have ever had in my whole life.
Ever.
And the words that they used in their letter were so true.
I did work my butt off last term.
I really struggled with working, going to school, having a life, keeping my house clean, and on top of everything maintaining a healthy relationship with my husband.
It was hard, and it was worth it.
It paid off.
I feel like it was such a big step for me.
It means that I'm serious about this.
It gave me hope that I can accomplish what I set my mind to.
Because I did!
And I will!



Monday, August 27, 2012

If you met me.

If you are a regular reader you should hop on over to Bonnie's blog to see all about why I should be America's next top model.
If you are here from Life of Bon, I just want to say, welcome! 
I'm so honored to have anyone here who reads Bonnie's blog because I think she is probably one of the funniest, most awesome bloggers out there!

Anyways, I thought it appropriate to write about myself today.
First, because I usually do that.
Second, because some of you might be wondering who the heck this Tanya girl is.

I should probably tell you that I am not always the funny blogger.
I wish I could be more like Bonnie or Erin from LIY and just whip up some hilarious post out of my... off the top of my head, but that just doesn't happen to me all that often.
So I usually stick to what is natural, which is just being honest and true to myself.

So here is what I want to write about today... my true self.
The girl that you would meet in person.
Because I might be different than the girl you might be expecting.


The first thing you would notice is that I am extremely monotone. Ok, I don't know how extreme it is because I don't feel like I am, but I get told that I am all the time.

I don't express emotion very well, I'm pretty even keel. People usually make fun of me when I get excited about things because it is more like, "I'm so excited." No capitals, no exclamation marks. I get about as excited as Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. The very depressing donkey. This is not because I'm depressed, it's because I'm just not an expressive person.

Actually, sometimes I do express a lot of emotion, because I just start crying. Happy? Cry. Sad? Cry. Mad? Cry. Angry? Cry. Excited? Cry. Watching a commercial? Bawling my eyes out! This really happens people, my husband just read this and laughed and said, "Yep, sounds about right."

You might perceive me as shy, but really I like to think of it more as awkward. When I don't know what to say, I just don't say anything. And at work, when I am forced to talk to people all day, I end up saying a lot of awkward things. How do you have a good 30 second conversation with a perfect stranger? I haven't figured that out yet.

I wish I could be on Dancing With the Stars... I pretty much talk about it all the time, even on my blog. That requires either being a star or an amazing dancer... I'm working on it.

I might be one of the most fickle people you ever meet. I'm not sure if it is possible for me to change my mind more often than I already do.

I'm really dramatic. I'm sure you are wondering how dramatic a monotone person who expresses no emotions can really be? I don't get it either, but trust me it happens.

Along the lines of being dramatic, I am probably a hypochondriac. I try my best to be rational about things, but once I hear about some crazy disease I swear I have all of the symptoms. Those online symptom checker things are probably the worst invention ever. Oh, you have a headache? You probably have cancer. Runny nose? Definitely cancerous, see your doctor immediately! A normal person would think this is ridiculous and move on with their life, but I think I'm going to die!!! And have about a million panic attacks.

I am extremely impatient. When I get an idea in my head, I want to see it happen immediately! Like yesterday, I decided I want to have a desk in my living room for doing my homework on when school starts... so we went out and made a new desk. I couldn't wait for next weekend when we have a billion more hours to spend on it. Nope, I wanted it now.
(which is something I will be posting about soon!)


I just asked my husband what someone might learn about me if they met me in person, and the first thing he thought of is that I'm short. Thanks babe. But it's true, I am short, if you can't tell from my pictures. I am a whopping 5'1".  I'm telling you this now because if I meet you and you said "Wow, you're really short." I might punch you.



This one is important. I don't often laugh out loud. If I ever say "LOL" it is probably highly inaccurate. Even when I think something is extremely funny. Don't be offended if I just smile. The only way my husband can get me rolling in laughter is if he makes fun of something I do. Which, apparently, I find hilarious.


I guess if you guys stick around you will learn that I am pretty "all over the place", but that's ok with me.
I write about a wide range of things from what I did, to where I went, to what I made for dinner and what furniture I built. And then when I run out of things to talk about there is always my husband and my cats.



Maybe I will get to meet some of you in person some day! 
Hopefully you will be accepting of me staring at you awkwardly and cracking a slight smile at your jokes. 
I promise that in my head I am probably thinking about how awesome you are.
Eventually I'll loosen up.
I hope.

Friday, August 24, 2012

A girl name Peety

Sorry I've been missing this week guys! It's been a crazy busy week for me.
I can't stay long,  but the other day I said I had more news to share and I'm here to share it!

First of all, we traded in our beautiful car! :(
We had a Volvo S40, which was my dream car! I loved it to death, but sadly it wasn't fuel efficient enough to make sense for me to drive it back and forth 45 minutes every day, so we traded her in for a Prius.
If you follow me on instagram (@tanyagrasley) you would have seen these pictures pop up this week.




We named our Prius Peety, but don't be fooled by her name, it is still a girl! 
Are we the only 20-something year olds that still name our cars?

My other news is that I will be quitting my job! I couldn't share until it was official.
I want to be able to focus on school and have that be my first priority, and my company is starting to move away from working around college students schedules, so I decided it wasn't a good fit for me anymore. I am going to look for something that is less demanding and more flexible schedule wise, but I have no job offers yet. 
It's a little scary since I already put my notice in at work, but if I don't find a job I know that we will be able to survive for awhile without my income. 
This is the first time I've ever quit a job without having another job offer, but I feel like God is telling me I need to trust Him on this one, so that's what I'm doing. He always comes through for me!

We've got lots of crazy changing going on over at my house!
Hope everyone else is doing alright out there!
Have a wonderful weekend!




Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I have a problem

I'm fickle.

There I said it!

I am always changing my mind, I will decide on one thing and then 20 minutes later decide that I don't like it anymore and pick something different.
My blog is no exception.

Thus, I have a new blog header! Again.
I'm pretty sure I change my header more often than I change my clothes.

...

Ok, that isn't true, I change my clothes way more often!
I was just realizing how many pictures of myself there were on my blog (just the basic design, not including posts) and was feeling a bit egotistical and vain.


I was hating pulling up my own blog because I personally don't like to stare at a million pictures of myself.
Thus a new header was born!
You like?
Me too!

For now.



Alright, next topic, my life.

Last week I wrote about how I was feeling pretty down that things in our life were not going as planned. Like moving and what not.
I did say that I was going to see this in a positive light, but I was still feeling very stressed about everything.
Today, I am feeling so much better about our current situation.
I'm actually very excited about this change of plans because this was our original plan, we just got side tracked and dreamy-eyed imagining a whole new life for ourselves in a completely different part of the state.
Anyways, things are going in an even better direction.
The program that is offered at the college campus closer to our home is really awesome and I'm super excited to start working on it.
I'm going to be pursuing a B.S. in Nutrition/ Dietetics, which is something that I am very passionate about.
Part of me is a little surprised that I even considered going to another University or campus because this program is far and away the best of all of my options, and the only true undergraduate nutrition program in the state! (at least that I have been able to find).
If I do well I can be placed straight into an internship and then take an exam to become an RD (Registered Dietitian), which is really all you could ever hope for with a college degree!

All this to say that all the pieces are falling into place perfectly.
I couldn't have even planned things to go this well.
There are still sacrifices being made, but I know that they are all for the best.

There are more exciting things to share, but I think I am going to leave them for when everything is official. Don't want to jump the gun on my announcements!
Plus, they are probably only exciting to me so don't get your hopes up too high.



Friday, August 17, 2012

Closed doors





Yesterday I found out that we will not be moving. At least not right now.
It was kind of stressful news, because now I am going to have to commute every day to school about 45 minutes, which means that we are going to have to rearrange our budget so that we can afford all of that gas money.
Commuting is also a scary subject because I still have panic attacks when I drive on the freeway, but that is a whole other topic for another day.
At first when we found out that Alex didn't get the promotion, it sucked, but I wasn't that upset.
Even though Alex was pretty crushed. He felt like a huge failure and like he wasn't providing for our family. Luckily I was pretty calm and I helped reassure him that God is in control and everything will be fine.

Then yesterday I broke down.
While Alex was at work I was getting ready to leave to run some errands and my heart started racing.
I am trying to transfer my admission from one campus to the other (one that is closer).
I can't register for classes until I go to an orientation.
And until my campus transfer gets processed.
Which I thought I had already missed all of the orientations offered.
And on top of everything I know that my job is going to have a really hard time working around my school schedule... as in they may not do it if it is too bad.

So I was a little stressed, and scrambling, and disappointed, and confused, and feeling a bit helpless.
I sat down on the floor in my closet and cried.
Not sure where to go next because I feel like everything is out of my hands.
Which is probably because it is out of my hands.
I think I have been trying to hold back those tears for awhile.
I've wanted so badly to trust that God has everything figured out.
But yesterday, as I sat there with tears streaming down my cheeks, I prayed.
I told God that I don't know how to trust Him with this,
that no matter how much I strive to let this go, I honestly don't know how.
And I prayed for peace, and patients and understanding.

Then Alex called.
As calm as can be he told me that he wasn't worried at all.
He really sounded at peace with everything.
And he reassured me that everything was going to be fine,
all those questions would be figured out in due time.
He reminded me that God doesn't close doors for no reason.

My heart immediately stopped pounding.
And I felt calmer than I have in months.

As helpless and out of control as I felt,
I remembered that it is my choice to let my circumstances control me.
And I realized that I could take all that pent up fear and emotion
and turn it into a feeling of empowerment.

I realized that this door closed, and opened up a million other possibilities with it.
It doesn't mean failure.
It just means different options.
Maybe even better options.

This next term is going to be a tough one, but I'm excited for the challenges and possibilities it opens.
I'm excited to be closing one chapter of my life, and opening a new one.



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

If you really knew me...

Alright... I'm giving in to blogging peer pressure and doing one of these posts.
Ok, no one is forcing me, but I am still going to do it.
I give credit back to Traffic Jelly for coming up with this genius idea.



If you really knew me, you'd know:

Every time I write the word beautiful I say b-e-a-utiful in my head. Like Jim Carrey says in Bruce Almighty.

I'm Mexican... even though I don't look like it.

I can't stand being cold.

That I am somewhat of a health food freak, but every once in awhile I crave Oreo's and Alex and I will run to the store to buy them.

One of my favorite TV shows is Felicity... which isn't on anymore. In fact, it hasn't been on since I was like 14.

I have to eat breakfast everyday, otherwise by about 9-10 I will most likely pass out.

I am not a clean freak, but I desperately wish that I was.

Clutter stresses me out, and when my house is a mess, instead of just cleaning it, I stress out and do nothing.

I get really frustrated at incompetent people.

And people who think they are entitled to give advice on subjects they know nothing about. (Like single people giving advice to married people, or children-less people giving advice to mothers).

I think that people use the term "photographer" too loosely. Meaning that I would never call myself a photographer, or try to charge people to have me take pictures for them... because in comparison to a real [good] photographer I have a lot to learn.

I'm not perfect and I definitely get insecure about a lot of things.

I've never been in a wedding, except my mom's.

My dad adopted me when I was in middle school... meaning that he is not my biological dad, but he is the only dad that I have ever known.

When I was in high school I wasn't allowed to give blood because I didn't meet the minimum weight requirement.

Not that I wanted to. I pass out almost every time I get my blood drawn.

This last Christmas was the first time I ever had my own Christmas tree, because I thought that it was a stupid tradition... until I saw all the pretty trees on the blogosphere.

I cringe whenever I hear/see anyone biting their nails. It even makes me want to vomit sometimes. [Sorry to you nail biters... like my husband!]

It drives me crazy when people say "Have a good rest of your day" because I know they should be saying "Enjoy the rest of your day".

That's all for now!


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

You Challenge: Ten Secrets



Today I'm linking up with Lauren and Tiffany for their 10 day You Challenge!
It sounds like it is going to be lots of fun, so every Tuesday for the next 10 weeks look forward to learning a little bit more about me.


Today's topic is,
Ten Secrets:


One. When I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, sometimes I make my husband come with me because I'm scared I'm going to get attacked on the way.

Two. When I drink anything with caffeine or sugar I get incredibly hyper. Usually I just go crazy and we wonder why, and then awhile later we realize I have had caffeine/sugar.

Three. I'm hypoglycemic (not a secret really) and when I get upset or angry I start shaking and can tell that my blood sugar is dropping. Apparently anxiety and hypoglycemia are not a good mix.

Four. I get really self-conscious when I go out in public alone. 

Five. I talk really quiet and when I talk louder it actually strains my throat and I lose my voice.
People have always made comments about how quiet I talk and it has always been frustrating because I feel like I am talking as loud as I can.

Six. I rarely ever cook. As a wife I usually feel like this somehow has made me a failure, but I just hate cooking. I can do it, and Alex even tells me that I am a way better cook than he is, but I just hate doing it.

Seven. When I buy something expensive I feel really guilty and feel like I have to justify my purchase to anyone who asks how much I spent. Even with a $60 dollar purse I just bought.
I feel like I'm being selfish.

Eight. When I don't get along with someone it is really hard for me. I am always trying hard to be as nice as I can, even when they make me really mad. I always feel like I need to be the bigger person.
Even though sometimes I'm not.

Nine. I don't always brush my teeth at night. I'd like to say that it is because I forget, but really it is because I'm too lazy to get out of bed once I get in.

Ten. A few years ago I struggled with compulsive exercising (it's like an eating disorder for exercising). It was when I first started running and I became very obsessive over it. I would constantly be talking about my work outs. Even though I went to school from 8:30-1:30 and worked from 2-9 M-F I would still make it to the gym 4-5 times a week and had anxiety over missing workouts.
Then one day I had a panic attack while running on the treadmill and haven't been able to run on one since. 



Please join in! I'd love to learn more about you!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Is it really Monday already??

This weekend went by way too fast! But luckily I got some good quality time with the hubs!








We took a spontaneous trip to the beach!
It was supposed to be really hot and we needed an escape from our un-airconditioned house so we just took off! We never do that, we are usually so up-tight about our budget, but yesterday we definitely needed the break.
(Side note: Our beaches are cold and windy! It is always a safe bet that we can go there to get away from the heat.)
We walked on the beach for about 10 minutes, just long enough to snap these pictures, and get crazy beach hair! The wind was so strong I thought my ears were going to start bleeding, so we didn't stay long.

We headed off to the Outlet malls where Alex surprised me by letting me buy some new clothes!
Which was much needed!!




And I found this perfect bag at Gap for school! It is so huge I will be able to fit my lap top and books in it! Plus, it is super cute.



Then we had a nice dinner at the McMenamins in Lincoln city, which is one of our favorite places to eat... And drink beer. :)

I suppose it is back to reality now.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Our life right now



This is my life at the moment...
...
...
...
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
And it's frustrating!

I have some what brought this up a couple of times like when I said we don't know when we are moving and when I told everyone about how I got accepted into a University.

Well here is the situation...
School starts in a little over a month, and we still haven't moved. We are waiting on Alex's job. Basically he is trying to get promoted, or I should say re-promoted (because he had the position but he chose to step down from that position almost a year ago), so that he can transfer, 1) because he doesn't like his current position and misses his old position, and 2) because his current position has no openings anywhere.

We had been told that in August they would review how Alex was doing and let him know if he can be promoted back to his old position.
Well, it's August.
And we haven't heard anything one way or the other.
There are also 0 openings in the district that the school I applied to is in. Because of this, I have applied to a few other places where there are job openings, and one that is only 45 minutes away so if I have to I can commute.
But I don't want to commute.
And we are hoping and praying that he gets this promotion.

Apparently we are supposed to know by the end of next week one way or the other if we are going to be able to transfer.
I am just frustrated because I can't register for classes until I know if and where we are moving to, so I know which school we are going to.

So for now I just have to keep praying and being patient.
It will all work out in the end.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Ten on Ten

My second post for the day! 
I've been wanting to link up with A Bit of Sunshine for her Ten on Ten project for awhile, and I finally remembered today!

Here are my ten photos for the day.










I don't have time to leave descriptions so you will just have to use your imagination!

You should try this too! or at least think about it for next month!

ten on ten button