Our 'Crazy' Life

That is what the new title of my blog should be. I haven't written much because our life has been crazy recently - but that is how it goes when you are relocating to a different city!

I am out in Denver and just got done with my first week at the new job. It is so weird to be in a different city, to be working downtown on the 17th floor of our building and taking the bus to work every day. So different from what I am used to!

My kiddo is not here and though I miss him, the time has gone so fast that I haven't had much time to miss him. He is with Todd's parents and they will bring him out next week for Christmas.

I am ready for the holidays to be over even though normally, this is my favorite time of year by far! It is just so different this year that it has been hard to really get into the spirit. No house to decorate, no home for the holidays, it's just so weird. I still love this time of year but I think next Christmas will be better once we are settled.

Once Christmas is over, we will be closer to buying a new house out here and being settled. Also, hopefully we will have sold our house or we will take the buy out on our house in Nebraska and not have to worry about that anymore.

Also, as weird as it sounds, I am just ready to be up and running at my new job. I just got issued my laptop this week but it doesn't have a power cord yet and I don't even have a log on anyway! It is so different from other places I work since I am not even really in their system yet (even though I already got paid for my first week - rock on!). I don't even have my badge yet! Oh, well!

Anyway, I have a feeling that the next two months will be just as crazy as the last month and a half. Buying and moving into a new house are no small feats. We have been looking at a lot of houses but need to start looking at some soon. After the first of the year, we will have a lot more time I hope!

That's all for now. I plan on blogging more once this whirlwind 3+ months are over. I hope it happens since I like to write. I just haven't had the time!

Merry Christmas in case I don't get back here before then!

I got the job!

At the risk of making anyone mad who has been looking at jobs forever, I will say I got the one and only job I applied for in Denver! I am so excited and feel so lucky and blessed to have gotten the job!

It is with a company called AXA Equitable! It is similar to what I do now and I will end up getting one more license after I start. I am excited to try something new but also a little nervous to start again in a new company with new people and new products and rules and such. I know I can succeed and know I will be working directly with the guy who interviewed me and that is a good thing. He seems really nice and also very smart.

The best news of all is that I will get to be out in Denver by Christmas time to be with my husband! I was hoping we would be moved out there before Christmas and this job was my only hope of that. I will be there one week before Christmas but that is ok, as long as I am there. The biggest challenge of moving out there will be trying to find daycare on such short notice for Xander. I told Todd he will have to start calling around out there to see what he can find.

The other super great part of this is it is another good pay raise for me! I am excited about that because hopefully our higher income will help us get approved for a new home loan out there - I know the banks are a lot stricter these days!

Anyway, I haven't been writing much and probably won't have a chance to write but once or twice more before the new year. I am hoping things settle down after the first of the year but that may be when we buy a new house and move in so that will be a lot of craziness also!

Let the adventure begin! Oh wait, it has already begun. Let the adventure continue! :)

Life right now

Life is tough right now. This is the time in life I have to put on my big girl panties and suck it up and deal with everything difficult right now. There is so much going on and I miss my husband so much already (even though he has only been gone a week and a half and I saw him this week and see him again next weekend).

The hardest part of all of this will be pretty much everything up until Xander and I are out in Denver permanently. I have so much to do and so little time and very little help and it is stressing me so much. I am tired and sick and the stress is causing me to break out on my face which makes me feel ugly. I feel like I am so tired but have so much on my mind that I can't fall asleep.

The to do list is endless and I have been working on it for a week and a half already! When will it end? I was hoping to get the house on the market tomorrow but that is clearly not happening. The next Monday will just have to do unless by some miracle I can get the 10,000 things that still need to be done to the house done in the next three days. I still have to get a bunch of cleaning done (though a lot is already done), get the carpets cleaned and the ceiling painted and then get the house staged so it looks as close to perfect as possible. I have been lucky enough to have the help of my parent and my in laws so far and they have helped me a ton!

The next big challenge is actually selling the house. That is why I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get stuff done. I am one of those people that wants my house just perfect before listing it because I am hoping that will help it sell fast and for top dollar. I really want to it to sell in the first 30 days and be done with it! Todd's company buys it from us if it doesn't sell after 60 days, but I don't want to get to that point. I hope we have interest right away and I think we will if the realtor words the listing right. Our house has a lot going for it and I think it will attract a good buyer.

Once the house is on the market, my next huge task is finding a job. I have done some looking but have only applied for one job so far. I haven't had any time to apply! Once the house is listed, I am going to try to spend 2-3 hours every night researching and applying for jobs. I have to find one! We won't be able to buy a house in Denver right away if I don't. A lot of pressure. Luckily, Todd's company pays for a consultant to help me find a job. I'm just hoping something will come out of it. It will be really hard to find a job in another state - I supposed I will have to head out there for a few interviews. That will not be fun.

Then the next task after the above mentioned two is finding a new house in Denver. This is all contingent upon me finding a job like I said. If I don't, we will be renters for a while. I am not looking forward to moving all of our stuff out there to a storage unit and then to a house within a year or so. That would suck! Hopefully everything just falls into place.

I am trying to take it one day at a time and it is hard. Each day goes by so fast and I don't feel like I get as much done as I need to. All I can do is keep trying and hope for the best. I really miss my husband and hate sleeping alone at night and I know Xander misses his dad too! He has been pretty good overall through this process, but he makes more messes than I can keep up with! That is going to be the biggest challenge - keeping up with him and keeping the house in showing condition all the time. You never know when someone will want to see your house so it has to be perfect at all times! I am hoping that it sells fast too because once the papers are signed, I won't be quite as crazy about keeping it clean to show.

Anyway, that is all I have for now. I have to go get the laundry and get to bed - it is going to be another long week of trying to get stuff done!

A few quick details.....

About Denver.

-Todd is already there. He found out he was going last Tuesday and left this Tuesday. Today was his first day.

-He took the dog with him and I kept the kid. A fair trade right? Haha! But really, it will be easier to keep the house clean to sell without the dog.

-His company buys our house if it doesn't sell in 60 days. We hope to sell quick though because 1. I will get to go out there sooner and 2. We get a bonus if we sell before they buy it. Woot!

-I am looking for a new job. Don't worry, my current employer knows I am moving and looking for a job out there. My current boss said he would write me a letter of recommendation if I wanted - sweet!

-I am exhausted already from all of the stress and work so far and it's only going to get worse. I was just getting over being sick and I think I am getting sick again. Bleh.

-We found our realtor after interviewing two. The company pays for that too so that is nice! We thought the second one was much more prepared and came with comparisons of other homes that had sold in our area. I think he will do good for us.

-The company gives us some money to fix up a few things on our house so we can make it look nicer to sell - awesome!

-And on that note, I might as well say they pay for pretty much everything because they do! I couldn't be more thrilled with their relocation package!

-Todd is in corporate housing for right now. They pay and he was lucky enough to get 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom which is what our house is! Nice for when we come visit.

-They provide me with help finding a job which rocks since the economy isn't great.

-I think we will probably end up renting for a short time once Xander and I move out there for good unless the timing is exactly right with buying a house. It is hard right now to buy a house and we want to make sure it is what we want and not something we feel pressured to buy quickly.

-That's all for now. More to come later as more details are known. Oh yeah, one last thing. I hope to have the house on the market by the 15h of this month. That is a TON of work for one girl who works full time and has a kiddo! We will see how it goes!

Denver here we come

We found out yesterday we are moving to Denver for Todd's job!

Crazy, crazy, crazy! More details to come.

For now all I know is Todd has to be there next week and I am going to be like a single mom for a while until I can move out there with him. This is going to be a crazy adventure!

28 years ago today.....

My mom got the best gift ever......ME!!!! Haha! :)

No, really though. I was actually a surprise for my parents and am their youngest. I was born at 7:10 pm 28 years ago....and it was also a Saturday (which makes sense since there is 7 days in a week and 7 goes into 28 4 times - although not sure how you account for leap years in there).

My mom actually had to wait for the doctor to get to the hospital to have me because he was at a Nebraska football game. And on that note - there is a Nebraska game today, and after last weeks lost, they better win and give me a good birthday present with a victory! Go Huskers!

It has been a good morning so far. The hubs brought me breakfast home and flowers and a card (how sweet). I am just going to hang out today and not do much because I want to relax.

Oh, and I decided I am 27 and holding. Though I turn 28 today, I refuse to get older or feel older. I want to be young forever - but who doesn't??

Happy Birthday to me! Hehe.

A walk down memory lane

I can't believe my baby is going to be 2 next month! Time sure flies! It almost makes me a little sad that he is growing up so fast! Here are a few pictures of him from the first 8 months of his life. What a sweetie!

Booooo

Not for Halloween. For my football team losing!

Man, what a loss.

My Huskers lost today. So depressing.

They were talking Big 12 Champions. Talking even National Champions. Martinez for the Heisman. T-Magic no more. Sad.

Life goes on. Maybe next year will be our year!

Not the best week

I know no one will give me the answer to these questions, but why do things have to be so hard sometimes? Why do situations have to be so difficult? Why do I have to be so emotional sometimes? Why is losing weight so hard but gaining so easy? Why does life suck? Why are things so unfair sometimes?

It's just been one of those weeks. It's already getting better now that it is Friday. I know next week will be better. I am just frustrated with life. I know there are times I feel like I am on top of the world and times where I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Everyone has good times and bad. I have been lucky and have some really good times this year already so I guess I should focus on those. I have a lot to be thankful for, but for right now, I am just a little stressed and a little bummed.

That's all for now. It will get better.

Saturday shopping trip!

I love shopping. I swear I was meant to be super rich because if I was, I would shop every chance I got and I would help get the economy back where it belongs! Haha! :)

That said, I am a sucker for a deal. I found some amazing deals while shopping this morning. I took X with me and we headed to the mall. I went to the Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree and Penneys. I had gift certificates/coupons to all of the places I went, plus I didn't buy anything full price so combining the sale with the gift cards made me stretch my money even further. I am a sucker for bargains, but also went with a purpose. I needed jeans for my little man (I swear he only has two pairs and that doesn't work if diapers leak since I don't do laundry every day). I also was looking for a few new work tops since the weather is changing and some of the stuff I have is now too big or wearing out.

Here are some pics of the stuff I came up with! I personally love all of it!

Ruffle tank from Old Navy. I think it was about $4. I realized I got an extra large and now that I have it home, I am afraid it will be too big! I guess I can always return it - but I love the color and ruffles!


I wear cardigans to work all of the time so when I saw this one on sale plus an extra 40% off I just had to get it! I love the ruffle detail on this too!


So, I don't need socks at all, but I had this gift certificate thing to use at Gap and the lady said I had some more money to spend so they had these cute socks sitting up front for $1 each. On top of the already mega clearance price, they had an extra 40% off too so they were $0.60 each!


I got these cute little cords for X at Gymboree. I had a great coupon there so they ended up being only about $6 (and if you know Gymboree, you know that is super cheap for them!)


This shirt was also from Gymboree. I think this little cowboy/sheriff theme stuff is so cute! These next three shirt all go with the cords. This shirt was about $4!


Another little cowboy themed shirt from Gymboree - same price as the above.


Last little cowboy shirt - so cute! Such cheap prices too!


This was just a cute rugby at Gymboree that was on sale. It ended up being about $7. Super cute and I think we might use this for our family pictures this fall.


Old Navy jammies. We love this style the most of any others and I thought this set was cute (we like the two piece kind, more fitted). This wasn't a great sale, but I had an actual gift card to Old Navy so they were free!


This was on clearance at Gap for little X man. He always looks good in blue.


These two t's are for next summer for X. I couldn't pass them up since they were on a final clearance. They ended up being about $2 each!


This is a cute little thermal type shirt for X. Love the color of blue and also on clearance.


These jeans were the deal of the day (in my book at least)! First of all, I went into there thinking the cheapest jeans they had would be at least $25 to $30. These were $19.50 to start with and they had 30% their jeans so they ended up being $14! Combined with the coupon I had, they were super cheap and he needed jeans plus they are too cute!


Not pictured: tons of other clothes I got for myself at Gap and Penneys. I got 4 short sleeved shirts at Gap for about $1.50 each (man that is cheap) and a few cardigans and layerable shirts at Penneys for work. It was a fun and successful day of shopping!

My brothers wedding in pictures

My brother got married on our 6th anniversary. It was a great weekend. Here are a few pics.



Rehearsal




My brother - the groom




Ryan again on the wedding day




Me and Todd before the wedding



My mom and Julie



Me and Julie



Todd and two ushers



Aaron and Jen



In the limo



On a pretty bridge



The cute couple



The wedding party



More wedding party



Xander posing



Me and Todd at the reception



Xander dancing - he danced all night!



The Macho Man dance



More dancing



The end!

Lucky Parents

I could use the title of this post to talk about how lucky my parents are to have a kid like me (haha) but that is not what this is about.

I feel so lucky to have my son. Not only just to have him (since I know there are many people out there who can't have kids or who have lost kids) but also just how he is personality-wise. He is so sweet and we love him so much.

I know most parents love their kids and think their own kids are the cutest, and of course I think my kid is awesome (most of the time) and cute too. Please don't get me wrong - I realize my kid has flaws - many of them. He is bratty at times and has meltdowns like other kids. But overall, we feel really lucky with him.

He is and has been (at least up to this point) an 'easy' kid. He has one of those more easy going personalities and has never given us constant difficulty. He has his moments, but tends towards either a laid back or a happy disposition most of the time. He wakes up in the morning happy and goes down for naps and bedtime with no struggle (yes, literally no struggle).

Part of the reason he has been so good is because we worked really hard when he was born to get him into a routine. For that reason, he has slept through the night since about 8 weeks. He has had times where he has been up at night (when he was sick or teething) but other than that, he sleeps great. We love it and it gets us really good sleep also. I think that makes a huge difference for parents. I can't imagine having a kid who still is up at night even some of the time.

He has been getting closer to the 'terrible twos' as he is 22 months. He defies us a fair amount now but we have been working on it and trying to discipline him so he knows that when we say no we mean no. We are working on consistency and trying to have him understand why he can't do certain things. He is not too bad right now and hopefully he won't get too much worse but we will see.

For now I just consider us lucky. They always say God doesn't give you more than you handle and I think He knew just what He was doing when He gave us Xander!

Happy Saturday

I love weekends! Of course I do - I don't have to work! I love getting to sleep in and spend time with my kiddo. They always go way to fast as does most of life. Which brings me to my next point.

I have been so busy lately that I haven't been writing much recently. It seems like the last two or three months have gone by faster than any other time in my life. I am hoping things start to slow down here pretty soon but I have a feeling they won't much.

I am trying to enjoy life and my son but on certain days it's really hard to. My job has been so busy recently that it has been stressing me out and making me enjoy each day less. I still like my job but I would say less than I used to. My awesome boss sat down with me this week to go over my tasks and my to do list and he helped me prioritize which was a huge help and helped me feel a little less stressed.

My brothers wedding was last weekend and it turned out great! It was fun but I was tired afterwards. The next big thing on the plate is planning our little vacation. We haven't booked the trip yet but are still planning on going to Vegas in a month or so. That will be fun but I have to get back to my weight loss efforts as I would like to lose a few more pounds before we go.

I am hoping to be around more and to write more but only time will tell if that will happen! I have a lot to do this weekend and we are going to Todd's parents to watch the Husker game tonight - I am excited about that! Nothing better than some football on a Saturday. Go Big Red!

I found it

I finally found a dress for my brothers wedding! The weird thing is, I had tried on a bunch of dresses before and only found one I liked but they didn't have it in my size. When I went to try on dresses on Saturday, I actually found a few that I really liked! It was weird - I felt like I could have picked one of four or five and been happy but I picked one that was really similar to one I had tried on originally. Anyway, I really like it and think it is flattering so I am happy!

Here is a link to the dress - I got it cheaper than it is listed so I am happy with the price I paid too. I think I am just going to bring along a nice sweater to put over it in case it gets cool. I am not sure what shoes I am wearing with it but I will figure that out soon enough.

Less than a week until the wedding and our sixth anniversary. Crap, I better get something for the hubs too! It's funny how I almost forget it is our anniversary too! I have just been thinking about the wedding. Either way, it will be a fun weekend (with an unfortunate, stressful week at work beforehand).

The Nebraska Game

We went the season opener game for Nebraska last Saturday and it was also our first time to go to a Husker game together as a couple. We have been married almost 6 years and hadn't made it to a game until last week. It wasn't the best team we played but we sure enjoyed ourselves. The attendance at the game was 85,555 and we still retain the record for the most consecutive sellout games. We have some awesome fans!



*Our Tickets*


*Family Pic Before the Game*


*Pep Band Before the Game*


*The Marching Band Drummers Getting Hyped Up*


*West Stadium With the Sky Boxes*


*East Stadium, Flag Over the Band Section*


*North Stadium*


*Northwest Corner of Stadium, Tunnel Walk Area*


*Marching Bank Before the Game*


*The Awesome Jumbotron Screen in North Stadium*


*Me and the Hubs During the Game*


*Lit Up Stadium During the Evening*