Instagram Blog Hop

Welcome to week 28 of our Instagram Blog Hop! This is a party where you can meet new Instagram friends and be continually inspired by what you see in your IG feed! If you're new to the party...

Here are the RULES:

1. Follow your HOSTS on Instagram:

Ashlyn | @loveeashlyn of Let It Be Beautiful 

Emily | @mrsemshhh of The Pink Elephant 

Kimberly | @anightowlblog of A Night Owl

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS on Instagram:

Amy | @pinkofperfect of At the Pink of Perfection

You can find Amy here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Facebook ::  Twitter :: Pinterest

***

Jess | @hijesssmiles of Jess and the Boys

You can find Jess here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Check out and follow a couple fellow IGers. 

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

4. Spread the word! 

Tweet

Grab a button HERE for your sidebar!

5. Link up your profile from any Instagram web interfaces like these listed here: 

Followgram | Ink361 | Webstagram | Gramfeed | Extragram 

Just log in with your Instagram account, grab your profile URL and enter it in the linky below.

Now, on to the HOP! Remember, please link up your INSTAGRAM account, not your blog.

Brain dump

We had a wedding this past weekend. Not just anybody's wedding, but two of our very best friends were married. I can't convey in words how special this was to be a part of, not just because they did a fabulous job putting it together or because we had a ton of fun, we are both so emotionally invested.

Adrian and I actually introduced them to each other. I've known Nicole for over 15 years and even though we lost touch during college, we randomly reconnected the summer after I had Gabriel. They met, fell in love and got married. Makes me happy.

The four of us joke (but it's not a joke) that in 40 years, we'll be all old and wrinkly, playing checkers on each other's patios and drinking wine.

Seriously though, look how gorgeous she is:

So yeah. That was really amazing and wonderful and so fun, I probably can't tell you about most of it :) All of us bridal party peeps are suffering from PWD (post wedding depression), so basically I've sat around eating sugar cookies all day while browsing through the wedding photos over and over again and finishing up the Desperate Housewives' final season. 

And oh, by the way, my husband just mentioned to me that he's getting the keys to our new place tomorrow. This kind of blindsided me because I've been living in this blissful little land called denial. Reality really smacked me in the face today. You know what that means? We're moving stuff tomorrow. You know what else that means? I need to get my ass in gear because I STILL only have 3 boxes packed. I'm really, really trying not to freak out.

Finally, THANK YOU, all of you sweet people who sent me messages and commented about my brother. His doctor's appointment went well, he has strep throat right now which explains why he had a fever and night sweats, thank God. They are closing monitoring his headaches and have put him on a couple week break from football. I'm pretty sure they are going to be a scan soon if they haven't gone away by the end of the rest period.

That pretty much sums up my life today. How are you doing??

Cancer sucks

When I was a freshman in high school, a boy I grew up with was diagnosed with cancer.

During my sophomore year of high school, one of my very close friend's brother passed away from cancer.

In August of my senior year, the boy I was friends with passed away.

At the start of 2010, my youngest brother - a freshman in high school - was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.



Since then, I can count at least five people in my life who have been affected by cancer and it pisses me off. I'm angry that there is no real cure. That it doesn't matter if you are "cancer-free," because that sneaky little snake of a disease can slither it's way back into your life without notice.

This morning my brother, now a healthy, active senior in his school - is visiting his oncologist because he's having recurring headaches, night sweats and a raised temperature, very similar symptoms to his initial diagnosis.

I realize it could be anything...the flu, a coincidence, him working himself up because he's scared. This has happened before where he's gotten so upset about a possible symptom that he makes himself sick with worry, only to find out he's okay. On the other hand, I've done my research. I know the relapse rates for Stage III and that scares the living shit out of me.

He is my baby brother. I changed his diapers for crying out loud. I've watched him grow into a young man that I am proud of, who has potential to do great things. He's become one of my best friends and I love him, regardless of some of the dumb, idiotic stuff that weenie little teenagers do.

I hated hearing the fear in his voice this morning before his appointment, knowing that he's thinking the absolute worst. His nightmare is that it will come back again; he still can't even go to the hospital where he was treated without vomiting in the parking lot.

I despise the fact that every time my brother feels ill for an extended period of time, we have to worry that it might be back. That our worlds might be rocked again. That it could come back worse than before.

This post is morbid and I'm sorry for that, but I'm just having one of those pissed-off-at-the-world-and-all-of-the-shitty-things-in-it days. Next week, we'll probably get scans and blood work back that are clean and we'll all go about our merry way again...right?

Is there a 3 day grace period after a first (play) date?

We did it. We had our first play date with someone that we actually did not know. We sought them out and we went on a date and we did it. I know there are many of you who are thinking, "Whatever, no bigs, I make friends like they're going out of style."

IT'S A BIG DEAL.

We have lived in the Valley for over a year and I have yet to make a friend that was not handed to me by my husband. And that total is 1.

For those of you who have been reading a while, you know about my awkward encounter in World Market where I tried to be friendly but...well...that didn't work out. And you also might remember when I told you about Gabriel's preschool bestie and who his mom was.

Thankfully, I jumped to conclusions and was wrong. Turns out, his mom is NOT awkward World Market mom, but in fact an extremely nice lady, a transplant like me from the Midwest who happens to not know anybody out here.

I reached out to her last week because Gabriel is always talking about her son. We emailed back and forth a few times and decided to let them play at the Burger King play area. Because that's what people do for fun in this hell hole...play in fast food bacteria-fests. Thank God I'm not a germaphobe.

Dare I say, we've made some friends? It seemed to go well...we talked for two hours straight. No uncomfortable silences. Lots of laughing. The boys had an absolute blast and completely wore each other out.

via

Am I allowed to tell her we had fun? Can I text her? Is that weird? Are we friends now or are we going to continue going about our business until I ask her if the boys can play again?

I'm totally over-analyzing this. We had a good time.

I will never understand men

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There are so many things I love about my hub. He's hysterical, incredibly intelligent, steady, blah, blah, blah. Seriously. He's great. But there are so many things he does that I will never, everrrrr understand.

That whole Mars/Venus thing? Seriously.

...like the fact that he asks me to make him a full-on deli sandwich at 10 o'clock at night because he wasn't hungry for dinner. 

...or how every night he brings a cup of water (and sometimes cereal) upstairs and doesn't bring down the cups until a. he has no more room on his side table or b. doesn't have any good cups to use.

...how on Tuesday, trash day, you would think it would be smart to take out all of the trash in the house and put it out front, but nope, that would be too much foresight.

...or how even though I've made it as convenient as possible to put his laundry in the basket/pile by putting it on his side of the room, he will stop and stand right next to the bed, pull off his socks, pants and shirt, and leave them 2 feet from their "home."

...like the fact that every day he will take off his work boots/drop his keys/lay down his wallet somewhere around the house, forget and ask me the next morning.

...and speaking of, how no matter how many times I put things in their "place," a place he is aware of, if I ask him to get me something, he will ask where it is.

...how he complains that I nag too much, yet it takes me asking him at least three times to get him to do something.

...or the fact that - empty sink or not - dishes always get put on the counter.

...like the fact that he has to nap during the day when he's home, no matter much sleep he's gotten the night before.

What weird, illogical, strange or annoying things

does your husband do?