Do You Know Me?

Hello, lovies. It is that time of year when 98% of the people around complain about but secretly love... Valentine's Day is inching towards us so I thought I'd smother you all with some sappy, lovey-dovey smutz to read about the hubbins and myself. (I certainly won't be offended if any of you love-haters out there stop reading at this point.)


You know those games that pretty much every bride plays at her bridal shower where you ask the groom questions about himself and/or the couples' relationship? Yeah, well, we didn't play games at my shower... we just got down to business... food and gifts! haha I thought this would be a good time to answer some questions that I know have been burning inside all your little hearts...(This lil' quiz wasn't given to Nathan to fill out about me... I took the liberty of doing this all by my big-girl self...) Enjoy, cupids!


1) What day did you first meet? Where?
- This is tough. We knew each other when we were in high school when I was dating one of Nathan's friends. However, we weren't friends outside of that (in fact, as I recall, I wasn't a big fan of Nathan's at all). I would say we really connected when we were out at a bar the same night then I saw him again the next day (I must admit that I wasn't feeling/looking so hot the following AM thanks to my ol' pal, tequila). Not much came outta that meeting until he found me on... drum roll... MySpace... using the time-tested pick up line of "Why didn't you tell me you were single?!" Ah, thanks, Tom, for opening to door to my marriage.


2) Where was your first date?
- Our first official date was Nashville. I made the 7-hour solo car trip down to Fort Campbell where he was stationed and met up with him there. Before we headed for Nashville, we stopped for some fine dining at the always classy Taco Bell (yes, I paid for my own cheesy gordita crunch and cherry Pepsi.) For the next two days, it was just he and I living it up on Broadway and at the zoo. This was a month after we spent every single night on the phone with each other for about 2 hours and every day was spent texting each other. The joys of modern technology! I wonder how people courted before cell phones and computers?! Messenger pigeons?! Probably...

Dancing on our first date. Love him already!

3) Where was your first kiss?
- This is easy... There was a psych-out-almost-kiss in the cab ride to a bar in Nashville on night one. I was ladylike and held off on the smoochin' until we got to the bar. Haha Our first kiss was at a bar called Full Moon Saloon in Nashville. The band was playing a song we both were into called, "Always Late". I'd be pretty happy if I could remember the name of the band but the memory of the kiss will have to do.


4) Who said 'I love you' first?
- This is highly debated in our household. There was a time when I had a voice recording of one of our phone conversations (granted, he may have been a few Keystones deep) where Nathan muttered, "I love you!" about three times! Even though I had evidence of this, he denied/denies it to the core. If we don't count the drunken slur, I'll have to admit that it was me who said it first. It was in January of 2009 when I was, again, visiting Nathan on post at Campbell. Nothing super romantic, no candles or music... Just he and I lying next to each other after watching a movie. I had known for months that I loved him but was scared to tell him. I was just coming out of a serious relationship when we first started talking and I knew that he would be deploying for Iraq that summer. I was trying not to set myself up for heartbreak, but there was no way to deny my feelings any longer. :) I loved this man and he needed to hear it!


5) What is your most commonly used phrase?
- Hrmm... I'm gonna say, "Hey, babe?" Although we have tons of goofy little sayings (I'll spare you the deets on that), this is probably what we use the most. It's good for so many different situations. "Hey, babe? Will you grab my drink?" "Hey, babe? What sounds good for supper?" "Hey, babe? Does my butt look big in this?" (the answer to that is always no.) And, my favorite, "Hey, babe? I love you!" <3

6) If you were ordering drinks for both of you, what would you get?
- Depends on the day. If we are just out for dinner, and I know he wouldn't want anything with alcohol in it, I'm gonna say water... no need for a lemon wedge. I'd get a diet soda... Coke or Pepsi depending on location.
- If we were out to get our drink on and I know he's in the mood for beer, there's so much more that goes into that. Is it a dark beer night? A lager night? Or a get drunk cheap night? In order, they'd go Guiness, Yeungling, and Bud Light (PBR if they have it... I said cheap, right?) I'm in the same boat on this... depends on the type of mood I'm in. Usually a Yeungling Light or Michelobe Ultra will do.
- If he's getting crazy and wants some liquor, and my dad is around, Crown and Seven... If we're at, say, an open bar wedding reception, he'll be drinking Captain and Coke. I'm having Captain and Sprite.


7) If you could throw out one piece of each others clothing, what would it be?
- He'd throw out my zip-up Tri-Delta jacket. It's from college, I never wear it, and it has a hole in the arm pit but I just can't make myself get rid of it. It has a special place in my heart... and in the back of my closet.
- I'd definitely get rid of his high school red sweater with the boring navy blue stripe across the front. In fact, he just wore it yesterday and I kept my mouth shut... that's how much I love him!


8) Do you have a song?
- Yes! :) Ever heard a little ditty by Rod Stewart called, "You're in my Heart"? Well, the chorus of it is pretty special and makes me smile whenever I hear it. Plus, it makes me think of us dancing together in Trav's apartment when we were first dating. Good memory there.

Walking to Trav's... with Trav.

9) Who hogs the bed covers?
- Nathan. He knows it, too. It was so bad that we now sleep with two separate blankets. He sleeps with a fleece blanket and I use our actual comforter. Problem. Solved. It doesn't help that the kid flips and jumps in his sleep causing him to tug harder at the blankets. It took some time to get used to but I think we're both getting full night's sleep these days.

There's really no reason for this picture but I think it captures our best qualities!

10) What's your favorite quality about each other?
- He'd say "My favorite thing about Bethany is that I can't pick just one favorite thing about her." I'm positive that this would be his answer because he's actually answered this question before.
- I'd say that my favorite thing about him is a combination of personality traits; he's the most patient man ever... he makes me laugh at the most perfect times... and he loves me unconditionally.

Love of my life.

I really hope you enjoyed reading about me as much as I enjoyed talking about myself... Spread the love!

She Works Hard for the Money

*Footnote

And it goes a little sumthin' like this...

Why am I so weird and start my posts with ridiculous nonsense like that?!

It's cold and rainy and another glorious day in the great state of OH-10. The hubs and I have been in a lil' bit of a funk lately and we've both, on separate occasions, pointed our fingers at the nasty weather we've been stuck in all winter. (FYI, I would take snow over rain any day!)

To cheer us up a little tonight, and to shut up my sweet tooth that has been OOC the last week or two, I suggested we go get some ice cream. We jumped in NJC's truck and headed to the always-delicious ColdStone Creamery. After ordering we sat down to enjoy our 300+ calorie bowls of guilt.

Uhm... Love it Cake Batter Batter with Whipped Cream? Yuh.

In the midst of inhaling this, I noticed that the 4 employees there were well under the age of 20. I'm gonna say that the manager was, hrmm, 18? The other three were probably high school sophomores... which made me think, "Not a bad first job... Tee shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, being required to put no effort into doing your hair because it had to be in a ponytail and visor, and ice cream." My husband chimed in, "Wouldn't it be nice to work in a place where customers were always in a good mood? No one ever goes to get ice cream and is like, 'You're such a bitch! Let's go get ice cream!'" Good point. Actually, this probably wouldn't be a bad job at any point in your life... Unless, of course, you're trying to pay bills and other adult things.

My first job? I was a 'produce clerk' at our local grocery store, Pick'N'Save... or as I fondly called it, Pick'N'Slave... (Not a funny thing to joke about, espesh on MLK jr day... geesh, I'm awful!) My tasks included cutting up and packaging fruits and veggies, stocking the floor and our cooler, flirting with my assistant manager who was 21 when I was 16 (creepy now that I think about it but he totally flirted back!), mopping up customer's disgusting spills and muddy footprints and, my favorite, rummaging through our stock to find all the rotten produce (then taking said rotten produce and underhand pitching it to creepy assistant manager and watch him smash it against the wall using a broomstick). What did I learn from this job? Being a young girl totally had its benefits when trying to change my schedule, grocery store produce departments probably aren't as clean as you'd like to think they are, and kumquats are a real food.

What does that even mean!?

After my two-year stint at the PNS (haha... think about that one), I moved on in the world and became a server at the country club in town. This job was fun. I worked with my best friend, was able to eat some pretty delish gourmet food, and made some bomb tips! (Too bad I didn't listen to my dad and put some of that money into my savings!) Pretty typical serving job; memorized the menu, put on a pretty all-too-often fake smile for the guests, and wore a tuxedo shirt and bowtie. Lessons at the good ol' Willow Bend Country Club? A smile and acknowledging people as "Mr/Mrs." can really pad the tip, not all prime rib tastes as good as Chef Jerry's, and the gossip really is juicier in da club.

I had a couple little gigs between here and my next semi-long-term job. I was a temp at a factory in town and then I was pulled back into the wonderful world of food service at Lonestar Steakhouse. Now there was a fun job! Free Coors and a bunch of college kids runnin' the show! Throw in the tips and more bomb-ass food and it was heaven for a poor 20 year old! I worked at LensCrafters for about a year and although that was a boring job with a group of much much older people, I was able to save my parents tons of mullah on glasses and eye exams!

Sweet free glasses from Lenscrafters.

After I realized that drinking, boys, and college don't all mesh well together, I moved back in with my parents after three years away. It was at this point that I (kinda) got serious about jobs and education. I was able to land a job as a nurses' aide at a nursing home while going to school for my RN degree. This, my friends, was the most rewarding and educational job. It taught me patience, basic nursing skills and, most importantly, how to treat people... my co-workers, patients, and families with respect. I was able to carry these lessons into my career that has become my passion. (There is a huge appreciation for my nurses' aides each day and I feel I would take them for granted had I not been in their shoes at one time.) I would never trade the experience I've had being a hospice nurse. I find myself maturing and learning so much about myself and others every single day I work. Most helpful tip I've ever received? "Treat every patient and family as if they are yours... your father, sister, spouse." Try it. I bet you'll be able to relate and connect with people you come into contact with every day...Best.Job.Ever.

STNA days at the Nursing Home! (With muh gurl, Jade.)

Nursing School graduation :)

All things considered, I've been pretty lucky with my experiences in the working world. I think each job, even though I didn't take most of them seriously, has taught me at least one valuable lesson I've been able to drag along with me as I continue on in my J.O.B... and for that, I'm thankful.

*Holy long blog! My apologies. Also of note, "Working for the Weekend"  has been going through my head the entire time I've been writing this which is weird because I work every other weekend so that doesn't really apply to me... Hmm...

(I ain't) Missing You...

Ever have one of those mornings s/p [nurse talk for "status post"] drinking when you wake up, not knowing where you are and try to piece the night back together? You and your pals are all like, "What did we do last night? How did we get home? Did we go to Waffle House!?" Well, I've had one of those nights *cough* a time or two *cough* and I'm gonna go ahead and say that that's how I felt when I logged back on to update this lil' ol' blog. What all happened while I was gone? What should I type-vomit onto this page first? How do I apologize for all of the {embarrassing things I did/said} lack of incredibly interesting thoughts shared via the web? And, most importantly, DID any of you go to Waffle House since I've been MIA?!

I guess the last time I posted was before our trip to Arizona... Well, obvi that has come and gone and, yes, we had an amazing time. How sweet of you to ask! Gorgeous weather, great friends, and Mexican food out tha wazzooo! (Maybe a night or two like the one stated in the opening paragraph...)

Us with our hosts at Gillian's in Scottsdale, AZ :)

After that all-too-short vacay, we were able to make it back to our hometown for some Christmas spent with family and friends. I'm not sure if y'all are the same way or not, but I can't help but get excited about Christmas celebrations. When I was little, I remember sharing a room with one of my sisters. Every night we would talk and talk and talk until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. (Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure it was just me talking and her saying, "Uh huh..." every once in a while.) Each Christmas Eve, it was totally different. It was silent. We would try to hear Santa's sleigh or reindeer on our roof. My mom would always put a candle in our window that would make exaggerated shadows on our walls and ceiling. I remember not being able to fall asleep, filled with excitement and anticipation, and I would stare at the shadows. Fast forward 15+ years and add my husband, subtract my sister, and I'm in the same situation. Again, there was a candle in the window of my youth and I was unable to fall asleep. Only this time, instead of a Santa-gift filled Christmas morning, I was super excited to spend time with my parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, and nephews. As I've grown older, I look forward to family time sooo much! (It helps that my family is anything but boring and there is literally never a dull moment when we're together!) Anyway... enough on that. Nathan and I's second Christmas as hubbins/wifey was incredible. Also, my immediate family was able to capture a picture of all of us together for the first time since Nathan and I have been dating.

Presh.

This is what you're more likely to see around us...

What else? Oh, that's right... the husband got himself a Harley... Yes, as in a motorcycle. As much as I tried to persuade him not to get one, I couldn't stop him. Apparently I needed to start intervening with his plans when he was about 12 years old. I guess you can't stop a man from his dreams. At any rate, it was a great deal and, as much as it pains me to say, it really is a gorgeous bike and I'm excited to ride it a time or two...

I guess it's okay.

My rebuttle to the cycle? Naturally, an adorable puppy! I've been begging Nathan to get another dog for as long as we've been married. And, what's a better reason than counteracting the purchase of a motorcycle?!? After an extensive twenty seven minutes of research, I had my heart set on a little cockapoo. Skip forward to 9pm s/p (haha, putting this to use) 12 hours of work and prior to another 12 hour shift, we welcomed the newest member to our little family... Ladies and gents, meet Baby Enzo!

The littlest canine love of my life!

And so, folks, now you're up to date on the goings on in my life... Mayhaps I'll do a better job of keeping up with this... but, let's be honest, I don't see daily posts in my future. Espesh with a new bebe in muh life!

Ciao, loves!