Day 327.

Dear New Husband,

Today I am very thankful for our Best Palzzz that have dogs and will willingly let us bring our interim dog over to play with their dogs.

Because let's face it, the interim dog we have is lonely; he misses his play pals. Watching him with these dogs was as though we were watching another dog take possession of his body - a more happy, playful dog.

It excites me to see him so happy, but makes me a little sad to realize it might not be in his best interest to keep him all cooped up in our lonely apartment. Granted, I don't think our apartment is lonely, but he definitely thinks it is. To each his own.

As we continue to ponder what life will be like with or without the Little Sir, I'm glad that you are supportive and have been beyond supportive thus far. But I have to say, you do like that Little Sir; more than I think you would've. So congratulations on letting a little furry pal into your heart.

And no. I'm not talking about me.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 326.

Dear New Husband,

When you're used to waking up, leisurely, at 8:30 am and still making it on time to work, and then having a dog that wakes you up at 7 am, your mornings are greeted with the feelings akin to a hangover.

Needless to say, I'm so tired.

But I am thankful that you agree to walk the dog after I fruitlessly try to take him out and coax him to do his 'bidness' in just one geographical spot. Heaven forbade.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 325.

Dear New Husband,

More adventures in interim dog parenting. . . And so far, I'm happy to say that you are enjoying it. Granted, the responsible stuff of being a dog owner pretty much stinks, but I'm so glad you're coming around to how much fun a dog can be.

So much fun that we stayed at home and watched The Skulls. Nothing like a throwback to our youth, which consisted of hearing a Creed song in a movie. Oh the late 90's. What were any of us thinking? CREED??!? But I'm sure everyone will feel the same about the 2010's. . . NIKKI MINAJ?!. . . CARLY RAE JEPSEN?!?

ONE DIRECTION.

But I digress. It was a nice evening at home with you. . . As you have night classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, these times at home are becoming fewer and fewer, which in turn makes me more and more thankful for the time we get together.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 324.

Dear New Husband,

First full day as interim pet owners. Definitely comes with a unique set of challenges, especially when I think a non-leash trained dog would have so much fun at PetSmart. . . Spoiler alert: He barked at all the dogs and slid around on the linoleum. But hey, at least we got a better leash out of the deal, right?

But who can resist a little snuggle bug  that enjoys snuggling while watching The Hunger Games?

Thanks for being open to trying out a dog. And for being open to trying 'skinny' Funfetti Cupcakes. . . They weren't horrific but definitely not as good as the real thing.

Sigh.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 323.

Dear New Husband,

Well. Today definitely did not end how either of us thought it would go.

We went to just go visit a little dog that had stolen some of our affections.

And then we brought him home for a one week trial run.

WHAT.

Thanks for being adventurous and trying out new things on a whim. Makes me appreciate you all the more.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 322.

Dear New Husband,

You spent today ticking off some of the items on the list I made to organize our home a little better. . . This list was born out of me bringing home my wedding dress from my Papa Dave's house, as well as seeing how our piles of things accumulate really quickly.

And then we went to the pharmacy to pick up some necessities for me. If anyone ever wondered how annoying having a chronic illness is, its annoying about once every other month, or every two months. And this month was unfortunately one of those annoying times. Ugh. Health insurance thinks its doing us all a favor. Supplies - it isn't. . . Okay. That's an overreaction. It does do me a favor, a lot of the times. But then it does really annoying and asinine things like today and makes me want to trip a nun or punch a gypsy.

But all was not lost, because you're wonderful and I'm stubborn and vindictive. What else is new.

Then we enjoyed an evening celebrating the birthday of one of our Best Palzzz. Where I proceeded to show the photo of the dog we're going to meet tomorrow to everyone that will look. Is this what being a mom or grandma is like? If so, man. I'm going to be great about annoying people to death with photos.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 321.

Dear New Husband,

A date night filled with sushi, Blockbuster rentals [Including a game rental that went awry. I seriously did not know that they had come out with another Wii console. Our lack of 'gaming' capabilities actually cost us. Never thought I'd see that day. . .], and conversations about dog ownership.

I appreciate you entertaining the idea of dog ownership. I know we had said that we would wait until we had a house with a yard, but man. I cannot shake the feeling of wanting a dog. I blame it on growing up with an endless parade of dogs in my home; each of my family members are suckers for those four-legged, furry pets. We just love them.

I know you are more hesitant about owning a dog, but I surely do appreciate you hearing me out, hearing the research and time I've put into it and being okay with going to go meet a furry little friend. You da best.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 320.

Dear New Husband,

Another night with you at class, another night of me planning and shopping for my gifts to you for Valentine's Day and our one year anniversary.

But seriously, that whole one year anniversary thing is coming up - that doesn't seem right. The only reason I know its right is because the ticker on this blog says '320' as in how many days we have been married, and I know that there are 365 days in a year.

I know, my higher level math is astounding. You may now pick your jaw, which has dropped in amazement, off of the floor.

I'm excited for our one year, but yet it still doesn't seem like it has been that long. Such is life!

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 319.

Dear New Husband,

A great and productive day at work, followed by debilitating illness. Well. Not really debilitating. I'm just being dramatic. As per usual.

Everyone is rejoicing in the fact that it is 70 degrees in our city - meanwhile, my sinuses are dying as they try to cope with the drastic changes in weather we have had recently. And the rest of my body is pitching a fit as well, including my stomach and what we have diagnosed as a pinched nerve in my neck. . . So let's all hear it for sitting at a desk for 8 hours and the joys that come with that. I had no idea before this that pain can radiate down your shoulder and into your armpit. The more you know!

Truly, I am thankful for a job; even if that job provides me with a strained neck and stress that manifests itself into illness.

Thanks for always taking care of me, for allowing me to be nuts, and not being too put out by my body staging a sit in to not be productive or allow me to join the rest of society. You da best.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 318.

Dear New Husband,

All I can remember about today is the discovery that I am actually an introvert.

Seriously, this is so odd to me. I took all those personality assessments and quizzes and what not, and they all told me the same thing: Extrovert. But you revealed I'm a sociable introvert: I can hold a conversation with anyone, but I really prefer to be alone.

And after a conversation that started in one location, and inevitably ended in another location, it was revealed how much I like my alone time - enough to be quantified as an introvert.

Not that I'm upset with this diagnosis. To be honest, it makes me feel a lot better about spending time alone.

So thanks for recognizing the fellow introvert in me, and suggesting that I spend some time watching Gilmore Girls. All. By. Myself. . . Bliss.

Thanks for seeing what I need before I realize I need it. And thanks for trying to encourage areas where I need to be encouraged. This is always going to be a learning process, and some days we get to be behind the learning curve.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 317.

Dear New Husband,

I took today off. Which, is a perk of having the jobs we have: Being able to take a day off after working a considerable amount the last two weeks. And I'm so glad I took today off, so I could watch the Presidential Inauguration.

I've heard a lot of grumbling about how 'We already inaugurated this President', and 'Why should we do this again' business. Well, no matter who you voted for, I think inaugurating a President is important for all of us to see, because it is amazing to see how peacefully we swear in our leaders - no rioting, no burning tires in our streets. In the places we have been and seen, this is not always the case. Thus, I'm proud to have a peaceful inauguration that shows that the democratic process in the United States is strong, even when some may not like who was sworn in.

Plus, we get to show off our national treasures: marching bands, Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson. America is the best.

Unfortunately, we ended our day with both of us getting sick. Thanks for nothing, dinner.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 316.

Dear New Husband,

WE SAVED $22 AT THE GROCERY STORE.

I am so incredibly proud of us; I'm proud of the hard work we put in to be good stewards of our money. Coupon clipping and meal planning is not for the faint hearted; its tough to put so much work into that. But I'm glad I have you to help me.

Especially when carrying 4 12-packs of Diet Coke products.

Thanks for your hard work today, even though it was NFL playoff day. And thanks for allowing me to spend money on gluten-free flower that ended up making my cookies taste like a potted plant.

Next time, I'm just getting the brownie mix.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 315.

Dear New Husband,

A great afternoon celebrating a woman's 90TH BIRTHDAY. Where we gorged ourselves on cake and family memories, while trying to envision what our lives would be like at 90.

Today was a great reminder of the legacy of family - being able to see my face and my Momma's face in the faces of others, as well as seeing the quiet characteristics and love that is boldly continued on in all members of my family.

A sweet treat for me, but it was even sweeter to end our day together with the watching of Australia.

I sing you to me. . . Even when we eat mediocre Pad Thai.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 314.

Dear New Husband,

Two weeks full of meetings and work, and I'm pleased as punch that we ended it in True Texas fashion: Margaritas by the fire.

And then with a drive to my Papa's to see my parents. Icing on the cake of the last two weeks. So happy to be finished and headed to bed early.

Cheers, y'all.

I loe you,
Your New Wife.

Day 313.

Dear New Husband,

For the first time, in quite some time, I actually got to leave work early and have an entire evening/afternoon to myself. This is in thanks to the fact that my boss, Jenn, and I are finished presenting our last two and a half years of development to our executive team and the staff members, so we're pretty finished with what we need to accomplish.

It is also in thanks to you having Thursday night class - which means I can sit at home with discs of ER, checked out FO FREE from our local library and veg out.

I love you very much, but I needed this afternoon/evening to recharge my batteries. I can be very extroverted, but I love some good introverted time. But know this: I am thankful for you, your presence, and your general 'awesomeness'; and for giving me the gift of alone time by scheduling night classes.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 312.

Dear New Husband,

My day started earlier than usual, so I am beat.

This one will be short, because I'm pretty sure I'm going to bed in the next 30 minutes but. . . Thanks for always listening to me when I'm an emotional basket case.

And thanks for asking me questions when you don't know the answers and I do - in other words, I like getting the opportunity to talk you down from your ledges, because that doesn't always happen. I'm usually the nut job, so its nice for me to have the roles reversed and have me talk you through some frustrations.

Team work, y'all!

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 311.

Dear New Husband,

My day gloriously started out like this:

I've been longing for snow for weeks - ever since it was revealed that we wouldn't get a white Christmas while at my parent's, but our home would instead. Much to our chagrin.

Even though it was a light dusting, I loved it. And I loved that you left your snow scraper in my car for me. True love: Always taking care of your wife.

Then my day consisted of pulling together PowerPoint slides for our big program presentation tomorrow. Woof.

So you can imagine my excitement when my day ended like this:

I told you that I wasn't sure I could go out on a date tonight because I knew, inevitably, I would bring some work home with me. So you brought the date to me. 

Thank you for being you and for being incredibly supportive of my goals and dreams, even when it takes time away from you and from us.

I love you,

Your New Wife.

Day 310.

Dear New Husband,

Just another Manic Monday.

But I'm pleased as punch to be spending me evening, in my pj's, watching The Big Bang Theory, and The West Wing.

I'm also pleased to find out that we both like really nerdy television.

Every pot truly has its lid.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 309.

Dear New Husband,

NFL Playoffs. Two words that I never thought I would become part of my weekend concerns. Ever.

And then I got married.

However, you diligently ran errands with me today! Those errands occurred in between two playoff games, but still - you were not overly concerned about missing the opening, nor did you try to rush us home for any reason.

THEN. You earned your keep even more by watching Downton Abbey [Which, admittedly, you enjoy], Once Upon a Time [Which, admittedly, you also enjoy] and the Golden Globes with me. The main reason we both actually wanted to watch the Golden Globes?

Tina & Amy.

Yes, I'm on a first name basis with Tina Fey & Amy Poehler - why shouldn't I be? I mean, seriously. They were awesome. I love women that show that women can be anything they want to be: funny, smart, witty, pretty, nerdy, weird, and above all - never take themselves seriously. Right on, Tina & Amy.

Though Tina & Amy were hilarious, you still diligently sat through my commentary on other's clothing choices, and listening to me weep every time someone thanked their spouse in their acceptance speech.

Just another night at home.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 308.

Dear New Husband,

Somewhere in between all of our free time that we had today and the sneak attack nap, I got stir crazy. For some reason, I had a very difficult time enjoying a day snuggled inside while it was cold and rainy outside. And then my body decided I needed a nap. Very anti-Liz.

But thanks for trying to come up with something to entertain me with, as I groaned about how I much I needed to get our of our apartment. . . Although getting out of our apartment meant going out in the cold rain. Bleh. It was a conundrum of mixed emotions. And an afternoon of killing Zombies on Plants v. Zombies.

Then we had a grand old time helping our Best Palzz break in their new house as we had dinner, drinks and lots of laughs at their new home. They truly are the best and I'm so glad we found friends that are just as ridiculous as we are. . . That made up for my unproductive, stir crazy afternoon.

All in all, we live a good life - especially if my biggest complaint is not being sure what to do with free time.

What a weirdo.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 307.

Dear New Husband,

Another busy day at the office [For me - and maybe for you too]. But I deeply enjoyed going out for margaritas after work with some of our favorite colleagues. It is so much fun to be able to have people around us that understand our job & what we do AND have an excellent sense of humor to boot! So much fun with them, celebrating Friday and celebrating my boss, Jenn, being in the United States again.

Then we were off to more good times with friends. More laughter. More food. More. More. More. And it was wonderful. I was not a huge fan of my work day, because I'm constantly feeling mildly unproductive this week at work, but I'm enjoying how much fun we have had this week after working hours.

A great beginning to our weekend - which I have been looking forward to since Monday. Now, let's sleep until we're 80. Because my coherency level is probably at the level of a 19 year old gent at his 7 am US History college class.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 306.

Dear New Husband,

Originally, we were planning on spending tonight with another night at home with another heaping bowl of leftovers. Seriously. That's the last time I'm making soup in a crock pot  Well. Maybe not the last. But seriously, we have had enough food from cooking at home this weekend to feed a small militia.

Anyway, I'm glad for the happy interruption of friends who invite us out to dinner & movie at one of the many 'movie and an eatery' establishments in our area. Because we needed all of the sore abs that came from laughing so hard at This is 40, as it has been one heck of a long week.

I've been so busy, and stressed at work that it was nice to go out and pretend to be a normal, functional member of a larger society. That stress showed up in an unexpected form as I left my iPhone [Affectionately known as Iris the iPhone] somewhere out in the lobby of the movie theater. I then proceeded to think that my phone was gone, sold, and someone somewhere had just bought the entire series of Friends using the money they got from profiting from my negligence.

But you were kind and gentle, as you always are. And you hid your annoyance very well, as you always do. So. . . You're welcome for the adventure. You signed up for the ride of a lifetime and I just want to make sure you got your money's worth.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 305.

Dear New Husband,

A busy, mind melting day as my boss and I continue to prepare for what can be described in clinical terms as a MONDO presentation.

You were so sweet as you kindly suggested that instead of eating more leftovers [Hey, we got student loans to pay off - we're eating leftovers until 2023, y'all], we go out to eat dinner and go see a movie.

Then we saw the list of movies that are currently playing. MONDO thumbs down.

Thus, we revert to an old standby: A Blockbuster movie and popcorn. With a sneak preview of leftovers.

I know you've mentioned how we've stayed in, and maybe we've lost our youth. But, lets not kid ourselves: I don't want to go out. I get home and want to curl up in bed, like a hibernating cat, and pretend there isn't a world outside. You can thank my immune system and the relenting rain for that. In all seriousness, thanks for trying to make something new happen.

And for preventing me from reaching my goal of being a grouchy curmudgeon, before I reach 70 years of age.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 304.

Dear New Husband,

Sick. Ill. Miserable. Death bed. And to top it all off, unproductive at work. Today was not my favorite, but sometimes you need days like this to remind you that life is so much better than you actually think it is.

Thanks for being supportive and continuing to be a champion of leftovers. . . And for not judging me when I fall asleep for an hour at 7 pm. Late afternoon nap?

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 303.

Dear New Husband,

This National Championship game is an accurate reflection on the type of day it has been: Monday.

The upside is that our home smells like bacon. So we have that going for us.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 302.

Dear New Husband,

A Sunday spent grocery shopping. Naturally, that meant going to three different grocery stores with coupons and pricing knowledge in hand. . . I'm now laughing at me beginning that sentence with 'Naturally'. There's probably not anything natural about bargain grocery shopping at three different grocery stores, but hey. We work for a non-profit and have an unholy amount of student loans to pay off. So. I guess that makes it natural for us to be frugal.

Anyway, I enjoy doing those things together. One of the main reasons is you are my portable human calculator, with a mind like a Swiss Army watch. I don't have to stand there with my bachelor of arts and my master's in social work, wondering what the price per unit is on a thing of pickles. Oh no - I have you, darling one.

Plus carrying all those things of soda by myself stinks.

Thanks for bargain hunting when all you really wanted to do today was watch football. And for figuring out the Tetris game that is putting our Christmas decorations back into our overflowing closet. You strengthen your man card when you put your wife first.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 301.

Dear New Husband,

A somewhat slow paced/lazy Saturday. Thanks for stepping into a day similar to the days we had off of work in between Christmas and New Years: Slow mornings filled with The West Wing, dirty bowls that once contained cereal, and folding laundry.

Its hard to believe our first 'married' Christmas is over. I feel somewhat forlorn putting Christmas decorations away each year, but this one feels even more forlorn. . . It means we're one step closer to no longer being newlyweds. I don't know what it is about the idea of newlyweds or the fact that the term newlyweds itself conjures up imagery of blissful ignorance, but I like being one of those things.

I like being a newlywed, and I have a sneaking suspicion I will really enjoy being retired. . . So I've got a lot of space in between life events that I have really been looking forward to; I suppose that explains why I'm feeling a little melodramatic about no longer being a newlywed.

Anyway, I enjoyed our evening playing games with friends, laughing over life, and word games. Such a sweet time we get to live in and such sweet lives we get a chance to be a part of. Although how anyone puts up with my jokes and antics, I'll never know.

I mean, I'm still confused how I tricked you into binding your life to mine. I mean. C'mon.

I love you,

Your New Wife.

Day 300.

Dear New Husband,

We have been married for 300 days?! Where has the time gone?

Well. If we want to answer the question is that its gone into so many different things. Currently, that time is spending a lot of quality time logging hours with Netflix as we marathon through seasons of The West Wing. But lots of our time has gone into something incredible: Life and the juxtapositions and challenges that it lugs around in its weight.

But what a ride this journey of 300 days has been - what a ride all the days before all the last 300 days have been. Though no one ever told us it would be this hard, no one ever told us how sweet it would actually be.

Thanks for the first 300! Also - can you believe I will be finished with this and we will be finished with our first year of marriage in 65 days?!

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

I hope the cake still tastes good.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 299.

Dear New Husband,

Marathon day. A day that started in the morning and ending well into the evening. A day that consisted of miles driven from our office in the suburbs, to the downtown epicenter of a neighboring city.

Though I don't necessarily wave the banner or advocate for working 11-12 hour days [I mean, really. Life is short. Let's all have dinner in our respective home instead of in our cubicles], I enjoyed our 12 hour day because we get to talk about the gift it is to do the job we do with passionate & bright college students.

Those kids know their stuff about humanitarian aid and what is/isn't effective, and they are the ones that inspire me to keep on keepin' on. Because as glamorous as our jobs sound [Which, if I've been making it sound glamorous, then I have been LYING TO YOU] they are not glamorous. But passions, callings, and/or fulfilling vocations aren't glamorous. I mean, I'm sure Fergie has things that she has to do for her job that aren't G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S.

But I'm thankful for what we get to be a part of and that we get to invite others to be a part of this journey. There's no one else I would want to answer Q&A sessions with.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 298.

Dear New Husband,

The first official 'work day' of the New Year. . . I am now a full time employee and have consonants after my email signature now!

Which meant that I even stayed later at the office than you did. What a sign of the times. But it was nice to come home, make a quick and easy dinner, quietly read our respective books, a trip to Aldi [Which was a grim, yet incredibly frugal experience] and finish off with more episodes of The West Wing.

Though we have had a pretty relaxing Christmas vacation, its still really nice to be able to relax in our home after a long day of work - I love quiet evenings at home with you, while we debate the policy and politics behind a fictional show. My kind of life.

Thanks for always being up for being a house cat with me. We do have exciting lives, but that excitement makes me long for home even more.

I love you,
Your New Wife.

Day 297.

Dear New Husband,

We spent the first day of 2013, not eating Hoppin' John or any kind of black eyed peas - instead, we spent the day helping our Best Palzz paint their new home, and celebrating the lopsided bowl victory of my Oklahoma State Cowboys. I could not think of a better way to ring in 2013 than with paint, friends, and a harsh beat down of Purdue in a bowl game. Viva la 2013.

I truly enjoyed seeing how handy you were in the empty, paint fume-y home - its exciting for me to realize that you are incredibly knowledgable in regards to home renovations and solutions to home problems. What a delight for me to discover that your secret talent is helpful to our future. Whereas my secret talent of being able to identify any actor and what movies/television programs they acted in, as well as being able to quote obscure lines from movies is not necessarily helpful. Unless we get on a game show where those factoids are actually considered to be intelligence that would make me a MENSA member.

Thanks for always bringing something to the table, and for always wanting to serve alongside of me.

I love you,
Your New Wife.