When things don't go the way you planned.

From our first trip together. - San Juan Islands, 2009

In the past couple of years I've realized that I like plans.

I like to have an agenda, to know where I am going, what I'll be doing. I used to think I was a pretty flexible, easy-going person. And, I don't think I'm inflexible. If things change suddenly, I can and do roll with it.

But, as a general preference, I like plans.

Then sometimes I realize that my plans aren't the best. Not in that elusive, "God just knows so much more than you and just laughs and laughs at you because you think you're making plans and you're wrong." (I'm not sure I've ever really liked the idea of God making fun of me as some infantile creature who runs around making stupid mistakes and stupid plans - in fact, I don't think that jives with my belief that God created me with purpose and intelligence and in his image.)

Back to me making plans. The plan was for Dan to be out of the military in October. I would have left some weeks before that to the place that Dan would have accepted his next job and found an apartment and waited for him to join me.

It would have been a place near two or three (or five or ten) really great law schools that I could apply to once I had taken the LSAT.*

It would have been in California. It would have been closer to our family. I would've found an awesome rental with tons of space so I could get a huge dog (the dog was imperative).

It was going to be a really smooth transition, in my head. My plans were perfect.

When I found out that Dan's contract is longer than we had thought I was really upset. I tried to mask it. I didn't want to take it out on Dan because it wasn't his fault. AND it wasn't that much longer, I tried to tell myself.

I was overreacting. And hyperventilating.

I wouldn't be going back to California when I thought. I would be staying in North Carolina for longer than I thought.

So, now we are at the time when we thought the moving process would be starting. When I would've been packing up our apartment and figuring out logistics for our move back across the country.

And, can I tell you, it's a good thing that is not the case.

Finding a job for Dan has been difficult, to say the least. And I can't even imagine what state I would be in if we were moving with no prospects of hire.

It's a good thing my plans didn't work out.


*If you know where this place exists please let me know so Dan can apply there and I can be virtually guaranteed a spot in some Law School. ;)

busy busy in a tizzy

Life is pretty much just studying and work these days. 

I did get a new job hostessing at this awesome restaurant downtown, so, that's awesome. 

I'll have to drop one of my other jobs to accommodate but that's just fine with me as retail has gotten old fast. 

It's funny, when you don't have a system that functions Monday-Friday you stop really caring about the weekends. For instance, when school was in session I knew that I would never have to go to class Saturday and Sunday, thus weekends were something to be desired.

Now that my work schedule has infringed upon my weekends there really isn't that excitement about Friday. Except the fact that Dan gets two full days off and we get to hang out. BUT if I work on those days than I don't get to see him as much... which can be tiring. 

It's just that phase in my life right now when I work for hourly wages and personal days don't really exist. I'm working about 16 hours this weekend so you all go have some fun for me, k? Thanks.

p.s. sometimes we get to do fun things during the week like go catch the local collegiate baseball league play and eat hot dogs:

Sometimes studying for the LSAT gets really boring and I quilt instead

Here is an update on how my quilt is coming along.

I've cut up all the color pieces and have begun to cut the white pieces. 

I've also become quite good at Joann coupon cutting. 

I got all of my materials at Joann's because that's really the only fabric shop we have in town. It took me a while but I found fabrics that I am really pleased with. 

The yellows are killing me. I am so excited. 

I can't wait until I get to start piecing it together. I'm thinking about hand quilting vs machine quilting. 

I can't quilt this big ol' thing on my little machine so if I wanted to save money (and gain some experience) I would hand quilt it. 

Another option is to have someone with a long-arm machine quilt it for me. There are some local options for me but it's still pretty pricey. Also, expedient. They would have it done months before I would. 

We'll see. 

For now I'm just working on it when I need a study break. 

Maybe after October I'll be more excited about the actual quilting process. 

It's surprising how much excitement a table brings me.

It's funny because just the other day I was talking to my sewing guru, Mrs. Dent. We discussed the projects she was working on and the fabric I had just bought. And we laughed about the fact that I didn't have a sewing area.

My sewing machine stays stored in our office/guest room until I pull it out and place it on either our coffee table or dining table and work away at a make-shift station.

A couple weeks ago I saw this beautiful table at my favorite antique/resale store. I fell in love instantly. I mean, it has a 36" ruler carved into the wood! But one look at the price tag and I walked away. It's not that it was extraordinarily priced - it was, after all, a lovely table - it's just that I couldn't really justify the purchase.

For one thing, where would it go?

So I went home. And for the next three weeks I thought about that table and where it could go and how I would use it and how my sewing machine would love it.

Yesterday I decided that enough was enough. I had just received the store's monthly newsletter with a 10% off coupon. So I figured, I would call them and see if it was still there (things move so quickly in their store, I thought for sure it would be gone).

I left a message before work asking them about the table and then for the next 3 hours I got really anxious. I just knew that someone had snatched it up. When I got off there were no missed calls which in my mind immediately meant that it was gone.

But I drove by the shop anyway. Just to see. I walked in and was called over by the owner who was eating her lunch. I told her I called earlier and that I was sure it wasn't there but I just stopped by to check if it was...

"Oh it IS, dear!" She said. "A woman just walked out of here with measurements of it to see if it would work for what she needed. But I asked her if she wanted me to put it on hold for her and she said no that she would just come back at another time..."

"I'll take it." I jumped in quickly. "I've been thinking about that table for weeks!"

I managed to get that thing in my little Cavalier and off we went. I then spent the next 3 hours rearranging our bedroom so that I would have a place to put it.

I couldn't be happier with it. I can't wait to start sewing our new quilt.

Happy Friday!

The art of taking on too many things at once

Aside from working two jobs and studying for the LSAT, I've decided that this summer I should also make the quilt I've been lusting over for what seems like ages. It was my first and still my favorite pin that I ever pinned on pinterest (although the too-cute-for-life Bernese Mountain puppy steals my heart every time).

So I started the process of buying the fabric. I say process because fabric is expensive and I don't want to waste this project with cast off pieces that kinda, sorta fit the bill.

I want fabrics I will love, because if this turns out it's going to be the new bed topper at the Burkhart abode.

I'm excited and nervous about this project. It's the biggest one I've taken on yet.

Back in the saddle.

It has started.
I took my first fake LSAT test and.... I bombed.
Dan said that's pretty usual. I mean I scored an average score but it did nothing for my ego.

The course is really good so far though. I already feel like I understand the questions more and I've only been at it for a few days.

On Saturday we went to Barnes and Boble to study/read. I was studying for this test and Dan was reading the Supreme Court rulings on the Health Care Bill.
We're nerds.