Easter Weekend

You guys, I had one of the best Easter weekends. I can't stop smiling about it. Russell and I drove up to Oroville on Friday night to spend time with his family and drove back to Orange County on Sunday afternoon.

The week before Easter had been a stressful week. Between work, packing, worrying -- my body signaled its unhappiness with me. Lots of back and neck pain. On the drive up to Oroville, Russell had to exit and pull over for awhile because I got the worse headache ever.

However, pulling over to the side of the road around 3 AM ended up being perfect because little did we know, there was a blood lunar eclipse happening! I remember looking up (because my neck hurt and I was trying to stretch it) and pointing out the moon to Russell and how red it was. Later, I saw a news article about it being one of the shortest blood moon total eclipse. Around this time, we were in the middle of nowhere (Bakersfield), at the side of the road off a highway, where no city lights canceled out the stars. I think we stood at one of the best views. It was beautiful.

We stayed with Russell's mom in Oroville and she gave me her sewing machine she received when she was 9. It was her first ever sewing machine and I felt so special when she gave it to me. This machine was made in the 50s and is still in great condition. She taught me the basics of sewing and now I am excited to practice. Hello pillow cases and curtains!

She also gave me some pretty cool outfits from the 50s. Just in time because high-waisted skirts and crop tops are coming back again.

On Easter Sunday, we attended their church, sang hymns, and put flowers on the cross (which I had never done before. Oroville has some of the best wildflowers I've ever seen and everyone put their own flower on the cross. The end result was beautiful. I wish I took a picture - so just take my word for it). We had Easter lunch in Russell's uncle's house where we quickly caught up with his relatives, some of the best people you could ever meet.

Russell's grandma found out Russell and I don't own a TV and I think she felt bad for us. She insisted we take her old extra TV she had lying around in her storage shed. Friends, this was such a sweet gesture and what she gave us made me smile so much that of course we had to take the TV:

Straight from the 80s

It only plays in black and white. It's fairly small and its screen is not even as big as my laptop screen. It even contains a contrast setting on the back of the TV as well as a built-in antennae! After receiving this gift from Grandma, I am smitten with it. We are planning to get it working. I mean, if we are going to have a TV in our house, this TV would be it. How amazing is this? Come watch the game at our place, guys!

I came home feeling so blessed after this weekend. Grandma even insisted we take some plants from her greenhouse so we now have a roma tomato plant and a butternut squash plant. What started out as a stressful week ended with so much love and happiness.

Russell's Birthday Weekend

We celebrated Russell's birthday this past weekend. The night before Russell's birthday, I politely asked him to please not turn 26. Twenty-six is just so old, I said. The next morning, Russell woke up, looked at me, put his fists in the air and said, I did it! I morphed into 26 overnight! And he looked so happily smug even though I was distraught by the fact that my husband can now be considered to be in the "late twenties."

On Friday, I was able to convince Russell to work from my parents' home for the latter half of the day since it was his birthday. We had Korean Bbq with his brothers and friends per his request then played boardgames (Munchkin) where we proceeded to dominate and win the game. On Saturday, Russell and I got couples massages and wished we were rich enough to receive massages every week. I knew Russell enjoyed the massage when he started snoring halfway through it. Saturday night, we took my family out to dinner then went to look at the condo we are hoping to buy.

It has been a busy but fun weekend. I'm pooped from all the activities. The dog has barely moved this Sunday since he, too, is recuperating. And Russell is happily 26. 

Aches

Oh internet peeps, whoever you are wherever you are, I do not know what to do.

Life is so very good. The other day I went on a very long hike that involved water streams, salamanders, waterfalls, and dear friends. Today my whole body aches but it is the good kind of ache. I have eaten so much good food. I’ve tasted Earl Grey Pie and I am a changed woman.

Life is on a speed-dial pause. We still haven’t heard back yet about the offer we made on a potential new home. But our apartment is emptying, yet filling up. It seems like the more things I take down and pack, the more boxes pile up all around our space. The lease will still end when it ends even though we’re in limbo. Also, Russell’s birthday is coming up and it’s weird to think that I’ve known this man since he was 20 and in a couple weeks he will be 26. But I swear, when we’re on the couch/car/bed together, time stops.

In a sense, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. The best because anything can happen. The worse because anything can happen. I am very content yet sometimes I want more. I am happy most days but occasionally melancholy. I write then stop. I read then stop. I am either doing everything at once or nothing at all.

I want to decorate a home--to fill it with flowers and curtains and guests (and maybe, one day, babies). I also do not want any responsibilities. I want to grow old with Russ. I also want to stay this way forever with Russ. Want, want, want...it is just too easy to keep wanting.

I picked up my old journals the other day and felt a deep pang in my heart for the girl I used to be. Silly, too self-conscious, ambitious, shy, and everything I am still now but hopefully wiser by a teeny tiny bit. I am very sentimental. I think that’s how writers are like though--or actually any human being if they were just honest about it. I do not ever regret feeling too fully about anything. It is worth it.

Anyways, I ramble the last bit because I think it’s okay to feel the little bit of nagging yet welcomed melancholy. It forces me to reflect and write so that I can understand where it stems from. Right now, I think it stems from the speed-dial pause I am currently in life. Everything is speeding past except for the things I want to slow down. But then again, we can only get the good kind of aches in life when we force ourselves to climb the mountain. The view is so gosh-darn beautiful though. Salamanders and all.

Knitting

It's been a whirlwind of crocheting and knitting. I've started packing a few of our belongings which of course means finding old toys I've forgotten about for the past year. I finally got around to my giant box of yarn and there are so many fun colors and textures!

I was also lucky enough to go to a crocheting/knitting night with some of the ladies from my bible study. One of them even taught me how to crochet a flower. I'm still not super good at it but I'm practicing. Also, I learned how to make bows. There will be lots of knitted bows and crocheted flowers around our apartment.

Russell gets around to his woodworking when we have downtime. One of his coworkers even inquired about getting two planters. And we also have another friend who is interested in the wooden rings he makes. Very exciting. It's enough to keep us giddy.

Is two months before our lease ending too early to start packing?

I've taken down a majority of our wall decor. I've emptied some of our cabinets. And I've started on the kitchen. By the end of March, this tiny apartment will be almost empty. Russell says it'll be a sad, empty April.

No, we don't know yet where we're going to end up. There are just too many possibilities and we are equally excited about all of them. We excite so easily, and I love this about us. I'm so happily content at where we are--boxes and all.