Things...

I want to do:
1. ride our new scooter.


2. watch marathons on Netflix.


3. read.


4. take an afternoon nap.


5. get a hammock and then hang it in the trees in the backyard. Read and/or take a nap in said hammock.


Things...
I don't want to do:
1. work.
2. organize the spare room.
3. go grocery shopping.
4. do laundry.

In fact, I don't want to do these things so much, that they don't even deserve pictures.

we maybe sort of live in a demolition zone

But the good news is that Nathan is pretty handy. Which is fantastic, because I'm no Mrs. Fix-it.

(pictured: not me.)

We've been in our new house for ten days. Nathan's dad and granddad were here for six days, helping us get the major projects underway. They left this morning, but have promised to return at some point down the road to see how everything comes together.

We love the layout of our house. We love the outside. But this statement pretty much sums up our feelings about everything inside:


Nathan was feeling somewhat discouraged about the number of projects we've set out to do but have not yet completed. So I made a list of everything we've done so far, to show that yes!, we've totally finished some big projects. And even though it seems like we cross off one thing and add two more, we couldn't be happier.

1. Installed doggy doors
2. Took out carpet in front rooms (living/office/dining/front hall)
3. Took out tile that was underneath it
4. Power sanded everything
5. Took out wood paneling
6. Took out wallpaper that was underneath it
7. Drywalled weird doorway that was underneath it
8. Took out woodburning stove and stove pipe from ceiling
9. Drywalled hole in ceiling
10. Drywalled weird passthrough between living and kitchen
11. Textured all drywall
12. Installed cool new mailbox
13. Painted ceiling in guest room
14. Painted walls in guest room
15. Replaced doorknobs and hardware
16. Installed new front door
17. Installed new window in front door
18. Installed new ceiling fan in guest room
19. Connected bookcases in guest room
20. Installed robe hook in hall bath

This list doesn't include approximately 47 trips to the Home Depot, where we literally know people by name. Sort of like Cheers. Only the Cheers we prefer is Nomad, a great little bar in our new hood. Yup, we like the place. Think we'll stay awhile.

lessons in contentment

I'm going to do that ever-annoying blogger apology, you guys.



I'm sorry that I haven't blogged that much lately. Between my Friday Favorites and an occasional Monday Dose of Cuteness, you're probably like, What is going on with this girl?

Well. Let me tell you. Nathan and I are deep into a state of change. God, that sounds so dramatic. We're not molting.

This is how it started...

1. We're five weeks into working with a personal trainer and cracking down on our paleo diet. Seriously. Friday marks the five weeks mark, and the program is initially 12 weeks. Nearly halfway there! (Cue Bon Jovi "Livin on a Prayer") Not that we'll stop working out at 12 weeks, but we'll go into a sort of maintaining phase. At that point, Nathan and I should be able to do sweet jump kicks like this:


Kidding. Sort of.

I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel, how I look, what I'm able to do physically, how my clothes fit me, and how much money we're saving on eating out. (For the record, we are allowed one cheat meal a week, and so far, we've gone so overboard with carbs on the weekly cheat meal that we basically both enter a comatose state and soon after feel nauseous, followed by pangs of regret and shaking our fists to heaven saying, "It's not worth it!") All that to say, I don't really miss carbs or even sugar. I never would've thought a diet like this would have been balanced or healthy, but a couple months ago, our lives took a new course when Nathan's mother recommended he read this book. And if you get Nathan started, he will convert you within ten minutes. The last time I heard him speak this passionately was about a little band called Radiohead. That, and anything with the words "camera, photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Nikon, (and most recently) Mamiya" in the sentence. But I digress.



Between diabetes and high-blood pressure running in both our families, we decided to make a drastic change. And I can't tell you how much it's improved the way I feel on a daily basis. Couple that with the training with our good friend and Crossfit aficionado, Jeremiah, and we're entering this new path of change for the better. The irony is that to reach a place of contentment with my health/body/ability I really needed to make a change because I couldn't be content with where we were: eating crap food every night and acting lathargic. I hate to say this, but before this diet, I couldn't remember the last green vegetable I'd eaten. I was slowly but surely going from a skinny-fat to just plain fat, and every year I'd buy clothes in larger sizes. No good. Not content.

On to the next massive point of change:

2. We are househunting for our very first home! It's time. After nine years of living and renting in Austin, we love it and think we're here to stay. Sure, the summers are hot. Sure, the allergies are hideous. But there are SOOOO many other things to love that we are incredibly happy and want to build a home here.



We also believe that the right house will help grow our business, and I can't express in words how exciting that is! We've put all the details together, and when our lease is up at the end of summer, we may very well find ourselves in a house. To help get there, it's critical to crack down on our finances, so we've decided to become grown-ups and abide by a budget. Sounds terrifying, right?



Only this is part of where the contentment comes in as well. In thinking about a new home, and looking at homes with our realtor, I really see our future. But getting to that future means we both have to sacrifice and stop buying things we don't need, and put more in savings. I fully believe we have everything we need, and more. Months ago, I would obsessively scour Anthro online on the first day we were paid, to see what I wanted to buy that I didn't need. When my monthly mad money was gone, I would often sell books and movies back to Halfprice in desperation so I could buy a new pair of shoes that I didn't need. The theme here is that these are all possessions I don't need. I don't need lattes every morning from a coffeehouse. I don't need to stop by Specs and pick up cider three nights a week. And while it hurts me to say, I don't actually need new bags, shoes, and dresses. Even from Anthro. I simply don't need them. I can't tell you how liberating it is to say those words, and I think it's a big step for us toward our future. Which is far more exciting than anything I could buy in a store.

Why our mailman hates us.

We once went so long without checking our mailbox that we received a large bundle of mail, rubberbanded on our doorstep with a sticky note attached that said, "Check your mail more."

Probably a good idea.

My favorite micro poem

After Weeks of Watching the Roof Leak
by Gary Snyder

After weeks of watching the roof leak
I fixed it tonight
by moving a single board.



***************

I adore this poem because it's how I feel when I put things off. This morning I took care of a task I've been putting off for about month. It took less than twenty minutes. Does this ever happen to you?

What's in a name?

When my mom was preggers with me, she and my dad didn't want to find out if I was a girl or a boy until I was born. (Some of our wonderful friends, Jess & B., recently did this, and I totally think I'd do it, too-- wait to find out the baby's gender on its birthday. The excitement and surprise would be fabulous, don't you think?)

Anyway, my mother liked the name Matthew. My dad liked the name Amy. So there you have it. Little Amy was born!

In 1977, the name Amy was the third most popular girl's name in America. In the year I was born, there were 16,257 Amys for every 1,000,000 girls born. That means 1 in 60 girls was an Amy. But it felt like so many more.


Thank you, babycenter.com

There were so many Amys. You probably still know a bunch of them. I had friends named Amy. I was called Amy P. in my most of my elementary school classes (not the coolest name, mind you). I even have an amazing sister-in-law who's name is not only Amy, it's Amy Elizabeth. It's true!

Every so often, someone would ask me if Amy was short for Amelia. It isn't. But that got me to thinking. I didn't (and still don't) know a single Amelia. What a unique, interesting name. For a brief time in college, I even considered legally changing my name to Amelia.



It would be perfect. I could still go by Amy. But by then, my teachers had moved on from calling me "Amy P." and it wasn't so bad. Amy means "beloved" and I do think it's a name that fits me. I always have felt incredibly loved by my family, friends, and husband. I'm not saying I'm going to get an Amy tat any time soon, but I like it. Besides, now I realize my name doesn't have to be unique for me to be unique.

How did you feel about your name growing up? Did you ever seriously consider changing it?

Confessions of an over-thirty.

1. I sometimes forget my age.

2. I love to knit.

3. I had to switch to Sensodyne.

4. I relish quiet.

and perhaps most horrifying of all:
5. Today my tights got a teeny bit droopy around the ankles.

Forget over-thirty. These sound like the confessions of a senior citizen. Doesn't that qualify me for a discount at Hill Country Weavers?

The remarkable case of Anthropologie versus thrift shops everywhere.

I think I may have been brainwashed. By the gorgeous fabulosity that is Anthropologie. How is that possible, you ask? I mean, Anthropologie is magical! Well, it's simple.



1. Anthro is indeed a magical place. So magical that you get price dysmorphia. You see something on sale for $99 and you're like, wait-- it's marked down from $250! That's a bargain! In a way, I'd actually be saving money. Right?

2. My friend Kathryn also pointed out that your life doesn't look like the front of the store. Meaning, you can also experience style dysmorphia. You might say to yourself, "Oooh, just what I need: a hunter green velvet dirdyl!" In that moment, you fully believe that Bavarian milkmaid is and always will be your personal style. Right?

3. When you buy a piece of clothing, you honestly don't know how that item will act long-term. (This is a universal truth not just pertaining to Anthro.) Will it wrinkle like crazy when you're sitting? Will it itch you within two hours of wearing? The dress you love in the serene light of the dressing room will stay exactly the same way it is now, right?

So I've experienced a revelation. I've gotten back to my roots. Thrift shops. Just because my style over the years has changed, that doesn't mean that I had to give up thrift shops. We have so many fabulous places to shop here in Austin! A few of my favorites:
1. Buffalo Exchange
2. Savers
3. My old standby: Goodwill
Get this-- there are 14 Goodwill locations in the Austin area!



There are some wonderful reasons to shop at thrift shops, including but not limited to:
1. You can find unique items at affordable prices.
2. You support charity.
3. It's like recycling (way better for the environment).
4. You don't have to worry about supporting designers who use overseas labor to produce clothing.
5. If you do need to have something tailored to fit perfectly, you can totally afford it because you may have only spent a few dollars on it in the first place.
6. The chances are far less that you'll show up somewhere with the exact same outfit as someone else (like an Anthro outfit. This has happened to me, by the way).
I mean, we're individuals, right? We can think for ourselves and put together our own outfits that are fabulous, right? Of course right!

"Me" time

I've never, never in my whole life needed "Me" time. I'd heard before of this mysterious thing people did where they'd go off (all by themselves!) and do whatever they wanted. Alone. I heard about people going to the movies by themselves. It's true! I heard about people taking long walks alone, just themselves and their thoughts. I've never had that need for alone time. In fact, if I knew any inside government secrets (I don't, by the way) the fastest way for terrorists to get me to talk would be to put me in a quiet room all by myself, with all my friends in the next room over, so that I could hear their talking and laughing. Oh my god. Just thinking about that would've tortured me a few months ago. But not now.

I've discovered how AMAZING it is to take an hour or two after work to shut myself into the back room and read in bed. It's like the most luxurious thing I've ever done! I'm talking chocolate and champagne kind of luxurious. Only without the calories. I think it's also related to getting away from the tellie, and back to my original love: books. Not to get too touchy-feely, but it feels like I'm plugging back into my true self or something. Ahhh. It's wonderful.

Are you the type that needs alone time-- and were you always that way? Because this change is kind of freaking me out, you guys. OK, not really. I love it.

Mommy, what is Fernando doing to that...shoe?

My hilarious aunt posted this video.


Don't you feel a little sad for the tortoise here? I mean for all we know, the little guy may be thinking this experience will lead to a meaningful relationship. But no. That gray Croc is not going to return his calls.

I thought this was a unique story of star-crossed accessory/reptile love, but no.
Youtube has video upon video of tortoise-on-shoe porn.

This raises some important questions...
If a turtle or tortoise approached your shoe, would you reject the little fella, or let him carry on with his amorous intentions? What if you were still wearing the shoe?
Funny, or just heartbreaking?
I guess it depends on if you're the videographer, the tortoise, or the shoe.

I feel better.

How can I tell? Well, I'm back to loving coffee more than tea.
Reunited and it feels so goooood.



and right now I'm sipping an ice cold Paulaner Hefeweizen with my leftover Freebirds while we watch Season 2 of The Wire.



And to think, all I needed to do was look at my beverages to see that I'm back to normal! (Next task at hand= getting Nathan back to normal. He's about one or two days behind me, so ought to be back to better just in time for Kathryn and Rami's spectacular Iowa farm wedding this weekend. I can hear myself in the near future saying, "Whew, that was a close one.")

P.S. When I looked up The Wire just now on IMDB, I saw that it has an average of 9.7 stars. That's insane. That's ridiculous. That's totally accurate, but heads and shoulders above the highest rated movies on IMDB, including but not limited to
The Godfather (9.2 stars),
Pulp Fiction (8.9 stars),
Schindler's List (also 8.9)
and freakin Casablanca (8.8 stars).

Jeez, the Wire, I knew I loved you. I just didn't realize everyone else did. Nice work. Now where's my boy Omar?

I'm sickies.

(Not sure what the Quiet Sick Zone is, but I'm probably living in it right now.)

I'm actually feeling better than yesterday. I have just a tiny head-cold hangover, and my throat phlegm is tasting less and less like burned toast-- which must be a good sign, right?
Especially because in four short days, we'll be getting on a plane to shoot Kathryn's fabulous Iowa farm wedding, and I have to be in perfect health since I'm second shooting. Yes, you read that right. It's part of our plan to take over the world. Hope you don't mind?

I might feel like this now,


but by the end of the week, this'll be me:


For now, I'm watching lots of terrible girly movies and eating oranges and drinking tea. What helps you feel better when you're sick?

A typical weekend in the life of the Russells

We've fallen into the most wonderful weekend routine.

On Friday nights, we stay home and cook dinner or order in.
Make that: Nathan cooks or I order in.



We watch movies.



On Saturdays, we have a photoshoot.

Or two.

On Sundays, we sleep in, followed by brunch with friends.



Then, a Sunday afternoon nap.



The only drawback to this fabulous weekend routine is Monday morning.



Which is how I feel today.
Sad.

To cheer up, I'd like to list my five favorite Sunday brunches:
1. East Side Cafe -- Blue Plate Special, a.k.a. a smoked salmon and shrimp cake/eggs benedict with a side of their homemade fries and fresh strawberries
2. Alamo Drafthouse -- Bacon Cheddar Scones and the Mimosa Duo
3. Blue Star Cafeteria -- Quiche Lorraine w/ a side of homefries or fruit
4. Santa Rita -- Spicy Jalapeno & Bacon Pancakes - I seriously would like to kiss the chef who created these.

and what we had yesterday:
5. El Chile -- Huevos Motuleños - Two eggs over black-bean purée on a corn tortilla, topped with
ranchero sauce, plus a side of tomatillo-roasted potatoes.

Mmmmm. Just thinking about all that weekend yumminess takes the edge off Monday a little bit.

Do you have a weekend routine? And more importantly, what's your favorite thing to do on the weekend?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

To celebrate, we ate pizza and drank beer. OK, we would've had pizza and beer regardless of the day.
But don't worry-- it was good beer. Purple Haze, to be exact.

This is what it did to our hearts:



Salud!

Age before beauty

You guys, I started blogging in 2002. Eight years ago!
I'm not saying I didn't take months off at a time, but in blog years, this is the age of Pixiespace:



That said, I only recently changed my template,
updated the format so I could have followers,
and really got into trying to post every day.

So this is how old my blog feels:



I lied. It actually feels even younger.



OK, OK.



This is literally the Benjamin Buttons Blog.

It stands to reason that (fingers crossed) blogging will be around forever. Or, you know, at least until the Olsen twins are this old:



Happy Blogging-- and remember:
Your blog is only as old as you feel.

This is only a test.

In honor of all the standardized academic testing going on this week all over Texas, I give you this little video, which I think is as hilarious (but not as worrying) as the infamous 911 warthog call.



Good luck and if you need help, don't hesitate to call someone.
Just maybe not during the actual test.

Counting down the days

Days until the weekend: 1
Days until Nathan's birthday: 10
Days* until the next 3-day weekend: 25
Days* until summer: 28
Days until our 10th Anniversary: 85

*Days as in workdays.

What are you counting down to?

Growing up, I was a terrible speller.

I never, never would have won a spelling bee back in middle school, that's for sure.

Over the years, my crap spelling improved. Mainly because I'm a voracious reader (I just spelled voracious right the first time, I swear) and also because of www.dictionary.com which politely suggests the word you might be trying to spell, even if you're waaaay off.

Luckily, though, my poor spelling never put anyone's life in danger.

Luck v. Smarts (or just hard work?)

As I've gotten older, I've realized that people who are successful (say, authors who write full time and live fairly comfortably) may have been equally lucky as talented.
You hear all the time about people who happened to meet the perfect agent, or the market was looking for their exact kind of story/genre, you know, the classic they were "in the right place at the right time."

Add to all this that many people believe you create your own fate through loads of hard work, (which I admit, I believe at least half the time) and you have a fantastic mix of destiny, karma, ability and chance. Who I'm pretty sure were the original members of Destiny's Child.

What do you think about luck v. talent?

I don't take naps every day.

Let's say one out of every three or four days? It's not a bad ratio.


Today, it was getting late, nearly 6:00, and I thought that I might have missed my napping window. Then I was like... wait a second! There IS no window.

I fully believe napping is a right, not a privilege.


On the subject of sleeping (how's that for a transition?) I discovered this app not long ago.  You set it for the latest time you can wake up, and then it detects (based on your movements) your lightest stage of sleep and wakes you up within a 30 minute window.  It's kind of spooky how well it works.  It totally solves the problem of feeling groggy when your alarm goes off.
One caveat: if you have kids or dogs (we have schnauzers) who might wake you up before your alarm goes off, your iphone may think you're in a light stage of sleep, when you're really just dealing with your dogs, or kids or vermicomposting bin or whatever the case may be. 

Whether you enjoy napping, sleeping in or going to bed early, good sleep is a beautiful thing. 


To think, in the olden days, a nap for a working woman looked something like this: 

 

Turn-of-the-century artist Julian Dupre says so much in this woman's expression.  Maybe she's saying to herself, "It's been too long since my last mani-pedi." Or even, "Thank god my DVR is recording Bravo right about now." The interpretation is entirely up to the viewer. That's what I love about art.