Omaha Is Not Our Home-aha...

...so going there in the middle of the week and sightseeing is kind of like we had a mini-vacation.

As I mentioned yesterday, Nathan took the day off on Tuesday and we went to Omaha for what I will call a day date. The first summer we were dating, he took me on an all-day date, which invovled the SAC museum and Mahoney Park in Ashland and then a small-town play. This was similar, though it wasn't all-day, but also not a half-day, so thus, the day date moniker.

We started at the Joslyn before heading down to the Old Market. It was a little cold for browsing but we wandered around the little shops anyway. There was hardly anyone out and about at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday (I know, why not?!), which made for nice shopping.

We really had some great sucess at the used book store. Nathan found three books he had been looking for for a while AND as fate would have it (because I truly think it was fate that brought me together with this book), he also found me the last Besty-Tacy Treasury I needed. I didn't even know this book existed, but I'm so excited because 1. I have the others and this completes my collection and 2. the forewords are by Judy Blume and Ann Martin. I think it was fate, because it was in the science fiction section incorrectly, just sitting there on top of the books, and what are the odds that someone looking in the science fiction section would have a wife who would buy that exact book because she's crazy about the series? Right? He said he almost didn't say anything because why wouldn't I have it? But I didn't!

After a very exciting book shopping experience, we went to Upstream for a drink. That was surprisingly busy for 4 p.m. actually. We planned out our Chicago trip, which took longer than it probably should. To do so, we wrote down all of the places we wanted to go and then looked on the iPhone maps what was near each other. It's pretty nerdy but totally us.

We had dinner and then went to see "The Lion King," which was the whole reason we went to Omaha on a random Tuesday anyway. I have never seen anything quite like it. I was prepared for the awesomeness of the costumes because I'd heard they were amazing but wow. It was incredible. The story was not as easy to pick up on as the movie, in my opinion, but it was really just fantastic. I've never heard a standing ovation so loud before. It was also fun to see so many kids there (though the ones around us were pretty well-behaved so maybe that helped) because it reminded me of when my mom took me to see my first play--"Annie"--and how magical I thought it was. I'm so glad that they all could have the same experience with a pretty cool play.

Valentine's Day Library: 2012

One "thing" that I really liked about Nathan when we started dating was that he liked to read probably as much as I did. (As evidenced on this blog thanks to our book swap and other times he has done reviews.) So one tradition we've started right away was getting each other books for Valentine's Day. So this week, even though I know I've covered this other years, I thought I would spend each day sharing which books we got for each other, and some thoughts on these books. (Five days=five years. Works out perfectly.)

This year, we're adding a few more books. We went out this weekend to Barnes and Noble a did a little joint shopping. It was fun in the beginning to try and hide around the store and hope that we didn't figure out what books we were getting, but eventually i needed help at the "Buy two get the third free young adult fantasy table" and Nathan needed help navigating the store. (because all of the books he had researched were in totally random places, like by the bathroom...what? That required an actual sales person.). So I'm not ruining the surprise by telling you what books we got this year.

Nathan: City of Bones, Unwind, and Pathfinder
Whitney: The Night Circus, Anna and The French Kiss, and Walking Back to Happiness

Last year, we went to the bookstore together, which is one of our favorite dates. From last year's post: It was fun in the beginning to try and hide around the store and hope that we didn't figure out what books we were getting, but eventually I needed help at the "Buy two get the third free young adult fantasy table" and Nathan needed help navigating the store. (Because all of the books he had researched were in totally random places, like by the bathroom...what? That required an actual sales person.)

Valentine's Day Library: 2011

One "thing" that I really liked about Nathan when we started dating was that he liked to read probably as much as I did. (As evidenced on this blog thanks to our book swap and other times he has done reviews.) So one tradition we've started right away was getting each other books for Valentine's Day. So this week, even though I know I've covered this other years, I thought I would spend each day sharing which books we got for each other, and some thoughts on these books. (Five days=five years. Works out perfectly.)

Whitney: Great House and The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels
Nathan: This Book Will Change Your Dog's Life, Why Does My Dog Do That?, and Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel

Some Reasoing: In case you couldn't tell, this was our first Valentine's Day with Shelby. (How cute is this face? She looks so little compared to now.)

I had never read The Pioneer Woman's blog, but really wanted to read the book, so I was glad Nathan got it for me. As for Great House...it's maybe still in my to-read pile. I should get on that. Nathan's books were themed around big, exciting events during 2011, getting a dog and also visiting Europe and the Sistine Chapel on our honeymoon.

Valentine's Day Library: 2010



One "thing" that I really liked about Nathan when we started dating was that he liked to read probably as much as I did. (As evidenced on this blog thanks to our book swap and other times he has done reviews.) So one tradition we've started right away was getting each other books for Valentine's Day. So this week, even though I know I've covered this other years, I thought I would spend each day sharing which books we got for each other, and some thoughts on these books. (Five days=five years. Works out perfectly.)

 

 

Nathan: Lamb and a Huskers trivia book
Whitney: The Believers and the yellow roses in the photo!

Some Reasoning: Nathan got Lamb by Christopher Moore because my sister told him he would like the author. And he does! I think since this book he has read every Christopher Moore book he can find. The Believers was really good, and one of the first "literary" books I had read in a while. (I blame that on taking too many English classes my last semester. All I wanted to read was light reading for a while.)

Valentine's Day Library: 2009

One "thing" that I really liked about Nathan when we started dating was that he liked to read probably as much as I did. (As evidenced on this blog thanks to our book swap and other times he has done reviews.) So one tradition we've started right away was getting each other books for Valentine's Day. So this week, even though I know I've covered this other years, I thought I would spend each day sharing which books we got for each other, and some thoughts on these books. (Five days=five years. Works out perfectly.)

Whitney: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and The Rim of the Prairie
Nathan: The Graveyard Book and James and the Giant Peach

Some reasoning: Nathan got me The Rim of the Prairie while we were visiting the Bess Streeter Aldrich house in Elmwood, the first time I went to his house and met his parents. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society he just picked out. The Graveyard Book is by Neil Gaiman, one of Nathan's favorite authors, and I got him James and the Giant Peach because it was his favorite book when he was younger.

Birthday Cake

My mom always made the best birthday cakes. They would be round two-layer cakes with buttercream frosting (that we would get to have on graham crackers, too, if there was extra), with our names iced on the top and, of course, candles for every year, served on a cake plate.

When we registered for the wedding, I made sure I included it so I also had a cake plate, almost exclusively for birthday cakes. Sadly, the poor guy has hardly been used at all, and never for a birthday cake. So this year for Nathan's birthday, I decided to put it to use.

Thanks to pinterest, I found a recipe for lemon-blueberry marble cake, on a blog called Lick The Bowl Good. I was a little worried as I started making it because it was a little more detailed than I thought I could handle (I mean, there was actual cake flour involved!) but they looked OK when they went in the oven and when they came out. I actually did the recipe a little differently, because I didn't have three round cake pans. I halved it, and split it between two pans, and the cakes came out just a little smaller, which was fine because it wasn't serving very many people. I also totally used the jar of jam vs. making them.

The frosting recipe, however, was something I knew was above my skill-set (and timeframe. and patience level.) So instead I used a basic white icing glaze, from Martha Stewart, which was preferable for Nathan anyway because he doesn't like frosting all that much. It didn't look as pretty though.

So there you have it, my first birthday cake baking experience. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

Book Swap: My Thoughts On "Dune"

What I Liked

Reading Dune didn't feel like I was reading a book that was written decades ago. The major themes of the book are still relevant to today, particularly the environmental ones. I was most surprised at the dominance of woman characters in the book--Jessica is a strong character, both in personality and in status. I was also surprised by the nontraditional relationships between men and women shown in the book, particularly that of the Duke and Jessica. Because this was written in a time period where for many women, marriage was preferable to having a career (can you tell I've been watching "Mad Men" lately?), this really surprised me.

I also liked the character development--it seemed like there were a lot of characters, but there was always the opportunity to understand their motives, their inner thoughts, and their relationships with the other characters.

What I Didn't Like

I have to say that Dune was very hard for me to get into. I had actually already started reading Dune on our plane trip back from Europe, and just couldn't connect with the story. I also put off starting it again for the book swap--Nathan finished Gone With The Wind at least a month and a half ago, and I just finished Dune recently. However, once the action got started, I couldn't put it down.

Oh, and the Baron really creepd me out.

A Different Perspective

I think the only science fiction book I have ever read is A Wrinkle In Time. The main reason I don't read science fiction is that I have a bad imagination. I imagine practical things, so taking me out of reality and putting me in a world where I have to imagine planets and places and a completely different life is hard for me. Also, I don't understand why techonolgy we have now is not available in the future. (Though Nathan informed me that they explain this further in the later books.) Thus, Dune really took me out of my comfort zone. But once I was able to stretch my imagination, I found I really enjoyed the story.

Book Swap: Nathan's Thoughts On "Gone With The Wind"

What I Liked

I felt like Scarlett is a woman before her time, as she’s extremely independent and strong-willed, and unlike the women surrounding her, she’s not afraid to go after what she wants—something that seems to be a social no-no. When Scarlett applies herself, she can do anything she wants, as she’s clearly intelligent and has the drive to succeed. What she doesn’t care about, she completely ignores. As a character, it’s hard to not like Scarlett, because I found it fun to read along as she plows the various challenges life presents her. Her character’s flaw of not caring about things that don’t interest her (politics, the war, making friends with other women, and considering what other people think about her actions) further add to her challenges, as they all seem to be key ways of life in the South). Through her faults, we learn about the South’s general perception of events and provide a good reason as to why Scarlett is able to succeed in times when everyone around her is falling apart. I also really liked how Margret Mitchell was able to create a story where the South comes alive. She paints a picture of a wonderful place where everyone is happy, including many of the slaves, because they are part of an idolized society where the world is nothing but parties and having fun. And despite how terrible the idea of slavery is, I found myself thinking that the South was a wonderful place that ended up being ruined by the Yankees, and all because Mitchell does such a good job of making everything in the South appear as a noble pursuit filled with honor and a sense of justice. To be able to take an ideal that’s so wrong and make it seem to be right is truly impressive writing.

What I Didn’t Like

The one thing I didn’t like about Mitchell’s writing was how she would randomly switch character perspectives. One moment Scarlett would be having some type of inner dialogue, and then, someone else would begin talking—but you don’t know who it is until a paragraph later. The writing style provides a kind of flow as it goes along, but as I’m used to Sci-Fi and Fantasy styles (where there are many characters and everyone is typically identified before they start speaking), I find that change to be confusing. Maybe it was the overall length of the story (though this is shorter than many of the Fantasy books I read), but the story also seemed to bog down after Scarlett marries Rhett. I found myself wondering how two people who were so in love appear to drift apart so quickly. It’s as if the moment Scarlett puts Ashley in charge of the mill, Rhett gives up on them as a couple. After he’s waited so long, it seemed out of character to me, but that’s just my opinion.

A Different Perspective

Gone With The Wind is a certainly a book that’s “out of my wheelhouse,” in terms of genre, but I certainly enjoyed it. I don’t have any problem with reading fiction, but when I read, I prefer to take myself to somewhere that I can imagine something I’ve never seen or thought of before. With some fiction, I find that reading about the normal lives of people don’t provide the type of mental release I’m looking for reading. With Gone With The Wind, I was able to imagine the beauty of the South and follow along with the “adventures” of Scarlet, which made the book tremendously enjoyable.

A Book Swap

In the dating world, not everyone gets what it is like to really, really, really love reading. So obviously, one of the first things I absolutely loved about Nathan was that he, like me, was (and still is) an avid reader. However, what we read is completely different. He reads, not exclusively but mostly, science fiction and fantasy. I read, well, basically everything BUT science fiction and fantasy.

Even though we don't read the same books, we can still talk about the books we're reading with each other in a general sense. But wouldn't it be more fun if each of us had more of a context of what the other was talking about? That's what we thought, too, and that's how we came up with a book swap: I would read a book chosen by Nathan and he would read one chosen by me. Here are the books we chose for each other and why we chose them. This week, we'll also both be sharing our thoughts on the book we read.

Whitney

Book Choice For Nathan: Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

Why did I pick Gone With The Wind?
 I love Gone With The Wind. I can still remember reading it for the first time, and being in awe that I, like all of the characters in the book, was starting to hate the North. (Of course, not ACTUALLY, but that is the power of Margaret Mitchell's writing.) I also know that Nathan likes action and well-developed characters, and Gone With The Wind has both. It's also one of those "classics" that I think everyone should read, as it really sets the tone for the historical fiction genre.

Nathan

Book Choice For Whitney: Dune, by Frank Herbert

Why did I pick Dune?
First off, Dune is my favorite book of all-time, so I think it should be on almost anyone’s to-read list, if they haven’t read it already. Secondly, Frank Herbert is my favorite writer, and although not all of his works are masterpieces, in terms of plot, his ability to provide me with a sense of a character’s feelings and imagine how a scene looks is unparalleled with other Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers, in my opinion. Typically, Herbert is able to do so in only a few paragraphs, so the plot (which is a central to most Sci-Fi and Fantasy works) isn’t derailed by endless descriptions of landscapes and characters. In Dune, Herbert is able to combine the plot of a political thriller with a brilliant science fiction storyline that works in action, drama, and subtle mystery.

A Confession

This weekend, Nathan and I went bowling together for the first time. Which also means I have not been bowling in three and a half years, at least. I actually don't even remember the last time I went bowling. There is a reason, of course: I am probably the worst bowler ever. Now, Nathan thought he was the worst bowler ever, and so we decided that whoever lost would make breakfast the next morning, and he was so confident that he was going to lose. Also, yes, we were being competitive about who was the worst bowler, not the best. Guess who made breakfast yesterday? Me. Nathan had at least four strikes in two games, and I had at least four times I actually knocked pins over in two games. The small children next to us were kicking my butt. And the bowling alley we went to doesn't let grownups put the bumpers on, bummer.

And that's the end of my bowling story. I dare someone to challenge me for worst bowler ever.

One Year Ago

One year ago we were celebrating the wedding we'd planned for a year with loved ones from near and far. Today (and this weekend), we're remembering our special day and and all of the special days before it, and thinking ahead to all of the special days to come.

Vacation Photos

And here are the pictures promised yesterday. My mom has a lot more than we ended up with, but here is just a sample of our trip.

Golfers In Action

Indiana University Gates

Campus Forests

Reception Photo

Our Wedding: The Book Theme

Even though I'm sure most of you have seen these details in person, I wanted to go over some of the book-like details we incorporated for our wedding. We actually had a lot of ideas we didn't use as to not go toooo book-y, but here's what we did.

For simple outdoor decorations, my mom made these paper-flower balls. We ordered the styrofoam balls of the internet, covered them in seam binding (off etsy) and then punched paper flowers and affixed them to the styrofoam balls with yellow-topped pins. We found the shepherd hooks on craigs list.

Our guest book was an old card catalog drawer, and we used the same punch as the flower balls to cut up more paper and affix the flowers to the corners of 4x4 pieces of cardstock. Guests each wrote a message on the cards.

Our programs were fans to help battle the Nebraska heat, even though it was actually a really nice day. They had a quote from Shakespeare on them.

Here is version one of our centerpieces. The books were borrowed from a friend and also purchased from a thrift store. We covered them in vintage wallpaper, bought off etsy, so we were able to bring in some color and also not have to worry about getting book titles that went with the wedding or looked pretty. The tables were assigned by letter--the frames are from Ikea and then the insides are just black cardstock cut to size with large cardstock letters, found on sale at Archivers, the best store ever. The little flowers also came from Archivers, not on sale.

The books sat on colored scrapbook paper. Our fabulous florist Melissa from Blooms and Bouquets came up with a wonderful concept for the other third of our centerpieces--she covered a vase in book pages (Alice In Wonderland from the Target dollar section) and filled them with carnations. We actually kept two because we loved them so much.

Not as much book-related, but I kind of loved our cake. Our cake topper (the smallest one) had the same quote from Shakespeare as the program on the back of the dress. The other two cake toppers are Nathan's parents and my parents, and we also included wedding photos of all of our grandparents and parents on the table.

Other book-related details were bookmarks as our favors, cut just from scrapbook paper, and then our save the date, which was inspired by a bookplate. A lot of people, including me, questioned the book-theme, but I thought it turned out even better than I imagined!

Our Wedding: Looking Back

Yesterday we talked about the beginning of the wedding, and today, we'll skip to the end. Check out my thoughts on wedding planning as a wedding graduate on A Practical Wedding here.

Tomorrow afternoon and the rest of this week, we'll talk about all the in between and the day itself.

Looking Back: 2010 In Review

Before I talk about 2011, I want to show some of the highlights of 2010. It was a big year for us: We moved in together, got married, went to Europe for the first time (and experienced our first International flights), got a puppy, and made a lot of improvements to the house (even though we were forced into most of them!). We went to concerts and plays and visited Vegas and Denver. We've had friends and family members celebrate babies, engagements, and weddings, and we've enjoyed times with those dearest to us. Overall, a very good year, and I can't wait to see what 2011 brings.

Top pictures: Our wedding; the Colosseum; Little House On The Prairie: The Musical. Bottom pictures: Shelby; Las Vegas trip; our family at the end of 2010

 

Merry, Merry

It’s Christmas Eve Eve, and I’m home from work taking care of Shelby after she got spayed yesterday. She was very tired yesterday, but seems to be back to her normal self today.

Before I take a holiday break, I wanted to share some of my favorite Christmas traditions. Growing up, I had many good Christmases with friends and family. On the Christmases we’ve spent at home, we wake up early to find presents in Santa wrapping paper, and as we got older codes to figure out. We’d have breakfast and open more presents and spend the day doing whatever. Sometimes we’d go to movies, or spend time with family or neighbors.

We’ve also spent Christmases away from home, in Key West and Nebraska.  We’d have Cuban food and enjoy the nice weather and spend time with family. A couple years ago I spent Christmas with my grandma in Ogallala. It was the two of us and it was so good to spend time with her when I was older. We talked and went to a movie and spent valuable time together.

This year, Nathan and I are celebrating Christmas Eve by having breakfast with a friend and going to church. We’ll have Cuban food and open presents. On Christmas we’ll be going over to Nathan’s grandma with Shelby and maybe catch a movie.
I wanted to make sure our first Christmas was special, and that we’d take the time to start traditions that we’d have together. But then I realized, after thinking back on my favorite memories, that it’s not about having the same traditions every year, but being together. So our first Christmas will be memorable no matter what.

I wish you and your family the same—that you have a holiday full of love and making memories.

Money Matters

Nathan and I recently started a joint checking account. We had done the "responsible" thing and talked about money before we got married; went over our earnings, savings, and debts; and created a budget we thought would work for us. And more importantly, we understood each others' spending habits and views on money—for those of you who are wondering, we're both rather conservative with our spending, but him definitely more so. Though we have kind of balanced each other out in the time we've been together. We created a money system for our mutual money that still kept things separate. We planned on having a money agreement that outlined how we would divide our finances in the event it was necessary (though we haven't actually done that yet). It seemed like we had done everything to prepare for our finanical life together.

But when we actually went to the bank and I signed my new last name on our account info, it was actually real, and we had to actually put what we talked about into play in our real married life.  

We (OK, mostly me) wanted each of us to have some separate money, because I think it's important. And Nathan agreed, so we came up with a 70-30 system, where 70% of our earnings was our "joint" money—his 70% goes into our joint checking account, and my 70% goes into a joint savings account. The other 30% is our own money, and we can do whatever we want with it. I will be saving 10% and letting the other 20% serve as my spending money.   So far everything has been trial and error. It's a learning process, definitely, to determine what qualifies as ours and what qualifies as individual. What we've outlined for joint expenses include household expenses, groceries, Shelby's stuff, gas, insurance, prescriptions, gifts, entertainment, etc. Individual money is harder to define, but so far we've decided on gifts for each other and really, anything that only benefits the individual.   Being married, even for just a short time, has definitely changed my views on money, something I realized when I read this Small Notebook post, which made me think about my perceptions of money.  

I was lucky to have parents that helped me understand how to manage money. My allowance for a while was split into thirds--
one-third for saving, one-third for spending, and one-third for investing. Even though I didn't necessarily love it when I was little, it taught me the importance of all three. I was also lucky to have parents that were able to support me financially until I was ready to do so myself, and in the beginning, it was hard. But I eventually loved being independent and able to do whatever I wanted with it, which was generally buy groceries, gas, and going out on the weekends (while saving 10% and paying down my student loans, of course).  

Being married has changed that, and after we opened our joint account, I was hit by a lot of feelings, not bad feelings, but feelings all the same. That same week we opened our account, A Practical Wedding had this post that I think really hit home with me, even though I'm not giving up my job to live on a boat or even solely relying on Nathan for income. And then it made me wonder why money was tied to independence. Of course, it makes sense (or cents, haha). Having money to spend, no matter the amount, creates opportunities for you to do what you want. When you lose that control over that, and the ways you're used to managing it, it's going to feel a little like you're losing something, or at least have that perception.  

But, when I think about it, I'm really gaining more than I'm giving up; I'm (and WE'RE) trading independence for opportunities. By joining our finances and living off of Nathan's salary while saving mine, we have so many possibilities in the future, even if our purse strings are a little tighter now. We can both pursue our interests when the time comes, have money to stay home with our kids, or be prepared in case of a major emergency. So I think it's worth giving up one feeling of independence for another.