Happily Ever After-The Elopement

4 days of planning

+

2 rings

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1 marriage license

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2 witnesses

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1 officiate

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1 foggy beach

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 2 large rock pillars

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2 hearts joined as

1

=

The elopement of Mr. & Mrs. G

 

Happily Ever After



Catch My Breath

In this moment I am so grateful to have a chance in life to catch my breath. Yes,there are many times gives you a little break to keep you going but every once in awhile you really get a chance to catch your breath. For the peace to last just long enough for you to regroup and work on your offense instead of always being on the defense. Being on the defense is exhausting.
Vern's health is good!! After many Doctors, a LOT of research and many prayers we think we have finally found a way to keep Vern feeling good. Scar tissue, roughage and gluten seem to be the culprit to his tummy issues. Crazy eh? So we are 99% gluten free around here these days and we eat less salads. No more vegetable oil and less red meat and pork. So far,it hasn't been that bad! It's easier to make changes when we no longer feel like crap all the time!
Annnd in wedding news.... exciting things have been happening! Vern told his Mom we are going to get married! She was very happy and supportive,so supportive that she asks us about it every time she sees us. ha! It really is great that she is so excited. So as you can imagine the word is traveling fast on that side of the family.....Also, we made it to the jewelry store and I tried on "THE RING" I had picked out online! It's so perfect and sweet and beautiful, I just love it! I rarely wear any jewelry and it was such a shock to see such a sparkly ring on my finger,it takes my breath away..but just enough ;) And now we wait blogger friends,we wait for my future groom to propose! Eeeeeeek! :)
Catching my breath,it's good health and time for a little celebration, It's loving what I do and having an amazing group of women to share that with. It's healthy furbabies that love nothing more than to snuggle and brighten your day.It's finding your true love and dedicating your life to share it with them. <3 p=""> 

Tomorrow Is August

July had it's highs and lows...
We found R&R...finally. On a Friday morning with our trailer in tow, we found a huge campsite at Buck Creek and set up camp for a few days. We laid in the sun and ate Popsicles and when we got too hot we started up the generator and escaped to our air conditioned trailer and watched "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs". We just relaxed, drank coffee, coated ourselves with Off, made a few campfires, pretended to be the "Heinz" family, ate mangoes, had a good laugh at the worst loaf of gluten free bread EVER and even the dogs behaved pretty well and learned that their new pin isn't too bad. We rolled back home Sunday morning with that jelly feeling you get after 2 days of mentally and physically checking out.. it's harder to find than I thought and it was oh. so. good.

Vern has been having a lot of good days lately!( For those of you just tuning in he is still having abdominal/tummy issues after 2 surgeries and two long years of not feeling good) Our newest adventure, going gluten free in hopes it helps, is making me more and more confident each day that it is making a ton of difference. The gluten free life is a lot less difficult than I originally thought and Vern is already showing physical improvements which is majorly validating! Also I found him a sleep spray by Isagenix that has been helping him sleep! Unfortunately, blood tests ran by his new Dr. showed that his white blood cell count is low so we meet with a blood specialist on Monday to see what that's all about. It could be anything from the meds he was on and current diet change to Leukemia. My prayers are that it isn't anything a good multi vitamin can't fix. To be honest though, that news hit us like a ton of bricks. We finally broke down and had a much needed release of emotions, we just shut ourselves in our bedroom and cuddled and cried it out, we were exhausted and finally ready to admit that it had all become too much. And when it was all over, like any good storm, we found the sun. We decided to clear aside all the things we "thought" we needed to do and were important and decided to live in the present. No plans, no pressure, just let things work out in their own time. So far that calm has lasted almost 2 weeks and although it was difficult at the time, I am so grateful for the new perspective!

And last but not least, my new location at work! I LOVE IT!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! My clients love it, my co workers are the sweetest on earth and it is a fun and positive environment!! This is my 7th week and it just gets better and better!! I am so busy at the moment that at this rate I might be running my butt off until February!! Makes a girl feel so overwhelmingly blessed <3 p="">
Tomorrow is August...and for a change, I have no expectations. I am soaking up the busy schedule and good fortune that my business is blessing me with at the moment but who's to say what tomorrow will bring? Oh August, just please be gentle. ;)
 

Crazy Good

Annnnnd now somehow it's June!? Crap!! I really suck at this blog thing the last year or so eh? I'd make the excuse that it's because life is crazy but c'mon...life is always some kind of crazy!
Currently life is crazy good.
Vern is healed up and feeling a ton better! Yay! We escaped to Sekiu on Memorial Day weekend to celebrate. 2 days of good weather,2 days of rain,an old camper mattress and a quick trip down a flight of wet stairs on my ass sent us home more tired and sore than when we left. Oh that is a neck ache that'll take awhile to forget!
 Finally during the first weekend in June we got the garden planted. As always we changed a few things this year..the garden was all started from seed and so far we are having what looks like an 100% success rate! We decided to use 5 gallon buckets for our tomatoes and peppers this year and ended up with EIGHTEEN of them! Guess who'll be learning how to make salsa?!
Monday starts the beginning of another new chapter in my life as I start at a new salon! I am very excited but also a healthy dose of scared and worried about the whole thing. And I bet you are asking the ever popular question "why are you moving?" and I will give you my most honest, kind and favorite answer-my current salon is beautiful and full of talented people but in so many ways it is on the conservative side. I have come to realize that as a creative individual I need a place where I can let my freak flag fly just a little! So, I have found myself another booth to rent in a salon where I have more creative freedom. With freedom comes added responsibility, hence the scared and worried part but so far I think I'm off to a good start, I'm REALLY trying to get/stay organized!
That's the crazy good. And if I'm not blogging this summer I'm....
Playing outside in my yard full of pretty flowers, begging my veggies to grow
Starting up another new business
Complaining about the craptastic weather we are having this June
Running off to the beach or the woods to get some good use out of our trailer
Trying to get healthy (nuf' said)
Eloping when no one is looking
Floating on the lake in the boat
Chasing 2 furbabies, trying to keep them out of mischief

Maybe I'll check back in and tell you all about it...;)

Thirtysomethingitis

Thirtysomethingitis-realizing you are no longer twenty and racing towards forty. Your brain finally starts to wake up as your body slowly slows down.
I hike up that *%$#@* mountain at least once a week. This week, twice. Go me.

I have enough nutritional and vitamin supplements on hand to keep me alive on an deserted island for 6 months. Ok so I'd need a water source and some major rationing but I could do it.

I spend wayyy too much time thinking completely irrational thoughts about how I look or if people like me, interrupted by thoughts of taxes and getting the dog's teeth cleaned. This whole life thing...I just assume since I am happy I am doing it right, and move on...right after I check my hair one more time ;)

Walking through Target the other day I began entering a section of clothes that were all strange looking. Ugly patterns and mismatched prints and tiny...and I look up...the Junior section. I think at some moment my feet literally left the ground as I jumped back in shock and back into the comfort of solid prints and pants made of denim. I left the women's section feeling pretty hip with my neon colored tank tops and my thought process went like this..
"I never thought I'd wear neon colors ever again!
They say fashions return on a 30 year cycle..?
Oh wait..
Awe crap really?!
I'm getting them anyway!
And a new Brita water pitcher!
So there!
I'm still hip.
I'm decreasing my carbon footprint.
 SEE! That was hip sounding of me!
Right?!
FML"

I want to spend more time with my friends and family. I need to work. These two things really interfere with each other. I need to make more money and work less...if only we all could!Time is just slipping by too fast.

I'm young and I'm old. I'm smart and I'm dumb. I am a whole list of contradictions. Some days I will tell you I am ok with that and other days I will be trying to make sense of it all and "find myself".

There is no cure. All I can do is wait, take my vitamin supplements and pray Fortysomethingitis is more fun.

Jinxed!

So.... you know how I was saying last blog about how we had finally tackled all the medical stuff and were looking forward to some smooth sailing? That very next morning we were headed right back to the ER after one of Vern's incisions took a turn for the worse...I jinxed us!! It's a bloody messy story that I will spare you but it turned out fairly minor and we were home and back in bed by 6am.
It has been two weeks and it might be safe by now to say things are going better. I didn't say the ARE better or that they are ALL better..I just said going better (just in case ya know?!)!
 Last weekend we went for a long drive for 2 days through southern Washington. We ventured up to see Mt Saint Helens but it was hidden in the clouds,we explored Chehalis and Centralia and every little town off the beaten path in between. We were lucky enough to find a hotel that allowed dogs,had a jacuzzi tub in the room and was under $100 per night. Oh and it has a BBQ restaurant and an espresso stand in the parking lot!SCORE! Wow..you know you're Redneck when..LOL! I can't tell you the exact moment but sometime Sunday morning we finally found our "Reset" button. All the stress and worry finally shed away,we got to plan a day of our choice and be adventurous like we used to be instead of our life being ruled by unhappy heath issues. It was just what we needed and we returned so refreshed and full of that momentum we have been needing so badly.
 Time for bed. I face Mount Peak again in the morning and last time it kicked my butt. My sweet friend Amie will be here at 7:30am...yikes. We will chat again soon ;)

Momentum

Here we are,a little over one week post op from Vern's gallbladder surgery. He is recovering quickly and returned back to work today. His poor tummy is scarred and bruised and my heart aches every time I see it because I know it has endured so much in the last 14 months. Vern is a real trooper and a very easy patient to care for. When he doesn't feel good he sleeps so it made my job as a Nurse fairly uneventful with the exception of a bandage change that almost made me faint. I will save you the gory details but remind me not to ever go into the medical field!

So now this is all behind us and we are trying our best to gain a little momentum. Propelling ourselves back into life in a productive manner. I think we may have almost forgotten how to enjoy life without the constant concern of a nagging health issue? Is there life beyond work and home and everything in between? Yes there is! There is a camping trailer just begging for an adventure and 2 dogs with cabin fever needing a weekend at the beach to get filthy and well..be dogs!

As for us humans we are both ready to take a weekend away and hit the reset button!I can honestly say that I have felt a "little bitchy" on and off for about 3 weeks now. I ran that 5k and haven't jogged since. I am not taking care of myself and it is causing me to struggle mentally. I am slowly getting back to eating healthy and kicking a few bad habits but have yet to do much more than a few long walks. I hadn't realized I was in such a slump and I promised myself I wouldn't give up..so I won't. I am still determined to look good in a bikini.

I will check back in soon. Maybe after that little getaway....;)

Compassion

Hello! Yes, I am still here!I haven't given up on blogging but must be in one of my "One blog every 3 months mode" that it get it every once in awhile. If you have been a follower of my blog you will know I can't resist a few blogs about spring!

First off let me explain that I have been legitimately busy getting my health and weight on track. The photo above is the day I finally conquered Mount Peak!That mountain had intimidated me long enough and it felt so amazing to reach the top. Now I see the top every Friday and I look forward to the work out!So I am back on my Isagenix and working out for the first time since high school and look what happened after only 8 weeks...

and then this happened...

WHO AM I?!??!!? I don't recognize this girl these days! ha ha I just might get in that bikini this summer after all!
Vern has been fighting battles with his health too but I can say with much confidence that I think we might have finally figured it out. He goes in to have his gallbladder removed on Monday. Yes,another friggin surgery. That's 4 between the 2 of us in the last 5 years. 1 shoulder,2 gallbladders and 12 inches of large intestine later,we MIGHT just get to be healthy for awhile!He has been SUCH a trooper with all the Doctors and tests despite the fact that he has felt sick for so many months with no answers until recently. He/we were actually a little excited about this surgery...it's that bad...who gets excited about surgery?! People who are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired,that's who.

The kids are good. In the last few months Max has fallen in love with one particular toy that we call her "baby". She really loves that thing,panics if she can't find it,cleanse it,sqweeks it...the love affair never ends. It's cute. Since then if we find another one like we buy it for back up as we cannot endure the heartache she would feel if she didn't have it. Her original one was getting worn so we are slowly introducing a new one and so far she is just as happy. Thank God the Easter bunny is bringing another spare!;) Chipper turns 7 in a few weeks,that boy is so chill. He still tolerates his little sister yet demands his daily treat when Daddy gets home but otherwise he is happy to sleep at our feet most of the time.

Although the first 3 months of this year have been less the easy I still hold out high hopes that things will turn around for the better. The have to. We have so many good things finally going right and it would be great if it ALL just fell into place for a few months. You know..if the sun could just shine and keep the flowers blooming..if dark wet nights turn into warm evenings on the porch with good friends..*sigh*

Stuff

I often wonder what makes me want to blog or not blog....I think sometimes it's because things just happen so quickly and I don't have the time or energy. Other times it's because I am going through things I don't want to or can't discuss here. But honestly I think it's just simply a lack of desire to write. I am not a writer.... and life...just feels too full of...stuff.
Right now,what is my life like riiiiight now? Vern and I are both running our butts of with work and smoked cheese orders and holidays and....life in general. All the reasons that make me start to actually look forward to the 400 mile road trip home for Christmas. It gives Vern and I 400 miles to reconnect and relax before the holiday starts in full swing. In the meantime, I have become an official lover of Amazon and have done most of my online shopping there.Now I wait patiently for it all to arrive at my doorstep. Until then,my shopping just doesn't feel "done".
 Vern's cold smoked cheese hobby is quickly becoming profitable. We are now delivering our first cheese orders!Vern cold smoked,sliced (with his fancy new electric slicer),packaged and labeled almost 20 pounds of cheese (with my help) and it looks beautiful! So proud of him!
The kids are good,still keeping us busy,making us laugh,or driving us crazy! Max is happy as long as she has her Momma so these long days I have been working have been a little rough for her. She is stuck home with "the boys" and usually insists her Daddy hold her or at least lay and snuggle with her so she can have her afternoon nap...and wins. Chipper gets his turn at the new groomer on Saturday so he can be all handsome for our visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house next week....oh wait have I even explained that?!....
 Guess what?! Vern,Chipper,Maxine and I are headed to Idaho for Christmas this year! It will be Vern and Maxine's first time having a traditional Chubb family Christmas!We are excited to be heading off on vacation in Idaho for the holiday this year where we are pretty much guaranteed a white Christmas. It's been too long since I have gone for a walk in the snow on Christmas day or felt the crunch of many inches of fresh snow under my feet! It's so true the little things you miss when you grow up aren't always what you expect. I know there were many times I swore I would never miss snow! HA!And on another level,it's another wonderful first,our first North Idaho Christmas as a happy little family,I am so ready to make some happy new memories! My Mom getting her first laptop,our kids acting all goofy in the snow and sharing it all with the man I love.
Ok,that's enough stuff for now.I  might check in again or you might not hear from me for the rest of the year? Depends on stuff ;)

I Suppose...

I could tell you it's November and my head is spinning with Thanksgiving planning...
but you probably already knew that.
Or maybe, that I am ready to hang up the Christmas lights early..
because that's a first.
I could tell you that October was a really slow month at the shop for me...
that sucked.
Or that I am so dang happy the elections are over...
there is always a few mouthy idiots that ruin it for everyone.
I could tell you about the slowly growing group of Hummingbirds that feed and frolic in our backyard these days..
"Hank" is the Alpha.
Or that Vern has mastered that art of making his own bacon AND fixed my Dad's boat..
but the Bacon topic alone deserves it's own blog post.
 I could admit that I am stumped and can't think of anything to talk about..
but you probably already knew that ;)

October...?

October arrived with sunshine and promises of a long Indian summer and is ending with a blustery,cold and wet exit. The first part of the month we celebrated with the completion of the living room ...well, the laborious part that is. The furniture and deco will all find it's way here in good time,that's the life of a junker. Sometimes you don't now what you are looking for until you find it! But all was well by the time the first weekend rolled around and..
Vern and his 3 best childhood friends, headed off to Sekiu for a rare weekend of guy time. I joined some friends for an evening at their home,getting handcuffed by a 5 year old,having a wonderful steak at 10pm and watching The Lorax until I could barely keep my eyes open. Although Vern and I were both exhausted by Sunday,it was a great way to blow off some steam after our living room remodel "experience" from weeks before.
The week that followed was full of preparations for the coming weekend. Vern's 30th class reunion was finally just days away and we were expecting 5 guests to stay for the weekend. I stressed about what to where,how to do my hair and a whole lot of other insane female insecurities. Of course there was the underlying fear,the woman who had been chasing Vern at reunions for years and actually tried to knee him in the crotch just 5 years ago because he wouldn't dance with her...surely the news of him having a girlfriend wasn't going to go over well!? I shopped,prepped,had a little cry but by the day of the reunion.....we were ready. Even Vern was an extremely good sport and got a new outfit,it was worth it,he looked especially handsome!

The reunion. We pre partied with our friends and us girls made sure we looked our best! We arrived at 7pm,we socialized, drank, ate, sat through the formalities and we were out of there by 9:30! The woman I mentioned earlier was a laughable issue at best. I took one look at her when we first got there and knew we would have no problems the rest of the evening. ....and we didn't. ;) The party continued at our house with the same 5 dear friends we had started it with. After a big breakfast

 the next morning and a lazy day of warm sun and delicious ribs that Vern made,we said goodbye to all our guests and found ourselves happily exhausted once again.
Weekend number 3-My friend Jessica came to visit with her new puppy Prema,a miniature Doxon. I loved all of the puppy kisses and snuggles but my Maxine was not so hospitable. She barked and nipped at poor Prema wanting to play rough like she does with her big brother or frustrated with jealousy from having to share her Mother. 3 crazy dogs and hard wood floors are a hilarious mix...for awhile. ha ha

We shopped,we talked and once again Vern spoiled us with great food. By Monday,I was officially exhausted...but hope was in sight....

Weekend 4! A weekend away at the beach,in the trailer, with just us and the dogs! Woohoo! We hooked the trailer up for the first time this year and made our way to one our favorite spots at Grayland State Park. The wind and rain were heavy at times but we didn't care. We snuck out for adventures when we could and spent the rest of our time watching movies or playing cards and it was exactly what we needed. We experienced the Bloody Mary that was voted Washington's Best at a restaurant in Westport,WA. It's impressive looking but I think the ones we make at home are way better,this one inspired me to work on my toppings. Either way,it was good and I was tipsy so..life was good :)

 

And finally we have made it to the end of the month and the pace is slowing a bit. Maxine's 2nd birthday is Thursday October 25th so we will be getting some special treats and toys to celebrate our little girl! And then Halloween and once again, I work late...so I am the house without a porch light on or any candy once again. I have secretly vowed to make sure that next year I am off early. I want to decorate and hand out candy like they did when we were kids...yah,I want to be the cool lady with the good candy for a change :)

You

You,sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the love,patience and hard work that you put into our relationship that I actually question if I deserve it. You make me strive to want to be a better partner for you on a daily basis. Even when you aren't with me,you make me feel safe when I am haunted of relationships past,a comfort in knowing I will always be loved this much. That in itself is a gift every man should give but can never purchase. I hope I give you that in return,the love you deserve,the 100% and more and the comfort of knowing you will always be loved by me.

I love you.

Living Room Remodel Part 5

Back to square one,except this time with smooth ceilings, just slightly imperfect here and there to maintain it's old house charm ;) Oh and that blotch of paint on the wall "Gizmo" is a keeper. The color swatch we had originally agreed on looked to be a brownish gray neutral but in the can and on the wall it is lavender! I painted samples on every wall in the room and waiting to see what Vern and Del would say. Vern (being the highly evolved and intelligent man he is) took the safe route and the first thing he said was "Do you like it?" and his next comment after I bobbed my head was "It looks purple?" I agreed.  We decided to keep our giggles to ourselves and waited to hear Del's opinion."What do you think of the gray?" we asked. "I like it,in fact,I wish I would've painted my bedroom this color!" It was all we could do not to crack up right in front of him as we maintained eye contact and nonchalantly agreed.LOL! ( I remind you all that this legally blind man is surprisingly picky about the color of the walls and still grumbles about the kitchen color I chose 2 years ago) As the days go by it really has grown on me,I'd lie if I said I'm not slightly worried it's a little dark but I think I will honestly love it in the long run.Paint color is one of the few areas of my life that I like a little drama! Again,I apologize that my blog app only publishes one photo at a time (and it is the only way I know how to get photos off my phone and on to my laptop besides using Facebook and sharing with everyone there.) Next phase is dedusting and wiping down the living room one. more. time. and then I get to start painting...finally painting! I'll keep you posted :)

Living Room Remodel Part 4

The beautiful cove ceilings survived...just a little patching to do.

Living Room Remodel Part 3

The aftermath,all that ceiling...on the floor. Finally.

Living Room Remodel Part 2

Disaster strikes. Who knew that a thick wet coat of paint would make that old popcorn ceiling just starting falling right off?! I returned from a trip to the hardware store with a few more gallons of ceiling paint to see this....my ceiling...hanging from my ceiling,peeling off and dropping to the floor. Whattamess!!!! So we changed gears and Vern set to work scraping all of it off. The part we had painted was the worst,thankful we had taped and covered the floors before we started! The other 3/4 of the room I misted with water and Vern continued to scrape. He is such a saint!

Living Room Remodel

"I don't understand WHY you insist me paint the ceiling,its not THAT bad!" Says Vern as we apply the first coat of fresh paint..ha ha Also seen here...a sample of the paint on the lower wall...I think I like it!

Release

I'm done. With the hurting,the lying,the kiss your ass goodbye on crack plan,mean people,rude people and people with too many opinions. Worship whatever friggin thing you want,vote for your favorite idiot and feel free to be passionate about something that matters to you but for crap's sake be a decent human being and treat others as you hope to be treated. Or,ruin your life,waste it on drugs and alcohol or video games,don't worship anything and hate everyone,I. Don't. Care. It's none of my business and quite frankly I don't have the energy or patients for your shit,misery,hatred. That's your choice,go ahead. But,when it effects the people I love in a negative or harmful way,I care. I care like a speeding freight train full of nuclear waste and manure,with no brakes on a downhill slope, that will wipe out your tiny village of idiots faster than you could hear me screaming down the track. I care. Oh how I wish those who this is intended for could actually read this! But just in case I have that luck,let me say this...no matter how good of friends we are,or how much I love you,I will not tolerate you hurting the other people I love. And I am not afraid to tell you to your face. I HATE crack,meth,oxy,heroin alcohol etc as it has already taken too many people I love away from me and I be dammed if I am going to stand by quietly while it happens again. If I love you,it is because you have shown me your heart is good. I don't care what race,religion or political party you are if your heart is good. If you wish to flush it all away,go do it alone...and when you are ready to pull your head out and get back on your feet guess what? I'll be there. Because why....I care.

My Day ...