Recap

I haven't written in a while which is becoming a terrible habit.  So, with the upcoming New Years Resolutions since we all didn't die on the 21st. (I think I came pretty close to going out with a bang however... I.E Raising a little ruckus, peeing in my front yard, making sure everyone and their mother had a yummy delicious shot every time they turned around and getting the cops called on us.)  I digress, as usual.

ANYWAYS, I choose to resolute a few things.  I shall list them below in no particular order.

• Write more on my blog.
• Maybe actually start writing the book I have always wanted to write.  I think I'm going to call it...well, I had a good name but then I misplaced in.
• Trade my fat in for lean muscle (I will get to that later.)
• Bathe smelly dogs more often.  That one for obvious reasons.
• Try to clean fridge out more often (remember this one, you'll need it for later on in this post.)
• Read more books this year than I did last year!  This one is a bigg-un. 

I think that's it.  That's it for now anyways.  I've been back to attending my box (Oh, you hush and stop being dirty).  I decided since it was becoming harder and harder to pick up two cases of beer at one time while at work, that just maybe it was time to start taking care of myself again.  Also, I want my arms to be amazingly toned for when I get my beautiful "Merry Christmas/Happy Anniversary half sleeve which will probably be more like a 3/4 sleeve."

I have been getting back into Crossfit and it's still as equally as amazing as it was when I took a sabbatical which I will NEVER do again because let me tell you what....I couldn't move for three days.  Getting back into Crossfit also means I actually have a reason to have a bright pink Blender Ball and drink Cake Batter Muscle Milk...which is a whole 'nother story entirely.

I made a huge discovery today while cleaning my house.  You can totally use your bathtub to wash your components from your fridge because your sink is too full of dishes that you pulled from said fridge. (Don't judge, I see you over there with yo judgin eyes!)  Holy freaking epiphany!  My sinks are super tiny anyways.  Also found in said fridge (which is why it's a resolution to clean it out more often)  was:

• 6 containers of sour cream with expiration dates varying from June to November.
• 1 Gogurt from when I still made his lunches (when we first moved in).
• 8 jars of salsa varying from Mild to Hot.
• 3 jars of jalapenos (all almost full)
• 3 bags and 1 blog of cheese (completely NOT paleo)

So I washed everything in the bathtub.  Don't you tell me I'm gross...I rinsed it.  I didn't have room in my sink because of all the Tupperware bowls I pulled out of the fridge as well.  It was a mess.  Now that is all said and done....I have only fresh fruits, veggies and meats in my fridge.  It makes me a happy wife.

That's all for today.  I will write more this week.  I promise.

Xoxo

Riley Writes

Go on, break it again why dontcha?!

I think my heart hurts.  Seriously.  I feel like it's broken a little.

My dogs don't want to snuggle in bed with me.

I think in a previous post I wrote about how they chewed their beds up?  There was fuzz strewn across the house multiple times.  In fact, I threw the beds away three weeks ago and I'm still finding fuzz everywhere after vacuuming a million times.  They both chewed their beds apart on three separate occasions, delicately taking the time to rip every single stitch that I sewed because they both pissed and moaned when they had to sleep on the hard plastic.

Hannah's first night without a bed.  I hardly got any sleep whatsoever.  She cried.  She huffed.  She puffed.  She cried some more.  Then she woke up in the morning as equally tired as I was because I think we both got the same amount of sleep...next to none.  I felt terrible for her but not bad enough to let her snuggle with us.  She's a bed hog and she always smells.  Her smell permeates everything she touches.  Kinda like in The Lion King when Mufasa says "Everything the light touches in the kingdom is yours."  Everything that Hannah touches has a funk that never seems to go away.  I say that with love, I really do.

After removing the beds, I put blankets in there so they had something sort of soft to sleep on.  They didn't like them but it was better than sleeping without one.  They would go in their kennels reluctantly but jumping on the bed beforehand to see if Mom and Dad would, just this once, let them sleep on the big bed!

"Oh please Mom, pleaseeeee?  We promise not to toot in your face like last time.  And if we do, we'll at least make sure your mouth is shut.  I know how mad you were the last time that happened."

So anyways, my wonderful and loving husband comes home and says he bought the pups new beds!  Hooray!  He brings them in and the puppies are ecstatic,  each one going into their kennels and sniffing, then laying down even though it's only 7 p.m.

Then a couple days ago, the unthinkable happened.  I got home from the pool, let them out of their kennels and laid in bed ready to take a nap (because my life is ridiculously difficult).  Henry jumped on the bed, gave my forehead a big lick because he's super sweet like that, and then jumped off the bed and into his kennel like it was no big deal.  Hannah didn't even jump on the bed.  I tried forcing her to snuggle but all she wanted to do was go back into her kennel.

Zach said "Oh, it's just a phase."  No.  No it isn't.  Now whenever the bedroom door is open and the dogs are missing, they are just a snuggling in their kennels.  DO I NOT DESERVE TO BE LOVED?  Seriously?  What is this Tom Foolery?  I want my puppy snuggles.  I want my Hannah to be the little spoon and Henry to snuggle next to my legs like he does.  I feel like not wanting to snuggle is the ultimate "In yo face" dis and I am not equipped to handle these kinds of heartaches.  I would liken it to not having your child want to give you a goodbye kiss because "Mooooooom, you're embarrassing me in front of my friiiiiiiends.  Can't we just high five?"

Hello, my name is Rachele and my dogs don't like to snuggle in my bed with me.

Xoxo
Riley Writes

Happy To Annoy You For The Rest of Our Lives Day!

With my very first anniversary as a married woman rapidly approaching, I have been feeling extremely nostalgic lately.  I love love stories.  My favorite ones are ones that would fall under the Romantic Comedy genre.  That's actually where my story fits in which works out great for me because I hate being all mushy and crap in front of people.

Have I ever told you about the time I forced my husband to date me?   No?  "But Rachele, isn't that illegal?" It wasn't in Florida at the time but that was almost two years ago so things may have changed.

I never used to believe in love at first sight but there was something about Zach that drew me to him.  I didn't speak to him other than mutter the phrase "What kind of beer do you want?"  I voraciously stalked him for a month.  Asking my coworker all the questions I could to find out about him.  I tried to no avail to get him to hang out with me.

I had no idea that my life would change during one brunch at the beach during February.  Now, I have never been one to be shy and not have words to speak with someone.  Somehow, all of us ended up at the beach. His friends and my friends.  I was within viewing distance of him but couldn't muster up the courage to talk to him.  So instead, I just pranced by while going to refill my drink (multiple times with extra shots of 151 on top, oh God...), hoping that he would notice me but knowing I was going to need some sort of liquid courage.  So basically, I spent the afternoon creeper staring at it all like "Ugh, why won't he come over and talk to me?" and my girlfriends suggested that I go and talk to him.  "Ugh, I can't he's too nice and I'm too much of an asshole.  Look at him over there being all sweet and shy.  Do you think he's looking at me?  I can't tell"

"Rachele, stop being a creeper and go talk to him!  All you're doing is staring.  You're being creepy."

"But I'm a really really reaaaaallllllly good creeper.  What do I say?  He's all sweet looking and stuff and then there's me.  Drunk and stuff.  Is it time for another drink yet?  Who's going with me?"

Long story short, after we moved to the next bar I coerced him into sitting next to me by abrasively stating "You....are sitting rigggght here.  On this stool.  That I placed right next to me."  I cannot recall much of the conversation because I may have been plastered but I do remember asking him just why he hadn't asked me for my phone number.  Then I gave it to him and 15 minutes later I sent him a text asking him why he hadn't asked me out on a date.  We had a date that Thursday!  It was awkward.  He talked too fast and used his hands a lot.  I was completely unsure of how the date was going because I wasn't too overly excited.  It wasn't until we were purchasing our tickets to see Gnomeo & Juliet, he told me "Your face is an odd zipcode."  I think it was at that point, somewhere in my little tiny Grinch's heart that I knew I would marry him....but it didn't really know.  Or maybe it did, I just ignored it.

For being known as the girl who would never get married, I knew within two months that he was/is it for me.  I would tell my friends and get lots of odd looks, mostly in amazement that I had actually met someone I wanted to be around all the time and that actually didn't mind putting up with me.

I have learned a lot from being married to such an amazing person.  I am so glad that I set my standards so high. Something in me knew that eventually, there would be someone out there who is equally as goofy and loving as I am, made just for me.  Plus, he thinks I'm hilarious so that helps too :)

Moral of the story:  If a guy doesn't question you wanting to see a children's movie on a first date, marry him.  He probably loves you already.

Xoxo
Riley Writes

Reading is important...

I love to read.  Not just love like I love my husband, love as in I find it as necessary as breathing.  I love to breathe.  Heck, I do it all the time, I even do it in my sleep!  I need to read, I crave reading a good book.  When I go too long without reading a good book, I find myself often uninterested in the things I love to do normally.  Then I just sit there and become slightly depressed and think about all of my favorite hobbies and remember that it's been a while since I have read something that has shook my earth.

That's how much I love to read.

Recently, based on a friend's recommendation, I read The Shack.  I had attempted to start it a few weeks prior but it just sat on my coffee table on my side of the couch because I couldn't quite get into it.  I have that problem sometimes.  She said how wonderful it was, so I started it yesterday.  I read a bit while I was at work, then I read a little more last night before bed.  I read some at the doctor's this morning, then I read in the driveway for a bit when I got home.  I wasn't reading a lot of pages, just what I could squeeze in in between getting ready for work and crap. About one or two pages.  I was consumed with it.  I kept staring at it on my way to work, looking all lonely over in the passenger seat.

Then I got to work and found out that I didn't have to work!  Hooray! So I came back home, planted myself on the couch with my children and engaged myself in a love affair with words.   I cried.  And cried.  And cried some more.  It was so incredibly and beautifully written.  I cried tears of sadness, I cried tears of happiness, I even cried some tears for forgiveness.   I think all in all, it took me less than five hours to read. Then again, I read super fast anyways...but I loved it so much, I couldn't put it down.

By the time Zach got home my face was all swollen and he was worried something bad had happened....that's how much I cried.

I enjoyed it immensely.  It made me ponder my existence and my own relationship with religion.  I'm not a very religious person and I do believe in something, I'm just not sure what exactly.  But, what I do know is that it was so incredibly refreshing to read something that had heart and that gave me some insight and reflection into my own soul.

You need to read this book.  I cannot explain what it's about because it's kind of like trying to explain why your favorite song is your favorite.  Most of the time, you don't have the words, you just say "Just listen."  This is me telling you to "Just read it."

Xoxo
Riley Writes

P.S.  I apologize for the lack of writing as usual.  I will try to be better.  I'm working on an entry where the correct wording eludes me....I will work harder! :)