3 Weird Things I am Learning about Men

I feel like once you get engaged there should be a how-to book of what to expect when you move in with the opposite sex and how-to adjust. Even though I have been married almost three years there are still things my husband does that catches me completely off guard. I am hoping it is not just my husband that surprises me with these odd things. Please tell me it is universal across the male sex.

Pretend makes the bed. Since Matt typically leaves for work later than I do, and lies in bed longer than I do, one of his chores is to make the bed. Making the bed and putting away laundry are two things Matt hates to do. I religiously kick off my socks in the middle of the night, and if you made the bed correctly you might find a pair of socks wedged at the bottom of the bed. Since Matt pretend makes the bed every time I throw the sheets back I find at least 4 pair of socks at the bottom of the bed. So that’s where all my socks went. When will my husband actually make the bed?

Drinks expired milk! Lately I have been trying to drink organic milk and purchase organic dairy products in hopes that it will help regulate my hormones and award me with a baby. I know, I know, that is probably ridiculous, but every little thing helps right? Matt and I took our bi-monthly trip to Sprouts and got a brand new gallon of organic milk. When we got home I proceeded to toss out the expired milk in the fridge that Matt has been hording. “Are you serious Cassie? That milk is perfectly fine!” –Matt. “Matt this milk is expired. Why are you so gross? We have a brand new gallon.”- Me. “Cassie is says ‘best buy’ it may not be the best, but it isn't the worst.”- Matt. Is this really the logic men use when determining whether or not to throw out milk? I proceeded to dump the milk down the drain as Matt lapped the running milk into his mouth. Please let me this has happened to you?

Puts barbecue sauce on everything. What is up with men and their condiments? Once upon a time in our marriage I would attempt to cook a well-rounded meal, which is quite a change from my typical Dino nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have since stopped cooking well rounded meals because my husband will lather anything I make in barbecue sauce. I mean everything…. Salad, pasta, stew, soup… you name it, he puts barbecue sauce on it. So is it my cooking? Or does he really just love barbecue sauce? I haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t know if I want to.

If you have ever been a roommate of mine you know I am extremely hard to live with. I am a bossy neat freak that wants everything done on my time. But I have had to slowly learn to adjust to living well with my husband. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. 

Things I am Loving.

• Lush Cosmetics
• On a business trip to New Mexico, I waltz into Lush Cosmetics and instantly fell in love. Just recently I was strongly encouraged to start a skin care routine since the ladies at Sephora were both shocked and appalled that I don't take off my makeup at night. I started to take off my makeup and noticed a huge difference in just a week. Now I am obsessed with finding face friendly cosmetics. What I love about Lush products is that you can use them in different ways. The pink product I use on both my cheeks and lips and you only need a tiny bit, making the product last forever! 

• BB Cream
• The next product I was urged to try was BB Cream. At first a thought what a waste of money, but now I can't live without it. It is  a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, anti-aging treatment, and sunscreen all in one!! I used to put color on top of it, but as my skin gets healthier I prefer to wear just the BB Cream. I guess these Sephora ladies actually know what they are talking about. 

• Lip Exfoliating 
• This spring I am really into experimenting with different shades of lip stick. I am loving anything from bright pink to bright red to Texas State Maroon. (yes Texas State not Aggie!) But in order to avoid getting crumbly  flaky lips you have to exfoliate before applying the lip color.

• Austin Skinny Limits Juice
• OK, I am not a health nut although I could fake it pretty good if I had to. But I crave juice from Austin Skinny Limits on Far West Blvd. I also think its funny most of their juice is named after yoga poses. If you are feeling a slight health kick like I do once a month, try this place out!

When I Get Nervous I Lie...

When most people get nervous they sweat, or turn red or fidget. I do all those things (except maybe turn red… I mean I am black obviously). But on top of that I have two more slightly unusual completely embarrassing habits. When I get nervous I lie and forget where I am going.

This weekend my best friend Chanelle came in town with her new boyfriend (Chris).  When meeting new people I am always socially awkward and give too much information about myself and make inappropriate comments. Knowing this, I get pretty nervous and attempt to make a good first impression.

Here are the things I probably shouldn’t have said when meeting someone for the first time:

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     First year of marriage was glorious because Matt was half way across the country and my dishes were always clean and the bed always got made.(looking back I say that but at the time it was miserable)

  Comments about how Chanelle should hurry up and get to baby making.
  

  Opinion around the obvious fact that cooking skills are only needed for dating purposes. Once you’re married, what’s the point? They’re stuck anyway.

Blatant comments about how being from Provo, Utah (home of BYU) is weird, and sort of mysterious kind of like unicorns.Chris (Chanelle’s bf) is from Provo

Chanelle’s boyfriend (Chris) was describing his large extended family to which I may or may not have said. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”Sometimes I think things and then realize, nope, that was actually vocalized

The most awkward thing I almost said this weekend was when Chanelle was describing how she got really sick with the flu, pneumonia, and bronchitis because of this really fancy word that basically means air pollution. Well I thought the word sounded like an STD, because it did. So I said, “Hmmm…. Sounds like a S..T..cough ..cough..cough, sounds bad!”  Who says those things? Me I guess.

Anyway, back to how I lie when I am nervous.

A couple of years ago I had an audition and they asked me my age to which I confidently responded 16. They looked at me again puzzled. Probably because I was in fact 20 and had no idea why I would have told them I was 16. Instead of letting it go, I blurted out… “I mean I am 20, I do this a lot. I always lie when I am nervous.” They thought it was funny/creepy that I forgot my age by 4 years and needless to say didn’t get a call back.

Chris will probably think I am the dumbest person on Earth. Although that may not be far from accurate given that I got lost nearly 3 times in the couple hours we spent together. It doesn’t help that I have to use navigation while walking around downtown Austin. The city I have spent my whole life in. What can I say; when I get nervous I forget where I am going.

Mistletoe Memories

Holiday Season in the Fullenwider Household is full of family, traveling, games, and laughs. The year it all began by traveling down to good ole  Belton, Texas, where Matt's Family lives. Belton is growing on me, never in Austin would you go to the feed store to buy last minute presents. Upon entering my Mother-In-Law leans over to me and says, "OK Cassie, no jokes! And here's a tip, that lifeguard stand over there is a deer blind!" Boy I love Belton!

We had our first annual Fullenwider basketball tournament.  I promised myself not to hurt anybody. So I left half way into it to make sure my scary, unattractive, competitive side didn't show in full force on Christmas Eve.

Matt's family has a tradition of playing Christmas carols with chimes. This year we had some extended family in town that added to the chaos. Erin (sister-in-law) and I thought we would add to the fun by making fart noises when it was our turn to chime. They should have known better. 

Christmas day we drove over to the Mast's. My family attempts to rally everyone together to play a new board game. This year it was HedBanz for adults. Everyone draws a card and inserts it into a headband and has to guess what their card says. If you have a family full of adults like ours, I would highly recommend this game. We were dying laughing the whole time. 

The day after Christmas aka My Birthday Eve, I met with some of my oldest friends Stacy and Erin. It is so comfortable around people you have known your whole life and interesting to see how different and similar you still are. I feel as though each of us add something different to our unique friendship. 

For my Birthday Matt and I took the day off to spend with each other. With Matt's crazy schedule we really miss just spending time with each other. One of my very best friends Chanelle meet us for some shopping. It was the best surprise! Then we saw a movie! Our favorite thing to do for birthday's is pick out our own presents. My birthday was filled with skulls and sparkles! Not a big surprise!

This years gifts that keep on giving is my new journal to record 2013 memories. This year I am promising myself to not look back and not remember anything. I also got an ancestry.com membership in order to learn about the people that made it possible for me to live such a blessed life.  I am excited to learn about my great grandparents and my great greats! It will be great ;)! 

5 things to do before age 25

On multiple occasions this year I have tortured my husband with full on breakdowns centered on how fast years go by and turning 24.  One of my favorite friends Denise and I were talking about our birthdays that happen to be on the same day. I said, “I mean seriously… we are going to be 23 this year.” To which Denise smirked and said “Really Cassie? We are going to be 24!” In disbelief I quickly computed and realized indeed I am turning 24. I now remember how old I am by reciting Gangsters Paradise lyrics, “I’m twenty-three now, but will I live to see twenty-four? The way things is going I dunno!” (I choose to use proper grammar though)

 Now to some of you this breakdown is ridiculous, I am still young and have plenty of time to do the things I want. However, I catch myself wasting valuable time and not remembering what I have done with my life. (My mother-in-law says I need a journal, so I will remember better.) So as a declaration to me and whoever has time to read this (before I let another year go by seemingly wasted) I will list 5 things to do before age 25 in no particular order.

1.   . Buy my first house: Although Matt and I have started on this already; I have been a sour sally constantly thinking that something will go wrong and the home will slip out of your fingers. Home ownership is scary, way scary, and I am bad at commitment. So this will be a huge check off the list!
2.      Find a hobby: Matt is always telling me I need to find a hobby. Something that genuinely makes me happy. I have always wanted to be the wife that has Bunco night, or can sew clothes, or make delicious dinner. But that isn't me, at least not yet. In 2013 I need to find a hobby, a real one, one that makes me happy.
3.    . Pop out a baby: Ok this may be TMI. Probably is, but it is true. I never thought I would get married at 21 or be wanting a family so young. But after watching a bunch of bad TV about teens having babies, or people getting pregnant and not knowing it, I thought it must be so simple to get pregnant. NOT TRUE! Getting pregnant is truly a miracle and isn't as easy as people make it seem. Now that Matt and I are finally settling down in life, it would be nice to have a cute addition. With everyone asking “so when are you going to start having kids? I tell you…it isn't easy. So I am throwing it out into the universe. I want a baby!
4.      Run a Half Marathon: So hey this may be knocking two birds with one stone. Maybe running could be a hobby? Doubt it! I haven’t been able to tackle more than 5K so 13 miles would be treacherous. Right now I can run a pretty decent 3 miles, so I have a long way to go. Anyone with training schedules hit me up!
5.    Go out of the country: Matt and I have been so busy getting to where we want to be professionally that we have not taken a lot of time to appreciate where we are at. I would love the chance to take a trip out of the country with my cute husband and explore together.

I must admit this list was originally going to state 10 things I wanted to do, but I got too overwhelmed with anxiety wondering when I am going to fit this all in. Sooo….. I decided 5 was a good place to start. Baby steps! I know 2013 won’t be a year where I look back and wonder what I did with my time. I pledge to take chances and make commitments, and relish how far Matt and I have come. 

Married Girl Problems

I get the question, “what is the hardest part about being married?” I often wonder why people even have to ask me this question. Most people that know me well know I HATE TO SHARE! I am one of those annoying people that will be the first one to take a huge bite out of your meal, but when you ask for mine, I push my plate away. I know awful!

Lately since Matt and I are saving to put a down payment on a home, we have been cutting back on the little snacks/treats we used to stock up on. One of the main things we spend our money on is food, and by sticking to a strict budget we often crave junk food. I have noticed that if I leave out ANYTHING  ANYTHING, whether it is junk good or leftovers, Matt will devour it!

Last night I left for a meeting leaving some Pringles I used a bonus gift card from work on. (My money, my food! RIGHT? Yeah probably wrong!) I know there is still a lot I need to learn about marriage and sharing. Anyhow, I was fully expecting Matt to eat some of them. NOT ALL OF THEM! I come home mouthwatering for a salty snack and to my dismay I reach for the Pringles and they are gone! Completely gone! This is not the first time this has happened this week.

I have also been hoarding water bottles, taking them to work, and filling them up in our Ozarka water dispenser to save on getting water bottles at the store. Is that considered stealing? Anyways, if I leave a water bottle I have spent a good amount of time and thought on stealing from the office, Matt will drink IT ALL! All of it, not a swig or swallow, he drinks it all.

So now the most common phrase in our household is “YOU ATE/DRANK IT ALL!REALLY?”

By far the hardest thing about being married for me is the sharing! I sure hope we quickly get the money we need for a down payment, not so we can go back to buying junk food, but so I can buy a separate fridge with a lock on it.

There’s no crying in Basketball

For those of you who don’t know, my over sized husband used to play college basketball at Texas State University (where I stalked him, and forced him to marry me!) There have been multiple times in our short 2 year marriage that we have argued over who is better than whom in basketball. Let me just remind you the only legitimate basketball I played was high school JV. But hey, I was awarded most improved!

Since I grew up in a basketball loving family, I feel it is my right to get to play basketball wherever and whenever I would like.

 Much like the connection I have with yoga or shopping, Matt claims that basketball is his release time. Where he can free his mind and forget about his nagging wife (Unless of course I invite myself to play with him). One of our biggest arguments was when Matt told me I shouldn't play with the boys at the gym. He insisted they were too big and rough for me. Does he know who I am? My response was jumping out of the car at the stoplight and running for the hills. Longest run home ever!? I am very stubborn and when someone tells me I shouldn't do something, I make it a personal mission to prove them wrong.

One of the compromises Matt and I made was that he would be o.k. with me playing basketball with the guys as long as I did not:

1.       Cry

2.       Break Something

Fair Enough!

Well, this weekend I decided I would wake up early. Pack my basketball shoes and join him at the gym.

Side Note: It is important to pack your basketball shoes rather than wear them to the gym. Every REAL basketball player only wears their shoes on the court.

Saturday morning is prime time to get a “run” in (slang for basketball game. See, I am very observant J) Everything was going great until close to the end of the game and this huge curly haired monster thought it would be a good idea to come down and elbow me in the ribs. Tears welled up in my eyes as my side was on fire. However I knew the rules and slammed back my tears and kept going. Until, this scrawny little creep elbowed me in the mouth and blood surged onto the floor.

The next game I sat out. However still didn't cry or break something.