11 months of wedded bliss.

Yep. Today marks 11 months of me being a Pruitt. I can't believe that it has been almost a year because it seems like we just got married! I am so thankful for Jake and so thankful to have someone in my life who truly cares and knows every detail about who I am. Marriage is such a wonderful thing and its amazing how strong 2 people can become when they are together. I have been reminded of all of this during this last week that he's been home again. We have just been having a great time relaxing together, going on walks, cooking together, and cuddling up on the couch to watch movies. I have missed my best friend!!

Tonight we are going to go out to dinner to celebrate a little. I know its not usual to celebrate an 11 month anniversary but we won't be together on our 1 year anniversary so we thought we'd celebrate a little early with a nice dinner. On June 13th (our one year), Jake will be training in Colorado and I will be with my mom and sister in Europe. It stinks that we have to be apart but I was going to have to be apart from him no matter what because of his training so I might as well be sad about missing our anniversary while traveling through beautiful Austria and Prague. Agree?

I guess right now I am just trying to spend every last second with him that I can before our two months of separation this summer. Anyways, happy anniversary to us! Woo hoo!

In case you wanted to know...

...here are 25 random things about me!

1. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I usually snooze at least twice. I am in no way whatsoever a "morning person".
2. I love soda and I drink it way too much.
3. I had just about every type of pet growing up, including dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, a rabbit, a snake, hermit crabs, a turtle, and so on.
4. I usually only wash my hair twice a week (I know, I'm disgusting).
5. When I go to McDonald's I order an extra side of pickles, not for my hamburger but just because I like their pickles. 
6. I am almost always the optimistic one in any given situation. I truly believe that something good comes out of every bad situation. 
7. I probably have about 10 (maybe more) tv shows that I watch and actually keep up with every single week - and yes that includes teeny-bopper shows like gossip girl and one tree hill.
8. I am a tall 5'8 and yet I feel most comfortable and attractive in 3 or 4 inch heels, which I wear on a regular basis despite the fact that I tower over those around me. 
9. Every day I think about how lucky I am to have found my best friend and husband at such a young age and how excited I am to walk through life with him. 
10. Never EVER in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be living in Mississippi at age 21; in fact, growing up I swore that I was never going to move out of California.
    
11. I absolutely love bubble baths and think they are best when they include Frank Sinatra music and candles. 
12. Ever since Jr. High school my favorite chips have been hot cheetos. I can eat a whole big bag in one sitting. 
13. When I get in an argument with someone, I have the horrible tendency to blow things out of proportion and say things I don't mean. That is something I am working on fixing. 
14. I tend to focus a lot on the future and have a hard time stopping to enjoy the now.
15. When I exercise or run, I listen to ridiculously loud music. 
16. I love the idea of moving and traveling with the Air Force but I also dream of the day when we can retire, build a beautiful house, and live there forever.
    
17. I hate talking on the phone for long periods of time but I can't stand to be away from my loved ones so I do it anyway. 
18. I enjoy granny pastimes such as scrap-booking, knitting, gardening, puzzles, and watching HGTV. 
19. I am very much a homebody. I would rather stay in, relax, and watch a movie than go out any night! 
20. I always imagined myself being a high-profile business woman in L.A. or NYC but I am so much happier with where I am instead; God always seems to show me that his plan is best!
21. I talk about my puppy as if she were my child. 
22. I am ridiculous about having things look perfect. When decorating the house or designing ads for work, I will spend hours adjusting the smallest little detail that nobody would have noticed anyway. 
23. The two "materialistic" things I miss most about California are Starbucks and Nordstrom. 
24. I love being a wife and I know that someday (hopefully not anytime soon though) I am going to love being a mother. 
25. I love writing blogs and it honestly makes my day to get a comment or to know that someone cares enough to read about the all insignificant details of my life. So thank you all so much!!

God provides.

Well this weekend did not go how I imagined it would. Friday, Jake found out that there was a 2nd memorial being held for his grandma for their extended friends and family on Saturday in Tennessee. It was only going to be about a 4-hour drive from our house so he really wanted us to go, especially since he wasn't able to attend her March funeral in Oregon. So I took off work early on Friday, gave Bailey to some friends of ours to be watched, and we drove up to Dresden, TN. It was really nice to meet Jake's extended family (some of which he had never even met before) and they truly showed us the meaning of southern hospitality. We felt right at home and plan to go back and visit again now that we know we have family so close. But anyways, Friday and Saturday were just big whirlwinds.

We decided to drive home Saturday night because Jake hadn't been home in over a month and he really just wanted to relax at home. When we were ready to go, we were not so happily surprised to find that our car had a dead battery (or so it seemed). That was stressful not only because we were trying to go home but also because we knew that in just a week we would be driving that car (our only car) across the country to California. One of his relatives was able to give our car a jump and thankfully it started. We decided that we would try to drive straight home without stopping just to be safe. We made it home Saturday night and decided that we would deal with the car issue on Sunday.

When we got up Sunday morning and tried to start the car, it was dead again. It was a frustrating morning because we missed church, and all of our friends were gone at church so we had no way of getting into town to get a new battery. Finally around 4, one of our friends came over and jumped our car so we could take it into town (about 10 miles away). As we were leaving base, our car just completely died. It wouldn't even jump start anymore. So Jake and four random guys pushed the car back to our house where it sat dead in our driveway. Of course it was Sunday so there is no mechanic open. At this point, Jake and I were both completely stressed out. I had to be at work first thing Monday for an event and had no way to get there and he had so much do this week before we leave for our trip that he really didn't need to add this to his plate. There was also the money issue of having to get our car worked on. Yes, we have savings but we don't want to pull from it. We decided that we would take the money from the account we had set up to save for our new car that we are planning to get at the end of the summer and that we would just have to wait another month to get our new car (sad...). I was just really stressed about what we were going to do if the car couldn't be fixed... our plans to L.A. would have changed drastically.

Monday morning, my boss actually ended up driving an extra 20 miles to come get me for work, which was not ideal for her, but at least I was able to work. Jake had to call a tow truck to come get the car and take it into town. It turns out that the thing wrong with our car was not as serious as it seemed (thank goodness!) and they were able to fix in just an hour! It still ended up costing us about $400 though which was not great news.

If you have been reading this long story you are probably thinking by now "Okay Lindsay, what's the point here?" Well here it is... On Friday, Jake got some information that the Air Force had been accidentally taking some money out of his paycheck for the past few months and they told us that we would be getting a refund (a refund for money we didn't even know we had lost). Guess how much that money was that they refunded us? $400. Amazing! The point of my story is that God provides. When things went wrong, we prayed hard, and this time God gave us the most clear and obvious answer to our prayers.

The weekend was not relaxing in any way, shape, or form, but looking back I am glad to be done with it all and thankful that it all worked out.

The grand essentials of happiness.

I can't believe that I have not posted this week! I usually write my blogs during my downtime at work but this week at work has just been so busy and crazy (which is a good thing, but bad for my blog haha).

Today is a good day, a GREAT day actually. Guess what happens today?? JAKE COMES HOME! A-woo-hoooo! Can you sense the excitement? It has been a long six weeks but we survived and I learned how to deal with being apart. Now I have to readjust to Jake being home because I have gotten used to life by myself for a while now. Although I do need to stop and realize that in 2 weeks we will be apart again but for 8 weeks! Oy...

Today also is a great day because its Friday and that means that I officially only have one more week of work before my wonderful 2 month vacation! Actually my whole week has been really great. The good and bad weeks seems to go in waves I guess (as those of you know who heard about last week).

I also can't believe that I graduate from college in just 2 weeks. I remember when graduation seemed so far in the future and now it is here! I have my cap and gown- which by the way I swear is not flattering on anybody- and my announcements are ordered and things are falling into place.

Let me see if I have any highlights from this week. Basically it was just fun and again filled with lots of much needed girl time.

Monday: I had a press conference for work which was fun. Then I came home and cleaned and walked Bailey. My friend Ann came over for dinner and then we watched Dancing with Stars and were motivated to start working out by Melissa Rycroft's abs (haha)

Tuesday: I went to work (nothing exciting happened), came home, walked Bailey, hung outwith my friend Kacy and then watched American Idol. Wonderful :)

Wednesday: We had an event for a company that we were putting on at work so that was fun and made the workday fly by. Then I came home and, of course, walked Bailey. Then Ann and I went to the gym (having been inspired by dancing with the stars) and hung out at her house after for dinner and relaxing.

Thursday: Nothing exciting at work, went for a run with Bailey, went to the park with Bailey and some friends, went to the gym (again! I know, right?) with Ann, and then came home and cleaned the house for Jake's homecoming.

Friday: Today I get to get off work at 2 and enjoy a nice weekend with my hubby :)

The week was simple. Nothing exciting really happened but it was a GREAT week! I really needed the downtime and I now feel refreshed and happy. I leave for California in just about a week and while I am so happy to go home for a few months, I am actually pretty sad to leave here (wow, never thought I'd say that!) The friends I thought I'd never have came out here came into my life so quickly and I hate to miss out on the fun things they will do this summer and getting to know them better. I know that they will all be here though when I get back and nothing could change my intense excitement about going home again. I have been away from everyone for almost 6 months! Thats just crazy!

Although, now that its getting close to the time to leave for LA, I am getting nervous about the trip out there. 3 FULL days of driving with a jam packed, old car and a hyper puppy. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes!

I came across a quote that says "The grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." I really like that quote and I think it is true and reflective of my past week and the next few weeks to come.

Hope everyone has a great and happy weekend!!
   

On a scale of 1 to 10...

Wow, this week has been a long one and I am so happy to say that its Friday! Jake was originally planning on coming home this weekend but it didn't work out. I'm definitely bummed about it but its probably a good thing because after my stressful week I really need a weekend to relax and recoup. This week has seriously been one long, back to back "To Do" list for me. How did my life go from so boring to so hectic so quickly? Crazy! I am also trying to fight off a pesky cold (and no its not the swine flu) in the midst of wanting to do everything which doesn't help at all.

Let's recap the week. My friend Patty on her blog just listed the 5 things that were good and bad about her week and I like that idea so I am going to do the same. Starting with bad...

Negatives:

1. Bailey being mad at me and peeing all over the house on Sunday night.
   
2. Having to spend a total of almost 4 hours cutting the grass in our backyard with a weedwacker (in the 85 degree heat with ridiculous humidity). I also cut up my leg since I had no idea what I was doing and got um about 10 bug bites in the process. Great...
   
3. Being attacked by a cold, or maybe just allergies; I can't really tell the difference.
   
4. Stressing over getting my transcripts to Biola by the deadline, which worked out okay but was still very stressful. Also stressing over details of our trip out to L.A. (mainly because of Bailey). I'm not sure what to do with her while I am busy doing all I have planned for graduation week. The thought of kenneling her after a 3 day car trip breaks my heart.
   
5. I locked my keys in my car while on an important work errand and had to use my "weekly allowance" to pay to get them out since apparently there is no AAA out here. That was not a fun situation...AT ALL!
   

Ok lets leave the bad behind now and focus on the good...

Positives:

1. I finished painting and organizing the house and can finally be content and happy with the outcome. By the way, I plan to take pictures and post them this weekend so stay tuned for that.
   
2. I got to see some of the fun perks of a job in advertising over the last few days. I helped write an ad and I got to help with a commercial shoot at a really upscale restaurant yesterday. It was awesome to go to a tv shoot, plus we got tons of free food and drinks. Then, on Monday, I get to help with a press conference for our local airport. Things are lookin' up :)
   
3. I realized that after today, I only have 2 more weeks of work and then I have 2 MONTHS off for vacation (including trips to California, Hawaii, and Europe!!) Oh yeah, things are definitely looking up!
   
4. Jake comes home one week from today! I can actually count down now. Spouses here have always told me that the first time being apart is the hardest and then you learn how to cope with it a little better. It was a good first time being away because it was only 6 weeks and we got to see eachother twice. I think it has prepared me for our 2 months of being apart this summer. I am just so happy to have him home with me for 2 weeks of "normal" before all the crazy traveling starts.
5. You people must have really been praying for me because I have been blessed with some AMAZING new friendships this week. It like happened out of nowhere and my relationships with these girls are already deeper than anyone else I've met since I've been out here. I had a few "girls" nights this week where me and 2 other girls just sat and talked for seriously hours about anything and everything. We could've talked all night! I also have a new friend that has started to go on walks with me and Bailey in the evenings which is especially nice since Jake is gone. I love that so much because it is a great to just walk and talk (and vent) about our days and get to know eachother better. Her husband also just got moved into Jake's pilot training class so I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of eachother. Now I feel like there are not enough days in the week to get to see my new friends! What a huge change from the last few weeks! Also, my bible study girls have been so great and encouraging and I feel so lucky to have them.

Well there you have it. Looks to me like the good definitely outweighed the bad this week, do you agree? On a scale of 1 to 10, I think I'd give it a 6.5, maybe even a 7. Thats pretty good considering how my week started. Anywho, thanks for listening and happy Friday!!