Reviewing 2011's goals

Part of being a good leader is using the SMARTER method when setting goals.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely
Evaluate
Revise

Since the year is approximately 14 hours from being over, I thought it would be a good time to evaluate and revise and possibly set some new goals for next year (which will happen in a new post).

1. Be 50 pounds lighter by December 31, 2011.
I am not 50 pounds lighter. But I am 4-6 pounds lighter. I went into 2011 weighing 242 pounds. I now fluctuate between 236-238. Weight loss has to start somewhere, right? I'm proud of myself for not finishing the year heavier than I was! Perhaps for next year, I need to set smaller, more specific goals a reevaluate more often - perhaps at the end of each month.
One thing that has helped me start on the weight loss journey was telling my family and friends that I can't eat ice cream unless someone else suggests we get it. For the most part it works, because I feel guilty that I would be betraying that "promise" to them.
I joined Planet Fitness as a motivator as well. For $20/mo, I have a (mostly) 24 hour gym and tanning salon. [yes, i realize all of the harms of tabbing, but it makes me feel better about my body and it is a reasonable reward to me to work out]. I went every week day in August and was extremely proud of myself. Unfortunately, when school started, I lost the motivation to keep going, because it was hard to get to bed at a decent hour. I hope to find the motivation I need to get back (like my upcoming wedding!)
I have a few ideas to help me get on track for the new year, but I'm going to save them for the next post.
2. Run Beat Beethoven on April 16, 2011.
I DID IT! I did not beat Beethoven, aka finish the race in less than 30ish minutes, but I finished. My time was 42:43 (or something super close to that), which was faster than my goal of 45 minutes, so I am extremely proud of myself. I think I want to run it again (even though I still don't care for running). On warm days this year, I need to practice running/speed-walking up the initial hill. That hill killed me right away. All I could think about was how my ski coach in high school said I used to have a death glare on hills. I don't think it has changed :)

3. Take more pictures.
I don't think I did. I thought about it, but I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I did several years ago. It's still on my list of things to improve on. Maybe this summer, I'll take that photography class Britton took several summers back and improve my skills some more.
I don't take as many pictures typically because I'm running late and forget the camera. It's either that or the events I bring my camera to are not very picture worthy.
I don't think I could be a sports photographer because for the most part, their pictures look the same all he time. It's rare that the athlete does something awesome and different...

4. Do not post any "dirty laundry" on facebook.

I would say I did pretty well on this. Intended to post more happy news and my complaints were typically general frustrations with patrons or classes or society as a whole. Nothing about specific people that would start more drama, as far as I remember.

5. Take timely action on any drama that needs to be addressed.

Aside from my truck, I don't think I had too much drama in my life in 2011. Nothing that impacted me directly anyway. Yay!

6. Post more to have written memory of my life.
I'm going to say 2010 doesn't count because it wasn't putting my life into writing, it was mostly class notes. But overall, I'd say I did okay! (I've never posted a picture into my blog from he iPad, so if it posts at the bottom, it belongs with this one :) )!.)

7. Graduate
I almost could have graduated this year, but I had the "great" idea of finishing two majors instead of just one, since I wanted to be a full time student for the full year. So, as long as I pass O Chem II, Evolution, Intro to Bio II and Fish and Fisheries of Alaska, I should be good to go for graduating with two majors in May.

A rant on society

It's extremely frustrating to me when people gossip about me or my family. I understand not everyone is making the greatest choices in the world, but do we have to harp on them every single time? And multiple times in one visit?
It kills me when all I hear about my brothers are the bad things they've done. Yes, perhaps they need to make smarter choices, but still. What happened to having the support of your family and friends? Isn't it our job to help them see their wrongs? To help guide them into making more accurate choices? To teach them the laws? Why do we tend to abandon people when they turn 18? How is that supportive?
Is it our own fault? I know when I turned 18 I couldn't wait to move out of my parents house. I was so excited to leave them, but I still call then for advice and support. Are we being taught that once "you become an 'adult '" that's all the help you get? I don't know if that's the way we need to be doing things. I get that young adults need to make their own mistakes, live on their own, pay their own bills etcetera, but what makes us think that we can do all of those things right away?
How do people not learn from their mistakes? One of the things that kept coming up in he conversation that sparked this post is that my brother had 5 pages of tickets printed from the state website. He wanted to know why he hadn't received his permanent fund dividend check yet. It was because he had so many outstanding tickets that the state garnished his PFD. This breaks my heart. Why is it so hard for him to follow the laws? If you can't afford to keep your snow machine registered or you're underage (or were), or you don't have insurance, don't do the things that you can't do!!!
I usually try to give my brothers a few dollars for their birthdays, but I couldn't handle sending them money that they'll just use for drugs or alcohol. The older of the two just turned 21 and the younger is now 18. It breaks my heart to see them spending their money on such useless things.
Yes, I am a hypocrite because I enjoy a good drink about once a week or so, but I typically only have one or two drinks and I never, ever drank until I was 21. And I never, ever drive after drinking.
All in all, I want to know how my brothers are doing, but don't chew them out while they aren't their to take it. There isn't a whole lot I can do because I was the "goody-two-shoes" of the family and they really don't want to listen to me. I'll love them unconditionally, but I won't be bailing them out of jail or letting them move in rent free.

Stockings!

I finally convinced Britton to exchange stockings with me this year!! Since he doesn't read my blog, I can tell you all about it :)

I bought two different card games - Would you rather! and Scrabble.  Last year, I bought the book with the same title and Britton talked to Rusty on the phone for hours! So, since we'll be in Kenai and actually at Rusty's house, I thought it might be fun to play!  I don't know anything about the Scrabble game, except that it is supposed to be like Scrabble, Word-Up and Word Twist?

I bought a bunch of candy.  Most of his favorites, Snickers, Reese's and Whoppers.  I always remember having the best candy in my stocking, so hopefully this will be just as awesome for him.

I'm giving him new boxers. Just because they're super awesome.  Cookie Monster is on the front and then on the back it says, "Someone say cookie?"

Britton's grandma, Mamas, used to work at the Hallmark store and so she was able to get TY beanie babies on sale. While wandering through the Christmas section, I found a CUTE little reindeer, named Harold.  He was "born" in November 2011.  

While I was in Oregon, I found washcloths that grow in the water.  I love them, and they're kind of insignificant and Britton will probably think I'm lame for putting them in his stocking, but I don't care!

And the last really tangible thing is a little Nerf football, because it will fit in the stocking and to be honest, I love playing with them too. 

And last but not least, I made some coupons that will get him out of doing dishes or some other sweet, sexy things.

Fun times at the library...

Not!
When all the students go home for the holidays, the university library is quizzically quite quiet. 
Since classes aren't in session, there are frequently WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE WORKING! Ha! I think our employee to patron ration is 2:1... Okay, maybe 1:2.  or 1:4, based on the employees at the circulation counter and the number of patrons recorded at noon for the entire library.  But, if you were to tally up ALL the employees currently here, I'd say there is a 3:1 ratio!
This leaves the really, really boring tasks, like measuring how much empty space on the shelves there is on a floor, and shelf reading (making sure all of the books are in order.) Oh joy! I'd rather watch ice form or water boil.  That's how boring those tasks are. 
The beginning of the week was not so bad, because there were all of the books that were returned at the end of the semester to take care of, but now, since there have been 4 students on times 8 hours a day, all of those books have been shelved. 
Supposedly there is a new shifting project that the director wants done.  Rumor has it that a new office is going to move into the back area of the 2nd floor.  Or as we call it, Alaska.  Funny tangent: Sometimes when a coworker is down on second floor, or in Alaska, and a friend of their's comes looking for them they ask "Hey do you know where _____ is?" And without thinking about who we are talking to, we'll just say "In Alaska" expecting them to comprehend our thought process.  Most of the time they think we're being sarcastic, and like, "Yea, I know that, but where?!" and then we realize they aren't familiar with the lingo of the library and send them on their merry way to the second floor.  

In other awesomeness of the library, one time the power went out.  The electronic lock system on the doors doesn't work when the power is out, so we have the glorious job of sitting in front of the doors making sure no one comes in.  Apparently, there is a safety issue when there isn't any power in the library.  

I have no other stories off the top of my head.  Perhaps I'll update again later. 

Stats of my blog posts...

During the summer of 2010, I took Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Jill Russell.  She was an entirely fabulous teacher and I loved the course.  Since I worked 8a-10a, went to class from 10-12, and then went back to work (unless I had lab) until 9pm.

I decided to type my notes to try to help myself learn the material better.  Since then, more views have been to those entries from the course.  Some day, I hope that people will read my entries for what I have to say instead of the science notes.  But, to all of you who found my blog through searching for mitosis, welcome.  I hope my entry helps you learn it better too.

3/5 posts are strictly related to my class.  The other two, I promoted, either on Facebook or via Google+.  If that's what I need to do to get more views to my blog, I suppose I will do it more.  

I miss living on campus...

I miss staying up late hanging with the people in my dorm. But then, that would specifically be Skarland Hall, since I almost never left my room in Stevens Hall.

I miss buying the vending machine out of energy drinks and stacking our cans into pyramids in the lounge.

I miss removing all of the cushions from all of the furniture and piling it into the elevator and then riding for hours, playing cards and listening to someone play guitar.

I miss someone doing my daily dishes for me and not having to prepare every meal if I didn't want to.

I miss free laundry.

I miss the convenience of being able to just walk to classes, instead of having to wake up and start the car every day.

I miss feeling like I could go to the comedy shows without wasting too much time.

I miss RLC and RHA meetings.

I miss my first year RA's.

I miss free laundry.

I miss the programs the RA's would put on.

I miss knowing all of my neighbors.

I miss working evenings instead of during the day - which allowed me to sleep in a little later.

I miss being so close to the swimming pool.

I miss free laundry.

I miss being able to go back to my room between classes to change out what I need for each class.

I miss having a bed to nap in during the day. 

I miss having somewhere to store my skis and the convenience of being to go skiing during the day without the hassle of bringing everything to campus.

I miss not having to worry about maintaining the structural components of my place.

I miss free laundry.

Case of the lighter fluid

If you're my friend on Facebook, you may have recently found me complaining about the stench of lighter fluid.

Let's go back to Starvation Gulch 2010.  After we were done building fires for the day, we were on pile watch.  Since that gets a little boring, we decided to have a barbecue.  The grill was charcoal, so we opted for a bottle of lighter fluid to help get things rolling.  Of course, with just one grill, there wasn't a need for an entire bottle and since I purchased it, it went into the backseat of my pickup truck.

Where it remained for at least a year and a half. With no problems.

Until recently, when I went to start my truck after our vacation and noticed it reaked like lighter fluid.  Ugh, the smell is terrible.  And I'll never say that I like the scent again! Ever!
I don't know what made this year different from last year, but I accuse Harold and Monica of stepping on it during one of our car rides together.  And thus, the greasy fluid is now all over my truck.

I have a bottle of febreeze that I am spraying on it every time I get in, but I don't know how long I can keep that up.  Oh and by the way, febreeze doesn't burn when it gets in your eye.

New favorite neighbor

Last night, as Britton and I were scrambling to figure out which extension cords to use to plug in my truck across the parking lot, a gentleman came walking through.  He asked, "Which rig are you trying to plug in?" and I pointed to my truck.  He then says, "If you'd like, you can park in spot 66 until the first of the year."  And at this point, I'm squealing, "Are you sure?!?!"  He replies, "Yep, not a problem, I'm headed out of town in the morning and I have a garage space here."

Oh my gosh, he made my night SO MUCH BETTER! It really isn't even that big of a deal since we really only need the extra space when we have three cars at the apartment, but it makes life so much more convenient when you don't have to wind up 50-100 feet of extension cables.  Though, I might use it next week, since Morgan will be here and Britton's car will be on campus.  Our second spot is a few parking spots away from our plug in, and the one that our neighbor is letting us park in is super duper close!

Thank you neighbor of spot 66!  You will have fresh cookies or bread when we return from our respective vacations.  I have no idea where you're going, but you were even kind enough to let us use it while you are back and we are gone for a few days.  That, my friends, is true holiday spirit.

I know I haven't ranted about it on here before, but parking at Jillian Square is rough.  There is only one parking spot, since the complex was built in the 80's, which seem to be a one-car-per-family decade.  The front of the building is technically guest parking, so cars are supposed to be moved every 24-hours, though they don't check it as often as they should, and sometimes if you park in the same spot every time, they'll flag your car :-/ And the "overflow" lot is WAY TOO FAR AWAY to string extension cords to from our parking spot.

So again, neighbor residing in apartment 66, THANK YOU!

Jealousy

Does your jealousy ever get in the way?  I know mine does, and sometimes I fear later that it might hurt my relationships.  I really, really try to avoid getting frustrated over my jealousy, especially when the situation really is better in the long run. 

Here's the most recent situation.  Britton is going to Kenai this weekend to perform with Sonic Karma at a benefit concert.  The original plan was for him to come back on Monday, work the entire week here and then fly back next week to stay for the holidays. However, somehow, he talked his boss into allowing him to work from Kenai for the week!  Which means he'll be in Kenai from 12/16-1/3!  That's an entire week longer than I get to go for, which means that I'm jealous.  I really wish I could go down earlier and spend the entire time with family and friends and doing nothing but relaxing, but alas, the library isn't exactly work I can do "from home." 

It's saving us money though. It's one a whole round-trip ticket that he is saving (whether it's miles or money, it doesn't matter).  Which is a good thing.  More money to put towards the wedding that we are both stressing over.  And maybe a week away will be good for us.  I can finally deep clean my apartment.  I can work on craft projects without interruption. I can work on my year-long distance course that I need to finish up by March-ish (I'm 1/3 done. Totally not worried).  I can study for the two classes I'm retaking next semester to brush up on the material. 

One of the only things I can't do is hang out with my friends, and that's because they're leaving too! Ugh.  Who the heck am I supposed to bake for if everyone is leaving me? I still plan on bringing cookies up to his coworkers, because I'm just that awesome.  And I'll bring cookies to my work. 

Life goes on.

Dinner Plans

  My mom never seemed to struggle with what to make for dinner or not having the right ingredients. Even my dad can make meals out of nothing.  

  Ever. 

  I try to follow my mom's footsteps by making a list of dinners we'll eat for the week (or two, since most meals make an extra meal or two), write out all of the ingredients I'll need to make these meals, go to the store, purchase said ingredients and put them away when I get home.  Yet, when it actually comes time to make a recipe, I never seem to have everything I need!  How is this possible?
  Right now we're broke, so I am trying to use the foods we already have.  This means, we have food that Britton doesn't really care for - like rice and pasta and vegetables.  I guess I'll be making a list of ingredients that we do have and trying to come up with good ideas for that.  Luckily we're leaving for 10 days next week, so it'll be a little while between when we get paid and when I have to buy groceries.  So, this means I just have to find 11 days worth of meals in what we've got.  Fun times. 
If you have any meals/recipes that your family loves, please feel free to share them with me, especially ones that please picky eaters.
  I know I have a steak, chicken breasts, hamburger (ground and in patties), taco meat, salmon and halibut. But I don't seem to have anything to go with these.  If it were up to Britton, he'd just eat meat.  Perhaps we'll have burgers again, we could do that for a few days, until we get sick of them again (like we did when we first moved in together).  But my momma taught me right, and a complete meal needs to have a starch and a veggie to go with it.  Or at least the veggies.  (No, Britton, potatoes do NOT count as a veggie... They are a starch.)  And what if my dinner plans don't have enough for lunch?  Then what? I don't have any more bread for sandwiches. 
  Most the $58.75 in my checking account will need to go to gasoline if my truck ever starts again.  Otherwise, I would buy more potatoes and fruits and bread and eggs and bacon.

  I hope my single steak and the two chicken breasts I pulled out are defrosted. I also hope that the tortillas in the cupboard are still good.  I think I want fajitas tonight.  I know I have diced green peppers and onions in the freezer, which will have to make due (we prefer our fajitas with sliced peppers and onions).  And maybe we'll just have to have leftover mashed potatoes with it!
  I just don't understand how I can buy EVERYTHING on my shopping list (which I make based on the recipes I have planned) and still not have the right ingredients for dinner.  le sigh.  Some day I'll be just like you, Mom!
  And another rant for another day - why I miss paying for a meal plan. 

Graduation fears.

I've applied for probably a dozen jobs or internships since I've been in college and haven't received so much as an interview for a single one of them.  Okay - that's not quite true.  The interviews I have done though have been for entry level jobs - customer service, housekeeping, food service.  Not the atmosphere I plan to work in after I graduate.
As the end of my penultimate (thanks Mrs. Sounart for teaching me that word, by the way) semester approaches, I'm starting to realize that I have approximately 6 months to find "a real job."  This job hunt is in addition to a full course load of intense classes and wedding planning.  What exactly do I do after graduation if I can't find a "real job"? What am I looking for in this "real job?"
Ultimately, I know I would like to use both degrees.  Britton's coworker's wife works with Fish and Game traveling to rural parts of Alaska and checking gaming permits and such.  This type of profession would mean that I get to use my biology degree as well as using my sociology degree.  There really aren't that many jobs that utilize both sociology and biology.
Seriously. What the eff was I thinking?  I know, I know, I said my goal is to take it into nursing.  And I still plan to.  But I don't really want to do the associates program here in Fairbanks right now.  It just doesn't feel up my ally.  And Britton isn't comfortable moving somewhere if I managed to get accepted into a non RN-Master's program, because of the whole economy situation everywhere else.  And most of the programs say you should expect not to work.  How am I supposed to NOT work?! That's just not feasible.  I need food too, ya know.  So if Britton were to stay here, and I were to go elsewhere, it'd be doable (with another bajillion dollars in student loans), but that just doesn't seem like it's going to work.
I would really like to apply for the Disney program again, but chances are, I'd be rejected there too. Again.  And this would also mean that I would move across the country from my then husband.  I would have to decide to apply soon if I really wanted to do that.  I have to apply while I'm still in college.  ugh. Plus the cost of moving to Florida or California would probably not be doable.  And Britton would have a hard time paying all of his utilities/rent without me.
I really wish I had been interviewed for the admissions position.  I really love my school and I think I would have enjoyed recruiting and helping people through the application process.  Perhaps it will open again at the end of the spring semester.
I will keep my eyes glued to www.uakjobs.com, you can bet your bottom dollar I will be applying for every position I might barely be qualified for.  I'll also be staring down craigslist and Alexsys for opportunities too.  I get emails from the State of Alaska notifying me for positions that are open throughout the state.
Is it wrong that I would love to go into education, but choose not to because of all of the governmental crap? Could I survive a master's program in education?  Would being a teacher make me not want children?
I fear being unemployed.  I fear paying back the 60,000+ I have in student loans because I chose to live somewhat comfortably instead of working my ass off to avoid them.  I fear failing.  I fear being a crappy communicator and interviewer.  I fear not knowing.

On 2011's holiday plans

About a month ago, I thought I had decided that I would do the financially responsible thing and stay in Fairbanks for the entirety of winter break.  Well, I'm still a little homesick but can't afford a $1000 ticket to my parents house, so I decided to do the next best thing.  I'm headed back to Kenai! Oh boy, I'm so excited.  We'll be having Christmas dinner with my grandma and grandpa and cousin, Samantha and my middle brother, John and whoever else happens to be there.  I'll also get to see my aunt Misty and Uncle Mark and my cousins, Jamies and Blake.  And maybe I'll even get the chance to see my half-brothers Anthony and Kelly and my nieces and nephew! Wouldn't that be delightful?

We haven't purchased our tickets yet, but the plan is to leave on the evening of the 23rd and come back to Fairbanks on the 3rd!  10 days in Kenai! Yippee!  I plan to visit with as many people as possible, so if you'd like to hang out, please let me know.  I don't think I'll have a car, so we'll have to coordinate rides somehow.

I would like to bring my skis down, but only if it isn't going to cost me $100 in oversized luggage fees.  I just can't afford that :(

Christmas Traditions

Growing up, my family always did some of the same things each and every year.

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, my mom would start to put up the Christmas decorations around the house.  Garland, lights, Nativity scene, various Christmas quilts.  Then, about 2 weeks before Christmas, we would go to Kenai River Nursery and pick out the perfect tree.  Of course, we'd never know exactly what it looked like, since it would be wrapped up, but that was part of the surprise!  We would wrap it in an old sheet, bring it home and put it in the garage overnight with a 5 gallon bucket of water, after Dad chopped off a few dried inches from the trunk.  The next night, we would bring it upstairs, set it up, make sure it was straight and my dad would put the Christmas lights on it.

Mom and Dad would do all of the Christmas shopping months early to avoid going to the stores during this deathly time of year.  But, they would still take me and the boys out to shop for the other parent.  I loved trying to find the things that would fill the line on my parents' wish list.

A week or so before Christmas, my mom would have a baking storm.  We would make candies and peanut brittle and cookies galore!  It was always so much fun to deliver cookies to our families and friends.  This is one tradition I'm going to be doing this year.  I won't be making all of the same cookies or candies that my mom previously made, but I have a list I think will suffice.  Maybe I'll post about it a little later.

When I was really young, we used to do THREE Christmases on Christmas day. Eventually everyone started to feel that was hectic and we moved to a two-day system.  My mom's side of the family would gather on Christmas Eve.  We'd have delicious foods, including my favorite, king crab!  We would share presents with each other and overall just enjoy the evening.  Our parents would always get us new pajamas.

On Christmas morning, Santa came and filled our stockings as well as leaving us lots and lots of presents under the tree.  (I know it's just my mom and dad, but it's more fun to say it was Santa).  My brothers and I would always wake up super early!  4:30 or 5:00 am!  We weren't ever allowed to wake our parents up.  But, we were allowed to open our stockings and all the trinkets that were wrapped inside.  I love stockings.  Candies and nuts and oranges and soaps and toys, what is not to love?  If we were really thinking, we would make a pot of coffee - presents could never be opened until my parents had a cup of coffee and brushed their teeth.

Often, presents were completely opened before the sun rose.  My mom would then make something amazing for breakfast - like cinnamon rolls.  And we would spend the daytime playing with our new toys and presents.  There would be new clothes too.

In the afternoon, we would gather up all of the presents for my dad's side of the family and go to my Grandma Becky's house for a similar ritual as to my mom's side of the family.  Presents would be opened and laughter shared.  Then we enjoyed dinner and pies.

Oh how I miss my mother's pies.  I can bake, but there is something about her food that I absolutely miss.  I hope with more and more practice I will learn to love mine more than her's (sorry mom!)

and since I don't have any pictures with me of Christmas, here is a picture from the 2008 Christmas comes to Kenai parade. 

Bed time usually came early due to exhaustion, but on the morning of December 26, there was always one more present to open.  My brother John's birthday gift!

Sad Emails

I got the email last week that I, unfortunately, did not get the Admissions Counselor position I applied for. I wasn't even considered for an interview.  Sad day.  However, in hind sight, it's probably for the better.  As you read in my last post, next semester is going to be rough.  But I'll get through it somehow, and life will go on.

Things on my mind this week

• Not passing evolution this semester and thoughts about next semester

I don't think I'm going to pass my evolution course this semester.  I've been studying and reviewing all semester long.  It makes sense in class. But for some reason, I can't put on the tests the knowledge I've been learning.  It's incredibly frustrating to have to retake this course.  Fortunately, I suppose, it is offered next semester.  And it fits in my schedule with the other 3 sciences courses I need to finish the second major. 

Next semester is looking to be rough.  I have to retake Bio 116x: Principles of Biology.  My very first semester (when the course was F105x) I got a C-.  It didn't matter for my minor, but now it does for my major.  How depressing.
It looks like I'll be retaking Bio 481: Evolution.  The professor for the spring semester is not posted yet.  I don't know if I would prefer the same teacher or if a new teacher with new perspectives and style would be better.
I also have to take the second semester of Organic Chemistry: Chem 322.  I already told my friend Micah, who is a chem tutor, that I will be spending plenty of time there.  I barely passed the first semester of O Chem and that was Spring 2009, so it's been quite awhile since I had to do it.
The last course I have to take is a biology elective.  I am opting for Bio 288: Fish and Fisheries of Alaska.  I don't expect it to be a cake-walk, but I'm hoping 22 years of living in Alaska will help me succeed.
It's also my last semester of campus involvement.  This both saddens and delights me.  While I wish I was able to stay involved forever, the people who I know who currently won't leave, drive me crazy.  I don't want to be that person in other person's life.  I will dearly miss being an orientation leader, a student ambassador, in the Pep Band (though that I might continue, so I can get into hockey games for free) and an active brother of Alpha Phi Omega. 

• Wedding plans

Planning has been going fantastically.  We have booked and placed deposits on our venue, catering and our photographer.  My dress has been ordered.  Centerpieces are coming together nicely.  Save-the-dates have been sent. Invites are in the works.  I'm so excited to be married with the love of my life. 

• Honeymoon plans

Will it be a cruise? A trip to Maui? Who knows!