roommates for life

Roommates. God bless 'em. You love 'em, hate 'em, don't understand 'em, respect 'em, teach 'em, learn from 'em, annoy 'em and miss 'em.

I learned a lot about myself in college, which I attribute to my roommates (good opportunity for a shout out: Erin, Lynn, Katelyn, Lindsey, Lynley- you're the bomb.com) You go your whole life doing things a certain way. You learn a specific routine that you don't deviate from and certain habits you aren't aware of. Much of this is because while growing up, there are 3 other people in your house that do the exact same things. You think that all families keep the medicine in the hall closet, wash the toilet with a washrag, and eat fried spam and potatoes for dinner. I was blown away when I went to college and found out people clean counters with Windex! Eat macaroni out of mixing bowls! And shave everyday! Who are these people? I eventually loosened up and realized there are hundreds of right ways to do everyday things.

I thought I had become so self-enlightened facing adversity, until I got married. HELLO!

I transitioned from college roommate to a roommate for life. You don't just share the living room, kitchen and mailbox anymore. You share.....everything! The difference is when you get annoyed, you can't just go to your room and avoid the problem. You share the same room! I knew it would be a lot of togetherness and a lot of change, which I was excited about, but I thought this lesson would be a gradual one. Wrong.

I forgot my toothbrush on our honeymoon. This meant for the first week of marriage we brushed our teeth with the same toothbrush. Gross! Call it a forgetfulness or coincidence. I like to think God knew how "independent" (or stubborn) we both are and was teaching us the "togetherness thing" right of the bat. I guess it didn't take right away, or maybe it's a series, because He is still teaching the same lesson...

Whatever you want to call it: modification, change, compromise, humility. Numerous adjustments have been made on both parts. These changes may seem small, but are significantly huge when it alters the daily routine you have perfected over 24 years. I am happy to make these changes, the reward is great. However, my pride often gets in the way of my good intentions. Stupid pride. I have to remember it's the little things that go a long way. Some of these "little things" are pretty funny so I thought I would share a few on our top 10 list...

Top 10 Adjustments Post Marriage

D's Adjustments:

1. Cutting a grilled cheese into four equal squares before serving it.

2. Seeing a stuffed bird every morning when I wake up since my roommate likes to keep his mounted quail on his nightstand.

3. Holding the black olives on my shared pizza orders. 

4. Being sure to suction the shower curtain liner to the shower wall (in 4 spots) so a drop of water doesn't potentially get out.

5. Hanging up shirts with the hanger facing to the left.

6. Unplugging my straightener instead of leaving it connected to the wall all day, every day. 

7. Using dishtowels as napkins. 

8. Washing more clothes. 

9. Using florescent lighting. I like to only use lamp lighting. I think I get that from my grandparents (thanks gma Flo). My roommate likes to "see what he's eating."

10. Swimming in the pool rather than just laying out beside it.

T's Adjustments:

1. Waking up with "sore ears" due to my roommate's need for the ceiling fan on every night.

2. Lifting the toilet seat instead of it conveniently being left up from earlier use.

3. Finding humor in the fact my roommate brushes her teeth in bed.

4. Having to carefully select hangers from the closet since my roommate has her own white plastic ones she won't let anyone else use.

5. Trying anything green. So far: salad, broccoli, spinach.

6. Climbing over hair dryer and straightener cords every morning to get to the sink. 

7. Sleeping on the edge of the bed with a corner of comforter. Did I mention the fan is always on?

8. Not being able to find a clock to tell time since my roommate likes to rearrange the bookshelves on a weekly basis.

9. Getting out of the shower to step on a damp rug when my roommate showers before me. 

10. Closing the shower curtain every time I get out of the shower.

Our small group is going through a book called "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas. Gary says "if you want to be free to serve Jesus, it's better not to be married, but if you want to become more like Jesus, its best to be married." I was appalled when I first read this, but realized he is saying if you want free time to serve the Lord only, more availability comes with the single life. However, self-denial and servanthood come with a Godly marriage.

We are finding this to be true everyday. Love and respect come in many forms. Today it meant drying off my feet when I got out of the shower, hanging up his shirt on a sacred plastic hanger and telling that stuffed bird "good morning"

Love!

showering and running

Big weekend for the Barretts! First of all, it was our 6 month wedding anniversary and our 1 year engagement anniversary. Since we got engaged exactly 6 months before we got married, every anniversary is a double whammy. I can't believe it has been half a year already. In some ways it seems like a week ago we were picking out menu items and hanging up lanterns. You may be wondering how we celebrated this milestone in our marriage. Well we celebrated by being in Allen, doing completely separate things. We had a lot going on this weekend. Tate had some guy stuff to do while I had girly stuff. It was a weekend full of family, friends and festivities. What festivities? Well, I am glad you asked...

*Wedding showers* 

Congrats to Meg&Jordan and Laura&Benton! Both had beautiful wedding showers Saturday. These were the first wedding showers for me to go to as a married lady. It was fun to be a part of their special day, eat all the good food and see all the fun wedding gifts. Now off to writing those thank you notes! I don't envy you at all...we still have 10 left to do...oops! We promised we are going to do them tonight, but we have been saying that since November. Good luck to you!

Besties and moms at the shower. We've been friends for 14 years! Wow. Whoever was born in the year that we met would be getting their learners permit next year. What I am trying to say is, that is a long time and we've been through a lot. Loves ya!

*Ft. Worth*

Post showers, we headed off to Ft. Worth for the bachelorette party to savor Meg's dwindling days of singleness. It was a blast! Mexican food, cake, Pete, Winnie the Poo sing-a-longs and the bride-to-be on a piano. What's not to love?! Despite the rain and a little bit of getting lost, we had a great time running around Ft. Worth together. I think after we all get married, we should still have an annual Bachelorette party. We can trade off being "honorary bachelorette." I call it first!

*McKinney Triathlon*

Saturday my dad and Tate played golf, then Sunday was the big day. The McKinney sprint triathlon. They have been training and counting down the days until the big race. It was my dad's 1st and Tate's 2nd triathlon. They swam, biked and ran the whole thing in the rain! They are so hardcore. They said the swim is the hardest part due to the fact people are constantly hitting you, kicking you and pushing you under the water. Sounds intense, way to go! 

Look how official they are. I am sorry we didn't get a picture of them in the wetsuits, but it must have paid off. They got 4th and 5th in their age divisions. Props. #224 and #98 are my heros! 

Next up: Waco olympic triathlon, Summer 2010

sicko

Today I am home sick. Yuck. I have felt under the weather for a little over a week now. The worst part (besides the excessive cough and sore throat) is that I lost my voice over the weekend. It didn't help that I was with 7 of my best friends all day Saturday, so a whisper wasn't going to hold me back. Since then I haven't been able to talk. Which seems to be contradictory at work since I am a  Speech Pathologist. This was a pic from work yesterday, I had a lot of extra time on my hands since I wasn't able to lead my sessions.

This morning I decided to finally go to the doctor. Before leaving the house I had self diagnosed myself with an upper respiratory infection thanks to WebMD. I thought I could probably use a second opinion, so I went to one of those walk-in clinics. There were a few things wrong with this picture...

1. This clinic is located IN an HEB...not beside, not next to, but in the actual grocery store. How unsanitary is that? Attention HEB customers: buy one bushel of bananas and get a free sample of tuberculosis. Not really, but doesn't that seem kinda gross? I guess it is convenient for some people. The dad waiting beside me bought some trash bags while his daughter was waiting to see the "doctor." Two birds, one stone.

2. I felt like I was in the movie, "Meet the Parents." I was the ONLY patient this morning when I got there. I walked up to the counter (located by the registers) and whispered, "Hi, I need to check in." They said, "Please sign your name and we will be with you in a moment." They said it like they were busy or something. I looked around (which didn't take long) to notice I am the only patient in the clinic. It's just the secretary, nurse and me. So, I quickly scratched my name on the sheet and sat down. 30 seconds went by before I heard, "Danielle." Seriously, you couldn't have asked that 30 seconds ago? Now I have to get up and walk over the counter. Maybe she wanted to feel like she worked in a real doctor's office, I can't blame her.

3. The best part occurred after I was called back to Examination Room 1 (1 of 2). The "doctor" was asking about my medical history and symptoms. At one point he pulled out his iPhone to look something up! I'm pretty sure he was typing my symptoms in the google search box to make his diagnosis. Not too comforting. I already did that myself at home.

Conclusion: secondary infection to either allergies or a virus. Thank you google for the diagnosis and thank you HEB walk-in clinic for a Z pack prescription.

It was an interesting morning, but it got the job done. I guess I can use my free time to update the blog world on our eventful weekend...coming soon!

4 pounds of tricep

Naturally when we got engaged, I expected people would tell us "Congratulations," but I never thought they would follow it up with, "After you get married, you will gain 30 pounds in the first year." Excuse me? What? It was so strange, but people would tell us that all of the time. They said that in your first year of marriage you both gain weight. First of all, who says that to someone? It's just discouraging. Secondly, it's not completely true.

6 months have come and gone and I think it's time to weigh in...

Since October, Tate has lost 12 pounds (the equivalent of a bag of flour, a bowling ball, a cat) and I have gained 4! I know, it's so unfair.

I have worked out harder and more consistently post marriage than I have in a very long time, and this is what I get in return? I knew that I didn't like the gym, but I had no idea it reciprocated my feelings. Well, at least we are both on the same page.

Granted, Tate has been training really hard for these triathlons. For all of you that don't know, his life goal is to finish an Iron Man. A full Iron Man consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a full marathon...in that order...without a break. It's kinda a big deal. I am really proud of him! He's been working really hard towards his goal, and it shows!

As for me, I've been consistently jogging and going to my kickboxing class. Classes are a good source of motivation for me, and it's an intense work out! It's good cardio and my arms are pretty tired after class. Now that I think about it, I am pretty sure I know where that newly added 4 pounds came from. It's in my tricep, 2 pounds on each arm.

A few weeks ago Tate started two-a-day workouts! Yikes! He goes to the gym at 6ish to swim, goes to work, then comes home at 5:30 to run/bike. He has way more self-discipline and determination than I do. I am not only proud of him when he gets up early to work out, but I also enjoy having the whole bed to myself for an hour. I've been doing four-a-days, but it's more like 4 Thin Mints a day rather than 4 workouts. (hmmm maybe that is where the 4 pounds come from...nah)

Side Note: Speaking of Girl Scout cookies, is anyone else troubled by the fact they changed their cookie names? Instead of "Somas" they are now "Carmel Delights" What's the deal? If anyone has any information, please let me know...

Anyway, that is the latest on our scale. Be looking for an update in another 6 months. Let's leave the 4 pounds to the triceps and hope the quads aren't looking for some new additions as well. Yikes!

our third first holiday

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving in New Braunfels, our first Christmas in New Braunfels/Allen, and most recently...our first Easter in Amarillo!

This was our first time to be in Amarillo since we've been married, so we were way overdue! Boy, was it windy! (If you need proof, check out the Canyon pic) At one point, I went outside with the intention of jogging. I turned the corner. Wind in the face! The jog turned into a slow backwards walk. To me it was unreal, but to Tate it was a welcome home sign. We were pretty excited about spending our first Easter weekend in the 806 and it went a little something like this...

Family & Friends. We got to spend 3 full days hanging out with our friends and family, which some of whom we hadn't seen in 5 months! It was nice to have time to catch up, relax and do summersalts on Robby & LaVon's bed (which I am learning is somewhat of a Barrett tradition). But don't worry about me. Since age 5, I have prided myself in my summersalting abilities, so I am fitting in just fine!

Blue Sky. We made a burger run the first day we were there. I was glad to be going! The praises of Blue Sky had been ringing in our house for weeks, especially around dinner time. Last weekend, dreams came true. This is Tate's all-time favorite restaurant. I am trying to think of an analogy that will do it justice, but the best thing I can come up with at the moment is... 

Tate : Blue Sky :: Danielle : Durning House :: Uncle Jay : Country Crock

Tank Tops. Tate tried to convince one of us that male tank tops are non heterosexual. Others in the family disagreed. You be the judge. There are so many disturbing things about this image, but I think the most troubling is the pit, women's clothing, fact that my tank top fits him!

Shopping. LaVon introduced me to all the cute boutiques around Amarillo and Canyon. There were so many good finds! Too bad every inch of our 750 sq. ft. apartment is occupied and our storage room is full. When we move into a bigger place, I am going back on a mission for antiques and handmade treasures. The boys had to come too. They acted like they weren't excited; however, I am pretty sure Tye found something in almost every store.

Naps. We averaged about a nap a day, probably due to jet lag. It was grrreat!

The Canyon. If you visit Amarillo, you have to see the Palo Duro Canyon. It's one of the hot spots! It was my kind of tour. We all drove, no hiking or climbing or walking, just drove through the thing with our windows slightly cracked to feel the breeze. It was beautiful and no one had to sweat. FYI, Palo Duro means "sturdy tree." Who knew?! You would think the Indians that first saw and named the Canyon would be more taken back by the actual canyon rather than the strength of the trees, but what do I know, I'm only 1/16 Cherokee.

Church. We went to church Friday & Sunday (don't act like you're not impressed). Friday night was the Good Friday service and Lord's Supper. It was a great time to reflect on what the weekend was genuinely about- the cross and the resurrection. This was the second time Tate and I have done the Lord's Supper together, which is one of our most special times as a family.

Egg Hunt. Yep, that's right! After church, we had an Easter egg hunt. LaVon assumed we weren't hunting eggs, but in true "mom mode" she quickly improvised. She stuffed the eggs with whatever she had, candy and money, (which worked to our advantage) and hid those eggs in the backyard. As it turns out, I am not only skilled at summersalting, but I am also a pretty good egg-finder. The Easter bunny was better to some of us than others. Hence my stack of money and Tye's handful of candy.

It was a great weekend and a very memorable third first holiday! Happy Easter!