Category: Uncategorized

what's blog worthy?

Posted on by jplatt27

There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to share everything I’d like to share with you.

I spend quite a bit of time thinking about things and writing about things and wondering “could this be a blog post?”

From epiphanies I have on the elliptical to musings on my daily commute, from experiences that make my heart sing to things that make me realize I’m an adult, there are so many things I want to tell you.

I have a page of wedding related post ideas, dozens of other miscellaneous ones jotted down throughout my journal, and countless others floating around in my brain.

 

There are more serious things like…

Experiences as a twenty-something:

  • adjusting to friendships as an adult
  • advice to the class of 2012
Experiences as a newlywed:
Wedding recaps:
Wedding planning recaps and wedding planning tips:
  • the process of writing our vows
  • an easy tip for choosing and working with vendors
  • my 3 non-negotiables for my wedding day
And then there are random things I feel are note-worthy…

Things that make me laugh:

  • how I made a rule for Mike the other day that he had to talk in rhyme for 10 minutes or
  • how my office-mate David put on a headset from the call center and pretended to be an operator on the Butterball Hot-line
Food-related things:
  • my new favorite marinade: Soy Vay Hoisin and Garlic
  • I’m having a serious aversion to fried eggs and haven’t been able to think about eating one for over a month
And then there are things I think about very regularly that could become staples of my blog…
Ideas for new series:
  • simple joys
  • advice I give myself
And there is so much more…
So I wonder, how do I choose what to focus on? Do I wait for inspiration to come to me and share what I start scribbling furiously in my notebook while waiting for the bus (when I have a lot of my good ideas)?
Or should I be more intentional than that? Should I get into a more regular routine of trying to actually formulate coherent thoughts about the topics I quickly jot down in my blog post idea list?
Talk to me:
Bloggers: How do you decide what is blog-worthy?
Readers: What do you like to read?

 

 

Feeling antsy

Posted on by jplatt27

I’m feeling ornery this morning.  Bored almost. It’s like I’m restless and tired all at the same time.

I don’t feel like doing anything this week. I don’t feel like cooking.  I don’t feel like working out, though I just got back from the gym. I don’t feel like doing anything at work. But I can’t think of anything that I’d want to do if I stayed home.

Really I just want to get in bed and sleep.

But I fell asleep on the couch at like 8:10 last night and woke up pretty disoriented at 8:50 because I was in such a deep sleep.  I went to bed almost immediately and conked right out.  Such a deep, good sleep. I woke up at 1 am thinking it must be morning but it wasn’t, that’s how long it felt like I slept, how restful the sleep was. And now it’s almost 7 am and I just want to get back in bed. [edit: I did that, got back in bed for 30 minutes and it was amazing. I just want to get back in.]

Maybe I need a vacation.  All I want to do is veg.  To curl up on the couch or in bed with a book that I’m really into and don’t want to put down.

I bought Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend hoping that it would suck me in.  I’m just at the part where they meet for the second time, like 20 pages in and I’m not gripped just yet.  I haven’t wanted to bring it on the bus with me because maybe it’s a little weird? But you know what? Screw it.  I’m bringing it with me this morning.  Here’s hoping…

Let’s chat:

What type of mood are you in this week?

Do you ever feel antsy like I am?

Do you have any book recommendations in case Fifty Shades of Grey doesn’t suck me in?

Home Alone

Posted on by jplatt27

I’ve written here before about how important it is to do your own things in a relationship.  I spend a decent amount of time doing my own thing each week.  From drinks with girlfriends to tutoring, from morning workouts to mornings at the coffee house, I’m often out and about without Mike. Last week I was reminded of another thing I like to do without Mike and actually probably need a little bit more of in my life: hang out at home. alone.

Last Thursday, I was home from Girls on the Run by 5:30. Mike was at happy hour with former co-workers and wouldn’t be home til late.  I made a quick dinner for myself, a lackluster quesadilla with salsa and ate it.

It was 6:00, probably earlier, and I had the entire night ahead of me.  I had nothing to do.  No tutoring, no coaching calls. Just an entire Thursday evening to myself. What would I do for 3 or 4 hours?

I started by taking a nice, long, hot shower.  Took my good ‘ole time and enjoyed the warmth and relaxation of the water.  While warm, my morning showers are usually pretty quick, I do what I need to do and get out so I can get on to breakfast.

I got out, put on my robe, and got in bed to read The Other Boleyn Girl. Within 5-10 pages I was sleepy and decided to take a nap.  I napped for about half an hour, woke up, and read a little more.

I got out of bed and I can’t even remember exactly what I did next. I think I moved to the couch and read a little more. At some point, I sat down at my computer and started writing. I got a good bit of writing done. I did the dishes. I dried my hair. I got in bed around 9:30 and watched Downton Abbey on the iPad and went to bed. And it was wonderful.

It’s not like I can’t do any of these things while Mike is there.  Of course I could. But when Mike’s around, I want to spend time with him, watch TV, relax. And if we are doing separate things, Mike’s probably watching TV or listening to sports talk or doing the dishes or something that is making some kind of noise. It’s not just him.  I do the same things.

There’s nothing like being alone in your apartment.  To be able to move around the apartment doing whatever you want when you want.  You can read in bed and then move to the couch to watch TV and then listen to music and be on the computer. You can clean without worrying about making too much noise or moving around someone.

I remember having this feeling before: on a Sunday morning when Mike was off running some errands,  I was able to lay on the couch and read my book. And the apartment was so quiet. This is bliss, I thought.

I need to make a point to have more periods of time like this.

Let’s talk:

When was the last time you were home alone? What’s your favorite thing to do when no one’s around?

What's for Dinner? Easy Friday

Posted on by jplatt27

Happy Friday!

Is it just me or was this week particularly tiring? I’m glad we don’t have any plans tonight and can just relax at home. I was super tired this morning, perked up a little bit this afternoon, and now I feel like I’m crashing again. Though there are a bunch of things I’d love to do tonight, I imagine I’ll stay on the couch watching shows on DVR or maybe we’ll get Moneyball onDemand.

Anyway, back to What’s for Dinner?.  Tonight’s dinner was super quick and easy, perfect for a Friday night after a long week.

Chicken and vegetable dumplings; Black bean and cheese taquitos

I bought these apps at Trader Joe’s for the book club meeting I hosted here on Wednesday night (we read The Happiness Project, in case you’re wondering) but we had so much food we didn’t need them. So I figured what a perfect Friday night dinner. This took all of 15 minutes to prepare and the clean up will be minimal as well. And who doesn’t love finger foods?

Making a meal plan for the upcoming week? Check out what else we’ve had for dinner recently:

Comfort Food

Butternut squash stuffed shells

Meals from How Sweet It Is

Date Night

I’d love to know:

What’d you have for dinner tonight?

Gym membership and marriage

Posted on by jplatt27

Love this article from the Wall Street Journal about conquering the gym:

The 27 Rules of Conquering the Gym.

The one that sticks out to me the most is this analogy comparing the gym and marriage:

26. A successful gym membership is like a marriage: If it’s good, you show up committed and ready for hard work. If it’s not good, you show up in sweatpants and watch a lot of bad TV.

I love that!  Because it’s so true. Just having a gym membership and showing up isn’t going to get you in shape and just being in a relationship isn’t going to make it stimulating, satisfying, or happy.  You have to work at it.

Sometimes it’s harder than others.  Sometimes you’re pumped to lace up the sneakers and rock out to your Glee on the elliptical and sometimes you have to repeat “just get out the door” over and over again to get yourself there.

Sometimes you’re excited to listen to your significant other and share your thoughts/feelings/experiences with them and other times you have to remind yourself to be patient and loving so you don’t rip their head off.

But when you do put in the effort, it feels so damn good.

The day we've been waiting for

Posted on by jplatt27

January 3

The day we’ve been waiting for. No, I’m not talking about the Iowa caucuses or the return of Parenthood tonight.  We’ve been looking forward to today because today is our LAST BED BUG TREATMENT.  Hallelujah!

After today, and some serious laundry and mopping, our bed bug fiasco will. be. over! I can’t wait to put our duvet back on the bed, put our clothes back in our closet and dresser, our books back on our bookshelves.  I’m excited to have our kitchen table back (it’s been holding a bunch of our belongings) and to push our furniture back against the walls–we’ll have so much space to walk again!

So even though its back to work today after a great  4-day weekend, today will be a great day.

I’d love to know:

What does January 3 hold for you?

Christmas before Mike

Posted on by jplatt27

Before I started dating Mike, Christmas wasn’t a happy time for me. No holidays were.

In my family, holidays were occasions that magnified the underlying unhappiness of our family. Holidays were a reminder that our family was irreparably broken. That we were not as happy or perfect as we pretended to be.

They were days that we were forced to spend together because everyone else was spending the day with their family.  And we couldn’t go outside because it was too cold.  So we were trapped inside with a mother and father that didn’t get along. And that tension permeated everything. Even if there wasn’t an outburst or blatant fighting, I could feel the tension.  I knew something was wrong.

I got sick almost every Christmas. And almost everything Thanksgiving.  I’m sure it was all the stress built up in my body.  I remember being sick for a lot of holidays–fever, vomiting. Ironic for the girl that didn’t miss a day of school from 4th grade through high school graduation.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I got sick when I had to stay home for extended periods of time.

It wasn’t a happy occasion.  We didn’t really have traditions. Activities that are typically fun holiday traditions like decorating the tree were just chores for me because they were painful.

Of course there were good moments: when I got Barbie roller-skates, extended family Christmas parties where the boys got Hess trucks and the girls got China dolls. On Christmas Eve, my siblings and I all slept in the same room and read Christmas stories. We busted through stockings and presents within a half hour and spent the rest of the day playing with new toys and watching a new movie.

But overall I’d say I felt trapped.

I’m not sure how my siblings would describe Christmas at our house.  I wonder if their memories are as painful as mine.  If they have vivid memories. I really don’t remember the holidays.  I really don’t remember a lot from my childhood.

Christmas at Mike’s house was a very different experience. Starting with Thanksgiving, his dad’s favorite holiday, the Christmas season is Mike’s favorite time of the year. They’d all decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies. It was definitely the most wonderful time of the year, a time of family, and joy.

So when Mike and I started dating, he shared his child-like awe and wonder and excitement about Christmas with me.  And over the years, Christmas has slowly become a happy time. A time to enjoy the company of family and friends, to slow down and take it all in. I know that in the years to come it’s only going to get better.

Christmas song debate

Posted on by jplatt27

Last night Mike and I were discussing Christmas songs with his dad, specifically songs we dislike. One song I  shared was “Last Christmas,”  saying that it’s not even a Christmas song.  And an argument began.

Me: “Last Christmas” isn’t even a Christmas song.  Just because it has the word Christmas in it doesn’t mean it’s a Christmas song.  It’s a breakup song set around Christmas.

Mike: It is too a Christmas song. If your argument is that simply being set around Christmas doesn’t make it a Christmas song then there are countless other songs and movies that would also not be Christmas songs or movies.

Me: You could replace the word Christmas with Thanksgiving or any other day. Like Labor Day. And it would be the same exact song.  It’s not a Christmas song.

Mike: Well then you could make it “Have Yourself a Merry Little Thanksgiving” and it wouldn’t be a Christmas song but that is a classic Christmas song.

Me: That’s because it’s actually about Christmas. “Have yourself a merry little Christmas make the yuletide gay, from now on our troubles will be miles away…”  [ok, as I type this and look up the lyrics I realize that this could be an any holiday song…doh!…]

Mike: It’s a Christmas song because it takes place around Christmas.  Like Christmas Vacation is a Christmas movie because it’s about a family get-together around Christmas. If it was a family get-together around Thanksgiving or Fourth of July it wouldn’t be a Christmas movie.

Me: Christmas Vacation is a Christmas movie because it’s about Christmas and the craziness of families at the holidays.  Of course it wouldn’t be a Christmas movie if it was about another holiday.

[I realize this is getting long so I’ll cut to the point I had that made me win]

Mike: Like, I’ll Be Home for Christmas wouldn’t be a Christmas song if it was I’ll be home for Thanksgiving.

Me: Uh, no.  That song talks about Christmas. “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me. Please have snow, and mistletoe, and presents under the tree.” Christmas song.

Mike: Bad example.

After re-playing this whole thing this morning for this post, I realize that we’re really tied since “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” has no other mention of Christmas than the first lyric.  But this was super fun and funny at the time, because it was a pretty heated debate and we don’t have those often. And probably because I thought I was 100% right.

I’d love to know:

What Christmas songs do you hate?  

Thoughts on the song “Last Christmas?”

Any “Christmas” songs that shouldn’t be deemed such?

Birthday Date

Posted on by jplatt27

Since my birthday always falls during the weekend of Thanksgiving, Mike and I usually celebrate the weekend before.  Sometime two weeks ago, Mike made a reservation at Graffiato, Top Chef’s Mike Isabella’s new restaurant. He forwarded the confirmation email to me with a note “Happy Birthday. Love, Mike.” What a nice surprise in the middle of the work day.

Friday night was my birthday date.  We had drinks with my sister Chrissy at Iron Horse Tap Room before heading to our 7:30 reservation at Graffiato. We got there a bit early and were seated pretty quickly.

We started with the flat bread and pepperoni sauce.  Oh man, was that good.  I wonder if I could make that at home? Then in a few different rounds we had the burrata (creamy mozzarella cheese), broccolini, scallops, gnocchi, and Jersey Shore pizza (pizza with calamari and a spicy sauce).  We finished with the zeppole, my other favorite dish.

Taking photos of every dish really stops the flow of the meal and the conversation, especially when it’s small plates. I really wanted to be present during our date so I decided before the meal that I wouldn’t take pictures of every dish we ordered.  And I’m so glad I did. We were chatting the whole time, really enjoying each other’s company.  It’s amazing how little you can talk to someone you live with and see every day.  It’s nice when we can go out and give each other our full attention.

I had a really nice time and in the cab on the way home was so content, so grateful to Mike for planning a nice night. And for budgeting for a cab too!

Wondering what he got me?

These sweet notecards with my new monogram!

Thanks for a great birthday date, Mike!

 

one hundred

Posted on by jplatt27

This is my 100th post on Things After the Rings! I’ve really enjoyed sharing stories from my marriage, my monthly goals, random life thoughts with you and look forward to sharing even more in the future.

Here are some of my favorite posts from my first 100:

When I learned not to leave the laundry in the dryer overnight.

When I shared my favorite pancakes.

When I found Mike’s wedding suit in the dry cleaning pile.

When I wrote honestly about my quarter-life crisis.

When I saw the little girl and her dad in the elevator.

When I shared a piece of relationship advice.

I’m loving the comments on this post and hope you’ll add your own.

Thank you so much for reading. You can also “like” Things After the Rings on Facebook or follow me on Twitter (@thingsafterings).

I’d love to know:

What topics would you like me to write about more frequently?