The B&K Dust Bowl

A lot of dusting and cleaning and dusting and cleaning has been going on over here at "The House of B&K" since the pipe-job was completed last week. As we make our way room by room, I am amazed that even though all the doors were closed and thick plastic was put down, the dust from the foundation being jackhammered is EVERYWHERE!

No surface was safe (even B&K were both covered in the gritty particles of the dust) and now although we are still waiting for the carpet to be tacked back down (fingers crossed for tomorrow!), "The House of B&K" has moved into clean-up mode following what we will now refer to as... "The B&K Dust Bowl."

Furniture has been moved, shelves cleared, closets thrown open - all in an attempt to get things shiny, sparkly, and dust-free. Of course, B is a tremendous help, but the big shout-outs of appreciation have to go to our good friends, Swiffer and Pledge, who have shown up everyday and worked and worked until they are "worn out." Thanks you guys, you are rockstars in "The House of B&K!"

Now I'm off to rest before the dawn breaks on a new day and the quest for clean continues (never has "The House of B&K" seemed so B.I.G.). I just hope that I'll be working around the carpet-layer (is that what you call the guy who can tack your carpet back in place?) and that things can be as shiny and bright as possible for my bro and his family who will be guests at "The House of B&K" for the next week. Good thing they're family - 'cuz maybe they'll forgive me if things aren't quite up to the standards of a good, old fashioned bed-n-breakfast. After all, I'm just hoping for dust-free!

Dear Professional Plumber...

Did you notice the shiny white bathroom? How about the lemony-fresh scent of Lysol? Did you see that I followed your suggestions to remove anything from the walls that I didn't want to get dusty?

Well, I did it all to help make your job of replacing the 'y' joint of our bathroom pipes as easy as possible after you have to roll back our carpet and chisel into our foundation in the middle of our hallway.

And now I would like to thank you in advance for doing such a good job, for hanging plastic to prevent dust from overwhelming us, for being so excellent that it wasn't necessary to "chase" any pipe (fingers crossed, fingers crossed, fingers crossed), for working so quickly, and for getting the city inspector lined up to come check your work in a timely fashion so that the hole in our floor could be closed up by Friday.

Of course, I'll properly thank you once you finally get here today to get this party started!

Sometimes I wonder...

Sometimes I wonder...
How some people become the "role models" of today. I mean seriously, there are a lot of people with talent in this world, they just have no standards or sense of decency, and yet they are "icons" of their industries. GAG ME!

Sometimes I wonder...
"why love has to be such a battlefield... a battlefield... a battlefield!" Well, not really. I don't live in a battlefield of love, the lyrics to that song just popped into my head. Totally RANDOM! And now, as I think about it, why does love have to be that kind of experience for so many people? It shouldn't be, and yet for some, it is.

Sometimes I wonder...
Why Texas summers seem to get hotter and hotter and hotter. Surely the summers get hotter because of global warming or something other than my increasing age number.

Sometimes I wonder...
How to be better today than I was yesterday.

Sometimes I wonder...
Where the cleaning fairies have disappered to 'cuz they sure aren't cleaning up after me!

Sometimes I wonder...
If what I do really makes a difference.

Sometimes I wonder...
If my blog stalker friends are ever entertained when they read my random thoughts!

Sometimes I wonder...
How I got to be in mid-30s

Sometimes I wonder...
What to eat for dinner. Okay, I wonder this A LOT. I have noticed when we have a meal plan for the week that I wonder this less often, but the frequency of a meal plan has decreased in the last few months!

Sometimes I wonder...
Why I am a responsible grown-up (mostly!) and so many other people are not. How did I develop that trait?

Sometimes I wonder...
What the world would be like if we cared about each other just a little bit more like we care about ourselves.

Sometimes I just wonder...

How about you?

15 years with B&K

Thursday, June 10, 2010 brought with it 15 years of marriage, 3 years of dating, and 2 months of flirting at work and talking on the phone before we ever went on that 1st date when I suddenly went shy and couldn't utter a sound. Yep, that's right... speechless... K couldn't think of a thing to say... what was that all about?!?

Good thing the speechless issue ended later that night when we got ice cream! I'm sure there are days when B wishes I would go silently shy again, but one of the amazing things about B is that he may wish it, but he never says it, and that's just because he loves me.

So, what have we done in 15 years? It is a lifetime, right! Well...

In 15 years we have lived in:

• a tiny apartment with no yard
• a small duplex with a small yard
• our beautiful house with a large yard and huge trees

In 15 years we have visited:

• Oregon (countless times, countless places!)
• Niagara Falls (Canadian side)
• Utah (Salt Lake City and Provo)
• Columbus, Ohio
• Palmyra, New York
• Hot Springs, Arkansas
• Shreveport, Louisiana
• Sedelia, Missouri
• Wichita, Kansas
• Massachusetts (Boston, Plymouth, & Springfield)
• Colorado (Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds)
• Wichita Falls, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas

In 15 years we have been blessed with:

• an eternal marriage
• 10 nieces and 3 nephews
• a cat who loves us (even though she loves no one else!)
• college degrees
• good health
• jobs that we enjoy
• a great circle of friends
• family who loves us

In 15 years we have faced:

• the difficulty of not having children
• the loss of our grandparents
• the loss of B's dad

In 15 years we have learned that:

• being married is not always easy
• sometimes you have to admit you were wrong
• love grows deeper with communication and respect
• sometimes you give, sometimes you take
• we each have strengths, we each have weaknesses
• support is paramount to success
• sports CAN be enjoyable
  (B always thought that, K had to learn it - and it really only applies to basketball!)
• you can have fun together without spending a dime
• dating each other is still important, even though you're married
• someone always has to take out the garbage!

In the next year we hope to:

• take advantage of the time we have together
• get some things done around our house
• explore new places
• save more money and eliminate more debt
• eat at home more often (even if this means K has to learn how to enjoy cooking. Yes, I can do it, I just don't like to. Plus, B is better at it anyway.)
• spend more time reading the scriptures together
• grow even closer to each other, to our friends, to our family, and to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ

B - I could not ask for a better husband, a better friend, a better support system than I have in you. I love you with all my heart and I am so grateful to be taking this journey in life with you. Who knew we'd get to the fabulous 15 so quickly! I look forward to an eternity beside you. Thank you for being my rock - always! Love, K

Confessions

Okay, so Confession #1 is that there are really no juicy or exciting confessions in this post. I just thought that the title sounded intriguing and that it might draw you in! Don't be sad. Maybe you'll just get a good chuckle out of what I do confess and then you can forgive me for false advertisement!

Confession #2: I am thinking of legally changing my name. That's right, no more "K." Instead I am thinking that my name should be Ima, as in "Ima Procrastinator!" Of course, then I would have to rename this blog and "B & Ima" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "B&K."

Confession #3: I hate summertime in Texas. That's right, I used the words "hate" and "Texas" in the same sentence - the shame of it for a Texas girl. But, there is only one reason I would go there - summer in Texas is HOT! Blazin' hot...Burn-the-skin-off-your-thighs-when-you-sit-on-the-leather-interior-of-your-car kind of hot. What makes it worse is that it doesn't even cool down at night....not at midnight and not at 3 am (I know 'cuz I stay up that late). Don't get me wrong, I love Texas, just not in the summer.

Confession #4: I stay up too late. If you didn't know that, then let me officially introduce myself to you so that we can be friends... My name is Ima Procrastinator and I stay up way too late!

Confession #5: I'm an addict. Let me explain, maybe you know where I can get help for my addiction to... DIY Network, HGTV, and the home decor/home improvement blogs I stalk. That's right people, I live in the "I could do it if I had time, talent, and money" fantasy world of knocking down walls, adding on rooms, and "designing on a dime" with such relish that I could be the next "Design Star." Don't Judge Me.

Confesssion #6: I am HORRIBLE at staying in touch with people I love. I think about friends and family in other places ALL THE TIME. I have good intentions to show that I am thinking of them (gifts that need to be mailed, cards that just need to be addressed, etc.). I know what they say about the road paved with good intentions, I just forget to complete the communication pass. It really is a problem that leaves me feeling like a loser because I don't want my friends and family to think I don't love them or think about them... because I do.

Confession #7: I think that it would be fun to be a party planner. I love the planning, the decorating, and the execution of an event... but I HATE the cleaning, the cleaning, the cleaning. Oh yeah, it would be fun but I don't want to work with drama divas - you know, the ones who want you to help them but then do things their way.

Confession #8: I might be a drama diva - but only a tiny bit.

Confession #9: I want to be a better steward of all the blessings in my life but I struggle to do this on a regular basis. Some of the things I really want to do better are: use my time wisely, be more financially wise, balance my responsibilities, follow the counsel to be prepared, work on my family history. I have really felt the push to do a better job in these areas of my life but I don't really know how to get going and stay going.

Confession #10: Sometimes I wonder if I have ADHD. Well, minus the H, cause I'm too tired to be hyper. So I guess that would just be ADD and I'm pretty sure that I show symptoms.


Confession #11: That's it. Nothing more... tonight. This post is already enough to be too much information for anyone who might have stuck it out this long reading!

But hey, thanks for letting me confess! What do I do now?