Liebster Award What What!!!

So amidst all the madness that is my insane work life these days (and it IS madness trying to work 2 jobs) I haven't been tending to the blog as well as I would like.

And much to my surprise when I checked today I found out that I was nominated for the Liebster Award by the awesome Kristin over at More Than Words.  If you haven't heard of the Liebster Award, it's basically a way for small bloggers to recognize other small bloggers (with 200 followers or less).

Here are the rules: 

- Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.

- Post 11 facts about yourself, answering the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.

- Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.

- Display the Liebster Award logo.

- No tag backs meaning you can’t just re nominate the person who nominated you.

So here are the questions asked of me:

1. What is the first thing you noticed about your spouse/partner?  Probably her smile.  SP has a great smile!

2. If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be?  Right now I'd say my wedding - my wedding was an amazing fun, fabulous day.  And I'd probably be able to relax more the second time around.

3. Dogs or cats?  Dogs!

4. What is your biggest pet peeve?  Tappers or pen clickers.  I hate continuous repetitive noises.

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?  Time with SP relaxing, having a great meal, preferably near a beach or seeing something new.  Love a good adventure.

6. What is one television show you watch/DVR every week?  I never really watch tv when it's on TV.  But I have been really obsessively watching Rizzoli and Isles lately.

7. Are you a saver or a spender?  Saver mostly.  But I'm trying to find the happy medium.

8. What made you want to start blogging?  I've always liked writing and felt like I had things to say.  Also my parents don't live near by - this has been a good way to keep them sort of up to date on things when I can't call every day!

9. What is the best movie you’ve seen in the past year?  Oh man we never make it to the theaters - the last movie I think I saw was Star Trek and I did like it alot!  Otherwise maybe Pitch Perfect when did that come out?

10.  Do you have a signature dish?  If so, what is it?  Food!  I love cooking.  I make a pretty great pizza these days and a half way decent lasagna.  Italian seems to be a theme...

11. Favorite outdoor activity?  Swimming.  Love it.  Real Hard!

Here are my nominations in no particular order:

• Chunk and Mommy
• Our Baby Making Journey
• Struggling to Be Mothers
• Georgia Trying Something New
• Sprezzatura
• Fish out of Water
• Breaking into Blossom
• 10stix, 2weeks, repeat
• Role Playing with Kids
• Little Monster(s) & Mommies
• Making Lucky Number Seven

And here are my questions!

1) If you could meet any one person dead or alive who would it be?

2) Greatest accomplishment thus far?

3) Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

4) Best vacation ever?

5) Hot or cold?

6) If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

7) Favorite book?

8) If you could trade lives with someone just for a day who would it be?

9) Best thing about where you live?

10) You're stuck on a desert island and you get one type of food, what is it?

11) What's one fun fact about you that not many people know?

So here's to some happy blogging and getting to know other bloggers!  I love that we can know people on here without even ever having met - it's the absolute best that the internet has to offer!

Besos,
Sarah

So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.

There so much I haven’t written about in the last 2 weeks.  And I keep thinking, I need to blog about that but I can’t blog about it until I blog about this.  But I think that if I keep up this cycle the blog will die because I’ll NEVER catch up.  So here’s a quicksie poo recap of what’s been going on since June 28^th…

1)   We spontaneously decided to go to San Francisco Pride for the parade.  It was right after the DOMA and Prop 8 rulings and it was lovely and perfect and so touching.

2)   I had my last first day with my nerd kid job.  It has been bitter sweet.

3)   I’m technically working 2 jobs part time right now.  This really means that I’m working about 800 hours instead of 40hours.  I guess I shouldn’t be complaining when others don’t have jobs at all

4)   We celebrated 4^th of July…in hell.  It was SO hot it was pretty miserable.  But we hung out with sweet friends, ate delicious take out and watched some beautiful fireworks.  Go ‘Murica!

5)   We got married…again!  We had a cutesie little legal marriage in the park with some close friends and some delicious cake (pictures to come)  It was fun and sweet and we said our vows again and enjoyed each other’s company.

6)   We celebrated my baby brother’s 24^th birthday.  I’m old.

7)   I think about having babies and getting pregnant all the time.  Like every minute that I’m not thinking about work.

8)   When there’s a free second I think about affording a house.  With the market turning I feel terrified that SP and I will never be able to buy a house before we are priced out of the market.  (I have a lot of anxiety lately can you tell?)

9)   WE GOT A REAL LIFE MARRIAGE LICENSE!  I never thought I would feel all that different after getting legally married.  And I don’t feel THAT different because I already loved and was married to SP, but having that legal license really feels good.  Feels safe and wonderful.  It’s about damn time we get going in the other states.  Love is Love.

SF Pride!  And yes that is Mark Zuckerberg!

 4th of July with friendsies!

Marriage License and the day we got married...again! 

Birthday Dim Sum and my "baby" brother

So that’s pretty much what’s going on around these parts.  I have lots and lots of thoughts in my head these days and way too many feelings for my own good.  And can we say a quick congrats to the UK for passing Marriage Equality into law.  You go UK!  I always did like that old bitty Queen!

Hope all is well out there in blogland especially all those TTC-ers out there - baby dust to all!

Besos!

Sarah

Now you can have a REAL marriage.

This week my life changed forever.

Sounds dramatic right?  And it has been a pretty dramatic week for the LGBT community and really everyone.  But this is really the first time for me that a legal change has changed my every day life.  The striking down of DOMA and the overturning of Prop 8 have a dramatic affect on my life - especially because SP and I live in California.  

And to really seal the deal the stay was lifted WAY earlier than anticipated and California started marrying people TODAY! and not 25 days later (which is what we all were originally planning on).

And then I heard the comment from a family member - now you can have a real marriage.  They meant it as a kind gesture and I took it as such but it definitely got me thinking.  Was my marriage fake?

While I definitely cried when the news came out and was gloriously happy at the ability to finally have my marriage recognized under the law, it didn't change my marriage at all.

My marriage happened even before my wedding last September.  It happened when we decided that we were each other's forever.  When we decided we were in it for the long haul. When our lives and hearts were intertwined forever through secret promises made laying in bed, just the two of us.

So don't get me wrong.  This was an amazing victory for our country.  I am so so proud that our lawmakers and politicians are finally starting to do the right thing (I also think its RIDICULOUS that we're STILL talking about this but that's another story for another time)  But my marriage is already real.  And I'm loving married life let me tell you what.  I was meant for marriage.  I was meant to be dedicated to my soul mate.  I was meant to be a one woman woman (har har)  

But don't think we won't be running down to the clerk's office next week to get our marriage license.  Because we most DEFINITELY will.  Because even if I know my marriage was real, is real and always will be real, I REALLY want that real marriage license.  The one that is not only recognized by my state but also by my country.  How great is that to say?  Pretty dang great!

June - over and out

Remember that one time I was going to blog more often?  Oh yeah that's all the time right?!

Well I have no excuses (except the whole SP and I both started new jobs simultaneously and between the 2 of us we are working 3 jobs thing...except that)

Nothing totally monumental has happened but there's been a lot of good happening around here.  So I'm definitely not complaining.   I can't remember all of the details because its been kind of a whirlwind but I do remember some pretty great moments.  Like this:

I mean really, who doesn't love a spa night at home.  Clearly we're goobs!

There was also this:

Which was A to the MAZING!  I'd forgotten how much I love some live musical-ness.  And the music in this show just blows everything out of the water.  More musicals please.  

And to bring June fully into gear there was this:

We played it small and close to home this year and went to our local, smaller Pride instead of the giant SF Pride  and I have to say I kind of loved it.  We spent the day with friends, soaking up some serious sun, watching the parade, and laughing and enjoying ourselves.  It wasn't clausterphobically packed or super duper dirty and it was nice to spend time with some close friends and 10,000 allies.

And now June is rapidly heading towards its close.  And I'm frantically prepping for my nerd kids to come.  It's pretty bittersweet - my last year working directly with these kids.  While they and their parents have made me crazy these past few years and while the working hours have been pretty heinous - I'm not going to lie, I'm a little sad to be letting go.  (But not that sad!)  Especially because I'm just moving on to new nerdy kids - older ones (grad students) and I'm loving getting to know them slowly and learn who they are and what they are doing.  It feels good to be part of the nerd family - even if I have no nerd skills of my own!

Happy June friends.  Enjoy it while it goes whizzing by!

Blogging for LGBT Families - Why Tonight (Or The End Of June...) Will Be Momentous For Me.

Today is Mombian's 8th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day.  Basically a day for LGBT families and allies to blog about their families and the importance of equality.  And since I think this post I wrote a while ago pretty much sums it up...I'm reposting it.  Because my family deserves equal rights.  And I'm hoping they come soon!

*******************************************************************

3/26/13

Prior to getting "illegally" married to SP (Super Partner), I always did my own taxes.  Turbo tax was pretty self explanatory and I don't make enough money or own enough property or valuable things to make it complicated.  Fill in the blanks.  Get tax return.  (or pay that one HORRIBLE year when all my paperwork was messed up)  This year SP and I took one look at the laws regarding filing taxes as Registered Domestic Partners (RDP) - the gay version of marriage in CA right now - and knew there was no way that we could file our taxes accurately.  And yet, we still don't make a lot of money, we don't own a house, or have children.  So, in reality, we should be able to file together no problem.  And still.  No.  Dice.  So we paid (some really nice people) a decent chunk of our tax return to file our taxes for us.  So that we wouldn't do it wrong.  So that we wouldn't be audited and have it cost us even more of our hard earned money. 

As many of you know SP and I want babies.  The other day I was thinking about what would happen if something happened to either one of us during labor/delivery.  What if there was an emergency?  Would we have a legal right to one another?  Would our families allow us to visit?  Who would get the baby should something terrible happen (premature I know but these thoughts, they come)  What if one of us becomes disabled?  Or hurt?  Or god forbid - Killed.  What if we win the lottery or lose all of our money.  Will we have any legal obligation to one another?

If you've met us, if you've seen us together - you know we love each other.  I can see the love in SP's eyes every day.  I know that we will fight for our illegal marriage no matter what the government or mean spirited people say about us.  We already fought to get here.  We've been tested.  Being Married, legally, it means something.  It holds weight with others.  Because no matter how deep our commitment to one another, no matter how hard we love one another - some people they need a piece of paper to give us what we know we have already earned.  Just by being us and in love.  But on top of the fact that it means something socially.  It means something legally.  And those what if's and tax issues above, those are things that plague SP and I on a regular basis.  And that sort of thing...legalese and hoop jumping...that shouldn't color your marriage.  Because let's be honest, marriage is plenty hard on its own. 

Today many people are wearing red or changing their facebook photos to the red human rights equal sign to show their support for marriage equality in this country.  The solidarity has been surprisingly touching.  I truly hope that future generations will walk through this world with very different lenses - ones that aren't shaded by sexual orientation and gender norms, and discrimination.  And I am reminded that I'm lucky to be alive in history and to stand on what I believe to be the right side of history.   

Remember when separate wasn't equal before?  Just sayin. 

Fingers Crossed. 

Ch ch ch changes!

So its been pretty crazy around the Dranderson household these days.  Our lives took a pretty hard left turn last November when SP lost her job.  We didn't publicize it too much because it didn't really matter - it was just another drop in the bucket.  But after several months of being a stay at home wife and job hunting let's just say that SP's rope was fraying pretty damn fast.

Which is why I am very happy and proud to announce that SP landed a sweet new job at a very prestigious company up here.  She beat out several other contenders and starts TOMORROW!  It's a great job that has normal hours and weekends and holidays off so we may actually see each other regularly and be able to travel and make plans ahead of time!  And it seems like it will be a great place to work and in the field of SP's choosing!  Needless to say, we're pretty happy about this development!

And to really send things over the crazy cliff - the same week SP had her second interview for her dream job,  I interviewed for a new position.  And just recently found out that I got it!  I will be starting my new job part time in June (and staying part time at my current job until Nerd Camp is over in August) 

So it should be a pretty nutty few weeks (months?) around our house.  And poor crazy pup is going to have to learn to be home alone again :(  But it's really all for the best.  I should have known since I've been whining and whining about how things were NEVER going to change and we'd be stuck forever.  And then essentially everything changed at once.

But we did get to spend a really nice relaxing weekend with my (not so baby) baby brother.  Greek food festival, walk by the river, bratwursts at the local beer hall and the new star trek (SWOON)  I definitely carbed my way through the weekend.  But it was so worth it!

This is the part where the Greeks made me dance!  Italian is practically greek right?

There are no small portions at the Greek Food Festival!

Baby Brother and Bratwursts!

Let's talk about my love of pretzel rolls, vegan brats, and cheese sauce.  CHEES SAUCE. AMEN

Hope your long weekend was just as relaxing as ours!  

And of course - Many many thanks to the service men and women who have given so much!

XOXO!

Dear Mr. Sandman...Seriously?!

A terrifying yet accurate portrayal of how I feel right now

I've never really been a great sleeper, its true.  Even when I was younger I was always an early riser.  The sleep overs of my teen years found my friends sleeping until noon and me in the other room reading an entire book.  Or me and my one other early riser friend making ourselves breakfast, reading an entire book, taking a walk, doing a little dance, and our other friends still not being awake.

It got a little better towards the end of high school.  My terrifying nightmares stopped (thanks crazy brain) and I was exercising a freakish amount (thanks water polo) and doing so many extracurriculars that I was so insanely physically exhausted I could always sleep.  I even took naps after school.  Oh Naps.  I wish I had that capability these days.

In college I learned to sleep like the dead.  I spent a good 6 years of my life living in residence halls and let me tell you what - when you live with anywhere from 150 - 500 18year olds who have just recently discovered their new found "freedom" you learn how to sleep.  Like sleep through a tsunami/hurricane simultaneous earthquake sleep.  

But my old age is setting in apparently.  And ever since moving out of the residence halls and learning to love the life outside (I LOVE IT!) and enjoying peace and quiet and a relatively normal schedule - I can't sleep.  A full, good night's sleep is really a rare commodity these days.  Yeah I probably get 5 hours of unadulterated sleep on a regular basis (which I know is really good for some people)  But 7 or 8 hours?  Of really deep good I feel rested in the morning sleep...almost never.  And on some nights, like this current one per say, I get about 0 hours of sleep.  Like I've been looking at the clock since 1:45am.  No joke.  And as I write this it is 4am.  And there has been no sleeping.  NO SLEEPING.

I don't know what to do.  Because I am tired.  Oh trust.  I'm tired.  And I exercise.  And I don't drink caffeine at night (and really rarely in general these days), and I try not to get to hyped up before bed, or read in bed or do anything you're not supposed to do to mess up your sleep cycle...and yet, I'm awake.  Again.

So, anybody got any suggestions.  I'm pretty game for anything these days short of needles in my eyeballs (wait...I might even try that)  Animal, vegetable, mineral.  I'm in.  Give me the goods people or find me a Sandman stat!

Yawn.