Welcome to Hinesville!

Hinesville, Georgia is not exactly a destination location. It’s a good place to visit if you’re looking for... mobile homes or a title loan shop, but not if you want to find good eats or decent shopping. I’ve been trying to stay positive about it, but I feel like it’s totally lame this week.

And speaking of mobile homes, that is where we are currently living. In a pink mobile home. Now, it really was a blessing to find this place. It’s furnished (because all of our stuff is in storage), they rent week-to-week, and we can keep Libby here. Those three things are all challenging to find, so finding them all in one place was a miracle. But even knowing this, I must admit that no matter how I shape it in my mind, it still comes back to the fact that we are living in a trailer park. A trailer park! Oh well. At least it’s only temporary.

Bragging Rights

Today is Patrick's birthday, and for his birthday he took me out shoe shopping.. Need I say more?  Wow. I'm pretty sure I get some serious bragging rights on my husband for that one.

As for the new shoes.. Well you can see pictures of the wardrobe additions below :)

PS. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, Patrick! I may have gotten you a CD for a musician that you do not actually like, planned a big surprise that is no longer relevant, and totally botched your birthday "cake".. but I totally love you. 

Gossip

Confession:
I've started watching Gossip Girl via Netflix. It's a guilty pleasure.

Even Bigger Confession:
I just spent the last... 6 hours watching Gossip Girl. Netflix automatically playing the next episode was just so easy and soooo not helpful. So much for making Sunday a day set apart from the world; I think I just turned my brain into fashion-crazed, drama-absorbed mush.

Home Improvement

I've started this new thing where I actually finish the projects I pick up. And you know what? It's kind of fun!! Sure there's always that mid-project schlump but if you can push through it, it feels pretty good. PLUS you get fun new things to decorate the house with :)

SO here are two of the latest projects I've finished:

A wreath for our front door (made from Goodwill scraps). 

Because every "good" homemaker has a wreath up.

Finished TODAY!! A bed for Libby's crate :)

10 Stitches

I've had a small lump on my neck since elementary school. It hasn't ever caused me any problems, but it's gotten a little bigger in the last couple of months and I decided it was time to have it removed. So, I went in. The doctor gave me some local anesthesia, cut the lump out, gave me a few stitches, and sent me on my way. I was in and out within 2 hours. Nice and simple.

While there was nothing to really be afraid of... I was NERVOUS. I mean, I was so tense during the procedure that my upper body started aching before I even left. I guess it was not knowing what the doctor was doing that made me anxious. But I survived!! And I have 10 stitches and a (temporarily) crooked smile to prove it.

On My Radio

I have not been impressed with Georgia's radio stations.  For starters I think there are more Christian stations than every other genre combined.. and that's a lot.  I can only find one top-hits station, and a lot of times it comes in fuzzy.  And to top it off, that ONE top-hits station doesn't even broadcast music on Friday and Saturday night.  What!?  That's right ladies and gentlemen, they broadcast football commentary.  Now I know I'm in the deep south here where people love football and Jesus, but really?  Really??  Oh well.  I guess now I understand why some people might have a hard time keeping up with today's latest.

Because Three is My Favorite Number

I thought today I would share a few facts about myself that you may or may not know. So here we are...
Three Fun Facts about Tarah O'Donahue

1. I like to eat vegetables for breakfast, and I drink hot chocolate year-round.
2. My favorite games are Jenga, Catchphrase, and Rummy.
3. I make the bed every day, even if it's right before I go to sleep.

Blogging Hazards

Hazard #1: The-I-will-tell-you-everything-about-my-life-or-emotionally-vomit-into-cyberspace-sickness.

Nobody wants to read about EVERY detail of your life. And if you have to turn to cyberspace to feel heard, that's just depressing.

Hazard #2: Stranger Danger.

Putting up too much personal information about yourself can present a real safety issue.  I've experienced online stranger danger first-hand and it was creepy! I do NOT want to put myself in that situation again.

These two hazards are at the root of my dilemma about blogging. I want to share, but I don't want to share too much. Add on top of that the fact that my husband is in the military and so there are occasionally things I shouldn't really talk about... and I find myself hesitant to write anything at all.

And that's why I haven't written about our trip to Savannah, my birthday, or Patrick's graduation. At least I have good justification for being a terrible blogger, right?

Caution: Unsolicited opinion ahead!

I have decided that a blog is the PERFECT place to give your unsolicited opinion to the public, so here's is my unsolicited opinion on exclamation marks :)

I've known people who end every sentence they write with an exclamation point.  In fact, I used to be one of those people.  I used to think that using an extra exclamation point would show people that I was really enthusiastic about an idea or especially sincere, but I don't believe that anymore. Now I believe that people should use exclamation points with caution.

Here's why:  When you use exclamation points in excess the emphasis is lost. It's the same concept with highlighters. If you highlight everything nothing will stand out.

So the next time you're tempted to (SHIFT+1)... consider whether you should let your words speak for themselves.

No more little white lies

You know how there are those times in life where you tell a teeny-tiny little white lie to avoid offending someone or embarrassing yourself? Well I have a confession about that..

When someone announces their engagement you're supposed to say, "Congratulations!" or "I'm so happy for you!" (And if you're really feeling enthusiastic you might even say both.)  But for many engagements I didn't really mean it when I said those things. What I was really feeling was jealous.

Now for anyone else who admits to being human I think you can at least understand where I was coming from. I haven't known a single person who spent more time with their single friends after getting engaged, and you might as well forget you ever knew the person after they actually get married.  And on top of that every moment the two love birds are around is a pretty powerful reminder of the fact that you are still struggling through singledom. Some people can be legitimately happy for other people's happiness, but this particular situation was something I really struggled with.

And then I met Patrick. We fell in love. We got engaged. We got married. And pretty much everything in my entire life changed.

 

I was finally in a position to understand why engaged people acted so sappy all the time!  And it made sense to me why newly weds want to spend every waking moment with each other! Because I finally understood what was happening emotionally between the couple I was no longer jealous. I was just happy for them.

The Besties- Mike, Jenni, and Brendan

And now two of my best friends have found their special someone, and I can legitimately say, "Congratulations Mike and Taeler! Congratulations Alex and Jenni! I am SO excited for you. Being married to your special sweetheart is the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world! It'll be hard sometimes, but you'll have each other to hang on to- so hang on tight! You are my best friends, and I am so happy. May you enjoy every happiness in your upcoming marriages!"

Quick Trip to Texas

Last weekend Patrick and I took a quick trip to Texas. We weren't even there for three full days, but it was a great little adventure.

We woke up early on Saturday morning (1:30 AM... yikes!) so that we could make the 2 hour drive to the airport and catch our 5:40 flight. That was a little painful, but I loved that it allowed us to spend a little extra time with my family. On Saturday night Dad and Grandpa Ogzewalla came up from Sugar Land, Eldon finally came home from work, and we all had dinner at Cracker Barrel. It was so fun to visit with everyone, and the food was absolutely delicious!

Sunday morning brought two wonderful surprises. Emma came home, and Patrick's dad happened to be in town. We weren't expecting to see either of them, so it was a REAL treat. Patrick and I spent the day sleeping and visiting with family. Dad invited everyone down for dinner at his house, so between family and more good food... it was a near perfect day :)

Monday had a few hiccups, but we tried not to let it ruin the trip. We had originally planned the trip so that I could renew my driver's license (which expires in August) and so that Patrick could get a Texas driver's license. Well our experience at the DMV was about like every other trip I've ever had there.. an absolute disaster.  First we spent several hours in line (outside) because the payment system was down (across the entire state! and they couldn't even take cash!!), and then we were turned away because they wouldn't accept our proof of residency. So neither of us ended up with a new driver's license.

After disaster at the DMV we got some food (thank you Sonic!), stopped back in Kingwood, and headed for the airport. There was some rough weather in our connecting city, and that made for an extremely long delay, a missed flight, and a good bit of worry, but we made it back to Columbus safely by about 2 AM.

That was our little adventure. It wasn't perfect by any means, but we sure did make some memories :)

A Little Personality

Let's talk about Libby. Because I don't do enough of that already.

Libby is an absolute attention hog! She always wants to be noticed and is not afraid to get in your face and tell you that. It cute, but also a little annoying sometimes. This intense drive to get all the attention possible makes her a true "people pleaser."

She's not perfect though. She does have a tendency to act out if she doesn't get enough attention and sometimes she can be a bit of a selective listener. Oh and sometimes she just has plain old princess syndrome.

This "I'm pretty sure your world should kind of revolve around me just a little" problem would be enough to put anyone out, but the rest of her usually makes up for this short-coming. I mean, who could be mad at that little girl when she's snuggling up to you and giving you kisses?

Now if you thought that all this little girl wanted to do is snuggle you would be mistaken. She does have a tendency to run around like a wild-thing. She's curious and loves to be outside. She can be a little shy/submissive sometimes, but it's mostly because she wants people to like her. This little girl just absolutely loves people.

All of this makes for an interesting mix of fun, sweet, and crazy. And the more I learn about Libby's little personality the more I wonder, "Did I just adopt myself!?" Even with all the crazy, I think it was a good choice.

Libby & Tarah- July 10, 2012

Libby problems

Libby is currently driving me crazy.

She has discovered my shoes and likes to give them what I will call "love marks." Somehow she thinks it is acceptable to do this RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Absolutely not.

The other thing she likes to do right in front of me is chew on the underside of Patrick's leather armchair. This is also not OK.

Oh and housebreaking? Yeah I thought we'd made a breakthrough this morning when she sat and whined at the door, but she'd actually just heard the dog from across the hall go out.. so she just wanted to go play. This was not a breakthrough.

And training.. ugh. I feel like my vocabulary has been reduced to, "Sit. Leave it. Off. Let's go. Do your thing." and "Good girl!!!" Some of the training is sticking. She'll sit for food or some attention, but she does NOT want to listen when you tell her she can't be on the bed. It's becoming a pretty bad case of selective listening.

One thing she is pretty good at is being my little alarm clock. Nobody sleeps in past 6:30 on Saturday because Libby starts demanding some lovin'! And if you try to take her out and then put her back in her crate you need to be prepared for about an hour of whining. This is also true when I get up and take her out at 4:30 in the morning on the weekdays. #sotired.

And when I think she's FINALLY being cute and snuggly again, she bites my ears and absolutely attacks my hair. That is not cute OR snuggly.

So my sweet little girl is growing up. I know it'll be awhile before she gets over some of this stuff, and I still have a lot of learning and training to do with her. We'll make it. I just need to keep repeating, "Patience, practice, consistency. Patience, practice, consistency."

Choosing to say, "Goodbye"

This week Patrick taught me an important lesson about backing up my decisions.

I realized that one of my biggest stresses right now is the puppies. I started asking myself, "Do I really want two puppies? How is this affecting our family?" So I had to make a hard decision.. And I decided that I could only care for one puppy. That alone was difficult, but then I had to decide which one! Talk about heartbreaking.

Driving Scout to the shelter was about like having the heart ripped out of my chest. I started crying about what was coming before I even left the driveway, and by the time I got there my face was of course covered in nice big red blotches. I had filled out the paperwork, cried my way through several Kleenex, and started saying goodbye to Scout when I realized that in my rush to get the difficult thing over with I had forgotten to let Patrick say goodbye. Oh boy. After all of that I brought Scout back home. I spent the afternoon crying and trying to think of another solution, all the while knowing I had already made the right decision.

When Patrick got home I had to remake for myself the decision to give up Scout. It was awful. And then I tried to explain to Patrick that he had to take Scout back for me; I just couldn't make that drive to the shelter again. Patrick was very kind and supportive, but he told me that if I was going to make this decision I needed to be the one to follow through on it. And so I did.

Patrick came with me, held me hand, wiped my tears, and did the driving home. Having his support was just what I needed to be able to follow through on this difficult decision.  It also taught me a really important lesson: making the decision is only a small part of the bigger battle. Following through, often  in the littlest ways, is how we are really going to win the war.

one BAD week

This last week was the worst.

On Sunday I had to speak in church.  Normally I like public speaking, but it just didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Basically my talk was short. WAY too short. And then I had to substitute for a random class in Primary (with no prior warning). It was just stressful.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... Not too bad. Except that I think I cried every night for one reason or another. (I'm just really emotional some times. Or all the time.)

I had high hopes that things would start looking up as the weekend got closer (even though Patrick would be gone on Thursday and Friday for some training). But Thursday wasn't any better. In fact, it was even worse.  I was in charge of this Relief Society activity that was an absolute fail.  I made the best of it, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was incredibly stressful and disappointing.

I finally made it to Friday night. Patrick came home hot, sweaty, and exhausted, but he was home. And even if he was just crashed in the bedroom- he was home. And I love having him home.

Saturday was filled with just getting stuff done. Nothing too exciting, but I did get to spend time with Patrick.  Instead of a date that night we babysat for another couple from church. I hate babysitting, but I said yes because this other woman sounded absolutely desperate for a date with her husband. And I can understand that.

With as much anxiety as I had about babysitting.. it was even worse than I expected.  Their little girl screamed for 5 hours. The parents came home to a quiet house (I'd finally gotten her to sleep about 10 minutes before they arrived) but a red and blotchy faced Tarah that was too traumatized to even be able to carry on a coherent conversation.  Talk about the cherry on top of an awful week!

The good news is that after Saturday night caring for two puppies seems significantly easier. And I don't have any babysitting this week :) So even though it was NOT a wonderful week, I still think it's a wonderful life.

Scout & Libby

The puppies are growing SO FAST, and I am absolutely loving learning about their little personalities.  

I must admit that I was wrong about Scout; he is certainly not the dumb one! In fact he is our house-training champ. He just isn't as "in-your-face" with his demands for affection as Libby is, and sometimes he need a little food to motivate him.  Typical boy :) I'm connecting with him a lot better now that I've realized this, and that's been very encouraging.

The next big news is that... I finally got a camera!! Goodbye to the days of having to try and capture wiggly puppies on my computer. Now that I have an actual camera I've been doing my best to document all of the cute and funny things the puppies do. I've had pretty good success so far (with the help of Patrick), but there are two things that I can't seem to catch on film:

1. Out of nowhere they'll do this cute little crawl. They are 100% stretched out, completely flat on the ground, and then they push off with their toes and inch their way forward. It is hilarious. And adorable. And I'm going to be seriously disappointed if I don't catch it on film.

2. They tease each other to no end! Say Libby wants to play but Scout is tired... Libby will go pick up a toy from their crate and then proceed to dangle it in front of Scout's face until he decides that he wants the toy enough to get up and play. They take turns going back and forth picking toys out to tempt each other with.. It's really funny.

I'll be sure to share some of the pictures and videos I DO have when I get the cord to connect the camera to the computer. When you see more of these little guys you'll understand why I have become slightly puppy obsessed these day :)

Our Texas Traveler

My mom came to visit!! She tried her very best to spoil the puppies with lots of walks, treats, and toys... but it didn't work. They are still just as sweet as ever- just bigger and with more toys :) I'm certain that they'll remember her though!

My mom did succeed in spoiling me. She would take the puppies out so that I could get a little extra sleep, and she tried to make sure that I had everything we would need to raise healthy, well-behaved dogs. In addition to all that we watched movies, told jokes, and just enjoyed each others' company. It was heavenly. Oh and did I mention she brought us a second car? HOORAY!! Mom and Eldon agreed to sell us one of their old cars so that I wouldn't be stuck at home all the time. After getting some work done on it (and having a few adventures) Mom made the drive to bring it to us. Am I feeling spoiled? Absolutely!! I have the best family.

The Puppies: Week One

We've had the puppies for a week now.  The following picture does a lot to describe how this week has gone.

This tennis ball was brand-spankin new when we brought Scout and Libby home.

In this week I've learned that Libby is the smart one. She's catching on to house-training a little faster, but she's also an escape artist, an instigator, and an absolute attention hog.  Oh and she also has a serious case of separation anxiety.

I've learned that Scout is a bit more confident than Libby. He was the first one to figure out how to go down the stairs, and he was also the first one to venture into their crate un-asked. He also gets distracted really easily.  I'm having a hard time house-training him because whenever we go outside all he wants to do is explore and eat dead worms.

I've also learned that they both really love towels. Apparently they make great chew toys, so we'll just have to learn to distinguish between the puppy towels that are for their crate and people towels.

There is a lot more that goes into taking care of puppies than I imagined. They are cute when they're sleeping or snuggling, but a lot of days they leave me feeling a bit like that tennis ball. So here is my conclusion: Puppies are a great exercise in parenting and patience.

Memorial Day Weekend

After this last weekend Memorial Day has moved way up on my list of favorite holidays. It has a lot to do with the fact that Patrick was given a four-day weekend, and I really like being able to spend time with that boy. Go figure :)

So what did we do with our extra time together?

On Friday we went up to Atlanta and visited the World of Coca-Cola.  While we were there we saw a small exhibit demonstrating how Coke is bottled, we saw the vault where the secret recipe is kept, we tasted dozens of different drinks which Coca-Cola makes around the world, and we saw LOTS of Coke paraphernalia.

Patrick and I by one of the original Coca-Cola delivery trucks

On Saturday we adopted two adorable puppies!! These two little ones have really taken over my life. I can't say that I love cleaning up after them, but I do love the snuggles and puppy breath. We haven't finalized their names yet, but we're considering Scout and Lady Liberty (Libby). I like the idea of somewhat patriotic names to remember our Memorial Day weekend.

Scout and Libby- our little hellions :)

On Monday we went to a barbecue and pool party hosted by some friends from church. The decorations and food were very festive. I'm sure it was a lot of extra work, but it made for a really fun atmosphere. I was feeling a little shy, but I did meet a few new people. Next time I'll have to remember to take some pictures.

Basically it was a fantastic weekend because we were able to spend it together. I'm loving this life.

Three updates

Three updates:

1. I am currently trying to watch the Big Bang Theory while I unpick some sewing. The show is streaming fine, but the 30 second commercials are taking 5 minutes apiece. And it is bothersome.

2. This has been a week of adventures! Some of the highlights of my week include: going to the post office with Sister Bergamy, practicing some sewing, unintentionally "exploring" Columbus (and getting home safely after getting so lost), visiting the animal shelter, having lunch with Tasha, and taking my first taxi ride. It's a wonderful life.

3. The new morning routine is going well!! The hardest part so far was getting out of bed on that first day. As I was debating with myself that morning I realized that the question up for consideration wasn't whether or not to sleep. The real question was whether or not I was going to keep the commitments I'd made to myself. Since realizing that I've found it much easier to get up and going for the day. And I'm absolutely loving the personal satisfaction I get from doing the most important things first thing in the morning.

Graduation

As I was slogging through my semesters at BYU I often wondered what it would feel like to be finished. Getting my degree was at the top of my "Must-do-before-I-die" list, but there were a number of times when I felt like I just couldn't do it. Somehow it always seemed to work out though, and the credit for that does not belong to me.

If it had not been for the support, encouragement, and good sense of humor my family has I don't think I could have finished.  College was hard, and I had a lot of learning to do.  Despite everything that happened my mom was always there to give me a pep-talk, and Jenni was always there to wipe my tears or go on an adventure. Mike, Brendan, Jeff, and Brian were always ready for a fast-food run or a late night movie. And of course there was my sweet Patrick. He was an absolute rock during some of my most difficult semesters.

(Patrick took off 48 hours and flew in from Georgia to be able to attend graduation. What a guy!)

I know that I have been blessed by my Father in Heaven to have had the opportunity to study at such a marvelous institution and to have had the chance to associate with so many wonderful people.  I could not have graduated without my Savior or this family that I found at BYU. Thank you.

A New Routine

It's been nice to have so much freedom here in Georgia, but the novelty is starting to wear off quickly. So I'm doing the only logical thing- setting goals and making a plan.

I can only work on one thing at a time, so I'm going to start by working on my morning routine. My routine is currently non-existent and as it turns out that is really not working for me. So here's the goal:

-Get up early (4:45)
-Exercise (4:45-6)
-Eat breakfast (6-6:30)
-Shower & get dressed (6:30-7:30)
-Study the scriptures (7:30-8)

This is going to be a MAJOR change. I do have a few concerns, but I think it's an important change. It will help me start to appreciate why Patrick is so tired at the end of the day, and I'll be able to get more done in a day. It's also just a healthier way to live.

There's no time to start like the present, so I guess that makes tomorrow the big day. Wish me luck!

Whoa. What a semester!!

AND.... Big sigh of relief. The last four months have been wonderful. And stressful. And crazy. And hard. But wonderful. So I know it's been a while since I've written so here's a quick recap on the last four months:

Started my last semester at BYU absolutely determined to get my best GPA yet!

Got engaged :)

Patrick's report date for Fort Benning was moved up.

Threw out all the planning done for the wedding up to that point and decided to get married in February.

Started birth control and was constantly sick. No bueno.

Got MARRIED!!! (And wore a huge poofy dress. And smiled so much I'm surprised my face didn't fall off.)

Took a week off of school for our honeymoon.

Got back to Provo and moved from single housing to married student housing.

Tried to adjust to living with a boy.

Took a trip to the ER and reevaluated our birth control options.

Realized that I was failing all of my classes.

Reevaluated my school goals and decided that graduating was good enough.

Finally started feeling better and started working my butt off trying to make sure I would graduate.

Packed up our apartment and sent Patrick on ahead to Georgia.

Studied, studied, studied.

Welcomed family to Provo for graduation and prayed that I would actually pass my classes.

Walked across a big stage and SMILED!

Spent one last weekend in Provo with my very best friend Jenni and my Dad.

Made my move to Georgia via airplane.

AND... Officially passed all of my classes.

In a lot of ways Georgia has been the calm after the storm. I've (mostly) enjoyed setting up house in the gorgeous apartment Patrick found, and we're slowly but surely adjusting to our changing roles here. I'm really enjoying the adventure of making new friends, and the couple of hours at the end of the day that I get to spend with Patrick. It's been crazy, but I've decided it really is a wonderful life.

you're know you're a nerd when...

I saw this cartoon in my molecular biology class this morning...

and I literally laughed out loud.

yup! #sciencehumor

well I THOUGHT we'd made a pretty good plan...

So remember how I had a plan? And then it changed ever so dramatically? Well yeah.. it happened again :)

I'm getting married in 3 weeks. 

Yep, that's right. As in 23 days... SURPRISE!!!

SO... talk about a major change in plans! As of yesterday Patrick's report date got moved up from May 13th to April 10th. That means a wedding on May 4th is just not an option.

Well I'm certainly not going to push the wedding BACK (I just have very strong feelings about short engagements and not dating long-distance.) That means we have to do it before April 10th. The last bit of April that will be crazy getting everything moved to Georgia and preparing for my finals.... So then we looked at March, but the Houston temple is closed for a good majority of March. February 18th it is. Thank you President's Day Weekend!

And can I just say that it has been REALLY hard to focus on school for the last 24 hours? I really need to study for my pathophysiology test (which begins today) but I'm a little preoccupied...

So much for THAT plan!

I've always thought that I'd be the one to do things differently, break the cliche, and show people just exactly how a REALLY mature and intelligent young lady goes about life... (don't laugh yet) 

Here was the plan:

Graduate from BYU with perfect grades (at least a 3.8)

Get a fantastic job working in Europe/ New York/ LA (maybe Grad school)

Fall in love with a doctor/lawyer

Date for AT LEAST a year

Get married and be perfect

So much for that plan! (now cue the laughter)

Military Ball 2011

I just got engaged... to a boy I met four months ago. What!?! Who is this girl?? Oh he's great. He's an officer in the US Army... (yeah, wasn't that an automatic disqualification 4 months ago? oh yeah totally. so much for rules!) 

OK but the point is, what is it with planning? It seems like Heavenly Father always has something different in mind. How much of it is me and how much of it is Heavenly Father just throwing curve-balls? And why should I make a plan if it's just going to get rearranged?

BUT the truth is that for me there's too much security in feeling like I have a plan. And I think Heavenly Father wants us to make plans. I don't know why, but I do. So I made a new plan:

Speed things up times a bajillion, probably skip the travel & grad school, and go where the military tells Patrick he has to go. 

It's quite the change, but I think Patrick is worth it.

Halloween 2011