Things My Husband Says - A Link-up

It's time for another edition of Things My Husband Says.

The first edition came when it was his birthday last year and I felt like in order to properly celebrate such a day, I would share with all of blogland all the funny stuff that comes out of his mouth.

Find that post here. I'll wait.........

Funny right?!

So I was pretty excited when Danae and Amanda decided to host a link-up of exactly this nature. Cause trust me, I've been keeping track of this shiz in a "note" in my iPhone.
Is that weird?

On Gunther chewing things: "You tear s**t up like a terrorist. Are you a terrorist Gunther?? Cause I execute terrorists."

For the record, I don't know about you, but this face doesn't really scream "terrorist" to me.

Me: "Look at how awkward Gunther's laying right now..."
Nate: "...that whole dog is awkward."

Me: "Do you want my last meatball?"
Nate: (*holds out plate*) "Ball me."

On math: "You can't tell me math makes sense. It's not real, they f*****g made it all up. You can't tell me to solve for f****** XY and Z, that doesn't make sense, it's not real."

Me, en route to go deer hunting: "Why do I keep smelling dirt??"
Nate: "It's me. I smell like 'fresh earth.' That's what you want to smell like. That's the key."

On my hunting capabilities: "Maycee's a better hunter than you. That's all the woman I need. Me and my dog."

On Michael Jackson's Will You Be There: "This is some Free Willy s**t. Makes me want to free the s**t out of some killer whales."

You're welcome for that, by the way; all Michael Jackson and Killer whales and Free Willy and
stuff - that's a fantastic way to start your Tuesday, no?

Rivalries

As I was perusing the sports section of USA Today I stumbled on this article about sports rivalries. Its authors argue that the idea of a "rivalry" has become overused (kind of like the word "epic" or the hashtag YOLO...per me, not them) and watered down. So, in order to clarify they lay outline the five conditions of being an elite rivalry: (Source)

1.) Meetings between the two teams are appointment television for sports fans nationwide, 

regardless of fandom.

2.) Both teams are generally near the top of the standings in the last five years - the rivalry games have to actually mean something.

3.) Teams must meet every year.

4.) Both teams need to be located near each other. Proximity is the key to an animosity existing among fanbases between games.

5.) Teams may only have one true rivalry counted

Given all the above-mentioned, the article concluded there's only five true elite rivalries in sports:

All that to say, this article got me thinking, about the true, elite rivalries in my own life. Considering the aforementioned criteria, I've come up with five:

1.) Team phone call vs. Team text message

Talk about proximity, these two teams have to battle it out on the reg, considering they operate from the same device. And no matter your fandom, cell phone users, including myself, are tuning into their devices nationwide considering neither task can be completed without doing so.

I'm all about the text message, until that text message becomes too long and I don't feel like typing it out. In that case, the phone call comes out on top. 

2.) Team Nate vs. Team javelina

Make no mistake, Nate's killed a pig or two in his day...

...but just the other night he declared "Those f***ers are easy to kill, but they're so damn hard to find. They get me every time." Nate filled both his pig tags last year...for the win. 0 for 1 in 2014 so far.

3.) Team Carissa vs. Team gynecologist 

If animosity is what's required for an elite rivalry, I don't know anything else I loathe more in life than that-which-shall-not-be-named, am I right ladies??

This rivalry meets every year, once a year, and it's safe to say that it always means something. You know, test results and stuff...it's not a trophy but I'd say it's pretty important. Since it's kind of hard to get out of this one, I'd say unfortunately, it's Team gyno for the win.

4.) Team Peta vs. Team Gale

...because nothing says "rivalry" more than a love triangle right smack in the middle of a battle to the death. All of Panem tunes into watch the Hunger Games, and since you can see these two faces for yourself, you know they're both at the top of the standings in the game for Katniss' heart.
(p.s. don't tell me who wins, I haven't read the 3rd book yet!)

5.) Team cold vs. Team hot    

Climate in my household is an ongoing battle, much like the ongoing rivalries of those mentioned above, except instead of convening every year play, Team cold and Team hot meet roughly every 12 hours - when the temperature drops and it should be time to turn the heater on. Nate thinks his team (team hot) should always win because if you're cold (i.e. me), you can add layers, whereas if you're hot, you can only take so many layers off until you're sitting there in your birthday suit, still sweating. 

Sounds like a personal problem.

And there you have it. Five rivalries that make my life interesting. Or annoying, one or the other.

Linking up with Sarah for Fan Friday!

2014 25 for Sanity Manifesto

Ever since we rang in the new year I've been mulling the idea of creating a new set of goals for 2014...and considering it's the 7th as I write this, that means I've been mulling for 7 days...which is why I'm late to the 2014 new years resolutions party that's going on in blogland.

Truth be told, I was really never a goal-setter before, and I've only started dabbling in setting goals since last spring when Nate and I went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (FPU) and we learned the importance of setting goals. 

"If you take a trip with no destination, how do you know when you arrive?"

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."

For a while, I really loved aiming at nothing, because that means there'd be no let-down if I didn't achieve whatever I set out to do. If I aimed at something, and missed, I usually came down hard on myself and became so discouraged that any future goal setting was out of the question. 

I'd preferred to wallow rather than set a new goal and keep moving forward.

But after doing some growing last year, and giving myself some grace, I've learned that the world is not ending if I don't do everything I say I'm gonna do, I've come to enjoy setting goals and creating a road map with my destinations clearly defined.

For 2014 I've indeed set some tangible goals. Things I can schedule. Things I can mark off a checklist.

And then I read this blog post by Ann Voskamp, who created a list of intangible goals; a "sanity manifesto" that's "not a law, but a scaffolding for the shaky, struggling days."

...And I loved it so much I wanted to make one of my own. 

A grace plan. A doable life-change plan. A manifesto for my 2014. 

I included some of Ann's because they spoke to me and my life, and then I tried to come up with my own that sounded just as lovely, and graceful, and poetic as those that she came up with... cause Ann has a way with words, and is one of those writers I wish I could be like. 

My 25 for Sanity Manifesto

* source

1.) Begin with the end in mind

2.) One bite at a time

One year when Nate was coaching lacrosse, his team was in a huddle and I heard one of the coaches ask the team "How do you eat an elephant?" to which they emphatically responded, 

"One bite at a time!" It's stuck with me ever since. 

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with a task and everything it involves, or how long it will take, that I get discouraged and don't even start. The only way to complete a challenge, or a big project, or a lifestyle change is to do it one step at a time. One bite at a time.

3.) Dream some dreams

Guys, I thought about making this a blog post in itself, which I may eventually do, but I have a confession to make: I don't have any dreams.

Sure, I'd love to win the lottery and live a vacation for the rest of my life, but odds are that probably won't happen. When I start to "dream," per say, I just always assume it would never work out anyway, and I come back to earth and accept the realities of the real world. For example, I would love to write for a living. I'd love to be a freelancer. I'd love to be an author. The odds are probably slim. In 2014 I don't want to dwell on what probably won't happen, I want to dwell on what could happen...and then put in the work to make that happen...one bite at a time. 

4.) All the lambs roared like lions

Matt Maher has a song in which there's a lyric that reads, "And all the lambs roared like lions." 

I'm a lamb. 

Somehow, some way, and I'm not sure why, over the last five years or so there's a timidity that's overcome me that I never had before. I don't speak up when I know I have the right answer. I don't solicit my opinion. I don't correct the server who got my order wrong. Eye contact makes me uncomfortable. If I thought I was passive before, I'm even more so now. In 2014 I want to get over that and I want to speak up, make my presence known, and roar like a lion. ...ignore how cliche that sounded.

5.) Be a doer

More doing, less planning. Less doing nothing.

Do.

6.) Intentionality

Usually when I get home from work I plop myself down on the couch and begin checking my various social media outlets while I try and decide what I'm going to do for the night (e.g., workout, dishes, laundry, walk the dogs, etc.). Before I know it, I look at the time at it's 6:30 - no longer light outside to take the dogs for a walk, it's time to start making dinner, which leaves no time for a workout, and I have no clean pants for tomorrow.

If I don't purposefully spend my time, if I'm not intentional with my actions and activities, time literally passes right by me. It's been happening too often lately. In 2014 I want to be more effective with my free time.  

*7.) First Things First: work in, work out, work plan

"Open your eyes every morning and just do three first:

Word in: Get into God's Word and let it get into you

Work out: Work out. Move. 

Work plan: write out the workplan, and then work the plan"

*8.) Stay in the pool

Michael Phelps said it in an interview: 'You've just got to stay in the pool longer than others.'

Set the timer. Get in the pool. Stay in the pool. Do your work. Don't get distracted. Don't flit from one thing to another and back. Don't get out of the pool, don't leave your work, until the timer goes. The way to win is to stay in the pool."

*9.) Clean a space = clear headspace

"Keeping the workspace clean, clears your headspace to think."

10.) Soak

Soak in life. Each season. Let it get under your skin. Revel in now.

*11.) Every day, not every now and then

"Random acts of greatness pale in comparison to habitual acts of faithfulness. It's not what you do every now and then, but what you do everyday, that changes everything."

12.) 3XC

Contentment, commitment, confidence.

These three. Improve them. In every aspect of life.

13.) Do what you ought to do

I read The Happiness Project last year and she made mention of this phrase. The word 'ought' is friendlier than the word 'should,' it's more inviting, more welcoming, more motivating. 'Ought' smiles at me and politely suggests what I ought to be doing, whereas 'should' shakes it's finger at me when I'm not doing something I should be.

...and that was weird, but that's how I have it in my head.   

14.) Feel the fear, and do it anyway

Remember #4 above? This goes with that.

15.) Like a gazelle

As I briefly mentioned earlier, Nate and I completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course last spring (go here and find a class in your area! It will rock your world!!). Every chance I get to talk about it, I do, because it was literally the best thing we could've done for ourselves and for our financials. One of my favorite lessons was on "dumping debt." Proverbs 6:1-5 says: "Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler." 

We learned that you can wander into debt, but you can't wander out. Rather, you must have gazelle-like intensity to get out of debt and get out of debt fast!! 2014 is the year we're going to get things paid off and get started on my student loans!

16.) Fail to plan, plan to fail

*17.) Work on your wall

"Like Nehemiah who worked on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, build your wall, building whatever God has uniquely called you to - a particular work project, a creative project, a ministry, etc. Work on your wall, laying down stones. If you don't intentionally work on your wall, the tyranny of the urgent can make your life a rubble heap."

*18.) Ebenezers for the efforts

An ebenezer is a commemoration of divine assistance.

"Mark little milestones! Celebrate! The little things!"

19.) Be present

20.) No thieves

"Comparison is the thief of joy" - Theodore Roosevelt

Comparison is truly the thief of my joy. And I hate it. And I hate that I compare myself to others. This has to stop in 2014. It just has to. This is a "sanity" manifesto for a reason.

21.) Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else

22.) Carissa + ness

I hate to say it, but I totally took this from the movie You, Me, and Dupre. It wasn't even that good of a movie, I just loved this concept. In 2014 I want to embrace my "ness." The things that make me, me. My Carissaness.

23.) No excuses

If you wanna be a poop, go lay in the yard.

24.) Outside the box 

Get out of my comfort zone. Try new things. Things that are outside my box.

*25.) The holy, happiness habit

"All research says that giving thanks is guaranteed to make you 25% happier. Who. Doesn't. Want. That.? Write down three things a day you are grateful for. Hunt for His glory. Look for the beauty. Count 1000 gifts."

And there it is. My 2014 manifesto. Long, and lacking pictures, but I think it's OK on this one. 

And I feel pretty good about it. 

Childhood Habits Die Hard

This weekend was a pretty uneventful one.

 I stayed up late watching chick flicks, slept past 11am which, believe it or not, hasn't happened in a long time, and bought a couple new books at Barnes and Noble. Speaking of which, is it just me or does anyone else love the way Barnes and Noble smells?? It's like this magical aroma of coffee and new-book smell. Whatever it is, it's heavenly. 

And it makes me want to buy books. Cause I'm cool like that and I don't have an e-reader.

Beyond that, I spent some time this weekend going through old family photos to scan and make digital copies of. You know, like back when people used film and stuff? ...As I was sifting through photos I couldn't help but reminisce on my childhood, and I got to thinking:

There's still a bunch of stuff I did as a kid that I still do now.
Some habits that I just haven't shaken. 

Things like:

-Count on my fingers.

I try and at least be subtle about it so no one sees and casts judgement on me (read, my husband)

-Use the word 'commercialing.'
As in, when you're watching your favorite TV show and you declare, "I'm gonna go use the bathroom when it starts commercialing!" My mom keeps telling me it's not a word, but I just don't believe it.

-Fast forward through the part in the Lion King where (spoiler alert!) Mufasa dies.

And don't tell me you don't do the same. It's freakin' sad and I never want to relive that.

-Avoid brushing my teeth.

When I was a kid and it was time to get ready for bed, I used to try and lie to my parents whenever they asked me if I had brushed my teeth. I can't really get away with not brushing my teeth as an adult, but it doesn't make it any less of a pain in the @$$ for me. Because really, that precious 1/2 hour before your 8pm bedtime is much better spent watching Doug or Hey Dude in your jams, than brushing your teeth...am I right??

-Fear the vacuum.

I can't lie when I say there's a small part of me that's still afraid the vacuum will suck up my toes if I get too close. You know those irrational childhood fears that never fully go away? This, for me, is one of them. Having no toes would really suck (no pun intended), and that's just not something I want to gamble with.

-Lick the chocolate bowl(s) clean.

Exhibit A...and B...and so on and so forth

I'll stop there, before you all think there's cause for greater concern here.

-I still have the same feelings about doing the dishes.

 That probably won't ever change.

That and the chocolate thing...no foreseeable ending in sight on those.

-Sleep with the covers on because I think it will protect me from robbers.

A comforter is basically like a shield; no one told you??

-Check behind the shower curtain when you use the restroom to make sure no one's hiding in there who'll jump out and attack you.

-Avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks so I don't "break my mother's back."

...What can I say, some childhood habits die hard.

What do you still do that you did as a kid?

Fan Friday: 2013 AZ Sports in Review

With all these 'Year in Review' posts, and talk of resolutions for 2014, and reflections of 2013, I figured the sports world shouldn't be exempt. And I also figured, what better time to link up with Sarah and her  Fan Friday to do so?

Here's the thing, I reallllllly reallllly like sports.

Arizona sports, to be exact.

I'm a hometown kinda girl.

I don't blog about it often because I just figure I might lose most of your guys' interest...which this post will probably do. So I won't be mad if you quit reading right now.

Anywho, last year I wrote this post about how much it was sucking to be an Arizona sports fan at the time.

The Cardinals (NFL) went 5-11 and fired their head coach.

The Suns (NBA) finished with the second worst record in franchise history, and didn't even wait until the end of the season to fire their head coach. And then they hired some schmuck as interim head coach and fired him at the end of the season too. 

The Diamondbacks (MLB) failed to meet expectations yet again and finished the season with a .500 record. So basically, they did nothing. They lost as many as they won. 

Arizona State University Football, while finishing 2012 with a decent 8-5 record in coach Todd Graham's first year, had just come off a 2011 season finishing 6-7.  

The Coyotes (NHL) were without an owner for the 4th year straight after multiple ownership deals fell through.

So basically, there was a lot of losing going on.

And it was miserable.

But, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's fair-weather fans, and I just refuse to be one.

...And sometimes that pays off, because what a difference a year makes.

This was the cover of the sports section in the Sunday paper last week:

(Read full article here)

In 2013 the Cardinals finished 10-6, including a win in Seattle against the Seahawks, under a new head coach.

The Suns, who are supposed to be in full rebuilding mode and were projected to win no more than 10 games all season are sitting at a 19-12 record under a new head coach, (who just won Western Conference Coach of the month for December), a new GM, and a roster full of "no names."

ASU Football finished the season 10-4, won the PAC-12 South title, beat rival UofA for the 2nd year in a row, and hosted the PAC-12 Championship game.

The Diamondbacks, while finishing with a mediocre season, still had an MVP candidacy in Paul Goldschmidt (who's also suuuper hot by the way. Google him, you won't be sorry). 

The Coyotes finally have an ownership group in place.

All that to say, let's look back at the 10 Commandments of Arizona Sports and see how we've done:

1.) Thou shalt not be a fair-weather fan.

Done, and done. Always.

2.) Thou shalt not take Steve Nash's name in vain

...even if he does betray you and go play for the Lakers. 

I'm over it. He has a ridiculous Hollywood haircut, and we have Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe now.
It was fun while it lasted, Steve. I won't forget you.

3.) Thou shalt not covet other professional sports teams' players, management, winning records, or championship rings. ...none of which, are in your near future.
The future is looking brighter, Arizona!!

4.) Honor thy teams that have won in the past, for it may be a while before it happens again.

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks

Still true. But the definition of "a while" is shortening.

5.) Thou shalt not question bad trades, bad hirings or firings, or any other questionable decisions from the front office...cause the more you think about it, the more mad you'll get.
Lots of good moves last year in the front offices. Ryan McDonough, the new Suns GM has acquired the nickname 'Ryan Mc-do-work.'

6.) Thou shalt always remember the pool. 

Cause hey, if the team's losing, at least you still have a cool pool in your baseball stadium.

And air conditioning.

We have air conditioning too.

We'll always have the pool, even though it was soiled by the Dodgers last season. 
If I thought I hated the Dodgers before, I reallllly hate them now.

7.) Thou shalt obey thy Baxter, Gorilla, and Big Red

Yuuuup.

8.) Thou shalt fork 'em

#forksup

9.) Thou shalt understand: there's nowhere to go but up...when you're last

Literally.

10.) Thou shalt always remember: you're not a real fan, unless you're still a fan when they're losing.

...thanks for that nugget of wisdom, dad.

And there you have it. An entire post about stuff you all probably don't care about. But since I care about it, and since Sarah cares about it enough to host a link-up, dang it, I wrote about it.

I absolutely cannot wait to see what's in store for Arizona sports in 2014!

2013 Year in Review

*disclaimer: for all you non-bloggy folk, the words in pink provide a link where you can find the original blog post

I realize you probably rolled your eyes at the mere title of this post, seeing as how every single one of your social media news feeds is probably inundated with some variation of a 'year in review' post but what kind of a blogger would I be if I didn't do one myself??...Not one of the cool ones that's for sure.

It's actually times like these when I'm really happy I have a blog, because I can literally go read about my entire year... which is really helpful when all the years start blending together and you can't really remember what happened in what year. 

Is it just me or does January 2013 seem like a loooooong time ago?? 

It does, but per the above paragraph, thanks to my blog, I know that it got really really cold last January. Like, 29 degrees, colder-than-Alaska cold. And that's cold for Arizona folk. I also know that my husband killed a Javelina on the very first day of 2013

...and then skinned it in our front yard. We never got any nasty grams from the HOA so it appears none of our neighbors lost their cookies over it.

In February I tried my own hand at Javelina hunting, and since I camp up empty, I just talked about  my outfit instead. Another Valentine's Day also came and went and I reflected on things that have (or haven't) changed between Nate and I.

March came along and Google tried to pull a fast one on me and deleted my blog. And then when it came back I blogged about how I almost lost my blog...with clever Gloria Gaynor references laced throughout. More importantly, my precious little niece Miley was born in March.

  ...She came in like a wrecking ball.

So sorry. Couldn't resist.

And then there's this picture that's not from March but it just melts my heart, because Miley is so dang cute, and her and uncle Nay Nay together are even cuter.

In other political news, Rand Paul staged a good 'ol fashioned filibuster in the Senate in March, and I wrote about what I would talk about if I had my own personal filibuster. 

In April Nate and I celebrated four years of being married by taking a trip to New Mexico to see George Strait in concert on his farewell tour. I also had Nate take over my blog for the first time. That was fun. Oh and I graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry.

Boom.

In May I had another graduation of sorts, my Master's Degree. No big deal.

I also enjoyed another weekend in the vineyards wine tasting in southern AZ, threw a surprise bridal shower for my cousin-in-law, and had to say goodbye to my work BFF.

I kicked off summer by hanging out with Taylor Swift in Glendale, and camping at Bear Canyon Lake. 

Nate also helped me realize how much Gunther and I are the same. Speaking of Gunther, the dogs took over my blog for the first time in June too. They're a hoot.

July brought with it another fantastic 4th of July complete with sparklers and a new NRA shirt. I also dragged Nate to a baseball game and we waited in the 100+ degree heat for a free t-shirt. He was pretty happy about that...not. We went to California to watch my cousin get married, took our annual hike to Kinder Creek, and I wrote more about my dogs and things they never think about.

In August I went on my first archery deer hunt, enjoyed shark week, and came to terms with everyday decisions I'm really bad at making. 

...Newsflash: it's January and I'm not any better at making said decisions.

I welcomed September with Brian Littrel and the Backstreet Boys and discovered a few Backstreet solutions. I also finally got the nerve to ask a few questions I was too afraid to before. I gave aerial yoga a try, threw a few first world fits, and got into my first car accident.

September was busy.

In October I met Luis Gonzalez and took a vacation to Dallas...that the government ruined.

We still managed to have fun though...cause, duh, we always do.

We dressed the dogs in Halloween costumes too, cause duh, we always do.

November came along and I recycled my favorite post I've ever written about my favorite veteran for the 2nd year in a row. I wrote about 7 things I won't blog about, and went on my first rifle deer hunt.

Arizona State University beat, ahem, that other team down south...

...beat 'em good.

...and won a PAC-12 south title

It was a good year to be a Sun Devil.

It's always a good year to be a Sun Devil.

Before we knew it December was here and the holidays were in full swing. We took Christmas photos, went to the Princess for ice skating, and cut down our own Christmas tree. We laid low and spent Christmas day together, and I finally watched The Christmas Story. Or is it A Christmas Story?

Aaaaand that might be a new record for the longest everrrrr it's taken to put together a blog post.

But you were worth it, 2013.

Cheers to 2014!