Do You Like Your Marriage?

There's something about marriage that bothers me.

It seems to be the public norm to bash marriage.  Encourage gender roles.  Commiserate misery.

I'M SICK OF IT!

Let me explain...

Think of the expression "old married couple".  As if everything becomes boring and goes to crap after you get married.  Think of "Happy wife, happy life".  As if everything in a marriage is about keeping the wife happy, and that it's the husband's job.  Think of the "old lady being at home tonight".  As if all women are domestic.

The old "haven't gotten any since the wedding day".  Or "gave her a ring and then (so-and-so) happened".

I'm sorry people, but if these are your issues, then you probably should have talked a little more before deciding to marry each other.  I hate when people make marriage seem like a miserable, never-ending, entrapment.  Why is it the societal norm to complain about your marriage/spouse in public?  To make it seem like an impossible thing to be married and HAPPY?

This rant is prompted by many instances, but most recently, our new car purchase.  While passing time with our salesperson (who was fantastic, and his daughter attends Concordia College, Go COBBS!) he kept making statements about "who's in charge of the budget" (insinuating me), "who makes the decisions", and "keeping the wife happy".  Now, I get that he may have been playing the "flatter the wife" card, but this stuff happens ALL THE TIME!  To everyone, not just us.

While we were engaged, sometimes I would confide in my now-husband about feeling a little down, and out of place.  People I talked to about wedding planning, being engaged, etc., would respond with, "I can't imagine myself getting married at this age", "I'm so not ready to get married", and the constant "I can't believe you're getting married!" (not as a compliment).  My amazing guy's response?  "If they were in your shoes, they would have a completely different perspective".   Yeah...you can't imagine yourself getting married, because you haven't found the right person/aren't ready for the commitment/whatever your reason.  You're not in the place that I am. So...note to readers - a simple "Congratulations!" will do.  Comparisons aren't necessary.

What's my point?  Let's turn around this negative view of marriage and brag about how our husbands do the laundry, give us back rubs, and tell us how much they love us.  I always have my husband on my side, no matter what.  How is that not AWESOME!?

Marriage isn't a trap, it's a union (whether you're religious or not).  Yeah, there's disagreements, but make your marriage full of love, and you'll make it through.  Choose someone you want to spend every moment with, make every memory with, and spend your LIFE with!

I, for one, think marriage is amazing.  

Five on Friday {Volume Four}

So it's officially been two months since I've done a fun Friday post.  You'll find out why if you keep reading.  We've had a lot of changes lately and are enjoying this time of transition in our lives. Luckily, we have great family to lean on and are always growing in our relationship together.  I'll break down our recent month into the big points to share here.  Sorry I've been out of touch!
ONE:  
April 21st was my last day at my amazing job in Austin.  I was lucky to have secured a position at the largest law firm there.  I learned so much about the legal world and litigation.  I really enjoyed delving in to a whole new area and meeting a ton of great people along the way.  Thanks to everyone at JW for your patience, advice, and all of the memories!!
TWO:
April 24th, hubby and I packed everything up AGAIN and took a two day drive to Minnesota.  Austin, Texas treated us so well, but the Midwest has our hearts and our families.  It was hard to leave the warmth, great people, and mostly, the food scene.  We are currently enjoying our time in the country crashing with my parents.  The internet deadzone, one bathroom, and limbo should be getting us down, but we are loving the down time.  Mike is able to work from home, and I am taking the purposeful unemployment as a nice break.  If you need moving advice, just ask!

Leaving Texas

Minnesota Welcoming Us Home

THREE:
We came back to Minnesota much earlier than expected (and crashed with the parents) to get in on the house hunting game.  Let me tell you, it's not fun.  We suck at this game.  We are a tough couple because we want a modern house in the country, preferably with out buildings, but within an hour of the Twin Cities.  And we want it to be our forever home.  So it has to be big enough, close to grandparents, and affordable.  Now you see the problem.  We've almost made an offer two times, but it hasn't been quite right.  Patience is not my strong point, but this has been good for me and good for our relationship.
FOUR:
I finally got to meet my niece and nephew!!  One lovely part of not having a job is that when my mom asked me to go out to Colorado with her, I could go!  We spent four days near Denver helping to take care of my less than two month old twins.  It has been a long time since I've held or fed a baby.  I took my time and slowly got more comfortable with them.  They are so tiny and adorable!  I loved having the time to be there while they are still small.  We're so lucky to have them.  I cannot wait to see them again soon!

Nicholas

Ella

FIVE:
It feels good to be back.  Everyone in Austin  couldn't fathom why we would want to move back to Minnesota.  {It's cold}  But once we got here, we knew it was right.  Like I said, this is a strange transition time, but we are doing great with it.  Mike gets along great with my parents, we enjoy being home together during the day, and we're rediscovering this area of Minnesota.  Seeing friends and family reassures us that it's good to be back.  

Mom and Me

What have you been up to lately?

Linking up with:

Friday Favorites at Momfessionals

Oh, Hey Friday at September F A R M

High Five for Friday at Bright on a Budget

Friday Favorites at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Five on Friday at Hello! Happiness/A.Liz Adventures/Carolina Charm/The Good Life Blog

Friday Favorites at Life in Leggings

Friday Favorites at Meet @ the Barre

Homemade Rootbeer Schnapps

My family, like E.X.T.E.N.D.E.D. family has a gigantic family reunion every five years.  It is my paternal grandmother's family ancestors.  It has been going on since the 80's and is always something we all look forward to.  For years.  
It was supposed to be this weekend.  In the Brainerd Lakes area.  Yeah...the area that just got pommeled by storms a few nights ago.  Our resort is now closed, and the tough decision was made to CANCEL the reunion. For the first time since its inception.  Yikes!
TEARS.  {Not from me.}  But a few of my younger cousins were devastated.  And of course, everyone is bummed out.  With no time to re-book a large group and a dinner party, my cousin has kindly offered her husband's family cabin as a backup plan.  
Although we won't get to see everyone we would have, it is still a great time to get together and enjoy the outdoors. We'll devour some good food, imbibe a few too many beverages, and I'm sure take some embarrassing photos.  Make sure to like my Facebook page for updates!
For the occasion, my aunt and I have put together a surprise.  Apparently the "adults these days" are in to root beer barrel shots...out of an ashtray.  Don't ask me!  I don't take shots, but I guess it's the thing to do!  So I set out to make my own Root Beer Schnapps for the occasion, and I'm going to share the recipe with you!  

I quadrupled this recipe to have plenty to go around.  You can do this in MINUTES and be ready to go!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup very hot water 3⁄4 cup white sugar 1 cup vodka 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve sugar in hot water. Add vodka and root beer concentrate and vanilla stir well. Store in air tight container.
YIELDS: 2 1/2 cups
EASY-PEASY, right?!  So yeah, I have ten cups of this stuff if you're interested, hah!

We also ordered some ashtrays from Amazon.  You can find them HERE if you're wanting to share in this excitement.  

Make sure you get an ashtray that completely separates each side.  Fill one side with your schnapps, the other side with beer, and SHOOT IT!  Like I said, I have not tried this, but I surely will be this weekend.  Let me know that you think!!

Wisconsin Camping Trip

I haven't blogged in ages.  Almost a month...
My bad.

While winding down summer, it's been hard to sit and contemplate a new post.  I have a few on the horizon.  Until then, I will recount some of my adventures.

In August, I planned a surprise camping trip to Wisconsin for Mike and I.  I told him to take off work, and did everything for preparation by myself.  I'm very proud of that because I SUCK at surprises and I always want to tell Mike what's going on.  When you live with someone, it's hard not to share your excitement!  I arranged a bunny sitter, bought some necessities, planned meals, and made all the reservations.

I guess you could say the trip was inspired by my URBAN GLAMPING night.  Check that post out HERE.  I also grew up camping tons of weekends in the summer and have been missing it.  We have gotten some gear for gifts and I wanted to put it to good use.  Plus, who doesn't want to spend a weekend in the woods with their new hubby?!

I reserved two nights at Interstate State Park in Wisconsin, and one night at Pleasant Lake B&B.  I would suggest both accommodations, especially the B&B.  I must say, I rock at planning getaways. The campsite we got was on the end of it's own culdesac, very private, and had its own trails right to the river.  It was really big and a great site.

Starting the weekend!

Home

Huge site!

Camping life.

We arrived Thursday night, set up camp, started a fire, and commenced with drinking and s'mores. Yes, I had s'mores before dinner.  I had to get in as many as I could!  We had hobo dinners, more s'mores, and played mancala.  We also slept on a twin air mattress, because our tent is only 5x7! We've slept in many small beds in our time, so we made it work.  It was cool at night, so snuggling was a good way to warm up.

S'mores all day.

Over the course of the weekend, we visited a few wineries, Wild Mountain for the alpine slide, took in Franconia Sculpture Park, ate at a few outdoor restaurants, enjoyed ice cream from the ice cream shop, hiked, played bags in our campsite, read, and enjoyed spending time together away from work, home, and internet.  I absolutely loved it.   

Hiking at the Dalles

Hiking, awesome trails there!

Watching the sun set at the vineyard

My lovely man

At the river right by our campsite

I hope you get this reference!

Franconia, amazing place!

The bed and breakfast was our first time at one.  Rich and Char were great, and my favorite part was the lake.  There are only about 5 houses on it, and you can use their paddle boat any time you want. We spent an hour out there, watching the sun go down, floating, talking to the fishies, and enjoying each other's company. We followed that with a 30 minute soak in their double whirlpool tub.  I literally had to hold on to the sides because it was so big.  It felt fantastic, especially after camping, hiking, and sleeping in a tent!

After dinner in town, we had one of my favorite moments together in over five years.  We sat on our balcony in the moonlight, under a blanket, looking at the lake, and drank a bottle of wine.  It was SO peaceful, romantic, and memorable for me.  I won't forget that night...just being together, talking quietly, enjoying some red wine.  Perfect.  Remember to make special moments with your husband!

The next day, we had breakfast at the house, which was delicious, and fun talking with our housemates and 'innkeepers'.  We went into town to see the waterfall, and took the backroads home.

It was a fantastic weekend, with perfect weather, fun activities, wine (what could be better), being outdoors, being out of the city, and being together.  I love my man, and spending time doing something a little different was a perfect way to become even closer.

My Amazing Husband {A Positive Outlook on Marriage}

In the middle of March, my husband and I checked off six years on our calendar...of dating each other.  In the scope of things, it doesn't mean much, but to me, it's worth noting that we have been together for six years and are still massively in love with each other.  In honor of that, I thought I would do a little love-splurge blog so I can remember how fantastic my husband is when I read this thirty years from now!

The first time I was introduced to my now-husband, I thought he looked a bit nerdy and was not interested in the slightest.  When I saw him again two days later, it was love at second sight.  I was 18 and thinking "I hope he sits by me!".  And he did.  And that's where it all began.

For months, I took my friends along to hang out with him.  We went to parties, hangover breakfasts, and hung out a lot, but never alone.  After a few months, I didn't know what to do (I was already in a two year long serious relationship), my two best friends at the time pulled the tough love card.  It was obvious to them what the right decision was, and after a few agonizing days, I made the decision to end my relationship and start to pursue a different type of relationship with my now husband. 

The short story is:  we started dating, got married a little more than 4 years later, and will celebrate two years of being Mr. & Mrs. this June. 

And it's AMAZING.  My husband truly treats me like a princess.  He will rub my feet any time I need it.  He gives me strong hugs when I need them.  He wipes the toilet seat.  He does the COOKING (I know, I'm super lucky!).  He tells me when I look like a grandma.  He lets me go out with my girlfriends.  He listens to me complain.  He is extremely patient with my sometimes horrible and negative attitude.  He is a techy man guru and can fix anything from a Lola-chewed cord to a squeeky wheel.  My friends love him (and one is waiting on cloning him).  He has a fantastic fashion eye and I love shopping with him.  He loves my curly crazy hair.  He researches the heck out of something before we buy it, and it's always worth it.  He will watch girly movies when necessary.  He loves to try new things and take me out of my comfort zone.  Did I mention he's a great chef?!  He always laughs, despite the fact that I am uber-non-hilarious.  He pushes me to be a better person.  He is not a "gamer".  He co-hosts parties when he would rather be in bed.  He helps fold the laundry.  He's a good driver.  He encourages me.  He is successful and passionate about his work.  He never gets tired of me.

I feel very lucky to have found my man at the age of 18.  I really can't imagine the things I would have done in the past six years without him.  Likely, they would not have been great things and I definitely would not be the person I am today.  I give a lot to our relationship and I love the fact that we can spend a whole weekend together and never get tired of each other.  We can spend a Sunday in bed watching television and eating waffles and enjoy every minute together.  In fact, we generally spend a lot of time together and I still love it!

I am 100% still falling for this guy.  My husband.  I am incredibly satisfied with what my life has become as Mrs. Olson and truly would not trade it for anything!

Make sure you are marrying the man of your dreams.  The man that will always comfort and encourage you.  The man that will do the laundry when you're sick.  The man that will make the kids breakfast so you can sleep in.  The man that will take you to Italy for your birthday.  You get the jist...do not settle for someone less than your dream guy.  He is out there, I promise.   

My Travels

I did some traveling.  Which was awesome, exhausting, expensive, and FABULOUS.

I spent a 4 day weekend in Maryland visiting the only cousin I have my age.  She grew up out East so we only got to see each other every 5 years growing up.  We've never been ridiculously close, but when we're together, we make it a GREAT time!

I got a fantastic deal on a flight out to MD so I jumped on it and made it happen.  Not a lot of our family (my dad has 10 brothers and sisters, mind you) has been out to see them, so it really felt good to go see their stomping grounds.  My cousin lives in College Park/Silver Spring right outside DC.  NEWSFLASH:  I did not realize how close together the states are out there.  She can be in like 4 different states within an hour.  Crazy talk.  We spent our days in DC being tourists and having a blast.

Highlights:  Eating at a food truck, The Holocaust Museum, walking everywhere and using public transit, the ZOO, meeting her boyfriend, the Newseum, carrot cake cupcakes, catching up, and spending time with her roomies, friends, and family!

*I would like to recommend The Newseum if you are travelling to DC.  It is a bit expensive, but it is a 2 day pass and it is unlike to usual museum.  The exhibits are great, and all focused on news, stories, journalists, etc.  All around the world and all types of events.  The had pieces of the Berlin Wall, the antenna from one of the World Trade Centers, tons of artifacts, and just general information you don't see at your average museum.

Policy School Happy Hour at The Meridian Pint

Cupcakes at Sticky Fingers (They were on Cupcake Wars)

View from the roof of The Newseum

Elephants at the Zoo (They have pandas, too!)

The INFAMOUS Carrot Cake

I happened to inadvertently plan the best time to visit.  It was Aria's birthday, and her sister was in town for a dentist appointment.  I was lucky to have dinner with the whole family and Aria's boyfriend on Saturday night at Fogo de Chao courtesy of Uncle Ben.  We filled up on amazing food and delicous  wine.  We also got to bring home the oh-so-coveted CARROT CAKE cupcakes.  Sound strange?  You've never had my Aunt Sara's carrot cake.  It is literally to die for.  My family will hurt each other for the last piece.  But we got 8ish cupcakes all to ourselves.  Fantastic.  The definition of NOM.  (Currently drooling, by the way)

My trip was awesome.  It was a bit cold, due to the winter storms out East that weekend, but we stayed dry, and my flights were on time!  It was so fun to go out there and try something new.  I will definitely be going to visit again.  We had lots of goodies, drinks at fun bars, made memories, and it was a great time!

Junk Market / Thrifting / Swap Meet Adventures

Last weekend while running errands, we saw a sign on the road for a junk market.  I was so excited and looked forward to it all week.  We used to go to the swap meet in Annandale almost every Saturday growing up.  Every once in a while, we would even sell stuff, but that wasn't as fun.

I have memories of 50¢ Amish moonie pies (aka whoopie pies, but these were ah-mah-zing and impossible to duplicate), snow cones, TY beanie babies, looking at the puppies, and I even got a bunny named Sunny once.  My dad love auctions, junk, and having his garage full of STUFF.  My mom likes decorating, old things, and furniture.  I realize now...I'm turning into my parents!

This is getting scary, y'all!!

Mike told me in the middle of this week not to get my hopes up {I was realllly excited} and he didn't want me to be disappointed.  Sometimes I get a little overzealous.  I told him we were getting up at 8am to get the good stuff.  He HATES getting up early on the weekends...his response...
"I'll go whenever you want to go, honey."  GAWD I love him!  Seriously, so lucky.

So this morning, we were out of the house before 9am, and headed to the "junk market".
It.was.AWESOME!  After my mini vintage-hunting with my mom over labor day weekend, I've been itching to shop at anything other than an actual store.  This was in a parking lot, the weather was beyond amazing, and after only 2 hours, less than $40, including some sweet edibles and coffee, we were headed home with some sweet scores!

There were vendors (Norwex, Mary Kay...which I avoided), small vendors with garage sale/personal things, and small businesses such as jewelry makers, purses, etc.  Pretty much everything you could ask for. I had my eye out for decorative things for the house, furniture, and jewelry.  I did pretty well!

I also got some cards and flyers for upcoming barn sales, more markets, and store fronts to check out. If you are interested, let me know, and we can go shopping together!  But seriously, I'm going to a barn sale on October 19th if you'd like to join me.  I talked to a lot of owners and made some connections to keep my eyes on this little world of "junkers".  I think I found a new hobby!

I couldn't wait to get home and tell my mom about our adventure.  Her and my dad taught me to haggle, and I almost went all out when I saw a lady with the vintage wine box I had my eyes on.  It's common to buy items even from other customers, something my mom does all the time!

It's been hard to find good places to "shop" around here, but now I'm ready to roll.  Too bad the season's almost over!  I'll be more prepared for next summer.  I now have my mom going to a barn sale for me next weekend, because I'll be up north at a wedding.  She knows what I like, and she got me into it, so I'm sure she'll find us some good stuff!

We also got side-tracked to an estate sale.  By this time it was almost noon, so it was pretty picked over, but we found a few things, and now we have another thing to keep our eyes out for!

Here are some pictures:

Part of a business couple's sign for their company

A glimpse of the action

Food truck, best wontons of my life!

Some of my loot.  Mostly decorative things, but jewelry and a wallet as well!

Handmade glass jewelry

If you are interested in any of the local businesses, or would like to join me next time, just ask!

The Parents Visit Austin, Texas

Make sure to go like my Facebook page - Being Mrs. Olson Blog.  We will be doing a fun giveaway when we reach 250 likes!

Going back to work after vacation is horrible. Last week, we were lucky enough to have my parents come visit us in Austin for four lovely days!

Blessed with 80 degree weather and lots of sunshine, my parents forgot all about the single-digit temperatures in Minnesota and we showed them around our new stomping grounds.  The day they went back to Minnesota was one year to the day from when we LEFT Minnesota.  And we only saw my parents once in between.  Seeing your parents once/twice a year is hard!  So we made the most of it. 

After getting up at 3 AM, my parents arrived just in time for lunch.  We showed them my office building in downtown Austin, which has excellent views of the river.  We then went on a little walk to get some sandwiches from Short Bus Subs.  They're a quick and easy food truck with toasted sandwiches that fill you up.  We enjoyed eating outside and watching all of the people and dogs out and about.  It was a great time to catch up and get all of the happy jitters out of the way. 

The days followed with breakfasts made at home, daily adventures and outings, and lots of great food.  Austin's food scene is impossible to take in in a few days.  We made sure to get in some American food (dad is a little less adventurous), my parents both tried sushi for the first time {and chopsticks!}, some homegrown BBQ, and of course some yummy drinks along the way. 

 

 

A highlight of their visit was a day at Top Golf.  It is a driving range that is more like a game.  Think bowling alley - combined with a driving range.  I haven't golfed in about 15 years, I've done it one time, and it involved multiple crying sessions and several lost balls {I was like 10}.  I had no intentions of enjoying this golf outing and was content with eating and drinking while the guys golfed.  But we had a great time!!  My mom and I golfed the whole time, while sipping on fresh strawberry sangria.  With delicious burgers, tots, and a dessert of DIY injectable donut holes, it was a smashing SUCCESS!  We all loved it and couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the trip. 

 

 

Our nights were filled with childhood stories, family gossip, casual TV watching, snacks, and a few riotous games of Farkle.  One thing I am so grateful for is the fact that Mike and me - and my parents - get along like friends.  We used to spend New Year's Eve together, we've gone on vacation together, we have a great time and it always goes too fast. 

My parents have been married almost 35 years.  What better example can you ask for?  What a fantastic way to be inspired in your marriage - spend time with a lively example!  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making more memories with us and showing us a fun time!

 

This trip was memorable.  Back in 2010, my mom and grandma visited me in Oslo, Norway, and we always talk about the memories we made there.  THIS visit was definitely on par with that.  I will always remember having an awesome time with my parents in a different state and trying new things.  This is part of the reason we moved here in the first place.  We wanted to make memories and add another chapter to our book.