9pm - 9am

Please excuse me for this rant...I am exhausted and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

I grew up in a very strict household with lots of rules. There is only one rule that I can think of right now that I have carried over into my adult life. It's a rule that I feel is exceptional and should be followed by everyone. It's the 9pm to 9am rule.

Basically, as a way to keep me from bugging other people/neighbors/friends' parents/etc. in the wee hours in the morning, my mom started this rule. I was sort of an early riser as a young kid and my best friend and I loved to call each other the minute we woke up. Neither of our parents were exactly early risers. So, my mom always told me that it was extremely rude to call people before 9am. Seeing as how I never wanted to be rude, I stuck to this rule like my life depended on it! When I started staying up later than 9pm, my mom extended the rule to saying that it's extremely rude to call people between 9pm and 9am. I could see her point. And I stuck to this rule.

Of course, in college, I was rarely up and ready to go before 9pm, so I bent the rule for the time being. However, if I knew someone was staying in for the night, I still would not call them between 9pm and 9am. After all, I didn't want to bother them!

But, undergrad is over and has been over for many years now. When I entered this wonderful world of adulthood and responsibilities, I realized that at heart, I was an early to bed, early to rise type of gal. Even Jonathan quickly adapted to this schedule as it's just more convenient for me. And try as I might to sleep in late on my days off, I am often up by 7am. I thrive only after a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, so many times on the weekend I am still in bed by 10pm.

It's lame.

I know.

The fact still remains that my alarm clock starts blaring at 5:15am Monday - Thursday. So, to get in a full 8 hours of sleep on weeknights, what time does that put me in bed? By 9:15pm.

Again, lame.

I know.

But, it is what it is and until I get a job either way closer to home or one that I don't have to arrive until 9 or 10 in the morning, it's just how it's gonna be. I've accepted it. And everyone needs to learn to deal with it.

If you can't tell, I get extremely irritable when people break the 9pm to 9am rule. Everyone knows it. I've repeatedly told people that I go to bed early and it's best to not try to contact me past 9pm. I don't mind as much if it's a Thursday - Saturday night as I do not have to be up before the sun the next morning on those days. However, I personally think that it is just in good taste to follow the 9pm to 9am rule at all times. I was raised in the south by true southern ladies. We always try to things that are in good taste at all times.

The only exception to this rule is in the case of an emergency. Which is why I rarely, if ever, put my phone on silent at night. I always have my phone on and everyone knows that if there were an emergency, they could call me and I'd be there...no problem. Jonathan completely turns his phone off at night, which drives me insane! Of course, he has drunkard friends that like to text him at all hours of the night and his phone goes off with every.single.email he receives...spam and otherwise. In general, his phone always drives me nuts. And since we are cancelling our home phone today (FINALLY...the contract is up!), someone has to keep their phone on for family emergencies.

So, please. I'm begging everyone out there. Let's act like adults and keep the sacred hours of 9pm to 9am contact-free. I treasure my sleep. I am not a morning person (despite waking up early every day). I get very irritable, even if I am up, if someone tries to talk to me before caffeine has had time to circulate through my body.

It's best for us all to observe the 9pm to 9am rule.

Really. It is.

Gramma

My Gramma passed away this past Friday, April 9th. I feel that I was very close to her. She was really the only grandmother that I knew well enough to show up at her door any time I wanted. She loved me probably more than I will ever know and I loved her more than she probably ever knew.

The past few years have been very difficult. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2006 and unfortunately for us, she was pretty far into the disease when we finally got a diagnosis. But, as morbid as this may sound, fortunately for her, it went quickly. I think she was lucky enough to not go on for years and years without her memories. It was really only this past year when she lost it all. I have known people who have had Alzheimer's relatives that have been living for years, if not decades, with no memories left. I wouldn't be able to handle that if I were put in that situation. So, that's why I say fortunately for my Gramma, she progressed at a fast pace.


In rememberance of my Gramma, I'm going to list my top 10 memories of her from my childhood. They are in no particular order, just what stands out to me in my mind:


1.) Her tight, tight hugs. She knew how to give a bone-crushing hug! They were always so comforting.


2.) Lots of big pink kisses all over my face.


3.) Her rings. She always wore big, chunky rings and they were so her style.


4.) The way she would spoil me. Rotten!


5.) Her perfume. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but if I smell it, I know it.


6.) Shopping. She taught me how shopping can always make you feel better when you are down. When I missed my mom, she would take me to the mall to "mess around" for a little bit and it always seemed to work. To this day, I will spend hours at a mall when I am feeling stressed/sad/upset/etc.


7.) The way she would play Parcheesi or Dominoes with me for hours on end. She never showed any boredom playing with me. Or at least I never noticed.


8.) Being perfect in her eyes. She kept everything I ever gave her (cards, crafts, little toys) no matter what it was and always thought everything I did was wonderful. I guess that's part of being spoiled. :)


9.) Spending the night. I spent many nights at my grandparents' house and loved it. I would ransack their house looking for old treasures and pictures. Nothing was off-limits and she would tell me all the stories behind every little thing I found.


10.) Tea parties! What else needs to be said when a tea party is involved?

Eleanor Rose Huddleston McGowan: November 25, 1924 - April 9, 2010

Just Under 5 Months!!

Well, I haven't talked much about the wedding on here, have I? I think it's because in my quest to be the most-laid-back-bride-ever, I've just completely forgotten about the wedding until someone asks me or I want to update my registeries (it's basically shopping!!). I mean "our" registeries! Eh, who are we kidding? Jonathan is about as uninterested in registering as I am in Xbox. Which is why we work so well together...I "shop" and register online while he plays video games. See? We totally have this marriage thing all worked out!

So, today I went to TheKnot.com to get some ideas for hostess gifts. My mom called yesterday asking what I wanted to do for that and I hadn't really thought much about it. I was also feeling really crappy yesterday with a little gremlin stuck inside of me trying to claw its way back out...so, I also didn't care either. But, today I'm feeling better and I need ideas! Oh yeah...so I was on The Knot and I saw they had a wedding ticker maker thing and I thought I should do that. And update the old blog while I'm at it. When I posted it, it said "4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days."

Well...crap.

Less than 5 months to go and now I need to get in shape (i.e., tone my arms and back and lose 15 pounds), find hostess gifts, start making invites, get everyone confirmed for Vegas (...you hear that guys? Book your trips! I'm stressed!), start finalizing some of the details, get organized, get in shape (there's lots to do in this department and I'm lazy)...etc. I did do something productive for the wedding yesterday. I bought shoes! They aren't anything fancy, but I love them. Plus, Zappos is awesome and they are being delivered today! 36 hour turnaround...not too shabby.

I just thought of about 1,000 other things I need to get done and I have 152 DAYS left!! Plus, work and school and ... well, that's all really. I feel like I have more to do but I guess I don't.

OK, I'm off to make a list now!

By the way, click here for our wedding site if you are interested. Which, I've been meaning to update...