Tap, tap, tap…is this thing on?

When E. asked me to write my introductory post, I’m not going to lie—-I felt a little heart palpitation with a twinge of panic. I mean, what if these new readers don’t like me? What if I’m the boring contributor of the bunch [not that there will be one of those in this group, but I'm a pessimist like that if not totally neurotic. Give me some time, you'll see]. You see change both excites me and scares the living crap out of me simultaneously. Ah, the paradox of life: change is necessary but freaky. And it calls for lots of red wine if you want to make it through with your sanity.

You see, my dears, my personal blog is entitled ‘My Life in Transition‘ for a good reason: I enjoy making myself squirm with discomfort while piling on numerous life changes all at once. Yep, my journey as a newlywed is anything but ordinary and I think I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that our lives will never be the ‘normal’ married lifestyle. At least not for two more years…

Here is the cliff notes version of my life: my studly husband, Nate, proposed to me in March 2006 after dating me since 2002. We were married in May 2007 in St. Louis, where we both attended school and lived for 8 years. Our wedding was the bomb, if I do say so myself. I have about a bazillion pictures and I will probably make you look at them soon, don’t worry. So then two days after our beloved wedding, we packed our St. Louis lives into an 18 foot U-Haul truck and drove 6 hours north to the grand city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nate is originally from this Brew City and his parents [a.k.a. The Best In-Laws Ever] still live here. He always planned on going back to graduate school in Wisconsin [hello, in-state tuition!] but just couldn’t decide which career path he’d choose. My first lesson as the supportive wife? To be patient and NOT strangle my husband as he went back and forth over his options: MD, Dentist, PA, PT, PITA [oops, how did that one get in there?]. His decision finally landed him in PT school which is ironic because I, myself, am a Physical Therapist. Yes, that’s right….my husband loves me so much he wants to be me. Sigh. Here is a recent picture of us…two peas in a pod, really. Except my friend told me Nate looks like he’s in a wheelchair in this picture, do you agree?

So anyway, he got into PT school which is a full-time job and we were all, “Married life is so great….even if we are paying an ungodly amount in rent, plus a tuition, plus one little salary….wait a minute.” We lasted approximately 8 months before we accepted my in-laws offer to live above them rent-free. Now hold on, it’s not as bad as you think. They own a typical Milwaukee duplex which means we have our own entrance, our own kitchen, and yes….even some privacy. So basically, it works for us even though that decision meant we moved twice within the first year of our marriage. Did I mention that I despise moving with a passion? I’d rather gouge out my eyes with a butter knife than move anytime soon. Seriously.

Nate graduates in 2011 and we’ll just have to see what type of transitions that brings to our marriage. But I am certain that having two salaries will be so freaking awesome that I might just lose my mind. Two more years, my friends. And we all know how fast time goes these days.

Other things about me? I have the most adorable dog ever named Henry. We treat him like a real human child and you would, too, if you had to look into these eyes every day:

Also, I bought an SLR camera in January and I’m kind of obsessed with taking pictures. I design wedding albums in my spare time, run a lot while training for marathons, complain about Wisconsin weather [only during the 7 months of winter we get up here, don't worry], spend way too much time on the internets, create to-do checklists that include things I’ve already done just so I can check those items off with a sense of accomplishment, and plot ways for me to work less than 5 days per week. So far, I got nothin. I’ll let you know if I solve that mystery.

But enough about me, what about you? Who are you, dear readers? Newlyweds? Brides-to-be? Single and loving it? Shout out to my ‘other’ blog readers, my homies, and my friends. I’m excited to be here although I have no clue what I’ll say. Randomness at it’s best, that’s me!