Sometimes and Always: Saturday Edition

There used to be a blog post every week called Sometimes and Always.  The hostess hasn't held this in awhile, but its a fun way of thinking, and I thought today would be a fun time to get back to it.

Sometimes:  I am at the end of my rope by Friday afternoons.
Always:  I show up for work on Monday.  The two-day weekends seem to work their rejuvenating magic.

Sometimes:  Michigan has a REALLY BIG football rivalry game on Saturday, and it is so exciting, and the outcome is completely unknown because momentum and the home-field advantage plays SUCH a huge role!
Always:  Their Saturday games are awesome no matter who they're playing, and I am always clad in Maize and Blue and cheering my heart out!

Sometimes:  My hubby and I go to the store late at night on Friday or Saturdays so we don't have to do it the next day.
Always:  We are glad when we've done it and we enjoy not having to get up and go to the store first thing in the morning.

Sometimes: I think I might be feeling the baby start to flutter in my belly.
Always:  I'm not really sure yet.  I think it might be my imagination, or just ligaments stretching.

Sometimes:  Lexie and Lloyd are both on our bed at the same time, and they are not fighting or challenging each other for territory.
Always:  This makes me so happy!

Sometimes:  Families are just interesting.  They are really one of a kind, and just a barrel full of monkeys.
Always:  They're family.  For better or worse, and for always, they're family.

Sometimes and Always: Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I've done Sometimes and Always... mostly because the blog that hosts it hasn't done it in awhile... but that's no reason I can't do it.  Come to think about it, the blog that hosts As of Late hasn't done that in awhile either... I need to remember to do that topic soon too.

Sometimes: I need to call my hubby to give me a pep talk before I press play on the exercise DVD
Always: My hubby is amazing and he tells me that I can do it and how proud he is of me and that he's going to ask me how I did when he gets home

Sometimes: I plan on taking a shower and going to sleep as soon as my workout is over
Always: I have so much energy after the workout is over and the plan to go to sleep is postponed for 5-7 hours.

Sometimes: The work that goes into sending Christmas cards is a little tiring
Always: I am SO glad to send and receive Christmas cards -- I love that Chris and I are accumulating our own family history through our yearly Christmas cards.  I cannot wait to see how our family changes over the years.  Even just comparing last year's card and this year's card makes me smile!

Sometimes: When my hubby snores at night, instead of physically nudging him awake, I search for a youtube clip of someone snoring and play it until he wakes up
Always: I'm not particularly proud of this, but in the morning, my hubby admits that it was really funny

Sometimes: I feel like every one of my married friends is pregnant
Always: I am grateful for this very joyful, exciting stage of life

Sometimes: The knowledge that both Chris and my families come together for Thanksgiving in our beautiful, cozy little home and make memories together for a few days overwhelms me to joyful tears
Always: After several days of both of our INCREDIBLY different families together under the same roof, I'm grateful that it only happens once a year

 What has been going on in your world?

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes: The best feeling is curling up in a warm and cozy bed
Always: The best time for this is at the end of a long day, on a Friday night when I don't have to move again for many hours.

Sometimes: I DO NOT understand the actions of some parents.
Always: Probably, someday I will be a parent that someone doesn't understand my actions.

Sometimes: After years of hardly even reading "The Mountain Millers" blog, my hubby suddenly decides he wants to weigh in on the Mountain Millers writings
Always: He does not tell me when he does this

 

Sometimes: A break in my routine sounds enjoyable and amazing
Always: A break in my routine really throws me off for a couple of days

 

Sometimes: A shower sounds amazing.  Sometimes, a shower sounds exhausting.
Always: I feel better after a shower.

 

Sometimes: At 4:30am, when I get ready for my day at work, I think an outfit or a hair style works, "Why haven't I done this before?" I wonder.  "It was so easy, I don't know why I've shied away from this hair 'do or sweater before."
Always: Around 10am, when I look at myself in a mirror at my 3rd school of the day, it becomes clear why I have never worn my hair that way, or that sweater before.  My appearance has really suffered with this 4:30am dressing time.  Things look okay at 4:30 that look HORRIBLE in the light of day.

 

Sometimes: I decide to do Sometimes and Always even when the blogger hostess doesn't host Sometimes and Always
Always: I enjoy doing it, and I don't mind that I'm the only one.

 

Sometimes: Its hard to believe that it was a year ago that I blogged every day in October.
Always: That month really started a habit.  I've blogged 345/365 days of the past year.  Wow.

 

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes: I cry after work meetings

Always: At least I don't cry during the work meeting

Sometimes: I eat or drink in an effort to control my life because there is so much I cannot control in my life

Always: I wish I would abstain from eating and drinking to control my life... so far, no luck

Sometimes: I want take new mothers and people grieving a nice dinner

Always: I'm never really sure how to deliver dinner... am I supposed to cook it first and deliver it ready to serve?  Am I supposed to leave it uncooked and have them bake it?  Am I supposed to cook it and move it to a freezer-safe container so they can heat it up and eat it when they want to?  I just don't know.

Sometimes: It annoys me that, in my work car, I have to get gas about once a day

Always: I'd rather get gas then run out of gas

Sometimes: I look to the future with a great sense of hope, joy, and anticipation

Always: I know my future is in God's hands

Sometimes: I look toward the future with a great sense of dread and trepidation

Always: I know my future is in God's hands

Sometimes: I look at cars with out-of-state license plates along I-70 with great disdain -- what are they doing passing taking up space along my daily 90-mile commute?

Always: I was already in a bad mood that day they annoy me

Sometimes: There is only one cure for a hard 12+ hour day...

Always: My animals remind me I'm still the Mama, and my job isn't over when I get home...

 What is Sometimes and Always the case in your world?

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes: I feel like Super Woman -- wife, teacher, mom to animals, occasional cook, long-distance worker

Always: I'm never Superwoman... I can do about two things per day -- work and mom to animals, or work and wife, or work and cook... never more than two in a day.  I'm never Superwoman.

Sometimes: I come up with great ideas for my hubby's birthday (or Christmas or our anniversary)
Always: I'm pretty sure I end up giving him gifts that I think are great instead of gifts that he thinks is great (don't worry, he does the same thing to me)

Sometimes: I acknowledge that I need a hair trim
Always: I decide the price isn't worth it (which makes me so grateful for the fact that I was just given a gift card to a hair salon in town!!!  YAY!)

Sometimes: I enjoy the challenge of 14+ hour work days (5:00am-7:00pm and beyond)
Always: After I enjoy the challenge, I'm completely exhausted and sort of hate the idea of work the next day.

Sometimes: I think about how happy I could be staying in our sweet little house in Rifle forever.  We have such a sweet little home and, in our second year here, we are SO content!
Always: I imagine a house with more land for our children to run and play... eventually.  I love the quote "The soul needs more space than the body."  I want our children's souls to have more space than their bodies.

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes and Always -- a little angry
I'm sorry, but we all have those days.



Sometimes: I have really bad days
Always: I consume more junk food on those days than the average day

Sometimes:  I get really angry (at any number of things) and stay fuming for hours
Always: It takes a couple of stupid jokes, but my hubby can always, eventually, get me to laugh

Sometimes: I feel like my hubby and I have no money
Always: We have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and happy, healthy animals, so things really are not too bad

Sometimes: I disagree with the political posts people put on facebook
Always: I "Hide this post"

Sometimes: I get tired of driving half of my work day
Always: Anne of Green Gables and other characters make the drive go by more quickly

Sometimes:  I get incredibly frustrated with the public education system
Always: I am grateful for the paycheck.

Sometimes: I crave a really specific meal or snack
Always: Once that craving gets into my system, I will likely continue to crave it for the next 3-5 days -- my hubby doesn't understand, he doesn't even like leftovers  :-D

Sometimes: After a full day of work, I continue to work long into the evening at home
Always: I eventually have a day when I just CAN'T keep working and I need an 10-12 hour break!

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes and Always with Mackey Madness...



Sometimes: I feel like laundry is never-ending
Always: Until Chris and I join a nudist colony, laundry is never-ending

Sometimes: The best way to get our house in order after we've been traveling is to pretend company is coming
Always: The best way to get our house in order after we've been traveling is to actually have company come -- we have friends spending the night tonight, then different friends over for dinner on Friday -- our house looks GREAT, and we've only been back in town a few days

Sometimes: I am a total sucker for marketing ploys
Always: I support Team USA -- even if I didn't buy the cereal

Sometimes: I feel very grateful for my job and excited to start another school year
Always: I really want to be a full-time homemaker and pray the Lord will call me to that role eventually

Sometimes: My hubby gets annoyed that I freeze bananas in the freezer... and forget about them... and add more to the freezer... and end up with 15 frozen bananas
Always: My hubby enjoys the strawberry-banana muffins I make with the 15 frozen bananas

Sometimes: I realized I don't have all the ingredients for a recipe after I start making the recipe and I make a last minute substitution
Always: It is REALLY rewarding when the substitution creates an even better result -- like when I didn't have blueberries and made strawberry-banana muffins instead of blueberry-banana muffins :-D

Hope you're having a great Wednesday.

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes and Always with Mackey Madness



Sometimes: My hubby and I LOVE our summer travels.  Experiencing adventures together, introducing each other to old friends, and seeing our families.
Always: It feels GREAT to come back home!

Any John Denver fans?  I AM!
 

Sometimes: I get really inspired and do two exercise tapes and go for a run or walk in one day
Always: This motivation does not last more than maybe 2 days... after that I'm back to one workout a day

Sometimes: I find myself cheering loudly for the weirdest sports during the Olympics
Always: If Team USA is playing, I don't care about the sport, I am going to CHEER!

Sometimes: The Olympics means my television in on about 20 hours/day (I'm not glued to my chair or anything... the tv is just on)
Always: I feel better about so much television watching when I exercise each day

Sometimes: My hubby convinces me to watch Cardinals Baseball instead of the Olympics
Always: I record the Olympics and try to avoid news and social media so I can watch the events later and be surprised

Sometimes: My hubby and I disagree
Always: The best disagreements are the silly ones -- like whether the Olympic Mens Volleyball Teams hug or huddle in between points... I think the teammates huddle, my hubby thinks the teammates hug.  What do you think?

Sometimes: Commercials make me cry
Always: Olympic commercials make me cry

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes and Always with Mackey Madness...



Sometimes: I don't particularly like or want to clean or do laundry
Always: I like a clean house and clean linens

Source: huffingtonpost.com via Miguel on Pinterest

Sometimes: I understand that the NCAA had to take action against Penn State University regarding the horrible acts that happened on their campus and at the hand of one of their former assistant coaches
Always: I side with Joe Paterno and I believe the wrong people are being punished, and will be punished for years, for crimes committed years ago

Sometimes: I muster the patience to handle situations I do not understand
Always: Patience does not come easily

Source: google.com via AKP on Pinterest

Sometimes: I lose my patience with the concept of patience
Always: I pray and pray and pray

Sometimes: People post on facebook/twitter/their blog/etc. ALL the things they have to get done in a short amount of time.  The write how much they have to do, how little time they have, and how it will never all get done in time.
Always: I find it hysterical that they wasted some of their precious time to tell the world via facebook/twitter/their blog/etc. how little time they have to spare

via

Sometimes: I post on facebook how much I have to accomplish in a short amount of time
Always: I find it funny that I waste some of my time doing that... maybe something about telling the world what you're going to do helps you zero in, focus, and get it done?

Sometimes: I forget to put on sunscreen once or twice a summer
Always: I regret it

What's happening Sometimes and Always in your world?

Sometimes and Always: From Vacation

Sometimes and Always from Vacation...



Sometimes: I am really excited to be in a big city like Washington's DC or New York for a holiday like New Year's Eve for the Fourth of July
Always: I remember it is/would be awesome once in a lifetime... but I don't really like crowds so, about once is probably enough

Sometimes: I think about living in a big city and riding a Metro to and from work and I get Hollywood image in my mind from Picture Perfect, You've Got Mail, or Friends
Always: When I visit the city and actually ride a Metro,they're kind of dirty, scary, crowded, and smelly, and I'm glad I live in a small town

Sometimes: I think that everyone knows the dress code for the fourth of July red white blue
Always: Someone close to me (like my husband) dresses for the day in brown and orange and I realize not every knows the wardrobe requirements

Can you see the Capitol building behind us?
It looked bigger in person

Sometimes: In the middle of winter, I remember with nostalgia the summer heat and the wardrobe of tank tops and skirts that come with it

Always: When summer heat and humidity (outside of Colorado) arrives, I am grateful for for the change of season and the heat... but I'm also kind of miserable :-D

 Sometimes: My husband and I lose each other when we're in a big city

Always: We eventually find one another

Sometimes: When I'm in a big city I expect someone that I know from some point in my life (high school, college, grad school, professional life... there must be someone here that I know)

Always: I never see anyone familiar and I'm amazed at how many strangers there are in the world

Sometimes: I imagine living in a big city and running regularly amidst the iconic views -- along the National Mall or through Central Park, I imagine myself as a lone early morning runner savoring the beauty
Always: When I visit these places, I see runners dodging tourists like an obstacle course and I'm happy with my small town running course at home

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes and Always while traveling...

 

Sometimes: I get anxious when I think about spending time with my in-laws
Always: The more time I spend with them, the better I get to know them, and we have a blast.  Every time I come to think of them more and more like my family.

All the dogs in St. Louis -- Lloyd is going to have a blast with all his cousins

Sometimes: I see Lloyd playing so gently with a new little puppy and I think how much fun it would be to be him a little puppy brother or sister
Always: I come back to the conclusion that we have our perfect family for the moment with one cat and one dog. 

I am going to miss these critters so much while we travel

Sometimes: My hubby and I get excited for a "really nice" dinner out, like the on we had on our anniversary.
Always: We enjoy the nice, expensive dinners out, but we realize that we don't need anything expensive or dressy to have a wonderful time together.  We love cooking at home in pajamas!

1 Year of Bliss!

Sometimes: I see something on the Food Network that looks amazing and I imagine how great it would be to eat a meal made by one of those chefs
Always: Chris and I try to fit Foot Network recommended places on our travels and we are always blown away by the foodie goodness

We ate Cupcake War Winning cupcakes in St. Louis -- YUMMY!

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Sometimes & Always

Sometimes: I am amazed at how different actual marriage is from everything I pictured it to be
Always: I am overjoyed by the parts that are better, and take a deep breath and remind myself that we have 60 years to figure out the harder parts

Sometimes: I imagine all the fun, productive, healthy, and responsible things I can get done on the (rare) days we are home over summer break
Always: The lack of structure throws me and it takes me most of our time at home to get myself in a fun, productive, healthy, responsible routine

via

Sometimes: I actually have the will-power to refuse my hubby when he offers to buy me a milk shake or have junk food for dinner
Always: A huge part of me feels guilty because I don't like saying "No" when my hubby is trying to be sweet and offering something he thinks will make me happy

Sometimes: I wear my pajamas most of the day (when I don't have to leave the house)
Always: My hubby tells me how much he likes it when I wear my pajamas around the house, so it doesn't really help me break the habit :-D

Chime in with your Sometimes and Always at Mackey Madness.

Sometimes & Always

Sometimes and Always with Megan!




Sometimes: I get into such a happy, productive routine in the month of May that I start to think I could enjoy working year-round
Always: I fall across the finish line of the school year completely exhausted and admit that I need two months to recover before another school year

Sometimes: My hubby or I casually comment on how nice it would be to eat take-out tonight instead of cooking
Always: We say that we don't need that tonight, think about it a few minutes, and then wind up getting Chinese or Pizza

Sometimes: I follow my mother's baking recipes to a "T" in an effort to create delicious treats like my mom makes
Always: I end up with baked goods that taste somewhat like Mom's, but are texturally dry and crispy -  GRRRRRRRRR!

Monster Cookies made for my hubby's students... I hope they like them with a crunch

Sometimes: I tell myself that we should invite friends over for the sole purpose of requiring me to majorly clean the house
Always: When we invite friends over... I clean, but not majorly

Sometimes: I do not understand the thought process of others
Always: I continue to wonder what they are thinking

For example... why would anyone ship 6 spatulas in a box this size?

Sometimes: I get very excited for the weekly Sometimes & Always post
Always: I'm surprised with how difficult it is to come up with statements of Sometimes & Always  :-D

 

Sometimes & Always: Excited for the End of School

Every Tuesday, Megan hosts Sometimes & Always.  I always post Treasuring the Present on Tuesday, but I do like the idea of catching up with the Sometimes and Always later in the week.



Sometimes: I watch reruns of America's Next Top Model while I'm working on the computer.
Always: I find myself practicing a model runway walk around the house afterwards.

Sometimes: I don't think I am getting excited about the end of the school year.
Always: I remember the trips Chris and I have planned, the people we're going to see, the exercise I want to do, and the books I want to read, and I realize I am really excited about the end of the school year.

Top of my summer reading list!

 Sometimes:  I wake up before work to exercise.

Always: I feel great when I do and I try to remind myself how great it feels the next time the the early alarm goes off.

Sometimes: When I think about summer, I imagine treating myself to a once-per-year summer massage or pedicure.
Always: Always I start pricing them and decide the cost is not worth it (which is why I really appreciate spa gift certificates!)

Sometimes: I see hair styles on pinterest that make me miss my long hair.

Source: web.me.com via Brooke on Pinterest

Always: I put my short hair up to work out, take a fast shower, and blow dry my hair in no time, and I remember how excited I am for this season of short hair!

Sometimes: I waste time skipping from blog to blog from the lists that bloggers recommend on their blog

Always: I end up finding at least one blog that I'm really glad I found.

A great example is finding Megan's Blog and her weekly Sometimes & Always!

Sometimes & Always

I've recently found a new blog, Mackey Madness, that hosts a weekly topic -- Sometimes & Always.

I thought it would be fun to participate this week:



Sometimes: I wake up and Lexie (kitty) has taken over my pillow and is lying half on my face
Always: I love these moments and take a minute to pet her and listen to her purr before I fall back to sleep.

Sometimes: Lloyd (puppy) makes my legs cramp and my feet fall asleep by laying across my legs
Always: I love feeling his heart beat through his chest on my legs

Sometimes: Lexie and Lloyd get within 1 foot of each other without one threatening the other
Always: I praise God for these brief moments and hold out hope that one day they will play and cuddle together

Sometimes: (Especially during his week of grad school finals) My hubby stays late into the night at school because he works better there without distractions
Always: I realize on these nights how accustomed I've become to living with my hubby, how much I love him, and how I don't need time alone  :-D

Sometimes: I look at the (many) pregnant women or women with newborns around me with great excitement and anticipation
Always: I come home to my attention-loving sweet puppy and kitty and realize that I have enough dependents for the time being

Sometimes: May can feel like a long month
Always: May is one of my favorite months!

Sometimes: I sing at the top of my lungs in my car
Always: I feel better when I do

This was fun... maybe I'll keep this in mind every week.