Valentine’s Day huh? That was just a few months ago right?

I would tell you that I’ve been extra busy the past few months, but I think I’m always this busy so it’s a poor excuse. But it is lacrosse season which takes away 2 evenings a week which means I need to cram more stuff into the other nights and leaves little time for me to want to type any more on my computer than I already did during the 8+ hours I spent at work. Maybe I’m not cut out for this blogging thing after all.

So I usually keep my blog filled with mindless, lighthearted dribble like what I had for dinner or what my dog has most recently destroyed. But I do a lot of blog stalking in the little free time that I have and am always inspired by the folks who talk about real things, on a regular basis. I’ve always enjoyed writing, I just need to make it a higher priority in my day. I also need to get up earlier and go to the gym and walk the dog more, but we can’t all be perfect.

So for those real bloggers out there who share their secrets with the world, I’m taking a cue from you tonight and venting into my computer screen.

Most of the people who read my little blog (if there are any left) know that Dylan works away from home most nights during the week. This leaves me home in the evenings mostly by myself – and with my big scary dog who will eat your face if you come near our house.

Dylan and I dated long distance almost all the way through college. We know how to survive in our relationship apart from each other. This fact, does not make our lives now any easier. I don’t know how people do this long term, or how they can work away from their families without coming home on the weekends – let’s just say I could never be an army wife. We haven’t been married long, but living alone most of the time while married is just strange. It’s never how I imagined married life would be when I was growing up. Not that I don’t love being married (and especially to Dylan)…and I suppose being married is probably never like you think its going to be. It’s always the little things that get me. Getting ready to go to bed alone and not having to fight over the bathroom sink to brush my teeth. Or waking up alone (well, next to my stinky, slobbery, ferocious dog) on your birthday. That one sucks pretty bad. But the bottom line is that Dylan’s job situation isn’t permanent. And so we both are pushing through for the hope of the next project to be closer to home. And there are rumors of a new project in the fall that would have my husband living at home for maybe even a whole year (seriously folks, we’ll have been married 2 years in September and Dylan has been at home for 3 months of that full time). Except with rumors of jobs in Portland also come rumors of jobs even further away than the one he’s at now. One where I couldn’t drive an hour to meet up with Dylan for dinner on a Tuesday night.

So that’s whats going in our life. And why I don’t blog all the time. There is no one else to blame if you don’t get fed, or the house doesn’t get cleaned and the dishes and laundry don’t get done. Or that flesh-eating dog doesn’t get a long walk in the evenings. But I’ll try to keep better tabs on things here. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get back to the mindless things in life, like the vegetables I’m attempting to grow.

Thanks to the following bloggers (who have no idea who I am because I just stalk) – but they’re a good read if you have a few minutes.

Marriage Confessions

Girls Gone Child

This is Reverb

(and I realize some of these fall into the mommy-blogger category. This is no way suggests we are having a baby soon – Dylan’s out of town remember. But seriously, more than anything these folks write about life. And life for them just also includes kids. Mine includes a dog and cat.)

Oh Valentine’s Day – how people love to hate you. I feel like there are two camps in regards to Valentine’s day. The Folks who say that it’s stupid and why should you dedicate one day a year to telling the people you love how you feel. And then there are the people who Loooove valentine’s day, and are shunned by the first group for neglecting their loves all other 364 days of the year.  (Just the impression I get and spurred on by stupid Ashton Kutcher)

This year, Dylan and I will be spending Valentine’s day weekend in Seattle without dog/cat/houseprojects/cooking/cleaning/dvr etc. And we’re staying at a swanky downtown Seattle hotel and going out to sushi dinners and getting massages and my hair did – the whole nine yards. Of course, this is all taking place on the 12th and 13th and we’ll spend 3 hours in the car on actual Valentine’s day and probably not do much else (this is called cheating the Valentine’s day system). But I only see Dylan 3 days a week – which is equal to only 156 days out of the year (assuming he’s working 4-10’s out of town through 2010) So dang it, we’re going to celebrate Valentine’s day and enjoy every minute of it.

And I’ll probably tell him I love him the other 156 days I see him too That’s how Valentine’s day works at the Toomey house this year.

Love ya!

Well hello again neglected blog – how are you?

Here are just a few things I thought I would share:

My spoiled animals – who have become ESPECIALLY spoiled during the week while Dylan is working out of town (aka, the dog thinks the people bed is now a doggy bed)

Please note that there is very little room for me when all is said and done here.

It’s January in Portland which means it should be cold and rainy and miserable. Instead we’ve been having some almost spring-like weather lately. So it probably won’t stop raining until July this year. But one morning a few weeks ago I had to grab my camera and take a picture of the most amazing sky as the sun was coming up. This was my favorite.

I loved the bare wiry trees against the pink sky.

And lastly way back when I made my 30 by 30 list. I crossed a few things off in 2009:

• Grew Dahlias (and some even bloomed)
• Took a train from Bridgeport CT into NYC (Amtrak, the real thing)
• Made a quilt for someone
• Went to a NCAA tournament basketball game (Go Zags!
• Have a well trained dog (minus the whole sleeping on the bed thing)

I’ve had a few nice bottles of wine here and there, but I’m not sure I’m ready to cross it off my list. But most importantly, here is what I plan on tackling in 2010.

• Read the Bible
• Learn to drive a car with a manual transmission
• Grow a vegetable garden

I think that is a good start for the year. Plus I’ll be chipping away at things like my Pulitzer reading list. And I turn 25 this year, so only 5 years to go!

Sometimes the conversations Dylan and I have are just too absurd not to share. And now they get to be documented over Google Chat, so they are even easier to share!

If you would like to know the details about Dylan’s burning* people for energy plan, I’ll send you the link to his blog.

*Technically he’s discussing cremating people for energy. These are the ideas that you come up with when you work in the middle of nowhere apparently.