gratitude #2 // Song of Solomon 3:4

 

“I have found the one whom my soul loves.”
--Song of Solomon 3:4

I have been in a relationship with Kyle for over 8 years and we have been married for 3 years and 1 week. Hands down, I would call myself lucky, but that is cliché. I would also say that I married my best friend. Again. that is cliché. But seriously, I am lucky and I am married to my best friend.  For that I am grateful. 

I may not always like Kyle and I may not always like the advice he hands out on how to handle situations, but I always love him and the advice he gives me and has given me over time has not only grown me personally, but professionally. I am grateful to have someone by my side that I don’t always have to be socially acceptable around and to have someone by my side who supports me and challenges me and grows me. 

We live in a time where people are pretty selfish, but I am married to a guy who values our quality time together and who makes it a priority to spend time with me instead of playing video games. I have a husband who looks forward to date days or morning runs together. I have a husband who likes to go to the grocery store with me, simply because it is time that we get to spend together. There is rarely a moment that I don’t feel loved. Kyle makes it a priority to make me feel loved and feel beautiful. And, it is so much more than just saying the words.

Of course. He is not without faults. He has a quick temper when annoyed or frustrated and sometimes he gets lost in video games that he forgets to do things and let’s be honest - he doesn’t have the best listening skills. But, no one is perfect and I have come to accept his quirks and short comings and I have learned to not let them get to me because it is just Kyle being Kyle.

I live in a circus. We are on a hectic, crazy road right now and I have a husband who is walking right next to me during this time and who is laughing with me and who is keeping calm when I am panicking.  Quite simply, Kyle is just a great partner to have when navigating this crazy thing called life and for that I am grateful that I never found a job in  Atlanta and had to go home to Virginia and continue working at Logan’s Roadhouse. And I am grateful for margaritas in the snow where we got to know each other even more. And I will be forever grateful that he took a huge leap and moved away form his family and friends and moved to Atlanta with me almost 7 years ago.

throwback thursday

....this weekend Kyle and I are going to be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. And, I wanted to hop on board with this throwback thursday trend and share this picture:

I posted this picture on FaceBook the summer of 2006 – before i even graduated college. When Kyle and I were just friends.  And the caption on the picture “check out ernie cheesin... and of course my future husband and i look so fabulous”

Yup. the summer of 2006 kyle was calling me his “future wife” and I was calling him my “future husband” ... and we were just summer friends back then, waiting tables at Logan’s Roadhouse.

Crazy Huh?!

Tux! Success!

Today was our "preview" for our different tux choices and it was so easy for Kyle.  The store was pretty chaotic with people picking up tuxes for weddings today and getting measured and brides and grooms picking out what they wanted for their previews and wedding so we were pretty much on our own and had to get him in his tux and all set up. 

We decided that we didn't want a black tux (too formal) and we didn't want tan (too informal) so we went with a gray.  Kyle had to try on both a light and a dark gray but it was a clear, easy win when he put on the dark gray.  It just looked sharp and since it is a night wedding it fit with the time of day more.

Oddly enough the hardest decision was the tie and the vest and I swear our consultant probably wanted to murder me.  But we decided on a paisley tie (looks soooo good) and a dotted vest.  But we swear the tux was not made for a vest because you cannot even see it when the jacket is buttoned.   But when you take off the jacket the vest and tie look really good together. 

Of course the event was not complete without me "embarrassing" Kyle by pulling up his pants and telling him the needed to be pulled up.  And after he scolded me, the consultant scolded him because his pants were not high enough (not as his waist) and he didn't have all the buttons on his vest buttoned.  I just may have to have him do a spin for my father to ensure he is put together 100%. 

But I am REALLY happy with the final outcome.  I think that the gray will look really good next to my girl's navy and that the gray will fit with the night wedding and not too formal idea we have.  ....Now to get all the guys measured and tux orders in.

Countdown: 161 days.

Time to torture Kyle! =D

After all these months of making wedding plans and decisions, Kyle J has pretty much been on the sidelines.  Which is 100% fine, I don't really need him in their mixing and voicing opinions and making decisions harder than they really need to be.  Let's be honest, it is MY day and Kyle is just my arm candy.  But now it is time for Kyle to step in and help make some decisions.

...it is Tux Time!  Time for Kyle to play dress up and spin around for me.  Granted, he will only try on probably 2 Tuxes (and I tried on 200 dresses) he will still be miserable and unhappy.  Buck up Buddy!

We are going with a Gray Tux rather than a black one since Black is WAY too formal and I hate how Black looks with Navy and my girls are wearing navy.   I am leaning towards the darker one.... but it is ultimately up to Kyle since he has to wear it and then look at it for who knows how many years in pictures.  ....But I am going to find joy in tomorrow afternoon's excursion.  (I have bribed him with wings after though. But he knows he has to behave.)

we have a dark shade of gray.

....and a light shade of gray.

200. have i really blogged 200 times.

so i have entertained you now with 200 blog posts and this little thing has evolved from 100% running to a bunch of nonsence mixed in with running. for the 200th post i am going to share in the same fashion as blog number 100.  SO thanks for following and supporting me and being awesome.

10 random things about me
1. for awhile there i was overly obsessed with cupcakes. i think i overdid it - they kinda have lost their luster to me. put one in front of me, yes, i will eat it ... but no longer will i go out of my way for a little cake.
2. i got engaged in july. yay. my ring has always been a little big. i really need to get it sized. it fits perfectly on my index finger... but it just looks funny when i wear it there. :o)
3. at some point i became boring and have learned that i like staying in on a weekend and realized that i love all things crate and barrell and love kitchen accessories. i am 26. i need to find my young side gain.
4. if i could, i would leave my christmas tree up 365 days a year.  ...but i REALLY need to get a christmas tree skirt!!
5. i am perfectly content sitting on my couch watching old episodes of TV shows. I love discovering shows that I had heard about but never really watched. Gilmore Girls for example... sucks me in.
6. i do not wear my engagement ring on the weekends unless i am going somewhere. i have no idea why i do this, but i do.
7. medieval times could be one of my most favorite places. it could be my disney world. not only did i get engaged there, but the whole production is just fun.
8. i have the oddest obsession with wrapping paper and i love wrapping presents. sometimes when i get bored, i reorganized my wrapping paper storage bin thing.
9. i always thought that my to do list book journal thing was something only i did.  i carry it everywhere with me and the list grows by the minute. then i learned my mom does the same thing. ....i guess you really do turn into your mother.
10. i often have to fight back urges to do cartwheels and forward rolls.


10 things I am looking forward to...
1. my wedding. march 24, 2012 :o)
2. registering for wedding presents, getting grown up things, and getting to donate all our cheap cups and stuff to goodwill
3. june 22 2011 - new kids on the block / backstreet boys concert.  the last new kids concert i went to was amazing ... add BSB, oh it is going to be SO much fun.
4. buying a house (not renting) with an awesome kitchen so i can buy so many awesome kitchen things with a good backyard for my demon dog.  {i have settled for now, on a cute rental house with both awesome and awkward qualities}
5. having babies! or baby ... depending on how painful the 1st one is!! but no kids till at least 2014!!
6. My bachelorette party in Savannah over St. Patrick's Day weekend. 
7. The holidays.  I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and the holiday season.
8. Finding a work life balance and the motivation to workout.
9. going home in july and being able to actually take a vacation.
10. my honeymoon. hopefully to costa rica.


10 thing i covet and want so badly... and what i want to do with it
1. a little more time in the day. i would hang out with kyle more, run more, read more, enjoy life just a little bit more.
2. a personal trainer, a chef, and a personal shopper so i can be utterly fabulous all the time.
3. a pair of alabama boot slippers. big gaudy and awful but so amazing at the same time. our floors are cold. my feet freeze.
4. awesomely amazing patio furniture for our screened in porch. i would love to sit out there and drink wine, listen to the rain, and read ... and to have dinner on the porch!
5. a new toyota 4runner or jeep grand cherokee. black please. 4 wheel drive is a must. to drive. duh.
6. a pair of burberry rainboots and i want to wear them to the office on jeans friday with skinny jeans when it rains. nothing screams professionalism like nova check rain boots. i die.
7. a $3000 treadmill. (which for the record, i will never ever own). these are super similar to the treadmills used at blast900 and i love the ease of the inclines and i LOVE how this one connects to real life trails.  (it was on sale for $2000 around the holidays...)
8. a pair of hunter rain boots (yes i want 2 pairs of rainboots) ... and i want to wear these to the office too on rainy days. but i cannot decide on a color.
9. season tickets to alabama football. this needs no explanation.
10. a vacation. to the mountains. where there is no cell service. so i can disappear and decompress.


10 things i am super thankful for
1. my super supportive and awesome family
2. kyle j. and his carefree personality
3. waking up every day. the sunrise and sunsets.
4. that my parents paid for my college education. i hear about people and their student loans all the time, i could not imagine having that sort of burden. i like that i am 26 and debt free.
5. our awesome neighbors, even though they are supporters of the university of auburn (as nick saban likes to call auburn).
6.  my crazy awesome friends and their raw honesty
7. that i understand the concept of a dollar and not living outside my means.
8. the company i work for, the people i work with, and that i love coming to work every day.
9. good runs and bad runs. long runs and short runs. hard workouts on bad days and easy workouts  ... each one is my moment to be alone and clear my head.
10. 5:00 PM on Friday.

10 pet peeves/things that irk me
1. people who create their own parking spots
2. vanity license plates (i once saw a plate that said "atthelake" and my thoughts were no sir, you are not on the lake, you're in rush hour traffic on peachtree)
3. speaker phone and people who take their calls on speaker phone
4. slow drivers in the left hand lane. slow drivers in general.
5. voicemails that are longer than 30 seconds
6. spam emails and eblast marketing emails... don't email me unless it is important.
7. inconsistency.
8. when the weather gets nice and then gets cold again and then it is nice and then it is cold. weather, make up your mind.
9. people who think they're entitled to anything and everything.
10. when people copy & paste other people's tweets for facebook statuses.  they think they're all funny and witty, but really they're lame and unfunny.  if see your status or tweet and think where have i seen that it does not make me laugh again, but go on a scavenger hunt to see where you stole it.  you plagerizer.


10 things i really really want to do
1. go to costa rica and zipline over the rain forest and hike next to the waterfalls.
2 ride in a hot air balloon
3. watching alabama win a national championship.... in person.
4. own a house with a great backyard and kitchen
5. swim with dolphins
6. know that i have touched just 1 person's life in a positive way
7. take a running tour of washington dc ... or any city for that matter.
8. volunteer with habitat for humanity
9. take more time for myself to do whatever. sleep in. read a book for hours. run.
10. be so good at the wii that i do not always lose to Kyle!!!

10 things i love
1. my little family and our little house on the hill.   ....and my big family in Virginia
2. websites like groupon and half depot. $15 for $30 worth of sushi. $35 for 2 rooms to be professionally steam cleaned. $7 to for 2 rounds of mini golf. don't mind if i do.
3. long dinners and happy hours with good friends
4. a good mind clearing, soul searching run.
5. my bridal party.
6. tuscaloosa on a game weekend. the excitement, the energy, all the ROLL TIDES and the food.
7. good quotes that make you think and make you write them down
8. random phone calls from friends i have not talked to in awhile and long phone conversations with good friends
9. my wedding dress.
10. when a guy opens my door.  it makes me think that chivalry is not dead.

and there you have it. i am now even more of an open book than i was before.

Three Things Thursday.

... three things thursday. once again. not about running. just about life. maybe i should change the name of my blog from "barbie rus" to "barbie lives" ...

1. This past Monday I put in my 2 weeks notice at the company I have worked at for pushing 3 years.  It was bittersweet, there are SO many things that I have loved about that company. But, in December I was contacted by a company to "talk" about them, me, and what I wanted.  We never connected for who knows what reason, but about 2 weeks ago I was courted again and started talking to them. They offered me a position I just could not turn down.  Though I loved working with my coworkers and many people in the company and though i loved SO many aspects of the company as a whole, I just felt thought it was time to gain new experiences.  I hate to say that I felt that I had hit my glass ceiling at the company I had been with for years, but I was having the feeling that I was "stuck" where I was since I was stable and good at my job.  My old company was without a doubt my "family" here in Atlanta... they're all I have really known since moving here and I am so so thankful for that and for them and for all the memories. I would lie if I said that it was not scary to jump and make a HUGE change since I had a world of job security at my old company, but you don't gain anything without trying and without taking risks no matter how huge they may be.  So what's next?  I am working as a Talent Manager and I will be responsible for building a team of recruiters, managing them, training and coaching and developing them, and still recruiting & working with clients.  Needless to say - I am ready for the challenge and am excited to be starting something new on Monday.  The question is: will it be better or worse for my running life.  They talked about a work life balance... so *fingers crossed* better.
2. After putting in my notice, I was pretty much told I was done - which is understandable since I was going to competition and had access to a database full of candidate and client info.  SO, I have had 4 days to watch Gilmore Girls, shop for the new house, read the book I have to read prior to Monday, lunched with girlfriends, run errands, drink wine, walk the dog, nap with the dog, play with the dog, and take bubble baths!  Tomorrow after lunch with a friend, I am planning on getting my Stone Mountain pass and suffereing through a run.  It has been the 1st 4 days where I had NOTHING to do since moving to Atlanta and I could totally do this for a living.  Why can't I just be rich with zero responsibilities.
3.  Kyle and I picked our 1st dance song last night and we danced to it in the living room.  And no... I don't want to share what our song is because I want it to be a surprise to those who will be attending our wedding.  I love the song so much that I am listening to it now.  Ok, one lyric and if you want to look it up, you can do so.... "you're a mystery, you're from outerspace, you're every minute of my everyday" ....  But I love having our house and all the space so we can dance to my iTunes.  Tomorrow is Kyle's birthday and I am even more excited about that!! =)

With that... I will now give my lifetime movie full attention! =)

Welcome!

Kyle and I are FINALLY getting married!!  Rather than starting a typical, normal, wedding website... we have decided to create a blog to chronicle the planning process.  Since all of our family is SO far away in Virginia we thought this would be a great way to keep people up to date on decisions that need to be made and that have been made.  ...Of course, we will keep secrets from everyone!

Please check out all the tabs above to answer questions about lodging, the bridal party and most importantly, the engagement! 

We're excited to share this adventure with you!!

xoxo,
barbie & kyle

I'M ENGAGED!

I have been anxious to talk about this all week, but with my parents on an Alaskan Cruise with zero cell reception, I didn't want them learning the news through my blog. I wanted to actually tell them on the phone (even though I know that Kyle asked for my Dad's blessing... so that had to have some sort of idea).

Kyle and I have been dating for over 3 years, lived together for 2, he moved 600+ miles from DC to Atlanta to be with me, and we have a fabulously awesome dog together. We call us our little family and I rely on him for pretty much everything. He is my best friend, my rock, the boy who drives me absolutely nutty, but can make me so happy and turn my bad days around. Obviously, being a girl I have been pestering him about when he would pop the infamous question. I thought it was happening on my 26th birthday. When I found out it wasn't, I cried. If I wasn't running or with his family (since we were visiting home) or with friends, I was crying out of disappointment. *I know, I'm absurd* I would always ask WHEN?! And I would threaten "I am giving you 1 more year and I am out" (total empty threat & if you know me, most of my threats are empty). And he would tell me, "not till we move back to VA" and "I cannot afford it" or "I have to buy a car" and "if you keep asking me I am gonna keep pushing it back a month". Little did I know, his wheels were turning in his head and he was planning on asking while living in Atlanta and when I was pestering him.

I am a traditionalist. Kyle has known that it was very important to me for him to talk to my Dad first. Kyle listened and sneakily, he asked for both my parent's phone numbers (in case of an emergency he told me...) Kyle called my Dad last Friday from the parking lot of the ring store, to of course get his blessing, and let my Dad know how much he loved me (aww) and that after 3 years he was ready to ask me to marry him. He ordered the ring the same day and the following Tuesday it was ready for pick up. :o) Kyle had the whole thing planned out for Saturday (aka, tomorrow) but he said he just couldn't wait. He had to ask. (what can i say, I'm irresistible)

When Kyle and I first started dating I had a dream that Kyle took me to Ireland and asked me to marry him in front of a castle with a pink cupcake. I had told him about the dream and ever since it has been a running joke in our relationship. I had no idea he had plans to incorporate it into the real proposal and I live my life so oblivious most days that I didn't put it together as the whole thing unfolded. Kyle told me he was taking me to dinner at Johnny Carinos because he heard it was good & didn't want to cook. So I got in his car, telling him that I had to be home by 8:00 because I had a tv show... I kept nagging him that I better be home in time. Little did I know I was about to be given a sparkly ring for my left hand. Kyle took me up to Discovery Mills (to go eat) and as we pull into the mall parking lot he zips right past the restaurant. Cue sassy attitude and I was telling him he missed the turn and I had to be home by 8pm for a TV show. He told me that he wanted to just "look around" and we stopped in front of Medieval Times and the castle. I told him that I didn't want to go to Medieval because I had a TV show at 8. He ignored me, took my hand and kept walking. We didn't go in, but stopped by the drawbridge outside and Kyle handed my a cupcake, with pink icing (just like my dream). Since I had no idea that a proposal was coming, I was wondering why we were at Medieval and why I had a cupcake (I told you, I am oblivious to the obvious). Kyle just looked at me and got on one knee and honestly, I do not know what words were muttered other than "will you marry me". As he hit 1 knee I immediately started tearing up and put my hand over my mouth (putting pink frosting on my cheek) and kind of turned my back to him because I was in total shock. I of course said YES!! and covered his face in kisses. We totally forgot about putting the ring on my finger because he was shaking too much and I wanted to make sure he had asked my father before hand and I couldn't help but cry. Finally I got the ring and it is absolutely gorgeous. See picture and ignore my awful spray tan that was wearing away and looked bad in between my fingers. By the looks of this close up I need lotion ASAP!

He bought a ring that he could afford. He did not want to buy something out of his price range and then make me have to pay for it after the "I Do's". I always thought I wanted this huge, blind people, rock on my left hand but this diamond is beautiful and so sparkly and just the right size and amazing. I love it more than anything he has ever given me (even the Tiffany Bow Earrings & Necklace). We did dinner at Johnny Carinos after and talked about his convo with my Dad and the convos he had with his parents. He told me how he had the whole thing planned out but didn't want to wait and he wanted me to cry (and I did). And I couldn't stop looking at the diamond and smiling!

I had to wait like 3 days to tell my parents and they told me they're excited and happy for me. My Dad told me to tell Kyle next time he calls to use his words because when he called he was stammering and quiet, of course making it seem like I was dead in a ditch somewhere. It means so much to me that they like him and approve (my dad says he is an 87%).

it is now onto planning and dress shopping and the guest list and flowers and CAKE and bridesmaids and registering and music and colors and venues. We have to set a date first (I know it won't be during football season), lets just say the glitter and excitement is fully there. I am buried in wedding movies and magazins. I am already looking at venues (and am in love love with one in the North GA Mountains and in love with another in Dalonega) and colors and cakes. I am imaging a shabby sheik, Anthropolgie inspired wedding and engagement pictures in an Orchard or Cotton Field. I want wild flowers and paper lanterns and a barn. I want my super talented friend Kristin to shoot the wedding and engagements. Something so unique that when I look back on the pictures I just say WOW. ...ok ok, maybe I have given it a lot of thought!! I will for sure keep everyone posted... looks like we're transitioning to a wedding/running blog! :o)

....oh and i do not regret it, but with all the excitement and phone calls to make and people to celebrate with i have run 0 miles this week. My 7 miler on Sunday is gonna suuuccckkk..