8 weeks

8 weeks.... No i am not 8 weeks pregnant but it got you to click on my blog

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks. It doesn't feel like 8 weeks. It seems like just last week it was a few days before the wedding. Scrambling around trying to finish last minute details to make sure the day goes perfect. Little did i know that just 3 days later, our special day we had been planning 8 months for would be over within ours (which actually felt like minutes). So many things went wrong that day, but i wouldn't change any of it.

Now, it is 10:45 on this Friday Night. My husband is at work and i am lying in bed watching last nights episode of Gray's Anatomy. There is laundry i could put away, laundry i could wash, textbook i could be reading but after this week, i need a vacation!

My husband is learning new differences between girls and boys since we got married. For men, shopping is easy. Go in to a store and 10 minutes later walk out with 3 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, underwear and a belt. For women (meaning me), it would take at least an hour to find the 2 pairs of pants. So when we went shopping this afternoon, i was expected to and told to get what i needed within 15-20 minutes other wise i would be left at said store. Needless to say, i was successful. Normally i wouldn't go shopping for me with my husband but it was on the way home, i was tired and ready for a nap.

After a late night of tears and many tissues last night, i was not an easy riser this morning when the alarm went off. We were going to shoot. Not photography but guns. Allen and his coworkers are obsessed! (no offense Amy Jo). We got there about 9, they didn't start until 10ish and we left about 230. So after lunch and our adventure at Walmart, I was pooped. An hour nap, that was all i was going to take. Just an hour. Which quickly turned into 2 hours and caused me to not have time to bake the cake i promised i would make.

new recipes

Well, thanks to my husband, we now have a new favorite chicken recipe. We were starting to get tired of the baked chicken, fried chicken, grilled chicken, lemon pepper chicken, chicken casserole. Here is our new favorite dish.

Baked Chicken Dijon

1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Pre-heat oven to 475 and spray 13x9 inch baking dish with non stick spray
2. Mix mustard and milk in bowl.  mix bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Dip chicken into mustard bowl coating both sides. then pat chicken into bread mixture coating both sides. place breaded chicken into baking dish.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.

Stress Reliever

Since school began, things have become a little crazy and stress full.
Just this coming week:

• Monday: Biology Test, Test at doctor
• Tuesday: Speech Day, Paper Due, Work
• Wednesday: Work, Biology Lab test, WISE Meeting
• Thursday: Speech Day, Microbiology Test, work
• Friday: EYH work

Allen loves my new stress reliever. At first he just thought that i was trying all these new recipes but there was a hidden agenda. Yes, my new stress reliever is baking and cooking. So far since school has began, 3 orange pineapple cakes, lemon pie, chicken casserole, many dinners, omelets and today's recent pumpkin pie....And well here they are. My two first pumpkin pies of the season and of my marriage.

And the verdict is... Well lets just say Allen took the trash out on his way to work. 

LOSER

Well he did it. He remembered to pick up his underwear everyday for a week, I actually thought he would forget. I also thought he forgot about the deal until I was putting together our new oscillating fan and he reminded me that this week he gets to sleep as long as he wants. BOO!!!

What have I learned in the 5 weeks we have been married?

• This room is a lot smaller than I thought.
• Allen has to have music while he showers even if he is only in for five minutes. 
• A way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Whether that is cake, pie, chicken, or macaroni.
• 2 people go through more laundry than 1. 
• The trash is only full when it is over flowing.   

I LOVE being married. Our relationship has grown more in these five weeks that in the 6 years we were dating. I guess marriage changes you. Whether is it cooking dinner together, snuggling before he goes into work, or playing scrabble while watching Golden Girls.

Winner or Loser

5 days into our game and so far I am LOSING! My husband is actually remembering to pick up his underwear off the bathroom floor. Maybe with only 2 days let he will slip up lol.

I keep wondering and thinking how do I manage it all. Everyday (except Wednesday and Thursday), Allen gets home from work at 630. I get up, shower, eat breakfast and head off to school. When I get home he is still asleep. I do homework, laundry, some cleaning then go off to work or wait for him to wake up and head off to work at 900. Still a big adjustment but getting slowly used to it.

Let's play a game

Let's play a game! In the Harvey/Stephens house we are playing a game. This game involves Allen and his underwear. He has to pick up his underwear every day for a week starting Sunday. If he forgets/ I win then NO XBOX for a month. If he remembers/ I lose then I have to let him sleep as late as he wants for a whole week. We will see how this goes.

Now that the wedding is over, I began to step back and take an overview of the day. That is the part I remember. Here is a sneak peak of our beautiful day.

Our first Month

Next Tuesday rings in our 1 month anniversary. What could happen in 1 month you say? Well when you mesh Allen, I, plus all of my stuff, our wedding stuff and Allens' stuff shoved into our tiny room. Allen works night if you haven't found that out. So i am left alone for 5 nights a week. That has left me in a time of transition after leaving my previous home with my parents, sister and brother. My sister and I had shared a room for 15ish years. Now having a room completely to myself is a big change. However, to Allen and my moms humor I have found a way to sleep (pic to come later). After days of experimenting with sleeping pills, warm milk, and back rubs i figured it out. SIDEWAYS. Yes I sleep from side to side instead of head to foot. When Allen came in from work he would always wonder why i am sprawled out across the bed. TADA!

Married life isn't all fine and dandy. More laundry, more cooking and learning to deal with another person besides myself. The underwear on the bathroom floor. Learning all the finance stuff. I love being married but it is a hard adjustment.