Two

I spent Saturday morning shoveling snow.  Just shoveling and shoveling.  So much snow.

It's crazy how much snow last weekend brought us.  And you'd think a foot and a half of snow would make me curse winter and blizzards and this stupid frozen water... but I actually just love it.
I weirdly love shoveling snow.  It's hard manual work that has a real, visual pay-off.  And I enjoy pay-offs quite a bit.

Our snow boots have gotten a good work out.  Also, see Ray's boots up there? Let me introduce you to the first men's clothing/footwear item I have ever purchased for another man (aside from, like, socks and ties for my Dad, which doesn't count).  I'm feeling pretty great about it.  Ray loves them, they look rather dashing on him, and they were on sale.  Looks like I CAN do this wife thing.

I've been thinking a lot lately about trying to manage my time now that another person gets to lay claim to so much of it.  I was able to see Megan and Allison yesterday, whom I haven't seen since November time-frame.  And I get to see Kristin tonight, whom I haven't seen since mid-December.  And I know there's a few of you who I don't get to see nearly as often as I would like.  But being married suddenly takes up so much of my time!  It doesn't seem like it should make a difference.  The essentials, eating, sleeping, working... those still take the same amount of time.  But somehow my extra time is filled with so many little things.  Making sure there's extra food for Ray's lunches (and snacking).  Going to the gym together (which takes a LOT longer because Ray, bless his heart, sure likes to take his time).  Spending time watching TV together, just to be together.

The thing is, I really love spending time with Ray.  I love just being with him.  And that makes it a whole lot easier to lose days doing menial things like grocery shopping together.  I want to be better at calling up my friends and making time for girls' nights, and I sincerely regret if any of my friends feel neglected.  I hope you know that I'm trying and I think about all of you SO much!  And in the meantime, while I'm figuring out this whole living my life with someone else's schedule, just please give me a teensy bit of leeway?  I promise I'm not abandoning any of you!  Just... trying to work on it.