The Adventures of the Traveling Wife

Using the word "wife" to describe myself makes me feel old. I was at the gym, working out hard, lifting weights, and feeling pretty sexy. Then I thought about how I was a wife, and instantly, I felt frumpy and boring. Isn't that terrible? I hope not all married women feel like that, because that's lame.

I'm sure you've already figured out (and were not surprised) that I gave up on the Dark Days Challenge. It was too much of a... challenge. I had all kinds of SOLE ingredients, but there always seems to be a main ingredient or two in my dishes that is not SOLE. This disqualifies it. I get up at 5am, go to the gym, work 8 hours, then come home. Needless to say, I don't want to make dinner complicated (or not make it at all. I ate chocolate for dinner tonight).

I haven't just been sitting on my butt though. I've made cheese twice (once successfully, once only so-so). I created two awesome marmalades that I actually wrote down the exact ingredients for so I could share with you (it's only taken me three weeks to share). I have seeds started (the appropriate ones this year). And I just tapped a maple tree this afternoon. Slightly unsuccessfully, but I'm working on it.

Feeling a little let down after failing at Dark Days, I had discovered this Urban Farm Handbook Challenge. I thought, That's it! I should do that! But then I really looked at the topics and realized it's not much of a challenge for me. Soil building, already have the compost bin out back. Home dairy, yogurt and cheese done. Gardening and foraging, super check. Preserving, Dan prohibits me from buying more jars. Hunting, I might need to work on this, but I sit in the woods in camo with a weapon, so it counts. So instead of joining the challenge, I'll just read along and go about my merry way.

Have you liked all the random wedding pictures in this post? They are actually pictures that guests took. I still haven't sat down and seriously looked through our professional pictures. The photographer was terrible and the pictures are nothing special. I have more pictures of our drunk friends dancing then I do of us. Needless to say, I'm waiting to talk to the owner of the photography studio about this. It was a day that I was rushed, cold, overwhelmed, and annoyed. It didn't go as I'd planned (which I figured would happened, but I HATE broken plans). And now I have crappy pictures to remember it. Pretty terrible that I'm talking about my wedding, huh? At least I'm now married to a wonderful man.