But now that we are married...

It appears that perhaps Kyle has married me under false pretenses.  That is to say that when we were dating I apparently made him think that I loved things that I don't so much love.

Case in point:

When we were dating, Kyle invited me on a hike or two, and I gladly went along.  I am by no means a good hiker 1. Because I'm terribly out of shape 2. Because I have a weird breathing problem due to a faulty vocal chord.  Do I like hiking?  Yes, on occasion.  Do I love to hike?  Not particularly, but I'll go along for the ride.

But now that we are married and I drag my feet to go hiking with him, Kyle feels a little betrayed.

"But when we were dating you loved to go hiking!"

Not true, but I loved to be with him and if he was hiking, I was with him and I loved it.

It goes both ways though.

You see, way back when we were dating, I knew Kyle liked sports.  I knew he loved Boise State football.  Did I know/expect/anticipate that once married our TV would be blaring sports every single night for the rest of our lives?  The answer is no.  No I did not.  But since we got married at the beginning of football season, I caught on fast.... in like a culture shock kind of way.

So sorry Kyle, I didn't mean to lead you on.  But I will go hiking with you if you want to.  Not because I love to hike, but because I kind of love to do stuff with you.  And when March Madness is finally over, I'm taking control of the remote for awhile.

From the beginning

People are always telling me, "Kourtney I want to see pictures of you and Kyle before you were married!!!"

Ok that's a lie.

No one has ever said that to me.

But I bet you were thinking it!

No?

Okay.

Too bad.

You are in for a real Post-tastic treat.

You see, I had to download Picasa because Blogger hates my pictures now and the only way to upload pictures properly is by using Picasa.  Pain in the ace.  But it's not all bad because Picasa managed to dig up pictures from the depths of Computerdom, some of which I didn't even know I had!

Fun, huh?

Here's a chronological look at how it all began.  

Starting, of course, from the beginning.

(October 2008)

This was really soon after we first met and I was really sick.

Kyle had just come back from a trip to Boise and brought me my very first Boise State shirt!

Picking out a movie at the end of our first date (October 10th 2008)

First Halloween party as a couple.

He totally held my hand.

(This was the last time we both dressed up for Halloween.  So sad)

Ahem.

Our first kiss was on a hike very near this sign.

A November hike.

Christmas together at my parents house.

New Years in Salt Lake.

Kyle took me home to Boise.

That's the blue turf behind us!

Spending Easter at my parents' house.

A trip to Yellowstone.

May 2009--he proposed!!

The *famous* Caldwell fireworks for the 4th of July

(The show stopped 10 minutes in because of a problem and we all had to leave)

My first Def Leppard concert (Kyle's 6th....)

And then, well, we got married!

The end.

2 Years!

Hey guess what?  Today is our anniversary!

Each year just keeps getting better!

Kyle Started the Fire

Kyle is having camping withdrawals since my being pregnant has kept us from going on the usual camping trips this summer.  To make him feel better, we drove to a nearby campground (literally 2 minutes from our house) and had a fire.  And smores.  And played cards.  Pretty much my perfect idea of camping :)

He tried to seduce me with his axe and Boy Scout quality fire skills.

I do my best seducing while hugely pregnant and making deliciously messy smores with Reese's.

(Truth be known, Reese's are my biggest weakness)

The Secret to a Successful and Happy Marriage

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I am here today to share with you the secret to a successful and happy marriage: separate tubs of ice cream.  I used to think that when you go to the grocery store, you buy one tub of ice cream and you share it with your spouse because that is the loving and kind thing to do.  Now, I know better. 

Having your own tub of ice cream means:

• You do not ever need to share (I mean really, sometimes sharing gets old)
• You do not need to compromise your ice cream hopes and dreams.  Kyle likes caramel, I like chocolate and chunky stuff.  Separate tubs=we both get what we want.
• You can eat your ice cream whenever you want.  With a shared tub, I always felt like I needed to eat it with Kyle.  But the problem with this is that I prefer my dessert shortly after dinner and Kyle likes to wait until the later moments before bed, long after dinner is good and gone.
• Your ice cream lasts longer.  Kyle is a natural-born Post which means that a serving of ice cream is equal to no less than 1/4 gallon.  Basically as much ice cream as you can cram into a large cereal bowl.  For me this is too much, especially with my delicate condition (read: gestational diabetes).  Remember folks, I have only been a Post for 21 months.  It may take me some time to reach my full ice cream potential as a Post.  Regardless, having my own tub means it lasts 2.4 times longer than Kyle's tub.  Win!

So if you find yourself quarreling over shared ice cream, do yourself a favor and switch to separate tubs. 

You're welcome.

Of Romance

I recently started a second job that I can do from home and keep doing with flexible hours after the baby comes.  Hooray!  Seriously, I have been wanting this SOOO much. 

However, right now I also still have a regular full-time job which, in case you have forgotten, requires a 45 minute bus riding *blissful* commute twice a day.  The picture that I'm painting here for you is that right now my Monday through Friday is hectic. 

And did I mention our dishwasher broke?  A month ago?

And that I think my wrists are allergic to my laptop?  (Seriously)

And I'm excessively whiny these days? 

And I ran out of lotion!?!?!

Right.  Like I said: hectic.

So imagine my tearful surprise when I came home to find this:

I know. It's only lotion.

(Cetaphil moisturizing cream to be exact.  I live by this stuff)

And probably only a crazed pregnant woman would be fanatical about lotion.

(I mean STRETCH MARKS, people!!)

 

But you see, I had only casually mentioned in the morning that I was nearly completely out of my must-have-every-single-day-sometimes-twice-a-day-lotion and when I got home, Kyle had left this lovely note with a new jar of it on my laptop.  I never asked him to buy it but he actually listened to me mention that I needed it and was thoughtful enough to make my dream come true. Something so small and so seemingly ridiculous totally made my day.

He also bought paper plates.

And folded all our laundry.

I. Am. In. Love.

Is it just me or does your idea of romance change a bit when you get married?

And then again when you're pregnant and whiny?

Thoughtful Nonsense

definitely pre-pregnancy *sigh*



Hey did you know I'm pregnant? 

I forget sometimes so I thought I would remind you.

There's just so much to think about these days, what with royal weddings and natural disasters and assassinating terrorists on the news.

By the way, ABC was the first to tell us that Osama Bin Ladin was dead.  Only I saw it first and Kyle was in the bathroom so I shouted the news reports to him from the family room.  This is what I like to call effective marital communication.
Probably we should be marriage counselors or something.

Only the other day, pretty much out of nowhere, Kyle announces to me "But it's not like you're my soul mate or anything."

And what is a wife supposed to do with this type of spousal declaration?

I will tell you I mostly just rolled my eyes and pointed out the fact that this was a terrible thing to say, even if whatever it was that he meant by it was well-intentioned and had a good point to it.  But really the point is that the only thing I remember him saying is "You're not my soul mate." 
And thus ends the fairytale.

I think that maybe the soul mate declaration came after watching 500 Days of Summer, which was wonderfully tragic in it's own right.  It definitely sparked some conversation about our own previously failed relationships and something about choosing our own fate.  And then somehow ended in us not being soul mates?  (I'm sure Kyle will have a rebuttal for this later)

And to bring it all full circle, I did choose to be pregnant and thus it is my fate.  Only don't you think fate sounds terribly unromantic and dreadful?  Pregnancy may be odd and life altering and uncomfortable at times but I certainly don't find it to be dreadful... although perhaps a bit unromantic, what with the constant heartburn and associated belching and all.

And anyway, what was this supposed to be about?

I forget sometimes.

Happy House Anniversary!

 
moving day, April 16, 2010

We have officially been in our house for one whole year (and nine days to be exact).

Happy House Anniversary!

Buying our first home was seriously one of the most stressful times in my entire life. 
Honestly, I really didn't believe we could do it. 

We got married in September 2009 and just two months later (when the government announced another $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers) we decided we were going to try for it.  We only had five months to close in order to make the deadline and we had very little saved up for a down payment. 
I really, really didn't believe we could do it.

Looking back, I remember thinking that at some point someone would just bail us out.  Mom? Dad? Anyone have some extra $$$ laying around to hand our way?  How I wished!  Instead we had to get our creative juices going and came up with some new ways to save and earn extra cash.

Goodbye salon hair care.

Goodbye new clothes.

Goodbye vacation fund.

Goodbye cable TV.

Goodbye lunch dates with friends.

But...

Hello Mr. Zesty!

And Twitterman!

I have to say, Kyle wins the prize for the most effort in the "earn extra cash" area.

He dressed up in a pickle costume, an ill-fitting superhero outfit, and donated plasma.
All to add to our house fund.

I started making and selling onesies on etsy, which I really loved

(maybe someday soon I'll get back to that venue). 

I also traveled to Colorado for wholesale markets on weekends to earn extra dollars.

We were busier than ever and it was really very stressful, but I could hardly believe that when it came time to close on our house we had more than enough for the down payment and some extras.  It still would've been nice for someone to have handed us over the cash in the first place, but I think we learned some valuable lessons early in our marriage that helped us to start off strong.  What is even better, is most of our thrifty habits learned during those five months have stayed with us and made it possible for us to do other fun things we really enjoy.

Like fixing up our first home.
And getting ready for our first baby!

Of Towels & Such

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I don't know but maybe I am a little obsessive about towels. 

In my mind, there are 7 types of towels:

1. Kitchen Towels: To dry hands and the occasional dish in the kitchen.  Not for mopping floors or wiping tables and other household surfaces.  Also, not for wiping food off of faces.

2. Dish Cloths:  To clean counter tops and dishes.

3. Hand Towels:  To dry hands and faces in the bathroom.  Not for cleaning bathroom surfaces, or soap boogers off soap dispensers.  Also not for cleaning facial hair bits off of razor blades.

4. Wash Cloths:  For cleaning faces and bodies. 

5. Bath Towels:  For drying faces and bodies.

6. Beach Towels:  For sunbathing faces and bodies by pools and beaches.

7. Decorative Embroidered Tea Towels:  For decorative use only.  Not for cleaning greasy stove tops or bathroom counters.  Basically not for cleaning anything at all.

(Is it wrong that I cried about a ruined tea towel?)

(Wait, don't answer that)

For comparison's sake, this is how Karl* views towels:

1. If it looks like a towel, I can use it like a towel.  All towels were created equal.

*name changed to protect the guilty

love LOVE love

I was *this close* to making Pioneer Woman's Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi for our special Valentine's dinner tonight.  And then I discovered that the quattro formaggis alone would cost me $28.  Lucky for me, the Whole Foods cheese expert introduced me to a "really pretty fantastic alfredo sauce" that ended up having a sell-by date of today.  Translate: free sauce for me!  She gave it to me at no charge and I saved $28 on cheeses.  Which was great because since I couldn't decide between the spinach artichoke stuffed salmon pinwheels or the teriyaki beef tenderloin skewers, I got both!  Bam! 

There was a day when I was only dating one Kyle Post and he loved me dearly and had not yet told me so but as such we were celebrating Valentine's Day as boyfriend and girlfriend.  That particular Valentine's Day, 2009 began with Kyle surprising me at my apartment early in the morning to make me breakfast, followed by a scavenger hunt around the city to some of our favorite places, red roses, a pirate puzzle, a romantic movie of my choice (How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days), cuddling, Olive Garden, a quiz with prizes, dressing up like white trash, (see: fake tattoos, mullet wig, nasty t-shirts and ripped jeans), and then a surprise visit to the monster truck show! (I had ALWAYS wanted to go to a monster truck show.  It was a dream come true)  All of which was topped off by gas station hot dogs eaten in the parking lot of Hooters. 

It was pretty much the best Valentine's Day ever and faaaaarr exceeds the one where Loserheadnonboyfriend took me to a movie where I paid for myself and he managed to poke me in the eye with spoon.  I much prefer the Valentine's Day: Version 2.0 with Kyle Post, thank you very much.

At any rate, it's 2011 and while we'll not be dressing up like white trash and going to a monster truck show, I think this one will be even better than them all.  And not just because of my free alfredo.

Happy Lover's Day!

More About Dogs and Such

The irony of my life is sometimes baffling unto me.  Last week I wrote this post about how I'm not a pet person and not two days later this happened:

This is Maggie and no, she is not ours.  She is my sister's dog and I often refer to her as "the only dog I've ever loved."  She's a Yorkie-something and even though Kyle claims she is spoiled and pampered, he loves her too.  (But what dog doesn't love to be carried around like a baby?!?) 

Maggie spent all weekend with us and now that she's gone, our house seems kind of sad....  I even miss her strange little snorting when she's asleep and the way she's kind of scared of going down two little stairs.

Kyle and I have talked before about getting a dog and if you will see here you can find out more about how he really wants a Schnauzer but how I think Westies are just far too cute to pass up.  And while I would enjoy (if at least most of the time) a canine addition to our family, my biggest hangup is that I'm one of "those people" who are allergic to dogs.  And cats.  And probably anything with fur.  It's not always a serious case, but enough to where I get the itchy, watery eyes and eventually it is difficult for me to breathe like a normal human being.  So you can't blame me for being not so much into pets, right?  Especially given my not so successful pet history.

So after Maggie returned to be with "her real family" (as my nephew called them), I asked Kyle if it were between getting a Yorkie or not having a dog at all, would he get a Yorkie?  (He thinks they are too small to be a manly dog.  Whatever).  And then he made some comment like "Well, duh, having any dog is better than no dog at all!  It's like saying would you rather have cancer or not have cancer?"  I personally don't get the analogy, but I suppose his point was made.

The Great Discovery

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I probably should have figured this out already.  I mean, we have been married for one whole year, four months, and five days.  I should be a marriage veteran by now, for Pete's sake! 

Not so. 

The Great Discovery:

my husband is not my girl friend

He does not squeal when I mention that so-and-so is getting married/having a baby/buying a house

He does not ooo and ahhh over my new sparkly bow shaped ring

He does not gasp in surprise when I read that Lanvin is collaborating with H&M

He does not care about Pantone's Spring 2011 color forecast

He does not want to watch "Say Yes to the Dress"

He does not want to watch "Keeping up with the Kardashians"

He really does not want to watch "Project Runway" (but when he does, I think he secretly kind of likes it)

He is not excited about the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sales.

Oh wait, maybe he is.

But he definitely doesn't drool over Amy Butler fabrics. 

My husband is many things: he is my best friend, a good cook, a bbq aficionado, a connoisseur of movies, a neat freak (thankfully), and a devotee of taking out all of the garbage on a regular basis (and I never have to ask!)  He is all these things and more. 

But, he is not my girl friend.  He is good to smile like he cares or raise an eyebrow with a mumbled "ahh" when I get excited about fashion/fabric/friendly gossip, but I am finally learning to never expect the same reactions from him that I would get from my girl friends.

(Darling, I do love you anyway)

A Christmas Story

Christmas 2008

We've already had two Christmases together, this man and I.

The first year, we were still dating (just two months in!), and I invited him to my parent's house in Pocatello to spend the holiday.  It was Christmas Eve 2008 and Kyle was sick and I was driving and the snow was snowy. 

Before we left, I figured this trip was either going to make or break our relationship, seeing as how we'd be spending more than an ample amount of time together. And then, you know, he'd be meeting my family (!) and he'd see me without makeup (!!)

After about two hours of driving, we realized that I had, indeed, missed the turn-off to Pocatello and we were well on our way to Boise.  Boise!  Boise=the other side of Idaho from where we were supposed to be.  So lame.  It had started to snow harder and we had to backtrack an hour just to get going the right direction again.  And this time we could only go about 40 mph on the freeway.  Kyle insisted on driving from that point on...  (and, you know, he still does most of the time).

Nothing had seemed to go right.  We arrived hours later than planned, Kyle was suffering from a cold, and the snow had gotten worse.  But the few extra hours in the car made for great conversation and lasting memories. 

It was being together that Christmas that made me fall in love.  He didn't know it at the time (maybe I didn't either?), but all those hours driving in the car, getting to know each other on a deeper level made me see him in a different way. 

More than just a boyfriend, more than just a fun guy, more than just a hottie. 

More than just a rock star at heart and a Boise State fanatic.

More than just a communication major.

More than just a basketball/baseball/Scrabble star.

That Christmas was especially great.  My parents loved Kyle and my mom nursed him back to health.  The snow was so deep, we bundled up and snowshoed around the neighborhood.  We built a snow cave in the backyard.  We made snow angels together.  We had a snowball fight.

So sometimes things don't go as planned: you make a wrong turn, the weather gets sucky, someone gets sick, someone else looks sick without makeup...  But sure enough, those times sometimes end up being some of the most memorable.  At least they are for me.

Merry Christmas, Kyle. 

Revenge! Or How I Became a Loser.

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We were walking to our car and Kyle chucked a snowball at me. All the snow ended up in my shoe and I had the most brilliant thought of revenge! Take off my snow-filled shoe and throw it at him!

Only when I did, I hit him in the face :/
And broke my shoe.

Pretty much I win the Most Losery-Wife Award.

But he did say he forgives me.

I thought it had been laid to rest....

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I don't know for sure, but this might be right up there with reusing sandwich bags. 

1.  Kyle removes a glass from the cupboard

2.  Kyle fills the glass with water

3.  Kyle drinks the water

4.  Kyle returns the glass to the cupboard

5.  I roll my eyes in disgust

????????????????????????????????????????????

I caught him doing this about a year ago and I thought it had been laid to rest.  Not so.  Just last night I watched as he got himself a drink of water and put the glass back in the cupboard.  Here is his reasoning:

1.  He is the one who is going to drink out of it again

2.  It's just water

3.  He is "germ free"

4.  "It's not like a guest is going to open the cupboard and drink out of this little glass."

5. He just did the dishes

Tell me, am I wrong to think this is disgusting?  I mean, I would rather him drink out of the faucet. Or, better yet, he could use his water bottle that is full of ice cold water just sitting in the fridge door waiting for him to use. Or Maybe I need to assign a cupboard and dishes for only him to use.

A Royal Debate

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I wouldn't call it an argument. It was really more of a debate. And I can't, for the life of me, figure out why it even mattered in the first place.

News about The Royal Engagement (that we all knew was coming) was on TV and Kyle snorted his snort of annoyance and proceeded to express his irritation about watching news of British royalty on American television.  Something about, "Who even cares?" and "What does the Queen do anyway?" and then this and that about royal blood lines and Obama and I think there was something about Anne Hathaway? It's all rather hazy at this point. 

But what I can tell you is I defended the Royal Family and I defended them good!  Even though I cannot imagine what, in fact, the Queen exactly does, nor can I properly put into words why The Royal Engagement is so very interesting... except maybe perhaps it is because the Prince is very dashing and the Kate is so very stylish and for Pete's sake, didn't everyone love The Princess Diaries?!? 

So I don't understand British politics (or even American politics, to be fair), but I do know that people like gossip and The Royals, as they may be, make for juicy gossip columns. They simply are mysterious socialites who live a life we can only imagine. 

I mean, did you see Kate's ring?!?

For me, its about celebrity gossip, couture fashion, big big diamonds, and really gorgeous brunette hair that I am, at this very moment, coveting. And you better believe I can't wait to see her wedding dress. Afterall, weddings are my secret crush.

Kyle is a man. He just can't possibly understand these things.

Time to Choose Sides, People

There has been this ongoing debate between Kyle and myself since the day we became husband and wife. I thought the issue had been put to rest, but Kyle recently resurrected the argument: a TV in the bedroom, or no? 

My Side

• A bedroom is no place for TV
• A bedroom is for two things (and one of them is not watching TV)
• We already spend a lot of time watching TV, why do we need more?
• For my entire 26 year existence, I have never had a TV in my bedroom and I am not inclined to change that now
• I want our bedroom to be a sanctuary. A restful place away from noise and obnoxiousness.
• The TV in question is a bit of an eyesore and I'd rather have pretty things to adorn our dresser
• I can't sleep with the TV on, so my 10:00 bedtime will be constantly interrupted by ESPN
• Why do we need two TVs anyway? Let's just get rid of the other TV
• We have a DVR to record our favorite shows so really, we don't even need two TVs.
• Because I said so
• Because I said so

His Side

• "If a bedroom is for sleeping, then we should get rid of everything in our bedroom except the bed--lights too!"
• He likes to "wind down" to the TV before going to bed
• Apparently it is far too inconvenient to "wind down" to the TV downstairs and then come to bed after said "winding down" period is over
• Watching sports is not "watching TV"
• We have a perfectly good, usable TV sitting in his office that (according to him) never gets used
• The TV in his office never gets used because (according to him) there is nothing comfortable to lie on (like a bed, or couch)
• There is a cable outlet in our bedroom, but not in the office, where the TV currently lives
• There will be times that we both want to watch something different at the same time, so it is important to have two TVs, one of which must be in our bedroom
• "I paid $500 for that TV (10 years ago) and I'm not going to throw it out!"
• We might not always have a DVR to simultaneously record our favorite shows
• He asked me nicely

So tell me, do you think it's a good idea to have a TV in the bedroom?

If you need some help deciding, try reading this and this
I'll even add a little voting poll on the side of our little blog here to help keep things tabulated.  So don't forget to cast your vote!

A Failure

Today I have failed as a wife.

I passed up free Jazz tickets.

And then made the mistake of telling Kyle.

Oops!

Normally I would have jumped at the chance to go to a game with my sports freak husband, but the game didn't start til 8:30, I have to pack for a weekend in Boise, Kyle has been sick and I'm just so tired.  The thought of being out late on a weeknight just did not appeal to me.  And anyway, it's only the beginning of the season so there will be many more games for us to go to.

Excuses, I know.

I was going to share my fantastic plan for making it up to Kyle, but I got nothing.  Maybe a back rub?   That usually does the trick.

Shoe Liberation!

We have an issue with shoes around here. 

Here is my side of the story:

I have a lot of shoes.  What can I say?  I'm a woman.  I have a lot of shoes and I'm always running late.  Do you honestly think I have time to run up and down a flight of stairs, in and out of a bedroom closet just to put on my shoes?  No.  No, I do not have that time.  I have time to slip on my shoes on my way out the door.  That is what my time is for.  And that is why the occasional pair or two live near the garage door.  In my defense, I always leave them neatly arranged behind the green chair, where no one can notice them.  No one, that is, except Kyle. (He sees everything)

Kyle's side of the story:

My wife has a lot of shoes.  Shoes belong in the closet.

See?!? He is so inflexible! Implacable! Unrelenting! My shoes need to live and move and experience life first hand by waiting near the door for my every beckon call! A closet is no place them.  A closet is for random toy footballs that husbands leave in the most stupid of places.  Like on the coffee table.  Now, that is what closets are for.  But definitely not for shoes.  At least not all my shoes.

The Heat is On

It has been a few months since we've needed the air conditioner and those few months were complete marital harmony in the Post home.  Because, you see, I have an ultra-sensitive body thermometer and need constant pleasing temperatures in order to survive in a never ending state of bliss.  Kyle, on the other hand, would rather bake our home from the inside out before turning on the air conditioner.  He would rather slip into near hypothermia before he dare turn on the heat.  So that is why, during those few months of 72 degree fall weather, we achieve perfect harmony--no need for heat or air conditioning and I am still perfectly comfortable.

But now it is cold.  And to me, cold is anything below 72 degrees.  To Kyle, cold is anything that is actually frozen.  So I decided to slip on the thermostat while he was happily engrossed in football.  I have learned this is the best time to do things the husband does not like because he is too wrapped up in his many sports to notice and/or care what is going on in the world around him.  For the record, he is, at this very moment, tucked snugly in the Love Sac, with an oversized quilt and the remote not far behind, grinning happily that he gets to watch all the football he wants.

But also, the heat is on.

I win : )