No-shave Semester

I have a beard, and Shannon can't stand it.  Most of the time, I'll shave once a week, once every couple of weeks, because my facial hair doesn't grow very fast or thick, and I'm actually very lazy.  But always, I know my wife prefers the feel of a close shave, so I will shave for her.  Unfortunately for her, I have been cast in A Christmas Carol this semester.  For those of you that don't know, I am an MFA acting student at the University of Arkansas (this is my second year now) and whenever I'm cast in a play here, I am told I cannot change anything about my appearance without the consent of the costume designer.  In A Christmas Carol, I am playing Charles Dickens - yes, THE Charles Dickens, acclaimed English author - who narrates the entire show.  The performances are set for Dec. 4 and 5, and I asked if I could cut my hair before rehearsals began.  The answer I got was a resounding No, fully supported with pictures like this:

So, like the rest of the cast I cannot shave or cut my hair until they say so (a double whammy for Shannon who prefers my hair short, and she's right to prefer it that way).  So that said, this is October 11 and this is where I'm at:

To tell the truth, I don't remember when I shaved last.  It was probably around Shannon's birthday, Sept. 2.  So lets say this is 5 weeks in.  There will be a follow up come December to document the final product, though I doubt it will look anything like the real Dickens.  In fact, Shannon is probably right.  She thinks they're going to decide at the last minute that they wanna use a fake beard.  So all her misery would be for naught.  I feel bad, but I have to admit, the beard does make me feel a little manlier.  Oh well.  As soon as the show is over, it's all getting chopped and shaved off because (in his best Heath Ledger Joker voice) I'm a man of my word.  And her being happy is far more important than me being too lazy or proud to pick up my razor.

~Jared

PS.  Meow-meow says hi from my lap.

Day of Rest

There is something to be said for observing Sunday as a day of rest.  We work (or go to school) all week, try to find time to make dinner, go to the gym, do homework, and hopefully go to bed at a relatively decent time, before we get up earlier than we want, to do it all over again.  By the time we get to the weekend, we try to pack those two little days with as many chores, errands, and fun as we can, knowing that we probably won't have time for any of these things again until the next weekend.  Saturdays we wake up ambitious; we plan out how to pack the most activities and errands in before dinner, which we occasionally spend in one of Fayetteville's wonderful local restaurants as a reward for making it through another week.  Saturday evenings are spent either with friends or at home, where we sometimes watch movies through our new Netflix subscription (love it!).  Sunday begins with a more relaxed tone than Saturday.  We usually go to church in the morning, but occasionally sleep in instead and make pancakes.  Next comes evaluating what chores can be checked off the list.  Laundry gets done, sometimes vacuuming, or deep cleaning the bathrooms.  But even though chores are no fun, spending time at home together sort of recharges us to take on another week.  Oh, and sometimes a nap doesn't hurt.  

(Bella helps with making the bed...or not)

The Art of Cooking

So, I'm hungry, and thinking about what to make for dinner.  Since Jared and I have been unable to mooch off of either of our parents' cooking/dinners out, we have been experimenting with dinner ideas and cooking in general.  I must say while not "skilled," our kitchen talents have been improving.  We have our "go-to" meals, like spaghetti, pork chops, grilled chicken, meat loaf, lasagna, etc, and we sprinkle in new ideas as we come across new recipes.  So, a call out to anyone who cares enough to respond, what is your favorite go-to meal?  Now accepting recipes!  We're always looking for new ideas.  And if you're lucky (and in the Fayetteville, Arkansas area) maybe we'll make it for you as our way of saying thanks.

Blog Numero Uno

Well, since I have so much fun checking out other people's blogs, I thought it might be fun to make one of our own.  It seems to be a pretty good way to keep up with whats going on in people's lives.  So, here goes!

I feel like we've finally settled in to our new apartment and our new status as being married.  The time is flying by, and I can't believe its already been almost 4 months since being home with our friends and family to celebrate our marriage.  We've now unpacked all the boxes, put away all the wedding gifts, and sent out all the thank you cards.  Whew!  Time to relax a little.

I've been working at Arvest Bank for exactly one year tomorrow (wow!) and am enjoying a 40hr/week paycheck.  Jared is already into his second year of grad school here at the University of Arkansas, and has started teaching an introductory class this semester.  He lets me help grade papers, and I really like it! Wonder if I'm in the wrong field? All I know is I have a crush on Professor Hanlin : )

So, there's some background on what we're doing now, I'll probably be more specific next time.