Remember when I used to be all independent?

So this Saturday Todd is leaving for San Antonio for the month of July. He's doing an anesthesia rotation with the Army at a hospital there (which means he shaved his facial hair this weekend--it's so strange to see him clean-shaven), and this is also a bit of a quasi-interview. We're hoping he can do his residency at this hospital, so the rotation is his time to really impress them. In that case, it's nice he'll be there alone because he can dedicate lots of time to the rotation.

On the other hand, that means I'm still here. With no Todd. It's going to be so strange to have him gone. I'm really going to miss seeing him every day; it's wonderful to have found someone I always want to be near, but it's also interesting to reflect how much I've come to rely on him. Being married and that whole "becoming one" thing is incredible.

I've already booked a cruise (yep, we're going to Alaska!), so I need other things to keep my attention while he's gone. I plan to put some more plants in our yard (unless it's too hot; but I really want climbing flowers in our backyard), exercise a lot (I've talked about gaining the newlywed 15, but did I mention how I was asked if I'm pregnant? That is major motivation for weight loss), spend time with my family and the friends I've been ignoring since I became a newlywed, and read. I plan to read a lot. Specifically this book.

Do you guys have other ideas for things to do when you are away from your spouse for a month (besides going to visit, which I am fortunate enough to be doing twice)?

You can file your workman's comps with my secretary

So I'm bored with my blog layout and color. After looking over my changes, I think my blog has the capability to produce seizures in my readers. Which I'm thinking is a bad thing.

Does this new color scheme make your eyes hurt?

I don't want to use one of the default Blogger templates, so if you guys have any cool web sites that have layouts, let me know. I'm a total fetus as far as setting up my blog and making it look cool and unique.

Update: I changed the background. I'm still lame and can't get custom colors on the page, but I'm excited about this new layout. It's not so mind-grating.

California Dreamin'

Last weekend we went to Los Angeles to see "Wicked" and it was excellent.

Glinda was so good in this show. She was so over the top in "Popular" and highly entertaining to watch. It's such a great show to see in person. I've been singing "Defying Gravity" since Saturday (this happened the last time I saw "Wicked"--I love love love that song live).

The show is in the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, which is an amazing venue. The decorations are old and gaudy and beautiful. There's carved wood and gold everywhere, very cool chandeliers, and the ceiling in the theater is a gorgeous blue. It was a great place to see the play. We took a picture inside the theater (which you're totally not allowed to do), and luckily you can't see much, because I'm making one of the nastiest faces ever. My brother-in-law took the picture as an usher was coming down to tell us not to take pictures. And then she let us return to our seats. Random enforcement.

Before the play we went to Manhattan Beach, which is a major volleyball beach. They had rows upon rows of nets. It was like heaven. Cold heaven. It was probably about 70 degrees, which isn't cold to many people, but we left near-100 degree weather, so it was cold. Luckily three games of volleyball warmed us. Then we had a bit to just chill, walk in the waves, and read. I love being near the ocean. And the homes overlooking the ocean were so cool; they were all so different and wonderfully decorated. I really enjoyed them.

We stayed near LAX, so we had a bit of a drive to the theater. Well, I think it was like 15 miles. Which is nothing. In Nevada. In Los Angeles, it took us nearly 50 minutes. On a random Saturday. I don't know how you Californians deal with that amount of traffic. Don't you worry, traffic and many other factors will ensure I never move to California and further clog your roads (although in California's defense, this year I've realized I am a small-town girl who's totally freaked out by major cities. Pansy.).

It was a great weekend. We went with my sisters and their husbands, and it was so much fun to have family time. I was excited to be able to see the play again and for Todd to see it (remember, he's the cultured one). And it was so great to be near the ocean, if only for a few hours.

Not for eleventy billion dollars

Yesterday on my flight back from Reno I sat by a kid who was traveling by himself. He just turned 13, so he's old enough to fly on his own (really, Southwest Airlines and/or the FAA? You have to be 16 to drive, but a child under 16 can fly alone and navigate McCarran Airport? Sheesh.), but he was pretty freaked out about this flight, so he and I chatted the whole flight back. He was totally entertaining. He was showing me the books he reads, things he likes to draw, and pictures of his cats, and he was telling me about the movies he and his friends make. He was so creative, polite, and just young. It's so fun to talk with kids because they're still excited and optimistic about everything.

Most of our conversations centered around cats, so I found this hilarious picture of someone's cat.

He was telling me he gets made fun of at school because of the books he reads and other things he enjoys. Kids are so mean. I wouldn't go back to being ages 12 to 15 for anything. Peers are just nasty then. They aren't sure of who they are, so they take it out on kids who are different or those perceived as weaker. Here's this sweet kid to whom I had been asking all sorts of personal questions (what grade are you in, what do you like to do, etc.) and he asks me if I'm married and then apologizes for asking a personal question. Dang mean kids who pester him.