That’s What She Said

The notion of living together after the wedding can be somewhat of a novelty within the military community. Our story is hardly unique – the first 6 months of our marriage were spent with me finishing up my undergraduate degree at Clemson University in South Carolina and Clay being stationed up at Fort Drum, New York. While not ideal, especially after our long-distance engagement, we made the best of it – as many do.It was during our first few months of our long-distance marriage that we began watching a little known mid-season replacement television show called The Office.

Clay, being a fan of Steve Carell on The Daily Show, convinced me to watch the show. I remember watching the pilot on March 24, 2005 and not being terribly impressed and conveying said feelings to Clay over AOL Instant Messenger. I was/am a huge fan of Christopher Guest movies so the idea of a mockumentary-style television show appealed to me but I was unsure about this remake of a beloved British show. But for the sake of Clay, I stuck with it. And before I knew it, I fell in love in the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. By the time we were able to finally live together as a married couple, our Thursday nights revolved around Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, Dwight Schrute, and company. We were die-hard fans. In fact, my Motorola Razr (remember those?) ringtone was even The Office theme song.

Clay deployed during the middle of the second season and didn’t return until 16 months later – well after the third season finale. I remember watching the Season 2 finale, Casino Night, and crying when Jim and Pam finally kissed. I cried because I was happy for them. I also cried because it was less than one week after the helicopter crash that changed the course of the deployment. I was sick with worry that I would never see Clay again that I would have given anything to be able to kiss him -like Jim and Pam – that night. Corny, I know. But it is the truth.

Clay eventually came home and our Thursday nights picked up right where they left off. We moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and before we knew it, Clay deployed again – this time during Season 6. That time around, I had a new baby that was often nursing as I watched The Office.  While we were still fans at that point, we agreed that it wasn’t as good as it once was. But we continued to watch. And we continued to laugh.

We were at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma when Steve Carell left the series at the end of Season 7 after proposing to Holly (squee!). By that time, Parks & Recreation had the honors of being my favorite sitcom on television but we still checked in weekly with the employees of Dunder Mifflin that we loved over the years. We weren’t about to give up on them.

And finally, here we are at the end. As you may know, The Office series finale was last night. Almost 9 years after we first watched the pilot, we’re now living in the Washington DC area with a three-year-old son, we have a little girl on the way, and we still sat down every Thursday night to watch our favorite people in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was time to say goodbye (many argue that the series should have ended when Carell left), but that didn’t necessarily make it any easier.

It certainly helped that the series finale was one of the best episodes of the entire series, a feat that is quite amazing due to the sub par last few seasons. The tone of the show and for the entire series for that matter, can be summed up in the following exchange between Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute…

Dwight Schrute: “I can’t believe you came.“

Michael Scott: “That’s what she said.“

Funny, sweet, and a little bit awkward. And a perfect cameo by Steve Carell. I suppose that it seems silly to blog about the end of a series but The Office has been with me through my first post-college job (thus making me appreciate the nuances of show even more), multiple deployments, four states, two children, and almost 9 spectacular years of marriage. To some it was just a television show. To me, it was a little bit more. So I can’t help but wish a fond farewell to the employees of Dunder Mifflin. Thank you. You are a gentleman and a scholar.

Karen’s Favorite The Office Episodes

• Dinner Party – Season 4, Episode 9
• Casino Night – Season 2, Episode 22
• The Injury – Season 2, Episode 12
• Garage Sale – Season 7, Episode 19
• Conflict Resolution – Season 2, Episode 21
• A Benihana Christmas – Season 3, Episodes 10/11
• Finale – Season 9, Episodes 24/25

A $21 {and some change} Rag Rug

I made a rug this morning!

Well, sort of.

You see, while on one of my many pilgrimages to Target, I came across a stack of rag rugs on clearance for $7.39 a piece (originally $19.99). The color palette was exactly what I had in mind for a rug for the nursery – a mix of red, pink, green, lavender, and white. It was so serendipitous that I put all three rugs in my cart and made a beeline for the register to make sure that they weren’t mis-marked. Much to my delight, they weren’t!

Having three separate accent rugs isn’t exactly the most effective design solution to hardwood floors in a nursery but the situation was nothing that a little string and a needlepoint needle couldn’t fix. I just used what I had on hand in my craft/sewing stash because I wanted to finally finish the project (the rugs had been in the room for almost a month!) this morning.

I simply tied off a knot and began stitching two of the rugs together.

Seriously, it couldn’t have been easier.

Once I had two of the rugs stitched together, I realized that I liked the look of having a separate {smaller} rug near the crib and the larger rug in the center of the room. I had originally planned to stitch all three rugs together but I’m going to live with this arrangement for a little to determine if one large rug would better serve the room.

I still have a lot of small projects going on in the nursery but it is beginning to finally come together.

So just a warning – expect more nursery-related posts in the near future.

Eek…I can’t wait to showcase the finished nursery!

I’m Currently…

I am currently eating everything in sight. Not really. Okay, maybe a little bit. True confession – yesterday afternoon I ate a drumstick ice cream cone at home only to have my amazing husband fetch some pistachio frozen yogurt later in the evening. A tad ridiculous, right? As of right now, I am craving pistachios, wasabi peas, celery with peanut butter, and kettle chips (preferably jalapeño flavor). I am afraid that I have reached that point in pregnancy where I just don’t give a damn about the ill effects of eating such food and I am more focused on satiating the craving. If I keep this up, I am in a world of hurt when it comes time to lose the extra poundage.

I am currently listening the podcast version of Michael Smerconish’s satellite radio show. I’ve been listening to Michael Smerconish for quite some time and he just recently left terrestrial radio. Since paying for satellite radio sounds about as much fun as stabbing a fork in my eye, I am limited to getting my fix (a day late) via (probably illegally recorded) podcast.

I am currently watching too much television, or at least that is what it feels like. Sadly, my favorite sitcom on the air, Parks & Recreation, had it’s season finale two weeks ago so I’ll have to rely on Netflix to get my Ron Swanson fix during the summer. Clay and I just finished watching the season finale of The Americans, an FX show about KGB operatives in the US during the 1980s. If you haven’t already, check it out. Seriously. It is by far the best new show of the season and it ranks up there with the first season of Homeland as far as kick-ass storyline, acting, and suspense. And finally, we just started House of Cards last night. We’re only one episode in but so far we enjoying the sinister take on DC politics.

I am currently looking forward to having this baby (when she is good and ready, of course) and no longer carrying a bowling bowl around with me. I am also looking forward to the next couple of weeks. This weekend, Clay’s parents are visiting and we will be attending a nice adult-only meal out with a bunch of our neighbors while the grandparents watch the little guy. Also, we have a week-long vacation planned to my parents over Memorial Day so I foresee a lot of pool lounging, boating, and virgin drinks in my future.

I am currently reading nothing of substance <hangs head in shame>. I haven’t read an adult book in at least a month…isn’t that horrible? But to be fair, I have spent hours upon hours reading books to a certain little boy…that has to count for something, right?

I am currently window shopping for regular clothes that are in the size I was before I got pregnant. I despise maternity clothes and hope to see regular clothes someday soon. On a related note, I am planning on belly binding once I deliver. Those of you with experience, is there a particular product you recommend or does an ACE bandage get the job done without the hefty price tag?