Olympic Fever

Justen and I are watching the Olympics (kind of), and a commercial came on about "symbolically adopting a tiger" and Justen starting laughing. It's real, www.myWWF.com, you too can symbolically adopt a tiger.  It's rare for Justen to laugh out loud, so after laughing with him, and smiling at my amazing husband, I decided to send out an update email.  Life is good.  We finally made it to church on Sunday, and my ward is small but I'm super excited for it.  There was a fun couple that came up and introduced themselves, so I'm looking forward to having some LDS "couple" friends.  I have to be on my best behavior at first, I don't wanna freak them out by sending texts late at night about Missy Franklin or something. (I'm watching Missy swim her guts out right now, while I drink a pop and eat cheesy goldfish.)  I still don't have a job, which is a constant worry and frustration.  Schools aren't even biting at my resume, and the online job I was trying to get (search engine evaluator) didn't work out because even with assistance I couldn't pass their online test.  Bummer.  I'm calling bookstores and I'm about to park it in the library until they hire me.  Justen is super supportive, and keeps encouraging me and comforting me that it'll all be okay.  And with us, everything has been, it always works out!

Last Wednesday, the Ohio state fair opened and Jim Gaffigan was the opening act that night.  Justen got us some great tickets, and after getting kettle corn and salt water taffy, we laughed like crazy at Jim.  He did a really funny bit with diarrhea.  There was a woman signing his act for any deaf people there (deaf people at a comedy show? odd) and he kept throwing in the phrase "diarrhea" or "explosive diarrhea" just to watch her sign it.  The whole audience would turn to her to watch her face turn red as Jim stared her down and made her sign it.  Pretty funny!  He also talked about body wash.  Something about how he used to use soap, and when people started saying body wash, and then when there was a lull in the show, he'd say "body wash" in a sing-song voice.  Guess you had to be there.  Afterwards we walked around the fair grounds, and watched the fireworks they set off.

Thursday, we drove with Justen's parents to Kentucky to see Justen's uncle Lloyd.  He was recently given 1 month left to live due to a bone marrow condition, so I wasn't sure what his physical appearance would be like. He looked so healthy and he was so lucid, it was hard to realize he won't be alive in a month.  We had a great visit, and I'm so glad I got to meet this great Castle man.  All the Castle men are the same: tall, quiet, soft-spoken, funny, loving, and attentive.  I love my brothers and my dad, but these Castles are the best of men.  We stayed with them for a few hours, the only clue you'd have that he was ill was that he got fatigued easily.

On the drive home we stopped at IKEA.  I FINALLY got to go to IKEA and it was all I imagined and more.  It's a good thing it's not closer, because I think I'd drown us in IKEA debt.  We even ate dinner there, who know they had a restaurant?!  His parents loved it, too, and we all wished we had a bigger car!  HA!

On Friday, Justen and his family moved all his stuff from his parents to our house finally, and at some point we might actually be out of boxes!  I'm excited for mom to come visit us and help me with the flower beds and wall colors.  Is anyone else interested in coming to visit/paint?

Saturday after sleeping in until noon, we went back to the fair to actually see the exhibits.  They had sculptures made out of butter!  I had to see that!  It was a life-size cow made entirely out of butter!!!  It was amazing, I made a stranger take our picture in front of it.  They also had a little cow born on Thursday named Virgil, so we got to see Virgil.  Who knew that baby cows were so big!  We didn't stay more than a few hours, it just got so hot and miserable.

I'll be back in Missouri late Sunday night for Erica's baby shower on Tuesday.  I'm so excited to see the family, and to swim in the pool.  (Guess which I'm most excited for...)  Justen and I aren't looking forward to being apart, I've gotten pretty used to being together all the time.  I must say, this "honeymoon phase" is AWESOME!  We don't really fight much, and the fights we do have are silly and short.  We enjoy each other's company, and we are starting to get better about sleeping at night (he says I snore and grind my teeth, and I say he... well, he is a perfect sleeper, it's all me).  I'm still cooking for my honey every night, and we are having fun with that, too.  Part of this marriage thing feels like playing house, and it's just so great!  

MISSY FRANKLIN JUST GOT THE GOLD IN THE BACKSTROKE!  She's 17, and a gold medalist!  Wahoo!  They showed her mom crying, love it!  This is what I love about the Olympics, it's intense!

Well, on that note, there's nothing more I can say!  This Castle family is happy, healthy, and loving married life in Ohio!  If you think of it, maybe say a prayer to help me find employment, but other than that, we are good.  Life is good.

marriage

 I'm bursting with happiness right now, and I wanted to share it!  I made tuna casserole for dinner, and Justen had TWO helpings, score!  He is loving having a wife who cooks every night and does his laundry, it's a pretty sweet gig for him!  Ha!  We've alternated praying at dinner, and yesterday since we had his friends over (Clint & Krissi--the ones getting married next summer in Pennsylvania) I prayed.  Tonight was his turn, and he said the best, most humble and tender prayer.  He thanked God for our one month and one day marriage, and for the happiness we share.  He expressed his gratitude for his beautiful wife and the loving meals she prepares.  He asked that we always remember the love we have for each other, and that it will continue to grow all our lives and through eternity.  He always looks up at me after his prayer as if to say "How'd I do?" and I always praise him, but THIS prayer was just so great.  He's not used to praying at meals, and especially not praying out loud.  And let's  be honest, neither am I.  Living alone, I prayed often but not at every meal and rarely out loud.  I just continue to be in awe of the tremendous blessing marriage is.  I love this man more than I thought I could, and it continues to grow every day.  He's so thoughtful and giving, patient and kind, and he makes me want to be a better person.  I love doing things for him, surprising him by what I can accomplish while he's at work, and supporting him in all his endeavors.  We always have a good chat while we eat dinner, and we talk about our days (even though we usually text or talk during the day a few times).  Sunday nights are the best, because we make a plan for the week ahead.  We set a menu so I know what I'm cooking each day, we calendar any plans we may have or things we want to do, and just giggle that WE'RE MARRIED and together, and we don't have to say goodbye at the end of the weekend!

I'm just so happy!  I always knew marriage, being married, was something I desperately wanted.  I prayed for it, and at times I crossed the line I'm sure by venting to my Father in heaven, feeling like he'd forgotten me.  I worried I'd screwed up my chances by wasting so much time on a loser, and then wasting even more time pining after men who weren't interested in me or interesting at all.  Justen and I both worried we'd never find what so many of our friends have found.  AND HERE WE ARE!!!  We haven't had many fights, and if we do fight they are small, simple, and easily rectified.  We laugh a lot, we talk a lot, and when he's at work sometimes I cry and pray and express my gratitude for this wonderful blessing of marriage to Justen.  

Right now, he's outside pulling weeds and I just finished doing the dishes from dinner.  Soon he's coming in and he'll get cleaned up, then we're going to watch a movie together.  It's like the BEST LIFE EVER!  I'm bursting, I'm so happy!  I have a hard time feeling sad about the negative things in our families and in the world around us because frankly I am too exuberant to notice much else beside my husband.  If this is the honeymoon stage, it is freaking awesome!

Hello from Ohio!

Tomorrow marks 1 whole month, and it has been just so great!!  The first week was our honeymoon, which shouldn't count because that was just a dream.  The REAL marriage stuff started when we arrived at our house in Ohio.  Our house, I just have to say, is amazing!  It's so spacious, in great shape, and we've had a lot of fun working on little projects every evening after Justen gets home from work.

Speaking of work, I did have 2 job interviews but they were fruitless.  One of the interviews was to work in a strip mall school (on one side was a nail salon, and on the other side was a payday loan business), and I am relieved to not have that job.  I've spent days trying to get all my information together so I can apply to be a substitute.  I'm also trying to get a job that deals with rating online search engines.  It's tedious work, but it would be a job and if I don't get it, my next stop is the grocery store.  I would be an excellent bagger, checker, or greeter. :)

I just got my Ohio driver's license and my new social security card, so I'm officially Brianne Johnsen Castle, I finally have a middle name!!  I need to change my passport ASAP, in case I have the opportunity to go to China for Jake and Yang Yang's baby.  So, my only job has been to wake up and continue to unpack and make a "honey do" list for Justen.  He comes home and gets started on the list right away while I cook us dinner.  Honestly, I love every second of it!

Justen's friends have been really inclusive towards me, which makes me feel loved and keeps me from being alone all the time.  I'm starting to navigate the streets of Ohio on my own, too.  In fact, just the other day I called Justen at his work in hysterics asking him to help me get home.  He asked where I was, and I replied (not at all calmly I'm sure) that I didn't know.  Later, Jake compared it to when we were at the lake and Dad kept telling us to meet him here.  Where?  Here!  To the left!  My left?  Just get here!  Justen is really good at keeping my crazy in check, we are a good balancing act.  (By the way, if you're curious, he didn't help me get home that day, because after saying I didn't know where I was and that I hated Ohio, I hung up on him.  AKA, completely normal behavior.)

We haven't been to our church yet.  The first Sunday we were here, mom and dad were here and instead of church we spent time with them.  Then last Sunday I was running a fever, so we missed.  The missionaries stopped by last Sunday evening (kind of goofy guys) and reached out to us.  I'm excited to get to know more people, have activities, and even an active calling.  I need to stay busy before I lie around watching cable tv and eating chocolate all the time.

So, that's about it in a nutshell.  Justen works hard, I unpack and make sure to cook him a good, meaty meal ready at 5:30ish, and we spend evenings doing home repair and set-up.  Marriage is awesome, I still feel like this is all a dream.  I never thought I'd get married, and I had given up that hope completely (Justen had, too).  I think because we are so grateful for each other, so grateful to be together every day and not say goodbye at the end of the weekend, it makes marriage a breeze!  Side note, I haven't been to the airport in a month, a new record!!!  We have our moments, and I have a hard time without having family close by, but it's getting easier every day.  Count your blessings if you live in Kearney or nearby and have so many cousins and family close by.  Justen's family is so small.  He has 2 uncles, 3 aunts, and 7 cousins.  Total.  And they don't really get together, ever.  

Anyway, The Castle family is doing great, super retarded for each other, and just loving the blessings the Lord has given us.  I feel so blessed, even now it makes me smile and cry a bit.

Here's a pic from our honeymoon where everyone was singing "Happy Honeymoon" to the tune of "Happy Birthday" and making us "kiss kiss kiss" every break!  

"Happy honeymoon to you, kiss kiss kiss!  Happy honeymoon to you, kiss kiss kiss kiss.  Happy honeymoon, happy honeymoon, happy honeymoon to you, kiss kiss kiss!"