Oh geez! oh geez! There's so much to do!

So all week I've been re-reading last Sunday's entry and getting so excited to write my next post!  It's Sunday night.  I did stuff all week, and now I'm not sure how to share my activities in a way that serves any kind of purpose.

Alright le-go, leeeeerrooooyy jeeeeeeenkiiiinnnsss!!
       
It was one of those weeks where you are constantly doing things and checking stuff off your to-do list, but somehow didn't get enough done.  I have a feeling that this post-wedding clean up process will keep me occupied and on a productivity treadmill for quite a while yet.

Most women are aware of the fact that they have the option to change their name after getting married.  What I was unaware of was the time frame for this process.  It took 4 weeks to get our marriage license back from the county (with another couple's license included.  High five, Harris County).  Now I found the time to take all of my forms of ID to the social security office, but have to wait another week or 2 to get the new SS card.  Tally is at 6 weeks post wedding date.

Then I get a new driver's license (another week), have to change my info with my bank, prescriptions, health insurance, car title, car insurance, passport, refile all of the paperwork for my jobs, and whatever other things that will inevitably create a huge inconvenience to myself when I forget them.

Pretty sure I'll be looking at a 4-6 month total process to take my husband's last name.  Good thing I really want to have it!  Seriously, go on facebook and search for people named Caitlin Riley.  Start counting... ok don't really, because that's a boring way to spend 20 years of your life.

Somehow I managed to marry a very nice Nigerian man with an easy name!  I would be willing to bet any sum of money that I am the only person on the planet with my married name.  Yeah, I know that there are 7,000,000,000 humans with names on this planet.

Is it worth the effort to take your husband's name?  I love my family and my maiden name identifies me as part of that family.  For a long time I thought I wouldn't be able to part ways with my ethnically obvious name.  There's something comforting about having a clear identifying link to your family history.   But I can't imagine any better way to fully embrace the fact that my husband and I have made the beginning steps toward creating our own family identity together.

I'd call the process a necessary evil, but the end result is an exceptional reward.  This week was trying for me.  I can be very patient with people and animals, but I hate waiting for procedures, tasks, and outcomes!  There just aren't enough gold stars and "grape job" stickers being handed out these days to validate life efforts.  So I was really grateful this week to have a husband who is willing to serve that purpose.  Nothing better than a heartfelt pep-talk to get your eyes (refocused) on the prize(s).

Our entrance into the Nigerian wedding 

Commence Launch Sequence

   I'm not a terribly huge fan of twitter or self pitying facebook status updates.  I'm not a big texter or much of a shutter bug.  Those things being true,  I'm getting excited to use blogging as an e-journal.  I hope to use this blog as a means to share some of the cool stuff I learn as life rolls along.  But beware... my journaling is traditionally a random, wordy stream-of-conscieness type pile of stuff.  Being my own biggest fan, I think it's whimsical and entertaining but if you're not fluent in jabber you may prefer another blog.  
   What makes my life and hobbies worth reading about?  Nothing in particular. But I can proudly say that I am constantly chipping away at becoming the woman I want me to be.  I've very recently married the man of my dreams, and still have quite the to-do list to conquer.  I believe that self affirmation is a powerful tool in achieving your goals.  Hopefully, publicly sharing my aspirations (small and large) will make me feel accountable for completing them.
   What the duck is a salty strawberry?  I am.  I'm borderline ginger (strawberry), unfortunately lose my temper (Irish*), and can be more cynical than I'd like to be (scientist*).  So here we go.  I love stitchery crafts.  I consider myself a knitter, but like to crochet to shake things up!  I love to eat.  This basically leads me to two more hobbies, cooking and working out.
     I'm not the greatest chef, but I get a lot out of learning how to best use ingredients and trying new foods.  My husband is 1st generation nigerian, so I have been working hard to learn a new nigerian recipe from my mother in law every time we visit.  I have a love-hate relationship with being physically active.  I love the confidence, I love the results, I love the calorie budget it provides for my sweet tooth.  I hate the battle for self motivation, I hate that jogging is my primary cardio now, and I hate the lame jog pace my short legs provide.  I love cartoons, sci-fi, movies, history, science, fish, pet-care, water sports, and spending time with my friends and family.
   I'd like to get as much as I can out of this blog by posting something new at least every sunday evening.  Hopefully I can reflect on my week and share what I've learned or created, or even just share something that I'm grateful for.  Again, self-affirmation is key.  The physical act of smiling can release the neurotransmitters that tell your brain you're happy.  So smile and feel happy, blog about your happy life and have a happy life!

*The Irish scientist part of my self description lead to the Cleveland colloquialism "salty" in the title

P.S. That scientist bit is not a lie.  As you may have noticed by my asterisk use above, shit will be cited and whozits will be analyzed.  No apologies.  Asterisks are real things, and I use them as such!