Just two weeks to go...

Well, it's officially been forever since I last blogged! I thought I would hop on over my lunch break and write about what's consumed most of my free time lately--running.

In early November, I finally decided to start training for a half marathon. I started running after I graduated in May 2010 and fell absolutely in love with it. The activity reminds me quite a bit of speech, in that the more you put in, the more you get out of it. I feel so healthy and actually look forward to my training runs during the week and long run on the weekends. I don't run to cancel out something I ate (well, usually anyhow!); I run because I love it.

The training process, however, has not been easy. I've had injuries in my feet, hamstring, both of my knees, and yes, even my butt (the dreaded "pain in the butt"!). My most recent injury (in the knee/hamstring) is finally getting better, which is a relief, considering the half marathon is in just two weeks! I'm definitely ready to run it, and I'm looking forward to the feeling of accomplishment afterward. But, after the fact, I'll be ready to rest and *finally* heal.

The Envelope System

Kevin and I have *finally* merged all of our finances! After living as a single lady for three years, it is nice to have a joint income for once.

During our marriage counseling sessions at church, our pastor asked how we view money. It was a really great question (not one many people think about, unfortunately) and made us think critically about how we want to manage our money. We decided to view money as a tool, rather than something to get rid of as quickly as possible. Not knowing we both already read it, our pastor recommended that we pick up one of Dave Ramsey's books. You might call it cheesy, but his book is amazing and has changed our lives. Needless to say, we have been following his recommendations religiously.

For example, our personal spending money is allocated into envelopes each month. Kevin and I each get an envelope with a decided-upon-amount, and we can each use that for whatever that month--coffee drinks, eating out for lunch, clothes, video games, etc. Once the money is gone, you are done for the month. The theory is that seeing your money in the envelopes makes you spend less, and that has definitely held true so far. I have always lived by a written budget, but this system helps me stick to it so much more.

We are followers! :) I would highly, highly recommend Dave Ramsey's books to anyone.

Semi-Extreme Couponing

One of my colleagues shared this website with me last week, and it has seriously revolutionized my life:

http://www.krazycouponlady.com/

Ever watch "Extreme Couponers" on TLC and think to yourself, "I don't have enough time to devote to something like that!"? Yeah, I used to as well. This website is like a cheat sheet for extreme couponers, and we have nabbed some amazing deals already. For example, did you know that Walgreen's, CVS and Target allow you to "stack" in-store coupons and manufacturer's coupons? Yeah, I didn't, either, until last week. If you find the item on clearance, you can often nab it for free or earn in-store credit if the coupons create an overage.

Below are just a few of our deals last week:
"Fall" Glade candles on sale at Target for $1.25 each. I had a $1.50 in-store coupon and $1 manufacturer's coupon for two Glade candles. With the coupons, I got them both for free!

Yesterday at Walgreen's
Brach's candy corn on sale for 2 bags for $3. I bought them for a pumpkin carving party and earned $1 "Register Reward" at Walgreen's. Their canned tomato sauce was on sale for 3 for $1, so I separated out the transactions (Brach's, then the tomato sauce), and got all three cans of tomato sauce for free with my register reward!

I only spend an hour (maybe two) each Sunday coordinating the deals and scoping out Krazy Coupon Lady. We have already saved a ton of money! Don't worry, we haven't created a "stockpile"...yet. :)

It's getting crafty in the Freudenburg household.

During the wedding planning process, I became absolutely obsessed with crafting. What's funny is that I never knew I enjoyed crafts so much, at least as an adult. Growing up, my Mom always had us doing a craft of some sort, whether bird houses, ceramics or painting classes. When I started using Etsy for wedding decorations, I started wondering: Could I do that--for a fraction of the cost? In many cases, the answer was yes!

I'm hoping to use my new-found love for crafting to decorate our apartment and future home. While we were on our honeymoon in Montreal, I couldn't get over the beautiful Fall leaves and wanted to encapsulate them for us to remember. I picked up a few of the most beautiful leaves at Mont Royal and just finished this craft project:

I absolutely love how they turned out! I love DIY blogs and thought I'd share my trick. You will need:

-Fall leaves - Free!
-Three frames (always 50% off at Hobby Lobby) - $6 each for $18 total
-Mod Podge (with 40% Hobby Lobby Coupon) - $3
-Sponge applicators - $.99
-Linen paper - $.33 each for $.99 total
 -Total: Approx. $23 and the best honeymoon souvenir ever!

We're Married!

I started this blog when I moved to Austin, Texas ten months ago, as an homage to my life as an 'engaged, recent graduate taking on Texas'. Well, sadly, between being engaged and beginning life as a Texan, my grandiose plans to begin blogging on a regular basis failed. Very quickly.

My husband, Kevin, and I got married one week ago, on September 17, 2011. The wedding went off without a hitch (aside from getting hitched!), and now that I have significantly more time on my hands, I want to use this blog as a means for keeping our families updated on our day-to-day events. So, attempt two is the Freudenburg blog: the life of newlyweds and their (very) furry canine.

Kevin and I just got back from our honeymoon in Montreal, which was absolutely amazing! If asked whether I would recommend Montreal as a honeymoon destination, it would definitely depend on the person. Kevin and I are people who would get desperately bored lying around all day eating and drinking. That said, we are super excited to get home and put together our lives in our tiny, 500 square foot apartment. I think that's a good sign. :)

More to come! I plan to blog our honeymoon very shortly.

A one-month Texan

*waves* I'm still here!

I don't actually know who reads this (if anybody), but I find writing oddly rejuvenating. So, I plan to continue writing. I'm hoping for a joint Christine-Kevin blog post-September.

 In a few words: I love my life here. The decision to move was terrifying, but I can't imagine the contrary: staying in Omaha. If I'd stayed, I wouldn't know how amazing I would (eventually) feel about my job and life in Austin. Some risks are worth taking, and in this case, I know that adage applies to my life/job in the short- and long-term. 

So...what are my first impressions of Austin? Where do I even begin?

Austin is an incredibly green/liberal/eclectic city, despite being the seat of a very conservative state government. Although Texans tend to drive more, and typically in very large vehicles, Austin is arranged in a way that encourages biking/walking/generally being active. My apartment is literally across the street from the 'Greenbelt', which is a nature reserve in Austin. If you know me, you know that I absolutely love nature and being outside. Perfecto!

Austin is also very famous for its food trucks. I freakin' love that. Good food for less moolah always gets my thumbs up. Last year, Austin hosted a weekend event, where all local food trucks relocated to one area. The event was bombarded, with 200+ people in line for each food truck. Hilarious, right? Many of the trucks are multi-million dollar operations. Genius. Something tells me a food truck isn't hard to pay off.

Austin is very affordable. For example, gas hasn't surpassed $3 per gallon, and the gas station closest to my apartment hasn't surpassed $2.90 per gallon. My apartment is also minutes from downtown; less than 5 minutes from work; and located in the most popular zip code, but I pay the same as my apartment in Omaha. Nebraskans tend to be reticent about relocating, for fear that living costs will be substantially higher. At least in Austin, it hasn't been an adjustment...at all. I save more per month than I did in Omaha. Again, some risks are worth taking!

My list could go on and on, and I'm sure I'll add to it with time. I miss my friends and family in Nebraska. A lot. That's a given. I don't like to think of my move as, literally, 'moving away' from them, though. Instead, I'm adding great people to my life, and the glass is definitely half full.

The Move

We're here!

After getting back from Houston, Kevin, my Dad and I moved me out of 68124 and into 78746 within 48 hours. Here's the run-down: got back from Houston at 5:30pm on December 28th; packed up apartment from 5:30pm onward; picked up U-Haul at 11am on December 29th; cleaned and moved out of apartment by 4pm.

We immediately left for Austin at 4pm, and stopped at a hotel for (only) four hours in Wichita, KS. Kevin, Sadie, the rig and I pulled up to my apartment in Austin at 5pm on December 30th. For perspective, we had to be there by 6pm, or would need to wait until January 2nd. Yep, we planned the trip well...perhaps a bit too well for comfort.

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew helped me move in on December 31st. After they left, Kevin and I went to the famous Chuy's restaurant, and had delicious Tex-Mex on our first full, rested evening in Austin. Um, possibly not too restful, though. Instead of going out, we decided to rent a Redbox. We both fell asleep on the couch at 9:30pm, though, and missed the countdown altogether. Ah, well, sometimes our bodies know best.

We're now getting things sorted away in the apartment, and generally enjoying our time here. I start my job tomorrow, and absolutely cannot wait.

Cheers to a new city, a new year and a new job!

Content and selling

For a little extra cash, I recently started selling old textbooks on Amazon.com. This isn't my first time, as I sold several books in between undergraduate and graduate school on Amazon.com. For better or worse, I'm now selling graduate school textbooks for cash.

When I took comprehensive exams this Spring, I pondered selling graduate textbooks, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew I didn't have any plans to pursue my PhD (at least, at that point in time), but I felt weirdly connected to them. Possibly due to maturation--but more likely due to cynicism, I'm selling them, and hoping for cash.

As I said in my initial post, everybody told me it wouldn't be possible to get a good job with 'only' my Master's in Political Science. I'm not trying to be self-righteous, and my initial search wasn't easy. However, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

So, I'm selling my textbooks from graduate school. Anybody lookin'?

Packing the packed

I moved to Omaha 6 months ago. Not only is it crazy that I've been working at PSI for 6 months, I also can't believe that I never fully unpacked my belongings in Omaha. That (probably) means one of two things: 1.) My I-can't-believe-I-just-completed-my-eighteenth-year-of-school hangover never fully ended (i.e. lethargy); or 2.) I don't need this crap.

I'm hoping for the latter.

A few months ago, Kevin sent me an article from the New York Times about how recession-induced minimalism has, unexpectedly, made people happier. In other words, the less stuff you own, the happier you become. When I moved to Omaha, I de-junked my life majorly, and I plan on doing the same before I leave for Austin. Even then, I have trouble packing, because I use (almost) everything I own on a daily basis. I can genuinely say that owning fewer 'things' has made me a happier person, if not simply because I have fewer 'things' to pack.

Shoes, though--there's something I might have trouble giving up.

My lasts (for a while, at least)

During college, I traveled a lot. In 2006, I spent 5 months, studying at a university in Rome, Italy. In 2009, I interned for a German state government for three months in Magdeburg, Germany. In between, I traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Greece, Spain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, among others. Despite always searching for (another) excuse to travel, Nebraska has always been my home base. I knew for a fact that I would return to Nebraska, every time I left for a trip or academic program.

This time, I'm moving away. For real. That fact hasn't hit me, and probably won't until I've lived in Austin for a month or two. I'm incredibly close to my family (most of whom are in Nebraska), but rationalized accepting the position in Austin, because a.) My sister lives two hours away in Houston; and b.) There's no way in hell I can do what I studied--international relations/business--in Nebraska. Pretty legit reasons, if I do say so myself.

To aid in my transition away from Nebraska, I'm compiling a list of lasts--well, 'lasts' for a while, at least. It's not like I'm dying, or never visiting Nebraska again. I'm getting married in Lincoln in September, after all. Still, I'll only spend 7-14, instead of the usual 300 or so, days in Nebraska each year.

So, without further ado, Nebraska-y things I should do before leaving in 18 days:
1.) Eat Runza. Non-Nebraskans simply don't understand.
2.) Outing with UNL speech friends.
3.) Bisonwitches. Greasy bar food that, more than anything else, reminds me of college.
4.) The Mill.Mmmm...coffee grounds.


This list is on-going, so more to come...

Choices and decision

As I mentioned in my first post, I'm engaged. Kevin proposed on October 31st, 2010 at a collegiate speech tournament. I'm also moving 900 miles from the wedding location in three weeks. Thus, I've been presented with a dilemma: do I make potentially hasty choices while I'm still in Lincoln, or make choices from afar in Austin?

We know our wedding date is September 17th, 2011, that we'll be married at Christ Lutheran, and our reception will be held at Hillcrest Country Club. My bridesmaids bought their dresses in 'golden khaki' from J.Crew on Sunday. I went dress shopping for the first time on Saturday, and fell in love with the second dress I tried on.

This isn't like me at all, though. As a middle child and twin, I've never been a decisive person. Put an engagement ring on my finger, though, and I'll make decisions in seconds flat. For you and your dog. Fortunately, I don't regret any of the choices I've made so far. My wedding is about marrying Kevin. Nothing else.

Tomorrow, I could have a wedding dress.

Two weeks

Putting in two weeks notice is stressful enough; putting in two weeks notice five months after you accepted the job...worse. Fortunately, my boss took the news very well, even telling me that she's happy I accepted the job. Like so many college graduates today, I was under-employed. Ah, well. It was a job.

Still, I managed to start the meeting off on the most awkward note possible, and made my boss cry. I made her cry! The site manager came over to my cubicle later, fake choked me, then laughed hysterically. Awkward? Indeed. So, that's the story. Not nearly as scary as I thought, but leagues more awkward than I ever imagined. That's my style.

Taking on marriage, dream jobs and...Texas...

Although most who read this blog will know me, I started this blog to chronicle one of the most change-ridden years of my life. Within the past 6 months, I've graduated with my Master's degree; ventured into a depressed job market; gotten engaged; and planned a move half-way across the country for my dream job. If this isn't a time to blog, I don't know when is.

To be more specific, I graduated with my Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this May (2010). The life of a graduate student is awful. You're simultaneously told that the market for PhD's in your field is saturated, but that landing a job with 'only' a Master's degree is impossible. Thank you, graduate school, for making me oh-so proud of my life choices. Nevertheless, I decided to give the job market with 'only' a Master's degree a shot. It took 1.5 months to find a full-time job relevant to Political Science, though '1.5 months' felt much, much longer. I made finding a job my full-time job, applying for 80 positions, interviewing for six, and landing one.

Since starting this job, I got engaged to the love of my life, Kevin. We're planning a wedding for September 17th, and I'm already anxious for the day to arrive. Anybody who claims planning a wedding is stressful hasn't gone to graduate school. I downed seven Diet Dr. Peppers while taking comprehensive exams. Some people smoke to relieve stress; I drink DDP. Needless to say, I haven't purchased a twelve-pack since starting planning. And miraculously, I still have a stomach lining since taking and passing comprehensive exams.

Now, I claim planning a wedding isn't stressful...yet. Although my current job isn't bad per se, it isn't secure, either. In April 2010, I submitted a generic cover letter and resume to a study abroad organization, not thinking I had a chance in hell of landing a job with them. Boy, was I wrong. After two phone interviews and a round-trip, in-person (all in one day, mind you) interview, I landed my dream job, managing their faculty-led study abroad programs in Europe. Say what?

To sum this all up, I wanted to start blogging, given the enormous changes occurring in my life. Some entries will be about wedding planning, others about life and culture in Texas--though most will be a weird hybrid of the two. Either way, I hope to make this an enjoyable, albeit somewhat anecdotal, 'peek' into my life. This is haywire, people!