Marriage Archives - Food, Booze, & Baggage

A Brief History of 2016 to 2018

January 6, 2019 by Mariah Leave a Comment

It truly does not seem like the last time I posted here was in 2016. 😳 I totally know I could just jump right into the new stuff but I feel weird not giving a little of a life update first. So here goes a very brief history of M + P from 2016 to the end of 2018.

We said goodbye to Sam and Eddie

Our biggest change is that both Sam and Eddie have passed away. I miss them both so much every day, it’s so hard not to have them with us. They were such a big part of our lives.

Sam died at the end of June in 2017. He had cancer, and we had to have him put to sleep. However, we lived 3 months longer than expected and we got to spoil him and he actually acted normal and health (just got tired easy) until the end. He just loved life so much and was so happy.

Eddie died in January of 2018. Losing Eddie as so heart-breaking. I miss Sam of course, but Eddie was my constant companion since I was 21. He slept with me each night, he would sit on my desk or beside me as I worked, he laid on top of me when I was sick or had been away for any amount of time. He died unexpectedly (though we knew he was getting older) of kidney complications (we aren’t really sure what happened and the vet was horrible).

We really do miss them every single day, they have left such a big hole in our lives. We do want another pet (I’m thinking small dog) but we are going to wait until after our new adventure.

Where we lived

So we were still living in University Heights (north park) in San Diego when I abandoned the blog. In 2017 we moved to La Mesa, which is about 7 miles from North Park. It’s a smaller town in San Diego county, not part of the city. It has a little business district called The Village, which we live within walking distance of.

La Mesa Village has a few restaurants, bars, and coffeeshops so we still enjoy an area with walkable amenities but we miss the variety and convenience of North Park.

But THE HOUSE. P found this house for rent and we just fell in love (plus we had friends who lived in La Mesa). The house was built in 1910, it’s been restored, has so much light, a huge kitchen, big fenced backyard, 3 bathrooms, and a walk-in closet with a washer and dryer in it!! It was just too hard to pass up.

Here are a few (not great pictures of the house). I will try to update it with some better ones before we move. Backyard, my office w/ balcony, and the backdoor view into the house.

We love the house and happy we had the space in this past season of life (the animals loved it) and we stayed here for two full years, which for us is a record for us (LOL).

M + P

Things with us are pretty much the same, we still love to try new food, and new breweries. We love to travel but haven’t as much as we would like with the animals being sick and life being busy. Though we have managed quite a few trips, Palm Springs, LA, Cabo, Portland, Denver, Rapid City, NC, Ojai, San Francisco/Big Sur, and probably a few more that I can’t remember right now (see this is why I blog).

I’ve been working hard on building my business and after lots of tears, stress, tons of self-doubt, fear, and all the feelings and mindset stuff I finally feel like I’ve found my footing. I love having my own business, and working with amazing women doing amazing things.

We have met such a great group of people in San Diego and I’m so grateful to the friends we have made here. They are all so supportive, caring, and smart. We had so many fun times. BTW most of them are childfree and I met them because of this very blog.

We celebrated 5 years of marriage in 2018, and it does not seem nearly that long at all. They say time flies when you are having fun. 😊

So that’s what has been happening here 😂 What’s new with you?

How We Met

April 25, 2014 by Mariah 12 Comments

It was a dark, cold, and rainy night in January of 2011. I wasn’t in the mood to go out; it was a stay at home and watch TV kind of night, but duty called in the form of a birthday celebration. Well, as fate would have it I sat across the table at this dinner from the man that is now my husband. P would tell you that he knew immediately 🙂 I, being the more stubborn/realistic type, would say, “I don’t know.” I may or may not have called him “a bit socially awkward” in response to one of his stories. Luckily, P knew he was, or maybe he just liked, being teased, but he stuck around the rest of the night to ask me out. When we exchanged numbers he said, “You will go out with me” and I said, “We will see”. I’ve never been one to give in too easily. I told him to text me on Monday, and he texted me on Sunday to set up our first date.

Our first date was at a local bar, which P swears he was so nervous about picking. I was immediately impressed that he had befriended some random couple at the bar prior to my arrival (befriending strangers at bars is a very Mariah thing). When it came time to order drinks I ordered an IPA. P would tell you that he immediately started to worry over my choice and if I understood what I was ordering. I think he actually fell in love when I told him I had my plate at Saucer, meaning I had drank 200 different beers. We ordered more drinks and proceeded to spend over 4 hours talking at the bar, and that was pretty much it.

We got engaged in December 2012 on a trip to Austin, TX. We got married in August 2013 at the courthouse here in Raleigh. We spent the money saved by not having a big wedding, on a honeymoon to Europe. We were both over the age of 30 when we met and neither of us had been married before. As I’ve mentioned, and have a whole page about 🙂 we have no plans to have kids. The two of us are more than enough. We are 100% attached at the hip and I would not wish it any other way. P’s my best friend, my favorite person, and the best thing to ever happen to me. He was my missing piece.

How did you meet your significant other? Feel free to link in the comments if you have post about it.
And for all my single ladies…you never know where the road where lead and when your life will change forever, so make sure to get out there. If you have a post on dating feel free to leave a link for that too.

Have You Met…P

February 20, 2014 by Mariah 14 Comments

I decided this month would be as good of time as any to join the “Boys Behind the Blog” link-up hosted by Mal Smiles and Never the Same Spice Twice. Below are the 5 designated questions for the link up and 3 additional things shared by P.

So without further ado….here’s P 🙂

The Boys Behind the Blog #9 QUESTIONS

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

Ghent, Belgium — For the best beer in the world. Also, the proximity and ease of access to Paris, Antwerp, London, Amsterdam, and all of Germany. Not to mention some serious history, architecture, beauty, and some of the friendliest folks you could imagine.

2. Sand or snow?

Probably take sand. No real opinion on this one because both have a great place. Sand just because I think snow is fun for a couple of days before you want to get back to normal. Sand generally equals beach which I would enjoy for much longer. Also, being from the South, we have trouble traveling/getting around in snow leading to a lot of inconvenience. Sand wins this one ( as long as not stranded in a vast desert). Give me a nice, friendly urban city anywhere and I’ll be happy.

3. What Winter Olympic sport would you rock at?

Well, since I’m not much of a sports person (I didn’t even know the Winter Olympics were this year until I saw pics of Sochi bathrooms two weeks ago), this is a bit of a challenging question. Also, I’m not that much of a snow person (see question 2), I don’t think I would really “rock” any Winter Olympic sport. That being said, I do see some potential in curling. It looks like it’s a sport a beer could be enjoyed while playing. So yeah, that I can do.

4. You’re cooking a romantic dinner what is your go-to dish?

Risotto…probably mushroom based. Also toss in some braised beef. Palmiers for dessert.

5. Fill in the blank: This year, I gave Mariah love for Valentine’s Day?

Refer to my wife’s post. Seriously, I don’t really get it either-why one day when I have a year…years.

3 Random Things About P

I like biking to work. It’s de-stressing, clears my head, and provides joy to a routine day. I get exercise and promote alternative transportation all within the normal course of a day.
I like interesting, unique, and colorful socks. My dressing style is otherwise pretty typical. The socks represent my personal style statement. (Thanks Mariah!)
Morning is my favorite time of day. I like both rising early to enjoy the solitude and peace of a new day, and I like to “sleep-in” with Mariah while catching up on current events, news, email, and music. I like being productive and lazy equally in the morning.

I talk about P quite often on the blog and almost all of “my” activities are really “we” activities. P is my person, my best friend, and the greatest thing to happen in my life. P has been incredibly supportive of me starting this blog and in keeping it going. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about my man behind the blog.

Is there anything else you would like to know about P?

I’m counting today’s post as my “Friday” post but I will be back on Sunday with our weekly meal round-up. See you guys Sunday!

Life without mile markers

November 8, 2013 by Mariah 27 Comments

One reason (of many) behind starting this blog is the not planning on kids lifestyle. The blogosphere is full of mom/kid/parent blogs which is great since there are lots of those people around, but not so many that address the DINK lifestyle. DINK (Double Income No Kids)…which I only learned this phrase last weekend. I belonged to an acronym and didn’t even know it 🙂 I also discovered there is a website dedicated to it. So, maybe it is more prevalent than I realized, but still, I think it is less socially embraced and viewed as an nontraditional permanent lifestyle choice for a married couple.

I’ve never imagined myself having children-it just is not something I felt I needed or wanted. I want my life to be mine and I don’t think this is an attitude to have if you do plan on having kids.

When you decide to get married, going into it with the plan of no kids, it provides a much wider path. I like to say “it’s just me and P in it for the long haul with no other mile markers”. It is just the two of you-which is great and a little scary. I’m approaching our lifestyle as one in which we need to make sure to actively create our own goals and plans. I could easily imagine it deteriorating into a series of years in sweatpants, TV, and take-out (well maybe not for us because we do like to spend our time together and love food, drink, and travel). I think with any marriage it is easy to get into a rut (kids or san kids) but at the same time kids provide influence against the day to day. In general, if you get married with the idea of starting a family, it provides you with a framework…have kids by X age (that ever ticking clock), do XY&Z before said kid/s, buy a house (worry about school district), get Junior into pre-school, soccer, college…..

The no kid plan is not the norm, and at times it’s weird how others react to it. Some people treat you as if you are actively challenging their child filled lifestyle; it’s amazing how argumentative strangers (or acquaintances) can become at the mere mention of the no kids plan. I don’t understand the hard sale that many people feel compelled to launch into. Personally, I feel like I’m at a used car dealership trying to be talked into that sporty red car, that clearly has been in a few wrecks and the dings are covered by the bright paint. If someone tells me “ I have three kids”, I don’t immediately say: “WHY?!”; “oh you will regret it”, “do you know how much college for three kids is?”….though apparently it’s completely acceptable to go after the no kid plan as if your very way of life is threatened. Of course not everyone reacts this way but I’ve witnessed and experienced on a number of occasions some very odd turns of casual conversations when the topic is brought up.

Basically, I just want to put another perspective out there on the old blogosphere (which I totally did not know was a dictionary recognized word). P and I are a family, a team, our marriage is no less because we are not following the prescribed road map. Regardless of your lifestyle choice, we all face challenges/happiness, a lot of it is the same. It’s not about my lifestyle versus your lifestyle, or even that mine is that different; it’s about showing the alternative map and those alternative mile marks, even if we are planting them as we drive.