Thursday Thoughts

My head hurts and I'm tired. I feel blah and hungry. I feel so in the middle. I can't believe March is halfway over. I'm trying to unload my brain so here are my random thoughts for the day:

• Cleaning: My house will never be completely clean. I have resigned myself to that notion. I clean one room only to have another room get messy. I can't do it all and choosing to rest and play with Cati supersede any desire to clean.
• School: Did I tell you I was applying to grad school? Well, I am. It's a therapy master's. I hope I get in although I am a little worried that I haven't heard anything and I think my application has been complete for a few weeks now.
• Pictures, Part One: I have spent the last week or so pouring over pictures. I have this brilliant idea of wanting to create albums/scrapbooks for all the big events of the past year. I took over 12,000 pictures of Cati this past year. There was no way I was going to print all of them, so I picked my favorites. To the tune of 475 pictures. Don't judge, I'm impressed I was able to go from 12,000 to 475. Now I just need albums.
• Pictures, Part Two: The sad reality is that I am taking less pictures of Cati. She's still adorable and picture-worthy but something must have clicked in my brain once she hit a year because picture taking has seriously declined. Is this how it works? The older she gets the less pictures I take?
• Pictures, Part Three: Abuela turns 90 today (Happy Birthday Abuela!) and we are working on a photo collage for her party. I spent over an hour searching for pictures of her; pictures I have taken of her over the past 7.5 years I have known her. In searching for these pictures, I looked over so many pictures that made my heart soar and drop. So many memories, so many tears, so many laughs in all the photos. There are a lot of happy memories captured but there are also lots of moments of regret that leave me with a heavy heart. 
• Cooking: I'm trying my hand at corned beef today. I hope it comes out delicious. Have you ever made it? Any tips? We don't like cabbage so any side recommendations? Tonight we are going to a St. Patrick's Day street party and I hope it's fun. It will be the second time in a week that Cati's out past her bedtime.
• Houses: It's so easy to ignore all the hidden costs of owning a home when you are purchasing a home.When you are shopping for a house your thought process really only extends as far as having enough money to cover mortgage, insurance, and taxes. The longer we own a house the more frustrated I become with all the associated costs. Right now I am severely disliking our insurance company and agent because of how they can increase prices based on something an inspector was too lazy to document. You can't say something doesn't exist if you don't look for it, right?
• Alex: Am I the only that feels the emotions of a spouse as if they were my own, but worse? If Alex has a bad day and comes home upset, then I get upset and in a worse mood than him. He's been grumpy lately and that has me feeling really grumpy and useless because I can't do anything to make him feel better. You know it's bad when Cati has trouble getting him to crack a smile. 
• Communication: Don't you hate when someone lets you in on a secret and then shuts the door on you when you try to ask for an update on that secret? Again, I feel useless because said person isn't talking to me about it and I feel like I'm wasting time and energy worrying.
• It's Thursday: This week is almost over. I'm ready for next week. How about you?