Justin: Grace, when were at a nice restaurant, please don't put your elbows on the table, especially when eating. Yes, no more laying on the table.
Grace: Even by the window?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Happy Birthday, Justin!
Today is the big Three-Three. Here's to forty-seven more*! Happy days and long life!
And lots of chocolate cake. Or the perfect cheesecake, whichever you prefer.
To honor Justin on this loveliest of days, I would like to share with you some little known facts. Unfortunately, I think Justin would prefer the little known facts remain "little known". To make up for this I will instead share some of his super-amazing abilities:
Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. I'd pick-up-on-you at an old folks home any day!
*because, with the exception of my parents who should live on into their hundreds, I think 80 is the perfect age. To. Be. Done. I've expressed this thought to J and he agrees. Eighty and no more. Not that we're at all macabre.
And lots of chocolate cake. Or the perfect cheesecake, whichever you prefer.
To honor Justin on this loveliest of days, I would like to share with you some little known facts. Unfortunately, I think Justin would prefer the little known facts remain "little known". To make up for this I will instead share some of his super-amazing abilities:
- giving compliments -Justin knows how to compliment people on things they care about in a very sincere way. It's wonderful to be around him and to know that he really means it. (Also a great way to win friends and influence people -kidding, but funny, no?)
- guessing what his presents will be -for example he guessed that he was getting a shark after I gave him his only clue, "You'll never guess what I'm getting you" (the rule in our house is, if you find out...you don't get it. No joke. Guess who never got a shark. )
- fixing cars -brakes, starters, timing belts. This is truly a magical ability and has saved us so much money over the years.
- delivering great one-liners and finding the silly joke -I hear he may have inherited this talent from his mom (thank you, Ceri), it has kept us light-hearted and laughing many a day and night. My favorites are the ones that make me look good, Me: "I'm so hot right now" (referring to 90 degree weather); Justin(in Joey voice): "Yes. You are."
- gift wrapping -this runs in the family and it's the most amazing, beautiful talent. I love gift-giving times when J is doing the wrapping. I like taking pictures of the gifts before they're even opened.
- (from Grace) Wrastling -playing horse, pushing people over unto the bed, carrying people by their feet, all the things a little kid would want, swatting with towels, who can hit the hardest when giving "five" -mommy never participates in this.
- Staring down a moose -need I say more?
Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. I'd pick-up-on-you at an old folks home any day!
*because, with the exception of my parents who should live on into their hundreds, I think 80 is the perfect age. To. Be. Done. I've expressed this thought to J and he agrees. Eighty and no more. Not that we're at all macabre.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We're Baaack
Sorry. No mystery. Just fun. This is what J and I were doing for the past four days:
And this:
And then there was this:
It's an elephant. There was also a bunny and seal on other nights.
Happy 10th Anniversary to us! Yay, we made it! Ready to head into the next ten*. Wahoo.
To celebrate, we took a cruise up to St. John, New Brunswick. We had two "fun days at sea" and a day in port. We read and talked and walked and ate and laughed and remembered so many of the reasons we chose to get married and so many of the reasons we plan to keep at it. It was lovely and relaxing and even funny (sometimes...if we told a joke or had interesting lunch-mates.)
I highly recommend cruising. Good times and no seasickness. (For someone who often complained of car-sickness, this is saying a lot.) We had lovely dinner companions each night and otherwise kept to our own plans and loved all the minutes of it.
It turns out I love having someone clean my room and then come back six-hours later for turn-down service. I love having someone make my food everyday and someone else to deliver it to my table and someone else to take it away. Other things it turns out that I love: foggy afternoons to read on the balcony while listening to the water or the fog-horn, holding hands with Justin all the day long, having people bring me diet cokes whenever I felt like it, and being able to call for a late-night snack if, perchance, I was feeling a tad munchy. Who knew?
Then to come home and find that Grace still loves us...well...it doesn't get any better.
*If I choose the decade milestone to mark time, well, it only seems appropriate for a cruise to follow. Right guys? Guys??
And then there was this:
It's an elephant. There was also a bunny and seal on other nights.Happy 10th Anniversary to us! Yay, we made it! Ready to head into the next ten*. Wahoo.
To celebrate, we took a cruise up to St. John, New Brunswick. We had two "fun days at sea" and a day in port. We read and talked and walked and ate and laughed and remembered so many of the reasons we chose to get married and so many of the reasons we plan to keep at it. It was lovely and relaxing and even funny (sometimes...if we told a joke or had interesting lunch-mates.)
I highly recommend cruising. Good times and no seasickness. (For someone who often complained of car-sickness, this is saying a lot.) We had lovely dinner companions each night and otherwise kept to our own plans and loved all the minutes of it.
It turns out I love having someone clean my room and then come back six-hours later for turn-down service. I love having someone make my food everyday and someone else to deliver it to my table and someone else to take it away. Other things it turns out that I love: foggy afternoons to read on the balcony while listening to the water or the fog-horn, holding hands with Justin all the day long, having people bring me diet cokes whenever I felt like it, and being able to call for a late-night snack if, perchance, I was feeling a tad munchy. Who knew?
Then to come home and find that Grace still loves us...well...it doesn't get any better.
*If I choose the decade milestone to mark time, well, it only seems appropriate for a cruise to follow. Right guys? Guys??
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Going Away
Our first trip ever without Grace. She can't wait for her first sleep-over at a friend's house without us. Her friends are way more fun than Justin and I. (If you're thinking of disagreeing, don't. Our friends are activity-driven people. They are FUN. Justin and I are sit and read or sit and visit people. Nice activities all, however, when you're seven-going-on-eight; activities are the order of the day.)
Yes. So. On June the 23rd, Justin and I will have been married for ten years. Wahoo! A great ten years it has been. Full of good times, great oldies. I'm not feeling sentimental yet -I have a few days, after all. I'll do a recap of the highlights next week. Suffice it to say, I love Justin, he loves me, we love Grace and so you see: we are a happy fam-i-ly (apologies to anyone who doesn't remember that Primary song).
Think positive thoughts that no major storms hit the north-eastern U.S. side of the Atlantic. And no rain would be nice too.
Have a great weekend!
Yes. So. On June the 23rd, Justin and I will have been married for ten years. Wahoo! A great ten years it has been. Full of good times, great oldies. I'm not feeling sentimental yet -I have a few days, after all. I'll do a recap of the highlights next week. Suffice it to say, I love Justin, he loves me, we love Grace and so you see: we are a happy fam-i-ly (apologies to anyone who doesn't remember that Primary song).
Think positive thoughts that no major storms hit the north-eastern U.S. side of the Atlantic. And no rain would be nice too.
Have a great weekend!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
That's the sound my brain makes every time I sit down to write something. The title keeps growing the longer I go without writing anything. I thought I had better do something before it takes over the page.
I don't really like backtracking. So much so that if I forget something at home and remember it after I have locked the door (and may only be at my car), I often won't go back for it. Forward. I always want to be moving forward. Literally and figuratively. This is true. I've forgotten my medication before, remembered before getting to the car and thought, "well, it's too late now". It's also the reason that I am horrible at keeping in touch with dear friends who have either moved or been moved away from. I love my friends. I love the memories. I always mean to keep in touch and yet I don't really. Sad, yes. Lame, also yes. Let's move on.
Yesterday was Father's Day. I love my father very much. As evidence of this fact, I will backtrack and revisit all (well, many) of the reasons that he's great. (Justin is also a great father but as he is not MY father, I shall leave it to Grace to one day start a blog and write how wonderful he is. And he is. Wonderful. Daddy-daughter date night, wrestling, reading together, Legend of Zelda marathons, the fun continues, but as I said, Grace will have to write about it. So stop asking.)
Also, apologies to my mother for not having written about her on Mother's Day. Again with the backtracking. Wow. This is totally turning into a major guilt thing. You see now, why I don't like to look back. Too much to feel guilty about.
Phew. Moving on. My Father. Actually, it's "Dad". I have always known that he is a camper, hiker, backpacker extraordinare. I knew this because of the family camping trips, the learning to tie-knots, the stories, the pictures. The thing I love about camping with my dad is that he knows how to be prepared. Great food. Comfortable tents. Ham radio. The hiking along local trails was a great part of this. And Dad always knows what animals signs to looks for or various and sundry information regarding the local flora.
Also the sun screen. Now, I know my mom was equally concerned about sunburn but it is my dad that I most closely associate with Bull Frog spf gazillion. To this day whenever I smell sunblock I think of camping trips to Lake Tahoe or sailing at Spring Lake. As a result of the sunscreen, I have not yet had any moles removed (or any moles to speak of) and have not yet been warned of skin cancer. Granted, I'm 31, not 71, but still.
Which brings me to another great thing about my dad: the hobbies. Sailing, astronomy, kayaking, bicycling. I got to participate in dad's first ever sailing expedition at Lake Ralphine in a lazer, sitting near the mast, holding on for dear life. It was brilliant. I also went on many a Spring Lake sailing excursion. Dad was able to rig a way for him to prepare the boat for sailing completely on his own but I was always so proud of myself when I could help. Great times.
Once, I went with dad to a sail-race in Tamales Bay. Afterwards, he let me know that the bay is one of the breeding grounds for great white sharks. Whether it is true or not, I never would have gone if he'd said it beforehand. The wind and the water were totally worth it (of course, I can say that from the safety of years and no shark-bite-scars). We didn't win, by the way, but I don't think we came in last either. I can't remember.
Some of the hobbies were passing. But getting to learn about new things with dad was a lot of fun. I've come to expect people around me to be as curious and know as many things as he does. It's amazing really, how you can mention any piece of history or landmark and dad can tell you a story about it. Or a story about someone else telling a story about it. It's awesome.
And The Stories. Red Feather. Pioneers. Falling Rock. Best. Times. Ever. Dad has done a remarkable job of continuing the oral story-telling tradition around campfires, fireplaces, picnic benches, anywhere children of all ages can gather. Dad can tell a story. And you'll believe it. And you'll ask further questions. And he'll have answers for you.
There are so many more things to say; Family Home Evenings, life lessons, cleaning lessons, grasshoppers.... I feel these are all best left to another day.
I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.
**Please forgive the errors in past and present tense. I couldn't decide which way to go "was" or "is". Too much "was" makes it sound like a eulogy and it's decades to soon for that. Too much "is" makes it sound like I'm still a kid. Just be forgiving is all I ask.
I don't really like backtracking. So much so that if I forget something at home and remember it after I have locked the door (and may only be at my car), I often won't go back for it. Forward. I always want to be moving forward. Literally and figuratively. This is true. I've forgotten my medication before, remembered before getting to the car and thought, "well, it's too late now". It's also the reason that I am horrible at keeping in touch with dear friends who have either moved or been moved away from. I love my friends. I love the memories. I always mean to keep in touch and yet I don't really. Sad, yes. Lame, also yes. Let's move on.
Yesterday was Father's Day. I love my father very much. As evidence of this fact, I will backtrack and revisit all (well, many) of the reasons that he's great. (Justin is also a great father but as he is not MY father, I shall leave it to Grace to one day start a blog and write how wonderful he is. And he is. Wonderful. Daddy-daughter date night, wrestling, reading together, Legend of Zelda marathons, the fun continues, but as I said, Grace will have to write about it. So stop asking.)
Also, apologies to my mother for not having written about her on Mother's Day. Again with the backtracking. Wow. This is totally turning into a major guilt thing. You see now, why I don't like to look back. Too much to feel guilty about.
Phew. Moving on. My Father. Actually, it's "Dad". I have always known that he is a camper, hiker, backpacker extraordinare. I knew this because of the family camping trips, the learning to tie-knots, the stories, the pictures. The thing I love about camping with my dad is that he knows how to be prepared. Great food. Comfortable tents. Ham radio. The hiking along local trails was a great part of this. And Dad always knows what animals signs to looks for or various and sundry information regarding the local flora.
Also the sun screen. Now, I know my mom was equally concerned about sunburn but it is my dad that I most closely associate with Bull Frog spf gazillion. To this day whenever I smell sunblock I think of camping trips to Lake Tahoe or sailing at Spring Lake. As a result of the sunscreen, I have not yet had any moles removed (or any moles to speak of) and have not yet been warned of skin cancer. Granted, I'm 31, not 71, but still.
Which brings me to another great thing about my dad: the hobbies. Sailing, astronomy, kayaking, bicycling. I got to participate in dad's first ever sailing expedition at Lake Ralphine in a lazer, sitting near the mast, holding on for dear life. It was brilliant. I also went on many a Spring Lake sailing excursion. Dad was able to rig a way for him to prepare the boat for sailing completely on his own but I was always so proud of myself when I could help. Great times.
Once, I went with dad to a sail-race in Tamales Bay. Afterwards, he let me know that the bay is one of the breeding grounds for great white sharks. Whether it is true or not, I never would have gone if he'd said it beforehand. The wind and the water were totally worth it (of course, I can say that from the safety of years and no shark-bite-scars). We didn't win, by the way, but I don't think we came in last either. I can't remember.
Some of the hobbies were passing. But getting to learn about new things with dad was a lot of fun. I've come to expect people around me to be as curious and know as many things as he does. It's amazing really, how you can mention any piece of history or landmark and dad can tell you a story about it. Or a story about someone else telling a story about it. It's awesome.
And The Stories. Red Feather. Pioneers. Falling Rock. Best. Times. Ever. Dad has done a remarkable job of continuing the oral story-telling tradition around campfires, fireplaces, picnic benches, anywhere children of all ages can gather. Dad can tell a story. And you'll believe it. And you'll ask further questions. And he'll have answers for you.
There are so many more things to say; Family Home Evenings, life lessons, cleaning lessons, grasshoppers.... I feel these are all best left to another day.
I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.
**Please forgive the errors in past and present tense. I couldn't decide which way to go "was" or "is". Too much "was" makes it sound like a eulogy and it's decades to soon for that. Too much "is" makes it sound like I'm still a kid. Just be forgiving is all I ask.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
"Intense much, Jane?*"
I woke up this morning feeling bad. Stressed out and like something was wrong. I was also tired, if you must know. However, I decided to get up anyway given that I'm always tired and if I keep using "I'm tired" to not get up and exercise then I'm never going to get up. I started to do my stretches and got less tired. I rode my bike and started to feel awake and good. Then I put down my book and went upstairs to get ready for the day. And. felt. stressed. out.
Instead of throwing back my head and wailing to the gods, "WHY? WHY!" I asked myself (silently) "why?" It comes down to this: I slept okay (read: no blanket wars, snoring, or visits from Grace. Although, strangely enough, I found my hand-held solitaire game on my bed stand. Weird, considering I haven't played it in ages -nothing to procrastinate right now- and Justin said he didn't play it either. Where did it come from?? Inquiring minds...)
Back to the list of why I would NOT be feeling bad: sleeping okay, didn't over eat last night (I know, right? totally awesome and unusual -I told you things are changing for the better around here), Grace and I are good and she's even wanting to read Dragon Slippers, which I loved and wanted her to read -this has never happened before; Justin and I are fabulous; I'm missing my fam but that's old news.
Again, why. And then I figured it out: Scott Westerfeld. Yep. I'm stressed out because things are not going well for Tally and Zane; nor David, for that matter. I wish I could say it's not so but I'm totally not kidding. I'm stressed out because of a book. Well, three books actually, things are getting complicated. I NEED to know how this turns out so I can go back to being perfectly content with my life. Until the next book.
Who else does this? Get so involved in a book, carrying the characters around in one's head to the point of distraction. And, more importantly, why do I mostly do it with silly stories? It's not like I'm contemplating the Prophet Muhammad or Alma the Younger** (that's where I'm at right now) all day. No. I'm thinking about Tally Youngblood and her problems. Sad, but true.
Is it because I don't have enough drama in my own life? Is it because I wish I were [insert any book situation: a witch, a girl in love with a vampire, a seamstress, or a handmaid (not really -definitely not), or a little kid looking for Arthur Spiderwick's field guide]? Not so much. But maybe? I have no answers.
I love stories and characters and plots. I love getting involved in the drama and totally buying into an impossible situation. Great entertainment. Great escape. And now that I've shared my stress with the internets I feel so much better.
*see here for the reference, and go read the book. It's fun.
** more on these later
Instead of throwing back my head and wailing to the gods, "WHY? WHY!" I asked myself (silently) "why?" It comes down to this: I slept okay (read: no blanket wars, snoring, or visits from Grace. Although, strangely enough, I found my hand-held solitaire game on my bed stand. Weird, considering I haven't played it in ages -nothing to procrastinate right now- and Justin said he didn't play it either. Where did it come from?? Inquiring minds...)
Back to the list of why I would NOT be feeling bad: sleeping okay, didn't over eat last night (I know, right? totally awesome and unusual -I told you things are changing for the better around here), Grace and I are good and she's even wanting to read Dragon Slippers, which I loved and wanted her to read -this has never happened before; Justin and I are fabulous; I'm missing my fam but that's old news.
Again, why. And then I figured it out: Scott Westerfeld. Yep. I'm stressed out because things are not going well for Tally and Zane; nor David, for that matter. I wish I could say it's not so but I'm totally not kidding. I'm stressed out because of a book. Well, three books actually, things are getting complicated. I NEED to know how this turns out so I can go back to being perfectly content with my life. Until the next book.
Who else does this? Get so involved in a book, carrying the characters around in one's head to the point of distraction. And, more importantly, why do I mostly do it with silly stories? It's not like I'm contemplating the Prophet Muhammad or Alma the Younger** (that's where I'm at right now) all day. No. I'm thinking about Tally Youngblood and her problems. Sad, but true.
Is it because I don't have enough drama in my own life? Is it because I wish I were [insert any book situation: a witch, a girl in love with a vampire, a seamstress, or a handmaid (not really -definitely not), or a little kid looking for Arthur Spiderwick's field guide]? Not so much. But maybe? I have no answers.
I love stories and characters and plots. I love getting involved in the drama and totally buying into an impossible situation. Great entertainment. Great escape. And now that I've shared my stress with the internets I feel so much better.
*see here for the reference, and go read the book. It's fun.
** more on these later
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