Flashback Friday

Seven years ago this month I married the man. My friend Kimberly over at Petroville had me thinking about it this week when she asked "where did you go on your honeymoon, and how much did you spend on the wedding?". After digging through some old files I found the wedding budget spreadsheet, and some snapshots from what seems like a lifetime ago. We spent $2,620, and that included EVERYTHING. Even the wonderful honeymoon to Cozumel. Thrifty me!

The kids were our wedding party. Brannon the best man, and April the maid of honor. They're all grown up and out of the nest now. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about drivers licenses and curfews.


*wonders...is that piece of frozen cake still in Mother's freezer?*



Who is the skinny girl? WHO? And with the bare feet. Some things never change. The curled toes give away the giddiness over all the presents. I love presents!

Cake, presents, unconditional love. What more could a girl ask for? It was perfect.

7 years

Seven years ago tonight I married my one true love. Tonight we sat hand in hand to watch the sun set on one of our favorite places. A place we visit often to sit and enjoy each other.

Christopher, I love you.

over the river and through the woods....

to Grandmothers house...where someday I hope to call this my backyard...


where cousins make memories....



and the wild roses bloom....


where the land gently rolls...


and dusk walks to the creek have random beauty.

Visit to Fossil Rim

With Chris working for a radio station, we sometimes have great opportunities to do fun stuff. Today we got to visit Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, and get a guided tour from one of the Docents who is also a donating Power FM listener. He hooked up the staff and families for a special tour early in the day.







They offer overnight stays in tent cabins at the overlook area of the preserve. The cabins sit above one of the big watering holes and would be an excellent place to sit and watch the sunset with animals coming to water. Putting that on my to do list for sure.

San Diego

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to go on a business trip to San Diego and I brought Chris and Mavis along. I took an extra couple of days and we had a great time seeing a few sights despite the fact that I got so sick with a sinus infection I had to find a doctor while I was there. I wasn't about to miss San Diego so towards the end Chris just propped me up in the convertible we rented and we kept going. I took tons of pictures except for the day we went to Coronado Island. We forgot the camera that day. I was too tired to throw fit for Chris to go back and get it.

Mavis had her first trip on an airplane. She was so good, nobody even knew that we had her with us.




We went sailing in the Bay at sunset. Mavis even had her own little life jacket (it's under the fuzzy blanket - got a little chilly for a doglet out on the water). She loved sailing - even fell asleep towards the end and snored.



Chris got to steer the boat.



We went to the dog beach at Ocean Beach. Mavis is NOT a fan. I made her go anyway.
Can you see the pout?




We stayed at the marina on Harbor Island. This was our backyard for 5 days. Mavis got spoiled with the regular walks and the yachts and all. She will tell you that she deserves better than our ho-hum life. I will tell you that she lives better than lots of kids do. Oh but we love her though. We made lots of good memories.

Excuse number 47, plus I'm just weird about death.

Warning, this post is full of run on sentences, poor punctuation, and a disclaimer about my psychological condition. Also, I am very tired.

....another reason I've been focused on other things besides writing, we buried a loved one on Monday. I wasn't going to write about it, but now that it has opened a very large can of emotional worms (that still sits open in the middle of the living room floor) I feel compelled. Unbelievable behavior by someone on the day of the funeral (this is me not writing about that either) has been a recurring topic which has led to Chris and me discussing our wishes for what will happen to us and how that day will go. Chris has entertained the thought that he wants to be cremated, I want to be buried in my favorite comfy clothes and a soft quilt. I KNOW that I'll be gone. I have serious beliefs about what will happen when I die, and in my brain I know that I won't give a rip about the box or the outfit or the blanket. I'm just WEIRD that way. I have a vivid imagination, and it is the biggest tool I have in the box when I go to deal with stress. I can sit on a patio and pretend that I'm on vacation when escape is impossible. I have imagined at funerals that the one I'm saying goodbye to is really just having a nice long sleep until we all see each other again in heaven. (here is where I'm going to give you the disclaimer..I am in therapy, I know I need it, please don't tell me that I do. We're working on it) Ok, so I don't deal with death very well. As Chris and I have discussed this over the last couple of days I've let him know that my vivid imagination plan at his funeral (if he goes first, we're placing bets) will be shot to hell if he is cremated. What, what on earth tell me, will work for the image of him being all burned up in a furnace? It's hard to sleep when you are jumping around in the fire and are reduced to a pile of ashes. I can't begin to imagine a pile of ashes waiting for me to get there so it can wake up from a long sleep. So, Chris has promised not to be cremated, but only if he can be buried in his Capt Kirk outfit. We deserve each other. (in therapy together by the way, we're working on it). AND he is has this thing about being buried under dirt. He wants to be put in a drawer, above ground. I guess we should be shopping for side by side spots at a mausoleum somewhere...unless therapy is extremely successful, and then we might shop for matching urns (that would be REALLY good counseling, I'll tell you what). I will draw the line on outfits though. He hasn't asked yet, but I can hear it coming. I won't be wearing a Lt. Uhura outfit. Sorry honey.

Backyard Slackin'

I've been slackin' big time in the blogging department. Last night my intention was to finish up my post about the great weekend I had in Austin. Instead I lounged on the back porch with Chris and Mavis with the off and on rain showers. We needed to enjoy the break from the daily 100 degree temperatures we’ve been having. I made breakfast for dinner and we ate out on the back porch, and then just sat there for over 2 hours. So, after I went to bed, I fell asleep with my laptop on my belly while attempting to finish the Austin post. I’ll get it done soon. Pictures and everything. Really I will. (I think I’m trying to convince myself more than I am you)

I really needed a dose of the backyard to slow me down and remind me what the important things are. Why I do what I do. I’ve been at the same job now for 9 years, and have gotten to the point of being an over achieving work-a-holic crazy person. I have put this picture up in my office with the caption “Work hard and take time to enjoy moments like these as your reward”.

I have a habit of taking pictures of myself putting my feet up in wonderful places. This was taken at Cocoa Beach Florida on a quick weekend getaway…one day before I broke my left foot last March. In a cast for 6 months, some of that in a wheel chair (it was a nasty, nasty break) – you think someone was trying to get me a message? I think I’ll slow down. Don’t need anymore broken bones.

Sitting in the backyard last night I realized that this Saturday, August 2nd, I will have been married to Chris for 6 years.

I've been so busy that it hadn’t even crossed my mind that it was this weekend. I don’t think that we’ll do anything special other than stay home and just be. That will be nice…because the next weekend we are off to San Diego for a week on one of my business trips. I’m taking Chris and the doglet along. It’ll be her first plane trip. AND she’s going sailing with us! I got her the cutest little life jacket. She will probably be strapped to me anyway. I’m just terrified that I’ll lose that 5 lb baby in the Pacific.

In the backyard, holiday's end.

The house is quiet, I have poured myself a glass of Tawny Port, and I am going to tell you about my day from the back porch. Astrud Gilberto is serenading, along with the tree frogs and crickets. Indulge me if you will, that is after all why you and I are here.

It's the last day of my long 4th of July weekend, and Chris and I spent the afternoon working in the backyard. After a trip to Lowes (doglet in tow) we set out to re-do the small bed on the back porch, and some clean up out here in general. I should have taken a true before shot, but in hindsight I'm glad I didn't. Frankly, it was embarrassing. This "post excavation" shot will have to do.


I have been mourning the loss of my favorite Rosemary bush for quite some time now. I've been in denial and have let the dead, dry stick of a bush sit in the dirt for too long. Out it goes!


I chose assorted ferns to fill it up since it gets no direct sunlight at all. It's been a while since I really got down and stuck my hands in the dirt. I used to do it so often, I need to do it more. Trouble is I have some pretty hefty neck and back issues that remind me after I'm done why I don't do it more often. (so there, I shouldn't have been embarrassed about the state of the beds in the backyard now should I have?) We also put up a small trellis for one of our many trumpet vines. There is a constant debate on whether or not the trumpet vines get to stay. Of course, my vote is trumpet vines wherever they please. I love the feeling of being hidden away in a jungle.




Oh, yeah. We also stopped at the grocery store for something to grill after we finished. This is the result of me getting excited about a sale on chicken at the store.

For crying out loud, it's just the 2 of us now and one 4lb dog. I guess there will be chicken leftover, chicken salad, (and you can comment with any ideas) for the rest of the week. It was good stuff, and I'm glad I didn't settle for a snack and then to bed like I wanted to. Mavis even got in on the excitement. She could hardly contain herself with the yummy smell of chicken on the grill.



(Mavis caught in the act of "boinging" up and down to try to get a swing at the chicken)

I'm grateful for the chance to garden with my husband, cook as much chicken on the grill as we want, and then sit in peace all by myself and reflect on the day. I know that it is a privilege much more than I deserve. I love what my brother in law Richard always says to his teenage son, "if life were fair, I wouldn't even be alive right now". Same goes for me. I cherish all the good things that happen in my backyard.

Antiques Road Show

The Antiques Roadshow was in town this past weekend, and we got to go! I am a shameless groupie and we watch it regularly. Since Chris is usually invited to these things as press, we were given press passes and able to enjoy the status... escorted to the front of the lines..yada yada yada. We were introduced to any of the appraisers we wanted to meet. I even got to meet Leigh Keno, one of the famous twins from the show. Leslie was there too, but was about to go on camera or I would have met both. I was tempted to stand around for hours and wait, but that would have been a bit too obvious. They are so dreamy.....sounds like I’m a shameless groupie of the Keno Twins, doesn’t it? Hmmmm.



Chris blogged a little more about the whole experience here. He had a little adventure of his own with his Supergirl #1 comic book.

We are both still a little giddy.

use #497 for a cork

Tonight I get home from work and the husband is getting his hands dirty working on the sprinkler system. I have Sushi and a bottle of wine. I'm really looking forward to some downtime with him, and he has a broken sprinkler part in his hand chanting "must go to Home Depot" as a man will do. The lawn really did need to be watered, but I didn't want him to go. Super quick I shuffle through the Rolodex in my head of all the clutter we have in the house. Piles and stacks that have caused me fits and shame and countless other feelings. I can't seem to get rid of it. Probably because I'm so stinkin fond of so much of it. Surely I have something that'll save us a trip to Home Depot tonight. It hits me, wine bottle cork! We needed to cap the sprinkler head, and I have LOTS of those. A use for my clutter! Validation!




It worked too, like a charm. There was so much charm that as soon as we watered it promptly began to rain. Not a little rain, but big, windy, loud lightning and thunder rain. My favorite kind. It's been raining for over an hour, still pouring and booming out there. Now I want to dig through the bowl of corks and remember the stories that go with them all. 'Cause you know there's a story for each one.

We had a good night. I'm glad I have clutter - today anyway. Today I will embrace the clutter and just appreciate who I am.

Getting Old

It's official, I'm getting too old to go out on a Tuesday night for a rock concert (or any other concert that wails on wonderfully until midnight).

However, if Boston comes to town again on a Tuesday I'm sure I will go. They rocked tonight. Kudos to Michael Sweet on his bang up performance filling the gap since the loss of Brad Delp.

Update to date night.

The perfect date night was followed by the husband waking me with a breakfast tray this morning. Yes ladies, he cooks too! It's gonna be a great day!

Date Night

Date night tonight, the thing I look forward to all week. Although it started out like a Chinese fire drill (the movie I really wanted changed yesterday for just a start), it ended up a perfect night. As I post as we sit on the back porch with a crazy midnight mocking bird. Perfect end to a perfect evening.

We had dinner at my very favorite restaurant - outdoors on the town square. Light bulbs on strings, plates and silverware clinking. It's all about ambiance for me. Just the right bit of wine, food, and conversation with the regulars. Then a silly comedy that still gave me what I was needing. I needed to laugh.

I love my life. I love my husband. A good evening that is ending in my back yard. Just right.