don't delay, don't put it off for another day...
Any other Patch fans out there know this song?
I was tired of "what's gonna work? TEAMWORK! what's gonna work?..." So I taught the kids this Patch the Pirate song instead.
We were making good use of it this afternoon giving the living room (and by virtue of putting many things in their proper place, the rest of the house) a good cleaning.
Now, I don't normally appreciate or share "potty humor" but this is too funny. Joey was taking a potty break and Jessi kept going to the bathroom door and singing to him, "Do it NOW, don't DELAY.." and finally Joey had had enough. I hear, "Listen Jessi, I am a SLOW person, I do NOT like that song! STOP singing it to me!"
At this same time, Joy woke up from her nap and had to go potty as well. We only have one bathroom and while I do have a little potty chair for Joy to use in emergencies, I thought that Joey could indeed speed things up and get out. As he came out, I ran Joy in and put her on the potty, fussed with the skirt of her dress and made sure that her sash wasn't going to go in. She seemed rather distressed but since I only understand about 1/4 of her 1 year old gibberish, I missed the message. By the time I caught on to the reason, it was too late. Poor kid, I had put her on the potty but not taken down her panties.
The message here? I don't know... Some things need to be done NOW, and some things it pays to take an extra second and be thorough.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Disney Planning
So we are going to Disney. This trip is actually a long time coming, we had originally planned back in 2005 to go the spring of 2006...then found out I was expecting and that we'd have a 6-8 week old baby in the spring of '06. So, the Disney trip got delayed.
Earlier this year a friend told me about a vaction home rental agency that had super prices right in the Disney area, I looked it up and was completely wowed. 3 bedroom townhomes with pools and large on-resort playgrounds and waterparks for barely over $100 a night. Our family size is such that Disney resort policy won't allow us to stay in one room, we either get two separate rooms (with one of us in each "kid" room, even if the kid is 17 years old!) which even in Disney's "budget" resorts comes to nearly $200 a night, or pay $300 a night for a large suite type resort. So, even figuring in parking lot fees every day and not being able to buy the dining plan, staying out in town worked out best for us.
We are staying in this unit, called Pooh's Dreamscape , check out the pictures of the playground and waterpark... I almost want to leave a day free just to play on the resort property!
We plan to bring one of Dean's friends along so he can go do big kid things while we endure endless rounds of Flying Dumbo rides. Ok just kidding about "enduring" it, we are really excited about letting the kids experience Disney while they are still young enough to enjoy all the magic.
I have reservations for Breakfast with Pooh and Friends, lunch with Mickey, Chip & Dale, and I'm not sure who else, Breakfast with JoJo and Goliath, and Breakfast with Donald and friends. I am expecting that one big meal in the park per day will be plenty and we can suppliment with snacks and shared meals as needed. We will hit Magic Kingdom on day 1, then Epcot, MGM, and Animal Kingdom in that order, and leave the last day free to return to whichever park we need to- I'm assuming that will be Magic Kingdom again.
We would also like to see the Medieval Times dinner theater while we are down there, either the first night before we start hitting the parks, or after we are done with the parks and are heading for Tampa to stay with my cousin for a few days. The kids are excited about seeing "real" knights and princesses, although there is some concern about the possibility of dragons. I'll let you know how that all works out.
I have absolutely absorbed the entire 500 page website of Allearsnet.com (a great disney tip site!) and with my personalized maps from My Disney Vacation, I feel almost ready to hit the road.
Oh, speaking of hitting the road, we are going to add to our vacation and take the Amtrak AutoTrain down to Orlando. We board a little ways north from where we live, get on the train in the afternoon, eat supper, watch movies, have our sleeper car turned down, and go to bed. We wake up the next day, eat breakfast on the train, and get off in Orlando. Snips about 700 miles off of that pesky drive. We load the van on in Virginia and unload it in Orlando and have our own wheels. We will be driving home but it just seemed like a great idea to NOT arrive for 5 days at the Kingdom already tired from the trip. It's a bit pricey but by buying our tickets and leaving on certain days we were able to save a few hundred $ from the regular prices, not to mention that the kids are tickled to be riding a "REAL TRAIN", and I'm sure I will NOT be missing the "are we there yet" that we would have gotten had we driven!
So,
matching T shirts (for each day of the trip of course)- check,
itinerary - check,
character dining reservations- check,
train tickets- check,
townhome reservations- check,
new shoes (walking a bit each evening to break them in of course!) - check,
"training" trips to the local museum (we have a pass, so if they misbehave, we leave immediately...they don't need to know that at disney we can't do that)- check,
a trial run to Busch Gardens (they did pretty good!) - check.
Now, I just need to get an extra card or two for the camera, autograph books, figure out exact packing logistics, think of 94 other things, forget 37 of those things...
Jeff keeps telling me-- "uh baby, this isn't the last and only time we'll ever take them... just the first time" he's right, I know this... I just need to relax, actually, (oh how sad is this...) it's on my list.
Earlier this year a friend told me about a vaction home rental agency that had super prices right in the Disney area, I looked it up and was completely wowed. 3 bedroom townhomes with pools and large on-resort playgrounds and waterparks for barely over $100 a night. Our family size is such that Disney resort policy won't allow us to stay in one room, we either get two separate rooms (with one of us in each "kid" room, even if the kid is 17 years old!) which even in Disney's "budget" resorts comes to nearly $200 a night, or pay $300 a night for a large suite type resort. So, even figuring in parking lot fees every day and not being able to buy the dining plan, staying out in town worked out best for us.
We are staying in this unit, called Pooh's Dreamscape , check out the pictures of the playground and waterpark... I almost want to leave a day free just to play on the resort property!
We plan to bring one of Dean's friends along so he can go do big kid things while we endure endless rounds of Flying Dumbo rides. Ok just kidding about "enduring" it, we are really excited about letting the kids experience Disney while they are still young enough to enjoy all the magic.
I have reservations for Breakfast with Pooh and Friends, lunch with Mickey, Chip & Dale, and I'm not sure who else, Breakfast with JoJo and Goliath, and Breakfast with Donald and friends. I am expecting that one big meal in the park per day will be plenty and we can suppliment with snacks and shared meals as needed. We will hit Magic Kingdom on day 1, then Epcot, MGM, and Animal Kingdom in that order, and leave the last day free to return to whichever park we need to- I'm assuming that will be Magic Kingdom again.
We would also like to see the Medieval Times dinner theater while we are down there, either the first night before we start hitting the parks, or after we are done with the parks and are heading for Tampa to stay with my cousin for a few days. The kids are excited about seeing "real" knights and princesses, although there is some concern about the possibility of dragons. I'll let you know how that all works out.
I have absolutely absorbed the entire 500 page website of Allearsnet.com (a great disney tip site!) and with my personalized maps from My Disney Vacation, I feel almost ready to hit the road.
Oh, speaking of hitting the road, we are going to add to our vacation and take the Amtrak AutoTrain down to Orlando. We board a little ways north from where we live, get on the train in the afternoon, eat supper, watch movies, have our sleeper car turned down, and go to bed. We wake up the next day, eat breakfast on the train, and get off in Orlando. Snips about 700 miles off of that pesky drive. We load the van on in Virginia and unload it in Orlando and have our own wheels. We will be driving home but it just seemed like a great idea to NOT arrive for 5 days at the Kingdom already tired from the trip. It's a bit pricey but by buying our tickets and leaving on certain days we were able to save a few hundred $ from the regular prices, not to mention that the kids are tickled to be riding a "REAL TRAIN", and I'm sure I will NOT be missing the "are we there yet" that we would have gotten had we driven!
So,
matching T shirts (for each day of the trip of course)- check,
itinerary - check,
character dining reservations- check,
train tickets- check,
townhome reservations- check,
new shoes (walking a bit each evening to break them in of course!) - check,
"training" trips to the local museum (we have a pass, so if they misbehave, we leave immediately...they don't need to know that at disney we can't do that)- check,
a trial run to Busch Gardens (they did pretty good!) - check.
Now, I just need to get an extra card or two for the camera, autograph books, figure out exact packing logistics, think of 94 other things, forget 37 of those things...
Jeff keeps telling me-- "uh baby, this isn't the last and only time we'll ever take them... just the first time" he's right, I know this... I just need to relax, actually, (oh how sad is this...) it's on my list.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
invisible mothers
News first, then the post:
Joy's visit to the dentist went very well, much better than her first visit a few months ago to a different dentist. This dentist says that he feels like with the rapid onset and lightening fast progress, this isn't normal decay, she had some sort of enamel defect from development. However, there is stuff we can do. They did a paint on sealer treatment yesterday, we will go back in 8 weeks to do it again, and once he feels like the current teeth are fully through, we will look at repair options. It is heartbreaking to see my beautiful baby with her rotten crumbly little teeth, but to know that someone else cares and will HELP us (let me tell you, that first dentist was a piece of work!) makes it a bit easier.
Today we are headed for the pediatrician to see what to do for this thrush since my homegrown remedies aren't working very quickly; Thanks Kayla for pointing out that it spreads like the plague. I'm looking forward to the whole family sporting a white frothy mouth.
anyway, after the ped visit we are heading for busch gardens. Dean worked there this summer and after working 100 hours, he got 6 free passes so he's taking us... we planned to go WEEKS ago, but never got to. Today is the last day since this weekend will be packed for Labor Day, and then he starts school on Tuesday. The kids are just out of their skin to finally go, me not so much. it's supposed to be 90 with 92% humidity. I think that means we will be swimming. I mean can you even breath air that is 92% humid? Should I pack scuba gear?
Last night was the open house/meet the teacher at Dean's new school (he's going to trade school half day and finishing regular high school courses the other half of the day) so Jeff took him. They talked to the teacher and principal about our Disney trip and worked out some ways that Dean can miss that much and be ok, so we are ON. Well, we were on anyway since the train tickets are bought and the townhouse paid for, but now I know to go ahead and buy him a Disney ticket too.
Alright, invisible moms. I have mixed emotions about this essay. I certainly don't approve of my family ignoring me, but we are a work in progress. There are many days when I do honestly wonder if I'm actually speaking out loud or if I'm really just one of the voices in my head. In the meantime, I did get a little bit of a boost from this piece.
Perspective: The Invisible Woman By Nicole Johnson It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. "Nobody?" The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?" I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing. Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible. It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not! No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going she's gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees." In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: * No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. * These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. * They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. * The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Joy's visit to the dentist went very well, much better than her first visit a few months ago to a different dentist. This dentist says that he feels like with the rapid onset and lightening fast progress, this isn't normal decay, she had some sort of enamel defect from development. However, there is stuff we can do. They did a paint on sealer treatment yesterday, we will go back in 8 weeks to do it again, and once he feels like the current teeth are fully through, we will look at repair options. It is heartbreaking to see my beautiful baby with her rotten crumbly little teeth, but to know that someone else cares and will HELP us (let me tell you, that first dentist was a piece of work!) makes it a bit easier.
Today we are headed for the pediatrician to see what to do for this thrush since my homegrown remedies aren't working very quickly; Thanks Kayla for pointing out that it spreads like the plague. I'm looking forward to the whole family sporting a white frothy mouth.
anyway, after the ped visit we are heading for busch gardens. Dean worked there this summer and after working 100 hours, he got 6 free passes so he's taking us... we planned to go WEEKS ago, but never got to. Today is the last day since this weekend will be packed for Labor Day, and then he starts school on Tuesday. The kids are just out of their skin to finally go, me not so much. it's supposed to be 90 with 92% humidity. I think that means we will be swimming. I mean can you even breath air that is 92% humid? Should I pack scuba gear?
Last night was the open house/meet the teacher at Dean's new school (he's going to trade school half day and finishing regular high school courses the other half of the day) so Jeff took him. They talked to the teacher and principal about our Disney trip and worked out some ways that Dean can miss that much and be ok, so we are ON. Well, we were on anyway since the train tickets are bought and the townhouse paid for, but now I know to go ahead and buy him a Disney ticket too.
Alright, invisible moms. I have mixed emotions about this essay. I certainly don't approve of my family ignoring me, but we are a work in progress. There are many days when I do honestly wonder if I'm actually speaking out loud or if I'm really just one of the voices in my head. In the meantime, I did get a little bit of a boost from this piece.
Perspective: The Invisible Woman By Nicole Johnson It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. "Nobody?" The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?" I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing. Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible. It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not! No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going she's gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees." In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: * No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. * These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. * They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. * The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The mouths of babes...
1. Joy has thrush. HOW did we get this now? I've nursed three kids, for a total of 41 months, and never gotten thrush. Joy was nearly weaned (until she got sick the beginning of August, really lovely stomache flu, so we got back into nursing a lot), and we are working on it again and now BAM, Sunday she was a little fussy and I noticed some "sugar sprinkles" on her tongue, Monday we headed for the herb store to get some doctorin' stuff, we had a BAD night last night, and today I'm wiping it off of her lips.
YUCK YUCK YUCK.
The only thing more ucky than thrush is the stuff you have to use to get rid of it. My arsenal includes: raw, plain yogurt, liquid acidopholus, Yeast Relief tincture, and a GSE solution (GSE is grapefruit seed extract, if you've ever been on TLC, you may know it as the stuff Sister Ruth Vernon tells you to put into the water of 3rd world countries to keep from getting sick. it's great stuff, but it tastes truly awful). All of these things are hideously foul tasting. I'm hoping that mere contact with all of the above is sufficient, because the most that I can claim is that I'm "rinsing" her mouth with them. I'm pretty sure nothing is actually going down.
She has a dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm afraid they are not going to be happy with me showing up with cheese mouthed kid. I don't want to reschedule since I bagged and pleaded and cried to get an appointment with this new dentist. If it's still bad tomorrow, I may have to go from the dentist to the ped for some prescription stuff.
2. Yesterday I took Joy for a ride (yes even with gas at nearly $3 a gallon, I have my limits) and Jessi came with me. We stopped at a park for a few minutes and Jessi wanted to park under a "flower tree" - a pink crepe myrtle. I barely glanced at the tree but in a moment heard Jessi excitedly exclaim, "Oh look, flowers here and here and there and there, it makes a cross!" I looked and sure enough, a rough cross shape made of flower bundles. I said, "Yes, seeing a cross makes me think of Jesus." We prayed and thanked God for the pretty day and for the cross to make us think of him. Jessi then remarked, "I don't think those flowers are really a cross." I was about to be confused, after all, she just brought it up, but then she continued, "I think God saw us come into the park and saw us park here and made the cross just for us to see it and think of Him, I think he was saying 'Hi'."
Wow, how special are we that God saw us coming and made a flower cross just to say "Hi!" ? I am so greatful for the new view of God that I get to experience through the eyes of my children.
YUCK YUCK YUCK.
The only thing more ucky than thrush is the stuff you have to use to get rid of it. My arsenal includes: raw, plain yogurt, liquid acidopholus, Yeast Relief tincture, and a GSE solution (GSE is grapefruit seed extract, if you've ever been on TLC, you may know it as the stuff Sister Ruth Vernon tells you to put into the water of 3rd world countries to keep from getting sick. it's great stuff, but it tastes truly awful). All of these things are hideously foul tasting. I'm hoping that mere contact with all of the above is sufficient, because the most that I can claim is that I'm "rinsing" her mouth with them. I'm pretty sure nothing is actually going down.
She has a dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm afraid they are not going to be happy with me showing up with cheese mouthed kid. I don't want to reschedule since I bagged and pleaded and cried to get an appointment with this new dentist. If it's still bad tomorrow, I may have to go from the dentist to the ped for some prescription stuff.
2. Yesterday I took Joy for a ride (yes even with gas at nearly $3 a gallon, I have my limits) and Jessi came with me. We stopped at a park for a few minutes and Jessi wanted to park under a "flower tree" - a pink crepe myrtle. I barely glanced at the tree but in a moment heard Jessi excitedly exclaim, "Oh look, flowers here and here and there and there, it makes a cross!" I looked and sure enough, a rough cross shape made of flower bundles. I said, "Yes, seeing a cross makes me think of Jesus." We prayed and thanked God for the pretty day and for the cross to make us think of him. Jessi then remarked, "I don't think those flowers are really a cross." I was about to be confused, after all, she just brought it up, but then she continued, "I think God saw us come into the park and saw us park here and made the cross just for us to see it and think of Him, I think he was saying 'Hi'."
Wow, how special are we that God saw us coming and made a flower cross just to say "Hi!" ? I am so greatful for the new view of God that I get to experience through the eyes of my children.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Anniversary, Part 3
So I've posted pictures of the happy day, told the humorous stories, and explained why we "had"to get married in a hurry. However, as we know, there's more to marriage than the wedding.
I am typing one handed and not feeling particularly eloquent, so I believe I'll attempt to record some random thoughts and use a style I like to call "e.e. military", that is, no capitalization, and in bullet form.
Hey, it's my blog, I can do what I want.
- marriage is both the best and the hardest thing i've ever attempted.
-there are days when i think i can't live with this man, but the mere thought of having to live without him is unfathomable.
-3 children in 4 years. in the first 5 years of marriage. wow. not for the faint of heart.
-family is amazing. babies are amazing. watching my husband with our children is amazing.
-i think "the church" in general is sadly lacking in a real example of godly submission. (hey, i never said these thoughts were going to be all warm and fuzzy)
-if our love has grown and deepened in just 7 years, it takes my breath away to think how much in love we will be in 15 or 25 years.
-i have no regrets about not dating as a teen/young adult. my husband is the only man I have ever told "i love you." entering marriage pure both physically AND emotionally is priceless.
-my husband is an awesome provider, i am so very blessed.
-my husband is faithful, honest, and loving, i am so very blessed.
-love really is blind. we've both gotten really fat and he's lost a good portion of his hair; yet, we still think "each other is pretty"
-love really is not blind. i know his faults, his weaknesses, his extremely bad habits, i know his feet simply reek. i love him anyway.
I am typing one handed and not feeling particularly eloquent, so I believe I'll attempt to record some random thoughts and use a style I like to call "e.e. military", that is, no capitalization, and in bullet form.
Hey, it's my blog, I can do what I want.
- marriage is both the best and the hardest thing i've ever attempted.
-there are days when i think i can't live with this man, but the mere thought of having to live without him is unfathomable.
-3 children in 4 years. in the first 5 years of marriage. wow. not for the faint of heart.
-family is amazing. babies are amazing. watching my husband with our children is amazing.
-i think "the church" in general is sadly lacking in a real example of godly submission. (hey, i never said these thoughts were going to be all warm and fuzzy)
-if our love has grown and deepened in just 7 years, it takes my breath away to think how much in love we will be in 15 or 25 years.
-i have no regrets about not dating as a teen/young adult. my husband is the only man I have ever told "i love you." entering marriage pure both physically AND emotionally is priceless.
-my husband is an awesome provider, i am so very blessed.
-my husband is faithful, honest, and loving, i am so very blessed.
-my husband is possible the most patient person i know, and inexplicably, the most impatient as well.
-he makes really great decisions when i get over myself and get out of his way.
-love really is blind. we've both gotten really fat and he's lost a good portion of his hair; yet, we still think "each other is pretty"
-love really is not blind. i know his faults, his weaknesses, his extremely bad habits, i know his feet simply reek. i love him anyway.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Happy Anniversary, part 2
So it's not tomorrow, but it's the next day, and that will have to do.
So Jeff and I had a shotgun wedding, but it was Uncle Sam holding the shotgun. We were both active duty military when we met and started dating. We knew pretty much right away that this was "it"-one of the many benefits of waiting until you are old and moldy to start dating. This was summer 2000, and we thought we'd get married the following spring. I was stationed at Langley Air Force Base as a student but had been assured that the hospital had requested to keep me on as permanent. Of course nothing in the military is certain, but we figured we were safe. Then we found out that no, actually we needed to get married and apply for joint spouse assignment (which still isn't a guarantee, but supposedly gets your request a bit more priority). We were unsure of whether or not to rush things just based on this, but after a meeting with my "Chief" I learned that with the joint spouse application in, if I did get transferred to another base, I could immediately seek to get reassigned, without the joint spouse status, I would have to wait a full year to even apply for reassignment. We decided to go ahead with it.
Long story short, it's a good thing we did, my paperwork was messed up and I was assigned to be transferred to Ohio a few months after the wedding. We thought we were just sunk, then I realized that these orders were in my maiden name... all our joint spouse paperwork had never been processed! Because I had dated copies of everything, I was able to appeal to my commander and have a few phone calls made in my favor and did end up getting to stay and live with my husband!
So, we decided to get married. We had a number of people tell us not to worry about a wedding, just to get legally married for the paperwork and to have a "Real" wedding later. I only considered this option briefly, for one, I knew too many people who never got around to having a wedding, and two, I knew that I wouldn't "feel" married if I didn't have a church ceremony with my family and friends.
So... the whole point of getting married now was to do it ASAP, so we picked the closest date that gave us at least a little time to let people know. We ended up with a date three weeks out. At this point I can see Tara physically shuddering... miss notebook with 47 tabs for every possible part of the wedding. Now, in case the three weeks to plan isn't enough "Fun", I should remind you that I was in school. I went through USAF Medical Laboratory school; the civilian equivalent is a two year A.S. degree. We complete the entire program (a nationally certified program... some things even the military can't write their own rules for) in 13 months. I straight out told Jeff, yes, I'll marry you, I'll marry you soon, but I cannot marry you until after my Chemistry final! Oh... and you have to plan the wedding!
You know how it's supposed to take months and 32 trips to the bridal shop to find the perfect gown? It took my mom and I one day. We tried on 7 at one store and didn't like them, went to the next store, tried this one on, I asked the lady for a pair of shoes with 1.5 heels, put them on... and viola. the PERFECT (for me) dress. It required NO alterations, no hemming, nada. I did ask my mom if she could shrink the butt-bow... if she had time. My mom made Libby and Julie's dresses, we had lots of silk flowers (bouts and corsages) from my sister's wedding a few months before. Inside joke; there for a while, we called my mom's car "have wedding, will travel"- in the space of 2 years, my sister, myself, and my two cousins all got married with the same basic flowers and decorations that my Mom carted around. We didn't have time to book a chapel on base where we attended church, so we ran down our choices... under a tree, on the beach, in Grandma's back yard... then on Sunday after church, Jeff took me to Fort Monroe. It was beautiful, a large white gazebo on a sweeping lawn, right on the Bay and adjacent to the Grand Chamberlain Hotel. Only one problem, they book up well over a year in advance. So, without telling me, Jeff called. There was one open slot (they rent the gazebo in two hour slots) left on Saturday, August 19, from 12-2pm. Then he called the hotel to ask about a ballroom for the reception. The lady literally laughed at him when he said he wanted a room for August 19 2000, not 2001. Then with a shaky voice, she came back to the phone and said that she had a cancellation and she DID have a room available! He also arranged for the catering and photography. Basically, I found a dress, and then the day before went and bought flowers and made my bouquet and the bouquets for Julie and Libby. Oh, I also chose the songs (and his Dad burned them all onto one CD for us) and contacted our chaplains about doing the ceremony.
Now, a wedding isn't a proper wedding without at least one blooper, right? We had a couple, nothing that ruined anything, just enough to make it fun.
1. There were speedboat races on the bay....right next to the ceremony. To tell the truth, I didn't notice it, but in the video there are definite loud buzzing noises.
2. I had this wonderful line-up of music, all recorded so that someone just had to push play. Except... I didn't think ahead to figure out how I would know way over in the hotel (where I got dressed and where we girls walked over from) what song was playing and when we should leave. We hung out on the porch for a few minutes and I sent the flower girl over. We hung out a bit more and I sent Libby and Julie over. Finally, I looked at Donnie and said, "Hey, I feel like getting married today, let's go!" So we walked over. It wasn't to Ava Maria as was planned, but it did the trick.
Well, this has all been about the wedding day and I intended to talk about the marriage. We'll try for that tomorrow... or the next day.
So Jeff and I had a shotgun wedding, but it was Uncle Sam holding the shotgun. We were both active duty military when we met and started dating. We knew pretty much right away that this was "it"-one of the many benefits of waiting until you are old and moldy to start dating. This was summer 2000, and we thought we'd get married the following spring. I was stationed at Langley Air Force Base as a student but had been assured that the hospital had requested to keep me on as permanent. Of course nothing in the military is certain, but we figured we were safe. Then we found out that no, actually we needed to get married and apply for joint spouse assignment (which still isn't a guarantee, but supposedly gets your request a bit more priority). We were unsure of whether or not to rush things just based on this, but after a meeting with my "Chief" I learned that with the joint spouse application in, if I did get transferred to another base, I could immediately seek to get reassigned, without the joint spouse status, I would have to wait a full year to even apply for reassignment. We decided to go ahead with it.
Long story short, it's a good thing we did, my paperwork was messed up and I was assigned to be transferred to Ohio a few months after the wedding. We thought we were just sunk, then I realized that these orders were in my maiden name... all our joint spouse paperwork had never been processed! Because I had dated copies of everything, I was able to appeal to my commander and have a few phone calls made in my favor and did end up getting to stay and live with my husband!
So, we decided to get married. We had a number of people tell us not to worry about a wedding, just to get legally married for the paperwork and to have a "Real" wedding later. I only considered this option briefly, for one, I knew too many people who never got around to having a wedding, and two, I knew that I wouldn't "feel" married if I didn't have a church ceremony with my family and friends.
So... the whole point of getting married now was to do it ASAP, so we picked the closest date that gave us at least a little time to let people know. We ended up with a date three weeks out. At this point I can see Tara physically shuddering... miss notebook with 47 tabs for every possible part of the wedding. Now, in case the three weeks to plan isn't enough "Fun", I should remind you that I was in school. I went through USAF Medical Laboratory school; the civilian equivalent is a two year A.S. degree. We complete the entire program (a nationally certified program... some things even the military can't write their own rules for) in 13 months. I straight out told Jeff, yes, I'll marry you, I'll marry you soon, but I cannot marry you until after my Chemistry final! Oh... and you have to plan the wedding!
You know how it's supposed to take months and 32 trips to the bridal shop to find the perfect gown? It took my mom and I one day. We tried on 7 at one store and didn't like them, went to the next store, tried this one on, I asked the lady for a pair of shoes with 1.5 heels, put them on... and viola. the PERFECT (for me) dress. It required NO alterations, no hemming, nada. I did ask my mom if she could shrink the butt-bow... if she had time. My mom made Libby and Julie's dresses, we had lots of silk flowers (bouts and corsages) from my sister's wedding a few months before. Inside joke; there for a while, we called my mom's car "have wedding, will travel"- in the space of 2 years, my sister, myself, and my two cousins all got married with the same basic flowers and decorations that my Mom carted around. We didn't have time to book a chapel on base where we attended church, so we ran down our choices... under a tree, on the beach, in Grandma's back yard... then on Sunday after church, Jeff took me to Fort Monroe. It was beautiful, a large white gazebo on a sweeping lawn, right on the Bay and adjacent to the Grand Chamberlain Hotel. Only one problem, they book up well over a year in advance. So, without telling me, Jeff called. There was one open slot (they rent the gazebo in two hour slots) left on Saturday, August 19, from 12-2pm. Then he called the hotel to ask about a ballroom for the reception. The lady literally laughed at him when he said he wanted a room for August 19 2000, not 2001. Then with a shaky voice, she came back to the phone and said that she had a cancellation and she DID have a room available! He also arranged for the catering and photography. Basically, I found a dress, and then the day before went and bought flowers and made my bouquet and the bouquets for Julie and Libby. Oh, I also chose the songs (and his Dad burned them all onto one CD for us) and contacted our chaplains about doing the ceremony.
Now, a wedding isn't a proper wedding without at least one blooper, right? We had a couple, nothing that ruined anything, just enough to make it fun.
1. There were speedboat races on the bay....right next to the ceremony. To tell the truth, I didn't notice it, but in the video there are definite loud buzzing noises.
2. I had this wonderful line-up of music, all recorded so that someone just had to push play. Except... I didn't think ahead to figure out how I would know way over in the hotel (where I got dressed and where we girls walked over from) what song was playing and when we should leave. We hung out on the porch for a few minutes and I sent the flower girl over. We hung out a bit more and I sent Libby and Julie over. Finally, I looked at Donnie and said, "Hey, I feel like getting married today, let's go!" So we walked over. It wasn't to Ava Maria as was planned, but it did the trick.
Well, this has all been about the wedding day and I intended to talk about the marriage. We'll try for that tomorrow... or the next day.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Happy Anniversary
..to us!
Sunday is our 7th Wedding Anniversary...it really doesn't seem that long, but in other ways, it's been an entire lifetime. Tonight will be mostly a pictoral, tomorrow I'll be a bit more prosey.
Jeff and I were married at Fort Monroe, Hampton, Virginia. We had the ceremony outside in this gazebo on the lawn, by the bay.
Our reception was a short walk across the lawn, in a ballroom in the historic Chamberlain Hotel.
My wedding ensemble: I had something old- my Grandmother's Cameo, something new - my dress, something borrowed- my sister's crinoline and hairpiece, and something blue- a garter.
My only (living) male relative is an Uncle who was unable to make it in on such short notice (more about my shotgun wedding in a later post...ha ha, now I have you wondering!) so I was thrilled and honored to have my dear friend Don Arnott and his wife drive in from Ohio so that he could escort me down the aisle...err, across the lawn.
My sister Julie and my best friend Libby Snider stood with me; Matron and Maid of Honor.
My mom and I.
With my flower girl, Megan (my cousin's daughter).
My family. Not too shabby of a showing, considering I gave them two weeks' notice. My cousin Debbie with her children TJ and Megan came all the way from Florida, my other cousin Phoebe took leave in the middle of Army Airborne jumpschool (that is HUGE) and her husband and girls came along as well from Fayetteville, NC. My mom, sister, brother in law, and dear friend Anita Kerr (now Dalkin) from Salisbury NC, and Libby from Hobe Sound, FL.
Jeff and I... Jessi was watching me scan these photos in and asked, "why are you guys looking at each other?" and I told her "we thought each other were pretty", she then replied, "well, why weren't you looking at the water? I think the ocean is pretty!"
Sunday is our 7th Wedding Anniversary...it really doesn't seem that long, but in other ways, it's been an entire lifetime. Tonight will be mostly a pictoral, tomorrow I'll be a bit more prosey.
Jeff and I were married at Fort Monroe, Hampton, Virginia. We had the ceremony outside in this gazebo on the lawn, by the bay.
Our reception was a short walk across the lawn, in a ballroom in the historic Chamberlain Hotel.
My wedding ensemble: I had something old- my Grandmother's Cameo, something new - my dress, something borrowed- my sister's crinoline and hairpiece, and something blue- a garter.
My only (living) male relative is an Uncle who was unable to make it in on such short notice (more about my shotgun wedding in a later post...ha ha, now I have you wondering!) so I was thrilled and honored to have my dear friend Don Arnott and his wife drive in from Ohio so that he could escort me down the aisle...err, across the lawn.
My sister Julie and my best friend Libby Snider stood with me; Matron and Maid of Honor.
My mom and I.
With my flower girl, Megan (my cousin's daughter).
My family. Not too shabby of a showing, considering I gave them two weeks' notice. My cousin Debbie with her children TJ and Megan came all the way from Florida, my other cousin Phoebe took leave in the middle of Army Airborne jumpschool (that is HUGE) and her husband and girls came along as well from Fayetteville, NC. My mom, sister, brother in law, and dear friend Anita Kerr (now Dalkin) from Salisbury NC, and Libby from Hobe Sound, FL.
Jeff and I... Jessi was watching me scan these photos in and asked, "why are you guys looking at each other?" and I told her "we thought each other were pretty", she then replied, "well, why weren't you looking at the water? I think the ocean is pretty!"Ok Jessi... one day you will understand and think that each other is prettier than the ocean.
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