I married a plumber. I love him *let me just throw that out there before I start* but... when you marry a plumber there are certain expectations that have to be forsaken. For example: I can't always expect that he will be home to eat the dinner I slaved over for 2 hours or that he won't have to leave in the middle of the night to go on a call. I can only pray that I won't find one of his cruddy work shirts tossed on top of a pile of my clean unmentionables. I accepted defeat when we discovered his work van couldn't fit into our new garage and would have to live in the driveway at night. And I am almost used to finding customers phone numbers on every piece of paper laying around our house - birthday cards, bills, memorabilia, ANYTHING. But, then, there is that one. That notoriously obnoxious quality that aggravates me to a point of endearment (strange, I know). The foundation of what people anticipate when a plumber is called into their home or place of business.
The plumber's crack!
And boy does he have one. This thing gets SEEN. Case in point, the Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch circa Halloween '09 - John bends down to put his shoes back on after going on the bounce mound. I guess that's what you call it - it bounces and its a mound so I think "bounce mound" sounds perfect. Anyway, I hear the couple beside me snickering so I look down. John is showing full-on crack right there in the middle of hundreds of innocent bystanders. I swear I wouldn't have been surprised if kids started running and screaming. I'm just glad Sully was too young to understand.... I can only shrug it off as a walking satire.
Anywho, he calls me on my cell this weekend (I was out of town) to tell me that he's been bitten by a spider on, wait for it......... wait for it.......... the top of his crack. bahahahahaha. I know. I'm a bad wife. But I could hardly control my hysterical outburst. "Serves you right for always letting your crack hang out," I said. I began to wonder if this unsuspecting spider was laying somewhere gagging and dying at that very moment.
But I pulled myself together and tabled my laughter when I got home the next day to find half of his lower back inflamed and burning hot. After two full days of begging him to go to the doctor and a few blisters on the inflamed spot (I know, gross) he finally went.
Him: Babe! I just don't have time today. My work schedule is packed.
Me: Great. When you're dead on Friday, I'll be sure to go by your office and get your check.
I'm so warm and fuzzy sometimes. It's a gift I can't control. But, it turns out my "fuzziness" paid off because his bite ended up being the workings of a brown recluse and had he waited much longer there's no telling what would have happened. Scary! They gave him a shot of steroids to which I jokingly begged for him not to beat me up if I burned dinner that night. So now he's left with 2 antibiotics, a nasty red patch on his back (and crack, let's not forget), and his "war stories" of getting the steroid shot. I have to remind him that it wasn't that long ago I was giving birth to our child and enjoying the bliss of epidurals and blood oxygen tests (which, ps, is some of the most disgusting needle pain i've ever felt). Warm and Fuzzy!
9.23.2010
9.17.2010
8.18.2010
8.16.2010
two good moments today
- School started back in Summerville today. I was stopped in traffic in front of our neighborhood elementary school watching all of the adorable and eager kids walking across the parking lot towards their first day. I spotted a dad, in his army fatigues, carrying a baby in one arm and a video camera in the other. He was video taping his daughter, i'm assuming a first grader, in her cute little dress and blonde hair walking into her first day of school. It was such a precious moment and true representation of parenthood - especially for this moment our country's history. I had to wonder if dad had recently returned from overseas or maybe he was about to leave. You never know. And regardless, I had to choke back the tears.
- On my lunch break, I was driving through the College of Charleston campus and saw a young boy and girl (18/19ish). They were standing behind a car, maybe coming or maybe going, but she dropped her bag and leaped into his arms. He scooped her off the ground and they must have hugged like that for a good thirty seconds. Normally, I would have had thoughts like "gag me". But for some reason today I embraced witnessing that sweet moment between two young people in love. It made me a little jealous that John and I don't hug like that anymore. Jealous enough that I might just try it tonight!
8.12.2010
I have said before that I do not know
what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children.
I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about
their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the
storm, and when the wind did not blow her way...
she adjusted her sails.
-- Elizabeth Edwards
* I snagged this quote from a good friend who has been facing some challenging winds lately. She is a strong lady who lives this quote and I am inspired by it.
what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children.
I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about
their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the
storm, and when the wind did not blow her way...
she adjusted her sails.
-- Elizabeth Edwards
* I snagged this quote from a good friend who has been facing some challenging winds lately. She is a strong lady who lives this quote and I am inspired by it.
7.30.2010
"you can choose what you do; you can't choose what you like to do"
I'm reading a fantastic new book - The Happiness Project. Loosely related to the (dare I say) self-help family, it is the author's year long quest to recover genuine life happiness and to live that happiness every.single.day. It was recommended by my book savvy bff, Carissa (props to her), and is also where I found "emotional contagion".
I'm reading the chapter "May: Be Serious About Play" and she (the author) is reconnecting with the kinds of "play" that make her happy. Honestly happy. Not the activities she wants to enjoy, but the ones she truly enjoys. During the process, she writes that someone asked her "What did you like to do when you were a child? What you enjoyed as a ten-year-old is probably something you'd enjoy now."
This peaked my curiosity. What did I like to do when I was little and would it have any relevance on things i'm doing now?
When I was 5 I enjoyed...
barbie dolls - could've played with them for hours
making mud pies with old pie tins and "cooking" with my Fisher Price stove
swinging outside
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
pretend work: waitress, teacher, nurse
playing "house" in my tree house in the woods
disney movies - a "magic kingdom family disney movie" always aired on sunday nights
future goals: to be a teacher during the day and work at mcdonald's at night. and to live in my little-girl bedroom with my husband when we got married (sounds more like a nightmare than a fantasy).
When I was 10 I enjoyed...
exploring in the woods
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
rollerskating and bike-riding
real cooking - or rather, making concoctions that only i would eat
swinging
reading - but not school-assigned reading. i loved ramona quimby and charlotte's web.
barbies, on occasion - though i'm certain i wasn't admitting it to my friends
dancing - mostly ballet
disney movies
future goals: sadly, i don't remember. but if i had to guess i would say to be a teacher or a doctor. i was very interested in being a doctor until i realized that i wouldn't give shots, was disgusted at the thought of cutting someone open, and didn't like nasty smells. i do know that i wanted my parents to come and live with me and my husband in our house (we're making progress).
When I was 15 I enjoyed...
driving my worn-in chevy blazer
reading - un-school related reading
keeping a journal of my thoughts and activities
writing poetry and short stories (constantly writing at this age)
watching 90210 when i got home from school - yea, i said it
swinging on front porch swings
flirting with boys - oh so important
camping
sleeping late
my future goal(s): to be a teacher. to learn to play the guitar (which i did many years later). to fall madly in love (also did that... a few times). to get married, start a family, and have a dog (done, done, and done). to be extremely wealthy with lots of "stuff". to buy a beach house for my parents to retire in (maybe one day).
Sometimes we try and force ourselves into these little boxes of what we should like to do instead of taking stock in what we DO like to do. This exercise helped me to realize a few things. I have always been interested in cooking and given the money and time would chef-up tremendous meals every night. I probably should have been a teacher. I am still obsessed with dress up - clothes, accessories, and especially shoes. Although I really want to read great classic literature I am usually distracted, happily, by new best-selling fictions. I traded in my roller skates and bike for a car and boys. The times when I kept a journal were some of my happiest and most self-aware. It is likely that I will never again be afforded the luxury of sleeping late - late being anything after 9:30am. It probably wasn't the best move to quit dancing at the age of 11 and it might be interesting to try my hand at adult ballet - I would totally rock a too-too! Though it might be hazardous to say aloud, I prefer to sit on the couch and watch mindless TV over heaps of other activities. I miss the smell of campfires in the Fall but exploring in the woods holds no interest. I'm excited to have an excuse (with Sully) to re-watch all of those great Disney movies. Swinging is an activity that should be enjoyed at any age whether on a playground or a porch - it encourages freedom and simplicity.
a few new goals for 2010:
-buy a bicycle and actually use it
-go roller/ice-skating
-buy an outdoor rocking chair and find a park near our new neighborhood with swings
-write a children's short story
-start a journal - realistically i will aim for one entry per week
-arrange a weekend camping trip this fall
I'm reading the chapter "May: Be Serious About Play" and she (the author) is reconnecting with the kinds of "play" that make her happy. Honestly happy. Not the activities she wants to enjoy, but the ones she truly enjoys. During the process, she writes that someone asked her "What did you like to do when you were a child? What you enjoyed as a ten-year-old is probably something you'd enjoy now."
This peaked my curiosity. What did I like to do when I was little and would it have any relevance on things i'm doing now?
When I was 5 I enjoyed...
barbie dolls - could've played with them for hours
making mud pies with old pie tins and "cooking" with my Fisher Price stove
swinging outside
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
pretend work: waitress, teacher, nurse
playing "house" in my tree house in the woods
disney movies - a "magic kingdom family disney movie" always aired on sunday nights
future goals: to be a teacher during the day and work at mcdonald's at night. and to live in my little-girl bedroom with my husband when we got married (sounds more like a nightmare than a fantasy).
When I was 10 I enjoyed...
exploring in the woods
dressing up with mom's clothes and shoes
rollerskating and bike-riding
real cooking - or rather, making concoctions that only i would eat
swinging
reading - but not school-assigned reading. i loved ramona quimby and charlotte's web.
barbies, on occasion - though i'm certain i wasn't admitting it to my friends
dancing - mostly ballet
disney movies
future goals: sadly, i don't remember. but if i had to guess i would say to be a teacher or a doctor. i was very interested in being a doctor until i realized that i wouldn't give shots, was disgusted at the thought of cutting someone open, and didn't like nasty smells. i do know that i wanted my parents to come and live with me and my husband in our house (we're making progress).
When I was 15 I enjoyed...
driving my worn-in chevy blazer
reading - un-school related reading
keeping a journal of my thoughts and activities
writing poetry and short stories (constantly writing at this age)
watching 90210 when i got home from school - yea, i said it
swinging on front porch swings
flirting with boys - oh so important
camping
sleeping late
my future goal(s): to be a teacher. to learn to play the guitar (which i did many years later). to fall madly in love (also did that... a few times). to get married, start a family, and have a dog (done, done, and done). to be extremely wealthy with lots of "stuff". to buy a beach house for my parents to retire in (maybe one day).
Sometimes we try and force ourselves into these little boxes of what we should like to do instead of taking stock in what we DO like to do. This exercise helped me to realize a few things. I have always been interested in cooking and given the money and time would chef-up tremendous meals every night. I probably should have been a teacher. I am still obsessed with dress up - clothes, accessories, and especially shoes. Although I really want to read great classic literature I am usually distracted, happily, by new best-selling fictions. I traded in my roller skates and bike for a car and boys. The times when I kept a journal were some of my happiest and most self-aware. It is likely that I will never again be afforded the luxury of sleeping late - late being anything after 9:30am. It probably wasn't the best move to quit dancing at the age of 11 and it might be interesting to try my hand at adult ballet - I would totally rock a too-too! Though it might be hazardous to say aloud, I prefer to sit on the couch and watch mindless TV over heaps of other activities. I miss the smell of campfires in the Fall but exploring in the woods holds no interest. I'm excited to have an excuse (with Sully) to re-watch all of those great Disney movies. Swinging is an activity that should be enjoyed at any age whether on a playground or a porch - it encourages freedom and simplicity.
a few new goals for 2010:
-buy a bicycle and actually use it
-go roller/ice-skating
-buy an outdoor rocking chair and find a park near our new neighborhood with swings
-write a children's short story
-start a journal - realistically i will aim for one entry per week
-arrange a weekend camping trip this fall
7.29.2010
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