Happy Mother's Day!

I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I have the most wonderful mother. With the way that we chat together and laugh together, I have to remind myself sometimes that she is the same person who used to tell me to stand up straight (which I do!) and not just my lifelong friend (which she is!). I also think that I somehow hit the “mother” lottery because my mother-in-law is also one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I know, and we hit it off on day one. I feel fortunate to have no idea what people are talking about when they tell mother-in-law jokes. Big hugs today to these two amazing ladies in my life. Happy Mother’s Day!

The Eagle Has Landed

Though I cannot explain why, I have become completely fascinated by this “eagle cam,” shown at this website. It’s a live, video feed of an eagle’s nest in Virginia. Two of the three eggs recently hatched. It is beyond cute to see the mama eagle feeding these two little fuzzy-headed baby eagles. (Well, as cute as something can be being fed pieces of a floppy, dead fish.) My mom is loving the eagle cam, too. So far, we’ve called each other at least on two separate occasions to say, “Check the eagle cam! She’s feeding the baby eagles!” I have the link bookmarked, and I check in on the eagles more times a day that I care to admit. Just don’t do what I did. Don’t check the video feed at night, and then wonder why you can’t see anything. (The feed is live, which means it will be dark at night. I know, it’s obvious now.) Happy eagle stalking!

So Cold

With the extreme cold weather we’ve had recently, you’d never know that I once grew up in a place where snow was a normal, regular occurrence. This week I’ve complained to everyone that will listen: It’s cold! I’m freezing! This is crazy! I might freeze to death! I can’t help but thinking of my beloved childhood dog. A family member, who lived in the South, found this cute, stray dog. I begged my parents for us to adopt her. Eventually, much to my mother’s chagrin, this cute dog came to live with us up North. The dog seemed to acclimate well to her new home, until the first snow. This dog was clearly a Southern dog. The first time she went outside in the snow, she turned right around to go back in the house. She hated the snow. In fact, she disliked it so much that she actually went on a bathroom strike. We didn’t fully understand her bathroom situation until a week later when our dog went for a ride in the backseat of my mother’s luxury car and the dog had an unfortunate “incident.” Oh, and it just so happens that my mom had volunteered to give the mayor of our town a ride that day. He was actually the first to discover what happened with our dog, by asking my mom, “Oh geez, what’s that smell?” as soon as got in the passenger side of the car. In short, it was a mortifying event for my mother and the source of much laughter for the rest of us. Regardless, I’m feeling a little bit like our Southern dog. I just don’t want to go outside, which has been a perfect excuse to read some books, drink hot tea, and clean the house. (Thankfully, unlike our dog, I am not on a bathroom strike.) I hope all of you stay warm!

Farewell, Christmas

I think this was one of the best Christmas holidays I’ve ever had. It had everything that makes a Christmas complete: family, too much good food, an annual viewing of A Christmas Story, laughter, and a beautiful morning at church. It also had an excessive amount of presents, which was completely unnecessary but still appreciated. (Example: I have not been able to go more than a few hours without holding my Kindle in my hands.) We took down our Christmas decorations yesterday, even though it made me sad. And my parents left this morning. I told Husband this morning, “I’m sad that the visit is over!” He wisely said, “Well, that’s a good thing because it means it you had a good time.” It was a good time, indeed. Goodbye, Christmas 2010!

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today is my grandma’s birthday. She passed away many years ago, and I’m always sad that our time together was so short. But, I remember her very fondly, especially today.

My grandma lived several states away from us, so going to see her was always a fun and exciting adventure.

I remember once we arrived at her house earlier than we expected. I ran up to her in the yard, and before I could say anything, she said, “I have a granddaughter that looks just like you!” I giggled and said, “It’s me, grandma!” She hugged me and said, "Well, bless your heart." My grandma had trouble seeing later in her life, so to this day, I’m not sure if she truly didn’t recognize me at first, or if she was just trying to make me laugh.

She had a huge collection of salt and pepper shakers in her dining room, displayed on several glass shelves. Every time we visited, I loved looking at them and admiring all the different shapes and sizes.

I inherited one set of her salt and pepper shakers, which I’ve displayed in the kitchen of every place I’ve lived. It’s one of my most treasured possessions. In fact, when we hosted the party for Husband’s (ahem) high-spirited military co-workers, the salt and pepper shaker set was the only thing that I thought was important enough to put in a safe place before the party.

I also inherited my grandma’s hair, or at least family members that have told me that my hair is a little bit wavy like my grandma’s. Even when I have a bad hair day (or decade), the one consolation is that I have something of my grandma.

My grandma is my kindred spirit, too. It just so happens that my grandma got married in a place thousands of miles away from her hometown before my grandfather went off to war. And coincidentally, I met Husband in that very same town, where neither of us are from, but happened to be at the time. And, Husband and I have almost an identical wedding anniversary as my grandparents: we got married the day after they did many years later.

I know my mom has expressed her appreciation over the years at how welcoming my grandma was when my mom married my dad. My mom was of a different religion from my grandma, and my grandma told her that there are many different paths to heaven.

I remember that she was always impeccably dressed, wearing a nice dress and jewelry every day, even if she wasn’t going anywhere special.

I remember that she liked watching Dallas. I wonder what she would be watching today.

She must have been an early riser. One time when she visited us, she was up and dressed, sitting quietly in our living room before everyone else. Except that she had accidentally set off the motion detector of our alarm system. I remember my parents frantically running around the house in their pajamas, trying to turn off the alarm that, by that point, was blaring outside throughout the neighborhood. “What’s going on?” she asked. She happened to be hard of hearing and had no idea that she had set off the alarm.

My grandma wore false teeth, and I was fascinated by her nighttime routine of taking them out. Before I was old enough to know what was impolite to say, I told her once after seeing her without teeth, “Grandma, you look like a frog!” Instead of being offended, she just laughed and squeezed me tight, saying, “I love you a million.”

To the woman who I love and admire, I wish her a happy birthday. I love you a million.

Thanksgiving Show-and-Tell

It doesn’t take much for me to get excited about Thanksgiving. What’s better than a holiday spent with family where it’s practically mandatory to eat large amounts of delicious (I hope!) food?

We made our last-minute preparations today, so we’re ready and I’m even more excited.

The meals are all planned. I plan our normal, weekly meals by list, so it’s only fitting that the biggest meal of the year would be planned as well.

And we have plenty of food. The table is (somewhat) ready. I’ve really been on an apple kick this year. I like the look of these apples in my favorite bowl. And best of all, this centerpiece is edible! My sweet neighbor friend, when I lamented to her that stores no longer have any Thanksgiving decorations, let me borrow some of hers, since she is going to be out of town. She let me borrow those pretty placemats… …and these cute hand towels. (The green one says, "give thanks.")

I love having company because it’s a great excuse to splurge on fresh flowers.

Is it Thanksgiving yet??

Veterans' Day

Today I give thanks for all those men and women who have served our country. When I think of veterans, I think of my grandfathers, my parents, my husband, my uncles, and my cousins. (Yes, I come from a large military family :) I also think of all those that I will never get to see or thank who have sacrificed so much for me and every other American. As I reflected about this day, I remembered a column that Ben Stein wrote that really touched me. He says better than I can about service and what is important in life. These are a few of my favorite quotes from the column. [The entire column can be found here.] Enjoy! Ben Stein: “I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.” “Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails. They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world. A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him. A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.” “There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament. The policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive. The orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery. The teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children. The kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards. Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.” “I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.” Happy Veterans’ Day to all!

Gifts for Dinner

Both Husband and I have very generous families. We happened to get two thoughtful care packages recently from family for Halloween. And great (family) minds think alike because they both sent us yummy goodies. Happily, we are eating something from both care packages tonight for dinner. For the main course, I’m using the pasta from one care package to make a yummy Greek pasta salad. The pasta is in the shape of leaves and pumpkins (very fall-ish). I’ll add some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, topped with cheese and an oil and vinegar salad dressing (and maybe some crumbled bacon). For dessert, we’ll be snacking on these cute gummies that are in the shape of jetplanes! It's such a neat gift idea, and I had no idea they even existed. They are almost too cute to eat. (Notice I said “almost” because, truthfully, it took a lot of willpower for me to have not devoured them by now.) Thanks again to our families for our sweet care packages!

Visit Recap

My parents were able to spend the last couple days visiting us. They were on their way to a reunion with their military friends, and they were able to stop here along the way. As always, the visit went way too fast. Here are my thoughts on the visit…. 1) I realized that I don’t dust anymore unless we’re having guests or having someone over for dinner. I probably should be embarrassed by this fact, but I’m not. 2) I forgot how much fun it is to be a tourist in your own town. 3) Even small towns have some fun things to do, like eating ice cream cones at a local shop. 4) Only in a military family would it not be strange to be exchanging (but not yet unwrapping) Christmas gifts with family in early October when we have the chance to see them. 5) Having family visit is the perfect excuse to make a ridiculous amount of food for meals. (I should have had my parents sign a waiver that we are not responsible for any weight they might have gained on the brief visit.) 6) My dad and my husband are so much alike that it’s eerie sometimes. 7) My mom and I are so much alike that it’s eerie sometimes. 8) I’m excited and already starting to plan for our Thanksgiving and Christmas family visitors.

As the World Turns

I found myself with an unusual item on my to-do list last Friday. Underneath the list of normal chores (laundry, grocery shopping), I wrote “As the World Turns.” I had talked to my grandma the day before, and she lamented how her soap (or her “story,” as she calls it) was having its final episode on Friday and she wouldn’t be able to watch it. She said, “I’ve been watching this show for over 50 years and I won’t get to see how it ends!” She already had an event planned with family on Friday, and she thought it would be silly to cancel because of a TV show. So I added it to my to-do list, and I watched it for her. Well, truthfully, I was working at home that afternoon, so I got to see only bits and pieces of it. I had never seen the show before, so I had no idea what the characters’ names were, or what was going on. But I tried my best to memorize what was happening. I finally got the chance to talk to my grandma today. I’m sure if anyone overheard our conversation, they would have laughed. I’d try to tell her something that happened – something like, “there was this girl that got engaged” – and she’d ask a question that I could not answer. “Was it Katie?” she asked. “I have no idea,” I’d reply. Our conversation continued like that. I tried to at least describe the characters – “you know, the dark-haired girl” – and that helped a bit. Finally, I think I’ve managed to convince her to go to my aunt’s house (who lives near her) and watch the full episode on cbs.com. I hate that she’s invested so much time in the show never to see the ending. (And my poor recap definitely doesn’t count.) And for proof that the world – and TV – still turns, I already gave her a recap of another show she likes: Dancing with the Stars. Thankfully, I already know all the characters on that show.

Labor Day Weekend

I had a great Labor Day weekend. The best part was getting to spend a lot of time with family, including my parents, my grandma, aunts/uncles, and 2 of the cutest kids I know.

It also did not hurt that this was the gorgeous view behind my uncle’s house. I never get tired of seeing sunflowers!

But still, it’s great to be back home, and I’m already looking forward to this coming weekend with Husband.

Reunions

Happily, this week has turned into the week of reunions. The first one will be when we go to the airport to welcome home Husband’s co-worker from his deployment. Husband e-mailed me yesterday, asking if I wanted to go. I responded with, “YES!” There are few things in life I’d be happier to do than to welcome home a military member who has served and sacrificed for our country. Usually I go a little overboard when I welcome home my military friends, and I bring balloons, signs, and noisemakers. But, in an effort not to embarrass Husband and his friend, I will restrain myself and just bring a balloon or two. I’m also hoping to get a couple of good pictures of him with his family. The next reunion will be this weekend when we go to a wedding for Husband’s friend from college, who is also in the military. It will be great to see our friends. And we might even get the chance to see some family in the area. I can’t wait. Oh, happy week!

File this under "Great minds think alike," or "I'm becoming my mother"?

Take a look at this picture. No, you’re not seeing double. Pictured are two of the exact same shirts.

The one on the left is the one I bought because I thought it would be great for work and I look good in blue.

The one on the right is the one I received a couple days ago in a care package from my mom, where she noted she thought “it would be great for work” and that I “look good in blue.”

Is there an echo in here?

Seriously, how eerie is it that we bought the exact same shirt? It’s the same size, same brand, same color, and from the same store.

Is it that we just both have good taste? Or, are we the first pair of Siamese twins to be separated by 1000 miles? Or maybe I'm becoming my mother?

Personally, I think this is sweet vindication for my poor mom, who had to endure years of eye-rolling and loud sighing whenever she suggested clothing during my teenage years.

I think a thank you is in order. Thanks, mom!

No, really, it's a small world

I know I’ve said that it’s a small world before, but I think it may be getting even smaller. By sheer coincidence, I recently ran into a friend of my cousin’s who just got stationed here a couple weeks ago. I had heard a lot about him, but this was my first time meeting him.

We met, of all places, at the commissary. I had the advantage, since his (last) name was clearly displayed on his military uniform.

Oh, and if you ever want to freak someone out, ask that person a variety of questions, which show that you know personal information about him, without first telling him how you know that information.

I said, “Wait, is your first name, [first name]?”

“Yes.”

“Are you from [state]?”

“Uh, yes…”

“Do you know [my cousin’s name]?”

“Yes…” (By this time, he's looking at me in disbelief like I'm either psychic or nuts. It was hard to tell.)

Finally, I revealed that I was his friend’s cousin, and he seemed excited to see a familiar face, or at least in this case, a face that at least slightly resembles my cousin’s.

We chatted for a while, and it was nice to finally meet him. We exchanged contact information, and Husband and I are going to invite him over for dinner.

My cousin has another friend that will be stationed here soon. I’ll be sure to add “look for cousin’s friend” to my commissary list.

Happy Mother's Day, Pretty Lady

One of my favorite things to do when I was a kid was watch my mom get herself ready before an event. I used to sit perched on the lid of the toilet, and I’d watch intently as she put on her makeup and styled her hair. The makeup, the curlers, the hairspray – it was all a mystery to me. (And, since I’m not much of a makeup guru now, it still is!) Once when she was getting ready for a Christmas party, she turned to me and asked with a smile, “Who’s going to be the prettiest mom there?” Without flinching, I answered, “Pam Johnson!” I was too young to be trying to make a joke; I just answered the question honestly, and I happened to think of our neighbor, Pam. My mom just laughed. She never held it against me (even though the answer she was looking for was more along the lines of “You, mom!”). She still enjoys telling this story to this day, always adding, “Well, Pam Johnson is a very striking woman, so I can see why she said that.” Over the years, I’ve gotten to see many other sides of my mom. Yes, she still gets dressed up and goes to events. But, she’s also the lady that brought grocery bags of food over to her friend that just lost her son. She’s the one who sent me too many care packages to count when I was deployed. And she’s the person who never hesitates to say a comforting or encouraging word to someone who needs it. She’s truly beautiful inside and out. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. And I hope the rest of you won’t be offended when I say that my mom will be the prettiest lady on Sunday.

Weddings Galore

I think it was 2006 (or was it 2007?) that I called the Year of the Weddings because we had so many to attend. But, I’m finding that nothing so far compares to 2010. We’re not even halfway through the year yet, and we already have invites to 6 weddings. (Actually, it might be 7; it’s hard to keep them all straight!) I think we’ll probably be able to make only 2 of the weddings – the ones that are within a drivable distance. The others are all several states away, and sadly, we only have so much time off from work. I’ve already started thinking about wedding gift ideas. (Or, should I say, the “sorry-we-couldn’t-make-it” consolation prizes, since that applies to most of the weddings.) For one bride that I know loves Giada De Laurentiis, I ordered her the new cookbook and I’ll put together a cooking-themed gift.

For a friend of mine from the military, I’m going to give her a pretty cross and either a gift card or something else to go with it.

But, now I’m curious about what other people give as wedding gifts…

What is your favorite gift to give for weddings? Or, if you’re married, what was your favorite gift you received? And more importantly, is it bad if you buy a gift (ahem, say, a nice cookbook) that you secretly want yourself?

The Birthday Gift

My dad celebrated a milestone birthday this year. In honor of it, my mom and I decided to e-mail family and friends, offering to include any of their words of wisdom, stories, or wishes in a book to surprise him. We told everyone to e-mail or mail them to me, so there’d be no chance he’d see the letters before his birthday. I thought it would be a gift just for him, but it turned out to be a gift for me, too. It was so enjoyable and inspiring to read such kind words about my dad as each e-mail and card came in. People from all stages of his life – from as early as childhood to his military days to retirement – took the time to write. It was just like “This Is Your Life.” In total, well over 50 people wrote in! They all had a variety of stories and memories to share, but the one common theme is my dad’s integrity, humor, and kindness. I got teary up when I read some of them, and it made me even more grateful to have such a wonderful man as my father! My dad was so shocked and humbled when we presented him the book of letters and cards. And though I don’t want to speak for him, I think it probably rates as one of the best gifts he’s ever gotten. I got so many comments from people that they loved the idea and were excited to have the opportunity to participate. So, it was a great gift for all involved. I highly recommend if you’re looking to give something unique and meaningful. At the very least, it sure beats a new pair of socks.

Cruise Recap

We had a wonderful time on our cruise! I knew it was a good one when we left the ship and I wasn’t entirely sure of the day of the week or the date. In other words, it was a perfect escape from reality. And we had a great time with our family.

My favorite stop was Cozumel. It looked like paradise, and it had the ideal warm weather to match. The water was so pristinely blue that it almost looked like it had been dyed that way!

My family and I went on a tour in a glass-bottom boat. It was just like snorkeling, but without getting wet and all the effort. (Perfect for lazy tourists like me!) We saw a lot of neat fish and coral.

However, one person was noticeably absent from the excursion. In a sad twist of fate, Husband, who hasn’t had the flu in over 10 years and had gotten 2 flu shots this year while I had none, came down with a 24-hour bug that day. He missed the entire excursion and all of Cozumel. I felt bad leaving him on the ship. I almost wanted to lie when he asked how Cozumel was because I didn’t want to have to tell him, “It was gorgeous!”

So, unfortunately, while I was looking at this beautiful paradise,

Husband was looking at this: a stash of water, powerade, and medicine. Thankfully, Husband felt better the next day and was almost back to normal. Despite his brief bout of sickness, he had a great time, too.

There’s not enough space to say every single thing I loved about the trip, but a few of my favorite memories of the cruise are:

1) A kayaking tour that was fun, but wasn’t quite what we had imagined. (I have no pictures to show because I was too afraid that I’d drop my new digital camera in the water!)

2) The towels folded into animal shapes that we got in our room each night.

3) The food. I could write a whole post on this, and I probably will. We ate ourselves silly.

4) The birthday celebration for my dad.

5) Learning how to do the “Thriller” dance. 6) And most importantly, just relaxing and being able to hang out with our family. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about the cruise, but those are the highlights. In the meantime, I’ll be unpacking and wondering exactly why we had to come home.

Bon Voyage

Husband and I getting packed up to go on vacation. We’re going to see family, and then we’re all going on a cruise together. I thought the cruise was a great idea when I first heard about it, and I have to say, now I think it is a fantastic idea. Husband and I both need a break from work (especially Husband, who has been working an insane amount of hours), so the trip couldn’t have come at a better time. And since we don’t live near our family, anytime we get to see them is such a treat! And is it sad that I’m looking forward to all the food on the ship (waffles, desserts, gourmet dinners, maybe sushi?) just as much as the fun places we’ll see? I didn’t think so. By the way, thanks to everyone that gave camera recommendations. I will be back with pictures to share, hopefully from a soon-to-be-purchased digital camera! Have a wonderful week!

Working Vacation

The title of this post has become my mom’s favorite joke this week. She’s been visiting me while I’m on my business trip. She enjoys telling our family that we’re on a “working vacation.” She tells them, “Tootie’s working, and I’m vacationing!” I had the weekend off, and I got to do my fair share of vacationing with her. My favorite moment of the weekend was sitting outside on Saturday, which was warm and sunny, and eating an ice cream cone with my mom. Our hotel also happens to be within walking distance of a Barnes and Noble. This working vacation may not be too much work after all.