5, 4, 3……..How Europe Changed Our Marriage!

By admin | Published: July 19, 2010

***Note on 5 and 4….. It is not that I didn’t have anything to say…but, if you know me at all, you know that I take my weekend time with Law Man very seriously.  We do not have a lot of family time together during the week, so the weekend is Family time….not enough time to blog.  Sorry!  :(

Now, back to How Europe Changed Our Marriage!

Law Man and I had been married for two years, he had just taken the Bar Exam and we opted to spend our one month between school and the “real job” in Europe.  We had been talking about it since the summer we got married and several of our friends missed the wedding because we were studying at Oxford.  We decided then, that we would go and we really wanted to go together.  I loved the time we spent there…. but more than that, I love how it changed our marriage.

  1. I realized that we would be okay, just the two of us.  I know, it took me two years, but I am slow.
  2. We both discovered how much we LOVE to travel….and by travel I mean…see every site, walk instead of ride, eat everything, sleep little….except when I am on a train.
  3. Italians will kick you off a train and leave you in a town where no one speaks English.  This is how we learned to handle conflict.  ***this is also how I became Methodist…long story.
  4. Law Man finally understood how big my imagination is…..I thought the Eiffel Tower would be bigger and the London Bridge would be small enough to “turn the key and lock us up.”…I know this is not the “real London Bridge,” but in my mind it is…..and that is all that counts.  :)
  5. There is no place more romantic than Paris at night.
  6. Forget New Mexico and Colorado.  I want to “summer” in the Alps.  I *heart* Switzerland. 
  7. I get grumpy when it is hot, I am hungry, and there are too many people….Italy in August is rough.
  8. You can go to Europe on a Credit Card….and pay it off in a few short months.
  9. We should have bought a digital camera on before mentioned Credit Card.
  10. It would be EIGHT years before we got to spend another full week just the two of us….Canada, here we come!

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6……Miles to go before I sleep.

By admin | Published: July 16, 2010

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

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7….Date Night

By admin | Published: July 15, 2010

This will be short and sweet…………..It’s Date Night!!!

Not to be confused with Prom Night.

Posted in Law Man | 3 Comments

8….as in March 8, 1996

By admin | Published: July 14, 2010

It was for the first and only time I was in the starting lineup for my high school soccer team.  It was senior night.  I think I played a total of four minutes and if I remember correctly, we won.  This was the night that changed the path of my life for then next ??? years.

After the game Law Man and his little group of college buddies met up with us and we headed over to a friends house to celebrate her 18th birthday.  I remember showing up, gift in hand, to be greeted by the birthday girl kicking people out for not have a present for her.  Super annoyed, I walked to my car and started to return home….then I thought, that “guy” might be here…and I went in.  The rest is history!

I have kept most of this history in a wood trunk that I gave to Law Man as an anniversary gift years ago.  It now overflows with pictures, notes, e-mails, ticket stubs, and memories….all the boys know about it is they are not allowed to open it.  I often wonder what scandal they think we are concealing from them….the truth is….it is just too full.

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Number 9….Why my husband ROCKS!

By admin | Published: July 13, 2010

And I assure you, this post will be shorter than the Beatles song.  When Law Man and I first met, it was a different world.  Gas was a nickle a gallon, people left their doors unlocked all the time, we walked ten miles in the snow to get to school….that we loved, and concerts were less than $20 a ticket….for a good band.  Okay, well the first few are a little exaggerated, but we could get concert tickets for very reasonable prices.  We went to HOARD Fest, Steve Miller Band, Smashing Pumpkins, and several others I don’t remember, but I am sure they were great.

I loved it.  Music was something we loved and we really enjoyed going to concerts together.  Then, I went to college and in four years the ticket prices seemed to quadruple.  We could no longer afford to go see our favorite bands.  So, we compromised and sat outside the Engineering Building at OU and listened to the Rolling Stones and got into some local bands.

Fast forward 10+ years….two kids later and a little more money in the bank account.  We still have not been back to any concerts….with the exception of some awesome friends who invited us to see the Rolling Stones in their family’s suite.  Thanks guys!

This past spring and word of Lady Gaga coming to town spreads…..I think, I will just surprise Law Man and get us tickets.  I go online, check out prices and gasp when I see what they are charging.  Seriously, I know what the average income is in this state….how can anyone feel good about spending that kind of money on a concert.  A couple of weeks later I celebrate my birthday….Law Man takes me to dinner and tells me to check my e-mail for my gift…very romantic, I know.  I open my email and there they are shining like the golden ticket on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lady Gaga Tickets…..and they are good ones.

This year, two days before our 10 year wedding anniversary, we will be back to our roots to attend a concert.  I can’t wait.  The best part is Law Man is as GooGoo over Gaga as I am!

Law Man and I (18 and 19) on our way to Dallas to the HOARD Fest, 1996.  We drove his grandparents van.  It was awesome!

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10 Days until 10 Years

By admin | Published: July 12, 2010

Our first trip to New Mexico....together

Today is 10 days until Law Man and I celebrate our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary.  I love anniversary’s; but honestly, we don’t always make a big deal out of ours.  It might be because we have celebrated annually since I was 18….at that point in your life it seems like dog years….so, by that count, we celebrated 28 years of dating before we got married.  Then, I had my hopes set high on a big five-year anniversary celebration.  What a celebration it was!  We celebrated that I was going to have our first baby at any moment.  Then, the second I delivered the big guy, all thoughts of anniversary celebrating went away.  It has now been FIVE YEARS.

I am so excited.  I want to celebrate all the ups and downs that have made us stronger as individuals and as a couple.  In honor of 10 days until 10 years….a series of posts including some unfortunate pictures and stories….more to come.

10 Most Memorable Moments of Marriage, so far…..                                   (the good, the bad, and the ugly)

  1. The day the Big Guy was born
  2. The day the Little Guy was born
  3. Our wedding day
  4. Lost in Italy…and the other 17 days in Europe
  5. The day we paid off all of our debt…..except the house….we are not perfect J
  6. Date Night…every week for the past couple of years….thanks Grandma Jan and Papa John.
  7. The 36 hours we thought something was wrong with the Big Guy
  8. The moment Law Man called to tell me my mom died
  9. My 30th Birthday Party
  10. Family Trips to New Mexico every fall
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End of an Era

By admin | Published: June 23, 2010

My oldest child is officially out of Pre-School.  I can hardly believe it….it makes me a little sad, a lot nostalgic but most of all very excited for the big guy and all that lies ahead of him.  I know….it is not high school graduation or anything, but to a momma it feels just as monumental.

Here is the Big Guy on his first day of school….IMG_4680

Here is is now!….(or the last day of school….when I meant to post this entry! :) )

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Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.  Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry.  Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!  You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

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Park Day

By admin | Published: June 22, 2010

I have always thought of myself as introspective.  Much of my life it has been more of a curse than a blessing, but a strong personality trait, none the less.  I frequently remind myself that life is not so strange if you “just don’t think about it so much.”  People have remarked my entire life that I should appreciate a particular moment, event, or person because I will miss it if I am not careful.  I always smile to myself and think….”I know, I know, I have been stewing over that for weeks now.”
One of the most vivid memories I have of such an occasion took place the summer after the ninth grade.  My hometown school system kept the ninth graders in Junior High and the tenth through twelfth graders moved up to high school.  I remember waking up one morning after anxiously anticipating what High School would be like and what would be different than elementary and junior high.  I had spent the night with my best friend and we woke up talking about such things.
There were several things we were excited about….off campus lunch and driving, even though neither of us would be sixteen until the very end of our sophomore year, football games, parties…..a lot of parties, preparing for college.  The list goes on and on, but one thing really stuck out as something we would miss.  A day with no agenda that we could just “play” outside.
Playing outside, Manhunt, riding our bikes, making up games, picnics, catching crawdads, Champlin Park had been staples of our childhood.  We could leave as soon as we woke up, check in at lunch, and we had to be home when the streetlights came on that evening.  I remember laying under basketball goals for hours talking about nothing.  I remember banging on my friend’s window to wake her up so we could get started with our adventures.  I also remember sneaking out that window to get in a few extra hours of aimless play.
Even as I look back on this time, nearly twenty years later.  I feel nostalgic and almost teary.  I felt my childhood slipping away and although I had so much to look forward to I knew I would miss it.
What would normal teenagers do with this feeling?  I have no idea.  I know I am not necessarily the norm.  What did we do?  We declared it Park Day.  There was no agenda and not really any discussion.  We just gathered a few supplies and headed to the neighborhood park.  We road the teeter-totter, the swings, the slide, and the merry-go-round.  We played croquet and then we just sat and talked about nothing.  I remember even then feeling compelled to take my camera and shoot some pictures of the day.  How many people can say they have pictures of their last day of being a kid?  Most of all I recall walking across the park on the way home.  I wanted to turn around and run back to the swings and stay there forever.  Then we hit the sidewalk, things were looking up.  By the time we crossed over to the island, where the streets merged to get to my house, I was okay.
We never really talked about this day again.  We laughed at ourselves when we finally got the pictures developed.  Several weeks later, I am sure.  However, the sentiment of the day has stuck with me all these years.  Every summer I think about this day and now that I am a parent I make special effort to give my children time to just be kids.  It is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me.  Thanks Mom and Ivana for not taking us to the mall every time we asked!!  :)

Just in case you think I made this up…..here are a couple of pics!IMG_0004

IMG_0005 I think we played croquet because we were really into Heathers.

What days of your childhood are most vivid????

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Hot Tamales

By admin | Published: June 8, 2010

Seriously, I made hot tamales and they were AWESOME!!!  I love, love, love, New Mexican food….what is the difference between Mexican and New Mexican food, you ask.  Green Chili!!!!

So, we were hosting a good 20+ people at the cabin over Memorial Weekend.  I decided we would do an authentic meal to put us all in the mood so I made, Pasole, three types of enchiladas, tamales, tomatillo salsa, and on and on.  I was familiar with most of these recipes….all except the tamales.  I really had no idea how they were made.  I just like to eat them.  Well, let me tell you, it was a process.  But, I loved every minute of it.

IMG_3747_JPG First, you soak the corn husks in boiling water.

IMG_3751_JPG Then there are a lot of preparations to have the inside delicious!!!

IMG_3764_JPG All mixed into a yummy sauce!

IMG_3766_JPG They are stuffed, wrapped, tied……and steamed, and steamed, and steamed….in whatever you have!

IMG_3774 Finally, you get to eat them if you can get over how pretty they are!!!

I am not exagerating when I say they were the most delicious things I have ever made.  They did take a lot of time, but it was so worth it.  I am always looking for something that takes me all day to make since I don’t bake.  Now I have something to make on those rainy weekends.

You want to try it?  Well, here is the deal, I will post the recipe I used as soon as I get a dozen comments.  So, if you like these, comment and pass it on.

Here are some pictures of the rest of the spread…..

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Posted in Casa de Maria, I *heart* This, I'm a Foodie, New Mexico | 3 Comments

In Brief

By admin | Published: June 6, 2010

A lot has been happening in the last few weeks.  Unfortunately it has been crazy around here and I have had very little time to blog about our adventures.  I will say, there has been crafting, cooking, knitting, smiling, singing, dancing….and a few trips to the pediatricians office….including one house call from a doctor who totally rocks!  Here are some pics and you can expect detailed posts to come this week.

IMG_3325 My sweet little guy came down with a virus that took him out for 5 days!

IMG_3397 We rallied for two Train Birthday Parties in the same day.  5 straight hours at the Train Museum.

IMG_3438 Last Day of School

IMG_3439

Last Day of School

IMG_3485 We celebrated Uncle Tim’s 30th Birthday by eating “bugs”.  I did not partake….YUCK!

IMG_3505 Aunt Tracy and Uncle Tim

IMG_3532 Then, the big guy got sick and we went to see GG with out him.  **Note the rollypoly the little guy found.

IMG_3663_JPG We spent an amazing week in NM.

DSC05131 Adam had a major asthmatic episode and recovered for the last two days of Art Camp!

DSC05139 The boys spent the weekend with their grandparents while we attended a couple of firm events for Law Man including a 6 hour float trip down the Illinois River…..Note how happy I look five hours before I almost drowned.

Stay tuned!!!!  More details to come if I can just keep this little family alive!  :)

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  • Inside the Front Cover

    I channel Dorothea Lang for art and beauty for the sake of social justice and political reform and  Martha Stewart for art and beauty for the sake of “good things.”  Throw in a little Julia Child and now you have entered the depths of my psyche.  “Crazy on a Good Day” is an [...]

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