Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 15

Because the other day, when I was in a downright foul mood, dealing with work, my honey-man came by my office for lunch (or was it dinner?), and like a giggling kid, he ran ahead of me, down the hall and out into the lobby, through the closing doors of a elevator about to leave... and then, as I was about to catch up, wondering why the heck he'd ran off like that, I saw my honey-man begin to frantically push the "Close Door" button over and over again, trying to close the elevator doors before I could get there - - ?!? And when I ran into the elevator, he squawked at me like a kid and tried to push/wrestle me (gently) out of the elevator - - !?!

No, he was not trying to race me to the first floor or anything like that - - he was only trying to make me laugh. And it so worked.

One Year, Today: New Meaning Given to the Words... "Holy Cow!"

Well, well... So it was a year ago today, less than an hour from now, that I'd hit a full grown, black cow's broadside, straight on, when driving 70 mph on a country road in Bear Lake Lake Co., Idaho, with my grandma in the passenger seat and my cousin's wife and 2 year old son in the back.

And the outcome? It could have been the very worst for us all, but it wasn't.

And even though I could bitch about the fact that it took until 3 weeks ago to receive my final reimbursement check, nearly a year after the accident, it all could have been far, far worse - - can't forget that fact.

Sleigh Bells Ringing, Already?

I went to Michael's to take advantage of their 50%-off sale for all wall frames (cuz we got wedding pictures to hang, baby!). All of their Halloween gear was on sale too, but I was a very good girl and bought none of that stuff... the frames, however? Anyhow, they also had their Thanksgiving holiday displays set up in full glory, ready for the next major winter holiday... along with Christmas and Hanukkah -?!? What the?

At some point, a woman standing in the same framing aisle turned to me as Bing Crosby began to swell over the store intercom system, and she said she couldn't believe they were playing Christmas music already - - and I agreed, and told her it's totally freakin' me out too. Then, another woman, much older than us with a high class, well put together look, with a very Better Home & Gardens magazine-like appearance, who we hadn't noticed standing just behind us both, she spoke up next to say the following: "If you ask me, it's just f***ing absurd."

Um, yeah - what she said...

I'm Okay, Really!

OH MY GOODNESS! I got to work this morning and found a handful of 'are you okay' inquiries since last night's post. I'm okay - - much better. Don't worry - - I am fine. Life is difficult - - that's no secret. And there's A LOT of good stuff out there! There are reasons to go on, despite the pain and loss. Life is good.

I'm okay, really! But THANK YOU for your words of concern, comfort, reassurance and love! Now let's all have a good day!

Real Problems

Things have been so hectic since we got married - - [BEWARE: This begins as a whiney post, that turns quite serious.] It's really been an ongoing struggle -- admittedly, a minor struggle, yes, but a struggle, nonetheless; [Here begins the big run-on list.] Trying to keep on top of my French studies amidst two different weddings scheduled barely one month apart from one another, so that I don't have to pay back the pre-paid tuition (which is what I'll have to do if I get anything less than a B ~ and by the way, I got an A- on my midterm last week, a miracle in itself!); catching up at work since our return from our honeymoon; and things at my work and more stuff at work; and WAY, WAY too many cupcakes devoured from the Cupcakery after work; and a lot of crap at work; trying (and failing) to workout regularly; and two weekend trips to LA in a row [SIDE NOTE: Although greatly appreciated, I never knew how my honey-man could drive back and forth from L.A. to Vegas every week for months at a time over the last 3 years!]; and trying (and failing until last night) to get our wedding announcement website up and running so we could FINALLY send out our wedding announcements to everyone who hadn't been a part of our big day, who were already feeling left out enough as it was; and calling and running around to a gazillion different locations to get my blasted name change final; and trying repeatedly (and failing repeatedly) to help my honey-man feel connected and complete in the absence of his angel boy-O, since the lil' guy's return to his Moma's in Burbank; and a lot of stuff going on at work; and trying to personally catch up with a gazillion different people since the wedding; and trying to do all that personal connecting with the crappy 'upgrade' cell phone I'd had for the last 3 weeks (which I finally returned to AT&T last Saturday); and waiting and waiting (and failing and failing) to experience some normalcy in the bathroom for the last several months; and a lot of shit to do and deal with at work; and waiting and waiting for my appointment with the gastro-intestinal Doc this coming 30th [SIDE NOTE: I keep telling myself it can't be serious, cuz they wouldn't have made me wait this long if they'd seen something in the CAT Scan results, right?]; and worrying that I'll have difficulty getting pregnant with all my female issues; and have I mentioned things are difficult at work? Can't say much more than that though, about work, of course.

Now listen: None of the aforementioned is big, terrible stuff - - NONE OF IT! - - All mere inconveniences really, in that all our needs are met and then some. Now, indeed, some of these 'inconveniences' are extremely painful ones, but real problems involve things like, oh, not having a roof over your head, losing one's livelihood, having no food to eat, the diagnosis of a terminal illness, a death in the family, etc. - - those are real problems. And this fact, that I still can't seem to find a balance, even with so little on my plate right now? I already knew that with one exception only, all this is rather pathetic, even in terms of any excuses I could muster. Well, all this was made to feel supremely pathetic come last Friday morning... and I am ashamed of myself.

A friend of ours lost his 19 year old son late last Thursday night to a horrible, dreadful freak accident. His son had had a condition, prone to seizures. His son had gone outside to sit in the backyard near the pool for better cell phone reception, and his son had an epileptic episode and slipped into the swimming pool and drowned, found by the eldest son, hours later.

Friday after work, after my honey-man had covered that entire workday for our friend, we walked to our mailbox together in silence. And on the way back to our home, we discovered that we were both thinking the very same thing: We both were wondering [not for the first time in either of our lives], if we could somehow comprehend all that goes on in the world at any one given moment -all the accidents and all the crime, all the personal, individual loss, all the neglect and wrong-doing, all the hurt and all the pain- if we could somehow have it all come into consciousness, how could we even function? - - how could we function at all?

My Grammie Joanie lost her youngest son to a tragic car accident when he was 19 years old - - and my step-mum's mother lost her eldest son when he was 22 years old, also to a car accident. And my Grams lost her 2nd eldest daughter, my own mum, age 33, to Hodgkins disease.

How does one go on when they've lost a child? Parents aren't meant to outlive their children.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 14

Because as he was walking out our front door this morning, backpack loaded, his travel coffee cup in hand and water bottle dangling off his thumb, closing the door behind him with his free hand, Owen ran towards the door and gave a cute lil' pleading 'Where are you going, Daddy?' meow, and my hubby-man stopped and reopened the door to sweetly say "Goodbye Owen."

Our Mornings with Otis, Minus the Bat

Found this via CuteOverload.com (love this site!)

Until Daryl or was it Uma? Yeah, Uma

Your results: (I have no idea why this won't format correctly!)
You are Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy 57% Mystique 56% Riddler 46% Catwoman 39% The Joker 37% Magneto 35% Mr. Freeze 30% Apocalypse 30% Dr. Doom 26% Dark Phoenix 25% Green Goblin 24% Lex Luthor 20% Juggernaut 16% Two-Face 16% Venom 15% Kingpin 14%

You would go to almost any length for the protection of the environment including manipulation and elimination.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

(I did this BlogThingy back in August for Kati, but had problems with its publishing format, so it was forgotten in 'Drafts' along with a lot of other forgotten posts that month - - the same for the month of September!)

Recent Busy Bizzy-ness

Okay, okay (I can just hear you now, Don) - - I've got A LOT to write about from over the last, oh, the last TWO MONTHS? Like, ohhhh, more about our wedding in September? um, anything at all about our honeymoon in Ireland would be nice... And there's this past weekend's wonderful, wonderful nuptials between my hubby-man's former spouse, Wendy and her lovin' man [Although it's not a subject I should be the one writing about - - hint, hint - - nudge, nudge - - ah, okay, I'll be frank: Wendy! It is time for your loooonnnng blogging hiatus to come to a freakin' end! - - well, okay, at least once Loyal Women is through!], and there's a bunch more to write about, but I'd been catching up at work from having taken a week+ away for our wedding/honeymoon, and I've been working on my french whenever I can (instead of blogging), and this past week, I've been studying like a crazy person for today's midterm exam [oh yeah, I'm taking a college level French course this semester!], and well, a big factor (big understatment there) is that things have been a bit sticky at work [In just the last 24 hrs, alone, omg - - can't say anything more!], and all the while, this very week, my Grams is in town [a wonderful thing, but kinda makes tricky matters trickier, so I've found myself to be a titch guarded].

Right now, honestly, I'm living for my morning cuddles with my hubby-man and for the angel boy-O's next visit, not this weekend, but the next. Things are by no means terrible or truly bad or anything truly serious/life threatening... I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed and pooped out with work. Tends to overshadow all the good stuff, unfortunately - - and I can't let that happen when I got it so good!

Note to self: BREATHE

For Wendy & Her Loving Groom

Okay - how do I explain this one... The label on this post is "Gettin' Hitched," but it's not at all about my wedding...

This past Sunday in Glendale, CA, I drove to LA so I could attend the bridal shower of my husband's former wife, Wendy. For some people out there, and those new to my writing, I realize this concept could blow one's mind, but I really didn't want to miss it for the world!

As 'showers' go, hers was absolutely awesome! The spread was magnificent! If she gives me permission, I may post some pictures later! At least of the food! UPDATE: I GOT PERMISSION!

Check out this spread!

We did play one of those shower games (it was one of the truly fun and worthwhile ones!), and one of the 6 questions that I'd guessed correctly (so proud of myself), as to what all her fiance' had given for answers to various questions asked about he and she, it was to guess who he thought her favorite poet is: I wrote Kahlil Gibran

He's certainly one of my faves, that nifty Kahlil fellow. And so I offer this to the gorgeous bride to be and her tender lovin' groom, who will marry this coming Saturday, October the 13th:

You were born together and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Sing and dance
together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the
strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

~ from Kahlil Gibran

Lovin' the Wedding Present Paper

You can't tell at all in these pictures, since Owen looks so very well composed, but inbetween takes, he was absolutely spazzing out, rolling and scooting around in this wrapping paper as if it were liquid ecstasy.
We've got two other big, loose pieces of discarded wedding present wrapping paper strew elsewhere in the house for Owen's attacking, rolling and scooting about pleasure.

One Month Ago, from Today...

... we got married!

I think neither of us can believe it's been a month already since the big day, nor can we believe it hasn't been a year since! Many have asked me how married life is treating us thus far ~ and honestly, I love it and all that came before it, and all there is to come. We're very, very fortunate.

Being married to one another feels like nothing but the right way to be; it feels sooo natural.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 13

Because last night, after we'd walked out from the theater, into the lobby for a 15-minute long intermission, out of the blue, he offered me Pop Rocks!

Me: Pop Rocks? You're kidding. You have Pop Rocks? Why do you have Pop Rocks?!?

With the grin, he revealed a packet of Pop Rocks from his shirt pocket and gingerly ripped it open and told me to open my mouth. He then gently shook Pop Rocks into my mouth, then half the packet into his and the rest into mine. He then put his open mouth beside my right ear and we stood in the lobby together, giggling like school kids, our mouths to the other's ear. Still popping away, we decided to wander outdoors while waiting for the intermission to end... Passing a very tall, very blond and beachy looking younger fellow, he turned to watch us walking towards the exit and then, in a very audible and confident tone of amused recognition, he said, "Pop rocks. Nyce."

Dah Best Excuse for Fresh Flowahs

For me, a wedding is the very ultimate bestest most justified excuse for blowing a wad of dough on fresh flowers ~

I absolutely LUVed my wedding flowers, which I purchased from Flowers2U.com and arranged on my own!! ~ Yup = We had 3 gardenia corsages (my step-mum, my mum's eldest sister, Radeane, and my sister), 10 boutonnieres (1 groom, 1 darling ring boy, 1 best man, 1 'man of honor', 1 officiator, 2 proud fathers and 3 brothers), 4 luncheon table vases, one larger vase for the photo display and signing table, greenery and stems of creamy button mums for the cupcake display table, 4 pink glass hanging vases for the arbour and one gorgeous (I must say so) bridal bouquet. And the BIGGEST thanks (again and again and again) to dear Wendy for willingly and so happily arranging all the table and arbour vases, and thereby, saving my butt and preserving my sanity ~ mmmwah! You so rock, Wendy! Yes, my honey-man's dear-honey-of-a-former-spouse helped me until late-late-late hours of the early morn, arranging our table vases and the arbour vases for our wedding! AND she and her dear fiance' were quite the team the morning of, wrapping the ivory satin ribbon around my bouquet! Can I tell ya? She so rocks! Thank you guys!

This pic is currently my laptop's desktop background...

The groom's boutonniere
One of the four hanging arbour vases...

...and my bouquet (again)...

And this is one of the table vases, post-wedding... almost every room in the house had one within sight, to enjoy each day throughout our home before we left on our honeymoon!