today i learned that my short haircut is perfect for driving on the highway with music blasting and all four windows down.
i also learned that when i have random papers on the floor of the back of my car, they will fly out all four of my down windows while i rock out to my music and enjoy not having to worry about having a hair tie stashed in the car.
oops.
seriously though, i haven't been able to do the windows-down hair test since i got it cut back in october. it was either too cold or too rainy or too full of mischa or too some other extenuating circumstance, so today was the first time i had all of my windows all the way down since the big chop.
it passed the test with flying colors, by the way. my hair would go in my face today, but there were no longer such crazy amounts of it that it rendered me unable to see the cars in front of me or in my peripherals. i can actually drive safely with my hair down, instead of realizing shortly after hitting the cruise control button at 65 mph that my massive amounts of hair are going to continue to whip me in the eyes and mouth, causing me to start the blind-one-hand search for the elusive hair tie that got to be too annoying to stay on my wrist. nope, instead i got to enjoy worry free summer time cruising.
just as i was getting used to my awesome new freedom from crazy wind-whipped hair, however, i noticed something white dancing around in my rearview. it flipped and turned and crinkled, and then it was gone. i watched it shrink as it sped away from me in the side view mirror. and before i had a chance to react, another one decided to follow suit. after the third piece of paper took off with reckless abandon from the floor behind my seat, i decided i had to put an end to my wonderfully breezy ride and roll up the back windows to avoid a large littering fine.
i cranked the music louder to compensate.
it was a good drive home.
4.30.2010
4.29.2010
the power of corn
today i learned that memories you didn't even remember having can surface at lightning speed after a trigger you would never expect.
actually, i probably half-knew this already, but i relearned it tonight, at the very least.
it was the simplest thing. i was getting dinner ready, cutting up my tomatoes and rocking out to kris allen with the windows open and feeling good and content with life. and then, i pulled the ears of corn out of the fridge to shuck them and get them ready for the grill.
it was like getting hit with a memory mack truck. i'm not sure if it was the sight of the corn, with their soft white silks hanging out the tops, or the way the leaves felt, cool and rough in my hands, but i'm guessing it was the way they smelled. you know that fresh corn-on-the-cob smell you get when you first pick an ear up and you catch a whiff? it's a sweet, juicy smell with a little soil and fresh air mixed in. heaven. and all of a sudden, all i could think of was summer evenings spent barefoot on the back porch with my mom, shucking ear after ear of corn for dinner and throwing the husks into brown paper bags (back when it wasn't a sin to ask for paper at the grocery store). and of course, murphy's law sped up the iPod and put on kris allen's slow and sweet song, and my evening of happy contentment turned into one of mellow reflection.
i've had several moments since the wedding where i realize all over again that i'm married and i really am a grown up now and the whole childhood thing is over. but as time went on, they became few and far between, and up until tonight, i was quite glad to be a grown up, living in a house that i bought with a husband i adore and a dog who makes our house feel full, and thoughts and hopes of things to come. not that i'm not still glad to have all of those things.
but that corn.
for the 10 minutes it took me to get it shucked and ready to go, i was transported back to the back porch with my mom, learning how to be a cook and a mother, a wife and a woman. and a few tears pushed their way out as i listened to kris allen singing his goodbyes to a lost love as i realized that that is a time in my life that's not coming back. it was almost like saying my final goodbyes to a part of myself that i can't bring back. i can remember, i can try to recreate, but i can never truly bring back the back porch moments. it's a beautiful, bittersweet thing to know that it's a part of my past, because i've been blessed with an amazing present, and hope for the future, but it still makes me ache a little bit. and i have a feeling this won't be the last time i remember without expecting, the last time i cry, or the last time i realize all over again that i'm done being a kid, and my job now is to make new back porch memories with the family i've created.
it's good to remember.
bring on the corn.
actually, i probably half-knew this already, but i relearned it tonight, at the very least.
it was the simplest thing. i was getting dinner ready, cutting up my tomatoes and rocking out to kris allen with the windows open and feeling good and content with life. and then, i pulled the ears of corn out of the fridge to shuck them and get them ready for the grill.
it was like getting hit with a memory mack truck. i'm not sure if it was the sight of the corn, with their soft white silks hanging out the tops, or the way the leaves felt, cool and rough in my hands, but i'm guessing it was the way they smelled. you know that fresh corn-on-the-cob smell you get when you first pick an ear up and you catch a whiff? it's a sweet, juicy smell with a little soil and fresh air mixed in. heaven. and all of a sudden, all i could think of was summer evenings spent barefoot on the back porch with my mom, shucking ear after ear of corn for dinner and throwing the husks into brown paper bags (back when it wasn't a sin to ask for paper at the grocery store). and of course, murphy's law sped up the iPod and put on kris allen's slow and sweet song, and my evening of happy contentment turned into one of mellow reflection.
i've had several moments since the wedding where i realize all over again that i'm married and i really am a grown up now and the whole childhood thing is over. but as time went on, they became few and far between, and up until tonight, i was quite glad to be a grown up, living in a house that i bought with a husband i adore and a dog who makes our house feel full, and thoughts and hopes of things to come. not that i'm not still glad to have all of those things.
but that corn.
for the 10 minutes it took me to get it shucked and ready to go, i was transported back to the back porch with my mom, learning how to be a cook and a mother, a wife and a woman. and a few tears pushed their way out as i listened to kris allen singing his goodbyes to a lost love as i realized that that is a time in my life that's not coming back. it was almost like saying my final goodbyes to a part of myself that i can't bring back. i can remember, i can try to recreate, but i can never truly bring back the back porch moments. it's a beautiful, bittersweet thing to know that it's a part of my past, because i've been blessed with an amazing present, and hope for the future, but it still makes me ache a little bit. and i have a feeling this won't be the last time i remember without expecting, the last time i cry, or the last time i realize all over again that i'm done being a kid, and my job now is to make new back porch memories with the family i've created.
it's good to remember.
bring on the corn.
4.28.2010
home plate
today i learned that a boring baseball game is boring no matter where you watch it from, even if it's from behind home plate.
long story short: sam's dad bought 3 reading phillies tickets for himself, sam, and sam's brother-in-law for monday night's game. but, if you were in reading on monday night, you know that it was pouring down rain ALL DAY, so the game was cancelled. the ticket holders were entitled to go to tonight's game, but with the change of date, sam's brother-in-law could no longer make it, so i was invited along. i haven't seen any baseball yet this season, and i needed some time out of the house in fresh air, so i of course accepted.
i knew it was going to be a chilly night, so i layered it up, and when we arrived, i followed my dad-in-law to our seats. i was quite excited when we plopped ourselves down just a few rows back from (and a few seats to the left of) home plate. it's not saying much at a reading phillies game, but that's the closest i've ever sat to the field at any game.
unfortunately, by the middle of the first inning, we were down 3 to nothing. and then 5 to nothing. and all those good seats did for me was help me to get a better view of all of the terrible pitches as they zoomed towards us. by the sixth inning, the score was 5-1 (whooooooo) and the only exciting thing that occurred was 2 of the outfielders running into each other because they couldn't listen to one another as they frantically yelled "got it" and waved their arms while their heads were cocked back at 90 degree angles to track the ball instead of each other. and the crazy hot dog vendor, of course. but it was nice to have some time out and about with the hubby and dad-in-law, so i'm not disappointed in the evening.
it's just good to know.
long story short: sam's dad bought 3 reading phillies tickets for himself, sam, and sam's brother-in-law for monday night's game. but, if you were in reading on monday night, you know that it was pouring down rain ALL DAY, so the game was cancelled. the ticket holders were entitled to go to tonight's game, but with the change of date, sam's brother-in-law could no longer make it, so i was invited along. i haven't seen any baseball yet this season, and i needed some time out of the house in fresh air, so i of course accepted.
i knew it was going to be a chilly night, so i layered it up, and when we arrived, i followed my dad-in-law to our seats. i was quite excited when we plopped ourselves down just a few rows back from (and a few seats to the left of) home plate. it's not saying much at a reading phillies game, but that's the closest i've ever sat to the field at any game.
unfortunately, by the middle of the first inning, we were down 3 to nothing. and then 5 to nothing. and all those good seats did for me was help me to get a better view of all of the terrible pitches as they zoomed towards us. by the sixth inning, the score was 5-1 (whooooooo) and the only exciting thing that occurred was 2 of the outfielders running into each other because they couldn't listen to one another as they frantically yelled "got it" and waved their arms while their heads were cocked back at 90 degree angles to track the ball instead of each other. and the crazy hot dog vendor, of course. but it was nice to have some time out and about with the hubby and dad-in-law, so i'm not disappointed in the evening.
it's just good to know.
4.26.2010
fashion is all about youth
today i learned that i fit into a youth xl sweatshirt.
the sleeves aren't quite as long as i'd like, but it'll do in a pinch.
i got into work this morning, and after a cold, rainy weekend, my classroom was damp and freeeeeeeeeeezing. and they shut our heat off back in march. and i left my sweater draped over one of the dining room chairs. and my fleece jacket just wasn't warm enough on its own. so i'm looking all over hoping that i left a sweater in the closet (which i hadn't) when i saw one of our spare sweatshirts we got for the kids in the event of an accident hanging out in the corner. it still had the sticker on it even. XL XL XL XL all down the front on this sticker. i'm pretty sure i got that little frowny "i'm thinking" face as my eyes landed on it. at first i thought there was no way it would fit me, but i was so cold i probably would have tried to squeeze into a newborn's onesie. so i pick it up and i do that shopping move you see all the time when women feel too lazy to take something to the dressing room and just hold it up to ourselves and wrap it around us to try and surreptitiously figure out if it's going to fit us. surprisingly, it seemed like it may just fit, so taking a quick look around to make sure i really was the only one there, i pulled it on over my head.
right when the waist band reached my belly button, i expected to run out of slack, but it kept on going. it hit right at my hips so that my collared t-shirt poked out the bottom the way all the cool girls do, and the collar popped right out and laid neatly on top. but the best part was that it was all soft and new and warm inside. exactly what i needed.
i wore it the rest of the day. in fact, i'm wearing it right now.
and i'm still warm.
the sleeves aren't quite as long as i'd like, but it'll do in a pinch.
i got into work this morning, and after a cold, rainy weekend, my classroom was damp and freeeeeeeeeeezing. and they shut our heat off back in march. and i left my sweater draped over one of the dining room chairs. and my fleece jacket just wasn't warm enough on its own. so i'm looking all over hoping that i left a sweater in the closet (which i hadn't) when i saw one of our spare sweatshirts we got for the kids in the event of an accident hanging out in the corner. it still had the sticker on it even. XL XL XL XL all down the front on this sticker. i'm pretty sure i got that little frowny "i'm thinking" face as my eyes landed on it. at first i thought there was no way it would fit me, but i was so cold i probably would have tried to squeeze into a newborn's onesie. so i pick it up and i do that shopping move you see all the time when women feel too lazy to take something to the dressing room and just hold it up to ourselves and wrap it around us to try and surreptitiously figure out if it's going to fit us. surprisingly, it seemed like it may just fit, so taking a quick look around to make sure i really was the only one there, i pulled it on over my head.
right when the waist band reached my belly button, i expected to run out of slack, but it kept on going. it hit right at my hips so that my collared t-shirt poked out the bottom the way all the cool girls do, and the collar popped right out and laid neatly on top. but the best part was that it was all soft and new and warm inside. exactly what i needed.
i wore it the rest of the day. in fact, i'm wearing it right now.
and i'm still warm.
4.25.2010
iron water
today i learned that if there is water in my iron from the last time i used it, it will spew water everywhere when i plug it in and turn it on.
literally spew water. all over the stuff i'm trying to iron. so that i have to move the iron back and forth over the same spot a hundred million times to get it to dry.
fortunately for me, i wasn't really ironing anything all that important, and there was no time crunch involved, so it's not like it was a huge deal. just a bit of a nuisance. when i decided that i couldn't stand the wrinkly duvet cover and curtains in the guest room a second longer and hauled them downstairs to make my grandmothers proud, i didn't count on having to wrestle with my iron just to prevent it from soaking my already sad looking bedding and window treatments.
it was a nice way to spend an hour though, standing at the ironing board watching friends with the late morning sun pouring in the back door as i watched the wrinkles disappear into smooth, beautiful linens. very therapeutic. and the guest room looks really fantastic now. the process was just a little more involved than i expected it to be. and i just realized that when i put the iron away, i forgot to drain the water.
oops.
literally spew water. all over the stuff i'm trying to iron. so that i have to move the iron back and forth over the same spot a hundred million times to get it to dry.
fortunately for me, i wasn't really ironing anything all that important, and there was no time crunch involved, so it's not like it was a huge deal. just a bit of a nuisance. when i decided that i couldn't stand the wrinkly duvet cover and curtains in the guest room a second longer and hauled them downstairs to make my grandmothers proud, i didn't count on having to wrestle with my iron just to prevent it from soaking my already sad looking bedding and window treatments.
it was a nice way to spend an hour though, standing at the ironing board watching friends with the late morning sun pouring in the back door as i watched the wrinkles disappear into smooth, beautiful linens. very therapeutic. and the guest room looks really fantastic now. the process was just a little more involved than i expected it to be. and i just realized that when i put the iron away, i forgot to drain the water.
oops.
4.24.2010
sam = bob vila. kinda.
today i learned that a great way to motivate my husband to paint our basement without recruiting my help is to get a couch delivered that actually fits into the house.
seriously, he's down there painting right this second. otherwise i'd have pictures to show you of couch #3.
when we moved into our house, our first order of business was to repaint our lavender basement. in an attempt to be trendy and current, we decided to do a green-grey color for the stairwell, laundry room, and back wall of the sitting area, and then a tan color for the other three walls of the sitting area. we loved the grey-green. we did not love the tan. it looked like poop. we hoped it would grow on us over time. it did not. we figured we would repaint it the grey-green color at some point, but never got around to it.
when we found this sofa last week (try #3 sofa), we thought maybe its color would help the tan wall color look better since we were slackers and still hadn't painted.
we were wrong.
don't tell sam, but i thought the color of the sofas with the walls just made our basement look like the inside of a diaper. hence why i was so, so excited when he went to see if we had enough of the paint left to redo those three horribly colored walls today. and luckily, we did. so he sent me out for more pads for the edger, and by the time i got back, he had the first coat on two of the walls already (with the exception of the edges, of course). already, it looked SO. MUCH. BETTER.
i'll post pictures once he's done. which, at this rate, will probably be in the next five minutes.
i <3 my hubby.
(and my basement)
seriously, he's down there painting right this second. otherwise i'd have pictures to show you of couch #3.
when we moved into our house, our first order of business was to repaint our lavender basement. in an attempt to be trendy and current, we decided to do a green-grey color for the stairwell, laundry room, and back wall of the sitting area, and then a tan color for the other three walls of the sitting area. we loved the grey-green. we did not love the tan. it looked like poop. we hoped it would grow on us over time. it did not. we figured we would repaint it the grey-green color at some point, but never got around to it.
when we found this sofa last week (try #3 sofa), we thought maybe its color would help the tan wall color look better since we were slackers and still hadn't painted.
we were wrong.
don't tell sam, but i thought the color of the sofas with the walls just made our basement look like the inside of a diaper. hence why i was so, so excited when he went to see if we had enough of the paint left to redo those three horribly colored walls today. and luckily, we did. so he sent me out for more pads for the edger, and by the time i got back, he had the first coat on two of the walls already (with the exception of the edges, of course). already, it looked SO. MUCH. BETTER.
i'll post pictures once he's done. which, at this rate, will probably be in the next five minutes.
i <3 my hubby.
(and my basement)
4.23.2010
brinner coma
today i learned that if, on a friday night of a very long week, i cook a huge dinner consisting strictly of breakfast foods, and then after eating i cuddle up with sam under my new t-shirt quilt while watching friends, i will fall asleep at 7:30 in the evening.
i think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
every friday night that we've been at home since we've been married, sam and i eat brinner together (breakfast for dinner). this week felt like it lasted eight years for both of us, so we were both pretty tired and ready for a night of nothing. we ate a lot of carb heavy foods (g-free blueberry pancakes with syrup much?) and then, instead of doing the dishes right away, we curled up under the biggest blanket we could find (hello t-shirt quilt!) and had a throwback to college by watching friends.
an hour later, i wake up with contacts that feel like they've been glued to my eye balls.
i dragged myself off the couch, threw the leftover pancakes in the freezer, hauled myself and the laptop upstairs, and got ready for bed. now, it's 9 o'clock on a friday night and my glasses are on, my teeth have been brushed AND flossed (cause the dentist told me on tuesday that if i don't floss, my teeth will fall out of my head), my face has been washed, my medicines have been taken, and i'm comfortably propped up in bed.
and friends is still on :-D
i think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
every friday night that we've been at home since we've been married, sam and i eat brinner together (breakfast for dinner). this week felt like it lasted eight years for both of us, so we were both pretty tired and ready for a night of nothing. we ate a lot of carb heavy foods (g-free blueberry pancakes with syrup much?) and then, instead of doing the dishes right away, we curled up under the biggest blanket we could find (hello t-shirt quilt!) and had a throwback to college by watching friends.
an hour later, i wake up with contacts that feel like they've been glued to my eye balls.
i dragged myself off the couch, threw the leftover pancakes in the freezer, hauled myself and the laptop upstairs, and got ready for bed. now, it's 9 o'clock on a friday night and my glasses are on, my teeth have been brushed AND flossed (cause the dentist told me on tuesday that if i don't floss, my teeth will fall out of my head), my face has been washed, my medicines have been taken, and i'm comfortably propped up in bed.
and friends is still on :-D
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