-It's summer! Isn't summer just magical?.
-Zach and I rented The Iron Lady a few nights ago. Can't go wrong with Meryl Streep, right?? Wrong. It was so boring. We watched a full hour of it and finally turned it off. Sorry Meryl.
-We've started watching Parenthood on Netflix. Addicted. At least one episode every night.
-I've had the same bunch of cilantro in my fridge for a least a month and it's still as fresh as can be. Here's the trick - Put it in a glass of water and cover it loosely with a plastic bag (I just use one of those multi purpose bread bags you can buy in a pack). I'm in love. Cilantro usually always gets yucky before I'm able to use it all. Thank you Pinterest.
-Zach told me a couple of weeks ago that he'd like to find a bigger tent for our family (apparently a family of five needs more than a 2 man tent??? who knew??). So last Saturday I went out and hit a few yard sales, and in addition to the big box of random fabric that I bought for $3 (I'm a sucker for fabric), I also managed to find an 8 person Coleman tent in almost new condition with two air mattresses tossed in for good measure, for...... $20. Don't mind if I do! Zach was pretty impressed. Not as impressed as I apparently need him to be because I keep saying, "Did I do good or what?!?! Can you believe it!?! Aren't you so proud of me?!!"
-I've been sewing for myself more and more and recently I realized that almost every article of clothing that I wear I've either altered in one way or another, or sewn entirely. I don't know what to think of this. Part of me thinks that it's really awesome, and another part of me just thinks I'm a giant nerd that probably walks around looking like a hot mess most of the time.
-They always joke about how your kids will ask "why?" after everything you say, but what they didn't convey accurately is how bloody crazy it will make you feel. And I know we're supposed to encourage their curiosity about everything (EVERYTHING), but it really just makes me want to cuss. Because, do I really need to tell you why you shouldn't touch a pile of dog poop? Really??
-Last night for dinner I said we were having a "3 course meal". 1st course: chicken/broccoli/brown rice casserole (I don't make a lot of casseroles, but hey, sometimes it happens). 2nd course: french bread and strawberries. 3rd course: M&Ms (and they got two M&Ms for each question they answered about the topic of their choice, which happened to be "Transformers"). I didn't tell them what we were having for the next course, so they were super excited. And we couldn't move onto the next course until everyone had had as much as they wanted of the previous course. It was awesome. Zach and I felt like we actually had a dinner where everyone enjoyed it and we all sat and talked for over a half hour. For tonight we doing 1st course: salad, 2nd course: spaghetti, 3rd course.... probably M&Ms again. And hopefully a little more variety in the topic of conversation. We're trying to teach the boys that dinner isn't just for eating, but for talking and visiting together as a family. And I've been following guidelines that I read in this post, adapted from this book (which I should probably read sometime). So far so good.
-I think Zach and I have figured out a good system for gift giving occasions for me. It always seems like Zach worries about what I'd want, knows I like to be surprised, but then knows I'm kinda picky, then puts it off till... It's just a hassle. Poor guy. So last night he told me he was just going to show me what he was considering getting me and see what I thought of it. It was a t-shirt that was designed by Mondo from Project Runway. And while it was totally thoughtful and I was super impressed with him for thinking of something like that, we both admitted that it wasn't really a shirt I would wear much (I pretty much never wear black - Come on Mondo, we expected more from you). But it was still super fun looking at it together and I felt loved that he'd even considered something like that. So we decided that from now on he's just going to come up with a list of ideas, show me, I can feel loved by his thoughtfulness and effort, and if there's something that I want I'll get it. If not, I'll just get something that I actually want. Is that lame? That's what nine years of marriage will do to ya. I'm kind of in love with this idea. Especially since I have the habit of sending friends/family members lists of links to things on etsy that I would buy them if I were rolling in money.
-Gifts or no gifts, my birthdays just keep getting better and better. Every year Zach has an area conference with all the other seminary teachers and their wives where they put us up in a hotel, provide yummy meals, interesting/uplifting classes and two days that are mostly kid-free (with a group of seminary teachers and wives you can imagine that out of the wives, most are either pregnant or toting a nursing baby - We've only had one year that I wasn't pregnant or nursing and it was awesome). And this meeting always seems to fall on or around my birthday. They send us somewhere different every year and this year it's in Moab! I've never been and I'm SO EXCITED. In fact, we're going a day early and camping (Ollie's first time camping!) so that we can have a little extra time to explore here. Seriously, I can't wait.
-I've warned Zach that while hiking in Arches I'll likely either cry, laugh uncontrollably, pass out, or curl up in a ball and rock back and forth. He said he was already aware of those possibilities. I seem to have this weird condition where seeing things in person that I've only ever seen in books or movies totally overwhelms me. I'm sure there's a name for it but I've never been able to find any information on it, but I know I'm not the only one. I heard once that people pass out on a regular basis when seeing The David for the first time. I totally get that. With me it's even worse if it's something really big. So it's pretty likely that seeing this or this is going to be pretty nuts for me. It's an easy way to get an adrenaline rush for me. Who needs sky diving?
Ok, long enough. This is what happens when I don't have much to say on here, so I write a little each day and end up with a post that goes on and on and on. What a treat for you guys. Hope you're having a fabulous summer. I'll post some pictures sometime soonish. ;)
5 comments:
Okay, I have to have this little comment window open on the side so I can make sure to cover all your topics.
1- The Iron Lady - i loved it, didn't find it boring at all. But I am also a big history and politics nerd, so maybe that clouded my judgement.
2- Parenthood - great show, one we watch regularly. though we refer to it as dramahood because they really take the tiniest things and get SO dramatic over them. of course, it is a television show that requires plot devices. i probably wouldn't watch it if it was just people going about their boring lives. :)
3- good job on the tent! we have a 4 person backpacking tent so our dogs aren't sleeping on top of us. it's lovely.
4- all the pictures i've seen of you have you looking lovely and put together, so I think whatever you're doing is working for you.
5- i think i would take the asking why about everything over my dogs barking at everything that moves or makes a noise outside.
6- i have heard a lot of good things about that book. definitely a good practice to start early. maybe i should start doing courses and forcing jon to take longer at meals. :)
7- i spent a few years when we first got married expecting jon to just pick out the perfect gift and surprise me with decorations, etc. then finally i told him that the only days i expected him to make a big deal out of were our anniversary and my birthday. i make lists of things i want - i'm not terribly subtle. :)
8- fun you get to go to Moab! we were going to plan a trip there in the fall, but opted for Turkey this time. Moab is gorgeous and I want to take Jon there some day soon.
9- i get this way when i hear live music. choked up, wanting to cry. it happened last weekend when i saw Laura Marling for the first time after listening to her constantly for 4 years. it makes jon laugh.
i think my comment is nearly as long as your post! :)
Katie, just so you know, Zach thought of the Mondo shirt MONTHS ago and he even told me to call and remind him in April to order it so you would have it in time for your birthday. The black one was the only one we liked, but we both thought the same thing as you. Anyway, that Zachary loves you so much :) That is basically all I'm sayin.
oh parenthood... i tried so hard to resist. but i couldn't. i LOVE it. i know it's overly dramatic and cliche and manipulates my emotions with its sappy (but great!) music but i'm a sucker and i fell for it. i love it all!
THANK YOU for the cilantro tip! Soggy, limp cilantro has plagued me for years:) I love the arches. We used to go camping there all the time when I was a kid, and it NEVER gets old.
I'll have to check out that book you mentioned. It's kind of the way we feed our family, except without "try it" rule. I'm sure there are other points I could brush up on. Also, the cilantro- genius! Thanks for sharing. PS. you look good!
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