Okay, so I resisted it; I really did. But I got tagged to write 25 things about myself like 84 times on Facebook, so I finally caved. And once I had it written, I liked my list. And since I haven't had any good ideas for a post over the last few days, I thought I'd post my 25 things here, too. Enjoy!
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1. I love to collect books. I don't necessarily like borrowing them from the library or other people; I like to buy them. That way, I'll build a nice library over time, and one day, when I'm an old lady, I will be surrounded by them. Then maybe my house will smell like a library. I love the smell of a good library. One time I walked into a little used bookstore, and it smelled like a library. I told the owner that that's how I knew it was a good place.
2. We have two cats, Livvy and Vi, short for Olivia and Viola. Those are characters from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and their names are near anagrams of each other.
3. The more I cook, the more opinionated I am about cooking. I hope I haven't offended any of my blog readers by my abhorrence of canned cream of mushroom soup or canned cranberry sauce.
4. One of the highlights of my college experience was Sing Alliance at Baylor. I made a ton of friends, loved performing, and I even had a solo. I still keep up with a handful of people I met in that group.
5. I was trained in vocal performance throughout high school. It was a very serious thing for me, and I won or placed highly in some big competitions. For a while there, I thought I'd be an opera singer. Better yet, sing on Broadway.
6. Another highlight of my college experience was studying abroad in Cambridge, England. I. Loved. It. I would live there. It was like I was at the apex of aesthetic experience the whole time.
7. One of my college friends reminded me a while back that I had always hoped to marry a man with an accent. I came sort of close. Although Nathan is a total Texas boy, he was born in England and technically has dual citizenship (or at least he did until he was 18). So even if I didn't get a man with an accent, I did get a foreigner. Sort of. A little. Mostly not. But still.
8. Because Nathan was born in Cambridge, England, I studied there, and we lived in Cambridge, MA, I think a good name for a dog we'd own in the future would be Cambridge, or Cam for short. We also like Agincourt ("A-zhin-cor"), which is the battlefield in Henry V. Nathan and I just like it for a big, intimidating dog, like a Rottweiler or a Great Dane. :)
9. So far, this list is pretty academic. Which is weird, since I am not really all that academic these days. I am a mommy, after all, which doesn't leave much room to be an academic. Actually, I have very little desire to BE an academic these days. I am more interested in learning to cook, sew, and be a good mommy than reading my brains out. But I hope I will never be able to read a lovely piece of literature without being affected by it or automatically analyzing it.
10. I love Boston. I love how different it is from Texas--particularly how beautiful New England is and the fact that we don't have 8 months of summer. That said, though, I would rather raise my kids in the south because the culture there is more conservative. Plus, that's where our families are. And, even though I can love and appreciate other places, I will never be anything but a Texan at heart.
10. I have always LOVED the Boston winters. After growing up in a hot, humid, subtropical climate, six months of cold and snow has always been a novelty. But this year, I am already tired of it, and I cannot wait until it gets warm! Which won't be till June, dangit, dangit, dangit.
11. Fall is my favorite season. Oh, how I love fall. I just exult in the glorious weather. The leaves are fantastic, I love sweaters and scarves, I love apple picking and fall food, and there is a crispness in the air that is so invigorating and just brings me to life.
11. Hopefully, Nathan will graduate this year, and right now all his job prospects are in Houston. I am obsessed with the website har.com, which lists all the houses for sale in Houston, and I am on it like 10 hours a week or something ridiculous.
12. One of my dreams is to have a second home in the mountains somewhere (Colorado, northern New Mexico, Utah, etc.). I'd love to have a place where we can take our family to go ski or just hang out. And how much fun would it be to host Thanksgiving or Christmas there every year?
13. I love to host Thanksgiving. I have made a turkey every year since we got married, mostly because we moved away from our families right away. Plus, most of the time we've been in Boston, we've hosted our Bible study group for Thanksgiving. It is always so much fun. I love to have people over, and I love food. I am starting to realize that I like to serve people through cooking. I would just like to say, though, that it is much easier to have a potluck Thanksgiving than to cook everything yourself!
13. Another one of my dreams is to travel the world. I want to go practically everywhere, but especially all over Europe. I love all the history and would insist on a fabulous tour guide who could tell me all about it. I also think it would be oh so fun to go on one of those food tours where they take you to Italy or somewhere and teach you how to make the local food.
14. I absolutely will not walk around my house (or anywhere without carpet) without slippers on. I hate the feel of grit on my feet, and you can't help but have a little bit of grit/dust on the floor all the time when you have hardwoods.
15. The best thing in the world is when Noah gives you a really tight hug. Or when he lays his cheek on yours.
16. I hate grits, salmon, and canned asparagus.
17. In college, I had a Dr. Pepper addiction.
18. I have kept some sort of budget on Excel since I was 16. It has gotten increasingly more complicated over time, but it works really well.
19. I clip coupons and shop grocery store sales in order to save money, but I'm thwarted by the fact that I really like to cook and want to buy particular things. I don't want to eat just anything. I want to eat something SPECIAL.
20. I was an English major, but the parts of my major I liked were literature and analysis. I did not like writing. Which is problematic for an English major. :) I was just too impatient to like it all that much--I would much rather tell you what I think than write it down. But thinking out a paper does make you flesh out your opinions/analyses more, so I do think I got a lot out of writing all those pages and pages, but I did not really enjoy it. Now, though, I think I would have a much easier time of it. I don't mind writing as much, probably in part because my blog keeps me in the habit and has probably honed some of my skills.
21. It takes me a little while to become really good friends with someone, but once we are friends, I am extremely loyal, and I love the person and will keep up with them for years and years. I do not let friendships go very easily.
22. I graduated cum laude, and Nathan did not graduate with honors. Still, I think he is smarter than me. And his major was harder. Plus, he is about to be a Harvard Ph.D. But he may never quite get over the fact that I have those two little words on my diploma and he doesn't. :)
23. My favorite sounds are walking on gravel and walking on fresh, crunchy snow.
24. I enter the HGTV Dream Home giveaway every year.
25. Some things I like about my husband: he is an Eagle Scout and loves the outdoors; he can spot an animal in the wild faster than anyone I know; he likes to make puns that make you roll your eyes; you would never know how smart he is just by talking to him (this is a compliment); he is a great dad; his dreams often involve him having superpowers; he can do the best, most realistic velociraptor impression you have ever, ever seen; he is very kind; his humility taught me how to be humble.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
I Bet Your Husband Has Never Said This to You.
I had a bad hair day today. Here is what you would have heard if you had been at our house this morning, before Noah and I headed out for a play date.
Me: My hair is crazy today.
Nathan: Wow. Yeah, it is. You look like a witch.
Me: Thanks a lot.
Nathan: Don't scare all the little kids.
[Pause.]
Nathan: Don't eat all the little kids.
Me: My hair is crazy today.
Nathan: Wow. Yeah, it is. You look like a witch.
Me: Thanks a lot.
Nathan: Don't scare all the little kids.
[Pause.]
Nathan: Don't eat all the little kids.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Any Suggestions?
I need suggestions for a good devotional. I'd like to do one specifically for moms, I think. Has anyone done one that they really liked?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Little Things
A few little things about Noah:
A couple of weeks ago, I picked him up from the nursery at my mom's group, and one of the ladies said, "He was a little thief today!" Turns out, when they were giving the kids their snacks, Noah just went from tray to tray, stealing other kids' Cheerios and whatnot. That boy does love to eat.
Last week, when I picked him up, the lady said, "Bye bye, Noah the Explorer" (which actually kind of rhymed, with her Boston accent--Bostonians often misplace their R's.) Boy, was she right. He LOVES to explore. He hates to be penned in, and now that he is getting good at walking, he loves to just meander around our apartment and see what he can see.
He loves grapefruit. What kid likes grapefruit? I mean, it's sour! Personally, I love it, but I doubt I loved it when I was a year old. Nathan and I were eating a grapefruit the other day, and he was looking at us, just begging for some. So we gave him a little bit, fully expecting that he would make a sour face and refuse more. But no, he loved it.
Then, later that night, we gave him a piece of chocolate cake. And he didn't like it at all. In fact, after one tiny bite, he refused to eat any more. Now, I do have to say that this particular chocolate cake was a disappointment (especially since it was at one of our favorite restaurants), but still! He loves grapefruit but doesn't like chocolate?!
He got hurt three days in a row, poor kid. Does this happen to every kid once they start getting good at walking? Please tell me it does. Day 1 he busted his lip by falling face first into his high chair (he likes to push it and roll it around the kitchen). Day 2 he put his fingers into a door I was just shutting, and I totally smashed them. :( Day 3 he fell face first into an end table in the living room and hit the bone above his eye, which resulted in a bruise and a bump. Poor baby.
A couple of weeks ago, I picked him up from the nursery at my mom's group, and one of the ladies said, "He was a little thief today!" Turns out, when they were giving the kids their snacks, Noah just went from tray to tray, stealing other kids' Cheerios and whatnot. That boy does love to eat.
Last week, when I picked him up, the lady said, "Bye bye, Noah the Explorer" (which actually kind of rhymed, with her Boston accent--Bostonians often misplace their R's.) Boy, was she right. He LOVES to explore. He hates to be penned in, and now that he is getting good at walking, he loves to just meander around our apartment and see what he can see.
He loves grapefruit. What kid likes grapefruit? I mean, it's sour! Personally, I love it, but I doubt I loved it when I was a year old. Nathan and I were eating a grapefruit the other day, and he was looking at us, just begging for some. So we gave him a little bit, fully expecting that he would make a sour face and refuse more. But no, he loved it.
Then, later that night, we gave him a piece of chocolate cake. And he didn't like it at all. In fact, after one tiny bite, he refused to eat any more. Now, I do have to say that this particular chocolate cake was a disappointment (especially since it was at one of our favorite restaurants), but still! He loves grapefruit but doesn't like chocolate?!
He got hurt three days in a row, poor kid. Does this happen to every kid once they start getting good at walking? Please tell me it does. Day 1 he busted his lip by falling face first into his high chair (he likes to push it and roll it around the kitchen). Day 2 he put his fingers into a door I was just shutting, and I totally smashed them. :( Day 3 he fell face first into an end table in the living room and hit the bone above his eye, which resulted in a bruise and a bump. Poor baby.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Enchanted April
Oh my. I just finished The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.
I mean, I literally finished it five minutes ago. I couldn't help but jump on the blog and tell you about it.
It was written in the 1920's, and it is perfectly lovely. It's about four women, three young and one old, who do not know each other but decide to go spend April at a castle in Italy. They are all very different and bring their different problems with them, but there is a magical beauty in the place that pretty much makes them all better people--makes them effusive in love--which in turn solves many of their problems.
The characters are lovely, but I was also struck by the beautiful prose. It's very pretty, but it is also witty. And the syntax is all mixed up so that you have to pay attention to the author's sentences in order not to get lost (which is not a bad thing), yet it still feels light and lilting. I think I had extra patience with the prose because the setting in the novel encourages it. The characters spend a lot of time simply looking at the beautiful gardens and landscape. In light of that, I couldn't do anything but take something lovely--even prose--a little more slowly, in order to really appreciate it and savor it.
It's classy, it's beautiful, it's thoughtful. You finish the book with a fondness (if not a love) for the characters. You can't ask for much more in a novel.
I read this book for my book club, and I'm so glad they chose it. The movie came out when I was not nearly old enough to appreciate it, but I will definitely be watching it sometime soon.
I mean, I literally finished it five minutes ago. I couldn't help but jump on the blog and tell you about it.
It was written in the 1920's, and it is perfectly lovely. It's about four women, three young and one old, who do not know each other but decide to go spend April at a castle in Italy. They are all very different and bring their different problems with them, but there is a magical beauty in the place that pretty much makes them all better people--makes them effusive in love--which in turn solves many of their problems.
The characters are lovely, but I was also struck by the beautiful prose. It's very pretty, but it is also witty. And the syntax is all mixed up so that you have to pay attention to the author's sentences in order not to get lost (which is not a bad thing), yet it still feels light and lilting. I think I had extra patience with the prose because the setting in the novel encourages it. The characters spend a lot of time simply looking at the beautiful gardens and landscape. In light of that, I couldn't do anything but take something lovely--even prose--a little more slowly, in order to really appreciate it and savor it.
It's classy, it's beautiful, it's thoughtful. You finish the book with a fondness (if not a love) for the characters. You can't ask for much more in a novel.
I read this book for my book club, and I'm so glad they chose it. The movie came out when I was not nearly old enough to appreciate it, but I will definitely be watching it sometime soon.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
It's Zero Degrees Outside!
What to do when it's zero degrees outside:
- Go outside, so you can experience zero degrees (feels like -10) and not have to say you were a weenie and stayed inside. If you are Nathan, go outside in a t-shirt and jeans, just to see what it's like and because you can't be bothered with a coat. Or shoes.
- Come inside to discover that the door to your baby's room is open and one of your cats has jumped into the crib to sleep next to the baby. It is, after all, the warmest room in the house. Chase said cat all over the house, snapping your fingers and saying, "No, Livvy!"
- Check the weather incessantly to see how much colder it's going to get.
- Make hot tea.
- Stick your cold hands on your spouse's warm stomach. Endure writhing of spouse, but don't move hands.
- Check temperature again.
- Turn on the electric blanket and go to bed.
- Go outside, so you can experience zero degrees (feels like -10) and not have to say you were a weenie and stayed inside. If you are Nathan, go outside in a t-shirt and jeans, just to see what it's like and because you can't be bothered with a coat. Or shoes.
- Come inside to discover that the door to your baby's room is open and one of your cats has jumped into the crib to sleep next to the baby. It is, after all, the warmest room in the house. Chase said cat all over the house, snapping your fingers and saying, "No, Livvy!"
- Check the weather incessantly to see how much colder it's going to get.
- Make hot tea.
- Stick your cold hands on your spouse's warm stomach. Endure writhing of spouse, but don't move hands.
- Check temperature again.
- Turn on the electric blanket and go to bed.
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