Fishie.

This is not my favorite time of year to be in southern Virginia, but living near the water does have its compensations...

Caught...

Cleaned...

Seasoned...

Grilled...

Plated...

Yum! Now that's what I call fresh!

Nephew and nieces love.

The last evening that we were in Ohio visiting, my family got together to have a family portrait taken. The last time we had a formal picture taken was seven years ago, and we have two more family members now, so it was time for an update.

I don't have the pictures we had taken that evening yet, but here are a few Todd took of me and the kiddies.

And finally, one of me and my sweetie:

It's not old, it's vintage.

Todd sliced his finger open pretty deeply on Sunday, while flying his new remote-control plane, and I gave him a tube of antibiotic ointment to put on it when he re-bandages it.

He came downstairs tonight and said, "I think we need a new tube of ointment. Guess how old this one is?"

I said I had no idea.

"If we had a kid that was born when this tube expired, the kid would be in high school now."

!!!!!!

April 1995. How in the world did that tube sneak past my periodic medicine cabinets clean-outs--for fourteen years? If it expired in 1995, that must mean I bought it when we were practically newlyweds. That tube has moved at least five times with us! It's lived in three different states!

Todd wants to know if I'm trying to kill him and/or his finger. He also said, "This is very bloggable."

So I'm blogging about it.

If you come to my house with an ache or pain, and I offer you a Tylenol, ask to see the bottle first.

Rough week.

My poor sweetie, what a week he's had. Tuesday he had a lipoma (fatty tumor) removed from his right arm, which involved needles (six of them? eight of them? every time he mentions it, there are more needles in the story) being jabbed into his arm. (He's had the lipoma for years-- it's not serious, it was just in an inconvenient spot.)

On Wednesday, an insurance company nurse came to do a physical and take some blood, which involved another needle in his arm.

And Friday morning, he went in for the old "snip-snip," you know, the one that when you mention it, every guy within ten miles crosses his legs reflexively...and of course, more needles were involved, and not in the arm region this time.

Todd hates needles, hates 'em, hates 'em. I think he's glad this week is over with. I think he'll be even gladder when he can walk non-bowlegged, and put the frozen peas away for good. I took this picture of him when he was unconscious from the Vicodin...he'll probably be mad, but he's just so darn cute.

HB2U!

Happy birthday to my sweetie, my partner in crime, my very best friend, the guy who makes me laugh and listens to my pointless ramblings and fixes everything I need him to, who makes my day happier every time he walks into the room. Love you, honey! I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Heart Day.

I guess it was good that I took Todd his kayak paddle when he forgot it last night, because he caught the biggest fish he's ever caught: a 44" striped bass!

Pretty exciting! Too bad it's not striper season, because that we could have gotten four or five dinners out of that bad boy! But he's happily back swimming around Wormley Creek now.

We've spent the day in home improvement centers, tracking down a sink top for the bathroom vanity and getting various other odds and ends. It's been a fun day. Not exactly romantic, but fun! Now I'm cracking the whip and making Todd finish the bathroom painting and getting ready to start some V Day supper. (Steak, scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, strawberries dipped in chocolate. Yum!)

I got an e-mail today from the Clumsy Lovers, who are a fantastic Canadian bluegrass/celtic/rock fusion band that we've liked for a long time...their new album "Make Yourself Known" is out and you can listen to it and buy it on their site. The player's up in the right-hand corner of the home page, just click play. We just love this band. Their albums "After the Flood" and "Smart Kid" are also fantastic.

Hope everybody's having a love-y day!

TGIF.

Well, this week I have:

--bought a $32 gallon of the wrong non-refundable paint.

--incurred a $15 late charge on an $18 bra that I forgot was charged on my Macy's card, which I never use.

--ruined a beloved, expensive and irreplaceable pair of yoga pants by kneeling in them in half-dried paint on the floor.

I am going to stay in bed tomorrow and not touch anything.

In other news, Todd got contact lenses last weekend and has been adjusting to them this week--namely, adjusting to the putting-in and taking-out process, which is really hard for him to do, but getting easier, I think.

As further proof that I'll never win the Best Wife award, I have to say that I was not real excited about his getting contacts. I really, really like glasses on men. Especially on my man, who's worn glasses for all of the 21 years I've known him.

Plus, his glasses were the one lingering quality that kept me in his league. Now he's the hot young-looking guy with the ugly fat middle-aged wife. Who wears glasses.

I wore contacts briefly in high school, but I felt, and still do, that I need glasses to break up the vast expanse of my big face. It's tempting to switch now, watching Todd flaunt his spiffy off-the-rack sunglasses, but my face is even bigger now than it was in high school. I think I need the glasses, even though it means wearing dorky clip-on sunglasses..

Anyway, for absolutely selfish reasons, I'm not stoked about the contacts. But they will make things a lot easier for Todd when he windsurfs and kayaks and whatnot. I'm glad he likes 'em, even if I don't.

I've got the bathroom about 85% painted. Todd will be doing the rest as penance, because he forgot his kayak paddle and I had to drive out to York County to take it to him tonight! Actually, he'd end up doing the rest anyway, because it's mostly ceiling cutting-in, which I can't reach to do anyway. I've painted everything I can reach.

The color looks great. It's Laura Ashley Sage. I'll put up a picture or two once we get it all done. It's a little dicey around the shower, because I taped over the caulking and now the paint wants to come off the wall when I peel off the tape. Todd will be dealing with that, too. My patience ran out right around the time I ruined my yoga pants!

Now I'm kicking back with an episode of "Dirty Jobs." Mike Rowe can make the worst day better. Mm mm!

Day 5.

Here's my journal page, about Advent:


And here's the picture I used, full-size, just because I liked how it came out:


And here's the quote, of which I only had room to use a bit on the page:

"The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before…What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you. And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God's [back] fade in the distance. So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon." -Jan L. Richardson, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas. (Zowie, that's expensive on Amazon!)

I really like that quote. It reminds me of this story in Miracle and Other Christmas Stories, by Connie Willis (which I recommend all the time to anyone who will listen) called "Epiphany," which is about Jesus' second coming and unlike anything I've ever read on the topic before. It's hard to describe, but it has the same shadowy, dark, expectant feeling as the quote.

One of the things I like about this time of year is the early dark and the lights shining through it. The dark seems to fit with that mood of waiting, wondering, expecting.

It's been a quiet week here (in Lake Wobegon...no, no, that's not right...)--I've been turning in early nights, with a book, and nursing a sore throat and headache that seem to come and go and not develop into anything. Also making out Christmas cards, wrapping presents, etc. Todd had jury duty on Monday and a very distasteful incest/rape case (as he said, "Why couldn't I get a nice, easy cocaine possession?") and other than that, he's been waiting for the chance to go night fishing when the tides and winds are right. He went last night and came home with a few more big striped bass, one of which we'll be having for dinner tonight, yum.

And it's coooold! (Yay!) That's it from here.

Todd's project.

Todd has been getting into the woodworking groove by doing a few small projects before pursuing our ultimate DIY holy grail: a new fireplace surround and mantel, flanked by bookshelves, at the end of the living room.

But before he goes whole hog on that, he whipped up a little thing this weekend. We have a short wall in our foyer that has a smoke detector, a doorbell, and a thermostat running right down the middle of the wall, making it hard to hang anything substantial that might pretty up the wall. And it's only the first thing people see when they come in the house, so it was obviously a perfect place for the builder to put all the ugly stuff!

I forgot about the huge vent underneath, another attractive touch.

I bought the red shelf on the right at the Newport News Fall Festival a month or so ago, but before then that space was usually bare. I've never really been able to figure out how to dress up our foyer walls, the space is so small and cramped.

Here's the pretty thing that Todd made:


Since we can't really cover the smoke detector for safety reasons, and if we covered the thermostat, it would have to be with a basket or something easily taken off for temperature fiddling, covering the doorbell was the only option.

Here it is in place:


Now the rest of the wall needs to be balanced...I'm thinking maybe a couple more small shelves and some pictures. I need to dig through my stash and see what I have. But isn't it a pretty way to disguise something so bland and boring?

Do you think it I put something small on top of the doorbell shelf, it would interfere with the smoke detector? I'm thinking just some branches or berries in a small bowl, nothing big and solid. I'd love to camouflage that thing a little bit.

Anyway, I think Todd did a nice job. He's a handy person to have around!

Pictures.

I have just a couple of pictures from the last few weeks to share. My brother's family came to visit for Mother's Day weekend. It was cold and blustery, but we went to the park anyway:


...and we took a walk along the beach. No swimming, though!

They're coming to visit again in a couple of weeks, and as hot as it's been here, I think we'll have some good beach weather for them.

Our wedding anniversary was May 23, and Todd took the day off so we could go to Elizabeth City, NC and do some antique-hunting. I printed off a list of bookstores and antique stores, but it was all quite drab and blah.

But they do have a marina:


...and some nice shady streets to walk along and look at the old houses. We don't have too many old homes here in Newport News (and they're mostly not in places where you'd want to take a stroll) so that was a treat.

I really like the last one...I love crusty old carved things. Other than the stroll, and a nice lunch at a local nursery that had a little restaurant, Elizabeth City was a bust. But it was a stunningly gorgeous day, and we had fun being together. We treated ourselves to our regular anniversary dinner at the Biergarten in Portsmouth on the way home, so it all ended well!

Happy birthday...

...to my sweetie-pie, my best friend, my husband extraordinaire! You are a special guy in so many ways. I hope you know how very much you are loved by all of us who are lucky enough to have you in our lives. Smooches!

Portsmouth.

Todd took the afternoon off yesterday, for our anniversary, and we drove down to Portsmouth to explore a little and have dinner.

The "Old Town" area of Portsmouth is very cool...there's a small neighborhood of very old homes, and a charming downtown area that has undergone--and is still undergoing--a lot of renovation.

I have really gotten out of the habit of taking pictures when we go out and do things, so I made an extra effort to get a couple snaps yesterday.

In the background of this one, you can see ladders and drop cloths--many of the storefronts are being remodeled, and there are still quite a few sitting vacant, but the effort is definitely being put forth to bring back this downtown area, and I think it's working.

This old movie theatre is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it's so great to see it still running and doing business. The marquee is especially nice lit up at night.

Above, a close-up of the box office.

A few steps further down the street, there's an iron gate in a brick wall, and if you peep through, you can see the lovely tiny cemetery behind Trinity Episcopal Church. This is my favorite little spot in the neighborhood.

And here's the tower of Trinity Church. There are lots and lots of old gorgeous churches in Portsmouth.

Here's another shot of the Commodore from across the street.


This is our "go to" restaurant whenever we want to do something out of the ordinary: the Bier Garden. The real allure of the place: umpteen-zillion imported beers on tap, which is sadly completely lost on us, as Todd doesn't drink and I don't care for beer.

No, we go to the Bier Garden for bratwurst and soft pretzels with spicy mustard and Black Forest cake. And German potato salad and sauerkraut and red cabbage and vinegary green bean salad. Mmmmmm.....!

Our first visit there was with a batch of friends, and we sat in the covered courtyard and listened to the rain falling hard all around us, while we remained (mostly) dry and the fairy lights twinkled along the railings. But sitting inside is nice too--the building is quite old, and the restaurant is a nest of small candlelit rooms with old brick walls.

Here's the beautiful tower of the Catholic church down the street:


The shopping was less enjoyable than expected--the one shop I particularly wanted to visit had closed since the last time I was there in January. So sad!

But we did find a garden shop that has expanded through its building, into the courtyard behind, into the building behind that, and into several buildings next door. Here's part of the courtyard:

This shop ran mostly to heavy cement urns and fountains and statuary--the kind of stuff I love, but which would look absurd in our yard. But I did find a gorgeous small cement pot with a weathered glaze, and three ceramic bird pokes.

After dinner, we went to see Spiderman 3, and enjoyed it. So it was a low-key celebration, but fun. We hope to take a Big Trip this fall for the real celebration...we just have to decide where to go. Right now the choices are northern California or rural England--which do you suggest?

We chatted at dinner about what we remember from our wedding day...the answer is--very little! I honestly don't think much about our wedding at all, and although I wanted a nice wedding, of course, even then the day itself was much less important to me than just getting married. I was more concerned about having a great marriage than having a great wedding. I still feel that way.

My main feeling about our wedding is happiness that we were surrounded by all the people who cared about us, and that so many of them pitched in to help make it a great day. My mother and father and aunts and grandmothers created the meal and helped get it all set up...my mother made my dress and the bridesmaids' dresses...my mother-in-law baked a fabulous wedding cake...my pastor kept us calm and relaxed...my sister-in-law played her flute beautifully during the ceremony...all our friends were there, and my friend Bev braved a broken ankle and hopped down the aisle with ribbons on her crutch as my bridesmaid...it really was a time when we were supported and helped by everyone who loved us, and I can't think of a better way to start a marriage!

BANGboomBANGbangBOOM!

Ka-POW! Boom boom boom boom BOOM!

Ai-eeeeeee!!!!!

Bambambambambambam!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Auuuugghhhhhh!!!!!

BAM! Ka-POW! BAM!!!!!

p-shing, p-shing, p-shing!

BANG!

Aaahhhhhhhhhh!

RatatatatatatatatatTAT!

Ka-POOOOOWWWWW!!!




Can someone explain to me why men love these kinds of movies?

Just wonderin', while the walls rattle.

Happy V Day...

...from me and the hubby.

My guy.

The Two Peas blog challenge today:

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, what attracted you to your DH/SO?

My DH and I were extremely young when we became friends and fell in love--I was 17 and he was 18. From this vantage point it seems impossible to find a soulmate at that age, but that is what happened. In the 19 years since then, I've never met anyone who could hold a candle to him.

So what attracted me to him? He was--and is--super smart, which I love, and he was--and is--a fantastic listener. Interested in just about everything, optimistic and willing to tackle almost any challenge. And he's a real wiseass, with a dark yet goofy sense of humor. Throw in big brown eyes with long lashes and a round little butt, you've got the perfect guy. For me, anyway. I'm very blessed.

Me and him.

We went out in the backyard yesterday morning to get a picture of the two of us for my holiday newsletter. Here are a couple of the good ones; here we're sitting on our deck:

Here we're in front of the neighbor's holly bush and our pine tree:

And here we're on the other side of our yard with the other neighbor's fence behind us. This is the picture I used for the newsletter, cropped down a little:

I'm pretty happy with them...it's been ages since we took a nice picture together. Thank goodness Todd was able to find his tripod.

More journal pages coming soon!

Flying high.

What a gorgeous fall day we're having here today. This afternoon Todd blew and I raked leaves and twigs down the yard to the edge of the retaining wall, and down into our improvised yard waste pile in the trees. The remaining leaves on the trees are glowing orange against the blue sky--just lovely. Now Todd's watching the Steelers/Browns game, and I'm up here in my study trying to map out my week ahead. The primary tasks this week are to grocery shop and get the house cleaned for Thanksgiving, and to get started on holiday gifts.

Yesterday morning we went over to the Yorktown battlefield and Todd flew the giant plane he built here in the last couple of months. He's flown it before, but this time it really flew correctly and landed perfectly, with no crashes. He could tell you all the technical stuff behind it--actually, here's a link to his "Big Red" RC airplane page on his website. And here's the pictures:

After a couple of runs, Todd attached his little camera to the bottom and got some aerial video, too. If we can figure it out, I'll post it here, or at least a link.

In the late afternoon, we drove to Richmond, ostensibly to do some Christmas shopping, but we ended up stopping at the VA Aviation Museum by the airport, and then having a very nice Mexican dinner, and then walking through a shopping center that I really like...but it was so crowded and crazy, I couldn't really get in the shopping mood. I'm leaning toward letting Amazon help me this year...no crowds that way!