10 Year Anniversary

 I should have posted these a long time ago.  These are from June 16, 2011, our 10th Wedding Anniversary.  We had a family picnic at Shaw Nature Reserve by a lake and under some Bald Cypress trees.  Jonathan loved running around and playing with his Dad.  We went for a walk to see the lily pond, but Jonathan started having a fever, so we went home.  Later when he was feeling better J.D. and I did go to dinner together. 

Cheesy-ology

So, we went for a walk Sunday evening just to get out of the house. J.D., Jonathan, and I went to a fairly new place on the Loop called... wait for it... Cheese-ology. They serve "fancy" mac and cheese. Now, we both were a little hesitant. We pretty much do not order anything we could make at home, but we both thought, "Maybe it will be amazing mac and cheese." I ordered the "Philly," while J.D. went with the "Black and Bleu." With two drinks it came to $19.85! Holy cheese, this better be great! In fact, this better be the best damn mac and cheese ever. Fifteen minutes later, they bring out a tiny hot pan of mac and cheese with slightly burned top pieces. J.D. was instantly put off by the tiny portion size. Come on people, it's macaroni noodles... you couldn't spring for a full portion size? They also tasted completely bland.

We won't go back to cheese land; good luck to them, but with prices and food like that, they will not be around long.

P.S. They are in the old "Pizza Hause" building, the place that tried to sell pizza without cheese. Ironic.

P.S. For Catherine, they offered the "The Hill," a dish described as "building on the STL favorite, Provel cheese and Salssicia are balanced by a top layer of Marinara."

Goodbye

This is our last night in the old apartment. My list of goodbyes:

Goodbye old apartment, phone number, address
Sink that overflowed my first day of graduate school
Tree out front with huge roots
Square foot of land where I tried to grow flowers
Walls I taped to stop the paint chipping
Cement steps a female firefighter called "hazardous"

Stove that caught on fire

Hardwood floors and large windows
Dining room where we played games with friends
Common area where the cats caught crickets
Basement from which I heard strangers snoring and neighbors doing laundry
Thin walls I heard college kids partying until 3:00 a.m.
Home of our first family with Figaro and Marley
Location where we started again with Sophie and Athena
Living room where we watched so many movies
Computer room where I wrote so many papers
Outside stairs where I sat on pleasant days
Space where we hosted family and friends
Place where we lived eight years
Where Marley died
Where Jonathan started life
Where we grew into our marriage
Where we leave with regret, relief, and more than a few memories.

Hypothetical questions and cookies

Yesterday J.D. made his famous chocolate chip cookies!

While a batch was baking, we flipped through the t.v. channels. We found a Harvard philosophy professor giving a lecture on PBS. He had apparently posed the question whether a person would choose the collected works of Shakespeare or The Simpsons. We didn't catch what his larger results were, so I decided to ask the question too. Feel free to be honest, especially since the poll is completely anonymous.

And I won't say too much more, but I think maybe there is a lot here beyond what "meets the eye" in the judgment assigned to the choices. (Definitely arguments can be made). Also, it's quite possible J.D.'s and my choices would surprise a few people.

I've also added the hypothetical question that J.D. then came up with, which changes the context and perhaps your answer.

Anyway, this is the sort of thing we talk about while eating chocolate chip cookies, lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies. :) YUM!

Us as kiddos

Someone always loved kitty cats.

Someone else had a more "interesting" friend.

Celebrating... our style

To celebrate the bank accepting our offer we went for cheeseburgers... I know, not very fancy, but we've got to save the coinage. Then we looked into the depressing, terrifying reverse-mirror that is Revolutionary Road... such "great" timing. We are just glad everything truly seemed our opposite.

After the flick, I looked at the special feature titled "Lives of Quiet Desperation." I asked J.D. what writer they were quoting. He immediately guessed "Hemingway"; then I told him he could have hints. The first question he asked was "American?" "Yes." "19th or 20th century?" "19th." Then he guessed "Whitman." "No, close." Then "Thoreau." "Yep."

So I read the section that people often misquote: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" (Walden 8). And then the other section people often quote, which yes, is one of my favorites too: "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" (90).

Very eloquent Thoreau. I should have stopped reading out loud there. But, I went on, past even the part about fighting pygmies and cranes: "Still, we live meanly, like ants; though the fable tells us that we were long ago changed into men; like pygmies we fight with cranes; it is error upon error, and clout upon clout, and our best virtue has for its occasion a superfluous and evitable wretchedness. Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest" (91).

I looked over and my hard working, sweet husband was asleep. Showing more wisdom than both Thoreau and myself.

Goodnight all. Thanks for all the love and support.

Chinese Culture Days

J.D. and I went to the Botanical Garden... (have I mentioned I like this place?) We saw the Chinese circus with plate spinners, flower drummers, and acrobats. We wandered into the Chinese Garden to hear music and see a Tai chi demonstration. We ate a little local Chinese food for lunch and finished the day by seeing a small, colorful parade. Most of all it was a good way to spend a beautiful afternoon together. And we both enjoyed the tulips in bloom everywhere.

J.D. called this "a pink nightmare." Guess who loved it. . . .

Our big news

Friday we went to the doctor, and it's official, we're having a baby!

J.D. is thrilled and has loved telling family and friends. I'm excited, nervous, a little shocked, and very happy too. My due date is November 30, 2009.

After our doctor's visit we went shopping at The Galleria to celebrate. We had lunch and bought a name book, a planner, and a "What to Expect" book. We also visited baby stores and looked at clothes. We found this cute onesie with our baby's zodiac sign: Sagittarius.

So far it seems very appropriate. It says this little bundle will be an adventurer and traveler, and he or she will certainly be well-traveled before even being born. Baby will have been to San Francisco, Idaho, and Europe all before taking his or her first breath. So, little Sagittarius, I can tell you the world will be ready; it's waiting for you.

We'll explore it all together.

I'd rather have this here

I'm in the process of taking personal notes off Facebook. I'm going to stay away from that thing. I'll just keep this for J.D. and me because it amuses us. After all, my blog is basically just for us-- and our closest friends and family members anyway. :)

Tammy's answers about J.D.:
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Usually a DVD, he'd love it to be Blue-Ray, something like Office Space, Batman, maybe Dexter.
2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? He'll request Roquefort, but inevitably they will say "we have Blue Cheese." He'll order Ranch at that point.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? My favorite stinky cheese.
4. You go out to eat what kind of drink would he have? I'll order first, diet whatever. He'll order Sprite if they serve Coke products or Pepsi otherwise. At a nice dinner, usually red wine.
5. Where did he go to high school? Nampa High School -- Bull Dogs.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 11 in dress 12 in tennis shoes.
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Models, movies and music.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? At home PBJ, out to eat Reuben.
9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Totino's Pizzas and Pepsi.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios.
11. What would he never wear? He'd never wear any goofy tie.
12. What is his favorite sports team? Baseball, Pirates. Football, 49ers. Hates: Yankees, Cowboys.
13. Who did he vote for? Obama, in both the primary and general election.
14. Who is his best friend? Me. :)
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Ask if I can tickle him. On our 50th Anniversary I get to tickle him, but I always try to sneak it in before then. Also, I tend to leave time on the microwave or open the screen door with my elbow.
16. What is his heritage? English & Danish / German / Iberian.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Carrot cake.
18. Did he play sports in high school? I think Track a little, definitely Tennis.
19. What could he spend hours doing? World of Warcraft.
20. What is one unique talent he has? He's fantastic at strategy games.

J.D.'s answers about Tammy:
1. She's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Whatever nonchildren show is on PBS. (except concerts by Pink Floyd).
2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad? She usually has ranch on the side.
3. What's one food she doesn't like? Coconut.
4. You go out to eat what kind of drink would she have? Diet ..., or white wine.
5. Where did she go to high school? Burley High School, the Bobcats.
6. What size shoe does she wear? Depending on brand, 8 1/2 or a 9.
7. If she was to collect anything, what would it be? Dolls.
8. What is her favorite type of sandwich? French dip.
9. What would this person eat every day if she could? Watermelon
10. What is her favorite cereal? Captain Crunch.
11. What would she never wear? A strapless dress. :-(
12. What is her favorite sports team? Baseball, Cardinals. Football, Bears.
13. Who did she vote for? Obama, in both the primary and general election.
14. Who is her best friend? Me. :-)
15. What is something you do that she wishes you wouldn't do? Play WoW. She's broken me of most other bad habits.
16. What is her heritage? Gaul, Danish, and English.
17. You bake her a cake for her birthday; what kind of cake? Fruit torte.
18. Did she play sports in high school? Academic Decathlon.
19. What could she spend hours doing? Scrapbooking, talking with friends & family, SIMS
20. What is one unique talent he has? All kids love Tammy instantly.