Independance Day

Having your anniversary on such a fun national holiday has its advantages and disadvantages ... we'd never want to go out and do something just the two of us because it is a fun family holiday (considered the disadvantage - but of course we could also go out the day before or after)

The advantage is we get to spend it with our family having a good time and being with the people who were there when we got married make it extra special ...

So like we have done every year (except 2004 when we actually got married) we went to my parents house to cook out ... hang out ... and see fireworks ... (although this year the trees were just too big to see them from DC so we watched them on TV)

We had some great food ... hanging out ... lots of giggles ... Granddaddy feeding Lincoln ... Schuyler modeling her new favorite hat and glasses ... and really can it be a bad day if you pass out with a lollipop in your hand? ... I think that is proof of a wonderful day ...

Five Years

Five years ago today David and I got married ... it really was such a great day ...

Last night we sat outside after the kids went to bed reminiscing about our wedding weekend ... the flat tire I got while picking Kris and Heather up at the hotel while David was off golfing ... the huge thunderstorm on our wedding morning and my awesome bridesmaids went and got David and I breakfast ... the killer suite we got to stay in ... the fact that the minister forgot to say, "you may now kiss the bride." so as he was announcing us married I stopped him and said, "Do I get to kiss him now?" ... how the photo in this post was taken in pitch blackness and we both felt so weird posing for photos when we couldn't see anything at all ...

So first thing this morning we put in our wedding DVD ... we hadn't watched it since the day after the wedding ... and it was awesome to see ... and it was great watching it with Skye ... she kept calling me a princess ... and asking where she was ... and she couldn't believe how little Ellie was ...

And seeing all of our honeymoon footage ... our cruise was awesome ... just made me think that we need to find some way to take a cruise ... it was so good for both of us ... and it would be so good for the whole family ...

It has been an amazing 5 years of marriage ... highs and lows ... ups and downs ... unwavering love and unmitigated anger ... but at the end of each day I couldn't be happier about laying down next to him ... and so hopeful each morning about starting the new day with him ... with my family ...

I'm so glad we picked the 4th of July for our wedding day ... it is one of my favorite days of the year for 2 reasons now ...

Kitty Easter

The Easter Bunny had a very Hello Kitty themed day today ... and boy did that make the little recipient very happy ... besides getting candy first thing in the morning she gotta a Kitty basket and Kitty socks ... and even a pair of Kitty tights ... plus little Kitty containers filled with candy and change for her bank ... it was a great morning ...

Valentine's Day With Kids

This Valentine's day was fabulous ... it becomes something totally different when you have a child old enough to feel the day is special ... Schuyler said "Happy Valentine's Day" all day today ... it was fantastic ...

We all had a bunch of cards to open this morning ... it was so nice ... and Skye went crazy for it ... she loves all the Valentine's cards ... she also got a little stuffed dog that you can record a message on and she kept talking about how cute he was ... what was cute was her ...

Her favorite part of the day were the red, white and pink M&Ms we had ... she is the biggest chocolate lover I know ... and it is hard to resist her with her hands open together saying, "More chocolate please" ...

Tonight we all watched Wall-E and Skye loved it ... as soon as it was over she asked if we could watch it again ... I had to promise her we could watch it during breakfast tomorrow ...

It has been such a great family day ... there was nothing overly special we did today but the fact that we were all together made me so happy ... and the over abundance of hugs and kisses was pretty great too ...

I even got a new camera case and a gift certificate for a very much needed pedicure ... so excited about that ...

I Was Wrong

Oh boy was I wrong ... so very wrong ... our new family tradition is going to be staying home on New Years Day ...

I really was so so so excited about going to the American History Museum today ... I checked out the website to find out what all was going to be on display at the museum ... it was closed for a while for renovations so I was also anxious to see it ...

Skye was really excited to see Kermit ... she talked about him non stop ...

So my first mistake ... I wrote down 4th and Constitution ... when it is at 14th and Constitution ... we found a place pretty quick at 4th and Constitution and got all our stuff together and started walking ... it was freezing and windy out but I was impressed with how close we were ...

Till I realized we weren't close at all ... once we got down to Constitution I noticed none of the informational signs said anything about The American History Museum ... so we asked a cab driver ... turns out AHM is at 14th and Constitution ... I couldn't believe I was such a ding dong ... so we started walking ... I wasn't sure I could make it another 10 blocks plus walk around the museum and then walk back 10 blocks but I was willing to give it a go ...

Let me just mention that I was also an idiot ... I just wore a cardigan and scarf cause I am always so hot and figured we would park near the museum ... and Skye wasn't even in her heavy coat and jacket ... and I was freezing ... parts of me started to go numb ... that is when David said he was going to get the car and would pick us up ... I was so thankful ...

Once we drove to 14th I was sure David made the right choice ... it would have been a killer walk what with being pregnant and how crazy cold out it was ...

Well apparently I am not the only one that is aware of the fact that metered parking is free on holidays in DC ... because there were a gazillion people parked and we drove around and around till David just couldn't do it anymore ... not a space to be found ... but the garage at the Ronald Reagan building was open so we decided to pull in there ... our free parking went to 10 bucks ... but at that point it had taken us so long to do everything I was worried we wouldn't have enough time to see anything ... if only I had known how silly that statement would turn out to be ...

We parked ... got our stuff together ... and headed to the museum ... I was still beyond excited about going ... there was so much we were all going to enjoy seeing ...

OH MY G O O D N E S S ... there were more people there than I could have ever imagined ... I am pretty sure there were more people then that random trip we made years ago before we had Skye ...

I know where everything we wanted to see was located so we headed right up to the 3rd floor and the Thanks For The Memories exhibit ... and Skye was beyond excited that she was going to see Kermit ...

The line to get into the exhibit was HUGE ... but we took our place and shuffled along ... we did get to see a Dumbo car from a ride at Disneyland while waiting ... Skye wasn't aware of who Dumbo was but she loved that there was an elephant there for her to look at ...

Once we got into the exhibit area I was sooooooooo disappointed ... they list all sorts of stuff on their site that you will see ... I mean I remember it being a large area as a kid and seeing Archie Bunker's chair ... The Fonz's jacket and what not ... well the area was like the size of our family room and dining room and there were 10 display cases ... that was it ... a baseball uniform ... women's basketball uniforms ... Grand Master Flash's turntable ... something else I can't remember and then the coveted Kermit the Frog ... I will say she was beyond excited to see him ... even if she had trouble looking at me while taking a photo ...

We also saw Oscar the Grouch and the puffy shirt from Seinfeld ... and the shoes from The Wizard of Oz ...

Then we headed to the instrument room ... even more disappointing ... like 8 cases that had violins and Cello's and that is it ... not what we were expecting from seeing the website first ... but outside the exhibit area they did have an amazing doll house that Skye loved ... she looked at every room and pointed stuff out ... it was precious and so great to see her interested in all the little things inside ...

We checked out the area about the Presidents which was really cool and we could have spent more time there but as I said before it was packed and at this point we were all starving ...

From the third floor mezzanine area we could see a presentation on how they put together the first flag ... Skye thought the stars they were laying out on this huge flag to represent the first 13 colonies were great and the big Christmas tree they had set up on the second floor she thought was beautiful so we hung out up above and watched it for a while ... then went looking for the restaurant ...

Now the last time we were there they had a Subway sandwich shop in a cool restaurant set up like an old automat ... they even had one whole wall with an original Automat ... and I wanted to take some photos of it today and let Skye check it out ... the renovations apparently wiped the place out ... I was so disappointed ... but there were signs for a Stars and Stripes cafe on the ground floor ...

We got down there and I saw $9 for a sandwich ... are you kidding me ... that is just crazy ... for some premade wrapped up sandwich ... I just couldn't do it ... it didn't matter how starving we were ... even pregnant and not having lunch I couldn't pay $9 for a sandwich ...

That was our cue to head back to the car ... Skye told people in the elevator she saw Kermit today ... so that alone made the whole trip worthwhile ... but David and I kept laughing at how wrong I truly was ... and he was happy to hear that our new New Year's Day tradition would be hanging out at home ...

On the plus side all the walking in the cold tuckered everyone out ... it is currently 8 PM everyone in my house is asleep and I myself am heading that way as soon as I hit publish on this post ... I think a bit of extra sleep will do us all a world of good ...

And really is any afternoon a bust that you get to spend with your family?? ... I think not ... and our day was still cheap ... $10 bucks for parking was all it cost us ... but the experience will stay with us forever ... and I am sure the inside jokes will keep David and I laughing for years to come ... besides Skye met her hero today ... she was so touched by seeing Kermit that she wanted to sleep in her Kermit the Frog t-shirt tonight and who could deny that wish? ... Not I ...

A New Family Tradition

I am so so so excited ... we are a few minutes away from heading out to the American History Museum ... Skye is going to get to see Kermit the Frog ... I'm going to get to see fun Americana from TV and movies and David is going to get to see instruments throughout American history ...

We are also going to check out the Gettysburg Address which is just there for a few more days ...

The museum is open every day but Christmas and I'm hoping that I am right in thinking that it will be a perfect day for locals to go ... no school trips ... not a lot of tourists ... and metered parking is free in DC on holidays ...

So off we go ... I'm sure we will have some great photos to share later ...

Oh Christmas Tree

Tonight David and I set up our Christmas tree and lights and all our holiday decorations ... and it is amazingly beautiful ... I stared at the tree forever tonight ... I just love Christmas so much ...


I also finished all of our holiday cards last night and will be able to mail them tomorrow ... woohoo the holiday season is upon us ... now if i could just get all the gifts I need :)

Packing Care Packages

Yesterday Marianne, David and I spent about 3 hours making up care packages to send to our troops ... and today Marianne and I repacked a couple of them ... weighed ... addressed ... filled out customs forms ... and added postage to 15 packages weighing a total of 200 pounds ... the soldiers should get them in about 2 weeks ...


it really felt so good putting them all together ... I had been thinking we didn't have that much stuff until we started making the packages ... then I realized we really had a lot of great stuff to send everyone ... and the boxes were awesome ...


I made mixed CDs for each ... 2 each of the 50's, 60's, 70's ... and an 80's a 90's and a holiday mix ... plus some homemade lip balm ... and then we had tons of books, magazines, catalogs, snacks, cards, toys ... they were just stuffed full ... it really was so awesome ... I am so glad we could do a bit for others ...

holiday gifts

oh man I am in the midst of wrapping holiday gifts ... it is hard work ... I used to love it ... but tonight it is wearing on me ... I was going to get them all finished tonight but that was a pipe dream ... I got the ones done for my brother and his wife ... and divides so he couldn't peek at them ... tomorrow I will have to conquer the rest ...


tomorrow I am going with jenny when she tries on bridesmaid dresses ... kind of excited to see how they look ... well it isn't actually a dress it is a skirt and shirt ... I am sure they will look beautiful ...


ahhhh for now I am terribly tired ... I need to retire to some sweet sweet dreams ... :)

NYE

It is the last day of 2001 and i must say ... i am soooooooooooooooo happy this year is over!!!!!

I am quite happy i met david in 2000 cause this year sucked ... at least it means that next year has to get better ...

i mean david lost his job in april ... and i lost mine in september ... we live in the dinkiest basement apartment and hardly see the light of day ... david has applied to 100's of jobs the market is just so bleak ... i have applied to about 100


we had the horrendous World Trade Center disaster along with all 4 planes and The Pentagon ... i cried so much that first week ... david and i were virtually sleepless watching the TV


i just really really hope 2002 brings david and i some good things ... i would say we have been really resilliant this last year with everything that has tried to knock us down and tear us apart ... i really am so happy I have him in my life ...


well i think for the new year and a new outlook on life i am going to redesign this site ... see what inspiration i come up with ... :)


Happy New Year!!

David's 36th

woohoo ya can't beat a day off ... i woke up at the same time i do every day for work ... and thought ... woohoo i can go back to sleep ... but when i woke up at 10 i thought i was late for work for a brief moment there ... but then realized ... ohhhh yea don't have to go to work today ...


so while david was still asleep i went out and got coffee ... some smokes ... and a couple of donuts from the local bakery ... and we have just been hanging out ... man it took me forever to post this ... i started before my shower ... hahahaaa

Starting Time Off

[huge smile] ... well at 7:40 PM i started my weekend ... and 35 minutes ago David turned 36 ... amazing ... there was a time when that sounded so old ... now that i am getting close ... hummm ... not too old at all ...


well life has been stressful for me lately ... lots of stuff pulling at me everywhere so i am doing the smart thing ... i am taking tomorrow off of work ... now i have worked at my job since April 2000 ... and monday will be the first holiday i haven't gone into the office ... yes we are including thanksgiving ... christmas ... new years ... everything ... much of it was work loyality ... lots of it was cause david had to work those holidays and i didn't want them to suck for him ...


well david no longer works there ... and i am taking a day off ... [smile] ...


now this does not mean i have stopped my obsessive/compulsive behavior ... i will still do work before we go to the city tomorrow ... and when we get home on saturday ... and of course sunday and monday ... but i will do it from the comfort of my own home ... without having to talk to customers ... in my jammies ... kitty sitting on my lap ... smooching with david whenever we pass each other ... and that is the way i like to work ...


i am going to sleep in ... and stay up late ... and have a good 4 ... count them 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... out of the office ... ohhhhhh joy!!!!!!! i really am so excited ...


and ya know what else i am going to do this weekend ... i am not going to answer the phone if i don't know who it is by the caller ID ... i guess i do that most of the time ... but being OC shit i still wind up picking it up ... but not this weekend ... nothing stressful ... including Mr. Noel that stupid Student Loan guy ...