The One That Got Away

Yesterday, I had jury duty. It was quite nice being in an over-crowded room, reading a book and waiting for my name to be called. I even ran into an old acquaintance from my bartending days. He was also a friend of an ex-boyfriend, which brings me to the interesting part of today's post. After we became re-acquainted with each other, I had to ask, "So, after all these years, have you heard from ex-boyfriend?"
He smiled. He smirked. He held back laughter, and then, he began to explain.
Turns out, my ex-boyfriend ordered an Asian bride off the internet. She doesn't speak any English and he apparently orders her to re-fill water glasses and such for dinner guests. Nice. Real winner.

Boy, I sure knew how to pick 'em.

After telling this story to my own personal Buddha, (I don't know if she was trying to make me feel better or not.) she says, "He was the biggest loser you ever dated."

They're Getting Hitched!

I love this shot. I love it because she is twisting her engagement ring. It's hard to get used to Beck, I know. I remember doing this back in the day. It makes me smile to see you fiddling in this picture. Your excitement last night was insuppressible. I couldn't stop smiling either. Seeing the two of you together, and so in love, is a bit overwhelming! We love you both so much. I don't know if I can wait 15 months to see you tie the knot.
I love you Gar, but I have to say, I was a little worried about you. Not that we placed bets on whether or not you'd ever get married, but I knew it would take a pretty special person to make you fall hard.
Tim is so flattered that you asked him to perform your ceremony. Of all the weddings he's done recently, I think this one is going to be the hardest for him. I know he will be choking back the tears.
All I can say is HELL YEAH! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!

It's hard to remember the past when you're thinking about the future

This weekend was strange for me. My dreams and my mind were flooded with memories of moments passed.
I guess it started with finding out that an old high school 'friend' had moved in town. Tim couldn't remember who he was, so I pulled out an old yearbook to find his picture. The said 'friend' managed to dodge picture day for four straight years it seemed. I digress.
We ended up sifting through the pages of yester years. Memory lane conjurs up awkward times as well as the glorious ones.
Tim and I attended the same middle school and high school, so it's always interesting to cross-reference experiences. We finally found our friend's picture in a middle school annual, but that didn't stop us from digging our noses down deeper in those pages. So many things and people to forget when you're busy living.
With that past sense of self and emergence of maturity lingering in the air, I decided to glance at some old 'treasure boxes'. (I keep different eras of my youth in different boxes/ containers.) I dug through an old music box and found a sitar peg, a love letter, several old photographs and little presents from people I haven't thought about in years.
I wasn't expecting to have a weekend of reflection. I wasn't expecting to remember what, how and who I wanted to be. I wasn't expecting to be hit hard with the realization that I am not all of those things I'd hoped to be. And I wasn't expecting to be disappointed with time and how I've spent it.
It's so easy to get tangled up in the monotony of routine. I haven't looked past my nose in years.
Revisiting the past is somewhat depressing for me. I'm always second-guessing my decisions and feeling guilty for their effects on others. But reflecting on the past this weekend has made me more aware of my hopes and dreams. I'm ready for a change. I'm not getting any younger and who knows when the sky is going to fall.
What am I waiting for?

P.S. I edited the blog section. Look for some new reads. I removed some of you guys that haven't updated in forever. No hard feelings.

As if I didn't already feel like crap today...

Student: Are you sick?
Me: Well, I don't feel so great today. How'd you know?
Student: You have red spots all over your face.
Me: (No response.)
Response I would like to have given: You're just a second grader. You have no idea what fun treats life has in store for you. This one is called acne. That is A-C-N-E. And guess what? It doesn't ever really go away. People just tell teenagers that to give them some hope.

Downer

If cleanliness is close to godliness, I'll be in Hell by Sunday.
Do you ever feel like you just can't get caught up? Well, that's how I've felt all day today. To make matters worse, all I've done to remedy this is a few loads of laundry. Oh, and I took an extra shower. That made me feel a little less dirty. It did nothing for the shoddy appearance of my house though. Sigh.

While I'm whining, I might as well get it all out. I've lost my sense of smell again. It's nice to know I can shell out over 1000 bucks for a surgery that doesn't even work. Hopefully, the second time around, the insurance will cover all of it.

Get Me Published!

I need your vote:

20 Months and Cranky

Tonight was, by far, the worst night we've had in a very long time. It's hard to say what was at the root of her crankiness tonight. She was just fine when I picked her up from day care. She was pleasant and laughing while I was preparing dinner.
Things changed when her daddy got home.
We set the table, and began to lift her into her booster seat, when all Hell broke loose. She threw the biggest fit I've ever seen. She wriggled and wrestled and tried to break free of her father's arms. Then, after she was pushed up to the table, she cried and cried as if we broke her heart. Tim caved. He sat her in his lap for most of dinner. After she calmed down a bit, he tried again, unsuccessfully to put her in her booster seat.
Finally, he put her down and she went and got her big girl chairs. She pulled them both right up to the table and repeated, "Da-Da sit." "Da-Da sit!" "Da-Da sit! Pleeeeeash." He tried to explain that he was eating. He tried to reason with her, "Let Da-Da finish dinner and then he'll sit, okay?" He tried really hard not to see her head thrown back in dispair or hear her relentless wailing. Again, he caved. He stopped eating and sat in the tiny chair next to her. And that, my friends, is when I went upstairs to grab the camera.
It was pitiful.
I took her upstairs and rocked her a bit to calm her down. I sang her a few songs, but nothing really consoled her. Soon, she sat up and said in the most pitiful heart-wrenching voice, "Da-da please." I almost cried. Nothing made her feel better tonight except having her Daddy close to her.
Tim came upstairs, stole her away from my arms and effortlessly rocked her to sleep.
It's hard on a momma. I was the same way though, so I'm not surprised. She is truly Daddy's little girl. She is also, truly about to turn two.

Shout Out to My Homie.

After our trip to Indy, for my nephew's wedding, (which you'll see more of later) we stopped in to see Audrey's very best friend. As you can see from the photo above, Audrey missed her dearly.

Suzanne outdid herself. She made me a pecan pie. Yum! In the morning she made sausage gravy and biscuits. Double yum! This woman knows how to treat a friend. Suzanne, if you're reading this, I owe you BIG TIME. Thanks for everything. We love you guys. When can we come stay with you again?

Audrey has taken to calling Phillip "Fip". I love it.
Your copy of this picture is on it's way. I'd call you and tell you, but I left my friggin cell phone at school on Friday. I didn't want to drive all the way back during rush hour to get it. So, it stayed.

Congratulations Bryan and Rachel!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the wedding. Rachel and Bryan, both, kept their composure the entire night. I never really saw either one get noticeably nervous. This was the only shot where Rachel went a little wacky before the wedding. Either that, or she was just sick of posing for pictures.

I am knee deep in photographs and thought I'd take a break.

So, enjoy this candid shot while I suffer through the 936 other photos. Did I say suffer? I meant sift. Sift through them........happily. Yes, very happily sifting I go.

Seriously, I wish you both the best. We couldn't be happier for you. Welcome to the wonderful world of marriage. (And I mean that with no sarcasm whatsoever.) Marriage is awesome.