New Each Day

Tonight I was watching the movie 50 First Dates (for the umpteenth time by the way). For those of you who haven't seen the movie- the gist is a guy (Adam Sandler- who has a hilarious song called Lunch Lady that Paul likes to sing in a funny voice to me- not sure why a song entitled Lunch Lady inspires him to sing to me) falls in love with a girl (Drew Barrymore- who I think looks like my cousin Sarah) and said girl has amnesia. Each day she wakes up and has to be reminded of how she lost her memory. At the end of the movie there is a short scene where she is introduced to her daughter, again (probably 50th time- hence the movie title), but to her it is like the first time. She is awestruck by the idea that she has a daughter. Imagine how amazing our day to day life would be if we treated each person or day as if seeing them for the first time! Don't get me wrong- there is something comfortable about familiarity and routine- I do not deny this fact. However, there is a renewing thought in the idea of seeing things with fresh eyes and the emotions that follow. Months after Audra was born I would stand over her crib with the same awestruck feeling. It still takes awhile to realize the sweet little voice calling "mamma" is referring to me. I love it. Period. L-O-V-E I-T.

We are enjoying summer here and trying to update this blog more often. Take care to those of you far away! To those of you close- come on over anytime- we are usually outside. I am trying to talk Paul into a pool. Stay tuned!

Easter

Again it seems like I am always a day late and a dollar short. I wish I had more time to blog but right now it just doesn't happen. So enjoy the photos because it may be awhile before I update again.

Happy Birthday Audra!

Happy Birthday Audra! This is two weeks late but we have been a little sick around here so I am finally getting around to posting this video. As you can see from the video, Audra wasn't too excited about her cake. However- the adults in the background make up for her lack of enthusiasm. It must have been thick and sweet for her.

Love is . . .

Obviously the above video proves I have had too much time on my hands in the past week. I have been out of school for ten days. So far we just have a one hour delay tomorrow which means I am back to reality. Well it was fun while it lasted. So thanks to my time off I made Paul a video for Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. You will have to mute the music below.

Happy to Mad and Back Again

Well we have successfully been buried in more snow. I have to admit it is beautiful. However, Paul has to work all weekend and so it has been just been Audra and me. While I love my daughter very much, she was not very happy today and by the end of the day we were both ready for bed. Below is a clip to show you just how "happy" she was by the end of the day. Remember to mute the music at the bottom.

Plums and Poop

I thought it would be fun to post this video- however please don't listen to me- I sound ridiculous. Instead listen to what is happening in the background- it cracks me up! P.S. You will have to mute the music at the bottom of the blog.

Christmas

We had an amazing Christmas this year. I was just so happy to be up on my feet that getting food poisoning for the last part of break didn't dampen my spirits too much. :) It was fun being together with cousins. Enjoy the photos!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Paul built this snowman two weeks ago when we got 2 feet of snow. This amount of snow is very unusual for Virginia so we had lots of fun. :)

My Most Embarrassing Moment

Some of you know this story- I felt the need to post it. I tell it every year to my class as we define what plot means in a story. This has a great climax. :)

When I was in college I went with my friend Danette to pick up her sister at the Baltimore airport. As we were driving, I made a comment about my friend Ryan flying back to the U.S. from Guatemala on the very same day. He had been gone for a couple of months and I thought it would be really cool if he happened to be coming in to the Baltimore Airport. I, of course, had no idea what airport he was coming in to. Danette agreed that would be great, but the chances of him being at the same airport, at the same time as her sister, were pretty slime. As we parked in the chaotic parking lot, we decided to kill time down in the International part of the airport. Danette loves this part of the airport because she flew in and out so many times on her many trips to Sweden. If you have ever been to the Baltimore Airport you know that it has two levels. When you make your way over to the International side you can stand on the second level and look down to the bottom floor. During the Holidays they put a gigantic tree there. So we stood- the two of us- looking at the amazing tree. I was gazing down to the bottom of the tree when I saw him- my friend Ryan! As soon as I saw him I screamed- RYAN- at the top of my lungs. I did not waste one instance- I turned and flew down the escalator. As I sprinted away, Danette looks down at the person I just screamed at and stated in a calm voice- "are you Ryan?" The confused young man looked up at her and said, "No." To which my friend Danette replies- "my friend- the girl who just screamed at you- thinks you are her friend Ryan." This brought a smile to his face and he turns to wait in anticipation.

Meanwhile I am continuing my high speed chase. My high boots were thumping and my long coat was dancing as I rounded the corned of the bottom level. This was no slow pretty girl run, but a non graceful, coat flapping, all out sprint. As I rounded the corner I only gained more speed. As I closed in on my prey- I jumped in the air to give the best welcome home hug ever, when I realized my mistake. In mid-air it became completely obvious that this was not my friend Ryan. As I landed in this stranger's arms, I pushed back, as he held on tight and very quietly said, "you aren't my friend Ryan." With a smile he stated "No, but I can be," as he gave me another huge hug. Laughing slightly, I pulled away as he group of guy friends all pushed forward in a chorus to tell me they could be Ryan. I apologized, welcomed him to the Baltimore Airport, and quickly made a more graceful exit. As I road the escalator back up I glanced at my friend Danette to see her laying on the floor in hysterics.

This is my most embarrassing moment. :)

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas . . .

In the 6 years that I have officially lived here in Virginia (meaning a permanent resident, not a student) there has only been one huge snow. I have never had a "White Christmas" here and I have never seen piles and piles of snow in parking lots. Despite my mid-western upbringing, I have to admit, it was pretty fun to see the snow come down. It brought back lots of memories of Iowa. My enthusiasm pales in comparison to Paul. He loves snow. Not just a "man this is cool" kind of love, a rip roaring excitement that encompasses all those around him. While the rest of the world sighed in relief to be snowed in for a day- my husband was up at 5:30, barely containing his energy. He could not wait to get outside to tackle the snow. You can't but help catch the excitement as he begins tearing through all of my neatly organized bins just to find his long lost pair of ski pants. It was worth the mess just to see the smile stretch across his face. I know this snow is nothing to those of you reading from Iowa, but for the natives around these parts, the drama is amazing. Enjoy the photos and videos.

P.S. Just for the Iowa folks- we got out of school early on Friday because they were predicting snow. Yes you read correctly- predicting snow. There was not a snowflake to be seen. :)