Yesterday, I went in the mall with one of my BFFs, the friend I've had the absolute longest, who happens to be leaving the country in three weeks to teach English for six months. (I will then lack a best friend that lives in the state, my little tri-shaped cocoon broken up by geography.)
When we came back out of the mall a couple of hours later, the temperature had dropped a good 10 to 15 degrees. The wind was blowing, and the sky looked menacing. The thin hoodie and yoga pants I was wearing (yeah, I really care about my appearance lately) were not enough, and we ran for the car, giggling about how she wasn't going to miss the cold winter. I told her that no one else runs screaming to the car like we do when it's cold...so now I'm just going to look insane when I do it by myself.
Again, today was dark and cloudy and threatened rain. It was a long, swirling ball of stress and more-than-intermittent frustration, running here and there, my patience (never known for its long fuse) shorter than usual.
Suddenly, friend-adventures abound in my life; babies (my GOD the babies; what water all are these women drinking? I think I now roundabouts 20 people who are pregnant or gave birth this year), weddings (again, around 20 people), travel, blazing new pathways through our quasi-adulthood. Seasons are changing.
I'm so, so excited for all these people and their wonderful news. Seriously, I love getting the news that someone's engaged or pregnant or off to fulfill a life dream, and I get super crabby when people aren't supportive of everyone's good fortunes. I've noticed lately that there's a lack of genuine excitement for other people and I'm working hard to combat that jealous force all by myself, if I have to. And their good newses end up cheering my OWN moods, and I rely on them when I'm feeling like the world is tipping off its axis just a little bit.
But still. It forces me to evaluate my own life. I'm struggling to find my next adventures, my own life path, my own dreams, whatever they may be. But that doesn't change my happiness or excitement for everyone else--hell, if they pursue their dreams, it inspires me to do the same.
I have to say that tonight, as I walked through the door after an extralong day, those fall clouds parted a little upon seeing my darling husband chopping garlic for our dinner.
Showing posts with label married life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label married life. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Orange you glad I made dinner?
So my Smalls had a rough day today so I thought I would try and make a modified version of her favorite Thai meal, papaya salad. We did not have the right ingredients so some pretty big modifications had to take place.
What we had:
Fresh Ginger
Oranges (fresh orange juice and zest)
Garlic
Boneless Ribs
Honey
Chili Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Honey Mustard
Spinach
Peas
Red Pepper
Carrots
Goat Cheese
I have no real understanding or methodology towards cooking. (Besides my love of watching Alton Brown.) I just see ingredients and add a little of that, a pinch of this, why not a splash of that, and hope that everything comes together in the end.
Looking at what we had I knew I didn't have the time to cook ribs as I would normally want to, so I cut them into very fine slices and set them aside in a little olive oil, salt and pepper until they came to room temperature. I then cooked them over high heat to get a good sear on each side.
I then squeezed two oranges and took the zest from half of one orange. To that I added the honey, honey mustard, minced garlic and ginger, soy sauce, and chili sauce. I added this mixture to the pan and brought it to a simmer with the seared beef. While the glaze was thickening I julienned the red pepper and carrots and placed them over a bed of spinach, along with the fresh peas. Once the orange juice and ginger mixture reduced to a sticky glaze I poured it over the lettuce.
Katie took this dish to the next level with the idea of adding crumbled goat cheese on top. The rich texture of the cheese rounded out the orange/ginger glaze.
The meal turned out fabulous and it put a smile on my Smalls' face--it was a nice end to the day to have a tasty dinner together. We both felt this was my best dinner creation ever. Not bad from pulling a bunch of random ingredients together in a half-hour.
What we had:
Fresh Ginger
Oranges (fresh orange juice and zest)
Garlic
Boneless Ribs
Honey
Chili Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Honey Mustard
Spinach
Peas
Red Pepper
Carrots
Goat Cheese
I have no real understanding or methodology towards cooking. (Besides my love of watching Alton Brown.) I just see ingredients and add a little of that, a pinch of this, why not a splash of that, and hope that everything comes together in the end.
Looking at what we had I knew I didn't have the time to cook ribs as I would normally want to, so I cut them into very fine slices and set them aside in a little olive oil, salt and pepper until they came to room temperature. I then cooked them over high heat to get a good sear on each side.
I then squeezed two oranges and took the zest from half of one orange. To that I added the honey, honey mustard, minced garlic and ginger, soy sauce, and chili sauce. I added this mixture to the pan and brought it to a simmer with the seared beef. While the glaze was thickening I julienned the red pepper and carrots and placed them over a bed of spinach, along with the fresh peas. Once the orange juice and ginger mixture reduced to a sticky glaze I poured it over the lettuce.
Katie took this dish to the next level with the idea of adding crumbled goat cheese on top. The rich texture of the cheese rounded out the orange/ginger glaze.
The meal turned out fabulous and it put a smile on my Smalls' face--it was a nice end to the day to have a tasty dinner together. We both felt this was my best dinner creation ever. Not bad from pulling a bunch of random ingredients together in a half-hour.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Overslept into a parallel universe
This morning, our pattern was all out of whack.
William got up early, extra early, to go to work. His alarm went off instead of mine. When he got in the shower, I thought, Oh hell, why do I have this stupid alarm on? I'll be up the second he gets out of the shower....and that was the last thought I had. He came out and got dressed and ready for the day, and left. And I was OUT COLD. People, I sleep hard. It actually kind of freaks me out. I mean, our DOOR OPENED AND CLOSED. Nada. I bet I didn't even move.
Next thing I know, Molly is clawing my hand and snorting, making a fuss, because she wants up on the bed for a snuggle (wood floors+furry paws=she wants a lift). Thank GOD! Because otherwise, I don't know how long I would have slept. Out of the bed I fly, to find a note on the mirror. "Don't forget to move your car by 8. Loves."
Shit! Yes, move the car, move the car. Fly outside in my PJs, whip the car into a different parking spot.
Normally, William and I get together every morning, talking about news on the Today show, pouring OJ, trading spaces at the sink to brush our teeth. I'm used to our routine. This morning, it was like a parallel universe, and I had come totally undone.
With that.
What are your middle names? Ann and George
How long have you been together? nearly four years
How long did you know each other before you started dating? depends on how you look at it. We have known who each other was for....about 15 years. (Whoa, we're getting old.) But we never spoke a WORD to each other until about four years ago. Yep.
Who asked who out? William asked me. Well, rather, he told me. He said "And when you get back from your parents' cabin, we'll go out to dinner." I think it's safe to say I was completely flabbergasted.
How old were each of you when you met? 24ish
How old are each of you now? We're both 28
How tall are each of you? I'm 5'6"ish and he's 6'2"ish
Do you have any children together? Nope. But we fight over names of children fairly often, for a couple who has no plans for children in the near future.
What about pets? Momo the wonderpoo
Did you go to the same school? Yep, both high school (where our lockers were FIVE lockers apart) and college.
Are you from the same hometown? Just a few blocks apart.
Who is the most sensitive? I think we're both sensitive people. I'm probably more sensitive though.
Where do you eat out most as a couple? We're more the take-in type. Taste of Thailand. Mmmm.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hawaii. Did you know it's like the place on Earth that is the farthest from any other inhabitable place on Earth? Whoa.
Who has the worst temper? William. I'm no angel, either.
Who does/did the cooking? We split. William's a better imaginative cook. I need a recipe.
Who is more social? Me
Who is the neat-freak? William
Who hogs the bed? That is a huge point of contention. Best not to bring it up.
Who wakes up earlier? We get up pretty much at the same time.
Who has the bigger family? William!
Do you have little pet names for each other? William calls me Smalls a lot. I call him honey or darling, usually.
How long did it take to get serious? Not long. A couple months? We moved in together after six months, so it moved fast. I knew on the first date that I was in love.
Who eats more? I can definitely hold my own, but when push comes to shove, Wm eats more. I can eat more cheese!
Who sings better? Probably me but I don't have any kind of voice to boast about.
Who’s older? William, by 20 days.
Who does the dishes? we take turns
Who snores? I do sometimes. I caught Wm snoring once or twice.
Who’s better with the computer? William
Who drives when you are together? We switch off. Depends on where we're going.
Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? I usually want to make the peace, but neither of us likes admitting we're wrong. I think, actually, Wm is probably better at that.
Who has more tattoos? We have imaginary tattoos.
Who eats more sweets? We both have our weaknesses.
I promise that I will do some honest-to-God writing soon. If I don't, I might go crazy.
William got up early, extra early, to go to work. His alarm went off instead of mine. When he got in the shower, I thought, Oh hell, why do I have this stupid alarm on? I'll be up the second he gets out of the shower....and that was the last thought I had. He came out and got dressed and ready for the day, and left. And I was OUT COLD. People, I sleep hard. It actually kind of freaks me out. I mean, our DOOR OPENED AND CLOSED. Nada. I bet I didn't even move.
Next thing I know, Molly is clawing my hand and snorting, making a fuss, because she wants up on the bed for a snuggle (wood floors+furry paws=she wants a lift). Thank GOD! Because otherwise, I don't know how long I would have slept. Out of the bed I fly, to find a note on the mirror. "Don't forget to move your car by 8. Loves."
Shit! Yes, move the car, move the car. Fly outside in my PJs, whip the car into a different parking spot.
Normally, William and I get together every morning, talking about news on the Today show, pouring OJ, trading spaces at the sink to brush our teeth. I'm used to our routine. This morning, it was like a parallel universe, and I had come totally undone.
With that.
What are your middle names? Ann and George
How long have you been together? nearly four years
How long did you know each other before you started dating? depends on how you look at it. We have known who each other was for....about 15 years. (Whoa, we're getting old.) But we never spoke a WORD to each other until about four years ago. Yep.
Who asked who out? William asked me. Well, rather, he told me. He said "And when you get back from your parents' cabin, we'll go out to dinner." I think it's safe to say I was completely flabbergasted.
How old were each of you when you met? 24ish
How old are each of you now? We're both 28
How tall are each of you? I'm 5'6"ish and he's 6'2"ish
Do you have any children together? Nope. But we fight over names of children fairly often, for a couple who has no plans for children in the near future.
What about pets? Momo the wonderpoo
Did you go to the same school? Yep, both high school (where our lockers were FIVE lockers apart) and college.
Are you from the same hometown? Just a few blocks apart.
Who is the most sensitive? I think we're both sensitive people. I'm probably more sensitive though.
Where do you eat out most as a couple? We're more the take-in type. Taste of Thailand. Mmmm.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hawaii. Did you know it's like the place on Earth that is the farthest from any other inhabitable place on Earth? Whoa.
Who has the worst temper? William. I'm no angel, either.
Who does/did the cooking? We split. William's a better imaginative cook. I need a recipe.
Who is more social? Me
Who is the neat-freak? William
Who hogs the bed? That is a huge point of contention. Best not to bring it up.
Who wakes up earlier? We get up pretty much at the same time.
Who has the bigger family? William!
Do you have little pet names for each other? William calls me Smalls a lot. I call him honey or darling, usually.
How long did it take to get serious? Not long. A couple months? We moved in together after six months, so it moved fast. I knew on the first date that I was in love.
Who eats more? I can definitely hold my own, but when push comes to shove, Wm eats more. I can eat more cheese!
Who sings better? Probably me but I don't have any kind of voice to boast about.
Who’s older? William, by 20 days.
Who does the dishes? we take turns
Who snores? I do sometimes. I caught Wm snoring once or twice.
Who’s better with the computer? William
Who drives when you are together? We switch off. Depends on where we're going.
Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? I usually want to make the peace, but neither of us likes admitting we're wrong. I think, actually, Wm is probably better at that.
Who has more tattoos? We have imaginary tattoos.
Who eats more sweets? We both have our weaknesses.
I promise that I will do some honest-to-God writing soon. If I don't, I might go crazy.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Love Actually
Every morning, I wake up and I feel happy because I have William and he is there to face the day, its challenges and rewards, with me. Every night when I fall asleep, I'm thankful William is there to dream with me about our goals and the hidden, sweet surprises life brings when you're least expecting it. I feel like we fully complement each other, even more so since we got married.
I have just as much fun getting cheap takeout and giggling around our coffee table as I do when we get dressed up and eat a fancy dinner or go for drinks. And even if we bicker and eye-roll at each other (and we do), we still find a way to tell each other we love each other every day. I giggle to myself when I introduce him as my husband, or when I think about the dizzying, giddy past three years of our romance. Not every day is easy, but it's easier because we have each other.
Today is no big anniversary, no special event, no news to impart. I'm just overwhelmed by how lucky I am to love someone with such intensity. And to know that it's returned.
I have just as much fun getting cheap takeout and giggling around our coffee table as I do when we get dressed up and eat a fancy dinner or go for drinks. And even if we bicker and eye-roll at each other (and we do), we still find a way to tell each other we love each other every day. I giggle to myself when I introduce him as my husband, or when I think about the dizzying, giddy past three years of our romance. Not every day is easy, but it's easier because we have each other.
Today is no big anniversary, no special event, no news to impart. I'm just overwhelmed by how lucky I am to love someone with such intensity. And to know that it's returned.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Quite a Week
I guess I had myself really fooled that life would slow down after the wedding.
This week has been insane.
I think the day that best illustrates it was the day of the photo shoot of our house...running around for flowers and props, cleaning, and then a shoot that culminated in jumping on the bed with William, hands joined.
Which broke our bed.
Yeah, I wasn't really in the market for a new mattress since this one is only about five years old.
Awesome.
This week has been insane.
I think the day that best illustrates it was the day of the photo shoot of our house...running around for flowers and props, cleaning, and then a shoot that culminated in jumping on the bed with William, hands joined.
Which broke our bed.
Yeah, I wasn't really in the market for a new mattress since this one is only about five years old.
Awesome.
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