Okay, okay, I know I’m stalling so here you go…

10 THINGS THAT I AM RUBBISH AT

1. Cooking. That’s not to say I don’t cook, I just merely do it in a way that feeds people. While I adore food, and have been chastised on numerous occasions for spending far too much on a single dining out experience, I just don’t enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Unless of course, I’m drinking wine while someone else is doing the cooking.

2. Driving. I am a terrible driver. I get lost going places I’ve been to multiple times. I run over curbs while turning corners and I yell at other drivers, which only serves to make most of my passengers nervous. I pay attention and haven’t been in any at-fault accidents, but I think it’s mostly because I am a lucky, terrible driver.

3. Painting my nails. Fingers or toes, it doesn’t matter. I can’t do it. They end up bubbly and messy and just trashy looking. My salon loves me for this.

4. Patience. Everyone who knows me IRL is nodding their heads.

5. Drawing. If you want stick figures or that one picture of a house with a picket fence and a few windows, then I’m your gal. If you want actual art, find someone else.

6. Competitiveness. I can be possessive and a bit controlling, but I’m not competitive. I enjoy playing games just to play and don’t mind if someone else wins.

7. Trendsetting. I have always struggled with knowing what’s “in” and what’s lame. I am a t-shirt and jeans wearing woman and have always had trouble keeping up with the latest fashion trends no matter how much Project Runway I watch.

8. Diets. I like food. I like wine. I do not like counting calories or withholding. This probably explains the slight paunch around my midsection that no amount of running seems to diminish.

9. Spontaneity. The upside to this is that I’m really good at planning!

10. Keeping my mouth shut. My parents always warned me that my inability to keep my thoughts and/or opinions to myself would be what got me in the most trouble throughout my life and they’ve been right. I have found a way to censor myself in certain circumstances, but still feel compelled at times to mouth off anyway. I say it’s because I’m honest but it’s really because I think I’m always right.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my flaws. If you didn’t participate this week, I hope you leave me one of yours in the comments. A little quid pro quo, if you know what I mean!

I’m so glad you made it here. I’m still getting used to everything so please be patient with me as I get my bearings.

A special thank you to Booyah’s Momma for her patience with me through the seemingly endless process of redesign and transfer. I love what she’s done and can’t recommend her enough for anyone interested in a move to WP or a redesign of their current site.

If you’ve been following me through Google Friend Connect, and aren’t sick of me yet, you will need to subscribe another way. Or you can just check in periodically to see how I’m adjusting to my new home!

…potty all the time!

These photos have not been altered. It is in fact, our little ladybug, sitting on actual toilets, sans screaming. It only took three days and a bag of jelly beans to get this girl out of her diapers. I’m hoping this, combined with her love of Tramp Stamps, isn’t going to come back to haunt us during her teen years.

However, almost thirteen years ago, we found some common ground when Elijah introduced me to the music of G. Love & Special Sauce. We have a lot of sweet dating memories associated with this band. Many tied to one of their first singles, Baby’s Got Sauce.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDqADZygseM]

Neither of us had ever seen Mr. Love in concert though, so when Elijah told me about the show at La Zona Rosa a few weeks back I knew we had to go.

We got a sitter.

Called some friends.

And even lucked out with a meet and greet.

We were young again, and nostalgically in love, for one fantastic night.

 *Note: After posting the above picture to Instagram and Facebook, I got several comments on how great Elijah and I looked together (even from my parents). I then felt obligated to post the following picture so people who knew better didn’t think I was trying to pass off G. Love as my husband.

This week’s Monday Listicles theme is love. Appropriate, apt, fun, and easy. I decided to use this as an opportunity to make a list of all the reasons why, after twelve years of marriage, I am still ridiculously in love with Elijah.

1. He still makes me laugh. A lot. Mostly at him, which he never seems to mind, but not just that. No matter how much I have mocked his sense of humor, he has never stopped trying to make me laugh or smile. I find this adorable.

2. He may not excel at anticipating what I want or need, he’s a terrible mind reader, but he will complete a honey-do list without complaint. Even if it means staying up late to do a mess of work after putting the kids to bed on a weeknight. If I write it down, it will always get done.

3. He never fails to have a card and gift laying out for me when I get up on special days. And he doesn’t mind that I suck at doing stuff like that. Seriously, the man is better at Valentine’s and anniversaries than I am. (I would feel bad, but I’m better at making babies so I think we’re even.)

4. Speaking of our babies, Elijah is a wonderful father. I think he actually enjoys playing with his kids. He’s the outdoor parent, the indoor jungle gym, the parent who wants to go and do. I’m the one who doesn’t want to get out of my pajamas.

5. He pulls his own weight. It’s a struggle to keep things up with both of us working and my odd hours. Elijah is more than willing to do what needs to be done, which is better than me because taking out the trash is man’s work!

6. He encourages me to do things that I love. Whether it’s getting away with friends, going back to school, or making time for long runs, he has always been supportive of the things I need to do in order to keep sane.

7. He never complains about how much I spend. Ever. He may not understand why cutting and/or dyeing two inches of hair can cost up to $200, but he doesn’t complain. He might think that the kids have enough outfits for the next six years, but he’d never suggest I stop going to Gymboree. He has never made me feel like I don’t have the right to spend our money in whatever way I see fit.

8. He cooks. I mean, really cooks. Not in the way that I cook, which is just to keep us from starving. This man makes meals, and desserts, and he enjoys it. One Valentine’s Day he made me a rack of lamb! He learned how to make baked fudge since I love it so much. He feeds me delicious food and enjoys making it almost as much as I enjoy eating it. Almost.

9. He encourages me to sleep. This may sound bizarre, but there are a lot of days that I don’t want to sleep. I hate spending an entire weekend day in bed because I worked the night before. But he realizes how important sleep is to my mental and physical health and he nags me if I get up too early. He’ll take the kids out so I have nothing to stay up for. He sends me to bed early and lets me sleep in, even if it means he never gets to. And as far as I’m concerned sleep = love.

10. He reads my blog. He doesn’t comment, or question what I’ve written. He is supportive and encouraging in his silence. He’ll tell me if he enjoyed something, but I never worry about him passing judgement on anything I’ve put here. He respects this space and has never made me feel like I should censor myself. Plus, he’s saved me a ton of work this Valentine’s Day by stopping by to read this for himself! Happy Valentine’s Day, hon!

So there you have it. Ten, long winded reasons for why I’m still with the man I married all those years ago. 

So, I am not here today.

I’m spending this Friday with friends.

Please join us.

1. Absolutely (Story of a Girl) – Nine Days

Because if we’re going to start my life off with a theme, it might as well be one of tears. Yes, I was a girl tortured by being perpetually in the friend zone. As far as my formative teen years go, I remember heartbreak and angst and longing, and not really much else. Cue the violins.

“This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIANBamMgas]

2. 32 Flavors – Alana Davis

I’ve always been struck by the dimension of people. Especially now that I’m older. I realize that people are rarely as they appear.  As I posted earlier I am often defined by my roles as mother, wife, nurse, daughter, sister, but there is so much more to me than the various hats I wear.

“I am a poster girl with no poster. I am 32 flavors and then some.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEfbL53jhN4]

3. Talk Tonight – Oasis

This song reminds me of the sweetness of finding yourself in the middle of a long, comfortable conversation. Whether on the phone, or in person, watching the sun rise with someone you’ve shared a bit of yourself with, counts as some of my favorite memories.

“I wanna talk tonight, until the morning light, about how you saved my life.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvvMHXVUc5M]

4. Torn – Natalie Imbuglia

I remember when this first song came out I identified with it completely. The feeling of being so broken it wouldn’t matter who came to rescue you. Even as a grown woman I’ve still felt this way many times in my life, not hopeless, just torn.

“You’re a little late, I’m already torn.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo]

5. Broken Road – Melodie Crittenden

Being an awkward, perpetually lovesick, young woman, I was more than relieved to be married at twenty-two.  I finally felt like I could direct all that energy I’d been wasting worrying about being loved into something far more productive. This song describes how all of those heartaches and mistakes brought me to my present.

(I threw in the Pacey & Joey YouTube edition because who doesn’t love Dawson’s Creek?)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXg491l3Efc]

6. Little Wonders – Rob Thomas

Regardless of the fact that this is found on the soundtrack to a movie that I’ve never seen, it’s a brilliant choice for my own personal soundtrack. The song reminds me that the past is gone and it’s living in the present that will reveal the true joys life.

“Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder. Don’t you know, the hardest part is over?” 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoTDH3nqhW4]

7. Suddenly, I See – KT Tunstall

The woman depicted in this song is strong, captivating, and alive.  She’s all the things I’d like to be admired for. I guess you could call her my musical role model.

“Suddenly, I see, why the hell it means so much to me.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tlU-1u1JC8]

8. How to Save a Life – The Fray

It’s no surprise that I love Grey’s Anatomy. I even written about how I don’t have any hang ups when it comes to medical dramas and working in the medical field. This song inspired one of my favorite posts and totally makes me thrilled about my career.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVQ36NhbMk]

9. Sleep – Melissa Etheridge

This is the song. The one that perfectly describes how I feel about my husband and our life together. The only video I could find of it is awful…please don’t judge the song based on what you see. In fact, just listen with your eyes closed. Yeah, do that.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO38oBiR67Y]

10. Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls

The perfect song to end with. A song describing the search for something more, something bigger than what we are.

“Well darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable, and lightness has a call that’s hard to hear.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUgwM1Ky228]

I keep laundry and faces clean.

I oversee homework, appointments, and activities, read stories and correct grammar.

I make imaginary meals during tea parties and pack lunches for school.

I ward off nightmares and kiss boo boos, wipe noses and bottoms.

I encourage and support, listen and share.

I am the planner of social activities, vacations and family outings.

I lighten the load, update, remind, and help manage our life.

I am a sounding board for both bad days and good ideas.

I calm fears and comfort grief.

I tend to both seen and unseen hurts. 

I listen and teach, supplying resources and hope.

I provide compassionate care without regard to status or station.

I suffer moments of loneliness and nagging insecurities.

I need patience, trust and acceptance free from conditions.

I have my own dreams, independent of those dependent on me.

I fear losing control of everything while trying to have it all.

Instead of a family celebration I dropped the kids with friends so we could spend the day together, without all the screaming and stress, in and around Austin taking pictures.

Other than some early morning grumbles (mine, not his) we had a lovely day. We spent the gloomy morning in Austin, with brunch at Max’s Wine Dive (so delicious) and then drove a bit outside the city to Hamilton Pool.

As you can see, we got some great shots, had some laughs and really enjoyed getting away for a little while together.

In his element.

By Perdernales River

Look at me, enjoying the hike!

Hamilton Pool