In the Meantime...

Ten Years

Happy Anniversary, Jon. I love you.

What's for (Thanksgiving) Dinner?

It's going to be a small gathering at the House of D this year. My brother, sister in law, and nephew are coming from southern Illinois; and a new Omaha friend will be joining us for dinner.

For some reason, I insist upon trying new recipes on occasions like this. Why not just stick with the tried and true? Well, I guess I just depend on the fact that the people attending care for me enough to not judge if it's not the best dinner ever. (And Domino's delivers on Thanksgiving, right?)

So, here's what's on the menu:

Crown Roast of Pork with Rosemary from Williams Sonoma
 

Apple-Pecan Dressing from Williams Sonoma

 

Roasted Winter Vegetables from Barefoot Contessa

(Photo from Posie Gets Cozy)

And a couple of other side-dishes that, if they turn out, I'll post recipes next week.

I've never cooked a crown roast before, but my local grocery store will prep the roast for me. So (theoretically) all I have to do is season it and put it in the oven. Wish me luck!

What are you preparing for Thanksgiving dinner?

Blue Oklahoma Sky

This was taken in Medicine Park, OK in October. I love how the bare branches look against the crisp  blue autumn sky.

"What do you think I voted for at Omaha Beach?"

Why no, I'm not PMSing. I always cry at coffee commercials.

A new friend asked me the other day if I'm a crier. "You seem like a crier," she said. I have no idea what would make her think that I'm a crier. I mean, we've only recently met. 

(My family members and friends who have known me a while can stop laughing now.)

Okay, she may have picked up some clues. We were at my house with another friend to discuss The Glass Castle and my eyes may have welled up as I spoke about certain parts of the book. And when asked about a photo of my parents, my eyes may have gotten a wee bit moist as I talked about them.

But really, most normal people were moved to tears by Jeannette Walls' incredible story. And many normal people might, occasionally tear up when speaking about their parents.

But here's where I differ from the norm. 

This commercial has been making me cry every Christmas for years.

Hallmark commercials? Forget about it. Tears.

And the latest commercial to bring me to tears? This one.

I must have shed a little tear a half-dozen times this weekend. Every time I saw the commercial. Every time.

And don't even get me started on music that does it to me.

Or music combined with video...

(Seriously ~ at about 6:50, I've got the ugly cry going.)

So, I may be a bit quick to cry. I'm okay with that most of the time. At least no one will ever accuse me of being unfeeling. It would be nice to turn of the empathy tears every once in a while, though. (I once freaked out a woman I had just met by tearing up while she was talking about her husband leaving for a year long Army deployment the month after they married. Didn't even know her last name. She backed slowly away...)

Please tell me I'm not the only one. I mean, besides my mom and my Auntie Mj. (I can't help it. It's in my genes.) What gets your tears flowing?

Introducing Harvey McFluffybum!

I finally finished him! He's in the mail on the way to dear friends for their new baby who will arrive in November. I hope he stands up to my images of years of being dragged around by his ears...

*Taps on monitor* Hello? Anyone still there?

So, I know it's been a little while almost two months since I've blogged. I just haven't been feeling very inspired lately.

I don't know what it is. We've had a good summer. The house is coming together. (If I could just get my arse in gear and PAINT some...)

We've had our first guests ~ Jon's parents came for a visit over Labor Day. We had a wonderful time.

My folks are coming in October; and my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are coming for Thanksgiving. So, excited for that.

We went to visit my aunt and uncle near Chicago last weekend and had so. much. fun. Now I'm struggling to get over my missing-my-family-melancholy.

Which I need to do tout de suite since we are in the midst of a stretch of glorious autumn weather that is too nice to miss by feeling blue.

I think part of my problem is the ugly nature of the national "discussion" about health care reform. It's too bad that the wackadoodle minority is so damn loud that they drown out the sensible majorities in both parties. Let's hope that reason will prevail and a quality reform bill will get through congress.

I hope you enjoy the photos. Next time we go to Chicago, I plan to be armed with more than just my iphone camera.

I will try to get some photos of the house posted, as the unsubtle pressure from my brother is mounting. (You're coming in November, C. You can just see it then, can't you? Oh, alright! I'll do it soon.)

TTFN peeps!

Through my kitchen window.

Inspired by ELK for Wordless Wednesday.

Missing you.

I'm driving on base towards the gym. The weather is beautiful, windows down, radio cranked (yeah, cruisin' in the odyssey ~ that's how I roll).

I drive past the Officers Club. In the parking lot, I see a young girl, about 8 or 10. Long brown hair, pulled back from her face, fastened with a bow. Wearing a pretty floral summer dress.

She runs from her parents towards an older couple and throws herself into their arms. One big group hug.

Do you remember those hugs? When you were too big to be picked up, but still small enough to be completely enveloped in a bear hug from your grandpa? 

That feeling of being loved the way only a grandparent loves you?

In a few seconds, I was past the scene of the reunion.

However...

I was suddenly driving with tears in my eyes.

I was suddenly missing my grandparents with an intensity that took my breath away.

Where did that come from? I lost my last grandparent in December 2007. Thanks to photographs that I have around the house, I see their faces every day.

But the feelings fade.

Until something like witnessing a family reunion in a parking lot bring the feelings back so strongly that you feel your heart close to bursting.  

Last weekend, paint, and a thank you.

I had just about the perfect weekend. The weather was amazing. High 70's - low 80's with low humidity and clear skies all weekend. Which meant a/c off and windows open for two whole days. Woke up to 50's in the mornings! The dogs and I were in heaven.

And because of that beautiful weather, we got to really enjoy the back yard. I sat on the deck reading while the dogs lounged in the sun while I was watching / got into the garden beds and ate bark and bunny poo as soon as my back was turned. Leo played fetch until I had to make him stop, resting then in the shade under the willow tree. 

A dear friend  from our McChord days was visiting family in Iowa and we were able to connect for lunch and dinner in Omaha.  You know, sometimes this crazy military life is tough. We are separated from our loved ones. Our spouses get deployed. We make amazing friends and then must say goodbye as each PCS comes through. Oh, but those friendships make it all worth while! Those friendships where, after five years apart, you fall into comfortable conversation like you've only been apart for five months. Or five minutes. It was so good to see Tami. I'm really, really lucky in the friend department.

On Saturday, I met a friend in Council Bluffs for the RAGBRAI expo. I was glad to get to experience a small taste of the nuttiness that is RAGBRAI. Two of my friends took off with 10,000 other riders yesterday morning for the 400+ mile ride from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River. They'll be back in a week ~ sore, happy, and with many stories to tell.

I think I'm calming down about paint colors for the interior of the house. I got a bit caught up in trying to be hip and cool with my colors, but then I remembered that I am neither hip nor cool. So I took a really good look at my stuff. The furniture, the pictures, the things that I have around me that I love, and I realized that I already have a pallet. I just need to translate that into a paint (and window coverings) scheme that flows nicely throughout the house. I'm just about there. And those who know me know that some shade of green will be involved...

Before I end this disjointed and rambling post, I want to say a quick word of Thanks. I received several sweet, comforting, and encouraging emails (and one loving kick in the pants from my Auntie Mj) in response to this post. You sneaky folks don't let the words "comments closed" stop you! And I'm glad. Glad to know that I'm not the only one that fall short of her goals. Not the only one who is hard on herself. Not the only one who schedules more than can fit in a day. (Though honestly, that is not my problem as I don't really have much on my plate.)

So, to those working mothers and grandmothers who are taking care of entire families and themselves and whoever else needs it, who try to find time for YOU and just can't quite squeeze it in, but who found the time to send an email to a stranger (or niece) who needed a boost, thank you.  

Also, thanks to my sweet brother, sister-in-law, mom, and dad for your emails too. And Jon, thanks for your hug after you read the post. I'm so very lucky.