To Dad, Love Petie

Tonight, Brian and I went swimming at the gym and the smell of chlorine forced me to shower immediately after I arrived home. After hopping out, I felt a bit challenged on what to do with my hair since I knew I’d be heading to bed in just a few hours. Lately it’s been so dry and knotty so I thought a post-shower braid might be nice.

Looking in the mirror, I instantly thought of my dad who was in charge of maintaining my long mane in my younger days. Even though my mom’s a hairdresser, Dad was always so much gentler with the brush and I think he enjoyed the time together just him and me.

Time spent together as father and daughter is far and few between these days as both responsibilities and the family grow. With Father’s Day just a few days away I’m looking forward to celebrating the man who mastered not only gently brushing my hair but who made growing up so special.

A few other things that make my Dad one-of-a-kind:

He passed on to me the lifelong habit of eating cookies for breakfast.

He taught my sister and me respect at a young age.

He took on coaching a sport he knew nothing about so I could play soccer.

He taught me how to strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

He’s made me feel like an American Idol since the moment I sang into a kitchen spoon.

He took us girls fishing and crabbing with the boys.

He makes a mean cold-cut bread and taught me the skill when I was old enough to start caring how to cook.

He showed me the art of a good nap.

He never fails to say how proud he is of any of us.

He showed us with hard work, comes great rewards.

He showed Michelle and me how fun cleaning a pool cover can be.

He never failed to get a kick out of how I could parallel park my Power Wheels.

He remained patient while teaching me how to drive even though he had to pull up the e-break to stop us from crashing.

He worked 7-days a week to put us through college. He’s always wanting more for us.

It’s cliché but I could go on and on. Thanks Daddy for being 1 in a million.

Back to life, back to reality

This past weekend was one in which I experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows during the wedding planning process. After becoming a bit overwhelmed (okay very overwhelmed) at the venue on Saturday morning, arguing with those I love and shedding enough tears to fill the Delaware River, Sunday finally brought me back to reality.

The wedding is not important. This is something I have always believed but now I have to actually put that belief into practice and it's not easy. It's simple, especially for me, to become buried with stress when there is a multitude of things to think about. Instead of focusing on what truly matters that day I've been consumed with thoughts of how our day will measure up to the ones on TV or even worse those of our friends who we'll be attending in the months leading up to our special day. What matters most is what happened on Sunday at our engagement party. What this special part of our lives is really all about is sharing our love with the ones we love. As Brian's sister said, if the building is crumbling down around us on our wedding day, we'll still be standing across from each other becoming husband and wife with our closest family and friends by our sides, and I like that.

Fun is in the eye of the beholder

After watching a “lady” urinate down her leg three times last summer during a concert of one of our favorite artists, Brian and I banned outdoor performances until we could recover. With our local country radio station giving away free tickets to a show featuring several artists, we thought it might be a good idea to give it another chance.

Considering the wholesome-as-apple-pie image of country music, we had assumed it would produce a more mature audience. In the very least, we anticipated that the crowd would be able to, if nothing else, control their bladders until they made it to the bathroom. This is an assumption we made incorrectly. After sitting on the highway, waiting to exit for over an hour, a girl erupted from the car in front of us and proceeded to pull down her pants and, well, you can guess what followed.

Eventually, we came within blocks of the amphitheater and I guess you can say the crowd surprised us a bit. Trusting our intuition, we quickly noticed they were both younger and drunker than last year and we made a prompt decision to turn around. It wasn’t long before we were getting texts that fights were breaking out on the lawn area of the venue. Man, did we dodge a bullet.

Our decision to cross the bridge and hit Philly for cheese steaks instead of the concert sparked a conversation between Brian and me about what is and is not fun. While we sometimes get the feeling that others may look at us as boring or unexciting because we’d rather read a good book on the beach than hit up a bar is A-OK with us. After all, fun, like beauty, is all in the eye of the beholder. I’d pick a Geno’s date, just the two of us any day over being surrounded by thousands of people whose idea of a good time means using the lawn as a toilet.

Holiday

This weekend Brian and I did something we usually don't do. With three days off ahead of us we acted like a couple in their mid 20's should. The two of us threw chores and responsibilities aside and enjoyed the holiday weekend.


Saturday night we found ourselves at one of our favorite restaurants for drinks and appetizers. It had both of us craving a vacation. Even though we're not big drinkers we are itching to sit out in the nice weather, nosh on good eats and enjoy a few good drinks.  


Sunday and Monday we sank our toes into the hot sand in Belmar, NJ. When I was 16, that beach represented freedom to me. Now, it's the one place that truly reminds me that I am a grown up. During the summer, I find living so far from my family and the beach the most difficult. Sometimes, I truly believe it's  because even when Brian and I do make it up to Belmar for the weekend, it reminds me how much life has changed since I frequented there in the summers during high school.


Nevertheless, no matter how many responsibilities we have as compared to our teen-aged "glory days," we keep trying to remind ourselves we'll only be 20 something once. So while neither of us have the amount of freedom we once had, it's still more than we'll have in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years. We might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Too little time

Do you ever feel like things around you have just gotten away from you? Or you've taken on too much to handle at one time. That's been me, and that's why I haven't been on. While I get home relatively early each day, I always feel there is some errand to run or chore to do. Not to mention for some reason lately I've had a tough time keeping my eyes open. Wednesday on lunch I was reading a book in my office and found myself nodding off, YIKES!

So what have I been up to?

• Venue site visits, 2 in one week and just as confused as ever.
• Walmart trip of course because I never can stack up on enough face wash. It always runs out at the most inconvenient times.
• Bills, bills, bills. They've been sitting on the fridge for weeks now but I've been dreading the credit card bill. Too many visits to Ann Taylor LOFT in April.
• Return our unused flowers to Home Depot. Yes, you can return pretty much anything you don't use, I learned that from my mom.
• Cleaners...that bag full of blouses has been hanging in the closet for weeks. Why can't there be a cleaners on the way home?
• Rowan picnic for 4 year anniversary with Brian. It's sort of a tradition, but I started to get antsy because of all we had to do at home.
• Nonstop laundry, thank goodness Brian is good in that department.
• Clean the kitchen and bathroom. When Brian says the bathroom is grossing him out, you know it can no longer be put off.
• Grocery store (2x), because this girl likes to eat and has been cooking all week long.

Whew...writing this all out makes me tired. Kudos to all those who can pull all this off that have families to take care of on top of it all! Thank goodness for a lazy Sunday with the family!

An enchanted wake up call

Have you ever been to the Enchanted Tiki Room in Walt Disney World? During this musical adventure guests sit in chairs and animated birds of all kinds come to life right before your eyes, chatting and even singing.

Well my friends, you do not have to head to Florida for this melodious experience. Join Brian and I each morning at 4am in our bedroom. I swear we have been waking up in the Tiki Room. I, who by my own admission am not a morning person, am not finding the non-stop chirping of a mass amount of birds to be a welcomed wake-up call 3 hours before my actual alarm goes off.

Dear Birds,

I understand your excitement that it's getting warmer. I too am thrilled about this seasonal change. As someone who also loves to sing, and chat, I realize how delightful it must be for you to share this experience with your friends. However, take your celebration elsewhere or please post-pone it at least 3 more hours when the rest of the world is waking up.

Sincerely,

If I wanted to wake up in the Tiki Room I would fly to Walt Disney World and also have the pleasure of scheduled wake-up calls from Goofy and Mickey Mouse pancakes.

If you've never heard the Tiki Room song, it's worth a listen. But, I should warn you, you will be singing it the rest of the day.

J-E-L-L-NOOOOO

Sometimes you really don't realize how important your body parts are until they're no longer able to be used. This Monday morning I had two wisdom teeth pulled, and while I feel like I've been a trooper, I am desperate to remember the feeling of what it's like to chew normally. My front teeth are hopelessly trying to work double time, both biting and chewing but just aren't doing the job those big guys in the back of my mouth normally pull off.

I've been eating jello, ice cream and mashed potatoes galore! While this may sound like an ideal diet, I am dying to eat food with a crunch and some substance. Until then, its warm salt water rinses, plenty of tylenol and mushy meals.