The best laid plans...

Today is our 11 year anniversary.  It is also the day that Tommy was supposed to leave for the classical guitar convention in Georgia. 

He didn't leave.

The new guitar design didn't come together the way he had hoped and last night, seven hours before his flight was to depart, he realized it just wasn't going to be finished in time.

It wasn't what we had hoped for, so I'm sure there were moments of disappointment for both of us.

But he's still here, which I love.  And we didn't have to load four kids into the car at 4:15 a.m. to drive him to the airport, which I love.  And the guitar is still here and the ideas are still there and the sun rose in the east and it will set in the west and time will march on and things will just happen in a different way than we had planned.

And today is our anniversary!  To celebrate, we will go to Target and get diapers.  Perhaps I will even take a shower.  It will be a good day.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. -Matthew 6:34

Wordless Wednesay: What the...???

I found this on our fridge.

What could this possibly mean?

Happy birthday, Elizabeth!

June 28th, 2002 didn't start like any other day.  It started slowly.  I was slow.  9 months pregnant but still 8 days from my due date in an apartment with no air conditioning made for a slow....everything.

Plus, it was the morning of my 22nd birthday.

And it was the morning of my brother's 12th birthday.

So obviously, of all the days of the entire year for my second baby to be born, today was NOT going to be the day, and for that reason I was bummed.  And tired.  And I just didn't feel right.

I called in sick to work.  They sounded relieved.  My job involved a lot of running around and trudging up and down stairs and not an hour had gone by in the last few weeks that someone didn't suggest that perhaps I should avoid going into labor right there in front of all the customers.  Because, you know, I am in control of that sort of thing.

At the time, my dear husband was working a 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, which was quite lucky because when he got home at 2 p.m. and said "Happy birthday and why are you here?" and I said "I just feel weird.  I don't know..." then he could say "Oh.  Okay.  Well, we need to return that rental truck."  Which we did.  Him in the truck, me in our Plymouth Neon with a standard transmission.  And every time I would push in on the clutch, I would get a little trembley.  I just felt...weird.

But we returned the truck without any real incident and on the way back to the apartment I finally said "You know, I think today might be baby day." Which made him laugh because of course there is no WAY that today was baby day because um, hello?  It was already my birthday AND my brother's birthday.  So really, it was an impossibility.  Just no way.

But apparently there was a way because less than two hours later we found ourselves in rush hour traffic on I-5 on a Friday afternoon in southern California en route to the the hospital.  If you have been in labor in a vehicle during rush hour on I-5 in southern California, then you will understand me when I tell you that I started to panic just a little.  Even in my enormous state, I felt that surely I could walk more quickly than our car was moving at the time.

We arrive.  We check in.  Non-stop comments about the fact that it's my birthday, as if perhaps I had not appreciated this fact as of yet.  I tried to keep a smile on my face, but you know...I was about to have a baby and all, so my ability to accommodate the commentary of strangers was, not surprisingly, waning.

And there was a flurry of activity and I shed a few tears and suddenly, there she was!  In my arms, a real baby, my baby, who had decided to be my very best birthday present ever.  It was just after 7 p.m.

Oh my sweet Lizzy, what a cuddly love bug you've always been.  When you first tried to tell me you were hungry, the silly honking noise that came out of your precious newborn mouth made me laugh out loud.  My little honker.  Only ever hungry or asleep.  Never angry.  Never fussy. 

Now you are nine years old.  You are so smart and funny.  Creative and artistic.  An amazing cook and a fantastic big sister.  You do have a sassy streak, a hand-on-the-hip-cock-my-head-to-the-side-and-channel-my-inner-valley-girl streak, but your kind heart somehow makes it charming.  Usually.

You are such a silly goofball.  You tell hilarious jokes.  Your belly laugh that makes you fall out of your chair when you're imagining something hilarious is absolutely priceless.  I love your beautiful imagination.

Sure, your room is a pig pen and you put clean laundry in the hamper all the time.  You scarf down the last of the ice cream.  You ask me 7 times a day if you'll ever have a horse.  I tell you to clean it and to quit it and to stop and that I really don't know but if you ask me again the answer will be 'no' for sure.

But I also tell you that I love you and I'm so lucky to know you and that whoever is going to go to college with you has no idea how lucky they are about to be in a few short years.

Happy birthday, my little bug!  You are the best birthday present any mom could ever hope for.

I NEVER get sick. It's true.

Something strange is going on, my peeps.  The body is achey, the nose is runny, the head is spinny.  When I looked at my bed earlier morning, I actually wanted to lie down in it again.  If you know me, you will know that this is NOT NORMAL.  The idea of being horizontal for more than 6 hours in a 24 hour period makes me panic a little.  I mean....there are only 24 of them!  I'm going to spend more than a quarter of them doing nothing?  Don't MAKE me snap at you in a z-formation, girrrrrrrrl!

And um, can you please read that drivel I just wrote?  Does any of it even make any sense?  Yeah, that's what I thought.  See?  Something strange, I tell you!  And please don't suggest that I'm "sick" because I do not GET sick.  True story.

Plus, oh lordylordy, tomorrow is my Lizzy's birthday and we are going to eat a picnic at the lake and then have a sleepover party and there is NO FOOD in our house.  Do you think our friends will enjoy gnawing on some stale Triscuits and eating those last shriveled grapes from the corners of the produce bins at the bottom of our fridge?  Really???  Sweet.  That means I don't have to go to the store after all.

So there.  That's your post for the day.  Have I not just contributed to the betterment of humankind with those insightful words put together in that creative, magical way?  Have I not inspired you to do _______ and to say ________ ?  You're welcome!

Okay, in the interest of sharing something on this day of brain-fogginess-that-does-not-constitute-being-sick-in-any-way, here are some cute photos from yesterday's Model Airplane Flying Party.  Did you even know there was such a thing?  I know!  And did you know that you can be outside in the middle of the afternoon in the summer here?  I know again!  What a great system- no school when you actually want to be outdoors.

Our hostess and a dear friend.  Hope she loves this picture as much as I do!

p.s. If you have any miracle cures for a person who is totally NOT sick, please share.  I will be forever grateful!

Dear 16 year old me,

December 18, 1996

Miss Dwija M. Cieslak
578 East Statton Lane
Dallas, TX 75221

Dear Dwija,

It is my pleasure to inform you of your acceptance to the University of Dallas.

Dear 16 year old me,

This letter will transform your life in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine.

Congratulations and welcome to our community of scholars!

You are excited.  Maybe even overjoyed.  But you have no idea what's in store!

After careful review, the Admission Committee has approved your application for admission for the fall semester...

The people you'll meet, the experiences you'll have will not change you.  They will reveal you.  Reveal the real you who you've yet to meet...

We believe the academic records and personal characteristics presented in your application reflect qualities which will enable you to become a successful part of the University of Dallas class of 2001.

You are too young.  You are not ready.  But that's okay.  The Lord has softened harder hearts.  He has worked bigger miracles than the one He is about to work in you.

You will be joining a vibrant academic community...

So brace yourself...

We look forward to having you as a member of the class of 2001!

Your most incredible journey starts now!

Sincerely,

R. Fred Zuker
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

With all my love,

30 year old you

This is a response to a writing prompt at  

The Lightning and the Lightning Bug asking us to write a letter to ourselves at age sixteen.

Sewin' Saturday: Zero Dollar Shirt

Now that we have all day to do whatever we want, the girls and I have gotten back into our "projects".  Finally!  It's like we're getting to know each other all over again, and they are actually getting along better than they did during the school year. 

What I really want to show you are the birthday presents we're working on for friends, but since said friends read this blog, I can't post pictures until next week.  Doh!  So instead, I'll show you a little before and after of something we are keeping, courtesy of my sweet Lizzy who will be turning 9 next week.

Here is a size 8 dress that tore a few years ago (thanks to my older daughter and her propensity to get a little competitive no matter the occasion or the attire.  Or her opponents, who I think happened to be pre-schoolers) and got shoved to the bottom of the fabric box:

Since it's too short for either of them to use as a dress anymore, we decided to use the bottom ruffle for one of the projects that I can't tell you about yet (is the suspense just killing you?!?!?). 

The top half, however, was still in very usable condition and fits my Liz quite nicely, so we made a cut, pulled out the sewing machine....

And voila!  Adorable summer shirt just in time for summery summer.

Total cost of project: Zero Dollars

Happy weekend everyone! 

Oh, and if you're looking for a great link-up where you can post old or new samples of your writing, check out Dare to Share over at The Lightning and the Lightning Bug.  This weekend we're linking up posts about animals (so you know I got in on that!)

7 Tips for your Road Trip with Kids

Summer has officially arrived!  That means swimming and sleepovers, popsicles and popcorn!  And of course, what childhood is complete without at least one multi-hour excursion across these great United States?  None I tell you.  None!  So today, as promised over two long months ago, I present to you my patented (not really.  can you patent tips?) tips for taking a road trip with kids.  If you haven't read part 1, you'll want to start there first.  I mean, don't you wanna know what kind of drivel I was reading when I was 12 years old?  And how long it took us to drive from California to Michigan almost a whole year ago?

Okay, now that we're all caught up, let's get to it. 

7 Tips for your Road Trip with Kids!

(1)

We're not in 1974 anymore, Toto.  That means we have to buckle seat belts and be sitting upright and have approved car seats.  That means no blanket forts or counting the stars out the rear window.  That means they're going to need diversions. They're going to need entertainment.  If YOU do not provide it, THEY will provide it, generally via games that involve pinching and/or slapping each other and arguing about what the definition of the word "is" is.  Unless the vision of this appeals to you, be ready to purchase electronics.

Yes, my first tip is "buy stuff".  And you know how I am about spending money (that I am allergic to it mostly because I don't have any? Yeah, that.), but desperate times call for desperate measures, folks.  Plus, if you avail yourself of your internet resources (read: Ebay.com and Amazon.com ) you can find totally usable things for VERY reasonable prices.  Like $30 reasonable.  Yes, my daughters bought an iPod mini off of Ebay for $30- splitting the cost and each spending just $15 of their Christmas money!  I did the same for the all important travel DVD player.  Especially if your trip is anywhere close to the 35 hours of driving it took for us to get across the country, I highly recommend giving in to the one-eyed beast, even if you keep it hidden "for emergencies".

(2)

source

Speaking of electronics, if you grown-upish folks don't have a GPS already....GET ONE.  Again, you can find extremely reasonably priced ones on Ebay.  That's where our Garmin came from and it has been invaluable on more than one occasion.  I mean, if you have a huge diaper blow-out and then realize that you've run out of diapers and you need to find a store, like, NOW and also everyone is starving and some of them don't have teeth so they can't eat beef jerky, you can use that handy dandy device to locate the nearest establishment, arrive there in a timely fashion and find your way back to the freeway with only minimal tears shed. 

I've heard about those that fancy phones have GPS these days...but I've also heard that cell phone coverage in the mountains of Colorado can get pretty iffy.  Take a chance if you're brave, but I wouldn't suggest it.  If you can swing it, have a dedicated GPS.  You won't regret it.

(3)

I have a wonderful friend back on California who thought of this next tip.  Well, she actually did it.  I'm the one who's making it into a tip.  And here it is: pack a bag of secret kiddy treats.  Wrap them if you have time.  Every day (or hour, depending on your patience and the length of your ramble) present a new little treat to your brood.  A new toy or book, no matter how small or silly, is always so exciting to children that a parent will surely get at least 45 minutes of peace.  So many little things like matchbox cars, mad-lib books, miniature notebooks, special favorite candy bars, are so cheap yet so treasured by children.  You can also use them as a bargaining chip if things start getting out of hand- which they WON'T because you will also be following tip number four....

(4)

Don't be afraid to stop the car.  Not "STOP THE CAR!" in that scary you-better-quit-fighting way, but "hey, let's stop the car and go to the bathroom and stretch our legs and enjoy this awesome rest stop in Iowa."  and "isn't it neat how the trees here are so different from the trees at our house?" and "watch out for that pile of dog poop!"  Really try to make the trip itself part of the adventure. 

The welcome centers at the state lines are GREAT for this sort of thing.  Your older kids will love getting the free fliers that talk about the history and geography of the region and your younger kids will love almost getting hit by other cars.  Being too time oriented will ruin the experience for all of you and will have you arriving at your destination in an exhausted puddle of frustration and sweat.

(5)

Oh, and if you're planning on "making good time", please don't.  Having a whole day stretched out in front of you filled with an unknown number of hours covering an unknown number of miles can be disheartening.  Going and going and going until you can barely keep your eyes open is dangerous.  Getting pulled over because you're going too fast is expensive.  And time consuming.  Remember about how it's not 1974 anymore?  Book hotels IN ADVANCE.  Use the power of the internet to your advantage.  Divide up your trip, pick cities to stop in, and then get on Priceline.com and book four star hotels for $99 per night.  Yes, you can! I totally did.  That is how we were able to stay at some pretty fantastic places with swimming pools and Wifi in our rooms and free breakfasts without totally blowing our budget. 

This also gives you and the kids a daily goal. "If we eat lunch quickly guys, we'll get to the hotel sooner and daddy will take you swimming!"  You will always be able to see the light of a hot shower at the end of the tunnel of your stinky mini-van prison.  Please tell me ours was not the only van that was stinky after 5 days of driving.  Please?

(6)

Whether your trip is multi-day or multi-hour, sometimes moving your children to new seats can make them feel like they're in a whole new car.  Which could make YOU feel like you're in a whole new car.  Sweet!  So if so and so is getting too fussy or feeling uncomfortable or bickering with that other so and so, move them to the other side of the vehicle for the next leg of the trip.  Especially if you know that something interesting is coming up on one side of the car, be sure that the child who will appreciate it most is able to see out the closest window.  They will feel so grateful that you thought of them and you will feel so proud when their eyes light up and whatever silly/wonderful/interesting/miraculous sight it is that you knew they would appreciate.

(7)

Above all, treasure it.  Treasure this uninterrupted, different, interesting adventure as a family.  Take turns telling silly jokes.  Start verses to silly songs and let your toddler finish them.  Take lots of pictures.  Marvel at the wonderful, diverse country we live in.  Have your older kids take notes and draw pictures to create a travel journal of sorts.  Have them read historical fiction books set in the states you're driving through.  Let them learn to use the key card in the hotel room door and which buttons to press to make the elevator work.  Who knows...the road-trip itself could turn out to be the best part of your vacation.




Happy summer, everyone.  Enjoy this beautiful country of ours!

today's Quick Takes are hosted by Hallie at Betty Beguiles because Jen has had her BABY!!!

No More Monkeys!

It's Thursday, so you know what that means!

Wait, what?  You don't know what the heck I'm talking about?

Probably because I haven't talked about it since last week.  Probably because I haven't been saying much at ALL in the last week.  And do you know why?  Because it is summer and we are super busy because I decided to shine my dang sink and get my blubbery butt on a running schedule, that's why.

Yes, it's No Monkey Thursday!

First, let's talk about Fly Lady.

I am super happy I signed up because it has turned out to be just the jump-start I needed.  I had really just gotten out of the habit of having a clean sink (which magically turns into clean countertops and a clean table and a clean stove.  Okay, not a clean stove.  I'll be honest.  That thing is still pretty nasty).  Once you get started on something like that, it's pretty easy to just keep going and beautify the rest of the room.  It's also pretty easy to stop if you need to because your toddler has stolen the silverware caddy from the dishwasher and is dunking it into the dogs' water bowl.  Flexibility, baby.  Not to be underestimated!

I've also organized the kids' art bin, started making my bed every day, gotten all the clean laundry put away (full disclosure: my two big girls do all their own laundry.  The minute Paul turns 7, he's going to be doing his too.  They have opposable thumbs, right?  Anyway, so it's not as much laundry as you might be imagining.  But I still did it!) and beautified the floor of my closet.  Oh, and I'm pretty sure I've bathed more than twice, which is a HUGE increase over the previous week.  Not too shabby, my friends!  Not too shabby.

The daily kids challenge has also been great.  It would be even greater if it actually came every day, but I think we'll survive.  But seriously, what is up with that?  They ask for their Fly Lady task every single day, and if it's a lame-o Mommy task instead, the level of grumble increases tenfold.  Anyway.  In addition to cleaning off their dressers they've also each tossed out 27 pieces of useless paper and have gone through their sock drawers to hand down their too-small socks and to throw out their hole-y ones.  Lizzy suggested we repair the holes but I decided we're not at a sock-darning place in our lives just yet.

The only downside to doing the Fly Lady program has been the plethora of useless emails.  I am not joking when I say that just two or three per day pertain to actual tasks and challenges and that the other SEVEN are "testimonials", read: glorified advertisements for her products.  I am not buying specialty cleaning products, dude.  EVER.  Seriously.  And when I say "seriously" I mean SERIOUSLY.  There's probably a way to only get the tasks and not the ads, but that would involve me reading down to the end of those and I think my eyes would be bleeding from annoyance by then.

In all, the good outweighs the bad and so we're going to stick with the program (or my own modified version) for a while longer.  Oh, and let me just say that reading the notes and challenges has made me feel pretty darn good about myself because even though my house is not in the state I wish it were, it is not nearly as bad as some of the folks to which her messages are directed.  Seriously, sign up.  You'll be glad you did!

Monkey #2: the booty jiggle.  So let's talk about week 1 of Couch to 5K!

So far, I've managed to run all three times (Friday, Monday, and Wednesday) and as much as I had intended to adhere to the prescribed training schedule, every time it felt like I should stop running and start walking, another car would appear and I would have to keep running until it was out of sight.  And then, the coast would be clear but I would start passing a house so I'd have to start running again in case someone was looking out their window.  Well, of course!  I'm not going to walk when another person might be able to see me!

Also, I can't find my running watch and there is NO WAY I can count seconds with the tiny swishy second hand on my "fancy" watch.  So I didn't wear a watch and tried to guess at the time instead.  Hmmmmm, apparently what I'm trying to tell you is that I ran all three days  and completely disregarded every other element of the training plan.  But that's okay because the monkey is my jiggly booty and the monkey/jiggle is slowly getting off my back(side).  Two pounds down, baby!

What kind of monkeys are YOU trying to get off your back?  No matter what it is, write a post and link it up here.  We'll get rid of those varmints together!

click to share the link-up on your post too: get the InLinkz code

What do you do after all your dreams have come true?

I never wanted to be anything particular when I grew up.  The only two careers I was ever encouraged to consider were "doctor" and "lawyer".  Because money is the absolute highest priority (right?) and those were the only two things he could think of that made "lots of money".  Well, I didn't want to do either of those things.  So I didn't do anything.  I've had a lot of jobs, but no career.  And that doesn't bother me.

You see, I've got a loving husband and healthy children.  We actually own this house.  We finally have our dogs and chickens and a garden that is growing things.  And I am having a "now what?" moment.  Sure there are small goals.  Fit into that skirt.  Paint the girls' rooms.  Get more yogurt.  But there is no...dream.  I've just never thought past this point.  This point seemed so mystical and unattainable that I never managed to stretch my imagination past "buy a house" and "start our own business". 

What do you do after all your dreams have come true?

It's a strange feeling.  After so many years of 'someday' and 'hopefully' and 'can we?', it's done.  It happened.  We did it!  We did it.

Maybe the stress-induced shots of adrenaline are like a drug.  Not healthy, but hard to live without.  Maybe I'm just going through withdrawal.  Maybe I'm entering a phase I've never lived before.

I've never just lived.

Maybe that's my new dream.  I can dream about a life of community and crafts and ordinary adventures.  Of saving our pennies and hoping for the chance to travel.  Of really knowing our neighbors.  Of finishing those hundred started projects.

Maybe I can learn to take things a little easier and to appreciate my surroundings a little more.  To let my kids stay up late and sleep in and eat popcorn for lunch.  We do have multi-vitamins, after all.

Maybe my new dream is to learn how to truly enjoy all of my incredible fulfilled dreams.

Michigan Monday- the library

One of the things we all loved about our old suburban land of a thousand suns was the fantastic public library right down the street from us.  Despite it's near-arctic temperatures (the interior of library that is, particularly in contrast to the heat of the outdoors) and less than chipper staff, their programs were very enjoyable.  So enjoyable and so utterly free that one had to arrive at the library at leas an hour prior to the event and stand in line with the hundred or so other folks who were also standing in line, and if they could cram you into the room, then you were IN!  And you could breathe a sigh of relief.  If not, well, you had to break the news to your crying toddler.  That's life, right? 

We loved it because we didn't know any better.  We thought it was normal not to be able to find a parking space or a seat or for it to be so crowded that your visit was cloaked in constant fear of losing one of your children in the melee - it was FREE after all.  I mean, how many things are FREE?

A lot, apparently.

We have recently availed ourselves of our local library with all of their many, many FREE events and programs because it's summer and of course that's what you do in the summer for free.  You go to the library.  And I was nervous.  My oldest daughter was even more nervous.  What if it isn't good?  I mean, it's so small.

Oh sweet, fortunate children!  Blessed, happy mother!  It is the library of every child's dreams!

If you are an adult seeking a quiet place to do some serious thought in complete silence, please do not go to the Delton District Library.  If, on the other hand, you are a child who loves books and also cats and fish and parrots and puppets and outdoor reading areas that smell like fresh herbs: go there immediately!

 

Oh, and about that getting there an hour early and waiting in line thing that I was so accustomed to...

We "only" got there a half hour before the free movie (yes, a free movie for kids to watch in a special screening room in the library of wonderment, with a blanket on the floor and chairs and tables and free fruit punch.  We were welcome to bring our own snacks, you guys.) was set to start, and guess what?  Plentiful parking.  No lines.  They didn't even start talking about the movie until three minutes before it was set to start.  Then it was sit wherever you please.  Meander in and out at will.

Enjoy yourself.

Just take a minute to let it soak in: I enjoyed being at a free children's event by myself with four kids.

The librarians were sweet and kind and helpful!  The other children were friendly!  Not a single patron of the library gave any other patron the Death Glare!  We didn't feel like ragamuffin outcasts because I let my children pick out their own clothes and brush their own hair!  Hallelujah!  Such a place does exist!

Paul said a very special motorized-vehicle-Hallelujah as well when he discovered that they had so kindly installed a special RACETRACK just for him outside in the reading garden.

 

 

I'm glad I didn't know what I didn't know, because it would have made me frustrated and a little sad.  But it does make me all the more thankful, joyful really, that this is what we have now.

And when I'm done writing this to you, I'm going to go and put the free ventriloquism classes on the calendar.  True story!

Our Engagement Story

This post is in response to Hallie's call for engagement stories.  You can check them all out on her blog Betty Beguiles

Some of may have already seen the first of these paragraphs as I snatched them from my About Us section.  I am sneaky like that, friends!  But read on, because the second half is fresh and new.

***********

She was a drama major with a nose-ring. He was a classics major with a racing green Karmann Ghia. She complimented him on his car. He blew her off because she was stupid and obnoxious. Obviously he was stuck-up and unfunny. And so it was that for the entirety of freshman year, and the first semester of sophomore year at the University of Dallas, they harbored a mild disdain for one another which sometimes progressed to complete indifference but never improved past basic human civility.

Providentially (as all marriages begin), they both chose the same semester to study abroad at the University's campus in Rome . At the very beginning of the semester she got sick, slept for 13 hours straight, and fell behind on her school work. "If I sit at a table with my friends" she thought upon entering the study lounge "I will certainly get wrapped up in some amazingly exciting, totally unimportant conversation and will get no school work done whatsoever" (because in the About Us section, she thinks and speaks in the floweriest manner possible). So she decided to sit at that table, over there, with the boy who didn't talk much (that's you Damien, if you ever read this) and the boy who didn't like her, because certainly this would result in almost no chatter whatsoever. But the boy who didn't like her, whose name is Tommy, was working on the same project as she was, and he made a joke. A joke that was funny.

From that precise moment on, we were practically inseparable.  Aside from sleeping, which we did very little of because that would mean time spent apart, we did everything together.  Went to class.  Ate our meals.  Traveled across Europe.  Built blanket forts.  Walked to that tiny grocery store and bought bottles of wine and then drank them.  By ourselves.  That was not smart.  I'm sure my roommates and his and every other poor soul who had to witness to our ridiculous courtship can attest to all these facts. 

And we were not merely an unexpected couple.  Oh no, we were an impossible couple.  As in, so apparently different that folks were sure it was some kind of elaborate practical joke.  As in people (person) who did not know me AT ALL were warning him that dating me was about the worst idea a man could have.  Incidentally, that warning thing made me sad, and then Tommy had to have a "talk" with "people" and in so doing revealed a side to them that they had not imagined existed.  And then I think "we" started making more sense.

People were even taking bets as to how many short weeks our silly tryst would last.  Or so I heard.  Not who it was, but that they were.  I laughed.  Have I mentioned I like a challenge?  Well speaking of challenges, we're coming up on 600 weeks soon.  I wonder if any of the bettors read this blog.  I wonder if any of them guessed "over 600 weeks".  If so, I hope he or she can still collect their winnings!

So one day in Athens, after participating in the eat-a-gyro-at-every-stand-you-see challenge and realizing that I, although my appetite is voracious for a woman of my stature, was no match for the hungry boys with whom I was competing (have you heard about my thing with challenges?), we disappeared together as we were wont to do.  And somewhere I have a written journal where I wrote down the facts, but I am in the kitchen and it is not, so I will tell you a fact-free version, sans journal.

I am there yammering and he is there listening, and I think I was feeling misunderstood, not by him, but the world.  Because what you see is not what you get.  Neither with me nor with him.  I was only 18 after all. 

And in response to my umpteenth existential meltdown, he said: What if we get married someday?

And I stopped talking.

And then I said: Um....really?

Followed very quickly by: Okay!

But we decided to keep it a secret, because who gets engaged after only dating for, like, 6 weeks after hating/being indifferent to each other for 19 months?

Crazy people who buy fixer uppers off the internet, that's who. 

The ring, an eternity band from Tiffany's that had belonged to his grandmother, came later that summer as we sat around the fire-pit in his parent's backyard, drinking Foster's and chatting with his brother.  And even then people were sure we were fools.

Because we are.

Thankfully, even fools have soul mates.

This is the first photo of us I found.  Sorry honey!

Happy Father's Day, Tommy!  Thank you for finding the me that all the warners and bettors weren't willing to dig for.

I was finally wrong about something...

I don't like to admit when I'm wrong.  Probably because it happens so rarely that I haven't had much practice doing it in my young slightly aged life.

Well, it's a red-letter day friends because I am here, in PUBLIC, to publicly denounce a philosophy that I had held dear to my heart for so many years.  Publicly.

I, Dwija Borobia, have revised my stance on what I once considered tobe the most reviled of all pieces of human apparel.  That atrocity which pierced my retinas with their every exaggerated curve. The thing of which I speak is, of course, the Croc.

I was mistaken when I referred them as "the cockroaches of the shoe world".  When I called them "Croc-roaches" in my head, I knew not of what I spoke.  When I loudly proclaimed that none, of real or generic variety, in any size, would ever tarnish the good name of our doorstep, I was speaking as a woman ill-informed.

Yea verily, do not lose hope, oh fashion-forward friends!  I have yet to make the leap to adult versions of these monstrosities.  In fact, mark my words, that leap will never be made. But for the small ones who put them on and take them off 67 times per day, who walk through puddles, who chase chickens through a warm, soggy forest, they are the country-dwellers answer to the flip-flop.

So they wear them.  And they like them. 

ankle chub for the win.

And they were only $5, so I like them.

My name is Dwija, and I was wrong.

Viva la pequeña genérico Crock!

Join me and Daenel for Shoe style Saturday!