furthermore

I was driving to a meeting on Sunday morning & Vienna Teng's song "City Hall" came on the radio about the day she & her girlfriend drove up from LA to get married in SF. It is beautiful & it made me cry. Listen to it. Pray about it.

I love being married & everything about it! I can't imagine a world in which Andy & I wouldn't be allowed to get married. I want all of my friends to have that choice!

lyrics:

me and my baby on a february holiday 

'cause we got the news 

yeah, we got the news 

500 miles and we're gonna make it all the way 

we've got nothing to lose 

we've got nothing to lose 

it's been 10 years waiting 

but it's better late than the never 

we've been told before 

we can't wait one minute more 

oh, me and my baby driving down 

to a hilly seaside town in the rainfall 

oh, me and my baby stand in line 

you've never seen a sight so fine 

as the love that's gonna shine 

at city hall 

me and my baby've been through 

a lot of good and bad 

learned to kiss the sky 

made our momma's cry 

I've seen a lot of friends 

after giving it all they had 

lay down and die 

lay down and die 

10 years into it 

here's our window 

at the vegas drive-thru chapel 

it ain't too much 

for 'em all to handle 

oh, me and my baby driving down 

to a hilly seaside town in the rainfall 

oh, me and my baby stand in line 

you've never seen a sight so fine 

as the love that's gonna shine 

at city hall 

outside, they're handing out 

donuts and pizza pies 

for the folks in pairs in the folding chairs 

my baby's lookin' so damned pretty 

with those anxious eyes 

rain-speckled hair 

and my ring to wear 

10 years waiting for this moment of fate 

when we say the words and sign our names 

if they take it away again someday 

this beautiful thing won't change 

oh, me and my baby driving down 

to a hilly seaside town in the rainfall 

oh, me and my baby stand in line 

you've never seen a sight so fine 

as the love that's gonna shine 

oh, me and my baby driving down 

to a hilly seaside town in the rainfall 

oh, me and my baby stand in line 

you've never seen a sight so fine 

as the love that's gonna shine 

at city hall 

marriage

Yesterday CA courts upheld the ban on same-sex marriage. Sucky.  

Yes, I am an active, practicing Catholic. Yes, I'm even a minister in the Catholic church. I also wholeheartedly support gay marriage. I fail to see how allowing other people to experience the beauty & challenge that is marriage some how takes away from it.  I think anytime people want to make a public commitment to loving each other we should support it.

I heard someone suggest that if the whole debate is about the use of the word marriage we could just take the word out of legal usage. That way under the law all couples, gay or straight, can be enter into unions but marriage would just be used for everyday language, religious ceremonies, etc.  I don't know if this would satisfy everyone but I would gladly give up the legal word marriage if that meant we could all be equal. If gay couples can't be "married" under the law perhaps we straights shouldn't get to use the word anymore either.

Of course then there's the trouble that the Catholic Church isn't going to marry gay couples any time soon. I think we're going to find ourself on the wrong side of this issue.

back when i was single

i used to do crazy things to attract boys that i liked. It was ridiculous. Not really the things I did, mostly the things I thought about doing & the sheer amount of time I spent thinking about doing said crazy things.

For example, I'm pretty sure that if Facebook had been around back when I was single I would have obsessively checked my guy's profile ALL THE TIME. Admittedly, that might be a little crazy but I'm sure a lot of girls do that. But I'm pretty sure I would have taken the crazy up a notch by posting a status update immediately after him every time so he would see our names together & think, "We should BE together!"

Now that I am married I...
a. realize that no boy in the history of the world would ever think that due to close proximity of postings, or for that matter, notice said proximity.
b. I really appreciate the lower level of crazy that came from Rebs taking me in.

Does that make me sound like a stray? I'm cool with that, in reality, I probably need about as much care as a baby bird with a broken wing sometimes.

WARNING: I know I've been away a while, working on the Farmyland blog which I feel has to be more mature. spiritual, serious since teens from the ministry, their parents, & potential donors will be looking at it. So here is where you'll get the random minutiae. Enjoy.

while he's away, part II

I think to myself,

"I can't even sleep without him!"

Then I roll to the middle of the bed & think,

"Oh, nevermind."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

while he's away

Rebs called tonight, here's a sample conversation:

Me: (whining) I miss you. (dramatically) I can't remember what you look like, what you smell like, what you feel like...

Him: (interrupting) Look at a picture.

Me: Damn! You're pretty!

It's true, check it.

another glimpse

into our marriage:

It starts with markerboard messages...

Rebs, one morning when I ask him to let me sleep in instead of waking me up to say goodbye:

"I love you, Honey,

so much more than a bunny." adds a sketch of a bunny.

I respond:

"Bunny!?? Yum!"

Later in the week while at a conference I steal his notebook to draw these:

I just want to keep him on his toes.

npr junkie

yes, that is me. I listen to it all the time especially in the car.  But right now listening to it makes me want to spend time in the arms of a giant, fuzzy hippo.

I know hippos aren't fuzzy. I suppose that's why God sent me Rebs, who is. 

I love it! And the rest of him!

seven months ago

nearly to the minute, I married the love of my life. I still look at him & think/say, "We're married?!" It's awesome. Since I work with teens I often think back to my little, scared high school self & think, "Oh girl, things are gonna be so much more fun/better/flippin' great than you can even ever imagine right now." And being married to Rebby is one of the major I could never have imagined. Now that I've been trying to put together a wedding album I'm remembering more about the wedding day than I did initially here are my top 7 favorite memories of our wedding day:

1. Rebby's face when he first saw me (way before the actual ceremony since we did photos before).

2. Dancing, hopping, laughing, general mayhem as we greeted guests before the ceremony.

3. Seeing Andy well up during the vows & my dad's beautiful toast.

4. Grinning the whole day, realizing that all of the little details we had spent so many months planning did matter at all because this way the most fun day of my life.

5. Dancing with my grandpa after he & my grandma won the longest married dance marathon.

6. Seeing Cowboy looking serious & grownup in his tux as the ring bearer.

7. Being surrounded by everyone we love who were so happy for us & having so much fun.

Bonus: Getting a text first thing in the morning from Rebs that said, " Thinking of you beautiful- can't wait to be married to the love of my life.- I love you."

Ugh, having to shorten the list to 7 is impossible there are so many great moments that I couldn't include. Maybe I'll have to do this again next month.

a sign that i am a married californian

I am in bed, covered with the following: 

• 1 sheet
  
• 1 synthetic poly-fur fleece blanket
  
• 1 goose-down filled comforter
  
• 1 large blanket I made for Rebs by stitching together 2 pieces of fleece together for our 1st Christmas together
  
• 1 quilt my aunt made me when I graduated from college & moved to CA
  
• 1 quilt from Target, the one our bedroom is decorated around - you've heard that theory right? "When decorating a bedroom start with the bedding."
  
• 1 comforter that has been with me through college, Camp Geneva, Camp Manitoqua, the Convent, the Ghetto, 2 other apartments, all significant break ups in my life, & is a good one for nephew naps
  
• 1 afghan that usually resides on our couch
  

I am NOT covered with:

• 1 (my) husband
  

AND I AM FREEZING!!!

the word of the day is

I could not focus on one dang thing for one dang minute, I do not know why.  It's not so good because now I'll have to squeeze in a significant amount of work on my 2 supposed days off.

The word of the night is:

because I realized due to his working a school event on Fri-Sat I won't get to spend any quality time with Rebs until Sat. night when we have a work dinner to go to.  Sunday is our 6 month anniversary & since I work on Sun we won't really get to celebrate. At least not in the pull out all stops, ignore the world, aren't we special we're in love kinda way I would like.  It'll be much more of the what can we fit into our schedules-schedules? well, there goes the romance, kinda way.

So sad. I will miss him SO MUCH this weekend!

monday nights

Rebs is out late at a retreat every Monday. This time of year it is dark & cold & night & it is so hard to motivate to go outside. So I stay in & watch movies & sometimes drink wine & sometimes eat chocolate. Tonight was one of those nights.

seriously

wow.

Rebs won't even let me wear the same color as him. 

He thinks the matching names & jobs are enough.

just got kicked out

of the bed where Rebs is trying to be all spiritual & procrastinate-y finishing his stuff for his reconciliation service tomorrow BECAUSE 

I just spent the last 3 minutes frantically typing in the name of EVERYONE I could think of into the Palin BabyNamer & laughing hysterically at each & everyone of the results.

He's is still whispering, "I need you to please go."

and so I must.

forgive me, i'm new

Today for the second time I dog-sat for our neighbors JJ. They have an elderly toothless chihuahua. This is not a picture of him but it is basically what he looks like.  He's rather high maintenance in my opinion but since I've never owned a dog - how can I rightly judge that? Overall, I think he's a pretty cute in a helpless, affection whore, growl your face off with absolutely nothing to back it up, your daddies spoil you, stop licking me sort of way.

Rebs & I took him for a walk & he kept complaining that there was slack in the leash. I was about to ask, "Why does that matter???" when Nemo's legs got all caught up in to leash. 

Oh. 

I really hate when other people tell me what to do & when they are right.

When we get a dog it will be much bigger so when I walk it at night I will feel a bit protected. Now so much with the chihuahua.

today

I am BraveHeart & my battlecry is  "FREEEE-DAHHHH!" I can't wait until Saturday.

Poor Rebs.

Now, I'm off to vote. Now, you go!

Word.

saturday night fun

We found a Magic Love Reminder.  What is a Magic Love Reminder you ask? I'll tell you, they are scattered all over our abode by the lovely & thoughtful Arbusto who was kind enough to housesit for us whilst we traipsed through Thailand.  A Magic Love Reminder is a fun & loving activity to be completed by Rebs & I & then documented ( I won't say scrap-booked because I don't wanna scrap book).

Anyway, this MLR had us play a game of Jenga & tell each other one reason we are glad we are married for each block we pulled.  Some highlights:

We are glad we got married because...

• We will always & forever be known as the ------. (In the interest of staying anon I'm not going to finish this sentence.
  
• We are figuring out what our life will be like/include together.
  
• We are becoming better people by having to admit we're wrong sometimes & apologizing & being humble.
  
• We are learning new things from each other like cooking & hanging pictures & crating teambuilding boxes.*
  
• We get to sleep together. :)
  
• We get to plan & take many, many more vacation together.
  
• We learning more about love & how to love & how God must love us.
  
• We feel pride in saying, "That's my wife/husband."
  
• We get to wake up together.
  
• We get to come home to each other.
  

There were more but that's all I can think of right now.

We also added wine & eating the pumpkin seeds I had roasted after carving my pumpkins 1 day late to the mix.  Wine + Jenga = a tricky business. Of course, since I have a lower tolerance (ie. 1/2 a glass) I knocked over the tower.  It was bound to happen if wasn't the wine it would have been the cockiness...

*More on that later.

vestiges of garden state

In our otherwise nearly perfect apartment we have a very tiny kitchen & since we have been trying to cook much more often (with mostly happy results barring a potato soup that was a DISASTER) Rebby & I are often bumping monkeys in there.*

Also, since we have both viewed Garden State a number of times we are always VERY intentional in warning the other if the dishwasher is open since the biggest slab of clear, flat surface is directly across from it. Basically if one is cooking at aforementioned slab there is just enough clearance behind one for someone else to load the dishwasher. However, one false move & one could potentially end up in a wheelchair for life with an estranged husband & a son addicted to downers.

Neither of us is prepared to let that happen.

Hence, always the warning. Now it is a talisman. If we don't say it the above scenario will play out.

Out we'll break the damn thing & lose our security deposit.

*That sounds sexier than it is. Seriously, this kitchen may even be too small for that.

clumsy monkey

Rebs & I were headed off to dinner at a friends. I had  a poopy day.  All we had to bring was some cookies- so easy.

But as I wrapped them in plastic wrap I accidentally pushed the plate off the counter.

I stamped off to cry a minute (not really about cookies) & Rebs, the good guy, came to hug me. Which was nice but then we missed the 2 Second Rule. 

I know, I know that doesn't apply to food you are taking over to someone else's house to eat.

We salvaged some cookies that had landed on other cookies. Rebs grabbed a floorcookie for the road.

I had to ask,  "Was it floorific?"

oh yes

I bought these:

with money my parents sent for my birthday.

I'm wearing them right now.

Poor Rebs.  It's hard to turn to a girl with lust in your eyes & have to say the words, "Let me unzip you from your blanket sleeper."

so many times a day

I want to text Rebby, 

"Love, bring chocolate- STAT!"

But I don't because being married is not the same as having a personal assistant.

And I know that.