Five Years!

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On Friday, January 4, Jenny and I will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Forgive the cliche, but it’s hard to believe it’s been five years already. Time flies when you’re married to your best friend. To celebrate the day, we’re staying at the Gaylord Texan, which is still decorated with over a million lights, a 40-foot Christmas tree, and a great exhibit called ICE that’s made of, well, very large amounts of ice. Guess I need to talk to Mom about dogsitting…=)

We were 24 and 26 when we got married. I worked in Technology at SWA, Jenny as an admin at Camden. We lived in a great apartment in Euless overlooking a beautiful park. I drove my beloved Dodge Avenger from high school, Jenny a Hyundai Accent named Joey. I’d just received my dispatcher’s certificate. Jenny was finishing up her degree at Dallas Baptist. We had some goals and expectations about where we would be a few years later, but we had no way to know exactly where we would be at the five-year mark. Since then we’ve come a long way, over smooth stretches of road and bumpy. I’m so grateful to be on this wild journey with her.

Baby Box, one of the goals of the journey, is growing nicely. We met our new OB on Wednesday, so check BB’s page for the latest news.

IM IN UR FAVRITS, WASTIN UR TIME

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Although I’m definitely not a cat person, there is one cat-related website that I want to share: icanhascheezburger.com, a bust-a-gut funny collection of pictures of (mostly) cats with amusing captions written in a garbled, misspelled version of English known as lolspeak or kitty pidgin. Simply exploring the site is probably the best way to understand it, but the Wikipedia article might also be helpful. People have also translated Genesis 1 and most of the Bible into various forms of lolspeak for your amusement. At first the language takes some processing, but like any other languages, it gets easier over time. Lolspeak draws from textspeak (the language of cell phone texting), leet (an Internet language used by online gamers, chatters, and programmers), Ebonics, and other sources. On icanhascheezburger.com, users submit pictures and captions for consideration, and the webmasters post about a dozen of the best each day. Enjoy!

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Coming Soon: A New Chief

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Most of you know that I both hate politics and find it interesting. (I’m complicated) I hate political parties, blind devotion to political parties, and politicians as a group. But there are certain issues that I do care about, and I choose to believe that motivated politicians have the power to address some of the problems we face as a nation. Since the war in Iraq makes my blood boil, I look forward eagerly to January 2009, when a new president will take office and (I hope) start ending the war and making wiser use of our troops, equipment, and tax dollars. Since he was one of the only people in Congress to actually vote AGAINST starting the war in the first place, I currently support Illinois Senator Barack Obama. I like many of his ideas on issues that matter to me such as health care, poverty, energy, the environment, foreign relations, and immigration. Despite rumors to the contrary, he is also a devoted Christian and has been since years before he entered politics. Check out his website to learn more.

Christmas Happenings and Handel’s Messiah

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So far we’ve had the privilege of celebrating Christmas with two parts of my family. On Saturday we went down to Midlothian to see Jenny’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law. We mixed it up with a Mexican Christmas. Well, I suppose only the food was Mexican, because we were still white as snow, and Jim’s attempt at praying in Spanish didn’t quite work. The food was great, though – enchiladas, tamales, homemade salsa, rice and beans, and Jenny’s sopapilla cheesecake. Sunday we had Christmas lunch with my dad’s side of the family. My cousins Jeff and Lisa just welcomed a new daughter, so we stopped to see them beforehand. After lunch we did a Chinese gift exchange (why is it called Chinese, anyway?) and played 80s Trivial Pursuit and family favorite Taboo. FYI, never play Taboo against Lisa. We plan to spend Christmas Eve at church and having dinner with friends and then Christmas Day with my parents, sis, bro-in-law, and mom’s parents.

Right now my car’s CD player is pumping the London Philharmonic’s magnificent recording of Handel’s Messiah. Many of you know my enthusiasm for and history with “Hallelujah,” its most famous song. But the entire 2+ hour work is a true masterpiece and a great soundtrack for this Christmas season. It tells the story of the predictions of Jesus, the state of man, Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection, and finally the glory of his eternal reign. Although often sung at Christmastime, “Hallelujah” is actually in the resurrection/eternal reign section. Messiah requires an orchestra, a large four-part choir, and four strong soloists, generally soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. I saw one performance that replaced the tenor with a countertenor (higher than a regular tenor), which actually worked quite well. The songs are not easy to sing and require great agility, range, and control. I’ve been trying to sing along in the car, which just made me appreciate the soloists’ skill even more.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

On Treating Yourself Well

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Right before December finals at Baylor, one of my favorite English professors (Dr. Wendy Allman, in case you know her) gave us a handout called Treats for the Soul, or something to that effect. Well acquainted with how stressful and busy life can be during finals time, she wanted to remind us of the value of being nice to yourself in small, realistic ways – indulgences, if you will. Suggestions included reading a poem just for fun, a special cup or tea or coffee, and taking a walk with a loved one. The point was to do something impractical simply because it made you happy. A treat for the soul strikes back at the stressors around us, reasserts control of our lives for a time, and helps keep us sane.

I got to apply this principle yesterday morning. I’d stopped at Einstein Brothers after work to pick up bagels for the staff at our apartment community. While there, I noticed that they were still selling candy-cane shaped bagels made from red and white pieces of twisted dough. I decided it was time to be nice to myself and bought two, one for myself and one for my wife, still hot from the oven. I also bought a pound of their wonderful vanilla hazelnut coffee. I’m normally on the practical side, especially in terms of spending money, but it felt good to do something nice for myself in the midst of a busy season.

Tell me, loyal readers, how do you like to treat yourself? A massage? A night away? A glass of wine and a hot bath? Curling up with a good book before bed? Post a comment so we can share ideas.

First Sonogram – BB is Real!

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We had our first sonogram today. Despite all the positive tests and changes in Jenny, it still didn’t seem totally real before today, almost like a very long dream that would end any minute once the alarm clock went off. But now we have visual confirmation that BB does indeed exist and is growing. I was surprised at how strong the heartbeat was. There appears to be only one baby. I was halfway hoping for twins since they’re more efficient, but having just one is less risky. =) Check the BB page for a scan of the sonogram.