from out of the reagan administration

Here is an article I saw on Kerri's blog today that I found very thoughtful and interesting.

And this is a quick biography on the woman who wrote it.

poison, winged creatures, creatures of the night, and my cute husband

Okay, so I finally, after some reluctance, jumped on the Twilight bandwagon. When I first heard about it I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in engaging in a silly story about "the cold ones" (read: vampires). But.........everyone was so interested in it I thought it might be one of those books that our entire generation talks about and owns, like Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive album that all of our parents owned.....Do you feel like I feel?

So.....in anticipation of just that, several months ago I found the first 2 books on amazon - paperback, naturally - for a great deal, and I just bought them. What the hey. If I get the urge to actually read them, they'll be there. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago when we were down at Kevin's parents' house for a belated Father's Day dinner that all of that changed. My glorious sister-in-law Natalie is......how shall we say............QUITE into the books. :) She asked me if I had read the books or seen the movie, the answer to which was no on both counts. She lovingly suggested that I might begin reading them before our big family vacation (which will involve approximately 20 hours in the car each way) to the Teton Mountains so she has someone to talk about the books with. I obliged.

I started the books, and initially, my low expectations were justified. The writing style of the author isn't the greatest, and it was somewhat of a turn off. Also, the beginning seemed a bit cheesy to me. But.........it wasn't long before the story sucked me in beyond anything I had EVER expected. Suddenly I couldn't put the book down. About halfway through the first book I was so glad I'd gone ahead and purchased the second because I knew I would be moving seamlessly into that one as well.

I can't even remember the last time I felt this way about reading. When I was in high school, I was a good kid. I didn't rebel, didn't sneak out, etc. The ONE way I most frequently broke the rules was reading past my bedtime. I know, look out, add her to your prayer list folks! I would bring my little desk lamp under my covers - so hot it would get! - and read until 1-2 in the morning on school nights. My desk lamp had one of those on/off devices that you have to twist that's part of the cord. And just in case my parents were to come in and catch me, I would have the on/off switch twisted as far as it would go before turning off, so that with just a quick flick of my fingers it would be off. Yes....I was all about strategy even at a young age.

All that to say, it was really thrilling to feel that way again. There have been more than a couple nights where Kevin wanted to go to bed, so I laid on the the floor with some pillows, and read by the light of my iPhone until my eyes would stay open no more. I am INTO this saga.

So my mom was in town this past weekend for 4th of July, and I finished the first book while she was here. Kevin and I decide to go rent a movie for all of us, and Kevin so lovingly offers up Twilight as a suggestion. He's not so into it, but he knows that my reading of said book has been out of control so he sacrifices his own desires and we rent it. But we compromise, and help him maintain his masculine sensibilities by also renting Quantum of Solace.

So we watch the movie, which, though it naturally couldn't fit all the nuances of the 500 page book into it's 2 hours, but it was much better and much less lame than I was expecting. Kevin even admitted it wasn't bad. So after the movie we're hanging out in the living room watching some tv program that I can't recall, when I happen to look over at Kevin's computer screen.

Here is what I saw:


In case you can't see the detail, let me break it down for you in the order in which I noticed each part.

1. First I noticed in bright red type amid the brightly colored website the title of the page - "Caterpillar and Butterfly Defense Mechanisms" - ADORABLE

2. I noticed what he had searched in the google bar - "poisonous butterflies"

3. Next I noticed the website URL - www.enchantedlearning.com - this is when I lose control and start laughing beyond my capacity to stop, as he looks innocently up from his "research."

4. Now, giving in to my heaving laughter, I notice the cute little pictures of caterpillars and butterflies and what their defense mechanisms really are, such as, hiding, bad smells, poison, etc. - also hilarious and endearing. Bad smells!??! Come on! That's hilarious!

It is at this point that it's clear why I married my husband. He is one of the most adorable people in the world with his incredibly intelligent science mind, and he makes me laugh harder than anyone I've ever met in the whole world.

It took me so long to stop laughing that I forgot to ask him how he went from Twilight and vampires to poisonous butterflies and their defense mechanisms. I want to hug that hilarious train of thought real big!

Kevin Howard RULES!!!

secret confession

I love pepperoni pizza Combos.



They are essentially dog treats, they are gross and I love them. Go on and judge me if you must (Liz Lowrie).

Okay, Grammar Ranger!

I just read this blog article and man did it step all over my grammatically correct toes. The entire content essentially says that judging a person for their incorrect grammar usage (which, in this ever developing e-world we live in where much of our communication is done in writing - facebook, text, twitter, email, IM, etc. - I almost involuntarily judge all the time) is antiquated and an unnecessary hang up.

She says this:

"So a lot of grammar does not clarify meaning, it just serves to show you are good at grammar."

Ouch. Do I really just cling so desperately to my knowledge of grammar out of sheer snobbery? Am I just secretly delighted that I generally use fairly decent grammar, and get irritated that others can't be bothered to know the differences between your and you're or their, there and they're, because come on, how could you not know?

An excerpt...

"What good grammar reveals is what sort of education you had. The more conventional and well-funded your education was, the better your grammar will be. And this is largely how people use grammar—to make snobbish judgments...It’s snobbish because it’s a set of rules that are not actually that useful. Yes, there are some grammar rules that, should you violate them, completely change the meaning of your sentence. However these situations are so rare that they are actually interesting, and even created a bestselling book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves...

Most grammar rules don’t matter, though. That is, if you get them wrong, the reader still can find the meaning. For example, few people know when to use effect and when to use affect. But it doesn’t matter because the first is a noun and the second is a verb so the likelihood you'll mistake the meaning of a sentence because of a grammar error in this case is extremely low...People get hired and fired for getting along with people. Not for knowing when to use lay and when to use lie."

Okay, I get it! I'm a judgmental jerk!! I'll try to stop being a Judgy Judgerson.

p.s. I'm sorry if grammar is a boring subject about which to write, but I'm trying to blog more and Mrs. M tells me that I just have to write something. Anything. Every day. So here it is.

Grammar.

unashamed

I was in the car the other day when Metallica's "Unforgiven" came on the radio. Let's just say I didn't change the station.

happiness

I'm not sure about the intent of this comic, but it struck me as really moving for some reason. Recent family events might be what are prompting me to delving deeper into the philosophical realms of this comic, but I couldn't help but be affected by it.

On one hand, it might be just implying (COMICally) something to the effect of, "Oh happiness is just another checked off box on the scavenger hunt of life?" I don't know.

On the other hand, it made me think of, from the poor cute elderly wife lady's perspective, just how fleeting love/happiness can be in the grand scheme of things. One day it's here, the next it's not. One day a person you care about is here, the next day they aren't. I literally almost started tearing up when I was reading it! Blarg! But it does make me want to go home and hug Kevin for a while.

I have definitely been feeling more emotional the past week or so, so pardon my ridiculous "insight" into this silly comic. I don't really even know why I'm posting this.

FIN.

"memorializing" country nuptials

My dear friend Tammy got married this weekend to her dear beau Adam down in Fredericksburg, TX. More specifically at the Red Barn at Pepper Ranch, and if you haven't been to Frederickburg you should check it out. It's GORGEOUS. It's about an hour and a half west of Austin, and being in beloved Hill Country, I'm sure you can imagine it's glorious magnificence. I may or may not have just wanted to use the phrase "glorious magnificence," but don't let that diminish it's actual grandeur. It was extremely beautiful. I was a little nervous driving down because I haven't been there before, and being primarily a city girl, I only feel half confident navigating the country roads and not second guessing that I missed Loop SH TX 290 South Business CR West East North every mile.

ALSO.....GPS......not so hot in the rural areas, turns out. I'm not complaining because the very idea of GPS and the fact that we can use it successfully probably about 85-90% of the time is a minor miracle. However, when you're driving to the country, are already unfamiliar with the gravely/dirt-y terrain, and your GPS is telling you the location is in the center of a cow pasture where no building can be seen for miles, but there are plenty of no trespassing signs....when the only phone number you have is the bride's and you don't want to trouble her before her wedding...it can be a little frustrating. But hey, I made some new friends:




They were quiet, pensive friends, but friends nonetheless, especially in my time of need. Their silence (and a static riddled phone call back from one of the bridesmaids handling the bride's phone) served as my guide back to the ACTUAL location of the wedding versus the pretend GPS location.

Here are some of my favorite photos I got of the wedding:

















(this one is my favorite):







It was a gorgeous, intimate ceremony, and I am so happy for Tammy & Adam!! And everyone should get married in Fredericksburg. Just make sure you take plenty of pre-recorded talk radio to keep you company on the 4.5 hour drive to and from, particularly if you're driving back that night and not arriving home until 1:30 in the morn. But man my bed sure felt nice.

To the Vanderkolks - Salud! And always remember, when you toast someone, it's polite to make eye contact whilst toasting. (I prefer to make the eye contact as intense and uncomfortable as possible)