Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wanna be my Friend?

“The loneliest woman in the world is the woman without a close woman friend”
-Toni Morrison

It used to be that easy. When I was little, every time I went to the swimming pool, I would come home with a new friend. And the conversation simply began with “Do you want to be my friend?”

Lately I’ve wanted to ask everyone this. The girl behind me in line at the Social Security office, the young mom who is new at church, the bloggers who I read about daily, the girls I overheard in the burrito place.

Through high school I only had one best friend—lots of friends to hang out with at lunch and in class, but really only one that I shared secrets with. And, even by my senior year I had distanced myself from most of them. I still sat with them at lunch, but I had little in common with them. And even though I was the one who left home for school, my best friend was the one who changed and left me behind.

I went off to college 600 miles away, and quickly became friends with three boys from my hometown. I was rooming with two sorority girls who were nice enough (we actually roomed together the next year), but I just simply wasn’t in their crowd—and didn’t really want to be.

I met Rob during the first semester of my freshman year, so my social activities from then on out were wrapped up with him and his friends. His friends became my friends, but still they were boys.

I struggled to find a close girlfriend. Rob encouraged me, my mom encouraged me, but it seemed everybody had already chosen best friends, and I had missed out.

My last year of college brought some relief—I became close to Ashley from my design classes and Hillary, Rob’s roommate’s girlfriend—both were bridesmaids in my wedding, in fact. But, life is having its way with me again. Ashley moved to North Carolina a few months ago, and Hillary is busy finishing school. They are still good friends, but not around quite as much as they used to be.

I need someone to girl talk with, someone to watch chick flicks watch, someone to craft with, someone to go shopping with. So the position is open, wanna be my friend?

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Winter Preparations

“It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily. "So it is." "And freezing." "Is it?" "Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.”
-A. A. Milne

This past weekend we prepared for the Winter Storm of ’08. Note that I used the word “prepared,” not “experienced.”

I flew in from a work trip to Orlando Friday night—we could already feel the mercury dropping. On Saturday morning, we woke to find snow dusting our parking lot. The second snowfall in a week! We planned our errands and invited friends to come over before things got really nasty outside. Driving on the highway was surprisingly easy—everyone was driving the speed limit and limiting their crazy maneuvers.

Mike was in town from Ohio—thanks a lot for bringing the super cold weather our way!! So he and Hillary came over to cozy up with us through the night. After a quick trip to the grocery store to get supplies for the evening, we closed the door, planning not to emerge until it all cleared late the next morning. News reports showed snow plows gearing up for a busy night, and even churches all over the metro area had cancelled their services for the next morning.

We played games, watched movies, ate yummy chili, drank a lot of beer, and even lit our first fire in the fireplace. A good time was had by all! We snuggled in our beds, and woke up the next morning to find the sun out, snow melting, and no sign of any ice storm at all.


Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Babies in our Future

“Now the thing about having a baby - and I can't be the first person to have noticed this - is that thereafter you have it.”
-Jean Kerr

So Rob and I bought our first pregnancy test this weekend—don’t worry, Mom, I’ll spoil the ending: we didn’t use it before we found out we weren’t pregnant.

Rob woke up Saturday morning at 6:00 to hear me throwing up in the bathroom. I was sick all morning. One month earlier, he had found me in a similar position. The boy’s a worrywart, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was pregnant. That’s always my first thought, too, but I quickly dismiss it, knowing that we are doing everything we can to postpone the expansion of our family. However, he jumped in the car to buy a test. We’re pretty green in this area, and after reading the box, realized that four days before my period, we would only get a 51% accuracy rate. The engineer in Rob didn’t like those odds, so we decided to wait it out.

(I found out later that the Saturday morning grocery trip also resulted in an extra-large chocolate bar, just in case we got back a positive test. That boy, he thinks of everything!)

And wait it out, we did. To our great joy, we will not be sending out birth announcements in late September of this year!

However, children are in our future, just not the immediate future. Rob’s idea is that we have twin boys and then a girl. As twins don’t run in either of our families, I’m not promising him that one. But, two boys and a girl, I could definitely run with that one. Just not now! Let’s wait a few years!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Full Speed Ahead!

“There was never a good war or a bad peace."
-Benjamin Franklin


Just so you know, the storm has passed in the our household. All is good. We even came up with a solution to the original disagreement. We totally rock!! We're back to our usual happy-go-lucky selves. And just in time for the weekend!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Marital Bliss, my Ass

“That married couples can live together day after day is a miracle that the Vatican has overlooked”
-Bill Cosby


There has been a bit of discord in my house the last couple of days. So much so that neither Rob nor I are too keen about being there. Fortun
ately, it’s been super busy at both of our offices, so hanging out at home is not really a necessity. Unfortunately, that means that we can keep putting off the resolving of our differences.

However, I can’t stand to live like that for very long. I’m the type who gets really upset when I get frustrated, blows up at him, sulks (and cries) a bit, and then by the time for bed, I’m ready to cuddle and move on. Pretty much regardless of the issue.

Rob, on the other hand, plays all cool when I’m blowing up. And then as soon as I get fed up and storm off, he realizes that he’s mad, too. He is so stubborn and can give me the silent treatment for days. And we live in the same apartment!!

I always wonder if he feels as discombobulated as I do. I can’t sleep at night, watching every time the light in the hallway goes on or off. Every time I hear him walking around, I hope that he’s coming to apologize. Plus this has been a really tough week at work—all I really want to do is come home and relax with my husband.

During these stressful times, I struggle: should I continue to do the chores and other things that I normally do for both of us? Or should I just leave him out to dry? Last night I chose to do the laundry and fold our clothes, but decided that he could deal with the dirty dishes that are piling up in the sink. For heaven’s sake, that’s his job anyway.

If I close my eyes tight enough, maybe I’ll wake up and it will be all over.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Loving them In-Laws

If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
-Author Unknown

This holiday season Rob and I have gained a lot of insight about each other’s families. Although we dated for right at five years before our wedding and had met each other’s families on numerous occasions, there is a new sense of appreciation. We always say that our families look a lot alike on paper, but in reality, they couldn’t be more different. Let’s just say, there has always been a lot of anxiety about getting together.

That’s when I really miss my dad and grandmother. Each of their fun-loving, easy-going, patient spirits would have made the transition to “son-in-law” so much easier for Rob and my whole family.

However, both our visit to Florida for Thanksgiving and our trip to Louisiana for Christmas were extremely enjoyable. It seemed that we achieved the right amount of balance between family time and couple time, and approached most things from a united front. Plus, I think our parents gave us more respect than in the past.

Another note about in-laws… Rob’s grandfather stopped through Atlanta the other day on his way down to Florida. I have met him several times, but for the first time I got the chance to sit down with him one on one. Grandpa arrived at our apartment while Rob was still dodging traffic on his commute home. I just really enjoyed our conversation. Rob always tells stories about how strict and demanding Grandpa is, how he and his sister would drop everything to do what he told them to do. But the other night, I got to experience a totally different side of his personality. We chatted about cars, jobs, Rob’s and my wedding, our families, and our dreams. I see a lot of Rob in him: the quick temper and the feistiness, yet also the thoughtfulness and the determination.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

How I Spent 2007

"Each year is a new year."
-Tim Buckley
Rang in the New Year with Rob in Savannah at the Davis’… Observed surgical procedures in the OR in Mobile … Flew to Chapel Hill with Mom to attend Callie’s solo recital … Sold my Sentra and became an SUV driver … Said “yes” when Rob asked me to marry him … Tutored Camille and Daniel in math and science … Day trip to Chicago for the National Housewares Show … Engagement photos with Parker in the mountains of North Georgia … Girl trip to Chapel Hill to try on wedding dresses … Rob and I moved into our first apartment together … Started leading Monday night Bible Study … Rob graduated from Georgia Tech … Designed first website for a client … Premarital counseling with Pastor Lisa … Celebrate Poppy’s 80th birthday in Shreveport … Played handbells at Oakhurst Baptist Church … Stayed with Camille and Daniel while their parents went out of town … Ate Mexican at Nuevo Laredo for my 23rd birthday … Watched fireworks at Lenox Mall for the Fourth of July … Trip to Effingham to see Rob’s family … Drove to Shreveport for my Bridal Shower thrown by the ladies at Noel … Cheered on the Braves with Callie and Jordan on their way the NC … Day of pampering before having my bridal portraits taken … Bridal Shower thrown in my honor by the ladies of Epworth … Last minute wedding preparations with my mom … Bridesmaids’ Luncheon at Scrap Chic Boutique … Rehearsal dinner overlooking the GT stadium catered by Qdoba … Bachelorette party thrown in my honor by my bridesmaids … Rob and I were married on October 6, 2007 … Spent a luxurious wedding night at the Georgian Terrace Hotel … First three weeks of marriage were spent apart: Rob in Spartanburg, Jana in Atlanta … Trip to the pumpkin patch … Exchanged wedding gifts and spent our gift cards … Headed up the Operation Christmas Child drive at the church … Drove to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Rob’s family … All-night Black Friday adventure landed us two cheap GPS units and other good deals on Christmas presents … Callie and Jordan got engaged … Shopped all of the malls in Atlanta to finish up our Christmas shopping … Drove to Shreveport to spend Christmas with the Jamars … Spent one night in our apartment before heading to Blowing Rock, NC for our honeymoon … Conquered the slopes at Appalachian Ski Mountain … Rang in the New Year watching the Ice Parade and fireworks at the ski lodge

Can't wait for what's ahead in 2008!

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