a cup o' tea

ugh. i'm thirsty. hungry, too? no, not hungry, just thirsty.

mmmmmm. tea sounds good.

pour water, crack open the micro, slam door, hit 9-0-start. and wait.

i wonder if josh would want tea. eh, he's doing homework. he won't even know i'm having tea. and he can make some when he's done.

UMMMM. HELLO, GIGI! I KNOW IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND ALL, BUT THIS PRINCESS/ME/ME/ME ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU NOWHERE. i cannot believe i rationalized this move in my head. shocked and saddened at the same time, i walked to the office and offered my husband some tea, to which he graciously accepted. "with a tiny bit of sugar, please, honey! oh, and babe? thanks so much!!"

90 seconds later it was HIS tea that was coming out of the microwave, and not mine. i dropped his bag in, added some sugar, popped another water mug in the microwave, hit 9-0-start, and walked his tea over to the office. my hot water came out 90 seconds later. i LOVE mint tea. yummmm :-)

one of the first dates josh took me on was to a favorite pizza joint of his. he ordered for us, and after we each poured our own sodas, he grabbed a straw, unwrapped it, and stuffed it in my soda. WHAT? uhm, okay, i guess i'll unwrap a straw and stick it in YOUR soda....

WOW. this "thinking of the other person first" thing is kind of cool. :-)

when josh and i got married 16 months ago (no i'm not counting, it's simple arithmetic. february plus four equals june, plus two days, and that year thats gone by, and you're at 16 months, or one year and one third. okay, i'm counting...) it was easy and exciting to offer him a cup of tea on a sunday evening. it was a cakewalk to put him first. we were MARRIED, and that's what married people do. i told myself i'd ALWAYS think of josh first.

when i popped MY tea in the microwave, i justified why i didn't need to put josh first.

and that was so not cool.

it's not always easy, and it's not always natural, but as a wife, a lover, a caretaker, i have to continue to think of my husband first. a year after the wedding. ten years after the wedding. 50 years after the wedding. selflessness and consideration--two healthy qualities that help ensure we're not hurting each other. because on a daily basis, the things i do need to HELP my husband, and not HURT or HINDER him. even if it's as simple as making sure he's set with a sunday "prevening" cup of tea. :-)

reaching out.

it's no mystery, but im a fan of the "occassional" (ahem) social media.

some people get it, some people don't. lucky for me, mylack of being passionate for any one thing in particular allows me to not feel the need to constantly explain why facebook, twitter, blogging, google-reading, site surfing, etc. make me feel more connected to this world. there are debates on the pros and cons of social media just about everywhere you look. but can i tell you something? my aunt and i get to keep up on facebook multiple times a day. my cousins and i keep each other updated as to when we'll be in town looking for a visit, and my grandma updates her status with the crazyness of retired life!! not to mention, reunions are planned, big game scores are updated by the minute, and earthquake magnitudes are posted. this stuff is helpful.

obviously this stuff can be distracting, but what about all those people that show up at my office door when i'm trying to develop a budget!?!?!

so i'll leave you with the latest tid bit of helpfulness i've experienced on the wonderful world of facebook. and to the husband--i hope one or all of these helps your head.

I Can't Wait To Get Off Work...

Each day this week, this song has helped get me through the day. It's such a nice feeling to come home to the one I love more than anything.

oh my, layover!

takeaways from my latest attempt to fly...

1) burbank airport, contrary to popular (/my) belief, is NOT the same distance from orange county as long beach airport. idoit points: 3
2) it does not take 3+ hours to get from OC to burbank. it takes 2. idiot points: 1
3) a 7 person flight does not stop the ticketing counter from boarding in zones. idiot points: 0
4) san fransisco in the summer is moody like a teenage girl. one hour, foggy, the next hour, twice as foggy, the next hour, clear. idiot points: 1
5) "redeyes" are not meant to have connections at various airports throughout the night. idiot points: 3
6) in today's economy, not every freezing cold plane has blankets onboard. idiot points: 2
7) 90 minute customer service lines CAN be followed by 60 minute customer service phone calls. idiot points: 1
8) tea does not have as much caffiene as coffee. idiot points: 1
9) there's no one to chat on the phone with at 3:35am. idiot points: 1
10) when a pilot offers to drop you back off at the gate and stay in town, rather than start your trip, there are times when it'd be smarter to take him up on his offer rather than "just see" how things turn out. idiot points: 7 (that's a biggie, i know!)

it was a rough 20 hours, and in the end, i got nowhere. that's right, nowhere. i can't say i didn't learn anything though! in some states, i'd get college credits for the amount of lessons learned in such a short period of time...

PXX2AMFCSJYY

Step Right Up

I have a rather vast and diverse music collection. But there is one particular artist that has more tracks in the collection than any other. I have practically everything he has ever recorded and I can honestly say there isn’t anything I don’t like.

Ever since I purchased my first album by this artist I have been a huge fan of his music. He is probably the only artist I have ever said I HAVE to see in concert one day. I have told Gigi that if he ever comes even somewhat close to where we are, we will do whatever we need to to attend the show. It has become a life goal.

For those who don't already know who I am talking about, allow me to introduce you to Tom Waits. The video below is what sealed my desire to see him in concert.

Recently, one of the Tom Waits fan blogs I follow (I know, I'm awesome a huge nerd), posted a concert he performed in France back in 1980 and I just had to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Couple That Sweats Together, Stays Together

Those that know Gigi and I know that we like to stay active, maintain a practically full calendar at all times, and do what we can to stay in shape. Whether it's climbing, running or walking with June, hiking (on occasion) or just doing something outside, we do what we can to enjoy the outdoors and maintain an active lifestyle.

About 55 days ago I told Gigi that I was thinking of doing P90X (those of you who don't know what that is can go here to see for yourself). Her first reaction was, "I'll do it with you!" That quickly turned into, "Six days a week for 90 days!... and a diet program too! Heck no way!" slowly evolving into, "Okay. I'll do it with you, but only if you do all the research and just tell me what to do."

I quickly took that deal.

I looked through all the material and started talking to Gigi to get her prepped for what we were about to do. The more I read about the program, the more intimidated I became. Six days a week was a huge commitment for two people who love to max our schedules out. But if we wanted to actually get into the shape we had been wanting to it was going to take something a bit more drastic than walking the dog a long distance and going to Bishop every six weeks. So I shoved my intimidation aside, put on my brave face and we jumped in with both feet.

First step, fit test. Boy was that an eye opener. I couldn't reach my toes, could barely do a wall squat for a minute, and was up around 30% body fat!!! What the hell?!? I used to be athletic!!

Next step, Day 1... and a severe ass-kicking from a damned DVD! The first workout I thought I was gonna cry like a little girl and then pass out dead. I knew someone would find Gigi standing over my body laughing and she would go to jail and June would be an orphan. Okay, that maybe a little bit of an exaggeration, but I did think I was gonna pass out. Luckily I was able to take a break and watch Gigi handle things like a champ. I eventually jumped back in just in time to get my ass kicked again by "340 core slash ab exercises" known as Ab Ripper X. By the end of the whole thing I was flipping off the computer and cursing the trainer's name. But I was still committed to it and determined to see the results the program is designed to give.

After a week I was exhausted. God I hope this is working!

After two weeks I was so sore I wasn't sure I could feel anything else but pain. Seriously, all I feel is sore. This had better be working.

After three weeks my body wanted to give up. It is so much easier to be fat and lazy. I think I lost 2 pounds. Seriously?!? I can barely move any more and I've only lost 2 pounds!!!

Week four was a rest week and we sure did need it. We were exhausted and in desperate need of rest. We did our workouts (even while on vacation!) and began to feel a bit better and ready for phase 2. But something happened. We started to look and feel better. Not just a little better, but a lot better. We noticed we were both able to go for a 2 mile run and talk the whole way. That was new. We noticed that even though we were tired, we still had more energy than we did a few weeks prior. Okay sign us up for phase 2.

After the first week we were tired again. Psh... bring it on!

After the second week our bodies were sore. A minor set back. I can't wait for week 3!

Now, here we are ending the third week of phase 2 and we are constantly saying to each other, "Holy crap you look great!!" We can see big results in each other and now we still have enough energy after our workouts to go on a mile or two walk with June each night! Last night we both, for the first time in the workout, were able to keep up with the trainer and do every move of the Ab Ripper X workout!

We are right at halfway through the 90 days we set out to complete seven weeks ago. It's had it's up's and down's but we are having a blast every day. I know that I have totally enjoyed getting into shape, working my ass off and having my wife doing the same thing right by my side. It has been so exciting to watch her push her limits, and be there to motivate her while she is right there doing the same for me.

I love you babe! I'll be home soon to do yoga with you!