MacGyver

Confession: I had to look up the proper spelling of MacGyver, I would have gone with McGiver (but on second thought that looks more like mc-give-er).

For those of you, like me, who maybe never watched the show (if you did, you can skip down to the "real story") here is a brief explanation from the ever trusty Wikipedia:"The story arc of MacGyver follows the intelligent, optimistic, laid-back, resourceful secret agent Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson. He prefers non-violent conflict resolution where possible, and refuses to use a gun." (now that's my kind of guy!) I promise this information will be of use later in this post.

Now on to the "real story." A couple of nights ago we had a "scare" (aka our paranoia reached new levels). We could have sworn someone was trying to break in to our lovely home. So after a sleepless night, I laid in bed and cooked up a scheme to protect the basement door.

I realized that I could block the door by filling up the space between the door and the wall. So I did just that with the boxes of Christmas decorations and school books (the heavy stuff). See?



The next step was to prop a piece of wood against the door and place this bag of old pots and pans below it....our very own "alarm" if you will (Home Alone style...thanks Mel)



Last but not least, I hung a bag of yet-to-be-recycled aluminum cans for added alarm protection.

After completing the job, I trekked back upstairs to kiss my husband goodbye. I told him about my genius rig in the basement and he turned over and said, "Good job MacGyver." And that was that.

So don't mess with me or my house. I've got all sorts of creative traps up my sleeve.

(and by the way, we've had no more "incidents" this week...maybe they heard about my trap??)

Too Much?

The following is a FB chat that I received from my husband:

Get off bookface
Helllloooo?
I'm sending this from the future

Have we been watching too much of this?

I think so. But it's totally worth it and necessary because the final season begins next week...
Now Desmond, or shall I call you Dessy like they do on the island?, quite messing with our heads.

Stay tuned for a more exciting post tomorrow.

An Open Letter to the Drivers of Alabama

Since I am now sporting YOUR license plates, I feel that we need to discuss a few things. I have driven in many a city renowned for their "bad traffic," however, B-ham is by far the worst city in which I have had to drive.

To begin, the road is not the same as the NASCAR track,

this is not a race. What does this really mean? Well, friend, this means that when I am trying to get onto the highway you should either slow down to let me over or move over one lane. You should NOT try to speed up and cut me off so that I cannot get onto the highway, particularly when the entrance lane is ending in only a few short meters. Because you refuse to let me over, traffic jams up.

And to you who actually stops on the entrance ramp to Hwy 31, yeah you with the 2 Alabama flags on your windows and 5 Roll Tide stickers on your bumper, you are going to cause a wreck. Yield is not the same as stop (is there even a yield sign, wait I don't think there is). Don't be stupid.

Please try to use your blinker when you need to change lanes and don't get mad at me for not knowing that you needed over when you don't.

And to all the moms and dads in the large SUVs, please keep your eyes on the road, not on the kids (also, please ditch that silly tiger tail hanging out the back of your trunk).

And one other note, if your truck or SUV is too large for the parking spaces, it shouldn't be on the road.

So to all you AL drivers, take heed (or just take drivers ed, whichever) and to all you out-of-staters beware when you come for a visit.

Oh, and one last thing Alabama, for the love of the environment, can't we get some emission standards around here? I like these:

(you can call me a tree-hugger if you want, actually, I might like that)

Arigato Gozaimasu Tokyo

What...you don't know how to say that? Don't know what that means? Maybe you should travel to Japan.

We did. On our honeymoon. And it was worth every penny.

And so I composed an (acrostic) ode to Tokyo-an inveritable (did I just make that word up?) shout out to all of the things this fantastic city has going for it....or why you should visit.

T- T is for the Toilet seats, all of which are warmed (ok when it wasn't a Turkish toilet that is). In the cold of winter there is nothing better than a warm Tokyo toilet. T is also for the tea...none better.

O- O is for Onsen, the traditional Japanese bath in natural hot springs. Although I only visited once, this was a tradition I could definitely get used to...the water is warm, filled with minerals, and good for the soul. Look for Matt & I to build our own onsen-style bathroom in our future home....

K- K is for Kyoto (ok so I'm cheating by using my ode to Tokyo to name drop another site-worthy city in Japan, but really it's worth it). The old and beautiful city of hidden temples that will blow your mind. period. Oh and K is also for Karaoke-of which the Japanese are masters. There is nothing like having a private room to blast out a little Celine Dion or Justin Timberlake.

Y-Y is for Your Legacy (Tokyo's that is). We loved imaging life in old Tokyo, the Edo period, even as we walked through the sky scrapers and shopping malls. We loved staying in a traditional guest house and definitely recommend the traditional tea. We love your rich history and mystery.

O- O is for the Outrageously bright lights and crazy sights. All you have to do is walk down one of the main strips to see what I mean...or step into a Pachinko parlor. Tokyo is filled with light any where you go...and I loved it! There are also arcades on every corner...we played our fair share of arcade drums and candy cranes (although in Tokyo, the prizes were always better than candy!!)

And so we say, "Arigato gozaimasu Tokyo, thanks for a great honeymoon!"

It didn't fit in my acrostic (unless I wanted to make Tokyo plural) but the soba noodles are very much worth noting. I could eat them every day...especially when served up warm.

5

Ok...I'll do 5.

1. I mean, look at that face. How could she not be #1?






2. Yeah yeah, friends family--it was great to see you all, but a bit surreal--and then you all just LEFT after the reception instead of, you know, hiding in our house until we got back.

3. The reception playlist (well...some of it). Whoever made [half] of that playlist was a genius. No one, NO ONE, would ever think of fading Rod Stewart into Radiohead.

4. Tokyo--being there with Gil was great. I'll speak for myself--I didn't want to leave. Amazing country, amazing people, amazing travel partner.




5. My arthritis is gone--no more cranes.

The Wedding: Gil's Favorite Things

It will be difficult to choose, but here are my top 5 favorite things from our wedding (listed in no particular order):

1. Being surrounded by my beautiful and wonderful friends (H4L) & family

2. Dancing the night away......

with this guy of course :) love you boo.
but also....

with this guy-way to put on your boogie shoes dad!
oh and....

teaching the little girls what Beyonce is all about
(a necessary education for all young girls if you ask me...)

3. The centerpieces (shout out to mom & sis for their help)
who needs flowers at a reception when you can have these:

these handmade peace crane bouquets were perfect

4. The cake topper (which I didn't actually care about until I ran across this one...)

It had a little Maggie Mae smack dab in the middle of us
(since Matt wouldn't let her be the ring bearer...poor pup)

5. The blissful feeling as described by my smile!

I knew I felt it but it sure is fun to look back over the pictures and see that sense of sheer joy come out in pictures

Honorable Mentions (because I can't honestly only choose five things):
1. The flower in my hair-best $5 I ever spent at Claire's (woah flashback...)

2. The umbrella :)

SO glad we made a Target stop for this beauty the two days before the wedding

3. Leaving to YAY! and HOORAY flags

(oh yeah....and being on our way to Tokyo wasn't half bad either)

4. The gorgeous sanctuary-care of Trinity UMC in downtown ATL

All in all it was one fantastic day!

All photos are care of Josh Johnson Photography

A Day Late

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.


We were too busy watching this to post on the blog yesterday. Oops!:


And another thing:
We continue to pray for Haiti. (If we'd been married longer & I were older, I would probably adopt some of those sweet kiddos...)
We are also praying particularly for the families, friends, and colleagues of Rev. Sam Dixon and Rev. Clinton Rabb-we are thankful for their lives of service working for the poor and striving against injustice in the world.

3 Things I Learned Today

1. My wife thinks she's on "Glee": 2 a.m., I awoke to what might have been a mumbling version of "Row Your Boat" or "Pants on the Ground" (not sure) coming out of Katie's mouth. Wasn't awake enough to get the footage.

2. I have set the world record for cursing at a piece of cardboard trying to cut mats for photography prints.

3. It hit me today: Conan got ripped by the most simple-minded "comedian" I've ever seen, but is still having fun with it with another favorite comedian of mine:

Bonus: Gil will hate that I posted all this, but only I have administrative rights to this blog.

Reflections

Picture care of Matt from his trip to Haiti last January

I know I promised silliness and laughter here but it does not seem appropriate with all of the news coming from Haiti. So we will put it on hold for a day at least and turn our thoughts toward the suffering and destruction in Haiti. I encourage you to give whatever you may have. We are giving to the relief efforts through the United Methodist Committee On Relief which can be found here http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760

It is difficult to even begin to imagine the destruction. It is difficult not to ask why. While I don't have the answers, here is what I do know:

I believe in a God who is a good.
A God who is making all things new.
A God who cries and mourns with us.
A God who became flesh and dwells among us still today.

God of mercy, heal the brokeness, wipe the tears, hold tightly to those in mourning, bring your peace, bring your hope. Amen.

(http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/newsroom/releases/archives2010/missingumcorworkers/ we also ask for continued prayer for our partners in ministry)

On becoming an Alabamian, or is it Alabaman?

Yep. That's my Texas ID with two holes in the top, making it invalid. Boo. But it had to be done.

Here is a fun little story to go along with said change:

So I walked into the Department of Public Safety, approached the information "desk" (it was more like a rickety old table that someone pulled out of their garage a few years ago) to figure out where I'm supposed to go now.

He makes sure I have all the proper documents and then carries on casual conversation,

Him: "Wow that's a long way! What brings you from the greatest state in the US of A to this crazy one?" (ok maybe those last ones were my words but you get the point)

Me: "Well I recently got married."

Him: "Oh well are you changing your name?"

Me: "No. I'm keeping mine."

Him: "Oh. Well be sure not to mention that when you go back there because federal law prohibits them from giving you a license in that case."

Me: (in my head, "Say What?? This guy is crazy.")

"That doesn't seem fair. People do this all the time."

Him: "Did you know that Alabama was the only state to follow all federal guidelines for issuing licenses?" (oh good...now what about those schools....oh and the politics or maybe you'd like to talk about how good AL is doing on taxes........)

Me: "Thanks." (telling myself to just walk away)

Then I took my documents to wait in line for a new license.

I can't be bothered to argue with such silliness.

Moral of the story? It's cool to keep your name.

2010

Here we are.

2010.

It's a new year, new decade, and....
we're married!! (finally)

Here's to sharing our life, love, and silliness (and maybe a few stories about the trials joys of being liberals in the south). Cheers!