Family Update

Well, I've kept you up to date on what Joy & her crew have been up to, how about an update on SissieFace?

Thursday, Feb. 12, was National Freedom to Marry Day. Kimmie & Rose took part in a demonstration at the county clerk's office. They said their vows again (on Texas turf rather than Canadian soil)! They kissed again! They exchanged rings again! The only difference between this wedding and the one this summer?

This time, they were DENIED the legal right to be married. News story (with video) here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/local_state/index.html?nvid=331691&shu=1

The upside of the whole deal? She's the only girl I know who got to actually wear her wedding dress TWICE!

Pray, pray pray!

Some of you have been kept "in the loop," and a few of you will be totally blindsided by this post, but I feel the need to write it anyway.

My sister Joy has three daughters - the twins are 3, Rebecca is 1. Reagan was diagnosed with hyperlexia (which is on the autism spectrum) and is also being treated for a seizure disorder. Riley is her "protective" older sister (by, like, a minute!) and has the kindest heart you'll ever know. It's tough to explain - you just have to be around Riley and "feel" the way she is. She's an angel, here on earth!

Baby Becca has recently been having some major health complications, and that has led to a dianosis of "something" in the family of mitochondrial diseases. Mito disease is a relatively new field of study, and more is being done to know about it every day. It classifies a family of illnesses that affect the mitochondria (which is the "powerhouse" of the cell). In some way, shape or form, it is 100% hereditary, so if Baby Becca is properly diagnosed, it could explain a lot about the genetic factors leading to Reagan's complications as well.

The long and the short of it is. . . Joy and her family need your prayers. They are SUCH strong people with an amazing faith that blows me away on a daily basis. They are most appreicative of any positive, uplifting thoughts that can be sent their way. So, if you send your prayers to God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, the Universe, Father Sun, or anywhere else, please send some up for the Roeh Family.

If you have a prayer list at your church, please add them to it. Their specific prayer requests (which change often) are available on their blog:

roehfamily.blogspot.com

You can also find some great pictures of the girls and some wonderful stories as well as medical updates.

Thanks for your time, and your thoughtfulness. Love!

Dirty Thirties?

I'd like to meet the person who coined that phrase. . . because for me, the opposite appears to be true! As I enter my third decade of life, I seem to have become quite the cleaning fanatic!

I celebrated my big 3-0 in December. New Year's Eve was spent cleaning this house top to bottom - literally. It took me a 12-foot ladder and just shy of four hours, and that's just for the dusting! (light fixtures, fan blades, clearing cobwebs, etc). It was an all-day project, and I definitely felt great about it.

I did it again tonight. It didn't take NEARLY as long this time because it's still so clean from last time. I kind of like having a clean house, to be honest with you. Truth be told, DZ and I have spent so much time "on the go" in the past couple of years that the only time I deep cleaned was when we had company coming. . . for their first visit (sometimes for their second, but usually folks only get a single glimpse of the shiny floor, and after that. . . welcome to the dust bowl!). Put it this way. . . we haven't had any first-timers over here in a loooong time!

I used to clean my house. . . I promise. In fact, as a child the standing rule was that nobody was allowed to have any fun on Saturday morning till the whole house "shined like the top of the Chrysler building." Of course, baseboards and ceiling fan blades were reserved for when we needed to think about what we'd done (my own phrase, not Mom's), but the typical dust-sweep-mop-vacuum routine was, in fact, routine in the Davis household.

My freshman year of college, we actually had housekeeping inspections twice a week! Lucky for me, my roommate cleaned our room ALL. THE. TIME. Unfortunately, she also turned off my alarm clock ALL. THE. TIME. so I missed a lot of morning classes! She was such a light sleeper, and me? DEEP. So deep, in fact, that I slept through the night my neighbor's house burned - and there was a fire truck right outside my bedroom window.

I always lucked out in college with clean roommates, so it was easy to maintain some sense of cleanliness. In fact, it spilled over for many years until, one day, I just got tired of cleaning. So I quit. Not all together, mind you. I just went from weekly cleaning, to monthly, to quarterly. . . and then, after that? Semi-annual is the most generous description for my deep cleaning days.

Lucky for me (I'm quite lucky, aren't I?), DZ is VERY tidy. . . and by VERY, I mean "organizes his closet by shirt type, color and sleeve length" tidy. And he's not just a "closet" tidier, either. He's a whole-house-from-the-bookshelves-to-the-kitchen-cabinets-and-everything-in-between tidier. I love it because it brings a sense of order to our home. . . but order doesn't keep the dust away! Granted, he spent the first year we were together picking up after me, and never once did he complain. So, you can imagine how offended he was when he witnessed my first "deep cleaning" session and the first thing I said was, "I don't see HOW we can live in all this FILTH!" He was like, "Hey, crazy lady! I bust my hump every day to keep this house clean and pick up after you, so don't talk to me about FILTH!"

It was a turning point for both of us. I never noticed how much time he spent cleaning up after me - shoes from all over the house ended up in my closet, piles of clothes all over his side of the bed were folded on my dresser when I went looking for them, paperwork always found its home without my help. Likewise, he had never seen me in "deep cleaning" mode (I'm pretty sure I had my headlamp on while I was cleaning the shower so I could inspect the grout for cleanliness!) and didn't know what filth I was talking about when I said that. These days, I TRY (and sometimes fail, but still always try) to be better about picking up after myself.

And DZ?

Well, he's very encouraging when deep cleaning day comes along. He loves to see the "before" and "after," and he's wise enough to stay away for the "during" part of it.

Brrrrrr. . .

The cold front is here! I love it, I love it, I love it! As I was helping DZ bring his laundry in this evening, I commented that this is the one time of year that I wish our washer and dryer were inside our house instead of in a shed in the back yard. (For those of you who haven't been here, our house was built in the 1940s - long before the luxurious laundry rooms in more modern homes.) He said, "Are you kidding? This is perfect weather - why now, instead of when it's 100 degrees out here?" So, I took him on a little trip down memory lane. And now, you're invited to join me there as well. . .

When we were little kids, Dad worked away from home A LOT, so he wasn't home too often for the day-to-day stuff like bathtime, mealtime, bedtime, etc. So, when he was home, it was a BIG DEAL for all of us. I remember when I was a little kid and he was home during a cold front. Mom had us in the tub, and Dad took three towels to the dryer and let them bounce around in the hot air while we splashed and played in the tub. Then, just when it was time to get out, he got the three towels and let us wrap up in them to stay warm. I felt like a Paris Princess that night, and I think of that every time I pull hot clothes out of the dryer on a cold night. Of course, scruffy beards also make me think of my dad in the winter time - and how he used to "sandpaper" us when we piled up in bed with them when Dad was home.

Of course, my good memories of Mom during cold weather are in much greater supply and don't involve facial hair, since she was the one doing all the bathing, and feeding, and bedtiming. In fact, as I sit here and type this I am wearing her comfy green "Color Me Cotton" housedress that she used to wear when it was cold! I remember getting to eat lots and lots of biscuits with Grandma's Molasses on 'em, as well as "chicken enchiladas" (King Ranch Casserole) and enough Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal to sustain a small army! "Eat this warm stuff," she would say. "It will stick to your ribs and keep you going until lunch!" She was right, as usual.

Of course, we grew up in Kingsville, so it wasn't exactly COLD too often. I remember going swimming on my birthday one year (in December)! Of course, it wasn't always so balmy. I also remember when we had a cold snap that froze our orange grove. . . that was no good!

If you're still reading, thanks for taking that little trip down memory lane with me. Not sure why I'm so nostalgic tonight - maybe it's because we were looking at DZ's baby pictures! Here's a photo send-off, to borrow Brittany's trademark conclusion. I think it explains a lot, don't you?

Happy Day, Daddy!

Today is my dad's birthday. He's going to be in Dallas with the rest of the family. I've been feeling very guilty for not being there. So many reasons (all of them viable), so little relief of guilt. Until, Monday afternoon, I found out SissieFace also won't be there. Ah-ha! I'm not the worst daughter in the world anymore (not alone with my crown, anyway). Then I was reminded by someone else that I did sneak off and get married in a white dress without my family there (apparently if you're not in white, it's ok!), so I am still the worst daughter in the world!

All I can say to that is, touche'. Come see me in Spacewood some time, Daddy. I'll make you a home-made key lime pie and we'll forget all about that time I didn't make it for your birthday!

Photo send-off. . . to follow my dear friend's tradition:

Where am I?

I am at home. I am alone. I am bored.

I should be studying, or walking, or putting away laundry, but I'm not. Instead I'm on the computer. What's up with that? I think a lot of people wonder how bloggers every find the time to do what they do. I am one of those people as well, actually! I have SOOOO much stuff in my life that is fun, funny, good and worthy of a blog post, but I just never seem to have time to sit down and put it all on the screen. I guess I've been too busy livin' to keep people up-to-date about my life! I think that's a good problem to have, though. . . don't you?

My sister Joy has started a blog as well. If anybody in this world doesn't have time to blog, it would be Joy. She has three kids - twin 3-year-olds and a 1-year-old. They are all very special, and two of them also have special needs that require extra time and care. She also has a husband who travels, just started her own business and deals with her own medical issues the likes of which "Gray's Anatomy" has never seen. How does she do it? Read her blog and you'll see that it's her faith in God and her commitment to love that gets her through. She's an inspiration, for sure, and (without even trying to be) she's a witness to God's great love.

Oh, Canada!

DZ and I traveled to Canada for my sister's wedding. It was GLORIOUS! It was also my first international travel (border towns in Mexico don't really count when you grew up in South Texas) and our first time to fly together. And I must say, we travel very well together. In spite of the hours-long lines to get through customs on our way home, we managed to stay cheerful and friendly toward each other and those around us. . . it's that "those around us" part that got us home on our scheduled flight.

DZ smiled at one of the TSA ladies and she asked where we were headed. He told her we were trying to get to Houston, and she knew that our flight was on final boarding call. So she swooped us away to the other side of the line, sent us under the "do not cross" barrier and got us on the plane as they were about to depart. Thankful, as always, for the kindness of strangers. Keep this in mind if you ever have the opportunity to make someone's day by being nice to them when you don't have to, ok?!

Everything about this trip (with the exception of booking flights) was done by the seat of our pants. We left Austin and flew into the outskirts of Hurricane Dolly, and we left Houston with Dolly in our rain-covered rearview mirror (do planes have rearview mirrors?). OK, that's a lame excuse! Truth is, DZ and I have been very busy with other things (trips, nesting, being newlyweds) and didn't exactly think about this trip till it was upon us. Then, the Dolly Factor played in and prevented us from booking rooms, cars, campsites, etc, until we knew where we'd be and when. That having been said, everything went as smoothly as if we'd spent thousands on a travel coordinator. We both travel with the thought that "we'll either make it on time or we won't" and it helps us stay relaxed and go with the flow.

OK, enough boring "how we got there" stories. . . how about some pictures from our trip? Here we go. . .


Ferry ride was magnificent. I'm used to the ferries that shuttles us from mainland to the barrier islands of the Gulf Coast - a 20 minute ride in your car. Instead, these are the true, "get out and go upstairs and spend money" ferries. We discovered that the coffee was hot, refills were free, everybody in Canada plays cards, and the best views were from the cargo hold below. We could really experience the speed of the vessel from that close to the water, and we were pretty much alone down there. Good times, great views!


Because we didn't plan this trip AT ALL before we left, and because our initial travel plans were based on making it to SissieFace's wedding, we flew into Vancouver and then drove all the way across Vancouver Island. More on Tofino in a minute, but here are some shots of what we saw along the way:


Cathedral Grove, a stand of cedar trees (the real ones, not the "hill country" variety) that are centuries old and a million feet tall (or something like that).



Most of the scenery was like this. Some of the water was from lakes and some was from these LONG inlets all over the island. This was a lake (I think).



Random snow-capped mountain that I saw from a gas station. By the way, gas was about $6 a gallon on the island.



I see an Airstream in my future. Seriously, how fun would it be to haul a tin-can across the nation and sleep in it at night?! I am not joking - definitely going to look into this when we're too old and tender to sleep on the rocks.



Now, on to Tofino, where we decided we will DEFINITELY return! It was gorgeous, the weather was great, and the people were so friendly. We were a little nervous when we first set up camp - about 2 feet from tents in either direction. I'm used to camping in Texas where the people are usually so loud and obnoxious that you're inspired to load it all up in your backpack and find a quiet place at the back of the park! Hehe, that's not the only reason we backpack, but considering that is what we're used to, I was a bit nervous about our digs, which you can see here, but it turned out that everybody was very respectful of personal space and noise levels. And with the beach in our backyard, we fell asleep and woke up to the sound of the crashing waves.











We enjoyed most of our meals outdoors in "unique" locations such as this little outcropping of rocks that became an island as the tide rolled in. Back to the whole "kindness of strangers" thing, we were able to get a picture of the two of us together besides our usual "faces only, one person's arm outstretched, no background" shots!

Tons of pretty pictures, not many funny stories, just a great, relaxing trip that we both needed. I'll leave you with a few pictures. . . as if you haven't seen enough already!

The road to Radar Hill.

Clouds lifting in the morning over Tofino.

Wildflowers in bloom!

Even with the storm rolling in, the view was amazing.


DZ and I watched the tide roll in over these rocks for a long time. Probably one of the most spectacular things we saw on the trip - it was AWESOME! Before the tide started to come in, these looked like little mountains of rock. By the time we left, they were completely under the water. It's no wonder so many shipwrecks took place along this shore, with this stuff all over the place submerged at high tide.

Children of the Corn

Let's face it - kids are messy. So, when my nieces came to visit this past weekend, I wasn't really surprised when my house got turned upside down (including an entire family-sized bag of Cheetos on the living room floor!). The destruction of several small (insignificant) Christmas decorations they had found didn't faze me at all. I didn't even bat an eye when DZ and I discovered a blanket that had been peed on and stashed away (must have been from the excitement - they're both potty trained).

What did surprise me, however, was when we turned back the covers to go to bed that night, we discovered CORN in our sheets. Popcorn, kernels from corn on the cob, corn chips - basically every kind of corn we had consumed that weekend, along with a tiny ketchup stain (ironically, made from high fructose corn syrup - more corn!) in the corner. How did this happen!?!?!?!

Now, big messes and little children aside, I must say that we had a great weekend. DZ's family (everybody but his dad) came in for the weekend, and we laughed, played, splashed, ate, laughed some more and just had a grand ol' time. The little ones had never been swimming in a lake before, and they were amazed that we would actually allow them to swim in "fish water." I think everybody had a good time, and now that they know the way, maybe they'll come back and visit some time soon!

PS - DZ's mom finally knows we're married, by the way!

Foxy Baby

So, DZ and I were on a real good running schedule - usually, we'd start our jog together, then I'd break off and walk a bit and we'd end up at the lake right about the same time (I'm a REALLY fast walker, so my pace is on par with him when he's going slow). It's great, and I loved getting to spend time with him in the evenings.

Then, gas went up to almost $4 a gallon, and we started carpooling every day instead of just when it was convenient. Now, we get to spend 45 minutes together in the car on the way home. So, when we get home, we gear up for a run and head out the door in opposite directions for a little "alone time" that we used to get in the car. Our neighbors think it's funny to see us apart now, and I've had to assure a few of them that we're still the happy newlyweds!

Speaking of neighbors, we met one of our neighbors this week. . . and he has a brewery in his house! Now, we're not talking about the info-mercial, boil it in the bathtub and leave it in a white bucket kind of brewery - we're talking totally legit, full-fledged, this guy really knows what he's doing. . . and does a good job. It also helps that he's really easy to talk to and his wife is super-cool. I think we may have found some friends close to home.

Speaking of home, look who was in our side-yard the other night. . .

that little rascal came up to eat our rib bone scraps that DZ tossed out there that evening. Truly, after last weekend, I don't care if I never eat meat or drink beer again! We had a great time with DZ's dad in town, but my body needs some time off!

Married.

I did it! I married that man. DZ and I were lawfully wedded on Friday, February 29, at the Four Seasons Hotel on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. It was beautiful. It was private. It was perfect!

You can tell how serious we were about the whole thing. . .

Actually, it was a beautiful ceremony. DZ and I decided we wanted it to be just the two of us, but we wanted our best friends to be our witnesses. Well, as it turns out (and we didn't find this out till after we invited them to be in the wedding) you don't need witnesses in Texas. Still, I'm glad Lu was there. Our friend from Budapest called out of the blue that Tuesday before the wedding to tell us he would be in town, so we asked him to stand in as well. It was great to have our friends there.

Now, my family is another story all-together. We didn't tell our families until after we were married. My dad was a bit upset, but he took it like a champ. My mom, when I first told her, was super-excited (she really likes this guy I married!) but as she had time to think about it, she became more upset. She says it's because I had Lu there and not her, but I think she would have been upset no matter what. Well, we had decided a while back that this was how we wanted to do our wedding, so while I can completely see how and why she would be upset, I also am not sorry I did it this way. I didn't do it this way to intentionally hurt Mom's feelings. I did it this way because it's how I wanted my day to be.

Besides, things have calmed down since then, and it's just a matter of time until something else comes along for folks to be upset about. . . I just hope it's not me! Hehe. No seriously, my folks are coming up to visit us this evening. We're going to sit and show off the pictures and go out to dinner. Here's the surprise they don't know. . . we saved the top of our cake to share with them! I hope they like it.

Gotta go enjoy being married for a while. . . peace out!