Year Two - October 23, 2011

Year two of our marriage was the funniest one yet,
There were moments plain silly that were hard to forget.
This year we welcomed Hammy our funny little man,
This year you bought Equate, Sam's Choice and store brands.

This year we ate yellow squash and spaghetti squash too,
We thought we were healthy if that's all we'd do,
We planted lots of plants, they died pretty quick,
Now we have a great garden with bunchs of sticks.

And this year it wasn't me who fell off of the bike,
After you screamed in the air that you loved married life,
No it was you as you passed that camera crew and the bride,
As they took her protraits on the levee outside.

More B movies we watched and I guess I'll admit,
That I might have liked them just a tiny little bit.
If you really must know I guess I realized,
They weren't that bad if I just closed my eyes,


There was the one with the man in a cliff his arm stuck.
And the cave divers in the cave when a hurricane struck.
And the people whose boat sank in the shark filled ocean,
The shark ate them up because they caused a commotion.


Every day we'd take a break and to relax you just knew
That I'd like watching eric forman and that seventies crew,
We watched every episode, one everyday
Until now we're almost finished and it's a sad thing to say.


And travel you did to India and back,
You ate lots of vegetables but the meat they did lack,
And the three of us skyped and we talked a whole lot,
They liked you so much there that you got a head dot.

And this year we had a sidekick who kept us up late,
and we learned how to hurtle over baby gates,
We learned to drink cold coffee, to eat with one hand,
And we jammed to baby music like a rock and roll band.


This year was kind of messy, sleepless, and crazy,
But I'm glad for it, really, and our goofy, fun baby.
I'm happy for year two with a man like you,
Because without you to laugh with, than what would I do?

Year One - Click Here

Dear Jason.....

Dear Jason,

Our first wedding year has really flown by,

And I thought I would give you a few reasons why,

I’m happy I married you in the first place,

And it’s not because of your B movie shows set in Outer Space,

It’s not your cold feet on my skin that I like,

Or that lie you concocted about my custom-made bike,

Oh, It’s definitely not… your Gears of War game,

And it’s not your new snoring habit that’s especially lame,

It won’t be your steel toe boots that are left on the floor,

Or my feet that have hit them and are really quite sore,

I know for a fact that it’s most definitely not,

That framed piece in your man room of the fisherman's knot,

It’s not Futurama and it's not Family Guy,

Or your pricey store items that you just have to buy,

It’s not the garbage bag that you forget to put back,

Or the days that you decide to be hypochondriac,

So why am I happy? Are you wondering why?

Because despite all these things you're an A+ guy,

There are so many reasons to be happy with you,

So just sit back, relax and I’ll tell you a few.

It’s the days you make breakfast and chocolate milk,

It’s our brief obsession with Soy Milk Silk,

Our Sunday trips to the Common Grounds, are always quite nice,

And how a dinner side at our house is sometimes plain rice,

I like how you love to drink up some tea,

How you shred all the junk mail in the house just for me,

You stuck around before I knew how to cook,

And you prepare my fishing pole with a worm and a hook.

In fact, it’s all of the fishing poles for me that you bought,

It’s pats on the back you give Murphy for lizards she caught.

It’s that surprise trip to Italy for our honeymoon,

Because you were worried I never go if we didn’t go soon.

It’s how happy you got when we planted our plants,

It’s your dedication to getting rid of our problem with ants.

It’s our bike trips, pre-baby, that I loved a whole lot,

Even though my petal broke, and I crashed to a stop.

It’s how you stopped to feed a cat on our Destin trip,

And then into the Bayou you almost took a pretty big dip,

It’s those Jack Johnson songs to Henry to get him to dance,

It’s how you cringe on the inside when I say  “finance”.

It’s the imaginary instruments that come out with a band,

It’s how you navigate a city with no set plan,

It’s our sazeracs, we loved, and that we used to consume,

It’s how you graciously gave up your beloved man room,

There are reasons too numerous to count on my hand,

Because the truth of the matter  is… I’m always your fan,

I love how happy you are about Henry, our Lentil Bean,

It’s how you call our cat, Murphy, M.J, and Murphine,

So how has this year been so far for me,

More exciting and wonderful that I could ever foresee,

Last year on this day, I said that I do,

I’m so glad that my best friend and my husband is you.

Love,

Carrie

Happy Wedding Cake!.......I mean......Happy Anniversary!

October 23rd marks our first anniversary. I've been looking forward to this day for a while. Not because I wanted to say hey we did it - high five!  But because I've been thinking about our wedding cake.....for a whole year.

I love wedding cake.

The moment Jason asked me to marry him (the second time) I started thinking about wedding cake tasting and all the wedding cake I would get to eat between that point and the wedding. At my wedding, one of the few things I remembered eating was three pieces of cake and one when I got home. It's a real problem for me. 

I figured out early on that I wanted my cake to be from Swiss Confectionery. My caterer had a cake from Swiss at our wedding food appointment and it was love at first taste. From that moment on, I knew I needed to get over there.

That week I called Swiss asking for an appointment to try their cake. They said that they didn't really do cake testing but if I wanted, they would give me one piece of cake to try when I got there. They said I should come in on Friday so I could see all the cakes for the weekend weddings to get an idea of what I wanted.

But the truth is I didn't care what it looked like.

Fortunately for me, Swiss is walking distance from my work. So that Friday morning I went to work pretty early so I would have plenty of time at Swiss. I parked my car at work and set out on foot. As I turned the corner to the street where Swiss is.....I was almost knocked out by the intoxicating smell of delicious divine wedding cake. I breathed it in like I was taking my last dying breath.


I think this is what Heaven must smell like. Like Swiss wedding cake.


* God if you're reading this, I want my heaven to smell like wedding cake. I think the whole rest of Heaven should smell like wedding cake too. I bet everyone up there would really like that. Just a suggestion. Love, Carrie


As I walked up the street to Swiss, I couldn't help but wonder how many other people take this route. How many others go out of there way to smell wedding cake. I would. Everyday. Wouldn't you?


I threw open the door and glanced around the room. I have to say I didn't see wedding cake right away and I was disappointed.


I walked up to the counter and waited for someone to come out of the back where I guess wedding cake magic is made. Wish I were back there.


Finally a woman came out. I tell her that I'm there to see some cakes and that I heard about them from my caterer.


"Oh,"she says, "then you got to try a piece of it at the wedding food tasting?"


I look at her and squint so she won't see my lying eyes. I'm the worst liar. "No mam. I didn't" I say shaking my head.


She eyes me up and down. My eyes dart to the floor.


"That's odd."she said and walked into the back of the cake store.


I let out all of the breath I had been holding just a she emerges with a piece of cake on a napkin.


"Thanks so much," I say. " I really wanted to get an idea of what it tastes like, this helps out a lot." I'm so full of it.


She ushers me over to another room where all the weekend wedding cakes are hidden, tells me to let her know if there is anything I might like and leaves me in a room full of dreamy wedding cakes.


I have an impulse to dive into them, devouring cake by the handfulls and making sounds like the cookie monster but I don't. I contain myself. Somehow.


I don't see anything that screams Carrie's wedding cake, but the truth is that's not why I was really there to begin with. I'm here for the cake. Who care's if it's three-tiered or two-tiered.....well, three-tiered means more cake......


After a while, I return to the counter with the woman who makes cakes. I tell her I haven't quite found what I was looking for that I'll return on another Friday.

"Do you sell cake by the slice?" Wouldn't that be a dream, because I'll take two to go.


"No we don't." "Just whole cakes."


I hide my disappointment and wave to her as I leave the store. Certain I would be back and hoping she wouldn't be there when I returned..


The next Friday, I made sure I made it to work with enough time for Swiss. I didn't want to miss out on one minute of our time together.


As I made my way to the store, I crossed my fingers and hoped the woman cake maker was not there. I pushed open the door, my eyes adjusted to the lights and there he was.... a man cake maker. Thank goodness.


"I'm here to look at some cakes for my wedding," I told him. "I heard about ya'll from a friend." Oh Carrie, stop. Stop lying.


"Oh? Have you tried our cake before?"


"No, no I haven't." I said smiling. I'm amazed at how easily it rolled off my tongue.


And there I was eating another piece of wedding cake. Pretending again that it was the first time I had it. Walking through the room full of wedding cakes to kill time, because I would be back anyway....next Friday.


You might be wondering how long I would get away with this and at that point was I beginning to wonder it too.


The answer is not long.


The fourth Friday, I went to Swiss, things didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. I had my whole act together, what to say to get them to offer it. "No, no I haven't tried it. I've heard it's delicious." or "I heard the cake here is so amazing, I had to come try it."


But that day, after my Friday piece of cake was secure in my hand with a napkin,  guess who walked out of the cake making room?


The woman cake maker.


"You?" she said.


I had just finished telling a guy that worked there that I had not tried the cake before. I had just shoveled a piece of cake in my mouth.


"You've come in before."


I chuckled a nervous, get me the heck out of here laugh.


"I......"


"I couldn't help myself." "He offered and well........"


And I just told her. I told her the truth. Yes I come in here every Friday to look at the cakes. Yes I'm really getting married. Yes on several occasions I said that I hadn't tried but in fact....I had. And....I'm sorry, but.....I love wedding cake. I love this wedding cake. I love Swiss.

I shrugged my shoulders sheepishly. I gave her my most pitiful face.


And she looked at me and she smiled, shaking her head. "You know, you're going to have save the top of the wedding cake for a whole year."


"I know."


"And you can't eat it before then."


"Uh-huh."


"But if you do......" "If you can't make it a whole year...." She said. "I will make you another one."


I smiled. "Really?!"


"Yes. You just let me know."


And with that I went to the room of wedding cakes and I picked out our wedding cake. Nothing fancy. Nothing over the top. It doesn't matter what's on the outside anyway. I picked out a wedding cake that made me smile....thinking about eating it.


And it did make me smile on my wedding day as I'm sure it will on my anniversary.


Thanks Swiss for putting up with me.

In sickness and health, if he snores, you'll still love him....

When my husband I returned from our honeymoon in Italy, it was a time of true excitement. We were married and settling into our house and things were really looking up for us.

After a week and half out of the country I purposely took a day or two off to get our lives in some kind of order.  I spent our whole first day unpacking our wedding gifts and cleaning the living room of shreds of wrapping paper. Wrapping paper that had been thrown around the room in a "I'm going to unwrap all of our gifts" wedding night frenzy. I have some serious problems....

As the day went on I managed to find almost every shred of paper and a place for every gift. Finding a place for every gift was a miracle and I had to be inventive. Like, under the sofa, concealed under the coffee table, and my favorite -- under the kitchen table stacked in a tubberware box. In our sweet little 900 square foot home, storage is tricky, very tricky. And one day when we have a big home, It will be exciting to use all the cool things we're storing.

By the end of the day, it was finally looking more like our home.

I trusted that with all the hard work I did that day,  I would be exhausted enough to overcome jetlag and I would be back to my American schedule in no time flat.

But of course, as usual, I was wrong.

That night as my eyes drifted off into the lovely R.E.M. state of blissful sleep, my ears where jolted by a loud rattling noise.

Snake? You ask?

Nope.

Chainsaw?

Not ah.

No, the noise that persisted in a rhythmic consistency, was the lovely sound of earthshattering snores.

I gasped.

Jason snores?

I married someone who snores?

How could this be?

You are probably shaking your head. Saying to yourself, "She knew this. How could she not?"

I didn't. I swear.

So the real question is.....how did this happen. And is it that bad?

It is that bad. And I have no idea how it happened.

As I lay there counting sheeping, smacking my husband in the arm, and praying to God this was a one time thing. I ransacked my brain to come up with a solution to the problem. Because with every shove and every sheep and every prayer, there was no improvement.

Solution?

The Couch.

Off to the couch, I went. Dragging my pillow, my blanket, and Murphy. Because she shouldn't have to suffer through this either. Poor thing.

The next day as I was getting ready for work, Jason asked me what my problem was waking him up every five seconds the night before. 

I growled....something that sounded alot like, You SNORE.

Jason stood there shocked, "No I don't."

He didn't believe me. So it sounded a lot like I was crazy. And I was wondering if maybe I was.

But I wasn't because that night it happened again. And the next night and the night after that.

I googled. I was desperate. And do you know what I found?

Women who divorce their husbands over snoring.

Considering we had literally just taken our wedding vows. And even though I was sure snoring wasn't included in the "in sickness and health". I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So I bought some breathe right strips. 

Someone told me about them at the supermarket. Let's face it, I needed a remedy or I would never sleep again. And my back was sad from sleeping on the sofa.

That night I went home with my new solution to the problem.

"You are going to have to put this on your nose." I said, handing him the box of strips.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Carrie, I don't snore." 

I shot him a look like I haven't slept in a week and you better or else.

So we rigged his nose up with a breathe right strip.

And as I drifted off to sleep...all I could hear was him breathing.....

and a whistle that took the place of the snore. Like he was whistling a tune out of his nose.

And I thought, I can deal with a whistle. A whistle instead of a snore is good.

And as I thought that very thought...the whistle burst into a full fledged snore and it was over.

The next day I threw the strips away.

A few days later while at my parents house. I mentioned my lack of sleep and the snoring problem. And just as I had finished telling my dad that I was running out of solutions, he scurried into his room and in minutes produced a giant bag of ear plugs.

I realize now that this was for fear that I might return home.

I went home with my giant bag of those squishy ear plugs they give you in the airport. And decided to give it a try.

It worked for a few days. But the thing about those earplugs is that expand in your ear to insure that no sound gets in.

Great idea, for those people that designed them. But for me, this always happened at three in the morning and it made my ear feel like it was exploding. 

I was running out of options.

And then one day as I was wondering around in Wal-greens. My eyes locked on some plastic wax earplugs. Part of me knew those might work. But I couldn't bring myself to buy them. So many bad memories with those things.

You see, I was that kid with the tubes in her ears that had to wear those earplugs when I went swimming. And it might not have been bad if it were when I was a baby but I wore them until I was almost 12. And if that wasn't bad enough I wore a zoo printed yellow plastic swim cap that made me look like an alien. And might have been cool in the twenties but so not cool in the eighties......sigh.

I shuddered. 

I bought them.

and you know what? They worked.

I may be passed the zoo print swim cap, but I would be lying if I told you I don't feel a twinge of embarrassment jamming those earplugs in my ears every night.

But I know it's worth it. I know it's something I could live with, because I can't trade my husband in. 

Maybe snoring was part of the vows after all. :)

Our Wedding Pictures

This is a shout out to my best friend Eray! I wanted to post a link to her blog about her photography.


This is the link to her blog: http://erayphoto.com/blog/


Here is the link to our wedding pictures on her blog: http://erayphoto.com/blog/2009/11/20/wedding-jason-carrie-october-23-2009/


Check it out! She did a wonderful job and her photography is so awesome!

Tin Can Pepper

Grocery shopping.
One of my jobs in our house is to do our grocery shopping. When assigning who does what that's what I raised my hand for. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
I used to really I hate it. The truth is that before Jason, grocery shopping was not something I did much. I never made a list. Never made a budget for it. Never could tell you what was on what isle.
But things have changed. I'm a new person. I am grocery shopper. I'm actually a pretty good grocery shopper.
Like most things I take on, I researched it. I googled coupons that I've never used. I tried to find a list of staple items. Something tangible to make my first grocery list. I found nothing of the sort.
You can't google a grocery list. It's just not how it works.
Apparently its all trial and error. And I really hate trial and error.
You might be asking yourself why if I hated grocery shopping did I raise my hand for it? It's simple.
I'm the bargain hunter and Jason is the package shopper.
If the bargain shopper goes shopping the monthly bill is less than $200.
If the package shopper goes shopping it will be $200++++++ and all they have to show for it is four or five of the best products on the market. Some ribs, and some steaks.
Why?
A bargain hunter = a person who buys the item that is the cheapest on the shelf
A package shopper = a person who looks for the coolest looking product.

I didn't even know there were package shoppers until I met Jason.
There were tell tale signs in the beginning.
A bottle of wine with an extravagant label.
Chips in in a beautifully constructed bag made to look like it had been recycled a hundred and fifty times over.
You could open the cabinets at his apartment and find products with beautiful labels. Cursive letters, bright colors, elaborate packaging. Phrases on them that said, "organic" "100% tastier"
I knew when I saw these things at Jason's place when we were dating that something was up. Confirmed it when we went shopping together.
For every cheap store brand item I picked up. Jason's picked up the most expensive, nicest looking product. "Look," He would say, "Now doesn't this look nice." His eyes would sparkle with excitement. A big smile on his face.
In those days, I let it go. It was his money.
But now. It's ours.
So a few nights ago, when Product Shopper asked me Bargain Huntress if we could have a grocery store date, I should have known what was in store for us....ha "in store"!
He called me at work and offered to ride over to the store with me. Asked me if I had a grocery list.
Nope, cataloged in my head, I say. (I lied.)
There's silence on the other line. (I know he's contemplating staying home because this could take longer than he hopes for.) I need to lasso him back in and fast.
You see as a bargain huntress, I know a great deal when I see it. I see a great deal all wrapped up in one. I see a grocery cart pusher, a grocery bagger, an grocery loader, and best of all a grocery UNloader. I need to keep him interested or I could lose all of the above.
"You know, I know exactly what I need. And it should only take a hour at the most. (more like three hours, really who knows...I forgot to make a list so it could take forever)." I'm trying my best to sound convincing.
A package shopper doesn't shop for three hours like Bargain Hunters do. They wouldn't waste time. They are in and out of the store in less than fifteen minutes. It's not unusual for this breed of shoppers. They can spot a good product in seconds.
Bargain hunters? Not so much.
"Oh okay, I'll go, but an hour, okay?." He says.
"Yep just an hour. :)" And we are set to go.
We get to Wal-Mart----I know---the dreaded Wal-Mart, I don't know why I skipped out on Casey Jones, my market of choice. I immediately remember why I don't bring my husband with me to the store. Why I choose to shop alone. Why I choose not to have someone challenge my Great Value and Equate purchases.
It all starts with pepper and its down hill from there.
Jason's been loading the grocery cart with some things he's been needing for some ribs he plans to cook later this week. Pepper is one of those things he needed.
I wasn't really concerned about any thing he's been throwing in the cart until the pepper.
"Hey, what do you think about this pepper." He says.
(Oh no.)
I glance around my shoulder at the pepper he's holding up for me. I walk over and sure enough its one of those metal container peppers jars. I'm kind of a sucker for those too, so I halfway understand why he's interested in it.
It has a black label over a gold tin can and nice bold lettering. It looks (....very Saints-like) antique and vintage. It screams "hey I'm the old-school" pepper. It looks.....more expensive than regular pepper.
I look at him and say "okay where's the other pepper you had?"
He reaches into the cart and pulls another tin can pepper. Maybe they all come like this...I starting to wonder whether I have I ever bought pepper. Do they even make Equate pepper?
Suddenly I too am fascinated by tin can pepper.
I quickly pop back into reality, "Well I say (thinking about bargains again) what's the price difference?"

"Its a dollar more...BUT it has two more ounces."
This is the problem with the bargain huntress, she can be adamant in her ways, eyes on the prize, ever focused on the bargain, but this can be no match for the package shopper who can become just as convincing as the product he is infatuated with.
I'm too tired to do the math. I'm sold. But wait---
"Okay well where is it made?" Shouldn't that have some factor? I can't let him win. Not over pepper.
We start scanning the fine print.
Minnesota and then the other can - Minnesota.
Both are Minnesota.
Pepper Competitors.
Okay you win, Jason.
But that wasn't the end, it was the beginning. For every Equate brand I went for, there was Jason's fancy brand. I tried losing him in the store but it only worked for a little while.
At one point, I suggested we split up. Go our separate ways. Makes sense, I say. We are shopping for different things.
Truth is I need to get away. And fast. I need to buy my Equate, my Great Value.
Once I'm on my own I pull myself together. I turn down a new isle and I try to remember my mentally cataloged grocery list. Then I scan the isles for the cheap stuff. I make my way down the isles and as I turn, I see him.
Standing beside a display of something jarred. Looking at labels.
I throw the grocery cart in reverse and almost pop a wheely trying to backtrack to the isle I came from. It's too late.
"Look Carrie. It's..."
Nope I'm gone.
By the time we finished I had enough of the cheap stuff and Jason had enough of the fancy products to make us both pretty happy and satisfied with our trip.
And the pepper?
I admit it's some pretty tasty pepper. Much better than Equate and the Great Value stuff. :)