Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a super happy day. It all began when Joel made me a lovely breakfast of creme brulee french toast and teechino. Then, after Joel left for work, Dane and I lounged around for a while until Dane's nap. At that point, I contemplated not showering because I sometimes hate showering and it was my birthday, but I showered anyway. Then, Dane and I had a little lunch date, where we tasted the unfried side of KFC. He was well behaved and ate a lot, which made me happy.
Then, we went to Wheeler Farm. I was really excited about this because Dane loves identifying the animals in his books and shouting "Neigh, neigh!" or "Moo, moo" or "Baa, baa!" as the case may be. So I thought seeing the real things would be a grand time.
First, we fed the geese our KFC biscuit.

Dane enjoyed both throwing pieces of biscuit to geese and eating some himself.

Then he ran around, chasing the geese for a while.

He came upon a mother goose with her goslings. I thought it'd make a cute picture, so I encouraged Dane to go up to them. But then the mother goose hissed at him. If you look up close, you can see the hissing:

So, in order to circumvent a goose attack, we continued on our way.
Next the chickens,

Moo-moos,

Neigh-neighs,

Bunnies,

and Baas.

Dane wasn't enjoying the animals as much as I thought he would. I think he was a little intimidated by how big they were, plus there were other kids around. If we have learned anything from Dane being in nursery, it is that he doesn't like being around more than a couple of kids at a time. There were plenty of times that he wanted to just sit with me and suck him thumb.
Many of you know that he likes to suck his thumb and rub his ear. Well, lately he's taken to changing things up and reaching for the other ear.

But then he found something that brought him joy: tractors.



Then he felt rejuvenated enough to tackle the goats. He thought the baby goat (the kid?) was a puppy, which I can understand.



When we came home, I thought I'd put Dane down for a nap, but our neighbors were playing in their little pool, so he had to join in.


Then Joel came home and we picked up a nightstand that my parents got me. It is very pretty. Finally, Joel took me to P.F. Chang's, which I love. I had many delectable dishes, topped off with their yummy banana spring rolls.

Thanks to all of you who called and left me little notes. I had a wonderful day.

Family

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the sealing of my good friends, Evan & Holly, where they were also sealed to their son, Kyle. It was my first time to see a couple being sealed to their child, which was a touching experience. It was a happy, beautiful day, and they were kind enough to let me take some pictures. Lucky for them, I was not their main photographer, but there were a few good ones. I think I might be the only person left in the world who still uses a 35mm camera, so we lost some crispness in the scan. But oh, well.
First, we were all waiting by the doorway, eagerly anticipating their debut, when Evan wandered out of a side door, alone.

We made him go back in and find his wife, and then we were able to start taking good pictures.









Then, of course, I had to take a few of Dane:


The next day, Joel & I and Chris & Teresa accompanied them on their campout honeymoon, haha. We had a great time, so stay tuned for pictures from that.

P.S. Evan and Holly, let me know which photos you like best and what size print you would like, and I will get them printed from the negatives for you. That'll be the best bet for high quality prints. I also have a few more kissy ones in the archway, if you're interested.

Adventures in Eating Out, and other stories

A few days ago, Dane and I met Joel for lunch. We weren't sure where to go until we stumbled upon Crazy Jim's Buffet. I had heard of these crazy buffets before and always wondered what it would be like to go to a buffet that boasts foods from at least the following cultures: Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Mongolian BBQ, Mexican, American, Italian...there might have been more. So, knowing that we would probably regret it, we ventured in.
It was pretty much a Chinese buffet, with a few notable differences. First, they had French Fries. I'm assuming that's the American food, despite its name. Second, they had "pork burritos" which we actually pretty good. They resembled the kind of authentic tacos you'd get from a little taco stand, so as long as you could overlook the fact that they were called burritos, you were good. Third, they had an extensive "dessert" bar. I put dessert in quotations because it was a pretty unique spread. They had your typical soft serve, brownies, cookies, and cake. They also had something that I am assuming was supposed to be cheesecake. It didn't taste horrible, but it was a yellow slightly-firmer-than-pudding-on-a-chocolate crust substance with sprinkles. Finally, they had big bowls of the most random things I've ever seen at a Chinese buffet: cheese puffs, popcorn, animal crackers, toffee peanuts, and cocoa puffs. Yes, cocoa puffs. Crazy, eh?
Okay, it wasn't really that crazy. Except that Joel pointed out that the real craziness was in the layout. For instance, there was one arm of buffet showcasing fruit. Fresh fruit, fruit salad, whole fruit, and chicken broccoli. That seemed a little odd. Also, you could find your typical salad fixings in another area: tomatoes, cucumbers, little cubed ham pieces, egg, various dressings. But no salad. If you were tenacious, you could find some chopped Romaine by the sushi.
So. It wasn't a terrible dining experience. And where else can you get Mongolian BBQ and cheese puffs?

Last Monday, we had Sushi Home Evening with my friend from school. He is also half-Japanese. We had a nice time. At one point, he and I were discussing the various pros and cons of being therapists while Joel entertained Dane. The middle-aged waitress, who is Japanese, was chatting with Joel and Dane. Apparently, she was a little difficult to understand, and Joel kind of decided she was talking about how Dane looks a little Asian. Addressing Joel, the waitress said, "I can see, your eyes are--" Not wanting to let her make a potentially embarrassing mistake, Joel interrupted her by saying, "Oh, actually, it's my wife who's half-Japanese. Her mom is Japanese." The waitress shook her head and said, "No your eyes. They look like the eyes of Elvis Presley."
Ooooh, flattering!
So here's a little game I like to call
Joel or Elvis?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Lastly, we were working in the yard a couple of weeks ago when a duckling waddled up. There are ducks in the canal near our house, but this duckling was obviously lost. I scooped it up, determined to return it to its family, despite a nagging feeling that the family may not take it back if it's been touched by humans. Does that sound familiar to anyone? I seem to remember hearing that sometime, but I don't remember the context. Anyway, we tried our best to save the "biwt," as Dane calls it. Now, every time to pass the canal, Dane calls for the biwt. It is cute.

Happy Annivesary!

1 is the number of sweet, happy children Joel and I have.
2 is the number of places that we have lived that have come to be affectionately called "Stinky House"
3 is the number of graduations we've had since becoming a couple
4 is the multiple by which we have become even more in love. And attractive. Or gained weight. I get them confused.
5 is the number of happy years we have been married.

I love you, Joel.