Thoughts From The Shower Stall

 January 5th, 2010-

First a very small disclaimer.  For those of you concerned, I have indeed showered between December 4th and January 5th.  On a rather daily bases and my thoughts during this time can be summed up by "Wedding, love family, Wedding, $$$, ugggg why can't I get any sleep, Wedding, Heart burn again!?!, *bleep* family, how am I suppose to shave my legs with this giant belly in the way?,*bleep*, *bleep*, love family" and repeat. 

Today in the shower I thought about writing a series of children books.  I would call it:

"The Grande Adventures of
Dharma, Karma, Brodie-Man and Juno"

(to long?  hmmm kind of like Skippyjon Jones . . .  only longer . . .) anyways, we could have one about when we got Juno (for ex Dharma:"is it a bird? is it a plane? NO, it's a giant slobbery mop head! Run for your Life!!!!")

Or one called "The Lady Had a Baby" (I am pretty sure that is how they refer to me, "The Lady")

Or how about one all about bringing baby chicks to Grandma's house (that one would be starring mainly Juno, since the cats just wanted to eat them . . .)

Now if only I could draw . . . although I have to say that the picture of Brodie I drew in the steam on the mirror was pretty dang cute.
If I had my pick the pictures would look like J.AUSTINRyan

If . . .

Wedding Amendment III

a·mend·ment

(ə-měnd'mənt)  n. The act of changing for the better; improvement: "Society may sometimes show signs of repentance and amendment" (George G. Coulton). A correction or alteration, as in a manuscript. The process of formally altering or adding to a document or record. A statement of such an alteration or addition: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote. A material, such as organic matter or sand, mixed into soil to improve growing conditions.  I came home from an unsuccessful trip to the grocery store yesterday ( which is a long horrible story not worth reliving) to find a happy little package at my door.  Inside was my new skirt for our wedding!  I can not tell you how happy I am that it fits without having to sew an elastic prego band into the front.  The only hitch is that it is a much darker toffee color then I had imagined from the picture online. This:                                                           Not: The silky plum top I was going to wear does not match at all. So, I wore it to Old Navy today instead while I search for a replacement.  A girl passed me walking in, staring hard at my giant round belly.  As I self consciously glanced down I was horrified to discover that it was not my belly she was looking at. All of the silky little buttons on my new plum shirt had wiggled free and I was baring an impressive amount of cleavage. uggg. At least it happened there instead of at the wedding . . . I did find a creamy white blouse in the Clearance section to replace the plum number.  This is the first time I have ever found something good on the sale rack! I ordered these earrings from genevieve gail and  . . . My Ring came in the mail today :) It is very pretty and rustic.   Kristina at {apostrophie} did a great job and got it to me amazingly fast.   Thanks Kristina! All I have left to do is: decide on shoes (I am debating over comfort/safety and cuteness), order hosiery/undies, pick a florist, confirm that The Original Pancake House will be open in the morning on Christmas Eve, grab nail polish/eyelashes (I am going to give them a try), pack snacks for the cabin because everything will be closed, clean the house, take a nap. phew. Only 20 days to go!!!

Thoughts From the Shower Stall

December 3-

I am sorry to report that all I thought about in the shower today was the cost of having a baby.  Complete with several minutes of calculating figures in the steamy condensation on the wall.

Thoughts from the Shower Stall

I am infamous for three things.
-Cleaning refrigerators(yours, mine or the host of the book club that night)
-having wet hair (blow dryer + curls= clown hair)
-and taking long hot showers that drained the commercial hotel hot water tank that my parents had installed.  Sorry, about the power bill Mom & Dad. It couldn't be helped, I do all my best thinking in the shower.

To prove that all that time has not been a waste I am recording my daily Thoughts From the Shower Stall(or TFTSS) for future pondering and reflection. I solemnly swear to keep an honest record regardless of randomness, coherency, rationality or backfire ability.
Somehow I can perfectly hear Kathleen Kelly exclaiming,  "Mr.152 Insights into my Soul!!!"

------------------------------------->>>>
December 2-
I cry every time I talk to my mom, regardless of the topic or length of the call . . .

Wedding & Baby Gifts

Whether due to . . .
moving 2x in 1 year e.g.  a garage full of boxes still to unpack
the economic climate e.g. I got sh*t canned
or life phases e.g.  I don't wanna be a little hamster running on a little hamster wheel . . . 

. . . we have made a huge effort to simplify our lives this year e.g. Life goes on without Cable, Starbucks or new shoes! (I didn't say it was easy)

So please, no one feel obligated to get us a baby gift.  We know everyone is tightening their wallets and their belt straps. If you do want to get us something we have gift registries at Amazon to help you.

Our Wedding Registry

&

The Andrews Baby Registry 

{Disclaimer, some of these items fall into Gray areas between WANT& NEED}

Papa and Pipe by The Black Apple

If none of these things strike your fancy just keep in mind that we have enough baby boys clothes from hand-me-downs  and there is not a lot of room in our happy little townhouse e.g.
no Ponies please!!

~We appreciate your generosity,support and love~

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we spent in our PJs.  The kitchen stayed clean, the food was de-lish and when we weren't eating, cooking or laughing at the dogs we were curled up on the couch watching "Julie & Julia", followed by hours of Seinfeld.  I even took two naps . . . it was Bliss.

Greg makes the Best Turkey.  Handsdown!
  . . . and as usual the deviled eggs were gone before the turkey was out of the oven.

I got to be his little sous chef and do all the things that I Love . . . like chop, stir and eat!  Greg's biggest flaw is that he does not like Fish, Mayo, Pecan or Pumpkin Pie. (?? I know. right?!)  I decided to try a Pumpkin Cheesecake as a happy compromise but to my dismay . . . I Hate it.  The first bite tasted like a bad pumpkin pie and the second bite tasted like a very icky cheesecake (it did not deserve having it's picture taken).  Next year, I am making Marionberry because that's my favorite.

It was also Juno's birthday!  She got a Giant Bone and her friend Morgan got to come over because Greg's parents were out of town.  They had a blast (don't worry they are just play wrestling!)

Juno was to tired to make it all the way to her bed . . .

The good news is that for the first time in my life the yeast rolls turned out just right, I did not over-stir the stuffing and I kept up on all the dishes!  I love the 30 year old me!

Our Duds

Vows & Wishes

We are getting married at the 
Five Pine Lodge in Sisters, Oregon 
on Thursday, December 24th  4pm-ish.

Greg and I will be in our own cozy little cabin Christmas Night.

Reverend Sana Hayes with Ceremonies of Life is the officiant.  She has been so helpful and has taken some of the ?? out of planning.

Here are the vows that we have chosen:

Greg & Kristine,

in presenting yourselves here today to be joined in marriage, you perform an act of faith.

This faith can grow and develop and last, but only if you both decide to make it so. A lasting and growing love is not guaranteed by any ritual.

If you would have the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one another, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come, then treasure the hopes and dreams that you bring here today. Establish that your love will never be overshadowed by the common nor obscured by the ordinary in life.
Greg, do you take Kristine as your friend and lover, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and peace, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what you know of her, trusting what you do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find you.
  I do.
Kristine, do you take Greg as your friend and lover, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and peace, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what you know of him, trusting what you do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find you.

I do.
With this statement made of love and trust, I now wish to greet Greg & Kristine as husband and wife.

May this day shine eternally in your lives.
May it add brilliance to every achievement and cast a divine light over any misfortune.
May you care for each other in all sadness.
May you give cheer to each other.
May you give vitality to each other in all undertakings.
May all that is Virtuous, Beautiful and Honest, remain with you always.

Greg, you may kiss your Bride, Kristine.
I wish you both congratulations in your future together as one.

{Wishes for Life & Marriage}

sim-plicity 

 [sim-plis-i-tee] /sɪmˈplɪsɪti/ Show Spelled Pronunciat–noun, plural -ties.

1.	the state, quality, or an instance of being simple.

2.	freedom from complexity, intricacy , or division into parts: an organism of great simplicity.

3.	absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness: a life of simplicity.

4.	freedom from deceit or guile; sincerity; artlessness; naturalness: a simplicity of manner.

5.

lack of mental acuteness or shrewdness: Politics is not a field for simplicity about human nature.

mean-ing-ful /ˈminɪŋfəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation  

[mee-ning-fuhl]-adjective

full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant: a meaningful wink; a meaningful choice.

faith⋅ful /ˈfeɪθfəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation  

[feyth-fuhl]

1.	strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2.	true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3.	steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4.	reliable, trusted, or believed.

5.	adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

in⋅ti⋅ma-cy /ˈɪntəməsi/ Show Spelled Pronunciation  

[in-tuh-muh-see]

1.	the state of being intimate.

2.	a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.

3.	a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a place, subject, period of history, etc.: an intimacy with Japan.

4.	an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection, or the like: to allow the intimacy of using first names.

5.	an amorously familiar act; liberty.

6.	the quality of being comfortable, warm, or familiar: the intimacy of the room.

7.	privacy, esp. as suitable to the telling of a secret: in the intimacy of his studio.

grate-ful  /ˈgreɪtfəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation  

[greyt-fuhl] -adjective

1.	warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful: I am grateful to you for your help.

2.	expressing or actuated by gratitude: a grateful letter.

3.	pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing: a grateful breeze