I'm Starting with the (Wo)Man in the Mirror

I found my doppleganger!

They say we all have one.  A spitting image.  A dead ringer.  A twin out there in the world.

I found mine.

Once a month or so, our church holds a worship service at a local homeless shelter.  As you can imagine, we have people from many different walks of life… men, women, and children.  And that’s where I saw her.

She looked just like me… gorgeous, obviously.  She had the same round face and chubby cheeks, the same brown eyes, the same mousy, fine hair that I would guess she’s complained about her whole life.

I was so drawn to the woman as I was at the podium leading singing.  It was like looking in a mirror, at my own reflection, albeit on a day when I didn’t have assistance from Sephora, John Freida, or Oil of Olay.

So I watched her… the homeless me… as we sang and prayed.  She smiled as I spoke.  She knew the words to some of the songs.  She even lifted her hands just briefly.  She closed her eyes during prayer, and I think I saw her lips moving, like she was really talking to God.

As I watched her, I couldn’t help but wonder what choices or circumstances had led her to this very different place in life.  Could it have been addiction?  Maybe loving the wrong person?  Maybe trusting the wrong person?  Or maybe this is just the way it’s always been for her.

Could I be her?

Could she be me?

The same face, but so different.

Or were we?

I mean really, when viewed through the eyes of God, am I somehow worth more because I went to school longer or because I get a regular paycheck or have a lawn to mow?

I didn’t get a chance to meet my doppelganger or even learn her name, but as I watched my alternate-universe self walk out of the little chapel in an ill-fitting stained red t-shirt, I knew the thought of her would stay with me.

How often do we pass by people who are poor or homeless and think of them like they’re aliens?  So very different from us.  Dirty.  Weird.  What if, instead, we saw our own faces?

You Kids and Your New-Fangled Gadgets!

Last week as I was sitting around the table with my book club ladies, something occurred to me…

We had just finished the discussion of our current book and had announced the next one.  Immediately, some of my fellow book babes started searching for the book on their E-Readers.  I giggled as I held my antiquated paper book in my hands.  I leaned over to my only other actual book user and said, “I guess it’s just you and me!”  To which she replied, “Um… I’m actually going to start using my Nook App on my Ipad.” 

The cheese stands alone.

I wish I could say I’m still reading the old fashioned way because I’ve taken some sort of stand against the electronic alternative – a purist who wants the smell and feel a real book in her hands.  That’s all boloney. 

In reality, I’m just technologically challenged.  And I always have been.

I consider myself pretty “with it” when it comes to most things – as much as anyone who uses the phrase “with it” could be.  I know some fairly modern music.  I keep up with trends (kind of).  I know all the latest beauty products.

When it comes to gadgets and gizmos though, I fall a little behind.  This should not be a new realization to me.  It’s always been true.  The signs have all been there.

• I used a Brother Word Processor into the late nineties.  Even after I had a computer.
• Somewhere out there, I still have a MySpace.  Better yet, a Xanga.  I was a late Facebooker and still haven’t really surrendered to Twitter.
• That annoying “beep beep beep” you heard constantly in 2004?  Yeah, that was my pager.  I didn’t get a cell phone until 2005!  I rocked a Blackberry until 2010, and I still don’t really understand how to use the apps on my HTC.
• I use a paper and pen day planner.  Wouldn’t trade it for anything!
• I didn’t convert to a digital camera until about five years ago.
• One of our five televisions is a plasma.  The rest are tube TV’s and are all over ten years old
• I nearly bought a netbook a few years ago… I really thought they were the next big thing.
• I have a TiVo.  It’s in a box in my garage.  If I’m not home when something comes on, I just miss it.
• Until three years ago, we had convinced Micah that the Sega Genesis was the very best thing a kid could own.
• A friend gave me a first generation Ipod on my 30^th birthday (don’t worry, I’ve at least upgraded to a nano).  Before then I was using a $9.00 Mp3 player and a hot pink Discman. 
• I have no clue what Google Chrome means.
• I use Blogger, which is apparently so very 5 years ago (I had no clue!)

So perhaps it’s time I step into the 21^st Century. 

Baby steps though.  Baby steps.

So what do you think, readers (if there are any of you still out there since I abandoned you)?  What bit of technology can you not live without?  What should I try?

Kisses!

Remember Me?

Dear Blog,

I have been neglecting you lately, and I’m so very sorry.

I wish I could say I’ve been ignoring you because I’ve been so busy living my life, and I now have countless stories with which to dazzle our readers, but that would not be entirely truthful.

I have been busy.  That much is true. I have spent the last couple of weeks catching up from our week off cruising, getting started on the busiest season of the year work-wise, becoming a little too obsessed with The Walking Dead, doing boring chores around the house, and trying lots of new recipes in an effort to curb our eating out.

See?  Busy, but nothing really blog-worthy.

The real problem I fear is something we are never supposed to speak…er….type about.  I’m afraid I’ve caught the Writer’s Block.  Ugh.  I’m not sure if I’m just too overwhelmed with all that’s going on in life right now, or if, since I came out of the gate so gung-ho about this blog, I’ve just run out of good ideas (who knew there was a limit to my wit and cleverness?).

In an effort to get over the hump, I’ve decided to write something every day (grocery lists don’t count!) in the hopes that eventually, it will all come together Field of Dreams style… If you type it, the words will come.  

Don’t worry.  I promise not to actually post my ramblings until they make some sort of sense.  

I really just didn’t want you to think I didn’t care for you anymore, dear blog.  We’re in this for the long haul.

XOXO

Jamie

Fifteen... and Counting...

I, Jamie, take you, Jay, to be fulfilled together as one flesh, by a miracle of God…

It has been a decade and a half since I stood across the aisle, dressed in satin and pearls, and made that promise to the man God created for me.  The fifteen years that have followed have been an adventure… some days wonderful, some days heartbreaking.   Some moments mundane, some amazing.  We have struggled.  We have celebrated.  We’ve lost ourselves along the way.  We’ve found our way back. We have made a life together.  Every single second has been worth it.

Alright, enough mush.  I’ve learned a lot since that wedding day so long ago, and one thing I know for sure… that verbal contract could have been a little more specific. 

So for the next 15, I present our wedding vows, slightly revised.

I, Jamie, take you Jay, for all the same promises and pledges made on October 18, 1997, PLUS…

I resign myself to the fact that you are the messiest cook in the world.  Seriously, how can you destroy the entire kitchen making soup?!?  I will accept this about you (reserving the right to always complain about it), and promise to clean up after you when you cook for me. 

I pledge from this day forward to stop taking it as a personal attack on my womanhood and my wife skills when you say, “I don’t have any clean socks.”  And I will try not to respond with things like, “Gee, if only we had a machine where we could throw in dirty socks and clean ones would magically appear.”

I declare in front of all those gathered around their computer screens that will not throw away any more of your clothes without your permission.  Okay, I won’t hide any of it either.  Well, unless it’s really, really bad, and that’s just for your own good.

I promise to dance with you when given the opportunity.  Even if no one else is dancing.

Whether every dream we have for our future comes true, or we face unspeakable tragedy, I will be your partner in this life, your “suitable helper.”  And I will try really hard to convince you every day that no one could love you better.

And I will be yours.  Now.  Always.  No matter what.

I, Jay, take you Jamie, for all the same promises and pledges made on October 18, 1997, PLUS…

I will let you warm your cold hands up on my toasty skin, even if it’s in the middle of the grocery store and involves you sneaking your icy fingers up my shirt and onto my back.  Even if I scream like a little girl in the frozen foods aisle, it will all have been worth it to make you happy.

When you accidentally punch yourself in the face, which happens way more than people would believe, I will ensure that you are not seriously injured before rolling off the couch, laughing.

When you “toot” in the middle of the night when you think I’m asleep, I will do the gentlemanly thing and pretend I heard nothing. 

When scary situations arise in our lives, I will pretend I’m not worried, because I know it makes you worry more. 

When the whole world is going crazy, I will hold you in my arms, where I know you feel safe.

I will be the Ish to your Ishah, and even when we are old(er) and gray(er), I will look at you and think, “At last, flesh of flesh, bone of my bone.”

And I will love you.  Now.  Always.  No matter what.

Now, come KISS your bride!

The Bigger Picture

There is so much going on in our lives right now that sometimes it feels like a whirlwind!  (I know you’re thinking, “Didn’t you JUST get home from an amazing, relaxing cruise?!?" Yes, it’s true.  But somehow, life was waiting for us in full force!).  In an effort to gain a little perspective tonight, I’m spending some time thanking God for the bigger picture.

So I'm telling myself...

Be thankful for family members who drive you crazy… it means you have a family.

Be thankful that the laundry still isn’t done… it means you had something more meaningful to do with your day today.

Be thankful for those smile lines… it means you’ve been happy.

Be thankful for the bruises on your leg… it means you made an exception and let a crazy little boy sleep in Mom and Dad’s bed last night.  He kicked the heck out of you, but gave you some great cuddles too.

Be thankful that you have a busy week ahead… it means you’re needed, and you live a life of purpose.

Be thankful for every random Nerf gun bullet you’ve had to pick up today… it means there was some fun going on in this house this morning.

Be thankful that you’re having to rework your already tight budget to figure out how to pay for some pretty expensive fertility treatments… it means that someone has finally given you a hope that seems worth investing in.

Be thankful that sometimes your heart aches… it means you love with all that you are.

Be thankful that parts of your heart live all over the country… it means you have wonderful friends.

And be thankful you have to end here… it means you have a handsome hubby to snuggle with!

Come Sail Away with Me (AKA the Longest Blog in History)

Hey peeps!  I’ve missed blogging this last week or so, and am excited to share about the great experience we’ve had!

Jay and I are home tonight after such a wonderful vacation.  It was restful and pampering and lovely.  I highly recommend it to anyone.  It’s a great way to literally get away from everything.

in Galveston before the cruise, daring the sun to tan me

If you’re on the fence about booking a cruise yourself, here are some tips, tricks, and tidbits that might help.

The Top Ten Things about our Cruise Vacation

10. You Get a Lot of Bang for Your Buck!  As far as vacations go, you spend relatively little money for everything you get.  The cruise is all inclusive* (food, entertainment), and if you plan right, you can pre-pay for your adventures off-shore and even pre-pay your tips.  You do set up an onboard account for any sundry purchases you make, but we only spent about 70 bucks on the boat, and that was for souvenirs.  One key for us for next time though is to book early.  If we would have booked just two weeks earlier, we would have saved almost $200!

*If you drink or gamble, you will spend lots of money on the boat!  Apparently that’s how Carnival gets their money back!  Oh, also the professional pictures.  They will take pics of you all the live-long day, but if you want to buy the prints, they are pricey!

Take your own pictures!

9. I Love the Schedule!  Every night, you receive the agenda for the next day.  There are activities to participate in all the time, but most of what we were excited about happened in the evening hours, so we went back to our stateroom most every afternoon, and enjoyed a wonderful nap!  Oh, how I miss napping!  How am I going to make it through an actual work day tomorrow??

Our state room.  Pay no attention to the girl on the bed.  She is
definitely not taking a nap!

8. The People-Watching Is Nearly as Exciting as the Dolphin-Watching.  Remember back a decade or so ago, when MTV used to host the Spring Break specials (perhaps they still do this?  I don’t know)?  Have you ever wondered what happened to all those wild, crazy girls?  They grew up, got real jobs, had children, and fast forward ten years, they ended up slightly inebriated on a cruise in bikinis, with bedazzled C-section scars (I kid you not!) doing the cha-cha slide. 

Cha-Cha real smooth!

Front Row Seats

7. There Was Real Entertainment as Well.  There was so much to do on the boat.  Jay and I loved going to all the little trivia games (Movie Trivia, Gender Wars, Name that Movie Kiss, etc), as well as the live shows.  There was always live music going on somewhere, as well as a couple of karaoke parties a day.  One of our favorite things was the comedy club.  One of the comedians also juggled and did magic as part of his act, so you know Jay was loving that. I think next time we go, we’ll be taking a little boy with us, and I’m confident that we will see a whole new experience with him. 

6. Dinner Was an Event.  On the second night of the cruise, there was an elegant night, so we pulled out all the stops and were looking quite swanky, I must say.  Jay and I had decided to get a little bit dressed up every night.  We’d come back after whatever adventures we’d had that day, get showers, and get just a bit fancy.  Dinner was amazing.  You were treated so well.  The waiters always knew your name and what you wanted to drink.  They served you and chatted with you, but they also sang and danced during dinner.  Our waiters, Manuel and Ipod (Jay says that wasn’t his name, but it totally was) loved that Jay always wanted to try so many things on the menu.  I don’t think he went one meal having only one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert, and they loved bringing him out things and seeing what he thought.  I know this is total chubby girl thing to say, but dinner was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Dinner, Night One

He's in love

Swanky Night

Jay, on his second entree (after 2 appetizers!)

Our waiter, Manuel

Our waiter, IPOD

5. And While We’re at It, Let’s Talk about All the Food! The food was crazy good, and available all the time.  You could enjoy a sit-down meal, or choose from about a dozen different buffets (and by choose, I mean eat from each).  Every night, there was a different late night buffet, and just in case you were still hungry, there was also 24 hour-a-day ice cream, pizza parlor and complimentary room service. 

I ate a lot.  A lot in that I tried a little of everything, but came back weighing the exact same as when I left (thank you, Lord).  Jay ate A LOT.  A LOT in that I never saw him without food for more than an hour, and he came back packing an extra 16 pounds.  No worries, it looks great on him, and he’ll lose it in two weeks.  Makes me hate him just a little.

We kept a pretty good record of every morsel we ate, so scroll down quickly.

Italian buffet

Chocolate cake and caramel cheesecake

Spinach and artichoke dip

Escargo

Duck

Braised Beef Brisket

Pork Loin

Molten Cake

Triple Chocolate Cake

Very late night room service

Waffle Breakfast

Corned Beef and Hash Breakfast

Carribean Buffet

American Grill Buffet

Cheesecake

Pumpkin cake and key lime pie

Turkey in Mushroom Cream

Wild Stuffed Mushrooms

Jay did this whole meal twice!

Prime Rib

Cherry Ice Cream

Bread Pudding

Check out the bread hard boiled egg!

Breakfast buffet

24 hour pizza

Tropical Fruit Plate

Late night buffet

Late night buffet

Breakfast buffet

Salmon

Thanksgiving

Chili Reyenos (or something I can't spell) - not a fried rat

Tiramisu

Every dessert on the buffet... I ate 4 bites total.  Wonder
what happened to the rest?

another breakfast buffet

and another

swan ice cream

Comfort Buffet

Comfort buffet

Jay's totally random middle of the day buffet (which he made ME hold for the picture - but we know better!)

Crabcakes

Spring rolls

Sushi

Veal parmesean

Steak

Baked Alaska

Amaretto Cake

Pizza - one more time

Last Day Breakfast

Last Day Breakfast

I know, right?  We were only on the boat 5 days! 

4. Cozumel was Awesome!  We participated in an excursion called Salsa and Salsa where we took a class, teaching us how to make 7 different kinds of salsa.  We also took a very simple salsa dance class.  We’re terrible.  Really, it’s embarrassing.  But we loved it, and just may take a local dance class together.  The people in Cozumel were pretty great, and it was a beautiful place.

Hey good lookin'....

Watermelon Water - Delish!  I have the recipe!

Salsa and Salsa, class of 2012.  A crazy bunch!

3. Turn Down Service.  I know it’s silly that this not only made my top 10 list, but made its way toward the top, but I’m totally in love with turn down service.  I loved that I would come back from dinner and a show, and see that my room had been refreshed, my bathroom cleaned again, and my blankets were turned down with chocolates on my bed.  Add that to that the fact that the staff would make cute little towel creatures, and that’s it!  Me = officially won over.

2. No Cell Service. As soon as we boarded the boat, we turned off our cell phones.  This may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me, a girl who has her phone not more than 12 inches from her at all times, it’s kind of a big deal.  I reach for it every single time I hear a bing, even if I’m already involved in something else.  I scroll through facebook any time I’m in a line or sometimes even at a red light (yeah, I’m that girl.  Sorry to make you honk to get my attention).  It was wonderfully freeing to switch that thing off, put it away and forget about it.  You know what you do during dinner when you don’t have your phone?  You talk to each other.  You know what you do when you’re waiting in line and can’t check your email?  You talk to the people around you!  Crazy, right?  This cruise, and the fact that 45 seconds after I turned my phone back on, I was stressed out by something someone had put on facebook, have really opened my eyes to my cell phone addiction and affliction, and I’m so ready to make a change!  I don’t have to read every single facebook status.  I have other things to do.  I don’t have to be available every second of every day.  I’m not that important.  So, in homage to that feeling of freedom, I have consciously completed what I was doing before reaching to see why my little green light is blinking, and even better, Jay and I went for a walk today, and left our phones at home.  I’ll be doing that way more often.

Oh, but if you use your phone as a clock, don’t forget to bring a watch!  We had to buy one on the boat!

WHAT!?!?!?!  No phones???

1. The View Wasn’t Bad.  How amazing is it to look out your window and see the ocean?  To actually see dolphins jumping in the water?  I could not get enough of the view.  It was absolutely breath-taking.  Spring for the room with a window.  Better yet, get a balcony!

Now, go book your cruise, but here are just a few things to keep in mind on the negative side:

1. The soda pass isn’t worth it.  There was always lemonade, tea, water, coffee, and hot chocolate available.  The soda pass was $30, and had some stipulations on it.  I mostly didn’t like it because it was just canned soda, and often, they filled my cup with a can that had been opened since the last person had ordered a soda.  It tasted like it had been a few hours!  If you have to have soda, just bring a 2 liter with you.
2. Your excursion day is super rushed.  Be ready to go as soon as you’re allowed to leave the boat.  You’ll only get 5 or 6 hours ashore so make the most of it!
3. Mexico is so stinkin’ hot.  My ears were sweating, and it’s October!  I can’t imagine going in the summer!  Also, the merchants there are like carnies on steroids.  They will coerce you in!  Have a budget!  We accidentally left our credit card on the boat, which was great!  We had exactly X amount of dollars to spend.  They like to haggle with you if you like that (I do not.  It makes me really nervous, which is why my hubby hates yard saling with me).  I overheard a woman talk a bracelet down from $120 to $45!

4. Alcohol is not just available on the boat – it’s a dominating theme.  Staff is standing in the doorways with pretty, tropical drinks from the moment you board.  Admittedly, it does make the people-watching more entertaining, but it also makes people a little rowdy (so that your salsa class, which is planned for 3 hours, actually takes 4 ½  and you don’t have time to use the resort’s swimming pool!).  Something to think about if you’re taking kids aboard – you may need to have a little talk before you go!




I asked for a pretty, non-alcoholic drink.  They were very accomodating!
And mine was only $2.95 (the "real" stuff was $8.95!)


5. It may take just a little while to get your sea legs, especially on the rough waters on the way back to Galveston.  I’m fairly certain someone is writing a blog right now about some crazy drunk girl from Oklahoma who almost knocked her into the wall, but I assure you, that wasn’t the case!  I fall down on a pretty regular basis anyway.  Put me on a moving object in the middle of some pretty rough weather… I’m a lost cause!

Luckily, this guy held onto me!

All in all, a fabulous vacation!  Do it!

Kisses!