Tales of Me and the Husband

Hot-button topics.

Mercy by Dave Matthews Band on Grooveshark

We all know what they are and can rattle them off at a moment’s notice.  The two most popular?  Why religion and politics of course!  Right?  We all know those people (those people!) who are just chomping at the bit to talk religion and politics.  They just need to be heard, gosh dernit!*  I find it pretty easy to avoid them (I meant the topics, but on second thought, those people too!) but I come by my avoidance naturally.  It ain’t hard.  Politics just does not interest me.  It’s just too… all over the place?  Too many opinions, promises, broken promises, decisions that can’t get made and resolved ever because of this, that, and the other thing.  Steve can’t get enough of it.  And then he actually gets stressed about it.  Like, WHAT IS THE POINT?

Religion, well, religion does interest me.  But I am more than okay with keeping it off the table if need be.  I mean, I do have my opinions (hear me!  I have opinions!) and I can voice them with some real vim and vigor, but, I’m going to humble brag for a moment, I sort of pride myself in being seriously open-minded in this venue.  Buddhist?  Cool.  It’s got something to offer, no doubt.  Really, really, really conservative?  Less cool.  But still, we’ll work with it.  Atheist?  Alright, let’s talk.

Hot-button topics.  There are some that I love to talk about.  That I feel strongly about.  That I will go to bat for.  For the most part, I keep these out of conversations too.  Especially if I’m not sure you (the collective you!) will welcome it or you haven’t asked for my opinion.  These are the sorts of topics that I’m always afraid I’ll speak too passionately about and then later, as I’m driving home, mull over the conversation in my head with regret: “Bridget!  You said too much!  You spoke too authoritatively!  You were too passionate!”  Vaccinations, homeopathy, circumcision, attachment parenting to name a few.  Sure, I’ve got opinions!  Some strong, some less so.  I try never to let this blog (or my 140-character Twitter allowance or my Facebook status) become my soap-box.  But, in avoiding these topics completely, am I wishy-washy?  Do I seem downright opinion-less?  Am I a sell-out?  Here’s the thing.  I just think there are too many people these days who just need to be heard.  Desperate to be heard, even.  Who think every opinion that crosses their mind must be both voiced and validated.  Either from insecurity or from their own inflated self-confidence.  I don’t want to be another.

Do you ever think about this?  Do you feel like you owe it to so-and-so to give your opinion?  Do you get yourself into deep water for doing it?  Or are you someone who keeps these things to yourself?  And, if you’re a blogger, do you keep these topics off your blog too?

(*They are also the person that has had a Facebook status about Chic-fil-A in the last week.  And the person that you should block from your newsfeed NOW.)

(The song.  Great lyrics and if you try hard enough you can probably relate it to this?)

(This whole post was heavily inspired by this post.  It’s a good one.)

photo

favorites as of late.

food: burrito bowls.  good when you can’t think of anything else for dinner too.  my favorite?  ground beef or pulled chicken, sauteed red peppers + onions, black beans, cilantro, brown rice, salsa, spinach, some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream (and maybe some creole seasoning sprinkled on top).  delish.  some awesome variations on it here.

music: oh man.  gotye’s making mirrors.  so friggin’ good (most of it).  and i don’t even like somebody i used to know.  if you don’t either, don’t write him off based on that song.  his cd is so good.  save me has been on repeat these days.
Save Me by Gotye on Grooveshark

book: i’m reading devil in the white city and it’s really good so far.  nonfiction, a villain, chicago history… it’s good.  especially for any of you chicago-lovers out there.

your favorites?  food, music, book, or otherwise???

ps. thank you soooo much for all the nice things you said about parker’s one-year video.  you guys are so sweet.

and this concludes parker’s first birthday week.

you’re going to want to pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea for this one.  it’s almost 9 minutes long.  but, really, how am i to smoosh all twelve precious months of his life into anything shorter than that?!  couldn’t be done.  anyway, i am so glad to have this video.  i imagine a grown up parker watching it and being glad i got so much of him on video when he was too young to remember life himself.  i like that thought.
once more, happy birthday parker.  we love you.

Parker’s first birthday.

I know I’m not alone when I say that it felt like there was a bit (a bit?  Understatement?) of pressure to have Parker’s first birthday go just so.  This is obviously all for the Moms.  The babies won’t remember a darn thing.  Though, as a twelve-year old, if he asks: “Mom.  What’d we do for my first birthday?  You blew my socks off, didn’t you?  Come on, tell me how cool it was.”  Well, I’ll want to have something to say.  I can’t say I blew Parker’s socks off, but it was a sweet day.  First, he gave ME a present by sleeping in until 7:15.  (That’s a whole hour later than normal.)  Then, I made him a smoothie after discovering that he loves them a few weeks prior.  Blueberry, banana, coconut milk, and spinach.  He licks his lips over and over.  It’s really pretty sweet.  Smoothie ended, we played both inside and out, nap time.  Wake up.  Cauliflower.  Another one of his favorites.  I sautee it in butter so, duh, he loves it.  Then we took him to his favorite little pool where he crawls around in a few inches of water.  He splashed and had a ball.  We went home, he dug into hummus, made a mess, and opened his presents.  And all the while my heart was swelling for my one-year old.  I wanted him to enjoy his day, I wanted to enjoy his day.  I fought with the temptation to make everything monumental.  To make everything more emotional than it needed to be.  I would say I succeeded over all.  I didn’t cry when I nursed him and put him down to bed even though I told myself that this night was different than all the other nights when I do the same thing.  Cause this night, I was putting down my one year old.  
After he went to bed, you can bet that I watched a few baby-Parker videos and wondered when did he change?  Like, when did he no longer look like a two-month old?  Slow progression.  I can’t pinpoint it.  Nevertheless, he’s not such a baby anymore.  His body is stronger, his personality is bigger.  Clothes that don’t fit him are piling up and he’s learning nose and bellybutton.  When’d he get so big?  Overnight, it seems.  
I’m working on a “Parker’s first year” video and, you can be sure, the tears will flow then.  And we’re celebrating this Saturday with friends and some family (crossing our fingers that the rain stays away!).

Writing a story.

From fifth grade on, I’ve really known one of my greatest loves is for writing.  I remember writing a story for my fifth grade class about a home in the woods that a girl grew up in.  She goes back to revisit this home years later.  I remember seeing this house, the stream and mill alongside, hearing its creaky floorboards so clearly in my adolescent mind.  I wrote it on the floor of our living room.  An itchy Oriental rug beneath me, I set my notebook, elbows, and pen on the seat of our wingback chairs and there I remained, having so much fun, until I was finished.  My Mom’s calligraphy machine hummed in the background as I worked alongside her.  I remember being really proud of what I’d written.

We read our stories out loud to the class and my teacher exclaimed what a good story I had written.  I was so happy.  If I didn’t already know it then, I am sure I was convinced right then and there that writing was what I was best at and enjoyed most.  Thank goodness I figured it out early because how many times, as kids, were we asked, “What’s your favorite subject, kiddo?” by that weird uncle who you’re not really sure you’re even related to.  And while saying, “Uh.  Watching Sweet Valley High and eating Pop-Ice?  Pink and blue only?” would be a sure way to jet out of that conversation quickly, it’s not what you’re supposed to say.

For me, it was never math or science.  History is not my forte either.  I am known for, in middle school, when asked what the shot heard round the world was, saying, “Hiroshima?”  Ask me when Julius Ceaser lived and I couldn’t even tell you whether it was BC or AD (and whether you spell it Caeser or Ceaser or Caesar for that matter).   And, when this “favorite subject” question was asked, you never wanted to reply with an activity or a sport.  Gym was the answer for the non-student.  For me?  English was my answer.  And while the books that my English class offered excited me, I give them a seven while writing took a ten.  Sure, books teach me how to write.  And books make me want to write.  But the actual writing is my favorite.

I think I long to write something that resonates with another person.  The books that have me nodding my head in both agreement and in awe (SHE feels this way TOO?  I thought I was the only one!?) inspire me to write, write, write.  Those are probably my favorite blog posts to write (and read) too.  The ones whose comments look something like, “Yes!  I could’ve written this myself!”  Are we all just longing to relate and be relateable?  To resonate with one another?  I think so.

Try as I might, nothing has stuck in my mind as the story I just must write.  The story my mind has fallen in love with just begging me to put its words on a page.  How do people even begin?  With the whole story in mind?  Introduction, conclusion, and everything in between?  Or do they start with just a first sentence?  How?   Here’s one, a book: The Reader.  The two main characters have a relationship.  And he reads to her.  She loves it.  And then their lives drift apart and later he rediscovers her, on trial for war crimes.  He discovers she can’t read.  She never could.  But she won’t admit it.  It would prove her innocence if she would.  What I mean to say is that that story blew my mind.  “What a genius, that Bernard Schlink!” I thought.  How’d he come up with such a story?

I guess that’s where I was going with all of this.  I need a story.  But, you know, some days it’s a memoir I want to write.  Then, I guess I’ve already got my story?  Though, when I go down that road, I slap myself on the wrist because I think you’ve got to be older than 27 with a lot more living under your belt to have a memoir worth reading.

Oh, to have a story so rich for the telling.  Fiction, nonfiction.  I’ll take it all.

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bachelorette, final rose.

ok.  so.  i didn’t take any notes.  none.  i’m doing this by memory, ya’ll.  eesh.  
jef!  jef’s the winner!  you all know how thrilled i am about this, obviously.  
things of note:
+ it seemed less drama-drama-drama than other final rose episodes have been.  and i actually thought it was pretty refreshing.  usually it’s all man-leaning-over-the-railing-weeping (jason mesnick), guy coming back to propose (reid), saying goodbye to both girls (brad), saying goodbye to one and then asking for her to reconsider at after the final rose (jason, again).  this was like, no nonsense.  says goodbye to arie, says yes to jef.  i liked it.  kudos, emily.
+ i wish they’d shown her funny side more too.  (as jef said)
+ him playing in the pool with little ricki was cuuuuute.  
+ arie: “here, try my love potion.”  emily: “goodbye.”  he should at least get his money back?
+ emily’s brother was really serious.
+ arie should keep the roses.  that’s not a gift for her family.  how about a bottle of wine or some flowers?  but… your roses?
+ looooooong pause before saying yes.  i thought she might say no.  (no duh bridge)
+ i am the man who will fight or your honorrrr, i’ll be the hero… nice song choice, abc.  you trying to make us cry?
+ i liked their chemistry after the final rose.  i also liked how arie handled himself.  and jef is the shit for talking arie through his pain and stuff in the past few weeks.  seriously, that guy is cool and i like him even more now.
+ africa!  wedding!  jef moves to the carolinas!
well guys.  it’s been real.  thanks for coming along.

fab goods.

i know there are a lot a lot a lot of these flash sale things these days.
groupon, gilt, zulily, fab, livingsocial… 
i delete most of them.
fab’s pretty good.
(but yes, a flash sale site nevertheless)
if you’re interested…

arnold palmer: the perfect summer drink.

i mean it.  i love me an arnold palmer.  they remind me of my mom-mom and days spent at her wesley avenue home in ocean city where she lived with my pop-pop.  she always had a pitcher of arnold palmers (though, at the time, i called it “mom-mom’s tea” since i didn’t know what an arnold palmer was) in the fridge.  hers had a good amount (though, not too much!) of lemon pulp and were quite sweet.  she’d add a frozen can of lemonade to the brewed tea.  mine’s a lot less sweet, but just as refreshing.  give it a try.
this hardly requires a recipe but i’ll tell you what i do anyway.  bear with me.
boil a decent sized pot of water.  turn it off when it boils and add a few lipton black tea bags… or, a fancier black tea than your basic lipton (dependent on how much water you boiled, of course.  or how strong or weak you want it!).  let it sit for awhile.  then, squeeze the dickens out of one or two lemons.  into the tea it goes!  then add sweetener of your choice.  i give it a few good squirts of agave nectar.  you could use honey, sugar, whatever…
refrigerate and enjoy!
{and here’s another yummy summer drink made from tea bags.}

sponsor giveaway: lady lee!

candis is a good friend of mine.  you all know this already, i’m sure.  she is both incredibly creative and seriously kind, making this giveaway all the more exciting.  along with her husband, drew jones, they opened an etsy shop with the most fabulous necklaces, prints, and now keychains!  i’ve got two of the necklaces (& a print!) myself and they’re great.

today’s giveaway is for 
a necklace & print of your choice!
to enter:
{u.s. addresses only}
+ leave a comment and include email!
additional entries:
{separate comments}
+ favorite the shop on etsy
+ follow ladyleeprocess on twitter
+ tweet/blog/FB about the giveaway

giveaway closed.
carolina cundiffs is the winner!  congrats!
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