Tales of Me and the Husband

likes and dislikes.

i like: area rugs
i dislike: wall-to-wall carpeting
i like: all seasons of lost except for the current one
i dislike: the current one
i like: erin brokovich
i dislike: duplicity
i like: my family and friends
i dislike: people who make them sad
i like: traveling
i dislike: the price of it
i like: 1-hour massages
i dislike: the price
i like: mrs. meyers cleaning supplies
i dislike: harsh, chemical-y ones
i like: haagen dazs
i dislike: breyers (ice cream snob)
i like: being clean
i dislike: the process of showering, doing one’s hair, putting makeup on
i like: my family
i dislike: distance between us
i like: mexican food
i dislike: raw vegan (tried and just craved a hamburger after i was done)

my very cool friend’s very cool save-the-date.

you remember ashley?

(road-side yoga in los olivos… because we can!)
my totally cool, artsy friend who works for only the most powerful woman ever (no, not sarah palin… oprah!) is getting married!  well, in keeping with her coolness, she just sent a fabulous save-the-date.  too fabulous not to show all ya’ll.
the little yellow star was attached by string 
and is actually a magnet to put on your fridge.  
she’s so clever.

A teenager’s breakfast in bed just does not look the same as an eight year old’s breakfast in bed.

It really doesn’t.  It is a different thing entirely.  Look at the difference (I couldn’t even put it in color.  It might be a little too frightening for you readers).

and

Not to mention, Nathaniel’s breakfast was at 10 – not at 8 am like his sister’s.  He ate his breakfast mostly as you see him here – with his eyes half closed, grunting from time to time if he approved of the taste.  There were quite a few grunts.  We think he approved.  Hashbrowns, eggs, and two apple fritters were on the menu.  Yum.
We went to the Museum of Science with Nathaniel’s best friend and “other set of parents” as we call them.  He got hoop shoes (I will get a picture of them on here at some point – they look like they might take you to the moon.  But really, they’re just supposed to improve your jumping.) and a new basketball hoop.

And that, my friends, officially closes birthday season at the Hunt’s.  Phew.  
How was your weekend?
Also, a belated thanks to all the comments and e-mails I got about Italy!  This blog-world rocks!

“Mother, may I get you something?”

This white chaise lounge is where I sit while William rubs my feet, all the while remarking at how lovely my painted toenails look, and Lindsey brushes my long, flowing hair (like the Pantene commercials).  Meanwhile, Nathaniel, who begged to cook dinner tonight, is making a delicious coq au vin recipe for dinner.  The aromas of the chicken and butter stewing with the onions and mushrooms tickle your nose and sit on your tongue enticing you to come to dinner.  The afternoon sun shines on my face as I read the latest best seller.  Streaming softly through our surround sound is “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck.  Jordan enters in his pressed linen shirt and says,
“May I get you some chilled San Pellegrino?”
“Why yes, Jordan!  I’d love that,” I say.
“Lemon or lime slice to accompany?”
“Oh, how about lime this time!” I exclaim.
“Coming straightaway!” he says in his sudden perfect English accent.
Then Steve walks in the open door from work and says,
“Darling!  Hello!  And children, hello!  We got our tax rebate today.”
“Oh, hello my dear!  And how much was it for?” (Not like we need the money.)
“A million dollars!  What a tax-man we have!”
We laugh heartily then hear Nathaniel call us sweetly in for dinner at the table.

Is the pretending getting old yet?
{photo, thank you rockstar diaries}

Steve’s app: Family Finder

Steve called me from work yesterday to tell me about a dream he had the night before.

See, we watch Oprah here at the Hunt house, and we saw the one about genealogy and how Brooke Shields discovered she’s basically part-princess.

So that got Steve-man thinking…

His dream went like this.  He was walking in the mall (it was very specific) and his iPhone (we don’t even have iPhones, but for the sake of the dream, he did.) started ringing.  He looked at it and it said, “You’re walking by your fourth cousin right now.”  Meanwhile, someone near him had a ringing iPhone as well, saying the same thing.  They look up at each other and are united in an embrace.  Or something like that.

So, he plans on patenting “Family Finder” and having you submit your blood sample to iPhone – if you want this app of course… no mandatory blood drawings – and maybe a picture and then you’ll be notified every time you walk past someone you’re related to because your info is now in the phone.

Fancy that!  My man’s always thinking!

Don’t steal his idea!  It’s going to make him famous!

I’ve been bitten by the travel bug.

This is nothing new.  I was bitten years ago and have had the good fortune to do some traveling.  But the idea that I won’t get everywhere by the time my life is up makes me sad.  The idea that there will be soooo many places I will never see because it would be impossible to see them all hurts a little.  I want to go everywhere.  Walk along the Great Wall of China, go skiing in Vail, take a picture of Lake Louise, go on a boat down the Amazon, listen to Spanish guitar in Barcelona, touch the water of Victoria Falls, see the queen in England, work a farm in Montana, camp in the Patagonia, eat at a pub in Ireland, go hiking in the Grand Canyon, lay on the beaches of Tahiti, take a yoga class in Mumbai, snap pictures of the white buildings of Greece, drink wine in Tuscany, have a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, appreciate the beauty of Machu Picchu, ride a camel through Morocco, and see an elephant in its own habitat in Kenya.  I could go on and on and on.  I think my desire for travel is pretty universal.  And I think it’s among the very best ways to spend your money.  It is so rewarding to learn about different cultures, what affects them, how they speak, think, what they eat and drink.  You can’t help but have an open-mind if you travel–and, lets be serious, an open-mind is always a good thing.

If you’re still with me, having suffered through this little soliloquy of mine, then here are some pictures to hopefully give you the desire to travel to one of my very favorite places.  Israel.

Speaking of travel, 
does anyone have tips on Italy?  
Where to go, where to eat, where to stay?

a wish list of sorts.

things requiring money:
{the gap}
{happy tape}
{sseko designs}
{rustic cake plate}

{peck of posies pillow}
{frye}
{book}
{a trip to greece?}
things not requiring money:
-that my family lived closer (well i suppose this would cost them something.)
-that i was less controlling (it’s true.  i have control issues.  that’s for another day.)
-that gracie didn’t shed so much.  the vacuum is always going.
-that i could be more grateful for what’s going right and less annoyed with the things that aren’t.
-that i had some fabulous idea for a novel and could then just start writing (tips, anyone?)
-that there was more time to just sit and talk and that life was less go-go-go all the time.
-that i see it through on my new year’s resolution to work out more (not really working thus far).
what’s on your wish list?

Boston and a birthday.

On Saturday, I went in to Boston to meet my good friend from high school.  The sun was shining and there were so many gorgeous flowers speckling all of Beacon Hill.  I couldn’t stop snapping pictures.  Where I live, there’s a lot of maple, oak, pine… those provide you with two colors: green and brown.  The reds, yellows, blues, oranges, and pinks that were soaking up the sun were definitely picture-worthy.  They were just as happy as I was to have sun shining after all this rain we’ve had.  It was lovely.  We stopped by BoYo (I’m trying to recapture my Pinkberry experiences.  Did I?  No.  Sadly, it’s not the same.  Red Mango, you’re next.), ducked into Liberty Hotel quickly (I will stay there one day!), and finished off with some treats from Tealuxe.

And then, it was William’s birthday!  I haven’t told you, but you’ve probably already discovered, that we celebrate a lot of birthdays this time of year.  It’s true.  Including Gracie (as if I even have to write her, obviously we’d include Gracie), we have four in the span of about two weeks.  So, now we are three down, and one to go.  Here’s the birthday boy who is now TEN.

His birthday-in-bed breakfast complete with a W out of bacon strips.  That clever Dad of his.

Probably less pleased about this purchase.  It’s one of those Mom-pleasing gifts, however.   And check out the  happy teenager in the back!

Lindsey is riveted.

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