Happy Birthday Jesse!

So glad you were born.  So glad you married me.  So glad we have two great kids.  Hope your birthday was Awesome!

1-0!

Can you believe it?  That was us ten years ago!  It's so exciting to be in double digits.  We went out to lunch and talked about houses.  We talked about some of our adventures.  The Nissan Sunny we drove in Taiwan.  Backpacking in Japan.  The adventures we have planned for this summer.  Jellystone, kayaking, and backpacking.

I'm a lucky gal.  He's a lucky guy. But it's not luck that's kept us together.  Two great kids, a lot of work and compromise, and a whole bunch of family FUN has made these ten years so fabulous.  So here's to the next ten years, and the ten after that, and the ten after that, and the...

Silver to Gold

photo from here.

Sometimes second place comes in first after all.  Jesse just signed the contract and we're off to Appleton, Wisconsin this summer.  And we will stay there!  It's a tenure track position at Lawrence University.  So Yay for Jesse and all the hard work he's done these past 9 years!  It sometimes felt impossible, but here we are.  In the midwest.  In cheese country.  Go Packers!

My Funny Valentine

We have little affection for the holiday.  Our first Valentine's day, we broke up before.  (The one where Jake and Mighty got together and he gave her nun's orchids in a vase he made.  Swoon.)
Our next, we must have been engaged.  I have no memory of it.  I'm sure it was wonderful.
Last year, Miriam was baptized and we had a great dinner with my Mom and our family.  That was fun.
This year, he'll be in Wisconsin on a job interview.
So what to do?
Well, again, flowers seem odd as we're in the middle of a cold snap.  A bouquet of icicles, maybe. 
Chocolates?  Love 'em.  Really don't need 'em. 
Solution:  A subscription to The New Yorker Magazine (plus the free tote bag.  score.)  A present for both of us.  Isn't it romantic?

The Finished Castle

Here's what the castle ended up looking like. It reminds me of the Moorish outposts along the Tejo in Lisbon.
We've been looking online at different organizing techniques and projects that other adult Lego fans have posted. It's quite an interesting world. And there, Lego pluralized is still Lego. Who knew?

What We Do After the Kids Go to Bed

Presents for Jesse (for the next two years)

Merry Christmas Jesse!  Happy Birthday Jesse!  Merry Christmas 2011 Jesse!  Happy Birthday 2012 Jesse!

This is the first of the two kayaks he bought.  Ever so slowly, my irritation is healing.  (we already own two.  and we live in Indiana.)

But it's water under the kayak at this point.  He gets half the money back in the account within six months.  I don't buy him a gift for the next two years.  And we're good(ish).  

If you could have one present for the next 2 years, what would you choose?  Personally, I would get a super fancy sewing machine and an ipod touch.

I owe Jesse a shout out.  First of all, he is usually awesome about eating whatever I cook.  Second, he removed the decomposing tree rat that had met its death underneath our front porch.  And when I asked him if he needed any help (knowing full well that I really meant, oh please don't make me help you), he said "I've got it."

Unappreciated vs Reviled. Hmm. Hard choice.

I wouldn't call it a cooking kick, exactly.  More like I'm thinking about cooking some new dishes.  I'm thinking, "hey.  I like to eat.  I like good food.  I like to cook.  This could be fun." 

Then I start looking at cookbooks.  Jesse bought me Quick Vegetarian Pleasures because he so adores meat free meals.  Small problem.  The family acts indignant if I put pasta in front of them, the kids hate potatoes, and vegetables are only good for rearranging on their plate.  I have found two recipes that may pass muster.  One for enchiladas (everyone will complain it's too spicy. wimps.)  And another for vegetable couscous, which Jesse will like but the kids will detest. 

And now I remember why I don't cook.  I am completely unappreciated when I do and even more reviled when I don't.  Who wants cold cereal tonight?

To Jesse

Perhaps a random assortment of photos, but just a few of the ways that Jesse is so wonderful. Washes (and expertly stacks) dishes, insists on purchasing houseplants (even if we're only in a house a few months), Lego extraordinaire. I'm so lucky. Best of luck on your interview. We love you.

Silly Me

Oy. You know when you do something stupid. Like...

*volunteer to set up the mother's day activity for primary so that all the workers can go to relief society and then...
*volunteer to give the mother's day talk because you usually hate those talks.
*eat a burger at the commons and have indigestion for the next 24 hours.
*commit yourself to the scout spaghetti dinner and an additional 24 hours of indigestion.

If you ever do something like that, it is good to have a husband who will take the kids on a craigslist errand and sporting goods shopping for 6 hours (while you write your talk) and then put them to bed that night. Then you don't feel quite so stupid. But you should still stay close to a bathroom. Just in case.

My Funny Valentine

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day. I do love getting flowers, but when you live in the frozen north, it just feels weird to see color in February. Brown, white, and blue are the only colors in nature right now. Spring feels a long way off.

Luckily, Jesse's not so great at Valentine's Day either (or Ben and Yuki, or Enoch and Amy which was a relief since we were all together). The past two years we've had a special candle lit dinner for the girls. But this year we celebrated my mom's birthday. Which was special since it was her 7-0.

So this year there were no flowers or chocolates, or even cards (I meant it when I said we really blew it!). But I had my awesome husband helping me, centering me, reassuring me amidst the fun and chaos that comes with a big group of people, a couple of big events, and a trip to the er. I think it was the best Valentine's Day yet.

J's new camera

Jesse has deemed himself worthy of a DSLR. We had some fun subjects come up for the weekend to test out the camera. T-Man was an especially willing model. Can I say how fun it is to have family relatively close by? We've counted ourselves lucky to see these guys once a year previously. Now they can't get rid of us! We went sledding on Saturday. The perfect kid hill is just a block down the street in a civil war cemetery. The $5 snowboard goes the fastest and you can load the most people on it. The kids and E played some vicious Clifford Uno during their downtime and had to settle it with paper, rock, scissors. Thanks for coming up E and kids.

As he's the subject, can you tell who has been doing most of the camera testing? And who is going to install Lightroom (thanks Tony) after this post is up? Not really his fault. Within an hour or so of getting the call that his dissertation was approved he was fielding calls from the stake president's secretary. Meet the newest member of the bishopric:You can laugh uproariously, smile slyly and wish him good luck, or just tell how uncomfortable he looks on the stand. Those have been my favorite reactions thus far. And of course, condolences to his wife are welcome as well.

Reading For Pleasure

This weekend Jesse and I did a little job swap. He watched the kids and I worked on his dissertation. It was surprisingly relaxing. J got to some sewing he's been wanting me to do, and I proofread all 295 pages, including footnotes. It was fun to use my little red pen crossing out superfluous articles and inserting missing prepositions. It took me back to my Reading Writing Center days in college when I had the MLA handbook memorized. Unfortunately, Jesse used Chicago, so I was of little citing help. But I am now able to say that I have read Jesse's dissertation from start to finish. And I've learned a lot about Ennin, the Hui Chang persecution, the history of journals in Japan, and what the heck my husband has been doing the last three years or so.

Work

I know this may sound odd, but I just want you all to know that Jesse works (maybe this is just in case his advisers read my blog). Until the diss is done, he's working Saturdays. He works nights. He reads evenings. We get him from 6-8, most days. I get him an hour more than the kids because he comes home for lunch. Most Tuesdays we have a lunch date from 12-1. He's contemplating leaving earlier in the morning.

Weirdly enough, this is working. He's so awesome from 6-8. Dinner is a blast. PScouts is a hit (more on that to come). And he still washes dishes and puts the kids to bed. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Fix it Man

Here's to Jesse who cleaned out my computer last night. There was tons of gunk on my cpu and the fan was gross, too. And I had no faith that he could do it. Really, I had no faith that I could do it and forgot that J is way more savvy than I.

Now I can stream video morning and night without the cpu overheating. Hm. Maybe this isn't such a great thing.

Got me a good one

Sometimes I feel like I'm just figuring out this marriage thing. Jesse brought these home on Monday just because he knew I needed them. I'm glad he's got it figured out.

Hey Daddy-O

Father's Day is great because it's for fathers. And the daddy around here doesn't like anyone to spend money, let alone on him. I did just get him a $1.50 wall clock s he can see what time it is from bed. I think it will be one of his best father's day presents ever.

I made vanilla crepes filled with chocolate hazelnut spread, whipped cream, bananas and topped with strawberries. They were a touch decadent and the kids thought highly of them. The rest of the day was normal; we had dinner with friends. In a way, I don't think I could have planned the day better. Jesse got to sleep in, had a yummy breakfast, and hung out with friends (who love hearing him talk about Chinese, Japanese, and kanji (not kidding)).

And here's yet another reason why he deserves more days of appreciation. We went to Ikea today and while we were gone he cleaned THE ENTIRE house. I'm incapable of cleaning more than 2.5 rooms at a time. Granted, there were no kids there, but when I'm home without kids, I read.

Watch Jesse Dive

I used to be super embarrassed how Jesse dumpster dives. It's in his blood. His Dad broke (or bruised, I'm not sure which) a rib dumpster diving. J's really proud of that fact. He's even taught M to look at the side of dumpsters for treasures. She'll tell you that's where she found her suitcase. He's found futons and blankets, pots and pans, dishes, even a Spider Man figurine (saving us at least $250). To say nothing of the stuff he found in California. I wouldn't even know where to start. Maybe with the wood he built our desk with, or the boxes we packed our things in, or the cool brown shirt that Brooke's brother is now wearing.

I decided that I would be much more embarrassed if we were dodging bill collectors, chronically borrowing money from relatives, or thousands of dollars in credit card debt. I will however, leave him to dive on his own. Especially in Japan. But I will eagerly await a look at his treasures when he comes home!

I Heart Jesse

Happy Birthday Jesse!
My bestest friend in the whole wide world.
The dad who takes us exploring.
M likes when he takes her surfing.
I love hiking, swimming, kayaking, hot springing, and just being with J.
Have a great day and welcome to your thirties.