My to-do list

I am a very strange person sometimes. There are times when I am very organized and write everything in my calendar and go to bed on time and keep lists of the things that I need to do.

Aside: This usually begins in the fall because I am still in the school mind frame and you purchase new calendars, and have new classes and etc. And this year I started a new job in the fall so I am still in that mind frame. I am frightened to think of what might happen when my job doesn't end in the summer and pick up again in the fall - no organized months.

However, the newness fades away and there are times when I am quite disorganized. Forgetting events because I don't write them down and thinking of mental to-do lists but forgetting them as soon as I get home to accomplish them.

I think of my thank you cards for the wedding, which, I profusely apologize if you are one of the unforunate souls that I have not gotten to yet. I can add the insurance company that I need to call because a stupid rock hit my windshield this morning and cracked it! (I am taking out a pen and paper as we speak, this is good for me.) I need to deposit the checks I got for my birthday and to call my grandmother to tell her I will be there for Thanksgiving.

Oh, let's see. . .I am even forgetting as I am typing and writing. I need to buy a pumpkin for Brandon's first Jack-O-Lantern ever and a paintbrush to help Erin paint her house on Friday. I need to close my old bank account in Maryland by mail and send in my payment to the eye doctor. I have to call the girls tonight to remind them about Bible study and get the house ready for their appearance.

I am sure there is much more, but I will write them down instead of writing my boring list here for all to read for as long as the “www” lasts.

This past weekend we had another couple over to dinner. There are going to be married in December and I am just so excited for them. That's only a month and a half away! Anyway, I made dinner and then I put some carmels into the crock pot so that they would melt and then we could dip apples because a lady at work told me that would work.

The carmels burned! Horrors! Burnt sugar smells sooooo bad and here I was ready to have company over and stuck with no dessert! And stuck with a sticky crock pot full of hardened, black carmels: a new wife's nightmare. So I had this brilliant idea: sugar melts in water, so I will soak, empty, and soak it for a week! I think it is working, but it remains to be seen. . .

I am very happy right now because I have just found out that if the glass company can repair the crack, I don't have to pay for it! It is covered by my insurance and that is quite a relief because the damage wasn't my fault and I shouldn't have to pay for it!

I am sometimes unsure of what to write on here. Not that I am at a loss for words (never!) but that I don't want everyone to know everything, if that makes sense, but I still want to write about it. I guess nothing can truly replace good old journals. . .

The baby boom

It is interesting how they talk about the baby boom in Hollywood. How all of these stars are suddenly pregnant - Brittney Spears, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Gardner, Heidi Klum - literally so many stars are with child. And, of course, the new mommies are buying only the very best for the expected babies - Dolce, Armani, DKNY, etc. Ridiculous.

I think there is a baby boom involving all of my friends my age. I don't think I am at the time in my life where everyone just starts having babies at once. I am too young for that. But I do think that I have always had a lot of older friends and I guess when I was invited to ten different weddings last summer, that was a clue for what was to come. I am trying to crochet so quickly, but the babies are coming faster than I can do it!

Just this month two are expected, and one next month. . . after that is too far in the future to think about for now. I mean, there is my niece to consider ;). I have neglected spoiling her.

I am way excited to meet all of these babies. Brandon and I won't be having any for awhile, at least that is not our plan (you know: we plan, God laughs) during seminary. So, I must live vicariously and meet everyone else's babies. Brandon wants to sign us up for nusery so that we can get to know even more.

Last night Brandon and I went over to this other couple's apartment last night after class and they had the sweetest little boy with such a round face. They change so quickly. It has been a long time since Rachael looked like that!

I can't wait to have babies . . .

Irish Fest in Weston

Na na na na na na: all ye people. . .

So we went on our mini-weekend. Loved Seven Nations, of course. We arrived on Friday afternoon at about four-thirty and were not prepared for the cold. This was the first fall weekend and the weather was quite chilly. We carried our stuff into the bed and breakfast, which was not in the country as we had assumed from the website, and got ready to go out again.

The Irish Festival was located in a very small town, much like the one I grew up in, about 40 minutes north of Kansas City. Apparently the Civil War came out this way a bit because Weston is a historic Civil War town as well. Anyway, I was all gussied up for the concert that I thought was at seven o'clock indoors, but as it turns out, it was at nine-thirty outdoors. I was not dressed for the weather.

Brandon and I decided to eat in the tavern while we waited. The old tavern where the festival takes place is huge with weaving tunnels and staircases that lead to the levels below. It looks like it could have been a castle dungeon or maybe part of the underground railroad at one point.

After about an hour of listening to a horrible band that was on before Seven Nations, I knew I was not going to make it the rest of the night dressed as I was. Miraculously, they were selling Irish-pride sweatshirts, so that, although I am not even a little Irish, I was wearing a big green sweatshirt labeled “IRISH” right across the chest. It mattered not - I was finally warm.

Finally, finally, finally, nine-thirty arrived and 7N began their stage set-up. I kept looking to check off the five of them, but I couldn't find the fiddler, Dan. There was a really young guy up on stage with a fiddle and I thought, Maybe he is just tuning for Dan, but that seemed really strange. As soon as they began the concert, they announced that Dan was not there and that Victor was playing in his stead. I was worried, but he played just as well. And get this: he is just out of high school!! Amazing.

When she got the news, she wrecked the room in anger. . . I will remember you this way, as sure as the night belies the day, as sure as the sun goes down. . .

We managed to be standing in the second row back from the stage, so we could see everything. Kirk, Victor, Scott, Struby, and the illustrious Crisco. Unfortunately, Victor did not keep with Dan's tradition of doing some Irish dancing; however, he, Scott and Crisco did pull out a jam session for a little while. It was so cool being right there in front of the stage, but we were out of there as soon as the concert was over as we feared frostbite in our toes!

The next day, 7N was supposed to play two more times, but when we got there, they were playing in the pub basement and it was so crowded we couldn't even get down the stairs to watch the concert. I did get a CD and, with some pushing by my husband, I managed to get Kirk and Victor to sign it! He tried to get a picture of me talking to Kirk, but I made him promise not to. (I get shy around rock stars.)

We did get to see some other bands: Jiggernut (yuck), the Prodigals (nice), and Fuschia (hillarious!)

The rest of the time we spent in the bed and breakfast. It was pretty nice, although, the bar was set really high from the wedding night B & B. One really annoying thing was that the inn was on a busy street and there was an obnoxious train that went by at least twelve times a day. I did love the huge clawfoot tub right next to the fireplace and the giant bed. :) Happy Birthday to me!

Our love is true love, you can't deny, but baby she's nothin' 'less she can ride the Big Yellow Bus. . .

Apple Picking

On Saturday, my wonderful husband and I went apple picking. Now, to tell you the truth, I spent the last eleven years growing up in and around rural Maryland. Who would have guessed I would miss the rolling hills and icredible landscape so much? Fall is making me nostalgic, however, for apples, crisp weather, corn maizes, hay rides, and autumn leaves. I heard about this place on the radio where the city folk can be farmsy for the day and pick their own apples, so I was way excited.

It turns out that convincing Brandon was not hard at all either. It seems he too was aching for our old home traditions. So, even though he had tons of work to finish for seminary, we drove forty-five minutes east to Eckert's Orchard.

It was quite a change from Maryland as all the city elite were dressed to the nines to spend the day in the orchard whileI was debating between old jeans and overalls. Brandon and I paid our entrance fee and low and behold, a free haunted hay ride was included with our admission! Now I was really psyched.

Before we headed to the trees, we visited some of the farm attractions. For instance, there was the homemade kettle corn, a must have, and Apple Knockers, a lovely musical created by the farm kids about Jonathan Delicious and Mary Golden. (i.e. Jonathan and Golden Delicious Apples.) Then, of course, there was pig racing and a very rudimentary corn maize and a Jack-O-Launcher (basically a pumpkin cannon).

After making the rounds, we made our way to the apple-picking tractor shuttle. Unfortunately, all the Jonathan apples were gone but we were able to get some Red and Golden Delicious. But it is how we got the apples that makes this story so interesting.

Apparently, it is a little late in the year for apples, at least at this popular farm, and all of the trees were bare except for the very top. Brandon decided to make an adventure out of our day and climbed the trees. He began pulling the apples off the branches and throwing the rest down to me.

After one bag was entirely full of Golden Delicious, I suggested that we move onto red.

“No!” said Brandon. “We don't have enough. We are picking for two other people, so we need more!”

It was true, we were supposed to pick a couple pounds for Brandon's cousins and another couple at our church. So we filled another full bag with Golden Delicious and a third with Red Delicious.

Burdened with our three bags of apples, we made our way to the checkout counter to see the damage. My husband managed to throw down 29.3 pounds of apples!!! No joke.

“Brandon, what are we going to do with all these apples?! They are going to go bad before we have a chance to finish them!”

“You will just have to do a lot of baking!”

He has a way with words.

Anyway, we proceeded to the car to deposit the load and then we stuck around for the “haunted” hayride which was pretty tame except for the scary chainsaw guy jumping out of the cornfields.

On Sunday, following our orchard day, I decided that I had to try to make an apple pie to use up some of the apples. I had never made one before!! So, I did as any other newlywed girl does and called my mom. After an hour of explanation, I spent two hours attempting to make the pie. It went into the oven and actually came out quite edible. In fact, I am rather proud of my attempt. I am sure with practice, I will continue to improve.

One thing is for sure, though: nothing beats mom's.