The love of Mockingbirds

Take a moment to head over to the Flickr Stream of one of my favorite ladies in the whole world, Angela at My Daily Struggle and check out the gorgeous new addition to their family, Harper Jane.

Gar and I spent a couple of hours at the hospital yesterday visiting with Angela and Tim and the new baby. She fell asleep in my arms and I held her for over an hour. I was nervous trying to figure out every move and every breath she took. I can't imagine having a newborn and ever taking my eyes off of him or her. No wonder new parents never sleep! Luckily, Harper is number 2 for Angela and Tim and they know just what they are doing.

Angela and Tim are the kind of parents I aspire to be. Their eldest child, Audrey, is incredible. And their new baby girl takes right after her. Both of them are beautiful reflections of their amazing parents.

Congratulations Angela, Tim and Audrey.

Evolutionary Mishap

It snowed last night in Georgia. I was so excited because Walter, my big ol' St. Bernard has never seen snow that actually collected on the ground. I quick put on a jacket and yelled to the kids (aka-- the three dogs), "Who wants to go outside?"

Gidge, the 14 year-old matriarch did not even stir from her throne on our couch. Ernie, the fraggle, and Walter bounded towards the back door. Once they got there, they looked up at me all perplexed.

"What the hell is this white stuff?" their eyes pleaded with me. Shaking commenced as they tried to get it off of them. Walter tried to go back inside.

"Walter! Come on! You are supposed to love this!"

St. Bernards were bred to be rescue dogs, digging people out of deep snow. It's in his genes.

He looked at me like I had to be kidding.

I went outside with them. The snow had particles of ice in it and it didn't feel all that good beating down on my face. But I was expecting my big pooch to go crazy with excitement.

After much coaxing he went down the stairs, did his business and came running back inside. He saved his burst of happiness for the towel job I gave his wet fur.

Could this Midwestern grrrl actually have a truly Southern St. Bernard?

What the hell?

The Big, Big News!

I think the biggest news can be found here.

A HUGE Congratulations!

Dinner with the ladies

So I went to the doc this morning and they think I passed a kidney stone.

A kidney stone!!!

After several tests that made me burst into tears at a health care professional's office for the second morning in a row, it was suggested to me to buy a net so that I could use it to piss on and then find out if I am passing "sand granules" from my kidneys.

Through tears I was just oh so pleased by this suggestion. I picture a goldfish net hanging next to the towels. I'm not really down with that.

I also really liked the part of them questioning me several times about how many partners I had in the past two years.

"Are you sure it has only been one?"

"Are you positive?"

"Yes I'm positive. You can rule out the Clap. I promise. Can we now get to my incredible kidney pain?"

After all that, a quick looksey proved that I was telling the truth. It's frustrating to be in pain and know, with a sort of instinctual knowledge, what is hurtin' and what is not.

I called Gar and he met me for lunch and let me bitch about this for the second day in a row. The man is patient and loving. He sent me text messages and called me for the rest of the day to check on me.

But I slept through them. I got home from the doctor late in the afternoon and did not go into the office. I was supposed to go to a fundraiser for a member of our House of Representatives at the Democrat Bar at 5:00. I woke up at 6:00. I had slept through my alarm and through 4 phone calls. Apparently, my body needed sleep.

I jumped up. I called work. I threw on work clothes and bolted out the door and to the fundraiser. I felt frantic, as I always do when I oversleep.I am over healthcare. My friend with cancer made it, damnit, so would I. After the fundraiser, I went to a ladies night.

FABULOUS

My mentor, and amazing friend, has cancer. We used to go to out for martinis once or twice a month with the ladies. AMAZING ladies. But that has been on hold for a while.

Tonight we went to her house. I LOVED every second of it. She is doing so well. I could not admire someone more. I am so grateful to have her and all the amazing women I do in my life.

So, so grateful.

And now, I sit at home in bed with 3 dogs and a cat waiting for my honey to come home from a late-night meeting from his new project. Besides being incredibly creative, progressive, and thought-provoking, this project is his passion. I can't wait to hear how it has progressed.

I can't wait to see this man.

Part 2 of Lying to Children

Here's the second part of my conversation with my main man, Colby. After delivering the fairy tale of the Tooth Fairy, I hear my sister in the background. She's obviously changing the subject so that Colby will be set on believing.

"Colby," I hear her say. "You are going to see Aunt Becky in Atlanta in 8 months."

"Aunt Becky," he says into the phone. "I'm coming to see you in 8 months."

"I know, sweetie. and you're going to be in my wedding. Do you know what you are going to do?"

"No."

"You are going to be a ring-bearer. It's a very important job. You know how your Mommy and Daddy have wedding rings?"

"Yes," he says, wondering where this is going.

"Well, me and Garrett will too. And it's a really important part of getting married. You will be carrying Garrett's ring for me. And there is no one that I trust more in the world than you my love."

"I'm carrying Garrett's wedding ring for him?"

"Yup. It's a very important job. And you are the perfect person for it."

"Aunt Becky! Aunt Becky! I know what I'll carry the ring in."

"Well, honey, what do you have?"

I hear my sister cracking up in the background.

"I got a plastic case from the dentist to keep my teeth in when they fall out. The ring will fit in there!"

"That's perfect Colby. You can keep Garrett's ring in you tooth box on top of the pillow. He'll love that."

"I love you Aunt Becky."

"I love you too Colby."

Turns out that I have little to no problem lying to children

As I am the youngest of my siblings, I never had to do the whole pretend there is an Easter Bunny type thing. Now that I have the best nieces and nephews in the world I'm having to figure all of that out. Santa is a no-brainer. Of course he comes down that chimney. But yesterday, I got put on the spot...

I was talking to my sister and she put my nephew, Colby, on the phone. Colby had just gone to the dentist where he found out that not only are his 6-year-old molars coming in but that he has his first loose tooth.

"Honey, I hear you went to the dentist and that you have a loose tooth?"

"Yeah, I do. I can't wait for it to fall out."

"I bet because then the Tooth Fairy will come."

"Aunt Becky? I don't think the Tooth Fairy is real." I hear my sister gasp in the background.

(me, buying time)
"Honey, why do you say that?"

"Because you can't see her."

(me, deep breath)
"Well of course you can't honey. You see, a lot of kids lose their teeth all over the world. So the Tooth Fairy has to fly very, very fast. In fact, she's so fast and so tiny that you can't even see her-- she just comes and takes your tooth and leaves a quarter-- then she's off to the next house."

"You mean she's fast like a hummingbird?" He asks, interested.

(me, relief)
"Exactly like a hummingbird-- only even faster!"

"But if she's so tiny, how does she carry all that money?"

(me, damn kid... why are you so smart?)
"Uhhhhhhh...." I begin to stammer.

"Oh, I know!" Colby says. "She doesn't have to carry it, she just uses her magic wand!"

(me, whew)
"You are exactly right Mr. Colbes. You are so smart."

How I love that little man.

The family hates the heat

The heat makes Walter break out into hotspots. Hotspots, that get bad enough, require this:

How pathetic is that?
My poor baby.
The rest of the family/zoo/muppets/monkeys/crazies/fraggles/babies:

And their Ruler:

Board Game Geeks

Garrett and I don't have cable-- and aren't really big TV watchers anyhow. Our evenings of enjoyment consist of games. We were destined to be Board Game Geeks from the beginning. Our first official date-- our second meeting-- included Garrett teaching me how to play Dominoes at Thinking Man Tavern. I was beating him-- perhaps beginners luck-- more likely an omen of what was to come. We never finished the game. I went home wondering if it was because he was losing. He went to my home wondering if I thought he was an incredible geek for playing a game at the bar on a first date. Alas. He has since learned that all true Midwestern girls have games in their blood. It's what we do up there. There's too much snow to do anything else. We have played Dominoes in three countries and countless cities. We have notebooks dedicated to our scoring system. We place wild stakes for the winner-- or the loser. (Gar you still owe me that Hula Dance Strip Tease-- and I'm not going to forget about it!)

The first New Year's Eve we spent together, we drove up to Ms. Woody's and Mr. T's cabin in Eppworth. Garrett, for the first time, was going to have Board Game Night with my friends. (Somehow I have been graced with amazing, intelligent, punk-rawk, hilarious and kind board-gaming friends) We had been seriously dating just a small amount of time-- and we couldn't keep our hands off one another. Ougday took about a half an hour explaining Apples to Apples and we made-out through the whole thing. Then Ms. Woody, Gar and I formed a team for Cranium. We had the lead and needed to answer the next question correctly in order to win.

"What is the largest animal on earth?"

"The Blue Whale!" I told my teammates.

"A Blue Whale!" Ms. Woody yelled out at the same time.

"A brontosaurus!" Garrett said with conviction.

"Maybe a giant squid?... No, No, it's a blue whale!" I said.

"A giant squid?" Garrett shrieked. With this answer I had lost all credibility with him. Enough that he would not believe Kristi and I that the answer was a blue whale. I tried to explain to him that I was just brainstorming and throwing things out there. But no.

So we answered brontosaurus, with the ladies knowing full-well that it was blue whale. The answer? Blue Whale. Uh-huh.... We still give him hell about the brontosaurus. He still gives me hell about the giant squid.

As our relationship grew so did our propensity for gaming and our collection of games. Every time I am in Target I go check out the game aisle to see if there is anything new-- especially for two players. We pick some things up here and there but for the most part stick to the standards:

Darts
Sequence
Boggle
Dominoes

Nearly every night we play at least a best 2 out of 3 tournament of one of those games. Sometimes its 3 out of 5. Sometimes its multiple games (for instance, he'll cream me in darts so I have to beat him in Boggle to feel better).

Last night we didn't play any games. Gar was working on the rental house and I was reading my book (and nursing a mysteriously pulled and then hours later healed groin muscle). We went over to Audrey's new house (and Tim and Angela's too) and checked it out. It's fabulous! Two blocks away and oh-so-cute. I'm so happy for them! A quick bite to eat and it was time to walk home. After a quick shower to wash my perfume (OFF with 15% DEET) off, I opted for snuggles over games. This weekend however, it's back on. To add to our repertoire of outdoor games (boccie ball and badminton) Gar and I are gonna play tennis. He will whip me, I'm sure. I haven't played in 12 years. I'm anticipated burning as many calories laughing as I do playing. And I think I need to buy a tennis skirt. It doesn't seem like it will be as fun unless I dress for the part. Ooooh and the sweatbands. Awesome.

Um... So cute it kinda hurts

Ms. Emerson Grace, my niece who is just 4 years old, is the most pleasantly precocious child I have even known. She kills me with her wit, charm, and hugs. My sister just called and told me two fabulous Emerson stories.

1. Emerson just learned the song "America the Beautiful" (at least that's what we think its called. My sis and I aren't really up too much on the patriotic tunes). Anyhow, where the line goes "God shed his grace on thee," Emerson sings, "God shat his grace on me!"

2. My sister, Lu, just picked Emerson up from school where she was playing pretend with her friends. And what exactly were they playing? Aunt Becky's wedding. I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff. But I think it's safe to say that she's excited to be a flowergrrrrl.

I freaking love that little girl.

-- Beck

Pirate Style

We just got back from Nova Scotia late Sunday night and I think I am just now able to settle back into doing work. Gar is a fantastic vacation partner and it is always sad when our trips are over. Here are some pics from the trip.
Nova Scotia is beautiful. Halifax,the Capitol, is a really cool city. Welcoming, easily accessible and filled with tasty food and beer. There was a lot to see--tall ships, museums, the Ocean, public art, etc.

Peggy's Cove was pretty spectacular.

All the travel books were right-- the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Island is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Sadly this moose wouldn't let me take his picture-- but I caught his butt.

And the beer, oh the beer! Thick, dark and tasty! Perfect to warm you up on those cold nights. Even better when tables around you burst into seafaring songs. We ended the trip with a bang... those pics to come soon. We need to heal first .... Beck

Step 1-- Gettin' Engaged

The first post.
Where to begin?
So much has happened; there is so much that we want to remember. And thanks to Ami who put this together for us so that we can share a bit about the excitement of getting the wedding together as well as joining the leagues of others we know who are technologically savvy and hip bloggers (read--Angela).

I guess I will start at the beginning-- with the engagement. I won't be able to do that weekend justice. But it's the right place to start. I promise that all our posts won't be this mushy---- ewwwww-- but, well, it's love. It has to be mushy sometimes. Here we go!

The Engagement!

I guess a good beginning would be the explanation of our title-- "Holy Shit! We're gettin' hitched!-- or Yahootie!" It's the name of our wedding. Gar and I got engaged on January 27th of this year.

Getting engaged was amazing. I was so surprised. It's strange really, I knew in my heart that I wanted to marry Gar-- but I wasn't really in any rush. I had figured that when it would happen-- well-- I don't know what I figured. But I wasn't prepared for how it would feel--INCREDIBLE!!!

The proposal itself could not have been better. Garrett took me up to our favorite cabin in the mountains. He had called my folks and told them a couple of days before. We arrived and relaxed with each other. He grilled out swordfish for dinner. We drank wine. As we are hot tub obsessive, we couldn't wait to take a dip in the tub overlooking the gorgeous waterfall in the backyard.

This is a picture of the backyard waterfalls. It's an amazing place.

This is where things did not go exactly to plan. Brenda, the kind woman who owns the cabin, must have put 10 pounds of chlorine into the tub (she knew we were getting engaged...). Our skin started to burn, turn red and then we developed rashes. We were chemical burned! And yet, despite the pain all we wanted to do was to be in the hot tub. So around midnight we began scooping trashcans of water out of the tub and filling it back up with pans of hot water from the kitchen and bathroom sinks. After much labor we got back in. It was better but we were so burned from the original soak that it still hurt like hell.

So we went inside and sat in the sun room overlooking the waterfalls. I was wrapped in a towel on one couch and Gar was wrapped in a towel on the other. We talked. We laughed. I felt so consumed with love for him. I remember telling him that he was my family and that I loved him so much. I couldn't stop gazing at him. Then he got up and said he would be right back.

He came back and knealed down next to the couch (I didn't realize until later that he was on one knee). He told me beautiful things about his love for me and our lives together. I still didn't know he was proposing. I thought we were having just an amazing, loving, beautiful moment. Then he asked me to marry him. He pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was his great-grandmother's ring. It is beautiful. I was in shock. I knew that my answer was "absolutely--YES," but I was still so surprised. That's when the combination laughter and tears started. I cried and cried and cried. At the same time I was laughing like a loon. I could not stop. We stayed up all night. We just stared into each other's eyes, hugged, kissed, made love, talked. Words cannot do those moments justice. I have never been happier in my life. The sheer magnitude of the happiness and love made me dizzy. Garrett has always had this ability, but it really shone that night. Garrett can make dreams come true. Dreams I didn't even know I had.

The next day we started using words and phrases like "fiance," "you are going to be my wife," "you are going to be my husband," and of course, "Holy Shit! We're getting hitched!" It was fabulous. We signed Brenda's guest book. Garrett wrote, "She said YES!!!!" I have never been more happy from a sentence.

We decided that when we got home on Sunday we would get all of our friends together, where we had our first 'official' date, and share the news. Words cannot express how fun that was. We laughed, drank and couldn't keep our hands off one another. Angela, the most amazing photographer in the world, captured the moment in photos.





Garrett makes the toast. He says, "This weekend I asked the most amazing woman in the world to marry me. And she said YES!!!" I, of course, start crying.

Thanks to our friends and our family for making that a weekend that I will never forget. But most, thanks to Garrett, who has made me the luckiest grrrrl in the whole world. I wake up a bit happier, a bit more excited and a bit more in love every day.

-- Beck