Wifey's New Hobby

I need a hobby.

When I come home after a long, hard day of working, well that's what I call it, the last thing I want to do is catch up on cleaning or finishing up the laundry that has been sitting in the laundry room for a week. I mean, seriously, who does that anyway?

...so I've decided to get a hobby to keep myself busy.

I'm going to start taking pictures of things that I think are totally awesome. I don't have a fancy-shmancy camera or cool software to make the pictures all fancy (I'm really liking the word "fancy" today!!). All I have in a Sony Cyber-Shot, 7.2 megapixel, point and shoot camera! If you don't like the pictures, or don't think they are totally awesome, then go ahead and "x" out of this page. I mean why look at something you don't like...DUH!

...ANY-WHO...

Here are my most recent pictures...the ones that completed the rigid process of getting to appear in my blog, The Camera Dump (it's a VERY difficult process):

This was taken after a very rigirous 1.7 mile hike.

I call it, "Dragonfly, for obvious reasons".

This was taken right outside my front door by the herb garden, which is doing very well. Thanks for asking.

I have pondered a name for this piece for some time now.

I call it, "Butterfly on Yellow Pot".

la8r g8r.

Hubby’s New Blog…hmmmph!

Alright-y then. Guess it’s just me, Wifey, writing the blogs now. Hubby went and got himself his own dang blog. Click HERE to check it out. He really is quite the little writer, I must say. But if he even THINKS about out doing OUR blog then, ha, he has another thing comin’. Any-who, enough about his blog, now on to our not so exciting lives as newlyweds.

Once upon a time, Hubby and I decided that hiking

(refer to post blog-gonnit for more details) would be a great way to shed those extra inches that my wonderful cooking has added to our waistlines. We had great intentions to go hiking several times a week. You know, part of the total body make over that everyone is going for these days. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “No way you guys will keep that up, ha ha ha!” Well thanks so much for the encouragement and you know what? That is exactly what happened.

We haven’t been hiking since June 17^th. DANGIT!

THE END.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

I stopped by Fresh Donuts this morning for a sausage and cheese kolache. The donut chef behind the counter asked me if I'd like it microwaved. I did. So she proceeded to nuke it for twenty or so seconds - just hot enough so that the cheese is transformed into molten Napalm. I paid for it was off to work when I thought: Why am I ok with my food being microwaved? It makes the name Fresh Donuts kinda ironic. Furthermore, were I aware that any other resaurant/fast food place heated my food in this manner, I'd probably quit going there. It's not that I'm ultra picky about the way my food is prepared, it's more that the only microwaved food I think is acceptable is popcorn. The rest of the stuff I stick in there are things like Hot Pockets, Ramen Noodles, etc. - food eaten usually becuase I'm in a hurry or something - and I'm fully aware that the food will probably be pretty gross.

Wifey is Mod Podge-ing right now (whatever that means). She says she'll write the next blog. We'll see.

blog-gonnit!

Ok, ok, ok... I'm sorry. And I apologize on behalf of my better half, also. We have failed you, the avid reader of our blog - all three(?) of you.

We stopped making entries because one or more of the following reasons:

1. Our life is incredibly boring. No one wants to hear about my amazing adventures in organizing my baseball cards - in reverse alphabetical order.
2. A meteorite crashed into our livingroom - right between us and the computer and, out of fear of radioactivity, we haven't ventured near.
3. I had amnesia after hitting my head (A story I will tell later. Hold your horses.) and I could only type and speak in Elvish. And wifey was too busy with an online Elvish-English translator to write anything.
4. We didn't feel like it.

Anyway, we're back. So chill out. Let me start by getting you up to speed on what we've been up to. Mostly, we've been up to getting sunburned - TWICE in the past few weeks. And if it didn't sustain life as we know it on the Earth, I'd say I'd be fine if the sun never came out again. But I bought that blue sunburn gel stuff at Walgreens. The stuff with Menthol in it - so you go from burning up to having slight hypothermia in about 3 seconds.

Also, we've been hiking a lot. And by "a lot" I mean "Not a lot". We've hiked the trail that's roughly 2 miles (rounding up, of course, so it sounds better) a few times. I remembered all of the plants along the trail from the Outdoor Education class I taught at camp a few years back. And I couldn't help but bore Wifey with the intimate details of every plant - ad nauseam. One plant I was sure to point out, was Bull Nettle. If you don't know what Bull Nettle is, you are lucky. If you do, you'd probably agree with me when I give this scientific definition of it: It Sucks. It has tiny hair-like stingers that stick into your flesh and relentlessly irritate it for what seems like 15 minutes or more. One of the worst symptoms of coming in contact with Bull Nettle, is that it will make you say and think more explitives in a single minute as a full-length Chris Rock comedy routine. Just after explaining all of this to Wifey, I reached down to show her a Sassafras plant and the back of my hand brushed against a nearby Bull Nettle that I hadn't noticed. The next few sentences would have made Chris Rock sound like Chris Rice.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the amnesia story I promised you earlier. Well, last week, Wifey and I went to Academy to try to find some better shoes for hiking. She departed to go look for some shorts and I headed to the shoe section. In the center of the section, benches lined the aisles so that you could sit as you tried on shoes. Next to the benches, they had small bins with "try-on" socks for those who did bring any - socks that you discard of after use. Anyway, after trying a few pairs of shoes on, I finally made a decision, bent down to pick up the shoes, and crashed into the try-on sock bin - eyebrow first. I stood up imediately, clutched the basket in front of me, and... that's about as far as I could think to do. I stood there for what seemed like a few minutes, trying to shake myself back to reality (and for some stupid reason I cared more about hoping no one saw me hit my head, than the damage I may have done), when Wifey walked back with a few pairs of shorts and began explaining the tedious details of each one. I muttered, "I don't even know what you're saying right now". She kept talking about the shorts( Apparently, I say that to her a lot so it was no cause for alarm) She soon realized what happed and, after a few minutes more my head cleared and we left the store. I think I'll shop online for shoes next time. And when I'm online then, I'll be sure to write another blog entry - just as soon as this meteorite is gone. ;)

Date Night.

After a long, hard day at work, I came home to this…

I stood there for a moment wondering, “What the…?” I stared at it and then decided that it would be nice to be inside where there is AC. I wait for Hubby to open the door like he usually does when I get home from work, but he didn’t. I stand there a moment longer, contemplating if I should just use MY keys to open the door myself. I do.

Let me just say, Hubby is the best!

As I open the door I hear Ray LaMontagne’s, Winter Birds, which was our first dance! The lights are dim and the mood was nice.

On the floor… 

 

(Ah ha! That explains the thing at the front door.)

Another surprise:

(The chocolates weren’t open when I got home.)

 

NEXT:

Off to Coronelli’s, Hubby take it away…

Hubby here. Well, I looked online for a while trying to find a place that fit into the parameters we had set up for food on date nights. The place has to:

1.    Be unique.

2.    Be not  (Something)-American or Tex-(Something).

The last one is our variable:

3.    Be not so expensive that I have to take out a mortgage for it.

Corronelli’s fit into two of the parameters. And I figured this out as soon as we walked in.

Host: Two? Do you-a have-a reservations?

Me: No, I feel pretty good about this place.

Just Kidding. It went like this:

            Host: Two? Do you-a have-a reservations?

            Me: Oh… No, I didn’t…

            Host: Just two?

            Me: Yeah, but I didn’t make reser…

            Host: It’s ok, we find a place for you.

 The host, an older black gentleman, with an Italian-ish accent, did indeed find us a spot in a cozy room, with a few other folks. Every one looked old and rich and I looked at Wifey and gave her the eyebrow that says “I hope we have enough money and we won’t have to wash dishes after dinner.” 

Corronelli’s is in an old house north of the Conroe courthouse. It has a very authentic Italian-home atmosphere. It reminded me of my Grandparent’s – probably because the owner/waitress, Norma’s accent sounded much like my Granny’s.

We order our meal’s. Wifey got the daily special, a shrimp and spaghetti dish. And I got the Fettucine Calabrese, in honor of my friend Jeremy’s granparents, The Calabreses.

After dinner I asked for the check. I paid with a $100. Norma came back and asked us if we had anything smaller. I didn’t. After about 5 minutes of:

Norma: Ok, I give you-a 50, you give me-a… no… wait… you-a give me-a…wait… no… etc.

In the end, she charged us less, to avoid confusion and said we could just come back later and take care of it. She gave Wifey and I big hugs and hurried off back to the kitchen.

Wifey and I just look at each other a laughed.

            Wifey: We’re definitely coming back here.

            Me: Yes, with correct change.

The End.

I Have Cat Nip!

Today = Not such a wonderful day.

I've been in a funk and just can’t seem to get out of it. No reason, but for lack of better words, I feel like poop.

SO...

I celebrated “Mental Health Day” (Which apparently is Oct. 10,I'm just a tad bit early) As I spend my holiday being a lazy bum, it hits me…BAMM!

“Laura, get up!”, I tell myself.

“Self, Okay!”

Then I wonder, “Why am I talking to myself?” No bother. I get up, open all of our curtains, and step out on our front porch to admire my herb garden. "BEAUTIFUL! I'm glad nothing is dead."

(Rosemary, Sweet Basil and Cilantro)

To the back porch! To my delight there it is. In all it’s glory! Nepeta Cataria, otherwise known as CAT NIP:

Instantly there was a smile on my face, so I text Mom, Dad and Hubby with a picture of my pride and joy! 

And so dear friends, don’t miss the simple things in life. Stop and smell the "Cat Nip". –Laura

P.S. Happy Tax Day!

"So...How's married life?"

“So…How’s married life?”

Since getting married in January, my wife and I have been asked that question so many times that I almost assume the next person I run into will ask it. I’m at the convenience store and the clerk asks “credit or debit?” and I say, “Ah, it’s good. Thanks for asking!”

This week we decided to start a blog about our lives as a wedded couple. I guess with saying that, I’m assuming our lives are interesting enough to blog about. I’m not going to say there won’t be entries that go into great detail about a sandwich I made on Wednesday, or how much fur our cat seems to be losing – you just may get some.

The blogs are written by myself and/or my beautiful wife, Laura. So we’ll get some variety and you can also read of how I rarely wash dishes. Enjoy. –Ryan

 

This evening, in our quest for a total body makeover, Laura and I went for a walk around the avenues. Our goal? To walk about 30 minutes.

Here’s a timeline:

Minutes 1-10:

Laura: It’s nice weather – I’m glad we’re doing this!

Ryan: So, 30 minutes, right?

Laura: It’s so nice to walk and see all of these cool houses that we otherwise pass up when we drive.

Ryan: Do you have to take every hill?

Laura: Look at that gargoyle at that house.

Ryan: Are we in a race!?!

Minutes 11-12:

Laura: I think I felt a raindrop.

Ryan: I can tell rainclouds…and those, definitely, are not rainclouds!

Minutes 13-20:

Laura and Ryan: (Running in the rain) Ah! I’m getting soaked!!!

Minutes 21-120:

We finish the 30-minute walk 2 hours later with our friends, Daniel and Melody, who joined us mid-walk.

The end.

-Ryan