Musical Monday

Today's selections feature a few of my favorite things:  

1. David Tennant.

2.  The song "The Gambler" 

3. A song by Morrissey when he was singing with "The Smiths."

4.  David Tennant singing along with both of those songs.  And dancing.  It makes me practically quivery with happiness!

5.  People randomly bursting into song while doing mundane things.  Like eating ice cream while staking out a shady bloke.  Or making a drug bust.  Because no matter how much most people try to deny it, life really is a musical.

Enjoy!

Gift Ideas

Okay, world. 

I am in need of gifting help.

What does one buy for a 16 year old boy for Christmas?

Help.

Summer 1991

The summer after my freshman year of high school was very fun.  I was all done with Todd Smith and a new, wiser teenager had resulted from my first knock down drag out unrequitted crush.

We went to Cape Cod, Mass as soon as school was out for what had become a mostly annual camping trip for our family.  I went on long bike rides, made friends with fellow teenage campers, read books next to the campfire, swam with turtles in the lake and spent as much time as possible either in or on the water.  It was a wonderful trip.  We had some other friends from NJ join us and their teenagers and I romped and swam and canoed all over the lakes, as well.  Mostly, I pointedly did not think about Todd.  Because everything I did, I just thought about how ridiculous I had been.   

Later that summer, we drove out to Wyoming.  There was much hiking and visiting and playing with cousins.  Also a wonderful trip.  Here's a journal entry from that experience:

August 15, 1991:

"I left NJ planning on having a rotten time in WY, but when I got here I realized that it really wasn't worth it.  My family won't be moving out here until I graduate from High School, so I no longer feel threatened.  I've taken lambs and llamas for walks while I've been here.  So, that's been an experience I wouldn't have back home.

Now, on to the good stuff.  Todd Smith called while I was here!  [He called my house in NJ.  The person staying there told me.]  Drat.  I do wonder what he wanted!  I think my problem with guys is that as soon as I meet someone, I see us married with kids.  It puts too much pressure on a friendship.  I'm almost mad that Todd called.  I was just starting to convince myself that I really didn't care."

Back in the Day

And now we return to our regular programming.

My journal from June 14, 1991:

"Kurt Bestor was the speaker at Youth Conference.  Spiritually, it was wonderful.  Socially, it was a flop. (For me and Todd.)  I let my temper get the better of me this weekend.  I realized he doesn't like me.  He doesn't even like a lot of the things I like.  On the way home from Youth Conference, I was in a rotten mood so Bishop Smith said, "Don't worry, Emilia.  All boys are gravy-suckin' slime balls."  I don't know what it even means.  But it made me feel better."

Two weeks later on July 1, 1991:

"I just apologized to my Mom and everybody else for my behavior over the past 6 months.  I've been such a dip!  It is definitely the end of an era.  I've even packed away all of the banners and countdowns in a big manila envelope.  What better way to start the summer?"

See?  I was ALL DONE with that Todd Smith.

It had been short and sort of sweet and was a learning experience which left me free to go on and find other boys to adore with my new found knowledge of what NOT to do.

Incidentally, I still refer to dumb boys as gravy suckin' slime balls.  And I still don't know what it means.  And it still makes me feel better.  

Heartbreaking

Almost son while talking to me on the phone:

"It feels weird to be wanted."

JCS

Caleb tonight at dinner:

"Mom?  Where do we go when we die?  College?"

TEN YEARS

We are going to pause in our regular programming of me posting my embarrassing journal entries written about Todd. But here's a silly picture of him:


In case you aren't sure how the story ends, Todd and I were married almost ten years ago on December 23. We are never letting our kids do anything that silly. Christmas is a terrible time to have an anniversary! Some years we barely acknowledge it, but we decided that every five years we'd do something "real".

I should mention that we have weather issues. The day we were married there was a big ice storm. It took people who attended the wedding ceremony nine hours (instead of the typical 3.5 hours) to get home from Washington D.C. to NJ.

On our fifth anniversary we had a wonderful weekend in NYC. The first night it was so freezing cold that we ventured outside our hotel only long enough to get bagels for dinner, and then the next day it was pouring rain. We ended up going home early. I don't love the city in a monsoon.

Friday night, the awesome fabulous and wonderful fellow book group broad, Heather (and her hubby, of course), took my boys so Todd and I could run away for 24 hours. (Big shout out to HEATHER!!! Gimme an H!!...)

It was 15 degrees outside. And I planned for us to walk from our hotel to Latitude 41. Which I LOVED, btw. I definitely recommend it for a grown up evening out. They use local, seasonal ingredients and have a very small selection. But every single thing they offered was excellent! Here's us at the restuarant with our desserts:

(Mom, I didn't brush my hair before this picture was taken.)

After dinner we walked quickly and coldly back to the hotel along the mostly deserted city streets. (Everyone else was smart enough to stay inside that night.) I kept reminding my freezing husband that for as cold as he thought he was, I wasn't even wearing pants. He countered by reminding me that he has no body fat. We'll call it a draw.

Back at the hotel, I wanted a picture of the two of us. I have a ridiculously small number of pictures of the two of us together. So I handed him the camera and told him to do it because he has longer arms. Bless his humble heart, the man has no idea how to take self pics. Here's what happened:

"No, honey. Closer and more centered."

"Without being completely unflattering."

"Give me that!!!" "No!" "Give me that!!" "No! You can't have it!"



" It's mine because my arms are longer!!" "Yeah, well, I'm heavier than you are!"

Ha! I got it. But apparently I can't take pictures either.
That's better.

The next morning we woke up to lots of snow and wind and cold and slipped and slid all over the city for the rest of the day. I am just pointing this out to the people who cursed us while driving home from our wedding ten years ago. The curse stuck.

Saturday morning, after we'd chased a postal worker all over downtown Columbus (there's a story there, too) and we'd finally eaten, Todd asked me what I wanted to do. I responded that I had really wanted to wander all over the North Market and Short North areas. But the weather was uncooperative. Todd laughed and reminded me that I'd said the exact same thing in NYC five years ago.

I suppose it's good to have traditions.