In Case You Need Something to Do in 2008

~ Pick out something you want to accomplish this year - whether it's a hobby you enjoy or you need to paint the kitchen or you want to learn to speak French - and do it. Even if you don't reach your goal, you'll still feel a sense of accomplishment if you work at it consistently.

~ Smile more. Shrug off small irritations more easily.

~ Sing loudly. Dance when the mood strikes.

~ Eat to make your whole body happy, not just your mouth.

~ Laugh at the same stuff that made you laugh when you were ten years old.

~ Forgive others even if they don't ask for it. Don't forget to forgive yourself for your own failings.

~ Remember just how fragile people really are. Remember how resilient they are as well.

~ Read something that'll make you smarter. Listen to music that'll make you feel more deeply.

~ Learn about people and cultures and religions with which you're not familiar. Don't hate but ask questions instead.

~ If someone does you a kindness, do one for someone else.

~ Count your blessings and express your gratitude.

May you all have a wonderful new year celebration and may 2008 be filled, for all of us, with happiness, good health, love and peace.

Ahh Luuuv Yew!

You folks have been some commenting mutha scratchers these days! Y'all sweet on me or something?

Gonna go take me a nap now. Dream of y'all and how good you are to me.

My Ever After

Today, July 30th, isn't my wedding anniversary. Tomorrow, July 31st, is. Same day as Harry Potter's birthday. We didn't pick that day to get married because of Harry Potter. B and I picked that date because it was the Saturday that the Standesamt (what is essentially the bureau that handles marriages) was performing weddings. We'd originally picked July 24th and had even gone ahead and had our wedding rings inscribed with the date 24.07.99 before we found out that date wasn't open. I wore for years a wedding ring with the wrong date engraved inside, it driving me nuts the entire time, until on our 5th wedding anniversary when B bought me a new wedding ring with the correct wedding date inside.

While this isn't the anniversary of our wedding, July 30, 1999 is still special to me. While many brides spend the day before their wedding as nervous wrecks, I spent mine completely relaxed. Everything was in place for the big day - our wedding clothes, food, transportation, music...if we needed it to get married, it was in hand. All I needed was a good night's sleep and a good hair day the next day. I got neither one - too excited for the former and too unskilled at handling my new hairstyle for the latter - but none of it ended up mattering in the least. What mattered was how I felt on July 30th.

July 30th is the anniversary of the one and only time I was anticipating doing something and having absolutely no second thoughts, no doubts, no fears and no regrets. It was the one time when I knew my decision was 100% correct. I knew before we married our how our marriage would be. It was the one time when I had full confidence in myself and what I was about to do and it was such a liberating feeling.

I certainly never had such a feeling on the eve of my first wedding. I spent that day in dread and wished I could have gotten out of it without my mother pinching my head off for it. I wish I'd had that feeling of confidence on the eve of that wedding. No one should get married with an unsettled feeling.

The day before I married B was such a good day. All day we talked about how our dream was finally coming true and that we couldn't wait to get started on our married life. We talked about how we truly felt as though we were marrying the person who was perfect for us and we wished and prayed that we would have many happy years together. Both of us knew that no matter what the future would bring, we'd see it through together and that being together was the only option for us.

And now eight years later I feel even happier than I did on the eve of our wedding if for no other reason that I know I was right. I know beyond any doubt that marrying B was the right thing to do and that even if I make no other right decisions in my life, at least I got the most important one right.

I love you, my darling. Without end. Without limits. Without a doubt.

Happy anniversary.

Bi-lingual Happiness

It's day two of Language Week - third day I've been writing some of my blog entry in German. If I do it an extra day does that mean I get extra credit? A gold star? Brownies after supper?

In any case, we've got knitting talk and we've got good news. Which first? Oh let's do knitting first. If I give you the good news first you'll skip the knitting.

The first sock of the Simulated Basket Weave socks I'm knitting for Darling Mollie is finished.



Technical information: It's knit with two skeins of Regina 4-ply Silk yarn, one in black, one in pink. The black is well used but I believe I have more than enough pink leftover in the skein to knit the second sock.

I want credit for knitting that sock with two colors of yarn and I didn't turn it into something that looks like a monkey has been at it. Mosaic pattern knitting isn't really difficult as long as you keep track of which round you're knitting and you keep your yarns separated and not allow them to get wrapped in one another. I strongly recommend using a yarn bra for each skein to aid with that. Take an old pair of pantyhose and make your own.

That was all in English because I knit English style I'm simply too lazy to translate all of that, plus I don't know a lot of German knitting vocabulary and B's rubbish at German knitting vocabulary as well. I'll present the good news in German and translate for you.

Es ist ofiziell. Es gibt kein zurück mehr. Ich habe mein Ticket gebucht und bezahlt um im Oktober in die USA zu fliegen. Ich verlasse Deutschland am 10. Oktober, verbringe einen nicht enden wollenden Tag im Flugzeug nach Memphis, und zur Abendbrotzeit bin ich in Mississippi. Ich besuche dort meine Familie. Freundinnen von mir von überall aus den Staaten kommen um mich dort zu sehen an einem Wochenende. Dann am Abend des 27. Oktober sage ich meinem Heimatland auf weidersehen, hoffentlich nicht für immer.

Weißst du was das Beste an einem Besuch zu Hause ist? Ich muss werend der ganzen Zeit nicht Deutsch sprechen. Weißt du was komisch ist am Besuch zu Hause? Ich erwische mich selbst dabai ab und zu Deutsch zu sprechen.

Translation:It's official. No turning back now. I've booked and paid for my ticket to fly to the US in October. I leave Germany on October 10th, spend a nearly unending day flying to Memphis, and by supper time in Mississippi I'll be there. I'll be there visiting with family, friends of mine are coming in from around the US to visit me on one of the weekends I'm there and then on the evening of October 27th I'll be saying goodbye to my homeland once more - hopefully not for good.

Know what's one of the best parts of going home for a visit? I don't have to speak German the whole time. Know what's one of the weird parts of going home for a visit? I'll find myself speaking German sometimes anyway.

Love in an Envelope

I love mail. Not so much email though. Well, I do like email but I'm really bad at answering email in a timely manner. Still at the risk of never getting email ever again ("I'll fix her! Last time I write that wench an email if she can't appreciate it!") I have to say that for all it's convenience and immediacy, it still doesn't give the same charge one gets when one opens their mailbox and finds mail in there that's not a bill, advertisement or credit card offer. My mailbox has been a bit barren lately - in the past ten days the only thing I've gotten was my debit card statement, a catalog and an offer for a loan - but today made up for that.

First was a postcard from our family doctor. She was in the US for fifteen days - skiing in Utah and touring around Las Vegas and San Francisco and she sent us a postcard from Las Vegas. She always sends us postcards. Thailand, China, Iceland, South Africa, USA - if she goes there, she sends a card. Now how many of you can say your doctor sends you a postcard when he/she's on vacation?

Then there was a small package from my dear friend, pkb. I've been expecting this package for months now. She originally send it to me last October but she made an error in my address and it was sent back to her. Caused quite a panic between us when the package was missing for weeks on end because what was in it can't easily be replaced. She had gone to see Mitch Albom last fall at a book signing for his book, For One More Day, and pkb had him sign a copy for me and sent it to me. You can perhaps see why having such a thing missing would upset us both. Originally it was to be a big surprise for me but pkb is a lot like me in that when we find something really wonderful and perfect for someone and we get it for them as a gift it's nearly impossible to keep it a secret or not give it to them immediately. I was very excited to get this book because the topics of Mitch Albom's books are things that are very meaningful for both pkb and me. It's one of the bonds pkb and I share.

pkb had told me that when she resent the book that she simply shoved the original envelope into a larger envelope because something very special was on the original envelope - a surprise for B. I knew what it was and I couldn't wait for him to see it. I tore open the outer envelope at the tear strip and carefully removed the inner one and showed B his surprise - a smooch for him from pkb. A great big lipstick print right on the back on the envelope - and in a gorgeous shade of lipstick, may I add. Next to it she'd drawn a heart and wrote "For B". He was over the moon. I can't even describe what a big smile he had on his face when he saw it.

I should pause to explain that all of my friends adore B. Well, honestly I don't know anyone who has met B and doesn't adore him. As my sister once said "He is the most delightful person I've ever met.". It's only natural that pkb would send him a lipstick smooch.

I was eager to get the second envelope open so I could see the book and see how it was autographed to me. I know that signed books aren't exactly uncommon and I have a couple other books autographed by their authors but I get such a charge out of seeing my name and the author's signature.

"Rats. The tear strip on this envelope goes right through the lip print."

"Don't tear that smooch! That smooch is mine!"

"I know but the tear strip goes right through it. It's going to tear it in half when I open the envelope."

"Then leave it closed."

"Get out of here! My book is in there! Do you know what pkb had to do to get that book autographed and sent to me?"

"The smooch is more important. Do not ruin it. It's mine."

"Oh for Pete's sake. Well I can't tear the end, it's all taped shut."

"Do not tear that smooch."

"Alright. Here's the scissors. I'll just dig it in here by the tape and snip through the end and open it that way. Dang. These little scissors I use for my knitting don't have very long blades and it's hard to work in here. Okay. Here we go. Look, I'm cutting it open and saving your precious smooch. Look at you getting all worked up over a lip print! You are so silly! It's just a... Ow! Owwwww!! Mother scratcher, that hurts! I just cut between my fingers with the scissors! Oh you Martha Focker! That fucking huuuurrrts!!!".

"Watch the smooch! Don't bleed on it!"

"It's not bleeding that much! It just hurts! Damn, that hurts like a bitch on fire!"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's hardly bleeding but I cut right into that soft space between my fingers and it hurts like holy hell!"

"I'm sorry sweetie."

"It's okay. The pain's fading now."

"Better wash it though. And when you get done, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

"Cut my smooch out? I want to save it."

Who can say no to someone so charming and delightful?

Thank you, pkb. You made us both very happy. We love you.