Here's where I spent my weekend:
South Congress in Austin.
My mom, an amazing woman, offered to keep our boys so that we could get away for a weekend. We kissed her feet as we threw our luggage in the car and got the heck outta here.
We had a fabulous time of walking, eating, laughing, walking, eating, listening to live music, sleeping, walking, eating, laughing, sleeping, walking, eating, listening to live music,....
We managed to take nearly 100 pictures, and not one of them is of the two of us together. What does that say about us?
Besides eating, Rick was interested in an old-fashioned hair cut.
We also walked through our state capitol and talked about how we wish our Lone Star State would secede again.
Take a look at the Senators' desks that are original to the capitol. If you look closely, you'll see wiring for their laptops.
And while the Senators work next August, I think I discovered my next calling in life when my babies go to school next year.
My neighborhood really needs a cupcake stand, and I'm willing to stand up to the calling of meeting my neighbors' needs.
Did I mention that we ate while we were in Austin? No? Well, we ate. In fact, we ate enough to last us at least 7 days, and two of those delicious meals were from Guero's Taco Bar. Yum.
I won't even show you a picture of Sunday morning's breakfast at South Congress Cafe. A picture would leave you drooling, but let me just tell you that their Carrot Cake French Toast is to die for.
Yes, we went to Austin to eat. No, I'm not ashamed to admit it.
But we also went to people watch. 
There are interesting people to watch in Austin.
This man:
He lassoed my husband. Interesting. Rick gave him the nervous laugh after removing the lasso from himself.
And I won't even mention the crazy man that nearly scared me into cardiac arrest.
Besides that near fatal moment, we enjoyed our kid-free weekend. Thank you, Didi! We all think you're the best!
A Weekend to Remember
The Project
I'm not really the only worker around here. The Lord blessed me with a helpmate in my husband. Rick's especially helpful with the boys and cooking. In fact, I rarely have to bathe the boys or cook a weekend meal.
But what has been taking up most of his free time for the past two months is this:
That table is an antique that my parents gave us or loaned us (I guess now is a good time to ask...Mom, am I supposed to give it back?) when we moved into this house. The five of us gathered around it for 4 1/2 years.
With the boys getting older, we were finding 5 to be a crowd around that table. I dreamed of a large table where we could sit comfortably and even have company join us without adding a dinky card table to the end.
Nothing says we have class like a blue card table standing adjacent to our beaten-down breakfast table.
Early in December, my sweet man surprised me with this:
My dream table. It's so perty. It's so roomy. We can all sit around it and not rub elbows.
And it says, "We have class."
During Christmas break, Rick was home for a little over a week, and he became restless on day 3. And I told him, "If you can't be happy at home, why don't you go back to work?"
He quietly planned a project and went to The Home Depot to gather his supplies.
(As a side note, I had to add "The" to "The Home Depot". It cracks me up every time I see an ad for them and how they proudly add "The" to their name. We don't shop at The Walmart or The Albertson's, but we do shop at The Home Depot.)
I was shocked when he came home an hour later with supplies to refinish our table. I had mentioned how I wanted the little table to look nice for our dining room, but I assumed it would be another one of those projects that we would put off for another 5 years. But my man is full of surprises and spontaneity.
That's when the sanding and refinishing of the little table began. Let's call it the Refinishing Project of 2009-2010. I don't think either one of us realized it would take two months to finish this project. If we had, we might have stuck with the plan to put it off for 5 years.
But I'm so glad my man finished. It looks so pretty.Rick, thank you for working so hard to make this look nice for me. I know you did it to please me. And I am indeed pleased with how it looks. But more importantly, I'm proud of you.
I replaced the seat cushions and fabric. Now, all that room needs are curtains and a centerpiece. Maybe a rug. There's always something.
Incidentally, we have not used the table for eating yet. But it's a great place for folding laundry.
T-shirt Expert
Have you ever watched this video on how to fold a t-shirt?
I've watched it a time or twenty, and try if I might, I still couldn't catch on. It's as if I needed a the dummies version.
Rick, my hero, found just exactly that the other night.
We watched the dummies version together and then pulled out two shirts to practice with. I completed the task like an expert on my first attempt.
I just might have been too proud about it, because I wasn't able to repeat with such precision for the rest of the night. I'll just blame it on the swine flu. I wasn't quite myself with all the coughing and aching.
Rick, however, caught on after his second attempt. In fact, he was so successful that he proceeded to pull out all of his t-shirts and expertly fold every last one.
He was so pleased with himself that he wanted me to get out the camera and document for the blog. I declined, because the chair on which I was sitting my achy body was more inviting than photography.
Ladies, can I let you in on a little secret?
Lean closer.
Are you listening?
If you can get your husband to watch the video, he might find such pleasure in folding t-shirts that he'll proclaim, "Honey, I'll fold all t-shirts from now on."
And you'll gladly hand him the laundry basket tomorrow.
That Guy *UPDATED*
That guy that I married ten years ago.... That guy that I love very much.... That guy that's my best friend.... That guy that helps me raise three little men....
That guy had a heart attack Friday night.
Gulp.
Thankfully, it was a mild attack. Thankfully, the Lord kept pushing me to ask Rick if he thought he was having a heart attack that evening, when he complained of a weighted feeling on his chest. Thankfully, that guy didn't blow it off. Thankfully, that guy's dad is a doctor, and within 30 seconds on the phone with Rick, he told us to go the ER. Thankfully, we wound up at a hospital with a heart center.
Yep, my guy is now a heart patient. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that idea.
He is in the hospital on a blood thinner and a beta blocker. He was pretty miserable yesterday with headaches and nausea, but he sounds much better this morning.
He will have an angiogram on Monday to check for blockage. If the blockage is cleared up, he will come home Monday. If the angiogram shows stubborn blockage, then a stint will be put in place at that time and he will come home Tuesday.
I am a worrier by nature. Normally, I'll worry over the slightest concern, even as something as simple as clipping the boys' nails. "Oh dear, I need to cut the boys' nails. When am I going to fit that in?" I'll then wring my hands for 2 minutes before I realize that those 2 minutes could have been spent cutting one hand of nails. I'm really not kidding. It's ridiculous the things I worry about.
But through this entire ordeal with my guy, I have not been worried. I know that it's the Lord's hand upon me that is keeping me calm. God is sovereign and in control. He knew about this heart attack long before we did, so I praise Him for showing us the signs when He did. And I thank Him that my guy's heart attack was mild. And I thank Him for a new day with my husband.
Rick is only 37 and in pretty good health. His dad thinks this heart attack was brought on by over exertion in the gym this past week. I can agree with that, but perhaps it's from his military approach on Mt. Elbert last weekend? Or perhaps it's because he'll be 38 next week?
Better yet, it's because the Lord allowed it and will use it for His purposes.
*UPDATED* Rick's heart cath has already taken place this morning (Monday). There was no blockage, and that is wonderful news! He will have to lie still on his back for 4-6 hours to prevent bleeding from the point of entry in his groin. The dr said that we will talk about more details later in the day, but Rick will more than likely be on heart meds for a while. He will also probably have to spend one more night in the hospital. That's alright. We'll do whatever they tell us is best. Thank you for your prayers and concerns.
A Decade
I don't like to be awakened before 7am, unless it's with a travel itinerary before my very eyes. This past Thursday, the alarm startled me out of a deep sleep at 4:30am. In other words, my world was rattled at an ungodly hour.
Once I remembered that I was leaving on a jet plane in a couple of hours, I jumped out of bed to prepare myself to face the dark world. The fatigue was quickly corrected with my flat iron and a Diet Coke.
Liam didn't need a flat iron or a Diet Coke to get started. His motor was runnin' the minute he got up. I even had to hold him down at the airport. You don't believe me?
Beware: You are about to see a lot of pictures of Liam and me together. Daddy took the camera for pretty much the entire trip.
But I did manage to get the camera for this shot:
That man...
and this girl.... We went to Vail this past weekend to celebrate our 10th anniversary.
Holy cow, I still can't believe I'm old enough to be married that long!
You may be wondering why we took Liam on our anniversary trip. Well, we were wondering that ourselves on day 2, when he was bawling his eyes out on a mountain bike. I really tried to remain calm, but the mountain biking was his request and it was fun, darn it!
We took Liam to Vail because it's hard to leave 3 boys behind with family when both grandmothers stay extra busy. Plus, we thought it would be fun to have some 2-on-1 time with our big boy.
Minus the dramatic mountain bike ride, we did enjoy each other's company in one of our favorite places.
What's not to love about a European-feeling mountain village?
And ice cold creeks?
And beautiful walks?
And what's not to love about torturing your body while climbing a 14er?
For you flat-landers, a 14er is a mountain that reaches at least 14,000 feet in elevation.
The main reason that Rick wanted to take Liam on our Vail trip was to introduce him to Daddy's favorite sport. After Liam freaked out on the mountain bike the day before, I decided that I better tag along in order to provide the boy with a way out, in the event that he couldn't keep up with the drill-sergeant, I mean father.
I thought it would be no big deal for me to climb Mt. Elbert, which is supposedly the easiest 14er.
"I work out. I'm in better shape than Rick. No problemo," I thought.
Before we even reached treeline, I was ready to use ugly words. I tamed my tongue slightly with my child on the scene and told Rick that he was "full of poop" when he told me, "You're almost to treeline. It won't get any harder than this."
Five minutes later, I was huffing and puffing and it was not getting any easier. "I hate you," I said. And proceeded to turn my exhausted baby and myself downhill.
Daddy continued without us and made it.
And I'm so mad at him that I could spit, because I wanted to see the view!
Once I was able to speak to my husband without spewing hatred upon him, I explained to him that I want to try again. Only the next time, I will carry my own water and snacks, and I will order him to move ahead and leave. me. alone. I can do it, but I don't move at his marathon pace. And neither does our boy.
I did forgive him. After a day or two.
My brother and sister-in-law came to visit us the next day, so that we could see this beauty:
Edie is a dream girl.
And she's just as sad as I am about the fact that she lives so far away.
And she really hates lemons.
My brother took Liam home with him for our last night, so that we could go out for a nice dinner alone. Sweet Basil was our restaurant of choice, and the 5 pounds I gained on that entire trip can be contributed to that one meal.
We had also hoped to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain for an anniversary picture, but we forgot to go before the early closing time. I was really disappointed in this, because we have a sweet picture of us from our fifth anniversary in the same location that I wanted to repeat and frame. You know, so that the two pictures can sit side by side on my dresser and mock me for the aging that's taken place since adding "twins" to our family in that time.
It wasn't meant to be, so we asked a fellow to take a picture of us here instead:
It turned out cute enough for framing, minus the boot in the left corner. I'm hoping my brother can use his fancy photoshopping skills to get rid of that boot. But even if he can't, I'll still frame the photo to commemorate a decade with my favorite man.
Besides, that photo is taken far enough away that I can't see the five-year aging process.
Before flying home the next day, we spent a couple hours at my brother's house to get more Edie lovin'. Gosh, I love that girl!
Unfortunately, her parents wouldn't let me bring her home. What is their problem?
Instead, we snagged our child and headed for the airport, where we had a rain delay. We passed the time with being crazy on the moving sidewalk...
(Look close and you'll see Liam in action.)
and playing cards.
We finally arrived home at 1:30am. Lord have mercy, we were beat.
But we spent our anniversary trip making great memories. And I hope for many more anniversaries with my man, even though he is a drill sergeant on the mountain.
9 Years
You know you've been married 9 years if, when you try to get the babysitters to take a picture of you all "spiffed up", the kids must also join the photo opp.
Oh well. At least we did get a picture with both of us in it, and we got an evening away! Thanks, B&B!
July 25
You know you've been married for 9 years if:
1. The above photo is the only recent pic you have of yourselves.
2. You have umpteen million photos of your kids.
3. You find this only picture cute, in spite of the fact that you're not even pretending to be glamorous.
4. You post this photo, in spite of how much "trouble" you might be in once your husband sees it published on the world wide web.
But here we are being glamorous 9 years ago today:
Wow, what 9 years will do to you!
As I got up this morning, I looked at our wedding picture and thought, "What would I tell that girl?"
I would have to tell her that she would face some twists and turns on the road ahead of her. That life wasn't going to turn out as she imagines so perfectly in her mind in 1999. But to hold on, because that ride is well worth it.
Because that guy you're marrying will love you through thick and thin. And God will use this bumpy ride to make you both better people.
Rick, thank you for the past nine years. I can think of no one else I'd rather face life with. I love you!
Rick's Eyes
I've really been wanting to share this story since its occurrence, but I was told, "No, you will not blog about this! Absolutely not!"
But after the entire extended family has made fun of him, he's realized that it is indeed a blog-worthy story. Permission was granted yesterday.
A little background is necessary. Liam (4 1/2) was diagnosed with amblyopia in his left eye back in May. A simple vision screening at his 4 year checkup let us know that he could see nada with his left eye. We were shocked, as he showed zero signs of vision problems for the first four years of his life. An emergency appointment with an eye specialist discovered this eye condition, which is essentially a lazy eye. The poor child was nearly blind in his left eye, and we had no idea!
He was immediately put in glasses and began patch therapy. He had to wear the patch on his stronger eye for 3 hours every day in an effort to force the weaker eye into use. After about six months, he had improved enough that we could switch him from patch therapy to drop therapy.
Instead of wearing the eye patch, we dilate his stronger eye twice a week. One drop leaves his eye dilated 3-4 days, and with two drops, his eye is always dilated. He does not enjoy the eye drop, but when he's reminded of patch therapy as the only other option, he submits.
This past Wednesday evening, I snuck out of the house for a few minutes to pick something up from my mom's house. As I was leaving, I reminded Rick that Liam needed his eye drop.
When I came home 30 minutes later, the boys were in bed and Rick was playing the guitar. I sat down beside him. This is the conversation that took place:
Rick: I gave Liam his eye drop.
Me: Good. Thanks.
R: Yea, Liam complained that the drop stings, so I put one in my eye to show him that it doesn't sting. But it actually does sting a little bit.
M: You did what?!
R: Yea, I dilated one eye to show Liam that it's no big deal. And then I dilated the other eye, so that I would feel more balanced.
M: You what?! Rick, your pupils are HUGE!
R: I'll be fine in the morning.
Me: Um, no, those drops last 3-4 DAYS!
R: Oh no. I'm in trouble. [Glancing at the computer] I can't focus on the screen at all.
M: I guess you'll be staying home tomorrow. [Laughing hysterically] This is so bloggable!
R: No, it's not! You will not blog about this!
HaHaHa! It is so bloggable!
What makes it even more bloggable is that his eyes are STILL dilated five days later! Rick stayed home on Thursday. When he returned to work on Friday, he wore sunglasses on his face all day. That would not be too odd if he had an outdoor job. But he's an auditor, people. He sits at the computer all. day. long. There he sat at his desk with his tie and dress shirt and sunglasses!
Throughout the weekend, we would look at each other and laugh. He's come full circle from not finding it humorous on Wednesday to being able to laugh at himself this weekend.
He meant well by it. He wanted to be the supportive dad. But he's turned himself into the laughing stock of March 2008.
Lunchtime Conversation
While setting the table, Liam (4 1/2) asked, "When I'm a daddy, can I call you 'Ami"?"
Me: No, I'll always be your mom.
L: Oh! Well, why does Daddy call you 'Mommy'?
M: Well, that is a bit confusing. Sometimes he calls me 'Mommy', but he can call me 'Ami' because he's my husband.
L: Who am I going to marry?
M: I don't know, but we should pray about who that lady will be.
As if I didn't hold enough weight on my heart yesterday, now I have to think about my little boy getting married. Mercy me!
Our Story
I can't believe I haven't shared our story after some 275 posts. In honor of Valentine's Day, here is how Rick and I became Mr. and Mrs. CupRunnethOver.
In 1981, both of our families moved to the same city and began attending the same church. Because Rick is four years older, he and I weren't friends and thought nothing of one another. I was 6 and lost in the world of Barbies. He was 10 and had his eyes out for older women. Four years is quite the difference at those stages in life.
I stayed at the same church until I graduated from college in 1997, but Rick moved on in the late 1980s. We never saw each other in those ten years, and I know I never thought about him one bit. I'm certain that he wasn't pining away for me either.
The next time I remember seeing Rick was at a wedding in the early 1990s. I remember thinking, "What a weirdo!" He was a student at Aggieland at the time, and he was enjoying his freedom. He had grown his hair out, dyed it black, and his ears sported three rings. Nothing like the Ricky I had seen some years back!
Over the next several years, our lives went down different paths. Rick graduated from college, moved to Europe to teach, then to California for his Master's. I finished college, planned a wedding that I later called off, and then moved to Colorado.
In 1998, we both moved back to Texas. Rick was tired of the single life and ready to settle down. I was praying for God to show me my husband and to hurry it up already, please.
In July, Rick moved into apartment 916. In August, I moved into apartment 926, right above Rick. This was not planned by us, but it was certainly no accident.
For the next few months, we noticed one another in our comings and goings, but we were both too shy to say anything. I thought he looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place his face with a name.
On December 4th, Rick saw me at the mailboxes, so he stopped to get his mail for the second time that day. He tried flirting with me, but I wasn't in a good mood. Here's the conversation that took place:
Rick: Hi. How are you? [with that big smile that had grabbed my eye a few times over the past months]
Me: Fine. [growl]
R: You don't look so fine.
Me: I just got a ticket. [growl]
R: Uh oh. What were you doing?
Me: Speeding. [growl]
R: Better not do that.
Me: [silence] [glare] [exit]
R: [silently kicked himself]
I sped off for my apartment building, and he quickly followed me. As I got out of my car, I noticed he was waiting for me. I thought, "Good grief! I am NOT in the mood for this!"
But then, his face "clicked", and I thought I might know him. We made small talk and realized that we were both teachers. I finally felt brave enough to say, "I'm Ami Maidenname. Are you Ricky or Chris [his brother]?" He corrected me with, "I'm Rick." Small talk continued for a few minutes, and then we said goodbye and went to our separate apartments.
As I walked into my apartment and shut the door, I heard God in my left ear. He said, "That is the man you'll marry." I locked the door and said, "WHAT?!" Again He spoke, "That is the man you'll marry. Don't question me on this." I giggled and called my dad. I didn't even have to tell Dad about God's statement; he knew it, too.
Rick came upstairs to ask me out the next day, but I declined. I already had plans with a girlfriend, and I wouldn't cancel on her for a guy. I later told her about it, and she hit me and said, "What were you thinking?! You should have gone out with him!" (She became my maid of honor.)
Two days later, on December 7th, Rick left a note on my car, which I found on my way to work. It read: Hi, Amy. Would you like to go out to dinner tonight? Call me. Rick
I called him, and we went to dinner and a movie. He cooked me dinner the next night. I was sold by that point!
First date: December 7, 1998
Engaged: February 22, 1999
Married: July 25, 1999
When you know it's right, there's no time to waste!
This post is long enough at this point, but I still have two fun stories to share: the first "I love you" and our engagement. I'll save them for another day.
Rick, I'm so glad you stopped me on that bad December day! I shutter to think how different my life would be without you, my soulmate. I love you!
All He Ever Learned...Part I
We've probably all heard of the phrase "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten". But did you know it's actually the title of a published book of 50 essays? It is Robert Fulghum's 1986 work that was on the New York Times' bestseller list for almost two years.
Here is an excerpt that I found on the wonderful worldwide web. (Really, what did we do without that wonderful device?!):
All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
- by Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.
Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK . Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living.
Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
So what do you think? Is there something missing from that list, or is it complete? Let's get some comments rolling!
Stay tuned for how I can tie this post into my husband's kindergarten report card and his 36th birtday this week! (At this point, my palms are sweating, now that I've promised this. I'm not sure if I can handle the pressure. I might not sleep for days now!)
And if you're interested in purchasing Fulghum's book, Amazon.com has used copies for as cheap as a penny! I might need to order one.
