Learning Something New...

Aside from making cootie catchers in elementary school, I have never really played with origami. I did some iris folding several years ago and really enjoyed it, but kind of hit a dead end with it. At any rate, I am attempting to learn a new skill - origami.

Here are my first attempts at making some wishing star earrings. These are "upcycled" from a grocery store paper bag (thank you Lowe's Foods). As you can see, I need to work on consistency as the stars are not the same size. However, one of my ears is higher than the other, so this should work out fine. LOL

My second attempt turned out better. The stars are made from scraps of

paper I had from a previous project and the red beads are Swarovski crystals. In true wishing star fashion, a holiday wish is inscribed on the inside of each star. I am wearing these today to see how they hold up. I did not finish them with any kind of sealer, so we shall see how rough and tumble they can take it.

I am loving making these! Now, what to do with a bunch of origami earrings...

Overdue Update

It has been a while since either one of us has posted an update, and keeping this thing up is something that I want to do. Kris is asleep, and I am restless thinking about work matters and other things. So rather than fret and toss and turn, I'll write for a while until I get tired and fall asleep. I hope that mentality does not rub off on any potential readers--"I'll just read until I fall asleep"--so I'll try to keep it interesting.

The biggest news item since our last update is that I'm gonna be a dad! Harry's biological father decided to reliquish his parental rights, and I will be adopting Harry soon. We are all excited, and I am looking forward to making it official, even though I have felt like a dad to Harry for a long time. We are a family no matter what, but I am excited about making it official.

The house is coming along well. Kris spent a lot of time working last week, hanging and staining closet doors and a door to the yellow room. I was out of town at a continuing education opportunity, and when I returned, I was blown away by the progress! I know I;m not very good at expressing that, but I hope Kris knows that I was most impressed, and am glad that my wife is handier than I am :^)

Work stuff is keeping me busy. I am continuing to work on updated policy and procedures manuals, a construction project, a trail project, and a couple of grants, all the while trying to fend off attacks. I am grateful for my job, but it causes an inordinate amount of stress to work hard and be met with unappreciative and vindictive people. I suppose I had fair warning, but it is still hard!

Harry was in a Christmas Parade this past weekend with his scout troop, and Kris and I enjoyed watching the parade, selectively picking up candy, and freezing. We even saw a few stray snowflakes! We also attended a Christmas Tree Lighting Service in our Town, which was a fun event, and has been a bright spot in a busy stressful week.

This time of year is extremely busy and stressful, and I think it is compounded by the fact that we are newlyweds trying to still adjust to living with each other and being a family. Even given the stress though, I have had several opportunities presented this Christmas season to pause and reflect on the real importance of Christmas, family, love, hope, and other important themes. The pastor's sermons the past couple of Sundays still linger in my mind, and the message that the speaker gave at a luncheon I attended today was certainly poignant. I pick on Kris alot because she has an innate ability to detect "different people"--people that for some reason or another stood out as if there was something special about them, or something that she was supposed to hear or see via divine intervention, the universe, etc. Lately, I guess I am noticing the same things, or at least reflecting more on what I do notice. I think it's neat how God works sometimes!

I am glad to have my car back! I hit a deer two nights before our wedding, and it had been in the shop for over a month. I enjoyed driving my mom's car, but it was good to have my car back!

I have gotten back into doing the crosswords in the paper during my spare time, and when I am on the phone on business calls at work. I used to enjoy them a lot, but quit doing them for a couple of years. Don't know why I started doing them again, but they are fun, and stimulate my thinking.

I enjoyed hanging out with my brother this past week while I was out of town on business. Got to eat dinner with him and friends one night, and crashed at his place one night after having dinner with him, his roommate, and our parents. That was a lot of fun, and I enjoy getting to hang out during those slowmotion times in our otherwise fast paced lives.

Boston Legal has become my new favorite television show lately. Kris and I have been watching episodes on DVD before bed, and they are addicting!

That's all I can think of for now. There are other things I would like to blog about, but it is getting late, and I need to blog more regularly instead of lumping everything together in a long post.

I'm off to bed to sleep and get ready for another day of fun at work tomorrow!

Black Friday

So, yesterday, Harry and I braved Winston-Salem for Black Friday shopping madness. This was an educational experience that is hard to put into words, so I'll rely on a series of mobile wall posts to Kris' facebook page from throughout the experience.

Harry was very excited about the idea of heading to the stores for Black Friday. He went through the newspaper, picked out the ads he was interested in, and cut out things he wanted and pasted them on a page in order by store. He originally wanted to camp out at Best Buy, but after a late night of Thanksgiving pigging-out and patch trading with Seth (actually, I think we really just raided Seth's collection with his permission, but more on that later) we were both convinced that this was probably not a great idea.

Instead, we came home, and knowing that Harry is prone to sleep in if allowed, I slyly figured that I would put the ball in his court. I told him that whenever he woke me up, we would head to Winston-Salem. As I made this offer, I was between our bedroom and his, and I was so giddy at the idea of sleeping in that I actually laughed out loud.

Big mistake.

This apparently made Harry more determined, and at 5:34 AM, I was awakened by the light of Harry's room, and rolled over to find him fully dressed and ready at my bedside. After a healthy serving of crow, I got up, showered, dressed, and we left the house by 5:50 AM.

We had a good time, and admittedly I'd probably do it again, but here's how the morning of shopping went, accoring to real-time wall posts.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 6:51am yesterday
You wrote on my wall a mere 8 hours ago. 8 hours later on 4 hours of sleep, I find myself at HH Gregg on Black Friday with 440 more enthused, better rested shopping fiends, one of whom happens to be our son. You, meanwhile are probably curled up in bed laughing at us in your dreams. Something is wrong with this picture. I love you! Your turn next year.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:19am yesterday
Ok. Remember when I wrote on your wall a few minutes ago? Yeah, well, we've moved two feet since then. Still a dozen people in front of us. It is sooooooo your turn next year! Harry is sleepy and trying to deny it. I predict he will be crabby by 7:30.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:29am yesterday
HH Gregg's checkout process must involve a national security checkpoint.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:54am yesterday
Left HH Gregg in one piece, but feel like I should have tenure with their company. Now we're sitting in the megaline of traffic at the mall heading to radio shack. I'm gonna need to be in church on Sunday.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 7:58am yesterday
I celebrated like I won the lottery when I found a parking space at the mall in Winston, even though I think I am parked closer to High Point.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:04am yesterday
HH Gregg needs to learn from Radio Shack! In and out in 10 minutes! On to Gamestop!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:43am yesterday
Mall traffic is nuts! In the drive thru at McDonalds now. Think they have any black friday specials? Doubt it.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:53am yesterday
Hey, guess who else is shopping in Winston today? Oh wait. EVERYFREAKING BODY!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 8:57am yesterday
The parking situation at Target is comedic at best. Looks like 15,000 people believed somebody famous was supposed to be here.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 9:38am yesterday
If I see one more soccer mom on a two way radio talking like some kind of covert ops are underway, I may just scream.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 10:01am yesterday
Off to the other Target across town. Heading up Hanes Mall Blvd. At high rates of speed - approximately 14 inches per minute. Seriously, a turtle just passed me in the median and giggled at me. Not cool.

Finally, Kris managed to get up out of bed, probably laughed hysterically at the idea that we were out shopping and she had been sleeping, then read my posts and responded.

Mrs. Dearmin wrote at 10:26am yesterday
I am reading your wall posts - hilarious!! I love you!!! You know what your problem is? You didn't have a plan. All those gals with two-way radios had a plan, they have a team. You seriously figured that Harry wouldn't want to go, in fact, you were snickering at how clever you were. Then...you tipped your hand to him right before bed and it was ON, there was no way he was oversleeping. I have no sympathy for you, but am struck at what a great father you are!

Homer Dearmin wrote at 10:53am yesterday
The other Target is crazay! See, with a strip mall, there are other stores for people to shop at. This one? Uh-uh. For every car in the parking lot, that means at least one person is in here. This is nuts. This could be black and blue Friday before it's over.

Homer Dearmin wrote at 11:23am yesterday
With 42 minutes to go before noon, we are done shopping to Harry's satisfaction. Target was reminiscent of a madhouse. So glad today that I do not work there! We are on our way home to pretend that we never did all this craziness.

When all was said and done, we had been to HH Gregg, the mall, two Targets, and Staples. We made it back home by 1:00 to unload the car, enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers, and most importantly, NAP.

Thanksgiving Cards

I have always thought that I was born too late. By that, I mean that I am forever enamoured with things that were popular before my time. An example of that is my fondness for anything to do with the craft of writing, calligraphy, illuminated letters, stationary arts, etc...To that end, I decided earlier this summer that I would attempt to send more snail mail. (Snail mail being the sometimes slow US Postal Service vs. the lightning quick e-mail.)




When it came time to ask my nearest and dearest friends to be in my wedding I thought long and hard about how to ask them. I wanted it to be important, sincere and heartfelt. I also did not want them to feel any kind of pressure to say yes, if they really were unable to. So I decided on writing them all letters. I took some time picking the stationary I wanted. It was quite lovely - gold metallic with a pattern flocked in raspberry, chartreuse or teal. The envelopes were gold metallic as well and I used sealing wax to seal the envelopes. Each letter was specific to the individual person and expressed how much I cared for her, how much our friendship has meant to me over the years and then asked if she would be in my wedding. Somewhere I have pictures of the notes, I will have to find them.




Back to my original story - as fall closed in around us and enveloped us with the lovely array of leaves and pumpkiny goodness, I thought again of snail mail. I selected cards that I liked, stickers to adorn and luckily already had the pens I felt I would need to accomplish the project. I made copies of a recent picture of DH and DS at the Wal-Mart and included a copy of the photo in each card. I also went to the USPO website to see if they had any fall-ish stamps. Much to joy they did and when I went to my local PO, they were actually in stock which hardly ever happens. I handwrote each card and didn't just sign my name, I actually wrote a note in each card. That was a somewhat lengthy process, but cathartic and pleasant. As I wrote, I dreamt of the smiles that I would hopefully bring to the faces of the recipients as they opened their box, groaned over bills and then saw my ray of sunshine. Additionally, I decorated each envelope. You can barely see it in the photo at right, but each leaf has a trail that is brown and textured in gold metallic. There is an additional leaf on the back of each envelope, sealing it shut. I hope that my friends and family enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoyed sending them!

Scrabblicious

We had another rousing game of scrabble this weekend. TunaFish the Cat decided to play with us. She was a newbie, but caught on quick. Although she kept trying to spell "cheezburger" wonder why?? http://icanhascheezburger.com/

TunaFish understands the importance of keeping the tiles a secret. Don't give your opponents any advantage.

To see more pics of TunaFish the Cat playing scrabble, as well as pics of her humans, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=179262&l=6406e&id=685760320

mobile blogging

I am writing this blog from my mobile phone, so I hope this works!

I have had a great couple of days in the Triangle Area attending workshops and meetings related to work business. I must say though, I am ready to be back home with Kris and Harry, and back to home and work projects that I need to manageam

My cold is subsiding, but I understand Kris may be getting it. Sorry!!!!

I'm heading home in an hour or so. Hope this mobile post works!

sweet potato fries

I am a big fan of sweet potato fries. I never had them before I moved down south and now I'm addicted. The problem is that they always come out overcooked so I always ask for them to be brought out undercooked. No one ever listens until tonite. At Duke's they listened and I had perfect sweet potato fries sprinkled with brown sugar - delightful; manna from heaven. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Tortellini Soup

In an earlier post, I mentioned calling my friend Katina who was good enough to look up the ingredients for a recipe online. The recipe was tortellini soup. I found several recipes and kind of melded them together and made up my own version. I felt like it was a success. I gave it an 8 out of 10 and Homer gave it a 6-7 out of ten; either way, good enough to serve again. It was definitely easy enough, so I thought I would post it here, both to share and to make sure that it was easy to find the next time I decide to fix it.

Makes You Hot on the Inside Tortellini Soup
(yes, it really does make you hot from the inside out)

box of chicken stock (32 oz size)
32 oz water
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic (undrained)
box of frozen spinach
l lb of cheese tortellini
croutons (optional)
cheese for garnish (optional)
big pot

• combine stock, water, spinach and tortellini; bring to a boil
• add tomatoes and simmer till tortellini is puffy

Serves enough for 4 huge helpings and probably enough for dinner the next night too.

I did not have enough liquid with just the stock to cook the tortellini, so I added the water. In the future, I may just use bullion cubes, that would be cheaper and less calories too. The tortellini was three cheese tortellini from Lowe's Grocery and was pretty good; it came from the dairy case. The frozen spinach was palatable but fresh would have been better. The tomatoes were Del Monte and were pretty garlicky, I write this several hours later and I am still tasting the garlic. I would have liked to have used onions and browned my own garlic, but frankly, I forgot - whoops! Homer picked up some fancy schmancy cheese - sun dried tomato basil and it was pretty good, but I think a mild cheddar would have been an acceptable substitute. We also had cheesy croutons and I think they added a nice texture even though I don't typically like croutons. Harry, however, who loves croutons did not like them in this soup. I served this with 5 cheese garlic bread and even though I like the bread, I thought it was unnecessary.

Homer and I had Duplin's Carolina Red. I like the wine, but did not like it with this soup. I think dry red would be better; this was too sweet. Possibly a dry white might be nice.

Anyhoo, I would fix it again, but am wondering what sort of dessert to fix it with. Homer suggested a cheesecake????

Groceries

In my new role as wife and domestic princess, I am attempting to become both a frugal grocery shopper and a decent cook. This is a lofty goal because A - I can't cook and B - I get panic attacks when going to the grocery store. The panic attacks have subsided over time and I have realized ways to negate the urge to go and hide under a rock somewhere.

For instance, last night, we had to go grocery shopping - ugh. I had my list and even called my super friend Katina and had her double check the ingredients of a recipe for me. I was prepared and felt solid. We were in Winston, so we went to the WM in Stanleyville which was overcrowded and the shelves looked like someone had called for a big snow to come in at any moment. Half the shelves were empty and what remained was disheveled. I couldn't find several of the things I required and was forced to admit defeat and go to the Lowe's Grocery nearby. Lowe's Groceries are my store of choice, but I was trying to save moola so inevitably went to the WM. Well, to be honest, I also needed a window scraper and I could, in theory, make a one stop shop at Wally World.

Anyhoo, we went to the Lowe's and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I did not run into a single other customer until I was ready to check out. Light music was playing; they had a fine selection of adult beverages; a lovely deli; samples at said deli and I was delighted to see a former student working behind the deli who happily pointed me in the direction of the items I needed. It was magic. I thought to myself as I perused the wine/beer selections that no matter how much extra it cost to shop there - it was worth it to avoid the zoo at WM.

I found exactly what I needed, in a logical place and of course paid a little more than I wanted, but it was a pleasant experience. To boot, I found the yogurt I had just purchased at WM for $.07 less at Lowe's! WHAT???? Is it possible that not only could I enjoy a pleasurable shopping experience but potentially save money as well??? What a novel idea! It was at that moment that I wished I had a grocery pricebook where I kept track of prices.

I used to do this, once upon a time, but I guess life happened and I lost interest. I have been cruising the net this morning to see how others set up their pricebook. It seems that "whatever works" is the best method. Some write down everything, look at every sale flyer, subscribe to websites like grocerygame. com and are rabid about clipping coupons. Frankly, I'm not there yet. I may never be, but I would like to know I am getting the best deal. I will be thinking about this and keep you informed of successes and failures. If anyone reads this and would like to share thoughts regarding your grocery/price book experiences, please let me know.

Incidentally, I found a lovely ceral at WM called "Uncle Sam's" it has a whopping 10g of fiber per 3/4 cup serving. I am trying to eat more fiber because it fills you up, not because of any regularity issues, but thanks for asking MOM!! I mixed it in with my yogurt and it was pretty yummy. It also has flax seed, so it is a good way to get the oil our bodies need.

TGIF

Thank God It's Friday!

I am ready for the weekend, followed by a short week next week, as my office is closed for Veteran's Day.

An employee who attended our wedding gave me some photos that I hadn't seen yet! Here they are for everyone's perusal.

Maybe more to come later, as I still want to blog about the election, but I may not get to it tonight. Have a great weekend!

Yellow Room - the End is in Sight!

Today, we vote! Hooray. I don't care who you vote for, as long as you vote. So get to it! :o)

In less important news, the yellow room is nearing completion! I have to wait for the hinges and the vents to cure (I spray painted them so they look like rubbed bronze instead of the dated brass finish the originally had) and then put up the last cupboard door on our built in bookcases. I need to purchase knobs; spray paint the center screw so that it matches the rest of the hardware and then install. Thanks to my Aunt and Uncle Ploszaj for their Home Depot card which is going to be used for the express purpose of buying the crystal knobs. Here is the rest of my list - partially for my own sense of what I need to accomplish and partly so that my husband will begin to more fully understand all the stuff that I do when he thinks I'm not doing anything...

• I need to install the springy thing that goes behind the door to keep it from banging the wall.
• I need to install the light fixture.
• I need to purchase and install a lighted switch so we can find it at night.
• I need to purchase and install a door with the accompanying knob.
• I need to purchase filters for the vents and then install.
• I need to purchase outlet/switch covers and install.
• I need to finish scraping the paint off the windows.
• I need to take my antique little claw thing and unseal the windows. This is my fav. tool!
• I need to purchase and install window locks.
• I need to scrub the floor and scrape any goo that appears to be on all the floors in this house - ewww.
• I need to fix/blend/camouflage any spots on the floor.
• I need to refinish floor.
• Wait three days for floor to cure.

It sounds like a lot when you read it, but it my head it doesn't sound like very much; we shall see. Also today I will go and vote and make a trip to get some things out of storage - Christmas lights hopefully!!!

Hey, can you believe I got another flat tire!? This is three is as many months and Homer has had three as well - one of his was a razor blade. I suspect someone in our loving community has an axe to grind.

Moving out and moving in

So far, the first full week of married life back at home has been productive!

I have been working on moving the rest of my stuff from the cabin to our home "here at the ranch". I had moved a lot of stuff back in September, but it was mostly stuff I didn't use every day--some clothes, papers, tapes, DVDs, etc. This week, I have been moving the rest of my clothes, books, computer stuff, and other various and sundries that have been with me at the cabin for the last two years.

Clothes have been the bulk of the stuff, and I got the last of those here today. I am sorting clothes to determine what can be discarded or stored away for the winter and have been trying to establish some semblance of order to it all. It will eventually get there.

I have gotten most of my things from downstairs at the cabin, and most of what remains is books and music. Trying to move out of one location and into another at the same time is challenging! I am hoping that Kris will remain tolerant of these huge piles of stuff sitting around until I can get it all squared away.

Tomorrow is election day, and I am in agreement with several of my friends who are ready for it to be over so that our country can move forward, and we can enjoy a cease fire in political ads on TV, radio, print, voicemails, etc. It is a landmark election, and I am confident that either candidate will do a good job in office. I am looking forward to getting up in the morning and voting and watching how it plays out over the remainder of the day.

Is it an historic election? That was the subject of our dinner conversation. I am convinced that the word "historic" should be reserved for desciribing events that have already happened--events that we look back on and can see that they caused a paradigm shift, or drastically altered the course of human events; by that definition, describing this presidential election as "historic" seems premature to me. I am sure that expert linguists could debate this for hours, and a good search of Webster's dictionary might give an adequate answer. However, given my own understanding of the word, it is too early to describe as historic an event that hasn't happened yet and hasn't truly changed the shape we are in for better or for worse. I am sure that George Carlin might have something to say about this, were he still with us. Maybe Lewis Black or another equally insightful, intelligent soul will weigh in on this one day.

The media is influencing this whole election process way more than they should, as exemplified by the fact that CNN has already set up its election website with election results (a 0% tie thus far) a whole day ahead of the time when initial numbers should begin to roll in. What happened to unbiased news reporting--what we enjoyed in a day in age when it wasn't the media's job to project and declare winners?? I think the media's involvement today subverts the whole political process as it was originally intended by the founding fathers!

That's all that I can write for the time being before my brain turns to jello at thjs late hour. I'm off to bed!

Featherfest

Just got back from Featherfest at Raven Knob, and I am wiped out! Harry and I got there at about 11:30 AM on Saturday, and spent the day singing and hanging out with friends. My dad came up, so we got to spend some time with him as well.

The singing last night at the powwow was a lot of fun, and above par for our group! We sang some good sets, and had a pretty good crowd of dancers to enjoy it as well. Some of the old guys who I learned from were there as well, and it was good to catch up with everyone! I kinda wish I had recorded some of the singing; not necessarily for the song quality, but to listen to the sets...pretty good stuff!

Harry and I spent this morning walking around and talking to friends. It was nice to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning at camp--being there is a lot like I imagine church ought to be, and it's nice to take a step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to enjoy some peace, quiet, and good fellowship.

We are off to Winston-Salem now to get Harry his iPod now that we are finished with camp, and then back home to continue moving in!

time changes and friends

Homer will be so pleased...I am blogging without him whispering - are you blogging? Have you blogged? Are you thinking about blogging?

Tonite was an excellent evening!!! Teri H and Keith A and I went Feather Fest at Camp Raven Knob. They were using the drum I got Homer as a wedding gift, so that was pretty cool. I ran into several people who I hadnt' seen in a while and that is always a pleasant thing to do. I also ran into people that I had seen as recently as our wedding, but I like them just the same, so it was equally pleasant to run into them, too!

I am also pleased to report that I ran into an old friend Mary R. She and I used to be close friends and then lost touch, as sometimes happens with friendships. It was wonderful to catch up with her again. She and her husband have a lovely daughter and are expecting her second child, a boy, in March. I am saddened to know that her father is suffering from Alzheimer's. He was such a neat guy...

After staying at the pow wow for awhile, we headed to Katina G's chicken stew and bonfire. It is about an hour and fifteen minute drive so Teri and I had great conversation. We laughed so hard we cried. I love being with Teri; we are so much alike and we have so much fun when we are together!

We got to Katina's after everyone had come in from the fire, but the food was still going, so we had some excellent grub. Chicken stew, beef/cabbage stew and chili were on tap and man they were yummy. Katina and Jeff also had some Amber Woodchuck and I enjoyed a lovely bottle. We watched the video Jeff made of our wedding - he did an amazing job. Seriously, he should do it as a side job, he would be great!

I had so much fun talking with my two bestest friends!!! It is wonderful nights like this that make you realize how much you have missed spending time with them. I hope that we will continue to see each other often because I love them and am so blessed to have them in my life!

Don't you love the time change? I do! It is really 2.15 a.m., but my clock is telling me 1.15 - that is excellent!

The boys (big and little) are at camp. Tunafish and I are feeling the emptiness...

Happy Halloween!!!

Well tonight was our first Halloween at the Ranchero. Harry and Homer were down at the Park facilitating the Halloween festival while I passed out candy at home. I ran the festival last year but with everything going on this fall, I had to say NO. That might seem insignificant, but for me, it's a pretty big deal - to say no.

I ran out of candy pretty early on, as in like 7ish or so. I saw some great costumes, one girl was an autumn fairy and she just looked too cute. Apparently, our street is where EVERYONE comes for candy. Seriously, everyone, as in buses come from out of state and the impetus for the festival at the park was to quelch the residents who were fed up with too many trick-or-treaters. Happy Holidays!

So, since I had no candy and would have been forced to give out used pens and pencils, I blew out the candles, turned the lights off, shut the doors and sequestered myself in the back of the house. This was alright, as I used the time to put the final (almost) coat of paint on the built-in bookshelves in the yellow room. I have to give one cubby another coat (when Harry painted them initially, he could not reach the top and since all need two coats...) I would like to see this room done by Thanksgiving. I still have to paint that cubby again, refinish the floors, reattach all cabinet doors and hardware as well as change the light fixture and outlets and their covers. I think this is a reasonable goal.

In addition, I need to start work on the bathroom. I am hoping that we can get an electrician in next week to do some needed things and then onto drywall and tiling.

Our neighbors invited us to an "after Halloween" party so that was pretty cool. Lots of yummy dips - I just can't get enough dip recently. I thought I would stay forever at the shops in Biltmore just running around and sampling dips and don't get me started on Sam's and Costco...Anyway, the party was a good time - I ran into my friend Susan and her daughter Erin who were both in the wedding and that was a pleasant surprise.

Homer and I are sitting here in bed, each with our laptops out and messing on the computer....hmmm....something seems wrong with this picture....

Back Into The Swing

So today was the day that we had to try to begin getting back in the swing of things, so to speak. It has been a busy day, as I returned to the office to find my mailbox overflowing, and papers stuffed under my door needing my attention. On top of that, it was Halloween, which meant an office birthday party, costumes, and the Town's Halloween celebration in the local park, part of which I was responsible for organizing.

Everyone was glad to see me back, and commented that they had enjoyed the wedding. Of course, everyone wanted to see the new wedding ring, and asked about the honeymoon as well. So, with all that going on, I guess it wasn't truly a return to normalcy, but it was a start.

The event in the park went well tonight! Harry helped me run the scavenger hunt and pass out candy, and all in all, I am guessing we had between 600 and 700 kids come through. Definitely a fun time! Afterward we went across the street to our neighbors for a Halloween party, and had a great time. I am now blogging, getting ready for bed, and getting ready to head to camp tomorrow for a training weekend for Indian Activities for the Scouts. We will come back Sunday, and then get ready for the week ahead.

So, just what is normalcy? I still haven't completely moved in, and my stuff is in a huge pile in the living room of the house. I am looking forward to getting it sorted out and put away, but when is that going to happen? I have a meeting on Monday and Wednesday night of next week, and will probably be glued to the computer/tv on Tuesday with the election going on, so it is looking like at least Thursday evening before I get some time to start settling in more. It is so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of everything, I don't see how people can find time to make a home! That is priority for me though--moving in and working with Kris to continue making a home for both of us! I am excited!

I am looking forward to the weekend--it is the 2nd Annual Josh Davis Memorial Featherfest at Raven Knob--a weekend for working with kids who are interested in Native American Singing and dancing. Some of the South Carolina crowd is coming up, and there should be a lot of singers there this weekend. I am looking forward to using the new drum!

I am tired now. It has been a long day of reintroduction to life as a married man, both at home and at work. Maybe the weekend will be a good time to wind down, relax and get in the mindset of coming back home and getting busy getting settled in. Have a great weekend; if I get the chance, I may update from CRK.

Home Again!

We spent the last couple of days of our honeymoon enjoying shopping, a train ride through the Nantahala Gorge, and a fun day at the Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore was one of my favorite things. Kris is a flower nerd, and I have told her that one of my favorite parts of the day was walking around the Biltmore Gardens with her pointing out what was what, with its' scientific name, common name, legal description, social security number and credit history. We talked about ideas for our own yard and garden as well, and I'm a little bit excited about the possibilities!

We enjoyed a our of the Biltmore Mansion, and wine tasting at the winery. We drove back to Rural Hall where we crashed for the night, and got up yesterday to open wedding gifts. We did some preliminary cleanup, and loaded the car to come back home together for the first time as husband and wife.

We are glad to be home, but I think we both enjoyed the mystic allure of the mountains in the fall. I hope we can go back soon as a family, as we found several things that the three of us can enjoy together.

That's all for now; I've got to get back to the office and try to get caught up and back in the swing of things!

Snow!

Kris is getting ready for our day trip through the Nantahala Gorge. I dropped her off back here at the B&B after our trip to Walmart, which is quite possibly the coolest Walmart ever, as it is surrounded by mountains!

The snow outside is awesome! There is at least 2" on the ground, and the mountains are all snow capped. We probably took 50 pictures this morning before and after breakfast of the B&B, the yard, trees, and flowers all covered with snow!

After breakfast and the Walmart run, I dropped Kris back here to shower while I made another visit to the Mast General Store to pick up a pair of shoes that she picked out yesterday and some socks.

Once she gets done showering and getting ready, we will head to Bryson City for our train ride departure through the Natahala Gorge. I remember rafting the Nantahala and waving at the train as it passed; it will be fun to be on the other side of that equation!

Not sure what our plan is after that. We are enjoying the leaves, the snow, and the freedom that comes with just a little bit of planning and organization interspersed with a lot of spontaneity and whimsical diversions. We still have Biltmore tickets to use, and there are a couple of other places we have seen along the way where we would like to stop.

Katina posted her pictures from the wedding last night on our shutterfly page. It was awesome to look back through them and think about how perfect our wedding day was! If anyone out there has pictures, please post them--we'd love to see!

What A Cool Gift For Our Honeymoon

We woke up this morning to find a healthy dusting of snow on the ground! It's very pretty, and as soon as I can, I'll post some pictures!

The Drum

Monday evening finds us relaxing after a fun day in downtown Waynesville, NC. We drove through there on Sunday evening, and decided to come back today to window-shop and enjoy the unique atmosphere that Waynesville seemed to offer. We weren't disappointed!

We had lunch at Headlights Restaurant, a nice bar/grill type place that reminded me a whole lot of Macados, one of my favorite restaurants in Boone. We stopped in at Town Hall in Waynesville and chatted for a few minutes with Town Manager Lee Galloway and his assistant, Alison Melnikova. I met Lee as an undergraduate at ASU, and have always looked up to him as I have begun my own career in the Public Management profession. We enjoyed our talk, including talking about how my job has affected/will affect Kris, and also where the best places to see and eat are in the area! Alison also gave us a bag of goodies promoting businesses in the downtown area--that was much appreciated!

We did some shopping for the afternoon, and re-booked our train trip for later in the week. We finished our day in downtown at the Mast General Store, one of our favorite places. We have been to the ones in Valle Crusis (the store and the annex), Boone, Asheville, and now Waynesville. Such a fun place with so much to offer!

We came back to the B&B where the hosts had prepared a snack basket that we ordered, and enjoyed cheeses, sausage, crackers, grapes, sodas, and cookies. We decided we would stay in for the night, as it is cold outside, and forecasters are even calling for snow! Wouldn't it be nice to wake up tomorrow to some snow on the mountaintops?!?!?!?

Kris is napping now, so I thought I'd blog about the day. Other fun notes are to come, especially when Kris gets on here and writes some!

I wanted to take a few minutes to Blog about the wedding gift that Kris suprised me with on Saturday. Kris took the time to secretly commission Bo Limbaugh, a friend of mine who lives near Tulsa, Oklahoma to make a powwow drum for me to have for a wedding gift. Wow...just wow! I could not have imagined such an incredible, personal, thoughtful, powerful, amazing gift. Kris understands how important powwow singing is to me better than I ever thought she did, as she knew that something like that drum would mean so much to me. The gift brought me to tears for yet another time that afternoon, unashamedly, yet weak in the knees to see that outward sign or symbol of how much I am loved by the woman I married.

It was especially cool that she had Bo make it, as Bo, along with others, lit a fire under me to begin learning how to sing back in 1996. Bo and his wife, Kim are great people, and I look at their marriage as the example of how a marriage should be--fun, uncensored, a partnership with your best friend. Bo is a telented singer and drum maker, and I could tell that he put a lot of thought into making a drum especially for me as a wedding gift from Kris. Thanks so much Bo--it really means a lot!

After Kris suprised me with it at our wedding, I had the opportunity to break it in with my best friends in the world outside the tent and near the fire where everyone was gathered. This was especially unique, as there were many friends and family there who had never heard Southern Plains Indian Singing before, who probably never even knew that this was what I spent the majority of my free weekends doing--travelling across the country singing at Powwows.

Ridgie, Daniel, Michael, Chip, Matt, Travis, Justin, Harry, and I (with Rene Tucker in the background) sang 6 or seven songs Saturday night with several folks watching and listening, and GOOD GOD did that drum sound incredible! It had a pitch that made the singing that much better, and the power of those songs grows stronger with their age, I am truly convinced. We sang a couple of straight intertribal songs, some Veterans Songs, and a Ponca Prayer Song--one of Yellow Bear's (an old Ponca man, who was described as not a singer, but a religious man, best as I can recall) songs that is a pretty song, and very appropriate to the occasion. No matter how long between times that group of guys gets together, we enjoy singing together and enjoy singing well! What a cool aspect of our wedding--the groom and three groomsmen and the grooms best friends singing together and enjoying ourselves on a new drum--signifying a new beginning for me and Kris together, but acknowledging that our uniqueness, our friends, hobbies, interests, and passions are still important as we begin our life as a family together. Maybe some folks there thought it was strange, but most seemed to enjoy it, and thought it was pretty cool.

It also made me think of people that I have learned a lot from over the years, people who live all over the country, people who I count as my closest friends, especially those of them who couldn't be there for the wedding. It was an opportunity to reflect, and think about those people and relationships that I hope I never take for granted. I hope that I have the opportunity one day to sing with them around my new drum, and that it will give us the opportunity to share many more songs, stories, laughs, and the power of song for many, many years.

Honeymoon Picture

Monday Morning

Monday morning is apparently about as hard to wake up to on our honeymoon as it is during a regular workweek!

I got up at about 4:30, unable to sleep anymore and did some reading while Kris slept. I made it back to bed at about 6, and just woke Kris up a few minutes ago for our 8:30 breakfast here at the B&B where we are staying, so as soon as she gets ready, we are off to the dining room to enjoy breakfast.

Back to yesterday--the ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway was amazing! We stopped a couple of times along the way to take pictures; while most of the time we were taking the standard "hold the camera two feet away from our faces" photo, someone would inevitably offer to take our picture and strike up conversation, enthralled to learn that we were newlyweds! That was a lot of fun! I drove while Kris dozed between conversations and scenic stops, and it was just a good relaxing drive. At some point, I think we would both like to drive the Parkway from terminus to terminus!

We stopped at a KFC near Marion for a quick snack to tide us over until dinner. That stop resulted in some hilarity that I'll let Kris fill in on later (she has pictures)! At that point, I think we both realized how tired we were!

Today, we are planning to do some shopping, lunch, and then a train ride through the Natahala Gorge. More updates later, cause we're off to breakfast!

WE ARE MARRIED!

As of Saturday, October 25, 2008, I am a married man, though my heart has belonged to Kris for quite some time preceding that day! It was a beautiful ceremony, and we were so blessed to have our families and friends there for our wedding. The rain early on was followed by a beautiful sunny afternoon, and the delay in the ceremony allowed for an awesome sunset to highlight the fall colors in the trees across the ridge.

Kopper Kanyon preformed some great bluegrass music, the food was excellent, and Kris'' decorations were amazing, but nothing was more important that Kris and I and Harry becoming a family before God and in the presence of all our friends and family. In talking about the delay in our wedding, I told Kris that our wedding happened when it was supposed to happen, and that it was absolutely perfect. I think God has a way of letting things happen on his time, and not necesarily when we want them to. Kris was absolutely beautiful, the ceremony was beautiful, the reception was wonderful, and I couldn't have imagined a better day! I cried alot, but they were tears of joy, and I'll blog more about that as time permits later.

The recieving line was one of my favorite aspects of the wedding, though I had my doubts about it at first, because it allowed us to talk momentarily with almost everyone who was there. It meant a great deal to both of us for everyone to be there and share in what took place.

We left for our honeymoon at around 1 am on Sunday morning after spending some great time with friends and family at the reception. We spent the first night in Wilkesboro, and got up this morning with bagels on our brains! We arrived at the Boone Bagelry, a favorite restaurant for both of us, and enjoyed a great breakfast of sweet and savory bagels. While there, we bumped into Daniel Baird, a friend of mine from college at ASU and currently an executive with the Boy Scouts. We left Boone, and went to the Elk Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where I first asked Kris to be my wife over a year ago. We took lots of pictures, and enjoyed the amazing views as we took our time driving and talking.

We rode the Parkway across the Linn Cove Viaduct and down to Marion, where we picked up I-40 and headed to our honeymoon destination. I'll write more about that later as well. For now, we are happily enjoying our honeymoon and our time with each other. We will be blogging throughout the trip so that we can write our memories down and have them to read over for years to come, as well as keep our friends and family updated on what is going on with us!

Thanks to everyone who was there and to all who have passed on well-wishes and congratulations! We'll both write more as time permits, and will share a lot more about the details of the wedding and honeymoon. Until then, please send us pictures from the wedding if you happened to take some! We would love to enjoy your photos from the wedding, as well as your perspectives on the celebration! Visit homerandkris.com and click on the link that says view/share pics for more details on how to share your photos with us!