Encyclopedia of Me - H (Mark)

Photos from: writebrained.blog.com; thefrontporch.org; amazon.com; thefuzemagazine.com; alphabetphotography.com; mywrittenromance.com

So, I've already creatively used some favorites in other posts (Like Connick, Jr., Harry and Potter, Harry) and now I need to come up with more! And what's with my collage this time? So old timey!

Hemingway, Ernest: I remember reading my first Hemingway novel when I was 21, and I loved it. It was The Sun Also Rises, and is still one of my favorite books. I then ripped through A Farewell to Arms (another favorite), The Old Man and the Sea, and The Garden of Eden. Our book club read A Moveable Feast, which was a fascinating account of the ex-pat community in Paris during the 1920s. I think his simplicity of language makes his novels compelling. He gets right to the point, which then allows the reader to get to the characters and story and deeper meanings. Hemingway is still one of my favorites.

Hughes, Langston: I'm not a huge poetry guy, but I do love slam poetry. To me, slam poetry is jazz and hip hop. Hughes wasn't a slam poet per se, but I think a lot of his work compares favorably to rhythmic expression. My first exposure to Hughes, that I can remember, was in my senior year of high school. I came across a poem by Hughes called "Trumpet Player" and I selected it to dissect and analyze for my annual poetry project. Reading it I saw references to so many great jazz musicians. I then ended up reading a whole lot more by him and loved it all. (The kids are reading some of his poetry this week for school, and when I pulled out my book, there was a post-it note on the page with "Trumpet Player.") Later I discovered his book Not Without Laughter, which I'd never known existed. What a great read. I find the whole Harlem Renaissance era fascinating and can see where the authors and artists of that period laid the groundwork for so much of what happened in the 20th century when it comes to civil rights.

Hozier: I first heard the name Hozier in a video I saw of Ed Sheeran doing a Q&A with fans. Someone asked who he was listening to at the time, and he said he was obsessed with Hozier, so I looked him up. His song "Take Me to Church" was a Grammy nominee for the Song of the Year, and it is powerful stuff. Later, Stacy and I were in a music store doing some Christmas shopping and they played the entire album overhead. First of all, yes, we were there that long and beyond. What a day! Secondly, I said to Stacy, "This whole album is really good." I was not entirely surprised to receive it as a Christmas gift. Anyway, you should really check out this album. Some of my favorite tracks are "Jackie and Wilson," "Work Song," "Foreigner's God," and "Cherry Wine."

Huey Lewis and the News: As a Bay Area boy I have to include them here. Huey Lewis was everywhere when I was a kid--baseball games, local concerts, TV, you name it. He's got a great 80s/90s pop feel, including that ever so recognizable horn section. It is distinctly different from Chicago and Peter Cetera, but no less iconic in my mind. And who doesn't picture Marty McFly racing to school on his skateboard when "Power of Love" comes on?

Home: There is nothing I love more than being home with our family. It never gets old. Sure, we enjoy getting out with friends, or as a family, but honestly, home is the best. We play games, listen to music, watch movies, share TV together, cook and eat great food. Who wouldn't want to hang out at home?

Homeschooling: This has been such a great thing in our family's life. We have two great kids who are intelligent, creative, and motivated, and having the flexibility of homeschooling gives them such great opportunities to explore so many interests. There have been times that, for a variety of reasons, I haven't been as involved as I would have liked, and I feel like I missed out on some really neat experiences. We've got a great approach and schedule for our schooling right now and I'm SO happy that I get to do so much with the kids. It's incredibly fun and rewarding to be there when they make a discovery or have something "click" for the first time. Homeschooling is not for everyone, and not everyone who would like to can, so I feel so fortunate that our family is in the right situation.

Encyclopedia of Me - H (Stacy)

Photos from: Jwwartick.com; Digitalclaritygroup.com; Pixgood.com; Healthimpactnews.com; Udamonia.com; Hellogiggles.com

Harry Potter – I’ve read this series three times so far: once myself, once with Kate, and once with Max. I know it’s a little on the nose to say this, but it is magical. I can’t begin to say how lucky I feel to see these books come out and experience the wonder, excitement, and magic of it all. We’ve excitedly anticipated book releases; we’ve attended book release parties; we’ve turned our house into Hogwarts; we’ve dressed up as characters, including Hermione; we’ve attended midnight release parties; we’ve done Harry Potter birthday parties; we’ve read aloud together; we’ve listened endlessly to the audio version (Jim Dale, of course); the list goes on and on. We are BIG fans. I love the Harry Potter series and feel incredibly lucky to be able to share them with my kids and that we’ve been able to experience them in real time!

Home – I love being home. I love hanging out as a family. I love having a place that’s ours, that represents us, that houses us. I like to travel, but I love being home. It’s seriously one of my very favorite things. I love to look at the calendar and have nothing scheduled and know that we can chill at home as a family and eat good food, play games, talk, dance, read, listen to music, watch movies, whatever! Of course, having moved this past year, we are especially enjoying our new home very, very much. To be fair, I have loved every home in which we’ve lived. I like making a house a home. I like putting our personality into it. I love BEING home. I am a homebody. I have friends who go stir crazy at home, but that so isn’t me. I can be home for weeks at a time and not feel one bit of cabin fever. There’s no place in the world that I love more than being in my home with my family. We really try to be smart financially and save money in many ways, but if there’s one area where it makes sense for us to splurge a little, it’s home. It’s where we spend most of our time. We’re happy here, so we don’t go out and spend much money other places! Home, home, home. I love it.

Harper Lee – The author of my all-time favorite novel, Harper Lee, fascinates me. She has published one book (so far, for now). ONE! And a fabulous one at that. To Kill A Mockingbird is such, such, such a beautiful book – it’s beautiful; it’s hilariously funny; it’s spunky; it’s sweet; it’s heartwarming; it’s kind; it’s enduring. I love the characters and I love the story. I’m fascinated by this reclusive author who speaks little, eschews public appearances and interviews, and felt the need to write only one amazing book. I’m not one to reread books, but I’ve read TKAM many, many times, most recently with Kate. I’m so excited to read it with Max when he’s a little older, too. I have mixed feelings about her forthcoming book – I’m mostly excited, though I hope fervently that they are not in any way violating her wishes by publishing it. Also, not to be morbid, but she’s older and has health problems and is frail and I feel like I’m bracing myself for hearing of her passing. I get emotional thinking about her and that beautiful book she’s given us. What a gift! I’m very grateful to Harper Lee for her moving, inspiring work of art and literature.

Homeschooling – We are a homeschooling family. Never in a million years did either Mark or I think we’d choose that for our family. Yet, here we are. And we could not be happier. We really enjoy spending time as a family and we enjoy learning and flexibility and playing games and reading and computers and writing and on and on. This is a natural fit for us. Of course we were nervous to start and of course we had some preconceived ideas.

Growing up, we’d mostly known homeschooled kids to be “weird.” But you know what? There are all kinds of kids in all kinds of educational settings. There were “weird kids” in my public high school – was it because of school? No. You don’t hear people say that, though. You don’t hear people say, “That kid is weird. He must go to school.” Even though there are “weird kids” in school as well as out. Lots of factors go into personalities, and education and social lives are only part of it. We’ve had people say things to us like, “Your kids are so social!” or “Wow, your kids are really great!” or “I’m really surprised at how normal your kids are!” It betrays their judgments. Why would it be surprising that our kids are social, “normal” (whatever that is), and “great?” Oh, because we homeschool? Then those statements say way more about the ones uttering them than they do about us. I get that there are stereotypes and, believe me, I’ve seen many examples of them both in and out of school. We know hippie homeschoolers, weird homeschoolers, super smart homeschoolers, ridiculously creative homeschoolers, super-achieving homeschoolers, relaxed homeschoolers . . . you name it. See? Variety everywhere. There is no “normal homeschooler” or “normal kid.” And anyway, what’s normal? I don’t want our kids to be like everyone else or part of some kind of factory output. They’re individuals like everyone else! And they’re not one bit socially awkward. They’re fine and can hold their own with anyone. Kate hangs out with kids and adults alike with no problem whatsoever – she is hilariously witty, interesting, well-read, funny, thoughtful, and has incredible insights! And, as you already know, she is an amazing writer and story teller. Max talks to anyone. And I mean, anyone. He is very social and makes friends easily EVERYWHERE we go. He is empathetic and a natural leader and younger kids especially gravitate toward him. He is crazy good at logic games and is a deep thinker. He is always, always, always making up games and tweaking games and creating games. He’s got a mind for looking at things differently and approaching stuff in an out-of-the-box way. I love it!

I thought we’d do “school at home” and that it would be a ton of work, but it’s really not. Honestly, my friends who are sending their kids to school spend FAR more time in that than I do “doing school” with my kids. We don’t really “do school.” We did, at first. But over time, we do less and less formal schooling and more and more natural learning. It’s evolved over the years for us. School isn’t a separate event from everything else. Learning is life! We love it. I credit homeschooling and its inherent freedom and flexibility with helping our kids love learning and be creative. It’s amazing to watch them find their passions and develop them (writing for Kate and game design for Max). We’re able to pursue their interests through contests, camps, classes, and more. By approaching learning in this way, we don’t have to know all the answers and do all the teaching. We learn together! Yes, we were nervous at first, but the kids consistently test well beyond their grade levels and they are thriving. We can tailor fit their education – it’s awesome!

I was worried, before starting, of the risk of being socially isolated. Well, we’re so so not! If anything, it’s often a bigger challenge to fit the academics into a busy social calendar! I started a homeschool group about 10 years ago and that has helped tremendously, but even aside from that, we are involved with things around us and in our community. Our kids get tons of time with friends and with people of all ages and walks of life. It’s very natural and how life is really. I think school, while a good option for many including myself and Mark growing up, is not a terribly social place, so it’s kind of funny that people worry that kids who don’t attend school miss out socially! Kids are constantly being told to be quiet in school. I know I was always getting in trouble for talking in school. :P We try to make sure our kids have a variety of mentors in addition to us. It’s good. It’s healthy. We don’t homeschool to keep our kids from the world. We homsechool to give them the world.

We all spend a lot of time together, too, so we work well together (we kind of have to! How else could we do this?!?) and there are next to no power struggles or arguments or frustrations among us. Yes, sure, of course there are times here and there when there are – that’s normal. But it is in no way the norm. We’re happy. We’re respectful of one another. We like hanging out. We like learning together and playing games. The kids have a say and a hand in everything we do. They get good sleep. They eat well. They have tons of free time. They aren’t constantly being told what to do or to be quiet. They’re encouraged to explore, to ask, to question, to do, to try, to create. We all cook together, learn together, read together, fold laundry together, go to the movies together, exercise together, attend concerts together, travel together, shovel snow together. We visit presentations on college campuses. We take classes at science centers. We volunteer in our community. The kids work jobs. We visit the library. We all belong to several book clubs. We do a ton of social stuff. We play at the park (a lot!). We get together with friends. We research stuff. We watch movies and documentaries and videos and TED talks and TV shows. We listen to music. We study music. Mark and the kids do taekwondo. They learn instruments, play sports, swim, ride horses, go star gazing, you name it. We have so much flexibility that we get to visit lots of places and do lots of interesting things whenever we want! We talk A LOT. We’re always in the thick of conversation – anything from books to current events to gaming to ethics to healthy eating to pets to any subject whatsoever. There are no limits! I love, love, love homeschooling and am so grateful that we have this option – it is a great fit for our family and I’m sincerely thankful for that. I do not take it for granted. I don’t think it’s necessarily better than other options out there for everyone, but for us, it’s great.

Happiness – One of my favorite emotions (no duh, right?). I love feeling happy. And I am, generally, a very happy person. I like to laugh and joke around. I love to enjoy myself. As someone who has had some very real struggles with depression and anxiety over the years, I treasure feeling happy. I don’t have to feel happy all the time, but I do enjoy feeling happy. I am someone with VERY simple pleasures. I don’t have a lot of grand wants or desires. I like simple things – dinner as a family, playing games, watching favorite TV shows, reading, listening to music, my family, laughing, talking, friends, Scout . . . I love happiness. (By the way, that song “I’m Happy?” It irritates the crap out of me!).

Hot Weather – Oh, yes, I love hot weather. I do not like being cold. I like feeling the sun on my skin. I love going out in the summer. I love not having to worry about a million layers and boots and scarves. Putting on sandals and going out the door? Easy peasy! And sunshine and warmth make my heart happy. I love summertime. I love sunshine. I love summer music. I like visiting the beach. I like when the temperatures are 75 and higher. I love, love, love hot weather! I know so many people prefer colder weather and they say things like, “You can always put layers on! You can only take so much off!” But for me, I hardly ever feel “too hot.” I get cold easily, so hot is fine by me. I hate feeling encumbered by layers. I’m short, so all those clothes are too much for my liking. Warmth and sunshine? Much more to my liking! 

Okay, so the extra H-words I wanted to mention: I’ll spare you more about Harry Connick, Jr. as well as great Peter Cetera songs that start with “H” like “Have You Ever Been in Love?”. I’ve already mentioned our new house. I also love my long, dark hair. One of my favorite things to eat at our local Japanese place is a discovered treat: Hamachi Kama – it’s cooked yellowtail with a great dipping sauce and it’s delicious! Also, nostalgia factor here – I remember researching and writing about Harriet Tubman when I was a student in grade school and I also remember, growing up in the 80s, learning about and writing a paper on HIV and how especially scary that was at the time.

Encyclopedia of Me - C (Mark)

Photos courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org; www.funmozar.com;
www.simonsblogpark.com; atelierhob.com; www.nndb.com

California: Let's get the obvious one out of the way. I grew up in California, spending most of my time in the San Francisco Bay Area, not far from the Napa wine country. I love it there. The climate is great--four seasons, nothing too severe. The food and diversity are unrivaled. And besides where I grew up, the entire state is like a mini country with a little of something for everyone. One big drawback now is how crowded and expensive it is.

John Coltrane: Yes. This is my jazz reference for this list. C'mon. You knew it was coming. I don't play the saxophone, but any jazz musician worth anything should know Coltrane, and should own "Giant Steps." His work was groundbreaking, and there has never really been a jazz saxophonist that has touched him since.

Harry Connick, Jr.: OK. One more jazz reference. (but no baseball reference this time, so it's fine). I'm sure he shows up on a lot of my lists, but he's one of my favorites. I first became aware of him after Harry put out his "We Are in Love" album, which is great. It's a great throwback to Sinatra and the other jazz vocal greats. But he didn't stop there. Funk, bebop, New Orleans style jazz, standards, Broadway tunes, whatever. He can do it all. Plus, I feel like he's one of the big artists on the soundtrack of my life, especially life with Stacy.

Christmas: I love it. I love the music, the snow, the chilly temperatures, the excitement in the air, the lights, the decorations. I've always loved winter and the holidays, but especially after meeting Stacy and falling in love during that season. As much as she hates the cold, I feel like the holidays are "our" time of year. We were even married just before Christmas. I love seeing how excited the kids get about it now, too. And the dog is just crazy for presents!

Children: We've got two great ones. We talk about them a lot, and I don't know what else to say than I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful son and daughter. I'm blown away by their creativity, intelligence, kindness, and every other good adjective I can think of. I feel so honored to get to be one of their parents.

Canada: I lived in Vancouver for about a year when I was 8. I still remember a lot about it. I remember taking skiing lessons, which I enjoyed. I remember having an incredible neighborhood in the woods that we could explore. I remember epic backyard baseball games with my brother Doug where the Milwaukee Brewers were always the butt of every joke and never the winners. I remember not singing "O Canada" before school assemblies because I was American and didn't know the words. I remember singing "Bloody Mary" in our school's production of "South Pacific." I remember Doug coming home with a Canadian accent. And I remember seeing the Canadian Brass perform in a school assembly and thinking to myself, "I have GOT to play the trombone." I think I remember really liking Canada. I also remember a great band trip to Victoria, B.C. to perform in the Victoria Day Parade. That city has the look and feel of London and is a really cool place.

Chicago/Peter Cetera: I always liked Chicago. How could I not? They had a great horn section. But I really gave them and Peter Cetera a closer listen after meeting Stacy. The summer after our freshman year I went out and got all three Cetera albums that were out at the time and wore them out. Both he and Chicago have a great sound, and the songwriting is great. If you're into great 80s/90s power ballads, you can't go wrong with either one. Also, Peter Cetera kind of looks like David Rasche, star of TV's "Sledgehammer," a gem from my childhood that is too often forgotten. Maybe it's because it was so ridiculous, but I still liked it.

I could do this Stacy style now, where I list a bunch more words that start with C and overwhelm myself trying to list them all, or I could just list one bonus item, which I'm fairly certain will show up on all the other lists in this house. Calvin and Hobbes. So many reasons to love this comic. I'll just leave it at that.

Stacy, anything to say about this one?
(http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/03/11)

Encyclopedia of Me - C (Stacy)

Photos courtesy of: Pixgood.com;
 therangeplace.forummotions.com; arts-stew.com;
harryconnickjr.com; pri.org; gateplay.com; eatingwell.com

Chicago/Peter Cetera – My all-time favorite band growing up. To this day, the sound of their brass section combining with their electric guitars and drums and Peter Cetera’s unique vocals can take me back and give me all kinds of warm and fuzzy 80s memories (I think Chicago 17 is the soundtrack of the 80s for many of us). I have always been a huge fan of voices with that quality that Peter Cetera’s has – a higher man’s voice that’s kind of raspy/kind of clear, and one you can totally pick out in group and recognize in about one note (other voices like this for me include Sting’s, Adam Levine’s, etc.). My mom used to call him “lockjaw” because of how he looks when he sings. Mark and I listened to a lot of Peter Cetera during our dating years and newlywed years especially. I introduced him to a lot of Peter Cetera’s stuff and he got all the CDs, so we have two copies of some of them. Our wedding video of pictures of us set to music has this song on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRuhR5_wtUw) as well as a few others. The summer after my freshman year at college, I got to see Chicago in concert (post-Peter-Cetera-as-lead-singer) with my best friend growing up (Cathy!) and a friend of mine from high school. The crowd had such a mix of ages! There were older people there, middle aged people, and young people. This group has been around a long time and spans generations. I was hoarse the next day – we had a great time.

Harry Connick, Jr. – This is the other side of that tape that is the main soundtrack of our relationship. If Chicago is Side B, Harry Connick is side A. I may have introduced Mark to Peter Cetera, but Mark (and my freshman roommate in college) introduced me to Harry. Oh, Harry. Dreamy Harry. You should really read my introduction in this post here, because it sums up my early love of Harry quite well (http://sushiandpizza.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-love-harry.html). The soundtrack for When Harry Met Sally reminds me of our early dating years. Harry is another singer we listened to a lot while dating and as newlyweds. Truth is, we haven’t ever stopped listening to Harry (or Chicago and Peter Cetera). We own most of Harry’s albums (and there are a lot of them!) and we love them all for different reasons. While his big band stuff is my all-time favorite stuff he does (well, that, and his piano playing), I’m a huge fan of his funk album, “She.” Funny story. When I went to that concert in college (referenced in that link), I fully expected Harry in a suit leading a big band. When we walked out in black leather pants and a t-shirt, I thought it was a gag. Then they played funk all night. I had a really great time and tried not to focus on my slight feelings of disappointment at the lack of big band music. Funny how that album has grown to be one of my favorites. Mark has seen him in concert. I have seen him in concert. And we’ve seen him in concert together (at the Newport Jazz Festival). We’ve also met him! We all went to Bethlehem, PA for a book signing where he visited a local book shop and signed his Happy Elf book at Christmastime. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, but we were so excited to meet him and he was great with the kids – way more interested in talking to them than to us. Another song on our wedding video is “I Could Write a Book” by Harry Connick, Jr. (as referenced in our previous Encyclopedia of Me post). Love Harry!

John Cusack – There is a running joke that he is at the top of my laminated list (Friends reference) and Mike King has teased me that John Cusack is listed on there all 5 times. So many of my friends don’t get it, but I don’t care. I loooooove John Cusack. My heartthrob from the 80s. Yeah, yeah, I know. He wasn’t ever considered a “heartthrob” by traditional heartthrob standards. I know. But he’s my kind of cute. I’m not into the Channing Tatum types – to me, they’re the equivalents of the female Sophia Vergara types (interestingly enough, a type that Mark doesn’t find attractive either). It’s too . . . much, too on the nose. John Cusack is tall, dark, handsome (in my opinion). I love his character in Say Anything – so sweet and kind. Kind of geeky and awkward, but good. The best friend type, you know? I follow him on Facebook – he is crazy smart, involved, and an activist. I love that. He writes for the Huffington Post and is choosy about his movie roles. He backed away from being type cast as the romantic lead all the time and has done such a variety of things. He cares about films and he eschews the Hollywood lifestyle. He spends more of his time in Chicago than Hollywood and kind of always has. He loves his sports teams. He has an easy manner, a great voice, and a laid back personality. Wait? What’s this you say? Oh, so many qualities I list here are qualities my husband has? Why, yes, maybe that should say something – tall, dark, handsome, sweet, smart, politically active, a best friend, and passionate. Must be my type. :)

Catan (Settlers of Catan) – This is my favorite board game. I love playing it. I enjoy all the versions. I love getting together with friends to play it. I like that every time we play, it’s different. Just writing this has me wanting to play right now. I love the strategy of it. I love that it’s both competitive and cooperative. We’re big fans of tabletop gaming, especially European-style board games. This one is so cool, because the board is different every time. This and Ticket to Ride are two of the first of that style games that have gotten us into collecting and playing LOTS of these kinds of games. We watch Wil Wheaton’s “Tabletop” show. We play games together as a family. We play with friends. We do game nights. It’s no exaggeration to say that we play games quite often. Reading and writing are big around here. So are games. You know how Kate is always writing stories? Well, Max has been playing and designing games since the age of about 3 (not kidding). I have pictures of him as a toddler collecting parts of different toys and sets and creating games out of them with the various pieces. We love games and Catan is one of my very favorites.

Cookies – Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m more about salty treats than sweet ones. I don’t really have a sweet tooth and I much, much, much prefer savory food to desserts. In fact, I’m often frustrated at restaurants, because so many of them serve big, huge desserts and I mostly want a small taste of something sweet (I like that some places are now offering dessert “shooters” – a few bites in a small shot glass, much more my size). So I prefer food food. But if there’s a sweet treat that I really like, it’s cookies. To be fair, I also love donuts. But let’s focus on cookies. I grew up eating mostly store-bought cookies, my three favorites being Chips Ahoy (my very favorite), Oreos, and Nutter Butters. I didn’t grow up in a home where cookies were homemade. My mom is a great cook, but hasn’t ever enjoyed baking. I remember that once in a blue moon, she’d make homemade peanut butter cookies and they were really good, but that was a rarity. We were all about the store-bought cookies. I remember we had a lazy Susan in one of our cupboards where we’d keep our cereal boxes as well as our cookie jar. It is a cookie jar that our family continues to use today. My mom gave it to us when we got married and I love it. It has a screw-on top and it’s made of plastic. It’s OLD and has an avocado-green (or it was at one time anyway - it has faded) lid. The golden-line design on the front is mostly worn off, but we don’t care. It houses our cookies. We do a mix of store bought and homemade, though we mostly make our own cookies (I now prefer homemade to store bought). When I went to college and lived in apartments, I had roommates who would bake cookies and I was entranced. They always smelled so good and I was amazed at how delicious homemade cookies were, especially chocolate chip ones. After our freshman year of dating, Mark sent me MANY packages of homemade chocolate chip cookies. He knew I loved them, so he’d bake for me in California and package them, lined with paper towels, and mail them to me in Massachusetts. I loved getting them! At Christmas time, I love getting trays of lots of different kinds of homemade cookies – what a treat! Mmmm, homemade cookies. Kate has been baking most of our cookies for us since the age of about 11. I love when she gets in the mood to make cookies! Some of our favorites include Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips, and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mmmmm.

Cooking – I really enjoy cooking. Mark enjoys it. Kate enjoys it. Max enjoys it. Quite honestly, most of the cooking that happens around here, happens as a group. We all help chop, sauté, stir, cook, bake, set the table, etc. I think we’re quite a team! Between all of us, food gets made, the table gets set, and everyone thinks of things like seasonings, serving utensils, drinks, etc. It’s awesome. We like ethnic foods and we like to eat healthy, too. We’re not super strict about it or anything, but in general, we try to avoid preservatives, artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, etc. We cook a variety of things, rather than the same old thing all the time. Most of our meals are not your typical. We rarely eat the same thing twice in a given few months (to clarify: we eat leftovers no problem – in fact, I *hate* food waste and “hate” is not a word I use lightly. It really bothers me to waste food. Mark dubs me “The Queen of Leftovers,” because I can take a variety of leftovers or little bits of food and create some brand new, totally different, delicious meal out of it all. So what I mean by this one is that we rarely cook the same thing twice in a few months’ time). We love to try new recipes and play with them. We love good food and get bored by “regular meals” – we hardly ever eat “normal” stuff like spaghetti, mac-n-cheese, meatloaf, etc. It’s not that we refuse to eat that stuff – it’s that we’d rather eat other stuff. We eat a wide variety of foods. We often eat vegetarian or seafood meals. We’re not opposed to eating meat, but we don’t eat much of it. We like to “eat the rainbow” (making sure to get a variety of natural colors in our diet- it helps you get variety and different vitamins). A few years ago, I gave Mark a surprise gift of an all-day cooking class with a professional Mexican chef and that was really fun. He and I took a cooking class together this past fall at a local kitchen gadget shop – we learned all about Indian cooking. We love our new house – the set up is such a joy for cooking! In fact, since moving here, we are cooking at home far more and eating out far less (in the farmhouse – the kitchen is the farthest room away from everything, whereas here it is open to the living room, and at the farmhouse, the kitchen would get VERY cold in the winter and VERY hot in the summer, often forcing us to eat in the living room, order in, or eat out). Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE to eat out, too. Probably one of our favorite hobbies - along with books and games - is eating out, but we do love to cook. We are very lucky that we get to eat all of our meals together (we have our own business and we homeschool). Our lunches are usually simple – quesadillas or lots of veggies and hummus or fruit smoothies or salads or green smoothies or soup and sandwiches. We participate in a CSA and use the organic veggies in our meals. We often use leftovers for our lunches, too. Just for a totally random example of how varied our foods can be: yesterday for dinner, we had a variety of new recipes and old standards on the table for dinner (think Bento Box): Edamame, sticky rice, browned, Thai-stuffed tofu (filled with veggies and spices like red cabbage, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, carrots, etc.), Korean potstickers (like mini egg rolls filled with cabbage, onions, tofu, spices, etc.), sushi, teriyaki sauce, sriracha sauce, cauliflower pakoras (Indian-style), and roasted carrot fries. I’m not saying that kind of meal is typical around here – but it’s typical in that it’s atypical: every day is different! Thankfully, no one is picky. We all love to try new foods! We all pitch in. When Mark’s really busy, I cook. When he’s really busy, I cook. We all help out. We play with spices. We make things up. Cooking is fun!

So, here are other C-words that I thought of but will throw in this additional paragraph, because that seems to be how I do these things. I love castles. Hat tip to Max for coming up with this one for me. In Portugal, one of my favorite activities was exploring and hiking Lisbon’s beautiful castles. Like I said in the first paragraph, my best friend growing up is Cathy. A quality I appreciate is compassion. I love getting comments on my blog. And we’re big fans around here of Calvin and Hobbes. We read it, we share it, we quote it, we’ve watched documentaries about Bill Watterson, Kate owns the entire collections, Max reads them all the time. Such a great comic! Oh comic! I love comedy. Sit-coms are my favorite kind of TV show. I love to laugh.

Encyclopedia of Me - I (Stacy)

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Italy - This is a place I dream of visiting one day (I predict that Mark will choose Ireland). I studied Humanities in college and learned about Rome, Florence, Venice . . . I'd love to see paintings, sculptures, and architecture in person that until now I've only seen in books. I've been in every state that starts with "I" (Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa). It's time to visit countries that start with the same letter. I really wish Mark and I had traveled to Europe when we first got married.

Indian Food - I love Indian food. It's not my top favorite (that would be Japanese). And it's not my second favorite (that would be Mexican). But it's probably next on the list. Mark and I took a cooking class together this past year and we learned about Indian cooking. The lady teaching was so laid back about measuring or following exact recipes that it boosted my confidence in toying with ingredients and spices and making stuff up when it comes to Indian cooking. I've been doing it since with great success! One of our favorites is a spicy chickpea and spinach dish. Yum!

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - After a 5-year hiatus from Facebook, I got back on this past summer. My first post said, "Just finished Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." I hadn't ever read any of her books before, but decided to read it after she passed away and I heard a rebroadcasted interview with her on NPR. Gorgeous book. One to be savored, much like "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." What a gift and treasure she has left us." It's true. The book is absolutely gorgeous. It is now part of my top 5 most beautifully written  books list along with To Kill A Mockingbird, Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Harry Potter ranks as a top 5 all-time personal favorite, but when we're talking about "beautifully written," well, that's where they switch places.

Internet - This almost didn't make the list! As a family, when we do these Encyclopedia of Me posts, we roll the Scattegories die and write up whatever letter we get. We don't share our choices until we post. Well, Max has been all excited because he thought of a good one that he suspected we hadn't thought of and he told us, so Kate and I groaned and knew we wanted to include it and we said we'd give him credit, so here you go, Max! GOOD ONE! I *love* the Internet. I think it's amazing to have so much knowledge at our fingertips. I could easily spend all day on the Internet, opening tab upon tab, reading article after article, looking up answers to questions . . . oh wait, I guess I kind of already kind of do this! Like just today, the kids and I looked up why Greenland is an island while Australia is a continent. When I was a kid, I would sit with a set of encyclopedias and read about anything and everything. And now, here I sit at a computer, typing so fast, looking stuff up, and posting my very own Encyclopedia of Me post that I can instantly share with people. AMAZING!

Intelligence - I've mentioned this before in our "N" post (N for Nerd). I mentioned that I think being smart is sexy and fun and interesting. Kate and I were reading an article on NPR today and discussing the word sapiosexual. I'd call myself a sapiosexual - one is attracted to intelligence or the human mind. It is one of the many things that attracted me to Mark. Even before we started dating, we hung out as friends and one of our favorite things to do was to play Trivial Pursuit. We kept a tally sheet of our scores and it was always really close. I kept it on my wall in my dorm and I have it in a box full of stuff from college. I love having intelligent friends and, if I can be an intellectual snob for a moment, dull people bore me. I know that sounds terrible. I don't mean it in an elitist way. I like people regardless, but I don't enjoy boring conversation. I like wit and banter and intelligence and humor and information. I don't know everything (who does?), but I like talking to people who are well read and I like learning and being challenged. That kind of thing.

Indie Films - Indie films, indie theaters . . . I love them! I like the whole smart coffeeshop vibe of small, local venues. I love our local theater in town. It's old fashioned in appearance, but state of the art in technology. We know the owner and he knows us. They have one screen and, in general, show the most interesting films! In addition to great current features, they also sometimes show old films, westerns, and silent films (complete with live musical accompaniment). It's awesome. There's nothing like it. Many of my clients tell me that they won't even see a movie unless it's showing there. We feel similarly - when there's a movie we want to see, there's no choosing a chain theater over our local theater if they're showing it. I think I owe a lot of my love of good, quirky, and well done films to my experience in college with the International Cinema. I majored in Humanities, so every class I took gave me a pass to go to the IC, as we called it, for free (even if it hadn't been free, it was only $1). I saw so many great foreign films and learned about how much better quality many non-Hollywood films are! From then on, I was hooked. I like smart movies, make-you-think movies, documentaries, foreign films, quirky films, indie films. Love, love, love. I've even done a post (with running comments) about these kinds of films.

So here are a bunch more "I" things that I thought of. I had a hard time coming up with "I" things at first, but then I thought of a bunch and had to pare it down. So, in typical I-stink-at-cutting-things-out Stacy fashion, here are a few more "I" thoughts . . . . I was going to write about the name Isabel, but I suspect Kate is doing that (it's a great story). I also like the Indigo Girls and we got to see them in concert as a family this past summer. I thought of iPods - I like that we can listen to so much great music so easily on them, but I don't understand how to work them. :P Some songs that are very nostalgic for me all start with "I" (there are way more than this, but here are some): "I Am By Your Side" by Corey Hart is on a mix of love songs I made for Mark our freshman year. Hearing it brings me right back to that feeling of the summer after our freshman year, being on the plane for visits home and listening to the tape on my Walkman and missing him, listening to the tape the summer after freshman year, long talks via long distance phone calls (oh, the phone bills that summer!) to each other . . . aaaahhh. "I Could Write a Book" by Harry Connick, Jr. is one of the songs on our wedding video - pictures of us set to music, so that song always makes me think of that and of us. "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel was my senior prom theme, but I was dating my first boyfriend (pre-Mark) then, so I won't go on too much about that one. ;) "It Had To Be You," also by Harry Connick, Jr., reminds me of our dating years - I got into Harry through Mark and my freshman roommate. The entire soundtrack for "When Harry Met Sally" all reminds me of that beautiful time. "It’s a Beautiful Day" by Michael Bublé is a great song that helps put me in a great mood. Love Michael Bublé! I was going to put "I Love Lucy" on here, but discovered I already put it in my "L" post. I would also add that I'm fond of the "It Gets Better" campaign; I enjoy and miss In-N-Out Burger; and I love the phrase "I love you." I say it often. I mean it when I do. I've got a bunch of notes from the kids from when they were younger - Kate would leave notes lying around with a picture of an eye and "I see you!" on them, and Max would leave me notes that say, "I L Y!" (for "I Love You"). Phew! I'm tricky. :)

It gets better In-n-Out Burger, I love you

Encyclopedia of Me - I (Mark)

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Ireland: Yeah, my last name is Irish. No, I'm not that Irish, but my mother did send me to school wearing a shamrock that said "Kiss me. I'm Irish." pinned to my shirt in elementary school. And even though my last name is the most Irish thing about me, I do have a fondness for a lot of Irish things. I make a mean Irish pork medallion and soda bread on St. Patrick's Day. And my special Irish boilermaker chili is fantastic (one can of Guinness and a shot of Jameson's--perfection). I like Irish folk and rock music (Flogging Molly is a particular favorite of mine). I think the accent from The Emerald Isle is great. One of these days we'll get over there and kiss the Blarney Stone. Or maybe just stand down below and let others lean out and do that. Éirinn go Brách!

"I Could Write a Book": The song is an old standard, but the Harry Connick, Jr. version from "When Harry Met Sally" has a special place in my heart. Whenever I hear the song I think of Stacy, not only because we both like Harry, but also for what the song's lyrics say. It ended up in our wedding video, so that should tell you something.

Inequality: This is something that I've given a lot of thought to over the years, and the older I get the more impatient I get with inequality in the world. There is no excuse to treat another human being with anything less than respect and fairness. It doesn't matter what that person's situation is; everyone deserves the best. White, black, male, female, gay, straight, whatever. Equality is the only way. Period.

"The Incredibles": I know this movie is polarizing among Pixar loyalists, but being a big James Bond fan I really enjoyed this movie. It was a bit more adult than the other Pixar films to that point, but I thought it was brilliant. The kids were watching it yesterday and from the other room I heard the music and you could tell they channeled Bond all the way. Plus, an eccentric billionaire with a private island, and a hideout beneath the waterfall. "The Man with the Golden Gun" anyone? (Sidenote, I love Nick Nack in that one. I'm just saying.)

Inglewood, CA: My father grew up in his grandmother's house in Inglewood, not far from The Forum (now Staples Center). I have a lot of fond memories of going to her house, digging holes in the back yard, climbing the lemon trees, looking up obscure words in her Scrabble dictionary, drinking fresh lemonade, playing with her cats named Boy (every cat she ever had was named Boy), and even spending some holidays there with my father's extended family. Nana's house was a great place to hang out, even if the neighborhood had changed just a bit since the 50s and 60s. It was also very close to Disneyland, which meant a day trip every time we went there. I still have two quilts my great-grandmother made for me, and I can often hear her say her favorite phrase: "Mercy, mercy, mercy." (Inglewood is also the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, which I loved watching from the days of Magic Johnson until now, though not as much these days.)

Ishikawa, Travis: This obscure first baseman/outfielder for the Giants hit one of the biggest home runs in San Francisco history this past season. His home run won the game that sent the Giants to the World Series, which they would eventually win, for the third time in 5 years. I've got to say, after watching him be traded from team to team during a very below average major league career, it was pretty cool to watch him have a moment like that. That's the thing about baseball: you just never know who's going to be the hero on any given night. (I just watched it again here. It never gets old.)

Year in Review - 2014

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? Turned 40. Celebrated my husband turning 40. Rode in a stretched limo as a family for fun (part of the 40th celebration). Attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. Bought a beautiful, modern home. Expanded our business. Saw my daughter get her first job and her first book signing as well. Saw my son start a regular volunteering shift at the library. 
 

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Two separate questions. To the first one: Nope. I did horribly. Again. Same three things I wanted to do the year before that - write, meditate, exercise. I have this awful habit of wanting everything to be done/caught up/perfect before allowing myself to do something I want, which generally translates into not getting to things I want to do very much. I know better. I counsel people and tell them not to do that. I also tend to run around doing for everyone but myself. This needs to change. I think I do better when I live by a phrase like I have in the past, so I'm doing that again this year. So, to the second question: I am. Mark's clever play on words: The Year of Não ("No" in Portuguese)/Now. See, "Não" is pronounced "now." So it has two meanings - saying no more (in order to say yes to myself more - as in, don't overextend and also, make myself a priority) and also doing things NOW - not putting them off.  
 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yep. Two of my SILs. They both gave birth to adorable baby boys - Duncan and Finnegan.   


4. Did anyone close to you die? No. Thankfully, no.


5. What countries did you visit? With the house and business moves, we didn't travel much this past year. We did have multiple guests. We did spend a day at the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. And we did enjoy a week at the beach in Delaware, an annual tradition for us.  


6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? Again, I'd like to take better care of myself. I think a lot of my anxiety/depression comes from not doing enough of that. 


7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? April 28th (Harper Lee's birthday) - the day we bought this house. Our birthdays - the big 4-0 for both me and Mark.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Moving our home and business. Throwing Mark an awesome 40th birthday that I know he truly enjoyed. And, difficult as it is, making some breakthroughs on insights to emotional issues.


9. What was your biggest failure? Like I say every year, I don't like to think in terms of failure. It is what it is. But I do tend to put my whole heart and soul into others without affording myself the same. It really needs to stop. It's simply not healthy.  


10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had a horrible neck spasm in January of this past year - it was extremely painful and scary. It limited my range of motion and was so bad that I almost couldn't lie down to go to sleep the first night, prompting many tears. It was during that really bad cold weather - stupid polar vortex. Stress built up for me this past fall and I dealt with a pretty bad bout of depression. It'd been 10 years since it'd been that bad (and even then, it wasn't as bad as it was in 2003). I had spent the past several years (and especially the past year) repeatedly saying, "I'm breaking." It just got worse and worse until in November, I feel like it snapped and went from "I'm breaking" to "I'm broken." I have felt burned out, overwhelmed, tired, stretched thin, unsupported, low . . . basically, I have run around doing for everyone else but not taking care of myself. I'm not good at it. I don't always feel deserving of it. I know these things intellectually. Putting them into practice is another story. I'm trying. I'm working on it. I'm learning where it stems from and learning how to address that and heal and move forward. It's a process and takes time and work. I've learned a lot from the experience (I have learned every time I've dealt with depression) and I am especially grateful for supportive friends who were simply incredibly dedicated to helping me. I've felt very supported by many, which is very different than 2003 when we had just moved here and knew no one (again, this bout wasn't nearly as bad as in 2003 - having older kids and a support system helps! -, but difficult nonetheless).    


11. What was the best thing you bought? Hands down, our new house! It is modern and lovely and floods with light every day. Our views from every window are so beautiful that you can't help but stop what you're doing and take it in. As a family, we're often looking at the gorgeous sunsets, snow-covered trees, misty creek, farmland, hills . . . it's all so pretty! At our old farmhouse, we could see billboards and "Big Mike's Beer Warehouse" (or something like that) and McDonald's and while it was a wonderful place to be for over 7 years as we started our business, this change has been so good for us. Our business is now in its own location with TWO patient rooms (which is, as Mark keeps saying, awesome). And our home is modern and open and light-filled. We have closets, a garage, central air, gas heating, an open-floor plan, a fireplace (two actually - one in our room, too), LOTS of windows . . . we love it. We have now lived in a small apartment, a trailer, a townhouse, a farmhouse, and a modern house. It's kind of fun to have different adventures! 


12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Sherri and Ron's. They helped us move. They offered. They insisted. They showed up. They lent a lot of time, muscle, and truck use as well as loads of friendship and emotional support. We're very grateful to them. And when I started getting down, Sherri jumped into action immediately. She rallied support and was present and reached out to others who she knew would be present, too. She's (and they're) awesome. Sherri, Lisa, and Laura all deserve shout outs on this one.


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I think I'd rather not say on this one. This past year has been difficult and emotional and stressful in many ways and I honestly thought certain people would have been here, been present, been helping more and, well, they weren't. They didn't have to, of course. And it's my own fault for having expectations (I know better), but I thought maybe and, well, I was wrong. Some people did more dumping on me and not so much with the helping or even asking how I am.


14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgages!


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Celebrating turning 40 - a party for me, a great day for Mark, and a joint party for both of us. Our new business location. And our new house! We love it. Also, the spread of marriage equality. And Thing 1's first job and Thing 2's first volunteer shifts.


16. What song will always remind you of 2014? 80s music. We played a great playlist of 80s music at our joint 40th birthday party and it was a big hit and lots of fun to reminisce about with friends! Sherlock theme music - Mark and I watched the first 3 seasons with Kate this past year.  


17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    a) happier or sadder? Similar, but hopeful?
    b) thinner or fatter? I think I've gained a couple of pounds - I've got some middle-aged tummy going on, methinks.
    c) richer or poorer? Poorer? The same? A lot of what we'd saved went toward the house/settlement, but technically, that's ours - just not readily available like liquid cash. 


18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I'd been listened to more. I wish I'd done lots of things - more purging, more projects, more writing. I'm so depleted that I don't even feel as creative as I usually feel. :/


19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Less feeling frustrated, less crying, less raging. Less being other people's dumping grounds with no thought for how it might be affecting me. That being said, I'm learning from it, so it's not for naught, I hope. 
    


20. How did you spend Christmas? Here with my beautiful family. My mom and Jim joined us this year and it was low-key and very nice. I especially enjoyed rediscovering some favorite Portuguese treats, like shrimp rissóes.


21. Did you fall in love in 2014? I'm already there.


22. What was your favorite TV program? Parenthood, Sherlock, Gilmore Girls, Amazing Race, Modern Family, The Goldbergs, Big Bang Theory . . . I don't want to choose only one. I even got on an Everybody Loves Raymond rewatch kick this past fall. I wasn't into any new shows that I could binge watch, so I saw some of those and really enjoy them. I'm also watching Frasier with Kate, and Malcolm in the Middle with Max. Pop cultural competence and all. ;)


23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I honestly don't hate anyone. Though I often feel like people suck. A friend recently told me, "You want to believe that everyone is like you (trustworthy, genuine, etc.) and because of that, you give yourself over to them. Then you get burned because it turns out they aren't all that . . . . There are great benefits to giving yourself over, but also great risks. I wouldn't put this on yourself. I've learned that most people are NOT like us." It was a really good statement to hear and I'm grateful to her for sharing it with me, for several reasons.


24. What was the best book you read? Flora & Ulysses, The Fourteenth Goldfish, Because of Mr. Terupt - all three are books I've read with our kids. I love reading with them. Oh, and I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for the first time ever. It catapulted to my top 5 favorites. Beautiful book. The writing was superb. 


25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sam Smith. What a dreamy voice. 


26. What did you want and get? A new house and a business location with 2 patient rooms!


27. What did you want and not get? Ha! Here's what I wrote a year ago - glad we did well with this one: "Moving forward with some big life/house/business decisions. So complicated!" I'd say more time/support working on taking care of myself.   


28. What was your favorite film of this year? 3 come to mind - "What If," "100-Foot Journey," and "The Theory of Everything."


29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 40 - the day itself was spent with my family and, of course, included gifts and good food. My husband also set up a surprise party for me and my mom and Jim even came down for it! It was the first time in over 20 years I'd had my mom with me for my birthday. We also had many friends there and it was a good night. Mark turned 40, too, this past year. I planned a really special day for him (he has said that he might blog about it). And, together, we threw ourselves a 40th birthday bash in our new backyard this past summer. We got it catered by Chipotle, had great music, a fire pit and torches, s'mores, good friends. It was really fun.  
    


30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Feeling listened to and taking better care of myself emotionally.


31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014? The same as usual. I hate clothes shopping, so I don't tend to get myself new stuff. 


32. What kept you sane? My family, good friends, TV, books, and Scout.   


33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Emma Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Daniel Radcliffe, and A.S. King.


34. What political issue stirred you the most? The spread of marriage equality as well as greater focus on feminist issues and gender equality.
    


35. Who did you miss? My dad.


36. Who was the best new person you met? Well, we technically met them before this past year, but our local bookstore's owners have been very good to Kate - selling her books and inviting her to be a part of the local author night signings, and Max - finding Advanced Reader Copies for him (and for Kate) and helping him to become good friends with their son (the kids share a lot of similar interests). It's been nice getting to know them better and enjoying things we have in common.
    


37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014. I have some stuff to work through that has been affecting me for years. Now that I've learned more about it, I've found some resources to help. I'm working through it now.


38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    
    I don't know, but I kept thinking about the theme song from "The Jeffersons" as we moved into our new, fancy house. 
     
    "Well we're movin on up,
    

    To the east side.
    To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
    Movin on up,
    To the east side.
    We finally got a piece of the pie.

    Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
    Beans don't burn on the grill.
    Took a whole lotta tryin',
    Just to get up that hill.
    Now we're up in the big leagues,
    Gettin' our turn at bat.
    As long as we live, it's you and me baby,
    There ain't nothin wrong with that."

Encyclopedia of Me - N (Mark)

(Photos courtesy of: Wikipedia.org, Amazon.com, and Forbes.com)

Nantucket: Stacy and I went to the island for our honeymoon. Since we got married in December, we thought waiting until the following summer would be a great way to go on the trip. We had a fantastic time and would really like to get back there. It's a quaint little island and a lot of fun.

Needles: It's what I do. I'm an acupuncturist. I needle people all day long. Being able to get the certification and do this for a living has been a very good thing for our family. Plus, I feel like I'm providing a service that can and does help a lot of people live better quality lives.

Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole: You knew you couldn't get away without at least one jazz reference! I love the old standards, and Natalie's remake of her father's "Unforgettable" plays a HUGE part in Stacy and me getting together. So, of course, it's our song.

New York City: We've been fortunate to visit the city on a number of occasions and always have a lot of fun. Stacy and I went together to see Les Misérables on Broadway. That trip even included a chance to be in the audience to see David Letterman. We've been back as a family a few times, and have even gotten to share it with friends and family. NYC has a feel and a pulse to it, and you have got to experience it at least once in your lifetime.

Nori: Yes, dried seaweed. The importance being that it holds sushi together. Oh, sushi. What a wonderful food. I was excited to try it in Japan for the first time, and I've loved it ever since. Also, the first date I took Stacy on after 3 1/2 years apart was a sushi dinner. It is still one of our favorite dates.

Netflix: This is so not a necessity, but it has been a really fun resource to have. We've had access to a lot of great movies, power-watched a number of TV shows, and now we have access to Gilmore Girls in more than one format. Say good-bye to productivity! ;)

Encyclopedia of Me - N (Stacy)

(Pictures courtesy of: wikipedia.org, pinterest.com/alfredzambrano/npr-nerd/, harrypotter.wikia.com, ingridsnotes.wordpress.com, fanpop.com, and visitcorvallis.com)

Nancy Drew - So this one is here for the nostalgia factor. I loved this series as a little girl and it helped foster my love of reading. I've read a couple of them recently with our kids and it was almost cringe-worthy how simplistic the writing is (Middle Grade and Young Adult literature has come a LONG way - kids nowadays are so lucky), but even so, the stories and characters are good and accessible and fun. I have good memories of reading through this series.

Niles Crane - I just started watching Frasier with Kate (I love watching entire TV series with my kids). We love Niles. Who doesn't? He is endearing, loveable, and hilarious. His long-time love-at-a-distance and admiration for Daphne is one of the best parts of the show. His slapstick mannerisms as well as his delivery are both fantastic. One of my favorite episodes ("Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz") is the one where he plays Jesus for a Christmas play Daphne is in charge of - hysterical! His being on this list is part of a trend with many of these posts, I believe. I'm a big, big fan of great side characters, often preferring them to the main ones in just about any story, book, or movie.

Novels/NaNoWriMo - Okay, so this one is probably obvious and no grand surprise. We are a family of readers and writers, and NaNoWriMo is one of our favorite times of year. Every November, we write like crazy. We frequent coffeeshops and bookstores, and we write with our friends and fellow WriMos. It's great fun. This is our 6th year.

Neville - Neville is, quite easily, my favorite Harry Potter character. He is genuine. He is good. He is flawed. Sure, Harry has the impulsive, impetuous courage, Hermione has the brains and good sense, and Ron has the humor and support to balance them both out, but Neville is, through and through, the most courageous, true, loyal, good, kind, and brave soul of them all. One of my favorite scenes in the first book is when Dumbledore says, "There are all kinds of courage. . . . It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." And of course, there's this from the Battle of Hogwarts:

Lord Voldemort: "You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

Neville Longbottom: "I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!"

Neville is the best.

New Year's Eve - I love this holiday. There's something so joyous and relaxing about it. It is a night that I do NOT like to go out. It is a night that I love to be IN with family and friends. We always have music, games, and a ton of food. We especially like to celebrate it Japanese-style with lots of sushi, potstickers, and edamame. We've even been known to make tempura for New Year's. I like to eat, dance, play games, laugh, watch the ball drop, toast to a new year, and kiss at midnight.

Over 6 years ago, my father died on December 31st, so obviously that wasn't the easiest or happiest day. Even on that day, I remember trying to keep things normal and upbeat for our kids. We were all mourning and grieving - we were sad that my dad has died. We spent the day as a family - there were tears; it was surreal; there was funeral planning. It was strange and hard. But we did steal away for a bit to find a sushi place in Massachusetts and get some take-out to share together. I know my Dad would want us to enjoy ourselves and continue on. He died around 2 in the morning on December 31, 2007, so the way we commemorate that is to have a little memorial service every year during the day where we take turns lighting floating candles and talk about our memories with him and then we "send messages" to him, sharing what we'd like to tell him if we could. We cry. We hug. It's reverent, you know? And then, as the day wears on, we prepare for our evening and put on music and eat and dance and enjoy ourselves, as we kick off the year with celebration and hope.

Nerd/NPR/New Historicist Literary Theory - Okay, so I lumped these three together, because I have difficulty paring things down and because that's how I roll. I am addicted to learning. I love learning things, reading things, researching things. The Internet is like crack for me. I always have a million tabs open and my mind whirls at 1,000 miles an hour. It's overwhelming sometimes and I can't keep up with own thoughts much of the time, but I do love the thrill of looking things up and thinking and considering things. I love debate. I love movies that make me think. I really, really hate stupid movies and I go crazy being around dull people or having boring (to me) conversations with people. I like to talk to people who read and think and care. So yeah, I'm a nerd. I like nerds. I think being smart is sexy and fun and interesting. I like to analyze things, which is why "New Historicist Literary Theory" is on here - it is one of my favorite things I learned in college. I really enjoy analyzing books and films and other mediums. NPR is on here, because I like how it feeds my brain. I like the way they present news stories as an entire picture instead of a fragment or a headline. I love the interviews they do with authors and politicians and other interesting people. I love discovering new books or movies because of something I've heard. I read a lot of news, so "Wait, Wait. Don't Tell Me" is fun (not to mention funny). Our entire family enjoys that show. We listen to a lot of music in this house, but we also enjoy a good NPR story. I loved all listening together to a beautiful interview with Maya Angelou that they rebroadcast on the day she died. I like having friends who listen to NPR - there is never a lack of things to discuss! My good friend Sherri often starts conversations with, "So I was listening to NPR the other day . . . " and we usually laugh at that and before you know it, we're knee-deep in discussion in no time.

P.S. I could also add that I'm a Night Owl. And that I love noodles. I'm pretty excited about recently discovering "Noodles and Company." I love this restaurant in State College where you pick your noodles, veggies, sauces, and other fillings, fill a bowl, and tell them if you want it stir fried or as a soup. They cook it up and you eat it. Delicious! And I thought about having Newport, RI on here, but I already mentioned how much I love it on my 'R' post where I talked about Rhode Island. I had a hard time initially coming up with ideas for this 'N' post, but then I had to narrow it down!

6 months later . . .

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. Sometimes I feel like we should have WAY more done by now (truthfully, this is how I feel most of the time), and other times I am amazed at how much we've accomplished in the past 6 months.

Moving a house AND a business, all while carrying on with regular work and day-to-day activities? That's a lot. Every other move we've ever done has been between jobs, so that moving was the focus and full-time activity. This time has been different. Not only have we been working the whole time, but Mark picks up any extra moonlighting shifts he can. I've worked some extra summer stints at our new location and have been doing a ton with the business marketing stuff. During that time, we also got our new tenant settled into our townhouse rental and that is going well. He will live there for 3 years. There was a bit of work involved in getting that going, too - some repairs, some advertising, negotiations, showings, paperwork, etc. Add to that the kids' summer camps (writing for her, science/invention for him). And, of course, there's the regular dentist/mechanic/doctor/school/lessons/activities/errands stuff the entire time. It's busy, to say the least. Plus, you always have something hanging over your head to do, so relaxing is a challenge. Not complaining, though. Life is full and good.

We feel pretty settled in our new business location and that is going well overall. Some bumps and adjustments, but a good change for sure. Having two patient rooms is fantastic. It's much more efficient and the patient feedback has been extremely positive. And we're feeling pretty settled in our new home, too. There is a lot to do with the business. And there is much more to do at our new house, in terms of unpacking and purging (have I mentioned that I wish I had a sister?!?). And the farmhouse has been a ton of work, too. We've done a lot there - upkeep, landscaping, painting, fixing, repairs, cleaning out, researching, etc. And that doesn't even count all the packing and organizing and moving. It's been a very busy past 6 months for sure. We're grateful for the help our friends have given us with moving and with some meals, too. I can't imagine what we would've done without their help and, really, that's a pretty lonesome thought for us. 

We continued to see clients at our old house for a while after moving and during the business transition. Now that all the farmhouse repairs are done (as of this past week), Mark is over there right now cleaning out the few things that remain. He's also meeting with several house cleaners to get bids from them to give it a good top-to-bottom clean before our next step. We've gone back and forth on whether or not to rent it or sell it. We're doing all the work no matter what we do. We're also meeting with a listing agent to explore options.

At this point, we lean very heavily toward selling it. We haven't ever been on that side of the table - getting a check. Renting it could work (and it's 2 units, too!), but it's a bit more unnerving with an older home like that (as opposed to a newer townhouse). We'd like to sell it and refinance our new house, plus we have some big expenses coming up and money would be, you know, helpful. In the meantime, maintaining multiple properties while moving and transitioning a business is a lot of work, not to mention expensive.

We don't feel right about moving forward on some of those expenses until things are more settled for us financially, though I hate putting them off as they're things that are necessary/helpful to us - a fence for Scout, possible braces for Max, etc. along with the regular expensive costs of things like malpractice insurance and student loans. Student loans. We used to think we'd wait for those student loans to be all-the-way paid off before allowing ourselves to Have Nice Things, but you know, we entered our 40s and got sick of waiting. Our kids are growing up, life is passing us by, and there needs to be a balance of being smart financially and also enjoying ourselves. I tend to lean toward denying ourselves in the name of extreme prudence and have been doing that for years really. And while I do think that's wise overall, at what point do we allow ourselves things like central heat, closets, and a nice neighborhood for our kids? Now. That's when. They're growing up fast and college is around the corner (yes, that means student loans for us AND them at the same time - see?) - life is expensive!!

We're not the types to take big, fancy, expensive trips. We go to the beach every year for less than a week off-season and on the cheap. That's about it. And we love it. We've been to Disney once and that was much thanks to Jim. It was a wonderful trip. We're homebodies with simple pleasures - games, books, food. So it makes sense to us to allow ourselves a nice living situation since that is where we like to be the most. And I can't tell you how nice it is to have so much sunshine and light shining in on us. I think it's a natural anti-depressant.

And while we're also not the types to drive newer cars (we've been driving the same cars for 16 and over 10 years, respectively), Mark's car is getting really old and beat up (in fact, I drove it today and it didn't start for me!). We're starting our 17th year with that car. It's the car we got back in college. It's the car that moved us to medical school. It's the car in which we brought home our babies from the hospital. It's helped us through Utah winters, very hot Arizona summers, a cross-country move, tons of school and job commuting, and more than 11 years in Pennsylvania. That's on the list of upgrades when we sell our farmhouse, too. So: car, braces, fence. Those are the big ones. And extras that we'd like but aren't as pressing - a bigger deck (our table doesn't fit on it) and a fridge that fits our food and has a functioning ice-maker. But those are all big things and, really, they're first world problems. During all this, we're mostly busy buying the kids books, food, and clothes. They're outgrowing clothes and shoes left and right. And growth spurts? They make people hungry! Again, life is good. We're happy and healthy and grateful.

Anyway! As we finish up these odds-and-ends duties related to our moves, we should have our house listed by the end of the month. Go us! We even took pictures of it before we packed it up so that people can see how lovely it can be when it's all lived-in and stuff! But yeah. Busy, busy, and lots to think about and do. I don't know why my sleep has been disrupted. It's a mystery. :P

20 Things You May Not Know About Me

I'm really tired and not focusing very well. Sometimes writing helps, so I'm going to to this blog meme that The Magic Violinist recently did on her blog. Here goes.

1. How tall are you?

Short. 5 foot 2. And yes, I have a complex about it.

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

Moving has revealed that apparently I'm a hoarder. Who knew?

3. What’s your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

I hate not getting comments from people who I full well know read my blog. I don't mind putting my writing out there, but knowing that people are reading and not giving feedback makes me feel like a little used and spied on and unappreciated sometimes (hey, I have my needy moments!). The flip side of this is that I have a great appreciation for our regular commenters. I love hearing from you!

4. What’s your biggest non-blog-related peeve?

Flakiness. Also, users.

5. What’s your favorite song?

I'll follow TMV's lead on this. Of all time? "Your Song" by Elton John (and I especially love the Moulin Rouge version). Recently? "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran.

6. What’s your favorite Etsy store that isn’t yours?

I don't use Etsy.

7. What’s your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone?

Reading, blogging, writing . . . 

8. What’s your favorite junk food?

Donuts. Though I'd honestly prefer sushi. I'd rather get sushi than flowers.

9. Do you have a pet?

I'm just going to go ahead and copy TMV's answer: Yes! A little shi-chon named Scout. And she is, without a doubt, the best fit for our family. She's spunky, playful, snuggly, energetic, and just a little crazy. She definitely has a personality, and she won't hesitate to jump onto the top of the couch, walk over to you, and whack your head with her paw to get a treat. But say "mailman" or "UPS" and she goes berserk!

10. What is your top favorite nonfiction and fiction book?

 

Fiction: To Kill a Mockingbird
Non-fiction: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter.

11. What’s your favorite beauty product?

I rarely wear make-up, so I don't even know how to answer this one. Do earrings count?

12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

I recently offered to some new friends that we'd take their kid out to ice cream after an event. I got caught up in the excitement of the event and forgot all about it until we were walking out of the ice cream shop afterward (and hadn't taken the kid with us). I felt positively AWFUL about it. I really, really hate how forgetful I've gotten. Yeah, yeah, I know. Acceptance and all of that. But it BUGS me. A lot. Anyway, we did make up for it and took the kid out to ice cream at a later time, but yeah, I felt pretty awful for a while about that one.

13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Water really is my favorite, so I'll say hot cocoa, I guess. I don't like this question. I like variety in my other beverages - I base those on my mood or on what I'm eating, so how can I limit it to one? I drink water ALL. THE. TIME. But sometimes root beer is good with pizza, or a slushy pina colada is refreshing on a hot day, or a hot cocoa warms you up on a cold day or margaritas are good with Mexican food, not to mention other beverage pairings with dinners. And I start every morning with lemon green tea. So yeah, I don't like this question.

14. What’s your favorite movie?

I've always loved "You've Got Mail." I'm also a big, big fan of 80s movies and indie films.

15. What were you in high school? Prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, band geek, valedictorian, loner, artist, prep, et cetera?

I graduated 5th in my class, so not high enough for valedictorian, but high enough to be firmly planted in the nerd category.

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Lisbon. I love it there. Thing 1 is talking more and more about attending college in London, so I wouldn't be opposed to moving there for a while! 

17. PC or Mac?

PC.

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?

Honestly, he does stuff all the time. I'm a lucky girl. I mean, he JUST handed me a homemade, all-natural pumpkin latte.

19. Favorite celebrity?

John Cusack. Duh.

20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Well, my favorite bloggers are related to me, so I'd say I'm good in this department. :)

If you give a woman with ADD a sink of dirty dishes . . . (Part 2)

. . . you better give her some Ritalin to go with it!

So, now that you've read (or perhaps skimmed - don't worry; I get it!) my previous post, here goes what I originally wanted to post. The mental process and exhaustion of trying to do ONE simple task. Get ready to be bored out of your mind.

Oh, whoa. The kitchen is a mess. When did that happen? Why do we have so many dirty dishes? Some of those are from, let me think, Sunday. Today is Wednesday. What the? Well, we're in the middle of two very crazy weeks, so sometimes it gets like this. Well, I'll clean it all. Mark's got a long day at work today and it needs to be done. I'll get it done before I have to pick up Kate from work.

"Hey, Max! Can you please come to the kitchen?"

("Sure!")

"The dishwasher needs to be unloaded. Could you help me out, please?"

("Yeah!")

"Thanks."

I help him unload the dishwasher and then start rinsing the dirty dishes so he can help me load them. Some will need to be hand washed. Great. My hands are wet and in the dirty dishes and of course that's when I notice that the drainer, too, is full of clean dishes. I do this all the time. I wash my hands and help him put away the high stuff from the drainer. Okay, back to the dirty dishes. Wow, the sheer number of them. I guess we've had a lot of meals where we've had to run out the door quickly - Kate worked on Sunday and we were in the middle of unpacking and cleaning out the garage; Mark and I didn't get much sleep on Sunday night dealing with some issues with other people; Monday was work all day and a play date that afternoon,as well as not one, but two trips down to a neighboring county (down and back once for me and the kids, and down and back again with all of us, including Scout, for an evening with friends); Tuesday was getting Kate to her volunteer shift then another afternoon playdate, a TON of calendaring, and then back down to a neighboring county for the entire evening (so home late again); and this morning it was getting Kate to work early and apparently getting to all these dishes before I leave to pick her up again. So yeah, the dishes have piled up. It's not like we're sitting around. We're behind on our TV shows, too. We've been busy!

Halfway through washing the dishes, I run out of soap in the dispenser. It's empty, so I ask Max to help me fill it. This requires some instruction and guidance, so I stop washing dishes to help him. Back to doing dishes . . . Something stinks. Hmmm, this dish rag is getting kind of smelly. I better throw it in the washing machine. It's red. Oh yeah! We need to wash colors. Okay, so this is fine. 

I walk into the laundry room with the stinky scrubbie. Oh crap, that's right. I already have a load of laundry in the washing machine. Ummm, I can throw this in the slop sink for now. I must remember to come back here and move the washed laundry into the dryer, but not now because my hands are wet and not washed and probably now a little smelly. Where was I? Oh yeah, dishes. Back to the sink! On my way back to the sink, I see Scout who seems like she needs something. "What's up, Scout? Do you need to go potty outside?" I go to the mudroom and get her harness and she runs away as I repeatedly ask her if she needs to go outside. As I chase her around the kitchen table, I notice some things. The table hasn't been cleared off, the water bottles haven't been filled, and both of her bowls are empty. Okay, she obviously doesn't want to go out. I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to pee outside in the rain either. Maybe she just wants kibble and water.

Back to the mudroom to hang up her harness and I spot the laundry room and remember the washer and dryer both need addressing. Oh crap, the laundry! I have to move the washer stuff into the dryer, because if I forget,it will stink and have to be rewashed and I HATE that smell. I know some people who must routinely leave their laundry wet in the washer, because they always smell like old, wet laundry and it's gross. I better move it. Wait, there's stuff in the dryer? Okay, well, that's going to have to get moved first. 

Ding! (A text) 

I better check that because Kate's at work and she might need something. She usually uses someone's phone to call, but just in case . . . nope, not from her. Oh shoot. My friend's having a hard time. I immediately text her back and we text back and forth for a couple of minutes. What can I do to help her? I could have her over to dinner! Oh, but Mark's exhausted and so is Kate (and so am I!). Max is fine. He's getting sleep! But what can I do? I do this. I jump into helping people, sometimes at our own expense. I can't do that. What else can I do? Maybe dinner another night. Oh shoot, weren't we supposed to invite friends over tomorrow night? Dinner. Well, in order to have dishes upon which to eat dinner, I better get back to those dishes. But dinner. What are we going to make for dinner? It's $5 burrito night, but it's rainy and everyone's tired, so we should just do something at home. What should I cook? What was I doing? Oh yeah, dishes!

Back to the sink and I glance at the clock. Why is it taking me so long to do these dishes? These three things need to be soaked, because they've been sitting there way too long and that's pretty stuck on. I'll just fill them with hot, soapy water and set them on the counter. Oh, look! I should wipe those down. But not the ones covered in dishes. The other counters. Okay, but not now. FOCUS! Dishes! Okay, the dishwasher is all loaded and the rest needs to be hand washed. It's all here at least. Right? I always think I'm done and then, inevitably, I turn around and there are pots and pans on the stove. Better check now. Yep. A griddle and a baking sheet. I grab those and put them with the other dirty dishes, but as I lift them I notice something. Huh. Those burners good use a scrub. So could the top of the stove. I need to do that next. Oh, these items are left out. I'll just put them away really quick. Eww, this microwave cover could use a wash. I'll add it to the dirty dishes as well.

I walk back to the sink and continue with the dishes and am almost ready to relieve Max of his assisting duties when . . . Baringggg! (text - Mark's text ring tone this time). I better check that in case he needs to tell me something or has heard from Kate or whatever. Okay, good. Work's going well at the clinic. Oooh, a Facebook alert. I'll just check that really quickly. "Oh good! Hey Max, Amy made her flight with only 5 minutes to spare!"

Back to the sink again. Max has now gotten distracted.

"Hey, we're not done."

"You stopped doing the dishes!"

"I know, but that's because I needed to check Daddy's text."

"Then you were checking Facebook."

I hesitate for about half a second and decide to own it. "Yeah, you're right. I did."

Okay, now that unloading and loading is done. I can relieve Max and then hand wash the rest.

"Can I Facetime with Jack and play a game with him?"

"Sure. What do you need to do?"

"I need to connect with him on Facetime."

Away from the sink yet again to grab my phone and get the number for him to call so he can get it all set up and connected and play. Once he got on the phone, I went back to the sink but then spotted the water bottles on my way. Oh yeah, those need to be filled. I'll just grab them and, oh crap, this rug is wet. The rain must be coming in through the screen door. I better shut it. I turn around and see the table cloth on the table that needs to be shaken out, the dog's empty bowls (again - I haven't filled them yet), and the water bottles. Oh yeah, the dog's bowls. I'll do those next. Water bottles! I fill them and put them away in the fridge, but notice some leftovers that need to be arranged better in the fridge. Back to the sink and I look over and see the tablecloth that needs to be shaken out. Oh yeah. I walk over to the table and grab it, yet again noticing the dog's empty bowls. Poor thing. Let me get that. I go to the cupboard, grab the kibble and fill her bowl, and put the kibble away. Water. Let me get her water. I'll fill the "boot beer" mug and pour it in. As I go back and forth filling bowls, I notice other things that need to be done, like sweeping the floor. Also, they could probably use a wash, too.

Ding! (a continuation via text of an earlier conversation with a friend) Back to the sink, mind racing.

Oh yeah, we need to fix that mix-up on the calendar. And weren't we going to do that thing tomorrow night? I need to do that next. And oh shoot, business promotions. We haven't done this month's business promotions! And that thing for school. Okay, now that's too many things to remember. I have to write them down or text myself so I don't forget. I wash my hands and dry them and go over to my phone and text: "School Planning and House cleaning and Garage clean out and Business Promos." I notice that another text has come in with a question for me, but I don't know how to answer it yet, so I decide to wait and go back to the dishes. Why is this taking so long?!? Omigod, the constant interruptions and distractions. I spot the tablecloth. Again. Oh yeah! The tablecloth! Dammit! I walk over to grab it, look again at how wet it is outside, and decide to shake it out over the sink. After that, I notice it's dirty and needs to be washed, so back to the laundry room where I notice, ARGH, there's the laundry in both the washer AND the dryer. For the umpteenth time.  

So there's stuff in the dryer AND the dryer door is open. One item. One tablecloth. Either all at once, or over time, the dryer got emptied of all but ONE item. I better fold this so I can move the washer stuff into the dryer. I fold the tablecloth and put it away in the hutch in the dining room where I notice items out of place, so I put them away. Hmmm, it's dusty, too. The house needs to be dusted and vacuumed. Add it to the list. Okay, back to the dishes. Wait! I'm in the middle of switching the laundry. Focus, Stacy, focus! 

Oh, look at that. The kitchen table is bare now that I've moved the tablecloth, but it looks like it's wet in spots, so that needs to be washed. I go over and wipe down the entire table, scrubbing hard at any wet or greasy spots. I walk past the wet rug and look outside and see that the rain has slowed, so I open the door again for some air.

Back to the dishes and I find some bits of trash that need to be thrown out, so I go to throw it out and, you guessed it, the trash is full and needs to be taken out. But not now. I have to get these dishes done! But first, someone didn't push the garage door shut all the way. Click. There. Okay, back to the sink to finish the dishes. After another 10 minutes or so, I've overrun the dish drainer, so I pull out extra dish towels so I can lay the extra big things on them. This reminds me that I need to wipe down the counters, so I do that, too. Eventually, I really do finish all the dishes.

I sit down, marveling at how long it took and how many times I got distracted and how many extra things I got done in the process. My mind is racing. I'm mentally exhausted and feel like I shouldn't be since it's, you know, DISHES.

I think back on my conversations with my friends. I recognize the narrative that's been going on in my head. I give myself a few minutes to look at emails, Facebook, whatever, and then notice that I left the light on. Are you kidding me?!? In my head, I hear myself lecturing others in the house, "Electricity costs money. Turn off the lights!" and recognize that this time, I'm the one who left them on. Guilt consumes me and I get up and turn them off, while noticing three more things that need to be done. I do them. Then I hurry and get showered and dressed (because though I've been awake since before 7, it's after 2 and I'm only now getting dressed) just in the nick of time to go get Kate, who has called me from work to let me know she got done early, so I race over there.    

ARE YOU BORED BY THIS STORY YET?? I AM! This is the kind of stuff I think about and do on pretty much a daily basis. If it's not dishes, it's schooling. If it's not schooling, it's errands. If it's not errands, it's helping the kids with stuff. No matter what I'm doing, at least a dozen other things pop up in the middle of it and they each spawn several more tasks. It's like a big, anxiety-provoking ADD pyramid scheme! If it's not helping the kids with stuff, it's laundry. LAUNDRY! Son of a . . .

Yep. After all that, I didn't ever move the wash to the dryer. Want to know how I remembered? I didn't. We were all making dinner together (after I found a recipe, made a list, and Mark got the ingredients at the store) and he remembered the laundry and asked me, "Hey, did you switch the laundry?"

No. No, I did not.