Virginia

We roadtripped to Virginia last weekend for SVU Homecoming (and it really does feel like coming home) and to handle some stuff for our rental home there. We were giddy all week with the thought of being back where we met. We didn't quite get around to revisiting too many of those memories. It turns out when all that cute stuff was going on we didn't have two kids. Next year I think I'll get a babysitter. But we did have some great moments that made it worth hearing Little Einsteins for hours on end in the car. Like hearing the chamber choir sing "Shenandoah". And smelling the green hallway. And spending the weekend in our own house that is full of some of our sweetest memories. I walked around campus by myself for awhile and I really was full of emotion as I recalled my personal journey that involved that school and town for those four years. I went there looking to spend a year and then transfer after having a brief east coast fling, but left there with a degree, a husband, a baby, and a deep love for Virginia. As we drove out of town we were scheming a way we could move back there and make all our dreams come true. After driving four hours going 65 and making terrible time because of my determination not to revisit a Virginia jail cell- I got pulled over. And he gave me three tickets- all of which are ridiculous. I drew a line thru the signature line on all the tickets instead of signing my name. That's when he threatened me with a felony for forgery. It was at this point when my affections for Virginia began to dwindle. Curses on Virginia cops. Curses, curses, curses. Before I burst with bitterness....the pictures:


Anabelle with "my friend Dad". She also says, " my Braden's name is Dad".


Climbing Indian Rocks in the Blue Ridge mountains

This kid a real keeper. What a low maintanance bucket of joy.

Heavy sigh. I love Virginia.

She's got a steady lipstick application for a two year old, I will say that.

The bench outside Braden's dorm where I first told him I loved him. And then he didn't say anything for like a million minutes. I sat on the bench and re-lived the akwardness.

Hanging out on our old porch in true Buener style.

Kirk hooked her up with a block of shredded cheese for dinner. A dream indeed for the cheese monster we call Anabelle. But was this enough? No, what you can't see in this picture is that she has sprinkled her cheese with cheese. There were many furious and violent shakes of the parmesan cheese shaker before she was satisfied that her daily cheese intake would be fulfilled. Kirk also gave her a package of oyster crackers which she really appreciated for some reason. She took them with her to the bathroom. Braden said she was sitting on the toilet and began pushing when she stopped suddenly, handed him the crackers and said, "I don't want to poop on my crackers", then resumed pushing. And then collected her crackers.

Just before she folded in half over Jared's arm her face was saying, " Do the right thing Mom. Put me in bed".

Braden cradles his "Nate Special". And oh how special it is. And yes, he ate all of it.

We met our dear old friends Jared and Jackie at Salerno's. It was pretty much the equivolent of meeting Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski at The Max. A highlight of the trip.

Cousin Tay and Abelle at the alumni soccer game where their dads wheeze and pant for breath behind them. Braden was only struggeling because he ran the 5K that morning, then played in the racquetball tournament, then played a soccer game. Then he struggled to move to pack the car the next day and definately could not ride his bike to work on Monday.

Beldon swinging Abelle around in circles atop a boulder...was this a good idea (I ask two weeks later)?

Cousin Goose and Abelle crackin each other up

Indian Rocks-It was fun to tromp around with our family in the exact place we used to hang out while dating. Different experience entirely. It never used to be so much about various bodily functions and happenings. I guess that's why the romance was flourishing.

Sam I am...

Anabelle was not using a sippie cup. She forgot. I'm not sure that she really needs spinach though. She's sort of a linebacker already.

My cousin got me started on a deliciously healthful little smoothie. It has changed my life. I can run faster and jump higher. That could have something to do with the fact that I am now the only person living in my body, but, still...it's good stuff. And it makes the Condiment Queen eat spinach. Even Braden likes it. But I have to tell him that I dumped three cups of refined sugar and two cups of heavy whipping cream in it before he will drink it. Do not be turned off by the fact that you are putting spinach (which is gross) in a blender with yummy things. You just gotta trust me on this one. If it looks like a bucket of muck, you made it right. Forge ahead and you will see...

1 cup orange juice
2 cups fresh spinach

Blend

1 banana
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries

Blend

You do not like it. So you say. Try it! Try it! And you may. Try it and you may I say.

To make my mom laugh on her 66th birthday...

Like a bear in a china shop...

Wow, it's Thursday, we're coming up on another weekend. I haven't even recovered from last weekend when Braden decided to try his hand at domesticity. For our date night last Friday, Braden gave me Cinnamon lowlights. That was the plan anyway. Well, that was my plan. I heard him telling someone at church that he was trying to give me tiger stripes. I guess that was my first problem. His tiger stripes didn't quite turn out but we sure had a lot of fun together laughing our heads off. Until I woke up Saturday morning and looked in the mirror to see 75% of my hair in mostly burgandy patches. Braden was sent to the store to retrieve another box of hair dye. Will I ever learn? Do I really believe a box of $4.00 hair dye is going to look good? Apparently I do think that, about every other month. One day I'll quit...

The next story actually began last week when I got a ginormous box from my brother full of wonderful randomness. Pieces of china, halloween lights, at least 15 pairs of shoes, jewelry, a flower pot, popcorn, 5 whistles, pads of paper, a check for nine billion dollars, and a cookie press to name a few things. So on Sunday Braden spots the cookie press, gets intrigued, and decides that he wants to take it for a test run. We pick a recipe and he immediatley decides that we must double the recipe so he can be sure he will be sufficiently cookied. He has this ongoing fear about food that he will not have enough to eat. You would think he was raised in a third world country for the way he fears hunger. He borrows some eggs from a friend and begins giving me directions to assist him in his recipe. He missed the part that said to gradually add the flour. Well it was 6 cups of flour so he had quite the mess on his hands, especially after attempting to mix the eggs in a measuring cup with an electric mixer (eggs everywhere). So after the motor on my mixer burned up, and he told me not to throw it away because he wanted to take it apart and put it back together, he resumed his work with my potato masher. Once he gets the dough made he goes to put it on some wax paper but it seems stuck in the bowl. Or at least it was not coming out as fast as he wanted. So he slams the bowl against the counter, breaking it wide open. But no matter, because out comes the dough. We begin the fun of the cookie press and after making about 6 pans of cookies in 21 shapes, it does not look like we have even made a dent in that pile of dough. We had a system going and it took us two hours to get them all baked, even though each batch only cooked for 6 minutes. We ended up with literally hundreds of moderately decent tasting cookies that now serve as potty treats for Anabelle who is regressing in her potty skills. Or we could start using them for replacement game pieces to Monopoly. Or for home teaching. I considered taking them to my sisters on Tuesday and making up for coming on the last day of the month by giving them 250 cookies. Although I did have to buy a new mixing bowl today, I did so happily with thoughts of that experience. I went to bed that night thinking how truly happy it makes me to spend time with Braden, even if he is breaking my stuff.

Also, if your tupperware is pictured above, please identify it and I will promptly return it. With 5 pounds of cookies in it. Offer good while supplies last.