It only took them 4 days... but they got it done! Props to Hubz and Einstein for our very own Light Show Extravaganza :)
I'm on Top Momma!
STICKY POST: (Really, I'm still on there?!)
LOL - wouldja rock the vote for me? Every click, click, click - every day - counts!
It's a Father and Son Thing...
It only took them 4 days... but they got it done! Props to Hubz and Einstein for our very own Light Show Extravaganza :)
Wishful Thinking
I'm back! Well, sorta - trying to play catch up and see what everyone's been up to. I miss you guys!!! The holidays over here were quiet and peaceful, minus the noise from my rambunctious monsters... and I don't mean just the kids. ;)
It's the night before Christmas Eve, and we're making sugar cookie cut-outs with our homemade cookie dough. As we're decorating the 46th cookie, "Silent Night" rings through the house speakers, and Hubz remembers something with a start.
"Daredevil! Do you know what song this is? It's Silent Night, sung for the first time by a Choir Director named Franz Xavier Gruber."
The rest of us are stilled by his sudden history lesson.
"You wanna know how I know that," he continued. "I played him and sang it in a Christmas play, TWICE, when I was a boy in school."
Daredevil gasps. "You mean, you got an encore?!"
"Yep," Hubz replied with a wink. "People were calling my name, throwing money at me..."
[Pause.]
"That's how I bought this house," he declared.
The rest of us erupted into a roar of laughter that, I think, the neighbors might've heard. :)
Christmas Break and Crackbook
Gonna take a bloggy break to hang out with my boys, but you know I can't stay away from you guys for too long. If you don't see me here or cruisin' the blogosphere, you might catch me sneaking in on Twitter or Facebook whenever I can... if I can! ;)
Which leads me to ask... if you're on Crackbook, do you have your blog listed? Coz I don't - lol. Guess I'm not ready to link up the two - it's slightly uncool when you have relatives stalking you, looking to dish up some drama.
No, thank you. :)
So... to my new friends in FB - thanks for keeping MammaDawg on the down-low. (Or the DL, as my homegirl Rho would say!)
And to the Scrapbook Saturday crew - Jessica at Nothing But Purple will be hosting for us while I'm out. Thanks Jess!! I can't wait to get back into the scrappin' mode - I feel like I'm so behind on all the pages I want to do!!
Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
P.S. A special thanks to ALL of you for the anniversary wishes - I still can't stop staring!! ;)
Which leads me to ask... if you're on Crackbook, do you have your blog listed? Coz I don't - lol. Guess I'm not ready to link up the two - it's slightly uncool when you have relatives stalking you, looking to dish up some drama.
No, thank you. :)
So... to my new friends in FB - thanks for keeping MammaDawg on the down-low. (Or the DL, as my homegirl Rho would say!)
And to the Scrapbook Saturday crew - Jessica at Nothing But Purple will be hosting for us while I'm out. Thanks Jess!! I can't wait to get back into the scrappin' mode - I feel like I'm so behind on all the pages I want to do!!
Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
P.S. A special thanks to ALL of you for the anniversary wishes - I still can't stop staring!! ;)
Still Reeling
For our anniversary, I had asked the Hubz for the same thing I asked for last year. Actually, it's the same thing I asked for last year, the year before, and the year before that.
This year, he finally took me to a jeweler he trusted to repair my wedding ring.
For my engagement ring, a 3/4 Marquise Diamond Solitaire, Hubz wanted to get me an Enhancer to wrap around it. I insisted it was too much for me, with all the extra diamonds and baguettes, I didn't need anything so fancy. I wanted something simple, yet elegant. But he wasn't having it.
Three years ago, after a cleaning, one of the diamonds from the enhancer went missing. And for three years, I've been asking him to replace it.
I never expected him to custom design a new ring for me.
We talked about upgrading my ring, sure. Discussed sentimental value, affordability, timing... I thought it'd be around five years from now. At least, that's the impression I had when we went to the jeweler's, with us looking at different rings, comparing what we liked and didn't like.
So when he surprised me with a brand new, full carat Radiant Cut Diamond Solitaire with a matching Euro Shank Platinum Band... I almost fell over - but not before I hit him in the chest.
"Shut. Up. No friggin' way."
My husband, the arrogant sonofabitch, just gave me a shy smile (I wish I had a picture of it coz those are one in a million), and told me that each ring had a secret diamond in the corner of the shank - pulled from the original wedding band.
My breath caught.
And then he counted out the diamonds on the wedding band... one for each year we've been married - our first decade.
What a little shit. ;)
To my Scrapbook Saturday friends, I hope you'll forgive me for not being able to post... Hubz kinda kidnapped me yesterday afternoon and we've been celebrating since. We actually just got home! The only problem is... I've found that I'm having a hard time getting anything done, coz I find myself just staring at my left hand...
Other times, Hubz will catch me staring at him, and he'll ask, "What is it?"
And all I do is shake my head and say, "I STILL can't believe you did that."
(Photo from appraisal)
This year, he finally took me to a jeweler he trusted to repair my wedding ring.
For my engagement ring, a 3/4 Marquise Diamond Solitaire, Hubz wanted to get me an Enhancer to wrap around it. I insisted it was too much for me, with all the extra diamonds and baguettes, I didn't need anything so fancy. I wanted something simple, yet elegant. But he wasn't having it.
Three years ago, after a cleaning, one of the diamonds from the enhancer went missing. And for three years, I've been asking him to replace it.
I never expected him to custom design a new ring for me.
We talked about upgrading my ring, sure. Discussed sentimental value, affordability, timing... I thought it'd be around five years from now. At least, that's the impression I had when we went to the jeweler's, with us looking at different rings, comparing what we liked and didn't like.
So when he surprised me with a brand new, full carat Radiant Cut Diamond Solitaire with a matching Euro Shank Platinum Band... I almost fell over - but not before I hit him in the chest.
"Shut. Up. No friggin' way."
My husband, the arrogant sonofabitch, just gave me a shy smile (I wish I had a picture of it coz those are one in a million), and told me that each ring had a secret diamond in the corner of the shank - pulled from the original wedding band.
My breath caught.
And then he counted out the diamonds on the wedding band... one for each year we've been married - our first decade.
What a little shit. ;)
To my Scrapbook Saturday friends, I hope you'll forgive me for not being able to post... Hubz kinda kidnapped me yesterday afternoon and we've been celebrating since. We actually just got home! The only problem is... I've found that I'm having a hard time getting anything done, coz I find myself just staring at my left hand...
Other times, Hubz will catch me staring at him, and he'll ask, "What is it?"
And all I do is shake my head and say, "I STILL can't believe you did that."
(Photo from appraisal)The First Decade
No way. Really?
Has it been 10 years, hon? lol - sometimes it feels like 5, and sometimes it feels like 20. ;)
Wasn't it not too long ago, when we'd walk the shores at La Jolla in the wee hours of the morning, or make up stories whenever we were in an elevator just to get a rise of the poor folks riding with us?
Remember the first time we went to the zoo together? Snapped a pic of you and Einstein eating popcorn, and then you flipped him upside down just to make him laugh. It was the first pic I put up at work... wish you could've seen everyone's faces as they'd squint at the picture, not believing what they saw with their own eyes.
"Wow. He looks like Joe...!"
And even though they'd said it aloud, they still didn't believe it until I confirmed, "It is him!"
I remember having to go out for a dinner meeting downtown, and you'd stayed home with Einstein. It was a long day, and I was ready for the evening to be over. But out of nowhere, one of their chefs pulls a mini-trolley up to us, tableside. He starts whipping stuff together, and it looks like something sweet!
The look of confusion must've been apparent in all of our faces, but it wasn't long before he started to explain. Yet for some reason, he was speaking directly to me, with just a hint of a French accent and a knowing smile on his face.
"Good evening, Miss. I understand that Bananas Foster is one of your favorite desserts... Your husband called to request it on your behalf. While we don't actually offer it on our menu, we'd be delighted to make an exception."
Has it been 10 years, hon? lol - sometimes it feels like 5, and sometimes it feels like 20. ;)
Wasn't it not too long ago, when we'd walk the shores at La Jolla in the wee hours of the morning, or make up stories whenever we were in an elevator just to get a rise of the poor folks riding with us?
Remember the first time we went to the zoo together? Snapped a pic of you and Einstein eating popcorn, and then you flipped him upside down just to make him laugh. It was the first pic I put up at work... wish you could've seen everyone's faces as they'd squint at the picture, not believing what they saw with their own eyes.
"Wow. He looks like Joe...!"
And even though they'd said it aloud, they still didn't believe it until I confirmed, "It is him!"
I remember having to go out for a dinner meeting downtown, and you'd stayed home with Einstein. It was a long day, and I was ready for the evening to be over. But out of nowhere, one of their chefs pulls a mini-trolley up to us, tableside. He starts whipping stuff together, and it looks like something sweet!
The look of confusion must've been apparent in all of our faces, but it wasn't long before he started to explain. Yet for some reason, he was speaking directly to me, with just a hint of a French accent and a knowing smile on his face.
"Good evening, Miss. I understand that Bananas Foster is one of your favorite desserts... Your husband called to request it on your behalf. While we don't actually offer it on our menu, we'd be delighted to make an exception."
Can you imagine? The flambe? This tableside performance had certainly turned me into the envy of every woman dining in the restaurant that night. ;)
The memory of that moment still pulls at my heart strings...
Though... there are somethings that don't change.
Like when we'd get into a big fight, and when you'd get so dang... arrogant... I'd inevitably slam the door in frustration on my way out of the room... But it's always you who comes back to try again...
The memory of that moment still pulls at my heart strings...
Though... there are somethings that don't change.
Like when we'd get into a big fight, and when you'd get so dang... arrogant... I'd inevitably slam the door in frustration on my way out of the room... But it's always you who comes back to try again...
Somehow, you'd figured out that just because you initiated, didn't mean that you were admitting fault.
Or how anything that goes wrong on the homefront, can somehow be traced back to me to be my fault. Like when you tripped on the vacuum cord and cussed me out from the next room?
Or how to this day, for no reason at all... you can still bring me flowers. Just like those roses sitting atop the island counter...
***
Ten years ago today, we got married at sunset at the Kauai Marriott's Chapel by the Sea. You'd given me your mother's wedding dress from 1965 to wear for ours... and I'd sang Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" to you, as something mysteriously got caught in your eye...
Happy Anniversary, Skinny Ass. It's a lot of work, and it's not always easy... But I'd do it all over again to have what we have today...
So if you haven't already figured it out, I guess I do love you.
Accusations (Part XII)
A Divided Spirit, Part XII
(Continued from Part XI)
I noticed that when dealing with confrontation, my reaction depends on the, uh, circumstance... In the workplace, at school, basically any public place, my natural reaction is of calm diplomacy.
Years in HR and Management will do that to ya.
But in my personal life... the ghetto biatch in me creeps out without any warning whatsoever. You can take a girl out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl - that's for sure!
So... when I finally figured out who was on the other end of the line, giving my mother a good scolding...
Can you imagine how I reacted?
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they announced their engagement. My mom wanted to clear the slate. Start fresh. She was tired of the games, pretending everything was alright when it wasn't. She wanted a new beginning with her soon-to be daughter-in-law. But my sister-in-law didn't appreciate the effort... she had wanted the traditional exclaim of congratulations and hugs - minus the honesty.
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they got married. Is that why my mom is the one who paid for their reception? When not one person from their side pitched in a single cent?
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they announced the pregnancy. Did she know that we were shocked from the news? Mostly because my brother had been declared unable to biologically father any children?
She had accused my mom of not being supportive during her pregnancy, not caring about her being sick and nauseous all the time. Is that why, when she called my parents, claiming an "emergency" - my parents drove her around town for Taco Bell because she wasn't in the mood to eat the food she had at home? Why my mom would select restaurants to dine in that she had seen her daughter-in-law eat at without any problems?
She had accused my mom of not initiating calls over the last few months of the pregnancy. Did she forget all the times my mom had called, inviting them out to dinner? All the meals my mom treated them to, not to mention the food she'd send home - and gifts as well?
All I know is, when I figured out what was going on - I tried to snatch the phone from my mom, but she wasn't having it. Damnit! After a couple minutes of torture - she finally handed me the phone.
"Hello. Hello?!"
I literally repeated her name a dozen times over before SIL finally realized it was me on the phone (and not my mom)... and the change in her voice, in her tone... was...
Electric. Immediate.
I took charge of the situation, and Miss Diplomacy stepped in.
Looking back, though, part of me wishes it was that ghetto girl from the hood who emerged... a lot of good it did me, handling it professionally, talking to her calmly, letting her know that I've looked at this... ongoing issue... from all angles, including hers, and that part of me can understand why she is the way she is.
But how?
I give her similar examples from my own personal life, and show her how we both can find ways to rise above. I relate. I empathize.
I try to understand where she's coming from. I try to help her understand where we're coming from. I even talked to my brother on the same phone call, and he was calm. Loving. Appreciative. After hours on the phone, we decide to give it some time - let everyone process what just happened... and we hang up peacefully.
But you know what my problem was? I was so hung up, trying to make peace between all of us, I forgot to stand up for my mother. The first thing I SHOULD have said...
Was that it's not okay to talk to your mother-in-law like that.
Regardless, it was almost an entirely wasted effort. That's what it seems to be, when you're trying SO hard to bridge the gaps - and the next day, your brother calls you - in a TOTALLY different attitude than the one he had the night before - refusing to tell his wife to apologize because she did NOTHING wrong. And that I need to "step off and let Mama and his wife go at it."
What was it that he had said to me...?
"Diplomacy is nice and everything, but it doesn't get anything done. They need to talk. They need to yell. They need to get all their feelings out there - and YOU need to make sure you don't interrupt.... Do. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"
And a slow, rumbling growl rushed out behind the choice words I gave to my little brother.
(To be continued...)
Technorati Tags: divided, spirit, family, drama, brother, sister, mother, sister-in-law, relationships
A DIVIDED SPIRIT ~ The Series
-A Divided Spirit is Born
-Part I: The Overdue Confrontation
-Part II: The Ace Up His Sleeves
-Part III: Still Lost
-Part IV: “If You’re Too Nice, They’ll Walk All Over You”
-Part V: To Call, or Not To Call
-Part VI: The First Betrayal
-Part VII: True Colors
-Part VIII: Skipping Christmas
-Part IX: Bargaining Chip
-Part X: Ostracized
-Part XI: Who's Possessed Now?
(Continued from Part XI)
I noticed that when dealing with confrontation, my reaction depends on the, uh, circumstance... In the workplace, at school, basically any public place, my natural reaction is of calm diplomacy.
Years in HR and Management will do that to ya.
But in my personal life... the ghetto biatch in me creeps out without any warning whatsoever. You can take a girl out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl - that's for sure!
So... when I finally figured out who was on the other end of the line, giving my mother a good scolding...
Can you imagine how I reacted?
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they announced their engagement. My mom wanted to clear the slate. Start fresh. She was tired of the games, pretending everything was alright when it wasn't. She wanted a new beginning with her soon-to be daughter-in-law. But my sister-in-law didn't appreciate the effort... she had wanted the traditional exclaim of congratulations and hugs - minus the honesty.
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they got married. Is that why my mom is the one who paid for their reception? When not one person from their side pitched in a single cent?
She had accused my mom of not being excited for them when they announced the pregnancy. Did she know that we were shocked from the news? Mostly because my brother had been declared unable to biologically father any children?
She had accused my mom of not being supportive during her pregnancy, not caring about her being sick and nauseous all the time. Is that why, when she called my parents, claiming an "emergency" - my parents drove her around town for Taco Bell because she wasn't in the mood to eat the food she had at home? Why my mom would select restaurants to dine in that she had seen her daughter-in-law eat at without any problems?
She had accused my mom of not initiating calls over the last few months of the pregnancy. Did she forget all the times my mom had called, inviting them out to dinner? All the meals my mom treated them to, not to mention the food she'd send home - and gifts as well?
All I know is, when I figured out what was going on - I tried to snatch the phone from my mom, but she wasn't having it. Damnit! After a couple minutes of torture - she finally handed me the phone.
"Hello. Hello?!"
I literally repeated her name a dozen times over before SIL finally realized it was me on the phone (and not my mom)... and the change in her voice, in her tone... was...
Electric. Immediate.
I took charge of the situation, and Miss Diplomacy stepped in.
Looking back, though, part of me wishes it was that ghetto girl from the hood who emerged... a lot of good it did me, handling it professionally, talking to her calmly, letting her know that I've looked at this... ongoing issue... from all angles, including hers, and that part of me can understand why she is the way she is.
But how?
I give her similar examples from my own personal life, and show her how we both can find ways to rise above. I relate. I empathize.
I try to understand where she's coming from. I try to help her understand where we're coming from. I even talked to my brother on the same phone call, and he was calm. Loving. Appreciative. After hours on the phone, we decide to give it some time - let everyone process what just happened... and we hang up peacefully.
But you know what my problem was? I was so hung up, trying to make peace between all of us, I forgot to stand up for my mother. The first thing I SHOULD have said...
Was that it's not okay to talk to your mother-in-law like that.
Regardless, it was almost an entirely wasted effort. That's what it seems to be, when you're trying SO hard to bridge the gaps - and the next day, your brother calls you - in a TOTALLY different attitude than the one he had the night before - refusing to tell his wife to apologize because she did NOTHING wrong. And that I need to "step off and let Mama and his wife go at it."
What was it that he had said to me...?
"Diplomacy is nice and everything, but it doesn't get anything done. They need to talk. They need to yell. They need to get all their feelings out there - and YOU need to make sure you don't interrupt.... Do. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"
And a slow, rumbling growl rushed out behind the choice words I gave to my little brother.
(To be continued...)
Technorati Tags: divided, spirit, family, drama, brother, sister, mother, sister-in-law, relationshipsA DIVIDED SPIRIT ~ The Series
-A Divided Spirit is Born
-Part I: The Overdue Confrontation
-Part II: The Ace Up His Sleeves
-Part III: Still Lost
-Part IV: “If You’re Too Nice, They’ll Walk All Over You”
-Part V: To Call, or Not To Call
-Part VI: The First Betrayal
-Part VII: True Colors
-Part VIII: Skipping Christmas
-Part IX: Bargaining Chip
-Part X: Ostracized
-Part XI: Who's Possessed Now?
What are you in the mood for?
"Chinese? Mexican?"
That's me asking, on the phone with Hubz - trying to figure out what and where we're gonna eat for dinner coz I'm running errands and there's NO way I'm going to be able to cook at home in time to feed the starving monkeys.
Hubz: "What about Filipino?"
*jaw drops*
What? He NEVER asks for Filipino food. He's so dang picky, whenever I cook any of my favorite dishes, he usually ends up eating pizza or a bowl of cereal.
*snort* Dumbass.
I must've taken too long to compose myself, because before I could answer, he spoke again.
"Oh. You meant food..." ;)
Damn it. I totally set myself up for that. Even my mom started crackin' up.
That's me asking, on the phone with Hubz - trying to figure out what and where we're gonna eat for dinner coz I'm running errands and there's NO way I'm going to be able to cook at home in time to feed the starving monkeys.
Hubz: "What about Filipino?"
*jaw drops*
What? He NEVER asks for Filipino food. He's so dang picky, whenever I cook any of my favorite dishes, he usually ends up eating pizza or a bowl of cereal.
*snort* Dumbass.
I must've taken too long to compose myself, because before I could answer, he spoke again.
"Oh. You meant food..." ;)
Damn it. I totally set myself up for that. Even my mom started crackin' up.
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