Andrew's and My First Child

No, Ma, I am NOT pregnant! Andrew and I are adopting our first baby...kitten. Her name is Maddie. She is practically perfect in every way and will add quite a bit of cat hair to my outfits. We met her on Sunday after discovering her on petfinder.com. She is about 14 weeks old and is so freaking affectionate my other cat, Beau (not named after my best friend, just so we get that straight) pales in comparison. You hear that, Beau Kitty? Stop being so pissy! I still love you.

Back to Maddie. We are getting her tonight and Andrew, I do believe, is more excited than me about her arrival. While I was at work on Monday he went out shopping for Maddie and brought back a few toys and after getting me to close my eyes, surprised me with something cold and small in the palm of my hand. It was a silver tag with Maddie's name on it. I never knew I could get so choked up over a stupid piece of metal before Monday. It was cute and I bought a pink collar to go with it...don't judge me. So, here are a few pictures of our new baby. I will try so hard not to make her the central figure in my blogs, but my God she is sooo freaking cute!

Julia Child-ing My Kitchen

I first want to begin by acknowledging the fact that I do believe that I am an old woman living in a 21-year old's body. That being said, I should also say that enjoy my good times as well, so I am "not dead yet." If you have seen Julie and Julia, you know exactly how freaking awesome Julia Child's kitchen looks. Maybe some of you even had the chance to see some Julia Child episodes where she filmed in her kitchen. For the rest of you, here's a snapshot.

Gorgeous, right? My kitchen will probably never look like this, however, it will look pretty darn good. There are several phases of my kitchen makeover. Phase One, repainting the cabinets to the sage and light blue has been completed. I put a twist on the paint job, though. I painted all the bottom cabinets and backs sage while I just painted the upper cabinets with a blue. I will post pictures later.

Phase Two will consist of adding a new floor, since our old floor has been torn by the previous owner and we need to replace it anyway.

Phase Three will probably be my favorite part of the reno. I will put in a pantry and a pegboard wall to hang up my pots and pans...with the characteristic Julia outlines so that I won't forget where everything goes...neurotic I know...

Phase Four I will put in the final touches like the magnetic knife rack and spice racks.

The key to renovating the kitchen is to make it more efficient, something that my kitchen is currently lacking in. It is frustrating not knowing where anything is. If you guys have any tips on kitchen organization, please send them my way. And one more thing...Bon Appetit!

The Miracle of Family

Yesterday, my family and I attended my Papa's funeral. Tuesday, as you probably know, was one of the worst days ever. My mom asked me Wednesday night to sing at his funeral and I was able to figure out the perfect song to perform. If you have ever heard "I'll Be Seeing You," you know how beautiful of a song it is. It emboddied my Papa and Nana's love for one another and now that they are finally in Heaven together, I know Papa is happier than ever. So I set to rehearsing the song.

I seriously thought that I was going to be able to get through the song yesterday. After beautiful things said from my cousin John, and my uncles Hoyt and Randy, my mom went up and talked about Papa. I asked Mel and Mom to stay up there with me as I sang. The song started out fine.

There is a zone that every experienced performer is able to go into. They are focused, able to keep their eye on the goal through this focusing technique. The key is to keep your eyes focused on one thing. My focal point was the clock at the back of the sanctuary. The song began and I thought for a split second that I was actually going to get through it.

Then I made a huge mistake. My eyes-and thoughts-shifted and then came the tears. I couldn't stop and I choked. But Mom was there to help me sing the song. And then someone in the congregation began to hum and then a few more voices began to sing. The sound grew louder and it got me through to the end, when I was able to make a comeback and finish the song. It was beautiful. And I was just so grateful, because my family is so different from any other family. The way we have grown together is something other people marvel at. And I know that matter what happens, my family will always be there for me to help me when I am choking up and can't go any further. I love my family.

Healing Day

Hello all. It has been an extremely long day. Yesterday, my worst nightmare happened: my Papa(grandpa) died. How or when I do not know. All I know is that he is gone, and I was the last grandkid to talk to him before he went. It wasn't a remarkable conversation. We talked about Gatlinburg, Julie and Julia, and Doctor Who. I told him I loved him. I'm glad I got to do that. Mom tricked me into coming back home by saying that I had left something at the office. Her voice sounded even and fine, so I came back, curious about what I could have forgotten. No matter how much I wracked my brain, I just couldn't think...until I saw Mom's office door open and all her coworkers standing around her.
There is a moment of recognition, the putting of two and two together when you know you are about to get bad news. It was when I saw my mom's face. She was trying so hard to figure out how to tell me. I didn't want her to. I already knew and at the same time I didn't want it to be true. I didn't cry; I couldn't. I couldn't believe what she was telling me. I simply hugged her and my eyes were so wide with disbelief, I probably didn't blink for several minutes. I let her cry and take me back to her office, where Mel and Ray were. Mel was crying. I held her, but I still couldn't cry. Dad came to the office, saw Mom and Mel crying and he began to cry. I hugged him, but I still couldn't cry.
I just couldn't believe that the thing that kept me up at night so often had finally happened. It wasn't until I got to my car and called Andrew that I began to sob. It was painful and I felt like I was going to die myself. And so it goes. I don't know how much I have cried; a lot less than mom and mel. I feel like I can't cry in front of them because I can't bear to see them in pain. I uploaded pictures today from our Gatlinburg trip just a few minutes ago, and I can't help but wonder if my family will ever be this happy again. I don't know if we will. All of our holidays will be sadder, whenever a kid is screaming in a restaurant he won't be there to applaud the parents when they finally take the brat out, and I won't be expecting that Saturday morning phone call from him to see how my week went.
It hurts. I miss him. And it's going to be a long time until I get to see him again. But I am grateful for two things: that he is in Heaven with Nana and that i got to spend the time with him that I did. I haven't told too many people, because I don't want the empty I'm sorries. But I feel like I need to write about it and send it out there in the world.
My Papa was a fantastic man, and I love him so much. I wish he could have been there for Mel's and my graduation, for my wedding day, for the births of my kids. It's like Mom said "I thought he would live forever." I did too. I thought there was so much more time left with him. And now he's gone and I won't see him again in this life. But I have the faith that I will see him again.
I have been doing better since the news came yesterday. I am eating, going about my day, laughing and trying not to dwell on it. When I do feel sad, I cry. I talk to him and Nana...and Julia Child. I think they are having a great meal and chat with her as we speak.
Today it rained when the sun was shining brightly, something that hasn't happened in quite a long time, and I remembered what Papa used to tell me: The devil is beating his wife. But I think that Papa was just letting me know that he's still here and he is now with the woman he loves. Papa, if you are listening, if they have blogs in Heaven: I love you.

Cooking Together

Having spent a week apart due to my last family vacation to Gatlinburg, Andrew and I practically spent the entire weekend together. Yesterday, at Andrew's insistence, we snuck a few cheeseburgers into Julie and Julia after church and had the most wonderful date in quite a while. The movie was fantatsic, by the way, and everyone should go see it. Julie Powell reminded me so much of myself in that she starts all these crazy projects and never finishes them. And she is with this wonderful, nice guy. :) And, as soon as she began writing her blog, I realized how much I have been denying my own blog. I just didn't realize how much...over a month?! Geez where did the time go? So, taking a page from Ms. Powell's book(which I am now reading, by the way), we decided to cook together on Andrew's two nights off and I am now blogging about it.

Dinner last night was magnificent and simple. If you ever get a chance to go to Gatlinburg, go down to All Sauced Up and the Old Mill Pottery Kitchen. There, you will find culinary masterpieces in a bag, and all you have to do is add liquid. Don't have to tell anyone your secret. We began our meal with pita bread dipped in spices with olive oil. Sooooo good....Then we made spaghetti and Andrew did that great thing where he throws the noodle against the wall to make sure it's done...I wonder if it's still up there...And we topped it off with this wonderful Mountain Valley Red Wine from this great winery my family found in Pigeon Forge. Besides feeding each other pita bread after, it was fun cooking together. And cooking is a great, sensual activity if you are looking for a date night in. In fact, once I am finally comfy with Andrew taking the lead every now and then in the kitchen, we will probably be cooking together every Sunday and Monday night. Below are the links to the fantastic culinary stores!

http://www.allsaucedup.com/

http://www.old-mill.com/

www.mountainvalleywinery.com

Keeping the Spark in Your Relationship

Good night, all! This is your favorite professional insomniac burning the night oil to bring you all a quality blog. Lately, I have been focusing on wedding planning topics, but narily have I zeroed in on the marriage itself. Any body from Dick and Jane to Brangelina will tell you it is hard to keep up a relationship. We are creatures that were born to, let's face it, spread our seed and move on to help our species grow. Then, on another level, we are also creatures who many a time choose to commit to be with one person for the rest of our lives. In the past, the average life expectancy was pretty low, given that modern medicine was yet to really take off. Now, the average person is capable of living into their late 70's. That's a long time to be living with, loving, being intimate with one person. When the institution of marriage was thought up, it was a great idea, because you didn't have to stay with that person too long before the plague shot you down. Now, our divorce rates are higher than ever because A. We get bored easily being with one person for the rest of our lives, B. There are so many other great potential mates running around, C. Many are too lazy to actually commit to a real relationship and D. Not many people take marriage seriously anymore AKA I will love you for now until someone better comes along or we end this thing violently. It's a dark, cruel world we newly-weds are entering into. Instead of wondering if the marriage will last, family & friends now make bets on how long the marriage will last before you call it quits. It's depressing, really. Here are a few stats to really grasp the big picture of what marriage means to us.

The average life span of a live-in relationship is three years.
55% of wives and 70% of husbands who admitted being unfaithful reported that their spouses did not know of the affair.
50% of all first marriages, 70% of second marriages, 90% of subsequent marriages will end up in divorce.
Even in happy marriages, more than 80% of the time, it is the wife who raises marital issues while the husband tries to avoid discussing them.
Only 10% of people who leave marriages end up marrying the person with whom they had an affair.
In an argument when your heart rate goes over 100 beats a minute, you are incapable of hearing what your partner is trying to tell you.

So, if you're still here then you are obviously concerned about to well-being of your relationship and are willing to commit to your special someone and your relationship. I am not going to lie, I am the kind of person who gets bored fast in a relationship. When I get bored, things go bad quickly. But Andrew seems worth my time (I guess I like him, I don't know...) so I have looked up some tips on how to keep the love and companionship alive in our relationship as well as added a few tips of my own from experiences. Feel free to add some tips of your own! The committed people of the world are so few and far between, we need all the help we can get.

• Keep in touch. This goes physically as well as socially. Cuddle as you fall asleep, give them a pat on the back, a kiss on the cheek, a graze of the hand to let them know that they are special to you. We are tactile creatures and it has been proven that if we go without human contact we die prematurely. Talk to each other when you have the chance, and not just about your job. Still talk about your dreams, your goals together, how happy you are to be with them. Doing so will bring a freshness to your relationship each time, because it will remind you of being on your first date again. And most of all, say "I love you" and mean it!
• Be spontaneous! Easier said than done, this tip, if used right, will rejuvinate all aspects of your relationship. The main part of this is if your partner wants to try something new and it's not going to kill you, don't say "no" to it. "No" is death! "No" will kill a relationship faster than you can say it. When you use that word, you are not just closing the door to one opportunity but to many down the road. When you or your partner says "no" over and over it is giving out a signal that you are indeed boring, love being boring, and never want to do anything interesting ever again. So start saying "yes" to new things more often, and you will enjoy the newness together.
• Don't sweat the small stuff. Some wakko made it a good thing to fight in a relationship, simply by saying that make-up sex is the best sex. I don't know about that, but fighting in a relationship in general is not healthy. Now, I'm in favor of a heated discussion every now and then when it is important, but if you freak out over every little thing that doesn't go right or you don't like, your relationship will deteriorate. So, instead of yelling, take a breath, and tell your person how you feel and why.
• Communicate. Wanna here something hilarious? For generations women have harped about how men just don't listen. In one ear and out the other...But a new study shows that women actually listen less than men. Fantastic! Simply exquisite busting of a myth! Communication is the easiest and hardest thing to do in a relationship. We yearn to communicate our feelings and thoughts, so the giving part is usually not to hard to do. But the listening part is what we really stink at. So try listening more everyday and the relationship should grow.
• It's okay to crush on someone as long as you tell your partner. You're not dead just because you are committed. That hot guy/girl isn't going to get any less hotter because you said "I do." You are able to flirt even if you are living with someone. Why our culture has this crazy double-edged sword about feeling guilty about liking someone, but then accepting extra-marital affairs is beyond me. Crushing on new people is healthy. Repressing it is not, along with pursuing it. By keeping your communication lines open with your partner, you can tell them all sorts of things, including you having feelings for someone. Getting your feelings for someone else out in the air also makes it more real to you and your partner, thus giving you a reality check. Talking about your interests in someone will ultimately prevent you from cheating because now that your partner knows, you have this buddy system to prevent you from doing so.

Have any ideas? Submit them in the comments bar! Until next time!

<3

Talking to My Past

Okah, so, haven't been on as much I have intended to be and here's why:

1. I am working 3 jobs this summer! Yes, three! And only two are simply fantastic and the other just sucks out my soul everytime I kiss Andrew goodbye to come to it.

2. I have nothing to talk about wedding wise. And I kind of lost the wedding etiquette book I was working from, so meh...BUT I FOUND IT, after the library called me for the umpteenth time. Reminds me of the "Better Off Dead" paper boy..."Two dollars!" Okay...maybe not.

3. My life has been pretty boring.

4. I am soooo in love with Doctor Who. I want to officially apologize to Andrew for making fun of him for liking the show, because now I am so addicted, I find myself wearing my chucks more often, chattering(mostly in a singular sense) my teeth together when I make a point, saying bollocks, and feeling really bad about my life because I cannot, in fact, meet the Face of Boh or hear the Tardis apporaching.

5. I spend so much time on the computer at my mom's office that when I do get some me time, I hate the internet!

So, I have been following this kid's vlog on YouTube, and he made a fantastic video about 10 things I would tell myself 10 years ago if I were able to go back in time. So...here they are in letter form.

Dear 11-year-old Morgan,

First off, I know you're a little worried about the whole 2000 thing and the world ending, and whatnot, but save your stomach ulsars for later, but you will live past 2000, 2001, and the other doosmday days, and stop watching the History Channel-TODAY! I'm not going to tell you why, but History Channel will ruin your life, promise you.

Now, I want you to know, boys are stupid and you should start throwing rocks at them NOW! Just kidding. There will be quite a few stupid boys you have to look forward to, promise, and all but one will break your heart, and I'm just saying this one time, avoid boys that have red hair! Avoid them!

Do not take it seriously when these middle school girls pick on you for reading and being booksmart. I know where they are now, and you should know, everytime they make fun of you, just laugh in their faces and for about...8 years they'll wonder why and then get the joke of it all.

Take SAT prep. Done!

Everytime mom gives you money for allowance, save it up in an account. You will one day have a very scary thing in your life called a mortgage. Just know that it is the devil and will take your sunshine and rainbows away every time you see money leave your account.

Run, walk, bike, I don't care what you do, but you need to stay active. It will save you a lot of ghastly pictures in the future. No you're not fat, darling, you're just uncomfortable to look at now.

Take every opportunity you get or else you will indeed regret a lot in the future.

Don't feel too depressed if you don't get a part in a play. Start taking voice lessons and acting classes TODAY!

There will be a day when the world is going to seem like it is coming to an end, but it's not. There will be loads of days like them, but you need to wake up and get back out there in the world, because life is not waiting on you.

You will grow up to be a sexy beast, I just need to put that out there. Hopefully, this will get you on the road to self-confidence rather quickly. And there is so many people here who are going to love you just as you are, quirks, faults, and all. So just live!

I love you very much,

Morgan 21

ps- Don't eat turket sandwiches in Thomson, you will thank me later.

So, now I want each of you to post a comment with what you'd say to your 10 year ago self, whatever that may be. It's a great way of reflecting on the things you've done and haven't done and really gices you insight in to how you should be living your life today! So get to it, my friends!