A Drink on One Hand, A Keyboard in the Other

Gangsta Ryann chillaxin' on her music machine.

Photos from My Weekend

No, we were not on the bus, just walking by.

Jared bowled kinda amazingly.

 

Antique stores are the best.



A free-standing public restroom building in rural NE.



What I Get to See Every Day

Completed Project

I picked up my fired set of measuring spoons from Paint Yourself Silly and they turned out better than I expected! Now I just have to test that they actually measure accurately.

Grey Day

It's been a grey day, inside and out.

Local Event

Dude.

Downtown Eating

This weekend Jared and I finally made it down to The Green Gateau. So good. I can't wait to head back. It happened to be an unseasonably warm day which let us lounge outside and yell over the sound of traffic careening by next to us. There's not much I love more than downtown patio eating.



Jared's Eggs Florentine Benedict with a Potato Pancake.
And his requisite amount of ketchup.

  

My Crepes Florentine. I also had a Blueberry Muffin which had an ideal amount of crunchy-buttery
strudel topping and a side of butter. Which I initially mistook for whipped cream. Whoops.

The Fall-ish Type of 'Pool Night'



Jared's Dad proved to be quite the pool shark.



Taming the Couch

Ryann was an early walker, early runner, early climber. She was a daredevil who was always pushing herself physically and she couldn't care less if it resulted in a scrape or two (the same was not true for her parents).

It was a scary day, the day she finally learned how to climb onto the couch on her own. Of course, the normal couch cushions were not quite exciting enough. Ryann preferred to lounge on the arms or read on the back. She would frequently dangle her feet over the left side and peer into her room from her perch.

In this series of pictures, she prepares herself for a stickerbook session on the back of the couch. I'm certain that once settled in she demanded her evening smoothie. And possibly popcorn. A girl after my own heart.

Hitchhiker

My little companion from my morning mid-day bike ride.

Twins

Jared and I have a problem. We don't frequently get dressed at the same time or sometimes even see one another before we run out the door. Even so, this is not an uncommon occurrence.

We went to a movie last night. When we got home we realized that we had both worn sneakers, jeans, grey sweaters, and brown belts. When we pulled off our sweaters it took it to a whole new level. We must live on the same wavelength.

Stomach Bug

Earlier this year we headed down the Gorge to meet up with my Dad, who happened to be visiting his Mom in Portland. On the way down, Ryann suddenly came down with a random stomach bug and we had a tough time keeping the diapers flowing. Or from flowing. 

Coincidentally, on the way down, we had to find a store to grab some more diapers. The first place we tried only had junk food. The second place only had burgers. The third place was several miles down a creepy road and had a few baby things on the shelves amidst the alcohol. However, they did not have a public restroom in which to change Ryann. As a result, she was stripped and rebundled on the trunk of our car. Oh, the protest!

A few miles down the road we lucked out on a Starbucks where Ryann had a sad time involving three separate diapers.

That was a long trip.

Luckily it was a short lived bug and Ryann was happy as a clam the next day.

These pictures were taken at one of our pitstops back up the Gorge. Ryann always had a fascination with bark chips and gravel and would play with them any chance she got. We had a hard time getting her back into the car.

The Heart of Parenting

Of course parenting includes instilling good manners and teaching right from wrong. But I think that a common thread that runs through parents who have lost a child, be it shockingly sudden or excruciatingly slow, is a clear belief of what parenting boils down to.

Preparation

Yesterday Jared and I went to our monthly grief support group.

We also had our first doctors appointment in preparation for starting our new little germination.

It feels good to be doing specific things to move us forward.

Locket Love

I had my last birthday package waiting on the table when I got home from work yesterday. It was from my sister, Kristin Kwan. I knew that she had been working on something, but I had no idea what. As usual, she read my mind and found/made the exact perfect present.

The locket below was found at an estate sale, and although it doesn't have papers, is reportedly from the 18th century. It is covered with delicate flowers and snugs together without the cold 'click' that many newer lockets have. It's small enough to not be a hassle, but large enough to afford the space for the other half of my present - the miniature that my sister painstakingly painted of my dear girlie. 

Laugh until You Cry

Jared and I had a ridiculously huge laugh thinking about giving this book as a gift to all of Ryann's little friends.

And then another huge laugh thinking about how awful that was.

And then another huge laugh thinking about how amazingly awkward it would be for everyone else who would never actually laugh about this.

Birthday Swag

I love my OXO Good Grips POP containers.

Jared originally got me a couple big ones for my bins of flour and sugar. I was hooked.

My parents bought me a set for Christmas last year and then decided to expand my collection for my birthday this year. Thank you! My oatmeal now has a home!

A Night at the Opera

Saturday night was Opera Omaha's opening gala concert, This Is Opera! Jared was singing in the opera chorus, which was amazingly fun to watch. Although, I'm glad to have only found out after the fact that there was a 30 foot drop that they were creeping next to at the top of the stage. That may have made it less enjoyable in the moment.

One of the highlights was quite possibly the men's chorus number from Mikado in which they shuffle/ran around stage and fluttered fans. Impressive really. Not a single fan went careening across stage when they were snapped open and shut!

The Orpheum theater is a classic opera house with elaborate molding, sparkling chandeliers, and sweeping staircases. Any evening out that includes a trip to the Orpheum gets an automatic injection of old time elegance and panache.