I’ll show them

When you get older, it’s the little things that start to matter more and more.

Me and L went to Best Buy (and found a shortcut and an awesome neighborhood we will be moving to one day) to get some speaker wire so that I could hook up my sound system!

My neighbors as I am sure you have read, are playing video games nonstop and it’s rumbling us out of the apartment. I set up the speakers to connect to the TV rather than just the DVD player as was the case before. Now we will blow this apartment building away with the sizzle of Paula Dean’s bacon and the pointless drama-filled blabbing of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

You may think this is a small deal…well…wait til you see the size of these speakers!

Take that neighbors!

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The kitchen makes sense!

I came home the other day and saw that…some things were moved.  The kitchen had been rearranged!

The cups were with the glasses!

The plates were above the forks and knives!!

L turns and says “Aren’t you proud of me!?  I rearranged the kitchen“.  I just hugged L and whispered with a tear in my eye, “The kitchen makes sense“.

This gives me hope that If you blog about it, it will come! (come on big screen TV!)

Wedding planning pause

We haven’t planned very much for our wedding lately. Everyone always asks how it’s going, and I just smile and say “Yes“.  I know that doesn’t make sense as an answer, but I don’t know what else to say.

We have both been busy being injured (L broke her foot…doing….normal things) or schooling, crying about being tired, and waking up at 5 am (guess which one of us does this).  We haven’t had much time to do anything wedding related really.

Actually there isn’t much to do I guess.  What is left?  Band, food, cake, guest list, …i’m starting to realize we have a lot to do.  Usually when there’s something to do, L waits until we are home and we have nothing planned so she can ask me questions while I (yup you guessed it) play XBox!

In our pause I just read this book over the past 3 or 4 days called The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I don’t want to use this blog as a marketing tool but…this book has affected me greatly!  I also just found out it’s going to be made into a movie!

Everyone should read this book.  I think it’s such an enlightening story.  Simply put, it doesn’t tell a story, instead it pulls emotions and feelings out through the most simplistic events and honest language that we all neglect to see or outspokenly acknowledge.  Racial lines are not something that I was raised to fear growing up (obviously), but I was smart enough to know that there once were and in some hearts and minds, still are lines.

I’ve never really talked about this with anyone but, raising bi-racial kids is not going to be easy, and race is something that we will have to have a high level of awareness about in our household as me and L grow as a family.  With that being said, this book gave me a vision that I will never forget.  The last scene of the book encapsulated 4 views of the world that signify fear, love, tolerance, and ignorance all in one.

I’ve never cried over a book before, but …. last night, my contacts were bothering me a lot.  Must have been reading induced allergies.

Just regular nightmares

I have been away on vacation (not really, just a weekend getaway).  Me and L took some time to hang with friends for the weekend and it was a lot of fun for both of us!  I got to see my buddy Brooke (and one of the men that will be in the wedding….Groomsdudes I think they are called?).  I can’t believe I’m saying this but the time off was … needed.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a bad guy, but me and L spend a lot of time together and with the move recently and with her being off from work for the summer, we spent a ton of time together.  I wasn’t looking forward to getting away from hr by any means, but I am glad that we got time apart so that I could hang with Brooke (yes, that’s his real name…kind of).

She got to hang with her girls and she had a blast from what it sounds like!  🙂  Last night I had the bed all to myself!  I sprawled out like a dead bear on a rich man’s floor.  Then about halfway through the night I had a dream….or better yet a nightmare.

I just remember L saying “Hey that building just rose off the ground!  I think it’s an earthquake.” I look and I see the building rise off of the ground! and I say, “It couldn’t be an earthquake because then it’d hit us!”  Then suddenly the building we are in literally starts falling and I watch as we land smack onto the ground.  There isn’t any sound, it doesn’t hurt, but I’m not dead, she doesn’t scream, and I don’t even jump.

I just lay there thinking “how did that happen?” and I slowly open my eyes, realizing I am dreaming, to find myself drooling all over my arm.

Not the greatest feeling, but I’m convinced that I had a nightmare because L wasn’t there with me.  So, needless to say, I’m glad she’s back so she can keep the nightmares away (and the drool too).

Kitchen nightmares

Ever since me and L moved in with each other this month I have been doing spins and flips and turns in my kitchen looking for stuff. I am not training to become an acrobat or a rodeo clown, I’m just looking for my forks and bowls!

When we moved in, the first thing L did was unpack the kitchen. I didn’t help because I was busy looking for my Xbox probably. Boy was that a mistake. I should have made a treasure map of the Kitchen and where everything was being put.  It is my own fault (won’t hear me say that often).

Now that I am actually using stuff in the kitchen, I need to try to find things and I never can. I pull the drawer for the forks, and (logically) think that the plates are right above it…aaaand…nope.  Cups.

Then, I get thirsty and want a glass of water so I open the cup cabinet (again…logically) and…. nope.  Only cups.  No glasses.  Those are on the other side of the sink.

Later, I get hungry and want to get a bowl of cereal so I reach in the plate cabinet and get one (lucky guess).  Then I reach below to get a spoon annnnd…nope…Saran wrap and pot holders (duh!)!

I have yet to find what I am looking for in one successful swoop.  It takes me opening and slamming drawers to find them.

Like for (another) example I was heating something up one night at around midnight (while playing XBox and drinking wine) and I go to put something in the microwave. I hear L’s voice in my head “did you put the cover on it??!” (She bought a microwave food cover for 50 cents and she is so proud of herself!)

I’m looking for this cover … everywhere! for like 45 seconds!! Finally find it. Hidden in the back of some floor cabinet!

The scariest part of this whole thing….we still have (atleast) two empty cabinets!  Lord only knows what she is planning to shove in there!  Probably my sanity if I don’t get a grip on this kitchen arrangement.

….Nice one….

L is one of the nicest people that I know.  She also teaches in the inner city, so she has a well developed tough side as well.

When we first started dating, I saw more of the inner city Ms. L and less of the Lovey L.  Then one day I told her straight out, “This is me.  I’m not one of your students.  Please stop thinking that I’m against you.  I’m on your side.” and then we hugged it out and ever since she has learned to trust that I am on her side and it’s been good great!

Well….yesterday Ms. L, the tough inner city teacher came out and she let me have it.  I had just finished one of two final exams and I planned to finish a game on XBox that I had paused three days ago.  L was reading a book so I assumed (first mistake) I could watch something on the other TV (yes I have two TVs).  I was wrong.

“Can I see the remote please?” <~ notice the please
*L glares at me and doesn’t move*
“You’re not even watching anything, you’re reading”
“I’m doing both!”
“Its physically impossible for you to read and watch TV at the same time.”
“I’m listening to the TV”
“You can’t do that, it’s impossible.  That means you’re not really focused on reading then.  I try to do it all the time when I’m studying.”
“Yeah, that explains why you’re getting B’s and not A’s in your classes.”

*Silence*

...Ouch...dagger!...

Crunch that crab, baby!

Nothing makes a good time better than great food and funny people (awkward sentence).

Except crabs!

Painting by Mark Adams - markadamsstudio.com/

My nephew Miles was not amused by the pile of cooked ready to eat crabs. During our grace I don’t think his eyes left the table at all. He might not have even blinked.  I still don’t think he has accepted that we ate them all. He didn’t come near the table the whole time…he just left his chicken nuggets there to rot.  His Nana (Hey Mama C!!!) did feed him some crab meat….over and over and over again so he does like them! 😉  I don’t think he made the connection of crabmeat actually coming from the crab ( Please see lost in translation post )

Me and L actually went to Quarterdeck in Arlington, Va onmy birthday to get crabs and I kinda showed her the Maryland way of eating crabs. No mallett, no knife, no vinegar (gross), and no claw crackers.  Just a pile of Old Bay and your teeth.  L actually adopted the teeth thing but said later that she doesn’t like “messing up her teeth“.  This coming from the girl that chews on ice like its bubble gum and scrapes forks and spoons against her teeth with every bite! (I will certainly get in trouble for that).

So yesterday during dinner at one point I crunched into the crab claw and she immediately followed (and Miiles immitated the sound as he sprinted by) and I look up at my brother Trey and he freezes and just looks at us…

Yup! I taught her well! I was so proud of her using her teeth for good! Crunch that claw, baby!

My mom gave me a framed picture that was taken of me and my drumline when I was 17…beautiful. Thanks ma! I need to find space to hang it up.  I am not sure where though yet.  I’m sure L has a place in mind.  I’ll run my thoughts past her and probably get her recommendation immediately following my rejected idea.

Me and my family all hung out for about 4 hours yesterday and I love when we get together.  It is just so relaxing and fun. Funny even and we all have gotten so much closer as I have gotten older. I am glad to be bringing in a dynamic person like L into a family that already is so powerful.  I can’t wait for our wedding day…(i must be getting delirious…it’s past my bedtime!)

I think I may sneak some crabs into the reception!  Who’s in!??!