Special Delivery

I was out of the office ALL DAY on Tuesday for meetings in Dallas.  I walked in the office today to find a package waiting for me.  In the refrigerator.  Because it came from my mom, in the same box she uses to ship coffee cakes and Nancy, our sweet front office lady, recognized it and assumed it must be a cake.  

It was not a cake.  It was something even better.  Behold!

Mom is selling these beautiful bracelets in her shop for Valentine's Day.  They're handwoven into LONG strands of leather and beads (or in my case pearls) and then you wrap them around your wrist.  Mine wraps five times around.  There are some longer ones that I think may wrap ten times around.  More styles can be viewed (and obsessed over) here.  Or if you want to buy your very own, just email me and I'll get you some more details.  Or you can check out mom's website (but I don't think she has pictures of these bracelets up yet).  They're not cheap, but mom is able to sell them below retail so they're kind of a steal.

And they're BEAUTIFUL.  I just LOVE mine!  Never want to take it off.  Although I guess I have to to shower.  On another note, this arrived today as a Birthday/Valentine's surprise from my Daddy.

It's...an orchid.  In a pot made of bark and fungi.  With some kind of weird leaf-propellers?  It's....pretty, I guess...in a very modern, floral-arrangement-as-art sort of way.  But it's not exactly my taste.  And it's definitely not something my dad would pick out!!  I mean, look at the close-up view of the base.

Interesting, right?  Do you see those mushrooms tucked in around the leaf-propellers? Mushrooms!  Leaf-propellers! 

Although I have to admit, the flowers themselves are gorgeous!  So, do I have to water this thing?  Plant it in the ground?  I have a very black thumb and an even worse track record with all things plant-like.  Does anyone know how to take care of an orchid?  Or feel like adopting one?

Praise and Pleading

It's all happening so fast.  Wednesday night we were crossing fingers and toes, waiting on pins and needles and considering kitty sacrifice.  By Thursday we were dancing with glee and over the weekend more and more things continued to fall into place.  And now we are moments away from making it official...on March 4th Professor Reich will officially become Dr. Reich and I will be Mrs. Dr. Reich.  Cheers!

All dissertation chapters are approved by all essential persons involved and there are just a few more formalities to observe, then the dissertation defense on March 4th.  In other good news, Keith has his first (of many, hopefully) phone interview for a professorial position.  This one's in North Carolina.  Small school, small town, looks promising.  We'll see.

So now begins the pleading.  Please let everything between now and March 4th go smoothly.  No hiccups, no wrinkles, no last minute problems.  Please let there be jobs available.  Please let the interviews go well.  And please let it all end with the right job.  In the right place.  Somewhere we can fall in love with and sink roots into.  Somewhere we will want to make a life.  Please let us have peace and trust that we are being guided and directed for a good purpose.  Please let us take advantage as much as we can of the time we have left with friends we love, and a church we love, and a town we love (to the astonishment of many).  And above all else, always, always, please let us keep growing, and loving, and seeking, and learning, and living in awe and wonder and grace.

Amen.

What Happened Last Night

Keith is getting very close to completing his dissertation and becoming a full-fledged PhD.  I mean VERY
CLOSE.  Like three out of four main chapters approved with one still hanging in the balance.  And last night, that critical fourth chapter was in the hands of one of his pickiest readers, awaiting judgement.  Keith was on pins and needles all night.  Much praying was heard.  And cursing.  And the merits of animal sacrifice were debated.  For instance, if we sacrificed the newest kitten in our menagerie, the tiny white one that keeps peeing on the laundry room floor, might that be just the element needed to cement the reader's decision in Keith's favor?  I mean, we love our kitties but we really, really need this dissertation to go through and pronto so Keith can graduate this semester.  So we joked, and hoped, and prayed.

And then later I fell asleep on the couch watching Gilmore Girls while Keith alternately read and muttered about what a bitch Rory is (we're watching Season 3, while she's tennis balling it between liking Jess and liking Dean and it really isn't her finest moment).  Anyway, I'd been asleep for I don't know how long, and these weird sounds started to penetrate through the fog of dreams.  There were random noises and shufflings and whispers.  It was honestly a little creepy.  I flung off my sleep haze and popped open my eyes with a gasp to find Keith crawling around the living room on his hands and knees hissing "Eowyn!  Eowyn!" in the loudest whisper ever.  For those of you following along at home, Eowyn is the gray, fluffy kitty.  We have four, it's okay if you're confused.  We are too (clearly).

Me:  What are you doing?
Keith (slightly startled):  I'm....trying to get Eowyn to purr.
Me:  .....
Keith:  I got rejected by Ransom and Falcor and I'm not going to bed until I get one of the cats to purr.
Me:  Are you drunk?
Keith (sheepishly):  ....maybe. A little bit.
Me:  .....
Keith:  Let's go to bed.

And then he crashed into our closet door.

And yes, I know that the first part of this post isn't at all related to the end of it, except that both things happened last night.  And I find them amusing.  And will probably regret recounting them here.  Oh well!

LOST = OMFGWOW

The big premiere was Tuesday night.  Lost.  Season Six.  The final season.  The beginning of the end.



It did not disappoint.  As predicted we got more new questions than we did answers.  But oh, such good questions!  Left my brain aching and my mouth gaping.  Am at a loss for words.  So much so that I can't even come up with a decent title for this post.  Am still trying to get it all straight it my head, but it seems like there's not enough room for all of it to be in my head at the same time.  Overload!


I don't want to spoil things for the (crazy) few of you out there who haven't seen it yet, and there's no need to get into an in-depth discussion dissecting on the meanings because 1) someone else has already said it all much better than I could, and 2) brain.  meltdown.  can't-take-it-in!!!  


So I'll just leave you with this little reminder of what was (for me) the best part of the episode.


Richard (to FakeLockManInBlackSmokeyMajig): You?
FLMIBSM (smugly):  Me.
All of Us Watching Along at Home:  WHO?!?!? (as our brains splatter all over the wall behind us)

10 Reasons Why I Heart February

February has always been my favorite month of the year and now it feels like there are even more reasons to celebrate.  So without further ado, here are 10 Reasons why I Heart February.

1. Lost Returns-  I cannot think of a better way to kick off the best month of the year, than the return of my favorite show, Lost, for it's sixth and final season.  Tonight marks the beginning of the end, my friends.  There will be tears, there will be drama, there will be nicknames, there will be pointless love triangles, there will still be more questions than answers- but I truly believe that at the end of it all we will get a fitting resolution to one of the best dramas on television.  Let the amazingness begin!
2. 28 Days- I don't know why, but I've always thought it's kind of cool that February is the only month with its own number of days.  Not 30.  Not 31.  It doesn't fit the rhyme.  February is a rebel.
3. Birthday Month- February 8th, ya'll, it is almost here!  Yes, I overindulge myself by celebrating my own birthday for not just a day or a week, but an entire month.  But I promise, it's not as narcissistic as you think.  It's not so much about celebrating ME (although, let's face it, I do merit celebration), as it is about celebrating how incredibly grateful I feel to have experienced one more year of this fan-freakin'-tastic thing called life and how incredibly blessed I am by the amazing folks who share it with me.  Plus, birthday month leads directly to reasons 4 and 5.
4. Birthday Cake- Shouldn't need an explanation for this one.  This year, I've requested strawberry cake.  Yummmm.
5. Birthday Party- Again, it's not about celebrating ME, it's about celebrating WITH all of those WONDERFUL people who make me want to keep getting out of bed every morning.  So thanks for that, world.
6. Super Bowl- Yeah, this is a whole lot more exciting for Keith than it is for me.  But when he's happy, I'm happy.  And it's another great excuse to get together with good food and good friends and be excited about something.  Personally, I'm crossing my fingers that the Saints will pull it off. 
7. Great Light- There's a certain slant of light this time of year.  I don't know what it is or how to explain it, but the world just looks prettier and more hopeful.
8. Valentine's Day- I'm not at all a big fan of schmaltz, so the lovey-doviness of Valentine's Day can sometimes kind of get to me.  And I think that most women make far too big a deal about it (says the girl who celebrates birthday month, I know, I know).  But it's also an entire holiday devoted to flowers and chocolate and hearts and the color red.  Now that's something I can get behind.
9. Anniversary Month- It is quite amazing to think that at this time just one year ago, Keith and I were crazy stressed, running around like insane people trying to get all the last minute details in place for our wedding.  It was the most perfect of perfect days, and on February 28th, we get to celebrate one full, beautiful year of being hitched.  
10. Anniversary Celebrating- We're going to spend a night at the Cotton Palace Bed & Breakfast (where we stayed the night of our wedding), each a fabulously decadent dinner at the Green Room Grille (Waco doesn't have a lot of fancy foodie places, but this place does everything right) and get a couple's massage (we got one on our honeymoon and have been addicted ever since).  Perfect way to end a perfect month?  Yup.  It sure is.

Why do you heart February?