Just another post about a rodent

I realize that this post brings me to a whopping total of three blog posts about a rodent---or almost 7% of my blog repertoire. About this, I feel...slightly embarrassed, but happy all the same. I tried to write a post about something more meaningful and revealing of my inner Anna but failed miserably; so, rodents it is. :)

Last night while taking out the garbage/recycling, Spencer and I discovered this in our backyard:

A possum! I had no idea these little guys were indigenous to Ohio! Neither Spencer nor I had ever seen one outside of a zoo. At first we thought he was our friendly neighborhood rabbit, but that theory was dashed when he started skillfully climbing the above-pictured tree. We were, needless to say, excessively excited to see him.

We're obviously not "seasoned" mid-westerners yet if a small rodent sighting still brings about such euphoria. :)

A Love Story

Seeing as Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would share a little story about an unlikely couple. They will remain nameless for now.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was pretty normal--maybe a little on the short side--but otherwise your basic American child. She grew up in a home where television, and especially cable television (I shudder at the very typing of the word...), were theoretically and intellectually shunned as the very offspring of the devil. To pay extra money for such dastardly entertainment would have been deemed absolute treachery. Especially when books were lent out so freely and so willingly at the local library.

Thusly, she grew up largely ignorant of any technological advancements in the area of television. Sure, she'd heard about something called "TiVo" while a freshman in college, but didn't really understand the concept and saw no reason to try and understand. It was "beneath" her notice. ;)

In her early twenties, she met a wonderful, young man and they decided to get married. She loved him a whole lot (oops...but that's a different love story...). One day, about a year and a half into their marriage, they decided to buy a house. And not just any house--a house with an accessory apartment in the basement. This way, they could have college students pay the majority of their mortgage while they enjoyed having a yard and total and complete creative control of their living space. :)

In their search for tenants, they decided it made sense to include basic cable in the rental fee--in order to compete with all the other enterprising young couples/old men renting to students in the same area. This girl, now a young adult, was very hesitant. I mean, you know how she grew up. Pay extra money to have extra channels on the devil device? Ludicrous! But...she conceded.

And then came the big moment. Included with the fee for their cable package was an interesting little device called a DVR. A DVR, she thought? Like TiVo of yesteryear? What good could possibly come of that?

A LOT.

From the moment she finally learned how to record things and then watch them whenever she wanted (which admittedly, was a rather long time--she's a bit technologically disabled), she was hooked. Absolutely, totally, and irrevocably in love.

Gone were the days of watching eight minutes worth of commercials in a thirty minute show. Gone were the days of missing important parts of shows she liked because she had to go to the bathroom (which, also admittedly, is more often than the average person...), answer a phone call, make dinner, or take care of her somewhat hysterical, but mostly adorable baby. All hail to the mighty pause button!

Now, this is not to say that this girl is now a TV addict. She is not. She spends plenty (possibly too much...) time enjoying books from the local library and engaging in other pursuits. What's great about the DVR, or so she tells me, is that it makes anytime she does spend watching TV more effective.

For example, let's say said girl needs to fold some laundry at 2:00 in the afternoon. Let's say she likes to watch a show while doing so. What's on TV at 2:00 in the afternoon? A big, fat nothing; that's what. But, because of the DVR, this girl can watch the latest episode of "House" (which may or may not be her latest obsession...) or "American Idol" instantly. Thus freeing her from watching the show during prime husband-time or going out hours. :) Perfect. And if the laundry doesn't take the whole 45 minutes? (since hour long shows are bogged down by 15 minutes of commercials...) She can pause the show where she finished and start it up again the next time a load of laundry comes a-calling. :)

She could go on and on about the benefits of a DVR (such as insta-"Backyardigans" whenever it becomes necessary), but she will spare you.

After she and her husband decided to sell their house and move east, they once again came to a DVR crossroads. To have it, or not to have it? Her answer was a big, fat "no." No matter how much she loved the DVR, it just wasn't a necessity. She was willing to part with her beloved friend for the good of their pocket book. But...then her husband got a new job: selling (ironically) satellite television programming. How could he honestly sell a product that he wasn't willing to use and pay for himself?

Needless to say, said girl, let's call her Anna, is still enjoying her DVR to this very day. :)

Things I Frequently Put Off

• Making phone calls--because I've recently developed a strange phobia of them
• Going to the bathroom--because it always comes up at the most inopportune times and, let's face it, is cold in the winter
• Putting gas in the car--because it costs money AND because I have this strange obsession with seeing how far I can really go when the gas light is on
• Getting ready for the day--because once I'm dressed and ready, responsibility sets in. When you're still in pajamas, anything is possible. :)
• Blogging--because I feel like I rarely have anything important to say. This post is a prime example.

And the list goes on and on...does anybody else have this problem? :)

The Joys of Cold Weather

Since becoming a mother, I think it would be accurate to say that the romance and excitement of freezing cold weather has all but disappeared. Winter, on the Anna scale of like-ability, has definitely dropped to an all-time low. I find it hard to work up any desire to leave the house because I know what that means: lots of uncomfortable stuffing. Stuffing Grace into her coat and an unlimited amount of excess winter apparel, stuffing Grace into her car seat because all that excess apparel makes her gigantic, stuffing my cranky, cold self into a cranky, cold car, and then stuffing tissues up Grace's nose once the outdoor trip is done. It's just not all that appealing. It makes staying inside (all cuddled up in my Snuggie :) ) and watching endless hours of "Horton Hears a Who" seem so much nicer. (we don't really do that...but sometimes I'd like to)

That doesn't mean that I never leave the house. I do. I just do so crankily, recognizing that it is for the greater good. :) I'm sure that once Grace is a little older and more in to things like sledding and playing in the snow, I will like winter again. But until then...I'm just glad that we have so many exciting and wonderful events to celebrate during the winter that make the season fun, and distract me from all of that darned stuffing. :) Christmas and New Year's (and for me, my anniversary and birthdays) get me through the cold. :)

The first celebration to ring in the cold weather was my nephew Andrew's birthday. I've never been able to be with him on his birthday before, so I was pretty excited. Hooray for living in Columbus! The highlight of his birthday (besides going to a great little play place...pictures to follow), was Andrew's take on how you should respond after someone says "happy birthday." He, at age four, decided that the most logical way to answer was by saying "happy birthday" back.

His logic makes sense, when you think about it. His birthday is close to Christmas and when someone says "Merry Christmas" to you, you say "Merry Christmas" back. This is consistent with wishing someone a happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, etc. You can easily see where he came up with his "Happy Birthday" response. Needless to say, when my birthday rolled around just a few weeks later, I had a definite urge to follow his lead. I didn't; but I wanted to, and I thought about it every time. :)

Grace loves slides and could spend every waking hour playing on them.

Stephen and the ball pit.

Another great love of Grace's.

And the birthday boy, who looks upset. I couldn't get a good picture of him.

Christmas followed shortly after Andrew's birthday. We were lucky enough to have my entire family come to Columbus to celebrate Christmas with us. Spoiled; I know. Our first Christmas away from home and home decided to come to us. :) I guess it helped that the Columbus area now has the majority of the grandchildren and the only other grandchild lives a mere seven hours away by car. We missed all the Bardsleys, but we were happy to be with the Merkleys. I was a big, picture taking slacker while everyone was here, but did capture a few classics:

The first Merkley family live Nativity,

complete with a very obedient and happy baby Jesus (played by Alex).

The traditional white elephant gift exchange. Spencer is proudly displaying the play-dough penguin he made with his gift. :) I sadly did not get a picture of the classy "New Moon" lunch box my mom was lucky enough to snag... :) We all tried to convince my dad to use it for his new work lunch box, but he was surprisingly uninterested. Man, that guy is no fun. :)

Grace "helping" grandma make scones on Christmas morning.

And...the chaos that was our Christmas morning.

Grace really enjoyed her presents this year, but was particularly enamored of this little interactive stuffed animal from her Aunt Emily. I don't know if it quite beat out the pasta pick-ups in her stocking (that she had to eat RIGHT THEN), but she loved it a lot. :)

I sadly missed out on my opportunity to record the many other lovely activities we enjoyed as a family (a lot of Beatles Rockband playing, an obsessive amount of "Boxers or Briefs?" playing, and an exciting trip to Amish country being among the highlights), but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. I purposefully did NOT choose to record by camera the stomach flu epidemic that sped through every member of the family the 23rd-26th. Mostly because I started it and choose not to be remembered as the sick girl who stole Christmas. But...I was. :( Luckily it made for a lot of good throw-up jokes (if a joke about throwing up can ever be called good) and at least was something we could all share... :) But enough of that.

Christmas was great, and I'm so greatful for everyone that made it possible, especially the Warnicks.

While everyone was here, Spencer and I benefited from having a plethora of baby sitters and spent an entire day by ourselves to celebrate our anniversary. Once again, no photos (lame!), but we had a great time. We went sledding, ice-skating, caught a dollar movie (which I slept through, of course), had dinner out, and hung out in the zoo aquarium (which I am obsessed with). It was wonderful. Happy three years to us!

As if we hadn't had enough celebrating already, my birthday rolled around just two weeks after Christmas. I celebrated by getting a brand new Ohio driver's license (woo-hoo), hanging out at the zoo again (I told you I was a little obsessed...), and going rock climbing. I'd never really been rock climbing before (or rock wall climbing, as the case may be), and I liked it. I don't think I'm going to take it up as a hobby (mostly because I was just happy to be alive each time I made it to the top...I know, I'm a chicken), but it was enjoyable.

In this picture, I'm most likely letting Spencer know that I'm "stuck,"

and need him to tell me where to go. :) That happened a lot.

Spencer was a lot better than me. What a surprise.

George Washington, is that you? :)

Love these birds. :)

Now on to Valentine's Day! (another very strategically placed holiday...) :)

Uncanny

Last March, going on about one year ago, I wrote a post about toothpaste. Specifically about how Spencer and I, up to that point in our marriage, had not yet had to buy toothpaste. Well, somehow, that streak has continued! I really thought that moving away from home would have broken it for sure. But...our luck endures. Uncanny, I tell you. Uncanny.

So, here's to celebrating three years of marriage and free toothpaste! :) Let's go for four!

New Photo

Courtesy Kellie Anderson photography. :)

Just don't look too closely

Something very momentous happened for me just recently: I sewed something! Stockings, to be exact.

And...besides my neighbor having to come over and teach me how to thread the machine (she writes sheepishly), and Spencer (yeah, he's a man of many random talents) giving me a few pointers and advice here and there, I did it all by myself. :) Honestly, this is big for me! I feel so...accomplished--in the Jane Austen sense of the word, of course.

See, I haven't touched a sewing machine since my junior year of high school. And even then, if I remember right, I got stuck all the time and spent most of class time waiting with my hand waving pathetically in the air for the instructor. I was pretty helpless. Bobbins still intimidate me a bit.

Let's just be honest; I'm not creatively endowed. I've always wanted to be, but I just can't seem to do it. It secretly appeals to me, and I think there might be a latent artist hiding underneath my bookish exterior, but I just haven't found her yet. I've dabbled in scrap-booking, but I get too frustrated by what a mess it makes and how long it takes. I don't draw, paint, cross-stitch, quilt, make bread, knit, or sculpt at all, and let's not even get started on my pathetic wood-working skills. I'm not a very detail oriented or patient person, which I think creativity and artsiness requires. Though I very much enjoy enjoying other people's talents. :)

Sigh. I think I'm less of a joy-in-the-journey person and more of a joy-in-checking-it-off-the-to-do-list sort of person. I like things to be clear and defined. I got a little frustrated when the stockings took longer than expected. And, sadly, they only got worse as I continued. My ability to pay attention to the details and patiently make them look nice only deteriorated with time. I just like to "finish" things. Sigh again.

But...I really did have fun. It's such a wonderful feeling to know that I've created something, however imperfect that something may be. These materials didn't exist in their current form until I shaped them. :) That makes me feel very powerful.

So, without further ado, (and keeping in mind that my motto with these stockings is "just don't look too closely"), here are my Anna-made stocking originals:

I don't know; I think they're kind of cute. :)

"Their stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

And now put into context. :)

All in all, I'm pretty darn proud of them. And myself. :)