hanging pictures: epic failure & simple lessons learned

i can be a prick.  i am (sometimes) a nag...and 'bloody difficult.'  i will not lie about that.  especially when it comes to 'type A' duties like, hanging picture frames straight or washing dishes.  case in point, was when M and i were trying to hang our blown-up framed photo of us over our bed.  the picture itself is 24"x28" in dimensions.  include a matte and frame, it's pretty big.  and heavy.  we've been trying to hang this frame for several weeks now, but every time we've tried, one of those 3M won't-damage-your-wall/paint hanging contraptions are set-up, the frame falls onto our queen-size bed after staying on the wall for a max of 2.5 minutes.  utter failure.  i was so frustrated with our past and present attempts of trying to get this picture to hang, i was beyond a basic married woman's nit-picking.  i was asking (wait.  i think it was more of a demand) my husband in a very stern, "loud," voice that i wanted the picture to not be crooked and he "wasn't helping much by standing there."


i'm an utter fool.  M was the smart one to be calm and not lose his crap when the darn frame kept on falling onto our bed.  i, on the other hand, was beside myself.  i felt like there was a tally score with an inanimate object and i was losing:  5:0, picture frame leading.  M just set the frame down next to our bed and cleaned-up quietly.  in a few minutes after my anger dissipated towards M & that frame, i realized how foolish i was being and my kind husband had to remind me of an important lesson:  by his example, i realized i was letting such a stupid thing (e.g., hanging a picture) get the best of me and my cool.  its a wonder how i get passed the frustration of an awful alarm clock sound or too many crazy sT. LouiS drivers or how bad coffee can ruin a day; but 'perfectly' hanging a picture frame would get me so riled-up.  


man oh man, does marriage and M have so much to teach me about being human and realizing that most stuff i fret about IS stupid.  RATS!  i was hoping that i would've gotten the hang of marriage by now.  literally.

weekend reunions & homemade gnocchi

our family @ the beach~summer 2011

this weekend is one of our "visitation weekends":  when our little family can be together for several hours.  67.5 hours, to be exact.  M flies in tomorrow and our doggie (& moi) are so psyched to see him.  plans for go-kart races, Da VinCi machines exhibit, a birthday picnic, homemade meals and tons of TLC.  you now have permission to salivate, thinking about the gnocchi from scratch and the checkered-flag exhilaration on the go-kart lanes.


i'm trying to not be the biggest complainer, but why can't i have these "visitations" happen every day??  i miss my husband and i'm officially doing a countdown until when his plane lands...12.50 hours.  doggie doesn't know it, but she's doing the countdown too.

newlywed wish: morning breath kisses every day

i have a kick-ass husband.  we've been doing this every-two-week-visit schedule while we've been apart (me here in the midWest for studies and he back in DC for work) during my Fall semester of graduate school.  it's not been ideal (i hate the schedule because we don't wake up to each other everyday) but we do the best we can.  in light of everything going on in my own health and Dad's health, M has been my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on, and my tangible fortress.    recently, i had to change my travel plans for the end of the month:  instead of attending a DC conference and seeing M, i am now going to CA to help out my parents during Dad's recovery.  M has also changed his travel plans and scheduled a few days off from work to make that horrific (for him) transcontinental flight from the east coast to the west coast to help out and visit.  he's been the most understanding person in the "madness" i've experienced these past few months.  how the heck did i get lucky with such an amazing and understanding husband?


we've been doing this couples' devotional, Love Dare, on Gchat and its been amazing for our newlywed life together and keeping ourselves strong in our long-distance marriage.  this week's dare has been focused on making sure we do something unexpected and thoughtful for each other. it's kind of hard when we're 800+ miles apart, but we get 'A' for effort.  he's coming to me for an extended weekend visit this week, so we'll make a valiant effort to make-up for lost time apart.  his visits seem so short and quick:  i count hours we have together as a couple (i've labeled 'M time' on my iCal) and try not to cry every time i watch him disappear in the TSA lines at the airport, heading on his flight back to the east coast.


it's been a little over 8 months since we got married.  most of that time has been spent apart because of work/school.  it's not want i've wanted, but i suppose we sacrifice for what we want in the long-run.  i'm the biggest baby when it comes to time apart, while M has tried to be the "manly man" and not complain about it.  but i see it in his eyes:  it blows for him, not having his wifey see him come home every day.  one day, it'll be a reality.  then, we can wake up each day, give each other a good morning kiss and then complain about morning breath.  i wish for those days to come.