Cleaning up Christmas

We took the tree down today and put away most of the Christmas decorations.  This wasn't nearly as much of a downer it normally is.  There are too many exciting things on the horizon to feel blue.

While I was cleaning, I found our camera and realized I didn't take one picture while my parents were here for a holiday visit.  I suppose that's because we took a break from the touristy things and just had family time at home.

In fact, our time together was so wonderful that I find myself now wishing they were still here.  I'm 31 years old, and I still miss my parents.  When do you get too old to miss Mom and Dad?

Opposites Attract

I read a study recently which found that siblings are more likely to be different than alike.  Scientists think it has something to do with expanding the gene pool. 

I heard an interview on Thanksgiving with the creator of Modern Family who said, regardless of how different they are, siblings are always bound together.

Happy birthday to someone with whom I have hardly anything in common, but whom I love and adore...like a sister.

Fall Getaways

Without a doubt, fall is my favorite time of year.  Even though I know fall will eventually leave me and I'll have to take up a tumultuous affair with winter, I still love it.  Matt and I have taken advantage of this most wonderful of seasons with a few stereotypical autumn getaways.

We went apple-picking in Westminster, Maryland.

(and nearly risked our lives climbing trees)

And we celebrated our anniversary in Frederick, Maryland.  Since this was a milestone anniversary, Matt let me handle all the details.  I booked us a room at a wonderful bed and breakfast, much to my husband's chagrin, as evidenced here by his "this is what people who stay at bed and breakfasts look like" pose:

That night, we enjoyed a "Taste of Frederick," opting for drinks and appetizers at Volt, the trendy hotspot, and dinner at the more affordable and low-key (yet equally tasty) Acacia down the road.

Our waiter at Acadia was a rather uptight young man named Frank.  Matt thought it would be hilarious to say to him, "I have to be frank..." then say something ridiculous.  For the rest of the meal, every time he saw Frank coming, Matt would threaten to say something like, "I have to be frank: this food is terrible," or "I have to be frank: have you ever waited on anyone before?"  Thankfully, restraint won out.

The next day, we visited some of Frederick's historic covered bridges.  All "Madison County" jokes aside, they were nice.  Anything historical is always nice.  But they were just bridges.

This fall has been one of great family time with Matt.  I'm so lucky to have a husband who indulges my frou-frou whims and finds ways to laugh at the seemingly mundane.  Memories like these make our endless love affair with winter just a bit more bearable.

A Father's Influence

In honor of Father's Day, I'm sharing just one more story about Coach John Wooden. What stood out to me in this story was the emphasis on where Coach learned those life lessons for which he became famous--his father. You can listen to the story here.

The other thing I love about this story is the emphasis on Coach Wooden as a teacher. We learn our most important life lessons at home from our very first teachers, and I couldn't have hoped for a better set of instructors.

So often, I hear myself saying the maxims for which my own father has become famous. "Is that a Fredism?" Matt asks when I say things like, "Your what hurts?" or "I can't hear a nod." When we're watching a high-scoring baseball game, I say, "This is a real pitchers duel." When we're watching a team from New York play a team from Los Angeles, I cheer for "a power outage." Who can pull for a winner in that match-up? I could go on and on and on...and on.

Keep teaching, Dad, and we'll keep listening, because, as more than one great man has said, "when you're through learning, you're through."

Edited with one more classic Fredism that my dear sister reminded me of: "Don't get into a pissing match with a skunk." Classic Dad.

Swine flu? Make mine mad cow.

I share this clip for no other reason than to provide a sneak glimpse into the bizarre relationship my sister and I have. Every year for Christmas, she finds me the most obnoxious (she knows that's a compliment), animatronic gift imaginable. I've gotten everything from a flying bird or a bouncing frog to a mechanical gerbil in its own exercise ball. I won't even get into the enormous vibrating pickle she gave me last year. Let's just say there was more than one gaping face around the tree on Christmas Eve.

One year, she presented me with a plush version of this:



Imagine that in stuffed animal form, hopping up and down in the middle of your living room. Yes, that was my Christmas. And that is why I love my sister.

Gratuitous Cute

While Matt was in Minnesota last week, he got to spend time with our first (and, so far, only) niece, Lilly. They called a couple times, but I didn't really get to talk with her. Two-way telephonic communications are tricky when you're only two. So Matt sent me this video instead, which I'm sharing for no other purpose than gratuitous bragging:

Summer of Visitors

Our house has been less like a single-family home this summer and more like a bed and breakfast. It's been wonderful to entertain friends and family from across the country. Rather than compose a lengthy post for each visit, I thought I'd try to sum up each with just a couple photos. This was not an easy task.

When my college friend Andrea visited, I took her to her first Orioles baseball game (which necessitates trips to my favorite neighborhood bars):
...and she took me by the White House. After nearly four years here, I can't believe I've never walked by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:

When my parents and sister visited, we went to Gettysburg (no shocker there):
...and we spent a day at the beach. Okay, so we were near the beach.

When former coworkers/bestie friends Rebecca and Anna visited, we spent an evening peering into the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from the rooftop bar of the W Hotel (can you see the sniper on that big white house behind us?):
...and we spent far too much time (though not nearly enough money) trying on nearly every shoe in my favorite store, Ma Petite Shoe:

I love how unique the experiences of each of our visitors were. I also love how living here gives us the chance to see the amazing places that surround us with a unique perspective every time someone new comes to town. The doors to our bed and breakfast are always open. Please come back soon.

Going dark on Earth Day

Matt and I, along with thousands of other people around the world, observed Earth Hour last month. We enjoyed the gesture (not to mention the peace and quiet) so much, that we've decided to make our home an electricity-free zone for all of Earth Day: no lights, to television or radio, no computers and--to the degree possible--no appliances. We're unplugging (not just turning off, since that still sucks electricity) nearly everything in the house that requires energy. We're going to grill dinner outside and eat lots of ready-to-eat, locally grown fruits and vegetables. We're going to play cards by candlelight instead of zoning out in front of the TV.

It's this last part of our Earth Day celebration that I'm especially looking forward to. Focusing on something bigger than ourselves always seems to bring Matt and me closer together as a family. It seems especially appropriate that we do this on Earth Day, as we work to preserve the Earth for our children and their children and ten generations of children.

The language of parents

A former co-worker sent me a great video a while ago. I hadn't seen it, and, apparently, I was one of the lone few. I surmised that it hadn't been forwarded to me because I'm not on anyone's "funny mom emails" forward lists. Whatever the reason, here it is, for the other one or two people who may not have seen it:



And thanks to my wonderful Aunt Lana (herself a mom) for sending me the follow-up, which I think is even funnier (and also startlingly accurate, I imagine):

Christmas with the Bergs, Hedlunds, Petersons...

Here it is, mid-January, and I'm still writing about Christmas. I'm either overwhelmingly busy educating the youth of Baltimore County, or I'm channeling Tiny Tim: "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year." I prefer the latter.

After a few days with Matt's family, we drove across town to spend a few days with mine. It was wonderful to be able to see both our families at Christmastime without having to travel back to 2-degree Minnesota! Thankfully, I thought to take my camera out on this side of town.

Like our time with Matt's family, we spent hours relaxing, eating and loving. Trips like this make it really hard to live thousands of miles away from our immediate families. Thankfully, we made the very most of the time we did have together.

Matt and my uncle and cousins went skiing (thanks for the photos, Rob! I was most definitely not on the top of that mountain):

My mom and I did a fair amount of drinking (yes, we shared):

We all did a ridiculous amount of eating:

And my cousin, Rob, taught me the neatest game with our digital camera (he's had a lot more practice than I have):

Aside from our copious hours of lounging around and gorging ourselves, we obviously spent a good part of our time in Colorado laughing and laughing...and laughing. It helps that we also spent most of our time with people under the age of 13. They just make life that much more enjoyable:

Thank you to all the family who welcomed us so warmly over the holidays! Our Maryland door is always open.

Christmas with the Scherers

I'm absolutely kicking myself that we didn't take out our camera during our few days with Matt's side of the family in Colorado. Still, we had an absolutely wonderful time. Thank goodness for these obligatory 1,000 words (give or take) to take the place of said picture.

We waited over an hour for our bags (state-of-the-art luggage system at the Denver airport, my foot), but Matt's dad waited ever-so-patiently with us. It was just so good to see him again, I think I could've been standing outside on a January day in Minnesota and been happy.

We spent the rest of our time with the Scherers split between his brother's house and various local shopping centers. We saw a mall, we saw an outlet center, we saw what was probably the world's biggest liquor store ever. It had a mountain of Busch Light in the back. I mean, a literal mountain. Someone should tap those Rockies, if you know what I mean.

The thing I love most about any time we have with Matt's family is the way we all laugh and laugh and laugh...and then laugh a little more. We played some stupid little game (A to Z...think Cathphrase meets Taboo or Scattergories), but it made us laugh for hours. Matt obviously grew up in a house with a lot of laughter, which means the world to me. Thank you, Cathy and David!

Even more importantly, every time I'm with the Scherers, I marvel at how deeply they love each other. I can feel the love they have for me, too, and I know I'm just about the luckiest daughter-in-law/sister-in-law ever.

I'll write more soon on the second half of our vacation: Christmas across town with the Petersons, Hedlunds and Bergs.

Bad dog

I've been thinking about my new "nephew" lately--my sister's new dog, Tony. They're having problems dealing with his separation anxiety and subsequent destruction. Ah, yes. Poor Barley was significantly more disturbed than Tony is now, and he still came through just fine. Hang in there, Cara! Tony will come around.

With that said, be patient with him when he has a relapse.


...or two:

"Life is a Battlefield"

During my parents' visit, those words were more than a paraphrased 1980's power ballad. My dad, the Civil War teacher and general history buff, took us to Antietam battlefield in western Maryland. I love education masked as a day trip to a cornfield.

Dunker Church, strategically located up on a hill and therefore fought over by the Union and Confederacy (two dudes out front not historically accurate):
A memorial to the fallen soldiers from Maryland:
The obligatory "Civil War cannons on the battlefield" picture:
Clara Barton was one of many women on the battlefield in Antietam. Some were disguised as men so they could fight. Others, like Ms. Barton, whose efforts to aid the suffering laid the groundwork for the American Red Cross, were considered "angels of the battlefield." This is a memorial to Ms. Barton, complete with a red cross made from parts of the chimney of her childhood home:
Thousands of soldiers died in the field below, which was full of corn before the battle began. Over the course of that September day, the corn went from a thick field to completely mowed down from the guns and canons firing. Soldiers were firing at each other at point-blank range. Some companies had a more than 80% fatality rate. One soldier's beloved Newfoundland dog was among the casualties, found draped across his master's body, trying to protect him after he was fatally shot.
The Civil War saw the first battles fought using trench warfare, which would become commonplace by World War I. The Confederate soldiers lay in wait in this trench, coined "Bloody Lane," while the Union soldiers marched toward them. They could hear their steps growing closer, but were told to wait to fire until they saw "the eagles on their buttons."
Our final stop that day was to the famous bridge named for General Burnside (who may be remembered more for his distinctive facial hair, or "sideburns"). The Confederate soldiers waited on the bluff for the Union soldiers as they tried to cross the bridge. Soldiers slipped down the banks of the river and were fired upon as they scrambled over each other up the muddy banks.

Good Times in Intercourse

Intercourse, Pennsylvania, that is.
My parents were visiting this last week, and we took a few day trips together. Matt and I have lived out here for nearly three years, and I think we did more traveling and sightseeing in the week my parents were here than in the three years since we moved here.

One of our trips was to Intercourse, Pennsylvania. The town used to be called Cross Keys, but they renamed it. Go figure. During our trip, we also drove through towns called Bird-in-hand and Blue Balls. Crazy Pennsylvanians. And I thought the Minnesota towns named Fertile and Climax were bad. Just to prove that we didn't just make this up...

You can "Mount Hope" in Intercourse:
Or play with some jugs...
After a brief stint in Intercourse, we headed further into Amish Country. We visited an Amish furniture store with some very unique merchandise:
And my mom took us on a side trip to Ephrata, Pennsylvania, where she found more Amish crafts and made a fabulous fashion statement:
Blue is definitely her color. During our time in Ephrata, we visited the "Ephrata Cloister," home to a group of people who were celibate. They had some beautiful surroundings, but must have had one heck of a frustrating existence.
Big surprise...their population died out. Beautiful irony...their celibate commune was located just outside the town of Intercourse.