I Love My Husby

September 30 will mark our third year of marriage. I think this last year was my favorite so far; hopefully, I'll say that every year around this time. My life is so much better with J in it; for all the time we spend together, it is almost never enough, if you ask me.

I'm 28

Here I am with my birthday chicken from Philip and Emily. How do you like my new side part?

Here's my terrific birthday cake decorated by my sweet, generous, loving husband. I think it says, "Aarf...," or, um.... I don't know what it says. I just love it.

Here we are in the kitchen with my birthday flowers in the foreground. Jesse wanted to take a nice picture of the two of us. But I was exhausted, having been up since 4 a.m., and not interested in cooperating.

We Ate Here, We Watched This, Bla Bla Bla

I am behind on my blogging. I know. I'm sorry. Lately, I haven't felt like talking/blogging and I've also had some figuring out that I wanted to complete before talking/blogging about it. But the good news is that I'm here to do some updates on what's been going down in the J and L house.

Here we go in no particular order:

• Jesse and I received generous monetary gifts from our parents for Valentines Day which meant we didn't have to go to Moe's or some other non-romantic location to celebrate. We spent the afternoon and evening on Seneca Lake doing some wine tasting at a couple wineries before having dinner at the Bistro at Red Newt Cellars. Red Newt Cellars is one of our favorite local wineries and we've been meaning to get to the Bistro for quite a while. We just haven't had the money. That's why the gifts from our families were so perfect. The Bistro is delightful and right up our alley since they use the finest and freshest local and regional ingredients in their menu. This quote comes from their website:

  The Red Newt Bistro represents the finest in fresh regional cuisine of the Finger Lakes. Every menu is build (sic) with the diner and the farmer in mind. Local ingredients are the main fare, and seasonality is the life blood of every menu.

  Jesse started with the house salad and I had the Tomato Vegetable Soup. For his entree, Jesse ate the Local Free-Range Pork Loin with sweet apple glaze, apple chutney, Parmesan risotto and seasonal vegetables. I had the Local Free-Range Chicken stuffed with prosciutto, provolone, spinach and roasted red pepper sauce with Parmesan risotto and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, Jesse had Chocolate Pate with Cranberry Port Sauce and I had the Maple Walnut Cheesecake. We shared a bottle of Hennepin from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY and Jesse had a glass of Red Newt Riesling.
  
• Last weekend, we saw The Reader with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes at the Art Mission & Theatre. It was amazing and I loved it as much as it absolutely broke my heart. Both the film and its five Oscar nominations were controversial because of the film's sensitive subject matter. More on the issue can be found at CNN and a great review of the film can be found at The Stranger. I truly loved it; I almost can't stop thinking about it.
• I have taken a job as a residence counselor at Franziska Racker Centers. It is a non-profit organization that works with developmentally disabled people. I'll be working an awake overnight shift at one of their 17 residential homes. More news as I get it.
  
• I've started parting my hair on the side. I think its cute. Jesse didn't really notice. I'll post a picture sometime soon.
  
• Thursday is my birthday. There will be no pomp like there has been in years past. There will be no sleeping in (I have to get up at 4 am and go to work!) and no birthday massage. Instead, I'm going to visit my besty, Tovah, at the end of this month! I'm really excited about the visit even though I'm sad to forgo my much-needed deep tissue birthday massage. Plus, I haven't worked on my birthday for years. ::huff:: Maybe once I start making the big bucks (compared to what I'm making currently) at my new job, J will let me splurge for a massage.

I think that's most of it. Consider yourself updated.

I Didn't Even Want to Know One Random Thing About You

I know. I did it, too. I resisted for a bit but then gave in. I listed a bunch of random things about myself. Even as I was doing it, I felt silly. What a weird way for me to update my "friends" from elementary, middle school, wherever. If they wanted to know about my currently unused professional license and my adoration of Dan Savage and Tovah, shouldn't they ask? Well, regardless, I did it.

DespairWair has a great tee for this new random things phenomenon.
The Washington Post and TIME both published articles regarding this trend. Here are a compilation of TIME's 25 Things I Didn't Want to Know about You and 25 More Things I Didn't Want to Know about You. Two of these are specifically for you, Rachel@Canada.

• I have been pooped on by a monkey
• I eat gummy bears by tearing them limb from limb and eating their heads last.
• Two of my best friends are under five feet tall and I have an intense fear of midgets.
• I think yoga is incredibly spiritual. I know the Lord is with me in my downward dog.
• I like to tape my thumbs to my hands to see what it would be like to be a dinosaur.
• Sometimes I think pee smells like Cheerios.
• My friends say that when they shave my back, I purr like a walrus.
• When I die, I want a steaming hot Reuben sandwich shoved in my mouth during the open-casket part of the funeral.
• My friend Brian and I once brought home a dead opossum because we wanted to "stuff" it. We tried to cut off its head with hedge clippers, but it was late fall and the creature was far too frozen.
• I think it's frustrating that ChapStick tastes good when you put it on your lips and lick them, but if you just bite the ChapStick, it tastes like poison.
• On two separate occasions, I have returned to my dorm room drunk, with some form of cheese in my purse.
• When I was little, I pretended my bike was a horse named Satan.
• I find puppets to be one of the most satisfying ways of expressing myself.

And now, folks, a portion of my list with some additions.

• I'll drink nearly anything as long as its purported to be "good for me." For instance: raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar; raw, fermented kombucha.
• I just vacuumed my neighbor's Dyson with my Dyson. I wanted to return a clean vacuum.
• I have been a NYS licensed funeral director for three years. It has been nearly a year since I have used the license.
• I like being a funeral director partly because I like to have weird and/or gross funeral director stories. Additionally, of all the macabre and horrifying things I have seen (and smelled), I have never been made physically ill while on the job.
• I was terrified of fire for 20+ years. I had to face my fear when I became a certified cremation operator and began performing human cremations. I am subsequently no longer afraid of fire.
• I love the First Family so much that sometimes it makes me giddy.
• I constantly play Scramble with my Mikus-in-law even though he is considerably better than me and beats me every time.
• It sometimes annoys me that Mikus is signed in to gmail or facebook or whatever but is hidden. I know you're there. Sometimes I have a question or something and emailing and waiting around for a response is wildly inefficient. ::huff::
  
• I have always wanted offspring although there's a good chance I won't have any. I'm convinced I shouldn't since I don't want said offspring to inherit my broken brain.
• I often wish I was married to Tovah.
• I am happily married to my husby, Jesse.
• I still use snr and have spread the snr to Chicago and Philadelphia and maybe further.
• I don't know what I am doing with my life.
• I love every spoken and written word that comes from Dan Savage.
• I love to cook and relish all compliments but I often do not like my own food.
• Spotting the new issue of GOOD magazine makes me jump and click my heels together.
• Tovah used to jump and click her heels together and this impressed me. I practiced and practiced and now I, too, can jump and click my heels together. Thanks, Tovah! And can you/do you still do this?
  
• I have four tattoos. If I had some money, I would have more. I'd like a full sleeve one day. My next tattoos will be in memory of Niki and my paternal grandmother.
• Little Niki has been gone nearly 7 years. Its hard to believe it has been so long. And that I am so old.
• I have a new friend! Her name is Erika and she is so much fun. She has funny stories and she wishes she had a robot to do errands for her while she is at work. Hilarious!
• Although I commuted from Ithaca to Syracuse for school, frequently drove from Ithaca to Endicott to see Jesse when we were still dating, and often took long, solitary road trips that I loved, lately I am annoyed to drive more than 20 minutes from home.
• I wish I could blog professionally.
• I am proud that I learned to ride a bike six months ago. Riding is so much fun that I'm sad I spent so many years resisting.
• I've recently been working on a list of goals I would like to attain while in therapy. The list is long and keeps lengthening. Uh-oh.
  
• When I'm stressed, listening to This American Life calms me almost immediately. Something about Ira's voice just soothes me. And when I'm sad, Reel Big Fish makes me feel better almost instantly. I don't care if its dorky.
  
• I miss Rachel@Canada. And I miss Rachel@Philadelphia. They're both wonderful and special in completely different ways and I need them both for completely different reasons.
• I hate cilantro. It tastes like soap. Why do so many people (you know who you are) want perfectly tasty food to have soapy-ness in it? Yick. I try not to cook with it if I can help it.
• I am totally anti-circumcision. I put this issue into two categories: 1. Just Leave Well Enough Alone and 2. Don't Cut Things off of Your Baby.
  
• This is probably far too many.
  

1,826 May be Impressive but Wait til We get to 7,439

Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk
Weve got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
Weve got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, thats all weve got
Weve got five years, what a surprise
-David Bowie, "Five Years"

Jesse and I have been together for five years today! What an impressive milestone! For the occasion, I've gone to the vault for some photographic evidence of a small portion of what we've done for the past 1,826 days.

What will the next 1,826 days have in store for us? I predict happy days, rainy days, a trip to Dogfish Head Brewery, lots of loving, some grumping and stomping, weeks with money, weeks with rice and edamame for dinner plus plenty of exciting adventures together (including a puppy).

2008:
Jesse tried to charm me.

Anniversary Brunch @ The Carriage House

Philip and Emily's Wedding Shower, Pittsford, NY

Gelato was a good cheap date.

I learned to ride a bike!

We goofed off in the parking lot.

We framed a wedding photograph. Where's Andrew?

We celebrated Jesse's 30th birthday at Maxie's Supper Club.

2007:
We spent a weekend in Rochester.

2006:

We honeymooned in Key West.
Jesse, when do can we return to our favorite tropical island?

We celebrated our marriage at Six Mile Creek Vineyard.

We were married on September 30, 2006
at Muller Chapel, Ithaca College.

Taughannock Falls

We.... I'm not sure what we're doing here.
We play-raced up the hill?

We moved to a larger apartment
and made very attractive faces for the camera.

2005:
I tried to be tall like J.

2004:
The beginning

Taughannock Falls

Look how fresh we were.

Overheard in the J and L House

For Krista whose attitude about show shoveling is supremely better than mine.

As the end of J's 365 day photo project draws nigh, I admit that I'm looking forward to it. This edition of Overheard is from last night but I have a wide assortment of similar tales.

Jesse to Lisa: If I were a picture, what would I be?

Lisa to Jesse: I don't know, honey.

(a minute passes)

Jesse: What should my picture be today?

Lisa: How about (insert my idea)? That might be funny.

Jesse: Meh.

Lisa, exasperated: Alright.

How about (insert my either ridiculous or inappropriate idea, often offered after previous seemingly decent suggestions are discarded.)? That might be funny.

Jesse: Noooooo

Jesse started disassembling the coffee table.

WHAT? Sheesh.

image, complete with notes and comments, is via J's 365.

Look What Canadian Rachel Made!

Its my husby lookin' so cool. Thanks, Rachel. This makes me laugh and laugh! I love it.