Chinese Kissing

This weekend Dread Pirate Joe decided to up the "Kissing" Ante. Apparently all the Axe (Bow-chicka-bow-wow) he's been wearing has him thinking this baby "peck" kissing is no longer good enough for him. He climbed into my lap and proceeded to give me the longest kiss. Ever. And by this I mean, he grabbed my face with his little hands tilted his head slightly, closed his eyes and leaned in slowly until our lips met and even moved his head back and forth (for effect). He pulled away with a big smile and proceeded to try to "rinse and repeat". At this point, I stop him, "Hey what's up?" I ask. He giggles. And I begin to wonder where he learned this new move..... And then I remember the moment, when I was his age, that I too, decided to "Up the Kissing Ante" with my mother.

My mom almost always had soap operas playing on the TV while she busied herself around the house. (I can vividly remember crying during General Hospital when Luke and Laura were reunited after everyone thought she was dead and Christopher Cross's "Think of Laura" played to a montage of Luke and Laura moments. My mom even bought me the 45 I liked that song so much! Can you say sappy?) So what most little girls learned from Fairy Tales, I learned from Soap Operas! I saw a lot of soap opera "action" when I was young (which was mild by today's standards!) and decided this long wet kissing with tongue looked kind of fun. So who better to test this new "French Kiss" on than my mother. So the first chance I got, I laid one one her: Opened wide and inserted tongue. Startled, my Mom grabbed my by the shoulder and pushed me back. Actually, the truth is, Shock and Awe had nothing on my Mom's reaction! I learned right then and there not to try that again. At least not until years later with that boy under the tree with her.

I tried not to be so shocked with Dread Pirate Joe. I explained that this type of kissing wasn't appropriate for someone his age. I laughed at his innocence and told him my "French Kissing" story. He laughed and laughed (and I mean big belly laughing that is so adorable when you are 7!), until his face was red. Apparently, me kissing my mother WITH TONGUE was the funniest thing he has ever heard! When Chris walked into our conversation, DP Joe can't wait to share my story. He says "Did you know my Mom Chinese kissed her Mom when she was little?" Chris smiled and raised his eyebrow. Once I explained, he said "Maybe I can get a little Chinese action over here?"

Deck Buildin'

One of our favorite things to do is to sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee and people watch. Yeah Springtucky has some of the most weird interesting people around. So we like to sit out there and check out the local folks and yell at the people who insist on leaving shopping carts in the yard across the street wave at passer-byers. It has always been the case that our front "stoop" was a less than desirable place for this due to the lack of space. Yeah, basically both our fat arses barely fit side by side on the cement step.


Plus, we've been doing a lot of work outside because, well, tis the season and we have an abundance of slave labor. Now that the pad looks so good, I really want a place to sit and enjoy our little piece of earth.





So I begged, and pleaded and made some kick ass Pesto Pizza, and lo and behold, look what I got:
And that's not all! I also got a BEAUTIFUL Adirondack chair too. Nothing like sitting on the porch with a tall glass of tea, fire going in the chimenea, while the kids toss a ball to each other in the yard, chatting with the neighborhood folks, while the cars lazily drive by. OK, well, some of that is partly true. You decide which parts! I don't want to spoil your mental image.

Not a Slight Thing

"It is not a slight thing, when they, who are so fresh from God,
love us."....Dickens

We won't always be the best Moms we can be. Among the many mistakes we will make as mothers, we will set bad examples, say things in haste and anger we later regret, we will make bad choices, and sometimes we will fall down. And those sweet little cherub faces will look to us so trusting and innocent, wanting us to make it better. They will love us and forgive us of our mistakes and misgivings. In their eyes, we are loved, no matter what. That is both the joy and ache of being a parent. A joy to have this love, but an ache to feel at times we don’t deserve it. So it is, that we must get back up and keep pressing on. For them. Even if we don't know the right thing or the best thing to do. We must just keep trying. Because even at our worst we learn from these children just as we teach these children, about unconditional love….. Who even love us when we are at our worst. And they are counting on us. So no matter how hard it is, if for nothing else, for them. Because sometimes, we get it absolutely right. And it is those moments, when they say, “I love you Mom you’re the best” that we know it is all worth it.

I've made the mistake of striving to be a perfect Mom. But the Egyptian reminds me that being imperfect is really the perfect way to be. It is this that our kids will learn from, and hopefully they will feel safe to make their own mistakes in life. And just as they will look to us for comfort and reassurance in these times, we must also look to them, for they are the reason we do what we do.

Happy Mother's Day.

Purple Sunfish Cruizer

It finally arrived!

I've wanted one of these bikes for some time and when I found one online that was purple, I knew it was destined to be mine! It arrived on Thursday, and lucky me, it was half assembled (Thanks to Chris) by the time I got home. I would be cruzin' in no time! My excitement vanished, however, as he scratched his head with that look of frustration... "Look at the box this came in..." I look over to see a box that appeared to have been shipped around the world before it ended up on my door step. The box was badly beaten up, with get this, what appeared to be a hole the size of a basketball in the side that was covered by another piece of cardboard and taped up. Dented and dinged, it looked like it fell off the UPS truck (a few times) en route. Well, what do I expect for $100 from Wally World? He continues to rain on my parade, "And, there are parts missing, and look at the fenders, they're scratched and bent." Bummer all the way around. But since it was half way put together, he'd see if he could make it work.

As I am making dinner, I just happened to catch a glance of him out the front window test driving the cruiser. It's kind of like a guy who's brave enough to hold your purse for you in public (a purple purse with flowers no less!!). I smiled with a bit of pride at the sillyness of him in the saddle of the purple cruiser. And after all, since he tightened the screws, I suppose he better be the first to try it out!

An hour later, I had my Purple SunFish Cruiser parked in the driveway waiting for it's maiden voyage. I gathered up the kids and their bikes and we were ready. I climbed aboard (Literally! It's bigger than I expected!) and the bike swayed and I balanced. WHOA! Chris calls out, "Sure you'll be OK? Be careful!" I turn back and give him the look of death that says "Fack you! I've ridden a bike or two in my time!" only to smack right into my car. Look of death turns into sheepish grin, "Well, it's big..." Off we went down the street. I immediately notice that the fenders are both rubbing making a loud sound, but I am just too happy to be deterred from my jaunt around the block. I think I might LOVE this!

It breaks on a dime, which is good because steering is a bit different on this hulking thing. I think the handle bars being so wide is something to get used to. I managed to avoid a few collisions but when forced to navigate between two poles (we all know that my depth perception is a bit of an issue! Trying riding in a minivan with me when I have to park that thing! Try having me be a passenger while YOU try to park that thing! Yeah, I have special spacial issues!), So, I am unable to negotiate the space. Another words, I WHACKED right into one of the poles! And there it was. DQ throughly embarrassed by my "uncool" behavior on the open road yells, "MMOOMM!" (If you have/had a teen ager, you know exactly the tone)

Back on the side street by the house and in the middle of the road (away from any possible obstacles) and feeling a little more confident (no more tight spaces), DQ calls out, "Mom you look funny." Yeah, well you look like Kermit the Frog all skinny and long legged on that tall adult bike! Sheesh! leave it to the kids to remind you that you are getting old and looking geeky! And considering the racket (fenders rubbing) I was making cruzin' down the street, I'm sure she was right, I did look a little funny.

But oh well! It felt great! OK not the crashing part, but the cruzin' part!

UPDATE: Apparently the handle bars were not strait, which explains some of the crashing.

Weekend on the Mountain

We spent the weekend in Bend with some friends of ours (Mari, Linda, Ron & Steve). We stayed in Sunriver and the MOST beautiful house. It was furnished just like a model home. We all LOVED the beds! Not only were they the cool rustic log beds with absolutely fabulous mattresses and crisp exorbitantly high thread count sheets but also they were raised to above waist level. Ours was so high, I had to jump into it! No Lie! But We've decided to raise our bed at home. It seems so cool to sleep so high. I told Chris he better be careful, if I kick him out of bed it's a long way to the ground!

How we met....

We met through some friends of ours, Daddy and the Egyptian.

The summer of 2004 they renewed their wedding vows after 10 years of marriage. And it was this big shin-dig that brought us together.

The weekend was filled with too much partying to remember everything, but here are a few things I will NEVER forget:

"Hi, my name's Chris...." Objects before you are taller than they first appear

"If you don't dance, I'm dancing with them!" Two minutes later, there he was dancing with me.

"Here's a tortilla? It's pretty much all I have in my fridge... sorry.."

This is us

Shawna: "I'm going to create a blog for us!"

Chris: "Why?"

Shawna: "Because it will be fun!"

Chris: "Whatever..."

Could be I told this to him right after he rolled out of bed this morning before he could even take a sip of his coffee. Could be that I "drag" Chris to a lot of things that he likes once he is there. (Remember the time I drug you kicking and screaming to the Aviation Museum because I had a work function to attend and we got a private, as in we went places the public can't even go, tour of the Spruce Goose?)

We'll see.

Welcome to our blog! To start I'm going to post some pictures and history. So sit back relax and enjoy!