Flying the Friendly Skies 2

Read Flying the Friendly Skies 1

Michael and I sat across the aisle from one another on our flight into Sacramento. I was resting my eyes as we prepared to land when I heard the flight attendant say to Michael, “You look way too young to be married!” She had noticed his wedding ring.

“Oh, well how old do you have to be?” Michael replies.

“I don’t know, at least 25 or 26. How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“Oh my gosh, you don’t look thirty at all!” Michael smiles, revealing the very dimples that often instigate comments like these.

“Guess how long we’ve been married?” I pipe in from across the aisle, thinking this will impress her even more.

She just laughs. Ha ha ha ha. I ask again, thinking maybe she didn’t hear me over the noise of the landing gear descending. More awkward laughter. I’m confused until I realize she thinks I am joking. Like, “Yeah right, sister, you wish.” Soon realizing her error, she stammers, “Oh, you two really are married!”

How embarrassing. So is it that I look way too old for Michael, or he looks way too young for me? I think I’ll try to look at it that way, like I snagged a hot younger guy, way to go me.

But then I realize it likely has nothing to do with age, but maybe appearance? Are we a mismatch? Or it could be the fact that we weren’t sitting right next to each other. Yes, that must be it. Except now, the friendly male flight attendant has joined in the conversation, and, much to my dismay, I soon realize where this is going.

“You know who you look like?” he gushes to Michael.

“Ummm …”

“Leonardo DiCaprio!” he declares with vigor.

The she-attendant asks Michael to remove his sunglasses and hat so she can inspect this assertion. Of course, she concurs with he-attendant’s discovery and then it is 10 minutes of nervous giggles and admiration, as if it were Leo himself sitting there.

I will admit, this is not the first time we’ve been through a similar situation. This happens quite often, although it was far more frequent in the faux-twins’ (Michael/Leo’s) younger days. When we were about 18 and Romeo and Juliet had just come out, Michael was a near dead-ringer for Romeo, and was regularly approached by giggling teens, and even asked for autographs. Oh, and then Titanic came out, and Michael may as well have been the King of the World.

But this was the first time all the attention made me feel a bit self-conscious. As if these stewards of the sky were secretly trying to hint to Michael (from behind the bulkhead wall that was only partially protecting them from my view), “Pssst, hey, you could be a MOVIE STAR, what are you doing with her?!!” Accompanied by raised eyebrows and a not-very-sly head tilt in my direction.

By this point, Michael was more embarrassed than I think I’ve ever seen him. And I had shrunk down in my seat a little as well. We barely escaped the plane with our dignity, practically running from the other passengers who had now joined in the revelry. We made it safely to the baggage claim area and sat down to wait for our luggage. About two minutes later, he- and she-attendants come walking our way, joined now by the pilots and another attendant. “Hey Leo!” They all shout across the crowded lobby, stars in their eyes. “Can I have your autograph?” Fits of laughter. “Oh my gosh, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio!”

Oh my gosh, mortification. Ah, well, such is life with a movie star by your side. Now, where is that limo to pick us up?

Get a Move On

I am that girl. She who makes promises then doesn’t deliver. I dislike that girl. What’s even worse than me not blogging the way I should is the fact that MichaelandSharon.com was actually down for 5 whole days. So, an apology to my three readers (up 50 percent!) if you were checking for updates on the move. But needless to say, we were busy moving, and not busy blogging. Plus, our website is actually hosted from our house, so when the server was in transit and disconnected, so was the site.

But anyway, we are all moved in to the new house! By moved in, I mean our stuff is physically moved out of the Del Valle (ghetto) house and into the new (beautiful) Elgin house. Just don’t ask me to find anything in the 3100 square foot expanse of space that makes our voices echo. We almost need Garmin Electra to get us around. So far, the only things I’m sure of are where our computers are, the coffee grinder and maker, my ice packs and meds, and Bear’s toys. Finding everything else is of little significance at the moment (in fact as I write this, we are 1600 miles away from all that unpacking ... more on that in a bit!).

This week of moving and all the little details that go with it will certainly go down in the old memory book hall of fame. Our lovely friend Bob came out for a week to join in all the fun that moving entails. Fully appreciating our best friend’s strength and military-worthy work ethic, we may have over-estimated our joint abilities just a bit too much. Looking back now, I realize with regret and muscles so sore I can barely squat to pee, we should have hired help. “Two Guys and a Truck” is a catchy slogan for a local moving company, but it is really not reasonable and I don’t recommend trying it.

Michael and Bob (with major assistance from my mama and minor assistance from my dad and me and our retarded backs) moved all of our belongings, and some of my parents’. Earlier in the week they moved well over 4,000 pounds of slate tile, hung blinds in all 28 windows, and picked up my gargantuan new washer and dryer, among other chores.

Part of our belongings Michael and Bob moved by themselves included my upright piano (approx weight: 479 pounds) and our 36” TV while inside the entertainment center (total weight approx 502 back-breaking pounds). Are you impressed with them yet or what? This includes going up and down the steep 10 foot ramp into the truck.

I was fully prepared to offer my piano a beautifully moving eulogy as I imagined laying her to rest after she shattered all over the driveway. But she emerged in all her lacquered glory, unscathed and ready to play (after a good tune-up, anyway).

You may have seen those “forearm forklifts” in the pictures (the bright orange straps they are wearing around their wrists). Those proved to be worth every cent of the $24.95 plus shipping and handling we spent on them. So I would recommend those for you the next time you move, but of course you will need more than one set as you will not have just Two Guys and a Truck.

-- Gallery Photos of the Move Here --

An End to the Strike

So my body has been on writer's strike pretty much since we got back from Maui. I apologize for the lack of posts, but seriously, I was being threatened on my way to cross the picket line, and was barely able to get those last few posts and pictures up there - what with all the boos and hissing.

Ok, I guess I'm just saying I haven't felt up to posting, and I hope you will forgive me.

Especially since it was my big birthday! I had planned to just let it pass by unnoticed, partly because I'm in denial about hitting 3 decades, but also 'cause I'm just not that into my birthday. Nevertheless, friends and family appeared from all over, and I had a wonderful week and felt very blessed.

I'll explain how the week went. I got something in the mail just about every day. A card from the grandparents (thanks for the $$!). My candy bouquet from the girls. A card signed by many friends back home. A lollipop bouquet from Jess & Paul. A real bouquet from Michael & Bear. Then it was actually my birthday. We worked all day then Michael took me out for Sushi (the best in Austin!). By this point I had heard rumors of a video, but didn't know what to expect.


Then on Friday, I learned that it was U2 who had filmed me a wonderful video, in 3-D no less! What a kind gesture from my favorite band. We joined a few hundred others at the IMAX to enjoy it (I highly recommend you go see this show!).

On Saturday, we went out with my family here to celebrate at dinner. Mom and Dad gave me some $ (thank you!) and a few cool items you can check out when you come to visit. Anna got me a one-hour massage (I'm always talking about wanting massages, I just love it!).

So after dinner, we came back to our humble abode for some birthday cake. That's when I finally got to watch The Video. Nothing could have prepared me for seeing all those sweet faces on my tv screen. I just can't even tell you how much I appreciated all the work that went into that. Especially from Jess for coordinating everyone, and Michael who edited it all together in the midst of a very busy week full of deadlines!

Thank you again!

The last event of the evening was Michael lugging in his gift for me. It was .... (drum roll) .... a MASSAGE TABLE. Like the kind you lay on when you get a massage. With the toilet-bowl-shaped headrest and everything. Only Michael would think of an idea like this! I'm always begging him to rub my back because I constantly have knots and muscle spasms from my unique brand of retardedness, and he's always willing to help a girl out, but it's uncomfortable for him to kneel by the bed or couch, and he doesn't really know what he's doing.

So he decided if we had a real place to do it, he would learn some techniques, and this would be his gift. Can you believe that? I just LOVE MY MAN.

So last week we ordered a video on Netflix called "Massage Your Mate". Don't worry, nothing even remotely questionable about this video except for the high-tops, leg warmers, jazz music, and 80s hair. But he's learned a lot already, and I've already had a half dozen massages.

My birthday week didn't end after that. I still got another gift (massage-related!) from Jess & Paul in the mail, and a unique set of gifts that only crazy cousin Sarah could give (thanks for everything!).

Ok, so this post should catch you up on all the news about my birthday week. Now we once again return you to your regularly scheduled blogs.

Wow, what can I say?

Seriously, what can I say? There are many people out there who deserve such a wonderful keepsake as this (see the video Michael posted below), but I wouldn't consider myself to be one of them in a million years! What a huge surprise and honor. I managed to see over 40 of the people I love for my birthday, without having to travel from my living room. THANK YOU to everyone who took part! You are all so special to me and I will treasure this for a lifetime. I love you all.

... in order of appearance (in case you're curious, and and in case you watched all 20 minutes :)

• Grandma & Grandpa Rau - Michael's (and my) beloved Grandparents
• Jim Black - Our good friend for many years
• Paul Bernstein - My brother-in-law
• Patty Spears - My good friend from high school
• Scott Mehren - Our friend from One Life (and our tax guy :)
• Shawna Smith - Michael's (very pregnant) sister
• Paul - Again, sheesh, can't get away from this guy
• Maddy & Gabby Mehren (Scott & Jill's beautiful girls); Jordan Bowman (adorable son of Eric & Lisa Bowman) in the background
• Mom & Dad Matthew (My adopted parents)
• Stephanie and Bryce - Nick Ikeda's son
• Summer Ward - My good friend from high school
• Wally Beck - From One Life
  
• Aunt Stacey & doggie Jodi - Michael's mom's sister
  
• Jenee Watts - My good friend from grade school!!
• Anna Barber - My beautiful sis
• Duncan Elledge - Musically gifted one-of-a-kind friend from One Life
• Jamie Owens - Michael's cousin (and Logan's mommy)
• Jess Bernstein - My other beautiful 'sis who had a major role in orchestrating all of this!
• Jerimy (and stuffed friend) - Our great friend from high school that we visit in LA often
  
• One Life Worship Team - Paul, Jess, Duncan, Nick, Scott, Eric, Gabby & Maddy, Jill, and Roy (I think?)
  
• Mom & Dad Barber - How much more adorable could they be? Only loving parents can brag on their kids like this. I love you two so much!
  
• Whitney Bingham - My good friend from high school
• Logan Chase (my nephew); Grandma & Grandpa; and a beautiful singing voice belonging to my mom-in-love
  
• Anna - cheerleader :)
• Paul - again ...
• Becky & Vicky - One Life
• Stephanie & Bryce - One Life
• Chrissy Udoffia & Cade - My good friend from high school and her third-born (soon to be not-the-youngest anymore!)
  
• Mona Bass - From One Life
• Nick Ikeda - From One Life band
  
• Walt Dobrowski - One Life (and Hissites.com)
• Jenee with Kylee and Talyor - Her beautiful girls!
• Troy Dean, Eric Bowman & Michael Bass - Pastor and Friends at One Life
• Make-out session (!) - Close your eyes, parents
  
• Bob Sherwood - Best friend of Michael (and me) since 1991
• Eric Maddox - My great friend for many years
  
• Shawn Sutton - Another great friend for many years
  
• Michael - Love of my life - thank you for putting this all together for me
  
• Bear - My favorite doggie and second love of my life

I've watched it three times already, but I hope I didn't miss anyone!

Thanks again, my friends.

Bear's Beautiful

Bear liked his dad's new haircut so much he asked if we would give him a nice grooming for the New Year. This was on Sunday - yes we are wearing shorts and swimsuits - it was over 80 degrees outside and beautiful.

But not as beautiful as Bear.

We have two sets of clippers so we can do the job in half the time. I am usually in charge of styling his bangs and business end, while Michael grooms his body and feet. Thought you might find it amusing.

Our Weekend in LA

We started Saturday with breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Redondo Beach where I gorged on a childhood favorite, Dutch Babies. There is just no other breakfast concoction quite like it.

We walked around our old favorite beach, then had dinner at our other favorite, Hennessy's Irish Pub (what else?). After that, it was more Rock Band at Jer & Roseanne's place. Rock Band makes Guitar Hero feel like its roadie. GH wants to be as cool, but it just can't be. You can play drums, sing and play guitar all together - like a real band! It's so much fun.

On Sunday, we were taken to the Beverly Center mall, an experience all it's own. Everyone is there to be seen, just as much as to shop, it seems. People wear their wealth on their bodies, since they can't afford to own homes around here. It's a beautiful place though, even if I did lose count of all the Uggs by noon. The smog had cleared just enough for us to see the Hollywood sign, and almost all the way to down town, as we road the escalator down the mall's four flights of decadence.

The real highlight of the day was our first Brazilian BBQ experience in Beverly Hills. Jer had been trying to explain the sheer delight of this one-of-a-kind dining event, but even he couldn't do it justice. I'll borrow from the website of Fogo de Chao to describe it, as they do quite well:

"The dinner menu features unlimited servings of 15 different delectable cuts of fire-roasted meats, a sumptuous buffet of gourmet salads and fresh-cut vegetables, and a variety of Brazilian side dishes.

Each guest uses a two-sided disk to control the pace of their meal. The green side signals the Gaucho chefs to bring out skewers of sizzling fire-roasted meats to carve at the table. The red side indicates a stopping point. Turning back to green lets the Gaucho chefs know to start offering the meats again.

The traditional side dishes of warm cheese bread, fried bananas, crispy hot polenta and seasoned mashed potatoes are automatically brought to each table and replenished throughout the meal."

So basically, yeah, their chefs walk around with sizzling meats they slice fresh for you, whenever you want, and it's all-you-can-eat. Everything from filet mignon, to parmesan-crusted pork loin, to lamb chops. The "salad bar" rivaled any I've ever seen, and the flavors of everything were unique and delicious!

We were so deliriously enjoying everything we forgot to take many pictures. But anyway, look them up, it's something you should try at least once (and probably only once, since it is quite expensive!).

This was our birthday celebration for both Michael and Jer. (Jer turned 31 yesterday). What more could two boys ask for than unlimited fire-roasted meats! I mean seriously. It was crazy good.

Check out all the pics from this weekend. And yes, I'm sure you're wondering, we did each gain 10 pounds after feasting the way we did. But it was worth it.

Ode to LA

We arrived in Los Angeles at about 11:30 pm Sunday night. I think I'm just now caught up on my sleep. Michael's been working at his office here, and I've joined him the last two days. I've even got my own desk!

Garmin Electra has been faithfully guiding us around the city in all her British charm. She's so wonderful. I think I will write an Ode to Electra when the mood strikes. But for now, I'm too busy looking up all the cool information she has to share. And finding all of the nearby Starbucks at a moment's notice, just because I can. And because the number of Starbucks in a 10 mile radius is roughly 37 times that in Austin.

Unlike the past few times we've come down here during the winter, it is freezing this time! And to add to our already chilly disposition, we went to our first hockey game on Wednesday night. Hockey is such a peculiar sport! It is an usual combination of grace (gliding around the ice) and manliness (macho men repeatedly slamming one another against the glass, etc). Twice we saw players actually throw down their gloves before brawling - a timeless indication of an ensuing fight. Needless to say, it was totally entertaining.

We went to the Duck's game for Michael's work Christmas party. We got to hang out with the office staff and their spouses, and treat ourselves to endless snack bar concessions - after driving through an hour and a half of traffic on the 405 to get there, of course.

O, Los Angeles, how I've missed you. Your endless palm trees. Your sunny skies. Your rolling hills and dramatic elevations. Your shining beaches. Your glistening purple haze and smog. Your honking drivers. Your girls in Uggs of every color. Your guys in skinny rocker jeans and girlish haircuts.

Believe it or not, I love it all!

OnStar Officially Retires

My other gift for Michael's birthday was a GPS navigation system for the car. Indeed, I had a bit of a selfish motive, yet again. But really, OnStar was ready for retirement. My replacement - the Garmin, has proven to be quite a reputable source for calm and pleasant navigational coaching.

We've named her Garmin Electra, but sometimes we call her CarMan (which isn't very gender-sensitive, I know). She's British. Patient. Kind. Non-judgmental. When you make a wrong turn, she simply pauses, says "Recalculating ... " then adjusts her instructions to adapt to your own creative maneuvering. She doesn't ask questions for the next 10 minutes, such as "How could you miss that turn, we've been here like A MILLION TIMES!!"

This One Goes Out to the One I Love

Way back in July, I started thinking about what Michael might like for his 30th birthday. Anyone who knows us well would know that we typically don't buy gifts for each other. Somewhere around the 5th or 6th year of our relationship we decided it just brought unjustifiable stress, and was somewhat a waste of money to buy gifts "just because". So we sometimes treat ourselves to things we want (like a cruise, or guitar hero) as a way to commemorate a holiday or milestone.

But I felt like this was a monumental occasion, and I wanted to recognize it somehow. (Also, since I threw my (small) big sister a big shindig two years ago, I felt I had some minor expectations to live up to :)

I decided what Michael might like most is to see his Paul, since he gets lonely way out here without any guy friends around. So I got Michael Paul for his birthday. This gift meant Jess got to come along too, so I may have had some selfish motives. But this gift also meant that Jess and Paul got to come and see us in Austin, and celebrate both Michael's birthday and an early Christmas. So it was a win, win, win.

Last Thursday night (3 days before the actual big day) I told him my parents had a coupon for one of our favorite places and wanted to meet for dinner. When we arrived at the table, he saw the balloons and gifts, and was surprised. (Especially at the princess theme). Then a shaggy haired person came up and offered him a beer. That was when PB&J made their big appearance.

Watch the video (very grainy, so sorry!):



The rest of the night was filled with laughter and joy. It was really a memorable evening. View all the pictures here.

A big happy 30th birthday to the love of my life, Michael. You are my pride and joy, and seeing your happiness made me feel like it was my birthday.

I love you!

Safe and Sound Hounds

Shame on me for not updating you on our cruise sooner! All this build up to the big event, then nothing, for weeks! And here you were, worried this had happened to our ship.

It didn't, of course, cuz here we are, back in the blogosphere where we belong!

Our die-hard fans (hello you two!) have already seen the pictures on the gallery. For everyone else, a quick recap! We had a very wonderful and relaxing time. Unlike most of our trips this year, this was NOT a working vacation! While out at sea we never checked our email, and only received one business-related phone call. (But if you knew the caller, you'd know it was a miracle only one situation came up!)

We started the trip by driving to Galveston. The hotel we stayed at was very nice, and we had a room overlooking the beach. Without being too unfriendly, let me just say how much I miss California beaches. It also feels completely disconcerting that the sun does not set on the water. Makes for a totally different "sunset at the beach" experience.

Nevertheless, we boarded our boat the next day without incident. It was a huge ship and took us nearly the whole week just to figure out how to get around!

The first two days were out at sea while we traveled to the Caribbean. We soaked up a lot of sun, saw a few shows, ate a lot of food, and took a lot of naps. Seriously, that was one of the best parts.

Wednesday we arrived in Jamaica. The weather was perfect! We got on a catamaran that took us to a nice snorkeling spot. On the way, the crew gave us foot massages with fresh aloe vera. That was one of my other favorite parts of the trip. They dropped us off at the beach after that, and we did some more snorkeling. We got brave and walked a ways through the city to go to Margaritaville. It was scary, to say the least. People are very overbearing and it is crowded!

A storm came in the second half of the day, but we were already back on the ship, taking a nap, of course!

Thursday we arrived at Grand Cayman. The water was a startling shade of turquoise. We went snorkeling again and this time was probably the best. We saw the biggest fish we've ever seen, at least 4-5 feet long. They were tarpon, coming to feed, and scare little children. Feed on chum, not little children. We again went to the beach, had some fried calamari, then went back for more snorkeling. (See a theme yet?)

Friday we arrived in Cozumel. This was supposed to be the most amazing snorkeling tour, but it was unfortunately canceled as a big storm was rolling in. We trading that trip for a jeep tour around the island, including a different snorkeling stop! The jeep was fun, but it was kind of cold that day.

Saturday was the last day at sea. By this point we were ready to come home. We exhausted ourselves with all of the excursions, and trying to gorge on as much food as the days and our bellies would allow.

All in all, a very wonderful time. We arrived home to chilly and rainy weather. But lots of progress had been made on the home, so that warmed our spirits.

They've just finished texturing, and are getting ready to install baseboards, trim and doors. The outside is ready for brick but is waiting on something - subcontractors, I'm guessing.

It's been full speed ahead since we got back. Thanksgiving came and went so quickly I thought I might have been dreaming! We had a nice day at our makeshift home - eating lots of food, watching movies, playing games and guitar hero. I can't wait to have people over to our new house when it is finally done! We're aiming for March to be in. But I'm secretly hoping for February. We're more than half way there, and construction only began at the end of September.

You may have guessed our trip to Virginia to see Bob got canceled. His dad was in a car accident, broke his leg and needed surgery. So Bob flew home to take care of him. Please send big Bob your thoughts and prayers. He's recovering well.

So our last trip of 2007 is coming up next weekend when we leave for two weeks in LA. Work and play again.

By the way, we've finally gotten our business website live. It's funny how much a completed website changes people's view of what you do for a living. Suddenly you're the real thing, even though the IRS has known about you for years. Check it out! Oh, and do you need your own website? Because I happen to know a great team to help you ;)


Stay tuned for the newest feature coming soon, "Nothing but a Hound Blog!"

Web Hounds, out.

On the Road Again ...

Just returned from our second trip to Houston for Michael's work. We left Sunday afternoon, had a quick visit to the "urban lake" of the Woodlands and dinner at the outdoor mall (pictures). We also tested our new snorkeling gear at the hotel pool and it gets an A+!

Michael worked all day Monday and I, well, I shopped. Which was hard work in its own way since I had to hoof it around town with all of my treasures. That night we went downtown for dinner and some more walking. Burning the calories in preparation for a certain aquatic vacation soon to be upon us.

Houston pics at the gallery too. Also, a concert we went to last week. And cousin Sarah's baby shower. And, of course, the latest on the house.

Today, we met with our builder at the house to review our electrical plans. Thinking we'd be making final decisions before they began, we were surprised to see half the boxes and wires already placed and about a dozen workers making quick work of it all. I believe we've got all our wants and needs covered now though. Michael's ("shockingly") doing a lot of the installs after the house is built - mostly for budget-related purposes :) .

So, that's the latest on the house. They should be finishing up the roofing this week, and while we're on the road again (or, rather, the sea) next week they will start on drywall on the interior and brick and stone on the exterior. The progress is amazingly fast, much better than we hoped for.

Something's in the Water!

And I'm not talking about this (blechh!).

It appears we've reached that season in life where it seems like everyone we know is having babies! So I have a few announcements to make of my own ... regarding other people, of course ... just to keep y'all up to date, and because everybody loves baby pictures!!

You've already met Logan Chase (above), Michael's cousin Jamie's baby boy who was born last Spring. There are new pictures of him at the gallery. He is the very lucky first grandbaby on the Matthew side.


My cousin Luke (or Lucas by his wife, Kelly) had the first grandbaby on the Jolly/Barber side this summer. Ethan Michael was born August 4. (On the left with Mom Kelly).


Now, more news. Michael's cousin Sarah, who lives here in Austin, and her husband Michael, are expecting their first baby January 5th. They've chosen the name Alexis Micaela, and the baby shower is next Saturday. (If you are so inclined, might I point out she is registered at Target ;)

My friend, Stacey, is also expecting in early January. They are having a boy, whose name is tbd. ("To be determined", they are not actually naming him TBD, I think they are leaning toward Rocco.) She is registered at Babies 'r' Us. ;O) She lives in Colombia, but will be home to visit after the baby is born.

Finally, last but not least, Michael's sister Shawna and her husband Shane are expecting a baby boy! This came as such a surprise - and a bag of mixed emotions - for us. We are sooooo happy for them, but sooooo sad that we live so far away now. When we got the news, it took some time for us to come to terms with this part of our move here, that we would miss out on so much with our family. We hope to experience as much as possible, and be terrific long-distance-uncle-and-auntie. Shawna is due March 10, and we plan to get out there asap when she goes into labor, and stay for as long as possible after that. I really can't wait!!! More pictures of their "It's a Boy" celebration at the gallery along with Logan.


So, you ask (well everyone else always asks), when are we having babies of our own? Easy answer: well, it's obviously terribly trendy these days, so we'll just wait 'til we can bring it back into style, you know, like skinny jeans. I'm totally just kidding. We will have babies simply as soon as we can. No word on when that will be. And for now we are drinking store-bought water.

Back to Business as (un)Usual

Michael returned safe and sound from LA, at 1 am (so I guess that would be Monday morning). After a productive week of work, he was able to have some fun and some sun over the weekend.

Check out his photos here.

While he was gone, I went to the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens with my mom and dad. There we saw the most adorable butterfly! Gallery photos here.

As usual, I'm ecstatic that Michael is home and we're back to the old routine. We are busy planning a few more events, though, in addition to keeping an eye on the house.

Somehow our original plan to take one or two trips this year has turned into 10 or 12. It's been really fun, but traveling is exhausting too! We're going back to Houston again soon for a couple days, then we'll be leaving for our cruise mid-November, and we can hardly wait! We'll be back in time to celebrate Thanksgiving here. Then it's off to Virginia for a visit with Bob. After that we leave for two more weeks in LA. Michael has a lot of work to do out there for his company, and his boss is kind enough to fly me out too - mostly for Michael's morale (Ron says Michael will get more work done if he's not distracted by missing me too much; I very much like that reasoning).

After Christmas, we are going to Maui for a week with Michael's family. Then we will rest. I think.

Escape from Suburbia

"Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them."

-- Bill Vaughan

The "quote of the day" on my Google home page :)

Recognition

My recovery was going along just fine and dandy - when all of a sudden, one of my incisions decided to open up and expose itself to the world, like a grimy old man in a trench coat. This has not happened to me before (with the incision, nor being flashed by an old man), but apparently when you slice into a previously healed scar, the skin is less likely to close back up properly. I developed a minor surface infection which began causing all kinds of slime and gore in and around the wound. So bad, that I couldn't even bear to take a picture of it like I normally would to gross you out with.

I tell you all this only so I can brag about Michael, and give him the recognition he deserves for having to clean it out with peroxide three times a day for the past four days.

Michael --- who can't even go into the vet's office with me when Bear has blood drawn (after a near pass-out experience), and turns various shades of green when I have IVs inserted at the hospital --- stoically overcame his aversion to medically questionable situations and didn't even dry-heave as he watched the ooze bubble from the antiseptic.

Michael --- who set up this very sanitary cleansing station (and brought me the flowers!).

Michael --- my hero!

Recovery

Well, the latest round in my slice 'n' dice tour was Monday morning. I went under the knife once more to have my spinal cord stimulator ex-planted. The surgery went well; it was one of the easiest so far, and I was able to go home that evening. Now it's just some rest and lots of tv (hurray for the new fall season!) before life gets back to normal. I didn't tell a lot of people about this surgery (because let's be honest, it's getting a little old already!) but for people who knew, I thought you may appreciate the update.

Of course, I have my live-in nurse to take care of me and take over my chores for awhile (all while taking unflattering pictures of me).

And my other roommate and personal dishwasher (Anna), and my own personal chef and life coach (aka Mom & Dad ;) to get me through.

Life's not so bad.

Many Happy Returns

Here we go, we're returning to California for our second visit! We hadn't been planning on repeating a trip home so soon, but a couple of important events convinced us otherwise!

Our good friend Rory's wedding is this Saturday at his parents' amazing home in Foresthill. Michael is a groomsman. We met Rory's bride, Astrid, a year ago at Anna's going away party. She is a beautiful gal we'd love to get to know better. All I can say is Rory is a different person since having met her; I don't think I've ever seen him so happy, and obviously giddy in love. Congrats you two!

Sunday is our Grandma's 80th birthday party! Can't think of a better reason to come home and celebrate such a joyous occasion. We love you, Grandma.


So, we'll be in CA Thursday (Sept 13) through Sept 25. This time we're bringing along a surprise guest - ANNA! I hope we get a chance to see ya'll.

Road Warriors

Tuesday afternoon Michael and I packed up the Matrix and took off toward Houston. This was our first official "road trip" since moving here, and I have to say it was a little strange to take a trip like this that didn't involve I-5, the California coast, Reno or Tahoe.

But where we ended up was pretty unbelievable, and completely unexpected. The Woodlands is about 30 miles north of Houston, and to call it a Master-Planned community is simply an understatement. It was beautiful and classy, sort of Carmel meets Tahoe City. We loved it all, and we barely scratched the surface. And as usual, our pictures don't do it justice. Another new camera is coming soon, I can only hope.

[EDIT - Picture removed]

The only downside to the destination was that we were only there for about 24 hours. We went for Michael's work. His company just opened a satellite warehouse near the area, and he had to go set up the technical stuff. (That is the proper jargon, is it not?) I went along for the ride and the free hotel room, but mostly because OnStar was on duty yet again.

After a three hour road trip through the winding pine-tree lined roads of East Texas (via hwy 290) we arrived at our hotel. A quick trip down the street led us to the Town Center where we ate at The Cheesecake Factory.

The next morning, Michael went to work while I explored the shopping district which is made up two separate malls - indoor and out. And all so, so, so beautiful. I took a free trolley ride around the entire downtown area and got my own personalized tour from a very enthusiastic driver (I was the only person on the bus). After work, Michael joined me and we went to a real Irish pub that they say they actually brought over from Ireland - meaning the carpentry as well as some of the original carpenters, along with all of the authentic items inside. Of course, we had to have a Guinness.

The entire Town Center is surrounded by a man-made waterway which has water taxis running (well, slowly cruising) back and forth. We hopped on and got another tour. The area is still under construction, but already very impressive. I could easily spend a month there, or the rest of my life, if only I could afford it.

We drove by downtown Houston on our way home, so we saw the nighttime lights of the city, but didn't make any stops. The long and lonely I-10 was beckoning us into the darkness which would lead us to our home, far away. And driving down the road I got this feeling that I only left just yesterday ... yesterday... Country roads. Take me home.

We pulled in last night around 11 pm ... a mere 30 hours after we left, and 350 miles round trip.

More pictures for the people.

And the festivities continue all through the weekend

So we had a wonderful anniversary weekend, beginning last Thursday. We started off the day the way any couple would, really, with a visit to a surgeon to discuss removing my implants. 'What?!', you say? 'But they're hardly even noticeable!'

I know, I know, but they've been driving me crazy since the day I had them put in. And they really haven't given me the quality of life improvement I was hoping for. They may be small, but the battery pack and leads under the skin just rub me the wrong way. I'm talking of course about the spinal cord stimulator system that I had put in last year. I guess you would just call it one implant though I have two incisions for the two surgical sites. To put it mildly, it hasn't helped at all, so I've decided to have it taken out.

Anyway, back to the anniversary. You may remember we've booked a cruise in November as the actual celebration - a sort of commemorative trip, since that's what we did for our honeymoon. And the hurricanes should explain why we waited til November to travel to the Caribbean.

But it seemed a shame to let the occasion go without some type of celebration, so this weekend we thought we'd go out of town on a little mini-vacation. Only we really didn't feel like traveling since we have so many other trips going on this year. Instead, we stayed in downtown Austin, which turned out to be just perfect. A little "gettin' to know ya" for this new city we now call home.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on South Congress, Friday through Sunday. After letting them know it was our anniversary, we found ourselves in one of their best rooms - a corner suite with spectacular views of the city, Capitol building and river. The first night we enjoyed the hotel happy hour and reminisced about how we stayed at an Embassy Suites resort for our first anniversary - where I'm pretty sure I broke my butt by doing a canon ball into the shallow end of the pool. Ah, the memories. I kept the festivities under control at this happy hour though, and we didn't go swimming.

On Saturday we walked all around town, beginning with lunch at a new Irish pub we found in the warehouse district. Very enjoyable, but too dim to get any good pics. After that, we hiked the rest of the 14 blocks to the Capitol and enjoyed a self-guided tour like regular old tourists. That afternoon we did go swimming, sans canon balls.

Saturday night we hit the town. We started at the historic Driskill Hotel on Sixth Street. We enjoyed a piano concert in their lounge. Next, we went to the Speakeasy, back down in the warehouse district. This is our favorite find so far. There is a rooftop terrace, with a great view of the city and tons of big loungy couch-type seating with big pillows. Finally, we had a bite to eat at a place called Saba next to the Cedar Street Courtyard, where perhaps the best 80s cover band ever to play the earth was rockin' out, mullets blowing in the breeze of the fans on stage. By then it was midnight, a good two hours past our bedtime, so we called it a night.

Sunday we walked all around the retro shopping district on South Congress ("SoCo") and enjoyed another great band at an original coffee shop named Jo's. Can't recall the name of the band, but they were probably the best music we heard all weekend. We finished the day by visiting the legendary Whole Foods downtown, and having lunch at the Waterloo Ice House.

Ok, I'd say that's more documentation of a weekend than anyone would ever want or need. We had a lot of fun, but believe it or not, we're about to have an even better weekend coming up, because our best friend in the world - Bob Sherwood - is coming to visit. CAN'T WAIT!!

PICS FROM THIS WEEKEND AT THE GALLERY.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today is our 10th anniversary; our story has been 15 years in the making ... more than half our lives.

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share a little bit of our history, and I've been thinking about this posting for weeks. But what I've discovered is there is just way too much to share in one sitting (or in my case, standing). So for the next few weeks, I'd like to reminisce on our lives together. Not just me and Michael, but all of our friends and family as well who have helped shape the past 15 years.

Michael and I met in 1992, the summer before our Freshman year of high school. For some reason, I remember exactly what I was thinking the first time I saw him. It's permanently embedded in my memory, in a pretty blue color and very straight lines. Oh wait, I know why.


August 24, 1992. (Click the image to read, I'm very embarrassed but you are worth it, my faithful blog readers). I, in all of my 14-year old dramatic female angst, used to write journal entries on fancy binder paper from time to time, and yep - I still have a few. You just can't, like, make this stuff up. It's too rad. On an unrelated note, "Melissa" came to our wedding ... with her newborn baby. Oh, also for anyone who doesn't know - Michael went by Ryan (his middle name) when we met.

Michael (Ryan) and I grew up and dated in a time long before cel phones, email, or instant messaging (omg!). We lived far enough apart in those days to be "long distance", so we could rarely talk by phone because we couldn't afford the phone bill (you know, after we were old enough to have a job and such). So we wrote letters, all the time, and mailed them to each other. We spent hours drawing cute little pictures and telling each other how we were so mature, and how we would one day get married and live happily ever after. So because I love you all so much, and because I got his permission, here's a little tidbit from my future husband-to-be, dated August, 31 1993.


The memories we've created on paper are priceless to us. And I think I will share a few more with you over the next few weeks, along with some photos we've spent the past week scanning and cropping. Unfortunately, the first ten years of our relationship happened Before we had a Digital Camera (or what I call "B.D.C."). But much of the last five years has been documented on our gallery.

I don't know if this makes us narcissistic, to share so much that perhaps people don't really care about, but it seems we've just always been an open book, and it gives us great honor and pleasure to share our lives, and our home, with the people we love. So I hope you don't mind if I continue to document our past as well as our present and future. In any case, it's great for us to reminisce for the benefit of posterity. And it's easier than writing on binder paper.

*** You may want to take a break, go to the bathroom, get something to drink, this is a lot of stuff ***

To begin, we've posted 3 videos on YouTube that we made for our wedding. Keep in mind we shot these in 1997 - which meant filming actual photographs with a camera the size of a small coffee table, and manually recording them to the beat of our favorite songs of the time. In other words, it took days, and occasionally the pictures would fall down while we were filming but we were too tired and stressed out to care.

Part One is all of our baby and childhood photos, up until our first date at Freshman Homecoming, 1992. Parts Two and Three chronicle our dating years and high school life, up until our wedding photos. Caution: these videos are long and may be perceived as totally boring to anyone besides ourselves. Somehow we got away with showing all 15 minutes worth at our rehearsal dinner and at the wedding. I guess our obsession with sharing photos and personal information came long before michaelandsharon.com.

I've also posted pictures from our wedding and the preceding events on our gallery. If you promise to come back soon, I've got hundreds more photos of our friends and families to share, along with many more memories. It will just take some time, it's my anniversary, you know? We're headed out of town tomorrow for the weekend.

Anyway, it's been an awesome walk down memory lane at the Matthew house this week. We've realized how blessed we are to have all of you in our lives, many of you for the past 15 years or longer.

So Happy Anniversary, to all of us!


PS: It would mean the world to me if you would leave a comment to let us know you stopped by. You can even just say "present" or "was here" :) .