what i did today

On Valentine’s Day the longest married couple (80 YEARS!) did a few Q&A’s on Twitter.  I thought it was worth sharing.  At 11 years of marriage, we’re probably clueless, but I added a few reactions under a few of them.

Q1 @AdrienneAtSlu What made you realize that you could spend the rest of your lives together? Were you scared at all?

A1 With each day that passed, our relationship was more solid and secure.Divorce was NEVER an option – or even a thought

Yes!  We’re tracking with this.  I don’t even like to say the D word around here!

Q2 @jessbess77 How did you know your spouse was the right one for you?

A2 We grew up together & were best friends before we married. A friend is for life – our marriage has lasted a lifetime

Q3 @SeanCPow Is there anything you would do differently after more than 80 years of marriage?

A3 We wouldn’t change a thing.There’s no secret to our marriage, we just did what was needed for each other & our family

Q4 @LaurenHuston What is your advice to someone who is trying to keep the faith that Mr. Right is really out there?

A4 Zelmyra: Mine was just around the corner!He is never too far away, so keep the faith – when you meet him, you’ll know

Totally agree…you just know.

Q5 @caresseaudra What was the best piece of marriage advice you ever received?

A5 Respect, support & communicate with each other.Be faithful, honest & true.Love each other with ALL of your heart

Honesty!!!  Communicate!!!  Respect!!! Yes to all of these!

Q6 @Miss_Ink What are the most important attributes of a good spouse?

A6 A hard worker & good provider.The 1920s were hard,but Herbert wanted & provided the best for us.I married a good man!

I agree!  I have a hard worker and good provider too!

Q7 @MJordanD What is your best Valentine’s Day memory?

A7 Z I cook dinner EVERY day.Herbert left work early & surprised me – he cooked dinner for me! He is a VERY good cook!

A7 H: I said that I was going to cook dinner for her & she could relax – the look on her face & clean plate made my day!

Q8 @LidiaAnain You got married very young – how did u both manage to grow as individuals yet not grow apart as a couple?

A8 “Everyone who plants a seed & harvests the crop celebrates together” We are individuals, but accomplish more together

I love this.  Turn “me” into “we”!

Q9 @twishart What is your fondest memory of your 85-year marriage?

A9 Our legacy: 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

Interesting to think about as we are just starting this legacy!

Q10 @MidwestPhoto Does communicating get easier with time? How do you keep your patience?

A10 The children are grown, so we talk more now. We can enjoy our time on the porch or our rocking chairs – together.

Q11 @ingwtg How did you cope when you had to be physically separated for long periods of time?

A11 H: We were apart for 2 months when Z was hospitalized with our 5th child. It was the most difficult time of my life

A11 contd: Zelmyra’s mother helped me with the house and the other children, otherwise I would have lost my mind.

Q12 @KindraTaylor At the end of bad relationship day, what is the most important thing to remind yourselves?

A12 Remember marriage is not a contest – never keep a score. God has put the two of you together on the same team to win

Forgiveness is key!

Q13 @jar556 Is fighting important?

A13 NEVER physically! Agree that it’s okay to disagree, & fight for what really matters. Learn to bend – not break!

Q14 @thewordwire What’s the one thing you have in common that transcends everything else?

A14 We are both Christians & believe in God.Marriage is a commitment to the Lord.We pray with & for each other every day

Amen and amen!

We had quite the eventful Valentine’s Day weekend.

Friday it snowed 4-5”.  It was the girls weekend with Scott’s parents so Scott and I got out just as it was starting to accumulate.  By the time we left their house, we ran into several cars that were in a ditch or trying to head towards one.  Scott had his truck so we (which I use loosely because really all I did was take pictures and tweet the stops) stopped and helped who we could.  We spent a little bit of time with Jake and Jill (and the baby!) before heading home.

Saturday we went shopping up at Concord Mills since I had to go drop my ring off for repairs.  We got back in time for the girls to go to Parents’ Night Out at gymnastics while we went out for a Valentine’s Day dinner with Dani, David, Wayne and Joni. 

Here’s a few pictures of us from that:

And we tried

and tried

and tried

and really tried

and really, really tried

to get a good picture.  But Scott for some reason was ultra-sensitive to the flash.  I promise he hadn’t been drinking!

While we were busy eating, Lexi sustained her first injury at gymnastics

Apparently she did a face-plant into the trampoline and had some burns.  She said she didn’t cry though!

Sunday we went to church. ate at Mom and Dad’s, spent some time at Scott’s parents and then spent the rest of the day at home.  It was a nice quiet evening to finish our busy weekend.

In the past two days, I’ve worked 18 hours, 3 of which occurred between 3:30 and 6am last night.  We finally implemented some systems that we’ve been working on since my visit to Indianapolis last Spring.  The last three days have been an orchestration of probably 20 or more people and at least 50 different tasks, several of which I was assigned to or had to coordinate.  And it’s been nothing but geeky computer stuff filled with acronyms…DTS, FTP, NDM, G2, PROC, and the list goes on.

I got done with work about 4 this afternoon and then this evening was happy to get out with Heather and spend the evening at a VIP event at a local restaurant we were invited to.  Free food!  Imagine the place a little like a mix between Applebee’s and possibly Hooter’s (in that they had short shorts, not little tops).  There was music playing and a full house because of the event and TVs going.  In short, it was a little hard to hear.

We’re nearing the end of dinner and Heather asks for our waitress’s name and after she (Katie) leaves she looks at me and says something but I didn’t catch the whole thing.  I heard something like “Y or I E” but asked her to repeat it.  She says the same thing and I still have this really confused look on my face.  I lean way over the table, right in her face.  Heather rolls her eyes and I ask her to say it one more time.  So Heather slowly and loudly says it again but I only catch the end.  So I say still confused, “It sounds like you’re saying Y or I. E.” She yells, “I AM!  I WONDER IF HER NAME IS SPELLED WITH A Y or IE!!”   I bust out laughing, barely able to swallow my food and once composed enough explain that I THOUGHT she was trying to say something about the “YMCA or Internet Explorer” using the “Y or IE” acronyms and couldn’t possibly grasp why they would be used in the same sentence.

#imadork

also

#ineedsleep

1 – My ring

I lost another diamond in my ring today.  Third one since I’ve had it.  I enjoy the cluster of diamond versus one diamond but it sure has been a pain in the neck for the 18 months I’ve had this one.  Thankfully it’s all covered under guarantee. 

I can’t help but laugh when I see it though because it makes me thing of this:

2 – My butt muscles are sore from my run yesterday.  Anyone know any good stretches?

3 – The tooth fairy is officially dead at my house.  In the car yesterday:

Lexi: I believe in Santa, God and Jesus

Emma: Do you believe in the Tooth Fairy?

Lexi: Yes

Emma: Well she’s not real.

Lexi: Well, how does the money get there?

Emma: Mommy and Daddy put it there

Lexi: Oh.

So that’s done.  That’s what big sisters are for I guess.  Still so tempted to say the same goes for Santa but something stopped me.  Not sure why.

For those that like getting a glimpse of every day life around here, this one’s for you…

The three day weekend was just what I needed.  While I spent a lot of time doing some great things, it definitely wasn’t a sit on my duff kind of weekend.

Friday Scott’s nephew’s girlfriend had a baby so we got to go see her Friday evening.  We went out afterwards with Scott’s family and then ended the evening by watching another disc of Lost DVDs after the girls went to Scott’s parents for the night.

Saturday we…um…I don’t recall Saturday morning.  Oh!  I do recall that I got up really early and was ready by 9am.  I cleaned up, did some laundry and worked on the new site.  In the afternoon Jill and I went to see Sherlock Holmes.  Great, great movie.  I was a little hesitant throughout because they were showing so much sorcery but *SPOILER*  it turned out to NOT be sorcery and Sherlock Holmes figured out by the end of the movie how it all happened.  Saturday evening we stayed in and did breakfast for dinner.  I made The Pioneer Woman’s sour pancakes and marmalade muffins (along with eggs and bacon of course).  Scott and I ended the night with Dollhouse on DVR and the Suze Orman show.

Sunday we had a great morning at North Rock Hill.  Definitely check out the podcast if you are interested.  It’s one of those sermons that I think everyone can take something from.  We had my family over for lunch instead of going out.  Scott and I went on a run together in the park in the afternoon.  I realized just how slow I was running…Scott walked with me at one point.  But that’s ok!  I can get faster later.  Last night I made The Pioneer Woman’s biscuits and ranch dressing…but not together!  The biscuits are actually on my do not make again list 🙁  They just weren’t the type I like.  The ranch dressing is not the one I’ve been searching for but it’s good and I expect to make it again.  Beyond that, we ate in and just spent time together.

This morning after getting up and around, the girls and I headed to the store.  We got back and made mocha brownies and chicken pot pie (Do I even need to mention they are The Pioneer Woman’s?) in between getting some much needed outside play time.   My family ended up coming over just because we had a half a pie left over and I had to get someone else to taste it because it all was SO good.   It’s been a busy evening with One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected (WATCH THAT SHOW! IT WAS FABULOUS!) and unfortunately I’m ending the weekend on a very tired note!  Very tired but very good!

On a side note I just have to mention how much I’ve enjoyed cooking lately if you can’t tell.  Scott and I both agreed to quit eating out so much in the new year and normally it is so tough for me to cook.  Not that I can’t, I just usually am not enthused about what I’m cooking.  Since finding The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process.  Finally I don’t mind eating what I’ve cooked.  The recipes have very normal ingredients, the steps are easy to follow and the book itself is just fun to look at and pick recipes from.  The food is rich and just GOOD. I really think Ree and I have the same taste buds!  The book is only so big so I don’t know how soon I’ll tire of the recipes but it sure is fun taste testing so much great stuff in the mean time.

Anyway, I guess it’s back to school and work tomorrow.  Hopefully I won’t be dragging too much considering how late it is right now!