Sugar Added

The Postmodern Snowman

It’s snowing.

I have mixed feelings about snow. Certainly, it is cold, wet, and makes everything slippery. It slows traffic to a crawl, which means I cannot speed as much. In some cases, it builds up to such ridiculous levels that I am forced to spend hours shoveling it off of my rather long driveway just so I can get the car out and go to work. Doing pre-work in order to do more work is always disheartening, especially when the first work causes you to walk like a hunchback for the next few days. So I have some negative feelings about snow.

On the other hand, a good snow storm has two redeeming qualities. The first is obvious: snow looks pretty. I always like going out to get the paper on a snowy morning and seeing my front yard covered in a smooth layer of fluffy white. The sparkling radiance is always picturesque.

The second quality is more subtle. I first noticed it this afternoon as I shoved a shopping cart laden with bulk foods through a minor snowbank that had collected in the Costco parking lot. I noticed, as I approached my car, that I was experiencing a certain level of satisfaction because I was one of the few people out there braving the snow.

You see, snow has yet to be rendered completely inconsequential by modern technology in the way that heat, cold, famines, plagues, and other formerly common afflictions have been. That means that when it snows I, the Postmodern Suburban Man, get a rare chance to test my mettle against the raw forces of nature. I can pretend, for a moment, that there are several near-feral huskies struggling to pull my cart across the frozen tundra. That I am being pursued, not by the tenacious receipt checker lady, but by a half-starved polar bear who has come out of hibernation for a mid-winter snack. That, for a man whose main physical challenge is typing too much, is satisfying indeed.

So, while I dislike the inconvenience of snow, I have come to appreciate some of its finer qualities.

Glider

We got this glider from Craig’s List on Tuesday night. Sooo comfy.

What amazed me were three things:

1. Jason found it. (He remembered I love to rock and wanted one with padding.)

2. Jason called the woman about it. (He hates the phone!)

3. Jason was willing to drive 50 mins. each way to Avon to pick it up. (He is lazy after work, just like I am.)

What my boy will do for our baby and me. We do have a glider already, but it isn’t nearly as comfortable and doesn’t have armrest cushions. This is definitely so much better! Everyone needs a rocker!

Defining the Belly

This one’s for Michelle & Karon…

Is that better? Man I am really not into the side shots. I promise I won’t post these every week (this is week 22), but for those who demand more, you get more. And yes, in some shirts, you can see my expansion! For the most part, I just look thick around the middle. But it’s nice not to feel like I have to suck in - I can let it all hang out now, and dang that’s liberating!

When Life Gives You Lemons…

Throw them on the floor.

So I thought I’d make some lemon bars for the ward Valentine’s dance on Saturday. Big whoops - I somehow managed to forget that once you pull the pan of baked crust out of the oven and pour the lemony goo in, the pan remains HOT. Thus the shards of Pyrex all over my kitchen covered in sticky, would-be lemony goodness. Jason had gone to work at the Columbus temple (2 1/2 hrs away) so I was alone, which meant I could cry if I wanted to! And I haven’t stopped since, but for different only somewhat silly reasons I’d rather not elaborate on. Ah, pregnancy…

Anyway, I made it to the church to set up for our prom-y Valentine’s dance and was consoled by some very understanding moms. When I got back home, I decided that baking with glass again was not an option, so I went for the Jell-o pie with a pre-made crust. Beautiful.

Jason & I made it to the dance (wow I miss dancing with my roommates!) and my parents showed up as well. My dad can really make you feel like you know what you’re doing on the dance floor! We don’t do the “lift” as much anymore, and I’m sure baby Carr appreciates that. My favorite thing was that I fit into my dress and my tummy didn’t even really show!

My parents are so cute! This picture was taken after my dad informed us of exactly how many thousand days he and my mom have been married. Sorry, I can’t remember the number, but I’m sure if you call him up he can tell you in an instant!

A little bit of girly

So let’s be honest. Everything going on in my life is very girly. I’m pregnant with our first wee one (a boy!), just celebrated my birthday and Valentine’s Day on Thursday, and I happen to be… a girl. So please forgive me for the initial blatant femininity, but we’ve started this up at a very girly time for me! However, I’m assuming that about 85% of you are girls at this point, so I guess this fact won’t matter to many of you.

One of the presents I got on my birthday was for baby boy Carr. His auntie Heather (Jason’s sister) and uncle Mikey got him the cutest pair of Vans I’ve ever seen! For those of you who don’t know, this was a turning point for me as I realized that there are adorable things for boys to wear after all. All is not lost!

Other than that, my b-day/V-day was fabulous! Jason & I went all out for lunch and splurged at The Melting Pot. Two and a half hours of 4-course fondue bliss! Since we went out at lunch time, we practically had the whole restaurant to ourselves - very nice. My boss let me take off the rest of the day as well, so I got to clean and take a nap! Oh if every day could be so great. Then we opened presents when Jason came home from work (with 2 doz. roses in hand). Yeah, he has double duty on Feb. 14th! Some of our friends came over for cheesecake and Wii gaming.

Here’s the first “pregnant picture” I’ve taken - at 21 weeks. For those of you who don’t count in weeks either, that’s a little over 5 months, just over half-way there…I hope! Don’t look too hard, there’s nothing to see here (I’m told). I felt the baby a couple weeks ago, and so did Jason - so cool.

What the Heck We Are Talking About

This is a new blog and, as such, my wife and I have plans for it. If you direct yourself to our About page you might familiarize yourself with those plans. If you don’t feel like doing that, then here’s the summary: We’re going to write about ‘us’ and ’stuff’.

As you might imagine, the ‘us’ part of this blog will likely include stereotypical things such as, “We have jobs,” or, “Here we are on vacation,” or, “Holy cow! My wife is growing a new human”. So I’m sure you’ll enjoy that (especially if you actually know who we are).

Now, the ’stuff’ part of our plan is a little less clear. Fortunately, I have prepared an example. Let’s say that I was going to be a father in the near future. In that case I might provide you with some links to funny sites which relate directly to impending fatherhood. Like so: Do’s and don’ts with babies. If you thought that was absolutely hilarious (as I did) then you might like to know that those images came from a book made by Wry Baby (a company from which I plan to buy many things).

So, in my mind at least, that’s how it’s going to work around here. Some ‘us’. Some ’stuff’.