1 Lap + Lots of Hair = Unconditional Love

One of Colin's favorite things is to jump on my lap and insist on being petted when I am sitting at the computer. Most of the time, it is when I am trying to type something. Today, I was only catching up on reading some blogs and so I could give him a little bit of the attention he was craving.

I love these spontaneous moments. Colin is not a cuddly cat the majority of the time and I guess that's what makes moments like these so special. My camera happened to be on the desk in front of me, so I decided to try and capture the sweetness. I was a little worried about the low light, but the light from the monitor was just enough.

I love the way a little thing like a cat cuddle can completely brighten the day.

Happy Love Thursday.

Happy Anniversary, Hon

Dear Dave,

I can't believe it's been three years already. Where did the time go? Three years ago today, I was getting ready to climb a mountain in a long white dress and white Nike's so we could pledge ourselves to one another in front of all of our family and close friends. And now, three years later, we are still going strong. Amazing, huh? I think so. I feel so lucky to have met you and I am grateful that you are such a huge part of my life. I know for a fact that the ride has gotten a lot more interesting and fun with you right here beside me. And what a wild ride it's been!

In the last three years, we have:

1) Learned how to pick our battles. Though I can't say we never fight, I think we have learned to fight graciously and fairly. We are comfortable enough with each other that we seldom hold anything back and we never hold a grudge. Or go to bed mad. I think it's because we usually forget what the argument was about five minutes after having it.

2) Learned that humor - the ability to laugh at ourselves and each other - is one of the necessary components of our relationship. Since you have come into my life, I have laughed more than I ever thought possible. You are such a joker and I love that about you. I love our shared jokes, the ones that no one else gets but us. And I love that you have ended arguments by forcing me to clear the room to avoid the stench emanating from your rear-end. Dude, that shit STINKS.

3) Learned how to be comfortable with one another. And that comfortable doesn't necessarily mean boring.

4) Learned how to work as a team. We've tiled together. We've painted together. We've learned how to ride motorcycles together. We clean house together. We take turns feeding the animals. I love that we have learned to share the load...to help each other shoulder the burdens that are a part of life. I can't wait to have children with you because I know we will do well raising them as a team.

5) Discovered that it's okay to need a little bit of time apart. We have our own interests, separate from us, and I think that is awesome. And you are awesome because you know that sometimes, I need my space. And I love you so much for that.

Oh, there is so much more we have learned and done together and I know there is more to come. And I can't wait to see what the future brings. I love you, hon. Thank you for being you, the light of my life.

Love,

Chelle

It's all good

Happy Easter, everyone! Or Day-After-Easter, as the case may be. It has been a busy weekend and the good news is it isn't over yet. I am taking a mental health day (otherwise known as a sick day off from work when you are feeling perfectly fine) and the day is just full of endless possibilities. I think I'll do a little gardening and let my otherwise indoor cats run around outside for a little while. Dave is also home, so we are going to go register the motorcycles and maybe have a nice lunch together. I love three-day weekends, and I just don't get them anymore with this current job.

So, let me fill you in on everything that has happened in the last few days!

1) I got to leave 40 whole minutes early on Friday so I could get a jump-start on my Easter weekend. Don't I work for a great company?! I came home and immediately practiced on the motorcycle all by myself for about an hour. My confidence has improved greatly and I am finally getting excited about going on an actual ride outside of the safety of my neighborhood.

2) We got up early on Saturday and packed up a bunch of Dave's tools and a wheelbarrow to go help with the Cabbagetown Community Cleanup. We got to the spot where we were supposed to meet-up with the organizers, and it was absolute chaos. There was no parking, so cars were parking along the streets, turning two-ways into one-ways, but the traffic was still coming from both directions. We ended up stuck a couple of times, we parked somewhere we were told we weren't allowed to park, and Dave didn't want to park a distance from the meeting place and walk because he was afraid his tools would get stolen. We kept circling until Dave finally ran over a hole in the road that ended up having screws in it which pierced his rear tire in two locations. At that point, I made the executive decision to abandon our attempt at volunteering, so we could go take care of the tire situation instead. Oh well, we tried!

3) The remainder of Saturday was spent cleaning house. Boring, but necessary. I kicked the cats outside while I swept the floors and at one point, my house was completely empty of all animals. Well, except for Dave.

4) Sunday was Easter and Dave volunteered us for two things. The first was a motorcycle ride to Lake Jackson (thirty miles away!) with my dad and the second was Easter dinner with my dad and his family. The motorcycle ride was going so well! We made it to the lake in about 40 minutes and I really felt like I knew what I was doing. Until the ride back. For some reason, Dad was pushing speed around some of the turns and I ended up dumping the bike...again. But this time, going kinda fast. The good news is I am fine! Not even a bruise, which I find highly disappointing. The bad news is, Stella did not fare as well, and she will now require a new set of handlebars, a new headlight, and a new left rear shock. Also, she is going to require some cosmetic surgery at some point. But not until I know what I am doing. Poor Stella. She is not quite so shiny anymore. She's tough, though. I was able to ride her home, even though she was banged up pretty bad.

(On a side not: my guardian angel should get a bonus this month. She didn't even get the Easter holiday off.)

Dinner at dad's went well, though it is that polite type of chit-chat that is typical of any event that includes my stepmother and stepsister. I feel so different than those two that I really don't ever know what to say. And my dad just sits there, letting them dominate the conversation. He is a lot more fun without them around. I remarked to Dave after dinner, that he would really have made a better big brother than a father. He is not very paternal. He acts like he has something to prove, like a big brother. He was driving too fast around that curve and I guess he didn't realize that stupid me was trying to keep up. He kept saying it was his fault I fell, and I kept saying, "no, it wasn't," but a tiny bit of me thinks that "yes, yes it was" since I had never been out of the neighborhood on a ride before today. I keep having to remind myself that I am Inexperienced. Obviously, I have to remind my dad, as well.

I just had a cat (Colin) crawl into my lap, so there goes typing. And, it is time to find something to eat.

Up in the air

This weekend is Easter. And Dave and I have no plans to do anything other than just spend time together. We may ride bikes, though I really wish we could find somewhere nearby where there is little to no traffic. I am getting better, but I have a long way to go until I am comfortable riding on my own.

Remember those tornadoes that hit downtown Atlanta last weekend? We were very lucky that they did not affect us at all, but they hit pretty close to us, about twenty miles north of our house, to be exact. This weekend several of the areas that were hit are staging community clean-ups. I would like to volunteer Dave and myself for the Cabbagetown Community Clean-up this Saturday. I need to discuss it with him, but I think that would be the perfect way to celebrate the Easter holiday. Dave has a chainsaw and a truck (and the muscle) and I can pick up trash or do smallish repairs for someone who needs them.

Tomorrow is Good Friday and a holiday for a lot of people I know. Not for me, unfortunately. One of the disappointing things about this job is the lack of time-off. I get no other holidays off, other than Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, and New Years Day. Dave, on the other hand, gets to count every holiday and even if he is scheduled to work on a holiday, he gets double the pay. Dave's family is getting together for Easter and I would love to suggest that we go. But a part of me wants to have a quiet weekend, since we've been so busy lately. We will be heading up to PA in August for the wedding of one of Dave's good friends, but that seems really far away right now. We go to my mom's house so often, that I start to feel a little guilty that we don't live closer to Dave's parents. Also, next weekend is a Scottish Games in Mint Hill, North Carolina, so we'll be traveling fools once again. I am looking forward to the traveling part, but all of the Scottish Games start to blend together after awhile. I am left to pretty much fend for myself while Dave is competing on the athletic field. The competitions take all day, so I only get to talk to him when they take a break. It would be a little easier if I had someone there to hang out with while he's competing. We will probably be taking the dogs, so at least I will have them to keep me busy!

I just reread what I have written and I think I am being a little bit whiny today. Hopefully, a walk in the beautiful sunshine during my lunch break will be just the pick-me-up I seem to be needing! And it's the first day of Spring. That alone makes me very happy.

In which I anger the locals

by displaying this on my vehicle:











The rivalry between Florida and Georgia is so intense, that now lawmakers are trying to take away my shiny, new UF tag:

House votes to stop out-of-state college plates

By BEN SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Published on: 02/21/08

Georgia House members dumped two things off their plates Thursday: Gators and Tigers.

In a 142 to 10 vote, the chamber voted to stop making out-of-state university mascot tags if neighboring states don't return the favor.

"Whatever is good for the goose is good for the gander," said state Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem), speaking with great earnestness on the matter.

Fleming was really talking about Bulldogs. He and the vast majority of his House colleagues think the citizens of the Bulldog nation living in South Carolina, Alabama and Florida, should get mascot tags of their own in those states.

After all, the state of Georgia offers Clemson and Auburn Tiger tags along with those for Florida alumni living in the Peach State.

The Gators fans' response to the House vote was essentially: Grow up.

"Now this is really a joke, isn't it?" said Martha Smith of Norcross. "I've never heard of anything so infantile in my entire life."

Smith, a Georgia Gator tag purchaser said she worked in the University of Florida's athletics department in the 1970s and has a son who attended the institution.

Under the bill, Smith won't have to give up her tag until it needs to be replaced. For Gator alumnus Greg Grillo of Alpharetta, that could be as early as August.

Grillo said he wouldn't be surprised if the Florida Legislature asked for some reciprocity from Georgia on another issue.

Said Grillo, "I heard the Florida Legislature told Georgia to pound salt unless they would allow for Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia."

As of right now, I can only keep my Gator plate until I need to renew in December. Georgia is just determined to continuously irritate me and this is only one more reason why I need to move somewhere else. That, and the law that bans alcohol sales on Sundays. Oh, Florida, how I miss you!