The Adventures of Joel and Matthew

Say that someone you knew went through your recycle bin without telling you... would you feel wierd when you found out? What would that person be looking for? Is there such thing as an undercover recycle police? I mean, I swear your honor, I only recycle products with the little recycle logo on it. I try to squish or fold down larger items to make room. And I promise that I don't throw regular trash into the recycle bin when I run out of room in the trash can (although I can't vouch for my husband). Anyways, I hope that I passed the recycle test... but please don't do that anymore, it makes me feel paranoid...

The Holidays have always been a joyful time of year for me... a magical time of imagination, anticipation, and of course, miracles. When I was a child, I would walk around with butterflies in my stomach as soon as the Thanksgiving table was cleared. I knew that there was so much to look forward to: nighttime church services full of lights and hope, Christmas break from school, and of course, presents (admit it, all children look forward to presents). My mom always put so much effort into making the holidays special for us, from decorating every square inch of our house with beautiful decorations, to Christmas cookies, to loading up the bases of TWO Christmas trees with beautifully wrapped presents. I only hope that I can inspire such joy and anticipation for my children, as my mother did for her children. Why is it that Christmas can lose its magic so easily when we become adults? Perhaps the worries of the years add up, and the mere volume of them makes it seem impossible to rid ...

We've just been busy.... Giving our little man kisses... hanging out with Grandma.... Cooking turkeys... Taking some much needed time off from work.... Cleaning the house... And helping out the local fire department... ...thanks for not being too angry about our lack of posts lately...

Apparently our television caught wind of my previous post and decided to stop working on Sunday in retribution for my ungratefulness. I am stubborn and refuse to buy a new television, so the television repair man is coming out here on Thursday.. I will let you know how it goes. I am not sorry for what I said, although I am sorry that I missed Desperate Housewives (don't tell our TV, but I did record it on DVR, so it will be waiting for me). I am also not sorry that Joel doesn't get to watch his morning cartoon, Johnny and the Sprites. It is a horrible show and I don't miss the creepiness of Johnny and his drug-induced hallucinations of random Sprites flying around his tree house. Joel and I are going to the library today and will soon be much smarter as a result of our television's protest.

I used to be confused when people would banish TV from their homes... like, what are you trying to hide from here? It's TV. It's totally just like real life! No, No, No. Now I am starting to see it from the other side. I am so upset and frustrated by how the media romanticizes teen pregnancy and single motherhood. They make it look like the only tough part of parenting is trying to figure out which adorable outfit your cute little baby is going to wear for the day! They make it look like having a baby is as easy as 1-2-3, raising a child is SUPER FUN, and everything will just work itself out. They never really address the reality of parenthood. How messy childbirth is. Postpartum depression. Never sleeping. Never getting your body back. Struggling to make ends meet. No more going out at night! Who is going to take care of your child while you work your minimum wage job? You certainly can't afford quality daycare. What about medical insurance. What if your baby...

Joel was a lion! And Mike was either a sexy beast or an annoyed CPA...I couldn't really tell!

Dear San Jose, I am so sorry that I ever doubted my love for you, I was careless and selfish. I wish that I could take back everything negative that I said about you, especially anything about your weather, and your green foliage. I am also sorry if I ever mentioned that I didn't like the way that your city was set up, or if I ever complained that there were not enough entertaining things to do here. I have learned my lesson, and now understand that Northern California is truly God's Country. Please let me stay here! Love, Me Our little family went on a little vacation last week: we first drove down to visit Teri and Jamie in Camarillo, where we were blown away by those hot Santa Ana winds... my sinuses are still trying to recover. We then flew to Phoenix, Arizona, to visit our good friends, Becky and Logan, where we whithered away in the DRY 90 degree heat (apparently, this is the nice part of the year), and looked at dirt and rocks all weekend. My skin is still trying to reh...