Honeymoon Photos

A random (because I could not get Blogger to obey me!) photo collage of our honeymoon pictures:

April 4-7, 2010

Bob in front of our favorite Dutch bakery in Solvang, CA on the way to SF. Oh ! the creme puffs!

Bob on his first cable car ride on Hyde Street on the way to Fisherman's Wharf.

My Father wrapped my birthday in rolling green hills and bouquets of flowers. Everything was in bloom!

My 39th Birthday in San Francisco, April 6, 2010

                                                How could we pass up a drive along Pebble Beach--17 miles of gorgeous California Coastline.

Heaven on earth for a beach lover!                                                

                                                          Honeymooners in Carmel 2010

The exact spot we stopped at on our first "honeymoon" on our way back to Chico State at the end of Spring Break. Newlyweds 17 years ago--Still in love today. AWWWH! I'm such a sap!

I love this man! He still floats my boat.

   

Oh Glory!

 Highway 1 has only a few gas stations on the stretch from Big Sur to Cambria.

We almost didn't make it to one. Almost.

They do amazing stuff with bread these days!

We had our clam chowder in a bread bowl but we could have eaten in out of a teddy bear belly?

                                                                                                                               

A racy red Convertible looks good on Bob!

The view of the Golden Gate without a roof!

That's our rented convertible Mustang's shiny red hood in the foreground of this photo.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

What is a Stoat?

THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MY FAVORITE ANIMAL LOVING FRIEND, ENO.

When she heard the first part of this story, she chastised me for not capturing the "exotic pet" and bringing it to her. Here's to you Friend!

So if you know me even just a little bit, then you acknowledge that stuff happens to me. Weird stuff. I don't go looking for it. Honestly. I'm just a magnet for strange occurrences. Which isn't all bad. I love a good story and God indulges that passion by giving me plenty of my own.

If you have been my friend at all, then I am sure you have heard the story about this:

The Frilled Lizard (yes, sometimes referred to as a frilled DRAGON!) that tried to eat my daughters while I napped. Yes, it was inside my house. Yes, it puffed out its weird face and hissed at me. Yes, I had my teenage neighbor son whack it with a shovel and kill it. And cut off its slithering tail. Yes, I had nightmares for months.

Yes, animals WERE absolutely harmed in the making of this post!

If we know each other and you are not just a stranger reading this blog, then you have heard this whopper of a tale in great detail with lots of drama (making light of the fact that I LEFT my daughters in the house WITH the dragon while I ran to get the neighbor boy.). Not a shining mothering moment. Did I mention that it is much bigger in real life than the tiny image up top? And it hissed? 

I DID return with a brave knight to slay the dragon. That is some redemption--yes?

Anyway, fast forward 5 or 6 years. Yesterday I was reading aloud on the couch. My "Boy Who Cannot Sit Still" was pacing around the open screen door. He screeched and ran out to the front yard.

"MOOOOOOOM! Did you just see that?" And he was gone.

We jumped up and followed him. He stuttered and ranted about a red furry creature with a long tail with a black tip. He said it was fast! Though we hunted, the rest of us found no proof of a critter in the front yard. We were walking back in the house having a "teachable moment" about being courteous to our siblings and not discounting what they say automatically, saying the "L" word,  and implying by our responses that we think they are crazy.

Just as we stepped back into our living room and Kate was telling everyone she was sure it a cat. And Aidan insisted that it was red and long-torsoed--not like any cat he had seen,  Reilly commented calmly, "Does it look like THAT?" pointing to the animal running across my BACK yard now. It was fast. It did have red fur. The long tail had a black tip. Its belly was white and it had small ears. And...well, it looked like this:

And if you are like me and have never seen a creature like this around the neighborhood (OR IN THE ZOO!?!?!), let me inform you that is called a Stoat. It is a part of the weasel family. I did not know that at the time.

So I called my animal-loving, vet-major, zoology-teaching friend, Eno (see above) and began my hurried description of the animal we were tracking.  By this time our dog Sadie had it cornered.

This time I wasn't going to let Eno down. We would capture it and make her proud!

I sent each kid out with a basket or bucket. While she was google-ing images trying to find one that matched our excited details, Sadie rushed at the cornered creature and it darted right towards us.

Screaming ensued. Leaping and squealing and fleeing in panic.

This is the fearsome creature that darted at us:

We laughed and laughed and laughed when we realized our mistake. Eno was on the phone overhearing our assylum. The only one who didn't find it very amusing was hysterical Peter. Another shining mothering moment! We gave up the hunt after an hour or so. The scared Stoat was hiding out and all seven of us plus a dog weren't going to find it. Thank You, God.

When Eno discovered which animal it was--not a ferret as I first speculated--the kids and I checked it out on wikipedia. Stoat. Good thing that the PREDATORY animal was never captured by my children. When threatened, the stoat "releases a powerful musky (STINKY) scent from the glands in its anus". Nice.

"I've Got the Power"

I keep thinking that someday I will get around to introspectively looking at my life and offering my keen insight here. I will examine the ordinary events of my days and  make some meaningful observations. Some truths that God is sharing with me. Seeing the Big Picture and including that perspective here. Afterall, my favorite bloggers do just that--they share what they think and feel about their lives not just the summary of their moments.

But "someday" isn't today! I have laundry to do. I readily admit that I barely have time to live my life :) let alone analyze it and offer commentary.

So I offer this to you with no deeper insight:

Peter just stepped out of his bath and I was toweling him off and tickling him. I wrapped my arms around his little body and told him that I thought he was going to have small bones like his daddy. He gaped at me, and responded with bulging eyes:

"My Daddy is not small. He's HUUUUUGE!"  (awwwh! a child's perspective!)

I giggled.

"He is strong. So am I. I can take down Samuel while we are wrestling on the trampoline. I have the POWER!"

I listened.

"I have the POWER!".

Okay. I waited for him to explain. Though I confess that I did laugh and was actually eagerly awaiting his answer. Three year olds crack me up!

"I went hiking with Jordan and Stephen and I drank Powerade. So now I have the POWER!"

I am not making any of this stuff up. It would be great if I can make some spiritual application or glean from his wisdom, but I just chuckled instead. And I offer his advice to you:

"You can drink Powerade too."

Just Married

We got re-"married" on our 17th Anniversary-April 3, 2010. The day was amazing. I will tell that story next. But I like to work backwards. I'm weird.

Bob planned our "honeymoon" after hearing me drop hints for two decades.

It was wonderful.

He rented one of these:

And in that racy red sportscar, we drove up the California Coast to the Big City .With this view on our left:

When we arrived in San Francisco, he had chosen this cozy, charming Bed & Breakfast:

It was called "The White Swan Inn-An English Garden Inn". How quaint. Can you say a CALIFORNIA KING bed--all to ourselves? those rad magnifying mirrors (I love THOSE things!), darkening drapes and a dozen pillows! Not to mention the fireplace! And gourmet breakfasts!

He had purchased tickets for two for this:

All five of my senses LOVED it--even Bob enjoyed it. And it's a MUSCIAL :)

Our three days included Fishermen's Wharf, cable cars, a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge (in a CONVERTIBLE!), clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park and Botanical Garden, a Thai Noodle House at 11:30 at night and...well, each other. Bob had acted on every single hint I had ever subtly hinted at. A dream come true!

It was magnificent.

And, technically, we weren't even "real" honeymooners.

But it sure felt like it.

TGIF

We were sitting at the dinner table enjoying family chit chat. Peter had been excused to his room--he was done eating and making dinner-time conversation less than delightful. So he went to his room. The one with the window open on this lovely day. The same room which faces our cul de sac.

In a lull in our family conversation, this is what the rest of us heard:

"Hi neighbor. You have nipples."

Oh no! Dread washed over me! It is Friday night. Mr. Johnny, a recent widower and our QUIET next door neighbor, has his grown grandchildren over for BBQ on Friday nights. A family tradition for him.

Bob raced off to remedy the social faux pas. I wiped the beverage which had squirted from my nose, off my face.

Dad returned with the situation in hand. His ready response:

"Well. He does."

I Heart Easter!

"oh the wonderful cross. oh the wonderful cross.

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live."

My favorite Easter song for my favorite time of year. Ever since I was a little girl I have LOVED, LOVED , LOVED  Easter, the hope of renewal, rebirth, restoral, redemption! SPRING! Daffodils, hot cross buns,  and windy days! Good Friday is only good because of Sunday! Thank you Jesus for Easter!

My brother Bryan and Me--Easter Sunday 1976

Super Heroes

Peter "Spiderman" Fitzpatrick 3 years old~2010

                Bobby "Superman" Fitzpatrick 5 years old~1975

Pete the Pirate

My youngest son Peter is three.

He daily tells me his name is Pete the Pirate.

He needs friends his own age.

An incident today makes that very apparent.

As I was walking my best friend and her sons out to their car, my THREE YEAR OLD son locked all the doors. AND closed the windows. And when I tried the door, I caught a glimpse of him through the window beside the door. He was jumping up and down with glee. Instead of coming when I called, he ran the other way, laughing all the way. 

His sisters were with me. Locked out. They found it hysterical that their baby brother had barricaded himself in the house. When they pounded on the door and pushed the door bell themselves, they laughed when he poked his angelic little head out the window and stuck his tongue out at them.

A THREE YEAR OLD.

Whatever happened to building blocks, coloring books, and playdoh--age appropriate fun for preschoolers?  I don't remember any of my other children having this level of frisky mischief. They didn't pull off pranks like Peter does. What is in the milk these days? And I even buy the kind with no hormones and stuff!

Peter and his shenanigans. Where does he get all his ideas?

When I finally used my "stern" voice and Peter opened the door, grinning impishly, I discovered the answer to these rhetorical questions. AIDAN was behind the door. The voice in his brother's head. Oz behind the curtain. Teaching my preschooler his tricks and tomfoolery! The mastermind behind all the mischief in my life.

Those two--double trouble!

That is it! Peter needs some playdates with children under the age of 8. Absolutely no sword playing, pirating, boxing, soldiering, wii-playing, mud flinging, slingshoting, tackling, wrestling, punching, rude-sound making, lizard catching, gun shooting, booger flicking, body slamming, top-of-his lungs storytelling, tickle torturing,  trampoline back-flipping, wedgie giving, incessant questioin asking...am I forgetting anything?

Anyone wanna have a playdate with charming Peter?

Wait! I blinked! Where did my sweet baby go?

Addendum: After typing this post, I decided attempt to remedy what was lost--my son's childhood. I put on a Miss Patty Cake dvd first. Fat chance! He wouldn't dance with the "Bubbling with Joy" song like all the other three year olds. I admit I was a bit freaked out by the weird man-rabbit too, but I needed to start someplace.The last movie he had watched was National Geographic and the last book I had read was a chapter from Apologia on reptiles. When I asked him to choose a picture book from his shelf for me to read to him, Peter chose a DK book on Battle. And he brought a flashlight. Peter insisted on building a fort while we read so it would be "scurry" (Peter for: "scary").  I think it is a losing battle. He is the youngest kid trying keep up with his big brothers. And I guess I need to just trust God that He knew what He was doing when He put Peter in this family! :) So we are off to make paper airplane gliders--forget the playdoh!

Weird Picture Wednesday

This isn't going to be an on-going post. So don't get excited . But I couldn't resist the alliteration. And this blog is called "of weirdos and eccentrics". Which, by the way, I will someday explain. It really does have an interesting explanation. Or a weird one. Whichever adjective you prefer.

Anyhow, here is my weird picture. You know what they say: "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Well, I often times (okay, mostly always) talk too much, trying to convince or cajole or make someone chuckle. So in a exercise of learning to talk less and listen more, I offer this photo. Which really explains a lot about my life. Without the thousand words.

Note: No Aidans were harmed in the taking of this photo. He did eventually escape from his self-inflicted  entrapment. All by himself. Following my wise momma's advice: "YOU got yourself into that mess, YOU get yourself out!"

Gumbo

I love spicy food.

I love eating.

I love hanging out with fun friends.

This Saturday we had an impromptu "Part-y!" with our friends the Nelsons. It started out innocent, mild and simple--a last minute get together.

But then Jay showed up with bags and bags of groceries.

He wanted to make us "soul food". Now I didn't exactly know what that meant when I agreed. But anything that has the word food in it--I'm game! And if it nourishes my soul while I am chewing--so be it.

Did I mention that one of the bags of food included Alaskan King Crab legs?

So the menfolk chopped and seasoned and spiced and created. Okay, I include Bob here because he was in the kitchen with his buddy afterall. Not that he has ever eaten seafood gumbo or soul food before.

This masterpiece of chicken legs and bones, links of sausage, bags of shrimp, and other mysterious ingredients (I did mention the many large legs of crab didn't I?) simmered and stewed for hours. Jay forbid snacking and appetizers. We needed to be huuuuuungry to truly enjoy.

The smells! Oh the wonderful olfactory pleasures that tempted and taunted and tantalized. For hours.

He had his wish. We were hungry.

When we finally sat down to this mouth-wateringly, smell-sensation soup ladled over rice with prickly crab legs poking out of our overstuffed bowls--it was quiet. Except for the moaning and humming and outbursts of ectasy.

At one point Kady had to warn me to knock it off. She said I was frightening her.

"OH MY! OOOOOHHHHH!" loudly interjected in between mouthfuls.

"WHAT?!?! What's the matter?" her concerned query.

It took her a while to figure out that I am an expressive eater. Dramatic diner? Theatrical taster? Whatever. I enjoy my food. I already told you that.

I have never tasted anything so delicious and soul-satisfying.

I can't even tell you about the cornbread right now. It wouldn't be fair. You would only think I am embellishing.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul!"  Thank you Jesus. For friends. For soul food.

PS- I try to have fine manners (well, except for when I am moaning at the dinner table and scaring guests) so I sent the leftovers home with the Nelsons. I knew it was the polite thing to do. I remembered how Jay likes to eat leftovers for days straight. And he had made it afterall, and paid for it. And shared a large portion of it with us. Seven of us with mounds of shells and unbuttoned pants to prove it. It was the right thing to do. But I regretted it the moment I woke up the next morning. With the pungent smells settled over the house and my first breath was GUMBO. Big mistake! Big mistake!

Snowy Day

I have a crummy camera. I am not photographer (obviously!). I forget to take pictures (often!).

But I got these great (though blurry!) photos.

Lake Arrowhead with the Nelson Family

 February 2010

And NO! Kady, I won't be sharing the toilet incident here.

That story will remain our little secret! :)

I don't care if I tell the story wrong when I am old!

A Nutcracker Photo Collage

A Proud Night For A Proud Momma!

And A Dream Come True For Two Sisters!

The Truth About Nutcracker

Reilly (Clara)

Kate (Party Girl & Angel)

December 2009

(Click on any image to see it enlarged)