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(Not) Getting Married Today

By on August 4, 2012 in The Big Sister

If you’re a female belter in the musical theatre world, one of the songs you always want to perform is Sondheim’s “Not Getting Married Today” from Company. Quite frankly, it steals the first act.

Here is Heather Laws doing the number justice in the 2006 revival:

The funny thing about this wedding was .. well, Jenni is pretty much like that all the time. She is just generally high-strung. She doesn’t know how to relax, or sit still, or take a nap. She is a chronic worrier and a workhorse. On top of all of this, she has several seasons of Hip-hop Abs in her collection.

I think I’m very fortunate in this situation. Jenni and I are not lovey-dovey, touchy-feeley sisters. We do not often say “I love you”. We are, however, fiercely protective. (And Italian.) So while her getting married yesterday very much could have gone horribly wrong and caused a meltdown for me, I was overjoyed.

Courtesy Diana Klingler Photography

We’ve known Michael, her new husband, longer than she has. He was family before they even met. And I know he will take insanely good care of her. They are a great balance, although he is just as energetic as she is.

Courtesy Diana Klingler Photography

But I think they have something that is crucial and can’t be taught or learned. They laugh together. A lot.

Courtesy Diana Klingler Photography

At their bridal shower last weekend, someone looked lovingly at Bryan and I and said what a good match we are. I smiled and said,Yeah. We have fun together. We laugh a lot. When the laughing stops, we’ll be in trouble.And I believe that. Humor and respect are two things you can’t learn and must have in a marriage. Jenni and Michael are set.

Courtesy Diana Klingler Photography

And my GOD. Could they be a prettier couple?

Courtesy Diana Klingler

So I wish them great things and multiple successes and all that jazz, but most of all, I’m grateful for one thing. That same someone who told Bryan and I we were a great match? When I was 13, she gave me the best advice ever: “Make your own money, Sarah. Find a man who makes you laugh.” Jenni and Michael are going to be more than fine; they will be great.

Many thanks to the insanely talented Diana Klingler Photography – she caught moments that took my breath away!

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A Glance Back

By on April 22, 2010 in The Big Sister, The Coven, The Evil Stepmother, The Mommy

I don’t know why I was going through there, but I found myself buried deep in the archives of my Flickr account last night.  And I just kept looking at these people and wondering about them.  Are they still this happy?  How much had we had to drink there?  Was that her first pregnancy or her second?  Was this before or after she got married?  It was such a blur.  But some cool things jumped out at me.

Like Mother (at my birthday party in 2007):

Like Daughter (at my wedding as my jr. bridesmaid in 2006):

A bazillion babies born:

(Matthew, 2006)

(Scout, 2006)

(Tony, 2007)

(Penelope, 2008)

Lots and Lots and LOTS of Happy People

Family in Unexpected Places

And I wonder how I could ever spend a moment of my life NOT feeling loved.

So I went through these old pics and decided .. it’s time to start taking more.

The next time I see you, encourage me to stop and take a picture with you.  Or two.  And one of them, we should be looking as goofy as possible.  Because that?  Is what is worth taking two hours to remember on a random Wednesday night.

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Written Birth Control

By on July 8, 2009 in The Big Sister, The Mommy

Molars.

I know, right?  They sound so .. benign.  So boring.  So flat.

But you know what?  They will make a child’s life a LIVING HELL.

My child is currently cutting some two-year molars.  And it has made him lose his ever loving mind.  It has been almost two weeks now since my husband and I have slept more than two hours at a stretch.  Which, and let’s put it in perspective, means that the baby hasn’t slept two hours at a stretch either.  And, also, let’s face it: when you know that your baby is GOING to inevitably wake up every few hours, you never allow yourself to get into a deep sleep.

I mean, I sypmathize.  He’s in pain, poor little binja, and there’s nothing you can do to rationalize with a 19 month old that makes any sense as to why his jaw is on fire.  So he beats his head against anything hard, just to redirect the pain.  You think THAT doesn’t suck?  Watching your child flail his head against a wall/table/floor? 

(Calm down, Aunt Jenni.  It’s perfectly normal in babies this age.  Don’t call child services on me yet.)

And last night, I went to rock him during one of his wake-up/freak-outs, and he just lay his head on my shoulder.  I felt the wet of his cheek and assumed it was tears soaking my sleeve, but when I went back into the light of our living room, bright pink streaks of bloody saliva danced on my arm.  My poor, poor baby.

I am IMMENSELY proud of my husband and I, though.  Even though we’re past exhaustion now, and life has this way of throwing frustration into your everyday routine when you’re so tired (REALLY, TIMEKEEPING, YOU WANNA SHORT ME EIGHT HOURS FOR NO REASON?!), we’ve done marvelously well to not kill eachother (thus far).  At eleven-thirty last night, after we were both sound asleep, Tony woke up with the worst temper tantrum to date.  After walking him around for half an hour, he headbutted me so hard that my gums were bleeding.  I finally just laid him in the floor of his nursery and watched him flail.

Bryan got up because, um, we do have a baby monitor and this racket wasn’t allowing him to sleep.  But then he picked up the baby, laid down with him on the couch, and told me to go back to bed.  I LOVE HIM ETERNALLY.

(Of course, my couch time happened from 3:30-4:45.)

Oh, and did I mention that we’re trying to start a new fitness routine?

I am at the basket-dropping point.

**

In happier news, it’s my sister’s birthday!!  Happy Birthday, J2theBo!  May your fondest wishes come true!

(She’s the pouty one on the left.  Unfortunately, that’s just how she looks.)

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My Love for Milton.

By on April 6, 2007 in The Big Sister, The Diva

You know what I love about the people I work with?

The fact that they’re engineers.

Now, I gripe about engineers a lot (A LOT), but in reality, they’re so incredibly predictable and good-hearted that I don’t know that I could work in any other industry.  And you can hate me, but it’s true: it’s like working with four-year old children. 

They FREAK OUT if our supplier sends the wrong kind of pens.  And if the printer jams, some of them run in circles crying while others will pull out a McGuyver-type kit of chewing gum and paper-clips and will begin surgery. (The difference is the computer engineer versus the electrical engineer.) And they never, EVER wear clothes that match.

But that’s kinda what endears them to me.

What brought all of this up was the supposed “birthday” yesterday.  Although it turned out to not be anyone’s birthday, there were treats in the office.  And they all turned five.  They laughed, they smiled, they talked.. it honestly reminds me of the church choir I used to teach on the day that we would do holiday parties. 

When I was younger, I seriously wanted to work with young children.  I considered teaching, and then I worked at EarlyWorks for a spell.  But I think I got the best of both worlds: the hearts and souls of children lurk around here, and they’re all potty-trained.

(For the most part.)

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Who’d Have Thought Measles Was Easier?

By on March 2, 2007 in The Big Sister, The Biotch

OOOH!  Ooooh!  I found it!  Something of substance to talk about!

I actually saw this story on CNN in passing the other day, and my ears perked up.  And while I’m always in-transit when I hear the tv blaring, this story stuck with me for awhile because I couldn’t figure out how I felt about it.

Austin, TX is now requiring all school-age girls to be vaccinated with the HPV Vaccine before entering the 6th grade.

Yes, requiring.

At first, I thought, AWESOME.  This will prevent many, many girls from becoming women at the risk of cervical cancer.  And as my paternal grandmother passed away from the disease, I think that’s a great idea. 

But then I thought.. is the governor allowed to do that?  Can he demand that I take this vaccine?  Isn’t that stepping into my personal choices?

Well, countered my devil’s advocate, it’s no different than a measles vaccine, and you don’t hear anyone complaining about that.

Sort of, said the other half.  But this is expressly marketed to prevent HPV through sexual contact. (As in, I am not a candidate for this vaccine.) And without proper education, which we’re not prone to do, kids might (incorrectly) believe that this protects them from other STDs, perhaps even pregnancy.

So I don’t have an answer.

Part of me wants to leave that decision to the parents; it will give them a marvelous opportunity to open a dialogue with their daughters about sexuality and the precautions needed to safely engage in intimacy.  At the same time, this requires an honesty that most teenage girls may not posess. (Hell, I see women every day not be able to admit to themselves what their sex life is.) And while it should be up to the parents, I say that HOPING that every parent would WANT this safety measure for their child.  If a parent doesn’t.. should the child necessarily be put at risk?  Because the parent finds it immoral, should we subject the child to a chance of cervical cancer?

I don’t know.  Like I said, I couldn’t come to a conclusion.  Thoughts?

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