Coming Up Roses in the Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge! I'm glad you joined the fun today, and be sure to add your link at the end of my post.  I  say this a lot lately, but please-only link here if you've answered the questions. Thanks!

Also, a reminder the Hodgepodge is on summer holiday next week (June 11th), so no link party. Look for its return the following week-June 18th.

Here we go-

1. I've read several posts and status updates recently describing end of year school field trips. Do you remember taking school field trips as a kid? Where did you go and do you recall a favorite? For any parents responding today, have you ever chaperoned a school field trip, and if so where?

I definitely remember field trips from my childhood, but those memories are a little fuzzy. Two that came to mind were a trip to the Campbells Soup Plant (I can still see those enormous vats of tomato soup), and a trip to a facility where bread was baked and packaged. It was more of a plant, than a bakery. I remember the smell of yeast and that we each got to take home a loaf of white bread, the soft squishy kind that makes me gag now. I guess I liked that when I was six.  Not even going to mention both of these field trips were food related-ha!

Have I chaperoned a school field trip? Yes, too many to list, and most were enjoyable. The one that stands out in my memory is a middle school show choir trip to Disney. Let's just say that was thirteen years ago, and I think I'm almost over it. I might turn this question into its own post one of these days.

2. What's something you're tired of seeing online?

I'm weary of status updates trying to convince me of the evils of fracking/corporate America/the oil industry/guns/George Bush/blah blah blah, and implying I'm an idiot if I don't agree with whatever opinions are posted. Not saying there's nothing to debate there, but for every 'news' story posted on a social media site, an alternate example could also be posted. Most of the time those pieces only tell a part of story, and the information is often interpreted in a way that's questionable. It's just not what I personally want to see in the social arena, and by that I mean Facebook. I don't mind the occasional blurb now and then, but mix it up people. Don't turn your Facebook feed into a giant rant about all that is wrong with the world. 

3. June is the month for roses. Which of the following expressions would you say could most recently be applied to your life-'everything's coming up roses' 'there's no rose without a thorn' came out smelling like a rose' or 'wearing rose-colored glasses'? 

Well, this past weekend it certainly felt like 'everything was coming up roses'. And I pretty much walk through life wearing rose-colored glasses, although they've been smudged a little by some things here recently-non family related. (I'm gonna leave it at that). Still they are mostly intact, so either of those two would apply. 

4. When grilling outdoors do you prefer gas or charcoal? Who does the grilling at your house? What's the last thing you ate that was cooked on a grill?

I love a charcoal grill, but at the moment we don't own one. We use a gas grill and that's good too.  Hubs is the grill master, and most recently grilled salmon which is always delish.

5. Are you afraid of the dark?

Depends. The dark of a quiet summer night spent stargazing on my patio? No. The dark of an unfinished basement anytime? A little. 

6. Share a favorite song with a number in its title.

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. One of my favorite songs, number or no number. 

7. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding about ourselves."(C.G. Jung) Do you agree? Why or why not?

This was interesting to consider. I'm not sure it's true in every instance, but it's certainly true some of the time.  For instance, if someone is completely self-centered I find that irritating. So what does that say about me? Maybe nothing precisely, but it does make me want to be more other-focused, and that's a good thing. Chronic negativity gets under my skin too, and when I'm forced to spend a lot of time with negative people I feel grateful for my sense of optimism. Negative people in their own way, make me look for the bright side, they inspire me to hunt for the silver lining in any given situation.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

After we made our dress purchase on Saturday, my girls and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in a comfy space situated in the center of a condo-retail-restaurant park in the middle of a city. Sounds odd, doesn't it? 

It was really lovely, and I think I've mentioned how truly fabulous the weather was that day.  We'd gotten some coffee, and intended to sit while we drank that, but it was too nice to leave so three hours later there we were. Still sittin', still talkin', still lovin' life.

I need more days like this one with my girls.

Days where we're face to face and we talk about everything and nothing. 

Say Yes To The Dress for Reals

If you're here looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions, you'll find them here.

And now for the rest of the story. Weekend. Wedding dress tale. If you missed the part where I almost told the story but then left  you hanging, you can read that here.

So, the dress. I mean The Dress.
A wedding dress should have capital letters don't you think?

A lot of expectation goes into a planned day of wedding dress shopping. To be honest I was prepared for a little bit of anxiety/tears/snippy snip snips because a. I'd been up traversing the nether regions of D.C. until 1:30 in the morning, and b. girls and their clothes.

My daughters are sweet as pie by the way, but girls and shopping and mothers and opinions...well, sometimes those things collide in cataclysmic ways.

And sometimes they roll into each other with such perfection that you have to think hard to remember a day that was better than Saturday. Right now I honestly can't.

In spite of the ridiculous amount of sleep we didn't get, we all woke up feeling cheerful. We had a 10 am appointment at a bridal salon so off we went, no coffee and a bag of pretzels in hand, which I have to say made for a less than stellar beginning, but still...it's DRESS DAY!

The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze was blowing, and it was like God smiled on us all the day long. Daughter1's roommate is getting married this summer, and she bought her dress in this particular shop, so we were hoping for the same consultant. Daughter1 thought she was so sweet and liked her manner.

Sure enough, she was ours, and she was a gem. She spoke directly to the bride first, but also asked what I had in mind. Mostly I explained that Daughter1 always cares a lot about my happiness, and today I would like her to get the dress she wants. Barring something scandalous in design or price, I wanted to hear Daughter1's opinion before I weighed in with my own.

Shopping this particular weekend was a bit of a last minute plan decided upon after looking at my too-full June calendar. Flying Daughter2 in was definitely last minute, and worth every single solitary cent it cost. My girlies have dreamed about this since forever, and it was important to have her there to share in the looking and deciding, the reassuring and all the oohing and ahhing. Plus I needed someone sitting close beside me as I braced for what was coming, and she's used to me.

I guess nothing completely prepares you for the sight of your daughter in a wedding dress, but there she is. It's the first dress that does you in, at least for me it was. That's not even the dress we bought, but it doesn't matter. In that moment you accept the reality of the little girl in your head standing on a dais before a three way mirror. She's smiling at herself in a wedding gown like a full grown woman, and your heart beats a little too fast or maybe not fast enough. You take a picture in your head because you know you'll want to return to it again and again and again.

When Daughter1 waltzed out in dress number four, I knew.

I knew because in that dress I recognized her, my girl.  The bride. The daughter I birthed who loves music and art and words and Jesus, not in that order. The girl who can make me smile when I want to cry and cry because she makes me smile.

She spins and turns and smiles and steps up and down and back up again. She dances and laughs at her own happiness. What do we think? Do we love it? Is this the one? We say we're going to have some lunch and a think and we step outside into the glorious sunshine and she says, 'I think I want to go back in and buy that dress.'

We go to lunch anyway, and we talk and everyone exhales, and we know. We cancel our later appointment in the city and we go back in and buy that dress.

The consultant didn't try to press us, but one thing she said stuck with me.  She said in her experience, when a bride doesn't want to take off a dress, then that's usually her dress. And she was right.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 177

Hi Hodgepodgers! And everybody! You'll find this week's questions below, but one quick item of business before we proceed-I'm super busy, coming and going upside down and sideways too, these next couple of weeks. I'm declaring next week summer vacation because I need a breather, and this feels like a good space to take one.

Let's review (because I like to)-answer this week's questions on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow, and add your link to the party. There will not be a Hodgepodge link up next week (Wednesday, June 11th), but we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming the following week (Wednesday, June 18th).  Thanks for understanding!

Also, I set this to post last night, and realized this morning there was no #5. Oops! I've edited to include one now, but as you read answers tomorrow you may notice some bloggers don't include that one.

Here are this week's questions...all of them! See you tomorrow-

1. I've read several posts and status updates recently describing end of year school field trips. Do you remember taking school field trips as a kid? Where did you go and do you recall a favorite? For any parents responding today, have you ever chaperoned a school field trip, and if so where?

2. What's something you're tired of seeing online?

3. June is the month for roses. Which of the following expressions would you say has most recently applied to your life-'everything's coming up roses', 'there's no rose without a thorn', 'came out smelling like a rose', or 'wearing rose-colored glasses'? 

4. When grilling outdoors do you prefer gas or charcoal? Who does the grilling at your house? What's the last thing you ate that was cooked on a grill?

5. Are you afraid of the dark?

6. Share a favorite song with a number in it's title.

7. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."(C.G. Jung). Do you agree? Why or why not?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Say Yes To The Dress

Guess what we did this weekend? Ha! And what a fun weekend it was! Can I put exclamation points at the end of every sentence in this post?! 

We may still not have that wedding date officially written in pen, but we do have a bride-to-be with a dress. A beautiful dress. A be-still-my-heart dress. The dress. In the words of a long ago or was it just yesterday, fair-haired toddler princess, we have 'a spinning dress'. And for the moment, that's enough.  

When Daughter1 was a little girl her criteria for judging whether or not a dress was merely good or better than great was found in the answer to one question-'Does it spin?'

She has a great dress. 

I'm not going to post any pictures or give details, because despite living in the age of online everything, a bride-to-be's dress needs to be set apart, the image of her on her father's arm at the back of a church only imagined until the day she and her groom say I do.  

The middle of this post is a good time to start from the beginning so let's back up. Friday I drove down to D.C. with a pit stop at my mama's house for lunch. Such a treat! I parked at the Metro near Daughter 1's apartment and then trained it into downtown D.C., arriving just as she was leaving work. The weather was glorious, and we decided to hop back on the metro and walk around Old Town Alexandria before having dinner.  

If you've never been to Old Town, it's charming. The city feels a little southern which is probably why we love it, and yes I know it's technically Virginia, but it's Northern Virginia, and most of Northern Virginia doesn't feel quite so southern. No offense Virigina. 

We dined on the narrowest balcony ever, perched atop the second floor of The Fish Market, a great spot for people watching.  Funny story-as we were standing outside the restaurant trying to decide if we wanted to go in, Daughter1 saw a girl and said, 'I think she's a blogger I follow.' So we awkwardly asked her if she was indeed a blogger, and she was, and they read each other's blogs, so that was some random fun. Christa blogs at Forever Young, so everyone go say hi to Christa. You can tell her the blogger's mom she met at The Fish Market sent you. 

  

After dinner we walked around the waterfront...

...past the old Torpedo factory which now houses something like 82 artist studios...

then stopped for a bit to listen to this talented gentleman play the water glasses. Raise your hand if you're thinking Miss Congeniality right about now?

He didn't leap on the audience, in fact he was actually a bit of a theologian and told the story of Moses.  It was unexpected and sweet.   

We headed back to the Metro to collect Daughter2 from Reagan International. She was delayed (shocking I know!), so didn't arrive until about 10 PM. We then had to train it back to downtown D.C., change lines, and travel another 25 minutes or so on that line to Daughter1's apartment. 

Somehow we got to talking and realized two stops in, that we'd gotten on a train going the wrong way. No biggie (or so we thought)...we hopped off and waited on the correct track heading the right way. 

And we waited. 

And then waited some more. The train finally came, but once on board we sat for what felt like forever due to single tracking, and long story long-arrived back to Daughter1's apartment about 1:30 AM. Ugh! I am not at my best at 1:30 in the morning, in case anyone was wondering.  

We got back to Daughter1's apartment and collapsed. How much sleep does one need for a day filled with wedding dress shopping?! As it turns out, not a lot.  

And here we are many words later, and we haven't put so much as our perfectly polished toes through the door of that dress shop. I could wrap it up right now and say we bought a dress, but that's no fun, and I think you know that's not me. Why use one sentence when I can use twelve?!

Stay tuned for Part 2 Tuesday. The post where we actually say yes to the dress! 

Prioritizing the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the last Hodgepodge in the merry month of May. Answer the questions on your own blog, then add your link at the end of my post. I understand how tempting it is to add links here for other wonderful things you've written, but please link only if you're joining the Hodgepodge. Thank you! And be sure to leave a comment for your neighbor, because that's how we roll round here.

1. What news story are you following right now?

Several, but particularly the story of the kidnapped Nigerian school girls, and also the story of the  Sudanese doctor (married to an American citizen) imprisoned and sentenced to death, charged with apostasy. She gave birth this week and has her newborn and her 20 month old son with her in prison. We Americans are pretty casual about our many liberties. These stories have faces and names and remind me that not everyone in this world lives with the same sense of freedom we enjoy in our country. 

2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?

Well for about five minutes last fall we thought we might be moving. It didn't happen so here we are. We've had a few 'near misses' when it comes to relocation in the course of our married life, and I know God always has us right where He wants us to be. 

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is one side dish you hope is on the menu?

We had hamburgers Monday evening, hot off the backyard grill which is pretty much the only way I eat a burger. I like mine with lettuce and tomato, no cheese. I'm not particular when it comes to sides, but if it's a backyard BBQ I'd be hoping for some baked beans. If I were ordering a burger out somewhere I guess I'd choose Red Robin. I like theirs, but a hamburger isn't what I normally order when dining out.

4. How have your priorities changed over time?

I don't really think my priorities have changed a whole lot over time. They've pretty much always been faith and family, and that remains true today. The way those things play out in my daily life however, does look different. My children have grown up, and I've also matured and learned things about myself that cause me to interact with the world differently. Still faith and family take the top two spots on my list of what I prioritize, and I don't think that will ever change. 

5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?

I wrote about both sets of grandparents on my blog a while back (here and here), so I'm going to mention something I didn't mention there.  My maternal grandfather had a shop, and once when we were visiting he let us four kids ride over there in the back of his pick up truck. I know! Hey, it was 1969ish, and the laws of transportation safety were a lot looser back then. 

He drove slow as molasses, but we thought it was awesome. To top it off, once we got to the shop he got us each a Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle from the vending machine. Whoohoo! That was such a treat to my nine year old self.  

Do nine year olds still get excited about a Dr. Pepper from a vending machine? 
The times they are a changin'. Have changed. Sigh. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.

I used to be, but I think this is one of those skills that gets rusty if it's not used a lot. When my girls were young I could multitask with the best of them. These days life no longer demands I do four things at once, so I don't. 

7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?

May is always a bit of a mixed bag around here. Two years ago we lost our precious niece in the month of May, and when that date shows itself on the calendar we all feel so much. We do get to finally welcome springtime here in May, and that's a blessing. A visual reminder that God makes all things new.  

We celebrated much this month too, Mother's Day and a big graduation. Hubs and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a long weekend in beautiful Charleston. And I think my girls and I just might manage to squeeze in a day of wedding dress shopping before the calendar tumbles into June, so sending May out on a high note for sure!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Last spring a mama robin made her nest in the plum tree just outside my living room window. I watched and waited and fretted right along with her, anxious to see her baby birds. Upon returning home from a weekend away, I found a broken blue egg on the driveway, and knew those babies were lost. So sad.   

Like most mothers I know mama robin is nothing if not persistent, and we were so happy to see her rebuild that nest in the very same spot this year. Guess what??? 

She's got babies! And they are too adorable for words.

It's super hard to get a photo, given the way the nest sits in relation to our vantage point inside. There's a pesky branch in front of the nest, and the camera wants to focus on that instead of their wide open mouths and fuzzy little heads. Hubs stood on a chair and tried to aim the camera in towards the nest as he awkwardly hung over the top half of the window sash, but still was only slightly successful. 

I snapped this one yesterday, and have been walking around the house ever since saying, "Out came a baby bird".  It must be said in the same sweet voice my own baby girl used when she was just a tiny tot. Daughter1 was obsessed with the P.D. Eastman book, Are You My Mother, and when she 'read' the story herself she emphasized every single syllable of that phrase. 

Also too adorable for words! 

Pretend It's Monday

If you're looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions, they are one post down. 

As I walked the recycling bins to the curb this morning I couldn't help but think about how amazing the temperature felt. Just the right amount of warmth on my skin and sunshine reaching down from a bright blue sky. 

We haven't had much of a spring here this year, but these past couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous, the kind of days that make you want to stand outside and turn your face heavenward. I wonder if I'd even mark a morning like this one had the winter been less brutal. Perhaps we need winter to more deeply appreciate the gift of spring. 

There's a life lesson in there somewhere I'm sure. 

We had such a nice weekend, and I hope yours was the same. Of course it feels like a Monday, so I'm going to catch up here as if it were...just play along. Friday hubs and I had an early dinner then came home and finally watched American Hustle, which I thought was just eh. I wanted to like it, but think it was way over hyped. 

So why is it always the case that when you don't have to be up at the crack of dawn, you wake up at the crack of dawn?  Hubs was up before the sun Saturday morning, and wanted me to accompany him to the gun range. For the record, when he gets an idea in his head you need to just get on board. I hadn't even had a full cup of coffee. 

He hit some clay targets and I tried firing the shotgun, which is not really my thing. I'd rather point and shoot my camera, except I didn't bring my camera so you're getting a so-so picture from my phone. Which hubs took (obviously), but let's not blame the photographer, it's the phone. I need an upgrade. 

Remember when we bought phones for making calls and not for the quality of the camera? 

Saturday afternoon we went a few towns over to see a movie. We wanted Indian food for dinner so decided on a theatre closer to the restaurant, which turned out to be a good call. The theatre was small, but all the seats were big huge comfy recliners. The kind that go all the way back. I told hubs the movie better be good, or else to wake me at the end.  No need...we saw Million Dollar Arm and both loved it, and of course having Indian food afterwards felt appropriate. 

We always feel a little homesick for the UK when we eat Indian food. Just sayin'. 

Sunday was an absolutely picture perfect day, and we finally got a few of our pots planted, the patio cleaned up, and some odds and ends done in the yard. Honestly this was the first weekend where that felt possible. Friends came for dinner and hubs made the first fire of the season. We sat outside and let spring soak into our skin.  

Just before Christmas hubs put some solar lights on the bushes that surround our fire pit. Then came the snows. I mean THE SNOWS, and those lights were forgotten. One early April morning I glanced out my kitchen window to see Christmas lights shining in the backyard. Our back is private so we decided to leave them for a bit. Old man winter was hanging on, and seeing those Christmas lights when I looked out the window made me smile.  

Sunday hubs took them off the hedge, but we weren't quite ready to let them go. He got creative and  wrapped them around the pole we hang flower baskets from then dubbed it our 'festivus tree'. Colored twinkle lights make the world a happier place, don't you think? 

Monday morning I went to boot camp. I have to say that a few months ago I would have used the 'holiday' as an excuse not to work out, but not anymore. I got up and went, happily I might add. Hubs ran while I was in 'camp' then we came home, put our flag in it's stand, and headed over to the tinytown parade. 

I think I love small town America on days like this one more than any other. A soft breeze was blowing and flags were flying in neighborhoods and businesses and around the center square. 

Children of all ages donned red, white, and blue, and I always feel such a mixture of pride and patriotism as I stand along Main Street and see the veterans and scout troops and fire fighters pass by.  The high school band played the Marine Corps Hymn right in front of where we stood, which could not have been more perfect. 

Afterwards we sat on the Boardwalk for a while and watched some of the water ski team's exhibition, then grabbed lunch nearby, al fresco of course! We had a delightfully delightful afternoon nap, then hubs grilled burgers for dinner, and we wrapped up the day with Jack. Bauer not Daniels. Ha!   

So how'd you spend your weekend? 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 176

Monday holidays always throw me off in blogland. I hope you had an enjoyable weekend and you're ready for a new set of questions in the Hodgepodge. We had a fun full weekend here, which I'll get around to recapping later today, but for now here are your questions for this end of May Hodgepodge.  Be sure to hop back here tomorrow and add your link to the party!

1. What news story are you following right now?

2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu?

4. How have your priorities changed over time?

5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.

7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.