Success!

So, about a week and a half ago I had the idea of doing a surprise date night for Robert. Well, one thing led to another, as they often do with me, and this is what I ended up with:

I decided to go for an at-home date. Less money, more privacy, etc. Robert (as well as several others) have frequently jested/suggested that I dress goth for something, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to pull it off. The colors of the evening were black, red, and white. I spent all of last week collecting supplies, all the while bursting with excitement and simultaneously trying to not let on that I was plotting something. Once I had all the necessities, I arranged to do it Monday.

As soon as Robert left for work, I got busy. I made salad, garlic bread, lasagna, green beans, and crème brûlée, all his favorites. Tiernan helped by being happy to play in the kitchen sink for upwards of an hour while I cooked. 

Once most of the cooking prep was done, I started working on the table decorations. Thank God for amazing friends like Kristen, who showed up mid-afternoon to help me. She taught me how to put on makeup (something I've never done), helped with the decorations, and then whisked Tiernan off for the evening so that it could just be me and Robert.

I left a suggestive note at the front door, his first clue that it was not going to be a usual evening. I successfully surprised him; he had no idea. It probably helped that it was not an anniversary or any occasion that would typically prompt a surprise...just a romantic evening for the heck of it. 

So, for those of you who always wanted to know what I looked like goth, here you go:

I totally lucked out on the dress...I bought it at Salvation Army for $5.00. It was not what I was looking for at first; no, it was way better.  It took a couple stores to find it, but it was worth the time. It fit perfectly, and Robert loved it.

All in all, everything went smoothly and it was a wonderful evening. I love you, Robert!

Dreaming of the Desert

After our recent success with a road trip to Kansas, I have been inspired to appease my inner gypsy and get out of town more. However, do to annoying restrictions, such as Robert having a full-time job, we're going to have to be creative with our getaways. Our current plan-in-progress is to go on artistic inspirational trips every six weeks or so, driving somewhere random early Saturday, and spend the day exploring, recording music, writing songs, drawing pictures, dancing, dabbling in photography, etc. To save money, we will sleep in the car (we bought it with that in mind) and drive back Sunday afternoon. We're somewhat limited to a 2-6 hour driving range--not even enough to get out of Texas in most directions--but hey, Texas has some cool places.

One of the places I know we want to go is west Texas. I know most people only begrudgingly drive through west Texas if they have to get somewhere on the other side, but personally, I love deserts. I want to go, just to look and listen and be inspired. I haven't had the opportunity to go to a desert since I began stopping to listen to the songs that nature sings, and I want to hear the desert's. I don't know what it will be, but I'm pretty sure it will be amazing.

I'm the organizer/planner of the three of us, so this morning my head is full of ice-chests, packed bags, travel-friendly foods, and recording equipment. Or rather, how I would fit all those things into the car. I know, it will be a few weeks before we go, but I'm just dreaming.

I know most of my readers are the silent stalker types, but if you have any ideas of cool places to see, good meals for eating in the back of a car, or tips for picking cacti thorns out of a baby, feel free to let me know in comments or next time you see me in person.

Report and Observations

I am happy to report that we had a wonderful trip to Wichita and lovely time with Mark, Debra, and Christopher. Tiernan was a real champ in the car. He didn't sleep as much as I expected, but he was usually content to play with toys and laugh at Robert's antics while awake. The drive was about 9 hours on the way there and 10.5 on the way back, the time difference mostly being due to traffic north of Dallas.

It truly is amazing how different babies are. Christopher and Tiernan are nigh opposites, except in their shared stubbornness. Christopher is a thinker and observer. Tiernan is a doer and climber. Tiernan is more mobile and active, but Christopher seems to understand more linguistically. And even with their differences they did seem to enjoy playing together.

Why yes, the baby is better at looking at the camera than his dad is.

I really enjoyed spending several days with Mark and Debra in the environment of their home. I feel like I know them and where they are right now so much better now. I wish I could do that with all my friends, just to get to know the 'real' or 'home' them. It's easy to be different when you're out in public or just for a few hours while somebody is over. But over an extended stay, defenses drop, and I love the authenticity of real life. 

Debra was a wonderful hostess, and we really enjoyed our stay. I have to say I was impressed. She took the meaning of 'cooking from scratch' to an entirely new level for me. I applaud her, but I don't think I could possibly keep up with everything she does. If you want a glimpse, check out her blog.

Oh, and I cut Robert's hair while we were there.

Rainy Day Randomness

It's raining. Rain usually makes me feel quiet. It's especially welcome because it gives me a valid reason to not paint during Tiernan's naps.

This weekend we are going to Wichita, Kansas to visit Mark and Debra and their son Christopher, who is two months older than Tiernan. Technically, Mark is Robert's cousin, but he has been more like a brother to both of us. I am so excited. I absolutely love roadtrips. I love to travel, even if it is just to Kansas. (Sorry, Kansans, I've never been a particular fan.) I love all of it. I love the planning, the preparations, the packing. I love waking up at 3:00 in the morning to get an early start. And I love the open road, the rushing landscape, and the hours spent in close company with loved ones. I like to listen to audio books, or make up my own stories in my head. Or just sit and think.

I hope that Tiernan doesn't mind. It will be much less enjoyable if he is crying half the time. He generally does okay in the car, but we haven't done a long haul like this since he was 4 months, and he is significantly more active now. But I think he'll do okay.

The paint project is going quite well, although we will miss our goal of having it finished before our trip. We've gotten all of the first coat on, a good three quarters of the cutting in done, and have started on the second coat, so we hope to be able to knock out the rest with another good week of work. It is, in our opinion, looking good. I'm happy with the colors we picked. I feel like they are distinctive and unique enough to give personality without being an eyesore. We do need to sell eventually, but we're just not your basic-beige kind of people.

So, last weekend we bought Tiernan a little potty, with the idea of getting him used to it early. While I wouldn't go so far as to say he has peed in the potty, he has peed on it twice now...and the rest of the bathroom, as well. When I have to use the bathroom, I strip his diaper off and let him sit on it, and he looks pretty excited. Now to figure out how to get his parts aimed right so I don't have to mop the floor in front of it every time he goes.