After discussing our dearly departed dogs:
“Why do people not come back from heaven?”
“Because they just don’t, sweetie. People and animals don’t live forever. But the good thing is in heaven you’re healthy and happy, and you know someday you will see your loved ones again.”
“Yes, when their time on earth has passed.”
“Wait — what did you just say?”
Simply smiles in reply.
“How old are you?”
Filed under conversation with coraline, coraline, humor, personal
Song Lyric of the Day:
Tell me one more time / What is this thing called love / I’m not quite sure / As to what is going down / But I’m feelin’ hunky dory / ‘Bout this thing that I found
Heavy D & the Boyz / “Now That We Found Love“
Fifteen years ago today, on an unusually cold and snowy April day in Knoxville, Rich and I tied the knot. I could write something sappy, deep, and meaningful, but I’ve already taken care of that in years past.
This year, I will simply thank Rich for being my best friend through thick and thin, for being with me through all the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, and for being the best dad possible to our own little Curly Sue. I love you, honey!
This is what you look like when you wake up one day and realize you’ve been married for 15 years.
Filed under anniversary, marriage, personal, wedding anniversary
Song Lyric of the Day:
Don’t stop doing what you do / I will be your something old, new, borrowed, blue / Don’t stop doing what you do
I’ve written about making new year’s resolutions in the past. My attitude about resolutions has changed over the years so that I wasn’t putting so much pressure on myself to achieve and/or stick to all my goals, and I’m not about to change that now. So basically my only real goal for this year is to be happy. To be happy in my day-to-day life, happy in my marriage, happy in my relationship with my kid, happy with my family and my friends, happy with what I have in life.
Now, if I happen to exercise regularly, eat better, plan meals, start and FINISH house projects, get more sleep, finish my book, and just manage to write every day — whether here or offline — so be it.
Here’s to a great 2015!
Filed under new year's resolutions, personal
Song Lyric of the Day:
Diamond clouds / I think we’re getting closer / Don’t stop now / Off the ground / Higher than a supernova / Don’t look down
Cazzette / “Beam Me Up“
Yesterday was a long day of traveling from Knoxville to Houston to Los Angeles on our way to Auckland, New Zealand. I actually wrote this post 12 hours after we left Knoxville, during our almost 10-hour layover in Los Angeles. Suggestion: LAX could really use a small movie theater for people with 10-HOUR LAYOVERS.
Our day started with Rich and Coraline driving Nan and me to the airport. Coraline was not only giddy about seeing Miss Nan, she was thrilled to be allowed to wear her warm footie PJs for the drive (she was wearing a coat but not getting out of the car). Our flight from Knoxville to Houston left around 9:30AM, and it was the standard puddle-jumper most outbound Knoxville flights use. We didn’t really have a layover once we got to the Houston airport, which is an hour behind Knoxville; it was sheer luck we happened to stop in front of our gate for our Los Angeles-bound flight when they announced it was time to line up for boarding. The plane to L.A. was one of the bigger planes I’ve been on in several years. So big it actually scared me when we had minor turbulence — apparently I’m really used to puddle-jumpers these days. I counted at least seven instances where I thought, “holy cow, this is it — I’m going to die.” Thankfully, that did not happen. Obviously. But still: scary turbulence = scared Pattie.
The flight to L.A. (which is 3 hours behind EST) took a little more than 3 hours, but not longer than the 3 1/2 hours or more that would’ve gotten us fed. This is where I’d like to point out that the Think Thin protein bars I brought with us are what kept us from potentially fainting from hunger. Me, anyway. Once we landed at LAX, it became our mission (after checking in our luggage with Air New Zealand) to find food. Real food that didn’t come in a little wrapper. After grabbing the LAX shuttle back to the main terminal because the international terminal really didn’t have any viable food options, we decided on Wolfgang Puck Express, where the food did not disappoint (turkey sandwich with bacon and avocado = divine).
We sat in a gate lounge that had closed for the day and was being used by other weary travelers, where I wrote this post and finally checked in on Facebook for more than my standard 20-second pop-in. (I’m basically a cat burglar on Facebook, in and out before anyone notices.)
One more flight to go, and then we will be in the real Middle-Earth. Fingers crossed we have another safe — preferably turbulence-free — flight. I think it’s a safe bet to say that no matter what the in-flight entertainment might be, Nan and I will both be grabbing some much-needed shuteye.
Here’s hoping I get to update again once we’re all settled in tomorrow.
*It’s 17 hours ahead of EST here in New Zealand. SEVENTEEN HOURS.
Filed under personal, photography, travel, traveling
Song Lyric of the Day:
We’re a thousand miles from comfort, we have traveled land and sea / But as long as you are with me, there’s no place I’d rather be
Today is the big day: My friend Nan and I are at the airport right now waiting to fly out of Knoxville on our way to NEW ZEALAND. I admit that I don’t know a whole lot about the country, other than it’s beautiful and has more sheep than people. Which is a fact one of my favorite horror comedies, Black Sheep, really hammered home; the tagline is “the violence of the lambs,” and with good reason.
New Zealand is also one of the top countries I’ve always wanted to visit — and we’ll be soooo close to Australia, another dream destination.
In the spirit of Googling and learning more about New Zealand, I came across this fun list from Buzzfeed, 69 Facts About New Zealand That’ll Blow Your Mind. I’m especially fond of this fact: #6. Only 5% of NZ’s population is human- the rest are animals. I’m hoping that means I have a better time with Wi-Fi than I did in Toronto last month. Unless the sheep there have smartphones. Then we’re pretty much screwed.
Nan has this to say:
#HobbitContestWinner Nan here. Who’s excited? I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count! NEW ZEALAND, look out — Pattie and Nan are on the way!
Song Lyric of the Day:
Extrapolate my feelings / My family is dysfunctional / But we have a good time killing each other
Mary Lambert / “Secrets“
Coraline has always been a really happy kid. She has a sunny enough disposition that I still sometimes wonder how it is that Rich and I made her. Not that her sunny disposition is a bad thing. Sure, she’s gotten mad here and there, but she’s never been one to stay mad, which is a good thing. Particularly because over the last few months Rich and I have gotten a glimpse of the monster Coraline could potentially be when she hits teenagedom. And it scares the crap out of us.
When she’s really mad, she will yell, “Don’t look at me!” or “Stop watching me!” She’ll even hold her hand up in front of her face to block our view. Maybe she’s mad that we said no about something. Maybe she didn’t nap long enough. Maybe she woke up on the wrong side of her nap. She will also stamp her feet to punctuate exactly how pissed off with us she is. Laser beams shoot out of her eyes if we are unfortunate enough to make eye contact after she’s told us not to look at her. Her head rotates around and she begins speaking in tongues when we try to reason with her. There has also been the occasional threat of projectile pea soup vomit. You get the idea.
Rich and I have taken to referring to Coraline as Happy Fun Ball when she’s in a mood. It’s our primary defense method, a way of warning the one lucky enough to not be on the receiving end of the tantrum to run like hell in the opposite direction. “Happy Fun Ball! HAPPY FUN BALL!” The name seems appropriate because Coraline is all cuddliness and sweetness and light most of the time, but occasionally her inner Sweeney Toddler comes out to scare us.
Thankfully, as I said, Coraline doesn’t stay mad for long. But the mere hint of the teenager she might be is enough to have Rich and I planning on buying a yurt in which we will live in our backyard while she rampages through the house, destroying anything and everything in her path with those laser-beam eyes.
“Look angry, Coraline. Mommy wants to write about Happy Fun Ball.”
Song Lyric of the Day:
What was before, we see once more / Is our kingdom, a distant light / Fiery mountain beneath the moon / The words unspoken, we’ll be there soon / For home a song that echoes on / And all who find us will know the tune
Neil Finn / “Song of the Lonely Mountain“
I’ve mentioned my friend Nan in assorted posts over the years. We’ve seen each other through thick and thin, and she is someone I feel like I was meant to meet and get to know. She’s been a wonderful friend to Rich and I over the years, and Coraline is her #1 fan (she calls her Miss Nan). So when I heard about the Hobbit Fan Fellowship contest — with the grand prize being a trip to New Zealand — I told Nan she needed to enter. Because for as long as I’ve known her (8+ years now), I’ve known of her deep and abiding love for The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and all things J.R.R. Tolkien. The woman is basically a hobbit at heart, in the best way possible. It was a multiphase contest, beginning with entrants creating a postcard and then ending with the creation and submission of a short movie. Everyone who’s seen Nan’s movie has loved it. Behold:
I am so proud of her for creating such a beautiful and heartfelt short movie. And I was touched and honored when she said that if she won, she’d take me to New Zealand with her. Well, guess what? SHE WON!!!! Nan is one of the lucky winners from the United States — there are multiple international winners, too — and I am beyond thrilled that she is letting me tag along with her halfway across the world. Contest winners — and us lucky plus-ones — will get to visit filming sites for the LOTR and Hobbit movies and, best of all, get to watch the new movie, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, with none other than the series’ phenomenal director, Sir Peter Jackson.
To say this is surreal is an understatement. This will be the farthest I’ve ever traveled in my life (New Zealand is 17 hours ahead of our time zone), and it will be to visit filming locations for one of my favorite-ever movie series. Basically, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. This will also be only my second time away from Coraline, but I’m pretty sure once she knows I’ll be going somewhere with Miss Nan, she’ll be OK with it. That and when she sees the movies someday — she’ll really appreciate it then.
Did I mention how wonderful Nan is and how grateful I am to her for letting me tag along to FREAKING NEW ZEALAND? Because let me tell you, if she ever needs a kidney, part of my liver, a lung — whatever — I’ve got her covered.
Song Lyric of the Day:
I guess I can’t believe you really came / And that we’re sitting on this pier / See, I’m smiling / That means I’m happy that you’re here
Sherie René Scott / “See I’m Smiling“
I haven’t blogged in months. I haven’t even read blogs in months. Not that I haven’t wanted to, but life has been busybusybusy, which is nothing new, right? Regardless, I’m still alive. That’s something, right? So what’s been going on?
#TIFF14
In early September I was in lovely Toronto, Ontario, for the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. I first went to the festival in 2009, and after much hemming and hawing for the past several months, Rich finally convinced me to go ahead and take the trip. So off I went. And yes, I was boo-hooing just a few months ago that I didn’t think I’d get to go anywhere this year. I had, however, been saving for several months for a new camera, which is the money I used to pay for my trip, which turned out to be as much fun as I’d hoped and then some. I will *try* to write about it more in depth soon. The Wi-Fi situation was not good, to put it mildly, while I was in Toronto, so I didn’t get to post anything here and barely managed to FaceTime and/or Skype with Rich and Coraline. In between seeing all those movies, that is.
This Is (Insert Old Age Here)
I hit a milestone birthday not long after I got back from Toronto, one which I have yet to celebrate with any sort of party because I was focused on a certain curly-haired bambina’s upcoming 4th birthday. Besides, my Toronto trip was pretty much my early birthday present to myself.
In honor of my 56th* birthday, I took a selfie.
*Would you believe … 57?
She’s 4 Now
Coraline turned 4 six days after my birthday. We celebrated with a bounce house party here at our house, which was a relief. Coraline has been to every kind of birthday party imaginable this year — Chuck E. Cheese, Ijams Nature Center, The Little Gym, The Pony Party, The Knoxville Zoo, to name a few — so Rich and I were surprised that she really wanted a party at home. And who were we to argue? She’s 4 now, after all, which she constantly reminds us of. Constantly. Did I mention she’s 4 now? Because she’s 4 now.
Coraline clowning around on her 4th birthday
Working Title
One of the main things that has kept me from blogging and reading blogs these last several weeks is that I have been writing. As in really writing and working on my book. I’ve made good progress and am happy with the direction it’s taking. It’s fiction, so I’m really enjoying letting my imagination run wild. I’ve been researching PTSD in combat veterans — triggers and treatments — so that my main character is believable, although I’m putting the poor bastard through the wringer. Now I just need a title that’s not complete crap like the one I originally slapped on it.
Did I mention that in my head this is what my main character looks like? I’m already casting the movie version.
Image courtesy of a Google search and beautiful man courtesy of Sebastian Stan’s mother.
I also have a new baby niece, Adriana, and Rich started a new job with a new company today. So now you know some of the main highlights of the last few months. Really, though, I’ve enjoyed spending time with my two favorite peeps and focusing more on living life offline. Or as the old-timers called it back in the day, life.
Finn decided to photobomb the family portrait we took on Coraline’s 4th birthday (9/23/14).
Song Lyric of the Day:
Come away with me / Come, let’s go away to be / On a new adventure for two / We can fly across the ocean / Or take a train together / I don’t care as long as it’s beside you
Tim McMorris / “You’ve Got My Heart“
I’ve been fortunate in my life in that I’ve traveled a decent amount. My freshman year of high school, my mom scrimped and saved to send me to Europe with my French class (six countries in 16 days). For my honeymoon Rich and I took a Caribbean cruise. We made several trips to New York City over the years. In 2008 we met up with our friends Richard and Donna in Uruguay. In 2009 I took a solo vacation to the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2010 Rich and I visited Caren in Colorado right after learning we were pregnant with Coraline. In 2011 we took Coraline to Iowa to visit Rich’s extended family. In 2012 we took a long weekend in Asheville, N.C., exploring the city and visiting Biltmore (twice, but that’s a story for another day). Last year we took a long overdue visit to see friends in Ohio.
This year? Well, it’s already mid-May, and I have zero travel plans for the year. That’s right — nada. I’ve got nowhere to go and nothin’ to do. Travel-wise, that is. Due to various issues that have arisen and others that will need to be dealt with in the near future, traveling to, well, pretty much anywhere seems like more of an extravagance than ever. And I admit, it’s a bit depressing. It’s undoubtedly a first-world problem — boo hoo, poor me, I can’t take a vacation — but I’ll be honest and admit that yes, it’s got me down a bit.
One of the many beautiful, exotic vacation destinations which I will not be visiting this year.
A couple of months ago, Rich was encouraging me to go back to Toronto for this year’s festival, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen now. Which sucks if for no other reason than I got my hopes up. I’ve written before about how being optimistic, as opposed to my naturally pessimistic self, is something I have to work at. So getting the shit kicked out of my excitement at the mere thought of going back to Toronto has not been fun. Maybe next year. We’ll see.
I’m trying to be optimistic (what can I say? I’m a dumbass who never learns.) that maybe we can at least take Coraline to New York City this year. I haven’t been since 2006(!) so that is definitely on my shortlist of places to go whenever we can afford it. And no matter what we can afford right now, I’m just scared to spend money on things — vacations — we don’t need, because who knows what other things will need to be dealt with. See? That’s me being pessimistic. And practical.
Still, I do have things to look forward to this year: a new baby niece on the way, a nephew starting preschool, Coraline’s 4th birthday, a nephew starting 1st grade, time spent with family we are fortunate enough to live close to, a new X-Men movie. (Hey, if I can’t travel, you can bet your ass I’ll at least be drooling over Hugh Jackman on the big screen.) So despite not having any international or domestic adventures on the horizon, there are still good things happening this year.
Staycation, anyone?
Song Lyric of the Day:
Hold me closer tiny dancer / Count the headlights on the highway / Lay me down in sheets of linen / You had a busy day today
A couple of months ago Rich and I enrolled Coraline in her first ballet class. Technically, it’s a jazz/ballet/creative movement/gymnastics class, but we call it ballet for simplicity’s sake. Coraline loves it, and so do we. It’s been so much fun watching her make new friends and to learn how to do first position, second position, and plie, among other ballet moves. She’s also learned the ball-shuffle-change move in tap, heel-toe moves, toe taps, and so on. She then goes insane — as does her whole class — when it’s time to switch to gymnastics for the last half of class. With a bit of encouragement, she now loves braving new things like the parallel bars, the balance beam, and the uneven bars — all with the instructor’s assistance, of course. Coraline is also now an ace tumbler after a less-than-spectacular start.
Coraline’s class’ recital is this weekend, the stuff of my mother’s dreams. See, once upon a time, young Pattie was enrolled in ballet class. And little Pattie whined after every class about how tired she was. Which always got the same response from her mother: “But you’ll be such a pretty ballerina!” It’s basically become family lore that I failed as a ballerina. Me, the klutz who broke my toe walking out of a room, remember? I can admit that I have hardly any grace, and I’ve made my peace with that. But my mom — oh, boy. She might literally have bells on this weekend, she’s so excited for Coraline’s recital. At least Coraline truly enjoys her class. No whining about being tired afterward from her! In fact, she’s excited about starting the next level of class, because she’s my girl and she’s awesome. Sure, she has maybe an ounce more grace than I do, but she pours her heart into learning her steps.
I’ll be wearing my own set of bells for her recital this weekend.
First day of class (3/26/14)
Tiny ballerina feet
Preparing to twirl
Practicing some of that creative movement
If there’s one thing Coraline is aces at, it’s the bows. The child is all about the bows.
Coraline is always more than happy to pose for a photo when she’s in her ballet outfit.
Twirling
Look at that bow — she has more grace than me after all!
My beautiful ballerina
*This post’s title is taken from one of my favorite jokes on Friends, courtesy of Phoebe.
Filed under coraline, personal, photography
