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Then and Now: Part I

It's funny to me that this night, five years ago, I was sitting in my mom's room, blogging, deeply and introspectively. (Or so I would have claimed at the time, now we'll just call it "overdramatically.") I was thinking about marriage and specifically, changing my name, and not being "Allison Knutson" any more.

Five years later I have to say...what a crock. Admittedly, it was weird, signing Allison Belisle for the first few years. A couple of times I forgot. But then, like so many times in my life, I was fixated on something so superficial that, at the time, I thought wonderfully represented the shift my life was about to make.

Uhhh....yeah. Too much emphasis on the wedding...not enough on marriage. But then, it was the day before my wedding and I didn't know jack about being married.

I still don't, to be really honest. What I do know is that I know a bit more about learning to live with someone, day in and day out, trying to accept them for who they are, even the parts that drive you a little bonkers, and the power that laughter has to help pull us out of the day to day rut we often find ourselves in.

We've laughed a lot the last year. I love the fact that over the years we've developed the talent to say exactly the sort of thing that will crack the other person up...even at the most inopportune moments. Usually when I'm being overdramatic. Or when he's watching a very suspenseful submarine movie. But I love that. Even if every romantic movie I watch gets 'ruined' and every bad mood/rant I go on gets interrupted. I love that Josh has the ability to make me laugh, no matter what's going on. It's great. It's one of the greatest things about marriage.

If I could go back five years in time to this night, I probably wouldn't actually say anything to the Allison sitting at her mom's computer, blogging. I'd just laugh at her. A lot.

Yeah...that probably wouldn't go over well either. *grin* But that was then, and this is now.

Here's to a future full of "now."

Love you J.
Happy Anniversary Eve.

Always,
Allie

Tin Man

Last night we were watching a movie where a leader of the "bad guys" is captured by the resistance fighter "good guys" and is about to be killed by the leader of the resistance, but is stopped in this vengeful act (leader of the bad guys killed the leader of the resistance fighters mother) in the nick of time by his long lost but recently found father (until very recently also thought dead). Much scoffing and the following conversation ensued:

Josh: Pfft, yeah, I'd make a MUCH better resistance fighter leader than THIS guy.
Allie: Yeah, probably. *pause* How do you figure?
Josh:Well, for starters I wouldn't have a problem KILLING THE ENEMY...since you know, killing the enemy is pretty much the main part of any resistance movement.

*laughter*

The other left

Josh: Like, the lady on my left...
Allie: The one on that side? *pointing*
Josh: That is left.
Allie: You forget that you're talking to me. "Left" is a variable.

Josh: Are you coming to watch me play?
Allie: Yes, I'm armed with a laptop.
Josh: I just want to show you one thing
Allie: Right. And it'll take you 30 minutes to get to that one thing, and you're going to show me four or five other things on the way, so I'm bringing the laptop
Josh: No. Well, okay, maybe. You're right.
Allie: Left is a variable, you and videogames...not so much.

Allisonworld...

So at work they call the naive optimistic bubble I tend to sequester myself in on a fairly regular basis "Allisonworld." Basically everything has a bit of a rosy spin and sure even if you're 150 pounds overweight, I'll believe you were a professional iceskater back in the day. *Shrug* Sure, why not? Also if you tell me you're on your way to the office and just five minutes away, I'll believe that too, even if you're notoriously late and also (often) a liar.

(Incidentally, Jenniferworld is the antithesis of Allisonworld and Lindseyland apparently lies somewhere in the middle, just so you know.)

Anyways, after explaining this all to Josh there was this convo as we headed to pick up a pizza the other night.

Josh: So what am I in Allisonworld, a white knight in shining armor?
Allie: *wincing* That's...a stretch.
Josh: But!! *indignantly* In Allisonworld everyone is astronauts!!
Allie: You can be an astronaut.

Dear Me,
Too little, too late.
Love,
Me

Sometimes knowing is MORE than half the battle.

Allie:Okay superhonkey
Josh: Allie, you know that "honkey" is racist right?
Allie: What?! Whatever. No it's not.
Josh: Yes...it is.
Allie: Really? Are you making up?
Josh: It's the same as "cracker"
Allie: No! No way! Crap! I called Bertha 'superhonkey' today!
Josh: What did you think it meant?
Allie: I didn't THINK it meant anything. It was just a funny word from Cleopatra Jones.
Josh: Allie, EVERYTHING in that movie was racist.

Later...

Allie: Josh, seriously! Why didn't you TELL me that?! Why did you let me go around saying racist stuff for the past three years!!?
Josh: Don't blame this on me, you're the racist.

Later...
Allie: I can't believe I didn't know that.
Josh: I can't believe you didn't know that! I mean, you read all the time.
Allie: Well, I don't read RACIST stuff...

Even later...
Allie: I can't believe that. *petulantly* Are there any OTHER racist words I should know in this country??
Josh: *sighs* Probably.

The Pitiful Pita Experiment of 2010

This afternoon I attempted to make homemade pitas. For the most part they, literally, fell flat...so instead of puffy pita pouches I had just this biblical looking flatbread flop. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty darn yummy...but, not what I was going for initially. I was kinda bummed, cause I'd been working on it all afternoon. Luckily for me the last one puffed up like a champ so I didn't feel like it was ENTIRELY a waste.

Blessings on my husband who ate the rest of them regardless.

Josh: Yum. This is good. *pause* Really good. What exactly am I eating here?
Allie: Flour, sugar, salt, yeast...so, bread...basically.
Josh: I love bread.

*grin* Yup, at times, he's really really wonderful to have around.

As a sidenote, I had a realization today that music with east indian influences just kinda completely relax me. I chalk this up to growing up in the b-dot. Today I have been grooving to this all day. And I do mean ALL day. Again, blessings on Josh...who did NOT grow up in Brampton and doesn't exactly share my fondness for my new favourite pandora station...but is tolerating it like a champ...at the moment. *grin*

Up This Saturday: Project Flagpole.

Most of today was spent outside, digging a hole and then filling it in. Surprising how much yard work falls into that particular category, isn't it? Anyways, before I photoblog all the stuff that got done, here are a few pictures of Fat Boo - who likes to be outside with us when we're in the yard.

Mostly he stays under this tree and stares at the birds.

He hasn't figure out how to climb trees yet, so mostly he just sits here and the birds sit up there and twitter at him and he chatters back at them. Hours of entertainment right there folks

Occasionally tho he does go and explore other parts of the yard. In this pic, he's resurrecting our old church game: king of the rock.

Anyway, like I said, we spent most of today redoing the flagpole. The old foundation was maybe 100 lbs of concrete - Dad and Josh pulled it up LAST weekend. So today Josh dug a new (GIANT) hole and we spent a good couple hours mixing and pouring concrete. 500 lbs of concrete later, here's to hoping the new base is a bit more solid than the old one.

And then, in an awwww moment we put our initials in it....so the next people would know who to cuss out when THEY'RE trying to take it out.

Finally, a pic for my mom - you're going to have to come back for ANOTHER weekend...because we've finally got this up and let me tell ya, I tried it out tonight, and it's fantastic.

Needless to say we're all a little tuckered tonight. Including Fat Boo who is SO tired he can't even hold up his own head. Sweet dreams to everyone!!

Page 45

Just a note from page 45 of big book of OBVIOUS in our marriage:

If you walk in the house, see your wife and have to ask "Did you remember to put on sunscreen?"....

The answer is always going to be "nope."

Just sayin'.

(Did I mention I got my garden planted today??)

I blame Daniel Marcel

So there was this kid that I had a crush on, in grade eight, who sat across from me in Home Ec. His name was Daniel Marcel and I spent the majority of every Home Ec period for half a year trying to think of witty sarcastic things to say to him. Obviously I hadn't quite gotten that flirting thing down to a fine art yet. (Then again, I spent a lot of my senior year trying to think of witty sarcastic things to say to Josh so... slow learner I guess.) Aaaaanyways, I didn't pay much attention in Home Ec, is what I'm saying.

This, of course, explains why I have had a sewing machine since Christmas, and had yet to actually USE it. Basically because I'm terrified of the thing. It's got 35 stiches and I'm pretty sure that it's smarter than I am. Not to mention I still remember horror stories of people who poked needles through their fingers so...yes, terrified. Completely.

Today however, having exhausted my chores, planted my garden and with an hour or so of free time, I figured I'd sew up a little rice hot pad so that my feet won't get cold at nighttime.

Easier said than done.

It started well. I got the bobbin wound, got the upper thread set up, got the material ready and tada...started sewing.

Problem. ALL the bottom stiches were big, loopy and loose.

Back to the manual. Manual says adjust upper thread tension. Crank upper thread tension all the way up. Try again. Still loose. Very confused. Try a couple of more times irrationally thinking problem would fix itself. It didn't.

Then I realized...yeah...you have to put the presser foot DOWN. *headdesk*

About this time Josh comes home. I say, I'll be quick but I want to finish up this project first before dinner. Quick as a wink I stich the bag. (Admittedly, half a spool of thread later...but still I figured it out! I was impressed with myself. Oh, and the tension was WAY too high and the thread BROKE, so that was more time/thread lost but... again, still fairly impressed with myself.)

I was impressed with myself and at last, I was done. I looked down at my project...and giggled. Then I headed out to the other room to show Josh my handiwork. The conversation went something like this:

Allie: So...two problems. One: I forgot to leave a hole to turn it inside out.
*Josh nods* *Allie holds up the bag*
Allie: Two...I forgot to put the rice in.

Fail.

At this point, it must be confessed that both of us burst into laughter.

I blame Daniel Marcel.

Pelham One Two Three...

Tonight we watched The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. This, I have to admit, though a classic, was not exactly my choice in the Netflix queue.

Josh: It was made in the seventies so...
Allie: Basically, bad hair, bad clothes, bad music is what you're telling me.
Josh: I was going to tell you feel free to make fun of the hair, clothes and music...

Some time later:

Movie Line: It's not moving...
Allie: *frustrated* No it's not! Nothing is moving in this movie! The PLOT isn't even moving!!

When it was (finally) over:

Allie: Okay, hands up people in this room who are not allowed to pick movies for the next month.
Josh: *raises his hand*
Allie: Exactly.