This is when I'll know I've made it

Hangin' by the pool with Frank and Yul

"This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days...and I'm ready for war."

"You know, if you live hard and play hard and you burn the candle at both ends, you pay the price for it. In this life, you can loose everything you love, everything that loves you. Now I don't hear as good as I used to and I forget stuff and I ain't as pretty as I used to be but Goddamn it, I'm still standing here...as times goes by, they say 'he's washed up,' 'he's finished,' 'he's a loser,' 'he's all through.' You know what? The only one that's going to tell me when I'm through doing my thing is you people here."

25 Random Facts About Moi

Sark, Guernsey

1. I am incredibly blessed to have found my husband, who is the most supportive and inspiring person I have ever met, and he is single-handedly responsible for my being here today.
2. I aspire to the Maritime life, the salt air, endless sea and sky; to own a tall ship and sail the seven seas would be my greatest desire. I once came close to crewing aboard a classic 19th century tall ship, but an ex-boyfriend put the kaibash on that pretty quick. I am in possession of an ancient Islander's soul, of this I am certain.
3. Tom and I are planning the one-month Camino de Santiago, walking the Pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostella in Galicia, Spain.
4. I have much to be grateful for in my life, but a pathological incapability to properly count my blessings.
5. My younger brother is my best friend and one of the rocks in my life.
6. I want to own a vineyard in Italy or the Languedoc-Roussillon région of France some day, but I don't want the imaginary Diane Lane in Under The Tuscan Sun-type BS; I actually want to learn the art of viticulture and oenology.
7. Some of you will probably know this...but I have completely disproportionately inappropriate reactions to events in my life that frustrate, anger, upset or sadden me.
8. Labyrinth, The Neverending Story and The Princess Bride are three of my all-time favourite films, ones I can watch over and over and never grow tired of.
9. I'm still adjusting to being referred to as a "Wife" or "Mrs.", as I certainly do not feel old enough to be considered either. Heck, I jumped on the Honeymoon bed of the Bridal Suite the morning of our wedding.
10. I'm afraid of children and I don't like to hold babies because I'm convinced I will drop them.
11. I'm working on my Masters to become a high school teacher.
12. My plans to become a teacher are designed to get me a step closer to what I really want to do in life.
13. My dream is to work for the Travel Channel, Discovery Networks or National Geographic some day.
14. I want to teach in an American school in Europe.
15. I want to permanently relocate to Europe.
16. I'd like to live for at least a year in the following locations: Rome, Los Angeles, Oslo, Phoenix AZ, Reykavik, Beirut, Fiji, Miami and Montreal.
17. I want to live out the last of my days and die in Westport, Ireland.
18. I am a grammar, spelling and punctuation Nazi and find it very difficult to stand idly by when these rules are blatantly violated.
19. I am simultaneously disgusted and amused by horror films, and it's one of my favourite genres.
20. My brain is broken.
21. Sark is my favourite place on Earth that I have never been, and I'd like to include it on #16.
22. Travel is my single greatest passion in life (obviously).
23. I'd like to become a yoga teacher some day.
24. If I could snap my fingers and reappear anywhere on Earth instantly, it would be India.
25. I pretty much know everything there is to know about Greek Mythology because I spent almost all of my time as a child alone and read voraciously.

Touche, My Good Man

"A mind of the caliber of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows."

~George Bernard Shaw

Celebrities!

Joyous joy of joys, our wedding made the Grosse Pointe News! And not in a lame way, like the Wedding recaps ("The bride wore Vera Wang...the Mother of the Groom wore lavender..."); rather, we had an actual op-ed piece written about our wedding! I guess it helps that we're friends with a journalist... enjoy!

"Red Wings

When Thomas Sperti, a tall, somewhat shy young man, was running the camera department at the old Hallmark Card Shop in the Village, he was approached by a pretty blonde colleague — Jamie Flanagan — who wanted to know what he thought about the Red Wings.

It turned out they were both fans and Sperti wangled some excellent seats and took Flanagan to a game. The friendship blossomed and on Friday, June 6, the day the victorious Stanley Cup winning Red Wings were feted in a Detroit parade, the pair declared their love for each other in a lovely, traditional ceremony at St. Ambrose Church in the Park, conducted by the Rev. Tim Pelc.

Midway through the nuptials, Pelc paused and instructed best man, Dennis Pascoe, to retrieve a large box from among the pews.

Pelc, with a twinkle in his eye, presented the be-ribboned box to Tom and Jamie and instructed them to open it. Its contents? A large pair of red wings with straps so they could be worn. The congregation loved it. The red wings were prominently displayed at the wedding reception at the River Place in Detroit. However, the couple left the memento with Tom's parents, Sheila and Pat Sperti of the Farms, when they jetted off for a honeymoon in the Dominican Republic."

http://oped.grossepointenews.com/Articles-i-2008-06-19-222150.112112_Author_moves_from_chick_lit_to_thrillers.html

Why was no one thoughtful enough to pass along this gem before I entered into the Holy Sacrament of Marriage?

HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE

Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Wisdom

"I beg you... to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves
as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language.
don't search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now,
because you would not be able to live them.
and the point is to live everything.
live the questions now.
perhaps then,
someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it,
live your way into the answer."

- rainer maria rilke