July 2004 Archives

I am so glad to be home I could shout it from the roof top!!!! I woke early this morning, my normal time, around 5 am. I had my coffee and a quiet morning. After Steve and the kids woke, we had breakfast, then he and I had some business to tend to. We went to the bank and had me added as an owner of the checking account, the savings account and the safe deposit box. Next we went to the furniture store to order the pieces I wanted for the house. His parents very generously gave us money for a wedding gift and I, after much teasing from Steven, finished out the house, the way it should be. I chose the vineyard manor style of furniture. It is a dark cherry type finish but looks a bit antique with a deep walnut under coat. It is a very hard color to describe. The style is traditional, classic, but fresh and something we will enjoy for the rest of our lives. We shouldn't have to ever buy more furniture for the house, save for a new bedroom suite down the road. For the family/tv room I selected a wall unit that will take up probably the entire wall in the family room. It is made to hold tv, dvd player, vcr, and at least 4 stereo components, along with closed shelves and cabinetry to hold all the albums, cd's, dvd's, etc in a neat and elegant piece of furnishing. I have had reservations about the cost of sofas and really could not consider putting a $1000 sofa in there for the kids to wallow on and eat popcorn, etc. Heck I had a hard time paying full price for anything. We looked in the clearance area where often floor models are put on sale at a discount price and things were on my side. There was a loveseat in a plaid design that has the same cranberry red base color as the red sofa we purchased back in February. Also there was an ottoman that matches the red sofa, we could only find a small spot on the ottoman and I selected both pieces before someone else could nab it. Things in the clearance section go fast!! The family is outfitted, a 2 piece wall unit, loveseat and ottoman. Next the livingroom and dining room on the main level. I already knew which sofa grouping I wanted. Much to my delight it was on sale when we went in!!!! Yeah!!! Not full price. I selected the sofa and loveseat which is a goldish brown base with floral designs woven in but you have to be in a certain angle to actually see the other colors in the sofa, blues, reds, greens. The front of each piece is decorated with wooden accents of a scroll pattern that lend itself to being very elegant, yet not stuffy and borish or what my mom or grandma would choose. I chose an armchair and ottoman from a different set that matches the sofa and loveseat except it has more reds where the other has more blues. I did not want something that was totally one color in the room. The living room is longer than it is wide and I wanted to break up the pattern and space. I also chose a round cocktail table and matching drop-leaf end tables. For the dining area, I chose in the same style and color a sideboard and glass fronted cabinet. We will be refinishing my old pine drop-leaf dining table for the area and these pieces are simple, not borish and I think will add a touch of my more country tastes, yet remain classic. I do have to decide to either recane the chair bottoms or to select cushins for them. I think cushins will be the wiser choice. I also chose a small writing desk and hope the mail and Steven's things when he empties his pockets will end up there. So, 10 more pieces of new furniture for the main level, bringing the total to 13 pieces for the house. I think I chose wisely and spent the money well. It was given for furnishing the house and making the family comfortable. That is what I did. Steven doesn't care much about looks lol that's an understatement, he is only concerned with functionality. The pieces will suit both of our tastes, the house is warm and cozy, functional, yet understatedly elegant. Lamps, mirrors, etc can be selected as we find things from estate sales or antique shops. I think we will have fun looking for ther additions. Steven loves to browse old shops, as do I. It is something we can do together and find pleasure in. At the beach, his mom gave us a lovely candy dish for our new cocktail table, it is formed in sand molds and looks like a deep scallop shell and a very large puffy sand dollar. With the few shells we picked up it will be nice to deplay to our guests. A quick trip to the grocery store and we were home. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping. I tell ya, you need a vacation to get over taking a vacation. The loveseat and ottoman we purchased had to be taken with us and not delivered. We were too tired to mess with it, plus there was no room in the house for it until we take out the old sectional sofa that was in the family room. We put the trwash out tomorrow evening to be picked up Monday morning, so we will wait to take the loveseat out of the truck until then. I should note here I was sweating like mad in the store. I have some weird thing about spending money in large sums. I get sick on my stomach :-s .... but I did it. It has been long in coming that someone took the upper hand and transformed this house into a house, a home, instead of a dorm/frat-house/playhouse. It is our home and I know we will be here many years. I wasn't prepared to live here in drab surroundings, getting by with functionality. Must be a girl thing. I did go over budget. But, we had already talked about adding bookcases and I figured those would cost us about $400. So, with what we had as a gift to spend and the extra pieces we agreed we would purchase, I spent that exact amount. $5400 and some change. Actually, while it is a lot of money, I know I spent well and wisely. Everything will be delivered Wednesday. Now we have to rearrqange the things that need to go in the family room. It has to wait till tomorrow. I am rambling.....

The last day at the beach. We head for home tonight. I don't think the 2 youngest girls are ready to leave but I do know Steve and I and Colby are ready to see home. The girls wanted to do some last minute shopping and Steve wanted to get a trenching tool to keep in the truck. So, first was a few surf shops for the kids then we hit an Army surplus store. I think we made the boys store a girls store. Oooopsss!! I got Steve a pair of pants, snow cammo, and a black shirt. He will look great in them! Colby chose a pair of reular cammie trousers. J. and Gracie got a pair of cammo shorts, blue and ultraviolet. I got this great bag that I am going to use as a purse and a bag to put my trenching tool and other things in for the truck. Military surplus is cool!! Back at the beach house, Mom was grilling burgers. After such a huge burger I knew no one would be ready for supper any time soon. I suggested to Steven we pack up and head out earlier than planned. We ended up leaving the island at 6 pm. We stopped at a little BBQ place near the NC/Va state line. Then headed on home. We got home at about 11:30 pm. The truck unloaded, unused groceries put away, then we hit the sack. The last 30 miles of the ride was miserable. The stretch between Richmond and here is mind bending. The kids woke a few miles from the house and made jokes and giggled all the way here. But one thing is for sure ... They were happy to be home and back in their own beds.

The day started after breakfast. Steven, the kids and I went out to the beach and built a sandcastle. We had a moat, a flag pole, a sea wall, and decorations from shells and pieces of shells and stones and pebbles that announced to all passersby it was a “Rapids.com� creation. The children frolicked in the sea and I returned indoors to accomplish the task of arranging the one activity they had been asking all week to do .... dolphin cruise. We went on the 2 hour sound cruise with Water Works on the Miss Virginia Dare. Here is where the plot thickens .... We are on the boat and suddenly Steven tells me he is feeling ill. I asked, “You are kidding me?� He says, “No, I have to get off. I'll be back in two.� Ok, so what does in two mean? He'll be back in 2 minutes? 2 hours? At 2:00? Hmmmm ... so the ship's mate asked if he is coming back. I said “If you don't see him, leave him.� The children where not happy. :-s .... The ship's captain came down and asked if it was my husband who got off and do we want to wait. I assured the Capt'n that leaving him behind would be ok and we set off to see the dolphins without him. The kids were not happy. It was solmen to ride out and not have Steven with us. The faces were worried and gloomy and try as I might I don't think they enjoyed themselves much at all. 2 hours later as we docked, he was waiting and stillthe kids had to be reassured he was fine. So we are trying to figure out exactly what his symptoms are and can narrow down to perhaps he is constipated. You read correct. Steven is one of those strange birds who can't seem to “go� unless he is at home on his own throne ... so he hasn't gone in neaqrly a week. He is so full his eyes should be brown and not blue. Go figure. So we have eaten prunes, drank juice and anything else needed to get his system back on track. It is working but working slowly. The kids rented “Lion King 1 1/2� and watched “Lizzie McGuire�. Colby rented the movie with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholas to watch. Mom and Dad went out on their date to “Carolina Blue�. It seems they had a lovely time not only having their dinner but talking with the Chef and his wife. They brought back a sample of a wild salmon dish for Colby to taste, and the chef also sent along a sample of their cocnut cake and rolls. I believe Mom talked about chef schools, and the couple also are from Virginia, Fairfax I believe she said, so I am sure it was like “Old Home Week�. Mom never seems to meet a stranger. We plan to go home tomorrow evening after supper, Friday night, to beat the crowds of traffic in the mass exodus from the island. It has been a fun and enjoyable vacation. Mounds of laundry await my attention now as we get ready to pack up and vacate so I won't be logging any more journal entries until we are back home and the servers are up and running.

It is a rainy day at the beach. What to do? We cooked a big breakfast for brunch ... and that is about all we did for the morning. Steven has been fleshing out a program for me that is customized for my genealogy work. I know I am going to love it. He has incorporated things I like and asked about features of other programs that I dislike. I know this will be a superior tool to anything on the market now. I took the kids out in search of their beach treasures. We walked a good stretch of the beach in the rain and the Sea opened her mouth and purged upon the shore many of her treasures. We found shells, beach glass, pebbles, mussels attached to a fisherman's line and an egg pouch from a ray. The kids are using their finds to decorate picture frames. It was my idea. Buckets of shells sitting around smelling are not my idea of memories. So, I invested a few dollars in inexpensive picture frames, glue, and a few odds and ends at the surf shops (like tiny starfish and sanddollars). The kids mixed beach sand and glue as a base for their ideas then placed all sorts of tiny things from the beach in them. I know they will look great. We have to set up the camera and get a good shot of the 7 of us or whatever they choose so their will be a photo to put in. We took the girls to a few surf shops and let them get what they have asked for. J. got her sharks tooth necklace. Gracie got a necklace with a seahorse. They didn't have enough money for everything they wanted and it wasn't expensive things, just a tee shirt, matching earrings, etc, so I finished out their shopping spree. Colby didn't find anything she wanted to spend her money on. We went in this little junky antique place and I haven't seen anything I would want to take back home. Steven asks repeatedly .... this time I did find something I liked. I chose a set of 5 small tea cups and saucers. Each one is delicate and the outsides of the cups are different colors but the inside of the tea cups have the same floral patterns. They were made in germany and I plan to research the maker. The colors are blue, teal, lavender, beige and yellow. Colby finally saw something she liked. I tiny cup and saucer with lovely violets on it. It is stamped “occupied japan�. It is a lovely thing. We wandered in and out of a few small galleries, although we saw nothing impressive. We made our way back to the beach house where the kids worked on their frames, played on the beach, Steven took a nap and later so did I. We cooked hotdogs and sausage dogs on the grill, cleaned the kitchen, got the 2 younger girls to bed, watched a horrible Brit horror movie that was very poorly done (lol It was Steven's movie choice) then called it a night. It was a good day for all. Steven called into the office and was told the big demo they had been gearing for for 4 yrs was a success. We called Brian to see how the defense of his paper went ... everyone heard the voice on the phone say “You can call me doctor, now.� How cool is that? My brother-in-law is now a PhD in physics with some specialty in acoustics. Yes, it was a great day for many.

We woke, J. first, Colby second and they took a walk with Grandma on the beach. They were shooting for the south end peir but they did not make it. They were out about an hour. Gracie woke last, dressed, had her breakfast and waited for their return. We went to the NC Aquarium. We watched the divers in the shark/fish tank. We petted rays, skates and horseshoe crabs. In another tank we held starfish, sea urchins and hermit crab. We wandered the exibits and could hear the rain storm outside. It was a mad dash to the exit to keep the kids treasure from getting wet. In the gift shop the girls chose lovely coloring books of sea scapes, shells and other beach images. We had lunch at Big Al's Soda Fountain. The burgers were great The shakes and malts were great. The kids had “The Wipe Out� for dessert. It was a huge bowl that could have fed us all from one had we known but we had 3 of those monster chocolate dreams. Moist chocolate cake, with chocolate icecream, chocolate fudge and whipped cream and a cherry on top. After lunch we zipped in a grocery store and picked up Dad a chocolate milk mixer like the kids had gotten Monday. We stopped in a movie rental place and the girls picked out a few movies to pass the midday hours when the sun is hottest. J. chose “Lizzie McGuire�, Gracie chose “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen� and Colby chose “Girl with the Pearl Earring�. Steven and I chose a horror flick Can't wait to see it. We went into a all year Christmas shop and chose ornaments for our Christmas tree for this year. Each girl chose a lovely shell that had a Victorian feel to it. For the tree in the kitchen we each chose a miniature kitchen themed ornament. Gracie chose a glass candy. J. chose a glass lollipop. Colby chose a cookbook. With a quick stop in for milk we made our way home. The kids watched a movie, colored in their new books and Steve slept on the couch. The movie was too much for me. I went upstairs, turned on the sci-fi channel and promptly fell asleep. I think Steven and I both napped till after 6:30. The kids were on the beach and Mom was getting supper ready when we woke. We had a snackish type supper. Tequila Lime chicken wings, nachos, salsa, olive salad and bread, cheese, etc ... The kids enjoyed it. After supper, with the kitchen clean and the trash out, Steven and I went to CVS for powder for Colby and caffiene free Pepsi ... we came back with those items .... and ... a beach umbrella for the kids, hats for the little one, a sketch pad for Colby, lotion, rubber ducks, the Weekly World News and Steven picked up a box of Smoke Away and a supplement ... he's going to try again to quit smoking.

The girls got much more sun than we thought. Today was spent doing things that kept them out of the sun and surf. First we went to the Seaside Art Gallery. Steven was very generous with the girls. He wanted to buy them a gift to mark the occasion of our first official family vacation and our wedding. The gallery offered a selection of estate jewelry and after looking several times the girls were asked what they liked. J. was captivated by a small diamond ring, but the ring was just too much for her fingers. It was thick, chunky even, and the diamond was far too small for the price, but she did see another ring she liked. She chose a lovely blue sapphire, about a .2 ct oval stone. The ring looks lovely and delicate on her hand. Gracie loves red, so of course the choice for her was a ruby. The stone is very simple, about .6 ct, and oval stone in a gold setting. I was impressed with the look of the stone. It is verging on pink, not actually deep red. The silks in the stone have a beautiful marbling effect when you look thru it in bright light. Colby chose a very pale blue topaz, 5.7 ct. in a white gold setting. The ring is old fashioned, the age is apparent in the filligree design of the setting with a simple squarish cut. I have never seen a topaz that light colored. It is almost white but only in comparison to a white can you see the pale blue. The children where overwhelmed by being allowed to choose a ring. Steven was drawn over and over to a necklace in delicate rose gold with a cross. Continually he would go over and simple gaze at the simple design .... it was calling his name. He made the purchase for his mother. It is a beautiful piece and I must say I am saddened that I can't wear gold. Rose gold isn't popular these days with most ppl opting for the yellow golds. With Mom's suntanned skin the rose gold will just glow. It is beautiful. I have a very generous husband where the people that he loves are concerned. Next we went into a few shops that were more like going to a flea market. In one place Steven found and old record, a 45, by Avon called “Huggie Bear� there is no way he could have left that behind. J.'s nickname from birth has been “Huggie Bear�. Next we road in the direction of Roanoke Island, stopping short of the bridge. We picked up fresh seafood ... oysters, scallops and shrimp ... for supper. We went into a grocery store for eggs and cheese, the kids came out with armloads of junk. We located a little shop that specializes in the old fashioned sepia photo's and what should have taken 15 min took an hour. We had our picture made with the kids in period clothing, ca. 1870 ... I almost wish now I had selected the pose with Steven as a yankee soldier instead of the gentleman with his adoring family. We chose a photo of the family, and one single of each of the children. For our parents we chose each a family photo and had it framed. My photo's are earmarked to hang over the fireplace. Yes, the photos and the framing was expensive, but we are making memories that the girls will carry with them always. Back at the house, the girls couldn't wait to show off their rings. It was done with pomp and I could see the pleasure on Steven's face as each girl showed their treasure to his mom and dad. In the late afternoon, Steven napped, I played on the beach and in the water with the kids. When I had enough, I came back and showered off and sat on the porch to watch the frolicking in the sea. I was more and more uncomfortable and decided to get dressed ... OMG ... I had showered but the amount of sand in suit you would have swore I came in direct from the sea. I had a tiny sea shell in the bottom of my suit :-s Sue pulled out her boogie board and played in the surf. I swear she is the youngest grandmother I know lol We had the seafood for supper. Sue and the kids went off in search of a movie rental place but came back empty handed. The kids has dessert and we settled down and watched a movie we had given Dad for his birthday ... Core ... a sci-fi flick about the core of the earth having stopped spinning a select team of astronauts and scientists who went down and “jumpstarted� the earths engine ... heh it was interesting, absurd, sometimes ridiculous but very entertaining. Bed time was near midnight.

Today was a great day. The sunrise was spectacular. I woke up at 4:30 am, went down and straightened the kitchen, sat and read a while. The kids were up by 6:30 am but came down nearer to 7 am. The 3 girls hit the beach for a walk, came back and took another walk with Sue. They went down to the peir which is 1.6 miles away. After breakfast they hit the beach and stayed out all day. Poor Colby. She took a turn at body surfing and ended up flashing everyone on the beach. Bless her heart. I am sure she was humilatede, but she was a real trooper and took it in stride and finished the day like a real champ. We went down to Duck with Sue. She got the girls a cute necklace with a flipflop on it, Colby got a similar bracelet. We went into Wings and got them all a pair of water shoes. The broken shells and pieces of rock cut their feet so they really neede4d some beach footwear as they have chosen not to wear their flipflops. Go figure ..... Steven and I did beer can chicken and beans with ham for supper. We finished up the left overs from last night. We had to go out just before supper and get Solarcaine for J. and Gracie. We had coated them well in sunblock but the sun got them anyway. J.'s skin showed the effects of the sun first and really look pawinful. A couple hours later Gracie's skin really came up. They were both near cooked. Poor Gracie she had on a bikini today so it wasfrom and back. The tops of J.'s leg were about as done in as Gracie's bikini belly. I think if we keep the Solarcaine on them their skin will brown up nicely. Later after dark we let the girls have these 3 foot long sparklers and Steven shot off a few fireworks for the family. The day ended nicely. Everyone had a nice day. We are all looking foreward to tomorrow. Perhaps we will go to a few museums, art gallery and beach junk shops.

We left this morning for the beach. The kids were overly excited. Steve and I woke early, just after 6 am. He went to the bank and picked up the kids doughnuts and milk for breakfast. Mom and Dad arrived just before 8:30. Our show got on the road at nearly 9 am. The drive I didn't think would take more than 5 ½ hours to reach Kill Devil Hills on the outer banks of North Carolina ..... I was wrong. We drove till near 1pm in stop and go traffic. At some points were creeping along at 20 mph. We passed several traffic accidents, mainly people who had plowed into the rear end of the car infront of them. Then the traffic slowed so that passersby could view the 'trainwreck.' If people would have minded their own business this would have gone a lot smoother and faster. We stopped at about the halfway point at a Waffle House for lunch. Colby and Gracie are accustomed to sometimes going to the Waffle House as it is a common feature back in Georgia. Mom called it her favorite little dive. Dive is right. This was a horrid little Waffle House off route 168. The waitresses all had tongue peircings. They were positively a lower class of working people with brown teeth ... well, those who had teeth ... Anywho .... We were soon back on the road after having to wait for J. and Grace's waffle to be served. Because of the lack of space, the adults sat at a booth and the 3 girls sat at the counter. We were served, they were not. I was not pleased but soon they had their waffles, and we were back on the road. As we reached the Outer Banks, traffic onto the island slowed to a walking pace. It took nearly 2 hours to creep along the bridge and nearly as slow to get to the turn off. I am so thankful we were turning right and going to the south beach. I think had we been making the left turn and heading to the north beach we would have been in at least another hours worth of backed-up traffic. The cottage we are staying in is “B-side the C-side�. It is a quaint little place that suprisingly will sleep a lot of people. Steven and I are upstairs in a large room overlooking the ocean with a king size bed. Gracie and J. are across from us in a smaller room with bunk beds ... full on the bottom, twin on the top. They are using the next smaller upstairs room as their dressing room ... They are so funny. Colby is down stairs to the left of the front entrance in a lovely little room with antique furnishings and pink floral wallpaper. It is a lovely room with a window view of the beach. I think a seventeen year old girl with such a room to herself and a great view of the beach would feel very special. Mom and Dad are in the room to the right of the front entrance. It is also a spacious room. The general décor here is early yardsale with a beach flair, but it is somehow still quaint and charming. I believe this marks the families 6th year at the beach as a family reunion type vacation and the 4th year they have stayed in this little cottage. J. and Gracie have been on the beach nearly since the moment we got here. They stayed on the sand until dark, after 8:30 pm. They have been in the cold water and played in the sand like there is no tomorrow. Colby soon suited up and followed them out. Mom brought ham and potatoes for supper so getting everything on the table took minimal effort. Steven and I spent our first couple hours making sure the beds were made and the kid were comfy. We sat on the back porch and watched the kids play in the surf. Gracie and J. discovered the TV in their room and they piled into their bunks and watched George of the Jungle. A couple trips downstairs and a dessert later, instead of going back bed they decided to take a walk with Colby and I. It was dark, black without a yard light, desserted on the beach, and we walked awhile in the surf. OMG!!!! That water was icey cold. The air coming off the ocean was warm. Very warm. The water however was NOT!!! It was like walking in ice water. After only a few minutes my feet were so cold they hurt. Enough for me!!! Back inside everyone settled down, I turned on the dishwasher, and eventually we all headed for bed. Steven and Dad had long gone to bed before us. They both were just exdhausted. This vacation I know will be good for both of them. Steven has worked so hard the past 2 weeks and with us getting married this last Monday, I know he was worn thin. The sun is coming up but it is overcast, but still a lovely sight. Soon the house will be waking up. More tomorrow .....

I picked up the portrait we had made back in June. It turned out great! I'll have to scan a smaller one and post it. We are as happy as we look. The kids called it our wedding photo the morning it was made ... out of the mouth of babes. The photo for Steven's office of the 3 girls feeding the geese is beatiful. I couldn't wait for him to see it. We made an impromtu trip to the office and brought him the portrait. Picture hanger with us, he mounted the hook and hung the portrait so the kids could see. I took the girls to Fudruckers for lunch. It was a disaster. It is another place we won't visit again. The manager was rude and arguementative when he took our order wrong and didn't want to correct it. Ass. More later. Still getting things together for the beach.

My second day as Mrs. Rapids. When Steven went to work yesterday he didn't say anything. He posted the announcement on the board. Some people where fuming that it all happened without anyone knowing. Everyone was happy for us and sent congrats. We mailed out the announcements to the rest of the family. We are getting ready to leave on vacation to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I have laundry to do and bags to pack.

The deed is done. I am Mrs. Steven C. Rapids. He is mine and I am his. Our day was beautiful. I started the day making sure everything was ready for the family to come after the ceremony. I had my hair done in the early morning and my Mother took the kids for a manicure. Back at the house I helped the girls dress. As they waited for me to finish dressing Steven took some pictures. I haven't seen them yet. We left by 1:30 to allow time to get the license. Then we waited in the courthouse until his family arrived. Mom and Colby sat and talked, the girls waited at the window for the Rapids. We sat together, held hands and took it all in as we sweated in long sleeves and dress clothing. His parents with Brian and Lori and the boys soon arrived. His mother orchestrated photos and soon it was time to seek out the Magistrates office. Some moments where sureal. I sat in the office, beside Steven. He held his new nephew, Christopher. We watched Andrew and David play and explore the office. Gracie and J. sat in their Grandmother's laps, Colby sttod nearby, blushing, smiling and excited ... as if she were in a dream. The ceremony was short timne wise, but the time did not pass q2uickly for us. We held onto the moment as we listened to the words spoken by the clebrant and repeated our vows. We were both hot. The room was too warm, but that fell away .. at least for me. When Steven was saying his vows his face turned ashen, pale, white, and his eyes where dialated. I thought he was going to pass out. As he looked into my own eyes, I saw his heart and I saw myself. There is no doubt in me what-so-ever, he meant every single word he said. his vows were real and concrete. When it was my turn to say my vows, I know my voice was quiet, and as I looked at him, I saw my future. 2 families became 1. 2 hearts became 1. 2 souls became so intertwined there is no way to seperate them. As I looked over his shoulder Colby was in tears, as was his mother. J. and Gracie just smiled the most beautiful smiles. After photo's we left for the house. We served our guests wedding cake and champagne, for the children sparkling cider. His brother and his wife gave us a beautiful waterford cake knife ... and here I was asking his mom to borrow one of hers. His parents gave us our invitation framed in a handmade quilled matt. It is really beautiful and romantic and traditional. They were also very generous and gave us a gift to purchase the furniture for the house that we want/need. We left the house to go to supper at Peking Gourmet Inn (where the bush family dines lol). Everyone had a great time. There was food, laughter, a couple drinks ... what a festive occassion. Steven and I sat toward the corner near the doorway. Lori was to my right followed by Brian, Andrew, J., Sue, David, Rich, Gracie, my mom, Colby and ending with Steven back at my left. The dinner choices were made and everyone shared sometyhing from the middle of the table with rotated around. (Read a review here.) Let's see if I can remember what we all had ... Steven - Orange chicken Me - Juo-Yen Shrimp My Mom - Almond Chicken with garlic sauce, which she did not like :-s Colby - Shrimp and Scallop Imperial Lori - Orange Beef Brian - Juo-Yen Shrimp Mom - Fish Peking Style Dad - Lamb Peking Style J. - Happy Meal from Micky Dee's with chicken mcnuggets Gracie - Happy Meal from Micky Dee's with a cheeseburger Andrew - Happy Meal from Micky Dee's with a hamburger David - Happy Meal from Micky Dee's with chicken mcnuggets Christopher - sleep the enitre meal without a cry ... he's 5 weeks now :-) The table had 3 ducks with pancakes and plum sauce for an appetizer. The duck is actually worth just being a meal. Mmmmm the best duck I have ever had! It's why we keep going back. Brian and I had a Mao Tai, a fiery, 150 proof concoction that really is the equivelant to moonshine. It seems no one expected me to shoot it ... oh, well, I can hold my liquer and that shot wasn't much in comparison to tequila. A note about Mao Tai:

Follow the winding mountain roads in Guizhou province to mao-tai, home of the eponymous liquor. Like a beacon, a huge bottle of mao-tai is perched atop the mountain. Made of wheat and sorghum, this high-end liquor is enjoying a surge of popularity. A key ingredient of mao-tai is water from the Chi shui river, where the Communists and the Nationalists fought. After the People's Republic of China was founded, Mao Tse-tung, Chou Enlai and other Chinese leaders took a special liking to mao-tai and dubbed it the national liquor. Records show that the construction of chemical factories was forbidden for 100 kilometers around the area to preserve the environment. Good liquor is generally attributed to warm weather, abundant rainfall and good quality sorghum, the main ingredient. Mainstay mao-tai is marketed at more than 300 yuan per bottle. Despite being expensive and despite the general decline in the production of distilled spirits, production of mao-tai has grown by almost 70 percent in the past three years. This is significant considering that mao-tai prices are also raised regularly. Qiao Hong, general manager of Kweichow Moutai Co in Guizhou, attributes this success to ``Guaranteed quality, precise marketing and the brand name power as the national liquor.'' During the late 1990s, when the Asian currency crisis took a toll on business both at home and abroad, the company stopped its reservation-centered sales and began developing more types of products, such as those with lower alcohol content and 50- or 80-year-old liquor that sold for the equivalent of several tens of thousands of yen. That strategy helped bolster sales and enabled mao-tai to fully take advantage of the brand name recognition it enjoyed in diplomatic circles as the national liquor. But don't be fooled by these figures. Only a handful of Chinese can afford to drink mao-tai costing several thousand yen per bottle. The average annual household income for city dwellers in China is about the equivalent of 120,000 yen, while residents of rural China make just one-third that amount. ``Mao-tai? That's something that only special people can drink. I can't possibly afford it,'' says a company employee in Guizhou province. (from here)

Later we all left our ways to go home. In the parking lot, Colby says to Sue, Steve's mom, "Now you are officially my step-grandmother." Sue says, "I don't know about the step." Colby really loves Sue. shye is always pleased and happy to be in her company. We came out of the restaurant to find some rude person had parked their car at an angle and there was barely 2 inches between their car and Steven's door. He had to climb thru the passenger side to get in. OMG he was furious. And wouldn't you know it ... I didn't even have a piece of paper to leave a note to the inconsiderate bastards. I bet they were drunk or thought they were so important they could park as they pleased. Ignorant asses. It was a long day. It was a hot day. It was a great day! It was my wedding day!! :-) Oh, one more thing ... my new shoes left blistered :-s

Steven and I were married today in a very quiet family ceremony in Manassas, Virginia. He wore a black suit, white shirt and burgandy tie. I wore a black silk 2 piece suit with white collar and cuffs. The children were dressed in beautiful white dresses. We stood before the clerk of court and recited the vows, looking into one another's eyes. Our parents stood near, his mother weeping, my mother smiling, his brother and family off to the side witnessing our commitment to one another. I was a beautiful day to lookers on ... those of us behind the scenes saw things in different light. Throughout the ceremony I just knew Steven was going to pass out! His blue eyes were dialated to magnificent proportion. His skin color was deathly white. His voice did not falter but he was shaking as I held his hands. I waited with baited breath and wondered at which point he was going to hit the floor! I was having a little trouble paying attention to the words spoke by the officiate. My mind was swirling with events from the past, the present and looking to the future. When it was my turn to recire my vows I could hear the shake in my own voice. I stared into his eyes and kept thinking "Don't you dare pass out", to MYSELF!!! which I knew would not happen because the new shoes I had on were killing my feet! After the ceremony we returned to our home, had cake and champange, then went out to dinner at one of our favorite places Peking Gourmet Inn located in Falls Church. We had the duck. The duck alone is worth getting married for! Afterward, we went home, children in tow and went to sleep. We will leave next weekend to head out to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I guess when you marry for the second time no one cares whether or not you have any private time. Oh well, so goes life :-s All along we had talked about and planned to be married in Vegas. When it came down to the nitty gritty, Steven backed out and I had to compromise to keep people from being upset. No one seems to know or give a care as to how upset I am or will be for a VERY long time. On the one day that is supposed to be mine, nothing was as it had been planned. I wanted the 3 days at the Belagio, Wayne Newton, and the Graceland Chapel. Instead I got a couthouse in Manassas, Va., and my mother across the hall in one of the kids bedrooms. According to other opinions I have no reason to feel let down nor pushed aside. When I reconciled to the fact I was indeed not going to Vegas, I planned the wedding in 2 days, bought all the clothes, made all the arrangements and hand wrote the announcements. I still long for my dreams of my wedding announcements being mailed from Memphis, Tn, while we toured Graceland. One thing that did go right, I married a wonderful man who truly loves me as no one ever has.

.... well, really tomorrow afternoon. Everything is reAdy and waiting. I refuse to drink champagne from glasses given to Steven on his first marriage and would dream to ask him to drink from anything related to mine on our special day. Something about it is just not right to me. To him he could care less. The glasses are his. Period. We went out and found 6 lovely glasses that match my wine glasses. These are what we will drink from. Steven's mom called and wanted to know if we needed anything and I asked to borrow a cake knife. We couldn't find one and I didn't bring mine from Georgia. you know the memories from another time etc. See you tomorrow, MAYBE :-)

We took the test this morning. I was still unsure. Thre positive line was very very faint. The suspence was over in a matter of hours as my period started. Steven was so sad and viewed it as a death. I guess I was more accepting of the situation as it is not uncommon to happen very early and most wome have no idea they are pregnant to start with. My Mom arrived at Ronald Reagan National Airport at 12:15 in the the afternoon. Once we were back home I whipped out a quick lunch if salad, bread, shrimp and baked potaoes. I knew she wouldn't eat and would be ready for a meal and a nap when we got back to the house. Steven and I crashed in front of the tv and she was upstairs asleep on the sofa. She woke and took the kids to the movie to see Shrek II. They had a great time. While they were gone I decided to start the cake. It was quiet in the house with Steven asleep. I decided not to wait till sunday to bake the cake. If my mom decided to go somewhere I didn't to be left home and it gave me time to take my time and incase something happened and the cake broke or was yucky I would still have time to start again. The design is all my own. I have just finished it with the help of Steven. He asked several times if I wanted him to bake the cake but I said no. This time it is my turn to bake the cake for an event. He has made all the birthday cakes for the kids and I haven't interfered. The cake is a 2 teired white confection. It tastes delicious!! I was a bit concerned as gas heat is not what I normally bake with and everything in the past has not risen properly :-s I added extra egg to the batter and the layers turned out great! The buttercream icing was made with real whipping cream and not water. it is lite, fluffy and not too sweet. The white roses and the white porcelain topper finishes the cake elegantly. I think it looks as good as, if not better than a bakery cake, at less than half the expense! Frugal is my middle name. When things settle down next week I will get the web pages together and get things posted for everyone to see.

My mom arrives tomorrow. The house is spotless.

Time is passing slowly. We are staying busy with house work and stuff. I feel like a blushing bride. :-) My period is now 10 - 14 days late. I told Steven, it was time to do so. He seems very excited and we will do a test on Saturday. Thank God no one can say this is the reason we are getting married. The 2 events just happen to coincide. The proposal came first. :-)

My ring came today. It is gorgeous piece. we are wearing them to check the fit. My seemed to get tighter as the evening passed and my fingers swole. Tomorrow I will call the jeweler and have it resized a tiny bit. Steve's ring is loose on his finger, but I don't think we should reorder it. 9 is his ring size of the past and as he gains weight I think the ring in a smaller size will grow too tight. Titanium rings cannot be resized but once and then the shrinkage is only a half size. We are keeping his ring a 9. My ring we are resizing. I have shown Stevn the stone I want for my other ring. I am calling tomorrow for more details.

The jeweler called. It seems not only did they not order my ring on Friday (the sale of platinum rings is based on the stock market price for platinum)but the price is changed. That really pisses me off. We placed the order for the ring in planty of time for it to be ordered on friday and the misquote is on the part of the store, not use. We paid in full and should have the ring at that price. Steven spoke with the sales woman, who was very apologetic, and decided to pay the difference and have the ring come on Tuesday. We knew we got the ring for a a great price and even with addition it was a great price. Other jewelers priced my ring at $1300, we have ended up paying $750. I think we got a great deal but still the added price of the market change from friday to monday is not our fault! Grrrrrr!!!!

J. came home from her mother's. She seems in a good mood. Anticipating the wedding and vacation at the beach. All the girls are in a good mood. My ring should arrive tomorrow. FedEx tried to deliver Steve's ring Friday but we were out, it should come tomorrow too. My dress is here. My shoes came but they are far too big. I know if I had gotten those shoes in the store, the size would not have been wrong. I don't know who sizes these things but someone needs a standard. I reordered the shoes and they should be here by Wednesday. The girls halo's came. I spent the day hand writing our wedding announcement for family. I finished the girls bouquet and mine. I used white roses for theirs and lambs ear with ivy for filler. They are smallish, dainty and look lovely. For my own bouquet I used off white roses, ivy and stephanotis. For Steve's lapel I used a bud that matches my bouquet. All that is left is to make the cake Saturday or Sunday. We have a busy week ahead, not so much with the wedding but cleaning and etc for evryone to come back here afterward before going to dinner.

Steven ordered my ring. It should be here Monday. Today was a lazy day. Not too much going on ... Just Dreaming :-)

We get married in 10 days. Everything is arranged. The siblings have been told. We told the younger girls at supper. They seemed happy, but J. didn't have much of a reaction. I think she has accepted her mother getting married, but she isn't set on the idea of her dad getting married. During their evening walk with the dog, she told Colby and Gracie she used to wish for her mom and dad to get back together. I think all kids do. Our announcement ended those wishes and she seems a little indifferent but also a bit happy. She goes to her mom's for the weekend ... wonder what will happen there. When her mother came to pick up J., Steve opened the door, says, "Angie and I are getting married on the 19th." His attitude was 'she has been informed'. Heh ... She was far too congratulatory. J. had to show off her dress, so did Gracie. One thing thsat bothers me was her comment, "It's almost the same as your dress when you got married to my Dad." Everything has to be in some relation to her mother. I don't know how or when to say it but soon I know I will lose it and tell her I am tired of everything Steven and I do being in comparison to something that relates to her mom. She drags her into everything in one way or another and I am really starting to feel the grate of it. I don't know if it is just a child thing (my kids don't do it in regaurd to their Dad) or if it is a conscious decision to try and remind us that her mother used to be married to Steve and she wants her to remain a part of his life. Which he does not want. He has tolerated a lot on J.'s behalf, and I hate to say it, but allowing her behavior for so long seems to almost encourage it further. Enough of that. I know we will find bumps in the road but eventually will make our way over them.

We told Steven's parent tonight. We took them both by surprise. I think they are pleased but I don't know for sure. My Momma is flying in on saturday the 17th. After we tell his brother and my sister, we will tell the younger girls. Steve still hasn't decided on my ring. I went to a few local jewelers and priced the ring we agreed I would have. One little shop, I know the price is wrong. The little asian man I know misquoted. Jewelery By Design is far over priced. VanDoren Jewelers priced us at a middle of the road price that beat the compitition. We selected a 6mm, half rounded band in 995 platinum, which means the ring is 95% platinum and 5% a hardening metal. I tried on a ring in the comfort fit but that is a clunky, chunky ring on your finger. I have decided I do NOT like comfort fit rings. When Steve gets home we are going out to look and talk with the sales person again. She, Jeannie, was a lovely petite older woman, very helpful and kind. Her story, we found out over time is very sad. Last year she married on August 8th, on August 20th, she and her new husband had a terrible car crash and he was killed. She said the 12 days with him was the best days of her life. It is those moment that really make you stop and think and be more grateful for the blessings of the moment.

I wake up this morning and peep an eye at the clock. 5 am. I close the eye and try to dream till the alarm goes off. 5:20 am, the alarm sounds. Steve drags himself from sleep and reaches over to the night stand and turns it off. After about 5 minutes I ask him if he needs a push to get started. He rolls out of bed and staggers to the shower. I am half asleep and hear the shower running but I am not conscious really until I open my eyes and he is standing in front of the closet. T-shirt, boxers and socks. He holds up one foot and says "I feel like g--damn Pippi Longstockings." Ummmm ... what the hell? I look again at him head to foot and see he pulled some long ass weird socks out and has them on. I am pretty sure he has his normal regular grey socks in his drawer. How did he end up with those? I am laughing and tell him his other things are downstairs where I did some laundry. I hop out of bed and go down and collect his stack. I bring back regular, normal, geek guu grey socks. He doesn't want them. He is gonna wear the pair he has on. Hmmm ... I wonder if thermal knee socks made him feel pretty and he liked the idea of being Pippi for a day .. LMFAO ... I seriously doubt it. When I put away his laundry he had plenty of other socks and how he reached past those and found that pair I will never know. I took J. to school and zipped out to Lowe's for a paint brush. I had planned to paint the bathroom but I didn't. I ended up popping the top on a can of pure white semi-gloss and started painting the closet doors in out bedroom. The walls will be a taupe color and the doors and trim will be bright white. I think it will look great with the pristine white of the new curtains and taupe/natural damask duvet set I just got. Things are coming together nicely. Slowly but nicely. Steve had wheatgrass juice tonight. 1 ounce to start with. Instead of shooting it he sipped it. My gawd he is a glutton for punishment. He got it down with shivers, belching and odd looks. Once he almost lost it but manage to recover. From now on we mix it with something else. The pure shot of juice is hard to choke down. I want to heal him not torture him. Any health food nut who says they enjoy their daily wheatgrass juice is full of BS. You can't enjoy that. We are going to try it with other juices to see if we can help the taste. We get to see the proofs from yesterday's photo shoot Thrusday night. Cool beans for us.

I order Steve's ring. It is a handsome ring made of titanium with a center inklay of silver. The finish is brushed. It looks very masculine, but it is high tech, which is a feature I like for my new-to-be geek husband, it has a classic look as well, but it is not a ring anyone could walk into a jewelers off the street and purchase. Very few people will have a ring like his. The likelihood of ever running into someone with the same ring is almost null. We have been looking at the stones for my engagement ring, rose sapphires. Steven has taken so many hours looking for my wedding band. I don't know why it is a such a chore (lol). We both agreed it should be platinum as I am allergic to gold and silver is not as hard of a metal. Find the best price and order it is my idea. Instead he has gone back and forth over the choices and prices. I called and spoke with the owners of Simply Sapphires and am pleased with the info, their friendliness, and the time they took to answer all my questions about the stones I want my ring made of. I went to Michael's and picked up what I needed for flowers and to make the wedding cake. I also picked up some bubbles instead of having rice or birdseed. I made reservations for dinner at Peking Gourmet for the evening following the ceremony. I made an appointment to have my hair and makeup done early on the morning of the 19th. Everything is finished saved for the actual day.

I found a simple black and white skirt suit. It is lovely, black with cuffs and collar, and small bows on the front in white. I also found a pair of shoes in black, fabric, not leather, that has little bows on the top. It is ordered and will be here in 3 days. I ordered Colby a pair of shoes. I ordered all 3 girls something for their hair. For the younger ones I chose the rose and ribbon halo's. For Colby a florawl bun wrap. We need flowers, cake and champagne. I will go to Micheal's tomorrow and pick up a few things to do my own. I called and doubole checked with the probate office for marriage requires of the state and made an appointment for Monday the 19th of July. I finished all the hand written invitations. The invitations and announcements are vellum tied with a ribbon on handmade paper with flower petals embedded. Steven requested the day. No one knows why. Onward we go...

Steve was off today. It his a holiday since July 4th fell on a Sunday. I woke early, with plans in mind and proceeded to carry them out. Virginia requires no waiting period or blood tests between applying for a marriage license and the actual ceremony. It can all be done at the same time. We leave for the beach in 2 weeks, North Carolina's laws are the same. We could do it at the beach, and it could be lovely, but I think it will be better to do it at home. A seperate event. We took the girls shopping. Each one got a beautiful white dress. The two younger girls have a dress that is really a first communion dress but they look the same as bridesmaids or flower girls dresses. They are layered in fluffy chiffon and crinoline slips, beautiful bows in the back, the bodice is beaded in sequined with satin roses around the waist, cap sleeves and a squarre neckline. Colby's dress is a simple white summer sleeveless dress with a long swing jacket that is thin chiffon with a floral woven pattern. It looks great on her. Done. The kids have a dress. I was looking at a black dress and Steven's face and comment was not good. He thought because I wanted something in black I was trying to say getting married felt like a funeral. Which is not at all true. Having to have a family wedding is the funeral, marrying him is not. Weddings and Marriages are 2 different things. We took the kids to Occaquan for lunch. Steve is having one of those sick spells and we really need to take him home. I think his blood sugar has bottomed out. If this happens again, he has to see a doctor. The girls need something for their hair which I will look for online. I haven't found a dress for me and will look in Penny's for something. I decided on his ring over 6 months ago. I need to check his size and get it ordered.

Steven officially proposed today. I never saw it coming. I didn't expect it. I always wondered exactly how it would unfold. It was nothing like either of us had envision. lol We were sitting at the table, I admit I was upset about sa conversation we had the night before just before sleeping. I did not sleep at all last night. We were in the kitchen, I had been cleaning and had several bags of trash I needed to take out. He gets up from his chair and moves the bags, I am thinking he is going to take it out to the can for me, instead ... He kneels before, takes my hand, looks into my eyes and says ... "In the middle of the trash and with the kids downstairs, will you marry me?" He took my breath away! "Yes!" "Yes!" I burst into tears and words would not come for a long time. We have waited all day, enjoying the moment ourselves, painted the 1/2 bath, whispered amongst ourselves before telling Colby. She has always known I wanted to go to Vegas to do it but she really went off the deep end crying and showing her butt in a tantrum about how unfair it is that none of them will be there to see the moment. Talking before sleep, and tons of guilt heaped on subconsciously by Steve, I think I will have to change plans and please everyone but myself. I am sick of people being greedy and expecting things their way and having to give in every time to what someone else wants. I am going to sleep on it but I know I will have to give in and put someone else's wants before my own. Angie takes a back seat on what should be the happiest day to date. I think I have a bad attitude. Goodnight.