1. he bakes bread… makes dough, and has fully embraced his role as family baker.

2. he sings- even if he only knows a couple of lines of the song.

3. he’d rather watch MegaMovers or Mythbusters, but he isn’t afraid of an episode of Downton Abbey

4. he is willing to change plans to be with me… for a doctor’s appointment, a work event or when I need a ride to work.

5. he’s game for window shopping, brunch, walks and naps.

Tomorrow, Meg and I will have been married for one year.  We started to celebrate today by presenting each other with presents made of paper.

The names of some anniversaries provide guidance for appropriate or traditional gifts for the spouses to give each other; if there is a party these can be brought by the guests or influence the theme or decoration. These gifts vary in different countries, but some years have well-established connections now common to most nations: 5th Wooden, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 35thPearl, 40th Ruby, 50th Golden, 60th Diamond. The tradition may have originated in medieval Germany where, if a married couple lived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their wedding, the wife was presented by her friends and neighbours with a silver wreath to congratulate them for the good fortune that had prolonged the lives of the couple for so many years. On celebration of the 50th, the wife received a wreath of gold. Over time the number of symbols expanded and the German tradition came to assign gifts that had direct connections with each stage of married life. The symbols have changed over time.(via wikipedia)

Meg and I decided to go with the traditional gifts making this year’s gift paper (and we additionally decided that we would create them ourselves) They are shown below.

The holidays were a whirlwind. Lots of time in the car, a wedding, new beginnings and old traditions. Thank you to our friends for keeping us sane. I’m grateful for a new year. Our first anniversary is approaching and I’m looking forward to celebrating with Kevin.

Want to see more?

• Kevin’s photos of Thanksgiving in Boston
• Meg’s photos of Thanksgiving in Boston
• With John, Janet, and Steven: Christmas in Milwaukee
• Joseph and Shea’s Wedding on New Year’s Eve

So I’ll admit, I’ve been having some problems with balance lately.

• Work – Home Balance
• Regular Work – Freelance Work Balance
• Social Time – Contemplative Time Balance
• Project Time – Relaxation Time Balance

Luckily for me my work schedule is based on an academic calendar so I get some time here in Dec-Jan to reset the scales again and get things back closer to unity.  Look forward to some posts then (including a 2011 wrap-up)  In the meantime watch this video of one of Meg’s Calm Jars.

I was the mastermind who engineered Thanksgiving 2011. I talked my mom into taking us to her very dearest friend, Deb’s home in Boston. With my dad gone and things changing so fast, I really wanted to return to some kind of normalcy. Deb’s family has always been our Thanksgiving tradition. My mom’s family was in Kentucky and Colorado; her parents died young. We spent Christmas with my dad’s family.

So we traveled Kevin and I from Minneapolis and Mom from Indiana to visit our dear Deb. We visited the Boston Public Library, shopped on Newbury Street, paid homage at the JFK Museum and Presidential Library, saw Christian Marclay’s video installation “The Clock” at the Museum of Fine Arts, admired the view and the cuisine at Legal Seafood Harborside and ate noodles at Wagamama. We reconnected with friends- old and new, and I am grateful for that.

Contrary to popular belief, I had a really annoying cold combined with strep throat, not Tuberculosis recently. (I say “had” even though I still have to clear my throat more times and than I can count in a day and cough more than I’d like, I’m getting over it I swear.)  This illness and my incredibly overbooked work and social calendar have caused me to be absent both here and pretty much everywhere else online.  Perhaps I’ll recap in a future post, but for now I can show you the last project finished and the next event planned

Gianni Schicchi - Performed by the CSB/SJU Music Department

Packers Tickets for Sunday November 20th

I’ll catch up soon. . . Well actually probably in December.   Take care everyone.

Kevin

Once upon a time, I was a babysitter. I babysat most weekends from my 13th through my 18th birthdays. It was good money. My parents never got cable, and I got to watch a lot of Nick at Nite. As an only child, I wasn’t great with resolving sibling arguments, but the kids were usually fun and well-behaved with me.

So when our dear friends asked if we could babysit their darling five year old for a weekend, I thought, no problem. In fact, this will be fun and easy. I know Nate well. He’s a good kid- polite and sweet. The truth is I underestimated the whole situation. I didn’t anticipate he’d be homesick, have an accident, or be up before it was light out. We are wiped out! I still love Nate and will gladly take care of him again, but it was a good reminder that parenting is not easy. (TRUTH: Any success we owe to our friend Brooke who hosted the WORLD’S BEST PLAYDATE and propped me up.) Here are the weekend highlights:

• 10 books checked out at the Maple Grove Library
• 60 minutes spent at the Maple Maze in the Community Center
• 2 movies Cars 2 and Horton Hears a Who
• 5 episodes of Phineas and Ferb
• 26 tracks on the Phineas and Ferb Soundtrack in the car
• 30 minutes max for a session on the Wii (there were several)
• 6 apples (No peel please!)

Thank you to our friends for trusting us with your most prized possession. (We’re still anxious to be parents.)

I needed to laugh tonight. K. makes me laugh frequently, but a little Awkward Family Photos or Cake Wrecks will usually do the trick. Here’s to another 100 posts on my sweetest find. More great family photos and cakes too.

I love you, Kev.

Stuff we have enjoyed together recently:

Meal- Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells from Country Living Magazine

Book – The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris

Movie- The Way

Exhibit- Conversations in Wood

TV Series- Firefly

Seasonal Ritual- Apple Pie

Event- Kevin’s Birthday and Catholic Memorial High School Reunion

There have been UFO sightings in Maple Grove. Not of the Roswell variety, but Kevin finds them equally jarring and mysterious. UFO stands for UnFinished Object. He has learned that his wife is incredibly adept at starting projects (or making objects), but less interested or less talented in finishing them. Kevin calls this multiple project syndrome; I consider it following my passions and energy. To his credit, my man gets things done. So I am working more on a blanket that I no longer want people to consider a beautiful placemat. I hope someday it will cover both of us.