Olives and Coffee

Usually, growing older entitles a person the knowledge to hopefully make wise choices in life, to be employed in order to make money, and to maybe enjoy a beer or glass of wine if one so desires.  Whereas all of these last statements are true for me as an adult, I’ve also taken to the liking of olives and coffee.  Weird, isn’t it?  I began liking olives on my wedding day.  After the warm summer morning, quiet but busy afternoon, and finally, a solemn wedding ceremony and reception filled with love, Sarah and I got to our bed and breakfast for the night to just kick off our shoes to relax.   We did so on the patio outside with a tray of cheese, strawberries, crackers, and olives.  Oh boy, were they good!  And ever since, I’ve enjoyed olives.

Now, it’s coffee.  And I’m not talking about the foo-foo coffee with sugar and cream (which I have preferred before).  No.  No sir.  I enjoy my coffee in its purest form — black.  I’ve had like four cups this morning (I think).  And I’m not even jittery.

We’re making the decision to help our old environment out a bit.  On our last visit to Kroger, we got all of our groceries into our cloth or recycled non-throw away bags.  We were quite proud of ourselves for making this effort.  It’s a small gesture, but think about all the bags we saved.  Then think about all the bags that other people are saving, too… when they use these re-use bags.  It’s very exciting.

Got the lawn mowed and everything is in tip-top shape.  This week, we are getting some projects done around the house.  By the end of the week, we should have our BIG pick-up of the year complete.  We’ll be cleaning out a bunch of stuff and organizing – my favorite!

And, we’ll just see what happens in the future.  Let’s just say… we may have an exciting announcement ahead.  Who knows.

A Man and His Mower

I’ve got to catch up a bit.  Here are some thoughts from more than a week ago until now.

The springtime has brought so much to our lives lately.  I got out the mower for the first time in ages because of the gentle and not-so-gentle rains that recently passed over.  That, combined with some very gorgeous weather has sparked up a growth spurt at this start of this spring season.  As I made the usual trek around the yard with my trusty red push lawnmower, several things went through my head, the most memorable of which was the meaning of manhood.

I came to the realization of being a man means so much more than having the wife, the house, the life of a mature… “boy.”  I think there are so many areas of consideration – being a man of respect toward others; being a man of knowledge and opinion; being a man of conviction; being honest and humble.  For some reason, boys are always looking forward to becoming a man.  But (recalling from my own experience of growing up and being a boy who longed for manhood), boys often times miss the entire meaning and think of becoming a man as just being able to grow facial hair, wearing bigger shoes, and making a family (and the acts that go along with that!)  It makes me think of when I have children and the lessons that I believe I can pass along to them.  If I have boys, I’m not sure they’ll ever quite understand this lesson until they find it on their own.  But when they do, it will be amazing.  It will be the day they find the backyard a bit too overgrown, the sky a little too blue, and life a little too perfect.  It’s exactly how I found that day last week.

In other news, we got to judge two wine events last weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  I was invited to Triple R Ranch near Whitesboro for a blending competition, and then later on that day I was invited to a Celebrity Wine Judging in Grapevine.  The event included a stay at the Gaylord Texan, a wonderful steak dinner, and of course a judging of 14 wines (7 red/7 white).  We were so delighted to take part in both of these tastings.  We have really gotten in to the wine scene of North Texas, and it’s just a great way to make new connections, friends and show how much we love to drink wine!

We are looking at some possibly new, possibly exciting new adventures.  Who knows what will happen, but I have come to the conclusion that life is just so neat.  With the windows open in our home, the air around here right now is so fresh.  It’s a time to remember how lucky I truly am.  The love inside this house is bursting.  I am so lucky to have my wife, and my two dogs.  Our recent trip to New York City reminded me of how awesome our friends our, and as I told Rachel — it doesn’t matter where your friends are; it only matters who your friends are.  With many of our friends stretched across the world really, that statement has never been more true.  John and Mica are in Belize; Todd and Rachel in NYC; Jesse, Mike and Anna are holding down the fort in Central Texas; Princeton is in California; Janette’s a quick drive to Dallas; Butler is in KC. 

New adventures are always waiting for us, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with the people in my life… Sarah, my family, Sarah’s family, and the family of friends we have.

All Aboard

All those country songs have proven themselves to be a little truer to me this past week. I may not be the kind with Skoal rings on my pockets or the guy who drives an International Harvester, but I am one who really enjoys life in a small town (or semi-small town as it were). All this comes to mind right now as we ride the New Jersey Transit rail back to Newark International. Our trip to the Big Apple is over, and now we are going back to our small-town lives, our small house, our not-so-small-but-oh-so-loving dogs, and our regular routine. New York City is a great place and we had a lot of fun! Some highlights included getting to see David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, and meeting some of the crew and Harry Smith at the Early Show. We also got in to a few of the most premiere secret bars in the city. We were kind of a big deal. The opera, Ernani, was fantastic. We got some great food in, amazing time with Todd and Rachel, and we also spent a few evenings cooking at home, relaxing from all the walking with a cold beer in our hands.

The thing that really strikes me is-with all that’s going on, and the enormity of people and places-I really find myself consumed not with the distance or subway rides or tall buildings, but rather with how I feel as one tiny person among all of this. I kept thinking to myself how many people do this or that and thinking, ‘Why would I do this or that if everyone else is doing it?’ An example: being a musician or actor.

I may also be a little optimistic (thinking I can do it all or go here ‘real’ quick) or ADD to live in NYC.
But it’s a great place to visit. I think this kind of perspective is something we needed to have.

I do appreciate traveling and this big world, and it just seems to make my place in it, no matter how small, seem important, meaningful, and really great nonetheless.