More Than Just a Chai Tea Latte

November 23, 2012November 23, 2012Leave a comment

Isn’t it funny how sometimes you will be doing something completely normal, and suddenly, out of the blue a smell, a taste, a sound will take you back somewhere you never expected?

This weekend I am a slave to a grad school project and, at the moment, simultaneously battling a headache of a serious magnitude. Naps, water, Advil, and bribery of the universe have had exactly zero effect on said headache so far, so I just decided to resort to the mother of all cures: caffeine. (This will also have a fantastic effect on the percentage completion of my project achieved in subsequent hours.)

It wasn’t long before I found myself in front of my Keurig coffee-maker with a box of Cafe Escapes Chai Tea Latte K-Cups (a Black Friday steal thanks to Bed Bath & Beyond). What followed looked like this:

Insert K-Cup, select mug size, press button, engage in spontaneous calisthenics, retrieve steaming mug of heaven-sent goodness, slam into thoughts of… JJ? Weekday mornings. Sleepovers. Dinner dates, late night Bravo and E! marathons, saying goodbye for the day as we leave for work.

This may all sound like the sappy reminiscing of an ex-boyfriend. But really, it’s about JJ, my Matron of Honor, who I used have dinner dates and sleepovers with while her husband traveled and Bill worked late. Great, but where does the chai latte come in? Well, she would wake me up with one from exactly the same brand every morning, and I would make her a bagel while she got ready for work. This routine quickly led to the exclusive substitution of the term “wifeys” instead of “friends”. We don’t do that anymore now that Bill and I live together, but I miss it. I actually hadn’t thought about those nights/mornings in a long time.

Sometimes a chai tea latte is more than just a chai tea latte, but also a wonderful reminder that sometimes friends are more than just friends. And no matter what you call them – your besties, BFFs, wifeys, whatever – hold on to those sweet memories as long as you can. They just might cure life’s little headaches.

Love you, Wifey. My headache is gone, and I’m so glad you’re in my life. ❤

Experimentation

November 18, 2012November 18, 2012Leave a comment

Experimentation

Just how much shattering does occur when an extra large Pyrex bowl is dropped on a tile floor? Well, quite a bit actually!

Luckily, if you are having guests over for homemade pizza and salad, and they perchance happen to be very gracious, the clean-up time is greatly reduced.

Tip: With broken glass, you can never be too thorough. A broom and a vacuum may not pick up the tiny invisible shards that can get stuck in feet or paws. If this is the case, dampen a paper towel and slowly wipe down the floor. As you pass over the smallest of pieces, you may not be able to see them, but you will hear and feel them, allowing you to avoid stepping on them later.

Start with 15

November 18, 2012November 18, 2012Leave a comment

http://girlsguideto.com/article/15-ways-stay-married-15-years

Stumbled across this last night. As far as I can tell, this is amazing advice for the first 15 years of marriage, not to mention a great humbling reminder of what is really important during a time when the stresses of wedding planning can lead to petty arguments and tension.

Speaking of, Bill and I have been arguing a bit, and about cake of all things. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, it doesn’t feel ridiculous at this moment in time. I know, I know – first world problems and all that. But just because it sounds trivial doesn’t mean there weren’t two nights this week that I went to bed beyond irritated. Livid even. And while most say doing so is not a good idea, I have to agree with Lydia Netzer’s #1 tip for keeping marriage alive: go to bed mad. Sure, it took awhile to fall asleep. Yes, I left for work in the morning without speaking to him. (Okay, so Bill wasn’t even awake yet, but just the principle of leaving without a word made me feel better.) And by lunchtime the day after our fight, I was able to compose this:

“So as I was sprinting from my 10 am meeting at Career Services to my 11 am presentation for Study Abroad this morning, I realized something… I am exhausted. Like want-to-curl-up-in-my-cozies, shut-out-the-world-and-cry, I’m-never-coming-out-of-my-hole exhausted. That’s probably where all the tears of last weekend are coming from – small frustrations building on top of each other and amplified into overwhelming issues. I’m not discounting any of the points I’ve been making, and I think some of my feelings are valid, but I do want to thank you for being supportive and patient enough to sit down and talk about things. Reason #3487 I can’t wait to marry you.

(Reason #3486 is so we can finally stop arguing about cake.)”

We both felt better for the rest of the day. And even though we just stupid argued over stupid cake all over again when I got home, and I went to bed mad yet again, neither of us said anything hurtful or regrettable. Not such a bad alternative.

So maybe it’s not such terrible advice. And in case you didn’t catch it the first time…

‘“’Let not the sun go down upon your wrath’ is prefaced in the Bible by the phrase ‘Be angry and sin not.’ So, who’s to say it doesn’t mean ‘Stay angry, bitches. Don’t let the sun go down on that awesome fierce wrath of yours.’ Seriously.”

SERIOUSLY.

P.S.