Love the one you're ...with?

"If you can't be with the one you love...love the one you're with!" Lyrics from an old Stephen Sills song play in my head, and also must have played in the author's as she selected the title for her recent best-seller. Catchy sure, but if you stop and think about it, kind of well, wrong. At least if you're married that is.

Such sticky themes is why I generally stay away from the bright pink and green bookstands that beckon "Beach reads" but might as well say "Women Only." It's kind of like shopping at Victoria's Secret there. Instead I gravitate towards the more unisex Gap:
mystery, suspense, thriller, conspiracy...usually with some romance (or just a hook-up) injected in there, sandwiched between the violent scenes of course. Usually the protagonists are males, confident, problem-solvers, and yes womanizers. But they are almost always single, so you don't feel sorry for them when they are dumped at the end, or one of them gets shot, or turned in for espionage -- my personal favorite. Not that I am immune to girl-y drama,* but I prefer my escapism to come from action. Maybe because I miss working for the CIA? Even though it's fiction, the spy-novels are usually dead-on with respect to characterization. Stereotypes aside, all spies are extroverted, danger-junkies, flirts (at best), and somehow endearing despite it all. So, if their world is the polar opposite of mine, than that makes a great read=escape for me.

But I digress. Sometimes I do stray and choose a fiction drama/romance that is full of nuances, complexities and all the emotions of women. The tidal pull of the beach read can be powerful, and Giffin's book doesn't disappoint in that way. Without giving it away, it is the classic bad-boy v. good guy dilemma. Do nice guys finish last? Or are they winners before the race begins?? Hmm, one for the ages. And in this particular case, instead of a "rite of passage" novel, it is a dilemma for a married woman. At first, it just seems like harmless fiction. But much like watching Diane Lane in "Unfaithful" it is more than a little questioning too.
So the verdict. Usually it is black or white for me...but this one brings in shades of gray, in what is usually a pink or green kind of read. I guess it just depends on the color you are into.

*Remember I am a General Hospital junkie.

MMNO

Mohter's Day came and I dragged my husband to see Maid of Honor. I was prepared for pre-packaged chick flik drama (my usual). In a series of mix-ups we did a 180 and ended up seeing What Happens in Vegas. Dan's usual.

I am not a huge fan of the dumb-fun* genre by Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. At least lately. I mean did anyone actually see "Miss Guided?"

So, the theaters had pulled a switcheroo, I was wasting my only MMNO**, the seat was sticky, and some teenager's hat was blocking my view to a movie I didn't even want to see. I didn't even like Vegas when I when I went myself!....This was going to be dumb.

But from the moment the movie started until the second it ended I was laughing. Out loud. So what if the movie was conceived by the Las Vegas Visitors Convention. Of course it was dumb but also very, very FUN. I think I could even give Vegas a second shot.***


*I do like Diaz but pretty much only in Something about Mary and In Her Shoes. I also feel like Kutcher was funnier in That Seventies Show. So Vegas was a total surprise hit for me.
**Mom's Movie Night Out. This was the first one in 1.5 years. So you can see why I didn't want to waste it.
***I went to Vegas for work in 2001. I put together a trade show for 48 hrs at the LVCC Hilton and came home.

Prayer of Jabez

Retro. Old School. Whatever, I don't think Jesus cares that this prayer was cool about 10 years ago. Before I became a Christian anyways. As I am re-reading some oldie but goodie Christian books I am reminded I need to pray this prayer. One, I've been asking for some more responsibility within the Church. I've already blogged about a mission trip and God knows my heart with that.
Also, in various ways we've been asking for more territory as I've considered a part-time job and Dan would like to do real estate.
The last time I prayed this prayer was right before I got pregnant. In a very real way my territory was "enlarged" so I tend to think it works. We'll see what happens this time...

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested." (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

I hope I dance

Last week on DWTS* (my and Karina's favorite show) Kristi Yamaguchi revealed she used to have club feet when she was young. I thought it odd we never knew this when she was competing in the Olympics. I guess she felt it wasn't relevant and she didn't want people to concentrate on that when they watched her.

Last week I went to Emory for an update on my vestibular condition. It was very disappointing that there doesn't seem to be much else to do. I told the new doctor I was not interested in doing any new medication and am fact going off the old one. (It wouldn't be good to get pregnant on any of these meds and they don't make much of a difference anyways). I'm still not "normal" and I don't know if I will be. I am making peace with that while still hoping for the best. One of their "best case" theories is that I have worked my system so well that the dizziness is slowly working itself out. (My only real limitation is that I don't drive downtown, but who wants to drive downtown anyways??)

So, I do my best to not concentrate on the weird disease and go about dancing with my baby. Every Monday night you can find us twirling around.

*Dan makes fun of this show, but I would love to be one of those "everyday" people who gets to go on. I even wrote abc and told them this. So far, they are ignoring me.

A Mother's Day Praise

This Mother's Day I am grateful to have a healthy, tumor-free mom. What an awesome praise for an awesome God.

Today she came back from Duke University where she had her tumor removed from the pituitary gland and artery. It was such an unusual operation that we scoured the world for the surgeon! Luckily, Dr. Takanori Fukushima has performed 2,000 such operations and was both well-qualified and very confident - two qualities you hope to have in your brain surgeon! Even so, he said the surgery was very, very hard. He thinks he got it all so we are going to keep on praying over the next couple of months.

My mom is doing very well and resting up. Since she has dealt with surgeries and radiation for almost ten years now, she is hoping her sixties will be more fun than her fifties.

My sister and I are planning a tumor-free party in her near future...Nonapolooza anyone?

Part II: Dinner at Sundried Tomato

The following night we went out to dinner, courtesy of my mom's bravery.* Eating at a nice restaurant is the only time we ever like the same thing. We both ordered the fillet, medium well, parmesan mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Of all the fancy meals I've had, I love steak and potatoes. This is our common ground and the glue that holds meal night together.

But the thing we would go back for is the house mixed green salad. It is the best one I have ever had, with mandarin oranges, candied pecans, and blue cheese crumbles.**

It was a nice anniversary evening out.

The next morning, the lab called and said they put Karina's specimen in the wrong container.

Could we please repeat the procedure over again?

*My mom braved Karina's diarrhea. Also she is undergoing an operation soon to remove her brain tumor, which makes her generally very brave.

**Dan does not eat blue cheese of course. Or whatever they are serving at the Farmhouse this weekend. But I have to say, Sundried Tomato is our second favorite restaurant in/near the city. Plus we had a BOGO coupon.

Our Third Anniversary

Lest anyone think I spend my days watching General Hospital and eating chocolate, I thought I would educate the world with a glamorous day-in-the life. On my third anniversary I changed my third diaper somewhere mid-morning. This was actually exciting because I knew I was in the window of making it to the lab with my specimen (the contents of Karina's diaper). One only has a thirty minute window in which to:
1. Clean all the yellow watery stuff off the baby's legs, hands, changing table and mommy's body as well;
2. Change everyone's clothes and put on the new;
3. Rehydrate the screaming baby who has lost an amount greater than her body weight;
4. Notify the doctor I'm on my way;
4. Scrape the contents of the dirty diaper in saran wrap and then a grocery bag;*
5. Throw everything in the car and speed off to Fayetteville, which is about a 15-20 min drive. Holding my nose the entire time of course.

Somehow I just knew that when I got to the lab, they would give me the honors of placing the specimen in the lab vile -- while holding the crying baby. I guess they thought my life needed a dose of glamour too!!

I know the MO of this procedure because as healthy as Karina is she has had a half-dozen fevers/colds, three ear infections, and now two bouts of rotavirus. Currently she has both an ear infection and the rotavirus.

Pass the chocolate anyone?

*The lab likes you to be very technical about the specimen container. Which is probably why they gave me the honors.