Moments D726: Home Cooked Goodness - worth the wait

Today EQ & I planned on a lazy day and then to head to my parents to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend with family. The Plan: Head home after dinner.

My Mom, on the other hand, had other ideas and she can be very persuasive. Her expertise: she great at finding good reasons for us to join them earlier. (How can you blame her, it's been over a month since we last saw them and the last couple of weeks I've been very MIA studying for my final.) In the end, how could we really say no to a home cooked meal when, afterall, "we have to eat something for dinner"?

And so, we headed out earlier than we had anticipated.

I am so very glad that we did.

The drive out was beautiful as we enjoyed the end of a pretty spring day.

And today's moment really was an amusing one. It was dessert.

Many moons ago the four of us were talking about desserts and at some point the topic turned to how incredible my Mom's pumpkin pies were. To date, EQ has never had the pleasure to enjoy a slice.

Tonight that changed.

After enjoying a very full meal (read that's two platefuls of home cooked goodness), my Mom asked if we were ready for dessert. I could see that EQ's eyes were half glazed over from the big meal he had eaten and I chuckled to myself in anticipation.

He didn't realize it, but I had warned him earlier that my Mom had made something special just for him.

He didn't make the connection, until he went to say no for dessert.

I watched the scene unfold:

Mom: "Are you sure you don't want dessert? I made it especially for you."
EQ: "Oh. [Pause] I'm so full.
Me: "What have you been asking for for months?"
EQ's eyes light up. He pushes his not quite finished plate of potatoes aside and says "Why didn't you tell me sooner. I'm done. I'm ready for dessert."

It was very, VERY amusing.

After his second piece of pumpkin pie, he turned to my Mom and said, "Yes, worth the wait."

Moments tweaking plans to make it home in time for a home cooked meal.

Moments sharing a surprise for dessert that was "worth the wait".

Moments D681: Insights to a man's world

After a very long day and a seemingly endless class, I had had enough of my day.  Not that it wasn't productive, or offering up inspiring moments or an opportunity for self-reflection.  No no.  It was full of these things.  As you can imagine, but the end of this kind of day, I found myself drained.

As tired as I was, as defeated as I felt, I had plans after class and I wasn't going to skip out.  First and foremost, it's Comic Guy's birthday early next week and EQ and I are going to be away.  Secondly, I really, really needed a few extra hugs.

And so, I made my way, after class to met up with EQ, Comic Guy and Archie.  After a tour of Archie's new office, we made our way to the local hotel bar for shared conversation and a beverage.  Before I knew it, today's moment found me as I realized I was in the middle of a male discussion on shaving practices.

Yes, that's right.  Shaving one's face.  Doh!  I couldn't really join in on that discussion.  It was highly amusing to listen to the three of them discuss the merits of their shaving practices.  Shaving cream or not.  Soap or not.  Hot water versus warm.  How to get the closest shave. And so on.

I felt like I was eavesdropping in on a locker room conversation, right at the table in the bar and I couldn't help but smile.  (After all, I don't shave my face, so I really had nothing to contribute to the conversation.  All I could do was listen & learn!)

Moments re-connecting with friends.

Moments realizing you are in the middle of a gender specific conversation.

Moments D652: Flight and Luffy

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but for me, there are days when I tend to have difficulty speaking.  Forgotten words, words that come out garbled or mumbled and worse yet, words that get all tangled up in themselves.

Today was one of those days for me.  I don't what was with me!  For the life of me, I just couldn't speak properly.

The best garble of the day:  "Flight and Luffy"

Of course, I meant to say:  "Light and Fluffy".

But I couldn't.  Believe me.  I tried.  During the conversation I was having, not only did I say it once, twice, but three times.  After a full-on belly laughter moment for messing up those words, we tried to continue the conversation.

And I did it again.  Twice.  Flight and Luffy.

I gave in to another round of giggles.  Hard not to really.  I figure, in the end, the message of light and fluffy still comes across, right?

But out of curiosity, I looked up Luffy online.  "A half minded hero....a rubber man that uses really cool moves."

Perfect.  Flight & Luffy.

Moments lost in your words.

Moments lost in silliness.

Moments D605: Rush hour Accident Traffic

Today I had to finish up my last minute Christmas present shopping.  I was going to go alone.  In the end, I asked EQ to join me even though part of the surprise for his gift would be revealed.

Boy!  Am I glad that I decided to bring him along.

The freeway we were on was full of rush hour cars.  Top that off with a serious accident and we suddenly found ourselves on the freeway for over an hour for a drive that should have taken 15-20 minutes.

But, all was not lost.  I had my love with me!  But that was not the best part.  The best part was how we just dove into deep conversation about the many big changes pressing upon us.  It was deep, but it was light.  It was meaningful, but filled with pauses of laughter and silliness.

Beautiful.

A moment I would not have had, if I didn't ask him to join me.  I would have been anxious to get back, mulling over all the to do's in my own mind and likely getting even more anxious.

Instead, we didn't care how long it took us to get to the mall.  We were deep in conversation.

Moments where the universe aligns pieces of the puzzle for you.

Moments reclaimed from an otherwise annoying situation.

Moments D559: Man Time

Today was one of those afternoons that you grin and bear to get through. A family bridal shower. I've never been a fan of them, and today's gathering was no different. It's just not something that brings me pleasure.  I'm more than happy to spend time with my family, more than happy to give a gift to the new couple, but I really don't want to spend 3+ hours cooped up with all that estrogen.  Why?  Well, most of the time I have very little in common with the women I find myself surrounded by, so it is typically three (or more) hours of trying really hard to find things to talk about.  And yes, because of that, the afternoon felt like it dragged on and on.

My moment, however, came post-shower on the ride home to the big smoke.  The long and short of it, my painful afternoon was a perfect opportunity for EQ, my Dad and Big Sis' husband to hang out for the afternoon.  In the end, this time turned out to be some serious quality man time.

No, that didn't mean they drank beer and watched football.  That being said, there was some Jack going around and football on the TV in the background, but what the men focused on was conversation with each other.  They had the time to have serious man talks, no other distractions, just the three of them.  From discussions of health to diving in much deeper into some of the big life changes they are all facing.  From the sounds of it (though I didn't learn about the specifics), tough questions and realizations were shared. 

As my Mom said, it is a good experience for them, knowing how hard for men to talk about things.  How true.  Especially with their partners around.  They don't want to be seen as so vulnerable in front of their partners.  Today, they were able to dig deep with each other in a safe, loving, supportive environment with one another.  Incredible really.

Knowing the depth of conversation shared and how things were relayed, I'm pretty certain that Big Sis' hubby and my Dad fell a lot more in love with EQ, and he with them.

Definitely well worth the pain of attending a bridal shower to know that this afternoon was a big relationship building day for EQ, my Dad and Big Sis' hubby.

Moments complaining about boredom.

Moments instead realized as quality man time.

Moments D457: Sunshine

Today was cool for a summer day, only 20 degrees, but the sky was a brilliant blue with barely a cloud to punctuate it.  Honestly, a gorgeous day.  A perfect day for me.  Not too hot, not windy with a brilliantly bright sky to get lost in.  And so, given the unease that the day presented to me, I took sometime to enjoy the day. My ND would be proud of me!

As I walked I spoke with a friend.  It was quickly apparent that walking in the shade was chilly, and I sought out a spot that was in full sun.  As we spoke I soaked in the sun, warm on my neck.  As we searched for answers and ideas, the healing rays of the sun found me.  There were moments in our conversation where I drifted, enamoured with the energy filling me.

It was a delightful, simple moment.

It was exactly what I needed.

Moments soaking in ideas.

Moments soaking in the sun.

Moments D282: Quiet moments chatting

Today was a day of shopping with the family. We had a late start and finished out the day strong. A couple new bling pieces for the belly button, a couple of (ironically) new warm Columbia sweaters and we were done for the day.

Though the day was filled with many laughs, the best moment was when everyone else was busy getting ready for dinner and my Aunt & I were alone in the living room just chatting and catching up. In those brief 15-20 minutes we touched upon many a topic. Some were worrisome, others were simply a sharing of stories over the past couple of months. All the words shared help to remind me of the things that were most important to me.

The story that I most connected with me was about my niece. It reminded me that it’s never okay to settle, but it is okay to explore. It also reminded me that it’s okay to fight for more and it’s normal to expect more when you aren’t happy. I know it sounds simple, but sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we get bogged down into the mundane and we settle. We settle because we’re comfortable. It’s easier to accept less and remain comfortable. This is never a good recipe for a happy life path.

Moments to remember who we are.

Moments with your family reminding you.