Valentine's Day

Today was one of the most low-key Valentines that we have had in our 30+ years together. That didn’t mean that it wasn’t a great one, however. Doug had to work, but once we got home, we both enjoyed the night very much. We met at MVB Appliance to pick out a new stove and microwave so that we could move forward with our kitchen project. Afterward, we debated about going to dinner but decided that we didn’t want to fight the crowds and went home to enjoy Doug’s homemade fire-roasted, turkey sausage spaghetti sauce with linguine. Dessert was Valentine's cookies from Crumbl, Doug's favorite bakery in Ocala.

While Doug was making dinner, my sofa table arrived, and I started putting it together right away. It fit perfectly in our home and made the living room look complete.  Our entertainment for the evening was The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack on vinyl that I gave to Doug for Valentines, followed by a very close IU versus UCLA basketball game. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers lost once again, but we didn’t let that ruin the night. We had learned over the last 30 years that Valentine’s Day wasn’t about being extra extravagant but instead about enjoying each other’s company. That was exactly what we did this evening.

Brett's Birthday

Brett turned thirty today which seemed almost impossible to me.  I just couldn't imagine that we were old enough to have a child who was thirty.  When I thought back to the day that he was born, it felt almost like I was watching a movie of the event. Doug's memory was a lot more vivid.  He had to meet one of his peers before we left for the hospital to pass on the work files.  He talked about the railroad tracks that we had to drive over and the pain that it caused me.  He still thought that it was funny that our doctor wanted Brett to take a little bit longer so that he could finish watching Jeopardy.  I could remember everything that Doug talked about from that day, but it just seemed surreal.  Either way we both enjoyed sharing our reminisces with Brett when he got off of work and looking at all of the pictures that I posted on Facebook in honor of his milestone birthday.  

As fun as it was wishing Brett a Happy Birthday and talking about the day that he was born, what I enjoyed most on his thirtieth birthday was knowing how much our family values each other.  Each one of Brett's siblings had reached out to him to wish him a wonderful day, make plans to get together or talk about their recent visit with him.  They had all done the same on Cameron's birthday in January and would again in March for Meg's and in May for Cal's.  With Meg's marriage to Nick, Brett's upcoming one to Karen and Cal's long-term relationship with Maggie blossoming, it was nice to know that soon we would have a lot more birthdays on the calendar to celebrate.  There are always times like today when I miss being a mom of young children, but having adult children has been so much more rewarding than I could have ever dreamed.  Brett turning thirty makes me feel really old, but it doesn't take away the fun I have had being a mom then or now.  

Are New Kitchen Counters a Possibility?

Over the weekend, Doug and I went through all of our finances.  We had been able to save more over the past few years than we originally thought we would and wanted to make the best choices of what we could with that money.  One item that we both agreed upon was paying off Meg's loan.  We had hoped that Biden's loan forgiveness would pass, but it didn't, and we knew that the new administration was against any type of education breaks.  Another important budget item for us was to add to my IRA and Doug's 401K.  The topic of retiring had been discussed by us a lot lately, and although it wasn't on the near horizon we wanted to make sure that we kept on top of our savings.  

Once we got through the majority of the items on our list, I brought up updates to the house.  Last fall, I had come up with several projects that needed addressed around the house.  I got a quote for one of them specifically and researched the cost of the others.  I realized after looking at the list that I really didn't want to spend the money.  I decided instead to do some of the projects on my own, like the cabinet and sink in the garage.  It turned out so well and I saved so much money that I thought that I would wait and see if my dad could help me with the items that needed fixed or updated in my bathroom.  I was very impressed with how that turned out and the money that it saved us as well.  

With all of the savings and repairs that I finished on my own or with help, I decided to bring up the one household project that I couldn't do in our house, replacing the kitchen countertops.  Doug definitely agreed that although they were functional, they were outdated.  Thus, we came up with a budget for the project and I made plans to call a local countertop store in Ocala that had very good reviews.  Within a few hours, they had sent me pictures of granite that would match my kitchen and told me how to come up with measurements so that they could give me a quote.  Imagine my surprise when the cost was half of what I thought it would be.  With that information I could also replace the twenty-one-year-old stove and microwave.  When I added it to what I spent on the bathroom and garage project, I was at half of what I originally thought that I would have to spend last fall.  That was definitely good news, and we agreed to move forward.  I was thrilled and happy to know that I would soon be done with household projects.

Wedding Dress Blues Solved

Last week, my mom and I spent a lot of time looking for a dress that she could wear to Brett's wedding this summer.  I thought we found the perfect one at JC Penney, but neither of us found it to be too flattering once she tried it on.  Belk's didn't have anything either which really surprised.  My mom decided to take a break and look once she returned to Indiana.

While we were shopping, Meg ordered a bridesmaid dress to try on at home for herself.  She sent pictures and we both absolutely loved it.  With everyone looking, I started to panic.  I had already ordered a dress from Amazon that I thought would be perfect.  It fit, but it just didn't look that great, and I would have felt extremely self-conscious in it.  I decided to go back to where I originally found the one for Meg's wedding and order from there.  It would be more expensive, but they had a home try on option that would allow me to order several dresses and then pick out the best one for me.  Meg and I found a couple for me to try.

My dresses arrived today, and I was super nervous about trying them on.  Finding a dress for my children's wedding is the hardest part for me.  I know that we will be taking pictures that will hang on my wall for quite some time, and I want to look good in them.  It's not about vanity but more that I don't want to stick out with one that is too tight or one that is extremely low cut.  Thankfully, both dresses fit tonight, and I thought one of them was perfect for me.  Meg, my mom and Doug all agreed.  I would still need to order it in a different color as the pink one available for try on almost looked white, but that was an easy remedy.  The best part was that the stress that I was feeling about getting a dress for Brett's wedding was over.  Now I could move on to a lot more fun projects for his and Karen's big day.

Let the Search Begin

Over the weekend, we heard news that Mike Woodson would be retiring from coaching at the end of this basketball season.  None of us were shocked.  IU's season had been a challenging one for all involved.  There were a lot of close games, but not a lot of victories.  We also lost several games that were decided within the first few minutes of tipoff.  There were even a few loses to teams that we should have beaten easily.  Overall, it was just a disappointing season, especially with the hype surrounding the team last November.  

Even though I truly wanted Mike Woodson to succeed and I loved watching this team, I was ready for something else.  I do not know if a new coach will help, but it is worth trying at this point.  Cameron was a Woodson hold out for a long time, but after being at the game where the team and coach were booed off the court, even he supported the change.  Neither Doug nor I have any idea who would make a good replacement coach.  Cal still longs for the days of Tom Crean.  Cameron has jumped on the Brad Stevens bandwagon.  My Dad has talked about Bruce Pearl.  From what I have read, I do not think that it will be any of these three.  Either way, it has made for some fun conversation and a lot of speculation.  

Generational Gap

Every generation has a different idea of what looks fashionable.  When I was little, bell bottoms and halter tops were popular.  Hair was long, especially on men and most males sported facial hair as well.  In the 1980s, big hair was all the rage, and everyone rolled up their jeans to show off their Vans.  Because I realized long ago that fashion was for the young, I never really got too caught up in how my children dressed or what they thought was popular.  Thus, when Cameron called to tell me that he was thinking of painting his nails, I wasn't surprised at all.  My only response was to wait until he did not have an interview coming up as it may not be Kelley school appropriate, but otherwise it sounded good to me.

I know that not every parent would feel the same way that I do, but I always figured that unless it was a permanent change to one's body, there was no reason to get all jazzed up about fashion.  Cameron has definitely pushed the envelope with his appearance more than any of his siblings, but that was to be expected.  He was the youngest and had attended a fairly liberal school.  Long hair, earrings and now painted nails didn't surprise me.  Fashion had become a lot more gender neutral than even ten years ago when Brett was in college.  Males do not have as much problem showing their feminine side and Cal had already pointed out that both Caleb Williams and Miles Rice had painted their nails as well.  Meg did have one suggestion - paint them a neutral, dark color such as black, brown, navy, etc.  

This weekend, Cameron sent me a picture of his new olive-green nails.  Cora had painted them for him, and they did look very nice.  She had already given him tips on how to keep them from getting chipped and I reminded him that they would take some care to keep them looking nice.  I realize that not everyone will think that his new fashion statement looks great, especially those in the older generation, but overall, I like Cameron expressing himself in a way that makes him feel good and does not cause harm to anyone.  That is what is most important.  

Festival of the Arts

When Brett and I met with Men's Wearhouse in January, they strongly suggested that we have all of the men in Brett and Karen's wedding get fitted within the month as the suit that Brett picked out was extremely popular.  Everyone did a great job of it, and we all loved Jovie's picture of Norman getting ready to be the "ringbearer of the year."  As the deadline grew closer this weekend, however, I realized that Doug, Cal and Andrew still needed fitted.  Cal had told me that he was going on Sunday and Brett had heard from Andrew that he had plans to get fitted soon as well. 

Knowing that we had a free weekend, I decided that I would set aside time for Doug to go to Men's Wearhouse today.  The only other decision that we had to make was which store to choose.  The two closest ones were in Gainesville and the Orlando area. We talked at first about going to Gainesville, but we had been there a lot lately and instead planned to go to the one in Winter Garden.  As an added bonus, we would be able to get lunch at the Epcot Festival of the Arts as well.

There were a few hiccups in our plans.  It was an hour wait at Men's Wearhouse and the traffic into Epcot was crazy.  Thankfully, we survived both and had a great time as well.  Doug got fitted and the food at the festival was delicious. We also enjoyed the art booths a lot.  The crowds were heavy and the lines were a little long, but overall, it was a great day.  We enjoyed the sunshine, and I was even able to pick up the newest passholder magnet.  I was exhausted when we got home, but thankful for a wonderful day that we both enjoyed very much.