Access Panels for the Rich and Famous

Tanner says that when and if we ever build our own house that there will be access panels to everything. Pipes. Electric. Air conditioner. Everything.

This statement was prompted by an episode on HGTV, featuring luxurious bathrooms across the country. One showcased a beachy bathroom with an in ground Infinity bathtub. Tanner cringed. “How is anyone supposed to fix a leak on that thing?” he cried in outrage. “Every home should have access panels. Someone could make millions putting access panels into homes like that…I should do it. I’ll make millions.”

Beans.

Upon my incessant urging, Tanner and I have made Wednesday ours.

We’ve both been working so much lately I thought it would be healthy if we both had a concrete day we could devote to sleeping in, or running errands, or….vegging. It sounds super slothful but it really has been so good for us, and we’ve only enacted the practice for two weeks, and we’ve gotten a lot done around the house (apartment) consequently.

Moreover, yesterday was Wednesday! For our day off, we made the arduous  journey to the animal shelter on Bataan Memorial and looked at prospective pooches. It was heart wrenching for Tanner because the place was filled with beautiful Pit Bulls but our apartment requires that we not adopt a pet that weighs over 25 lbs, I doubt we could fudge that rule very much with a dog of that size. He’s resigned himself to obey that rule.
So we’re looking and having the time of our lives petting every single dog there, and a rustle beneath the shredded newpaper stole our hearts.

Oreo, as the pound has dubbed her, is a little white terrier with a black patch over one eye (any one of you who knew in middle school knows that I can relate).  She’s only four months old and super sweet. Also very energetic but I’d be worried about a puppy that wasn’t.

We looked around some more but both knew that this was the dog for us. So we set the adoption in motion. “Oreo” is currently waiting at the shelter, for some surgery;-)

Tanner and his brother, Tabor, have always had a knack for naming their pets the perfect name. Mr. Pants, a pitbull with pant-like markings. Banjo the beagle. We both knew we could do this dog more justice than “oreo.”

So, unless we come up with something “more perfect,” our new dog’s name is Beans.

All Quiet in Little China

Big Trouble in Little China.
I do not understand the fascination with this movie. When I ask fans to explain themselves, they just get a dreamy look in their eyes and sigh, “Kurt Russel.”

Well, Tanner sighs, “Kurt Russel….oh, and John Carpenter.”

Tanner watches this movie at least once a week. Or that’s what it feels like. Personally, I am reading “All Quiet on the Western Front” for the millionth time, and it doesn’t seem to bother him nearly as much. Probably because Kim Catrall isn’t in my WWI novel. Thank God for that.

Giving of Thanks 2008

My father likes to think in terms of equations; 1+1=2, and so on. It’s a language he prefers to English. Calculus is poetry to him.

I couldn’t help but think of Thanksgiving this year as a equation also. With all the additions and substractions, multiplications, divisions, and hypotenooses (hypotenoosi?) this year working together to form a mathematical sentence.

2 Parks’.

Shannon and Troy drove down to Las Cruces Wednesday afternoon ahead of the rest of the family. My mom had brilliantly suggested that I order what I needed for T-day dinner through the Sam’s Club website, and that they would pick it up en route. Tanner was recruited to star in Devon’s latest short film, and so Shannon and Troy joined us “on set” when they came into town. Later, we all ate Mexican Pizza together and discovered something had gone awry with the groceries: half of them weren’t what we had ordered….it was a bunch of…breakfast?! Apparently, there had been a mix up and we ended up with half of our order and half some one else’s. Poor Steve never saw his bacon, hashbrowns, and red chile again. 

+7 Turpins.
Mom, Dad, Craig, Russ, and Ty arrived in a rain shower the next afternoon. They brought the butcher block table we had all eaten around up until Ty was born disassembled in the back of the truck (not seen in this picture). Thanks for the table and chairs, ‘rents!

+2 Cats.
Horace and Elijah were in heaven. So much attention!

+8 episodes of “House.”
Tanner and my dad have found more common ground. There was a marathon of the medical drama series “House” on USA. We almost literally had to pry my dad away from the TV to come pray over the meal.

 +1 case of bronchitis. (poor Ty!)
After battling a 10 day cough, Ty was whisked to the doctor and diagnosed with bronchitis. He erupts into a fit of coughing whenever he laughs, and the poor kid just finds everything funny. In typical older brother fashion, Russ has gifted him with the monkier, “Bronchitis Boy.”

 

+1 sunset walk to a duck pond pull of starving ducks, and a possessed goose.
After stuffing ourselves senseless with maple-bourbon marinated turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, homemade cheesy onion bread, corn, and strawberry-pineapple-banana fruit salad, we all wadled to the duck pond at NMSU’s campus. The moment the ducks saw us, they began screeching and swimming towards us, which leads me to believe that no one feeds them and they are dependant on the kindness of strangers. Out of the millions of ducks, there was only one goose to be found. On several occassions it came within very uncomfortable proximity to my person, which I later learned was the result of my husband placing delicious morsels near my feet. Next to stingrays, I have a very unhealthy fear of geese.

+1 great round of Scrabble. Sorry Ty, “Trix” is not an acceptable word.
After the walk, we had all digested our dinner enough to not explode if we ate dessert. We returned to the apartment, ate warm apple pie a la mode and Tanner’s much anticipated banana split cake. I broke out Scrabble and played with the boys while everyone else watched more TV (House, of course. Dad doesn’t have cable, and he was relishing the opportunity to catch up on episodes). Russ beat us all, with a grand total of nearly 160 points. He’s a stratigic player and knows to finangle his way to those “triple word score” spaces. We realized halfway throught the game that the board was upside down to Ty, and could explain why he took so long making words. Despite the handicap, he did well, although we could not let him get away with the word, “Trix.” It’s a breakfast cereal. Not a real word.

+3 loads of dishes.
Not bad, all things considered.

(….and a partridge in a pear tree!)

= Giving of Thanks 2008.
Cheesy as it sounds, I have so much to be thankful for this year. I was so blessed to be surrounded by my family, husband and roommate and roommate’s boyfriend included . They are all incredible treasures.