Soul of an Orange Kitten

After having a day where my soul was wrung through, I went for an evening walk. I heard a hoarse, squawking cry just barely over the roaring of cars on the street.  I looked high, there was nothing.  I looked low, still nothing.  Not until his small, orange ball of of a raggity head poked through the dark blades of grass did I see him.  He was a tiny little thing, that kitten.  Lost & hoarse from crying he looked directly at me with his wide, azure eyes.  Cars continued to roar past, oblivious to his pain and oblivious to my own. I scooped him up, forced him close to my heart. As he began to vibrate from the deep rumbling of his purr, my own heart relaxed and my soul flooded with purpose. We may all be wounded, but we have enough to still tend to others.

Two is Better than One!

Florin scored a sweet deal today! As part of today's block yard sale, he spotted a tandem bicycle that our neighbor, Bill, had placed out for sale. For only $35, Florin picked up the (new to us) bike: a classic campus (or "varsity") green Schwinn Tandem Deluxe Twinn.

The serial Number beneath the badge is FG048363 which means it was produced in June 1971. The Schwinn catalogs (1967 | 1972) provide more information, although not exact data regarding our bike. (If nothing else, they are amusing to browse through.) The asking price for one of these in excellent condition, original, and operational can be $500+, although the going rate of resale appears to be closer to ~$250.

Guiseppe has a blog in which he shows some of the progress and changes he did to his 1973 Schwinn Deluxe Twinn over the summer of 2008:

• More Bike Related Shenanigans (Before)
• More Bike Related Shenanigans (Middle)
• More Bike Related Shenanigans (After)

I can't hardly wait to be able to ride with my beau on our tandem down the Rock Island Trail with our matching green picnic backpack in tow!

VT Remembrance Run (3.2 for 32)

32 White Balloons were released for the Moment of Silence prior to the "3.2 for 32" Run in Remembrance.

Immediately following the Moment of Silence and to "start" the "3.2 for 32" Run in Remembrance event, maroon and orange balloons were released.

As part of the "3.2 for 32" Run in Remembrance event we got to run through the Lane Stadium Tunnel. Touch the Hokie Stone for luck!

A Future without my Grandma, Grandpa, and Granddad.

My thanks go out to everyone on Facebook who have been so kind to express their condolences.

I'm not sure how it was for all of you when you lost your grandparents, but it is particularly tough for me since we all lived in the same town. Although my Grandma and my Granddad were the ones who have passed away this weekend, it feels like my first Grandpa just passed away as well.

As a kid, my Grandpa (Bud) drove "Hoppy Toad," a flat-bed small Nissan pickup with no suspension. He brought my sister and I Ho-Ho's, Ding-Dongs, or Crackerjacks. He accidentally ran over one of our ducks. He perpetuated the myth of the Easter Bunny by stamping giant bunny feet coated in baby powder all over the property. He ate his sourdough dipped in hot cocoa (something I do today). When I was a teenager, I worked alongside my Grandpa cleaning apartments and doing the bookkeeping. He'd listen to me prattle on about boys and school. At the end of every work day, Grandpa reminded me that it was the boys who were lucky to have me and not the other way around.

I saw Grandma nearly every day after school (since middle school). I even lived with her during parts of my senior high school and early college years after Grandpa (Bud) passed away. Those were bleak and scary times that eventually led back into lighter times. I ferried myself and my Grandma to and from doctors, ran errands for her, and as she regained her awareness of life and I recovered from being quite ill, we decided to re-enter the dating game--together. I was 20 and we were no longer grandparent and grandchild, but instead best friends. We shared dating stories, clucking happily over the good ones and commiserating over the bad ones. We laughed at how new love felt, and we cried over how frustrating it was to suffer lasting illnesses and their long-term consequences. Eventually, she met Merle who would become my Granddad. My grandmother's second husband was easily adopted by us and loved by all.

Visiting my grandparents was something more than a no-rules, cable-TV, cookies and cracker-jacks haven. They were second parents, excellent and respectable political foes, and original, interesting people. My Grandpa Bud was rough, yet refined. He had a healthy appetite for a good life that was hard-earned. He wore denim overalls during the day and a felt fedora and sport coat every night for dinner. My grandmother was an artist and well-versed in politics. My granddad Merle, was a funny and warm can-do kind of guy with a large, loving family. All three of them could dance circles around you. We didn't always agree on everything, and certainly there was family strife, but ultimately we were family and they were generous, supportive, and proud of us (grand)kids and our endeavors.

Although I had the chance last year to visit and to make my peace with her and his imminent decline (and I did), it still hits hard when you realize the place--the physical and emotional space--no longer exists. In my next trip to Chico, there is no house with the double-chocolate brownies still in the pan, picked at from the corners because "sneaking pieces doesn't count" as Grandma used to say. There isn't a giant room of fashionable, colorful clothing and shoes to try on and take home, anymore. There isn't eggs made with creamer, nor hot cocoa and sourdough slices like Grandpa Bud used to serve us kids. I can't ask Merle, "How are you doing?" anymore and expect to get his consistent belly laughing reply, "I'm okay, but I got over it!"

There's a storage unit waiting for me. Sure, there's some furniture and some memories in boxes full of frames of a previous life, but it's the new, unmade ones I already miss. There is a great sadness in knowing that my sister and I are the last of the youngest who knew them. With us lies the last memories, the vestiges of earthly recollection of them ... and a certain future without them in it that makes me sad to face.

I keep telling myself that wherever they are, they are all young and dancing. My first Grandpa is still winning Jitterbug contents and working hard in his paint-flecked denim overalls. Grandma is dressed to the nines, always a lady but flirting and dancing, turning would-be suitors away. Granddad is working iron rods into beautiful forms and in the evening he's giving the other Pinochle and Cribbage players a run for their money before sweeping my Grandma off her feet and dancing onto that golden, shimmering dance floor, heading farther off into the distance ...

Design on a Dime

It's been almost 3 months and Florin and I are still having a lot of fun decorating our home. We have really enjoyed working together to bring it all together. The latest is that Florin has done an excellent job with the directing and placement of all the pictures and photos throughout the home assisted by my hammering help. I love it that he's "just the right amount of European metrosexual"--fashion savvy with masculine swagger.

In any case, we've recently had some fun trying to find "functional art." These are pieces that are both interesting or intriguing AND functional. Examples may include furniture like unique coffee tables, bookcases/shelves, or in our recent case, a lamp.

See, Florin needs a lamp above the dresser to help him identify the color of his work socks in the early morning hours. We currently have my old 1960's metal mauve fluorescent lamp that is listing heavily to one side perched above his sock drawer. Let's face it, it works, but BOY IS IT UGLY. Normally, it wouldn't matter to us, but since that dresser is directly opposite of the bedroom door, it's really the first thing you see. We decided to keep an eye out for something ... nicer to look at.

About a month ago, I found the perfect lamp in the Pottery Barn catalog, but at $110 it wasn't the right price. Another one we liked was the Verilux - Legacy Natural Spectrum Desk and Table Lamp in Aged Bronze, but it ran closer to $130. (Do realize that we understand lamps are expensive, but it's really hard to justify spending $100+ just to look at socks ...) We kept both of those lamps in the back of our minds and hoped they would either reduce in price or we could find something comparable for less.

Last night as I was looking at sconces (for the movie room), I stumbled across the Sonneman Essex Arc Boom Table Lamp and it was not only beautiful, but incredibly functional. Only problem was that it was ... $330 new, and still $220 on sale. Ouch.

Not to be deterred, I was on the hunt to find it cheaper. No stone was left unturned as I combed eBay, Amazon, Froogle, but alas the $300 price tag was consistent. Only after I stumbled upon a blog post that talked about the wonderful folks (and prices) at CSN Lighting did I score an absolute deal. Not only did they have the Sonneman Essex Arc Boom Table Lamp, but they had it for only $52.34! Needless to say, Florin authorized that purchase right away!

It should be arriving shortly and I think it will not only look terrific, but provide a great purpose in that corner of our bedroom.

Family Visiting Family!

It's strange how 5 days can be both slow and fast at the same time. It's Monday and I'm already on my way back to Roanoke, VA. I have just spent the last 5 days in Peoria, IL with the love of my life and fiance, Florin, and his intriguing European parents.

It's exciting because this is the trip that Florin's family finally had the chance to come over to The States to visit us in our new home! I'm so happy and excited, because they can finally see what he and I are so thrilled about: starting our new and exciting life together! It's our own little International House--not of pancakes, though; we prefer waffles & crepes! Ha, ha! ;)

Although Geta and Mircea had already been in the house for a week before I arrived, it wasn't a problem. I could see that they had settled in and had a routine going and I didn't want to interrupt that. They had already done so much (for us) around the house: pressure-washing the deck, purchasing tools and stain, brought us gifts, etc. I was hoping to have more chances to fix them meals or introduce them to particular American ways (as they had done for me in Romania), but the opportunities were not many.

As I had mentioned, I was only able to get away from work for a short while and it was unfortunately already going to be a difficult trip for me. Many unpleasant things had happened just prior to the visit. First, all three of my work days prior to Peoria were long and disastrous; the system I do training on appeared to experience a system-wide failure and left me looking silly and the system inept. (Not my best days in the job.) Then, I learned that the husband of a friend of ours had died without any suitable explanation as to how or why. It made me feel really sad and scared to imagine my own life without Florin ... I shudder to think of how painful and difficult it would be to have to live each day without the man I love and respect above anyone else. I think it was tough on Florin, too, once I told him of our deceased friend. It made us really appreciate how important it is to have one another and to really cherish the relationship and respect that we have for each other.

Despite the emotionally charged start, things started off and remained well. We had a fantastic trip to Chicago! We let Geta and Mircea call the shots on activities. Geta likes Jazz and Mircea is like me (we like food). For Friday night, Florin was able to direct us all to Andy's Jazz Club. The food was stellar, the waitress was Romanian, and the Jazz was loud, but quite enjoyable. On Saturday, we went to a bona fide American diner, Ohio House, for breakfast and then we were able to tour around Chicago on the Double-Decker bus in some of the most beautiful weather I've seen in a long time. We saw all the big buildings, was introduced to some of the rich history, and had the chance to mentally note places we wanted to zone in on. We then walked the city, visiting sites along the way and stopped into Potbelly Sandwiches for a quick eat. (Yum!) We visited Millennium Park and joked about taking Segway tours! It was a lot of fun and the sun seemed to set very quickly that day. By night we enjoyed Maggiano's, a terrific representation of Italian-American food.

Sunday was well spent in the Museum of Science and Industry. Florin found a good parking spot (although I did give him a hard time about it). :D We entered and bought tickets to the museum, the U-505 sub tour and for the IMAX Wild Oceans viewing. It is so difficult to believe that we spent 5 hours there! I think we all could've spent days in there and still not seen or experienced everything. (I am definitely going back at some point, hopefully soon! I know that my own family is very interested in going when they visit in November.) After it closed and we had to leave, we piled into the car and drove back to Peoria. While the family spoke and discussed things in Romanian, I arranged for transportation back to Blacksburg from Roanoke for my Monday flight. (I ended up taking the Smartway bus which worked out extremely well for only $3!) Then, we were home. As I took a short jog, Florin picked up a Chicago-style pizza. We sat down and introduced (and explained) American NFL Football to his parents. I think they actually enjoyed watching it and getting a sense of an American national pastime.

Night came and went. I had to depart very early in the morning. I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye or thank you to his parents since the night before seems premature to do so. Besides, I never really think of it as goodbye. It's more like a "see you later," or "soon," or "until next time!" There should always be a next time when you're talking about family ...

Despite the short trip and some of the obstacles, I think we did a pretty good job weaving work schedules, workout schedules, food preferences, habits, and household duties and chores with the needs and attentions for both the parents and for ourselves. You can't please all of the people all of the time, but it's not about that, anyway; these trips are about coexisting as a family and making new family memories.

Trip to Minnesota

We flew into Fargo, ND and got a rental car (2009 Mazda 6) to go to Bagley, MN. The drive was very picturesque on back roads through the Detroit Lakes area and it really reminded me of Sweden. It explains why all those Scandinavians settled there.

We visited the Tamarack wildlife refuge and saw a few birds and a few chipmunks. I guess it really wasn't the season to be spotting wildlife, but regardless, it was a nice day spent together. We listened to some really good NPR programming and had very interesting discussions about it. It's just great to be together again.

In the evening we finally arrived in Bagley. First impression from inside the car: It's small. First impression from outside the car: It smells like cows. That being said, it was a cute little town with the bare necessities. There was Hanks Hardware, the SuperValu, Jennifer's Hardware, Daroo's Pizza, Subs & Mexican (the local international food place), DairyLand (the local ice cream shop) and last but not least, the Dutch Mill Motel & Video (which also offers tanning...as in sun tans, not furs). There were several other establishments, but I can probably count them on my fingers.

The motel was very clean, but very old and probably doesn't feature in the Travel Channel's best hotels list. But we learned they are the cheapest motel in northern Minnesota and that was good enough for us. We weren't planning on spending much time in the room anyways.

The following day, we went to Itasca State Park, which is where the mighty Mississippi begins its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. It begins in Itasca Lake and meanders north and east before actually turning south. Very interesting and quite a nice park to visit. Just make sure to bring bug spray aka. "Minnesota cologne," because the mosquitoes are relentless.

Later in the evening we went to Sam and Nathaniel's wedding which featured the funniest preacher I've ever seen, a Model A Ford, some of the best finger food I've ever had and more family and friends than I could count. It was a lot of fun and the reception, although segregated, was a total hit once the dancing began. I also was surprised by the amount of singing that took place. I've never been to a wedding where the guests get up and sing songs to the bride and groom.

Wedding lasted until about midnight which worked well for us because we had to get up early and drive back to Fargo. Once in Fargo we grabbed some breakfast at the Atomic Cafe and attempted to make our way to the airport. This was very difficult because all the roads were closed off for the air show. Lucky for us, we were there early and were able to watch the show for an hour or two prior to having to get on our plane.

We flew together to Chicago and then had to go our separate ways. Yet another weekend that was way too short but well worth the trip. We want to go back to Minnesota to go bicycling with Sam and take in some more of the natural beauty up there.

Pictures will follow as soon as Amber has some time to post them. (It's Blitz week now and it may take a while).