We’ve had a lot of involvement with birds as of late.  On Saturday afternoon we were adopted by a bluejay who my sister affectionately named “JJ”.  He likes to hang out on the deck, poop on chairs, eat watermelon and pine nuts and taunt Elise.
Hopefully he can hold his own around the back yard and [...]

Continue reading " Somewhere, Alfred Hitchcock is smiling "

Last night Elise and I took Maly out for a captivating evening with the roosting purple martins from the seven oak trees at Highland Mall. This mesmerizing swarm easily rivals that of the Mexican free-tailed bats that fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge at dusk during the Summer.  Even better, there were no [...]

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I called Elise at 1 p.m. this afternoon and probed, “Guess what we were doing right now, exactly one year ago today.”
“?”
“We were signing the documents on a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas.”
Summer has been sort of rough for us this year. We’ve both been suffering from severe bouts of nostalgia. Late last [...]

Continue reading " Fun then and fun now "

I was scrolling through the iPhoto library on my computer this evening and stopped to look at a photo of the sauder desk that my parents gave to me as a present while I was still in college. It was a great desk that stuck around for years.
Six or so years ago Elise and [...]

Continue reading " Proof that Austin is one of the fittest cities "

Do not set a wedding date if there is the slightest possibility that five years down the road, on that very date, the World Combat League comes to your town for the West Coast Playoffs.
“Let’s go to the World Combat League at the Erwin Center for our anniversary!”
“Umm… it’s not very romantic.”
“And Phantom of the [...]

Continue reading " What’s not romantic about combat martial arts? "

We attended our second required baptism class this past Sunday. I feel as if I maintained my open mindedness as I quietly sat and listened with Maly on my lap. The high points of our second class (for yours truly) were:

Elise approached the fill-in teacher from our last class and had him write [...]

Continue reading " Required baptism class #2 "

Dear Maly,
You turned three months old this past week. You’re changing so fast and have become so bewildering that I’ve put away most thoughts of giving you away or leaving you outside until you figure out how to venture off and raise yourself.

This month you finally managed to shart on me. Mom does [...]

Continue reading " Monthly Maly Letter: Month three "

When I asked Elise’s dad for his daughter’s hand in marriage, I made mention of, “…and if we ever have children, I’m fine with Elise raising them in the Catholic church…”
In order for Maly to be baptised in the Catholic church, her parents are required to take classes. Four classes to be exact. [...]

Continue reading " Don’t you just hate it when you get a Swahili song stuck in your head? "

My parents were in Cabo San Lucas last week with my sisters and their families. Everyone was able to celebrate mom’s 65th birthday while there. Elise and I joyfully reminisced on the week we spent last year in Cabo: The walks on the beaches, the great food, the booze, the cruise, the [...]

Continue reading " Wish you were here "