The Cave

Disclaimer: I know it’s been a while since I last wrote but in my defense, I started this post on Post-It notes days ago but didn’t get around to uploading it.

Quote of the day, “If you need me I’ll be in my cave.”

Yes, the doc is at it again preparing for another big test he is taking on Friday.  Let me describe his “cave” to you.  It is the only area in the whole apartment that I let him use his decorative abilities. 

(Side note- I did this in Hawaii with our bathroom because he insisted he could decorate.  We ended up with surf posters plastered across the walls.  I’ve learned by lesson.)

Back to the cave…His cave consists of the left half our second bedroom.  I emphasize the left side because it is much different from the right side, MY half. 

My half is where I am sitting now to write my blog.  My half is where I sew, create, blog/facebook stalk, plan my lessons for church, read magazines, often paint my nails, watch Netflix, write letters and relax. 

His half is where he pulls his hair out studying, stresses, learns, memorizes, watches the Hawaiian sunset each night on the surf cams on Surfline, dreams of Hawaii, dreams of surfing, watches surf movies, studies, stresses, learns, memorizes.  Did I mention pull his hair out?

Yes our halves have very different vibes.  My half is neatly organized with cute pink, blue and yellow bins and boxes.  It has a pink trashcan and clippings from magazines with all my new favorite recipes, crafts, quotes or ideas. 

His half has a great big Hawaiian flag on the wall. (The flag is bigger than his desk.) Beneath the flag he has chosen to decorate with surfing and climbing pictures (no surprise) and purposefully leaves his surfboards and snowboards out just to tease him.  Oh and did I mention the mountain bike that is propped against the window and keeps creeping over to my half?

Yes if you looked at my half, closed your eyes, and then looked at his half, you wouldn’t even know it was the same room. 

Despite our differences in decorating and choice of activity, I enjoy being able to be in the same room with him while he studies.  Even if we aren’t necessarily talking, it’s just nice to be with him.  

Reality Check

Lately the hubs and I have been very nostalgic.   A few nights ago I found myself staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep.  When I couldn’t sleep I picked up my computer, opened iPhoto and went through every album I had from my years in Hawaii.  The next morning I told the hubs what I had done and he said he had been doing the same only a few days earlier.

I’m not sure if it is because many of our friends are still in Hawaii and with school starting back, there is a constant flow of scenic/magnificent/beautiful/enticing photos on Facebook that make me happy/sad/envious/nostalgic all at the same time. Maybe it’s because we have been away so long that we can clearly see the difference and recognize what we are missing.  And maybe it’s because it’s the place where we met, fell in love, spent the first year of our life together and shared the best of memories.  Either way it’s been hitting us lately, and hitting us hard.

You know the saying, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” Well this wasn’t the case for us.  We knew how blessed we were to be able to live in such a beautiful place with such a special atmosphere. We recognized the uniqueness of the situation and tried to live it up while we could.  Yes, there were some things we took for granted but for the most part we were just grateful. 

And now thousands of miles away from our beautiful island, I find myself having a harder time accepting my fate.  Some days I’d do anything just to walk across hot sand or feel the salt water dry on my skin after a dip in the ocean. 

This week in People President and Michelle Obama were interviewed about their thoughts of the election. I really liked what Michelle Obama said to one of the personal questions:

            Q: Are [the girls] personally invested in staying put for four more years?

A: “The thing I try to tell my girls…is that whatever happens, we’ll be okay. That is one thing this move showed us, that home is where we are…The truth is that if we’re together, we’re going to be fine.”

So I’m trying to adopt Michelle’s saying.  While my preferred scene of choice my be the ocean, I know I wouldn’t want to be there without my husband and right now my husband is in a small town in east Tennessee. So here I am and here I will be for another three years.  There are many wonderful things about where we live. It’s time to take off the blinders and enjoy the journey in store. As long as we are together, I know I’ll be okay.

 

Meet Gnoland

Meet Gnoland.  He’s our gnome.  We don’t know where he came from or how he ended up on our front door a few days ago but somehow he did.

 It was the most curious thing. I came home from the grocery store with both arms full of bags. I didn’t notice Gnoland at first until I looked down for my keys in my purse. There Gnoland was, sitting quietly and centered in front of our door. I was really confused. I looked around wondering if someone was playing a joke on me but no one was there.  Just me and Gnoland. 

I wasn’t sure what to do with him so I moved him over so he was directly centered in between our door and our neighbor’s door. The next day I asked the neighb if she knew anything about the gnome.  Our stories matched up. She had no idea either! She said she saw him patiently sitting in front of door the same day I found him.  So what were we to do with this little gnome?

The neighbs and I decided we’d share him. Gnoland sits in between both of our doors and guards our stoop.  Who knows, maybe he’ll walk off to be with someone else but for now we are happy to have him.

Welcome to the family Gnoland.  Hope you enjoy our stoop!

The Car Next to Me

Happy Labor day, a day late!! But I have an excuse, we were busy being “laborless” for three days at my in-law’s house, which is something that doesn’t happen much for the doc.

We spent the weekend wakeboarding and waterskiing with the family. It was so nice to see him relaxed and in his element.  He works so hard and it felt just like old times (aka before September 2011 when medical school started).

The doc’s family lives about two hours away so we had a while to talk and think. On the way home, as I was enjoying the green Tennessee hills, I saw a man probably mid fifties, picking his nose while driving.  Oh and not just picking, I mean digging for gold! It was so disgusting! I don’t understand what it is about the being enclosed in a car that makes people think they are invisible.  You know Mr., the windows are clear.

It’s like when you were little and playing hide-and-seek. If you hid under the table and the tablecloth covered your head, you thought you couldn’t be seen. WRONG! 

To all those nose-picking drivers, don’t pick and drive…or at least get tinted windows!!