Peace Ponyo Pizza

This is not a review but I wanted to say that we (except for aaron; part IV of the CPA exam is in 6 hours and he is/was studying) saw the japanese children's movie "Ponyo" tonight and it was strange. But then I left the theatre feeling strangely happy. It was a heartwarming sort of strange. I think i recommend it. In fact, I do recommend it. This man is my favorite movie reviewer and has been for years and years. Read what he wrote about Ponyo here. (it is so dead-on) 

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I've been thinking tonight about the Peace Corps. It sounds like heaven. I know it's cliche but I want to join. Us to join. Not now, but someday. I've given this a whole 7 minutes of thought so bare with me. (there's that phrase again...i don't mean strip down) It's just...exactly how i want to live. Peru or ecuador. I could teach health programs, aaron- business sorts of things. 27 months. Like a mission, but not religious. Just for the sake of improving lives, increasing knowledge. Maybe we'd have to wait until we're 50 and our last child has graduated high school, and that's ok. I just feel a little thrilled knowing that option is there. 

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Everyone knows i have a passionate love for settebello right? Well, it's no longer within reach. I need quality napoletana pizza STAT! (I love STAT, i could just say it all day long. i need a banana STAT! Aaron needs to come home from work STAT! I would like new socks, STAT!) Unforunately, I have yet to find a replacement pizza- one with good italian flour in the crust, the right oven, fresh cheese, and tomatoes that aren't in a thick, unappealing sauce. I have been particularly in tune with pizza sauces as of late. (in tune i swear it, i can read them like a book) It only takes one taste to know it's not quality. Silvio's had way too much sugar, for instance. Which I do appreciate, since far too many sauces are too acidic or bitter. 

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So what does it all mean?

There is no peace corps in japan. There are no italian pizzas in ecuador. I think it just means i had 3 things on my mind tonight & they all began with P.

I'm blogging too much, i know!

...but I felt this intense need to share with people this Dutch department store's website. It made me inexplicably giggly. I felt like a 6 month old watching a mobile hanging over her crib during naptime. If you click on that link, just have your sound on a little bit and don't click anything else once you get there. 

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 Tonight, we switch the baby monitor in our bedroom to the "off" position. The 3 days of sitting on babies was a success. Early mornings and diapers aside, it was definitely worth the Mackinac Island fudge we got as a reward. Do i crave children of my own? oh yes. But the thing is, i don't crave babies. I think i like children more. So knowing that they are babies first makes me able to wait a while longer. Is that weird? yes. But that's alright. 

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 We've been looking up temporary sub-leasing opportunities since we're unlikely to close on a place anytime in the next month at least. Aaron sure found a great bargain. Maybe we should consider? 

"$200 - Nudist work for rent Male nudist willing to share one bedroom apartment on Westside Ann Arbor. Willing to exhange work, personal chores, or services...$150/month if you don't mind the nudity, smoking, etc...I'm very casual but neat. If you're still interested please let me know more about you, your life, and your views expecially as they concern casual nudity. Picture and personal description greatly appreciated, include 'bare' in the subect line of reply." 

Wonder what he means by "personal chores or services"....hmmmm. We don't mind nudity, but it's the smoking that gets us. Begrudgingly, I pass. 

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 (We could always just become professional house sitters...like this guy, Monte. House sitter, pet lover. Aaron thought this was creepy, he then said something funny but it's too inappropriate for this blog. Anyway, for $15/day monte will rotate your blinds. And take out all that garbage that must be accumulating while you're away...just kidding, except, i'm not! but i do feel bad cause he looks like a sweet guy so i hope he never googles "monte pet lover" and finds how i wrote about him...)

(It's naptime)

We're babysitting these little boys for the next 3 days:

I figure at the end of 3 days I'll either a.) be tired & ready to hand them over (with ovary urges sated for a while), or b). want my own...on the double!   These boys are extremely loveable and fun so i hope it's not the latter...aaron and me, we've got an agenda; bebes aren't in it this soon.

It's interesting going out in public with them. At the grocery store today, we split up- I had Tyler, Aaron had Brady. I overheard one woman say to Aaron, "Aww-- he looks just like you!" Aaron mumbled a quick "thanks." I giggled. (They are Aaron's half-brothers, my half-brothers-in-law. But for the next few days we'll just take the credit for them since it's harder to explain how such little boys could be Aaron's brothers)

At the cash register, the cashier lady was confused. "wow. are they....twins??" We: "yep!" She: "but they don't even have the same color hair...one's blonde, the other is...brown..." Aaron in his mind: "uhh...duh." Me: "Yeah I know, crazy!!" (It's really not that crazy)

Life these days

Oh I just remembered that time I told everyone I'd start blogging more in Michigan! Heaven help me and my lofty goals. Well anyway, here I am. As an update of sorts, right now my days are spent learning my way around Michigan and condo-hunting. We originally planned on just renting. Yeah that plan fizzled when we saw all the nasty student-oriented apartments around Ann Arbor. I mean $800/month for what?? Like 400 square terrible feet? And, that's right, we're not students. anymore. Students of life, maybe, students of adulthood, but not students of college! (no auras of superiority found here mind you, just the facts) Storytime. We visited one complex rental office and told them we wanted a 1-bedroom apartment. "You each want a 1-bedroom apartment?" No, we want one 1-bedroom apartment. "It's not allowed to have 2 people share a 1-bedroom apartment." Uh...we're married. "The rules are one bedroom per person." Well then...that settles that. (the 2-bedroom apartments were $1600/month) Ay.

 

Also, we're both starting our jobs on the 24th-- he here me there. More details to come?

What else should I say? blogging can be weird cause I don't treat it like a daily journal, nor do I express things as openly as I'd like, because let's face it. I can't write about anyone because everyone I know reads this. I don't like to write too much about myself because that feels narcissistic. Although I suppose blogging is inherently narcissistic. I could vent like I have done often, but then I feel like a raving nut. I could talk about how incredible of a human being my husband is, but that would be bragging. I could skimp on gritty details and just write things like, "last night we went to a BoyzIIMen concert and a romantic dinner on the detroit riverfront and it was special!" Although, really, it was.

I think I'll just keep on keeping on. fair enough.

p.s. i just edited this post to change one of my verbs from the passive voice to the active voice. "were planning" to "planned"; I think i use the passive voice often. Now i'm scared. I'm scared i noticed this when I never before have. I'll try not to think about it in the future. 

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Meanwhile, check this out. Fallen princesses! there's 8 photos so click on each. i enjoyed.

I-80 Observations

....and things along the way.

• nebraska is seriously cold...high of 68, the heck?
• windmills are beautiful
• walnut iowa is beautiful; now that is a town worth visiting
• hotel breakfasts that end at 9 AM are what kept us from sleeping in past 8:55.
• construction.
• mcdonald's southwest salad...i discovered this and it is wonderful
• oh and the hot fudge sundae's with extra hot fudge...they haven't changed since i was a kid. another reason why walnut iowa is beautiful is because the old man cashier didn't charge me 40 cents for the extra hot fudge, saying "that's how i like it too" with a little wink.
• iowans are trustworthy...i was brilliant and left my car window rolled down all night long...in the morning we walked outside and aaron thought someone had broken into my car & smashed the window, i had a near heart attack til i realized it was just rolled down and nothing was stolen, wowzers!
• the ride was spent listening to the 5 browns (dangerously soothing, i near fell asleep); la nozze di figaro; vows: a priest, a nun and their son (book on cd); in-flight arabic (you never know when you'll run into a terrorist! teehee old joke) and various comedy cd's. the good thing about driving separately was we could each listen to whatever we wanted. and sing.
• i'm done with the bullets, after 3 days i should have more bullets but i'm done. now, a photo mosaic!