Vampires and Spring Yard Work

Just in case you're concerned that--based on my headline--we encountered vampires during our spring yard work, let me assure you these two items are entirely unrelated!

First: the vampires. (See photo on the left)

As many of you know, this winter I became a bit obsessed with triology of books by Stephenie Meyer about a young girl who falls in love with a vampire. (Jane bought the books for me as a birthday present.)

This made me realize that I am a bit obsessed with witches, wizards and--now--vampires! (Charmed, Harry Potter, The Cullens from my vampire books...beginning to see a pattern?)

With Charmed, I think my obsession stemmed from the positive image of a trio of powerful, kick-ass sisters who did good magic to save the world from bad magic. I still love it. I think I need to name my firstborn after one of the sisters...or at least my next pet!

The Harry Potter books swept me away because of the fabulously complex magic world of wizards, witches and magical creatures J.K. Rowling was able to weave through fabulous her storytelling. Who wouldn't want to bewitch your house to clean itself or fly on a broomstick?

The Twighlight (vampire) series is engaging because it draws you into this passionate story of forbidden love and the two young lovers struggle to resist the magnetic pull between them. Yes, I realize this sounds incredibly cheesy--but the writing completely draws you in. Edward, the forbidden vampire lover (Robert Pattinson, the actor who played Cedric in the Harry Potter movies), knows that he cannot be with Bella forever because she is human and vampires, of course, live off blood. Although Edward is part of a rougue vampire sect that only drink animal blood, eventually he knows he will succumb to his desire to bite Bella.

Anyway...I'll stop there. Needless to say, after I finished the third book I was so bummed because it was the end of the story. BUT NO! Stephenie Meyer is finishing a fourth book now--Breaking Dawn--that comes out in the fall. (I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've already preordered the book...) They are also making a movie of Twighlight, which comes out this summer.

As for more earthly items... Brandon and I have started the monumental task of cleaning up the yard for spring. We also chopped down the small tree that died in our backyard and are preparing to replace in with a nice, full-sized tree from Bloomin' Center.

Animal Peddling and Misc. Items

This past weekend, I spent the majority of my time dealing with animals--either my own or the ones I help take care of at Save the Animals Foundation (STAF), the no-kill animal shelter I've been volunteering at for five+ years.

On Saturday, I put my animal peddling skills to the test as a volunteer at the Pet Expo. STAF had a booth where we tried to draw people in with cute little animals, then recruit them as volunteers or potential adoptive families. I spent a good deal of time using cute little Oliver (see picture) to draw people in and then tell them about what we do.

I'm not a big fan of small dogs, but Oliver is an exception. He is calm, sweet and very intelligent. He rarely barks (what a plus!), loves kids and likes to be held like a cat. STAF rescued him from a local county shelter where he was about to be put to sleep. Personally, I think he would make a great dog for Jane.

(What do you think Jane--is this the future "Beast"?)

Sunday night I was short three volunteers, so it was long night of cleaning at the shelter. It truly is a labor of love and even though I sometimes complain, I can't imagine ever stopping. I spent a few moments giving extra love to Xavier and Pumpkin, two of my favorite old FIV kitties. Both are purr-boxes, and love to sit on your lap.

On the homefront, I'm mad at Calvin. I found a great area rug at TJ Maxx for $59 (originally $175) that I couldn't resist. The other one was scratched and yucky.

Some feline resident of our house decided to scratch the heck out of it this evening...needless to say, I'm about at my breaking point. Darn cats! I love 'em but they drive me crazy at the same time!

Tonight I had dinner with my friend, Paula. I always enjoy hanging out with her. I feel lucky to have her as a friend--especially since I wasn't overly friend to her when we worked together at Pinger. (What can I say: I was jealous she got to work in the area I wanted!) Fortunately, she didn't hold it against me!

Spring, Baseball and Visiting Friends in Knoxville

I think it is safe to say that spring has finally arrived in Ohio!

Even though it was about 32 degrees when we attended our first Reds game of the season last week, baseball signifies spring. We even saw Edwin Encarnacion hit a walk-off homerun on our first night out. Very nice!

It's been gorgeous and warm the past two days in Cincinnati. Brandon and I caught a touch of spring fever, so we seized the moment and spent Monday evening removing all of storm windows and inserting those glorious screens.

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have to cool breeze soaring through our windows for the first time after what felt like an eternity of winter. The cats are in heaven, too, since they can hear the birds singing up a storm through our bedroom window. (I'll try and post a picture of them tomorrow morning.)

Tonight we took our normal 4-mile walk, then went to Arthur's, one of our favorite casual dining haunts, for Burger Madness (unlimited topping steak burgers for $6.50) in their awesome outdoor dining area.

Brandon, Pants and I spent the weekend having one last baby-free weekend with our friends Ben and Carrie in Knoxville and their dog, Kona. Ginger and Kona are practically twins, so Pants always laughs that we have matching dogs.

The Feldmeyers' first baby, Luke, is due May 5, but will probably come a bit early since Carrie has gestational diabetes. It's weird to watch our friends transition into parenthood, but I guess that's part of "growing up" right? Regardless, I don't think they'll let it change them too much. They're great friends, and I'm sure they'll be great parents.

Parenthood vs. Motherhood

After getting a few comments on my last blog about women and children, I wanted to clarify...

My concerns over women choosing to be stay-at-home moms isn't primarily about the financial aspects of choosing to be a single-income household.


I won't deny that is an important part of it though: the pressure of being the sole breadwinner--whether you are male or female as a typical middle-class American is a valid concern both fiscally and emotionally.

My sister-in-law made a valid point that "being a housewife and mom is a full time job and would be contributing to the family in other ways that don't equate to the dollar sign."

I agree! But isn't being a father a full-time job, too? Isn't being PARENTS a full-time job?

Being a stay-at-home parent tilts the scales of responsibility drastically. It defines that person as the parent and the other as the provider. I find myself asking:

• Would I lose part of myself by disregarding my career?


• How would Brandon feel about me if I spent all the quality time with our kid and he only saw him/her at night when he was sleepy and grumpy?


• What would I do after the kid didn't need me all the time and was in school?

But at the end of the day, daycare is expensive and if it makes more sense to stay at home while the kid is young than work and just put your check back into daycare, so be it. I guess I'll just have to cross the bridge if I get to it.

Don't misunderstand me: I totally respect all the mothers out there--whether you're working to take care of your family, working in an office or both.

I am just very swayed by guilt and a bit too competitive for my own good sometimes, so I struggle with the idea when I look at myself.

Women with Children

What happens in the genetic make-up of independent, career-minded women when they have their first baby? Is there some hidden switch that flips over to "mommy mode" that releases some visceral need in us to nuture our families and not ourselves?

I ask because some of our friends are starting to have children and several of the women I always viewed as the power-players in their relationships have chosen to quit their jobs and become full-time moms...at least for now.

I struggle with this.

It's not that I blame them. I'm sure if I had a cute little new baby at home, I'd want to spend as much time as possible watching him or her grow, experiencing every tiny moment to the fullest. (Heck, sometimes I feel that way about my pets!)

But as women, who gave us the right to claim that treasure solely for ourselves? Wh should our husbands feel bound to support us fully, once that child--something created together and, hopefully, with a mutual committment and desire--enters the world?

That's a lot of financial and emotional pressure to put on your spouse...

I can't decide how I feel about it. In my heart, I can't deny I'd want to spend time with the kid, too. But I also know I'd criticize myself if I didn't feel like I was contributing to our livelihood. I also know that (as much as I hate to admit it) if the roles were reversed, I'd harbor some resentment toward Brandon if he stayed home and I spent everyday laboring to pay our bills.

It's a quandry.

I pre-ordered a book today (to be realeased May 27) called "The Ten Year Nap." It's a work of fiction written like nonfiction themed around these questions. I can't wait to read it--perhaps it will help me figure out my own feelings on the topic.

Cleveland and Coffee

Brandon and I had a great Easter weekend spending time with our friends Patrick and Bethanne in Cleveland this weekend.

Patrick is the general manager of an Embassy Suites in Independence, so we stayed for free at his hotel. (His apartment is small, so it would have been cramped with all four of us.) We spent Friday night hanging out at a nearby bar and grill called the Winking Lizard. Saturday, we slept in late and went to the Cleveland Public Market. This was the highlight of the trip. I absolutely love going to public markets and shopping. We bought homemade garlic sausage, fresh pasta, bread and lots of vegetables.

It's amazing how much better food tastes when it is fresh and unprocessed. Last night, I made a fabulous homemade pasta sauce (garlic sausage, olive oil, red wine and roasted peppers, red onions and garlic) to go on the pasta from the market. YUM.

After the market, we explored the Botanical Gardens. That night, we had dinner at Lolita, a exceptionally well-conceived and well executed restaurant owned by one of new Iron Chefs from the Food Network. After having the most incredible gourmet macaroni and cheese I've ever had in my life, we went to this cool 1930s-themed cocktail lounge (Velvet Tango Room) known for it's custom-made drinks. Again, the experience was amazing. Drinks were wicked expensive, but fabulous. We also enjoyed tradtionally prepared bananas foster table-side. Sweet.

It was great to spend time with Patrick and get to know Bethanne better. They've been dating for several years, but I never really fully opened up to getting to know her until now. We were very good friends with Patrick and his ex-wife, Amy, so I had a hard time accepting the new girl. Bethanne is great though, and I'm so glad we finally got some time to get to know each other!

Today when I got home I had a box of bliss from Crimson Cup Coffee: a 5-pound bag of Armando's Blend and several 12 ounce samplers. Fabulous! If you haven't tried it, you should. It redefines what coffee should be. Thanks, Anna!

Sunshine!

Happy first day of spring! The sun even showed up to celebrate--finally, no more rain! Whoo hoo!