Happy Anniversary: 6 years!

Here we are at Golden Gardens park in Seattle back when we were first dating.  I love the joy in our expressions.  Even though we don't get much time with just the two of us to be this schmoopie, the feeling is still there.  I'm so grateful that what I see in these pictures -- the silliness, the closeness and the love -- is what I still feel, even if it isn't what I have the opportunity to express and demonstrate as often as I would like.

Another Language of Love

When we were first married, instead of buying me Hallmark cards Joshua used to draw pictures using the basic Paint program on our laptop. They are the sweetest (and silliest) of sentiments that I can no longer resist sharing some of them.

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Here were each of our attempts to do the "Hang In There" poster as a joke. Can you guess who did which one?*

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Here was my attempt:

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I'm so grateful to have a husband who is so funny, charming and childlike.  Joshua is the best!  Happy Valentine's Day!


* Answer: As Joshua often says, "Laura, you are on the left. And I'm always right."

Bread maker: Joshua --> Machine

After over five years of marriage and begging for a bread maker, I finally got one!

The bread maker was surprisingly inexpensive + the recipes are super easy + the bread is so good = I keep thinking that I will slowly win Joshua over to my side.  However, even though he is enjoying tasty toast for breakfast, I think he still isn't sure about giving up the role of bread maker to a machine. 

On another note, I'm realizing that I've totally become a gadget head.  Not with any fancy technology (computers still seem to repel me), but with household gadget that make life easier.  On a daily basis, I use a Roomba to clean my floors, a Cuisinart Mixer, a bread machine and an electric tea kettle.  I love them more than I imagined I would.  Remember back in the day when everything I owned fit in the trunk of my car as I moved to Seattle?  When we first got married, I didn't even want to own a toaster because then we couldn't pick up and move as easily?  Yeah, I'm a different person. 

Swapping

While Joshua's mother was visiting, we were looking at recent photos.  When I showed the above photo, she remarked that it looked similar to the photo of Joshua and me in Colorado when we drove cross-country before our wedding four years ago.  We have simply swapped out our backpacks for a cute little babe and a lush forest for a small field in an urban setting.

Why I love my Wife

In the time that we have had this website on several occasions Laura will write a post about me and our relationship.  Since she has already gone to bed for the night, this is my meager attempt to do the same for her.  Here are just some of the countless reasons why I love my wife.

1. Her devotion and constant loving care of Alma (night and day). I don't know how she does it.
2. She likes to watch UFC with me.
3. The fact that our first date after the birth of Alma was to see Henry Rollins; keep in mind our first date ever was to watch semi-pro wrestling at a bar in Seattle.
4. The fact that she let's me sleep in on the weekends, even though the reason I'm so tired is because I stayed up playing video games.
5. Her constant support and patience with my work and the ever changing schedules.
6. How she sings and dances in our hosue with Alma and Simon.
7. Her commitment to family and keeping in touch with friends and loved ones through this website, thank you notes, letters, and gifts.
8. Her intentionality with parenthood and married life and the desire to be the best mother and wife she can be.
9. She laughs at my jokes, even when others just stare at me. I love making Laura laugh.
10. And the best: she loves me and all my sillyness, my moods, my frustrations, and everything else.

Date Night and Tummy Time

A week ago Joshua and I went on our first official date since Alma was born.  Sure, we have been out to eat together, but Alma was always sleeping in the sling with us at dinner.  This was an official date with food, a show and everything!  How exciting!  It was great to reconnect and be reminded of how much fun we have together. 

Above is a photo of Alma being changed by my mother.  Alma loves laying on the changing table.  Below is my father feeding her.  They were great babysitters.  Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

In other news, Alma has been loving tummy time and our adjusted version of tummy time called "FLYING BABY"!!!  She rolled over for the first time (from tummy to back) yesterday, which seemed to surprise her as well as me.  She is very vocal when on her stomach ... see the video below.

We have been spending more time in the kitchen now that we purchased a second-hand highchair which can be rolled around and reclined.  She seems to like watching, although her attention span is short.  Simon is already getting excited for her to eat "real food" so that he can help with the crumbs.

And I just had to share the below picture of Simon because it is so sweet (and sad?).  Every day when Joshua is leaving work, he gives me a call. Simon has figured out this schedule and after the phone call he sits and stares at the front door until Joshua gets home.  Every day it is at least a half hour of waiting.  So sweet.  Simon loves his Owner Man.

Saved Email Messages from 2005

-----Original Message-----
From: Kate
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 1:07 PM
To: Laura Thompson
Subject: RE: I'm getting married!

consider me teased, like a set of bangs from the 80s!

is he hot?
is he good looking?
is he funny?
is he hot?

so you're just gonna leave me hangin', eh?

k

-----Reply Message-----
From: Laura Thompson
To: Kate
Sent: Mon, Mar 7, 2005 4:42 pm
Subject: RE: I'm getting married!

Yes, very.
Yes, very.
Yes, very.
Yes, very.

I love your priorities -- looks and humor! Really, he is just perfect, Kate. AND I think that he likes me a bundle, too. But I know that I often get ahead of myself, so I should calm down.

Love and the deepest devotion from now until forever as angels fly through the heavens with the music of the ages,
Laura

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Even though this email chain is missing the original email, which proclaimed that I was going to get married, the humor of our messages is still totally funny. Especially because Joshua and I consider our dating anniversary to be March 5th (or March 3rd, we always forget) and I sent the original email stating that I was getting married to Joshua by March 7th (at the latest).

In the same way that everyone else in my family knew that they had met their future spouse at first blush, I knew right away that Joshua was the one.
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Joshua! I still love you more than you could imagine.

Bachelor Party

Last weekend, Joshua and I went down to South Riding (a.k.a. Fairfax), Virginia for Patrick's bachelor party. Since I'm a groomsman, I got to tag along on the day's activities as well, which was awesome. We spent Saturday playing frolf, eight million innings of kickball and going out to dinner. That night, the boys reverted to the college days by tapping a keg, playing beer pong and taking off their pants ("Because it was hot in the kitchen!").

The next morning, the remaining revelers had a big breakfast. It was a fun weekend.
The one disappointment that happened was The Tragedy of the Boob Cake. On Saturday morning before leaving for the party, Joshua and I were looking at old photo albums and we came upon the scarily realistic boob cake that Joshua made for his friend Gerardo's bachelor party. We decided to make another one for Patrick's party. However, even though the cake was awesome, we used butter cream icing. The icing started to separate and melt immediately since it was so hot that day. We quickly realized that the cake wasn't going to make the four hour drive. Joshua was totally bummed.
However, not all is lost, because the cake is delicious and has made a great desert for us! Plus, since Joshua made me a great cake for Mother's Day, this became his Father's Day cake. We never claimed that we were conventional.

Saturn's Return

Recently I was telling a friend that Joshua and I were celebrating our fourth anniversary of dating this month and that next month I would be celebrating my 30th birthday. She said something to the effect of "that's okay that you didn't meet your husband earlier in your life." I was shocked because I feel like "Okay? It's GREAT!"

Now, I don't mean to imply that I feel anything less than complete adoration for my husband. However, I am so grateful for all those years I had on my own before I met him. I had time to explore my own interests and the world. Since I seem to be at the end of my Saturn's return, I seem to spend a good deal of my down-time reflecting on my life. Let's reflect together!

My second semester of college I realized that I loved being on the water -- sailing and (for a very brief time) as the coxswain on a crew boat. It is amazing to think that it was my friend Julia's mention of sailing being "very cold" and "pretty uncomfortable" that sparked my interest in the sport. This interest had gone on to affect my life in so many exciting and positive ways. I can easily say that without sailing in college, I would have lead a very different life. And crew, while interesting, wasn't a life-long passion. It may have been due to the fact that it was merely my ability to wake up early that allowed me to be a coxswain. It was definitely my lack of ability to steer straight that eventually caused them to not ask me back for a second semester. I take pride in my complete ineptitude as a coxswain. That's tough to mess up.

(Sailing: Baltimore Harbor with Joellen, Crew: Loyola boathouse with Matt, Roger, Tim and Jon)

During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Thailand for six month. I had the opportunity to spend large chunks of time in temples practicing mindful meditation, which were very special times for me. I also spent a lot of time going clubbing with some Thai girls who declared me their "best friend" during my first day of classes. Due to their dedication to my education (i.e. drilling me with Thai vocabulary during lunch) and their interest in increasing their own popularity by having an international friend on their arm all the time, I learned the Thai language and gained a wonderful insight into city-dwelling non-traditional college-aged Thai women. Moreover, during those six months I was also able to spend a few weeks traveling the length of China, a few weeks scuba diving in Southern Thailand and weekends in Malaysia and Cambodia.

(Bangkok, Thailand with P'Aur, P'Ann, Nong Nue and P'Aur's latest boyfriend in P'Aur's bedroom)

When I got back to America, I realized that I had seen more of Asia than America. To remedy this situation, I bought a train ticket to travel from Baltimore to Los Angeles so that I could visit Erica at her college. Sure, I did not pay the extra money for a sleeper seat for the four-day trip and I missed my train during a layover in Chicago. But these elements made it possible for me to meet this bunch of ladies who also missed the train in Chicago. (Amtrak flew us to catch up with our plane.) I still try to keep in touch with Marg (on the right) and her husband Herb (taking the photo). I have to admit that I was a little underwhelmed by most of the country -- it was simply big and flat. A few years later, while driving cross-country by myself, I reconfirmed that suspicion.

During this trip to L.A., I was able to jump in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. It still blows my mind that Erica and I have been friends since kindergarten. This was only one of many trips we took to visit each other over the years -- Utah, Baltimore, L.A., St. Louis, Carlisle, Seattle, and almost in Honduras.

In college, I was able to volunteer with Beans&Bread Meal Program and the Fredrick Ozanam House (FOH) in Baltimore. Going to B&B started out as a way to get some time on my own -- I would borrow a car from the college every Tuesday morning before my physics labs in order to go down to the meal program and serve with a bunch of retired folks. I did this for three school years because it brought me so much joy. Once we became friends, I had a standing "date" with two patrons of the meal program: an elderly gentleman with a great southern drawl named Bernard and a heroin addict named Laura. They became the people I looked to for support and encouragement.

I was able to spend my freshman spring break in Kentucky painting a school and eventually lead the Spring Break Outreach trip within Baltimore during my senior year. As a part-time job during my senior year of college, I was a Center for Values and Service's Volunteer Organizer for Beans&Bread and FOH. Below is a picture of a car wash that I helped to arrange for FOH. Fredrick Ozanam House was a transitional housing program for men going from prison or homeless back into community life. Even though I did not work with these men directly as much as I would have liked, they are the reason why I'm currently in graduate school studying issues of reintegration.

After graduating, I spent a summer working at Getaway Sailing in Baltimore. I taught sailing and was the mate during the week-long sailing camps. I lived in a racially diverse neighborhood which was very eye opening for me.  This was easily one of my favorite summers.

After college, I worked at JPMorgan Chase, which is where I had interned the summer between my junior and senior years of college.  While I rented an apartment with a co-worker in Newark, DE, I usually commuted up to the NYC Chase building in downtown Manhattan.  While I enjoyed the work at times, I often didn't like the mindset of many of my coworkers.  I spent every Wednesday night driving down to Annapolis to race Snipes with a former America's Cup crew member or to Havre d'Grace to race Star boats.  On the weekends, I'd go down to Baltimore to see my boyfriend at the time and sail with him as much as I could.  Eventually, when work got so busy, I tried racing Thistles on the Delaware river, close to my apartment.  It was just a race of drifting -- totally depressing like my time in Delaware.  I even got a job at an Italian restaurant which was part of a Holiday Inn to have interactions with people who weren't JPMorgan employees and to learn how to waitress in case I ever needed to know (always thinking ahead!).   Tellingly, I have no pictures from this 1.5 year time in my life. 

My boyfriend at the time told me about a boat named Wireless which was staying at the marina on Gibson Island, MD, a private island, and how they were looking for a chef.  One weekend I arranged to try out to work on the boat.  It was a disaster which I'll get into another day.  In the end, I was hired as the chef, but always referred to there-after as the cook because I only served very simple meals.  Below is my mate, Mark with the suckling pig who lived in the freezer and a picture of the view from our boat looking into Redhook, St Thomas USVI where we stayed for six months.  If you look carefully, you can see a turtle in the water.



After a year of the craziness of Caribbean boat life, I decided to drive to Seattle, sight-unseen because I heard it was nice.  I applied for and was awarded an AmeriCorpsVISTA position at the Refugee Resettlement Office.  I had two months before my position began; instead of hanging out on the East Coast, I spent the time going cross country slowly and seeing the sights.  Usually I'd drive for a day or two and then spend 4-5 days backpacking in a National Park or Forest.  I only spent one night in a hotel -- in Vegas -- because there weren't any campgrounds in the area as cheap or as seemingly as safe as a hotel.  I loved this trip and still daydream about it often.  So much time spent in the woods by myself was perfect for me.  Here I am in the bottom of the Grant Canyon behind Ribbon Falls.  I spent the longest chunks of time in Rocky Mountain National Park and Zion.


About a month and a half into my trip, while in Oregon and having a difficult time finding a quiet, safe place to camp, I decided to volunteer at a Catholic Worker house.   I had read about them during college while reading Dorothy Day and had always wanted to spend some time in one.  I went to a library, did some research and found that there was one in Eugene, Oregon for women and children, St John Bosco House.  I contacted them and they welcomed me to come volunteer there.  Originally, they suggested that I live with the women and children before I moved into the volunteer housing.  I didn't think anything of it; but it was a few weeks later that the volunteer coordinators (un-paid board members) admitted that they simply thought I was homeless but now believed that I was actually a college-educated volunteer.  Ha!  I didn't mind and ended up continuing to live outside of the volunteer housing, with Liberty and her children (Raven 4 and Sequoia 2) whom I had become very close.  Here they are below on the right during pizza night.  I ended up returning to Eugene two more times while I was on the West Coast to visit Liberty and her children and to help out at the Bosco House.  I spent most of my time there trying to organize fundraisers using the food panty supplies we received -- lots of pumpkin pie baking with the children then trying to sell them after Mass on Sunday (in the middle of August -- ha!).



When I arrived in Seattle, I lived in a hostel for a few weeks until I made some friends who let me sleep on their couch.  I am forever grateful for Tara, Christine and Erin's kindness in allowing me to crash there until I could figure out the city.  I ended up purchasing a small sailboat (Chatauqua, a 27 foot Catalina), which I hauled out to paint the bottom of and then rarely did any maintenance to after that, that I kept at the Shilshole Bay Marina in Ballard near Golden Gardens Park.  A great cheap way to live in Seattle with a beautiful view of the Cascade mountains (and gorgeous daily sunsets). 

It was at this time, at the climbing gym down the street (where I could shower in exchange for teaching climbing classes, since my boat didn't have running water) that I met Joshua.  He has been on this life adventure with me ever since and I couldn't be happier!

Christmas Cheer for All to Hear

Once again, we have been blessed with a wonderful Christmas.

Even though we have been married for three Christmas seasons, this is the first year we got a tree. It was so much fun to have more holiday cheer in the house. Luckily the animals did not think that it was indoor plumbing!
We had my folks over for Christmas Eve dinner (seafood!) and went to my brother's house for Christmas Day (more food!). My brother and father enjoyed the lack political correctness of The Onion's Atlas for most of the afternoon. It was nice to be around family for the holiday. Joshua was able to go to Seattle a few weeks ago to enjoy some time with his family. He had a great time ... although none of it was documented because Joshua did not bring the camera with him (no photos, bummer). Unfortunately, I did not tag along this year so that I could afford to go to Arizona mid-month to see Erica, Greg and their newest family member. Moreover, we are planning a week-long vacation to Elk Lake in Oregon with the entire Chisholm/Fujimoto family this upcoming summer.

The day after Christmas, Joshua and I enjoyed one of the many wonderful gifts Joshua gave me: ICE SKATING in Philadelphia on the Delaware Waterfront! I love skating ... and Joshua is getting more used to it. (He's always such a good sport and a quick learner.)On Saturday, we drove up to Schroon Lake (or as Joshua calls it, Schroot Farms) in New York's Adirondacks for some snowshoeing with the dog.

Simon loves the snow more than anything and is enjoying our long daily hikes. He is such a good pup -- hiking off-leash, wearing lots of silly clothing (mainly a bright yellow "horse blanket" that helps us to see him in the snow and also booties that protect his feet), and riding patiently in the car while we look for trail heads.

We haven't had a non-visiting vacation since our honeymoon so this was a much-needed trip for us to recharge, reconnect and remember what trees look like. It has been wonderful.

To Celebrate Our 2.25 Anniversary

The first dance at our wedding was Clem Snide's Bread. I love this song. Joshua introduced it to me one rainy day in Seattle when we had only been dating a month or two. Our Saturdays used to be spent making bread from scratch. It was always so neat to watch Joshua's love for making fresh bread for family and friends. And it was nice to laze around his apartment while we waited for the bread to rise.

When we had to choose a first song for our wedding, this was the obvious choice. It told of how we wanted to live. Off the cuff, in a relaxed manner and with some quiet days being together around the house. Granted, with how I pack our schedule, it doesn't happen as often as it should.
My favorite times and my favorite memories from our first 2.25 years of marriage consist of these quiet moments. And every morning when I walk downstairs to the mis-matching wonderfulness that has become our sense of decorating, the goofiness of our time together and the amazing energy I get from being in such loving relationship, I fall more in love with Joshua and our life together.

Bread

‘Coz you are the bread
And it’s never work
And warm, buttered is good
Oh, let’s just digest

And the dishes are fine
They’re not goin’ nowhere
So keep your hands soft
For high fives and shakes

And the bathroom’s a mess
Tomorrow we’ll clean
And my window won’t shut
But the breeze does feel nice

And the stove can be used
To light cigarettes
Oh, let the tablecloth burn
It’s pretty that way

‘Coz you smell like bread
And now the pillow does too
Has everyone left?
Where they even here?

Listen to the song to understand how these somewhat silly lyrics can be a sweet love song.

Expanding the Family

Happy Second Anniversary to Us!

It's neat to think of the progression of our relationship as follows:
9 months of dating

Photo: At Alki Beach in Seattle after a long walk and one month of dating.
9 months of engagement The story behind the photo: The morning Joshua proposed, he came over to The Pink Palace, where I was living, very early in the morning. While I was just starting to wake up, he told me that he had made me a shirt to wear. It said Mrs. Fantastic to match his much-loved Mr. Fantastic shirt. He asked if I would wear this shirt for the rest of my life. I responded something like, "AWESOME." To which, he explained that he was proposing. Then took some silly photos and started our day full of all the activities Joshua had planned for us/all of my favorite things: parades, a soccer match with friends, good food, seeing family, dancing and being with Joshua! It was, in fact, awesome.
9 months of marriage (before we purchased a house)
Photo: At a Philly park after one month of marriage.
One year of home ownership (so far)
Photo: Mid-rehab of our house.
And now after 9 months of begging....
We have a dog!!! Simon is a medium-sized, energetic, 8-month, lab retriever/terrier mix. He was found on the streets of Camden and has been staying with a wonderful family who fosters pound pups. We couldn't be more excited to add another member to the family! (We are hopeful that Shanti feels the same way!) I'm sure lots of photos and stories of Simon will be coming in the future of this blog.

Joshua in action

One of the draw-backs of Joshua's position is his ridiculous hours. Currently he is working well beyond sane hours. As a director, this may pick up even more. I've come to realize that my dedication to the surrounding communities entails giving up a "normal" home life (whatever that means) with my husband. We make sure we spend time together and Joshua is good about taking care of himself -- i.e. he can now bench press more than his own weight without a spot! -- however, I have to admit that it is draining at times.

But then I see pictures like the ones above -- Joshua meeting with community members -- and I realize that it is awesome work that he has the opportunity to do. And it makes me excited to finish school and get out there to help the cause.

Obviously, I'm super proud of how talented (and handsome) my husband is.