Toadfrogs and Elephants

I got some bad news. A good friend of mine from Washington DC, Matt Hodges died last night. He evidently collapsed while playing flag football and died shortly thereafter at the hospital (the cause of death was HCM – a congenital heart defect). His wife, Kourtnee, was with him. Matt was one of the first people I met at the Patent Office and he was a good friend from there on out. He helped me learn the ropes at the PTO, taught me to swing dance, and was always up for any crazy activity (skeet shooting, dinner with strangers, visits with family, etc). I am still in shock after receiving the news.

I opened the front door a few months ago to find a young boy standing on my step. He was selling candles and bubble bath for school. His big sister was walking him around the neighborhood. He was cute and it was only $8 so I picked out a scented bubble bath and lotion combination. The same boy showed up at my door today and handed me a box. It wasn’t until he left that I realized I received a chocolate covered nectarine scented candle – yuck! Where’s the bubble bath? Oh well, hopefully the cute little boy sold enough items for a prize. Anybody want a candle?

I was working on my computer this morning when I heard a crashing sound. I was rather confused because Madison was outside and Wade was still asleep. I searched the house and finally found the culprit – the project board. The board fell apart – as in the frame broke and the cork hit the floor. Wade swears he had nothing to do with it. Maybe we weighed the project board down with too many projects?

Never fear, Wade has offered to build me a new one!

And a tradition is born. Last year on Cinco de Mayo, my SA friends and their husbands got together for the first time. We’ve had various outings since then, and had another one today. Tina, Dave, Carol, and Rick drove up from Atlanta to see Wade and I. They came to our house and then we all went bowling. Tina had her own pink ball (which I am convinced has lots of luck, I used it too) and Carol had a brand new ball named Wilson. We bowled two games and had a great time. Then we had Mexican, of course! I showed off my favorite local restaurant – the rocket donkey. The waiter spoke no English, but we mostly got what we ordered. Tina’s chicken fajitas had a few pieces of beef and Dave’s beef fajitas had a few pieces of chicken. Now I am stuffed and thinking about a nap.

Yes, I know it is a blurry picture. However the woman who took it didn’t speak English and seemed very confused. I was just glad we were all actually in the picture.

I mention that Wade and I don’t have time for movies and then we see two in one week.

We watched “Prime” from Netflix and both enjoyed a night on the couch. A 37 year old woman is having a difficult life and seeing a therapist. She finalizes her divorce and meets a guy, a younger guy. It turns out the 23 year old guy is the therapist’s son. The therapist realizes this early on but decides to keep treating the woman because that is what is best for her patient.

Tonight we went to see Spiderman 3. A friend had bought us tickets in advance, which we left on the kitchen table and had to go back home for. We called to make sure someone was saving us a seat and were told not to worry about it. The EMTs were there because someone had dislocated their knee – the movie was going to start late. We arrived just in time. The movie was about what I expected. I wasn’t a big fan of the other two Spiderman movies. I still liked the action, but most of the comic book movies are much better (in my opinion). Anyway, it was a nice way to spend a few hours, but I’m not raving over it. Topher was an unexpected, but cute surprise.

I have to say – I just love my job. I am constantly moving and learning and doing. The department now consists of myself and a paralegal. We get along great and have similar styles of working. My boss is excellent. He is personable and always has time to answer a question. I enjoy the products we deal with and the engineers I have to talk with. Basically, it’s just awesome. I look forward to going to work and am always shocked when it is 5 pm and time to go home. Anyway, there are no regrets about going back to work full time. Not to mention the money is good too!

Another project has been completed – we have a brick floor in our mudroom. Of course, now I see all the other things that need doing, shoe molding, painting, new stairs, and one more door to finish.

Before:

After: