This is probably the biggest source of tension in our little home. When we first got married we each had a movie collection and there wasn’t a lot of overlap. Maybe that should have warned us that we might have a few differences of opinion, but it didn’t. We were just so excited to share our old favorites with each other. Much to our surprise, this exchange didn’t turn out to be half as fun as we’d expected. We found there were one or two serious differences that we had to deal with.
I like romances, old black-and-whites, and thought-provoking tear-jerkers. Brock only likes select romances, two very specific black-and-whites, and just can’t sit through tear-jerkers. Brock likes action, physical comedy, and slapstick. I like action, but just at the moment I can’t sit through too much violence, I like select physical comedy, and I just hate slapstick.
When new movies come out we tend to be interested in the same ones, but when we go to rent older movies…well, let’s just say no one comes out in a perfectly cheerful mood. I have to admit it was hard on both of us to repeatedly pick out movies and have our adored spouse make disgusted faces (we’ve both done it). Life lessons in patience and understanding are never fun. Still, we’re learning to be more open to each other’s movies. But, really, we just have to learn that we can watch movies by ourselves sometimes.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Inner Thermostat
Every couple has areas where they disagree and have to learn to compromise. Our first "serious" adjustment as a married couple came when we discovered that our internal thermostats were set to very different temperatures. I get cold very easily and can’t bear air conditioning (unless I am way overheated). I am always in sweaters and I own way too many blankets. Brock gets hot very easily. He loves cool weather and lives in shorts.
The first time this issue surfaced was at night. I wore sweats and pulled on an extra blanket. Brock threw off the covers and could barely tolerate a sheet. It happened every night, no matter what the weather, but it ended up working out because he put his extra blankets on top of me.
A much bigger problem was in the car. He would turn on the air conditioning and after a minute I would turn it off. A minute later, he would be panting and he’d turn it back on. I’d get goose-bumps and turn it off. Then if it was cold outside, I’d turn on the heat and a minute later he’d be dying and he’d turn it off. I would be get cold again and turn it back on. It drove us crazy!
We finally worked it out and I usually keep an extra blanket or jacket in the car so I’ll be okay if he gets hot. I think we have also gotten used to each other’s thermostats. Since that adjustment life has been a lot more comfortable. In fact, his inner heater is very nice when I'm cold and want a hug.
The first time this issue surfaced was at night. I wore sweats and pulled on an extra blanket. Brock threw off the covers and could barely tolerate a sheet. It happened every night, no matter what the weather, but it ended up working out because he put his extra blankets on top of me.
A much bigger problem was in the car. He would turn on the air conditioning and after a minute I would turn it off. A minute later, he would be panting and he’d turn it back on. I’d get goose-bumps and turn it off. Then if it was cold outside, I’d turn on the heat and a minute later he’d be dying and he’d turn it off. I would be get cold again and turn it back on. It drove us crazy!
We finally worked it out and I usually keep an extra blanket or jacket in the car so I’ll be okay if he gets hot. I think we have also gotten used to each other’s thermostats. Since that adjustment life has been a lot more comfortable. In fact, his inner heater is very nice when I'm cold and want a hug.
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Garden Again
When spring came this year we took stock of what had survived in our little flower bed. Surprisingly we still had half of our plants producing leaves and flowers. Thus encouraged, we went to work weeding and making room for some new flowers.
After a while we started thinking some of the “weeds” we were pulling up didn’t look like weeds. They had bulbs under the ground and their little leaves were quite pretty. We let them grow a little more and now we have a few very pretty flower “bushes” that we didn’t plant. How did they come to be there? They must have been hiding under the horrid green stuff. Wow, I am so glad that stuff is gone!
We did have one scare. When I pulled out a very dead bush in one of the corners I found some gross-looking tiny yellow…well, they looked like eggs of some kind. I did some research and couldn’t find anything about these things, so I asked my dad about it. He thought they were probably some kind of garden parasite. He said we would have to go to the garden shop and get some killer for it before it destroyed our garden. I was devastated. All our plants, finally starting to thrive, and we’d probably have to start over.
I threw most of the “eggs” away and then took samples of them to the garden shop and showed them to one of their advisors. He immediately shrugged and said they were slug and snail eggs. “Nothing to worry about,” he told me. “Just get some snail bait and they’ll go away.” Whew! He was right and thank goodness!
So, anyway, we planted a few seeds this year, and though we probably won’t get a thing from them, you never know. We’ll know next spring. Brock planted a very pretty bush of Jasmine in the front. We’re hoping it will creep up the fence. Nana, Brock’s grandmother, is giving us a few extra plants from her garden too. With any luck we’ll have a flower-laden garden next spring!
Here’s to my (possibly) green thumb!
After a while we started thinking some of the “weeds” we were pulling up didn’t look like weeds. They had bulbs under the ground and their little leaves were quite pretty. We let them grow a little more and now we have a few very pretty flower “bushes” that we didn’t plant. How did they come to be there? They must have been hiding under the horrid green stuff. Wow, I am so glad that stuff is gone!
We did have one scare. When I pulled out a very dead bush in one of the corners I found some gross-looking tiny yellow…well, they looked like eggs of some kind. I did some research and couldn’t find anything about these things, so I asked my dad about it. He thought they were probably some kind of garden parasite. He said we would have to go to the garden shop and get some killer for it before it destroyed our garden. I was devastated. All our plants, finally starting to thrive, and we’d probably have to start over.
I threw most of the “eggs” away and then took samples of them to the garden shop and showed them to one of their advisors. He immediately shrugged and said they were slug and snail eggs. “Nothing to worry about,” he told me. “Just get some snail bait and they’ll go away.” Whew! He was right and thank goodness!
So, anyway, we planted a few seeds this year, and though we probably won’t get a thing from them, you never know. We’ll know next spring. Brock planted a very pretty bush of Jasmine in the front. We’re hoping it will creep up the fence. Nana, Brock’s grandmother, is giving us a few extra plants from her garden too. With any luck we’ll have a flower-laden garden next spring!
Here’s to my (possibly) green thumb!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
A Garden...maybe
When we first moved into our cottage the garden was non-existent. There was this horrible green mass of what looked like pale, fat grass and it filled the entire bed. Brock didn’t mind it, but I hated it. One day, when I had a free afternoon, I went out and pulled the whole thing up. When Brock saw what I was doing he laughed and said we needed to put something else in it now. He didn’t like the bare earth in the same way that I didn’t like the ugly green stuff. (He still insists that the green stuff was just fine.)
So, the next day we went to a nearby garden shop and bought a huge selection of flowers. We chose them very carefully, asking questions of the employees and choosing only perennial plants. We then spent the afternoon planting our new flower bed. We had a great time, got very dirty, and the garden looked much cleaner. What we didn’t count on was up-keep.
Neither of us had time to really garden and care for our new plants, though now and then we watered and weeded them. Before winter arrived half of our new plants were very dead and withered. It was a little discouraging and we decided to let it go until spring, and then try again…maybe.
So, the next day we went to a nearby garden shop and bought a huge selection of flowers. We chose them very carefully, asking questions of the employees and choosing only perennial plants. We then spent the afternoon planting our new flower bed. We had a great time, got very dirty, and the garden looked much cleaner. What we didn’t count on was up-keep.
Neither of us had time to really garden and care for our new plants, though now and then we watered and weeded them. Before winter arrived half of our new plants were very dead and withered. It was a little discouraging and we decided to let it go until spring, and then try again…maybe.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Piano
Brock plays the piano and I don’t, but love to hear him to play. It relaxes him at the end of the day, he’s a tremendous musician and I could listen to him for hours at a time, and music is a great habit to have around the house. He owned a nice piano, but it was at his parent’s house and we couldn’t get it here. We thought about trying to bring it out, but really, we thought, where would we put it anyway?
Brock really missed having a piano (though he also plays the guitar and sings, there’s something different about a piano). I wanted so much to find him a nice one that could fit in our house, but I didn’t know what made a good piano and Craig’s List was coming up short for once. Brock began saying he would probably give up on the piano and focus on the guitar instead. He was unhappy about it, but we just couldn’t justify spending money we didn’t have on something that we probably couldn’t fit in our house anyway. Then we got a sudden miracle.
Brother Jim Welch in our ward plays the organ professionally. He plays at a few different churches in the area and this turned to our advantage one day. He came to us and said he knew we were musical, but did we have a piano? Of course, we didn’t. He told us that in one of the other churches he played for an elderly woman had just died and her husband wanted to get rid of her piano. He had donated it to his church, but they told Jim that they already had more than ten pianos that had been donated in a similar way and were of no use to them. They asked Jim if he knew of anyone who loved music and didn't already have a piano--someone who needed it. He said we came to mind.
Brock jumped at the offer. We would fit in our tiny place somehow. He got one of our home teachers (Kent Taylor) to help him move the piano and we somehow got it in. We knew it was bad for the piano to be against an outside wall, but that’s the only kind of wall we had. We thought it through and moved things a couple of times and somehow, in the end, we not only got everything in, but we had more free space in the living room than before. That was a little staggering. How could we have added a whole piano to an already packed room and end up with more space?
So, Brock got his piano. Now he plays often and is back to writing music again. I love to hear him playing when I get home from work, or get up in the morning.
Brock really missed having a piano (though he also plays the guitar and sings, there’s something different about a piano). I wanted so much to find him a nice one that could fit in our house, but I didn’t know what made a good piano and Craig’s List was coming up short for once. Brock began saying he would probably give up on the piano and focus on the guitar instead. He was unhappy about it, but we just couldn’t justify spending money we didn’t have on something that we probably couldn’t fit in our house anyway. Then we got a sudden miracle.
Brother Jim Welch in our ward plays the organ professionally. He plays at a few different churches in the area and this turned to our advantage one day. He came to us and said he knew we were musical, but did we have a piano? Of course, we didn’t. He told us that in one of the other churches he played for an elderly woman had just died and her husband wanted to get rid of her piano. He had donated it to his church, but they told Jim that they already had more than ten pianos that had been donated in a similar way and were of no use to them. They asked Jim if he knew of anyone who loved music and didn't already have a piano--someone who needed it. He said we came to mind.
Brock jumped at the offer. We would fit in our tiny place somehow. He got one of our home teachers (Kent Taylor) to help him move the piano and we somehow got it in. We knew it was bad for the piano to be against an outside wall, but that’s the only kind of wall we had. We thought it through and moved things a couple of times and somehow, in the end, we not only got everything in, but we had more free space in the living room than before. That was a little staggering. How could we have added a whole piano to an already packed room and end up with more space?
So, Brock got his piano. Now he plays often and is back to writing music again. I love to hear him playing when I get home from work, or get up in the morning.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Craig's List
The cottage came with no furniture. We each had a few things, but not enough. Brock had the TV, with a stand, a coffee table, two bookshelves, a desk, and a side table for the living room. I had an oak bookshelf, my desk, and the bed from my parents. So, one of the first things we had to do was find reasonably priced furniture, that we liked, that could fit in our little house. We mapped out what we needed and went to work on Craig’s List.
This is the greatest Internet invention yet. It’s basically an online garage sale. We could go online and check out what people wanted to get rid of. Sometimes they wanted a lot of money, but usually it was super cheep, or even free (if would pick it up).
It wasn’t long before we got two black leather couches in perfect condition for $600. The bigger couch even has a hide-a-bed, which is very comfortable. Brock and I often use the couch-bed if we want to watch a movie as we go to sleep. The family who sold them to us was going to Georgia almost immediately and just wanted to get rid of them. I think they actually wanted $700 at first, but Brock is a good haggler.
We also found a really beautiful cherry-wood kitchen table with nice, cushioned chairs for $85, again the price was worked down by my bargain-driving, and oh so charming, husband. Thanks to some of our wonderful friends, who gave us checks for wedding gifts, we were able to buys these things and our house looks great.
This is the greatest Internet invention yet. It’s basically an online garage sale. We could go online and check out what people wanted to get rid of. Sometimes they wanted a lot of money, but usually it was super cheep, or even free (if would pick it up).
It wasn’t long before we got two black leather couches in perfect condition for $600. The bigger couch even has a hide-a-bed, which is very comfortable. Brock and I often use the couch-bed if we want to watch a movie as we go to sleep. The family who sold them to us was going to Georgia almost immediately and just wanted to get rid of them. I think they actually wanted $700 at first, but Brock is a good haggler.
We also found a really beautiful cherry-wood kitchen table with nice, cushioned chairs for $85, again the price was worked down by my bargain-driving, and oh so charming, husband. Thanks to some of our wonderful friends, who gave us checks for wedding gifts, we were able to buys these things and our house looks great.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Washer and Dryer
One of the great deals that went along with our cottage was the washer and dryer set. The girl who lived here before us had (very sadly) gone through a messy a divorce and wanted to get herself and her baby out of the house and back to Utah as quickly as possible. Basically, she was cutting her losses and going back to her parents. We met her in Utah after she had moved back home. She was really sweet and we felt very sorry for her and her baby.
Still, she helped us out a lot. She had a brand new washer and dryer hooked up in the house that she couldn’t take with her and she offered them to us for $100 a-piece. Brock jumped at the offer, of course. It was that or be condemned to spending hours at a Laundromat once a week. So, now I get to do the laundry in our own home and what a deal!
P.S. Yes, I do the laundry. Brock is not allowed to touch it. Don’t get me wrong, he has never burned anything or turned the whites pink (actually, I did that not too long ago—that blasted pink sock). It’s just that I enjoy doing the laundry and my system is a lot more complicated than his. I like to sort the clothes very thoroughly and he likes maybe three loads. I find laundry (sorting and folding) very relaxing and I look forward every couple of weeks to the scent of our laundry soap, the neatly sorted piles of clothes, and the warmth and sound of the machines running all day. I know, I’m weird. Oh well.
Still, she helped us out a lot. She had a brand new washer and dryer hooked up in the house that she couldn’t take with her and she offered them to us for $100 a-piece. Brock jumped at the offer, of course. It was that or be condemned to spending hours at a Laundromat once a week. So, now I get to do the laundry in our own home and what a deal!
P.S. Yes, I do the laundry. Brock is not allowed to touch it. Don’t get me wrong, he has never burned anything or turned the whites pink (actually, I did that not too long ago—that blasted pink sock). It’s just that I enjoy doing the laundry and my system is a lot more complicated than his. I like to sort the clothes very thoroughly and he likes maybe three loads. I find laundry (sorting and folding) very relaxing and I look forward every couple of weeks to the scent of our laundry soap, the neatly sorted piles of clothes, and the warmth and sound of the machines running all day. I know, I’m weird. Oh well.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Our First House
Most couples start out in an apartment, with crazy neighbors, or in their parent’s house, or a shack (Mom and Dad!). Brock and I started life together in a pretty cottage that was once a garage and is now the perfect place for a young couple. It belongs to the Allens, a couple on a mission in Germany. They converted their garage some years ago and rented it out. I understand from some people in the ward that it was in reasonable shape, but nothing fabulous. Then their son and his wife wanted to live in it and they overhauled it. Now it really is the perfect little place.
We divided the front room into a living room (with black leather couches and the TV), the music room/study (it holds my desk and the piano), and the dining area (that’s just the table). The kitchen is quite spacious. The hall between the kitchen and bedroom has two closets. One holds the washer, dryer, some storage, and our cleaning supplies. The other is just storage. The bedroom holds the queen-sized bed we got from Mom and Dad, Brock’s desk, the filing cabinet, and our dresser. The bathroom has lots of storage space and a huge shower. That’s all the rooms: there aren’t many, but what we have is plenty big. There’s even a little attic.
We also have a yard, which is something of a luxury. There’s a little fifteen-foot square patch of lawn in the back, which Brock has to mow every week or so. Then we have a few little beds for flowers here and there along the walkway. In front of the house is a rose garden, which is taken care of by the main house’s gardeners. Separating our yard from the rose garden is a little picket-fence. Rose gardens and picket-fences—could we be any more cliché?
The rent is better than anything we could have hoped for in the Palo Alto area and that means we get to save more than we had hoped at first. The Allens have said that we can stay as long as we want, so we plan to stay until we don’t fit—meaning kids. That means we have no idea how long we’ll be here, but we’ll have nine months notice before we have to move. No sign of that yet.
We divided the front room into a living room (with black leather couches and the TV), the music room/study (it holds my desk and the piano), and the dining area (that’s just the table). The kitchen is quite spacious. The hall between the kitchen and bedroom has two closets. One holds the washer, dryer, some storage, and our cleaning supplies. The other is just storage. The bedroom holds the queen-sized bed we got from Mom and Dad, Brock’s desk, the filing cabinet, and our dresser. The bathroom has lots of storage space and a huge shower. That’s all the rooms: there aren’t many, but what we have is plenty big. There’s even a little attic.
We also have a yard, which is something of a luxury. There’s a little fifteen-foot square patch of lawn in the back, which Brock has to mow every week or so. Then we have a few little beds for flowers here and there along the walkway. In front of the house is a rose garden, which is taken care of by the main house’s gardeners. Separating our yard from the rose garden is a little picket-fence. Rose gardens and picket-fences—could we be any more cliché?
The rent is better than anything we could have hoped for in the Palo Alto area and that means we get to save more than we had hoped at first. The Allens have said that we can stay as long as we want, so we plan to stay until we don’t fit—meaning kids. That means we have no idea how long we’ll be here, but we’ll have nine months notice before we have to move. No sign of that yet.
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