Michael Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Trinkets of Thought

Meet in the Middle

May 16, 2008 by Maren 4 Comments

Rain, Rain, Rain. Thursday evening, I couldn’t do my typical exercise routine because it had been raining for years and years (or so it seemed). So, I was forced to get a little creative in my exercising venues. While walking in place in our spare bedroom, I found myself karaoke singing (read: belting at the top of my lungs) Michael’s song selections from the Yahoo music service. Michael must have thought my singing was incredible. He started laughing & got up and shut all of the windows which were previously open. I’m guessing he didn’t want me to share my talent with the world until it’s time for proper exposure for my singing debut.

One of the songs that Michael picked was Diamond Rio’s Meet in the Middle. We used to reference that song as we’d meet between our two dorms, Maddox & Lawlor, in college to take a walk.

Part of the song says:

It’s been seven years tomorrow since we said our vows
Under that old pine tree, you ought to see it now
Standing in the back yard reminding me and you
That if we don’t see eye to eye there’s something we can do

I’d start walking your way
You’d start walking mine
We’d meet in the middle
‘Neath that old Georgia pine
We’d gain a lot of ground
‘Cause we’d both give a little
And their ain’t no road to long
When you meet in the middle

Babe I love the way we work it out
That’s what love’s about

Michael and my relationship is built on the fact that we can’t even remember how we met. We remember meeting at different places & different times in the school year. But one thing is indisputable; Michael was just who I needed, and I’m so very thankful for him.

Michael helped keep me from becoming a Bickering Queen. Being the competitive person that I am, proving myself is somehow important. But Michael taught me early in our marriage that wasting energy on unnecessary arguing simply isn’t worth the fight.

I can say for sure that there is not a more patient man on earth that would be willing to put up with my crazy antics…like top-of-my-lung karaoke exercising at 10:30 at night…or my bazillion tryouts for reality tv shows…or my goal to be an ultimate frisbee superstar…or the superclutz award I should win for attempts such as throwing a grocery bag of compost out into the yard but chucking it on the roof instead… or simply me just being me…

I call Michael my dreamer, because he’s got GIANT dreams. But while he’s a dreamer, he doesn’t just stop at the dreamin’, and I love that.

Ironically, it’s seven years tomorrow for us. Where in the world has the time gone? Marriage truly is about compromising two lives into one, and ya’ know, I’m so very grateful for the man that has met me in the middle for the past seven years.

We’re all out.

January 16, 2008 by Maren 3 Comments

One of my favorite things to do in life is spend time with my husband. I had forgotten about a funny experience that happened to us a couple of months ago until I read a friends (Thanks, Theresa) blog regarding chicken. Just thought I’d share…and since I know my favoritest person in the world checks up on my blogs, Michael, this one’s for you.

We were on a road trip to Alabama and were driving straight through to our destination (to see you, Sarah ~~Jolley~~ Warren). To make the drive faster, we stopped to get gas in some random city in Alabama. We figured we’d save time and get some chicken at the Church’s Chicken that was adjoined to the gas station. Our first clue should have been the fact that the Church’s signs on the inside of the store were covered in tape and it was obvious they were going through a transition.

We got to the register and the employee asked what we wanted. While ordering, she had no clue how to key in the order and asked for help. Our ordering went something like this- (Names are made up to protect the innocent/dumb.) Please read this OUT LOUD with the most southern twang you can muster when reading the part of Ethel Mae to get an accurate rendition of this story.

The time, which is important to remember in this story is 7:00 p.m, nowhere near closing, and still around supper time for a majority of Americans.

Michael: I’d like the 3 piece Meal Deal, please.
Ethel Mae: Oh, we don’t have any chicken breast left for that, we only have wings and drumsticks. That okaaaaaaaaay?
Michael: Sure, that’s fine. Can I substitute the biscuits for a side of okra, though? (Side Note: I hadn’t had okra since I was a young girl and remembered that I hated it…so I wanted to see if that’s changed. It hasn’t, though I no longer HATE them.)
Ethel Mae: I’m sorry we can’t do that. We don’t have any biscuits to go with your meal anymore…ya’ see we’re changing over from Church’s Chicken to a Chicken Tender Express…. We now serve rolls (as she pointed to the package of rolls beside the chicken, which coincidentally were the nastiest, closest-thing-to-leather I’ve ever eaten).
Michael: Okay then. Can I just order a side of okra?
Ethel Mae: (yelling to the back): Do you think we can fry up a side of okra? Okay, I’ll hook you up. (After the cook/man in back, who appears to be shutting things down for the night, mumbles in agreement.)

Michael leaves to go the bathroom. Meanwhile the lady attempts to fulfill the order but spends half her time with her back towards me, leaning back over register as far as possible, staring at the menu to see what is included in our order. I help poor Ethel Mae out by reciting from the menu what is included. She hands me the first part of the order and tells me my okra will be out shortly. Michael returns, and so does our “side of okra” that she brings out– It was definitely enough to feed an army of okra lovers during a world famine. I don’t think she’d ever made a “side” of anything before.

Next person comes in to order.

Man: I’d like a 10 piece Meal Deal, please.
Ethel Mae: Oh, we only have Niiiiiine pieces left. How ’bout I throw in a side of baaaaaaked beans and we’ll call it a deal?
Man (said very quizzically): OKAY??????…

Michael and I had a great laugh at this. You see, this now leaves them chickenless–at seven o’clock with just sides left and no hopes to cook any more. As we were leaving, another lady was coming in. Bless the poor soul. Shame to think about how many side-order substitutions she would have to receive, seeing that it was 7:00, there was no chicken left, and they weren’t planning on cooking any more for the evening. We quickly and easily made assumptions as to why they were no longer a Church’s, as we scurried out the door before it was possible to hear the next poor lady order. It would have been fun to stick around and watch, actually, but we had wasted enough time off the road. Thanks, Chicken Tender Express for making our meal memorable!

Of course, my wild imagination led me to think that maybe it was an under cover drug operation or some cover-up for some illegal activity goin’ on…something just didn’t add up.

I only wish I were kidding.

One Dollar, Who’d give me One…Who’d make it Three?

July 26, 2007 by Maren 12 Comments

We’re having a garage sale at our house tomorrow and Saturday. As a result, we’ve got our front room packed full of people’s junk…and more coming tonight!

A little history on the story to come: Michael and I both have keyboards that we got when we were younger. When I was about 8, the Christmas present that I wanted was too expensive than what was the norm, so I saved up half and pitched in and got a keyboard–I kept it all these years because it meant more than just a gift because I had to work hard for it, too…it’s more sentimental than the anything, and recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that it needs to go…It’s about 2 feet long and is very basic…it only lets you play two notes at a time and it’s not complex by any means.

Michael bought a fancy-dancy keyboard in high school. The thing had the works and was much more expensive…I think (though I’m not sure) that it is a full size keyboard and has all the bells and whistles. He’s kept it around for 6 years of marriage, but has gotten it out to play, MAYBE twice (and that’s GENEROUS!). He’s recently come to the conclusion that it needs to go…

Conversation at our house–

Michael: I’d like to sell my keyboard–maybe I’ll sell it on Craig’s list and see if I can get $100 or so for it.

Maren: Good idea! (Joking, but asks with a serious face) Do you think I’d be able to get that for my piano?

Michael:

So, perhaps, I’ll put a price tag at my garage sale of $100 and sit there and play chopsticks.

HAHAHAHAHA! Now for those of you who don’t know this song, it probably isn’t funny… It’s about a worthless violin that was going for next to nothing at an auction until a ‘master’ played it, then it became valuable. It’s a cheezy song, but in the context of our conversation, it was PRICELESS (no pun intended). Life, gotta love it!

In other news, some random pictures from this month…
Many work days, I come home to this sight; I love it when they cuddle together–Zippy was too excited to see me, though, and won’t keep the cute pose, but they often lay on top of each other in the basket…in fact, in this picture, Zippy couldn’t get out of the basket because Krenzel was laying on his foot…

A fun memory from this month–I love my nephew–He’s growing right up! (also notice my keyboard in the background that I’m going to get rich off of selling…)

I gave blood on Monday, and got this prize for giving. The lady, even though my veins are the size of a river, missed my vein and then proceeded to roll the needle around in my arm until she found it…not the most pleasant experience… If you get queasy easily (it would be more fun if I had typed queasily easily. but that’s not a word), don’t look… It’s just a bruise the size of Mt. Everest.

I feel like I have to explain it every where I go– first a black eye a couple of months ago, now this… pretty soon, they may suspect domestic abuse…Nope, it’s just me.

Happy Thursday!

Friends, Games, and MIA Michael

June 29, 2007 by Maren 7 Comments

Ever had one of those weeks where you get up on Friday and wonder where the rest of the week has gone? That’s a great description of my current week. Here’s the run down.

Monday- Watched two of my favorite kids on earth.

Tuesday- Helped a friend measure/cut/pin beautiful fabric from South Africa to make curtains (yes, Maren was slightly hesitant about gouging a hole or something in the delicate and fabulous fabric.) Also, played 2 games of Rummikub with the same friend. Have I ever mentioned how much I love games? Perfect job title: play games all day (and win).

Wednesday- Played Ultimate. We had a rematch against the team which inspired my recent athletically-challenged blog. I was encouraged this time around, however… I can tell that I have improved because a) I didn’t feel as if they’d have to resuscitate me on the field at any given moment from my out-of-shapedness and b) I didn’t feel like sitting down on the field, mid-game, crossing my arms, and sobbing! It was a good feeling to actually have a semi-understanding of what was happening (well more so than the last game, anyway). That said, the other team would definitely fail a sportsmanship award. They are miserable to play with as they are major gripers, and whine about every play!

Thursday- Michael has been gone this week, so that leaves me and the 2 pets home alone. I feel guilty for being gone so long without a potty break for Zip. My work shift currently is 7-3, but yesterday, I was supposed to stay late for a meeting. At 2:20, I took my 30 min. lunch to rush home and let Zip out. This eased my guilty conscience for keeping him cooped up all day. So, I got back at 2:50, just in time for my 3:00 meeting. No sooner did I walk in the door, than I found that the meeting was canceled due to lack of preparation, freeing me to go home at my regular time of 3. De ja vu-edly, Zippy greeted me AGAIN, tail wagging with many barks. At least he didn’t mind it. Grr.

Ate dinner with some friends, read 3 books to two of my favorite kids. Oh how much I am truly a sucker for kid’s books. Hmmmmm…I love kid’s books and games. Maybe, it’s simply a matter of never growing up.

Friday- Tonight, I plan to go out to eat with some friends from church, then clean.

Michael has been gone this week. He’s been speaking at camp to a group of jr hi students. I so wish I could have gone with him, but time off is hard to come by…Although, I’ve been blessed with things to occupy my time, OH, how much I miss him!!!! If I’m lucky, he’ll be home WAY late after he speaks tonight; if I’m not, he’ll be home tomorrow morning! I’m hoping it will be the former, but want to make sure he’s alert enough to drive the whole way home. Guess we’ll just have to see.

Happy weekend, all!

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