Eggs and Omelets

"You have to break an egg to make an omelet. We're breaking the eggs!" That's how our pool man explained the mess we're enduring to get a pool in our backyard.

We're finally doing it. We started talking about it back in March and actually wrote up the contract. Then several things happened and we postponed. Then we started debating whether we really wanted to or not. We are doing it!

The one most excited about this is Dara. She can hardly wait. We are making a sidewalk all the way around the side of the house to the pool's edge. She can "wheel" to the edge and get right in. We plan on having lots of visits from Dara. Yeah!

Our pool man is one to be recommended. He's great! So often you start a project like this and the people doing it leave much to be desired. We are thrilled to have contracted with our guy. He's nice, he's fun, he demands quality, and he oversees much of the work himself in person. I thought this type of guy vanished from the work place a long time ago. What a nice find!

Well, we'll be having eggs broken and stirred and seasoned for quite a while. We're really looking forward to the omelet.

I'm planning a special celebration when the two of us actually jump in or slide in or walk in, whatever. We're anticipating it will be very fun and relaxing!
MB

Remember the Chair

Today is Paul's 68th birthday.
H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y!

The title of this post is for Paul. I bought his birthday gift a couple of weeks ago when we were at Sam's buying groceries, and we saw this OU chair. They had just arrived the night before. Paul's the ultimate OU fan and has his home office decorated elaborately with OU paraphernalia, on the walls and all around.

I'm the world's worst gift-buyer and gift-giver, so when I saw the leather OU chair, I thought my birthday-gift-for-Paul dilemma was solved. I asked him if he would like to have that chair. His eyes lit up, and he said, "Really?"

Then we read on the large box that you have to put it together. His lit-up eyes went dull, and he said, "Naw, that's okay. I don't want to put it together."

My proposal: "If you would like to have this chair, I'll buy it for you for your birthday. And, as part of the gift, I will put it together by myself."

Again, Paul said, "Really?" And we both laughed.

And that's what happened! We got the large box home, and we agreed Paul would leave and run the rest of the errands, and when he came home, his chair, aka his birthday gift, would be set up and waiting. And it was!

So, today I need to say to him, "Remember the chair! That's your birthday gift even though you've already been enjoying it for a couple of weeks!"

On a more serious note, we are doubly celebrating Paul's 68 years. His Dad and uncles all died in their fifties from heart disease, and when Paul had his first heart attack at age 46, we thought he would too.

But today he's in very good health and just this week in Austin on Wednesday, he played four games of racquetball and said he felt good and strong. Yeah! And he won all but one of the games, which was a three-way cutthroat game with an extremely skilled stranger at the health club.

Hey, Handsome, happy 68th birthday!

Hope today is your best ever, and remember the chair!

Love you much,
MB

Then and Now

THEN–1959












NOW–2008


Here are just some fun pictures.
This last weekend I attended my high school reunion. What fun! I thought these pictures showed how much we change in 49 years. Pictured above are Mr. and Miss Edmond High School of 1959. Pictured below are the same two people 49 years later at their high school reunion.

Next year will be our 50th. We're making big plans. However, the 49th was great fun. We'll have to go some to beat the reunion this year. I'm really looking forward to it.
MB