It's been a rough past month, so we have all been enjoying our good health this weekend! I haven't been to hot yoga in a week and I'm dying to go. I probably could have gone back Friday, but I didn't want to be that asshole that jumps the gun and goes to yoga and gets anyone sick because I'm obsessed with working out or my ego needs the lift. The yoga studio is a mecca to pay tribute to your health and body and well-being. Sick- and even barely recovered sick- people keep their distance.
My body feels stiff and I just want to go in there and stretch and sweat out all the toxins and get the blood flowing. Monday afternoon I'm back on the mat!
*Happy Dance*
Last night Jude went to his first Thunder game with Taylor and Dustin (ABOVE). I'm kind of jealous that I missed that, but our little dude needed some guy time. That's what he calls it: "Guy Time." Anything with just him and dad, or dad and dad's friends, is guy time. Jude told me the other day when I asked him if he was excited for "Guy Time" Friday, that "Mommy, you don't have a wee wee."
Well said, Sir. This means that mommies don't partake in "Guy Time," but we have "Mommy and Pookie Time."
He added, just in case I forgot and needed a reminder: "Mommy and Mochi have 'baginas."
(Vaginas)
Very good! Needless to say, I beam with pride as I recap this conversation. He can differentiate our parts. He's been paying attention!
While Jude and Daddy and their wee wees were at the Thunder game, my brother and I took our dad to dinner and to see the Beatles tribute band, 1964- which was our Christmas gift to him. We decided that our hoarding-tendencied parents didn't need anymore stuff (at least this year), so we got them each something to do to share quality time with them.
Our old man loves his beer, so BJs was a good choice. He enjoyed a beer sampler and jambalaya. Chris and I had water and fancy salads- trying to stick with our diets somewhat- but ultimately wound up finishing our dad's jambalaya.
Here we are at dinner. This picture isn't an accurate photo of my brother and dad's personalities.
This picture is more accurate. My brother and dad always have to make faces like this or do something weird or goofy in pictures. It's been like this since my brother was a baby and it has never stopped. My dad looks like a pirate. I wish he'd get his recently removed tooth replaced with something that made him look less like Captain Barbosa, but what fun would that be?
Dad and his beer. Merry Christmas Old Man!
1964. They were pretty good. I liked Beatlemania, which we saw in Tulsa a few years back, better, but it was fun. I have a weakness for Beatles tribute bands and shows. I feel gipped most of the time because I honestly believe I was born in the wrong era for music. My brother and I were probably 2 of maybe a dozen people under the age of 50 at the show. When "John" encouraged the crowd to get up for "Twist and Shout," my dad said he felt like he was at a retirement home- and after looking around- we staged scenarios about some of the older ones busting out their medicinal marijuana that they carry around for their glaucoma and died laughing about it.
My brother and dad and I have always been a trio of buddies. We share the same interests and attitudes about most things. We appreciate one another's passions, overtly unapologetic opinions and perspectives on how we see and experience the world around us.
All three of us are oddballs. Chris and I have our Old Man to thank for that- since he is the one of the weirdest people I'll ever know.
Spending the evening cutting up and enjoying the company of the two original guys in my life was a breath of fresh air.
No one gets you like your blood.
We had a big "send off" get together with my extended family today, for my cousin Robert and his wife Gabby and little boy Brayden who got stationed in Virginia and are leaving Tuesday, and for my brother, who will be leaving for officer training in Alabama next week. My cousin Andrea is already in Europe for a few years, and I miss her a lot. That's the thing with military families- people are always coming and going and getting stationed here and there. It's part of the package though. Without the reassigning of location due to military, most of my family (myself included) wouldn't even exist.
The yummy plate of food above is how my family rolls. You should have seen the spread. It's insane how amazing the food is. You won't find better home cooked Japanese food on the planet. Seriously. My grandma and Uncle Chosei are from Okinawa and this is how they throw down. Tempura. Gyoza. Stir fried noodles. Fried rice. Teriyaki chicken.
Taylor and I pretty much fast all day to make sure we have plenty of room to gorge when we know we are going to be eating this food.
My Great Uncle Chosei- the tempura master. He has a black belt in Japanese cuisine.
Chris and Jude hogging out on dessert- what they do best.
Mochi with Mimi and my kick ass aunties
Jude will pummel you with his gigantic fists.
The kids fell asleep on the drive home. Taylor and I have started prolonging our trips home when this happens, because we know as soon as we get in the garage, they'll wake up- usually groggy and cranky if they don't get a sufficient cat nap- and they won't go back to sleep. So we get coffee. From Starbucks. Which up until recently I had always refused to do- get coffee from Starbucks- but since they have put all of the other conveniently located coffee shops out of business in our area, that's really our only option.
I refuse to order Starbucks in their fancy named sizes. We aren't in Italy. We live in America, and in America we have SMALL, MEDIUM, and LARGE.
Venti. Grande. I can't remember the other name. It confuses me. I want a medium coffee. That's it.
It's funny hearing men order fancy named froo-froo coffees.
There's something emasculating about a man who orders a venti green tea chai latte with coconut and whipped cream- like the guy in front of me in line did today. I like to think that men should take their coffee black. Taylor doesn't take his coffee black, but he also doesn't order venti green tea chai lattes with coconut and whipped cream. That's enough for me.
So we get coffee and drive around and talk. That's what you do with kids. You create and squeeze in grown up time when you can and let them sleep when they'll sleep.
Jude after we got home. Family time with the relatives and cousin wore him out. It's a beautiful sight to see this kid this worn out. It doesn't happen often.
Mochi finally has enough hair to wake up with bed head.
Sleepy-faced babies with bed head are one of life's best kept secret treats.
Holy crap it's 12:30 a.m. and I am still on the computer. This is going to hurt in 5 hours when Mochi wakes up and decides she'd rather be in bed with Taylor and I. Why isn't husband back from Dustin's house yet? Why is it so easy to get annoyed with husbands when they really aren't doing anything wrong?
Oh well.
Good Night!
