Day 915: Year in Review – 2009

Must like 2007, 2009 was another rest period for the folks behind SchutzHappens.  The three of us, Serena, Grayson, and I, pretty much spent the entire year settling into our lives in Belgrade… that is until we found out Gilliam had told God he wanted to be part of our family… which was quickly followed with the announcement of my next assignment… unaccompanied in Pakistan.

At which point, as you can imagine, the year started ramping up for 2010… which promised to be yet another legendary year.

As for Anderson Cooper?  Pop culture abounds yet again in CNN’s review of 2009… but then again… the King of Pop passed away, so that probably had something to do with it.  As for me… the ‘Miracle on the Hudson” defined the entire year.

Day 914: Year in Review – 2008

Well, as 2008 begins… it became obvious that 2007 wasn’t really a settling in year… but more of a break before the marathon began again. 

2008 marked the year we packed up our entire lives, joined the Foreign Service, moved to Washington DC… then moved to Belgrade, Serbia.  Incidentally, just before leaving Atlanta I launched SchutzHappens with a post titled “SchutzHappens 101”… and then on my first day in Washington, DC I followed with my second post simple titled “Day 1”.

In addition, my departure from Cobb County couldn’t have come at a better time.  Shortly after leaving, due to the economic crisis, the Cobb County Commissioners announced a hiring freeze that wrecked havoc on the already understaffed Cultural Affairs Division… two and a half years later, to the best of my knowledge… that hire freeze is still in place, even after forcing all employees eligible for retirement out the door.

Day 913: Year in Review – 2007

Honestly, 2007 was a bit of a blur for me.  In a lot of ways it was my settling in year.  I didn’t mention it before, but at the end of 2005 Cobb County promoted me for the second time… and as my good friend and colleague Nelah likes to point out… between March 2005 and August 2006 (just shy of a year and a half) I accomplished a series of life milestones:  first new car, new job, new wife, new baby, first new house, and as if that wasn’t enough… I also started Graduate School.

A couple years ago I read an article that described each of the above items as ‘life changing events’ and discouraged people from take on more than one of those events in a twelve month period.

Oops.

So yeah, 2007 was a settling in year for the whole family… and for that reason; the whole year is kind of a blur.  But, it doesn’t look like I missed too much.  Unlike Anderson Cooper’s previous disaster filled reviews… there seems to be a pop culture focus for 2007: Ann Nicole, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Harry Potter, The Sopranos, and the iPhone release. 

Well… one of the 11 million Harry Potter books mentioned in the video is sitting on my book case… so I guess I was a connected to 2007 just a little bit… and it’s also the year I applied for the Foreign Service.

Day 912: Year in Review – 2006

Well, while Anderson Cooper focuses his eye on those who passed in 2006… 

Much like 2005 was the year of Serena… 2006 was the year of Grayson.  2006 was the beginning of the wildest ride I have ever embarked on… even wilder that joining the Foreign Service.

It goes without saying that Grayson is very special to me.  Becoming a father was, bar none, the most profound thing that has ever happened to my life… and I don’t take the responsibility… or rather, HONOR, of fatherhood lightly.  It’s magical and wonderful, frustrating and tiresome… and no matter how defeated I can feel as a father… that feeling of failure is, somehow, equally rewarding.  It is an interesting dichotomy I’ll never truly understand, but will always appreciate.

Simply put, when you cut through all the horrible BS that ‘defined’ 2006… for me… it was the year I helped make my best friend, and for that I will always be grateful for the gift Serena gave me.

Day 911: When You Think You Know Someone

In a matter of months Serena and I will be celebrating our six year anniversary… on separate continents… a fate we have become accustomed to.  However, during those six years the one thing I thought I could say is this:

“Serena is pretty consistent.” 

She prefers to read non-fiction, likes her entertainment uplifting or funny, she only wears ‘au Blanc’, she always goes for simple dangly earrings before anything with bling, and most importantly… she detests fruit in her salads and savory dishes.

Seriously… the last one is very important.  During our first month of dating I made the mistake of serving her Italian chicken with rice and grapes… good thing I have a nice smile because I might have lost her.

Now, you need to understand that Serena loves fruit.  Raw fruit, cooked fruit… it doesn’t matter.  She loves it… but if you combine the fruit with a cup of rice or throw some mandarin oranges on top of a salad she starts to gag.

However… I not here to judge… I have a similar issue with milk and fruit juices.  I like milk and juice just fine… but drinking them out of a plastic cup is the most disgusting thing in the world. 

For Serena, it’s not so much the fruit as it is the sweetness.  This phobia of savory fruit also branches out into a distain for Chinese cuisine and other styles that incorporates sugar into everyday meals.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I returned home for my R&R to find Serena cooking savory dishes with raisins and figs.  All though these are dried fruits… they certainly added a certain sweetness to the dish.  Especially, a wonderful stuffed squash recipe Serena was excited to roll out for my return.

I have to say, the stuffed squash with pork and raisins… and God only knows what else, was one of the BEST things Serena has EVER made.  I was dumbfounded.  Not dumbfounded that Serena made an excellent meal.  On a bad day, Serena is a spectacular and adventurous cook.  In the last six years we may have had only a handful of duds… but for the most part, she prepares pretty amazing food (especially since he is also balancing two boys… and not that she has too… if you are an avid reader of SchutzHappens you’ll know that I love to cook too, in fact I cook all my own food over here in Pakistan… and I still get sick… go figure). 

Anyway, I was dumbfounded that Serena even made the dish in the first place.  Normally, Serena would have omitted the raisins or opted out of the recipe all together.  “Honey, this is delicious... based on the ingredients alone I am surprised you even made it in the first place.”

Serena laughed, “I know, right?” 

Consistent no more… After all these years I’ll have to use the word ‘surprising’… and I really like the sound of that.

Day 910: Pee Talents from God

So… this is probably one of those posts I will remove from this blog when Grayson starts Middle School.  You know what I’m talking about.  Those years of adolescence when the hilariously adorable story I am about to tell would because a source of torment and ridicule if a classmate ever stumbled across it… but I’m going to tell it anyway… for now.  But judging from the title… you probably have a good idea of where I am going.

So, to set the scene… Gilliam was taking a nap and the rest of us were lounging around, watching a movie, in the living room.  At one point Grayson asks us to pause the movie so he can go to the bathroom… we do and Grayson exits.  Serena and I continue to lounge.

A few minutes later Grayson comes running back into the living room very excited, “Guys!  Guys!  God gave me the best pee talent!  I gotta tell you!”

Now, I picked up on what Grayson said right away… Serena, on the other hand did not, “What kind of talent baby?”

“Pee talent!”

At this point I’m pretty sure Serena heard him correctly, but was in denial.  She looked at me, “Do you know what he’s saying?”  I raised an eyebrow… Serena quickly responded, “What?”

“He said ‘pee talent’”… and I was sure to emphasize the ‘pee’ so there was no longer any confusion.

Serena’s face squished up, “Oh… that’s what I thought… I was hoping I was wrong.”

“You’re not.”

And then Grayson exploded with excitement again, “Yes, God gave me the best pee talent in the whole wide world!”

Cautiously Serena asked, “And what pee talent did God give you?”

“Well, just now… in the bathroom… I was peeing… wait no… wait guys... I was peeing standing up… but I didn’t lift up the thing… the thing that you sit on… not the lid... I lifted up the lid, I had to lift up the lid… but I didn’t lift up the other thing that you sit on… but I still got all of my pee-pee in the toilet without miss AT ALL!  Not a drop!  I got it all in!  Isn’t that amazing?”

Serena and I looked at each other starting to snicker, “Yeah kid… that’s awesome… that’s a great talent.”

Grayson followed our congratulation with, “Yeah… God gave me the best pee talent.”

And finally Serena said… “Yes Grayson… God gives all kinds of special talents.”

Grayson: “Yeah, even pee-pee talents”.

“Yes, even pee-pee talents.”

Day 909: Year in Review – 2005

You know how I said 2004 was the last year I associated my life with theatre productions I’ve worked on?  Well… that is partially true.  I actually started off the year in a four person musical called, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”  And, on March 6^th, 2005, about two weeks before opening night… I met Serena.

The play itself comically chronicles the lifecycle of love.  The first act is about coming of age and dating… and the second act is about marriage and parenthood.  After meeting Serena for the first time (maybe a week after we first met) my director, Nelah, looked at me and said, “Oh my God… your entering act two in real life!”… Needless to say, but Nelah (one of my many adopted moms) approved… and now she looks back on this play and claims that it actually conical my life  more than anything else… I guess it’s pretty poetic when I also tell you it’s the last time I’ve appeared on stage.

To give you an idea to what Nelah meant… here is a clip from Act 1 Scene 4 ‘Men Who Talk and the Women Who Pretend They're Listening’.  Although this isn’t from my production, I’m the ‘aerodynamic engineering’ guy… I also apologize for the spotty camera work, but this is the best version of this scene on YouTube (a website that was launched in 2005).  Also, if you make it to the end for the musical number ‘Why? Because I’m a Guy’, you won’t be disappointed.

Also in the first Act is this great scene titled ‘He Called Me’… although… when watching this scene you should reverse the roles and imagine me in the pajamas… but make them manly blue pajamas. 

Why? 

Well, I had a great time on my first date with Serena… I was really taken with her, but I didn’t get the ‘I’m interested’ vibe back from her.  And I also jumped the gun… I tried to plan our second date during our first date (horror!)… I invited her over to my place for dinner and a movie… and… well… at the end of our first date it was kind of awkward and Serena only offered me a hand shake… I walked away feeling pretty confident that I would never hear from Serena again.

The very next day… she called me:

So… that gives you a little flavor of the whole dating portion of the show… now for the final scene of Act 1: Wedding Vows.  I played the part of the groom… and keep in mind… Serena was in the audience.

 

Which brings us to Act 2… all about marriage… and my three musical numbers that Nelah says predicted the next phase of my life… I played the father/husband in all three:

Act 2, Scene 2: Whatever Happened to Baby's Parents?

Act 2, Scene 4: The Family that Drives Together...

 

Act 2, Scene: Shouldn't I Be Less In Love With You?

No… despite as it may seem from this post 2005 wasn’t “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’… it was simple the underscore.  2005 was the year I met Serena and my life changed for forever… for the better… and besides there being a lot of rain I don’t really remember anything else about that year.