Whatever Floats Your Boat.

Today I am grateful to whomever the hell it was that thought adding ice cream to soda would be a good idea.

because it was.

definately the best. idea. ever.

I say "whomever the hell it was" because i tried googling that shit, but more than one dude is trying to take credit. and I don't like confrontation.

seriously. where did the idea come from? Was some guy like "damn it, this root beer isn't cold and i have no ice! but i do have ice cream!"? I dunno. but he's brilliant, i tell you.

now, I don't drink root beer floats. because that's just gross. but i have on occasion enjoyed a diet coke float. or an orange soda float. god. that sounds good right now too. it's like one big creamsicle float. OKAY. back on topic. so while i do enjoy them, i don't actually drink them very often. The Marsh is the big float drinker in this house, not me. I drink wine. but tonight i was craving something sweet. and The Marsh was kind enough to buy French Vanilla ice cream instead of Old Fashioned Vanilla (it seriously makes a difference, i'm telling you what) so i felt like it might be a good time to indulge.

oh my god.

it was so overdue.

and it was a Dr. Pepper float, no less.

I don't even like Dr. Pepper.

but this float? amazing.

okay, so it probably wasn't earth shattering or anything. just plain old fashioned delicious. but it was a fantastic ending to my night, after watching The Marsh burn a bunch more pine needles and using all the smoke as a bug force field so that we could eat a nice dinner out on the deck. A perfect ending to a long day.

And I'm always grateful for happy endings.

...wait, what?

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Killer Tofu.

Today I am grateful for Killer Tofu.

no.

this is not a food.

please tell me you know what killer tofu is...well, i guess if you weren't a child of the 90s you probably wouldn't know. and if that's the case, i feel bad for ya.

Killer Tofu is a song. by The Beets. Who are The Beets? They are a fictional band from the show Doug, that i used to watch everynight growing up.

Man. I loved that freaking show. and one of the best parts of that show, was this band (The Beets) that all the kids on the show were obsessed with. and the band had actual songs...like killer tofu. they also had other such memorable hits like Banging on a Trash Can and I Need More Allowance.

oh man. I'm seriously singing them all in my head like one giant mash up while writing this post.

now, i guess it seems a little silly, being grateful for a song by a fictional band, but it the song represents more than just that show, you know? I was standing in my kitchen chopping up onions when suddenly Killer Tofu just popped into my head. it was just there, and i couldn't stop singing it. I think part of the reason it came to mind was because my punks were watching The Rugrats Movie, and I used to watch Doug and Rugrats back to back when i was younger. I even remember that they were on at 7:00 and 7:30 at night, although I can't rememeber now which one came first.

but that's not really the point. the point is that for a few minutes it was nice to recall a time when life a little simpler. being a kid and lounging in the living room with my brother and sister to watch these silly shows every night before bed. and while i have NO DESIRE what so ever to go back in time and do all that madness over again, i'm occasionaly grateful for moments like today when all I want to do is sing Killer Tofu because it reminds me that being a child was once an awesome thing.

I also gratful to youtube for having said songs available to listen to. thank you technology for helping me rock out to The Beets how ever many years later.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Magic.

Today I am grateful for Magic.

Mike, that is.

yes, I was one of THOSE women. those crazy women who flock to the theater in hopes of seeing some serious naked Channing Tatum action.

there was lots of delicious abs and booties to be seen.

it was fabulous, Darling. absolutely fabulous.

Naked men aside, it was also extremely funny. and hinted at deeper drug issues, making it a very good movie all around. there was also a very loud woman sitting behind my mother and i in the movie theater who made the entire experience worth it by herself. she was not a shy woman. during the previews she had no problem yelling out "i want the naked men now!" and she kept the commentary running through the whole movie. I'm sure everyone in the theater now knows that Channing Tatum could probably do whatever he wanted to that woman.

It was definatley a fun friday night movie and I'm glad that I went with my mom. sometimes it's good to have a fun mother/daughter date right? i couldn't have possibly picked a better date night than watching Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew Bomer all dancing half naked to It's Raining Men on the big screen. unless of course there was someway for that to happen in real life....

you hear that god of half naked sexy strippers? Make it so.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Some Like it Hot.

Today I am grateful for salsa.

but not just any salsa...Kelly's Salsa.

Kelly is a lady with whom I work with. She's incredibly funny, a hard worker, and just an overall wonderful person. She's the kind of co-worker you wish all your other co-workers were like.  so i guess, I'm not just grateful for salsa, I'm grateful for Kelly as well. Just for being her.

BUT...one of the many talents that Kelly has is her salsa making skills.

I can't even begin to describe to you how awesome her salsa is. or how much i love it. juts know that it's alot. and I've been in love with it for YEARS. my mom has worked with Kelly for a very long time, so I've had the benefit of getting some of her salsa on occasion for years. it's always the greatest of treats.

Last week or the week before, Miss Kelly brought in some salsa for the office to munch on as a way of cleaning out her stock before making some new batches with this years tomatoes. I wasn't lucky enough to be there that day because I only work two days a week. But that kelly, she's awesome. She knows how much i enjoy the hotter salsa that she makes and she felt bad that I wouldn't be getting any. So when I came into work on friday morning, there wrapped in a bag waiting on my mom's desk with my name on it was a whole jar of salsa. just for me. I suppose it's silly to get that excited about salsa, but it was a gift. and i think it's always nice to receive a gift from someone who's taking you into consideration. so excitement was definately warranted.

so why am i so grateful for a gift i received a week or two ago? because I have just now gotten around to trying some tonight. I haven't had any tortilla chips in my house and tonight when I went grocery shopping I made a point to pick some up with the sole purpose of eating that salsa tonight. I would have actually eaten it by itself, but it really is on the warmer side..and while i enjoy the hottness immensely with chips, i don't think i could eat it by itself. not without a giant glass of milk anyway. and salsa really is meant to be enjoyed as condiment. not a main dish. it was absolutely fabulous by the way. i enjoyed every bite.

so tonight i'm grateful for some awesome salsa. because everyone should always be grateful for a nice gift.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Happy Fourth of July.

Today I am grateful for some amazing family fun.

Today is Independence Day.

and while it's a day to celebrate the freedom that we have in this country, it's also become the day to eat BBQ, drink, and spend time with family. maybe take in a parade or watch the fireworks.

well, the local parade around here has sort of sucked big time lately, so The Marsh and I opted out of taking the kids to that sad madness, knowing that in a few weeks, the summer festivals will start and their parades are always better. and I'm not even sure if there are going to be fireworks tonight, because it's been raining for hours. BUT we did head over to my in-laws and spend the afternoon with them.

so here is what i'm grateful for today...

I'm grateful that B & G have reached an age where they will willingly let me take their picture together...

ADORABLE.

I'm grateful that my father-in-law was feeling well enough to come sit outside and enjoy the nice weather with us...

why yes, that is a mike's margarita in his hand.

I'm again grateful those freaking pink sunglasses I got in Boston a couple weekends ago...

although The Marsh gets all wigged out when he can't see my eyes. so he feels the need to lift them up when I take our picture.

I'm grateful for finding out what a pyro my mother-in-law obviously is...

yes. those are all sparklers. and such.

and I'm grateful that all of those resulted in this...

continuously trying to set the lawn on fire.

and I'm grateful for my sister-in-law trying to act as a human shield against the smoke....

because in this picture she looks like the biggest stoner ever. i got a good laugh about it.

so basically I'm grateful for the whole day. it was fun. there was music. and good food. and good drinks. and family. it never gets any better than that, does it?

Thanks for reading!
Lana

July 3, 2006.

Today I am grateful for July 3, 2006.

because that was the day I met The Marsh.

exactly six years ago today.

Sometimes it's so unbelievable to think we've been together for six years now. and yes, I say together, even though it was the day we met. because i would without a doubt say the we have been together since that moment. i'm not even going to try and say that we just didn't know it yet. we did. we both knew the minute we met that this was it. game over. i belonged to him and he belonged to me. there just wasn't any other option.

it seems amazing to think about everything we've been through together since then. moving in together, getting engaged and getting married. twice. having brey and then georgiana. living in a crappy apartment for years and then managing to buy our first house together. it seems impossible some days that we've been together long enough to accomplish all that. some days it seems impossible that we ever existed before there was a "we". I feel like i have always been with him. We've been together for 6 minutes. We've been together for 6 years. We've been together for 60 years. It all seems to coexist for at the same time. but i guess the only thing that matters in that sentence is "We've been together...."

I'm also grateful today for one teensy tiny petty reason. but...this is my blog, so i'm allowed to be petty on occasion right? right. Being with The Marsh for six years is HUGE. why? well, this girl right here has never managed to hold on to a long term relationship anywhere past a year before The Marsh. and to be fair, i met him when i was 18..so there wasn't any real need to have a relationship longer than that leading up to meeting him. But The Marsh. oh The Marsh. he does long term very well. in fact, his last relationship before me lasted for five and half years. that's right five and a half years.

guess who just officially became his longest relationship.

VALIDATION!!!!

okay, so i don't really need to be validated. we're married. we have babies. we bought a house. i know he isn't going to up and leave me and i certainly don't habor any thoughts that he might ever think about his ex. but i'm not going to lie, i like knowing that he's been with me longer than he's been with anyone else. i guess we can call that petty, but i've accepted that about myself. i'm cool with it.

I know that i'm grateful for The Marsh alot on here, but he's my everything, you know? It's hard not to be grateful for that frequently. so today I'm glad that The Marsh walked into my best friend's kitchen on july 3, 2006. and changed my life. forever.

Thanks for reading!
Lana

Chalazion.

Have you ever heard of a chalazion?

no?

I hadn't either. but apparently The Marsh went and decided he needed to grow two of them.

so what are they?

they are cysts.

on your eyes.

are you throwing up in your mouth too? cause I know I was. do yourself a favor and DO NOT look them up in google images. it ain't pretty.

I know I know. Gee Alana, isn't this a blog about being grateful? why are you writing about him getting chalazions?

well, it's because today The Marsh had them surgically removed.

So today I am grateful that The Marsh is chalazion free.

without chilazions.

post chilazion.

(hopefully anyway)

and wouldn't that have just been the weirdest opening line to date? yes. it would have. i figured a little background information was needed. and his surgery went very well, so we both extemely grateful for that. The Marsh tends be a bit sqeemish, especially where is eyes are concerned too. so i'm also secretly grateful that he didn't faint on our way out of the eye doctors office. just between you and me it was a little touch and go there for a few minutes. i didn't quite think we were gonna make it.

he seems to be doing much better now. he napped for awhile after we got home from his surgery and was up and about this afternoon. his eye looks really sore, he doesn't seem to be complaining too much about it yet, but he certainly looks like he just got decked in the face. he was also told by his doctor that he may randomly have bloody tears come of out his eye. that's not creepy like a virgin mary statue or anything.
(note to self: be extremely grateful if things don't end up looking like the freaking stigmata in here.)

I very proud of him for going through with the surgery. technically, he really didn't have much choice. but he could have put it off much longer. and whether he'll admit it openly or not, i knew he was scared by the prospect of having surgery done around his eye. I love him a little bit more for handling it so well.

I'll also be grateful if he was really kidding about getting up with me in the morning so that i could do his make up before i left for work. something about covering up his black eye. he's so ridiculous. I don't think my make-up would work for his coloring at all.

Thanks for reading!
Lana