stuff that bugs me (+ stuff that doesn't)

texas, by ashleyv

Tomorrow at the crack of dawn we’re leaving for yet another road trip back to Texas. I know! Every time we go we vow never to do *that* again, but we had such a great time taking it slow to get to the wedding that we’re going to do it again; taking our time getting there & back, seeing the sights, staying at cool little hotels. ACE Hotel Palm Springs – we’re looking at you! This time without truckloads of stuff to take in for safekeeping at every stop. We have a housesitter/catsitter for Mercury (who shattered a glass candleholder this very morning – have fun, Justin!), and Winston will be staying with Metro Dog. We love how much they love our little guy there!

While we’re there we’ll be getting together with family & friends for excellent Texan eats & drinks in San Antonio and Austin. Chuy’s and Alamo Cafe here we come! Oh, and Pappadeaux. Ping one of us if you want to get together – and it doesn’t have to be at any of those places. :) Looking forward to nomming some real breakfast tacos. Ok, I’m drooling. But it’s not all about food – the main reason we’re going is for our niece KT’s christening, and we can’t wait to be official godparents!

It’s not all fun and games, either – I’m taking my essential crafting supplies (only allowing myself ONE tub of goodies) to work on some new fascinators and boutonnieres, I’ll be blogging here & on owl&pear during the trip, and I’ll be catching up on processing all the photos I need to upload to flickr.

It should be relaxing to go for the first time in a year and a half and not be running around crazily preparing for the wedding! Now to pack…

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Last week, JR went to the kitchen to heat up a leftover breakfast bagel, and then he hopped into the shower. We were chatting while he showered, as we are wont to do, and I noticed a yummy smell coming from the kitchen. We kept talking, and the scent kept getting stronger. And then it started to smell kind of… burnt.

I asked, “Did you put the breakfast bagel into the toaster, or the microwave?”

Before I can even finish my question, he replied, “Oh, shit!!!”

Assuming he put it into the toaster oven, I ran to the kitchen to douse the flames. But there was nothing in the toaster. It was cold, yet there was definitely a smoky haze in the air. I opened the microwave, and smoke wafted out. Not only was the bagel black, so was part of the paper bag it was in. He must’ve fat-fingered the cooking time.

The microwave kept smelling really smoky, so I tried cleaning it with dish soap & water – no luck. I tried heating a damp sponge to fill the microwave with steam & cleaned it after that – no luck. Every time we open the microwave, the acrid smell of smoke fills the air. I’m not sure what to do to get rid of that smell. Any tips?

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So much has happened in the last few months than I don’t think it’s possible to cover it all in one post. But here’s a quick rundown:

• I married John Forsythe in Austin, Texas on April 24, 2010!!! (Believe me, there will be so much more about that!)
• We spent 16 glorious days in Negril, Jamaica for our honeymoon (and got threatened by machete-wielding locals in the mountains on an ill-advised scooter trip), including a three night stay at the RockHouse, where we would like to live out the remainder of our days.
• On the second day of our honeymoon, there was a water leak in the house we rent in San Francisco. Our landlords dried out the place, and we had minimal property damage, but the house was unlivable, and in order to make the repairs we had to move everything we own into storage, so we spent our first six weeks as newlyweds living in a hotel with a kitchenette with our dog and our cat.
• Winston (the dog) went completely blind while we were on the honeymoon, so his first 3 months of blindness was made doubly bad by living in an unfamiliar hotel or in a home filled to the brim with boxes as we trudged through the unpacking.
• Our wedding will be a Real Wedding in The Knot Texas Spring/Summer 2011 (which hits stands late Nov/early December 2010)!!! Huge thanks to Diana M. Lott, our photographer, for taking such amazing photos of our day! While you’re at it, you should also check out our wedding film trailer by Wild Orchid Studios. (It brings tears of joy to my eye every time I watch it!)
• Due to the amazing response to all of the handmade items we created for the wedding, I decided to open an Etsy shop. It took a while to get to that point with all the house stuff (we had to completely rebuild the craft room), but I did it! So visit the owl&pear shop, follow it on twitter, or check out the blog.
• I registered for Making Things Happen 2010! Lara Casey is bringing her one-day intensive to San Francisco on November 9, 2010. I’ve already met SO many interesting, brilliant, talented people through Lara & MTH2010 on twitter, and I can’t wait to meet everyone in person. If you’re going too (doesn’t have to be in SF), leave me a comment!
• John’s sister, Colleen, had her first baby: Katherine Teal Koenig!!! I was so lucky to be in San Antonio when K.T. was born, and she just turned 7 months – how time flies! This week we leave on another road trip to Texas, this time for her christening – we’re godparents!

I’m sure there’s so much more that I’m forgetting, but that’ll do for now. Glad to be back!

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