Life in a Brighthouse: Moving out of the Dark Ages

In the past we had always taken pride in our lack of technology. We rarely watched our 400lb TV, and when television went digital, we just stopped watching all together. Unfortunately, when we were moving, Jeff "accidentally" dropped our beast of a TV and we finally felt justified in replacing it. We also got cable.

All my life, I've never had cable. I can't believe that I have lived my life up until now without the food network! I don't remember what I used to do on Sunday nights before they became completely devoted to Iron Chef America, Chopped, and Worst Cooks in America. I can't imagine an evening without Jeff standing behind me in the kitchen commentating while I cook dinner.

Cable has changed my life! I can't believe how much time I used to waste exercising and socializing. All that time, I could have been watching Star Trek reruns or catching up on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. (On a sidenote, isn't Sully awesome? I love him!)

I feel so enlightened. Before cable, I never knew how a curling stone is made, that a dead pig can be substituted for a human body in most experiments, that a Toyota Hilux truck is indestructible, that Vulcans die from emotional breakdowns, or that Haricot Vert is just a fancy French term for green beans.

Thank you, Brighthouse Networks! I don't know how I ever lived without you!

I Love Lamp

A couple of weeks ago, while playing "Would You Rather" with some friends, I drew a challenge card that said this: "For sixty seconds, explain how electricity works". I then proceeded to explain my fifth grade science fair project for which I tested the conductivity of various materials. In short - Pennies and paper clips conduct electricity. Plastic spoons and Fruit Loops do not. This is the extent of my knowledge on the subject.

Yesterday at a yard sale I bought three old lamps from a little old lady. They were beautiful... to me. I could see the potential. All Jeff could see were the frayed fifty-year-old wires and dusty cobwebs. "I'll clean them off and rewire them" I assure him as I handed the lady my ten dollar bill.

"Becky", Jeff said, "remember game night?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You're not rewiring anything. You can't even reset the breaker when the electricity goes out."

"Uh, Babe. That's why God created Google. Duh!"

Then I proudly carried my newly-acquired loot to the car.

Fast forward to this afternoon at Home Depot in the lighting section. I'm standing in front of a huge wall of wires and starting to panic.

Kevin the Irish/Scottish sales guy: Can I help you with something, Lass?

Me: Yes, I have these really old outdoor hanging lamps that I need to rewire.

Kevin: What parts would you be lookin fer then?

Me: I think I need a bulb holder screw in thing, a cord, a plug-in thingy, and whatever makes them all stay together and not explode.

Bless his heart. Kevin managed to figure out exactly what I needed, and he even gave me a quick tutorial. I left Home Depot, light kits in hand, confident and ready for an evening of fun with electricity.

It was actually much easier than I thought it would be. I wrapped wires around around a few screws and ran some cords through some holes just like Kevin had shown me, and presto, instant garden ambiance. Check it out.

I'm so proud of myself, but I have to admit that I still have absolutely no idea how electricity works.

Bow Chicka Bow Wow

Jeff and I spent the better part of today helping our friends move into their awesome new house. This made me realize how much I hate renting. I can paint, replace fixtures, and garden, but at the end if of the day, this well-decorated craphole still isn't mine. (Not that this would be my craphole of choice if I were, in fact, in the market for a home) This year, I'm asking Santa for real estate.

Now I just have to work on making the nice list.

Speaking of the nice list, my sister took me to see a comedian tonight who is most definitely NOT on it. Daniel Tosh. This guy is messed up in the head. My favorite statement of the whole night:

"Ladies, if you're not beautiful, it's okay. Don't spend your life denying it. Just face the fact that you're going to have to get through life the same way a man does: with hard work."

Fortunately I don't have to worry about that. Jeff thinks I'm pretty and doesn't want me to lift a finger. Seriously. When I got home from my night on the town, he'd cleaned the house from top to bottom. Most guys would be like, "Hey my wife's out for the night! I'm gonna have the guys over, drink beer, and watch sports!", but not my man. He decided to use his time wisely to score some major points which (judging from the fact that its almost midnight and the shower is running), he is about to cash in. Night, y'all! ;-)

Why Ours is Cuter...

Um, because there's nothing the cats can do that Lucy can't do better. For the record, she walks across the back of the couch too.

Welcome to Our Blog

Our very formal and well-rehearsed welcome video.

Here it goes...

Today is a great day to start a blog.

I'm sitting on my couch drinking coffee with my black lab, Lucy, curled up at my feet snoring and two cats curled up in my lap. Its been an interesting journey for Jeff and me over the past 3+ years. We got married in May of 2006, and I'm proud to say that he has been the most wonderful husband a girl could wish for. We love our little house, our four cats and one dog, our garden, our church, our jobs, all the things that make up life.

Jeff is currently substitute teaching at the jr. high and high school levels. He finished the credential program at Point Loma last summer and now has both history and special ed credentials. Once he passes the CSET test, he'll do six weeks of student teaching and then hopefully score a teaching job.

This is my second year working in the Special Education Department at Ridgeview High School, and I love my job. I help kids with mild-moderate learning disabilities understand math. I can distinctly remember thinking as a kid, "Who would ever want to grow up and teach math?" Turns out it not so bad.

Its drumline season, and this year we're working with Shafter High School on a pirate show. There are 23 kids in the ensemble this year and they are completely pumped up about getting to sword fight and wear eye patches. The first competition was last weekend at Frontier. The kids looked great in their costumes, and were the only group in their division to have their show finished. Go Shafter!

Jeff and I are still actively involved in the worship ministry at Cornerstone Church. We love our music pastor, Paul Cierley. The man is God's gift to music and has breathed some serious life into our church with his mad arranging skills. I can't imagine Heaven being any more fun than Sunday mornings at Cornerstone.

We're still living downtown in the Oleander area, and we love our little house. I finally feel like I've finished it. The walls are various shades of red, gold, and orange. We got new flooring last summer. Between yard sales, hand-me-downs, and craigslist, we're well furnished. We had so many morning glories growing the garden this year that they found their way through the wall at one point, and we had vines in the guest room. Good times.

This coming week, Jeff and I have both forsaken work for a Disneyland vacation with Jeff's family. I can't wait to see my niece and nephew. Josie is six and Jason is ten, and they live four hours north in Santa Clara. We haven't seen them since December when we spent an amazing week skiing and sledding in Sonora with them and their parents. I have been blessed with such great family!

Well, thanks for reading. I'll try and post Disneyland pics when we return!