My favorite meal of the day...

Hands down, it is breakfast. And I don't mean raisin brand or toast, guys, I mean a full-on, hot and delicious breakfast. Eggs, homefries, bacon, biscuits, french toast - OK, not all in one meal usually, though these days I am eating for two, remember?

This morning my dear friends Brittain and Pat treated Stells and I to breakfast at the Hot Shot Cafe in Asheville. There's nothing incredibly special or unique about the place, but there's something about sipping coffee in the morning with friends, planning our day and recapping their previous night's adventures (they have a great social life, much like I did before I had a human alarm clock at 6 every morning).

I always love seeing Brittain and Pat (Brittain is my best friend from our UNC days (a sorority sister, okay - I don't want to hear the Greek jokes from anyone), and so does Stella. They are definitely her two favorite people on the planet. The whole way to Asheville this morning, she was saying "Uncle Pat wuves Tella?" To which I would reply yes. Then she'd ask, "Aunt B wuves Tella too?" And I would reassure her that these two special people did in fact love her. So here they are, spending time with their little buddy Stella.





Have a great rest of the weekend!

Pascal's Wager, Revisited

Perhaps you've heard of Pascal's Wager. Here's a summary: "If I believe in God and I'm wrong, I've lost nothing. If I believe in Him and I'm right, I get eternal life. If I fail to believe and there's no God, I've lost nothing. But if I fail to believe and He exists, I've REALLY missed out." The moral: "Believe in God -- for you've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain."

Perhaps the choice to believe in God is one of the hardest choices that exists. It certainly throws a lot of people for a loop. But an equally difficult choice is the choice over whether to work hard or not.

They say that man on his deathbed never wishes he spent more time at the office. I'll buy that. But if one has the opportunity to work really hard at the office for the next 10 years in order to be very successful and not have to go into the office AT ALL for the 20 years that follow ... might that be a really good trade?

Not if, I suppose, at the end of that 10 years, one croaks. So ...

The only wager on work I'll make is one that lets me spend terrific moments with my family, every day, no matter how hard I'm working otherwise. Burnout is not an option -- it's not very productive in the long run anyway.

For what it's worth, I do believe in God. It's not easy sometimes, but it's sure better than the alternative.

Sweet Words

Stella usually talks and sings for a while before falling asleep. Sometimes I listen at her door to hear the funny things she says. Tonight took me by surprise.

"Tella wanna hold mommy's baby."

As if I weren't already an emotional wreck. Love you Tella.

Snowy Weather

What a beautiful snowy day in the mountains! The snow fell all day, probably a total of 4-5 inches here at our house. When Eric got home from the office, we got out the camera and the video camera to get footage of Stella in the snow. She had a blast! And falling on her face at least a dozen times didn't even seem to phase her.

Not feeling much like writing tonight, but did want to post these family photos of our time outside today. Good night!

I'm just in love with her

Today was a day that I just really loved being with Stella. It wasn't out of the ordinary in any way - late brunch with a friend, naps (hers and mine), a neighborhood family walk - but it was just fun.

She started off the morning by climbing in my bed chanting "marian jones larson" over and over again. I woke up laughing. I have never been a morning person, but if I must be woken up, I've decided that Stella does the job best.

So here's a shot of us snuggling in "mommy and daddy big bed", as she calls it.

I could get used to this

Reading back over recent posts that Eric has written, I've noticed a lovely pattern forming - his saying great things about me. While I'm not sure what's gotten into him, I'm not complaining. It might have something to do with me carrying his baby, or the fact that occasionally Stella and I whip up a decent breakfast or dinner for him.

So it's my turn to tell the world (or at least the 3 people that probably check this blog) how lucky I am to have him. He is the fairest (I'm giggling, because I originally typed "fairiest"), most honest person I know. He is unpretentious, not at all into material possessions -- the opposite of that annoying "cool guy" that girls may find cute when they are freshmen in college but not when looking for a life partner.

This inevitably means that he does wear black socks with tennis shoes, and may on occasion throw on his Mr. Rogers cardigan when he's cold around the house. But you know, in some twisted, backwards way, I find those things cute, because it reminds me what he really is all about. He is an incredibly hard-worker and in my mind a self-taught success story, especially in business. He is a dreamer and goes after things he believes in so fiercely that I can't imagine him not succeeding.

And don't even get me started on how he is with miss Stella Bell. When he walks through the door, she immediately runs to the couch and screams "Daddy Wanna Sit!" Once he sits, she is relentless in her pursuit for tickles and cuddles. And I have spent ALOT of time with this kid, but I've never heard her laugh like she does with her dad. When I see them together, well, that sight wells up the happiest feelings that I think I've ever had.

So even though I am awesome (see posts below), I've got a pretty good guy helping make me so. Thanks, love.

Big-Hearted Girl

There's a Queen song (or maybe I'm thinking of a Spinal Tap song) with a chorus that sounds a lot like "Big Bottomed Girls make the (blah-blah-blah) world go round." My wife will laugh because she knows that I never get radio lyrics right. It's unfortunate because there's SO MUCH to learn there, right?

Marian's criticism of my radio knowledge is, of course, one of her flaws. But it is one of very few. (She also thinks I dress funny. Hey, Marian, clue phone: when you tuck your pants-legs into your socks you feel warmer!) I can tolerate these peanut gallery comments, because there are so many other things to love about Marian.

Marian is a big-hearted girl. She not only cares about her own children and family and shows it, but she cares about you, too, probably. She has enormous capacity for empathy. (My tank is nearly empty these days, and I'm trying to grow the supply, but it's hard because I'm old and cratchety with a few gray hairs.) Marian is actually moved to tears when someone is hurting in the world. It's not the silliness of a woman who bawls because "the poor mousy is being hurt by the kitty-catty!" It's a genuine concern.

When people tell me I have a wonderful wife, I just nod and say: "Yes. I interviewed widely."

A good marriage, I'm convinced, is one in which two people make each other better.. I'm not talking about marrying a drill seargent - though some female drill seargents are quite hot! (Just kidding, Marian. Correction: They're all ugly!) Yes, I'm sure that some of the faults Marian and I share do reinforce one another. But overall I have to thank her for helping me be a better person (and a much better dresser than I would be otherwise).

Mostly I just count myself lucky to have her in my life. I don't deserve her, but I'm not complaining.

Our Lima Bean

I had my first ultrasound at the doctor's office today....

(Oh, incase the reader doesn't know our news yet, we're expecting baby #2 in August!)

So this ultrasound was a different experience for me, because I didn't see Stella in utero until 20 weeks, and I'm only 7 weeks along right now. It's still so early, so to see that tiny creature and hear the faintest of heartbeats was so reassuring. It confirmed for me that my ridiculous fatigue and craving of foods with zero nutritional value were valid.

Stella keeps looking down my shirt and saying "mommy got a baby in dere" or "mommy got a baby in belly button." It's cute in theory, but not cute when she's ripping my shirt off to say it again and again.

Aside from that event today, we're just trying to stay healthy - Eric with an eye infection, Stella with the sniffles, and me being a moody mama - and working hard to prepare for our big annual wedding trade show in a couple of weeks. This is crunch time for weddings because brides like to get things organized at the beginning of the year. Good for us!

Happy New Year!