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Saturday, June 16, 2001Well, since I just can't find inspiration in the Cancun web sites, I thought I'd share something Mexican related: A Recipe.See, one thing I know is that Chris LOVES to cook. And her favorite recipes are those that are easy to make, but turn out good. So, I share with you my easy but yummy - Chicken EnchiladasIngredients: Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1 of the cups of cheese. Mix well. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with the pan spray. Take one spoon of the "mixture" and put it into a corn tortilla - wrap and put the "fold" down into the pan. Sometimes, they want to pop open, so I rest a spoon or something on it to keep it down. Keep filling tortillias until the pan is full. Then spread the remaining mixture on top of the folder enchildas - and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Yummmmmmmmmmmmy!!
Friday, June 15, 2001Well, poop! I don't think I've been a very good guest blogger! I started a post yesterday, but couldn't find anything within the Cancun websites I had bookmarked inspire me to ramble on about. I know Chris was looking forward to beach time - but most importantly, she was looking forward to "Keith" time.See, the whole honeymoon process is a time for a couple to get to know each other just a little bit better. Oh, I know in this day and age it likely isn't the first time a couple has alone for sexual type things, but I see the honeymoon as just as much a "spiritual" connection time as sexual. When else is a newly married couple truly able to escape their daily lives, escape work, friends and family - to focus their whole energies on each other? I personally believe that in order to have a successful marriage, couples need one-on-one "alone" time to get to connect their souls. Once you get back home, life and responsibilities must go on. But the honeymoon? Well, you can suspend and forget about (at least for long snatches of time) all the worries that are at home, the stress of life - and even the joy of friends and family. And when life is hectic and the alone time becomes brief snatches, the honeymoon time is there in the back of the mind - the foundation, if you will - a memory to remind you how much love the other person is capable of....
I remember the time I watched Shenandoah - the original with Jimmy Stewart. It was 12th grade Modern European History and it was the day before a holiday. Or midterms or something. Anyway, Mr. Capezza, the dearly beloved, would show us classic movies for various purposes (ranging from "it illustrates an historical event" to "I like this movie"). This one fell under the latter category. To keep us interested, he said he'd give an extra "A" to the first person who could correctly name Jimmy Stewart's youngest child in that movie. Do you know the name? We didn't actually get a prize, because it's kind of a trick question. The boy's name is "Boy." The point? The oldest daughter wants to get married. Her suitor is being interviewed by Stewart, asking permission & all that, and Stewart asks the nervous guy "Do you like her?" and the guys answers, "Sir, I love her!" And Stewart explains himself. "Son, when I married her mother, I didn't love her. I liked her. One day, she's calling me in for supper. I look up at her and realize, I love her. In the time you're married to each other, there are going to be fights and disagreements. You won't feel Love for each other. But as long as you like each other, you'll be able to solve your problems." (Granted, I saw this movie in a crowded classroom 16 years ago. I don't think I quoted accurately.) Taking that lesson, I told Sweet - I don't care if you love me so much as if you like me. I explained myself (and the movie) to him, and he agrees with me. Love comes in waves. Like is the tidepool that keeps the water (Love) from washing back out to shore. You have to like each other first.
Thursday, June 14, 2001I remember my first date with Sweet. Of course, he wasn't 'Sweet' then, but it's easier to refer to him that way. (For those of you not familiar with my cast of characters, 'Sweet' is short for 'my sweet husband.' And he is.) Anyway - he took me to Jaxon's Ice Cream Parlor, in Fort Lauderdale, not far from the beach. It was a Sunday night, after work - about 8 pm or so. We had sundaes and then went for a walk on the moonlight shores of the Atlantic Ocean. I'd never been on the beach at night before. It was lovely. The moon shining, the light dancing on the water, the luminescent clouds drifting high above, the occasional twinkle of stars... so peaceful. Even the waves seemed somehow subdued, now that they no longer had to splash into laughing children or avoid sand castles. We walked side by side but not hand in hand for about half a mile down the beach. Then we turned to make our way back and - ever so casually - he took my hand. That's how I knew he was truly 'Sweet.'I'd never walked hand in hand on the beach with a guy before - much less under a moonlit, starry sky while the waves softly kissed the shore near our feet. I don't remember what we talked about. The usual stuff, I suppose. I do remember getting back into his car - a silver '75 Grand Prix - and telling him something like oh, by the way, I had an operation last year. I had an ovarian cyst and it had to be removed along with my left Fallopian tube and about 20% of my left ovary. I'll probably have a real hard time getting pregnant. Not exactly 'first date' conversation, as he continues to remind me. But yet... Notwithstanding the obvious problem of WHEN do you tell a guy that you might have trouble conceiving - before or after the Best Man makes his toast? Notwithstanding that salient detail, it was OUR first date conversation. Consider that, after that, I never dated anyone else - never kissed anyone else. That was it. I had found My Mr. Right. Get the obligations out of the way and let's go have fun, baby, because I've just checked off a biggie on my Life List. See? It was perfect. Perfectly me and perfectly us. I want the same for Chris & Keith - to have that romantic, hand in hand, moonlit walk along an almost-deserted beach while the waves wash up on shore at their feet and then to have that all-important 'you have to know this now because I want a serious relationship with you so I'm not going to hold anything back or give you any reason not to trust that I'll always tell you the truth even and especially about 'bad' things' talk. That's what I want for them. What else is a marriage for? ** Tina... it's not inappropriate! Blog away!
Wednesday, June 13, 2001I've never been to Mexico. It sounds beautiful though.I will have to admit, I did not want to be "first" to guest blog. I know whatever I say will not be as interesting or insightful as others. I had planned on possibly reminiscing about my own wedding, but if you all think that would be inappropriate, I won't. And I figured my own blog, like Shana, was for talking about my life, so I'm not real sure what to do here. Any thoughts?
So, do you think that Chris and Keith will take any side trips while in Cancun? I'm thinking, of course, of a side trip to Chichen Itza. You may wonder what and where is Chichen Itza? Well, it's about 120 miles from Cancun - deep in the Mexican jungle. It's a famous ruin - the ruin of a city of the Mayan Culture. It was founded in 445 BC and was inhabited until 1204 AD. It's very mysterious by the way - why the city was abandoned. No one knows exactly what happened and why. Was it the invasion of the Spainards, who routineley burned all the books and killed all of the Mayan Priests? Or was it a rival religious group? No one knoews for sure.... The Mayan's were incredible. While the Europeans were still in the dark ages, the Mayan's had "mapped the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics. They invented the calendars we use today. Without metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel they were able to construct vast cities across a huge jungle landscape with an amazing degree of architectural perfection and variety" (clicking on that link there will lead you to a website with some great pictures, by the way!) Pretty darned cool, huh? I have to tell ya, though. The climb to the top of that 75-foot pyramid is a real doozy. Those steps are NARROW!! I've got other, personal stories from my trip to Chichen Itza. The long bus ride at high speeds through the narrow roads through the jungle - and more (including a story that will haunt me til my dying day *g*) - but that's more my history and not about the places Chris and Keith might see - so I won't go into those here. Instead, I hope you take the time to check out the links here - take a virtual tour - see what Chris and Keith might be seeing while they are away.... Chichen Itza is worth the cost of a tour and the trip for anyone going - especially if you appreciate ancient cultures, art and architechture...
Tuesday, June 12, 2001whoosh.... whoosh... whooshhhh...The sound of the waves stroking the shore. The sound of the wind caressing the palms. The sound of the night as it curtains the world. The soft sighs and gentle whispers of people in love. I've been planning what to write in this space for several days - ever since Chris asked me to guest blog. What should I say? What will her readers find interesting? What will she think of it all when she returns? These questions plagued me... I knew I wasn't going to deliver a political rant - that's not Chris's style. Nor was I going to provide details about my daily life. That's why I have my own blog. And I'm not going to participate in anything approaching freaky - that's what I do on the Back Porch. People come to Chris's blog for a reason. The last thing I want to do is shock anyone into not coming back. So I narrowed it down to everything else. Yup. I'm going to discuss Life. The World. Love and the Secret & True Nature of All Things. That's the kind of discussion Chris inspires in me. The Deeply Philosophic. This will probably surprise her, when she returns. I doubt she thinks of herself as particularly spiritual. But any woman who's that enslaved to scented candles & body wash can hardly be described as soul-less. We've (or at least, I know I have) been following Chris's progression toward matrimony. I predicted four crises until the vows and I know she had at least one since my prediction. I'm wondering how the last two days went? In any case, I'm certain she focused on the positive, the loving and the meaning of the Day and let the negativity of others fade fast. She's like that. Don't get me wrong - she's empathetic and understanding. I only mean to say she's learned how not to let other people's problems become her own to fix or solve. It's a tough lesson, but an important one. And that's something of which I think we all could stand reminding: how to listen, empathize and advise when asked, but not to assume burdens not our own. Is it any coincidence that Chris was able to help me re-learn that lesson a year ago next month? Of course not! And if that had been our only contact with each other, it would still be enough for me to forever indebt myself to her. For that alone, I'm wishing her an incredibl honeymoon, an incredible marriage and an incredible love affair with Keith. Forever and ever... amen.
Did you know that Chris went to Cancun for her honeymoon? Yep - that's where the lovely picture at the top of this page is from. I think it's a perfectly lovely place for a first trip as a married couple thing - you see, that's where Mark and I went for our honeymoon! Now, I didn't quite get out of her which hotel she was staying at (sheesh! did she think I'd call? Bug her about things? Ask what they were doing?) so I can't link to lovely pictures of her hotel. But if you are interested in finding out more about Cancun, then visit their official web site. I guess my first question would be: do you know where Cancun is? It's in Mexico - on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula ANd because of the tourist trade, many of the folks speak English. The beaches are white sand and the water is clear blue.... More about Cancun from me as the time passes....
*ahem* Is this mic on?
Sunday, June 10, 2001Ahhh....Let the guest blogging begin!!posted by deb on 10:09 AM | go ahead - link me!
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| This Blog, Shamrock Songs, and all associated pages are the copyright of CJanicik-Harmon (2000, 2001). All Rights Reserved. | |
| This photo is courtesy of photo net. And the graphics were created by Deb. Look but don't touch. | |
