The Cheerio Story

So for those who have asked, here is the Cheerio Story. The Captain and I spent some much needed vacation time in the Bahamas. I thought we were vacationing to A) avoid the frigid Chicago transition from winter to spring and B) to celebrate my 30th birthday. That is a big milestone you know and a trip to the beach sounded like a good way to celebrate.

We packed our bags and headed to the airport at an ungodly hour (3:30 am to be exact). Unfortunately at 3:30am it seems like a good idea to put most of your stuff into the big duffel bag to check. Carry on is always easier, if possible, but those pesky bottles of sunscreen were foiling our attempts to fly without baggage (ba-dum-cha!) Anyways... the fog was thick flying into Charlotte, North Carolina. We circled the airport for about an hour before our pilot made the wise decision to land in Greensboro instead and refuel (fuel is good). By the time we got more fuel, waited for the airport to open up again from the fog closure, and headed on our way back to Charlotte we had only 15 minutes to run from our current gate to the departure gate.

Needless to say, our bag did not make it to Freeport, Grand Bahama. I spent the first night and the better part of the second day wearing a sweater, khaki pants and flip flops. I looked quite out of place in a beach resort, but the people in town were still happy to have me shop and everyone commented on my hat, which I got from the Captain's Maman when she was in Argentina.

By Friday, we finally had our stuff and we were off to the beach. I think my new bathing togs are quite retro looking- just what I wanted! We spent the next few days relaxing on the beach (when the sun was out) and chilling in the hot tub (when the sun hid behind a cloud). As Saturday drew to a close, we knew that Sunday was our last full day to do fun stuff. The Captain suggested that we get up super early to watch the sunrise on the beach. Heaven knows I love my beauty rest, but since the Captain was so nice to take me on this trip, I thought the least I could do was wake up early one day.

Sunday morning we woke before the sun, grabbed various and sundry towel like items, and headed for the shore. We wrapped ourselves in warmth and tried to surmise where the sun would actually rise. We picked a spot and eagerly waited for the sky to brighten. The clouds were heavy and low, so as the sky grew bluer, we still were waiting for the glowing orb to arrive. The Captain started getting up, so I figured that maybe we missed the sun and we were going back in. But then he stopped by my chair and started fishing in his pocket- what on earth was he doing? Then he said, (I paraphrase of course) 'I tried to go to like 7 jewelry stores, but they didn't have anything in a size 3.5, so for now you get a Cheerio. Will you marry me?' Folks, I was shocked! I just sat there looking like a Cod. I asked 'are you serious?, is this for real?' I was so surprised. I sat there in shock for about 5 minutes. I was so happy I couldn't even go back to sleep. Of course once I got over the initial excitement, we looked over to see the sun blazing in it's glory right where we thought it would be.

I now present to you the future Dr. Captain. Nothing says love like whole grain. We have now gone to an impeccable local jeweler, Stanley Brown Jewelist and picked out a cheerio replacement. This store has been in business since 1912 and I highly recommend it to anyone in the Chicago area. I will post picks once it gets back from sizing and assembly.

The Cav

The Captain and I sold the Cavalier last night. It was a good car- the first one I ever bought actually. It got me through grad school safe and sound. It was in remarkably good shape considering where it has been and how many miles were on it (over 140K I do believe). I felt a bit weird having to call the insurance company to cancel the policy since I have been with them for so long. Now I need to get transferred to the Captain's policy. Now if we could just work it so we could get rid of the Toyota as well. It is super reliable, mind you, but maybe one day...

I am happy that the dream of being car free just got one step closer to coming true.

Hallelujiah

I should really know better than to look up guitar tab for songs I love that happen to be sad songs. All this is going to lead to is hours and hours of learning beautifully sad songs so I can then spend hours and hours playing them for myself and singing through my tears. The song Hallelujiah by Leonard Cohen. Go check it out here (don't worry... I will wait). I love the cover by Rufus Wainwright; even better than the Jeff Buckley version, though that one is damn good. Rufus is just so visceral.

For those who don't know the song references a bunch of relationships in the Bible- Bathsheba, Sampson, King David. It is about broken and messy love still being a Hallelujiah. It is about the struggle between the romantic and the spiritual. About the crazy things that you will do for love. About how you can love someone so much it hurts.

I decided that I really want this CD. Then it occurred to me. (sorry I am listening to it on repeat.) Since everyone had a really hard time thinking of what to get me for my 30th b-day and since I am terrible with coming up with a list on short notice, I am posting a list on my side column. That way I am still surprised and everyone is happy :-)

Honey in Italy

My honey is in Italy skiing the Alps this week. The week after he gets back we get to go to the Bahamas- yeah! Luckily that leaves me some time to practice my new guitar and try to get into some sort of shape before I put on a bathing suit. I am adding weight training to my weekly yoga schedule to tone up a bit. I know it is probably a lost cause, but I am at least trying. I did crunches, curls, squats, and leg lifts with 4 lb weights while listening to a stand-up routine by Russel Brand. I can't tell if he is trying to channel Eddie Izzard or not. Tony is always really fascinated when I work out. Downward facing dog makes him really excited. I think he can't figure out why I am holding myself upside down, lowering myself to the floor, and going upside down again. He runs from my feet to my head and sometimes tries to jump on me or crawl under my yoga mat. He is crazy.

As for the guitar. I wish I could post a photo, but I didn't get around to taking one before the camera flew to the Alps, so you will have to wait. For now here is an official photo from the Cordoba site. It is a Cordoba Dolce and I love it. It is a nylon string guitar, which works great for me since after 15 years of trying to play properly I am just not a strummer. I love to fingerpick and nothing sounds better fingerpicked than a nylon string. I have also busted out my old classical guitar textbook, found an online metronome, and have started working on my technique. The technique practice is boring, but I think it is important. The fretboard is rosewood, which gives it a really comfortable grip and warm tone. The color of the guitar is almost copper. Warm and shiny. It even came with its own case. It is a soft case, but not a gig bag- i.e., it has backpack straps, but is heavily padded not just 'a bag'. This turns out to be not only great financially, but sanity-wise as well because I have no idea how I would find a normal case for a 7/8 size guitar. Oh yeah- this guitar is petite just like me. Hopefully in a few months I will get some tunes up here so you can take a listen at how good it sounds.

I also got my first ever sock club package, but that post is for another day.