Author: Jessica Dickerson

This was us last year:

This is us today:

We are definitely less elegant these days. And the lighting seems to be a bit worse. But isn’t life like that? Worse lighting and conditions in general? Of course, as I recall, it rained on our wedding day, too…but only a li’l bit. The point is, we’re very happy. And now, a review of the year in flowers! (Yeah…some pics are better than others. Shoot me.)

What’s sad, on my part, is how few of these were for actual factual special occasions. By far, most of them were because Kyle knew I was having a crappy day and flowers make me smile. Of course, that’s not sad at all for him; it’s very good. He’s a dearheart. And I love him.

Friday night, Kyle and I went into the city to see…Yes! I was so excited. I’ve been in love with this music for years, and we’d talked about going to see it. Then we discovered it was leaving San Francisco in September. Then Kyle found half-price tickets (still really good seats, though!), so we bought some!

We looked into taking public transit, but it would’ve required 49 transfers (okay, that’s an exaggeration) and 3 hours (that’s actually not) to get there. It also would’ve been more expensive, so we just drove. Tons more convenient, cheaper, and it only took an hour. The only hitch was the toll to get over the bridge: we got confused by the poor signage and switched into the carpool lane, which, it turns out, meant we didn’t have to pay a toll. (This all happened very quickly.) But then we realized at the last minute that for that bridge, “carpool” means 3 people, not two. So Kyle later did some research, found out that to avoid a fine, we could just send in our $4 toll, and did so.

We eventually made it downtown and to the Orpheum Theatre, though. In our attempts to allow for traffic and finding parking and picking up our tickets and whatnot, however, we were super early. So we walked around a little bit, but not too much, because the neighborhood is a little bit sketchy. But we finally got in and seated and the show started…eep!

For those utterly unfamiliar with this musical, it’s the story of the witches of Oz. Y’know, pre-Dorothy. That’s all I’m gonna say ‘cuz I’m not really interested in writing a synopsis, but there’s a lot to think about in it. And the music’s to die for, and it’s hilarious and touching and a whole lot of fun. (I was laughing so hard during “Popular” that I had tears streaming down my face!) I enjoyed seeing it performed, as well as getting plot holes filled in. The performance was wonderful, and I had a great time. Kyle says he enjoyed it, too. When asked, he said his favorite part was the sets. [rolls eyes] I dunno what his deal is.

So then we came home. And despite what the GPS thought, we were not, at any time, submerged in the Bay.

Oh yeah.

4. I ruined one pair of tennis shoes and damaged another. I’d provide pics, but I don’t have time. Supposed to be getting ready to leave. I was just trying to be a good wifey. Guess I should stop? Our tennis shoes were all muddy from the service project on Saturday, and we’re gonna want them for walking around in Florida, so I cleaned them up yesterday afternoon. But they got pretty wet, and I didn’t think they’d dry overnight, so I threw them in the dryer. You know, like T did with ours once upon a time. And they did dry. But the uppers on mine also entirely melted away from the soles and one of them got jammed in the side and got tore up pretty bad (fortunately, I was planning on wearing another pair of shoes anyway). Kyle’s shoes suffered significantly less damage, and we’re hoping they’ll be okay. One of the heels is just coming up from the sole a wee bit. I feel really bad, though. Hopefully it won’t rain in FL, and we can get him some new ones later. Basically, I’m a moron and shouldn’t be allowed to do things.

Recent events of note:

1. I had an awesome migraine that lasted for 6 days. It was stellar good times here at home. Fortunately, my doc was able to order me a shot of dilaudid (a heavy-duty narcotic) and it went away. I had no idea he could do that, so I won’t wait so long next time before letting him know! And just when I start to think that Kyle’s got to be getting tired of taking care of me all the time, he brings me flowers. Sweet husband. It was nice to have something colorful and happy to look at while I was moping around the house (that was on day 3):
2. In happier news, I have another nephew! Christopher and Jenny now have a beautiful son, Miles Christopher Johnson. He was born May 1, the pics are adorable, and I can’t wait to meet him.

3. Kyle and I spent Saturday morning at a service project cleaning up a trail nearby. (It was part of a state-wide thing done by Mormon Helping Hands.) We ended up pulling logs out of…well, it was a mess. Basically, a stream-bed had jammed with logs and suchlike, and it was all mud and debris and decomposing earth and, well, mess. Our goal was to clear out the big stuff so it wouldn’t clog up again so fast, and we were digging out logs and branches for a few hours. Lots of mud and wet. We got a lot done, though, and I felt quite triumphal every time we finally got something we’d been working on for a while.

Right now, we’re finishing up preparations for our Florida trip (we leave in the morning). We’ll let you know how it goes!

Does the effort to remain calm ever stress you out?