My Life as a Novel

"You know the baby has ears now! So I wonder if he* can hear us talking."
"Yeh, sometimes when I come to bed at night, I lean over and talk to him*."
"Really? What do you tell him*?"
"I say, 'Hey, baby! You hear that loud snoring? That's not me. Just thought you should know.'"





*No, we do not know the sex of the baby yet and have no inclinations one way or the other, but "him" just sounds better than "it"!

Labels: baby, pregnancy, The Hubby

I was "tagged" on facebook for a "how well do you know your husband" quiz. Let's see how accurate I am.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? a DVD of some sort. If it's the middle of the day or early evening, it's probably Arrested Development or Flight of the Conchords. If it's later in the evening, a movie.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Haha. Kyle eating a salad. RIGHT! But he does like ranch and/or honey mustard for his chicken strips! :) And blue cheese dressing on chicken wings.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Bell Peppers. I know this because he really tried to eat a stuffed pepper I made for dinner on Friday night. (Quote of the night: "It's so ... robust. No wait, it's really bland. I don't know. I can't decide!")

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Dark beer. The darker, the better.

5. Where did he go to high school? Wade Hampton ... the one that's actually in Hampton.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12 or 13

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? He likes for pepperoni to be included. And spicy mustard.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Chicken fingers!!

10. What is his favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios

11. What would he never wear? Short shorts. Seriously. I doubt you'll ever see the man's knee. And CERTAINLY not anything above his knee.

12. What is his favorite sports team? Sports? Hahaha. Put that one up there near "salad" and "bell peppers" on his list of favorites.

13. Who did he vote for? He found out too late in the game that he couldn't vote. LAME!! (He would've voted for Obama, though.)

14. Who is his best friend? Andrew Brown, Chris Brown, Clay Jernigan ...

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? be lazy. (?)

16. What is his heritage? POLK. Around here, people say, "Hampton Polks or Islandton Polks?" and that's all you need to know. (The answer is a little bit of both, but we won't get into specifics.)

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? He doesn't really eat cake. He likes my mom's Milky Way cake sometimes. He really likes ice cream, though! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Coffee flavors are his favorite.

18. Did he play sports in high school? Nope. But he was in marching band!!

19. What could he spend hours doing? Playing drums. Tuning drums. Watching videos about tuning or playing drums. Painting.

20. What is a unique talent he has? He is very good at putting up with me. It takes incredible amounts of patience! And I'm not kidding.

Labels: holidays, The Hubby

I have to give Kyle Polk some much-deserved credit.


Saturday sucked MOST of the day (except for a few hours during a birthday cookout at my parents' house). I mean, I made the most of all situations that made the day sucky, but mostly ... it just flat-out sucked. And I didn't get a lot of sleep, which apparently alters my mood more drastically than I realized.

Kyle spent most of the day at home. He did several loads of dishes, sorted laundry, cleaned the laundry room, gave Oliver a bath, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned floors, and many other things that I'm probably forgetting to name. And he also, quite patiently, put up with my awful grouchiness. (I mean, it was BAD!)

We live together, so we see the good and the bad in high concentration. And it's easy to focus on the bad and make generalizations. (Me: "You NEVER help with the dishes!" or "You ALWAYS unfold all the clean clothes!", Him: " You NEVER wash my socks!" or "You ALWAYS have to make the bed up while I'm in it!" [ok, that last one may actually be true.])

But I'm here to tell everyone that I married a good man. And we love each other. A lot. Mark this marriage down as one of my best decisions. Hands down.

Labels: family, The Hubby

Dear Kyle,

Labels: Marriage, The Hubby

Kyle got this email today:

Good news my friend....She is done!! Sending her out today! I will send you pics right now. You are going to be blown away. She sounds amazing. Let me know when you get her and what you think....damn she looks amazing! - JC

So if you see my husband any time soon and you find a peculiarly large smile on his face, this is what that email is all about:

Labels: family, Music, The Hubby

Labels: photo, The Hubby

Today is Kyle's Golden Birthday. We were recently introduced to this concept by one of our roommates. He's turning 25 on the 25th, so that makes this birthday extra-extra-special. "Golden", even. Who knew?

Labels: The Hubby

Labels: family, Good for a laugh, The Hubby

For as long as I've known that it's possible to adopt babies from China, I've thought that that's something I'd want to do. And if Kyle ever warms up to the idea, I'll have this little girl to thank.

Labels: Friends, The Hubby

Labels: Music, The Hubby

Labels: Marriage, The Hubby

I truly enjoy working on projects with my husband. The process of actually making time to get together to make things happen -- which includes time allowed for good communication, the syncing of our brains and ideas, researching, and then finally putting rubber to the road to bring it all together -- it's not always the easiest thing for us to do. We're both really busy doing our own things at times, but magic happens when the Polk brains come together.

And this is why: Kyle Polk encourages me in a way that no one else does. Perhaps this is because I value his opinions and criticisms more than anyone else's. And perhaps that's because he processes his ideas for a while before speaking them. You will rarely hear him speak something that he doesn't absolutely believe and that's because the idea has been tossed about in his weird little head for long enough that he's behind it 100%. (This doesn't mean he's always right, but just that his opinion is rarely - if ever - a knee-jerk reaction.)

Today, Kyle told me, "I wish people saw you the way I see you."

And here are my thoughts on that.

"Hello, nicest boy of my life. Tonight, you can share my bed."

But seriously, you would all hate me. If I were vulnerable, selfish, mean, honest, dirty (bordering on disgusting at times) with you like I am with him ... If you saw my emotions run the gamut between elation and exasperation and ire ... If you saw these things in me the way my husband has seen them, you would hate me. You would worry - as I'm sure he does at times - about my sanity.

I love my marriage. I apologize to anyone who has heard me make derogatory comments about my marriage - or marriage in general - because I am only going for the easy joke. I never intend to defame what has been so good to me.

Not every moment is golden and glorious, but there are days that make the ugly ones completely worth it. We make a good team, he and I. We support each other and each believes the other is capable of more and pushes them until they reach it - or believes until they find that belief in themselves.

Labels: family, Marriage, The Hubby

Somehow when I went to blog a few pictures from Valentine's Day, this is the only one that I had uploaded. Oh well. The rest didn't do it justice. Let me just tell you how terrific my Valentine's Day was!


First off, I had to run errands in Charleston all afternoon, trying to finish up a wedding invitation project. So, after a quick trip to the grocery store, I was more than a little haggard when I got home. It was a terrific surprise when I walked in the door and the living room and kitchen were SPOTLESS!! "Clean" doesn't do it justice. The kitchen may not have been this clean since we moved in! And on top of that, the table was set, candles were in place, music was playing, and Kyle and Andrew were waiting for the groceries so they could prepare dinner.

April came over and a little while later, the four of us enjoyed a great meal together. The boys made this excellent soup and fettuccine alfredo. And Andrew made those chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. (Technically I think they were for April, but he let me have a couple too!) (Also of note: did you see that cute heart he drew on one of them?!)

Labels: holidays, Roommate, The Hubby

In honor of Valentine's Day, I submit the "How Did You Meet?" survey. (It's the short version of this post from my old blog.) Enjoy.

1. Where did you meet?
My Story: The summer after my 7th (his 6th) grade year, he sat behind me in a choir at a music camp we both went to. I maintain he shot spitballs at me all week. He swears it was Jesse.
His Story: He doesn't really remember meeting me until after Anna and Chris started dating. Anna and I were "groupies" for their band.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
I may kill him. :)

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
No, but I'm sure it was at least 5 sizes too big.

4. Where was the first time you kissed?
The first time he kissed me was on the way home from the Niagara Falls trip. It was the summer after my 11th (his 10th) grade year. I was asleep and it didn't work out so well, but my heart certainly jumped into my throat.
The first real time was in the Horton-Tingle parking lot at NGC(U) several years later.

5. How did he ask you out?
When we dated in high school, it was more out of convenience. Anna and Chris were together, so we were always together anyway. Might as well.
When we got back together in college, he said, "If we get back together, this time it's for good. So take a couple of days and let me know." I didn't need a few days.

6. Where did you go for your first date?
Seriously? I have no recollection whatsoever. Our early "dates" were often Pizza Inn and a movie. In college we saw a lot of movies and went out with Kenny and whoever he was dating at the time.

7. How long did you know him before you became a couple?
Depends on who you ask ... We were friends for several months, I guess.

8. Has he ever proposed to you?
Yep. He told me he didn't want to be my boyfriend anymore. It was very "romantic".

9. Do you have kids with this person?
Nope. Recently (as in, last week) he told me, "Rita, if you're ever ready to have kids, you're just going to have to be very honest with me. I don't know that the idea will ever occur to me, 'Hm. I think I'd like to have a baby.'" Fortunately, I think we're in the same boat there.

10. Have you ever broken the law together?
Not like the "actual" law, but some NGC rules, for sure.

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked him?
A couple of weeks after we broke up (senior year of high school).

12. Do you get along with any of his exes?
If he had any, I'd probably hate them. (just being honest)

13. Do you trust him?
100%.

14. Do you see him in your future?
Absolutely.

15. What’s the most expensive thing he has given you?
I guess that'd be my ring(s). It's(They're) lovely.

16. What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?
Sleeps in the middle of the king-sized bed ... and STILL steals the covers.

17. What is one thing you do that gets on his nerves?
Don't wash his socks.

18. Where is he right now?
At work until 5, I understand.

19. Where do you see yourselves 15 years from now?
He's going to be a famous musician and we're going to be living on a tour bus, driving all over the place being famous and rich. :)

Labels: Good for a laugh, holidays, The Hubby

IMG_1092

My husband is turning into quite a "sport" when it comes to having his picture taken. This first picture was taken the other night at church and I caught him with the rarest non-smirking nearly-smiling look I've been able to capture so far!

The Duh Face

And this picture was actually taken by our friend Dave and I just think it's so funny I decided to share it with you. Dave just got a new internship at an ad agency in San Francisco and wanted to get a picture of Kyle's "Duh Face" to possibly use for a project he's working on. Who knows? Maybe my husband will be a famous billboard model in California! Ha!

I feel embarrassed even putting these pictures up next to each other, but I'll get there one day. Either way, what a stud, eh!?

Labels: photo, The Hubby

• Rosie is pregnant. (You probably caught on to that already.) She is currently on her 66th day. Dogs typically give birth on or around the 63rd day. Our vet friend is coming over to check the situation tonight to make sure all is as it should be.
  
  
• Kyle's having some oral surgery done on Thursday. Really, he's just having his wisdom teeth removed, so it's not "that" big of a deal, I suppose. I'll let you know after Thursday.
  
  
• Kyle's mom is coming to town this weekend to tend to her son following his surgery. This is a welcome relief for me. Besides just getting a chance for an extended visit with her, I am glad she wanted to be able to come help out. There's a lot going on here these days, and I welcome any person who wants to take something off my plate. Plus, I have a difficult time cooking for Kyle. She's his mom. She doesn't.

Labels: dogs, The Hubby

I'm a planner. I work with checklists a lot. I work best when given a cut-off date. I cannot be trusted to finish a project unless I'm given a definite, unmoving due date. It's the way I work... sad as it is. I'm only at my best when a Date of Accountability is set.

Take my house as an example. It is basically a roof over a building full of unfinished projects. We've lived there for two years and haven't ever completely finished some kitchen projects. Our bathroom has remained unfinished and untouched for almost a year. One of our bedrooms has been untrimmed and crappily painted for two years, with a ceiling fan that is literally on its last leg.

Well it was high time we put our heads together to develop a plan for getting these things taken care of. So my husband, the paint store clerk, went to work with a list of supplies to bring home last week. He brought the supplies home and we set to work over the weekend.

The biggest of the three projects we aim to complete over the next two or three weeks is painting what's become known as The Orange Room ... for obvious reasons.

There are three bedrooms in our house and when we bought it, we said one room could be used for my things and the other was for Kyle's. Both are guest bedrooms, but his has some of his art things in it while mine has my grandmother's sewing machine and all my crafting supplies in it.

When we first moved in, Kyle said he wanted to paint his room orange. So being the nice wife that I am, when he was out of town the weekend of his birthday, I invited a friend over and we painted. It was raining all weekend. My friend forgot to mention that this was her first experience painting. Ever. This is what we call A Very Bad Idea. That was the weekend of June 25, 2005.

And still, as of October 12, 2007, the walls resembled this:



And on Saturday, after a coat of primer, they looked like this:


And after last night, they look like this:

Oh so pleasing to my eyes. I make a point of peeking in the door to make sure it's still really finished whenever I pass by the room.

Now we just have to decide what color we're going to paint the trim. In a general sense, I despise painting trim. Especially when said trim is natural wood which matches the hardwood floors. But that can hardly be said of most of the trim in this particular room. I think the people who we bought our house from let their 8 year old paint his own room before they moved out. The trim, now against a solid wall, really stands out.



Bad.

So ... that to go and the room is done. Room 1 / 3 to be finished before November.

Can it be done? It's a race to the finish!



"And why," you may be thinking, "are you in a rush to get things done before November?"

We're getting a Roommate! :)

Labels: home, Roommate, The Hubby

Kyle's band had the chance to play at the Music Farm in Charleston on Saturday. They had been invited by the lovely folks at Localx - a Sunday night radio show on 98x that had been playing their CD for the past few weeks - to compete for a chance to record a track for their A Very Local Xmas compilation.

And after an evening of hard-rocking music, the Patron Saints twanged it up and were followed by a group we were quite impressed with called OutTrap.

And when the votes were calculated, the Patron Saints tied for first.

And the radio show recommended a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos to settle the matter of whose song would be included on the CD and who would win a discounted recording at Fusion 5 Studios. The guys aren't available for said game, so they gave the "rewards" to the other band - Blindsyght.

But the bragging rights ... those cannot be reclaimed.

Congratulations, guys.

Labels: Charleston, Music, The Hubby

Dear Kyle,

Last night was a first for us. In three years of marriage, we have spent most of those nights sleeping in the same, king-sized bed. Last night, however due to the fact that I am a forgetful person (and because I was reading Harry Potter), our sheets were still in the washing machine (read: not dry) when it came time to go to bed - a situation that I recognized too late to rectify. So we still slept together. And for some reason, we chose the smallest bed in the house. The smaller-than-twin bed was our place of rest for the evening. It's the softest bed in the house - my bed from before we were married. The twin sheets that I bought for it only fit the extra-small mattress because of the two layers of pink foam I added to give it the "sleeping in a cloud" effect that you so love to hate. It is divinely soft in a way that only I truly appreciate.

So I fell into a deep sleep pretty quickly. The warmth of the big, strong man I love next to me on the softest bed in the world. It was everything I imagined marriage would be.

And when I woke up at 2 am, in my favorite bed, still completely glued to your side, my first thought wasn't, "Gee, how nice it is to be married to someone who can keep my feet warm at night." But instead, "I'm FREEZING! Why must he always take the covers off of me and throw them on the floor!?!"

And when the alarm clock went off this morning, you bounced out of bed, ready to be released from Divine Discomfort and were a whopping 25 minutes EARLY to work. Unheard of. Must've been as uncomfortable for you as it was for me.

And this might be the picture of marriage for some people. High expectations of romance and roses and candles and cuddling and laughing and affectionate love for a lifetime. And it is those things. But it's also fighting, and paying bills, and dogs pooping in places they shouldn't poop, and waking up next to an extremely smelly person thinking, "Really? Is this what I signed up for?"

Three years ago today, we made the command decision to move our wedding from Saturday to Friday, because of an imminent hurricane. It was the joke of those around us that 'this was a sign of things to come'. In their "joke", they meant to imply that it was an indication of the stormy nature of our relationship.

I translated it differently, however. I choose to believe that it was a true analogy of our ability to stand together through whatever comes our way. And three years is only the beginning.


I love you.
Rita

Labels: family, Marriage, The Hubby

Labels: The Hubby