An Actual Date Is Happening Soon!

We survived another Ramadan. Well, the hubby survived and I watched him survive. He lost A LOT of weight this time. 20-30 pounds. I'm just trying to keep him hydrated and well fed at this point. I would prefer not to outweigh my husband. How are we supposed to cuddle if I'm worried about breaking him?

Towards the end of Ramadan, my folks came for a visit, which was nice. It was a little much for the hubby with his long work hours plus the fasting, so he was able to stay home with Mav the dog while I ran around town with them.

OMG, the most exciting thing in my life? The new Blueberry Summer Sparkler at Olive Garden. Best drink I've ever had. Thank you, Mom and Dad. The blurb on the menu said it had blueberry juice, cranberry juice, soda water, and lime in it.

I was all, "THIS IS AWESOME! I SHALL RECREATE THIS AT HOME!"

Because how hard could that be?

*Crickets chirping*

So far, the hubby has tasted 3 of my attempts at duplication, each one more medicine-y and cringe-inducing than the last. I should have taken reaction photos. I would say that I'll start now, but I think that would be a lie because I have to quit. Literally, every time I try, it's just getting worse. And I make a glass at a time, so I feel like it's too much of a waste to throw it out, and maybe, hey, I'll like it by the last sip of the straw?

Um, no. No. No. No. I'm sorry, Olive Garden. You win. I quit. I have discovered how to make dumpster-flavored cough syrup but not your tasty, tasty drink.

In other Happy Wife news, the hubby and I left Mav the dog alone last weekend. This was sort of a big deal. We haven't left the house together (without her) since Memorial Day. Of course, the reason we left the house...

2 of our kitties had their yearly vet check up and vaccinations. Heh. Since these 2 were feral adults when we rescued them, they also needed to be microchipped. I mean, what setting and activity could be more romantic, am I right?

Yeah, so... Not so much.

There is a reason vets like to microchip an animal while it is out for its spay/neuter surgery. That is one honking needle, if you can even call it that. Hera and Apollo were troopers, though. Not a peep. And the husband did all the heavy lifting and driving, so I thought that was very gentlemanly. :)

Mav was fine when we got home and has been doing pretty well. Her hips are bothering her and we're still watching her pretty closely, but her little roller coaster of infections have been successfully treated. She is also sleeping through the night most of the time, which I don't think she's done in years. I wish that was an exaggeration. I'm just glad she seems happy.

The husband and I, well, we actually have a fancy smancy, leave-the-house date planned in a couple days. FOR REAL. I am pretty excited. It has been a really long time since we're gone out for ourselves.

Our much-loved pet sitter will be checking in on Mav while we're out. It's overkill, I know. We're not going far - just downtown. We could have just left her and she'd probably be fine for those couple hours, but it's more for our sake of mind.

Also, then I can concentrate on walking in my "these are for looks!" shoes and holding down my dress if there is a sudden breeze. Cross your fingers for us that we manage to get out and back without being knocked around too badly by the aftermath of the hurricane. Just because we're in the Midwest doesn't mean we're not going to get the remnants of that massive storm.

My shoes are not made for nature.

I'll make sure the batteries in my camera are charged. The photos could be... Memorable.

YAY!

Making Plates = Romance

Ramadan is still going strong in the Happy Wife house. It is winding down, though. Pretty soon it will just be another memory in the back of our minds.

The husband has had a lot going on at work, and when he has been home, he's either been asleep or sitting up on the couch while I make and bring him a plate of supper to break the fast. That is really about as exciting as it has been around here. That is as romantic as it gets, right?

No matter how tired I am or how crappy I feel, I always find some contentment when fixing him a meal. That is one reason I was able to marry a man that I considered out of my league - I knew no one would love him more than I would or would treat him better.

Tonight - lamb chops!

I should note my love affair with the cast iron pan hit a brick wall. My bad, though. My bad. I made a new-to-us kind of turkey burger and the teriyaki glaze pretty much destroyed the pan. My fault. Anything with a sugar-y glaze is not for the cast iron. Duly noted. You win that round, cast iron.

I also grated fresh ginger and used that for the first time. When I took a bite of the burger, I winced and went, "WHAT IS THAT?" and then a second later I said, "Oh, it's ginger. Wow. This turkey burger is very... ginger-y. Did I say turkey burger? I meant ginger burger. My ginger burger has a dash of turkey in it."

Hooray for fasting! My starving husband ate them all. Eagerly.

In other news, my folks came to visit over the weekend. I was busy running around with them while the hubby slept and stayed with Mav. Mav's doing better - her last culture came back with no growth and she is off the medication that wants to kill me. I never did tell the vet I have a life-threatening allergy to the one med she needed to take. See? It's fine. Totally fine.

Unrelated to any of that, I am sure, I may or may not have my side effects back from my surgery last summer and I may or may not also have MRSA again. But it is totally fine. Nothing a couple days on the couch can't cure while watching all the shows and eating all the snacks. FINE. I AM FINE.

You just never know. I could wake up tomorrow back to normal. The world is full of surprises.

The other day, I walked into our dining room to find this:

And then my eyes got all water-y.

2 cats? Big whoop in our house, right?

Well, yes. The black kitty is Bernie and the black and grey tabby in the window is Atlas. Bernie is one of the 2 cats we have that goes to a behaviorist.

She has, to our knowledge, never even been in the dining room before.

She has also never been in the same room with Atlas for A) more than 2 minutes and B) without the two trying to kill each other. They can't even see each other from across the house without hissing and growling and just basically losing their little kitty minds...

But there they both were, very close to one another, not a peep. I went and petted them, and they both purred easily and loudly. They stayed like that in the dining room, calm and sleepy, for about 3 hours.

I just... I don't...

Miracles. Happening right here. Right. Here.

I think I know how things are, what will happen in my own house, the minds and personalities of the 4-legged and 2-legged family around me, but I don't. I can and do continue to be massively, massively surprised. And this time, in a beautiful and hopeful way. Wow. The world is just a crazy, crazy place. I'll never have a handle on it, but that's good because things like this happen. Seemingly little or unremarkable things that somehow just shock the crap out of me. It's not all phone calls in the middle of the night.

Sometimes it's just walking into a room in the middle of the day.

Happy Birthday To Me

Saturday was my birthday. Woooo! I'm so old! Halfway to 64!

In 3 years, I'll be old enough to be President. That doesn't seem right. Not that I would or could ever do that. A) I think you should be able to point at and name all the states correctly in this country and also probably be able to point at and name at least several other countries. And B) in general, you should be WAY, WAY more intelligent than I am. I am just smart enough to know that I should not be in any decision-y or powerful-ish positions. I mean, I can't even keep track of my cell phone in my own house.

This should be the part where I say we did something exciting or that it was a big deal. There was cake. Very late-at-night cake.

I bought a piece of chocolate cake with cookies and cream icing in the already-cut cake aisle by the bakery section in Schnucks. Which is an awesome grocery store name.

*Pauses and says the name 3 times and has a nice, satisfied feeling for no reason whatsoever*

Despite it being my birthday, I could not bring myself to actually go up to their little bakery counter (like their meat counter, only with super elaborate desserts!). I am not a petit four person. Not even on a special day, I guess.

Just the words 'petit four' make me feel like I should stop shaving my armpits and say French words like croissant and zee french fry iz zo tast-zy! Wee wee!

I just googled that and I guess it is oui oui. That does and doesn't look right at the same time.

Also, I had to look up petit for petit four and indeed, it is barely more than 'tit' even though that doesn't look right to me either.

Equally important for the President: words and languages.

Sigh.

Basically we just had a really relaxed and productive weekend. Well, I was productive. :)

The hubby was finally able to have a weekend off, so he rested and spent time with Mav. Mav, by the way, had a pretty good vet visit yesterday morning. A couple tests came out great! Now, we're waiting on some more results that could come back anywhere from 2-8 days from now (since they had to be sent out/can't be done in the office). She seems to be feeling better, too. Which is the best birthday present ever! EVER! :)

I received not one, not two, but 3 different birthday cards from my parents. Over a 4 day period. I wondered when the second one came if they had each sent a card and not known the other one had done it as well, but by the third one, I just figured maybe finally the old folks are getting dementia. Which I'll take in this case since I enjoy a happy greeting and a kind word or two. Besides, gives me something to put on the fridge.

My brother sent me a CD and a book, which led me to opening a box and thinking that I had ordered things I had A) not known existed - the book was by Kevin Smith and B) never heard of - the band on the CD, which was My Darkest Days. That was awesome once I realized that I had not done Xanax shopping without having any Xanax.

I started my usual super cleaning (finally). It has definitely been too long, but I'm in the middle of it right now and am oddly enjoying it. I do love me some organizing and moving things around. When I superclean, that means I don't just clean where you can see. I move furniture and all that crap. Sometimes it is a pain but this time I'm feeling pretty good about it.

I also ran errands on my actual big day and had my hair colored and cut again - it seems to be growing really fast. I guess that is what happens when you have a shorter haircut. I really like it.

The husband, of course, could not tell it was a different color. It is subtle, but I think it makes my complexion less albino. I took a photo in essentially the same place as my last picture but even I can barely tell the difference in the photos. In person, it has more dimension and a hint of red.

Bonus information:

Wearing that new necklace for my birthday was super fun.

It kept sort of lassoing one boob or the other.

Why am I allowed out in public again?

I never see other people removing their boobs from their necklaces.

IT MUST BE ONLY ME.

Happy birthday, Dumbass.

Since I just talked about cake, I should mention that I used one of the new cast iron grill pans.

And it seems that it and I, well, we are falling in love.

*Cue Barry White ballad*

The hubby and I have been eating well even if it is 10 o'clock at night. Ramadan is going pretty well at this point, and here's hoping the end is coming up around the corner before we know it.

I love that I wrote that "we" completely sincerely but now realize that "we" is sort of ridiculous. I am just observing someone observing Ramadan. Planning meals, encouraging hydration and rest, and being mindful of my husband's time and energy level... Not really comparable.

Says the woman who has a fruit roll-up wrapper next to her computer.

Back to the cast iron. We've cooked 2 different kinds of hamburgers (one with Italian seasonings and the other with Ranch seasonings) and a couple steaks with Chicago-style seasoning. All were very, very good. The key to our love affair (the one I am having with the grill pan) will be whether it does what everyone online says it is supposed to do. That would be to A) continue to cook meat with more and more flavor each time it is used and B) wash up easier and easier.

I know, you're on the edge of your seats wanting to know what will happen. WILL THE MEAT CONTINUE TO BE TASTY? WILL HAPPY WIFE BE DONE DOING DISHES IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER?

I'll leave you with those thoughts. So much excitement and adventure from here. If you can call any of that excitement. :)

I Have A Little Winning, Too, Ramadan

So, my post 2 seconds ago was a little negative. The delivery was a little group of presents I got for the hubby. So there, Ramadan! I have some winning, too! I'm not the worst person on the planet!

Also, for the cultural record, gift giving isn't the way we (or anyone?) celebrate Ramadan.

I'm just too Midwestern to not be all, "Important holy days? EQUAL PRESENTS! AMERICA! 'MERICA!"

I mean, I may or may not have been part of a "Clowns For Christ" group in high school. That's how I know there is a god. Because there is no photographic evidence of that fact.

I bought 2 grill pans because the hubby is missing steak. My history with grill pans is not great. I have yet to find one that is easy to clean. These two were not pricey and were well reviewed on Amazon, so I thought I'd give 'em a shot.

I mentioned our oven broke, yes? I haven't mentioned how we're too lazy to shop for a new one. The electrician said the stove top burners still work, and although I was reluctant at first to use them despite his total confidence in them, I have come around. Now all we can't do really is bake or broil, and broiling was really the only thing we did on a regular basis.

Meat! It's what's for dinner!

I also bought the hubby 2 CDs and a book.

The hubby has wanted to read Moneyball since we saw the movie.

And, since he still only listens to the same 7 CDs

he had in college, I decided to try to expand his collection.

He loves Smashing Pumpkins

but hasn't bought a CD since, oh, 1994,

and I'm pretty sure the other guy

is from System of a Down,

which is another of his favorite bands.

Of which he has like, 4.

SOAD = a little too RAHR RAHR for me.

If I could whistle, I would whistle the tune

to Call Me Maybe right now.

I like a lot of terrible music.

Although I got 3 Glen Campbell CDs in the box.

I realize I am 50 years late to that party,

but he is awesome.

My iTunes is up to 9,088 songs.

They aren't all terrible.

At least like a couple are decent.

Isley 4 seconds after the presents came out of the box.

Pandora is also helping display the hubby's surprise.

Hope he likes everything!

Ramadan Is Winning

Ramadan is winning in the Happy Wife House. The husband is exhausted, has something I have nicknamed Islamic-Whooping-Cough, and he managed to fall up the stairs last night. It was very, very impressive. My favorite part of the day is when he asks in a completely serious tone, "What is wrong with me?"

*Crickets chirping*

I also may or may not have told him last night that "Perhaps Ramadan is a young man's game!" which did not go over well.

I had also forgotten the worst part of the whole thing. Once the fasting starts for the day, you can't even brush your teeth. No gargling. No Listerine breath strips, no mints, nothing. You can do nothing.

In other words, the husband's breath is a weapon of mass destruction at this point. All he has to do with anyone who is bothering him at work is to take them into a room and shut the door and talk to them.

Punishment level: Jason Bourne and Dark Vador had a baby and it's my hubby's Ramadan breath.

It's like a family of large raccoons have died in the walls of an old moldy house after collecting an Easter egg hunt amount of rotten eggs mixed with the smell of a nursing home about an hour after it has served all its residents taco bell for lunch (and combine all of that and then stick it out for several days in the +100 degree hot, dry weather we're having and then you're getting close to the idea of the smell).

He doesn't even have to be facing you or breathing with his mouth open. It's that powerful!

On my end, well, some bad breath would probably be a step up. I'm not fasting but I am still trying to plan meals so they are ready when he can break the fast, which means that somehow I also manage to feel kinda crappy by bedtime. Turns out there is a reason no one has slow cooked beef short ribs and gravy over sour cream and chive mashed potatoes with glazed cinnamon apples at 10 o'clock at night.

My "I give up shopping for Ramadan" is not going well. I took a shirt that I had ordered online from Dressbarn back to the store on the second day of Ramadan. I walked out of Dressbarn with a new credit card and essentially everything cute they were selling.

I told the hubby he needs to start blocking websites on my computer and he was all eye-roll-y and gave me a semi-serious, "Sure, okay." I AM SERIOUS. I HAVE A PROBLEM. I NEED OLD NAVY, KOHLS, AND DSW TURNED OFF. NOW.

Because the shoes don't buy themselves.

And my husband shrugging it off like I haven't fallen off the deep end into the interwebs? Only makes me want to buy all the things all the time even more.

I have decided to go back to "I give up alcohol for Ramadan" because the last time I had alcohol was at a work function back in 2001.

Excuse me. The UPS man is here. Fed Ex has already been here. I wish I was kidding.

Ramadan: 1

Happy Wife House: MINUS A BAZILLION

Happy Wife Update

Things in the Happy Wife house are going okay. No dating. We still haven't left the house together except to take Mav on some of her beloved car rides. Does that count as a date? We don't even get out of the car. We just drive.

The day after my last post, Mav was peeing blood. This (in addition to having some other problems) led us to A. she has Cushing's Disease or B. she has Chronic Renal Failure. Both bad but one worse than the other. Kidney failure is 100% fatal and essentially untreatable.

Happy wife's husband's reaction was, "Do they have dog dialysis?"

I love that man. Doggie dialysis. Lord.

So, I was ready to throw a party if it was Cushing's disease. I may be the only person ever to say that since Cushing's sucks.

Long story short, there was about a week where we went to bed thinking maybe the next night, Mav would be gone. There was a lot of practicing my mantra of "I care about her comfort and her quality of life" in case the news was going to make me hysterical. I needed to be able to access those words in the middle of a complete meltdown.

Thankfully, we have been given some good news for the time being. We have been trying to appreciate every moment, before and after the call that finally came.

Mav probably does not have kidney failure!

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (*Kermit flail*)

We need to retest for Cushing's because all we know for sure is that she has a hell of an antibiotic-resistant urinary infection and her Cushing's test came back, wait for it, "suspicious" (which is probably my favorite test result ever). 4 weeks of giving her the one drug I have a life-threatening allergy to in order to try and beat the infection and then we'll retest for Cushing's.

I'll take it! I WILL TAKE IT. And some Benadryl. So I don't die even though I'm handling her medication fully gloved and practically sterile.

I should still be upset, I guess, but I was so stressed thinking that maybe we'd be putting her to sleep at, oh, like any moment, that I am totally fine. A lot of it may just be me un-bracing myself. I braced the sh*t out of myself. I kept my mind occupied. The hubby couldn't even channel surf because then my brain had time to wander. He was all, "Do you want to talk about it?" and I was all, "WHAT PART OF 'I AM BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER' IS CONFUSING? NO. NO I DO NOT. PICK A FRICKIN' SHOW AND IF YOU MAKE ME WATCH TURTLE-MAN FOR ONE MORE MINUTE, I WILL BURN DOWN THIS HOUSE."

We started a new-to-us show we both agreed on and that's been our together entertainment ever since.

Thank you, Rescue Me. *Very animated claps for Dennis Leary*

Also, sort of sad eyes for Dennis Leary as we watch more and more. Such a funny and dramatic show that is also dark. So dark. Really, really dark. Someone needs to give Dennis Leary some cake or something. Stat!

When we haven't been watching Rescue Me, the hubby's been working and I've been busying myself in all sorts of ways.

Watched Breaking Bad. All of it. Am now caught up with Breaking Bad.

Organized all the papers on my husband's desk. For fun. He has not gone through anything since January. I also found 2 receipts from 2008 and one from 2006. ON HIS DESK. RANDOMLY.

I made him elaborate binders of all his receipts and other papers. Elaborate, elaborate binders.

I made massive quantities of food for the husband for Ramadan. Never have I enjoyed chopping like I have enjoyed chopping. Why use canned tomatoes and tomato sauce when I can chop a thousand tomatoes? I'm helping. I'm using fresh ingredients! Healthy, healthy.

Ramadan starts either tomorrow or Saturday.

I was all *gasps*, "Do you mean to tell me, Honey, that my whitey-white Weimaraner Puppies Wegman calendar is wrong? Crackers be crazy!

(Our Weim calendar says Ramadan starts TODAY!)

And then we laughed for a long time because I can't say "crackers" all racist-y without being sort of flattered because I happen to love crackers. I mean, have you seen the all new Ritz/Triscuit/Wheat Thin varieties? The cracker aisle in your local supermarket is now filled with crackers flavored with all these herbs and (hoity-toity voice inserted here) artisanal cheeses. I'll be a cracker. Vermont White Cheddar Wheat Thins? Um, yes please. Nom nom nom. Yummy.

Then, I went all Lent-y on Ramadan by saying I am going to give up shopping... Since I can't fast like a normal person anymore. I'll end up in the hospital. Which is not the point of Ramadan. But it is definitely going to be difficult for me as well as incredibly beneficial to our finances and our marriage. IT'S ON!

When does that start again?

Literally, someone just delivered a box to the front door. Like right now. Mav is barking like crazy.

Well, that's it from here for now. Obviously, the sooner Ramadan starts, the better.

Proud and Ashamed!

I am proud of all the "dating" we have done the past few months. We went and saw and did so much. Almost every weekend, we have managed to take the time to be together and focus on each other. And I know we both feel like it's only the beginning!

At the same time, I'm a tad ashamed. Life getting in the way was why we settled into a comfort zone in the first place. That said, hello life. We've had a busy week. Car repairs, vet appointments, and errands galore.

There's been the joy that can only come with the stomach flu. My husband has made a decree that I am no longer allowed to eat out, since it seems God hates me. We thought we'd found a couple places where I was okay, but we were mistaken. After a couple questionable responses and never totally recovering, one ice cream after the wolf sanctuary was enough to put me out of commission for nearly a week.

Then, there was the show entitled "People And Stuff Are Coming" starring my husband and me, my folks, my grandmother's organ, several gigantic and heavy things from my dead grandfather's house, and some movers who shall not be named. Not because I want to conceal their identities either. Because we were never fortunate enough for introductions. We waited for furniture to be moved here from 2 states away. The movers were no shows 3 times in a row, and trust me, I got off easy in comparison to everyone else. I was just waiting for them to deliver furniture. It was worse for those who were waiting for it to be picked up.

A lot of my waiting involved me super cleaning and moving large pieces of furniture around to make room for more large pieces of furniture that were coming. Since I didn't know how many movers there would be and because I was the middle stop in a straight-shot-turned-triangle-turned-polygon journey, I wanted to have something nice to give them when they finished here. I baked 2 kinds of cookies from scratch, wrote a heartfelt card, and made a little basket decorated with maps of where the movers were from on it to hold the cookies. There's 5 hours in the kitchen I'm never getting back.

Suffice to say, the husband's office had a pretty good week. They were amazed that I had cut out little circles of wax paper to put between the cookies, since I had stacked them and wrapped the little stacks in plastic wrap before tying them off in pretty curling ribbon (ribbon that, I might add, matched the pretty little map-cookie-holder-basket). Sigh. At least they were appreciated.

Lastly, Ramadan started. Which is a good thing in general but the first couple days can be difficult. The body is tired and hungry and doesn't understand why this is happening. And with the two of us, we have entirely different reactions and responses. The husband adapts more easily than me in general and is more laid back. His nerves are well guarded and his boiling point high. He handles it with grace and ease. It seems easy to him, and if it isn't, he certainly hides it well. He is a good model but one that I often fail to emulate. Today, I feel really good. My energy is high and I am very alert. My snarky, snappy, cranky side is quiet. I feel like I could do out and do just about anything...

Of course, this could change at any moment. And, the husband has had to work the past several days. He's started his days at 3am. Not like me, where I might start my day at 3 but then by 4 restart my night by going back to bed for a few more hours. The hubby has gotten up and stayed up, his days filled with work, errands, and then time at home with me. It is not surprising that he would need a nap this afternoon. That he would not have some sort of second wind like mine. Surely this is because he's had a second wind earlier this week. And a third, then a fourth...

I do not know when we'll have comparable energy for our next date. We've decided a movie (I know, I know) is something we could manage. I think this was mostly because we have 2 movies out that we'd love to see in the theater (The Other Guys and Scott Pilgrim). Beyond that, we'll see how this next week goes. I have a very interesting list of dates that I have deemed appropriate for the more relaxed, easy going time that is needed while fasting.

Whether I'll be proud to give my account of them or ashamed that they stayed only good ideas, only the next several weeks will tell. I have a feeling that although this weekend may pass quietly, the ones to come will not walk by so softly. They might be driven by horses, creeped out by puppets, barked at by dogs, or experimented on through science. All in the name of dating my husband!

Hungry Like The Wolf

"I'm on a hunt down after you... Smell like I sound, lost in a crowd, and I'm hungry like the wolf..."

Really, I'm trying to stop. But I have no control. Damn you, Duran Duran. Fine. To my ipod you go. We will listen to you Saturday until my husband throws me or my ipod out of the car.

The weekend is fast approaching. We're waiting for really old, large, heavy, and cumbersome furniture to be delivered. It's a coin flip whether it'll be picked up and then also whether it'll show. Unwilling to pay a licensed, insured moving company to haul my grandmother's beloved organ and a strange mishmash of my other grandparents furniture, my mother found "some people on the internet". Sure, the only worth any of it has is in sentiment and sentiment alone, but the fact that my mother, who doesn't even have her own email address, went online and set this all up, well, it's sort of mind blowing. Give her credit where credit is due. Even attempting to get any of it the +500 miles from point A to point B... Deserves respect. Last night I finally got the actual dimensions of everything. Which is good, since none of it will fit anywhere I had planned. It's supposed to be here tonight... Or tomorrow morning...

As much as I wanted to keep our weekend open for the inevitable delayed furniture, I knew this weekend was our last chance to get in a normal date weekend before Ramadan. After this weekend, we are going to have a month of dates that are very relaxed and flexible out of necessity. You try fasting for a month. You will not have the energy or desire to do a ton of things. Because you're hungry. And exhausted. Probably not terribly fun to be around. It sounds trying but really it's a good thing. Just plan accordingly.

I had no idea what Ramadan was until I met my husband. And, I have participated every year that I have known him (except for one year when I was sick). It's different for someone raised very Jesus-y. I don't really know why I sort of immediately jumped in with both feet. Head over heels in love certainly had something to do with it. Even when we lived 400 miles away from each other, I still did it. Part of it was my way of saying thank you to my husband for putting him through the Psycho-Happy-Wife-Christmastime that happens every December (who am I kidding? We're lucky if I wait until after Halloween to get started). I loves me some Christmas. And I do it up, I tell you. It is something to behold. So me joining him in his big yearly tradition felt right to me. From the first year, I found in Ramadan a lot of things I hadn't experienced before. It makes you thankful and thoughtful in a whole new way. Now, I don't do it just for my husband. I do it for me. And for my own connection with things bigger than me.

Although on paper my husband and I do not share the same religion, we've talked about our beliefs and we do not believe in different things. We just express it differently. We've never tried to force the other to change. I think that is because at the heart of things, we know we're the same. It's natural to be curious and skeptical, and we certainly were met with a lot of "concerned" family members when we got together. I'm not one to push my religion on anyone, but the weirdest part for me was that I truly believed that God had sent me my husband. Still do. To then be told that it's because of God that we shouldn't be together... It was just ridiculous. What we have was given to us by God. I think some people still don't see that. All that matters is that we do.

And, I'll quit talking about this in a second, but you know what our children would be? Other than loved? They would be tolerant. And they'd have Ramadan and Christmas and it would be awesome.

Back to the dating. This weekend, my husband and I are going to The Wild Canid Center. High fives to those like me who had to look up Canid. It means wolves. Turns out there is an endangered wolf sanctuary in our area. There are wolf puppies! We're going on a 2 hour tour "pack"ed full of wolves. Heh. Play on words there. Since this is an outdoor date and it involves a walking tour, we wanted to do this before we were fasting. It is also supposed to be slightly cooler temperature-wise, so it seems like it was meant to be.

I want to love it and hold it and bring it home and raise it...

Okay, so maybe the kitties wouldn't love me raising a wolf puppy. I respectfully tone down my tendency to reach out and grab all animals. I will just enjoy them through the center. And try to refrain from petting anything that thinks I'm tasty.

"Hungry like the wolf..."

No, the husband doesn't know yet that this song is stuck in my head and that it's being downloaded into my iTunes right now. Why do you ask? How could he possibly not be thrilled about that?

(Singing) "I'M ON THE HUNT DOWN AFTER YOU... SCENT  AND A SOUND, LOST AND I'M FOUND, AND I'M HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF..." No, that's not annoying at all. Nope.

(Singing in a whisper) "Hungry like the wooooolf."