2/27/11

meet the parents

24 weeks, 4 days PB. (once March 15th hits, i'll note by months)

an instant classic. it's been 10 years since ben stiller and robert de niro hooked up to make one of my favorite comedies ever. though it's still not my favorite stiller comedy, i never seem to turn it off when it reruns on cable. whoever thought of using FOCKER was a genius. the name gaylord was just icing on the cake!

HM decided to give me some 'alone' time while she watches calvin tonight so i can blog. she's tired of waiting for me to post. the first 2 months this year has been killer at work and when i get home, i just want to hang out with the little guy. i know there is ALWAYS time to do something if you allow for it, but once i get him to sleep at 9pm, there's no way i'm going to risk waking him up while typing (the computer i like to use is next to his crib). and this month, i've had to play a single parent role quite frequently due to HM's night schedule. the end of residency cannot come soon enough....

anyways - just like "meet the parents" the movie, this post is dedicated to 10 years of HM and I being together. i promise a calvin update will be next. he wouldn't be here if it weren't for both of us and i figure now is as good a time as any to recap some of our highlights.

if you haven't noticed already, i have not posted any clear direct facial photos of HM and i in any of my blogs. i'm not sure why i chose this method, but after this post....i'll probably continue the trend. so, if you happen to follow during this time, consider yourself lucky! another picture story.....

(sorry.... no first pic!)
2001 - i can't seem to find any pics of our first year together. for those not old enough to remember, this was before digital pictures got big! i'll have to post after i can find one to scan.

may 2002 - saying 'see you later'. here's a picture of us before i left for my first disney internship. yes - i tried out for mickey mouse, but didn't get the part. HM and i were at our favorite (and still the best) karaoke joint - the original glitter (in ALIEF!). i chose this picture because we were genuinely happy-drunk together. we weren't thinking about not seeing each other for 6 months, but rather just enjoying the moment. i also chose it because i have a small amount of 2002 scanned pics to choose from. :)

july 2003 - theme park visit. during my 2nd six month internship the following year, HM visited me in orlando. we took this picture at epcot and emailed it back to friends in houston. at the time, it seemed like a big deal to receive pictures by email. not that you can really tell from the shot, but HM and i were very hot and sweaty from the summer central florida heat. it reminds me that we need to get away from houston's weather. not pictured, but present: my mom!

march 2004 - driving to home sweet home. before i knew i was moving to dallas later that year, HM and i took a road trip to the big D with some close friends. without any responsibility other than to party all weekend, the end result is what you see above. YMK shot this on the way back displaying what happens after 3 straight nights of eating, drinking, and clubbing. HM and i aren't big by any means, but sitting in the back of a 95 mitsubishi eclipse had us in close quarters. i'm sure glad i use dial!

july 2005 - chow down at SBC Park (now AT&T). i would consider this our first major vacation together. we did short road trips and met up at some other places, but this was a week-long planned trip which we probably still consider one of our favorite times. HM's $9 crazy crab sandwich was enough to satisfy her to let me watch baseball (she also had lots of gilroy garlic fries). our love for food was enhanced during this trip and we've always considered SF a dream location to live.

sept 2006 - luau bday(s). i added the (s) in there because september is a busy month for bdays. it's no different now that calvin has been added to the mix. among HM's friends at the time, there were 3 of them were celebrating a bday within 7 days of each other. for some reason, i fall in love with HM all over again when i see this picture. i think it shows my love for her..and my love for beer. heh.

april 2007 - the state capital proposal. you can't see much, but there are barnyard animals behind us in this picture. there was a petting zoo in the lobby of the hyatt in austin where we stayed and since HM loves animals, we stopped by. HM was a lucky lady that trip... she received a ring along with my promise to marry her, a snazzy purse, and (secretly) her favorite item. definitely the most expensive weekend of my life to that point.

june 2008 - last picture of our honeymoon. prior to boarding the 9pm plane back to houston, HM and i had booked a sailing trip on one of america's most historic racing yachts. we actually didn't know what we were doing at the time, and chose it purely on timing and price. given that neither of us are by any means nautical professionals, we had a blast (of water!) at an 80 degree angle as gusts of winds pushed us through bumpy waters. an 8 hour flight in saltwater ridden clothing could have been worse...if we stayed awake!

sept 2009 - the sweet taste of liberty. definitely a 'legendary' trip. HM and i had so much fun in philly (really?!), that we vow to go back. i decided to surprise her for her bday, and since she had little time during residency, i got lucky that a free weekend came up. perfect weather, lots of eating, and even a winning trip to AC. and even though she didn't know who rocky was, she was still game to run the famous training steps.

oct 2010 - modern family. this is one of our first pictures together. HM and i are happy as can be while little cal is showing off his true colors. he was NOT having it that day. meanwhile, our dog is the worst at taking pictures since he always finds a way to look like an idiot at the last second. we decided not to do family christmas photos. we figured it would probably turn out similar to this one.


feb 2011 - my valentine. 10 years, 10 cheesecake factory visits. most of our friends know that it's tradition for HM and i to go to CF for valentines. our first three hour wait (they don't take reservations!) in 2001 set us up for good conversations and getting to know each other. in 2002, i think we couldn't decide on a place, so we went back. it was only 2 hours of waiting that year. we've learned different methods to cut down on the wait time: find new locations, go at odd times, and eating at the bar (our favorite!). now with calvin in our lives, we knew there was no way we could risk waiting. we agreed that as long as we have young children with us, we're going to either go a day early or during lunch. i think it worked out well as cal definitely enjoyed his nap while mom and dad reminisced about the last decade.

there you have it my friends. our life in 20,000 words or less. it may not be as romantic as this movie, but give me a break... we're still in our youth! calvin pics/vids to come...

-EZE

4 comments:

  1. Time sure does fly! I wish I had a photo copy of the time Mary and I caught you two at UH circa 2001?...I think you guys were on a secret lunch date. I remember we bought a disposable camera from the bookstore and try to photograph you guys from the adjacent booth. Haha! Heart this post...totally feel the love! Cheers to many more years to come! Hang is so "lucky" =)

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  2. thank you for this very sweet blog. you've been a wonderful dad, especially during my many overnight shifts this past month.

    love,
    HM

    btw, i want that picture NT!

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  3. I LOVE this blog! It's so sweet to read about you and HM! I hope to get to meet cutie Calvin soon! We love you guys!

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  4. Very sweet post! Love it!

    Hai-Vy

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