The Family Fletch

After we exchanged hugs and kisses at the restaurant the other night, Spencer said to me: 

“So, Megan. Noticed your nice post about April goings-on. Noticed something was missing. LIKE MY VISITING YOU IN OMAHA.”

I told him it was because he was getting his own blog post because really, someone getting on an airplane to see us in Omaha is a big deal, and he’s the first to do it. 

So that Friday night we all had a positively awesome meal at Lot 2, a new restaurant that opened near our house. We ate way too much food and when our server asked if we wanted dessert, we opted to share something. 

What they brought out was in liquid form. 

“Ah, we ordered a dessert to share,” Spencer said.

“Yep,” grinned the waiter. “I put three straws in it.”

After dinner, we walked down the street to the new Beercade. There, we played way too many video games and Spencer chatted up some locals. In fact, one woman was so impressed with Spencer that she came over to Dan and me and said: 

“I just wanted to tell you that I think your friend Spencer is really great. I have to go meet some friends, but I have his number — maybe I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

And I looked at Dan and said, “Wow. I really underestimated Spencer’s influence with women.”

A couple hours later Spencer told us he asked her to tell us that. 

The weather kept us from getting to aggressive for the rest of the weekend, which was a perfect excuse for Dan and Spencer to do what they really wanted anyway: Play video games.

Once the storms passed, we fired up the grill, made dinner together and lost the rest of the weekend to conversation. 

As you can imagine, on Sunday when Dan left for a work trip and Spence traveled on, I was one lonely gal. 

Thank you for visiting us, Spencer! It ruled and we miss you.

(FYI: Spencer is kind of a big deal video producer. I’ll point you in the direction of one of our favorites, which you might like too if you’re a Full House/Glee/John Stamos fan:  John Stamos’ Guide to Cuddling. Language NSFW — you’ve been warned!)

Time. Is. Flying.

Over the last few weeks, we:

Got to see Jen, Aaron and Charlie! They were in town visiting Aaron’s family and we were lucky enough to snag some time with them, too. It was fun to watch up and watch Charlie play with his cousins. (Did I mention there’s a new baby Smith coming this summer?!)

Hung out with Cassie! It was so fun to catch up with her. We had lunch in the Old Market, got coffee and caught up. I am secretly hoping she lands in Omaha or Denver now that she’s done with her master’s program.

Completed five weeks of CrossFit Open workouts. It was an intense and fun experience for both of us. Our gym finished 1st place in the region and 14th in the world! We are looking forward to rooting on the qualifying athletes in the regional competition.

Painted our entire basement with Sue and Rocky. We even bought our first lawn mower! It was a fun weekend and Maeby was spoiled. And as you can see, Ella didn’t exactly keep herself out of the action.

Taught Maeby to shake! Finally! Who knew all it’d take was a little string cheese bribery?

Sent Megan to work! That’s right — no more Housewives of Omaha for me. I took a digital consultant position at an agency here in town.

Sent Dan to DC! Dan was back in the District for a week, attending a conference and hanging out with former colleagues and old friends. 

Cleaned up the yard… and watched it blossom. We are learning a lot about our yard, including what flowers we have (roses, apple blossoms and a purple flowering tree I can’t place) and what animals hang out in our yard (bunnies, bats, snakes).

Continued the adjustment. I’d hate to give the illusion that this transition has been bump-free. There are days when we miss the buzz of the city, the charm of our neighborhood and of course, the company of our friends. But overall, we’re pleased with how things are going. We know how lucky we are to see our family, to live in a big ol’ house and to achieve a better work/life balance. 

This month, we are looking forward to: 

Finishing work on our basement. The plans are to rip out the carpet and install hardwood flooring. Before and after photos to come. 

A visit from Dan’s parents and grandparents. We’re excited to show Cliff and Donna the new digs and enjoy a weekend together. (We’ll try not to put them to work.)

Getting Maeby a summer haircut. She is one hot dog. As you can see, she requires a cold beverage to cool off. (No it’s not really beer… in spite of an earlier incident involving that beverage.)

1. Good friends always feel near.

2. Bright stripes.

3. One TV up!

4. New curtains. (I love the windows in the guest room.)

5. A cluster of light.

Maeby was spayed last week and has had to wear a cone so she doesn’t lick her stitches. I play the sad trombone in my head whenever she has it on.

After the second Open workout this past Saturday, we hopped in the car and drove to my grandparents’ house in Ames. 

I spent nearly every day with my grandparents until I went to pre-school and they traveled with me most summers. The older I get, the more grateful I am for all the time, energy and love they poured into me. Being at their house is a great source of comfort to me, even though we no longer go on fishing trips or bake with Grandma. This is me on their front step (holding a very large — or am I just tiny? — sweet potato).

My aunt also happened to be passing through town with her new puppy, so of course this was a great source of excitement for everyone, especially Maeby. 

We took it pretty easy — had dinner together, took the new car for a spin and watched the dogs. Late Saturday night my aunt and I were sitting on the floor in the entryway supervising the puppies when my grandpa came out and popped a squat right along with us, in spite of developing aches and pains. It was a fun chat.

The next day, four inches of snow came out of nowhere! After lunch, Steve, Dan and my mom did some shoveling while my aunt and I packed up. When I came in from the car, Maeby was sitting next to Grandpa as he told her to come visit again. We most definitely will.

You are all lucky that I didn’t issue a press release for the following milestone: 

Last night Dan and I were in the kitchen with Maeby when he told her: 

“Sit!”

And she did.

And then he said, “Shake!”

AND SHE LIFTED UP HER LITTLE PAW AND SHOOK!

And then we celebrated so loud that we probably scared her from ever doing it again. 

We’ve been working on shake every day for weeks. Weeks! She doesn’t seem to have it down pat, but it’s progress. She is also very skilled at getting a toy when instructed. It is kind of amazing. 

Dog and cat are also playing together a lot more. My secret dream is for them to cuddle together; Dan thinks I’m crazy.

On a different note, Dan is digging work so far. As great as his job was in DC, we are both grateful for the change. We meet at the gym every day at 6, something we’ve never been able to do before. I’ve also been on the interview circuit a lot lately and hope to have something finalized soon.

Speaking of the gym, we were both peer-pressured to enter the 2012 CrossFit Games Open. Do not expect to see many posts about this because we are total newbies at a gym (and a sport) full of amazing athletes. But you can send positive thoughts our way for the next five Saturdays as we attempt to complete the workouts.

Tomorrow? As many burpees as possible in seven minutes. No big deal.

I have loved not celebrating Valentine’s Day with Dan. It’s never been my favorite and for the first couple of holidays, we didn’t even live in the same time zone. By the time I moved to DC we figured there was no reason to start planning expensive dinners or big romantic gestures (those are more fun when you don’t know they’re coming, right?).

But that didn’t mean we weren’t thoughtful. In fact, we both happened to bring each other dessert and write a card. Dan’s might have been one his best ever. It included a top 10 list of things he liked about me. (Number 2: “When you say ‘I’m on fire!’ and punch the air.’”) He also gave me a mug (sort of an inside joke between us) that said, “I love not camping,” which made me laugh so hard I snorted.

And yes, Dan’s cookie is a pair of boxer shorts.

Hope your Tuesday was love-filled!