My Split Apart

While at work this past Thursday I received a phone call from the front desk, I wasn’t able to answer, so the call was ignored.  A few minutes later, I receive an Instant message from Cody asking me if I had a call from the lobby, confused at how he knew this, I answered and he gently forced me to go down to the 1st floor to check it out. 
I’m so happy I did, because these beauties where there waiting for me!!

After showing them off I responded to Cody via IM:

My above reference to “Split Apart,” was due to the card attached which read,

“I just want you to know how much I love you Booba.  You truly are my Split Apart.” 

My eyes got a tad watery, I’ll admit it.  The first night Cody & I met we spoke on the phone for over 6 hours, so we covered a lot of ground.  One of the conversations we had was about relationships, soul mates, etc… and I told him about Plato’s “Split Aparts,” which is why I’m obsessed with belly buttons. 

I remember after explaining it, he was very quiet and sweetly said, “You don’t really believe this, do you?”  I laughed, because I knew it sounded crazy, I reassured him I did not, but I thought it was a romantic synopsis. 

We haven’t really spoken of it for at least 6 years, so that was a sweet surprise to see it on the card.

If you’re curious about split aparts, I’ll do my best to break down

Aristophanes’ Speech from Plato’s Symposium:

Humans were once round and half male & half female.  They had four arms, feet, & ears, with one head that had two faces {they looked in opposite directions}.  They could still walk upright like humans today, but they could also roll around using their multiple hands & feet to move faster.

After a while, the humans started trying to take over the Heavens, so the Gods grew scared.  They contemplated exterminating them, like they did the giants, but then there wouldn’t be anyone left to worship them, and what good is being a God if you’re not being worshiped?  So they had to think of a plan.

Zeus ultimately came up with the winning solution.  Zeus sliced the humans in half which made us weaker but it also increased our numbers so there were more worshipers,  but we looked really odd after being split into two, so Apollo healed our wounds and sculpted our bodies.  He then pulled what is like a purse’s draw string very tight, so our arms and legs fell into place, and tied a knot to secure it.  We still have evidence of this scar, our belly buttons. {Why I like belly buttons J}

Since there were more of us, they still had to worry about humans trying to take over, so the Gods casted one half of each of us to the ends of the earth so we’d spend our time searching for our other half, our split apart, instead of trying to take over the kingdom.

You can understand Cody’s concern now, but I still love this story, no matter how outlandish it is!

Joan

I’ve had grandparents pass, but I wasn’t very close to them, so my sorrow was more for my parents than myself; I’ve lost pets, which if you know me, feels like losing a best friend, but I do realize a person is different, especially now. 

A few weeks ago, I lost the first person that actually affected me in my adult life.

Monday, September 10^th God summoned my Aunt Joan home.  She passed away from a heart attack, her husband by her side.  She was, is, a very special person.  She taught me how to draw, she got me into photography, & when I was younger, we would lie and tell people I was her daughter {she has two boys so my Mom shared me with her}.  She had the best laugh

Was one of the sweetes people I knew; I don’t have one negative memory of her or one bad thing to say.  She was my mom’s best friend, her person, her soul mate,

My heart broke when I learned of her passing.  She was 61 years young and still rocking high heels, skinny jeans, silver nail polish, chunky costume jewelry, & colored eye shadows.

She was there for birthdays

Holidays

Weddings, showers, everything...

Oh, and boy did she LOOOOOOOOVE Elvis.

One of my favorite stories about her and my uncle Mike, is of them growing up.  Joan wasn’t allowed to date just one boy {there was a fear of her getting too serious}, but Mike wouldn’t have it any other way.  He would have boys pick Joan up at her house and he’d be waiting at the end of the street for her {very sly}!  They were/are very much in love.

Her service that celebrated her life was beautiful & moving.  The Priest that preceded it did an amazing job; just when you were on the brink of tears, he’d say something funny that would lighten up the mood.  For example, he started the service by talking about Mike & Joan’s wedding day, and how beautiful she looked, and then he added, “In Dickey’s words, ha-cha cha!”  It made the room fill with laughter.  It was a charming, intimate service, & a good way to say goodbye to her Earth form.

A few days after Joan’s passing my mom sent me this poem; I think it’s worth sharing:

When I Come Home To Heaven

 When I come home to Heaven

How joyful it will be!

For on that day at last

My risen Lord I'll see.

No greater happiness than

To see Him face to face,

To see the love in His eyes

And feel His warm embrace.

I've done nothing to deserve

That perfect home above,

It was given freely through

The grace of Jesus' love.

Then why should earthly cares

Weigh down upon me so?

They'll be a distant memory

When home at last I go.

“This poem brought me peace thinking of Joan in Jesus’ arms” ~Cindi Zindler aka My mom.

Whenever a friend, co-worker, or loved one loses someone, I send/say these following passages from the Bible, I find them very comforting:

“For the saved, death ushers us into the presence of Christ. "To be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).

“So real is the promise of the believer's resurrection, that the physical death of a Christian is called "sleep" (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 5:10).

“We look forward to that time when "there shall be no more death" (Revelation 21:4).  

I interpret this as we are never truly “dead,”  just dreaming an endless “sleep.” 

Sweet dreams Aunt Joan.  We love you, and I’m very lucky to have you as an angel watching over me & our family.

July: Speed Posting

Since I'm in dire need to catch up to our life's current events, I’m going to do what I like to call, “Speed Posting.”
This was our July in a nut shell {that's what she said}

The beginning of July was mainly dedicated to unpacking and getting back to our “normal,” pace of life, and since we didn’t hold back while in California, our 1^st few weekends back was dedicated to saving money, so naturally, I took photos of my fury children.

This is Diesel & Lashes sharing D's new bed during their traditional noon nap

Going through boxes in our office we discovered a pair of butterfly wings that I wore Halloween 2002, so unsurprisingly, we put them on the dogs

He's so purdy

We got to spend an evening with Cody’s brother, Patrick, his wife Kellie, our two nieces {Brianna & Marissa}, and our two awesome friends, Chris & Kara.  We had dinner at an Italian restaurant that I can’t for the life of me remember the name, BUT I did snap a cute pic with my BFF Brianna.

On July 22^nd Cody & I celebrated our 8 year anniversary.  Since we’re now married, we don’t exchange gifts, but we do acknowledge the date by going out to dinner.  Here we are in the Outback Steak House parking lot about to stuff our faces with steak, loaded baked potatoes, & a salad… YUM!

So I was sent an article about a recall on chicken jerky that was actually causing dogs to DIE…. YES, you read this correctly, to DIE!  To be extra careful I snopes’d it and it is true!  I also found out that Blue Buffalo’s chicken dog food is from China too, so some of their products were recalled.  Costco, Wal-mart, Sam’s Club, & Target all carried these treats and food {not their fault, but just be aware}, here is the snopes’ link: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/chickenjerky.asp

So because of this, I did what every rational mom would do…I baked my dogs homemade treats!  I baked 2 different flavors, Banana & Peanut butter and Carrots & Spinach.  I used our food processor to puree the ingredients and then I baked them in a muffin tin for 20minutes & 350 degrees.  The dogs LOVED them!

Since Cody’s 1^st weekend away didn’t go bad, he didn’t feel guilty spending another weekend away, but this time, he and his two brothers had a man’s weekend in Bedias, TX {right outside of Huntsville} spending time with their uncle & grandfather.  While he was fishing, eating beef jerky, & drinking beer; I was gallivanting around town with three of my favorite people, Kara “kare bear” Gianni, Matt “Heathcliff” Hankins, & Shilpa Anjali.  I started my day with Kara by shopping at the outlet mall, lunch at Newk’s, & ending our day date with Channing Tatum’s “Magic Mike.” {I was NOT impressed with this movie… you can wait for it to be on HBO, or TBS.  I can’t believe there is already a second one being filmed!!}.  After Kara dropped me off, I ran inside, touched up my makeup, changed into “night on the town” attire, and headed to Cyclone Anaya’s {a very yummy Mexican restaurant!} to meet up with Matt & Shilpa.  After dinner we walked to the new Little Woodrows in the Heights.  This is where we consumed the majority of our beer, which lead us to take a shot, which lead us to Pub Fiction, and this is where the below photos were born.  Shilpa decided that I need color on my lips, so she whipped out the red lipstick and dolled me up… I do love it, but I also feel like red lipstick ON ME, makes me look slutty {no, not my cleavage, the red lipstick!} so naturally, to modest me up, a mu-stash {no, not a mustache, this was fancier} a mu-stash, was needed.  I think she did a fantastic job making it even!

My good friend Kristin was assigned to our project in Australia, she had been there for over six months, and was finally coming home to visit!  While down under {that’s what she said!} she celebrated a milestone, she turned 30 years old, so I had to throw her a mini party during her short stay.  Jacque attack suggested this new bar that opened up called, J. Black’s.  They have other locations in Austin & Dallas, so I’m very happy they opened up one here, because it’s amazing!  They are a big parties dream, especially if you’re splitting checks {the Jew in me really LOVES this!}.  Everyone’s drinks and food is on a bar tab, and their food=DELICIOUS!

{Side Note, TOTALLY unrelated to anything I’ve been typing, but I was JUST interrupted by my friend/co-worker and I brought up being too lazy to use the restroom, and she replied, “only when I’m sleepy.” Which made me think of that dream where you’re in the restroom and you wake up to discover that you wet the bed, have ya’ll done that?  I have.  Okay, moving on…} Back to J. Black’s, Go there, it's awesome!

The above photos were welcoming a friend back from Australia & the below photos are sending a friend there.  Our good friend Joe “Hulk Smash” Monroe was offered a position that he couldn’t refuse so to bid him adieu we organized a happy hour at OTC Patio Bar.  We only stayed there for about 15 min. due to no A/C and being bitten by bugs so we walked next door to Hendricks’ where we had a BLAST!  The bartender was hilarious, the opening of the Olympics was being aired, their drink specials were priced right, and their $5 pizzas… *kisses finger tips and slightly opens them as my hand goes into the air* LIP-SMACKING GOOD!

As a thank you for Cody volunteering & accompanying my little brother to Dallas {to read about that, click here}, my mom bought all of us theater tickets to watch, “Disney’s The Lion King,” at the Hobby Center, for their AUTISM THEATRE INITIATIVE.  In the Hobby Center’s Words, “The Hobby Center is proud to announce the launching of our Lion King Autism Theatre Initiative, making live theatre accessible to children on the autism spectrum and their families. The first ever autism-friendly performance of a Broadway show in Houston will be Disney's land mark musical THE LION KING, on Saturday, July 28th at 2:00pm.  Now in its 15th year, over 64 million people worldwide have come to discover the wonder, the majesty, and the truly one-of-a-kind experience that is THE LION KING. For this special performance, accommodations will be made, including a supportive audience environment, designated quiet areas, adjustments to light and sound, and online resource materials.”

These tickets are normally $100 and up but for this initiative, they were priced between $25-60 {thank you Hobby Center & contributors that made this possible}. 

It still makes me tear up when I think back at the sold out theater filled with autistic & other special need families.  To see them dressed up & able to enjoy a show without having to worry if their loved one will be “a bother” to those around was truly a blessing.  The hobby center did a FANTASTIC job at catering to Autistic people.  They had quiet rooms set up so if they needed to get away, they could.  They had what they called, “fidget” kooshballs to keep hands busy, & they held up green glow sticks at the parts of the show that were going to be loud to warn us to cover the ears of those that are sensitive to sound.  It was AMAZiNG!  This was my mother, my brother, & Cody’s first time to attend a show, and it was probably the best one they could have attended. 

The Lion King itself was THE BEST SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN, the costumes were sensational, the singing was beautiful, and the audience interaction was so cool, my husband is hooked now!  We decided to collect throw blankets from every show we attended, because during the intermission Cody had to go and buy us one because it was FREEEEEEEZING in there!  The blanket is huge though, it covered all of us, and for some reason, that made it even more fun. 

After the show we headed into Tomball to eat at Mel’s Country Cafe, again, GO THERE!  They have amazing burgers & dessert! 

It was a perfect day that I can relive in memory, over & over again. 

Thanks mom for buying us the tickets!!!

Code Word: Pervy

Our instant message conversation this morning:

Miles, Jeannie 7:38 AM

When did it become okay to stop putting veggies and cheese in my eggs?

Gosh

Cody Miles 7:38 AM

punch in the baby makers I tell ya

right in the womb

Miles, Jeannie 7:38 AM

well, it was a punch to my taste buds

I’ll tell ya that much

Cody Miles 7:39 AM

I didn’t feel like cutting onions and jalapenos masters

I sorry miss ma’am  it won’t happen again

Miles, Jeannie 7:39 AM

and cheese was just too much

I swear... i give an inch you take a mile

Cody Miles 7:40 AM

I sorry miss master miles

Miles, Jeannie 7:40 AM

sorry isn't going to cut it this time

Cody Miles 7:40 AM

I’ll take my lashings now...

Miles, Jeannie 7:40 AM

oh no, you won't know when they’re coming.

Cody Miles 7:40 AM

just don’t let the chilre'n sees it

Miles, Jeannie 7:40 AM

at least the bacon was good

who is this?!

this isn't Cody

this is Matt

Cody Miles 7:41 AM

hahaha

no its me

Miles, Jeannie 7:41 AM

liar!

what is our Heaven code word then

Cody Miles 7:41 AM

Booba

isn’t that it? 

Miles, Jeannie 7:42 AM

GASP

NO!

Cody Miles 7:42 AM

what? yes it is

was it something about our belly buttons

Miles, Jeannie 7:44 AM

I can't believe you

if I died today you couldn't find me in the future

this is BS

I’m blocking you!

*shakes head*

Cody Miles 7:44 AM

what is it?!  

Miles, Jeannie 7:44 AM

PERVY

THE WORD IS PERVY!

Cody Miles 7:44 AM

that’s right!!!

Miles, Jeannie 7:44 AM

IT'S BEEN THAT WORD FOR 8YRS!

Cody Miles 7:44 AM

Hahahaha

Miles, Jeannie 7:44 AM

I KNOW THAT'S RIGHT

cheese and rice!

Cody Miles 7:45 AM

well i try not to think about dyeing haha

Miles, Jeannie 7:45 AM

you worry about dumb stuff

and don't plan for our eternal future

Cody Miles 7:45 AM

I won’t forget it now ;)

Miles, Jeannie 7:45 AM

I’m happy I am

geesh

Cody Miles 7:45 AM

Hahhahhaah

Miles, Jeannie 7:45 AM

I’d be wondering around

muttering "pervy?"

Cody Miles 7:45 AM

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

Miles, Jeannie 7:45 AM

pervy?

to all these randoms

Cody Miles 7:46 AM

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAAAHAHAHA!!

Miles, Jeannie 7:46 AM

and then I’d probably find a pervert

that thinks I'm coming on to him

and says it back

then I’d be with the wrong guy

and I’m sure there are going to be swarms of Jews there

so Booba or Bubeleh would NOT be our code word for Heaven

Cody Miles 7:47 AM

OK... Pervy it is. 

Miles, Jeannie 7:47 AM

are you sure?!

can you remember that

Cody Miles 7:47 AM

I won’t forget it now haha

Miles, Jeannie 7:47 AM

I would hope not

Cody Miles 7:48 AM

so we went from cheese on your eggs to finding each other in heaven with code word pervy haha

Miles, Jeannie 7:49 AM

that seems about right

Cody Miles 7:49 AM

love it haha

and I love you

Miles, Jeannie 7:50 AM

love you too

Allow me to clarify the above conversation for those of you that aren’t aware with why we have a “code word,” for Heaven. 

When I was younger, I would attend weekly youth Bible classes and on one occasion we spoke about marriage and how to move on if/when your spouse passes.  I was taught it is okay to remarry but I raised my hand and asked, what I thought to be a good & genuine question {but apparently everyone else knew the answer to},  “If your spouse dies, and you remarry, which one of them do you spend eternity with in Heaven once you all pass?”  There were chuckles & a few *bless her hearts* and the response was,

“When you get to Heaven, your relationships & ties that you had on Earth, are no longer in existence.  Once you arrive at the pearly gates, everyone knows everyone, you won’t know your mother from a stranger, etc…” and I was heartbroken.  My first thought was, “My aunt Kay won’t know I was her niece?” But now that I’m older, I see why this concept is so great, because everyone is family, you’ll love and support them, and they’ll love and support you, but I can’t help feeling like I would want to know if I had a closer bond with someone over the next {not very Christian, I know, I apologize}.  Since we take on different forms once we leave our Earth bound bodies, I knew I wanted to have a code word with my husband so when we’re floating around, or what have you, in Heaven we could find one another, and 8 years ago, after refereeing lovingly to Cody as pervy {short for pervert} we decided that would be the best code word for us.  We don’t think anyone else would have the gall to use that word in Heaven, or at least we hope not!