CHOO-CHOO!!

WE MADE IT!!! The Todd and Jenny Train has been chugging along now for 3 whole years (effective today). Go ahead and congratulate us. Jenny was in charge of the anniversary festivities this year (we swap every year) and totally elevated that responsibility to a new level. Last year I think I managed to pick some wildflowers (that ended up having some nasty little green worms inside of them) and take Jenny out to a last-minute dinner. I may have worn sweatpants the whole day and I can almost guarantee that I didn't shower. This year Jenny's thoughtful planning and preparation sent a clear message... follow suit.

I came home from class on Monday to find five envelopes taped to the wall, each had a day of the week written on them. In each envelope there was a clue, hinting at what we would be doing on Saturday. I think she really enjoyed making me go through that... they were all just sitting there, five clues, and I was only supposed to open ONE PER DAY!? Definitely the biggest trial of my life to date.

Well, Saturday came, and despite what I had told Jenny, I didn't die because of the suspense. By this point, all clues pointed toward an outdoor activity involving water and sans Manchild. We were going kayaking. (I had totally guessed it by clue #2) We began our trek in Sausalito (just over the GG bridge) and paddled out into the middle of the bay to Angel Island. It was awesome: beautiful views, a beautiful day, and a drop-dead boom-shaka-laka beautiful woman in the kayak with me. (the woman would be Jenny) On the Island we ate, hiked, found a dead seal... you know- the usual, and then hopped in our kayaks and headed back to Sausalito. (I am not sure what is wrong with me... here we are on this well-planned, romantic outing celebrating the union of heaven's brightest star to me and my big thrill for the morning was to run down to the beach and check out a dead seal. Talk about smooth in the moment. I blame my dad.) The kayaking was a big hit, we had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat. As if that wasn't enough though, Jenny had arranged for another sitter for the evening so we ditched the Manchild a second time and went to the Bourne Ultimatum (AWESOME). It was a blast, we definitely ended the day more in love than when we started (considering the whole dead seal thing, I would say it was nothing short of a miracle). So, I got the message loud and clear and actually started planning next year's anniversary this morning-- stay tuned.

Here we are, the High Adventure Couple of the week. Happy and in love.

The View from Angel Island.

EWWWW. For some reason, the 6-year old boy within me is still fascinated by this. It stunk too!

On another note, things are really good here. Ryder is growing and learning so much. He can do a bunch of barnyard animal noises, says about 8-10 words and signs another 10 or so. He has really been a lot of fun. Our traditional Sunday afternoon hikes on the trails around our house have been shut down by the Wife due to three independent Mountain Lion sightings in and around our married student housing complex and the forest we live in. Kind of weird that a cat like that could get to the middle of the city without being noticed. Anyways, I am quite confident that Ryder could take it and actually feel that this is a necessary challenge for him en route to manhood. We might have to give it a shot next week.

Finally, By way of rebuttle to Jenny's "Bad Mom" post, I would like to clarify that at no time did I ever call Jenny a bad mom. Let me paint a picture for you to see how this issue started AND so that you can see why I am right about the need for light-up shoes. Have you ever heard of Progeria? It is an extremely rare genetic disease characterized by accelerated aging. People afflicted with the disease age so fast that by 10 they look 60 and they rarely live to be older than 13. I started noticing some disturbing signs and symptoms in Ryder a couple of months ago that made me worry. A sweater-vest at 3 months, 3 polos as a newborn, khakis at 3 months, corduroy at 6 months, a full blown suit at 12 months and possibly most disturbing of all... ZERO action figure clothing items. No X-Men, no Spiderman, no Superman and no Batman. Captain America is turning in his grave. Why? No, Ryder does not have progeria. Worse, he has FASHION PROGERIA. Yes, in this affliction to end all afflictions, one's wardrobe ages at a disturbingly alarming rate. Robbed of superhero undies, jeans with holes in the knees and light-up shoes, the sufferers are consigned to penny loafers, argyle sweaters and suspenders by age 1. Is this any way to live? Can you see where I am coming from people? The good news? This is entirely preventable, we can win back the innocence of these children one Buzz Lightyear shoe at a time. Ryder's childhood is in jeopardy, but it is not too late...