Six Year Anniversary = Hippo?

Sunday was my 6th wedding anniversary. I know, I know, "Oh my god! Really? Is it that long? Wow, it doesn't feel like that long ago, but it seems like it's been a long time at the same time." That's how I feel too.

Anyway, my point is that my husband, whom I love dearly, hence the six years of marriage, does have one bad yet wonderful habit: When we say, "no big gifts" for any particular holiday, he often breaks the rules, and gets me something amazing. I know I should just anticipate it and get him something big, but he checks the bank account daily, leaving me with no way to hide my purchases! I know he doesn't care because he would rather get me something I love than get something, but I still feel bad.

While on the computer, I constantly show him things I like or cute pictures, expecting that he will buy me the dress I show him just about as much as I expect he will buy me the baby hippo born at the zoo that I show him. But he pays more attention than that, and thus he bought me a dress and a vase that I told him I liked. I'll have to be more careful in the future, but in the meantime I'll just show you my lovely gifts:

Anthropologie "Wights Sago" dress. I already have some weddings and showers lined up for this baby. I thought of wearing it to Foxfield for a fraction of a second, and then realized it would look better without Jim Beam poured all over it.


Wedgwood Tri-Color vase. The three color pieces are not as common as the two. This one is beautiful. Now I just have to get some flowers.

Sleepers' Dreams

While the mortgage meltdown has forced many families to abandon their homes and their dreams, I find this particular story particularly heartbreaking. The Sleepers of Festus, Missouri took the concept of a "dream house" to quite a different level. After buying a cave on ebay, the Sleepers, huh, what's that? Oh, yes, they bought a cave. On ebay. They bought a cave on ebay, and lived in a tent in the cave for five years while they designed and built a house to go in the cave. This photo collection shows just how much blood (beware the surprise picture of a nail gun injury), sweat, and tears they personally put into building the house.

The Sleepers built the house mostly with their own labor, including a lot of help from their kids. I don't think anyone in 21st century America, besides the Amish, is this involved in the design and building of their own home. And I applaud their anti-coddling of their offspring. How many parents today would let their kids within ten feet of a floor sander or a scissor lift?

Sadly, the balloon in their mortgage came at the same time as the bust of the economy, leaving them unable to afford living in their labor of love. Completing the circle of life, they have put the house up on ebay. They are trying to find a buyer, or a financier, or some sort of happy ending. Hopefully someone will come to their rescue and let them keep living the dream.