Here's the long awaited and probably disappointingly short diary entry. Life is great and I'm falling in love with my wife more and more everyday. We recently celebrated our two month anniversary by seeing the movie Just Like Heaven. As we filed out of the theatre, I realized that I didn't want to go home yet. I wanted to take a drive and show Tara something that she hadn't seen. I thought of driving up Route 15 across the Potomac River into Maryland, but thought that much of the beauty would be swallowed by the shadows. Then I thought of it's polar opposite. Lights! So, we headed toward Washington D.C. Traffic was light at 9:30 PM on a Saturday night as we cruised along the Dulles toll road toward Route 66, heading onto Constitution Ave which led us right to the Capital building. We parked there and got it and walked around in the muggy September air. I wish that we had brought our camera, but spontaneity rarely yields documentation.

    It's been a good two months. Mostly we've just been taking care of putting the house together, which didn't involve too much, although I must say that my kitchen is in much better shape and so is my diet. She makes me lunch for work which saves me money and has me eating healthier. She has also made me into a morning person as well. It's actually really cool. I'm now saving $5 a day because I don't "have" to take the Greenway to work and back. Now that I'm leaving the house at 6:30 I can skip that toll road in favor of free roads. These money savings are coming in hand right about now. We had a lavish honeymoon and wonderful wedding rings that are two checks away from being paid off. Tara is working some early shifts at Starbucks which is what has enabled me to get up early. I really like getting home at 4 instead of 6 every night. She has also begun school. She is taking two online classes right now; psychology and history. So far so good.

    Work has kept me in the office this year. I've only been on 4 trips this year, which is very little compared to the 17 I took last year. My last trip was to Cincinnati, and I was able to take her along to meet three of my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle who couldn't make it to the wedding. So one day of work helped us to enjoy a few days of visiting with our relatives. We celebrated my Uncle's birthday at his brother's new house which is a big improvement over the last one they were in. It's bigger and has a great yard. You can't get land like that here. Too expensive. We spent Friday night and Saturday morning in Kentucky with my Mom's side of the family. We went to a punk show at the Southgate House in Newport KY. It's exactly the kind of place I'd want to have been during my clubbing days. It's got great atmosphere. We went there because my cousin plays in a band called The Frankl Project. It was fun, and it was funny because for the first time, I was at a club and I wasn't trying to pick up girls! Having my wife with me there, and being older than the average fan, I didn't much care about how I looked or if I even fit in. It was kind of cool. I think the only people there who were older than us were the parents of some of the bands playing. The next morning we visited The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, KY. It was absolutely beautiful! I'm not Catholic and I'm unfamiliar with much of the tradition and beauty, but it was hard not to think of God while being in there. Incidentally, the choir was practicing from the top balcony as we were walking around looking at the stained glass windows. They blended in so well, I thought it was a soundtrack that they were playing. Very peaceful.

    I have two more trips on the docket. One of them will be down to Austin and the other will probably be to Louisiana. We need to replace the system we lost during Katrina. I'm not looking forward to being separated from Tara, but I've got to earn a living.

    Fritz and Honey have been adjusting to Tara's arrival. Tara realized that she was allergic to them and they got booted out of the bedroom. It's now a pet free zone. It's also been spectacularly amended since she arrived. (Of course her presence is a spectacular amendment, but I was referring to things we've either received or bought as a result of the gifts we've received.) We bought her a dresser and some matching night stands for us from Ikea. We also bought some lamps at Target with our gift cards as well as new sheets from Macy's (also courtesy of gift cards), and a down comforter from Bad Bath & Beyond. (another set of gift cards) I think it helped make this house her home because she isn't just using my items, she's also enjoying the gifts that were given to her.

    On Friday we're seeing Coldplay. It's my birthday gift. Later in the month we'll be seeing U2 again right here in DC.

    One last note about the Pets. Tara tried to shave the cat and Fritz has been voraciously devouring stuffed animals. Here are the Carcasses for your viewing pleasure.

Carcasses