J-Dawg turns 23!

Well, I have a confession... J-Dawg is younger than me. Thank goodness for his maturity level though, because he seems much older than he actually he is. I turned 23 in September of 2010 and he turned 23 in July of 2011 (you do the math). The poor thing severely dreaded his b-day coming up and was not looking forward to aging. But I give him props for being where he is at his age- manager of the mechanical and farming portion of the dairy, owns his truck, lives in a very nice home, is situated, and knows what he wants out of life. Now, how many 23-year-old men can say the same? 

I was invited out his way for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with his family and friends. I had been racking my mind for weeks of what to buy for him, and finally came up with some fun yet pragmatic ideas. His birthday was on Sunday, and I arrived on Saturday. His gift bags full of surprises and tissue paper sat in the back of my car, driving me crazy. But at midnight, I woke him up and handed him his gifts (I know, not nice). 

He got a new diddy bag (toiletry bag) stocked full of schtuff, plaid shorts (that I knew he'd never buy himself, but they were super cute), Silly Putty (perfect for he who must be playing with something at all times) and some brain teasers that I discovered he loves. He was grateful for his gifts and took right to the brain teasers. Sad part was, he's too stinkin' smart and figured them out in minutes, even though they were rated "difficult". Afterward that morning, we headed to his parents for the ritual Sunday morning brunch. 

Let me explain something to you... the Dutch love sandwiches! While I was taking my Dutch courses, I learned a new word: uitsmijter. Directly translated, it means "bouncer". Confused as to why the lady in my textbook was eating a bouncer, I called in reinforcements for my poor translating abilities. "No silly, uitsmijter is a breakfast sandwich," J-Dawg told me. Ooohhhh... that makes more sense. In fact, according to ask.com, the story goes that "this dish used to be served to cafe patrons late at night just before they were kicked out at closing time. It is still a popular breakfast- and lunch dish in the Netherlands."

Sunday morning brunches with J-Dawg's family consist of uitsmijters ham en kaas-  toast, mustard, ham and other sandwich meats, eggs (sunny side up) and varieties of Dutch cheese (Edam or Gouda). The first time I made J-Dawg breakfast (French toast, sausage and eggs), I watched as he piled it into one big sandwich. This would be the first of many occurrences. Then after about three Sunday brunches with his folks, I discovered the connection between the Dutch and sandwiches-- and it is a strong one! 

I began to love sandwiches, and now find myself making uitsmijters with or without J-Dawg. Also at Sunday morning brunches, coffee accompanies the sandwiches. And oh what a delicious combo. I love coffee to begin with, so anytime someone says "coffee break!", I'm in. While in Europe, I discovered that the Dutch and Belgians love to have coffee breaks around 9 or 10 am. This allows you to pull away from your work for about 15 minutes, and enjoy a cup of coffee and snack with co-workers or family. Now that I am savvy in world-travel (haha, not so much), I believe the US should instate this custom also. Would anyone like to second the motion? 

While enjoying our sandwiches and coffee, J-Dawg's family began to hand him his gifts. To explain what fun people his folks are, they told him he must FIND his gift from them. It was somewhere in the closed-off pool area where Sunday brunches occur. He looked everywhere possible and then eyed an air compressor box that looked out of place. Once he lifted it, he found a beautiful wooden carved eagle that stood about three feet tall. J-Dawg loves eagles, and was thoroughly impressed with his mom's purchase. He has the perfect place for it, but this will be mentioned in a blog to come later. : ) 

Prior to J-Dawg's birthday, his younger brother and I discussed what to get him. As I've mentioned before, J-Dawg is so incredibly pragmatic that whatever anyone purchased him, it would have to have a very good use. When his brother asked what I thought would be a good gift, socks immediately came to mind. What's more practical than socks? J-Dawg opened his gift to find thick, white, Hanes socks. For the boy who's always griping about having ones with holes, he got six brand new pairs. Everyone laughed, and he looked at me with a grim smile, knowing darn well it was my idea. He also received also received a pair of fluffy, soft, baby blue socks, from his sister along with a gift certificate to travel to Fredericksburg, TX for a weekend of wine tasting.

Birthday boy with his cake and fluffy socks

His mom then brought out his cake, and it looked delicious. We all enjoyed one an others company, slices of cake and coffee. It was then time for a dip in the family pool where pool badminton would take place. Do you have any idea how far birdies fly? Maybe that's why they're called birdies... J-Dawg, his sister, two brothers and I spent most of the time hopping in and out of the pool to get them, but we still had a blast! 


After his birthday party and hours of swimming, it was time for dinner. Afterward, clouds began rolling in. J-Dawg's dad talked about the chance of rain. If you've ever heard about farmers discussing rain, and think its cliche, you may be right. But owning a farm in eastern New Mexico and west Texas is probably on the Top 10 list of difficult jobs. These individuals go through months of drought and are still expected to produce not one, but numerous crops. So when rain finally hits, its a big deal!

They spoke in Frisian how they hadn't seen a good rain since October of 2010, bear in mind this was July of 2011. Just then, thunder began grumbling all around us and lightning flashes lit up the whole farm. The excitement could be seen in everyone's eyes as it began to pour. Being a desert rat, I ran out from under the garage and spun in circles in the torrential downpour. J-Dawg smiled warmly at me and joined. Just then the lightning hit very close to where we were standing, so we decided we could see the rain just fine from the garage. J-Dawg hugged me tightly and said it was the best birthday he had ever had.

You don't have to be a kid to act like one...

Reason #476 why I love J-Dawg: 
As you know, J-Dawg is just simply a blast. Everything done with him instantaneously becomes fun. I've had boyfriends in the past that would be fun for a minute, then would either become irritating or just flat out boring shortly after. I have not experienced this with J-Dawg, and don't believe I ever will. So... what do you do with the most fun kid ever?! Take him to 3-D movies and go-cart racing, DUH! 

After the Alan Jackson concert, we returned back to my folks house. Then J-Dawg, my mom and I purchased tickets to watch Cars 2 in 3-D. J-Dawg loves animated films, and I love watching them with him. They are also my favorite, but I never thought I'd meet someone who enjoys them as much as I do (except my niece).  J-Dawg just cracks up throughout kids movies, and then remembers the best quotes from them. He is such a pure and sweet individual (just like a child), and I love that about him. 


We arrived to theater, and for the big premier there was Cars stuff everywhere, including a car show out front. We found posters of Cars characters that kids had drawn, and J-Dawg helped me to see, my name was on it! 

We then went into the theater and were excited to watch the previews for upcoming films. Cars 2 ended up being a very cute movie and I love that Mater saved the day! I'm just sad that most Disney movies now have social, economic, or environmental message directed to children, when they are just supposed to be fun (with maybe a subtle moral message in it like Aesop's Fables). 
But we watched the movie and enjoyed our 3-D glasses. 

J-Dawg had been talking about this indoor race track for awhile, and he finally talked me into going. Although I love to speed, I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of teenagers on the same track as me, playing bumper cars. But I thought why not, and tried it anyways. 

We suited up and got into our cars. I was very cautious, slowing down at all the curves (I didn't wanna get flipped around and hit head on), whereas J-Dawg was just haulin! I lost count of the amount of times he passed me. I just waved and blew him a kiss, but I think he was going too fast to even see. 

Well, it goes without saying, J-Dawg kicked my butt. He decided to go a second time and I chose to sit on the sidelines and be his cheerleader. Teenagers bother me for the most part, and he had the same problem on his second go-round. They were acting ridiculous, using them as bumper carts, and didn't slow down when the caution flag was up. Although J-Dawg was leading, one of the rotten adolescents got their car stuck and hung out in front of him to let the others pass. Boo on teenagers. 

But we still had fun. He finished in the top both races. That's the great thing about J-Dawg-- no matter how many people try to ruin his fun, it just doesn't happen. It takes a lot to get him down, he's just a happy laid-back fella. We left holding hands and smiling.

Mother knows best...

My mom is such a sweetheart and really wanted to give J-Dawg and I a special and fun weekend. She was completely fine with me taking him to the Alan Jackson concert instead of her. Because the concert was very far away, she purchased us a hotel room so that we could use the hotel shuttle. Her best laid plans didn't quite turn out as we hoped, and trying to situate everything was becoming quite frustrating. This was the first time J-Dawg saw me mad, and although he was getting frustrated also, he tried keeping his cool for my sake. 

After hours of driving through 5 o'clock traffic with construction, we reached what we thought was the hotel, only to find it was in a complete other location. Once we arrived to the actual hotel, we realized how far away from the concert it was. We then learned there was no shuttle to and from the concert. The hotel room was incredibly elegant (and very expensive). Although I was grateful that my mom had done this for us, we felt horrible about the cost, and even worse that our "get-away" was making us want to go back home. 

We drove for miles out to the concert that was being held at the Santa Ana Star Center. After a long and frustrating night, we both took deep breaths and realized we needed to stop and enjoy the night. Some guy opened for Alan Jackson and neither of us were very impressed. Then we waited for the headliner... and waited... and waited... and waited some more. It was about an hour between the opening act and when Alan Jackson actually came on. People were getting up and leaving. 

But once he arrived, he put on a wonderful show. He wasn't promoting a new album, so he sang tons of his classics. Being in love with AJ since elementary school, I knew all of his songs and it brought back lots of memories. J-Dawg was really enjoying himself also. Country isn't big in Europe, but since he moved to the States, he had definitely come to love it. All our worries were forgotten that night, as his arm was wrapped around me and we sang along to "Tall, Tall Trees". 

We enjoyed the rest of the concert and then went back to the hotel. We stepped outside and realized how beautiful the view from the balcony was. J-Dawg had packed a bottle of wine (we both love wine and that has become our thing is to go shopping for a bottle of wine together, and then on our date nights, open it and share a glass) and we drank it sitting outside on the balcony, looking at the stars. "Okay mom," I thought, "you did good." 


We then wandered around the ginormous hotel, and checked out all the amenities. Three pools, what?! Unfortunately, it was too late and all were closed. The scenery was beautiful, and because the hotel was on tribal land, everything was very Native American (including this ginormous pottery waterfall). 

The next morning before leaving, we decided to soak up the landscape, and enjoy some time on the balcony before check out. The hotel truly was amazing, and J-Dawg and I felt as if we got the Honeymoon treatment as guests. 


What do you know, mom was right...

Family Pow Wow in the Panhandle

My elderly grandmother had one request of her family--- that we take a family photo for her to hang on her wall. Bro and Fiance, being the wonderful people they are, arranged a time and place for all the Tuttles to meet. Reeder (my other brother), his wife K, and their two beautiful children, already had plans to visit Bro and Fiance, so we all decided to go to Texas to meet them there. It'd be a great time to get the whole crew together... and a camera. 

We were slightly hurt though because my sister, Yo-Yo, and her husband, Marshdal (a name given to my sister's husband by a family friend's daughter), wouldn't be able to fly out there in such short notice from Georgia. Bro and Reeder gave Yo-Yo a hard time for missing out on "family time". All the while though, Yo-Yo had a trick up her sleeve--- she was planning on surprising everyone. My mom knew Yo-Yo and Marshdal would be coming, so they made the airport arrangements. After my mom picked them up, Yo-Yo and Marshdal surprised my dad, and they all loaded up and headed to Texas. 

In a Suburban full of Tuttles, they all arrived at Bro's house. Yo-Yo and Marshdal surprised Bro and Reeder, and the family reunion was nearly complete. J-Dawg and I weren't there yet because I had the interview with the company in Eastern New Mexico (who interviewed me with zero intentions of hiring me prior to even meeting me. Grrr). Grandad and Mo-Mo (as my parents have now become known as by the grandkids) were able to spend time with the little ones. This was also an exciting weekend, as this was the first time most of us met the newest addition to the Tuttle family, Reeder and K's son, Pate. He's so stinkin' cute! 


J-Dawg and I arrived and the festivities began. Bro was barbequing, mom and Yo-Yo were makin' drinks, and we were all just wandering around enjoying one an others company. The best part of the afternoon was when K came in the kitchen and said, "Hey Traci, he's cute! And don't listen to what your brothers say, his accent is awesome!" Receiving K's approval for J-Dawg  meant a lot to me! We roamed around Bro's house, which is out in the middle of nowhere (no, serious). Everyone was outside near the pens where the horse and calf were, and instantly I saw Bailey dart under the fence to chase the calf! Next thing, I hear Bro screaming, "Traci, get your dog!" Just what I needed was for my Llasa Apso to kill Bro's calf. Luckily, J-Dawg sprung in and grabbed her. She knew she was in trouble.


We spent the rest of the afternoon, just socializing with one another and playing with the little ones and the pups.  It was so nice to have everyone together, and I was excited for J-Dawg to meet everyone. The boys were very kind to him, but did give him the "if you hurt my sister" lecture.

Then we went back to the hotel and realized there was a lot of goofing off to be had! There were these ginormous horse statues out front, just calling mine and J-Dawg's names. AND a huge heated swimming pool that we had to jump into!

The next day we went to Amarillo and hit up all the sporting goods stores. In two separate vehicles, we were split up, but met at Gander Mountain. Suburban 1 had Bro, Fiance, Reeder, K and the kids while Suburban 2 had Mom, Dad, Yo-Yo, Marshdal, J-Dawg and myself (who would have ever thought our family would be this big!?) J-Dawg and Dad were having a blast looking at all the ammunition, while Mom and Yo-Yo were looking at camping cookware. Bro, Fiance, Reeder and K were all wondering around checking out everything. I felt like a 5-year-old who had lost their parents in Wal-Mart, I wasn't sure where to go. 


Suburban 1 had already eaten, so they went shopping some more while Suburban 2 went to grab some grub. There's a place in Amarillo that my dad loves because of their calf fries (if you're unsure what these are, you may know them better as Rocky Mountain Oysters), so we opted to eat there. J-Dawg had never eaten them before, so he was pretty excited to try them. And I think Yo-Yo and Marshdal were just excited to eat at a delicious steakhouse. The waiter came by and took our orders- Dad got an entire plate of calf fries, haha. And J-Dawg and I ordered steaks and milk, the best meal ever.

Then we went to yet another sporting goods store, and J-Dawg and I goofed off some more. He is just so much fun and there is never a dull moment when he's around. We walked down the dog aisle to see if I could find anything fun for my pups. He stared at the shelves lined entirely with dog beds and wondered why dogs like them so much. Then, he found out. They're super comfy!  

The next day, the photographer came and took pictures. Photographing this many people must be difficult, so I give the young aspiring photographer who took our pictures props. And J-Dawg was even in the total family photo, hmmmmm.... (*cough* foreshadowing *cough*) 

The Tuttle Girls- (From left to right) K, me, my niece, Mom, Fiance, and YoYo

My Handsome J-Dawg and Me

The Tuttle Men- (left to right) Reeder, my nephew, Grandad, and Bro

We're goin' out with our boots on!

World's Longest Tramway (Well, 'usedta-could' be)

J-Dawg had mentioned he had heard that New Mexico had the world's longest tramway and wanted to check it out. (Sandia used to be the world's longest tram, until Armenia built a 3.4 mile last year). The Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain, a distance of 2.7 miles (when it's open). The winds that afternoon after the wine fest had kicked up something fierce, so we went the day after. 

So the next morning, we left to head to the tram. Its funny because I used to dread driving in Abq, because of the inconsiderate drivers. But J-Dawg offered to drive. In his hefty, tall truck, he does not put up with any aggressive nor passive driver's non-sense. I love how safe I feel when I'm beside him. I realized that each time I'm with him, I have an invisible safety bubble around me, and am untouchable. My lifetime of clutziness (broken bones, dented cars, public plunges, and other embarrassing moments) may be reduced with the simple introduction of one man into my life. If I never run into an open dishwasher door again, I would consider myself to be ridden of the terrible Anaya curse, all fixed by Sir Dutchman.

After a very long, steep drive up to the base of the Sandia mountains, we took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. We waited in line, then crawled onto the tram with many others, especially tourists. Sometimes, I forget J-Dawg is still semi a tourist. He hasn't seen many things in the state of New Mexico, or the US for that matter, that the rest of us are accustom to. Because of this, he reminds me of the true beauty in the small things, that otherwise would go unnoticed. We take time and smell a lot of roses. 

He stood behind me and held me around the waist as we looked at the beautiful mountains below us. Although neither of us are really scared of heights, there were times when the wind began rocking the tram, that it became pretty uncomfortable. But I wasn't too worried, because I was in J-Dawg's arms. The scenery was beautiful, the temperature was a wonderful change from the desert heat, and we were together. It was perfect.

We reached the top and looked over at all of Albuquerque, what a beautiful site.We visited the High Finance restaurant (appropriately named, pretty expensive), and opted to share a drink. And to be honest, I was curious about the myth of alcohol at high altitudes. J-Dawg told me to pick any drink I wanted, that it was on him. (He was driving and didn't want anything.) Yes, it is true, I felt a slight buzz after only a couple of sips of Sandia Ice Cream made with butterscotch, Bailey's, Kahlua, and Frangelico with cream on the rocks. What a delicious drink... $13 delicious. We hung out a little bit longer at the top and enjoyed the beautiful view, then decided to head back down.

We then headed south to my place so we could spend some time together, and it was important to me that J-Dawg and my friends had become acquainted. I invited a couple of my girl friends to go to dinner with J-Dawg and I at Texas Roadhouse. It made me laugh how he loved the peanuts on the floor. The girls really liked him, and were super happy for me. That meant a lot to me. I received a text afterwards from one of them that said "Be sure and send me an invite to the wedding!"

Once again we only had the one night left together, he had to leave in the morning. I hated saying goodbye, but felt a little better because I was planning on heading his way at the end of that week and then we would head to Bro's for a mini family reunion. The next morning, we bid our goodbyes and I explained to him that I felt sorry for people who don't know him because they're missing out! He replied, "I don't know, I'm just me." And that's what I love the most about him.

Rotten Weekend Turned Wonderful

J-Dawg and I were as happy as we could be (except for fighting the distance between us). At this point, we had only been together for one month, but when we spent time together it was like having five dates in one, so we were pretty far along in the relationship. After that frightful night, we became even closer and realized how important we were to one another. 

For a couple of weeks prior to the wrong-way accident, J-Dawg and I had been discussing how neat it'd be to attend a wine festival. We knew there were a couple going on during Memorial Day Weekend, and had planned on attending. There was also one in southern NM, but we opted to avoid the heat and dirt, and attend the one with grass --great decision-making skills, right? Logic. Besides, were already at my folks and didn't want to head back south. (Little did we know, the good tasting wine would be at the other wine fest! Dangit!)

Although I was hesitant about attending an activity involving alcohol, both J-Dawg and my parents reassured me that what happened that night wasn't my fault. We ate a large lunch and decided wine sipping would be enjoyable. We arrived at the entrance into Balloon Fiesta Park, paid a hefty admission cost, and was then given small wine glasses with the Abq Wine Fest logo on it. J-Dawg said, "Well, I'm glad that for that price, that we got something out of it!"  I agreed. I love J-Dawg's financial reasoning. His wallet doesn't squeak when he opens it, but he is a money savvy. 

When we walked in, the entire park was completely packed and lines were incredibly, unreasonably long. So much for avoiding the crowds. And there were tons of children! Surprised, we wondered why parents would take their children out into the blazing heat, and make them watch people drink wine. Poor kids. We took our glasses, stood in line (for-ev-er...), and began the taste testing. Too dry, too sour, too syrupy. Hmmm... maybe we just weren't wine connoisseurs.

 

We saw the Plum Loco booth, and I was ecstatic because I knew it'd be sure to please. Of course, it had the longest line. While waiting, there was a group behind us of girls about my age just a-yappin'. One was complaining about how full she was because she ate, not one, but TWO gluten-free pancakes for breakfast. That was the highlight of my day to see J-Dawg nearly shoot wine out of his nose, fighting back the laughter. Oh no, not TWO gluten-free pancakes!!!

We got to the front of the line and was excited to see all the flavors they had. Not just Plum Loco and Summer Peach, but Voluptuous (Strikingly sweet, this Moscato is bursting with the flavor of rich melon stacked with plump summer berries and hints of ripe peaches) and Triple Berry Bliss (an enticing red wine blended with the all natural juice of three of the world's foremost super fruits-- tart cranberries, sweet blackberries and tropical açai berries).We had about a sip of each, and that was all it took. We purchased bottles of the ones we knew we couldn't get elsewhere.

We were grateful for the Plum Loco booth, because we didn't have such wonderful tastings at the next booth. I will not mention any names, but I do recall asking to taste one of their cherry wines that looked and sounded delectable. He poured it into my glass, and I marveled at its beautiful color, somewhat opaque but nearly looked metallic. I took a swig, swished it around in my mouth for a moment, then, as quick as possible,went to the side of their tent (where no one could see), and spewed it out everywhere. I then wiped my tongue with my shirt. 

J-Dawg's look on his face expressed 'it can't be that bad!' I handed him my glass, and after tasting it, he reacted exactly the same. "It tastes like burned electronics!" (explains why it was metallic in color) he sputtered out with his tongue hanging out. Although this description may be hard to fathom, if you had tasted this wine, you would completely agree! After we regrouped (and drank lots of water and ate some food to get that awful taste out), we decided to call it a day, thinking there was no way we could handle another similar experience.

 

That night we played Rummikub with my mom, and nearly busted a rib laughing so hard. My mom really got to see the warm and funny side of J-Dawg that night, and really took him. My mom and I are cheaters very considerate with one another when we play board games. Its more like Go-Fish for us, "Oh you need this? Here you go." I worried J-Dawg may get upset with our board game behavior. Just as I began to wonder if he was crazy competitive like my exes, and would stop at nothing to win, I felt him touch my knee... holding the tile I needed. It isn't that any of us believe that cheating is okay, but I realized just then that J-Dawg has a heart just like the one I got from my mom. If you love 'em, be there for 'em.

Near Brush with Death

During Memorial Day Weekend, one of my best friends that I had known since mid-school, was having her college graduation party that Friday night, and I really wanted to celebrate with her. J-Dawg wouldn't be able to come till Saturday morning, so it all kind of worked out. I made my parents dinner that night, so I was running late getting out of the house to head to Kat's party. We finished eating, I kissed my parents goodbye, and they asked me to be safe (as they always do) but there was a deeper concern in their voice than normal. I disregarded their uneasy feeling and left.

I pulled onto the highway from my parent's road, and was listening to a new song from the Country Strong soundtrack I had recently downloaded. Singing along to the lyrics "When the stars line up, and you catch a good break, and people think you're lucky, but you know it’s grace. It can happen so fast, or a little bit late, timing is everything. You know I’ve had close calls, when it could have been me. I was young when I learned just how fragile life could be, I lost friends of mine, I guess it wasn’t my time, time is everything. I could have been a child that got took home, and I would have been one more unfinished song. And when it seems a rhyme is hard to find, that’s when one comes along just in time. Timing is everything."

At that instant, I saw headlights pointed toward me and immediately realized there was a truck driving the wrong way. I then saw them pass me in the inside lane driving incredibly fast. Immediately, I began to panic, pulled over and call 911. I explained my location, the description of the vehicle (which I barely caught because of how quick it was going) and gave them my contact information. I hung up the phone and then called my parents to explain what happened and told them I was on my way home. I also called J-Dawg, because I knew he'd be able to help calm my nerves.

I took some deep breaths, collected myself and got back on the road, only to see red flashing lights, ambulances and police just a mile or two down the road. "Please no" I thought. For some reason, could be human nature, but I had to drive down to see what had happened. All the while I was hoping the driver did not hit someone else, but a pole, wall or something to that effect. When I arrived at the scene, the police officer asked me to turn around and said "someone has just passed away here". My worst fear was just realized.

I went home completely startled and in tears. My mom and dad stayed up with me throughout the night to comfort me. My phone rang at 2am, it was the 911 dispatcher asking for more information. I asked what happened and was informed that the driver had hit another car and killed the person. And that instant, my stomach dropped and I felt as if I needed to vomit. J-Dawg called and talked me through my sadness and comforted me. Then my parents and I just sat. After hours of sitting there in silence, I was able to fall asleep. The next morning, we had turned on the news, only to hear there were three other similar accidents Memorial Weekend involving three wrong-way drunk drivers. 

J-Dawg got in that morning, rushed to me, and swept me into his arms. He whispered into my ear "I don't know what I would do if that was you last night. I'm so glad you're okay," and kissed my forehead. At that point, I was more than okay. I knew it wasn't my time, I knew there was still much more to learn, much more to see, and that God had some more tasks for me on his to-do list. I couldn't leave them unfinished. My parents smiled as J-Dawg held me, and they, like me, were so grateful that my guardian angel was flying faster than I was driving.