A Survey About the Mr. and Mrs.

This is going around and I thought I would answer it to let you in on us....

What are your middle names?

My middle name was Dian, but now I use my maiden name, Langley, as my middle name.

Chuck's is Pierce. But he's not Charles Pierce....he's William Pierce. Go figure. Apparently his grandfather thought he looked like a little woodchuck....and the "Chuck" stuck as his nickname.

A woodchuck?

A woodchuck.

How long have you been together?

Dated for a year; married for 25 1/2 years. whew!

Taken at a "50's" party in our dating days. "50's" parties were all the rage...I swear I went to at least one a year.....Happy Days.

October 22, 1983

We had a church reception.........and when we arrived that day, there was a hideous mural on butcher paper on the walls........the caterer tried to cover it with a lattice screen. Made for a great background. Very small wedding.........very large marriage.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

4 years

Who asked whom out?

Chuck asked me and I struggled with it. We were really good friends who ran in a circle of friends. I was afraid if we "dated" and broke up, it would ruin the group. I said yes because I couldn't say no.

I worried about "breaking up" before we even began dating because that was the pattern I was in. Date, break up, date, break up, date, break up. Oh, and there was some of this, too........one date...never saw them again......

But we soon became an inseparable couple.... after 6 months, I asked him to "Pee or get off the pot." ....so to speak. We would probably still be dating if I hadn't done that. I was 24 and he was 25 and I felt like we were getting old. ha.

How old are each of you?

Me....51

Chuck...much older....52

Whose siblings do you see most often?

We socialize with my sister, Catha, and her husband, Kim, as often as possible.

My older sister and I don't see each other much.....holidays, mostly.

Thought I would throw this in here as it makes such a statement.

Yes, side ponytails were in. Very IN. In 1972.

Back row, Lisa, the oldest, Me, the youngest.

Front row, Daddy, Mama, Catha, the middle child.

Chuck is styling in maroon bell bottom pants here. His sister, Beth, is looking swell in a dress similar to Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz. And of course, the baby brother, Michael looks like a big boy in his striped blazer.

Chuck's brother and sister live in Mississippi...

so they are seen about once or twice a year when we visit his parents. They NEVER come to see us. Apparently the drive is too far. (But the road does go both ways...)

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

I'm a spender married to a saver.

I'm a talker married to a non-talker.

Those 2 situations are a tie for what's the hardest on us as a couple.

Did you go to the same school?

No, but I went to highschool with a boy that ended up being in engineering classes with Chuck at Mississippi State. They came out to Houston together to work for the electric company in a co-op program and that's how I met Chuck....through my highschool friend.

Chuck co-opping at HL&P (now CenterPoint).....this is what he looked like when I met him

....4 years before we started dating.

Who is smarter?


Chuck is educated....meaning he got a college degree...and he is very intelligent about worldly things like geography and history and math and political situations.

But I've got the street smarts.


Chuck remembers everything he ever learned. I remember.....uh, where was I going with this.....

Who is the most sensitive?

Chuck.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

Carraba's

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

Hum....which is further from Houston? Vancouver, Canada or Montreal? We took the Via (train trip) across Canada the spring of '84 with my family.

Who has the craziest "exes?"


I think I'm the only one with exes.....and I'm going to say they were "crazy" to let me get away.

Who has the worst temper?

The one that had the PMS. And is now menopausal.

Who does the cooking?

I cook, he grills......mostly I'm the one who gets it on the table the majority of the time. Hahaha....table! We really eat in front of the tv.

Who is the neat freak?

I am.

Except, here's a dirty little secret.....we share a closet and his side is always very, very neat. Mine looks like a bomb went off during the week. But I usually straighten it up on the weekends.

Who is more stubborn?

I am. He is. And we have 3 children more stubborn than either of us.

Who hogs the bed?

He lays very still, right down the middle.
I toss and turn but hug the edge. So I'm going to say he does.

Who wakes up earlier?

He does....long commute.
I sleep until the very last possible minute.

Who is more jealous?

Well, I probably am......in that I would go nuts and have a hard time forgiving if I ever caught Chuck doing something with another woman. But maybe he would feel the same.....

On a day to day basis, I am not feeling any jealousy.




How long did it take to get serious?

Once we began dating.....only a few weeks. We already knew each other as good friends, but had never been around each other alone...just the 2 of us. Since he was a non-talker, I thought he was a "zero"........but he actually had a funny personality and it didn't take me long to figure out he was a really good guy.




Who eats more?




Chuck eats more at one sitting. I eat more often during the day.
He has the ability to skip meals.....I can't do that.

Chuck eats more red meat. I eat more bread.





Who's better with the computer?


Chuck, the computer nerd. But I blog. And he's impressed.




Who drives when you are together?

Usually Chuck. But I am on the right side, hitting the brakes against the floorboard. Chuck is an aggressive driver and I do alot of "correcting"......and preparing for the bullet to enter my body when he makes someone mad because he is crawling up their tailpipe.

You haven't lived dangerously until you are in the car with Chuck and he needs to turn .......without a blinker..........and ARRRRGGGHHHH.

Oh, and he changes lanes just because. My blood pressure is going up just thinking about it.

I'm sure it's a "control" issue with me. By the way, I get all the speeding tickets in the marriage.

And there you have it. More than you probably wanted to know.

Me and Smokey Robinson

In the spring of 2006, I went to New York City with Catha and her boys. The first night there, we checked into our hotel then walked next door to a drugstore. A tall, good looking man walked by me with the lightest green eyes and brightest teeth. I knew him. I knew that he was someone famous. I KNEW him....but I couldn't think of his name. I went up to the young clerk and asked her if she knew who he was....she didn't and then, then it came to me! It was Smokey Robinson.....Motown....my childhood music.....Tears of a Clown.

So I basically followed him around the store to get one more good look at him and then went up to him and asked him if he would take a picture with us. And he graciously said yes.....

And tonight he is on American Idol.

Catha, Smokey, and me.

Sedona, AZ

....get there as quick as you can....

Jordan, Will and I drove to Sedona for the day last Saturday...the last full day of our trip. But only after we promised to be nice to each other.

Sedona is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Jordan's apartment if you do not drive 15 miles out of the way to look for a Chick-Fil-A for breakfast....the one the Garmin sends you to that is in the food court of a mall and is no longer in existence. So then you go to plan B and just pick up McDonalds for breakfast. McDonalds......the 5th one you've passed since you left the apartment 45 minutes ago. But you were being led by the Garmin to a Chick-Fil-A and just drove past all those McDonalds.

The people in my family love their Garmins.....and I think there is a need for them sometimes. But really, looking out the window works, too. Just like in the old days. Anyway...back to the trip to a Slice of Heaven.

As you're driving from Phoenix north to Sedona, the terrain is pretty much the same as in Phoenix....but greener. The view begins to change as you near Sedona. You will see your first red dirt and mountains/rock formations/buttes/mesas? Ask your nearest geologist or a 4th grade teacher for the actual name of these.....

A butte...a mesa....a mutte....a besa....a mountain....a buttountain...a mesatain... ?

Will and Jordan took a Pink Jeep Tour that takes you up about 1600 feet in elevation. It's a 2 hour tour that allows moms some alone time in the stores full of silver and turquoise.

Pink Jeeps

Drinking Arizona tea in Arizona....get it?

I'm not saying this "carving" was there before Will got there....I'm not saying it wasn't.

After the tour and a quick lunch, we drove north of Sedona

just a few miles to Slide Rock State Park.

First you walk up this trail.....

Then you go down a long flight of stairs...

Next, you climb down the rocks....

Finally, you're on the creek bed.

Oak Creek....which runs from the mountains down through Sedona.

Jordan's braving the ice cold water.

A MUST.....if you're ever in the area.

Just look at this rolling creek....see through, ice cold water.

This is my second visit to Sedona.... and I hope I get to go back several more times. I'm not sure why I love this place so much. I think it's because I feel so sure of God when I'm there. I mean, I certainly have had my doubts of his existence....times when I beg him to make his presence known to me. And then I see this.....

and I know that noone, no thing could have created this......but God. A mighty God.

Stripes....God created stripes.

Majestic formations made of hard rock....God created this.

Beautiful blooms that arrive every spring.....God's timing.

Clouds formed in our image.....God?

All the colors in a sunset.....who else could it be?




AMEN.

I will end this on a silly note. I actually took this picture before I left for Phoenix, but it was with the trip pictures I've been looking through. I suspect this is what went on while I was gone. Maggie and Chuck watching tv. Not talking. Waiting for me to get back.

Phoenix, AZ

......and the surrounding area.....

The second day of our trip to Phoenix, Jordan and Will climbed halfway up Camelback Mountain. Jordan's made it all the way to the top before. She says it's worth the climb because of the view once you get to the top. I'll take her word for it.

I think the view from "halfway" is great.

I stayed home and watched tv with a second cup of coffee.

After their hike, we went to a cute place for lunch where there was all sorts of salads and sandwiches......and sushi. Will got the sushi and ate with chopsticks.

He's mature enough to eat sushi but immature enough to play with his food....or trash....

Will's trash.

After lunch, we shopped for awhile, then Jordan and I got pedicures while Will sat in one of the empty massage chairs and played with the massage options. We ate dinner at Pier 54...yep, there's a lake in the desert....we enjoyed watching the sun set.

Will plays with things and then takes pictures of them. I have to admit, it's fun to see these pictures later....

My wine, the lake and the evening sky...taken by Will.

The third day in Phoenix, we went for brunch at Morning Glory Cafe, located on a farm. There are other restaurants located on this farm, but this one was recommended for it's fabulous breakfasts. Everything is grown organically right there......vegetation and animals. But I feel sure the bacon on my plate didn't come from the previous relatives of the cute pigs we later saw.

Don't think about it, don't think about it.

If you click on the image of the menu, you can read all about the farm and how it got its start. It was very quaint and "mother earth" and eating outside near the gardens while the hens clucked was extremely relaxing.

Jordan took this photo on the farm. Imagine being outside in 72' weather with cuteness like this.

After breakfast, we walked around the place and came across the Wishing Tree.....

The pockets are for your wishes......

So Will made a wish and put it in a pocket.

I would like to tell you that Will's wish was for peace and for the farm to stay here for generations to come.....

But really, he wishes to marry Kelly Clarkson. The odds of that and world peace are probably about the same. But a boy can wish.

Some other very well dressed trees.....

The rest of the day was spent shopping and going to a matinee. We saw Gran Torino. Jordan and I had already seen it and LOVED it. But Will hadn't, so we saw it again so he could see how great it was. The minute the movie was over, he stood up and said, "I didn't like it."

GRRRRRRRRRR...........

So there is proof that what floats my boat may not float yours.

Since this was day 3 of our trip, some of us were a little grouchy.

And by some of us, I mean all of us.

Sayings don't just make themselves up.....they are based on truth......so as the saying goes...

Fish, like company, goes bad by the third day.

This saying has been proven many, many times when we have visited the inlaws for more than 3 days. Day 1 is always wonderful. Day 2 is still somewhat of a "honeymoon" phase. But by the end of the third day, you will most likely be just plain sick and tired of one another. And I most certainly will be constipated.

But we went to bed early and woke up happy on Saturday

with the promise to treat each other nicely.

Next post.....Sedona, AZ. A little slice of heaven on earth.

Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ...

I found someone with a bigger mouth than mine.

Mexican food....Arizona style...the rice is mixed with corn and cheese...yum.
Our family takes pictures of the food on vacations.

Jordan and Will in Old Town Scottsdale.

The closest I will ever get to cheating on Chuck. Come to think of it....

he reminds me of Chuck...a non-talker.

Will said, "This might possibly be the best hot dog I've ever had."

Back from Arizona....

We had a great time in AZ.....but it's always good to get back home. Between 4 cameras, I have lots of pictures....but for tonight I will just post one. This is the evening sky on Saturday....taken from the car on our drive back to Phoenix from Sedona. Do you see what I see?