Thanksgiving: 15 Years of Marriage!

This Thanksgiving Day (November 26, 2009), Dave and I celebrate exactly 15 years of marriage! Wow! Although we are privileged enough to have grown up in intact homes (my parents have been married for close to 41 years and Dave's were married 57 years), FIFTEEN YEARS seems like a really long time when it comes to this day and age. It also seems like a really long time ago that we walked down that aisle and said our "I Dos" to each other. We were two very different people then, and we both admit that we like the people we are today much better.

So much has happened in those 15 years...schooling, careers, a child...the ups and downs of figuring out how to work together and stay together. Some years have been extremely difficult - with chaos, challenges and heartache. Some years have been phenomenally wonderful - with celebrations, accomplishments, deeper realizations of who are as individuals and as a couple... so that I feel like we have finally come to this place of understanding quite a bit more about what it means to have really lived life together - the good, the bad and the ugly.

By no means am I suggesting that we have it all figured out. We still fight about the SAME THINGS, we still are frustrated by the very same quirks we came into this marriage with, still confounded by the other person at times... but one of the things I've really noted about all the years we've been together is that we TALK... we talk A LOT! It's a constant conversation with the two of us - sharing what we're struggling with, who we're struggling with, what we think of a situation, what we think of each other (good and bad), what we think the solution to the current political crisis of the day might be, the article we just read in the paper, the book that he wanted to read but I read for him and give him the synopsis when I'm done (he does plenty of reading for work)...that has been one of the keys to our survival as a couple...

...that and our faith...our belief that something larger than us is at work in our lives and that our vows to our God go much deeper than how we feel about one another on any particular day. That's been the one thing that has kept us talking, moving in the same direction... I know for others this isn't an ingredient, and that's okay. But, for us... it's been the ingredient that has grown our love, our respect and our care for each other through the years.

And, finally... I am grateful to be married to a man who sees me as his equal in life... his partner, if you will. One of the major factors in my decision to marry him was the fact that he wrote me a long letter right before our engagement. He wanted to know what my dreams were and how he could help me achieve them... I was amazed at this man who had a desire to journey through life together - helping each other reach goals... it wasn't just about his career, his dreams, his desires and I was merely there to help him get what he wanted. Dave Quan was the first guy I had dated or encountered in my life who recognized that my value in our relationship was SEPERATE from his. I was an individual with goals and dreams and they deserved to be pursued just as much as his own. And as much as my church friends at times might scoff at the egalitarian nature of our relationship... I must say... it has worked for us... because this Thursday we are celebrating 15 years of marriage!!!

So, this is a Thanksgiving tribute to my husband...Dave - I am grateful for you and our marriage...for the years we've shared together, all the struggles and joys that have come with it. And I am grateful for your love and grace that have been so important in my journey. Happy Anniversary!!!

We had a great time celebrating this past week with our friends - Johnny & Susan Myers - at our favorite Hill Country destination... The Inn Above Onion Creek... Enjoy the pics!

The Orthodontist Lied

This is the official update regarding Nate's braces. He wants the world to know that he has not gotten to chew gum in over a year. He is also not happy that our orthodontist told him he'd only have to wear his braces for a year. In truth, he has to now wear them for a total of one year and THREE months! Oh my...three more months than was originally estimated. He's not happy about this, but because a definitive end is in sight, he is dealing.

I have to say, dentists and orthodontists for kids have come a long way since my childhood. I really am not all that old, but I don't recall such incredible waiting rooms or perks when I was going in for cleanings and check ups. Nate's orthodontist's office is totally tricked out! The waiting room has a huge plasma screen television, always playing the latest and greatest kid movie. There's an entire room dedicated to Wii and Playstation - the place Nate heads to as soon as we walk in the door. He even gets "Bubba Bucks." This is quite the incentive program, I have to say. Don't ask me why, but our orthodontist has a "mascot" who is a water buffalo and his name is Bubba. I guess that's what you call a water buffalo from Texas, I don't know. Nate can earn Bubba bucks for all sorts of things - for showing up to his appointment on time, for wearing his orthodontist's t-shirt (great marketing), for having good hygiene when they put his new bands on... for just being the cute kid he is (honestly, I think those front desk ladies give him Bubba Bucks merely because he's such a good kid)... So we cashed in this past visit. Nate had sixty Bubba Bucks after a year of going to see the orthodontist. He turned them in and got a $30 Game Stop card and a couple of Chick-Fil-A gift certificates.

The other "perk" of braces is the various colored bands you get to choose from everytime they get changed. Over the course of this past year we have oft gotten orange and white (go Longhorns!), and a plethora of other combinations in honor of various sports teams that Nate has an affinity for...

We are looking forward to JANUARY when the braces will officially come off! Nate has already asked that we plan to buy a big package of bubble gum before we go. We will then ceremoniously break open the package upon our departure from the orthodontist's office and he can chew as much bubble gum as he wants...

Our Family and Food

Today when we were driving home from church I started talking to Nate about how when he's grown up, wherever he decides to live, I would like to visit him. He then announced that he would like to live in Los Angeles. Hmmm... I thought maybe it was because we had an incredible beach house vacation in Huntington Beach last year, or maybe because I had been talking about how wonderful it was to be able to go skiing in just a couple of hours... but that wasn't quite it.

"Why do you want to live in L.A. when you grow up?" Dave asked.

Nate's answer: "Because that's where In 'N Out Burger is."

We laughed. Then I looked over at Dave, who was driving. He was just beaming with pride. We have raised a child who thinks just like us. Every significant occasion, every trip or special moment - well, we pretty much can remember those days by the meals we've had. And, In 'N Out Burger was the restaurant of choice one summer when we spent a month vacationing on the Pacific Ocean. Nothing like a Double Double and one of their incredible chocolate milkshakes!

I work out at a gym in Montrose four mornings a week. My route takes me down the 59 spur and drops me off right at Westheimer, where if I crane my neck and peer right a little bit, I can see our favorite Houston restaurant - Brennan's - being re-built. So much tragedy occurred during Hurricane Ike, but I tell you, it was the burning down of Brennan's that was the biggest news of that time for us. Brennan's has hosted every anniversary dinner, my 30th birthday (which was awhile ago now) and significant celebration for us for over a decade now. Last November I lamented over and over again about where we would have our annversary dinner since Brennan's had burned down. Let me just say, we check their website regularly and can hardly wait. There is nothing like the food and ambiance of that place - turtle soup with a little sherry drizzled in, their shrimp and grits cooked tableside, bananas foster (the original recipe!), and the taking home of their pralines when we are leaving at the end of an incredible meal.

When Dave and I reflect on our honeymoon... even there... the food is a top memory... the steaks (Alberta, Canada has incredible beef) at Chateau Lake Louise's Edelweiss room, not to mention their chocolate fondue (which they flew fresh fruit in for daily)...

So, that's us. We love, love, love to celebrate with food. Sushi on Friday nights at Kubo's... a great burger at Christian's Tailgate, breakfast at the Buffalo Grille, cupcakes from Crave, Pho at Mai's, dim sum at Fung's or Yum Yum Cha, Salted Fish Fried Rice from Hong Kong Street Cafe, warm German Chocolate Cake at Mark's... if you EVER want a culinary tour of Houston , just give us a call! We will hook you up!

And if you want to come over for dinner...well, let us know. We can take care of that as well - whether we've got our favorite curry or jook in the crockpot (that's Christmas Eve for the Quans, by the way), Tortilla Soup (ala Houston Junior League's cookbook), our favorite flank steak marinated in incredible spices and olive oil, turkey meatloaf, baked salmon, healthy chocolate brownies with Scharffenberger Chocolate (you can't beat it)... you name it, we'll work on cooking it for you!


Much of life is set around our table... eating dinner together most every night of the week, celebrating a birthday, or just good ol' fellowship with friends... come on over (or let's go out!)... just let us know!