Musings on Super Bowl Sunday

Okay, this Sunday morning was known in advance to be out of the ordinary. It is Super Bowl Sunday after all. Grant still assimilating into the American culture and learning to embrace holidays and events begins to show his enthusiasm and appreciation for a day off with plans of planting himself on the couch for all and certainly main sporting events.

I could vehemently argue with anyone that this is more of a MAN thing versus cultural assimilation, but I digress.

The Super Bowl game is certainly an event, one which requires pre-planning and strategy for maximum enjoyment. So Grant maps out the seating arrangement in the living room weeks in advance, proclaiming his spot next to the corner table with ample room for snacks and drinks, the recliner footrest, direct centered unobstructed view of the big screen TV.

He failed however to answer the question "what would you like to snack on and eat on Super Bowl Sunday?" resulting in the early morning realization that on this rainy, windy, cold day he was going to have to drive me to Costco to get provisions. Or starve.

Credit goes to Grant here for not blowing his stack at the fact that during the Costco run for a few provisions ended up with a massive cart of miscellaneous "good deals" that I found on everything from razors, to plastic airtight containers to organize the pantry in the kitchen. Total bill for this little snack run: $234.84

Once we returned home and after Grant unloaded the car (in the driving rain) and by the time I unpacked everything, Grant dried off and put on his flannel lounging pants and a sweatshirt preparing for his day.

About 90 minutes before the big game, I got a call to pick up Janeva from a sleepover at a friend's house. Stopping at a red light and looking off to my left I saw something that just struck me as so funny that I immediately called Grant and told him what I saw and asked him if he'd quickly drive to the intersection and snap a picture so that I would later have proof of what I was seeing.

Before you look at the picture, imagine this: After a small amount of grumbling, Grant got dressed, putting on his jacket and boots, went out into the pouring rain and wind, got into his car and drove to the intersection....then had to get out of the car, walk up to this man standing at the corner of this busy intersection, apologizing to the man for interrupting his waving at passing cars explaining that he was there at his wife's request to snap HIS picture. Grant got the guys permission and he even eagerly posed for this picture.....



Now I ask you.....where but in Southern California will you get an opportunity to see a man named Jose Hernandez posing as Lady Liberty?

My heartfelt thanks to Grant for going above and beyond the call of duty and also Jose Hernandez for making this special moment bringing two cultures together for our amusement.

On my way home, Grant called me on my cellphone to tell me he did in fact get the picture for me. Then asked me to stop off at the store to get some chips as we forgot to get them at Costco when we got the six layered dip that was sought after for today's event. Total cost for the spontaneous chip run at the grocery store: 22.15

NOW back to me and my knitting the sock.......

My FIRST post on my own blog!

Grant and I married in 2005. Grant immigrated from Australia to the U.S. in 2005 after a two year long distance relationship. After all the huge phone bills and several trips to the U.S. so he could take me on REAL dates, Grant decided it would be so much easier and cheaper if we both resided in the same zip code. So he made this huge leap, leaving a career, family and practically all the material things one accumulates in a lifetime behind and arrived in Southern California to start a new life with a new wife, her teenage daughters Jillian and Janeva, and their dogs Max and Murphy. Side Note: Murphy has a blog of his own and now apparently only understands Australian.

Shortly after Grant arrived he discovered that I was a KNITTER. He knew I knitted, he thought it was charming that I knitted from time to time. That was his impression BEFORE he arrived.

I wish I had a picture of the first time he opened the closet to claim some space as his own, and found my stash of yarn. Okay, well ONE of my stashes of yarn. I think maybe it was about four months before he found ALL of the yarn that is tucked in various parts of the house, the garage, closets, bowls, in bins, in plastic bags, under beds and in the attic and even in my car.

About four months after Grant's arrival, he got to experience his first earthquake. It was a mild 4.2 in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up startled and threw my arm over Grant to ensure he didn't jump up out of bed not knowing what was going on. When the shaking ended, Grant calmly asked "what was THAT?" I said "An earthquake, don't worry it was a small one and we are all fine." Grant said "no doubt, if it had been a big one we all would have been buffered by falling balls of yarn! No worries!"

A day does not go by without an outburst of laughter somewhere in the midst of our normal chaos or a simple explanation is offered of "It's okay, he's Australian" by myself or one of my daughters to a puzzled onlooker.

Life is an adventure when the subtle cultural differences and language barriers are factored in with the normal grind and routine of an otherwise typical life.

Finding out what we will get when my husband orders dinner at the drive up window in his thick Australian accent makes fast food one of those simple little unexpected surprises.

Welcome to my blog, to our adventures and all the knitting. Perhaps we can put you in stitches as well.