Wine, Dinner, and DANCING!

Last week my husband John was out of town with work. He was in a location where we couldn't call each other, skype, or email like we usually do when he travels. It was pretty much the worst five days in a while. He got back on Friday morning and we went out for a special date night Friday night. We had plenty of things to celebrate...

Me and my beloved sangria at Mi Tomatinas Paella Bar, Winter Park, FL.

We were celebrating his getting back from his trip.

We were celebrating the anniversary of when he proposed to me back in 2010.

We were celebrating an early Valentine's.

And the vastness of our love for one another. :)

We started out at the Wine Room in Winter Park. It's a huge wine cellar where you get money loaded onto a card and then go around spending it on tastes of tons of different wine selections on the walls. We left feeling flushed, joyful, and if I may say so, a little frisky. :)

Our next stop was dinner at our favorite restaurant- Mi Tomatinas Paella Bar. Best food in town! We started off with some sangria, bread and a tomato gazpacho dip, and then moved on to a dinner of assorted tapas while we listened to live flamenco music.

We sat outside under the awning and it poured rain. The mixture of the wine and the food, being with my favorite person in the world, and people dancing and laughing over boisterous spanish guitar made for a  euphoric experience. And it only got better from there...

When we got to the house he had me close my eyes and having looked forward to a surprise all week it was all I could do not to peek. While we were at dinner he had some of his buddies come set up a romantic dance space at home. He walked me down the aisle there and we danced. ANd can I just say, my husband has some killer moves!

Best. Night. Ever.

Here's the pathway up to the room, were, as they say on MTV cribs, "all the magic happened." But you know what I think? I think those homies on MTV cribs don't have squat on what happened that night.

It goes down in the Malone history books as one of the most romantic and playful nights we've had.

We'll tell the kids about it one day, and they will plug their ears and say "ewwwww!"

Question of the Day:

What are you doing for Valentine's?

The Healing Power of Vegetables

                                                                           Source: health-heaven.tumblr.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Remember this post back in September? I know! I had forgotten about it, too. It's been months and I haven't updated you on how it's going and the changes we're seeing.

For all who are new to my blog, in September John and I tried a little experiement. John had chronic heartburn and we started to wonder if cutting out meat, dairy, and processed foods could heal him. We started out on a vegan diet, and instantly saw his daily heartburn pain subside. 

After a few months we found what worked for us. We didn't like a completely vegan diet. Though about 50% of our weekly intake of food is still vegan, our day in and day out diet fits a little more comfortably into the "vegetarian" team. When people ask, though, I usually say "plant-based" since there are times when we are served meat or make it on rare occasion and will eat it...which people are very quick to jump on us for, but c'est la vie, right? You have to be happy and comfortable with what you do, and no one else's opinion matters.

                                                                                Source: thinisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I had read about and heard personal accounts of how a plant-based diet could cure you of things, but wasn't sure I really believed it until I saw for myself.  Here's some changes we've noticed in the last 5 months of plant-based eating and picking up a routine of exercise. The changes I found in myself were completely unexpected!

JOHN:

No more heartburn!

Lost weight

Teeth and gums are much healthier

No more afternoon fatigue

Major decrease in back pain

HANNAH:

The heart palpitations I dealt with on a daily basis? GONE.

The wart I had had under my thumbnail since elementary school? GONE

No more afternoon fatigue

Teeth and gums are much healthier

No more constipation (which was an issue at times before)

Healtier and faster growing nails

Little to no back pain

I've only thrown out my neck once (and it healed in a day instead of being down for a week like usual)

It has seriously been a life-changer. And there's no turning back, not when we see so many results! To think, I used to take heart medication for years to help regulate my heartbeat, and all I really needed were some vegetables! If I would have known that, I would have done this years ago. And now John no longer takes Prilosec every single day, instead he starts off his day with a smoothie! :)

Coming up soon: How veggies changed my parent's health. This story will BLOW YOU AWAY!



Weekend Update| January 23, 2012

Happy Monday! I don't know why, but against all odds I am extremely happy and energetic this morning. Yup, I'm the "looks like somebody's got a case of the Mondays" girl. I just can't wait to find someone to say that to. It feels good to be her every now and then!

John was out of town last week and he came back on Friday night. I enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday and then heading out to do some shopping at Whole Foods and our local produce market. When we got back to the house I made granola protein bars (recipe to come this week) and then took a nice nap.

Protein bar preview!

After my nap I went for a 1.5 mile run. I'm really excited that our training for the 5k in February is starting to take us past the 1 mile marker on a consistent basis. I think I'll finally start to see my endurance build. Today we have another 1.5 miler and then by the end of the week we are pushing up to 2 miles! I've never run that long on my own accord without being in a race. :)

Saturday night I made a really yummy new recipe that I found on the Whole Foods recipe page. I'll also be sharing that this week. So get ready for some awesome new recipes to put on your to-do list. They are called Grilled Veggie Pitas, but I made it with a twist. Here's a teaser....

Sunday morning we got up and ate breakfast, put on our outdoor gear and headed out for some kayaking on the lake. What a beautiful morning! The birds were chirping and water was still. Look you can see my reflection...

We had a blast, and I would love to make this a weekly thing. Not only is it a great upper body workout, but it's so nice to slow down and glide across the water and notice the little things that are so easily missed in nature otherwise.

It was a great weekend, and something tells me that this week is going to be equally magnificent!

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Something Other Than Stretchy Pants....

Oh my goodness, I feel like a brand new woman today. I don't know if it was the antibiotics the doctor put me on, my diligence in taking them, or your thoughts and prayers, but I feel great today! You know you were really sick when a great day means you can breathe through your nose, even if you have to blow it every minute of the day...

I've been itching to get back here and share some photos and an update from last weekend. Remember this post where I talked about my "accomplishments" for 2012? One of them was to seize the moments when John is away and really enjoy spending time with myself. Last weekend I did just that!

I'm so proud of this picture. It documents a Saturday morning where I actually showered, did my hair and makeup and looked pretty for the day! Most my Saturdays are spent in stretchy pants and workout gear with my messy mane pulled up in a nasty bun-thing. But Saturday I was spending time with my girlfriends and took the oportunity to put on some tunes and primp myself for once. I enjoyed it so much I might do it again this weekend! :)

Here I am with my girly friends Kayla and Kate. Kayle (the middle) is getting married on February 25th and we spent Saturday at her dress fitting and enjoying a lunch together. She looks so beautiful in that dress and I can't wait to show you all pictures from her big day.

Kate is the maid of honor and I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding, so we spent the rest of the night together crafting and planning for Kayla's bridal shower we're throwing this Sunday. YAY!  I'll have many pictures coming up. The theme is "I've Got Your Love to Keep Me Warm."

And now...a immunity-booster smoothie...

Immunity Boost Berry Smoothie
serves 2

1.5 cups orange juice
1 banana
4-5 large frozen strawberries
1 handful of frozen mixxed berries (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry...)
30 drops GSE liquid probiotic
4 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy the boost!

Question of the Day:

What kind of things do you do for you when your husband is gone?



A Traditional Iranian Breakfast

Good morning!

I mentioned yesterday that we went over to our friend Ali's home on Saturday morning for breakfast. Ali wanted to share a traditional homemade bread with us and show us how a good breakfast is done...Iranian style!

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew there was going to be bread, but that was about it. I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicious meal, and even more good friends- Navid and his wife Zhoobin!

By day (and sometimes night) Ali studies for his PhD in engineering from UCF. But when he has some time off Ali transforms into a master chef, cooking up some amazing meals! So far he has made us two other traditional meals and both were to die for!

Ali grew up in a family of women, and didn't learn how to cook until he moved to the US to study and had to fend for himself. I think it's done him well, and his mother and sisters would be shocked that he's such a professional!

This Iranian Barbari bread is made by hand. It is a wheat yeast bread and is sprinkled with sesame seeds for cooking. When you break off pieces to eat you can split the bread open (kind of like a thick pita) and fill it with goodies.

Traditionally, you fill it with Tabriz cheese... it's like a feta but much fresher tasting. (You can see the cheese above in the top left corner of the table.) Some other fillings were fresh butter, raspberry jam, and cream cheese. It was so tasty and I could have easily eaten a whole loaf.

Of course, no breakfast (or any meal for that matter) would be complete without cup after cup of Persian hot tea. It has become my favorite tea to drink and the spices warm and relax you as you sip. (I will have a Persian tea tutorial soon, just waiting to purchase one more bit of appliance to make it the real deal.)

From left to right: Navid, Zhoobin, Hannah, John, and Ali.

We had such a great time talking. We caught up on the last couple months of our lives, discussed languages and cultures and Iranian cuisine. Ali and Navid are both engineers (electrical and mechanical, respectively) and Zhoobin is an M.D. Many times I think John and I just sit there, trying out hardest to soak up their intelligence. It is always a delight to be in their presence and enjoy the mixing of our cultures.

There are many things I love in life, but nothing brings me more joy than sharing a meal with people so much different than myself, yet so much the same. Our governments tell us that we are enemies, that we should hate each other, and that we might one day be at war. But there we were, five people sitting in a room, sharing a meal, and laughing about the absurdity of it all with the knowledge that loving others and enjoying peace is as simple as pouring a cup of tea.

Question of the Day:

What's your favorite traditional breakfast from your travels?



A (Not Quite) Weekend Update

Hey Folks-

It's Monday. (Booo!) And not only that....it's raining. I'm not a happy camper. I like to start my week out with crisp weather, sun streaming in my window, with my "good morning!" smoothie in my hand. While I did have a smoothie in my hand this morning, I also had an umbrella. The two cancel each other out as far as I'm concerned. 

I've been a really bad blogger this weekend. I didn't take a single picture! Here's some of what we did:

1. Friday night we had a Harry Potter 7, part 2 dinner party with friends. It involved sangria and vegan rum cake. We were all very delighted.

2. Saturday morning with Iranian friends. Our friend Ali made a traditional Iranian breakfast of a bread called Barbari and cheese and jam. I'll be doing a post this week on it. Here's what the bread looks like...

VIA

3. Saturday day we got all our Christmas shopping done.

4. Saturday night we went to an "O Christmas Plant" party for plant-based food enthusiasts. Showed up knowing only the hosts but left with many new friends.

5. A great service at church Sunday morning about what it really means to "go home" and where our home really is for believers...in Heaven. I needed that reminder!

6. Sunday day, a lovely lunch with two of our financial supporters catching up on the past few weeks and getting to know them better.

Question of the Day:

How do you do in a crowded room of strangers? Is it exhilarating, or intimidating?

A Tree Full of Memories

Good morning! Did everyone sleep well?

Today, I'm continuing the Christmas tree conversation over at Happily Ever Healthy. Hilliary was kind enough to let me spread some Christmas cheer to her dearest readers, so please go check out her blog today to read about my favorite Christmas ornaments and the stories behind them.

See you over here! 

O Christmas Tree

I'm delighted to share with you our 2nd annual Christmas tree lighting! John and I both grew up with fake trees and now that we are big kids and can make our own Christmas tree decisions we've started buying them fresh. Just a few extra dollars, but a whole lot of difference it makes! We love walking into the house and smelling the evergreen, and getting wafts of it up the stairs when we wake up in the morning.

It's a very smelly douglass fir!

We have ornaments from our childhood all packed around it. I have ones that family friends handmade me when I was just a baby, ones from my travels, and the ones given to me as a gift every Christmas growing up. John has some of the same, but also some special ones from his mom who passed away when he was just nine years old. Those are the most special ones on our tree! They are all teacher themed as she taught elementary school when she was living.

We love going through all our ornaments and retelling the same old stories we told the year before. It helps us remember all the great people in our lives, the people who got us to wear we are, and the memories we'll be able to tell in the future as we grow older and older together as a couple.

Question of the Day:

What's your most special Christmas tree ornament?

My favorite is a beautiful cherub ornament that my grandpa bought for my mother one year when we traveled to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. It's one of the only things I have related to him, and he passed away on my 9th birthday. 

Weekend Update| December 5, 2011

Good morning everyone! Did you have a fabulous weekend? We sure did! My mom and step-dad came up for a visit and we had such a great time. The weather couldn't have been better for the activities we had planned, either. The mornings were really cool but by mid-day the sun was out and we were enjoying temperatures in the mid 70's!

They drove in Friday night and we enjoyed some dinner I had prepared. We played a couple rounds of rummy and I was destroyed at the last minute by David (step-dad). That hurt as I have been the reigning champ in our house lately. John was overjoyed at my loss. ;)

Saturday morning we got up and ran around the neighborhood together. We are all running a 5k in Melbourne (FL) in February, so it was fun to do a little training together. My family is fast! They've got quite a few years on me and still managed 12 minute miles! I discovered that I run much faster on land than on the "dreadmill", is that the same for you?

After the run we made breakfast and packed up a picnic for our day out. My parents just got a new D-SLR so we took them out to Lake Eola to practice shooting with it. They got some really great shots! Everyone and their brother was out at the lake, putting up Christmas decorations and running around the trail. Above is a picture John took of my mom and I. Below is a picture that my mom took of us. She's getting the hang of it!

 I think she really captured our love... :)

Our next stop was going to be Whole Foods for a little stocking up on the grain wall. (My parents don't have a Whole Foods in their town, so it's a ritual when they come up.) We made one last stop at the ice cream truck before we left the lake, but came away empty handed as the ice cream was way over-priced and wouldn't have done our tummies any good...we all have the same whole foods, mostly veg diet. Nonetheless, we were sad about our loss...

David had quite the smile though, he must have looked into the future to see what would happen when we went to Whole Foods. We came away with two ah-mazing smoothies! They got a PB&J fruit smoothie (almond milk, berries, peanut butter, bananas, etc.) and we got the Kalicious smoothie (kale, spinach, bananas, apple juice, lemons). Our smoothie was so good I drank it in 30 minutes. And just to give you a comparison, it usually takes me 3 hours to finish my smoothies in the morning.

I was in love!

We finished our evening with a trip to Bass Pro Outdoor World and then came home and chowed down on homemade butternut squash soup, red onion and tomato paninis, and an assortment of goodies picked up at the hot counter at Whole Foods.

I spent the evening stressing over a final group project for my online Strategies in Teaching ESOL class. Praise the Lord we finally got everything done (last minute) and were able to turn it in last night for a grade. I can't tell you how ready I was to be done with this class! I need a break!

Sunday we went to church and hung out around the house for a while playing with out pictures and teaching my mom and David to edit photos with Gimp 2. It was a nice, relaxing day before the craziness of this weeks started up again.

Something tells me this week will be a little more than I can handle.

Question of the Day:

What kinds of things do you do with your parents?



Down on the Farm

An overview of one of my grandparent's hills...note the patch of Christmas trees there.

Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the groundhogs play! Where often is heard a pro-ofain word, and the men go out hunting all day!

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday to you! I'll have you know that I spent a whole hour getting these pictures ready to show you. Man, do I love you guys or what? I practically missed two whole episodes of Arrested Development to make it happen.

I'm really excited to share them and a piece of my family. So sit back, relax, and get to scrolling...

Me and the hill of trees behind the house.

The red barn...full of Christmas goodies, and antiques from God knows when...there's even an old horse-drawn sleigh that my great-grandfather used to use!

The white barn and a truck we affectionately call "the beast." Inside is tractor equipment and severed deer heads.

The house. My grandmother grew up with her family here since age 6. And she's lived there until now! It's 4 floors, excellent for manhunt, and is full of cubbyholes and corners with creepy dolls and other old stuff. The basement and 4th floor attic were terrifying to me when I was young (and even a little now...).

This is my great-great-grandfather and mother's grave. Gust J. Madera 1. There are now 5 Gust Madera's (My brother is the 5th.) Gust the first died in a coal mining accident there in Pennsylvania and was an immigrant from (we think) Czechoslovakia.

My dad sighting in his rifle for buck season.

John shooting, doesn't he look like a professional?

John LOOKS like a professional, I REALLY AM ONE. ; )

Helping my cousin make a wreath. I'm not a professional at this...but with Chris' help, I did alright!

This is me in my Dad's hunting gear. Can you see me? If you look into my eyes you can see that I am so seriously ghetto. Don't look at me wrong or I will mess you up!

That's my little tour around the farm and some pictures of the fun things we did. We can't wait to go back, hopefully when it is snowing so we can get some great winter shots. It's so beautiful in the winter when the snow is hanging on all the trees and the barn is standing tall and stark against the blanket beneath it. You must see it! 

Have a great weekend everyone, and see you Monday!

Question of the Day:

Is your family attached to a particular town or piece of land?

Weekend Update| November 28, 2011

The old red barn.

How can 4.5 days off fly by like a normal weekend? Life's not fair. We had such a great time in Pennsylvania. We went up to go visit my grandparents on my dad's side and for the first time I got to bring John along. It was the first time he really got to meet any of my family on that side and I had a great time showing him around the place!

My family lives in a small town in Pennsylvania (population 441). They own a large plot of land where they farm Christmas trees, and they have been there so long (generations!) that the road they live on is named after my grandmother's maiden name

I have much more to tell you about my family's farm and a few stories from our family line, but today all we need to worry about is food! What a delicious meal. As you can see, our table was full to the brim! We had all kinds of goodies and it is literally all I ate while I was up there. For two days I ate nothing but Thanksgiving leftovers. I was fat and I was happy. :)


 


I guess one of the more unusual dishes is pictured here. I don't know how many of you have noodles on your table at Thanksgiving, but we do! They buy some kind of homemade noodles there local and when they cook up they are so soft and doughy. They've been serving it on Turkey day as long as I can remember and it's one of those special things I look forward to.

The food wasn't the highlight of my trip though, the people were! I hadn't seen that side of my family in about 10 years! It was so awesome to hang out with my Aunt Dawn and her husband Jim (who I met for the first time!) and with my two cousins, Chris and Brandon. The last time we spent time together I was 15, and we were all just kids. It's so different (and awesome) to spend time as adults, and really talk. I wish I had a few more days to soak it all in....

My Aunt Dawn and I.

I can't wait for our next trip up there. Not only was Thanksgiving a memorable experience, but taking John around the farm and telling stories of my family and our past was more than I could ever ask for. Like I said, I'll be sharing some of that with you this week, as soon as I pretty up those pictures!

Here's a teaser photo- me and one of the Christmas trees on the farm. Yup, I'm a tree-hugger alright!

Question of the Day:

So, what was the best part of YOUR thanksgiving?

Don't forget! If you haven't emailed me your favorite road trip tunes do so now! Totally Awesome Tunes Tuesday is coming tomorrow. :) Email me at culture_connoisseur@yahoo.com!

I Wish That I Knew What I Know Now

Last night, on my drive home I was doing some big thinking. I started to recall all the moments in my childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood where things when horribly wrong. I wanted to see how these mishaps made me a better person. Surely I didn't go through them without learning something valuable! By the time I got home I had a list of ten things that I've learned so far in life, either through the Lord softening my heart over time, or through trial and error, and oh how I wish I could return and tell the younger me each one of them!

First some pictures of a younger me...

15 years old. Freshman in high school. Complete idiot.

17 years old. Starting to learn more about the world.

19 years old. Self-obsessed. Turning point in becoming the me I am now...

24 years old finally figuring out how to walk through each day without making a mess of it.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Then
 
1. Proving your point to someone isn't worth ruining a friendship. If your argument will build a wall instead of a bridge, shut up and rethink how you want to explain yourself.

2. You never know what people are going through behind closed doors, so don't judge them too harshly.

3. Don't judge at all.

4. Be the first to say sorry. It will save you a world of trouble and is the key ingredient to a happy marriage. Along with the next point...

5. Forgiveness is a choice. We rarely feel it, but we have to decide to extend it to others, sometimes over and over and over and over and over again every single day until it does feel right.

6. Life is too short to hold on to friends that suck the life out of you.

7. Sex has little to do with the physical and everything to do with the spiritual.

8. We spend too much time getting angry over the things that don't matter and too little time being filled with a righteous anger for the things that really do matter- all the injustice in the world.

9. Confession wins 100% of the time. If you have wronged someone and they don't know it, or if you lied to someone point blank and just can't let go of the guilt, a humble confession and honest pleading for forgiveness will get you 1,000,000 times further in life and with people than living the lie.

10. Falling in love with the risk of heartache is better than the heartache of not doing so.

And one more for good measure:

11. When all else fails, ask your parents, they are right about almost everything...

Question of the Day:

What life lessons have you learned as you've gotten older?

Weekend(s) Update| October 17, 2011

Well hi, friends! Do you know that I have missed you? I sincerely have. A few of you have been kind enough to send me sweet tweeter notes letting me know you are thinking of me and praying for me. They seriously warmed my heart and came at the most perfect times in my week. Bottom line- you guys are awesome. And even though I really truly enjoyed my break away, and even considered extending it, the thing that keeps me coming back is the community here.

I just want to give a little update here on the last two weeks while we were moving and such...

The week before we packed up and changed homes John went to Arizona to do some recruiting for the Edge. Can you believe he went to the Grand Canyon without me? I've never been there, and it is safe to say that my jealousy was at an all-time high. But look at this beautiful picture. I plan on having him do a little guesty post soon to share all the beautiful shots he got. Man, you can see God in those rocks. I swear it.

I also did some cooking. I've been having a hard time getting shots of my food at the new place. Out windows sit north and south so I miss out on all the beautiful lighting for photos like I had at the old place. But I'm bound and determined to figure it out.  I've been trying to try my hand at squash. So far I've worked with butternut and acorn. Of course butternut is a favorite of mine, but trying acorn squash was a first and I can't say I'm too impressed. This here's a butternut squash vegan mac and cheeze. Recipe to come tomorrow!

Two weeks ago we packed all our bags and boxes and said goodbye to our first home together. Moving was a whirlwind. I don't know if you remember that crazy storm that blew through the southeast two weeks ago, but we got all of it. We had plans to move on a Saturday morning, but after looking at the forecast we decided to cram it all in to a late Friday night move. We owe a big "thank you" to everyone that helped us pack up in the drizzle and carry boxes through the deep dark of night.

We were happy we did it in the end, we set up our whole house by Saturday night and enjoyed a beautiful Sunday together celebrating our first anniversary!

Sunday morning we went to church and then to one of our favorite restaurants, Jason's Deli! (Healthy and cheap!) We picked up some things for the new house and then I got to work on a special meal for us. I made a Turkey Cranberry Wreath (one of my favorite Pampered Chef recipes), a greens salad, a homemade cherry pie, and opened a bottle of my new favorite sangria!

I'll spare you details of the rest of the night, but let's just say it was beautiful, and special, and exactly what I had in mind.

This past week I've been settling into the new place and working every day. John has been out of town recruiting in Chicago all week and I'm so so ready for him to come home today! He lands in Orlando in approximately 2.5 hours and I couldn't be more excited!

That's about it! I can't wait to give you that mac and cheeze recipe tomorrow and hopefully a little tour of our new casa on Wednesday!

Question of the Day:

What have YOU been doing the last two weeks?

Weekend Update| October 3, 2011

So John has been out of town this past week, leaving me to a weekend all by my lonesome. I made sure to fill up my schedule though, and had lots of fun with family and friends despite the fact that my husband was exploring the beauty of the Grand Canyon without yours truly. 

Saturday morning and afternoon I went wedding dress shopping with both of my bride-to-be friends. Kayla got some good ideas and Becky actually found "the one!" Saturday night I spent sitting on my butt on the couch.

Sunday I went to church with my dad and we had an awesome time. It is days like yesterday that I know we made a great choice on our church home. The sermon was hard-hitting, honest, uplifting, and came with a challenge. It was one of the best Sundays I've had in a while. After, my dad and I went to the farmer's market and had a picnic. Also one of the best days I've had with my dad, too!

This week, I'm severely lacking on pictures. But I did want to close out with...

 "10 Things I Do or Don't Do When My Husband is Gone."

1. I don't shower...like, at all. (see above picture...) I mean, why bother when there's no one around to smell you?

2. I eat meals of random things. Why yes, popcorn, carrots, gouda cheese, and almond milk go together perfectly!

3. I narrate my cooking with various accents as if I was being recorded for a Food Network special.

4. I watch 50% more T.V. when I'm home alone.

5. I don't clean. I mean, the kitchen stays neat, but everything else was a disaster area.

6. I don't sleep as well when he's gone.

7. I imagine horrible things happening to me while I'm alone...like horror movie stuff, folks!

8. I wear the same outfit for the entire weekend because I can...

9. I get to have more time with friends than I normally would.

10. I miss him terribly.

Question of the Day:

How do you handle your spouse being away?