What's in a name?

Do you ever create nicknames for people or object for simplicity's sake? I did it a ton in college. In the company of close friends, I referred to other friends such as "Blue Shirt," "Red Hat," and "Crazy Hair" to name a few. Blue shirt never knew he was Blue Shirt, just as Crazy Hair never knew he was Crazy Hair. Well, he must have known that his hair was crazy, but how could he not? Mostly, these nicknames were given to guys we/I had crushes on, but occasionally they just made it easier to quickly make fun of people that we would otherwise not remember. Like that one guy, "Candyman."

Unlike the first three monikers mentioned, I don't know Candyman's real name, nor do I wish to. He was christened "Candyman" because he ate a piece of candy. Not just any candy, mind you. It was a piece of hard candy that originally belonged to an old friend, Rachel. Said candy was tossed out into a crowded meeting room in which Rachel and I were seated in the front row. Rachel caught this piece of candy, popped it into her mouth, and was promptly disgusted with its flavor. She promptly spat it back out, returned it to its wrapper, and tossed it over her shoulder further back into the room chock-full of our fellow RAs. We turned around to survey the scene, thinking the candy might pop an unexpected meeting-goer in the noggin. Not quite! We sat in awe as we watched this big oaf of a guy catch the candy in question. He excitedly unwrapped it and gobbled it up! (I shiver at the thought of it even now, like eight years later!) We were mortified, so much that we could only express our feelings with uncontrollable laughter. "Candyman" had no idea that piece of candy was previously tasted and rejected by another's mouth. Did he think all candy came pre-moistened? We later realized Candyman was a friend of a friend who confirmed there was no knowledge of the candy's previous ownership. And so the oaf became forever ingrained in our heads as Candyman.

Long intro, but I told you all that to preface one of many self-appointed nicknames of which I am a party. Jeff and I are the "Falcon Peels". Not in a Falcon Crest, soap opera-esque way, I promise. I use it to differentiate from Jeff's parents, the "Crossbow Peels," in my phone book. They live on Crossbow, and we're a short walk away on Falcon. Simple as that. We also call our house the "Peelton." Not because our humble abode can be likened to a night's stay at the Hilton, but because it's catchy and it works. If the name fits, wear it!

And now I can get to the main (and sole) point of this rambling post. We, the Falcon Peels, will soon celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Next Tuesday marks the spot. As such, the Falcon Peels will depart from the Peelton for a period of three days for an anniversary road trip. Grammy will man the Peelton along with Harper's diligent patrolling service. We will be baby-free........woo hoo! Harper, we love you dearly, but this reprieve is just what the doctored ordered (literally and figuratively, but we'll get to that later)!

Jeff and I will be headed to Becker Vineyards, which is just outside of Fredericksburg. We'll be there for three days and two nights while exploring the vineyard itself, and possibly a few surrounding areas of interest. Oddly, the town of Harper, Texas, is about thirty miles down the road. Luckenbach is fifteen minutes away, as is Cain City (which may only be of interest to a newly engaged friend of mine!!). I still need to Google Maps the distance to the Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, Texas, too. Depending on Grammy's wits and our own energy levels, we may tack a third night onto the end. We shall see!

As if anyone is still reading at this point...

I'm very excited to take this trip with Jeff, AND to celebrate our second anniversary. Two down, eighty-something to go! Bring it on!