Valentine's Day

Hub and I aren't big on Valentine's Day.  I used to think that when I fell in love that this day of romance and chocolate and roses and candy hearts would be a favorite of mine.  Turns out, I was wrong.  

I think Valentine's Day is sweet and all; I'm not a total cynic.  Plus, I  love to watch people act all mushy and stupid.  (Maybe the stupid was too harsh; sorry.)

Valentine's Day just doesn't work for me because I don't believe that love is about chocolate and roses and candy hearts.

Love isn't about the butterflies in your stomach or the giddy-little-girl-laughter that overtakes your soul when your fella' says something mildly funny.  Love isn't about that feeling in deep in the pit of your stomach or the pounding of your heart when your person walks in the room.  It isn't about the cards or the letters or the hugs or the kisses.  

Love is what remains when all those things are gone.  Love is a decision that even on the worst of days, in the worst of times, even on days absent of chocolate and roses and candy hearts (which I don't like anyway) and butterflies in your stomach that you would rather be with no other person, ever.  That, friends, is love.  

And even though the candy chocolate and roses and candy hearts are an important and precious part of love, they certainly aren't the most beautiful part of love.  So, on Valentine's Day, I prefer to celebrate love without the frill, which is exactly what we did, because, after all, the frill won't last.

We spent a quiet night at home, eating Alaskan Cod over rice, and it was lovely.

I hope your day was lovely too,

One Year Ago Today

Today, Hub and I are celebrating the conclusion of our first year of marriage!

Yay for us!

I was so surprised when our wedding day rolled around, and now I am equally (if not more) surprised that we've been married an entire year already.  

Our wedding already seems so far away but just like yesterday.  It's weird.  

I say that about all significant (and insignificant) events in life, but it's really how I feel.

Happy Anniversary to Us, 

...We Tied the Knot...

To say that walking down the aisle was surreal would be a gross understatement.  It was a moment I had longed for and dreamt of.  I took deep breaths  and tried not to walk too fast.  I studied the crowd, the chapel, the flowers, my bridal party, and my groom. I did everything I could to burn pictures into my mind so that I would be able to keep the moment locked away, a treasure buried deep within me.

When Daddy left me up there with Hub and the ceremony officially began I wanted to say, "I am getting married right NOW! Can you believe it?!"  But, I didn't.  Instead, I swayed back and forth and listened to the wisdom presented to the two of us.  I said my vows without choking up; that's what I like to call a sweet little miracle from God, in case you were wondering.  Hub put my wedding band on upside down, and I had to fix it.  I repeatedly winked my eye and stuck my tongue out every-so-slightly to amuse a few of the groomsmen.

Our wedding ceremony was better than the ceremony I had hoped for.  It bubbled over with good advice, tender words, solemn vows, and sweet memories.  

Walking back down the aisle on my husband's arm, in our first few moments of marriage, I felt a sense of relief, buckets full of joy, and a rain shower of hope.  Relief that we'd made it this far, joy that I had been so blessed, and hope for the bright, beautiful future we had just committed to.

6 Months, and I Forgot.

Hub and I have been married six months today! Don't worry, that's not what I forgot.  These past six months have flown by, and I've enjoyed every  minute.  Except those minutes I was really, really sick after our honeymoon. Since it's been six whole months and my mouth has been shut about it, I think it's time to talk about my wedding.  Right after our wedding, we went on a cruise for a week, drove to Atlanta, then to Arkansas, packed all our stuff, some sickness was trying to kill me, moved to Louisville, and good gracious I was too exhausted to talk!  Believe it or not, my friends, that last sentence is no exaggeration.  It was a whirlwind, maybe 25 whirlwinds.  I can't be certain.  After we got settled I wanted to write about our wedding, but I didn't know what to say.  Things like, "IT WAS SO COOL!!!" "It was the most funnest ever!" "Hub and I were married in a fairytale setting.." etc, etc.  just didn't seem right.  I needed time to process.  I think I've had plenty, so here we go.  If you'd like to read about how it all got started, click here for our engagement story.  (If that' link isn't working for you, I'm sorry. I don't know why.  If you're still curious, check out October 2009. The Ouachita Trial. )



On another note, I forgot to post Sunday Snippets yesterday because I'm a failure at life.  Actually, that's not true. :) I forgot to post Sunday Snippets yesterday because this apartment has turned into Project City.  When you figure out all the different projects I spent my weekend on, you'll forgive.  Mostly I'm just talking to my dad.  He hounds about these things.  Anyway, more on Project City later.

Stop by tomorrow for some Bridal Party Appreciation. :)

A Birthday Extravaganza

Hub woke up earlier than anticipated, which was still not early enough because I had already been up for almost an hour.  (Despite my ridiculous amount of excitement, I did not wake him up.  I should get a gold star for that, by the way.  I get a little too excited for birthdays.)  The extravaganza started with a hunt around the house for 24 notes.  One for each year he has lived, and one to grow on.  The hunt didn't last long because our house, which is really an apartment, is not too big, and all the notes were hidden in plain sight.  Once he had found and read all of his notes, he got to figure out the secret message.  See above.

 Then, it was time for presents.  Yes, one of his presents was a Bop It.  Who says 23 year olds can't have a little fun too?

 Next, we had blueberry muffins for breakfast before heading out for the day.  We went to the movies for a double feature.  We saw Little Fockers and The Dilemma.  Both movies were a good choice.  After our day at the cinema was complete, we headed to The Egg Roll Machine for dinner.  Delicious, as always.

I wanted to get a picture before we left for the day, but that didn't happen.
Since he was the birthday boy, I won't make a big deal about it, but let's just say
it wasn't my fault. ;)

When we weren't pleased with any of the shots we got using the camera's timer, Hub resorted to the good ole hold-out-your-arm-and-hope-for-the-best-method.  Not too shabby, I guess.

Also, I should point out that just because a person turns 23 does not mean that he always cooperates during photo opportunities, hence photos 4 and 6.  I should point out, too, that I double checked my wedding vows, and they didn't say anything about not posting silly pictures of your spouse for the world to see, hence photos 4 and 6.

Overall, the Birthday Extravaganza was a smashing success.  

I can't wait for next year.

(I told you I have a problem with too much  excitement over birthdays.)

Happy Birthday to My Husband.

My husband is the kind of man that people say no longer exists.  He opens the car door for me and always remembers his pleases and thank yous and never lets us go to sleep angry.  He cleans up the kitchen and takes out the trash and always remembers to dust.  He is funny and he can dance if he wants to and he is better at ironing than I am.

Five years ago he climbed into my heart and made a home there.  Marrying him was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  It is an honor to be his friend and his wife.  My greatest fear is losing him, and my greatest hope is that he will be immeasurably blessed.

I would walk to the ends of the earth with him because I know he would never stop protecting me or loving me or laughing with me.

I hope the next twenty-three years are even better than these.

Happy Birthday, Hub!

Corn Fritters, Fingernails, and the Rest of My Week

This week has been a good one.  I'm finally back into the swing of things after my perhaps way-too-long Christmas break.  I started back to work last week and back to school this week.   Don't get me wrong here; my break was fantastic.  I enjoyed days that could be used for completing any task I desired or no task at all.  It's probably one of the last times in my life I'll have a break like that, so I soaked it all up, and by the time it was over, I was ready to move on.

Since this week was nothing short of eventful but not really exciting either, I thought I'd share some of the happy and not-so-happy happenings.

Here we go:

--For dinner one night this week, Hub and I decided we would have appetizers.  If you don't have appetizers for dinner, let me just say, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? It's a grand idea because you get to eat some of your favorite food that otherwise you wouldn't be eating unless someone was having a party and happened to be serving your favorite party food.  See the beauty of having party food for dinner? :)
One of the appetizers that made the list was corn fritters.  I love a corn fritter.  Hub loves a corn fritter.  It was going to be perfect.  Until it wasn't.  Something went wrong, and it is safe to say that I can't make a corn fritter to save my soul.  Since I'm trying to unmuddle myself (see yesterday's post), I'm trying not to let this bother me.  Anyway, during the attempt at corn fritters, some oil popped around my skillet screen and hit some fingers on my right hand and my face.  My face felt hot; my fingers hurt like crazy.  Now, my hand looks fine, but I have three red, circular dots on my face that look disgusting.  I'm putting Neosporin on them about every five minutes, so I'm hoping they heal quickly.

--Friday, January 14 was NOT mine and Hub's anniversary this year, but as far as being a couple goes, we are five years old  now.

--At work on Thursday, I was trying to unbutton a little girl's onesie to change her diaper and one of the snaps ripped into my thumbnail.  The rip is below the quick, and I don't want it to come off and be  painful, so I've been supergluing it.  Neat, I know.  I've only superglued the entire nail to the skin once.

--Hub's birthday is Monday, and I can't wait! :)

--The internet got fixed this week.  I know I've already spent too many posts talking about that, but I'm still excited.

--We got our Apple TV up and running.  Awesome. :)

--I think I might use :)s too much.  Oh, well.

--Hub picked me up from class on Thursday night, and we went out to eat at Qdoba.  It was delicious and quite fun.  Hub even found a dollar next to the parking meter, so it was free to park.  I love little joys in life.

--Now that I've typed it all out, it looks like nothing much happened this week. Oh, well; I don't have time to worry about it though because I have a busy day ahead.  I'm preparing for Hub's Birthday Extravaganza, and we have homegroup tonight.  Don't tell him though, about the Birthday Extravaganza; he already knows about homegroup.  What he doesn't know is how super cool his birthday is going to be.  Oh, and don't worry about him reading it here.  He doesn't read my blog, but other than that he's a pretty good husband. :)

Cheerio.

How We Spent One Saturday, 9.29.10

The weather was beginning to turn cool, as fall pushed summer out of the air. It was lovely and crisp in the shade. It was our first day of the autumn season, joyfully welcomed after a months of summer heat. We needed a day outside. A day to feel like we really lived here. We needed a day of adventure. A day of fun. A day to remember.

We started out with a picnic under the trees. We ate our simple, yummy lunches quietly, looking around and pointing out the beautiful and strange and funny things around us. We laughed; we ate; we enjoyed.

We decided to explore.

The scenery was beautiful. Nature at her best. Wooden bridges and misshapen trees and curvy pathways and crunchy leaves. We walked and talked and held hands.

We found a tree popular for being carved into. We decided to jump on the bandwagon. Hub found a rock; he carved, and he carved. He carved until our initials were scraped exquisitely inside a heart, just like I requested.

We walked and talked and laughed on more curvy paths until we found our way home.

It was a gorgeous day. A day to remember. A day to fall in love. A day to laugh until the tears came. It was the day we felt at home.

One to Go

Exactly one month from today, Hub and I will be married. We'll go back to visit the beautiful chapel, but I'll be in a gorgeous white dress instead of a pretty white coat and he'll be in a handsome tuxedo instead of a cute button up. Then, before we even know it, it'll all be over and just beginning all at the same time.

The Nerve of It

When you and your fiance were born and raised in the same southern town boasting a population of 7,811 and the nuptials are fast approaching, a favorite question of those you love (and some you don't) is, "Well, are you getting nervous yet?"

And you don't know how to answer; I don't anyway. My automatic response is almost an involuntarily choked out, "Nope; not yet. I'm sure it'll come soon" (referring to the nervousness of course).

But, what I really want to say is, "Nervous about what? Do you mean am I nervous about moving to a city I've seen only once? Perhaps you want to know if I'm nervous about starting graduate school for a program I've only been interested in for a short period of time? Would you like to know if I'm nervous about how oil might or might not be on the beach and how I am definitely not self-centered enough to downplay the serious tragedy just to complain about how the beach might be dirty the day of my wedding? Or, oh, were you just talking about getting married?"

It's not that I don't recognize how serious of a commitment Hub and I are making; I just believe in us. I know we're young, and maybe we are too young. But, is there really the perfect age? I mean, when a person hits 24 (or some other possibly magic age) is he or she automatically ready to commit to a happy and successful and loving marriage? I don't think so, my friends.

I understand, although certainly not fully, that marriage is difficult and something to work at, but I do not and I will not fear it. I have a peace about marrying Hub. I know it's what is right.

For a while, I was asked so frequently about my level of nervousness that I actually became nervous about not being nervous. Maybe something was wrong with me; maybe I was supposed to be nervous? (You know I do have a complex about things I am supposed to do). I soon tired of worrying over my lack of nervousness about getting married, which led me to dream up this precious gem of a post. I decided that if I am the first and last bride on this earth to be totally convinced that she is doing the right thing by getting married, then so be it.