Making My World Go-Round

It’s Monday morning and all is right with the world.

Not because it’s Monday mind you, but because my dear husband is back home safe. 

He was gone eight days at a training seminar for work, and let me tell you, I’m not use to him being so far away!  (yes, I'm spoiled...and in love.) We have never gone more than a couple days without seeing each other since we were engaged so this was a new experience for me.  (and not one I was completely fond of either. Ahem.)

{Made me think of all your military wives out there who do that for months on end.  Hats off to you girls!} 

In the midst of his trip, I was reminded how important it is to cherish the little moments in life.  I was surprised to realize it was the little things that I missed the most… hearing his car pull in the driveway, or hearing his key in the door.  How he sneaks up behind me while I’m doing dishes just to put his arms around me and kiss my cheek, or when he randomly bursts into song. 

The little moments in life that are so easy to take for granted but are truly what makes the world go-round. 

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At least my world.   

“Home” is wherever we’re together.  Simple concept, but definitely reinforced to me this past week.  Without him in it, the house felt like just a house.  But yesterday, it was home again. 

Sure, I might have gotten to sleep in the middle of the bed and had four pillows all to myself, but it’s lonely in the middle without my other half.   We were able to video-chat every night, but it just isn’t the same.  I was thankful for it, don’t get me wrong, but it was almost a taunt at the same time.  Being so close and yet so far at the same time is a strange feeling. 

Saturday night I went to the airport to pick him up, and seeing his face come through the gate suddenly made the past several days feel like a blur.  He was home.  My best friend, my husband…

In honor of my dearly-beloved’s homecoming, I made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes for breakfast Sunday morning.   You can view the recipe Here.   Although the pancakes turned out good, I was still slightly disappointed with the results.  Hubby thought it was the icing on top that needed a little work (maybe a thinner milk & powdered sugar drizzle would have been better?)  and I was just expecting perhaps something a little more dense overall.  All that aside however, they were quite tasty and we definitely enjoyed them!   

I loved the way they looked with the cinnamon swirl in the middle!!

Can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of the finished product, but you can check it out at the link above.

Happy Monday, ya’ll!  Hope all is well in your world!

Listening.

I love being married.

Seriously.

It’s the best thing ever.
(But I've probably mentioned that before....)

I love the give-and-take that comes with being a spouse. That constant support-system that is always around makes my heart sigh and smile in happiness.

We have great days...and not so great days. 
But I love that we can share both with each other.

The last couple weeks have been filled with some of those not so great days for both of us.  They haven’t been bad days, just exhausting and stressful ones.  Work stuff mostly. 

It has left us both needing to be in the take-mode because we haven’t had a lot leftover in the give department. 

But ironically enough, our current challenges at work have left us both with a deeper understanding of what the other person is going through because we’re both left feeling the same way.  We get it.

I have been blow away because this mutual-taking has turned into mutual-giving, and it has blessed my socks off!!!  

Instead of leaving us cranky and short-tempered with each other because we’re stressed-out and overwhelmed, we have a deeper understanding and empathy for one another because we can completely relate.  It has been such a beautiful thing.

Last night as I was driving home from work and all I wanted to do was go out to dinner and talk. 

Talk about everything going on because my brain was overloaded and I couldn’t keep it all contained in my head anymore. 

I hardly ever ask to go out to eat, especially not during the week.  Not when I feel it’s only because I’m too lazy tired to cook.  But I was exhausted and I was prepared to go without eating because I really didn’t feel like making dinner…but I knew my dear husband would be hungry so I wracked my brain as to what I could make that wouldn’t be too time-consuming and stressful.

I walked in the door, and was greeted by my dearly-beloved and a sweet “How are you doing, love?”

He hugged me, and before I even had a chance to say much at all, he asked me if I wanted to go get some dinner so I didn’t have to cook. 

{And some people say they don’t believe in mind-reading. 
Well let me tell you, he reads mine pretty well...and he knows his woman!}

We sat in a back booth and talked… and talked… and talked some more.  And he understood.  And it was wonderful.   When I was done babbling and finally stopped to take a breath and munch on my salad, he looked at me and smiled.  “I get it.  I know what you’re going through.”  Those words mean so much to me. 

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Later we sat on the couch together, he watched the hockey game and I read… and we could just be. Content in our understanding and support of each other.  Content in where we’re at in life, and content because God has so richly blessed us with the other half of our puzzle pieces: each other.

Fairytale Dreams




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Sometimes I think about how amazing it would have been to live in a medieval castle.

We have fantasized about fairy tales since we were little.

Balconies. Moats. Drawbridges. Towers.

Will you climb the tower to save me?

 Knights & Fair Maidens. Princes & Princesses.

The daring rescue of the damsel in distress! 

These tales have undoubtedly created an unrealistic picture in my head of what it was really like way back when.  Back before modern conveniences and equal opportunity.

Blood.  Poverty.  War.  Contamination.  Slave labor.

But there is no denying, those castles look mighty stunning.



 

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The castles themselves might be out of reach, but the men that guarded them...

Those heroes...

They're still around.

I live with one.

I get to spend every day with my hero. 

My prince. My knight in shining armor.

He protects his family. 

Loves me with all his heart.

Works hard to provide.

Slays my dragons.

He tries to make all my dreams come true.

So maybe I don't have any moats or drawbridges, but that doesn't mean I don't have the fairy tale.

Every day I get to be a princess, and I wouldn't trade my prince for all the castles in the world.



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Sentimental Things

Valentine’s Day

I’m such a Romantic at heart.
*sigh*

Valentine’s day has held a sappy little spot in my heart for as long as I can remember. My dream since youth was to have a Valentine’s Day wedding with roses and hearts galore. Seeing as Prince Charming was still a long ways off and had not yet displayed his royal face onto my horizon, I began writing a letter to him every year on that special day. Letters of waiting, longing, wondering, and hoping. Letters to confirm to him that I was waiting for my One-and-Only, my true love, my soul-mate, my Beloved. Extra entries filled more pages, written on special occasions, holidays, and of course, every Valentine’s day.

Fast forward the time clock a few years to February 14th, 2008, when Mike took me to a movie, dinner, and a Casting Crown’s concert. We were “just friends”, but a couple months later, we realized that had been our very first date.

There are no pictures from that evening, just a pile of memories that make me all warm inside when I think about them. It will probably always stand out as my favorite Valentine’s Day, because that day was the beginning of our love story.

October 4th, 2008 –
Our Wedding Day

In traditional fashion, Mike & I exchanged wedding gifts that evening. His gift to me was a Bible matching his, with my new name engraved on the cover. It was perfect! My gift to him was a leather journal, filled with letters to my love, overflowing with years of waiting for that moment, waiting for that man.

Our wedding did not fall on Valentine’s Day like I had hoped for so long, but in the end, it did not matter. Our flowers were Roses, the colors were red & white, and it was still Valentine’s Day in my heart.

Well, that is my Valentine’s Day story! I’m going to put a MckLinky at the bottom of this post in case any of you blog about your stories and want to share the link. I’d love to read them!

What's that Smell?

Picture this:

Husband comes home from work, sweeps wife into his arms and kisses her. Wife tells him how much she missed him; husband has a pondering look on his face.

Husband and wife get ready to leave on some errands, and as they walk out of the door, the following conversation ensues:

Husband: “Honey, did you clean the toilet when you got home tonight?”

Wife: “No, I cleaned it a couple days ago. Why, is something wrong with it?”

Husband: “Uhh no, nevermind.”

Wife: “Honey… why did you ask?”

Husband: “Well, there is no real delicate way to put this…”

Wife: “Just say it.”

Husband: “Well, you smell like toilet-bowl cleaner.”

Pause.
Wife bursts out laughing.

Wife: “Smell my hand…is that what you smelled?”

Husband: “Ewww, what is that!?”

Wife: “My new lotion; supposedly very moisturizing… Not a big fan, huh?”

Husband: “Uhh, no. I was kissing you and couldn’t figure out what that smell was! Did you put some on your face, too?”

Wife: “Well, maybe just a little…”

Husband: “Yeah, it smelled like it was all over.  But I love you anyway, even if you do smell like SnoBol.”

Needless to say, that was the first and only time I used the lotion. So beware, if you’re ever walking down the aisle at the store and are tempted to buy the Burt’s Bees Aloe & Buttermilk lotion… Just make sure your significant other smells it before you spend the money. You don’t want him to think you just slathered yourself with SnoBol by mistake.

Anniversary!

Twelve months have come & gone so quickly. We have learned a lot, changed a little, and our love has grown to depths deeper than I knew was possible. It was an absolutely wonderful year and I treasure the moments & memories it brought us.

Our anniversary wasn’t an extravagant celebration by any means, but it was simple & quiet (like us) and it was a wonderful day. The greatest gift is simply being with each other.

We went to one of those fun restaurants for lunch where they play country music overhead and have a bucket of peanuts on your table...and were you throw the peanut shells on the floor, which is the most fun part! :) 

At home we cut into our year-old wedding cake, a tradition we thought was pretty cool, especially considering we didn't really get to have any cake at the wedding unless you count feeding each other a bite when we cut it (but my bite was all frosting and I ended up running into the bathroom to spit it out...).  Mom had wrapped it up tight and kept it in the deep-freeze all year and it survived surprisingly well.  The cake was moist and the raspberry filling was delicious! 

And last, but certainly not least, we exchanged our very first anniversary cards.  My dear husband always picks out the perfect cards and writes the sweetest things inside...guaranteed to make me cry. :) 

It was a perfectly lovely day and a delightful way to spend the day commemorating our first year together.  I so look forward to spending many happy years with this dear man that God brought into my life. 

How have ya'll celebrated your past anniversaries, or any fun plans for future ones?

When I grow old. . .

I saw husband & wife walking down the sidewalk yesterday. . .

They looked to be well in their 80's, sporting matching gray orthopedic shoes, canes on opposite sides so the wife could slip her free hand through the crook of her husband's arm.

Just out for a leisurely stroll in the sunshine.

They were beautiful.

It was "for better or worse...until death do we part."