Flashback Friday

Eleven years ago today we were standing in that tiny little church right on the edge of the ocean and we could see the waves rolling into the black rocks just outside the window.  Our happily ever after started the moment that Reverend Alika chanted his blessing for us and Jamie Lawrence serenaded us.

For me, our wedding was magic.  The moments freeze in time and I remember exactly what the waves sounded like when we approached the altar.  I still see the way our Moms held hands on the way to light candles and how my Daddy cried all the way down the aisle asking me if I wanted to slow down. 

Our family and friends sacrificed a lot to be in Maui with us on November 18, 2000 and I don't take any portion of that gesture for granted.  Eleven years later I realize that it was only a moment and it is NOT what makes a marriage, but I am truly, deeply grateful for such a happy beginning to the life that E and I share.

For my love,

If I had known then what I know now I would have dragged my poor Daddy down the aisle even faster to get to you.

You are so much more than the handsome young man I married.  You are the conservative to my liberal, the salty to my sweet and the mild to my wild.  You still melt me with your big brown eyes and you can make me laugh like no one else in the whole entire world.  I love the way you smell and how you reach for my hand before you fall asleep.  I am awed by the way our kids look up to you, admire you and adore you. Their love for you as their Dad makes me love you more than anything I would have even imagined on that sunny afternoon in Makena.  I am a better version of myself because you love me and I always want to be better because you don't deserve anything less.

Thank you for eleven years of happily ever after. I pray we'll be granted the opportunity to enjoy many, many more.

Happy Anniversary.  I Love You

Flashback Friday

Tuesday night was the end of another baseball season and ended with a heartbreaking one run loss.  You do not want to be the gloating parent on the other team at 8:30 PM on a school night in front of this Mama who's son is cold and disappointed.  You do not.  My Athlete pitched two terrific innings and had a great final game.  He always makes me so proud.

E coached the team this season and devoted a lot of time to making sure the boys were learning the fundamentals of the game. Those boys really look up to him and are learning how to play their positions correctly to take them far beyond this interim season.  He is such a good and talented man and makes me very proud, too.

The first season he coached was spring four years ago and The Athlete had just turned five.  It shouldn't have been that long ago.  It doesn't feel like it's been that long.  But then it does.  He was such a tiny little guy sitting on that bucket.

There are some things though, that time doesn't change. How much I love these two is at the very top of the list. Always and forever.



Happy Happy

My Dad and E's Mom share the same birthday.  How likely is that?  It seems special to me that we celebrate two people that mean so much to us on the same day.  There are so many things to love about both of them . . .

My Dad is a southern gentleman and a warrior.  He is intensely loyal, loves deeply and is no one's fool.  He is well read and wildly intelligent.  He would do anything in the world for you if you asked it of him.  Anything.  I love that he takes my children fishing and target shooting when we're there and alternately shops for cars and guns online. 

My Daddy cries like a baby every time he sees me and it breaks my heart that he misses me so much.  I don't think we've celebrated his birthday together in more than 20 years.  That doesn't seem right.

He was REALLY hard on me when I was young.  There were a lot of days that I wouldn't have gushed about how much I loved him, but now some of my favorite things about myself are only there because of him.  I owe him a lot for trying so hard and loving so much.

When my Athlete was a baby he couldn't pronounce the word Grandma and just called her "Gra".  There's part of my heart that wishes he still couldn't say Grandma because it was so darn sweet.  He is 100% the son of her first born son and he has her heart.  To see them together is something special.

The Princess is her mini me.  Blonde hair and blue eyes only came from one place in our family.  She provides an endless supply of chewing gum and lipstick to the little girl who loves her so deeply.

She is warm and generous to everyone and has never been anything but kind to me.  I don't have to wonder how she must have felt when her son brought home a girl from 3,000 miles away.  She was far more gracious than I will ever be capable of.  But, I mostly love her because she raised such an amazing man.  I am grateful to her every day for  helping to make him all the things that I love so much.  She is a role model for me as a mom to a son.

Our family is so blessed to still have Granddaddy and Gra to celebrate on their birthdays.  We love them and cherish them more than words on a page can ever say.  Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people on the planet.  Many blessings for a year full of good health and lovely moments.

Gratitude for my Girl Crush

Just this morning my heart took a turn to gratitude. With Thanksgiving being so close and Christmas literally around the corner I have made a vow to force myself out of our hectic pace and make the time to enjoy all of the goodness that is uniquely mine.

A warm home on a cold, rainy day.

Kids that want to splash in the rain and hold my hand while they're running.

A bath tub full of dirty water and a clean dog begrudgingly being "beautified" by a giggling seven year old holding a comb and a hair dryer.

This IS the good stuff. I absolutely know it and have allowed myself to overlook it a little too often lately.


And then there's my Girl Crush, Emily.


I use her lunch box note cards to brighten peanut butter crackers and apples.


Her JDC|monthly grocery lists, weekly calendars and note cards help keep me beautifully organized and inspired.


The Princess and I made glitter letters this weekend from her November project.


I love her a whole heckuva lot and she has really outdone herself this time.

The Thankful Tree she featured today will be in my home by the weekend. Mark my words.  It has a perfect home on the console table behind the sofa.

thankfulness

I absolutely love this idea and love her for sharing it. Many thanks to you, Emily!

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.  ~Cynthia Ozick

Ten Things ~ October 2011

This week found me 3,000 miles from my computer at the end of October and I decided I'd better get this done before Thanksgiving.  Every month seems to be a little shorter than the one before.  How does that happen?!?!?

Ten Things to Smile About: October 2011

Adopting our sweet Hope.  She is so good for Kate and we all think she is an angel.

Great teacher conferences for both of my wonderful kids.  The words leader, exceptional and bright came up more than once.  That is such a compliment and makes me so, so proud of them.

Receiving flowers as a thank you

Successfully making two great projects that I pinned

{via}

{via}


A new season of Cotillion starting

The innate kindness and responsibility that The Princess shows with our foster dog, Lucky

The Athlete's sense of commitment to baseball and how much confidence comes from doing well

Playtime with my itty, bitty niece C

A long overdue dinner and movie night with my E

The joy they get from Halloween

There's a lot of joy to be had in the world.  The big things and the not so big.  Counting them down is not a big thing, but taking the time to count them down and document them before the moment is too far gone is a treasure.  Thank you, Emmy!!!