My Favorite Christmas Gift

One night, about two weeks before Christmas, I was pinning.

*Please conceal your gasp of shock, surprised at the fact that I was on Pinterest.*

I came across a lovely pin, one that took my breath away.

Source: revivalartists.com via Ginny on Pinterest

I showed this pin to my husband and told him I wanted this painting. I had to have it. That it was me and my son and it needed to be hanging in our home.

He said, "Nah, I'll make that for you."

An icy shiver ran down my spine because I knew those words were akin to "you'll never get this." You see, every time I say I want something that my husband doesn't think I need, he says those words.

I resigned myself that I would buy it in secret at some point down the road. I more or less forgot about it and Christmas crept nearer.

One night, I was getting ready for bed. It was the exhausting week before Christmas break and I was tired. As I was getting ready to go upstairs for the night, Matt asked me if I'd like one of my gifts early.

He can never keep a secret.

I said sure and then I asked if it was something sweet to eat because that night I had a sweet tooth. He looked at me in the way that only he does and "No, because if it was you'd have already found it."

He's right. I have a sort of "sweet to eat" radar.

He presented me with a canvas. When I turned the canvas over, this is what I saw.

Y'all.

He painted me a picture. A beautiful, ethereal picture of how I imagine my son and I to be.

I was so elated I cried.

This, of course, made him incredibly uncomfortable, during which he said, "This IS this painting you wanted, right?"

I mumbled that it was and that I was so happy and that it was so special and how much I love him. I got really mushy and kissed him a lot on the mouth while crying.

And that, my friends, was my favorite Christmas gift.

(He was pretty proud of his work, so he painted a matching one of him and Toph. Amazing, right?)

The Odd Couple

Matt and I are great together.  We laugh.  We tell jokes.  We have millions of inside jokes.  It's like we're puzzle pieces made from clay and it's like the freckles in our eyes are mirror images (name that song, I'll love ya forever). 

However, we are polar opposites when it comes to organization and housekeeping.  I could write you a dissertation or I could just show you what I mean.  Below you will see my super messy closet.  I only ask you not think less of me after seeing this extra special glimpse into my life, m'kay?

My closet:

Don't trip; I always find everything I need.  And, I'm going to play the "blame the baby" card.  He pulls a lot of stuff down!  Plus, he's not tall enough to hang stuff up for me yet. 

So technically, this is his fault.

On the flip side, here is my awesome hubs closet:

Yes, he even stores his academic texts in there.  

And yes, he groups his shirts by type. T-shirt, short sleeve collar, long sleeve collar.  

Out of season sweaters are neatly folded above.

I could learn a lot from him, I realize this.

Are you and your hubs an odd couple?

A Whole Decade

On this day, 3,650 days ago, I met the man I am married to. I was 18, he was 21. I was a server, he was a pizza delivery boy. We were both students. We were both transplanted to Colorado from completely different parts of the country. We both came from divorced households. Neither of us rushed into the relationship. We just...kind of started to grow together. Like a tree. Over time, we fell in love. We spent the most formative years of our lives together and three very formative (and very difficult {and terrible}) months apart from each other. After seven lucky years together, we got married.

Take a little trip through time with me:

On my 19th birthday; our first picture together.

The first trip we made together to Texas; we visited my mom.

Our first trip to the beach; South Padre Island.

Second Christmas together. (Don't say a word about my outfit; it will NOT be featured on WIWW.)

Trip to Estes Park National Park during Spring Break 2005 (five years before our son was born).

My graduation from college (GO CU!) in 2006.

Our wedding; 7/19/08

Trip to Chicago: Spring Break 2009 (One year before Toph was born.)

The house we made a home.

Christmas 2009; knocked up.

Two became three.

Madly in love.

Looking toward the future.

I leave with a quote which  think completely describes Matt and I:

When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Little Things

Sometimes, my husband is scatterbrained.  

Sometimes, he takes our camera and uses it at work and it makes me mad because I want it to take pics of Toph when I get home from work.  

Kid is always doing something cute.

Sometimes, my husband forgets his keys in someone's car but doesn't realize it until 5:30 in the evening and I've got to drive across town to give him the spare key.

Sometimes, he's so immersed in what he's doing he forgets to call.

These are the little things.

He always bathes Toph at night.

He always rubs my feet (even on the days I wear my leather flats without socks).

He always kisses me good night.

He always shares his day with me, his thoughts, his feelings, his opinions.

He is always honest.

He always has a smile for me and Toph.

He tells me he loves me, multiple times, every day.

He shares his worries and fears with me.

These are the big things.

I was talking to a friend of mine who lost her husband.

She was serving in Iraq when she was informed of his terminal illness and she had to go home.

She told me yesterday how hard it is to parent her three children alone and how much she wishes for him.

She shared with me that on those phone calls to the homefront, she many times forgot to ask about him because she was so wrapped up in the welfare of her children.

She told me to never let the little things turn into the big things; little things are what made that person the person you love.

The little peccadilloes that make the imperfect person perfect for you.

(Loose quotation from Good Will Hunting.)

It's the big things that matter; it's the big things that count.  

It's okay to let the little things bother you from time to time.

But not too much because you don't want them to grow and turn into

big things.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Happy 31st birthday babe!  Your 22nd birthday was the first one we shared (remember? :)) and each year I walk through memory lane, going through all our fun birthdays together (fondue, Colorado trips, romantic dates, weekend getaways...).  You and Toph have richly blessed my life; it's true that we are better together.

PS
I had a ton of cute pics that I wanted to post here, however Blogger is being weird and won't let me post them. Boo.

I love you babe!

My Husband Rocks

I just visited a blog that I really like and the writer was complaining how her husband does not share the baby duties with a joyful heart.  He doesn't gladly comfort baby, he doesn't check on baby when she cries in the middle of the night, he doesn't deign to change the dirty diapers and he feeds baby only begrudgingly.  He thinks that since his wife is mommy, all the aforementioned things are her job and her job only and when she does need help, he doesn't help happily.

This breaks my heart for her and at the same time, makes me feel so, so, so thankful for my own husband.

My Kelsey boy does 50% of the baby duties and he does it all with a smile on his face.  He'll change that incredibly disgusting diaper (ugh, squash is the worst when it comes out the other side), he'll wipe those boogies off, he is the bath guy, every.single.night.  Two days ago something upset Toph and Daddy gladly picked him up and calmed him before I was able to get to him.  The only thing Matt can't do is feed Toph, as T will only get bottles now at daycare.  Matt also doesn't particularly like the solids feeding (all those mashed veggies disgust him), but since he bathes baby boy every night, I feel like it's an even trade.  I get him dirty, you clean him up.

I also have an incredibly annoying but very necessary bottle cleaning/pump part sterilizing routine every night.  This takes forever because I am picky about how that stuff is cleaned, but Matt learned my system and at times will jump in and help me.  He makes dinner every Friday night.  He is the one that wakes the baby up for daycare, gets him clean and ready for the day and drops him off.

Simply put, the guy rocks.  Not only does he rock for me, but he rocks for our son.  They are forging a bond that will never be broken and I am so thankful his parents raised him to be this way.  Our hope is to raise a boy who will be just the same with his wife.

Matt rocks because he is our rock; we love him so so much.

Weekend Agenda

Busy is a word I'd use for our upcoming weekend.

We are:

• childproofing the house (turns out when Toph really wants to get somewhere, he can do a combination of dragging himself/rolling there)
• buying him a big boy high chair.  No more Bumbo for him!
• getting our car's windows tinted and getting some extra accessories that came with it.
• looking at outfits for our upcoming 6-month family portraits.  I'm leaning toward contrasting colors since these will be outside shots, but we'll see. My husband does have an opinion on this and it must be heard.
• possibly going to Flo-ville for a long overdue visit with my mom.  She still hasn't even baked me a birfday cake!
• two really long morning walks for me and the boy.  Daddy likes to sleep in, so me and the boy get out before 8am and get some leg work in.
• a little mani-pedi action for me, complete with a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte with soy.  Ooooh, it's like a holiday when they bring that drink back.  Couple it with a sweet little lady rubbing on your feet and hands and it's heaven.
• yardwork...Hermine came through and tore our fence up, so we need to get that cleaned up, plus pick up the little debris that all the wind blew through our yard.  
• and probably the most important (and I was going to post a separate blog about this, maybe I still will)...naptime with my baby! I've never been a napper, but when I lay down on my bed with my little guy and let him nestle up against me, we both sleep better than Tiger Woods on Ambien.  

So yeah, the next 48 hours are gonna be good.  Maybe I'll even post more early morning blogs, who knows?

So Thankful For Coffee

My day:
5am: Wake up.  Let me preface this by saying that my baby has decided his occasional wake up time is anywhere between 4am and 5am, so for the past three days I've been up anywhere between those times.  He'll eat, get changed and go back to bed, while I'm up for the day.

5:30: If the baby hasn't already eaten, he does so at this time.  By this time I have had a few drinks of coffee and have straightened my hair.

5:45: Now it's off to the breastpump for 15 minutes of pumping while watching the news.

6am: Time to do the makeup!

6:15: Get dressed time.  A little aside here: I LOVE getting dressed now as an unpregnant lady.  With all of the pre-preg weight gone, coupled with feet that are no longer swollen, it's like going shopping in my closet every morning.

6:30: Breakfast, more coffee, make sure all is packed up.

6:45: Out the door laden with school work bag, breastpump bag, purse and coffee.

7am:  Arrive at school to get things ready for the day.

7:50: Kids arrive, eat breakfast, then go to PE.

8:40: Spend 15 mins pumping, this time watching news on phone.

9am-11:40: First instructional block.

11:40: Pump during lunch.

12:15-3:10: Second instructional block.

3:10-3:30: Dismissal in beating hot car line.

3:30-3:40: Pack everything up in a hurry.

3:40: Run like Forrest Gump to the car.

4:00: Pick up baby from daycare, 5 minute lovefest in the middle of the daycare commences.  The boy gets covered in kisses, is squeezed super tight, lifted high in the air and kissed some more.   Sometimes I wish I could get his reaction on tape to seeing me for the first time; it's the personification of overjoyed.  Yep, those cuddles blow my face off every. single. time.

4:15: We're home.  We go hard like Brooklyn; playing non-stop until about 6pm, when it's his suppertime.  Daddy gets home at around five, and boy, the three of us do it up right.

6pm: He eats supper.  Still not crazy about solids, but he'll eat them begrudgingly.

6:15-7ish: Play time, but a little calmer this time.  It's about time to start winding down.

7pm: Commence bedtime routine; bathtime, book time, nursey time; sleepy time.  We've got it down to a science; he drifts off like an angel every single night.  I hug him extra tight before laying him in his crib, give him a kiss right on the mouth, put his pacifier in and tiptoe out, all the while telling him how much I love him.

7:30ish: Commence bottle routine for mom.  Bottles are washed and sterilized, pump parts are washed and sterilized.  Breast milk is thawed out and portioned into bottles, which are then put in the fridge, ready to go the next day.

8:00: I shower at night to give myself time to straighten my hair in the morning.

8:30ish: TV time.  Big Brother, Master Chef, Jersey Shore, Real World...we're inundated with reality TV on the DVR.  I can't wait for our fall line up to start again!

9:15: Pump one more time for fifteen minutes, then it's bedtime. Sometimes little guy wakes in the night from teething, we go and rub his little tummy and he drifts right back.  We have a strict rule about not picking him up if he just whimpers, but occasionally he'll do the goat cry so mama will scoop him right up and cuddle him back to sleep in the glider.

I more or less get 6.5 to 7 hrs of sleep every night, then it starts over.  Since this working mom schedule started three weeks ago, I have lost 7 pounds.  Eat? When? :) It's not that bad, actually.  This is becoming our new normal and while I wish it could be different, I'm embracing it for what it is and making the best of it.

This Kelsey clan is a happy trio.

Yes, the above pic is of my boys.  But what you don't see is me, right in the middle; the heart of the family.  Hubs is the head, mama is the heart.  Baby is the whole world.

This. Too. Shall. Pass.

It's 5:30am right now and while I don't have too much time, I wanted to take a minute to talk about my darling, very, very ill, husband.
I have known this man for 10 years.  In these 10 years, he has gotten the occasional seasonal cold and he has battled allergies.  I have never known him to have stomach problems and these colds are nothing that some Tylenol cold and flu can't knock out.
Imagine his surprise when he started getting sick on Sunday only to find that the Tylenol cold and flu was not working.  Didn't do a thing to assuage his sore throat, raspy cough and painful ears.  Things got worse Monday, the first day of school and he came home with NO VOICE.  By Monday night he was immobile on the couch, with a throat the hurt so bad he couldn't even muster up a cough.  The kind of sore throat where it's painful to take a drink of anything, be it cold or hot.  He also was complaining of ear pain.  We called White Glove (more on them later!) and set up a time for him to be seen yesterday.  Since he really is never sick, I underestimated the severity of his illness and went about business as usual yesterday morning and left for work, assuming he could drive the baby to daycare.

Y'all, he was too sick to drive.

Anyway, he was indeed diagnosed with a double ear infection, strep throat and sinusitis.  All of that, plus he had to take care of a baby (the whole time wearing a mask and gloves).  I felt terrible because I should've just taken him to daycare, but again, my experience with a sick husband is limited.

So, pray for my one and only.  He is not showing any signs of getting better, but today is his second day of antibiotics.  I'll be taking the kid to daycare, more so for Matt than for him.  I am feeling much better, just a little self conscious because I can't wear eyemakeup or contacts for a week.

Just trying to go with the flow here, but let me tell you, it's DIFFICULT.

PS
I did start work and I have a wonderful class.  As a whole they work well together, are polite and very sweet. I have a really big class so it will probably be split up with another teacher and I'm honestly a little sad about it; I want all of them. Just goes to show that no matter what, God looks upon me with favor.

Let Me Tell Ya Bout My Best Friend

Dear Topherboy,

You have a handsome daddy. He's a hottie. I got really lucky when I bagged him nine years ago. His smile will light up a room, his ocher colored eyes gleam and sparkle and his personality and sense of humor will never be duplicated. (But if anyone can come close it's you my dear.) And don't get me started on those long, curly eyelashes! I didn't get picky when I prayed for you, but I will admit I prayed for God to bless you with those gorgeous lashes, and it looks like our Heavenly Father obliged me! Your daddy has a mischievous streak that keeps me on my toes and a servant's heart that keeps me humble. Tophie, he's my better half. He makes me a better mama.

Your daddy looks best in jeans, tennis shoes (he currently rocks New Balance), a polo shirt and a cap (he loves his Torrey Pines cap best, you were there when we bought it, but 6 weeks in utero, so it's okay if you don't remember). That being said, he can dress up with the best of them and he looks good. The best is that he knows he looks good. He has earrings in both his ears and I pray he never takes them out. They are a part of who he is; he pierced his ears when he was 16 and has kept them in ever since. You grabbed his earrings the other day for the first time and he was quite nonplussed. But the earrings, mmm, the earrings need to stay baby, so hands off. You can grab my earrings all you want. Your daddy wears a scruffy beard on his face year round. It makes him look oh so rugged. I love to run my fingers through that thing and incidentally, it tickles your tiny feet when he rubs them on it. He is a mountain man transplanted to south Texas, and I love that he's maintained that Boulder sense of style.

Your daddy is easy on the eyes my friend. But that's not the best part about him. The best is what you don't see; his wonderful, quirky personality, his unique sense of humor, his wit, his unbelievable work ethic, his sharp intelligence. Most of all, his unending, unconditional love for the two of us. Right now your daddy is the guy that rocks you, makes you laugh, that carries you around from place to place and the guy that gives the best, most luxurious baths. Soon he will become the man who guides you through life's ups and downs, the man that teaches you right from wrong, the man that installs in you a moral compass.

You and I are a lucky pair! While you have already started to become like him in outward appearances (you look so much like him), I'm so excited to see you become like him on the inside. That's where it counts, my boy.

 I love you forever my little fella!
mama

A Good Day

On this day two years ago, I married my Matt.

It was a good day.

On this day four months ago, our baby was born.

It was a good day.

The three of us have a good life.

My Husband Rocks

My husband rocks because he is an AWESOME daddy. I am staying at home with Toph until school starts next year and these first few weeks as a new mom haven't been easy, but I have unconditional support from my husband. He comes home early when I need him to, he takes over every evening when he gets home from work. He loves on his boy and talks to him all the time. Being a daddy comes naturally to him and it makes my heart grow with love every time I see them together.


Toph got his daddy's long legs, which is evident in this picture.


Last night Toph loves being held by daddy so much that he fell asleep and let his soothie just slip out of his mouth.


And here is a pic of my baby at three weeks old; time is going by really fast! He's the most precious fellow I've ever seen. He wasn't too keen on having his picture taken just then, but I just had to have a picture with that sweet outfit on! Already dressing like his daddy!

Funniest Moments of Our Wedding

This past summer, our lives revolved around the wedding. Planning the wedding, getting ready for the wedding, buying stuff for the wedding. It was hard to see past July 19 because everything we did for the three months leading up to it had to do with that date. The wedding came and went, and it was beautiful and perfect. My honest to goodness dream wedding. We have found out that there is life after the wedding, a little thing called marriage. Now, when we think about the wedding, it's only with the fondest of thoughts. Also, there's some room to reflect on the funny things that happened, things that will make us laugh for a long time.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Misplacing the marriage license. There are no pictures of Matt and I signing the marriage license after the ceremony. That's because we didn't know where it was. I was none the wiser to this, as Matt kept me completely in the dark about it, sweet thing. Several people tore our house apart looking for it, and where was it? At the wedding site all along, at the bottom of a box of decorations. If you know Matt and I, you know this is par for the course when it comes to us. Neither of us are very organized. Don't worry; we're married, we signed when we got back from the honeymoon and our wonderful minister took care of the rest.

2. My cat pouncing my veil as I was putting my makeup on, claws fully extended. I was not as upset as my friend Megan, who I believe would have thrown him out of the window. He was very put-off by everyone's reaction.

3. My sweet grandmother sneaking a margarita like a school girl. The first I heard of this was the photographer saying, "someone's grandma just sneaked a margarita that she's not supposed to have." My grandma just giggled and said, "don't worry, I'm not driving home."

4. My mom's reaction to my reaction the first time I saw our cake. The color brown was all wrong and I was getting ready to get all upset about it, and my mom spoke to me like she did when I was five: "no, no this isn't wrong. Look how perfectly it matches the grooms cake." And it did. That really assuaged my worry but I know that every time I see that cake I'll know that was NOT the kind of brown I had requested.

5. Five minutes before the wedding we were looking for bouquet and I happen to see my mom and Mama J standing together and neither of them have on their boutonnières. Neither does my dad or any of the people that we got flowers for. My voice reached a really high octave as I screeched, Where are everyone's flowers?! Amazingly, everyone got their flowers quickly after that.

6. As everyone was walking down the path at the start of the wedding, my favorite wedding song, the song I always wanted at my wedding started playing, Canon in D. I love that song. I was standing to where no one could see me and it was just my dad and the photographer and I started to cry and I said "I always wanted this song to be played at my wedding." And my dad, really not wanting me to be crying at that moment says, "You know, this is YOUR wedding." Like maybe I had forgotten, and not to be sad, because the song actually was playing at my wedding. It made me buck up.

7. I didn't see this, and I'm still thankful I didn't, but apparently all of the guests were mooned and flashed by some idiots in a speed boat on the lake. I still don't find it that amusing, but my uncle will tell the story for the rest of his life and laugh his head off. Each time he tells the story, the flasher's butt will get bigger and she'll get uglier and uglier. That's fine with me, as long as the guests can look back and laugh, so can I. I didn't have to see it.

8. Our first dance we can look back and laugh because that was Matt's point of nervousness throughout the entire thing. We didn't pick a song you could just sway to, we picked "Better Together" by Jack Johnson, which has a little beat to it. So, while I was enjoying my husband, he was counting his steps. The real fun was the practice in our living room.

9. My aunt accosting me right before we were about to make our exit, with two rolled up pieces of tissue. She proceeded to tell me about a girl who was just like me, and was about to head off to Mexico for her honeymoon, and at her wedding they threw bird seed at her. What she didn't do was protect her ears and a little piece of birdseed was lodged inside her ear and her honeymoon was RUINED because she wad deathly ill and no one could find out what was wrong with her. I ended up putting the tissue in my ear because, well, God love my aunt, it didn't seem like the story had an end. She was happy when I did that and even happier when I forced the tissue into Matt's ear.

10. Matt's grandma getting quite riled up when she learned there would be no dollar dances. She got the look she gets when she's haggling the sellers down in Mexico. Her eyebrows got all arched and she pursed her lips and she marched up to Matt and demanded a dance. So, she got her dollar dance with Matt but no one else did.

11. Mama J's face when I walked up to her and said that something must be done about the restaurant's band because it was going to ruin the DJ's sound. I think she knew it was a losing battle, but in the end there was some sort of agreement that the band would keep their volume down. Looking back, it seems I was easily placated as a bride. That's a good thing.

12. Dancing the boot scoot boogey with my friends and cousins and not knowing what the heck I was doing. The whole time I had two thoughts: Where did people learn to do this and where was I? and Why is the boot scoot boogey being played at my wedding? It was definitely NOT on the playlist. There were some good pics from it though.

Those were some funny moments from the wedding. If you're reading and are married, tell me a funny moment from your wedding. It's always fun to reminisce.

Oh me oh my oh, it's been a real long time-o

Hello there. Please forgive me for not being so great of a blogger. I'm back though, and I've saved up some really good posts, so get ready.

First up: Adventures in Newlywed Grocery Shopping

When two teachers are married, the only time to do the grocery shopping is on the weekend. Since we spend Saturday recovering from the week and not moving very fast, we tend to do our shopping on Sundays. I am in charge of making the lists; I plan out the meals I'm going to make for supper, then fill in the list with things we need for breakfasts and snacks, and then I give it to my husbandly to double check and fill in. That's when potato chips gets inserted and when Diet Mountain Dew gets inserted on the list. That's also when husbandly says, "ooh, you know what I really want? Lasagna. Do you plan on making that this week?" No, I say, you can look on the other side of the list to see what I'm making. Then there's the comment on how much Mexican food is on there, and anyway...what can I say? I can work magic with a can of beans and some tortillas.

I digress...

Lately, when we've gotten to HEB on a Sunday, it's packed to the gills. All sorts of people in their Sunday best getting their food for the week. Here we come, list in hand, gaping at the crowds. After spending almost two hours at the supermarket one Sunday, we devised a plan. Divide and conquer. Now, we're all business. We take the parts of the list we comfortable with, and then go. We tend to stay in the same general area, especially after the time I picked up the milk and the soy milk and then could not find husbandly, who had the cart. I had very cold hands. We've also decided it's best that Matt take the cart because I've been known to "tailgate" if I'm pushing the cart. Slow walkers bother me, what can I say? Last Sunday, HEB was extra crowded. Matt was in one aisle with the cart and I was in another, grabbing my granola bars. That's another thing: Matt will get whatever brand is cheapest, I go with the kind I like, even if it's a couple of cents (or dollars) more expensive. One day I know I'll need to change that, but right now, there's no accounting for taste. Needless to say, my granola bars are not the cheapest on the aisle, therefore it's better I grab them on my own so Mr. Price-Comparison doesn't stand in the aisle for a few minutes arguing the case for granola bars. Anyway, I grab my granola bars and head over the husband's aisle. He is standing there with two items in his hand, comparing prices. This particular aisle was crowded and I wanted to leave it immediately. Therefore, I throw the bars in what I think is our cart and start to push it quickly away. Matt sees me doing this and has an amused look on his face. I think it's because he knows I dislike crowds and then I look back down at the cart. As I'm pushing it away, a woman grabs it. Right when she grabs it, I notice a nice black purse sitting in the front part of the basket. Not my purse. Not my cart.

Ah, that's why husband is amused. He is witnessing his wife steal someone's purse. Actually, the owner of the cart was very nice about it. As I was running away, she called after me to give me my granola bars. So, moral of the story: I need to be more aware of what's going on. I also need to learn to not blush so much. And of course, thank God for my husband because without him, I'd be leaving HEB with gold covered groceries. He keeps me in check, and he picks really good apples in the produce section.

How funny is he?

My husband teaches a frustrating age, in my opinion. I don't know how he does it. I don't think I could teach that age level. When they frustrate him, he has to deal with it a little differently than I would. He has to. He has a framed picture on his desk that he turns around when someone frustrates him. This is the picture:


He says to the student: "This is how Mr. Kelsey is feeling on the inside." And the kids think it's really funny. As a matter of fact, I do too. He's great.

So, how is that diet going?

Well, husbandly and I have had some busy couple of weeks. What with his first year of teaching, my third year of teaching and a couple of weddings in between, our schedules have been turned on their ears. It's not that we haven't been making a concerted effort to get back into the swing of things, but you know, it's hard.

Cut to the diet: how is it going? Well, due to my busy-ness, it's kind of plateaued. The good news is I haven't gained any weight, but the bad news is that I haven't lost any weight. I haven't been running as much either, a fact that my husband reminds me of everyday.

"Did you run today?"

No, I got home late.

"Did you forget we're running a half marathon in a month?"

No, I didn't forget.

"I can't carry you those 13 miles you know, you're going to have to do it yourself."

Listen buddy, I can at least walk if I have to.

And this is what goes on nightly. I think that when I signed us up for the half marathon, I simply forgot that it would be in the middle of the second nine weeks, right before Thanksgiving Break, which is simply a back breaking time of year in a school. There's all sorts of things going on, all sorts of tests being taken and all sorts of little extras to be done. All the other races I've run have been A) In college, which I now know was the cushiest, easiest time of my life. What I wouldn't give to be able to spend my days waking up at 8:30, going to class at 9:15, learning about Spanish literature from the Golden age and US-Latin American relations all day, getting home at 2:30 to watch Roseanne reruns and strolling into work at 4:3o to work a four hour shift.
I digress. B) During summer. Relatively nothing going on. I had already finished finals and had the world at my finger tips.

So, this race that I'm about to run has taken a backseat to all my other priorities. And this one is 13 miles to boot. I know I've got to be serious about it, but I'm already so serious about so many other things: my husband, his job, my job, my diet, making sure my husband eats, making sure the cat is not completely ignored. I'm just busy.

But, I'll keep all posted on the diet thing. Hope that the plateau will indeed start on the downward slope again once I get serious about running 13 miles.

All things Newlyweds

Matt and I have been married for going on three months now and everyday is just a little better than the next. We were lucky enough to go to two weddings these past two weekends and we had a lot of fun. Really, there doesn't have to be a wedding for us to have fun, apparently there only has to be a camera. We are hams to the highest degree. Here we are at the weddings:




This is on the way to our cousin's wedding. We stopped and ate in Lampasas, TX. Good times.

In the car again, on the way to the wedding.


At the wedding, waiting to sit down.


We had fans too.

Matt took this and I really like it.



Wedding number two; at the reception.

Wedding number two again; picture courtesy of Daddy Mac. To me, pictures that are taken by a third party seem weird to look at because I'm so used to seeing the arm extended pictures, the self photos if you will.


I took this one, I'll admit. When you look good, you look good.


This was the best wedding cake ever. Better than ours because I didn't have to fight with nasty fondant.


Husbandly's speech. Did a great job.



A little out of order; this was wedding #2 at the rehearsal. I had no idea he was making that face.

I got him back though.


Me and Frank, a gift from the brother and sister in law.


My cute husband.



This was right as the wedding was starting.

This was at an old mansion called Drayton Hall. I like this pic because it totally highlights all the weight I've lost. That's the only reason it's on here.



Once again, courtesy of Daddy Mac.


Matt's favorite aircraft carrier was in the background here.


Umm, this is me on a cannon. Everyone in my husband's family has posed in some way on that cannon. I believe I posed the most provocatively. You be the judge.