Monday, February 28, 2011

Uncommonly Good People

On Friday, I spent time with some great people. We are connected through my college where I graduated, but we have the ability to pick up where we left off....which is always a good thing. We laughed and talked and discussed and overall, conversation was comfortable. Easy. And, the silence was just as comfortable and easy.

Here are a couple things I want to share with you about what I observed -

1. Emily &Jake - are IN LOVE. I love seeing friends whose relationship evolved into love and now they are married. It was ADORABLE to see him glance at her...ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I love love.
2. Listening to student teachers Emily and Emily (yes, TWO Emilys!). Is it weird that as they talked about their classes, I automatically pictured the classrooms of Pretty Little Liars and Glee? Clearly, I need a life.
3. Good friends - Michael and Stephanie. They make my heart feel whole and complete. All those good memories - past and current that flood when I'm around them. I would have never married Ben without their approval. For real.
4. Nate and that kid I never caught your name - Shane? Sean? I'm not sure. Argh. But, I love their facial expressions and their antidotes. They may not have been the central "talkers", but they added a wonderful element to the conversation - the unexpected.

Oh, friends. I love friends.

PS - Emily of Emily and Jake - READS MY BLOG. Thank you, Emily.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A Series of Letters

Sometimes, a letter just says what you need it to

Dear Sick, Tired Body: 
I promise you will get rest soon.


Dear Dead Valentine's Day Roses:
You are still here because I love the thought behind you too much to get rid of you. Thank you for adorning my coffee table with your ever-fading pose.


Dear Ben: 
Thank you for curling up on the couch with me. I cherished our time together last night.


Dear Creativity: 
I miss you too. I plan to make something soon. I promise.


Dear Miko:
Please stop peeing EVERYWHERE.

The end.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine Day Highlights

1. Owl City's song to Taylor Swift: http://owlcitymusic.com/vday/ 
Beautiful. And, by the way,  I'm in love. 
2. Jessica Claire is adding another title to her awesomeness - Mommy. I'll admit, I got teary-eyed. 
3. Cooking dinner for Ben. (Did you really think I wouldn't squeeze his name in?!?) 

how was your Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day 2011

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I think Ben is the best...in particular, the BEST at gifts and surprises and all around, making my life lovely. He definitely keeps getting better and better. No doubt about it. You also know - if you follow my blog - I'm kinda a go-big-or-go-home type of girl. I want the extravagant celebration, the incredible surprise, and the drain-your-wallet experience. No doubt about it.

Our anniversary is in December. December. In the midst of holidays, parties, friends, families, traditions, shopping, etc...we have to squeeze in "Don't-forget-to-celebrate-our-anniversary". That is exhausting. So, for our first anniversary, we split it up. We did part 1 (Nutcracker Ballet)...and this past weekend, we mixed in part 2 with Valentine's Day. Part 2 met my expectations, and definitely showed that once again, my man has got some SERIOUS skillz.

Part 2 = BAHAMAS.
We went on a cruise. Just Ben and I. For 3 days. It was fast, but it was needed. We had zero cell phone service (which I love!). A lot of time to talk. A lot of time to sleep. And, our personal favorite, (but you didn't hear it from me) a lot of time to people watch and people mock. It was glorious.
I was the ultimate tourist - I brought two cameras with me. Ben was the ultimate planner - we did a lot of fun things (Bahamas beach, fun restaurants, a little bit of time spent in the casino, hot tub, karaoke, trivia, bingo, fun shows, and good food). We had fun. It was relaxing. We laughed. We reconnected. We enjoyed no responsibilities.

Here are some pictures of our fun times:

(first set of pictures taken with my awesome Polariod Camera - another great gift from Ben!)

The sign that welcomed us.
A window-side view of our surroundings.

My attempt to play a slot machine. (Should brought a book! ha!)

Ben at the casino - he was actually really good. Who knew?!?
Our Cruise Countdown.


The Housewives of Nassau table. They were among our favorites to people-watch.

Old-school myspace mirror/formal picture.


The beautiful beach


The other couples we had dinner with each night - they were so much fun!


Our taxi ride to the beach.

The beach, the clear water - it was incredible.
The food was incredible. But, this is the only picture to show for it.
The end.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Our Family Is Growing!

We are excited to announce that.....Milo is about to be a big brother!



We are welcoming Miko back to our family.

(and you thought it was a real (human) baby!)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Sometimes For Your Marriage...

....you stay up 'til 3am to resolve differences.  

Sometimes only because your love for your spouse surpasses your pride in being right

This was Ben and I just last night. It made our marriage stronger and better...

Yes, I'm tired, but it was SO worth it.