Date

Who woulda thunk.

Just eight years ago.

The pizza boxes, the library study nights, the dorm room entry codes, the midnight McDonalds runs, the date parties...

And now...

Now this was us Monday night.

Our date.

And I love it.

On a side note, check out the design a dear friend, Elle, created for me.

Totally in love!

Check out her website here.

Her work is beautiful, beautiful she is.

In fact, speaking of beautiful, I just shot engagement pictures at her parents house this past weekend. Her parents home is on acres of land, tucked away...beautiful.

Again, Elle, thank you.

P.S. And, for a new way to view my photography, check out this link.

Him

I fell in love with him at nineteen years old.

He makes me laugh.

He makes them laugh.

He's just the best.

Getaway

Haven't yet unpacked.

Still haven't yet weighed after too many weekend getaway splurges.

Yikes.

Still haven't gotten outside yet for an afternoon run to make up for these getaway splurges.

But vakay calories don't count, right?

So, instead I have uploaded these.

And have kissed him again.

What a weekend of just two does for us...

We haven't even argued about whose turn it is to empty the diaper pail.

Yet.

Of course the day isn't over.

And more to come soon.

Adventures

If it hasn't already been glaringly apparent, we live a life of non-stop thrill seeking around here.

It's true.

So it should come as no surprise that the weekend served up just a few more adventures for our little family.

Starting by braving the scare of suburbia and the terror of tight parking to venture out to the hub of the buzz....the opening of the town's newest grocery store.

And, in true explorer spirit, we sampled with the best of them, filled our ruby cart to the brim.

104 degree heat, the jungle navigation of a deadly parking lot, one embarrassing situation for me and my inability to remember names, sweaty bodies, the sightseeing experience of my mother working her first paying job in twenty-seven years, an alien sized spit-up experience from the little man that soaked the entire front of my hubby's blue teeshirt, two scoops of organic Greek yogurt on a sample spoon, one pink souvenir balloon, a Tiramasu torte, 2Lbs of strawberries and a week's worth of organic frozen prepared meals: $99.34

Gettin' in on the organic craze: priceless.

And because we are true nonstop daredevils, the next morning it was off to the stomping grounds of our love, the birthing place of our romance to meet up for breakfast and kisses with Papa and Nana.

103 degree heat, two hours of a screaming baby on the "to" ride, a coloring book and new box of crayons, an alien sized throw up experience from our overly excited toddler, a subsequent flat tire and a projected 3 hour wait at the town's Walmart, two more stops to find a car care that was accepting business on a Sunday afternoon, a frozen yogurt date for the little miss with her Papa and Nana, a time-killing shopping trip around the mall, an ATM withdrawal for cash just so that we could partake in our favorite photo booth, a call from the care repair that the tire was, indeed, shot and needed total replacement, and finally, although the little man wore himself out on the way home, as we pulled into the serenity of our city limits, a blowout experience like none other...my decency will spare you the graphics of this glory...but add to this total a new carseat to replace what he destroyed....$324.18

A day of reminiscent stories and collected memories with my hubby of the love that we found as crazed nineteen year-olds and the family that we now have grown, the wonder of what mishaps, adventures, are to come...priceless.

Five

Just wrapped up a four day weekend together...

Making up for a too long business trip gave me the chance to soak up time with not only my sweets, but this handsome fella'.

Thursday will be five years as his Mrs. And almost eight of being in love with him.

And who wouldn't be in love with the man who keeps a close check on a sometimes forgetful momma to slather snow white skin with SPF.

This man, who has not only given me my little family...

But has given me a life more beautiful than I ever dreamed.

We've shared the quiet times.

We've shared the chaos of the everyday.

And some days we've handled it all better than others.

Not gonna lie, we are a very passionate couple.

Our highs are heavenly.

Our lows...

They can be bad.

But for the chance to walk hand in hand in him for the rest of my life?

The tears, the devastations, our dramas...they're worth it.

He makes our moments classic.

In fact, the fact that he shared the total most embarrassing moment of my life is classic. You see, it really wasn't more than a month or two that we had been together. New enough that I was still trying desperately to maintain a cool image. So, we had signed up for a ballroom dance class. This in and of itself is laughs enough. And, me, loving my freshman year of college, had loved the dorm food, the fourth meal, the late night snacks a little much...yup. But, I didn't want to give up the high school jeans. Living in denial. There's nothin' like it. So after several practices, it was "test" time. Performing a routine in front of the class. And as my boyfriend lifted me in the air for an oh-so-graceful leg lift...well, those too tight jeans had had enough. They gave up. Splitting all the way up from my knee on the inner seam. Yup. Shrieking, I waddled out pulling my utterly stunned and confused dance partner out the door to drive me home crying at him the whole way not to peek. I think the diet started that night.

Yes, he's a good sport.

I really couldn't ask for more.