Monday, September 26, 2011

Significant Subtlety

I walked in the door this morning after dropping kids off at school. My husband greeted me with a smile and a loving demand to give him a kiss. I leaned in and as he wrapped me in his arms he whispered, "Happy Anniversary".








*Gasp*








Now it's not that I forgot about the signifigance of this day. Just last week I was chatting with a friend and the topic of marriage came up (as it often does). I casually mentioned that we'd be celebrating our 14th anniversary at the baseball field. My main squeeze would be coaching our 6 year old's team and this old ball and chain would be at an adjacent field, in the stands cheering on our 8 year old.








We had a great day despite the lack of a formal celebration. He worked, repaired, bargained, loaded, did some bids, sweat, drove, coached, diapered and provided. I cleaned, organized, laundered, answered phones, scheduled jobs, taxied kids around, cooked, helped with homework, cheered, diapered, and nurtured. But this is just the life we live. We are happily wrapped up in each other. Always.








There was no exchange of gifts. We stole kisses and hugs from one another a few times more than we usually do in a day. I left the game I was watching to take him a cold drink from the snack bar. He cleaned up the kitchen after a picnic-style dinner of buffalo wings and veggie sticks. (Not too romantic, but homemade none-the-less.)








Today we "celebrated" 14 blissful years of marriage in our minds and in our hearts. We pondered on the last 14 years in the quiet moments of the day. Our journey together has afforded us opportunities to witness miracles both big and small... 4 of those miracles bring us both frustrations and joy on a daily basis. (I'm not counting the dogs. They mainly bring frustrations. Well, for me, anyway.)








I am a lucky girl to have this man as my eternal companion. It's cliche but he really is my best friend. We laugh often. I think it's one of our favorite things to do together. We have our inside jokes. We kiss and hug in front of the kids. We date. We text love notes to eachother.








It's true that this blog post might be the most attention that's been paid to our 14th Anniversary. I grabbed the camera and had one of my miracles snap a picture of us real quick before going up to bed. The day might have passed without much fanfare. But that doesn't mean it didn't hold any less emotion, appreciation, love or excitement at the prospects of eternity than some of our past years have.








We're just 14 short years into forever. And I can't wait for what's to come.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Just Can't Get Enough

Of these eyes...





Of this (sticky) mouth...



Of these little hands...



Of these cheeks...




Of this baby boy...





Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Thank you, Sir. May I have another?

If you've never heard of the Ragnar Relay Series then go here . Last weekend I had the opportunity to be part of a running team in the first ever Napa Valley Ragnar. San Francisco to Calistoga. 186 miles!! I absolutely loved it.



Highlights from the race.....




Sharing Van 1 with these people



(Caroline, Arnell, Me, Melinda, Mark, "Sanchez")


Finishing the race together as a team of 12





Running into friends on another team and getting to visit with them throughout the race.






No picture of Debbie but had fun texting with her and sharing hugs at every exchange!!




Running through beautiful areas



Having a "slumber party" in the hotel room.


(I forgot my camera but would have loved a picture of Brandon sleeping on the window seat and "Sanchez" sleeping under a table.)





One of the slogans of the Ragnar Series is "Run. Drive. Rest? Repeat"




RUN


I was lucky runner #1 which means I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, 2 of my 3 runs were early, early in the morning. Downside? Having to run with a reflective vest, headlamp, and "taillight". Upside? Only having to run one of my legs in the heat of the day!




DRIVE



Decorating your ride is a must in Ragnar. Our team name was "Thrill of Victory... Agony of Da' Feet". It was fun to see how creative peoople got with their team names and their vans.




REST



Don't be fooled by our casual cuddling. Rest was a hard thing to do. I personally found this part harder than the running.




REPEAT




Yes, I will definitely repeat!! Call me crazy, but I think I'm addicted!!