I Won

We have a ceiling fan with 4 lights in our bedroom.
When we moved in,
almost 5 years ago now,
one bulb was burned out.

For some reason,
just to be a pain, I suppose,
I decided I wasn't going to change the bulb.
I wanted to see how long it took Ryan to do it.

Time went by.
Probably a year or so.
And another bulb burned out.

And still I waited.

Then another year or so and a third bulb went out.
Leaving us with one good bulb.

And still I waited.

Inevitably, recently, the last bulb burned out.
Leaving us with no bulbs.

I got some bulbs.
Set them on the dresser.
(See, I conceded a bit.
I'm not totally stubborn.)
And waited.

A couple days later.
I walked into our bedroom.
Flipped the switch.
And we had light.
Amazing.

I won the nearly 5 year battle.
I think...

Labor Day and a 4 Wheeler

Labor Day weekend.
One of the most relaxing weekends.
In a long time.

We ate meals together.
All 6 of us.
At home.
That is difficult to accomplish these days.
(Last week we packed a cooler.
And ate supper on the run.
3 nights in a row.
The first night we did lunch meat sandwiches.
But I can only handle that every so often.
So night 2 I made pizza bierocks.
And night 3 chicken salad on crescent rolls.)

On Monday Grandpa surprised the kids.
He brought the 4 wheeler to town.

The yelling that went on in our house
when they saw him pull up.

Brookie had to spend a little time
 learning how to drive it.
It made her mad
that Jakie was better than her at first.
Sibling rivalry is alive and well at our house.

But she learned quickly.
And was zipping all over in no time.

Grandpa, the hero.

Woohoo!

And this is the closest pic you will get of me driving.

The others show a little too much leg cellulite.
Oh, my!
De. Pressing...
Shorts should clearly not be a part of my wardrobe.

Also,
I guess it's not cool
for the guy to
put his arms
around the girl.

Whatever.

Valentine's Day

I walked into my kitchen Tuesday morning.
To see this on the counter.The most gorgeous arrangement I have ever received.

I was also told not to worry about supper.
Woohoo!
Some of my favorite words.

After school I left the kids at home.
To run an errand.
When I got back,
Brookie had put a dress out on my bed.
The dress that Ryan had bought me for our anniversary.
That I had never had an opportunity to wear yet.

The kids set a table for two in front of our fireplace.
And changed into white shirts and black pants.

Ryan brought home supper.
McDonalds for the kids.
The boys were thrilled.
Brookie, not so much.
And Mediterranean food for the two of us.
Delish!

The kids had to serve us.
Brookie dished each course up.
The boys brought the food to us.
And cleared the dishes.

Brookie stayed away from the table the whole meal.
She was embarrassed by the romance, I guess.
The little boys were so excited about it all.
And Jake started trying to sneak into the room.
To hear our mushy conversations.
It was so cute.

Ryan had also had the little boys decorate some 3x5 cards.
Then he wrote questions on them.
Like: what first caught your attention about me?
And: what still captures it now?
There were about 6 different cards.
Ezra was in charge of handing these out throughout the meal.

Our precious servers for the evening.
After supper we all sat together on the couch.
In our fancy clothes.
And watched an episode of one of our favorite shows together.

Oh, and we also gave the kids some valentines.
Just things they love.
Pickles for Brookie.
Beef jerky for Jakie.
Candy for the little boys.

And Ryan bought Brookie 3 roses.
For his baby girl.
She had gotten a stuffed animal and kitkats.
From her "boyfriend" Max.
(Ryan did not know that until he got home.)
Not sure what "boyfriend" means.
Since we don't let her go to dances.
Or drop her off at the movie theatre.
Or let her talk to him on the phone.
Or let her do anything with him really.
She sees him at school.
That's about it.

When she went to bed that night.
She said:
Dad, your valentine was better than Max's.
Best thing she could have said to her daddy.

I'm off.
To enjoy my flowers some more.Lovely.

Mr. Moosey Takes a Trip

Ryan headed to Chicago Saturday.
I was jealous.
Really jealous.
He got to stay one night with his cousin's family.
I love them.
He got to stay at a hotel on Michigan Ave for 3 nights.
I love Michigan Ave.
He got to eat Chicago-style pizza.
I love Chicago-style pizza.
Did I mention I was jealous?

Ok.
Moving on...

Ryan took one of the little boys' finger puppets.
And sent us texts.
Documenting Mr. Moosey's stay in Chicago.

Day 1:
Buckled in and ready for the flight.
Waiting for his luggage.
Mr. Moosey at Libby's.
Day 2:
Mr. Moosey worshipping.
Mr. Moosey catching a nap at the hotel.
Day 3:
Mr. Moosey a little scared of heights.
Day 4:
Mr. Moosey helping daddy update facebook between meetings.
Mr. Moosey feels small with all these tall buildings.
Day 5:
Mr. Moosey misses everyone.
He even had to shave this morning
so he would look his best for you.
Mr. Moosey getting ready to board the plane.
He's happy!
Mr. Moosey wanted the window seat.
We were all very glad to pick Mr. Moosey up last night.
Well...and Daddy too.
None of us more than me.
(I might have been getting a bit crabby.)

Twenty-Two

That's how old I'm going to turn this month.
Ha.
Not really.
I wouldn't want to go back that far.
Hmmm.
28 sounds good.
Even 34 sounds good at this point.

Here's really what 22 means to me today.
On this day.
Twenty-two years ago.
Ryan and I went on our first date.
To the state fair.

That is hard to wrap my brain around.
Twenty-two years ago?
Wow!

When he ask me out way back then,
I remember thinking to myself:
What can one date hurt?

We attended a small Christian school.
Where everyone knew everything.
A couple days after our date
one of our classmates said to me:
I suppose you'll be going to the Winter banquet with Ryan.
I remember looking at him and saying:
That's 3 months away!
I don't know who I'll be going with.

Well...turns out I went with Ryan.
To that banquet.
And every one after that the next 2 years.

We don't always celebrate this day.
Matter of fact, some years it's gone by without us noticing.
But the past few days
I've been thinking about that first date a lot.

How I twisted my ankle the day before.
But didn't want to miss the date.
So I hobbled all over the fair.

How cute he looked walking up the sidewalk.
To meet my parents for the first time.
Wearing a pink polo.
And jeans.
And high tops.
It was the late 80's, people.
I wore jeans with the waist band that rolled over.
Remember those?
Tapered leg.
Kinda' stonewashed.
Awesome.
And a bright green shirt.
With shoulder pads.
Yes!
Oh, wish I had a picture.

How I wanted him to hold my hand.
But he didn't until we got back that evening.
And went for a little walk around our neighborhood.

I may not have a picture of our first date.
But I do have one of our first banquet.That's my brother on the right.
He had to ride with us to the banquet.
He was a freshman.
It was horrible.
He played with the electric windows and locks on the car.
The entire way to the banquet.
He thought he was funny.
I was mortified.
Ryan thought he was funny too.
That did not help.

22 years ago.
A boy.
Asking a girl out.
A girl.
Saying yes.

The result.
A blessed marriage.
Four amazing kiddos on earth.
And one in heaven.
A family.

A fingerprint of God.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.

Seventeen

We were 17 years old in these pictures.Young and in love.Today we've been married for 17 years.
Not quite as young.
But definitely more in love.

A Little Get Together

The weekend before last was our class reunion.
Ryan and I graduated from a small Christian school.
With a class of 40.
20 years ago.
That doesn't seem right.
I'm sure I'm not that old.

I wanted a new dress for the occassion.
And had shopped a little.
But hadn't found what I wanted.
And ran out of time to shop anymore.
I was just going to wear something out of my closet.
Who needs something new, right?
It's silly to think you need a new outfit.
That's what I told myself anyway.

The day before the reunion.
My hubby texted me:
Got a little gift for you...
He came home with a super cute dress!
And it fit!
He's amazing.

I don't do it justice.
And the pic is fuzzy.
But here it is.Nearly half of our class made it.There's something pretty special about graduating from a small school.Apparenty I missed the memo to wear black shoes.
And I'm also the only one to not have my nails done.Don't ask.
It was late.
They are goofy girls.
There was no alcohol.
We graduated from a Christian school remember?Funny story:
About 10:00pm or so.
One of our classmates was talking to her mom on her phone.
Checking up on her son, I suppose.
I hear her say:
No mom, there is no alcohol here.
Felt like we were in high school again.

The next day we were at our house.
It was hot.
Our kids were all there.
And I think one of my classmates son's thought my daughter was cute.
And I think she might have thought he was cute too.
That's weird.

Rhonda, do you read this?
Do you agree?
Ryan was oblivious to it all.

And this is the only pic I took of the day.
Yeah me!Oh, and yes our carpet did get put in on time.
It looks so great downstairs.
Sadly, I can't show you.
I still can't find my camera.
(All the above pics were with my mom's camera.)
We have searched every where.
We know where it last was.
A certain daughter laid it on the floor.
On the floor?
In the family room.
It has not been seen since.
At least that's the story...

Awesome Mama, Hot Daddy

I was an awesome mom yesterday.
During Brookie's soccer practice.
I took the boys to the playground.
I never do that.
They beg me everytime.
I'm selfish.
I would rather talk to the other parents.
But yesterday I took them over.
Better enjoy it boys.
It won't happen again for a long time.

What is so exciting about a playground?
You climb up.
Go down a slide.
Climb up.
Go down a slide.
Hang on the monkey bars.
Then start all over again.
For 45 minutes.

I was awesome for 45 minutes.
Then I told them it was time to go.
Not so awesome anymore.

And, is there anything hotter
than a hubby who grills?In a Superman shirt.
I think not.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Mmm.

LOVE

Enough said.
(except I just showed Jobie the picture
and he went: Ewwww!)

Super Birthday

Yesterday was Ryan's bday.
And Super Bowl Sunday.
Ryan thought it was so nice of everyone
to celebrate his birthday.
A national party in his honor.
Pretty cool.

We had some friends over.
I let him pick the menu.
Buffalo wings.
Brats.
That was pretty much all he said.
My guy the carnivore.

So I added to it.
Chips, pretzels and dips.
Veggies.
Desserts.
Can you believe it.
He wasn't worried about the dessert at all.
I was.

I made three pies.
And my sis-in-law made one.
Key lime.
Peanut butter chocolate.
Vanilla cheese.
Chocolate.
Yummy stuff.

But actually, this post is not about that.
It's about me.
Just kidding.
Kinda.
It's really about his present.

I wanted to make him something this year.
I've mentioned that I'm not the craftiest person in the world.
So this is always a big deal for me.
But I got a little idea in my head.
And it morphed into this:Helvetica is one of his favorite documentaries.
He's a geek.
I know.
In his defense, it's really not too bad.

So I spelled out "Helvetica" in that font.
Would have been funny if I would have used another font.
I almost had to.
Who knew our computers didn't have it?
Quick call to my mom at work:
Please tell me you have helvetica on your computer.
(I didn't put this off at all)
Mom saves the day again!Then I trimmed the letters all down.
And clothspinned them to cork board
that had also been trimmed down to size.This morning I threw some twine at Ryan.
And sent him off to work with his present.
In a Braums paper sack.
We are fancy people.
A few hours later he sent this from his phone:I think I'm going to use
this idea to do something for the little boys' room.
I've got some ideas rolling around
in this empty old head of mine.
We'll see how they turn out.

What Mama Got For Christmas

Let me explain something, first.
Years ago.
I quit teaching.
When kid numero dos came along.
Going from two incomes to one.
And then adding a kid.
That creates a little of a money crunch.
That year for Christmas,
Ryan and I agreed to only spend $40 on each other.
We've been doing it ever since.
Well, until this year.

I have to admit.
We have both "cheated" a little at times.
Like getting a mini torch buy one get one half off.
I gave the full price one to my brother.
And the half price one to Ryan.
Clever.
Very clever.

But this year.
Ryan really cheated.

When we went Christmas shopping for the kids.
(Which, by the way, is one of our few dates each year.
I look forward to it soooo much.)
I found something I really liked.
But they were very over-priced.
Even at 50% off.
So I admired them.
And walked away.

They showed up under our tree.I love them.
I'm spoiled.

Either that.
Or...
My hubby really wants something.
He also helped me clean the bathrooms last week.
Hmmm.
What is he up to?

"CHiPs"

About 6:00 last night.
Erik Estrada walked into my house.
At least I sure thought it was him.

Ryan's growing his hair out.
I've been wanting him to do that for a long time now.
It's been pretty short since before we were married.
He got a little trim before he came home from work.
His barber said:
Just comb it back.
And blow dry-it a little.

It looked exactly like this:Ryan even had a tan polyester shirt on.
(He found it in KC.
At this great thrift store called savers.)
Anyway, all he needed was a badge.
A motorcycle.
And bigger teeth.
And the helmet.
The helmet might have smashed his hair down a little.
How did Ponch's hair stay so poofy?

Brookie and I just started laughing.
He said: I look like Erik Estrada, don't I?
He did not want me to take a picture of him.
He immediately went to the bathroom to fix it.

I giggled all day today.
Especially when I was looking for images of Ponch.
Jobie was sitting next to me, laughing:
Dat guy's hair is funny!

Officer Poncherello Ryan:
I think it's time to find a new barber.

If You're Prone to Jealousy-Don't Read

You know those firefighter calendars?
Where they go around and find the 12 "hottest" firefighters.
(I'm so funny with my puns.
Bet that one has never been done before.)
And put them in a calendar.
Well, I don't need one of those.
Cuz I got this in the mail the other day.September 2010-August 2012.
Two years of Ryan.
In the same photo.
I am one lucky girl.

Sorry gals.
This is a one-of-a-kind.

And, just so you know.
If Ryan was a firefighter.
He would be one of those 12 hottest guys.
Now I've really embarrassed him.
But I call 'em like I see 'em.

Just the Kids

So glad I married such a good lookin' man.
I always wanted cute kids.
Man, do I have 'em.

My favorite. Sorry I bragged.
Just couldn't help myself.

How Did We Not Notice?

When I was looking for halloween pics,
I found this one.
Brookie and I laughed.
I suppose, at the time,
(I was pregnant with Ezzie here)
Ryan's shoes were okay?
They look a little oversized now.
Wish my legs were that skinny.
Notice I'm wearing jeans.
Smart move on my part.
Love you, babe.
Please don't be mad at me...
for letting you go out like that.
Oh, and for making fun of you.
On a blog.
That anyone could stumble upon.
That, too.