Love The One You're With

Yesterday, The Husband and I wished each other 'happy 6 years since our first date'  I'm not joking - we actually say sappy things like that to each other.  Every month on the 10th (dating month-iversary) and then the 13th (wedding month-iversary).  Yes we are giant dorks. And to make it worse - The Husband remembers more often than I do!  I started reminiscing over the last 6 years that we have known each other. It's like a lifetime - like I don't remember my life before him. Yes, I had a life before him but I can't remember what it was like NOT knowing him. 

Last week, The Husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Three years. It is a lot of time and none at all at the same time. Things are so different in so many way since the day we said ‘I do”.  It isn't always easy that’s for sure.  Actually our first year of marriage was the toughest.  We didn't have to adjust to living together; we had already been doing that!  We were given a lot of obstacles to overcome, big decisions that I had never dreamed of having to make.  I mean when we got married, I hadn't made a car payment, mortgage payment, applied for a non-student loan. I hadn't bought a car or house – nothing major.  The Husband had to make decisions for his business, house, vehicles, it was a mess. It was stressful and it was hard.  We were both stressed for different reasons.

He ended up taking a step back from his business and found a job working for another company. He was there until the company shut down – a mere four months later. Then he was able to get another job with a much larger company.  He was away a lot. He would be gone for a week, home for the weekend, and leave again on Sundays.  It was hard on us, on our relationship.  He was stressed because he wasn’t happy, because he was never home. We didn't do a whole lot when he was home, we spent a lot of time in ‘solitude’, no socializing  - with anyone. We needed those moments for us, to catch up, recover. Get in our snuggles. 

But here we are three years later, weathered the storm and made it to the sunshine. We are so much better for it, so much stronger.  Look, the reality is that marriage doesn't make a relationship easier. In some ways it can be harder.  There is change and compromise and thinking about the ‘we’ instead of the ‘me’. Sometimes that transition isn't fun.   At the end of the day, there is no one I can imagine being stressed with, waking up next to, going on dates with, or with whom I could imagine running around the house chasing me while the giggles are unending and the silliness never stops.

We celebrated our third anniversary the day of, the way we always do.  We go to our favorite restaurant in town for dinner then make our way to ice cream.  This year the restaurant was more crowded than I have EVER seen it! We had quite the dining experience, drawn out over a couple hours. After dinner, we decided to wander around Total Wine to make room for dessert! J 

The third wedding anniversary gift is leather or glass/crystal.   We bought The Husband some new tequila to try.  NEWS FLASH (to me): The Husband really likes Tequila. I had NO IDEA.  I thought his bevi of choice was rum! So anywho – the tequila is in glass so there you go J we are also ordering him a leather sheath for his fishing pliers.  Look at that – he got the traditional AND modern gifts!

So this was a NO BRAINER for me – leather. PURSE or SHOES?! I went with purse. I’m so glad I did.  I was so excited when it was delivered that when I got home, I had The Husband take some pictures for YOUR viewing pleasure. PLUS it is super adorbs! 

 

  

We have a lot to learn as a couple and as individuals.  We are still young and have so many new things to experience together.  I'm not an expert and I know I'm not the perfect partner - ask my family.  This weekend my parents, husband and I were discussing chores, cooking, laundry, etc and I ACTUALLY said "if someone else is going to do it for me, why should I do it too".  Yeah - entitled/spoiled/princess-complex much?! I am very fortunate that The Husband helps with the chores and the cooking and doesn't expect me to do all of it. 

Here is what I know FOR SURE :

• You have to make time for each other.  Life gets in the way, you get busy, there’s family, chores, friends, work.  We all get caught up in the whirlwind that is this crazy thing called life.  It isn’t always easy.
• You love for the things they do right, you love for the ‘flaws’ or the annoying habits they have.  Maybe they slurp their drink when they aren't using a straw; maybe you don’t like the way they scroll through the guide when you are browsing for a tv show; regardless – you love them anyway.
• When it gets hard, stay and fight.  When you are totally committed to your spouse, there are very few things that can’t be overcome and worked out.
• The grass is not always greener.  What you get in social media is what the ‘host’ wants you to see.  FB, blogworld, Twitter, Instagram, etc – you are seeing THE. VERY. BEST. of people and their relationships. Keep that in mind and don’t compare what you have to what they have.   

It is not always easy and sometimes it isn't that fun, if we are being completely honest.  But it is ALWAYS worth it =)

You can read about our first date, wedding recaps, and anniversary one and two.
Happy Tuesday!

Love The One You're With

Surprise Anniversary Date

This past weekend The Husband planned a surprise day trip for our 3rd wedding anniversary, which we celebrated last week. This day trip was a secret the entire time - even during the drive to the destination he wouldn't tell me. It wasn't a short drive either - for a couple HOURS I had no clue where we were going or what we were doing. Talk about a LONG ride!  I didn't even know what to wear, I knew we would be outside but I still couldn't decide what to wear. I put on jeans the morning of and took shorts.

On the way down I realized I forgot my sunnies and asked if we could stop somewhere for me to buy a new pair. When we FINALLY got on the main road to get to where ever he was taking me, we found a Kohls - one of my favorite stores. The Husband decides he needs a whole new outfit for the day while we are there! That one didn't plan for us being outside and it being warm. It was like 80* Saturday!!! I did find me some super cute tortoise shell sunnies!

We got back on the road and less than 10 minutes later I found out where he was taking me - a wild animal compound/safari!!!! Here is how it works - you drive your vehicle through this compound FULL of African animals that are roaming wild.  Then you leave the compound and go through the mini zoo. Now, if you WANT, you can pay for an insider type of tour. That was the other surprise - The Husband set up a private photo tour for us. This meant we would have a guide, be able to roll the windows down, AND get up close and personal to a lot of the wildlife.

The tour wasn't for a few hours so we did the walk thru part of the excursion first. This area wasn't huge but it was a lot of fun to wander around, holding hands and seeing the animals. AND I fed a giraffe!!!!!

Here is the crazy thing - we walk up and there aren't any giraffes nearby.  I was bummed but The Husband asked the attendant if they would come over once we had food. The attendant said "come here Bobby" and I'm not even lying the giraffe started walking over!!! I couldn't believe the giraffe was being called over by name. Like a pet!!! It was amazing!

 

 

We found the Lory aviary where we could feed the pretty birds.

We actually didn't have any more cash but decided to go in anyway. I'm so glad we did because The Husband was able to get one to eat a Hibiscus flower out of his hand!

Can you tell he wears jeans ALL the time?!

After we ate lunch, it was time for the 'safari'. We started out in a station wagon with back windows that only rolled half way down.  we talked to our tour guide and told her we were not happy with that SO she got us into a blazer and the windows went ALL THE WAY DOWN! yay! satisfaction achieved.

We took over 200 photos for the day but I will save you from all that and show you some of my favorites.

  

 

  

On the way home, we decided we needed some ice cream, so we stopped for Blizzards. I got the mint oreo - pass, if you get the chance by the way.

It was definitely one of my favorite anniversary things we have done so far...not that I have many to compare haha.  We only just celebrated our third year of marriage and are officially into our fourth.  I honestly don't know how we have already been married that long - it seems like we JUST tied the know.  But so much has happened in the past three years and our lives are very different.

For those who don't follow me on Instagram, here is the photo collage I made for the past four years on our wedding day/anniversary.

Happy Almost Friday!!!

Getting Better With Age

Let me just say, I am SUPER excited for The 20/20 Experience to be released...only a couple more days! YAY!!!

I have to be honest, I didn't love him when he was with N*SYNC.  First off, I didn't even LIKE them until I saw them at a concert.  When I heard their harmonies live...well that totally changed my outlook.  I think I have previously discussed that if an artist is terrible live I quit listening to them.  Well the opposite is also true, I will start listening to an artist if they are awesome live.  OK for the most part...I'm not a huge Kenny Chesney fan but he is awesome live. I don't like listening to his music on the radio/iPod but live, he was awesome.

When I started listening to N*SYNC, they were on their way 'out' and JT was going his own way.  I honestly wasn't sure he was going to have a stellar career...and then he released Future Sex/Love Sounds. I actually bought that CD when The Husband and I were on our first date. We were wasting time before the movie started and went to Best Buy =)  Hmmmm that was a fun memory =)

anywho...

THIS was not my favorite look of his

I am loving me some grown-up Justin though!

Is it just me, or does it REALLY seem like men start getting better looking as they age? That seems wrong, doesn't it?! There are LOADS of examples of this...My husband, I swear, gets better and better looking! Ha! I don't know if it is an age thing or WHAT but it seems that with each passing year, a larger percentage of the male population looks better and better.  

James Caviezel

Such a BABY here!!!

Person of Interest

Hello! I'm interested! ;) 

George Clooney

Brad Pitt

I think I make a fairly valid point! Regardless - I am going to be one of those people on Friday making a bee-line for Mr Timberlake's new music. For your enjoyment...

Do you think men get better with age?
will you be getting the new JT music?

This Place About to Blow

I was sharing an office late last year with a girl who has drastically opposite music tastes...Well OK we liked SOME of the same stuff, but in her words - she has atrocious taste in music.  She kind of does.  Well we decided to share the music responsibilities of our little corner of the office. One day, we were feeling extra ridiculous and created a Lost Boys station.  Probably one of the funniest stations ever created, hands down.

When we realized it was too distracting, we opted for Nicki Min@j radio. Listening to that we heard a LOT of less-than-appropriate office music.  I opted for Ke$ha radio as an alternative...and so started my love of Ke$ha.

BTW - it's Friday B!TCHE$!!! Yay!!!
Go link up with Whitney and have an amazing weekend!

When You Don't Like Vegetables

Why is eating healthy(or healthier in my case) so hard!? and by hard - I mean not as delicious as a double cheeseburger and fries.  I will never give up my carbs because let's be honest, people are happier when they have had a cupcake.  DISCLAIMER: I'm not a fitness guru or a health expert - it is always a learning game for me and let's face it, the game is ever changing.  I am running a LOT again.  I want to be healthier - less eating out, a LOT less fast food...but what do I eat?  I have started to eat a couple pieces of fruit a day but I am pretty sure I need to start incorporating more vegetables.

Here's the thing - I eat vegetables...but not the green kind. And NO it is NOT just because they are green. I just don't love a lot of vegetables and they just HAPPEN to be green.  The other thing about the vegetables I eat is that I eat corn and potatoes.  yeah....so that is basically the extent of my veggie intake. That is seriously one of the most pathetic vegetable intake lists EVER.  Oh but wait! To be fair, I did eat sauteed broccoli and zucchini a couple weeks ago! That actually counts =)

I eat the occasional salad - but it is basically only lettuce, carrots, and croutons. My friend calls it a honeymoon salad 'lettuce alone'! I always think of this when I eat a salad...oh I like raisins in my salad. weird? I don't think so ... but my 'normal' compass is a little skewed.

I decided to do a little research and figure out what to do if you don't like vegetables.  I browsed a couple forums with moderately useful information but they were less than supportive. A lot of people said to just 'man up' and eat the vegetables.   Here is my big thing about that...If I didn't HAVE to eat to survive, I would definitely eat a lot less.  Don't get my wrong I LOVE food but I don't live to eat.   Meals are, well, time-consuming. There is a LOT of prep and work that goes into making a meal and then about 10 minutes (MAYBE) to scarf it down.  

My partnering argument to this is because I wouldn't eat if I didn't HAVE to, I want to make sure that whatever I am putting into my mouth is yummy.  The Husband tells me I eat portions like a bird - I eat until I'm full, first.  Second, I am adamant about my portion control...I can ALWAYS go back for seconds. But I can't remove food from my tummy if/when I eat too much.  Because I eat smaller portions, I have less room for a lot of options, therefore, I want anything I eat to be delicious. So I am NOT going to just suck it up and eat something that is less than satisfying to my pallet. I like to enjoy my food.

So what do I do? I have found that I enjoy sauteed vegetables MORE than raw or steamed vegetables. OH!!! I eat fresh green beans that are baked with garlic! (that belongs up in the other paragraph - but this is literally where I thought of it!)  So I'll start trying different and new veggies and saute them. But what else? There has to be other options, right? So I went to Google to see what I could find.

I found an article on WebMD called 'Eat Your Vegetables: 15 Tips for Veggie Haters' - hey that's me!!! So I read it.  AAAANNNNDDDD I'm referencing it so CLEARLY I liked what I read.  I am always for trying a new food with an open mind - I just struggle finding vegetables I like and/or how to cook them at home.

This is the other thing I did for me today:

 

I bought some V8 Fruit juice - it has vegetable servings! Wait - I get to drink something that tastes like a fruit drink but actually has veggies in it?! I am SO in on that! I bought the Strawberry Banana and it is very yummy.  I think I could get use to this! and every little bit helps! =)

Do you like vegetables?
How do you get your veggie intake?

Boy Meets World

I LOVED Boy Meets World...who are we kidding...the '-ed' is false.  I still love the show and watch any reruns that I find. I probably need to just go ahead and Netfl!x the series...or see if they have it anyway.

SIDE NOTE: they do NOT have Two Guys and a Girl! I LOVED that show as a teen but I think I would have a greater appreciation as an adult because we ALL know that with Ryan Reynolds, there HAD to be some adult situations haha.  I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to stream Hulu to our TV.

moving on....

I miss BMW.  The cast.  The story lines. The silliness. Corey's brother was a riot! They were all so sweet and fun!

I think it is safe to say, most girls wanted to be like Topanga. OR at the VERY least have her amazing hair!!

I always loved her hair - it had volume and bounce and was nice and thick. FYI - this picture is the hair I remember.  Google brought up TONS for mid-90's unfortunate hair...anyhow,  I have lots of hair but it is so fine and STRAIGHT! and I just loved her hair in the later years.  I mean, let's face it, she was a victim to early '90's hair; but that was the style...ugh and the giant scrunchies....

and who didn't have a teeny-bopper crush on Shawn Hunter (ie: Ryder Strong)

Ugh - look at that ridiculous hair! but hey - most girls had a little crush on him because he was the 'cool guy', the rebel, ha! so absurd. 

I use to LOVE T.G.I.F. and all the shows that aired during that block of time - Step by Step, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and of course, Boy Meets World.    Ahhhh - good wholesome television. Now there's Spongebob.... hahaha! I know there are TONS of you out there who loves the sponge that lives under the sea, I'm just not one of those. 

Well people - it is official! There were talks of a sequel to Boy Meets World....what happens next? We all loved the show we wanted to see what happened after college and the wedding. Now we all get to find out! EEEEE!!! No seriously - I will likely DVR the first several episodes to see if I can stand sitting through it.  But I think think the children they picked for Corey and Topanga are absolutely adorable!

You can read all about the upcoming Disney Channel production here

I REALLY hope they bring back more of the cast than Corey and Topanga.  There was so much chemistry in that cast!!! Needless to say, I'm pretty amped about it =) 

What do you think?

Will you watch/record the series?

*all images via Google image search 'Boy Meets World'