18 Years

Eighteen years ago today, we said "I do."  I still remember that day like it was yesterday.  It was a crazy day.  A busy day.  A day full of friends and family.  The weather was perfect. Everything falling into place just as it should.  The day flew by with all the things that needed to be done and before I knew it, they were playing my song.  "Here Comes the Bride".  And just like that...it all fell away.  All the crowd, all the family, all the music.  Suddenly there were only the two of us.  Speaking the most important words of our lives.  Taking vows before God and those that loved us (okay, now the crowd is back).  It was a big moment. The moment that months and months of planning had led up to.   I know that Chris and I would both be lying if we said we weren't relieved when it was all over and done with!  Not that we didn't mean those words.  We did.  At least, to the extent that we could possibly even understand them at that young and tender point in our lives.  Eighteen years later, I realize that we had NO CLUE what those words would come to mean.   What challenges we would face together in our marriage and just how much work it would be to honor those vows. We could not begin to comprehend how deeply we would hurt one another, the ways we would betray one another, how much we would dislike each other at times.  We had no idea of the journey ahead, how long and hard it would be and just what it would take to be successful in this union.  Enter wisdom.  It's amazing just how much wisdom one gains over the course of 18 years.  Today was about celebrating these 18 years we've shared.  And how wise we have become in the course of them.  We didn't really celebrate, like most people.  We took our family to church.  Then came home and worked out together.  I gave Chris the Insanity Workout for our anniversary.  It's crazy hard...pushing you to limits you don't think you are capable of.  So after church, we took the first Fit Test to see where we are.  It was TOUGH.  Chris initially balked when I told him the fit test was only 8 exercises long.  As a consolation, I told him that after we took the fit test we could go ahead and do the first workout too if he wanted to.  But, after the fit test...he was no longer balking.  His butt was just as kicked as mine.  The workout is INTENSE.  After we made it through those 8 excruciating exercises, we took a nice little walk and took the doggies out for some exercise.  It was nice to be together, just the two of us.  And after that workout, I was appreciating simply breathing!  After our walk, I showered and then headed off to grocery shop while Chris stayed home to catch up on some work.  Once I returned with groceries, Clara and I cooked up some dinner and we all ate.  After dinner, we caught up on some Survivor episodes.  And then...we called it a day and have tucked ourselves into bed.  It was NOT a glamorous day.  Hmmm, I always tell myself that next year is going to be a more glamorous anniversary celebration.  That's a bit of a drawback of being married the week before Christmas.  The celebrating often times gets put on the back burner.  Well...always.  And I always say that next year we will celebrate BIG with the perfect gift, the perfect dinner, the perfect day.  And while part of me says that...part of me is quick to acknowledge that we celebrate our marriage frequently.  Monthly.  Weekly.  Daily.  A solid marriage is nothing to take lightly or for granted in this day and age.    So many marriages around us are failing.  We've watched so many couples fall by the wayside.  Honestly, every single day we are married is worth celebrating.  Especially in this day and age.  One of my friends here recently divorced.  Well...several of my friends here recently divorced.  But one is particularly heavy on my mind tonight.  The whole thing has been so ugly for her.  Heartbreaking, shocking, saddening, maddening.  Even though they are thoroughly and finally divorced...it's obvious that their lives are still wound so tightly.  They shared possessions.  Possessions which they are still fighting over long after it's all said and done.  They shared a home.  Memories.  They share a child.  And I realized tonight, that once you say "I do"...it really and truly IS forever.  Even if it doesn't actually last forever.  Confused?  Let me say it differently.  Once you love someone enough to stand before the altar of God and pledge your lives to one another, to say "I do"...once you love someone THAT much...it changes you in such a way that you can never truly be seperated.  Part of you will always remain behind with the other person.  Like it or not.  The good, the bad, and/or the ugly.  Once you share SO much...you simply cannot ever take it all back.  No matter how much you no longer love someone...once you HAVE loved them, then your lives entwine in such a way that you will be forever linked in some way.  Wow...this is a depressing anniversary post, huh?  It's just had me reflecting is all.  I don't take 18 years for granted.  I don't make light of the past 18 years.  I'll be the first to tell you they have been a LOT of hard work.  Serious blood, sweat and tears.  But I wouldn't trade them for the world.  I wouldn't have missed out on a moment of it.  I had no idea what I was getting into on that brilliant, perfect Saturday 18 years ago.  I had stars in my eyes and a dream in my heart.  I wanted the fairy tale.  And Christopher Roberts was promising it to me.  I was caught up and captivated by the long white dress, the flowers, the cake, the music.  I was living for the moment of my dreams...that moment where I would get to say "I do.", while wearing the princess dress of my dreams!  Eighteen years later, I'm still caught up in the moment.  I'm most definitely living the fairy tale.  It's not always the rosy, twinkly part of the fairy tale.  Sometimes it's the darker, more sinister part.  At times I've felt like the princess in all the fairy tales since the beginning of time.  Other times I've seen myself in the part of Cinderella, or the evil queen.  I don't don the princess dress nowadays, but traded for a lovely pair of blue jeans (that happen to be a size or two bigger than my ideal "dream" size).  But the point is (yes...I DO have one) we never gave up on our story.  It's coming together nicely, being written one chapter at a time, one page at a time, one day at a time.  Sometimes it's dark.  Sometimes it's scary.  Sometimes it's all magic and bippity boppity boo.  Our story is getting some weight on it.  There are many chapters now, a decently long read.  As best I can tell, there is no end in sight.  We are still writing.  Still living.  Still loving.  Still celebrating the anniversary of each and every day that comes along.  Anticipating the journey to come.  Remembering the road we've traveled.  It's no small thing.  It's really quite special when you stop and think about it.  We've endured one another for 18 years.  Knocked each other down.  Picked each other up.  Helped each other grow stronger than we ever imagined we could ever be.  I am blessed to have shared 18 years with this man.  I am thankful for him.  Even if he is currently exceeding his allotted half of the bed and hogging up all the covers. And snoring.  Really, really loudly.   Can't wait to spend the next 365 days celebrating our togetherness.  The good days, the bad days, and all those other days.  I'm so very thankful for the story of us!

Elf Games

Apparently, our elf is into cup stacking.  He seems to have pulled out nearly all of our plastic cups and stacked them into quite a pyramid.  Positioning himself comfortably right at the top.  And with MY ipod, no less!  The nerve!!!!  He's going to have to fork that thing over when I hit the gym!  He seems to have a real case of the naughtiness this year!  That said...Clara is LOVING his shenanigans!   Only 8 more nights with our elf friend!  The countdown is on!

Our Elf in Action

Our Elf on the Shelf has been a busy little bee lately.  He seems less inclined to sit on his shelf, quietly observing and watching for naughty or nice behavior and seems to be feeling a bit mischievous this year!  Last night, he was just downright demanding!  He left us this little messy "hint" that we needed to bake some cookies today!

And so, not wanting to disappoint, we set to baking up a nice batch of sugar cookies for him as soon as we got home from school.  But apparently, our little elf friend is feeling a bit naughty himself this year and is pulling pranks around the house.   THIS is what I found in my dining room!

I can't believe it!  We've been T P'd!!!!  And after we baked him cookies and everything!  I can't imagine what other shenanigans our elf friend has up his sleeves.  He'll only be with us another 9 nights!  I hope he doesn't get too out of hand!

Tis the Season...

To be busy!!!  My oh my!  December got off to a rough start in our household, for sure!  Hot on the heels of having strep throat, I came down with a nasty little cold/flu bug.  Misery for two days, in bed, thinking I might die.  Fevers, chills, runny nose, body aches.  The only thing that DIDN'T hurt was my throat.  But since I'd had strep barely a week before...I think I deserved that small grace!  It actually ended up being several days before I was really able to get back up on my feet again and function at full capacity.  Once I was up for it though, I hit the ground running, because I was feeling VERY behind at that point!!!

Lots has been going on around here.  Clara was in the Grapevine Christmas parade again this year with her girlscout troup.  That was fun...wet, as it was raining, but fun.   It's always so neat to see the precious little downtown area all lit up and packed with people in the Christmas spirit!

I've had several last minute, holiday photo shoots.  Always fun, but definitely a time taker!  Luckily, all of my families, save one, ended up only needing discs and not lots of prints...so it made my life a bit easier!  

I managed to get our own Christmas card finished and printed.  Here are some fun shots from that day!

Setting SUCH a good example for her brothers!

Example obviously not being followed!

Captain Cheesy!

My boys!

Family moment!  Did not make the card.

RARE picture of the two of us!  Again...didn't make the card!

Another card reject, but a fun picture just the same.

And as always...just one more of Bella!

Thanksgiving was fun in our house.  I know, I'm skipping around, but that's pretty much just how my brain is firing these days!  We hosted the masses this year.  There was lots and lots of cooking.  It was all hands on deck...see?

Ben, sporting Clara's apron as we fire up the ovens bright and early Thanksgiving morning!

Clara and I had matching aprons for the event!  Let the cooking begin!

Proof that sometimes, I DO cook!

Clara was in charge of the green bean casserole.

And Chris was on turkey duty!  This is a butter, garlic, rub mix that he is prepping our bird with.

And when it's all ready, Chris escorts Mr. Turkey to the Big Green Egg where he will smoke us up something AMAZING for our Thanksgiving table!

Here's Cooper, desperately hoping someone will drop a turkey or a ham on the floor for him!

Clara gets to work on the Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

Clara enjoys a homemade pumpkin spice latte during a break!

Ben was heading up the latte brigade!  Thanks, Chef  Ben!

Future Barista!

And there it is....

The finished, golden brown product!  Yummmmm!!!!!!

Preview of the spread of yummies.

More yummies....

So much food....Oh my!

Time to carve the bird!

And it's time to EAT!!!!

Kids table....as always, there's our serious Ben!

What else?  Well, Clara was in the production of The Wizard of Oz with her drama club at school.  It was a great show and Clara LOVED being on the stage.  Shocker, right?  Here are a few photo highlights of the evening.  And by few...I mean FEW, and a badly shot few at that...the place was packed and I just couldn't get a clear shot of her at any point!

Clara is the orange narrator.

The narrators also happen to be part of the rainbow.

Taking a bow with some of her castmates.

Nope...she's not happy to be up on stage AT ALL!  LOL!

After the show we got to get squeezes and autographs!

My little star!

What else has been going on?  Well, Ben is currently flunking math.  That's unfortunate.  What's even more unfortunate is that he asked his MOTHER for help.  I wasn't exactly great at solving point-slope-intercept and graphing and all that way back when 26 years ago.  It is safe to say that I am fairly hopeless at it now.  And so...we enlisted the brain of the family, and Max saves the day.  There have been many evenings that look just like this at our house lately.

Tutor time!  Thanks Max!

And on a final, bright note...amidst all the sickness and craziness, we have managed to get the house all decorated for Christmas.  It's so pretty and festive!

Family room!

I especially love it when it's all lit up at night!

This is the living room.  

And the view from the front door!  

You'll notice there are no presents under the tree this year.  Don't worry.  There ARE presents.  Just not under the tree.  That's mostly because THIS

is under the tree!!!!!  All presents have been safely stored in a back closet until the time arrives to break into them!  Until then...Jaws here need not be tempted.  Any further than life already seems to tempt him.  Daily.  Hourly.  Hard to believe looking at cute little face, right?  Yeah...well, I'm not sucked in my his charm.    Speaking of charm....here's another to melt your heart...

He's SO cute with the pine fronds all stuck in his little whiskers.  And he smells like Christmas trees too!

And on that note...I believe you are officially all caught up with what is going on around these parts!  Sorry it's been so long between updates!  I will try to do better for sure!  Have a great day!

Club Strep

The DFW area is under attack.  The battle is raging and the residents of the greater metroplex area are losing.  Falling by the scores.  The attacker?  Group A Streptococcus Bacteria.  Strep throat is taking OVER the big D!  It's claimed two victims in our house.  So far.  Clara was out of school on Friday and at the doctor...diagnosis...Strep.  Her second round with it in a month.  The school has been handing it around like wildfire.  Some of her classmates have been out two and three times with it already.  I was SO hoping that Thanksgiving break was going to get here and we were going to be able to miss it without being affected.  Stay  home.  Get some much needed rest.  A nice break from the germ pool and all that.  But it was not meant to be.  Clara was miserable by Thursday afternoon when she came home from school and I just knew it was not good news.  Her pediatrician confirmed that for us Friday morning.  Almost immediately, I started feeling not so great.  But decided it was all in my head.  Something about sitting in the germy waiting room at the doctor, knowing hundreds of sick kids have moved through those halls and sat in those chairs and touched everything in there...well.  I think it messes with my brain.  And I automatically feel like I've contracted every disease those kids came in the door with.  So I blew it off as psychosomatic and got on with the business of life.  Saturday I stayed busy.  Chris and I went to the gym.  Ben needed some clothing for a school project.  The Constitutional Convention is coming up again and somewhere between Max's 8th grade year and now...the long coat that we got for this exact project has disappeared.  And so I needed to round up another one.  So off to Goodwill I went in search of something that might work.  I had great success and found exactly ONE long, black coat.  It's a trifle big.  Like a 3X size...but I'm sure we will figure out how to shrink it up a bit.  I think so long as he has something....it doesn't so much matter how well it fits.  Anyway...I also have a couple of family photo shoots coming up and had some new, fun ideas I wanted to get things for, so I made a stop by Hobby Lobby as well.  THAT place was a total mad house!  But I found what I needed and made it out of there.  By the time I made it home I was NOT feeling so groovy and was pretty sure it was NOT just in my head.  Still, I figured a good night's sleep would fix it and set me on the way to feeling MUCH better.  But when I woke up this morning, my tummy was upset in such a way that told me that my sleep had had little to no effect on my creeping illness.  The headache and burning throat kind of confirmed it.  I spent the first part of the day just laying around, trying to convince myself that I really WAS feeling okay.  But by 2:00 gave up on that and decided to just get the inevitable over with.  So I took myself on down to the minute clinic and had myself swabbed.  It only took a few minutes for the doc in the box to confirm that that were, indeed, two lines on the test strip.  A positive reading.  And now, I too, am a member of the DFW Strep Throat Club.  I came home, antibiotics in hand, and put myself back to bed, feeling slightly less guilty about feeling like crap with a bonafide diagnosis on the books.  I am, though, starting to feel stir crazy.  I have, after all, been laying around ALL DAY.  I finished the fifth Outlander book.  I finished editing my pictures for the dance studio.  I answered all of my e-mail.  And am now updating the blog world.  But I am itching to do something.  But feeling like not so much.  It's all making for a lovely state of mental restlessness.  I will not be surprised if, tomorrow, I do not have Max up at the clinic for his very own throat swab.  See, his head has been hurting and his tummy is upset too.  But he didn't want to go today.  Insisted he was feeling better.  Maybe he is.  Or maybe...tomorrow he will realize that he actually feels fairly yucky and that it ISN'T getting better like he thinks it is.  And he will agree to go and have his only little swab so he can get his own little bottle of magic antibiotics.  Only time will tell.  

What else has been happening around these parts?  Well...it's cooler today.  Not cold.  Just cooler.  But it's supposed to warm up again.  So we'll enjoy the brisk temperatures while they last.  We are SUPPOSED to get some rain over the next day or two.  But then...they always seem to say that here in Dallas and we NEVER get any.  We have seen about 10 drops so far today.  Big Whoop!  The cooler temps have had Cooper fired up and feeling frisky.  He's been into things.  Like...

the trash.  And being naughty....

stealing rolls of toilet paper and shredding them...and

 getting up on the kitchen table where I have freshly folded piles of clean laundry so he can steal socks.

Oh Cooper!!!!!  Such a naughty boy!

We are gearing up for Thanksgiving.  I am hosting this year.  And cooking.  Okay...I'll wait while you pick yourself up off the floor and quit your laughing.  My inlaws are coming and our neighbor up the street.  And maybe her friend.  I think it will be a lovely day.  Providing we can get our disease state under control before Thursday!  I had thought of maybe going ahead and decorating for Christmas over the next couple of days here before Thanksgiving as the first days right after it are full of portrait appointments and will be so busy.  But I can't say, as I lay here tonight that THAT task holds any little bit of promise for tomorrow whatsoever.  And so...on that note.  I'm going to go put my aching head to bed.  And hope tomorrow comes quickly, bringing with it rapid recovery and a fresh outlook on the new day and this week of Thanksgiving celebration!  Night ya'll!

This Just In...FALL Is Making an Appearance in Texas!

I am happy to report that it is rather chilly in Texas this morning.  After enduring what has been a summer equal only to Hell,  I am SO pleased to wake up shivering under my blankets (the window was open) and feeling cold air sweep into my lungs!  Fall seems to have long since descended on other parts of the world. But Texas, as usual, has been marching to the beat of it's own weather drum.  Surprise, surprise, right?  I was starting to think we were going to be running our air conditioner well into Christmas.  But the weather is finally cutting us a little break and we have officially had to break out with our jackets this morning!  Woo Hoo!!!!  LOVE it!

I should be at the gym right about now.  But this morning, Cooper seems particularly intent on ignoring all his "allowed" toys and planning instead, to dismantle my lovely home.  He's been into mischief since the moment his little feet hit the floor.  He's been stealing rubber bands from backpacks for Max's teeth, socks for Clara's feet, absconding with my Zumba dance weights and trying to raid the trash.  I decided to stick around for a bit until he's a bit more ready for a nap.  Should be soon here!  Right now he's sitting in the front window barking repeatedly at the lady who walks down one side of the street and then runs back up the other.  She's done it 5 or 6 times now and Cooper is still on full alert, guarding us against all the scary exercisers out there checking their workout off their list.  Like I should be doing.  Only am not.  Thanks Cooper!

It's been an exciting couple of weeks around here.  Crazy busy as always.  The football season FINALLY wrapped up Tuesday night.  So we are DONE with football and football practice and weeknight games.  Swim team is still in full swing and will be for a good long time.  They are a bit more intense than middle school sports.  Clara is still doing drama club and is heading into final weeks of rehearsal before her BIG night!  She is narrating for the Wizard of Oz production.  She has all of her lines memorized.  Now, if all the other kids will get theirs memorized, this whole thing MIGHT just come together!  She's getting very excited for her night on the stage!  I have been busier than normal with pictures.  It's like all of a sudden, stuff just starts coming out of the woodwork!  I just finished a beautiful boudoir session and a fun senior shoot.  Hot on the heels of that I am doing the dance academy again this Saturday, then have two more family sessions the week of Thanksgiving.  Busy, busy, busy!
Chris is staying busy at work.  There have been a lot of changes there and shake up over the past month or two and it's a bit crazy getting it all sorted and settled into it's new form.  It's made for some long days and headaches for him...but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

It seems like the whole world around us is decorated for Christmas.  Good grief!  We haven't had Thanksgiving yet.  Some of those decorations went up before we even had Halloween!!!!  It kinds of drives me crazy.  And definitely takes the excitement out of the season for me.  The one thing I always loved about Christmas growing up was that weekend AFTER Thanksgiving when you would see the FIRST twinkle of Christmas lights go up.  And then each weekend you'd see more and more and it was so fresh and fun.  Now, Christmas is trickling in a full two months before Christmas.  And stays up a month AFTER it.  It makes me crazy!  The specialness just isn't there.  Everyone here hires these companies to come and professionally decorate their yards and homes.  It's all so generic.  Listen to me getting all "bah humbug" about this.  Still....Grrrrr.  No decorations here until AFTER Thanksgiving!

On Monday I went to the zoo with Clara's class for her field trip.  It was such fun!  I'd never been to the Ft. Worth Zoo and I LOVE zoos...so it was an extra special treat for me!  It's a beautiful zoo too!  Here are some photo highlights for you!

Clara with her fourth grade best buddies...Marissa, Clara, Bailey, Cara and Kristen

I love the monkeys!

These two were engaged in a serious chat!

I swear, some days I feel like I look just like this old gal!

But her mate still seems to want to whisper sweet nothings and romance into her ear!

And ram his tongue down her throat.  We left at this point lest the show get X-rated!

Bailey, Clara and Marissa

Peek a boo!

Hello Mama Hippo!

Field trip, field trip, What do you see?  I see a Tiger looking at me!

Captain Cat is obviously feeling a little sleepy!  Nice teeth!

Nighty nite!

Sloth Bear (I think we are kindred spirits!)

Clara loved the bird aviary.  It was full of parakeets and cockatiels.  

She was very brave and excited!  

I hope she doesn't ask for one of these!

Be vewy, vewy quiet!  Shhhhh.

If I EVER come across a rattle snake this big I think I will die right there on the spot.

See...a couple of leaves are changing.  

A wonderful day at the zoo with friends!  Life doesn't get much better for a 4th grader!

That seems to be about it.  For now.  My furry friend seems to be getting sleepy and has just settled himself down into his little bed with a big yawn.  So I'm thinking it's safe to slip out and get on with my workout while he rests himself and recovers from this morning's mischief!


UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!

I was right about Cooper today.  THIS is what I found waiting for me when I got home from the gym!  BAD DOG!!!!!!!!