Week 18: Random facts about your other half

Random facts about my other half, this could be interesting here we go I will try not to embarrass him!

1. He hates mayo but loves homemade ranch dressing

2. He didn’t eat salad until he met me, now he eats it with ranch, bacon and crackers on it, YUMMY

3. He is not ticklish, I mean not at all in fact he gets annoyed at people who insist that if they just keep tickling him he will laugh

4. He wears a youth size in fitted hats

5. He has been the same weight since I met him 13 years ago

6. He can sing, and I mean sing, the man has a great voice and an incredible memory he remembers lyrics and singers like it is nobody’s business

7. He loves old rock and rebel country, and he likes it loud

8. He wanted a little boy when we found out we were having twins, he got two little tomboys who think their daddy is superman and he smiles just mentioning their names.

9. He loves foot rubs, back rubs, oh who am I kidding he likes full body massages.

10. He has a terrible sweet tooth, cookies, fruit snacks, ice cream he loves it all

I will stop there but you get the idea, I have been with him for 13 years I know a lot and funny thing is I still learn some new things here and there I love that about him.



Week 17: The meaning of marriage

The meaning of marriage, oh man, I could answer this in so many ways. I could be funny and say it is two people who have chosen to drive each other crazy for the rest of their lives. Or I could be serious and say it is two souls who have chosen to walk one path together. Instead I think it best said that marriage is a friendship that you have for the rest of your life. And by friendship I mean that yes there will be times when your other half will drive you near insane, moments when you wonder what the heck you got yourself into, trying times like any friendship where you grow in different directions at different times. But the great thing about this friendship is that you have pledged to spend the rest of your life working on it. That your other half is all in with you, no matter if you are growing at different rates or in different directions you both have a common goal. My friendship is always growing, ebbing and flowing, we fight like good friends do, we agree and celebrate little victories, we don’t have a secret handshake but we have secret sayings that only the two of us know what they mean. My husband is my best friend when I am having a bad day, he is the shoulder I want to cry on, he is the hand I want holding mine, and he is most definitely the one I want ot argue with for the rest of my life. We can be stubborn and mad but we go to bed next to each other every night and we always kiss goodbye and goodnight. It is little things that make marriage and it is different for everyone, but my marriage is about me and him, we know each other he can make my face turn six shades of red in a matter of minutes and have a devilish smile on his face and nobody but me knows why my face is red and he has that smile. I can give him a look and he knows that my patience is wearing thin and I might need a joke to bring me out of my funk I am about to enter. I know that making him lunch every day and texting him randomly makes his entire day and can make is stress level drop. Marriage is knowing the other person, putting your whole self out there and taking a risk, it is living and loving. It is spending the rest of my life with a man that I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without.

 

11 Years

As I sit here writing this I remember 11 years ago, I was a scared 21 year old girl who had been just life-flighted to Great Falls. I was lying in a hospital bed convincing my family it was all a false alarm and I would be headed back home tomorrow and it was fine if they drove back. They did all leave everyone except Shane he was spending the night with me on a roll away bed that I am sure was not promising comfort. We were exhausted, and young and had no clue that our world was about to be turned upside down in every way possible.

 

11 years later I sit here on my bedroom floor typing a letter to the two most precious gifts that God has ever given me. He chose me to raise them, to have the honor of being called their mom, and to cry and smile all at the same time because sometimes parenthood really is insanity. 10 was a hard year, they are starting to become young girls, emotional, and figuring out their place in this world. They have opinions they have wants, needs, and sometimes demands. And lately they have no respect for me as a parent, I have to admit I was expecting this phase and in denial that maybe it wouldn’t happen and if it did it would happen later. But no such luck for me, darn it. We will make it through this too, they will drive me batty, I will drive them batty and together we will smile, argue, like, and dislike but we are family and we will survive teen girls.

 

Kaleigh & Lauryn,

 

I decided to write you a letter together this year. You two are going to drive me crazy sometimes, you are going to probably swear I have no clue what I am talking about, and I am sure I will hear the words I hate you at some point in time. I promise to drive you crazy most of the time and that I will always know what I am talking about. However I also promise that if or when you say you hate me that I will cry a little, and let it roll off my shoulders knowing that you don’t mean it and that you love me and will always love me. I promise to listen to you when you need to talk, I will always be here protecting your best interests and making sure you remember where your roots are.

 

You are such strong little girls, and you will always be my little girls. You are already independent, think you know it all and you already make time to help those that really need it. Please keep those traits. This last week you witnessed, for the first time I think realizing what it was, one of your friends being bullied. You handled it like pros, you made your friend smile again and let her talk to you and she even said she was so happy to have friends like you. You don’t share many friends and this is a new friendship for one of you but I am so proud of you. I am also very thankful that you knew you could talk to me about it, that you knew I would listen and that you listened when I gave you a little advice so that an adult at your school knows about it also. I lost a sweet dear friend in high school, because of bullying. He was a bright star and although he had terrific friends like I told you sometimes friends can get you more help when you are afraid to ask. I sit here crying wishing that we could skip middle school, that we could skip the girls that are mean, the emotions of your first breakup, or second or third, the growing years, only to realize we can’t. You will go through some rough times, but I promise you two that you will be ok. You two are so caring, compassionate, curious, adventurous adrenaline junkies, sweethearts, rough and tumble wears your heart on your sleeve girls.

 

You will have an amazing last year at elementary school and I am sure I will cry when I pick you up from your last day, because you are just growing up so fast, too fast. I miss rocking you to sleep at night, and to all those people that say you shouldn’t do that I say forget you, because there is nothing like the feeling of your babies asleep in your arms their peaceful faces, and gentle breathing. I miss the midnight feedings it was me and you time, hanging out watching QVC, just the three of us; or four of us because you two hit the lottery on your daddy, he really is the best. I still get the running jumping hugs, the goodnight kisses and I hope those don’t end for a while because I cherish each and every one of them still. You two make my heart smile, my soul smile you are a reminder that I am truly greatly blessed.

 

God chose me, although sometimes I think He might have been crazy because he forgot to give me the owners’ manual for twins, He chose me and He knew what he was doing. He made the last 10 years a ride, and I can’t wait for the next year’s adventures.

 

I love you baby girls and I am so proud of you!

 

Always and Forever,

 

Mom