on the road

I love a good road trip.  So when Greg suggests mini vacations, I am always on board.   Last month we headed to Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.     

Upon booking the hotel in Florence, Kentucky we realized that we were just moments away from Cincinnati- which encouraged Greg to snag some tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game.     

We spent two full days reading about creation, the history of the Bible, the significance of Jesus, all about animal adaptation and seeing possible ways the ark could have sustained Noah and the crew.   We watched a speaker talk about aliens (or lack thereof), and watched presentations about various topics.   All in all, a fun, educational outing.  

After that we headed over the the ball park to watch a baseball game.   Well.... Greg watched a baseball game.   I basically people-watched and bided my time until I got a hotdog and popcorn.   Greg is slowly learning that concession food is really all that can keep me happy in a stadium.    

 This past weekend we went to a For King and Country concert. And next week we are heading to a John Crist Show!   

 I LOVE our outings.  Most of all... I love spending time with my guy.  :)

one year

Well, technically, one year and almost two months.   
I  have habitually blogged on anniversary dates... yet I procrastinated on this very special anniversary. 

Greg and I celebrated our 1st anniversary on July 31st. 
To celebrate, he arranged a trip for us to visit a cutsie zoo in NC that we had been watching on TV.
It was a great get-away.

One year of marriage.

It has been a full year.   We bought a house, moved, settled in, tended to all of the "money pit" issues that arose (and there were MANY.  The house in itself has been such a blessing, and a headache.)
The boys are settled in to their school and work routines.   Things are currently going smoothly.

I've jokingly/truthfully admitted that the honeymoon is over. 
I have been challenged this year.  I am relearning how to be accountable to another person.   Greg has been tolerant of my "I do what I want" attitude.   Because frankly, "I do what I want". 
And I think he's learning how to live with a woman who can be out of control at times. 
He has been gracious. 
Also, I think the graciousness might go both ways at times.  :)

This year has been full of laughter, snarkiness, sarcasm, traveling, working, playing, pool maintenance, swimming, hosting friends, celebrations, eating out, cooking in, watching TV,  and lots of yard work.   
We have a fine dose of reality here.   
Ultimately a large bounty of blessings as well.

Yesterday I referenced Greg in a meeting by saying, "I guess he's been pretty good for me." 
We chuckled at how flippant that sounded.
In actuality, Greg has been exactly what I needed.   He is a good man, a great provider and a wonderful addition to our family.    I know he will be my rock and my companion for however many years we have ahead of us.
I often get carried away with mundane and the irritations of life and I sometimes lose sight of just how important Greg is to me.    The gift of a husband should never be taken for granted. 
I, of all people, should remember that.   (And shame on me for losing sight of that at times!)
The other night I looked over, saw his wedding ring, and thought to myself, "he chose me.  How very lucky I am. Don't forget how much this means."

One year of marriage in the books.   
The starting over, the learning, the growing.   I know the best is yet to come.

I love you, Greg.

radio silence

I'm slowly realizing that my blogging hobby has come to a screeching halt.

I remember reading another blog that described how "mommy blogs" are prevalent.... but when it comes to teenagers, the blogging community is silent.     It's not the fact that parenting suddenly becomes simple or uneventful.     It's quite the opposite. When dealing with teenagers, it's just not appropriate to air their dirty laundry on the world wide web.  (There is SO much dirty laundry.... literally and figuratively!)   However these kids have suddenly become close-to adult age and I assume it's nice to respect their privacy.

I initially used this blog to update my parents when we lived out of town. 
I then used the blog as a form of therapy after Thayer died.   My writing has been an integral part of my journey, my grief, my healing, our life story.

Our life story is still in full swing but I just haven't been able to share.   The teenage boys, the new husband, the new job, selling houses, the upcoming move to a new house, personal challenges, career challenges. 
BIG life transitions. 
Greg has been hit the hardest with life change and yet he is as solid as a rock.   I'm so thankful for him.     He is my confidant and my sounding board.    I've honestly not needed to blog because I have him here to listen to my thoughts.   How precious it is to have someone to share your life with.
(Alas, Greg is an adult too, with a fairly public job.... which requires that I respect his privacy as well.)

So...all of these factors leave my blogging mind a little hush hush for now.     We'll see if the future brings about more opportunity for deep thoughts that require a bit of typing. 
I hope so....

married with children

I've had a lot of time today to think.  

I'm overcome with gratitude for my new hubby.

We were married on July 31st.... so it's been 1.5 months of adjusting to living together, parenting together, syncing schedules, joining finances, making necessary name and address changes,  melding our lives together.        I'd be lying if I didn't say that it has been challenging.      Combining two 'grown-up' lives seems to entail more detail than kids starting off fresh together.

Despite all of the technical details, I think things are going well.   I know that they could be much worse if our 'baggage' was any different.

I think Greg is rocking the step-dad thing.   He would say otherwise.   

I'm so proud of him and I can see that the boys are receptive, and happy, to have a man in the house again.    Greg might say differently about the boys... simply because he's never lived with two teenage boys.    I like to say that I can see a noted difference in their attitudes since Greg moved in..... and Greg says he can't imagine how bad they must have been before.  haha.

Today, I threw my back out.... again.  This happens about twice a year and it is VERY discouraging.

Today's incident happened while doing yoga, which REALLY ticks me off.   I'm doing my best to stay in shape and be active, only to be incapitated when least expected.    It's really a buzz kill.

This was the first time that Greg witnessed my physical fail.    And I failed hard.    

Greg didn't miss a beat.   He was by my side, helping me out, all day.  
In the past, being the only adult in the house,  I've had to put on my big girl pants and deal with the pain.  (there have also been times when I had to call in my parents for reinforcement).
Greg had to feed me lunch today, and he vacuumed, and did my house chores too!  There is something crazy humbling about loosing the ability to do all of the things we take for granted, and having someone else step in to assist.    Even through the emotion of the day,  I was so glad to have him there with me.  I was certainly appreciating the blessing of having him in my life.

This was also a taste of what life could bring as we age.    I'm sad that he had to experience that role, of care taker, less than two months into our marriage.   He's a good man.

I'm praying for a quick recovery.   I'm anxious to continue on this new journey with him.
So far, so good!    

Am I ready?

People keep asking me, "Are you ready?"  or  "Are you excited?"..... and I say, "for what?"  
A friend today said, "8 more days!"..... and I replied, "till what?"
 (cue "dumb blond" comments)

It's my wedding they are referring to.  Of course!
 And YES!  I am SO ready to marry Greg.   The wedding itself is the easiest thing I have planned.     I am ready, ready, ready to say "I do" and run away on our honeymoon.

It's the process of combining households, and prepping for an eventual move, that has majorly distracted me from all of the pre-wedding giddiness.    For weeks I have been consumed with preparation.  
Purging, Goodwill-ing, yard sale-ing.     Furniture has been moved, carpets have been cleaned, walls painted.
The minimilist in me is feeling good.... but the amount of  "stuff" I have sorted through has made me a mess.    Clutter makes me freak out a bit a lot.   The amount of clutter I have handled  from closets and basements have almost put me over the edge.      The yard sale and my basement storage room have given me anxiety that I have never experienced before.  It's almost crippling.

But! I push through knowing that each step brings me closer to welcoming Greg into our home AND having things organized for a future move.    So many new and exciting changes ahead.

After a melt down earlier today (and probably every day prior to today) I had to remind myself that the house, the projects, the organization are not the important things.
My relationship with God, Greg, my family, my friends are the important things.
I vow to take it slower this week and revel in some pre-wedding excitiement.

Oh!  Side note:  Please read about our yard sale HERE.

mid life

I celebrated my 40th birthday this month.    40.    The cliche age for midlife crisis.  Men buy fancy cars.   Women start to get plastic surgery.  

 Me?  I'm getting married again.... and I couldn't be happier.

I never knew exactly how I would want to get married the second time.  I knew I didn't want fanfare. Something simple.  Something fun.   

It turns out when you have a fairly large family and lots of friends.... nothing is simple.    So.... Greg and I opted for what would make me happiest.
Plan A...courthouse wedding, just us.

Plan B....courthouse wedding, just us and our kids.

Plan C.... and the plan we're sticking to.... tiny church ceremony with only our parents and kids in attendance.   

This will happen at the end of July.

The wedding part is great.   Simple.  I'm excited.  Can't wait to marry this man.

In the meantime, we're cleaning out and organizing two houses, getting ready for a yard sale, thinking about moving, thinking about combining households/finances/ becoming stepparents.   

Getting married as an older adult is a lot of work!  

I'm looking forward to the day when the transition part is behind us and we can settle in to our new life together.
I know it will be bumpy for a while.   

So.... baby steps.  

First thing --yard sale on July 8th.  #ihateyardsales