Proof That I Was Once A Major Hottie

Would this guy have married me if I hadn't been?

I look at my husband with the soul purpose, sometimes, of reminding myself that I can't be that scary looking if he's still with me.

What a relief :-)

A Discussion Between Husband and Wife

Wife: Honey, could you clear off the porch today?

Husband: Sighing Yeah, I guess I can. Just, you know, could you please try to pick up after yourself when you're out there? Most of that mess is yours.

Wife recalls the freeze pop wrappers, dirty underwear, boots, un-rinsed dinner plates, and Call of Duty video games she has been picking up off the floor for the past five years. 


Wife considers punching husband in face. 


Wife resists because three-year-old daughter is sitting beside them, and had recently had a discussion on the importance of "gentle hands." 


Wife: Sure, hun, sure...

Happy Anniversary!

I don't think I've been keeping an active blog at the same time my wedding anniversary has happened along, so I haven't had the chance to really share, publicly, anyway, the stories behind how my husband and I met, our wedding, and how we became a family.

(Note: For those not "in the know", DOH stands for Dear Old Husband.)

The Beginning:

3rd date at the drive-in

We met at the end of my April break, my senior year of high school. A friend of mine, who was really determined to prevent me from being single over the summer before I went to college. She set us up on a blind date, something I had NEVER done before and probably wouldn't have if it weren't for the fact that I was feeling pretty sorry for myself regarding the dating scene (which is sad, considring I was only 18) and figured it couldn't get any worse than it already was.

DOH pulled into my parents' driveway in a dark green mustang, in a black leather jacket, his short, dark hair styled. He was the complete opposite of every guy I had dated or dreamed of dated. I wanted him, then and there.

Our first date was very low key. We were going to go to the movies, but since it was a Sunday night and we live in the willywacks of Maine, the movie theater was closed. So, we wound up getting subs at Subway (high class, I know) and renting a movie to bring back to my house (Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon--coincidentally, our celebrity crushes).

Our relationship quickly developed from there. We were "official" only a day later and soon spent every waking moment together. With the exception of my Senior Prom (Worst. Prom. Ever.), we were unseperable. We spent the summer between my graduation from high school and the start of college driving all over Maine and New Hampshire, exploring beaches, hiking, nearly drowning at Frenchmen's Hole in Bethel (yes, I really did almost drown, though DOH thinks I'm exaggerating).

Frenchman's Hole--Yeah, weird name

The Engagement:

August came along and I was due to head off to college. DOH and I went out for a drive, destination unknown. Around sunset, we arrived at Sebago Lake State Park. It was quiet, the buzz of summer visitors had died down and we were practically the only people around. We wondered over to a picnic table and sat down to enjoy the sun setting over Sebago Lake. I put my hand on his leg, near the pockets and felt a lump (don't worry, this stays PG). Within seconds, I was patting him down.

"You have something in your pockets!" I was saying, getting excited. We had talked about a ring, but I didn't think...
He pulled out a box.
"It's empty," he said. "I was just keeping it in my pocket to, you know, practice hiding it for when, you know..."
I bought it...but not completely.
"Aw, c'mon! Is it really empty?" DOH just smiled.
"Go ahead and look."
I opened the box.
At some point during my shrieks of joy and tears, DOH got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
Of course,  I said yes.

The In-Between Time:

While the time between our first date and engagement was short, the time between the engagement and our actual wedding was about four times as long.

At the very beginning of September I went off to college, an hour away from DOH, who was working security at a tampon factory. (I only mention this, because the BEST joke comes from that; his mom asked him one night how he got that job and he responds, "Oh, I had to pull a few strings." His mom totally didn't get it, but everyone else in the room died laughing. So funny.) In hindsight, I'm impressed our relationship made it through that year. While we saw each other a lot, we didn't see each other as much as we had been. College was a new experience for me and I wanted, to, well, experience it. More than that, I wanted to do well and was determined to focus on my school work. DOH hadn't gone to college and got most of his impressions of what it was like through the college parties that he'd crashed as a teenager. The trust level between the two of us was not at its strongest.

But since we made it through that first year of college, I know our relationship came out stronger, and we learned so much about each other and how our relationship needed to work. We came to trust one another more, to relax about things that really weren't worrying about, and that if you try to give someone a hickey on their eye it WILL look like a black eye (not cool, Husband, not cool).

After a school year and May term of living on campus, I decided I'd had enough (I'm not a person who should have to share space with another girl--they bug me way too much). DOH and I decided that we wanted to get an apartment together. It was becoming ridiculous, the driving back and forth, the gas and time wasted, the stress of conflicting schedules. We knew we wanted to be together, we were engaged, and damnit, I just had to do one more thing to tick my parents off (they really do love DOH...now). So, we moved in together, decided to bump up our wedding date for the following summer rather than the summer after I was due to graduate (so, to 2008 from 2010), and in July of that year (2007), found out I was pregnant with Lizzie.

Becoming a Family:

There are so many stories surrounding my pregnancy and the birth of my daughter, from the reactions of our families (or how DOH grandmother can practically sniff your and tell you if you're pregnant. I was maybe three weeks along--Does that even count?--and she called it), to how DOH did not believe me when I told him that I thought I was pregnant ("You're on birth control!"), to how utterly and completely unprepared we were to become parents...and how wonderful it has been. There is too much to say to really capture in one blog post (and to keep a reader's attention), so let me leave this part of our story with these pictures (and please note, that because we were completely unprepared for the arrival of our daughter, we TOTALLY FORGOT TO TAKE A FAMILY PICTURE OF BOTH OF US WITH HER!)

So, our daughter was born in April, 2008. Four months later, DOH and I tied the knot. While we could have gotten married before our daughter was born, we felt that we had planned for an August 2008 wedding and, damnit, we were going to have one. Besides, I really didn't want to have a wedding while I was pregnant. I felt like it sent the wrong message (like that we were getting married just because we were having a baby).

Our wedding, the day we're celebrating today, was the most amazing day ever. We got married at my parents' house on a gorgeous sunny day. I came to the wedding on a boat. Our colors were white and pink. We had tons of hydrangeas everywhere. My husband looked perfect. I felt great. The people who shaped our lives came and shared the day with us. The local Lions' club catered. It's event that both sides of our family are still talking about.

I still cannot think of a day that I fully enjoyed and loved more than that day. Obviously the day of our daughter's birth ranks really high, I was so drugged out of my mind (emergency c-section) that I couldn't fully enjoy the event. But on the day of our wedding, I was there completely and totally, and so was my daughter. So it's really like the best of both worlds, right?


<><><><>

<>

<><><><>

And the theme from The Love Boat was TOTALLY playing.



 Now:
Not much has changed over the last three years. Sure, locations, jobs, ages have all changed, but what is the most crucial has stayed the same. Our love for one another, our commitment to be the best parents we can possibly be, and our desire to constantly improve ourselves and our marriage. We make an interesting pair--it's sort of like a continuous episode of the odd couple.

Sometimes I wonder how this relationship can really work and other times I marvel at just how perfectly we fit together. Regardless of where we've been geographically or emotionally, I've always been excited to see what is around the next corner for us. And now, we're at a point where we've rounded the bend. We're settling down into our marriage. Sure, there are plenty of twists and turns ahead, but for now, there is a little stretch of road before us and I can see all the wonderful things that are heading our way.

Husband Appreciation

An oldie, but a goody...My husband is so cool, isn't he?

I can give DOH a hard time...a lot. And while I don't feel like I ask much of him in terms of housekeeping (basically, "Just pick your crap up," is my request), when I do ask...it's not really asking, it's a demand.

Which, in a marriage, isn't necessarily okay. It's a partnership, not a dictatorship. I'm not his overlord (as much as I might try).

However, when I wake up in the morning, long after he's left for work, and I find his clothes at the bottom of the stairs the go up from the basement, I can't help but smile (which might surprise you, since, technically, that's not picking up AND it's a hazard, since, in my morning fog, I could trip and break my neck--just sayin').

You see, DOH is a habitual clothes-dumper. Meaning, he basically walks in the door from work and strips down. Whatever he's worn that day sort of lands in a clump by the coat rack and shoes. The same deal in the morning when changes in the living room (he doesn't do it in our room, since it wakes me up...he is very considerate). He'll simply leave whatever he wore to bed in the middle of the living room.

This has always driven me nuts, since we've always lived in small spaces (small apartments, small house, etc.) and therefore the laundry facility (or pile) was literally about three feet away. When we moved into this house, I explained, "Dude, just throw your crap down the basement stairs, AT LEAST." (Yes, I do frequently refer to my husband as "dude.")

Well, he listened. Actually, he's been listening and doing this since I asked him to make the change. So, this morning, in my morning haze, I decided to recognize his efforts. As I stumbled upstairs I pulled out my cell phone and sent him a text, telling him how much I appreciate what he did. We can't call each other while he's at work, but the text message will be the first thing he sees when he gets back to his phone after work. And, of course, I'll let him know in real life how much I appreciate what he did, but I don't think we can tell our spouses too much how much we appreciate what they do, and my husband, my Dear Old Hubby (DOH), does so much that I am thankful for.