Let's get together

One of my big passions is cooking. I don't know why, but I love making stuff and if I'm ever having a rough day, I usually want to bake cookies or something. I think maybe it has to do with there being a reward (the cookies) for doing the work (mixing, baking, dishes) and maybe I'm having a bad day because there's no sweet results to whatever I was working on.

Tomorrow we are having a Superbowl/birthday party at Jason's aunt and uncle's house. I made deviled eggs and Jason is making both cornbread and a veggie/vegan casserole. It's so much fun to watch him mix, mash, whisk and stir stuff. When he cooks, I really try to encourage him and tell him how great he's doing. It's a selfish thing, because I would love for him to share that passion and turn it into something else that we enjoy doing together.

But for now, I will cherish the effort that he puts in all the more, since I know it may be awhile before I get to see him do it again.

What's that fuzzy thing?

Thanks a million times over to Jason for doing the dishes tonight. I know I'm the worst at not rinsing things before I put them in the sink, and I was about to get up and do them, I promise!

Stronger together

Yesterday there was a meeting for all committee members in our boxer group, and since I'm on the fund raising committee, we went. Thanks to Jason for hanging out for a few hours with a bunch of women! What I noticed today is all of a sudden, he has taken more interest in this group, asking to be put on different email lists that go out, trying harder to remember the names of everyone he's met (and there are several hundred volunteers, so that's no small feat!)

I just love that we found something that we can share our passion about with each other. We each have things we like, and we tell each other about them, but it's nice to have something that you don't even have to say anything to know how much the other one really cares. I think this is going to bring us even closer together as we work on various projects throughout the year, and I'm so grateful to God for using volunteer work as the way He brings us closer together.

Today, my husband...

... massaged the back of my neck because I had a headache
... picked up our puppy from the vet
... put away all the groceries so I could shower in time to watch Grey's
... cleaned out the refrigerator


AND he asked me how my day was!

Gotta eat to live

Tonight I baked muffins when I got home from work. Then I needed to shower before we sat down to watch a little TV. Jason was kind enough to offer to pick up dinner while I was in the shower. The timing worked out just right, and we got to sit and watch The Biggest Loser together, as well as a little American Idol.

It's nice being able to just sit together and do mundane things. It was still time spent together, and we voiced our opinions and had mini discussions during the commercial breaks. I am reminded of an old quote that says, "The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch swing with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've ever had." And that's just how things are with Jason and me :)

Girls will be girls

I'd like to thank my husband for letting my sister and I go shopping all day yesterday and leaving him behind at home. Not only did he not complain that we were gone all afternoon, but he bathed all three dogs while we were out! To top it off, he took us both out to dinner. He doesn't know how yet, but soon he will very much be rewarded for being so awesome yesterday!

Today we got to go over and play with out nephew. I'm glad Jason and his sister have a good relationship, because I love having Danielle as a sister, but would feel awkward if she and Jason weren't also friends. Seeing him with Logan today only strengthens my conviction that he'll be a great father some day :)

You can't choose your family

My sister is here visiting with us for the weekend. I am reminded over and over again how lucky I am that she and Jason get along so marvelously. I never have to worry about leaving the room because they will keep the conversation going even if I'm not around. It truly is a blessing that my two best friends love each other as much as I love them!

Wow, I'm a good wife :)

Monday night, we went to Rosa's for dinner. I'm not really a big fan because I think the prices are a little steep for being a glorified to-go restaurant. But Jason loves eating there, so I set aside my own feelings and took him to dinner.

Last night I made chocolate chip pancakes for dinner because Jason has been wanting them for awhile now. They were pretty good if I say so myself.

This morning I got up before Jason did and while I was making my lunch, I figured it wasn't that much more effort, so I made him a lunch too. It may not have been fancy, but it's certainly better than greasy fast food.

I love him a little more each day, and for all the things he does for me, I love to spoil him back. After all, isn't marriage about compromise? ;)

We have water!

Yesterday's big feat involved going to Home Depot (twice) to get the right knobs to fix the tub in the master bathroom. The previous occupants somehow broke the hot water knob so I've never been able to take a bath - and we've lived here almost a year!

Even better is the new shower head with extension hose attachment that is now hooked up in the guest bath. Thanks to my handy honey, when I bathed our sick little boy yesterday, rinsing was a breeze without having to twist myself into a pretzel to rinse off his medicated shampoo.

Have I mentioned he's such a good daddy to the dogs? Because he is!

Reflections

Yesterday I was looking back at my other blog. Originally, I created it so my friends could keep track of my wedding planning, and I'd have a place to put ideas. After the wedding was over, I tried to keep up with it, though I was rather unsuccessful. I did come across this letter I wrote to Jason, and I thought I would post it here because it's just so fitting:


"Dear Jason,

Tonight we had a discussion about kids and families. About how some people we know are getting married but have no plans to conceive. About how we'd love to start a family in a few years. While I don't want to wish away our years "alone together" (and I'm so surprised how quickly our first year of marriage has flown) I really do look forward to that time when we're financially and emotionally ready to begin trying in earnest. I'm also very grateful that God gave both of us good heads on our shoulders to realize that now is not the time.

This weekend as we threw a baby shower for your sister, it got me thinking about babies (or maybe it was the babies in this house that made me think about it) and how I've known pretty much my whole life that I wanted to be a mom some day. Knowing that you too want kids makes me so delighted.

I see the way you love on our dogs, and how well you do with other children in our families. And I look forward to having your children, because I know you'll be an excellent father.

I'm not ready for our adventures as a couple to be over, and there are a million things I still want to do together with you, but the imagining, in the meantime, makes me giddy with anticipation of what's to come. I can't wait!

Love,
K.C."


This letter was dated August 4, 2008.

Handy man

Yesterday I got off work early so Jason and I went to lunch together, which was nice and leisurely since neither of us had anything to do the rest of the afternoon. When we got home, we took all three puppies for a walk down to the park at the end of our street, and down around by the lake. The weather was gorgeous and it was nice for all of us to get out of the house for a bit. We even had someone ask about the Boxers and I told her Radley is up for adoption. Nothing will come out of it I'm sure, but I'm always in the mood to talk about the rescue work that we do. We finished the evening watching a movie together.

This morning I got up early and let Jason sleep. I had to wake him up because the wind knocked down a plastic fence barrier we had put up so the dogs couldn't get into the mess made by a sewage pipe in our backyard. My husband the champion got out of bed and went out in the cold to fix the fence, and he didn't complain or anything. Then he helped me clean up a puppy mess. My hero.

Hindsight

Yesterday Jason and our friend Arthur, who is in town visiting, came to visit me at work. It was nice to see my husband during the part of the day we don't normally get to talk. It made the rest of my shift go fast since it lifted my spirits so much.

I went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory after work, and bought the boys each a piece of chocolate as a surprise. To me even though it was something small, I think they really appreciated it.

Today I have the day off and we are going to the zoo and taking a picnic lunch. Hopefully the weather stays this nice :)

Selfish

Tonight I did a 30 minute workout using my new Wii fitness game. During the cardio warmup, Jason walked into the room and I started hamming it up, clapping my hands and grinning. He made fun of me and I said "I'll be smiling when I have all the hot guys around me since I'll be so skinny."

Then he said, "Yeah, but I'll get to smile too - when I tell them you're all mine!"

Then he made some computer printouts that say "Lose 30 pounds together" and taped them on our bathroom mirror and our fridge. I'm so blessed to have his support of my goal, as well as his support in joining me in trying to lose weight. Hopefully, we will keep our motivations high and continue to encourage each other!

For the love of dogs

Today Jason took our newest foster dog, Radley, to the vet. Radley has a skin issue, which we found out is demodectic mange. It can be treated and is not contagious to us or the other animals in the house. Jason asked all the right questions because when I got home from work, he not only could answer everything I wondered, but he'd also made arrangements with the president of our rescue group to meet with her and get Radley the medicines that he needs.

I appreciate everything Jason has done when it comes to the five dogs we have rescued so far. I love the fact that it's a passion we share, and something we can work on together. It's so fulfilling to put another life before mine, and I love that we get to share this journey together. Who knows how many dogs we will save in our lifetimes. Hopefully we can encourage our children to do the same some day.

The goal

Jason and I have been married for a little over a year now. While there have been a few changes, like buying a house, the core of our relationship has not changed.

At our wedding my sister, who was the maid of honor, gave a speech where she said she couldn't come up with "that one story" that would sum up our relationship. She went on to say that it's because we were a "real couple" and that meant we had bad mixed in with the good. She's seen us fight, she's seen us coexist, and she's definitely seen us be lovebirds.

At first I didn't get it. Thanks for saying we didn't have a cute story to share. Or that nothing we did was really all that memorable.

The more I thought about it though, the more it started to make sense to me. I know that people always say "it's the little things" that count, but I don't always see them. I can admit I'm hopelessly romantic, and sometimes that makes it hard for Jason to reach the bar that I've set so high. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't try.

So my aim with this blog is to document all the little things in our relationship that make up the unique coding of us as a couple. The things that should matter more than any fancy dinner or bottle of champagne. The things that will matter to our grandchildren in 50 years when they ask us how we've made our marriage a little stronger each day.

Today is the fourth day of the year, and since we've been together for four years, I'll start with four separate "little things" that have really meant a lot to me.

1. For my birthday my sophomore year of college, Jason coordinated with one of my roommates to leave the door unlocked when she left for class. He managed to sneak into my apartment, leave me a card, a stuffed animal, a picture of us, flowers, a gift and a donut - all while I was asleep in the next room! I shared a class with my roommate that semester, and he met her before class to put another card, another stuffed animal, and another gift on my seat in class. That night he cooked dinner for me and baked me a cake.

2. He humors me in my cultural endeavors. I am a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, as well as pretty much any live theater. While I know he enjoys many of the shows we have gone to together, I know that he would not have gone to them had it not been for me. And I'm sure there's a play or two that he couldn't care less if we'd missed.

3. When I am sick or not feeling well, he will rub my back and my feet, bring me headache medicine, or buy me chicken noodle soup. When I got strep earlier this year, he went quite a distance to the nearest Boston Market so he could bring me macaroni and mashed potatoes - soft foods that I could eat.

4. He's always looking for ways to make improvements to our house. This is our first big investment as a couple (our cars and educations were both paid for by our parents) and while we know we will eventually build a new house to our specifications, this is really not a bad place to live. Jason is always bringing home extra plants for the backyard, or bringing his guys over to help do some kind of renovation. Today he spent a lot of time taking measurements and drawing out plans for an improvement project we are hoping to tackle soon.


I look forward to taking this journey of bragging on what a wonderful husband I have, and I can't wait to see how much he gives of himself just because he loves me.