Matt was working with some elementary students a few weeks ago and had an extra K’nex rollercoaster set, so he brought it home for the kids to build and play with. Audrey was so good at following instructions and building it; she’s a pro from building so many Lego things. Here they are in the process of building it:
On this day in the year two-thousand, Matt and I were bound in holy matrimony. Four moves, five jobs, two kids, one dog, and TEN years later…here we are! It was a quaint little ceremony, with all the most important people in our lives present, in a small church in Canadian, TX. Nothing too fancy or over-thought, because all I really cared about was marrying Matt. There’s probably a lot I would change about it now—technology sure is a lot better ten years later—but it was perfect the way it was. Our first home was an old farm house renovated into a duplex; make that the original farm house on the section of property right smack dab in the middle of what is now Lubbock. It was old, and set up weird (our front door led you right into our bedroom!), but it was a beginning that I wouldn’t want to change. For my first birthday as a married woman, Matt bought me a cell phone, our first cell phone ever, and we shared it. Our first major purchase as a couple was a house (boy, is that major!). We’ve been through lean times, fun times, hard times, crazy times, and joyous times together. Marriage hasn’t been easy for us, but I’m confident that God knew what he was doing when he put us together. He knew that we needed each other in order to challenge each other and to grow in ways we wouldn’t if it weren’t for each other. Ten years isn’t really that long in the scheme of things, but it’s a milestone I’m happy to be celebrating today!
Matt’s presentation at the conference was on the third day we were in Vancouver, so he spent a good part of the day doing work stuff. I got to lounge in the hotel room, doing absolutely nothing, which for me is a treat in itself! Our last day in Vancouver we visited Stanley Park, which was Matt’s favorite part of the trip. The Totem Poles:
Although it had been cloudy, foggy, and misty most of the day we were in Victoria, just as we were about to head to Butchart Gardens, the sun started peeking out. I thought it was great timing since we wanted to be able to see the gardens clearly. But, to our disappointment, the gardens were still very much behind the clouds and under fog. But we enjoyed it anyway (although we could tell it would be way more beautiful in the summer with all the blooming flowers). The gardens were established by Robert and Jennie Butchart after the mining of limestone left the area bare and desolate. Robert Butchart was in the cement business and his wife envisioned turning the quarry into a beautiful garden. I’d say she succeeded! The Sunken Garden:
The second day we were in Vancouver we took the ferry over to Vancouver Island for the day. We decided to drive our rental car so we could go where and when we wanted to (although that is a decision that came back to bite us at the end of the day). Riding the ferry was fun just because neither of us had ever done anything like it before. Matt stayed out on the deck a lot of the time just watching as the little islands passed by…but I was content inside—where it was nice and warm. Have I mentioned it was COLD there? Obviously we went in November, which is in the rainy season, but it was also often foggy and misty—not great for seeing the scenic views. The ferry:
Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and this is it’s parliament building:
The morning of our first day in Vancouver, Matt and I walk out of the hotel and this is the very first thing Matt sees:
Last month Matt and I got to take a once in a lifetime trip to Vancouver. He was scheduled to go to a conference to present some work he had been doing, and although we had been planning on me tagging along, it didn’t look like it would work out for me to go (ok, ok, so it was my own fault because of my blasted procrastinating self and my lack of a passport). But, through my husband’s incredible ability to plan things at the last minute, we were able to pull it off…with a little pit stop in Seattle and an appointment at the passport agency (which was amazingly efficient for a government office). So here’s the story of our trip:
It started off as one of the worst days to travel. I woke up that morning with the dreaded stomach bug. So, in between puking and running to the bathroom and laying on the floor in agony, I managed to pack up stuff for the kids and the dog (who were going to stay at GiGi’s with Matt’s folks—THANK YOU!!). Matt made it home in time to help me finish packing our stuff, while I fretted about even making it on the plane. We did, however, and although it was probably one of the more miserable things I’ve ever done, it was worth it in the end. We didn’t make it to our hotel in Seattle until almost midnight, and then had to get up early the next morning to be at the passport agency at 8 am. Despite having nothing in my system, I felt quite better, but exhausted. We made it to the passport agency, and I assumed I would be there all day, begging and pleading for them to understand why they should grant me a passport by the end of the day. Who knew that something run by the government could be so easy and hassle free? I spent a total of 10 minutes there turning in my stuff and the guy simply told me, “Your passport will by ready at 2pm. We close at 3pm, so come before then.” Wha….?? Are you kidding me? That’s all? A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! So I was free to relax and recuperate, and also enjoy some of the sites of Seattle. After resting in the hotel room a little, we went exploring the streets of Seattle. Did you know there is literally a Starbucks on EVERY street corner? They’re a little crazy about their coffee, I believe! We, of course, went to the famous public market of Seattle (Pike’s Place).
Hello blogging world! I’ve decided to rejoin you (for the time being). Do I have an excuse for being absent the past 6 months (6, really 6? Eeeek!)? Not really…other than it was summer and we were busy playing, swimming, and enjoying all that summer has to offer, and for the past 3 months my excuse has been my labor of love—well, that and just the fact that I was already so behind in blogging that it felt overwhelming to try to catch up. And so let me catch you up on some of the fun things we’ve done (all, some, or none of which may be blogged about in the future):
But in honor of my first post since my absence, I give you “My Labor of Love”. I had been brewing up a plan over the summer to redo Audrey’s room. She basically had the same decor from her nursery, a pinkish/purplish bedspread, and yellow curtains; and if you know Audrey, you know that is NOT her at all. Tossing aside her requests for a Star Wars themed room, I suggested we do a “blue” room. Her favorite color is blue, and I figured I could girlie it up a tad to make it suitable for her and yet still have it be an awesome room in her opinion. And so it was on…I decided to look for bedding first, and found an awesome deal (80% off) on a quilt and pillow sham that Audrey agreed she liked. It ended up being a sea foamy/turquoise and navy color scheme, but in my mind: girlie, and in Audrey’s mind: way better than pink and yellow. We decided I’d paint all the walls, and then on the largest wall of her room I’d do something special, like stripes or squares--to which Matt told me I was absolutely out of my mind—but I thought, “It’ll be fun!” And so Labor Day weekend, we bought the paint, and the night of Labor Day I started painting. I foolishly thought I could have it all done in 2 weeks; one week for painting the solid colored walls, and one week to measure, tape off, and paint the squares on the big wall. One thing I forgot to account for: painting and an OCD perfectionist personality DO NOT MIX!And 3 months later I’m nearly finished—granted, I worked hard the first two weeks (of which, after the first week I remembered I HATED painting), and then decided it wasn’t worth putting everything aside to finish the project in a timely manner. I kinda wish I had documented the process as I went along, but alas, the finished (or almost finished) pictures will have to suffice.
And there you have it: My Labor of Love! I know this is a super duper long post, but nothing like starting off fresh with a BANG!
