It Made My Day: After All These Years

Hubby has made a pastime out of teasing me.  He knows exactly what to do to get me riled up, knows exactly what buttons to push.  It always ends up being something we laugh about, he is never malicious in his teasing.  But sometimes, he teases me about things that can be a little, well, personal.  Like he will tell me how much he likes my butt in a pair of jeans.  Or he will tell me how sexy I look wearing one of his old t-shirts.  And, like a young school girl, I inevitably blush.

Yesterday, he, in great detail, told me how much he liked the way a particular pair of pants looked on me.  It got me so flustered, I turned red, and tried to exit the room.  As I was almost out the door, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back, putting his arms around me and saying "I love the fact that after all these years, I can still make you so flustered."

He paused a moment, and then said "And I love the fact that we have been together so long that I can properly use the phrase 'after all these years'."

This was taken within the first two months we were dating, we look so young!

It was like a line from a movie, and it totally made me melt.

But beyond that, it made my day.

It Made My Day: Antique Shopping

This IMMD actually happened a few weeks ago, but because it involved one of Hubby's Valentine's gifts from me, I could not post it then, so I decided to post it today!

Since Hubby and I tend to make Valentine's more about showing love and less about spending money, I try to think of something special that is not terribly expensive.  So, I decided to try to find a dachshund figurine for Hubby.  Since doxies are not easily found, I decided to try looking in antique shops.  I headed down to an antique shop in Leechburg we had visted in December.

I am not much of an antique person, but we found this little gem of a shop one day, and I just loved the atmosphere.  However, when I arrived to shop this time, the store was not yet open.  I noticed another antique store a few doors down, and went in.  The shop owner was so friendly, she knew she did not have any doxies, so she promptly made a few calls to other shop owners in the area until we found a store that had one (I would go later that morning to pick it up).  By the time I left, my original destination was now open, so I decided to stop in.

The only doxie he had was a soap dish holder, and while it was totally adorable, it was about $70, way out of my budget.  I told him it was a bit pricier than I was looking for this particular gift, and thanked him for his time.  As I looked around the store more, he pulled a tiny piece of glassware out and put it on the counter.  "Does this look like a dachshund to you?", he asked.  I replied that it did, given the length of the snout and the length of the body.  "Well, then, you can have it.  I have been waiting for the right person to give it to that would appreciate it."  Wait, what?  Have it?

He told me it was a piece of blown glass from Bimini.  He said there was a slight chip in the tail that greatly reduced its value, so we was just giving it to me.  I felt like I won the lottery.  It was so light and delicate, I was so scared I would break it before I got it home.  But I was careful as could be, and Hubby was so excited about it.

Here he is, next to my rings for scale.

I was so amazed and thankful for the kindness shown to me by these two shop owners.  It was clear that, while business owners, they were most interested in having happy, satisfied customers, and contributing to their communities.  Which is exactly why I will return to these shops.

Thank you to the antique community in Leechburg.  You totally made my day.

It Made my Day: Happy Feet

This morning, I woke up full of joy.  I have met a small goal that I set for myself several weeks ahead of schedule.  I am getting into the holiday spirit.  I have gotten to spend time with some great friends over the past few weeks, not to mention my family.  I have a job that I absolutely love, and work with incredibly caring people.  I have a husband who is more amazing that words can even allow, two adorable dogs, a cat that lovingly drives me bonkers, and as if all this were not enough, today is Friday!  Hubby is not a morning person, yet this morning, when he woke up, we had a tickle fest and it allowed me to see him start his day with a giant smile.  Today, I am full of joy, and I wanted everyone to know it.

As I dressed for work, I realized my outfit was very plain.  Grey dress, black tights, black cardigan.  Cute, and comfortable, but plain.  I needed people to see my joy.  I found the perfect solution.

 

Now everyone can see my joy, thanks to my happy feet. It totally made my day!

It Made My Day: My Friend Roseanna

Today, I got the nicest surprise when I checked my Facebook.  I saw that my friend Roseanna White had tagged me in a post.  When I went to see the post, I was surprised to see that she had written the nicest blog post about me as part of her "My Friend Fridays" series on her blog.

Roseanna talks about how we became friends online, so I will encourage you to go read her post here.  But what she does not mention, most likely because she does not know, is what a huge inspiration she has been to me, as a wife, and a Christian, and hopefully one day an author.

Roseanna has always encouraged me, and has really helped shape my voice as a blogger and a reviewer.  She gives me great advice, and I am very blessed to have met her online.  I look forward to the day when we will get to meet in real life.

So thank you, Roseanna, for the lovely post, but most importantly the blessing of your friendship.  It certainly made my day!

It Made My Day: Cricut Cricut

My husband is ridiculous and funny and witty and I love it.

Sometimes, my hubby and I have ridiculous conversations.  Today was one of those times.  But first you need a little back story.

So, I mentioned that things have been busy for me lately.  This is because I started a part time job last week.  I have decided not to go into specific details, but I will say that this is a job that includes doing lots of social media, photography, and a lot of things I completely adore.  It is the perfect job for me.

Today, at work, I got to use a Cricut machine for the first time, and it was awesome.  So awesome, I mentioned using the Cricut in my Facebook status.  This led to the following ridiculous conversation, completely via text message:

Hubby: What the #@*! is a Cricut?

Me: I will explain later (thinking it is too complicated to explain over text)


Hubby: It sounds like a cross between a crockpot and a cricket.  Or a crickpot or a crocket.

Hubby: Or maybe it is a gun you use in the kitchen.  I BET IT IS A KITCHEN GUN.

Hubby: Or did someone just misspell tricut? Harry Potter and the Cricut Hallowstone.

Me: You are ridiculous. I love it.

Hubby: Hey you always knew I was a cricut above the rest.


Yes, yes you are honey.  I love how ridiculous we are!

He will be disappointed to learn what it actually is.

It Made My Day: Chico

Yesterday morning, we decided to take a little shopping trip first thing in the morning.  Hubby was going to Sam's Club to get tires on his car, and he dropped me off at the Walmart nearby to do some grocery shopping.  I figured by the time I was done shopping, his car would be done.  That did not go as planned.  Hubby was the 3rd in line for tires, so his estimated wait was 90 minutes.  We found this out when I was half done shopping.  So, I took my time as much as possible, but finally, I tired of shopping, and headed to the checkout.

After I checked out, I went to one of the indoor benches, and sat to read on my phone for a bit.  I was a little annoyed that we had to wait so long, but I knew it was no ones fault.  While I was sitting there reading, I was approached by a Walmart employee who asked to share the bench with me.  His nametag read "Chico".

As we sat there, he started making small talk.  And I noticed that he knew everyone, I mean EVERYONE who walked by, and they all smiled when they saw him.  I said to him, "you are the most popular man in Walmart!".  He explained that he had been a UPS driver for over 30 years, and got used to getting to know people.  Now he is retired, and works at Walmart to stay busy, but he still likes to get to know everyone.

Over the course of his 15 minute break, Chico and I discussed good food, our families, and love.  He mentioned that his adult daughters were still single, and that good men were hard to find.  So, I started talking about Hubby, and how I was so lucky to have found him.  I told him about all of Hubby's wonderful qualities. And Chico said "It sounds like your husband is a true child of God", to which I replied, "He certainly is; I am so blessed".  Chico responded, "So is he, he is blessed to have you."

Sometimes, we just need a moment like this, a moment where God is clearly reaching out to us, and showing us His love through the voice of a total stranger.  It made me stop and take stock of all my blessings, and helped me be even more determined than ever to be the best wife I can be.

Thank you, Chico, for spending those moments with me.  It truly made my day.

It Made My Day: Gold Digger

This has not been the best of weeks.  Several of our friends have some not so happy situations with which they are dealing, and Hubby and I have been sad for them.  Then yesterday was a series of mild annoyances for both of us, and by the end of the day, we were just so over it all.

We decided to get the heck out of the house last night, and grab a bite to eat.  Hubby mentioned that he had several rewards certificates for Best Buy and asked if there was anything I wanted.  I have been wanting the Glee Karaoke Revolution game for our Wii since January, when I played it at a friend's house, so we decided to go get it.  I should have realized then that we had turned the corner on our crappy day.

We went to eat, and then went to get the game.  We got the last copy in the whole entire store, and saved ten bucks on it.  Things were looking up.

We somehow ended up singing a medley of 80's tv show theme songs on the way home.  Things were getting better and better.

Hubby knew the moment I got home I would want to play my game, so he got it all set up for me.  For the next 30 minutes, I belted out songs like Rachel Berry.

And then, it happened, the shining moment of the whole day.  Hubby decided he wanted to play.  He was going to sing a song.  And his song of choice.... was Gold Digger.

Now, anyone who knows him will understand how ridiculously awesome this is.  He is not someone who would listen to that song, in fact I am not sure he has ever heard the whole thing.  He can talk your ear off about economics and political theory, but views on hip hip or R&B, he has none.  He is not someone with what you would call "flow".  To put it bluntly, we are both the whitest thirty something nerds I know.  So to see him unleash some inner Kanye was, in short, the awesomest thing in the world.

At one point, we were sharing the mic, and belting out the "get down girl go head get down"s.  And then I realized, it may have been a crappy day, but it was a simply wonderful night.

Thanks Hubby, for totally making my day.

It Made My Day: Doxies

For those of you who do not know, we have 2 dachshund puppies.  Dexter is about 16 months old, and Chloe is about 5 months old.  They are my precious babies.  And I absolutely love when Hubby draws pictures of them.  They are about the cutest things ever.

Late last night/early this morning, I was still awake.  I sometimes have trouble unwinding from the day, and often trouble falling asleep.  So, I decided to go downstairs to throw a load of laundry in.  Might as well be productive if I am still awake at 1 am right?  As I came down the stairs, I saw something on the sidewalk in front of our house.  I knew the neighbor boys had been out, so I figured that their sidewalk chalk season had started.  Well, I was in for a little surprise.

Hubby had actually drawn a picture of the doggies.  And it was adorable.

It says " Dexter

+Chloe

= love"

Truer words were never spoken. Even when they are naughty, I still love them to pieces. And I love my Hubby most of all.

 What a perfect life I have.

Thanks for the drawing Hubby, it totally made my day. Well, 2 days actually!

It Made My Day: Care Package

Today, for the second time this month, I got a little care package from my mom.  Often she will send me healthy snacks that I might not be able to find at my local stores, and that is what she did earlier this month.  But imagine my surprise when I opened the door today to find another care package from Mom!

I could not wait to open it up!  But first, I had to make note of the adorable address labels Mom had!

Unable to wait any longer, I opened it up.....

ooooh this looks promising!

Happy Spring!

Oh my goodness I could barely wait to try this!  The packet also contained a book Mom had told me she was going to give me, with some helpful health info in it!  YAY!

I took some time to call Mom and thank her for the surprise.  Then after we chatted for a bit, I of course had to go try out my new bath stuff!  It smells heavenly!

Thanks again Mom, for the care package.  It totally made my day!

It Made My Day: You really like me!

Many of you know that over the past few months, photography has become a great passion on mine.  I am completely amateur, and most likely will stay that way (though you never know).  I completed an adult education class in photography recently, and benefited from it so much (shout out to my teacher Bethany!).  I can really see improvement in my photographic skills, as well as an increase in my creativity and ability to capture a real story in my pictures.

Since January 1, I have been participating in something called the 365 Project, where you take a picture each day, and submit it.  The website is such a rich, supportive, creative community that I have really been able to push myself with my pictures.  Yesterday, I took a picture about the silent victims of sexual violence, inspired by the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson.  It was a self portrait, my interpretation of the book.  The response has been so powerful.

Imagine my surprise to wake up this morning and learn that the photo had made it to the Popular Page in the website!

The page showcases the best of the best recent photos.  Amazing stuff on this page, always.  I am so completely honored and shocked that my picture made the page!

Here is a better look at my photo, titled Don't Tell:

It was really unexpected that the picture would have so much impact.  And it totally made my day.

It Made My Day: All Roads

The other day, I was talking to my mom on the phone about some of the ridiculous shenanigans in which Hubby and I engage on a daily basis.  I said to her, can you imagine if we had gone to high school together.

Would I have looked like
Tracy Gold?

Would he have looked like
Andrew McCarthy?

Tonight, I was discussing with Hubby what it would have been like had we actually grown up together, and gone to school together.  We pondered different scenarios.  Would we have been friends, or enemies?  Would we have raised a bunch or nerdy hell the way we do now, or fought like cats and dogs?  He thinks we would have been friends, I think that after years of great friendship, we would have dated.

Not too far off from how
I actually looked...

Not too far off from how I
would have made him look...

As we were pondering these questions, he said to me, if we had grown up together, no matter what would have happened, we would have been together.  I asked him if he really believed that, to which he replied, no matter what, all roads would have led to where we are today.

Pretty much the most romantic thing I ever heard.  And it totally made my day.

It Made My Day: Sweet Treat

Last night, Hubby and I went on an impromptu ride to Butler, to just "bum around" as we called it growing up.  No real errands to run, just checking some things out, and getting out together for some quality time.  He mentioned that he should get goodies to take to his coworkers sometime, so I got the genius idea to bake a cake for him to take to work today.  Not just any cake, oh no.  A Giant Cupcake cake.

We got home around 9, and I got to work.  The dark chocolate cake had to be baked in two sections, first the bottom, then the swirly top.  The baking part was not done until after 10.  Then I let it cool a little, and iced it.

The surprise was, I put mint flavoring in the cake mix, as well as the icing, so the whole thing tastes like a thin mint cookie.  Hubby was fast asleep by the time I put on the finishing touch- green sprinkles.

It really did make my day, starting last night and well into today, to do something nice, not only for Hubby, but for his coworkers.  I hope it helped them have a fabulous day!

It Made My Day: September

You lucky ducks you!  You get two posts from me in one day, that is pretty rare!

So, remember when I told you a long time ago I was doing a photo a day project called 365?  Well, I ended up abandoning it, because the site was one big clique, people trying to impress other people, and become popular through their pictures.  Yeah, I left high school a LONG time ago, and I do not want to return, so, no thanks, peace out.  I only wanted to learn to take great pictures.


Well, apparently, it was helping me learn to take great pictures.  One of the pictures I took for the project was of a local farm.  On a whim, I submitted it to the Armstrong County Tourist Bureau, and lo and behold, they emailed me and said they were interested in possibly using it for the 2011 Calendar.  They asked me for some information, but never told me if it was definitely used.  Today, I took a jaunt down to the Bureau office to get a calendar, and guess what.

My picture is featured for the month of September.  Little ole me.  With a published photo.  I can't hardly
STAND it!!!!!!

Do you even realize how hard it is going to be to wait to flip the calendar to September?  This calendar just may be at September all year round in our house!

So, with renewed confidence, I am happy to announce I restarted my 365 Project under a new account, and today I registered for a month long digital photography class.  Who knows where this might lead.  

All I know is, it made my day.

It Made My Day: I must have done something good

I must have done something pretty amazing to deserve my Hubby.

Just when I think I cannot possibly love him any more than I do....


I was so tired this morning, because Sunday night I slept hardly at all due to excitement about getting Chloe.  And last night I slept with her on the couch, to take her out to potty and slowly get adjusted.  So 7 am, I put both dogs in their crates, and tottered upstairs to snuggle with Hubby.  Once I was alseep, he crept downstairs and took care of the "kids" all morning, and I slept until 11.  It was glorious.


Then, I went upstairs to get a bath, while lunch was in the oven, and I heard him talking to the "kids".  


"Chloe, it's ok baby girl.  Dexter, the living room is a Stonehenge of treats, clean some of this up, and stop playing with your older sister's toys".  So adorable, my heart hurt from all the love.  I can't wait to see what he is like if we ever have a baby.  World's Best Dad in the making, right there.


And then, after my bath was over, I came down to discover he had washed dishes while I was upstairs.  This man is a total ANGEL.  And I fall more and more in love with him each and every day.

As Maria and Captain von Trapp once sang "For here you are, standing there, loving me

Whether or not you should So somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good."

Thank you Hubby, for being so good to me.  It made my day, as it does every day.

It Made My Day.... Pumpkin Roll

Late last night, as yesterday rolled into today, Hubby and I got a hankering for something sweet.  We had lots to choose from, with Thanksgiving food still hanging around.  Hubby had some pie earlier, and I am not a pie eater, so I looked around the fridge, and spied a bag way in the back on the top shelf.  What was this?  It was, it was...

PUMPKIN ROLL!  Yippee!  Mom had brought it on Thanksgiving, but we never opened it.  I figured she took it home with her, but she had forgotten all about it.  Hubby and I had a piece immediately and it was awesome.

So, Mommy, I am sorry that we inadvertently bogarted the pumpkin roll.  To my loving family, I am sorry I am unable to share it's deliciousness with you.  But I have to admit, finding it certainly did make my day!

It Made My Day: Red

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the morning and early afternoon in the salon.  Instead of the normal red and caramel highlights, I decided to be a bit more bold.  I went red, ruby red, all over, with just a few chunky chocolate lowlights in the front.  (Lisa, as promised, I also got my brows professionally waxed :] ).  The result was pretty dramatic, and in my opinion magical.

Last night I told Hubby I needed him to wake me up this morning because I need to be up and ready early to meet my friend J for a girls day trip.  So, as requested, he woke me up this morning, and once I was fully awake, he leaned over, kissed me, and whispered, "Good Morning Red".  

I know it was first thing, but Hubby, that made my day.  I might stay red forever.

It Made My Day: Sunshine

This IMMD needs a little bit of a back story.  Stick with me here, it will be worth it.

So, when Hubby and I were not even dating yet, but in the dreaded friends zone, he would casually refer to me as "Sunshine".  I learned that he did this to various female friends, so when we started dating, I mentioned to him that I really loved it when he called me Sunshine, and it was like his little pet name for me.  He immediately stopped using that term of endearment for any other female friends, and it became mine.  I was "his Sunshine".

Fast forward to last October.  As you may remember from our wedding story, we had an outdoor wedding planned, since the last several years it has been gorgeous in early October.  And last year, October 1st was indeed gorgeous.  But October 2nd, the day of the wedding, it poured rain.  Luckily we were able to make a last minute venue change, and the wedding was perfect.

So, this morning, I posted on my facebook page bright and early "This time last year I was praying for sunshine."

Hubby sent me a text message later that said "this time last year, you may have been praying for sunshine, but I was preparing to marry it."

Sweetest. Man. Ever.

It made my day.

It Made My Day: Post It

We are quickly approaching one year of marital bliss.  Often, people will ask us if the honeymoon is over.  My response is that it never will be!  And I truly mean it with all my heart.  Everyone warned me the first year of marriage was so hard, with so many adjustments.  Honestly, we did not have it that difficult.  Not with each other anyway.  We adjusted to each other so easily.  I think other people had a harder time getting used to us being married, and how that changed our lives, than we did really.

Hubby and I are just one of those couples who can not help but show each other how much we adore each other.  We know it might be annoying to some people, and I would apologize, except I do not think that is anything that warrants an apology.  I love the way that Hubby and I are, and I would not trade it for the world.

Case in point:

I picked up my laptop to work on a blog post, and when I opened it up, this is what I saw on my screen:

Just a simple little note from Hubby telling me to have a nice day, and that he loved me.  It was such a simple act, but it meant the world to me.  He put it somewhere he knew I was sure to look at some point, and I could not help but smile.

It totally made my day.  Thank you Hubby.  I love you too.  Here is to a lifelong honeymoon.

It Made My Day- Whiteboard

When Hubby and I first moved in, we got a white board to hang in the kitchen.  That way, we could jot down important reminders, grocery lists, and notes for each other in a place where both could easily see it.  It is hard to miss the white board, because of the way our kitchen is designed.  Over the months, we have gotten into the habit of leaving little drawings and things for each other on it, just to be silly.  But lately, because we are usually home at the same time, and almost always in the same room, the white board has been blank, with the exception of Dex's heartworm pill reminder.

This morning, I slept in.  I was up late reading and writing last night, so in some ways I am not surprised.  I woke up momentarily to kiss Hubby goodbye (I think I did, I was pretty groggy, may have been a dream) then went back to sleep for 2 more hours.  I must have needed it, because I woke up feeling great, and surprisingly not hungry at all.  So I came down, fed the dog, took a bath, puttered around, and before you know it, 2 hours had passed and I never ate or drank a thing, so I never went into the kitchen.  Even though I was not hungry, I decided it was probably a good idea to eat something, to keep my energy up, so I decided to eat something light.  I get into the kitchen, glance at the white board, and this is what I saw:

Just a simple I love you.  That is all it really takes.

I love you too Hubby.  It made my day.

It Made My Day- Potty Humor

Last night, we went to dinner with 3 friends, Jason, Justin, and Lora.  We had an awesome meal but the restaurant was an hour away, so by the time we got home, we were all feeling a little miserable.  We dropped off Justin and Lora, and were pulling away when Hubby says to me "I have to go poo".  Horrified, I exclaimed "Honey, we have a GUEST in the car!!".

Hubby then turned around and said to Jason, who was sitting in the back seat,"Jason, I have to go poo."  Jason giggled all the way down the hill.  It made my day.

I asked Hubby's permission to post this story, and as I was looking for a picture to accompany it, he pouted and said, "I do not like that story being reduced to a picture of a toilet".  My response was, "Honey, it is a story about poo".  His response, "No, it's a story about friendship".

Thank you Hubby for being so ridiculous.  It made my day.