Well, I really meant to actually share our Florida 2011 trip in a timely fashion, but obviously I have been suffering from a case of F.I.B. - you know "Forgetting I Blog" and I have let time slip by in an unacceptable manner for a post that was called "Coming Soon."
It's kinda like the hype of a movie that starts to get promoted LOOOOONNNNGGGG before it actually hits the theaters and then when it's finally released, you are so excited you almost "pee your knickers" to quote Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen!
I promise that when it's finally realeased, my Florida production will be filled with so much excitement, adventure, and romance (along with some danger) that you will be so glad you have stuck through the wait!
Florida 2011 promises to be so much more adventurous than oh, this movie:
It will surely be more romantic than this movie:
And it could even be more exciting and dangerous than this film:
Okay, maybe not! But there are sure some really awesome and exciting experiences that I can't wait to share in Florida 2011, which really is "Coming Soon!"
It's Florida 2011, baby, and I can't wait to tell you about it because it was a BLAST!
So, stay tuned! The details, the stories, and more pictures of this adventure are coming soon, along with an in-depth explanation of YOLO... 'cuz You Only Live Once, so Make It Count!
How is it possible that we are celebrating 16 years of marriage when we are still just kids?
Okay, I know I'm not really a kid anymore (and my good friend who is my hair stylist knows I'm not a kid anymore, either because she has to work really hard to cover up my "natural" highlights!), but I still feel like a kid!
So, if I still feel like a kid (or at least a young adult), how in the heck can I be celebrating 16 years of marriage to this awesome guy:
I guess time flies when you spend your life with a guy who:
makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world - every.single.day.
always listens to you
NEVER offers unsolicited solutions to your problems (well, most of the time!)
loves you in spite of any quirks you might have (not that I have any!)
encourages you to pursue your goals
supports you every step of the way as you work toward achieving those goals
recognizes the good in you (even when you don't see it yourself)
cheers and cries right alongside you in good times and bad
defends you when you need to be defended (even when you are your own worst critic)
accepts your obsession with candles and books and fun papers and books and candles with only a slight roll of the eyes (did I mention a slight obsession with books?)
thinks you are the best teacher to walk the halls of the school
has helped you pack and move and pack and move your collection of classroom materials, teaching resources and um, just a few books, when you have had opportunities to change positions or schools
takes you to amazing places like Niagara Falls, the coast of Oregon, Boston, and more
drives many miles out of the way to take you to a small coastal restaurant so you can enjoy the incredible Dungeness Crab sandwiches you were introduced to during a previous road trip with your great-aunt and great-uncle
knows that Girls Night is important to your emotional well-being and encourages you to organize and participate in these events with your friends
watches Chic Flicks with you without flinching (even though Gone With the Wind, your all-time favorite movie, is one he hasn't experienced yet)
knows how important your family is to you and willingly spends time with them
understands that you and your sister "share a brain" and embraces the fact that the two of you are inseperable a lot of the time
is an AWESOME uncle
shares the same values and the same beliefs as you
strengthens your faith and testimony in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ by being a powerful example of righteousness
prays with you every single night and every single morning
tells you how much he loves you every.single.day.
makes you laugh (proof is in the picture....)
No wonder time has flown by so quickly in our marriage!
Thank you, B, for 16 sweet (and often times, sassy!) years of marriage.
We really were "kids" when we said "I Do" and in the 16 years we have already shared since that day (not to mention the 3 years we dated before we made it official), we have had some incredible moments!
I am so grateful that even as we have faced some truly hard trials, you make "our song" come to life for me. And so, I will "cross my heart and promise to give all I've got to give to make all YOUR dreams come true" as we continue in our journey together.
I thank Heavenly Father every single day for the blessing of our marriage and for our amazing relationship, and I look forward to an eternity filled with creating more great moments and memories together as B&K!
Well, I wasn't actually ready for it to be the kind of cold with negative degrees !
That's right, this week in Texas has been a negative degrees kind of cold. The forecast predicted cold weather, sleet and ice (an annual occurrance down here in good ol' Texas!), and snow flurries.
I'll be honest, I didn't believe the snow flurries part of the forecast - that just seemed like too much of a stretch. After all, we had actual snow LAST year, so we surely weren't due for more actual snow just yet, right! But, I have to hand it to the meterologists - this time they got it right - and today we have snow covering everything! It's purdy and it gave us another day off from school!
Even though it's purdy today, it sure wasn't purdy around town earlier this week when it was just flat out nasty and icy. Icy enough to close the schools for several days (the cheers from the students in Texas must have been heard in space!). Icy enough to close businesses for several days (another reason why we should be prepared). And icy enough to keep the roads treacherous and dangerous (we might need to add more than sand to our road safety strategy).
I'm sure this sudden weather change came as a bit of a surprise to the Super Bowl Committee and to all of the fans who made their way to DFW for "The Big Game" on Sunday. After all, it was a bit of a surprise for those of us who live here! But right now the weather is wacky all over the place, not just here in Texas!
THE BIG GAME
Since the Super Bowl is here this weekend, ESPN is broadcasting from our downtown FW, so on Monday (before the weather hit), B and I headed to Sundance Square to check out the ESPN Broadcast Booth. We got to be part of the crowd during the broadcast of Chris Berman's segment. Surely you know Chris Berman, aka "Boomer," the guy who makes all the crazy sounds during his broadcasts. His sports reports are pretty interesting and funny (and you know I'm not a big sports fan!). It was fun to be part of the crowd filled with lots of "interesting" people!
We also headed over to where Channel 21 was broadcasting the news and jumped in with the hoopin' and holler' of that crowd too! After all of our television cameos (being on television is exhausting!), we were hungry and headed to Cabo Grande. Mexican food ALWAYS completes the day!
The night was a BLAST and I'm so glad we went down before the madness of the weather and the insanity of the crowds hit!
Just another adventure of B&K as we try to "Live Life Everyday!"
But an even bigger HOORAY for car seats that warm up for you at 5:20 am on a shivery fall morning!
I love it when the weather cools down! Texas is blazin' hot in the summer and so these cool, crisp, sometimes flat out cold days feel great. Of course, I realize my limits of appreciation for cooler weather do not extend beyond the borders of cool weather in Texas, and I know that I am not cut out to experience the really cold weather of other parts of the USA. (I'm a wimp, really!).
So, now that it is cooler it's time for:
my flannel pjs (and I am not ashamed to admit that I love changing into them right after school, but I promise that if I go out, I change back - PROMISE!)
hot chocolate (yummers!)
wrapping up in a blanket on the couch (which the cat tries to steal from me - BRAT!)
snuggling with "The Radiator" (aka: B - he radiates serious heat!)
watching a good movie
Actually, this sounds like a great plan for TONIGHT!!!
I wanted to come up with an idea that would be a super creative, over-the-top, amazing, outstanding, outlandish, incredible, unbelievable, never-been-seen, flat out AWESOME way to celebrate B's birthday and brighten his day.
After all, I love him more than anything and he spoils me a tad bit (just a tad bit, not too much!) so I have been thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and, well...
...today is his birthday and I've got nada!
It doesn't help that I have been sick with this and sick with that for the last two weeks and am zombied out on several different prescriptions.
But maybe, just maybe, the fact that B is swamped with work right now and can't really celebrate with me tonight anyway will give me some extra think time to come up with a PHENOM celebration for when we can celebrate together (FYI: I am currently accepting any and all fabulous ideas in the comments section!).
So, until I come up with something awesome to celebrate this incredible guy...
Gratitude for The Lawn Fairy's gift..... greatly enhanced
Appreciation for B that he keeps our yard maintained and manicured.... IMMEASUREABLE!
Last week the rains came down and the grass came up. B is swamped at work right now and after the surprise gift from The Lawn Fairy a couple of weeks ago, I certainly didn't want to let the lawn go any longer.
So, with nice weather abounding and since I was around, I decided to get out and mow the lawn. DISCLAIMER: It has been many, many, many, many years since I mowed the lawn. I mean... MANY!
I called B to get a quick review of how the lawn mower works. Don't laugh. It's electric- ya know, to be more green - with a one-button-start option... and the last time I mowed the lawn - many, many, many, many years ago - it was with a gas-powered, string-pulling, good-luck-getting-it-started kinda mower. So, I needed a quick tutorial, but I'm a fast learner and got it rolling with no prob.
Then I mowed the lawn - just the front, and the sides - no frills (like edging or trimming the hedges. Thank goodness the lawn fairy did such a good job there). All I did was mow. It looks good. I got out there and did it. I'm proud.
But the reality check is that... it's hard work, it kicks up my allergies and asthma, and I'm not even done!
This makes me appreciate B soooooooo much more for all the hard work he regularly does to keep our yard nice. Especially since he usually mows the front, edges, trims the hedges and trees, and then moves on to the back yard, which is sometimes an even bigger job. And for me, well, the backyard may just have to be a job I pay someone else to do!
This coming week has the promise of possibilities because Brian is off for the week! Woot! Woot! So, this week we will divide our time betwen "Project Week" and "Party Time!"
"Project Week" projects:
Go to the grocery store (why should one of us have to face that madness alone!)
Dum, da, da dum... the garage! Clean it, organize it, park my car in it! Then we can check it off our "Amazingly Long List of Things To Do Around the House" (for this year!)
Create a pantry inventory
Organize and assemble our Emergency Documents binder
New blinds for the middle and master bedrooms
"Party Time" plans:
Visit the MOLA (Museum of Living Art) at the FW Zoo
Attend the temple
Have breakfast at Paris Cafe (aMaZinG!)
And why not lunch at Yucatan Taco Stand (deLiSh!!!)
Dinner will be home-cooked for most of the week. After all... we have a meal plan!
And the most exciting thing about this week of possibilities... being together!
Thursday, June 10, 2010 brought with it 15 years of marriage, 3 years of dating, and 2 months of flirting at work and talking on the phone before we ever went on that 1st date when I suddenly went shy and couldn't utter a sound. Yep, that's right... speechless... K couldn't think of a thing to say... what was that all about?!?
Good thing the speechless issue ended later that night when we got ice cream! I'm sure there are days when B wishes I would go silently shy again, but one of the amazing things about B is that he may wish it, but he never says it, and that's just because he loves me.
So, what have we done in 15 years? It is a lifetime, right! Well...
In 15 years we have lived in:
a tiny apartment with no yard
a small duplex with a small yard
our beautiful house with a large yard and huge trees
In 15 years we have visited:
Oregon (countless times, countless places!)
Niagara Falls (Canadian side)
Utah (Salt Lake City and Provo)
Columbus, Ohio
Palmyra, New York
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Shreveport, Louisiana
Sedelia, Missouri
Wichita, Kansas
Massachusetts (Boston, Plymouth, & Springfield)
Colorado (Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds)
Wichita Falls, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
In 15 years we have been blessed with:
an eternal marriage
10 nieces and 3 nephews
a cat who loves us (even though she loves no one else!)
college degrees
good health
jobs that we enjoy
a great circle of friends
family who loves us
In 15 years we have faced:
the difficulty of not having children
the loss of our grandparents
the loss of B's dad
In 15 years we have learned that:
being married is not always easy
sometimes you have to admit you were wrong
love grows deeper with communication and respect
sometimes you give, sometimes you take
we each have strengths, we each have weaknesses
support is paramount to success
sports CAN be enjoyable (B always thought that, K had to learn it - and it really only applies to basketball!)
you can have fun together without spending a dime
dating each other is still important, even though you're married
someone always has to take out the garbage!
In the next year we hope to:
take advantage of the time we have together
get some things done around our house
explore new places
save more money and eliminate more debt
eat at home more often (even if this means K has to learn how to enjoy cooking. Yes, I can do it, I just don't like to. Plus, B is better at it anyway.)
spend more time reading the scriptures together
grow even closer to each other, to our friends, to our family, and to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ
B - I could not ask for a better husband, a better friend, a better support system than I have in you. I love you with all my heart and I am so grateful to be taking this journey in life with you. Who knew we'd get to the fabulous 15 so quickly! I look forward to an eternity beside you. Thank you for being my rock - always! Love, K
With 2010 looming just hours away, I realize that I have neglected to update my blog with some awesome December moments. So, what better way to show these experiences than with pictures!
My brother-in-law retired after 20 years of service in the Air Force...
...so we headed down to San Antonio...
Although it was a quick trip for B & K, we were really glad to be able to go down and be there as Joe and his family were honored in his retirement ceremony (of course, we also get to tease him about being "retired!")
Christmas brought with it some ups and some downs. My dad was hospitalized for an infection in his leg, and I battled a sinus and upper respitory infection. Despite these downs, the ups of the season were greater.
We got a little snow...
Maddy made us smile...
We ate yummy treats...
We gave gifts from the heart...
My gift to Brian was a "Brown Bag Special" (brown bag gifts are a huge tradition in my family) containing 30 cards (1 card to be opened each day for the next 30 days) with each card depicting a characteristic or trait that I love about him:
Brian's gift to me was a "Year in Review" letter with pictures and memories describing the different experiences we had in 2009 that were meaningful to him: (plus an I-Tunes gift card because he's just sneaky!)
2009 was filled with many fantastic days for B&K and now we look forward to a new year filled with more great opportunities to experience and memories to make.
Pause the music player at the bottom and sing along to...
Kirsten's version of "Deck the Halls"
Deck the halls with boughs of holly (This year we'll just keep it real simple)...
Tis the season to be jolly (Doing things that bring us happiness)...
Don we now our gay apparel (Who needs that we'll just wear comfy clothes)...
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol (Spending time together matters most).
This season B and I are trying to to do something together each day to help us focus on what this season is really about - family, friends, and our Savior.
So, while "Decking the halls" and putting our tree up together is one of the things we have done (and one of the things I LOVE!), it is just part of what we have included on our Days of December calendar.
The interesting thing about our Days of December quest, is that I am really finding that no matter what we do, when we purposefully take time to do something that brings us closer together or closer to others, we are also drawn closer to our Savior, and that is helping ME to find the true Spirit of Christmas in a busy world where buying gifts seems to matter most.
What about you? What do you do to find the Spirit of Christmas?
