Two Whole Years

Yesterday was a big day for our family.  Husband and I celebrated our two year anniversary!  (Am I really this old?!)  I am blown away by how quickly the time has passed, how much fun we've had together, how easy it's been, and how it's so hard to remember ever being without Husband or Clara.

I am such a lucky girl.

(And I feel especially lucky after pigging out on Chicken Madeira and Red Velvet Cheesecake.)

See last year's anniversary here and here.

One Plus One Plus One

Exactly 1.5 years ago, I tied the knot with my very best friend.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed.  All of the greatest milestones of my life are flying by!  On one hand, I love it, and on the other, it terrifies me.

I am so thankful for this wonderful husband of mine, for his endless love, support, and snarky comments.   He is a great husband and my very best friend.

I am so glad that the two of us have become three.

Juicy, Bloody Steak of Heaven!

Finally, the pictures of our anniversary dinner have arrived! 

Actually, they've been trapped on my memory card, imprisoned inside my camera, bouncing around in my purse with about one thousand bobby pins and gum wrappers.  In all honesty, my purse is not a fun place to hang out.

For the one year anniversary, I decided to take control of the situation. 

No more feeling sorry for myself, people!

Upon serious contemplation of my spoiled-ness, I realized that some of my thinking has been flawed.  First of all, there is no reason that I should have a sense of entitlement, regardless of the fact that I have been spoiled rotten for 22 years straight. (Does this sound like Husband?  Don't say yes, even if it's true.)  Secondly, I should be the controller of my emotions, not someone/something else.  Thirdly, I should be grateful for what I do have/get.

Resolving to be in charge of my emotions and situation, I forced Husband to take me to a fancy restaurant, dress up, and talk about romantic things.

It went a little bit like this:

"Someone commented on my newest post.  This guy was a total buffoon..."

"I bet.  (Blatant subject change)  Do you remember what I was wearing when you picked me up for our first (blind) date?  You were wearing your Yakima shirt, your hot jeans, black Asics, and had a shaved head.  You were so hot and tan and freckle-y!"

Bada-bing-bada-boom!  Romance!

My point was proven.

It's pretty easy to get what I want as long as I stay optimistic and in control! 

Pouting is a death sentence.

(and Husband is the executor?)

Anyway, the restaurant was Morton's and we highly recommend it.  We shared a huge bread puff, garlic mashed potatoes (too much garlic), and the best porterhouse steak on the planet!!

(Seriously, the tastiest hunk of bovine, this side of the Mississippi.)

Other cool tidbits:  They explain everything on the menu to you and use props.  The props included real vegetable and raw meat and... a LIVE LOBSTER!  It looked at me!  Also, I should not have worn my Banana Republic dress at 17 weeks pregnant, though the zipper has proven to be industrial strength.  That dress was seconds away from exploding off of my body all night.

...

So, with that, I would like to direct you towards my newest blog page:

Le Belly

Click above or on the right side of my blog to see the belly transformation!  You will want one of these for yourself!

I would like to point out how there is no belly in the first few pictures, even though I SWORE there was at the time.  Also, check out how freaking awful/sick I looked.  No wonder complete strangers kept asking me if I was feeling okay! 

How To: Be Ridiculous

If it’s your one year anniversary and you are known for going over-the-top when it comes to surprises, let me inform you that I am the queen of such shenanigans.

Take for instance my first Sadie Hawkins dance, when I made a book about the young Kieren, complete with pre-pubescent pictures, of why said boy should go to the dance with me. Or the time that I, with my best friend, made a scavenger hunt for two boys, all over our town, ending with the two of us wrapped up in boxes (to unwrap, of course!).

Let me tell you, those little gems are only the tip of this ridiculous iceberg.

However...

I have a new boy that likes me, mainly this guy that married me, so I refused to let him down.  Thus, the Post-It Note Wall of Compliments was born!!

...

Step One:  Write 365 things that you love about your husband on colorful Post-Its
Step Two:  Run out of things to write at #225
Step Three:  Google "things you like about your husband" for inspiration
Step Four:  Finish the Post-Its and let out a sigh of relief
Step Five:  Stick all of the aforementioned Post-Its to the wall above your bed
Disclaimer:  During each of the above steps, you will probably wonder if this is the stupidest act of your short life.  Don't doubt yourself, just carry on.

...

In summation, Step Five took TWO hours!! That is sort of a lot of work for a non-pregnant woman, but a lot a lot of work for a pregnant Kieren who feels like dying of dehydration after five minutes without a drink. Not to mention, Post-It adhesive is embarrassingly wimpy. Seriously, they need a new secret formula.

End result:  Husband liked the notes but wondered why I went the extra step of crazy to stick them all to the wall. 

Shoot.  I've been wondering the same thing!

I’m sorry that I didn’t get better pictures of the masterpiece, but our room is painfully small and hard to photograph, besides looking like a bomb went off in my closet.

Romance Strikes Again!

A delicious, Little Debbie-fed baby bump, aged for 17 weeks.

In an attempt to exercise my soon-to-be-large self, I concocted a ritual to ward off the scorching desert temperatures that will be outrageously more uncomfortable for a person who won’t be able to see her feet.

This sacred custom (hello, Anthropology major in the house) is called walking.

I talked Husband into walking around Tempe Town Lake. I have to admit, I really like it down there, even though it’s in the middle of a big, dirty city. We saw a little boy, who didn’t even look two years old. This kid was booking it on a sweet, wooden bicycle. You should’ve seen how fast those stumpy baby legs were moving!

Back to the real story.

While walking, I started doing some West Side Story dance moves, including the famous crouch/run-jump/snap-in-the-air. That one is a classic. I also added the spin-clap-kick/spread-your-arms-with-hands-extended, as seen in the first scene of the movie.

It turns out that I was the one sending romantic signals to my husband, not you good for nothing readers, even though I asked you so nicely.

...

“I know what I’m getting you for our anniversary!”

(Um… this was 6:30 on a Sunday night, on the day of our anniversary, mind you.)

Without thinking, I guessed, “West Side Story on DVD?!”

And then, that handsome man of mine said, “Yep.”

He didn’t even play it off or anything!! He is so lame sometimes. Crap.

...

So, this morning at work, I get an email from the hubby. He forwarded me the Amazon purchase confirmation with this romantic poem:

Happy anniversary baby! Tell your mom to leave me alone.

Then, he called to tell me that he used my debit card to buy the movie.

This guy is the male version of Aphrodite, if you hadn’t noticed.

And he’s all mine!

...

To be fair, he did the dishes last night, tickled my back before I fell asleep, and made me an amazing omelet this morning.  He is sweet in his own ways and I love him.

Romantic Geniuses

Guys, it's our one year anniversary today.  

ONE YEAR.

My, how the time has flown.  Speaking of time flying, it's 1:30 and we have done nothing romantic thus far.  Just church, quesadillas, one episode of 24, and ice cream.  Husband's at a meeting, so I'm going to do yoga.  In other words, we are slightly pathetic, but surprisingly happy.

Tootles.

P.S.  Any romantic impulses that you could telepathically transmit to my husband would be greatly appreciated.  He is a work in progress, this one.  (But aren't we all?)

Holy cow, he is handsome and I love him!  Don't you forget it!

Six Favorite: Engagement

+

the awkward photo that sums up our relationship

The First Six Months

These are my six favorite pictures from our wedding portrait session.

If only I looked this good on my actual wedding day!

Happy anniversary to us!

I love you, Husband.