Thirteen Reasons

Today marks thirteen years since Gary and I said "I do."

What happened to those young kids?

It's been a GREAT thirteen years, and I can honestly say that I can't think of anyone better suited for me to do life with.  It's been a fun thirteen years, but not easy all the time.  But we know that marriage requires work and effort, and I think it's knowing that and doing that that has made it work.  We've been rewarded with so many blessings from God, and a ton of fun through the years.

Long story short:  we started dating, got engaged on our 3-month anniversary, and got married 4 1/2 short months later.  Not exactly a recipe for success!  But we've been committed since day one and have never, ever looked back.

I LOVE THIS MAN!

Thirteen reasons I'm glad I married Gary:

1.  He's ridiculously cute.  C'mon!

2.  I knew he'd make a great Daddy one day.  And it turns out he's an awesome one.

3.  He loves Jesus and wants others to also.

4.  He regularly takes me to Kauai.

5.  He works so hard for our family - a responsibility he takes very seriously.

6.  He embraces and supports my crazy ideas.

7.  He's good with numbers.  Me?  Not so much.  I'm good with words.  He... has other strengths.  :)  We balance each other out and make a good team!

8.  He's adventurous and pushes me to do crazy things.

9.  He's from California, so we have a pretty sweet place to go on vacation!

10.  I love his family - I have awesome in-laws!!!

11.  He makes me feel safe.

12.  He's good at EVERYTHING.  No, seriously -- e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.    It can be intimidating, but mostly it makes me so proud.

13.   He makes me think through things, and pushes me to be better.

I can't imagine life without this guy.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

From Zero to Sixty in One Month Flat

Oh, man.  

Goodbye lazy summer days filled with sand and sun.

Goodbye leisurely lemonade stands with good buddies.

Goodbye fun days at the pool teaching my girls the finer things in life, like George Washington hair.

Goodbye splashing in the creek.

Goodbye watermelon.

Goodbye hours on the trampoline.

Goodbye midday naps.

Goodbye zoo trips with cousins.

Goodbye summer nights with dessert on the deck with friends.

Goodbye late nights on Pearl Street.

Goodbye no schedule and all day to play.

I feel like we went from doing nothing to doing it all.  School must be back in session!  

But school isn't all!  Let's add into the mix a little MOPS, Bible Study, book fairs, back-to-school night, planning meetings, carpool, Brownies and every other extracurricular activity possible.  (Not to mention Gary's hard-to-keep-up-with schedule!)

We were that family that had never signed our kids up for anything "extra."  But for some reason, this was the year for that to end.  And for us, it's go big, or go home.

Enter football:

Enter tennis:

Enter swimming lessons:

Enter rock climbing class:

Enter ballet and tap:

Tired yet?  Me too!

Aside from summer swimming lessons and one fall season of soccer for Emma years ago (I didn't make a good soccer mom), this is the first time we've really delved into lessons and sports with our kids.  I don't regret not starting all of this earlier; I knew once we got into it, there'd be no turning back.  Despite juggling schedules and running kids around to their events, it's actually been a blast.  I love, love, LOVE watching my kids do stuff.  They amaze me!  And also, we're doing all of the activities through the rec center, so they're just getting a taste of each of these things, it's all nearby, and it's all very low-key.  Another good thing is that aside from dance, they all just last 4 or 5 weeks, so it's not a huge commitment.  But the best part is that the kids are LOVING it and learning so much.

So although it's sad to say goodbye to summer, it's kind of fun to say "hello" to this new season of busy-ness.  I'm NOT a fan of being busy, and LOVE being at home, so this is an adjustment and kind of a stretch for me.  As long as we don't lose sight of our family time and sacrificing our sanity to the insanity of an overscheduled household, I think we'll be just fine.

But next summer can't come soon enough!  ;)