Category Archives: Marriage

A little change up

Yesterday the Hubs and I hit the gym at the ridiculous o’dark hundred hour of 5ish.  So early.  So dark.  However, a saying my friends and I have is that you never regret having gone to work out, only not going.  Even though my muscles ache (yay!) this morning and I definitely had to have extra coffee yesterday and I was positively dying for sleep at my meeting last night, not once did I regret getting up early and going to the gym.

For years I’ve was an early morning exerciser person, mainly because  with little kids life just got in the way too often for anything else to work for me and it was one less thing to worry about in the day; however, when you get out of that routine……………….well, it’s definitely more challenging to get back into.  A comfy bed, fall temperatures, a good sleep, all things incredibly difficult to drag oneself away from.  This is where an accountability person comes in handy.  Hubby is NOT an early morning exerciser, so we will just take this one early morning victory at a time and go from there.

Today, I’ll enjoy my sore abs, linger a little longer over my coffee, and  enjoy the quiet.  Tomorrow we do it again!  Wish us perseverance and consistency, friends!!  We’ll need it!

Saturday: A day in the life

Saturday.

Biketoberfest.

Semi fall weather.

Early morning walk sesh with the pup.

Coffee with my mom and John.

Run a few errands.

Watch Hubs hang the back fence (and hold a few panels for him)

Gave our HOCO girl a pedicure (looked pretty awesome, if I do say so myself)

Take the girl to get her hair done.

Drink coffee Hubs delivers to hair salon.  (I love him)

Run to Publix to grab some dinner snacks for an impromptu Homecoming dinner.

At our house.

Clean bathroom.

Hubs vacuums.  (Have I told you how much I LOVE him?!?)

Get serving dishes for food.

Hubs and I take the girl to meet friends for pictures .

Back to the house for the kids (6) to eat and hang out.

Take the kids to the dance, manage a selfie with them before we go.

Home.

Shower.  For the first time today.  Pretty.  Real pretty.  And stinky.

Watch the final episode of Stranger Things with Hubs.

Now to stay up until our girl gets home!

 

Here we are

dinner

All week long we go, go, go.  You know that feeling, right?  But then something magical happens and it is called Friday.  The kids all have plans.  The ocean is too rough for paddleboarding.  Neither of us is very hungry.  So we make a couple sandwiches and throw on our flip flops and drag our chairs to the beach.

Chat.  Eat.  Sit.  Watch.  Listen.  Feel.

Life is good.  Friday is good.  This moment in time.  It’s good.

That’s a wrap!

Sunset tonight brings our vacation to an end.  We finished up with the monumental task of buying a new (to us) vehicle–about as much fun as a visit to the dentist.  Once we get a few things adjusted and it sits in our driveway it will be a little more fun, for now though it is a bittersweet moment for this sentimental sap.

We’ve had our “Green machine” since our oldest daughter was a baby.  14 years, 240,00 miles, countless park visits, potty training, beach days, sports practices and games, concerts, friend visits, family visits, school bus, taxi, girls weekends 2 new drivers, and longevity and dependability during the toughest season of our marriage.  She was and is a faithful girl.  She might currently be a little rough on the aesthetics (Florida sun and failure to wax regularly are a real thing) and drinks a little oil, but she is solid and beast!

Fortunately, to soften the blow, she will go to our oldest son as an alternative transportation for work and days when his motorcyle isn’t the best choice.  Which means the morning vehicle shuffle is about to get all kinds of interesting up in here and a car key hanger is going up ASAP in the kitchen for easy access.  In the grand scheme of life, these are minor inconveniences and not even worthy to grouse about.  Three cheers for our Yukon, well done, good and faithful servant and greetings to our Enclave.

May this next season be as fruitful and faithful as this one.

GREEN MACHINE

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

     There is an appointed time for everything,
    and a time for every affair under the heavens.
 A time to give birth, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to tear down, and a time to build.
 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
    a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
    a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
 A time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time of war, and a time of peace.

22 Year Celebration

Ok, so I am having a mid-life blog crisis and can’t decide which one I’ll keep…..this one gets more traffic, so I am thinking that for the rare moment these days that I actually DO blog, this might be it.  I’ll deal with that later!

For now, I just wanted to share some of our 22nd Wedding Anniversary celebration.  An entire date DAY.  And dinner.  Alone.  It was great.

We moseyed up A1A to St. Augustine.  Our first stop was at Snack Jack’s on Flagler Beach.  We scored a great table on the screened deck, next to the ocean.  Enormous fish tacos for me and a fried oyster po’boy for my Hubs.  It was a good start!!

Lunch

Lunch @ Snack Jack’s in Flagler

A little further up the road to Washington Oaks State Park to walk on the rocks on the beach and then explore the gardens and the river view.  I tell you that was SOME gift of Owen Young to his bride, Louise!!  Truly a beautiful park and I will be working some bribe magic on our kids for a Christmas card picture up there!!

Matanzas (2)

The Rocks

Matanzas (1)

Matanzas view from the Young’s winter home

In St. Augustine, we strolled the streets, window shopped, had a gelato (me), smoothie (Hubs) and water.  Summer is here.  And she isn’t playing.  Lord, help us come August.  No joke!  Checked out the alcove area at Flagler college….WHOA!!!  What a stunning area!

Flagler Rotunda (1)

The Rotunda @ Flagler College

We ended up on our 22nd Anniversary at the Basilica.  Walked through the Holy Door together AND managed to be there for Reconciliation.  With Mass this a.m. it looks like we completed our first Mercy indulgences on a total fluke.  Or was it?  You know, God has little surprises for us that aren’t even on our radar and then it’s just mind-blowing.  So it was with this.  (We had already planned on a road trip later this year to the Shrine in Orlando to walk through the Holy Door there.  We still plan to, but what a beautiful gift.  On our anniversary.)  His Mercies are never-ending.

#HolyDoorSelfie (1)

But first….let me take a #HolyDoorSelfie

A little coffee for the road.

#HolyDoorSelfie (2)

A little dinner at Mama’s favorite restaurant.

Flagler Rotunda (2)

22 looks good, ya’ll.  22 looks real good!