Anniversary Getaway

Hubby has planned a little anniversary getaway for us, later this month. I'm so excited! It will be the first time we've gotten away without the kids in a coon's age. Friends of his are going to keep both of our girls. I'm still reeling over that! Hooray! "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

We've decided to go somewhere neither one of us has ever been before; Lava Hot Springs. I'm anxious to see these springs, the Portneuf river and remnants of the Oregon trail. It should be a fun trip with lots of photo opportunities. Maybe hubby will even let me video tape him. Uh, okay. Well, here's to hoping

I love having trips to look forward to. A side dream is to have one getaway to look forward to each month. It doesn't have to be out of state, but somewhere unique and away from the everyday of life. Perhaps, in the future, my "away" will be to far off places. Again, here's to hoping.

Hoping to See Spring Again

We received over five inches of snow the night before last. As such, I decided to work from home, yesterday. No way was I going to risk my life in even more impending snow. It was slow, but a fairly good day. It's spring break and both my kids were home making me a little nutty. It's hard because they can't go outside and play, which would alleviate some of the extra energy they have. I'm praying the temps warm up enough over the next couple of days where they can get out and go to the park.

Friday, we're driving south for the Babe's dance competition. She's to compete with other groups across the state. I hope her expectations aren't too high. Last year, they placed platinum for their category. I think they look great when they perform but, of course, I'm incredibly bias.

The drive is approximately 4.5 hours (but a bit faster, since part of the drive allows for super speeds). The temperatures are usually 30 to 40 degrees warmer than they are here. So, even if the temps remain a little chilly, we're headed to nearly summer like weather. Bring on the swimming pools!

The sad part is that we will be traveling on my wedding anniversary. This is the first anniversary that my hubby and I will be apart. We are not happy about this in the least, but I'm sure we'll be rewarded with trophies from both ends (hubby and the Babe's). This weekend, hubby will be in an all natural show. I can't imagine that he won't place, after going up against "roided" up guys the past couple of shows. I'm so very, very proud of him.

Today is my mother's birthday and I asked her to tell me what she wants. In the past, I would have thought this tacky but, she's nearly at retirement age and pretty much buys whatever she wants. I felt it best to just ask. Know what she said? "Bananas. I want bananas." I told her to think about it a little more and call me back with a real answer. (P.S. I'll still get her the bananas, though).

Sick again?

Yep! Bronchitis is the word. I had it only six months ago and it has reared it's ugly head again. Yuck! I left work early Thursday afternoon and missed work on Friday. The weekend was a blur, since I was high on toddies and tons of cold medicine most of the time. I did manage to go to church on Sunday. I also called and wished hubby a "happy boyfriend/girlfriend anniversary!" Twelve years ago Sunday, we became a couple. So sweet it's sickening, yes? He left work early to come home and take care me. He also surprised me with the sweetest card. I gotta give it to hubby, he's trying to bring the romance back and I'm oh, so happy he is. Wednesday is the anniversary of our first date.

Today I got up and worked half day, then called the doctor's office to see if he could see me. He confirmed my guess of bronchitis and told me that I may be a bit asthmatic. No surprises here. He listened to my breathing and there was a bit of a wheeze. He had me puff an inhaler to aid in my breathing and, I promise, I didn't cough for an hour afterwards! He also prescribed antibiotics (Z-Packs...gotta love 'em), codeine cough medicine and a pleasant afternoon. Hubby was off, so he took me to pick up my prescriptions. We then had a bit of lunch (can't take the meds on an empty stomach) and came home. Despite the illness, it's been a pleasant day. I promise I feel 75% better, even after just one pill. By Wednesday, I'm hoping I can get back on the fitness train (I was doing so well, too!).

I'm going to go pass out, now. The codeine is kicking in. A side effect this stuff has on me...it makes me horny. Yeah, weird I know. Who gets sleepy and horny? If it's bizarre, it's probably happening to me.

How I Spent My Day Off

After we got up and took the oldest to school and the youngest to the neighbor's (and the dog to the vet for a teeth cleaning), we journeyed up the highway to the next largest city, Ogden. We hit a couple of discount stores first and picked up a few things. I was starving by the time we were done, so we hit up Taco Bell (talk about lovely breakfast food). It was surprisingly good, or I was incredibly hungry. Hubby agreed that it was the cleanest Taco Bell we'd ever been too and the food was really that good. After we left Taco Bell, we hit up a video arcade and played, and played and played. We one oodles of tickets that we spent on the girls (well, got them the cheap stuff that you get with tickets).

We went to lunch after this and it was lovely and romantic, until the school principle called. Ugh! I guess it couldn't be perfect. The eldest was caught trying to pet horses over the school fence (nice one). I let her know, once I got her home, that horses are easily spooked and will buck and kick on a whim. She had no idea and seemed to get the point pretty fast. Hubby thinks that our discussion of anniversary time off must have subconsciously bothered the eldest (attention turned away from her and onto me). She's not used to it because our family usually does everything together. Hubby made a point to say that we have to spend more time on our own, so that the disturbance in schedule won't cause these kinds of problems in the future with her.

So, all in all, it was a great day together. Hubby and I really do enjoy the quality time that we have and again we are trying to make an effort to have more. I'm really looking forward to next weekend when we go out of town. I know I'll miss the girls, but it's definitely what he's talking about; shaking up the schedule.

It's My Anniversary

A very good day. A very good day, indeed (and it's only just started!). Last night, hubby surprised me with a new, marquesite watch and matching bracelet. He also bought me a gorgeous, 18kt gold garnet necklace (my birthstone). For him? A gift certificate for an 80 minute custom message at our favorite spa.

Tomorrow, we both have the day off and my neighbor offered to watch my two year old (she has an 18 month old and her oldest daughter and my daughter go to school together). I can't imagine how she's going to do with two toddlers. I've already dubbed her a saint. (wink, wink) So, hubby is scheming for things that we can do minus kids. He's totally at a loss, since we almost always we always have a kid with us. It's a real treat! Anyway, happy anniversary to me...here's to another ten years of love, craziness, kids, frustration, fun, and the rest.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Spring Break was, well...eventful. Here's a rundown of the vacation...it's highs and it's lows:

MONDAY - We set out driving at around 7:00am with luggage and kids in tow. As usual, we did not tell the Babe where we were going; however, she did enjoy the portable DVD player showing Nemo and all his adventures as we traveled down the long highway (if we'd only had this when I was growing up, my parents would have been spared the hours of fighting between me and my sister). We stopped in Orem, Utah first and had breakfast at McDonald's...not our first choice, but the kids were happy. If only they could get our order right the first time. After going up to the counter 5 times (no exaggeration), we finally had the food we ordered. Back on the road, we traveled as far as Beaver before stopping for gas. It's so sad to see the prices going up so quickly. When oh when will my hydrogen car be ready?

We arrived in St. George around 2:00pm and had lunch, then journeyed to our resort to check-in. Our room, as always, was lovely and decorated tastefully. The babe was too excited when she saw that our back porch looked over the pool and spa. We spent the evening relaxing and planning for the next day's events.

TUESDAY - We awoke, dressed and got back on the highway...headed now to Vegas. We've been lots of times and it's one of the Babe's favorite cities. This time, however, once we hit the strip...she still had no idea where we were (had it been night time, I think she would have known without a shadow of a doubt). We parked in the Circus Circus lot and walked across the street to purchase some water at the local Walgreen's. We had planned to go to the Mirage to see the tigers, but as we walked, we realized we were running of time quickly (we wanted to leave Vegas before their rush hour, so that meant heading out at around 2:30 or 3:00, at the latest). By 11:00, we had made it as far as the Treasure Island and decided to look for food. Hubby and I began to argue and his cheap side was coming through, even though he said he wanted to eat somewhere in the hotel. Finally, we settled on their buffet and had a marvelous meal (always get to a buffet before they transition...you can get the best of both worlds). Breakfast was marvelous, but lunch was divine.

After eating, we turned back around and headed back to Circus Circus. We went upstairs to try and catch the acts, but ended up playing tons of games instead. The babe found the races and Skee ball the most enjoyable and won a plethora of stuffed animals. She was quite pleased with herself. We left Vegas at around three and headed back to St. George just as the craziness was setting in. Unbelievably, we didn't stock up on booze this time (although I did buy enough hair to start my own shop). Hubby and I realized that Vegas has grown so much, it's somewhat claustrophobic. Our fix has left us less than eager to return to the bright lights anytime soon.

We got in the pool briefly upon our return, but the cool night air had set in and I didn't want to bring home sick children from Spring Break. We decided to try again another day.

WEDNESDAY - On the road again, this time headed north to Zion's National Park. Beautiful! I will post some of the pictures I took soon. It was a hot day and our tempers flared a bit, but despite that, we still had a good time. Zion is nestled far away from the hectic pace of the world...truly, a piece of heaven. I understand now why people travel from all over the world just to see it's majestic mountains, cliffs and natural towers. We spent the better part of the day wandering the trails and talking to people from everywhere. The Babe got tired, but Indy was the lucky one who fell asleep in her stroller. Many a parent walked by us with their weary children, wishing out loud that they'd thought to do what we had. Strollers are awesome!

Zion is adjacent to the small community of Springdale, which boosted many a bed & breakfast, quaint cafes and an elementary school that appeared to house less than fifty students. A picturesque community that, I'm sure, houses many a retired rat racer. I envied their quiet lifestyle but not the remoteness from everyday society. I guess I'll always be a city girl.

THURSDAY - We spent in St.George with the kids. Hubby and I got into it, which made for a not-so-fun day. By the evening, we were pretty well decided that we should separate and end our marriage. Seriously. It was that bad. While he went to work out and burn off some steam, I took the girls swimming and they loved every bit of it. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it as much as they did. I was too worried about the state of my marriage. By evening, we had everything packed up, all the laundry done and everything ready for the ride home. The girls ate and went to bed on time for the first time during our entire vacation. Hubby went for a drive and I went to bed. I missed him already.

FRIDAY - "The Uncomfortable Drive Home". I didn't say much and turned down every offer of food he made, when we would stop for gas, a drink or a diaper change. Towards the last part of our journey, he told me how much he loved and respected me (which I already knew) but that we were in some sort of strange hard patch and the time apart would do us good). I didn't say much at all. When we got home, he kept telling me that he would move some stuff downstairs and stay there, until we could figure some things out. He made this claim several times, but it never happened. That night, we lay in bed and had a hard time not holding hands or each other. This was not going to work.

SATURDAY - My girls went with their uncle to an Easter egg hunt and I had the entire morning to myself (hubby had to work). I shopped for food items, got my nails done, picked up some lunch and watched a movie. Nice. I also had a lot of time to think. Hubby called twice, and even though he didn't say much, I could tell he'd been thinking too. We spent the evening at my mother's for dinner and took our dogs walking at the lake. Later on, hubby an I had a serious heart-to-heart about our communication issues, having patience with each other and not letting our tempers get the best of us anymore. We ended our discussion with vocal passion downstairs away from the kids, again in the morning and later that afternoon. What have I said about making up?

SUNDAY - All of us in our Sunday best (the girls in their cuter than cute white Easter dresses), we went to church and then to breakfast afterwards. We spent the day shopping and laughing a lot. It was a good day and went by entirely too fast. Hubby wished me early happy anniversary several times and said he had plans for the day (I can't wait to see what those are). More delicious making up and promises to do better, we spent the evening in each other's arms.

Today is my nine year anniversary. It hasn't been perfect, or easy, or bliss each moment of the day; however, I have no regrets and I still believe I'm with the man that's perfect for me. Spring Break was fun, stressful, crazy and enlightening. If I learned anything from the last few days it's that life is unpredictable and loopy and sometimes you just have to sit back and see where the ride takes you.

An Anniversary of Love

Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day I told my now husband that I loved him. It was the day we officially became a couple. I presented him with sort of a funny gift this morning, but he seemed happy to receive it nonetheless. He's been all goofy and happy today, calling ever chance he's gotten. Not that he's whispering sweet nothings or anything, but he has picked up on the frequency of his calls even more for him. What a guy.

I haven't planned anything, other than the gift and card that I gave him because we have the girls and he's working this weekend. I just feel like a movie night at home is all I need. Am I becoming boring? Nah. I think things will pick up in excitement, once Indy's at the age where I can say things like, "Go get your coat," or "Did you go potty?" and "There are fruit snacks in the cabinet, just grab one." Ah, I love that about my oldest. Maturity is a good thing.

So, what have I learned through these ten years of love? Communication is key. You have to talk to each other...unending opinions, thoughts and feelings most flow like water between you and your mate. Don't take each other for granted. It's easy to get into a familiar pattern with things. Tell the one you love that you appreciate the things that he/she does. Even the small things are important and should be recognized. Sex, Sex, Sex. Inside, outside, under the table, loudly, quietly, quick, slow, clean, messy, with our without toys...you've got to. Intimacy and affection are the more general terms to encompass all the tings that make you want your mate and your mate want you like melted chocolate or cheesecake. Get it in any way that you can.

Finally, have fun. One of the greatest things about my hubby is his sense of humor. Sick as it can be sometimes, he always makes me laugh. We can even have fun and laugh about our sex life, and that's a level of comfort that only comes with work.

It's not easy. I won't fool you or anyone else with the idea that relationships are all glorious and romantic, running towards each other in the wheat field or melting together in a passionate kiss on a bridge in the rain. You may argue and fuss for hours before you're even at a point where grunting to each other is a happy and acceptable form of communication. You can disagree about everything from what's for dinner to how your children will be raised. Relationships are tough, but if you're willing to put in the work and time, they are oh, so rewarding.

To my hubby who will someday see this blog when I'm dead and gone, I love you from the lint under my toenails to the dandruff on my head. You are my life, you are my love, you are my everything. Happy ten years, honey.