Tagged by Mindi

MY MAN:

Whats his name? Brian Robert
How long have you been together? 5 years, married for 2
How long did you date? The second time around it was about 10 months.
How old is he? He is 30
Who eats more? Oh definitely him. He is a never ending pit!
Who said I love you first? He did. He'll be the first to admit he had a crush!
Who is taller? my big, strong man!
Who sings better? he actually sings pretty well. I think I'm okay too
Who is smarter? It depends on what you're referring to. We are both equally intelligent in different areas
Who does the laundry? Mostly me. But occasionally I can convince him to fold and put away. I really detest that part.
Who pays the bills? Well he makes the majority of the money, but I write the checks.
Who sleeps on the right side? That would be me
Who mows the lawn? I really love this job, so I'd say it's 75% me and 25% him. And we have a huge (almost acre) lawn too!
Who cooks dinner? Mostly me because he works later than I do, but he does occasionally. And he can make a mean breakfast!
Who drives? He always drives when we ride together. I don't necessarily feel nervous driving in front of him, but I do hate him being a "backseat driver" and criticizing my driving. Plus when he drives I get to relax.
Who is more stubborn? We are both equally so
Who kissed who first? We kissed each other mutually on our very first date.
Who proposed? Brian proposed on July 4, 2005.
Who has more friends? We probably have about the same. He might actually have a few more because he is still friends with all of his high school buds.
Who is more sensitive? definitely me
Who has more siblings? me. He has one brother, 2 half sisters and 2 stepsisters.
Who wears the pants? This one is still up for debate. It works to my advantage if I let him think he does though!

I tag Adrea!

Happy Anniversary!

Brian and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary this past Tuesday. It was our best anniversary yet!!!!! We went to dinner at Black Angus, after which we went down to Mirabeau Park to take a nice walk together. (Yes, I conquered my fear of the place!) It was so peaceful and pleasant just to be able to be together just the two of us. We decided that for every anniversary to come we will try to find interesting and beautiful places to go and take a walk. We both had a great time and it was a wonderful (and inexpensive) way to celebrate making it through our second year of marraige!!! I am excited for all the many more to come.

Fun Times!

I just had to post this video of our trip out to Silverwood last weekend. Everyone is having such a great time and it reminded me of family road trips as a kid. Most importantly, Noah is actually smiling. It's a freakin miracle!!!!!!

Father's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful, long, and funfilled Father's Day Weekend at Silverwood with the Fitzhugh's. They recently bought a trailer so that when we go to Silverwood we can make a weekend out of it. This was just the first of many wonderful weekends to come.

Lost and Found

Just a quick note regarding the whole car-getting-broken-into and purse-snatching incident. I got a call (well actually 3 calls) this morning from a man who identified himself as "Jay, a homeless man." He proceeded to tell me that while he was fishing for whatever it is that he fishes for in the dumpster this morning he came across my wallet in a dumpster at a local Zip Trip. I couldn't believe it. Long story short, he received a $20 reward for retrieving virtually all of the contents of my purse out of that dumpster, save for the actual purse itself and a few random cards.

Unless you've been robbed before, you have no idea how great it feels just to have my belongings in my possession. Granted, I really have no need for most of the cards at this point, as I have already called and canceled and requested new ones. Nor will I probably ever use all my lipsticks, asthma inhaler, etc. ever again (something about the fact that they were in a dumpster, I guess). It's just really great to be able to lay eyes on MY THINGS. I think it's a great way to put some closure on this unpleasant life experience.

And believe me, I have certainly learned my lesson!

Before it became our "Not so Favorite Place"

Just wanted to post a few pics of the girls from yesterday before our little walk went awry. We actually had a very pleasant time searching for honeysuckles and just being out in nature together.

Nighty night!

When it rains..........

.......it pours! And I don't just mean the weather, although if you happen to be in the Spokane area then you might think that's exactly what I'm referring to. We are having quite the thunderstorm at the moment. On any other day, I might have been excited to watch the lightening with the kids, but I gotta tell ya after the day I've had I just want to crawl into bed and hide.

It started with a trip to the OB/GYN for that lovely yearly exam that I know we all love. On the way there I had to stop my car suddenly smack dab in the middle of the road and jump out in an attempt to make sure that my butt didn't go up in flames. Yes, I was smoking, and yes people, I know that I should just quit the habit altogether. The appointment, however uncomfortable, came off without a hitch, and I proceeded home. Along the way I somehow managed to end up driving the wrong way up Thor street, which I failed to remember that they converted to a one-way quite some time ago. Oh, brother. Embarrassing and scary as heck! Luckily there wasn't too much oncoming traffic and I was able to flip around and make it home without incident.

Later in the afternoon, I dropped Noah off at karate and the girls and I and the dog headed over to Mirabeau Park for a quick walk. On the way I accidentally rolled the dog's head up in the back window. Poor, poor Abby. Actually, I think it affected Hannah more than it did the dog. There was this split second where I turned around from all the screaming and there's Abby just hanging there in the window. Sad, but I guess slightly comical after the fact. Maybe? (By the way, the dog is perfectly fine).

After our walk we came back to the car to find the passenger side window busted out and my purse missing. And the dog was even in the car at the time!!!! How stupid was I to just leave my purse sitting right there on the seat? I can't believe that I would just trust that it would be there when I got back. DUMB. Luckily I hadn't left the keys in the ignition like I sometimes do since I have a keypad unlock system. These people were just waiting for me (and the other lady who also got robbed) to leave so they could jump out of their cars and take our stuff. I had to spend 3 hours on the phone to all my cards and banks, etc., canceling and reporting them stolen. What a hassle. We found out that these people had already used my cards at at least 4 gas stations throughout Spokane. I know I am in for a lot of phone calls and paperwork, yada yada, in the upcoming weeks. And they took my Dooney. The only nice purse I have. CRAP!!! One good thing was that two boys that were riding bikes with their mom came across one of my cards along the path and actually brought it back to me. I couldn't believe it. It was a very important one too!!!!

To top it all off, after a while I ended up going back to the park in the hopes that maybe I would be able to find more of my stuff strewn around. Before I went, Brian had bought me a brand new pack of cigarettes since, of course, mine were stolen with my purse. Well I left them on the seat in the car while I was out looking and when I came back (after getting completely drenched by the storm)they were gone. Someone reached in and stole them right off the seat through the broken window. I GOT ROBBED AGAIN!!!! Now I know that most of you don't care about this, but it was just the icing on the cake for me. So anyway, that was my day. I guess it can only get better from here, right?

Serenity

I got to spend a really special moment with my kids this morning that I hope they will remember as fondly as I will. We were on our way home (from a sleepover at Christy's) and I had this sudden desire to pull in at Mirabeau Park. I see people there all the time and have never bothered to stop, but, if I'm not mistaken, it's part of the Centennial Trail. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning, perfect for a little walk/hike. The kids were so excited, and I really took the time to watch and delight in their joy of nature. We walked down towards the water, albeit with a little anxiety felt by mom, and they had fun skipping rocks (Noah is a pro at this!), climbing, and dipping their feet in (Well that was Faith and she was told not to). Oh, well.

After a little bit, we all climbed a little rocky ridge so that we could look out over the river and watch it move and flow. I took the kids by the hand and we stood there together and said a little prayer for the day. I told the kids that this was our church for the day. Of course, they said that church should be like this all the time. I personally felt the spirit more strongly in that moment with my children than I could have had I been in a church building today. It was a precious moment that I will never, ever forget!

Have a happy Sunday!

Sand, Sun, and Fun!

So Marshall and Nichole have had this trip to Cancun planned for a few months now. They are going in October for 10 days. Nichole has been propositioning us for the past few weeks about possibly going with them. Brian and I skirted around the issue because, of course, who wouldn't want to go to Cancun? And we had already decided that we wanted to take a vacation soon. So, long story short, WE BOOKED OUR TRIP LAST NIGHT!!!!!!! We are so excited. It will be so much fun to go and relax and hang out with Marsh and Nichole. I can't wait. The only thing now is that we had to book suddenly or we would lose out on the opportunity altogether. (There were only two rooms left). So, that said, we have yet to figure out who will watch our precious children while we are gone for 10 days (yes, I'm having a little/lot of mommy anxiety at the moment!!). If there are any takers for the job, let me know. It's usually not like me to make such a rash decision, but you only live once right?