A Decade...

I remember when I turned ten years old.  I thought it was so cool that I was a whole decade old...one-tenth of a century.  10 years is a lot.  It's a milestone measurement of time.  So much happens in the span of a decade.  If you think about every 10 year chunk of your life and really think about how much you changed...how much change you witnessed, it's pretty amazing.

Well, today I am celebrating a specific decade of my life.  The decade from June 15, 2002 to June 15, 2012.  Yes, that's right.  10 years ago today, I married my best friend.  I've already blogged about my wedding day here, so I won't do that again.  But I would like to share some thoughts on these last 10 years.

This last decade of our lives has seen us through many things, both good and bad.  We have gone from being apartment renters to being homeowners.  We have gone from being "just the two of us" to being the parents of 2 amazing kids.  We have had jobs, lost jobs, and changed jobs.  We've played games and listened to lots of great music.  We've seen each other through (and continue to help each other through) leukemia and diabetes.  We've mourned the losses of family and friends.  We've been to Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio (exotic?  no...but fun memories?  yes!).  We've enjoyed watching and mourned the losses of some amazing TV shows.  :)  And most importantly, we have loved each other and laughed at with each other every single day.

While doing this blog I discovered that Kevin and I have not had nearly enough pictures taken together over the last 10 year.  But I did manage to find 2 that are 10 years apart (December of '99 - December of '09)...not the decade of our marriage, but a decade nonetheless.  And I know the quality of the first picture isn't that great, but I dare say that we have gotten even better looking!

Now, I'd like to share a birthday card that my parents gave Kevin.  I think it's probably truer than they even know:

"Before you married you-know-who, her life was fairly sweet.
But something wasn't right somehow.  The gal was incomplete!

Then one day you came along and everything soon changed.
She looked so extra happy, people thought she was deranged!

At last she'd found her soul mate and she truly was elated.
The floating hearts above her head were ones that you created!

Once you tied the knot, it got much easier to see,
that you were what was missing from her family's family tree!

Your wife thinks you're really awesome, and the rest of us do, too.
It's plain to see, we all agree...there's no one quite like you!"

(Now, that last part may have been a bit of a back-handed compliment...but I'd agree.  There's just no one like my Cakes, and I'm so lucky to have been able to share this last decade with him.  Here's to many more.  Happy Anniversary, Cakes!)

Silver Linings...

I've always considered myself to be a pretty optimistic person.  I try to find the good in situations...all those silver linings.  That being said, it sure is easy to find things to gripe about.  And although I'm pretty positive, I find myself griping a bit too often.  I came across that poem, and it inspired me to be thankful for dirty dishes...and to find the silver linings in all of the other things that are usually so easy to gripe about.

**I'm thankful for my messy house.  Because although it never seems to stay clean, at least I have a safe haven for my family to live, laugh, play, and sleep in.  And even though it doesn't have a pool, a privacy fence, a game room, a side entry garage, or a guest room it has memories of holidays, birthdays, babies, and more!

**I'm thankful for wanting to pull my hair out.  My kids can drive me crazy and frustrate me like no one else on earth!  But they are such a blessing to me.  They provide so much joy and laughter to my life, and when I think about those couples who can't have kids, it makes me appreciate them that much more.

**I'm thankful for piles and piles of laundry.  Folding laundry is one of my least favorite chores.  It's just never ending!  But thankfully, the fact that it seems never ending means that my family not only has the clothes they "need" to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  But they also have the clothes that they "want" to play sports and fit in with their peers.

**I'm thankful for being exhausted and stressed out.  Inherent with being a teacher is 50+ hour work weeks, still having to bring work home, and the stress that comes with the classroom management of 20+ kids and their parents.  But this fatigue and stress is just a byproduct of a stable job with benefits that has helped to provide for my family...and has given me some wonderful friends, too.

**I'm thankful for having to roll my eyes and shake my head.  Any of you who know my husband know what I'm talking about.  :)  But as often as my eyes might roll, I'm smiling and laughing that much more.  I'm confident in knowing that I have someone to come home to who:  loves me, listens to me, thinks I'm funny, and thinks I'm pretty.

Now it's your turn to find those silver linings and be thankful for all of your gripes!



Birthday Blog...

Today is my 31st birthday.  Nothing too special about that (aside from me, of course).  31 is like turning 22.  21 was exciting.  It was a landmark age...an age that most of us look forward to (and for me, it marked 8 days until my wedding).  But 22 was really just another day (and for me, it was just 2 days before my daughter turned 1 month old).  Last year I turned 30.  I was not in a tizzy over it, but it was still a landmark thing.  I wrote one of my favorite blog posts (letters to myself) that day.  This year...not so much.  It's just another day (but for me, it marks 8 days until my 10 year anniversary).

All that being said, I figure why not have some birthday blogging fun?!  Below are some of my favorite birthday themed songs, skits, movie clips, etc. 

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rdVWEj1OQ8

http://www.hulu.com/watch/19280

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynmLdLwlgLI