Poetry for Laurel

I received a request to write some poetry. And since I usually crave outlets for the creative energies swirling in my head, I was much obliged to fulfill the request.
Disclaimer: I am not a poet.

Limerick:
My good friend Laurel is a kind soul indeed
With red hair and sharp wit she's all that you need
She'll make you laugh hardy
And is always down to party
Her life should be a book for all to read

Limerick:
Who says there's shame in having a deaf cat
She can run, jump, and play and things like that
She may not hear your arrival
But senses aide her survival
And her response is purring if called fat

Haiku:
Laurel loves nature
Plant and food are her nectar
Nature loves her back

Haiku:
Laurel is loyal
A delight to all her friends
Always makes me laugh

Let there be Cake!!

Sunday evening Jameson and I fished out our wedding cake from the basement freezer, and enjoyed the tradition of eating a piece on our first anniversary.  The lady who made our cake packaged up a special smaller cake and little did we know, it was decorated perfectly for the occasion.

YUM!!

What is marriage; a reflection

Yesterday Jameson and I celebrated our one year anniversary. One year. One milestone in a hopeful future of many. And while it seems that time has flown so quickly, this one year was filled to the brim with happenings and memories. It's been a wonderful first year of marriage, inspiring me to mull over the meaning of marriage, or better yet, what it has meant to me, what it has meant to us....

marriage is never being alone; maybe alone in a physical sense, but always filled with emotional contentment of a constant companion. a friend in all settings. a wing man, confidant, side kick, and partner. what did I ever do before I had a permanent attachment to my side. how did I spend my daily thoughts. who did I think of. who did I cook for, clean for, and fix my hair for. social events, sporting events, who did I go with, who did I long to spend my time with.

marriage is learning about yourself. a continual mirror in front of you, seeing yourself through the eyes of someone else. learning your faults. seeing your character flaws through someone who loves you...in spite of those flaws. being with someone who challenges you to right those faults. having a constant motivation to be a better person. hopes. dreams. aspirations. constantly thinking of ways to better self and better the relationship.

marriage is patience. lessons and lessons about patience. no one told me that beforehand. we have learned so much. still learning. we learned to listen to each other. talk. yell. vent. laugh. patience with having the best and the worst roommate. toilet seat always up..still. odd habits. drippy, wet carpet after a shower. stinky clothes. so sweaty. opposing body temps, I'm always cold he is always hot. always. obsessive compulsive tendencies; everything must be a certain way. constantly checking me. going behind me. oldest sibling complex. yet so kind. makes the bed everyday. keeps the ice bucket full. wants to help with laundry. follows me around the kitchen while I'm making dinner so he can tell me about his day. follows me around the house. always under foot...but so sweet. sets up the tv trays. gets the refills. always pumps gas. opens my door. loads the car. carries my luggage.

marriage is immediate family. immediate and exhaustive inclusion in the lives of seemingly complete strangers. but yet not strangers at all. mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins, childhood friends, neighborhood friends, have I known you three years, or have I known you my entire life. the line becomes blurred. how amazing to be loved simply because I love him. 

marriage is a new level of security. secure with oneself. secure with the shared goals and dreams of a future together. a level of comfort I've never known. judgement is rare. ability to be open, share opinions, thoughts, concerns without rebuke. embarrassing moments don't seem so embarrassing anymore. telling stories and secrets with complete confidence that they will never be leaked to others. sharing moments and memories that will always be special to just us, no one else. learning the inner workings of the other person. learning what makes him tick, what angers him, what soothes him, what motivates him. a look from across the room that says a thousand words. but I'm the only one who understands them. a secret language; a language of understanding, intimacy, and comfort. security.

marriage is love. a new love. a different love than familial and friend love. deep. consuming. ever-present. there may be annoyance, anger, fights, unkind words, days when patience and sanity are tested. but love is always there. no fight is big enough to defeat the love. love is the thread that holds together the fabric of a marriage. it is the essence. it embodies itself in daily reminders: a glance. a kiss on the forehead. holding hands during church. holding the door for me. caring for my family. hugging my niece. asking about my day. passing the salt before I ask for it. being a good friend. 

My Best Friend.

Garden update

Well....most of our garden is still alive. YAY! We lost 3 of 4 squash plants, about a quarter of our peas, and almost lost our lone jalapeno plant before it somehow made a comeback. 

Everything else is looking great!

These pictures are from 6-24-11.

Hot banana peppers. And my husband's wedding ring. Flo...your thoughts? ;)

Our one cayenne pepper.

Lots of banana peppers.

My hot gardener.

Okra

Green beans

Tomatoes

Babies and Parties. Great combo.

My sweet sister missed the baby shower for her first child due to that silly medical restriction known as bed rest. What a drag.  Naturally my mother and I thought it would be an absolute shame for her to miss out on this fabulous female right of passage. So once we learned of her upcoming second baby, our party planning juices started flowing. Well mainly mine. I love parties.
We threw a quaint Saturday morning baby-bump brunch (as I cheesily coined it) with family and friends. It was a dandy.

Pictures of Mom, Laura, and Sadie as babies.

Lots of sweet little ones

Excited big sister

The beautiful quilt top Mom made. Oh to have her skills.

Cousin love.

Home sweet Home

It's Friday. Hallelujah.
We are not traveling this weekend. Hallelujah. Thank goodness. It's a miracle.

We have made the trip to Mactown the last 5 weekends. That's right, 5 weekends in a row.
And while all the trips were for special events that I wouldn't miss for the world, I am glad to be able to rest, clean, sleep, weed, water, play, straighten, nap, church, snuggle, and eat in my own home.
I'm hoping me and my husband have a date with Mazatlan tonight, and praying that me and my pillow have a date tomorrow morning.
Jameson is home mowing the lawn as we speak (actually, as I write), so hopefully we can spend some of tomorrow afternoon in our garden.
And who knows for Sunday....there are so many options...I'm consumed with excitement. Church, lunch, then maybe a quiet afternoon with the Braves. Or maybe church, lunch, and a hike in the park (that will take some convincing). Most likely it will be church, lunch, grocery store, laundry, make lunches, and vacuum.
All in our own home. 
Sounds like the best weekend ever.

But don't worry Mactown....we'll be back next weekend ;)

Aunt Sandra--this is for you!

I recently added a new feature to my blog; a option to subscribe to the posts via email. This will allow readers to receive email notification when a new post has been published.
Aunt Sandra- this means you won't have to check the blog every night to see if I've updated. You'll instead get a lovely little email in your inbox letting you know there is new material.  Fabulous right?? I'm adding this feature with you in mind! :)

I used Jameson as a guinea pig and signed him up to receive emails; it was a very simple and straightforward process.
-On the top right-hand side of the screen is a box labeled "Follow by Email".
-Enter your email address into the box and hit submit.
-A box will pop up that will require you to type in a security word.
-The next box will inform you that an email was sent to your inbox.
-Go to your email inbox, open the email from "Feed Burner Email Subscriptions", and follow the instructions to click and open the link.
-And Voila!! You're signed up!

Enjoy! :)
Now I just need to make the time to blog more often to make this process worthwhile.