11 Years of Marriage

Dear 11 Years of Marriage,

You are a bit overwhelming. You aren't a milestone year... you're neither here nor there... so technically you should be somewhat insignificant...

You haven't given us everything that we once dreamed of when we were young and starting this adventure. You have, however, taught us so much more than our young brains at 22 could have ever grasped.

I know, 11 years, that for some couples you never arrive. But in the spectrum of life, 11 years, you really aren't a long time. For us, you sure have been loaded and today we wrap you up.

We still have lots more to straighten out and achieve in all aspects of the word. So on that note, 11 years, thank you for what you have brought our way (although it has involved less of what we had hoped for and more than what we were prepared for at times).

2003

2003

Summer is Here

Well, not officially, but close enough.

And with summer come lots of things, but right now two main, obvious ones -

#1. In the last few days I have been reminded of how hot it gets in this house.
#2. Fireflies are so awesome. Pellet and Cali chase them around the back yard.

Here's a picture of Norm and I at Juan Ma's graduation a few weeks ago:

Watching TV

This is how they watch TV. With their heads on the same pillow.

Just Like That

Just like that, 15 years have come and gone.

Back in May of 1999 I graduated from Aquinas High School at St. Mary's on the Hill:

May 1999

Yesterday, which was May of 2014, Juan Ma graduated from Aquinas High School at St. Mary's on the Hill

Insane in the brain. Insane in the membrane.

Although he didn't graduate at St. Mary's, he still graduated from Aquinas... I shouldn't leave him out (mainly because it's a rather cute picture):

May 2000

All the Pretty Flowers

Norm and I have always enjoyed gardening, even from the very beginning when we had our little pots on our little porch at the apartment we rented at the Lake. From there we moved to our house and absolutely took in every opportunity to work on the yard. Eight years later we moved to a house in Macon that had a yard the size of our living room which involved little to no gardening.

Today, we live in an old house with an established garden. Although this can sometimes be a curse (mainly when it comes to cleaning up last tenant's mess and getting poison ivy that won't go away for 3 months...) the payoffs of a mature garden are unbelievable.

In the last week or so, the azaleas have been blooming... everywhere. Here are some pictures from our yard:

When I was getting pictures of these beautiful purple blooms...

I got a visitor:

Who decided to pose for me

Tennis ball and all

When I was done getting his shots, I turned around to find this:

Along with that "purpose run" I could hear "what about me Mama?!?!? Get my picture too!!!!"

Pictures Just Because

If there is ever one reason why my next phone should be an iPhone instead of a Droid, it will be because the iPhone camera is significantly better than the Droid. That is the only reason why I would even consider my next phone to be an iPhone.

Here are some pictures from this evening... taken on Norm's iPhone in different picture settings

Here is Norm enjoying this 77 degree April weather

When all of a sudden we hear a "crack" and this happened:

Baby girl posing for the camera:

Pretty toes with awesome nail polish that is lasting over a week...

Cali girl patroling the neighborhood:

Finally we figured out how to go around all the shade in our yard and located a sunny spot so we can have a "full sun" container: 

Failed kisses for her Daddy Norm:

I guess one is never too old for "selfies":

Handsome Old Man:

And that my friends, is how we spend Spring evenings on Fama Drive.

What's the Word...

I just can't think of the word to describe this activity.

Here is Norm cleaning the tips off sugar snap peas:

No big deal, right? Let's take a closer look at the task:

Closer:

Yes, all the little trimmings are being meticulously moved into the cutting board handle...

This is the other side, to put things into perspective:

Can't exactly pin point the word to describe this... methodical? crazy?