happy 20, my love

Spouse Challenge on FB Day 7

Day 7 : Never a Dull Moment
One thing is for sure, my life changed forever the day I answered your ad in the City Pages. For better or for worse, and in spite of how we appear to others, I know our love is beyond measure. I am thankful for you, the boys we are raising together, the support you've given me when I had a crazy idea to get pregnant three more times, and for all that our future holds... Ditto, baby.

Spouse Challenge on FB Day 6

Day 6 : Kiss
I still remember our first kiss, as if it were yesterday. Standing outside the ice cream shop, wondering if he would like to see me again... and then it happened. No cannons or fireworks going off, but tender and sweet, cautiously optimistic of a second date lingering in the wind. He kissed me.

Spouse Challenge on FB Day 3

Day 3 Eye-to-Eye
We don't always see eye-to-eye and it was evident on our first date that we would always have something to talk (banter) about in our lifetime together. Our shared passions may be few and we are opposites in almost every imaginable way, but I wouldn't try to change him as that would make for a very dull marriage. We have grown to appreciate all that the other has to offer. A matched set, yin to my yang, Desi to my Lucy, Ralph to my Alice, Doug to my Carrie. He keeps me laughing, loving and on my A-game, every single day. <3 span="">

Through all of this craziness, madness and learning to love one another, we have successfully raised two wonderful young men.  I can only hope that they've learned by our example that LOVE and marriage can be shown and shared in many different ways. There are no set of rules you're handed when you decide to commit to one another... only that you will do your best to find balance, common ground and a shared love.  

Spouse Challenge on FB Day 2

I've been challenged to post pictures of ‪#‎miamour‬ for 7 days in a row... not that any of you want MORE of my posts in your newsfeed {giggle, snort}, but here goes! I will NOT be tagging anyone... so if this interests you, share the love and start your own 7 day trend!

Day 2 : The ProposalSummertime, baseball and cigars. Not a huge sports fan, but I really enjoyed going to a St. Paul Saints game. There's so much more to do than watch baseball. ;) We were joined by my parents at this game and before I knew it, I was hearing a proposal over the loud speaker during the 7th inning stretch. No ring, but a cigar band would do the trick. 1 year together somehow turned into 16, which is quickly approaching 20! Time flies when you're in love.

love is a gift

Another year between us,
this one sweeter than the last.

Why, you ask? 

Because after JP's recent health scare,
his HEART is still beating,
his lungs still breathing,
and he's been given another chance...

to live
to love
to educate
and to share
all that he is
and all that I fell in love with...  17 years ago.

Dearest John Paul,

 

So thankful. 

So very blessed. 

To have found you, in this lifetime, to love.

 

Happy Anniversary!

xo

Sweet 16

I answered his personal ad, in the printed City Pages.

We met for our first date at the Loring Bar & Cafe.

Without discussing our apparel prior,
we both wore white shirts and black shorts.

From the moment we sat down to dinner,
we shared a comfortable banter,
yes, banter,
back and forth,
taking turns,
listening,
chatting,
sharing.

We danced and listened to Polka music in the park.

He accepted me, and my young son, for who we were,
flaws and all.

I accepted him, siblings, large family and all,
for who they were.

Less than two years later,
he proposed over the 7th inning stretch.

It was easily apparent,
life would never be dull for us.

If we could put up love one another,
flaws,
family,
and all,
this would be a union,
only He could have crafted.

{Eighteen and}
Sixteen years married later,
our friends must wonder,
what is this thing they call love?

It's ours.
Ours alone.

And I would never trade him for another.

Happy Anniversary,
crazy,
snoring,
brown-stuff drinking,
cigar smoking,
loving,
hard working,
stay-at-home-dad,
man-in-brown
love of mine!

Sixteen years of wedded bliss.

xo

Thursday's child has far to go!

Five years ago today, the days lined up exactly the same as this year, and the morning of the 26th was a Thursday!  It would be a very crazy morning, just ask my husband (*both of them!). 

I had been up the night before timing contractions with an online contraction timer.  Yes, folks, we have evolved that much.  Good thing, too, because I didn't want to wake anyone in the house to help me time and focus, as they needed all the sleep they could get!  However, by the time JP came down the stairs at 3:30 am for work, I told him he wasn't going to work and to start making telephone calls.

He called the OB's office, my parents to come watch the boys, my coach in labor, Kara, and last but not least...  baby daddy, Mister J!

The conversation on our end went something like this...
"It's baby day...  yes, today...  no, he's not waiting until induction day on Monday.  I suggest you get on the next plane to Minnesota.  By noon?  Well, if you want to see your baby born, I suggest you leave now."

After that, the morning was a blur.  My folks showed up to watch the boys.  JP got to drive me, yet again, to what he affectionately calls "the baby factory" to give birth to Little J.  Through the streets of Minneapolis, bump after bump after bump...  not breaking any driving laws, nor rushing through red lights this time, and we even beat the morning rush hour...  we pulled into the parking ramp about the same time Kara did. 

Hooked up to monitors and ready to go...  but Mister J wasn't there yet...  it didn't matter, baby boy had an agenda of his own.  Dr. E broke my water and we were a go!  Commotion heard from outside the room, and Mister J had just arrived with his Baby Nurse - phew!  All was going to happen as it should and he would see his son born.  He told us that he had to rush down the runway and exclaimed, "My wife is having a baby in Minneapolis, I need to get on that plane!" while being followed by female Baby Nurse...  the odd looks apparently provided much needed amusement to keep the brevity of the situation light during transit.

Once again, Little J had decided to change up the game plan... he was much bigger than we thought, and with decels in his heart rate, and a couple hours of attempted pushing, Dr. E decided that it was time for my first-ever c-section.  Folks, the thought had never even occurred to me that this surrogate pregnancy would end up there, on the operating table!  Also dumbstruck was Mister J in this new set of plans, "here, put these on, she will be down in the OR waiting for you, make it fast" and before I knew it, I was watching the ceiling lights float overhead and my husband was left standing in the doorway... 

Activity like I've never seen before broke out around me - heck, I'd never even seen the inside of an operating room, who am I kidding?!  Twice as many people were suddenly in the room with us - shift change!  Really?  Just our luck.  Dr. E wasn't very pleased about the timing of it all and sudden urgency was heard in her voice to make it snappy...  and then the first cut...

To say I wasn't just a little freaked out at this point would be a gross understatement.  I was calm on the outside, and freaking out on the inside. I knew that we had decided JP wouldn't join me in the OR (and hospital policy wouldn't allow me to have two people there), but I wanted my husband next to me.  Knowing that the man at my shoulder was focused on the action below the draped sheet at my midline...  well, suddenly everything around me became very real about this situation of helping another become a father.  But I had faith.  Dr. E had been my doctor for almost 20 years, and I knew I was in good hands.

Shortly after we started, Little J entered the world...  screaming, happy, healthy & into the arms of his Papa he went.  I survived my first c-section.  JP would later join me in recovery, and I had emotions wash over me like I never imagined.  Sure, I was prepared to hand over the life that had grown inside of me for the past nine months (and another few months of preparation that went into it)...  but, well, to not see more than a glimpse of him until the next day...  that, my friends, was raw...  still, I told myself that I was strong enough to get through this too... and I did.

Fast forward...  five years later...  today marks the anniversary of his BIRTHday...  Little C (name changed on the tarmac while waiting for gate clearance 24 hours after he was born) and I can only imagine that he is the most loved, spoiled and cherished little blond boy on the East Coast. 

This day will always hold a special place in my heart.  I welcomed a fourth little boy into the world...  three I had grown of my own, and one under my heart. 

Little did I know that it would be the beginning of an admittedly slight addiction to helping someone create a family.  After all, I had survived a c-section...  giving of life and love...  seeing the pure joy of a new family through the father's eyes...  I was hooked!

And blessed.

Happy Birthday, Little C!

May you be celebrating in style!

carrying Little C "on the outside" at 6 weeks old

my love{s}

Happy Valentine's Day, my loves...

"if there ever comes a day when we can't be together,
keep me in your heart and i'll stay there forever"

-winnie the pooh

you are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

you make me happy

when skies are gray

you'll never know dear{s}

how much I love you...

please don't take my sunshine away!

found you in black & white

To the man I picked out of the hundreds of personal ads in the City Pages...  your words spoke to me, eloquent and wanting to find love.  When my phone rang so early on a Saturday morning, I never imagined it would change my life forever by answering.

You love to bake and cook; 
I love to eat and thankfully, don't mind the clean-up.
 
You love to enjoy a glass red wine;
I learned to expand my palate and discovered I love it too.
 
Your passion for singing, theater and the arts equals mine.
 
You weren't afraid of a challenge;
I brought along instant family (well, then again, so did you!!).

You were raised Catholic, me Lutheran; 
together we join to raise our boys in faith, bringing us closer to God.
 
You love adventure and travel, so do I;
mix in my spontaneity, and we will always find adventure!

You proposed to me, over the loud speaker,
during the 7th inning stretch at a Saints game
and sealed the deal with your cigar band. 

We got married at Judge Albertson's farm with just a few family members present.
On a crisp October afternoon in 1996.
Simple, beautiful, blessed. United together.

I am so very thankful for the path my life has taken, and that you are in my life.  
Happy 15th Anniversary, John Paul.  I love you!

Who knew that after our first date at the Loring Bar, 
and all the bantering we did that first night together,
that we would still be so much in love and bantering still, almost 17 years later. 

For all the richness, love and never-ending adventure...
thank you.

For not calling the crazy farm when I said I wanted to have more babies,
for someone else,
thank you.

For agreeing to stick by my side while I choose to follow my dreams,
thank you.
 
For the beautiful family we created, and continue to nurture, share & raise,
thank you.

Some may call us crazy 

and wonder how we manage... 

but I get you, 

I get us.  

An Orphan's Wish Follow-Up

I don't know if any of you hopped along the blog trail over to Stefanie's blog, but all those bloggers who left comments and matched or donated on their own helped raise over $2,000.  That's some crazy love!

Remember, it's never too late to skip the morning latte or dessert on any given day and donate to a charity that stirs your heart.  Pick a special date and donate once a month.  Make it a recurring payment and you'll never forget. 

Crazy Love

Another deja vu moment and words that sounded very familiar.  In a full circle moment this morning, I discovered that I had heard this once before ~ here a few months back.  I discovered a pdf file and saved it to read someday.  Like everything else in my life that is important, but not urgent, it still sits in my email somewhere under the label read someday.

Backing up to where I started reading about Crazy Love this morning was again on A Place Called Simplicity.  Linny (the woman who writes the blog) put out a challenge and asked others to jump on board.  If you know me, I mean, really know me...  you know that I already believe in paying it forward in great and small ways.  And yes, even to random strangers.  I don't expect anything in return.  I give from my heart, when the Spirit moves me.

I'm excited that now I have a better title for what it is I do ~ because, frankly, simply being philanthropic was not the best way to describe it.  Let's face it, I also live paycheck to paycheck and that just didn't fit with what I have been doing over the years.  After all, my wealth can be described by so much more than money. 

So on this thankful Thursday, I have let my fingers follow their way through blog links and found a way to spread a little more Crazy Love!   It was a two-fold donation, of sorts, on this day of also recognizing Earth Day and giving back to Mother Nature.  In all my craziness, I have also assisted a fellow Mom blogger in her goal to bring home another one of God's children.

What a feeling!

^"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."            Luke 6:38