In honor of the last day of my Month of Thanks series, I decided to do a recap of the month of November. Instead of trying to organize my thoughts and spew them on to cyber paper, I thought it would be more fun to flip through all the still moments that have been captured throughout the month. There are shots from Mr. M's birthday, and our weekend getaway. You'll also see random photos of Miss G doing her thing. And of course, you'll get a glimpse of our road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving - there will be more to follow with that. But for now, please take a minute to share in my favorite moments of November.
The Jacksonville skyline from our weekend away.
Me & Mr. M in Ballis Park.
This was taken from inside MOSH in Jacksonville.
The John T. Alsop, Jr Bridge in Jacksonsville.
San Marco Boulevard.
Miss G.
Pure joy.
This is Mr. M's 34th birthday cake. For some reason, all we had was a number 4 candle, so he grabbed one of G's magnets from the fridge and stuck it on top. I guess it worked out.
Our tree was up before Thanksgiving - there's a first time for everything.
One of my favorite ornaments.
Strutting her stuff at a rest stop in Georgia.
The sexy and rugged Mr. M.
This is the view we got to enjoy during our stay in Chattanooga.
This is a shot from the Chattanooga National Cemetery. There will be another post on this soon.
Monday was my husband's thirty-fourth birthday. When we first met, he was twenty two. Damn, that's a long time. If you've read A Borrowed Blog, you have a pretty good insight of our story. If you haven't read it, I definitely would encourage you to - it's a good read if you're into love stories and happily-ever-afters. I'll wait if you want to go check it out.
--waiting--
--still waiting--
Hey, you wanna hear a joke? Nevermind, that will just distract you - and me, I'm sure.
--waiting just a little bit longer--
You're back! Great! So, now that you have a background on me and M (or as you just read RayH7), I can proceed. Our story gives you ups and downs and facts, but it didn't really talk about the people behind us. You've gotten to know me through my writings, and through "Dino Who?" And I tell you stories about M and our daughter G, but in honor of his birthday, I want to take the time to share with you the man behind the letter M.
When I first met M, I had just turned eighteen. We met - online - the following month for the first time. I had just broken up with this other dude, and was still pretty comfortably sitting on the I-hate-men bandwagon...at least as comfortable as an eighteen year old senior in high school can be. The last thing I wanted was another bad experience with a member of the male species.
Me and M hit it off right from the start. He was different than other guys. We shared the same faith foundation, and for me, that was the number one must have in a man. He also took the time to really get to know me - my likes, my dislikes...what makes me laugh, what makes me cry. He was a friend...a real friend. Building on top of our shared faith, came the honesty of friendship from which grew love. Our official journey together began in 2001, and we've been together ever since. I've watched him grow from a twenty two year old college kid into a very well-rounded, respectable man.
Together, over the past almost twelve years, we've experienced highs and lows just like any other couple. Through it all, we've endured. M has been my rock. He's been my best friend when I had nobody else. He's seen me at my absolute worst - emotionally, physically, psychologically - and loved me anyway. He's loved me through the many screw ups I've made in our relationship, or in my own personal endeavors. He is the most hard working man I know. Honest. Trustworthy. Loyal. He's a wonderful father to our little girl. He takes care of us. He's respectable and respectful. He cooks. He cleans. He does laundry. He's my comic relief...my therapist...my best friend. He stays positive during the hard times. He knows when to hold his tongue. He stands up for what he believes in even when it's not popular. He owns up to his faults, and he's man enough to apologize when he's in the wrong. He provides for his family. He's genuine. A lover. A fighter. A football fanatic. He's smart. He's strong. He's gentle. He's a good man. He's mine.
Gift-bagging is the easy, error-free alternative to wrapping. There's no tape involved, no paper, no boxes...just a bag and a gift - and possibly some tissue paper. You don't have to worry about the 2 year old trying to steal the scissors, or getting tape stuck in her hair. And there's no ribbon for the cat to inevitably eat. You just open the bag, toss in the gift, and then neatly arrange some tissue paper so that it doesn't look like it's been sitting in your gift-wrapping bin since last Christmas. Easy as pie, right? Mmmm, pie - no wait, wrong blog! Sorry. Back to the topic at hand....this weekend, I learned there's more to it than just a bag and a gift...and some tissue paper. There are three key rules to successful gift-bagging.
1. Don't buy a cheap bag. I'm the queen of thrifty, but there's a huge difference between inexpensive and cheap. Remember that!
2. Make sure the bag is big enough for the gift you're trying to cram in it. Once again, cheap isn't a good idea.
3. And finally, make sure that the gift you're bagging, isn't too heavy for the bag. This is the ultimate reason not to go cheap. Picture it - the gift is in the bag, the tissue paper is primped, everything looks great. You pick it up, and as you're walking out the door, the handles snap, the top of the bag rips, the entire package hits the ground, and now your tissue paper has crumpled, and the gift has toppled on to the floor. And now you're back at square one. Fail.
Keep these rules in mind as the Holidays are upon us, and we will soon find ourselves asking the age-old question - to bag or not to bag?
