Category: fun

Decorating

Well, all the Halloween decorations are down, and now the yard looks so empty. No skeletons prancing around or rows of tombstones!

Monday night, I took down all the decorations inside the house and packed them up, then pulled down the Thanksgiving box. That box is not nearly as large, but I wanted to make the mantel look extra beautiful since both my husband and I love Halloween and were kind of down about it being over.

At first, my husband watched me from the sofa, since arranging the mantel is pretty much my domain. He ended up wandering over to help me center this, position that, hang a wreath above the mantel because he’s so much taller than me. I love how it turned out, and when I lit the tea lights and tiny battery lights, it looked so pretty.

I stood back to look it all over, make sure it was all perfect, and my husband smiled at me. He said he likes watching me get excited about decorating the house like that. It’s something his ex either couldn’t do or refused to do; she was incapable, or unwilling, to help make a house a true home. But this is our home, and we love it, and we have so much fun with it.

Maybe now we should just dress up our skeletons as Pilgrims and Indians, and put them back in the front yard… 🙂

Finally Fall!

The official first day of fall on the calendar has little significance down here in the south. That day is just as hot and humid as any other, and so is the day after that…and the day after that…and after that…

I worked in the yard on Saturday, and it was a sweaty, muggy day. Have I mentioned that I am waaaaay over hot and humid days? I was relieved to head inside for a cold drink and an even colder shower.

Sunday morning, however, was absolutely beautiful. My husband and I sat on the back deck, rocking gently on our glider, inhaling the scent of flowers by the deck and enjoying the cool air. I adore that first chilly day, the long-awaited dip in temperature, the sign that fall is, indeed, finally on the way.

The day went by so quickly. My older stepdaughter was home, and we spent some time with my older stepson, too. I had some errands I probably should have gotten done, but I shoved my to-do list aside and focused on them instead. My husband was revved up, teasing and picking on everyone, laughing at his own jokes (not that that is anything new, really!) It was just a fun, peaceful day.

It was wonderful, getting to break out a long-sleeve top for work this morning. Makes me want to go shopping, since 99% of my wardrobe is for days hovering in the 90s or higher (yuck!)

Happy (finally) official fall season in the south! It’s about damn time!

A Good Day

On Saturday, my husband and I wore ourselves ragged, working in the yard. It was hot and humid, and we were both grateful to finally collapse on the back deck with ice water, panting and sweating, exhausted…but hey, the yard looks great!

We more than earned a day off, so on Sunday, we slept in, then left all to-do lists, obligations, and everything else behind and set off for a day trip. Our original plan was to stroll around antique shops and stores in a town not terribly far away, but we hadn’t anticipated that entire town being shut down tight because it was Sunday.

No matter. We still enjoyed checking out what was there to plan our next trip, then admiring the gorgeous Victorian houses and elaborate, old churches. We selected whatever side road looked interesting to us and then explored it, then picked another one.

We stopped for lunch at one of the few local places open on a Sunday, then decided to tour the grounds of a nearby plantation. My husband fell in love with a horse in the stable, and I was starting to think we weren’t going to be able to leave. The horse headbutt his stall door when my husband tried to walk away, and he did it harder and harder until my husband walked back over to him. The horse leaned into my husband’s hand as he scratched his neck and rubbed his ears, and his large, brown eyes were half-closed like he was falling asleep.

We promised we would be back, then wandered around the plantation. It had threatened to rain all day, and drizzled on and off, so we had the grounds mostly to ourselves and managed not to get rained on. We had a lot of fun, exploring, getting grand ideas for our yard from the gardens. Then, true to our word, we ended up back in the stable so my husband could say good-bye to his new friend, who was waiting patiently at his stall door for more scratches.

Even the drive home was fun, pointing out cute houses or plants we like, talking about where we would like to go when we come back on a Saturday, when things are actually open!

We stopped for dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, which conveniently was on our way home. I have enough leftovers to pack lunch at least two days this week!

Then we headed home, full and happy. My husband said he had a fun day with me, and I smiled. Yes, it was a beautiful day. I enjoyed it very much.

My husband was still asleep when I left for work this morning at it’s-still-dark o’clock, and I was careful not to wake him. I wanted so much to just stay at his side and spend another day with him. I hadn’t even made it to work yet when I had a good-morning text from him. (Guess I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was!)

I’ve already scrolled through our pictures from yesterday and looked up some of the shops, restaurants, and other places we decided we want to check out on our next trip. I suppose I should actually get some work done now, though, but in my head, I am still hand-in-hand with my best friend, exploring the plantation, making friends with horses, and just being happy.

Three Years

Yesterday was just an ordinary day for most folk, but for me, it was a very special day: my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary.  I have to stop and do the math to figure out which anniversary it is, though, because we have actually been together nearly 14 years.  We took the scenic route to getting hitched!

We had already planned a date night, so we agreed to no gifts.  But when I got home from work, there was a colorful gift bag waiting on the dining room table, with a card propped up against it.  My husband claimed not to know who left it there, but I have my suspicions 🙂

I looked forward to our evening all day.  It was a lot of fun.  I wore a top that he has said is his favorite shirt of mine, and we enjoyed a night out, just the two of us.  Then we chartered a private jet and whisked ourselves away to a remote island and…okay, that didn’t happen.  I was just seeing if you were paying attention.

We don’t need a remote island, though.  I consider myself very lucky, because my husband truly is my best friend, too, and I just like being with him.  I trust him and know he has my back just as much as I have his.  That seems quite rare in the world today, especially lately, so I cherish it.  It helps that he makes me laugh, and I certainly hope he gets a chuckle at some of my oddball jokes, too.

Therefore, in honor of our anniversary, I hereby decree that everyone reading this can take the rest of the day off!  Just show your boss this blog post.  I am sure he or she will consider it quite legitimate.  Happy almost weekend!

Happy New Year!

224902-Pink-Open-Heart-Happy-New-YearHappy new year!  Time for all the “new year, new me” posts, resolutions, etc.  Not for me.  Not this year.

It’s not that I don’t have any goals this year, or that I don’t have the ambition to make any changes in 2020.  I just want to go about it in a way that celebrates where I am now, a way that saves my sanity and doesn’t put any more pressure on me than I already have.

Yesterday I got caught up searching fitness challenges, virtual challenges for running, then I thought, why?  I want to ease back into running at my own pace (no pun intended).  I want to run because I feel like it, not because I have yet another tracker to keep up with, something else to cross off a to-do list, another obligation or responsibility.  I want to keep it fun, something I do because I want to.

I celebrated the new year with my husband and all four kiddos.  It was a chilly evening, which I love, but the kids adamantly don’t.  Our outdoor revelry ended early, and we retreated inside to a nice, warm house (and blankets for the cold-intolerant, but I won’t point any good-natured mocking fingers).

I loved having an entire day off on New Year’s Day!  I could have cuddled in bed all day with my husband, and we almost did, getting up much later than we usually do.  Someone suggested playing some board games later that day.  I am not a big fan of board games, but I joined in, and I’m glad I did.  It was a lot of fun.

Sitting around the dining room table, we got silly, told absurd jokes, amused ourselves, picked on each other, and laughed so loud I thought the neighbors would surely end up knocking on our door.  The kids are funniest when they are not trying, when they just blurt out whatever pops into their heads, and my husband turns into the loudest, most rambunctious child of them all when they are all together.  His eyes light up with trouble-making, and then they all compete to see who is funnier, louder, getting the most attention, etc.  It’s hilarious.

I ended up having to take an Aleve because I laughed so hard I got a headache, but I came right back to the table and joined back in.  With the oldest child working, and the next oldest getting ready to graduate, I know our days like that, all together, just having a good time, are numbered.  I like moments like that: no drama, nothing forced, nothing but fun, letting go, and truly enjoying being with each other.  The whole world stayed outside where it belonged for a little while, and it was just us.

I will eventually post about my goals for this upcoming year.  But for now, I am just enjoying my family.  (Sorry, neighbors!  I swear we will try to keep it down.)

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