A Blog-jacking

There have not been many instances where I used the blog for more than just stories of “us” or odes to you.  But I figured this weekend’s event warrant a ‘special” edition dedicated to our youngest daughter.  I did the research and the blog started after the oldest daughter’s prom event, she would have warranted an entry as well.

I guess I should start by reminding you that I have always thought the younger daughter reminds me of you.  She has your wit, your smile, facial expressions and (it has to be said) thumbs.  So I can’t help but wonder if what I witnessed this weekend might have been similar to seeing you go to prom as well.

The whole prom thing go exciting for me about a month ago.   I love our little girl so much, but have always wish she could see how beautiful a young lady she has become.  I think the trip to Chicago for dress shopping was the start.  I’ll take time to remind you that you have made certain that they will remember “prom dress shopping” as an event.  They are so lucky to have a mother who wants to make their lives so memorable.

Store 1 in Chicago was uneventful.  No dresses of any consequence.  store two wasn’t much better.  Then she found the black dress at store 3.  The look on her face when she walked out and saw herself.  She was amazing.  People stopped to look at her.  She knew it.  It was the next dress that put us all over the top.  I’ll remember the look on her face as she saw herself in the mirror forever.  I remember your smile because you knew it was the “one”.  Add in the shoes of her dreams, the text from the boy and well she was in heaven.

Making court made her even more proud.  I know how important it became to her, even if she didn’t think she was going to make it at first.  But you were thee making her feel like she deserved it, helping her believe in herself.  She likely had visions of herself in that dress with every vote that was counted.

I’m going to skip a ton of other details like the mass of people for the pictures or the “tennis” scare.  They aren’t as important as the next part.

I hope she is reading this because she has to know that she was breathtaking.  Clearly the most beautiful girl in the entire court. The most amazing during pictures.  A picture of perfection.  That dress was clearly made for her specifically.  He hair was perfect, her makeup made her look just a bit older,  I can count at least 4 times I teared up just looking at her.  My little girl didn’t look little anymore.  She looked like a grown up.  She looked like an angel.

The prom court event at prom was truly an amazing thing to see.  She was so nervous, but she was for one fleeting moment the complete center of attention.  As she walked up there after her announcement all I could think was how much she deserved this moment.  When I saw her dance I knew that she was feeling “awkward” but I knew she was smiling the whole time.

Even when she came home between prom and post prom she was still smiling.  Then when she came home the next morning she was still smiling.  Being that beautiful made my daughter so happy.  Seeing her happy is all I have ever wanted for her.

So my young lady all I can say is thank you.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special weekend.  Thank you for creating a memory I know I won’t forget, but I know you will never forget.  You were picture perfect.  I have shown your pictures to a dozen people already, i am so proud.

So there you have it, a hi-jacked blog entry.  Our little girl was amazing. She was likely as amazing as you were my love.  A vision of beauty and perfection.

You’re the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.

Tomorrow Morning Never Comes

For the first time in the over 4 years we have been doing this “travelling husband” thing I have to come up with a solution for waking up without you.  The past 5 weeks have reminded me that it is not acceptable to not wake up in the morning next to the one person I want to have near me when I first open my eyes.  Tonight the streak of 32 straight nights (and 45 of 47) comes to an end.  Facing not waking up to you has me more than a bit sad.

So I came up with a solution.  Never go to sleep.  That way I don’t have to wake up without you.  Rather, it will just be a long day away from you.  A long day and not a night.  Sounds good right? I guess it is a silly approach, but I can’t really think of another way.

The rambling above may be silly, but it is a reminder of how nice it has been to have a pretty normal life the past 6 weeks or so.  So many people likely take for granted that they spend time with their families.  That they have dinner together, run to the store together, have lunch together and ultimately turn out the lights, lock the doors and go to bed together.

I don’t take it for granted sweetie.  I know that all those little things are what makes life wonderful.  Those routine events that make our “life” together.  we are still the only couple I see holding hands on the walk from the car to Sendiks.  We are also the only couple I know who makes going to get coffee and event.  Stopping at Cafe 1505 and grabbing a sandwich for lunch even though we are both in out workout clothes – and then heading home because you like the chips at home better is awesome.  Dog training classes are fun – even  though our dog really doesn’t know the commands and I suck at teaching her (I need training).

I was there for NHS induction, birthday dinners, in fact I didn’t miss a thing. It was so nice.  We will eventually get to where it is the routine of every day.  I can’t wait.  And I will cherish every tiny moment then too.  Thank you for making every day and every little thing so amazing for me.  You make time worth spending.

Now I just need to stay awake for 8 more hours.

You’re the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.

Yes You Are That Pretty

You know you have had quite a bit of fun the past few days teasing me about the “girls of my past”.  I guess Facebook has a funny way of finding everything that is true.  Even if it turns out to be embarrassing.

It doesn’t matter because no matter what any previous girls looked like, meeting you completely changed how I look at girls/women.  Now all I do is compare them to you.  Are they pretty relative to you?  Do they have your smile?  Do they have your eyes?  They never do and haven’t since I met you.  After a while you just stop looking.

I have always thought you were pretty my love.  From the very first moment I saw you.  You are just different.  Different good not different bad.  You have an amazing youthful look about you. You look not only beautiful, but fun and charming.  You have a smile I can’t get enough of and eyes I could stare at for days.  Add in that perfect nose and well…..you are perfect.  But I have never been shy about telling you how beautiful I think you are at any given time.

What wound up being cool is how it appears to have made you feel about how pretty you are or at least I think you are.  That is a good thing.  You are clearly the most attractive woman I have ever had in my wife, and I am glad you finally “know” it.  Even if you have mad it part of a little joke.  You knowing how attractive you really are provides me even more benefit, because the more confident you are about it the more attractive I find you to be.

There is really no need to compare you to anyone, there isn’t a comparison to make.  And it isn’t just girls of the past my love it is all girls everywhere.  You are the single luckiest thing to ever happen to me.  I have lifetime “arm candy”.  How can I lose?

So go ahead and Facebook away my love.  Find out whatever you need to find out.  It always seems to work to my advantage.

You’re the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.

5 Minutes of Time

Our family trip for “Spring Break” was fun.  While our friends don’t always comply with the “fun” part, we still had a good time together as a family.

One of the nicest moments was on the pane ride home when we were watching “The Notebook” together.  I was sure that it wasn’t going to be as “touching” as you guys told me it was, but you proved me wrong.  I can only imagine what the other people on the plane were thinking when you and I were hugging each other with tears in our eyes.  It was a nice moment no matter who was watching.

The movie kind of struck me in different ways.  First of all I’d give all of my super powers to make the ending come true for us as well.  I’ll start trying to figure out ways to make that happen.  Of course it makes me start thinking about the “end” so that isn’t good.  But if us passing hand in hand with no pain for the other one to endure is possible, then it has to be a goal.

The part of the movie I most enjoyed was the extent that he would go to get “5 minutes” of his wife back.  No matter how painful the time afterwards was going to be for him.   To spend all day telling a story so that for a brief moment he could get back what was most important to him is truly romantic.  But it made me wonder, just how important is 5 minutes now?

So I thought of some 5 minute things I truly enjoy about you.  By 5 minute things I mean things that happen pretty much every day that many couples take for granted.  Here is what i came up with:

• A dozen glimpse of your smile
• 10 times holding hands in the car
• The time after we eat dinner that you make me stay at the table, even though I want to get up
• Watching you get dressed
• Checking your daily “color” selection
• Making sure that the TV is set to the proper channel when we go to bed
• Anytime we are in the home office back to back doing whatever it is we happen to be doing at the time
• Anytime you make me laugh
• More glimpses of your smile
• Waking you up from the couch to go to bed at night

I guess there are so many things we do all day long that make up our time together.  That he went to such lengths to get 5 minutes – any 5 minutes – to have the person he loved back with him is truly romantic.  I do the same thing to get any 5 minutes back from you.

You’re the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.