I Like Making My Husband Cry

I like making my husband cry. No, I do not have a sadistic nature. Let me explain. My husband has the physique of a brick wall and yes I will admit it is a bit softer now after years of my cooking. In addition, he has the sort of personality that can withstand things most people can't. Most of the time his humor and good nature will deflect hardship. With all of these traits he reminds me of a Baobab tree. The Baobab tree has bark that is fire resistant, it produces edible fruit, can survive droughts, has trunks 30 feet in diameter all while being able to grow nearly 100 feet tall. This is my husband to a tee. So imagine making someone like that cry. I take great pride in the fact that I have made Jay cry at least five times now. The first time I can remember making him cry was the night he proposed to me. He was really scared and had arranged to do it at dinner with my parents but couldn't muster the courage. So when we got back to my house after dinner he got down on one knee in my living room. After I finished crying (and saying yes of course) we talked about the dinner plan. I told him that it wouldn't have mattered where or how he proposed because I was the luckiest woman in the world to have him as my future husband. At that he teared up just a little. The next time was on our wedding day. It started when he saw me walk down the aisle and didn't end until after the ceremony. The third time was when I got to tell  him he got an A and a B in his first semester in college. The fourth time was this past Christmas when I gave him a passport application (it is a long story about Ireland). The last time was today. I am not going to share what it was about because it is a long process and I don't want to jinx it (and no I am not pregnant...yet). Anyway, I love making my husband cry because every time I do it means I am making him just as happy in that moment as he makes me every second of every day.

The Ambush!

I was waiting at home for Jay to get home from school when a great idea hit me...AMBUSH THE HUSBAND!

So I prepared the house by turning off all the lights and opening all closets and doors. I taped a note on the front door that read "Look down when you enter the house." When he did this is what he found.

The note read as follows:

Dear Husband,

This is your. I have one just like it. Do not turn on the lights. You will be under attack starting...now.

Love,

Your Wife

He had a few seconds to figure out how our penguin foam guns worked before I came out shooting. The game lasted a good two minutes before I won. Jay sneaked into our guest room and tried to throw me off by coming out low. I was prepared for that and got him right between the eyes. If you look close enough you can see Puppies foot as she came over to console him.

I have only two things to say. One, always be prepared for the unexpected. Two, I LOVE being married!

Year in Review: 2012

2012 much like other years seemed over in a flash. I can't sit here and tell you that everything about it was amazing but I also won't sit here in self pity about the bad parts either. Instead I think my reflection on the past year will encompass the good, the bad and everything in between.

January

This was our first month as a married couple. We had just moved into a new place after a whirlwind of events which included a wedding, a honeymoon and Christmas. I was still healing from my car accident back in November and we spent as much time with friends and family as possible. On the very last day of the month our wedding "thank you" cards finally showed up. All in all it was a month of new things (kind of fitting I think).

New Year's Day Meal

Mt. Hood Trip

Thank You Cards

February

This was a month full of ups and downs not to mention true tests on a new marriage. There were good experiences like being successful at quitting smoking (for a while anyway), treating my hubby to a court side experience at a Blazer game, throwing an amazing and supportive woman a surprise birthday party and taking our niece and cousin to a Timbers game. The downs including both of us coming down with really bad colds and at different times. We did like I mentioned have our first tests on our marriage. We had a lot of learning thrown at us around what we want our lives to look like and what is acceptable behavior both in our relationship and our relationships with others. Looking back at it I would say this was a month of learning and design. 

Nina's Surprise Party

Jays First Mani/Pedi

Blazer Game

Seth & Jewel with Timber Joey

March

This month was at best (or worse) a continuance of the month before. Hubby surprised me with a trip to the Carson Hot Springs to help give me a boost of healing energy before I had to have a biopsy to see if I had cancer starting in my uterus (happy to report that I didn’t and have gotten good reports since). We had a lot of good things happy like my sister Ashley’s birthday, my two nephews came over to sleep in their brand new room at our house, our friends Vince and Katlin had their baby girl, we enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner with our Aunt Veronica and it even snowed! Of course there were more sports this time a hockey game and a trip to Pullman to watch my brother-in-law play baseball. There was sad stuff too like my brother Henry moving to Hawaii. There also continued to be rough times in our relationships with other people category. 

Carson Hot Springs Dinner

The Boys New Room

Winterhawks Game

Pullman Baseball

Henry's Going Away Party

April

What can I really saw about April. The best thing to say is that it was a month full of eye opening experiences. I think this is where my life took a turn for the better and gave me a good foundation to build upon.

May

There wasn't much to May except healing and building upon the foundation the April brought.

June

This month was spent preparing for what life had in store for us next. A bit of a theme building from the two months before.

July

This is always my favorite month. See this is when my favorite person in the world has his birthday. If you haven’t guessed yet it’s Jay! At the same time this was probably the worst moth of the year. On July 1^st I had to have emergency surgery to fix a ruptured tubal pregnancy. We were about three months along and had no idea. There were a lot of emotions with this and it caused both of us so much grief. A few days after the surgery was Jay’s birthday. It was bitter sweet. To help a bit with the emotional recovery Jay went to visit his dad and play out on the lake. It made my heart feel just a bit better to see a smile return to the face I love so much.

Jay at Newman Lake

Veronica's Birthday

Our Loss

Recovery

August

This was a month of healing. Hubby and I had our two year dating anniversary. I got to spend girl time alone with my sister (a very rare thing indeed), sadly that was the night we lost her father. I got to throw my cousin a super awesome 12^th birthday party. We also got to go visit Jay’s dad for some R&R. I also really liked that trip because I was able to move from acquaintance to friend with a girl I really have grown to admire. 

Two Year Anniversary Dinner

Sister Movie Night

Seth's Birthday Party

 September

Oh my gosh September was just crazy! There was so very much going on. Jay started college for the first time (I am super proud) and I went back to finally get it done with. Broke down and we got a new truck for Jay (boys and their toys I tell you). My super wonderful niece Jewel had her 12^th birthday. We took our cousin Seth to experience the drive-in in a truck. We had an interesting experience with my nephew Shaun hitting on his hairdresser when we took him to go get a haircut (he was only 4). More sports happened (can you see a theme here). Oh and we got to go to a corn maze with Ashley and Justin. Wow I am tired just writing this.

Shaun After His Haircut

At the Pumpkin Patch

Drive-In

New Truck

Family Dinner

Jewel's Birthday

Winterhawks Game

New Couch

Hubby Mowing the Lawn

 October

I love Halloween! Okay that is not the only thing that happened that month but still it’s Halloween! Decorated for Halloween and even dressed up the dog. Oh yeah more sports. My pumpkin won the office pumpkin carving contest (thank you pintrest). I went to the Timber annual awards banquet which was so much fun and really enjoyed spending time with my team from work outside the office. Got to go and see Maya Angelou in person (crossed off the bucket list) with my now mother-in-law Jody (I will tell you about that in the December section).  I got to arrange a fall festival for the elementary school our company volunteers at and had so much fun. Finally I spent my fourth Halloween in a row with my two nephews. One more thing that I didn’t have to write about happened this month. Our friends Shane and Lauren lost their 3 month old daughter. We will never forget the time we got to hold baby Sophie when she was born and will always hold a special place in our hearts for Shane and Lauren.

Puppie Dressing Up

Halloween Decorating

Blazer Game

My Pumpkin

Timbers Award Banquet

Fruit Valley Fall Festival

Maya Angelou

 November

Scorpios this is our month! Let’s just say this about November. On the 1^st was my nephew Seth’s birthday, on the 9^th is my brother-in-law Kyle’s birthday, on the 12^th is mine and my father-in-law Tony’s birthday, on the 17^th is my nephew Shaun’s birthday and on the 19^th is my sister Amie’s birthday. If that isn’t enough let’s just throw in Thanksgiving too. Sadly we lost my brother-in-law Brian at this month. He was a kind person who played a really supportive role with Jay and I. He will be missed but remembered fondly.

Shaun & Seth Birthday

 December

As always crazier than the month before. We did have to endure another tubal pregnancy this month right before our one year wedding anniversary. The good thing was that I didn't have to have surgery to fix this one, instead we were able to do the shot. It hurt both our hearts again but we were able to talk and move through the grief. We have decided to give it one more shot before moving to other options. After that we filled the time with many wonderful things. We took a wedding anniversary trip to Sunriver, trip to Couer D’Alene to visit family, many Christmas celebrations and New Year’s Eve. One more very special thing to add to this month is the marriage of Jay’s dad Tony to Jody. It was an amazing thing to be witness to and we were also lucky enough to take part in it. The wedding ceremony was at sunset on a frozen beach in the middle of a winter wonderland. I saw the love in their eyes as they were saying their vows and couldn't help but lock eyes with my husband to share an unspoken I love you.

CDA Resort Christmas Lights

Drive to Sunriver

Christmas Presents

The Wedding

Mr. & Mrs. Johnson

Invictus Applied

You have injured me

I do not know your intended target

Whether he or I it does not matter

As he is I and I am him

I am choosing a different path

Any time your need causes you to inflict damage upon us

I will use it as a signal to speak of nothing but your kindness, compassion and love

I will gather my strength and place all of my energy into change

For your actions have reminded me of something greater that you have yet to know

Read slowly and take in every word below

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul. 

William Ernest Henley