The Art of Marriage

The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
-Wilferd A. Peterson

...this is one of my favorite poems, and was recited during our wedding. I find it a good reminder of what we promised each other, and how great WE can be.

Love,
Kate

blessed weekend

This weekend has been so relaxing and very productive at the same time (never thought that could happen)...

Josh and I both had Friday off, and boy was it a Good Friday! We slept-in until about 10:30 which is a huge accomplishment because we usually can't sleep in past 8am (mostly due to a licky dog). After tinkering around the house for awhile, we dropped Maverick off at PetSmart for a haircut, and swung by the AT&T store. I have just about had it with cell phone companies. I have been with AT&T since I first got my cell phone like 10 years ago, so I find it really hard to believe that they can't cancel my # on my parents' account and let me sign up on my husband's account AND get an iphone AND a data plan...I mean, its a win-win situation for them. UGH. So now, I have to wait another 8 months to get my iphone. By then, I'm going to be so over AT&T and their bs that I'll switch to Verizon!!! After sitting at the AT&T store for over an hour, we went to Garden Ridge (loves it), Calloway's Nursery and Home Depot.

Finally! We're home with a backyard full of plants! We finally dug a trench and buried the border for our flower bed, and laid a bunch of mulch around the crate myrtles and irises.

Saturday we spent the day planting all the awesome plants (Sea Thunder Plantation & Asianic Lillies), trimming the 20 bushes in the front yard, mowing & edging. Let's just say, we were both sun burned and exhausted by the end of the day.

another fabulous softball weekend

This weekend, we got to go to Austin!! Iowa State was playing UT, so we got to watch my sister play AND visit with friends and family! Traffic and crowds were crazy downtown because of Texas Relays, UrbanFest 2009, a skateboarding event and a UT football spring training game (and UT softball, of course)...all downtown around campus...but we still had an amazing weekend!

We had a yummy dinner at Kona Grill at the Domain on Friday night with my 2 bestfriends. Josh tried his first sushi (California roll) and he actually didn't spit it out or throw-up! Can we talk about this for a second? Josh is one of the healthiest people I know - he runs ALL the time, takes 2165123 vitamins everyday, drinks lots of H2O and visits the doctor regularly - but for some reason the boy won't eat a vegetable to save his life. He claims its because his parents force-fed him greenery as a child. Seriously, who's parents DIDN'T?? I just don't understand what tastes so bad about broccoli or zucchini? Of course, I could probably be a vegetarian...if it wasn't for my deep love of steak (and chicken)...oh well...I guess I'll just continue to make Josh take baby-steps towards veggies (you like that?).

Saturday was gorgeous; not a cloud in the sky and temps in the low 80s. Josh got a pretty bad sunburn on both knees and his face (such a ginger). ISU lost in extra innings, but it was a really great game and my sister had some awesome plays. After the game, we ran over to Josh's grandma's house who lives around the corner from my parents. All of his aunts/uncles and his dad were in town visiting with grandma, so we decided to swing by and visit for a little bit. Its always great seeing family, especially people we don't get to see that often! After family-time we ordered pizza, took showers and watched the Final Four while sipping the finest boxed wine Austin has to offer.

Sunday was a little different story; the winds were blowing 30 WPM and the temps were in the mid-50s...totally brutal when not prepared. Needless to say, we were ready for THAT game to be over! After the game, we hit up the UT co-op and got some awesome gear and headed back to Plano.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend and I'm really anxious to get back to Austin to see and do everything we missed this time. On the top of our list: my other bf Ashley and Juan in a Million.

tailgating before the first game with my dad

Josh and I during the first game

with my mom and sister after the first game

Josh and I after the second game

after the second game with my sister and mom

guess who!?

Doesn't she look weird? Maybe its the missing clown makeup? Dunno...but just thought I'd share!

Not so much 27 anymore

Well yes, I can confirm the reports that my birthday was this past Tuesday. And yes, I'm not 27 anymore. In fact, I turned 28. That's 2 yrs away from.......I don't even wanna say. Turning 28 wasn't so bad. Really, it didn't even register a blip on my Richter scale. 25 was more traumatic. I have a feeling the next one in 2 yrs will cause me to be slightly depressed & not in the mood to celebrate. At all. So, let's recap.

The big day started out good enough with cloudy skies & rain. Yippee. I went to work as usual & sat thru a 3 hour meeting, & left early at 3. Thankfully the skies had cleared & I went for a jog, then walked Mav & cleaned up for dinner. And what a dinner! Kate took me out to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse. Double eagle, because one just isn't good enough. Anywho, dinner was excellent. Started with Calamari, then the main course of filet with potatoes & mushrooms, & finishing with ice cream. There was an odd instance where one of the managers stopped by our table to tell us about their lounge area, complete with jazz musicians to play later that night. She went away & came back later to try to hard sell us & get us to put our names down & reserve a table. No thanks. What was funny was, after she left we looked over & the "lounge" area was pretty bare. Good thing we didn't reserve a table. But, it was a great dinner & exactly what I wanted for my b-day.

After dinner, because we weren't sufficiently stuffed enough, we came home & enjoyed slices of the delectable triple chocolate - Midnight Delight - ice cream cake Kate had got me. IT even had my name on it! Deeeeelish! This sent me into a food coma & soon lost conscience. I have to thank my lovely wife for a wonderful day. Love ya, babe!

--Josh

lent...what?

So today I totally buckled. I am usually the strong one who INSISTS on following Lent rules...but today was no match for me. I don't know what the deal was, but I HAD to have Mexican food. And I'm not talking Taco Bell or Taco Bueno...I'm talking dirty, greasy Mexican food. One of our favorite Mexican restaurants is Ojeda's (in Plano, of course) and I just wouldn't settle for anything less. So of course Josh, being his encouraging-self, made me run before we gorged ourselves in Mexican delight.

I've never been so thankful for chips & salsa. We've gone to lunch several times since Lent started, and I've been really good about avoiding the chips...but today, I needed it. And it was good.

Anyways - I just had to share my weakness. I think I'm good for the rest of Lent.

Love,
Kate

Happy 28th!

Today, is my wonderful husband's 28th birthday.

I wanted to take a quick second to wish him a very happy birthday, and to thank his mother and father for having him.

Josh is the most fabulous person in the entire world, and I feel completely blessed everyday to wake-up beside him.

This picture was taken soon after Josh's 6th birthday...and I think he looks fabulous.

I love you, honey. Happy birthday!