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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sweet Little Man


After dropping Terry off at his house last Saturday upon arrival back in The Valley, I was only a few miles away from my sister's house. Since I knew it would be another few weeks before I had a chance to see Evan, I decided to crash their garden box-building to say hi to my favorite local nephew. He is always so cute and loveable, and I knew he would make me smile!

My phone had died throughout the day, so I couldn't call to warn them of my approach. After nobody answered the door, I walked to the side of the house and showed myself through the open gate to the yard. Nobody gets rid of me that easily! I found T'liese and Joe building their first garden box in their new HUGE back yard. It looks amazing and will bring lots of grown goodies in no time! Though it was nice to see the future garden location, my main objective for popping in for a visit was to see Evan. He warms my heart.

I only stayed for a few minutes...long enough to kiss on him and chit-chat with my sister. Evan cut his first tooth this past week, and I got to see it after tickling Evan and making him laugh. I sure love the sound of his laugh. When I brought my camera out for some pictures, he really thought it should be in his hands instead. Look how determined his face is! Future tech geek like his Daddy?

Thanks for letting me surprise visit, Sis. Evan is just the sweetest kid! I sure do love him.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Complete Surprise


I knew the moment I met him that there was something incredibly special about my husband. He is thoughtful, generous, and a very good listener, among a million other positive attributes. As we creep up on our two-year anniversary next week, I have been reflecting even more on how great John truly is. I like him. And after a miserable week on the road, I was pretty anxious to get home for a hug and kiss to make everything better. It's amazing how long six days can seem sometimes!

And this is what I walked into yesterday when I came through the door. The cabinets. Almost done with their three coats of polyurethane protective coating. Stained to match the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen. He's been working on them all week, from the time he got home from work to late in the night. No easy task, for sure, but especially for a man with a bad back! I stained the kitchen cabinets before we moved in, and it was quite a project! It took me eleven days of non-stop work, but I am sure a humid week didn't help by prolonging the drying times. I decided to delay the remaining cabinets throughout the house until we got moved in and settled. I wanted to enjoy a clean home for a few weeks before I made a mess yet again. However, with me being back at work every week these past two months, it has been difficult to plan when I would be able to finish the two bathrooms, the hallway pantry, and the dining room game storage cabinets near the fireplace that were still the old lovely oak that I hate so much. We knew we were going to stain the rest of them when we had a chance, but it has been impossible to get it done in the short amount of time I am home on Saturdays. I was shooting for December...hoping I would be home a few weeks for the holidays and could knock them all out. I was dreading it...it's a big job and creates a mess all over the place. I didn't want my December to be in an uproar because of cabinet doors covering the floor. The Christmas Tree should never have to compete with other wood!

Though I wasn't able to call him to complain because my phone was off all week, John was very aware of how crappy everything was going for me at work. He decided to do something spectacular to make up for it by finishing the cabinets himself. It certainly worked! When I came home and saw him bending over a bunch of gorgeous stained cabinets with a paintbrush in hand, I burst into tears! It was just what I needed to forget the horrendous week and enjoy some time with my sweetie for the day I was home (I landed Saturday afternoon around 2:00 PM and am leaving Monday morning at 6:00 AM).

He is so good to me. I am blessed to have such a wonderful man as my husband. John never stops at trying to make me happy, and he is the best thing I could have hoped to find. I am one lucky lady to be his. Did I mention I don't have to stain a million cabinets now? I don't think that aspect has quite sunk in. Oh sweet, sweet bliss. He thinks he will be done later this week after he drills holes for and installs the handles to match the kitchen as well. His Dad is also down for a few days, and they are working to build me a beautiful buffet for our dining room! John wants to give it to me for our anniversary. I'm pretty sure he's a keeper.