The Great Debate!

Next year Garth turns the big 3-0. He isn't exactly thrilled to be turning 30, but it's a big deal and I want to make it really special for him. I have tossed the ideas around of having a party, going away for a long weekend, and turning the basement into a man cave.

There are two destinations Garth has always wanted to go. The first is The Smokey Mountains. We always wanted to road trip it to Tennessee to hike, explore, and relax in a romantic cabin in the mountains.

The second place Garth and I have always wanted to go is Key West, FL. Garth has gone before and loves the scuba diving there. I have never been and always wanted to go. I know if I learned to scuba dive and got certified Garth would be THRILLED and it would be the best gift I could give him. It would probably be the most expensive of the three options and it would require the most effort on my part. Scuba diving is not my cup of tea. I much rather be on top of the water getting a tan!
He is seriously considering the man cave idea as well. Here is our basement when we moved in:

The only major differences are we have my parent's weights, a ping pong table, our old entertainment center, and my parent's old TV. Nothing on the walls. Not even a single chair! We take the living room chairs up and down. Pathetic I know.

Garth dreams of having the space turned into his own man cave. A bar, bar signs, theater seating, and a large flat screen TV. I am all about furnishing and making our home more of a home and this is the gift that keeps on giving!

Garth wasn't too fond of the party idea so we'll nix that idea. As much as I would love to throw him a surprise party I think I'll save that for his 40th or 50th birthday. So what would you chose - the cabin in the mountains, the beach vacay, or the man cave?

Food for Thought.

Does anybody else eat more than their husband? I've never been a salad girl, even when Garth and I were dating. I'm a burger and fries kind of girl and always have been. But the more we're married, the more I realize I tend to eat about the same amount as Garth, or more.
Last night I ate more than Garth and he looked at me and said, "Where does the food go?!" Which got me thinking, is it normal that I can out eat a 200 pound man? Hmmm...

Packing.

Garth and I make the best team EVER. Seriously, we had this amazing system going and we had almost everything packed up in 2 days flat. We were on a roll, but I say almost everything packed because we still have some kitchen and bathroom supplies to pack. But we still use these items on a regular basis so we can't pack them until the night before. Ahhhhh that is a great big sigh of relief. 9 days left and we are 95% done packing, that is big for us since we are procrastinators. But pour us some wine, pump up the music, and we pack like mad.
I will tell you the NOT fun part of packing, and that is finding stuff from Garth's bachelor days. A zebra print picture frame, and a beer candle are among the things I have tried to dispose. But then Garth throws the "But it's from South Africa" bit and I can't make him get rid of it now!
Last night we battled over these black crock pot looking salt and pepper shakers, and this is how the conversation went down:
Me: "Hey babe can we get rid of these? We never use them."
Garth: "They are from South Africa! These are heritage!"
Me: "So we will never get rid of them?"
Garth: "No! We will pass them on to our kids, and they will pass them on to their kids, and their wives will nag them to get rid of them. It will be tradition!"

Husbands say the darnest things

Scene: Garth and I had just made a late night, improv dinner and were sitting down to eat when this little gem of a conversation started:

Garth: "I don't know if I want babies."
Me: "What?"
Garth: "Well, if it came down to a boat or a baby, I would chose a boat."
Me: Laughing hysterically...Pause..."Wait, what?"
Garth: "I want a boat."
Me: "You know we can have both?"
Garth: "Yeah... I guess. We'll take our kids on our boat."

Obviously, we are not ready for kids yet at. all. And I'm okay with that.

Mysterious Husband

Garth is being super romantic and planned something for Friday night. He won't tell me what it is. I'm not allowed to look at our bank account. I need to go to work at 7 so I can leave at 3. He won't tell me what I need to wear for it until Thursday night. He is being very mysterious!!!
I tried to get it out of him last night, but he wouldn't spill the beans so I'll just wait until Friday night! SO EXCITED to find out what it is!!!!

Times they are a changin'

I feel like Garth and I back to dating because I don't see him until much later these days. I became so used to seeing him all the time, but no more. He started his classes last night and though he is loving it, I didn't expect to miss him so stinkin' much!
I was actually looking forward to coming home, making a healthy dinner, watching "The Bachelor" and working out. I did not expect to miss him so much! And I did not expect to enjoy "The Bachelor" as much as I did! I'm addicted.
Garth came home and it was like I hadn't seen him in years. I ran and jumped in his arms and gave him a great big bear hug and we talked and talked, then had to go to bed and do it all over again.
It's going to be tough not seeing him after work, not eating dinner together every night, etc. But it's gonna be worth it. He's chasing his dream and I will support him! I'm so proud of him! It is just for a year so I will suck it up and stop whining! I am already so excited for our date night Friday!
And tonight I am getting coffee with my best friend, so it won't be so bad!

Dinner Conversation

My wonderful mother-in-law generously let us borrow an old dining room table she had. It is beautiful and BIG. It fit in our dining room nicely, but now we are moving to a new place with a smaller dining area that will not fit her table.
During dinner last night this is how the conversation went down:
Me: "I'm excited to buy our very own dining room table"
G: "Me too"
Me: "I was thinking something black and classy"
G: "Well, do we really need a dining room table? Wouldn't it be more fun to get a ping pong table instead?"
Me: "What?"
G: "Yeah we could get a ping pong table and practice playing every night and become world champions!!!"
Me: "Are we really having this conversation?"

Proud to be an American

A few weeks ago Garth filled out his application for American citizenship. The cost? $700! Garth's response: "Well, that is the cost of freedom." AW!
Now we wait. His application is in review and we are anxiously awaiting a letter telling us when he takes his test. We have been looking over the study guide and it's pretty intense. There are some easy questions like 'what do the stars and stripes mean' but there are some tough ones like 'name all your congressmen.' Yikes!
It's so cute because Garth is really excited! I take for granted that I get to vote next Tuesday, but Garth doesn't have that privilege yet. Let me tell you though, he is counting down until the next election!
I'm learning all I ever wanted to know about the naturalization process and American History!

FYI: Garth is from South Africa. He came to the US about 12 years ago, BUT he still has the accent and I love it!=)

Mystery Dinner Revealed

It's no surprise Garth made me dinner. BUT the surprise was that he kept dinner a mystery. He called me on his way home from work to tell me he found a recipe that looked amazing and he wanted to surprise me with it. I was working late so he told me dinner would be ready when I got home. Love that! He gave me two clues about the mysterious dinner: chutney and curry powder were involved. I was clueless. I came home to delish smells and my handsome hubby: He made AH-MAZING mango chicken and homemade fries! Yummy!

Last Night

Last night was amazing. I cannot even begin to put into words how awesome it was, but I will try. We arrived at the church both very excited and had time to kill so we were just talking and taking random pictures. Then Garth left me to go check-in. I went downstairs to save seats. My mom, dad, brother, brother's girlfriend, aunts, uncles, cousin, and friends came in shortly after and we all hugged and talked. It meant so much to us to have all these people here supporting us. It was a great feeling to know we had this love and support.
The service started with awesome worship and then the baptisms began! Garth was pretty close to the beginning. Oh did I mention we go to a huge church and 100 people were getting baptized? Yeah, but as soon as I saw Garth come on the stage I started crying. I was so overwhelmed with emotion seeing Him up there submitting to Jesus' call to be baptized. Even though Garth has given his life to Christ years ago, it was the coolest thing seeing him up there publicly declaring His devotion to His Savior. I couldn't have been more proud. I took one picture and I will post it soon. I really wanted to just be in the moment and watch it all happen and not worry about getting a great photo. The image of it happening will always be in my mind. I cried through the whole thing. I loved every second of it.
After the service I hugged him so tight. It was such an amazing day. We all went to Ruby Tuesdays afterwards to celebrate. What a great time of fellowship! We laughed, had great convo and Garth recieved some great books that we are excited to read together. We are so blessed to have such an incredible group of friends and family that support us and love us. We had the best time and couldn't stop talking about it last night.
Garth told me last night he is going to add yesterday's date to his tattoo. Very cool!
Thank you all for your wonderful comments, I had Garth read them and he was touched to see all your support! For those who couldn't attend, thanks for having us in your thoughts. And thanks for all who came, it meant more than you will ever know!

Now for the pictures!!! The before:

During:

Afterwards:

Big Day Today!

Today is a momunmental day for Garth and I today! I am so excited to announce that Garth is getting baptized today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me preface this by saying Garth was saved three years ago and his baptism was getting a tattoo of a cross on his left bicept. I find this very attractive. BUT he still needed the immersion of water as Jesus models. After much discussion and Bible studying he agreed! Thus why he is getting baptized tonight at our church. He is thrilled. I am thrilled. Our small group, family, and friends are all going to come which means so much to us. Some are even traveling over an hour to come see him! Then we're off to celebrate at Ruby Tuesdays!

I am so proud of Garth. He is an amazing leader: compassionate, loving, mature, faithful, nurturing, patient, and respected. I could not be prouder to be his wife. He truly is a man after God's heart. He gets me up every morning to pray together before we start our days, he encouraged us to join a small group, and he reads a chapter in our Bible every night to me before bed. I love him so much and I couldn't be more proud of him today! I love you Garth!!!

Spoiled

Yesterday I bragged about being a stellar wife, but it's my husband who is the real star. He appreciated all the work I've been doing around the house by bringing home a dozen red roses last night!!! I melted.

I always say I'm not one of those girls who needs her man to buy her flowers. Case in point: I told my husband NOT to buy a vase since the only one we received for our wedding was this hideous purple and yellow grandma style vase that does not match anything in our place! I believe his words were "Well then don't expect flowers from me." And I said "Good because they just die a few days later, it's a waste of money."

But secretly I love when he buys me flowers because they brighten up the room and make the apartment smell delish! And it makes me feel special knowing he was thinking about me and wanting to show that.

I am spoiled by that man of mine. I love him so darn much.

The Top Ten Best Moments of Marriage

10. Grocery shopping together, going to the gym together, decorating our place, cleaning together, eating together...anything together. We are a team and I love that.

9. Road tripping it to New York City. We didn't love NYC so much, it was way to crowded for our taste. But we loved the 10 hour drive talking, laughing, and making up car games. We cherished the uninterrupted, quality time together.

8. I love our time at night when we pray and do a Bible Study. It is so precious to me and I look forward to every evening. This is the study we are currently doing:
7. Vacationing together. There isn't a person I rather travel with! We always have so much fun and we are both so alike. We both love going to the lake or the ocean and laying out. We love trying fun new restaurants and going for long walks on the beach. We both love blowing up our rafts and floating on the water for hours. We both just love spending time together experiencing new places. We both dreamed of taking little trips when we got married and I am so glad we are living out that dream so we have no regrets. 6. Dinners together or with friends. I fall in love with Garth all over when I watch him interact with other people. He is so polite, conversational, funny, and he cooks amazing meals!
5. The wedding and honeymoon. By far the best experiences of my entire life. Everything was new and exciting and I never want to forget those precious memories.
4. I didn't think I could love Garth more than I did on the wedding day but I do. I love him more deeply and more intensely than that fabulous day. I have grown to know him even more as we have meshed our lives together and adjusted to living together.

3. Garth's surprise trip he planned for my 25th birthday. It was so special! He planned it all by himself and kept it a secret! Below are the folders of itineraries, directions and reservations he wouldn't let me see of my biithday trip to Traverse City where we stayed in a 5 star resort, went to wine tastings, a fancy restaurant, and hiking at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Perfection.
2. Waking up next to Garth everyday. I love being able to live with my best friend/soulmate. Seven months later and I still get so excited to come home to him! He makes me laugh everyday.
1. The security that he will love me forever and never leave me. It is the most amazing feeling! I get so ecstatic to think I get to spend the rest of my life with him! I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Bucket List Part 2

I talked with the hubs about my bucket list and asked him what his bucket list would consist of. His response made me laugh pretty hard so I wanted to share it with all of you:

"I am pretty content with my life right now. I guess the only thing on my bucket list would be having little g-studs."