...It Was a Teenage Wedding.......

".......beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat' ~ Joanne Woodward, wife of Paul Newman 

".......beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat" ~ Joanne Woodward, wife of Paul Newman 

I'm a huge fan of Hollywood celebrities who manage to have long marriages, and Paul Newman is one of my favorites! Let's face it, he was a drop-dead gorgeous man who believed in marriage and fidelity; how rare! He was known to say that he had "steak at home, why would I go out for hamburger?". I also found another quote from him that is brilliant, "People stay married because they want to, not because the doors are locked".

All this reflection on marriage is because my wedding anniversary is fast approaching, May 1st will be our twelfth anniversary!

 I can hardly believe it, 12 years is a long time, isn't it? When I look at our wedding pictures and see how painfully young we were; honestly; I can't believe we were allowed to get married! How far we've come! Whenever I start to delude myself that I haven't changed, I have only to look at our wedding pictures, and the truth is evident; we've grown up together, as well as growing together as a couple.

It certainly hasn't been easy; though nothing worth doing ever is. We agreed (as we do almost every year) that presents were unnecessary (especially since our vacation was a great present), but I couldn't resist, and used my etsy money to buy a little trinket for both James and I! It wasn't expensive, just funny and meaningful; and I'm bursting to say what it is, but won't, because James sometimes reads my blog and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag!

We do generally go to a movie and out to dinner, which I'm sure doesn't sound exciting to most people, but we rarely get the opportunity to see movies anymore, or go out to dinner, so it's a special treat that reminds us of when we were dating. I think we may just go to our favorite winery for wine tasting and for lunch this year; we've recently enjoyed sampling different types of wine, and the drive and visit to the winery itself is very beautiful this time of year. Thank goodness I have a few sisters that are great with my boys and so generous as to come over to babysit when I ask; otherwise, it would be virtually impossible for us to have "dates", since none of my children have ever been watched over by a babysitter who wasn't family; and I don't want to go down that road. Although I do have a few wonderful friends I would trust, but I consider them family, anyway.

Last weekend I went with one of my best friends to a craft store, to buy supplies for my Farmer's Market booth, and found one of those inspirational saying signs that I loved; it says "All because two people fell in love". I love it! I'm planning on putting in on the wall that has all the framed photos of our boys; I think I love the sentiment because it's something I often think about. When I'm driving my boys to school, I look in the rear-view mirror and see five little heads in shades of blonde and auburn, and think to myself; "all this because a 19 year old boy asked a 17 year old girl for her phone number?!". It seems so strange that such a little thing, that happens every day has changed the world so much. Having five boys seems so profound to me, that means that because of me, five men will go out into the world and change it, for good (I hope), or for bad; and their children's children will as well. I never wonder when people have difficulty in deciding whether to have children or not; I'm thankful I never had to decide, it's a wonder to me anyone has children when given the choice, such a serious undertaking!

Anyway; I'm not sure where the serious bent to my blog posts lately has come from; I find myself reluctant to blog about the mundane lately, because as always, I feel like I'm getting buried by everyday tasks, and have found myself worrying quite a bit about the next few weeks, since I have so much to do! I began work on my mom's reception dress, I always wish, wish, wish that I had a dedicated space for it, since before I sew I have to make sure my kitchen table is sparkling clean, especially with the fine fabrics I will be working with on this project; it would be horrible for my mother to get married in a silk dress decorated with jelly from her grandsons' breakfast! Someday, I'm sure I will have a sewing and craft space, but for now, I just have to make the best of it! I may find myself pulling all-nighters soon, but I have no doubt if I push through it, I can get everything done.

Have a great weekend!

Que Sera, Syrah....

Wow! I had such a great weekend! On Saturday; after doing my usual grocery store rounds and errands, I got to spend some time with my oldest friend. We've known each other since we were practically infants, and although distance and a difference in lifestyle have taken us apart over the years, she's one of those friends that you can not see or speak to for years, then resume your friendship as though you had just spoken the day before. She recently got married, so we've had fun rekindling our friendship by doing "wifely" and domestic things, like going to Costco together, or just lunch. When we were growing up, there was a little tiny, old drive-in restaurant in the town we lived in called "The Hungry Onion". I wish I had pictures, the old neon onion is still there, lit as brightly as ever. This place has been there since the fifties, and was a staple when we were kids in the eighties. I've enjoyed revisiting it over the years, and often take my boys in the summer, but my friend hadn't been there in at least fifteen years. So we packed up baby Elvis and went to the Hungry Onion. We had a great time, and Elvis even partook in the food (I know, bad Mama; but he wanted it sooo much!). We had a great, bad-for-you meal and then went back to her house for what was supposed to be a movie afternoon, but we ended up ignoring the movie and talking the whole time!

On Sunday, James and I had one of our rare "dates"; at a local winery. Ste. Chapelle. It's only about a 30 minute drive; through wonderful country scenery; including driving by the most wonderfully named road in existence: Chicken Dinner Road. That name conjures up a lovely Sunday family dinner, and is strangely poetic. At the restaurant we went to beforehand, they had some local info and I finally found out the secret to the prosaic name. In the 30's there was a woman who lived on the poorly maintained road who made a mean fried chicken dinner. After some town officials partook of her famous fried chicken; the road was fixed, and named after her best dish. So sweet! One of those local things you only find out about when you take the time to visit smaller towns. As always when James and I get a chance to go out together, we look at each other and remark that we forgot about being a couple, and are always pleased to find out that in addition to loving each other, we actually do like each other, and all the things we connected on when we were dating are still there; it's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day trials and forget to be great friends as well as husband and wife. We don't get a chance to go out often, but when we do it always helps us have a greater appreciation for the other person, and helps get us through those times when the stresses of the day overwhelm us.

Now, in case you were wondering; I do know that the song Doris Day made famous is actually spelled "Que Sera, Sera", the silly name comes from a wine we tasted on Sunday that I absolutely fell in love with, called Syrah; named after a particular dark-skinned grape, which are the type shown in the picture. I don't normally love dry red wines, but this particular one was divine. It reminded me of those old York Peppermint Patty commercials, where one bite would transport you to a whole different place. When I sipped the Syrah; I could envision myself in a bubble bath, with no laundry! I love coffee and dark chocolate, and this wine hit on all the same notes. James made a joke about the song when we were served it, and I've had that silly song in my head ever since!

I've got a busy week ahead of me, including having my carpet cleaned, which is my favorite thing ever.

Happy Monday All!