"So you just keep stretching until you can do it?"
"My daughter really wants to marry your son."
"It would take about three weeks to switch the accounts back to my name."
I forgot how much you hear at Panera.
I love it.
The woman at the pick-up window just called for the name "Fattmar " to pick his meal up.
"FATT"-mar.
Maybe it's a family name.
Happy Monday my friends.
And what's more, Happy FEBRUARY.
With sickness dominating all of December and most of January the month of "love" couldn't be loved any more than it is by this family.
The snowflake cut-out hearts line the walls while garlands and Valentine clings line the windows.
No red or pink construction paper is safe at our house.
Shout out to the sweet friend who made today's cappuccino possible.
No one took me up on my mascara offer but one did treat me to a warm cup for my next post and I am just so very touched by that. Thank you friend!
With love in the air, things have been pretty exciting around here.
The oldest and craziest put a ring on the finger of the sweetest little red head and it's got my husband and I just shaking our heads at night wondering how on earth we have one getting married in the Summer?!
The thought of him living in our basement forever helps us make peace with him getting married for sure but still, how on earth?!
And this kind of thing is catchy.
Before you know it another one will "bite the dust" and we just may have to figure out how to make a meatloaf for two.
There are some things that have been crazy different from what my sweetheart and I experienced.
Courtship is a "horse of a different color."
Isaac and his girl didn't sit in a snack shop figuring out if this person was "their person," like Joel and I did with several people.
Now, mind you, the nachos were great but the various attempts at the right "fit," were not our favorite.
Don't even get me started on the "serious room" where apparently you got an extra scoop of ice cream or something because you couldn't stand to be bothered with "regular dating couples."
If you had a ring, you had entrance.
This is making me laugh right out loud for the hilariousness of it all.
We went ONE solitary time with Joel's MOM and yes, had nachos because they were fire back then when I forgot to sign up for dinner.
I'm sure we went against every imaginary rule for the "serious room" but we didn't care too much.
If I had any clue about the fact that I was going to to be making dinner for the rest of my life in a few short months,
me who had no clue how to get jello to set,
I for suresies would've eaten a LOT more nachos.
Watching Isaac fall in love with Annaleese has been weird, fun, weird, lovely and wonderful.
So basically something like the state motto for West Virginia.
I mean who prepares you for a front row seat to this kinda thing?
Joel and I fell in love away from our parents and over said copious amounts of junk food.
And from the looks of it, I'm for sure okay with the kids falling in love somewhere else than in my kitchen.
I mean I have dinner to plan, adverb phrases to find and a husband to smooch at 5 when he comes home.
Honestly I used to laugh at "secret courtship," but I'm actually okay with it being a secret from me until a few days before the wedding.
Okay okay I'm KIDDING.
But am I?
(smile)
I wish you could've gotten inside my brain as I hid in the bushes with Abi the "engagement coordinator," "shushing" me while I wondered where on earth my husband could be and knowing for certain that he was going to miss the whole thing!
I stood with another Mom and Dad wondering how in the world we were here and wishing they could fully know how much I adored their daughter.
And all at once Abi FINALLY led us out of the bushes and there was the knee, the ring and the palpable feeling of God just working every single thing in the world out for his pleasure.
OF COURSE I cried and hugged this girl who will learn that Isaac is fun, completely lovable and leaves way too many things on the floor.
This is the one we have prayed for, dreamed of and the one - when we finished the first super awkward marco polo with- we just knew.
We knew it was her for him for this life and it gave us the coolest feeling.
I thought when they placed the last little girl in our arms and we looked at each other that it was the last time we would have that "knowing" as a couple.
You just have to have these moments as a husband and wife to understand this feeling of love, excitement and solidarity.
Like a permanent memory is being burned into your hearts and minds that nothing can erase.
Yep, that about sums it up.
I thought those moments, those feelings were over.
But they're not.
Seeing our kids find their person to love for this lifetime leaves that same feeling.
And I wonder if my parents felt this same feeling when my nervous husband drove to see them and told them that he loved their daughter.
And it makes me laugh to remember him telling me that when he asked my dad to marry me my dad responded with, "Don't ask me, ask her!"
And ask he did over an empty fireplace a cleaning woman and a crumb-filled red velvet couch.
I loved hearing my husband coach our oldest on what "Not" to do when he proposed from his own experience.
I was excited for the ring and for the bended knee, but I was most excited about Isaac telling Annaleese that he loved her.
I told him so as we were scattering the most beautiful purple rose petals before I was banished to the bushes.
Under Abi's watchful eye of course.
Once when the happy couple was over we pulled-out our college scrapbook with the little notes that said things like, "I sure LIKE you a lot," before we told each other we loved each other and it was sweet to see them in that same phase.
So Isaac, we love her.
And we want you to just keep loving her and telling her so.
And if you want to keep the perfumed notes downstairs that would be good too.


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