survey from kristie's blog

A Marriage Survey

How did you meet your spouse?
we were in the same sociology class in high school- the first semester of my junior year and his senior year. we never talked in that class, but kept catching each other staring. :) i was the first one to say hi to him randomly in the hall- he was the first one to call and ask me out. after dating a few months, we broke up until over 2 years later, and i guess the second time was a charm for us! :)

How long have you been married?
5 years

What characteristics made you attracted to your spouse?
his confidence, his "tall, dark and handsome-ness," his humor, his intellect, his philosophies about life and politics, and that was just my first impression... :)

How long were you together before getting married?
3 years

How old were you and your spouse when you married?
few months shy of 22- he was 24 (WOW that's young!!)

If someone who has not met their soul mate and would like to find one, what would be your advice for them to meet their soul mate?
to find the right person you have to be realistic with your expectations (no one's perfect). allow someone to be who they are, and make sure they allow you to be who you are, and if you still want to spend every second with them, then you know you've found who you're looking for!

How long does it usually take you to get over an argument?
usually, about 10-15 minutes. we cool off in separate rooms and then we eventually just start talking again like nothing happened. :) no grudges!

What is your definition of marriage?
hmmmm... that's a good question. "legally," it's two people who sign a piece of paper that say they want to share everything about their lives with each other. "philosophically," it means that you've promised another person that out of all the people you've ever and will ever meet, you choose to be THEIR partner, no matter what. you choose to start a family together, a "team" if you will. you work to make sure both of you are happy as much as possible, and you understand that it's not always 50/50. compromise, understanding, forgiveness, humor, open-mindedness, honesty, and generosity should be feelings and actions that are always shown. a happy marriage is 2 people who freely and willingly do all those things with enthusiasm and conviction.

What do you think makes a successful marriage?
i guess i covered that in the last question, but i think the MAIN things that makes my marriage happy is always having realistic expectations- not wanting either person to change, and to know that humor will solve almost anything! also, cuddling is KEY. :)

who handles the finances? Why?
brian coordinates all bills being paid, because he's the more organized of the two of us. i know what's going on, but it's much more efficient for one person to handle it. i help MAKE the money that's used to pay the bills, so my part is covered... haha! :)

What is the most difficult thing about being married?
having to be selfless when you want to be selfish, and having to admit faults at your most stubborn moments- if even only to yourself. marriage makes you grow into a better person, so even though those are difficult things, they make me a better person, and i love brian for that. :)

what advice would you give about marriage?
split furniture up in your head all you want, but keep things in perspective- when you really love someone and are committed to them, all those petty arguments are just that- PETTY. don't bother with drawing them out too long. it won't "teach them a lesson," it'll just raise your blood pressure... ;) i find it most rewarding in the long run to concede and apologize when i least want to- your partner will notice and return the favor.

How long did you wait to have children?
it'll be 5 years and 2 months when violet is born. i like that we waited- we've had a great time getting to know each other in and out, and now we're so excited to have a whole new relationship with each other and this new little girl. we're about to learn a LOT more about each other, and i can't wait! brian's going to be such a great dad.

How far apart in age are your children?
let's see, emma is 7 1/2, speckles (we're guessing) is around 4 or 5, and violet is negative 4-5 weeks. :D

mr. wigglesworth

we have unexpectedly added a new member of our family recently... his name is mr. wigglesworth. he's a little overweight, but it's because we feed him so well. he comes around EVERY single night without fail! we just hope we don't accidentally run over him! he eats all the bugs on our porch, which is where he sleeps and hangs out. isn't he handsome?





i know i'm overdue for another belly pic, as i'm 35 weeks now!!!!! i have a baby shower on sunday thrown by my friends at trio's, so i'll wait and post a bunch of pictures from there with my belly in them. :) i'm excited about my shower!

if you didn't already know, we hired an employee! her name is taylor, and she started this past tuesday. she's been great so far, and we think she's going to work out great! my last "real" day is next friday, and then i get to relax somewhat until violet decides to make her debut. i've been feeling alright, but this heat and humidity has turned my poor feet/ankles into BRICKS. they are painfully swollen all the time, and that's been no fun. :( but other than that, i've felt fine. she's been kicking in every direction, but i've gotten quite used to that, and don't mind it so much. :)

we've had an interesting week at our house. the pipes under our house and apparently our sewer lines have started backing up, and almost everyday for the past week we've had people in and around the house trying to figure it out, and it's been quite interesting to figure out that not many people know what they're doing!! we're apparently having a "crew" from the city come out tomorrow to finally do something that will supposedly fix it. we're crossing our fingers, because we've had a few days where they've had to turn off our water, so that hasn't been fun... and our back yard looks like a minefield. sheesh...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

happy father's day to my wonderful dad. brian and i consider ourselves so incredibly lucky to have been raised by BOTH parents, who have always shown love and support for each other. we are so excited to become parents ourselves, and are confident that we have the tools to raise a good, healthy kid, because we had such great examples in our parents.

some of the things i love and admire most about brian are the things that impress me so much about you, dad. they say that's a good indication if you've done a good job- if your daughter finds someone like you as their partner. :) dad, you pick ANYTHING you want to learn more about, and in no time you know everything there is to know about that particular thing. you're a hard worker that doesn't know how to be selfish. your work ethic is almost not even human. :) you've thought about your children and wife in EVERY decision you've made and i recognize that now, as an adult. i feel so lucky to have had such a great childhood filled with memories that'll make me smile for the rest of my life:

all our camping trips in the summertime- the marshmallow roasting, the waterskiing, jumping off the rocks into the water, watching you fall out of the boat that time and losing your glasses and your wallet... :)

the "nose pinching" game- those silly family times that make me appreciate having been raised in a big family. you were never afraid to be silly to see us smile, and that is one of my favorite things about you.

all of our cross-country trips to california- the infamous "hitchhiking with puke on your lap in zero-degree weather" trip, the "ah, heck, let's adopt a polar-bear-sized dog from a bunch of nuns in the middle of nowhere in new mexico" trip, the "ryan, this is why you don't want to gamble... **ching ching ching!!! you won $100** oh, wait, that wasn't supposed to happen..." trip, and all the others.

every birthday i've ever had. being one of 5 kids, you'd think it would be easy to feel "forgotten," but i never did. especially on my birthday. you and mom really made us feel like the coolest kid in the world by showering us with attention and giving us an awesome, creative birthday party, and my favorite part- getting to choose whatEVER we wanted to eat for dinner, and you guys cooking that for us- our "special dinner." brian makes fun of me for how excited i get about my birthday, and it's because i've always had such a wonderful birthday thanks to you guys.

not ever realizing we didn't have a whole lot of money. you and mom never let us go without love, attention, or fun, and as a kid, that's all you need. :) we didn't notice any stress you guys felt over bills, and that's a really special thing you did for us- to hide that from us. sure, we knew we couldn't just buy whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, but you didn't raise us to be that kind of kid anyway. we had what we needed, and with mom's crazy creativity- we never EVER went without a fun holiday!

dad, you're the best. i can't imagine my life without you, and i don't go a day without feeling appreciative for having you in my life. i'm so glad that you will be close to violet and be able to help raise her and watch her grow into a beautiful woman. it makes me choke up knowing that she's going to see how special of a person you are, and get to know that person. :)

thank you for all you've done, all you do, and all you will do for me and my growing family. i love you with EVERY speck of my being, and always will. :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mama's diamonds

for our 5th anniversary, brian got me a ring that was literally custom-handmade using recycled gold and the diamonds from my great grandmother's (and my aunt's) wedding ring!!! it's beautiful!!! the lady who made it is in mountain view, ca, and she sent me this picture of it. it's being mailed to me, but i haven't gotten it yet. i love it SOOOOOOOOOO much! i wanted to do something really unique and special with the diamonds, and this is a PERFECT way to cherish these stones for generations. i'll hand it down to violet. :) the ring is supposed to look sort of like a bird bath and the stones are supposed to be water droplets hitting the dish. isn't it unique and beautiful!? i'm so incredibly excited about it! i'm going to wear it on my right hand. i can't wait to get it!

more maternity photos

here are some more maternity pictures from sunday. (violet has the hiccups right now!) :) my 2 favorites are the one of me against the barn where you can see my belly, and the one of the lilly in front of my belly. the one of just my face i thought was just cool because the way the light hit my face. the one with "you are my sunshine" written on my belly i think i'm going to print the picture without that text and actually write it on the photo with a paintpen or something- i think that'd look better. i don't know...

i'm so glad sara took these for me so i can remember this wonderful experience forever.... (okay, that was halfway sarcastic, halfway serious....) :)

Maternity Photos

Here are a few pictures from my maternity session i had with sara blancett (www.sarablancett.com) yesterday. i had a lot of fun being the "subject" for a change! :) these are just what she's emailed me so far. i'll post more as i get them. the pose with the flower was my idea... :) enjoy!