Eight years ago today I was a 'newlywed' of about 24 hours! My new husband and I were sitting on the deck of a big ass cruise ship on our way to Puerto Rico sipping froo-froo drinks in souvenier glasses with cute little umbrellas-or at least I was, I'm sure Brian was drinking a Grolsch or two! We were floating on air and our new status as Mr. and Mrs. while actually operating hungover on very little sleep, a long plane ride and an even longer delay in port before we boarded that big boat taking us to paradise!
I was giddy in love with a wonderful man-but that giddiness only lasted until we were kayaking together in the middle of a tiny mangrove channel at night in Puerto Rico just off the ocean to see a bioluminscent bay. Let's just say that kayaking with the one you love will cause you to quickly re-evaluate your love for them. Not to mention it was pitch black, there were creepy sounds coming from the mangrove forest we were paddling through, and at any moment I expected an anaconda to leap out of the water and attack us. Not sure anancondas are actually native to Puerto Rico-but hey, shit happens-somebody might have had one as a house pet and when it got to be say 30 feet long and began eating the neighbors they decided to dump it in a remote mangrove forest. It was survival of the fittest at that point-if a giant anaconda did jump out of the water-well, I love you honey, but I had already decided Brian was going to be the first to be eaten. I began to wonder what the hell I was doing there and who the hell had talked me into this!?!?!
Oh, and did I tell you we were paddling through all of this to end up in the southern most tip of the Bermuda Triangle??? Brian was in the rear of our plastic little kayak, I in the front. Never having actually kayaked before, I was a little confused when he would tell me to paddle right-did he mean me paddle on the right, or paddle on the left and make the kayak go right?? Either way, I was definitely rethinking marrying the asshole in the seat behind me, and wondered if I hit him a few times in the head with the plastic oar-was it dark enough that no one else would see me??? There was lots of cursing, and near crashes into the mangrove tree roots-but we finally made it to the bay! The water was calm, the sky was clear with stars twinkling everywhere, and as you raised your oar out of the water it sparkled with a beautiful bluish-green glow! The trip getting there, and seeing this gorgeous side of nature was so worth it!
As I look back on the last eight years of marriage, I find myself reflecting back on that first 'journey' we took as husband and wife.
Has it been scary at times? Yes.
Have I sometimes wondered what the hell I was doing and who the hell talked me into it? Most definitely yes.
Have I wanted to hit my husband in the head with a plastic oar, or book, or brick or stab his eyes out with a fork? Yep. A time or two.
Have I cursed? Alot? Oh, f#%$@k yes.
Has it all been worth it? A thousand yesses.
I love you honey, after all we've been through, I love you more today than 8 years ago. I know you've got my back, and I've got yours. We have made a beautiful family together, and I couldn't ask for more.
Here's to at least 8 more.....and me curbing the urge to put a pillow over your head while you snore at night.
Happy Anniversary.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
I'm the one from the 'Dotte!?!?!
Yes, I grew up in Wyandotte County-and proud to be a 'Dotte Girl, and something that my husband never misses in reminding me when I have a proud 'dotte moment like the time I overslept and was late picking Hailey up from school. I was 8+ mos preggo with Ethan, it was a Monday morning and I had worked the night shift the night before. Brian was at work and I laid down to close my eyes for just a minute....when I opened my eyes and saw the time on the clock indicating I should have left the house 15 minutes prior, all fashion sense went out the window as I flew out of bed and slipped on the closest pair of shoes and ran down to the garage. It wasn't until I got to the school's driveway- empty of the big, yellow school buses, empty of the long line of car-rider cars, and even empty of the loitering children chatting up their day. Hailey was no where in sight-she must be inside waiting for me to come in and get her.
I looked in the mirror and to my horror realized I had not taken off my eye-makeup before lying down that morning, thus it was smeared all over my eyes very 'my baby's daddy hits me' looking. My hair was the true definition of bad-hair day combined with windstorm. My outfit, ummm, hubby's POLICE t-shirt with holes in it and paint all over it-stretched to it's limit with my baby bump, purple flannel pajama pants with penguins all over them, pink and purple striped Pippi Longstocking looking socks and the shoes? One black Dansko and one red Croc-how the hell did I do that??
I sat there pondering-would it be tacky if I honked the horn for her to come out? Totally.
Or how about calling on my cell phone and asking them nicely to send her out? I would have done that except I didn't have my cell phone with me!
I waited a little longer hoping one of the office ladies or even Hailey would see me parked in the circle drive-and come out-but no luck. I was going to have to go in and get her. I searched around for my sunglasses-maybe they would serve as a nice disguise for me, but I couldn't find them. At that point I even debated going back home and faking sick when the school called to ask why I hadn't picked my child up yet and blaming it on my husband whom was supposed to be on pick-up duty that day swearing he would there shortly, all the while calling him and trying to convince him that it was his fault Hailey hadn't been picked up yet. I could get away with a lot being 8+ months pregnant with his son-but I was pretty sure that one wasn't gonna fly-so I sucked it up and opened the car door and got out. In doing this, I saw my sunglasses on the floor board and bent down to pick them up-I was elated!
As I shut the door, but before I could take one step away from the car I heard a man's voice behind me say "Are you really going in there dressed like that?" Dammit-someone else here late who knows me! I turned to see a neighbor, friend, Dad of my daughter's best friend and co-worker of my husband looking at me in complete amazement. I tried to tell him the story of me working the night before, oversleeping, then waking in a panic that I had forgotten my daughter at school, but before I could open my mouth he kindly held up his hand, re-opened my car door and said "Get back in your car. I will go get Hailey for you-you CANNOT go in there looking like that" God Bless that man, whom I still run into occasionally and often wonder if he remembers that incident or not?!?!? Of course the story does not end there-when I got home with Hailey and walk through the door in all my glory my husband looks at me and says "Wow-if you only had a cigarette and no teeth nobody would question where you grew up...." Thanks honey, love you too.
ANYWAY, back to my original story-Brian was off last night and we wanted to watch a movie together, and since Red Box is much cheaper than the On-Demand movies, off we go to the closest Red Box. Which just so happens to be out of order! No big deal, we'll just drive down to Price Chopper and get it there. As I'm walking in with my husband beside me, I look down and notice that he is wearing socks only-NO SHOES-and they are covered in grass clippings and grass stains from mowing the yard earlier that day!
"Honey-you don't have any shoes on-you can't go into Price Chopper without shoes on-that's disgusting-not to mention complete white trash!"
"Really?" he says to me in a very condescending tone with a smirk on his face. "At least no one from your work is here to see me."
At least I had shoes on!
And I'm the one from the 'Dotte???
Ok-so that story is not what I had intended to write about -but started laughing about it while I was running this evening because I ran past the elderly couple we saw in Price Chopper last night(who BTW absolutely noticed my husband's lack of shoes!) They are obviously neighbors-and recognized me tonight too! Then I couldn't stop laughing and between that and breathing like I have a hole in my lungs because I'm really not a runner, I got choked up and puked in a neighbor's bushes! Of course the elderly couple heard me and turned around just in time to see me in all my glory complete with vomit coming out my nose!
Classy, I know.
What can I say?
I am the one from the 'Dotte!
I looked in the mirror and to my horror realized I had not taken off my eye-makeup before lying down that morning, thus it was smeared all over my eyes very 'my baby's daddy hits me' looking. My hair was the true definition of bad-hair day combined with windstorm. My outfit, ummm, hubby's POLICE t-shirt with holes in it and paint all over it-stretched to it's limit with my baby bump, purple flannel pajama pants with penguins all over them, pink and purple striped Pippi Longstocking looking socks and the shoes? One black Dansko and one red Croc-how the hell did I do that??
I sat there pondering-would it be tacky if I honked the horn for her to come out? Totally.
Or how about calling on my cell phone and asking them nicely to send her out? I would have done that except I didn't have my cell phone with me!
I waited a little longer hoping one of the office ladies or even Hailey would see me parked in the circle drive-and come out-but no luck. I was going to have to go in and get her. I searched around for my sunglasses-maybe they would serve as a nice disguise for me, but I couldn't find them. At that point I even debated going back home and faking sick when the school called to ask why I hadn't picked my child up yet and blaming it on my husband whom was supposed to be on pick-up duty that day swearing he would there shortly, all the while calling him and trying to convince him that it was his fault Hailey hadn't been picked up yet. I could get away with a lot being 8+ months pregnant with his son-but I was pretty sure that one wasn't gonna fly-so I sucked it up and opened the car door and got out. In doing this, I saw my sunglasses on the floor board and bent down to pick them up-I was elated!
As I shut the door, but before I could take one step away from the car I heard a man's voice behind me say "Are you really going in there dressed like that?" Dammit-someone else here late who knows me! I turned to see a neighbor, friend, Dad of my daughter's best friend and co-worker of my husband looking at me in complete amazement. I tried to tell him the story of me working the night before, oversleeping, then waking in a panic that I had forgotten my daughter at school, but before I could open my mouth he kindly held up his hand, re-opened my car door and said "Get back in your car. I will go get Hailey for you-you CANNOT go in there looking like that" God Bless that man, whom I still run into occasionally and often wonder if he remembers that incident or not?!?!? Of course the story does not end there-when I got home with Hailey and walk through the door in all my glory my husband looks at me and says "Wow-if you only had a cigarette and no teeth nobody would question where you grew up...." Thanks honey, love you too.
ANYWAY, back to my original story-Brian was off last night and we wanted to watch a movie together, and since Red Box is much cheaper than the On-Demand movies, off we go to the closest Red Box. Which just so happens to be out of order! No big deal, we'll just drive down to Price Chopper and get it there. As I'm walking in with my husband beside me, I look down and notice that he is wearing socks only-NO SHOES-and they are covered in grass clippings and grass stains from mowing the yard earlier that day!
"Honey-you don't have any shoes on-you can't go into Price Chopper without shoes on-that's disgusting-not to mention complete white trash!"
"Really?" he says to me in a very condescending tone with a smirk on his face. "At least no one from your work is here to see me."
At least I had shoes on!
And I'm the one from the 'Dotte???
Ok-so that story is not what I had intended to write about -but started laughing about it while I was running this evening because I ran past the elderly couple we saw in Price Chopper last night(who BTW absolutely noticed my husband's lack of shoes!) They are obviously neighbors-and recognized me tonight too! Then I couldn't stop laughing and between that and breathing like I have a hole in my lungs because I'm really not a runner, I got choked up and puked in a neighbor's bushes! Of course the elderly couple heard me and turned around just in time to see me in all my glory complete with vomit coming out my nose!
Classy, I know.
What can I say?
I am the one from the 'Dotte!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Welcome!
To our new Rawley Family blog!
I have fretted for a long time on a new appropriate name for our blog and finally settled on this one-Smiles, Laughter, Tears. Those three words are the best descriptors for our daily life events!
No deep philosophical teachings here-just the often humorous, trying escapades of life as a Mom to three kids and a dog, wife to a cop, and friend to some of the most amazing people I know!
Today's Smile: Parker at Lake Viking with the Williams and tubing for the first time ever! Colette said he was holding on to the tube with a death-grip and a half-smile/half-panicked look on his face!
Today's Laughter: Taking Hailey and her two friends out to eat breakfast at I-Hop and listening to the conversation of three incredibly social 13 year olds:
"Umm did you like know that Taylor is dating Finn?"
"Seriously- OMG!" followed by rapid texting to those not 'in the know' of this newly acquired hot gossip
FYI-you may have thought they were discussing fellow school mates that the girls know personally-however the 'Taylor' is the Swift one and 'Finn' is the guy from GLEE, after which was followed by a diatribe about how hysterical Sue Sylvester is-these girls cracked me up!
Today's Tears: a dear friend's family lost her house and two vehicles in a house fire early Sunday morning. A tragedy yes-but no life was lost-only things. For that, I know they are very thankful-but it doesn't make starting over with nothing any easier.
The Smiles that come out of these tears: the amazing outpouring of offers of help and donations for this family have renewed my faith in the compassion and humanity of this community!
Happy Monday-have a great week! This will be my first week of full-time work since May 2008, so I'm sure to have lots of smiles, laughter and tears to share with you before week's end!
I have fretted for a long time on a new appropriate name for our blog and finally settled on this one-Smiles, Laughter, Tears. Those three words are the best descriptors for our daily life events!
No deep philosophical teachings here-just the often humorous, trying escapades of life as a Mom to three kids and a dog, wife to a cop, and friend to some of the most amazing people I know!
Today's Smile: Parker at Lake Viking with the Williams and tubing for the first time ever! Colette said he was holding on to the tube with a death-grip and a half-smile/half-panicked look on his face!
Today's Laughter: Taking Hailey and her two friends out to eat breakfast at I-Hop and listening to the conversation of three incredibly social 13 year olds:
"Umm did you like know that Taylor is dating Finn?"
"Seriously- OMG!" followed by rapid texting to those not 'in the know' of this newly acquired hot gossip
FYI-you may have thought they were discussing fellow school mates that the girls know personally-however the 'Taylor' is the Swift one and 'Finn' is the guy from GLEE, after which was followed by a diatribe about how hysterical Sue Sylvester is-these girls cracked me up!
Today's Tears: a dear friend's family lost her house and two vehicles in a house fire early Sunday morning. A tragedy yes-but no life was lost-only things. For that, I know they are very thankful-but it doesn't make starting over with nothing any easier.
The Smiles that come out of these tears: the amazing outpouring of offers of help and donations for this family have renewed my faith in the compassion and humanity of this community!
Happy Monday-have a great week! This will be my first week of full-time work since May 2008, so I'm sure to have lots of smiles, laughter and tears to share with you before week's end!
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