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Monday Update: 07/20/09

Where oh where does the time go? Honestly all last week I kept meaning to sit down and write a little about the weekend before and all of the usual goings on….and then before I knew it another week had past and more goings on happened and here I am at the beginning of another week wondering where to start. I hate to just sit here writing a recap of our weeks/weekends…but we’ve just been doing this and that and enjoying so much of it, I can’t help it. So…I apologize for the ramblings….

A few weeks ago Matt and I decided we really wanted some shade for our deck. Ultimately we’d like to build a pergola over it that I can plant some climbing vines on like we had at our old house…but trying to figure out who/when/how to actually get it done is a whole ‘nother topic. So, we set out to see about getting an umbrella for our table – thinking that would be nice. We shopped around a bit and finally picked one we both liked. We rushed home that day and quickly went to work setting it all up on the deck while the dogs ran around panting, excited for whatever it was we were doing…being outside it was BOUND to be exciting. I knew I was going to enjoy having the umbrella. I knew it was going to give us some nice shade during the hot afternoons and evenings. But I had no idea how LIFE CHANGING it would be!!! I can’t even really explain how much I love it. How much it has completely transformed our deck and our enjoyment of it. It’s just incredible…and I’m pretty sure I’ve made Matt come out there with me nearly every day since then to sit, enjoy the shade, and survey the yard. We’ve eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner (well, not all on the same day) out there under the new umbrella. It’s just been so great to sit out there and not be so hot and exposed! Well worth the money!!

That Saturday Hope and Meghan also came down and we went to the Farmer’s Market. I enjoyed wandering with the girls and we sat out on the patio at a restaurant down on Court Ave and ate lunch together. It was a nice, leisurely morning…even if Meghan was a bit whiney about being HOT. Seriously, a six year old…hot? Hope and Chad are going to have fun with her in a few more years!!! I love her – oh, I love her…but that girl is six going on fourteen, I swear!

This past week we finally got Matt’s permanent painted contact! We’d been waiting several weeks to get it back, and thankfully it finally came in and looks great! He got to break it in on Saturday as we headed out to the Farmer’s Market in the morning and then out to dinner with Blake and Amy for our anniversaries that evening. It felt comfortable all day and just looked so good! I’m so grateful for an eye doctor willing to research and try something new. If you’re in the Des Moines metro area and looking for an optometrist, I highly recommend Dr. James Schroder. I could not be happier with the help he’s given to us!

We celebrated our 11th anniversary out with the Jaschke’s, dining at one of the yummy local restaurants downtown Des Moines. We had a great time talking and enjoying our delicious meal together. It’s weird to think that we’ve been married for 11 years, and they’ve been married for 13. We’ve all known each other since high school…so needless to say, we have all been together for a long, long time. This year our anniversary sort of sneaked up on us, which I guess is a sign that life is just moving on. I didn’t spend much time reflecting on the past, or how much things have changed since we first started out on our journey together. I wasn’t sad. I didn’t feel any loss. I think mostly, I just look at Matt and feel grateful. Through it all, the good and the unthinkably bad, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to each other. What we promised then, we continue to keep today. We both agreed that while we’ve definitely had some bumps in our road, our marriage has always, always been good. The bond we have…unshakeable. It feels great to be able to say that and know the truth behind it.

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