The Story

I was looking through the blog and realized that I promised ya'll the story of how Nick and I got together and never delivered. So sorry! It is super complicated so here you go...

I went to Ball State and my roomate was my dear friend Jessica. Jessica had been an assistant for the boys baseball team at her high school and continued to talk to one of the coaches, Kevin. Well Kevin mentioned to Jess that he had worked with this guy named Nick who, he thought, was going to Ball State too. He said Jess should look him up. Well Nick started to IM (do you remember IMing people???) Jess on the computer and it kind of became a girl's dorm floor thing. We ALL talked to Nick. If Jess ran somewhere I was talking to Nick (heehee) or one of the other girls were. Well Jess agreed to a blind date with Nick and I completely 100% talked her out of it. I mean we had just gotten down to college, had no idea where anything was, and she had NEVER met him face to face. He could murder you and you'd never see it coming, I reasoned. So she stood him up...for the first time.

Well Nick being the forgiving (and relentless apparently!) guy that he was, forgave Jess and suggested that they try again and this time I could come too. Oh great, now we're both going to get killed! Well we met in an outdoor common area, Nick was supposed to be wearing a green shirt, and for some reason EVERYONE practically was wearing a green shirt. Well we waited, didn't see anyone (or anyone we'd want to be ALONE with, sorry Nick!) so we left. Nick to this day says he never saw us, but I promise, we were there...even if it was for just a moment.

Well we came home for Christmas without ever seeing him. This all had basically gone on for the entire first semester. Nick and Jess' mutual friend invited us over for a party...Jess' friend Kevin (mutual friend) was interested in ME so I was being brought along evidently. Well when we got there there was a car with plates from Nick's county and we had this sinking feeling going in to the house that he was there. Oh great, the guy we stood up twice, how fun (awkward!) this will be.

So we were there, Jess was meeting another guy, and Nick was there with two friends. I remember we were watchin Taxicab Confessional and Nick sat by Jess. I was next to Kevin and he kept getting closer and closer to me. I was in the middle of Kevin and one of Nick's friends. I remember Nick's poor friend Aaron kept scootching for me as I kept getting farther and farther away, until he finally said "I'm sorry, I'm out of room!"...even he knew I was trying to get away from Kevin!

Well having found out Nick wasn't totally creepy, Jess invited him to our room to watch TV when we got back to Ball State. Nick was there when I got home from work one night and we started talking. I think we've pretty much talked ever since. He reports that he just hit it off with me more than with Jess...and I had big boobs. Nice Wit.

Don't worry I wasn't a lousy friend, Jess wasn't really into him and could see the look in my eye the night Nick left our room. She pushed us together after that.

So that's how we met and got together. Sometime I'll tell you about our first datings. It includes Jalapeno Chips, Nick rapping, and me getting my foot ran over by a car. Oh the joys of young love! :)

Door County

Captain Nicholas-he guides our family with God at the helm :)
Here we are at the Tall Ships Festival

Nick carved our initials into a tree-how romantic is that?

We toured wineries...yep nothing like drinking at 10 in the morning ;)

Okay Nick hates getting up early but he did for me so we could watch the sunrise...isn't it just gorgeous?

Here we are on the coast...we are just so happy together

This is Door County, I L.O.V.E. this place, ahh

Nick did a lot of this over vacation, I am so happy he got to relax

Today is our anniversary and I am happy to announce that we are celebrating 7 blissful years of marriage :). We went to Door County, Wisconsin over this last week to celebrate early and had an amazing time. We went there last year with the children and had tons of fun but saw so many things to do that weren't exactly child-proof! So we went back to go to fancy restaurants, wineries, gift shops, and antique stores. Oh we had such a wonderful time just reconnecting and talking. I think lingering over meals was one of my best things.

I am so, so blessed that God partnered me with Nick. I could not have asked for a better marriage or a better husband. From that first kiss on the cheek he gave me in the fishbowl in college I have been smitten with him. I love him so much and I love our life together. Happy Anniversary honey, I love you so much! :)

The Ring

Hey look! This is my engagement ring! Have you seen this sucker before? I bet you have although you may have never LOOKED looked at it. And I am going to bet that everyone outside of maybe 1 of you doesn't even know the story behind this symbolic piece of jewelry that I am lucky enough to have so here it goes...

Nick and I had been dating for oh, probably about a year and half and knew we wanted to get married. We weren't engaged yet but we talked about getting married and I guess I just assumed that we would. The problem being that we were broke college students. My mom had given me her ring set from her first marriage so that we could one day use the diamond or trade it in for another ring. I more than willingly gave it to Nick and he just thought that was absurd. There was no way I could just GIVE him a diamond. So he bought it from me...for $1.00. One of our dear friends Beth describes these stories Nick and I have as an "us" story because it is so like anyone else but it is so cute and funny.

So in telling the story I will tell you that life went on its merry way for a while longer and when we had been courting for about 22 months Nick popped the big question. Super exciting, and it is also a cute story so I am saving for another time and another place :).

The ring that you see above is the ring he gave me. He had been telling me he had "study groups" he had to go to when all the while he had been sneaking away to a local jeweler to design my ring. I was so surprised! It is a platinum ring and the diamond in the middle is actually the one from my mom's ring. The sides have channeled diamonds and sapphires. People actually ask me a lot of the time if I am missing diamonds because actually the sapphires are such beauties that they almost look black.

Here's what I really love and think about the ring:

The Design: I LOVE that this husband of mine made this ring. He had the design in his head and was able to make it a reality. I just really think that is something very, very special and it makes it feel even more of a gift from him to me.

The Diamond: My diamond is not ginormous and it actually has a flaw in it. Nick said he had to have it appraised by about 3 different jewelers who said they've never seen a diamond like that but yes it is in fact a diamond. I know I think too much into things, blah, blah, but that is one of the reasons I love the diamond. We aren't perfect but we are definitely unique and love each other just the same. I also love the story behind me selling him the diamond. I love that I got my ring when we were just poor college students...looking at the diamond reminds me of where we've come from. When all of my friends were getting engaged I used to feel jealous about how big of a diamond they would get and personally I think that that sometimes shows the immaturity of a relationship. I never would have wanted Nick to think that he had to get me some huge rock, and obviously he knew that he didn't have to...there were no expectations to uphold or anything to prove. He gave me a ring because he couldn't stand for me to not be his anymore and that is what I love about the ring. Going back to the jealousy thing, I no longer feel jealousy. And sometimes, based on the person, I feel sorrow or pity that they center their lives around size and trying to keep up with others. So basically my ring is a good reminder of the maturity in my own life and way of thinking toward material possessions. *My disclaimer here is that I have several friends with gigantic diamonds who are not shallow...I am not talking about everyone here...duh!

The Sapphires: I LOVE sapphires and wanted them in my ring. Nick did not. But as you can see he designed them with sapphires because it is my ring after all, and he loves me (read this to say "I Won! I Won!" Just kidding). This is a good reminder for me of compromise and the enduring love that comes with our marriage. Sometimes we agree to things we may not necessarily want but we do it because we love the other person so, so very much.

The platinum: one of the strongest metals but also one of the most easily to be scratched. This ring is gouged to the hilt. Sometimes I get upset with myself that I've treated it so poorly, but I have the hands of a wife and mother and my ring represents that. My ring has been worn while I've kneaded bread dough, held seizing baby's, changed countless diapers, and my husband's hand in a hospital bed and from a hospital bed. It never left me through the birth of our two greatest accomplishments and it never, ever leaves me.

So that is the story behind the ring. Nick hopes to one day upgrade me and me, being the sentimental one, really have my qualms about it. If we do "upgrade" it will be with a sapphire. I HATE what diamonds represent and the sacrifices made to obtain them and until about the 1920's sapphires and other gems were what were on wedding rings. I would be fine with my ring but I know it bugs Nick that he never actually bought me a rock, so I "guess" I will let him buy one, which again will be a compromise...like the sapphires I have represent... :)

Devotions

I'm never really one for going on and on about my devotions or what I learn each day because I guess I feel that I am getting things out of them that Ineed and not necessarily what others need. But I felt that I should share my devotions that I read today because I am sure it is applicable to so many people. First of all, you can read the devotional I use by clicking here.

The verse that really stuck out to me was Ephesians 4: 29 which tells us "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. that it may benefit those who listen."

Basically I need to do away with gossiping but also all of the negativitiy and complaining that I do. This morning is a perfect example. I had two kids awake before 6 this morning. Yikes. I could have written a blog about how we are all going to be so tired and how grumpy everyone is. But that is being negative. So instead I will praise the Lord that I have two healthy children that can get themselves out of bed and make decisions for themselves. They could be vegetables. Or I think of my friend who lost her little boy. I'm sure she'd give anything to have him wake her before 6.

What will this accomplish you ask? First of all its from the Bible so God told us to do it, so we do it. That doesn't mean it won't be hard to not do things the wordly way but that is what we are called to do. Secondly, if we (Christians that is) are super nice people who never have anything bad to say and always seem to be joyful and content, how would they NOT want to have what we have in our lives?

The devotion described this as getting rid of the Verbal pollution in your life. I am going to be working on cleaning myself up from now on!

He's Alive!

This was the first year that I think Emma is starting to understand the Resurrection story and everything that that means. It brings tears to my eyes when I see her understanding. I was reading about Jesus' assention into heaven and how it happened a long time ago and she says "and now we are His disciples" she really is starting to understand.

I am sorry I do not have pictures of our big day today. My cousin/best friend in the whole world has an amazing camera so I resigned myself to being lazy about picture taking while she took some amazing ones. I think I am getting the pictures from her on Wednesday.

I hope you had a blessed Easter as well. God is just so good to us. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Because I am such a classic Church of Goder I am a huge Gaither fan and I love these lyrics:

"Because He Lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He Lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life if worth the living,
just because He lives"

How true is that? My life would be NOTHING without Christ. When I have allowed him to guide my life some AMAZING things have happened: I met my one true love, I have two beautiful children, we live in a wonderful home, and we have followed his career paths for Nicholas to the point that I am now home with my children. And that's just going back 10 years! Praise the Lord! Life IS worth living! God gives us so much, even more than just taking care of us physically. Life, love, everything is worth it because HE lives!

Happiness in Marriage is a Choice

Okay to be fair here I told him to give me a really goofy face...promise :)

In case no one has told you Nick and I are delieriously in love! Ah, young love! Except idon't know if we have what you would call YOUNG love considering we've been together for close to 10 years. We met when I was 19 and he was 22. It just seems so young and innocent now and back then I felt so grown-up.

Anywho we married when I was 21 which now seems so young to be getting married. But it was the same age that my Grandmother was when she got married and definitely not fresh out of high school or anything.

We have known so many people who have gotten a divorce, who have split up, broken up, are just plain fed up. Whenever I hear that this has happened it absolutely scares me to death. I think "what was it that made them end? were they happy like us?"

I am in no way saying that I know everything about marriage or that I am some type of advce expert but I do believe that what Nick and I have is a pretty good thing and I have SCADS of people tell me that they wish they were as in love as we are. In all honesty we have to work to make this work. A LOT of work.

Dates, talking, laughing, making a point to not get too stressed about living, and making sure God is in our center. I was told once by a dear older lady that life is 20% circumstances and 80% attitude. I think that this completely applies to life. We all know people who have are unhappy because its just not exciting anymore or the spark is just gone. But what those people don't realize is that you are going through life with the person you love and life quite frankly just isn't very exciting sometimes. Nope...in fact its scary and traumatic and boring and stressful in a lot of areas with exciting being very far away. But you choose to be with that person because what an honor to have someone choose YOU to be with.

I feel absolutely honored and blessed that Nick is with me. He chose me to snuggle with in the middle of the night, to bear his children, to get him aspirin when he has a headache.

We have a friend who divorced because he and his wife were just best friends. Seriously? Isn't that the way it should be? You can CHOOSE to be in love, to talk, to stay up in the wee hours of the night talking, to love one another truly and deeply. I am not saying that we have not had our share of marriage counseling, slammed doors, nights on the couch, or a handful of other painful, painful memories but we have muddled through.

I know that a lot of marriages are pretty one sided and that sucks. I am so blessed with Nick that has has fought with me tooth and nail to get this to work.

His mom had the kids Monday and he got a lot done on our living room (yeah!) but you know what else we also did? We laid on the couch and talked and laughed and were just silly. For the life of me I can't remember what we talked about but we talked and connected.

My prayer for you today is that your life contains such a relationship and if not that you may figure out how to get it there. God showed us how to love and I am so thankful He did because it is so amazing.

The Best

It is amazing to me what love can create. Hopes, dreams, happiness, and two gorgeous children. How blessed God has made us. I just can't believe it.

I LOVE this picture...he holds onto the side of the bed...I think he's trying to make sure that he won't fall out

How hilarious is this? He looks like a little businessman on the phone saying "hold on a sec..."

Nick Made My Life

Nick told me today to listen to this song because it was about me. As he put it "I was driving and heard this song and thought, Hey! This is about my Lindsay Ann". He is just so sweet and I guess I never even thought he thought of me when he heard a song. I just love him so much and listening to this song by Jack Johnson brought tears to my eyes that he feels so strongly about me. Ah, he really does still give me butterflies! Ah. Here is the song:

I've got an Angel
She doesn't wear any wings
She wears a heart that can melt my own
She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing
She gives me presents
With her presence alone
She gives me everything I could wish for
She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She could make angels
I've seen it with my own eyes
You gotta be careful when you've got good love
Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying

But you're so busy changing the world
Just one smile can change all of mine
We share the same soul
We share the same soul

(I left out the ooh's, sorry Jack)

A Day

I am working until noon today and then I am going to have the day to myself! I am going to be going to the mall to return some shoes and do a little shoping for the children. After that I am going to go to Target to hopefully purchase an Easter dress and some yummy sushi for lunch. I will eat said lunch at home while I let the dog out to do her thing. After that I will be going to the outlet mall to try to find some shoes for myself, some cute Valentine's Boxers for the love of my life, and possibly some easter outfits for the children.

How can I do this you ask? Because I have the best in-laws in the world (mother and father that is...I don't know about the rest of you yet! j/k :) ) They are taking the kids today. Nick is picking them up after work and will eat dinner down there, thus meaning that I have a day to myself and I also do not have to make dinner. Woot, woot!

I am so super excited because quite frankly, I just need a day! I need time to myself. And if I am super productive I will come home from errands and shopping and have time to get cleaning done so I can enjoy the weekend with the children. Hooray!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and are relaxed and refreshed come Monday!

Thrilling Thursday!

Well we have made it to Thursday! Isn't God just amazing? Every day should be viewed as a gift.

This morning those little blessings of mine were awake at 4 am. I must admit that when it feels like the middle of the night and everyone is awake, it is very difficult for me to treat my little blessings, like, well, little blessings. But when I left for work they were still awake, and they were happy. Happy little ones is all a Mommy can ask for.

Nicholas is hard at work today too. I was thinking of that last night. A few months ago I would have given anything for him to be back to work, and then when he is I feel lonely and sad that he's not there. What in the world is wrong with me? Why am I always so discontent about everything? Take this weekend for an example. Nicholas has worked all weekend and of course I am busy making plans. He thinks he may have an opportunity to work overtime this weekend which he must do to provide for us (that is our plan at least!). No sooner do I hear this then I am upset and sad that we can't do the things we were talking about. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

So here is what I am doing. I am going to change. I know, shocking, right?

I am going to be joyful and happy in all things! That is something I want my children to pick up and those are traits I want them to carry with them all through life. Plus the Bible tells us to be joyful! How can I talk about how God has so richly blessed us and how AWESOME He is if I am down in the dumps about everything?

1 Thessalonians 5:15-17 tells us:

"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Be joyful always; pray continually;"

And so this will be my new life. How can I be grumpy or mad or sad if I am making it a point to be happy and joyful?

Will you jump on the joyful train with me? Will you make that promise to always try to find the good in every situation? To be happy when your old self probably wouldn't have been?

Winding Down

Well as the kids are well aware, I only go to work 9 more times! How exciting is that? Things here are going well. We FINALLY got Nick's first paycheck this last Friday and once again were shown how truly great is our God! We should be just fine! Yahoo! I have noticed lately that one of my huge stressors lately has been money. I am always worried if we will have enough, are we contributing enough into savings? Retirement? College funds? Ugh, sometimes the stress can be overwhelming. So I am going to try to let it go.

When I want something I think of if I REALLY need it. Most of the time the answer is no. I was at TJ Maxx and saw Mrs. Meyers in the baby scent. I wanted it...bad. Do I need more cleaning products? That would be a huge n to the o. So I passed. Old Navy had huge clearance on sweaters. Do I need more sweaters? N to the o again! So I passed and it felt invigorating!

I did need new sneakers. So I made sure to not just run out and buy the first pair I wanted. I reseached what I wanted and then I searched and searched for the best price. I actually found the best price for my new New Balance 720's to be on NewBalance.com! Just a tip! I would have guessed the best price would have been on some deep discount website or at a bargain bin type of store, not the company's website but alas I was wrong so I am so, so happy that I tried all venues.

When researching I have been thinking on Proverbs 31. Verse 11 tells us that the noble wife's husband has full confidence in her. I want Nick to have full confidence in me and to know that I make the best decisions. Verse 16 tells us that "she considers a field and buys it"...okay I know I am not investing in real estate or anything but I guess my thinking here is that whatever decisions deal with our money...I need to be prayerfully considering them and making good investments...not just throwing money away.

Another thing I have been doing to help me not to be so stressed about money is to avoid things that make me feel like we don't have any money. What am I talking about? Well for one example, jewelry ads that come in the mail around this time. All those things do is to make me want things I don't need and that we can't afford. They also tend to make me a little mad at old-what's-his-face, who happens to not really be the jewelry giving guy. And you know what? I am okay with that (as of right now!). Another thing that makes me covet is when I web surf...gap, vickie's...they call my name. And before long I have convinced myself that I need ALL of this stuff...and when I can't have it I get upset and look around uncontentedly at what I do have. That's not what God calls us to do.

So as I wind down working I am also hoping to wind down my attachment to consumerism. I think I will always secretly want a new Coach Bag, or new Choos, but I am hoping to squelch those things and be able to focus on what really matters...my precious darlings I get to take care of and my amazing husband who (with God's help of course!) is making that happen!

The Beginning

Match.com has had these commercials asking "what is your beginning?" and I love thinking of our beginning. I don't tell many people because it is a somewhat complex story. There was no story of how we reached for the same breadstick in the cafeteria line and we knew we were meant to be. But our story is us. Its sticky and complex. Its funny and quirky. Its a story that is funny. Its a story where we should never have even been remotely in the same place...but God made it work.

I think all of those things basically describe us. And our marriage.

Nick said I dwell too much in the past. He thinks that because I love our beginning so much that I must not be happy with the now. Which totally is not true. I love our now. I have loved every single moment. But the beginning is fun because I remember how I felt when I first laid eyes on that man. How we would stay up for hours in the cafeteria talking. How he kissed me on the cheek when he left one time. How I felt butterflies for him. How I still do.

So those things are what I remember of our beginning. What is best about your beginning?

It's the Little Things

Yesterday I was getting my hair cut about half an hour after I got off of work. The children were having fun with Auntie Bean and Grandma Peggy so Nicholas was kid free. He met me yesterday at Jimmy John's close to my salon to have a 25 minute lunch with me before my appointment. Isn't that just so sweet? Then he walked with me to the salon even though he parked in the opposite direction. Ah, young-we've-known-one-another for 9 years-love!

As you can see its the little things now a days that get my goat. An $8.00 lunch at a sandwich shop and an arm to be on when walking through the City still gets my heart all aflutter. I love that man so much. I love that he thinks of me and thinks of how to make me happy. I love that he loves me.

Oh yes and by the way...my haircut totally rocks!

Wouldn't Trade a Second

Yesterday was our Wedding Anniversary! I simply cannot believe we've been married for six years...wow how time does fly. Nick took me for a romantic picnic with our favorite italian foods on the water. It was peaceful and beautiful. I am a lucky lady to have him! Thanks for loving me Nicholas!

Fisherwoman Emma

Emma and Uncle Marcy with her first fishy!

Emma put her hand on his shoulder, patted him, and said Thanks for this...so cute!

Doesn't she look proud?

This past weekend Uncle Marcy came home and took Emma fishing. She loved it! Months ago I was driving her around and she randomly decided she wanted Uncle Marcy to teach her to fish. Hm, random. So we went home and she called him to ask him to take her fishing. After that its all she talked about.

Grandma Peggy got her a Dora fishing pole complete with cute pink bobbers. Emma was a little freaked out by the worms and the fish when she caught them but overall had fun. Emma caught a small-mouthed bass and Uncle Marcy had her kiss it! Since then she's been talking about how she kissed that fish with the little mouth.

She was thrilled when we would throw the fish back to their Mommy's and Daddy's. Overall it was a great experience and I know she can't wait to go fishing the next time.

Thank's Aunt Jan!

Saturday I got a package and in it was this book from my Aunt Jan! I am so blessed to have her as my Aunt and Friend! It was so encouraging to get a gift out of the blue and so much fun. This is now my favorite book...it has everything you could ever want! It made me remember the kinds of aprons my Aunt Rella wore or seeing pictures of my Great Grandma, what a treasure...just like my Aunt Jan! Thanks so much, I love it and I love you!

Touch

Touch alarm clock
Touch shower
Touch towel
Touch Nick's cheek
Feel loved
Touch pink coffee cup
Touch leash
Touch gate
Feel God's presence
Touch blowdryer
Touch clothes
Touch yogurt cup
Touch Emma's pink blanket to tuck her in
Feel blessed
Touch jacket
Touch sandals
Touch front door
Feel sad to leave

What do you touch?
What do you feel?

Hottest Man Ever!

I'd like to introduce you to the cutest man ever...my husband, Nick! Isn't he a hottie? I love that he is such a good daddy and such a great husband. I thank God every day for this man. Lately we have been rediscovering one another...read that to mean we fight practically every day. Nick has helped me to realize that I need to lighten up and be his Lindsay again instead of trying to be an uber mom. I hope I am making Nicholas realize that he needs to be more fun and not yell all of the time (I'm clearing my throat at you sir!). I love him so much. I love what a good Daddy he is...he's fun, he thinks of cool things to do, he brings them things home from work. He's such a good husband...he puts up with so much crap from me (not to the extend of Jon and Kate, but still) and still manages to somehow have reason to get out of bed in the morning. He is so funny and compassionate. I just love him...okay just wanted to let you all know how much I love him!

Giddy Up

Last year Emma took her first pony ride and LOVED it! So when we went on vacation we thought it would be fun to try to have Calvin take a ride. He tends to be stand offish about some things, especially giant animals!, but to our surprise he loved it too! Calvin’s horse was named Macaroni and Emma had a horse named Buster…too cute! Emma was in front of Calvin on the trail and she kept turning around and yelling “come on Macaroni!” She apparently thought that Calvin was poking behind. The thing I love about this summer is that the kids are beginning to do things together and they are beginning to be on the same playing field as far as interests go. And Calvin has always wanted to do what Emma is doing; we are finally getting to the point where Emma actually wants her brother around too. It’s pretty common now to hear “come on calvin, follow me” from wherever they are playing. It’s nice to know that although Macaroni lags, Calvin will never be far behind Emma.

Calvin on Macaroni

Emma and Macaroni...I think I should have requested a side saddle

Vacation

Here we are right before Mother's Day Brunch!

Me and my babies
For Mother's Day Nick took me out of town. I must say I become a different person when I am out of town...I am on my game. I am funny, kind, lighthearted, witty, oh so witty! I discover that I really am too blessed to be stressed. Yippee! I do funny things like walk through mud puddles, get icecream on my nose on purpose, and roll down hills. I think vacations are what we need to take a step back and look at our life through someone else's eyes...I think the someone else would see how lucky I am. How much fun we all have together, how carefree the four of us are when we are together. Here are some pics we took on our vacation...

Emma stepping on the water in her cute suit

Daddy and Calvin swimming

This is how Emma and I shop...she plays & I drink

Run Forest, run! Sorry had to interject that one! :)