Luncheon with the girls....

Happy 40th, Mariana!!!

At Long Last - Winter Flying

The man has been waiting and waiting and waiting for just the right day to go for a flight.  This has been a particularly cloudy winter, though, and clear days are few and far between.  FINALLY, today, Rob and a buddy were able to hit the skies. 

Roberto's Birthday!

The man is much loved and respected by his family :)

A Family Fire

Monday morning, bright and early, we heard about this.  We thank the good Lord above that no one was seriously hurt.

Feast Day Fun: St. Valentine's Day!

We FINALLY have a dining room table back, after the world's longest and most frustrating refinishing project (my husband has earned big-time good hubby points for this one).  We decided to have a fancy-schmancy romantic Valentine's dinner to celebrate.  Grilled some ribeyes, made a red velvet trifle (aka salvaging the ruined cake).  Reagan put hand-made Valentine's on everybody's plates, and we had a great long discussion on exactly WHY we love each other.  Which we don't share nearly often enough (like ever).  We also read about St. Valentine, which I didn't really know much about before.  Very interesting guy: 

St. Valentine

St. Valentine of Rome (c. 270) was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Not much is known about his life with certainty, but according to legend he gave aid to martyrs imprisoned for their faith, and it was for this work, along with his own Christian beliefs, that he was arrested. One account has it that the emperor banned all marriages and engagements in Rome believing this was the reason Roman men were unwilling to serve in the army. Valentine defied this unjust decree and continued to perform marriages for lovers in secret. He was arrested, and while in prison he restored sight to the jailer's blind daughter, causing the jailer and his entire extended family, all 46 of them, to immediately convert to Christianity. Upon hearing this, Emperor Claudius II ordered his execution. St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." He was beheaded on February 14th. St, Valentine is the patron saint of bee keepers, betrothed and engaged couples, lovers, love, happy marriages, and young people. His feast day is February 14th"

Snippets. AKA "What We've Been Up To".

It's February, so it almost goes without saying that we've been up to this:

Our annual snow gauge (the glass-paned door looking out onto the porch we don't shovel) with snow well above the doorknob and about on par with the railing.  However much that is.  Officially, we've had 135 inches so far for the season, with about six feet of that in January.   The porch we don't shovel has done filled up.  Given that we had very little snow until January, this means that we have been "catching up" big time with the annual snow fall.  And yet, there has only been a single snow-day called from school.  Several that SHOULD have been cancelled, but only one official.  This morning, we woke up to -20 degrees, but it warmed up to above 20.  That's a 40 degree difference in a single day, which is pretty astounding!  Snow in February.  Nothin' new there, except it's all getting old old old old old.  Which is also nothin' new.

To keep me from going too "Jack Nicholson in The Shining", I decided to make my new couch a throw out of old wool sweaters and patches of fur.  It is now the warmest blanket on the planet, but its construction broke not one, but TWO sewing machines.  I had to finish the thing by hand.  But it's done!!!

My husband persevered in the table re-finishing project that seemed like it would never end, and we now have a beautifully re-done table on which to eat and do homework.  THREE TIMES he had to start over.  It took two months, but the thing is finished, and back in it's home in the bay window instead of the basement.  Turned out beautiful.  Good job, Robbie.  Thank you for not giving up after retries one and two!

The boys have just started participating in a coding club, which they're very excited about.  But we're all dreaming and hoping and scheming for a get-away, because winter is causing everyone to turn into the Incredible Hulk. 

And lastly, just because it's astounding to me... the current price of gas near here.  I haven't seen prices like this since high-school.  UNBELIEVABLE.  I had to take a picture.  Filling up my car for under $20.  WOW.  Never thought that would happen again.

For Posterity

Eight foot long icicle hanging from the roof.  It goes from the eave down well below the porch.  Lots of blustery cold these days.  Winter is getting long.  We'll survive, but I don't know how fun it will be in the meantime.  We're ready for spring!!

Candlelight Ice Mass

So, it was dark, blustery and very cold (10 degrees, with a wind chill that I'm certain put us below zero).  But it didn't matter.  We gathered in the great wintery outdoors, in a church made of ice and snow, lit by candles, and worshipped the Creator.  It was beautiful, and reverent.  I was worried it might be "gimmicky" but it wasn't.  Hats and gloves were doffed during communion in respect - and in that cold, that's saying a lot.  We sang a capella.  We celebrated the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. We huddled together for warmth and to become a human wind-block for the altar.

I've been so down and crabby about this long, drawn-out winter.  Tonight felt like I was confronting the cold head on.  Bring it, winter.  You can't keep us down.  We will sing praises despite you.  We will take your cold and make it holy. 

My camera phone takes terrible pictures.  Especially in low light, so this does not nearly do justice to just how cool this little snow church is, but maybe you can imagine. 

Love Story Part 7

Follow Along: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Now what?  We were engaged, and living in two different states, half a country apart.   Rob was the brave one, who agreed to quit his job and move out west, with no other prospects in sight.  His boss may have (not may have.  DID!)  thought he was insane when he put in his resignation, but told him that there was a job waiting for him when it all "didn't work out".  Rob told her thanks but no thanks.  We were going to make this thing work.

August 1st was his last email to me before moving out.

"Boy, I sure am gonna miss these letters too, now that you mention it.  Matter of fact, I'm getting down right a little sad.  I called to cancel the internet service over lunch hour, so this indeed looks like the last one.  I promise I will continue to express my love for you in print no matter how old and gray we get....   I'm so ready to spend my life with you, Monica.  I love you so doggone much.  I swear I've got this incredible aching feeling in my heart right now because I miss you so much.  Well, I better get back and put in my last few hours of work!  Then tonight starts the worst part of moving."

Here's Rob's truck packed up and ready to hit the road!  Not so sure what his parents thought about that, but they were smiling....

Rob moved in to my grandparents' basement, which was a few miles away from my apartment.  I worked all day, and he spent his days pounding the pavement, looking for a job, and making me dinner every night.  It was a tough transition, and Rob remembers this as some of his darkest days, being unemployed, away from family and everything he knew.   He did some odd jobs here and there, but things weren't panning out immediately.   It wasn't easy.  We had each other, but we were still getting used to being with each other InRealLife.  It was a learning time, but it was an important time.  We knew it would be like this, which is why we decided to have a longer engagement, even though our dating time had been so short.  My family was less than thrilled at the "engaged to a guy after the third date" thing, even though they really liked Rob.  We knew it was crazy, but we also knew it was RIGHT.  So we would take our time with this next stage, the engagement.    It was important to get to know each other better.  We camped a lot, and hiked, and explored the Northwest. 

In December, after four months of searching, Rob found a job.  But it wasn't in Spokane.  It was in Helena, MT.  He'd be moving once again, but at least within driving distance this time.  Hello, long distance relationship. I would stay behind in Washington until I could find a job in Helena.  Rob found a roommate in Helena, and shared a basement apartment while starting his engineering job at a private firm.  We went back to letters and phone calls, but met up on weekends.  We would meet half way in North Idaho for snowmobiling or skiing.  We made the best of it, but it wasn't easy. 

It was while I was still in Spokane that Rob bought our first home - sight unseen by me.  A guy he worked with was building a spec home, and Rob fell in love with it.  It was a cute little log house on the top of the continental divide, way up in the mountains, across from a pristine trout stream.  Good thing we had the same taste in just about everything!  I knew Rob wouldn't steer me wrong ;). 

I headed to Helena in April of 1998, and found a job working at the local hospital.  I moved into the  little log house before it was completely done, and Rob stayed in the apartment in town until his lease was up in June. My parents, sisters, and grandparents came and spent that Easter with us in Montana.  We were gearing up for the big day.   Our life together was starting.  Our dream was coming true. 

Our wedding was perfect.  I wouldn't change a thing.  It was simple, and beautiful, and meaningful, and one of the best days of our lives. Just everything I'd ever dreamed of since I was a little girl.  I'm going to let the pictures tell that story. 

And the honeymoon....

I have to say, there is no "happily ever after" to this love story.  Seven parts later, this isn't the end.  Rather, it is just the beginning.  Our story hasn't been all roses and rainbows.  Our marriage has had a lot of peaks and valleys, joys and sorrows, fights and forgiveness.  There were times when we just wanted to give up, but we didn't.  We never gave up on each other.  We fought for our marriage from day one, and still fight for it daily.  How do we stay married so long?  We don't give up.  We stay.  And we actively WORK on creating joy, because it doesn't happen on it's own.  Love isn't a feeling, it's a choice.  And we choose to love, even when sometimes we don't feel like it. I think I can say that with some authority now, nearly 18 years later.  We've got a long way to go yet, but we've made it this far, and we're in it for good.  Til Death Do Us Part.  And you know what?  It's true we're not as young or skinny (or tan... thank you U.P.) as we once were, but I am 1000% positive that I am more in love with my husband today than I was back then.  Despite of what we've been through.  Because of what we've been through.  Sticking it out has been WORTH IT.  The family and life we've created together is absolutely worth every single second. 

So THERE is the love story.

But for the record, if MY daughter said she met some guy on the internet, and they were getting married after their third date.... I'd lock her in her room and not let her out.  Just sayin'.