It's a little crazy at the Day house right now......rental season for our stringed instrument business is busy! It's a good problem to have. We'll be back on track in a few weeks! Until then, here's how I am feeling......

Living happily ever after.....

When we first got married, I had these great plans for our "golden anniversary" of fourteen years on the fourteenth. It would be romantic, possibly a get-a-way to some exotic place or a quaint bed and breakfast (my favorite) and we would be hopelessly and madly in love and the birds would sing and the stars would shine bright and, well, you get the picture.......

So those plans didn't happen..... When we got married we had no plans on Jason becoming a school teacher. Not a clue we would have a string rental business whose busiest season is in September and October. We never imagined we wouldn't be able to spend even the weekend of our anniversary snuggling together and relaxing over a romantic dinner.

Hmmmmm.......reality bites sometimes!

I spent the evening an hour away renting instruments at a school. Jason finished up teaching for four hours after teaching school all day, sent the babysitter home, got the kids to bed and rented more instruments. I tried to run by our "favorite cheap place to eat" on the way home and got there right as they closed the doors. Not even my plea of "It's my anniversary" was good enough for them. I guess they deserved to go home to their families too!

So, our romantic dinner consisted of leftover pizza and french toast.

Sigh!

It wasn't all bad. In fact, I was ok with the day being busy like that. Because fourteen years ago I started living "happily ever after."

And "happily ever after" means it's forever. He and I have been through a lot in our courtship and marriage. We have learned the hard way and the easy way. We have laughed and fought and cried and made up and recommitted ourselves to each other many times. That's what "happily ever after" is.

We love each other and we know it. We have the same goals. We know what we want in life and we know we can do it together. We aren't perfect at it, but we are trying. We trust each other, we respect each other and we try and show our love for each other with the little things.

I came home and enjoyed the company of my cousins, Anie and Spencer. I was able to come home to a clean kitchen, thanks to them! They are so fun and we are excited they are back in the area to live!

The cuisine wasn't my top choice, but it was food, and for that, I am grateful. We are so blessed to have food. "Happily ever after" means we can even make leftover pizza and french toast romantic!

I got roses earlier during the day. They made me cry. It's the little things he does that really show me he loves me. He knows I love flowers and he knows they make me cry. He knows. He knows what to do so we can live "happily ever after!"

This man.....

This man makes my life complete.

Happy Anniversary, Jason!

I love you!

Fourteen years and one day and counting.......

The National Anthem

Xander was asked by our neighbor to play The National Anthem at a semi-professional baseball game. He was very excited and even brought an American flag. I love this kid!

It was the weekend before we left for Utah, so it was a great family activity!

I haven't been to a baseball game in a long time, but it was nice. The weather wasn't too hot and there was a feeling in the air...

Xander did an amazing job! There was a really bad echo in the microphone, but he played really well.

We celebrated by going out to ice cream afterwards.....

Gotta love Summertime!

There's been a lot of BUSY DAYS around here.....

So, I am not quite sure where to begin.....it has been a glorious summer, full of great memories and learning experiences. It has been a summer that has made me appreciate my family more and realize how hard life really is for all of us. It's a hard road we walk every day, but we don't walk it alone. We have each other, no matter what.

It has been a summer full of events...some planned and other that sent me into a tailspin!

The good news is, we did everything on our summer bucket list, except the summer reading program and the Franklin Institute. Not bad. I feel good about that. My health allowed us to do more this summer than ever before.

So, the next couple of posts will be catch-up posts. I need to get back on track and keep this up. It is good for me and, as Grandpa Butler (and my mom) would say, "for my posterity!"

So, enjoy as the SUMMER DAYS unfold.......

Today I remember.....

Today I remember the victims of 9-11-01.

And I will never forget.

Thank you to all who serve in the military, especially my brother-in-law, John, and my brother, Tom. You sacrifice more than I can imagine to keep me and my family safe. And your families deserve the highest honors for the hours and days they spend without you so I can enjoy my freedoms.

Thank you!

You truly are heroes!

God Bless America today and forever!

THE RE-ENTRY

Coming home from vacation has been like re-entry into the atmosphere without my heat shields on. Whew! I'm a little charred right now! The good news is....

I'm still alive and have every intention of catching up....as soon as I can get through the mountains of laundry and figure out how to rent instruments, keep the house clean, eat my bon bons and not break a nail!