Where Did January Go?

It happens every single year.  We eat our way through Thanksgiving, we shop in December and celebrate Christmas, we end a year while fondly reminiscing the events of the current year and make empty promises for better things for the upcoming year, and after all of that, I finally slow down, rest, and realize that it is February.  January has come and gone and has now become a blur.  Our January is so crazy. And this year has been no exception.  In January, we go straight into 2 birthdays and our anniversary.  And although I know this, these dates always sneak up on me before I am ready to tackle them.

In summary, Beau celebrated a milestone birthday this year......the big 40.  When I turned 40, it was a big emotional event.  I know it is just a number, logically, but on a psychological level, it is much more than that to me.  I see my youth slipping away, the wrinkles appearing, and the gray becoming more stubborn.  But Beau, partially because he is a man and partially because he simply does not care (and perhaps those two things are related) sees 40 for what it is.  A number.  And although I see my failing appearances, I only see that he continues to become more attractive.  I suppose that is true love.  The saying goes that men become more handsome, and women just get old. All I know is that Beau is my guy and I am thankful for him.  In celebration for his birthday, I put together a small gathering of friends and family.  It was quaint and fun and I think I accomplished what I set out to do....make Beau feel special.  I put together a small collage of pictures of Beau through the years.  The only pictures I have of him from his childhood are ones that Aunt Cathy put together in an album years ago.  I was so thankful to have that book.  Also, in an attempt to really let Beau know how I appreciated him, I put together a list of  "40 Reasons Why You Are Special."  Beau isn't one that likes to have a lot of attention, but I know he enjoyed reading my list.  I initially thought it was going to be hard to verbalize 40 reasons (sorry honey), but once I sat down and began working on the project, it was really very easy.  The night was spent eating, playing Cranium, laughing, and enjoying some good old fashioned fun.  In our competitive game of Cranium, the guys played against the ladies, and of course, the ladies won by a mile.  I won't tell the score, however.  The best part of the night was that all the kids from each family got along well with one another.  That in itself is an accomplishment.  Success.

The Bennett Family

The Rodriguez Family

The Hare Family

So thankful for Pinterest ideas.  

Not even 2 weeks after Beau's birthday, we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  He was out of town for a few days on a business trip, but he made it home in time to take me out to celebrate.  We decided no gifts.  Just having a quiet meal out together is gift enough.  I can not believe that I have know him for 19 years, nearly half my life.  Although we have had our seasons of ups and downs, he remains my one true best friend and the love of my life.

Every once in a while, I try to change up Beau's fashion.  If left to his own devices, he would wear virtually the same thing for decades.  In earlier years of our marriage, he was much more willing to let me dress him.  There was this lady he used to work with in Florida that always seemed to notice my handiwork and was very complimentary.  However, since we have moved to New Hampshire, Beau has been very resistant to my clothing choices.  But for Christmas, I bought him this hat and vest.  Of course, he didn't wear it until our Anniversary (a month later).  But I'll take it.  This will probably be the first and last time time he will ever wear this hat.

Then, just after our anniversary, we celebrated Oliver's 7th birthday.  This was a difficult birthday for Ollie because he just could not decide what he wanted to do. He started planning his birthday in November and had a dozen different ideas.  When it came down to the week of his birthday, he literally changed his mind multiple times a day regarding where he wanted to eat dinner and what family activity he wanted to share with us.  Initially, Oliver was emphatic he wanted to go snow boarding.  Keep in mind that this is the kid who hates any kind of snow gear, being touched (ie by instructors), or playing in the snow.  Beau and I kept gently hinting that perhaps snow tubing would be a fun idea as it is less intense.   Oliver threw out ideas that included places like Chuck E Cheese, Roller Kingdom, movie theaters, bowling allies, or Florida.  Everything except for visiting Florida was on the table, but he just could not decide.  Not if that wasn't hard enough, but then he had to also choose a restaurant. That too was an impossible decision.  Finally, we ended up at the movie theater to see "Strange Magic" and ate dinner at 99.   But as we were on our way to 99, he saw another restaurant and wanted to change his mind AGAIN.  Everyone in the van screamed NOOOOOO!  Ollie, strangely enough, was ok with that.  LOL.  At the end of the night he got his ice cream cake and was thrilled with his celebration.  I was just glad that the agonizing decision making process was over and that he was happy.

Legos...Oliver's favorite thing.