The Luckiest

I have this friend who is tall and thin and beautiful and cool. We grew up together and she was always tall and thin and beautiful and cool.  She had one attractive, bad-boy boyfriend after another when we were young.  If you had asked me when I was 16, or 18 or, shit, even 23 which one of us would have the awesome life when they were 34, I would have hands-down said her. I was the insecure chubby sidekick friend. She looked like Uma Thurman. It had to be her.

I haven't talked to my friend in a while -- that's what happens when you grow up and move to opposite parts of the country -- and I don't mean to in any way disparage her life. Her life is probably awesome for her, and I love and support her in anything that she chooses to do with it.

But me? I know that really, I'm the lucky one. I'm the one with the awesome life.   I'm the one with the handsome green-eyed lawyer husband who rubs my feet and makes a mean burrito.  The one who owns a cute house with a white fence and a backyard for my awesome dog.  The one with the decent, steady job. A group of  friends who make this non-home-town feel like home. About to have a baby.  

Of course, she may not want any of these things.  But I do. I always did. It's strange to be at a point in my life where I feel like I am exactly where I want to be, to have everything I've ever wanted; it's weird, in a way.  How lucky I am that I get to live my life.

An Actual Conversation

I don't know what position I have been sleeping in lately that has resulted in this, but every morning I wake up with my hair sticking at least 4 inches from my head.  It's like a cross between televangelist hair and a raggedy Southern girl poof.

This morning, I roll out of bed like a zombie and walk into the hallway, where Brad is tying his tie and looking all handsome getting ready for work.  The door to our spare room is open, and I can see a large pile of clean laundry on the bed.  I point to it.

K: "Oh my god, laundry mountain!"
Brad: "Whatever, James Brown on a cross-country crack spree."

K: ...

The Importance of Flag Day

Five years ago today, Brad asked me to marry him. It was a random week night and we took a walk after work to a park on Lake Michigan. It was lovely and romantic and saying "yes" was the best (and easiest) decision I've ever made.

It happened to be Flag day, so I always remember the exact date.

In honor of my husband and our nearly 13 years of couplehood, here are just a few of the many ways in which he has made my life so, so much better:


-He inspired me to lose weight and become active. Not because he ever had a problem with my body, but because I felt like he deserved to be with someone who was healthy and who took care of herself. In the years since my initial weight loss, he has inspired me to canoe in the wilderness, hike mountains, cross country ski, and run. Watching him train and compete in bike races, from crits at the Pittsburgh oval to 100 milers to 24-hour mountain bike races, has inspired me to train for and meet my own athletic goals.

-He got me out of my hometown. I never would have left the little town I grew up in, let alone lived in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, had I not met Brad.

-He has made me more independent. Brad has a low tolerance for people's bullshit, including mine. He calls me out when I'm being ridiculous, and has helped me to see that I can do anything I want to, and there's absolutely no reason that I need someone to do it with me. My mother can't even put gas in her own car, so I value this more than I can even explain.

-We share a brain. Whether it's from being together for almost 13 years or because we truly are a perfect match, I don't know. But we have the exact same sense of humor and sometimes freak each other out by thinking the same thing at the same time. It's awesome.

-He has introduced me to things such as Tom Waits, camping, and Predator. And for that I will forever be grateful.

Brad is 100% my best friend and I am still sometimes amazed that I landed such a smart, funny, handsome and all around awesome guy. Here's to a lifetime of Flag days to celebrate. XO

An Actual Conversation

This is what it's like when you work from home.

It's 7:30 am. I am headed into my office (read: our spare bedroom). Brad is getting ready for work. He's wearing jeans, which is somewhat unusual for a lawyer for a Tuesday.

K: Jeans again today?
B: At least I'm wearing actual pants.
K: Decides not to respond, after looking down at giant flannel pajama pants and legendary GnR shirt.

An Actual Conversation

Brad and I are driving home from beautiful Davis, WV. I am telling him about a girl who I met that day; in conversation with her, age came up and she was surprised that I am 32.

K: She said she thought I was 24 or 25. I told her I loved her.
Brad: You were wearing those huge sunglasses, weren't you?
K: . . .

An Actual (E-mail) Conversation

It's after lunchtime, and I send Brad an e-mail with a link to a diamond-accented watch. The subject line is "A Christmas Idea..."

Brad: Oh, so you're into diamond-encrusted watches now? I didn't realize I married T-Pain.
K: I know, it's a bit extravagant. But it's really pretty and I need a watch!
Brad: responds with a link to Grills by Paul Wall watches
K: very funny.

An Actual Conversation

It is 7:45 AM. I just woke up and I am lounging on the sofa, rubbing my eyes while wearing a Guns and Roses T-shirt and cut off jean shorts. Brad sits down next to me with a cup of coffee and his laptop. He is wearing a suit.

Brad: We're really a study in contrasts here, aren't we?
K: . . .
Brad: . . .
K: Can I have two dollars?
Brad: And now you're begging the guy in the suit for two dollars.

WWJHD?

Our wedding is less than one month away, and I'm traveling to Wisconsin in three weeks. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. We have been engaged for three years, and I've spent most of that time saying, "Oh, I have so much time." Now it's almost here, and I feel like I'm forgetting something important!

I picked up my dress from the seamstress a couple of days ago, and I was pleased to see that it fits well. I've lost a couple of pounds since I last tried it on, so it is a little more comfortable, too. I mean, it's definitely not a comfortable dress by any means, but I love it and I think it is flattering to my figure. I'll be channeling Joan Holloway on my wedding day and trying to embrace my curves:



I went to Macy's and a wonderful little woman named Amber Rose at the Lancome counter sold me some beautiful eye make-up for the big day. She gave me a mini-makeover there in the store; I will go a little bit lighter-handed than she did, but I liked the techniques that she used.

I made a silk flower/pearl/feather fascinator for my hair, but I'm still trying to decide how exactly I want to wear it. My hair is naturally wavy, and I want to keep the wave but I don't want to have, like, ringlet curls or anything. I don't want "bride hair," and my hair is about chin-length, so it might be a challenge. I'm thinking something similar to this, only less triangular, and with the fascinator more on the back of my head:



I just want to look my absolute best on our wedding day! I want Brad to see me and think that he is the luckiest guy in the room, because I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have him.

Swear I Was Born Right in the Doorway

Our friend Matt will be playing this song on his guitar in 5.5 weeks, on a beautiful Saturday in September, as I walk down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams. This song sums up exactly how I feel about Brad; I don't care, I can go anywhere with him and I'll probably be happy.

An Actual Conversation

What follows is an actual conversation between Brad and I about my new, hot pink nail polish.

K: Hey, what do you think of my new nail polish? *waves fingers around in the air*
B: You look like a fishing lure.
K: . . .