8 Years

8 years ago today I married my best friend.

One of many...

One of the many reasons I love my husband is that he's an excellent cook. Yesterday's lunch: falafel pita sandwich.

Love & Marriage

If you are a wife or a husband, then you should really this post over at Mom-O-Matic. It will make you want to awwww and maybe a little more....

Anniversary pics

For our anniversary we went to the museum at NIU to see the Burma exhibit which was amazing. Then we had lunch at Ellington's at NIU which was just fabulous. For dinner we went to the Stratford Inn where we had our wedding reception 7 years ago. That was really special and full of wonderful memories.

Josh gave me a gorgeous pink sapphire pendant that you might see in these photos. I love it!

7 years of wedded bliss

Today we have been married 7 years. 7 amazing years. I am so lucky.

Weekends away mean returning home with more patience

Josh and I just returned from a much-needed weekend away. We have not been away from home for 2 nights alone in so long that I cannot remember when it was. Suffice it to say that it's been years. It was so nice to have uninterrupted conversations, quiet time and do things that the kids would consider boring.

We went to southwest Michigan and had a lovely time. Our weekend was:
*eating out...some fabulous food.


White chocolate/strawberry truffles and truffle iced coffee...


*getting lost

*walking on the beach

*getting a very relaxing pedicure (me that is) at Harbor Country Day Spa in New Buffalo, MI.

*reading, relaxing and sitting in the hot tub.

*wine tasting...we went to 4 wineries where we tasted, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and of course, purchased some wine to take home.










We got lost and wound up visiting both a beautiful nature park and a slightly hidden beach. Those of you who know me well, know how much I love the beach. For me the water and feeling my toes in the warm sound is sort of a spiritual experience. I was really sad at the beginning of the summer when we had to cancel our trip to Myrtle Beach this summer (thank you high gas prices...ugh) because I so wanted to see the ocean. Lake Michigan is so vast that it was easy to imagine that it was the sea. Of course the temperature is much cooler in Michigan than it is in South Carolina. But it's also only 2 hours away as opposed to 15.



We also wound up driving through Chicago on our way to my parents' house to pick up the kids which was pretty cool, although the traffic as always was maddening.

The joys of being married to an ex-chef

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Sex & The City

We have had a fabulous weekend! It has been so nice to not be busy as we have been over the past several months.
Saturday I went to see the Sex & The City movie with my girlfriend. I loved it! Without giving anything away about the plot, these are 2 themes I loved about the movie.

1. No matter what happens, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte stay close girlfriends. They don't let time, distance, significant others or children stop them from having their girl time. How often do we busy wives and moms really get to time to be together and just be girlfriends? It seems that it gets harder and harder all the time. Once you get married, you have to consider your partner's schedule as well as your own. Then if you have children, you become much more busy between balancing their schedules, family gatherings and simply the day-to-day business that comes with being a parent. It gets hard to even find 5 minutes to go the bathroom privately let alone call a friend. While it's probably not realistic to think that we can be exactly the girlfriends that we are when we are single and childless, the SATC foursome inspired me to try harder.

2. Relationships/marriage are not fairytales. I have heard people say that if you really love someone, it's not hard work but I don't agree. Marriage is hard work, loving your partner is what makes you want to put in the effort. It is so easy starting from the time that you know it's a serious relationship to get wrapped up in how it should be rather than how your relationship really is. From the time we are little girls we read books about the princess finding true love and then living "happily ever after". What the heck is happily ever after anyway? We get caught up in planning our weddings so much so that every little detail is something that we obsess over. Really during the time we are engaged, we should be planning for a lifetime of marriage not a wedding day. My wedding was perfect, not because it happened without flaws to the plan but because I married my soul mate. I know how caught up I got in the planning, the details and the inevitable drama that comes along with major events. I also remember being a few days into our honeymoon and suddenly realizing that all that stressing out was stupid. All that day should ever have been about was us. Everyone comes to your big party and enjoys the food and the dancing and the wine and that's great. But a marriage is about the two people who are in it, for better or for worse.

Stay tuned for a picture post of our weekend fun.

Monday morning madness

It's been kind of a crazy morning.

I woke up to there not being any coffee. Today I need as much caffeine as I can possibly stomach. Although perhaps if I hadn't insisted that Josh crack that second bottle of sparkling wine last night, he would have been able to remember to put the coffee in the pot. Shame on me and my wicked feminine wiles. Thank goodness for Starbuck's Skinny Lattes! Now if only they were as cheap as making coffee at home.

To my neighbors: I'm sorry for the horrors you had to see this morning. It was not my preference to prance about the neighborhood in my pajamas. I especially hated chasing that bag of dog poo that blew out of the can and into the street. Unfortunately the males in my household neglected their responsibility of taking out the garbage. Grr! Had I known that I'd be taking it out, I would have at least wore matching pajamas that didn't show so much boobage. Thank you for not yelling "My eyes!" and instead saying "hello". I know it was hard for you, but it's nonetheless appreciated.

While I was taking Abby to school, taking out the garbage, scaring my neighbors and grabbing that Starbuck's Skinny Latte, Gracie was busy making a big ole stinky pile of poop in the house! I don't know why considering I had just taken her out before I left.

To my hubby: Yes you were right when you said we needed to buy toilet paper. I'm sorry that I disagreed with you because now there is one roll left in the whole house. I'm sure when my coffee kicks in I will be especially sorry that I didn't just let you buy some toilet paper when we were grocery shopping. You were right, I was wrong. I know it will make your day to see it in writing since I so rarely admit it.

I am still working hard on my monster paper. I have a few pages left and the slideshow to do. The paper needs to be done for tomorrow morning at 9:30. The slide show has to be done when I present the paper to the class which could be anytime from tomorrow until the last day we meet. I personally would like to get it over and done with and out of the way. I am hoping I can present tomorrow or Thursday. Other than getting out of the house for two fun little escapades (Amy's tupperware party and having a treat with my sis), I've been constantly working on this paper since Friday.

Please make it stop

You know how sometimes you are so miserable you would do anything to make it stop? That's how the past 24 hours have been for me. I have the flu. Somehow it's the coughing achey flu combined with the pukey stomach flu.

I missed class today. And of course I had a paper due. A paper that I was supposed to present. And I was supposed to get my hair cut...something I was really looking forward to.

I am so lucky to have such a caring sweet man as my husband. Josh took the day off today to take care of me. Although that basically entailed listening to a whole lot of "Please make it stop?". I am convinced he's a saint.

Also, please keep my best friend Amy and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Her nephew who is the same as age Evan lost his father to violent crime yesterday. My heart goes out to this young man who lost his father so quickly.

A couples survey

Body: 1. What are your names?
Megan & Josh

2. How long have you been together?
Nearly 8 years

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
About 6 months

4. Who asked who out?
I asked him...he was really shy.

5. How old are each of you?
Me 31, Him 28

6. What are your astrological signs?
I'm a Libra, He's a Taurus

7. How tall are each of you?
We are both 5'6"

8. Whose mother do you see the most?
Mine

9. Who’s siblings do you see the most?
Mine (his live out of state)

10. Do you have any children together?
Yup

11. What about pets?
Yep again

12. If so, what kind?
2 cats and a pooch

13. Which bill is the hardest on you as a couple?
Medical bills

14. Where do each of you work?
He works for the gov't and has his own company. I am a stay at home mom and student.

15. Is that what you went to school for?
It's what we are currently going to school for I guess.

16. Did you go to the same school?
Nope

17. Are you from the same hometown?
No, we aren't even really "from" the same state. I have lived in IL all my life, he's lived a few different places.

18. Do you live in the same town now?
Well duh!

19. Who is the smartest?
I think that depends on who you ask. LOL. We are both pretty intelligent.

20. Who is the most sensitive?
Oh I am for sure.

17. Where do you eat out at most as a couple?
We jump around. We don't get much alone so we like to try different things.

18. Where do you shop the most as a couple?
Aldi

19. Where is the furthest you have traveled as a couple?
Jamaica

21. Who is the most sexual?
Ummm.....

22. Who has the best group of friends?
Well of course I would say I do. Although I have definitely developed a soft spot for a certain Matt down the street. :-D

23. Who has the craziest exes?
Definitely me

24. Who has the worst temper?
Definitely me again.