10 Valentine's Days...

My husband wrote in my card that this is our 10th Valentine's Day together and it really wowed me....

It is an understatement that time has flown for me. I don't think I can remember every year!

• I remember the first year. I bought him a Burroughs book and a card. He told me as I was leaving to go home that he didn't believe in Valentine's Day or something foreign to me like that...probably he just didn't get around to getting me something. I'm sure I couldn't hide my disappointment. What can I say? I'm a sap...a sucker for V-day.
  

• Surprisingly, the next year I received a beautiful, romantic delivery at work from Red Envelope.

• I'm fuzzy from here until I remember a time at OUR HOME after we were married and he fixed me orange roughy and snap peas that we ate by candlelight.

• Then I remember a year in we spent in Oklahoma City. I visited him while he was at training for work and I was pregnant with our daughter. I remember a rose with a sweet note greeting me at the door while I waited for him to get home from school that day...and the excitement we felt about us growing as a family.

• And last year was pretty blurry here...our first year in North Carolina...

• Then today, we signed more paperwork on our house, had frozen pizza at home and listened to music and danced with Matilda.

It's a beautiful life. The years are flying by...I can't believe it's been 10! (And not just because it's hard to believe we made it through that first one...) ;0)

I wouldn't trade a moment for anything. I'm so grateful to be where I am today. And look forward to 20 hundred million more...

Stimulatin' the Economy

BIG NEWS over here in the Woof world. We are doing our own small part to stimulate the economy. We bought a house!

I sure wish the tax credit had survived in the stimulus package...that would've been fantastic for us. And it would've made me feel better about our chances of selling when the time comes. But, in our neck of the woods, the market is pretty strong. We have a "transient market" with the military bases nearby, soooooooo...we're testing our luck!

Our new home as of the end of March:




Matilda helps our realtor review the paperwork:

What's that smell?!?!?!?!

Soooo, I'm not very good at keeping my car clean. But I remember being appalled by some people's cars who had kids. Melted crayons. Fries everywhere. And I just couldn't understand the mess.

But now, with Matilda, there are crackers, cookies, cookie dust...and MILK.

The past few days there has been a horrible spoiled-milk-like smell in the car. I remember telling my sister-in-law that it was like something died inside their. So, yesterday I pulled stuffed animals out and sniffed them. I spot-cleaned the car and the carseat. I left the windows open to air it out. STILL, NO improvement.

Tonight, Mike was pulling out the carseat for a full washing, doing some maintenance and found the culprit inside the trunk.

A dirty diaper I had forgotten to throw away. Seriously. We were out (a week or so ago), I changed Bilda's diaper - - no trash can in sight and I thought I'd throw it away at home.

The car smells a million times better already. And I'm reminded to never, ever judge people until I've walked a mile in their shoes...