The Power of a Glance...

"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only. 
-Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 

To Whom it May Concern

Dear Husband-to-Be,
I've said it before, I know. But it has been pressing on my heart even more as of late, so I will say it again. I don't want a complacent relationship. I don't want you to be complacent. And I most certainly don't want you to accept any complacency in me. Don't take me as I am and let that be enough. It's not. I don't want it to be.
Also, I don't want us to lose ourselves in each other. Encourage me to continue doing things for myself. Those things that make me feel alive, please don't let me lose sight of them. I'll push you to do the same. Because my goodness, if you can't make yourself happy, how and why would you make me happy? Or conversely, why would I depend on you to make me happy?
Please don't misunderstand this request. I promise, I need you. I thrive off of your very presence. I do. But the tiny spark of feminism in me tells me that in order to be whole, truly whole, I must be able to do this for myself, and progress for myself, just as much as for you.
Oh, and one more request. Take me on adventures. I never want to stop exploring and venturing through life with you. The thought of our adventures yet to be had, are enough to get me through the day.

Love, love,
Your adventure-seeking, ever-changing, wife.

Elanorellé

This post is well overdue..  but meet Elanorellé!  

She is a sweet little bundle of joy. I can hardly compare her to Alfie because their personalities are so different. Ellé is rambunctious and social, but not entirely cuddly; however, she is getting better at this. And I do love her a great deal, which is such a relief. 

Now I only have to get Alfie fixed so they can play together! 

She even dressed up for halloween! :)

I, with a deeper instinct...

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.

_Anais Nin

My Future Wedding

I am not one to plan weddings. I don't sit on Pinterest for hours pinning endless wedding inspirations. In fact, I'm not sure I even care to have a wedding. (Something about the idea of several people watching me at one of the most intimate moments of my life freaks me out.) But I stumbled across this video.. and let it be known, this, given that I have a wedding, is what I want. All of it.

And that beard is the number one requirement.

 http://vimeo.com/42805844#

For the Record...

For the record, I am happier now, than I ever remember.

Well, for the last few weeks actually. And the best part about this boundless Joy? It's for no reason. I am quite simply happy, just because.

Anyone with a Shattered Heart...

Anyone with a shatter heart can win the prize -- a happier life, a happier relationship the next time around -- but only by making use of the mess right there in front of you. You have to think about it. Feel it. Mourn it. Miss him . . . And if you do all that, really breathe the sorrow, and let the sadness frame each beat of your heart, you'll not only be able to let it go, you'll find yourself arriving in a new place."

-Lisa Funderburg