Determined. To Be…

…a runner, a sister, a lover…living a fit and happy life.

Tag Archives: marriage


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Gestures and reminders.

Sometimes, I look over at M and honestly just stop, look, and wonder how on earth I could have possibly met such a wonderful man, a man that as I learn more and more about him in the years that pass, the more deeply I fall in love with him, and the more I thank God for not only him, but for the opportunity to have fallen in love twice in my lifetime.

I wrote about this before, but it came up in a conversation recently…and to this day, I truly do feel so thankful to have loved more than once in my life (and re-reading that post from November 2011, I never would have fathomed that today, we’d be teetering on the edge of home ownership as well as marriage (note: no, that does not imply we are getting married next week too. hee! #tease).

…but then again, I knew our love was everlasting then, and I truly know it now, without a shadow of a doubt, that this love is lifelong, everlasting and the purest love I have ever felt. 

His gestures continually blow me away.

…from emailing my grandfather today and wishing him a happy birthday (and referring to him as Mr.[last name]…so formal, yet, in a sense, so…fitting, of his style and modern day chivalry that always makes me swoon) today…

…to taking the time to call my brother in law and wish him a happy birthday (vs. just a text or a Facebook wall post), to making sure to talk to his parents every day, and asking – gently – how his mom is (some health complications etc) and making sure she has the right medications, that the doctors she goes to are giving her the right advice and care…

…to seeking the advice of my mom in some of the house questions we had as we entered this process.

He just…cares. And does. And acts. And doesn’t put his head in the sand <-one of my biggest peeves.

His selflessness…which comes naturally. 

…to give me whatever I could ever ask for or need, to never saying no, yet also knowing when the right time *to* say no is.

…to want for us, and our (future/possible) family, to work hard, and harder, to help build a life for us, and make sure his family, and mine, have what we need.

…to even enabling allowing my Lululemon addiction…purely because he knows it makes me happy. (wink)

This man, I just cannot put into words how much I love him, and the magnitude of that sometimes creep in through the smallest gestures and reminders, and makes me want to run into his arms and never let go. (and realizing I don’t ever *have* to let go…that he is mine? is simply priceless.)

I am blessed. And sometimes I just need to write it down. Even though I know it’s a post written purely for *me* and even though I *try* not to write about him as much here these days…there are times where I just can’t help it. I am blessed. I am loved. And I want to shout it from the rooftops.

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File under: Sunday randoms.

I have so much swirling in my brain and sometimes I just gotta lay it out there, whether or not it makes sense, or is all that disclosive.

File under: secrets

It’s no secret that I am marrying M. It *is* a secret when. And it’s kinda starting to kill me because there is so much I want to share, but at the same time? I can’t wait to unveil it (no pun intended!) when it actually does happen.  I just need to sear the details into my brain, or into a draft post for later, yes? I just stare into M’s eyes every so often and think “I can’t wait to be his wife.” and just feel so blessed and excited and happy. And it makes the road from ‘there’ to ‘here’ more than worth it. MORE than worth it. <3 Gah…<3

File under: operation MOVE!

We’re in countdown mode, folks! ONE more weekend living in this apartment, and less than TWO weeks until we move. It’s just crazy to me. We are surrounded by boxes (40 by my count and more to come!), we’re finalizing details for painters, and movers, and utilities and mail forwarding and it’s starting to feel so real. I cannot believe we will be homeowners. I cannot believe we will be building the next stage of our lives together so so soon. I cannot believe it is finally happening. <3

File under: ouchie-like-whoa

Yesterday, we, at barre n9ne studio, FINALLY got to experience POUND, training for 8 hours yesterday, with lots of sweat, lots of excitement and…lots of pain. holy OW do I hurt today.  I feel muscles I didn’t realize I had (who knew your hands and wrists could hurt so much from gripping weighted drumsticks aka ripsticks could HURT so badly the next day!), I have struggled to sit down on the couch, and never mind trying to get off the couch or get out of the car, I practically need a walker! Suuuuch pain and soreness, but soooo worth it! As my sister documented in her post, yesterday was the first step towards our bringing this fantastic, unique and supremely bada** workout to the studio and it’s going to be an amazing complement to barre (and running!).

File under: when ‘roughhousing’ with kitties goes awry.

As some of you may have already seen on instagram, one of my kitties, my beloved Nala, injured herself last Sunday. What, you ask? You see, M and Nala play ‘toss the kitty’ and love to rough house, and well, let’s just say that went slightly awry last Sunday, when she landed on the bed wrong and immediately limped away. Upon vet visit on Monday morning (worried kitty mom like whoa!), my Nala had a torn ligament in her right knee…also known as a torn ACL. Can you believe it? My Nals now walks with a limp and seems pretty good beyond that limp, but note to M: be careful ;-) (he felt soooo bad, he’s been babying her ever since!)

So there ya have it, a few thoughts on this Sunday. I haven’t written much lately…in part due to ‘file under: secrets’ and in part due to ‘file under: operation MOVE!’ but, I figure it’s worth a lil update with what’s shaking up in here ;-) Now, back to hobbling through the rest of this Sunday Funday ;-)


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On travels…and wow, this is really happening.

I came back from our whirlwind Northern and Southern California travels and kind of didn’t know which end was up!

From wine tastings, fabulous dinners and even a little sun, to a long-awaited epic meetup (with the beautiful Heather AND Dorry!), showing M around my work digs and well, working, it felt like quite the 7 day excursion!

A little taste of our week:

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Only to come home and realize…holy wow, this is really happening. In less than 30 days, we will move into our home that will become the next stage in our lives for as long as…who knows. The longevity and permanence, in a way, of this move is finally starting to sink in, and let me tell you, it just feels pretty incredible.

Every time I start to get overwhelmed with the thought of packing and moving, I take a step back and smile.

Every time I start to think of our future together as we continue planning  our marriage, I take a step back and smile (even bigger!).

Every time I start to think about my life and how firmly planted right where I am meant to be, I smile (the biggest).

This life has truly taught me so much over the last (almost) five years, I cannot even put into words. All I can do is continue to be grateful, continue to step back and continue to thank God for the life he has now put in front of me.

Cheers friends, have a fantastic weekend. <3

 

 


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There’s been a lot of livin’ in those years.

The other day, I was chatting with a few barre n9ne clients after class, about buying a house, and getting married, and mentioned that I had been a homeowner before, years ago, and had to short sell my house, but this is the first time M is going to be a homeowner. Oh and this is the second marriage for me, and for M. And oh, by the way, we are both *only* 33.

As I said those words, and they remarked that I didn’t *look* 33 (why thank you, lol), I thought to myself. Huh. We’ve done a lot in 33 years, the two of us, haven’t we? So many big ‘life events’ yet, we are *only* 33.

2d04c3725130d6be2dcfab65cde40d27I walked to my car and thought about it even more…and ya know what? There’s been a lot of livin’ in those years. 

And as I read this guest post that I wrote for Healthy Chicks, I thought about it even more…we’ve lived a lot in our years, haven’t we??
I’ve remarked on this before that while of course nobody *wants* to get divorced, or take a (huge) loss on a house they purchased, I actually feel pretty fortunate to have experienced those things. Marriage. Home buying. And even divorce and selling that house for basically pennies on the dollar for what we paid for it.
As M and I take one step closer each day towards marriage, and buying our first home together, I just feel as though my life, every single step of it, has been so ridiculously intentional, with so many lessons meant to be learned, that my heart feels as though it might burst with love, happiness, and gratitude. n’t regret those decisions. Fortunate because I am truly a better person, a stronger, happier, more confident person. And fortunate because so many in life may not have had the joy of marriage, or buying a home. And I never want to look at those experiences as negative or a black mark in my history book.

I just want to soak in every minute, even the stressful and chaotic ones, and think about my life the way it has been laid out for me to live. There’s been a lot of livin’ in those years…and so much *more* to be lived.

Embrace it.

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Becoming a reality…

In the last week or so, we’ve started quietly lifting the covers on some of the details of how we plan to marry, and it’s starting to feel so much more real than it ever has before.

…on my drive to barre n9ne today, I had a vision of how it’ll appear, and I felt as though I was literally glowing from the inside out *just* at the image in my mind of how things will unfold…

…as I shared some details with family members this weekend, and their smiles and approvals and excitement made my heart happy. 

…as I stare into M’s eyes and know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he will be the most amazing husband, and I will do my best to live up to all that *he* is to me.

…gazing at *a dress* that may be ‘it’…enough said. 

…choosing rings that will be ours forever.

…and imagining *this time* back when I really couldn’t imagine my life now, at a point where everything had crumbled around me. It truly takes my breath away.

My life – our lives together - is becoming a reality like I never dreamed it, and I couldn’t feel more blessed or alive.


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