Lucky Number Seven!

This one time, at summer band camp, I met the man who would become my college sweetheart and eventually, my husband.

The first day I met Eric, it was like I had known him all my life. It was strange and kinda cool in my eighteen-year-old mind. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, but I wasn’t going to not take a chance on him. With that being said, my college relationship with Eric can be defined by one break up and reconciliation after another. We were young and selfish and not sure if this love thing was the real deal or sparked by infatuation. But over the years, we grew up and realized that if we wanted to be together, that we were going to have to fight for each other.

And fight we have.

No one tells you that you will be asked to compromise or surrender all together to keep your relationship on track. You might be called upon to make a sacrifice for the good of your marriage. We’ve made it seven years and have had to do all of these thing and more. Trial by fire will either strengthen your relationship or burn it to a crispy crunch.

We’ve encountered many challenges and heartbreaks — surviving Hurricane Ivan during our Jamaican honeymoon, joblessness, lean financial times, and fertility issues. It’s easy to see why people don’t want to commit to their marriage when life tries to beat them down. A 60% divorce rate says a whole lot about people’s willingness to honor their marriage vows of “for better or for worse.”

But despite the struggles, we have had some great fun. Road trips to triathlons, an Alaskan cruise, buying a house, having Ariel, and getting the chance to fall in love with each other again and again. There are many more adventures for us to have and many more struggles to endure. But with Eric by my side, we have more than a fighting chance.

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have supported and loved us all these married years. Couldn’t have made it without you all. Above all, we owe the strength and love of our marriage to God, who has held our hands through everything.
I love you, sweetheart! Happy Anniversary.

Five Years of Lovin'

It's hard to believe that Eric and I have been married for five years! Honestly, its feels longer than that, but in a good way.

Originally, we were going to celebrate by going back to Jamaica or head off to the Cayman Islands, but having Ariel post phoned our plans for a few more years. While it would have been nice to sit on the beach with an ice cold beverage, what better way to celebrate our love than with our precious angel?

On the fourth, our actual anniversary, I made a sizzling citrus shrimp with angel hair pasta, crusty bread and garden salad. Since I can drink again, Eric and I are getting reacquainted with our wine. For the occasion, we chose a chenin blanc from Africa. It claimed to have hints of peaches and pineapples, but we found it quite nasty. It could have been that it was dry or that it just wasn't that good. Anyway, it made a great de-glazing sauce when I used it a few days later.

Anniversary weekend, Eric's parents were on babysitting duty, so we ventured out to Dave and Buster' s where we feasted on a late lunch riddled with calories (you know calories don't count on birthdays and anniversaries). We tried burning off some of lunch by playing a bunch of games. Nothing really burns calories like good old fashioned competition, or in our case, Dance, Dance Revolution (we suck by the way). To finish off our calorie splurge, we went to Baskin Robins to seal the deal. We were only away from the house for about four hours. We easily could have been gone a lot longer. Its amazing how fast time flies. We really enjoyed our "adult" time together. Date nights are few and far in between. Here's to many more wonderful years.

20042009

Love in the Rose Garden

Friday night, we witnessed the marriage of Cheryl and Shane. It was held outdoors in a lovely rose garden under a gazebo. The lighting was just right for some fabulous pics and a beautiful ceremony. There were about 150 people who came from all over to attend this event. It's funny because even though we live close to Eric's family in Colorado, it took a wedding in Oregon for us to finally get together.

Ariel had been such a trooper, putting up with her her parents carting her all over creation. However, this night, she had had enough. Right around dinner time, as she was falling asleep, the loud welcome of the wedding party startled her. The ruckus upset Ariel and we spent the next hour or so, trying to calm her down. This isn't the first time Eric and I have eaten a cold diner and I'm sure it won't be the last. The entire situation was a little embarrassing because I felt like we were disturbing the other guests. Plus, with everyone wanting to "help", I felt as is they were telling me that I wasn't handling my child right. Believe me. I think I know what I'm doing. But once Ariel finally crashed, she slept through the reception (especially the loud music). She was very tired.

wedding partyAriel and cousin Emily

Eric and I made sure we danced as long as we could. We needed the adult time for sure. The next day, Shane's parents hosted a brunch and we were able to spend some time with the bride and groom. Congratulations to Cheryl and Shane, may your lives always be blessed!

Ariel with cousin Cheryl (bride)

Life and Death

In the wake of death, there comes a sense of healing. Of new opportunities born out of the tragedy of losing a loved one.

On Monday, May 25th, my grandmother passed away from pancreatic cancer. It was not an unexpected death, but who is ever prepared to lose someone?

My mom's mother was a riot. When I was born, she told my mom that she was too young to be a grandma. So she would not answer to "grandma" but to her name, Carole. Yes, like a Christmas carole. While we only saw her very couple of years, some of my best memories were the summers we spent catching lightening bugs and pretending to be Transformers in the front yard.

Eric and I packed up the car and Ariel (who was only 2 1/2 weeks old) and made the 24 hour drive to Ohio. Ariel did great in the car. Thank goodness.

While I'll miss Carole an awful lot, something good has come from her passing. We were able to reconnect with cousins we haven't seen in 18 years. It was such a shame that so much time passed between us-- all because of miscommunication and misunderstanding. My sister and I even met family that we didn't know existed! The entire occasion was bittersweet.

The funeral service Carole was nicely done and Vicki even sang a song that brought everyone to tears. But despite our mourning, life continues. The reception felt more like a family reunion with laughing, picture snapping, and story swapping. I know my grandma was looking down on us and laughing at our jokes and glad that her family was reunited.

The McClendon Grandkids & Ariel

Grandpa and his girls (Vicki's shooting the pic)

If you are inclined to pray, please keep our family in mind, especially my Grandpa. I know that the upcoming holidays are going to be hard on all of us. Carole's spirit will never leave us, as we all carry a piece of her in our hearts.

Four Years and Counting . . .

In celebration of our four year anniversary on Thursday, September 4th, I have arranged this music video about our honeymoons (yes, that's two) to Jamaica. Thank you all for your support over the years and we hope you enjoy our vacation in paradise. You will be jamming to UB40's "Looking in Your Big Brown Eyes." Here's to many more anniversaries to come!

Saying Goodbye

This week we lost a Eric's uncle to an act of violence. He is survived by a wife, two sons, two step daughters, and four grandchildren. He was the sweetest man and was the first to welcome me into the family. Because of the nature of his death, I'm not saying much because I don't want the media or media junkies to stumble across this blog and use the information to continue to harass the fam. Eric and I are in a state of shock and just feel that this is happening to "someone else's family." It is very tragic indeed and if you are taking to God on a daily basis, please keep us in mind.