Ariel, this is my respose

True Love. Does it exist? I think we all want to believe it does, and just like any girl, I love romantic movies when the two people end up together, but is that realistic? Probably not. True love isn't something you just stumble upon by accident. It's something that you work on every single day of your life. If you are looking to meet someone and immediately know that they are the one for you, I think you will be looking for a very long time. Isn't that why dating is so important? Of course there are certain people you are more attracted to or more drawn to, but is there really just one person out there for everyone? I'm inclined to say no. I think there were probably several men out there who could have made me happy and complimented me in lots of ways, but I chose Dan. I chose him for the man that he was and the man I knew he would become. I chose him for so many different reasons, but the point is that I CHOSE to be with him, which makes him my soul mate.

What if I had never met him? What if he had gone to another Vet school instead of K-State? I firmly believe that we both would have eventually found other people (though she would have been ugly, I'm sure) and would probably have been happy in that alternative life, but thankfully that did not happen.

People who know Dan and I would tell you that we are crazy compatible. I mean, it was obvious from the get go, at least to me. Almost disgusting really, but that doesn't last long. All those things I loved about Dan in the beginning are still there, but if that was all there was for the rest of eternity, I think the love would fade. Quickly. True love is choosing to love the other person no matter what, day in and day out, flaws and all.

It's doing the dishes and cleaning the house, changing the diapers, making dinner, and sending flowers. It's all of those things, just like you said Ariel. It's also being more concerned for their well being than your own. If you are both giving 100% all of the time to make the other person happy, how could you not have a happy marriage? It's the selfish people who are unhappy.

Those butterflies that I used to get when I saw Dan don't come around much anymore, and it's not because I love him any less. Just the opposite actually. I would say that the love you feel when dating someone is superficial, though powerful. Once you're married and sharing a life together it becomes something so much more. It's deeper, more powerful, and ultimately, more satisfying. Spending each and every day together, learning and growing, is what true love is all about.

You know that country song that goes something like, "and I thought I loved her then"? It's like that. I thought I loved Dan when I married him and didn't think it could get any better, and then we had our 1 year anniversary. I thought after that, there's no way I could love him any more, and then we had Evelyn. And on and on. I am looking forward to the next 30 years, because if the trend follows, I can't even imagine the amount of love I will have for that man by the end of them. 

And what about those hard times in marriage? Because we have all had them. I know from my own experiences, that the hard work you put in when you are going through those rough patches pays off ten fold later on. I won't be specific, but I do remember a time when Dan and I just weren't clicking, for whatever reason. We just were not getting along and things seemed to be going down hill, when my amazing man told me that it was my fault. This may sound pretty shocking to some, but it was the truth. I wasn't trying anymore. I didn't want to read scriptures, go to church, or say prayers anymore. I wasn't being supportive to him in his calling or his work, but all I was seeing at the time was me. Me. Me. Me. I wanted this and that and I was disappointed that I wasn't getting it. Me monster. After telling me this as politely as he could, I was pretty upset for quite some time, but after a lot of reflection and prayer, I realized he was totally right. I was giving maybe 30% to our relationship, while he was still giving 110%.

After all of that, we are stronger than ever. I think. He may have a different opinion, but since I'm the wife and the one writing this blog, I'm going to say stronger.

So, that is what I think of soul mates and true love. I can't imagine ever being with anyone other Dan. He gets me in a way no one else ever has, and I think that will just keep getting more and more true as time goes on. He is my very best friend. He is the person I can be completely me around without any judgement or awkwardness. Dan is the person I call when I am happy, sad, or anything in between. He is my soul mate. My one true love, because I chose him to be so. We work hard, everyday, to make sure that is still true everyday and I am so thankful for that. And, that is what my true love looks like, Ariel.

adventures of buying a minivan

Meet our new car. We went to just go look at some different cars on Saturday and ended up buying a minivan instead.  We knew going in that we wanted something with 3 rows because we didn't want to have to buy another car for quite a while, and something that seats 7 should last us forever. But, I have NEVER been a minivan person. Ask anyone. So, I was thinking of something more like an explorer or tahoe, but this Kia was such a great deal and was such a pleasure to drive, that we simply could not pass it up. She is a 2010 and only has 53,000 miles on her, and she was in her our price range, so we were sold. This was seriously the best car we found for the money we were willing to spend.

Down side:
When I went to test drive the van, it was dead, so they had to jump the battery. They assured me this was no big deal and we went on with our day. After 6 hours at the dealership, we finally went home with our new purchase and were feeling pretty good about our situation. Come Sunday, however, we were starting to maybe rethink things a little because that morning the van wouldn't start. Not only would it not start but it was also blocking our lemon into the garage so we couldn't use either car. Perfect. As the day went on, the van became more and more dead until finally it wouldn't make any noise at all. So, you know how they assured me the battery was fine? Yeah, they lied. Luckily, they towed it back to the dealership, fixed it, and gave it back without me having to pay for anything.

Now, here is where the story gets truly, truly tragic. As soon as Evie and I got home today from getting the car, I somehow managed to lock the keys, my phone, and Evie in the van. Complete panic. I obviously have no clue how to work this new car and I cannot even describe to you how mortified I was that I locked my precious baby girl, my life, my world, in this black van. So, I ran to every house on the block until I found someone who was home and he came out to help me. We spent quite a while trying to get it unlocked by ourselves, see evidence below, but to no avail. Finally he let me use his phone and I called a locksmith.

chipped paint from where we were prying the door open to get a hanger in. I was about 5 min away from smashing the window.

It took the locksmith about 10-15 min to get there, and by that time Evie was soaked in sweat and screaming. My heart was utterly broken. And then, like a knight in shining armor, the locksmith guy careens into our driveway (I told him to hurry repeatedly), jumped out of the car, and unlocked the door. It took all of 5 seconds for him. My hero. Never in the history of the world has someone pulled a child out of a carseat as fast as I did. I was so relieved to be holding her in my arms and that she was safe, they I immediately started crying. The nice locksmith guy didn't charge me anything (I would guess because of my embarrassing tears and Evie's adorable, sweaty face), but my neighbor took it upon himself to give him $40 anyways. I don't even know how to begin to thank these nice people. Without them, who knows how this would have turned out? Actually, I know. It would have ended with a broken window and a traumatized baby. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful and charitable people and the only thing I can think of to do is to repay my neighbor and make them both brownies or something.

So, that's my story. In case you were wondering, I stripped Evie down to her diaper, turned on the a/c and mickey mouse, had her drink some water, and she was as good as new. I'm sure glad it's over.

planes, trains, and automobiles

These last two months have been a whirlwind of traveling for Evie and I. We flew to and from Kansas, as well as Utah, and drove down to Dallas twice. Evie Lou, bless her heart, was such a trooper for all of it too. She loved being in new places and having people all around her to play with, and I think she's really missing that now that we're home. She gets quite bored of me. So, after all of this traveling, I think I can safely say that I am experienced in flying with a toddler. Let me pass on some knowledge, in case you ever need it.

1. Spend some money on a scale so that you can weigh your suitcase BEFORE you get to the airport. This is a big one people, because on my way from Virginia to Kansas, my bag was over 50 lbs and they charge you $100 if you don't fix it. So, I was all alone with Evie, trying to reorganize all my stuff so my stupid bag wouldn't weigh so much. The whole process took me 30 min and that, plus security, almost made me miss my flight. 
2. Invest in an umbrella stroller. However, I do have an addendum to this one. I took just my regular stroller this time because I don't own an umbrella one, and it was heaven. There's a basket to put things in, cup holders, and all other kinds of happiness. The only problem is, some airports (lookin' at you SLC) won't let you take those kinds of strollers with you and instead make you check them. So, get an umbrella stroller with a basket. Trust me.
3. Don't bring an enormous carry-on full of toys. I brought one every single time and Evie didn't play with a gosh darn thing. She was way more interested in all the people around and playing on the seats. My last trip from KS to VA I finally got smart and checked that bag and only brought a few essentials things with me in my purse; namely a DVD player, snacks, and a ball. If she wasn't sleeping, she was watching a movie. Which brings me to my next one:
4. Invest in a portable DVD player if you will be traveling a lot. The cheap ones are only $50. This was a serious life saver. I know a lot of parents are real sticklers on TV and movies with their little ones, and I have nothing but respect for them, but when you're in an airplane, you have to consider everyone else on the plane, not just you and your toddler. And, if a movie is going to keep them quiet and happy for 2-3 hrs, I don't see anything wrong with it.
5. If you ever happen to fly through Dallas and are a member of the military, stop in at the USO center. It will change your life. Free food, movie theater thing, sleep room, and children's play area. I mean, they gave me a whole box of girl scout cookies. It just doesn't get any better.
6. Don't let your toddler make it to the gate to get on the plane before you get there. It's a hairy situation. 
7. Don't use the airplane bathrooms if you can help it because those toilets are really scary to tiny little humans, like Evie. 
8. Try your hardest to get early flights. From my experience, the later the flight, the more ornery Evie got. She slept for most of all our flights except for the one that was late at night and late in the afternoon. Brutal. 
9. Let them eat cake. And by that I mean, let them eat whatever they feel like eating, when they feel like eating it. Trying to keep a schedule and force it on your toddler while traveling all day will most likely only make you more anxious and irritable and your toddler more grumpy. I kept a plethora of snacks on hand in my purse and just had her eat meals when she was hungry. Traveling and flying does weird things to their appetites, I think. 
10. Make sure, above all else, that they are either sucking or chewing on something during take off and landing. If they're not, their little ears will hurt and you will all be miserable. Evie had a binky and that worked great, but just go with whatever your baby likes. 

And that is what I have learned. Hopefully we won't be doing anymore traveling for a while because we are both completely fried. 

Botanica

 On Wednesday we decided to take the girls to Botanica because we heard it was really fun, and really pretty. We thought that if we went in the morning, we would avoid most of the heat and be fine. Boy, were we wrong. I think while we were there at 10am it was 106 degrees. Whose idea was this again? Did we check the weather before we went? Nope. Needless to say, we didn't last long and had to run back the building and the a/c before our babies literally melted. After that, we got some lunch and put the girls down for naps. Here a couple of pictures I was able to take before everyone got too grumpy.

Hi, mom

whad up?

exploration place

My mom and I took Evie to Exploration place today, and she loved it. Now that she can walk, she has so much more fun. She even sat through the whole dome movie about galaxies with big, wide eyes and no complaints. Here are some pictures, Dan honey. Love you.

Evie wants to be a Vet just like her daddy

looking at some x-rays

loving the chicken

Ducks

While we were at this cute little shopping center yesterday, we took a little stroll by the water and fountain, and there were ducks! Words cannot convey how excited Evie was to see those poor ducks. She squealed and chased them around until we made her stop cause it was time to go home. Is my daughter cute, or what?

baby ducks. awwww

 I put these last two pictures in because they are so darn cute.

she played with my hat for almost an hour one day

challenge accepted

My best friend, Kasie, put out a challenge to lose 20 lbs before October,and I wanna jump on that bandwagon. I don't think I'm gonna try to lose 20 lbs (over-achiever), but I'll settle for 10. Tell me what to do Kas! I'll do anything you tell me to do, barring some weird things like roller derby or eating kale. No thanks.

Here's to being more healthy and hopefully shedding some weight!