54
For our honeymoon, Ben and I took a week-long trip to Arizona and Las Vegas. Neither of us had ever travelled out west, so it was an exciting newlywed adventure for us.
During our stay (thanks to a very generous aunt and uncle), we were able to experience a helicopter tour through the Grand Canyon. We landed in the Canyon, had a picnic lunch and champagne, and then explored for a little while.
When we came back to Florida, we tried to recount the feeling of standing inside a wonder of the world. You simply cannot do it justice with words. Perspective becomes skewed as you're looking up and around at the walls of red-rocked beauty. The only way to truly believe the enormousness of your surroundings is to glance up at an ant-sized version of a helicopter buzzing by the edge of a canyon wall.
It's breathtaking. It's fascinating. It's absolutely impossible to attach an appropriate adjective to it.
So when people would ask about the experience, Ben and I would stumble through a poor explanation. Unable to succeed, we'd say, "You just have to see it for yourself."
***
I've been having this feeling this a lot lately; this need to experience life. I sometimes allow someone else's description to take place of the real thing. These stories, no matter how detailed, will just never be quite as good.
I plan on making a change. I'm ready for freshness; to be blown away by life in a way that cannot be described with adjectives.
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53
This is only the second installment of my weekly rants and raves, and I'm already totally into it. I've been making a list for the past few days of things I want to include. Does this make me committed, or lame?
Anyway, on to my votes for 'fab' and 'drab':
FAB!
1. Holidays/Celebrations: The previous 2 blog entries have been geared toward celebratory events in our lives. I lovvvvve holidays. I love picking out the perfect gift for someone, I love ice cream, I love cards (like, a little obsessed), I love party hats, I love spending time with people I love. (..."I love lamp?") Last week, Ben and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary a day before his 25th birthday. My birthday is 3 days after Christmas. Apparently, that's just how we roll around here - good times are always doubled. However, I think I got a little too caught up in the spirit of fiestas, because I also decided that we were going to celebrate National Junk Food Day. We had chili cheese fries. And sour skittles. And cheetos.
2. Josh Kelley. I'm a sucker for a guy with a guitar. I even got roped into marrying one. ;) I'm also a sucker for really good, mellow acoustic music. Josh Kelley has recently been gracing my iPod. I got hooked on him after hearing "Home to Me" while I was listening to Pandora. His voice is smooth as Hershey's Bliss chocolate with a meltaway center. Oh yeah. We're talking really, really silky. As a bonus, he's married to Katherine Heigl. And she's pretty hot.
3. Urban Outfitter's dresses. I love quirky fashion. Urban Outfitters embodies this. Sometimes, I'll stroll through the store and graze my hands along a pair of jumper shorts and debate trying them on. This is what that place does to me. No where else would I ever imagine looking halfway decent in a pair of jumper shorts, but when I'm in Urban, all of a sudden I'm Blake Lively (really, how does she make those things look so flipping cute?). So, I have come to discover that the website sucks me in as well. I was browsing the other day (first mistake), and literally let out a sigh of admiration when I saw these ridiculously adorable dresses: weak spot #1, and weak spot #2. Someone hide my credit card.
4. Spinning class. I know, I know - working out is fab?? Weird. Here's the deal: for whatever reason, I agreed to try out a 6:00a.m. spinning class. For those of you who don't know me, I am not BFF with mornings. To say the least. In fact, anytime before 9:00 is truly foreign to me. So when 5:40 rolled around, and my body somehow peeled itself away from my pillow, I was actually astonished to discover that it was still dark outside (my conversation with Ben went something like this: Me - "It's still dark out! There are actually stars in the sky! Why is this happening???" Ben - "Oh babe, what your eyes have yet to see."). Once I got over my initial bewilderment of the unfamiliar a.m. territory, I went to my class. I spun. I worked muscles I've never worked before. I almost threw up. I left feeling sore, but energized - and I had an entire day ahead of me. I'm going back tomorrow.
5. Brooks. I'm going to sound like a bit of a exercise-aholic (which is laughable. I'm really laughing right now), but I have to rave about my Brooks shoes. Let me back track a little: Ben is the runner in our relationship. He is "that guy" - you know the one; craves his early morning jog, gets all giddy about his "p.r." time, 5k's, and heart rate monitors. When he first started, he tried to get me to join his excitement. Uh, no thanks. I'm doing just fine over here with my routine of talking about going to the gym and not actually following through with it. It's harder than it sounds. I guess in an attempt to...'boost my interest' (I might call it bribery, but whatever) Ben bought me a pair of running shoes. He started explaining why they were so awesome, and to his surprise, I wholeheartedly agreed. "Well yeah they're awesome - they're pink" I reasoned. He coaxed me into trying them on, and going for a quick jog with him. I reluctantly laced up, and we went. I could not imagine running shoes being anything other than running shoes (they all do the same job, right?) - I was wrong. These shoes are little feathery clouds. They're lightweight, with just enough cushion and sole support. I now believe that my Brooks are truly awesome. And not just because they're pink.
DRAB...
1. McDonald's. I only eat there about twice a year, and I've discovered that it's because I need approximately 6 months to recover from, and forget about, the disgustingness. Don't get me wrong - in the moment, I'm in Big Mac, supersize fry bliss. But about 30 minutes later, I literally think my blood has slowed down. It's terrible.
2. Bluetooth headsets. This past week, I was approached by a guy who had a question about directions. I was happy to oblige (though I had to laugh a little because I'm the furthest thing from a human compass). But as I got closer to where he was standing, I noticed he was talking to himself. Strange, I thought. But wait. No...a little closer...he is talking to the pointy device attached to his ear. I was perplexed. Here was this man, empty-handed, talking on a headset. I realize that I sound a little petty, but this irritates me. The whole Bluetooth phenomenon irritates me. I just feel like it screams, "Hi-I-am-way-too-busy-and-important-to-even-grip-my-cell-phone-so-I-gotta-wear-this-cool-shiny-thing-on-my-ear." Come on.
3. Mosquitoes. A couple of days ago, I got bit 3 times. While I was inside. That's just absurd.
4. Dating in the Dark. I'll admit to loving some reality TV, but ABC has sunk to an all-time low...I'm actually speechless. I think I'll just stop there.
5. Chipped nail polish. Perhaps it's because I jump on the over-the-top deals ($1.50 for 3 bottles?! HOLLA!), but my nail polish chips way too often. Chipped polish is one of my biggest pet peeves, so this is disheartening for me. I literally have to remind myself not to stare when someone's toenail is missing a spot of color. It drives me insane. I'm starting to accept the fact that I can't have cheap and long-lasting. It looks like I'll be breaking the bank for some OPI sooner rather than later.
Ashley McCormick Photography:
I love these!! Such a cute idea :) Your 3 and 5 on your drab list - totally agree. 53 mosquito bites in 1 hour is insane. I hate those things so much! Oh, and OPI REALLY does work. That's all I use and it takes a good 2-3 weeks for me to chip my toes :) You must get some!
(07.28.09)
yvonne Morrow:
I want to know who let you photograph their chipped toe nail polish??
Love your selections/
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52
Around here, celebrations come in twos.
Today's festivities? Ben's 25th birthday (or, as I lovingly remind him - his 'quarter of a century day.')
Since Ben doesn't get down on the writing portion of our business (though he told me yesterday that he may create his very own blog because 'there are things in this mind that people just need to know, babe.'), I thought it would be fun to make a list 25 things that you may not know about him.
And here we go.
1. Ben has an internal alarm clock. It always beeps around 6:00a.m.
2. Ben thinks that chocolate makes him sneeze. I have yet to see this proven.
3. My closet was once organized according to the color of the hangers thanks to Ben's OCD.
4. Ben can play the acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, piano, and carry a tune. Be still my heart.
5. Ben has 4 pairs of running shoes. You read that right - 4. He says it's necessary. I say it's excessive.
6. Ben can befriend anyone he meets. He's got this magnetic personality that just draws people to him. It's a gift. I was sucked in from our first handshake.
7. Ben has an uncanny ability to impersonate people. Ask him to do Hank from King of the Hill. It's a dead ringer.
8. Ben won't eat food that is white. Well, except vanilla ice cream. Cream cheese, sour cream, milk, cottage cheese - forget it.
9. Ben has 7 tattoos.
10. Speaking of needles, Ben hates them. Like, almost fainted when he had to get a shot. Ok I made that last part up.
11. I really think that Ben secretly likes The Bachelorette.
12. Ben is mildly narcoleptic. Really. He's sleeping right now.
13. Before discovering a love for music, Ben wanted to be a mechanic. So I get the best of both worlds - a musician who is great with cars.
14. Ben doesn't have a favorite color.
15. I honestly think that Ben could live off of Tijuana Flats, Porkie's BBQ, and Chick-fil-A.
16. Ben has gone skydiving, and still occasionally talks about getting his license to jump by himself. This freaks me out a little.
17. Ben is one of the most driven people I've ever met...
18. ...he is also one of the silliest people I've ever met. I think this is a nice balance.
19. Ben's celebrity crush is Megan Fox. It used to be Mandy Moore, but he saw Transformers 2 last week.
20. I really don't think I've ever seen Ben try something, and not be good at it. Disc golf, running, surfing, banana bread baking, etc. It's impressive, and almost irritating.
21. Ben has a real appreciation for the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and all Denzel Washington movies.
22. When he thinks I'm not looking, Ben snuggles with Putter.
23. As someone who's extremely non-confrontational (I'm working on it), I admire Ben's capability to speak his mind if he feels like something is unjust.
24. Ben's middle name is Tyler.
25. Ben snores lightly when he sleeps. I'm sorry, babe - just accept it as truth.
So there you have it - the mystery man is [somewhat] revealed.
For real though - happy birthday, hubby! You're the best, and I hope you're day was nothing short of fabulous. :)
(iPhone shot from our get-away weekend a few days ago)
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51
Ben,
730 days ago - in the middle of a thunderstorm - we stood in a courtyard and vowed to love each other for the rest of forever.
Today, I still haven't quite figured out how we ended up there. I know the steps - boy meets girl. Boy and girl establish friendship. Boy and girl fall in love - but I just can't quite wrap my head around some of the details.
Like, I'm still not sure how you handle my feistiness, my stubbornness, and my outrageous ideas. I'm still not 100% certain how you accept my clutter, my quirkiness, or my weakness for reality television. I still can't fathom how you actually find me attractive in the morning.
But of this I am confident: never in my life have I met someone who loves as fiercely as you do. Your devotion to me, and to our relationship is rock solid, and I cannot begin to express how fortunate I feel to have you as a husband, and a best friend. You came into my world - this world of chaos and strong-will and messy morning hair - and insisted on having a place in my future. And here we are. You are my future. We share a future.
I'm still feisty, stubborn, disorganized, quirky - and you dig that. You accept me. Even the part of me that loves The Bachelorette.
Happy anniversary, babe. You really are the best part of my day, every day.
Loving you way more than I did 2 years ago,
Amy
(*A shot from our wedding - 7.21.07. Lyrics from our first dance song to Daves Barnes' "I Have and I Always Will.")
tina mom/mike dad:
awww - we love this. we love you two. and there is a history of a long time of love in the morrow and stark's family....so here's to another 70 plus years! :)
(07.21.09)
Shirley :
i love you guys. and i almost teared up at this. and it reminded me about how much i bawled my eyes out at your wedding. happy anniversary. I LOVE YOU BOTH TREMENDOUSLY!
(07.21.09)
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Year two.
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50
It's midnight. My vision is a little blurred, and I keep seeing flashes of my pillow every time I blink. It's time for sleep. But! This post just couldn't wait until morning.
The Todd family consists of some of the coolest people I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with. And I'm not just saying that. :) They are easygoing, refreshing, and absolutely hysterical. So obviously, they were more than enjoyable to photograph. Bottom line: The Todds rock. I'm a fan.
Check out a few from their shoot at uptown Altamonte (more to come soon!):
Sisterly lovin'. Probably two of the most photographic chicks ever. Kinda makes you sick, right? ;)
Awesomeness. :)
Precious!
I had to post this one. "You're a tiger!" haha. :)
Plus 2. :)
Who wouldn't want to hang out with them?
Probably my favorite group shot from the day.
Lovebirds. ;) Can't wait until their wedding!
Nana:
Beautiful family --beautiful pictures. Looks like a fun shoot!
(07.19.09)
Jane:
Know them - love them - everybody who meets them does! What cool pictures!
(07.20.09)
Charlie:
Looks like the Cuz is hammin' it up again.. nice feel 39 when your 58... Great shots of the handsome Todd Clan:)
(07.21.09)
Jaime:
The Todd Family does Rock!! They are what every family should be like!
(07.29.09)
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Definitely an experience I will never forget! Whoever took this photo must know what they're doing...
(07.29.09)Epic Awesomeness.
(08.11.09)(truly)
Amazing Picture! I can believe you wore flip flops to the Grand Canyon though!!! HAHA!
(08.21.09)