Happy Valentine’s Day!

In honor of Valentine’s Day (tomorrow….in case you forgot!), I thought I would share a little story of how my hubby and I first met, along with some Valentine’s décor….

you know, because these pics are WAY prettier than the many hair colors of my twenties!

If you enjoy an awkward first date story, you’re in for a treat!  I wouldn’t say Mac and I were love at first sight. We had a lot of mutual friends, and were at many of the same events without ever even noticing each other. The first time I remember talking to him was a summer Sunday at the pool with my friend Jennifer.  It was fun conversation, and he seemed like a nice guy, but there was nothing particularly flirtatious about it. So later that week when he texted me and asked if I wanted to go for “a meal of food” I was confused.

Was he asking me on a date?? And if so, do I want to go on a date with someone who says meal of food?!? After carefully dissecting every possible scenario, my roommate, Megan, and I decided the use of this term was definitely his awkward way of making it clear to me that this was NOT a date. Cool. He seemed nice, and I like meals of food, so I agreed to go.

When the day arrived, I picked my most non-date attire, a t-shirt and shorts, and made minimal effort with my hair and makeup. After all, this was not a date, and I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard. I heard a knock at my door, and opened it to see Mac in slacks and a button down, holding a bottle of wine and flowers……THIS IS A DATE!! Needless to say I was a little flustered, but I invited him in, thanked him for the wine and flowers and said I was running behind and would need a few minutes to finish getting ready. I am a terrible liar, and rarely cool in awkward situations….ok, rarely cool period, but give me some grace! Haha!  I could definitely sense he wasn’t buying it.

Megan tried to strike up conversation and give me time to quickly throw on a more date-worthy outfit and put on a little makeup.  I looked as good as I could in five minutes, and we headed to his car. We were silent on the walk. It was uncomfortable, and I was cringing thinking that we might go the whole night pretending like I had known all along this was a date. He opened my door, we got in the car and he looked at me and said, “Soooooo, where’s the closest Arby’s?” We both just busted out laughing.  The tension was gone, and we ended up having an amazing time! We talked for hours like we had known each other forever, and something about him just put me at ease.

That first “date” was almost 13 years ago and Mac still keeps me laughing. He is so knowledgeable about so many topics that I feel like we are never at a loss for conversation. I learn from him all the time. He’s quirky, silly, and has a way of making me not take myself, and life, so seriously.  We have so much fun together, and seeing him as a dad has made me fall in love with him all over again.   I also learned that he’s sometimes awkward when he’s nervous…hence the “meal of food” text! I could write a book of hilarious/awkward Mac moments over the years! That sense of humor is definitely what first attracted me to him, and what keeps our home full of laughter. Life is just more fun with him!

When I was younger I pictured perfect couples as people who had found their “other half.” They aligned seamlessly on their views and the way they wanted to live life together. They definitely didn’t fight. In my mind, my future husband would put me on a pedestal, and think I was perfection in every way…

Fast forward to real life, almost 10 years of marriage, and 2 kids. Mac and I argue….OFTEN. From day one, Mac has been my biggest cheerleader, but he is also quick to call me out when I’m being bratty, unreasonable, irrational, need to wash my hair…the list goes on and on! While Mac and I have very different personalities on a lot of levels, we are alike in that we are both the oldest of three children, stubborn, have a definite idea of the way we want things done…oh, and we are both always right….see where this could lead to problems?

Early in our marriage we would let these fights escalate to a mean, hurtful place. We have definitely improved on that, but we still sometimes go to bed angry (gasp!) I find that sleep is sometimes the clarity we need to wake up and be able to find a compromise. The truth is, we are both very flawed people (aren’t we all?) but we are very quick with the apologies, and owning where we’re wrong.  Mac and I see each other completely, our strengths and our weaknesses, and we love each other regardless. These fights stem from a place of trying to make each other better and provide a better life for our family, but when two passionate, and often exhausted, people have a “discussion,” sometimes it gets heated. In the end, the solutions we come up with together are far better than anything I would come up with on my own…and that sense of humor comes in handy too!

Our marriage is not perfect, but Mac is undoubtedly “my other half”, just not in the way I thought as a young girl. He is not a mirror image of me, he is the mirror that shows me where I am Beyonce,….and where I am Frankenstein. Ok, probably NO part of me is Beyonce…but maybe in Mac’s eyes! We make each other better. The journey of getting there is not always pretty, but it is OUR journey, and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side!

So this Valentine’s Day I hope you take a minute to appreciate the journey…whether it’s love for your spouse, your kids, yourself…reflect on how far you’ve come, and be sure to show the people you love just how much they mean to you!

Here’s a little shot of Mac and I…we don’t do mushy well, so I’m pretty sure he just whispered something about queso here….he knows the way to my heart!

And if you are in need of a “meal of food” for tomorrow, be sure to checkout my Valentine’s day themed recipe roundup with lots of easy ideas here.

Dining Room Links:

Breakfast Nook + Living Room Links: