2 years and counting

Some things i've learned from being married to Omar for exactly two years (and dating him for exactly three):

- It's okay to call a timeout in the middle of an argument, cuddle all night, and resume said argument in the morning.

- It is absolutely vital to pursue what youre about, figure out whats in your guts.

-whip cream is pretty good on any kind of cereal, particularly lucky charms.

- purple curtains are a good accent color for an all beige and black room.

- its okay to be a human being, and not just a human doing.

- its actually really important to just be. not do. just exist.

-like, vital to life.

-for a house to be cute, it doesnt have to have word art all over it.

-there is more value in having several close, healthy, relationships than many many surface ones. 

-sushi is only good with wasabi.

-a person can learn how to do almost anything. 

-marriage is really really hard.

-marriage is also the single most magnificent relationship any person can be a part of.

-beer doesn't always taste like throw-up.

-there is absolutely, positively, no amount of grace that can be considered too much. 

-hobbies are important. whether it be golf or remote-controlled airplanes or plastic cameras, pursue your interests. 

-it is remarkably difficult to overcome habits that you have lived with for years, it is also totally possible. 

-panic at the disco does not suck.

-when mopping the floor, make sure you mop it twice to avoid streaks.

- soy sauce makes everything taste better.

- being married is like having a slumber party with your best friend every single night of your freaking life.

- love is only true love if it is absolutely unconditional. this is not a feeling, but a choice. to choose to love someone unconditionally means to look past absolutely everything they have or dont have to offer and to look into the depths of their soul. this kind of love can overcome arrogance and anger, jealousy and greed, pride, addiction, selfishness, boredom, and self-righteousness. and it has. 

Happy 2 year birthday to our love! Heres to at least another 75 years! 

disappeared

Dear blog world, 

Due to the death of my laptop and upcoming/ recent adventures which include, but are not limited to, remodeling our downstairs bathroom (on less than $20, which has quickly become my favorite room in the house), being in  the midst of overcoming an enormous obstacle in our life (something that ive prayed for for years), lack of summer school and subsequent mass amount of quality time with my husband, John Piper's book- Dont Waste Your Life(Drop what youre doing and READ IT), our upcoming two year anniversary camping trip, our beach adventure with our friends, birthdays, weddings, homeless people, and bible studies, I havent successfully existed on the internet for the last few weeks. This will continue to be an issue until Barack Obama buys me a new macbook in August (Thanks, pal!). Until then, I hope that you are enjoying the summer heat and joy that comes with being alive.

love,

allie

side note, heres my camping list, for storage reasons.

camping list:

backpack

toiletpaper

paper towels

salt, pepper, seasoning, ketchup, etc.

forks,knives, spoons

flashlight

lantern

boogieboards

swimsuits

sunscreen

insect repellent

towels

ipod dock and batteries 

ipods

cooler

tent

airmattress

lighter

lighter fluid

kindling

wood bundle

books

chairs?

water (case)

wedding outfits

Rich and Erika's wedding present

toiletries

clothes

tennis shoes

can opener

plates, cups, bowls

knife

ice packs

sleeping bag, blankets

holga and film

cards

first aid kit

shovel

hammer

newspaper

pillows

charcoal

garbage bags

grocery bags

maps, directions, confirmation emails

On the sex of our future children

Him: I want a boy first.
Me: Really?
Him: Yeah, so make that happen. Do whatever you gotta do in there.
Me: Umm, the man's sperm determines the sex of the baby.
Him: Oh. Then I got that. Boom! yah! hah!

My sweet, plastic, friend.

Remember this post?

Wellll, a few minutes after writing about my discovery of the Holga camera, I researched it fervently and discovered that it is pretty much the best invention since the toaster. Then, I bought the complete set for $60. Free Shipping.
In fact, this is what the first page of my new Holga book says:

"Think your eyes are open? I'm afraid to say that until this very moment they have been closed. The unassuming Holga is here to save you from a future of digital pixels and images shared on small screens on cameras or phones. We have all become numbed with photography, there is no denying it, but a chunky camera made almost entirely of plastic has been put on this Earth to save us. It will reawaken your vision, fill you with joy, make you see beauty when you thought it had disappeared forever, and bring out sunshine on a cloudy day."

I feel like that is alot to expect out of a $30 piece of plastic. So far, it is really cool. It came in the mail yesterday, and I have only taken four pictures with it, one of which had the lens cap on. Tomorrow The Mr and I are going to take her out for a few hours and use up all her film on carousels and sunsets. I'll let you know how that goes.

Curly: The Musical

So, Once Upon A Time, my sweet husband (who didn't have long, luscious, curls) worked a 9-5 escrow job and made more money than he knew what to do with and hated it. One day, in a tunnel, I prayed that he would have a different job, one that he loved, and was incredible at, and felt like he was made to do. Several months after we got married, he was laid off.
He was bummed, and I (secretly) rejoiced.
Fast forward (almost) two years. Our living room has been transformed into a music studio. I have seen him perform in several cities, and go from being a beginner pianist to...well, a not at all beginner pianist. The sounds this guy can produce make my toes tingle. He is a very secretive and private kind of guy, so the entire universe has no idea what will hit them when the world becomes his audience.
You'llll seeee.
AND, the very best part is that he has found a career with purpose and meaning, and he is doing exactly what he was made to do.
Hooray!
And the very, very, best part is that when you are a workfromhome musician, you get to have yummy curly hair that gets stuck in my eyelashes when you kiss me.
And we lived happily ever after.

Its July

July= anniversary month. As in, month of TWO YEARS AND WERE STILL MARRIED. Score! Every year is one more dart in the face of the naysayers and ridiculous divorce rates. In celebration I will probably be writing more often than usual about how I accidentally married my best friend, not even knowing that under his handsome, rugged, overpriced clothing, was the man of my dreams. I thought I knew, but I was deeply infatuated and he is really cute and fun and funny, and those things are nice but they arent the kind of things that hold marriages together. Or maybe they are.
Anyway, I lucked out. Hit the jackpot with a quarter I found on the ground. Lucky me!

lover's quarrel

me: i love you, kid.

hub: hmm?
me: love you, kid.
hub: i'm a person. a grown up person.
me: oh. love you, person.
hub: ahem?
me: love you, grown up person.