Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Just To See You Smile




"Just To See You Smile" Tim McGraw


I just flipped our calendar. Don't tell Steve. We usually unveil the "kittens of the month" together.  But, with November in the air, it was time to turn the page.
The 2 fluffies, though adorable, looked so blue...I had to cheer em' up a bit.
Okay, they looked much sweeter beforehand. 

Speaking of cheering up...
THANK YOU.  For all your kind words...your encouragement...your understanding...on my last post. All the beautiful comments and emails truly brightened my days. Steve reads them too. And we are so touched by your amazing support. It's always so therapuetic for me to just sit, write, have a big, ugly cry and let it all out...type away...press publish, give life to my thoughts, and then, breathe...
breathe easier.
feel my mind clear more space.


The past few days have been refreshing.
I spent the day with my Mom on Thursday. We had a lot of catching up to do.
We sat and chatted over a few, frequently warmed up cups of pumpkin coffee.
After an afternoon of pumpkin coffee and pumpkin bagels with pumpkin cream cheese, I suggested a run.
It's been a while.
I finally feel like if I want to, I'm "okay" to go runnning for more than two weeks at a time. With this break, I want to do the things I love, without any questioning.
It felt good. Between the cool night air, the occasional raindrops, my music, and the company of my Mom...it was wonderful.
My legs were super sore in the days following. Good sore.
Kinda like how ending this chapter feels.

It hurts good.

Before I left that night, my Mom gave me a gift. There were tears in both our eyes before I even opened it. That's how we roll.  
We're big fans of letting the tears flow before we even know what we're crying about.
It was a beautiful bracelet. With 3 words I hold very dear to me.  Faith.  Hope.  Love.  I will wear it always.   
When I got home, I opened the card.  How cute and how true! It reminded me of my post from the summer, "It Won't Be Like This For Long"
And, it reminded me of how truly blessed I am.  To have my Mother.  And to have her love and support.
It's not easy to see your loved ones in pain.  It makes your heart ache.  But, all the same, it makes it swell with such love.  And, when I tell my Mom, "Please, don't cry", what I really mean is...thank you. 
Thank you for being there. 
Always.


***
Steve and I went pumpkin pickin' earlier in the week.
There were plenty of pumpkins...some VERY smashed and oddly shaped ones. 

He found "the one"



Mr getting his workout for the day, carrying our pumpkins back.

***
Friday, Kim and I started the night at our favorite place for ahi tuna and the spiciest "bang bang shrimp"...
We laughed that we ate in less than an hour but stayed for three. We both have pretty loud voices (okay, mine is VERY loud) and are certain, the table next to us was only hanging around so they could hear all our life stories and wacky inside jokes.

We planned a sleepover. Man, sleepovers are so much fun. They make you feel like a kid again. It was so relaxing. We stayed at our house, and Steve went down the street to theirs. Us girls watched LMN (some very odd, twisted, still very addicting movies), ate ice cream and chatted until dawn. The boys played what else, but video games, and surprisingly only stayed awake till 2.
Me in my "BW" moo moo. It's my Nani's. Isn't it awesome?! So comfortable. And totally stylish! I can't tell you what "bw" stands for. Ask Kim.

Muffin was all ready for a girl's night and some Ben n'Jerry's. Kim was sweet enough to share with her.

Twinkie felt left out and joined us.  He loved having an extra bed in the living room. Plus, he couldn't miss another minute of "The Perfect Teacher" (one of the super clever titles of the hilarious movies we chose)

That's Mr. Twinkie looking out at the snow, Saturday morning. Yes, SNOW! Snow in October...in Pennsylvania...insanely awesome. I love snow. It makes me giddy. But, I love fall. I'm not ready to see the leaves go just yet. Thankfully, a lot are still hanging around.
Crazy, huh?!

Saturday, Steve and I took a drive. We had dinner together at a cozy restaurant. We said, "Cheers" many times throughout the night. Cheers to a new chapter. Cheers to living life. Cheers to good food and drink.


Cheers to my brother, Nicholas...Rockin' his Elvis costume at his gig.

Thank you, Thank you very much...

Me and Nicholas

Elvis and Steve

Cheers to us.
And, Cheers to being spontaneous.
Me and Steve OR Steve and Me?!
Within an hour of the picture taken of my brother and I...I, with much help from our friends, convinced Steve we should be each other for Halloween.
When Matt (man/woman/scary-awesome gloved/bird man) Vanessa (Snooki) and Doug (Zach Galifianakis from "The Hangover") showed up all festive, ready for some Halloween fun, we had to join em'.

Steve and I quickly went home and changed. I went through his closet and found a pretty pink tie, smeared some brown liquid eyeliner all over my face and called myself, *Steve*
Steve hopped right into the top I was wearing. Clasped my necklace around his neck and even picked out some fancy earrings. HA! He got major points for this.
oh honey, you're simply stunning.

Doug and Vanessa

Bill Vanessa and I

So much happening in this picture. Matt wearing my lipstick.  Steve wearing my jewelry.  Good times.

so pretty.

Here's Nicholas and I on Saturday...

And here's us 24 years ago...
Love it.  This picture makes me :)


I never thought Steve would have proudly sported my clothes and jewelry, especially out in public.
I knew he did it, "just to see me smile"
And, I smiled big that night.


With the mattress still being in the living room, Steve and I decided, *Hey! why not have a sleepover too!?* We woke up Sunday to sunny skies and the sound of the snow melting.  Between the comfy mattress (much thanks, Jamie and Leslie), Muffin literally sleeping on my butt, and Krimpy and Twinkie keeping us company, we didn't want to get up. Steve said it felt like we were in a cabin. A cabin!? I love cabins.  And, I couldn't agree more.  Maybe that's why the mattress is still where it is...with the fluffinators lovin' every second of it.
Muffin and Krimpet...too cute.
We've been sleeping in our regular bed this week. But, we can't seem to move the mattress yet.  We're thinking one more sleepover before the week is through...just one more...promise.


***
Sunday, very last minute, my boss asked if I had any extra time to clean.  With already having a few offices done, I thought, might as well, I'm already out and I could use the quiet time.
Steve was having a football/cheesy poof infested/man-party at our house, and where I was happy he was having guy-time, I certainly wouldn't be able to think clearly between the screaming and shouting at the television.

So, I cleaned a lot.  I thought a lot.  I processed a lot. 
I came home happy...to a happy husband (Giants won).
Before we went to bed, Steve asked, "Did you have a good weekend, hunny?"
Yes.  Yes I did.

*
Happy Halloween. Love, Muffin

Halloween, we joined our friends next door for pizza and handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters.
There were Princesses, Nerds (lots of Nerds), lots of Spidermans, Pirates and a few kids who just carried a pillowcase and expected 10 Kit Kat bars for ringing the doorbell.
The funniest kid of the night was this little boy, maybe 8 years old or so...
He must of stood there for a good 3 minutes with a trail of other sugar hungry kids behind him.  He was so indecisive about which candy to choose.  He grumbled. He tapped his foot. He even put his finger to his lip and made the thinking gesture. 
I asked him which two it was between.  No answer.
My friend smiled and said to him, "It's tough making decisions sometimes, isn't it?"
He pondered some more.
And finally, decided on Orange Nerds and Banana Nerds.
Good choice, kid.
Stephanie and I

We laughed afterwards at his dilemma. And how cute it was...the amount of thought he put into something...something that seemed so trivial to us.

But, Stephanie is right. It is tough making decisions. Sometimes, it's the simplest of things that take the most time to figure out.

Sometimes we're faced with much greater decisions...
ones that require us to dig deep into our souls.
ones that take time to feel peace with.

And, with each passing day, Steve and I are feeling that peace...
Knowing, we made the right decision.

Thank you all, again.

I'll be back later this week.
Ready to pour some more out.

Wednesday Lovin'...Make Someone Smile Today :)

24 comments:

Maria said...

Nerds?! How is that kid ever going to live with himself?! That kid was probably up all night (parents blamed it on all the sugar) but he was probably so annoyed with himself about the nerds. My guess is that he was trying to make sure he had the right sugar to chocolate ratio and those nerds, while enticing, made his trick or treat bag sugar heavy. Oh! For the love of humanity! The NERDS! :)

I'm glad you had a great weekend and a fun Halloween! And, if I were you, I would be writing the cat calendar makers and tell them that those Nov. cats don't look very thankful. They look more like they are dealing with a bad case of worms. Maybe its my PMS talking. LOL I'll shut up now. <3 Ya!

Mrs. E said...

I'm glad you had such a great week/weekend! Honestly, I feel like you regularly do more in a week than I do in a month =) Okay, off to finish this up in an email! XOXO~

Unknown said...

Hi Maria,
Another wonderful post! It has certainly brightened my day. As usual the pictures are beautiful and the thoughts you share are reflective and inspirational. I love your cute cat calendar and the idea of putting a smile on their faces!:) Isn't it wonderful when you have a very supportive Mom?! My mom has also been a source of strength in difficult times. The words 'Faith, Hope and Love ' on the bracelet and the cat card with that awesome message were so good to see. The bracelet and message must be treasured! It is good to see that you and Steve have been having happy times with your friends including Halloween. I have certainly learnt a lot more about Halloween from Blogs. Keep smiling and by the way, I was happy to read in your comments on my Blog that you and Steve spent your honeymoon in my country, Jamaica!:) Take care until next time. Lots of Love and best wishes always.
Judy

Anonymous said...

Oh yum, I LOVE bang bang shrimp! And those pjs.....so fun! Looks like a good weekend! Glad to see you are doing well and still living life to the fullest!

Kelly @ Stay at Home Trader said...

hey you!!! well, now i know why we are pushing our lmn day to december - hahahahahaha! TOTALLY PLAYING! awwww ;)

it sounds like you had an amazing week! i LOVE kim! we have to get together with her again sometime soon. i still go back and look at that shushing baby pic! hahahahaha!

UM YOU AND STEVE ON HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And MATT! hahahahahahaha! Oh my gosh! Seriously, absolutely hilarious. this halloween was really different for us, but in a good way. we didn't get many trick or treaters, but it's okay. it was fun to stay in and meet a few neighbors.

your kitties are too cute :) and totally cuter with your photobucket makeover ;) LOL!

hope that you have a great week. and it's great to see you guys so happy and so content with your decision.

love you guys to pieces and know that we'll be here supporting you the whole way thru!

xoxoxoxooxo

Kelly

Miranda said...

I'm with Mrs. E - you totally have this lifestyle of constant activity it seems like! Sleepovers sound great, MAN I wish I had sleepovers still! hahaha. We do the mattress in the living room thing a lot too - just feels like you are someplace different for the night. And the pets certainly love it too.

I am glad you got some snow! We got it again today so I'm sure you'll get some more here in a few days or so.

I'm so grateful to have found you on the interwebs Maria. You are my super most favorite :) I hope November treats you well and I can't wait to see what other crazy fun stuff you post next time. Enjoy the rest of your week!!

xoxoxoxoxo

M

lovejoy_31 said...

Your posts about your mom makes me smile and cry at the same time. Thanks pretty lady for the very sweet comments. They really do mean a lot. You are in tons of prayers. I know you guys will eventually feel peace regardless of what decisions are made

Kerstin@TheRealHousewivesofIdaho.blogspot.com said...

You keep writing girl! I never knew how therapeutic writing could be until I needed it to be. I love how you always make everything fun. I can tell with the whole Halloween costume thing---hilarious! And Steve was a good sport. :) Have a wonderful rest of the week! XOXOXO

LOVE MELISSA:) said...

Oh my goodness Maria! I want your life. You do more in a few days than I do in a month. I loved looking at the pictures. The picture of you guys switching clothes was hysterical! You make the cutest couple. And I love pumpkin coffee too!

Ashley said...

When you were describing you and your mom it reminded me of my mom and I. :) Also, I am a little bit obsessed with LMN..... my hubby thinks I am nuts but oh well.

waitingforarainbow said...

MARIA!!! Thank you so much for your commment!!!!! You have always been pretty much the only person to ever take the time to read my blog, an comment on it. It's always meant so much to me, and you always say just the right thing. Thank you for that.
The bracelet from your Mother is beautiful!! It's seriously so perfect. And yours and Steves Halloween costumes are hilarious! It had to have been so fun getting dressed up together... I fully enjoyed this very long post. Did you guys ever carve those pumpkins??
p.s. going out to eat with you always sounds like so much fun in your posts. I would love to be a part of that loud, crazy, laughing bunch :o)

Hi, I'm Aleisha! said...

Look at your bloggity-bloggity-boo! It looks SOOOOOOOO purty! I love it! This post was excellent. I always enjoy reading what you write. You are a darling, funny, beautiful friend. Someday we'll meet and we'll hug and we'll cry. Cuz' that's what I do too! HA HA HA HA!!!

Katherines Corner said...

Wonderful post, I'm so happy you linked up at The Thursday Favorite Things hop. I'm following you now and look forward to reading many more posts. Thank you for sharing your weekend with us.
Love the bracelet, happy to hear you are feeling better now ( hang in there) love the bracelet,the mattress..giggle, Hus and happy Thursday:-)

claudia b said...

Your writing is wonderful, you are able to share the emotions you are going through - I am sorry for these rough times. Loved all the Halloween pictures, especially the ones of you and your brother, so sweet!

Unknown said...

So glad to hear you had a great week. Love all your pictures{as always}You are always busy busy doing fun fun stuff. Good luck on the new chapter.....I am certain only good things will come out of it:)

Stephanie said...

Hi Maria,

I love this post. You are so full of LIFE and LOVE, and that is so evident in all of your pictures an how you write.

The gift from your Mamma - tear! You two have such a special relationship -- one I know you'll continue with your children when they arrive. <3

Now... the Halloween pictures. I LOVE THEM! The idea to switch up Maria and Steve - hilarious! :)

...and the FOOD. I'm hungry again. I'm always hungry after reading your posts. Just one bite, please? :)

I hope your days continue to be full of life and love! Here's to another awesome weekend! :)

Grumpy Grateful Mom said...

Loved your things to smile about. You are seriously funny. Glad you got to spend some wonderful time with your mom. I wish mine lived closer. I like that you are rockin the moo moo.

AND, I have such a hard deciding on candy too. :)

Pat M said...

What a fun weekend you had - and your husband is awesome the way he goes along with your ideas! Gotta love him! I am blog hopping & following you from Katherine's Corner. Growing Old With Grace http://growing-old-with-grace.blogspot.com/. Hugs, GraceinAZ

Krafty Max Originals said...

WOW, what a post!! I love the calender and the old photo of you both....perfect!!

Hop'n by from 'Thursday Favorite Things'. I'm following your blog now, wont you please come and follow me back?? ~KM

*Krafty Max Originals*

lisa said...

Happy Belated Halloween! I love your costume and the pumpkin coffee and cream cheese sounds amazing!

Hope you are doing good! Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Lisa

Kerry said...

Such a wonderful, fun filled, entertaining post that obviously matches the week you guys have had! You two are so cute together, even wearing each others things ;)
The last part of your post was just the best, about the little boy and decision making. You're right, sometimes the simplest decisions are the hardest to make!
Thankyou for always visiting and commenting on my posts, it is ALWAYS a pleasure to see you have been there xo

Stephanie @ Blonde Highlights said...

This week has been CRAZY at work and I am just getting to finally read this post!

- it sounds like you had such a wonderful time with your mom. A mother-daughter bond is truly something that can't be described
- I always get weird stares in restaurants because I talk WAY too loudly. And three hour dinners are THE BEST.
- LOVE YOUR NOVEMBER KITTY CALENDAR (and definitely think that the photo-shopping was an upgrade!)
- this is my favorite tim mcgraw song!
- love the halloween costumes!!!!
- love that your kitty eats Ben N Jerry's. Jacques-Imo isn't allowed to have any ice cream so he would be very jealous! :)

Okay... I've written a novel! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!!! XOXOXOXO

Anonymous said...

Awww... I can feel your fun come through. How exciting. It's funny how the simplest of decisions can turn out to be the most important ones! Huggers. tammy

Julie said...

Following from give a hoot wednsday http://mommaof3-littlebits.blogspot.com/

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...