Catching Up: August

Last month of the "catch up" then I have to actually come up with things to write about haha.

August was another fun month!

We kicked off the month by celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. We had dinner at Bru Burger I had just eaten there 2 days before but had to have their nachos again. We stopped at my mom's on the way home to visit and pick up our awesome anniversary gift.  She had a similar sign made for my brother's wedding with their song on it and had one made for Danny and I with one of our songs.

Tucker started looking like a 5 year old.

We got to see Baby Goofy for the first time!

We also started potty training. Right in the middle of the house.

He has done really well with it! He had peeing in the potty down in about a week. Poop is a different story, but that's always been a hot mess for him.

I turned 27! I spent the day in the rain keeping score at a softball tournament benefiting an old teammate's mom. I had a lot of fun and loved every minute of it. When it was over, it was time for cake. Danny special ordered an apple cake from a lady in town and it was delicious and so rich. I couldn't even eat dinner.

On my actual birthday, Tucker and I went to Target where we had our first public pee accident. We happened to be there to pick up his reward for doing so well with potty training. We still got the toy so he didn't think he was being punished for having an accident.  Thankfully we had just arrived so I didn't have to abandon my cart. We got it cleaned up, changed clothes and went on our way. I now know that "I want to go home" really means "I need to pee right now" Tucker stayed all night at my moms and I ate my weight in (cooked) sushi for dinner.

Tucker stayed with my mom since Danny and I were leaving the next day for our adults only camping trip with my BFF and her hubby. We went to the Indiana Dunes for 3 nights. 

The first night we visited the beach and climbed up a dune and it was then I realized how out of shape I had gotten over the summer. 

 

The next day we took the train into Chicago. 

We walked. Visited popular landmarks.

Walked to Dylan's Candy Bar. They had champagne gummies and I could have spent a fortune in there.

We ate at Giordano's for lunch. So freaking good. We have one in Indy but it just seems to taste better when you're actually eating it in Chicago.

We walked some more.

Visited the Navy Pier.

 

And walked back to the train. In case you didn't catch that, we walked a lot. 10 miles to be exact. I was noticeably wore out at the end of the day!

We walked a lot less the next day and went shopping at the nearby outlet mall since it was raining and we couldn't spend the day at the beach. Danny did what any man should do while his wife is in Coach.

We had a great trip with our friends! They have a little boy who is about 18 months younger than Tucker. Hopefully we can bring the kids one day!

That was August!

4 years

On this day 4 years ago, I married my best friend and love of my life.

In those 4 years, we've gone through the big things: both of us graduating college, getting through the first year of marriage, buying a house together, experiencing the for richer, for poorer when my family business almost crumbled, having a baby, and doing the in sickness and in health thing when Danny broke his foot.

But what I noticed when I was looking for pictures to make the a collage for the obligatory anniversary post on all forms of social media, the "little" things are where the magic happens. The little moments in between all the big moments.

1. Top Left: Indianapolis Indians game. I vividly remember Danny telling me the first summer we started dating that he would rather watch paint dry than watch a baseball game. A trip to St. Louis and me begging to go to a Cardinals game changed his mind. We haven't been to a baseball game in 2 years, but for Danny Summers to enjoy baseball says a lot!

2. Top Right: Mother's Day 2013. We were at Hooter's with my mom and brother. Dinner at Hooters was Danny's idea. Even though I wasn't officially a mother yet, Danny acknowledged the day with a  card. He usually did with Diesel anyways, but he made sure this day was recognized. It was also that in between time when you find out your pregnant but you can't tell anyone yet. My mom and brother knew, but the news hadn't been made public yet.

3. Bottom Left: Tiger Trot 5K in 2014.  I used to despise running. I never understood why people ran for fun. Growing up as an athlete, running was usually a form of punishment. Missed free throws? Run suicides. Other team serves an ace against you: run stairs. Strike out looking: run around the field outsid the fence. But after watching Danny complete the Tiger Trot in 2013 and seeing how great he felt about himself, I had to give it a try.

4. Bottom Right: Our camper. Danny and I don't share many hobbies. He likes to shoot guns and fish while I like to shop and drink wine. But this year we made a purchase that allows us to do something together as a family. Danny can fish during the day and I can drink wine (or rum or beer) during the day AND night. Ha!

There is no one I'd rather share the big and little moments with.

Even When You Want To Kick Him

This past Sunday began my string of bridal showers. I had one Sunday, two this coming Sunday and another one in three weeks. Normally I don't like bridal shower games. Feed me, give me a drink of some kind (by drink I obviously mean a spiked one) and let me socialize and watch the bride open gifts. Especially at this one. I lived with this particular bride my sophomore year of college. She. Is. NUTS! But in the best way possible. Never a dull moment with her. Add her family in and you are in for some entertainment, tears and what feels like a new set of abs from laughing.

One of the games had to do with marriage advice for the bride. The bride's sister read one line from each card and then the bride had to guess who wrote it. I thought it was fun! I hadn't played it before and it's always fun to play a game that's new and different that really doesn't require much effort. Although thinking of marriage advice on the fly was a little tough.

Here is what I had to say.

Always... Put your spouse first. I actually wrote talk to each other but if I had a do over I would change this answer to that. Putting my husband first is just better for everyone. If Danny and I aren't on the same page and working right, the family doesn't work right. Our marriage is also setting an example for Tucker and our other future children. It's our job to show him/them what a strong, healthy marriage looks like.

Try not to...  talk bad about him to your family and friends. Sometimes you just have to complain and vent. I definitely stop when I catch myself, or follow up with something great he that he does for me and our family. He is a hard worker and does almost anything he can to help me. I really have nothing to complain about. 

Love him even when... you want to kick him. Even though he works hard and helps out, I still want to kick him in the shins sometimes. But it's always over little thing. Leaving the shower pointing at the shower curtain and soaking the wall outside the shower when I get in. Or washing just a shirt and pair of boxers when there is a large pile of towels and clothes next to the washer that could have went in. It's times like those where I have to remember that I never have to clean the bathroom or mow the yard.

Sometimes... you have to give more than you take.  This is one that I HAD to learn early on. Early as in when we were planning our wedding. Danny was buried in medic school and his job depended on it. When we moved our wedding up 10 months, giving us 5 months to put it all together, most of it fell on me. Even though medic school ended, this part didn't go away. I don't think its just the nature of his job either. There are going to be hard times when you have to lean on each other and even though you both may be giving all you can give, it still might not seem equal.

Never under any circumstances... leave during a fight. This hasn't happened to us in the almost 7 years we've been together. Nothing would piss me off more than if he just left. He can go in another room or out to the garage to get some space. But if he got in his truck and left, I would be fuming!

Love is built on 2 things.... communication and trust.  These are obvious and I didn't really put too much thought into them.

 

We don't have the perfect marriage. It's definitely a "make it up as you go" kind of thing. But there isn't anyone else I'd rather figure it out and go through life with. Even if I do want to kick him sometimes.