Year Four

Ben and I celebrated our 4th anniversary this past week. I asked Ben if he would be in charge this year and keep it a surprise. The night began with a sunset boat ride along the channels in Tampa. Captain Larry was our guide, and although I was a little nervous about it when I first figured out what was going on, I quickly relaxed and we had a nice little ride through Tampa. Captain Larry dropped us off at the restaurant That's Amore! - an Italian restaurant in Tampa, located right on the water with a fun atmosphere. Ben ordered Gnocchi and I ordered Eggplant Parmesan. Both were wonderful! After dinner we drove along Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, Ben turned on Howard Ave, and we pulled up to Bern's Steakhouse! We ate the most delicious Dulche De Leche Chocolate cake, Creme Brulee, and Mexican Vanilla Souffle in a quaint little room in their upstairs dessert room. I must take a moment to describe this place to you: you feel like you're in a dark old castle and all the waiters/waitresses are very stoic and eerie. In many ways, I felt like I was in a haunted mansion at Disney World. In fact, at one point, I got up to go to the restroom and after going down several long hallways and not being able to find it or anyone, I got spooked and decided it wasn't worth the trauma after all. But I found the restroom on my walk back, so it all ended up okay! Afterward we went for a walk along the water (which was necessary because we probably each ate 2,000 calories that night). It was my favorite anniversary to date! Perhaps I especially appreciated it this year because it's such a rare treat to have Ben to myself for an entire night lately.

Today in Sunday School I taught the youth about eternal marriage and the lesson suggested that the youth make a list of qualities they are looking for in a spouse. I had remembered doing the same exercise in a lesson, so I went through my journal to find it this morning before church. After reading through the list (and it was a really long one) I realized Ben perfectly represents each trait and characteristic that I jotted down in my sloppy hand writing sitting in a sunday school class over a decade ago. I might get a little snippy sometimes and he may have lots of responsibilities that prevent him from being home as much as I would like; but at the end of the day, when it's just him and I, life is exactly how I wanted it to turn out!

Farewell, My Friend

Ben sold his beloved car last week. Below is my interview with him about this occasion:

Alicia: How long did you have your car?

Ben: Um....6 years, no, maybe 7.

Alicia: When describing your car, what color would you say it is?

Ben: It's maroon!!! It's not purple if that's what you're implying. I'll show you the title of the car, it's says it's maroon. (This was a long time fued between Ben and I).

Alicia: Okay, for the sake of the interview, I won't argue, but it seems to have a purple shade to me. Next question, what was your favorite thing about the car?

Ben: Hmm...that's a hard one. [pause] It got me where I needed to go.

Alicia: Dig deeper...what else? Did you like the stick shift the most, stereo, look of the car....what?

Ben: I don't know. It just got me where I needed to go?

Alicia: Moving on, what's your favorite memory of your car?

Ben: Our first kiss. No wait, probably our second kiss. Ya, definitely our second kiss! [Ben blushes].

Alicia: Good answer! What's your favorite trip you ever took in the car?

Ben: Let's see....probably Idaho Falls. That was fun, right?

Alicia: Very fun! Will you miss your car?

Ben: Not really.

Alicia: [Exasperated] WHAT???

Ben: Well, I'm not going to cry about it. (I cried about it the morning he drove off).

Alicia: Honey, there's nothing wrong with crying. Why don't you take a moment and go ahead and cry and then you'll feel better.

Ben: No, I don't feel bad about it at all. In fact, I'm just happy someone was willing to buy it.

Alicia: Okay, how do you feel about now driving my car?

Ben: [Shrug] It's fine I guess.

Alicia: What would be your dream car?

Ben: [He says this in all sincerity] To drive a car with less than 100,000 miles would be nice!

Alicia: Well, at least you don't have to drive a van!

My First Solo Photo Shoot

I just finished retouching the pictures from my first photo shoot! The newborn in the pictures is Levi and his mom is Alisa. He only weighed 5 1/2 lbs!!! He was also a c-section baby and had perfect tiny features. It was a lot of fun, but more stressful than I expected. There's a lot of pressure to capture each happy little moment and expression.

If you want to take a look at the pictures, go here. Please give me as much feedback as possible! I'm trying to figure out what my 'style' is and what other people like. The more comments, the better!

As always, thank you to Sarah for letting me borrow her equipment!!