Introducing...

Blake and I were finally able to go meet Miss Brady Lynn last weekend. We left early (and by early I mean 3:15am) and got to Texas shortly after 1:30 Friday afternoon. We even made a pit-stop in Little Rock to drop my friend Cheryl off to spend the weekend with her daughter. We went straight to Bevin and John's house to meet our sweet niece. I held Brady for a while while Blake and Maverick went for a run. After about an hour of relaxing (for me) Blake and John started loading up a moving truck full of their furniture. Let me go back a bit...

Patmommy and Granddad (my mom's parents, also known as PMGD) decided on Saturday (two weeks ago tomorrow) that they were ready to move into a retirement home. Granddad didn't feel comfortable moving until their house sold but there was an apartment available in the community where they wanted to move. Bevin and John needed to be out of their house by March 1st... then my mom came up with a great idea. PMDG put down a deposit on their new place, Mom started packing up PMGD's house and Bevin and John packed up their own house. All last weekend was spent deciding what to take and give away, taking things to the Crowley House of Hope, and splitting up everything that we all wanted. It was quite the tiring weekend. Bevin and John have bee staying with Mom and Dad for the past week while things were being wrapped up at PMGD's house. They are having the carpets cleaned at PMGD's house tomorrow, so hopefully Bevin and John will be able to get into their new house on Sunday... hopefully.

So, Bevin moved out of her house and got back into her pre-pregnancy skinny jeans (barf) all within two weeks of giving birth to her sweet baby girl. Well... I'm pretty sure John did most of the moving but that is beside the point.

I'm headed back to Texas for my spring break in two weeks. I'm driving and it's the first time I've ever made the drive by myself. I'll leave on Saturday and drive back on Thursday. Channing is actually driving back with me and then flying back on Saturday night... she has spring break that week, too.

I haven't posted anything in forever... I realize that. I've decided just to move on and pretend like I never missed the first two months of this year. It's been a great two months. I turned 27, had a GREAT Zumba birthday party, had 5 snow days, went to a super fun 70's Murder Mystery party, had a really big Super Bowl Party, got a new rug for the living room, etc, etc, etc. Anyway... Hopefully I can be better about posting. We'll see...

An open letter on Valentine's Day

Moriah and I basically swore off Valentine's Day in college, mostly because it seems silly to make up a day to give one another little trinkets that probably don't mean a whole lot. Teddy bears, boxers, roses, candy - these are all good things, but perhaps a waste of money at times.

That said, I'm feeling a little bit guilty for not showering Moriah with SOME sort of gift this Valentine's Day. So, how about a story?

Moriah didn't remember this until I reminded her, but we first met in the lobby of Gardner dorm at ACU. She was helping conduct Sing Song tryouts. Not sure how she volunteered for that job, seeing as how it took me several years to get her to sing in front of me. But she was there, perhaps as a favor to an old friend from camp Blue Haven (who shall go unnamed here) who had a love interest in Moriah that was never reciprocated.

In those days, Moriah had a different style about her. She wore long, hooded sweaters and high, high heels. Pointy boots were her signature. Freshman Mo also carried her Nokia cell phone where it's flashing case could be seen by all. If she started blowing up, everyone around her knew it.

Moriah had many suiters that year. I was but one, who was cast off at first. There were other boys waiting in the wings. But persistence pays, and after a summer of random late-night phone calls, Moriah granted a second-first date, and history was made.

I recall my roommate at the time, Jeff Giddens, asking me soon after Moriah and I started dating, "You want to marry her, don't you?"

"I think I do," I replied.

But did Moriah also want to marry me? While somewhat affectionate, she was much better and being chased than doing any chasing herself. Sealing the deal was her summer in Nashville. Instead of going home and working at her church as she has always done during the summer, she applied for an internship at Otter Creek, which is now our church home. She spent the summer living near me instead of close to home.

At the end of that summer, I made the trip to Draper's to pick out some jewelry. Once I had it in hand, that diamond ring burned a hole straight through my pocket. I thought about waiting a month or two into school, but the engagement had to happen ASAP. So, the Sunday before Labor Day, 2004, I read Moriah a poem I'd written for her (out of character, for sure) and got down on one knee. She said yes, through tears. Of course in those days, she was always crying about something. Her overactive tear ducts confused many people at times. She's just as likely to cry about something funny as something sad or hurtful.

Five and a half years later, Moriah has grown up a lot, leaving me behind to be the immature one. She's gotten herself a graduate degree in teaching. She lives 700 miles from what she called "home" for 18 years. And she's the half of this duo who makes sure casseroles are taken to the young family, showers are thrown for the new mom and gifts are given to husband who struggles with appreciation.

Like so many people do, I love Moriah. Happy Valentine's Day.