Cotton... the fabric of our lives

Well hello there bloggie world sorry I've been gone so long we had a great anniversary and then life just got really busy. But I'm back now ready to delight you with tales from our Cotton Anniversary. PS sorry I could not resist the pun on the title he he!!

Well anyway Mr. A and I had a fabulous anniversary we both decided we wanted to celebrate our anniversary on our anniversary so we took off Tuesday the 20th and just for fun the following day too.

We started our day by sleeping late on our cotton sheets and then exchanging cotton gifts I got 2 beautiful hand crafted cotton roses and a big beautiful bouquet of fall flowers including my fave gerbera daisies. Mr. A got a new blanket and a book which wasn't cotton but I knew he'd enjoy it. Then we headed out to downtown OKC and just took in the sites we toured the bombing memorial walked along the riverwalk and pretty much played tourist in our own city.


This my friends is why I adore fall in Oklahoma:



after we were finished playing tourist we headed to pick up our keys to our private cottage we were staying in that night and then to dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date.


our sad attempt at a self portrait outside of the restaurant on the bench where we sat and waited on our first date Mr. A tells me often that the time we spent waiting outside snuggling close cause it was freezing outside was the moment he knew I'd be in his life for a long time he tells me "I just fit perfectly in his arms" cue sappy music and altogether now "awww"




the cottage we loved it:










everyone should have a bath tub in the living room don't you think?




Mr. A on the private screened in porch and why yes that is a private sauna and hot tub on the porch!!



pouring the champagne into our toasting flutes:



the boy never smiles :(



toasting to 2 years not giving the peace sign



trying to get an artistic shot:



we continued our celebration Thursday night cheering on the Thunder in a pre-season game with friends:





Well that does it for anniversary re-cap it was great and I already can't wait for the next one but in the meantime Mr. A's birthday is coming up soon. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!!

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

October is for lovers!!

Today two years ago I said I do to a man that I thought I loved more than anything, one year ago I said I can't believe I love you more today than I did a year ago. Today marks two years of wedded bliss for Mr. A and I and as hard as it is to believe I love my wonderful husband more today than I did 2 years ago and even more than I did on our first anniversary.






It's hard for me to believe that it's been two years since the frantic days of wedding plannning have passed and we've settled nicely into our little married couple's routine. I can't begin to describe the safe haven that my wonderful husband's arms have created for me in the torrent that has been my life over the last year. Year 2 has had it's ups and downs that's for sure. Everyone always tells me that God never gives us anything we can't handle I'm not sure I 100% believe that but I do believe that God never gives any one person anything they must face alone. I fully believe in my heart that the good Lord knew I'd need a strong man in my life to help me face the storms of life. In the last few months when I felt like I've been in this strange haze Mr. A is the only one who has been able to put a smile on my face and make me forget the world for a while. We've been abundantly blessed in our life together and sometimes I know I'm guilty of forgetting that but when I look back over the last year together and what we've faced and triumphed I feel so incredibly blessed.


When Mr. A and I did our unity candle we did things a little differently and I love the sentiment it showed. Each of our guests received a candle when they entered the church and when it came time to light our unity candle it started with our ushers in the very back of the church and it was passed to every person leading up through our bridal party ending with our maid of honor and best man who took the candle to our moms who lit our individual candles and then we lit our candle together. It was to symbolize the part that each person played in bringing us to that moment. We chose the song "When God Made You" by Newsong to be played during that time and the words to that song ring so true for me. God had to have been thinking of me when He created someone who fit so perfectly everything I'd always dreamed of and more.

"When God Made You"
It’s always been a mystery to me
How two hearts can come together
And love can last forever
But now that I have found you, I believe
That a miracle has come
When God sends the perfect one
Now gone are all my questions about why
And I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true
When God made you
He must have been thinking about me

I promise that wherever you may go
Wherever life may lead you
With all my heart I’ll be there too
From this moment on I want you to know
I’ll let nothing come between us
And I will love the ones you love
Now gone are all my questions about why
And I have never been so sure of anything in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true
When God made you
He must have been thinking about me

Bridge:
He made the sun
He made the moon
To harmonize in perfect tune
One can’t move without the other
They just have to be together
And that is why I know it’s true
You’re for me and I’m for you
Cause my world just can’t be right
Without you in my life

Chorus:
I wonder what God was thinking
When He created you
I wonder if He knew everything I would need
Because He made all my dreams come true

Tag chorus:
He must have heard every prayer I’ve been praying (I 've been praying)
Yes He knew everything I would need
When God made you (I thank God he made you)
When dreams come true (you are my love my love)
When God made you He must have been thinking about me


Happy Anniversary Mr. A I love you to the moon and back!!

Mrs. A

For Katie and Ashley Paige

October 15th marked the National Day to remember those who have suffered miscarriage or Infant Loss. I was stunned and shocked to see two of my fave bloggers share their stories I never would have guessed from their blogs that either of these women had experienced such tremendous loss. I haven't been reading either of these women's blogs very long but I am amazed at their strength and faith in what I'm sure had to be a difficult post to write for each of them. I am always humbled when bloggers share their hearts in a post and I begin to see the deep strength many of my fave blogging girls have inside them. Actually in all honesty everyone I've met through this tiny little piece of the internet has the most beautiful heart I've ever seen and the strength to move mountains.

I lit these candles Thursday night at 7 PM for Katie & Ashley Paige but also for anyone who has experienced their pain. I'm in awe of both of you ladies and can't begin to express how much you have both touched my life through your kind words and sometimes hilariously funny posts. Reading all of your blogs is a therapy for me almost as much as writing my own posts.






Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

It Is Well With My Soul

Ok so mom's doc. appointment yesterday brought us news that radioimmunotherapy is not the best option for her because it causes your blood cell counts to vary too much and she'd be facing the possibility of multiple blood transfusions which isn't the best idea with her age. So now they're going to be doing something I don't quite understand but here's the way it was explained to me by Dr. Bose. They're going to harvest mom's good bone marrow and then do really aggressive chemo and once the chemo is over they'll transplant her own bone marrow back into her system. It makes no sense to me but Dr. Bose seemed pretty confident about it. It requires hospitalization and is apparently pretty harsh on the body. If any nurses out there know anything about this treatment please enlighten me because right now I'm confused and I don't like not knowing what's going to happen.

Dear friends please bear with me because I just feel like I've got to get this out somewhere. I got this news yesterday but I'm terribly hesistant to talk about it with anyone except Mr. A in real life. See ever since the last appt. when we got the not so great news that the chemo didn't work I've had this overwhelming sense of guilt over the fact that I'm just not as upset over this situation as I guess people think I should be. I cringe when I tell people what's happening with mom not because I'm sad but because they give me this pitying look and almost expect me to burst into tears. I told Mr. A last night the only thing that really makes me want to burst into tears is the fact that I don't want to burst into tears.

I'm just not hurting over this I kind of expected it and I feel a little guilty over the fact that I'm not terribly upset. I feel like a bad daughter because I just kind of let the news sink in yesterday and I didn't really show any emotion and I even think mom was a little surprised that I wasn't visibly upset. I'm dealing with major guilt and I'm not sure how to handle it. I don't want to be seen as the bad daughter who doesn't care I do I care deeply and when I think about my mom not being there for important events in my life that are yet to come it makes me sad. But when I think about how much she's suffering and how hard all these treatments are on her body I think about the fact that the treatments no matter how horrible are helping her to not suffer anymore and if the Lord chooses to take her home then she'll never suffer again and that brings joy to my soul. I have a peace about the situation and I just can't seem to explain it to anyone who asks and they look at me like I'm a horrible person when they ask me "are you ok" and I smile and say "yes I'm fine".

I often hum or sing hymns when I'm doing housework or cooking. I've had a lot of cake orders in the last few weeks so I've been in the kitchen alot. I've found myself singing one particular song over and over again. That song is "It Is Well With My Soul" and it seems to be the only way to describe my feelings at the moment.

It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul.

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...

It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Date nights are non-negotiable!!

The Mr. and I are busy people he volunteers a lot with his company, we are involved in our new church home and becoming more so, we've made some amazing friends, I have a weekly girls night and Mr. A has a bi-weekly video game night with friends. Not to mention the growing amounts of cake orders I have on a weekly basis. One thing that we never compromise though is our once a month date night. It's our chance to reconnect with each other and slow down a little from our very busy lives.
We plan date night once a month but also plan at least one evening at home together once a week. Date nights are our chance to rekindle the chemistry that brought us together in the first place. Sometimes we do the traditional dinner and a movie but we've also been ice skating & bowling, we went to Shakespeare In The Park, The Producers, the ballet, and much more. I find that I always come away from date night more enamored than ever with my blue eyed sweetheart. I always notice the little things that first attracted me to Mr. A when we're out somewhere all dressed up. I think to myself I've forgotten how blue his eyes are, and how good he smells when we wears that good cologne, or how sweet his smile is, or how much I love how he looks at me. It's easy to become comfortable in marriage and quit trying to impress each other but it's always fun to take just one night a month and get all dressed up and go out on the town like we did when we were dating.

What about you? Do you and your significant other make it a point to share special date nights to keep the romance alive?


Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Scarf Swap scarf reveal!!

I am so thankful I got to particpate in this awesome swap. It was so much fun shopping for my swap partner Vanessa over at The Booth Team. She and her husband Jamie and adorable little one Kaiden Lee and the little one on the way are the cutest little family and I only hope one day Mr. A and I have an adorable family like hers.

She sent me a beautiful scarf with green as the base color and many other colors mixed in I love it and it's so perfect she nailed my personality to a T.


So without further ado here's a pic of me with my scarf this was taken Friday afternoon at the zoo Mr. A's company offers special opportunities sometimes and he knew I'd love this so he arranged for us to meet and play with this adorable sea lion named Midge.




We had a blast giving her commands and even got hugs and kisses. When I got home from work on Friday my lovely scarf was waiting in the mail and I couldn't wait to wear it so I wore it that night and the next day and I do believe the next day to church too!


better pic:





Vanessa I enjoyed getting to know you through your blog and my scarf is beautiful and the card you included made me tear up a bit thanks so much for your kind words.


On a sad note cleaning out the back seat of our vehicle yesterday I happened upon the card that was supposed to be included with your scarf telling you why I chose it and how much I've loved learning about you through your blog. I'm so sorry it wasn't included.

Katie thanks so much for hosting this it was so much fun and I have a beautiful new scarf!! You rock!


Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

Wedded Wednesday Keeping it light

Sometimes when Mr. A and I have an argument we wind up laughing about it and usually having a pillow fight. There are so many little things in our relationship that make it well us. Yesterday we both had rough days at work and were in grouchy moods and whatever reason we wound up taking it out on each other and sitting in silence for a good part of the evening. But when it came time for bed all it took was one little innocent (ok not so innocent) toss of the pillow and it was on like Donkey Kong we had a huge pillow fight even Missy our lab joined in on the fun. My point is it doesn't matter what you're upset about a good pillow fight or ticklefest or any sort of light hearted gesture does a lot to make things better. I came away from that ridiculous pillow fight grinning from ear to ear at my silly husband. Now just don't ask who won the pillow fight cause we'll disagree again.

What are some silly things you and your significant other do to lighten the mood when things are tense?

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

I feel so loved :)

I received my very first blog award recenty from the lovely Mrs Amykristen over at My Journey From The Aisle. She awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award. In my nearly 2 years of blogging I've never gotten one of these so I'm really honored. BTW if you have a chance go check out Amykristen's blog she and her man are freaking adorable.

ok so here are the rules:
Post 7 facts about myself and then award 7 other bloggers with the "Kreativ Blogger" award


so here's 7 things:

1. I have a strange aversion to feet especially big hairy man feet. My husband find's this hilarious and takes it as a challenge to stick his big hairy man feet on me every chance he gets.

2. I always have to have help when opening those biscuits that come in the cans that pop open they scare me every single time

3. I'm a little OCD in that I use a folding board to fold t-shirts and I have been know to pull everything out of a drawer and re-fold the whole thing because one item was wrinkly.

4. I worked at an amusement park in high school in the dispatch office

5. I married the sweetest man ever in October of 2007 and I chose October because that's when my grandparents we're married.

6. although I chose my wedding date based on my grandparents I never got to know either set of my grandparents I was my mother's late in life child and my grandparents all passed before I was 5 so I have really no memories of them.

7. I'm a tender heart and pretty much anything that touches my heart in slightest way will make me bawl



So there's my 7 facts and now I'm tagging.

1. Marital Bless

2. Breaking Through

3. Llama Tales

4. Magnolia Belle

5. My Little Green Diary

6 The Life Accounts

7. I Love You More Than Carrots

the post I didn't want to write

Well mom's appointment didn't bring us the wonderful news we were hoping for in fact quite the opposite actually. We discovered that even the 4 aggressive weeks of chemo didn't hardly make any change in her condition and her spleen is enlarged so much that it's pushing on her lungs. Her doctor who by the way is fabulous and very kind seems to think the best solutions is a technique called radioimmunotherapy which is a long name for the utilization of radiation with antibodies. It's a very involved and complicated treatment. Mom took it rather well all things considered. All I wanted to do when the doctor said there had been no change was to burst into tears and scream and cry and blame God. But I knew I had to be strong for mom so the minute I dropped her off safely at home and got back in the car I tried to let the tears fall and they wouldn't come I feel nothing but numbness at the moment. Please continue to pray for my mom and her doctors. Her team lead is Dr. Bose and he's really nice.

In other much more upbeat news I received my very first blog award. I feel so honored I'll be posting about that but probably not until tomorrow I need to take my evening to process the day.


Later Alligators....

Mrs. A