Emily Post I Ain't......

.....which is a good thing, because my husband certainly is no Mr. Post. Although, after reading the recommendations from Ms. Em. I wonder if there actually were a Mr. Emily Post. ( Yes, I just googled it and found that there Was a Mr. and his name was Edwin.....and this might just take on an entirely different direction since reading that) because, it says on her Biography page that Emily and Edwin drifted apart...and goes on to give a wealth of detail that I will spare you the trouble of reading.

You're welcome.

You may know that Emily Post was the author of several books on etiquette, one of which listed the "proper" anniversary gifts for each year of marriage. (that's where this whole post started!) Today is our twelfth anniversary and I just wondered what the "traditionally acceptable" gift would be for this year.

It would be Silk or Linens. Which in our neck of the woods would basically be scarfs & underwear or table cloths & sheets. Now, I'm not picky in the area of gifts (unless of course a certain somebody who's name starts with Kyle, writes me a check from our joint account for my birthday one year...that annoyed me a tad! Hello, can you spare a minute to run by an ATM, honey??). In fact, I could really care less whether or not we give gifts. In fact, if anything it's usually a card and a nice dinner (that I don't have to cook!) But seriously, Linens?

Poor Edwin Post, can you imagine the pressure that man must have been under to perform.......daily tasks under the scrutiny of the "Mistress of American Manners"? I'm thinking Bree Van De Camp circa 1900ish......

....so to my husband of a dozen years, you may not have the kind of wife who has the house perfectly cleaned with vacuum marks on the rugs at the end of each day. She may well be wearing the same pjs when you come home from work as she was when you left (rarely, but it happens), and more often than not, the best way to tell what kind of day she's had is by how wild the curls in her hair are.

.....but you DO have the kind of wife who will drag our two darling children with her to the chicken houses in the early mornings, and who will drop everything at a moments notice to help round up the herd of missing cattle that have just been found (Whew! thank you Marty W!), who will spend countless hours in the smothering heat of the hay field every summer for the past 12 years (remember that first year? we alternated driving the tractor and picking up square bales....just the two of us....after we worked our real jobs!), and who even enjoys your idea of a perfect vacation: The Sunbelt Ag Expo....all 3 days of it!

This sure wasn't the way I planned things.


I'm so very thankful I'm not in charge.


Because I wouldn't have it any other way! I am so blessed to have married my very best friend. I will forever be grateful that God brought you and your family into my life at a time when it was basically falling apart around me. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with such a wonderful husband, and my children with such a wonderful dad.

So, on second thought, maybe Emily's recommendations would be okay. I could always use some new bandannas.......(does that count as linens?....in the south maybe?)

.......because nothing looks cooler than a do-rag when you want to keep the chicken house dust out of your hair!

Yee Haw!

Eleven......

...That's how many years it's been since Kyle and I married. ELEVEN! Today! How can I possibly be old enough to have been married for 11 years??? A fact that hadn't really been weighing on my mind due to the craziness of this past week, but was rudely brought forward when at 1:32 AM this morning I was awoken by Victoria Principal trying her best to sell me her "Age Braker" miracle cream. Should I chalk that up to yet another night of prenatal insomnia or is it a sign?

Normally an anniversary is such a happy day but today we greet with such mixed emotion. Jill will be laid to rest today. Even that is met with mixed emotion. There is relief that the suffering she has endured for so long is over, and the knowledge that she is resting with God. Then there is such saddness that the girl who we grew up with, the one with the brightest, prettiest red hair, and the voice of an angel, is gone. That there is a little boy who will grow up without his mother, and a mother who will carry on without her daughter. A sister who will not have that sister to call on.

We drove home from the funeral home in complete silence last night. Changed and went to bed in silence as well. Even Carter knew something was different. That we were sad. I think that in addition to Kyle being sad, he was afraid to say anything. Afraid that he might set off another hormonal breakdown. He has been great this past week. He went when I wanted to go. He stayed when I wanted to stay. He listened when I wanted to talk, or cry. He sat there quietly when I didn't.

I have been blessed. Thank you, Kyle, for the best eleven years I could have ever imagined. I look forward to many many more.