just my vacation...

friday:
helped this beautiful family move into a new home...

the redd family

friday night:
this finally happened...

the hobbit

saturday:
trip to the cincy art museum...

johnny and pinocchio

impromptu photo shoot in the parking lot...

me and the BGE

saturday night:
beer...

falls city

and friends we don't see nearly enough...(pic stolen from facebook...  not from saturday night)

lisa and jenn

sunday:
brunch with hk, johnny, jen and coleson jay...

super baby

johnny's to help him put together this new year's resolution...

johnny's torture machine

sunday night:
fellowship of the ring

lotr

monday:
louisville to see these little cuties...

hk, eliza & britt

early bird dinner with johnny...

mmmmmmmmm

and now my new year's eve:

curl up with hk...

sleepy head

watch movies and eat junk food...

partay

happy new year everyone!!!

2013 is going to be amazing!!!

just junk...

random things found while cleaning out my truck...

last year for hk's birthday i showed up on her doorstep in the wee hours of the morning with little baby cokes...  guess one of them stayed behind in the truck...

baby coke

one night while at the pub my dad sent jen to dick's to get some darts so we could play on the patio...

darts

ummmm???

baby doll arm

just subway sandwiches...

one year ago today i was sitting on the couch

when this subway commercial came on

subway

here's how the conversation went - 

(the following is a dramatic reenactment...

in my head the role of hk is played by helen hunt...

i'm sure in hk's head i am ryan gosling...)

me: i guess i have to share all my sandwiches with you now???

hk: what are you talking about???

me: well now that you are my girlfriend i have to share my food with you...

hk: ummm i don't remember you ever asking me to be your girlfriend...

me: seriously???  i have to ask???  like we are in 7th grade???

(of course, since our first kiss, i had already been planning our 50th anniversary party in my head)

hk: yup!!!

and the rest 

as they say

is history...

this past year has been the most amazing, wonderful, challenging and inspiring year of my life...

the amount of shoes i own has doubled...  from 2 pair to 4...

it has been 324 days since my last cigarette...

i have cut down, WAY down, on my drinking...

i can now pair a button down, collared shirt with a sweater...

i own a brown belt...

i have learned that when hk says she's going to buy a couch - shut up and get the old one out of the way - because it's happening...

i have learned patience...  kind of...

i have gained some amazing friends and family...  i could put this on the list a million times...

i saw neil diamond in chicago...
random phone calls about the hatfields and mccoys is to be expected...

i have started running...

i am (attempting) to lose weight...

i am eating food that's actually good for me...

i wake up with a smile on my face...

(in my best justin timberlake voice) she's brought my silly back...

i am in the process of learning when to just shut up...
using 2 new towels every day is perfectly acceptable...

i've learned that you never really know what is going on in hk's head...

we are peas and carrots...
the list could go on and on and on and on...

all of these things have been because of hk...

people tend to think that hk is changing me...

that i'm making all of these changes FOR her...

when in reality, i'm making them BECAUSE of her...

that line in as good as it gets - 

when jack nicholson says "you make me want to be a better man"

that's how i feel...

not the man part...

just better...
i hope that at our 50 anniversary party i still get butterflies in my stomach when she walks in the room...

but the best, most wonderful thing that has come out of all of this

is i have learned what

real, honest, unconditional, for always and the rest of ever love is...

just sunrise... just sunset...

for my parents

farmer john's morning commute

i think of all the

sunrises and sunsets

you no longer see

and i wonder 

if you see them

if you had something to do with them

if you are a part of them
if you play a part in creating them

just for me

so that 

i will always know you

i will always remember you

i will always have you with me

no matter where i am...

friday night drive home

just another ordinary sunset...

or you can call this one
look heather - another picture of a sunset!!!

i don't have the new fancy i phone
the one where you can take a panoramic picture
that looks like you took it in a fish bowl
so you'll just have to use your imagination...

the drive home last night...

just changes...

you know that spot
on your dresser
or nightstand
or bathroom sink
where you empty the contents of your pockets every day???
everybody has one...
some are the same spot every day,
some are through the entire house...
i can usually follow a trail of
heather's things through the house
to find her at the end of the day...
i usually make a few bucks along the way...
she leaves money
i find money
finder's keepers i say...
anyway
just last year,
on a monday morning
my spot would have had
miller lite bottlecaps
and
cigarette butts...
and the usual monday morning conversations would have been
"how was your weekend???"
"oh my god,
i got so hammered saturday night!!!"
but today,

my spot had:
my blue pen (always)
chapstick (always)
hair tie (always)
change (sometimes)
the wrapper from gerber blueberry puffs (never)
string that was used to tie jelly worms to sticks for a 6 year old's fishing themed birthday party (never)
and my monday morning conversations sounded more like this
"went to B's first fall t-ball game saturday and he hit a home run!!!"
"saw coleson jay saturday night...  of course i have a picture!!!"

"went to B's 6th birthday party sunday at the park...  it was fishing themed and it was awesome!!!  all the kids had a blast fishing in the lake!!!"
"the twins are walking!!!  took them a while to warm up to me, but by the time we all left, they were smiling and laughing with me..."
what a difference a year makes...
and you won't hear me complaining one bit...

just babies...

my dad was the only one
in the room when my mom died
she would do this thing
where she would inhale
then stop
and everyone in the room
would hold their breath with her
(you are doing it right now aren't you?)
and a few seconds later
after what felt like an eternity
she would exhale
well
this one last time
she inhaled
and nothing
no exhale
but dad said
while waiting for that exhale
he heard a baby cry down the hall
it was just after midnight
in hospice at st joe
not a lot of babies up and about
but he heard this one loud and clear
just as mom left this world...
dad always said they should put
the oldest
sickest patients
on the same floor as the newborn babies
nothing like a
fresh
brand new
no hate
no prejudices
little thing
to put things into perspective...
i have been blessed to have 8
yes eight
8
OCHO
of these little things come into my life
in just the past year
admittedly
i don't get to see all of them
as much as i'd like
and one
one who was just born a few days ago
he'll be seeing a lot of his aunt Bee
but no matter where they fall
in big Rhonda's life
they are all loved
and precious
and i look forward to watching them
all grow up
i look forward to high school graduation announcements
and standing in my kitchen
after opening it
saying to heather
can you believe this
how old are we???

ian and hudson

ian and huddy
heather's my friends were blessed with not only one but two
beautiful boys
which is great because when we visit
heather and i don't fight over getting to hold/play with the baby
you know you want to chew on those cheeks...

cameron

cameron
i work with his dad
used to work with his mom
don't get to see him in person very much
but see pics and hear stories from his dad all the time
he's gonna be a heartbreaker...

london

london
i work with his mom
this pic was taken about a month ago
he has grown so much in just a month
he still doesn't know what to make of me
laugh or cry...

zane

zane

big Z

his dad is a server at the pub

his mom is a bartender at the pub

so of course

he's family

beautiful blonde Blonde BLONDE hair

and he loves lemons

keeps him from getting too fussy...

owen

owen

my cousin's little boy

still can't believe that she's old enough

to have one of these

but here he is

strutting his stuff

hello ladies...

mia

mia
i work with mia's mom
she's just a month old
she's already got her dukes up
she's ready to grow up surrounded
by these boys...

coleson jay

coleson jay
i will admit
i am a little biased on this guy
he's the brand new baby boy
of two of my very best friends
and i love them both so much
and now
there's this little guy
and
O
M
G
look at those lips...

me

me
i was little
and cute
once...

something about the fresh start
these little things
don't know anything
but what we teach them
and i'm happy to know
there are 8 new little humans
in big Rhonda's world
that are being taught
nothing but love...

i'll be waiting for my graduation invitation...