I've had the bulk of this post just sitting here because I wasn't sure how to preface it. I wrote about three different intros, and they all had to do with being eleven, and it was slightly disjointed and a little strange, and I just wasn't happy with it.
And then I remembered . . . nine years ago today . . . a Starbucks that no longer exists, a rainy night, a doodled-on coffee cup, a handsome boy, and a "yes" finally leaving my lips after literally months and months of praying.
Eric and I met at a Starbucks so I could give him the answer to the question he'd asked two days earlier.
The answer was absolutely yes, and we've been together ever since. 🙂
Those were wonderful days. Dating was wonderful. Being engaged was pretty good, too. Being newly married was amazing.
And then came the children, and more tastes of real life, but guess what . . . I didn't ever want to go back to those dating days or even those newly married days.
This life right here is my favorite yet.
And that's where the feeling an affinity to being eleven came in.
When I was eleven, I wasn't yet interested in the future . . . in driving or graduating or working or boys or marriage or children. I wasn't looking forward to anything major. I also wasn't old enough to be very interested in the past . . . to look back at anything with nostalgia. I was just living in the moment, happy with what I had right then and there.
I kind of feel like I’m there again. I'm not waiting for anything major. Not to graduate; I’ve done that. Not to date; I’ve done that. Not to get married; I’ve very, very happily done that. Not to have children; I’ve done that. There's really nothing major that I'm waiting for (except maybe having a daughter, but that doesn't count because I do have my boys).
And any looking back that I do, while done with fondness, is with the understanding that nothing I ever had before can top everything I have now.
I guess that’s why they call it the good old days.
Not looking forward, not looking back. There’s not some time in the past that I wish I could return to. I'm not chomping at the bit to get to some time in the future. Right here, right now, is just fine with me.
These are the days I'll miss.
These are the good old days.
What an incredible privilege to get to live them in peace and quietness. ...continue reading
Whatever happened to these funny little boys just getting to know each other?
Whatever happened to every moment of every day being filled with little-boy needs and wants?
When he first came along, we were very hopeful that our wishes for a more laid-back baby (after our very wild little Alec) were coming true. Alas, it was not to be. He is every bit as wild and loud and rambunctious as Alec. Of course, we don’t actually mind. It’s so fun to watch the two of them, especially when they’re not actively fighting. Two charming, adventuresome, grab-life-by-the-horns little boys. 
If you, as a stranger, were to meet him, he would probably be holding onto my skirts, half-whispering, half-whining, “Hold me, hold me,” and as much as he would be shy in your presence, he also wouldn’t be able to look away.
