14 December 2009

random sampler.

i love that when you fall in love, get hitched and get carried over the threshold of your first residence together, you think you know the man you just married. you think you know that you love him, you think you know his quirks, you think you know his face and his smile and his hair and his habits. you even think you have an idea of how much he loves you too.

i love that all that time you were courting, you thought you were researching what a great guy you had. and you probably were. but you didn't really know yet. because there was so much more to come. you had no idea what the future was to behold. it's not that your love was blind necessarily, but it was just a tiny bud of a thing. you had no idea the large luscious gorgeous peony packed into that blooming bud. yes that is the essence of true love. ever blooming.

of course the same is not always true for everyone, in life there are disappointments, i realize this. not everyone gets a happy ending. but for me and for right now, i must acknowledge, dan has continued to be an even more amazing guy than the one i fell for working behind the counter of that bakery. i still love being around him, chatting with him, joking with him, traveling with him, running errands with him, raising kid with him, and sprinkling imaginative toppings over chocolate-covered pretzels with him. he makes this bitter cold rigid winter in idaho more than bearable; fun and adventurous even.

he makes all the difference in my life. a few weeks ago, i found myself thinking (once again) how very un-glamorous my life is. (i had big plans for myself when i was young; all of the plans included glamourousness.) however after serious thinking, i realize i really wouldn't trade my life with anyone else's. and i'm not saying this in a cliché way, but in a matter of fact way. i am happy with my life. i am thankful for it. and all of it's non-glamourousness. i love that i tuck my little angel in at the end of the day and then go out into the living room to stack up books, replace puzzle pieces, and put blocks and trucks on the shelf. i love lumping myself in front of the tv on our old couch once all of the work is done for the day. or at least most of it. i love the simplicity of it all. i could go on and on about the little things that make me happy here in this life. like listening to dan and benji having a conversation. i am lucky in love. which is a very good state of being. i hope i can always maintain a love for the life i am leading, for the rest of my life. whatever state of glamourousness it may or may not be in.

......

now onto the actual post i was about to write. does that happen to you? a post that completely ran away with the spoon? it's thrilling, actually. you should try it sometime. really, this post was supposed to be about socks. mighty good socks too. a pair that will give you a foot fetish. you might think this is silly, but to those of us with constant cold feet (in the literal sense) these babies are the answer.



enter darn tough socks. my two new bffs. along with everything else cool in my life, dan introduced me to them. i consider myself blessed to have a guy know me and my cold feet so well that he surprised me with the best pair of socks my feet have ever known. i have been wearing them for two weeks solid and am coming to you with rave reviews. yes, they are thick. no, they are not very flattering. yes, they are warm. no, not very stylish. completely unglamourous. (unless you are the cute granola type. which means you already own a pair and wear them with your birkenstocks. more power to you.) most importantly, when it comes to gear - it's more about function than fashion anyway. these socks are built for skiing and hiking and general awesome wilderness adventuring. which is how dan has come to know them.

for me, they are built for motherhood. they may see a ski slope in the future. maybe a hike or two. for the most part, they are my small luxury, having warm feet throughout the ins and outs of my every day normal life. my kind of adventure survival trip involves taking a 15 month old into a department store without any seatbelt restraints. or attempting to have a lovely dinner out just the three of us. or bundling benji up adequately for the winter walk to the mailbox. or teaching him how not to scale our bookcase. or toss cooked carrots onto the linoleum floor. or change his diaper without a wrestle. or teach him not to eat poisons and/or lint. yes, i look danger in the face everyday by keeping benji at bay. i love that dan knows (and respects the fact) that my life at the moment, my kind of adventuring, is tough in it's own right and completely worthy of socks that rock.

22 comments:

Monika Wright | I Love It All said...

Hey, we're living the same life. Except I live in Walland, TN, have 3 kids, am a lot older than you appear to be, and I keep my feet warm with a pair of men's UGG houseshoes. Couldn't make it without them. I have cold feet all year, and even wear them in the summer when it's about 90 outside! Try them, you'll like them.

Rachel said...

Such a lovely tribute. And so true - I think the best thing about being in love is that you grow together and you both change and you learn new things about each other and about yourself and it all just makes you love each other more, and differently, than you did in the beginning.
If that makes any sense at all...

sarah chong said...

i'd like to be in a love like that (:

Liz said...

I too live and love a 'simple' life. Never thought I would, either, and never thought I would love it and that THIS IS IT.

crissy // mama boss said...

I had big plans for myself, as well. But instead of a life of glamour I'm living the life of dirty diapers, potty training, tantrums, fighting, little kisses, tiny hugs and bright, loving smiles. It's not the glamour I had planned or hoped for, its not even remotely the life I had imagined I would have. But I wouldn't change it or trade it for anything.

Thanks for sharing.
And thanks for the recommendation on those socks. They'd be a perfect gift for my big sis. :)

Jenni said...

Such a sweet little post! I MUST have these socks!

Amanda said...

am in love with this post-you said everything that I'm looking forward to when I get married in May.

jo said...

thanks for the tip about the socks. i live in idaho, too, and my hubby has to work outside for part of most days (installing fireplaces.) he needs some really really warm socks, i think i'll put these in his stocking this year!

Unknown said...

oh my goodness -- yes! how i do adore a nice pair of thick, soft and warm socks. my feet thank me every day i pull on my pair of smart wools -- so worth the money. i'll have to try out these darn tough socks!
and what a lovely person you are. always cheery and reminding me of the things i should be grateful for.
thank you!
merry Christmas and happiest of holidays!

Dansie Family said...

ditto on the first half. i love my life and all its craziness and kids and especially all its fun with tom. tom and dan are definitely brothers and learned some great things from elbert and shanna. Ton is every bit as selfless as shanna and it makes my life the best amidst all the craziness.

ditto on the second half. Tom got a pair at powderkeg once and they were a bit on the small side for him, so sometimes he lets me borrow them. basically they are mine but i always feel bad so when i wash them and put them away they find themselves in his closet until the next time i need them. they are the best for winter road rides, (along with knee warmers, bike shorts and tights-double layer all the way). they are awesome for cross country skiing and downhill skiing - just the right amount of warmth without all the bulk. but i guess i until i get my own real pair, i feel they are only worthy of tom-type adventure and not the type we endure every day. i save my costco cashmere ones for those adventures.

brooke said...

Love this post--Dan is a funny guy and you guys make a perfect pair.

I should buy myself those socks as a gift to Sam this year. He screams like a girl every night when I put my icicle feet on his legs to warm up. And the scary thing is, I just pulled off socks to get into bed. I just have terribly cold feet all the time.

Thanks for the tip. Where do I buy? REI?

katrina lauren said...

i am always left feeling inspired about the things that you write about...so true & real.
i believe in a love that last for always and falling in love with someone more and more each day!
i believe in finding the joy in simple pleasures and celebrating the everyday moments that count!
thank you for reminding me to love today...

happy monday sweet marta!
xo.
k

P.S. said...

Thank you for your openness. I needed to here that sometimes other people think their life is un-glamorous too. Especially someone like you, who is oh so glamorous/charming/wonderful in my eyes.

Lauren said...

this happens to me! when i went to write about some new gadget and instead, wrote a letter to adele confessing my love for her.
oh and you have no idea how wonderful it is to see people who are happy with their lives the way they are, never seeking something they can't have/won't get/whine and complain. you seem so grateful for the little things and that's admirable.
i was so happy to read this today:)

Sherry Williams said...

my husband says smart wools are the best socks -he has worn army boots almost every day for 10+years and says they have saved his feet. i steal his socks as often as i can, and i would have to agree they keep me so warm and toasty. even though his are too big for my feet. i wouldn't mind trying those you like --warm feet are so very worth it.

thank you for your post today. i have a similiar glamorous life, throw in 3 kids, 2 dogs and a husband who spends most of our days away in service to our country. i choose this life, but sometimes every so often i forget that i love it and want it more than anything, and blessed beyond measure to be who i am, and have the family i have...so thank you for sharing your story, so that i am reminded to embrace my own. :)

leni said...

such a sweet, adorable post

Amanda said...

Your post felt like an answer to a prayer for me. Four kids, 11 years of marriage; I'm still waiting for the glamour, the adventure, the fabulousness that I imagined in my over-imaginative youthful mind. Somedays I realize I'm missing everything wonderful right in front of me as I stare out the window, longing for more.

Your words really touched and inspired me today. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Glamour. That's the word to describe all my adolescent plans. I wanted to be someone whose name would go down in the history books for future generations to ooh and aww over.

Now I want to settle in quietly into my life and have enough to live a satisfying life, but never enough to just jet off to the Bahamas without warning. Simple and sweet with some change in my pocket for that candy store on the corner.

the dibers said...

i love dave matthew's song "you & me" and had it playing while reading your love letter about dan...it fits perfectly! listen and reread if you have time

Anonymous said...

You may not think that your life is glamorous but I think you are a wonderful person. You don't know me; I stumbled onto your Blog a few years ago when I got back from the war. I started to feel as though all of my years of service, 20+, were all for not. People bad-mouthing the president, puttingdown America, forgetting about the Constitution on and on... Reading your posts helps me beleive in America. You are all that is good about our country. Semper Fi

Travelin'Oma said...

You know how to put the glam in reality. That's a secret of life!

Rosa Rivero said...

this sweet post is exactly what I needed to remember in the midst of all the "unglamourness" that I am lucky, here and now!
Thanks!

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