love of my life

The love of my life has been absent from the blog lately, mainly because he’s always busy and, well, Reese is such a cutie.

We are going on an overnight excursion next week-- just the two of us—for the first time ever. We’ve been away from Reese before but always for some reason; a wedding, a night with friends, never just cause.

Reese is going to spend some QT time with my parents while Lofton and I slip away for a night at the Grand in Fairhope. A little shopping, sunning by the pool, and eating—just the two of us. Lofton requested the trip a few months ago. He said “it would be good for our marriage.” This led me to quip “Are you trying to tell me we need counseling?” He wasn’t really being that serious, but I got the hint.

It’s a delicate balance, I’ve found, being a wife and a mother. I’m not always the best at doing both simultaneously. And when you throw in the demands of work—I’m spent. There just isn’t enough of me to go around.

Lofton and I have always been the couple who do everything together. Grocery shop, cook, clean—we even watch television together at night. That hasn’t changed. But our us time has definitely been diminishing as Reese time occupies its slot. I’m ever so aware that our us time will only continue to shrink as Reese’s demands grow, as our schedules fill-up, and as more children {one day far-far-far down the road} enter the mix.

I think I’ve finally realized I can’t do everything. And when I try to do everything I end up not doing anything well. When I look at the news, read other people’s blogs, and listen to friends' stories, I can’t help but be reminded of what is truly important in life: my husband and my child.

My goal for the summer is to do better. To find a better balance while I have time to breathe—before school strikes up again in August.

And I’ve attached a picture—an oldie—for y’all.

This is the hubs and I way back in 2004. The story of our courtship is tangled and twisted, but this night was one the best of my life. We look so happy, so young, and so in love. And we still are—except maybe not the young part. It stays on our refrigerator to remind us daily of how lucky we are to have one another.