We stood out in a parking lot and the rain came down. Soft rain, like it had been twice washed with fabric softener. In the back corner of my mind, I liked to imagine it was Downy lavender & vanilla. It was the kind of rain that never quite lands.
In the distance thunder rolled and flashes of light lit up a load of laundry sky, as stacks of clouds piled high on top of one another. He wore a hoodie. And the smell of Polo Blue floating on the breeze reminded me of home. We huddled against the window and he ordered two cups. Orange dream for him. Mango gelati for me.
I stared up at the night sky and tried to make out the stars through the rain drops. Through orangesicle bites, he sighed a good sigh and I knew... he was happy. Just twenty minutes earlier we had turned off Pirate Radio because we weren't really feeling it (although he still loved reminding me that it was rated Arrrrr). Turned off routine. Turned off what's ordinary. And headed out into life un-ordinary. To buy italian ice in the middle of a rain storm.
I sighed a good sigh right alongside him and I knew....that in that moment, I was happy too.
He's the King of One Liners. This husband of mine.
How does life feel to you? Full. Where are we going? Up. So I take it you like me? Baby, you're as cool as the other side of the pillow.
Yep he's got an answer for everything.
One night, when Justin & I were first married, I remember lying there and feeling the need to sort out all the mysteries of life & marriage all before we could go to sleep. Y'know....go ahead and get that out of the way and all. Made sense to me.
"So....what do you think it takes to have a good marriage?" I asked him in my most philosophical, pontificating voice.
He blinked at me through blurry eyes and heavy eyelids, and yawned as he flipped his pillow.
"Hmmmmmmm...soffffft pillows." And he closed his eyes again.
And just like that I was furious. Flabergasted. Frustrated and fed up.
"Are you kidding me? I'm trying to talk to you about the mysteries of life, marriage and the universe and all you can give me is 'soft pillows.' Boy, you better wake up right now and...."
Through closed eyes and a smiling face, he raised one hand to stop me mid-sentence. Before I got really wound up.
"I said soft pillows because I think at the end of the day, no matter what has happened to us or what's going on in the world outside....we should always have home and each other as a soft place to land. Get it....soft pilllows."
"Oh....Yea....Soft Pillows. I *totally* knew that's what you meant. Totally." :)
And so it makes sense that last night as we had our first date night in the new house, it consisted of the very romantic task of us tackling two months worth of dirty laundry with our brand new, now fully functioning, LG stainless steel washer and dryer. With the True Steam technology. And of course, there was never any question that the first load would have to be our cozy flannel sheets and pillow cases. To make those soft pillows even softer. So that no matter what's going on in the world outside or what happens during the day, we can start this new life of ours... with a soft place to land.
And now here's something just for fun from our Miami wedding this past weekend. Much more from that coming very soon!
Mary's Picks October: The "No Place Like Home" Design Board
As we are about to start the gut job (read guhhhhhht job) on the new house, Justin is all a flutter with visions of power tools dancing through his head. *I* on the other hand have totally different visions to suit my fancy. Here are just a few of my favorites at the top of the wishlist for the new place
1. Turkish bath sheets in teal, white and chocolate brown from Restoration Hardware.
2. I may have to keep on wishing for this rare books sign from Pottery Barn because it looks like it's sold out!
3. I think winter on the water is going to be brrrr fridgety, so I'm really digging these cashmere hot water bottles from RH. Yea, I am a grandma already!!
4. Couture flatware from Crate & Barrel. My girl Abby featured these on SMP the other day and I've been OBSESSED ever since!
5. Nautical pendant for the front porch from Restoration Hardware. Porch light to match please!
6. Artisan leather photo journals from RH. Love these!
7. White frilly shower curtain from Anthro. Paired with tan leather accents like the books next to it.
8. Found mini stool from Pottery Barn. How cute are they?
9. These cool street signs from RH.
10. Vice book ends. Nobody knows what it means, but it's provocative. Restoration Hardware
11. Navy binoculars from RH (anybody sensing a trend here? Gift card, anybody?)
12. These numbered jars from Pottery Barn. I would either put candy or laundry detergent in them. :)
13. This type faced sign from Pottery Barn. Supposedly the little pieces come out and look like real type faces.
14. Ladder shelf from RH....but I'll probably just find an old one on the side of the road somewhere!
We are about to head down to NYC for the annual Photo Plus Expo!! We will be hanging out on the trade show floor pretty much all day and hope to see you there!! If you see us, seriously please grab us and say hello!
Getting ready for PPE is always such a fashion dilemma: do you wear the cute shoes or the shoes you'll actually be able to stand around a trade show floor all day in? Lucky for me, Julia made this design board of all her new favorite shoes to give me a little inspiration! There are some pretty cute ones in there....so which ones are YOUR favorite?
Yesterday was amazing. Ahhhhhhh-mazing. The kind of amazing that makes you say ahhhhhh. Not like the ahhh as in when you're at a doctor's office with a popsicle stick in your mouth. But the kind of ahhh that says this is just what I needed. That kind of ahhh lets you take a deep breath, fill your lungs as full as they'll possibly go with fresh salt air, and for a moment...just be.
Yesterday we got to do everything on our list....except the laundry. And I am ok with that. :) Because it gave me time to do the things I haven't done in a long time. Like flip through that stack of magazines that has been piling up all summer, patiently waiting for a little attention. And as I flipped through them one by one, I came across this awesome ongoing segment (is that the right word?) that one of them does called: "I love my {blank} life."
I thought long and hard about what my entry would be...,y'know for when said magazine calls me up and asks me to be on their cover. Naturally.
And this is what I came up with: I love my {Un-Ordinary} life.
Now, I realize the more grammatically appropriate word here might probably be: extraordinary. If something is not ordinary, it is extraordinary. Amazing, exceptional, fab, fantastic. But somehow the word extraordinary just doesn't feel that....well....extraordinary anymore. Or at least not extraordinary enough to describe what I'm feeling.
No see, I wanted something that conveyed the absolute polar opposite of ordinary. Un-ordinary. The anti-ordinary. Ordinary's arch nemesis. Twice removed. Extraordinary after all, really breaks down to just being extra-ordinary (that's at least how I remembered to spell it in grade school anyway). And who really wants more of ordinary? Who is really in need of some extra ordinary laying around the house?
So there it is. I love my Un-Ordinary life. A life that is anything but ordinary. I love big risks and not playing it safe. Putting yourself out there and taking the chance that you might fall. I love the road less traveled. I love my life.
And I want to know what you love about yours. I want to know what makes you, YOU. So, I came up with a contest for it!!
The RULES:
Post a comment with the sentence "I love my {Blank} life" and then fill in the blank. (**I realize there is boundless opportunity there for potty mouths, but let's try to keep it PG. Justin's grandma reads this blog!! :) :)
Then we'll go through and pick our favorite and the winner will receive a $50 Starbucks card. Because, hey, who doesn't love their life more with a lil' bit of free Starbucks money to play with??
And in closing, here's a shot that I took of Justin recently that epitomizes to me our Un-Ordinary life together. A life of lying on the grass and staring up at a big blue sky. Of watching scary movies in our pajamas. And having more peach cobbler than we could ever need.
Stuff we Love
