Oh yeah, it’s our 7th wedding anniversary!! Yay, we made it to 7 years, now we must push past into the 8 year mark and beat the 7 year itch. According to to Wikipedia (it’s on the internet, so it’s gotta be true, right?), the 7 year itch is….
The seven-year itch is a psychological term that suggests that happiness in a relationship declines after around year seven of a marriage.[1] The phrase originated as a name for irritating and contagious skin complaints of a long duration.
Happy Anniversary to my lovely, supportive, and beautiful wife, Kelley!
I love you so much dear, and hopefully we had a great weekend away at a hotel!
I don’t know what I’d ever do without you, but thank you for your constant love and support no matter how mean I can be sometimes! I’ll always be there for you and love that we are raising such a beautiful, healthy girl!
We’ve had a wonderful weekend thus far and an awesome marriage is a constant for us!
Pics from our weekend together….
G-Ma and Avery have been doing great together and we are excited to see them both today but sad to end our nice anniversary staycation.
Always Much Love!!
Our engagement picture. Can’t believe it’s been so long already.
Yes! Going Mom and I will be free for two whole days to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary this weekend! All the places we can go, sights we can see, things we can do…..FREE! Thanks to G-Ma, my awesome mom, for agreeing to stay at our house and watch Avery! I wonder if this will be the first and last time…hmmmm.
So, where are we going? Just the Embassy Suites in Downtown Fort Worth which is only 20 minutes from our home. Okay, so it’s nothing that exciting, but that’s what we want; low key and relaxing. Plus, we need a room with a fridge since Kelley still needs to pump, and a microwave since we’ll bring most of our own food.
I know, we should be going out and living it up, not cooking food in the microwave from our hotel room, but that suits us just fine. Ideally, we’d have a full season of hit TV show to watch back to back just like we used to, but I’m sure we’ll actually get out too. I’d like to go to the movies at least once as well. I’m all for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie (obviously), but understand if my lovely bride wants to see something else. Any suggestions?
Simply walking over to a nearby coffee shop will be luxury to us, and won’t break the bank. I’ll be sure to fill you in with all of our shenanigans early next week, but I still have some prep-work to tend to, so on to the Friday Foodie Fun Facts!
I dedicate these avocado fun facts to my mom since every time she comes over (usually once a week), she’ll have one or two avocados that are beyond ripe. Seriously, they feel like balloons filled with water since the skin will give so easily. But, I don’t mind as I love have avocado chunks in my giant nightly salad.
Here are 5 things to think of as you enjoy your hard-as-a-rock or soft-as-a-pillow avocado; it seems you never have them just right, huh? I think this picture says it all…
Avocados mature on the tree, but they only ripen once they are picked. Even more amazing is the fact that avocados can stay on a tree for as long as 18 months. It’s as if the tree preserves them until you’re ready to use them.
They are one of the most inexpensive anti-aging tools for your skin! Rough outer covering aside, the inner smoothness and creaminess has what we need for youthful skin. With all of the nutrients, healthy fat and vitamins, an avocado tree could be the next fountain (tree) of youth!
Avocado trees do not self-pollinate; they need another avocado tree close by to bear fruit. The avocado is an Aztec symbol of love and fertility, and they also grow in pairs on trees
Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable. They have the highest fiber content of any fruit and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and folate.
The avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and it’s bumpy green skin.
I’m beginning to like avocados more and more, and even add them to sweet things like dessert dips and smoothies. They add a pleasant creaminess, and being a fruit, I think go perfectly with dessert.
Happy Friday!!
Do you like avocados? If so, do you prefer them alone or mashed into something like guacamole?
Have you ever enjoyed a weekend away from your kid or kids? What did you do?
She is 3 months shy of being 1 year old, and my daughter is already a hero. Although she may not be aware of how and why she’s saving daddy’s life, she is doing it nonetheless.
Over the years, I have found ways to become increasingly stressed about everything. Always having something to do, thinking ahead and worrying about what’s to come, getting mad at minute details, etc. Guilty with a capital “G”!
Going Mom has given the best support a husband could ever ask for over the years, and she’s what kept me from going berserk! Now I have her and Avery as a trusty sidekick.
Stress Fighters/Life Savers!
I recently wrote about our long journey to having Avery and how a big part of our problems was a result of what stress had done to me physically. It sucked, I was miserable, and so was everyone around me. I never considered that stressing so much could be such a powerful and dangerous force, but now I know stress is a proven killer.
This is beyond scary! Something that many of us consider to be purely mental, can actually lead to our demise. Armed with this “stressful” knowledge, I am working on making changes to remove myself from the dangerous mindset. Becoming a stay-at-home dad is one major change and I wrote several times on how that has helped reduce my stress tremendously.
Make no mistake, I still have a ways to go before I stop stressing over things, just ask my wife! A little stress is natural and even good for us, but I still worry too much about washing dishes, food, exercise, always having a plan, and never living in the moment. I once lived in a carefree world, and now I’m striving to go back there.
With the help of my beautiful wife and daughter, I’m slowly (read, slowly) lowering stress levels and re-learning how to live “in the moment.” Since most of my time is now spent with Avery, she has been helping me in many ways; all unknown to her. Yes, babies are hard work and create plenty of stress themselves, but that’s a different kind of stress, not one that can kill!
One way Avery helps is by simply being so adorable. Every time I look at her or at the thousands (literally) of pictures of her, my heart fills with joy and I feel instant happiness set in. How can you not be happy with that smile?
I’m adamant about exercise, and thanks to our awesome baby, she’s happy to join along in her jumper. There’s nothing like finishing a set of very taxing squats and turning around to see this girl so excited about life.
But, probably the biggest factor in Avery saving my life by reducing stress is with play. She still has a ways to go before she can really start to play, but she’s active enough for a little rolling around and tickle time! Avery “plays” a major role by keeping me in check throughout the day.
When I’m standing over the sink washing dishes and she’s crawling all over the floor around me, I make it a point to stop and get down to crawl with her. The instant I’m on the ground and I see her smiling back at me, all of my worries disappear.
Daughter vs Dishes….hmm, easy choice!!
As she grows, Avery’s playfulness will grow with her, and I will be right there to play along in the dirt, swing in a swing, jump on a trampoline and pick her up when she falls. All while caring less about the materialistic things and more about emotions and family.
Of course, I still make it a point to clean those dishes and do other chores, but the fact is, I’m having less of a “must do it now” mentality and learning to enjoy things more often.
I know my mom and wife are thinking “What!?” because I admittedly still get worked up over small things. Again, I have a long way to go, but it’s a start, and I feel that as Avery grows and becomes even more playful, the bad stress will diminish. The stress that replaces it will be more of a beautiful “I have a child and I’m raising her” kind of stress, and I’m happy to take it on!
Do you feel yourself getting over-stressed? Any ways of coping with it?
Has your child helped or hurt your stress levels?I know, I know, kids are stressing, but you know what I mean!
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
