lucky #9.

Ryan Prentice.

I still remember hearing about you for the first time.

The year was 1992, and I was in eighth grade.  I remember I was sitting in the bleachers at Jocelyn's brother's baseball game.  Go Microdisk!  She was telling me about a girlfriend of hers, and was talking about this guy that the gal was dating.

He was a football player, was super cute, and his name was Ryan Prentice. 

In ninth grade I remember all my boy-crazy soccer girlfriends talking incessantly about three Leota guys.

Pat Conniff, Brian Kerston and...Ryan Prentice.

In tenth and eleventh grade I remember the Woodinville Falcons running all over the Bothell Cougars on the football field.  And one of those 'runners', was, non-other than, running back, #1 Ryan Prentice.
Our senior year, I remember seeing you on the front page of the Northshore Citizen.  You were holding a football helmet with two of your teammates.  And I remember thinking...'wow, Ryan Prentice sure is cute'.
At the end of our senior year we both went on a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico with our closest friends.
I have no idea what either of our parents were thinking...but i am sure glad that they weren't.
Because, finally in 1997, at 2am in the pool at the Hotel Del Playa I met Ryan Prentice.
We hit it off immediately and literally talked into the next day.
That evening we met for drinks at Senor Frogs, you bought my dinner at The Shrimp Bucket, and we danced the night away at a foam party at El Squid Roe.
Our week in Mexico had all the romance of a Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks film.
Okay...maybe more like 'Real World' or 'Teen Mom'.
We dated that summer.  You drove your red Ford Escort GT over to my house almost daily, after you were done toting paint around at Sherwin Williams.  BJ lived in my folks upstairs. I spilled salad all over the table at your folks.
It was true-blue puppy love.
And then we went off to college.  And stopped talking for awhile.  Because who really wants a boy/girlfriend when they head off to college.
(not Ryan Prentice...that's for sure).
But we always kept in touch.
Always.
Whether I was pranking your parents house to get your Ellensburg digits (sorry Cindy), whether Joc and Jenn and I were visiting you at CWU, whether you were ditching me at a frat party at WSU and I was writing in my journal that I would never, ever talk to Ryan Prentice again...we were always connected.
And, finally, our senior year of college...we reconnected for good.
I still remember coming home from class and my roommate telling me, 'there's a message on the answering machine for you from Ryan Prentice.'
My insides would do somersaults as I hit play.
I still remember sitting in the computer lab and hoping with all my heart, right before I clicked on my 'in box', that there would be an email from Ryan Prentice.
And the butterflies I got when there was.
In 2001, we both graduated, we both moved home, and we have been inseparable ever since.
It's hard to remember a time in my life when I don't remember Ryan Prentice.
It's hard to think of a time in my life when I wasn't consumed with Ryan Prentice.
It's hard to think of a time in my life when Ryan Prentice wasn't the best part of my day.
It's impossible to think of a time in my life when I didn't love Ryan Prentice.
I first heard your name 21 years ago.
I first met you 16 years ago.
And I married you 9 years ago.
For people that don't believe in soul mates...
well, they've never met us.
And I thank you for being mine, Ryan Prentice.
xoxo

photos courtesy of jocelynkbrownphotography.com

down for the count.

We find him like this every. single. night.

I have about 25 different pictures of him in various positions on the floor of his bedroom, surrounded by all his favorite things, passed out cold.

Come to think of it...this is the exact same way I found Ryan in our living room after the Seahawks won on Sunday, and he was surrounded by his favorite things too...empty bottles.

At least we know Carson's future.

Man, he is going to have one amazing wife.

that's what she said.

This one cracks me up.

And 99% of the time she has no idea she is so funny, and that's the funniest part.

Here's what she has said of late...

We were at Jump Planet and a little girl befriended Hadley.  Hads isn't great at 'forced' friends.  She would prefer to just go about her business and skip the small talk (wonder who she gets that from?).  But her and her new BF hit it off and for the next 20 minutes they played a nail biting game of hide and seek, jumped their brains out, and were seen holding hands behind the play houses.

And then Hadley was done.  

So she says to her friend, "I don't really want to play with you anymore, I just want to play with my brother now."

Her friend says, "Well that's not fair.  I still want to play with you."

Hads reply, "Life's not fair.  Deal with it."

(wonder who she heard that from?).

The other day she is talking about some great injustice that happened to her when she was all of 22 months old.  I was blown away, and said to her "Hads, how do you even remember that?!  You amaze me."

Hadley says, with the most dead pan face, "Mom, that is because I am an elephant."

Carson was naked (as he often is) and Hadley was inquiring about his parts.  Specifically she wanted to know "what that thing below his peeny was?"

Now I am a weirdo when it comes to body parts.  I call them what they are.  I don't want my kids embarrassed, or ashamed.  An elbow is an elbow.  A knee is a knee.  A vagina is a vagina.

(This all stems back to when a mother brought her child into the ED and the girl said her 'little chicken' hurt, and no one knew what she was talking about, and finally her mom chimed in, all annoyed that we didn't know what she was talking about and yelled "She hurt the thing she pees out of...her little chicken."  Duh.  And I can guarantee that mom was wearing Sponge Bob Squarepants pajama bottoms).

Anyhoo...I go on to explain what his parts are.  And then, without any prompting from her, I really, really go on to explain what they are, what they do, and how babies are made.

And even as I am talking I am on the outside of my body thinking...SHUT THE (blank) UP!

So I am now to the part where the sperm inseminates the egg, and Hadley cuts me off and says:

"So basically it's just a pillow for his penis to sleep on."

Yes.

Exactly.

the ranch.

This is one of the best traditions I have thought of yet.

(that's my stomach speaking, not my arteries).

Special burger.

Large fry.

Rootbeer shake.

And that's just the appetizer.

happy new year.

New Years Eve 2012.

We did it kid style.

We did it sitting on the couch all night style.

We did it eating Gumbo style.

We did it watching Ryan Seacrest style.

We did it Gangnam style.

We did it breakfast the next morning on very little sleep style.

We did it not feeling so well the next day style.

Happy 2013.

We need a nap.

It's going to be a good one. 

I can feel it.

After I take some tylenol.

perfection.

There is not a thing about this picture that I don't love.

I basically love anyone reading, anyone in raglan sleeves, and anyone who's quiet.

He nailed it.

christmas day repeat.

...and then we did it all over again.

I think we all need a vacation.

And perhaps a quick visit to a detox center.

Happy holidays...thank God they are over.

christmas morning.

It started at 4:54am with Hadley coming into our bedroom, with THE biggest grin on her face, as she whispered to us in THE giddiest little voice,

"You guys...Santa came last night!!!!".

It's the only time I have ever been so happy to see her that early in her entire life.

It's also the only time Carson has slept in until 7am in his entire life.

A Christmas miracle for all indeed.

And it ended at the cabin over Chinese food and a Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol.

Fra ra ra ra ra.

Ra ra ra.

Ra.