::8 Years and Counting:: A Marriage Reflection

For many of you who know us, you should know that Ricardo and I have grown-up together. We were teens when we met. 15 years later and after 8 years of marriage, 2 toddlers, and a lots of good and bad we are still here. Together. In love. In our own way. My Hubby is not your typical romantic who remembers the small things the way I do. For a long time, I really disliked him for it. But, then I slowly began to realize who he is...

He is above all a thoughtful and determined provider for his family, organized and mindful of what we can and cannot afford.

He is a happy father who LOVES his children unconditionally.

He loves me and cares for me.

He tries every day to be better person.

He brings me flowers when I am mad. It counts. A lot.

He accepts me and my crazy ideas but he doesn't always agree with me.

He is my Husband, a Father, a Brother, a Son, a Brother-in-Law and a Son-in-Law as well as a friend to many.

He is an intelligent man with his own plan, trying to focus on his goals.

His laugh is contagious.

He is the love of my life. My one and only. My always and forever. NO matter how much we argue and say things...we are still together. Making it through the struggles of everyday.

Marriage is not easy. Living with another person for years and years is not easy. It's work. Everyday a new day. Everyday a new challenge. We work at our marriage, some days are good, some are bad and others are great. On the worse days we give each other space, we hear each other out but we never run away.

Marriage has been a blessing, a life changing experience and a life time commitment. I don't plan on giving up and I am sure and blessed that he will not give up either.

People will see us and judge us, as individuals for what we are not or what we don't do, or what we lack or what they think we are. But, in the end Him and I know each other, what we have been through and where we are going. Nothing else matters. Ever.

The goal is to make it and make it good. Our vision are two children. They will see us, they will follow us, they will know what and who we are, they are watching us and for them, we will do our best to be great. For them, for us and for each other as individuals.

I say it all the time. Our lives are not perfect, nor do we claim it or pretend to be that way. Our lives are together and together we make it work. Some days we are happy, others we are sad and some days we are very, very mad but always together.

We try every day to make the best of what we have. We don’t have it all. We might not have the best but we have love…every day.

Ricardo, I love you. I don’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you and admire you, for your strength, your courage and your determination. I love you…..until death do us part. Happy 8th year wedding anniversary, and happy 15 year anniversary of being together.

::August:: #morethanamonth

::August::

It's  not only the month I met my Husband in 1999, even then he wasn't just some guy who wanted to date me and called me every other day from a payphone, he was different. Could I tell you that he would now be the same man who I married and had dos children with? No. Probably not. At 18 life for me was uncertain. My immediate family wasn't as stable as a family would want, to think that one day my dad could walk me down the aisle and that he would later be around to see me give birth to his grandchildren. It was complicated.

It's also the month that 6 years later in 2005, my Hubby would  propose to me on the same day we met August 13th...only after I was being nosy, as usual and found my engagement ring in the glove compartment of his 2000-something Jetta. It was still a special moment 6 years in the making. 

A year later in 2006, on a rainy Houston day we got married. August 19th.

3 years after that, in August of 2009, we were a month a away from having our first child. A son born September 16th. We thought then we were complete... 

Imagine our surprise when almost a year later, once more in August, while we were away on an Internship trip with my Hubby I would find  out I was pregnant again, this time  with my daughter, Camila. She was born in March of 2011. Now we feel complete but we have no idea what more the universe has in store for us. 

And, we are waiting and ready for whatever that may be.....

Oh yeah, did I mention that it is also my Hubby's Birthday month, this year the big 3-5!! 

 

Without even thinking about it, August has so much significance in our lives. It continues to bring blessings and positive outcomes for our little family of 4.  

What  month, is more than just a month for you? 

~Table 5~

This post must begin with a temper tantrum. Maybe this is where Santi is getting it from. Ahiii. Thankfully my Hubby knows me and remained objective. Ha.

It starts out on a Saturday afternoon. Frustration set in as we were getting ready for a very good friends wedding. I didn't like the way my clothes was fitting me. Let's face it. I've never been, naturally, a size 2. I am about a cupcake and a cherry coke away from a meltdown most days. I am a short and curvy Hispanic Momma. Asi soy, lo acepto!  I've always had to work at being a stable size 10/12 {does that exist?}. The last five years I've fluctuated between tears and struggles from a size10 to a size 16 while pregnant.

This Saturday I was determined. To fight the pain of these forever unforgiving kidney stones and to forget that I am at 165 in a size 14..but forcing myself into a size12. The aches and pains of being a curvy Momma were overcome and I moved forward. In a black pencil skirt, a nice cream blouse and heels.

We made it to the wedding where we were greeted by smiling faces on a dark patio. I thought, THANK GOD! No lighting! I will appear smaller than I really am, HA. Our friends looked amazing and their happiness and family were more than welcoming. Cocktail hour would come to a close and they would summon us to the dinning room. We assumed we'd be sitting at  the "college buddies" table. We waited at the entrance of the reception for our table number and walked in straight past the table that we would have thought to be at, table 8, where all the other "college buddies" were sitting.

Instead our table number, 5, was composed of 3 new couples, none of whom we knew. But, we didn't mind. We awkwardly sat down and took our respective places at the table. Shyly but surly we all started talking, asking how one another knew the happy Mr. & Mrs. Fernandez. As the stories and relationship statuses started pouring out the table became more at ease and the night got started.

Dinner was great and our conversations about marriage, John and Aby {the Mr. & Mrs.}, children, pets, college, technology and careers all seemed to fall right into place. Table 5 had far more in common than we had imagined. Suddenly the table number seemed suitable and age appropriate. Aby {& God} knew the type of company that we needed that night. Grown up company with similar lives. All of the sudden table 5 became our identity and the night had whisked away! Fun, laughter, dancing, singing, Faith, hope, Love and new friendships in the making. It was all worth while.

All I could think was Thank God I didn't give up on that black size 14 pencil skirt and that I decided not to throw a full on tantrum. Otherwise we would have missed out...

{Wedding} ♥

Not mine.

Ha.

In my {Thankful Thursday} LINK UP! I mentioned a wedding...

~Brissa and Juan David~

Here are some pictures from that wedding...  I didn't get many..I blame my lack of photography skills and poor equipment... excuses, I know! The food was YUMMA beyond YUMMA! Ha. Very traditional Mexican food! Gorditas de chicharron y picadillo, arroz, frijoles y una agua de Limon! Me encanto. No le tome fotos a la comida! Bad Connie. But trust me, estuvo todo muy delicioso y muy, pero muy bonito!

My favorite moment was when Brissa danced with her father...and he sang in her ear they swayed back and forth...all I could think was one day, God willing, Ricardo will be holding Cami that way..I hope he doesn't sing {Ha.}but if he does...It will be from pure Love and from his big ol'Daddy/Man heart! It was an amazing night.

We almost didn't make it out to Wimberly, Texas to Red Corral Ranch; as we attempted to get on  I-10 in Houston...OUR CAR BROKE DOWN. {As my friend Casey would say..DRA-MA!} Thankfully we have amazing friends and family always willing to help out!

Ricardo and I drove the 3 hours; talking, dreaming, praying that one day, and enjoying the dry but beautiful view! We fell in love every step of the way to Hill Country. We sang and remembered.

Congratulations Brissa and Juan David. Les deseamos mucha felicidad y muchas Bendiciones en su matrimonio....