Happy Birthday.

On Sunday afternoon, my precious niece was born. Derek, Kolby, Emily and I were able to visit her during the first hours of her life. The following poem is by Mary Oliver and it is one of my favorites. It makes me think of her and the moments we sat watching her get acquainted with the world.

Hello, sun in my face.

 

 Hello, you who make the morning

and spread it over the fields

and into the faces of the tulips

and the nodding morning glories,

and into the windows of, even, the

miserable and the crotchety -

 

best preacher that ever was,

dear star, that just happens

to be where you are in the universe

 

to keep us from ever-darkness,

to ease us with warm-touching,

to hold us in the great hands of light-

 good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day

 

In happiness, in kindness.

 

Welcome, Kyndall. We love you so much.

Updates

This blog hasn't been updated lately because...

A. Both of us have jobs now.

     Derek began a new job back in June. He started looking into new opportunities back when we were living in San Antonio because he was worried about the possibility of an NBA lock out. I thought he was crazy. Sweet kid hasn't even said "I told you so" once. He really likes what he is doing now and I'm proud of him for being able to see this situation coming and for all the hard work and courage that it took to step into his new job.

     After hunting for about two months, I accepted a position a wonderful local non-profit. I truly love the work that I get to do everyday. It makes me very happy to be working in a role where I spend most of my day actually helping people. I'm honored by that opportunity and encouraged by the people I get to work alongside. I also get to set my own schedule and that flexibility works well for me. Most of all I'm just grateful that Derek and I are both employed in fields that use the degrees we worked so hard for. We are blessed.

B. It's football season.

     Since Derek used to work in the OSU ticket office, we have some of the best seats in the house for an incredible season of Cowboy football. I have to admit that when I put on an OSU orange tee shirt, it still feels all wrong. And is objectively not as flattering on me as my beloved burnt orange. But it has been really fun to take little road trips this fall, visit family, and be part of a great game day experience. I'm enjoying it more as the season goes on. Initially, I couldn't really relax because I felt like people would know that I was an imposter. It took real effort not to throw my horns up when good things happened.

     We also made it down to Austin for the UT vs. OSU game. We got some much needed relaxation at my parent's place in Wimberley and enjoyed spending time with my dad and brother. Texas lost, but it was great to be back on the forty acres for the day.


C. We've had a lot to celebrate.

     Since the last posting, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We had a perfect lazy Sunday just enjoying spending time together. It started with pancakes, bacon, and coffee in our favorite "his" and "her" coffee mugs and it ended with some wonderful cake: fresh not frozen.

     For fun and a challenge, we opted to exchange traditional wedding gifts of paper. I got Derek's diploma, our wedding invitation, and a watercolor of the place where we got engaged framed nicely. Derek gave me a beautiful bible with my new name on it. Actually he gave me two because one is an enormous "mom bible" and the other is more travel friendly. I love them and it kind of made me tear up when I opened the box.

     We also celebrated 9 years of togetherness. Ridiculous, right? Maddie stayed with my parents and Derek and I had a fabulous night out on the town. We had dinner at Hattie's and it was romantic and perfect. I daydream about those fried green tomatoes. 

     We stayed the night at The Magnolia because I just needed to get out of the house for a night. I love that I can work from home, but sometimes it makes it hard for me to fully relax when I know that I have paperwork hidden in the cabinet.

     
     Last weekend, we got to celebrate at the wedding of our friend Lindsey. Arkansas is gorgeous this time of year and it was a fun trip for us. The wedding was beautiful and joyous and we are so glad we got to be a part of it. I got a little sentimental because Lindsey is my last close friend from high school to get married. When the wedding party was announced "Allen"..."Ellis"..."Ringler"..."Tolleson"..."Mr. and Mrs. Dykes" I realized that all these girls who are precious to me have new names. It really hit me that we are all very grown now. Grown and blessed to have found so much love and happiness early in life.

     Besides being a great chance to catch up with old friends, it was also a great time to dance. By far my favorite moment was when the band played "No One Else On Earth" by the incomparable Wynonna. It was such a perfect moment for Lindsey's wedding. I remember belting that song in her car and in our dorm room. So much fun to belt it at her wedding.
    

D. We have the neediest dog in the world.

     Even as I type this, she is edging her wet nose between my palm and the laptop begging me to pet her. She is whining and staring at my ardently. It's pathetic and it makes blogging difficult. But how can I resist the snuggles?

One Year

I, Kassidy, take you, Derek, to be my husband.

 

You are my favorite,

the love of my life,

and the best friend I've ever had.

With great joy, today I bind my life to yours.

 I take you for better or worse and forever and ever.

I will endure with you through any sorrow or trial

and I will share with you all of the good and perfect gifts that God may bless us with.

     I will do my best to be patient, kind, encouraging and forgiving.

I will take good care of you and keep you safe from harm.

I promise to be honest with you and faithful to you.

You are an incredible blessing to me and I will be grateful for you all the days of my life.

Above all else, I pledge to you my steadfast love.

This is my solemn vow.

 

This is a symbol of my love

and a reminder of the promises we've made today 

 

With this ring, with all that I have and with all that I am, 

I marry you and am honored to call you my husband.

Derek and I have both been described as old souls and we wouldn't argue with that. Especially after this past week.

It all started on Sunday when we went to Luby's for lunch after church. We grumbled about the long line. And the noise. But ultimately really enjoyed our Luanns.

Later we went to Golf Galaxy where Derek met his new BFF, Red, a club salesman. I think I've said this before, but people over the age of 70 love my husband. They have a lot in common generally, and Red also shares Derek's interest in golf. They talked for the longest 30 minutes of my life.

Then yesterday, I threw my back out for the first time ever. I literally could not get out of bed in the morning. Derek had to pull me up and help me hobble down the hall to the bathroom. I'm so glad that I live near my sweet mom who was able to come over and take me to the doctor or else it would’ve been a long, rough day.

Derek took over her shift after work and did a great job. Since I was completely couch bound, Derek cooked dinner all by himself. We had leftover pasta, leftover mashed potatoes, and leftover fried okra. It was an eclectic combination, but was completely delicious. Then he brought me some rocky road ice cream and let me watch Project Runway.

I’ve known for a while now that Derek was the one I wanted to grow old with but before this week, I’d never really been able to picture what that would look like. Now, I have glimpsed the future.

It’s going to be great.