Grandma and Grandpa Sugar

Probably two of my most favorite people on the planet have been married 69 years. I can't express how much I adore my grandparents. They are the sweetest, most caring people as evidenced by the plethora of friends and family who love them. I'm not kidding. They can make friends anywhere and no matter where they are in the country they always manage to meet someone who also once lived in Saginaw, St. Ignas or Mackinaw Island.

I talk to them both once a week to catch up and just keep in touch. I miss them terribly and so wish I had them closer to me. Grandpa and I take up most of the time talking about my football picks for the week. I think he loves that his granddaughter is in a pick 'em pool and has something other than the weather to talk about. Grandma lets me get all excited about the baby and doesn't mind that I get emotional every time we talk. She recently just joked that at least now I have an excuse to be so sappy. What she didn't admit is that I get it from her.

The photo above is taken from my wedding 2 years ago. I don't remember the context of the photo but what I love so much is that after 69 years of marriage Grandpa can still make my Grandmother laugh like that. What I do remember from his speech was that he told me I was as good a woman as my Grandma.  To be compared to Grandma Sugar was probably the compliment of my life. She's that amazing.

I'm a hopeless romantic and know like many I have a skewed and unrealistic idea of what love 'should' be. Luckily for me I have a real life example in Grandma and Grandpa Sugar. Their love is real and what I hope mine to look like. Their faith is truly an inspiration and I am so grateful and blessed by them.

The same day they celebrated their anniversary (Feb. 1) one of my favorite duos released their first full length album. On this album is a song that I could listen to over and over. I don't believe in coincidences and now have a modern song that makes me think of my Grandparents Sugar.

Valentine's Day

Happy belated Valentine's Day! I'm running a contest on my blog today to see who had the best Valentine's Day. I'm going to start the contest off by saying ME!! It was ME who had the best Valentine's Day!

Shawn and I don't tend to make a big deal about the Hallmark Holiday, and this year was no different. We wanted a nice quiet weekend that didn't entail an overpriced meal or overdressed crowds. So we stayed in and he took on the kitchen. And oh did he take on a feat! If you know us, you know that I love to cook and Shawn usually doesn't get much of a chance to use all of our lovely appliances. This year we were to have a quiet dinner on Saturday night at the Cooke's but instead they were sick. :-( Somewhere between the phone  call and the trip to the Farmer's Market Shawn became inspired to cook me dinner AND a surprise dessert. He wanted to cook a Mahi Mahi recipe he found in Rachael Ray's Guy Food cook book. He took his time evaluating our stock checking the book, checking the pantry, checking the book, writing down ingredients until he was satisfied with his list. I tried to check on his list but he just covered it with his hand and said "I got it". :-)

We didn't ever separate in the grocery store but he still managed to sneak in ingredients for his super secret delicious dessert. I knew SOMETHING was up when he asked me to pick out the ginger snaps, but then he knows my love for ginger snaps so I guess it wasn't THAT big of a clue.

We got home and he took care of EVERYTHING. He put the groceries away and even got me a sandwich for lunch. We took the afternoon and rested, played with Winston the enormous dog and just lounged about.

He began dinner while I watched Twilight for the 3rd time and I watched him deep in concentration as he checked, double and triple checked the recipe for his guacamole (which was FANTASTIC) and even pulled out the food processor! I snacked on chips and guac and watched him carefully follow each step to cook his mahi mahi. He cooked it on a stove top grill and it came out so TASTY. It melted in my mouth! I don't know what seasonings he used for his marinade but it was fantastic. He cooked corn and broccoli to fulfill our daily 5 servings of veggies and it worked great. I praised him for a job well done and cleaned up my place setting thinking we were done.

About 30 minutes later he asks if I was ready for dessert. The man made a lemon custard with a gingersnap crust.

Blink
Blink

Yep, he made a homemade crust. If you know me, you know how much I love lemons. I could get all Bubba Gump, but I won't. :-)

It was a priceless meal and an amazing gesture. I WIN! :-)

A new name

I'm part Angleson; I'm part Blackwood. Just as I'm part Greek and part Mexican. Anglewood is what I attempted to get Shawn to change our last name to, but alas I am now Caroline Blackwood.  I was talking with a good friend over the weekend and we both agreed it sounded very old fashioned as if I belonged in a parlor room as a Jane Austen character playing cards, reading poetry, or playing the piano. I could easily fit into that mold if molds were my thing. ;-) 

People keep asking me if it feels different to be married, and without hesitation my answer is consistently yes. From the minute I woke up 2 Saturdays ago I felt different. It was a simple epiphany; I am a wife, a partner, an equal p

art to his life now. I am still me, he is still him, but together WE make this life better for each other and It's something I didn't truly understand until it happened.

The past 5 years have been a semblance of that, but the day we promised never to give up on each other forever changed our relationship. I always thought the best stage of a relationship was that first longing, the butterflies that swirled, but I was wrong. 

Shawn left for a work conference 2 days after we returned from our trip and it has been hard. You're probably thinking come ON Care, it's 3 days. Sure, he's gone on trips, I've gone on trips, but perhaps it's just the newness of it all that makes it different, or the fact that we've spent the last 2.5 weeks at each other's sides. 

Nevertheless it's a new feeling; kind of like how it felt in the beginning.  More than butterflies in my stomach, more than a giddy tickle down my spine. We bonded stronger than ever. Is there any better way to gain self confidence than to know that you have someone in your corner who wants to stay there and fight for you no matter what life throws. The ups the downs, the highs and the lows and I have someone who never loses faith in me or my returned love. This commitment, this love is so much more special than anything I ever imagined; this says a lot since I am a girl and always believed those fairy tale godmothers who promised happily ever after. 

I am living in a happily ever after that will always take work, patience, love, endurance and most of all faith.