Allan and I often marvel at how 2 years can fly by so fast, yet at the same time, the last 2 years feels more like 10.  It shouldn’t be surprising to us that we feel like it’s been much longer than 2 years.  We’ve been on the “fast track” since we met.  We met online at churchofchristsingles.com in December 2003, started talking on the phone on January 5th, decided by mid January that we HAD to meet in person, and we were engaged the first weekend we met each other in person, on Valentine’s day.  To say we moved fast would be the understatement of the year.  It was a whirlwind when it happened, but it was just RIGHT. 

I am not a believer in “love at first sight”, but I am a believer in kindred spirits, fast connections, people finding other people who they are just SUPPOSED to be connected with.  From the moment I saw Allan’s username pop into the chatroom and we introduced ourselves, I knew he and I were destined to be something.  At first, I thought “just friends”, but it didn’t take long before that changed dramatically.  He had the same experience, and we still smile at how it all happened.

The courtship may have been brief in terms of time, but it was full of communication.  We have the ridiculous nearly 4 figure cell phone bill to prove it!  I think we spent somewhere near 40 hours a week on the phone that first month.  That’s a LOT of “dating” crammed into one month – and it was just the beginning of our “fast track”.  We are extremely grateful for the foundation we built during that time, and the months leading up to our wedding in September.  Of course we have learned SO much more about each other since marriage, but we had a rock solid beginning that has helped make our adjustment to married life, step-family issues, dealing with the ex-husband, etc., all the easier.

We found out we were pregnant in October, when the ink was barely dry on the marriage license.  It was something we wanted to happen sooner, rather than later, and we got what we asked for!  Needless to say, our “honeymoon” year was not a typical one.  Samuel was 2 1/2 at the time, and I was sick and tired and sick some more with the pregnancy.  Lil Allan the III came prematurely, but he came healthy, and we ended the first year of marriage talking about when we should have the next one.  Us?  Patient?  Ha!  Fast-track? Oh yeah!

And here we are, at the end of 2 years together, pregnant with the next one!  It really is exactly how we planned it from the beginning.  Neither of us are getting any younger, so the sooner the better.  I have one year left before I’m considered “Advanced Maternal Age”, so this is a good time to have the last baby.  Lil Allan will be close to two when this next little one comes, and while I’m anxious about having two under two, I’m also just very, very grateful for the chance to have any babies at all. 

So, our oldest is almost five, our baby is barely a baby anymore, and we have another one on the way.  Is it any wonder we feel like we’ve been doing this longer than two years?  Beyond that, I really do believe that when kindred spirits meet, time no longer means anything.  Allan and I are just sure that if we’d met in High School, we would have been high school sweethearts, and our kids would be half-grown by now.  That didn’t happen, but we’re making up for the time we missed together. 

Allan is the man of my dreams, with his “warts” and all.  He makes me want to be a better person, a better wife, and a better mother.  He has helped me relax about a FEW things, (still working on me, of course!) and I have found laughter and joy in a way I never knew I could experience.  As we prepare for this new baby to arrive, I hope we can find a way to jump OFF the fast-track, because I want to savor every moment of our lives together; raising our children, living, loving, and laughing together. 

2 years down, a lifetime of years left!

 

This past weekend, Allan and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  Since I’ve been pretty sick with 24-hour sickness due to the new pregnancy for over a month now, we weren’t sure if we’d be able to do much in the way of celebrating.  Thankfully, I had a really, really GOOD week – at least in comparison to the previous few weeks – and we decided to chance a trip to Los Angeles.  Allan’s mom graciously agreed to stay with the kids so we could go, and I’m extremely thankful for the weekend. 

I adore my children, but it was pure bliss to travel in the car withOUT them.  No one was crying from the back seat about going potty or needing a snack.  It was SO quiet without them.  And conversations?  We actually HAD them.  Sentences?  We finished them!  Pure bliss!

So, my wonderful hubby planned a great weekend for us.  He made reservations at a motel right on the Santa Monica Pier, and made plans for us to eat dinner at Paradise Cove in Malibu.  He really couldn’t have chosen better – I love the ocean, and the beaches in Southern California are wonderful.  We didn’t make it to Paradise Cove before the sun set, but it was still a fabulous meal, and afterwards we stood outside at 11 p.m., watching the tide come in.  We tried to figure out where Rockford’s trailer had been parked when the show was being filmed, and Allan puzzled over the cliffs that he hadn’t remembered from watching the show.  (We’ve watched a few more episodes on the Rockford DVD since arriving home, and he realized.. uh yep, there were cliffs in the background).

Our motel at the Santa Monica pier was fairly easy to find, but that’s about the only good thing I can say about it.  Oh, and thankfully it was free for us, since Allan used Travel Rewards points to book it.  If we had paid $150 for the room, we probably would have been VERY VERY annoyed.  As it was, we were just slightly bummed at the condition of the room (old, not well-kept).  At least the mattresses were comfortable, so we slept well. 

On Sunday morning, I was feeling a little sick, so we decided to sleep a little longer and miss church services.  We had directions to a church nearby, but it would have required more energy than I had to get ready in time.  Instead we took our time getting going, and then walked down to the beach.  (We were right across the street, thankfully).  I really can’t describe how the ocean affects me.  The big, loud, crashing waves.  The wet sand.  The rhythmic ebb and flow.  Love it!  Unfortunately this time, the ocean smell was affecting my tummy, so we didn’t stay as long as I would have normally liked to stay.

The rest of the day was a bit more “Allan-centered”.  He had made an appointment with a fellow train car enthusiast, and he got to spend over 2 hours with the guy, looking at a CZ train car that is being restored.  I rested and finished a novel.  We decided to stay in the Anaheim area in case we found the energy to do something fun like Knott’s Berry Farm.  Of course, the energy was NOT to be found, but we enjoyed a pleasant afternoon/evening in the hotel – Allan watching the Broncos win and me reading another novel.  We had a fabulous dinner at Claim Jumper, and had another good night’s sleep.

In the midst of the weekend, we decided that if we can afford it and make it work, we need to do something similar at least once a year, if not twice.  The time alone was priceless.  I realized once again that I have the best husband in the world.  He is truly my Prince Charming.  At 7 p.m. on Sunday night, while were in the VERY nice hotel in Anaheim, Allan turned off the TV, and I looked up at the sound of music from our wedding.  He had set up his Ipod to play through the radio, and we listened to our entire wedding ceremony that he had encoded.  It was… romantic beyond belief.  I’m extra weepy these days, with the pregnancy hormones, but this thoughtful “gift” from my husband made me cry through the entire recording. 

Two years ago, we were so fortunate to have Allan’s cousin Todd come and officiate our wedding ceremony.  He is a fabulous preacher, and he gave us such a gift with the words he spoke before our vows.  I don’t know how he was able to make it so personal, since he had just met me the day before the ceremony, but it was perfect.

I had intended to write a post more about the last two years, instead of such a detailed account of our weekend, but this is what came out today.  Maybe I can do another post about the 2 years.  I guess the most important thing I wanted to record and remember is just HOW blessed I am.  I have everything I ever wanted in a mate, and I’m so thankful.   

For those of you who still occasionally check this blog, I apologize for the length of time it’s taken to post again.  In mid-August, my husband and I found out that we’re expecting another baby!  Within a week of finding out, I was struck with 24-hour “morning” sickness.  It’s been far worse this time than it was during my pregnancy with lil Allan, and I have barely been able to keep up with the basics like feeding the kids and making sure they are (mostly) clean.  The rest of the time I spend sleeping and/or feeling nauseous.  Fun times!

The kids are doing great, even with Mommy being unavailable a lot of the time.  Samuel is in a “robot” phase, and spends a lot of his play time building robots and talking about robots and building more robots.  We also found some fun games online at NickJr.com, and he’s getting really proficient with the PC.  Lil Allan is walking constantly now, since he finally figured it out.  He is also talking up a storm.  The list of words he knows and uses just gets longer every day.  We definitely have a talker on our hands!  And the sense of humor?  Growing right along with him!  He gets funnier every day too!

More soon… hopefully I’m close to turning a corner in the “morning sickness” battle and will get back to posting a little more regularly.