Nine. Whole. Years.

Many years ago, I received the best advice about marriage. A friend of the family shared that while marriage is great, it's also a lot of work. Every single day. At the time, I was nowhere near ready to marry. I hadn't even met Nate yet. But I tucked that piece of advice away and retrieve it on a pretty regular basis.

Being married to Nate is great. I love him and I even like him. But marriage has been a lot of work. Every single day. We share many things - viewpoints, ideas, passions. But we disagree too. And I think that's healthy. Like most married couples, we could do better at communicating with each other. We could be more considerate to each other.

Yesterday, we celebrated nine years of being married. Although I think it's more important to note that we've been together for nearly 13 years! Anniversaries are a nice time to reflect on the year and the relationship. Every year, I'm happy to be sharing this life of mine with Nate. He makes me laugh. He is a wonderful father. He cares about his family. He likes to have a good time. But most importantly, he's the best kind of person to have in my corner. He is supportive. And when the going gets tough, he is my rock. 

Happy anniversary, Nate. We have created a meaningful life with each other and our two greatest achievements, Benny and Lila, bring us joy every single day. I couldn't ask for a better partner.

Deck the House

After several weeks of preparation, we started on the deck this weekend. Nate has been so committed to getting this project done. He's prepped the house and area after work and on the weekends. As part of this project, we replaced the gutters and trim on the house. Nate removed the old gutters and replaced the trim. He's been digging post holes for what seems like forever.

But, Nate, his dad and a friend down the street made significant progress. And it looks amazing. Poor Nate will have to commit a few (many) more hours to the project, but it will all be worth it when we're drinking gin basil smashers on the deck this summer!

When Nate and I first looked at the house over five years ago, we could see a deck in the space where the patio lived. The L-shape of the house nestles the deck perfectly. And we can access it from the kitchen, which is something most older homes are not equipped for.

Notice the new gutters and paint? I think it looks really sharp, even if it's not a big change. Eventually, steps will wrap around the front of the deck and a landing will be placed in front of the kitchen door. We'll also install pergola.

It was a long weekend for everyone, including the kids. But they had a good time "helping" where they could. The loved measuring the wood and drawing on it. That made the weekend relatively easy for me too. While Nate worked, we rode all over town to gather food and libations for the fellas. Not the worst way to spend a weekend. Not at all.

Book Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

After reading several "dark" and serious books for book club over the past few months, we decided to go with something lighter. The subject matter in Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is certainly not light, but Semple has an uncanny way to write about it in a lighthearted way.

The book was really easy to read because it was organized in a novel way - through letters, emails, faxes (yes, faxes) and some narration. As the title indicates, Bernadette has gone missing. As we learn, it's for a variety of reasons.

Thinking about many of the books I've read over this year, I'm surprised about a common theme: So many of them address mental health in some way. In the Girl on Fire, a mother deals with paralyzing depression. In The Round House, a family deals with depression after a horrific event. In Where'd You Go, Bernadette, a family deals with a mother's social anxiety. It's also interesting that all of the books about women (and specifically mothers) whose mental health is impacted by serious and tragic events in their lives.

As someone who has dealt with a mental health issue, it's an interesting component of our culture that is rarely written about in a way that reduces stigma. I have more thoughts on the subject, but not nearly enough time to address them.

Oops I Did It Again

I just used a Britney Spears reference. And I'm not ashamed of it. (OK, I'm a little ashamed of it.)

Somehow I've signed myself up for something big. It all started innocently enough - a friend of a friend mentioned that the annual Viva Streets event was moving from Park Hill this year. 

Noooooo! 

Viva Streets is a fantastically fun event during which the city shuts down a major thoroughfare and opens it to pedestrians and bikes for one day. For the past two years, LiveWell Colorado has hosted the event in Park Hill on 23rd Street. Last year, the street was packed for most of the day and it was so fun to see so many people out and about without having to worry about cars.

LiveWell is committed to introducing the concept to other neighborhoods in Denver. And for good reason. But, I was sad and disappointed that it won't be in my neighborhood this summer. So, like an idiot, I posted something on the neighborhood Facebook page. And suddenly I'm organizing the first planning meeting for a Park Hill Viva Streets this summer.

Between consulting commitments, teaching commitments and now this, I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed. As a result, I've decided to cut back on the blog for the summer. It's a reverse hibernation. I'll still post updates about #everydayonabike and the occasional family posting, but I'm certainly going to cut back on garden and food posts for the time being. But if the event ends up happening, you better believe I'll post about that too!

Mother's Day 2013

My kids are lucky. They are so lucky that I have an amazing mom who has taught me so much about unconditional love, thoughtfulness and appreciating children. My mom's children are now all over 30, but she still thinks of us as her kids - and she will never stop.

My mom has always been my biggest supporter and coach. I never appreciated her enough when she was just my mom. But now that I'm a mom, I realize how much she sacrificed for her kids, how much she loved us unconditionally, how she would have done anything and everything for us. And I appreciate her so much more. She is the most amazing grandmother to my kids (and all of her grandkids). My kids absolutely adore her.

My Mother's Day weekend started off right with a playdate/happy hour with some of my favorite moms from school. The kids all got along (for the most part) while we sipped rose on the patio. On Saturday, we checked out a new restaurant in the neighborhood and I discovered that I love potato pancakes. Nate and I rode our bikes to a friend's birthday dinner 7 miles away (much to Nate's chagrin), which meant that Benny and Lila got to spend the night with one of their favorite babysitters.

I requested a low-key Mother's Day. With all the house work we've been doing, it felt good to stay at home and work in the yard. We took a break for a picnic in the park and finished off the day with Nate's famous beer can chicken and salad greens from our garden.

My favorite moment of the weekend? Benny couldn't wait to give me the gift he made me at school. As soon as I woke up on Saturday (not Sunday), he handed me a paper bag. He made me a lovely bird house. He spent the better part of 30 minutes telling me exactly why he chose to decorate the house like he did. I love it. It's so fun to be Benny's and Lila's mom.