5 Years

Dear Matt,

Five years ago we exchanged letters just moments before meeting each other at the end of the aisle. We were full of excitement and anxious to begin forever together. Through handwritten letters we professed our love for each other. I penned the memory of me approaching you in a crowded bar. And the unexpected whirlwind romance that followed. I thought you were incredibly handsome with your beautiful blue eyes and fabulous head of hair. I also thought you were brilliant and enjoyed our witty banter and deep conversations. I loved you wildly and knew I wanted to wake up in your arms every single day for the rest of my life. 

Five years later all of those things still remain true. But if just for a moment I could have peeked into our future, my letter would have been written much differently. I married you for so many reasons back then but what I couldn't possibly have known is how much deeper I would fall in love with you through the following years.

So after 5 years of marriage, if I could go back and edit my wedding day letter, I would add this... 

Dear Matt, 

Thank you for choosing me to marry. We can't possibly imagine the insane highs and lows we will face together over the next five years. We will take a leap of faith when you open a business and we will celebrate as you outgrow 3 office locations within 5 years. You will support me in starting a blog, help me take a million pictures and smile as you eat your food cold. We will pick out the most perfect home where we will expand our family and make countless happy memories in. We will bring a beautiful baby girl into this world who will steal your heart. And 14 months later we will bring a handsome baby boy into this world who will steal mine. Life will be good. So good. 

However, the storms will soon roll in and we will cling to one another as we weather them together. Our babies will bring us immense happiness, yet we will embark on a challenging journey with our latter and will lean on each other in ways we never expected. We will experience profound sadness through my dad's cancer journey. We will grieve the loss of your grandparents and mine. I will undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy and we'll spend our 4th anniversary together as you help me to the bathroom, shower, sort pain pills and more. In these times I will be more thankful than ever that you are mine and that I get to do this crazy life, for better or for worse, with you.

This season of our lives will (hopefully) be the hardest, yet also the best. Even though we’re immersed in our roles as mommy and daddy right now, you’re still the person that completes my heart and makes me the happiest. When I married you all of the signs were there that you would be a good dad - you are patient, compassionate, selfless and fun. But it wasn't until our babies arrived that I realized just how extraordinary you really are. My heart will expand again and again as we research swaddling techniques together at 3 a.m., as I overhear you (and only you, by request) tuck Caroline into bed, while you play picnic on the floor for hours, as you proudly introduce Caroline and Thomas to golf, as you chase sopping wet toddlers around the splash park, as you sing Sesame Street songs, pray, cuddle and dance with our children. Being a daddy is one of your greatest gifts.

We will love each other fiercely but won't always have time or energy to show it. Date nights will be fewer and farther between. Weekends away will be nearly impossible to schedule. We'll never sleep-in again. Our late nights together will consist of trading shifts of rocking a baby back to sleep for hours from a cold, teething, a nightmare or a sleep regression. Our tiny, wonderful people will become our number one priority and we will fight like hell to get put each other back in that sacred spot. There will be many moments of frustration and exhaustion (largely dependent on how our babies slept the previous night) and sometimes as we’re going through the daily grind, it may seem as though I’ve forgotten you. Please know that I haven’t. 

As we continue this adventure together, regardless of the phase we're in, one constant will remain: my love for you. We began our journey together in love, and we’ll continue that way through all the moments of our life. More than ever, I am so incredibly grateful for you. Thank you for choosing me all those years ago to create this wonderful life with.

Love your wife,
Christina

Halloween 2016

Well, we had a SUPER Halloween on Monday! I'm calling this Halloween our first "real" Halloween since last year I was out of commission for the festivities and Thomas was away at Mimi and Grandad's house.

We couldn't have picked a more appropriate costume for Thomas. And Caroline was absolutely obsessed with being a bumble bee.

I scooped the kids up early from daycare and met Matt at home so we could head to the neighborhood Halloween party before trick-or-treating. Within a few minutes we were dressed, out the door and rolling down the street to see all of our friends. 

 

 

Several of Caroline's favorite classmates live in our neighborhood so it was so fun to watch them bounce around and chase each other. 

Thomas on the other hand was pretty ticked that he was too little to join the bounce house fun. Next year, buddy!

 Baby Millie celebrating her first Halloween at 6 days old!

After the party we trick-or-treated! Caroline was really into it and pushed right through the crowds of big kids and up the steps to every house. Then after getting a piece of candy her eyes would light up and she'd say "another house, mommy?!" She is so damn adorable. Thomas also visited a few houses but really only cared about playing and eating candy.

Once Caroline was satisfied with the fullness of her bucket we we met daddy and Thomas back on our front porch to pass out bags and bags of candy. We had SO many trick-or-treaters this year and Caroline took her "one piece per person" policy very seriously. 

It was the perfect night and the happiest Halloween!

  Previous Halloweens: Halloween 2015 Halloween 2014

Hike NC - Crowders Mountain

Whenever people ask me where I'm originally from they always seem so surprised when I respond "Orlando, Florida." The next question is undoubtedly "Woah! What brought you to Charlotte?" Well, the answer is...I love the mountains. In fact, I fell deeply in love with North Carolina mountains in college and even spent a summer as a camp counselor in the wilderness. And some of my very favorite hobbies include camping (the more primitive the better), hiking, rock climbing, rafting and more. Anyway, when I graduated from University of Florida I landed a sales job that offered 21 locations that I could choose from and although I had never even been to Charlotte I picked the city because of the proximity to the mountains. I figured I'd only stay for a few years but then, well, I met a boy. 

That was a long-winded introduction to my favorite closest hiking spot -- Crowders Mountain State Park! Most of our hiking is done in the Blue Ridge Mountains about two hours away but when we're feeling antsy to get outdoors we head straight to Crowders Mountain which lucky for us in our backyard about 30 minutes away.

The kiddos still aren't old enough to make the trek so Matt, Charlie and I recently sneaked away for a quick day hike. The leaves in Charlotte are just beginning to change color and the weather was unseasonably warm which made our trip pretty much perfect. 

Hiking is Charlie's happy place too and carried his doggy pack (of water and a tennis ball) up and down the mountain like a champ in his hiking boots.

There are so many things to love about Crowders Mountain State Park, but my favorite is the 25- mile views of the surrounding piedmont from the peak! You can choose between an easy or challenging hike to get to the top of the mountain and for this journey we decided to take the easy route. Only once, six years ago, we chose the challenging hike. It was definitely strenuous at times but it was worth it when we arrived to the peak...and Matt proposed.

In addition to multiple hiking trails, Crowders also offers a nine-acre lake for fishing or canoeing. We picnicked here after our hike and relaxed before returning home! 

I was invited to participate in Hike NC! by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and received compensation for my participation. All opinions are my own. Hike NC! is an initiative aimed to make hiking an easier, more approachable experience for North Carolinians across the state. Hike NC! is the next step in BCBSNC's Get Outside North Carolina (GO NC!) community program, which was created in 2012 to encourage North Carolinians to get outside and get active. Visit gohikenc.com to find a hike near you.