New Year, New Name

Hey!  Did you know I've moved?  Visit our new deluxe apartment in the sky at:

Hysterically Ever After

Same entertainment, new domain.  Thanks for following!

I hate you, Pinterest.

Monday morning...I'm doing my usual rundown of the mommy blogs, when I came across a post about the Elf.  You know the one...Elf on the Shelf?  Elf on a Shelf?  Whatever he/she/it is, I know it pops up in my Facebook newsfeed con-stant-ly.  The post was something along the lines of "101 Fun Things to Do with Your Elf!"

Not on the top 101 list.

Tangent: Can I tell you about how much I loathe the elf?  First, he's creepy.  Second, why do we have to scare our children into behaving around Christmas?  The idea of some little elf spying on your kids is frightening to me as an adult...kids just buy into this garbage?  No.  Stop it with the elf.  You need to acknowledge and encourage your kids' good behavior...not tattle-tale on the bad.  If you only focus on the good, your kids will catch on, and they'll want to continue finding ways to do good.  At least that's the plan in our house.

Back to the list 101 fun things:

'Scuse me...did you say ONE HUNDRED AND ONE?  When does this Elf business start, Labor Day?!

Who has time to sit down and compose 101 fun things to do with an Elf doll?  I'll tell you who:

PINTEREST PEOPLE.

You know who you are.

I waited a while before joining Pinterest because, let's be honest, I needed another time-suck like I needed another glass of wine (I NEED IT).  So when I'm done spending unnecessary amounts of time on BuzzFeed, celebrity gossip, mommy blogs and Facebook, I can go pin things on boards.  Yay!

I never feel an ounce of inadequacy until I visit my Pinterest account.  Once the boards of recipes, organization tips, sewing patterns, paint colors and DIY everything that I'm absolutely never going to get around to actually DIY-ing pop up, it's like looking at a failed to do list.  That I super failed, big time.

Remember my week of vacay at home?  One of the items on my list for that glorious week was to make my own household cleaners.  Enough with the harsh and dangerous chemicals; we having baking soda, vinegar, and other stuff that these crunchy mamas tell me will clean my oven better than Easy Off, and it's so safe that Miles could drink seven gallons and instead of having to call Poison Control, I would have to call The New York Times because he would have baby super powers from the all natural goodness!  Yes!  I want a super baby! (Editor's note: We already have a super baby.)

There were 31 different recipes for cleaners.  Some of them involved ingredients like lemongrass, essential oils and tears from virgin Alpacas in the Andes (they can only shed these tears during Summer Solstice, otherwise your window cleaner won't work for poop).  Too much work.  In crept the feeling of defeat, before I'd even begun my stupid project.

We bring you gifts that will remove hard water build up from your shower door.

Don't get me started on the kitchen stuff.  I have boards for recipes that use ingredients like cardamom, blood oranges and more virgin Alpaca Summer Solstice tears.  I shop at Publix.  There are days where they don't even have parsley, let alone cactus pear.  Last time I checked, my kitchen wasn't hosting episodes of "Chopped." Also, who has time to cook a meal that has 15 ingredients and requires a fondue pot?  There are nights we're so busy it's just breakfast for dinner...and my husband is always super excited about breakfast for dinner, until I hand him a box of Honey Bunches of Oats and a carton of almond milk.  LOOK HONEY, BREAKFAST!

And do you know about the secret boards?  Oh yes, you can have secret boards, and you can choose who has access.  So for when I really want to pin a project that will never, ever in a million years even get considered to be added to my to do list, I can put it on a secret board.  There are times I laugh as I'm pinning.

I can't drink the Pinterest Kool-Aid.  I don't know when you People of Pinterest have time to crochet sweaters for your parakeets.  

You can seriously Google anything.

Maybe you do it after your kids go to bed.  And maybe I could do that, too...or maybe I'd really just like to take those couple hours to sit on the couch and vegetate.  Or read a book I started six weeks ago.  Or drink some Christmas beer and bitch about Pinterest in a blog.

I have time for painting with sweet potatoes (one of Miles' current fave games) and making pig snorting noises and chasing the kid who's chasing a cat around every single dining room chair.  I have time to live in the chaos and joy that is "new parents."  I have time to relish these moments and days as they come.  I do not have time to Pin. 

Oh, and my DIY cleaning products?  I'm going to call it a half win, because I just ended up throwing away all of the cleaners I had in my cabinets before, and buying half a dozen different products from Seventh Generation.  I had a coupon.  And I'm lazy.  But I feel moderately accomplished, and you can drink our window cleaner. 

So Pinteresting,

Kristin

Round-Up: SAHM Edition

Last week, I was on vacation.  Glorious, stress-free, vacation…AT HOME.  I have always wanted to take a full week of vacation time and just sit at home, eating nachos for breakfast, watching Kathy Lee and Hoda, reading Us Weekly and wearing yoga pants with zero intention of actually doing yoga (or any physical activity, for that matter).  Now that we’re parents, a week of time at home gives me a peek into the life of a stay-at-home mom.

I learned a few things in those 7ish days; some of those things are valuable life tools.  And some of those things involve The Wiggles.

Top Ten Things Learned During SAHM Week…

10. You’re an anti-TV parent until you are forced to become a TV parent.  Let me clarify this by saying we are still anti-TV parents; however, when you need 15 minutes to vacuum, take a phone call, find the cat or just poop, well…plopping Miles in the Jumperoo and giving him some PBS was the answer.

9. Your coffee will probably be cold by the time you finish it.  Every morning, I would play with Miles on the floor in the living room and attempt to drink my coffee.  This worked fine, until he noticed my coffee mug.  Once the mug was in his line of sight, it was game over.  He would stop at nothing in his attempts to grab my mug, because suddenly that mug of coffee was more important than anything in the entire universe, ever. 

8. All electrical cords belong to Miles.  I thought I could work on our family Christmas card while Miles was playing with one of his favorite toys (a measuring cup).  He was intently putting his orange monkey under the measuring cup, scooting it over, then picking it up again to see if monkey was still there.  He had no idea I was even in the room.  I quietly plugged in my laptop, and started working.  That was the moment his spidey senses kicked in…realizing an electrical cord was nearby, Miles immediately stopped playing with his cup.  After 10 minutes of attempting to work, I gave up.  A similar situation arose with the vacuum, steam mop, and phone charger.  Some of you may be wondering why electrical cords are so awesome.  Like all awesome toys, you can BEAT THEM ON THE FLOOR AND MAKE NOISE.

7. A majority of children’s programming is frightening, or created by people taking psychotropic drugs.  I thought I’d check out that BabyFirst channel, only to find some terrifying show with three large and incredibly realistic looking mice singing and dancing, with no movement from their mouths.  Just these blank, vacant stares from their beady costume eyes.  

And now you can share in my nightmare.

So that ended up on the “do not watch” list.  Then I tried something called Lazy Town, but found most of the actors had rubber masks or weird hair, and added that to the list as well.  These very strange shows also seemed to lack any educational value.  

Not good role models.  Also, questionable fashion choices.

What made the cut?  The Wiggles, Barney and Friends (YES, THAT IS STILL ON THE AIR!), Sid the Science Guy, Sesame Street and The Chica Show.  Good stuff.

6. A majority of new children’s music is also frightening.  While I am anti-TV, during playtime we do have music going…Miles loves music.  We usually listen to jazz, but I decided to venture into the world of children’s music.  There’s a lot of good stuff out there.  For instance, Caspar Babypants (you can’t make this stuff up) is now in my regular playlist.  He’s like a Jack Johnson for babies, and it is awesomesauce.  

How can you not love this guy?

SERIOUSLY.  He's awesome.  I would listen to him even if I didn't have children.

However, when a group called “Preschool Popstars” came on singing a song about a daycare dance party, I decided I did not want my eight month old in da club.  You would also be amazed at the number of adult pop songs (Lady Gaga, Beyonce, etc.) that make it to the children’s station because they are being sung by THE CHIPMUNKS.  This type of torture should be saved for Guantanamo.  Fun fact: These tunes will also make your ears bleed.

Sippin' on juice.  Just juice.

THIS IS AN ACTUAL SONG.

Yes, I could have made the entire post about this one thing.

It's like a train wreck, I just can't turn away from it.

WHY IS THAT TODDLER WEARING SUNGLASSES?!

5. You can wear the same clothes five days in a row, and no one will know.  Except the UPS guy.  And maybe the mailman.  Also, employees at Publix, depending on how many times you visit the store.  Fashion be damned, I wore the same yoga pants and Grateful Dead t-shirt ALL. WEEK. LONG.  It was awesome.

4. You get to eat lunch with your kiddo!  Feeding Miles while simultaneously feeding myself is nothing new, but eating lunch at 11am is.  So at 2pm, when I was suddenly hungry in a way that can only be akin to a bear waking from hibernation, I would usually binge on something sensible, like an entire sleeve of Ritz crackers and half a jar of Nutella.  Don’t look at me like that.

3. You finally see why all the other moms won’t stop talking about the blue Wiggle.

 Oh, you think he's kind of lame?

TRY AGAIN.

2. You get to read a book!  And a magazine!  And watch re-runs of SATC!  Miles’ longest nap usually happens around lunch time…two hours of glorious, uninterrupted ME TIME.  Choirs of angels sang the first time I sat down to read. 

1. YOU GET TO TAKE A NAP…EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Oh my gosh, naps.  I haven’t taken a nap since…how old is my son?  That long.  It was awesome.

Besides these learning moments, I also really, really, really enjoyed just getting some downtime with my kiddo.  These are the days that go by quickly, where he seems to still be swaddled one minute and somehow riding a tricycle the next.  It happens that fast.  So having many, many days of “just us” was an incredible, tremendous blessing.  I cried The Ugly Cry three times last week, just sitting there watching him play, because I suddenly realized he was no longer my teeny, tiny little baby.  He’s a big boy.  An amazing, smart, funny, snuggly and loving little guy. 

Dropping him off at school on Monday was like that first day, all over again.  Only this time, Miles eagerly crawled to the basket of toys and immediately began dumping them all over the floor, totally oblivious to the fact that mom was standing there, teary eyed, watching her baby grow up.  I kissed him goodbye; he bopped me on the nose and tried to take my glasses, then he gave me a hug.  A real hug.

I left before my morning at daycare turned into a Publix Thanksgiving commercial.

You cried when the pilgrims were separated at the table, right?

Working parents, if you get the chance to take some vacation and spend it at home with your young ones, I cannot encourage you enough to do it.  In the blink of an eye, kids are off at college, getting married, giving you grandchildren…these days are precious and brief.  Even when you’re tired, distracted, running a hundred miles an hour…stop, and make the most of these days.  You will appreciate these memories so much as your children grow.

Sappy McSapperston,

Kristin

Things Mom Should Know About Christmas (by Miles Coke)

After a two week hiatus (you missed me, right?) I’m back!  We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving, and I was blessed enough to spend an entire week at home with Miles on “staycation” (that word is on my “Do Not Use” list for 2014).  A future post is in the works about my SAHM week, but for now, in the spirit of Christmas, I thought I’d share with you…

Things My Eight Month Old Wants Me to Know About Christmas

As told by Miles Clark Coke

1. I do not want toys.  I do want all of the wrapping paper, tape, bows, ribbons, gift tags and other essential items that encase the toys.  Because in this situation, it’s absolutely not what’s on the inside that counts…it’s what is on the outside.  The pretty, sparkly, carefully wrapped yet must-be-destroyed outside.

2. I do not want your Christmas tree.  You can barricade that tree with whatever you feel is necessary, woman…I’m not interested.  What I do want are those needles.  You know, the ones that you vacuum up five times a day, only to miss half a dozen behind the couch.  Guess what?  I found them.  Guess what else?  THEY WERE DELICIOUS.

3. You cannot hide all of the jingle bells from me.  You can hang the ornaments up high, move the mistletoe before I see it, and open the front door as slowly and quietly as possible to avoid disturbing the jingle bell wreath…but I know they’re there.  I will find them, and because I’m a jingle bell ninja, I will capture them.  Then, I will jingle them incessantly.  They’re A MILLION times better than your car keys.  Then, when I’m done with them, I’ll hide them and you’ll never find them again.  EVER.

4. Taking photos for this year’s Christmas card is my favorite game.  I know I’m winning because you squeal every time I grab your nose right before the camera flashes.  Extra points for blurry arms, drool and grabbing Dad’s beard.  Just give me the jingle bells, and I’ll call a truce. 

4. Anything you drop on the kitchen floor is fair game.  Especially cranberries, chocolate chips and sprinkles.  You’ll probably want to hide the cat food while you’re at it.

5. Thank you for the children’s nativity set.  It was delicious.

6. And thank you for the beautiful Christmas lights.  They were delicious.

7.  Please, try to read “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to me.  Because you’re going to find out that I also find the book very delicious.

8. In summation, CHRISTMAS IS DELICIOUS.

Love,

Miles

Slow. Down.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, and not just for the endless array of casseroles, gravy, cranberry sauce, wine, dessert (and dessert wine).  It’s a time that we get to enjoy at a slower pace, surrounded by friends and family, wearing stretchy yoga pants, watching football and just enjoying each other’s company.  Right?  RIGHT?!

I have never been a Black Friday shopper.  I hate the mall, I hate the crowds, and I really don’t enjoy shopping (my nineteen year old self just rolled her eyes at me…) Some people love Black Friday; the thrill of the hunt, getting up at 3am, standing in line, fighting over Tickle Me Elmo dolls and arguing with the barista when she forgets the triple shot of espresso. 

And each year, stores open earlier, stay open longer, offer more insanely unreasonable sales to drive the hoards of crazies through their doors.  Thanksgiving is no longer a holiday to be celebrated; it’s become a minor preamble that we rush through just to get to the 100 MILE PER HOUR GIVE ME ALL THE STUFF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPLOSION IN YOUR FACE.  NOW WITH MORE STUFF!!!

The commercialism of the holiday season is overwhelming.  There are too many screaming TV commercials with blinking lights, bells, dancing elves, annoying music and size 72 font prices for me to handle.  This time of year is not about getting a Hamilton Beach crockpot for 83% off retail price, just because you can.

People, you don’t need this stuff.  You have enough stuff.  You don’t even have room for the new stuff.  You can’t even name all of the stuff you already have.  Do you know what you really need to do?  Slow. The. Hell. Down.

We wait until after Thanksgiving to put up our Christmas tree.  We wait until after Thanksgiving to do any Christmas shopping.  We want to enjoy each moment, day, holiday, gathering, activity, as it comes.  If you’re constantly racing to the next event, can you truly enjoy and appreciate where you are right now?  Stop.  Sit with each other.  Talk.  Laugh.  Drink more wine.  Eat more pumpkin roll.  Enjoy your time.  And be thankful.

We have instilled a “Get One, Give One” mantra in our household.  If you get a new toy, you must give an old toy to Goodwill.  It’s important to us that our children understand that receiving gifts can be fun, but giving is so much better.  Because if you feel a thousand rays of sunshine happy when you get something, don’t you want someone else to experience that same feeling?

We are also making an effort to spend less because, again, stop it with the stuff.  I have a decent list of DIY Christmas gifts I have put together over the past few months (friends and family, be prepared…)  If spending money on a gift, we are considering things that are practical, enjoyable and most importantly, meaningful.  And if I actually go through with any of this DIY business, rest assured there will be a post about it, wink wink.

We will focus on our time together, more than ever.  Ignore Pinterest, Etsy, Facebook, Instagram and television.  You have enough sugar cookie recipes; you will never get around to making those votive holders (unless it’s a gift, then have at it…), and there’s no need in making yourself feel holiday guilt by comparing your tree, house, gifts, etc., to those of your 1,872 “friends” on Facebook.  Look at each other.  Spend time with each other.  Put down the smartphone, close the laptop, and connect to something other than your wi-fi for a change. 

This really is a time of thanks; if you stop for a moment and take inventory of your life, you will find you are immensely, tremendously, incredibly blessed.  And it’s not just the stuff you have; it’s the people, the relationships, the memories, the time together, the experiences, the laughter, the love. 

Ferris Bueller said it pretty well back in 1986:

“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Happy Thanksgiving.

Taking it easy,

Kristin

Ferberization: Complete

This post is brought to you by the letters Z and W, for zombies and wine.  Which I can have at full volume (and full glass) at 8:30pm.  Thank you, Ferber!

A couple weeks ago, I told you all that we were going Ferber Method in the Coke House.  It’s been 10ish days of Ferber, and I feel moderately confident to say: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

So how did we get this Ferber stuff to work?  It was actually pretty easy (jinx, I know).  Our son is totally awesome, and that helps.  Also, Miles has always slept in his crib, so we didn’t have the co-sleeping nightmare to deal with.  Not that there’s anything wrong with co-sleeping; I’m not judgey about any parenting style, whether you cry it out, co-sleep, babywear, use disposable diapers, only let them eat green foods until they’re a year old…as long as your child is loved and cared for, it’s all good in my book.  Except that attachment parenting stuff…that’s a little weird.  If your kid can easily eat dinosaur shaped Tyson chicken nuggets and tie his own shoes, I don’t quite get why you’d still breastfeed…but that’s just my opinion.

Back to Ferber.  Since Miles already sleeps in his crib super well, this was more about getting a consistent bedtime established.  He tends to fall asleep between 8-8:30p every night; the problem we were having was our own, because one of us would just continue rocking Miles in the recliner until we thought he was sleeping really well, and then we’d put him down.

While this system worked, there are some issues.  Issue number one: having to watch all of my vampire-zombie-toddlers and tiara shows in an acceptably low volume.  Miles can sleep through most anything, but if a toddler suddenly starts hollering for her “tinker tea” (Google it…seriously) or a hoard of zombies comes crashing through the roof of an abandoned IGA, the volume might be too loud for a sleeping bambino. 

Issue number two: falling asleep with Miles in the recliner, waking up at 10:30p and realizing you still have Miles.  While this didn’t bother Miles, losing all feeling in my arm for the next half an hour wasn’t fun.

And so, out of my need for louder zombies and two free hands, a bedtime was born!

First three nights: Superawesome.  We did bath time, bottle time, story time, and then bedtime.  Miles babbled for 10-15 minutes, and fell asleep.

Night four: 6 minutes of crying.  Now, that might not seem like a long time, but I can tell you that when it’s your sweet, little baby in there crying, six minutes is an eternity.  But we made it.

Night five: 5 minutes of crying.  This time, more hysterical.  I caved; I picked him up, I rocked him for 20 minutes, he fell asleep.  Ferber would have been disappointed.

Every night since then: Asleep within 10 minutes.

People: BEDTIME IS THE BEST THING EVER.  I can watch zombies, fold laundry, jump on the sofa, yell at the dog, drink wine, and trip over 1,487,633 baby toys without having to worry about waking the baby in the living room.

Some of you think Ferber is mean.  I’m going to tell you to stop being a baby.  Bedtime is important; routines are important, consistency is important.  Kids like knowing what to expect (and guess what – SO DO GROWN-UPS!)  It’s also important to give your child their own space.  Well, right now.  When they’re teenagers, that’s different.

You know those kids you see running down the street barefoot at 8pm drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos?  They don’t have a routine.  They also have high blood sugar.  And they’re probably poor sleepers.  AND THEIR PARENTS NEVER GET TO WATCH ZOMBIES!  Or, they’ve given up and watch zombies with their kids.  Don’t do that, either.

Does not have a bedtime.

Seriously. 

GO TO BED!

Like I said, I’m supportive of whatever works for your family…but don’t disregard Ferber until you’ve tried it.  Your zombies and non-Honey Boo Boo children will thank you.

Ferberization Complete,

Kristin  

The Best Days, Ever.

Today is an exciting day in the Coke House…we are celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary!  Time flies when you’re having fun, right?  In honor of the special day, I thought I’d reflect back over the past 2,922 days.

Eight years ago, we were both in our 20s (some of us in our very early 20s!)  George W. was still in office.  None of our friends had children.  Facebook was an unknown.  Cadillac Williams still played for the Bucs, and we went 11-5 in our 2005 season.  Evan and I both had siblings still in high school.  Brad and Jennifer were still married.

Life has changed.  Let's take a trip down Memory Lane...

Eight years and an undisclosed number of pounds ago...

We tied the knot at my home church in Pahokee, where I spent some of the best years of my life, and PFUMC will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Hurricane Wilma had ravaged both coasts just three weeks prior; we didn’t even know at the time if our wedding could happen, but God willing, it did.  We were forced to move our reception location due to damage at the Elk’s Lodge in Pahokee.  Our florist, Fran, went as far as Miami to find THE flowers we had picked out months earlier.  We patiently waited days and weeks for electricity to be restored.  It all came together in an imperfectly beautiful and wonderful celebration.

Mr. & Mrs. Coke

Happily Ever After

We honeymooned in Key West.  We literally crawled Duval.  I climbed on stage at Sloppy Joe’s and sang “I Wanna Be Sedated” with a punk band from Minneapolis.  We happy houred at Irish Kevin’s at 10am.  We pet six toed cats and sting rays.  Evan got food poisoning from a Cheeseburger in Paradise.

We traveled.  We fell in love with Western NC, and have returned half a dozen times.  We have hiked over 300 miles.  Evan grew a mountain man beard. We plan to continue visiting every year until I can convince Evan to buy a mountain and build a cabin.

 Downpour on the AT.

 Day hike to Siler's Bald.

 Tubing on Deep Creek.

"...got to set down and take a rest on the porch."

Nantahala

We took a 4,000 mile road trip from Cape Coral to Washington DC, then to New Jersey for Evan’s 10 year high school reunion, then north to Niagara Falls, and west to Fort Knox, KY.  We visited monuments, toured Radio City Music Hall, ate Thanksgiving dinner at a hoity toity restaurant in the Upper East Side.  Then we watched my brother graduate from Basic Training, and prayed for his new journey and career in life as a Combat Medic in the US Army.

 Rockefeller Plaza

 Top of the Rock.

 Cannoli time!

 Arlington

 Lincoln Memorial

 CPL Cameron M. Hatton

 Proud sister.

Deuces.

We survived several hurricanes, both of the meteorological and real-life variety (not to mention the number of hurricanes consumed on our honeymoon in Key West). 

Both my parents and Evan’s grandmother lost their homes in Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.  We headed to the east coast to help salvage what was left.  We cried endless tears upon seeing the devastation.  We prayed for restoration.  And our families overcame the struggles.

We welcomed Maggie Mae in our lives.  Then Kiwi.  Then the “Wild Bunch”: Blueberry, Patches and Frankie, a litter of kittens abandoned in our neighborhood.  Mai Tai, my old tabby cat, remains my “first born” regardless of our ever growing family.

Mai Tai, my first born, adopted in 2003. 

Maggie Mae joined the fam in 2006. 

Kiwi 

The Wild Bunch, left to right: Blueberry, Patches and Frankie

We decorated eight Christmas trees.  The pets only knocked over one.

My baby brother got married in Germany, and I gained an amazing sister-in-law.

Jess and Cameron

We turned 30.  And then some.

We found CCFUMC.  We became members.  Our lives forever changed, for the better.

We made many, many friends.  Many friendships grew; few failed.  We have been immensely blessed by the people in our lives, who we consider an extension of family.  Some have moved on, and there is greater time and distance between us, but an unconditional love remains. 

We grew deeper in our faith.  I picked the bass guitar back up.  I discovered worship through music.  Evan discovered worship through the tech ministry and running the sound board.  Our lives were again forever changed, for the better.

We bought our first home.  We renovated one room at a time, and finished the interior remodeling earlier this year.  I am now ready to paint the dining room again.

My favorite renovation, by far.

 A space for Baby C.

Our surprise to be...

We started a small business.  We grew.  We bought another small business.  And we continue growing and persevering.  Evan is overly humble about his accomplishments.

We said goodbye to some of our greatest loves and supporters.

My Moosie.

With Grandpa Lee and Grandma Lil.

!!!!!THIS HAPPENED!!!!!

August 16, 2012

Eight weeks!

Announcing to the world...

39 weeks!  Only two (long) weeks to go...

We experienced the most awesome, incredible, amazing, sunshine and rainbows day of our lives when we welcomed Miles Clark to the world.  We did not know then the overwhelming love, joy and happiness that would now fill our home.  We became parents.  It still sounds funny when I say it out loud.  Miles does let us know we’re doing an awesome job, though.

That face still gets me, every time.

Love at first sight.

My boys.

One day old.

I did not think I could love Evan more; then, I saw him as a father, and I found a new love that I didn't know existed.  And we both found that it was possible to have an enormous mountain of love for a teeny, tiny person.

The Cokes - October 2013

The past 2,922 days have been an unbelievable journey, and there is no single person on this planet I would have spent it with besides Evan.  We have journeyed, side by side and hand in hand, through peaks and valleys, good times and bad, tears of joy and tears of sadness, together.  

I am tremendously blessed with his love and friendship.  He is my rock, my best friend, my happy place, and the most amazing father in the entire world.  My heart still skips a beat when he enters a room, just like it did over 10 years ago when we first met.  

And I cannot wait to see what life has in store for us next.

I love you to the moon and back, and then some.

XOX,

K