War is an ugly, awful thing. I just don't understand how our soldiers can do it, but I'm certainly glad they did. I particularly admire the female and male military members of the second great war. And am proud to call my grandfather a hero of that war.

Today Phil and I will be spending time with our families, playing volleyball, swimming in the pool, and eating lots of food. But we will remember. And I'm already bracing myself for the emotions that this day brings.

Image: Historiful

My crazy camera savvy and wonderful person of a friend Kyle just had his golden birthday, and can now join the ranks of us in our mid-twenties. In honor of his special day, we drove 45 minutes to his favorite restaurant, Bier Markt, in Ohio City (Cleveland). The night involved bohemian dining with mounds of pillows (my fave!), house wine, spicy chocolate ice cream, and lots of giggles.

(Kyle’s wearing a hat I found at the thrift store. Always makes me happy!)

Afterwards, we went back to Canton and played songs on the jukebox at George’s. The next morning was Easter, so we didn’t make it a late night. But I hope Kyle had a wonderful birthday and knows how much we all love him!

The most down-to-earth, incredibly handsome, charmingly grey-haired, and extremely affable gentleman of my life turned 26 yesterday, and hoards of friends showed up at the bowling ally to cheer him on and celebrate his life. And by cheer him on, I’m talking about the inevitable chant that occurs every time Phil enters a room. “Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil, PHIL!” He blushes a bit every time, and grins from ear to ear. They love me. They really love me.

Phil is the guy who has his own bowling ball, hit up the allies every Friday night in high school, and always wows his opponents with expertly thrown curve balls and strikes. The great thing is, nobody really knows how competitive he is, because winning or losing, he’s always smiling and is quite simply, a joy to be around. He’s the kind of man you don’t mind losing to, because he’s such a good sport, and really nice to kiss as well. (You can take my word for it.)

We took so many wonderful photos that night, and there are lots of great shots and great people left out of this post. (I’m not a big fan of photo-overloaded posts.) I’ve got plans to print all of the photos out (something I actually rarely do) and make a simple album for Phil to keep in his photo book collection. Someday we’ll have kids and they’ll get a kick out of seeing Ma and Pa when they were somewhat hip. And truly, I don’t know many other people who have break dancing sessions on the tables of bowling allies. That’s one for the memory books.

Happy birthday, Phil! You’re Incredible.