Hi all! This is Mandi’s husband, Phil (And no, she does not know that I am writing this post)! As I was sitting at home, I was thinking of how I could bless and surprise my wife on her birthday. Over the course of our relationship, I have been pulled away from Mandi on her birthday for a variety of reasons. This time, I had to come home early from vacation so that I could return to school this coming Monday (I teach Kindergarten). So, in an attempt to make up for my absence, I decided to write a post about her on her blog! 

* I apologize in advance if the copy, pictures, editing of said pictures, wittiness, etc are not up the standards of my darling wife!

Today my beautiful, smart, amazing wife turns 28 years old. It’s hard to put into words how much she means to me. Here are some of the words that I came up in an attempt to describe my wife:

Beautiful: I think that she is so incredibly beautiful! Not to be all superficial and all, but her outward appearance is stunning! I mean, isn’t she just the most darling thing you ever did see? I love everything about her, just the way she is! Mandi’s smile has been known to light up a room. I think part of the reason why I am so silly around her is that I just want to see her smile! As you can see below, it is sometimes hard for me resist her beauty. 

Thoughtful: Mandi is probably the most thoughtful person I know. Mandi loves to give gifts! And when she does, she puts so much thought into it. To her, a gift is something that should be meaningful, both in the presentation of the gift, and also in what is being given. This past Christmas, Mandi surprised me with a “12 Days of Christmas” countdown. Each day, she had me open a card. Inside, a special and meaningful activity was planned for us to do together for that day. I can’t tell you how special her doing that made me feel! Mandi goes out of her way to make others feel important, and that is just one of the many reasons why she is so special! It’s also a big reason why her blog is so AWESOME! She is very thoughtful when considering what to post and how the readers will respond to it. It takes her so much time and energy to write and create a post because she cares! In every area of her life, Mandi is thoughtful and sincere!

Funny: Mandi and I have so many inside jokes that we have created over the years…….well, I guess you just had to be there! Ha! Mandi loves to have a good time, and for her that means lots and lots of laughing! She is witty and clever and quick on her feet. Her smile and laugh are contagious. Sometimes, we entertain ourselves just by being silly! And I love her for it!

Courageous: As many of you know, Mandi was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2012. In the same year she also dealt with a month-long bout with vertigo and also lost her first child by miscarriage. She has been through a lot! She was telling me about what she went through the moments leading up to her surgery, waiting to be operated on, not knowing if she would ever wake up, leaving loves ones behind. Through all of these storms, Mandi has never wavered in her faith and trust in God. If anything, her faith has strengthened! To go through a miscarriage, a pregnancy, vertigo, birth of a child (we love you Lucy!), a 7 hour surgery and recovery, cancer diagnosis, and 5 weeks of radiation all in the span of a little over a year is unbelievable! I admit that we have had disagreements about house chores, responsibilities, etc but as I write this, I realize that besides all of this, Mandi has been working very, very hard to help bring in money for our family! I love you Mandi because you are courageous! In the face of adversity, you had peace in your heart and have persevered, putting our family above everything else!

 

Mother: I was trying to think of a word that describes Mandi as a mom, and I just couldn’t think of anything! To see Mandi interact with our daughter Lucy is a thing of beauty. I thank God for Mandi because there is no one else I would rather have be the mother of my children than Mandi! You watch Mandi and Lucy together, and you see a mother who loves her daughter more than anything else. You also see a daughter who truly delights in her mom! When Mandi was pregnant with Lucy, we would also ask each other and wonder what Lucy would be like and what she would look like. I can tell you that Lucy looks like her mom, which means that she is beautiful beyond comparison. And as of now, Lucy I think gets a lot of her personality from her mom, which means that she is smart, funny, and loves to be loved! As I try to remember the last 15 months (plus 9 month pregnancy) of Mandi’s life, I can say that being a mom has transformed her. She gives everything she has for her daughter and for me, and that’s why I love her!

Mandi, I wish you a very Happy Birthday! I love you and Lucy with all my heart!  XOXO

Do you remember when the internet was still a novelty, and everyone was really scared to tell anyone if they were at the grocery store, much less if they were out of state, leaving their home completely vacant and ripe for the picking? Well, now many of us have become foolish internet users and cavalierly share our every out-of-town move with both friends and strangers on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. I suppose it’s all a part of our generation’s seeming need for instant feedback, whether it be in regards to the enjoyment of a(nother) beautiful sunset, a delicious pastry, or to brag about the sunny and warm weather I’m enjoying while my neighbors are at home shoveling their driveways. It’s like we can’t resist.

Well, maybe you’ve figured it out from my Instagram pictures geotagged at Sanibel Island with pictures of sandy beaches that would seem mighty out of place in Northeast Ohio right about now… but yep. I’m on vacation, kids! I’ll be down here with my family for two and a half weeks total before I go home, but right now Phil’s back at home holding down the fort. While I’ve been enjoying this #grabervacation with all of its perfect bike rides, delicious meals, walks on the beach, and games of volleyball, the internet has barely worked, and since I don’t have a smart phone, I’ve been ignoring the fact that you all exist and soaking in much more than the sun- I’ve been actually enjoying this time with family without the urge to take photos, Tweet clever or just plain ridiculous things, or to let anyone know how fun of a time I’ve been having. Until, now, I guess, but this doesn’t count because I’m only sharing one photo and there’s a moral to this story. Wait for it….

One night on this vacation, my brother, his girlfriend, and Phil joined me to a late night showing of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I’m always skeptical of remakes of favorite movies, but this one was more than a remake. It was a beautiful, incredibly thoughtful, and absolutely perfect remaking of the original Danny Kaye flick. I can’t gush enough about it, but I’m afraid if I tell you more about how I feel, this will be a never-ending post. So I’ll just say this. Walter Mitty lived a boring life until all of a sudden he experiences such beautiful, adventurous, and incredible things, but when they happen to him, he doesn’t even tell anyone about it. And it was a little frustrating to watch, honestly. But then I realized a part of the movie that wasn’t played up and didn’t hit the audience over the head with its meaning, but is so applicable to our modern lives. One of the minor characters encapsulates this great sentiment during a particularly powerful moment of the film. He’s a photographer chasing the elusive snow leopard, and finally gets the perfect shot in his viewfinder. But when it happens, he just looks at the snow leopard in awe, and doesn’t snap the picture. He says something to the effect that he would rather cherish the moment himself, treasuring it in his memory, than to take the photo and share it with the world. Sharing the moment would somehow defile it and shatter its perfection. After watching that scene, it occurred to me that Walter Mitty’s privacy about his amazing adventures was his way of cherishing them.

How many moments do I have that I don’t think, “Oh, I need to Tweet that- it’s hilarious!” Or, “Hmmm, I wonder what my Facebook friends would think about this?” Orrrr… here’s a good one- “Let’s try that again, only prettier, so I can post it on Instagram.” Moment. Ruined. This realization in conjunction with my lack of internet on this island has really made this vacation a great one so far. And it’s been a little reminder about how nice life is when I really, truly unplug. A new year is a great time to reconsider these things, isn’t it? I am resolving to consider less how my life appears on social media or even placing importance on sharing incredible or beautiful moments with my online friends. Life is full of little moments that are so fulfilling and are blessings given to us to enrich our time on earth. So here I am on a beautiful island with my family, watching my baby girl pick up her first shells and play in her first waves. And I’m only posting one picture on my blog. So maybe I’m not such a foolish internet user after all, eh?

Hey guys! I hope you all had very special Christmas celebrations. If you’ve got some vacation time on your hands, like I do, you might want to try these fun projects for your home! I shared how to make a leaning ladder and a fluffy faux fur footstool at A Beautiful Mess recently, and I think they’re the perfect indoor projects to do during these cabin fever months. Phil and I got some new power tools for Christmas, so I’m super eager to put them to use! Click the links below to view the project posts:

• Make Your Own Leaning Blanket Ladder
• Make Your Own Faux Fur Footstool