I know you guys want to hear about the new house, and see pictures, and all that good stuff. But because of all the moving-day craziness (being locked out, the previous tenants leaving stuff here including their very sweet cat, etc.) I didn’t get to take the photos I’d envisioned taking. [Edited to add: Yes, the previous tenants did come get their stuff and their cat that same day. It all ended about as well as that situation possibly could have.] The photos I got aren’t inspiring me very much. Honestly, you might not get to see many photos till after Brenda has the house whipped into shape in a couple of weeks.

The good news is, you’ll get to see photos in a couple of weeks instead of in six to eight months. Usually when we move our goal is to be completely unpacked by the following Christmas, but next week Brenda (and Bug) are coming to visit and help us unpack! I’m very excited about it, which is a first for me. I hate unpacking. I get overwhelmed trying to think of where I want everything to go, so I do nothing. Well, not nothing. I unpack and organize the kitchen right away, and then I stall on the rest of the house.

Given all that, you can see why it was SO COMPLETELY AWESOME when Brenda house-sat for us a couple of years ago and asked if we minded if she unpacked a few boxes while she was there, and then went and unpacked and organized the entire house for us. I told her that I would fly her to all our future homes if she wanted to help us unpack them all, and she enthusiastically accepted. That is why she gets free birthday cakes for life, people. Well, that and being one of my best friends. You know what I mean.

I’m sorry you won’t be seeing pictures of the house just yet. I’m sure I’ll get some of the “before” photos up on Flickr eventually, so keep an eye on my Flickr stream. Meanwhile, here’s a conversation that took place this morning as we were driving around trying to find a McD’s with a PlayLand:

“I guess there’s an election tomorrow.”

“On a Wednesday? Where did you hear that?”

I pointed at the election signs clustered on the median. “It says ‘Vote March 2nd’ on those signs right there.”

“That’s today. Which makes sense, because it’s Tuesday.”

“Oh. Oh! In that case, happy anniversary!”

Troy laughed. “Uh, happy anniversary to you too!”

Annalie piped up from the backseat. “What anniversary? What are you talking about?” I explained that it was the fourteenth anniversary of the day we got married. “Oh. Uh, Mom?”

“What, sweetie?”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t get to buy you and Daddy an anniversary present.”

“Aw, thanks, but that’s okay. It’s been kinda crazy with all the moving and stuff, hasn’t it?” Annalie agreed. I winked at Troy and said, “Besides, I’m sure Daddy has a fabulous anniversary surprise for me. I can’t wait to see what it is.”

Without missing a beat, Troy said, “What do you mean? Isn’t the 14th anniversary the McDonald’s anniversary?”

Happy anniversary, Troy! Fourteen years, eight moves, six states, one Canadian province, two years of grad school, three cats, six years of parenthood, and countless remote controls…and you’re still the one who makes me laugh. Thank God for that!

p.s. New banner! What do you think?

1. Wicked sense of humor.
2. Incredible patience.
3. Lets me sleep in whenever he can.
4. Gives great back rubs and doesn’t point out that I don’t return the favor nearly often enough.
5. Cheerfully runs to the store to pick up forgotten ingredients when I’m in the middle of cooking something.
6. Helps me cook—chops vegetables, stirs simmering soups, assembles wedding cakes, etc.
7. Doesn’t laugh at me for reading cheesy romance novels.
8. Spends months researching the smallest purchase to make sure we get the best deal and quality.
9. Doesn’t make too much fun of me for being a huge klutz.
10. Is an extremely hard worker, yet doesn’t complain when I’m not working as hard as he is.
11. Tends to gravitate towards the people in a group who are feeling left-out or uncomfortable, then puts them at ease by chatting and asking questions.
12. Really, really listens to people when they’re talking.
13. Thinks about what he’s going to say before he says it.
14. Makes phone calls for me because he knows I don’t like talking on the phone.
15. Is even geekier than I am, which means we mostly like the same TV shows and movies.
16. Gets really excited about every space-shuttle launch.
17. Has shared his space-shuttle excitement with Annalie, and makes a point of watching every launch with her.
18. Still owns the 1967 MGB that his dad bought in 1980.
19. Knows how to fix cars, which is handy considering #18.
20. Randomly recites lines from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
21. Calls his mom, stepmom, and both his sisters weekly without anyone nagging him to do so.
22. Makes up his own lyrics or songs to fit whatever he’s doing at the moment, like the cutting board song.
23. Is a cat person AND a dog person.
24. Even though he tends to make big piles of things—papers, magazines, clothes—he will clean them up if I ask him to.
25. When he notices that the bathroom needs to be cleaned or the dishwasher needs to be emptied or the trash needs to be taken out, he does it with no complaint.
26. Takes a book or magazine to bed every night and tries to read, even though he consistently falls asleep within two pages.
27. Barely notices fashion, men’s or women’s.
28. Looks good in his Navy uniforms. Especially his bridge coat.
29. Goes out on dates with Annalie occasionally.
30. Keeps me up-to-date on the latest world news so I don’t sound like an idiot when people are talking about something I’ve never heard of.
31. Brings me coffee or cereal in bed when I really need to get up on time because he knows that’ll wake me up.
32. Enjoys having my mom visit our house for weeks at a time just as much as I do. Really!
33. Likes musical theater and will argue its merits to anyone who thinks it’s “girly.”
34. Doesn’t mind that I like listening to the same CDs over and over and over again.
35. Explains things in exhaustive detail.
36. Is pretty much fine with whatever decorating choices I make.
37. Tells me I’m beautiful even when I’m in my pajamas and have not washed my hair in two days.
38. Thanks me for laughing at his jokes.
39. Helps write Christmas cards and thank-you notes when I ask him to.
40. World’s best hugger.

Happy birthday, babe! xxoo

Click on over to download this year’s *free* SAJ-designed Valentines!