Ninteen years...

Apparently, things have been pretty boring at the Tverdy house. But today...today is our 19th anniversary. That seems like something blog-worthy for sure.

This guy is still my favorite person. Even on the days I have to remind myself why.

A few months ago, we had our friend Janie take our family photos. She decided to take some of just Mark and I. I'm not sure when the last time we had professional photos of just the two of us taken. Maybe our wedding?? Janie was amazing. And as you can see, we are super great at being serious.

 Y'all know this saint in the photos with me. Truly, he must be the most patient person on the planet. I am not easy to be married to. For reals. Between the insta-temper, and the tattoos, and being stubborn, and bossy, and oblivious, and occasionally ignoring everyone around me, and all those other charming qualities I possess, he's one lucky man. Amiright? Although, "saint" might be pouring it on a little thick, even for me. 

I think this last photo is actually my favorite. Even though I look like a complete dork, this is probably the reason we have stayed married so long. We laugh. Like, a lot.

Mark is really, really a good guy. He definitely has his moments, but of the two of us, he is not only the nicest and funniest, but also the most level-headed. And hardest-working. And most out-going. Plus a lot of other good things. And did I mention he's funny? He totally is.

I'm sure I bring something to the table, right? Right??

Happy Anniversary, Dude. You're pretty okay.

Five Years ago...

Today, this popped up on my Facebook Flashback.

It's hard to believe this was our kitchen at that time!

I hadn't started back to work yet, so had a lot of free time. I remember I was having a bad day. I took this shot to send to Mark to let him know I got my agression out. :-) I tore out all the old drywall in one afternoon. I'm not sure I'm that tough anymore.

Shortly after sending that pic, I found the roof leak that the inspector had missed. So, that was awesome.

5 years ago was also when I created my first blog. It was about the remodel. You can see it here if you're interested. I remember really enjoying the remodel project. It seemed like such a bonding time for the four of us. It was crazy, and chaotic, but we sure spent a lot of time together. Ha!

Looking back at photos, it hits me that it was a huge undertaking. And a much bigger risk that either of us was comfortable with. Which is funny now, but we are pretty cautious.

And, I really, really love our home. We lived in our previous house for 10 years, and it never felt as much like home as this one. Maybe because we tended to every square inch of the current one?

Anyway, enough nostalgia for today. I'd hate for you to think I was a big sentimental softie.

Eighteen? 18!!

I remember my 18th birthday like it was yesterday. And today? My marriage is 18 years old. Man, time sure flies!

I also remember the first day we met. It was not love at first sight for us. And it definitely took a lot longer for him to be interested in dating me. But, we got there eventually, and that's what counts.

So, our marriage can officially do the following:

Vote, serve on a jury, pawn stuff, get married, be an organ donor, buy tobacco, get a tattoo, and buy a lottery ticket. ;-)

Looking back, 23 is awfully young to get married. At least it seems like it now. Just look at those two babies!

We've grown up a lot together. We have our ups and downs. Hopefully always more ups. But, lets be honest, I can NOT be the easiest person to live with. To find someone who appreciates (most of) my quirks? Amazing! I'm sure there are a few that he could live without for sure. :-)

He is definitely all of those cliches for me; my rock, my happy place, the calm in a storm. So, what do I bring to the table? Besides chaos, of course. I think my role is to keep things interesting. The joke is that he spends half his time rolling his eyes and the other half shaking his head at my shenanigans.

He is still my favorite person. And for that, I'm eternally grateful!

Happy 18, Dude. You're stuck with me.

Princesses Need Not Apply

It's no secret that we are not raising girly-girls at our house. Not that there is anything wrong with being girly. My girls just don't roll that way. Which is cool.

So...

When Peyton decided she would like a desk for her room, Mark suggested they build one together. Which really means Mark will design it and make Peyton do the work. And why shouldn't she learn to build things? Certainly not because she is a girl!

They discussed what she wanted. Talked about how it should look. Redesigned based on their conversations, talked about it some more, redesigned again, and then began building.

Peyton did all of the cutting. I had to not watch this part. (Full disclosure, I COULD NOT WATCH THIS PART!!!) Mark did have to help with some of the screws as he is a bit stronger than Peyton. Ha ha ha. They got the base part done. I think in one more weekend, they will be completely done. It should be pretty cool. Part will attach to the wall and have shelving for her to store stuff.  Then, when she needs to use the desk, it will pull down. When she's done, it will retract once again. My people are creative for sure.

I'm actually super proud of both of them. Often, they butt heads. This project, Mark was patient and Peyton was a great "student".

Here are some action shots. If you can call this action...

[Just kidding on this part. Apparently, when I went to download photos from my phone, I deleted about 200 of them. If you need me, I'll be in the corner crying...]

My Summer vacation Part 1, by Meg T.

Have you missed me? I figured so. Ha to the ha ha.

We spent the last week at the Oregon Coast. It was a week full of sun, sand, and relaxation. Kind of...

We left on Saturday morning after a quick stop to drop off the dog and hit Dutch Bros. Mama has her road-trip rules.

We drove to Vancouver to spend the night with my dad and Jeanne. We rolled in juuuust in time for church. Of course since we were so disheveled, who do you think they asked to present the gifts. That's just our luck. And our second bit of luck was the air conditioner being on the fritz. Good times, ya'll.

But, we made it through and hit up Mill City Brew Werk, which was delicious...and not just because we were starving! At least I don't think so. The pretzel was super good, beer too! Pineapple cider was interesting to say the least. And how 'bout them selfie skillz?

After dinner, we went back to Gpa and Gramma's new house. Such a cool location! And the house is perfect. The best part? The river that is the back yard. So nice to dip my toes in after the long drive.{LOVE}

The next morning we were up early and off to see our niece and her family. They even made us breakfast. As someone mentioned on Facebook, it was like a ginger convention. Their house was awesome, and the garden was super impressive. Tori and Luke were excellent hosts! And little Miss Emily? Well, check out those cheeks!

Apparently, she is officially a roller-overer, but we didn't witness any such thing since we just took turns holding her! Poor kid never got a moments peace!

After leaving breakfast, we hit the road and ended up in McMinnville. Guess who came up with that plan? I'll give you a hint...

We had a great time exploring Evergreen Space Museum. The Spruce Goose was truly impressive! And of course we were dorks and had to take the full tour. Especially the one in the hat...complete dork!

Syd got to meet and talk to a real Rocket Scientist. The two of them, and Mark discussed engines and stuff. Peyton and I were super mature and patient, of course...

Lest I bore you any further with this post, I will sign off. You know you won't be quite as lucky tomorrow...Part 2 in a 12 part series. Just kidding. Or am I?!?

If a tree falls in the forest, and there's no one there to hear it...

Or, if it falls in the canal and your husband isn't home to lumberjack it...

We have a huge, huge tree on our property. Sometime during one of the last storms, we lost a branch.  Not just a "branch", more like a small tree attached to the big tree. Of course it had to fall in the canal and block things up. That's just how we roll...

And naturally, I had to go take pictures. And, as usual, every time I take a picture, someone in my family has to ask "Are you going to put that on the blog?" Yes, always yes.

You can see our house in the bottom right of this shot...

 It's hard to get an idea of how big the branch actually is. I tried to get some perspective by using my hand, but how do YOU know I don't just have tiny hands?!? Plus, this was a piece from about mid-length of the branch. The part that was attached to the tree was even bigger.












So, since Mark was out of town, and we have no free time in the evenings...I made the executive (and unpopular with my husband) decision and called someone to come take care of it for us. So, that was expensive.





But! Here is the finished product...

It's just too bad that the street side of the tree is so bare. Poor guy! Kind of makes me think of someone wearing a hospital gown that opens in the back.

I'm also pretty sure Mark has forgiven me. Mostly...

Geek? Nerd? She prefers the term "Intellectual Bad*ss"...

So, Sydney attended a camp geared toward girls in engineering a couple weeks ago. We got an email a few days later about a Coding camp they were putting on. They invited her to join in, even though she is a year younger than the age it was offered to. She was a little too geeked out by this fact. Ha ha.

She got a taste of Computer Science at her first camp. I think it solidified for her what she wants to pursue in her future. At least for now...

And while Mark is out of town, I think I could still hear his heart breaking at the thought of his daughter wearing a Bronco's logo. Once a Vandal, always a Vandal. At least until BSU offered a full ride scholarship...then his allegiance might switch.  ;-)

I had a harder time when she told me the story of some college student mistaking her for an intern and hitting on her. Yikes.

Here's to my little Intellectual Badass.  She's pretty darn awesome!

A letter to my gallbladder...(alternatively titled "Gallbladders are stupid")

Dear Sir or Madam,

I regret to inform you that due to your long history of being an annoyance, I'm going to have to evict you. As I have been unable to do so myself, I'm going to request that you be forcibly removed as soon as possible. In this case, it truly is you, not me.

Sincerely, 
Meg

So, gallbladders are jerks. At least mine has been lately. After two trips to the ER in one week, I'm still stuck with the stupid thing. Also, I'm not a fan of the ER, or of IV's, or of pain meds. I especially am not a fan of morphine. It was pretty great for the first two hours or so, then I ended up with a headache for the next 6-8 hours. No bueno.

However, I can obviously pull of the hospital gown look, right?

I do have an appointment with the surgeon. If he doesn't agree that the gallbladder has over-stayed it's welcome, I may cry. I'm sure my family and my co-workers are over it as well.

Mark was pretty funny at our last ER trip, though. We were sitting there and all of a sudden, he lowered the rail on the bed. I thought "Oh, that's sweet, he's going to hold my hand." Then he put the rail back up. Then down, then up, down, up, down. I was looking at him and he looks up and says "This is the coolest linkage. It doesn't move at all like you would expect." Then, "What?" I told him I thought he was lowering it to hold my hand or something. He looks at me and deadpans "What kind of drugs did they give you again?" Engineers, sigh...all that charm. Am I right?


And somehow, I thought "drinking my lunch" would be a lot more glamorous...

So far, this has been the worst weight loss program EVER! But the actual gallbladder should give me another 10-15 pounds, right? And without feeling terrible.

No? Well, that's just lame.