better late than never

Since returning from Susan's late Sunday night, I've been running fast trying to play "catch-up," with seemingly little success. It feels like having to jump onto a treadmill that is already moving at an alarmingly rapid pace and having to just start running as fast as I can without really stopping to think, in an effort to merely keep from falling off and hurting myself. And wouldn't you know that this week is one of those with commitments every night! They're all enjoyable things I've been looking forward to, but I confess I'm rather tired to face such a hectic week on the heels of a tiring, albeit fun, one.

Blogging, of course, has been on my list. Mark's forty-seventh birthday was on Monday. Thankfully, Mark is easy to please. We celebrated by having a simple steak dinner at home with just the kids and my parents. It was quieter than most Wood birthday celebrations, but I rather enjoyed the change of pace. His cake of choice was homemade banana cake, courtesy of my mom--the Master Cake Maker.

Thank goodness I had planned ahead and started his "10 Things" album a few weeks ago. At least I had one gift to wrap. I also gave him a coupon for a date with his own personal shopper--me--to buy new clothes for his new size (he has lost over forty pounds in the last year--woo hoo! Way to go!).

Here he is with his album, which was is in a 6x6 format, black and cream with accents of red. One of my favorites of his Ten Things is number 10:

• "I love you for loving me the way I am, and for who I am. I love feeling that your love for me is wholly unrelated to the state or condition of my hair, my weight, or even my mood. When at times I see only the glaring flaws within myself, you see something better. Thank you."

And here he is with me, his wife of 23 years. Happy birthday, honey! I love you.