Our garden is growing, healthy and hearty, and giving forth fruit - the tomato plant has four baby tomatoes on it! Occasionally the man with the balcony below ours gets dripped on though. I should probably put something under the pots so that they don't drip ... Oh, and something has taken a liking to the basil plant - I keep finding holes in the dirt near the roots. Last time it happened, one of the shoots withered. I am beginning to get a bit upset at whatever sort of vermin is doing this ....

Marriage is defined by a positive virtue. It presumes the gift of self. Kathleen and Thomas Hart write, "One can do many external deeds of love and still hold back the really precious gift, the inner self. This gift can only be given through communication."

Talking and touching are two of the most important ways we can ourselves to each other. The refusal to give the gift of self can sometimes be malicious. At other times, this "witholding" may not be done consciously. We just wake up one day and realize that we have made no effort to keep moving toward our spouse physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Most of us, in fact, probably never approached the relationship of marriage with the thought that "apathy" is the antithesis of Christian love. As long as we're not mean, vindictive, or cruel, we may think we're fulfilling our Christian duty.
But we're not.
The truth is, I owe my [spouse] this "gift of self."
-Sacred Marriage, chp 153, by Gary Thomas

This week there are some men working on our street. They are slowly making their way up it, and Tuesday they got to us (I knew, because I woke up at 7 when the jackhammers started). For some reason they are cutting these big square holes (with a none-to-quite pavement saw), jackhammering out the pavement, and then covering the holes with a large, thick plate of steel. On Tuesday, not only did they cut a hole in the street about 30 feet from the apartment, they also felt the need to cut one in the sidewalk just outside our bedroom window (as I was talking with my mom), and one in our parking lot (as I was talking with my mother-in-law). So, yesterday, to escape all this, I went shopping. It was a rather cool and overcast day, a nice day to leave the windows open, tidy things up, and write as many thank-you notes as I could before the mail lady got here. But these guys were working just up the street, and I couldn't concentrate. So, I went shopping. I only intended to shop, really. But, just in case, I brought along a bit of cash. There is a very nice shopping center (Whole Foods, American Eagle, Banana Republic, Gap, Pier One, Ann Taylor, Motherhood ... )1.6 miles from the apartment, and that's where I went. I walked through it and found myself at Anthropologie (huge surprise). I browsed and shopped for quite a while, tried on a few really cute and expensive tops, and then found something in the clearance section.

Basically, John and I now have a beautiful new damask tablecloth.

Playing house is lovely. But it is even better when you have your own dollhouse to play with. And so we are thinking of getting one; yes, we are dreaming of moving into our first dollhouse.

The long awaited pictures are here. Enjoy!

wedding pics

It keeps getting more wonderful.

Well I remember the first time I felt the power of your kiss

It hit me like a bolt of lightning

I said "I never will recover from this"

And like the words from the mouth of a prophet

I have lived to see those words come true

Just look at me now, I'm still reeling

Like a moth being drawn to a candle

This is something that I can't resist

I guess you could say

I'm addicted

Cause I keep coming back again and again

Somehow the flame keeps getting brighter

You give me just a little taste of heaven

Just one more good gift that God has given

I don't want to miss one single little kiss
With every little kiss I'm reminded
How wonderful it is to be in love with you
With every little look
With every little touch
With every little kiss

- steven curtis chapman, "with every little kiss"