Dear Warwick,

I know you don’t think I listen to you.  And you might be a little right.  It isn’t that I don’t want to listen to you. I DO. I really do. It’s just that so many things are going on at every second of the day that I don’t really focus all that well. I’m trying, though. I promise.

And even though I’m not the world’s best listener, and you find yourself repeating the same thing over and over again, I do HEAR you, which may or may not be the same thing as listening to you.

So. . .on this 13th year of our marriage. . . .on the anniversary of the day I made the very best decision of my life. . . .I wanted to give you something that proves I HEAR you, even if I may or may not be listening.

• I heard you when told Shelbi that you (her father) are awesome and you were/are an awesome athlete. And that she really aught to consider listening to your instruction considering you’re her Volleyball Coach.
• I heard you when you told Bella to “GET BEHIND THE BALL, AND MOVE YOUR FEET.” for the 87th time.
• I heard you when you screamed, “SOLEDAD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? Stop shuffling back and forth for no reason!”, when she was guarding the wrong person in basketball.
• And I heard you when you grabbed Phoebe up in your arms and told her to stop climbing on the back of the couch because you didn’t want her to hurt herself.

Oh.
And I heard you when you said we really needed to put some pictures up, of you and me, showing our athletic prowess, so our children might recognize that we were cool. That we ARE cool.

So that’s what I’m giving you for our anniversary.
Pictures.
Of them. Of us. On the game room wall.
A collage, a montage, of our lives and our love for sport.

I love you handsome boy.
Till forever.

Happy Anniversary,

Nicole.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

So a little something you may not know about me.
I suck at giving presents.

But every now and again I get it right.
I think I got it right this time.
He’s a sentimental mush. He was totally diggin’ this gift.

This is a collage of pics of the whole family doing sporting stuff. I included newspaper clippings, old team photos, and new pics of the kids playing the sports they love.

These are photos of Warwick playing football in college and high school. I also painted a canvas with his jersey numbers on it. I love it.

Tomorrow. . .I’ll show you the third installment of his present. It’s my favorite.

The Easiest Way to Hang a Picture

Look what I found on Pintrest.
This has changed the way I look at life.
My “decorating my sparsely decorated home” life.

I’ve been hanging things around my house with a certain controlled madness.
It’s wonderful.

What You Need:

Frame or Picture
Wax Paper
Black Permanent Marker
Hammer
Nails or Screws (whatever you normally use to hang your pics)

What To Do:

1.  Lay the picture/frames out exactly like you want them displayed.

2.  Flip each frame over so that the mounting side is facing upward.

3. Cut wax paper to match the sizes of the frames. Place wax paper on top of each frame and using your black permanent marker, mark the spot where you want the nail/screw to go.

4. Tape wax paper onto the wall, in the correct location. Use the wax paper as a guide to insert your nails/screws.

5. Hang your picture!

And then I went to my bedroom. . . . .
and hung up picture frames. . . .
that had been sitting on my bedroom floor for 4 years.
4 years, I said.
That is madness.