a few days after father’s day.

Yes, we’re two days late over here, but it’s too special of a day to miss. So... a little late it is.

These two days celebrating parents have had a whole new meaning this year as the two of us are getting ready to be thrown into that category ourselves.

It has been wonderful seeing Jordan prep for his new role. Putting together a crib, going to doctor’s appointments, patiently sitting through an entire baby shower (there were other guys there as well). I can’t wait to see him in that backward gown and booties, holding that brand new baby. What a great father he will be.

And what great fathers we both have.

To my father, thank you for always treating my mother with love and respect. Thank you for teaching me that it’s easier to draw a portrait upside down, and for staying up late to help me with school projects. Thank you always working hard to provide for our family and for all of the things you sacrificed along the way.

To my father-in-law, thank you for teaching your son what it means to be a husband and father. Thank you for teaching him how to work with his hands and how to work hard. Thank you for your generosity, love and example.

I’m thankful for fathers. I’m thankful for the strong examples of love and faith I’ve been blessed with throughout my life and that I was able to find such an example in a husband. Jordan, you are an amazing husband (the best in fact) and because of that, I know you will be a wonderful father.

Happy (two days after) Father’s Day!


P.S. I can imagine the delivery room looking a lot like this when the day comes. Minus me telling Jordan to shut up. And telling everyone that his parents were never married. 

forever with you.

This weekend was full. And with such wonderful things. Like family, and getting things ready for Baby Girl (did I tell you this Thursday marks 6 months?) and this.

And then there was this talk. It might be my favorite talk about marriage. So honest. So sweet. And filled with so much love. You can feel his devotion to his wife. And it makes you want to be better, more loving, more patient.

If there's one thing that I've learned from marriage it's that you have the chance to do that, every day. It's your choice. People can change, love lasts, but both take work.

Marriage takes action and forgiveness and patience. It takes forgetting you and focusing on us. It takes sacrifice and pain. And sometimes it takes a milkshake or two (one glass, two straws. or maybe just one straw).

Never in my life have I had to give so much thought to another human being. To consider his wants and needs, his hopes and fears right along with my own. Never before has such selflessness mattered. Never before have I had so many opportunities to grow,  into a better person and so close to someone else.

Never before have I experienced so much joy; thank goodness it's forever.

addition.

pictures from a beautiful, quiet Sunday drive. 

I don't think we fully appreciate certain blessings until we receive others; they build upon and magnify the previous ones.

It took expecting a child to help me understand womanhood. Twenty-one years, marriage, and countless experiences as a woman, and that one little moment brought it all home.

As I understand my role as a woman, I begin to get a better handle on marriage. Understanding my role in the partnership has helped me to see the big picture and the purpose of it all has become more clear. Understanding my role helps me to understand my husband's and has made me love him even more.

Those things, womanhood, motherhood and wifehood complement one another so perfectly. As you grow in one capacity, you grow in the other two as well. As your understanding of one deepens, you gain a greater understanding of all three. They are inseparable.

As I draw closer to becoming a mother, I become more thankful for my opportunity to be a wife; I grow more thankful for the blessings and opportunities that come with womanhood.

Good things like this never take away from one another, they only add.

let's be honest.

I'm obsessed with stripes.

Jordan and I went on a little date Saturday night and did a some window shopping for baby. Five minutes and ten clothing picks later, Jordan pointed out that everything I had showed him was striped. Literally. He suggested we branch out a bit. And then went on to pick out every striped item in the baby section, going on and on about how cute it was. Yeah, he's sassy.

(Side note: Sassy people are great. You start acting sassy, and it's like we have an instant bond. Jokes are funny, but sass is even more entertaining.)

But really? An entire section full of baby clothes and the only pieces I'm attracted to are striped? There are only six pieces of striped anything in my entire closet, and yet I seem to be set on creating an entire wardrobe of stripes for this baby girl.

I'm pretty sure it's a phase, so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. Here are some pieces that have caught my eye lately. Stripe-loving proof.

1  2  3  4  5  6

ask away.

Jordan is the very best kind of person. He's smart, genuine, and handsome; he is full of love and kindness and jokes. He is a creator/curator of awkward moments.

I remember when I first met his family. I called my mom right after and told her that I hoped I married into a family like that. I remember feeling the love that Jordan had for them, and feeling the first small touches of love staring to grow for him.

I love surprising him. For April Fool's one year, a friend and I stole the key to his apartment and snuck in while he was at work. We took the contents of his bedroom and put them in his living room, while putting his living room in his bedroom. We arranged everything exactly the same way and waited. Later that night I got a phone call: Jordan told me that I needed to come over and see his apartment. He said that when he walked in, he just stood there laughing for about five minutes. His laugh is one of my favorite sounds.

I remember reading his blog before I ever really knew him. He wrote about his shower playlist and his loathing for small cups; he talked about finding a cockroach in his lunch bag and burning pop-tarts. I laughed the entire time.

He still makes me laugh. Every day.

I think it's time for all of you to meet him. Because some of you still haven't. You've heard my stories and seen pictures, but you have yet to ever talk to him. So, next week, he's going to be here on the blog answering all your questions. Want to know what he thinks about our little girl? Or get some marketing tips for your business? Want to know his thoughts on marriage, how to create awkward moments, or what his favorite ride at Disney World is? Ask away.

Leave your questions in the comments, or send them to me in an email. And next Wednesday (right after we announce the giveaway winner!) he will be here to answer them.


Don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already! Remember, there are multiple ways to enter, but you need to leave a separate comment for each different thing you do! 

what can i say? i like ice cream.

This quote sits in our engagement book; it's a Burundi proverb. The remainder of the book is filled with proverbs that describe love in simple, beautiful terms.

The pictures in the book were taken the day Jordan proposed. I wasn't planning on having my engagement to wear in the pictures, so I had brought along my mother's to fill in the empty space on my left hand.

Earlier that morning, we went on a double date with Jordan's sister and a friend: neighborhood golf at a nature trail/field area by a nearby church.

The night before, we had arrived in Washington to spend a week with his family. The people I had only met once; the ones who had last seen me sweaty and out of breath after running the entire length (and then some) of Magic Kingdom. And the soon-to-be sister that I had only ever texted.

After a few, quick hello's and a nice little chat, Jordan disappeared upstairs, leaving me with his mom. Looking back, I have no idea why I was so terrified (she is really very funny and sweet) but I was. And I was a little upset that he left me alone for 45 minutes.

The next morning as we started our date, he was still acting a bit odd. Barely talking, infrequent smiles... I was sure getting engaged wasn't supposed to be like this.

I tried to get it out of him. I'm sure I asked him what was wrong about twenty times. And each time he replied with a simple nothing. 

By the time we got to the big open field, I was a little bugged. Coming to the next hole, I swung my golf club and smacked myself hard in the ankle. We stopped for a second, and then kept limping along until Jordan's sister suggested we split up so that we could finish sooner.

That makes no sense whatsoever, I thought. How are we supposed to keep an accurate score if we are golfing different holes? But, we split up. She and her date headed toward the church and my quiet, almost fiance and I headed into a mini forest.

As we walked into a small clearing, I saw a daisy sitting in a water bottle. I pointed it out to Jordan, thinking that people needed to be better about cleaning up after themselves, not realizing that he had been acting odd was because he was about to propose.

I walked over to check it out (I can't resist daisies) and saw a note attached, which Jordan urged me to read.

The note was the second of nine memories tied to daisies (in my haste, I missed the first one). The water bottle vases led to one final bouquet with a note that read, September 4, 2009. 

The tears started the minute I read the date, and when I turned around, Jordan was on one knee. He got a hug and a kiss right there, but the yes didn't come until twenty minutes later, after he had bought me ice cream.

I don't know if I'll ever live that one down.


As of tomorrow, this little print will be up in the shop. 

shop opening: day 1.

It's finally open! That Pair of Crutches is now on Etsy!

For the next week, I'll be adding a couple of items to the shop every day, and will introduce them here on the blog. The week-long celebration will be full of other fun surprises as well!

Join in on this week's celebration by liking TPOC's new page on Facebook and you'll get a special shop discount. For every 100 subscribers we get we'll do a giveaway!

So, new in the TPOC shop today: the "Love is Like" print and card.

When I fell in love with my husband, my whole world changed. The feeling came so subtly and was so natural, and yet, after it was rooted in my heart, everything was different. From that moment on, I couldn't imagine life without him.

That same feeling came when I felt this little one kick for the first time. That was the moment it all became real: we're having a child. That tiny kick, that realization changed everything once more. I now have someone else to love, someone else to share my heart with. And even though I can't hold this little someone in my arms yet, they are here, they are real and they are mine... and I can't imagine life without them.

Love is like having a color television set. You never wanna go back to black and white. 


Head on over to the shop to check it out and stay tuned for more products to come!

business stuff.

I've had a few people ask what types of businesses Jordan and I started, so I thought I'd give you all the 411.

Jordan's a marketing guy. And a good one at that. If I ever have a question about how to promote an idea or get people to come to something (even if it's just a church activity) he's got the answer. So he decided to share his expertise with more than little old me and start a business.

Currently, the main component of his business is a blog. He talks about entrepreneurship, marketing, all that good stuff. He also does private consulting and marketing presentations.

He's been one of my biggest helps in starting my business...

...which is a graphic design/all things creative business. I create beautiful things and help other people create them, too. My business will include an Etsy shop (which will be up in a few days; I'll keep you guys posted!) and starting craft/creativity fairs. Eventually, I plan on doing classes and workshops, but that's a while down the road.

And that's us in terms of business, at least for right now. Thankfully neither of our jobs require us to go outside in the freezing cold much. This weather is really making us wish we were back in Florida!

While we're talking about businesses, do any of you have your own businesses? What helped you get started? And what has helped you keep going? Please share; I'd love to know!

fourteen months.

I wrote this post last November, chronicling the husband and I's little love story.

Twelve months and a few haircuts later, we are celebrating our 14-month anniversary on a warm and sunny day in November. A lot has changed in the past twelve months: we have moved a few times, converted to macs, and redecorated our home more than once.

But no matter how many changes we've made, love has been our permanent fixture. It is ever present; it may shift and change and grow, but it's always there.

Love is where we like to be, where we are happiest. Love is where we are at our best and it is where you will always find us, together.

Today I am thankful for the kind of love that makes everything a little bit brighter. I'm thankful for 14 months of that kind of love.

a very merry unbirthday.

Today was my unofficial 21st birthday (aka the day Jordan and I chose to celebrate it together). And it was great. So today I'm thankful for that wonderful husband of mine; I'm thankful to be married to a man that I love to hang out with, one that I have so much fun with.

Speaking of Jordan... he's doing the month of thanks deal, too. Check out his blog here; it's quite funny. 

when nature is all aglow.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to summer with one bike ride, and welcomed fall with another. We enjoyed the warm colors and sunshine; we rode down College Avenue, adoring its old homes, and talked about what we want our home to look like. Jordan told me that he loves fall because the leaves change color.

Those leaves crunched under my feet this morning on my way to school. I listened to this as I walked and enjoyed the smell of fall. I wore a short sleeve shirt for what will probably be the last time until May.

And while I will miss not having to wear 9.5 layers of clothing, this changing of the seasons makes me happy. Fall brings birthdays, anniversaries, and other wonderful holidays (yes, we consider our birthdays and anniversary a holiday). I'm excited to campout in our living room, feast on delicious food with family, and break out the metal Christmas tree.

Hello, Fall. We like you. A lot. 
(but please hold off on the snow until at least November.)

like having a color television set.

My friends use to ask me when I thought I'd get married. 

No clue, I would reply. I wanted to get married, but it wasn't my main focus. When the time came, it would come, and I would be happy until it did; I would not go searching out a spouse in order to meet a deadline. 

I dated, I pushed myself, I learned wonderful things and grew in amazing ways. I moved to Florida and found the one thing I hadn't been looking for. 

I spent the day with his family, afterwards calling my mom to tell her how I hoped to marry into a family like that. His hugs set the world right and his words gave me encouragement and focus.  He and I would talk about our dreams and i began to realize how much richer mine were when combined with his. 

I became his and he mine. 

One day, we started our forever with a promise, and we keep that promise to one another every day. We work and we pray and we try to do a little better every moment. It is work but it's our work and it is sweet. And if I had the choice I would do it all over again. Because being married is like having a color television set: you never wanna go back to black and white.

*Doesn't this just warm your heart? I cried a bit and was reminded of how blessed I am to have the opportunity to grow old next to my own sweet guy. 

just one look at you.

this gem was taken at our wedding reception. it may not be the best quality, but it represents that day nicely.

here's to 366 days of sharing a mattress and a fridge. 

here's to 366 days of sharing a last name. 

here's to 366 days of classic books, french toast, and tired moments.

here's to 366 days of being your mrs.

here's to 366 days of you. 

i know a place where summer strives.

my summer has been full of wonderful things.

things like
design
work
late nights

early mornings

driving

family

nature

beauty

rearranging

reorganizing

peace

bike rides

husband

joy

my summer has been full of love. 

that sort of love.

Our love is the unbreakable sort.  It doesn't shift with the tide, nor does it swing with our moods; our love is not dependent on the bed linens being straightened each morning.  Arms that encircle and kisses that care strengthen and grow our love; it is the seemingly insignificant moments that form my heart to yours.  

Our love is the forever sort.

take hope.

This weekend, I heard a man speak about light, and how it can penetrate even the darkest of nights.  And then I read a quote that augmented that man's message, saying that while light can always diminish darkness, darkness can never extinguish light.

And it hit me what a powerful thing light is... what a powerful thing hope is.

Hope that everything will work out.  Hope that yesterday's sorrow will soon turn to joy.  Hope that weaknesses can become strengths.  Hope that you can always do better; hope in yourself and in others.

Hope is such a powerful thing.  And sometimes, it scares me.  There are times when I don't know how much hope I am allowed to have, and I hesitate to give too much of my heart to it.

Last night my husband calmed these fears by telling me that I can hope as much as I wish because those hopes won't go unrealized.

So, I'm taking hope.  I'm not putting any restrictions on the amount, either; I'll take as much as I can get.  Because you can do anything if you have hope.  If you have hope, no amount of bad moments can scratch your heart, because hope cannot be diminished by darkness.

Hope is a powerful thing and, after talking to my husband, I'm almost certain it's contagious.

the crutches.

You might look at the title of this blog and think, Over where?  And why crutches?

I think that, too, sometimes.  And then I remember the night my husband chose the name.  It was when we were in Florida and he didn't have the title of husband yet; he was simply a boy with a cute laugh.  

It was a few days after my roommate had decided to move back home.  She'd filled her bags to bursting and had multiple carry-ons.  Everything went.  Except for her crutches; she'd left them in the living room, leaning in that corner.  

We were sitting in my apartment, leaning against the kitchen wall bordering the living room, and we were talking of names for my new blog.  We weighed a simple Tori's Blog, and found it wanting, like all the other names brought up.  I finally handed the task to Jordan.  Looking across the room at the abandoned crutches, he said, How about that pair of crutches over there?

He gave me two other options.  But I liked the first because those crutches meant something to me.  

They were that night my roommate had her going away party and Jordan stayed long after everyone else had gone; that night we made Jiffy Muffins and he smeared the batter into my hair and onto my foot.

They were that day we went spent the morning by the pool, learning the true definition of anemia; that day he jokingly questioned my intelligence and I stuttered a rebuttal.   

They were that night we sat on my couch, and I spilled my heart to him and he gladly swept up the pieces; that night he first kissed me.

Those crutches were the moments I fell in love with my husband, and they remind me of the reasons I keep falling, every day.  

And when I remember that, I don't question the name; I remember that it's perfect.  

he wore a green shirt.

That day, he wore green and I wore white.  I didn't have any red on, but he kissed me anyway.

That kiss changed everything, including my last name.

i've been doing a lot of thinking, and the thing is, i love you.

I love the way you make tacos.  I love that you never make a decision until you know it's right and can give your whole heart to it.  I love that I can trust you.  I love the way you bite your tongue when you're concentrating, and I love that you ask me for help.  I love the way you fold your shirts.  I love that you have dreams.  And that you have the faith and determination to see them through.  And it's not because I'm your wife, and it's not because last week was our six month anniversary.  It's because I love you and I just couldn't hold it in any longer.

Pictory: This Park

When I took this picture, I imagined myself a part of it.  While attending NYU, that patch of grass between those trees would become my sanctuary; I would do my best writing there.  My fiance and I would sit on those benches and watch families pass, talking about what we would name our children.  When we finally had those children, we would bring them here for picnics. This is where my husband would teach our boys how to properly throw a football.  We would watch our children grow there.  In our old age, my husband and I would take daily walks through this park; we would come here with our grandchildren, just like we had with our children.  Over the years, we would make this park our own.