Twenty.

On the eleventh of September in the year twenty-thirteen, I gallantly stepped out of teenagedom and joined the twenty-somethings.

-My heart goes out to those hurting on that day-

Thanks for making me feel extra special Chels!

September 11th

My man and I had ourselves a picnic under about as many trees as the stars in the sky,

and for dinner, dressed up like dolls for a fancy grown-up date...

...where we ordered not entrees that were too fancy to correctly pronounce, but a burger and sandwich-both with a side of American french fries...

...where I got a free red velvet cupcake, and Alexxander had to pull out his Zippo to reignite the flame-yes, in the middle of the restaurant...

...and of course, where Alexxander re-purposed silverware into drumsticks

September 13th 

My handsome and I headed to Nana's & Papa's

I made up a game called, "I'm Alexx".

I had to first dress like him and then the game began.

I would mockingly start each sentence off with, "I'm Alexx and I __________."

The blank would be filled with an exaggerated statement. 

( ie. "I'm Alexx and I wear sleevless red shirts to show off my guns" )

I went on for quite a while with plenty of things to fill in the blank and each sentence would be stated in an obnoxious deeper tone of voice.

This game is recommended for ages 4+

September 14th

The party shall soon begin

Look what I found downstairs the next morning!

Everything tastes better in Nana's kitchen. Literally.

Truth: One cannot spend "enough" time at Nana's and Papa's

Remember my idea for a Tipi Party? Well...IT HAPPENED!

Honestly did not think it was happening on the basis of, I tend to have overly ambitious ideas that cannot be executed in a timely manner.

Often.

But alas!

The dream of such a party came to life...twenty minutes before guests began to arrive.

DIY: Tipi

Menards

Metal piping

$1.87 ea

Goodwill // Thrift // Antique 

Navajo blankets

Aztec Pattern Spreads

(Fabric patterns can also be found at various crafts stores although more pricey)

Additional supplies:

Duck-tape

Twine

Scissors

>> Lay the pipes on the ground around the area you wish to display the Tipi

>> On each pipe (I had six pipes total and it was about 9 ft tall and about 5 ft wide) wrap a piece of ducktape about 6 in or so from the top and make sure you create a loop with the duck-tape. (To do this rip a a piece of duck-tape a little bit longer than needed to wrap around the pipe and stick the adhesive sides of the tape to one another-creating a loop)

>> Intertwine the twine (no pun intended) through each loop over-and-under style while all the pipes are still laying on the ground

>> Stand the pipes up (a two-person job) and spread them apart as wide as they'll go. You can adjust the width of each gap to make an entryway wherever desirable

>>Duck-tape frenzy begins. Duck-tape the blankets to the poles (especially at the top and bottom) and to one another (on the inside of the Tipi)

As night neared, we bundled up-not in blankets because they were all selfishly hung on the Tipi of course, but in winter-like layers around a "roaring fire".

(Alexx promised a "roaring fire" in the posted invitation...but I think everyone missed his sarcasm as, the fire consisted of as many small logs as a metal rim taken from a compact car could fit.)

When skies began to deeply darken, the party got increasingly smaller, but the laughs got increasingly louder.

Maybe it was because we were gathered around the fire until two-thirty in the morning or maybe we were just that hilarious.

These five men are easily my favorite kinds of the male species

September 15th

Marks the second year Alexx and I have been together

He is God's greatest gift to me aside from salvation itself

The sweetest anniversary gifts from the sweetest of gentlemen.

(He better be truly thankful I don't expect diamonds and rubies on such occasions!)

And instead of another expensive dinner, we had a date night in with Mac&Cheese (80 cents a box combined with BOGO...now, that's what I call living) and Life of Pi.

Surprises, hugs, laughs, and too much food = an impeccable birthday week.

That's right fellas.

All women are eligible to partake in their own birthday week and drag you into it.

Annually.

This past week I lived out a cliche. 

If you set you're mind to it, you can do it.

And in all honesty, cliches are no longer cliche if brought into existence.