My Man Gave Me Fresh Cut Flowers

The simple joys in life are found in flowers...

I was standing in the long grocery store check out line which gave me time to observe what others were purchasing. A few men had bouquets of flowers as the main course in their basket. I wondered to what occasions these little bundles were going to be given. I did know whatever the occasion a smile is what they should bring. This little exercise got me wondering about the bouquet.

The typical scene of 'man gives flowers to woman' abounds in novels, film and the not so kind world of the cliche. The bouquet has a universal pull on everyone's psyche. The bouquet can be generalized by calling it a bunch of flowers, it can be used as a relationship opener and rejection diffuser or an apology smoother. The most sought after bouquets are those given in love.

Our human emotions play a big role in the act of giving natural beauty which acts as a voice to our intentions. We owe a lot to these relationship builders God created for our good. So let's take the bouquet back from the grips of banality and habitual monotony and laud what these botanical creatures can really do.

My '18 Year' Bouquet

What My Bouquet 'Said' to Me

1. When my husband came through the door with the wild array in his hands. My heart jumped a little knowing he was one of those men I observed in the grocery store choosing a specific arrangement for the love in his life. He took time out of his day to think of me in a specific way.

2. I looked at the varietal blooms and each one was vibrant with color. The visual beauty was stunning. The textures, shades and hues added a new interest to the same old surroundings.

3. I immediately wanted to touch the soft petals of the Carnation, feel the brain-like structure of the Celosia and gaze long at the purple variation of the Amaranth. With daily chores that bespatter the typical day, the silky contrast was welcomed.

4. The Cockscomb (Celosia) was my favorite, it is suggestive of a highly colored brain. Something I'd like to feel I can lay some claim too. A woman likes to be loved for her brain as well as her body.

5. This floral offering was in no way mundane. I put it on the bedside table and when I awoke this morning something alive and beautiful was staring back at me. As I go about my day's work, I'll occasionally pass it and an appreciative thought towards my husband dances through my mind.

I sure hope that the five things I listed can help those hard working, providing, love mates with a new perspective on the bouquet. They really aren't cliches unless your heart says they are.

A little ditty to Feeling Good! Sing it Nina!

(Analogy, not pantheism or deep ecology intended)

Twelve Years, September 12, 2010

Nathan and Chandra Brown

Did I tell you what he did?
Usually when women say that it's a precursor for a way to complain about their husbands to their friends. Well, I am gonna tell you about how he made me feel like Princess Ann played by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Roman Holiday. He let his romantic creative juices flow and I was the benefactor.

This post is dedicated to Nathan and is my thank you to him for being the man that he is.....

Between the two of us, we forget dates like forgetting the important date needed to answer a history quiz. We have to use our math skills and count backward or forward to figure out how old we are. We are hazy on what year it really was that we got married and have to look it up in our photobook. Numbers just seem to elude us, but we are fine with that, we feel comfortable enough with each other that we are just happy to be together, counting years doesn't really matter. Growing older this method will definetly help us. I'll be able to say I'm 65 when maybe I'm really 70. I wish this number method applied to bank acounts.

Recently, my husband informed me he had our anniversary all taken care of. I asked if I needed to get a babysitter and he said, "No".  That got me wondering what he had up his sleeve. A few weeks passed and our anniversary was drawing near, I was busy and almost forgot about the up coming event,  when  September 11th and the news memorializing the twin towers came to my rescue reminding me that the next day was our anniversary. I almost blew it, usually that is the man's motif. Nathan gave a hint of what he planned that night by letting Alex know she was going to have a sleep over, my clue for knowing we were going on a weekend getaway. I was totally impressed, especially since we have no family living near us in Texas. He went the extra mile and asked our dear, sweet neighbor if Alex could spend the night, and boy was she excited for extra time playing with friends.

The next day we dropped Alex off with extra instructions to mind her manners and jumped on the Harley for an exhilarating road trip to Fredericksburg, Texas. (I was inspired so I wrote an article about it, click the word to read)  We ate at Wheeler's and strolled the town, bought a beer at The Fredericksburg Brewery and chatted about current things. Then he surprised me by taking me to The Hangar Hotel, a place I've loved and visited and always wanted to stay. I have had a love affair with the 40's era and airplanes since I was in high school and this hotel has both.  We ate dinner at the Auslander and had authentic German weinerschnitzel and drinks at the Officer's Club where they had a soloist playing an acoustic guitar. We caught up on things you don't normally get to talk about. We took our time at the Airport Diner for breakfast and watched countless airplanes and even a private jet land and taxi.

It may not seem like much but to a couple that hasn't been on a weekend getaway alone since 2004, it meant the world! Those little steps that were actually big planning to make sure it worked helped me see how much my husband cares for me. We celebrated our twelfth year and I dream and hope for twelve + + + + more.

Nathan, I LOVE YOU, and I still want the world to know just as I did in the puppy love days when we first met....

Not so "Funny" Note: The sign says, "I slept like a baby at the hangar hotel....Well, somehow that wasn't in the cards for us, The county fair (next to the hotel) decided to have live music starting @ 10 o'clock and last til' 12 o'clock....Why is it when I'm not at a concert the music lasts longer than is should?
So we stayed up watching the golf channel...actually pretty interesting when you are paying attention! LOL



Having a Drink at the Beirgarten


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One of Our Favorite Planes

Nathan was in car heaven....

The annual Boxstober Fest is held

at the Hangar Hotel and we

happened to be there to see the cars!  

The car showed is $120,000 Porsche...