Category: Married Lessons

Ahhh, I am feeling relaxed. Pace & I just returned from an overnight stay at the five-star Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City. It’s the same place where Rachel & Nathan got engaged just last weekend! And it was fabulous.

Pace found a great deal for this place, so we went there to celebrate my birthday a few weeks early. A very adequate gift, I must say!

When we checked in, “Rey” at the front desk told us, “I can actually have you stay in my townhouse for the night if you’d like.” For a moment we were confused, thinking he was graciously offering us his own home for some odd reason. But then we realized he was talking about an upgrade (for a fee)—and we accepted!

Below are some photos of our “accomodations.” We especially loved the layout of the bathroom & the simple/classy decor. I highly recommend that you go to this place for a taste of luxury!

The staff was friendly, but also very formal. At dinner, when our main course was brought out, we were warned. “The plates are quite warm.” And after dinner, the server asked, “And how have you two decided to enjoy your desserts tonight?” Pace responded, “We’ve decided to enjoy them very much.” (I think she set herself up for that one.) I also received special birthday chocolates!

 After we left the hotel, Pace took me shopping at the Park City Tanger Outlets, which is always a blast. Thank you, Pace! And thanks SO much to GG for watching the kids so we could escape! It was wonderful to get a good night’s sleep and to have some time together.

Can you guess whose legs are whose in this photo? (I will hurt you if you get it wrong.)  😉

Pace has watched 2 chick flicks in a row with me!!! 17 Again, and Julie & Julia. This is a big deal. I was pretty excited when he said that we could go see Julie & Julia for our date night the other night– yes, without the kids (thanks to the McGrandparents)!

Today, Pace spent several hours helping with various tasks (preparing some Joy School materials, taking care of the kids, fixing my computer problems, cleaning things up when the messes were stressing me out, etc.). We have learned a lot being married nearly 5 years– things like praising one another, and doing things that make the other person’s life happier and more enjoyable. I am grateful that Pace is so service-oriented and involved with our kids. (Not to brag, just to give some credit where it’s definitely due! And if you get sick hearing someone’s praise for another person, then something is wrong with you.)

One more thing: Last night, we went to Pace’s work party at a nearby aquatic center. Pace loved the FlowRider surfing machine they had there, and found a lot more success on the boogie board than on the surfboard. I watched him do a flip AND then a somersault! I was so proud and excited for him. That’s my MAN!!!

I love Pace. I also love summertime, because that’s when we do the most grilling! Well, PACE does it, which is so nice. We had steak kabobs last Sunday for lunch, and they were so beautiful that I just had to take a photo and make everyone salivate!

Also Pace is such a great dad and husband! He was very helpful to me this week because I slept really weird on my neck somehow, and couldn’t move it for two days! SO painful, I cannot even explain. So I called cousin Darin and he gave me the advice of having Pace "aggressively" massage my neck and shoulders, and then to ice the area. Luckily, thanks to Pace’s massages, the pain is almost gone now, and I am thankful #1 for Pace (and Darin!), and #2 that I normally have a pain-free neck because it was hard for me to not wrestle or play much with Chase! Here are some photos of Pace being a cute dad. 🙂

I would like to share a practical joke that Pace played on me a couple weeks ago. Some may have already heard this one, but many may have not. Well Pace told me that we were out of Ovaltine mix; seeing as how this is his beverage of choice, I was not surprised. I told him to write it on a post-it note so I could remember to get some at the store next time. Of course I, being the good wife that I am ;), returned home a few days later with a new can thing of Ovaltine. I saw that the empty one was still in the pantry, so I removed it. When I picked it up, though, it felt rather heavy for an empty can of Ovaltine. Upon opening it to check how much was left in there, I was overwhelmed with a wave of disgusting stench. I quickly closed the lid, realizing that there was a dirty, poopy, days-old diaper of Chase’s crammed in there. I didn’t open it again to verify this, I simply tossed it in the garbage and called Pace at work to confront him… He was very thrilled that I had “finally” found his present.

Last night Pace, Chase & I went on a group date to the Nickelcade in Orem. We went with Darin & Nada, and Rachel & Dustin (Rachel’s new “friend”). It was lots of fun, and we all took turns holding Chase, in and out of the baby carrier, despite his obvious distaste for the noisy place. Once I had him in the carrier and was sitting there playing a monster truck racing game with Rachel, when I suddenly felt some kind of warm liquid seeping onto my clothing. Before you get too grossed out, I will reveal what it was. Chase was peeing on me. The interesting thing was that it was right on the crotch area of my jeans, not the best location for liquid to appear. I had Pace come over and take Chase so I could survey the damage, and he didn’t believe me when I told him what had happened, because the baby was completely dry. See, Chase is pretty amazing sometimes, in that he can pee up his back or out the sides of his diaper. I can’t even begin to explain how any of this happens, but it happens nonetheless. Anyway, I then took Chase outside to the car to change his diaper. I was still wearing the baby carrier and probably looked a bit frazzled. As I was digging for my keys in the baby bag, I had a bit of a mommy moment, just thinking that it’s official, I’m a real mom now with baby pee on my pants and all. I put Chase in the trunk of the car to change his diaper (probably a shady-looking thing to a lot of people, but what can you do). As I was leaning over to change the baby’s diaper, a guy driving by whistled, I guess at me since I was the only one around, and I just had to chuckle to myself, thinking yeah he has no idea….

Yesterday we had Jason McGowan over for dinner, and we had some delicious pineapple with our food. It was soooo good. Pineapple is either my first or second favorite fruit. I also like to keep it in the kitchen for a day or two after I buy it because I think it is beautiful. (We got it at Wal Mart for 1.98; what a great price!) Anyway, back to my story… We ate it and ate it… soon there were three tiny chunks left. Then we all realized that our tongues were burning as if we had drunk some scalding hot chocolate. That was how I described it. The men compared the feeling to having just licked a battery. I have never done such a thing, so I wouldn’t know. But the lesson learned here was that “moderation in all things” is really a good idea.

Last night, Pace and I were able to go out on our own, all by ourselves, for what I believe was the second time since Chase was born. Darin and Nada came over around 9:30 pm, and we sort of asked/told them to watch Chase while we ran to Smith’s for a pie ingredient I needed. I finished feeding Chase, put him in Nada’s arms, and we skittered on out the door. We went to Smith’s to get whipping cream, holding hands and laughing all the way. But don’t worry, the excitement continues! We then decided to go over to Smart Cookie for some cookie ice cream sandwiches and milk (yummm). We sat outside on the lawn, eating and getting “reacquainted.” We even looked at the stars and cuddled for a few minutes (yes, just good old PG-rated cuddling). It was amazing how much closer we felt after that short time without Chase, and it is something I have wanted to do for a while now. I know for sure that date nights and even occasional weekend getaways are essential for the health of a marriage, especially when kids dominate your lives the rest of the time, some tension can build, and couples can slowly grow apart. Soon we’ll probably have a regular date night so that it remains a priority in our lives. I look forward to many more dates to come with my best friend!