Don't worry, happier times...

Sorry about the sadness of my last entry; sometimes I just want to say it, but then I have to remember too that I won't necesarily get to talk to all of you and let you know what's really going on. Know that I am still breathing, I'm not crying, not now anyway :), Mike and I are great, and we're moving forward. He starts his second semester of pharmacy school tomorrow, and we've just had a great weekend just being together. No, my past blog had nothing to do with me and Mike or our marriage, we're great, better every day, better than I ever though marriage could be. I love my husband more than I could ever express to any of you; he's my best friend, my accountability, my sense of humor, my shoulder to cry on, my arm to snuggle into, my personal chef, the one who sees my at my worst and best every day and still stays, he still there the next morning.

We decided to take advantage of a gift certificate that has recently expired, but our hosts were gracious enough to overlook that, to a B&B (bed and breakfast) up the north shore in Grand Marais, about two hours north of Duluth. We left at a leasurly hour on Sunday, spent a bit of the afternoon with the Svobodas (see post about Eric, Jen, and Zeb).

Zeb turned two years old in December, is very talkative, and has taken quite a shining to Mike. Mike is great with toddlers, not going to lie to you; was quite taken with him many years ago as he played with his then little, now not-so-little cousin, Kelsey. Zeb practically burst into tears at one point when Mike disappeared for a minute to use the restroom. I, of course, was chopped liver, but he was saying my name too and even sharing his Culver's frozen yogurt with me by the end of the evening. Eric and Jen are one of our favorite friends, especially as a couple; Mike and Eric are two peas in a pod, and Jen and I love to hang out, but I'd have to say, my favorite times are when we get together the four of us, or five with Zeb, and play games, go out, or just chat. Eric jabs me good-heartedly, and Mike and Jen banter over the pros and cons of the Atkins diet, and man, give us a Marbles board (game kinda like "sorry"), and it can get down-right nasty with the competition ;)!

We continued on with our journey, got to the MacArthur House after dark and snuggled in, listened to the wind howl outside, drank a bottle of cheap wine, and ate dove chocolates and talked. So nice to go someplace annonymous, turn off the phone, leave the TV and radio and all that behind and just be together. It's funny how after almost ten years of being together, dating, engaged, and married, we never run out of things to talk about. We slept in a little, woke in time for yummy breakfast downstairs served by our lovely hosts Max and Sherri, got back in bed for a mid-morning nap, and left about noon to head back down the shore. There's a great little cafe called the Soho Cafe in Tofte that we discovered on an earlier trip with Shannon and Steve (friends from high school and college); Mike's convinced that they serve the best reuben this side of Germany, and their breads and spreads are made fresh daily and deeeelicious.

We stopped by briefly to see our Arnold Road family, the Knuths; Kim and Mike had us in for a little catch-up chatting, Sarah was on her way back from the cities after dropping Alex off... Hmmmm... And Steve was losing PS2 to a friend downstairs. My other Duluth loved ones, please know we'd love to see all of you, but I think it's better if we spend a good chunk with people and rotate; so if we didn't see you this time, we'll be back soon.

All this to say, we are well, blessed even. Thanks for sticking with us, sorry about my ups and downs. And for those of you who sometimes relate, stick around, don't plan on being any less honest in the days to come, but there are silver linings to those thunder clouds, might be the sweet man watching the Apprentice next to you, might be a long-distance friend, might be the job you're greatful to have, maybe just the warm flannel sheets on your bed. Steve and Shannon (mentioned above) introduced us to a new female artist that we listened to in our journeys this weekend, who's name is escaping me, and in one of her songs she says to "laugh until you cry, and then cry until you laugh." I've cried enough for now, it's time to laugh again.