Normal Day

Dating Mr B is an adventure (and i honestly imagine that he would say dating ME is an adventure for him). Especially on weekends, we are all "GO GO GO!" If we aren't at a race, chances are that we are hiking. And not just a quick hike, but an all day, over 15 mile hike.

Speaking of which, Mr B and i ended August with a 17 mile hike into Yellowstone to see this beauty:

Union Falls

Pictures just cannot capture how large and majestic this is. It was a beautiful hike and we also had access to a swimming hole with a tiny 4 foot falls that we jumped off.

We enjoy adventuring, exploring, racing and traveling together. And although that does happen rather often for us (at least as long as the weather holds) they are not every day activities.

There are also the things that are not adventures, but also don't happen every day. Like spending a Saturday morning making jam, taking blankets just outside of town to watch meteor showers and lunar eclipses, heading to West Yellowstone for a show at the Playmill, or chasing lightening storms. i treasure the memories of these lovely moments.

But the meat of our still budding relationship is the everyday.

i find joy in preparing meals together every evening: trying new recipes, conquering the grocery store side by side, Mr B grilling while i chop veggies, bumping hips as we move around the small space, taste testing as we go, music drifting in the kitchen (sometimes causing us to stop and dance for a moment), racing to see if the dish dryer can finish faster than the dish washer, praying together and for each other before we eat and then enjoying our creation together.

There is happiness in sharing church services together: walking into the chapel and seeing Mr B's smile for the first time on Sunday, poking him if he dozes off, having his arm around me when the air conditioning makes me chilly, listening to his gorgeous voice sing the hymns, sharing thoughts about the talks and lessons with each other.

We build our relationship as we do a nightly checking: sharing our low point of the day, telling about our high moment, expressing our gratitude for at least one thing and testifying of one time during the day when we felt the Spirit or followed a prompting from God. The communication and vulnerability and listening is bonding and my day would feel incomplete without checking in with Mr B.

The little things are my favorite: snuggling on the couch together, running together, crying on Mr B's shoulder after a hard day, spending Sunday afternoons dining with his family, playing card games, reading A.A. Milne out loud to each other, standing out on my porch to watch the stars before saying goodnight, getting into tickle wars, emailing articles that we know the other would find interesting, discussing work projects together, finding excuses to swing by in the morning and get a kiss before the work day, calling each other "friend," watching favorite movies together, taking Sunday drives, learning to appreciate BYU football, meeting up at the temple, and curling up with our own respective books to have a "reading date."

i don't know how much time i will have with Mr B; there are no guarantees in either love or life. And so, i have decided to enjoy the normal days the most of all.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so." -Mary Jean Irion