This weekend was an exercise in Mayer-style insanity. Brian and I seem to seek it out, then look around wondering “How did we get HERE?”. Today was just such a day. Through some circumstances outside our control and some of our own crazy choices we ended up: having our big moving sale, setting up and overseeing a booth at a street fair, covering an event as the photographer and at the end of the day saying a foolish “yes” to our 9 year old’s request for a double sleepover. We made our way through this crazy day with only one fight, one booth missing its “walls”, some sort of scary black god-knows-what all over the kitchen AND bathroom sinks (leaving kids in the house largely unattended is DANGEROUS), one iced chai lost on the parking lot and on my pants and at the end of the day a sweet kiss of reunion and “high-five” for surviving.

After a nice shower to wash off the dirt, grim and HEAT we settled down with our kids (plus some spares) to watch some old home movies we had actually never seen. Brian found them while we were sorting through our “life” to prepare for our move. Despite a few groans from the peanut gallery that we weren’t watching the latest blockbuster, even Isaiah’s 10 year old buddies enjoyed themselves. We saw Brian and I as young, sexy newlyweds on our honeymoon in Mexico. We saw a 5 year old Ty and Brian together for their first father’s day as father and son. And as I watched the video of my children, now 15, 9 and 8, romp around together on our bed at 7, 2 and 6 months, my heart caught in my throat; we have lived a lot of life, a lot of wonderful life. But I wasn’t prepared for how I would feel when I looked over at Brian and saw him looking at me, this tender, loved-filled look on his face that said, “That’s US, Anna. That’s our LIFE together.”

Later, when he gathered me in a sweet, loving embrace, I teased him that he was fired up after seeing the 22 year old “me” on the video. He looked at me, totally serious, and said, “No, that’s not it at ALL. I just loved seeing US. You, me, OUR children. That was our life, is our life. I love you.”  Sigh . . .  my day might have been hot, sweaty and insane, but if it ends like that, it was a good one indeed.

Love you, too, my dear husband; life is good.