Somebody celebrated an anniversary...

"Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that."
 -Michael Leunig

Rob and I celebrated five years of marriage this weekend. In keeping with tradition, this year we themed our gifts to each other around "wood." (anniversary gifts from years past can be found here: Year One: Paper, Year Two: Cotton, Year Three: Leather, Year Four: Fruit)

I came downstairs for breakfast to find candy and a card propped up on Lincoln Logs. And, a promise for a weekend getaway to a cabin in a few weeks.

I set up a fire pit in the backyard, but unfortunately due to a late Saturday night at the football game and rain on Sunday, there was no fire for us this weekend.

And, although I had a makeshift screen set up outside on the exterior wall, we had to move our wedding photo slideshow indoors. We piled up in the papasan chair to relive our wedding day, from the early morning preparations to the helicopter chase before the "I do's" (that's what you get when your wedding is in downtown Atlanta), from the dance floor to the tired eyes after the party.

Want to listen to our Firepit Tunes playlist? Here it is...

• "Anyone Else But You" by The Moldy Peaches
• "Collide" by Howie Day
• "Groovy Kind of Love" by Sonny & Cher
• "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain
• "Is this Love" by Bob Marley
• "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer
• "Power of Two" by Indigo Girls
• "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti
• "Steal My Kisses" by Ben Harper
• "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson
• "You are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne
• "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain

Fans for life...

"So it's up with the White and Gold..." 
-Georgia Tech fight song

10 years ago... bonding at Georgia Tech football games.

5 years ago... getting married at the Georgia Tech Alumni House.

Last night... still cheering on the Jackets!

Happy 500!

“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.” 
-Anatole France

5 years, 10 months, and 24 days ago I decided to dip my toes into the world of blogs. And, thus Dancing Commas was born. I was newly graduated from college, living in my first off-campus apartment, and not even engaged yet. Wow! That was a long time ago!

Here we are 500 posts later!

Since beginning of Dancing Commas, I've moved three and a half times, gotten married, been employed, unemployed AND semi-employed, and been on at least four epic vacations. I've decorated, crafted, sewn, and scrapbooked up a storm. Partly because it's in my blood: partly because I needed blog content. 

There have been times when I've blogged everyday and times when I've been away for weeks or months at a time. 

Dancing Commas is my virtual journal of memories but also a treasury of ideas. It's my place to explore my possibilities and dreams but also to reach out into the world. I write each post for myself but also knowing that there might be others out there who enjoy reading about my experience.

My little corner of the web is dear to me. Thank you to my few but loyal readers who join me regularly in this space!

I want you to celebrate this milestone with me! I've designed several desktop wallpapers showcasing some of my favorite quotes. A little bling just for you! (Sized to fit normal width, widescreen, and even iPhone screens.)
 

Download:

• There's Joy [1920 x 1200]
• There's Joy [1600 x 1200]
• There's Joy [640 x 960] 

Download:

• Glitter With [1920 x 1200]
• Glitter With [1600 x 1200]
• Glitter With [640 x 960]

Download:

• Collect Moments [1920 x 1200]
• Collect Moments [1600 x 1200]
• Collect Moments [640 x 960]

Happy 500!

A fruitful anniversary...

"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."
-Mother Teresa

Rob and I happily celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this past week. I think the traditional wedding gift ideas are kind of neat to follow (Year One: Paper, Year Two: Cotton, Year Three: Leather), so I was anxious to find something to fit this year's "Fruit/Flowers" theme.

I waited until the last minute, hoping I would have a job and could justify spending money on one of these cool fruit bowls: Made of Clay Ceramics or Polka Dot Stationery or Museware Pottery. But, in the end was most inspired by this etched glass bowl that I pinned from Create Studio.

Glass etching has always been one of my favorite crafts. It's so amazing how easy it is, and how awesome it looks when you're done.

So, hence the thrift store trips the other day... I need to find a glass fruit bowl. But no luck... Ended up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where I used a 20% off coupon and $3.00 left on a gift card (probably left from our wedding gifts!) to pick up a trifle bowl (I also learned that's the name of these type of bowls with vertical sides!) for just over $5 out-of-pocket.

Then I set to work. You pretty much follow the directions on the Armour Etch glass etching cream bottle, but in case you're unsure of the process, I created a mini tutorial for you to follow.

And, voila!

But, I wasn't done until I added fruit and some cute cards with metaphors explaining the significance of each fruit choice.

Here's the text if you care to read:

• Banana : Year One : Although we’d been together for awhile, our first year of marriage ushered in a new way of relating to each other. We had new names, new identities; we became our own “bunch.” Our futures were “ripe” with possibilities. I remember a conversation early on when we agreed, “After we get in an argument, it’s such a comfort to know, that we’ll still be together in the morning.”
• Apple : Year Two : Just like an apple, year two also started out a bit crunchy (putting a down payment on a house, Poppy’s death, and looking for a teaching job), but we took on these things, knowing that they were steps to reach the sweet fruit of our labor. At the core, we were looking to fulfill our dreams. (Not to mention... this was the year we bought Apple iPhones!)
• Peach : Year Three : With two nine-to-five jobs (ok, maybe they were more like seven-to-sixes!), two incomes, two cars, and a mortgage, we were in a warm “fuzzy” routine. We worked long hours, but we came home to curl up on the couch with each other. We wondered how anyone our age could possibly still enjoy partying and staying out late. How could they trade all that we had?
• Grapes : Year Four : Just as this bunch is made of lots of little individual grapes, this past year has been full of so many life-changing events. Some sweet, and some sour. But what I will remember most about this year is that we took a risk to follow our dreams. A year ago we hoped that we would be brave enough to move across the country. And, look at us, in a new state, with our house almost sold, looking toward our next adventure...

Our journey continues...

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” -Ursula K. LeGuin

In keeping with tradition (here and here), I wanted to give Rob something leather to celebrate our third anniversary. I found this great leather-bound national park atlas from Orvis and had it monogrammed for him. To personalize the book to represent us, I recreated national park stamps to match the places we've been together. I used PhotoShop and rscottjones' photostream to copy and paste the correct dates to the stamp image. Then I printed them and stapled them to the appropriate pages of the atlas. We haven't been collectors of national park stamps thus far, but I imagine we will be from now on.

I love how...

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Wednesday was our third wedding anniversary. I can't believe we've been official that long. And together for 8 years...crazy!I love how predictable my husband is. And how non-pretentious. Yesterday morning I couldn't wait to jump out of the shower and run to the kitchen table, knowing exactly what I would find. Three glass bottles of Coca-Cola and three bags of Reese's Pieces... I mean, it is our third anniversary!!

I love how resourceful my husband is. And creative, in his own way. When he couldn't find a vase (they were "hidden" in the cabinet!), he opted to place the bouquet of sunflowers (again, three of them) on the table in our blender. The only thing heavy enough to support the long stems.

I love how flexible my husband is. I had to attend a seminar on classroom management at the county office from 5:15-9:00 last night. We were on our own for dinner, and it was basically bedtime when I got home. Guess that's to be expected though... he left for three weeks of training in South Carolina the day after our wedding.

I love how sneaky my husband is. Apparently he's planning a surprise for next weekend. He's been searching on Hotwire for something. I know there are secret emails in his inbox, but so far I've been able to keep myself from peeking.

I love how wonderful my husband is. And how wonderful we are together. Three year later and stronger than ever.

And, they say it's the men who forget...

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
-Marcel Proust

So Rob reminded me this afternoon that our wedding anniversary is quickly approaching. In fact, the conversation went like this:

R: So, did we set a price limit on our anniversary gifts for each other yet?
J: What?!?!? Anniversary... crap! I haven't even thought about that.
R: Really? I've been thinking about it for awhile and have lots of ideas!
J: Well, then you set a budget, and I'll come up with something in that range.
R: Ok, how about 1290 dollars?
J: Sure, I think I can fall below that.

And, then my preoccupation with lesson plans quickly transformed into a preoccupation with clever, sweet, romantic, useful gifts for my main man.

The second anniversary tradition is cotton, and considering the fact that my husband works at a cotton mill, it seems like I should be able to come up with something decent. But, darn, if it isn't a challenge to think up a clever gift for a man.

Any ideas? I've got two weeks!

Heart in a box

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”
-Aaron Siskind

I struggled over what to get/make/do for Rob for our first anniversary. With a house on the horizon, there’s not a whole lot of money to spend. But I hated not doing anything, especially on the “Year of Paper,” quite appropriate for budgeting newlyweds. I could think of so many paper crafts that a girl like me would swoon over, but my “macho” man… not so much.

Until I searched the archives of some of my favorite creative blogs and ran across Dan’s anniversary present to Marta last October…

Here’s my interpretation with photos that capture our first year of marriage, from the holidays and honeymoon to our favorite restaurants and retreats. All wrapped up in a decoupage box and tied with a bow. A box full of love and memories that he can open to relive the simple and wonderful moments from this year.

Sweet love of mine

“Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.”
-Katharine Lee Bates

One year ago, on October 6th, Rob and I were married in front of our friends and family on the campus of our alma mater. The weather was beautiful, and it was wonderful to have everybody that we love, together in one place. The day went off without any major hitch, and the next day, I proceeded to wave goodbye to my new husband as he drove away for a 3-week long training session for work.

A little deja vu this year, as Rob left Monday for another leadership workshop. This time it was only two days though, so the first thing Rob said to me last night when he arrived home was, “Can we eat our cake now?”

Here’s our beautiful wedding cake from 10/06/07...
And here it was last night--our anniversary dinner (I simply couldn't resist the celebratory candle!)...