adventure #1

the barttels now own a couch, so we have some furniture.
said couch is the subject of much hilarity & definitely a memory of being newly married...

scene.

wednesday

brad: (looking on craigslist) hey what do you think of this couch!?
mrs. barttels: awesome. call em. buy it.
brad: (puts cash money for couch in a ripped open envelope labled "couch $" and puts on kitchen counter.)
mrs barttels: (does not see where he put envelope. assumes he has money.)

friday

couch guy: i will be there in 30 minutes

brad: awesome! where's the envelope with the couch money?
mrs barttels: what envelope?
brad: what do you mean? the one on the kitchen counter.
mrs barttels: i see no envelope on the kitchen counter.
brad: i labeled it and put it right here on the counter.
mrs barttels: uh oh. (she's been throwing away all trash for 2 days....)
brad: we mustve thrown it away.

team barttels begins searching through the house like crazy- that envelope had a lot of cash in it. it's not in the apartment. the apartment is NOT that big.

brad & mrs barttels walk confidently to the dumpster and without hesitation start rummaging like rats. (keep in mind this is the day AFTER thanksgiving) mrs barttels climbs on side of dumpster wall. watches as ants crawl over toe of her shoe. brad picks up dripping bag of turkey guts and leftovers and removes from dumpster. repeats action multiple times. (cue awkward neighbors walking out to stare) mrs. barttels lifts, separates, jiggles, pulls and tries to get down to the trash that got taken out BEFORE Thursday.

couch guy: (pulls up in truck.)
brad: dude, we think we threw your money away.
couch guy: no, really??
both awkwardly laugh.
couch man stands there while we continue to search.

mrs. barttels: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAD!!!! i found our bag of trash!!!! (begins to laugh hysterically in horrified relief) but, uhhhhh, the bag was open. half of it fell down into the dumpster.
brad: (smiles in glee! reaches arm completely down into dumpster) I FOUND IT!!!!! (pulls hand out with envelope in hand!!!!! arm has unidentified slime on one side.

couch man: seriously man??
brad: yeah dude. here's your money.
both awkwardly laugh. mrs barttels is in fits thinking about the horribly hysterical events that just occurred.

end scene.

yes, its still funny.

an adventure in being barttels...

two weeks today i tied the knot with brad. a perfect day. truly.
and this is what we look like all day everyday. (not. but close.)we enjoyed mexican sunsets. explored everglades.
kissed alligators.went to disneyworld. (yes we bought matching tshirts. no shame.)basically two weeks of marriage feels a lot like this:
lots of fun to be had, to be sure! the barttels are now officially couch, vacuum, lamp and kitchen aid mixer owners. life is good. :)

2.

me. brad. just us two in the trenches against the world.
i think we both got what we wished for on this abnormally huge dandelion... ;)

3.

brad likes my mushy posts. its funny. when i read him #8 he got all gushy. love it. so here it goes another.
three words to describe my future husband: unselfish, kind & mine :)

brad is a supernally spiritual, wonderful, unselfish person. over and over again i feel like mud compared to his sweet nature... don't get me wrong. he is a HUGE tease. he is a boy. he likes football and pizza. and gives everyone a hard time. but he also is really a dear. (yes a dear, like a grandma would say.)

brad gets choked up at church more than i do. and loves loves loves serving other people. he was SO sad to be leaving our ward bc he has lived there for almost 8 years. he will miss all the people he's loved & served & counseled & befriended. he's sad we're moving to a family ward where he can't pass the sacrament. c'mon! is this guy for real!?

i don't know how i got so lucky or so stuck with this guy. he is so ridiculously kind in thought to others. he has NEVER sat and critisized anyone in front of me- and since we spend alot of time together- i figure that he never does at all. he always thinks of the kindest way to say anything negative if he has to.

gosh i love him. i wish i could convey to you how positive and kind this man is. he's going to be my husband. i hope that i don't feel so completely undeserving of him always. i am in awe of that he loves love LOVES LOVES me. seriously guys. you have no idea the sacrifices and unselfish way he treats me always. he just LOVES me.

wow.

4.

after 4 weeks of dating (or thereabouts) i discovered brad talks in his sleep. whilst snuggling on a couch to something on tv, sir bradley james fell right asleep and proceeded to mumble and grumble away the next hour or so. i don't remember any of the words/phrases he mumbled away bc he topped them all by saying this:

"i opened the wrong box to make cupcakes."

he said it crystal clear, calmly and seriously. concerned as if he had made betty crocker turn in her grave.

i could not contain my histerical laughter, woke the poor boy up & told him what he'd said. :)

now whenever it's late or we're tired or we are having trouble communicating, saying this little phrase puts us into fits of giggles and smiles.

5.

i ask alot of brad sometimes. to be understanding & kind to me in the midst of frustration or grief or irritation. and he always is patient & kind. i didn't know someone would ever be so unselfishly understanding towards me. and for that i am grateful. and i'm having the kind of day where thats about all i'm grateful for. sorry.

6.

reason #6 brad and i will be working out for eternity.

we both love ol' blue eyes.

in fact, it's our favorite rhapsody station. and we've worked out a deal (aka i do what i want & he loves it) where i'm allowed to sing to every song, any time i want :)

so young & handsome, frank....

7.

Almost seven years is what separates Bradley and I in birth. Never once has he seemed old or I seemed young. I thought it would be weird. But it's not. Nor has it ever been.



Except once.

When we went through his boxes of old trophies and he found this beauty:
(i'll insert picture here when i get a chance & am back from vegas LOL)


Tee Ball 1985.
Brad got this trophy before I was born. Classic. ha.

8.

the 8th month we dated both brad & i moved houses.
we both stayed in the same complex (i in mo'manor & he in beachwalk) but changed addresses. kinda funny.
i moved the first weekend of June and brad moved the 3rd weekend. lots of boxes & cleaning & throwing away stuff- mostly on the part of brad. his house was WAY more a mess. boys!

i wasn't sad when i moved out of my place- i was ECSTATIC to be living with meredith & julie & i like moving & changing spaces. but when it came to moving out of brad's house... whew! i'm a sentimental gal (cue wicked) and when i realized i'd never go in the room where brad told me he loved me again or snuggle where he told me he wanted to marry me... that was hard to leave. it wasn't even MY house, but i loved that we fell in love there.

i LOVE our new little apt that will be our first home together. but often i think fondly of the dirty room over the garage where i knew and felt and cried when i knew i'd someday be here, counting down the days til i'd be lindsey barttels.
:)

9.

reason #9: this may work.

if you have lived in a cave, or never met brad, you are the few who don't know he LOVES the oakland a's.

he loves baseball + i like baseball = good.

story: once i really felt like i wanted to do something for brad. just to show i loved him & make him happy & thought & thought (the man wants very little & asks for even less so i wanted to think of something besides making pizza- which is always a winner, btw)

so i bought an oakland a's hat.
i met him for lunch at roscoe's and when i sat down at the table, hat upon head, he looked at me like he NEVER HAD before. he was SOOOO happy! and just was so surprised!!
all i could think was "geez this man is easy to please."
:)

i am behind on blogging.

1. i have pictures of the BEAUTIFUL cake amy made for my birfday.
2. and of our new apt. and funny lack of furniture.
3. and lots of things to be grateful for.

4. but the most important thing today is i've successfully sucked up my pride to concede to something i am not comfortable with AT ALL to make brad happy. and boy is he happy.
therefore: i am happy, and that helps with the discomfort. baby steps baby steps...