“Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.” ~ Brian Andreas

Our neighborhood is cookie cutter, quiet. Home.
Perfect for an evening stroll.
The sun is setting, casting the sky in vibrant shades of orange and pink.

There are fingers linked together and my head resting on Mr. M’s shoulder. Two puppies walk in front us, one with childish abandon and the other still unsure on his feet.

We stop at a flowerbed ripe for sniffing. The …

In many ways, Mr. Mojito and I are very much alike. We love math, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, delicious food, lazy Sundays, our old cars, living in suburbia, and Cowboys football. We’re OCD neat freaks, simpletons, and nerds to our core.

But there are many ways in which we are different, especially in regards to how we communicate and deal with arguments.

He’s patient and kind and caring and collected and reserved. I’m loud and vocal …

Saturday was Oliver Pancake’s first birthday {Happy birthday, my snuggly ball of fur!}.

I think Charles Schulz had it right. Happiness IS a warm puppy.

And life with Oliver Pancake is happy.

The way he licks my tears away when I’m having a craptastic day because he knows that puppy kisses are the best form of medicine. How he can destroy my favorite sweatshirt and then look at me like I’m the crazy one. When he rolls over on command and then jumps …

Let’s say, hypothetically speaking of course (cough, cough), that you were a complete idiot and lost your engagement ring.

Thankfully the insurance gods smiled down at you and accepted your claim. Now you have a pocket full of money and a shit ton of options as to what to do with it.

Would you…

A. Create an exact replica of your lost ring? Why?

I want to look back on my life through photos. I want to remember what it was like to win that hot dog eating contest, or swim with Olympians, or ride in a helicopter in Kaua’i, or cross the finish line of my first half-marathon.

But in order for that to happen I need a camera…a good one that will grow with me.

That is where you come in…

I am in the market for a new Digital SLR Camera. I am debating …

Over the past year I have purchased frames of varying sizes and shapes. Originally I planned on using these frames to make a photo collage of our wedding photos. However, after I mentioned this idea to some of my friends and co-workers most said that it was tacky and showed a lack of personal humility. Most suggested buying one photo from our big day instead. We were torn. We still wanted to display our beautiful wedding photos, but we also …

Specifically in regards to the in-laws.

Although things have gotten better since our wedding, there was a time when every conversation I had with my mother in law ended with me in tears. It was very early on in our engagement when Mr. Mojito and I made firm boundaries with our in-laws. We are a team and we needed to act as such. In the end, those boundaries saved us.

When things would get really bad and I wanted to cave into …

For those of you that read my personal blog, Make Mine a Mojito, I have stated several times before that Mr. Mojito and I only plan on having furbabies in our family.

Wellllllllllll, the time for our first puppy to arrive is quickly approaching (as in, late August to be exact).

These cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies were born over Memorial Day Weekend this past May. These are the most recent pictures I have of them. We are still not …

I have had this conversation with several people and wanted to know your thoughts. I find that people are VERY divided on this topic…

Would you upgrade/change your engagement ring (either in size, shape, clarity, or all of the above) assuming you could pay for the upgrade with cash (i.e. no credit cards or debt) and both parties were O.K. with the decision?

Ponder and discuss.

Every week since we started dating, Mr. Mojito has given me a bouquet of flowers. Sometimes it is orange tulips, raspberry colored peonies, calla lilies, or cymbidium orchids, but this week he gave me beautiful two-toned roses, berries, and hydrangeas.

This is a weekly tradition I look forward to. It has even become a fun game between us. He never gives me the flowers on the same day so I am still surprised every time I receive them, and he always makes me …