Couple Face

 

 The name of this blog almost wasn't {A Blog About Love}.

Danny & I settled on future baby names in two seconds, but somehow thinking of a good blog name was torture.  TORTURE, I tell you :) 

These were two of the other names we considered...

• Couple Face

• Can't Keep It In

Couple Face -  Ha!  At one of the Chinese sewing rooms where we used to have the HARVEY clothes made in the Garment District, this older Chinese husband and wife (the owners) loved me and they couldn't wait to meet Danny!  They always wanted to meet anyone I was dating, which was so sweet.  I just loved this couple and really miss them (I wish I had a photo of them but they always said they were "very conservative" and do not like photos of themselves.)

Well, when they finally met Danny, they stood back and smiled and the wife motioned to our faces in a circular fashion and said, "Ahhh...couple face, couple face!" and the husband agreed, "Ahhh....Yes, yes....couple face!"  Maybe it's because we were both grinning ear to ear.  Or maybe it's because we just have a similar look.  Lots of people actually said we looked like brother and sister when we were dating.  I think it was just because we were both glowing.  Anyway, "couple face" makes us laugh and we still call each other that from time to time.

Why Have Kids??

I have contemplated a lot about why people choose to have kids.  
WHY? 

I've had a lot of time to think about these things.  Ha!
(And oh my....I would loooove to hear why you had kids!)

On a walk this morning, my friend & I were discussing it and thought that maybe people have kids mostly due to cultural norms....as in....It's just what you do!  Right?  You get married and then have kids because everyone else does...and everyone says it will be great!  So you go for it... cause it's the accepted path.  Plus I think it's common to want to share in the experiences of your peers....just so you don't feel on the outside of the experiences your friends and family are having.

Most Important Things I've Ever Learned (About Love)- #3

I used to take unloving situations (in my earlier marriage) very personally.

When my first husband had a hard time feeling love for me or saying "I love you" & spoke of his concern about ever being capable of loving me, I used to feel a sting so deep in my heart that it physically hurt.  I thought it was because of me.  I thought I was truly defective in some way, or inadequate, or not beautiful enough, lovely enough, talented enough, dynamic enough, engaging enough, creative enough, or interesting enough.  

I want to tell you how I learned to end that thinking.  Completely.  

Holiday Pictures

We are having such a perfect holiday weekend in NY....and so glad we still have two more days to go!

Here we are heading to the Macy's Day Parade...first time ever for Danny & I + this little cutie pie (our good friends were with us.)

I just realized we had our matching hats on that day!  We are a hat family, the two of us.  And luckily I have a huge head (or just a lot of hair, as Danny so nicely says) because we have the same head size  and can share hats.  

My Prayer for Today

This is for anyone out there who is alone today.

Maybe you are with people or in a marriage, but still feeling alone.  Maybe you dream of spending the holidays with a spouse, or even a boyfriend for that matter!  Maybe you are spending your first holiday alone after a divorce.  Maybe you are far away from family.  Maybe you dream of having your own little family around you.

I just want to say to all of you.......
May you have your spirits lifted today in some way.
May you be able to be full of the divine power that you already have within you (!) to let go of whatever it is that you don't have, and embrace whatever it is that you do have.  This will bring you PEACE & serenity in your life, even if things never, ever turn out the way you want.
May you believe that this life has a purpose...and it's these very experiences that will refine us, more than anything else.

Be grateful for this moment.  Be grateful that you are alive.  Be grateful that you can have opportunities again & again & again to experience this life...and little by little, become your best self.

Danny & I are rooting for you all!

Mara

 (via inklemonade)

Happy Thanksgiving

Writing this little note brings a teeny tear to my eye.  I have such a full heart.

Today I am grateful for...

-MY HUSBAND!!!  He is the most loving man I could imagine.  Right now he is singing in our living room "No Woman No Cry"  Ha!  (Do you know that Danny SINGS & plays the guitar?  And I am telling you, he is really, really good.  He'll die when he sees I just wrote that.)  I really am the happiest, most grateful wife right now.  The picture above was from our very first Thanksgiving together.  We were not yet married.  But we were full of the greatest happiness we had ever known.  Oh, what a miracle he is to me.

-The children we don't yet have, but who inspire me every day to be the best woman I can be.  I wouldn't be the woman I am today without them.  I wouldn't be with Danny without them.  And I would not be writing this blog. 

-ALL of my experiences - the good & the bad.  They have enriched my life so much, I wouldn't trade a drop of them.

-The friends and family in my life.  I am so blessed.  I love you all.

-The most loving & supportive people I have connected with since starting my blog.  You all have made me feel like a million bucks.  Thanks for reading.  Gosh.  It really means so much.  I'll probably keep saying that over & over.  Know that you motivate me to keep doing what I'm doing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Much love to each & every one of you!

Mara Kofoed

P.S. We are going to the Macy's Day Parade.  First time ever.  I'm excited.  :)

Love Story: Feeling Grateful

 

(Pictures are from my days as a single woman in 2009.  Myself and two others had just started Harvey & had launched our brand at the D&A tradeshow in Chelsea.  Here's our booth at the trade show.)  

Mara,

As always I am grateful to you.  Your emails, example, and very person never cease to brighten my day, my mood, my outlook on life.  It's like two Fridays ago I was a different person.  I still believed everything I believe now, and believed it deeply.  But now there seems to be so much more evidence for everything I already knew to be true.  I was happy, but not the kind of happy where you can't wipe the smile off your face no matter how hard you try.  Oh...and the uncontrollable laughter, I love it! 

YOU, Mara, are a good friend.

So how do strangers greet each other upon first meeting, cause I gotta be honest...after all that I know about you and the genuine respect and appreciation I feel for you and the way you've lifted me up...I was planning on giving you the biggest hug. :)

Enjoy the rest of your evening, know that I am thinking of you always and smiling :D

Danny

Why I Blog

Today, I cannot tell you how excited I am.  Something really cool happened to me... I was asked to write a piece for Blogstar, because they like my blog!  (Talk about major happy face here in the Kofoed household.)  If you don't know about this website by Sarah Bryden Brown, you really, really should check it out.  It's a resource for Bloggers...but like the best one I've ever come across.  (I need to devour every word of it.)  Blogstar has partnered with Kirsty (founded by Design Mom) and together they are doing amazing things for the blogging community (which I am falling in love with more and more as the days go by.) 

So back to my excitement.... Blogstar has a regular series called "My Life as a Blog" and it's a behind the scenes look at a blogger's life.  [Anyone who reads blogs would enjoy this!  I loved reading some personal details about some of my favorite bloggers such as Oh Happy Day, Say Yes to Hoboken, & sfgirlbybay.]  Well...... today Blogstar launched a little story about why I blog.  I feel so honored.  I hope you will check it out.  This is my first writing piece outside of my blog...(breathe, breathe!)

Hope you all are feeling prepared for Thanksgiving!  (I am not.  Time to get crackin' for a sweet little Thanksgiving in Brooklyn.)

A few love announcements: 

Stuck

A reader wrote in & let me know that she feels stuck in her relationship.  She knows she should leave him, but she is having a hard time making it happen.  My heart truly goes out to her.  And to ANYONE who finds themselves feeling stuck for any sort of reason. 

This was some of my advice to her....

Weekend

I added more to my gift guide.  Couldn't resist.  (The new ones are listed at the end.)


Danny & I have one jam packed weekend ahead.  I am looking forward to Saturday night.  We're hosting one last Brooklyn party for our friends, the ones who are moving to NJ.  In honor of them, each person is bringing their favorite Brooklyn take-out.  (We'll be ordering Song Thai food).  And we'll have a buffet of all our favorite New York desserts.  (Cause in case you didn't know, we're all about the food in New York.)

Have a lovely weekend!

Peace is Closer Than We Think

(From Danny...)

We all struggle at various times to feel real peace and love, especially when life gets a little tough.  Hopefully we've noticed at least a few times in our lives where the Divine has stepped in and helped us, either temporally or spiritually.  Many of us are more aware of the times God seems to have stepped in for someone else and yet ignored us in a seemingly similar situation.  Why the difference...if God is no respecter of persons, why does it appear that sometimes He is more generous with others than He is with us?

I don't know if I can fully answer this question, because I've yet to experience all that life has to offer.  But, with everything that's been handed to me so far, I think I've started to figure it out...

Christmas in Brooklyn

 

Creative genius by Chip and Katie Rich, of Katiedid.  

They wowed us with the hand-cut garlands of Christmas carols, hanging from bakers' twine.

I am the biggest sucker for traditions.  I just love them.
About 9 or 10 years ago I started a Christmas Progressive Dinner in Brooklyn for all the Brooklyn friends.  We've done it almost every year since and it has become one of the great highlights of Christmas in Brooklyn.

About 4 hosts are chosen and they prepare each course of the meal.  Then all the couples walk from house to house, drinking cider, chatting, and awaiting our next stuffing.  It is fantastic.  And my friends are amazing cooks, not to mention the best Christmas decorators I have EVER seen.  And can you believe this invitation, designed by our friend, Abby, of Hi + Low?  One year she drew out the entrances (in perfect detail) to each home.  That woman wows us over and over and over.




That particular Christmas happened to be soon after my first husband left.  It was especially meaningful for me to plan this dinner, because it was a miracle to me that I was doing sooo well that I would even want to do it at all!  But I did.  I'll never forget how I felt that night....I felt particularly alive and particularly well & in love with Brooklyn.  Didn't matter that I was solo!  I was at peace either way. 

Here are some archived photos from over the years (most taken by Stephanie Marston & the Riches)...and a recipe, by Danny...

Loooove Story & Uncontrollable Smiles

I was still in New York holding up, working late nights, stuck in traffic, running our business, HARVEY FAIRCLOTH.....

And Danny was still in Boston, working as an Accountant at a venture capital firm, eating bachelor meals of grilled cheese & breakfast burritos, playing his heart out on the guitar while thinking of me, which made me the luckiest woman on earth.....

 

AND...we were writing each other like crazy.  AND WE WERE IN LOVE.   :)

Danny,

I am dying to just be able to picture you.  I can't wait to see you, your home, where you sleep, where you eat, your neighborhood, the Pier, etc.  It will just be cool to see it all.  Yes, I've seen about 3 tiny/abstract pictures of you on facebook.  hahaha.  But I'll love to just see the real you.  Maybe I'll get brave and start sending you some pictures from my iphone.  We'll see.  Once again, THANK YOU for being willing to meet me.  Are you nervous??  I will try so very hard not to be.  We are just "friends" I tell myself.  We'll just be casual, no pressure...Nope - none at all!!  haha!  Oh my, I'll have to tell myself that over and over and OVER.   I can be SHY sometimes, Danny.... not always.  But sometimes.  I hope I don't feel that way when I meet you and that I'll just feel as natural and at ease as I do now.

And, this is so strange to do.  But I am sending you some love from NY.  The kind of love that I feel for someone I admire, someone that makes me melt, someone that tugs at my heart for all that you stand for and all that you desire to be, and someone that appreciates the parts of me that I love most about myself.

Smile a bunch today, as I will do.

From a woman in New York who adores you,

Mara

Best Beauty Secret in the World



Anyone who knew me in high school, college or during my first 6 years of my 7 year marriage knows that I am not the same woman I was back then.  People say I even look different and those that knew me before and after know what I am talking about.  Even my downstairs neighbor of 6 years in Brooklyn (whom I hardly see) recently told me that a few years ago, she could tell when my life changed for the better because I just looked happier & more radiant.  [She also mentioned that shortly after my first husband left, she knew things were better in my life when she stopped hearing me at 3 or 4 am, still awake upstairs.  It turns out I was actually listening to this, sometimes over & over & over with my lap top in my bed, and clinging to every word.]  

This photo is one of my favorite photos, simply because it was taken near the time that my life changed for the better.  I'll never forget that time because of the feeling of peace that I had, despite my circumstances.  This was in 2008, maybe a month before my first husband decided to leave.  I had been through years of feeling off and on rejection by him and also had just been through the first 2 years of infertility.  But by the time this photo was taken, my enlightenment had fully begun!  It had been in full force for awhile now!   Can you tell how happy and at peace I was, despite my circumstances?  I WAS!  Really and truly!!  

So what caused the change in my countenance in the year prior to my divorce & how did it remain strong during & after the divorce?? 
I tapped into my true identity.

Mara's 2011 Gift Guide

Christmas is right around the corner!  Let's make it a good one.

Here are some rad gift ideas.  Some of them are mad money $$$$, Dirt Cheap, Tasty, Practical, Vintage or Just Cool.

Winner!

Dear Erin Woodward,
You are the giveaway winner!  A Mindy Gledhill & Bianca Merkley CD will be coming your way.  In honor of 11/11/11, Danny chose #11 and that was you!  And, I must tell you that I love your blog, Sutton Grace.  Mod podge shoes?  Brilliant!

By the way, the concert tonight was awesome.  Those women are just cool & incredibly talented.  The little venue on the Lower East Side was just packed - and the air very chilly outside.  There was something magical about being all packed inside listening to some beautiful music.   I am home now and listening to Mindy's Christmas music now and feeling very cozy.

Hope you enjoy the music! 

And, here are few pics from around Brooklyn today...wish you were here!

xo,  Mara

  Some *darling* Jewish girls in the park - - loads and loads of them... 

all on a field trip and all walking hand in hand.  I wanted to join them.

A run in Prospect Park.  It is spectacular right now! 

 Today I fell in love with yellow, Brooklyn style.

Become Your Best Self

(A Month of Sunday Walks, by Leanne Shapton, former Art Director of the NY Times.)

I believe EACH & EVERY ONE of you has the potential to become more spiritual / conscious / full of light, on any level you desire. 

As promised...

Here are a few things I recommend to get you started on that path, though there are SOOO many other things, too...many of which I have yet to learn.  These are just some things I did & I found it all to be life changing.  See if something here resonates with you.  Even if some of this seems foreign to you, I recommend giving one or all of them a try to see for yourself if it makes you feel more centered & happy.  I hope you'll join me on this journey.  It truly is empowering...

A Year in New York

You guys.....I am feeling very nostalgic about my days & memories in Brooklyn.  Mostly cause some of my dearest friends in the world are moving to New Jersey.  And it just feels like the end of an era. They've been my Brooklyn family since they moved here 9 years ago.   I can hardly bear the thought of Brooklyn without them. 

AND, I just saw this film called "A Year in New York", posted by one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Stephmodo.  Danny and I just loved it. 

For the love of New York......

To My IVF Nurses

 To My Dear IVF Nurses,

You ladies have been so wonderful.  The best I've seen in New York.  When I first came to your office, I saw one of you give a hug to a another patient and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

You know by now that I just cancelled my IVF...at the last possible second before buying $5,000 of non-refundable drugs and infusions, no less.

My gut just said to not do it yet.  So I actually feel relieved, even though I was really liking the possibility of being pregnant at Christmas time. 

You see, I've been doing all kinds of kooky things that you may not approve of.  I've been eating gluten free, dairy free, & soy free (very tricky, let me tell you).  And I've been trying my darnest to avoid sugar & high glycemic fruits.  I am also taking so many vitamins and supplements that it feels like I have a small meal in my stomach when I'm done.  I've been exercising, which has been fantastic.  And I eat kale for breakfast and salmon for dinner & drink green smoothies.  I just feel so healthy and good.  So I just got cold feet about putting all those drugs in there.

But MOSTLY, I have one more really, really kooky thing I am going to try.  Haha.  I found out about it the day before I had to pay for the drugs.  It will actually happen this Saturday in Chelsea.  And it might help me to get pregnant.  WE WILL SEE.  It's one thing I have not tried (which is impressive, considering I have tried a lot.)  I promise that if it works, you'll be the first to hear all about it (as will my lovely blog readers).  :)

And if it doesn't work, that will be ok, too.  Cause I'll be even healthier if I return to your care.  And I'll be happy that you will get to be my IVF nurses, since you're the best ones I've ever met.

Love,

Mara

Jonathan Canlas Photo Shoot - Central Park

Danny and I had the supreme good fortune of getting some photographs taken....by the talented Jonathan Canlas....in Central Park.  Uhh - can you imagine a better scenario?! 

He was teaching a photography class called FILM IS NOT DEAD and so we were the subjects for not only Jonathan, but multiple photographers who were there to learn.  And well, since it appeared we had our own paparazzi, we had tourists photographing us, too.  :)  haha. 

So here we were, getting our chemistry documented by about 20 photographers.  And they were so taken back by our connection that they just couldn't believe that we were for real.  They thought we were professional actors, faking the part.  "So, you guys aren't REEEALLY married are you!??" they'd say.   "You have GOT to be kidding me!!" "There is NO WAY you guys aren't acting!"  They thought it was such a trip and didn't really believe that yes, we really are married.  Yes, we really are that in love.  Yes, we really are that happy.  :)  One photographer asked me on the side what our secret was.....and you all should know it by now.  But I said the secret was learning to be this happy on our own (even in our less than ideal circumstances). And so when two people who are choosing to be happy like that come together, it makes for some pretty awesome sparks *&^%$#@!!!!  

These pictures will speak for themselves, but holy crud, if you ever have the opportunity to hire Jonathan for your wedding or engagement or family, etc., just do it.  He is amazing (and so is his blog).  And he flies all over the world for shoots.  And holy crap, he was a lot of fun while shooting and made the whole thing so comfortable. 

See more of our photos here....

Date Night in Brooklyn + A Giveaway!

It's almost here....Bianca Merkley & Mindy Gledhill's CD Release Concert is in Manhattan THIS FRIDAY @ 6 pm and 7 pm at Rockwood!  So excited!  See all the details on my previous post.  Hope you can make it!   (Note:  The venue is for 21 & older only!!) 

AND, to show support for these amazing musicians, I will be having a GIVE-AWAY right now on this blog (I feel so official)!  Just leave a comment below (any ol' comment will do) and I will send you a CD of Bianca's new album + a CD of Mindy's new Christmas album!  Is it just me or are you already excited for Christmas??  (I will have Danny choose a number by midnight eastern time on Thursday PM so we can choose a winner & get your little gift on it's way.)

AND.... if you can't make it Friday night, 

Bianca is also singing in Brooklyn with her cellist the night before

(this Thursday, Nov. 8).  It's FREE (!) 

& it's in the Gowanus 

(anyone in BK knows that stinky waterways are now in :)

Details below. 

 If I ate gluten, I'd go to Four & Twenty Blackbirds prior (note:  they close at 7:00 pm) for some of the Salted Caramel Apple Pie, the best pie on earth.  Or I'd go to Prime Meats, Frankie's Spuntino, or Buttermilk Channel, three of THE best restaurants in Brooklyn (all on Court Street).  Any of the above would make for the perfect Brooklyn date night.

Also, they will be selling some cool Brooklyn T-shirts (selling for 1 week only) designed by an artist in the city.  The artists work will also be displayed at the event and proceeds will support environmental initiatives in the city.  I'm all for it.

 

 
Lastly, I am all too excited (cause I am such an office supply dork) that these 2012 calendars from MUJI are FINALLY here!  I use them every year.  And they fit nicely into my little leather bag.  I've been waiting for weeks to get my little 2012er.  

OK, I really should be snuggling with my husband on the couch (one thing I never want to miss) while we watch Moby Dick.  Off I go...

xo,

MK

p.s.  If anyone wants to get all floury & do some service, come make COOKIE MIX IN BULK for a homeless shelter fundraiser!  Just email me if you'd like to come.  A bunch of Brooklyn ladies are getting together Wed. (Nov. 9) @ 7:30 pm in Carroll Gardens to do some hard core cookie mixin'...cause this great organization called CAMBA needs our help.  (They're putting cookie mix in their gala gift bags for their yearly gala fundraiser. )  Anyway, it should be fun.  And you are all invited.  And service is the best way to ensure you have a really good day.

Love Story & Two Very Happy People

Dear Readers - do you want to hear more of the Love Story?  For anyone new here, Danny & I were both divorced and single and longing for companions when a friend set us up by email.  Danny lived in Boston, I lived in NYC.  We were completely on the same page from the beginning and wrote our hearts out for 3 weeks before we met.  Here are a few of the next emails we can share from those early days before we met when divorce was raw, being single was raw, yet our hearts were in the right place. 

[And before we get started, I just wanted to let you know that I have something so fun to show you soon.  Danny & I recently were in a photo shoot in Central Park with JONATHAN CANLAS (!)  It was extraordinary.  Can't wait to show you the pics.]

Danny,

You are killing me here.  That's Mara language for....I think you are out of this world !!!  :) :)
This feels like a dream.

It's amazing to see that you know about real love.   So many people don’t!  I’ve had way too much experience with people preoccupied with fantasies, porn, women (or men) with perfect bodies.  So many people are sooo sucked into a very sick version of what love really is.  Anyway, I dream of being married to a man that does not base his love or desire for me on such fleeting things.  Yes, it would be lovely if he thought I was beautiful as I sit next to him in church or walk by his side.  Yes, I hope he will desire me as a woman.   BUT...........more than ANYTHING, I hope he will have a love for me founded on “respect, shared commitment to higher ideals, absolute trust, service, partnership, faith, hope, patience, living to bring joy to the other."  (yes, I just cut and pasted that part from one of your emails.  Hahaha.  It was THAT good.  I am telling you, you couldn't be saying anything to me that would be closer to my every heart's desire....you are pretty much NAILING everything that I live for.....you really are.)

How wonderful would it be to have that long-lasting love, devotion, charity which only comes from loving God first (which keeps priorities pure), then your spouse.  Danny, let me tell you, I can hardly imagine what it will be like with the full package.  Holy moly.  That would be GOOOOD.
 
And yes, I think men and women DO indeed help our spouses to reach their divine potential!!!!  I love that, actually.  I love that we could serve our spouse in that way, by instilling in them the desire to be better.  I want a spouse that will do that for me!!  And I certainly want to do that for my husband.  

Thinking of you always,

Mara

There's more.....

Feeling Truth for the First Time, at Age 30

 
Several years ago, I didn't really feel spiritual.  In fact, I hadn't felt spiritual most of my life.  Part of me didn't want to...cause it just seemed a little weird & questionable.  It seemed spiritual people were either "new agey" or they were religious fanatics who seemed to blindly believe in things. 

But, many people around me acted like they knew something of value.  I didn't get it.  How is it that they could know something, but those same concepts weren't really doing anything for me?  I realized I was WAITING for "spirituality" to come to me.  And when it came to religion, I was WAITING for some undeniable, overwhelming feeling that there was some "truth" in whatever religion or concept I was thinking about at the time.

This led to years of me thinking, "I just don't feel anything.  I don't know what I believe.  I'm just going to do the best I can until something comes to me." 

In high school, apparently I had fooled everyone because they chose me out of hundreds to be one of the keynote speakers at seminary graduation.  (Mormon kids usually take a religion class as part of their curriculum.)  I was 18 years old.  And I finally had the guts to say no.  I just couldn't fake it anymore.

Sunday School at Caputo's

Keeping the Sabbath Day holy. 

Doesn't that just sound old-fashioned...more like ancient?

It is.  But...it's awesome.  

I had to show these photos... Here we are in downtown Boston on the very first Sunday that Danny & I went to church together (and it was the day after our very first kiss!)  I love how blissful we look.  We couldn't stop smiling for days. 

There was no other place I wanted to be than at church with Danny.  It was just so nice to be with someone who desired the same, uplifting things I did.  Sadly, observing the Sabbath Day was actually not always something I cared about...oh boy...

The Studio

Do you guys want to see some of the real estate projects I've done in New York?  I kind of have a thing for renovating.  Here's my first renovation.  This was my very first home in New York, fondly called "The Studio." 

I bought it for $75,000 in 2001.  YES, $75,000!!!  In North Slope!  And yes, that included the tiniest fridge you'd ever see.   It was the cheapest piece of real estate anyone had ever heard of.  And also the s-m-a-l-l-e-s-t.  It was a mere 282 square feet.  Think a one-car garage.  You could scramble some eggs, go pee, pick out an outfit to wear, and answer the front door all while standing in the same spot :)

Baby-Making Adventures

(From a recent gmail journal entry awhile ago...)

My dear husband has been gone for 2 wks for business.  Too, too long for me!  I am such a baby for that man.  I am awaiting seeing him now - just outside JFK.  It is 6 am and he flew on a red-eye with next to no sleep.  And, I am likely ovulating this second.  Any baby making mama & papa knows what that means.  And so we will need to get busy, before we miss the whole thing.  I would want to anyway, of course.  And right now I'm contemplating whether or not we might go to jail if we just park this Rover in long term parking and get busy in the back!  (Note:  I would do this.  But I am certain I can't talk him into it. :)

Oh man, I'll see him in minutes and I can hardly stand the wait....I am about to go nuts.

So, in case my Rover fantasies don't pan out (haha), it's ok cause we'll also be speeding to Manhattan to an infertility clinic, hopefully by 7:00 am, to have a very official IUI.  And then, we'll race back to Brooklyn, probably missing our friend's baby blessing (boo), then my husband will dash to Staten Island to give a talk as a high councilman.  And then, off we'll go to a huge picnic in the park after church with all our dearest Brooklyn friends.  Whew!  It will be one very, very long day with no sleep for my dear Danny, but I'm glad he's up for the adventure.  And despite the fact that I'm having trouble conceiving, I'm thankful every single day that he wants to have a baby with ME.

Here we are at the clinic.  I hope we don't annoy people who are there.  No one else seems as happy as we do.

UPDATE, A FEW HOURS LATER:  No romping in the Rover.  But wouldn't that have been fun?  Instead we kissed - for a wonderful long time - and I'm surprised those security guys at the JFK curb did not have a fit.  My husband smelled so delicious I could just melt.  Best smell in the world.  It reminded me of when we were dating and when I only saw him on the weekends.  His cologne would just about knock me out every time I saw him.  And what's cool is my clothes still smell like him as I wait at the infertility clinic.  Can't wait to be by his side today!!!

Gluten-Free + Hot Booties + Unexplained Infertility

I'm doing it again.  100% gluten-free, forever more.   I was also gluten-free for the last year of my first marriage.  It was an effort to possibly help me to get pregnant (because at that time, things were actually really great.)  It was a glorious year full of so much energy!  But when my first husband left, baby making was hugely on hold.  So, I was like GIVE ME A BURGER...