t.v. ---it affects our brains.

last night, daron and I watched the latest episode of grey's anatomy.

(if you don't want to know what happens...

stop right here.)

at the end, you find out owen is in fact cheating on his wife christina. 

very sad.

anyway, that's not the point.

the point is, i woke up this morning asking daron
(while still half asleep) 

if he had cheated on me.

i had this horrible dream that he cheated on me during 

our first 6 months of marriage (i won't reveal with who)

...then never told me...

then we got divorced. 

then we were getting remarried.

etc..etc..

you know, weird dream stuff that feels so real

you find yourself feeling your dream is your

reality during the first 10 seconds of waking up.

needless to say, it was quite the relief to realize 

it was just a dream.

i found myself thinking about how much the things we let enter our brains

affects them. did you know that everything that enters our brains never leaves? we may not be able to recall it easily, but it is always there...filed away in the section that it belongs, forever. 

that's a long time...just sayin'.

i compare watching t.v. shows about wild infidelity and cheating to movies like this one (below.)

and i can't help to notice the difference my brain feels.

i will master time management.

i will master filling my time with those things that matter most,

those things of eternal value.

one day...i will.  

one step at a time. 

laundry room bliss

i walk past this room now and my heart sings. what used to make me feel a little bit of anxiety now feels like a breath of fresh air. i used to put the folded laundry in stacks on top of the dryer and lay my clothes to dry over the washer. daron cleaned it on Sunday and made a few changes. 

simply put.

he is the bomb.com.

this weekend.

daron and i layed low. i threw a wrench in the weekend by having to take an exam on a friday night. oh how i will not miss these days. but then daron had the pleasure of taking an exam on saturday and meeting up with me for lunch. i love lunch dates with my lover. it is something we rarely ever get to do. after my test, i was pretty stressed and just exhausted. i came home and daron sees something in my hair. it is none other than chocolate frozen yogurt...ha! i about died. then we laughed for hours. he said he was going to be surprised if i didn't get yogurt on the way home. and it was obvious that i did. 


i did end up proposing to daron on leap year (with the above flowers). and you know, it was the strangest thing. i was nervous. to propose. to my husband. of almost 2 years! and it was obviously a joke like ha ha this is tradition type of thing. but getting down on one knee even just for kicks gave me little butterflies. i have a new found respect for men in the world.


tonight we spoiled our dinner with dessert and listened to some of the most wonderful words of wisdom. i love words of wisdom. they are uplifting and warmth to the soul. on that note, you have to watch this video if you haven't already. oh my, it is one of my favorites. i had to chuckle at the too many soiled windows in my life. 

looking forward to, what i hope to be, a little less stressful week. yay!

because i won't see this day for another 4 years...

i think today i will dream about taking a bath.
i will also probably eat breakfast for dinner. 
i will paint my nails a color that has never been on them before.
i will wonder, on the next february 29th, who will be president?
what state will i be living in?
how many more of my friends will be married?
i'll ask daron a million times what we are going to do tonight that is different because, hello, this day isn't coming again for a very long time. 
i'll remind him that we should probably do something special for it.
he will sing back to me "do a little dance...make a little love...get down tonight...get down tonight" 
i'll write a paper for my M COM class, finish my skirt in sewing, and start studying for my 2 tests this weekend wishing all the while i could drop everything and really enjoy this crazy weird day called leap year. 
i'll think about how my mom told me about the best tradition. a tradition that says "only on leap year, can the woman ask the man to marry her."
i'll probably come home with flowers tonight and ask daron to marry me.
i'll also come home with his dry cleaning (that i have forgotten to pick up for the past 3 days) so that he will say yes.


all because i won't see this day for another 4 years!
and that is just crazy to me.

Dear April,

you cannot come soon enough. i am looking forward to your presence with great anticipation. more anticipation than i'd like to admit. i pray that you come with a diploma (which means, i cannot fail my classes. i must endure. i must not give up). please help me to not give up. 


i'm overwhelmed with work and school. (same old story as the next person, i know i know.) but i know when you arrive, the end will be in sight. it will be the end of not seeing my husband  until 10:30 at night and not preparing descent meals for too many days on end and feeling as though my house is on the verge of disaster because it receives so little of my attention.


thankfully, this week, i was able to be reminded how good life is. you know, by those simple things you notice when life starts piling up. those things you have to notice so you don't go insane. 


just some of those things were: 
             my husband dancing in the garage for me when i came home. it changed my tear filled face to a smiling, laughing one. 
             watching a husband and wife flirt adorably at the gym. it made me look forward to my 50's with daron. after a life i imagine being full of joys and challenges, still flirting. still making each other laugh.
            writing love notes to my lover while in class. (this doesn't contribute to my fear of not getting the best of grades...do you think?)
             having the pleasure to spend time with my beautiful, gorgeous mother-in-law. ohh, please come back soon!
           reading letters from my far away friends in italy and france.
           the 15 minute phone calls i get with  my mom and sisters during any chance i get
           and, an always favorite, date night with hubby to none other than the G spoon. 


the other night i was driving to dinner with my sister-in-law kirstin and her husband to a family dinner. she mentioned how, when you finally come to greet us, we will officially be graduates. done with our undergrad forever. she asked me what is planned after that. what comes next? and it made me realize that i have absolutely no idea. babies? maybe. traveling to europe? oh i can only hope. i blame THIS blog for making europe on the mind. going to grad school soon? a possibility. not going to grad school? also a possibility.


i don't know what is coming after. i am having a fun time thinking about it though. but my dear april, you must come soon so i can enjoy the unknown adventures of our future....please!
sincerely,


your biggest fan. the young fam.

valentine's day 2012

i have to say i love valentine's day. i love it single. i love it "taken." and you bet i love it married. it doesn't matter what my "status" is, every year the opportunity to celebrate love gives me butterflies. even if it is "single awareness day" for me at the time. 

yesterday, i felt like i loved everyone that much more. i wanted to know everyone's plans (boring or exciting), i wanted every person to feel incredibly special and know that i loved them. because- the fact is- we (as in me and you) are special. special is actually an understatement. sometimes, it is easy to forget our potential as human beings and we easily forget how 

special

and important

and incredible

and wonderful 

and amazing

and how infinitely loved

we are.

thank goodness for valentine's day. thank goodness for a day that reminds us how much we are loved and how much we have to be grateful for, especially during those times where we may be getting knocked around a little bit.

yesterday, i was reminded of how special and loved i am. all the credit goes to the hubby. daron called me while i was at work (a rare experience) and i remembered what it was like to be 16 again. the moment i heard his voice, my stomach filled with butterflies. i felt like my high school crush had just called me for the first time. i was trying to keep a straight face, ya know, be professional and all. but i'm pretty sure my voice went up 2 octaves and i couldn't stop smiling. giddy school girl to.the.max.


later on, he surprised me with a gold wedding band. i couldn't stop starring at my hand- during dessert, during the movie, while driving, walking, sitting. i still can't stop starring at my hand. it was like getting engaged all over again. 


and, he lit candles. but you know what i loved even more than the romantic candles? the alternating resee's candies in between all around the house. this simple act made me feel so special and so loved.


so, my 2 cents, even if you don't have a significant other to enjoy "lover's holiday" the day must not be wasted. there are too many people out there that need a reminder of how special and incredible they are. get ready for next year. cause next year i have this goal...where every single person i love- will know it. like...really know it. i.can't.wait.


love,


dani bree

discoveries-from the weekend bEfOrE last

#1 blue lemon breakfast. delicious. as i was downing my french toast, i kept telling daron "babe, this is SO good. what is it in that makes it this good?" finally he looks at it and says "well, you are basically eating cake for breakfast..."


light bulb! ha and i thought i was being all healthy...woops!


#2 reeses hearts have a time limit of 48 hours before they are gone. i repeat: gone from our house. i could blame it on the company that came over...but let's get real. i am the culprit.


#3 daron and i...we are improving. don't you love those moments where you actually see the progess from your hard work? they are wonderful. we saw quite a few of them over the weekend. arguments that would have taken us a day to get over took us like 5 seconds! yay for marriage, love, and learning a person inside and out.