meet my husband keven. 

first comes love…

i knew of him. but i didn’t know him. we had both earned coveted spots on indiana university’s student foundation, in charge of planning our campus’ largest events. the night we found out we’d been chosen, we didn’t talk at all during our celebratory night out. i talked to his brother. they were twins. that’s how i knew he existed. his brother and i were friends. there was a team building weekend over the summer. i don’t think we talked there either. maybe that added to his appeal. the mystery. he says he remembers that i was tan and wearing flip flops. so much for first impressions. at some point i remember thinking, “there’s something about him. maybe we’ll be in charge of the same commitee.”

as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened. our initial encounters were very business like. planning marketing strategies for campus events. meeting to discuss ads to run, timelines, and agendas. super romantic. but there was something there. i pretended i wasn’t interested, even to my friends.

he was nice. and he listened. that was a rare find in college. he had good manners. he was smart and fun and easy to be around. he remembered things i told him and asked me about them later. he talked about his family. he showed up at a speech i was delivering that i didn’t even tell him about. and then one night, he asked me to dinner.

was it a date? i had no idea. we’d hung out so many times as friends. maybe it was just a friendly dinner? i woke my roommate tristan up to tell her the news. she thought it was a date. the next day, i borrowed clothes from friends, tried on a few options, and finally went with a blue-ish sweater and jeans. not too date-ish, just in case. he showed up on time and opened my car door. my first clue. he took me to one of the nicer restaurants in our LITTLE college town. ok. maybe it was a date.

he drove me home after dinner. his band was playing at a local bar but i already had plans to stay in and watch a movie with friends. really, i did. he says i was playing hard to get. i wasn’t, but it worked.

then comes marriage…

fast forward five years. we did a lot of growing up together in those five years. we graduated, lived in indianapolis {i lived with my parents, he had an apartment}, he moved to florida, and started a new job. we did the long distance thing. i went to grad school in indy, graduated, got a job in florida, and eventually moved. new jobs. new friends. new everything for awhile. slowly we made a life in florida. we talked about marriage, about our future together, but we were still trying to figure out how to be grown ups on our own.

on august 1, 2007, i thought we were just visiting his parents in nashville for the weekend. he surprised me at the gaylord opryland hotel, under a waterfall, down on one knee. i said yes.

we were married on july 25, 2008 and it was truly the best day. i would go back and do that day again a million times. not the planning. just that day. everything felt like it was just as it should be. we started our life together, back in florida…

then comes the babies in the baby carriage….

E was born in february, 2011 and K followed two years later in june, 2013. it was quite the adjustment, going from no kiddos to one kiddo and then to two. {i think one to two was hardest.} E was born in florida. we loved our life in florida. our jobs. our friends. even our LITTLE townhouse that always seems to have something wrong. florida is where we figured out how to work as a team, how to be married, how to really deal with the better and the worse, and how to rely on each other. but there is just something about the pace and the feel of the midwest. we made the huge decision to move back to indy in 2012.

keven is my person. my best friend. there are ups and there are downs. fourteen years together has taught us a lesson or two. if i could choose anyone to go through the highs and lows and in-betweens it would be him. every day it would be him. he is kind, encouraging, fun. he is the opposite of me in so many ways, which works somehow. he is easier going, better at relaxing, staying calm. he is so good to E and K, super motivated to support us all and give us the best life possible. he is a successful director of finance by day, talented musician by weekend, but he would never tell you that. his band, the one he and his brother started in college, continues to wow audiences, winning numerous honors and accolades. they have such a passion for performance and what they do. i am still amazed every time i watch them play. i am always proud of keven and thank God everyday that he asked me to dinner all those years ago.

keven is the one who encouraged me to devote more time and attention to the LITTLE things, to share them in hopes that more people would stop and notice…and he’s sharing his own LITTLE things today for

ntlt friday friends

welcome keven! thank you for noticing and sharing.

here is keven’s list for 11.25.16

1.  fall scented yankee candles. yes. i’ll admit it. anyone who knows me well knows i’m the one who buys the candles in the family.

2. the macy’s thanksgiving day parade. seems like every year it’s the same floats and characters but i love the tradition anyways.

3.  the smell of turkey filling the whole house on thanksgiving.

4.  watching football games for teams i don’t even root for just because they are on.

5.  turkey trots/thanksgiving day 5K’s or any other activity that justifies going back for thirds on thanksgiving.

6.  holiday coffee and beers.

7.   sitting around the fire pit with family.

8.  when your kids randomly come up to you to tell you they love you.

9.  rivalry weekend football games. go blue and go hoosiers.

10.  finally being able to listen to christmas music and watch christmas movies.

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