Tag Archives: husband

I’m So Excited!!

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I’m So Excited!!

Hello!! As you all know, I have never been a fan of summertime and I still wouldn’t call myself that now despite appreciating it much more. It’s probably because the pandemic made having summer fun impossible these past two years. While it still is a concern in my area of Ohio, we are currently in the green and it makes me feel way more comfortable with doing all of the ACTIVITIES!

There is so much that I’m looking forward to this summer, including the following:

Concerts:

Pre-pandemic, Johnny and I were always at different venues for his former band to play and it was a blast. However, we have never been to a big concert together and that is about to change this summer. Johnny and I are in a HUGE Willie Nelson phase and will be seeing him play at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls this July.

We are also going to Riot Fest in Chicago this September to see My Chemical Romance’s reunion. I scored these tickets prior to COVID and it got rescheduled and I was so thankful to be able to transfer our tickets to this year’s show. The lineup is absolutely amazing and I cannot wait!!

Pool Days:

My apartment community has a wonderful outdoor swimming pool and I count down the days until it opens for summer every year. The pool features a deep area, a section for the kids with a waterfall, and a mini pool on an upper deck. Whether I am lounging in the water with a good book or enjoying the pool with my niece it is always nice to escape at our own personal oasis. I also love that I can now take a float with my new Taco Bell inner tube that my sister got me! 😀

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Apartment Hang Outs:

Johnny and I still can’t get over our new digs in our bigger apartment and other than more space, the biggest upgrade is definitely a functional air conditioning unit and windows that open. Our last apartment would get unbearably hot in the summer and it was painful for us to be there let alone anyone else. This made it literally impossible to host friends and family and that always made me feel sad.

Now that we have somewhere that we can truly beat the heat in, we have guests over all of the time and that novelty will never wear off. We absolutely love having people over for dinner, game nights, and movies and it gives us something to look forward to almost every weekend. Our new apartment also features a lovely front patio that is so nice to sit on in the evening and have a chat!

Garden Veggies:

At the old apartment, my kitchen was a small galley one and it made cooking possible but unpleasant. The new place, however, has an open kitchen and it has turned cooking back into my favorite thing thanks to an abundance of counter space. Every summer, I look forward to my dad’s vegetable garden because there is nothing better than making a meal with fresh veggies. It just hits different and I am so ready to enjoy the harvest – both cooking and eating it! 😀

I am finally starting to understand why people like summertime and I guess it’s not so bad after all. Here’s to summer fun for everyone!

What are you looking forward to this summer? Are you going to any concerts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Date Day!

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Date Day!

Hello! At least every other week, Johnny and I like to have a date day over the weekend before our regularly scheduled game nights. Whether it be going out to lunch or dinner, having a drink at our favorite bar, or shopping around at some of our go to game stores, it’s just nice to be out and about. This past weekend, we decided to go middle class fancy and hit up the Red Lobster before a rousing game of Legend Of Zelda Monopoly:

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^^^ Lol, peep that Pablo Cruise shirt! 😀

Johnny and I have a very similar sense of humor and are constantly making each other laugh. When we first started dating, he told me a story about how he went to Red Lobster with a girlfriend and her dad and had a laugh attack about something that no one found funny. He was so tickled by the fake newspaper “The Daily Catch” that his fish and chips was wrapped in and he didn’t even receive a titter from anyone else. He got a huge belly laugh from me, though!

On Saturday, he must have been craving fish and chips something fierce and texted me when I was at my parents if I wanted to go to “The Lob” for lunch. I had no idea what he was talking about and thought it was a new restaurant that had opened so I said sure. When I was informed that it was Red Lobster, I couldn’t deny him his Daily Catch and he had also scoured the menu to make sure there was something that I could eat there as a vegetarian. Such an angel. ❤

We hit up The Lob and I was honestly so surprised by how much I enjoyed the food. The cheddar biscuits were out of this world and my pasta dish was delicious with a lemon and garlic sauce. The drinks weren’t bad, either, and I got a Margarita while Johnny went for a Bahama Mama. Unfortunately, his fish and chips didn’t feature The Daily Catch which was the whole point of going but we still had a blast.

In my area of Ohio, the majority of restaurants are chain ones like Red Lobster, Applebees, and TGIFridays. Our date day was such a typical Midwest middle class fancy outing and like everything, we could find the humor in it. Will we be dining at Red Lobster all of the time? Probably not. Will I be excited every time Johnny suggests The Lob now? Absolutely! 😀

What is your favorite chain restaurant? What is a middle class fancy outing for you like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

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Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

Hello everyone!! It is a happy, wonderful day because it is my darling husband’s birthday!! Johnny turns the big 3-3 today and I am so excited to celebrate him even more than usual. My Johnny is the best husband, blog husband, friend, and partner in crime that a gal could ever ask for and I am so lucky to be his ol’ ball and chain. ❤

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Ever since our first date, Johnny and I have basically been joined at the hip and every second is an amazing one. Whether we are out and about or just sitting at home, we always have the best time together because we are in our own bubble of happiness and jokes that only we find funny. Speaking of funny or as Johnny would say “funny looking”, he constantly has me in stitches and there have been times when we are laughing so hard we end up crying!

It is never a dull moment with my husband and even the most mundane things end up being an adventure… Five minute drives that I insist on calling “road trips”, grocery shopping, and even housework turns into us just having fun. A prime example of this is when we were moving and I was getting frustrated and Johnny spent a solid minute dancing behind my car before I could make another trip for more boxes. My annoyance turned into belly laughing and it is the image that I think of when I reflect on our moving day.

Our almost three year relationship has been a whirlwind of big events from Johnny’s concerts, family vacations, moving in together, getting married, and moving again. The little things are always what sticks in my mind, though. OOTD shoots, date nights, movie marathons, and even Johnny hovering in the kitchen when I’m cooking tie together the mosaic of our lives with love and lots of laughter.

I love you so much, darling Johnny!

Happy Birthday!!!! ❤

Happy Early Birthday To Me!!

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Happy Early Birthday To Me!!

Hello! I am one of those people who simply cannot wait to give and receive presents for special occasions. I am probably the most impatient person when it comes to that! When Johnny and I first started dating, he was pretty good about waiting until a holiday or birthday for gift exchanges. However, over time, he has adopted my early bird method and gifted me with an early birthday prezzie this past weekend:

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Lol, the answer is: Yes, my husband did buy me a sword cane for my birthday – it is exactly what I wanted! As you guys know, I am extra enough to be carrying around parasols, wrapping myself in faux fur, and wouldn’t be caught dead in the summer without a huge sunhat and sunglasses. A sword cane is yet another thing to be added to this arsenal of extraness and I am SO there for it.

At least once a year, Johnny and I have a Harry Potter movie marathon and this present was inspired by Lucius Malfoy’s cane wand. I remember vividly saying that I loved it when watching The Chamber Of Secrets and Johnny filed it away in his mental rolidex for a gift giving occasion. And, as always, he did really good because my cane is incredibly similar to a one Mr. Malfoy’s.

Johnny, apparently, was just as enamored by this purchase as I was because he accidentally ordered two! Instead of canceling the order, he decided to keep it for himself and we have definitely already had fake sword fights at the apartment. Fear not – the blade is less sharp than a butter knife but we both had a blast getting our imaginary Aragorn on!

As you might know, Johnny’s birthday is on June 1st, our wedding anniversary is June 4th, and my birthday is June 7th. We refer to this as our “birthaversary” and it’s such a monumental week that we can’t help but celebrate early… Especially considering that Johnny has known his gift for the past month – an immersive Sleepy Hollow cocktail event. We can’t wait! 😀

Are you an impatient gift giver like me? How do you like to celebrate special occasions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Surprise Sweater

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Surprise Sweater

Hey! My Johnny is a huge fan of podcasts and loves to listen to them while driving, hanging out at home, and at work. His absolute favorite is the Last Podcast On The Left, which discusses true crime, gruesome history, and all things horrifying in a humorous way. I, personally, don’t have the attention span for podcasts, however, when Johnny and I are taking a road trip or working on unpacking we usually listen to Last Podcast together.

We have a lot of gear from the LPOTL crew including stickers, books, coffee mugs, and my new sweater that Johnny got me from their online store:

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^^^ We love the elbow patch pentagrams!

A few weeks ago, Johnny and I were having our game night and he decided he wanted to see what was new at the Last Podcast On The Left shop. During his browsing, he pointed out the Hail Yourself cropped sweater and I instantly fell in love with it. I told him as such and without a second thought, he put it in the cart and ordered it for me. He also picked out a few goodies for himself!

We have been eagerly awaiting for our shipment and I couldn’t wait to get home and check it out when he told me that it had arrived. My new sweater is even better in person and I love the fuzzy lettering and oversized shape. In fact, I am wearing it as I type this and it is SO. Freaking. Comfy. It is also perfect for the weather today because it is pretty chilly out.

My Johnny and I love to spoil each other and it is because we both are really listening to each other when we talk. Just yesterday, for example, we were watching Impractical Jokers and Johnny said he loved one of the shirts that Murr was wearing. I looked it up, found it, and have it ready to order as a little treat. This is a constant thing for us and it is such a sweet pick me up to look forward to when one of us says that we have a surprise for each other.

Speaking of surprises and our active listening, my birthday present from Johnny is a prime example of it and you can peep that on tomorrow’s post. Hail yourself!

What is your favorite podcast? What is your favorite merch store to shop? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Matching Pablo Cruise Shirts!!

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Matching Pablo Cruise Shirts!!

Hello!! Johnny and I have a couple of movies that we watch at least three times per month and Superbad and Step Brothers are definitely on that list. In fact, we honestly can’t have a conversation without peppering in our favorite movie quotes. The last time that we watched Step Brothers, we both decided that we wanted the Pablo Cruise raglan shirt that Brennan wears in the movie. So, we got it!

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^^^ Step Brothers picture from From The Movie, where you can get yours!

We watched Step Brothers before Johnny’s final show with The Outside Voices a few weekends ago and, as always, had a laugh attack during the entire viewing. Then, we proceeded to listen to Pablo Cruise for the rest of the day as we had never heard them before and had to have the knowledge to back our new shirts up with. We both pictured 1970’s yacht rock when we thought of Pablo Cruise and we weren’t wrong but it was oh so right.

Johnny and I listened to banger after banger by Pablo Cruise and even insisted that the sound tech played them while we were hanging out before the show. Everyone agreed that Pablo Cruise did not have to hit that hard but they did that for us. Stay with me on this, but it is the perfect music to listen to in a hot tub and I think that everyone was there mentally after just one song lol.

My husband and I have several matching T-shirts and I always say that it’s so we don’t get lost. Our newest addition to this growing collection is, hands down, my favorite though! We were so excited when they arrived in the mail and we both wore them to work the following day. And, good news, we didn’t get lost!

Moral of the story: If you are as big of a Step Brothers fan as me and Johnny, give Pablo Cruise a listen, buy the shirt, and join us as twinsies! 😀

What is your favorite funny movie? What band do you think is good hot tub music? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sweetest Thing Ever!

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Sweetest Thing Ever!

Hello! The day of Johnny’s show this past weekend, we were just hanging around our apartment when he looked closely at my new nails. Then, he told me that they were the same color I had on during our first date – strawberry lemonade! Needless to say, my heart exploded into a million tiny pieces and I had to pinch myself that I actually have this guy as my husband.

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I can remember our first date very well but obviously not as well as Johnny. For example, I was so nervous that when I got to the Cashmere Cricket, I literally walked right by him without even noticing that he was there lol. Over drinks, we talked about anything and everything and had the best time and have been together almost every day since. Johnny, on the other hand, could tell you verbatim conversations that we had on our first date and it never fails to give me the warm fuzzies.

When Johnny told me his revelation about my fresh fill, my first thought was instantly that “I am the luckiest girl in the world”. And, secondly, I thought that no one should settle for anything less than this. And, believe you me, before I met Johnny I did a lot of settling when it came to relationships and I always wondered why I didn’t have the best results.

Every person deserves to be treated like royalty by their significant others and, despite always thinking this, I never let that rule apply to me. I, honestly, didn’t even know my own worth until I started seeing myself through Johnny’s eyes. We often get from our friends and complete strangers that we are “#relationshipgoals” and that is so sweet. However, we are just two people who are basically exactly alike who found each other at just the right time.

Prior to our first date we had both been unlucky in love and I had sworn off of dating until he Facebook messaged me asking if they made a pair of my Union Jack platforms in men’s. Now, there was a guy that I could talk to! We went out to the Cashmere Cricket that night and the rest is history. Every day I am reminded of how lucky I am to be married to such a stand up guy and his comment about my nails is a shining example. ❤

How did you and your SO meet? What makes you feel lucky? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

JCPenney Style Couples Shoot

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JCPenney Style Couples Shoot

Hello!! The last time mine and Johnny’s dear friend, Shannon, came to visit he took some absolutely amazing shots of us. We were feeling very inspired by silly JCPenney style couples portraits and the end result is just perfect. Johnny and I can’t wait to get these pics printed and framed along with our wedding pictures that we haven’t bothered to do yet lol. Check it out:

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The last time Shannon came to see us from Marietta, he essentially brought a photo studio in a duffel bag with him and all of these shots were taken in the living room of our old apartment. He had so many different backdrops, equipment, and equipment hacks to make these pictures happen and Johnny and I couldn’t be more grateful. We had wanted to do a shoot like this for forever and it was definitely worth the wait!

I’m not going to lie to you guys, Johnny and I were pretty hungover when this photo shoot happened and I consider it a miracle that we were able to coax Johnny out of his bathrobe and into normal clothes lol. Our somewhat matching spooky sweaters were just right for posing with our sweet son, Sam, from Trick ‘R Treat and, of course, we had to include some White Claw in for good measure. Who could ask for anything more?

Despite the general ridiculousness of these pictures, they mean so much to us because Shannon took so much time and effort to make them happen. These shots truly showcase the quirky couple that is me and Johnny and we hope that all of you got as big of a kick of them as we did. Thanks again, Shannon – we love you!!! ❤

Do you have any funny couples shots of you and your significant other? What are they like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Big Move!

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The Big Move!

Hello!! Johnny and I moved to our new apartment this past Saturday and, let me tell you, it was an absolute doozy of a day. When I first moved into my apartment by myself, it wasn’t bad at all and I was actually able to unpack my belongings that day. Of course, I didn’t have all that much to move so I was totally unprepared for the task at hand of moving two people’s stuff out!

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^^^ YIKES!!!

Johnny and I weren’t able to pick up our apartment keys until ten o’clock on Saturday morning and from then until six or so at night, it was a mad dash. We were moving boxes like our lives depended on it until one or so when our moving team from Two Men And A Truck showed up. I had hired this company last time I moved and they were excellent then and now.

The team consisted of three young men and they were SO funny, kind, and efficient. In under two hours, they had moved all of our furniture from Point A to Point B and it was amazing to watch them work! They were moving all of these heavy pieces of furniture like it was nothing and never missed a beat for some playful banter. There wasn’t much that could be done on mine and Johnny’s end while they worked and it was a welcome break!

Once the movers were done, Johnny and I sprung back into action with another special guest: My mom! With sufficient space cleared out, she helped me with the cleaning process to get the apartment back into tip top shape. I had already done a super deep cleaning and she came to assist with finishing touches as well as cleaning supplies. We were both incredibly thankful for this helping hand and wouldn’t have been able to complete our one day move without her.

After my mom left, Johnny and I made several more trips back and forth to our new digs together. Then, I was able to fully sweep and Swiffer our hardwood surfaces. This was a surprisingly time consuming task because the sweepers weren’t picking up everything. After a couple passes, I had to collect the remaining debris with wet paper towel. My back was killing me by the end of it!

I worked my ass off during moving day but, honestly, it was nothing in comparison to Johnny and I am so appreciative to him for it. Johnny has a van which can hold way more than my little car ever could so he handled the brunt of the moving because I did almost all of the packing. He was also in charge of all of the heavy lifting because I just couldn’t do it.

Between moving instruments and equipment when his band plays and working in a factory, Johnny is used to this type of challenge. Myself, on the other hand? Not so much. I have never participated in a move of this level before and it showed. I was getting dizzy from the trips up and down stairs with bags and boxes in hand and Johnny made me sit down, drink water, and eat something every time this happened. He is an angel among men! ❤

By the time we were all settled in our new place amid a sea of boxes, we were beyond tired but so very proud of our work. It was a long, stressful day but there was nothing like sinking into our bed that first night and falling asleep as soon as our head’s hit the pillow. An air conditioning unit in our bedroom that actually works was also extremely conducive to a good night’s sleep. 😀

As we continue the unpacking process, keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for more on our new place. You will receive a grand tour, decorating projects, and some pro tips to make your move as pain free as possible!

What was the last time you moved like? What is the most difficult part about moving? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Accessory Story: Forgotten Ring Edition

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Accessory Story: Forgotten Ring Edition

Hello! I love putting on my engagement ring and wedding band every day because I think that they are the most “me” pieces of jewelry that I own. I didn’t think it was possible to love another piece of bling more so I was blindsided when I found this surprise ring while I was packing for mine and Johnny’s big move:

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I have a pink dish chair that has held all of my bras, sports bras, and swimsuits for as long as I can remember. I also have not moved anything from that chair for as long as I can remember. Lol, Johnny caught onto this too because while I was boxing up everything from the chair, I found a velvet gift bag. At first, it felt empty and I almost threw it out. Then, I reached into the bag and discovered this gorgeous pearl ring with amber jewels!

I literally clutched my pearls when the ring was revealed because it was just so cute. It looks like a gemstone bow and I have never seen anything like it. I was so curious where this ring had came from because it was in the most random location. I couldn’t wait for Johnny to get home to question him about the ring’s origins because I thought that it might have been an engagement ring he picked out before ordering the one that I have.

Once Johnny got home, he told me that he also had no idea where he acquired the ring and then we started playing detective. It didn’t come from me so it would have had to have been from Johnny. We both thought that the gift bag’s gold motif was similar to my ring box and packaging from the Etsy shop we got my engagement ring from. Then, concluded that it must have been an extra gift for purchasing the engagement ring.

I asked Johnny how he could have forgotten this and I guess with the excitement of getting engaged it just slipped his mind! He also expertly hid it in a place where we both never look so I don’t think I would have ever found it unless we were moving. I love this bonus ring so much and I am thrilled that it is finally in its rightful possession – mine! ❤

Have you ever found anything unexpected while moving? Where is the best hiding spot at your place? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah