50 Day Challenge

50 day Challenge

Day 4: A Picture of Your Best Night:

I have no idea how anyone could narrow this down to just one best night.
I came up with a few...
Here goes...

In March of 2009 D and I had been dating for about 3 months.
My parents came down for about a week to help me move from my house with Sam into my first apartment.
Ok, ok...we all know it was just an excuse to see 6 month old Little O.

This picture was taken in a late night photo session in a nearly empty house. The next day, as we organized my new apartment and I adjusted to life as a divorcee, Oliver sat up on his very own. I think he was just waiting for Papa and Gaga to arrive.
The picture symbolizes to me a new found happiness and freedom.

I was on my own.
Had a family that loved me.
The glow of motherhood.
The excitement of a new relationship.
It was the first time I'd felt truly happy in a very longtime.
A new beginning...

Oliver was born at 3:48pm on 9/22/2008.
6 hours later we were sent home.
Ok, not exactly the least painful night of my life but mostly certainly the most life changing and one of the best...

Fairly certain I went from girl to women in an instant...

This picture was taken on my first night at Lakeside at my Mom and Aunt's cabin.
Yes...that is actually tape holding on the shower head.
clear.
plastic.
shitty.
tape.

I was 7 months pregnant and they thought this would make showering in that old claw foot bathtub easier. (hahaha)
I have never laughed so hard in my entire life.
I go every summer and stay with them.

My Aunt started taking me to Lakeside as a little girl.
I have such wonderful memories and am already counting down the days until this July.
I laugh more in one week than I do all year.
They are some crazy ladies.
I'm glad I take after them.

I know some people might find it odd to include a picture of my ex-husband.
Sorry D.
But, Sam and I started a tradition of going to Cubs game and then camping every year around my birthday. A tradition that D and I have continued.
This was one of the best trips.
I try and remember the happy times I spent with Sam. We had a BLAST that night.
Even if the beers did cost 9 bucks...
We won though!
And I distinctly remember that I got an ice cream maker.
score!
It was red.
double score!

This was my first Christmas with D...
My parents came to visit.
We were working on the house and I was so proud to show off my wonderful family and home.
I knew at this point that I had met the love of my life.
And the parents approved as did the brother.
He is a wonderful father and adds perfect balance and stability to my life.
and he's wicked sarcastic...

Yep. That is a picture of a hippo.
You have NO idea how hard Sam and I searched for those hippos.

We took boda-boda here, there, and yonder.
We got lost, confused, hungry, sore, frustrated, lost some more and I'm fairly certain for a while we weren't speaking to each other.
In the end Sam managed to make one of my BIGGEST dreams come true.
We chartered a little boat and went onto Lake Victoria in Kenya and saw HIPPOS!

The entire trip I kept a list of animals/places/things I wanted to see and do while we were there.
This was one of my biggies.

That night we stayed at this very cool hotel from the 50's.
You could tell it was once a very very very long time ago the posh British place to stay.
It was now totally run down.
I loved the charm, in only the way Kate can love broken tile, non-functioning bathrooms, and paint peeling patios.
We stayed up late laughing, drinking HUGE warm Tusker, and playing cribbage.
It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
We had spent the longest day ever looking for those damn hippos but it was all worth it.

Day 4 of the challenge complete...

I'm not doing so bad on this.
Now off to open a Lonestar, make a salad and try out my Mom's new recipe for avocado salad dressing and Elsa's brie asparagus!

P.S.
I'm fairly certain that the above game of cribbage is the only time I ever beat Sam.
hehehe!