Even though it’s been raining for the past week straight, the temperatures have warmed up and summer is right around the corner. So what screams out “guilty pleasure” more than spending double the regular price for “decadent” ice cream?
Nothing…that was a rhetorical question.
I was contacted a couple of months ago by a website called Bags of Love. They make personalized goods that people can customize with photos and text, and had recently introduced a few new product lines and wondered if I was interested in reviewing one.
I get offers like this a lot, but I only feel compelled to accept the offers from products and/or services that I’ll actually use (sorry…I probably won’t read your book or use your baby products). With Sunshine’s birthday approaching, I thought this could potentially be a nice gift to give to her but there was one problem: the company was based out of the UK.
Luckily, they were preparing to launch their North American-based site: BagsOfLove.com, so the offer was still on the table. I was given three options to choose from: a photo cushion, a personalized apron, or a personalized towel. I decided to go with the photo cushion as I thought it was the most practical option as a gift for Sunshine.
The website was very easy to follow. I simply found the product I wanted to purchase, uploaded the photo I wanted to use, and entered some text that I wanted to display. There weren’t any confusing links to get me frustrated with the whole process, which is something I sometimes find with other websites when ordering products.
I placed the order and received my product less than two weeks later. I was impressed with the quality, as I wasn’t sure what kind of cushion I was going to receive. I thought the picture turned out great and it was pretty much exactly how I thought it was going to be. All I needed to do was wrap it and give it to Sunshine on her birthday.
Well…her birthday was last week and she really likes the cushion. The photo I used is the proposal photo, which is one of her favourites. She is already looking forward to giving the cushion a permanent placement on our bed.
“Forever Yours”
So all in all, I’m quite happy with the product and how it turned out. I think this is a unique item that you don’t find every day and because it can be easily personalized, it’s something that has meaning.
Thanks, Bags of Love, for the opportunity to try and promote your product.
I’ve been concerned about my dad ever since my mom passed away just over two years ago. His inability to be alone is understandable considering that he was in a relationship for over 40 years. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for him.
Rather quickly, dad jumped into another relationship. For me, it was way too soon. For him, it was a replacement and he couldn’t wait to not be alone anymore.
While she was a nice enough woman, I never saw the connection. I never saw the love. I never felt the two of them really belonged together.
After having an on-and-off relationship (including calling off an engagement) and after spending three months together in Florida this past winter, they split for good a couple of months ago when he returned. He seemed different this time…not completely afraid to be alone and not willing to just be with anybody. I felt as though he was actually READY to be in a relationship, so maybe it was all for the best.
Last month, he joined an online dating website. He went on a couple of dates but found one woman, in particular, who really seemed to connect with him. He told me about them getting along really well and my initial reaction was to roll my eyes with a “here we go again” attitude. I just wanted him to be happy, but didn’t want to see him rush into another relationship just because they “got along”.
This past weekend, I was introduced to the new girlfriend. Upon the initial meeting I was immediately hit with the thought that she was a nicer lady than his previous girlfriend. In fact, my younger brother walked up to me and said, “She seems nice” after the first five minutes. I told him that I agreed but that I’d like to meet her a bit more before allowing myself to be too comfortable.
On Sunday, I had a nice 20+ minute conversation with her as dad got ready to go to church. I was really happy with how the conversation went, with laughter and similar views helping to prevent any awkward silences from taking place.
For the first time since mom passed away, I feel “okay” with dad dating someone. I’m comfortable with the notion of him with somebody else. And honestly, that wasn’t something I was good with over the past two years. Maybe it’s part of me finally letting go or maybe it’s just that my dad has found someone that I approve of…I dunno. Either way, I feel as though things are finally moving forward in a positive way.
Hey gang!
Whether you know her or not…whether you read her blog or not…whether you follow her on Twitter or not…whether you “like” her on Facebook or not…PLEASE do me a favor and drop a quick comment or tweet to Sunshine on her birthday today.
Sunshine, you are the love of my life and I can’t wait to marry you later this summer. I will do whatever I can to make you the happiest woman in the world. I love you.
I am the luckiest man alive.
Happy birthday, baby.
LOVE YOUR SHOW~!!
xox
There’s something in the air. Spring is here and you can see the change everywhere you look around. The trees are beginning to bloom, people aren’t wearing jackets every day, and the winter tires have all been stored away for a few months.
But there’s something else going on.
Everywhere I look, I see middle-aged men driving sports cars. And not just middle-aged men, either. Would-be retirees are also jumping into the sport car trend. These middle-aged men have taken their middle-aged toys out for the summer a few weeks early.
Here’s the weird part…I’ve always wanted to sit back and make fun of older guys for driving around in their Corvettes and Mustangs and Maseratis because they’d looked ridiculously out of place. But now? Now I’M the middle-aged guy…I’m 40, kids…and the “older guys” that are driving those vehicles aren’t that much older than I am.
I don’t get the appeal, to be honest.
Oh believe me…I’d love to have a “dream car”, but my style is more of a Mini Cooper (I love those little things). I’ve never found comfort in powerful engines (nor have I ever found the need to over-compensate for something by having an engine roar as I drive around town). I don’t know why, but I’d rather have handling over power…so maybe that makes me an overly cautious middle-aged guy, I dunno.
I always wondered why guys would purchase a Ford Mustang when they’re in their 50′s or 60′s, but I guess I understand that now that I’m entering my 40′s. It’s very simple: money.
Most guys can’t afford the car of their dreams when they’re in their 20′s and 30′s. So I suppose it only seems natural that they would jump online to read the latest review of the hottest vehicles and decide which one they should take their line of credit out for. Me? I’d use a link like that just to read-up on what’s available (I’d like to think that the safety feature reviews are just as important as the hemi-engine output reviews), but it’s all about personal preference, I guess.
If I won the lottery tomorrow, would I upgrade my vehicle? Sure I would. If I somehow manage to eek out enough of a living in another ten years or so, will I want to pick up the latest hot rod just so I can reclaim a piece of my youth back? Nah…that’s just not me.
I’d pick up something, for sure…but it’d be a vehicle that’s practical AND fun to drive/look at. As nice as a Corvette may look, it just doesn’t make any sense for me to own one at ANY age.
What about you? Do you have a vehicle of your dreams that you think you’d buy in your 50′s & 60′s if you could afford it? Why?
It’s now May and spring has officially begun, as the weather recently has been great and the winter tires are now off of my car. Of course, with the onset of spring comes a (seemingly) short summer period. June, July, and August…that’s pretty much it for summer. An extended winter season has delayed my summer planning, so I might as well try to get it all done now.
1. Get married. This one is at the top of my list. The wedding is tentatively scheduled for August 11th. Wait…no, I shouldn’t say “tentatively” because at this point, it’s cemented to be on that date. The only possible hitch is that my divorce won’t be finalized by then, but I sent the final documents yesterday…so it should only be a month (maybe five weeks) before it’s done. I hate that I’ve waited this long to get it taken care of and that I’m making Sunshine nervous about the timing of everything. Let me just say that I do NOT want to EVER get divorced again (the whole process is brutal) and I certainly WANT to get married in three months. This time is the last time. Period.
2. Lose 20lbs. I know that I’m healthier now than I was a few years ago. I know that I’m lighter now than I was just over a year ago. However, I’m 10lbs heavier now than when I first moved here to live with Sunshine. I honestly don’t know what the deal is, but I think it’s simply because I’m eating real food for the first time in years. I’m not pigging out every day, but I’m eating healthy amounts of real food…and I think my body simply isn’t used to it. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. But if I’m getting married again (for the LAST time), then I want to look my best for the big day. I’ve got three months to do it…this shouldn’t be an issue if I stay focused.
3. Buy a new BBQ. One of the things I stopped doing a couple of years ago was barbecue. I was living alone and just didn’t feel like taking the time to go out and throw something on the grill. Fast forward two years to me closing out my home recently. Sunshine and I took a look at my barbecue and realized that because I had left it outside uncovered for two years, it was rusted beyond repair. Now? Now I want a NICE barbecue. I’ve been looking at this gas barbecue as a possible option. 40,000 BTU’s? Yes, please! Mmmmm…I just want to taste some rib-eye fresh off the grill again.
4. Go to a GOOD drive-in movie. We actually got to see a couple of movies one night at a drive-in during the summer, but the only problems were (1) the movies weren’t any good and (2) the theatre was about two hours away from Sunshine’s house…meaning it was around 2am by the time we got home and we were DEAD tired. There is a drive-in only 30 minutes away from my house, so hopefully we can schedule something over the summer.
5. Take a weekend trip with Sunshine. We tried to have a “stay-cation” last weekend but it wasn’t the same as actually getting out of the city and doing something. When we lived apart, we would sometimes do overnight trips in certain places just so it felt like a vacation. Where we haven’t been able to go anywhere so far in 2013, it’d be awesome if we could go somewhere…even if it’s an overnight trip…and just leave the city behind us. I know we’ve got a lot going on with the wedding and all, but I’m hoping we can still make this happen.
6. Walk a half-marathon. Yeah…this is really going to happen. I’m scheduled to walk a half-marathon on my birthday, September 14th. I’ve begun training and I’m averaging about 5km/hr right now. I’d like to get that a bit faster before September, but I think walking 26km is something I could totally do. Sunshine and I walked 8km a few weeks ago and did 9.5km last weekend, so by the time late summer arrives we should be doing 20km easily. I’m (surprisingly) looking forward to this.
7. Go to at least 5 restaurants that we have never been to before. We easily accomplished this last year and, quite honestly, I can’t wait to do it all over again. It’s one of those “small things in life” that we experience together and enjoy a lot. And now that I’m living in the city with her, we can take advantage of all that the city has to offer during the week…not just the weekends. I’m really looking forward to trying different restaurants this year.
8. Get a family portrait with ALL of our kids in one spot. With Rugrat tentatively sheduled to come visit the second week of August, that means both Sunshine and I will have that entire week off to spend together with all of our kids. It will definitely be hectic, but I think it’ll also be a blast. BUt something I definitely want is to have a picture with all of us together…and one done professionally. Last summer my ex-wife took a picture of all of us together and it wasn’t quite the masterpiece I wanted, so hopefully we can get ‘er done this summer.
9. Enjoy life…especially the life I live and how I live it. One of the things I’ve been working on recently is trying to love myself. As difficult as that has been, it’s also helped me to remember how much I enjoy living life. Is my life perfect? Not by any stretch. But it’s a good enough life that I don’t’ want to take it for granted. It’s funny…this past weekend I told Sunshine that sometimes I don’t feel like she “stops to smell the roses” and enjoy what’s around her. It’s definitely advice that I need to consider for myself.
10. Smile every day. It’s easy. It’s fun. It can make someone else’s day without you even realizing it. There is ALWAYS a reason to smile at least once during the course of every single day. My task…heck, my personal mission…is to never forget that.
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