My friend and I are both 26 years-old. Lord willing and guessing by the average life expectancy, he and I are currently about 1/4 through our lives. (Life expectancy of an American male is 75 years. Contrast that with Cameroon where male life expectancy is 50 years.) At our age we’ve spent most our time in education and a short while in what may be the beginning of a fulfilling career. But even at our age we’re beginning to see that life is short. That’s partly why I’m thrilled to be involved with Wycliffe, serving a master and task I’m passionate about; and also partly why my friend is changing careers.

On this realization and as a sort of inside joke, Emily and I have begun making a mental list of things that we feel like life is too short to do. They’re not as deep or meaningful as you might be expecting.

Life is too short to use somebody else’s tea mugs.
We sold nearly all our belongings when we moved to Dallas in July. We did, however, keep a box of our favorite tea mugs and coffee cups, cups that represent us. The apartment where we’re currently living is fully furnished. When we moved in, the cupboards were stocked with standard plain, white mugs. No character, no representation of anybody or anything. We initially left ours boxed up and used these white-washed beverage tombs…until last week we realized that life is too short to use somebody else’s tea mugs. We do prefer ours after all.

Life is too short to listen to music (or commercials!) you don’t enjoy.
Change the station!

Life is too short not to have kids.
=)

What’s on your list? Earlier today Emily tried saying that life is too short to not eat at the Waffle House. That’s debatable. But we did agree that life is too short not to eat food you enjoy.

So, go ahead, leave a comment answering: Life is too short to..

Poppy had turned two about two weeks prior to this shoot and I was keen to have some photos marking the occasion.  I also wanted some lovely pregnancy photos because I didn’t have any taken with Poppy and I do enjoy looking back on photos so much and remembering special times.  Lastly, I just wanted some of the three of us.  The last two years have been a magical time for us and as the next chapter begins with the move to Texas and the arrival of our baby boy, I do want to savor the joy it has been to have this little girl at the center of our lives.  Her face is pure beauty in my eyes and her captured joy gives me goosebumps.

Visit the photo gallery for even more photos from this shoot.

Look at this mammoth itinerary we’ve got planned for the coming weeks.* With gas prices at an all-time low this is bound to be a treat! We’ll leave Wake Forest on June 28 and head to my parents’ in Pennsylvania where all sorts of delights await (Fourth of July at the Maust Cabin and the beach just to name two). Later in July we’ll set out for Dallas, stopping in Louisville to see the ever-awesome Chris & Rhea before arriving in Dallas via Little Rock on July 15. We are aware that Wake Forest to Dallas via PA and KY isn’t the most direct route; but there are warm-welcoming friends and family there who cause us to deviate gladly.

This works out to driving 1,684 miles in about 28 hours if Google Maps has any idea what it’s talking about, which I don’t think it does because there was no place to note that one passenger is pregnant and the other is two.

Of the states we’re traveling through the only one I’ve never visited is Arkansas. My parents claim it is the land of love. That is where they first met after all.

*Plans subject to change!

Here are pictures from the weekend, including our stay with Chris and Rhea, visiting with Isaac and Kelly and then hanging out with Joey, Karly and Cosby.

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No chicken barn this year, however, for fear of avian flu. (I guess they were too chicken.) Hogs and goats were out in full force (the ones of large girth, as you can see from the picture, were given special permission to ride solo–no one complained). We even bumped into two familiar faces by the bathrooms, Chris & Rhea.

Footage of before, during and after our wedding snapped by Chris Hickok for which we are truly grateful. You can just ignore Chris’ vacation to Italy which is tagged onto the end of the video, or not, he doesn’t mind. He’s a good guy.

Chris Hickok (the best man from our wedding and dear friend) took his turn at the marriage thing this past weekend in Huntington, West Virginia. With 200 guests in attendance, Emily and I dressed up in our smartest attire and had a gay time with the jocund company. If you didn’t happen to be in Huntington that weekend of the 12th of August, we’ve got enough pictures of the event in our photo gallery to choke a Shetland Pony. Mosey on over and check ‘em out!

Just as exciting, as this week comes to its end, the arrival of Hayes’ draws nighest (watch the count down on the right for lift off!). Yippee! See y’all soon!