Me and Mr. C

That picture of me and Mr. C was taken when I was 6-8 weeks pregnant with Baby Roo. No one else knew about the pregnancy, except for a few select group of people. This pic is one of my favs because when I look at it, I can see evidence of our happy little secret in the way we're smiling into the camera. I'm also reminded of how years before this picture was taken, before we had kids, before we were even married, I almost passed up on Mr. C because he "wasn't my type."

It's true. I'd take him to parties and friends would always corner me and ask "So who's that guy you brought?" And I'd answer, "Oh, him? He's a teacher too. We're just hanging out for the summer while we have time off. He's not really my type."

I don't think the 27 year old me knew what my "type" even was. I knew I wanted a tall guy, and Mr. C certainly fit the bill there. But I think I was looking for someone a little less..... dorky? I myself, was too dumb to know that I was a dork myself, and so I was looking for someone a little more suave, mysterious, and/or debonair. Mr. C proved to me that he was no where close to being any of those things when on our 3rd date, he stuck a plastic bag on his head and proceeded to wear it like a hat in the middle of the grocery store produce section. (I'm sorry, Mr. C, but you did. Just own it. No one here is judging.)

Thank goodness for long summer vacations, because I learned a few things about Mr. C in those few weeks that changed my mind. For instance, he's the kind of guy who, before going anywhere that may be remotely interesting, grabs his camera bag before anything else:

Turns out that he's also an excellent companion at any art museum because he knows all this interesting history and trivia about the exhibits. He's teaching our kids these things too:

I also learned that he's an excellent teacher. He doesn't teach art, he teaches creativity and what he can pull from his students is amazing. His students like and respect him (at least the smart ones do.)

While we were road tripping that summer, I learned how he loves the outdoors. He says it's his religion. He showed me that off-roading in the rain can be fun (and kind of romantic):

In fact, he loves the outdoors so much that he spends all school year dreaming up the next big summer camping trip with our kids:

And perhaps, most fun for me, I learned that he loves live music. Whether we're in the dive karoke bar up the street, or at Coachella Fest, we are ALWAYS having more fun than anyone else. Guaranteed.

By the end of that summer, I had learned my lesson. Mr. C was the coolest dork I knew, and I wanted to be one too. With him.

So Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. C. I heart you forever, you big dork.