It's been a while (4th Anniversary Edition)

So three a few of you took notice that, though what I wrote at the beginning of this blog was pure genius, I have been less than consistent in my blogging.

I blame a few things, which will serve as updates to my life.

1 - I bought a house, which leaves a man pretty occupied.



A garden like that doesn't garden itself



2 - I played a whole lot of kickball (or did it play me... no I played it. The other way doesn't make any sense). Which I also dedicated  some blogging time to http://kickjames.blogspot.com/ if you want to hear all about the season.

This picture should be Instagrammed

3 - My wife and I found out we are having a baby. This also took some blogging time away, though not as much as it should. Those thoughts can be found, with the help of my beautiful Jenna at http://littlebabychew.blogspot.com/

So, I can hear you asking, why now Thomas? Why are you coming back to us? What has happened in your life for this re-emergence into your writing endeavors? I'll tell you.

If you've followed the life and times of Thomas Chew at all, you know I am married to a lovely little lady named Jenna. Today happens to be our fourth wedding anniversary. On August 16, 2008, we gathered in Weston's Mill's at her mother's old house on a gorgeous day to celebrate our lives together. It really was a gorgeous day. It was sunny, but not too hot, bright, but not blinding, there was a breeze that made the air smell good. There were butterflies for god's sake.

Butterflies I tell ya!

I've been thinking a lot about the last four years, which made me start thinking about this whole 29 thing again. I wanted things to be put into perspective, but I'm starting ot think there just isn't any perspective to be had. I'm going to keep getting older. We all are. We're going to watch cool shows, terrible movies, travel to strange, exotic, boring, fascinating, scary, relaxing places. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to learn. We're going to love. Ideally there will be a significant amount of hugging involved.

Through all of this, and in retrospect of the last eight months and the last four years, I am absolutely lucky to say that Jenna has made me better. I haven't always been a perfect husband, nor she a wife. But that's because we're people and people are inherantly flawed. What makes us a great couple (in my opinion), and what has moved us forward and helped us along throughout our relationship is our willingness to be together. We fight until a fight is over. We discuss until all the details are on the table. We call each other out when it needs to be done. Jenna and I are completely different people than we were four years ago and thank christ.

We're growing up. It's scary. Buying a house was scary. Deciding we wanted to have kids was scary. Getting married four years ago was scary. It would have been really easy to say, nope, let's just keep having fun and see what happens down the line. We didn't do that. We took that challenge and it has not been easy. To be honest it hasn't always been fun. Sometimes it has sucked.

Then, four days later I don't even remember what sucked so much, I get to look into the eyes of the woman who has positively changed me and has been such a unique and loving influence on my life and say that she is my wife. To know that the next  time something amazing happens to me, she will be the first one I tell. To know the next time I am being an assbag about something, she is going to be the one to tell me. The next time I'm not being the person I want to be, she will help me find my way and love me throughout it all. The one who is holding my hand when I wake up. The one who tells me I need to brush my teeth in the morning so I can lay in bed and talk to her without my ass breath ruining everything.

I still smile every time I play with my ring.

I know I have influenced Jenna. I hope it has been for the better. I know I want to do for her all that she has done for me and more (so I can win a challenge of who has done more for the other... just kidding). This year of living my life actively. Embracing 29. Trying new things (bone marrow was phenomenally tasty), and being a conscious objector to letting life pass me by has been successful so far. I can do more. I can always do more. I can try harder. I can always try harder. None of it would matter without her. I tried to imagine it this morning and just the thought made me sad. More importantly, I couldn't do it. I have a fantastic imagination for a 29 year old dude, and I couldn't do it. I didn't want to. My life is too amazing with and because of her to want anything else.

Being thankful is part of living ones life actively, so I want to thank my wife, Jenna Lyn Butterbaugh, for loving me, letting me love you, and for making me a better person every single day.

Happy Anniversary love!