A Valentine's Day Look Back

Hey, folks! Happy Valentine's Day! We're setting aside our tradition of eating at Beardslee Castle (our go-to romantic locavore meal place, since it was where we had our wedding reception and it's just so freaking awesome) in favor of a homemade, "adult" meal. Read: Mom's watching the Hadman so that I can cook food that he doesn't really eat (or, at least I don't have to worry about whether he eats it or not); scallops provencal and a nice steak (surf 'n turf, anyone?), probably with a bit of wine.

So. What're YOU doing for the day? Nothing? Having a romantic dinner or watching a sappy movie? Watching your annoying daughter's kid so that she can spend a couple of hours with her husband?

I really have no idea where this post is going to go today. From time to time, I have folks mention that they have a hard time finding their way around MAO (erm, the blog), although the "Archives" tab should help a bit with that. But, I thought it'd be interesting to "walk around" the ol' joint and share some of my favorite moments. And, according to page views, a few reader favorites, as well.

Come along, won't you?

Since it's V-Day, and this is, of course, one of my all-time favorite posts, I thought I'd share my "it's been 6 months and I finally got around to showing wedding pics" post. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll find reality is a harsh broad when you realize how many of our friend-couples aren't together anymore. Ahhh, life. And I can't believe that was 2011...seems like yesterday. 

While we're at it, I would be remiss if I didn't include a post about the Hadman. Because, of course, he's everything.

Okay, more than one post (such a scary weekend!). Maybe three (such a fun weekend!). And the original post where I talked about breastfeeding issues...and announcing his birth.

And our other boys are also still tops with us, even with a kid in tow. I've shared about how we got each of them, but I think a brief kitty post like this fits the bill just fine. Just a blurb about their personalities and what we appreciate about each of their idiosyncrasies.

And, now for some of YOUR favorites (based on what my stats tell me).

BY FAR, my most-viewed post is about Overcoming Facebook Addiction. This is still an uphill battle for an addict like me, but I try to keep it at a minimum. And, not to make excuses, but this becomes a bigger challenge in the winter months when my mind and body go into hibernation mode. (Can't wait to get outside with the monkey!)

In a case of "ya never know what people will like" lies my mantle-without-a-fireplace post...which should really just be called "hanging a shelf."

Similarly random (and voyeuristic) is the showing of how horrific our bathroom started out. I recently found better "before" pictures that I'd like to show when all is said and done, but I really don't want to call our bathroom "done" until I can get the shower surround completed. It's about 90% done, in that case. :-) (This is what I would call the "in-between" phase where we'd at least switched up the sink and mirror, etc.

Sadly, this next post has a ton of views, which makes me proud yet numb to think about. It's about a few days that changed the way of life in our humble little towns. No pictures, just words. Very true, very broken words.

Aaaaand a trip down memory lane wouldn't be complete without a breastfeeding post, right? But, this isn't just ANY breastfeeding post. This is the ever-controversial (in my mind; nobody had anything negative to say -- thank goodness) "I lost my baby weight thanks to breastfeeding" post in response to countless comments from folks (women) regarding how much weight I'd lost.

Last but not least, since our own Dorky Daddy's birthday just happens to be two days after Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share my favorite gushingly corny post about him. Just for embarrassment's sake.

Mind you, some of these old posts are from before I realized that small pictures kinda suck, so please be kind. The heart's still there, and that's what matters most.

What about you? Do you have a favorite old post? Are you surprised at how things have changed around here, or do you think they're pretty much the same (just with three more cats and a kid)? Anything you want to read more (or less) about? I'm always open to suggestions. :-)