I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and by 1:46 p.m., I hadn't slowed down once.
I'm feeling overwhelmed with the work load on my plate right now.
Haven't bathed.
Haven't brushed my hair.
Haven't brushed my teeth (and I was a dental hygienist for 12 years so that's something I highly frown upon.)
I even found myself dancing around like a little kid while I was working this afternoon because I had to go pee so bad, but didn't have the time for it.
In fact, I've been doing this for weeks now and am probably going to be doing it for awhile longer.
Normally Josh is here to slow me down.
To pull me away from the computer long enough to catch my breath.
To make me laugh. (I wonder how many days it has been since I laughed?)
But at 1:47, while frantically searching my hard-drive for a photo I needed for class, I stumbled across this...
I don't even remember taking it but my shooting information said that I took it back in April of 2009.
Must have been one of those weekends that we spend at the new, old house, trying to fix it up before we moved in.
It was about 25 miles from where we were living at the time, but we spent every single weekend there working on it for months.
I used to be so excited when we pulled in the drive-way every Friday night and so sad when we locked the door behind us every Sunday evening before heading back home because the old, new house didn't feel like home anymore and the new, old house did so I didn't want to leave it.
We slept on the floor in sleeping bags, ate take-out almost every night and made at least 40 trips to Lowe's every weekend.
And Josh always sat out on the front porch at the end of the day with a beer, waiting for me to join him. It was the best part of the day.
Have been staring at this shot for probably 15 minutes now.
It's the first time I've stopped to really breathe all day.
And it's the first time I've smiled.
I might even run downstairs to go pee now.
And if you're reading this Josh Downs...You're the best part of my day, every day - even when you're not here.
I was going to say exactly what the poster above me said. LOVE this post! I'm always taking pictures of my kiddos...not enough of my hubby. And my hubby makes me smile too.
Posted by: Jaime | September 30, 2011 at 08:39 AM
Beautiful Karen! Sometimes God sends us exactly what we need at the perfect time.
Posted by: Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita | September 30, 2011 at 08:50 AM
tears!! great post karen!!
Posted by: teresa b | September 30, 2011 at 08:53 AM
gotta love having a man that makes you grin like a cheshire cat while you pee ;)
can't wait for the post that he has come home to you! prayers are with you all.
take care!
Posted by: lauren | September 30, 2011 at 09:07 AM
This made me smile. I love it when a photo takes me back to a very happy time in my life. Maybe it's time for me to go rummaging through old photos.
Posted by: Laura | September 30, 2011 at 11:03 AM
*tears* xoxo
Posted by: Glendy Morrison | September 30, 2011 at 12:03 PM
This is a great reminder of why we take those everyday pictures. You never know when they're going to be just what you need. So glad his calm face was able to help you. God bless!
Posted by: SandraA | September 30, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Even when he's not with you he comes in at the right time to make you slow down. Smile and well I guess Pee! :) You often write about being twisted or all over the place...but to most of us you really do have it all together and you live a fairytale. From one princess to another...that is awesome! :)
Posted by: Leslie | September 30, 2011 at 12:56 PM
And that, is love. In its best and purest form. I am so happy that you and Josh have that, but so sad you have to be apart. I can't even imagine the joy you will feel when he's home again. :)
Posted by: Lacey | September 30, 2011 at 01:33 PM
Beautiful post. How lovely that you came across this photo when you did...and some people say there's no such thing as angels doing work. And that caring loving smile from your Josh is probably the exact expression you needed to see too.
Posted by: renee | September 30, 2011 at 02:11 PM
I love your stories about the "new old house" and I love the photo of Josh relaxing. Nice that you can take a 5 min breather and take you back to those wonderful memories. I hope we (your photography class) aren't stressing you out too much!!! We are busy little bees on the Q&A board.
Posted by: Kathy | September 30, 2011 at 05:00 PM
Hope the stopping and breathing and remembering has helped ... And your writing is wonderful.
Posted by: alexa | October 01, 2011 at 08:29 AM
What a fantastic photo Karen. It must make you miss him all the more. I always thought Annie looked like you until I saw this photo. She really has Josh's eyes.
Posted by: Kell | October 01, 2011 at 11:50 PM
You pictures and your writing are addictive!
Posted by: MEMORIESandCOLORS Dallas photography | October 02, 2011 at 12:20 PM
ah... you see? Josh was there to slow you down after all! It was just in the way of a photo. Reason 8,921 photography is the best hobby on the face of the earth!
I must now go pee.
Posted by: Colleen | October 02, 2011 at 10:57 PM
Thank you for being authentic and vulnerable. And thank you as always for praising your husband. There is a reason that you and Erin Cobb are friends. My favorite thing about both of you is how complementary you both are about your spouses. Not fake, not perfect, but complementary. Blessings during this journey.
Posted by: Jenny | October 03, 2011 at 09:25 AM
You need to make a backup of that picture - it's a once-in-a-lifetime shot, LOL. Well, it seems you got something more out of searching for the photo you needed for your class. The photo has very high definition and a great angle. Was this taken by a professional photographer? Also, what's the capacity of your hard-drive?
Posted by: Ruby Badcoe | January 10, 2012 at 07:23 AM