Lessons I'm Learning From My Husband

Despite the limited amount of time Andel has spent at home these last few months (we can thank this cycling schedule for that), over the last few weeks the quality of our time at home together has been really good, and in the thick of everything I am learning some pretty interesting things, like these three, for a start:

The Attraction Factor of a Good Daddy
I've always been drawn to those images of hands-on dads playing with a good handful of (his) beautiful children, but seriously, nothing comes close to the explosion of love in my heart when I see (or hear) Andel with Zac. Just recently I was preparing work lunches while Andel was bathing Zac, and I had the pleasure of listening in on their unique interaction. They laughed and splashed, and had a full-on proper conversation. And when I reached the bedroom soon after and found Zac lying across Andel's lap having his hair dried and ears cleaned, it made me warm and fuzzy all over. There is nothing more attractive than the selfless love a daddy has for his child, in action. Yay for me choosing to have another kid with this baby daddy!

This one melts me every time - and she's not even ours!

My beautiful boys

It's Never Too Late To Start Something New
The way Andel's been cycling you'd be forgiven for thinking he's been doing this his whole life. The truth is: he only started cycling in 2012. On impulse (and in cahoots with a friend) he bought a mountain bike, got a free entry into the Argus Cycle Tour, and started training. And he's never looked back, really. Less than three years later, he has exchanged his mountain for a roadie, and is preparing for a 202km race that is no joke. Not only is he loving it, he's doing (and looking) great! It reminds me that all the things I've put off thinking I'm too late (or too old) to do, I can probably still give a good go, if I just put my mind to it and do it.

Winter training with Bernil

One third of the 2014 DC team

Live Like Money Isn't An Option
This is not something I'm naturally wired to do. I'm frugal in my budgeting, often to the point of worry, and I'm a planner, so nothing goes unaccounted for. I used to think this was a responsible way to live, but now I sometimes wonder if this is any way to live. Andel is teaching me to balance this. I want to say he spends with reckless abandon, but that's not entirely true. He simply spends on what he enjoys, and then enjoys what he spends. While this is still a very new experience for me, and we still don't spend what we don't have, I am starting to really enjoy what we have and what we choose to spend our money on - like our pending trip to the UK.

Ireland 2011

London 2011

Who said you can't teach this old dog new tricks?