Busy Summer Stuff

Fall is starting to gradually creep into my heart, people. And I have been doing everything in my power to SHUT THOSE FEELINGS DOWN. I love summer so much but I just helped my mother-in-law order her Christmas cards which put me in the mood to start writing our Christmas letter. And then the other night while Josh and Caleb were watching a scary movie, I went into our bedroom, sewed some buttons on our duvet, and watched..............................The Holiday.

So. To keep my love for fall and Christmas dormant for a little bit longer (I need to hold on until September 15th before the leaf garlands come out)...I present to you highlights of our summer, thus far:

To kick off the summer we had a bonfire with these fresh Cyclone grads. Well...most of them are alumni, there are a couple in here who aren't, but that just means we get to keep them around for a little longer.

Josh turned 26 and we celebrated with his favorite, French Silk Pie from Perkin's.

My liberal-hippie-Colorado-friend Ellen came to visit! We've seen her twice this summer!

The Boersma's threw a wedding. And we got another seester! Meet Hannah BOERSMA.

We took my dad on pre-planned day-trip all over central Iowa visiting Lowe's, Fleet, Farm, Bass Pro, Thiessen's, and Home Depot. He was unsure about a day of 'shopping' with us, but of course, he had the best time of his life. Josh and I ended hour day with supper at Pizza Ranch with his dad, G'ma and Uncle, so it was a perfect day full of family.

Wedding #2 of the summer...Landon and Susan are married!

Josh has two employees! Which means he spends a lot of his time at home on the computer working on bids, at home pacing around the house on his phone, or at home working in the shop sharpening blades. I just like the AT HOME part. :) 

We celebrated our anniversary on June 19th with a trip to The Cafe, followed by drinks at Cafe B, and a movie in the THEATER. We never go to movies anymore!

And we kept celebrating with a weekend-trip to "our" cabin at Twin Lakes.

Kylie came to visit for church and a double-date lunch to +39...

Then I went to visit her in Omaha for a weekend filled with laketime, restaurants, and church on Sunday.

This is what our 'crew' looks like after a long day at work. Dirty, but still the most adorable lawn care crew this side of the Mississippi, I'd say.

We celebrated the 4th of July with the Boersma's and they hated me for forcing them to take this picture, but I don't even curr. Note: Which one of these things is not like the other? Jamie spent the 4th pretending to be a Boersma too. :) 

We watched fireworks on top of a parking garage in downtown Des Moines and the weather was GORGE for the whole weekend. Perfect for sitting outside drinking coffee, yet also perfect for spending the afternoon at the pool, and ending the day around the firepit in a sweatshirt. I'm having a love affair with Iowa-weather this summer.

BLC Employee of the Year gets married! And I nominated myself as personal attendant to the Mother of the Groom. You're welcome BethAnn.

Mr. and Mrs. Butcher are SUPER tall. And adorable.

The Keil Girls took a trip to Galena and loved it. We even accomplished some Christmas shopping...imagine that.

We took a trolley ride and the weather was INCREDIBLE so we spent the whole weekend walking up and down the main streets of Galena...and because it wasn't 105 (like it usually is in the Midwest in July), we looked this cute the whole time. Jamie wanted to wear athletic shorts and an ISU t-shirt but I wouldn't allow it.

Best picture from our trip! And I even got Jamie in a DRESS.

We try and visit the farm as much as possible, but it's hard in the summer when Josh is working and G'ma and G'pa have such busy social lives. We did get to spend a Sunday afternoon on the deck with them a few weeks ago.

Brecken turned five and we celebrated with a Spiderman party and the adults celebrated with wine after the children were in bed. He's going to be a big brother to a little bro coming in December and we just love his imagination and how sweet he is ALL THE TIME.

And here are the boys shooting before the birthday party. Brecken shot a couple times but was more interested in the fireworks and sparklers. 

This is a common occurrence lately and I LOVE it. Sweet corn and jalapeno hot dogs on the deck with these two fools. 

The Boersma's treated me to my first-ever Jethro's experience last Sunday after Hannah got baptized. Jill and I ordered 30 wings because it was 2:00 and we thought we were starving. We ate five each. SUCCESS! ;)

MmB

That time we FINALLY BOOKED THE VACA WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR TWO YEARS

If you need us from November 12th through the 18th, we will be lounging by the pool in a white beach cabana at the Breathless Punta Cana resort, pretending we're the Kardashian's on vacation.

I can even obsess about our resort via Instagram!

Okay that's what I'll be doing...Josh will probably be reading Calvin and Hobbes, enjoying the unlimited food and drinks, and diving for sand dollars.

The reality of the situation is this...if we're being honest, our honeymoon wasn't that fabulous. It was fun, it was warm, there was a beach. But nothing really that spectacular. I realize most people don't say that about their honeymoons because it's not really the 'newlywed thing to say' but Josh and I are in total agreement. Clearwater Beach, FL was nothing to write home about. We liked Sea World and I enjoyed getting to feed a dolphin (for all of five minutes)...but we were only gone for five days, and with travel time...it was basically a three-day honeymoon. Which was actually kind of lame. This vacation taught us two things: Always check at least one bag due to Mollie's hairspray need (our first 'married fight'), and avoid twilight cruises that allow children.

One of my favorite honeymoon pictures! 

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE.

Six months later we took a really awesome 'Christmas present' cruise with Josh's family. Tons of fun. Lots of memories. But it doesn't exactly count as a 'getaway' for Josh and I because we were with family (who we love!) the whole time...we liked the cruise experience and the 'bang for our buck,' but probably won't do another one for a while. This vacation taught us four things: All-inclusive is key, we hate Jamaica, and my camera is terrible (noticed that one now).

 Babies we were. We ate steak every night. 8 pounds neither of us regret gaining.

Jamaica's beaches were pretty but there were men with machine guns on every corner. Didn't love it.

In May 2012 we took a four-day, 16+ hour road trip to the Little Bohemia Lodge from Public Enemies and hit the Field of Dreams on our way home. Josh considers it the best vacation of all time, but a road trip of that proportion in four short days was exhausting. Not our idea of a 'real' vacation but we really loved this one so much that on weekends when we don't have plans, we're tempted to jump in the car and do the exact same trip over again. This trip taught us three things: Even road trips to Wisconsin can end up being expensive, road trips require a few days of recovery after you get home, and we don't see the point in paying for hotels without hot tubs.

We LOVED seeing where Public Enemies was filmed. Actually, Josh loved it and I loved that this silly little vaca made him so happy. 

We've had wedding trips in Minneapolis, Chicago, and all over Iowa...which make for fun weekends here and there, but our wedding invites have started to dwindle and it's been OVER TWO YEARS since we've done anything that slightly resembles a vacation...and truly it's been OVER FOUR YEARS since we've had a WEEK. AWAY. ALONE.

Which is why...........................................I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH EXCITEMENT ABOUT THIS VACATION AND I AM ALREADY PLANNING MY OUTFITS.

It's like. I look at these pictures and I can't believe that in 106 days we will be lazying down that river. All I want to do is make a vacation countdown chain and pin tropical vacation outfits to my Pinterest board and start planning what luggage we will take. To top it off, last night the final episode of The Bachelorette was filmed IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC and as I was scrolling through Google Images of our resort I discovered that Kourtney Kardashian and Scott were there during it's grand opening (it's about a year old). I'm obsessed and last night I fell asleep dreaming about getting to swim with a dolphin on one of the excursions we're planning to take. SWIM WITH A DOLPHIN AND KISS A DOLPHIN. I'm dead.

Vacations have always been tricky for us because Josh works nonstop from March to November and then the snow removal starts...making it hard to even get away in the winter. However, the dates we picked will be after fall work and before the snow usually starts to fly. And being that BLC has a full-time employee, we can leave with peace of mind knowing that even if there is work to do, it will be left in Ben Butcher's capable hands.

No less than TWO MINUTES after we booked our trip Josh Boersma said:

"I'm excited and this will be really fun. But you know we could have used all that money to pay down debt. But it will still be really fun though."

Classic Josh. Always the first one to bounce off the walls with excitement, that one.

Anyway, we can't wait. And this blog is mostly for my mom to see pictures of our resort because we haven't talked on the phone for like a week and she is just finding out about this now. ;)

MmB

***And a special thanks to my mother-and-sister-in-law who put up with my incessant questions and researching and phone calls and help to finally get this vacation booked***

My First Stitch Fix!

Well everyone. I jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon.

I first heard about Stitch Fix back in April when I asked my friend Sarah where she got her supercute black and white polka dot top. She told me about this website that sends you clothes and you send back what you don't want. Sarah is a busy mom of two babes who also works as a nurse...so it's a great thing for people who either hate shopping (not me) or are super busy (not really me either). I just thought it sounded like fun.

I basically forgot about it. Then a couple of blogs I religiously read posted reviews of their monthly 'Fixes' (Candace Cameron just posted one yesterday!). Now I was interested. I completed my style profile and signed up for my first Fix in May (their website and service is becoming sooooo popular, they're behind a couple months) to arrive in July. I opted for a one-time Fix, instead of choosing to receive five new items each month (but I could see this being REALLY convenient for busy moms!).

The style profile is a detailed questionnaire where you fill out your height, weight, shape, what you love and what you hate. You pay a $20 'styling' fee and are assigned a stylist...you can even link your Pinterest board so your stylist can research a little and get a 'feel' for the kinds of things you like. The questionnaire was kind of tricky for me since I like a lot of things and will basically try wearing anything once as long as it fits...prints, sparkles, pink jeans, leather jackets...There's not much I'm afraid of when it comes to clothes. I tried to be as accurate and specific as possible but I still thought it might be a shot in the dark and was sure whatever they sent me for pants would probably be a disaster...but I was hoping I might get a couple cute shirts to pick from.

So the best (and most unique) part about the Stitch Fix setup...you pay the $20 fee, they send you FIVE pieces (dresses, skirts, tops, pants, accessories), you pick what you love or just keep everything, and send back what you don't want in a pre-paid UPS package. If you decide to keep everything from your Fix, they offer a 25% discount. The $20 styling fee becomes a credit toward whatever you keep.You checkout online, and  return the unwanted items within three business days to a UPS drop box. If you hate everything, send it all back and you're out the $20 (but I've heard their customer service department is excellent and will likely waive the fee if you're willing to give it another whirl). I also chose to give some detailed feedback about each piece so if I ordered in the future they would know what I liked, disliked, etc.

Boom. Done.

So easy. So fun.

So here goes...a breakdown of what I was sent in my very first ever Stitch Fix:

These are cute but I thought I was clear about not being a big 'jewelry wearer' when I filled out my profile. Apparently I wasn't clear enough. It was hard to explain that occasionally I like big necklaces, but unless I'm headed to a wedding, I wear the same four earrings every. single. day. I think I said I 'wouldn't mind' getting jewelry occasionally...but for my first Fix, I wish I would have gotten another top or a dress instead of these. They went back.

These skinnies are adorable. They're comfortable and a pretty light blue wash, which I don't currently have in my closet. They were a tiny bit snug around the waist, but I was completely and utterly SHOCKED that a pair of jeans that were blindly ordered online REMOTLEY fit. Shay (my stylist) was sooooo close to getting these perfect. But ultimately the $78 price tag wasn't worth it when I have a Gap Outlet down the street  (jeans for less than $15 WUDUP). They were cute, but a little tight, and I just couldn't justify keeping them. In the 'return' pile they went.

This tank top was SO SOFT. This is a terrible picture but I love the navy color and the sea foam detailing on the front. It wasn't too low, was long enough, and was comfy and flowy. Shay clearly understood this part of my instructions. I decided going into this I was only going to keep the stuff that I absolutely LOVE. And I don't love racerback tanks. The whole strapless bra thing makes them annoying to me, and if I'm stuck in a strapless bra, I usually layer a tank under whatever top I'm wearing...and I have an aversion to seeing bra straps and cami straps with shirts...which meant I sent this one back. It really was cute though!

I was hoping this maxi skirt would be a home run, but after tornadoeing through my closet, I decided the pretty teal wasn't a practical color for me. It's fun, but a black or gray maxi would have been a lot more versatile for my wardrobe. I liked everything they paired with the maxi in the sample pictures and it was super comfortable, but I just wasn't in love. Plus I know black would be a lot more flattering. It went back too.

They called this 'chevron' but I'm not sure that's accurate...in person you can see some little details and linees in each color. I'm a little over the chevron print and I'm glad I didn't commit myself to anything like chevron walls or a chevron rug because I've read that print is already on it's way out...anyway, this. shirt. is. so. soft. I'm not sure what blend of fabric it is, but it's a comfy and super soft cotton, and it hangs really nice. The sleeves go to my elbows and have buttons and it's not too tight on my stomach which I appreciate (nice work, Shay). It's a baseball cut around the waist, which makes it nice and long (one of my requests) and it doesn't go down too low up top. The colors are super cute and fun. I can wear it with jeans, capris, a denim jacket, a casual blazer, a cardigan, jean shorts, or even my hot pink colored jeans (if I feel like being obnoxious)...I wanted to make sure it made sense for every season (which it does). So it went on a hanger and into my closet, ready to wear this weekend when my mom and sister take our girl trip to Galena.

If we were loaded I definitely might have kept all 4/5 clothing pieces from my Fix...and I would probably do it every month...but that doesn't make sense for me right now. I like the idea of getting unique, quality pieces, but I can get a black maxi skirt at Gap for less than $20 and there wasn't anything that special about the skinny jeans or the tank top. I could totally see this being my primary way of shopping some day in the future but right now it was just a fun thing I wanted to try and tell my friends about.

If this is the first time you've heard about Stitch Fix and you want to give it a try, here's the link. If  you use this link and sign up, I'll get a credit toward my next Fix and since you love me, I'm sure you'll be happy to do that. ;)

http://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3740158

MmB

Josh + Mollie = Landlord & Landlady

As of today, this is not an accurate picture. Note all the extra crap and overgrown areas in the picture above...now picture how awesome this place looks after we drug all of that to a giant pile and lit it on fire...ya. SO MUCH BETTER

A year ago at this time Josh and I had been out to see 32511 580th Ave. and were spending most of our time dreaming and rationalizing how we could justify buying this perfect property. Say what you will about our crazy scheme, but nine months in, I think we would both say it's panning out pretty well. #knockonwood

Here are some of our most FAQ's about our farmhouse-rental-property-adventure...

Did you guys ever find renters?

Let me pause for a moment to be miffed about your obvious choice to not read our blog.

I don't know how to say this without being sarcastic, but yes we found renters duh. Everyone in real estate world said we would, but it took the parents and friends a little while to get on board and actually believe us. I haven't been to the farm since February 1st at 9am with my dad during a snowstorm to gather the deposit and hand over the keys. We've successfully collected rent for the past six months and after paying a heinous bill for the propane tank to be filled, the farm is finally starting to pay for itself like it's supposed to.

Do you have a family living out there?

I don't know why everyone is so obsessed with the idea of family living in our farmhouse, but you would not believe how many people ask me that! Instead of a family we have four, twenty-something guys living in the house splitting their rent four ways. They're low maintenance and pretty self-sufficient when it comes to 'roughing it' at our farm. And the most magical part...they signed their lease through July 31st 2015.

When are you guys going to move out there?

OKAY REALLY. It's like our friends and family who actually care about us are the ones who DON'T read our blog, and the Facebook stalkers from HS are the only ones who do.

But to answer, Josh Boersma and I will likely never inhabit the farmhouse that is currently standing on our acreage. The plan for that property from the beginning was to clean it up and rent it out for 5+ years until we are ready to tear the house down and build our dream farmhouse.

WHYYYY ARE YOU TEARING DOWN THE HOUSE?!

Okay well if it wasn't clear before, now it's very clear that you've never read our blog and I've moved past miffed to being REALLY OFFENDED OH MY WORD.

Let's recap. Last August Josh and I fell in love with this acreage...not so much the house, but the property, it's location, and it's outbuildings. After we had a contractor-friend come to the house to take a peek, he confirmed what we already knew. Cranking the house up a few notches, adding a basement, updating windows, electrical, appliances, AC/heat, rural water, insulation, adding a couple bathrooms, and building a garage...was not worth it. Ned said there was nothing 'architecturally saving' about the house besides some cool doors, windows, and high ceilings. And I can yank the pocket door and stained glass windows out of the current house and make sure we build them into our new farmhouse when the time comes. Making a new house that is slightly more expensive...(but won't be crooked AND will include a basement)...a better decision than overhauling the house that's there.

Basically, in order for the purchase to make sense, we had to find a way to get some income out of the property instead of going balls to the walls on a mortgage we can't afford to build our dream home at the age of 25. Hence our grand idea with the fixing up and the painting and the renters. So even though our method is probably not Dave Ramsey approved...it was Vern Boersma CPA approved. Which is good enough for us.

Have you had any problems?

Well ya...but such is life as a landlord. Josh tells me all the time he thinks we should have more rental property but the minute we get a text that the kitchen drain at the farm isn't working...he sings a slightly different tune. ;)

Besides the house being a disaster (as in, more of a disaster than we prepared for...as in...the previous owner didn't take HALF of his belongings) when we took over on October 18th, 2013, there was that whole thing about propane being $5/gal last fall. To break this down for you...our propane tank is an 800 gallon tank which means at $5 per gal, there was the possibility that it would cost FOUR GRAND TO FILL THAT THING. Panic ensued. Prices went down. We filled it a little. Prices went down more. We filled it a little more.

And we lived to tell about it. So that's something.

A leaking washer in our basement, a broken well at the farm, city inspectors saying the windows in our basement aren't up to code (btw they are, because none of the past three inspectors we've had come through in the past four years have complained, but whatever City of Ames)...we've learned it's all just part of this owning-rental-property-stuff. And it's all a lot easier when you have a husband who is proficient in fixing fuses, wells, electrical outlets, gas lines, appliances, flooring, drywall, sump pumps, and window wells instead of paying someone to do all that expensive stuff. ;)

It also helps to have friends who are handy with appliances. ;) 

The Landlady,
MmB

If you missed out, you can see all of our farmhouse reno journey here:
We Bought a Barn
Acreage Update
Acreage Update - 2
Acreage Update - 3
Acreage Update - 4

What I've Learned After Four Years...

Marriage
The roots are deep
The Covenant is solid
Love is sweet
Life is hard and
God is good.

So Josh and I have been married for four years.

I can remember our one year anniversary like it was yesterday...no really, it literally feels like it was yesterday. We went to Target and bought a big TV and moved the smaller TV into our bedroom because at Christmastime all we wanted to do was watch Christmas movies in our magical Christmas bed. So we could justify this big purchase by calling it an anniversary gift to ourselves. And yes, in June we were thinking about Christmas.

Our anniversary celebration this year included a date night to The Cafe and a movie, followed by a weekend trip to our favorite cabin at Twin Lakes.

As we head in to our fifth year of marriage...these are 10 random things I wish someone would have told me while we were dating...or during our engagement...or during marriage counseling. Or maybe someone did tell us and I wasn't listening, but I'm pretty sure no one did. Sure we were semi-prepared for combining our finances and we discussed how we would raise our future children...but this stuff...this is day-to-day marriage stuff that no one tells you. So I'm going to.

1. Not all husband's will bring home flowers after work, 'just because.' Not all husband's will get up and make your coffee and breakfast every morning either. In fact, it seems to me that flowers are kind of a waste of money (although birthdays, Valentine's, and anniversaries are an exception ;) and I can get my butt out of bed to make coffee just as easily as Josh can. Some husband's do those things and that's wonderful, but also...some husband's don't. And that's okay too.

2. I know some couples who have the same decorating style, enjoy shopping together, and generally have the same taste in music/movies/entertainment, etc. In fact, common interests are what a lot of couple's base their relationship on. Josh and I are not one of those couple's. Marriage is about compromise...but sometimes it's about doing that stuff you absolutely hate with a smile on your face, no compromise included. Before I met Josh, Switchfoot, Anberlin, and Mumford and Son's were absolutely not in my music library. Today...I know every lyric on every album and have dubbed these specific artists our 'road-tripping music.' Five years ago Josh would have never been caught dead dancing at a wedding...and a month ago, he danced with me until the DJ played the last song.

3. On the flip side...I, under no circumstances, expect Josh to come to my cheerleading banquets, awards, and games. Just like Josh doesn't expect me to go camping with him and our future children on a 'vacation.' There is compromise and then there is a line you just don't cross...cheerleading and camping is that line for Josh and I. And we're to the point where we're both totally okay with that. If it upsets you that your husband doesn't want to do certain things with you...think about all the crap he doesn't expect you to do...like watch Lawless...or go shooting...or mow the lawn.

4. Your husband is not your dad. In my house growing up, my dad was the one who got the mail, took out the garbage, handled all vehicle maintenance, washed the windows, cleaned the bathtub, handled the important insurance stuff, and did the mowing and the shoveling (he was also in charge of supper on Friday and Sunday night...which is why we ate frozen pizza every Friday night and hot dogs and beans every Sunday night ;). Of the things on that list...I think you can guess what the BLC CEO does on a regular basis. Honestly, Josh can't be bothered with window cleaning, bathtubs, and putting gas in my car. I learned rather quickly how to contact our insurance agent during a crisis, who to call when our vehicles need to go to the shop, and I suppose I've gotten used to filling my own car with gas...although I appreciate it when I get in and I'm surprised with a full tank. ;) And I'm not saying all that 'learning' came without a few arguments.

5. If your husband works a lot of hours...it's probably not a good idea to complain about it. I. Cannot. STAND IT. when wives complain about how much their husband works, how they hate their husband's job, or how they're never around to help with the house. All that means is YOU have tons of free time to clean the house, sew new throw pillows, grab coffee with a friend, and learn to make freezer meals. Duh.

6. Amazing in-laws are a precious commodity. The relationship Josh and I have with our respective in-laws is really like nothing I've ever seen. Josh and Jamie are LITERALLY brother and sister (heck, Jamie even considers Josh's siblings her siblings). Josh's parents have become my parents to the point where it's just easier to call them mom and dad instead of Vern and Patti. No one told me that holiday's and family gatherings would sometimes come with fights and chaos...but no one told me that the siblings and parents we share between the both of us would become our BEST FRIENDS. We rotate all holiday's which has gotten easier with time, but when we're at Easter with the Boersma's, I miss my family...and when we're at Thanksgiving with Keil's...I miss Josh's family...it literally feels like part of me is missing and I had no idea all of this wonderful family stuff comes when you marry someone. And best part? Inheriting four more grandparents. :)

7. Is anyone else reading these blogs that are all, 'never stop pursuing her,' 'never stop dating her,' 'never, ever stop writing her love poems and leaving rose petals on the bed and making her a four course meal and eating it by candle light while you drink wine by your fireplace because of course getting married means you'll have a fireplace'? I'd like to know...where are the viral blogs about the stuff wives are supposed to do? Lately my newsfeed has been bombarded with all this pathetic, 'we're husbands and we are all the same and we are all terrible' crap. Here's something...if you're expecting to be pursued, stop being a B. If you want to go out on dates, communicate that to your husband because maybe you're getting all depressed that your husband isn't ever taking you out and he thinks you're perfectly happy staying in every night because you've never COMMUNICATED otherwise. And all that stuff about poems and roses. Please. Just stop. That's not real life, that's the Bachelor.

8. Not all husband's shower their wives with super thoughtful, romantic gifts...sometimes the best anniversary gift is a new vacuum and a deep freeze filled with meat (happy four years to us!). And I know women who would literally cry over gifts like these because they're not romantic or thoughtful or jewelry. I, for one, actually think it's pretty thoughtful that my husband works for 12 hours a day just so we can afford a house TO vacuum. I also don't mind shopping for and buying my own birthday and Christmas gifts...that's what Josh's parents do and they've been married for 30 years. So. Looks like we've got it made. ;)

9. Sometimes your husband will ask for your opinion about something...and you will tell him. And he won't like it or he won't agree. That is fine, as he still reserves the right to make the final decision. However, he can't get mad at you for having your own opinion even if he thinks it's stupid, and sometimes husband's need to be reminded of this. Also, if you ask your husband to do something and you get mad about the way he does it...maybe you should have done it yourself in the first place. This is how I learned skills like furniture moving, Facebook Swap selling, and using a power tools.

10. Most of the time when you fight, all that adorable Pinterest stuff you pinned won't exactly be at the forefront of your mind. Josh and I hardly fight anymore (it's more of a cute bicker or banter, and it only gets real sometimes), but I can tell you that when we do, our personalized 'Mr. and Mrs.' mugs, or 'established 2010' signs, or marriage quotes painted on a barn shutter hanging in the dining room are about the last thing I want to think about. But when we step back and realize there is a covenant and a promise to glorifying God with our marriage on the line...do bills or new kitchen flooring or dirty jeans laying on the floor for the bazillionth time really matter?

It's actually pathetic how much they DON'T matter.

Just some opinions from someone who can officially no longer be called a 'newlywed.'

And thank goodness, because newlywed is literally one of my least favorite titles. 

MmB