A Few of My Favorite Things

Breakfast on the Go

February is hard for me, but I have done better this month than I usually do. This week, it caught up to me and I have struggled. Monday I didn’t want to get out of bed. Valentine’s Day is hard since it was just a few days before he passed away. I baked cookies that evening to try to bring myself to a happier place. Wednesday I kept myself busy but ended up talking about Larry and my grief for a time. Not in a bad way, I still teared up though. As the anniversary of his death is coming up on the 20th, I can feel it trying to bring me down. It’s harder for me to stay in the right frame of mind. Talking helps though and, to that end, I want to talk about my husband this week.

My sweet Teddy Bear was a people person. He took jobs that had him interacting daily with many people. He thrived on this and you could tell in the way he spoke. He was made to have an audience. To meet him, was to know a friend. Even if it was the first time, you felt like you could talk to him and he listened.

Larry was a large man with a presence you couldn’t help but notice, but he was the biggest softie. He loved unconditionally and he loved well. He spoke to his dad almost daily and we visited his parents often. Dogs were family. The nephews, all seven of them, were OUR kids and were constantly at the house to prove it. Our home was always full of laughter and the love spilled out the cracks. I knew he loved me with every glance, every touch, and every word he spoke to me. Our love was never something I doubted and he gave the best hugs. If we weren’t together but he knew I was not having a good day, he would tell me over the phone to close my eyes and feel his arms wrap around me and squeeze. I still do this to this day when I am particularly down.

We said we were made for each other. We both loved fantasy, but in different aspects. I collected mermaids and unicorns and fairies. He collected dragons and wizards and castles. We complemented each other that way. The one place our collection crossed boundaries was our mutual love of bladed weapons. He collected smaller blades like throwing knives and Japanese Katanas. I went after the heavier, two handed weapons like broadswords and double bladed battle axes. It made our collection feel more rounded.

We would go out of our way to enjoy thunderstorms and walked the edge of the lake looking for fossils. We fished together, played games together and shared every hope and every fear. Open communication was key and without it, we wouldn’t have lasted even together a month. At the same time, he asked me to a concert three months down the road before we even had our first date. He was that sure we would make it. I still miss him every single day, but I manage not to cry most of the time. He was the world to me.

This week, I went with handheld breakfast. You can make a meal out of the cups or pouches by adding some gravy, but my purpose was to make these where you can grab it and go out the door so it’s not necessary. This weekend, check your ingredients and make your grocery list with breakfast ingredients. Then, meet me in the kitchen for breakfast you can grab on your way out the door!