"somewhere in the rules lies the stakes..."

{shots of our last dinner al fresco}

two days ago i caught andy surveying what was left to pack in one of the bedrooms. i snuck up behind him, wrapped my arms around his middle, and inhaled his smell. we just stood there for awhile. we've been doing that a lot lately...having little frozen moments of pause. to make things even more somber, 'thistled spring' was playing from the ipod {our new favorite song}.

as we shared some kisses, wiped some tears, and began to untangle, he said, "i just heard an eighth note i've never noticed in that song before!"...and promptly hit repeat to listen again.

seriously, that kid never fails to amaze me. i'm going to miss those little moments...and hearing him call me "beanie" {the latest nickname} every time i turn around...and.a.million.other.things. i want to write down every sweet word that comes out of his mouth, which seems to be a steady flow these days.

the 'to do' lists are finally dwindling: cars are re-registered, traumatic brain injury pre-tests are taken, cupboards & shower liners are cleaned, bathrooms are scrubbed, compost pile has been given to a coworker, and all kinds of banking & insurance annoyances are settled. now it's time to try to enjoy these last precious hours together...

you're never prepared to say a goodbye like this, when you're uncertain what may happen in the lapse of time between you. so you just push through and do what needs to be done...and you really understand, for the millionth time, how precious this life and our love truly are.

{i probably won't be back until this little heart has pieced itself back together.}