I thought about changing the lyrics to “Freya’s mom has got it going on” and it didn’t even occur to me until later that I wouldn’t have been singing about you.
Awwww. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I feel that way a lot too actually. The four of us have such an amazing family dynamic going that it’s easy to forget sometimes that it’s not just about us. They have their other lives with the other parents.
I am forever grateful for the friendship of this incredible man. He was my first true best friend. The first person who ever truly knew me. We met in the dorm my freshman year and hit it off almost immediately. He lives in Honolulu now with his fabulous husband. I miss him so very much, and I treasure his friendship more than I can adequately express.
This email was a beautiful gift. ❤️
The post he was referencing can be found here.
We practiced dancing to our wedding song tonight and…❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.
And yes, we know exactly what the song means. 💜💜💜
He’s so sweet and so good to me.
Jackson is Star Student of the Week at school, and his teacher asked me to send a letter describing why I think he’s such a special kid. I decided to post my letter here so I can reference it later.
Dear Class,
I am very excited to write a letter all about my favorite person in the entire world: Jackson Alter.
A little bit about Jackson:
He is 7-years-old and his birthday is November 16th. He loves playing games: video games, Minecraft, Dungeons & Dragons, and various board games. Jackson is very active. He loves basketball, swimming, running, riding his bike, and playing with friends at the park. He is hoping to start martial arts this summer, because he wants to learn how to break a board!
Jackson is also a huge music lover. Not only does he make his own music playlists on his iPad, but he also enjoys playing musical instruments. He took ukulele lessons last year, and plans to start piano lessons this summer. When he’s a bit older, he plans to take guitar lessons as well. In his free time, he enjoys playing Rock Band with his family. He especially loves singing the Twenty-One Pilots songs.
Jackson loves science! He is very interested in space, and hopes to be an astronaut one day. He also loves dinosaurs and geology. He has his very own rock collection!
Jackson loves animals. Between his two homes he has two dogs and a cat. He’s hoping to get a kitten of his own someday soon.
Jackson loves to read. His current favorite chapter book is: Super Rabbit Boy. He’s very excited to read the next book in the series. He also enjoys the Harry Potter books.
Jackson is a sweet boy who is always available to give a hug or a helping hand. Jackson is very funny. He loves telling jokes! Especially knock-knock jokes. He always gets extra candy on Halloween because he tells such funny jokes!
Jackson is smart, funny, and kind. He is a great friend who always stands up for what is right. I feel very fortunate to have him in my life. I love him very much.
Thank you for helping Jackson enjoy his special week!
Sincerely,
Jenn
aka Jackson’s mom
Freya just saw my “future mrs rieken” wine glass and told me that once the wedding happens I’ll have to cross out “future” and write in “the amazing.” She then said: you’re already the amazing lawyer Jenn Alter.
This girl has stolen my heart. I feel so lucky to be her step-mom.
I was looking for a file in my office and came across this little blast from the past:
June 2012. Our very first overnight trip. ❤️
When I opened the box, my hands were shaking.
When I grabbed his hands, his were shaking too.
The kids were there when he asked. It was a lovely family moment.
I can’t stop staring at my left hand.
Everyone keeps saying, “It’s so you!”
He did a fantastic job.
We have received so many lovely messages from friends.
It’s overwhelming, but in the best way.
Today is a quiet day at home with the kids.
This place is a mess, but I’m in no rush to clean. We have all day.
I want to pick out my next read, then curl up and get to it.
It’s sort of strange (and sad) that Christmas is over.
D posted this on his blog and it makes me happy.
I received an unexpected apology this morning.
I was at the courthouse and ran into an old boss. This is the boss from my first real job as an attorney. A job where, through hard work and diligence, I worked my way up from newbie associate to head of the bankruptcy department; effectively resulting in the demotion of a more senior attorney. Anyway, when I left that job, my boss took it very poorly, which came as no surprise. He was pretty shitty to me, but I took it in stride, moved on, and never looked back.
So back to this morning: After exchanging minor small talk and pleasantries, he said, “I want to apologize for how I behaved back when you quit. I was a dick and you didn’t deserve it. I took it personally and I was bummed to be losing you, but that is no excuse. I love how when I see you now you look so very happy and I’m proud of how successful you’ve become.”
I thanked him and told him there were no hard feelings. Then we hugged. It was really sweet, and it made my day.
It’s never too late to try to make things right.
xoxo
On certain nights, like tonight, we hold hands and walk through the streets of our subdivision, looking into the houses still being built. Sometimes we only peek into the windows. Sometimes we walk through the dark rooms. Sometimes we make out against and inside the doorways. Sometimes we race each other down the middle of the streets. Sometimes we dance. We always laugh. We always kiss. We’re always happy.