Love Bites

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'd like to tell about "an incident" that occurred about a month ago...I was dropping Ryder off at my friend's house as she was so kindly watching him so I could keep my New Year's resolution of regular gym workouts, when I heard the four words that anyone, at any age, dreads hearing, "Is that a hickey?"  I put my hand on my neck and ran to the bathroom.  Sure enough, staring right back at me in the mirror was a reddish, ovalish hickey, a good inch in diameter. I mean talk about frisky...the only thing that was missing were two bite marks. "Get me your concealer and get it now!" I yelled.  My other friend was also over at her house at the time and they couldn't stop laughing. How could I have not seen this scarlet letter before leaving the house?  True, I had been wearing collared pajamas that morning, but I would think that even when I pulled my hair back into a ponytail...surely, I would have seen it.  But no, here I was in front of my neighbors explaining why and how this happened.  (Actually, I left out the how part, self explanatory). My options for the gym at that point were to wear a turtleneck, scarf, or neck brace to workout in and hide this thing.  That's when I realized...why am I trying to hide it?  I should be proud that after 12.2 years of marriage, 3 kids, a dog named Mudd, 8 mice, staying in my pajamas most days until noon and burning some part of dinner at least once a week, my husband gave me a hickey.  Not only was I not going to hide it, I was going to document my new found romance with words and pictures for our posterity.  Over the next few days, I left my scarfs at home and sported that hickey like it was the latest fashion accessory. And the same friends that earlier were laughing their heads off at what they saw, were now calling me for advice in that "department."  I think sometimes you need a little pick me up in the romance area to help things stay fun. Now, I'm not suggesting that before a big work presentation or a talk in church, you should plan the let's-give-each-other-hickeys-date-night or anything, but a little love, Edward style, certainly never hurts. (Well, maybe a little).
I was serious when I said I took pictures. 

This kinda love only comes along so often...

Sidenotes regarding, The Hickey.

The orangish hue surrounding it, is due to using my friend's concealer.  Clearly, we do not have the same skin tone.

I just wanted to clarify this in case you were wondering

if the same discoloration would happen to you.

No promises, but it probably won't.

Okay I gotta go, it's time to get Twilight ready for tonight...

(P.S. I guess by now you've figured out from the photo, that during the winter months, I'm not the blonde I claim to be).