Ephraim (part 2)

Yesterday Ephraim turned 27.

Last year, when he turned 26, I wrote a blog post featuring my 26 favorite Ephraim facts.     (read it here)
I am not going to do that.

Partly because, even though I love him... It was really hard to think of 26 unique and semi-interesting facts about him. I am pretty sure, to attempt this again, I would just simply be duplicating the 26 from last year, plus one.

So to spare you from all this, I am instead just going to share some interesting facts about Ephraim and I...

Every year Ephraim and I have shared together has been nothing less than adventure.
And, I think we like it this way.  We live a simpler life that most.  This is close to one of the most important things Ephraim ever taught me.  What is really important.
We have lived a happy life with no internet in our home, buying used clothing. Diving in dumpsters, teaching our daughter to treat nature with kindness, and to make friends with the rocks.  Deliberately spending more moments in each others presence each week, than not.  We have worked hard to have grace, love and compassion for anyone. Everyone.


On any given day, E and I would probably drop everything to go to the beach.  And we certainly prefer sleeping in the back of our station wagon than staying in a fancy hotel.


Coffee is very, very important to us.  We love everything about it.  The conversations it brings. The people around it. The seductive deep rich flavor. The ever lasting aroma, and the fact that when Sequoia smells Ephraim's bad breath she says "Coffee, Ephum?"


Eph and I have ridiculous car adventures. I don't think I can express this clear enough... I have never met any one who finds themselves in as many crazy car situation as we do.  I could probably fill an entire blog post just retelling stories.  In fact, we had yet again a crazy story not even 2 months ago.  On our three year anniversary, Ephraim took me to the beach for an evening get away.  But no vacation is complete without immediately getting your car stuck in the sand.  Watching the water inch closer and closer.  Meeting a strange man named Manuel, who helps for over 2 hours, digging and trying to assist in freeing our car.  Encountering a delightful, middle aged hippy who is not much help in the actual labor of freeing our vehicle, but assists in sitting criss-crossed on the sand by our car and chatting about the beach, and sand, and sunsets, and life, and....     AND THEN on the way home from this very eventful beach visit, we discover our car is no longer shifting into 3rd gear.  Have you tried driving 1.5 hours on freeway in 2nd gear?  It's actually not possible.  It took us nearly 7 hours of driving on small, back country Washington roads ( and even a few very terrifying logging roads).

Ephraim and I learn more about love everyday.  We learn to choose it. And we learn what it looks like when we don't. 

He is certainly not easy, or perfect... but I never asked him to be.

"And suppose I never ever met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you
Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall"

Happy Birthday to you, your still my very favorite... even when your not.