He still gives me flowers

Flashback to almost 24 years ago: 

My husband, who was still my boyfriend at that time, picked me up from the university.   

"Ooh, roses!" exclaimed my friend who joined us, as she saw the flowers carefully hidden in the back seat of the car. "What's the occasion?" she asked further.

"Nothing," replied my husband. "I just thought of getting it for Malou," he said.

"Shucks Teyene, you ruined the surprise." I complained. But deep down inside, I was so touched; I could not help but smile. 

So let's fast forward to today, 24 years later: 

My husband's idea of grocery shopping is to come in early -- as in when the doors first open. Today, we were really early also because of the World Cup finals. There were only a handful of people at Trader Joe's as the 4 of us-- my hubby and I plus our two girls -- did our shopping. I was busy going through the meat section when I heard my daughter's voice. 

"Hey Dad, what's the occasion?" She asked my hubby as he was holding a bouquet of spring flowers. 

"Nothing, I just want to give it to your mom..." My husband replied (the same reply after all these years).

With only eight other people there with us in the grocery store, I heard it so clearly. I couldn't help but think back to 24 years ago. 

"Gosh, Isabelle, you ruined the surprise," I laughed. I felt my heart skip a beat and my face warm up. I was giddy that my husband still gives me flowers after being with him for 24 years!

Through the years, my husband and I grew together. As a young couple, we knew how different we were from each other and how difficult it would be for us starting a family so early. Yet because of these 24 years, our marriage is what we call "beautifully imperfect." Over the years, we learned to accept our differences, laugh it off and make these differences work for us.

There are a few things that we do enjoy together, and surprisingly one of them is this blog. He is amused at how I'm so passionate about writing and sharing both my stories and my recipes. He always encourages me to cultivate my interests, and he is as excited as I am to read comments from my readers! 

The flowers he gave me today brought me into a nostalgic frame of mind; it made me remember those days long ago, when I would make Iced Tea for him whenever he visited me at home (like a loyal boyfriend would). 

KETTLE BREWED MANGO GREEN TEA WITH TAPIOCA PEARLS

5 bags of green tea

brown sugar (or you could use agave)

6 cups of water

sweet mangoes, cubed

tapioca pearls, cooked

Boil 6 cups of water.  Add the green tea bags and stir in the sugar.  Let it cool.  Add the tapioca pearls and the mango slices.  Add ice cubes.  Enjoy!