I’m married to my best friend.
He understands me and laughs with me and shops at Habitat for Humanity for chairs with me and has eyes that twinkle and when I ask him if we can move the chairs that were just painted into the middle of the back yard to photograph them….
….he doesn’t even bat an eye.
And when I dance around the yard with my camera and point to the sunlight streaming over the grass because it’s the golden hour and the light is perfect and get so excited because I probably won’t even have to edit the photos…
….he smiles and nods encouragingly.
Even though he has absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.
Because that’s what best friends do.
Last week we were in Tennessee on a mission.
I have a photo shoot coming up with an outdoor table setting and I had the table and the linens and the dishes and the platters and the napkins and the monogrammed cups ready to go.
All I needed were the chairs.
I finally found these chairs at the Habitat for Humanity store for only $15 and the woven seats were in perfect condition, but the wood was a little rough and scratched and dented. No worries. A couple of coats of paint and a little distressing fixed everything.
The lighter blue chair is painted Sherwin-Williams Faded Flaxflower (seriously best paint color name ever) and the darker blue chair is painted Sherwin-Williams Inky Blue.
After we found the chairs, we headed to a restaurant to celebrate.
I was so excited and talking a mile a minute and describing in great detail the place settings and discussing if I should hang a woven twig chandelier over the table and how much I loved blue and white and asking him if he remembered our first apartment with the cutest blue and white dishes.
And he smiled and nodded.
Until.
Until they took us to the tiniest table known to man in the darkest corner of the restaurant wedged in next to the railing.
Then he frowned.
I told him it was okay.
I told him I liked tiny tables and it wasn’t too dark and we could make it work, as I whacked myself with my purse trying to get it over the back of the chair.
We sat there at the tiny table in the darkness for a few minutes and then when the waitress stopped by, he politely ask if we could move to a bigger table.
She smiled and said yes and led us to the best table in the house.
There was a window and space and a big table top and room for miles.
My purse even had its own chair.
And as we looked over the menu and started talking about what we were going to eat and did grill chicken cancel out a brownie for dessert, he looked across the table and grinned at me.
Then he paused and his eyes twinkled and he looked around and said with a satisfactory air, “This is so much better. No one puts baby in the corner.”
Of course.
Of course he did.
Because that’s what best friends are for.
Chair shopping and knowing all the lines to your favorite movie. 🙂
PS I love you best friend.
Adorable story!
Love it!!
Precious! Thank you for sharing. Unmarried and married people (we're soon to be 37 years) need to hear and see couples journeying life together. Of course, we know we might encounter some winter storms, but it all comes down to staying the course together and laughing along the way.
Please pray my daughter finds a "best friend"/ husband like yours ( and mine-her dad) !!!!
You are so lucky. (Insert dreamy sigh here). ❤️
My eyes are leaking as I type this. Your stories are priceless. Thank you for a great start to my day and the shared blessings of being married to our best friends. xoxo
Absolutely adorable ♡
He sounds like a keeper!
Precious story and picture too!! So funny those guys with twinkling eyes can get right to your heart for sure. So funny was teasing and told daughter Terry was my Noah. She asked him If that was true. He said well I never built her house but I want too! Oh my had not wanted to love but how did you turn that The Notebook reference down. Well building did not work out but surprised me just a few days later on anniversary by driving up the tree lined driveway of a house that reminded me kind of Tara and had loved since a little girl. Yep he's a keeper!❤️ Glad you have a keeper too.
So so precious!
Such a sweet story!❤️
So sweet!
Sweetest story ever! My BFF and I just celebrated 46 years. His eyes still twinkle too!
Awwwww, well how sweet are you two! LOVE this!
He is the one alright!! That line....sealed the deal! Here's to being married to your best friend! ;)
LOVE ❤️❤️❤️. Best good morning story ever.
You are a lucky girl!!
That is the CUTEST story! And you always win me over with your 80's pop culture references, but that picture of you and your best friend? Adorable!
Best friends are the best!♥♥♥
There isn't anything greater than being married to a best friend.
you kids, sigh.....<3
A very sweet story! Put a smile on my face! Love the chairs too! Linda
Another perfect story and photos for the "BOOK"! I love your stories so much, they just brighten the day. You two are the best of the best- friends and life partners. Thank-you for sharing this lovely story- love those chairs too!
Gush, gush, gush.... LOVE it! I'm married to my best friend, too, but he would probably give me some playful gruff about moving the chairs to back yard.... Sounds like you've got a keeper!!
So....your blog is not just about decorating,painting,vignette making,thrift store shopping, roadside picking,picture taking, story telling, .........its about LOVE. Beautiful post.
This just made my day! I was literally grinning ear to ear at the end of the story lol!! How adorable are you guys! Great line to an awesome movie!!!!! (Psss, it's been my favorite movie since I was about 16) CLASSIC!
You didn't need a brownie after that.... How much sweetness does one need in a day? Lucky girl!! WHAT A GUY!
Off hand, I cannot think of any one I am aware of that is any more blessed than you are. I mean it. The best part of that is - You know it. Keep up the wonderful journey!
Another cutest story ever.....
Love this one! I'm lucky enough to be married to my best friend as well. It makes life so much easier to tackle when you can do it with someone who loves you for you and can laugh with you along the way. Congrats to you both. And, for finding the chairs!
So sweet - made me smile!
So happy for you and your lovely family!
Precious!! Priceless moments to cherish. And I love the chairs and those pillows, too.
Cute story and I love those chairs. Just working on a pantry door. Red and distressed look. Isn't working out the way I invisioned but my husband is patiently sanding. Hopefully we and I do mean "we" will pull it together.
Love the blues! Love the chairs! Love the pillows! Love the fabric! Love the patterns! Love the view! Love the photography! Love the story! And "It Was Almost Like A Song!" Thank you for sharing such a sweet part of your life.
Thank you for that story. After 42 years my husband and I share a growing "dialogue," the most recent quips coming from our grandsons. People ask how we get along in retirement. How could we not?
Ahh....what a story! I loved it. I also love the color faded flaxflower. I think I want to paint my kitchen cabinets that same color! Thank you for always making me smile.
Such a sweet story...you are blessed!
You two are so cute together! And you look amazing!
He is a Keeper!
Of course he did! Of course you made me cry! Love the chairs.
Always keep twinkling! You are a lucky woman indeed.
So incredibly sweet!! Life is definitely better with your best friend beside you!!
sweet, sweet, sweet...
Love You! Another great morning with my cup of coffee and a wonderful story.
As soon as I saw your photo, I said to myself, "cutest couple." May the two of you receive more tons of God's blessings.
I LOVE IT!! Sorry I shouted but I just had to get it out. And do you know what else best friends and lovers do?? He doesn't complain when Dirty Dancing comes on and you want to watch it for the zillionth time :-) I love the dancing :-) Twinkling brown eyes only come along once in a lifetime. Love your story!! Have a sunshine filled day.
I love that you refer to your sweet hubby as your best friend! The advice I always give younger married couples is just that...be each others best friends and all will be well. I used to have to talk my hubby into going places (he felt awkward in social situations) but he would always tell me afterward that he was glad he went and had a good time...because he was with me. I would do things too that I didn't really want to do because that's what he wanted. In the end, I knew I'd have a good time. Because I was with him. Oh, and the chairs with the pillows are adorable, Karianne. And such a good buy! I didn't know HFH sold things!!
My dad & mom are celebrating 60 years together tomorrow & he just got released today (his 82nd birthday!) from a week's stay in the hospital for a bad stroke, and seeing them in the hospital and when he got back home was so sweet, so much like your story! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Wonderful story! I'm married to my best friend too! 33 years and 4 children after our wedding and we are still best friends. And mine shops at Habitat with me too. Thanks for posting!
Oh, my gosh!!!! What a sweetheart!
Great Chairs, Great Movie Quote. Now you just need a lake to practice that lift. You can do it! And then we want to see the twig chandelier :)
Marriage is sometimes hard-it's so nice to hear stories like yours! Love your enthusiasm-it always makes my day.
Is your fabric out yet? I have been married 42 years, traveled around the world with my military hubby and gone thru so many changes it would twirl your head. You just have to decide that together is where you want to be and stick to it. It does get better and better.. Nothing better than a best friend.
Miz karianne, your twinkling brown eyed best friend is so much like MY twinkling blue eyed best friend.....it certainly makes life a whole lot more fun, doesn't it? I am so happy for you....blessed is what you and I are. Blessed indeed. Great day to you!
Love these stories you share of every day life, inspiring us, laughter erupting over coffee or searching for the Kleenex box as the first tear falls. Playful banter between spouses are beloved moments that I cherish even more with each passing year (41yrs. and counting). Reading your post was a reminder to reflect my life journey with my guy and hold what is precious in my heart with gratitude. Besides, a day of celebration. Our pug is getting a baby pup sister,and our family is picking up our shorki-tsu today (Shi tzu/yorkie). My eldest son will be adopting a male from the same litter today too. Puppy hood... Here we come!
God gave me one of those "Best Friends" too, over 55 years ago. Thanks for reminding me that I need to tell/show him how much he is loved and appreciated more often!
Oh those Navy Sailors! They have all the best lines! I'm married to one too! You've been blessed! He's a Navy Sailor Keeper!
How wonderful you are married to your best friend. I know, because I am too. It's the best feeling in the world to know they will be there for you no matter what. God Bless you both. Much love, Rose
That is the best love story I have ever read....tears....you are both blessed.
That's such a sweet story. Thank you for posting the picture of you and your husband. I am divorced but there is always hope if it's meant to be. You look beautiful in your red, white, and blue outfit!!
Thanks for sharing a great story! You are blessed <3. My best friend shops with me too. When my cart only has a few things he'll say, "Is that all?" Gotta love that man!
Thanks for a good read and the huge smile at the end! You brightened my day!!!
Perfect...just...Perfect!
Oh my goodness....you had me smiling through your whole sweet story and teary-eyed by the end. Hang on to that guy.....he's definitely a keeper!!!!! I have a keeper too....almost for 45 years now. He reminds me everyday "You're a lucky woman!" I'm the one that rolls their eyes in THIS relationship :-)
Dang...someone must be peeling onions up in here...my face is leaking all over! You two are the absolute most adorable couple EVER! The chairs are cute, too...but they've got nothing on you and your hubby! Your hubby sounds like the type who doesn't talk much, but when he does, he cuts to the heart of things, yes? You are both blessed to have one another!
Well....I'm as blessed as you are! 32 years of love and friendship to my best friend! Three amzing sons that are as sweet and loving as their dad, makes me a very blessed woman! And, to Teresa that wrote "pray for her daughter to find a man like that".....well I have a very eligible handsome engineer son that's been too busy with his career that would love to meet a nice girl with faithful loving ways to spend the rest of his life with!! Praying it could be a match :-) Maybe Karianne can help these two find a way to get together.....wouldn't that be "like a movie"
He's a keeper, for sure!
Oh Karianne. I could cry that you have a Hubby like mine. This is SO like life in my world, I found myself reading your post word for word to my Beloved. Who grinned and twinkled his eyes in that knowing way. We are so immensely lucky, you and I. To have married our best friends. It seems so rare these days. Sue x
I think you should keep him.
Which Habitat for Humanity did you go to? 8th Avenue near downtown? I love the chairs!!
That's awesome....did he drop the mic after that statement? lol ;)
He's almost as cute of a cutie pie as you are. Almost. But those twinkly eyes? I've had the pleasure of seeing them in person. Hands down the twinkliest of all the twinkly eyes out there. And he likes good movies. Definitely a keeper.
You two are a perfect match! Love reading these sweet stories!
Awwwwwwwwwww!! SWEET!!!!!!!!!! :)
So beautiful! I have one of those best friends too! We are lucky girls!
This is so sweet!! Yours is a love story for the ages!! Love it!
Awww...I loved this post!! You are a blessed woman.
Awww... and he's pretty lucky, too!
You are so lucky to have a mate like that. I am 61, and would love to have an experience like that. It's nice to know there are truly happy couples in the world.
Awesome!!! And, my purse also needs its own chair!
Aww, I love this!!
Your husband says just the right things to you and you know how to say the right things in just the right sequence to put a smile on your readers' faces, thank you and have a red lipstick good day!
Awesome!
Congratulations! You are still in love! Keep it going that way!
What a lovely share. Your husband sounds so sweet and supportive. Great chairs and a really good price. I'm looking forward to seeing the upcoming tablescape that prompted this post. Have a wonderful day.
Love that he knows the line to your fav movie...and mine! So adorable you two are.
You two are so stinking cute. I'm married to my best friend too. Almost 32 years...Love that you guys are still so in love, just like me and mine.
Just the sweetest post ever. Best Friends. Yes. I know this Story. It's a Wonderful Story. Thanks for sharing and the reminder. :)
Adorable! Been married to my best friend for 36 years. I love that we can say movie lines to each other as an inside joke or love note. We're retired now and people say "you do everything together?" Well, DUH, yeah. Why wouldn't we? Teehee
Methinks you are a lucky woman, and he is a lucky man!!
I was married to my best friend for 44 years, 4 months and 4 days before the Lord took him suddenly. I know I will see him again by God s Grace. Be kind to each other, say you love each other every day, enjoy each other, never go to bed upset with each other, hug each other, do little things for each other. I would always write a little note and tell him that I loved him and put it on his napkin in his lunch. just take good care of each other !
Such a great story... I have to share this because it popped into my head as I was reading... Many years ago my husband and I were going through the roughest time in our marriage. I was talking about separating... He listened to me. He disagreed. He thought we should go to counseling. I wasn't sure counseling would work because does it really if one person has come to the separation stage? Then he said... "Whatever you decide to do won't ever change the fact that I will always love you. I want you to know that." We're about to celebrate 43 years of marriage. How could I not stay and work things out with the man who just told me he would always love me. You see, he'd never said that before... oh, he'd said he loved me... but not like that.... It was a great marriage lesson.... how will the people you love know how much if you don't tell them every chance you get? And I can truly say from my own personal experience "love" softens a hardened heart. We are living proof!
It's the little things--that turn into big things!!!
Love the chairs and especially love the story!
Beautiful and inspiring story! Love the positive reflection of marriage.
That's "our" movie! :)