I Love Guns & Coffee

This knock-off/parody of a sticker/t-shirt/coffee mug company basically epitomizes my marriage. Today was an example of that: it started with church and coffee (in my I Love Guns & Coffee traveling mug) and ended with target shooting in the woods with friends and both of our brothers. It was one of those rare days that filled up both mine and my husbands' love tanks. How often does that happen for the both of us? Not often enough. We kind of have to be creative to think of an outing (dare I say "date?") that truly fits both our interests.

You see - he is your ultimate man's man. He LOVES guns. Like loves, loves, loves, loves, loves exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. Since one of our first dates was going target shooting with a group of friends from college, I should have known guns would be a permanent fixture in our relationship. Eight years later, I am absolutely correct; however, sometimes this passion of his is semi-annoying. You see - you can't just be a casual fan of guns. You have to go all out. At least if your name is Josh Bergman, you do.

{This is Josh opening a Christmas present last year. It is something gun-related. I couldn't even tell you what it is, exactly. However, he is super-stoked in this pic!}

{This is him explaining to everyone what this gun accessory actually is. He is very happy here.} 

{pure joy}

When his gun collection grew from one handgun and one rifle (manageable) to a few more (like five more?) - plus some of his dad's and my brother's guns - I was like, "WHOA. Our house is not Cabela's." (Thank goodness.) I requested that we get a safe, and we did. This is probably one of the best requests I have ever made in the entirety of our relationship, in my husbands' opinion. If you could imagine the look on his face when I was the one that suggested we make this purchase: priceless. The safe now holds my husbands' firearms and all of our important life documents. It was certainly an investment, but one that I'm okay with because I can lay my head on my pillow at night knowing we don't have pistols laying around all over the house. Sheesh.

{A big, bad, mama-jama, not messin' around safe - except ours is black}

Which brings me to the second half of our relationship: ME! I am pretty much your ultimate girl's girl. I LOVE coffee. Like love, love, love, love, love exercising my teeth chattering, I-need-caffeine-now gene. (Thanks, Mom!) Anyway, I'm sure my coffee addiction gets semi-annoying to my husband sometimes ~ actually, I know it does. Obviously a latte doesn't equal the price of a new gun, but this is the trade-off we mutually agreed to enter into when we said "I do" four years ago.

{Me with coffee in the Bahamas on our cruise in 2010. I was soooo happy to finally find good coffee after six days at sea!}

I love my husband with all my heart - guns blazin' and all. I also know he loves me: coffee stains continuously plaguing my car's cup-holders, coffee tumblers and accessories that easily take up one entire cupboard in our kitchen, my typical request of, "Can we stop for coffee?" anytime we go anywhere to do anything, etc. He accepts that this is me, and I accept that the guns are a part of him. One of the sweetest things Josh has ever done for me was last year on my first day of school in a new district. He went to the effort of stopping at a local coffee stand and buying a 16 oz. iced non-fat hazelnut latte and bringing it to my new classroom to say hi. Such a sweetie. The best part was that he got my drink order correct without asking, which shows he pays attention and knows me.

Its these small gestures - buying coffee and going shooting - that have helped our marriage to last so far (and hopefully for many years to come)... This is why that goofy sticker = my marriage. If you can honestly say you love guns and coffee, then you honestly love my husband and me!