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The Roll Over Car Accident

I just recently read the book “The Vow” by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter.

It’s a nonfiction book and there is a movie based off of the same story, but I wouldn’t bother with the movie because it’s NOTHING like the true story. The Carpenter’s story is such an amazing declaration or what love and commitment is really all about. The authors do not shy away from proclaiming the gospel page after page and their detailed account is incredible. The couple was married for just 2 months when they were in a tragic car accident that nearly killed them. Their lives were spared, but Kricket’s memory was not. She didn’t remember her husband at all and the rehabilitation and emotional challenges that followed were almost painful to read, but <spoiler alert> it has a happy ending.

This got me thinking about the time I was in a horrific car wreck.

Some of this will be a repost from what I shared 7 years ago, but I think the story bears repeating because not only is it a testimony of God’s provision, it is also a reminder to wear a seat belt and have infants properly restrained in a car seat while on the road.

It was March of 2008. I was in Kentucky with my 6 month old (Z) visiting family. It was time to head back home to Dallas where my husband was waiting for us. My mom drove us to the airport and while we were riding along on the highway going about 70 MPH the traffic ahead began to stop. My mom hit the brakes in order to avoid a collision and the car started to swerve, first to the left then to the right and we headed off road toward a ditch.

In that moment I honestly never thought I am going to die! I just saw the car vearing off road in the grass and thought Oh No, this is bad and by bad I just figured we would come to an abrupt stop and that we’d be late and miss our flight. Of course all these thoughts happened in a matter of seconds.

Next thing I knew the airbag and a bunch of dirt came towards me. Then I woke up just moments later with grass, glass, dirt, and debri everywhere. It was as if the car was a shovel digging up the earth. I didn’t immediately realized the severity of the wreck. All I could think about was my baby boy in the back seat. I literally screamed at the top of my lungs like you see in the movies “OH GOD! MY SON! SAVE MY BABY! JESUS CHRIST HE HAS TO BE OKAY! My window had been busted out so I jumped through it and ran to the back of the car screaming. I had completely LOST it.

I tried to get him out through the window, but the car seat was too heavy for me in my condition and the door was smashed shut. My mom got out and was able to reach him from her side. She immediately assured me that he was fine. She went from looking at my 6 months old who didn’t even seem phased to looking up at me from the other side of the car. Her face was an expression of shock and horror. With tears in her eyes she said “but Natalie you are not”. I had a nasty head injury. At that moment I felt light headed and collapsed on the ground and just wept. Once I knew my baby was fine the motherly adrenaline drained out of my system.
My mom brought the baby over to me so that I could hold him in my arms. Some people pulled over to help and were on the phone with emergency services. I didn’t even realize that the car had rolled over until I heard someone tell the paramedics. I had hit my head on the roof of the car and had a huge knot on the right side about the size of a baseball and was bleeding in several areas. We were all 3 rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Everyone there reminded me over and over that my baby was okay and that did help me to calm down a lot, although I was still trembling. They did all the appropriate tests and in the end all of three of us were okay.

We got another flight and were back home several days later. I had to go to the chiropractor for a few months for neck issues, but other than that the only thing I came away with from the accident were scrapes, bruises, and a big chunk of missing hair that I guess had been sliced off by the broken glass. It looked funny when it grew back in because for a while it stuck up like alfalfa. I didn’t have a smart phone to take pictures and I didn’t blog back then, so lucky for you I won’t be sharing any gruesome photos. Although I do have this picture of my mom’s car which of course was totaled.

One thing I will never forget about that terrifying day was that the whole time I was strapped to that stretcher forced to stare at the ceiling with my neck brace on the worship song “He Loves Us” by John Marc McMillan was going through my mind.

He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves us… I felt those words flowing through me over and over bringing me peace in the midst of it all.

And I know that He does love us. He truly does.

By Natalie|2015-07-23T12:00:59+00:00July 23, 2015|My Life, Uncategorized|0 Comments

I Fell In Love and Married Too Young.

I was engaged 15 years ago (so I was barely 18) and I got married 3 months later.

Statistically speaking people married under the age of 25 are at a much higher risk for divorce. Low income families are too. Short engagements make your chances of success even lower.

We were all of the above and then some. Some would call our marriage a recipe for disaster, yet we’ve already beaten the odds just getting past the 10 year mark.

So how is it that we have a strong healthy marriage after 15 years even while undergoing so much struggle?

First of all it’s because we have a redeeming Savior that we rely on to get us through the hard times. “There but for the grace of God go I” is one of my all time favorite sayings.

I don’t want anything I say to be hurtful or judgmental. Marriage is SO COMPLICATED and each situation is completely different. We’ve seen many dear friends and family members walk through the pain and difficulty of seperation so I am not trying to sum up the key to marital success in under a thousand words.

What I do want to say is that I see a trend in our culture that I think is misleading. I call it the calculated marriage.

On average most people will spend a quarter of their life single. Then they spend a few years dating and being engaged to their spouse. At this point you would have MOST of your life ahead of you.

Here’s a terribly unscientific pie chart to explain what I mean.

What I see happening is that everyone (Christian or not) is putting ALL the emphasis on that tiny fraction of the pie that I have labeled courting (shown in orange).

Some suggest living together during courtship so that you really know what life is like. Others suggest a parent led courtship where the families are heavily involved. There are websites designed to match you up with your most compatible partner. I’ve seen advice that you should stay single longer, date longer, marry someone you’ve known for a long time, be financially stable, have a college degree, get plenty of counseling, own a pet first, marry someone who has never been divorced, or I saw an article shared on Facebook yesterday that talked about the stigma of having divorced parents.

The list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, there are important factors to consider, but I am going to make an unpopular claim and say that we are putting the emphasis in the wrong place.

I believe that the reason J and I (and the many many other couples I know in the same boat) have defied the odds is because we put the work in before we even met each other and then really got our elbows dirty after we sealed the deal. So we may have rushed through the “orange” phase, but you see all that green and yellow? We have invested a lot into those years and hopefully the years to come.

We were taught to believe that marriage takes work and divorce is not an option. We were working on our relationships with the Lord while we were single (and therefore working on what it takes to have a successful marriage). We have had to fight for our marriage especially in those first 5 years! I’m glad we had no way out in those dark moments because now I get to see all the wonderful things we would have missed!

Let me use an analogy. Let’s say there is a young woman that dreams of having a nice car some day. She carpools and rides the bus as she diligently saves up for her dream car. Her focus and motivation is getting the perfect car. She believes that if she does all the research and gets a car that has great gas milage, high safety ratings, a history of longevity, and luxurious amenities then she knows she will be happy.

The day comes that she finds the ONE. It’s perfect. She doesn’t rush in and buy it either. She finishes saving up and pays CASH! It sounds like the epitome of self discipline and responsibility.

The problem is, she goes to get the car without a drivers license! She assumed she would be able to learn to drive once she had a car to practice with.

To make matters worse she doesn’t keep up with the maintence on the car. The car she worked so hard to get is banged up and run down fast because she doesn’t know how to drive it or take care of issues when they arise. She was completely focused on the vehicle and her checklist, but put little thought into what it really means to drive or take ownership.

The point I am trying to make is that while the vehicle and the purchase is important it’s not even the most important part. Of course there are things you can do to make wise choices while you date or are engaged. For starters the Bible talks about being equally yoked and that’s HUGE, but it’s only a part of the equation. You have to learn about commitment and choose covenant everyday in every aspect of life. Then when you are married you implement what you’ve learned. You walk it out. It takes two and that’s the hard part, but it’s so rewarding.

There are some people that operate with caution by nature and if you want to get a license, save up for the perfect car, AND take good care of it too then that’s great. My concern is for those that think the calculated marriage is going to solve the divorce epidemic.

Marriage is a big decision that should not be taken lightly, but deep down I still stubbornly believe that some of the best things in life are uncalculated.

By Natalie|2021-11-04T11:21:27+00:00July 21, 2015|Marriage, Uncategorized|7 Comments

Real Life in a Small Space

I have had such an overwhelming response to the “Small Space Living for Big Families“. It has been awesome! I have had the opportunity to connect with so many other families from ALL OVER who are also making the most out of living with less. The Facebook comments have been… diverse. Most of them are extremely positive, but I did get some feedback from skeptics because all of the photos I shared were of the apartment empty. They couldn’t imagine what “real life” in 800 square feet with three small children would actually look like. For most people the concept is a nightmare.

Just to be clear, if you can afford and manage a large or even average home that’s fantastic. It’s a personal choice. Some people do it out of conviction, for us it’s necessity. Either way the idea is to find satisfaction despite what our culture says we must have. Our children don’t have to live a solemn life of deprivation, just because they don’t have their own bedroom and playroom.

For those that follow my blog, I post pictures of my family in our apartment all the time so you know we are real people and you’ve seen most of this before. For everyone else I have gone through some old photos that show how we manage year round in less than 800 square feet. Get ready for an overwhelming amount of snapshots.

We’ll start with January.

Nerf darts. I did a whole post about this and it’s even been featured on other blogs.

We definitely go sledding and stuff, but the kids can spend hours out in this little patio throwing snowballs at the sliding door and building snowmen in the winter. It’s basically turns into a giant sandbox when it snows which means I get stay warm behind the glass!

Here is a pic of the kids filling out their class Valentine’s.

My daughter’s birthday is in March and I wrote two posts about how we had the ultimate tea party for her birthday.

The kid’s share a room for now and as you can see they consider it “Fun Land”

This is when Ezie was still in a crib and they didn’t have bunk beds yet.

and this isn’t the best pic, but it’s the new setup. The swing chair is from Ikea. There is a small trampoline in the other end of the room. There is a toy box and a book shelf hanging on the wall with tons and tons of books. They share a closet too.

Here is Z is posing in front of the apartment with his end of the year school project.

Fun with food.

Our one little bathroom seconds as a salon.

Bubbles on the patio is always a great choice for summer.

The guys having fun making race cars and a track out of paper.

Living on the third floor of an apartment means lots of stairs everyday.

Another successful birthday party. This one was camping theme! Check out the whole post with all the details here.

Floor puzzle

Dancing and dress up time

Checking herself out in the master bedroom

Building a model car with dad

Building a pinewood derby car with dad

Winning a trophy for pinewood derby! The suitcase is significant because my dad came in for the event and he spent the night. We have had many guest sleepover on multiple occasions!

More playtime

Crafts

We are always out of town with family for Christmas so we don’t do any big decorations, but we do Truth in the Tinsel and some other fun traditions.

Our one piece of furniture to sit on.

Many, many meals have been made in this tiny kitchen.

We love playing cards and board games.

Reading time!

They don’t usually sleep in our bed, but there are mornings we wake up like this!

The truth is we aren’t home that much. Thanks to generous gifts we have had annual memberships to the nature center, the sports and fitness club, and the science museum. We also frequent parks and libraries, along with play dates and road trips. So I am not trying to imply that we just love being cooped up together in our small apartment all the time. What I am trying to prove with this post is that we are a REAL family that has a lot of fun and shared memories using every last inch of our little space.

I feel like God has brought us to this place for a reason. We’ve learned and gained so much from this season of our lives. If I could change the past and give my children a bigger home and a more luxurious or glamorous lifestyle I wouldn’t do it. My dream house wish list is longer than my weekly grocery list, so don’t get me wrong I am a big fan of amenities, but for now it’s the simple life and I SIMPLY wouldn’t have it any other way.

By Natalie|2022-03-16T14:45:46+00:00July 1, 2015|Family, Frugal Living, Lifestyle, Simple Living, Uncategorized|11 Comments

This is Me

I remember when I was 22. It feels ridiculously too recent. Surely 10 years have not flown by! It’s just not possible. I am still as youthful, relevant, and spunky as ever right? Sometimes I feel that way. Other days my mortality and decay is spreading like a crack on a windshield. In fact, I feel like I remember the moment when the metaphorical rock hit my windshield.

I was 29 and all kinds of major life changing events were happening. I mean MAJOR. The year I turned 30 was the most stressful year of my life. It was like driving through a hail storm and then… CRACK! Suddenly I noticed a wrinkle which slowly became more wrinkles, some saggy skin, strange hairs, and grey hairs. I analyze every detail as though the world is watching and the headlines in tomorrow’s newspaper will be announcing that Natalie Busch is old.

Then I sit behind a 90 year old woman in church who is hunched over so badly her face is pointed to the ground and she is forced to strain her neck to keep from staring at her feet. Her hands are curled up tightly in her lap. Her skin is soft and translucent as if it is fading into oblivion. She is wheeled into the sanctuary every Sunday where she praises the Lord with all that is left in her. As her body turns inward into itself her soul turns upward and outward. She is so peaceful. In the moments that I observe and admire her I realize how silly I have been for thinking that at 32 years of age I am old!

Tomorrow is my birthday and it has finally occurred to me that if I can’t be content now, then I never will.

I spent far too many years wounded and insecure. I used to hate myself. I don’t know if you would say I had an eating disorder. If I did I wasn’t very good at it because the more I hated my body the more weight I gained. I definitely had body image issues though. I would do crash diets left and right. I tried every kind of exercise regimen under the sun and I even reverted to pills. When I didn’t see the results I was looking for I would binge and eat in secret. I was truly depressed. It wasn’t just a little slump. It was the pit of despair. I felt hideous and unwanted.

10 years ago I was so desperate to change, I remember coming up with a slogan around my birthday. It was “A Better Me at 23”. Mind you, this didn’t mean a more selfless me, or a more spirit led me. No, that would be great if that was what I meant by better, but the reality was it was another big diet plan. This called for another round of “Before” photos. I was determined that my 23rd year would be the year I would change! And did I?

No. I did not, because my heart and my mindset stayed the same and I refused to address what was going on inside of me.

I was a server at Macaroni Grill at the time and one day my manager came up to me and said “These guys asked for our prettiest waitress and I want to hurry up and get that two top bussed so I can put them in your section. You’re okay with one more table?” He was dead serious. The sad thing is I wasn’t flattered. I didn’t flip my hair and think Oh boy, big tippers. Right this way gentlemen. I wasn’t disgusted and thinking I am not waiting on those sexists morons. What do they think this is Hooters?

No. I didn’t think any of that. I thought Oh no. They are going to be disappointed. They wanted to have the prettiest waitress and all they get is me.

I have never told anyone that story before so this takes a lot for me to admit. It’s embarrassing and sad. Everything about that story is what is wrong with our women in our society today 1.) That I would think that I owed these men something as a woman and 2.) That who I was wasn’t enough.

I have no idea what those men’s intentions were. They were elderly business men and honestly I think they were just being goofy and playful. This isn’t about the men. The point is that I had bought into the lies about who I really am!

The Lord has delivered me from so much since then. I can’t even begin to express how much freedom I have experienced in the past ten years. I still struggle though. I think most women do. That insecurity will rear it’s ugly head like a bottle of whiskey calling out to an alcoholic. Having the physical evidence of aging has not been easy for me. It makes me want to revert back to that depressed lost 22 year old that hated how she looked and worked hard to change her outward appearance, but I know better now. In my own strength I am definitely weak, but through Christ I am whole. And although it might sound cliche like a pop song or Dove commercial, I am beautiful just as I am.

It’s been Ten years since I made the “better me at 23” declaration. I’ll be 33 tomorrow and this year I have a new slogan.

It’s, “This is me at 33”.

This. Is. Me.

By Natalie|2015-06-26T10:29:07+00:00June 26, 2015|Uncategorized|16 Comments

Living in a Small Space

I’m over at The Humbled Homemaker today talking about how our family of 5 lives in less than 800 square feet. It’s a very brief summery of the 31 day series that I did in 2013 “Lots of Hope in a Little Home”. I apologize to all of the people that have clicked over to that page and gotten nowhere through the links!!!

I am still work out dozens of little technical issues from when I moved my blog from Blogger to WordPress last month, one of which is the fact that the links didn’t transfer. I just now finally corrected it! So for those that are interested in a lot more details about how we have made small space living work for us then you can get to all of the posts through the index page found her e (or the little button on my sidebar).

Thanks to all of the new followers and friends that have ended up here through the guest post. I do hope more of you will introduce yourself, I would love to connect!

Also, a big thank you to Erin from the Humbled Homemaker for giving me this opportunity. If you haven’t already heard of her blog then you should definitely see what hundreds of thousands people are raving about.

When I discovered The Humbled Homemaker via a podcast that I listen to (How They Blog) I felt like I was listening to a long lost friend share her story. Her blog is about motherhood, family life, healthy eating, frugality, ministry, and natural living. Sounds a lot like what I like to blog about! Because we had so much in common I thought I would pitch a guest post that her readers might enjoy and much to my surprise and delight she responded right away.

So check out my post about “Small Space Living for Big Families”

and if you want to know more you can see my series “Lots of Hope in a Little Home”

Thanks again for coming by, it really means a lot to me.

By Natalie|2015-06-22T18:45:10+00:00June 22, 2015|Uncategorized|6 Comments

Summer School

I have been blown away by SJ’s recent progress with speech. This time a year ago these were the new phrases she said

Daddy has keys

I want chocolate milk

Snack for later

These short sentences were huge breakthroughs for her at the time!

Aiming high in this photo from last summer.

These are the latest things I have heard her say. Of course there are countless others, but these are ones I managed to write down.

Daddy, I want shut this because I am hot. This was referring to the sunroof.

Mommy I found missing piece under bed. This was referring to a puzzle.

One minute. I am trying to put all stuff in my bag.

Ezie won’t get out of bathroom mommy! There are two people in bathroom! Two people is bad choice.

That not kitty cat. That Hello Kitty. See he has a bow on his head and he has pants on.

There mommy car over there next to daddy’s car.

I like go to Chuck E. Cheese with my family.

Obviously she is still leaving articles out of sentences, but we are moving right along.

Her preschool graduation program. Some children are wearing a cap and gown because they were graduating from the school and will begin mainstream schooling.

She had less than a week off before starting summer school, but the summer program is only half day and at the end of last week she came home wearing a straw hat with a lei and drinking the milk from a coconut.

The end of beach week at summer school.

So there is no shortage of fun. It’s like camp for her.

In other exciting news she is officially a Kindergartener! I honestly didn’t know how they would place her considering her speech percentile is so very low, but she will be in a credited kindergarten program at her deaf school. The curriculum will certainly be modified, but she has already transferred to the kindergarten classroom with her new teacher. So far she really likes it.

A silly pose in front of the sign at her school that she has attended for just over 2 years now.

I have had some total tear jerker moments lately hearing her talk to other children at the park, or even just saying the title of the movie “Frozen” and the names of the characters “Elsa, Anna, and Olaf”. There was a time not that long ago that only dreamed of her being able to say the names of movies or things that she enjoyed. She loves to talk about the baby and how mommy is growing and growing.

I’ve had so many people give me such encouraging reports about how they heard her talking for the first time or just acknowledging how far she’s come. It’s been another big wave of vocabulary. It does tend to come in waves and summer is usually a plataue, but I am really, REALLY hoping she continues to ride this wave and show growth throughout the summer, even as therapy slows down.

I’ll end with the best compliment of all which comes from my 4 old niece who will be 5 in a couple weeks.

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SJ with her cousin last weekend.

This is what I was told she said to her parents after spending Sunday afternoon with SJ

“Guess what!? I almost forgot to tell you the good news!

SJ can talk almost as good as me now. She says hi and can say other things sounding just like me!”

Little kids don’t sugar coat details, we know that. There is no doubt that at 5 years old other children will notice that SJ is different, but to hear her cousin give this update is legit. She is slowly, but surely starting to catch up.

I curled her hair for church and it lasted two seconds of course. It was already flat by the time I took this photo.

By Natalie|2023-06-12T06:34:54+00:00June 19, 2015|Speech Therapy, Uncategorized|8 Comments

The Birth Place Is…

One thing I get a lot of comments on is the diversity of my birth locations. After this birth I will have delivered all 4 of my children at 4 completely different kinds of facilities.

1. A very naturalistic birth center that was pretty much just an old house staffed exclusively with midwives.

2. My house in my bath tub

3. A hospital with a midwife

4. A birth center within a hospital

So they are the same in that they all include midwives, but they are all also very different.

I never set out to be all over the map on this decision, but we have literally lived all over the map, and different states have different laws/options. If I lived in Dallas I would be having midwife Amy Allred every time hands down, because she is incredible. That was an intentional name drop for anyone looking for a midwife in the DFW area.

Amy and I at my baby shower for SJ

However, since I can’t have Amy fly out to Ohio for this birth I am still extremely happy with the place I have found. It’s called Family Beginnings Birthing Center.

Excuse the photo quality. I just took a quick snapshot of a brochure with my iPhone.

There is nothing else like it in the states of Ohio and I have to drive nearly an hour to get there, but it’s going to be totally worth it!*

It’s inside of a hospital so they are equipped to do anything that you would have at a hospital birth (including newborn hearing screenings and you guys know why that is important for us). But they are also 100% geared toward natural birth. Here is a little excerpt from their website so that I can brag about just how amazing this place is!

“We encourage you to share the experience of birth with any family and friends you choose.

Our nurses are dedicated to the natural childbirth process and are experienced in natural childbirth labor support. They assist, support and guide the family using natural childbirth tools. You may choose movement, aromatherapy, music, positioning, labor tools, and water therapy to cope with labor and birth. Nurses encourage you to use positions for delivery that feel right to you. Each room is equipped with a large Jacuzzi® tub.

We encourage your family to make choices about nursing support during labor and birth. For postpartum care, Family Beginnings has 24-hour rooming-in with no separation of the family unit unless complications arise.

We believe childbirth is a natural process and a spiritual journey for you and your family. We empower your family to make choices and support you in bringing your baby into the world.”

For the record I do not push my birth philosophies on anyone! For me though, this is EXACTLY what I want for my final labor and delivery. The only thing I don’t like is that I won’t know which midwife I will have at the birth. There are 5 and so far I have met 2 (and been very happy with both). I will eventually meet all of them and when the time comes to have the baby it just lands on whoever is on call. I can deal with that knowing that each of these midwives are there to support me and my birth plan.

I am so excited about this birth center. Did you read the part about large Jacuzzi tub in each room? And there is a crib too!

I won’t actually tour the birth center until after my next appointment which is in 3 weeks. This is also the appointment where we find out the gender!!! I am getting butterflies already.

So that’s the scoop.

I’m 17 weeks with baby #4, due November 24th, and will be delivering at Family Beginnings Birth Center in Dayton Ohio.

A glimpse of my baby bump and two little goof balls (Z is visiting family in Texas)

*I drove the same distance to get to my midwife in Lexington for Ezie’s birth. I am going to have to be really in tune with my body because I can have quick labors, but since this isn’t my first rodeo I feel comfortable with this location.

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By Natalie|2015-06-17T10:46:58+00:00June 17, 2015|Uncategorized|16 Comments

Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos
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Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos

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Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos

I am really hoping to start the link up next month. So get your embarrassing, quirky, odd, or laughable stories ready for when the Tuesday Look Back and Laugh Link Up begins. I’m shooting for July 14th, but I’ll keep you posted. For now I am just going to continue to share memories of my own and since we are in the thick of VBS season I thought I would recycle this story from back when I was involved in VBS.

We were in the planning stages of the VBS production and knew that we were going to go with a camping theme. The children’s pastor at the time suggested “Camping Gone Wild”. Keep in mind this story happened about 10 years ago when the disgusting pornographic “Girls Gone Wild” empire was a big newsworthy business. So we decided against using anything “gone wild” for church promotional material and we went with “The Great Camping Adventure” instead.

That’s me as one of the camping hillbillies.

To go along with the camping theme the kids were divided up by age groups and each group had a forest animal name like, skunk, raccoon, or owl. Every night when the children’s pastor was trying to rile up the kids he would say things like “Are there any skunks in the house?” and the kids would scream. One time when addressing the owl team he said “Let’s hear it for the HOOOOTERS!” he caught himself and immediately corrected it by saying owls, after his face turned completely red. The kids didn’t even notice (which is quite refreshing to know there is still some innocence left in the world). The adults on the other hand couldn’t hold back the laughter.

By Natalie|2015-06-16T09:44:01+00:00June 16, 2015|Uncategorized|9 Comments

The “I Love Lucy” Chemistry

I got free tickets to see I Love Lucy live at the Aranoff theater in Cincinnati and it was such a great experience. I used to watch reruns of the show back in the day. Watching it as an adult made me realize just how much my husband and I are just like Lucy and Ricky! I am the quirky free spirited one always trying new things and getting myself into some kind of trouble, while J is a little more grounded and inclined to ~~overthink~~ think things through.

It’s a great combination though and it’s not uncommon for opposites to attract. There is often chemistry there. Even in fictional love stories there are numerous times where Type A personality + Type B personality = True Love. I’m no movie or television buff, but I did my best to come up with a list of characters that have that “I Love Lucy” chemistry. Maybe you can help me add to it.

1. Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (I Love Lucy)

I already ‘splained myself on this one. Quirky meets grounded and BAM! Match made in heaven.

2. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

It’s not unlikely for this personality combination to start as a love/hate relationship, as was the case with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Darcy is about as straight laced as they come seeing everything in black and white. Elizabeth on he other hand was raised with an entirely different set of values and has “a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous” (to quote Jane Austen). Yet, it works. Sounds like another Lucy and Ricky to me.

3. Maria and Captain von Trapp (Sound of Music)

Um, can we say opposite? Another classic example of how a serious military guy can fall for a singing dancing “flibbertijibbet! A will-o’-the wisp! A clown!” such as Maria. Once again, it took a while for them to realize their love, but it doesn’t get any more perfect than the captain and Maria.

4. Fran Fine and Mr. Sheffield (The Nanny)

If you are looking for the 1990’s modern adaptation of all of these love stories than look no further than the hit sitcom “The Nanny”. A wealthy widower who is reserved and proper ends up with a flashy, sassy, hot mess from Flushing Queens when Fran becomes the nanny of Mr. Sheffield’s three children. Of course it takes 5 of 6 seasons for them to admit their feelings, but they do end up happily ever after.

5. Cory and Topanga (Boy Meets World)

Another 90’s sitcom (sorry that’s my era). First of all how cool is it that we watched this connection start as children and now there is a spin off series where they are still married and have children!? Even though Cory and Topanga definitely mellow out a little making it less obvious how opposites attract. But let’s not forget that Topanga was a total hippy when she met the nerdy little Cory Matthews. Cory describes his love for Toganga by saying

“She gave me my first kiss. She taught me how to dance. She was always talking about these crazy things and I never understood a word she said. All I understood was that she was the girl I sat up every night thinking about.”

So that’s why I say Cory and Topanga fit the bill for straight laced guy and free spirited gal.

7. Joe and Anya (Roman Holiday)

Even though this classic black and white Audry Hepburn film doesn’t really end up as a love story I think it still shows that same pattern. A dedicated reporter tries to stay focused on business while the care free spontaneous princess just wants to chop off her hair, hop on a motorcycle, and live life to the fullest! At first Joe just wanted to get the story for his career, but in the end love, loyalty, and passion win him over.

8. Emmett and Wyldstyle (Lego Movie)

You can laugh if you want, but are Emmett and Wyldstyle from the Lego movie not the perfect example of the rule following guy totally falling for the independent artsy chick? I’ll admit Wyldstyle is way more serious than the playful free wheeling girls I have listed above, but she definitely likes to march to the beat of her own drum and eventually Emmett does too! Not to mention Wyld Style’s real name is LUCY. It’s like this I love Lucy comparison has gone full circle!

9. Ross and Rachel (Friends)

Ross Geller was the focused and introverted paleontologist while Rachel Green was a bit of a loose cannon who had many different jobs throughout the show. They were the unlikely nerd and cheerleader opposite combo that finally settled down together in the end. For that reason I would say this ultimate sitcom couple had a little “I Love Lucy” chemistry going on.

10. Belle and The Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

I know this is a stretch, but just think about it. Belle is that same dreamer, non conformist, make your own path leading lady and while we don’t know a ton about the Beast it’s safe to say he had that type A personality that would make them an opposite couple. I am sure you know the story so I won’t go into detail, but once again true love wins in the end!

So those are my picks for fictional couples with “I Love Lucy” chemistry. Although, I should mention it doesn’t have to be the male that has the A type personality.
There is Danny and Sandy from Greece, or Allie and Noah from the Notebook (he was the one to bring her out of her shell), or even though I do realize they were cartoon dogs Lady and the Tramp is another prime example. I should stop before I come up with another list of ten. Feel free to add your own. I am sure there are lots more.

Are you an I Love Lucy Couple?

By Natalie|2015-06-11T10:51:48+00:00June 11, 2015|Marriage, Uncategorized|15 Comments

Questions Answered With First Response

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for First Response. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I recently wrote about the 10 pregnancy symptoms I had before I knew I was pregnant and it stirred up a lot of discussion because it seems that just about everything can be a pregnancy symptom.

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It’s easy to use, easy to read, and easy to find since it’s available at all major drugstores and grocery stores. The retail price is $8.99-$15.99 . The First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test is FDA approved and can detect all relevant forms of urinary hCG throughout pregnancy ANY time of the day. So you don’t have to worry about taking the test in the morning like you used to. The results are 99% accurate from the day of the expected period and the test only takes 3 minutes. If you are like me and the test shows 2 pink lines then get ready girl because you are pregnant!

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By Natalie|2015-06-10T09:08:27+00:00June 10, 2015|Pregnancy & Birth, Uncategorized|8 Comments

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