Roses are red....

Our three-month anniversary was August 23rd, which was this past Sunday. I had gone to my parents' home to go shopping with my mom and sister for her bridesmaid dresses (I'm the matron of honor for her wedding), but Robert stayed home to watch the animals. While we were parted for the first time since the wedding, we realized just how much it hurts to be away from each other, and even greater--how much it hurts to be staring the end of August in the face with very little cash at hand.

Frankly, I have been having trouble recently keeping track of my dates, and while I knew our three-month anniversary was fast approaching, I forgot that it would be on the day I returned home. When I walked in the door on Sunday evening, then, I was genuinely surprised at what I saw: a beautifully cleaned house (vacuum lines in the carpet and everything) and gorgeous large red roses in full bloom in one of my old vases on the table. Robert had tied a purple ribbon around the vase to dress it up (a ribbon from one of my many spools of ribbon that are lying around the house), and had also written a beautiful letter to me which was placed beneath the vase.

He met me at the table, gave me a big hug and a kiss, and asked after my trip. I asked him about the flowers, mildly concerned for the cost and potential divot in the checking account. His response: they were from his mother's garden, whose rose bush had suddenly exploded with gigantic blooms a few days previous.

The flowers were so red, actually, that my camera (Canon S3 IS) nearly made them look like they were on fire. I de-saturated them a little in Aperture to bring out the petal details a little better.

Amid all the other bright red roses, the littlest one in the center doesn't quite look its actual shade, which is a delicate pink. My camera has a propensity toward red, I've noticed, which will occasionally affect the outcome of the photo.

I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have such a loving, generous husband. Even in times of financial strain and sacrifice, he was able to think creatively so that he could give me the flowers he wanted to give me for our three-month anniversary. How ever did I come to deserve someone like him? :)