Last week I introduced the new series I would be starting so if you haven't gotten a chance to read that yet, click here to check it out! The first mug with a story is from The Christmas Mouse in the Outer Banks. Since I did not grow up in Hampton Roads I had never been to OBX before meeting Nathan. The summer we got engaged his parents rented a beach house over 4th of July weekend and I quickly fell in love with the area when I visited.
One of the stores Nathan brought me to that weekend was The Christmas Mouse. If you know me you know I love ALL things Christmas. I start playing Christmas music in November to get myself in the holiday spirit and I love all the traditions my family celebrates surrounding this day. It also happens to be both my brother's and my father-in-law's birthday, so that always makes it extra special!
I honestly have no idea how long I was in The Christmas Mouse the first time around, but I do know that it was long enough for Nathan to grow tired of being there by the time we left - and between the two of us he's the shopper in the family! Each area of the store is decorated to the nines with differently themed Christmas trees, from Coca Cola to Santa Clause to snowflakes, Halloween, and more. Every time I visit I plan about an hour of walking around, occasionally buying an ornament, and just staring at all the decorations.
My favorite memory of visiting The Christmas Mouse happened right after we got married. My birthday is about 3 weeks after our wedding anniversary, so Nathan took me to Williamsburg that first year where I discovered that my favorite store had multiple locations. I will never forget that weekend, celebrating my 20th birthday with my new husband because I just couldn't believe I got to call him mine forever. We were filled with all the giddiness of newlyweds and took a picture outside to prove it (which will remain off the blog for this one!).
So in the morning, when I pull out my Christmas Mouse mug, I think back to this sweet time in our marriage. I think about all the emails we sent (Nathan didn't have texting for a long time) while I was at work, and the times we would surprise each other with little notes in our lunchboxes. I think of the first time he had a night out after we got married, and I watched him leave with tears in my eyes even though I knew he would be back in a few hours.
Somehow, this little mug reminds me of the joy we had right at the start of our marriage, and is a testament to the maturing love that has grown out of all our excitement. It will forever remind me of some of the happiest times in our lives, and for that I am grateful.
