Tickle Me Senseless

Hmmmmm....

2011-11-28T16:18:00.001-06:00

Last night, David and I were reading Galatians, and I was particularly struck by several verses.

Ch1
²³They were only hearing it said, He who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled and which he set out to ruin and tried with all his might to destroy.
²⁴And they glorified God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place] in me.

I thought it was interesting that Paul thought it important to point out his glee that onlookers were giving God the full credit for what had taken place in his life on Earth, and his point of final destination.

CH. 2
⁶Moreover, [no new requirements were made] by those who were reputed to be something--though what was their individual position and whether they really were of importance or not makes no difference to me; God is not impressed with the positions that men hold and He is not partial and recognizes no external distinctions--those [I say] who were of repute imposed no new requirements upon me [had nothing to add to my Gospel, and from them I received no new suggestions].

Paul is referring to the controversy over whether Christians ought to submit to the laws of strict Judaism, and specifically whether they ought to be circumcised. His point is that God is not impressed by all the bells and whistles that people try to add to their Christian walk, seeking brownie points and superiority; the only one doing any work or action that amounts to anything is God Himself. Even our best effort and good deed is as dung compared to the awesome, perfect, purity of God.

¹⁶Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God).

To me, the fact that God's love for me and my place in heaven is unconnected to my attempts and failures here on Earth gives such a sense of freedom. Since coming to this knowledge, the yoke has been much easier and the burden much lighter. My relationship with Christ has now become based on an overwhelming sense of gratitude- that He can be what I cannot, and that He has given me the perfect record, the only way I can stand before and in the holiness of God and not be consumed by fire and regret. Praise Jesus!

Another Step

2011-11-22T16:32:00.000-06:00

Last Friday we went and got fingerprinted. This whole process seems to get a little longer and more complicated every time I talk to our caseworker, but at least it shouldn't be too much longer now. They said that it usually takes about a week for the background check to come back, so hopefully next Friday we will finally be able to make the appointment for the homestudy.

Honoring the Honorable

2011-11-08T15:44:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I need to take a break from complaining and dry humor, and just put some good vibes out there. Last night, we were getting ready our house ready for the fire inspection this morning, and doing a bare-minimums sweep on safety projects. We had most everything done, and were wandering around putting errant cleaners, chemicals, matches, fire-starters, etc. away. After a little while, I was in the kitchen, and David came in and said, "I fixed the laundry hamper. You should see it." And then walked out with no further ceremony. My curiosity was piqued, so I went to go and look at what he was talking about. Things having to do with laundry hampers were not on any list that I was aware of.

I got back into our bathroom, and was surprised and delighted to see that my wonderful hubs had put a magnetic latch on the inside of the cabinet door to the laundry hamper! Before, whenever it started to get full, the door would have to be wedged shut with another cabinet door to keep it from spilling open. I didn't even know he had the supplies to fix something like that! He is so wonderful to me, and I pray that God will never let me become numb to or take for granted his caring, considerate spirit.

Also, in other news, the fire inspection went wonderfully this morning! God blessed us with a very quick, easy, laid-back inspection first thing this morning. The fire marshall said after he was almost done that it wasn't surprising that David is an engineer, because our house was perfect (and usually homes with an engineer living in them are like that.... lol.... love my engineer! :) ) All we have left standing between us and our baby is the homestudy, and however long it takes to locate our child. Hooray! :)

Things to Say When Your Friend Says They are Adopting:

2011-11-07T12:15:00.001-06:00

1) Congratulations!
2) Oh WOW! How exciting!
3) You'll be wonderful parents- what a lucky child!
4) Tell me more about it!
5) That's great- I can't wait to meet them!

Things NOT to say to your friend when they say they are adopting (not that you aren't well-meaning...):
1) I'll still be praying for you to have your own.
2) Maybe this will take the pressure off and then you can finally get pregnant!
3) WHY?!?
4) Oh, well... at least you can still have a family this way...
5) Have you talked to _(insert name of family with horrific adoption experience here)_ ? You might want to before you make up your mind.

Wisdom Nugget- Forgiveness

2011-11-04T14:55:00.001-05:00

This is a pretty good one from a couple days ago:

Psalm 30:8 Remove from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me.

When we forgive, we acknowledge the truth of the offense, then choose to wipe the slate clean and move on. We seek neither poverty nor riches in the continuing relationship-- we don't look for the person to victimize us again, or expect them to be a perfect friend from then on. As God gives to us each day the things that are needful and most appropriate for us, the goal in our friendships is to be what is needful for the other person in kindness and love, maintaining a selfless bond.

Adoption Update

2011-11-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

I finally got a date set for the fire inspection. Let the celebration commence! Just hold the fireworks...lol.

And, today is pay-day. Now we can afford to buy/replace the rest of what is needed to pass the inspection, and tie up all the loose ends before inspection day. Inspection day is Nov. 8th.

Wisdom Nugget - Determination

2011-10-31T16:36:00.001-05:00

From 9/19/11:

Proverbs 19:21 "Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand."

Being determined to do and be anything other than what God wants is futile, and will only bring about anger and frustration.

New Update on Adoption

2011-10-31T16:31:00.000-05:00

We turned in our paperwork last Thursday. In a way, I am excited. I'm also back into the waiting mode which tends to foster anxiety and impatience and peevishness in my heart. I so just want this to all be over already so I can bring home a child of my own. All we have left to do is get our house inspected by the fire department, and then get the homestudy done.

After a brief hiatus..

2011-10-28T14:54:00.001-05:00

I'm back to the journey of losing weight. I made a pledge with my mentor Bernie yesterday to lose 25 pounds. She is going to help me keep track, and she has been teaching me how to cook simple things that don't need a recipe. Like, chicken. And vegetables. And none of it with pre-packaged sauce or a creamy soupy surrounding. I am loving it. And I actually finally fit in smaller jeans today.

Happenings

2011-10-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

Last night David and I went to BuyBuy Baby and looked at their gigantic warehouse of stuff. Thankfully the have not followed the trend of excluding all things Duck from their selections. I found a crib that I really like there- it has a changing table built into it, and eventually can convert into a toddler bed and then a double bed. And I got to squeal over lots of stuff! :) David is so good to me.

Today, the bookshelf that I ordered for the nursery came in. I haven't opened the box yet. I'm waiting for David to get home so he can help open it, and share the joy.

Excerpts from my Adoption Profile

2011-10-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

Not all questions on the profile are worthy or good for sharing, but I wanted to give you all a little taste of the better questions and answers from all the paperwork.

How do you think becoming a foster/adopt parent will affect your employment/work?
I am a stay-at-home-wife currently, so it will change everything. It will also give me a lot of joy and fulfillment. Throughout my life, whenever I pondered what I wanted to do with myself as an adult, the only consistent answers were to be a wife and mother.

How important do you feel extra-curricular (school and personal) activities are for children?
They are very important. Children need a large network of friends, interests, and mentors in their life. The more people that are involved and invested in a child's life, helping them work toward a bright future, the better.

How important will your foster/adopt child's grades and school performance be to you?
It is very important to me that my children do their best in all they do, as for God and not men. However, the grade letter isn't as important as it is for them to develop character, wisdom, and their individual God-given talents and potential. I will do whatever it takes to see my children succeed in school and in life overall.

What do you see as your greatest strength as a parental role model?
I am very willing to admit when I am wrong or have made a mistake, and ask for forgiveness and prayers. I want my kids to learn through my behavior and teaching that there is no mistake that is too big to be forgiven, and that God's grace covers over all our imperfections. One of my dreams for my relationship with my children is to build a team-effort attitude with them in their raising, and for them to pray for me every day in my job as their mommy. I don't want to have an arrogant attitude with them, and act like I never make mistakes, misunderstand, or sin.

What is your greatest fear about fostering/adopting children?
That I will get attached to a child, and they will attach to me, and then not be able to keep them. Also, I am afraid that they will never come to a place where they are glad to have me as their mom.

What would you like to tell a perspective foster/adopt child about your home and family?
I am so, so looking forward to meeting them! I will love them forever, and once they are in my family they will have a home with me forever-- or as long as they want one. I will never give up on them.

Please compose a brief statement of your religious faith.
I believe in a sovereign God, and in salvation through faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ Jesus alone. Everything that happens in this world is for the purpose of revealing the glory of God in some way. We are saved by the mercy of God, and not by works. Jesus was the son of God, and was both fully God and fully human. Our life on Earth was foreordained through God's wisdom and love, and we have a responsibility to be servants, encouragers, and messengers of the gospel. There are no coincidences, and while God grieves at the evil in this world, we are guaranteed that He will make everything work out for our good, those of us who love Him.
Christ (God) is my first love in this world and the next. He is my ultimate joy, and whenever I think on him my soul brims with sweetness. Nothing is as important to me as knowing Christ more and more, and knowing that those around me know Him also.
I love to study the Word, meditate on its wisdom, and look for signs in my daily life of the Spirit at work. There's no way to ever completely understand God with our human minds; I just do my best to be open and accepting of everything I learn through the Word, and read it without bias or notions of what it "should" say or mean. The best excitement to me is contemplating being with God in heaven someday, and learning at the feet of Jesus.

Dump Cake

2011-10-07T13:32:00.000-05:00

I'm getting ready to go out of town with hubs for visit to the in-laws. I decided to make a cherry-pineapple dump cake to take with us! Mmmmmm. It's in the oven now; I don't know if it will make it there unmolested.

Wisdom Searches

2011-10-06T15:16:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile now. Every morning for the last 2.5 months, David and I have been waking up a little earlier and doing a Bible study together based on character qualities and Proverbs. We start by reading the character quality for that day (we move on to the next quality every three days), then the chapter of Proverbs for that day. It's easy because there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, and 30-31 days each month. Last month only had 30 days, but the evening of the 30th David decided to read me the 31st Proverb and talk about how he saw the attributes of the excellent woman in me. Because he's amazing like that.

After we read our chapter, then we each spend as long as we need to perusing back over the chapter and making notes about where we see the character quality of the day either referenced, applied, or otherwise related to. Then, when we both are done, we share our insights with each other. It has been a blessed activity, and has increased the voice of the Lord in my heart and mind tenfold. I have decided to start sharing some of my nuggets of insight on my blog, with the reference label "Wisdom Nuggets".

It's kind of interesting the way character qualities and the words of admonition that go along with them match up to what we are experiencing at the moment. Sometimes I feel loathe to participate, and tune in and invest myself in the search because the application is so deeply-rooted. And sometimes I just don't wanna hear what God is saying. Because I want. MY. way.

And other times I avoid the conviction because I feel lazy, and my heart says, "Really, God, today is just not a good time for me. Raincheck?" But that's usually not a good answer to Him, and there's usually a consequence for my attitude- somehow things still turn out good for me, but I usually come to a bittersweet realization of missed blessing. If it wasn't for that darned sin nature getting in the way of us acting and receiving all the blessings God would like to give us, I think the verse would read "All things work for the utmost excellence and felicity of those who love God...etc." But that's not what it says.

Right now the study is focused on the character quality Endurance. We get our character qualities and their meanings from the book "Achieving True Success: How to build character as a family" by "Character First!" It is such a wonderful book, and we have so enjoyed using it. It has a antonym quality for each positive character quality, and then a very concrete definition of the quality along with examples of what that quality looks like in the home. It has been a great study aid.

So, just as an example, I will give one of my wisdom nuggets for today. Today is October 6, so the chapter for today is Proverbs 6.

Quality: Endurance vs. Discouragement
Vs.6-8 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!-- Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.
~ It is important for me to have the same kind of endurance as an ant, and continue doing what I know is right, even when no one is watching. The sluggard is the one who gets discouraged, gives up, and gives in to his fleshly desires of rest and pleasure. There is a time for sleeping-- don't use sleep as an excuse to not be effective in accomplishing worthy goals.

New Mentor

2011-10-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

My church has a yearly mentoring program as part of the women's ministry. Last year, my mentor was Anne, and I still love her dearly. She was a huge help and encouragement to me over the year. This year, my mentor's name is Bernie. We are getting along splendidly, and I enjoy her so, so much. We got together last weekend and cooked a meal together- meatloaf, stuffed peppers, sauteed veggies, and "pumpkin crunch", which is like a variation of pumpkin pie and dump cake. It was DE-licious.

Also,

2011-10-06T13:51:00.001-05:00

the little apple tree is dead. On to another adventure in trying to grow something.

Happenings

2011-10-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

I took Mackenzie for a walk today. Most mornings I wake up thinking, "Wow, what a beautiful day! I should go for a walk!" Then I don't. Then later I moan to David about how "we need to make time to go for a walk together each day", when what I really mean is "I need to make myself take a walk every day." LOL.

So, today when my lovely hub woke me up for prayer and Bible reading, he read 2 Peter and then prayed for God to give us energy to do what we needed to do today. Guess what that meant? God woke me up. Then He reminded me to go for my walk. And take Mackenzie. Because she is a wiggles and she would like it. So I did.

I have gotten out of the habit of exercising the last couple of months. For the first 5 months of this year, I did really well at keeping in the habit of exercising at the gym almost every day. Then, we started the adoption process, and it got reeeeeeeaaaallly hot outside. And I stopped caring about losing weight and getting pregnant because it was HOT. So I stopped working out. Hopefully my walk today was not just a one-time unusual occurrence, and I will actually get back in the habit of being more active. I think I might even take Zenzi for a walk in a little while.

Letting Go

2011-09-22T12:12:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot today about all the blessings in my life. I had a good hour of such sweet fellowship with my David this morning during/after our morning Bible study time. I have such an immense amount of adoration and respect for him- I feel overwhelmed when I think about just how big of a blessing he is to me. In a way, he is the proof to my heart that God loves me.

I've been thinking a lot about how the blessing of having a good husband is not something that I feel I gave myself. I truly feel like God brought us to each other, and then worked a miracle. Then I think about all my desire and aspiration toward parenthood, and it's like starting back at square one of my trust in God. This is one thing that is impossible for me to control- we are open to accepting whatever God brings us (under the age of three), with no preference set even on the gender. I can't do anything to make it happen faster or slower. I have to just keep working through the system and the training, and then it comes to a point where it's all on God.

I find myself getting anxious, and worrying that the blessing God is bringing won't be good. Or even worse, that He isn't bringing one at all. And then I think about how much He has been faithful to me thus far, and the thought comes: the question isn't "How can I trust Him?", but "How could I not?"

Happenings

2011-09-19T12:19:00.001-05:00

We have had a lot going on lately! For whatever reason, we've been working like crazy around here on projects- I've been working on painting the metalwork inside my house- handrails and such- and David re-wired the garage this past weekend. Also, I planted an apple seed a few days ago, and have been enjoying watching it start to grow. I gave up on growing my avocado tree- the heat wave this summer dried it out to the point that it finally gave up the ghost. I was very sad about it, and despaired of ever growing anything again. Then, a week ago, I was slicing an apple and found one of the seeds had sprouted a root! I was delighted and folded it up inside a wet paper towel to see if it would continue growing. It did, so a couple days later I put it in a pot with some soil, and now it has two leaves!

Another project I've been working on is getting the carpets in my house washed. I've been doing it a bit at a time. Last Friday afternoon I did a big chunk in the middle of the living room floor where there were several spots in preparation for a prayer meeting that night. It was our first ever prayer meeting, and it was wonderful. One of our friends had one about a month ago, and we couldn't make it. I was so sad that I didn't get to go that I decided to just have one myself!

I have also been enjoying figuring out how to beautify my home without spending a fortune. I went to Dollar Tree the other day, and found little miniature pots with fall-colored fake flowers in them, and bought a couple for my dining table. Then I selected some yellow flowers from their other floral decorations, and picked out a small vase to put them in, and made a decoration for my breakfast table. I also got some of their small river rocks, and a couple of larger glass vases, and made a little seashell, button, and rock display on my living room mantle. The result has been wonderful, I think, and not too expensive! I just love the dollar tree!

Adding to the Family

2011-08-31T23:37:00.000-05:00

We're Adopting!

David and I have been in talks for awhile now about the idea of allowing God to grow our family through adoption as well as through natural means. I've always kind of liked the idea, but David wasn't too sure about it until a few months ago. He said he had an experience that felt like God-guided "coincidences" calling out to him from the heavens about it. (Or something like that- this is my blog, so I get to poeticize reality as I see fit.... lol)

So, in May we went to an informational meeting, and got info on a dozen adoption agencies in the area. We spent June looking through the list of agencies and descriptions, looking up their websites, and discussing which one matched our values and needs. Then, in July we began attending the certification classes at our chosen agency. August we took a break from all of it, and now this Friday we will be going to our next class. We have three classes left, plus CPR certification, and then we have to go through the fire and safety inspections and the home study. Once all of that is done, then we just have to wait for a child become available, and we have no idea how long that will take. In a way, I feel all the excitement of pregnancy, but I don't have a due date.

There is so much else I would love to share and write about. So much has been going on lately! It's kind of overwhelming thinking about trying to do it justice through the sometimes-inadequate written word. Suffice to say that things have been going really well for us, and we have been enjoying life quite a bit as of late. David and I have been learning a lot from both God and each other, and fall more in love every day. God has given us wonderful friends and family, who fill our lives with so much joy, and we feel soundly blessed.

Blessings

2011-03-31T12:02:00.000-05:00

There have been so many blessings in my life as of late! Almost a week ago, we got a "new" car. It's a gently used Nissan Murano, gold on the outside and tan on the inside. Our lovely Camry had been increasing its quirks the last couple of months, and we had been told by a couple of different mechanics that we would need to replace the power steering soon, so we decided that it would probably be a good time to trade it in. It took us about 3 weeks of talking, looking, researching, and test-driving before we found just the right deal. David was meticulous about his deal-making, and also incredibly prayerful- I felt such a sense of peace throughout this process in leaving the final decision- though I still struggled with the temptation of all the shininess. Sometimes peace is something that doesn't just naturally flow into us effortlessly. Sometimes we have to choose peace. We felt especially comfortable with the guy we actually bought a car from, just because he was brusk and awkward- he kind of reminded me of Rainman. He was very no-nonsense, but still gave us a very reasonable trade-in offer for our old car, and a decent price on the new car. And, I looooooove driving my Murano.

Another HUGE blessing is that we have finally sold our old house! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! It's been on the market for exactly a year, and we are doing a short sale on it, and it's closing today!!!! I kind of wish we could have gotten a little more for it, but there was no way we were going to be able to get what we still owe on it. We bought it at the peak of the housing boom, and now it's appraising at about 2/3 of what we paid for it. So, short-sale it is! We sign the sale papers this afternoon, and are rejoicing over the end of making payments on it!

Also, another recent blessing financially is that David and I are both now graduated from marital and personal counseling. We didn't go all that often for personal counseling, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, but we were each going to counseling in a group setting, and to a group marriage counseling. We have been doing these since just before we got married 6 years ago, and have come to a place now where we feel confident about being able to manage our lives well and happily without it. So this is a huge personal blessing, as it's a mark of completion and achievement, but it's also a financial blessing as well. With the lack of payments on the old house and the counseling it will be almost like we doubled our income. Now, the next goal is to start saving up for a baby!

Which leads me to our next blessing. Things have been going great with the diet. I am now down 31 pounds since December 3, 2010. The treatment that I've been on for my PCOD is Metformin, vitamins, diet & exercise, and most recently The Pill. I thought at the time that the Pill was being prescribed to me for the benefits of the hormones in it, but I was talking with my doctor's office the other day and they said that it was really just to keep me from getting pregnant until they felt I was ready to get pregnant. So, I did some of my own research and talked to my other doctor, who is helping me manage medications, and talked with David about all of it. We have both been feeling really convicted about using the Pill since the beginning of March when we went to the Above Rubies family camp. David has been feeling even more convicted than I have, and has expressed to me many times his displeasure over us using it for any reason. Which is why I began asking questions and researching and investigating. We have also spent a lot of time in prayer over it, asking God to direct us in His path for us. I am quitting the pill. David felt very strongly that this is what God is directing us to do, and there's no reason for me not to medically. So, nothing has really changed (as in I'm not pregnant or anything yet), but I feel that it is a huge blessing nonetheless to be off the pill and delivered from the unpleasant side-effects. Also, our relationship has been very blessed through this process of deliberation. I have been greatly blessed and encouraged by hearing David's testimonies about what he's been thinking, reading, studying, and about how he feels he's being led by God.

Another good thing we've been doing lately is altering our diet. We watched an incredible documentary called "Food Matters" last Sunday, and were both inspired greatly to re-think our diet. We hadn't been eating too healthy the last couple of weeks, and had been slacking off on our vitamins. After watching the movie, I was struck by the impact of vitamin therapy. We talked about it all after the movie was over, and the next I went grocery shopping and bought a lot of raw fruits and veggies. We have altered our diet to where it is 65% raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and have switched our bread to all-natural whole-grain bread. We have also greatly upped our intake of vitamins (mostly by adding vitamin powder to shakes and smoothies). Also, we have started drinking distilled water. The difference is amazing. I lost 3 pounds in 2 days (I had gained a little so in the long run it only registered as being down one more pound...), and David has lost 4 pounds.

I don't know that things in my life could be going any better lately. I went on the Women's Retreat with the women from my church last weekend, and I had a great time hanging out, studying, singing, and playing games. The weekend before that I got to go camping for the first time with some friends from church, and that was also a lot of fun! In a week and a half I will get to go to another Above Rubies retreat. I have gotten to have some wonderful times with friends at Bible studies, great conversations with family, and have been cherishing and adoring the alone time I have with my excellent husband. He has been so good, kind, and strong, and such a wonderful leader and inspiration! He's been going to the gym with me and working out, and his arms are getting huge. I have really been enjoying my work-outs because I have been listening to my podcasts of Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and I feel so convicted and motivated after hearing her messages!

That's about all I can think of right now. One last thing- Trinket says Hi.

This is a picture of her in her grass pot, licking the yumminess off her lips.

Progress and Happiness

2011-03-16T15:09:00.000-05:00

This week I have been doing a lot of listening to a teaching series by Nancy Campbell called Lovely Homes. You can find it in the online store at http://www.aboverubies.org/. In it she talks about the importance of the atmosphere of our homes, because not only do we and our loved ones live in them, but God takes delight in letting his presence rest in beautiful, fruitful, welcoming homes. So, I have been doing some work on my home ambience. I would love for my home to be a place of rest, warmth and welcome. I have also taken notice of a great example of this kind of atmosphere in the homes of one of my family members-- we dropped by my brother's house to visit him and my sister-in-law. They have two small children, and yet when you walk in their front door it is a beautiful, orderly, fragrant, and welcoming home. The lighting is warm, there's a rich smell of cinnamon (or one of those sweet/spicy fragrances), and there is plenty of space for sitting and visiting. I don't think that a delightful home must necessarily be completely spotless at all times. I think it's actually more comfortable to visit a home that feels lived-in. And anyone who gets the treat of enjoying my dear Rita's hospitality will be blessed by the atmosphere of her lovely home.

I have been inspired by my brother's home and have been making more of an effort in presentation. The fragrance part is hard when you have indoor cats, but I can look at it as boosting the economy through purchase of candles.

Another point of progress lately is that this morning my weigh-in heralded the loss of 30 pounds (according to the Wii) ! I have my next doctor appointment in about a month so hopefully I can lose a few more by then. I attribute my success to brownies. I have had them in the house for the last several days off and on, and their cooking makes the whole house sweeter. Also, I have switched to eating more fruit and wnole foods and less packaged snacks. I was proud of myself because the bread I bought and used for my sandwich yesterday was whole-grain, preservative-free bread. This is big for me because I am a white bread addict. I have also switched my go-to snack from chips and chocolatey granola bars to all-natural mozzarella cheese sticks. They have half the calories and 100% less preservatives and sugars.

David and I are still going to the gym at least 4 times a week. I have been working on building up my tolerance for the elliptical machines. They always looked like such fun, but just seemed too hard for me. I started with one minute at a time. I have slowly increased it by 10-second increments until now and last night I did 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Woo! And then I came home and had a brownie. (I also did an hour and a half of weight-lifting, walking, and stationary bike-reading, so please don't infer that weight loss will happen if you balance a pan of brownies with 2 minutes on an elliptical machine...)

This weekend David and I are going to go camping with some friends from church. This will be the first time ever for us to go camping together, so I am pretty stoked! We went and bought a tent for it and everything! We had to test the tent out, of course, so while my 3-year-old neice Kylie was over here we set it up in the backyard and had a little picnic in it. She thought it was great fun! Here are some pictures of our day with her:

David putting up the tent

Kylie being cute

Kylie was enjoying watering the plants.

David and Kylie working on the tent together! He was so patient and sweet with her.

Kylie "helping"

Tent is up!

The bush baby was tickling and kissing her!

Kylie really enjoyed playing with the stuffed bush baby.

Talking to the bush baby. She called it the "bushy".

Bush baby has been forgotten. Wooden dolls are star of the moment.

Her Uncle David was her favorite playmate!

Kylie being cute- time to pretend to take a nap!

That'll stop the tickle monster! I laugh when I see the expression on David's face here!

A Blessed Weekend

2011-03-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

On Friday, my wonderful David and I went out of town for a Family Camp. It was one of those things where they have classes for the men, women, men and women together, and classes for the children so they can have fun and learn some things too while the parents are being taught and edified. I believe I commented about it in my last post. We were a little fearful on the way down there- as in, "What if we are the only people there with no kids?" "What if everyone else already knows each other, and we are just the weird newcomers, and we just feel awkward and don't make any friends?" "What if we stick out like a sore thumb and no one talks to us?"

It turns out that for the most part our fears were unfounded. We did end up being the only childless couple there, but we didn't end up feeling all that weird about it. It's not for lack of desire that we have no children. We ended up feeling so embraced, encouraged, and inspired while we were down there. I was inspired by the women there, and David was discipled, bolstered, and encouraged by the men there. I'm not sure yet where we are as far as fully embracing everything they teach there, but we fully agree with 95% of it. And it was so wonderful to be surrounded with like-minded families. Nancy Campbell is swiftly becoming my favorite author and teacher- while we were down there I bought her manual "The Family Meal Table and Hospitality", and I have started reading it, and it is absolutely wonderful!

Also, while we were there, David felt very convicted that we needed to discontinue our excessive use of TV and make our home into a place of peace. I will have to say that I had some moments where I doubted his seriousness about actually following through on this idea, but once we got home I got much more of an idea just how serious he was. As soon as we got home, he erased the queue of recorded TV shows and disconnected the DVR. Then he said he was going to call the company the next day and pare the service down to just internet and telephone. I am so inspired by his diligent seeking of obedience in our family and home. It has continued to be incredibly peaceful around here, despite my occasional jonesing for some Dr. Phil or Toddlers 'n Tiaras.

Also, I have had more time to concentrate on other things around the house, and as a result, today I made some brownies from scratch, homemade bread, worked out at the gym, and cleaned my house up a bit. I also took a few minutes and chatted with my mom on the phone, and this morning I was out of the house for a few hours for my BSF Bible study. So my time at home has gotten leaps and bounds more productive.

Another good result of the retreat that I have greatly enjoyed is that David has stepped up even more as the spiritual leader of our home. He had already been reading the Bible and other books at night before we go to sleep, but now he has just gotten so much more passionate and fervent in doing devotionals in the morning and evening, praying whenever the need arises, and encouraging me with words of love and appreciation. I feel like such a lucky woman, and I know that God has just been sending a flood of blessings down upon us lately.

An Exciting Week!

2011-03-03T13:02:00.000-06:00

This week has just been full of things to be excited about! I have lost about 2 pounds in the last week, and got my glasses prescription updated (with a snazzy new pair of specs...). I have been to work out almost every day in the last two weeks, and I am almost down into my smaller jeans! Yay!

The most exciting thing, though, is that I am preparing to go out of town with the hubs to marriage/ family retreat. It's an Above Rubies retreat, which might just be my favorite magazine that I get. I am so so so so so excited to go! Last night we got a doo-hickey that will let me play my ipod through the tape player in the car, so I have been working on compiling my trip playlist. The trip to the campground will take about 3 hours, so I think that my three days worth of listening material should suffice... Can you tell that I am just a little bit excited?!? Lol.

Also, I woke up so happy and refreshed this morning. Last night David finally gave me the go-ahead to get no-bark collars for our little bark-happy furries, and last night was the first full night of peace and quiet that we've had in a long, long time. They had gotten into the habit of barking like little maniacs constantly starting at around 12:30pm. Every night we would eventually end up kenneling them, but it was just perpetuating the cycle because that little bit of attention was rewarding their bad behavior. And, I didn't want to just leave them out there to bark out of pity for my neighbors, and because I kept getting these visions of an angry neighbor slipping some rat poison in under the fence.... So, now the problem is solved, and I feel extremely delighted. We took the collars off of them first thing this morning (the directions say not to leave it on them more than 12 hours straight) and yet the environment of my house is blissfully quiet. *sigh of satisfaction*

I'm about to head out to the gym, now. And enjoy the quiet!

Joy in the Home

2011-02-21T19:51:00.000-06:00

Today I have felt joyful! There is a peace in my soul, and I know that it is because God is working. His plan for us is rocking along, and I pray every day for my will to be more in line with His will for me.

Also, my wonderful husband is working. Not working, as in he hasn't had a job in a while and now he has one, but working as in doing spiritual and emotional work, transforming daily more and more into a Warrior of God and king of my castle. He went on a retreat this past weekend, and he came back a different man. He came into our home loaded with conviction and motivation, and lots of good ideas for making our home and family better. I have been supporting his decisions and following his lead, and man, do I wish I had given him the reins sooner. He is such a passionate, wonderful man, and has just been full of wisdom. I know that the Spirit is leading him, and he is doing such a good job of listening, obeying, and then sharing the results with me.

I am joyful because I know God is with us. I am happy because I feel I am living for a great purpose. I am joyful because I know I am so loved by God, and He is showing me this more and more through the love and effort of my husband.

Also, I am happy because David shaved his goatee off this morning and looks soooo handsome! :)

A Handsome Man

2011-02-19T14:03:00.000-06:00

I just found this picture on my phone of my wonderful husband. I took this pic in March of 2007 when we were helping my brother-in-law move just before he and my sister were married. I thought my David just looked so young and handsome, so I decided to share it with everyone!

Today I was down another half a pound. I attribute my recent dietary success to soup- it's filling and very low in points! I am now down 26 pounds since December. I had to go buy new workout pants last week because my old ones were falling off of me (even after taking 6 inches of tucks in the waist....). Now they are just about the only pants I wear, since I hate tight jeans and my original jeans won't stay on. After I lose another five pounds or so I can start comfortably wearing my jeans in the next size down (and I'll be frolicking down memory lane to 2007).

Tonight I am having my family over to celebrate my sister's birthday. Her actual birthday was back in January, but at the time half of my family was sick with this year's version of the plague. So, we are celebrating it now. I think that I might make some chili and homemade bread and cupcakes. She requested an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, so that will be the center-piece of the evening. But you can never have too much cake, can you? I was thinking some confetti cupcakes with buttercream icing would go along with the ice cream cake quite well! I think I will also serve some fruit with a mascarpone cheese/ honey mixture for topping. And I am very sure that other people will be bringing all kinds of things to eat as well, so I'm sure there will be enough.

Last night David was out of town for a church men's retreat. I am so happy that he has made so many friends, and has the opportunity to be mentored by so many wonderful men. He and I have both been blessed so richly! I went to a get-together at my friend Barbie's house last night, and there were lots of neat ladies/friends from church there too. Lots of talk about cooking, babies, and pregnancy. Something must be in the water at my church because it seems like all of my friends eith have a young baby or are about to have one. It gives me plenty of inspiration to lose the weight so I can join the club.

That's all I have time for now. I have to head to the store and pick up some last-minute ingredients for this afternoon!

Happenings

2011-02-17T11:19:00.001-06:00

Today is one of those days where you know you should eat something, but nothing sounds good except something from McDonald's. So, you fix one of your normal favorites and just hope it seems more appetizing once it's served.

According to the Wii, I am now down 25 pounds since the beginning of December, and about 35 pounds since my heaviest weight in the last 3 years. I have been on a plateau for the last week or so (a little birdie might try to tell on me about some Valentine's chocolates and an ill-fated batch of Dunkin Donuts, but don't listen. Silly little bird...). But, this morning, I finally broke through!! I have been swimming the last two days at the gym, and I've progressed to 120 laps in just under 90 minutes. I am proud of my progress!

Aside from the weight loss journey, things are really looking up around here. My husband is still wonderful. We are still enjoying one another greatly, and spending our at-home hours in companionable peace (for the most part). In the evenings we have been watching a couple tv shows together, then reading together. He reads aloud, and I cross-stitch. I am working on a picture of a little girl angel in a flower garden right now. He has been reading me "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John MacArthur. It is truly a classic. I'll have to write more later, I'm out of time for now.

The Big 3-0

2011-01-12T18:27:00.000-06:00

Guess who just had a birthday? I probably mentioned it before, but my wonderful David had a birthday recently. I was just reflecting on what an event it is to turn thirty, but mainly what a special, amazing man I have for a husband.

My Wonderful Husband

I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to get to go through this life with such an awesome man. David is one of the most thoughtful, considerate, and kind people I know. He is intelligent, creative, loving, and warm. He is kind, funny, caring, and lovable. I respect his thoughts and opinions about things so much- it's always a treat when he shares little nuggets of what he's been thinking. I love how he is a man of concrete virtue- he sticks to his values even when no one is watching. He is absolutely generous, and has such a heart of gold. He is a true follower of Christ, and has a faithful heart for God. He has matured so much in the time I've known him, and has really come into his own as far as being a spiritual leader and an inspiration. I love him so, so much!

Sunday School

2011-01-09T13:53:00.000-06:00

I think that my church might have dibs on the award for "Church with the Cutest Kids". I teach the Pre-k/ Kindergarten Sunday school, and I have the most adorable little kids in my class. This morning was a particularly good morning- the kids were all really into the lesson, and it seemed like they absorbed a lot of the content. There was a little girl there for the first time this morning, and had come to church with her next-door neighbors, who are members at our church. She was an incredibly good listener- I don't think she had ever heard the full acount of King David before. By the end of class she took delight in repeating back to me all the major points of the lesson (and some not-so-major ones, like a story I told as an example of disobedience about when I was five, and tried to trick my mom into thinking I had taken a bath when I hadn't... Let's all hope she doesn't choose that as the tidbit she shares with her mom when she gets home).

Also, before class started the kids were gathered into a big room to sing a few songs with one of our acoustic guitar-playing deacons, and one of the songs they sang was a more contemporary song. One of my little bundles of sugar was rockin' it out in the front row. It was like she was having a personal little concert experience- bouncing around, waving her arms, singing, and using her charm bracelet as an instrument, shaking it to the beat of the music. She was too cute! I had a hard time not laughing... I'm so glad that these kids have such a fun and positive experience worshipping and learning about God!

It Is Time...

2011-01-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

for another post!

Wow, I can't believe I have left it so long in between posts. This doesn't mean that nothing has been happening. So much has been happening! We've had lots of family visits, birthdays, holidays, time with friends, and fun! A lot of days, though, I put off posting because I wanted to be able to be at least a little humorous, and I didn't have the energy to do so. Then it became an avoidance of posting out of guilt. Now I have decided to just bite the bullet and go for it, funny or not.

I have spent every day of the last month crocheting stuff. I crocheted gifts for almost everyone for Christmas, and I was surprised at how well-recieved they were. I think I probably don't give myself enough credit for the things I make.

Also, Wonderful David is now 30. It's such a big milestone, but I'm not sure that the importance of it has sunk in yet. His birthday was yesterday, and we spent lots of time together and went out to eat at Freebird's- his favoritest restaurant. I also gave him several things. He got a few books, a couple of board games, and a couple of extension packs for Settlers of Catan- a game I gave him for Christmas. I absolutely adore Amazon wishlists. I have about 10 pages of things I want on there.

December was also a good month because we got to see our excellent brother and sister, Aaron and Amie. Twice. The first time this past month was when we visited them at their place down in the Beaumont area of Texas, and that was super fun. Amie and I did some mall-cruising and lots of shopping. We also made lotion to give as Christmas gifts and stayed up until midnight to go to Walmart and get the latest release in the Twilight saga. I think it was Eclipse. We watched it together when we got home, and I have to say- it was enjoyable. I might read the books eventually. It was definitely interesting getting to hear the little details about Stephanie Meyer's version of vampires. I think, though, that Edward's self-deprecation, moodiness, and sulkiness were a little extreme. I did enjoy the lack of sexuality in the movie, and the special effects. The best part was listening to Amie explain the intricacies of the storyline that I needed to be caught-up on.

David went hunting with his brother Aaron while we were there, too. This gave Amie and I the time we needed to discuss Twilight in detail, shop, and make lotion. Plus, he was so manly all dressed in hunter garb! :)

On Christmas Eve we saw my family for a little while and opened presents. Shayce and Kylie were both incredibly adorable about opening their gifts. We didn't go as overboard getting them stuff this year, and they were still just as cute! I made them each their tradtitional Christmas hats from Aunt C (me), and this year I made their Mommy one, too. They all matched, and were the ultimate in cuteness.

Christmas Day David and I slept in and opened our gifts for each other. He got me lots of books from my wishlist, and a clock (as pictured above) and a few other things. I got him several books and a Dilbert calendar, and a couple of other things I can't quite remember. We actually put a tree up this year, and that was present enough for the cats. And then we sprayed it with bitter spray and spoiled their fun.

For the Br-- family Christmas (David's family) we drove down to his parents' on the 29th and stayed through the 1st of January. We drove back home in time for a New Year's party at our friends' house- Brian and Brandy. That was a lot of fun, and their sweet little daughter sent me home with a picture she drew for me. She was very excited to see us, and Brandy told me that her daughter feels I'm her special friend since I teach her in her Sunday School and Children's church.

It has been quite an adventure teaching the Children's church and Sunday school. For Sunday school I teach the Pre-K and Kindergarteners. The curriculum is very different from anything that I have ever seen before. I grew up going to a church that had some major theological differences from the church I go to now, and that is a long story in and of itself, but the biggest difference curriculum-wise is the emphasis on SIN and our utter helplessness to save ourselves. The last 12 weeks of lessons have been a skimming through of the major points in the Old Testament, with great focus on our fallen nature and the consequence of our sinfulness. It's a little odd to sit in front of a small sea of chubby cheeks, bright eyes, and button noses and deliver a message of hellfire and death. There's a huge part of me that wants to just be like, "but not really... we just make mistakes, it's not that bad. Jesus still loves you!" because that's what I was raised with. I know, though, that it will do them no favors in the long run to allow them to believe that sin "isn't that bad". Plus, these hard weeks will make the story of Jesus and salvation all that much better. It's pretty heart-rending to think of the generations of Israelite children before the time of Christ who grew up with only the hard part, and the knowledge that they couldn't measure up to the standard set before them.

Another big change that's happened in the last month is that I've been back to my OB/GYN a couple of times, and he put me on a medication to help me lose weight! I am so excited about it! I've lost about 15 pounds in the last month already. At the beginning of this week David and I joined a nearby gym, and we've gone twice together and I've gone once by myself. I have really enjoyed swimming laps in the pool, and it has helped me to refocus after the holiday celebrations. We'll see how it goes from here.

That's about all I can think of right now, but hopefully I will get into the habit of updating more frequently.

Attention

2010-12-01T12:23:00.002-06:00

Attention, kind readers: the dogs have been returned to the state of happy puffs.

I was informed by one of my good friends a few days ago that Mackenzie especially needed to be walked every day. You see, this is an upgrade from our regular schedule of once a week, maybe once every other week. So, I have increased the frequency of our walks to once every other day. I will hopefully work up to walking every day. Maybe.

Today I just got back from walking them for 25 minutes around our quiet neighborhood. They both had a great time, and we got some good obedience/ dominance training in. I was also told by the aforementioned friend that I needed to seriously consider letting them know who is top dog around here. So, we've been working on that. Mackenzie still struggles with not going into hyper-blur speed every time she's in my presence, so it is definitely a work in progress with her. Zenzi totally gets it, and is fine with it- most of the time. Unless Mackenzie starts getting a little uppity.

Plus, I brushed and cuddled each of them for awhile after we got back, and they were both very appreciative. Mackenzie was actually calm in my lap after our walk. I was amazed. So now they are both happy puffs.

As far as other happenings, this past week and a half has been very eventful and fun. The weekend before last we went down to central Texas to visit the Br--- side of the family (David's family). We spent just shy of 24 hours there, but it was a good visit nonetheless. I went with my wonderful sister Amie and mother-in-law Nancy to a craft fair the local town was having, and we saw lots of cute crafts. I got several ideas for making Christmas gifts.

Then we had a wonderful lunch, and stuffed ourselves (preceded by a delicious roast beef dinner the night before). Then, we drove home and headed straight to my friend DeAnne's house for our church ministry group, and to celebrate the baptism of their two daughters.

We missed getting to see the actual baptism of the girls, but I got to see pictures afterwards, and I was so impressed at the way they did it. They had their daughters write personal testimonies (about a paragraph each), then at the meeting they read it in front of everyone, then their father baptized them in their swimming pool. I love that the girls got to share their testimony, and that it was such a personalized thing for them.

The next day we went to church and I did the art project with the 2-3 year old class, then taught the kindergarten Sunday school, then taught the bible lesson for the older kids in children's church. We covered the Ten Commandments in the Sunday school class, and the jury is still out on whether or not my sweet little four and five year olds in my class absorbed the point of the lesson. But, they enjoyed playing the game that went along with it, and I promised them that if they memorized the commandments and told them to me the next week they would get a prize. They really liked that part.

After church we went out to lunch with some more good friends and their three little kids to Ali Baba's. If you are ever in the Dallas metroplex, you need need need to look up one of their locations and try it. It's the very best Mediterranean restaurant chain in the Dallas area, at least that I've been to so far. Their gyro meat and tzatziki are the real deal- just like the stuff they make in Greece.

Monday I slept in, worked on the house, and cooked. Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat so I slept in again. Wednesday I got up a little earlier, worked on the house, and cooked. Then, late that night David and I went to the store to get some last minute items for Thanksgiving. Thursday we got up early, cooked some broccoli cheese casserole, and then headed over to DeAnne's and had lunch with her and her family. Then we visited a little while and had dessert. Then, we headed over to my sister's house for a little while to see my side of the family. It's nice that we only live about 5 minutes away from Melanie's house now.

After finishing at Melanie's house we went to Toys 'R' Us for their Black Friday sale. The doors opened at 10pm, and we got there at around 10:30. We stood in line outside in the cold until just before midnight, then we finally got in the door at just before midnight. We finished shopping in just less than 30 minutes, and then stood in line to check out for 2 hours. The line wound its way all around through the store, up and down the aisles. I don't know how anybody managed to navigate to shop. But, the good part is that we saved a lot of money. We got a bunch of stuff for just less than 80 dollars. And, we made friends while in line! One of them shared a coupon with us for 6 dollars off, and another one shared her cart with us so that David didn't have to stand for two hours holding a tower of items. And, while we were in line we got to wind our way through the baby section and ogle all the cute little things!

Friday we slept in, and then I went and looked at puppies with my good friend Summer. She had a puppy in mind at the city shelter nearby (which I totally love- they are a no-kill shelter), but we went and looked at Petland anyhow just for fun. And it was a lot of fun. They let you hold their puppies, no strings attached. I held a little shih-poo that was cuddly and adorable. I wasn't too tempted to take it home.

After the puppy-holding, we went to half-price books and shopped the clearance section. It is seriously addictive. It's way too easy to walk out of there with 15 dollars of books that were "only a dollar or two apiece!" When we were done at Half-price books, we went to Golden Corral with David and had dinner. I got to have turkey and stuffing again! I have to admit, it's one of my favorite meals.

Saturday totally felt like Sunday to me. I kept losing track of what day it was. I can't really remember what we did, so we must not have done much. Sunday I taught my little kindergartners in Sunday school again, and 3 of them were able to say all of the ten commandments! I was impressed. And then another one was able to say the memory verse as well!

Monday I slept in a little, then worked on the house and worked on one of the Christmas gifts I'm making. Yesterday I went to BSF, then picked David up so he could drop me off at home and have the car the rest of the day. We ended up talking for an hour or so before he left to go back to work. I am so thankful for what a wonderful husband I have, who does little things like that to let me know just how much he cares about me! After he left to go back to work, I worked on organizing the garage, then I walked around the house picking things up and putting them away, then I watched some TV and had a snack, and then worked on my crocheting, and then I started cooking dinner.

I saw a dinner idea on TV and tried it a couple of weeks ago, and it has become one of our go-to options for dinner when we don't really have anything else planned. It's where you make mashed potatoes, then heat a can of Campbell's "Beef with Country Vegetables" chunky soup, and then serve the soup on top of the potatoes. It is Super Yum! So, that's what I made for dinner last night, along with a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread. It was filling and delicious, and cheap! The entire dinner cost me less than 4 dollars.

This morning I got a call from my OB/GYN, and they were checking in on me to see how everything is going. They asked me a few questions, and determined that they needed to see me asap to do another blood test and ultrasound and see what is going on with me. They are probably going to be switching medications around and going to the next step to get my PCOS under control. The friendly nurse said that from what I was telling her it didn't sound like the medicine I'm on now is working. So I made an appointment to go in first thing tomorrow morning, and I'm nervous because I absolutely hate having my blood drawn, and I hate being weighed, and other things and so on. Plus, we are leaving tomorrow to go out of town to visit Aaron and Amie. So, the good balances out the bad. I am just praying that the outcome of the doctor visit tomorrow will be good.

Long Time No See

2010-11-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted! A lot has been going on. October was so so busy for me because every weekend was something different- the first weekend was my 27th birthday, spent out of town for a women's get-away with ladies from my church. The second weekend was spent having birthday parties- one for family, and one with a couple families from church. Then, the third weekend was the True Woman conference in Ft. Worth. It was fabulous! It made for some long days, though, since my friend and I drove over early in the morning and didn't get back home until after 11 each night. Then, the weekend after that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Amie came and visited. That was a blast- we went out to eat at a coupe of different restaurants, went shopping at IKEA, and did a lot of visiting. I was excited for them to get to see the finished version of my house in person! Then, the weekend after that was Halloween weekend, and David and I just relaxed and hung out, and watched some movies. We're not really fans of Halloween, so we just hid from the trick-or-treaters (Although it was kind of fun to peek out the blinds at the cute babies in costumes. One family actually came up to our darkened doorway, and I saw a very cute little pink ballerina fairy.). We don't want to do Halloween when we do have kids, so David wants to start creating our family habits now. I love that he is thinking ahead- I have a man with vision! :)

Also, I have been keeping plenty busy with doing homework for BSF and another Bible study I go to with my very good friend Anne, plus prepping for the kindergarten Sunday School class that I teach at my church. The last couple weeks I have been illustrating my own flip-books to use in class, and that has taken quite a bit of time. Plus, I've been doing my best to organize and clean my house, and keep a certain black-and-white housecat out of trouble. Lately she's been fixated on trying to eat my rubber plant.

One of my big goals lately has been to get my house more organized and to raise the baseline on how clean it is in general. I would like to get it where everything has a place, and gets put there when we're finished using it.

I was talking to Anne a few days ago about how I felt that now that I am 27, it's probably about time for me to start being an adult, and stop indulging myself with skipping chores and such. I've also noticed that whenever I get things accomplished during the day, my level of contentment is significantly increased. And folks, I am all about my contentment levels increasing!

One thing that has been hard, though, about organizing closets is running into items that you know you will never use ever again, but you remember liking it at one time, and there's sentimental value, and while you have it in your grubby little hands you enjoy it so much that all you want to do is let it continue to sit in a little dark box in a little dark corner of a little dark closet, since you can't bear the idea of throwing it out, and you can't give it away because it wouldn't have any value to anyone else.... *sigh* I will probably end up taking those things to Goodwill anyhow, just so I'm not the one placing it in the trash can. Although, some of the items might actually end up having some value to someone. I'll let them decide.

Gotta go- cat is playing with electrical appliances. And the rubber tree is in her sights too.

Happenings

2010-09-29T17:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been an exciting two weeks. I have been doing a lot over the last couple of weeks, and no time or energy to sit down and write about everything. I've been doing a lot of visiting lately, and enjoying it greatly. My cats have been thrilled to have company over! Also, a couple weeks ago the mentoring program started at my church as part of the women's ministry, and I have been getting to know my mentor, Anne. It's just amazing to me how good the Lord is, and how well He provides. I love Anne dearly, and I have been learning alot from her. But mostly, it feels like my feminine heart is finally flourishing-- it's like I finally feel okay with being a woman. Which is kind of weird, because it's not like I thought I was a man or anything of the sort.

At the luncheon to mark the beginning of this year's mentorship, I also learned about something incredible- Peppermint Tea. It is the most delicious thing I have tasted in a long, long time. A couple of days later I went by the store and bought a box of it to enjoy at home. David and I have started drinking it at night when we read together. Although there was a new development a few days ago- we made our tea as usual, then gathered up our books and Trinket, and retired to the bedroom to read. While David was reading, it was a monumental task trying to keep my little furry friend out of delicious warm drink. No matter where I put her or my mug, she just about had her head in it. Finally, I drank it down to a couple of drops left, and offered her a taste. I was thinking that as soon as she tasted it, she would be put off. Boy, was I wrong! She lapped it right up and then tried to raid David's mug for seconds.

Another thing that I have been doing lately is a new Bible study with Anne. She has been going to a small Bible study for a while, and she invited me to go with her last Friday. It's a neat group led by a lady who worked as a missionary to the Jewish community for over 40 years. Each week they study part of a manuscript written by a messianic Jew (who the lady taught years ago and converted). I greatly enjoyed it because of the richness of meaning gained from the writer's experience with Jewish culture and fluency in Hebrew. It seemed to me that the Old Testament came alive in a way that it never has before.

Today I got together with another dear friend from church, and we baked pumpkin goods all morning, then ate lunch together. We initially intended to watch a John Piper dvd, but we got busy talking about things and time ran away from us. I wasn't too disappointed, though, because I think that sometimes talking about personal things with a supportive and Godly friend can be as spiritually nurturing as attending a sermon. We weren't deeply in the word, but I still felt like we ministered to one another. We each made a pumpkin pie, and then we also made some pumpkin scones (yum!) David is going to be so spoiled for dinner tonight....

Yesterday was also a good day- I spent a couple hours yesterday with another friend from church and her little children- she has two girls and a baby boy. We took a nice, long walk around a nearby park, and got to talk a lot about all kinds of things. I loved spending time with them because her children are so adorably well-spoken and say such funny things, and she herself is a great conversationalist and listener. She made homemade bread, and we made sandwiches with it for lunch. It was So Good!! I hope she and I get together again soon and exchange recipes!

Monday was a great day because I had an appointment to go get a massage, as well as a chiropractic adjustment. While I was at the office, I found out that the doctor wasn't in because his wife had given birth to their babies (they were expecting twins!). I was pretty disappointed because my back was in pretty bad shape-- sore all over! However, as I was getting my massage he came by to do a little paperwork, and I saw him when I was finished with my massage. He mentioned that he had been out of the office for just under a week, and was dying to get back to work. So, I asked him if he would like to pop my back, and he said yes! God is GOOD! It turns out that I had several ribs out of place and almost every vertebrae needed to be adjusted. I was poppin' all over the place! I went in for another treatment this morning and am now pretty much back to normal.

Another good thing I've been doing this week is exercising. I have been on two bike rides this week! Woo hoo! I have really been enjoying the nice weather, and I have been really proud of myself for getting out and about.

Pretty Puppies

2010-09-14T11:53:00.000-05:00

Sunday David and I got a lot done- we went to church, I helped with Children's Church (fun!), talked to a bunch of our friends, went out for Chinese, took the dogs to be groomed, mowed and raked the yard, sprayed the yard for bugs (fleas, spiders, wasps, mosquitos, ants, etc.), then went and picked up the dogs, got a rootbeer float from Sonic, and then came home. And then we watched movies and cuddled puppies. It was a full day!

We decided to take the dogs to be groomed because they just looked so sad and pitiful out on the back porch, and unhappy with their dirtiness. They just wanted to come in and cuddle so bad! I didn't want to cuddle them though due to the dirt and fleas. So, when we got back from lunch, I started calling around to different places to see if they could fit us in. I must have called 10 different Petco's and Petsmarts, and none of them wanted to take us. Then I just did a search on Google for grooming in our vicinity, and came up with a shop that was walk-ins only a couple blocks away. So we packed the dogs up and headed out. We actually ended up at a different grooming shop than the one we were looking for, but the guy who worked there was willing to squeeze them in. We went back to get them a couple hours later, and they were fresh and clean as little poseys! The guy did a great job, and our fur-babies were so happy to get to cuddle the rest of the evening.

Mack's eyes go a little wall-eyed when she's super super excited! :)

Laundry Day

2010-09-09T18:10:00.001-05:00

Today has been a big day for laundry at Chez B--. It's not been without two little shadows everywhere I turn, however. I piled all the clean laundry on the bed, and took a shower to cool off, and this is what I came back to:

Caught, red-handed!

A close-up of the perp. Naughty, Gizmo!

Her Response?

Cat Update

2010-09-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

Guess who discovered a new hiding place last night?

When we first looked at this house, we predicted that Trinket would enjoy this spot. We made it over two months before she discovered it. She was hilarious. She couldn't understand why we couldn't pet her when she sits on the edge like when she sits on the edge of the bed.

Gizmo is also doing good. She seems like she has become fairly satisfied with our food choice for her as of late, but still has moments when she clearly is holding out for something from a can (tuna, anyone?). Plus, even when she comes up and rubs your legs, if you try to pet her, she has an immediate duck-and-weave response. Like she's thinking, "Ack! My head! My head will come off!"

Another Good Week

2010-08-30T16:51:00.000-05:00

This past week has been wonderful for me- full of plenty of relaxation and together-time with David, as well as lots of good fellowship with friends from church. I feel so blessed to have so many caring people in my life to talk to! I had people over a few times during the day, for lunch and visiting. I so enjoyed the opportunity to chat, and felt like my social needs were well-met this past week. David and I have had several discussions about how often is the ideal for having company. I tend towards two or three times a week, whereas David is more comfortable with two or three times a month (on top of time we spend with friends at bible study groups, church, and group marriage counseling). I think I just have a larger cup for the wine of socialization than David- when his cup runneth over, mine is only half full!

Also, yesterday was my first full morning helping out with the 2,3, and 4 year olds class at church. Our church lasts about 3.5 hours each Sunday (an hour each for worship, classes, then teaching hour), and the program for the 2-4s runs the whole length. Kids that age really struggle with sitting still for five minutes, let alone for a full lesson from the pulpit, so the program provides snacks, crafts, story time, and lots time before and after for free play (with plenty of room to get their energy out). I had a great time playing with the kids, and talking to them here and there. During the free play time, a little girl served me "lunch", which was imaginary pizza, with bananas and syrup on top. Yum...

When we got home from church yesterday we ended up taking a four-hour nap. It was lovely! Then, we watched a movie marathon, and I worked on crocheting. I have been working on crocheting a quilt for a queen-sized bed since last April. I am finally getting close to having it done. David and I went Saturday and bought another pound of each color of yarn, so hopefully that will be enough to finally finish. I'll post pictures of it when I'm finished.

Good Books

2010-08-25T16:17:00.000-05:00

Lately, Wonderful David and I have been reading together before we go to sleep at night. We've been doing this for about six months now, and boy, has it changed our nighttime routine. It's nice to come together in unity of mind and purpose and read and pray before we drift off. It's a good reminder that we are on the same team!

There have been two books lately that have really made a huge impact on me- the first is "The Hospitality Commands" by Alexander Strauch, and the second is "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller.

The Hospitality Commands is wonderful because it gives the reader a nice kick-in-the-pants motivational talk about why hospitality is important, the scriptural backing to show God's opinion about it, and then some good get-started advice. And, it's only about 60 pages long. It took us about a week to read it through together (we took it slow- because it's that awesome...). Here's an excerpt that I like:

"I don't think most Christians today understand how essential hospitality is to fanning the flames of love and strengthening the Christian family. Hospitality fleshes out love in a uniquely personal and sacrificial way. Through the ministry of hospitality, we share our most prized possessions. We share our family, home, finances, food, privacy, and time. Indeed, we share our very lives. So, hospitality is always costly. Through the ministry of hospitality, we provide friendship, acceptance, fellowship, refreshment, comfort, and love in one of the richest and deepest ways possible for humans to understand. Unless we open the doors of our homes to one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is only a theory."

Another excerpt from later in the book that I like:

"Truly every guest is an honored guest, a person of infinite value who will live forever. My wife always says to our family, 'We should treat every guest as an angel of God or as our Lord Himself. They are all important guests.' So, it is as much a privilege to entertain God's people todayas it was for Abraham to entertain angels. 'The encouragement assigned,' says biblical expositor William Kelly, 'is that some, as Abraham and Lot of old, entertained angels unawares. To receive God's children now is assuredly no less honour in his eyes.'"

I just love all of that book, but if I put anything else from it up, I will basically have typed out the whole book (it's not that long). Reading it has inspired me to think more about the way I treat others, and the way that I use the gifts God has given. I have felt encouraged to act on my desires to share my home with friends and loved ones, and I have been so, so blessed by God both in reading the book, and in following some of its advice.

The other book I mentioned is Timothy Keller's The Prodigal God. This is another book that I feel blessed to have read and shared with my husband. We have had many good discussions based on our nightly reading from this book. The only thing I wish was different about it is that I want it to keep going! I felt my heart pricked many times by the Spirit while we were reading this book, and I have found new trust in God and freedom from some of my perfectionist tendencies. The basic message of the book is about the parable of the prodigal son, and about the oft-forgotten elder brother from the parable. Basically, we all struggle in our relationship with God by being either a rebellious younger-brother type, or by being the prideful older brother. The older brother was no less separated from the father than the younger brother, he just displayed it differently. Instead, he sought to control the outflow of blessings from God through good behavior, instead of just demanding it outright like the younger brother. In both cases, their focus was on what the father would give them or do for them, and not on enjoying a loving relationship with him. I feel my heart has been quickened and softened through the message in this book.

Here's an excerpt:
(starting on page 35)
"...the brothers' hearts, and the two ways of life they represent, are much more alike than they first appear.
   What did the younger son most want in life? He chafed at having to partake of his family's assets under the father's supervision. He wanted to make his own decisions and have unfettered control of his portion of the wealth. How did he get that? He did that with a bold power play, a flagrant defiance of community standards, a declaration of complete independence.
   What did the older son most want? If we think about it we realize that he wanted the same thing as his brother. He was just as resentfulof the father as was the younger son. He, too, wanted the father's goods rather than the father himself. However, while the younger brother went far away, the elder brother stayed close and 'never disobeyed'. That is his way to get control. His unspoken demand is, 'I have never disobeyed you! Now you have to do things in my life the way I want them to be done.'
...Do you realize, then, what Jesus is teaching? Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently.
   It's a shocking message: Careful obedience to God's law may serve as a strategy for rebelling against God."

I would encourage everyone I know to read these books (if you haven't already...)! They are wonderful! :)

My Day

2010-08-24T00:37:00.000-05:00

Today has been a great day. I am writing this at just after midnight, because it has taken this long for my mind to calm and the inspiration to journal to hit.

So, today has been a great day. I have so much to be thankful for. The very first thing I am thankful for is my God. He has answered so many prayers of mine in the last couple of weeks. The biggest prayer that He has answered for me is an answer to the aching loneliness that has drenched my heart for as long as I can remember. I can remember being a forlorn kindergartener sitting at the top of monkey bars all by myself, watching the other kids play, and thinking, "I will always be alone." I know now that that doesn't have to be true! I feel that I have many friends and family who love and appreciate me, and I don't think for one second that my present contentment is an accident or coincidence. Thank you, God.

The second thing that I am thankful for is those same people deposited into my world as gift-wrapped blessings mentioned above. I have had several different people over to my house in the last two months, and I have felt so honored and pleased to spend time with them! My heart and spirit have felt nourished and bolstered by the fellowship. I have also spent a lot of time talking to very dear friends on the phone this past week, and have been so nurtured by their grace and input.

Also, I am thankful for my family members. Today I spent a good long while talking on the phone to my sister A. (sister-in-law just doesn't seem to do that bond justice...) We talked for almost 5 hours. It was incredible. I was just reflecting on how much I enjoyed talking with her, and it occurred to me that what was so wonderful about it was that there was no urgency, no pressure to perform, be funny, be smart, be anything other than... me. And that I was okay. What a gift! My heart is aglow.

And, I am grateful for my wonderful husband. I thank God for him every day. He is such a wonderful leader, provider, and friend for me! Sometimes I reflect on just how well he treats me, and marvel at the man God gave me. I feel inspired and encouraged by his strength of character, his kind heart, his generosity, his sense of humor, and his general wonderfulness. Thank you for being you, David!

I am thankful for my little kitties who follow me around everywhere I go during the day. I am so comforted and delighted by their presence. I was having a sad moment the day before yesterday, and Trinket came to me and curled up next to me, and asked me to rub her belly. Then, yesterday, I was talking on the phone to someone and an upsetting topic came up, and Gizmo came running over and rubbed her little head on my chin, then cuddled up under my neck and started purring. What great cats!

I am also thankful for the Spirit. I have felt such a shift in my heart in the last year. I have become more aware of the grace of God working in my life and my heart, and He has changed me into a better, happier, more patient person. I feel the change is completely dramatic. I still have my moments of feeling blue, but I have an overriding sense that I'm okay now, and that I am forgiven, and that it will all be okay.

So, basically most of what I did today was talk on the phone all afternoon- but what a great day it was! And, I learned how to do things around the house one-handed... go me.

New House Pictures

2010-08-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here's some new pictures of the new house! Everything is pretty much settled at this point, just needs a few final touches....

Library/ Sewing Room

Trinket had to get in every picture!

Library/ Sewing Room

New sewing desk- a gift from Mark and Nancy, my in-laws

Guest Room

The new bed in the guest room- a present from the in-laws

Sitting Area upstairs

Little table that David made

Dining Area

Staircase

Half Bath

Master Bath

Master Bedroom

Time for School!

2010-08-21T00:44:00.000-05:00

When can we begin?

Backing Down

2010-08-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

I can't take it anymore. I am officially stopping the vegan diet. I have been having such amazingly persistent cravings for meat the last two weeks! It's almost all I think about nowadays. I've had dreams about steak. I had given myself permission to quit at any time, and have been taking short breaks from it whenever I felt like it, but it's gotten to the point now that I take a "break" almost every day. So, I think the new classification is just "eating healthy". I'm still probably going to limit my cheese and milk products intake, but I need meat. I didn't really feel this way until I started taking the Metformin, so it could be that my hormones are adjusting themselves, and I just have more of a biological need for protein than I did before. Regardless, cows and chickens watch out!

Although, I will have to say that the vegan diet was good to me- I lost about 25-30 pounds in 6 weeks.

Happenings

2010-08-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since I blogged. Not that I didn't have anything to say- I've had plenty to say. I've just been resisting doing it because I enjoy it. Anybody else have moments like that? It's like, "Oh, that would be fun! No thanks."

The cats are locked in the closet right now. I just haven't let them out for the day. Alot of times the presence of my cats is treated like alcohol- not before noon, please. I'm still a tad bit irritated with Trinket for waking me up this morning. She was rattling the doorknob and banging on the door. Sometimes it sounds like I have a crazy old uncle stashed in the closet. "Let me out, kiddies- I was only joking!"

We kept Shayce and Kylie off and on this past week. On Tuesday they both spent the night, then Wednesday Shayce spent the night, then Thursday their parents came back into town, and Shayce was drug kicking and screaming from my house just before dinnertime. Poor baby.

On Tuesday, they played in their room with the dress-up stuff, did puzzles, read books, colored, wrote letters to Trinket (Shayce was very excited to find out that they were almost the same age), then ate dinner (fruit and pb+j sandwiches and chips), then took a bath, then watched two TV shows and had cinnamon popcorn, then called it a night around 9:30 or so. Kylie did not want to fall asleep, and she was keeping Shayce up, so I ended up rocking her for a few minutes (didn't work), then laying her down in my bed and letting David put her to sleep. She knows that her David is not going to let her get up, so she usually just gives in to the sandman at that point. Once she was asleep soundly, David carried her upstairs and put her in bed with Shayce.

On Wednesday morning, my parents came over and picked them up around 9:30. Mom and Dad wanted to see them for a while (originally the girls ended up at my house in the first place because Mom and Dad were supposed to be watching them, and they called me and asked me if the girls could spend the night at my house Tuesday. ), and I had a lunch date with my sister Melanie! :)

After lunch, I checked my email, then took a nap. I had a hard time relaxing and going to sleep while the girls were here because I was worried they would wake up and not remember where they were and freak out, and I wouldn't hear them. (wow what a sentence...)

I napped until 6:30, when David got home. We had dinner together, and then Mom and Dad brought Shayce back over. When they got here with her, it was about 8:30, and it was bedtime. So she went upstairs, picked out a few books to read, and David read to her, then we tucked her in, and she went right to sleep- no tears, no fuss. I was impressed.

On Thursday Shayce and I dropped David off at work, and then we had the car so we could go places. We went to the mall first, and had lunch there. I decided to go off my vegan diet that day because I bought her chicken nuggets, and she ate half of one and didn't want the rest (they were too "chicken-y"...) and I refuse to let good Chik-fil-A nuggets go to waste. They were begging for someone to eat them with the special chik-fil-a sauce. So I stepped up to the plate.

Then we walked around for a while, saw the ducks, looked at all the cute playhouses they had on display (they were doing a drawing give-away), then went to the candy store, and then left. On the way home we stopped by two grocery stores- whole foods (for some more cinnamon sugar popcorn!) and Aldi's (for everything else). Then we went home. Shayce wanted to have cinnamon popcorn and watch a "show", so I put Rainbow Brite in for her. Then after a little while Steve came and picked her up, and I went to go pick up David from work.

And throughout all of their time at my house, David was SUCH a wonderful husband! He played with them (chase, tickle monster, with toys, read books, etc.), he helped me keep things put away, he did dishes, and basically just spoiled me rotten! He is So Good and Wonderful!!!!

Last night we were supposed to have friends over, but they decided to reschedule so we just took it easy instead. I ended up falling asleep on the couch, and then going to bed at 9:30pm. At the ripe old age of 26.

I am so thankful for all the good times I have had this week, and for getting to spend some good, quality time with my neices and my wonderful husband, both together and separately.

Some pictures:

Look at that cute little tummy^ :)

Shayce

Kylie

Shayce was very excited about cinnamon popcorn!

Shayce was trying to hold Kylie still for a photo- like trying to catch a greased piglet

Little Sweeties

Healthy Living

2010-08-02T14:54:00.001-05:00

Today I weighed in on my delightful Wii, who greeted me with a reprimand for not visiting it often enough. I found that I have lost 20 pounds since July 18th (I've weighed in between now and then.... don't hate). Veganism is good to me. Yesterday I decided to have a piece of cheesecake at my brother and sister-in-law's birthday party, and then got some cheddar peppers from Sonic (hey, I figured why stop with just one no-no?). Then my wonderful husband and I went to Wal-mart to get groceries, and ended up taking advantage of the back-to-college sales to get some shelves and storage containers for the guest room. Fifteen dollars for a three-shelf bookcase? Yes, Please!! Then, my amazing, patient, and wonderful husband put those shelves together for me once we got home, and gave me his input on arranging the furniture and decorating the room. He rocks!

While we were at Walmart, though, I paid the price for for my dairy indiscretions- cold sweat, queasy, stomach ache, and so forth... My body wanted to take the opportunity to remind me that some things are very obviously poison for me.

Also, I got a follow-up call from my OB/GYN. They got the test results back from my bloodwork. My cholesterol is not horrible, but a little high (220, when it's supposed to be under 200), and I'm not diabetic (yay!) but I was at the very most highest decimal point in the normal range. So, the nurse I was talking to was like, "You're not diabetic, and you're not really pre-diabetic. You're more like pre-pre-diabetic." Which is guess is still a different category than normal..? And, the hormone levels in my blood confirmed the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD).

The good news is that there is a success-ridden treatment plan for this. So, at this moment right now I am infertile, but I will definitely not stay that way. And the point of all this is not to be bull-headed and pursue pregnancy at any and all cost, but to get myself healthy, and make sure things are functioning the way they are supposed to. Then, we will continue to wait for God's timing in His blessings.

So, the treatment is a drug typically used to treat Type II Diabetes, called Metformin. They have found that it also works well as treatment for PCOD. Other benefits of the drug are that it will help me to lose weight- hooray! One of the symptoms of PCOD is hormone-triggered weight gain, and weight loss resistance. I wish I had known about my health issue back when I was in high school and struggling so hard with my weight. Even back then I had such a hard time acheiving a normal weight, even with a healthy diet and daily exercise. I have suffered so much humiliation and demoralization over my weight- it's nice to know that I'm not just lazy and completely lacking in self-control (though I do struggle with both of those things on occasion... Doesn't everybody? lol)

So, overall, it's all good news. I have so much confidence and hope and this is all going to work out well, and that this can be an experience to use for the glory of the King. It's a great day, isn't it!

Here are some pictures from our last anniversary, just because! All of these were taken by me with the fantastic camera that my wonderful husband got me last year! :)

Isn't he handsome? :)

A sunset in Old Town Alexandria, VA facing away from the riverwalk along the Potomac

The butterflies in DC were amazing last summer!

I LOVE Canadian geese!

I used the special effect on my camera where I could highlight one color and mute the rest- pretty cool!

Once again, the special effects....

He's my favorite astronaut!

Sunset at the National Zoo

Pup Update

2010-08-01T23:22:00.002-05:00

Today was soooooooooo HOT!!! We were gone a lot of today- we went down to Lancaster to show someone the house, and then we went to my brother Steve's for his and Rita's birthday party. Then we went shopping and got groceries, plus another shelving unit for the guest room.

The puppies were so excited to see us when we got home. They were both very hot today, so I decided to give them a break from the heat, and I let them into the kitchen. Here are some pics:

Guess who is losing the last of her black fur?! Boo!!!

It's All in a Hard Day's Work

2010-07-31T23:24:00.002-05:00

Today I did several productive things. First, we went to the vitamin store around the corner (oh how I looooove living in Garland instead of Lancaster....) and got the vitamins I was advised to get by my doctor (the special one). I got Vitamin D, but I got the drops instead of the pills. I felt that if it was in liquid form I might have an easier time absorbing it. And, I got the calcium supplements as well. Plus, for good measure I threw in a sublingual Vitamin B/ Folic Acid supplement. They taste like cherry!

Then, we headed home. On the way, I spotted a garage sale sign, and we decided to drive by. The third one on that particular street looked promising, so we got out to look. David found a new lawn mower for 60 dollars! I got Kylie a pair of sparkly red sneakers for a dollar.

Then, we really headed home. I got to work sorting books, toys, and teaching tools into a semblance of organization up in the ~~girls'~~ guest room, as well as choosing some to share with some of our friends at church who homeschool and have kids under the age of eight. Also, Mom and Dad came over and helped. Dad and David worked really hard moving book shelves up to the second story from the garage, and then hanging all the shelves and pictures in the guest room. At the beginning of today, the guest room was mostly empty, and here are some pictures after a full afternoon of work:

Mom hanging up some of the dress-up outfits.

The rest of the room, with not quite everything put away yet.

Notice the sleeping man... my dad worked Hard!!

The upstairs sitting area. Where did the cats go you might ask?

Peekaboo! They found a cozy little corner to cuddle in.

Trinket: "Hey, I thought I had successfully ducked the papparazzi...."

My main man. ^.^

The entry, plus part of the dining area.

The view from the entry- love those arches!

I just love our new house. I picked out the colors on the walls, too (at least in the downstairs and the guest bedroom...)! I like how they turned out. We have increased our living space by 250% by moving. It's big enough that we each have lots of elbow room, but not so big that we could lose one another in it. I feel like this house fits us better than anywhere else possibly could. Thank you, God, for our wonderful home!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2010-07-30T14:44:00.001-05:00

Today I went out for my first walk around the neighborhood. I took Mackenzie with me, because I didn't want to feel weird- "Who's outside, honey? I don't know, just some strange lady walking along...."

Mackenzie made a great, and very cute, walking buddy. She just so happy to meet everyone we came across, and just so HAPPY to chase a couple squirrels, at least to the end of her leash. I also learned that Zenzi's bark of indignation penetrates the human ear up to a mile away. I didn't want the first time I met the neighbors to include a suspicious little grey puff giving them the evil eye. She really loves her people, but in her mind the jury is still out on the rest of the world, aside from small children- the jury has decided those are guilty of all crimes and must be avoided at all costs.

Also, yesterday was my first ever well-woman check up. I was diagnosed with PCOD, which is why there are no littles to talk about still- aside from my beautiful and brilliant little neices. I would so appreciate everyone who reads this to pray for me. And, if you are related to me and are female, then you might want to get checked since it has genetic links....

Speaking of my neices, I might get to see Shayce and Kylie today- my mom was talking about bringing them over to visit later today, and I am uber-excited to see them. Speaking of which, I must go work on organizing some more of the toys that are still sitting around in boxes....

The look of suspicion...

She's just So Happy!!!

Good Discipline

2010-07-28T17:18:00.001-05:00

Gizmo got a whoopin' today for the first time in a long while.

Normally, she is our little irascible,rag-tag, touch-me-not grouch. However, she has gotten into the bad habit of doing things that she knows are wrong as a way of getting our attention. For example, clawing our feet or jumping up onto counters that she knows are off-limits. Then, whenever we get onto her, she is belligerant about complying, and none the happier for the chastisement.

Today, I had enough. Obviously, giving her love and attention whenever she was being sweet-natured have not been enough to nip this in the bud. My philosophy has been to just redirect, and re-enforce the desired behavior. But, this strategy has not been enough to foster an attitude of contentment in this one little kitty. Sometimes we don't just need rewards for good behavior- we need swift and unambiguous correction when we err.

So, today when she was in the midst of her discontent, and expressed it by racing through the house and churlishly leaping up onto the wet bar, I fussed at her to get off. Her reaction was not immediate. So, I grabbed her, and gave her two sharp taps on the rump while saying, "No!"

There was an immediate shift. She actually seemed penitent. I told her she was a good kitty. Then she sweetly cuddled up next to me and contentedly went to sleep.

I think that animals are much like us, in that they also find it hard to be happy whenever there are no clear boundaries. We all need to know that we are loved enough to be disciplined.

Gizmo feeling sleepy...

More Happenings

2010-07-06T16:47:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was restful and hectic all at once! A lot has been going on- though more of the hecticness has been emotional rather than physical. Last Friday, David and I finally went and saw the A-team movie! Woo hoo! It was really good! The best part, though, was seeing how excited and how much enjoyment David got out of reliving his boyhood while we were watching it. And, seeing them be "shot down in a tank" was pretty hilarious. I really liked seeing the sequence about how they met at the beginning.

Then, after the movie, we went and had lunch at Freebird's, which is David's favorite burrito place. I was psyched to try out a vegetarian burrito. I splurged with some queso on my burrito, and I was impressed with their roasted garlic and grilled veggies. It was delicious!

After lunch, we went shopping for groceries at Whole Foods, where I found several frozen vegan meat substitutes, and I was pumped about that. I have been missing the flavors of fried meat particularly, and they had some breaded "chik'n" patties which are delicious.

Then, Friday night, my parents and neices came over. The girls were very excited to get to see the guest room, and play with all of the toys that I had gotten out of storage. We had dinner with them, and then visited a while and watched some tv, and then my parents took them home.

On Saturday, we slept in really late. Then, we watched a couple of movies on tv, worried over finances (this is the hectic part), then my parents came over and we went shopping at the Salvation Army thrift store. I found a wall unit there that I sort of liked, but David and I had agreed on a 20 dollar limit, and the manager didn't seem to think that was a good price. So, we went along on our merry way. We came back home, had dinner with my parents, and watched another movie.

Then, on Sunday, we had a very good day. We went to church, and I was reminded how much I love my church family all over again. I was very glad to see everyone, but very tired. While we were there, we looked in the library, and I got to check out a book that I have been wanting to read for quite a while now, "A Full Quiver" by Rick and Jan Hess. David and I have been reading it together and enjoying it mightily.

After church, we came home and worked on the house for a while. Then, one of our friends from church came by to pick up some of our moving boxes that we were finished with. I was very happy to see them go, since they were taking up mucho space in my living room. And, I was very happy to help out a friend. Boxes can be expensive!

Then, it was time to get ready and go to my wonderful sister Carrie's house for the Fourth of July. We had a cookout, played Loaded Questions (very fun!) and watched fireworks. I am so thankful for my family!

Then, we came home, crashed in bed and slept, slept, slept. We woke up pretty late on Monday. Like, 1:00pm late. I was cool with that- I'll enjoy being able to do that now before we have little people running around to wake us up.

Once we woke up, I packed up a picnic lunch and we headed down to Lancaster. We had to check on the old house, and David had to mow the lawn. We were blessed that it wasn't too hot, and David did a fabulous job. I enjoyed watching my amazing husband at work!

Then, we headed home, read out loud for a while, and then had to go to the grocery store for some tortillas and salad. I've been enjoying making quesadillas with my vegan chicken and cheese substitutes. They are yummy! So, we had quesadillas and salad for dinner, and watched a show on tv. Then, we read out loud some more and went to sleep.

So, it has been a weekend full of activity and some good rest. On Saturday we were feeling so worried and overwhelmed about finances, but then the message on Sunday at church was about leaning not on our own understanding, but on God's, and trusting Him to take care of us. We were both so encouraged and comforted! God has been really good to us in all of this, and I have faith that He will continue to work everything out.

Note to Self

2010-07-01T00:32:00.001-05:00

Note to self: The vacuum does not work too well on hard floors, no matter how bright or seductive the little settings are on its front. The same action that delightfully beats the bejeepers out of a dirty carpet will turn a small amount of dirt on a hard floor into a sandstorm for your feet. Also, should you think that you can just turn off the brush and go along on your merry way, we have already tried that, and you can't.

Also, always check that the tool hose is connected before vacuuming up a large pile of dirt that you just spent ten minutes sweeping up. Better yet, just use the dust pan!

My Gas Stove

2010-06-30T19:20:00.002-05:00

Today I am using my gas stove for the first time. Wonderful David got the fire on it started for me, and relieved me of the stress-inducing job of playing with the combination of fire and natural gas. Needless to say, I am a bit of a baby, and he is good to me.

*******************************
Okay, just finished my virgin run on the new stove. I have never cooked spaghetti this quick before in my life. Fabulous!

This is my third day without meat. Last night, though was a little rough. We went to a buffet for my dad's birthday- his 75th, as a matter of fact. I stayed away from all the meat, but I did splurge a little with a couple dishes with cheese or butter in them. Overall I consider it a success though. Today I have done very well- lunch was a large salad with spinach, tomatoes, guacamole, and italian salad dressing, with an orange and banana as a side dish. Dinner tonight is spaghetti with mushroom sauce, salad, and fruit. I haven't decided to give up my sodas yet- they are my comfort food through all this change. And I still maintain that I will only do this as long as I want to, and I have permission to stop at any time. And I feel great about all of it! :)

Happenings

2010-06-29T12:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I ate no meat. I also ate little other than raw fruit. I had oatmeal for dinner though, along with my fruit. I woke up yesterday morning with what I feel is an inspired drive to start eating healthier. I haven't decided for how long I will forego meat. I might not even continue through this evening. The point is, I want to for now, and I will continue for as long as I want to, and I have given myself permission to stop at anytime. And I think that is the most important principle: all of us strive against rules, myself immensely so. It's deeply embedded in my nature to lust after the forbidden fruit. So, in order to have success, I make it so that I am okay either way. I am also praying for God to teach me to love submission. I think that there is so so much to be said for those who have the skill of making up their mind to do something, and then accomplishing it. I'm slowly getting there. God and I are working together on slowly taming my rebellious heart, and I see improvements every day.

I felt better this morning when I woke up. I felt lighter, and I had more energy. And, I managed to feel well-rested after only eight hours of sleep. That is huge for me. The last few days I have been feeling tired, and I have been sleeping in a little later every day. A lot of times I would still feel tired after sleeping for ten or eleven hours. Not so this morning! :)

I think the trick to making any sort of dietary change is to wait to eat until you are very, very hungry. Then, everything tastes like ambrosia!

I've also been slowly tackling getting my house in order. The new house is still piled with boxes, yet it feels comfortable. My furniture is surprisingly suited color-wise to the curtains that were left by the people who lived here before. And, the color that I chose for the walls adds the perfect final touch. Now I just have to go scrounge around in some thrift stores and garage sales until I find the perfect artwork for the walls. In my new house I want to keep things as simple and uncluttered as possible. I have been forcing myself to let go of a lot of things the last few weeks, and it really shows! My bedroom is almost completely finished, and my kitchen is getting close to being done. I think I might do some laundry today, too! It's easy because my washer and dryer are inside.

I have been feeling so appreciative of things that I took for granted before- toilets that work without having to be jiggled, dishwashers, laundry in air conditioning, vent to the outside for the dryer, and my wonderful husband for providing me with all of the above. And also, I thank God for providing us with everything, and for giving us challenges to help us appreciate what would otherwise be normalcy.

Undiscovered Genius

2010-06-25T19:50:00.001-05:00

All this time we have been thinking that our little Trinket was *special*. We thought that she had a wonderful personality, but wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box, so to speak. Oh, have I been proven wrong. About one week after moving into the new house, as we were sitting down to dinner, I noticed my cats strolling nonchalantly into the living room. They were supposed to be put away in our master bathroom. I figured, no problem, the door was probably just not latched, and a draft pulled it open. We put them back in the bathroom, shut the door, and thought that was the end of it. Lo and behold, who came wafting back through the living room five minutes later? If you guessed the cats, you are correct. And with a spirit of delight amongst themselves to boot.

So, we put them into the bathroom one at a time. I figured that Gizmo was the culprit, seeing as how she is far more dexterous with her little paws than Trinket. After David put Gizmo in the bathroom, we gave her five minutes, and nothing happened. Then, I put Trinket into the bathroom. 15 seconds later, I saw a little black and white paw shoot out underneath the door, cup the edge of it, and pull it open.

We decided to switch their living quarters since the bathroom door isn't dependable about latching. We converted the coat closet on the first floor into a kitty condo, complete with lights, litter box, food, and a water bottle, with a table cloth on the floor to keep things sanitary. The first two days they were peaceful, and content. Now, for the last three days, I am greeted in the morning with ths sound of my little black and white cat trying to figure out how to twist the door knob. That cat amazes me all the time! I have decided that before now it wasn't that she lacked intellect, she was just training us to do everything for her and let her do whatever she wants.

Belated Open Letter to my Neice on her 18th Birthday

2010-06-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

Dear E-,

I wanted to take a minute to write you a letter for your birthday, and let you know just how much you mean to me. You have grown into such an amazing, precious young woman, burgeoning at the threshold of your adult life. The future is full of possibility and wonder, especially for one as smart, talented, and unique as yourself. I want to encourage you, and give you the heartfelt words that I wish I had heard at your age.

1. Have faith in yourself, but have even more in God. He can forgive anything, and will. He will aide you in your heart's desires, and He can bring anything about- even more than you can imagine. Never doubt that He is holding you in the palm of His hand, lovingly cradled, protected and provided for. He already knows and has made provision for every step of your journey through this life, and He will be working through all of this for your good. Life might not always be pleasant, and there will be a lot of pain. Have faith that there is a purpose to everything. You won't always get what you pray for, but God will always hear you and answer. Unmet requests, even those delivered in heart-wrenching cries, are not really a "no" as some want to characterize it- they're more like an "I love you too much to give you that." You might not understand why things are happening the way they are at the time, but hopefully you will come to appreciate hindsight greatly.

2. Never give your power away to anyone else. Never hang your happiness and success upon what someone else does or says. When you make your happiness dependent upon what someone else thinks of you, you might win a battle or two, but you will lose the war, and a whole lot more. You can choose to be happy, even if the world is falling apart around you. That's not to say that others have no affect upon our feelings- it is possible to be hurt by others. Your choice is how long the hurt will be your number one feeling. Also, it is important to honor your sadness when you have it. Invite it in for tea, and before long it will decide to be on its way again. I want to commend you on your skill at feeling already. I have to say that I greatly admire your access to your tears- mine are not so accessible to me, and I have had to expend a lot of effort in learning to let myself cry sometimes. What a blessing that you have such a sensitive heart!

3. If you never ask, the answer will always be no. If you do ask, you risk hearing the word no, but you also might just get what you want! There are no iron-clad rules for how you must live your life. (Aside from the law of the land and Biblical morality) Once you are out on your own, you get to decide how much time you spend playing, and how much time you spend working, and how clean your living space is. Others will always have their opinions about how you "should" be conducting your life, but I've learned over the years that what others think of me really is not my business. Let them think what they want; you get to make up your own mind. If it's Godly, legal, and you like it, then go for it!

4. Be assured of your salvation. Never underestimate the power of grace, and the fact that when God looks at you, He sees His love for you. You are infinitely lovable, and 100% likable. You are beautiful, talented, smart, and kind, and you have a million reasons to hold your head high. It is necessary in this life to get really good at a few of your favorite skills, but don't stress about being perfect, or being the best. At the end of life, it won't matter how much money you made or how famous you were- what will matter is how well you loved, and how much joy you experienced. And, it will matter what you did with your talents. A talent doesn't necessarily need to make you money or become a profession as much as it needs to be used to bless others and glorify God.

5. Focus on what you like about everything, and let go of the things you don't like. Don't talk about the negative. Accentuate the positive. Expect nothing, and appreciate everything. Gratitude is the name of the game if you want to have a happy life.

6. Always walk into relationships. Unhealthy relationships are those begat by people running to or away from someone or something. Be confident in your ability to meet all of your needs yourself (with the strength imparted by God), so that when someone else comes into your life platonically or romantically they can be enjoyed and appreciated without the weight of expectations.

7. Do everything you can to stay out of debt. Credit cards and the companies behind them will eat you alive if you let them. If you feel you must have a credit card, pay the balance off immediately if you ever use it. The best option is to use cash. There's just something psychologically significant about feeling the dollars in your sweaty palms before you spend them. Holding physical money before spending it makes letting go of it harder; you want it to be as hard as possible. If it's a good idea to buy something, then it will still be a good idea in a week. Always wait at least two days before buying something that costs more than 10 dollars. Do your best to owe nothing to anyone but kindness and love.

8. Keep a plant alive for at least 6 months before getting a pet, and especially before getting married. The fantasy of having a pet or spouse is very different from the reality of having one. Cacti don't count, either (or any other kind of plant in the family of desert plants). Cats can learn to open doors of all kinds, so you have to make sure you're up to the task of caging Houdini before you enter into that bag of fun.

9. Don't stress over being like anyone else in your walk with God. Your faith is between you and God, and no one else. Beware of those who act like they already have it all figured out- that just means that they walk closely with denial. It's okay to be wrong, and to make mistakes. Being wrong and making mistakes are both great opportunities for growth. Never, never, never, never explain yourself to anyone, unless they ask. If they want to know, they'll ask. If they don't ask, they won't hear you even if you do your best. If they do ask, keep it short and simple. "Because that's what I wanted to do" is sufficient in most cases. Now that you are an adult, I reiterate that there are very few iron-clad rules about what you must do with your life, and as long as it's moral, legal, and you enjoy it, then more power to you to go for it! I also must say that I admire you already for your strength of personality, and your ability to do what you like without explanation. I like your confidence in yourself- well done!

I know that this open letter has been more didactic in nature than my other open letters to people. Perhaps this is because you are still young, and in writing this to you I am also reminding myself of these things, and revisiting my hard-headed and stubborn 18-year-old self. I hope that you find some of my thoughts helpful, and whatever you disagree with or know already you will set aside, and forgive me for redundancy.

I want you to know that you are an absolutely scrumptious young woman. You are superb and delightful. I love your thoughtfulness and feeling, and the way that you absorb what's going on around you like a sponge before adding your input. You are beautiful, smart, and conscientious. You are careful, deliberate, and absolutely precious. I love you so much, and I am so delighted with how intelligent, mature, and fantastic you are. I love how you accept people for who they are, and for the confidence with which you face the world. I love your passion, and your artistic pursuits. You have a beautiful heart and soul. I truly loved your paintings you showed me the last time I was in your room. You have a gift with the paintbrush. I love how creative and expressive you are with your writing and artwork. Do everything you can to hold onto and nurture your talents. Only you can speak the words in your mind, and express the feelings in your heart. Your spirit is a priceless treasure. I can only praise God for the blessing of putting you in this world as my wonderful neice. Before the beginning of time He knew who you are, and finely crafted you with your unique skills, abilities, and soul. I will continue to pray for you, your life, and your future, and thank God for you.

I love you dearly, my E-.

Your loving Aunt

Moved In

2010-06-21T13:03:00.001-05:00

Ahhh, finally back on the computer for the first time in a long while! All of our stuff is officially inside our new house. We are no longer moving things from house to house, but are now working on moving things out of boxes into their new spots inside our new house.

I have accomplished so much in the last week! And, I have had so so so so much help to do so! I have had more people inside my new house in the last two weeks than I had in the old house in the entire time we lived there. I have been feeling so blessed and grateful for the last few days. We completed painting four whole rooms in the space of 3 days!!! About a dozen people from our church, plus my family, and my sister-in-law on David's side of the family all helped with the painting and cleaning. I didn't quite finish shampooing the carpet before time to move in, but the carpet I did finish looks fantastic. This past weekend it took us four hours to get all the stuff from the old house and all the stuff from storage piled neatly into the new house. I was amazed. And so, so grateful and appreciative!

So, now I am slowly and gradually getting things put away and in order. I feel a tad bit overwhelmed with organizing my stuff into my kitchen cabinets. I am going from 5 cabinets total for putting things away to about 25. I have plenty of storage space now.

Another change I am grateful for is being able to do laundry inside the house!!!! I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to do laundry in air conditioning without having to dress for the out-of-doors. I no longer have to worry about my underwear being on display to the public if the wind happens to catch them and waft them across the neighborhood. And, my new garage can be used for storing the car now that there aren't a bunch of large appliances taking up all the space!

The best part about all of this is that I can now have friends over to my house, and we actually have enough space to entertain! Our old house was sort of close quarters for having more than 2 people over to visit. Now, we can have lots of people over and everyone can be comfortable! Hooray!

The Countdown

2010-06-08T12:13:00.002-05:00

It is officially three days until the closing date on the new house! WOO HOO! I felt like this day would never, ever get here! I am so excited, and I have practically been counting down the hours. I find thoughts along the lines of "It's already 10 am, so this day is over and doesn't count...." and such. I still have quite a bit of packing to do though. I have most of the items not necessary for daily living in storage, so at this point it's packing things up that I "need". What can I say- my college degree is mostly in procrastination.

It's been awhile since I last blogged because I have had a lot on my plate to deal with, and I haven't been in such a happy frame of mind for most of it. I have a goal of only blogging things that are positive, funny, helpful, or quirky, and nothing negative. I feel that we are called to focus our minds on higher things. That doesn't mean I am free from days (or weeks) of "Bah Humbug!" though. My cats can attest there have been quite a few of those lately. Thus, the lack of blog posts.

I'm feeling much better now though! David and I have been so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by loving family members and our church family, and I have been delighting in spending time with them recently. Tonight David is spending time with some of the younger men from church, and I am so thrilled for him- he has been so excited about it, and about developing deeper relationships with guy friends.

The silver lining in the midst of the pain recently has been the fact that I have fell the Spirit and presence of God more now than ever before. David and I have been reading a few chapters in the Bible and in another book of our choice for the last few weeks, and we have drawn such strength and peace from it. Last night we were particularly uplifted when our nightly Bible allotment fell on Isaiah 53-55: "For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the hills shall clap their hands." (excerpt)

Family Boo-boos

2010-05-15T17:29:00.002-05:00

A LOT has been going on the last couple of weeks. It's not that I forgot about my blog, I just wasn't sure whether or not I was ready to talk about what's been happening.

My lovely, precious Grandma B. has cancer. It's too far spread to operate or treat, so they are just making her comfortable. We don't know how much longer she has to live, but they did a biopsy yesterday, so we will be finding out soon. I am very very sad about it, as is my wonderful husband.

Also, David's brother suffered a head injury a week ago, and they still don't know what happened. He's doing better now, though.

No buyer has showed up yet to look at our house that we are trying to sell. Boo.

The good things this week have been that I have returned to a normal diet now, so no more mushy foods. I still haven't taken on anything like raw carrots though. They scare me a little.

Also, Trinket has been very cuddly and playful. She is such a silly, and she brightens up the day.

My little avocado tree is expressing its support by putting out new leaf shoots, and by having grown a couple more inches and added several leaves twice the size of the three it had two months ago.

Also, I have had several really great visits with family and friends, and have received much encouragement! I am so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life.

Gizmo is still a little crazy, but at least nowadays it seems to be a happy-crazy.

The best thing that is the most uplifting, though, is my God. David and I have been staying faithful in reading a few chapters of the Bible together each night. Last night we read 1 Peter 1 &2. "In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope.... In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Thank you, God, for giving us hope, and thank you for my trials, the fire which refines my faith. Nothing could be better than being able to bring glory to God in my life.

I still feel so very sad. I'm not ready to lose Grandma yet. But for now, I am okay with being sad. It won't last forever, but our souls and salvation will.

*** Edited to add: Grandma Brown passed away not too long after I posted this originally.***

It's Official

2010-05-03T10:32:00.001-05:00

We have a new house! All parts of all contracts and addendums and checks have been signed by all the respective and appropriate parties. The official closing date was successfully moved to June 11th. We didn't get the lease option for the month beforehand, so we will be moving in after we close.

David and I are both just really glad that the uncertainty is over, and that we can now relax and start looking forward to and preparing for the move.

As far as other things go, my gums are still slowly healing. I've been in more pain the last couple of days just due to not taking as much pain medication, so I've been sleeping more to cope. Yesterday I had one of the worst headaches of my life, so I took a long nap and felt much better afterwards.

Despite the headache and mouth pain, yesterday was a really good day. David and I went to church yesterday morning, which was really refreshing since I haven't been to anything in a couple weeks (except TV sessions on my own couch....). Also, David and I both felt so encouraged after spending time with God, and our church family. I have definitely been more aware the last few days of how important it is to spend time at church together; keeping God at the center of our relationship is what gives us hope and strength to keep working on things and to stay positive. I have really struggled in the last week with a critical spirit, and I realized that I had forgotten my faith. Worshiping and reminding myself of all I have to be grateful for makes it much easier to be accepting and forgiving of others.

David has been an absolute superstar this past week. He has been so patient with me, and so quick to forgive whenever I make bad choices. He has been such a wonderful support for me while I've been recovering, and has spoiled me so much! Every night this past week he has prayed over me for healing, and indulged me with foot rubs, back rubs, and cooking for me. I have felt very pampered and loved!

Yesterday we spent time together talking while driving around after church, and had some really great discussions about what we had heard. We had some time to waste because I wanted to go to my weight-watchers meeting. I haven't been able to eat much this last week due to my gums, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity for rewards and applause! Fortunately, I reached my five percent goal and then some, so I got lots of kudos.

David and I also spent some time tooling around in some thrift stores, and we both had a really good time with that. David sighed when I first suggested shopping at the thrift stores, but he conceded (with a sheepish smile) afterwards that he had a pretty good time. And, I spent three dollars and got eight super-cute little mini mugs, which I think make great little dessert dishes.

Stranded

2010-04-30T22:29:00.001-05:00

Has anyone else ever been held captive in their own bathroom due to a gregarious tuxedo-kitty bent on staying spread-eagled on the floor in the doorway, massaging the air with her paws? Whoever thinks that a trip to the potty is a chance for alone time has obviously never tried to use the bathroom in my house. And if you concede to the doorway hijacker, and give her sweetly fluffed belly a rub, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Just try to stop once you've started. Give it two seconds, and you will hear a seductive, half-purred "Meh" come floating up from the floorboards. Then, if you look down, she will wink at you. With. one. eye. Then, my friend, she has you forever- a hapless victim of her coy cuteness.

"Try to resist me. I dare you."

Update on the New House

2010-04-29T14:42:00.002-05:00

It looks like the move-in date might be changed to June 11th. The sellers are not thrilled about the idea of changing the closing date overall, and have flat-out refused the idea of leasing it to us for the month beforehand. All of this because of that stupid 6500 dollars. Boo.

I keep looking for the silver lining, and how all of this is in God's plan for my good. At this point, I don't really have any solutions to that query, I'm just trusting that there is a blessing in all of this, despite my frustration. And, I'm also choosing to tell myself that it could be worse. I could be not getting a new house at all. I could be getting a busted-up house that I had to spend thousands remodeling. But I'm not. The house we are getting is used but in good condition, so I will have the blessing of being able the slowly work on it as we have the funds instead of having to basically rebuild it from the ground up before we can move in. So, at least I have a lot to be thankful for. And, as I learned on another lady's blog, I can also be thankful for the problem, and the character that it builds in me for things to not always go exactly as I would like for them to.

Teeth Update

2010-04-28T14:50:00.001-05:00

I just realized that I hadn't posted since just before my surgery- that's what a Hydrocodone-induced haze will do for you, folks. The surgery went well. They sedated me, but kept me conscious. They told me I wouldn't remember anything. They lied. I remember it all. I might not have been in control of all my mental faculties, but I remember everything, including rattling off statistics about the current real estate market to the polite dental assistant just after she stuffed my mouth chock-full of gauze pads. Before she even more politely told me not to talk too much.

I even recall telling David on the way home that he owed me a puppy and that I needed to go eat some chips and salsa, since I wasn't strapped down and drugged anymore and they couldn't tell me what to do. And "I like my life spicy!"

Once I got home I don't remember much, except that I suffered on the couch for awhile, afraid that I might go into a shock-induced coma if I fell asleep. Then I finally decided a coma would be worth it and went to bed.

When I woke back up I was ravenous, so I had a tall glass of water and some vanilla yogurt. It was like ambrosia. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since 8:00 that morning, so I was beyond ready for a snack. Plus, the water helped flush the awful taste from my mouth. After the surgery, I had numbness on my entire head and scalp, except for my forehead. By 8:00 that evening, most of the feeling had returned. I was surprised and delighted because I had signed a form prior to the surgery saying that I was aware that there could be permanent nerve damage and loss of sensation in my cheeks and jaw, and that it could take up to 6 weeks for all the feeling to come back. By the next morning, I had all the feeling in my face back, and at my check-up on Monday, they said that I was healing ahead of schedule. Yay!

Mom and Dad came down Saturday and Sunday, and were a huge comfort. There wasn't really anything I needed from them (though Mom washing all the dirty dishes was super helpful), but their presence was gratifying. Sometimes when a person is under the weather they just need their mom.

Today I took my last dose of antibiotics. And I have sworn off the majority of my use of narcotics after five days of use. I had a scary moment this morning- I had gotten up to use the bathroom, and when I layed back down, I had this feeling of numbness over my whole body, and my extremities were falling asleep. I felt for a pulse, and it was fast and shallow. I felt a few muscle jerks. I looked up the side effects of the pain meds online and noticed that my symptoms were along the lines of adverse reactions to the medication and symptoms of overdose. I decided to stay awake and drink a lot of water until I felt the medicine wear off a little. I was really afraid that I would have to go to the emergency room or something. After about thirty minutes I started feeling better, and I stayed awake until time for the next dose of medicine had passed. I was surprised that I wasn't in much pain at all once the medicine started wearing off, and I don't think it's worth it to keep taking the Hydrocodone. I would rather be a little sore than a little dead. I think I can manage the pain with Advil for now.

So, now that I have finished the antibiotics, I can finally get a full night's sleep instead of waking up every 6 hours for a dose of medicine. You have no idea how happy I am about that. And I am sure that David is happy about that as well since he has had to make sure that I woke up and took the medicine, just in case I slept through the alarm or something.

I have been so blessed the last few days to have such good support from my wonderful husband and friends from church. David has been so good to me, and has obliged me with treats, foot rubs, back rubs, and drink services. He has been a delightful supply of milk, juice, and water for me. And he has had a great attitude about it all as well. I am so grateful for him. I'm also grateful for the prayers of our friends- I know God has been in charge of this whole process, and has allowed me to get through all of this with minimal discomfort and quick recovery. And I'm also grateful for the food that some of our friends and family have brought over!

That's about everything as far as my whole tooth update. On a different note, it is only one week from tomorrow until we move into our new house! Woo hoo! Things are going well with that too.

Dentist Update and Other Things

2010-04-22T12:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was a little loopy all the way until bedtime, so I decided to just go to bed and post the update on my teeth today. The good news is that I got one of my teeth patched up and repaired. The bad news is that it wasn't the wisdom tooth. The wisdom tooth has to come out, asap. They didn't bother doing anything to it because they said that it was chipped down so close to the nerve that it would just crumble apart if they even tried to smooth the edges down a little. And rupture. And then I would be in a whole new world of pain.

The wisdom tooth chipped because apparently I had quite the cavity in it, and it just weakened to the point that eating a bean burrito made it fall to pieces. So the dentist gasped when she saw what state it was in, and said that the break was micromillimeters from the nerve, and that it is absessed. I am at risk of it rupturing and the infection spreading to the nerve. So they put me on horse-pill antibiotics so that the infection would get better, and told me they would get me in as soon as possible to take not just the trouble-making tooth out, but all four of my wisdom teeth out.

So, I was like, "I'm sure we'll do all of this in a couple weeks or so...." Then, this morning the secretary called and said, "We can get you in tomorrow at 2!" And, I have to go in today for x-rays.

SO, now I am looking at major dental surgery tomorrow, sedation and all. I am super scared. You have no idea how many horror stories I've heard about people practically bleeding to death from getting their wisdom teeth out. Granted, I would be okay with a little blood loss. I think that I could probably lose a few gallons and still be healthy as an ox. Maybe healthier, since who knows what kind of medical issues go on with oxen. In any case, it's better than slowly ingesting my crumbling teeth and then dying from infection.

Okay, I'm being a little dramatic. I'm still scared, though.

As far as everything else goes, things are going well. We had quite the drama going at the beginning of this week due to re-negotiating and stressing over the house contract on the new house. We would really like to get the 6500 dollar tax credit for long-time homebuyers, which means that our closing date has to be after June 10th on the new house. So, our realtor worked out a deal where we would lease the new house for a month and then close on June 11th. And, we would net about 5500 dollars from getting the tax credit. Hooray!

So, for a few days we thought we wouldn't get to move in until June 10th or 11th. Then, we were stressed about all the little legalities in the qualifications for the tax credit. To the point of gnawing off our own hind legs. (Or grinding out our wisdom teeth....)

But, we have now settled into relief and excitement that this will all work out okay. And we still get to move in on May 6. Double hooray!

Now I just have to figure out how I am going to decorate and what repairs we can afford to make now, and what we have to wait for later on. I am thinking that with all of the dentist stuff going on we will probably only be able to afford to paint with the leftover paint from fixing up this house, and steam clean the carpets myself with my own steam-cleaner. One of the rooms has a Winnie-the-Pooh theme going on with medium blue walls, which is wonderful except for the fact that the child who lived in that room managed to rip about a third of the border off the walls next to the ceiling. So, that room has to be redone. And I have all kinds of fantastic daydreams about what color to paint it and how to decorate, but the reality is that it will be painted a muted shade of white with the leftovers of what we already have. The upside is that whenever I remodel it in the future, white is a great base color. I'm just happy that I will finally get to have central air in my home this summer, and I will have a dishwasher! Triple Hooray!

The Dentist

2010-04-21T10:33:00.001-05:00

I have an appointment for The Dentist today. Somehow, I managed to chip one of my wisdom teeth. None of them have even finished growing in, seeing as how they are impacted and all. And yet, I managed to chip one of them. The rough edge in the back is tearing the inside of mouth up to holy heck, and my entire jaw hurts. I don't know how I did it. I don't know when I did it. All I know is that the night before last it felt like something was stuck in my teeth back there after eating a bean burrito, and when I felt around back there I practically cut my finger on the rough edge of the tooth. And it hurt when I touched it.

So I have a dentist appointment for this afternoon to get it checked out and taken care of. When I called to schedule the appointment yesterday morning, apparently the girl that answered the phone was not familiar with me. So, this morning, we got an urgent call from the highest-up of the office secretaries, who told us that my dentist said that if she was going to have to do any kind of "work" on my teeth (apparently more serious than a routine cleaning...) that she would have to have me take a Halidol beforehand. So hooray, I get to get buzzed this afternoon.

Which brings me to my next point, which is that we have only one car. David was planning on just dropping me off before the appointment, then letting me call him when they were finished with me. While waiting to be picked up, I was going to window-shop and just generally wander around. I still don't think that's too bad of a plan, but I have my doubts as to whether or not it would be wise to unleash me onto the general public while still under the effects of my sweet sweet medication. Who knows, we might come home with another puppy.

Update on the House-Buying and Other Things

2010-04-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

The new house is ripening swimmingly (it's okay if I mix my metaphors, right?). Last Friday we had the inspection done by a guy recommended to us by Greg, and it took about 3 hours. The walk-through took about 30 minutes. The news is good. There are no major problems with the house (thanks, God!).

Then, Monday evening we met over dinner with the ~~loan shark~~ ~~highway robber~~ loan officer, and signed ~~our life away~~ a whole bunch of papers to get the process started for applying for a mortgage. We've been pre-approved already, so all of these papers and this process are just a formality at this point, or so I've been told. Once the loan is approved and everything, then they will do the appraisal, and then we will close at the closing date, which is May 6.

So, basically we are just waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

A really good thing that happened recently was that I went for an overnight get-away with some of the women from my ministry group at church to a lake house this past weekend. I felt so refreshed during and afterwards, and it was just so nice to relax, talk, pray, and just soak in the beauty of nature for a few hours. One of the most exciting parts for me was the halfway-civilized deer that would wander by occasionally. At one point I spotted a mother and two fawns! And they still had spots on their back! Cute! :)

Also, I had a moment of conviction this afternoon. I was reading the latest issue of Above Rubies magazine, and there was an article talking about how a lot of us have the Bible on a shelf, but not in our hearts. I realized that a lot of times I pray for God's will to be done, or for Him to make His will known for me in certain things, and yet I spend so little time in the Word. How can we discern what His will is if we are not reading his letter to us? A lot of times I just go by what "seems Christian" instead of searching it out in the Word. There are so many competing philosophies and influences in our world and culture that can sneak up on us and creep in when we are least expecting it. Plus, there are times when I get so focused on the things that I want, and I actively resist considering and waiting on what God's will is. I have become renewed in my desire to fortify my mind and heart through reading the Word.

New House

2010-04-08T00:46:00.002-05:00

We tentatively have a contract for our new house. It's the same one as all along. The sellers decided to be reasonable, and have even conceded a fridge. ( We won't even go there as to what we conceded, now will we!) And, because of the way the contract is written up, we have plenty of time (Lord willing... please, oh please God!) to sell the house we have now.

As always, the cats are super pumped about the coming change.

New News About the New House

2010-04-06T12:48:00.001-05:00

The sellers on the house we want called Greg (our agent) and left a message yesterday morning saying they would come down a couple thousand dollars. This is after they basically decided to walk away last week. Greg said that it's like them waving a white flag and conceding defeat. The new counter-offer they gave is still about 6,000 more than we can afford to pay on a house. David and I discussed it, raised our offer a little tiny bit and sent it back to them. We'll see what happens. I think our prayer for the hedge of thorns worked, and hopefully they are ready to make a deal. Oh, and, in case you didn't catch it, the "hedge of thorns" thing was totally tongue-in-cheek.... ;)

Best Easter Ever

2010-04-05T16:59:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was, in my humble opinion, the best Easter ever. I liked that it was so very low-key. David and I went to my oldest sister's house for lunch with my side of the family. After lunch there was an Easter-egg hunt (indoors since it was raining...) for the two youngest members of the family- Shayce and Kylie. Kylie kept finding eggs during lunch so that by the time it was actually time to officially start the egg hunt, my teenaged neices had to take a couple minutes and re-hide about half of the eggs.

I took my current crochet project with me to work on whenever the mood hit. I got the opportunity to chat with pretty much everyone, and got several small granny-squares done for my next small blanket (for the hope chest). David and I finally ended up leaving a little before midnight, after having some really good, deep, heartfelt conversation with my sister and her husband. We closed the night in prayer, and I so enjoyed the feeling of unity amongst the four of us during and afterwards. I love my family! :)

Yesterday was a wonderful family experience for me, helped by the fact that I have gotten older and more appreciative. The atmosphere was just comfortable, companionable, and peaceful. I felt so much joy in seeing them all, and my biggest accomplishment (in my opinion) was that I was able to let go of the expectation for them to please me or be perfect, and I just accepted and loved what was. I can say with full honesty and heartfelt confidence that even if I could, I wouldn't change anything about any of them. I love them all exactly as they are, for who they are. And, I think I am truly beginning to feel the same way towards myself.

Not to say that I and my family don't have issues, or that I had an entire day without struggles, temptations, and trials with my temper. BUT, they and I are good enough. I'm one more step down the path toward "Anyway" love. Not the kind of love that says "I will love you if ____, or when ___", but the kind that says "I will love you anyway."

House-buying Update

2010-04-03T22:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, so this is the deal with the new house negotiations: they are being stubborn and won't come down on their price. We gave them a very very good counter-offer, but they are holding out over a few thousand dollars. Greg thinks that they are waiting to see if they get any better offers over the weekend, maybe in the next couple of weeks. Our position is that we are waiting to see what happens, and saying nothing else to them about it. I am hoping that they get no other offers on their house, and that they sweat over this a bit. Then maybe they will be a little more reasonable. I also wonder if they were offended at our very first offer, which I must admit was pretty low.

I feel pretty stressed about all of this, because I really liked that house. I even had daydreams about our pets running around inside, and had begun considering which room would make a good nursery for when the time comes for that. I have been praying for faith that God knows what is best for us in all of this, and that I can trust Him to take care of us. I've also been praying for God to set a hedge of thorns around that property so that no one else shows any interest and they come back and beg us to take it off their hands.... Oh well, if this isn't the house for us, then I'm sure that God has something better just around the corner.

Update on the House-Buying

2010-04-02T12:21:00.001-05:00

Okay, so this morning we signed the counter-counter-offer. The day before yesterday they sent a counter-offer, and we have been discussing strategy, finances, and doing some good ol'-fashioned arithmetic (combined with a detailed examination of all the comparable houses sold in the area in the last two months). After looking at all facets of the situation, we decided on a certain amount to offer. This is after waffling for the last 24 hours back and forth between a couple of different bid ideas, but our realtor Greg finally told us that if we were willing to ultimately go with the higher amount, and were figuring on haggling back and forth one more time, that we needed to not do that.

He said that it would irk the sellers and make them not want to deal with us at all. Even if we were offering a really good price. I totally understand what he meant because the sellers already irritate me because of the fact that they rejected us in the beginning (even though Greg told us not to take it personally...).

So we decided to go ahead and offer the slightly higher bid, and now we have both signed the offer contract and sent it in. All this after much discussion and a three-way conference call between Greg, David, and Me. (And I'm the one who figured out how to do that- how exciting!)

The good news is that if they take this bid then it will end up financially meeting all of our criteria (as in, not exceeding any of our limits) that we had discussed beforehand. And they said they would throw in their dining set and matching hutch and refrigerator at no extra cost. Happy dance!

All of this has been pretty nerve-racking for me. I've been really nervous with the whole process of bandying around large amounts of money, as well as the stress of getting our house ready to sell, hoping for a buyer for our current house, and dealing with treading the tight-rope of finding a house I like, but that I don't like too much to walk away from. David and I have been doing a lot of praying aloud the last few days with each other, and God has really helped me to feel more chilled out afterwards.

Another positive in all this is that David and I have had some more opportunities to learn how to resolve conflict with a win-win outcome. And we have both learned a lot about how to deal with stress and our own feelings in constructive ways. We had a really good moment the other day: we were driving home, and discussing everything on the to-do list for the evening. I could feel the tension building in myself, and could feel that I was starting to get overwhelmed. Then, we both used slightly snippy tones with each other, and I realized, "Wow, we have a good learning moment here. We can resolve this now, or we can ruin the rest of the night with sulking." So, instead of fighting about it, we discussed how we were feeling- that he was feeling stressed because our time schedule, and I was feeling overwhelmed because of all we had to do. We came up with a resolution that consisted of relaxing four about 45 minutes after we got home, having a cold drink and a healthy snack, and then working on the house for 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes were up, we would stop and start getting ready for bed, and whatever we got done in that time was going to be it for the night. We both felt so much better after discussing our thoughts and feelings, and then coming up with a manageable solution. And we had a great night together! Yay!

And, some pictures of cuteness, just because!

My little Mackenzie (Mickey-mack)

Gizmo being wild and crazy

New House Update

2010-04-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

David and I have been talking with our realtor Greg a lot recently. Last night he told us that the people whose house we want decided to reject our offer, with an invitation for another offer tagged on the end of the letter. Soooooo, Greg said he would talk to their realtor this morning and see what the deal was, and what their thinking about it is. Then, we talked to him this evening and he said that he had talked to their realtor this afternoon, and their realtor is going to get them to counter our bid. This is a good step. Technically, once we get their counter-offer, then we are half a step closer to getting the house. Once they counter-offer, their property is then tied up until we make a deal or walk away. When they rejected our offer outright, that left them open to accept other offers and make a deal with someone else without saying boo to us about it. Once we get a counter-offer, then we have first dibs and no competition until we either own the house or walk away. I am very happy tonight, and in an entirely different place emotionally than last night, where I was in the depths of despair for the rest of the night because of the rejection. So, further proof that God is good, and that I need to just trust that He will work this all out for the best, even if that means this isn't the house for us. But we still need prayers.

Picture Journal of the Painting Process

2010-03-30T19:05:00.001-05:00

Here are the pictures I promised of the house while it was being painted yesterday.

The living room with the furniture from the master bedroom.

The kitchen with stuff from the master bedroom and guest room. And paint.

The hallway with our headboard from our bed. I was glad for the opportunity to dust it off in detail.

The guest room as it was being painted.

Another angle on the guest room.

The master bedroom being painted. Do you see the transient stereo from the corner? We totally had a salsa manana.

The master bedroom once it was finished.

Our nice, clean hallway. We haven't finished painting it yet- that's our project for tonight.

The finished guest room. I am so happy with it!

I also want to add, just in case I didn't mention it yet, that the process of sorting, packing, cleaning, and preparing these two rooms was taken on by The Man himself: my wonderful husband, David. He rocks!

Another Step Closer

2010-03-29T14:46:00.001-05:00

There has been so much accomplished in the last four days, and I wasn't even here to see most of it! Amazing!

On Thursday I left for the churchwide women's retreat, and I had a great time. I stayed Thursday night, Friday night, and then came back home on Saturday afternoon around 4. David missed me quite a bit, I gather.

On Saturday morning, the contractors came to our house and put a new roof on it. I wasn't here to see them do it, but I got to see the results and they did a fabulous job. David supervised. Plus, he also cleaned up and cleared out our bedroom and guestroom because this morning the contractors came back to repair some tiny waterspots on the ceiling and paint our bedroom and guestrooms. The rest of the house that looked so so amazingly clean a few days ago are now cram-packed with the innards of the two rooms being painted. At least the bathroom is still accessible, since we only have one. And things would get kinda messy if it was off limits. ;)

Another big step that we took yesterday was looking at our final set of houses. We only saw one that was likeable, but then I got a splinter from the railing in the stairway, so I had a grudge. It was off the list. My finger is still sore, and I'm not sure if I got all the splinter out. It will be more apparent once the swelling goes down a little more, and as of now I am just keeping it doused in Neosporin. My realtor's suggestion after I showed him my boo-boo was to smash one of my other fingers to get my mind off the splinter- you can tell that sympathy is his forte. At least he was helpful for a laugh.

And, an even bigger step that we took at the end of our house-looking yesterday was to take a second look at one of our favorites so far, and after giving it another look, we decided to make an offer. We decided to go ahead and go for it because Greg (our realtor) had been contacted twice by the realtor selling that house and basically told him that the situation was highly open to negotiation on the price and closing date, and that the sellers were very motivated because they were closing on another house, ready to move out, and didn't want to have two mortgages at once. I can understand their point of view, and I hope there is enough desperation in their hearts to accept the bid we gave. Because we basically offered the exact amount that we could really afford to pay right now.

And we really like that house. It's the perfect size, the layout is great, it has a nice yard (and a separate fenced-in sideyard with a patio!), it looks unique, and it is in a mature and safe neighborhood with lots of shade trees (David's particular caveat). The only drawback in my opinion is that it's not quite as far north as we originally intended to get. But, it's well within the distance from David's work that we had hoped for. He'll only be about 12-15 minutes away from work now instead of 30-40 minutes. That is, if they accept the offer. And I'm hoping they will, but I'm also praying for the will of God to be done in all of this, and if you're reading this and wish to pray for that as well, I would greatly appreciate it.

Progress and Happiness

2010-03-24T18:53:00.001-05:00

We are now officially finished with the renovations on the kitchen. Pictures to follow. We are almost finished with the living room, too. Last night and this evening David and I have been busy as beavers painting- David with the roller and me with a paintbrush, doing the details. I have so enjoyed working on the house together with him- I love feeling like a team, getting things accomplished.

And a shout-out:

I'm feeling happy because I had a nice, long conversation with my lovely sister this afternoon, and she told me that she is proud of me. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive sister in my life.

Welcome to my blog, Melanie! You have no idea how much it means to me that you are proud of me! I love you! :)

My Wonderful Husband

2010-03-22T18:39:00.001-05:00

I wanted to take a minute and note what a wonderful husband I have. We have been working really hard together over the last couple of weeks getting the house cleaned up and doing repairs. He has really shown a dedicated, patient, and thorough work ethic. I am amazed at his character and wonderful heart. He has taught me a lot and inspired me so much by his attitude.

Whenever you are fixing up a house to sell, and doing difficult or tedious projects, it's hard not to be tempted to just do the bare minimum to make it look alright long enough for someone else to buy it. It's been in the back of my mind the whole time that the fruit of our labors will primarily be enjoyed by the next person to live here.

This is the part where my heart swells with pride and appreciation: The other day, David and I were going over our to-do list and schedule, and he said something along the lines of, "I want to make sure I spend enough time on each thing to do a really good job, because I want the person who buys this house to have a really nice place to live. If I'm going to do a job at all, I want to do it well."

*Long pause for his amazingness to sink in*

He was completely meticulous in his efforts, did an excellent job, and I am so so impressed with his attitude, ability, and finished product. You go, David! :)

Update on Bathroom

2010-03-21T02:15:00.001-05:00

The Bathroom is Finished! Three Cheers All Around! A picture-journal:

David cut out a new board to replace the warped one from a spare piece of plywood that he had laying around.... We won't mention that he remembered about his spare building materials that he had squirreled away at home after he and my dad had already gotten to Home Depot and spent time deliberating over what to get. We'll just let that little tidbit slide out of the memory bank, won't we?

Dad, holding down the floor.

This is after they had done some stuff to it and installed some stuff [Insert technical explanation with big words here....] and were waiting for some component to dry. Didn't my super husband cut out a nice piece of wood? :)

He found a nugget of something in the crevice of the wall. Unfortunately it was not made of gold. Which reminds me, we now know the reason why Trinket was perpetually sniffing, probing, and examining the base of the toilet every. single. time I was in the bathroom for the last couple of years. When David and Dad lifted the toilet up and put it in the tub, they found a substantial stash of ponytail holders. Trinket is addicted to them. They are her favoritest toy, and cannot be resisted. So she hides them in "safe" places for later. For example, inside the couch, under the couch, in her litter box, behind the desk in the office, in her water bowl (all. the. time. Just try and keep her from it, I dare you.), and apparently, in the crevice between the base of the toilet and the floor. When they found them, David was disgusted. Trinket was delighted.

Getting it ready to install the new tiles.

The laying of the first tile.

David is excited because he is getting to figure out how to do this for the first time. Things that would paralyze me with fear (over my lack of knowledge and experience- being afraid that I would make a mistake) give him an odd, indescribable delight. Dad is enjoying spectating and throwing in an instruction here and there.

Absolutely, painstakingly meticulous. I love that about him.

Sweeping the dust and debris away before laying the next tile.

Still hard at work.

Dad got out a light after awhile to give David some extra help in seeing where to trim the tile to make it fit just right. I thought that the light gave this picture a cool effect- it's like David is glowing.

The finished product- completed just after midnight. I thought David did a beautiful job. He spoils me rotten!

My new bathroom!

Continuing House Renovation

2010-03-20T15:47:00.001-05:00

Well, it's time for an update on everything going on at El Casa. We have finally finished putting the kitchen back together, including painting the new wall, scrubbing the floor, and then putting the stove back in. It looks really pretty now. The beginning of this week was not so productive because I came down with the stomach ick on Monday evening and only began feeling back to normal yesterday. The good thing is that I finally got to catch up on my rest, and I lost 6 pounds in 3 days. Plus, David was able to focus only on his work, which helped him to get a lot done on his job without the added stress of doing house repairs after getting home in the evening. Note to self: it's okay to take a night off every now and then. Our marriage has gotten a lot of benefits from taking it easy for a couple of days. And, I gained some new insight and learned some things about being a partner and helpmeet without torturing those I'm working with. Thank you God for teaching me.

Anyway, I was feeling better yesterday, so Mom and Dad came back down and helped us get back on track with our home improvements. Who knew that selling a house could be so much work? Certainly not I, apparently. Last night we finished touching up the kitchen, including nailing the trim back onto the edge of the cabinets along the floor, putting down new contact paper in all the drawers and cabinets, installing a new door on the back of the garage (it needed one since we had some very bored little furbabies in the backyard who believe that shredding a wooden door is soooooo much fun), and power-washing the outside of the house. Plus, I cooked a very nice dinner for every one, served on the finest paper plates (sort of- more like the cheapest possible that would withstand dinner). We had chicken lasagna, fresh fruit- oranges, bananas, nectarines, and pineapple, cajun mixed vegetables, and dinner rolls. Plus chocolate chip cookies and hot mochas for dessert. I feed my helpers well. Then, while Mom and David finished putting the final touches on the cabinets, I helped get Dad up-to-date on the awesomeness of "Big Bang Theory" (the TV show- I know, the name is unfortunate, but the show is hilarious) thanks to my wonderful TiVo, and kept everyone current on their hot drink, dessert, and medicinal ointment needs (there were several boo-boos).

The yard is looking pretty fantastic now, since our new yard guys came last weekend and took care of fallen branches, leaves, trimming, and edging. It was sooooooo worth it. Our house is looking almost brand new on the outside now. I absolutely love using the power-washer. That thing is just so cool and fun to use. I love being able to blast away dirt and grime that have been there for ages, and seeing how pretty things look afterwards. I wish I could just use it on the inside of my house too. I could clean the whole thing in a few hours that way. Hmmmmmmmm. Too bad.

Today Dad came back down and is helping put new floor down in the bathroom. I am so, so excited about that. I have been waiting for four and a half years- ever since Gizmo was a kitten and chipped several of the bathroom tiles sharpening her claws in protest of being locked in the bathroom- to put down new floor. I feel so lucky and blessed that we are finally getting all these repairs done. The difference after just having the bathroom sink fixed is amazing. It is ridiculous how much bigger the house feels now that we have two working sinks.

Anyway, Dad and David are putting the new floor down in the bathroom today. It's ending up being a fairly complicated process, since the wood floor underneath the tile had a lot of water damage from the leaky sink. Dad and David are gone to Home Depot right now buying more wood to put down, and then once that is done the new flooring is a fairly simple process- just peel and stick. It will probably be more complicated than I am anticipating, but isn't it always? ;)

We are also planning on painting the new door on the garage tonight, so that project will be completely finished after that. Then, if we have time, we might do a little more painting on the inside of the house.

Here are some pictures of our projects so far:

Mom, Dad and David

Dad and David putting in the sheetrock

Mom holding the trim for the bottom of the cabinets, and a view of what our living room looked like with stuff in the process of being sorted, packed, and loaded into the car. Plus, the kitchen drawers on the coffe table waiting to be lined with our new contact paper.

The culprits of the destroyed back door.

Mom putting the new contact paper into the drawers.

The kitchen cabinets with new contact paper in them.

The kitchen wall now that the stove cabinets, and counter are back in place.

Our living room now that we are finished (sort of).

More of the living room and kitchen

Our kitchen table, all clean and happy.

The "Before" picture of the bathroom.

Dad, after putting the toilet into the tub and removing the tile.

Just in case you wondered if they had any fun....

David, gleeful after getting to play with tools and accomplish some demolition. He's holding a piece of water-damaged flooring. That's right- he did it all with his bare hands. What a man!

Dad, with his plethora of tools.

Hard at work.

Prying the last bits of warped flooring out.

The destructed floor under the sink.

They are both having a blast. Really.

I'll post more pics later when the status changes. I'm looking forward to my beautiful new floor!

The Fear of the Lord

2010-03-17T23:35:00.003-05:00

I've been enjoying several books by Mary Pride recently, namely "The Way Home" and "Schoolproof", both of which are excellent. David and I are actually reading "The Way Home" together, and it has been a great conversation piece and devotional topic each night before we go to sleep.

I was just reading Schoolproof, and I came across the part where she explains that the beginning of teaching your children to be lifelong learners is to teach them fear, or respect. She quotes an idea from several verses in the Bible that say that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:

Proverbs 1:7
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

This idea struck a chord within me. Isn't it interesting when you can feel the Spirit of Truth work in your mind and heart and cause a familiar text to penetrate deeper than ever before, and "click"?

For exactly one year I worked with kids in the projects as an after-school activities coordinator, and it was something I really struggled with. I got very attached to those little ones, and even some of the big ones, too. Something that used to strike me about them (and hurt my feelings at times...) was that they were completely unafraid of being disciplined. It seemed to me like they didn't care whether or not they participated in the program, no matter how kind and loving I was or how good the food and candy was.

So, I had an epiphany whilst reading the book. To the same degree that those children were unafraid of discipline, they were unwilling to exert themselves. Their level of investment emotionally was the same level of perseverance they had in times of low benefits. This is the reason why many or most of them will not escape the poverty cycle-- they are unwilling to persevere when the going gets tough. Unfortunately, most of them will remain on welfare, sell drugs, sell themselves, go to jail, and so on.

So, another part of the epiphany was that beating your children (or spanking them, whatever you want to call it) is not necessarily the way to instill "fear" in them, of yourself, the Lord, or anyone else. Now, don't get me wrong. I do believe that there are appropriate times to spank-- I just don't believe in it being the first and only method of discipline. But I'm also not a mom yet, either. One day I may eat my words.

If there was one thing that the kids in the projects had an unending supply of, it was beatings. The really bad kind. Like, "my momma's gonna pound my head into the pavement" kind. And yet they never seemed afraid of anything. Especially anyone in a position of authority.

This leads me to believe that the fear we are to instill in our children is not based solely on the idea that very bad things will happen to me if I disobey. I think there is another huge key component, and that is the desire to please. And the desire to please comes from the relationship you have, first with your parents, then with God. The problem that the kids in the projects (at least the ones I worked with) had was that they had very very little positive interaction with their parents. They had very unstable and violent homelives. There was no certainty or warm haven in the home environment. They had no feelings of love and security in their relationships with their parents, especially not their fathers. I believe that a child has to have an experience of feeling esteemed by his/her father in order to build the proper fear of authority. Knowing that it is possible to please our parents, and enjoying the warm fuzzies when we do, causes us to fear their displeasure.

We shrink from the idea of losing the joy and security of the relationship, as well as the consequences of our bad behavior-- that is the real fear of the Lord. Valuing the relationship with God, maintaining a worshipful, reverential fear of Him, is truly the beginning of knowledge.

Kitchen Demolition

2010-03-12T15:25:00.001-06:00

So far I have managed to check several things off of my to-do list for the house. Today was the day. You have no idea how stressed I was about the whole plumbing thing. You see, the sink in the bathroom has never worked. Or at least has never been in working condition. Not since even before we moved into the house. When we bought the house, we figured, "oh, no big deal, we'll just get a plumber in to fix it before the end of the month." Well, the month stretched to the end of next month, which became the end of the year, and kept getting put off until five years later, and we are now wanting to move and only now getting around to fixing the stinkin' plumbing.

So, two days ago a plumber came over. He strutted through the house, made several tsk-ing sounds and some snide remarks about my wonderful husband and father trying to figure out how to fix the plumbing themselves, and then said that his time and labor to fix the problem would be "hundreds of dollars". So, my wonderful husband and father decided to go ahead and try to fix it themselves.

This effort included the help and presence of my mother, Shayce, and Kylie. Kylie wanted to help, too. And since Mom and Dad were supposed to be babysitting them, she got the chance. Any time the door needed closing, she was Johnny-on-the-spot, with an exclamation of "I got it!" And between times of closing an open door here and there she found the opportunity to divest ever shelf within reach of its items, turn the TV off and on a few hundred times, dump every board game we own out of its box, and chase Trinket a few laps around the house. She also worked out a strategy of her very own for giving David's knees a squeeze and kiss about every ten minutes. She was especially delighted whenever he would sit on the floor- this was in itself an open invitation for head-rubbing, ear kisses, and choke hugs around the neck from behind. Plus, she kept tabs on where everyone was at all times- particularly me and David. If either one of us stepped outside or into the bathroom, or pretty much anywhere out of sight, it would take long before we heard the pleading toddler siren song of "Oh Sitty [i.e. "Cristy"], where are you?!?" or "Oh! My David! Where my David GO?!?!?!?!!!!"

Shayce was alternately overjoyed to be at our house and in hysterics over the idea of us moving. She has become quite attached to our cozy little home apparently. At one point I had a quiet moment with her to talk about it, and she "I'm scared that if you move, you will move far far away and go live with the Indians!" And no, our family is apparently not all that politically correct.

So, Dad and David got workin' on the plumbing. Originally we thought that they would be going through the cabinet, so David and I cleared the cabinet out. Then, they decided that they needed to tear the cabinets and counter away from the wall. So they did. Three holes later, they decided that the worst part of the leak must be coming from behind the stove. It was. So, then it was time to go to Home Depot for our long list of needed supplies for pretty-fying my house. Apparently picking out supplies at home depot takes longer than 30 minutes. Two hours after arriving at Home Depot, the kids were both clawing at each other and wrestling to get out of the cart they had so delightedly picked out. Dad and Mom were pretty much dead on their feet, and David and I were just getting around to picking out our paint color. So, we let the kids down from the cart (bad idea- do not try at home....er, at the Home depot near you...) and within two minutes Kylie was hanging from a the bars on an industrial cart like a monkey. Half a minute later, she was sprawled on the floor gathering her breath to scream. All of this before I had a chance to tell her not to. So, I scooped her up and she and I went out to the garden section, where I showed her how to jump in the puddles and splash. That was the funnest part of the evening. After a few minutes we went back inside, picked out a paint color, waited fifteen more minutes for them to try to get some butter out of it (joke...), and we were headed out to the car.

On the way home, we stopped at a little Hispanic grocery store, and got everyone a strawberry ice cream bar. There's just something about Ice cream bars from Mexico that is sooooo good. We went ahead and let the girls have theirs on the way out the door. Then we got to the car and realized our mistake. We decided to live dangerously and just strap them on into the car complete with ice cream bars and head on home. How bad could it get, right? When we got home, there wasn't any ice cream on the car seats, but both the girls had sugary, sticky hands and faces. Kylie started freaking out after we got her out of the car over the stickiness. So, I decided to just take them straight to the bathroom and let them eat their ice cream sitting in the tub. I didn't care if they bathed in it after they got back there, as long as it didn't get on the furniture, it was all good. Both girls were delighted with the novelty of being in the tub with all their clothes still on!

Then it was time to cuddle on the couch with blankets, pop in a movie, and have some popcorn. At least for me and the girls. Dad and David got the honor of making another trip to Home Depot to take back the old parts that they had taken an hour and a half choosing in the first trip, and try to find different parts, since the first parts were too big.

An hour and half later, they came back home, took five minutes to try the new parts, discovered that they also would not work, and decided to call it a night. David wanted to just call the jerky plumber back and let him fix it.

So. Today was the day. This morning we called the plumber, and left a message for him to call us back. Then we called our realtor to discuss a contract, and while we were on the phone with him, he was like "Hey, if you need a plumber, I know just the guy!" And inside, I was all "Yessss! Now I don't have to listen to the other guy's lip!" So we called the new plumber, who was willing to come over right away, and then we called back the old plumber and told him thanks, but no thanks.

The new plumber was soooooooo nice. And now we have a working sink in the bathroom. And a lot of glue fumes. But we have a working sink! Yay!

Here are some pictures of our adventures:

Ice cream in the bathtub!

This is what my kitchen looked like once Dad and David had given up for the night. They worked on it for over 10 hours.

Having their popcorn and watching Peter Pan- it was little intense.

After the nice plumber was finished.

David, being so happy that the plumbing is fixed!

Trinket would like everyone to know that she objects to the smell of glue.

Another Good Day

2010-03-10T17:51:00.001-06:00

Today has been another good day. I've been continuing to work on the house today, but not until after a nice, long trip to the dentist. I was going to go over and visit with Shayce and Kylie for awhile today, however God had other plans for me. Mom had taken the girls over to her church for a women's luncheon, so they weren't at home when I drove by. So, I ended up coming on back home instead.

The dentist went really well. I got a nice, long back massage from the dentist chair, cuddled warm and snug under a heated blanket, with my own little personal TV screen complete with headphones and the remote control. My dentist gave my lips a nice coating of vaseline so they were moist and comfortable, then got to work. The cleaning wasn't too bad- only a couple of minor painful spots, which is worlds different from the last visit, where my gums were angry with me for three days afterwards. Although last time they used plenty of numbing gel so I didn't feel a thing. This time she just told me to be a big girl and take it. Nicely, of course.

Then when I was leaving, it started raining. Then storming, with lots of thunder and lightning. Then a downpour. Then hailing- pea and lima bean sized hail. Then, after about 5 minutes, it stopped hailing and dropped off to a medium rain shower. Absolutely amazing. There wasn't any major damage to my car, just a couple of nicks in the windshield. Although I will admit that I didn't stand out in the rain to inspect the rest of the car, either. So there may be some dents that I missed in my passing glance.

So, after driving by my brother's house and seeing it empty, I headed home. Thankfully it wasn't raining anymore by then, and traffic was a breeze. Once I got home, I worked on the dishes for about 5 minutes, then decided to take a twenty minute nap. That stretched into a nice, luxuriant 2.5 hour nap. My bed and I apparently needed some bonding time.

The good part, though, is that when I did wake up, I had a burst of energy and productivity for the next 2 hours, and got a lot of dishes done. And packed up some bedding and pillows. Yay for me!

Moving Days Are Here Again

2010-03-08T22:28:00.001-06:00

Well, we decided to go ahead and take a leap of faith, and put our house on the market. We are selling through a real estate agent from our church, and couldn't be happier with it all thus far. Our realtor is listing our house for us, and is going to help us find a house (and a good deal) as well! The sign is in the yard, the info. is on the web. Now we just have to wait and see what happens.

Today David and I have been in "high scurry" mode, and have weeded through our DVDs, knick-knacks, and personal items in the living room to make it look neat, clean, homey, and as un-personal as possible. The living room is looking good, and the guest room looks pretty good. Now we just have to go through the kitchen, bathroom, office, master bedroom, and bathroom. Then we have to get the plumber to come and fix a leaky pipe. Then we have to get the roof repaired. Then we have to get the yard trimmed up and haul the brush away. Then we have to paint. Then we have to put a new floor down in the bathroom. Then we have to shampoo the carpets. Then we will be finished with our house's facelift, and will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

And then we can get started picking out a new house!

Gizmo and Trinket doing their best to stay out of the way.

Stuff and Stuff and More Stuff!

2010-03-05T15:53:00.001-06:00

Does anyone else ever have the feeling that they are just drowning in stuff?!?

Sometimes, and today especially, I have been just going through my mind the lists of stuff we actually currently use vs. the stuff we have stored in all the knooks and crannies of our ~~tiny~~... ~~little~~... cozy home.

The topic of conversation that throws our whole world into chaos has arisen once again. David and I have been discussing moving again. "Again" as in the discussion, not the moving. We have only lived in this one little house since we got married 4.5 years ago. When we decided to buy it, the idea was that we would live here 3 years, tops. Then we would move into our dream home. Because by then we would have saved thousands of dollars and would be able to afford it, of course. (Allowance of time for riotous laughter from the peanut gallery to subside....)

So, here we are four and a half years later. Now, I do have to give myself and my wonderful husband props for the fact that we have in the past year and a half made the decision to get out of debt, and have succeeded in paying off everything except the car, the house, and one credit card. And we have saved some money too. So at least we are not considering moving into a shelter or a tent. Thank you, God!

I think that my feelings of drowning in stuff also have some contribution from the fact that I feel completely overwhelmed thinking about all the things that I have to do to get the house ready to sell. And then the panic feelings of actually putting the house on the market and all the uncertainty of finding a buyer. And then all the anxiety over finding a house that is affordable, close to David's work, comfortable, and in a safe neighborhood. I would be very happy if we could get a house bigger than 1500 square feet next. I would really enjoy being able to have space for entertaining and having my family over and everything. There are about 20 people in my side of the family (parents, siblings, neices and nephews), and all of us just really have a hard time fitting into a 12x15 foot living room, at least comfortably.

So, I have a lot of work to do. And David and I have some decisions to make. I have definitely been struggling with not feeling confident that God will lead us in all of this. My head has a full understanding and faith that the Spirit is working in this, and that David has God-given wisdom to make good decisions, but my knees are still quaking and my heart is lagging behind.

A Day in the Life

2010-03-02T13:04:00.001-06:00

Today the hanging rod in my closet broke.

You see, our house is a sweet little cottage-style house built in the mid-50's, and all the rods in the closets are made of wood. Our rod has been showing signs of distress for a while now, sagging way down in the middle from the weight of all of our clothes. It was in a closet that's about 4 feet wide, and 2.5 feet deep, that serves both my sweet husband and I. So, taking into account all the clothes collected from the last 5-6 years, adding in the collection in the back from thinner days or shopping times of wishful thinking, there were a LOT of clothes in that closet.

And they all came flooding out of my closet this morning at around 10:15 this morning.

Okay, this is what happened. David was still home, waiting in high anticipation for the mail carrier to come, because he was expecting his replacement Aggie Ring to come in the mail today- another long story for different day.

The ring arrived around 9:45 or so, and brought much jubilation and glee along with it. Then, wonderful David began hustling and bustling getting ready for work. Which included showering, then jumping out of skin in fright when he opened the shower curtain to get out and found me right outside the tub peering up at him. Hee hee hee. Hiccup. (I get the hiccups whenI get too tickled to breathe.)

So, then we went back down the hall to the bedroom together, and I sat on the bed, and began daydreaming and thinking about what to do with my day while David was at work. Then, this is what I heard:

"Hmmm, this rod looks like it's going to break soon under all this pressure. It's even got a crack in it already!" Wiggle, wiggle, creak, creak, CRACK. CRACK. "Uh oh, it's breaking! It's breaking now! I need help, I need help honey!"

So, I ambled over in a curious manner, looking to see if the rod was really broken, or if wonderful husband was just being dramatic. It was really broken. And my super-strong husband was holding it up and together with all 3,000 pounds of clothes on it with his two bare hands. He is amazing.

So, then is when the closet started barfing clothes. I began scrambling quickly to grab 7 or 8 hangers of clothes at a time to lay on the bed, so that the frenzied light would begin to leave David's worried eyes. I got all the clothes off, but then there was a new problem. Our bed was covered in a 3-foot-high- spread of clothing. And our bed is big. Real big. King-sized. So that's a lot of clothes. I wish I had thought to take pictures.

But at least David was no longer single-handedly holding our entire wardrobe. Phew. Tragedy averted.

So, now there is a new problem. There is a ginormous pile of clothes on my bed to be reckon'd with (as we say in the South), and there is no caffeine in our entire house. All 1,000 square feet of it. None. This is a very big problem. Especially with my workload I was planning on accomplishing today- including relaxing in my nice, comfy chair and writing a post on my quaint little blog here. As well as working on convincing my two cats not to eat each other. And maybe doing some laundry, dishes, and watching Dr. Phil. But now there are LOTS of clothes to be dealt with, and something broken. This cannot go on. Oh the HUMANITY!

So I, with my wonderful womanly wiles, sweet talk my way into a trip with my husband in our one car to the dollar store down the street for a few sodas before he leaves for work. Hooray! Caffeine! Then, my wonderful husband comes up with a plan for a patch-up job on the rod before he leaves for work. He used a strip of metal and a little thing called duct-tape. Then, I had the bright idea of, "Hey, let's get one of our empty plastic storage bins from the garage and go through our clothes and store the clothes that are too small that we don't want to get rid of, and sort some clothes out to donate as we put our clothes back in the closet so we don't have as many clothes to weigh down the patched-up rod!" Hooray!

So, David ended up putting two shirts into storage, and one shirt into the donation pile, and the rest went back into the closet. Which is a lot for him, seeing as how he had maybe 25 items hanging in the closet total. The bulk of the sorting was up to me. This required much self-honesty as I asked myself, "Am I keeping this because I can and still want to wear it? Does this actually fit me right now?" and then putting them into the appropriate places. I ended up storing about half of what I had hanging in the closet, and putting about a quarter of it into the donate pile. This left me with about 20 items to hang back into the closet. And the hanging rod is no longer stressed. We might not have to worry the budget just yet to get a new one. Hooray again!

So, this morning started with celebration, was jarred by crisis, and is back to celebration again. I am actually kind of glad that this all happened because I have been meaning to go through the stuff in the closet for a while now, and this gave me the motivation to take care of it.

Follow- Up

2010-02-23T18:40:00.002-06:00

I just realized that I never revealed what came of my visit to the orthodontist a couple weeks ago. Nothing. I went, I jumped five feet every time someone talked to me, let them poke around in my mouth for a bit, took a sheet of paper listing thousands of dollars of work that they thought needed to be done, then left and clicked my heels over my joy of being out of there. I can totally live with my crooked teeth for now- they aren't too bad after all.

Today I rejoiced because I used my lovely little Wii to weigh myself, and I have lost 14 pounds so far. Yay me! My motivation is to do it for my own health, but also so I don't look like a cow in the wedding pictures for David's brother's wedding this July. I'm doing Weight Watchers, and it totally works for me!

Also, my work-out this afternoon was to scrub my shower from floor to (almost) ceiling. Then I took a nice, refreshing, cold shower afterwards. Now I'm off to watch Dr. Phil, and then I might just scrounge up enough awesome to vacuum.

God Bless "Hoarders"

2010-02-23T01:27:00.000-06:00

Tonight David and I watched the newest episode of "Hoarders" on A&E. I have to admit, I love love love this show. The best thing about this show is that it totally inspires me to get myself in gear on my own housework. I feel great compassion for the people on the show- especially the kids. Tonight I really felt sorry for Sam, who felt like it was his responsibility to keep his mom and dad happy- I can totally relate. Not that it isn't right for kids to want to please their parents, but there is a big, huge difference between obeying and wanting to please your parents, and feeling responsible for their feelings. The first one is good and godly, and the second is a blurring of healthy emotional boundaries.

Okay, and whilst on the subject of cleaning, I have felt so convicted lately about my wifely duties in the home. I have repented several times in the last few days for allowing myself to be too enamored with a good book, good movie, good internet article, good nap, etc. to pull my weight around here. I think I have done a great job as far as being an encourager to my husband, but my skills as a supporter have been lacking. This realization came about from reading, and then re-reading a certain blog article- Liz ThoughtsI Love, Life, and Motherhood: A True Wife I have been so blessed from reading Elizabeth's blog, and every time I read that entry, I feel convicted and inspired all over again to put some extra effort into making my home clean and beautiful for my hard-working husband. Also, her kids (in her other entries) are super cute. Super. Cute.

So, anyway, tonight I spent a good hour and a half on laundry, sweeping, sorting papers, and scrubbing sinks. I feel so much better about my home now, and so much better as a wife. Also, David brought up a good point earlier when we were discussing this subject earlier (after watching Hoarders with me). He said that he especially wanted us to get things paired down to where there is a place for everything, and then create better habits and routines in keeping things put away, because as hard as it is to keep a neat house now, it will be much harder once we have kids. And he feels very strongly that he wants to raise our kids with a sense of responsibility about keeping our house neat and orderly. I really love and admire the way he thinks, and his good goals for our future. Nothing warms my heart more than discussing the future with my dear David. And, I also love the way he discusses his goals and feeling with me in such and thoughtful and gentle way. He is truly talented at discussing changes to make while also conveying appreciation and acceptance. He has a way of talking to someone where he could tell them that he just burned their house down and they would thank him for it!

My Happy Place

2010-02-20T00:46:00.004-06:00

Tonight I am alone. It is not my alone-ness that inspired the title of this entry, though. I think that the reason that the alone-ness has not eaten me alive into its large, black, gaping maw is because of the title of this entry. I have found a happy place. I have discovered a path of contentment and joy. I feel that I am living with purpose, led and loved by my God. I have been doing some good reading over the last couple of months, and have discovered that there is no bittersweet, fatal flaw in the core of my being, separating and isolating me from the rest of humanity.

I have discovered that it is okay feel icky and gross sometimes, and that those feelings will pass if I let them- it denies my little girl self no honor to let the sadness go. I used to feel that I had to wallow in my misery, and keep it close to my heart in order to give myself a being-ness. When I was little, sadness was not okay. Crying was shameful. I felt that in order to give myself a voice as an adult, I needed to be bitter, cynical, and utterly sad. I felt I had to spend the rest of my life living a tribute to the "me" that wasn't allowed to "be" when I was growing up. I felt the need to rehash, and recite the sadness everyday, going over a mental checklist of all the reasons why I was not alright, and why I would never be truly loveable or acceptable.

I have found that to wallow intensifies and extends the misery. It just becomes a cycle.

I have learned things recently that seem to be a given due to common sense and basic Biblical teaching, yet altogether new once learned in the heart. I have learned to count my blessings every day. Gratitude is a surefire solution to misery. I list all the good things in my life more than once a day sometimes.

I have learned to respect my husband. I know that seems weird, like "duh....", but it is something to look into if you've never spent anytime pondering it. I have noticed that my old definition of respect for my husband really wasn't all that respectful, and was downright destructive at times. Have you ever considered the actual dictionary definition of the word respect? (I highlighted the things that stood out to me)

RESPECT (from dictionary.reference.com)
1. regard, feature, matter. 2. regard, connection. 3. estimation, reverence, homage, honor. Respect, esteem, veneration imply recognition of personal qualities by approbation, deference, and more or less affection. Respect is commonly the result of admiration and approbation, together with deference: to feel respect for a great scholar. Esteem is deference combined with admiration and often with affection: to hold a friend in great esteem. Veneration is an almost religious attitude of deep respect, reverence, and love, such as we feel for persons or things of outstanding superiority, endeared by long association: veneration for one's grandparents, for noble traditions. 7. bias, preference. 9. revere, venerate, consider, admire. 10. heed.

How many examples on TV are there of a wife expressing admiration for who her husband is, as a person? How many times are TV husbands treated with deference and regard, like a person of "outstanding superiority"? Not that we need to treat our husband as if he is inherently worth more than us- that is not what it means, at least not to me. It means superiority as in a precious stone, compared to normal rock. A big change that has brought me much happiness in my life as of late is making the switch from critique to praise with my wonderful husband David. I stopped looking for what he was doing wrong, and began looking for what he was doing right. I made sure that even if I hadn't said so once or twice (or a few times) during the day, that every night before we went to sleep at night I have told him at least one thing that I like about him as a person or about something he did that day. Such as, "Wonderful husband, I really appreciate your work on the lawn today. I feel so loved when you work so hard to take care of our home." Or it could be as simple as "Thanks for bringing me a glass of ice water earlier. You're a great guy!" He has really blossomed in light of my admiration, and the fact that I notice and compliment his efforts has brought its own rewards as well.

A book that really helped drive the point home for me was "Love and Respect" by Emerson Eggerichs. Here.

If you want a good example of living with grace, the most uplifting blog I could reccommend would be Jaynee Lockwood's blog: http://www.lockwoodfamilytomexico.com/

Also, just a generally delightful place to go for practical tips and inspiration (and my first follower, hooray!)

Okay, I know that this has been a really long post, but I wanted to return to my original premise for posting. I am alone tonight. My sweet husband has gone on a men's retreat this weekend with some of the men from church, and so he is out being inspired and encouraged whilst I twiddle my thumbs at home..... Oh the drama! Actually, that is not true-- God saw my need, and provided a lovely and truly wonderful opportunity for friendship tonight. One of the women from church who was also alone for a short period while her husband and sons were out of the house asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner, and I delightedly agreed. I couldn't have been more blessed by our time together!

Also, as a last note before I stop my ramblings for tonight, please forgive me if I over-used the words "wonderful", "Inspiring", or any other adjectives. I get a little carried away! :P

It's Snowing!

2010-02-11T15:50:00.003-06:00

Hooray, it's snowing for the second time this winter in our little nook of Texas! The first time it only spit a little snow at us, and we didn't really get the full experience. This time around (and with the help of antibiotics, since my cold is not quite finished yet) we got to really enjoy it and play in it! We decided to build a snowman:

No, Don't hug him, he'll fall over!!

Pretty, huh?

I so wish I could get the video of Zenzi and Mackenzie (checking out the snow, acclimating to the snow, playing in the snow, then freaking out for five minutes straight when their daddy tried to play with them in the snow) to load. Mackenzie was much more accepting of David after a few seconds, but Zenzi just couldn't get past the parachute pants. She was offended by his early-nineties fashion statement, I think. :)

Under the Weather

2010-02-09T15:15:00.000-06:00

To say I am under the weather would be putting it sooooo lightly. I feel like my sinuses are full of hardening concrete and my throat is coated in sand. God bless the makers of Mucinex-D. And Nyquil. And Dayquil. But not all at once, dear, lest your head float away and leave you asking your wonderful husband the same question about fifty times in a row with rising panic and your own personal version of "Lost" writing itself in your head throughout. And, if you wake up at 4:30 in the morning, wonder where you are and ponder how nice a tall glass of lemonade and a good book would be, don't say I didn't tell you so.

Thoughts on Life

2010-02-02T10:26:00.000-06:00

This morning I woke up at 5 am. Actually, let me edit that and say I was woken up at 5am. I did my best to get back to sleep, but to no avail. I ended up finally giving in to my nervous excitement and getting up at around 6:20.

Today I am going to my first orthodontist appointment. I finally broke down and went to the dentist a week ago, and I am so so so glad I did! It's been a long time, but I was pleased to find out that my mouth hadn't been overtaken by decay and my teeth hadn't sprung to life as little green gremlins of disease. Actually, I only had three very minor cavities, and the hygienist was actually impressed with the color and cleanliness of my teeth. Did I mention it's been somewhere in the ballpark of five-ish years since I went to the dentist last? I have to admit it: I struggle with a fairly major fear of the dentist chair. The dentists I've had in the past have been a little less than gentle with my delicate little mouth (ha). Plus, the feeling of someone else's fingers in my mouth, as well as the scritchy-scratch feeling of the little hook-type utensil on my teeth makes me feel all squicked-out inside. Plus, I have an aversion to needles. Big Time. The last time I had to have blood drawn, the orderly took one look at me, ordered me to have a seat (quickly) and began speaking in abbreviated code to the other little medical attendants. From their reactions and side-glances, I think he was saying something along the lines of "oh no, we have another fainter on our hands". When they came toward me with the needle, the veins in my arm found a new zip code. The guy with the syringe said, "I haven't even touched her yet, and she's about to pass out!"

Anyway, back to today's story. I am going to my first orthodontist appointment. Yay! I have been waiting for this day for at least 12 years. I have wanted braces since I was 14 and realized that one of my baby teeth was not ever going to fall out on its own. When I was little, I thought they were the coolest thing. I used to try to make my own retainer out of aluminum foil (didn't work too well- don't try it). I have since learned that the pain of them makes them a lot less than "cool" to wear (I had a breif foray into orthodontics when I was in high school, but Mom lost interest in prying me from the car for appointments after I got my first taste of the discomfort of shifting teeth, and that was that....). But, nonetheless, I have wanted them since high school due to my desire for all adult teeth and a straighter smile. Plus, I am extra excited because I found a dentist and orthodontist who can hopefully work together well, and who offer sedation if necessary (double-yay!!).

So, I was too excited and nervous to sleep this morning. So I got up and made my wonderful husband breakfast instead. This morning I chose to wear a servant's heart and happy attitude, and took delight in serving my husband and showing him appreciation and respect for doing what he does (which is being a wonderful husband, friend, and provider for us). I have noticed that whenever I choose to count my blessings and meditate on what I can do to make my relationship better, I have an overwhelming sense of peace in my heart. I thank God everyday for my life and my husband. I'm feeling like I'm on a second honeymoon today!

Life Lessons from a Newbie

2010-01-28T22:33:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I know I'm not that old, and I haven't been married all that long. As a matter of fact, it has only been about 4.55 years since David and I tied the knot. I am still relatively new in this field of life compared to many others. Ok, most others. But I have learned a few small things, and I have it on my heart today to share some of those things with you.

The Best Lessons I've Learned So Far

1. Never say anything critical to or about another person.
       This is one of the hardest things I have ever undertaken, and I still fail in this pursuit daily, sometimes even hourly, or even "minute-ly". I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as constructive criticism. And also, let me just say that there is a difference between confronting sin, and being critical. There is also a difference between parental guidance and criticism. When I say criticism, what I am talking about is the (oftentimes mean-spirited) nit-picking, as in "Well this painting would have been great if they had used pink instead of purple on this little 1-inch-squared section right here." Criticism, from what I have observed, often comes from a spirit of "it's only done right if it's done my way", otherwise known as pride. Criticism is deadly in any relationship, but especially in the marital relationship. According to my understanding, relationships flourish with encouragement and peace. If you hear yourself starting to critique another, and you want to stop, just ask yourself, "What's something I like about them?" Also, if there is something that another person is doing that is hurtful to you, there is nothing wrong, critical, condemning, or devisive about saying, "Would you be please _______?" My example: Would you please put your drink on a coaster? (Heh, I'm usually the one who this request would addressed to....)  Here's a couple relevant verses:

Ephesians 4:31
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. (NCV)

Titus 3:1-2
REMIND PEOPLE to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared and willing to do any upright and honorable work, to slander or abuse or speak evil of no one, to avoid being contentious, to be forbearing (yielding, gentle, and conciliatory), and to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody. (AMP)

James 3:17-18
Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. (The Message)
2. Accept others where they are, and continually look for what is admirable and praiseworthy about them.
    It's easy to get caught in the cycle of "if they would only.....". Do your best to stay away from that train of thought. It leads to an abyss of misery. A person is never going to change based on your opinions or suggestions. This path will only lead to your own frustration. "Never try to keep a pig clean- it wastes your time and annoys the pig" (source unknown). More can be accomplished in the attempt to help another by inspiring them with honest praise and exhortations than can be guilted or brow-beaten out of them. Plus, you and everyone else will feel much better afterwards for the experience if it is a positive one.

Some verses:

1 Corinthians 13:3-7
7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Ephesians 4:29
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
(Both quoted from The Message)

3. I cannot control another person into changing what they believe or who they are.
       Change comes from a place of brokenness, and only God can bring them there. Criticizing and arguing with a person will not bring them to that place. In the case of salvation of another person, the only thing that we as believers can do is to plant the seed by telling them about Jesus and directing them toward the Bible, praying for it to take root in their hearts, and then loving them through the process. Loving them means giving them a soft place to fall and leading by example. There is nothing I can do to "get someone to help me help them." The seed of truth will take root if the ground is fertile, and the only one who can do the work to fertilize it is the Holy Spirit.
    This is one of those things that I have had a supreme struggle with. A lot of times I can look at another person's life, and it's easy to see what it is that they are doing to hurt themselves. It is so easy to know where another person is making mistakes, and so tempting to think, "If I can just explain it right, or shout it loud enough, then they will see what they are doing, and change it." Oh, if only it was that easy. However, that approach never works. Almost always, that way of dealing with someone just ends up damaging the relationship- they feel judged, and I feel frustrated. Plus, pointing out to others their mistakes causes them to go on the defensive. When people start defending themselves, it just makes the problem worse because then they feel they must prove they are right, and the problematic behavior becomes more deeply entrenched.
     It all comes back to the same basic principle of letting peace rule in our relationships. We do this by encouraging and nurturing the good things we see in ourselves and others, and leaving the rest to God to sort out.

Proverbs 3:12
For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 16:6
By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man--not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil.

Drop me a note and tell me your thoughts! :)

Kitty Cat Television

2010-01-16T14:50:00.001-06:00

There is no greater pleasure for my two cats than the priviledge of sitting and staring out an open window. It dazzles their senses, especially their senses of sound and smell. They pick up snatches of information with their ears and nose, and learn more about the world around them than I could from watching the television for a week. They get so excited whenever David opens the window for them that they begin humming, purring, and prancing in circles. Here are some pics:

Gizmo just gets so excited that she has to be crazy for a couple minutes to vent some steam!

Good Stuff

2010-01-11T15:10:00.000-06:00

This week has gone super so far!

Last night, on the spur of the moment, I decided to try making Chex mix for the first time ever in my whole entire life. I looked up the recipe on good ol' google, gathered up husband, and headed to the store. While we were there, grabbing our required cereal ingredients, we noticed a too-delicious-to-pass-up recipe on the back of the corn chex, and decided to make that too.

An hour later, we were at home enjoying about 10 pounds of various chex cereal concoctions, revelling in the tastiness. I could seriously get addicted to the Muddy Buddies, although a lot of the time I can't remember the name of it, and called it Monkey Munch instead (it looks similar to the recipe that Kate Gosselin made for her kids on "Jon and Kate Plus Eight", hmmm perhaps she just ripped off the recipe from their website and added some pretzels or marshmallows or whatever to make it her own....).

On the original Chex mix, I decided to add some Goldfish, roasted and salted sunflower seeds, and extra cashews and almonds. Plus I made it with a whole stick of butter instead of 6 tablespoons. It was super super yummy.

Plus, other good things have been afoot in our cozy little household. Aaron and Amie, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (David's brother and his wife), came up to visit for David's birthday this past Friday and Saturday. Let me just say that I am totally in love with them. D and I have been married for four years and three months, but it wasn't until this past Christmas that we had the chance to connect on a deeper level with his side of the famly (everyone lives pretty far apart). This year, we had an early Christmas, and the more relaxed atmosphere gave more opportunities to truly enjoy each other's company, and get in some good girl-talk. Also, being older and wiser and more accepting of my own flaws helped give me confidence to give someone else a chance to get to know me a little better. It's not very often that you find someone that you can connect with at the heart level, and I'm lucky to have someone like that for a sister-in-law.

Another good thing about their visit is that it gave us the motivation to get even more done on our house in the department of decorating and organizing. I even got a new shower curtain out of the deal! :)

Adventures in Toddler Land

2010-01-08T09:40:00.001-06:00

Yesterday and today I have had the pleasure of spending some good, quality time baabysitting my little neices Shayce and Kylie. Shayce is four and a half. She has given me some very enlightening information over the last couple of days.

Yesterday she was explaining traffic lights to me. Everything she told me was accurate, and I was impressed, so I asked, "How did you get so smart?" Her response? "From my thumb. One day I bumped it, and that made it smart. Then it made me smart. It was a magic bump."

This morning I let her play on PBS kids website for a little while. I turned it on, went out of the room for a couple minutes to change Kylie's diaper, then came back. When I came back in the room, Shayce was carefully watching a little video on the website, with a pen and paper in hand, drawing little circles and squiggles on the paper. I asked her what she was doing.

"I'm bizerving."
"You're observing?"
"Yes."

Her mother is a [completely awesome] school teacher. It's testing season at school. Need I say more?

Also, on Wednesday, Kylie was hankering after Shayce's trail mix that she made at school. My mom had told Shayce to share with Kylie, so Shayce very happily picked out the pretzel sticks from the mix and poked them into Kylie's mouth. Then, Shayce was finished sharing. Kylie, however was not. So, for the next two hours, Kylie hunted, stalked, and tried to sneak some of the delicious M&M's or marshmallows out of Shayce's bowl of trail mix. Every time I would catch her trying to sneak some, I would tell her no. Finally, after a couple of attempts, she made a grab for the bowl, I started to say no, and she looked up with a pout and exclaimed "Shhh!"

An Open Letter to my Lovely Sister

2010-01-07T01:04:00.000-06:00

Dear Carrie,

I've been thinking about you a lot lately. It is probably because of the time of year- your birthday was last week. I wanted to take a minute to tell you exactly what I think of you.

You are Wonderful.

That's right. You heard me. With a capital W, too. Be complimented-- I dare you.

There are many reasons why I love you- among them are that you are smart, kind, gracious, and sweet. But most of all I love your heart. I love the fact that you are one of the most accepting and least critical people I have ever known. I love your heart, and that you celebrate with people. I love that I can talk to you about things and you get me.

I love that I got to grow up with you leading the way. I have admired and looked up to you since I was a couple weeks old (yeah, you know the pictures, where my little eyes were bugging out of my head with you peering down at me-- how come you got to be a cute infant, and I resembled an insect???).

I appreciate your creative spirit and desire to be a Godly woman. I think you are brilliant and original- you inspire me to think outside the box. I feel so blessed to be your little sister, and I am a better person for the time we have spent together. I look forward to future times together, and to being mommies together one day :)

Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin (literally, ha). And thank you for being you.

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband

2010-01-06T00:25:00.004-06:00

Today (the 5th) was David's birthday. It was a pretty good day overall. We went to see a movie for his birthday- he chose Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed it very much. I had heard from some that it was horrible or got a bad review from somewhere, but I have never read the books, so was unbothered by any comparison with the original story. It was wonderful. It had many humorous moments, suspense, intrigue, mystery, and some beautiful camera work and editing. Plus, I think I have a thing for Robert Downey, Jr.

But I have a much bigger thing for my David. In the spirit of celebration of the wonderful man who was born 29 years ago today, I have decided to take a moment to make public my appreciation of him.

Things I like about him as a person:
1. He has a great smile, with dimples and squints.
2. He has a kind heart.
3. He is very gentle and loving.
4. He is brilliant.
5. He is compassionate and caring.
6. He is resourceful, responsible, and a hard worker.
7. He is very thoughtful and considerate.

Things he does well:
1. He makes a mean Gumbo.
2. He remembers every anniversary of every little thing
3. He goes out of his way to let me know how much he loves and appreciates me
4. He helps me feel so special, valuable, and loved
5. He is considerate and thoughtful- he does a great job of living and loving with meaning and purpose.
6. He is soooooo patient, accepting, and content- he really inspires me in these areas.
7. He, like his Biblical namesake, is a man after God's own heart, in that he wants to do what's right and give the praise and glory to God through it all.
8. He is a man of feeling, and shares his heart with me. Alot of the things he thinks about are so deep and insightful- he amazes me.
9. He is very talented in many respects. He can solve any logical or technical problem that ever could come up. He does a great job at his work. He is thorough and dedicated in whatever he projects he takes on at work and at home, and whenever he finishes something it's not only complete but a work to behold.
10. He is beautifully artistic and poetic. The other day he let my mom read a poem he wrote, and she cried. He's that good.
11. He is a technical genius too- he works as a systems engineer, and spends some of his idle time at home building his own computer and writing the software for it. I'm not even sure what it will do when he is finished; when I ask what his computer will do, he says "compute things". He's like Michaelangelo- until it is revealed, the work must remain a mystery. :)
12. He is very funny- he is always coming up with jokes, puns, and little comments that keep me laughing ( or at times smiling painfully).
13. He is great with children and pets. One of my favorites is when he does impressions of our pets and what they must be thinking. He even does the "Mackenzie Dance".

He is the greatest friend and partner I could ever ask for. I feel blessed every day when I wake up next to him, and I am so so looking forward to the rest of our future together.

I love you, David!

Digging Into the New Year

2010-01-04T13:31:00.002-06:00

The last few days we have been busy as little bees around in these parts. Christmas/New Year's is always a busy time of year for us because of the proliferation of holidays and birthdays. this was our schedule this year:

December 18- Leave for Crockett for B--- Family Christmas
December 20- Drive back from Crockett to Dallas for Kylie's Birthday Party
December 24- Mc--- family Christmas
December 25- Christmas
December 28 - Mom's Birthday Party
January 1- New Year's
January 2- Carrie's Birthday and family party for her and David
January 5- David's Birthday
January 8-10 - David's family comes to our house to visit for his birthday, with many days previous spent furiously cleaning, sifting, organizing, and in some cases discarding our lovely junk from all the nooks and crannies in our sweet little 950-Sq. Ft. house.

This year is the first year that we are having David's family up for his birthday. Only one of his brothers (and his wife :) ) is spending the night, so that relieves some of the stress of trying to figure out where to put everyone.

Plus, it is the first year that we didn't spend the 25-28th on the road. Moving Christmas with David's family up to the weekend before Christmas made things so much more enjoyable, and less stressful.

Plus, we also chose not to go anywhere or do anything on Christmas Day or New Year's, so that also lessend the stress by quite a bit.

Now I just have to get my house back into a semblance of order, and we're all good.

Memories of a New Year

2009-12-31T17:12:00.004-06:00

This time of year is a very special time for me and my sweetheart. Five years ago today I was nervously awaiting time to begin getting ready for a big, fun night- I was going to go with a group of friends to a new year's eve show and I had invited along this guy from church who very obviously had a crush on me. I wasn't sure about him, but he seemed sweet and I thought it would be nice for him to come along and I could get to know him better.

I wanted to get to see everyone getting together at my eldest sister's house that year, as it was tradition for all my family and our family friends, so I invited the group to come by and visit for a little bit before heading out around nine-ish.

The only person who showed up at my sister's house was David. It was a little awkward at first due to all the "knowing looks" we were being given, but I also enjoyed the attention. From David, and from everyone else. Plus, my wonderful youngest neice at the time quickly made a friend out of David and broke the ice. She wonderfully entertained him for the couple of hours before we left, and gave me an opportunity to observe his kind heart in his interactions with a very boisterous seven-year-old.

Well, at around nine, we decided it was time to head out. I decided to let him drive my car, since he was the boy, hehe. Plus it was a little icy. The car atmosphere on the way to the show was full of pregnant silences from what I remember, at least at first. Both of us are a little bit introverted by nature, which has grown into a nice habit of comfortable quiet in our home.

We chatted a little bit back and forth, and I discovered that this was the first time that he had ever been invited by a girl to a party on New Year's. I was glad to provide him with his first experience, but it was my first also, so I'm sure I did a super bang-up job. I was 21 at the time, and had never even been on a real date before. But at least I looked good, or at least I gather I did from the constant presence of a small bit of gathering saliva at the corner of his mouth for the entire evening. Either that or he was just malnourished like one of my parent's aging cats.

I don't remember much about the show, aside from a really really funny cartoon sketh they did about Zoloft, where they illustrated all the possible side effects of the medicine happening to the sad little blue blob. That and the very very awkward pause at midnight where neither David nor I were willing to kiss each other. First kiss ever on New Year's? I think not.

Then it was time to leave. On the way out I was almost assaulted by a very very drunk guy. Then, we chatted with our friends for a little bit, and I pulled my sweat-soaked 20 out of my shoe to pay one of my friends back for my ticket. Then we left. It was very very cold, and I was thoroughly shivering by the time we got back to the car.

I remember talking a little bit about what high school was like for each of us. It turns out that we didn't have such different experiences- both of us were very focused on scholastics, and spent little time outside of school with friends. Although I think I spent more time with friends and babysitting and parties than he did.

On the drive home, driving from the middle of central Dallas, and trying to figure out the 30/35 junction, we managed to get lost for three hours. I wasn't all that worried. I was enjoying talking to him. After we had figured out where we were, and were on the right track to get back home, I asked him the fateful question: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Do you know what his answer was? "Well, still at my job here in G--, married to you............ or someone like you."

I was floored. And highly complimented. I thought he was so. cute. And sweet. He said it like a blushing, shy, little boy. And I ate it up.

We got home about five minutes after that. We hugged goodbye. I went inside and told my family what he had said. They said to run as fast as I could. And I did- straight into his arms (figuratively speaking). We dated, and then got married eight months later. And five years to the day later, here we are. He is still at his job in G--. And he is married to me. And I don't regret a minute of it. He is my perfect mate, and has all my love and respect.

Winter

2009-12-30T20:27:00.002-06:00

I have to admit something. Winter is my favorite season.

There is something so calm and peaceful about this time of year, when nature chooses to lay down its head, blissfully shut its eyes, and go to sleep.

My house is so much calmer and quieter when it's cold outside. We have a window unit in our living room to cool the entire house in the summer. Whenever spring rolls around, and we have to turn on the a/c for the first time in many weeks, the din is unbelievable. Because we not only have to turn on the window unit, but use a system of fans to funnel all the air around a corner, into the hallway, and into our room. It takes at least 3 fans. The white noise becomes deafening. Then, when the cats start shedding, we also have a round air purifier that sounds like our own personal jet engine with congestion. By the time all of those things have been up and running for about 10 minutes, I have a trickle of blood starting to run out of each of my ears, my vision is vibrating, David is fanning my pale face and suggesting I lay down and rest a bit.

Ok, that last part was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture.

So, during winter time, I get the blessed peace of quiet. I no longer have the feeling of impending doom due to the white noise in my house being so loud that I wouldn't be able to hear it if a plane fell out of the sky on top of my house Donnie Dark-O style. I can now hear every last syllable of the neighbor's conversation, delivered at the top of their lungs in Tex-Mex with a drunken lisp.

I also love that my house is finally a comfortable temperature in a completely natural way. No more worries about the house burning down due to the motor of a box fan burning out. Oh yeah, you heard me. David and I had the delight of welcoming a dozen sweaty firemen into our tiny little house last September, thinking there was a fire inside the walls because of ancient electrical wiring. They were there with their little heat-seeking devices for an hour and a half before they figured out that the source of the smoke was not the wiring or our demonic air conditioner, but one of the fans in our impromptu wind funnel. Go us.

But the best thing about winter time is hands-down the ability to wear over-sized, tunic-length sweatshirts. It's hard to feel fat or uncomfortable in a nice, soft, baggy sweatshirt. I love winter.