Yep, that title is a wrap-up of my weekend!!! Absolutely "my" kind of time. . .what a way to spend a summer weekend. . .especially when I am the hostess and don't have to pack anyone up or take any meals on the run!
First off, no pictures. I had TONS (of course) but my camera fell to the bottom of the lake last night. Memories are going to have to be enough this time. It was terribly upsetting to me. . .one of my friends was handing it from the dock to my husband who was on the boat and it slipped. It was gone that fast. That was an extremely hard loss for me. In rank of importance, God is first and foremost, than my family, my photos, etc. I think the only thing that is more important to me than my camera/pictures would be my computer. Sigh. Accidents happen. At the time my youngest had his life jacket off for some reason and I was helping him zip it back up and truthfully, that was the Holy Spirit's way of saying to me "a person did not just fall to the bottom of the lake. Get over it." W-a-y easier said than done (it's a brand-new camera!!!) but guess what? The sun still set last night and rose this morning. . .life marches on whether you want to move forward or not. Sigh.
Yes, we've done everything listed in the title of this post beginning at 6 a.m. Friday and ending at 7:30 this (Sunday) morning. Whew! What a whirlwind. Better be good at my journaling since I don't have the pictures to remind me of this adventure.
The four kids and I left the house at 6:10 a.m. Friday morning to make the 2.5 hour drive to Dollywood to meet up with my sister, her two children, our friend Jenn and her two children. They had stayed in Pigeon Forge the night before and had asked us to come over then but it was just too much so we made the drive Friday morning. All the kids are the same ages, which makes it perfect for us! First off, we got all 8 kids together at the entrance for a picture (sad face here) and I think it turned out great. . .and I was glad we did it then because there was never another moment they were all 8 together and in a good mood. . .you know how it is. We let the two older boys (both 11) go off together with my watch and asked them to meet us again at 12. . .thought we'd re-assess if we could let them go off on their own again after that. My sister took my youngest and her youngest (Frederick and Susan) to do their rides and Jenn and I ended up with four girls. Turns out two of the girls like the big roller coasters and two do not so we split that group up too. Time just flew! We met back up at noon, boys were fine on their own, all groups were good to go, so we got a snack and split back up with a 4 p.m. meeting time. My sister and Jenn eventually went to see a show so the other 6 and I did a few things together. . .met back up, my sister took 5 kids home because they were tired and "done" and Jenn and I closed the park down with the other three. Knowing we were heading out on the boat the next day I had already done grocery shopping on Thursday but had forgotten the hamburgers and hotdogs (?!?!?) so we made 10:30 p.m. stop at Wallyworld to pick that stuff up rather than heading out before the lake Saturday morning.
When we got home at 11 p.m. my sister had met up with two of her friends and three of their children and they were all already bedded down for the night. Weird, huh? I only knew the one friend and none of the kids. . .there were people sleeping all over my house I didn't even know! Ha! I LOVED it!!! We had enough beds/sofas for the adults but almost all kids ended up on floors or outside in the tent. Jenn and I ended up staying up until 2 a.m. visiting. . .
6:30 a.m. Saturday morning everyone was up and at 'em!!! Wow, that night was QUICK :) I had already put all the breakfast food out the night before so luckily everyone in the house were able to eat and all before I rolled out of bed - ha! Yep, 6:24 a.m. is apparently over-sleeping with this crowd. To be fair, it was really 7:30 "their" time. Two nights in a row with less than 5 hours of sleep for me -- that hasn't happened in AGES.
We left the house about 8 a.m. with three vehicles full of people :) My father-in-law leaves his boat down here near us so we can use it and my sis & co. rented a pontoon boat for the day. Eventually we all made it to the lake with supplies for an entire day on the lake! No kids lost or people unaccounted for {smile}. 6 adults, a 17-yr old, 10 children ages 5-11. Whew! Life jackets were put on appropriate boats and we were off for the day. Tom's friend and his two little boys (4 & 7) met up with us on the lake too so Tom had a little man company. . .I can't thank Scott enough for spending his day with us! I think he thought maybe we were a little crazy, but I already know we are...
Tom (and Scott) would take groups of kids out on the lake to ski and tube while we hung back with the rest of the kids, jumping off the top of the pontoon or going down the slide. We had sandwiches for lunch, snacks all day, and then grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage for dinner. $225 + $60 in gas and oil (for the pontoon rental) was WELL WORTH IT for all that entertainment for the kiddos.
We had one incident where my niece got her leg caught in the tube while they were playing with it near shore and it flipped over on top of her. The life jacket that we were insisiting the kids wear at all times really kept that situation from becoming more traumatic. . .it literally helped her to keep her head above the water while the tube was caught on her leg, pushing her down. Eventually we had to cut the handle off the tube that was stuck on her leg. We had NO issues with getting the kiddos to wear their jackets after that. . .I pointed out how quickly accidents happen. Our kids are used to it, but many times other families who don't spend a lot of time on the lake don't realize the importance of life jackets and aren't strict about wearing them. Our state law says that if you are under the age of 12 and the vessel is moving, you MUST be wearing a life vest. . ..we just leave out the phrase "and the vessel is moving" when we discuss this law with our children. We always have the Lord to thank for our physical safety and protection all day every day.
The boat rental was due in at 6 p.m. and that time came upon us so quickly. It did not feel like we had been on the lake for 8+ hours at all! Tom decided to keep our boat out for a little longer so one car went home with the tired kids and I took a group to the beach and Tom and Jenn took three of the girls out for one more round of skiing and tubing. They got back about 7 and the four that had been with me (we have a max of 9 people on our vessel) went out for another run and I brought those three girls home. The first group was already showered and changed with laundry started! Snacks and cocktails were out and the adult women stayed up again until about 11 p.m. enjoying our time together. The second night of a full house was a little more difficult since the kids were soooo tired and not so excited about sleeping on floors or outside on the ground. But again, they were so tired that once they did pass out, they were out!
This morning Tom had to leave for work at 5:30 a.m. (big project due Tuesday) and everyone else needed to get back home by early afternoon. They live 300 miles away so breakfast was prepared and on the table by 7 a.m. (yea! I had a egg casserole, biscuits, and fruit all out and ready by then -- I was very proud of myself for that!) and they were on their way back home by 7:30. Margaret didn't even get up until 8:30. . .she didn't get to say good-bye to anyone but obviously needed some beauty rest if she slept through a dozen people leaving the house within two hours' time!
The kids and I went to church (and the message was letting things go - ha!) and then Thomas had a Sunday School lunch to attend at a local Mexican restaurant since next week is promotion Sunday. Tom ended up meeting us there so the five of us just sat at a different table so he could have time with his group. I thought that was so nice of his teachers to do that! They also made a cross out of craft sticks and glued beads all over the front and put magnets on the back in class today. When Thomas showed it to me he said "I can hang this in my locker at school". Wow. I'm so impressed with him. I was thinking "great, another magnet for the fridge" and he's thinking about how proud he is of his Savior and the craft he made that he wants to hang it in his locker at school! How cool. Yea God!
Well, I have a law class to finish up this week and at least one final that I know of next week -- maybe two. The county we live one mile from starts school tomorrow -- my kids still have two weeks of summer break left. I have really enjoyed this year -- nice and HOT and lots of time spent with family and friends. I love the routine of school, but this time is special too. Memories in the making. A new camera will have to wait -- it's been an expensive summer and I didn't get a teaching job like I was hoping either so I will continue to wait on the Lord in this area of my life -- I'm positive that His plans are much bigger and more unexpected than I can currently imagine. And now I have this weekend journaled in more detail than I probably would have done with my 100 or so pictures. . .
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Weekend Wrap-Up
Another July weekend has come to a close. . .or almost. The kids and Tom are watching a 1979 movie, The Love Bug, and I am hearing lots of laughs from upstairs. So good that they like these old classics. We don't have television service but I do have a subscription to Blockbuster -- plenty of movies to choose from all the time :)
We were supposed to have friends in from out-of-town this weekend but Thursday night something came up and they canceled. It would surprise no one that we filled the weekend up anyway! Friday night I attempted this creation:
Mine did NOT turn out like Meg's.
The layers started out pretty good. . . .
But once all six were stacked on one another I had about 60 seconds before they all fell over. And please remember, Meg is a professional photographer. The colors in my cake really were as rich as hers. I served our guests (neighbors who came down for an impromptu dinner) dessert like this:
Hey, everyone said it tasted good and I was over-impressed with how beautiful the colors really were. I didn't take my time and shave the layers to make them flat. . .also maybe if I would have taken time for the icing to set-up between the layers before frosting the outside I may have had more luck. I will *definitely* do this again. . .maybe just next time in cupcake form :)
Saturday morning Thomas finally came home!!! This is a picture from inside his cabin. . .Margaret is sitting on his bed. I love that he had a great time and hasn't stopped talking about Cedar Lake Camp all weekend, but I'm so, so happy he's home too. Our family is again complete.
Isn't this a great shot Tom got of the four of them together at camp?
I wasn't able to go because I had a tennis match. . .which I lost :(
My double's partner, Heidi, did win it all in the women's singles though!!! Yea!!! After I lost my match and my family got home, we went back to watch her in the finals (she played my other good tennis friend Jeanette) and it ended up being a 3-hour match! They had both played earlier in the morning -- Jeanette and I went about 1.5 hours and Heidi's first match was about 2 hours long -- than they were right back at it. They were neck-and-neck, going an entire 3 sets!!!! So exciting. . .and both being my friends it was easy to cheer EVERY good shot -- ha! Later that evening we all went out for appetizers and drinks. . .the first time I've gone out with a group of tennis ladies like that. . .we'll definitely need to do it again.
Between tennis and dinner our family went to see Despicable Me. It was terrible. I know it has gotten good reviews and my sister and her family just *loved* it but it was a waste of our time and money :( Oh well. Win some, lose some.
Today was church, a Mexican lunch, family reading time (I would have *loved* have gotten a picture of all six of us sitting around the living room reading together but knew it would wreck the moment -- hoping to instill this into our schedules more regularly though), and some finishing touches on a bunch of organizing I have been doing upstairs. Last weekend Tom and his dad installed these shelves for me:
This is in the kids' bathroom upstairs. It is just an empty alcove that has always been. . .empty. I found these great bins at Lowe's and bought the last 9 they had on the shelves. My husband wasn't crazy about the blue ones but they work fine. I'm tackling one of my New Year's Goals and we thought this space in the bathroom might be a good storage area for home decor items. Here is the picture I posted in January:
For some reason, I'll show you another:
This is a large bonus room above the garage that started off as my crafting space. Then it became a catch-all for everything. The "bed" is really a futon but it was set up like a bed then because we were probably using it as such then and it is set up the same way now because of the anticipated guests for the next few weekends. Anyway, I am very happy with the results thus far:
Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but a hefty start. The bins stacked along the back wall (by the window) are 10 more, just like the ones in the bathroom. Lowe's re-stocked and I took them all off their hands again. I *love* the size of them. Hopefully we'll get some shelves in here too. The kids helped me go through and sort 10 BINS worth of clothing and we moved that out to the shed. My husband filled up the back of his truck with other items to take to Goodwill. Most of the entire right side of the room are empty bins/baskets/containers. . .I'll find uses for those!!! There are six 18-gal orange bins stacked in the left corner by the window -- those ALL contain pictures and memorabilia. It was very hard for me NOT to go through every single box and sort. . .I just put everything in them and hope to find a cold, wintry week to go through and sort all of those. Almost 4 decades worth of memories. For now my craft stuff is packed away (in those bins under the window) because I simply don't have the time right now to dedicate to it like I used to. I hope to get back to it someday. The part you can't see is just to the left when you walk in -- I created a "wrapping station" where I consolidated all that stuff on a card table. I've had that up for several months and it's worked out well for everyone in the family. It's stocked with everything you need to wrap a gift and walk away. I have a lot of excess furniture in that room that I'm not sure what I want to do with at this point but it's good stuff that I'm not ready to part with either. I told my husband I physically feel better with this task done! I'm ready to continue on :) I found a great new website today, Kuzak's Closet. I think we would become fast friends if she didn't live on the other side of the country!!! I would love to know what she does with what she doesn't sell or give away or throw away. . .or is she just so good she can get them to part with almost everything???
That's our weekend!!! I'm kind of sorry we didn't make it to the lake but we'll be there next weekend for sure. . .and my house wouldn't be ready for our company either so it's all good.
What I took away from our church service today:
God doesn't need our HELP, He needs our FAITH.
We were supposed to have friends in from out-of-town this weekend but Thursday night something came up and they canceled. It would surprise no one that we filled the weekend up anyway! Friday night I attempted this creation:
Mine did NOT turn out like Meg's.
But once all six were stacked on one another I had about 60 seconds before they all fell over. And please remember, Meg is a professional photographer. The colors in my cake really were as rich as hers. I served our guests (neighbors who came down for an impromptu dinner) dessert like this:
Hey, everyone said it tasted good and I was over-impressed with how beautiful the colors really were. I didn't take my time and shave the layers to make them flat. . .also maybe if I would have taken time for the icing to set-up between the layers before frosting the outside I may have had more luck. I will *definitely* do this again. . .maybe just next time in cupcake form :)
Saturday morning Thomas finally came home!!! This is a picture from inside his cabin. . .Margaret is sitting on his bed. I love that he had a great time and hasn't stopped talking about Cedar Lake Camp all weekend, but I'm so, so happy he's home too. Our family is again complete.
Isn't this a great shot Tom got of the four of them together at camp?
I wasn't able to go because I had a tennis match. . .which I lost :(
My double's partner, Heidi, did win it all in the women's singles though!!! Yea!!! After I lost my match and my family got home, we went back to watch her in the finals (she played my other good tennis friend Jeanette) and it ended up being a 3-hour match! They had both played earlier in the morning -- Jeanette and I went about 1.5 hours and Heidi's first match was about 2 hours long -- than they were right back at it. They were neck-and-neck, going an entire 3 sets!!!! So exciting. . .and both being my friends it was easy to cheer EVERY good shot -- ha! Later that evening we all went out for appetizers and drinks. . .the first time I've gone out with a group of tennis ladies like that. . .we'll definitely need to do it again.
Between tennis and dinner our family went to see Despicable Me. It was terrible. I know it has gotten good reviews and my sister and her family just *loved* it but it was a waste of our time and money :( Oh well. Win some, lose some.
Today was church, a Mexican lunch, family reading time (I would have *loved* have gotten a picture of all six of us sitting around the living room reading together but knew it would wreck the moment -- hoping to instill this into our schedules more regularly though), and some finishing touches on a bunch of organizing I have been doing upstairs. Last weekend Tom and his dad installed these shelves for me:
That's our weekend!!! I'm kind of sorry we didn't make it to the lake but we'll be there next weekend for sure. . .and my house wouldn't be ready for our company either so it's all good.
What I took away from our church service today:
God doesn't need our HELP, He needs our FAITH.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Company Girl Coffee 7.16
We didn't do as well as we expected but the second set was a great fight. We did lose, but in a 12-14 tie-breaker. We analyzed a lot afterward. . .too bad we don't have another chance to play together again soon -- we could correct a few mistakes. Oh well, it was fun all the same. My hip did surprisingly well! We both play singles on Saturday and we both play against friends of ours. The person I'm playing against is a good match, the person she is playing fought in a tough, tough match herself last night. . .wish we weren't playing at the same time -- it would be so much fun to watch her!!!
I have 6 kids in the house right now -- only half are mine :) Heidi had my three yesterday (Thomas is at camp) and then she needed to go into work herself today so I have her girls and a friend over for Frederick. It's the only reason I have 30 minutes to sit down and look at pictures and blog a bit :)
The song The Champion by Carman (Heart of a Champion) just played on my computer -- I have iTunes set up to random play. . .I haven't heard that song in ages. Such a good one too. . .
Thomas comes home tomorrow -- yea!!!! I have missed him so much. It's been really, really quiet around here without him but I'm always happier when we're all together. I will miss picking him up -- first time ever -- because of my tennis match. The nice thing is, within an hour it will be like he was never gone :)
We were supposed to have company this weekend but they had to cancel last night due to unforeseen circumstances. I think we'll still keep our lake plans, though, if it doesn't rain. We'd also like to take the kids to see Despicable Me. I've heard it's very good and Marie has bothered us endlessly about seeing it. . .
Next weekend we have a crowd coming -- so excited about that!!! My sister, her two daughters, two of her friends, and at least four more kids are coming. I think we counted 15-17 people in all under the roof!!! Needless to say, tents will be pitched in the backyard for the kiddos. . .at least we have beds/sofas for all the adults. The plan is to spend Friday at Dollywood and the entire day Saturday on the lake. . .they didn't travel 300 miles for beds you don't think? This is a yearly thing we do (Tom being the ONLY dad in the bunch -- he's such a good sport about it -- he's one of the boat captains too) but one friend and group of kids has never joined us. Hope they can take it!!!!
Since Heidi and I didn't advance on last night we will NOT be playing tonight so hopefully it will be a quiet night at home. We don't have too many of those. I have a couple more weeks of summer semester with 6 quizzes left to take and 2-3 papers to turn in so I should probably log in and make a dent there too. So far I've kept up pretty well. . .I'm glad I went through the summer. Still hoping for a job but one county starts school in 1.5 weeks and the other (the county we're in) starts in three weeks and I haven't heard anything. I had a frustrating week going up to our board office to meet with the Director of Schools twice and both times he forgot about our appt. so. . .we'll see. . .it wasn't an interview, just something I initiated because although I know everyone at the kids' school I have never "officially" met him. I signed up for a few jobs there but haven't heard anything. . .
Just a glimpse at the season of life I'm in right now :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Gone to camp
He's gone.
For a week. I dropped him off yesterday afternoon.
One day down, four full days to go.
These are a couple of his cabin mates. . .
One is a soccer friend (and never been to CLC!) and the other is a swimming friend. They will all be great friends by the end of the week! They were good sports about letting me take pictures. . .then they waved us off. . .never looking back. . .glad I have this good zoom on my new camera :)
No air conditioning, no electronics, no phone calls/texts home, walking to the outhouse, eating together, doing Bible together in cabins, polar bear in the mornings, bonfires at night. . .memories you will carry with you always.
Thomas, we love you and will miss you but we are so glad that you have this opportunity every year to go back (this is your 4th consecutive summer) and learn and grow in Christ on your own. We are praying for you, your friends, counselor and staff that commit to this time with all of you. Have a BLAST!!!!
For a week. I dropped him off yesterday afternoon.
One is a soccer friend (and never been to CLC!) and the other is a swimming friend. They will all be great friends by the end of the week! They were good sports about letting me take pictures. . .then they waved us off. . .never looking back. . .glad I have this good zoom on my new camera :)
No air conditioning, no electronics, no phone calls/texts home, walking to the outhouse, eating together, doing Bible together in cabins, polar bear in the mornings, bonfires at night. . .memories you will carry with you always.
Thomas, we love you and will miss you but we are so glad that you have this opportunity every year to go back (this is your 4th consecutive summer) and learn and grow in Christ on your own. We are praying for you, your friends, counselor and staff that commit to this time with all of you. Have a BLAST!!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
For Mel
I met my great friend, Mel, at the pool yesterday. She said, "what's up with your blog?" Me: "I don't know. . .just don't have a lot of time. Pictures take forever to download. I posted last week!" Truly, I love to write and journal, but ever since our computer got hit by lightening several months ago it has been slow and annoying. August 6th weekend is our tax-free back-to-school shopping time so we'll wait to shop for another until then. This computer, we've decided, is at least six years old. Last year, we bought a computer (for my school) the week after tax-free weekend. Ugh. So, Mel, this post is for you :)
Meg posted this yesterday.
I saw it today and made me feel better. I took a couple shots of my own. . .
Today one of my friends dropped off her kids before work because she had a dr.'s appt and I explained this mess by saying "we just got home and dumped everything". I forgot to mention we got home 2 DAYS ago. And with 2 less kids. Sigh. Here's another shot just so you know it's not confined to the kitchen. This would take 5 minutes to pick up. Nothing in here mine to pick up. I share a house with 5 other people. I am blessed. So I will do it. If I still have time after posting this :)
Reading through Meg's comments made me realize that we're not alone. I HATE it when it looks like this. And yet I sit here and browse, "visit", and play. And I've been texting Tom about a dinner date we are planning tonight :) Two kids are out of town staying with their grandparents and the other two are on a mission project with our church this afternoon/evening. Yea!
Mel, other things I've been up to:
Thinking of making these:
Here is the link.
I made and cut up the brownies yesterday.
But Tom informed me Sunday that he's "off" sugar.
Sooooooo. . . . . .
Currently the brownies are in the freezer.
I've been checking out and praying for Steve Ruetschle I went to the same high school as he did and his younger brother graduated a year before me. I knew him because his parents hosted Young Life meetings in their home every Monday. The Ruetschle family is a great example of Christ-centeredness. His parents were speakers in our Sunday School class years ago and did a month-long series on marriage for all of us "young marrieds". I remember Steve as an excellent musician and artist. Of course you lose touch over the years and moves away. . .but thanks to the incredibletime-sucker invention of Facebook and friends that like to keep us all in the loop I found out about this and can participate in prayers for him.
My hip has been hurting for a long time. At least 4-5 months. I keep playing tennis though. Now I'm entered in a local tournament starting next weekend. My doubles partner suggested I lay off the artificial sweetener. She said she has known five people with joint issues and once they stop eating/drinking artificial sweetener they are healed. It's worth a try! I didn't think giving up Diet Coke would be that hard. It's all I've thought about today :( And I can't have Crystal Light Peach Tea either -- my other "go to" drink. She did, however, suggest Truvia for my hot chocolate. That worked out well this morning. So, we'll see how it goes. I didn't know what I would do without the caffeine (I'm NOT a coffee drinker and just so-so with tea) and she suggested a green tea supplement so I'm going with that. But still needed a nap after work today. Or maybe I didn't need one but because my house was quiet I decided to take one????? I can't believe how many pills I took this morning -- vitamin, green tea (2), fish oil, and IbuActin (a natural Ibuprofen that I am trying also). Really, I need to see a doctor, but who has time? Ha! There are blogs to write, and pools to sit at, kids to entertain, tennis matches to play, people to visit, visitors here, schoolwork, rooms to clean, and life to live -- it's summertime!!! And once in awhile I check out a couple websites for teaching jobs.
No sugar for Tom. No artificial sweeteners for me. No milk products for Frederick. We're a fun family to cook for.
So, Mel (and anyone else that cares), that's what I'm up to. Not cleaning but enjoying summer. And possibly even a quiet dinner with Tom tonight. Tomorrow: Frederick's soccer clinic, babysitting for a friend, probably a friend over for Thomas, and hopefully a tennis match. Life is good :) Great time with you yesterday too. . .would post some pool shots but that would require me to learn how to get pictures off my phone. . .
Time it took from clicking "new post" to "publish": 1 hr., 16 mins. Ugh. Time left until I meet Tom for dinner: 43 minutes and that includes a 20-minute drive. Better get moving if I want some of these piles to disappear!!!
Meg posted this yesterday.
Today one of my friends dropped off her kids before work because she had a dr.'s appt and I explained this mess by saying "we just got home and dumped everything". I forgot to mention we got home 2 DAYS ago. And with 2 less kids. Sigh. Here's another shot just so you know it's not confined to the kitchen. This would take 5 minutes to pick up. Nothing in here mine to pick up. I share a house with 5 other people. I am blessed. So I will do it. If I still have time after posting this :)
Mel, other things I've been up to:
Thinking of making these:Here is the link.
I made and cut up the brownies yesterday.
But Tom informed me Sunday that he's "off" sugar.
Sooooooo. . . . . .
Currently the brownies are in the freezer.
I've been checking out and praying for Steve Ruetschle I went to the same high school as he did and his younger brother graduated a year before me. I knew him because his parents hosted Young Life meetings in their home every Monday. The Ruetschle family is a great example of Christ-centeredness. His parents were speakers in our Sunday School class years ago and did a month-long series on marriage for all of us "young marrieds". I remember Steve as an excellent musician and artist. Of course you lose touch over the years and moves away. . .but thanks to the incredible
My hip has been hurting for a long time. At least 4-5 months. I keep playing tennis though. Now I'm entered in a local tournament starting next weekend. My doubles partner suggested I lay off the artificial sweetener. She said she has known five people with joint issues and once they stop eating/drinking artificial sweetener they are healed. It's worth a try! I didn't think giving up Diet Coke would be that hard. It's all I've thought about today :( And I can't have Crystal Light Peach Tea either -- my other "go to" drink. She did, however, suggest Truvia for my hot chocolate. That worked out well this morning. So, we'll see how it goes. I didn't know what I would do without the caffeine (I'm NOT a coffee drinker and just so-so with tea) and she suggested a green tea supplement so I'm going with that. But still needed a nap after work today. Or maybe I didn't need one but because my house was quiet I decided to take one????? I can't believe how many pills I took this morning -- vitamin, green tea (2), fish oil, and IbuActin (a natural Ibuprofen that I am trying also). Really, I need to see a doctor, but who has time? Ha! There are blogs to write, and pools to sit at, kids to entertain, tennis matches to play, people to visit, visitors here, schoolwork, rooms to clean, and life to live -- it's summertime!!! And once in awhile I check out a couple websites for teaching jobs.
No sugar for Tom. No artificial sweeteners for me. No milk products for Frederick. We're a fun family to cook for.
So, Mel (and anyone else that cares), that's what I'm up to. Not cleaning but enjoying summer. And possibly even a quiet dinner with Tom tonight. Tomorrow: Frederick's soccer clinic, babysitting for a friend, probably a friend over for Thomas, and hopefully a tennis match. Life is good :) Great time with you yesterday too. . .would post some pool shots but that would require me to learn how to get pictures off my phone. . .
Time it took from clicking "new post" to "publish": 1 hr., 16 mins. Ugh. Time left until I meet Tom for dinner: 43 minutes and that includes a 20-minute drive. Better get moving if I want some of these piles to disappear!!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Could I have imagined?
I'm trying to imagine 15 years ago tonight. . .could I have imagined this?
Absolutely not. Impossible.
What would I have thought if someone had told me I'd love him not as much, but MORE?
I wouldn't have known that was possible since at 23 he was the only person I had ever been in love with. And still is.
What about these four blessings? Could you imagine, on your wedding day, getting a look into the future like this? I wonder what my reaction would have been?
I'm so glad our kids are old enough (and yet young enough) to capture these fun pictures.
Because I still, after 20+ years, really LOVE kissing this man!!!
Tom challenges me to be a better person. I'm grateful to God every day for the gift of this marriage. For the gift of our family. And for the gift of His Son.
My prayer is that my love for you and our love for Our Lord will continue to grow as the years go by. We are imperfectly perfect in our lives and in our marriage, all through His Grace. May He be glorified in all we do. Together. Always together.
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