Monday, March 30, 2009

These are the days...

There is a song from my past that contains the lines "These are the days that I wish to never end, when I wake within Your presence, when we make the day begin, when morning is spent bringing us together..."

Mornings like this one always bring that song to mind. It's 6:52 and I've already exercised; I've just finished spending some good time with God and my coffee. I'm watching Simon slowly wake up in Tim's arms, hearing his morning noises, and watching him touch Tim's face. In these moments, all is right with the world. I wish I could bottle this feeling and open up the bottle later today when Simon is crying, when Ezra is asking me to start a movie or change his clothes for the fiftieth time, when I'm feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. I want to feel this peace when I'm attacking the mound of dishes in the kitchen. I think its possible...the peace doesn't depend on what's happening, but on who God is. I think I'm gonna try it today...these are the days that I wish to never end...no matter what's going on.


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Friday, March 27, 2009

Lord, You are good

You are faithful, Lord. I have found you to be faithful in my life. I know that I know that I know that you keep your promises. I can look back and see the ways you have brought me to today. I would never have chosen or guessed the paths you chose, but I am grateful. I am thankful for the hurts...they brought me closer to you as I climbed up on your lap and let you comfort me. I am thankful for the laughter...I love the moments when I have laughed until I cried. Thank you for challenging me, growing me, loving me, saving me, buying me back, choosing me, calling me. Keep challenging me and calling me...I never want to miss what you have in mind for me because I'm scared or comfortable or buried so deep in "stuff" that I can't hear you. I love you, Father.

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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Why, oh why?

I heard the news this morning that one of my bosses at Milligan died today, and the cause was a self-inflicted gun shot wound. My heart is heavy and sad. I wonder how things could have been that bad, and yet, there have been moments in my life when I've understood how the pain could really be that deep.

His name was Mike Johnson, and he made us laugh, oh did he make us laugh. When I entered his presence, he would bark, "Enkoff" in his scruffy voice. I rarely saw him without a shirt and tie and even a jacket on, and yet, he was really a hillbilly at heart. He was the director of Admissions and I was one of those "callers of prospective students" (you know, the ones you hang up on or lie to and say the student is not at home). He was so encouraging and fun that he made hard work something we looked forward to rather than a chore. He valued all of us, no matter where we had come from, what we looked like, or who we knew. I learned a lot from Mike about how to treat the people you're leading....to build them up, to encourage their gifts, to be excited about their success, to be sensitive to pain and hurt in their lives, to say you're sorry (and mean it!) when you screw up.

The world is different because of Mike Johnson...I am different because of Mike Johnson. Although I haven't talked to him in over 10 years (except for that we had just become facebook friends!!), part of who I am today is because of his influence in my life.

Oh, that we would notice the pain and hurt in the people around us.

Feeling sad and heavy,

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Monday, February 9, 2009

Cousin Lori, are you out there??

Some of you may remember cousin Lori who reads my blog every day and is often disappointed, I am sure, to find that there is nothing new. I am so sad about something. I just now finally made it through the HUGE basket of mail that accumulated while I was gone for five whole weeks..... Please let me digress here and say that if I should happen to die before Tim, would someone please help him open the mail. I am dreadfully afraid that, although our laundry would likely be kept up better and the boys would eat at home more, our mail would NEVER get opened. So, girls, I'm trusting you to help me on this, okay??

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, in the HUGE basket of mail, I found that my Christmas card to cousin Lori and her sweet family was returned!! Have I put the wrong address on it?? Did they move to San Antonio or something?? Cousin Lori, please know that you were not left off the list. I have a picture of our boys that is longing to hang on your refrigerator. I will check the address tomorrow and try to send it again. Just hold on a few more days...it's coming.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

27 Random Things About Me

I'm still feeling too overwhelmed, or maybe lazy, to write more about our trip. So, here's a list just for fun...

1. I am an only child, spoiled rotten. Tim pities the spouses of only children.
2. I love Little House on the Prairie and I would like to still be able to climb on my Dad's lap for the sad or scary parts.
3. I wish we would have vacationed more before we had kids, but I love vacationing with our kids.
4. I love almost any kind of coffee, from strong and black to the fanciest concoction at Starbucks.
5. I enjoy watching high school sports, and I like to yell really loud and sometimes rude things. Tim often gets up to sit somewhere else when I do this.
6. I love to turn my ipod up really loud and read my Bible and pray, but I can easily find a reason not to do it every day.
7. Stepping out of a pool, sitting on my cabana chair with a view of the ocean, picking up my fluffy novel, and having a wonderful server person bring me a strawberry margarita (or even a strawberry slushy will do!) is my idea of a good time.
8. I enjoy playing games, but I always forget that I enjoy it until I'm doing it.
9. I love McDonalds, and I would eat there for every meal. Thankfully, my sweet husband rescues me from heartburn, weight gain, and debt.
10. When I go into a hotel room, I have to try out every light switch, button, and remote. My mama says I have done this since I was very small.
11. I never, and I mean never, use a straw.
12. I got all As in high school and a really high score on the ACT, but, curiously, no one seems to care about that now even though it was such a big deal then.
13. I used to ride, lying down, up in the back window of my parents' Cadillac. My mom once hit the car in front of us because I was stuck in the window and she was trying to get me out.
14. My bathroom floor is plywood, but I rarely notice because the sink, toilet, shower, and whirlpool tub all work great.
15. Tim says we're going to eat at McDonald's less this year so that our bathroom floor will no longer be plywood.
16. I have 3 sons and a husband, but, thankfully, the dog is a girl, so I'm not totally outnumbered.
17. My very favorite memory from childhood is getting fish sandwiches and Dr. Peppers from a hole in the wall restaurant every time we drove to my Grandma's. No matter what time of day, my Dad always stopped.
18. I make Tim stop to get fish sandwiches every time we drive on that road.
19. Every summer during college, someone close to me died...good thing college finally ended!!20. I love being the mama of boys.
21. We have enough swords and guns in our house to outfit a small army.
22. We don't get any TV channels, but we watch lots of shows and movies (internet and dvds).
23. I can not handle movies or news coverage about tragedies. In fact, I still haven't seen any video footage of 9/11.
24. Jesus gives me life.
25. My favorite movie ever is Pretty Woman, and I can say the lines before they do.
26. The first time I was ever kissed was right after Tim asked me to marry him.
27. It was Tim who kissed me, by the way.

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Thursday, January 15, 2009

some firsts...

Tim had the idea that I could do a whole blog of "firsts" from our trip...he's so clever.  There are a million I could put on here, but I'm just going to start with a few...

...my first Cambodian haircut (and on my shirt is blood from Simon's first bloody nose!)








...Simon's first two teeth (notice the dried cereal on his nose...I'm mom of the year!!)








...my first ever $4 French pedicure








...and a cute picture of Simon just for fun.









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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I'm still here!!

Simon and I are still in Cambodia hanging out with Auntie and the kids while Uncle Dave is on a motorcycle trip.  Don't go thinking I'm all noble and brave...I've been homesick for my big boys!!!  I think it's a combination of being all the way around the world without them and the fact that I had already been gone for 3 weeks, but I haven't been this homesick since college.  I was actually entertaining the thought of throwing up violently or breaking a bone so that I'd have to go home.  :)  Tim did say I could come home early (even though there's a fee!!), but there are no flights available.  Therefore, I'm going to stick it out.  I can do this.  I've given birth and climbed a dang high mountain in Mexico...this will not defeat me!!!!!  I am, however, overwhelmed by the thought of posting anything about our trip because there is SO MUCH I could say.  So, I'll get back to posting pictures and details later...tonight I'm going to follow Gretchen's lead...  By the way, I should mention that even in my homesickness, I managed to get a head massage/shampoo/cucumber facial/neck massage/haircut/french pedicure yesterday all for the total price of....$14!!!!!!!!

1.  What is your occupation right now?  wife and mama

2.  What color are your socks right now?  I haven't worn socks for 4 weeks!

3.  What are you listening to right now?  a REALLY loud dog and the hum of the computer

4.  What was the last thing you ate?  Rice and Beans with Pico de Gallo

5.  Can you drive a stick shift?  Oh yeah!! Love it!

6.  Last person you spoke to on the phone?  My loverboy

7.  Do you like the person who sent this to you?  I adore her!!!!

8.  How old are you today?  34

9.  What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?  football, but I don't do it that often

10.  What is your favorite drink?  Hard to say...McDonald's coke or mocha with carmel or iced coffee or mama's sweet tea or chocolate milk or black coffee...hmm...i guess i really like drinks!!

11.  Have you ever dyed your hair?  oh, my, yes, and i need it right now REAL BAD (imagine me saying this like Paulette on Legally Blonde 2)!!

12.  Favorite food?  almost anything I'm eating in a restaurant

13.  Last movie you watched?  Twilight, about 3 hours ago

14.  Favorite day of the year?  Christmas Eve

15.  How do you vent anger?  Talk about it, A LOT!!

16.  What was your favorite toy as a child?  Eliot, my cabbage patch kid

17.  What is your favorite season?  fall

18.  Cherries or Blueberries?  Cherry Pie, Blueberry muffins

19.  Living Arrangements?  husband, three boys, a dog, and me in a house

20.  When was the last time you cried?  on Saturday

21.  What is on the floor of your closet?  Probably nothing because I'm not there...if I was there, there would be laundry piled...yep, Tim's the neat freak, I'm the messy.

22. What did you do last night?  Had dinner at Steve and Deb's apartment above a lingerie store, then rode a tuk tuk driven by a drunk Cambodian back to our guest house (hotel), then fell asleep watching a rerun of the Golden Globe awards

23.  What are you most afraid of?  not really living

24.  Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?  Cheeseburger...what, exactly, is a spicy hamburger??

25.  Favorite dog breed?  anything that always looks like a cute puppy...otherwise, I don't really like 'em

26.  Favorite day of the week?  Thursday

27.  How many states have you lived in?  2

28.  Diamonds or pearls?  I kind of like them together.

Now, keep the fun going by putting this on your blog and leaving me a comment letting me know that you did.  

Good night...I'm off to bed!!

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