The other night when we were hanging out at my parents' house for Father's Day, I was in the laundry room doing a few loads. (Yes, I sometimes still take my laundry home. Don't act like you don't.) Matt was in my old bedroom, (not really sure why). As I was loading the darks into the washer, I heard him call to me, "Hey Love, I'm sorry we don't live in 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house."
Okay, really? Where the heck did that come from? My parents live in a 4 bedroom house, but there are only 2 bathrooms. That's the closest I could come to why he might've said that. But really, I had no clue.
"Umm...Love? What are you talking about?"
He walks into the laundry room and hands me an old beaten up journal with my handwriting from when I was in 6th grade. Without even really examining the contents of the journal, my mind immediately begins to race with what other nonsense (think 6th grade, people! did any of us really make any sense at that age?) could possibly be found in that treasure chest of a notebook.
I read the journal entry he was referring to entitled, "At the Age of 22." (Which, if I remember correctly, was a response to the prompt, "Where will you be in 10 years?" So, let's just keep in mind while reading this that I was 12.) Okay.
Here goes nothing:
At the Age of 22
"When I am 22, I will be married, but still in collage. I will be a good student in every subject. I will have very close friends who love and care for me. My mom will be 50 and my dad will be 52. My husband will be 25 and already graduated from collage. He will have a very, very successful business. We will both live in a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house. It will be close to the collage so I don't have to use that much gas from my forrest green suburban. My life will be great."
Please. Laugh if you will. Shoot, I'm still laughing.
But just take note that I called it. "My life will be great." And I personally, don't think it could get any greater.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Weekend Wrap-up
Saturday was a long (but very good) day, most of which was spent with my wonderful mother-in-law. Because her son, my brother-in-law, is getting married in less than 2 weeks, she decided she wanted to buy a dress for me to wear to the wedding. How incredibly thoughtful is that? So, she drove in to town and we met up for a FULL day of shopping at Memorial City Mall. Good ol' Macy's was having one of their sales and was, therefore, an absolute madhouse. There were way too many bodies for my good taste. But it was worth it because she saved a TON of money on everything.
Oh, wait! Everything? Didn't I say earlier that she wanted to buy just a dress for me? Yeah, that's what I thought too. But she had a different idea of what "a dress" means. Cuz, when she says, "I wanna buy a dress for you." She really means, "I wanna buy a dress, a hot pair of shoes, a purse, and ALL the jewelry to match." So, that's what we did. And I gotta say...I am unbelievably thankful. We picked out an absolutely adorable dress. And even one that I'm pretty sure I've been dreaming of owning for quite some time. She bought this dress for me, but in this fun and summery, bold yellow. LOVE IT!
Then, after coming home and resting for a bit, Matt and I went on a date! For the first time in way too long. We just went to dinner and enjoyed each other's company.
Sunday: Father's Day
Of course, we went to church where our incredibly wise and godly pastor challenged the men to be Biblical fathers, who step up into the roles of living as men of integrity. So thankful for such godly leaders who love us and who lead us well.
Then, we went to my parents' house and my mom and I cooked a restaurant-worthy meal for our very favorite men. Y'all, it was GOOD! Homemade Chicken Parmesan, Italian-Style Parmesan Green Beans, Pasta, Salad and Garlic Bread. And my mom had also made an outstanding Chocolate Decadence Cheesecake. I'm feeling full all over again, just thinking about it. But oh, so YUM!
After dinner, then men in our lives wanted to spend Father's Day lazing about watching whatever sport was on tv (soccer and golf). So, their women left them alone to do so and went in the back of the house and engaged in deep, honest and open conversations. This really doesn't happen all that often for us and it was truly really refreshing.
Thinking back over this Father's Day Weekend, I actually ended up spending much more time with my precious mothers than I did with my fathers. I sure do love them all, though and am unbelievably grateful that I have such wonderful sets of parents.
my parents at our wedding
matt's parents at our wedding
Oh, wait! Everything? Didn't I say earlier that she wanted to buy just a dress for me? Yeah, that's what I thought too. But she had a different idea of what "a dress" means. Cuz, when she says, "I wanna buy a dress for you." She really means, "I wanna buy a dress, a hot pair of shoes, a purse, and ALL the jewelry to match." So, that's what we did. And I gotta say...I am unbelievably thankful. We picked out an absolutely adorable dress. And even one that I'm pretty sure I've been dreaming of owning for quite some time. She bought this dress for me, but in this fun and summery, bold yellow. LOVE IT!
Then, after coming home and resting for a bit, Matt and I went on a date! For the first time in way too long. We just went to dinner and enjoyed each other's company.
Sunday: Father's Day
Of course, we went to church where our incredibly wise and godly pastor challenged the men to be Biblical fathers, who step up into the roles of living as men of integrity. So thankful for such godly leaders who love us and who lead us well.
Then, we went to my parents' house and my mom and I cooked a restaurant-worthy meal for our very favorite men. Y'all, it was GOOD! Homemade Chicken Parmesan, Italian-Style Parmesan Green Beans, Pasta, Salad and Garlic Bread. And my mom had also made an outstanding Chocolate Decadence Cheesecake. I'm feeling full all over again, just thinking about it. But oh, so YUM!
After dinner, then men in our lives wanted to spend Father's Day lazing about watching whatever sport was on tv (soccer and golf). So, their women left them alone to do so and went in the back of the house and engaged in deep, honest and open conversations. This really doesn't happen all that often for us and it was truly really refreshing.
Thinking back over this Father's Day Weekend, I actually ended up spending much more time with my precious mothers than I did with my fathers. I sure do love them all, though and am unbelievably grateful that I have such wonderful sets of parents.
my parents at our wedding
matt's parents at our weddingHappy Father's Day!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hopes and Dreams and Goals
I love to run.
It has always been my "workout" of choice. I know I don't quite have the body of a runner, but I still love it. And I don't exactly know how to describe the feeling that I get, but it's definitely kinda like a high for me. I love the feeling of the blood pumping hard in my veins and my adrenaline reaching new heights. I love that I'm always having to push my body beyond what it thinks it can do.
I'm not at all a fast runner. Or even a long-distance runner. I've probably never run more than 3 miles in my life. But for some reason or another, I'm addicted to it. And I get easily frustrated when I can't run for one reason or another. Typically, because I run outdoors, it's the weather that causes me to take a hiatus. More often than that, it's my lack of time and/or sunlight. (I would GLADLY get up at 4:00am every morning to go running, but my husband forbids it.) Lately, it's been ailments/injuries like this one.
For the last 3 summers that Matt and I have lived here, the Heights has put on a 5K Fun Run on my jogging trail the first Saturday in June. And every year I get excited and plan to be apart of it. I've never run in a race before and it's definitely one of my top goals in life to finish a race. This one has always seemed like the perfect place to start. And every year, we have something going on that day that prevents me from participating.
This year, I thought it would be the wedding that I was the Matron of Honor in, but because the wedding wasn't until 5:00 and the race was at 7:30 (30 minutes to finish, tops), this wasn't really an obstacle. Not really having the money to do it kinda was, but the main obstacle was my back.
It still hasn't really healed yet and is continuing to give me issues. Even that morning when I got outta bed, the muscles in my lower back seemed to scream in pain. This makes it difficult just to walk, much less run in a race...or even run at all. But I decided to get up and just go for a walk on the trail anyway. I needed to burn some calories anyway.
So, I got dressed and put my tennis shoes on and walked out onto the trail right outside my house. The race had already started and most of the runners were already crossing the finish line. They had blocked off the street so the runners could run on the road, so I decided to take my walk up on the trail. At first, it felt really good being out there with them. Kinda like I was actually in the race with them.
A few blocks later, it hit me. Those thoughts of self-pity that make the tight feeling in the middle of the throat overwhelm and the tears that pop up suddenly. "I'm supposed to be in this race." "Will I EVER be able to sign up for a 5K?" "Will I ever know the feeling of crossing the finish line?" "Will I ever be able to even run again?" "It's not fair." Etc. You know the spiral effect.
Part of me wanted to turn around, go back into my house, and curl up on my couch and have a good cry. I chose to keep walking. The only way to get better is to keep being active and to strengthen the muscles. But it was the hardest walk I've ever been on. I reached the place where the finish line was and there was a HUGE party going on. Everybody was laughing and congratulating each other. Friends and family members were there cheering their runner on. Pictures were being taken and a band was playing. I tried to be happy for all those that participated. And I actually kinda got my attitude in check.
Until I noticed all the little kids lined up about to begin their portion of the race...a 1K. Then I almost lost it again. A whole new batch of self-pitying thoughts attacked me. I'm pretty sure a couple of people actually saw the tears in my eyes. Embarrassing.
The whole way back home I asked the LORD to protect my heart and my mind from this "woe is me" attitude. He told me, very clearly, that I needed to bury my dreams. This verse melted into my heart and brought an odd combination of mourning and peace at the same time. My hopes and dreams and goals are no longer mine, but what the LORD has given to me by grace. If it's really HIS will for my life, then it will happen and HE will make a way. And the last thing I need to do is obsess and throw a pity-party about it. I just need to trust.
When you bury something, there is always a sense of sadness and mourning that occurs in your spirit. But if you really trust the LORD with your life (and your hopes and dreams and goals), then there is also always a sense of peace and joy and even confidence in HIS protection and plan for your life.
I believe that someday I will run a 5K and maybe even a half marathon. And I also believe that someday my children (and husband) will either participate with me or be waiting to congratulate me at the finish line.
It has always been my "workout" of choice. I know I don't quite have the body of a runner, but I still love it. And I don't exactly know how to describe the feeling that I get, but it's definitely kinda like a high for me. I love the feeling of the blood pumping hard in my veins and my adrenaline reaching new heights. I love that I'm always having to push my body beyond what it thinks it can do.
I'm not at all a fast runner. Or even a long-distance runner. I've probably never run more than 3 miles in my life. But for some reason or another, I'm addicted to it. And I get easily frustrated when I can't run for one reason or another. Typically, because I run outdoors, it's the weather that causes me to take a hiatus. More often than that, it's my lack of time and/or sunlight. (I would GLADLY get up at 4:00am every morning to go running, but my husband forbids it.) Lately, it's been ailments/injuries like this one.
For the last 3 summers that Matt and I have lived here, the Heights has put on a 5K Fun Run on my jogging trail the first Saturday in June. And every year I get excited and plan to be apart of it. I've never run in a race before and it's definitely one of my top goals in life to finish a race. This one has always seemed like the perfect place to start. And every year, we have something going on that day that prevents me from participating.
This year, I thought it would be the wedding that I was the Matron of Honor in, but because the wedding wasn't until 5:00 and the race was at 7:30 (30 minutes to finish, tops), this wasn't really an obstacle. Not really having the money to do it kinda was, but the main obstacle was my back.
It still hasn't really healed yet and is continuing to give me issues. Even that morning when I got outta bed, the muscles in my lower back seemed to scream in pain. This makes it difficult just to walk, much less run in a race...or even run at all. But I decided to get up and just go for a walk on the trail anyway. I needed to burn some calories anyway.
So, I got dressed and put my tennis shoes on and walked out onto the trail right outside my house. The race had already started and most of the runners were already crossing the finish line. They had blocked off the street so the runners could run on the road, so I decided to take my walk up on the trail. At first, it felt really good being out there with them. Kinda like I was actually in the race with them.
A few blocks later, it hit me. Those thoughts of self-pity that make the tight feeling in the middle of the throat overwhelm and the tears that pop up suddenly. "I'm supposed to be in this race." "Will I EVER be able to sign up for a 5K?" "Will I ever know the feeling of crossing the finish line?" "Will I ever be able to even run again?" "It's not fair." Etc. You know the spiral effect.
Part of me wanted to turn around, go back into my house, and curl up on my couch and have a good cry. I chose to keep walking. The only way to get better is to keep being active and to strengthen the muscles. But it was the hardest walk I've ever been on. I reached the place where the finish line was and there was a HUGE party going on. Everybody was laughing and congratulating each other. Friends and family members were there cheering their runner on. Pictures were being taken and a band was playing. I tried to be happy for all those that participated. And I actually kinda got my attitude in check.
Until I noticed all the little kids lined up about to begin their portion of the race...a 1K. Then I almost lost it again. A whole new batch of self-pitying thoughts attacked me. I'm pretty sure a couple of people actually saw the tears in my eyes. Embarrassing.
The whole way back home I asked the LORD to protect my heart and my mind from this "woe is me" attitude. He told me, very clearly, that I needed to bury my dreams. This verse melted into my heart and brought an odd combination of mourning and peace at the same time. My hopes and dreams and goals are no longer mine, but what the LORD has given to me by grace. If it's really HIS will for my life, then it will happen and HE will make a way. And the last thing I need to do is obsess and throw a pity-party about it. I just need to trust.
When you bury something, there is always a sense of sadness and mourning that occurs in your spirit. But if you really trust the LORD with your life (and your hopes and dreams and goals), then there is also always a sense of peace and joy and even confidence in HIS protection and plan for your life.
I believe that someday I will run a 5K and maybe even a half marathon. And I also believe that someday my children (and husband) will either participate with me or be waiting to congratulate me at the finish line.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Don't Stop...Believin'
I was just introduced to this:
Yes, I have been hearing all the craze about it, but let's just be honest...I'm usually a good 5 steps behind in things of this nature. Besides, I don't typically allow myself to get too "involved" in television. You know, better things to do with what little extra time I have already.
But I do have a Tuesday evening ritual with my bestest friend, Caitlyn. For probably a little over a year now, we have been getting together every Tuesday night for dinner and to watch this show:
Now that the latest season has come to an end, we have decided to take the plunge and get into GLEE. And I gotta say...I think I might like it! We only had time to watch the first 2 episodes, but it left me wanting more. I may just be infatuated with the covers of GREAT songs. Only time will tell.
I will say this however, I think it's gonna be something that we have to watch over at her apartment...or when Matt's gone. I definitely can't see him wanting to watch it with us.
Any thoughts?
Yes, I have been hearing all the craze about it, but let's just be honest...I'm usually a good 5 steps behind in things of this nature. Besides, I don't typically allow myself to get too "involved" in television. You know, better things to do with what little extra time I have already.But I do have a Tuesday evening ritual with my bestest friend, Caitlyn. For probably a little over a year now, we have been getting together every Tuesday night for dinner and to watch this show:
Now that the latest season has come to an end, we have decided to take the plunge and get into GLEE. And I gotta say...I think I might like it! We only had time to watch the first 2 episodes, but it left me wanting more. I may just be infatuated with the covers of GREAT songs. Only time will tell.I will say this however, I think it's gonna be something that we have to watch over at her apartment...or when Matt's gone. I definitely can't see him wanting to watch it with us.
Any thoughts?
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