February 27, 2006
My Husband Rocks!
Aside from the fact that we saw INX$ over the weekend....
.
And he did the dishes tonight.....
.
And he's putting the girls to bed, even though it's super late and he's tired too....
.
He also did something else incredible today
.
He sacrificed his own wants and wishes
.
To buy our family a minivan!
.
That's right! I am now a minivan mommy - and so excited!
.
We got the deal of the century and they gave us more than twice what we wanted for my car.
.
So.... without further ado
February 23, 2006
I have nothing new to write about.... Lots of things to Thank God for, so maybe this will be a post of thanksgiving!
.
Tonight, my dear friend, Rebecca attends the last class of her Graduate School career. Tomorrow, she has a Masters. She has shown incredible dedication and unbelievable perserverence as she has worked toward this goal. I know her family will be thrilled to have her home with them, without the encumberment of school work. I am thrilled to know that my dear friend and I will actually be able to communicate on a more regular basis. :) I am so proud of you, Becca! .
My girls are beautiful. They are smart, charming, funny.... They make me laugh, they make me smile, they make my life mean something. I have had a difficult time lately keeping my patience, but I have turned my thinking around and every time they do something that tests me, I thank God that He's trusted me with these amazing children.
.
My husband. My best friend. My cheerleader. My sweetheart.
.
My extended family. God has blessed me abundantly, even if His timing wasn't mine. :)
.
My friends. I don't have enough time for any of you, let alone all of you. But I am so blessed to have really incredible connections. I've been wallowing in self-pity for a few weeks and not really keeping up with things (anywhere), but I promise to get back to my friends real soon.
.
There are so many prayers being answered lately, some of our closest friends have miraculously fallen in love with one another. And they've been married nearly 11 years! Without feeling in love! And now they do - and it is a privelege to witness. Another blog friend just shared some incredible news after years of waiting.....
.
The list goes on and on. I have much to be thankful for. And as I prepare for the beginning of Lent, I thank Christ. His ultimate sacrifice is something I will never understand or fully comprehend. But, I appreciate that God's mercy and love have been extended to me in my life and I pray each of you feels it abundantly.
.
Until next time....
February 20, 2006
Guilty
We had a pretty fabulous weekend, in spite of a hiccup in the middle.
.
Friday early afternoon, I went to Enterpri$e to pick up our ride. We were supposed to have this, but ended up with this. Free upgrade. Sweet! Came home, sent the kids to the neighbors and A and I loaded up and took off. It was a rather uneventful ride, quiet, which is rather unusual. Though, I think A would argue it wasn't so quiet. I say "at least there weren't fighting kids in the back!". It's nice to spend uninterrupted time with my husband. .
The party at the hotel was smashing. We weren't expecting the grandeur, but it was G.R.A.N.D! Bars everywhere (ALL top shelf, though I was drinking a lovely shiraz), food everywhere, music everywhere.... drummers hanging in air with their drumkits suspended on a frame, so those on the ground could view the topside of the drums.... Marilyn M0nr0e, De$i Arnez, Lucille B@ll.... (impersonators, of course)... The place was absolutely incredible. The rebuild after the '04 hurricanes made the hotel into a showcase! We had a nice time, in spite of A having to hobnob a bit with the corporate fellows. It was strange, as it always is, to find that who you've pictured in your mind doesn't match up when you meet people you've known of for a year or more. .
Sadly, our time away was brief as the car had to be returned by noon. And when we walked around the corner, the girls were not at our friends' house, so we hung out there with the husband for a bit, waiting. After they returned and had lunch, we came home and got the house in order. I found an incredible rub for shrimp and we grilled that and some chicken and had our friends over to thank them for keeping the girls overnight. We had grand plans to watch a movie, but we were all tired, so they left about 8:30. .
Sunday was a day of endorphins. First, we didn't even wake up til after 9! I couldn't believe we'd slept so late. We were so slow in moving, that the girls didn't even have breakfast til nearly 11! They were obviously dragging too. A wanted to go to the gym, so we walked up to the community center (1.2 miles). While A worked out, I took the girls in the pool. It was a cloudy day, but the temperature was nice and the pool is heated, so we had a great time. We played and splashed and the girls regained some confidence in the water, especially when their daddy came out and joined us. The girls had a snack and then wanted to go to the playground with some friends who'd arrived on their bikes. So, I went over there with them and my friend, D. A took the opportunity to have a nap by the pool. Afterward, we walked home, feeling the wagon heavier and somehow slower than on the way up. V is getting so much faster on her bike and we'll soon work on getting rid of the training wheels, which she is scared to death of!
.
A late lunch proved to make getting ready for church a race against the clock. And of course, Little A didn't sit still or remain quiet during mass, in spite of the fact that V chose seats for us right up front. Seriously, I felt 600 eyes boring into the back of my head as my little one was causing a scene. I did find out this morning that we were the only ones who thought A was causing a scene - I wonder if the moms in my group at church were just trying to make me feel better?
.
Today, of course, was my Monday morning moms group at church. My girls always have a better time when I make sure the sitter has crafts to do with the kids. Afterward, the girls and I had a rather lazy afternoon, with some reading and a math quiz. As A was driving home from work, he wondered aloud on the phone to me if it might be a good evening to head up to the pool again. I wanted to go to the cardio class at 7 (against dr. orders), so we agreed that due to time we'd drive and I'd walk home after my class. We packed a picnic dinner and went to the pool again. It was absolutely lovely! Why haven't we been taking advantage of this more?! We practically had the place to ourselves and since D begged out on the cardio class, I opted instead to do some time in the gym while the girls and A enjoyed the evening in the pool.
.
And my sunburned face and shoulders (from the cloudy day yesterday and only one application of sunscreen) are signs of why people from all over the world think Florida is a paradise. It's February, folks! And I am feeling just the tiniest bit guilty that a vast expanse of our nation is below zero in temps and I just went to the pool the last two days.
.
Until next time - God Bless you!
February 14, 2006
Happy Valentine's Day!
Sorry I've been away..... I am on my way shortly to have the doctor either inject something into my shoulder or pull something out via needle or both. I am assuming that any pain that leads to the stopping of the pain I've been in for a week and a half is worth it. Let's just hope they get this figured out and I don't end up with surgery on my shoulder.
.
On to other things, we are great here. The girls spent the night last week with my cousin and her daughter, so I was able to clean the house (one-armed cleaning takes so long!) and make a wonderful dinner for A and me. It was much needed for us to have some quiet time alone. Nothing terribly romantic because after dinner, he had to take the driver improvement course because of his speeding ticket a few months ago. It was nice, though, to have a quiet evening and just be together.
.
This weekend, we will be gone overnight for a special reception Friday to celebrate the re-opening of one of his company's hotels that was damaged during the '04 hurricane season. The girls will stay over with some of our friends here and we'll make the drive to the coast - again, lovely time for us to enjoy one another's company alone. I think we are going to attend a convalidation ceremony Saturday evening, but the girls will come to that with us.
.
I'm having some issues with the girls... Speak of the devils.... gotta run!
.
I pray you feel as loved today as I do.
February 02, 2006
No catchy title encompassing the flu and boobs....
ILLNESS AND GENERAL FEELINGS OF BLECH
Poor little A, keeps picking up whatever virus or strain of virus is going around. The poor thing has had the flu three times (shortage of shots here and we don't qualify), strep, and colds galore! Not only am I sick of cleaning it up, but the fact that she wants me to hold her all day when she feels that way is wearing me down. I love that she wants mommy and that she feels like there is something special about the way I comfort her, but it does get old. I admit that I ran screaming out of the house over the weekend, fleeing for hours, leaving daddy to tend to the sick one. He rocks. In spite of no sleep the night before, I had a nice day.
.
ORLANDO
Monday and Tuesday was our little trip to O-town. A had signed the girls up to be in a commercial at a major theme park. It was insane. There were about 1500 kids and I cannot even describe the chaos. It was well organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. The girls were paid in theme park tickets, which means we will be able to take them back when we can have the whole day - not to mention, the tickets are good for years and years, so we can save them for next year, when both girls will be taller and better enjoy some of the rides, etc.
.
PREGNANCY
Not mine. Not anymore, anyway. #9. Not good odds.
.
Yesterday I went to the ultrasound of one of my "girls" at the center. It was pretty incredible to be able to be there with her when she first saw her baby. Already, I've gotten so much personally out of this experience and I have only just begun. I never imagined that God would call me to serve this way, only to have healing for myself in the process! His plan is so incredible, even when I don't understand or see it. I had total validation for how I connect when after the u/s, the girl came out of the room and reached out to hug me and thank me for being there with her. I just can't explain the emotion I felt in that moment. Her parents are still angry with her and she hasn't yet talked to her priest, but I feel like the support and caring I've given her are making a difference.
.
BREASTS ARE IMPORTANT
And my last bit of information for today.... I am planning on participating in the local Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. 60 miles in three days. Camping under the stars for two nights - with a bunch of people I don't really know. I have two good friends who have battled/are still battling breast cancer and I'd like to walk to honor them and all the others who've been touched by this disease. .
I figure this is a good physical goal to work up toward and it's for an incredible cause - raising money and awareness for research. So, yeah, I'm doing this for somewhat selfish reasons. But, the meat of it is that it is something I've felt strongly about for years (before I even had friends WITH cancer). I've been making bracelets and donating money and clicking daily and monthly self exams and praying for years! .
And now, I'm going to be truly active and do something to make a real difference. A agreed for me to take the three days and promised that each day, he would bring the girls to the walking route to cheer me on. He also said I can use his new iPod for my training walks. Today, I have orientation and will be able to give more information about it after that. It is something I am really excited about and I look forward to signing up officially (after orientation) and getting the information, so I can start spreading the word.
.
I pray you're all enjoying time with your families and that life is going well. We have so much to be thankful for and I hope your days are as blessed as ours.
