WEIRD DREAM

GOTTA HURRY!!!!!

Ok~so I'm already over my limit of internet. I told Mike I would be back over to the house in 20 minutes and it's already been 30 but I need to blog. I have the blogging itch. Yes, it's real and the only relief is to blog.

I went out to get lettuce at the corner European Foods market this evening and I got lost. Not even kidding. It took me over 20 minutes to get back to where I needed to be.....at the CORNER market....by my house. Click on the name and you will see exactly where I was going:)

We went to the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles on Friday. Amazing...if you like that kind of thing...which we do. FIELD TRIP!!! YAhoo!!

Our service was great Sunday and I hope I never, I repeat, NEVER get tired of hearing my husband preach God's Word.

We have some plans for this week that I know the girls will love. I'll write about those after they happen.

Oh and guess what???? I took me TWO weeks to get a library card. I can't believe it took that long. But, the girls and I are properly carded now. Funny story, the girls checked out 2 movies from the library and when we got home they wanted to watch them but couldn't get the cases open. I said you guys are weaklings bring me them stinkin' cases. I tried with my superhuman strength and could not get those dumb things open. Upon closer examination I realized that the little lock on the case meant they were indeed locked. Back in the car we go. We got back to the library while lots of people were coming out.....they were closing...we had 5 minutes to get those bad boys unlocked and back out the door. We did it...with 3 minutes to spare. Note to self~always make sure the little electronic lock is green and open before leaving the library with DVDs.

Oh, I didn't even get to the part about breaking down at the DMV and waiting 3 hours for the tow truck. Which, btw, was worth it because Mike was able to encourage the tow truck driver about his marriage and invite him to our church:)

My time is way gone. Gotta fly. Love you all. Bye~bye:)

THE POST IN WHICH I TALK ABOUT UNPACKING BOXES

Mike's office

Church Sanctuary

I have been unpacking boxes and unpacking boxes~okay, just remember when I was packing boxes and reverse it.

We have been settling in slowly. Mike actually went to a VDOT community meeting tonight. He said it was about some intersection in the neighborhood that they wanted to expand. He met some of the people that were there.

The girls and I walked to 2, yes 2, parks this evening while Mike was at the meeting. It is so nice to live in a neighborhood. I reminded the girls that they have been praying to live in a neighborhood for a couple of years now. God answered their prayers.

God also answered my prayers today. My pastor's wife in Nashville, Linda, had tests today on a supposed tumor on her pancreas but they could not find it!!!! Praise be to God!!!!

My Dad has an appointment in June to see about having an ablation on his heart so that he will not continue to have the A-fib episodes he has been having.

The girls and I started back doing lessons yesterday and it feels good to have some routine.

I have to come to the church to use the internet so I guess I should get back over to the house and...........unpack a box or 2.

THE FIRST ARLINGTON EDITION

Moving is a punishment that should be given to law breakers.

If a criminal was sentenced to packing a whole household and then made to pack all of it onto a moving truck over and over, he wouldn't be a criminal for long.

Now that I have that off my chest, we turned the truck in the morning so that part is done.

Unpacking all the boxes is next on the agenda.

We had a sweet welcome from some of the people at the church. They hung a welcome sign on the fireplace, there was a bouquet of fresh flowers in the kitchen, and snack food in the fridge.

They also made up 2 bulletin boards welcoming us. One has everyone's name from the church on it and one had our family tree on it and they included Trevor on both of them. So sweet.

I am so tired tonight. I hope this all makes sense.

I will share more when I can. We have no internet right now. I am at my parents tonight because my Dad is in the hospital.

ABANDONED BLOG EDITION

Ok

So

There has been so much that has went on since I've posted on this blog that I'm almost afraid to start it back up.

Almost.

Let me give you the run down, quick~like:

• My dad, surgery, great
• My mother in law, surgery, not great, next surgery fixed first surgery, great
• Mike tried out at a church in Arlington, Va
• Abby had her 9th birthday, ate at Loveless Cafe
  
• Bible Conference at the College was so good
• Mike got a call from the church in Va that they wanted us to come back and spend the weekend
• Traveled to Arlington and Mike was voted in as pastor of Bloss Memorial Free Will Baptist Church
• Trevor had his 20th birthday, took him and Jessie to Logan's
• Mike had his 38th birthday, he ate when we took Trev to Logan's:)
• Packing, packing, and more packing
• Shelby played for the piano guild and David Lipsomb and won a blue ribbon
• Shelby had a concert with her WO Smith Select Singers
• Shelby had her 11th birthday, ate at The Dog of Nashville
• Went on a field trip to Hohenwald Tn with Sonia and Mason. Oh, it was memorable.
• Went out with my sweet friend, Casey. We went to McDougals and laughed. A Lot
• I celebrated a birthday and my wonderful hubby took me here. It's still my favorite place.
• Mike and I cooked a Pancake Saturday for about 60 of our friends and it was so awesome.
• Packing, packing, and oh my word why do we have so much freakin' stuff
• We are now into our last week in Nashville trying to soak up every bit of it we can. Mike and I feel like we have really sucked the marrow from this place and we have no regrets about it.

There is more to write about like losing one of our dear friends suddenly in March and Trevor getting ENGAGED but I want to do individual posts for them so that's it for now.

TN2VA2WV2MD

Things that occurred on our trip:

Prayed with Mike in the driveway at 5:15am

Saw a beautiful sunrise

Had praise and worship sevice in the car

Heard a country preacher say "Dadgum" in his sermon on the radio

Listened to the obituaries being read on the radio (gotta love rural Tennessee)

Finished an Abraham Lincoln biography audiobook~the girls and I now know a lot about Mr. Lincoln(he did not like to be called Abe)

Listened to the Daytona 500~I'm sure people looking at me while driving by thought I was crazy because I was beating on the steering wheel & yelling "COME ON, BOY!!! YOU GOT THIS!!!!" for the last two laps:)

Started & finished the first book of Series of Unfortuante Events: A Bad Beginning (audio book)

Half way through the second book The Reptile Room (audio book)

Stopped 6 times in all for: potty breaks, breakfast, lunch, and gas

Did not stop at 1 rest area

The girls did not fight once (YAYYYY)

Only two "Are we almost there"'s were uttered

I only had to make two u-turns

When we got here it started snowing and Abby sighed and said, "I don't want it to snow on my birthday." (March 4th)

Thanked the Lord for answering that early morning prayer

I miss Mike already:(

MY VALENTINE

I have been thinking about writing this post for a week or two.

Since it is this close to Valentine's Day, I am going to dive right it.

This post comes from over 20 years of "love experience". That just made me giggle.

I have been in love with this man of mine for over half my life. It is a privilege and an honor to love someone this long.

Through out this post make sure you think of the word love as a verb.

I still get goosebumps when Mike looks at me a certain way, I still get a flutter in my stomach when he brushes my hand or hugs me, I have a playlist on my iPod entitled "Mike's List" (I have it playing in my ears right this second) and it's not all sappy love songs. Some of them are songs we listened to over and over while riding around in his '66 Mustang convertible:)

I have our song as his ring tone on my phone so anytime you are around me and "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge starts playing you'll know that it's Mike.

I know that sometimes those "feelings" are not there. The days when you and your spouse are just trying to keep your head above water. The days when you don't even like yourself let alone someone else. The days where you JUST. CAN'T. TAKE. ONE. MORE. THING.

Those days are the days that you need to make sure you connect with your husband more than ever. It doesn't have to be much. When you're sitting on the couch just reach over and touch his hand or bring him a snack or make sure he knows in some way that you are still there for him.

Ladies, we are just as responsible for the way our relationship is going as he is. You can sit there and stew about him doing or not doing something all day, every day and that is not going to help things at all.

Oh, and here's a little lie that the world would like us to believe.....are you ready?

.....IT'S NOT OUR "JOB" TO CHANGE OUR HUSBANDS.

What???? Really?

You heard that right.

Guess what? You're not perfect and everything you do is not the best way of doing things.

Shocker, I know. I am speaking from that experience I was talking about up there in the beginning of this post.

When your husband does something for you, don't go behind him and redo it. Don't say~"I'll just do it myself." and please, please don't talk about him to your children.

That will just make them lose respect for him and they won't ever look at him the same way again.

My girls think their Daddy hung the moon and I never ever want to be the reason they don't look at him that way anymore.

When we watch TV at night they are stuck to him like glue and I wouldn't have it any other way. He is, after all, their first male relationship.

Okay, back to the changing thing, your husband will never look at everything like you do and vice versa because we're different~males and females.

That's the way God designed it. And I for one DO NOT want my husband to act, think, or be like me. Oh my! That would just be disastrous.

Sometimes I need him to bring me back to earth when I am spun up about something stupid or when I am so emotional I can't even remember my own name.

This Valentine's Day don't sit around and expect your husband to give you the moon one day out of the year when you give him grief and disrespect the rest of the year.

Pray that this will be the year that every day there's a way to show him just how much you appreciate, love, and adore the man God gave you.

It's a process, this love thing, and it can only work if you are willing to be changed instead of always trying to change him.