one of THOSE days

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind that begins with really good intentions, and somewhere around mid-morning everything falls apart. I had one of those days today. I woke up in a bad mood because the alarm went off early. A whole 5 minutes, at least! (of course, the reason for the early wake-up was because I have been running late the past few days:)

Then the morning ran rather smoothly until I snagged my pantyhose and had change at the last minute. I think that is what started the bad morning. Anytime you have to stuff yourself into pantyhose more than once in a day makes it a bad day. Then I was still late leaving. When I arrived at school, I dropped my lunch:( I honestly thought about jumping up and down on my lunch box and screaming, but there were students and parents everywhere, so that was not the best option.

I had forgotten all about dropping my lunch until snack time, when I opened my lunch and found that my yogurt had exploded upon hitting the ground and now everything was covered in pink raspberry yogurt. As I was wiping off the pink gelatinous goo from my banana, string cheese, I once again thought about just throwing the whole thing in the trashcan and setting it on fire.

From there, my day didn't get worse, it just leveled off. I felt that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Then as I was gathering all my things to come home, I realized that no matter how bad my circumstances are, I can still choose my attitude toward them. I may not have stomped my feet and had a fit, but I certainly was having one on the inside. I chose the wrong attitude today.

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day...and the alarm won't be set...and thankfully we are out of yogurt!

10 things I love about my guy

I was 29 when I got married. I remember thinking that I would NEVER get married. I remember being reminded that I would NEVER get married. When I was a teenager, I remember making a list of the things I wanted in a future mate. I wanted a Christian man, who could fix things, was handsome, a leader in our home, someone who would pray with me and for me, someone who would lead our family in devotions, and a hard-worker. As the years passed and I still remained unmarried, I thought that I would never get a husband like that.  I can remember crossing things off this list as I got older. Finally, all that remained was a Christian who could fix things (I break things A LOT). When God provided my husband, He gave me all that I wanted and so much more. Recently, through my Sunday school class and our devotions in the evening, I have been thinking about these little things that make me love this man so much. Here is a short list of some of the ways God blesses me through my husband

• He takes out the trash. HE TAKES OUT THE TRASH!! I hate trash. 
• He leaves a light on for me. At night when we are ready to go to bed, he goes ahead of me and turns on a small light in the bedroom so I don't have to go into the dark room. Then he goes back out and turns off the other lights. 
• He has weapons. I hated that my husband had random weapons when we first got married. But, when things go bump in the night, I am thankful for my ax-wielding-crazy-man husband. 
• He makes my lunch. During the week, I get up and take a shower and he makes our lunches for work. Sometimes he even slips in a sweet note:-)
• He gets me emergency chocolate. Every girl has a moment when talking can't solve a problem like chocolate can. About 2 weeks after I moved here, I had a MELTDOWN. I missed my friends, my dog, my family, my freedom, EVERYTHING. I was in bed crying and whining. He wanted to talk and comfort me. I told him, "I think we are gonna need some chocolate." He left and returned a few minutes later with all that he could find in the house, which wasn't much. Since that meltdown, I can always open my nightstand and find a stash of emergency chocolate that he has hidden there. 
• He carries the heavy stuff. Groceries, luggage, furniture, you name it, he carries it. Not that I can't, but he chooses to do it for me. 
• He takes care of our finances. I totally lucked out! He takes care of everything. He makes sure we have some money saved for emergencies and he is planning for our future. He even budgets for fun things. 
• He fixes my stuff without complaining. As I mentioned before, I break things all too often. He does everything in his power to fix them and he doesn't make fun of me (usually) for breaking something. 
• He takes care of the gross stuff. Goo in the sinks, stopped up toilet, clogged drains, he handles them. 
• He carries my Bible to church. This is so small and seemingly insignificant, but Sunday mornings are CRAZY! Every Sunday, I wake up with the intent that I will make breakfast, take a shower, look my best, and not leave the house feeling frazzled. So far, that hasn't happened. It is so nice knowing that when I am rushing to make sure my shoes match and my afro is tamed that he has my Bible tucked safely with his.

This list could go on and on. God gave me what I wanted and then blessed me with so many extras that I never would have thought of. I am so thankful for the man that God has given me. I am so grateful for his love and all the little things that he does for me. 

An unfulfilled desire

Have you ever had a desire that hasn't been fulfilled? That is where I am right now in my life. I know that there is something I want, I have prayed for it, and God hasn't provided it yet. I know that He hears my prayers, I know He always answers them, I know that if it is His will, it will come to pass. 

I also know that I am impatient and emotional. This is where my flesh gets all worked up and I want to stomp my feet and cross my arms and poke out my lip and say, "I WANT IT NOW!" 

So, what happens now? Do I keep praying? Absolutely. Does my desire change simply because it hasn't come to pass yet? Definitely not. Is this difficult? More than difficult. Should I be bitter at God for Him not seeing it my way and giving me this desire? I want to be. I want to be mad and angry and frustrated. But, I know that God knows what is best for me. He sees my end from my beginning. He has a plan. His will is perfect. 

I am reminded of what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through when they were being tossed into the fiery furnace. As they were about to be thrown into the furnace for not bowing to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up,  Nebuchadnezzar asked them, "and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"  Their answer was simple, yet so powerful. They said, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. BUT IF NOT, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."  They were willing to go into the fire knowing that God could deliver them, but were still willing to serve Him even if God chose not to deliver them. 

Now, I am not being tossed into the fire, but my response to God must be the same as I am praying that God will give me the desire of my heart. If God provides, I am to praise Him...and if He doesn't I am to praise Him. This is not easy for me to do, but I feel that God is really dealing with my heart on this issue. I pray that my response to Him is the right response. 

I need a vacation from vacation

One of the perks  The biggest perk of being a teacher is that I have some great time off! Having a full 2 weeks off at Christmas time is just what I needed to refresh myself. It is such a beautiful time...no students...no papers to grade...no getting up early...ok, maybe not all of that is true. I brought home some major grading and I still got up early in the mornings with my husband. However, it was so nice to not be tied to the same crazy schedule as usual.

My vacation started out pretty well. I cooked, shopped, wrapped gifts, procrastinated on the aforementioned grading, and enjoyed being lazy. We were having Christmas with my in-laws on the 23rd so we headed there in the evening for an amazing dinner followed by amazing presents! My in-laws are the best. I am so very spoiled. I have never ever been treated like this, so I am enjoying it while it lasts:) I got some great Colts things...a clock...a hat...a stocking...and some other great gifts.

Then the next morning we left for Orlando where my husband's aunt lives. We were on the road by 8 in the morning and there were 6 of us riding in the van together. Crazy!! Orlando is about 8 hours away, so by the time we arrived, we had 30 minutes to change clothes, gather our senses and head to their house. When we got there it was so chaotic. There were about a million people (ok, maybe only 15) there and there was a ton of food and it was loud and happy and overwhelming. (My husband and his family are from Peru. His family and my family could NOT be more different.)

I wish I could adequately put into words the way it looks and sounds as so many people are greeting and talking. Everyone of the people in the house hugged and kissed every one of us as we went in to the house. (This same event happened again at midnight that night and at 2 in the morning when we left for the hotel)

We munched on some goodies that seemed to be everywhere. Such good snack foods. Later we had an amazing dinner and at the stroke of midnight, we wished each other a merry Christmas and opened presents. This took a while because everyone pauses to look at you when you open yours.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we headed back to his aunt's house. We greeted everyone and then walked to the recreation center to play volleyball. It was the strangest Christmas ever. It was warm and windy and we were outside. Not a typical Indiana Christmas at all. The next morning we headed back to Alabama because many people (not me) had to work the next day.

I spent Monday recovering from this quick and busy trip. I unpacked, washed clothes and did a whole lot of nothing. Tuesday, I decided to take down the Christmas decorations and run errands, and Wednesday I bought a dress for New Year's and went to the grocery store. All the while, my stack of ungraded papers sat and mocked me while they gathered dust.

Then on Thursday, we packed up again, loaded up the van again, and headed off on another trip! This time we were headed to St. Louis, another 8 hour drive. This time there were 7 of us in the van and our luggage was strapped to a luggage rack. (in trashbags, of course, because that would stink if it rained!)

We arrived in St. Louis, ate dinner, and went to sleep. The next morning we went sight-seeing. We walked over to the arch, and just as we were about to go into it, the tornado sirens began to go off. SCARY!! Well, because of the weather, no one could go to the top of the arch, so we left. Yes, left. Went back out into the scary weather while the sirens were still going off and we walked to the old cathedral. I felt like we were in a movie seeking sanctuary in a real sanctuary. I thought this would be a good time to pray anyway:) (We heard later that there was a tornado that touched down about 10 miles from where we were.)

After the cathedral, we walked to the old courthouse. We spent some time there, looked at the museum, watched a movie about Dred Scott, and then left. We walked back to the arch. This time the top was open and the family went to the top. I didn't. Those who know me, know that I am not good with heights. (understatement of the century!) My husband and I stayed at the bottom and watched a video of the building of the arch while we waited.

That evening, we went to Mango. It is an amazing Peruvian restaurant in downtown St. Louis. I highly recommend it to anyone if you visit there! We were treated to some amazing food! Four courses later, we rang in the New Year! Then the dancing began. We dragged ourselves back to the hotel at 2am.

The next morning we met for breakfast and then went to see Tron: Legacy. Good movie. Good popcorn. Good company. Later, we were invited to go to the owner of the restaurant's home for a New Year's Day party. Again we indulged in some of the most amazing foods I have ever eaten. We went back to the hotel later that night. Everyone went to the pool. I went to bed. I am old!

We left for home again Sunday morning. I was so happy to sleep in my own bed! My husband and I both had to work on Monday morning, so when the alarm went off to wake us, we were not very happy campers. Today school started for me, so I am really ready to go to bed tonight!

This has been one of the best Christmases ever, but definitely the most exhausting! I will try to post some fun pictures of these trips later.

Oh yeah, and I finally graded my papers...yesterday morning :-)

What I don't want for Christmas

Everyone has a list of the things that they want for Christmas, and I am no exception. This year I even slipped a note to my husband detailing the things I would like to have. He is a great gift-giver though, so I don't have to worry. But everyone has things that they don't want. These are things no one talks about. I heard a story on the radio that people are creating a wish list to send to family and friends, almost like a gift registry for Christmas, which I think is stupid. If someone knows me, then they know what I would or wouldn't like, and they don't need me to come up with a list of the things I want. But in the true spirit of things, here are some items that top my don't buy list:

the Snuggie

This one is on my list for many reasons. I don't want to wear a blanket. I would be embarrassed if someone saw me in this. I don't want a gift that encourages me to be lazy. I also don't think my husband would like me in this look.

The self-help book

This one is a no-brainer. If you give a book on self-help, you think a person needs help. I don't want a gift from you that says you think I need to be a better person, lose weight, find a better career, etc.

the wooden teacher gift

Yes, I am a teacher. But I am only a teacher by day. At night, I go home to my house. My house does not look like a classroom. It is filled with things that I love. Wooden apple signs are not a natural part of my home decor. Now, if I do get something like this, and I usually do, I keep it in my classroom.

The "I can't believe all that was only $9.99 make-up kit"

These always seem like a good idea. I am a girl and I do wear make up. However, the make up that I use has been tested over many years. I know what I like. I have tried every product out there and I know just which one won't make me itchy, oily, shiny, blotchy, etc. Plus, no one needs this much make up, unless you are auditioning for Cirque du Soleil.

The bath basket

This one is a little tricky. I love to receive things I will actually use. I shower, so I like a nice fresh scented shower gel. I also like soft skin, so I don't mind a good lotion. But these fall under the same category as the make up kit. No one needs this much stuff. Usually I don't know what to do with half of it. And when they come in bulk like this, for some reason, they are always unusual scents, like rosemary freesia or wild tulip barnyard. Save your money. Go to Bath and Body Works and get me a hand sanitizer instead. Or something else you know I will use.

Cheesy Christmas themed gift

These are always funny. But only for a minute or so. Then, they just become something that sits in a closet or attic for 11 months. Plus, whoever gave it will be looking for it at my house every year after that. If you want to give a Christmas-themed gift, consider something edible. Never underestimate the simple things. Give some unique homemade Christmas cookies or candies in a cute bag or tin and viola! you have given a great gift!

The stuffed animal

 This is not the perfect gift for me for 2 reasons.  First, I am 31 years old, and I don't still have stuffed animals on my bed. Secondly, stuffed animals creep me out. It's the little beady eyes. They seem to gleam in the dark. This is just one of those things that is unusual about me.

Ceramic figurine

If you know me, you know I don't like clutter. This would just gather dust and sit on a shelf. Plus, I don't collect anything, so this isn't the gift for me either.

Chia anything

This one is a must-give! I want to give this to everyone on my list, but I really don't want one. I think they are hilarious, but I don't really have the urge to grow anything.

The flu

That's right! I don't want your diseases! If you have a runny nose, a cough, or other gross ailment, keep it to yourself. Don't hug me, don't shake my hand, don't lick an envelope and then give it to me. I would like to spend the holidays without the aftertaste of Nyquil on my tongue.




These are the top things on my list of things I don't want for Christmas. What things top your list?

I am a bag lady

I am a teacher. I have a lot of bags. This sounds fairly normal. However, some days I look a lot sillier than others and today is no exception. On a typical day of school, I leave the house with my purse, my school bag, my lunch box, and a cup of coffee. Normally I can balance all of these things with no problem. Today, well not so much.

I was on my way home from school and I only had my purse, lunchbox and coffee cup. I had a couple of errands to run. At the first shop, I picked up a gift that was in a bag. The bag was about the size of a Wal-mart sack. Nothing too tricky. Then it was off to CVS to get some gift boxes...you know the ones that you can wrap clothes in. Well, the man at the cash register said they were out of large bags, so I decided I could just carry these out under my arm. (I also had photos to pick up...he said, "Your purse is plenty big enough for these")

So, now I have photos in my purse, gift boxes, the gift I picked up at the 1st shop, and my purse, my lunchbox and coffee cup. Well, it is Wednesday, and so with church and Master's Clubs, my husband and I don't see each other until after service. Usually we just pick up some fast food and eat when it is convenient. I was craving some tots from Sonic, so I drove thru, got my burger, tots, drink and then headed home.

After checking the mail, which had a letter, a box, and a newspaper, I put my car in park, looked across the seat and began to determine the best way to get all my stuff in the house. By the way, it is COLD right now!! So, I decide that I will make it inside in just one trip. This is always my goal, but today it seemed like my only option. It was just too cold to come back out. And I didn't want to walk up those steps twice.

I begin this little journey by shoving as many things in my purse as will fit, so in go the newspaper, the small box from the mailbox and the letter. Then I start grabbing as many things as I can to get out of the car. (Maybe this is a good time to mention that I am wearing a skirt and heels) I hook my purse and lunchbox onto my left arm, tuck the gift boxes and coffee cup under my arm, grab everything else with my right hand, and begin to ever so gracefully exit my car. Immediately I can see that this is not going to be a success, but before I can do anything about it, I dropped my food on the ground and my tater tots went EVERYWHERE!! I contemplated picking them up, but I decided it was not meant to be.

So, for my second attempt, I try to use speed. If I hurry, I will make it! This starts out pretty well, I make it up the steps, but now to get into the house. My keys were in my pocket. I adjusted my stuff, and got the keys, all the while doing the potty dance, cause the cold makes me have to go, and opened the door. I nearly tripped over another box that was at the door step, but I made it!! SUCCESS!!!!!! I was in the house! And now to set my stuff down. I opted for the loveseat, because it is a good landing spot for stuff. I dropped everything there just as my drink slipped out of my hand and spilled all over the coffee table.

What an evening. Have I learned anything from this? No! I will try this again. Daily. Because 2 trips is uncalled for. And I will fail miserably.

What a week!

So over the past week, my husband and I have encountered a few unpleasant circumstances. Last Thursday, he went to the dr. to have a pain in his ribs checked. The dr was concerned about the pain and some abnormal test results, so he sent my husband to a cardiologist. This terrified me! My husband came to my classroom to tell me the news and I immediately called for a sub, and we left for the appointment.

While at the cardiologist's office, the dr completed a few more tests, and finding them to be normal, he then proceeded to tell us that he wanted more tests run at the hospital. Now I was in a state of panic! I am a worrier and this worried me tremendously. They completed the tests at the hospital and sent us home.

Now, my husband is the voice of calm and reason...this is a really good thing, because I am a SPAZ!!!! The thought that there could be something wrong with my husband's heart or lungs sent me to the crazy place. I cried, I whined, I worried, and of course picked a fight or two because I was so nervous. And we had to wait an entire week before we would know anything.

Then, yesterday, we visited the cardiologist again. We were there for 6 hours. SIX HOURS!! This was torture for me. Anyone who knows me, knows what an impatient person I am. I hate to wait. I HATE to wait. But, I impatiently waited anyway. For six hours. Most of this time I had to sit alone in the waiting room. This proved to be somewhat entertaining though! I always see the funniest things.

I am by nature a people watcher, and boy there were some people to watch in this waiting room. The first thing I saw, or rather, heard was a woman sitting 3 seats down from me. She obviously had been waiting a while and she was a little tired...maybe a lot tired! This woman was passed out and snoring loudly. Of course everyone is noticing this, but apparently I was the only one in the waiting room who found this to be HILARIOUS! Naturally, I took out my phone, pretended to be talking on it, and took the following:


 

Someone is tired!

Then, just when I have recovered from this sight, in walks three men in shackles, handcuffs and white uniforms. They were accompanied by 2 armed guards. This of course is unusual, so this time, I decided to pretend to be texting when I captured this image:

Men from the Pen

 

 

This was too much for me! I was almost out of control by this point. Everyone else in the waiting room managed to keep their composure, but I was not able to do so.

As I looked around to see who else was looking at these people in the waiting area, I noticed that everyone there was at least 50, if not older. And here I was with my 33 year old husband. This was enough to help me regain my focus and I began to forget about the people who were distracting me. I began to worry about my husband again.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like forever, my husband returned and we went to get lunch. The dr. told him to eat something fatty and drink some caffeine, because it would help flush his body of the things that had been injected. We went to 5 Guys and had just what the doctor ordered.

When we got back to the dr, we waited some more, then Juan went back for a while, and then the head nurse came and called me back. I got to go back into the back and...you guessed it....wait some more! Juan and I watched the weather channel for what seemed like an eternity and then they eventually led us to where his final test would be.

He was having an echo-cardiogram. This was fascinating. I got to watch as they looked at his heart on an ultrasound monitor. The technician turned on the speakers and we listened to his heart beat very loudly. Then we waited again for a nurse to come in and inject something into his arm that would put bubbles in his blood, which when they traveled to the heart, would indicate if there was a hole in his heart. When this test was over, we were led to the waiting room again to wait for our turn to see the doctor.

In case you were wondering, the sleeping woman had left but the inmates were still there.

When we were called to see the doctor we went to the patient room and waited for about 45 minutes to see the doctor. He peeked his head in once to tell us that he had not received all of the results of the tests yet, and so we continued waiting. Eventually, the doctor came back with the best news I have received all week. There was nothing that he could find. He looked at everything. There were no holes in the heart, no blood clots in the lung, everything was normal.

What a blessing. It reminded me of a song that our ladies trio used to sing at Cornerstone. It was called "A Storm Now and Then". The words speak of how God puts His children through tough times so that He can make us strong. I was so relieved and so anxious to leave that I didn't immediately recognize that God had something to teach me through all of this. This has been an incredibly tough week, but God had a goal and a purpose. He never left my side; He never stopped caring. He simply wanted to make me strong.