"Lucky"

Right now there are a few close and distant couples that we know going through some difficult times. Having both been divorced, Matt and I know all too well the hurt, pain, and despair that can go along with these trials. I have publicly and privately shed tears for these couples, empathetically my heart aches right now for them.

As I discussed these things with Matt and just talked about how thankful I am to be where we are and in the kind of marriage we have, he looked at me and said, "Yeah, we are really lucky." Time stood still to me just then. My mind jumped back to several years ago before we even knew each other and images flashed like a movie screen through my mind. The rejection of abandonment, the ego blows of infidelity, the indescribable and excruciating pain of a divorce you didn't see coming, we've been there. The fear that your life is over, the weakness and inability to imagine that life will somehow go on, and oh the tears . . . I'm sure I wept gallons of them, some out of anguish, some out of despair, others out of the painful fact that my body could contain the emotion no more and my eyes just overflowed. The sleepless nights, the inability to eat, it all flashed before my eyes in an instant, and then it was gone.

Then came the memories of restoration, a complete healing only God can do. He allowed me to move on with the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of past endured trials, but without an ounce of the pain. I mean that when I say it, I moved on in life with only the good. He never once took me out of the fire but He walked through it with me, right by my side. Then He gave me Matt.

I am far from embarrassed and I carry no shame, it is my personal testimony of Romans 8:28. I have shared my story with many, others haven't a clue. Acquaintances, even close friends have also called me "lucky". On the surface you can't see the past I've briefly described. You also can't see the weeks spent in pre-marriage counseling with Matt, the marriage books on our bookshelf wilted from reading, the days spent at marriage conferences, or the hours on my knees in prayer. In the dictionary luck is described as "occurring by chance". So in this, I'm not lucky. I'm lucky if I get a good parking space somewhere or find the perfect outfit for 75% off. I have invested hours of personal time and given conscious effort to this important area of my life, I assure you, it isn't luck.

So if we ever see from a distance someone else's marriage, children, finances, spiritual walk, or other circumstance and they seem so lucky, like a perfect world fell right in their lap and they just happened to be in the right seat . . . that just might not be the case. People invest in what they value and it shows.

Happy Birthday Honey!

You make 32 look incredible!

There is so much I could write about him . . . and I promise to later. For now, I just want to wish my wonderful husband an amazing birthday! We have a weekend full of exciting plans and I really hope he enjoys it.

My Position on Politics

I've overheard conversations, watched debates, and researched issues. I can honestly say, I am more "informed" this election than I ever have been in elections past. It's easy to get caught up in the finger-pointing and name-bashing competition of it all, and it's then that I said to myself, "What is the position God would want me to have in this?" Here is the conclusion I've come to:

Christians often ask whether they should be a Republican or a Democrat or something else. In all actuality, few political issues are truly spiritual issues. As an example, we may prefer lower taxes, but the Bible does not endorse low taxes; all it says is that we are to pay our taxes honestly (Romans 13:6-7; Matthew 22:15-21). Taxes and many other issues (social security, universal health care, education funding, prescription drugs, etc.) are not spiritual issues the Bible specifically addresses. As a result, Christians can in good conscience have disagreements on these issues. There are issues the Bible does take sides on (abortion, gay marriage, etc.), and as Christians, we should support candidates that respect and honor those same morals and values.

However, and this is my main point, no matter who is in office, whether we voted for them or not, whether they are of the political party we prefer or not, the Bible commands us to respect and honor them (1 Peter 2:13-17; Romans 13:1-7). We should also be praying for those placed in authority over us (Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We do not have to agree with them, or even like them, but we do have to honor and respect them. Politics is always going to be a difficult issue for Christians. We are in this world, but are not to be of this world (1 John 2:15). We can be involved in politics, but we should not be obsessed with politics. Ultimately, we are to be heavenly-minded, more concerned with the things of God than the things of this world (Colossians 3:1-2). As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all members of the same political party—monarchists who are waiting for their King to return (Revelation 19:11-16).

We live in an amazing country and I really do love America. I think we often take for granted the reality of our true and honest freedom. A country founded on the basic principle, "In God We Trust". As an American and as a Christian, I will proudly and confidently vote in this election. However, you will not see a bumper sticker on my car, a sign in my yard, or a shirt on my back regarding this, or any election. I will not allow myself to be overly caught up in this because I support someone much bigger and capable of far more change than those in the running. You can however know, I will honor, respect, and be on my knees in support of whoever God allows to lead this country.

Happy 30th Birthday Adrienne!

Adrienne is my older sister and today she turns 30!

She makes 30 look great! It's such a privilege to see what an amazing mother she has been to her 2 wonderful daughters. She has always been a strong leader and the wise one of the 3 of us girls. My entire life I have envied the ease that so many things come to her. She has wonderful talents in art and drawing, but also a green thumb, she can build better than some carpenters and has a broad range of knowledge on many interesting things, she has a loving but firm personality, tender but not a door mat, beauty and brains . . . that's my big sister!

I don't think you read this blog, but . . .

Happy Birthday Adrienne!

I love you!

New freezer space

In the spirit of tradition, we ate our wedding cake last night. I would love to be able to say that it was just as good as it was 1 year ago. I would love to say it was worth the huge amount of space it has taken up in our freezer all this time. I would love to say all that, but I can't.

It was ok. The flavor was good, but the cake itself was dry (I don't think we packaged it properly for freezing). The taste may have been mediocre, but I love traditions and it was fun! So all in all, I guess it was worth the space it took up in the freezer.

There is quite a bit left, but I think I'll just take it to work and set it in the break room. It's amazing, you can just set stuff in there and by the time you walk back again it looks like vultures came and tore it to pieces. You can leave a $5 bill on the same table and it will sit there for weeks, but set some cookies, cake, or chips and it's gone if you blink too long.

One year ago today . . .

October 6th, 2007 Matt and I got married. Today is our 1 year anniversary! It's been a wonderful year and I look forward to the next 50 years or more side my side, hand in hand with him.

We celebrated on Saturday. It was absolutely beautiful outside and we began our day driving around the Westchase semi-annual garage sale. We didn't find any treasures to bring home, but it was fun going into different fancy neighborhoods and gawking at the houses.

We got dressed and went to dinner at Roy's. I surprised Matt with this restaurant because of it's Hawaiian flare, and since Hawaii is where we honeymooned, it fit perfectly. I have never had a dining experience quite like it. The service was impeccable, my water glass never got more than 1/10th empty, they folded your napkin anytime you got up, and answered every request with "my pleasure". They even gave you ice cold bottled water while you waited for valet to bring the car around! I felt so out of my element, but the pampering was welcomed. Below is us outside the restaurant after dinner. Our hotel in Hawaii had the same torches scattered throughout the property so it was fun to have the atmosphere recreated.

There is something Matt did last Thursday evening that is too cute not to mention. He went to Washington D.C. for 2 days last week for work. As he was leaving, I jokingly asked him to bring me back some of D.C.'s beautiful fall weather. He did the best he could. When he came in the front door he pulled this out of his suitcase:

I now have my very own piece of D.C. fall. It's just a silly little dried up leaf, but he stopped and picked it up and traveled with it home just for me. I just love that side of him.

Sunday we went to lunch with Oma after church. I wasn't feeling well, so we came home and I laid on the couch for the Bucs game. All in all, it was a very nice weekend.

Chores I dislike

I love house cleaning when it's beautiful outside. Is that weird? I'm not sure why that is, but either way, today it's a good thing. Maybe it's because in Florida we don't get much of a spring, so at the first signs of fall I am inspired to do "fall cleaning". The sun is shining brightly, the air is crisp, light, and not too hot, in the background I hear the hum of a neighbors lawn-mower. It is gorgeous today and it inspires me to take on the "not so often" chores. I actually fluffed the throw pillows, rotated the couch cushions and vacuumed beneath them. I even moved the couches themselves to clean the tile under them. Would you believe that under our couches there were raw spaghetti noodles? That is one of my favorite and strangest snacks and apparently I left the remnants to prove it. It's kinda funny to me. There were also dust bunnies and dryer sheets, but I don't eat those. While playing "guess what dinner this stain was from", I cleaned the fronts of the kitchen cabinets. Apparently we eat spaghetti a lot. All are chores I probably don't do often enough, but none the less, they are well under-way. The house is beginning to take on the subtle scent of tangerine all purpose cleaner. Inhaling it awoken my senses and gently prodded me to tackle the next chore I had been putting off. Base-boards.

I seldom use the word "hate", my parents taught me, with good reason, not to say that word from a very young age and it stuck. It's a strong word. We were allowed to dislike things or prefer one thing over another, but not hate. So for you mom and dad, I greatly, super, as much as possible dislike cleaning base-boards. In life, we all must do things we don't want to do. I'm just thankful this doesn't take all that long.

I'm sure I don't do it as often as I should, but scooting around a room cleaning rag in tow, is not my idea of fun. I want to stop, but more so I want it done. Crouching down to clean them hurts my knees, they are red and begging me to stop. My back hurts from leaning and right now I'm thankful my house isn't one square foot bigger than it is. I'm in amazement at how dirty my rag has become . . . yes, I have put this off too long, but it's done!

The only chore I dislike even more than baseboards is cleaning the shower. How something we "get clean" in gets so dirty is beyond me. We have an enclosed glass shower, so lucky me gets to soak in the fumes of the strongest cleaners, scrubs, and bleach I own. I feel like a bar tender or some sort of scientist coming up with cocktails and concoctions to rid the crevices of whatever it is that resides there. My eyes are usually blood shot, my lungs hurt, and I'm soaked and sweaty after I'm done. This can't be healthy, and the worst part . . . the shower looks so insignificantly different when I'm done than when I started that I feel as though I have labored in vain. I comfort myself by knowing I had to have at least killed a few microscopic bacteria. But again, for this go around at least, it's done.

More importantly, I need to go eat something now. I have such a habit of go, go, go on my days off, that I often forget to eat until I'm light-headed. This is not planned or healthy, but somehow I do it nearly every day I'm off alone. I think I get so task oriented that I don't even notice. I'll all of the sudden realize I'm dizzy and that it's been hours since I ate. I'm usually so focused on the task at hand that I completely miss the hunger phase. If Matt is around, he eats every several hours so I never get this way because I eat with him. Why oh why do I do this over and over when I know it's not good for me?