One of Those Weeks

So, have you ever had one of those weeks where the only thing you know to say about it is, "I'm sure glad it's over!"? This past week has been one of those for me. The kind where by Tuesday it feels like there's been enough "week" in the past 36hrs. to be Friday AT LEAST! I honestly remember thinking that this Tuesday...thinking, "What day is it? ONLY Tuesday?!". I've just been off kilter; more days than one oversleeping, feeling a step or two behind all day. The kind of days where I've gotten out of the house realizing I had the wrong shoes on or put mascara only on one eye, had the wrong lid on my coffee cup (because who can make it through a week like this WITHOUT coffee?!) so it ended up all over the front of my shirt. And of course because I'm running just a few minutes behind, there's no time to run back in and change. Oh, and even if I did, what would I wear since the laundry is piled high?! I honestly think I'll chuckle about it later but it's still a little too fresh to be funny just yet. :)

With all that said, I'm so looking forward to church this morning and looking forward to a fresh start on the next 7 days (Lord willing!). I'm lifting my coffee mug up (hopefully not spilling it today) and saying, "Here's to a NEW week!!".

Thursday Nights

Random tidbit: I LOVE Thursday nights!! For as long as I can remember I have loved Thursday nights. In high school it was the eve of Friday. Fridays filled with Pep-Rallies, Spirit Days, Football games and Sock Hops. Then in college, it was still the most fun night of the week. A typical Thursday night was filled w/Campus Crusade activities followed by everyone gathering at Gatti's or going country dancing until wee hours in the morning. And come to think of it, post college looked much the same for 6 or 7 years as I worked w/CCC and college students. Different places, different people but still the fun of gathering with good friends having loads of fun. And have you noticed that Thursday nights have historically been a great TV night?! As far back as The Cosby Show, skipping quite a few years to ER...and wasn't Survivor on Thursday nights in the early days?! Now, it's Grey's Anatomy that I look forward to. There's something about the week winding down that gives me a big sigh on Thursday night. So, with one kiddo down and the sound of the garage door ushering in the other...I better run. I have some Grey's to watch in a while!

A Little Piece of Happy

What started out as a joke has turned out to be a favorite little happy for me. Andy makes fun of Taylor Swift everytime she comes on the radio, especially when he hears Fifteen. He has his own rendition of it that is pretty funny...and might make a few dogs start to howl (don't tell him I said that part!!). So, at Christmas I had to chuckle when I found her Fearless CD sneakily slipped into my stocking.


A few days later, I opened it and popped it into the CD player in the car and that is what I listened to everyday driving back and forth to see my mom. Who knew that my new favorite song would come out of it? There's no big meaning as to why I like it so much, it was just a little piece of happy for me during those couple of weeks. Take a listen and see what you think.

Perspective

Two weeks ago today the most pressing thing on my mind was what to do with my crazy, overgrown HAIR!! Y'all knew I wouldn't make it very long without bringing it up.;) I couldn't wait to post a few hairstyles and get everyone's vote on their favorite.

So, when my dad called that Monday afternoon to say he had taken my mom to the ER with a "bad headache", I decided to throw my overpriced Hairstyles of the Stars magazine into my bag (along with a few other "essentials") because who has time to waste during those eternal wait times in the ER?!

Once I arrived and discovered my mom was serious enough to bypass the FOUR hour wait I thought I might not need my magazine after all. And then when I heard the word "brain aneurysm" it was as if the world came to a screeching halt in that instant. Up to this point I'd never heard an aneurysm story that ended well. I'm not even sure what I want to say about all of that but I will say that 5 days in ICU with my mom, 6 more in a closely monitored room, the untimely death of a close friend of my sister's, the possibility of my dad receiving lungs from that same friend AND my sister in law's father passing away has a way of changing one's perspective.

I'm not even sure all that has had time to sink in yet. But there are a few things I DO know:

I'm thankful my mom is alive and has her spunk in tact!

The power of prayer is so very real.

I'm amazed at how God orchestrates every single detail of life to care for His own.

He truly is the GOOD Shepherd...even in circumstances that aren't "good".

His presence is so very real.

Every day of our lives is written before one came to be...we will not live one more or one less than He intends.

Each of those days He HAS given us should be celebrated and lived to the fullest.

I believe even more that God is God and He controls it ALL, even when I THINK I am in control, it's just an illusion. I couldn't be more relieved.

I'm blown away by the love and support of fellow believers and feel so loved by HIM through those people.

Incredibly thankful for a family who loves each other and works WITH each other.

Amazed to look back over the years and see all that He has done to keep this family in tact...makes me appreciate the previous thought even more.

I believe in miracles.

And I'm not as young as I used to be!!! :) Pulling all nighters, eating junk when I was able to eat at all, driving back and forth at all hours of the day and night, and drinking endless amounts of coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper to keep my eyelids open does not fare well with this body anymore! ;) I think I need a week at the spa to recover...do you think I can convince my husband?!

So, I do not know when I will get to the point that my hair doesn't seem so trivial anymore but I can guarantee, you all will be the first to know! :)

A New Year...A New Word

Ok, so I have to confess, I've never really liked New Year's resolutions. They sort of rub me the wrong way. They just don't quite fit for me. I think it's because resolutions feel a bit confining. And they have a twinge of feeling like rules. With a sliver (or maybe a tad more) ;) of a rebellious streak in me, creating a rule for myself often makes me want to break it...or have a bad attitude while carrying it out! A little odd since I'm such a rule follower if put in place by someone else! (I'm sure there's some deep psychological meaning to all of that but that's not the point, now, is it?!).

So a few years ago, in lieu of resolutions, I decided I'd come up with a word for the year instead. (I found out later that lots of people do this!) I begin praying around Christmas each year that God would bring to mind my "word of the year". It has been amazing to see how those years have lived up to their word.

The first year it was faithfulness. That year I really focused on and enjoyed the fruit of being faithful in spending time with the Lord as well as being faithful in the little things of life. The following year He brought to mind one that wasn't so fun...repentance. Blech! Yet that year truly was one of changing the course and turning from some sinful patterns that were too big in my life. The next was anticipation. Little did I know at the time this would be the year I'd become pregnant with Little Miss and spend much of that year excitedly anticipating her arrival. And then there was last year. Peace...seek it, pursue it and sit in it no matter the cost. Once again God knew what I'd need to set my sights on in 2009. That peace was often threatened by the circumstances of life...Drew's health issues, Andy's job search and my dad's impending transplant. But as I reflect back on the year I really do see how He brought much peace in the midst of it all. It did not come easy at times. Often I had to fight for it more than I wanted to and on occasion I didn't fight for it at all. Yet in His grace he afforded it to me anyway.

And now here we are on the first day of 2010 and it's time for a new word! I've been pondering it the past couple of weeks and had a few different ones bouncing around in my head yet one keeps pushing it's way to the forefront more than the others. I've found myself saying, "Lord, this can't be the word you want for me!". Some of the competitors have been discipline, focus and hard work. But do you know what the word is?!? It's ENJOY!!!

I need to work on enjoying! Now, that's a word I like! Yet, believe it or not, it's a challenge for me. I can get in such a rut of keeping my "nose to the grindstone" or working hard or finding ways to better myself or things in my home that need improving or learning new parenting skills or 10 steps to being the perfect wife that I often forget just to enjoy. So, this year I want to do something each day that is for pure enjoyment...as simple as watching a tv show or taking a long bath or flipping through a magazine. And on a bigger scale I want to enjoy life more, enjoy the people I love, try new things (like this blog!)and actually take the time to think about what it is that brings me joy. Somehow I often think that God values hard work more than enjoyment. But I think I've missed the mark on this one. Nothing thrills my heart more than watching my kids laugh and play their little hearts out! God has given us many things simply for our enjoyment and I can't help but think that his heart must feel much like mine when He sees me doing just that.

My Favorite Christmas Present

So, I finally decided I'd start a blog. I've contemplated doing it for the past couple of years and finally gave in and took the plunge. People may read it. People may not. But for me, at least I'll have an outlet to share the things that as I go through my day I think about sharing with a friend. Often something random or funny but sometimes a little more thought provoking that I wish I could talk over with someone.

Today it was the utter excitement I got from enjoying this favorite Christmas gift from my dear friend, Kristin. Andy has been known to refer to her as my "other sister". Although she is not my biological sister, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. we are out together we get the, "Are you sisters?" question at LEAST once and often multiple times. And those who don't ask most likely assume we are!

Nonetheless, I could not WAIT to pour my coffee into this today:



Don't you just love the little lid and the bird handle?! The last two nights I've carefully hand washed it so that precious little bird will stay in tact AND so it'll be ready to go the next morning. I almost drank another cup of coffee this afternoon just to use my little pretty! Maybe I can hold off until morning...