Be Still My Heart

March 8, 2012 By

**I’ll have answers to the questions with tomorrow’s post. As soon as I quit shuddering from Mindee’s horrible reality of only 5 books. So if you have something to ask – feel free to leave a comment here or below and ask away.**

 

I’m sorry this is late, which really is quite sad given it’s just a photo and now an apology, but I didn’t hop on the computer last night.

 

Nor did I plan ahead. (Clearly poor planning on my part.)

 

It’s just I cried all the way home last night because you see I finished the Hunger Games trilogy. And I related to Katniss about her sister Prim. Then I thought of MY cats. Then I sobbed harder.

 

Then I felt like a total fool, only I couldn’t quit crying and I am quite sure the fellow Atlanta rush hour drivers around me thought I was insane as I had a quite pleasant drive all things considered. Not a single person cut me off.

 

Anyway – this rock here, its super special. I received this the weekend my world turned upside down and to be really truthful its part of the reason Alex and I made it.

 dcf80eac Be Still My Heart

So this rock lives on my nightstand along with the cat claw scratches from peering at the birds outside our window and rather large assortment of notepads none of which have writing in them. Forgive me the late not-nearly wordless enough Wordless Wednesday post.

 

Hopefully I’ll be back on track and a great deal less hormonal tomorrow.

signature Be Still My Heart

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Brain Musings from Mush

March 5, 2012 By
military spec phone
My brain is so full its running on over-drive practically. Which is pretty pathetic since I’m not actually BUSY outside of my job, but I think that’s just over-loaded me so much that at home even menial (re: cooking dinner) tasks have become a huge thought process. Which is also why we’re eating salad for dinner.
Which means blogging, well not the typing / talking I do that pretty well no matter what, but the actually coming up with interesting substance to intrigue YOU is kind of hard.
Let’s see – I’m hoping to host a link up for marriage blogs this week. I need to design a button first, but my goal is to get it up there later this week.
Alex has moved from the last century of cell phone technology to 2012. You see he HAD a military spec phone that he snapped in two.
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Which meant he inherited this nice gem from the dark ages (cell phone wise) until his renewal came up for grabs.
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Now the only thing I ever see is the back of his iPhone 4 because he’s got a brand new toy.
What else, oh yes, we got a treadmill. We’ve been talking about this for a while and we decided getting a basic treadmill that we can both use ALL year-long rather than a gym membership we would laze out of driving to would work better in the long run. Plus its presence in our bedroom reminds me that I really do want to lose the 10 pounds my meds have helped me gain.
What else, oh yea, as part of that whole treadmill thing we cleaned off (i.e. dumped in the middle of our guest room) all of my books so we could move our bookshelf to another wall. We ended up not moving the bookshelf after all, but this is definitely a good time for me to weed through my collection.
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It’s a bit…obsessive appearing.
That’s pretty much it. Sorry for the nonsensical sense to this post. If y’all have any questions at all for me now is the time to ask.
I’ve opened myself up for this before and always get like ZERO responses so I feel dorky and like I’m talking to myself. So I’m asking, no really its begging (let’s be honest), ASK ME SOMETHING. ANYTHING.
Please help me not seem so dorky.
Much love y’all!
signature Brain Musings from Mush
Filed Under: Marriage Adventures Tagged With: , , , , 8 Comments

Turning a Corner

February 27, 2012 By
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Want to know what I did Friday? I laughed.

A lot. With my husband.

OMA 0860 Turning a Corner

(I’m sure this seems anti-climatic but wait! There’s more!)

As I’ve explained before in some detail, Alex and I have struggled more than anyone likely would suspect of a couple married only two and a half years. Six months ago everything came to a crashing head wherein I had to make a decision on whether or not I would stay. I’m not going to go into details (sorry for the curious) but suffice to say since the day I made my decision I’ve had it questioned by friends, family, and even occasionally myself.

No one except Alex truly understands the status of our marriage, and not even Alex fully understands what all I have gone through the last six months. He’s seen the ups and downs, and he’s been adamant through it all that he’d give me what I needed. The last six months, have ironically, also been the best six months of our marriage. We have knocked down doors, heck even some walls, and we’ve literally had to redefine our marriage.

But we did manage to do just that!

So this past Friday, the ability for us to not only sit in a restaurant, but LAUGH for two solid hours about Andrew Zimmerman and disgusting foods is a moment well fought for. I get that not everyone respects the decision I made to fight for my marriage. I get that not everyone understands WHY we’re still married. That’s ok.

Because we turned a corner. One we’ve fought for, cried for, been in therapy for, and most importantly sought together. Marriage is NOT easy. I can honestly say I hope our marriage is the exception rather than the rule to how tough it can get, but I also know if we can’t work through these last six months we’re going to make sixty years.

I realize this is a slightly serious post, but I figure given the um title of the blog y’all ought to know the corner we turned marriage wise. Next several posts are lots more fun (if you know, you like sugar cookies the size of PLATES!)

signature Turning a Corner

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We Got Mugged!

February 21, 2012 By
been mugged

Last night I was setting our table for dinner with all the fixings for chicken tacos when there was a knock on our door. Alex stared at me and asked me what I knocking for and I had to laugh. Once he figured it out, he headed to our front door.

Next thing I hear is “Oh God, I’ve been mugged!”

Given my husband sounded like he was more amused than freaked out I didn’t rush around the corner, in part because if it were real I figure he’s the man. He oughta handle it. After a moment I heard friendly voices and so decided it was safe to come out and see what was going on.

Turns out we were indeed mugged!

IMG 4647 1 300x200 We Got Mugged!

It’s a funny thing to say we judge the churches we attend, but its true. As Alex and I have searched for a church one of the criteria we’ve looked for is how open they are to new members. I.E. What do they do to welcome you? The sermon I brought up the other day is from the church that “mugged” us last night. We’ve attended three services to date so this was a nice incentive to come on back.

What has made you feel positive about a new group or church?

signature We Got Mugged!

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Good Mood Wednesday

February 15, 2012 By

Today I have been in a good mood all day. I’ve been smiling, dancing, and otherwise exuding such levels of cheer and joy that it might just make you a tad ill.

(The dancing has caused some strange looks in the office at work, but this gal can sure cut a chair.)

I would say that about 99% of why I’m in such a great mood is yesterday. The holiday I normally dread turned out to be FANTASTIC.

I’m still not sure how, and I don’t really care, but when I got up to go to work I noticed the most lovely bunch of flowers with a card and box sitting on our kitchen counter.

05d177df Good Mood Wednesday

The box had a beautiful pair of heart earrings in it because Alex knows I prefer white gold and only had a pair of yellow gold ones prior to this. I’d put a picture on but I’ve yet to take them out since I opened the box and the few I’ve tried to take look bad because my ears look retarded. So no pictures YET!

THEN … at work around noon I got a text telling me to leave work on time. (I tend to stay a little late here lately.) Why? Because my sweetie MADE RESERVATIONS! Oh.My.Goodness. Y’all I teared up on the way home because I felt so special all dang day.

96d76ff4 Good Mood Wednesday

I’ll say this, Alex kicked my butt this year with regards to Valentine’s Day. I got all of that, and he got a painted bathroom. One he had to help me finish painting.

Clearly I need to step up my game. How was your holiday?

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Filed Under: Marriage, Marriage Adventures Tagged With: , , 6 Comments

Lesson’s I’ve Learned

February 13, 2012 By

Alex and I tried a new service this past weekend because I really liked the idea of Saturday night church AND I wanted to hear the second part to a sermon series.

The service was OK, but the important part, the sermon, really hit home for both of us. The sermon was entitled “Lesson’s I’ve learned as a Husband (and Wife)” and was shared by the associate Pastor and his wife at the church we attended.

They each shared lessons they had learned about choices you make in your marriage. Choices like not allowing simple frustrations (housework) and potential other priorities (your job) to take your focus off of each other. The truth is children, work, house, friends, family, etc should not be the center of your universe. They are not intended to be your number one anything. Based on the bible, God should be #1 and followed by that is your spouse.

The prayer “Dear Lord, help us to be the spouses you want us to be. Form us into the kind of spouse that is a JOY to our mates, honoring both them and Jesus in our WORDS, DEEDS, and LIFE…Help others, whether married or single, to see that our spouses are indeed our best friends and trusted partners in the ministry of our families.” hit home for me personally. As I sat beside Alex in service, I could tell he too was struck by the messages we were receiving.

I can’t tell you what he was thinking beyond “It all really hit home” because that’s he’s explained to me. I can say that for me the lesson about respecting your husband was reiterated.

I truly believe that the husband should be the “leader” in the relationship. He may not be the money maker, but he is the provider. He can provide by living out the ways you respect, honor, and live God’s word in his relationship with his wife and children. On the other hand, I, as a wife, need to respect my husband. That means growing in trust, growing in actions, and then living out these changes.

As Valentine’s Day comes upon us, I’m glad we were both able to hear this message. I have no doubt we each walked away with different thoughts, but in the end those differences are what brings us together as husband and wife.

signature Lessons Ive Learned

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Honeymoon Horrors

February 7, 2012 By
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I’m going to travel back in reflection today because its cold and just blegh out. So I’m going to tell you a honeymoon horror story ADVENTURE!

(It is what you make of it dagnabit. So adventure it is!)

Alex and I really wrestled with what to do for our honeymoon. We knew we wanted a week-long trip, we knew we wanted daily “adventures” because we would have been bored to tears without them, and we knew we wanted to be happy. After weighing a couple of options we opted to travel to the “happiest place on earth!”
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Plus we could drive there, which meant we could splurge on a hotel room and other such extras!

Disney World is truly magical. Our hotel, The Wilderness Lodge, was so very much US that we literally spent one day wandering the hotel. (The entire hotel is modeled after Old Faithful Inn in Yosemite….AND the company I work for, helped build it….long before I worked here.) The only kicker with the hotel is, its off the beaten path. Just a tad. Which means Disney Busses anytime you want to travel with the exception of the Magic Kingdom.
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Now, the bus schedule for Disney World is so kindly plastered online, in the hotels, you name it you can find the information. So I made fancy reservations in restaurants at various parks and alternate hotels using those schedules. Reservations that some of those restaurants HAVE to give up (i.e. turn you away if you are late) due to sheer demand.

So our first full day there, we deck out in our fancy clothes (i.e. not shorts and flip-flops) and head down to the bus stop. We’re sitting there with several nice people when we begin to overhear comments about those darn busses always running late.

Say What?!

30 minutes later the bus FINALLY shows up. We check the clock and figure it’s ok, we can still make it so long as we book it from the park entrance to the restaurant. No wandering, but that’s ok we’d planned another day in the park for just this possibility. Now the busses have pretty standard routes, which mean you know where they are going and how many stops they’ll make between your pick up and drop off locations.

 We had one stop, no big deal. Well not this night, OH NO. Our first night in Disney, someone planted A BOMB to the underside of one of the buses. So each bus was making up new routes based on calling in at each location. Just so no one could pull off anything funny. Sadly, the never conveyed this key data to the GUESTS.

45 minutes later, and now 30 minutes late for our reservation, Alex got a map from me and took off running through EPCOT (his first time ever in the park, if I recall correctly) in an attempt to rescue our reservation. I followed as quickly as I could behind him in my heels. 
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By the time I caught up with him, they were telling him no they were quite sorry but they had to give our spot away. I think I burst into tears at that point. Alex now had a hungry belly, a brand new wife in tears, and I believe a pretty panicked 20-year-old working the counter. Luckily, Alex was able to find a solution by grabbing us a cancelled reservation from some other couple (Thanks Bomb Scare!) for about 20 minutes later in the evening. We ended up missing the firework show, but we did finally get to eat dinner. 

Definitely set a new standard for the rest of the honeymoon! Oh and we, we learned our lesson that night. We took our own car, the boats, or the monorail ONLY from that point forward.
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Filed Under: Marriage Adventures, Vacations Tagged With: , , , Share Something Y'all

A Happy Marriage

February 1, 2012 By
Oh Yes We Did

On the advice of a rather talented and funny gal whom I admire I’ve decided to start tonight’s post with the following advice.

Y’all I’m rather talented and quite hilarious so brace yourselves.

(Does it help if you believe this about yourself? Because if so I might as well give up now.)

(Thank you Megan for that bit of advice for now I’m sure the world will appreciate my greatness. Or at the very least stare at me from the same perch my cats hold themselves upon.)

Marriage is a funny funny thing. The biggest piece of advice you will hear from EVERYONE is “the key to a happy marriage is learning how to communicate.” I disagree, slightly. While communicating is indeed key – I think the final ::click:: in that happiness puzzle is ensuring you know how to lose.

couplebedfight A Happy Marriage

Clearly ain't us

I’m sure some of y’all are thinking “SAY WHAT?!” It’s ok, I’m used to being called crazy. However, this fact cannot be made untrue.

Alex and I are pretty dang good communicators. I get he expresses himself in one way, he gets I express myself a little differently. We manage to cross those differences and voila! We have communication. However, we still fight.

Alas that is the truth y’all. You will fight in any marriage.

(Unless perhaps you are a Disney Princess married to Prince Charming and even that is suspect. Haven’t you ever wondered why they stop with the wedding? EXACTLY!)

So given that fighting is inevitable, the next key to this is in all fights someone will lose. Sometimes you both lose, sometimes one of you “wins” and the other “loses.” Either way – the quickest way for a fight to go from healthy, cleansing, and productive is for it devolve into a fight about absolutely nothing because neither one of you will give up.

Trust me on this one, Alex and I are both highly experienced in this area. Just this past weekend we had a cleansing fight about issues regarding housework. It happens. Normally we fight, we walk it off, and then we both get better at the points the other person brought up because they were kinda sorta right.

Last weekend however, neither one of us would back down. Until by the end of it we were fighting over my inability to say “Buttmunch” because I was so angry I was stumbling over my words calling him “MunchButt” and his idiotic laughter over my said inabilities. (This is funny now that I look back on it.) So the fight just continued in a circular fashion getting worse and worse and worse until we literally had to each leave the house to chill out.

That evening I apologized to him and he apologized to me and we’re back to the productive communicating.  All it would have taken to stop the above fight was for one of us to back down and accept a “loss.”

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Oh Yes We Did

So communicating while critical is not as important as being ok with losing.

signature A Happy Marriage

Filed Under: 365 Love Dare, Marriage, Marriage Adventures Tagged With: , , , 13 Comments
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