~My Husband Rocks!~ Friday

To learn more about My Husband Rocks! Fridays and to join us in edifying our amazing husbands, skip on over to see the wonderful Miss Katy Lin at her blog The Great Adventure.

Does he look nervous in this picture? This was, of course, taken just a couple hours before we wed on August 5, 2005. I don’t think he looks nervous, but he told me that he was extremely nervous that day until he saw me walking down the isle towards him. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing… not for himself but for me. He was concerned that he would somehow make my life worse. (Well, let me put you at ease, Baby.) I’ve never in my life been happier. Since I met and married my Chris, my life has only gotten better and better. Yep, he rocks!

In this pic, Dad is supposed to be warning Chris to treat me right, but of course neither of them are taking it very seriously. It’s weird how much they are alike – can fix just about anything, know a lot about cars, and treat their wives so wonderfully. Yeah, my dad rocks too!

Oh, and Chris also rocks because he’s gone out every chilly morning this week to warm up the car for me and our sweet Willow Grace. It’s been so nice and toasty, and I haven’t had to scrape any frost off the windows. What a man!

Willow Grace Wednesday

Can you believe that I only have a couple shots to share with you this week? I somehow let the battery die on our camera, so I didn't take many pictures of her this last week.

Sweet moment with Chris.... I just love watching them interact with each other.


Is that just the cutest outfit? Her Gran-Gran (Chris's mom) bought it for her. This was taken on our trip to Crossville last Saturday, just before my camera died.

It's Monday, and I'm tired.

Do you remember those weekends when there was nothing to do or at least nothing that had to be done? I guess I might have still had some of those until July 2007, but after I got married in 2005 they certainly became less and less available.

The weekend started nice enough. On Friday night after we had gotten the little one off to bed Chris built a fire in our fireplace. It was our first time to use it since we moved here, and we very unpleasantly discovered that the handle which indicates that the flue is open is actually broken. This was, of course, discovered after getting the fire going. S0 -- break out the fire extinguisher, open the windows, turn on the fan, air out the house, and start all over again! Chris managed to crawl part way into the fireplace and open the flue manually. I actually had the pleasure of falling asleep on the couch to the crackling noise and the warm glow of a lovely fire. I'll try to liberate one of the pics from the camera later and post it.

That was the last bit of downtime....

Between traveling most of the day Saturday to see Chris's grandmother in Crossville and cleaning all day Sunday, there was little time for relaxation. We didn't make it to church on Sunday for the second time in a row! Willow Grace was ill with a bad cold and had developed a bad cough. I even considered taking her to the doctor but since she had no fever I knew I'd just be paying $25 to have them tell me, "Make sure she gets plenty of liquids and rest." Thanks, got it.

Instead of going with Chris to his belated birthday dinner at his parents' house, little Miss Willow Grace and I stayed home. She busied herself with taking all of the books off of her shelf a half a dozen times, and I busied myself with replacing those same books and patiently trying to teach her that they need to stay on the shelf. In addition to that I

• washed, dried, and folded a few loads of laundry


• washed dishes in the sink


• load and unloaded the dishwasher


• cleaned out the refrigerator


• vacuumed


• moved the mattress and box springs off of our bed in order to inspect the frame and put it all back together (Chris doesn't know I did this since he was gone, but I guess now the cat's out of the bag!)
  


• cleared several piles of books, papers, clothes, and various other random items from around the house


• took care of Willow Grace (a full time job all on its own)

Next weekend looks to be just as or even more busy than this one, and we'll be traveling the week after that. Maybe some day, somehow, we'll enjoy one of those do-nothing weekends of the past. Hmm, maybe when we're in our 80's....

Edit: Here's a pic I promised of our first fire.

~My Husband Rocks!~ Friday

Why does my husband rock? He rocks because his love is so "daily."

Every day he...
~texts or emails me to check on me -- just to see how my day is going and to tell me he misses and loves me.
~makes me laugh.
~utters those three precious words "I love you" several times.
~works hard to provide for his family.
~tells me that I'm beautiful.
~tries to help me around the house and with the baby.
~gives me sweet kisses and wonderful bear hugs.
~compliments me on a wide array of things like my cooking, creativity, silliness, and ingenuity.
~ loves me just the way I am and welcomes my love in return.

Willow Grace Wednesday

Ah, yes, it's that time again... that time that I've unabashedly set aside for myself to take pride in my daughter, the precious creature God put in my care. I thank Him for her every day! I keep thinking about a passage from a book I used to teach where the mother refrains from showing much fondness for her son because women who thought highly of their own children were looked down on. I always disliked that part of the book. While mothers can certainly take it too far and turn a blind eye to unpleasant truths about their children's behavior, it's so important for mothers to praise and be affectionate towards their children. I certainly have no problem with being proud of mine!

On that note, here are a few sweet pics from the last couple weeks that I'd like to share with you.

You have to teach them early to keep both hands on the wheel! (Yes, this was taken @ Walmart. She doesn't have one of these...yet.)

She's always so cute - bright eyed or sleepy headed!Here's the queen of our home and her little princess! (But why is her crown bigger than mine?)

Thousands of Pictures

No, I'm not posting thousands of pics; I've been looking through thousands of pictures on the computer for a work project at school. We're trying to find pictures that would look good blown up into poster size for the offices at work, and I'm looking through a ton from athletic events and fine arts productions. While it's fun to sift through all those memories, I have to brake from it intermittently as all the images tend to run together. I think I start to get that glazed-over look in my eyes because people ask me if I'm OK when I look up at them. It's hard to focus on all those images and then to refocus on the people right in front of my desk.

Have you made your Christmas list yet? I've started to think about it, but I haven't gotten very far. The other night Chris and I were about to go to sleep, and out of the blue I said, "You know what I really want for Christmas? It might sound weird, but I want one of those really large Barbie heads." Without hesitation he responded, "You want to practice different hairstyles on it." Yeah, he just gets me. He knows that I'm excited by the fact that Willow Grace is getting more hair (finally!), and he knows that I want to be really good at cute hairstyles. I didn't need to explain any of that to him. He just got it. How cool is that!?!

~My Husband Rocks!~ Friday

My wonderful husband rocks because even though yesterday was his birthday, he put his own feelings and wants aside and was there for me. A phenomenal lady who was my friend and colleague died this week, and yesterday was her funeral. Such a beautiful ceremony! Chris took half of the day off to go with me. I can't tell you what it meant to me to have him sitting there next to me and to feel that strong arm around my shoulders. What a comfort! I honestly don't know how I would have handled it without him.

To add to that, he also had to work really late last night and didn't get home until both Willow Grace and I were in bed. Not much of a birthday. At least there were presents, 3 cards (I just couldn't choose!), and a nice breakfast yesterday morning since neither of us went to work before the funeral. Still, I will find a way to make it all up to him. He deserves a crazy-good birthday for how good he's been to me.

Oh, he also rocks because he's so cute, and I love how we match with our blue and black in this picture!

Willow Grace Wednesday

I have four pics to share with you today.

We had to take Willow Grace to the eye doctor this last week to get her left eye checked out since it doesn't seem to always focus with the right. Even though we had to wait for 1 1/2 hours, she was so patient and busied herself. BTW, everything checked out great. (Her eyes are just in that development stage where they learn to work together.) One of the teachers at the school where I work gave Willow Grace this crown. She really enjoys wearing it. She's such a little princess!
Look at how tickled with herself she is! She loves prancing in front of the mirror and giggling at herself.
Oops! I left the bathroom door open, and, of course, she found the toilet paper!

Manic Shoppin'

I'm planning a HUGE shopping trip tonight at the Super Walmart, and I'm not sure just how this is going to work out. However, with the recent change in my job (and pay) and the gas prices, my husband and I have discovered that we have more money half way through the month. At the beginning of the month the bulk of our paycheck goes towards bills. So, I thought that perhaps I could do one gargantuan shopping trip at the midway point in the month and then just tiny weekly trips for stuff like milk, eggs, and bread.

The biggest problem I can see here is storage. Where exactly will I put a month's worth of groceries? We have a small pantry and an average size refrigerator. I am pretty good at organizing things and finding space where there doesn't seem to be any. However, I wonder.... Is this just another of my totally crazy ideas? Am I getting in way over my head?

Must Be a Cruel Joke

This is what I just keep thinking. “I just can’t believe it. It must be a cruel joke.” For the last 24 hours, I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my co-worker, my friend, died on Saturday. She was on her way to Chattanooga to help her daughter plan her December wedding, and she pulled off at a rest stop because of a headache and ended up having an aneurism. She was found unconscious, life-flighted to Nashville, had an operation, and died. Those are the facts. While I can rattle them off; somehow those words have very little meaning for me.

I found out last night as I was cleaning our house for community group, and I just couldn’t deal with it. My mind keeps rejecting the idea. She is such a vibrant, colorful woman; and the world has just gotten a little bit darker. We won’t have school on Thursday so that we can all go to the service. Maybe by then this will all become a little more real for me.

~My Husband Rocks!~ Friday

Sometimes my mind is overwhelmed with the realization that God blessed me so completely with my husband. Before we started dating I told others that there was no way that we'd ever end up together. I was not interested in him romantically, and I really couldn't see us ever being compatible. How limited my view was then! I'm so thankful that God saw more than I could and gently nudged us towards each other. We were friends for three years before we started dating, and we didn't really mean to start dating. It just sort of happened "accidentally." Of course, it was no accident; God knew what he was doing. Chris and I really do complete one another. "And the two shall become one." We were two whole people before we met, and somehow one plus one came to equal one. Even after three years we are giddily in love with one another.

Chris rocks because he married me which brought both of us so much happiness and because, while he is not perfect, he is perfect for me.

I love you, my wonderful Chris!

Willow Grace Wednesday

Fun times at Nana and Papa's house. (That's her Papa, my dad, in the first picture. Bootsie, my cousin, is pulling her in the wagon with Christian, Bootsie's son.)

Silly times with a bucket!

I think I'm doing pretty well with holding off until Wednesdays to post a bunch of pics of Willow Grace. I love doing these little collages so I can get a bunch of shots in without taking up too much space.

I am so proud of my sweet girl and so thrilled to be a mom. She's growing so fast and learning so much! By the way, this last week she learned how to find her nose, and she can say "Amen!" Yeah, we think she's pretty brilliant!

Me and John McCain

Today was a dress up day for the middle school students. One of them came as John McCain. I just couldn't resist getting a pic with him!

Rain and McCain

Isaiah 44:3
"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." (NKJV)

There are two significant events happening in Nashville today. First of all, it's raining! It's been so long since we've seen rain; I'd almost forgotten what it looked like to see water falling from the sky. The rain is only supposed to be here for one day; how I wish we could have more!

The other significant event, of course, is the presidential debate at Belmont University. Being that there is no shortage of coverage on this event and renderings of opinion, I'm going to refrain, for now, from using this blog to issue my own thoughts on our political happenings. Perhaps I will feel differently after the debate. We shall see....

However, I do fully plan on posting a pic of myself and "McCain" at the end of the day.

The Elusive Snooze

While I don't wish to sleep for 100 years like dear Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, I would like a few more hours. I am sleep deprived today.

I'm operating on somewhere between 2-3 hours of sleep. Willow Grace woke up around 11:30 and decided it was party time. She didn't go back down until around 4. Chris and I kept trying to trade off and find ways to get her to sleep, but nothing worked. Even when he had her and I was in bed, I could not sleep. We rocked her, paced around, gave her a bottle, changed her diaper, played lullabies, prayed, and put on one of her Praise Baby DVDs. These usually calm her and often help her to drift off, however, she was just wide-eyed and ready for fun. She actually stood in her bed for about 1 1/2-2 hours watching Praise Baby, which was on a continuous loop. Finally, she laid down to watch and ended up drifting off to sleep, but I was a bit revved up and could not drift off. When I did, I had bizarre dreams that kept waking me back up! Oh, well. Bring on the caffeine!

By the way, the special, deluxe edition of Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty comes out tomorrow on DVD. I love Disney movies; this will definitely make my Christmas wish list this year.

~My Husband Rocks!~ Friday

Yesterday I walked in the door and immediately fessed up to my husband something I had done wrong, a place in which I felt that I had horribly come up short. He immediately asked me if I had seen the comment he left on my blog earlier that day. I hadn't. Did you happen to read my husband's comment from my post yesterday? I took a quiz on how well I knew him. At the end of the post I asked him how I did, this was the comment he left:

"Well, you did pretty good. The only thing you missed was what I wish you wouldn't do which is be hard on yourself. You do so much and then expect so much more out of yourself. I think you're perfect the way you are and love you not in spite of your imperfections but because of them."

He is so sweet to me and so loving, and he rocks because of that.

Oh, and he also rocks because on Monday he bought me these:

He said that he had seen them and thought of me. He also thought that they would look really nice on my desk at work; I agree. He's so thoughtful!

You rock, Honey!

How Well Do I Know My Husband?

The following quiz was on Katy Lin's blog, The Great Adventure. I couldn't resist participating. Oh, I hope I did well on this.

How Well Do You Know Your Husband?

(August 5, 2005: Our wedding day. Don't we look so happy?)

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen? any James Bond movie, Mythbusters, cartoons, Cash Cab

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Thousand Island (He prefers not to eat “rabbit food” but does it because I’m trying to keep him healthy.)

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Seafood

4. You go out to a bar. What does he order? We don’t go to bars, but when we go out he always orders sweet ice tea or Coke.

5. Where did he go to high school? Brentwood High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? 11-12

7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? Guns/weapons

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Bologna (I make him one for his lunch almost every day.)

9. What would this person eat everyday if he could? Chinese

10. What is his favorite cereal? Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch Berries

11. What would he never wear? Pastel or bright colors

12. What is his favorite sports team? Titans

13. Who will he vote for? John McCain

14. Who is his best friend? Uh, that would be me, of course! However, other than me, his best friend is D.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? This is terrible. I know there’s stuff, but I just can’t think of anything specific. I guess I can get moody sometimes, and he doesn’t like that, but he’s so sweet to me when that happens.

16. How many states has he lived in? Just Tennessee

17.What is his heritage? Irish

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake? Yellow cake w/ chocolate icing (His birthday is this month, so he’ll be getting one of these really soon. Actually, I’m planning on making his one in the next couple days, way before his birthday.

19. Did he play sports in high school? Nope, he was in marching band, which I think should count as a sport. That’s hard work!

20. What could he spend hours doing? Playing video games, playing on the computer and looking at Craig’s List, driving around with me

21. Does he belong to any men's organizations? Not one.

So, Chris, how did I do?

Willow Grace Wednesday

Look at those rosey cheeks! A stranger at the store actually asked me if that was her natural color! Natural color? Sure, I put blush on my baby. (Note the sarcasm.) What a strange question!

I have two collages of Willow Grace to share today. Our church community group met at the park this last Sunday, and it was also Willow Grace's first time to actually play on a playground. She had so much fun, and of course so did Chris and I.

I love the way she's hanging onto Chris's jeans in the last pic on the second row above. She was watching a man blowing up balloons for the kids on the playground, and she wasn't really sure what to think. Apparently she got over that because you see her playing with the balloon he gave her in the next pic.

I was so pleased with how much she loved the swing. She was happy to be on them and happy to move on to the next thing. She's such a sweet, easy-going girl!