Awesome Things About My Man

He likes cold weather like I do

He has cool hair

He's mischievous which drives me nuts sometimes but is also really good for me.

He's a master shell finder.  But seriously, he's really good about being on the look out for and finding cool stuff.

He makes great faces

He likes me

He was a very cute boy 

He makes me happy.  Very very happy.

He was destined to be a Cardinals fan.  Look at the STL hat, y'all!

He has a heart for serving God and sharing His love with others (headed to South Africa)

Kids love him

He's always up for an adventure

He appreciates good food

He loves Mittens

Happy 24th birthday, Robert!  Thanks for being you!

The Month of June

How did it get so late so soon?  It's night before it's afternoon.  December is here before it's June.  My goodness how the time as flewn.  How did it get so late so soon? ~ Dr. Seuss

I guess it being June 20 means the year is about half over.  Hard to believe, I suppose.

We just passed the 6 month mark til Robert graduates.  It's interesting because when we moved here I hadn't moved since I was just a few months old.  I honestly had no idea what to expect.  Would we find kindred spirits immediately?  How long would it take to find jobs?  What would we look for in a church?  How do you learn where everything is in a new town - grocery store, doctor, gas stations?  On top of all of that I was learning how to be a wife and how to be an adult outside of school.  I guess a positive part about not knowing is that you aren't cynical yet, but a good thing about knowing what is like to move now is that I know that it will be difficult, but that it does get better.  I think we all know that it takes me a long time to adjust, so I'm not going to try and pretend otherwise, but for some reason I just feel more ready for this next move.  We have no idea where we will move, but I just feel peaceful about it.  We might move somewhere that we absolutely love and we'll live there forever, we might dislike living there so much that we move quickly, or it might be a place that we love but still don't stay for long.  It doesn't really even matter what it's going to be like because God already knows what's going to happen, He has cooler things planned than I could ever imagine.  It's also kind of nice not knowing everything because it would be awfully overwhelming to know everything that's going to happen in the rest of my life.

At the start of this month Robert took an intensive summer school class for one week that was Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00.  He finished that class, and then headed to Baltimore 2 days later.  It's interesting to see how different my days are when Robert is out of town.  My days consist of way less talking, less laughing, much more sleep, boring meals, and frantic mornings making breakfast and lunch.  He had a great time Baltimore, and we're very glad he got to go.  The main bummer was a huge storm that made the 4 hour drive home turn into 7.5 hours and left me at home without power, a dead cell phone, and nothing to do for 6 hours.

This week was Vacation Bible School, and it was great!  Last year I was in charge of preschool music, and it was super fun but very time-consuming.  It was difficult to get home at 5:50 and need to be at church at 6:15.  This year I helped with preschool snack.  I guess I'd just like to encourage you to not let lack of time be an excuse for not serving others.  Sure, if you have tons of extra time and the desire then go for it and pursue a leadership position, but just because you work full-time doesn't mean you can't do anything.  

15 minutes of random

I challenged myself to write for 15 minutes about anything and everything.  Here it goes:

Tried black coffee today and it wasn't as bad as I had expected.  Adulthood.

We can finally light candles again now that Mittens is living with my parents.  I miss her, but candles are nice.  Today's scent is apple and berries.

The dishwasher is running.

I officially can't sleep without the fan on.

I love the fact that my parents send me the Bolivar paper so I can stay up to date on the happenings of my hometown.

Thankful for this man of mine who goes to work for 10 hours on Saturdays.  Also looking forward to the day he doesn't have to do this.

We have a serious spider problem in our bathroom.  I think I found the mom today.

Living a 1/4 mile (1/2 mile round trip) from our apartment dumpster is unfortunately.  It's far enough that I don't want to walk that much with two kitchen-sized trash bags, but feel lazy if I drive there.  The struggle.

I hate it when we track in leaves from outside.

I actually had a dream about said spiders last night.  They were glowing in the dark and climbing up our walls.

Someone told me I looked very beachy and tan this week.  Now that's funny, folks.

Mom and Dad trimmed Mitten's nails this week.  Mom texted and said that she was sweating profusely and Mittens was punishing them now.  Sounds about right.

I think North Carolina missed spring and just went straight to summer.  Hello, humidity.

Robert's birthday is this month.  He said he wants his present to be watching me attempt to grill dinner.  Thanks, babe...

We got a new $100 bill the other day.  I mentioned the new bill and then realized it was printed in 2004 - a whole decade ago - and noted that apparently I don't see $100 bills very often.  We did however just deposit the coins from our coin jar and made 11 buckaroos!

Why did people start hating carpet?  I know it traps dirt, but who wants to lay down on hardwood or tile and watch a movie or play a game?  Also, hardwood still has the dirt.  It's demonstrated in the hairballs and dust bunnies scurrying around on people's hardwood floors.  Just saying.

Wow, okay, 6 minutes to go.

Listening to JJ Heller.  Get it, girl.  Love your words and songs.

Robert had a jam session with a friend last night.  I love hearing him talk about fun times.

Went to a baby shower for a friend last night.  The first of many as 4 ladies in our Sunday school class are pregnant right now.  Stories of 40 hour labors, deformed hips, and flabby skin were exchanged in abundance.

I've always been a hair twirler.  I have very soft hair, and I don't blame myself for wanting to touch it. :)  I've always been a sensory girl - touching every item of clothing in a store, not being able to wear itchy shorts, cutting out my tags and those weird ribbon things used to hang up dresses.

I'd rather vacuuming 20 rooms, clean 10 bathrooms, and take out 50 pounds of trash than have to fold laundry and do the dishes.  Gag me.

Isn't it weird how you miss things you thought you never would?  Sometimes I miss living in a dorm - not having to make my own food, having a small space to have to clean.

Why do batteries go dead when you aren't even using them?

My right eye has been hurting for about 3 weeks causing me to have to wear my glasses more.  Remember when I really really wanted glasses in elementary school?  Now?  Not so much.  Lasik, anyone?

My phone battery has been dying faster lately.  Robert's too.  Conspiracy.

Wonder when the scar on my hand from the oven hood will go away.  Maybe it will be forever a memory of our time in good old Flaherty Farms.

I made it!  Peace.

Summer Happenings

Memorial Day was so nice.  It was my perfect kind of day - a day full of ticking things off my list.  We had gotten back to town late the night before so it was nice to have a day to recover and catch up from being gone the week before - unpacking, sorting mail, laundry.  I can tell you that in my short time as a "homemaker" I have learned that it is always worth it to clean your house before you leave for a bit trip.  It's so nice to come home to a house with your bed made, no dirty dishes, no stinky trash, and no clutter to be found.  Definitely worth it.  I also like to unplug everything in our apartment before leaving for a trip.  I don't know exactly how much money this saves us, but I know it sure doesn't hurt.  We also turn the AC up to 80 or the heat down to 65.  Having lower electric and water bills is just an added benefit of traveling.

Anyway, with our extra day off we returned an item at Pet Smart, sold a table and lamps, made a deposit at the bank, and did some spring cleaning.  It was so wonderful that Robert had the day off as well!  We ended the day with a barbecue with our dear friends Forrest and Anna.  We brought the potato salad and homemade ice cream.  They furnished the veggies and meat.  And let me tell you, they went all out with the meat: pork chops, burgers, hot dogs, ham, and spam.  Wowie wow wow!

I don't know about you, but starting the work week on a Tuesday pretty much makes the whole week feel out of sorts.  You would think it would make it faster having a four day work week, but I just spend the whole week confused on what day it is and feeling behind.

We wrapped up the week with a weekend trip to the Outer Banks to meet up with Robert's mom and her husband.  The weather was a little cool, but it was actually nicer than originally predicted.  We got to hang at the beach, swim at the pool, hike up a sand dune, eat lots of tasty food, and enjoy cable tv (which we don't have at home).

This week is pretty nuts.  Robert is in an intensive summer school class which means he is in the same class Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00 for one week, but then it's over and he has three more credit hours under his belt.  He's taking Biblical Manhood and Womanhood - a class which he wasn't interested in, I suggested he take, and he is now enjoying.  Score!  After this class he will have four days to recover before he goes to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual conference.  That's another summer school class.  He'll be gone for three days and will get another three credit hours.  He's really looking forward to this one.  It should be a great experience with lots of time for networking for his future career.  Another benefit?  It's FREE with not tuition cost.  After mid June he will be finished with classes for the summer, and he'll be finished with his assignments by the end of June which will leave all of July and most of August for him to enjoy just working and not having to study so he can get ready for his FINAL semester.  It's going to be so strange when he's finished with school.  We've never known each other outside of school.  I'm excited to see what it will be like.  I know everybody talks about how being in school is sooooo much easier than being a full-time employee, but with two years of full-time experience (I know it still isn't a ton) I can say that I love the fact that I leave work at 5:00 and am free as a bird until 8:00.

Also, I've been inspired by Ann VosKamp's 1000 gifts and wanted to respond to her Joy Dare for June 3.  Today's dare is is to find 3 gifts from today's conversations:

1. Talking with Robert on our nightly walk - Robert and I have found that we both chat more and listen better while we're walking.  I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they're in a slump in their conversations with their spouse.
2. A surprise call from my Dad after I got home from work - Isn't it great to have parents who think about you throughout the day?
3. Hearing about a job interview that my friend's husband has - It's awesome to hear how God is providing for His people who are seeking His heart.  It also gives me hope and inspires me as we start to think about our future after Robert graduates.

What gifts of conversation did you hear today?

Also, an update on Mittens: She loves my parents, and they love her.  We couldn't have better caregivers for her.  I think they like her almost as much as Robert and I do.  They have been great to give us daily updates and pictures of her.  Her second birthday was on Sunday, and they made sure to treat her like the princess that she is.

Birthday party complete with a banner, kitty cat Pate, and "It's Your Special Day" plate