Sick Kids & Marriage

Currently ... miraculously ... both boys are asleep. It's been a rough few days around our house. Carter got his first round of immunizations and Hampton came down with a case of the two year molars and a sore throat/cough virus all in the same weekend. At some point in all of the giving of tylenol and advil, I forgot C's morning reflux meds ... so that was fun! We left the dr.'s office on Friday afternoon and were back early Monday morning. I'll spare the details of the in between, but it involved a whole lot of crying, lots of midnight car rides, and verrry little sleep for all of us. It also involved trying to give oral meds with syringe to an almost two year old, which, you know ... is more like trying to wrestle a raging 500 lb bull to the ground. And then once you get it to the ground, you still need to pry open the bull's mouth with your bare hands. And shoot down the meds. At 2 a.m. YES PLEASE. Sign me up ;)

Raising two under two is the hardest job I've ever had, and for sure it's the most exhausting - emotionally, mentally, physically. Some days I feel so isolated ... like I'm being held hostage in my own home by two babies. Other days I isolate myself ... because I'm too tired to actually muster up the energy to do anything about it.

I'm learning to depend on the Lord in a lot of new ways these days. Paul calls it, "just get me through the next ten minutes..." mode. So sometimes my prayer life looks like this: "God. please. help. me."

What am I thankful for in all of this wild? My husband ... who selflessly pours himself out for me, and for our family. Sometimes we look at each other late at night or early in the morning or mid-afternoon and ...... laugh. He says to me, often, there's no one else I would rather do this with. And those words aren't spoken over candlelight and fine wine (well, OKAY, sometimes the wine) ... they're usually spoken in the midst of complete and utter bedlam ... when everything is off the chain and breaking b-a-d. But I love that. I love that we've both repeatedly chosen each other, chosen our marriage, chosen to fight through the good, bad, and ugly in so many seasons during the last 12 years. It's so much of why in the midst of mayhem, we can laugh.

Because we know it's for a season. And there's no one else I would rather do this with.

High Heels, Fajitas & TJ

Non-highlight of this trip: 13 hours & 3 airports in stilettos. I was “this” close to going barefoot, Hartsfield. Legs on fire. I talked myself out of taking all five advil pills found in my purse and called it a night soon after landing in ole VA.

Highlights of this trip: having fajitas in Texas. I never leave that state without some good Tex-Mex, oh my lone star … so good. And Charlottesville, Virginia is one hip place. I really, really love it. UVA {as seen above while I was sitting in traffic earlier today} is beautiful and full of brick and history. On my lunch break I made a detour not for lunch but to see TJ’s house, Monticello. I learned more about Jefferson in a 15 minute video on site than I ever did in school, and I really enjoyed it.

Monday Funday

Coffee spill all over clothes – check
2-hour staff meeting – check
1-hour eye doctor appointment where I was told

left astigmatism has worsened and,

how exactly have you seen out of your left eye the last

few weeks??? – check {and answer – I haven’t}

Currently en route to Pittsburgh, PA - check

The Geese With Nine Lives

This wedding weekend was wonderful in so many ways. So full of joy and blessing, a reminder of the faithfulness of God, that He does give us the desires of our heart.

Paul and I spent yesterday being lazy. With a capital L. After the hustle and bustle of a wedding weekend, we indulged in doing next to nothing. We did venture out to see The Proposal … which was my kind of funny. Maybe it’s age, and with age comes inhibition, but I’m pretty sure I was the loudest laugher in the entire theater. Sometimes there’s just no holding me back.

But all of that love and starry eyed dreaming came to a screeching halt on this cloudy Monday a.m. … pretty sure all in the name of three geese crossing the road. I was going with the flow of traffic when I saw something in the road ahead of me, as I got closer I saw it was a dead bird that had just been run over. About that time his friends decided to try the same evil kanevil type stunt by [as slowly as possible during rush hour] waddling their merry selves across … and the five cars ahead of me and around me all slammed on their brakes. I was the lucky girl who ended up in the ditch, but I figured it was better than ending up in the backseat of the tahoe directly in front of me. I’m pretty sure my hands are still shaking. I’m pretty sure I cried the rest of the way to work.

I’m also pretty sure those geese made it to the other side of the road. No comment.

June + lunch hour + Bethany’s yard in High Point Terrace + scissors [and yes, she gave me permission] = a much more beautiful desk on this Monday afternoon.

This, That & The Other

Supposedly, I am running a 10K in four weeks. Someone please relay that message to shin splints from hell that refuse to cooperate with said training schedule. As my boss voiced at staff meeting this morning, someone threw a monkey wrench in that plan.

Things to love about this Monday: woke up to the sun streaming through my windows, wrapped myself up in my favorite and most comfortable (and nearly famous, I might add) blue blanket and made coffee, breakfast blend. Opened the blinds and curled up on one end of the couch for some me and God time. There is something so refreshing about reading through the Psalms in the early morning.

Things to not love about this Monday: It seems Corporate America did not get the memo [insert shock and awe] regarding the change of season. Four words: get. with. the. program. It seems they turned off the air at 5 p.m. on Friday and turned the air back on at 8 a.m. this morning. Melting pot. Nothing like sweaty, grouchy co-workers to get the day started. I’m sure we will get four stars for that one, being that we are totally on board with the eco-friendly, green approach. Don’t get me wrong, Florida Girl loves the heat, but sweating in a black suit while sitting at my desk isn’t my idea of a grand ole time. End rant.

And a little something to get over-the-top excited about … the Radcliffe / Edenfield (complete with SK!) caravan arrives in six days. Can’t hardly wait ~

Seal Shmeal

So the weekend round-up …

Slept in (somewhat) on Saturday and headed out to run, very keenly aware of the pain now in my left heel and end up wanting to cut it off by run’s end. Come home and get ready for the day … smoothie (angel food from Smoothie King is my current weekend staple) … and then head for the pedicure. I get situated in my chair and the massage button is broken and the little lady at my feet sees my vast disappointment and moves me to the other chair. Thank God. One hour later I feel like a new woman. And decide that I’m not ready for the bliss to be over so I ask for a manicure. I sit down and the lady looks up at me with a knowing grin (I can barely understand her, very thick Vietnamese accent, so this is our way of communication most of the time anyway…) and she then says, “I remember you …” I said, “Oh, really?” She smiles (holds up my thumb) and says in very thick accent, “Yes, I do not forget this thumb…” and waves it around like it’s on parade.

I wanted to crawl under the table. And for those of you that know what my thumbs look like (short and … shall we say, thick) – stop laughing.

Sunday brought an early wake-up call to keep the babies in the church nursery. We usually have toddlers … which surprisingly … seem easier for me to handle … at least they can communicate in some way. Newborns … not so much. And holy cow … who knew there were bottles with “seals”??? I mixed the formula up, placed the top on, and then it leaked all over the place … baby was wailing (blood curdling screams), so I popped the bottle in his mouth and held it up high so there was no leak. This is the same baby who has (we’ll call it severe) reflux and projectile spit up issues … and after watching me wrangle baby and spit up and flying formula, Paul says aloud, “I’m going to be sick.” I think to myself, be sick, but I’m the one with my foot sliding off of my sandals because there are large amounts of smelly spit up on the bottom of my foot … and don’t ask how it got there. Because quite frankly … I don’t know. Just like I didn’t know there were bottles with seals. Geez Louise.

And then this morning as I was trudging through the early Monday blues and blow drying my hair … the bathroom door opened and the husband walks in. He delivers a cup of coffee with just the right amount of French vanilla and splenda.

Be still my beating heart.

I love him.

What Makes Monday Mornings Better

Just A Monday

Do you ever have that blah-de-dah type of day when all you want is a big bowl of vanilla bean ice cream … yes, the real thing … and for someone, anyone to come down from the heavens to say that you just won a slick million?

I think they call this type of day a Monday. A Monday Monday. The Mamas & the Papas sang it best.

Time Well Spent

So today was one of those Mondays. The kind when your alarm goes off at the correct time, only you think it’s a Sunday, and believing your alarm has gone off for no reason at all … you turn it off, roll over, and go back to sleep. Another hour or two goes by, and you sit straight up knowing full well that it’s not a Sunday, but indeed a Monday … and you best be up with the ball rolling or you’re going to miss the coffee, chance to blow your hair and iron your shirt.

Hence, my hair’s now in a ponytail and I’m wearing another shirt – but I didn’t miss the coffee.

That would have been near crazy on a Monday.

We’ve had quite the last few days. And in this I mean – family. Lots of family. My mom and grandmother began the show, with my aunt and cousins, and Paul’s aunts and cousins and grandfather – continuing it. Amidst the sleeping on hardwood floor to our newly delivered mattress to the turning on of water in the kitchen and installation of the pedestal sink…we had fun :) It was probably more likened to a stay at the campground than the Ritz-Carlton, but a little brush with nature never hurt a soul. Our angels came to help clear dust and debris and came bearing gifts – new hampers and a drying rack, hooks for doors and j-hooks to hang our photos on the plaster walls. I have never been so excited to see a nail and screw in all of my born days.

We even laughed when we realized that the dark spot on the bottom of the coffee pot was mold and not coffee … and we had been drinking out of it for days. We’re not dead yet … I think it’s safe to say that we’re in the clear.

And of course we made time for fun too. We always make time for fun :) We ate chicken salad and spicy tomato soup at La Baguette and visited an estate sale on Saturday afternoon. Paul and I are officially estate sale junkies. Not to be confused with a garage sale (although Mary, Holly and I can throw a mean g. sale – complete with The Rolling Stones playing rather loudly in the background) – an estate sale is where you wander through a person or persons house [my favorites are the historic homes which are filled to the brim with old books and cookbooks with written notes and beautifully worn furniture]. Anyway, on this particular occasion – I found a vintage edition of The Art of French Cooking and an anthology of Italian song.

We rounded out our visit by taking our company to Geekers – our little neighborhood coffee shop. A man runs the shop and his two teenage daughters work with him. On Saturday nights they dim the lights, bring in some live music and flounce the tables with red and white checks … to serve a homemade spaghetti dinner. You get a salad, spaghetti, drink and bread for only $7.50. It’s Mayberry at its finest. And because I believe in supporting the regular Joes who deliver lagniappe [French for “a little extra”] well and with a smiling face … I’ve become a fan.

So that about rounds out our little world – I’m posting pictures soon, soon and very soon…