Blessings
I was going to do the 52 Blessings thing this year but it’s just not in me to write something every week because I have to. I’ll just get behind and then I’ll be frustrated with myself and…I’m trying to avoid that. So here are the two entries I already wrote, and I’m going to call it a day. A year, actually.
Week 2
When I think about my blessings one of the first things that comes to my mind is that I happen to be related to the five funniest, coolest, kindest people I know. My Dad, who works harder and plays harder than anyone I know, and wants nothing more than to do the right thing for our family. My Mom, the smartest, funniest “29″ year old on the planet, everything I know that’s worth knowing I learned from her. Andrea should have been the oldest child, she’s the best example of how to live your life right and have a good time doing it. Kaitlin has always been the prettiest one, but now she’s giving us a run for our money in the “smartest one” and “Miss Congeniality” categories. I also have her to thank for sparking my interest in all things food related. And then there’s Peter. We always say that he’s well dressed and well mannered because he has sisters, but he was born kind and compassionate,we certainly had nothing to do with that. I’m grateful I’m a part of them, even more thankful that we’ll always be a part of each other.
Week 1
Dave lost his job this week. It doesn’t look like a blessing, does it? But I have been thinking about the story of Jacob wrestling the angel, when Jacob says, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” I love that story, I love the idea that Jacob wanted to be blessed so badly that he refused to let the angel leave. As we have wrestled with this challenge, we have been blessed in so many ways. We spend more time talking, we spend more time praying, more time in the temple, we’re more dependant on each other, we’re more considerate, more united. Some of the best moments of our marriage have been this week, as we’ve struggled and worried and stretched ourselves, and found comfort in each other and in our Savior. We’re not letting go without a blessing.
A Giant Catching Up
I swear I’m going to get better at this, but I just haven’t felt like writing lately. I get behind and then catching up seems too overwhelming a task, so I just don’t. This applies to all areas of my life, keeping my house clean, staying in touch with old friends. Anyway, I’m going to stop being overwhelmed and just write a list of the things that have been happening and the stuff I’ve been thinking about. R
eady, go!
- I have/had the flu. It sucked but I’m starting to feel better today.
- Tonight, since I was feeling better and Dave and I have both spent way too much time at home doing nothing this last week, we went to see Mall Cop. Don’t follow our example, it will be a waste of your time and your money. If you feel the need to disobey my orders, watch the preview. You’ll see ever funny part, and it won’t cost you eight dollars.
- Poor Dave has taken really good care of me during my convalescence. Bless him, I’m not an easy person to babysit. I often need something but can’t think of what it is.
- I love poached eggs, they are my sick food. I always want them when I’m sick or sad. (My sister’s sick food is spaghetti, go figure.) Unfortunately, when I told Dave I wanted a poached egg he gave me a very blank look. We’ll work on that. Luckily, my mother-in-law brought me chicken noodle soup, which is the next best thing.
- Dave went to the store to get me some Nyquil the first day I was sick. He came back with liquid Nyquil. Who does that? I have taken a poll of everyone I’ve talked to in the last week (my family, that’s it) and we all agree this is plain craziness. God invented gel-caps to prevent us from putting that nasty crap in our mouth. I may have thrown a fit about it, there may have been tears, there may have been dry-heaving (before, during and after) but I can’t be sure. I was too sick to remember the mean things I may have said to my poor, naive husband. The next night there were gel-caps.
- Tissues with lotion in them are the best thing ever. Really.
- For the record, Dave is number seven on my speed dial because one is voicemail, two is home, three is mom, four is Andrea, five is Kaitlin, six is dad (not because he’s my sixth favorite, but that’s a story for another day), and seven is where I put my current boyfriend. It’s been this way since high school and I see no reason to move everyone around just because I married one of those boyfriends.
- I think that last one came off with a little attitude, I didn’t mean it that way.
- I have got to figure out how to do the whole picture posting thing. I’m actually pretty good with that sort of thing so it’s not really a ma tter of “figuring it out” as much as it’s a matter of doing it. Alas, my downfall.
- Dave is computing. He’s always computing these days. I’m not re ally sure what he’s doing despite his attempts to explain it to me. There are…words…involved. I don’t know, I just hope it will be over soon.
- I’ve discovered the miracle of online TV while I’ve been sick. It’s great, you should try it.
Okay, I’m going to quit for now, and maybe next time I’ll try to have a central theme or something.
The Great Gas Caper
I play a little game with myself sometimes, it’s called How-Far-Can-I-Go-With-the-Gas-Light-On. The answer, just for the record, is far. As a matter of fact, I can go for days and days and I’ve never run out of gas.
But tonight on my way to book club my car inexplicably ceased to function. Sure, my gas light has been on since Monday, but that’s no reason to think my car won’t keep running…
I immediately went into problem solving mode.
Option 1: Call my husband to come rescue me.
Why this won’t work: I didn’t bring my cell phone.
Option 2: Ask someone if I can use their phone to call my husband to come rescue me.
Why this won’t work: I don’t know my husband’s number. It’s memory seven in my phone, but that’s not likely to work on any random phone I may beg or borrow.
Option 3: Borrow a phone, call my family in AZ (the only number I know by heart) and have them call Dave/tell me his number.
Why this won’t work: Well, I wouldn’t want to look stupid.
Option 4: Make like Harry Potter and summon my cell phone.
Why this won’t work: I’m not Harry Potter. And if I was, I would just create more gas. Or make my car go without gas. Or not drive a car, because I’m a wizard.
Option 5: Walk home and ask my husband to rescue me.
Why this won’t work: It’s cold outside. Really cold. And I’m a baby when it comes to the cold. Plus, my shoes are highly impractical for any walking/running type endeavor. I’m a Collard girl, and we don’t really like exercise. (My Grandma was told by her gym teacher she was the only person who had ever flunked play. I don’t fall far from that tree.) And it’s dark and I’m afraid of serial killers (not regular killers, just the serial kind) and this street is really busy/sidewalkless.
Option 6: N/A
So, I turned on my hazard lights and walked/ran home. It wasn’t that bad, actually. If it hadn’t been so cold and I had been wearing my practical shoes (the one pair) and I wasn’t hefting my over-large over-full purse it would have been almost nice. (Why I didn’t just leave my purse in the car is a matter for another post. We’ll call it “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Fabulous Tote.”)
When I got home my surprised-but-not-shocked husband did, in fact, rescue me. Bless his heart, he didn’t even laugh.
Getting Started is the Hardest Part
I have been visiting my newly created blog for a week now, but I just don’t know what to write. The truth is that although I love to blog, it’s been a while and I’m a little out of practice. And the truer truth is that the first thing you write on your blog is both the most important and the least important thing you’ll ever write. It’s important because it sets the tone, it introduces you to the world. But it’s not important because no one will actually read it, except maybe your mom. But I’m learning that sometimes important things come to us disguised as the unimportant. So, with that being said, I will now list some unimportant things that may also be important. Or visa versa.
- My husband did my dishes today. He’s the best.
- I made apple pie tonight and it smells gooooood.
- I cut the tip of my finger off peeling apples for my apple pie.
- My finger is now wrapped up like a mummy and I don’t want to do the apple pie dishes and get it all wet.
- I seriously doubt I’ll be able to get my husband to do the dishes twice in one day, even if I cut my finger. Even if I made pie. Even if he is the best.