Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fantastic weekend. After being gone four days, Q was able to take Friday off and hang with me and B. We first had to make a short stop at his office on Friday to pick up the SMU tickets he forgot to get the following Friday before he went out of town. Which was okay because B got to see and hang with his Pop Pop for a little bit. After we left there we headed to Grapevine Mills Mall to take B to LegoLand. It was a really neat place. The only down side is the COST! B was free, but it was close to $40 for me and Q to get in. So ridiculous. We got to ride a cool ride as a family and then later Q took B on the other one. There was only one area B wasn't allowed in. His favorite spot, surprisenly was the MiniWorld. It was displays of Legos that looked like things around the DFW Metroplex. You could press buttons every now and then and make something move, but other than that it was just to look at. It had day and night time lights. It was just really neat. Brendan's favorite display was the DFW Airport display, which he's just now showing an interest in planes. It was cute. After LegoLand we got some quick lunch and then off to home for nap. We later took B to Mi Cocina to get his queso and tortilla fix.

Saturday we ran some errands. We actually went to Toys R Us so we could get B's birthday gifts, figured the boys would play as mama shopped. But, my child is weird and other than playing in the big cars and wagons, he just wanted to play with the automatic door. I don't know, he's weird. After we that we went home to eat lunch and try to get B down for an early nap since the SMU game started at 2:30. Of course he fought nap. His teachers at school can get him down, in fact say he's usually the first one to fall asleep, around 11:45, but we couldn't even get him down around 12:30! Stinker. So we didn't end up leaving the house until around 2:30 and got to the game just after 3. There were some older girls there with their aunt and they loved him and he loved them. They played and kept him occupied almost the entire time. We actually got to stay until the end of the game! After the game was over we picked up a pizza and then watched the Ranger game.

Sunday we went to church and his usual teacher was out so he got to spend time back in the nursery with Miss Penny and Miss Stephanie, who he absolutely loves! He misses them so much. Afterwards we went to my parents for lunch and then back home and played with our neighbors.

Just an overall perfect weekend. I also got some really good news. Something I've been waiting a long time for and while I wished it had happened sooner, I just have to be thankful my prayers have been answered now and everything happens for a reason. Hoping great things coming out of this real soon. We'll see. Until next time......

Love always takes maintenance- kindness is a big part of that!

Merle & Evelyn Lashey

Married December 20, 1946

Marion, Ohion

Merel and Evelyn well remember the moment they first saw each other. Merle was a basketball player, Evelyn a cheerleader for the rival school. Their eyes met, and needless to say, Merle played a great game that night!

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Home maintenance requires a great deal of money, time and effort. A broken shingle must be replaced, a torn screen mended, a squeaky hinge oiled, a leaky tap fixed. Yet how pleasant is it to live in a house where the roof keeps out the rain, the windows keep out the bugs, the doors swing freely- and ne'er the sound of a dripping faucet is heard!

While "love maintenance" may not require as much money, it does take a lot of time and effort, and, of course, kindness. Make a careful inspection of your marriage. Observe the interactions within your home, and then compile a "to do" list (and a "not to do list"). Pay special attention to the little things, which make such a big difference in a relationship.

Do you become exasperated when asked to repeat something? Has sarcasm crept into your vocabulary? Are you harboring a "Do it yourself" attitude insead of a servant's heart? Must you always prove you're right? Do you often say, "I told you so"? Do you fix blame wvery time something goes wrong? Do you maximize your spouse's mistakes?

The Bible says (twice!), "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping" (Proverbs 19:13). It's a warning husbands should heed as well. Get busy on those lists and discover how enjoyable and long-lasting a well maintained marriage can be.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted.

Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

Learn to bend and not break

Gerald & Evelyn Smith

Married: May 2, 1946

Oklahoma City, OK

Gerald and Evelyn met soon after Gerald returned from World War II. Evelyn was renting a duplex from his parents, and Gerald came to fix the oven. "He just wouldn't leave, so I asked him to supper," says Evelyn. "He still wouldn't leave- so I married him."

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Life's storms are capable of generating powerful winds. Business layoffs, family illnesses or injuries, financial crises, time pressures, break downs in close relationships, problems at work, misunderstandings at home- all these, and some windstorms far more devasting, threaten to snap a marriage in two and bring it crashing to the ground if a couple is unable to endure the gust.

If your marriage is to survive, you must possess a kind of supple strength. Flexibilty is an important component of this quality; however, the ability to bend under pressure does not come from abandoning principles and convictions. Rather, it comes from trusting God and submitting to His will for your lives. And true strength is found, not by drawing from some inner personal reserve nor by leaning too heavily on each other, but by sinking roots deeper and deeper into your trust in the promises of God, and together relying on Him to come through for you. A marriage thus secured will never be broken apart or uprooted.

Sometimes supple strength involves a willingness to adapt to change. It means letting go of circumstances you are trying to control and leaving the outcome to God. When the storm finally clears, the landscape around you may be drastically altered, but your marriage remains intact, standing firm, and continues to thrive in tis new environment.

Are there places you need to bend in your marriage?

Blessed the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Part of having a happy marriage is developing similar interest

Paul & Gean Young

Married: August 27, 1946

Marion, Ohio

Paul and Gene met at the Highway Rollerina. They enjoy traveling, boating, bike rides and just being together outdoors.

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Friendship is such an integral part of romance. The joy of sharing experiences- sights, tastes, aromas, sensations- will abound as a husband and wife explore and revel in the delights of God's creation. Having fun and enjoying life together is one of the greatest benefits of married life, and it forms a tight bond that can cement a marriage through the years.

Whatever you do, don't neglect this important aspect of marriage. Whether it be traveling to an exotic locale, taking dance lessons, sampling unusal foods at an ethnic restaurant, learning a new sport, doing volunteer work for a local charity, or trying some inexpensive activity that one or both of you have never done before, do it together! It will stimulate conversation, nurture your friendship, promote unity in your marriage, and keep your hearts aglow.

Spouses truly should be best friends. Developing common interests helps ensure that a couple will draw closer together over time rather than slowly drift apart. Best of all, it fosters an intimacy that goes far deeper than friendship, because it involves one of the chief ingredients of a happy, successful union- quality time shared together. In more than one sense, it takes a lot of time for a marriage to last forever.

What can you do today to begin building the friendship part of your relationship?

Come, dear lover- let's tramp through the countryside. Let's sleep at some wayside inn, then rise early and listen to bird-song. Let's look for wildflowers in bloom, blackberry bushes blossoming white, fruit trees festooned with cascading flowers.

Song of Songs 7:11-12 MSG

New Week

Had a great weekend. Friday we went to dinner with our neighbors, and Brendan's future wife, Sophie. I'm so happy that we met them. It was just a year ago this past week that we met at our neighborhood National Night Out. We went to Mi Cocina and then walked over the the live music. I stopped and got cookies as we all went to our cars to get our blankets for the concert. Sophie was too interested in feeding Brendan her cookies than eating them herself! Match made in Heaven or what?! Saturday we just wanted to take it easy. We took B to a pumpkin patch in Flower Mound. Apparently there are two patches right next to each other. I had seen something on the one we were headed to'swebsite about don't turn here, but here, but didn't pay much attention. Found a patch with a person waving us in and went. When they didn't charge for parking I looked just one lot over and knew this wasn't the patch we were aiming for. But in the end, it was great. It had the same stuff the other patch did pretty much, but all free, and I'm all about free. B got in some bounce fun and we took a wagon ride and hay ride and then picked out some pumpkins. I kept looking afar to try and see if I could find a difference, all I say were more cars, probably more pumpkins, but more charges. I hope we got the better end of the deal, but in the end it doesn't matter. B had a great time and we as a family were together. We took B to his favorite, Chick-fil-a, for lunch so he could get some "nugs" and playtime. Afterwards, he napped and then we ordered pizza and wings for game one of the Rangers ALCS. Ended up being a super long game. Two rain delays. Sunday we skipped church and went to the fair. OMG, so many fattening foods. I had a corn dog, and then halved w/ Q deep fried cheesecake, deep fried salsa, buffalo chicken in jalapeno pancake batter and cotton candy! Buffalo chicken was AWESOME!! Of course the cheesecake was and corny dog is just classic like the cotton candy. I was disappointed in the games. I remember when you just walked up to a game and gave them a dollar. Now you have to have a game card!! It cost us $6 to play TWO games!! And the easiest, cheapest games for B. I was so upset by this!! Anyways, today is Monday and Q is out of town. He left the house a little before 6 and isn't scheduled to land at DFW until 8:35 PM on Thursday, which means B hasn't seen him since he went to bed Sunday and won't see him until he wakes up on Friday. I was so upset by this because I knew if B saw him on Friday and Q just left for work it would be meltdown city! Luckily, Q has some time built up and is taking the day off! Good thing because I never sleep well when he's gone. The first night is the worst and then I can't ever get back on track. Maybe things will be different w/ B in school, but I doubt it. Need to get things done while he's in school, so there's no rest for the weary. Well, guess I need to try and start winding myself down. Good night!

Another long hiatus

I am so bad about this blogging biz. Need to try and set some time aside every day to just vent or share. I've been letting a lot of things build up here lately that I just had a complete melt down yesterday and just could not stop crying and feeling so alone. Today's a little better (at least the crying has stopped).

Anyways, today after I took B to school I went and started picking up some party favors for his birthday party. I can't believe my little man is going to be turning TWO soon. I keep looking at baby pictures and just wonder where the time as gone. He is just the sweetest boy. Everyone is always telling me how sweet he is. Even his school teachers say he's just the sweetest in the class and loves to give hugs and flash smiles at them all throughout the morning while he is there. I love that boy so much and so luckly to have such a great kid. Sure, he throws tantrums like any other kid and there are some days we butt heads, but at the end of the day he's always going to flash me a smile, and give me tons of hugs and sugars. He's talking more and more each day. He's recently learned, "thank you" and he just the cutest about it. He now says thank you to everything, which I love. He also has picked up on me saying "Bye, we'll see you later" only he just says "Bye, see you". He is such a precious gift.

That's all for now, just wanted to brag on my sweet boy ;)

Always Treat Your Wife Like a Lady

Don't think any men read my blog, but if so, this one's for you.....

Sol & Edna Weiss

Married: June 16, 1946

New York, New York

Sol and Edna met at a party when he was fourteen and she was thirteen. "We still hold hands,: Sol says. "And I still put up with his sense of humor," Edna laughs.

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Showing a woman honor and respect involves so much more than chivalrous gestures such as holding a door, rising politely at the dinner table, or laying one's coat over a puddle of rainwater. A husband's treatment of his wofe like a lady begins with his attitude toward her. Does he truly value his spouse, or does he take her for granted? Does he view her as a gift from heaven above or as more of a burden, "the ol' ball and chain"? The Bible describes a wife as a noble character as "her husband's crown" (Proverbs 12:4), "worth far more than rubies" (Proverbs 31:10). A godly wife is a treasure to be cherished, deserving her husband's highest compliments and praise.

Honoring his wife begins with his thoughts and feelings towards her, but it doesn't end there. Picture a valiant young knight striving to win his lady's affections, and revealing his heart to her through his words and deeds! He gives her his full attention when she is speaking. He considers her point of view. He respects her opinions and empathizes with her feelings. In addition, he regards the issues that concern her as important.

God is calling wives to be true ladies, kindhearted and worthy of respect; He is calling husbands to be sincere gentlemen, and to give their wives the honor they have earned.

Husbands,...be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect.

1 Peter 3:7