Parenting is a lot like running, you just keep falling forward and hope you get your feet under you before your face hits the ground.  Shuffle shuffle shuffle, dirty diapers, screaming baby.  Shuffle shuffle shuffle, pick up the whole box of mega legos dumped in the middle of the floor.  Shuffle shuffle shuffle, wipe the smashed peaches off the wall from a well timed dinner sneeze.  Shuffle shuffle shuffle, fold the clothes again from where he pulled them off the neatly folded pile on the couch.  Shuffle shuffle trip, unexpected visitors.

While making apologies for the condition of the house, they say, “Cherish these moments, If you blink you’ll miss it.”  My heart skips a beat and after they leave, I sit in the pile of mega legos dumped in the middle of the floor again, blink three times and say, “There’s no place like college.  There’s no place like college.  There’s no place like college.”  I open my eyes to find screaming baby, dirty diaper and living room covered in toys.

I sigh and get about changing the diaper and putting him down for a nap.  Peace, sweet peace.  It never lasts long enough and just about the time I am unwound and ready to start cleaning he wimpers and wakes.

I go to pick him up out of the crib.  He is holding on to the side rail, not crying just wimpering loud enough so I know he is awake.  I pick him up and groan.  “You are getting so big!” I tell him.  Then I think, “Weren’t you a newborn when I put you down for your nap?”

I spend the rest of the day playing with legos.

trying. not. to. blink.

By all accounts, this is a perfect morning.  I woke up to a happy, sunshiney baby who lay on my bed and coo-ed at me while I got dressed for the day.  When I went to change his diaper, I heard a strange sound coming from the kitchen–Brenton had done the dishes for me before he left for work.  After changing Wiggles’ diaper, I headed back to the living room and noticed that more than just the dishes had been done!  My sweet, wonderful, amazing husband had also straightened the living room and dining room before he left for work.  Now all I have to do this morning is wash a load of diapers.  Oh yes, My hubby rocks!

I forgot to add…I’m planning on spending my day snuggling my baby and listening to the rain falling on our tin roof.

Remember how one of my New Year’s goals was to buy hotel quality sheets?  Well this month, the blog, The Secret Is In The Sauce is hosting a Bedroom Bliss Giveway.  The offer is basically a whole bedroom makover complete with 500 thread count sheets!

So yeah…I want those sheets!

The first backpacking trip I took with Brenton, or ever, I was 6 months pregnant.  It was Labor Day Weekend, and we decided to take a 3 mile hike into a mountain lake.  The drive to the trailhead was about 30 miles from our house–19 of those miles were on dirt roads.

I was disappointed and concerned when it started to rain just as we got to the trailhead.  Brenton and I discussed turning back for a few minutes and decided to press on.  The forecast was for partly cloudy weather, but sun in the afternoon.

We put on our backpacks.  Brenton carried about twice the weight as I did since I was carrying an extra 20 lbs in my “front pack” (pregnant belly).  The rain had slowed to a sprinkle as we set out on our hike.  After about 1/4 of a mile, we were walking in a downpour.

We were well prepared for rain and cold, and we had plenty of hot chocolate, hot cider, and chai mix to rejuvinate us once we got to camp.  We had another “should we turn back” conversation when the rain turned to sleet at about 1 1/2 miles up the trail.  We hiked on until we found a clearing in the trees hoping to see a break in the clouds.

When we found that clearing, delighted to see, through the sleet and rain, a brilliantly colored rainbow.

To laugh in the face of adversity is like seeing the rainbow through the sleet.

Welcome to my new visitors from Marriage Monday!

1.  He won’t understand you; You won’t understand him.

In our house, one of the most common phrases that I hear from Brenton is, “You’re so cute. I love you”  This is usually followed with a silly grin and him shaking his head at me.  What he really means is, “Wow!  You’re…different (wierd).”

For me, it’s the little things that make me shake my head at him.  I’ve never understood why he takes a physics book on vacation with us, or why he sometimes insists on doing things the hard way.  I guess he also can wonder why I do things the hard way.

2.  In time you will think you have settled into a routine.

It happens with every married couple, over time you settle into a routine.  Date night one night, Bible study another, you have regular routine, you go to bed early like old people…

Life becomes calm, and just when you think you’ve got it all figured out…

3. Then he will change something.

I’ll never forget the night when, after over 25 years of marriage, my dad told my mom he didn’t really like pepperoni pizza!

With Brenton, I found out that he doesn’t care whether the shirts are all in the same drawer, but he is very particular about how they are folded.  He doesn’t like watermelon, or cantaloupe, or cucumbers–three of my favorite fresh produce items.  But I distinctly remember sitting in the grass with him eating ripe watermelon spitting seeds at the car, so when did he stop liking watermelon?

Routines in a relationship are all just a facade.  The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes. This is really bothersome to us control-freaks.  Sometimes you just have to ligten up.

4. Live Well.  Laugh Often.  Love Much.

At the end of the day, he’s a good man.  Our peculiarities blend nicely.  He keeps me laughing.  Marriage isn’t always what you expected, and no one can warn you of all the lessons that you need to learn.  It’s been said that you should keep your eyes wide open while you’re dating and half closed once you’re married.  I’ll add to that.  Live well, laugh often, and love much.  Love and laughter can wipe away a lot of misunderstandings.

Do you want to create magic in someone’s day today?  Offer them a compliment.  Leave it there, no strings attached.  Don’t use the compliment to sandwich a criticism.  Leave out the ‘but’.  You did a great job!

And when you are given a compliment, just say thank you.  Don’t brush it off, no excuses, no personal put downs, just “Thank you.”

Compliments are gifts, and they are free.

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?’

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.’

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, ‘That is the kind of love I want in my life.’

‘Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.’

photo by prakhar, cc-by

I did not write this story, but I received it in an e-mail and wanted to share it with my readers on this Valentine’s day.

In this month’s Inspired Room article from Christian Women Online, Melissa outlines some ideas for creating a Valentine’s Day “get away” in your own home.

Who says a date night has to involve consuming big bucks in a crowded restaurant? Why do we torture ourselves into thinking romance has to include over-priced handpicked chocolates, $100 worth of roses or glittering heart-shaped diamonds? Why not make the best of what we have–a roof over our head and a little ingenuity–to create a memorable evening for any occasion. A home shouldn’t just be a place to store our things. Our homes provide an opportunity to create the life we really want. Everyday life might not seem romantic, but it is all in the perspective. Life doesn’t always hand us our dreams on a silver platter, but with a little creative energy we can imagine life to be just about anything we want it to be. Work with what you have to create your dreams under your own roof.

The thing that I love about celebrating a holiday in my own home is that I can create traditions that will follow us wherever life takes us.

The first Valentine’s day after Brenton and I were married, we were overwhelmed by college and short on both time and money. Fancy gifts or an expensive date night were out of the question. I searched around the internet and found a recipe for a cheesecake that looked pretty good. I think I spend $20 on the ingredients, but the look on Brenton’s face when he took the first bite was well worth the time and money spent.

That cheesecake, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake (watch for that recipe here tomorrow), is a once a year dessert, and we have made it every year for Valentine’s.

Actually, after that first Valentines, Brenton has taken over the job of making the Valentine’s Cheesecake. I spend my time on creating ambiance–votive candles, hearts cut from coffee filters and dyed with red food coloring, music playing softly in the background.

There are a few tricks to creating a romantic haven in your own home. The most important, in my opinion is to clear away the things that remind you of your “to-do.” The second trick is to work with what you have and don’t over-do it. This is your home, not a restaurant. Create a peaceful setting, but don’t get so caught up in creating the perfect setting that you spend $100 to get that romantic feel. Finally, eat off the good dishes, pull out the crystal goblets, it’s a special occasion.

Enjoy your new traditions, and always love your spouse.

By Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
on all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, “What is it?”
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Photo by John W CC-By-ND

Everybody seems to be talking about living a completely fulfilled life. What does a fulfilled life look like? What fulfills your life? How would you change your life now to be fulfilled? How can you achieve a fulfilled life?

The fulfilled life looks different for each person, and what would be the fulfilled life for you, might be absolute failure for me. Even so, Living the fulfilled life stems from the same root, no matter who you are. The challenge is learning what kind of flowers blossom from your branch.

The Root of a Fulfilled life.

To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself.

What does it look like to Love God?

There are a lot of voices about how to love your neighbor and even more about how to love yourself, but how do you love God? Now there is a loaded question. Loving God means keeping His commandments, but it also means living out His will in your life.

God is like a great storyteller, and you have a unique role to play in the story that He is telling. He created you with passions and desires so that you could use them within His plan. Don’t spend your time chasing the things that drag you down, but look for opportunities to use your God-given talents.

The bad news: There is no such thing as a completely fulfilled life.

After telling you all that, there is no such thing as a completely fulfilled life…

…not on this Earth anyways.

We were created to be in a perfect, unhindered relationship with God, and we were created to be in a perfect, unhindered relationship with other humans.

We can strive towards that perfect relationship with God and the perfect relationships with humans, but while we are on this earth, sin will always hinder perfect relationships. As much as I would like to find total joy, I am thankful that there is a perfect place for the perfect, complete life because the perfect, complete life isn’t suitable for an imperfect world. We just have to do the best we can here.

Photo by Rachel_thecat, cc-by-sa