Life

I decided today that I am in love with my life.  

It was a good decision, prompted by the events of some great things, some challenging things, some bad things, but mostly prompted by the ordinary preciousness of our life.  

Like... my favorite place to be... on our bed with one, two, three or four children cuddling, 

talking or just being with me.  

Like... my happiest moment of the week so far was being out in the garden Michael, cutting flowers that we had grown to bundle in a bouquet of prettiness for someone whom we love so much.

Like... our very un-fancy, ordinary lunch eaten on our well-used green plaid blanket in the shade of our backyard trees becomes our favorite meal ever eaten. 

Like... adding some nice music to the mundane dish-washer unloading and loading process 

turns the chore into something more bearable.  

Since celebrating our anniversary over the weekend, I have been wrapped in the comfort of this thought.  Patrick is here to stay.  He's just not going anywhere.  Because of past abandonment, I have had some issues with security in our relationship.  It's not something that "gets me" very often, but every once in a while my fears and insecurities try to crowd out the joy that I'm feeling and attempt to be the emotion "on top".  Not this time. I'm fighting back!   What is most comforting about resting in Patrick's love is the fact that he could leave.  He could run.  He could bail. And yet he doesn't.   He stays.  Because of who he is, because he said he would, because of what we are, because of the very common, (yet very beautifully decorated), nest of little birdies that reside in every nook and cranny of our beings.  As I continue to trust God with our marriage, rather than give in to my fears, I can see a future crafted by the threads of commitment and trust, secure with knots of integrity and unconditional love.  

It has given me a soft place to land these last few days. 

   

Sometimes, I ask the Lord, "Am I doing enough for You?"  " Is there something I'm missing?" "Is there some great big plan that I'm supposed to be apart of?"  

Because, really I don't want to miss anything.  I want to live in step with whatever God's will and plan is for me.  I want to do it..um... well... right!  I want to do it right! Not perfect, just right.   

And today I have felt God's peace over my spirit telling me that THIS is the big plan.  

THIS is what is right. 

Here.  No place fancy, no place exotic, no place far away. Just here
in the humbleness and simplicity of
what
He has blessed me with.  

 The everyday, the good and bad stuff, the easy and hard stuff.  In our ordinary and imperfect lives, in our common home, with the hours that don't differ much from the day before - this is my destination, for now.  God is telling me that this is His "now"plan for me, to be here in my home loving our kids and my sweet husband.  I am convinced more than ever that I am to make the minutes of our days as special as I can for my family and friends and 

THIS is what doing
it right means.    

Lucky #7!

A wedding anniversary is a thing to celebrate.  And CELEBRATE we DID this weekend!!!  Patrick and I have put seven really good years into our love, and we plan on making it seventy more... or something like that.  There are times, because of all that we've done in the 7 years we've been married, when we think we should get to count every year as two...  I suppose nobody is stopping us from doing it...

We began celebrating on Friday night with dinner out at one of our favorite local dining spots, Austins.  It has both delicious food and great entertainment if you sit outside and watch all of the "downtownies" meander around.  Usually you will hear a horse clip-clopping down the street doing his job giving buggy rides.  Occassionally you can hear live music, or at the very least a loud stereo from a car stopped at the red light.  There are people of all shapes and sizes, some dressed scantilly because it is summer, others more covered in their appearance yet raucous with their tattos and peircings.  Bicycles whiz around semi-polite pedestrians and kids hold tightly to parent's hands in order to steer clear.  I love being around the Friday night crowd.  Everyone is a little more spiffed up, a tad more relaxed, and you know that if you decided to stay out real, real late there would probably be a place open to accomodate you.  We had a really yummy dinner, beginning with our favorite appetizer.  Steaks arrived soon after filling our tummys up to their happy place.  After dinner, we walked around and peeked into shop windows.  We made our way over to a new fabric store that is filled with bright colors and so many fantastic fabrics that were just crying out for me to touch and feel them. So as not to disappoint, I followed my eyes to stroke each lovely fold.  Patrick was practicing patience as I complimented all of the beatiful fibers enjoying the feel of the soft cotten in my hands.  I didn't want to ask too much of him, so I said I would come back later (and I WILL!).  We finished up our night with a slice of dessert at Whole Foods and a rented movie.  Saturday we had plans to go to Denver and spend some time down there as well as to pick up some vintage theater chairs that I had bought on-line.  I was so excited to get the chairs and have been planning for days where I would put them.  As the time got closer to go pick up the chairs, my excitement just kept growing!  I wasn't disappointed - they are absolutely awesome!! I'm so glad that they are now sitting in my hallway.  Today included a lazy morning, church, helping a friend out with yardwork, and time tonight celebrating 3 family member's "special day" (sometimes we batch them depending on who is home).  Maddie and I rode our bikes up to Target to grab a couple of things.  The mosquitos were quite hungry, and we tried to out-ride them.  My itchy arms would indicate that we did not ride quite fast enough. We had fun being together though, so it was worth it.   The kids are outside in the backyard,  sleeping in the tent.  I do not know how they fit everthing that they were bringing outside into that tent.  I've heard laughing, crying, squealing, tattling, and hope to soon hear silence because it is getting late.   We'll see who comes inside first; my bet is on Meredith.  Now, on to year #8.  It's going to be a great one.  We have so much to celebrate and be grateful for every day.

I love you, my dear Patrick. 

 Thank you for choosing me to spend your life and your days with.

We are so good together.

   

AWAY!!!

I LOVE me some "getting away"

It's absolutely one of my favorite things.  

I LOVE it for 2 reasons.

a.) you leave stuff behind

b.) you get to come home

The stuff we left behind this time was

* our doggies

* our house

* our worries

* our yard

The stuff we got to come home to

*our doggies

*our house

*our yard

Inevitably,  when you "get away" you leave something where you went!!!

This time it was

our

worries

They did not come back with us.

We left them somewhere on the prairie

between Fleming and Stonehenge.

Our final destination was Haxtun.

It was beautiful,

unexpected

turquoise

and 

restful. 

Thank you

'Mom and Dad' 

for letting us

take a big breath of

small town air.

We loved it

and needed it.

and

We will be back

SOON!!!