A dozen things I have learned during a really tough week

~A candle-lit dinner and homemade Italian food create a warm spot in the coldest of places.

~Rubbing the superciliary arch of my husbands forehead helps him fall asleep after a long, stressful day.

~Whether they're in Abilene, Lubbock, Winters, Menard, or Illinois, my friends and family are always close by when I need them.

~The closest I can come to seeing the vastness of God's love is by examining my parents love for me.

~BJ has some very supportive colleagues. Despite the bad impression Frisco has often made, there are many fabulous people God has put in our lives.

~God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and I can handle more than I thought I could.

~My brother can always make me laugh.

~A wound inflicted by a fellow Christian always cuts the deepest. This power we have over each other should be respected and feared.

~I married a fiercely loyal man. His loyalty is an anchor for those he loves. It is an anchor for me.

~If the whole world thought I was scum, Gus would still think I was the best thing since packaged raw hides.

~The sound of the garage door opening after a long, lonely day at home is better, believe it or not, than Willie Nelson singing "Georgia on My Mind".

~If it weren't for bad days (or weeks, or months), we might never see the redemptive power of God with the clarity I have seen this week in my friends and family.

I have never written a blog post under such pressure as I am feeling right now. Yesterday, BJ was called to the office at school where he was informed that I would no longer be allowed to sub at LCA because my blog had offended some unknown someone. I have removed the "offensive" material out of a desire to protect my husband from any further difficulty at work, and I am sincerely sorry for offending anyone. But I would like to say to whomever was offended that the written word always has one weakness: the lack of tone, body language, and eye contact to convey messages. I use sarcasm and hyperbole to make my blog more enjoyable for my friends and family who frequent my blog, and I believe that they read my blog knowing full well that I am serious about half of the time.

I was really enjoying substitute teaching, and the money was not a luxury but a necessity for our family. I have never been fired, and I have certainly never been looked down on in the way that I have experienced in this town. The site monitor I have for my blog shows me that people in the Frisco area have been doing Google searches on both BJ and myself as if they are looking for something. It is the duty of all Christians to lovingly confront their brother or sister when they feel they have witnessed a transgression, but the covert nature of this attack on my character has been not only unproductive, but I would venture to say harmful. It is extremely difficult to not regress into a state of cynicism when one is treated in this way within a community of Christians.

Lastly, I would like to ask for prayers as I deal with both the hurt and the anger that has come out of this incident. May God's plan of redemption always triumph in the muddles we humans get ourselves into.

Thanksgiving is here!!!

BJ's mom and I just finished setting the table for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast. Last week, I made napkin rings and place cards from odds and ends I found in the house, our yard, and the park. Here is the end product for my first Thanksgiving table scape as a hostess.

A day in the life...

I had to sub today, so the dogs were locked up for way too many hours in the garage. Needless to say, when we got home they had some energy to burn. BJ and I took them out to the back yard to spend some quality family time. After a little fetching and running around, this is how we ended up: BJ and Sienna running around rough housing like crazy, and me and Gus in the corner watching with Gus sitting on my feet while I baby talked and petted him. Typical.

Post Script to Previous Post

Yesterday I was making chocolate chip cookies for one of BJ's classes who have been doing exceptionally well here lately, and I took BJ all the utensils I had used in the process for him to "clean" (aka, lick). BJ looks up at me and, totally oblivious to my last blog posts, says, "That's why I married you- cookie dough." You've got to be kidding me.

Marriage Analysis

Every once in a while, I think it's good to sit back a take a look at one's marriage. Today offered a couple of rather intriguing exchanges between me and BJ that left me contemplating our relationship.

The first was this morning when we were getting ready for the day. BJ was putting on the outfit that I had placed second in line in his closet in the Tuesday slot. On Sunday I ironed five sets of clothes and put them in his closet in the order they should be worn. I was sitting at my vanity, and I said, "Isn't it great being married to me. You don't even have to think in the morning about what to wear." BJ's reply was, "You know that would annoy most women." Stating the complete and honest truth, I said, "I think it's fun. It's like dressing up a doll when I was little." As I said this, it became obvious to me that this is slightly twisted.

The second exchange was on our way home. I was discussing how I have almost finished up with his family's Christmas presents. BJ said, "If for no other reason, I'm glad I married you for Christmas." Basically, he hates shopping for presents, and I now do all the required thinking for him in this area.

So basically, it seems that I have allowed BJ to completely stop using certain parts of his brain. He never asked me to, I just do it. I'm not sure what this says about me, but for now, I think it says that I like picking out clothes and going Christmas shopping. However, it is possible that I am a control freak with a hyper-active maternal instinct who really needs kids to occupy my energy. I think I'll stick with the first theory.