A Day of Love

On one of our first dates I told Rob that, if things got serious between us he needed to know something important about me. I don't do Valentine's Day. Maybe it's because I worked at a flower shop for 7 years so I associated Valentine's Day with bloody hands from dethorning hundreds of roses, long days/sleepless nights and angry customers. Maybe it's because I got married later in life so I was jaded by many "bad" Valentine's Days of past. Or maybe, on the flip side, I watched my parents intentionally love each other 365 days a year so I learned at an early age that love shouldn't just be shown one day out of the year. No matter what skewed my views of Valentine's Day, I am not a fan of the Hallmark holiday.

To me, as I said, love is shown 365 days a year. Yes, Rob and I went out for a nice steak dinner last night. But, it was because both boys were hanging out with friends, we had a gift card to use and we hadn't spent quality time together for a couple weeks. It was a really, really good dinner but tonight's dinner at home will be just as nice because I will have made it for my boys out of love. 

The boys woke up to a small Valentine Day treat and candy. Later today I will make chocolate covered strawberries because both boys love them. I do these things because service is my love language. I LOVE giving to others, doing things for them. That brings me joy. So, today and every day, I will show those around me that I love them through the little things I can do. Whether you go all out on Valentine's Day or it's just another day for you, I hope your day is filled with much love!

Spring in February

 This isn't going to be a long post and it's more for me than anything. It's for me to look back on when it's miserably hot and I'm complaining about the heat.

The Fall is usually a busy time for us- back to school activities, football, golf, deer season. By the time Winter hits, I am ready for slow days. Days where we sit around, watching football or a movie by the fireplace. Days where we roll out of bed at 7am and it's still more dark than light outside. Days where we eat dinner at 5:30pm because it seems so late in the day.

BUT, this is the first time I am over Winter. I have been perpetually cold for 2 months straight. I wake up with a scratchy throat due to a draft in our bedroom. I take scalding hot baths every night, trying to warm up. I bundle up to walk my dog. I charge my battery pack so my heated jacket can be warm all day. The heated seats in our vehicles are on more than they're off. I am over the cold!

Today I woke up, excited, because we have a busy weekend ahead of us. We took the boat out last night and, although we didn't catch anything, it was fun to be on the water again. The boys piled up on our bed when we got home and we did devotions, laughed, talked and didn't have to be piled up under blankets to enjoy our time together. This morning we're heading off to a local beekeeping supply store and then are going to visit a friend in the hospital. Tonight I am going to enjoy a girls' night with 2 of my closest friends. Tomorrow we have a big soup potluck after church and then we may or may not watch the Superbowl. In between it all, I am going to be outside- doing yardwork or playing with my dog. 

It feels like we're waking up from a long Winter's nap and, I for one, am very excited about the warmer weather, busier social life and longer days. Bring on Spring!

New Year, New Me??

 Welp, I dropped the ball....again. So much for blogging every day in November. I guess I have a lot of ground to cover for the past few months. What a better morning to catch up than one where I wake up not feeling great and the wind chill is in the single digits. I'm bundled up with a hot cup of coffee, enjoying the quiet (P and Rob are at work and E is still sleeping). So, I thought I'd use the time to catch up on our blog.

I don't know where to begin- like usual when I take a hiatus- so this may be a jumbled blog. November through the beginning of January have not been the easiest. No. I am not going to sugarcoat it and make it look all pretty for the sake of others seeing it. So, let me rephrase that. November through early January have been downright brutal and absolutely shredded me. Parenting is hard. I naively thought that, once kids were self sufficient, it'd get easier. Wrong! Parenting teens is not for the faint of heart. Sleepless nights, anxiety, countless tears and walking on eggshells about sums up parenting teens. But, on the bright side, I can honestly say that I am so thankful for a godly husband who has become my teammate more so since being saved than ever before. Our bond is stronger than it's ever been and I love it!

Despite the hard, there has also been a lot of good. We stayed local for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a quiet- if not a tad boring- week at home. We are pinching pennies due to a huge, unexpected house repair in late August. So, we did not travel anywhere like we usually do during Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving night we bundled up and went to the local baseball stadium that had been converted to a Winter Wonderland. The boys enjoyed ice-skating with some school friends we had run into and I loved looking at all the beautiful lights. 

We have gone to Alabama a couple times over the past couple months to spend time with our 96 year old uncle at his farm. We always enjoy our time there. It is a time filled with roaring fires in the fireplace, watching football games, good food, stories told by him and priceless memories. A couple weekends ago we went there and E ended up killing a once-in-a-lifetime buck. I got to be with him when it happened and it was such a fun hunt!

In December we had a busy month. We spent time with friends and church family. We also got to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in almost a decade. It was a low-key week with them because of the weather. But, it was a nice reset- a time of naps, board games, family devotions and an early birthday celebration for E. The day after we got back, we celebrated E's 13th birthday with a couple of his buddies. He wanted to go to a local trampoline park/arcade and then we had a late lunch at a local hibachi restaurant. It was local key compared to years past, but that's what he wanted to do.

Last weekend the boys went to a youth retreat and Rob and I enjoyed some much needed husband/wife time. We prepped for the forecasted ice storm, went out for a nice steak dinner, slept in and watched movies. I absolutely loved every minute of our weekend together! Due to the weather, the youth retreat was cut a little short. When the boys got home, I enjoyed listening to the memories they created and how they were challenged spiritually.

I laugh because Rob turns into a meteorologist when skinning deer and can determine, even in early October, what kind of winter we're going to have based off the deer. He told me it was going to be a really cold Winter and I reminded him that he said that last year and it wasn't too bad. This winter hasn't been bad until January. And then, oh my word, it has been beyond chilly! I feel like I can't ever warm up. Rob has had to work a lot this week because a Winter snow/ice storm pushed through last weekend and the damage from it has been catastrophic! Trees down, schools shut down, over 150k without power, deaths, roadways closed (with cars on them). I think this is the first time that I can ever remember actually looking forward to Winter being over and warm temps being the norm.

But, that is how life is....some days are warm and sunny and some days are downright cold and miserable. The beauty of it all, though, is that every day is a new day. The storms pass. The sun comes out. And life keeps going. Through it all, we love, show grace and grow from the trying times. I am thankful that both boys have a good group of friends at school, are involved in Bible Studies and have a solid youth pastor to lead them by example. 

Now, onto sunnier, warmer days full of school baseball, nights on the front porch, afternoon walks with Rebel and weekends spent fishing....