Friday, December 31, 2010

Confession Number 67: Oh, I Love A Rainy Night!

It has been forever since we have had any measurable form of precipitation in our neck of the woods.  The earth was parched and the lake was low.  A cold front is heading our way, destined to ruin the humid, balmy December temperatures we have had the last few days.  It was a combo perfect for a good, old fashioned, spring like rainstorm. 
It started moving through sometime early this morning.  I woke up, heard the pounding on my windows, smiled to myself and cuddled a little deeper into the covers.  I love, love, love sleeping in the rain.  The storm would come and go, and it started up again a little before 6:30.  For the first time ever we hear the pitter patter of little feet coming across the living room whispering, "Mommy!  Mommy!  I'm scared.  Can I get in bed with you?"  Dustin gets out of bed to pick her up and lift her under the covers where she immediately snuggles up with both of us for the next 30 minutes.  The best morning EVER.  I'm loving this rainy night....or morning. 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Confession Number 66: It is Pouring

I need this.  I need to sit down and pound this out on my keyboard, because if I didn't have you all to whine to I might just go lay in bed in the fetal position crying, and Lord knows I don't have the time for a pity party.  So, I need you to listen to me vent for a minute, okay?  I need to sit down here, taking out all of my frustrations on these keys and sip on some coffee.  Momma really needs a glass of wine (yes, at 9:30 in the morning), but my half caff coffee is going to have to be good enough for now.  For some reason, I'm thinking that really isn't a fair trade. 

You know the old adage "When it rains, it pours".  Well, it is pouring at our house.  Pouring broken things.  Now, I'm going to start this off by saying it really has gotten to the point that it is funny.  It is such a blessing that we have the capabilities to handle all of these broken things.  I know that God is up there planning some big lesson for Dustin and I.  You think he'd listen if I told him I was ready to learn?  That he had my attention?  I know that all of these things are so little, and for that, I am truly, truly grateful.  That is what is making it humorous at this point.

This story begins the week before Thanksgiving.  On my way to a MOPS night meeting I realized that my heater wasn't working in the truck.  Great, I thought.  That will be a nice, expensive fix on a vehicle we really aren't planning on having much longer.  A few days later it overheated in the middle of town.  We knew I had a slow leak of "something", but wasn't sure what it was.  Well, it was coolant and I was just about dry, hence why the heater wasn't working.  A refill on coolant and the truck was working great again until two days ago, when I started overheating after taking KJ to school.  So, we put the truck on ice for a couple of days and we have been living with one car.  Actually, not that bad of a deal, but, still, needs to be fixed.

The day after Thanksgiving I walked into the laundry room to notice water all over the floor.  After a little investigation, I open the deep freeze to find a cool, not freezing cold, interior.  Luckily, the food was all still fine.  It could all fit into our fridge freezers.  A call to a local appliance repair place found that it was leaking Freon.  A $200 fix on a $400 freezer.  Dustin and I agreed it wasn't worth it.

Tuesday we got a call from a friend at the City of Grove.  "Um, Dustin, this is Stephanie.  I think you have a problem.  Your meter reads that you have used 35,000 gallons of water this month."  Really?!?!  What is up with all the leaking around here?!?!  God Bless Steph and the very nice meter reader, who didn't have to bring it to our attention.  We could have just gotten the water bill in the mail.  Then we would be dealing with a cardiologist bill on top of everything else.  This is why I am loving being back in a small town!! 

This morning Dustin took my truck to work, not wanting to put his daughter and pregnant wife in a car that might break down on the side of the road.  I get KJ all ready for school and off we go out to the car, which won't start.  I just sat in the driver's seat and laughed.

Thankfully most of these issues have a glimmer of a silver lining.  We have been pre-approved for a loan to buy me a new car.  Yes, it is a couple of months before we wanted, but we can afford it, so not a HUGE deal.  My mom has a freezer she isn't using, so they are bringing it up to us next week.  At the very least we will be able to borrow it until we find a few extra hundred dollars to buy a new one.  The ginormous water leak is in our new irrigation system.  Yes, my nice, new, pretty yard will need to be torn back up, but since it is their fault, it should be good as new once they are finished.  I'm pretty sure the issue with Dustin's car is that the electric battery needs to be charged.  Easy fix, but, of course, we can't find the charger. 

During this time of year we all get busy with this and that, and trust me, all of these "issues" are not helping that, but God has given me a peace that these are just "things".  Everyone is healthy, we are happy and have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for.  I need to be reminded of that every once in a while, and Lord, I promise, I have been.  So, until God is convinced that I have learned me lesson, could someone please hand me an umbrella?  I'm soaked over here. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Confession Number 65: It Is Funny What You Remember

Memories are a funny thing, don't you think?  They make you laugh, make you smile and they have a way of sneaking up on you and biting you on the butt when you least expect it.  Memories are God's little gift from the past.

I remember seeing my husband for the first time across a crowded resturant in LA. 
I remember my parents taking us to "see the lights" in OKC when my brother came home for the first time in years.
I remember the fear of going to a new school.
I remember the overwhelming joy when Dustin handed our daughter to me for the first time.
I remember getting balloons at school from Daddy on Valentine's Day.
I remember watching Pee Wee Herman on Saturday mornings.
I remember the tears streaming down my face as I sat in an empty house in Piedmont the day we left.
I remember the rush of my first kiss.
I remember the peace of knowing I found the man to spend the rest of my life with. 
I remember the family of little girls we helped get clean and dressed for the Christmas Program when I was a freshman in HS.

It is truly funny what you remember.  You never know what moment in your life, or what action you do to impact someone else's life is going to make a difference.  Some of these memories are simply that, memories.  Others altered the way I live my life.

Today I enjoy remembering Daddy.  His life, the gifts he shared with countless others, the impact he made as a father to four kids.  It is also amazing what you DON'T remember.  Thankfully I don't remember every little detail about his illness.  I remember bits and pieces.  Some of them are even funny.  On this, his 10th Angel Wing Day, I'm not going to think about the sad times, but the happy memories that God has blessed me with.