Alabama Tracks

on the work front, anyways.  Both my bosses are gone now for the rest of the week for a staff retreat so my world has come to a screaching halt.  Hallelujah!  Somewhere I hear the chorus being sung.  I’ve needed a few days of down time.  The administrative assistants were all really busy yesterday morning trying to get everything completed before their bosses left for the week.  By days end, we were exhausted and were watching the clock hoping 4:30 would come quickly.

We’ve made some progress on the home front preparing for Ruthie in the past week.  We’ve managed to get the closet cleaned, clothes spot treated, washed, and hung up, old closet inhabitants have found a new home and others found a new home at the church caring center.  I still have about 130 shoes to sell of which I’ve taken a brief hiatus from this week due to other obligations.  I feel so much better about our progress but still there is so much needing to be done.  A computer desk to divest, a wireless router to purchase, a computer to sell and a room to paint. 

This weekend we will have house guests, Laurel and Charles will be coming into town for a wedding and will be bedding down at our place.  I am hoping we can still sleep in as this week has proven to be one of little sleep.  I don’t know what we’ll do as there just isn’t a lot to do here but we’ll take it as it comes I guess.  Next week we’re planning a trip to Tennessee to spend with a friend for her 30th birthday.  It will be a very short one day trip but I just don’t know that I would be up to much more than that at this point.  Especially after coming off of this weekend with Laurel and Charles.  I have found myself in a much different mental status lately.  The desire to stay home is growing as my nesting is beginning to come into play.  This coming from one who always had to be out and about on the weekends and though I enjoyed my time at home, it wasn’t acceptable for me (in my mind anyways) to always be there.  My life didn’t feel like it was in motion if I stayed home.  All that is changing.

It was beautiful here yesterday.  As I drove up to the house with my windows down, I noticed my husband already home cutting the grass.  I envied him that he could be outside in such a wonderfully breezy, comfortable evening.  We talked briefly outside and I headed in to open every window in the house.  I’ve longed to air out the house so yesterday was welcomed by both me and my girls.  They sat in each window watching their “daddy” mow the grass with their noses in the air just a twitching.  After dinner I headed to choir.  I’m hoping that it will be just as nice this afternoon when I get home so I can sit on the back porch with some tea and just enjoy it for what it has to offer.  Maybe a walk will be on the docket tonight if I still have some energy by days end.

So until next time, know that all is well.

3 years of marriage were marked yesterday as another day on the calendar.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided I didn’t want anything from Joel for our anniversary.  He had done so well with my birthday and we celebrated my birthday over the course of several weeks, I just wasn’t going to put much into the anniversary this year.  Sure I wanted it noted as a special day but only by dinner. 

I left work late, only by 10 minutes, but late nonetheless.  Joel had been home since 3:00 to take care of the pest control so I figured he would be playing one of his games killing time until I got home.  5 minutes before I arrived home, he called my cell phone to find out where I was so he knew when to get off the computer.  As I pulled in, I fully expected to have time to get my stuff situated and sit down as I waited for him so we could decide on where to go for dinner.  I opened the door and was greated with the smell of fish.  Not necessarily a normal odor in my house, my mind raced to think of the dinner he put together.  Surely we aren’t having salmon loaf for our anniversary.  Sweet sure, but not as special as I wanted.  As I realized what he had done, I was amazed.

On the plates ready to go was wild rice, green beans, NY strip steak, and lobster tails.  Yes, my husband cooked lobster tails.  We sat down to our meal that didn’t cost but a fraction of what a restaurant would charge.  I ate the green beans, rice, and proceeded to ask him how he pulled this one off.  He explained that as I had been at the children’s clothing exchange the night before, he had gone out to get lunch meat, steak, and lobster.  He hid it all in the fridge while only telling me he had gone to get his lunch meat.  As I took a bite of my steak, he explained that he had marinated it all day and had done research on how to cook lobster and nice lady in the store who sold it to him.  I started pulling off the shell of the tail, it flew from my hands and onto the floor.  Not to have my lobster escape so easily, I continued to tear into it. My first bite was small but it tasted sweet and tender.  I decided I had to have more room on my plate so I continued eating the steak first.  Then back to the lobster.   I have NEVER had lobster so sweet and delicious as this was.  It was fabulous.  My only words to Joel were that I wish that I had more. 

After dinner, I had a conversation with my sister and then we headed out to Fed Ex to deliver the very thing that had made me late coming home.  Then it was onto Lowes to pick out nursery paint.  We bought a light butter yellow for the walls and a dark pink for the legs of the footstool.  A few calls into daddy to determine what brushes we needed and we were off to Brusters for dessert.  Chocolate Chip ice cream is terrific from Brusters and definitely something that I will order again.  Following our trip out and about, we headed back home to watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  I laid on the couch with my feet propped up on his legs as he massaged my feet with lotion. 

We ended the night with me profusely thanking my husband for pulling yet another one over on me and making the evening so special regardless of whether I had said to do nothing or not.  He wanted the day to be special and be marked by something.  When it comes down to it, the dinner we had last night and the thoughfulness that was put into it was more than what I could have expected from going out to dinner or receive from any gift. 

My thoughful husband always amazes me with gifts and other things that I don’t normally ask for specifically or if I have, it has been so long ago that I don’t remember.  This time, he went above and beyond.  Gone is the traditional leather and cyrstal.  Bring on the lobster and steak!

Wow.  What an short weekend after what seemed to be such a long week.  I looked forward to this past weekend hoping it would afford me some quiet rest and some sense of accomplishment.  I think I got a little of both.

Friday night, Joel and I went out to dinner with Trey and Christina to Cheeburger Cheeburger.  We originally wanted to go to Chili’s but seeing that it is the “new” restaurant in town the wait was unbelieveable.  After dinner, Joel and I headed to Target to start our registry for Ruthie.  Done by 8:30, we headed home.  I soaked baby clothes, took pictures of my shoes, posted 17 of them on Ebay, and Joel went to get a friend’s cats inside only to have their house alarm go off and then have to deal with the alarm company.

 Saturday brought my mother and sister in law coming up for my birthday lunch.  They tried to get a dresser in the car so Ruthie would have a dresser / changing table, but it wouldn’t fit.  Instead they came for lunch (OCharley’s) and then riding around town looking at houses.  A quick trip to Hancocks’ and we were back home taking care of a few things there with them.  Joel and I ended Saturday with more wash, getting our friend’s cats inside, and heading to bed early.

Sunday was church and a new sunday school class.  We went to Prattville for lunch at Applebee’s hoping it would be better than our previous experiences.  Leaving disappointed, we headed to Belk.  I found out that my china was on sale for $25 for a 5 pc place setting and I still had some wedding money on a gift card to use.  We ended up ordering 3 sets (1 will be from mom as our 3rd anniversary gift) and the other two will finish my china.  Joel also found 2 outfits for Ruthie that are absolutely adorable and will be perfect for her in the early spring.  All totaled, we saved over $250 on everything.  I couldn’t believe the sales that we hit in both departments.  Having left satisfied with ourselves, I went to bed upon returning home while Joel played games.  We did grocery shopping, ate dinner, looked at the paper, and watched an Alaskan cruise show on the Travel channel.

Today has proven to be a little hard to get back into the swing of things.  I didn’t sleep well last night between Joel snoring and me not getting comfortable.  My body was not interested in getting around this morning.  I’m just now beginning to get into the groove of things.

Wednesday will be our 3rd anniversary and will come and go without much ado.  I do know that we will go to dinner but we’ll not exchange gifts this year.  We initially had planned a weekend getaway but with other trips planned, Ruthie on the way, and vacation time needing to be saved, we thought it best to stay close to home.  I find it hard to believe that I’m okay with it this way for this year.  Our attention is just so fixed on getting ready for Ruthie that dinner will be nice though and a break from cooking mid week.

And so, I didn’t get the vacuuming done and all the wash completed, I am pleased with the variety of things that came my way this weekend.  We enjoyed it immensly and both are looking forward to next weekend in hopes of making more progress on the tasks at hand in preparation.  There is a time and season for everything, in work, in play, in prep, and in rest.  For now, the season is work.  Have a great one everyone.

 

It is the definition often given for the word “grace” and something that I experienced yesterday.  It dawned on me that I had not done one of my bosses expense reports correctly and thus I thought it had cost him a lot of money.  I fussed over it all evening long on Wednesday night.  Sick to my stomach, I wanted to talk to him as I knew it was the only thing I could do but boy I didn’t like the idea of eating crow.  When I figured out what I had done it was 4:00 on Wednesday afternoon.  He was on the phone disputing another bill and wasn’t too pleased about it.  I decided that it wasn’t the time to ask for grace.  First thing Thursday morning, I approached him with my issue.  I asked for grace, a great deal of grace.  What I got was complete.  I hadn’t done anything wrong as he has taken care of things on the side unbeknownst to me.  I can’t tell you the relief I had instantaneously.  Unmerited favor / grace in everyday action. It was further a lesson to me that when you own up to something you’ve done, it is often easier on you in the long run.  I’ve learned this a long time ago but every now and again, I think the Lord feels the need to remind us.

Wednesday was a great birthday.  My husband wished me happy birthday 7 minutes before I actually turned 30.  Mama called and sang to me on my work phone and then proceeded to tell me that when I was born I came out wide eyed and ready to see the world.  It brought tears to my eyes.  My boss at work brought me a tree for my office (last year all I got was “you got your gift card from the company so that’s all you’re getting.  Have a great day.”)  so needless to say I was shocked.  I wore my new earrings to work that day and got a ton of complements.  It was just overall a great day.  To finish it off, Joel and I went to Outback with my company gift card and had a nice long dinner full of discussion complete with appetizer, sodas, and a full meal.  Usually we have water to cut back on expense and the appetizer isn’t anywhere on the radar.  With the rain coming down outside, we didn’t have any urge to leave and thus I had great quality time with him which is what I needed.  Love in action.

Overall it has been a great week. Mom and Dad come this afternoon and we’ll cap off the week with a visit to my sister and her gang.  Turning 30 hasn’t been all that bad this week.  I’ve had the love of friends and family and I’ve got more on the horizon.