3 Years

Heath & I celebrated our third year of marriage yesterday. Perhaps it wasn't the most elaborate celebration, but it was wonderful nonetheless! We went out for dinner at Cheddars' (they have the best & cheapest appetizers!) with Ainsley. After dinner, we picked up Italian gelato to enjoy at home after putting Ainsley to bed. With our ice cream and a fresh pot of coffee (for me, of course!), we settled in and watched the first episode of Season Six of West Wing.

I've been asked what I like best about marriage, and I'd have to say it's just so much fun to be friends with Heath. I love that I don't yet know everything about him and that I have the rest of our lives to learn! I love you, Babe!! Thanks for 3 great years and for the hope of many more to come!

My 5 Things

Sorry, Danielle, I keep forgetting to post this. Shantel actually reminded me by posting hers - thanks!

The "5 THINGS GAME" The rules are to write 5 things under each of the 5 headings, and then tag 5 other people.

10 years ago...
1. I was fourteen years old.
2. I had never been on a date, much less met my husband, Heath.
3. I was looking forward to the Spring Band & Choir trip to San Antonio.
4. I was adjusting to a public high school with a class five times bigger than my 8th grade class.
5. I was scared to drive, even though I had my permit.

5 Things on Today's "To-Do" List
1. Go for a walk.
2. Fold the towels.
3. Plan Saturday's "To-Do" List.
4. Give Ainsley a bath.
5. Make pizza for dinner.

5 Snacks I Enjoy...
1. Chocolate & strawberries
2. Coffee & a bagel
3. Cheese
4. Kettle corn (only the Boy Scout brand)
5. Fresh fruit

5 Things I Would Do if I were a Millionaire!
1. Pay off our student loans.
2. Buy a house that we love.
3. Save for Ainsley's college fund.
4. Save for our future.
5. Help out our families & give a lot away.


5 Places I Have Lived...
1. West Marion
2. East Marion
3. Ames
4. Bangkok
5. Dallas

5 Jobs I've had/Still have...
1. Babysitting
2. The PretzelMaker
3. Gregory's Coffeehouse
4. MU Cafe
5. Joshua Expeditions

5 People I'm tagging:
1. Kendra
2. Emily
3. Dan & Lynn
4. Rosa
5. Karen
5. Kelly

finally!

I've been asked what I decided to name the scarecrow I made. Well, the poll was not all that helpful because it ended as a three-way tie. But while my parents were visiting, Dad said he didn't vote but he liked "Mifflin"; Heath would have voted the same way. So, there you have it - Mifflin he is.

For those who are wondering where the name came from, I'll indulge your curiosity. George Mifflin Dallas, the Vice President under President Polk, was also the man for whom the city of Dallas was named. Fitting name for my scarecrow, I'd say, seeing as how Dallas is where we are living!

Happy October 1st!

For three years now, I have anticipated the first day of October with both dread and excitement. You see, there is a huge deadline for all the students who will be traveling with my company this year to turn in their paperwork by October 1st. While they feel excited, perhaps, or relieved, to have the ball rolling for their trip, I am met with an avalanche of work. This time of year excites me because I thrive on being busy. On the other hand, having worked at this company for the past 2 years, I also know exactly what is coming. There is no way of preparing to make it easier or doing work ahead of time. I just wait for the dreaded October First.

There is, I think (in my imperfect knowledge on the subject), a fine line between drowning and keeping your head above water - somewhere between all-out panic at the first sensation of water lapping your nose and being so tired of treading water that your whole body aches. For the next month and a half, my goal is to keep my head above water. Not finish the work at the end of the day, for that won't happen for several weeks. But I will outlast the stormy waves.

I try to keep life as normal as possible - shower every morning, eat breakfast, lunch & dinner, workout, hang out with friends on the weekend, love on Heath & Ainsley. But I'll also get up a little earlier and stay up a little later. This actually works out well. Since I'm working from home, I can work while Heath does homework and during the day I get to watch Ainsley's antics out of the corner of my eye and hear her sweet, playful voice while I type away. And, for this month and a half, I'll swallow the perfectionism that says everything needs to be done at the end of the day. I'll leave a mountain of work for the next day - although hopefully it will be smaller than earlier in the day; and I will work steadily until I can finally say at the end of the day that there is nothing more to do.

I hope I haven't given the impression that I'm complaining or wishing October never came. As in every season, the good is often found in the difficulties. Besides that, each day is brand new; it has yet to be lived in; today's sunrise has never been seen before.

With that, I'm off to begin work for the day! Have a great one, dear friends!

Dirt-Covered, Yet Beautiful

A quick drive or cursory glance down the streets of our neighborhood would give you the image of unkempt lawns, overgrown weeds, garish & badly done paint jobs, broken sidewalks, discarded trash, and bars on windows. Not the kind of place that says "Beauty" or "Grace" to a passerby.

But that would only be part of the picture, for it takes a slower pace to see the beauty. As Annie Dillard wrote:

"As I walked along...I got better and better at seeing frogs both in and out of the water. I learned to recognize, slowing down, the difference in texture of the light reflected from mud bank, water, grass, or frog."

A slower, closer look at our neighborhood affords visual treasures, things like:

the startled butterfly who flew on ahead;

the nearly hidden, but well tended rose garden;

neatly potted plants along a porch;

the earthy green front door which perfectly compliments the stone house;

the elderly gentleman who waters and weeds his wildflower garden nearly every day;

a well placed decorative wheelbarrow filled with dark, rich soil and crisp, white petunias;

large, shady trees lining the street;

the way the morning sunlight flickers through the trees, creating soft shadows;

a pair of cream rocking chairs inviting company;

sweet smelling honeysuckle climbing over a fence;

a vine-covered wall.

It has taken awhile, but I am learning to find the beauty in the broken & dirty things of life. I am broken, dirty, needy, sinful but God is making me sweet smelling, full of His beauty and grace.

There is so much that is unattractive in this world - Lord help me to view it all through your eyes of grace.

What's in your cupboard?

RealSimple magazine has a neat section called "New uses for old things." Partially inspired by their creativity and partially by Ainsley's need for challenge & discovery, I started my own list of ways to use common household items as toys. It is in no way exhaustive nor do I claim to be the first to have thought of these things. Each day I think of something else, but I have not used all of these ideas yet. Feel free to both use my ideas and suggest your own!

• Plastic kitchen serving/stirring spoon
• Empty & clean individual size plastic juice bottle filled with pennies (or beads)
• Empty, clear plastic hand soap dispenser filled with water (bath toy)
• Nesting Tupperware containers
• Tupperware container with a lid filled with pennies (or anything that makes noise)
• Sponge & container to squeeze water into (bath toy)
• Empty, clean diaper wipe container with a top that opens by pushing a button
  

Sparkling Names

I laughed out loud this morning on the way to work. As I passed a car dealership, the sign on the building caught my eye. It read, "Pre-Loved." I love it - I'm still laughing. Normally, I wouldn't think twice about any car in a lot, especially if we're not in the market for a new car. But today my interest was peaked by who might have previously loved each car in that lot.

The sign reminds me of the tendency of Amy Carmichael & Anne Shirley to give ordinary and plain places more imaginative names. Instead of "the bathroom or restroom", Amy called it The Place, creating mystery & politeness around something unremarkable. Barry's Pond became The Lake of Shining Waters to Anne, allowing the simple pond to take on a romantic and magical element.

It's the art of naming, a skill I don't possess - as illustrated by my scarecrow name poll!