the Soapbox

I have always loved a good speech. In the movies when the music swells and the long dialogue begins, ah yes, now it's getting good. When I taught in a classroom, I loved preparing my lectures.  I always hoped each lesson would inspire, change, or teach a concept that up to that moment, was unknown to the listener. To take intangible ideas and put them into concrete ideas and be able to pass that along to another person is a feeling I will never tire of.  I have always wondered if this is why I love art and music so much; for in their most basic form, they solidify the things we cannot bottle - feelings, ideas, and themes are transformed into lines, notes, patterns, strokes, and even color.

At my house, it's called the soapbox. I get all fired up about a subject and we all know the speech is coming. Russell has even offered to fashion me a little box to stand on to make my "fits with words" a little more exciting.

It's a blessing and a curse;  in it's most glorious form the soapbox is a statement of truth and a way to publicly confirm one's commitment to following it. In it's ugliest form; judgement. I pray God will always help me to tame my tongue and seek forgiveness when I do judge.

Which brings me to this post.  A soapbox has been brewing in the last few months and it's finally time to let it all out. After I was married, I was given many words of congratulations and happiness. But - one phrase has been repeated over and over again, "Just you wait."  I have been told "Just you wait - in a few years you won't be able to stand eachother".  "Just you wait, the honeymoon only lasts so long".  "Just you wait - when life gets back to normal you won't think marriage is so great". Just wait.  Wait for what...Wait to be miserable? Wait to be unhappy? Wait to realize that this thing called marriage was something one endures and not something to enjoy? Wait. Wait.  Wait.  I did wait - I waited for God's best for me.  I carefully chose my mate after many years of being single, and God blessed me more abundantly that I could ever have imagined.  I am content with him - we have great days and days that need a little more patience and forgiveness (and maybe wine), but we are happy and so thankful for eachother. What was I missing?

Ok, time to look at the other side. I thought maybe there were 2 explanations for the warning: I am a newlywed and do not know what REAL marriage was going to be like and a little warning is always nice. Or #2) that I was older than many other brides and in a different stage of life.  Perhaps I would need to know that it was all going to get hairy soon...learning to give up my independence and live with an already established man in his 30's that would likely not yield to new ideas would not be fun.

As these possibilities ran through my mind mixed with the truth of my marriage and of God, the phrase "Just you wait" slowly began to change from ugly to beautiful.  The warnings are gone, and I can tell you this is what I will wait for:

Just you wait - you think you love him now but your heart will deepen for this man with each passing year.

Just you wait - God will show you your best and worst, and your husband will see it all, and he will still love you.

Just you wait - after you hurt him, or he hurts you, your love for eachother will get stronger, not weaker.

Just you wait - there is beauty and purpose in commitment and God has set you on a path you will praise Him for.

Just you wait.

First Christmas

Being together with family is sweet, sometimes hard, but always full of excitement. Here are a few highlights from our first Christmas:

There was time for "man stuff" and coffee...

Time for unwrapping...

A gingerbread creation...

And some naps as well!

and of course, plenty of memories to last us until next year.

Home is where it's at

Home is where my heart is, especially since we finally have all the rooms in order! I wish now that we had taken before and after pics - if you ever saw the house before I moved in, you would be shocked. We have converted one of the spare rooms into a studio for my business, crafts, and for Norman, and the other into a guest room that also functions as storage for Russell's spare parts and tools.  It's amazing to have full use of the house now! When we were cleaning up the bed in the guest room, we found a box with an old NES inside...and WE HOOKED IT UP!!  i am literally about to pour myself a glass of wine and play some ol' school mario bros.  We both failed level 1 yesterday on our first attempt at the game.  we are soooooo not video game players, but somehow this feels different - almost like we are little kids playing after our homework. very fun indeed.

TETRIS!!

Merry Christmas!

Hit and Run....and Fun

So here's what had happened....

We just finished loading up the pick-up with items from the old house to bring to the new house, and we hear a BANG at the intersection.  A honda hit an SUV, and remarkably, the honda began speeding away from the accident!!!!! Russell took off running down the street to try and read the license plate, but they were too fast. We went over to the lady in the SUV to see if she was ok, and she was.  No injuries. We told her we witnessed the accident and would happily tell the police when they arrived that it was a hit and run.  She didn't seem worried at all, and just smiled as she looked at her deflating tire...

The police will have no problem finding the person who did this.  :) 

 

 

Deck the halls with dogs and dnalrag...

This year my decs are on a slightly different pallet - but I have to say it all turned out very well! I am feeling quite jolly, and making our house all lit up inside makes me feel that way too.

okay, I posted a close up of the garland for a reason...look closely...merry christmas is spelled backwards!!! That's what you get for 75% off after christmas sale :) I was going to fix it, but we decided to hang it up anyway to remind us that imperfection can still bring us joy...

...and our eyesight is starting to fail and we can't really read the words anyway.

no room for a big tree this year - so we're sporting my little outdoor tree, complete with foot-stomp light switch. :)

doves mate for life

wine buddies!

and last but not least...russell is not the only cold body in this house.  we frequently find norms with his little ol' nose buried in his bed. 

confession: I give the boys a hard time for being cold, but I have been cold too!! it's 70 degrees right now in the house, and I'm wearing a sweatshirt, 2 shirts, and soft pants.  I'm going to FREEZE in kansas.

hey there special person

ok let's be honest. we all like to celebrate and have an excuse to make everyday things just a little more spectacular. Enter - the "you are special" plate!  Every time one of us has a special day, we get to use this kick-a plate.   The maiden voyage is T minus 2 days from now...on Saturday morning for a very special birthday breakfast!  :)  yay!