I get lost driving to work

So I was driving to work this morning, listening to the radio. I somehow MISSED MY EXIT and ended up on the wrong freeway!!! I was so freaked out and panicked didn’t know how to get back on the right road to get me to work. I’ve been driving this SAME EXACT route for SIX FREAKING YEARS and still manage to get lost!!! What the H#%%!!!

So, I try to stay calm and keep driving straight until I can U-turn.

Then I miss the turn to get on the right road AGAIN.. (I was in the wrong lane.. again..) but as I keep going straight everything starts to look familiar and realize I can turn left in about a half a mile and be at my office.

OMG !!

Seriously.

I couldn’t make this $#@! up. I just couldn’t.

See how the office managed to find me even though I’m a complete dingbat when it comes to directions?! See?

The End..

Thank you Lori for this inpirational post...

At the end. How do I want this thing to end?

At the end of this life, I want my husband to remember me with love.

He will say that I was a wonderful joy to be around.

The light in his world.

The one that made everything ok.

Our love was what kept him going through all the messes, the pain, the disappointments, the madness.

In the end I would like him to say that it was all worth it.

He wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone else.

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At the end of this life, I want my children to remember me smiling with joy always.

I hope to instill excellence in everything they do: whether it’s going to school or going to the laundromat. It’s not important to get the best grades or to be the highest achiever. What’s most important is who you are on this inside. Your true self that exudes whether you like it or not. True success is honoring everyone around you. Showing gratitude and kindness to the person ringing up your groceries or the person who delivers your mail. I’d much rather they surround themselves with well rounded individuals of all sorts who are positive and uplifting rather than  be amongst  their peers who are in the same education level or industry. I want them to have confidence to be who they are and love themselves unconditionally. I want them most of all to know that they are loved beyond their capacity to understand. We have but a short time on this earth. In this short time it’s imperative that we love one another and “consider others better than ourselves” (Phil 2:3). In this brief moment, make it count; not in a souped up resume but in a loving home where love is the highest goal, where the spirit of the Lord resides freely.

For me, in the end, there is only one word that gives me utmost joy. In the end I just want Peace. Peace in my soul.

I would like to thank Lori for the inspiration behind this post & Gitzengirl for the artwork.

Invisible

Why do my needs come last?

I get so frustrated meeting everyone else’s needs with nothing left for me. I feel like I don't matter. Invisible.

Played in the rain

I cannot stand Sundays. It means the end of the weekend. Ironing needs to be done, bags need to be stuffed and it the next marks the beginning of a grueling work week. I don't know if I'm dissatisfied with my job or if I just don't like having to wake up at a certain time, be somewhere and be a corporate slave.
I long for the days when I can wake up when I'm done sleeping.
Where I can plan my day on a whim. Take a walk if I desire. Eat when I'm hungry. Be caught up. Each week I'm drowning and I feel like it gets worse and worse. Like I'm spinning in whirlpool. Out of control.

But today... we got up, skipped church, I had to do some retail therapy shopping, when I came home we jumped in the pool and it started raining.. rather than rush inside we decided to just play in the rain. Nothing's gonna stop us from havin' fun..
Except THUNDER.
In which we scoop up baby and run inside and hide.

ALONE .. what to do?? what to do??

So Seve is out with the boys tonight. Drewlbug is sleepy-poo. I am all by myself with my thoughts.
Lots to clean and organize and unfinished projects to complete...

But, I'd rather read my favorite blogs.. listen to music, find stuff to eat, drink wine & just think about doing something productive..
Oh the hangover is going kick my butt on that one..

Hey, check out this book review from Mighty Girl. Maggie never fails to inspire me to catch up on my reading list. She also makes me ADD more books to the already overwhelmingly LONG list.

"Annie Dillard has said that day by day you have to give the work before you all the best stuff you have, not saving up for later projects."

This is my new mantra, mission statement, theme - whatever the word is nowadays.

If I could be like da!

My little Drewlbug.. he wants to be like da soo bad...



Praying Power

5  years ago I read a book called What Makes a Man Feel Loved.

I never finished it. I have lots of books like that. I read them halfway through and they get lost under the bed.

The author talked about how his wife prayed everyday. Prayed for him everyday. She was really organized about it too. She had a list and a BINDER! Each day was allocated to a certain subject matter except Sunday which was a day of rest and for church. WOW! I never thought of putting a binder together!! And categorizing prayer lists? Awesome!! Totally right up my alley. I found a basket, a binder and created my tables I and was ready to go!

Later , a year and a half later, that binder turned into a pocket planner with just lists on each day. Then it just disappeared as I set up Outlook with reminders everyday of specific prayers for my husband. Every day at 9:30am I’d get a pop up screen with different scriptures and prayer for my husband. I said the prayer quickly and moved on.

This morning I realized what a transformation my husband had made. What a different man he is. How blessed I am to have him in my life. One major factor is that he quit drinking.. completely. Five years ago I would have laughed at anyone who would predict this phenomenon. It’s actually a miracle. We got into the worst fights in the beginning of our marriage because of his drinking habits. He became a different person and I hated it.

HATED IT.

Now, I’m starting to get to know the real man. I so love what I see. He takes care of the laundry, the bills, pitches in around the housework as needed, I never have to ask. I can’t believe how lucky I am. There are many things I that I never have to worry about in my marriage. We have our days when we’re snippy and don’t like each other much but this power of constant prayer has changed us both 180.

We have some major issues that need to be worked out… by a professional. We will get through it. These issues are mostly from my insecurities. They stem from when I was victimized as a child.  God has a way of making all things new.

Prayer changes everything. Even if it takes you years to realize it.

Resources:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/topics/downloads/index.php?id=9473
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/topics/downloads/

5 Minute Friday

Today I am linking up for the first time to Gypsy Mama's 5 Minute Friday segment.

Today's topic is GRATEFUL. I write for 5 minutes and just keep writing. Here goes nothing.

A grateful heart is something I should have. But these days are so wild and busy and insane with tasks, appointments and more errands than I can run. I am out of breath. I am grateful for this. It is wonderful in this crazy time. It will be gone all too soon. All too soon the house will be quiet. All too soon the house will be clean and immaculate but lonely. No pitter patter of sweet little feet running away from you. Ah. I am so grateful for this moment when I am the only joy and only love of my little boy. Too soon he'll realize he doesn't need me. Too soon he'll realize he's smarter than me. Until then... I just savor this craziness. I soak it all up and forget about the dishes and the sticky floors and just sit and watch him sleep. Why is this simple thing so beautiful and magical? This right here must be a glimpse of heaven. This is why people must take recreational drugs. To feel this enormous glory. To be right here where I am.
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Thanks Gypsy Mama!

Birds on the Wall

Welcome to my craft corner.

I saw these bird decals on a website and they wanted some crazy amount for it! So, I decided to make ‘em myself!  I was so in love.

I went to Walmart and saw room décor circle decals on clearance for $1.00.. SCORE!!!
At that point I knew God loved me.

I found some bird silhoute clip art and enlarged them as much as I could on the copier settings. Each 8X10 paper had a different bird decal design on it.

I got the decals out, traced them and cut them out. I used only the largest circle decals

I even used the adhesive white backing as an extra decal. I stuck em on the wall with masking tape folded over on the back. I am so pleased with the project. It costs a minimal amount and the fact that my hands made ‘em makes my heart so happy. I see them every day in my living room and they remind me to:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

So the birds.. okay.. for some reason Seve and I have this cosmic magnet on us to attract fledging birds. We’ve had more birds show up on our doorstep than we can count. They are always hurt or have fallen out of the nest or something. Steve and I have had to build a makeshift nest for them and pray that the momma bird comes for them, we have had to take one to a wildlife rehabilitation place, we have had to save one from a cat, we’ve had to catch one flying around the house.. it’s CRAZY. CRAZY I tell you.

We’ve tried and tried and tried to figure out this phenomenon. Most times I think it’s God telling me not worry about everything so much. I asked him to take care  of it in prayer and he will, according to his will and his timeline.

Then I read something that stopped the world for me.

I realized the birds represent me. It’s me that’s forgotten how to fly. It’s my fear  which keeps me from my dreams. The fear that has paralyzed me from childhood. So I sit, and I pray and try to find the strength to be myself; all of me, not just a sliver of what I think is the best part. All of me: the good, the bad, the OCD..Here is where the work begins. The forgiveness work. The hardest work of all. The type of work that makes me run far… Oh but how I want his anointing in my life. How I need his blessing. It becomes clear, crystal clear that I must endure and allow the pain to leave me. Go through it all even though it’s hard and there’s suffering. In the end, I have to learn, I am “fearfully and wonderfully made; [HIS] works are wonderful..”
Psalm 139:13-15

I leave you with a song and singer close to my heart. Enjoy.

http://youtu.be/JB2I5refJec

Love Button: Bono

http://dooce.com/2011/07/06/chills-i-tell-you

Bono.. wow............