"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. " ~ James 1:2-3

Lethargy and Michigan

In our home, we have been sharing and passing around a low grade fever, coughing, and general lethargy. It started about the time we left Michigan. It was a very... good?... no, meaningful trip. Tom's father had a scare the Wednesday before last, and Aunt Teddy, Tom's great aunt, passed away. 
We went up to Michigan for the funeral, and to spend time visiting with Tom's father. The funeral was beautiful; a wonderful Catholic ceremony, full of all the people she had impacted during her 93 years. I can say this, because I hardly knew her, but I thought the funeral was amazing - celebrating the much loved life of a 93 year old woman is a shining example of how I hope to go, when I do. 
We spent time with Tom's dad every day. The last time we went to visit, his father's eyesight had deteriorated, but he has since undergone corrective surgery. To see his dad playing with Harper was really uplifting. 

So the coughing, low-grade fever, and lethargy is worth it. But I am ready to feel 100%

Perspective

We just get the one life, you know. Just one. You can't live someone elses or think it's more important just because it's more dramatic. What happens matters. May be only to us, but it matters. 
 - Gwen, Ghost Town

Doctor Who?


I've recently discovered the fun that is Doctor Who. I am currently watching the first season of the 2005 series. The Doctor has been played by eleven different people, over the span of forty seven years. I've always loved time travel!!
Tom is also excited; I'm not generally a sci-fi kind of gal, and this is something he loves that we can share. The episode I am currently watching is about a killer death robot collected by a conceited power hungry internet genius. And The Doctor will soon save the day!
Thank goodness I don't have to help him... 

Remembering Aunt Teddy...

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

Please pray for Tom and his family as they celebrate the long and much loved life of "Aunt Teddy."

Mailman

 This is the best description of my mind racing at night I've ever found:

Back on the couch, he counts. One little sheep, two little sheep, three little sheep. Why not? The sheep trot up the fences - he's got their fat-assed waddle down cold - but he can't make 'em jump. Do sheep jump? They're unaerodynamic, their legs are too short. And so after imagining a few sort of levitating over the fence- their little legs dangle, wobbling back and forth in a light prairie breeze - he gives up and lets them walk along it. the way real sheep might, and munch on the grass that rings the posts. It's a split-rail fence: he knows real sheep would be penned behind a wire fence, or perhaps an electrified fence, but how relaxing are realistically restrained livestock? The split-rail fence is idyllic, rough-hewn, it allows him to imagine the sheep scratching themselves against the coarse-grained wood. But wait: they're scratching a bit too hard, aren't they? In fact, some of them have got these bald patches, and their skin in pink and inflamed...oh, no! These sheep have scrapie, the ovine mad cow disease - they're doomed! And sure enough, as he comes to this grim realization, the scrapie-afflicted sheep begin to collapse, until they have formed a large fluffy pink-and-white pile at the edge of the meadow.
~Mailman, J. Robert Lennon

I'm dreaming of...

A good nights sleep; ever elusive. I always knew (read: was always warned) that as I got older, the constant drag of fatigue would never fade. I secretly hoped it wasn't true. It is. I've discovered that my roles in life are getting greater in number. I'm a mother, a wife, a daughter, an employee, a consultant, and an adult. At one point in my life, I was simply a daughter and child. No wonder I'm not getting enough sleep! (photo credit: Remara Photography)

A raise. It's not a given, but my (new) boss asked me to draft up a new job description that emphasized my skills, not downplayed them. As is, my position seems to be leaning towards Resarch Analyst. A rough search shows this position pays, on average, twice what I am currently making. While I'm not gunning for that kind of raise, I am hoping that means that I get at least something! (photo credit: Automania @ flickr.com)



Being debt free. We have taxes coming in and generous student grants from CFCC. As we pay off certain bills, we'll have more money in the budget, to finish paying off other bills. And while it will be some time before the student loans from before Tom and I were married are gone, even if we can pay everything else off; we'd have plenty in the budget to start saving for a home of our own. And maybe a newer car. Ride away, little debt train! (photo credit: catherine_arthouse @ flickr.com)

First Day of School



Tom started school on Wednesday. He attended a three hour night class on Public Speaking. Most of the students are non-traditional, which makes for what should be an interesting course. I am so proud of him! He's already begun his homework for next Monday's class.
It'll be so soon that he's ready to start his career in the classroom!

Wii would like to play!

Wii!! I got a totally unexpected Christmas bonus that (after tithing) covered the cost of a Wii, an extra remote, and a few games.  I have been wanting a Wii since before I was married, and every time I had finally saved up enough money, something expensive happened, like replacing my engine or getting pregnant. I suppose that was God's way of ensuring that I could in fact, pay for those things. 

But now, I finally have my very own Wii! Tom and I have been having a lot of fun, not to mention getting a lot more activity in during the days. I've used muscles that haven't been moved in years! (Which I didn't realize until I woke up SORE the day after we got it). And even if I don't want to be active, I can make Miis. I've discovered you can make aliens, bowling balls, insects, and even dogs if you do it right (hint: you can make eyebrows look like practically anything!).

Now it's time to use the rest of the money on more responsible things.