The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young.

Have you read it yet?

If not, what are you waiting for?

It's an experience where you get to know God in a more personal level, as our Father, surrounding us in his pure love.

I feel so blessed to have read it.

True to Form

I survived the commissary trip, though the Navy guys barely did.

First I had to find the right gate to get the proper sticker for my truck. I asked a nice uniformed, armed man how to get there and he wanted to know my husband's rank. Just like that.

I thought that was a bit intrusive of him yet I answered.

Well, the royal treatment is what I got.

He sent a young soldier to walk in front of me as I followed in my truck to the correct building to get a sticker. I thanked the young soldier and wanted so badly to ask him to 'drop and give me 20', just for the fun of it, but I held my tongue.

My husband could care less about ranks, he has got to be the most down to earth person I've ever met.

After waiting on a small line, I got to meet another Navy guy who was very helpful with the stickers.....all four of them. He showed me how to assemble them on the counter and told me where to put them on my windshield.

IT WAS VERY CONFUSING!

I asked him to show me again and he gladly did.

But when I got outside to my truck, I accidentally ripped one of the important stickers in half. I put it on anyway just like that. There was no way I was going to go back in there and let them know that I was the ditsy wife of someone they obviously had a lot of respect for.

My husband laughed when he saw my truck and told me that I was going to have problems getting through military gates with the torn sticker on my windshield.

Anyway, the commissary was amazing!

It is a grocery store with everything a regular grocery store has, except the prices are really low. And, to my amazement, I was able to buy our favorite orange juice without having to take out a second mortgage.

And there was a mall upstairs! And they sold Coach handbags! And designer shoes! And a food court!

Yes, it was all worth the stress. I just hope they let me back in next week.

Left Right Left

Today for the first time I am going to take a trip to the military commissary, after the contractors get here that is. It is about an hour's drive from our house.



I've been a bit anxious about the trip because it will be the first time as a military wife that I am doing something that a military wife does. When I get there I have to go to a special gate and get my truck regsitered and stickered up. That may not seem like a big thing, but for some reason and I can't figure out why, it is a big thing for me.



So last night I had one of my famous dreams. "They" say that dreams are ways your mind helps you deal with the stresses you are going through. For me, they are the opposite.



In this dream I took a trip to the Naval Base (My husband is in the Air Force and National Guard, but the commissary is at the Naval Base) and accidentally, yes, accidentally, as if it could be at all possible, signed up to join the National Guard.





In the next scene of my dream I was at boot camp, running around, jumping over ditches, climbing walls and dropping and doing 50. I was not in shape so I was getting yelled at a lot for not being able to keep up with the rest of the young people. Unfortunately I was my actual age in this dream, almost 50, which made it all even more frustrating.

I'd never be able to walk in those boots, where's the 4 inch heel?

At least I was wearing lipstick.

In the next scene I was assigned to my husband's unit and was standing next to him as I was getting yelled at by his commanding officer who was a woman. I kept screaming back at her, "YES SIR" and getting in more trouble because I was supposed to scream, "YES MAME" or something equivalent indicating that she was a woman. I couldn't get it straight and I kept trying to explain that I'm new to this all and if she was a judge I'd know what to call her, "Madam Justice", "Your Honor", "Judge". She didn't give me a chance to explain and my husband could only look straight ahead at attention.



Then I woke up.



And now I am even more anxious about shopping at the commissary.



So if I don't return - you all know what happened.



Please tell my husband I love him and I'll see him right after boot camp.

Who needs stupid geckos?

Oh my land, I'm about to go through a nighmarish experience once again, I've been through it before in my old house and I spent the whole time freaking out, now it's gonna happen again....I'm going to be without a kitchen for the next month or two. I'm happy and freaking out at the same time.

It all started when my kitchen floor started warping awhile back....I didn't think much of it because it was humid outside and I know that the former owners put the floor in themselves. And from some of the other projects they did around here, it is obvious that home improvement wasn't their thing. Like, for instance, when the kitchen cabinet with the glass door fell off the wall, or when the bathroom medicine cabinet pulled away from the wall.

So, I just thought that I was going to have to replace the vinyl tiles sooner or later because they weren't installed correctly.

But then we noticed a small puddle of water in the basement under the kitchen area. The dishwasher was leaking water under the kitchen floor.

So I called my insurance agent and lo and behold, they ordered a restoration company to come and dry up the kitchen and then a contracting company to tear the kitchen down and rebuild it.

I love State Farm Insurance.

But I do not like being kitchenless.

Anyone who knows me knows that I practically live in my kitchen. It's where I find peace. I love to cook and bake and whenever I am going through a tough time, you'll usually find me cooking or baking up a storm.

Today State Farm came out and approved everything, even a food allowance, if necessary, for having to eat meals away from home. And an hour later the restoration company came, they still are here, drying up the kitchen and basement. There are fans a blowing and dehumidifiers sucking up air all over the place.

So you can have that gecko, the cavemen and all those other insurance companies....I'm sticking with State Farm, 'cause....

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Sad News.

A friend of ours has suddenly passed away. He was young and a father of four, the youngest only 3 months old.

He took his children to Chuck E. Cheese on Monday and collapsed, they were unable to revive him.

It is so sad for everyone in our small town.

Jon coached basketball and soccer and was a positive influence on hundreds of children lives. I don't think any child in this town doesn't have a picture of him in one of their team photographs.

If you can, please remember his family in prayer, for his two older teenager girls who have been struggling and for his younger children who are unable to understand all that is going on.

Thank you.

Hot Pants

I'm loving being married and all the 'fun' rights that come with that.

Now that we are married, being able to exercise some of the things that have been stored away in my mind for years has and continues to be 'fun'.

Yet, no matter how hard I try, I'm still a klutz of magnitude proportion.

Take for instance, the other night when in an effort to be all romantic and sultry-like, I lit a candle and later nearly lit the bedroom ablaze when I threw my husband's 'drawers' across the room. They landed right on top of the candle and started smoking.

Of course I put the fire out quickly, but it took a long time to stop laughing.

element

We celebrated my step-son's 11th birthday yesterday.

And I surprised him with his favorite strawberry shortcake....with a twist....the Element logo. He's all about skateboarding lately.

What a special child this boy is.

He struggles; he overcomes.

He adapts to two separate lives, even though his nature is to thrive in predictability and constants.

He obeys with out complaint, even though he wants to be mischievous.

At night he struggles to sleep, he is prone to insomnia. When his dad puts to bed, he takes off the shirt he's been wearing all day and gives it to him to sleep with. My step-son puts it on, snuggles it and dreams of being able to grow up to be just like him.

And I watch in awe at this father and son's love for each other that is so strong and solid. And I'm so blessed to be a part of all of this love.

Let the rain pour

We were driving together as the gentle rain fell, Pookie and I. During times like these, when it's just her and I, she tends to open up and tells me of the things that run around her head. And I love it ....and her.

It brings me back to when my children were teenagers and our car rides with their heartbreaking drama that didn't seem so heartbreaking by the end of our drive. Sometimes just listening to them talk about their problems would help them figure it all out themselves. They still do that these days, even though they are well past their teenage years.

She was sitting in the passenger side of my truck, excitedly telling me of the newest drama with her and her friends when in mid-sentence she stopped and asked, "Theresa, do you hear that?"

"What?", I asked.

"Oh my gosh, THAT, want is that noise?", she asked again, as she folded herself frontwards to look on the floor of the front seat.

"I don't hear anything, what is the noise?", I asked.

She looked all around.

"You've got to hear it!!!! I'M NOT CRAZY!!!! ", she screamed.

More searching. And then.....

"Theresa, it's....it's..........oh, it's the windshield wipers...."

We laughed until the tears started falling.

"You've got to blog this.", she said and then continued where she left off talking about the important things that are going on that are shaping her into a remarkable, intelligent and beautiful young lady.