Band of Gold

Troy and I were engaged five whole days before we were married. In that short amount of time we: bought my ring, bought my dress and shoes, secured a perfect location for the Saturday afternoon wedding and the weekend honeymoon, hired the preacher, ordered the cake for the reception to follow a week after the wedding, ordered my bouquet, invited our immediate family, and placed the announcement in the local paper. Whew......I think about it now and wonder how the stars aligned in such a way to make all this happen in such a timely manner.

Before we did any of the tasks from the previous list, we bought Troy's wedding band at the Walmart in Marble Falls, Texas. It cost $54.99. It was a plain gold band. We didn't have very much money so this was the perfect ring at the time.

Troy plays with his ring constantly. He also has to take it off and put it on his key ring or in his pocket while he's working with electricity (which he does almost every day.) I told him that if he ever lost it all he would have to do was run by Walmart on the way home and pick up a new one.

Well, it happened. He lost it.

The first thing he said when I came home Monday night was, "Guess what happened today." He held up his hand to show me his ring was missing. "I lost my ring."

My response was, "And you didn't run by Walmart to pick up a new one?"

He got misty-eyed and I knew in that moment that inexpensive band of gold was priceless to him.

So tonight, my friend Jenni and I met after work at Zales and picked out a very nice two-tone brushed silver and gold wedding band for the man I love more than anything else in this world.

I walked in the door tonight with a to-go box of Troy's favorite snack, jalapeno poppers. Inside was the ring tucked in it's Zales box. Troy opened the styrofoam to go box, saw the smaller jewelry box and instantly knew what it held. I love that he almost dropped the food to get to the ring. He loves it. He won't take it off even though we need to have it sized!

God has a way of reminding me in the mundane day to day living of life that he picked out this man just for me. And with that gentle reminder He fills my heart with even more love for this man than I felt on the day we bought that fifty dollar band of gold.

Is This Really Necessary?

On a business trip last week, Troy stayed one and a half days longer than he expected. Normally, he is prepared for this but for many reasons, he was not this time and had to buy extra socks and boxers in Boise, Idaho.

Yesterday as I was unloading the dirty clothes from his suitcase, I noticed that he had bought three packages of boxers, two pair per package. (Must be prepared, I guess.) I proceeded to open the two unopened packages and noticed that the packages were resealable.

Does this seem odd to anyone but me?

If April Showers Bring May Flowers.....

What do April snow storms bring?

A beautiful view from my front porch!

One of THOSE Days

I'm having one of those days. You know the ones. And it's still early. Should make for a wonderful week.

Troy left this morning for a week long job in Boise, Idaho. I have the day off today because I work this week Tuesday-Saturday. So, I have the whole house to myself for a whole day. You would think this would be great, right? Apparently, I'm mental or something because all I can think about is all the things I want to do today and that there is not enough time!

I'm an insane crazy person to be stressed out by this situation.

Let's make a list of why I should be thrilled.
1. I have the day off.
2. I have no outside pressures.
3. I don't have to go anywhere.
4. The sun is gorgeous outside.
5. It's a beautiful day.
6. No cooking for anyone but me all week.
7. TV remote is ALL MINE for the next week.
8. I have a good book to read.
9. I have friends who I can go see if I want.

Now, in my warped, twisted way of thinking today, here is my list of things I really want to do in the next 12 hours:
1. Finish arranging and cleaning the basement for my parents' visit next month.
2. Put books and projects away in the new office.
3. Work on crochet gifts.
4. Do laundry including bed linens.
5. Make doctor appointment to discuss headaches.
6. Spend some time outdoors today.
7. Work on music for fall retreat.
8. Clean top floor of house. (It's been neglected for far too long.)
9. Take movies back to Blockbuster after I finish watching the last one.
10. Visit with my friend Jenni
11. Make jewelry.
12. Do my nails.
13. Have quiet time with my Savior.
14. Pick out and prepare clothes for this week.

See my dilemma?

Okay, you probably don't. I understand. I just needed to get it out there.

I think most sane people would say, "Prioritize your list and start at the top." And to that I say, "I know how to prioritize and start at the top." However, everything seems like top priority to me right now.

Actually, writing them all down did help. And I really know that Jesus time is really the top priority. So, I'll start there. And the rest will fall into place.

So, I'll get up from this counselor's couch and start my journey into this beautiful day.

Thanks. Check's in the mail. : )