Blessed beyond measure!
Yesterday was travel day for Zale and I as we began our adventure to Maui. We had a short layover in Dallas and were able to get an early lunch with one of Zale’s (and I consider him mine too) best friends. I had been worried that we’d be so close to him, but not have time to see him. Our layover was only about an hour and a half and I knew we’d have to go back through security before we could get to the gate and have always been a bit paranoid when flying that I’ll miss a flight. Of course I shouldn’t have been worried at all, God was well in control of the situation.
God had our whole day planned out for us and everything went so smoothly. Our friend was able to pick us up on the curb, and hop over to a restaurant right beside the airport, we had a wonderful half hour or so to catch up and reconnect. We could easily spend hours with our friend but were blessed with what God provided! We were back through security and at the gate with plenty of time to spare before they started boarding us.
In that very short amount of time before we boarded God showed up again, not once, but twice. I got on the plane feeling almost giddy over the obivious hand God has over us yesterday. While we were waiting to board I saw two young military personal waiting to board our plane. I was honored to be able to tell them how much we appreciated their service to our country. They tried to shake it off as if it were no big deal and that it was just a job, but I know that’s not the case and was able to tell them so! I don’t know anything about where they were going or what their jobs are in the military, but I pray God will keep them safe and return them home to their families!
The next cool thing that happened was we were able to meet another attorney that’s a part of this conference that Zale met on Facebook. And it turns out they were sitting right behind us on the plane. Zale had been hoping to get a chance to chance to meet him before the conference started, and God showed up and took care of that too! I was able to meet his wife and felt completely comfortable with both of them. That’s actually not an easy thing for me, so I felt very blessed to at least have two familiar faces to look for while we’re here and maybe even a new friend to spend some time with while our husbands are in class.
Another blessing as part of our travel day happened in the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. It was quite a long ride and we got to meet a really sweet (lady) attorney from Florida. To be honest I was a bit concerned about fitting in here and not embarassing Zale. I feel a bit out of my element being surrounded by all these highly educated people throwing legal terms around that I can’t even pronouce, much less understand. But meeting this lady on the shuttle and sharing some stories and finding some common ground really helped put me at ease.
It was a wonderful day, and I am so blessed and grateful to be on this beautiful island this week! I pray you’ll find God showing up in your lives every day even more than what I felt Him in mine yesterday! Blessings!
Finally sinking in….
For several months we’ve known about our trip to Maui next week. People have been asking if I’m getting excited yet and so far it just doesn’t seem real…so I haven’t been too excited about it. But last night Zale and I started packing and it finally started to sink in. I’ve got lists made of what to pack, lists made of last minute shopping that needs to be done, lists made of things to do before we leave, etc. So I know we’re literally days away from going, I’ve got my schedule nearby and travel plans saved on my desktop and e mailed to anyone who needs them. My electronic boarding pass or whatever it is we need to check in at the airport is already in my purse.
Even though it’s finally sinking in, it still feels a bit too surreal. This will be mine and Zale’s first real vacation anywhere. We’ve done a couple of road trips here and there, but never alone. Our honeymoon was just a few nights at a local hotel. We’ve never even seen the beach together. I feel incredibly blessed that our first trip to the beach after all these years will be Maui of all places! We’ve not even managed to make it to Florida or Gulf Shores in the 6 years we’ve been married. That’s what law school and starting a law practice will do, and that’s okay, I know the long term out weighs the short term sacrifices. It will even be our first time to travel by plane together.
I am feeling incredibly blessed, grateful, and humbled that Zale (and I) were given this opportunity. My family has been amazing and without their help Zale would be going alone. I think the excitement is finally starting to creep in….thank you again Dad, Mom & Andy for everything you all have done to make it possible for me to go too! And thank you in advance, Mom & Andy, for taking the kids while we’re away. I know they’ll have a great time and Hannah is excited that she gets to say at your house for “a long time while we on the airplane.” I miss them already!
Maui…here we come! 
stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I be so stupid?
Last Saturday I spent from 7:45AM til 3 something PM at a friends house doing a multi family yard sale. My luck with yard sales are usually hit and miss. I’ve done a couple where I’ve come out with a decent amount of money, and I’ve done others where I’ve made $3.00. Seriously, $3.00.
For the most part we don’t do the yard sale thing, we take several loads a year to the local Hope Center and donate what we’re getting rid of. But this time we were hoping to make some cash for Hawaii. We got rid of about half our stuff, which was good. But only came away with about $60.00. So what was the stupid part? I’m getting there.
Sometime late in the morning I notice one of the ladies I was doing the yard sale with had a very pink neck and suggested she get out of the sun. My friend who was hosting the yard sale asked if we wanted any sunscreen. Here’s where the stupid comes in. I SAID NO. What the (bleep) was I thinking?!?!?!? Had I not just suggested that one person get out of the sun? Why in the world would I think it would be any different for me??!! Stupidly I was thinking, well, I might get a little pink, but I need a base coat before Hawaii, might as well work on that today. As Comic Bill Engvall says, “Here’s your sign.” (That would be a stupid sign, for anyone out there who hasn’t heard of Bill)
By Saturday night I was BRIGHT pink/red. Sunday I was pretty uncomfortable and getting very cranky if anyone or anything came in contact with my skin. Monday my skin started turning into sand paper. Reagan grabbed my shoulder and I couldn’t speak from the pain for a couple of minutes. Tuesday was more of Monday. We went to a local furniture store to look at bunk beds for the girls and the sales lady asked if I had just gotten the burn that day because it was still so pink. I had to extend my arm to reach Hannah to unbuckle her from the car seat and heard my skin pop. I actually looked to see if my shoulder had cracked open. Wednesday was still very uncomfortable, but finally feeling a little better. Today (Thursday) I’m still pink in the worst spots, but mostly starting to tan. And here’s the best part, I can lift my arms above my head without gritting my teeth and cuddle the kids again without having a strong urge to have Zale go hit up some of his clients for some good pain meds. (No, I would never really do that)
I don’t even want to think of the skin cancer I caused myself from that day of stupidity. You can be sure there will be ALOT of sunscreen used in Maui and any other time I’m out in the sun this summer! I don’t really need a tan!
awesome thoughts to remember…
This was sent to me in an e mail by a very dear friend that I’ve kept in touch with for 20 years. I don’t know if Regina Brett actually was the one to come up with this list, but it’s wonderful and I hope it blesses you as much as it did me. Thanks Andi for passing it on!
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone…
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion, Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone and everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”
Best shopping trip ever!
I’ve really miss blogging. It just doesn’t seem like there’s ever time anymore. I’m sure everyone out there can relate to that! I’ve wanted to blog about last weekend all week, so here we go.
My Dad (the best Dad in the whole world!) took me clothes shopping last Saturday so I’d have some Maui clothes. My “sister” Leeanna and her friend Marla went with us. We made a day out of it, met for an early lunch, hit the mall, then went car shopping for Leeanna, and Dad and I met up at church a little later.
I really don’t know what Dad and I would have done if Leeanna and Marla hadn’t been there. They’re both in their early twenties and know so much more about what looks good than Dad and I do. I’m still convinced that if they hadn’t been there Dad and I would still be circling the mall. But after trying on countless dresses and other clothes I ended up with several outfits (and shoes) that will be great for the summer and definitely Maui!
It was the best shopping trip I’ve had in a very long time! To be 40 pounds lighter really made a difference. Things actually fit the way they are supposed to! And looked good! (I actually fit into a couple of size 10 items. Wow. I haven’t been a size 10 since 2002.) I’m so grateful for that wonderful day. Not just for getting the new clothes, but for the time spent with everyone. We laughed so much and just really had a great day!
Thank you so much Dad, for everything you do for us and for creating opportunities that bring me and Leeanna closer together! Love you!
loving Weight Watchers again
I can give a WHOLE list of excuses for going off my diet for a few weeks, or month and a half…whatever it was. But I think the bottom line was that I was just tired of dieting. Apparently I forgot about this being a life style change and not just another diet. And it amazes me just how stupid I can be sometimes. I realized the other day that I could be at my goal weight, right now, if I had just stuck with it.Stupid, stupid, stupid!
But, with the fear of swimsuits and being on the beach in Maui next month and the realization that “doing it on my own” resulted in a 7 pound weight gain, the calender started closing in on me and I finally got motivated again. Last Saturday Zale and I renewed our committment to the Weight Watcher’s point system. It’s almost like I was never on it. Except for the 33 (was 40) pound weight loss. But much like the very first week of Weight Watchers from last year, this second first week has been pretty successful. I’ve lost over 4 pounds in 6 days. I know the weight loss won’t stay at that pace, but I’m grateful for the added incentive. I hate that I went back wards for awhile, and I know that reaching my goal by Maui is pretty unrealistic, but if I can average 2 pounds a week, I’ll be that much closer and that much more comfortable. I can live with that!
You’re kidding….right?
A couple of days ago I took the kids to check the Law Office post office box in hopes of finding a check from a client, or the State of Tennessee (Zale does quite a bit of court appointed work). Instead of finding money from the State, I found an envelope from the Tennessee Department of Revenue. That’s never a good sign. I’m pretty sure I was holding my breath as I opened the envelope. Inside was a “tax return” bill, due on June 1st (we didn’t get it until May 18th). With a 5% penalty (thank you very much) if not paid by June 1st. For the amount of $400. Nice. But here’s her really funny part, I actually laughed. It’s called a privilege tax. Can you believe that? We’re being taxed for the privilege of having a professional business in the State of Tennessee. That’s on top of the $100 franchise something or other tax (no, we’re not a franchise), and a $300 annual fee of having a PLLC. We have an LLC as well for a separate business, so that’s $300 times 2.
Law school should really have a class to prepare you for all the “little” things to expect during your first year of business. A privilege tax???!!!! I’m almost scared to see what kind of fees they’re going to come up with next. And don’t even get me started on all the dues that need to be paid for Bar associations or the fees to be paid for the required CLEs (continuing legal education) every year. $50.00 here, $150.00 there, it’s just crazy.
Our CPA’s office has a sign that says something like “The only pain worse than natural child birth, is owning your own business.” I thought that was funny at the time….I’m beginning to understand. I’ve even thought about taking up cross stitching to do one of my own. I’ve delivered three babies, have had a few surgeries, one broken bone, and even suffered 2nd and third degree burns that required skin grafts. So I think I have enough experience with pain to say that the sign is absolutely correct. It may not be physical pain, but man it still hurts!
red stuff everywhere
For a while now we’ve been buying the generic Crystal Lite drink mixes. They’re cheaper, less calories, and taste just as good (in my opinion). We like to get a little creative and mix flavors when we make it. Which is what I had done yesterday afternoon. I mixed rasberry green tea with cherry limeade, put the pitcher in the fridge, threw away the trash from the drink mix and went on with my day.
A little bit later Hannah comes over to show me her red tongue. I didn’t think too much about it because she had a sippy cup with juice around the house somewhere, and I figured she’d been drinking that. I should have known better. A few minutes later Reagan comes in with red hands, red face, and a stuffed animal that now had red all over it. Now I’m a little scared. Where in the world was all this red coming from? Looking closer at Reagan I see the “empty” package of cherry limeade drink mix she had gotten out of the trash. Yuck. She was licking her finger, then dipping her wet finger into the “empty” drink mix container, and licking her fingers again. I may has well have handed her a bottle of red food coloring! I know, I should have taken pictures, but I was trying to hurry and save the rest of the house (walls, carpet, pets, furniture, etc.) from being painted red.
