blessed beyond measure

It was ten years ago today that you stood confidently in front of hundreds of our family and friends, looking good enough to get buried, and waited for me, rubbing those hands together the way you do before a basketball game. Together we spoke this triangular covenant called marriage, a promise to each other and our great big God, to be together forever, no matter what. You made my whole life that day. I'm as surprised as anybody that you would pick me. Or, as your version goes, have the Lord tell you almost audibly that you had to pick me. To this day I'm totally convinced that when people see us together, it's like, "How did she get him ?" Seriously, you're out of my league. All those things we promised to stick together through have found us one way or another. Good and bad, yes, though the good has far, far outweighed the bad. Richer Not quite as poor and poorer, yes. Sickness and health - ugh, yes. I pause here to lament the fact that you...

The time has come!  Aden has been waiting for this day a long time.  At least since Trey went off to Kindergarten last fall, and poor man was just left out of all the excitement. Today was open house at preschool, a day to basically get beyond excited about something that is a good five months away.  Aden was in his element, fluttering from station to station with repeated shouts of "Wook at that!" and "Mama, come see!"  And I got to abandon the worry and uncertainty I carried with me when I brought Trey here three years ago on this day.  Well, most of the uncertainty.  Had a little talk with the teacher about Aden basically being afraid of nothing, on occasion getting hurt without realizing it, and his tendency to wander and/or run away.  She said she'd keep a close eye on him, but we all know that it is God who will keep this boy safe and steady.  And not just at preschool, but every moment of every day of his nonstop li...

eighty-three on the thermometer (wait, wasn't it five days ago that there was inch of snow on the ground? why, yes, yes it was.) full bellies, thanks to this experiment that has a permanent spot in our rotation one Poppop, selflessly giving up his Tuesday evening to fix our door so that the stink bugs can no longer march unhindered into the kitchen one Mama, sniffling and sneezing and missing those pre-motherhood days of not suffering from allergies (thanks, boys) one big boy, showing off his just -shy-of-perfect report card to anyone and everyone, chest all puffed out like a peacock one little boy, showing off his first skinned knee of the season, and able to easily do so because he is terrified of Band-Aids one Daddy, golf clubs out, Happy Gilmore-ing golf balls into the cow pasture and beyond, to the sheer delight of both his sons four haircuts given on a porch alive with activity (hooray for new a new customer - love you Dad!) dozens of flowers and t...