hopesjourney's Revelife

Thankful challenge - Day Eight

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:15:17 GMT

Day Eight

My husband helps me shop for groceries. Again, this is a simple and small 'thankful', but important. He will help me make the list, look through the sales circulars and plan menus. He doesn't mind driving me to the store or waiting patiently outside for me and pulling up to the curb and helping load, then unload at home. After so many years of hauling the provisions home, this is truly something that I appreciate. His eyes no longer glass over with boredom when I tell him about an especially good sale buy, or how much I saved, but instead, he's come to see the value in saving a dollar, or two.

Thankful challenge - Day Seven

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:52:24 GMT

Day Seven

My husband always sounds pleased and happy to hear from me when I call him during the day. A small and simple thing, but it always makes my day, especially if I'm having a hard one. Oh, he may be busy, then I'll just leave a message. But, he'll always call back, and he'll always sound cheerful. Makes me glad to talk to him. I can hear a smile in his voice, which goes a long way to easing a difficult day.

Thankful challenge - Day Six

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:37:34 GMT

Day Six

My husband likes to cook. This is something that I'm truly thankful for, since I am a mediocre cook, at best. I have a few menus that I do well, and a few that are passable, but for the most part, I don't enjoy cooking. My husband, on the other hand, is not only good at it, he enjoys it. We often plan the menu together and I will do the 'prep' work, step back, and let him have at it. And, it will always come out better that way.

Thankful Challenge - Day Five

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:48:43 GMT

Day Five

My husband is not critical. I'm completely grateful for that. The man will eat anything I put on the table. (An extremely admirable quality, since I am a mediocre cook on my best days!) He never complains if I fall behind on laundry or other household chores. He's been known to use a clean tshirt from the closet if there are no towels to be found. He says nothing, just leaves the shirt over the towel bar, like it's perfectly natural to use a tshirt for a towel.

And... the baseball lessons continue. Last night, I learned what a Clean Sweep was!

Thankful challenge - Day Four

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:29:18 GMT

steadfastmom has been posting a challenge, to say something that she's thankful for her husband about every day for thirty days. This challenge is open for participation, so please feel free to join in. I'm finding that it's a wonderful and refreshing exercise in thinking positively about someone I love.

Day Four

My husband is patient with me. Just a 'for instance'; he showed me how much he was last night. I'm a football fan, having been raised by two avid Colts fans, and my husband was impressed when he met me that I understood the game, and, for many years, we've enjoyed football Sunday afternoons together. The last couple of years, he has started watching hockey and baseball, neither of which interested me in the least and I would read a book and ignore the game if in the same room, which, to be brutally honest, I avoided. This year, though, I decided to make an attempt to share his interest and at least try to watch, even though I know nothing about the rules. I picked a good year. Our home team, the Tampa Bay Rays are having a re-birth, and a very good year. (Some say that the name change in the off-season from the Devil Rays to just the Rays, losing the 'devil', so to speak, is the reason for their success. Coincidence? Who knows...) Last night, they played the Red Sox and beat them, but, for some reason, I kept hounding him with more questions than usual, and stupid ones, like "Why did they allow that?, What did the umpire just call? Why does that pitcher spit so much? I wonder if he spits so much when he's in his driveway at home..." It must have been much like watching a baseball game with a child, yet still he patiently explained everything to me and somethings more than once or twice. I learned a Grand Slam is not sausage, eggs and home fries!

Thankful challenge - Day Three

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:31:09 GMT

Thankful challenge - Day Two

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:40:21 GMT

steadfastmom has been posting a challenge, to say something that she's thankful for her husband about every day for thirty days. This challenge is open for participation, so please feel free to join in. I'm finding that it's a wonderful and refreshing exercise in thinking positively about someone I love.

Day Two

My husband's compliments are always genuine. I treasure each compliment like a rare gem. He doesn't shower me with them, in fact, I would say that it's rather the opposite, but when he does compliment, I know that it comes straight from the heart and is meant sincerely. Just yesterday, he surprised me with one. It was just one simple statement, but it felt like recieving a gift. Just to explain a bit... I work every Sunday. I don't like it; I miss my family, going to church, and just having a day of rest with the ones I love. But, a job is a job, and, frankly, I'm grateful that I have one in this present economy. But, getting ready on Sunday mornings is difficult, to say the least. I have to be in by 7am, and will procrastinate hitting the shower until the last possible moment. Yesterday was no exception, and I left myself with no time to fuss with my hair. Naturally, living with two teenaged girls, I couldn't find the styling products I needed, the hair accessories, etc, so, of course, I did my share of 'whining', and ended up going in with wet, unstyled hair. My husband, quite wisely, said little during my rant. I work solo on Sundays, so Ladies Room trips have to be quick, and I didn't even glance in the mirror whenever I washed my hands. When he picked me up from work, out of the blue he said, "Your hair looks nice." I must have given him a look that said 'You're crazy!', because he quickly added, "I know you didn't have much time this morning to do anything with it, but it really looks good." So, I pulled down the passenger vanity mirror and braved a look. You know what... it did! And I turned to him, smiled, and said, "Thank you, hon!"

A small, heartfelt and honest compliment... a true gift!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:39:26 GMT

steadfastmom has been posting a challenge, to say something that she's thankful for her husband about every day for thirty days. I asked her if this challenge was open for participation and decided that this would be an excellent way to reinforce and refresh some reasons why I've loved this man for over 25 years.

So... Day One
(In no particular order of importance; these will be just random 'thankful things')

My husband has a very gentle soul. He's been known to tear up at the end of sappy movies, sweet greeting cards and even kind gestures from either me or our daughters. He's just a big teddy bear of a guy, standing 6'4" and about 230 lbs. When I first started dating my husband, I had a friend ask if I was worried that he would physically hurt me because of his size. I was so surprised at that question, because the thought had never occurred to me, and I can honestly say that, after 25+ years, I am certain that he never would, no matter how angry we became at each other, he just never could. It's just not in his nature.

What is your favorite part of your daily routine?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:43:56 GMT

My favorite part of my daily routine is waking up early, ahead of anyone else, just to have quiet time to myself. Sitting in the peaceful darness, waiting for the coffee machine to finish perking, saying 'good morning' to God, getting my thoughts and ideas for the day in order...

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:46:47 GMT

I did a little thinking before I started this blog about the reasons I wanted a second one. Actually been thinking about it for some time. I didn't want a 2nd xanga, though. I was sure of that. Too much of the same, I suppose. There's a lot things about xanga that I enjoy, the set up, a sense of community, ease of commenting and posting. I'm comfortable there. I tried a Blogger, but it just wasn't me. And, I had to learn a new format. So, this just seems to fit.

I've been wondering why I don't talk often about my husband on my xanga. I don't know why I don't. It's all about the girls, basically, and just a small bit about work. I've always felt that writing in a public format about work somehow crosses an invisible line. Maybe it's the same about marriage. My DH and I have been through some very difficult times these last few years. But, we've come through the worst of it, weathered and tougher, but still strong. And still both committed and loving. We came close to losing each other, though. But, God doesn't want that to happen. He never did. We just lost our way a little.

We're about to start a new chapter in our lives together. (Oct 1st will be the 27th anniv of the day we met) Our daughters are in the last years of high school, DD1 will be a senior & DD2 will be a junior. I have a coworker who says that the teenaged years are God's was of allowing parents to let go, and wave cheerfully and relieved when they leave the nest. I wholehearted agree with that sentiment. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next bend in the road.

So, that's why I here.