Dinner with Captain America

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary.

My husband and I had planned a date night tonight. We were dropping off the kids at a "Parents Night Out" event at the nZone . We knew we had time to go to a local Kabob house (my favorite) and see a movie. Both of us were very excited and had planned to do something together as a family on our actual anniversary.

A celebration if you will.

Unfortunately, as life would have it, our son became very ill with a croupy cough and high fever. I knew it was serious when he refused to eat breakfast and told me how miserable he was. I mean, really? This boy of ours never misses a meal or snack time AND he's always up and ready to face the day. So I kept him home and skipped my physical therapy appointment...and cancelled our evening plans. Am I disappointed?  Of course I am but we'll plan again and it will be nice to be out with my hubby to celebrate us.

But for now in place of dinner out with my husband, we had pizza and wings outside while he was smoking meat on the grill/smoker. In place of a grown up movie with my man, I'm watching Captain America with our boy who is just as obsessed with Marvel comics as his mom.

I couldn't be happier.

Tonight is a reminder of what has transpired since Mark and I exchanged vows eleven years ago. I married my best friend and we now have a little family. I am so fortunate and we are extremely blessed. I can't think of a better way to celebrate an anniversary than to be reminded. There is no better gift for me.

Tomorrow Mark and I will enjoy dinner and a movie together but for now...

 Captain America waits! 

Test this, test that...

I have been absent for the past few days because I have been spending my days treating my sore spots after being rear ended last week. I have been monitoring my symptoms closely and I've gone to the doctor AND physical therapy.

I believe I'm going to be fine. However that doesn't stop the testing and testing and testing and testing and... do this exercise and do this stretch and do that exercise and do a cold compress and do a warm compress...and do it every two hours. AND call this doctor and that doctor for more testing because "you may have some nerve damage"...etc, etc.

Oh goodness gracious.

Sooooo...I decided to do some testing of my own. And that testing would be over things that I enjoy. I took pictures for the blog via my phone. The reason I'm testing is because I have taken pictures previously and didn't like the way they looked in a blog post. I've used my phone camera directly, the blogger app camera, and the Instagram app.

Believe me. This post is more just for me so I can feel more comfortable to post pictures from my phone in the future.  I mean how could this "photographer" share snapshots that the reader can't even make out what it is?

Oh the humanity!!!

So for now, a test. Here are the pictures of our milkweed in full bloom. Goodness how I wish there was a smell-a-vision app because these smell AMAZING!

I'm a bunny. You're a bunny too.

What I love so much about my walks to school with the boy and girl is that there is always an opportunity to learn about the amazing wonder of nature that surrounds us. We also use that time to pray and worship, being reminded to give thanks for the numerous things we have.

This morning on our walk we saw a large rabbit chasing a little bunny which ultimately ran across the street to get away.  I knew what was happening and my immediate reaction was to make light of it by giving them voices in order to explain to our children the process in nature when babies are weaned.

Momma rabbit - "You're done. Get out!"

baby bunny - "okayyyyyyyy!"


Harsh, I know...and very real. If the baby rabbits are not pushed out and away from their nest, the adult male may kill them.  The little ones have to find their new feeding areas away from the claimed territories and hope to survive the ready predators.

But look at what my girl did.

"Mommy, I don't think you're right. I don't think that is what she is doing at all."

"Really? What then?"


"I think she wants her baby bunny to explore this whole great big world. She knows it will be scary but she is still telling the baby to go. She is excited for him but still loves him. That's why she went all the way to the edge of the sidewalk. She wanted to make sure her baby was ok to cross the street."

Now isn't that something?  That is the perspective of a child who is confident in the knowledge that someone cares and loves her very much.  So why is it that I immediately made a negative spin on the very same incident the three of us observed?  It is plainly clear that the end result was the same -- mommy rabbit was sending off baby bunny.

Aren't I also a person who claims to know that I'm cared for and loved very much? Was I somehow projecting how I think God may feel about me? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing I know for sure is that Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 18:17)

Perhaps our problem as adults is not that we believe God doesn't love us, it's that we believe God doesn't want us. We turn our backs and refuse to enter into a relationship where all He wants is the best for us -- no matter what that might look like to the rest of the world looking on.  Sometimes He is simply going to the edge of the sidewalk and telling us we will be ok...we just have to step out in faith and cross that street.

Encourage some"bunny" today. You never know your words may be exactly what they need to hear.

Blessings for your day,

What the WHAT?!

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where things just seem to be going wrong? You might even begin to rethink your religion and start thinking back on your life.

Karma?

Are you real?

Fortunately for me I know it's not. Certainly, with the list of things I've done in my "previous" life, I would be...well...dead.

But it truly has been one of those days, weeks, ...actually months for me. It seems like every turn I take is a backward slide. It really is a bunch of silliness and the overall big picture is just a big joke with friends asking if I'm making this stuff up.

I promise. I'm not. And actually I want to laugh out loud thinking about it.  I really do!

Here's what happened today.

The good:

• Drs. appointment for a followup on my injury. I'm right on target and ready for physical therapy
• Got an exercise I can do three times a day at home to keep my back muscles loose.
• Received my referral for PT and set up six appointments
• Was told the massage therapy I was receiving is a good thing and to keep it up
• Received a referral to another doctor specializing in injuries because MY doctor uses him and really admires the physician
• Received a referral to another doctor to get specific answers on an area of health I'm concerned with.

I left the doctor's office and physical therapy practice feeling like I was on the right path to continued healing. I was feeling...FANTASTICO!

And then the series that led to the bad:

Parking lot.

Phone call to husband, telling him how the appointment went.

Speaker, phone on my lap.

Pull away from INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital.

Waiting at red light.

Boom. BOOM!

Head bangs, scream.

What the WHAT?!!

Ummmm...I was just in a car accident where the driver behind me was sandwiched by my vehicle and the driver who hit him at full speed. The impact was strong enough to jolt me in my seat and make the van jump forward. Luckily, I had enough space in front that I did not hit the car ahead of me.

I was actually surprised to see how little damage my vehicle had sustained. I mean...little. Thankfully everyone was alright. I've had a few side effects that haven't been pleasant but that is only because I'm already a walking mess of bumps and bruises.  I know I will be fine. 

But the moment that pleased me most was when the initial "What the WHAT?!" wore off and I was alone in the van. I started to laugh. I actually couldn't stop laughing. That poor kid, of ALL the people he could have hit, the chain reaction he caused hit ME - the woman who JUST left the physical therapy office because of an injury two months ago. ME - the woman who just doesn't seem to be getting a break and is falling or tripping or sneezing or breathing!

Yes, me. This woman.

At the same time I began to realize how thankful I was that the young man on his cell phone had hit me. Like I told him and the other gentleman AND the insurance company, I am an honest woman and have no desire to claim my injuries are the fault of any driver. I saw that man's face and how upset he was. Yes, he was in the wrong. No, he shouldn't have been fumbling on his cell phone and YES, he should have seen stopped traffic in front of him. But, even though I did follow procedure and answer all the adjuster's questions, I knew what that young man needed more than anything at that moment was grace.  I told him I was fine and to stay off that cell phone and pay attention to the road. Next time he may not be so lucky.

Because you see, karma isn't real.  Often times things just happen and other times we have to accept the consequence of our actions or inaction.  For me today served as a funny reminder of something very real.  I usually go about my day or plan my week by saying, "I'll do this...or that" when I know full well that I have NO IDEA of when my time is up on this side of eternity.

My job, aside from being a wife and mother, is to love and extend grace whenever possible to those I come in contact with.  Even when things may seem to come out of nowhere and I say "what the WHAT?!", I have every opportunity to be salt and light just as Jesus said. I don't know what will come out of the conversations I had today. All I know is that they all were able to laugh and enjoy my take on the whole event.  It's not up to me what each of them do or even if they will remember the things I said.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where your normal human reaction COULD be anger or disappointment or frustration with another human being, try to extend the grace we all desperately need so much and let them know God is good. 

You never know. You just may get a "what the WHAT?!" from them.

Blessings for your day,

Flat Stanley's Letter

Dear Matthew,

In April you sent me to California to meet up with your cousin Rachel.  I couldn’t tell you when you put me in the mail, but I had a mission that was SO secret I didn’t have permission to let you know who was picking me up at the Post Office.  I received a lot of training when I arrived – SUPER secret agent training!

At first I was put in a scanner to learn how to travel through email.  It was AMAZING!

Then I received special training to discover fun places and to make sure people knew how to enjoy themselves.  Probably the most important training I received was how to wear a disguise.  I needed to keep myself secret sometimes. It was part of the job!

After a long three weeks of exercise, eating good food, studying, and tests, I was ready to meet up with Rachel before she scanned and sent me to my next location.

We went to the beach…and it looked like a great place for fun.

We checked out the signs and made sure people could find the fun.

We visited a Fire Department to make sure they were ready for any emergencies.

Next we went to a Farmer’s Market to taste some good food.  I loved the blue skies, the warm weather, the people and the tall Palm trees!

YUMMY! My training told me these were good and my belly agreed!

    

It was a good trip to California and then I was off to North Carolina to see their beach! I was placed in an email and off I went!  The only difference when I first arrived was that Carolina Beach was getting ready for the tourists to arrive for Memorial Day weekend.  I was told I had to keep secret because the Mayor said the people would get too excited if they knew a secret agent was taking pictures. 


I understood. 


So I put on my Captain America disguise…

…and saw lots of fun places!

YAY!

My training didn’t prepare me for how delicious these donuts would be. It was really difficult to wait in line but they were so good!

Once I checked that all the signs and life guard stands were ready for all the people coming to the beach for fun, my job was done.

Can you see my shadow? Shhhhhh…..

Once I arrived in the Washington, DC area I went to a National’s baseball game!

The GEICO Gecko was also at the game. I went to shake his hand and he tried to eat me. That’s when I realized this was not the GEICO Gecko I see on TV.  I used my special training to plan my escape.  It was risky but I got away!

It’s a good thing I was able to get out of that gecko’s mouth unharmed because I still had quite a bit of fun checking to do!  The very next day I arrived here:

…to go sailing!

You’ll be happy to know that YES it was so much FUN!

All this checking for fun around water reminded me I should also probably check swimmers were getting ready. I went to a swim class and was happy to see they had done a great job! We even took a picture together.

That night, I remembered my training taught me how important a good night’s rest is to keep doing all sorts of fun things. So I went to bed and got some good sleep. The next day I met up with a friend I that I made while training in California.

We went to a Hockey game! I was taking pictures and making sure everyone was having a good time. I know I was and so was my friend!

After celebrating a win at the Hockey game, I knew I wanted to visit with a friend who was also happy about something she had just finished winning. Since I wanted to do something nice with her, I got a dog walking job for a day to earn a little extra money.

Since the dog I had to walk loved carrying something in her mouth, I hid in a newspaper bag and talked to her the whole way. She was very gentle.

 With the money I made, I went to Starbuck’s to meet up with my friend.

She had been very sick but she just came back from the doctor and was so happy that she was healthy again.  We were celebrating the good news and she let me try on one of her wigs.

She said I could keep it to add to my collection of super secret agent disguises since she wouldn’t need it anymore.  I thought it was too big but I said thank you and gave her a big hug because I was so happy!

That is the end of my trip visiting fun places and fun people by myself. While you were at school, I went into your strawberry patch to pick some berries and am keeping an eye on the milkweed plants for more Monarch caterpillars.

The wasps are proving to be a little scary but I’m ok.  I have my secret agent friends with me. Did you know when you get into a scanner, you can multiply yourself? 

Thank you for sending me to California. It was a great adventure in learning about scanners, emails, text messages, and time travel.  I had a lot of fun making sure people had things to do in so many different places on the West Coast and East Coast but I can’t wait to spend the rest of my time with you.  You are a pretty awesome scooter rider and really good friend!

Sincerely,

Flat Stanley


....






Blessings for your day, 

Mission Impossible!

Ok, not so impossible but it has taken the help of some moms to find FLAT STANLEY! Not to mention scans, faxes, a newspaper, a dog, text messages, emails, wig, and other under cover "Stanleys"

Dun, dun, dun!

He was kidnapped in the mail, or so we thought.  We have since discovered that Flat Stanley has been on a secret mission and this mom's stress was an unfortunate civilian casualty.

Dun, dun, dun!

Here he is via a scan to a computer and thanks to a world of technology with some pretty savvy friends of mine, we are finishing up this project in just under four days. I will be posting the finished story here tomorrow. I hope it's as fun as it is in my head!

Now this mom needs to sign off to get this project DONE, DONE, DONE!

Welcome to the modern age Flat Stanley!

Better than caffeine

I don't drink coffee. I don't like the stuff. But many of my friends do and when you're in a battle to keep from feeling the depression of isolation grab a hold of you and threaten to drown you, you might need to get some air.

And a Chai Tea latte with a friend.

My "tail" may be expanding as I consume these sugary calorie packed drinks, but not only is my tailbone mending, my heart and spirit are also healing.

Thank you to my dear sweet friends. You are better than caffeine any day.


Feeling very blessed,

We are proud parents...again!

Today our very first Monarch caterpillars of the season hatched.  It's official, we have two, first instar babies.  They are so cute and I am goo-goo and ga-ga-ing over them.

Although the girl is watching over the milkweed plants like a hawk and shoo-ing off every creature that comes by, she is still reprimanding me for saying "coochie-coos" over the babes.

But seriously, how can I resist? These are the first babies from the overwintering Monarchs that left Mexico about eight weeks ago.

I mean LQQK!

Just about 2mm in length

SO CUTE!

We did not register anywhere, nor did we plan a baby shower, nor are these going in the nursery.  We are trusting in the way God planned out nature to take care of these little ones so they can make their trip north to places like New York or Canada. We'll be taking care of their grand-babies come late Summer and early Fall.

I'm just so giddy.

Blessings for your day,

How many flavors does it take?

Yesterday I was feeling a little blue but not for any particular reason.  I kept having a craving for ice cream so I figured it was just hormonal and I would satisfy it today during a school fund raiser.

Its been a LONG time since I've had this sugary delight and I was a little overwhelmed at the number of choices. Can you remember by looking at the logo how many flavors Baskin Robbins has?

Today, I only needed one. Thank you Baskin Robbins. It's been a good day!


Blessings for your day,