that's the good stuff

Current status:  a Dairy Queen Blizzard (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup) and an electric blanket.

This is the cap to a very full and very long week.

Life was real this week.  And I'm thankful for every bit of it.

Let's rewind to last Saturday when my husband got up ever so early to get our youngest son to the high school to catch the bus to the Regional wrestling tournament, came home to sleep for another minute then left the house again to meet with clients.  I drove our eldest son to a NJROTC competition a little over an hour away and my husband met us there later.  We watched him shoot.  Got coffee.  Watched the award ceremony.  Received text updates from our youngest son on how he was doing at his tournament.  Then we drove separately home.  Eldest son and myself stopping for Mod Pizza, husband meeting youngest son back at the high school and grabbing Little Caesar's for them.  Then we went grocery shopping and probably passed out shortly thereafter.

Valentine's Day.  Blake's end of the season wrestling banquet happened that night.  It was a potluck and I made spaghetti sauce in the crockpot while I was at work and it overcooked and burned to the sides.  The banquet was great though, albeit not a romantic dinner for two.  We returned home to a bit of ringworm on our wrestler that needed a doctor's note and our eldest son packing for a flight to Alabama the next day.  You know what is romantic though...watching your husband interact with your sons and show them love and support day in and day out, in whatever they do.  That's the good stuff.  That's what puts the love in the everyday.

Next day, eldest son to the airport shuttle.  Youngest son to the doctor who just happened to be able to get him in that very day.  And work.  And life you are so full.

Next day, I had a class for work.  Our youngest son left with the team to the state tournament.  I dropped a chicken strip with honey mustard sauce on my scarf so I stopped at home to try to pick other clothes before returning to the office but ended up putting back on my honey mustard scarf because I just couldn't pick anything else.  Then there was a meeting at the office and flyers to make.  And staying at the office a little later because there were no kids at home to rush home to but we made the most of it with a Netflix movie and Papa Murphy's pizza.

Movie recommendation:  Unconditional

Pizza recommendation: Canadian bacon, pineapple, bacon = YUM


Austin traveled to Anniston, Alabama to compete with the precision team at the NJROTC Nationals.  They ended the two day competition in 8th place.  It was his last big competition.  Just two more local matches and he'll be done altogether.  It is bittersweet, reaching the end of something that has been a great adventure for the last four years.  In all honesty, he's ready.

Shooting in the kneeling position...

 

The team and his personality...

Blake competed at the Washington State wrestling tournament.  He earned 6th place.  It has been an impressive season for him.  He accepted a lot of coaching and became better for it.  He's so fun to watch, as he wrestles on the mat, or as he interacts with his teammates off the mat.

Here's Blake at State under his dad's alma mater's banner with Coach Fakkema.

22 years ago his dad wrestled here.

I don't know what else I can say about this week.  It's a week inside of a month that builds a year that turns into a life.  And I'm thankful that I share it with a good man; as we watch our boys grow into men, as we see the things they can accomplish, all their strengths and weaknesses, as we ourselves grow up and grow older, as we move from season to season.

Until next time!

wading in the shallows

It's been awhile.  Perhaps I owe my blog a little more.  Perhaps I don't.  It just is what it is.  Some seasons feel more private, some less.  Maybe it is the winter that causes my soul to sink in, button up, quiet down, and reflect.

Whatever it is, sometimes I'm a lousy communicator.  And I know that my mom and my sister and my best friend read this blog.  And at least for them, I should probably write a little bit. 

Sometimes I don't write because more than just those three people find their way here, and that intimidates me.  Yes, you there.  If you're not my mom, sister, or best friend, you intimidate me.  But please, don't let that stop you.  In the intimidation is a challenge to be honest and real in my writing, to be transparent.  It does my heart good to hear from someone who has read my words and been affected enough to tell me about it.  Thank you intimidators.  You are welcome here.

In an attempt to ease back into the blogging pool, I'll wade here in the shallows with a little ditty I like to call "Currently".  It goes like this....

I am currently

Reading...  A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

Watching...  The guys are watching the Super Bowl.  I watched a few commercials and the half-time show and now I've retreated to my bedroom.

Cooking...  Seeing as how it is Sunday we are having our traditional Sunday night sandwiches.  This is our tradition for almost eight years now.  Tonight I'm having a BLT with turkey and avocado added.  Also chips and dip in honor of the Super Bowl.

Drinking...  water and coffee and water and coffee and water...I'm predictable.

Doing...  After nearly 8 months off, I am back at work.  But I have to tell you, I didn't do this.  I didn't seek a job.  I didn't apply for a job.  All I did was pray that God would make clear what it was He wanted for me.  And this job fell in my lap.  I've been working in a real estate office for almost two months as an administrative assistant.  I'm optimistic as to where this job could lead.  Right now it's not glamorous as I've been set to the task of archiving over a decade of paperwork into digital form; alternatively, I battle daily with staples and scanners.  A really great job perk: I work with my husband every day!

Going...  It's a busy month of wrestling and JROTC competitions.  Blake wrestled over the weekend and earned first place at Districts which put him in the running at Regionals next weekend which is the step just before the State Championships.  Austin has a trip to Nationals in Alabama sandwiched between two weekends of drill competitions.  Full speed ahead.

Wearing...  Pajama pants and my wrestling hoodie.  Oh sweet comfort.

Enjoying...  my chickens.  They are almost three now and have weathered some storms.  No eggs for a couple of months which I am chalking up to a long, dark winter.  But they still make me laugh!  I call them my bitties and talk to them constantly when I'm outside.  They just waddle around my feet and talk back, saying whatever chickens say.

Thinking...  this quote: "Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness, and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns."  Because I live there sometimes.  In the emptiness and the mess.  Maybe more often than I care to admit.  But really, the light never leaves, just my ability to see it. 

Listening to...  comments about the game.  A snoring puppy dog.  Cozy Sunday sounds.

Smelling...  a clean dog!  My Charlie got a bath today and is a cleaner, fuzzier version of himself.

Thankful for...  my husband and our life together.  We don't have it all figured out by any means but he is the best of me, my encourager, my confidant, my heart.


There you have it.  Life in a nutshell.  My "currently" status and my wading in the shallows.  Until next time!