Once again we had an exhausting weekend. It was the fourth of July weekend. It was also the last weekend I would have to go home and say good-byes to family and friends. Things went smoother than I anticipated, but difficulty nonetheless. We began the weekend going to my parents. We spent Thursday night sitting around and talking, trying to plan the attack for the rest of the time. Friday morning Eric and I headed to the golf course to get my first and only round of golf in for the summer. I didn't do so hot which made it a frustrating start to the day. Eric met with his dad and brother to do another round that afternoon while I ran errands with my mom. Not much on the packing end of things was accomplished, but sometimes that just doesn't matter. That night after dinner we headed out as a family to my grandparents on my mom's side to spend some time with them before I leave. It was nice to have my dad with us. He doesn't usually go when we make trips out, so it was good to do it as a family. We took a tour around the farm to see chickens, ducks, doves, rabbits, goats, miniature horses, and on and on. It was all really quite entertaining. Watching the animals remind me that God must have a good sense of humor. They just do the silliest things sometimes! I've missed getting out the farm. It used to be my favorite place in the whole world to go as a kid. My grandparents are so easy going and fun to be around. I'll really miss getting to be around them.
Saturday morning started late for me, but I definitely made up for it in the afternoon. My mom and I got together and sifted through room after room of belongings. It's amazing how many things can get packed into a closet. Things you haven't used in a few years and didn't even remember existed. I guess that's the sign for me that it needs go. Either to the thrift store, goodwill, someone else, or the trash. Take your pick, but it's not staying here! I think my parents are getting excited for the movers to come. They will have so much more space to reclaim for their own use. Saturday evening we went into town to a church cook out. I have this beef with the church these days. There's not enough community anymore. Everyone is doing their own thing....and everyone's ok with it! I'll be the first to admit that I'd prefer people to mind their own business...but I can't deny how freeing it can be to share a burden with a friend and know that people are praying for you. I'm more than willing to put aside my own person issues and have more community. We need eachother, and the church is the hands and feet of Christ. In fact He actually calls the church His bride. He loves the church and has a high calling for those who are a part of it. Not to be isolated on your own, but to be supported, encouraged, and loved by the church regardless of who you are. Anyway, the cook out was nice. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but it's a start. That night we drove to a small church just down the road from my parent's to watch the fireworks in town. Not a bad view from 4 miles away on the ridge.
Sunday morning Eric and I were up EARLY to get ready for church. We led worship one final time. Everything went about as smooth as you could possibly ask for. Pastor had a good message about the freedom we not only have in the U.S. but also the freedom we have in Christ. He really brought the point home when he talked about grace. "You need to extend grace to receive grace." Hmmm, easier said than done sometimes, but how true. Our church as really struggled with that lately. We've put ourselves between a rock and a hard place and it's created a lot of conflict. I wonder what God thinks of us as He observes our conflicts over petty topics. Probably pretty disappointed. Those are the times we need to take our blinders off and focus on the big picture. After church we hurried home to each lunch before Eric and I headed to Fennimore. His church always gets together on the 4th to have a cook out so we thought we'd go over to say our good-byes there as well. I'm so glad we did. We had kind of left church the last time without really letting people know I was leaving soon. I guess the thought was that we didn't want people to fuss over the situation, but at the same time, people want to. They want to take the time to say good-bye and wish you well and let you know that they're praying for you. Lesson learned. Luckily we were able to see pretty much everyone. It was time well spent. The women of Eric's church have been so accepting. I wish I could have all of them as a mentor. :)That night we went to the Boscobel fireworks and spent some time with friends.
We spent Monday morning going through all of Eric's childhood belongings. It's interesting how different the "junk box" of a boy and girl is. His is trophies, baseball cards, and random school projects. Mine is notes, pictures, and other girlie things. It didn't take as long as I had anticipated, which was good. For most of it we just decided to send it south and sort it later. I'll let you know how that actually goes down the road. We finished packing the car and said our good-byes once again. It was hard to think I won't see the Swans for a few months at best. We've always been just a few hours away. Hmm...all the unknowns will soon become known. Leaving their house it was back over to the Grangers for another sweep through the house and leave all of Eric's belonging for the movers. I was completly exhausted by this point, and my attitude reflected it. After a short nap we were on the go again getting ready to go back to Winona.
We stopped in La Crosse to meet up with Eric's aunt and uncle for dinner and again....good-byes. We went to Buzzard Billy's to try some cajun cooking. It was good!! Eric and I always like spending time with Bruce and Cheri, they're so easy and fun to be around. I'll miss spending time with them as well.
Needless to say, it was a late night when we FINALLY rolled into Winona. Here it is Wednesday already and I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. I should probably get a handle on that before I go to training, not sure how much sleep I'm going to get there!!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday June 28th
This weekend was ours alone. We made reservations at a hotel in the Dells and left right after work. We made it there with about an hour or so left at Mt Olympus. Just enough time to hit a couple roller coasters. It has been soooo long since I've been on one, I was actually kind of scared! Of course it's more of the anticipationg that gets me. I'm usually fine once I get on. The next morning we hit the park again to catch some more rides and check out the waterpark side. It was PACKED!! Thousands of people had the same agenda making long slow lines all over the park. On the bright side it was hours upon hours Eric couldn't escape me in line as I picked his brain about life or gave him the full head-to-toe details on someone I thought seemed interesting. HAHAHA!! I'll admit, not an ideal guy conversation, but he's patient as always and at least humors me with some interest. What a guy! Our favorite part of the whole thing was the 2 hours we spent floating on the lazy river. I think we're getting old. Hehe!! It was great!
We headed down to Madison to spend the night at Eric's brother and sister-in-law's. They have only been married now for about 2 months, and I'm pretty sure they are loving it. They have a nice little place on the West side of Madison. Eric and I are definitely jealous of their permanent arrangments. We're looking forward to being settled, long term. Only a few more moves to go!!! :) We always enjoy getting time with family. It was good to catch up with them and just get to know them better as a couple as well as individuals. The next morning they made us a delicious breakfast before we headed out.
We met up with Eric's co-worker and friend Nick on the edge of Madison that morning. They were heading to St. Louis for the Christian Businness Association conference. This is an amazing opportunity for them to make some great connections. I know Eric would really like to stay with Christian businesses as his career continues. I think that's a pretty good plan too. :) I haven't heard much from them so far. The opening night seemed to be preety fun. Jeremy Camp led worship and a few other quartets performed. Phil Visher, the creator of Veggie Tales, spoke. I'm excited to find out more!!
We headed down to Madison to spend the night at Eric's brother and sister-in-law's. They have only been married now for about 2 months, and I'm pretty sure they are loving it. They have a nice little place on the West side of Madison. Eric and I are definitely jealous of their permanent arrangments. We're looking forward to being settled, long term. Only a few more moves to go!!! :) We always enjoy getting time with family. It was good to catch up with them and just get to know them better as a couple as well as individuals. The next morning they made us a delicious breakfast before we headed out.
We met up with Eric's co-worker and friend Nick on the edge of Madison that morning. They were heading to St. Louis for the Christian Businness Association conference. This is an amazing opportunity for them to make some great connections. I know Eric would really like to stay with Christian businesses as his career continues. I think that's a pretty good plan too. :) I haven't heard much from them so far. The opening night seemed to be preety fun. Jeremy Camp led worship and a few other quartets performed. Phil Visher, the creator of Veggie Tales, spoke. I'm excited to find out more!!
Celebrating marriage continues. This past weekend Eric and I had the honor of celebrating my parents 31st anniversary with them. We headed home Saturday afternoon following some recruiting events that morning in La Crosse. My Dad was making his way back from Peru that morning as well. He was excited to share all of his experiences when he got back to the house. God was truly in this trip. They were able to not only build a few buildings for one of the villages, but also provide enough money to a pastor of a jungle village to have a fresh water well put in this next week. What a ministry!!! People will come to the church to receive life through the water as well as the blessings of Jesus Christ. Thank you God for what You are doing!!
We all cleaned up to head out for dinner at the Red Zone, my Dad's favorite. On the way my parents reminisced about their time dating, getting engaged, and first few years of marriage. It was great to hear the stories; must of them I'd never heard before. My parents haven't really shared many stories about their younger days. Just a few things here an there. I can't say enough about how special it was to just learn more about them. They laughed and joked and really just drew close to each other while telling us the stories. Awesome! We were STUFFED! We ate probably more than we should've, but it was a celebration!! Their appreication for the evening out was the best response I could ask for. What a blessing!
We're on the countdown until I leave. It's about 3 1/2 weeks now. In the short time I have left Eric and I are trying to make the rounds to family and friends. We spent Sunday afternoon after church with my Grandma Granger. She had never heard Eric and I sing together so we brought a few piano books and the guitar. She seemed to be really touched by the time we had with her. Again, such a blessing to me. It's amazing how sometimes you think, "oh, I don't have time to go here or see this person there," yet, once you're there and you seeing their appreication and love for you, it makes it all worth it. I'm glad we were able to see her and spend some time with her.
It has been SOOOO HOT!! I guess this is a preview of Texas for me. I've been trying to train and get ready for OBLC, but it's been so hot outside it's almost torture. You can't escape the heat and humidity. The air is thick! I'm encouraged my push ups are finally starting to come back around, and my sit ups are getting back to where I want them, but my run just hasn't progressed much. I don't have much time, so I'll just have to do the best I can. I'm looking forward to getting back into the training setting. It's an opportunity to learn a lot and make yourself better. I'm really concerned about the nursing aspect. I've just had so many breaks in my learning that it's been difficult to keep all the dots connected. It's been almost 7 months now since I last had clinical and lecture. EEK!!! I guess it's all in the Lord's hands. He will bring it all back. Afterall, I am convinced that my career is a calling from Him and His plan for me. Otherwise, I never would've made it. Honestly.
We all cleaned up to head out for dinner at the Red Zone, my Dad's favorite. On the way my parents reminisced about their time dating, getting engaged, and first few years of marriage. It was great to hear the stories; must of them I'd never heard before. My parents haven't really shared many stories about their younger days. Just a few things here an there. I can't say enough about how special it was to just learn more about them. They laughed and joked and really just drew close to each other while telling us the stories. Awesome! We were STUFFED! We ate probably more than we should've, but it was a celebration!! Their appreication for the evening out was the best response I could ask for. What a blessing!
We're on the countdown until I leave. It's about 3 1/2 weeks now. In the short time I have left Eric and I are trying to make the rounds to family and friends. We spent Sunday afternoon after church with my Grandma Granger. She had never heard Eric and I sing together so we brought a few piano books and the guitar. She seemed to be really touched by the time we had with her. Again, such a blessing to me. It's amazing how sometimes you think, "oh, I don't have time to go here or see this person there," yet, once you're there and you seeing their appreication and love for you, it makes it all worth it. I'm glad we were able to see her and spend some time with her.
It has been SOOOO HOT!! I guess this is a preview of Texas for me. I've been trying to train and get ready for OBLC, but it's been so hot outside it's almost torture. You can't escape the heat and humidity. The air is thick! I'm encouraged my push ups are finally starting to come back around, and my sit ups are getting back to where I want them, but my run just hasn't progressed much. I don't have much time, so I'll just have to do the best I can. I'm looking forward to getting back into the training setting. It's an opportunity to learn a lot and make yourself better. I'm really concerned about the nursing aspect. I've just had so many breaks in my learning that it's been difficult to keep all the dots connected. It's been almost 7 months now since I last had clinical and lecture. EEK!!! I guess it's all in the Lord's hands. He will bring it all back. Afterall, I am convinced that my career is a calling from Him and His plan for me. Otherwise, I never would've made it. Honestly.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Love is in the Air!!
There is no denying it. Cupid is making the rounds these days! In just the past month Eric and I have had roughly 7 friends get engaged...and none of them to each other. These are all separate couples! And to add to it all, virtually all of them are planning fall/winter weddings. I thought it was hectic enough planning our wedding over 14 months. Some of them are planning for less than 4 months of planning time. Yikes! I guess this will be a real test of the relationship. If they've never seen the other person stressed out yet....it sure won't hide out through this experience. I suppose I should mention that virtually all of them have been dating for LESS than 1 year. Whew! I pray the Lord's protection on their relationship and future marraige.
Well it was quite the weekend. Eric and I headed home to meet up with family and throw a surprise 30 year anniversary party for his parents Saturday night. The planning process was difficult as we dealt with Eric being gone, all of us being at least an hour away from Fennimore, and a very busy summer. Not the best combination for planning. As the weekend drew closer the weather made it pretty clear we were going to need to make some last minute changes. Orinally the party was suppose to be outdoors, however with a constant forcast of rain and unbearable humidity, we shifted our plans to the church. Friday night Luke, Eric, and I went to "hang out with friends" in town and made a mad dash to the church to decorate. It's not easy finding anniversary decorations, at least when it's not 25 or 50 years. We did our best. We found silver table coverings to put down, used balloons, a few banners, and called it good.
Saturday morning was a rat race. Luke headed out for a run, which Eric and I intercepted to get him into town. Eric and I pretended to be going to the church to prepare worship for the next morning. Aaron had a basketball tournement 40 minutes away....and no one was any the wiser. We finished up decorating and headed home to get ready to watch Aaron play. The gym was hot and sticky. Players were falling down left and right on the court, and the refs didn't even stop to wipe it up. They're lucky no one pulled any muscles! We cornered Aaron's coach to make sure we could get him home on time for the party. More lies got us back home and over to the church to practice skits and finish last minute touches.
By 5:20 people were already showing up and laying out the spread of food. The women of the church are the greatest people you could ever ask for at an event like this. They know exactly what to do. They head straight to the kitchen to make sure everything is where it should be and ready to go. I didn't even have to ask anyone to do a thing. What a blessing! Around 6 pm they arrived! They brought them down blindfolded and on the count of 3 everyone yelled surprise!!! They were shocked...it was great! All of our hard work had paid off to give them a great night, which they deserved. Later on we did a traditional cake cutting. They gave into the cheers from the crowd to smush it in each other's face, along with each of the boys.
Luke, Ashley, Eric, and I had prepared several skits for the evening to relive some of the more memorable events of their lives. Of course we gave them the opportunity to tell what REALLY happened so as not to falsely portray them in any way. What a blast! I can't wait to watch the video back on it!
Finally we wrapped up the night with a open mic for people to share memories, encouragment, and thanks for their marriage. They have made such an impression on their community. What a testimony to the faithfullness of Christ in their lives.
Sunday morning Eric and I led worship. We made it all about love. The love of Christ that overflows for us. To even get a glimps of it is overwhelming. His love is entirely unconditional. We don't deserve any of it, yet He gives all of it. Think of what the world would be like if we could grab a hold of that. To be unconditional lovers. To accept people and love on them, even if they're different from us. Don't we all just want to be accepted and loved?? Who are we to determine who is deserving? It is all easier said than done. Which is why we need Christ in us each and every day.
Let's celebrate love more. The love of Christ. The love of husbands and wives. The love of families. It is through them, that we change the world and show Christ's light.
Well it was quite the weekend. Eric and I headed home to meet up with family and throw a surprise 30 year anniversary party for his parents Saturday night. The planning process was difficult as we dealt with Eric being gone, all of us being at least an hour away from Fennimore, and a very busy summer. Not the best combination for planning. As the weekend drew closer the weather made it pretty clear we were going to need to make some last minute changes. Orinally the party was suppose to be outdoors, however with a constant forcast of rain and unbearable humidity, we shifted our plans to the church. Friday night Luke, Eric, and I went to "hang out with friends" in town and made a mad dash to the church to decorate. It's not easy finding anniversary decorations, at least when it's not 25 or 50 years. We did our best. We found silver table coverings to put down, used balloons, a few banners, and called it good.
Saturday morning was a rat race. Luke headed out for a run, which Eric and I intercepted to get him into town. Eric and I pretended to be going to the church to prepare worship for the next morning. Aaron had a basketball tournement 40 minutes away....and no one was any the wiser. We finished up decorating and headed home to get ready to watch Aaron play. The gym was hot and sticky. Players were falling down left and right on the court, and the refs didn't even stop to wipe it up. They're lucky no one pulled any muscles! We cornered Aaron's coach to make sure we could get him home on time for the party. More lies got us back home and over to the church to practice skits and finish last minute touches.
By 5:20 people were already showing up and laying out the spread of food. The women of the church are the greatest people you could ever ask for at an event like this. They know exactly what to do. They head straight to the kitchen to make sure everything is where it should be and ready to go. I didn't even have to ask anyone to do a thing. What a blessing! Around 6 pm they arrived! They brought them down blindfolded and on the count of 3 everyone yelled surprise!!! They were shocked...it was great! All of our hard work had paid off to give them a great night, which they deserved. Later on we did a traditional cake cutting. They gave into the cheers from the crowd to smush it in each other's face, along with each of the boys.
Luke, Ashley, Eric, and I had prepared several skits for the evening to relive some of the more memorable events of their lives. Of course we gave them the opportunity to tell what REALLY happened so as not to falsely portray them in any way. What a blast! I can't wait to watch the video back on it!
Finally we wrapped up the night with a open mic for people to share memories, encouragment, and thanks for their marriage. They have made such an impression on their community. What a testimony to the faithfullness of Christ in their lives.
Sunday morning Eric and I led worship. We made it all about love. The love of Christ that overflows for us. To even get a glimps of it is overwhelming. His love is entirely unconditional. We don't deserve any of it, yet He gives all of it. Think of what the world would be like if we could grab a hold of that. To be unconditional lovers. To accept people and love on them, even if they're different from us. Don't we all just want to be accepted and loved?? Who are we to determine who is deserving? It is all easier said than done. Which is why we need Christ in us each and every day.
Let's celebrate love more. The love of Christ. The love of husbands and wives. The love of families. It is through them, that we change the world and show Christ's light.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
I love my life! Last night my husband and I had one the greatest evenings. We had no plans, we made no plans, just living life together. I couldn't ask for anything more. We've started working out together, which I can say is one of the greatest things we ever started. He is pretty much subject matter expert when it comes to training and I love to learn whatever he wants to teach me. It has brought me an entirely new level of respect for him and what he does. It's not just playing football or training. There are so many little details to think about. Where you position your feet, how far you bend your knees, what your eyes are looking at changes your entire position, and finally making it all come together to explode into action. Amazing! After our workout we headed to the pool to cool off and do a few laps...but we both forgot our towels. We're pretty much a match made in heaven! :)
We headed to Wal-Mart and Kwik Trip to pick up a few things. Of course errands always take twice as long as you plan for. Yet it is such a good opportunity to for us to just stroll along together and talk. I swear I could talk to that man for hours!! I thank God every day for his patient ways to listen attentively as if every word I say is important....which we all know it isn't. Still he has a way of making me feel like I am the only thing going on. I think of how often I fail to do that in conversation. Trying mult-task and keep busy while "listening". Let's be honest, that's not real listening. He is such an example to me. He is one of those rare people that you can't help but want to be better after being around him. I guess that's the face of Christ shining through. I am the luckiest woman alive to have such a gift as my husband to share life with.
Once we finally made it back around to our little apartment of our own we decided to drag the matress out into the living room and watch a movie on the big screen. I felt like a little kid. It was just so fun to do something out the ordinary because we wanted to. I guess it's things like that that keep life fresh and fun. I hope we never lose that in our marriage or future family.
I am blessed! :)
We headed to Wal-Mart and Kwik Trip to pick up a few things. Of course errands always take twice as long as you plan for. Yet it is such a good opportunity to for us to just stroll along together and talk. I swear I could talk to that man for hours!! I thank God every day for his patient ways to listen attentively as if every word I say is important....which we all know it isn't. Still he has a way of making me feel like I am the only thing going on. I think of how often I fail to do that in conversation. Trying mult-task and keep busy while "listening". Let's be honest, that's not real listening. He is such an example to me. He is one of those rare people that you can't help but want to be better after being around him. I guess that's the face of Christ shining through. I am the luckiest woman alive to have such a gift as my husband to share life with.
Once we finally made it back around to our little apartment of our own we decided to drag the matress out into the living room and watch a movie on the big screen. I felt like a little kid. It was just so fun to do something out the ordinary because we wanted to. I guess it's things like that that keep life fresh and fun. I hope we never lose that in our marriage or future family.
I am blessed! :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I feel like every time I start a post I'm almost overwhelmed to think back to what the past few days or weeks have been like. I was hoping things would lighten up, but it feels like just the opposite! I suppose I could start by recapping Memorial Day weekend a little bit.
During the long weekend I was in desperate need for a project. My mom and dad are giving Eric and I an old dining room set that my mom had picked up. I really like the set even though my mom isn't too enthusiastic about it. Once she gave the word that it would officially be ours I decided I would like to attempt to strip the whole set and stain it a nice dark brown. God bless my mom....what a sport!! She got all the supplies together and started helping me. Some parts went farely fast while other more detailed portions were somewhat painful to get through. Long story short...after a few days we finally got one of the chairs stripped only to find that it is made of a combination of several soft woods. Nothing impressive. We stained a section to see if it was worth our while to continue...NOT AT ALL. It stained a blotchy combination of black, brown, and tan. So we headed to the store for the darkest shade of brown we could find. I've only got 2 of the chairs done at this point, but I think it's going to look great.
Eric FINALLY came home after what seemed like months of being gone. He had nothing but good things to say about the trip. Definitely a life changer. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures surface in the next few weeks. Monday was my birthday. I turned a whopping 24! I am starting to feel old believe it or not. I realize I have a lot of time ahead of me, but then again, I'm starting to get a good chunk of time behind me! I guess it's that whole mentality of looking around seeing things happen to other people and thinking, that'll never be me. It was a great birthday spent with family. Here's one reason I know I'm getting older....my parents bought me a new vaccuum...and I was STOKED! Who have I become?? I guess I'm growing up. :) Eric and I hit the road later that evening to do dinner in La Crosse on our way home. We ended up not eating until about 9:30, but it was great to be together so we didn't care. At dinner he gave me a gift card to give my wardrobe a jump start. MUCH NEEDED! I actually cried when I saw it. Once we made it to Winona we were still homeless and spent the night sleeping in a friend's basement.
Tuesday morning, 1 JUNE, he's off again. Eric's job sent him to South Carolina for the week. Eric and a friend spent the morning while I was at work putting all of our stuff in the new apartment and headed out of town to catch their flight. That night I couldn't find "my house" and drove all over creation for about 25 minutes. Finally I found the house. I came through the door to find all of our stuff...EVERYWHERE! God bless them for hauling it all over there, but there was no organization to speak of. It has been an overwhelming task to say the least...and we're still not done a week later. I guess this is a previous for moving to Texas by myself. Hmmm...
I love when I have the opportunity to see family these days. It's becoming more and more real that I am moving in a few more weeks without any real plans of coming back. What a thought! Whew! The ROTC department I work for worked the Wisconsin State Track Meet on campus so I was able to watch Eric's younger brother run the 4x200 at state! I know the older brothers love all of the success Aaron has had at such a young age. He's only a freshman and he's accomplished so much!!! The brothers always say that he is a mixture of all of their best qualities. God has big plans for him, no doubt! They qualified for finals but ended up taking 8th. Still nothing to hang your head about, he's got plenty of time.
After spending the morning at the track meet on Saturday I headed to Richland Center to pick up my mom and go get Eric from the airport. I can't tell you how happy I was to see him and have him home again. You would think that since we've had a long distance relationship all along that we would be "used" to being separated. In reality it is quite the opposite. I think it gets more and more painful with every separation. You just want it to stop happening all the time! It seems we are always on a constant countdown to the next time we will see each other. And when we are together I can't help but look ahead on the calendar to July 18th, when we'll be separated again. On the brighter side, July 18th is one of the best days of the year. I will begin my AMEDD OBLC at Fort Sam Houston TX to really start my Army Nurse Corps career. It's what I've been looking forward to since I joined ROTC as a freshman in college. Bittersweet. Leaving the airport we stopped by the mall to kill a little time before going to my cousin's graduation party. It was good to see family. We don't see the Granger side much. That side of the family just isn't really into family get togethers it seems like. If we do, it's "for grandma." It had been such a long week for all of us we didn't stay too terribly long. Besides, my brother Mark was on his way home for the first time in six months. We had a great time catching up and just spending time together. Hopefully he'll stop by our house on his way home later this week!
It's incredible how "busy" everyone is these days. No one has time for much of anything, and in your spare time you only want to spend that time on your self. We're talking major sacrifice to use that time on someone else! I know I'm guilty of thinking that way. Yet we can't understand why in society my kids have emotional and pscyhological problems. We've really lost the social element to get together instead of texting or chatting on IM. It's just so "easy." I guess it's just that the easy route really never got anyone to a better place. All of the best things in life take effort and sacrifice.
Something to think about.... Am I reaching out to others? Am I taking the easy route to relationships by only texting or emailing, never taking the time to make an in-person visit? Who in my life needs me to make some time sacrifices to spend it on them?
During the long weekend I was in desperate need for a project. My mom and dad are giving Eric and I an old dining room set that my mom had picked up. I really like the set even though my mom isn't too enthusiastic about it. Once she gave the word that it would officially be ours I decided I would like to attempt to strip the whole set and stain it a nice dark brown. God bless my mom....what a sport!! She got all the supplies together and started helping me. Some parts went farely fast while other more detailed portions were somewhat painful to get through. Long story short...after a few days we finally got one of the chairs stripped only to find that it is made of a combination of several soft woods. Nothing impressive. We stained a section to see if it was worth our while to continue...NOT AT ALL. It stained a blotchy combination of black, brown, and tan. So we headed to the store for the darkest shade of brown we could find. I've only got 2 of the chairs done at this point, but I think it's going to look great.
Eric FINALLY came home after what seemed like months of being gone. He had nothing but good things to say about the trip. Definitely a life changer. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures surface in the next few weeks. Monday was my birthday. I turned a whopping 24! I am starting to feel old believe it or not. I realize I have a lot of time ahead of me, but then again, I'm starting to get a good chunk of time behind me! I guess it's that whole mentality of looking around seeing things happen to other people and thinking, that'll never be me. It was a great birthday spent with family. Here's one reason I know I'm getting older....my parents bought me a new vaccuum...and I was STOKED! Who have I become?? I guess I'm growing up. :) Eric and I hit the road later that evening to do dinner in La Crosse on our way home. We ended up not eating until about 9:30, but it was great to be together so we didn't care. At dinner he gave me a gift card to give my wardrobe a jump start. MUCH NEEDED! I actually cried when I saw it. Once we made it to Winona we were still homeless and spent the night sleeping in a friend's basement.
Tuesday morning, 1 JUNE, he's off again. Eric's job sent him to South Carolina for the week. Eric and a friend spent the morning while I was at work putting all of our stuff in the new apartment and headed out of town to catch their flight. That night I couldn't find "my house" and drove all over creation for about 25 minutes. Finally I found the house. I came through the door to find all of our stuff...EVERYWHERE! God bless them for hauling it all over there, but there was no organization to speak of. It has been an overwhelming task to say the least...and we're still not done a week later. I guess this is a previous for moving to Texas by myself. Hmmm...
I love when I have the opportunity to see family these days. It's becoming more and more real that I am moving in a few more weeks without any real plans of coming back. What a thought! Whew! The ROTC department I work for worked the Wisconsin State Track Meet on campus so I was able to watch Eric's younger brother run the 4x200 at state! I know the older brothers love all of the success Aaron has had at such a young age. He's only a freshman and he's accomplished so much!!! The brothers always say that he is a mixture of all of their best qualities. God has big plans for him, no doubt! They qualified for finals but ended up taking 8th. Still nothing to hang your head about, he's got plenty of time.
After spending the morning at the track meet on Saturday I headed to Richland Center to pick up my mom and go get Eric from the airport. I can't tell you how happy I was to see him and have him home again. You would think that since we've had a long distance relationship all along that we would be "used" to being separated. In reality it is quite the opposite. I think it gets more and more painful with every separation. You just want it to stop happening all the time! It seems we are always on a constant countdown to the next time we will see each other. And when we are together I can't help but look ahead on the calendar to July 18th, when we'll be separated again. On the brighter side, July 18th is one of the best days of the year. I will begin my AMEDD OBLC at Fort Sam Houston TX to really start my Army Nurse Corps career. It's what I've been looking forward to since I joined ROTC as a freshman in college. Bittersweet. Leaving the airport we stopped by the mall to kill a little time before going to my cousin's graduation party. It was good to see family. We don't see the Granger side much. That side of the family just isn't really into family get togethers it seems like. If we do, it's "for grandma." It had been such a long week for all of us we didn't stay too terribly long. Besides, my brother Mark was on his way home for the first time in six months. We had a great time catching up and just spending time together. Hopefully he'll stop by our house on his way home later this week!
It's incredible how "busy" everyone is these days. No one has time for much of anything, and in your spare time you only want to spend that time on your self. We're talking major sacrifice to use that time on someone else! I know I'm guilty of thinking that way. Yet we can't understand why in society my kids have emotional and pscyhological problems. We've really lost the social element to get together instead of texting or chatting on IM. It's just so "easy." I guess it's just that the easy route really never got anyone to a better place. All of the best things in life take effort and sacrifice.
Something to think about.... Am I reaching out to others? Am I taking the easy route to relationships by only texting or emailing, never taking the time to make an in-person visit? Who in my life needs me to make some time sacrifices to spend it on them?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)