Something Naughty This Way Comes

Now that I'm home more often in the summer, I always get a fresher look at the Scarlett/Noel Dynamic.  This is pretty much how it goes.    

 Love,
H, S. & N.

A New Winner

     We have long searched for the city's best burger.  Well, if you want to call me eating at Terry's Turf Club, falling in love and thus declaring it The City's Best Burger a long search, then you're welcome to.

     Our next conquest?  Mexican food.  Hands down, our Rincon Mexicana (or The Mexican Place by Bigg's) has long since been declared The Winner.

Until tonight, that is.

Sometimes, the best discoveries are made on a whim. 

 While sitting together on said whim, we decided upon El Rancho Grande as our restaurant of choice.

     Like a little kid, I played with Tim's iphone while (unbeknownst to me) he ate the majority of the chips & salsa (you filthy rat)!

     It made me a little sad to declare a new favorite, but El Rancho Grande is it.  Winner in service, variety, ground beef, awesomeness, and atmosphere.

So, there you have it.

     Tonight, at dinner, I kept thinking about how I love Tim so much that I can't even explain it which is how I know I love him, if you really must know.

     On the way home in the car, I asked, "Where are we going next?"  And then he said, "Home or adventure....decide NOW!"  

     To which I replied very loudly, "ADVENTURE AWAITS! We don't have a baby to go home to! Let's do it!"  

And adventure involved (as it almost always should)...the pet store.

And looking at the mice made me Very Sad, and we talked about how much I still miss Beezus.

     I hope I was a good enough mouse mom. Truth be told, I'm sure I could have done better.  He always had enough food and water, but a few more tromps on the dining room table area that would be perfectly acceptable to allow a mouse to run free never would have hurt anyone.

     Then, I said I wanted a jumbo rat just so I could say, "Hey, do you want to come over and see my jumbo rat?"

     And then Tim said really quickly, "Hey, would you like to come over after church on Sunday and see our JUMbo rat!?!?!??"  Emphasis (for some reason) on the JUM and we both laughed harder than we probably should have.

     I also thought about how, on a scale of 1 to 10, I love pets an 11 and how all I really want out of this life is a family, a house in the country, a dog farm, and a measly little writing career.

And then I felt better.

     I also told him that I wish hamsters were nicer.  The only hamster I ever remember loving was incredibly mean.  There's a sermon in there somewhere.

And then we continued The Great Parakeet Debate of 2010.  It's a long story.  I'll tell you later.

We are not getting a parakeet.  Or are we?

That is usually the way the conversation goes.

     Sitting at dinner tonight, I couldn't help but think about how we needed this.   A new winner.  A change of pace.  Somebody to reset the metronome.  I think that is my wish for the summer.

 A fresh start.

It is long overdue.

Love and still no bird,
H.

The Will of God

 Oh. This has been rolling around in my head all week.  If I could muster the courage, I'd quite possibly tattoo it in large rolling letters all over my body.  Perhaps a picture will do.

And, just so you know, I'd clone that kid in 2 seconds flat if I could. Pigtails and all.   

Love,

H. 

What I've learned in 2012

1. No one should be praying for your husband more than you are.  No one.

2. At the end of the day, the only being you are truly accountable to is Jesus.  The same is true for everyone else.

3.  Let fear dictate nothing.

4.  When we let ungratefulness and entitlement in, we also invite ugliness and sorrow in as well.

5. Repentance is beautiful.

6.  The Holy Spirit's voice is gentle and specific.  An accusatory voice is grumpy and comes in the form of second person.  You're terrible at this. You should have worked out longer. 


 Learn to recognize the difference.

7.  It's going to get better.  In December, you will have your first fight with your husband in the parking lot of a most delicious restaurant.  By April, you will be ordering appetizers, holding hands, and wearing your favorite sun dress.

8. For some, Earth is the closest they will ever get to Heaven. For others, it is the closest they will ever be to Hell.

9.  If you want the power of The Holy Spirit, you have to ask.

10. When life feels Ridiculous.  You need to lean into it.

11. Pray consistently that God would show you your idols.  I spent years thinking they were all golden calves when in reality they come in all shapes and sizes.  For me, they largely involve food. body image. teaching.family. and housework.  Go figure.

12.  The answer is, as Mark Driscoll would say, "Always back to Jesus."

13.  The question is often asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  The question should be "Why do good things happen to bad people?"  We are all sinners.


The answer is God's grace.

There is no measure as to what we are capable of without it.

14.  There will be seasons in which we will shut the mouths of lions and seasons of chains and imprisonment.   Run on.   Hebrews 11:33

15. Joy is not the same thing as happiness.  Chase the joy.

This is a combination of Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, and Sweet Meg Fee or, yet another blessed trinity.  

Love & I can't take credit for any of it, 

H. 

Oh the leaning, Part 2

This is what the last week of kindergarten has done to me.

I call this "Rounding up the Usual Suspects."

Stick with me, guys.

It's about to get so good.

Love, H.

Oh, the Leaning

     And now this is the part of the year when the dishes pile sky high and there are funny things in random places like a bottle of witch hazel on the coffee table and let's-not-even-talk-about-it and the list probably goes on and on.  And we sigh and we say, "I will get to it this summer..."  Which is (ahem) 7 school days away, thank you very much.

     A while ago, that wily brunette posted a video by a woman named Brene' Brown and I watched it and felt as if a window had opened.


About 3 minutes into it, she says that when life gets uncomfortable, you are supposed to lean into it. 

You are supposed to lean into the discomfort.

And I realize that my house and this mess are my idols.  I realize that.  I am trying Very Hard to reconcile and repent for that and for heaven's sake make it just a little bit better.

This summer. Maybe.

With that being said, our piano is covered in laundry.

This is me leaning.

Love, H. 

The one about kettle corn

Yesterday, we spent all day at a craft show in my home town.  It was super fun and for the most part, the weather was great.  While we were there, my mom bought me this HUGE BAG OF KETTLE CORN.

It was so huge that I may or may not have actually cradled it like a baby and rested my head on it and contemplated using it as a body pillow.

Now I can't stop eating it.

And neither can Noel.

Love and in-need-of-an-intervention,
H.