Snowy Sunday!

They are calling for 8 to 14'' of snow and freezing rain today. I'm actually kind of excited. We enjoyed a wonderful week of balmy 40 degree weather, but all of our snow was dissolving into mucky heaps that were far from lovely.

This morning we were blanketed in white again (with snowflakes the size of golf balls coming down!) and it reminded of St. Therese and how badly she had hoped it would snow on the day she took her vows- and it did!

She wrote this little poem:

The Flower

All the earth with snow is covered,
Everywhere the white frosts reign;
Winter and his gloomy courtiers
Hold their court on earth again.
But for you has bloomed the Flower
Of the fields, Who comes to earth
From the fatherland of heaven,
Where eternal spring has birth.
Near the Rose of Christmas, Sister!
In the lowly grasses hide,
And be like the humble flowerets, --
Of heaven’s King the lowly bride!

 

-St. Therese 

My Bradley class was canceled for today and, as much as I enjoy my class, I am enjoying a full day at home with Hubby and Lil' Man being absolutely lazy. 

 

We went to an early mass to make sure we could get through the snow and Lil' Man was so good. When we got home and had eaten breakfast we sat down to watch Don Bosco which we had gotten from Netflix. As wonderful as it was I passed out on the couch and slept a full two hours! When I woke up hubby had put Lil' Man down for a nap and made me chili and tea for a cozy winter lunch. Can I just say, I LOVE SUNDAYS!!!

 

As you can see from my ticker, I am 34 weeks today. My best friend had her baby yesterday and I'm becoming more anxious to meet my wiggly lil' monkey with each passing day!

 

Paul took this picture this morning after mass of my ever enlarging tummy.

 

 

 

Hope you have a peaceful and Christ-centered Sunday! God bless, friends! 

Wordless Wednesday- 20 Weeks!

A Very Important Reminder

I am leaving in the morning to visit my dear friend, "Diana of the Lake of Shining Water". After visiting with she and her family for a few days, Paul will meet me at their home and we will head down to Tennessee for an exciting couple of days with my family. I can't wait!!! It will be our first time home since our big move.

I won't be blogging until I get home, so I thought I would direct you to one of my previous post that I feel I personally needed to be reminded of once again (Oh my weakness! Lord help me to be a better wife, mother, friend and Your daughter.).

You can link to it HERE 

The whole mouse thing sounds much worse than it was now that I read that post again, but the marriage stuff is something that is a very important reminder to me, especially now that I have a two year old underfoot and I spend most of my day having toddler level conversations.

Hope you find it to be a helpful reminder too. Have a great week, friends!

I wasn't told!

Both my boys have been in bed and sound asleep for hours! I, in turn, having been sitting on the couch for hours BURPING! I feel like a 12 year old boy! Of all the things I expected to happen during pregnancy the one thing that never occurred to me was that I would have ongoing indigestion that would rear its ugly head at night when I crawl into bed.

My wonderful husband had to work all weekend after a busy week and worked until nearly 10pm each night (his mornings usually began at 5:30!). Monday morning he got up at 4:30 to drive with friends an hour away to pray for 2 hours in front of an abortion clinic as part of the 40 Days for Life. He came back, worked until 10pm, worked at home until 1am and then got up at 5:30 to go to a mens Bible study at our church before starting another day of work. When he fell asleep on the living room floor at 7:30 I sent him off to bed and decided to remain in the living room (so I would not wake him with the noises coming out of me!) where I would be somewhat sound proofed.

My 12 week ob appointment was this afternoon and hearing my little angel's heart beating again was indescribable! I must say that I LOVE my ob! She is a wonderful Catholic mom herself and just made me feel so at peace about having her as my doctor just by the way she speaks about life. I was really nervous when I realized I was pregnant in a new state and had no idea if I'd find a good doctor.

I've always wanted a home birth or to at least be able to deliver at a midwifery. All but one of my sibling were delivered by Mennonite midwives at a midwifery clinic. But, living in an apartment that adjoins the apartment of young, single women that my husband is supervisor to just didn't seem like the best place to give birth.

The midwife that I called was not Catholic and actually delivers at the local general hospital. The ob that I chose is the mom of one of our counselors, spent time in the convent, is 10 minutes from my house and delivers at the Catholic hospital 15 minutes away.

The hospital itself has just redone the spacious delivery rooms with skylights and jetted tubs and you stay in the same room for delivery and recovery. If you have to be at a hospital it might as well feel more like a nice hotel, right?

My dear husband has been at all my doctors appointments. As we were waiting in the lobby he was kicking himself that he hadn't brought a backpacking magazine with him. In response I handed him a copy of Pregnancy. He didn't want it, but I made him read it anyway. Well, he found an article for dads and read that ONE article before tossing the magazine aside. He laughed as soon as he began reading because the author began by questioning why ob office never have anything for fathers to read and listed the only reading options he'd seen. Paul actually dug through the basket filled with magazines to see how accurate the authors list was. He had pretty much hit the nail on the head, but in his search Paul actually discovered a lone copy of Popular Mechanics that he carried like a security blanket until we left the office.

I don't think being referred to as my partner instead of husband by a nurse made him feel any better either. We did ride our motorcycle (for the 1st time in ages!) to the appointment, so his masculinity seemed to be immediately restored as soon as he revved the engine. :)

So that is how our day began, continued and ended. I hope your days was equally interesting.
I think I'm going to watch some of the Dick van Dyke Show on Netflix and then hopefully fall asleep!

Thank you, Lord, for good doctors, amazing husbands, miraculous babies, Dick van Dyke (the greatest tv show ever made!!) and TUMS!

My little Peach

Life has been wild this summer! So many changes, so much excitement and, as always, so little time!

Paul, Lil' Man and I enjoyed a wonderful couple of months at home in Tennessee. Our family gathered for our annual family reunion, we made trips to the river for kayaking and swimming, friends from all our came to visit and we celebrated my 30th birthday (ahem, I mean the first anniversary of my 29th!)!

The farm was so beautiful this summer. Paul made me the coolest tire swing known to man. I spent hours eating ice pops in my hammock while snuggling with Lil' Man. We rode our horses and chased the baby pigs when they made their escape. We rested.

My sisters were inspired to have a family gathering at our local u-pick orchard. Paul, Lil' Man and I came home with 20 lbs. of fresh, sweet peaches! I made peach ice cream and cobbler. I had planned canning peach butter, but I was short on both time and energy and ended up freezing bags of sliced peaches.

Two of my younger cousins spent about a month with us. Paul created a tent town and we all camped by the spring that runs through our woods. I read Nancy Drew to the girls by the campfire as we ate s'more made with reese's peanut butter cups. In the morning, all of the kids played in the misty stream. It was all very dreamy.

Paul and I took Lil' Man to the drive-in to see Toy Story 3. We rolled out a play mat so he could play with his little cars and Mr. Potato Head while the adults enjoyed the movie.

Time flew by and before we knew it, Paul and I were rushing around the house packing for our move to Wisconsin. I hate packing. I hate the process of moving. I survived!

We left Tennessee and drove through unbearable heat to Illinois. I was driving alone with the baby in a car that was packed well beyond capacity and very much without air conditioning! Paul was leading the way on the motorcycle and pulling a trailer with our kayaks and mountain bikes. People kept pointing as he drove by!

After we made it into Illinois, the sky burst open and poured rain. I was in the middle of changing a very stinky diaper in the grass on the side of a hill. Paul stood over the baby trying to keep him dry, but it didn't work very well. We were a sight!!!

That evening we made it to a dear friend's house. I told Paul I could go no further, for now, so he left the next day to get our house set up while my friend and I visited and our small people played.

By the time I made it to Wisconsin, Paul and my mom ( who had driven out from Ohio), had moved in all our furniture, had Lil' Man's crib and toys waiting and had made my life 10,000 times easier! We spent the next day unpacking dishes and exploring our new town. Paul was excited to begin his new job and we were thrilled to get to know our new community, but God had one last crazy surprise in store for us here in Wisconsin...!

You, Me and the Baby Makes 3!

Well, dear friends, many have you have read my post over the past year about Paul and I struggling with being unable to get pregnant. We know that God will gives us a baby of our own in His time, but it has still been a very emotional and difficult road. It's always hard when you know that God has a perfect plan, but you really want a hint as to what that plan is, well, our Dear Lord has finally given us a hint!

For the next six months, Paul and I are blessed to have the opportunity to foster an angel whom we shall be refering to as Lil' Man!   Isn't he precious??? He's won't be two until autumn, but he is a big smart boy with

a lot to say.  We know that it will be hard to only have him directly in our lives for such a short time, but every minute with Lil'Man is a joy and a blessing. We know that God will bring us peace when we need it most! Paul and I are just so amazed by the miracle that this small child is.

We found out on the our wedding anniversary that he would be coming to live with us. It was such a gift to receive that news, because we were hoping I might be pregnant at the time and then discovered that I wasn't. In the end, God had given us an anniversary baby! He just came in a different (easier!) way!!!

Every day has been amazingly joyful, fun and exhausting! I love finding trails of Cheerios around the house and hearing my name called early in the morning. I love seeing him reach up out of his crib for either Paul or myself.

Every day I am discovering new ways that I am in awe of my husband and his natural paternal instincts. Ladies, I hate to brag, but I married a baby rockstar!!!! Lil' Man spends part of most days playing with a plastic screwdriver right next to Paul as he fixs all the many things on his Honey-do List. They are the cutest guys I've ever known!

I apologize for the gushing and the exclamation points, but this girl is walking on sunshine and it feels great! I am still walking the walk with my other sisters who haven't been able to get pregnant yet, but I feel more peace knowing that this is all part of God's plan.  I am hopeful God will give us another baby to love when he takes Lil' Man out of our life.  I am still  praying all the time for all the children who are alone and need love, for the parents who are struggling and for all of us who want a baby in our arms! As JPII said, "Be Not Afraid!" and I might add, because God answers all prayers!

I tried and tried, but could not flip this picture! I had to post it anyway.

God bless you, my friends! Thanks for letting me share my joy with you!

Hey, Good Lookin'! What ya got cookin'?

I am home from California. I've survived the flooding at home in Tennessee. I am finally back in the truck with my husband! Ahh, truck sweet truck!

I have so much to blog about, but I'm not really in the mood for all the lengthy stuff right now, so I thought I would continue my expose on the "Secret Life of Truckers."


People always ask if we eat nothing but fast food all the time. When I answer "No!" and try to explain what cooking is like in the truck, people tend to look a little confused. A picture tells a thousand words, so I snapped a shot of my hubby making his specialty "Tuna Quesadillas."

Here is what this type of meal involves when it is made in a truck:

- Opening and draining cans of tuna. It sounds easy, but it can get messy in a truck. If it spills and ends up on the bed and it will smell like fish until we can get to a washer and dryer. Fun, right?!?!

- Rolling down the windows and turning on the fan to vent any fumes out of the truck.
- Setting up and lighting our single burner propane stove.

- Fry tortillas, add tuna and cheese until "melty" (Paul's word!), remove, roll and enjoy!

- Clean up cooking area, frying pan and plates with wet wipes.

That is how it is done folks! Hope you enjoyed this very random tutorial!

Highs and Lows

High: Yesterday Paul and I were driving from Ohio to Massachusetts and had a little time to kill. We parked our truck a truck stop and went for a walk through the woods, fields and down a little country road. It was a perfect afternoon in Pennsylvania.


Low: A week ago I had to have an MRI and found out that I have a torn meniscus in my knee. Luckily, it doesn't need surgery, but they did drain fluid off and gave me a cortizone shot. Walking over the hills of PA was beautiful, but my knee started bothering me.


High: We came out of an open field and on to a little street with a vintage ice cream stand that had just opened for the season. I LOVE little places like that!!!! They just scream summer and make me romanticize days gone by. We ordered fried mushrooms and a twirling tower of coconut soft serve from a friendly grandfather with a big smile. We sat in the sun and ate our mushrooms and licked the cone before a single drop could be lost. Such bliss!  As I finished my cone, we wandered next door to look at beautifully handcrafted wooden lawn furniture made by a tall middle aged Amish man.

Low: As we made our way back to the truck we took a short cut down a weed covered embankment. By the time I climbed into the truck I was hopping up and down and whining. The back of my shirt and jeans were covered in some kind of a stinging nettle type plant! I hate to be graphic, but looking back I can now see the humor in the scene I was making...the plant had particles falling from my shirt and down the back of my jeans. I had sat down to try to brush the back of my shirt only to hop back up because my rear end was itching, stinging and burning all at the same time. I was hopping all over our tiny space whining and howling as I tried to quickly dance around Paul to close the curtains and strip off all my clothes! I had tiny white things that looked like the ends of a cactus pricking into my fingers, shoulders, back, bottom and legs. Paul had to use a flashlight and tweezers to remove as many as he could find. Sheesh!!! Not the way I had hoped our afternoon stroll would end!


High: My dear husband did his best to remove the evil needles from my skin. He bought me some sweet treats and sour apple soda to cheer me up. Its a blessing to have someone take care of you!


Sooooo, how was your day? Hope you didn't get into any "sticky" situations!

A New Use For Teapots!!!!

Any one who has ever been to my house knows how much  I love collecting teapots and tea cups. They are so beautiful and yet practical! I love sitting down in my comfy chair to read with a steaming pot of tea wafting the scents of mangos and peaches around the room. Can anyone deny how heavenly this can be???

Okay, so I do get teased, mainly by my brothers, about my teapot collection (how many does a person really need? they ask) and I just laugh off their teasing, but I am here to share with you how I use my collection to bring joy to my husband!

There is a hysterical Dick van Dyke episode where he finds a bank book that his wife has been hiding away and seceretly stashing money. When he finally confronts his wife she explains that she has been saving up to buy him the sports car he's always dreamt of. He ask his wife where she ever got such an idea and she responds, "From my mother! [...] She saved for years to buy a really big, important gift for my father." He ask what the big, important gift was and her answer was "His own room!" What a hoot!!! She explains that her mother had a den added to their house with a pool table, etc. It's a very funny episode and you can watch the final scene on youtube here

What does that have to do with anything??? Well, I think I've seen that episode a few too many times over the years, because last autumn I decided to try doing the same sort of thing. Everytime Paul had to go out on the road without me I would take on odd jobs to make some money while he was away. I would take all the money I made and I would hide it in a teapot (Paul would NEVER go looking in a teapot) so that I could buy him a "really big, important present".

While we were on our honeymoon, we rented a motorcycle and really enjoyed riding it. Paul's been wanting one ever since and he spends alot of his spare time researching them and looking into used ones on craigslist. As I've said in previous posts, we are huge Dave Ramsey fans and worked really hard to save up and pay off all our student loans and credit card debt during the past year and a half. When received our letters saying that our student loans had been paid off, I felt like having them framed!!! We only have one small amount left to take care of before we are completely debt free and that we've been socking away money for and will take care of very soon, so I had no qualms with using my extra earnings to surprise Paul with something special.

For Easter I was able to surprise my hubby with a beautiful (though used and almost as old as me!) silver Honda Goldwing Aspencade! Honestly, at this point I don't know who is more excited- him or me??? It was at a reliable dealership that had just marked it down and it was an amazing deal! I felt so happy to be ab;e to surprise my husband and see my hard work make him so happy! We are both looking forward to a summer of saving money on gas while seeing the country and having alot of fun together. Our life together is such an adventure- its truly exciting!

So, for all those who have never found a reason to appreciate a small piece of chinaware used to hold hot water, let this be a lesson to you! My husband now has a new found appreciation for my china (even though it will ONLY be holding hot water for quite a while now!) and I am happy to be on the receiving end of his gratitude! =D

Have a cup of tea and think of all the exciting inspirations that little cup could hold for you!

On a closing note, I have an aunt who really wanted to have a little book published, so in her spare time (I can't really imagine her having any spare time since she has 12 kids!) she cleaned houses so that she could
earn the money to make her dream come true! There are so many ways to make things that seem impossible happen. It just takes a little creativity and a lot of patience! I'd love to hear if anyone else has done anything similiar and how they did it.

Being a Woman of Virtue is Hard Work! Sheesh!!!

                                     "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her"
                                                              Proverbs 31:11


Happy Easter, dear Friends!


Wow! Lent flew by, but it seems like so much has happened in all of our lives during the past 40 days, doesn't it???  It was wonderful stepping away from all the technology that I allow myself to become chained to, but I've also been reminded during these days of the ways that it can bless us. So many times during the past month I've wanted to look into something or ask friends a quick question via email or facebook and then remembered that I couldn't! I had to start doing things the old fashioned ways- I picked up a phone that WASN'T my/a cell phone for the first time in AGES! Old school can be awesome, my friends! :)


Sooooo, at some point during my reflections this past month the Lord put some basic things on my heart that I really felt would be a great reminder to all of us. Allow me to set the scene-

Paul and I only have the opportunity to be in our own home for five days after being on the road for five or six weeks. As much as I try to box up and store things while we are gone, we still seem to have woodland creatures [MICE] that seem to get in and take up residence in our kitchen while we are away. I can't tell you how stressed this can make me. I feel like I have to sanitize every square inch of my counter tops each morning just in case anyone decides to lay a piece of toast on a spot that a little four legged fellow had run over during the night. Where is this going you ask?

A few weeks ago, Paul was home and we had some friends over. I had come in from shopping and Paul was cooking something on my unsterilized stovetop. As he was lifting a spoonful of pasta to his mouth, a noodle fell on the stove. I saw my dear husband's hand grab the noodle and begin to eat it! I freaked out! Dropping what I was carrying, I reached for him trying to grab the possibly contaminated noodle while yelling at him to put it down! Like a slow motion scene from The Matrix, I could see the shocked faces of my friends in my peripheral vision.

Here's what was going on in my head:


A. Don't let Paul get sick by putting a mouse contaminated noodle in his mouth!

B. Don't let my friends know that my kitchen has a family of mice dwelling in the same vacinity as where I will be preparing their food!

C. Don't let my friends think I'm crazy!

D. Oh, shoot! Now they are sure to know I'm nuts!

E. Oh, shoot, shoot, shoot!!!! I just yelled at my husband as though he were a child in front of our friends!!!!!

F. Bad wife!!! Bad, bad, bad wife!!!!!


The situation was quickly explained by a blushing moi, but even as I lay in bed that night, the scene replayed in my mind. Though my intent was for the good of my husband, my actions were not good. I mulled it over and resolved to try to make some changes in my speech.


Woman are often told to be "Virtuous Proverbs 31 Women" but that can be easier said than done. It sounds so pretty to read and imagine being a perfect wife whose "value is far above rubies"- it isn't easy and I think most of us have a very hard time watching our words. It takes a true curbing of the tongue to be a virtuous woman!


I think most all of us have seen women speak to their husbands as though they were children. We shake our heads and know that its wrong, but many (dare I say most of us!) have moments of weakness were we fall and do this same thing!

Perhaps we struggle with the tone we use with our spouse or we talk publicly (in front of them or behind their backs) about our spouse's shortcomings. Some make jokes about a spouse's faults or just say things that hold elements of negative truths.


This is not good, ladies!


I know its not something that any of us want to intentionally do, but it is a very easy slippery slope to fall down. How can our children, family or friends respect our husbands if they see us setting an example of belittling. We will have a hard time showing respect once we set off on this path. Yet, when we speak with love at all times, we are constantly reminding ourselves, our children and our friends of how worthy of respect these great men are. Our words and actions MUST build up our husbands at all times!!! When a man knows that he isn't being spoken down to, he will want to work harder to earn that respect. He will be uplifted! In this way we too will be built up and our marriages, family lives and friendships will become stronger.


Our friendships, too? Yes, when a girlfriend knows that you aren't the type of woman that gossips about your own husband, she will be able to trust you as well. Everyone needs a friend in their life who can be there at times when we need a shoulder to cry on or whose judgement we can trust in difficult times. Be that kind of friend by setting an example in the way you treat your spouse.


This is a longer post than I had intended it to be. It is mainly to remind myself of my own life goals, but I hope it is a reminder for someone else who, like me, falls short in this area from time to time. God has blessed me with a man who is MORE than I ever dreamed of and I pray that I never take him for granted. Not even for a single moment!


Moral of the Story: Always keep your kitchen clean! (That's a laugh!)

God bless, friends! Enjoy this beautiful spring weather!

Yes, I am still here!

Hi everyone! Just a quick Sunday note to let everyone know that I gave up blogging and Facebook for Lent so that I could concentrate on my spiritual life, my home, my family and friends. People have been asking what's going on, so I just wanted to clarify since it was a last minute decision and I didn't post about it.

Since today is Sunday and a day of celebration, I would like to quickly share what has been going on in my life with a few quick bullet points.


1. My brother and his wife had my parents first grandchild last weekend. He was a whopping 8lbs 11oz and is happy and healthy- Praise God!


2. My husband and I just got home from a reunion in the mountains with the Brothers of the Eternal Song and their families. HEAVEN is the best way to describe the week.

3. I painted and reorganized my laundry room and that too is now a little slice of heaven!

4. I converted a spare bedroom into a lovely office and am now preparing for our first conference, The Tennessee Homeschool Conference in Memphis, next weekend and The St. Louis Homeschool Conference on the 26th and 27th! If you want to buy the most amazing Catholic childrens books as Lenten and Easter gifts for your children, grandchildren or godchildren you can request them here by leaving a comment or see me at one of these conferences :)

5. Life has been prayerful and good. I am going to see a specialist about some medical/fertility stuff, so if you can offer up a quick prayer I would really appreciate it! Also, hubby and I have been apart for a few weeks and he is going back on the road tomorrow. I will be staying home for 2 to 4 weeks without him- also not fun. Prayers that he will be safe while on the road alone are also greatly appreciated.



Hope you all are having a wonderful Lent. Grow closer to Christ each day!

Ice, Ice Baby!

Paul and I have spent one full day at home since New Year. We had to go home on Feb. 1st (just for the day) so that I could have some dental work done. I've never had a cavity, but knocked out a tooth ocean kayaking! There's luck for ya- yuck!

We got home just in time to see our farm frosted in ice and snow. It was truly breath taking. I am really controlling myself by only posting a few pictures- okay, I would have posted more (and some of the best!) pictures, but we are in the Mojave Desert and my internet connection is flaky. Hope you enjoy these pics of Paul and my beautiful home.

Fence ties and in the background is our milking shed. Paul didn't think anyone would know what this was a picture of :)

The meadow in our woods. This is were my brother and SIL sold Christmas trees during Advent, hence the little fenced in spruce. Picnic table and firepit are in the background.


Paul, once again testing how waterproof his new shoes are by standing in the icy cold spring.

Following the trail over the new cedar bridge covered in icicles.

The old stone wall along the Arrowhead Field that really is filled with arrows!

Now I will "leave" you be (sorry- I can't help myself!) to enjoy your own winter wonderland if you're on the east coast or, like my BIL, if you are experiencing the 5" that came down in Dallas today!!! Be in awe of God's creation and pray that you don't run out of good reading materials, candles and hot soup!

The 1st Anniversary of His 29th Birthday!

My dear, sweet husband has been outside of the womb for 30 years today! We have been teasing each other about our turning 30 this year and Paul has now begun stating that I will be the old one, he is only celebrating the first anniversary of his 29th birthday! Hmmm...



I am so blessed to know and love this man! I could not imagine God having created someone so perfect for me before I met him, but than I met him and was, once again, shown how great and loving God there is. I have been given a husband who is far more perfect than I deserve- all I can do is be eternally grateful!




In honor of this blessed day of my husband birth, I would like to share 30 reasons why I love him.



1. He has eyes that see me the way God sees me and not the way I see myself.




2. He is handsome with a beautiful smile.




3. He loves me and God (not necessarily in that order!).

4. He is an adventurer to the core who loves to travel and experience the wonders of God's creation.

5. He is a gentleman. A man who knows and understands what it means to truly be a man.

6. His dream house is a treehouse (think Swiss Family Robinson)!

7. He keeps me calm when I'm flipping out, but causes me to worry about his neck when he flips out!

8. He's the ONLY person allowed to call me "Bubba" and get away with it!!!!!

9. If he could only eat 3 things for the rest of his life it would be cheese, tuna and flour tortillas.

10. He is a wonderful Godfather and will be an incredible father.

11. He is passionate about teaching kids through camp ministry.

12. He could spend all day flying remote control airplanes and helicopters.

13. He has crazy red curls! I fell in love with him before I ever saw him clean shaven and with out a fro- thats saying something! ;)

14. In college he wore parachute pants!!!! And drove a crazy lifted pickup truck.

15. He is a Brother of the Eternal Song to the core. He loves Our Lady and his Brothers.

16. He won the National Iron Kids Triathalon as a teen.

17. He is willing to try almost anything crazy and adventurous.

18. He owns his own hang glider and was once almost decapitated by a jet ski.

19. He loves training our dogs, horses and pet squirrels. He is a regular Dr. Dolittle.

20. He can consume more candy than anyone I know and he never gains a pound!!!

21. Kids love him! My 9 year old cousin refers to Paul as his best friend. Our neighbors little boy once knocked on our door and asked my dad if Paul could come out and play! :D

22. He inspires and encourages everyone who knows him.

23. He is the silliest person I know!

24. He is adorable when he sings Garth Brooks off key!

25. I love how much he enjoys playing sports, but doesn't need to sit around watching the on tv.

26. He took ballet lessons (and wasn't very good!)!!!!!

27. I love that, though he is cute, he doesn't look good in a dress (see below).

28. As they say in the song, "I love the way he loves me"!
29. I love that he sacraficed by giving up the job he loved, changed careers and left his hometown to move across the country, live in a truck and be with me.
30. I love that he chose me to be his wife!!!!

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a husband who is so good and loves me so much! Help us to be a blessing to each other.
Happy, happy birthday, baby!!!!!

Heart Melting

Husband bought waterproof shoes at Cabellas this week and decided he had to "test" them. He hopped in every puddle he could find on our way to and from mass. Cute, huh?

This morning we are driving through Ohio.

The sun is brightly shining as snow swirls around our truck.



It reminds me of living in Austria.



We are listening to music from the 90's on Sirius.



Both of us sing out loud and slightly off-key.



I am happy to be here in this moment.



I asked Paul if we could listen to music this morning intsead of listening to everyone pick apart the State of the Union Address and I also explained the commitments to loveliness I made for this week. He listened and then gave me a slick grin saying, "You are lovely and I made a commitment to you."



Ahhh...melt my heart!

Bon Appetit!

A while back Paul and I went to see Julie & Julia. We both really enjoyed it, particularly the portrayal of Paul and Julia Child's marriage. When we stopped at Cracker Barrel for our weekly book (on cd) run, we found the book My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme and decided to listen to it.

I was really hoping this would be a more in depth look at their life and marriage. It was that, but it was mainly the story of Julia discovering and learning French cooking. No real suprise there. It was certainly interesting. Paul even thought so!

Not being food, cooking or French experts, we were a little lost at times, but we both laughed at the similarities of the Child's nomad lifestyle and our own.

In the movie, Julia cries, "Where is home? where do we live?" Her husband, Paul (Good name, huh? ;D), calmly answers, "Home is where we are. We'll work it out. We can figure it out."

Amen!

I have never been a Meryl Streep fan, but Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci really make you feel the love, joy and fun that Julia and Paul must have shared during their marriage. Meryl was PERFECT for this part! It is inspiring to see the way that Paul Child is portrayed as a husband who is madly in love with his wife and who protects and leads her without ever pushing. In the movie, Julia always looks at Paul like a woman who is just falling in love. What a wonderful reminder for every marriage! We should be constantly falling in love with our spouse (and God!!!) and show it!

They seem to have had a marriage that was both passionate and fun, as all good marriages should be!

I felt myself joined with the characters in the movie, when Paul quietly supported his wife during moments that she felt broken hearted. It was very moving.

I enjoy Amy Adams as an actress and she was cute in this movie where her Character, Julie, is feeling her own life parallel with that of Julia, but I did find her character too be a bit to whiny and slightly annoying. That said, Amy Adams cuteness, especially when trying to be like Julia, reminded me of a cute and quirky, young Meg Ryan.

I would recommend this movie as a great date movie (and if you are on a car ride, the book is interesting enough to make any trip fly by!). If my Paul can suffer through it and find the beauty of it, any man can!


You might even send the kids to bed early, make a fancy meal for your own hubby and watch the movie whiloe enjoying a lovely (affordable!) bottle of French wine.


And, of course, as Julia would have said:


Bon Appetit!


And here are a couple of fun Julia quotes I found online:


"The only time to eat diet food is while waiting for the steak to cook."

"I think every woman should have a blowtorch!"

600 DAYS

600 days of wedded bliss...

no words can describe... Thank you, Lord!

EXPOSED! The Secret Life of Truckers

Friends are always curious about what its like to live in a truck and, too be honest, I was too before I made one my home.

I had never seen the inside of a truck's cab until Paul began his first month of driving and even then it was only a quick peek from the door as we were loading his stuff into his trainers cab. I didn't have much of a chance because as I lifted his backpack and Bible up to him a police officer tapped on my shoulder and asked for an ID. Ahhh!!!

He said that it looked a little strange seeing a young woman climbing up into a truck that was parked in a pull off on the side of the road (Paul's trainer couldn't exactly "swing by" the house to pick him up! I had to drop him off!). I was mortified and humiliated that little old moi, in my baby pink pea coat and sparkling white engagement ring, could be suspected of being, well- YOU KNOW!!! How awful!!!

Paul's trainer explained what we were doing and I waved my ring in the officer's face. He left, but not before running my plate to make sure I didn't have anything he could "book" me for!

The crazy thing is that this is not the first time I've had this happen!!!

Previously, a friend and I were pulled over for driving slowly in a truck parking lot- we were looking for the place to get diesel fuel for a four wheeler. Luckily, the police officer shined his light into my face and said," Oh, you're the little girl who works next door at the motel! You ladies go ahead and have a good night." That in itself could sound bad enough, but I was indeed the "little girl" who worked [the front desk!!!] at the motel.

The point is that the world of trucking was a mystery to me until two years ago. Honestly, it was a world that I had no interest in discovering, but when I heard about the money that you can potentially make, I immediately suggested that my (then) fiance might want to look into it as a way of paying off all our student loans so that we could start off our marriage without debt weighing us down.

Look he did and now here we are. I thought it might be interesting to write a little about the nuts and bolts (ahem!) of our day to day life.





So far, I have mainly written about the 10% of our time which we spend visiting with friends and exploring new places. The other 90% of our time seemed too mundane to recount, but I've been discovering that most people are very curious about that 90% of time.



From time to time I will write an expose on the life of a trucker, Paul, and of his lovely (*blush*)wife , me.

I am the Lois Lane of my own little Smallville on wheels. Only difference is that I'm on to my Superhusband's secret identity! (Have I ever mentioned that I am adicted to all things Superman???)

This, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening?
In the lane snow is glistening!

Christmas eve was spent in the little town of Summersville Lake, West Virginia. Hubby used to come here when he was in college and has spoken about moving here and opening a wilderness outfitter/ camp.

It was a beautiful snowy evening. Hubby flew his remote control airplane/boat on the thin sheet of ice that the entire lake was covered with. The dogs caused the entire lake to gurrgle by attempting to catch air bubbles trapped below. They were so hyper and had so much fun running through the snow trying to catch the plane.

It was a glorious evening. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :)










Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas Octave!

A funny thing happened on my way to the post office...

Today, two days after THE snow storm, Paul and I walked from a truck stop in New Jersey to a post office to drop of some Christmas cards and to buy more stamps. The snow was up past my knees! We waded through the piles of snow until we made it out to the main road. As we walked along Paul yelled out "LOOK!" and excitedly started following a little field mouse who had popped out from a plowed corner. Poor little thing was desperately trying to find somewhere safe to hide, but couldn't penetrate to wall of snow.

We decided his name is Herald, as in "Hark, the herald," and that he is most definately a Christmas mouse!

He reminded me of the little mouse in the book, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies... a book that I have on our coffee table at home. I know I'm a Dork, but I'm okay with that.

Even though Paul didn't say it out loud, I'm pretty sure that Paul wanted to make Herald his very own pet just to shock people. He's funny that way. But, he bit his tongue and kept silent remembering what happened last time he tried to bring home a mouse.

I know you are saying, "Last time he did WHAT?!?!"

Yes, my husband found a baby mouse in our kayak and put it in his pocket to bring home and show me. He got in the truck and the mouse got out of his pocket. For the next month, despite the fact that I never SAW the little mouse, I found nibbled packets of food and knew Paul's little friend was still with us.

Luckily, we soon traded our truck in for a new one.

As we walked back to the truck stop, my dearest, ever-loving husband decided to push me into a mountain of snow. I must say that it was very fun. I pushed him in and he made a lovely snow angel.

Aaahhh, my very own snow baby! :) He probably won't like me calling him that out on the world wide web for everyone to read- not manly enough and all that. Lucky for me, this post will be published by the time he reads it. Heee, heee!!!! Merry Christmas, Little Herald!

Advent on an Island

Time out for Advent!

Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation, reflection and quality time with loved ones. The liturgical calendar, like the advent wreath, breaks us out of our normal routine reminding us to be ever ready and anxious with joyful anticipation!


While hubby and I were on our honeymoon cruise to Nassau, we won a cruise and hotel stay in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. We planned to go for our one year anniversary, but my brother got married the day before our anniversary. We decided to go a few days after Thanksgiving and it was a perfect decision.

The weather was beautiful, but since hurricane season had just ended, there were few other tourist.

I have never, in all my many travels through out the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe, met locals as friendly as those in Freeport. Near the markets there were those who just wanted to sell you stuff, but we rented a moped and drove around the island meeting gas station attendants, waiters and people on the street. Everyone was smiling, happy and ready to say hello! I guess living in such a beautiful place must help people have a sunny outlook :) Their economy has been badly hit and the people are hurting because of it, yet they are still smiling and trying to make the best of things.


This trip was a wondeful way to begin Advent. We enjoyed driving to Florida without the dogs and it was such a treat to be able to stop anywhere we wanted without having to worry about parking an 18-wheeler! Plus, our car has a bench seat! I love riding next to my baby with his arm over my shoulders :) Quality time with my loved one was going to be the first thing checked off my Christmas to-do list!!!

Can you tell that we had a great time???

Seriously, think I'm going to have to get one of these! I loved the Vespas in Rome, but never had a chance to ride one. This little thing got us all over the island. It was truly the best way to see everything and have fun. I even got some nice color on my shoulders and face when my sweater was off! Color is a big plus when it's not RED or WHITE. They tend to be my only color variations.


The beaches in the Caribbean are amazingly beautiful. We were going to go snorkeling the day this picture was taken, but the wind and waves were too big to go out to the reef. Instead we settled for sitting under the palm trees and sipping drinks made with yummy coconut! Talk about polar opposite from living in a tractor trailer.

God is so Good!!!