Splash the Puddles

I like to share. I just do.  I'm wordy-wordy doesn't even begin to describe what I am, actually.  I can take what should be a simple text, email or conversation response and turn it into a novel with all the details and information painted in my mind.  Sometimes I get on my own nerves.  I really do.  So, I know I get on yours...but that's ok.  It's who I am and it's how God made me and I embrace it.  I'm thankful for those, such as one wonderful friend, who have told me that it's part of what makes me me and part of what makes her love me so much. I just love to tell.  Tell this, tell that.  I like to tell.  I especially like to tell about those I love and cherish.  I often find myself sharing how blessed I feel I am by my husband.  He rocks.  Is he perfect?  Not by a long stretch.  Does he annoy me sometimes?  Absolutely.  Do I annoy him?  Never. ...

I've been pretty excited about this cruise I'm heading out on in 12 days with my man.  Excited is putting it mildly.  Very mildly.  I'm simply over the moon about spending 5 uninterrupted days and nights with Cliff- just relishing in who he is and celebrating who we are together.  I cannot wait.  It's safe to say I'm going to leave town chanting "na-na-na-boo-boo" to my 3 and 6 year old who so adamantly demand his attention, who so often get it because nothing brings him joy like investing in and spending time with his kids, kids who would think he hung the moon if he weren't the type of godly man who teaches them who really did hang the moon.  I get him ALL to myself for five days and five nights.  I'm excited.  I can't remember if I told you that or not.  ;) As the time draws nearer though to leaving our children for five whole nights, I've gone into mama bear mode. I've been planning and preparing for my time away.  I've been t...

My newly preggo sister in law texted me the other night and said she'd walked through the baby section of a store, and in short was freaking out at how expensive everything was and how broke they were going to be. (I'm her freak out "go to"...you know she's in bad shape! Lol)  I responded with the typical "God will provide, He always does" response that as Christians we give and receive so often, along with some other personal details she knew about our life, but I felt would help to be reminded of at the moment. If nothing else, to prove a point that she already knows. God. Will. Provide.  But, honestly I so truly meant it.  I had a rare moment alone after this conversation, and I took some time to reflect on how true this has been in mine and Cliff's life together.  I can remember a time when things were quite hard for us financially. So difficult that I had no idea how certain things would be covered and there was nothing left for anything extra. ...

Once upon a time, not so very long ago I could have founded the "Moms Who Pale in Comparison To Other Moms Club." I was that mom who looked at other moms, seemingly perfect moms, and wondered how in the world they did it all?  How do they work full time, manage to look like perfection, keep their cool alllllll the time, find time to spend time with friends, have a fantastic love affair with their treadmill, maintain a clean house like nobody's business, send those cute personalized birthday cards and come up with the most sentimental gifts for others, find time to shop for themselves, never let their children have anything that was nutritionally displeasing, manage to rear children who actually liked to eat something besides mac-n-cheese and pizza, kept their toes and nails in sparkling tip top shape, and get 10 hours of sleep.  I.mean.really.  (thankfully my closest mom friends are NOT this way...no offense, lovelies.  God knew I needed you "don't have it ...

I'm a parent.  I'm a teacher.  I'm a teacher parent.  So is my husband.  Bless our kids hearts. But seriously, this is good and one day they will thank us.  We have an insiders vantage point on just what teachers love (and dread) to have walk through their door.  I've been thinking a lot lately about things parents can do (things WE can do) to prepare our kids for the school years.  I'm not talking about learning their ABCs and 123s here.  I'm talking about the "good" stuff, the life stuff.  The stuff that makes kids who they are and ultimately determines whether they bring sunshine to their teacher's classroom.  (or maybe even a little thunder and lightning...)  But really, can I post that?  None of my fifth grade babies bring me thunder.  Or lightning.  Nope, not one.  The skip right over that.  They bring tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes.  (Why yes, that probably WAS what you felt o...

Will and I share a love for a few of the same songs. One of those songs is "The Only Name" by Big Daddy Weave.  We love when it comes on the radio and we sing it loudly even when there's no radio around. To Will, it's just a fun and catchy song! I think it's fun and catchy too. But there's more to it for me.  The song is one artist's attempt to share what they feel it will be like to wake up in Heaven one day. He sings of how there will be only One name that he will proclaim. Jesus. There's a line in particular that just speaks to me so greatly. A part of being face to face with Jesus that I so look forward to. It goes, "Yours will be the only name that matters to me, the only One whose favor I seek, the only name that matters to me."   Wow. To wake up one day and only seek the favor of Jesus is something I long so deeply for. So deeply.  As my friends, family or unknown readers, you've picked up on my struggle at times with seeking the f...