love – Page 6 – Oh Lord Help Us

Love Multiplied

Parent, Stay SaneMay 1, 2015July 24, 2016

I recall a conversation from several years back that a few of my friends were having about how much they loved their children. At the time, they all only had one and I was expecting my second. They were making comments about how they couldn’t imagine loving another child as much as they loved the one they already had (they all have more children now, by the way). And this got me thinking. There is not a set amount of love that we have in life that we have to divide among those around us. Love does not subtract. It multiplies!

Right now in life I am expecting my third child and we are in the process of being able to foster-to-adopt a sibling group. We have been very open with our boys about all of this, and have encouraged many and all types of questions. We have tried to not sugar coat anything. I’ve talked with them about the importance of being able to do more things on their own because I may not be available. And how some of the house rules may not apply initially for the adopted children since they are adjusting to us and we are adjusting to them. But I’ve really wanted to stress to them that my love for them will not change, and in fact our house will be even more full of love. So I drew it out and told the love story of our family.

It went like this:

First, there was Dad and I. He loved me, I loved him. Love multiplied by two.

Then we had our first son. And our love began to grow. Love multiplied by six.

Then our second son was born. And our love doubled! Love multiplied by twelve.

Now, we have a baby sister on the way. (Gasp!). Love multiplied by twenty.

And when we have siblings join our family?
Well, love will be flowing out of every nook and cranny of our home.
Love multiplied by lots and lots and lots!

Isn’t this a great love story?!?!

xoxo

Surrender

Stay SaneFebruary 11, 2015February 11, 2015

When I started this series I had in mind what I wanted to say for this final post. But over the past two weeks I have struggled to know how much to share, and unsure if I will be able to express the main point. But here it goes, wish me luck.

Once we moved to South Carolina life was good. I finally felt like I understood what it meant to be living life abundantly (John 10:10). I was finally able to be a stay-at-home mom to our wonderful two boys. I was able to run and bike and swim on a regular basis. I was making wonderful new friends. I was learning and investing at our church. Good, good stuff. Then one Sunday we went to church and life suddenly became very complicated.

Our church was doing a sermon series about the fact that our lives are worship, and all lives have value. From the unborn to the elderly, life is to be cherished. There was a video that was shown that had clips from South Korea showing these box-like things (think big blue post office mailbox) where women could put their unwanted babies. Now, this sounds crude, but we actually provide the same (needed) service here in America. Women can take their unwanted babies, no questions asked, to a hospital, or fire station, or police station. But something about this video shattered my heart. On the way home my husband asks the question, “Soooo, what are you thinking?” I shocked him with, “I think we need to adopt.” That is where this journey began a little over a year ago.

I had never, NEVER, had an interest in adoption. I thought it was a great thing; for other people, that is. But not for us. We were happy to be done with having kids. Ready to move on and have new adventures with our two great guys. Alas, that was not the case. So we talked about international adoption. We have several friends who have done this and I think it’s great, but that wasn’t what we felt was right for us. We talked about domestic adoption. But I felt like, if we wanted another baby we would have another baby. So we talked about fostering. But we thought that would be too hard on our children that get attatched to people so easily. We settled on adopting a young child (or children) that was currently in the foster system. This is known as fostering to adopt, and we are currently working with DSS.

This decision was by no means decided on lightly. First we went to an informational meeting at our church for people interested in adoption. In the class, we were the only ones that went to get information. Everyone else had already adopted and were there to provide support. It was as if there was a panel set up just for us to ask questions. There was a family that adopted a baby from China. A family that adopted a four year old from Belarus. A lady that went through a domestic adoption, as well as fostering other children. All of them had biological children first. Then we spent 3 months just talking about it among ourselves and with The Lord. After that I finally got the courage to call an agency to get the process started. We ended up deciding not to work with this agency, but I will never forget what this lady told me. She said, “now that you have made this decision you are going to start to meet random people that have done foster to adopt, and that is just The Lord providing encouragement for you along this journey.” Oooooo-kaaaaay, I thought, that’s weird. Well sure enough, three days later at my sons tennis class, there was a new mom there and she was telling me about her son. “He’s adopted” she said. I responded with, “really? I would love to hear your story if you don’t mind sharing.” “Not at all” she said, “well, we did foster to adopt.” Of course they did!! I just started laughing and explained to her that we were considering to do that as well. Since then I have indeed met several people who had walked this road before us, some of which have become instrumental to us by encouraging and praying for us on a regular basis.

During this decision making process, something else happened. We got the baby bug which resulted in me getting pregnant which resulted in miscarriage. I was angry, and sad, and all those emotions that come with the loss of life, but it was alright. We decided that it was time to move ahead with the adoption process. So the application was filled out, and sent in. It was the craziest feeling. It truly felt like I had just gotten a positive pregnancy test. I was excited, and ~~scared~~ terrified, and just hoping that it would “stick”. And then I started to love. Just like an expecting mother loves the baby in her womb even though she doesn’t know him/her, I started to love this child/children that are out there. And that love has developed into a yearning to meet them and know them and pour our love into them.

So we went to orientation, got fingerprinted, filled out the ridiculously difficult application, and are currently going through training. This process has changed and is changing us. It has changed how I see my relationship with The Lord.

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Ephesians 1:3-6, The Message

It has changed me as a mother. Learning to be patient, and give grace to these little people that God has placed in my care. And finally, I have been learning how to surrender. To give up this idea I have of living a simple, stress-free, I-don’t-want-to-be-bothered kind of life. I want to live a life that has purpose. Two years ago I could not have even considered doing this. My soul was depleted. I was struggling to keep my head above the water, and I felt like I was suffocating. Over the past year and a half, The Lord has filled my cup overflowing, and He has given us such an awesome desire to serve Him by loving and serving His little children. He has led me to “where my trust is without borders.”

Oh, and I’m 14 weeks pregnant.

This is the 4th and final post on a series about Faith, Trust, Surrender.

Trust, part two: Patience

Stay SaneJanuary 30, 2015

For awhile it seemed like my life was moving backwards. At 21 I bought my first place. It was this cute 2 bedroom townhouse with an attached garage. Then we moved to Atlanta where we lived in a 500 square foot studio in a high rise. We gained a sweet view of downtown, but we no longer had a washer and dryer. Had to go to the basement for that. There was a parking garage with one assigned spot. Poor hubby had to fight for an open place. Then we moved to the suburbs of Chicago. Here we lost the air conditioning and the dishwasher. Laundry in the cellar, had to go outside to get to it. But at least we could park in the driveway. Then we moved into the city. We got the ac back, but lost parking. Had to find it on the street and dig out our spot when it snowed. Still no washer and dryer, no dishwasher. Also, there was no sunshine. First floor apartments with builings 3 feet away don’t allow for much sun to penetrate. At the next place we got the sunshine back (third floor), but lost the ac again. No ac, no dishwasher, no washer/dryer, no parking. Three flights of stairs and a newborn. Whew!

After a year and a half there we finally were able to buy a house. An actual house! With a yard! It was smaller than the garden we had when I was growing up, but I was thrilled to have it. We got back the ac, the garage, the washer/dryer, and four years after we moved in we put in a dishwasher. We did so much to that house. Complete gut rehab of the second floor. While I was pregnant. We have a picture of me five months pregnant swinging a sledge hammer busting out plaster. We finished it two weeks before my second son was born. This was a rough time physically, financially, and mentally. At one point a rat got in our house because there was a hole in the concrete of the basement. A RAT!! IN OUR HOUSE!!! Then we got busted and fined by city for doing work without a permit. There I was, eight months pregnant, standing before a judge, begging for mercy. See, where I grew up, if you wanted to do work on your house, then you did work on your house.

Our 8 years in Chicago were hard. Of course there are the basic Chicago things that all Chicagoans deal with. Harsh winters that just won’t end (seriously, nothing blooms until the end of April). Traffic that moves so slow you might as well walk (once, it took me over an hour to drive 4 miles). People that speak harshly and are unfriendly (people would look at me funny if I smiled and said hello). The permits, tickets, and fees that make you paranoid to drive your car anywhere (we just considered it donations to the city). But we also dealt with my hubby losing his job, opening and running a money devouring business, living in crappy apartments, living through a rehab, and a rat.

I wanted to leave so badly. I cried so many tears, begging God to get us out of there. The worst it got happened in the middle day coming home from running errands. I was turning left at an awkward intersection and almost hit a pedestrian. He started yelling at me that he had a green light (I did not have a turn arrow). Here’s the thing though, he was not at a crosswalk. The crosswalk was on the other side of this intersection (and for good reason). So I yelled back that the green lights are for cars and that he didn’t have a crosswalk-IDIOT!!! By the way, my kids were in the back seat. My older son was 4 at the time and he started crying. I asked why he was crying, and his response was, “You scared me.” At this point I started crying and called my hubby (all husbands just love getting this kind of call while at work). I told him that he had to get me out of this city. I hated the city, and I hated who I was becoming while living in it.

We tried so many times to get out. Once, we were seriously considering a job opportunity for my hubby in Seattle. He made it through three rounds of interviews until that door was closed. Praise The Lord that it was. I would have been even more miserable there. There was an opportunity to move back home to Louisville at one point that I was truly disappointed that it didn’t work out. When we were actually at the point that we could move, we thought we would move back to Atlanta. That seemed to make the most sense. It’s a big city with lots of job opportunities, great weather (in my opinion), and we still have friends there. But alas, this was not to be either.

The Lord had something even greater in mind. He gave us even more than what we asked for. Atlanta would not have solved all the problem that we were dealing with in Chicago. It still has a high cost of living, it still has bad crime, it still has bad schools, and of course it still has bad traffic. I didn’t know a thing about Greenville, SC before my husband had his phone interview phone for the position here. The first time either of us ever step foot in Greenville was when we came with the moving van. We have not been disappointed.

Not everybody is miserable is Chicago. I have dear friends that live there and they love it. It’s home for them, and I am thrilled that they feel that way. There is such peace in feeling “home”. But not once in 8 years did we feel “home”. And we had many moments of joy there, including friendships that will age with me. But we knew that we were not meant to stay there. Even though we struggled, we knew that we were where we needed to be for that long season in our lives. We knew it wasn’t time to leave yet, no matter how desperately we wanted to. Waiting is difficult.

Wait for The Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for The Lord. Psalm 27:14

We learned that we had to be patient. And we had to wait for The Lord’s perfect timing. I’m relieved that when doors were closed we didn’t try to force them open, although I was standing there with a crowbar feeling tempted to do so. I would pray, “Lord help me feel at home!” I wanted to want to be there. Then I prayed, “help me feel at peace.” And I would for a period of time. Sometimes we are called to stand and fight (like David and Goliath), and sometimes we are told to run away (like Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt). I believe we never felt at home because we were never meant to stay.

It takes trust to learn patience. So if you find yourself in a situation that you feel desperate to escape, be encouraged! Trust that The Lord knows, and cares. Know that His timing is perfect. And there is nothing wrong with crying while you wait.

This is the third post in a series on Faith, Trust, Surrender.

Trust, part one: Love

Stay SaneJanuary 22, 2015

I have a past life that seems so long ago, I have to remind myself that it truly happened. It was about 10 years ago that this past life was born.

We had moved from Atlanta to Chicago for my hubby to begin his career. Actually I should say, “Chicagoland” because it was in suburb of Chicago, which is absolutely positively not Chicago. Life was moving along quite predictably when, BAM!! Out of nowhere my husband lost his job. Being that I was completely homesick, I was ready to move home to Louisville, Kentucky. But alas, he was not. We talked about all sorts of things to do. Move west, hike the Appalachian Trail, start a coffee shop, move into the actual city, etc. We decided to do the responsible thing of moving into the city so that he could work on establishing his career. And start a coffee shop too. Craaaa-zeeee!

See, I had this dream of owning a coffee shop when we lived in Atlanta. Just an innocent little dream. People dream all the time, doesn’t mean they actually do it. Not so for me. Hubby gets nervous when I start dreaming. Truthfully, he encourages it. I was looking for an apartment in a certain neighborhood in the city on craigslist. Out of curiosity, I did a search for a store front in the same neighborhood, just wondering what rent would be like for that. And then I realized there was an apartment and a store front for rent in the same building. How cool, I thought, would it be to live in the same building as the coffee shop. I pondered this for a while trying to decide if I should look into it. My hubby’s response was, “in five years will you be happy that you stuck with your career, or regret that you never looked into this opportunity.” Well, if you’re going to put it that way….

A month later, we had a lease. We had absolutely no clue what we were doing. All we could see was the next step to take. It was complete trust that The Lord was leading us to do this and He would take care of us along the way. See, I believe that He gives us these dreams/ideas for a reason.

Delight yourself in The Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

It says that He gives us the desires. Not that He grants us whatever we desire. And if we are seeking Him, and seeking what He wants, then He will give us certain desires. What He wants is for us to love people. And He gave us the desire to love the people of this neighborhood with a coffee shop to provide the way.

It was a crash course in how to love people. See, this particular area of this neighborhood, was a bit rough you could say. It was “gentrifying”. Truly it was lawyers living next door to gangbangers. Not exaggerating. Hubby and I will reminisce sometimes about the experiences we had. Gone were my sweet naive beliefs, and shattered were stereotypes.

Laura. She lived in the building next door with her boyfriend and two year old daughter. This little girl was the sweetest thing. When we were building the space out, Laura and her daughter would just come over (let themselves in even though the windows were covered) and talk to us while we were working. This one particular day she was telling us about rats. Yes, rats are a major problem in Chicago. Go outside after dusk and you’re guaranteed to see one. “They ain’t got no bones, they ain’t got no bones.” She told us about a hundred times. Over and over. I’m pretty sure they do have bones, by the way. But I’ve never actually verified it. Then, once the store was open she started coming in to ask for work to make money. Then to borrow money. Then just for money. One day, she came in in a hurry and left her daughter there in the stroller while I was talking with some customers. She said, “I need you to watch her, I won’t be long!” And off she went with two men that were waiting outside for her. All I could think was that she was “paying” for her drugs and what if something went wrong and they killed her. What is this little girl going to do? I’m going to have to adopt her. Oh my word! Another morning (6am, she was probably still up from the night before), she came in so angry at her boyfriend and was threatening to blow their building up. Ummmm, she was just crazy enough that I had to take her a little bit seriously. And our buildings were about 3 inches apart (not exaggerating), so that meant our building would blow up too. So here I am before the sun was up standing with her at a bus stop with my bus pass to make sure she got on the bus to go to her mom’s on the southside. The last time I saw Laura, she was drunk and told me that she was going to have another baby (it was her 4th). I was pregnant too, and I wept after she left. I loved her.

Kyle and Mark. They were a same sex couple that would come in and work on their business. They were such a blast! Mark was gruff and bitter. Kyle was bubbly and friendly. I won Mark over when he made a ridiculous request one day, and I responded by giving him the middle finger. He cracked up, and I had earned his respect. One day while they were working, this crazy religious lady came in and started telling Mark that the end was coming and that God loved him and he needed to start stocking up on canned goods. Good grief! His response was that he didn’t believe in God, and he didn’t care. After I got her to leave, I told him that even though I am a christian, that’s why I don’t like christians. Mark and Kyle later told one of our employees (who is also a christian) that they’ve never before seen christians that act and love like we all did. I loved them.

John. It was halloween night and business was slow. There were some of the local gangbangers hanging around (easy to spot because they wore a certain color shirt). I knew who they were since they would come in at times, and lived in the area. But they were coming in a lot this evening while there will still a few customers in. John was a law school student that would camp out and study for hours. This evening he was sitting in a corner that was not visible from the street, and he was my last customer. The gangbangers came in for the final time, not knowing that he was there. They seemed so disappointed. Once they left, he confirmed what I feared, “they’re going to rob you.” But then he said the kindest thing, “so I’m going to stay until you close.” He was an angel, I’m pretty sure. And love was shown to me.

Curtis. He started coming in the winter after we opened. He was always dressed nice, and looked very professional. He would sit there for hours looking at the paper. Obviously he didn’t work a 9-5, so I figured he was self employed and some sort of business man. Since the majority of the Chicago population hibernates in the winter, and it was our first year open, business was sloooooooow. It would be hours with just Curtis and I in there. So naturally we started talking. Turns out he just got out of prison. For drugs. He was at one time a major dealer in Chicago (he was just busted with the drugs, not for dealing). He use to have a sweet apartment, with a fast car, and hot ladies to keep him warm. But not now. Now he had a crappy apartment, no car, and no ladies and no friends. All his “friends” left him because they feared they would get busted too. We had many in depth conversations, and I actually “scolded” him (he was 50 years old) at one point. I told him that he had led a self centered life dealing drugs and how could he expect his self centered friends to actually care about anything other than themselves. I was feeling bold that day. He told me I reminded him of his sister, whom he actually brought in to meet me once. When my son was born he sent me flowers that cost so much I confronted him and asked if he was dealing again. He promised me he wasn’t. Not that I believed him. Before we left the coffee shop world, he came in to say goodbye. He told me that people owed their lives to me. He said that he was so depressed and angry that first winter out of prison that if he didn’t have me to talk to, he probably would have killed his past associates. Whoa. I loved him.

There are countless other stories of people that came into our lives during that time. There are friendships that we still have and cherish deeply because of the risk we took to open a coffee shop. We only had the the shop for 2 1/2 years before our son was born and we decided to pass it on to people that could take it to a new level. It was a difficult few years for us. Crazy hours, never leaving the building, dealing with city government, enormous amounts of debt. So often we wondered why we were ever possessed to do such a thing. But then I remember that we were given a desire to love a certain group of people, for a certain period of time. And that’s worth the sacrifice. The Lord has been faithful, I will continue to trust.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Or not-so-innocent.

This is the second post in a series about Faith, Trust, Surrender.

How to Have a Great Marriage in 5113 Days

Stay SaneOctober 12, 2014June 26, 2016

5113. That is how many days my hubby and I will be married on Monday (yes, I included leap days). Fourteen years of marital bliss. Actually, 14 years of honoring, working, fighting, encouraging, being flexible, and resting. I was going to write a post giving advice, but the advice I would give would be to honor, work, fight, encourage, be flexible, and rest. So instead, I thought I would share our journey.

We met right before I turned 21. At church. He walked into the Sunday school class (my first time, he grew up there), and I thought, “well, looks like I found the right church!” He was (is) gorgeous. It all started very slowly (but married quickly). His best friend was engaged to his sister (nice move) and I had become good friends with her (what can I say, she’s a likable gal). The four of us would hang out quite often. A few months before their wedding his friend asks me (in front of him) what my intentions were with his best friend. My face turned crimson. My response came from The Lord. I said, “until he makes his intentions clear, my heart will stay out of it.” Good, right?!?!?

The next day he came over and made his intentions clear. The romantic that he is, his comment was, “you’re like the coolest chic I’ve ever known.” How’s a girl to turn that down. It took another month until he held my hand. And then another month to kiss me. At that point he tells me that he loves me. This was not said in return. That phrase had become cheap to me, and I had told myself (and him) that the next time I said that would be to the man I would marry. It didn’t take long. A couple weeks later I said it in return. He told me he wanted me to be his wife. Less than 3 months later he proposed with a ring. And less than five months after that we got married. On Friday the 13th. In October. With a full moon. We are risk takers. During our courtship he honored me so highly, and that has not changed.

The first year for us was easy. We were playing nice, too polite to be honest. The second year is when it got real. And feelings got hurt. And trust was broken. But it was also the year that we decided there would be no backing down. We are going to get through this. Defeat was not an option. We accepted that it was going to be work, and we were okay with it.

The third year was when our foundation was shaken. We had decided to move from Louisville to Atlanta for him to go to grad school. Our home sold within a week! That night I called my parents to tell them the good news. My mom didn’t sound so good, but she hadn’t for a while. Later that night she went to the hospital and didn’t get out until she went home to heaven four months later. While she was in the hospital we moved (with my father’s blessing). I wish we had waited. We didn’t make it home in time. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I was angry. At my husband, at God, at life. But I didn’t know what to do with it. So I turned inward and began drowning. My husband had his own set of struggles. And the rift began to form. We didn’t even see it happening. And then friends from church showed us (without even knowing it) what real honesty looked like. It was messy. Like, my-brother’s-room-when-he-was-a-teenager messy. We had already decided that defeat wasn’t an option, but I wasn’t prepared for just how painful it would be. Looking back, that was a crucial growth period for us. So even though the foundation was shaken, it stood firm. Now we weren’t just working on our marriage, we were fighting for it.

After living in Atlanta for two years, we moved on to Chicago. Well, the suburbs to be honest. It’s different. Really. The job that took us there didn’t last long for him. And so began a season of tremendous growth for him. Learning to find value from something other than his career. This is when as his wife I had to encourage him and assure him that he was valuable and he was talented and he will find work and he was and will be successful.

We decided to actually move into the city so he would have more work options, and we decided to open a coffee shop (that’s a whole long story I will share another time). For the first time we struggled, like really struggled, with finances. Now we had loads of debt and very little income. Nothing seemed to be easy, but what can I say, such is the life of a risk taker. And then, oh look! I’m pregnant! No worries, I thought, I’m Wonder Woman! I can do it all! Wrong. So we walked away from the coffee world and began to raise a little person. Things became pretty routine for a while. He worked, I worked, we bought a house, remodeled a house, made another little person. We were flexible. When the situation we were in was becoming destructive we did what we needed to change it.

But we were never really settled in Chicago. It didn’t feel like home. So we decided to move south. We didn’t really care where. So when he got a job in Greenville, South Carolina (aka heaven on earth) we said, sure why not! The first time either of us ever came here was with the moving truck. So here we are. We are finally in a season a peace. We are busy, but enjoying ourselves. We are appreciating where we are, because who knows how long it will last?

We have not “arrived” in our marriage. I’m not that naive. I know there will be struggles in the future. But I know that we will face them together.

Keeping the Flame Alive; How to Date on a Budget

Save, Stay SaneAugust 31, 2014September 27, 2014

Once a month my hubby and I are guaranteed a date night, and we look forward to it with great anticipation every time. We have no family where we live and paying for a babysitter can be quite expensive when living on a budget. So every month we sign up for Parents Night Out at our YMCA (you can read about my obsession with the Y here). This way we have about 3 hours of childcare at no additional cost to our monthly membership. Just about every month we would go out to dinner. Which is great fun, don’t get me wrong. But, it kinda gets pricey. And it kinda gets boring. And we have the time restraint of 3 hours. So we have been trying to get creative and save money. Here is a list of 12 dates, one for each month. It’s important to be intentional with spending time with your spouse. Life gets so hectic, with so many things demanding our attention. It’s really easy to neglect the one that you can depend on the most. As we take our dates, I will report back to let you know how it went.

Date #1 Impromptu Picnic (rain optional)

Alright, so our first cheap date was not planned. We dropped off the kiddos and ran an errand, then sat there in the car wondering what to do. We really just wanted to sit and munch and chat and be together. So we went to Trader Joe’s and picked up pitas, hummus, wine (with a screw top), and sweets. We also got a sample cup of coffee so that we had cups to sip our wine out of. Then we sat and wondered where to go. See, it had been pouring rain all day. Not great weather to sit outside. We were willing to sit in the car, but that wan’t ideal. We went to a park with a gazebo, but there was a birthday party happening there. So we travelled to a different park to find a pavilion. First one was taken. Second one was taken. Then we found one that was a bit secluded. Perfect! We sat there under cover, listening to light rain, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company while sipping wine out of paper cups.

Total cost for this date: $16.75 (and we took home leftovers)

Date #2: Thrifting and Coffee

This was so much fun! My hubby found a sharp looking, name brand shirt for four bucks, and a DVD for a buck.

At another place we took a stroll down memory lane. I found a cook book that reminded me of one my mother had and used so very often.

Hubby found a series of books that he read as a child.

And we had a great time looking through old albums.

What made this date so special was that even after nearly 14 years of marriage, we were still able to learn something new about each other’s lives.

After thrifting we went to a local coffee shop and listened to live music while chatting over drinks and scones.

Total cost: $8.50 for merchandise, $13 at the the coffee shop

Date #3: Cheer on Local High School Football Team

This month’s edition of “Keeping the Flame Alive” was another successful event. I must admit, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. It felt a little awkward going to watch a high school football game when we don’t know anyone playing, and have no family that goes or has ever gone to this school. Here’s how the evening went down:

After dropping the kiddos off at the Y for Parents Night Out, we had an hour to kill before the game was set to start. We went to a park at the south end of Lake Robinson and thoroughly enjoyed the view and the peaceful tranquility of the moment. It was odd to see such a beautiful lake and not a boat on it. I’m glad we had this quietness, because the rest of the evening was going to be a bit more hectic.

We drove up to the high school what we thought was a little early before the game was to start. Wrong! Oh my word, people take their football so serious here. So many pickup trucks. And they park wherever they feel like it. Walking through the parking lot we could hear the drums telling us that we were late. Hubby says, “I don’t remember there being so much hoopla for football games, do you?” I gasped (thinking to myself, you were homeschooled) and said, “Ummm, we were Number 1 in the state! Yes, there was a lot of hoopla!” And thus began my night of reminiscing.

All the teenagers decked out in their school spirit, with their faces painted. The cheerleaders doing pyramids and running with flags. The marching band and color guard at half time. And of course the football players playing their hearts out. It was so heartwarming. I’ve not ever been one to get sentimental for my past. When it’s time to move on to the next stage of life, I don’t like to look back. Because of this, I don’t share many life stories with my husband. But last night I found myself talking about all these great memories I have of going to football games and then the “fifth quarter” parties our FCA would have afterwards.

Bottom line, this was a good date. We paid $6 a piece to get in and then bought snacks, so a grand total of $16. We cheered when they made a good play, and moaned when it didn’t work out. I look forward to going again, but probably not until my boys go there and we are driving them and their friends.

Date #4: Mini Golf

Date #5: Indoor Rock Climbing

Date #6: Take an Art Class

Date #7: Milkshake and Video Games

Date #8: Crafts and Coffee

Date #9: Planned Picnic

Date #10: Teach Each Other a New Skill

Date #11: Do Something for Someone Else

Date #12: Bike Ride to Ice Cream Shop