Some Bright Morning

Can I share something with you? In fact, I could barely keep from the keyboard yesterday in telling you as it was such a personal testimony. I wasn't holding out on you, just plain ran out of time. You know how it is.

I witnessed the most beautiful thing on Sunday. Before I share, I must tell you about these women. Their friendship is such a blessing. They both became widows within a year or two of each other. I have watched these ladies walk through this experience together. God has been so gracious to give them each other for added comfort and gracious to me for allowing me the opportunity to witness it.

Have you ever had a friend who walked alongside you during an unexpectedly shared experience? This kind of relationship bypasses the normal paths that often lead to friendship. It's the bond that's only built by shared hardship and forged through fire.

And when the shared experience involves death?

I love my husband so much. He's my best friend. To even think of experiencing their loss brings me physical pain. And yet, to watch these women rely completely on God to get them through this has personally been such an encouragement. It's the peace that passes understanding. It definitely passes my understanding. It doesn't mean there aren't tears. It's the hope in something more.

Which brings me to Sunday. I'm thanking God now for allowing me the opportunity to be a witness to their joy and hope. Sunday was a fantastic sermon, communion and reflection, and last of all - awesome worship through song.

The closing song began. It was I'll Fly Away. Old hymn, right? One that tickled us as children in straight-backed pews. We would flap our wings and giggle. I can still hear the older gentleman in the choir with the booming bass sing the echoing part "I'll fly away" -that tickled us too. And then we would add onto the verse lines like "into the blue green yonder.". We were kids. We thought we were clever. So all this came to mind at the beginning of this song.

Then I looked at my two ladies standing up front together. It wasn't just an old hymn for them. It was their hope and joy. I saw them look at each other with understanding. And then they held hands and turned their eyes upward. Although I couldn't hear them from where I was sitting, I knew that they were singing at the top of their lungs - whether it be in voice or in spirit. And it was truth. Is truth.

Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away.

One day we will be reunited. Not only with believers passed, but with our Savior. I pray that I understand this song and firmly live with its message in mind. It's not just an old hymn. As believers, it is our hope and joy.

I'll fly away, oh Glory
I'll fly away in the morning
When I die Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away.

Caramelly Delighted But No Longer Thin...Mint

I have declared war on the Girl Scouts of America. Just so you know.

Hey, how are you? Did you have a good weekend? Seriously, let me know!

And have you met my sister, JoAnna?

Friends, Joanna. Joanna, friends. Now you're acquainted.

She visited over the weekend. Joey was out of town so it was the perfect time for a girls' weekend full of fun. I love having my sister here. We're different as night and day, but there's still a similarity in our difference, if that makes sense. You know what's funny? I didn't tell Jo this, but I looked over at her during church and noticed we were doing the exact same pose with our hands. Weird.

I wish I would have documented everything through pictures, but alas.

There was this:

Margherita Pizza - my fav-or-rite

And way too much of this:

If you weren't just girls, we would come to blows. A bunch of Health Wreckers!

And we watched:

Our review? It was meh. I guess we like our Shakespeare a little more traditional.

The next day we did a TON of this:

We had this for dinner:

Don't they make THE best sweet potato fries? I actually feel sorry for the regular fries. I bet they don't get much lovin'. They're like the original sister who got passed over by the step-sister.

The next day we:

All washed down with:

And then I went to an afternoon's Body Pump class as a form of penance.

Those Girl Scouts have been wrecking my healthy eating resolve for years. We definitely have history. I did not eat a scout's worth of cookies this weekend, but rather the whole troop's. Jo did a much better job of resisting the temptation.

I think I worked off about 1 Caramel Delight and 2.5 Thin Mints. Delight, yes. Thin, no.

In other news, guess who made dinner and brought these home for me today?

Yeah, he's pretty great.

Our Night at the Oscars

Alright, I know you're just dying for me to weigh in on my fashion picks from the Oscars last night. It's just that I couldn't reveal my favorites until after I spoke with E.T. and People Magazine who were also dying to know my opinion.

Joey and I had a lovely evening of making dinner and watching the Oscars while playing Words with Friends against each other. We will probably being doing something similar at age 80. I don't know, maybe it will be Bingo on our iPhone 54G's.

These were hands down my favorites and there was a pretty big spread between those that I liked and those that weren't on my list.

Cameron Diaz

Gwyneth Paltrow

(Minus the cape. What is that about? A little too Star Trek for my taste. In fact, I'm talking myself out of like this longer I look at it.)

Emma Stone

Michelle Williams

And someone, please feel sorry for J. Lo. I mean, maybe the dress choice does open you up to such possibilities and yes, maybe it's a miracle that this hasn't happened before - but it's still on international TV. It's certainly mortifying to be stuck in a windy rainstorm with a white skirt with a few elderly women looking on in a parking lot, let alone unknowingly exposing yourself to all seven continents. That skirt hasn't made it off the hanger since.

One more thing, Octavia Spencer. Don't you just love-love her?

The Meanest Lady You Ever Met

I met her today. The lady in customer service who is so rude that she just makes you want to forsake whatever it is you came in for just so you don't have to interact with her. Like the Grinch, a heart that seems three sizes too small if you know what I mean.

When I walked in the door she was yelling at a customer over the phone in a voice ragged with decades of cigarette smoke. She wore Wranglers and hiking boots. It was obvious that she was annoyed with the customer and licked a fingertip as she thumbed through her scheduling book pointing out in sharp words why the request just wasn't possible. Her face was weathered with wrinkles.

There was one thing that seemed out of place. Her hair. It was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was the color of honey and hung about in soft waves at her shoulders. Not one gray hair. It was the hair of Loreal commercials.

As the yelling progressed, I began to wonder if what I came in for was really worth the abuse. About the time that I had located all the emergency exits in the room, she hung up the phone. Expecting her to turn to me, I steeled myself up to be all business. Instead, she didn't even look at me and went through swinging doors into the back room. Did she not see me?

I waited a minute or two, deciding whether or not I dare "ring the bell for customer service" when the swinging doors opened. "Yeah?" - not really even looking at me. I told her I had an order to pick up. She handed me a clipboard and gruffly told me to fill out the information. No small talk. She brought out my order with no words and shoved it at me with eyes on her papers the whole time.

We stood there as she ran my card in silence. "Sign here."

I don't know what I was thinking after the customer slaughter I saw moments ago, but I couldn't help myself. I let it slip. " You have the most beautiful hair!"

That was the first time she looked at me.

And she smiled. It was an unexpectedly beautiful smile. She said thank you and explained to me that she just returned from the beauty shop. She doesn't normally have her friend do much to her hair, but this time she wanted her to make it beautiful.

She starts chemo this week.

That changed my day. Probably my week. And I hope the way I view and react to people from now on. You never know what's behind the rude. Lord, thank you for the reminder!

And if you will, please say a prayer for the lady with the beautiful hair.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I've never really believe that statement. How about you?

Our internet has been pretty spotty and AT&T can't seem to figure out what's up.

The story goes like this: They send a guy out. We explain the situation and tell him that no one else has been able to fix it. Thirty minutes later he comes back in, puffs out his chest and says that he has fixed the unsolvable problem. The euphoria in the room is palpable. He leaves our house feeling on top of the world and is now looking into solutions for world peace, hunger and why they just don't build houses like they used to.

Meanwhile, our internet goes down the next day. And repeat.

We keep saying that's it - we've had it - but...we're still with AT&T. We really like U-verse. Oh wait, now our DVR is not working. I forgot about that. You shouldn't get AT&T. Joey and I suffer from some sort of disorder.

~

There's not a lot to update you on as Joey and I are still mentally in December.

I wish I could say that my reasons are because I believe that Jesus shouldn't be celebrated just once per year which is true, but alas. I also wish I could tell you that my Christmas tree stand isn't right outside my front door. Or that the garland isn't wadded up in the dining room.

We may be a little behind, but next year around December 1st you'll be wishing you were us.

~

Things have been a little crazy around here. Joey tore his pectoral muscle about a month ago. He was doing a chest press and the muscle and tendon snapped from the bone of the bicep and curled up in his chest. Yipes, right?

While in the hospital, the only thing he would allow me to take a picture of were his hospital booties:

He had surgery a little over two weeks ago. He is currently bonding with a sling, who I believe should be given a name. Although I would never wish this to have happened to him, I will say I kind of like helping him with stuff. Usually it's the other way around - him lifting things for me. While that's nice too, there's something sweet about this time. I think he's ready for this season to be over. He's now prohibited me from singing Lean on Me.

~

In other news, did you watch the season finale of Downton Abbey? What did you think? My immersion in Downton Abbey has gotten so bad that I heard a friend of mine was sick and immediately my mind went to the friend that I had lost just last week from the Spanish Flu. This is similar to a problem I had while reading the Hunger Games. I kept thinking everything was caused from an uprising in one of the other districts. Sheesh. When I go there - I go there.

At the end of the finale they showed several interviews with the cast members. Here's what I have decided, we all should go back to wearing our hair and dressing like they did in the 1920's. The actresses were much more beautiful wearing the fashions then, than those now. I was not prepared to think this, but there it is. Granted, they have stylists, makeup artists, etc.

~

I am also excited to have started a Bible study with some of the ladies at my church. We're studying the fruit of the Spirit. The women that are in this group are fantastic and I have enjoyed getting to know each one of them. One of the reasons I love our church is that it's small enough that we're able to mix with people from all walks of life. I'm super excited to see what God has in store for us over the semester.

My sweet husband just got home from a movie, so I'm going to let you go. You know I love him, right? This is exactly why I'm only going to sing Lean On Me internally only.

The Flash

My husband is not as he says, "a flashy kind of shoes guy".

And yet...

There are his pair of frog shoes, as I call them:

His lime green could be used to signal in airplane on the runway shoes:

And his most recent pair, the Minimus in highlighter yellow and black:

Should we tell him?

Just keep saying it, I'm not a flashy shoes guy, I'm not a flashy shoes guy, I'm not a flashy shoes guy...

Of Germs & Thieves & Pinky Toes

Last night was the first night since last Friday that I have gotten a good night's sleep. This is about the time that I managed to get the first sinus infection that I've had a LONG time. I don't know if it was all the holiday travel or the fact that everyone at my office has been sick over the past month, but my normally strong immune system must have fallen pray to a germ sneak attack.

Anyway, all this to say, it's a good thing I was able to rest up because I was woken up super early to Joey telling me that someone had broken into La Fonda the Honda. In our driveway. In Cinco Ranch.

They stole his laptop. Which normally he doesn't leave in his car except that his routine was thrown off yesterday and instead of carrying his briefcase inside with him he brought in his gym bag in first because he went straight from work to the gym which also isn't normally the case. It's a a story of which's and because's and all adds up to something similar to the germ sneak attack.

So today kind of started out tough.

It did get better though! Because it is supposed to super cold tonight, I decided making a soup for dinner was a must. Anything better than chicken and rice soup on a cold night?

An aside: Today I was wearing my Never-Wear-to-the-Grocery-Store heels. Where did I find myself? The grocery store. Soup, remember? Painful trip. Good thing the shopping cart also double as a walker. They should make throw away flip flops similar to those at the salon for such occasions. Check your heels at the door.

Along with suggestions, pimentos should be next to the olives. They're actually IN olives. Peas are next to carrots. It's only logical that pimentos and olives be neighbors on the grocery aisle.That's all I have to say. I may have lost two pinky toes in my condition due to a quest for said pimentos.

In other news, I found out that Joey doesn't like "red things" in soup. He's had a hard day so I made soup sans red things and didn't mention the those pinky who made sacrifices for the other 'tos.

They say you don't need pinky toes anyway.