I'm alive. That's all I'm posting tonight since I have had a more than annoying but less than migraine-strength headache since I awoke this morning. Really, since my last post it's been a little rough around here. I have survived a kid with stomach flu, Harry Potter Math & Science Night at Wreckity Girl's school, a week-long fruit and vegetable cleanse that has helped me realize that my stomach issues are most likely due to gluten sensitivities, and my 12 year anniversary, sans the Man. *sniff*

That last part was a little rough. It's never fun to spend your anniversary alone. The kids were spending the night at the MIL's, I had a mad craving for some Thai, but alas, no date. Thank GOD for my girl Meri who despite me giving her zero notice, and also despite the fact that she had been housebound and ill all week, managed to whip up a hawt smoky eye and show up ready for adventure. And, I have to say, not every husband is as generous in sharing his wife on a Friday night, especially when it means he is flying solo with 5, yes F-I-V-E children. So to Meri's DH, you are awesome, and I hope you liked your leftover green curry. Really, if you are craving some fresh and delicious Asian cuisine, Thai Old Town, has some amazing panang and even more amazing green curry. Go, eat, tell them I sent you. Okay, don't really tell them I sent you, because they have no idea who I am, but don't miss out on some good Thai!

Dear Mr. Vernon....

*Obi Wan Catnobi at his usual post overlooking the front porch where he watches in amusement as I shriek at the raccoons and opossums eating his food

And this is about how I'm feeling today--only without the opportunity to lay in the sun on the couch napping the day away. How is my husband who returned overseas just days ago, functioning quite normally despite the time change, yet I feel like I cannot stop yawning? Hhhm, perhaps because the Man does not have to motivate 3 kids with often conflicting personalities to go back to school after vacationing for almost 3 weeks. They were not only out for a 2 week Winter Break but also for 2 snow days and an extra day that I let them skip in order to take their dad back to the airport. And did I mention that missed Monday this week warranted a call from the TRUANCY OFFICER?! Really? Was that necessary?

How do so many high school kids around here spend their days smoking down by the river during 4th period, but my Honor Roll elementary aged kids have the T.O. called if they are not in homeroom? And God forbid I ever forget a Dr.'s note. I have had to actually have the pediatrician fax paperwork to the school just to prove that their absence was not unexcused.

I guess that I ought to be thankful that the the school system is observant and cares about the well-being of the students. And I guess I should also be thankful that they have pretty understanding teachers when it comes to these unexcused absences. But to be honest, it kinda bums me out that I can't steal my kids away for a surprise trip to the zoo on a sunny spring day, or give my ADHD 3rd grader a mental health break after SOLs without having them end up in Saturday school.

Please tell me this was the first thing that came to mind!!

How Ya Like Them Sandwiches?

*this pic was taken at nearly 4am the day after Christmas after the man had traveled by train, plane, and finally automobile to get home to the States

Sandwiches and I do not get along. I'm thinking it's the bread. Or maybe it's the yeast in the bread? What I know for certain is that within minutes of downing a sandwich, my stomach is bloated and in mucho pain for the next few hours. Ugh. So yep, me and sandwiches are no match made in Heaven.

When I used to work for 'UnNamed Banking Institution', we were taught about the other kind of sandwich that I dislike. The "good news/bad news sandwich" which is just a fancy way of delivering crappy news to your associates. The theory is that by sandwiching negative information between 2 positives, the harsh blow of reality will be lessened, therefore, assisting the associate in receiving the news and keeping them open to additional feedback. I have to tell you, I was a master sandwich artist, my friends. Give me any news, any feedback, and I could find a way to make it seem like a positive and have all parties still speaking to one another at the end of the meeting.

Only problem is, I can smell a GNBN sandwich from a mile away. It usually starts with a long and drawn-out, "Weeellllllll, the reason I'm calling is" or "Weeellllll, the reason I asked to meet with you today is", you get the picture.

My stomach starts to churn, I get that pit of dread that drops to the bottom of my gut and I inwardly brace myself for the news. Usually, I'm so busy trying to skip ahead to what the bad news is that I don't even hear the opening good news bookend of the conversation. Yeah, pretty much the first 2 mins. just sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, all "wonk-wonk-wonkwonk-wonk". Get to the point already!!

But as silly as my managing training seemed at the time, I was happy to have those skills under my belt during the last 2 weeks, otherwise known as the Christmas Debacle of 2010. It seemed like I had permanent kitchen duty as I had to deliver one GNBN sandwich after another to the kids.

"Wow, isn't it great that you're out of school for Winter Break! We can use that time to make lots of Christmas cookies for Daddy since his flight was just delayed by 3 more days. No don't cry! It will be really great, and we can drive around and look at Christmas lights every night, because you remember how much Daddy hates to ride in the car. No seriously, please stop crying, so that you can hear about all the fun we are going to have making Daddy's WELCOME HOME sign, although, we won't actually hang it up until Saturday now, because he still can't get a flight out of Germany. Alright, it's okay if you cry for a little while."

You get the picture. Try as I did to keep things positive, come Christmas day with still no Daddy to be seen, I was running out of the good news parts of the sandwich. It seemed as though every time the caller ID showed my husband's number or every time I saw the airline's name in my inbox, I got a little queasy. It was never good news and I braced myself for the negativity of the situation. Delayed flights, missed connecting flights, cancelled flights, lost baggage despite there never actually being a flight. Would it ever end?

Eventually it did, although it meant hours sitting in airports, an unexpected hotel room in DC on Christmas night, and my husband finally renting a car with strangers so that he could make the drive from home from Philly before the snow came. And for that, I am so very thankful. After the fact though, I am also a little ashamed of how I reacted during the whole ordeal. I feared, I panicked, I cried, I doubted. Not exactly how the Psalmist describes the Believer in Psalm 112:7.

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

*Gulp*, perhaps not exactly how I would have described myself. Sure, I felt peace, sure, I was vocalizing the 'old standby', "all things work together for good...." but in my heart I was quaking and nowhere near steadfast. When you examine the word steadfast in old Mr. Webster, you'll find that it means fixed in intensity, unwavering. It doesn't mean to be scrambling around in a panic, or to cry ones eyeballs out locked in a hotel bathroom. Well woops, I think I just must have been reading another version of this verse all along then. One day, I pray I'll be able to face my bad news in the way described in Psalms. Take it head-on, carb-free, and without fear because I'm trusting in the LORD.

Consider it what?

So it's been quite a while since I've done a 'proper blog'. You know, a consistent witty column full of pictures and quirky stories and anecdotes. Sure, Facebook has sufficed for sharing the basic every day comings and goings, but you can only fill so many lines in a status message before a) it cuts you off or b) you bore everyone around you with your drama and deep wise revelations.

SOoo, after a long and stressful 2010, I'm welcoming in this New Year with a new perspective and a fancy schmancy new blog. Okay, maybe not so fancy, because I'm using all my mental compacities at the moment learning to use my new DROID. Why is it so difficult to just make a stinking phone call?! Anywho, the title comes from one of my very favorite Bible verses that speaks volumes to me because of its beautiful imagery.

"You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by."~Job 11:16

Aah, water. I love the beach, LOVE the beach, people!! Despite the fact that I haven't surfed since before I gave birth to Firstborn Pensive Child, and the actual thought of laying bottom up on board or sand in a bathingsuit in for all the world to see terrifies the life out of me, I really do have a deep love affair with the open sea. However, as beautiful and tranquil as the ocean can be for vacationers like me, it can also wreak absolute havoc upon others when natural disasters occur.

The last few years seem as if our family has been hit with one figurative tsunami after another--health issues, job loss, financial struggles, I could go on and on. At times I felt our faith was just being pounded into the ground as we struggled to keep our heads above water. Many tearful and sleepless nights were spent crying out to God for wisdom and guidance. It seemed as if the water would never stop coming. But somewhere along the way, the waters resided. And at the moment, we are experiencing a time of peace and security. A moment to just exhale and find the perspective that we couldn't quite grasp during the storm.

Looking back, I believe that one of the clearest of the biggest lessons He challenged me with is found in a verse from James. "Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds". Yikes. I can think of a lot of things in my life that bring me pure joy: a warm sunny day, my kids playing for an entire afternoon without injuring one another, you get the picture. Trials, however, are really nowhere on that list. So how in the world was I supposed to feel JOY while enduring such painful periods in my walk as a Believer?

The answer is found Philippians 4:13. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Really? It's that easy? But don't I need a stack of self-help books, and a group of besties to vent to over coffee, and Skype, so that I can still talk to my husband while he's on the other side of the world? Sure, those things help keep the sanity in tact. And they often provide wonderfully cushie band-aids to the wounds of your heart. But to really survive the floods of this world, you're going to need more than caffeine and gossip. Only Christ can offer the kind of strength we need during times of trials.

And here's the really cool part. The second part half of Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, "Do not grieve. For the JOY of the Lord is your strength." So let's interchange 'strength' for the word 'JOY' in James 1:2. "Consider it pure strength, whenever you face trials of many kinds." How awesome is that?! And what a way to puts trials into perspective. As a Christian, I can actually find a purpose to my trials, and that is to strengthen my Spiritual walk. To grow stronger in my faith in Christ Jesus.

Wow, what a challenge. I wish I could say that after experiencing so many trials, I find it easy to just get to the joy. Not so. I can say that my complaining has decreased, as is the time that I try to figure it all out myself before calling upon God. But each struggle is just that-- a struggle, and like every Believer I have to work to get to the joy. So, every day this New Year, through every 2:00am nebulizer treatment, every missed connecting flight, every paycheck bonus that doesn't come through, I am going to try my best to consider it joy and feel honored that my God cares enough about me to want to see our relationship grow. I hope you'll take on the same challenge. Welcome to 2011!