Bugs, Flat Tires...Action!!

If my move to Colorado was fodder for a Lifetime Movie that's what the director would've said before we started the trek across the nation.....At times it felt like an installment of the "Chevy Chase - Family Vacation" Series of Movies. But God is good and the rental truck blew a tire near Buc-ees. That'll be the last time I drive by and wonder what's inside. While waiting for the tire repair guy to come.....who did his job in 100* heat....we got on intimate terms with the Beaver, some residents of Madisonville and our sweat glands. This leg of the journey went from "no-way" to "way no-way" when folks drove and walked up asking if we were selling our pets who were panting in the shade of the truck.... I didn't get an opportunity to shop at Lone Star Pottery...which is good because anything else added to my wordly goods would've had to make the journey in someone's lap. The guys in Texas who packed the truck accomplished a feat worthy of some sort of Nobel prize in spacial anomolies....and to their credit I've only discovered one broken item unpacking. I haven't made it through every piece of the cardboard jungle yet....so who knows what's lurking around the next slit of packing tape, but I'm hopeful based on what I've seen so far.
My husband's job is time-critical....so we stopped a time or two for the male version of 30 minutes and he made sure the water was in or out of the wells of some homes...my brains were boiled by this point and I'm suprised I remember that much of what went on. One thing I won't ever forget is the gazillions of bugs we encountered getting gas outside of Amarillo. Perhaps there was some sort of buggy Woodstock event or the first bug ever was elected govenor of Amarillo and all the bugs in the nation were enroute for the inauguration...whatever...it was an eyes-wide-open nightmare. Hubby reported in over the walkie talkes...excuse me....Trucker Man reported to Smokin' Hot Momma they sounded like rain hitting the windshield. I found them in my hair later on and woke up at night with two of them still on me. One was an earwig, so forget getting any kind of restful sleep the rest of the night....my ears itch just thinking about it.
Progress....I made this driving trip enough to know the "Welcome to Colorado" sign is just around the next curve or two and bump.bump.bump.bump.....yep, one of my tires bit the dust. The true beauty of the moment was when we unloaded my trunk and found a shredded spare tire...why the guys at the NTB on 2920 didn't tell me they put a piece of junk back in the hollow of my trunk I'll never know...God bless fix-a-flat. We managed to hobble to the Walmart in Trinidad and get a new one.....and enjoy another male 30minute work session....you ladies know what I'm talking about, don't you?? I love him dearly and have not met a gentler man....however....he has that male clock inside of him that goes forward two minutes for every one anticipated. I've listened to enough of my friends to know that he's not unique....at least in that aspect of his character.
Wish I could say I made it to my final destination that day, but I started losing it around Colorado Springs...it was either take a breathalizer test or pull over for the night. He went on home and today I see that as a victory for the family. I must've looked pretty beat up because the kiddo left her throne in the rental truck and oozed into the back seat of the car to stay with me that night. God bless her sacrifice...I know between the guinea pig cage that started stinking a couple hours earlier and all the crap...oops...treasure back there she was most likely miserable, but didn't complain a bit....is a miracle if you know either of us. After a release of anger-induced adrenaline I drove some place nearby that's familiar to me and spent the night. God's gift to me was a 62* morning...chill bumps and all and my sweetheart waiting for me at home.
All-in-all it could've been much worse...all the mammals and oviporous(my daughter assures me this is what egg-laying critters are called....see her kindergarten teacher if she's wrong) creatures made it to homebase without physical injury and what problems we did face were fixable. Dunno about the earwig situation yet...but I haven't felt anything tickling my eardrums or brains yet. We're a week into unloading boxes now....and weaving our loot and hearts together with the help of the Master Weaver who brought us together in the first place. It's all good....life is good....but if he walks in here anytime soon and says were moving I might lose it altogether....I've had my fill of cardboard, bugs and flat tires for quite some time.

Just Say No to Cardboard...

Happen to be the most unmarried, married woman on the planet...or at least that's how it feels tonight. Hopped on a plane less than 12 hours after signing on the dotted line "Mrs. Frechin" for the first time and came back home to face piles of cardboard, a child who does/doesn't want to move based on some intangible something not yet identified, and a husband who's busy making a place for us and not as readily available to talk as he was before we got married. I've willingly walked away from a job....call me crazy for doing this during a recession and send me to the shrink's chair if you feel like it. We aren't leaving "family" behind. Those folks live many miles away or are too busy to stop and enjoy the blessings of family...I grieve the things they've traded for a fast-paced life...but that's their business, not mine. However, I am leaving the "family" that's sprung up around us and this hurts even more since friendship is a gift freely given. My girlfriends are awesome women...they call and watch my kiddo...extend invitations to slumber parties with her friends and in general lift me up and point my face to the sun...fishing my sunglasses out of the Gulf of Mexico with their toes if necessary. Laid in bed for awhile tonight feeling such a sense of loss where family is concerned and realized I've had it all along.
As far as the cardboard city we've got going on in our home....it won't last forever and I've had a chance to weed out a lot of unsavory items which velcroed their way into our treasure a long ago. One thing that's tucked in and around the remaining crystal vases and stuffed animals is the support of the women I call friends...it's a priceless gift I've been given and I'm grateful for it.

Old Friends....New Memories

I've had some of the sweetest friends growing up....still growing in case you're wondering. It's a life-long project for me. Besides, who wants to lose the right to kick an icecube under the fridge or paint their toes bubblegum pink with "diamonds" and butterflies on the big ones. Lost contact with two who are very close to my heart for about 20years and 'poof' they're back. Joy! Listening to them talk is like wallowing in a sense of comfort and well-being. Catching up on so much time was quick...a photo album here, a hug and a tear over there...the only think marking time was a kiddo and one hubby (well, two, but you're not here sweetheart). The memories it stirred in me are so special.....the old women at the Ricky Van Shelton concerts with their lighters....trying to find an unlocked bathroom in Selma - well, trying to find an unlocked anything in Selma, AL...car shows...and hours and hours of talking...moving...listening...laughing. I'm grateful for the friends in my life....all of them. Each and every one rubbed shoulders with me and left a bit of their sparkle behind. Am reminded I get self-absorbed at times and am not the kind of friend I should be, BUT a good girlfriend will shrug her shoulders and blame it on boy problems or PMS...cuz that's just what we do.

Just Passing Through....

A friend of mine posted recently "this too shall pass".....yep, sure enough...wait long enough and most things go away. Praise God we're not stuck at point A for our entire lives....as for me, I'm kinda curious what's at points X, Y, Z...but not anxious to get there at lightning speed. What I have found is some things pass easily - and if you haven't changed a dirty diaper you might be too squeamish for this blog - like jello and some things not-so-easy like barbed wire.
The first time I heard this was in a support group. I made the comment "this too will pass" flippantly and an old-timer stepped up and replied with the barbed wire comment. Gosh, that's been almost 8 years ago and it's stuck with me (no pun intended THAT time :) ).
That's stuck in my brain today. What am I swallowing?? What will it feel like going down?? Is it really worth it in the end?? Then again, I'm reminded of Ishmael's mom....what a spot to be in. Asked a minister friend of mine once if she had a choice.....after telling me I ask hard questions....he thought about it and said no. She was a slave/handmaiden and had no rights. So her plate was full of garbage and her only choices were swallow it or death. God took pity on her and blessed her son as the leader of a mighty nation (not going into politics here....just concentrating on the woman and her plate of crud). Instead of seeing her as "the other woman" I see her as a woman dished up an ugly meal and am glad I didn't see her name on my plate.
I look at my life and am blessed....yes....I've swallowed plates full of stuff that should only be served with bananas and a piece of barbed wire or two....but the process has left me leaner spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

God....if you can...I'd really enjoy some grilled chicken salad for awhile.

End of a Long, but Good Day....

Wow...other than some seriously insane moments of sheer torture in the store room this afternoon, today has been an incredibly awesome day. Gratitude.....grab onto it and all of a sudden the sky opens up and all sorts of incredible things happen. I think maybe when I'm ungrateful....depressed or otherwise obsessed with "me" my hands are clenched in tight balls, leaving God no way to drop gifts into the palms of my hands....or worse they're on my hips and my mouth is open....ouch. But when I say I choose to be grateful all sorts of gifties get handed out....fill my hands Lord.....fill them so much I can't help but share the things that run over with others. Have you ever thought about what all is implied in the statement "my cup runneth (okay...get past the old-fashioned verbage) over" ?? The liquid runs over the rim of the cup and fall on the floor...creating a splatter and those droplets sprinkle those around you....or if someone else gets close enough you might be able to tip your cup a bit and let the overflow fill theirs too. Think sometimes God leaves the tap on a bit longer when we do that. But back to my day.....I continue to snip loose strands of my old life away....one by one...snip....snip. Today I went to get a safety deposit box drilled....NO....not my box, but someone who stuck me with the bill of theirs. The woman who helped me at the bank was a distant, ex-relative (I usually call them outlaws) and was super nice to me. I think I might've shared news the family hasn't heard yet....then again, if they'd paid the bill on the box I wouldn't have been there. Waited for 45 minutes and then presto it was done....I now have a handful of papers that mean nothing to me. What's the giftie in that....because the woman "knew" me and the situation....and because it took so long to get it done I wasn't required to pay the $150 fee. Woohoo! Then I went to pay my rent and since I'm going month-to-month now I thought I had to pay an extra $200 month. Turned in my check and got a call....Nope...not so...I pay my regular rent amount until I move.....not even questioning that one....just reveling in the gift. I was given $350 today for TCB, showing up and following the rules?? Don't think so.
This evening the doodlebug and I spent time outside with our neighbors....it's what I remember life being like when I was young. The kids played with critters....the adults sat around and talked....blessings....especially when they stared at me in disbelief when I verbalized my age....it's 40 in case you're wondering. Gratitude for the lack of wrinkles on my face....well...perhaps calling some of them dimples is a HUGE stretch. And to top it off this evening I touched base with the sister of my best friend I had from 2nd to 8th grades...hope to make contact with Stacy soon. My hands are open and God continues to pass down the most wonderful things.....need to feel blessed?? Come stand near me and let the overflow from my cup fill yours.....come on, I don't have the flu and smell pretty good for this time of night....come on and be blessed too.

How Much is Too Much....

Wasn't sure when it was the "right" time to write again, but seeing I'm ready for my Sunday afternoon nap, the sleepy part fits....besides I have something to share.
I passed an old flame on the way home this afternoon...actually we were tailed by "The Snake" for awhile...he turned into a parking lot shortly before we turned off onto our street. Creepy, icky....feel like I need to take a shower....but this month I'm focusing on gratitude.
So here's what I've come up to be grateful for....the bean-counter in me is forcing me to number them...truly, I've tried to type this without the numbers and thought I was going to have hives.... 1) we didn't get married **BIGGIE** 2) I don't have to deal with his psycho (yes....she is....just ask him and he'll tell you...plus I've witnessed it first hand) ex-wife for the next 12 years+ 3) I will most likely never have to do 3 kids' sporting events in one day again (not good for the posterior) 4) I won't have to worry about someone over-discipling my child - don't ask about this one....just shake your head "yes" 5) God is able to bless me with someone gentle and kind (and you're downright "hot" too sweetheart) 6) I'm not tied to the Houston area forever and 7)although he tried his best and was able to lie and shake my world for awhile (why people believed him, I'll never understand) he wasn't able to destroy my hopes and dreams. There are other things too personal to share in print....but this proves to me - even a moment of sheer ickyness can be brought around for good if you turn it and look at it from a different angle.
And as a head's up to my single lady friends.....don't settle....don't ever settle....grab hold of God and make the man of your dreams find you hidden in His hands. If the fellow is determined and got the kahunas to go looking for you there he MIGHT just be worthy of you.

Breaking New Ground

Am often awake during the wee hours of the morning and thought I'd start blogging....yep....I'm a newbie, novice, baby, put-your-toe-in-the-water-for-the-first-timer....and I'm sure it'll show. Just sit back and enjoy or moan...I can't hear you anyway. :)

The car started screeching at me on the way to work yesterday....or more precisely the brakes started making that decalcifying-your-spine sound when they need serious attention. Being a single mom has it's drawbacks and one of them is there's only one car in the household....so planning a car repair can feel like (might even look like on the outside) planning an invasion of a small nation OR a child's birthday party. However, God is good all the time and knew I didn't need to make strategic millitary decisions while PMS'y and I'll be planning a b-day party towards the end of the month. He blessed me with a Midas at the end of the street. Have you ever stopped to think what all goes into lining up blessings? God is the ultimate jigsaw puzzle worker, weaver, creator...I'm grateful for the Midas that was at the end of my street before I ever knew I needed it. Was able to take the car at 7am and walk home afterwards. We saw all sorts of things you'd ordinarily whiz by.....woodpeckers diving into bushes ( goofballs of the bird world...I've seen them drink from hummingbird feeders and bang on the side of houses), all sorts of gorgeous flowers, an old barn and shed I've driven past hundreds of times and didn't know were there, blooming cactus, a turtle poking its nose out of water, and the kindness of neighbors we don't know waiting at the intersection so we could cross the street. We've walked around town before and always get looks.....at first I was worried walking is outlawed in Tomball or perhaps we (and this is a HUGE stretch) looked like we might be drumming up business...but not so...it pays to slow down and take things in....how can we be grateful for all that God's given us if we don't even know it's there? Plus, I cross the median or do braille-driving when I turn my head to talk to the doodlebug in the car. Walk places with your kiddos if you're able to....there's joy there for the taking.

For those of you who might be concerned about the car, "Kitten" as the girlie named it, is fine...she got new brakes where needed and a pedicure on the others. Been a faithful car and I've been grateful for it too.....did see an 87 Firebird in the parking lot of the repair shop. Pointed to it and announced I used to drive a car like that one. The look from the girlie's face was priceless..."wow...you were cool once" is how I'd intepret it....and for a brief moment I felt that way too....or was it from the time spent on our sight-seeing adventure. Might never know....but I don't care...my life is good and I'm grateful.