Top 5

My friend, Sierra did a blog post about her top 5 memories with her husband.  I thought that was such a fun idea, so I'm copy-catting!  Like Sierra, I will stay away from the obvious; first date, engagement, wedding day, births of our children, etc.

p.s.  I really wish I had pictures for some of these memories, but alas...these were from a time before digital cameras, and to be quite honest, I don't feel like digging through the tubs in my garage to find pictues, scan, and post.  I know.  I'm lazy.  It's summer...what more can I say?  :)

Here are my Top 5, in no particular order:

1.
My 21st birthday.  Even though I grew up in Michigan my whole-entire life, I had never been to Chicago, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.  So, for my 21st birthday, Darrin took me to Chi-town for the day.  We went to the Shedd Aquarium and shopped on Michigan Ave.  It was a fun and special day!

2.
Road Trips in college.  Darrin and I met while in college in Missouri, but we were both from Michigan.  That was convenient for going home during the holidays.  We would load up his 1989 Crown Victoria with other college friends from Michigan and drive home.  We would sing, play games, and give Darrin headaches with our Bath and Body Works lotion smells.  Other times, we would take road trips to Tennessee.  We had friends who lived there and Darrin had been stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, so we went there often for long weekends.
***One of our favorite road trip games:  At night time, we would buy a couple rolls of SweetTarts.  We would each pop one in our mouth and try to guess the color.  Then we would turn on the light to see if we were right.  Silly fun = the best kind of fun!

3.
Sitting in our dorm lobby and making fun of all the couples.  I know this sounds like an oxy-moron, being that we were a couple, but I'll explain.  In Bible college, it's a well-known fact that most/a majority of people are there to find a husband/wife.  As soon as they meet, they're "in love".  Darrin and I would sit in the lobby and watch couples that had literally known each other for 2 days, caressing each other's faces and saying, "I love you."  How exactly does that work?  "What color is your toothbrush?"  "Red."  "Mine too!  It was meant to be!  I love you!" 

I know it's un-romantic of us, but we laughed at couples like that...a lot. 

4.
Youth Trips.  When Darrin and I first moved to NM, he was a youth pastor and we didn't have kids yet.  We spent our summers going to Camp, Whitewater Rafting Trips, Six Flags Trips, and annual Missions Trips to Mexico (actually, the trips to Mexico were every February).  It was a fun time of building relationships and having fun doing ministry together.

5.
Finding out about each pregnancy.  I know I said I would stay away from the births of our children, but this isn't about their births.  It's about finding out about each pregnancy.  Darrin and I struggled with infertility.  We had all the tests done and in the end, we were told that our chances of having our own children were "slim to none".  So, naturally, each time we found out I was pregnant, was a huge miracle and something we'll always remember.  Every time was an amazing surprise!

What are your Top 5 memories???  Link-up and share!

Fast Forward --->

This weekend we attended a wedding in Nevada.  My husband performed the wedding ceremony and The Girl was the Flower Girl.  She LOVES to dress up, get her hair done, and wear *a little bit of* make-up.  The wedding was at 6:00, but we needed to be ready well before that for pictures with the photographer, which meant = NO NAP.  That's a quick fix:

Don't judge me.  :)

Watching my little Girl all dresssed up as a miniature bride, put my mom-brain on a 20 year fast forward.  I'll admit it, I was a little emotional...what will her husband be like?  Where will her wedding be?  Will she be nervous?  My thoughts raced, so to distract myself from getting too emotional, I snapped pictures like crazy!

 This is one of my absolute FAVORITE pictures of The Girl:

Watching Daddy perform the ceremony:

Could she be any cuter???

Not that I'm partial or anything...  :)

She was being a bit of a goof ball.

Here's The Girl and, who she kept calling, "Her Prince".  AKA:  The Ringbearer.

"I need to tell you a secret!"

I think I'm in trouble in 20 years.  But in the words of Scarlett, "I won't think about that today.  I'll go crazy if I do.  I'll think about that tomorrow."

Murder & Arson

Proverbs 18:21 - "The tongue can bring death or life."

I recently re-read this verse.  It's one I've read often enough, but this time it hit me a little differently.

My words can kill. 

And if that's true, and I'm speaking gossip, slander, etc., then I'm speaking death.

"Oh My Gosh (stab)!  Did you hear about so-and-so (stab)?  She's been sleepin' around with so-and-so (stab)!  Can you believe it (stab)?!?!  What kind of self-respecting person would do that (stab)?  I would NEVER do anything like that (stab)!  She better get herself some self-respect (stab)!"

If I believe the Bible (and I do), and if I'm speaking this way about ANYONE, I am a murderer.

This led me to re-read James 3:10- "How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."

Living in NM, we are all too aware of how dangerous small sparks can be. Very recently, we have been infested with foul-smelling smoke from our precious, and might I add too-few, trees burning down in the Bosque and surrounding areas.  These fires are often started by a small spark-- someone carelessly lighting fireworks, a stray cigarette butt thrown out a window, or leftover and forgotten ashes from a campfire. 

This verse in James is comparing negative words to a small spark.  It brings to mind, gossip...how one small, deragatory remark is so easily carried and distorted to new and interested listeners.  And then there are more listeners (the spark becomes a small flame), and more listeners (the flame grows and spreads), and more listeners (fire!)...until the story is burning wildly out of control and causing grave destruction.

So if I'm spreading gossip, I'm sparking a flame, which creates an unlawful fire.  I am an arsonist.

Words = death and uncontrolled fire.    OR    Words = life and continued growth.

Just my perspective.

Lord, help my tongue to bring life; never death.

I Have A Heart Condition...And So Do You...

Do you ever daydream about what you "should have said" to the rude person in the grocery store who cut you off with their shopping cart when you clearly had the right-of-way?  Or the man who acted like you knew NOTHING about cars (nevermind that it might, could, most likely is true...) when you went to get the oil changed? 

How do you respond?  Do you verbally vomit all over them (click HERE for more on that) or can you walk away uneffected? 

Lately, this is something that I've been working on in my own life.  At first, I thought to myself, "I really need to be careful of the things I say."  And while that's all well and good, the more I thought, prayed, and honestly reflected within myself, I came to the realization that it's a LOT more than that.  It's not just "watching what I say."  It's being aware of my heart condition. 

Yes, I have a heart condition.  It's not an arrhythmia or coronary heart disease.  It's a heart that constantly needs to be cleaned.  (Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.")

Matthew 12:34 says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." 

If my heart's condition is full of negativity, judgement, gossip, slander, and the like, then guess what's going to come out of my mouth?  Negativity, Judgement, Gossip, Slander, and the like. 

So instead of "watching what I say", I'm doing my best to keep my heart clean.  How?  By prayer, reading my Bible, and surrounding myself with positive influences in my life.  And if I find myself saying things I know I shouldn't, it's a sure sign that my heart is in need of some cleaning.

How's your heart condition?

A Typical Saturday...???

What a super fun Saturday!  Our church's youth group, All City Youth, hosted a 10,000 water balloon fight.

10,000.

Here is a picture of about 1/2 of the balloons:

***Chick-Fil-A was also there giving out free sandwiches, sweet tea, games, and prizes!

10,000 water balloon fight = Not Your Typical Saturday.

The Girl had fun, even though she got wet:

Boy 1 and Boy 2 had a blast and were thouroughly soaked:

***And of course, I forgot to bring towels...good thing we always keep blankets in the stow-and-go!

Here's The Girl holding what she called her "beautiful pink balloon":

***And notice her "flower necklace"?  How many of you used to tie them together to make necklaces?  Fun childhood memories!  :)

Boy 1 getting "slightly" wet...

Boy 2 taunting people to "try and get me!":

We spent our Saturday at a 10,000 water balloon fight...how did you spend yours?

A Tag Snob.

Hello.  My name is Erin, and I am a Tag Snob.  (Hello, Erin.)

Yep, that's me.  Not always, but often. 

A Tag Snob. You know, the person who "looks at the label". 

Why do I do this...part of it is because the better brands are also, in my experience, better quality.  This isn't a hard, fast rule, but I've found it to be true quite often.

I also think it's because it's a challenge for me...what is the best I can get at the best price?  And since I love to shop, why not get a great deal???

I LOVE to bargain shop!  Ask anyone who really knows me--I know how to shop for sales and good deals.  I'm not afraid to go to second-hand stores, buy used clothing, check on craigslist, or go garage-saleing to find good, quality items at cheaper prices.  I will scour the internet for coupons, coupon codes, and other discounts, then wait until I can combine those with the latest "free shipping" offer. 

I absolutely LOVE stores like Marshall's, Ross, and TJ Maxx (and yes, I'm a fashionista...haha).  Here's a real-life example, I could go to Payless and get my 3 year old daughter a synthetic, glued together pair of shoes for $14.99, or I could shop the off-season sales at Marshall's and get her quality leather, stitched shoes by Stuart Weitzman and Michael Kors (see pictures below) for $7.00 and $10.00 a piece.  (And just for the record, my daughter DOES have shoes from Payless that she wears quite often and loves.  My point is, if you can find better quality at better prices, why wouldn't you go that way?)

I also do a LOT of off-season/on-line shopping.  My 8 1/2 year old son had all of his summer clothes last winter.  Go to Wal-Mart sometime and look at the $7.00 t-shirts.  There's nothing wrong with them, that's just how much they cost.  But when I shop the abercrombie kids or aeropostale kids websites in the winter, I can get his t-shirts for $5.99 (and sometimes less), and they're that nice, super-soft cotton. 

***Note: since working on this draft, I found t-shirts on the aeropostale kids website for $3.99...already stocking up for next summer!  Oh, and if you sign up to be on their e-mail list, you get a free shipping code...SCORE!

Another great way to buy better quality items at a cheaper price:  Ebay.  I LOVE Gymboree's line of girl clothes.  I don't have $59.00 for 1 dress.  I often find my daughter absolutely adorable lots of Gymboree clothing on-line for a mere fraction of the cost.  Used?  Yes.  Still in great condition?  Yes.  It's a win/win, if you ask me. 

Now, don't get me wrong...my kids have clothes from Target and Wal-Mart, and that doesn't bother me.  It's not that I'm really so snobby that it (insert snobby accent) "would simply be unbearable for them to be seen in public in 'those' clothes!"  It's that I want the best I can get for what I have. 

One of my other money savers:  second-hand kids clothing stores.  After each season, I pack up and label out-grown clothes.  (i.e. Girls summer clothes-Size 3T or Boys winter clothes-Size 5T).  At the beginning of each season, I take my bags into the second-hand store to trade in.  Most will allow you to either choose in-store credit or cash.  (You'll get "more" with in-store credit.)  I work it out so that when I trade in last year's summer clothes, I'm able to get most of this year's summer clothes all with trade-in credit...not a penny spent!  And here's a secret...they usually don't take everything you try to trade-in.  Ask for it back and take it back a few weeks later.  EVERY time I've done this, they'll take several of the pieces they wouldn't take the first time, earning me more in-store credit.

Ok--before you pass judgement (as I'm sure some will), if you really look at what I'm doing, it isn't really being a tag snob, it's getting the most/best quality I can for the money I have available to me. 

Judge if you want to...I'll keep getting great deals! 

P.S.  If you didn't notice in the picture, the name of the style of the Stuart Weitzman shoes is "Lil Kinley"...and they were $7.00...how could I not buy them???  :)

Throw-Up

It's nasty.  No one likes to do it.  It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Our words can be like throw-up. 

If you let all of your bad thoughts, feelings, and ideas build up inside of you, they WILL eventually come out. You may find yourself suddenly spewing out all of those negative thoughts, feelings, and ideas that you've been holding in-- it may be directed at  your spouse, your kids, your co-workers, or your friends.  When it's all over, you'll probably feel better, but that person you love is standing there in your verbal throw-up.  Not a pretty picture.

I think we've all found ourselves ready to verbally puke all over someone.  And the thing is, the "someone" you just vomited all over probably isn't even the person who's been upsetting you...most likely, they just happened to "be there". 

Do you have an outlet for your feelings so you don't find yourself in this situation? 

Here are some of the things that work for me:

1.  Prayer- I know...so  cliche!  But sometimes just a quick, "Lord, help me control my mouth!" does wonders!

2.  Removing myself from the stressful situation.  Sometimes I just have to mentally tell myself, "Walk away.  Don't do it."

3.  Retail Therapy.  Laugh if you want, but it works for me!  Maybe it's because it's something I truly enjoy, so it helps neutralize the negative thoughts running rampantly through my brain.

4.  Talk to someone.  Sometimes you just have to talk to someone completely outside of the situation.  They (hopefully) can help you see the situation from other points of view and talk you through it.  For me, this is often my mom or my sister.  They live 1/2 way across the country and are usually not the source of my angst.  (P.S. "Angst" is a fun word to say, which is weird, because "angst" implies that something is not fun.  Sorry...off the subject.)

5.  Take a deep, cleansing breath.  I know it sounds ridiculously simple, but it can give you just enough time to calm your thoughts.

6.  Bite your tongue.  Literally.  Sometimes, when I'm really upset and want to verbally vomit all over someone, I literally have to bite my tongue so I don't say something I'll regret later.  This happens all too often.  Note to self:  I should probably invest in Orajel.

These are not, by any means, "THE answer" to stopping verbal diarrhea, but it's a start.  The point is to find what works for you.

A silly example of this from the movie Puss In Boots is when Humpty Dumpty says, "Little Boy Blue, remember: When you feel like you're going to blow your top, blow your horn instead."

Psalm 19:14 says, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." -- If you've meditated on it in your heart, it's going to come out in your words. 

Find a healthy and constructive way to handle it.

What do you do when you feel like you're going to blow your top?