A Reminder

A few quotes reflecting some of the negative emotion I have as I head to the polls to vote today...

The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal - that you can gather votes like box tops - is... the ultimate indignity to the democratic process. 

-Adlai Stevenson-



We'd all like to vote for the best man but he's never a candidate.

-Kin Hubbard- 

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, 

but there is no party of principle.  

-Alexis de Tocqueville-

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.  -Winston Churchill-

...and a few quotes reminding me just how important it is that I (that we all) proudly do so. 

The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.

 -Dwight D. Eisenhower-

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.

-John Quincy Adams-

No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America. Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass.

-George Washington-

(Letter to Benjamin Lincoln, June 29, 1788)

No, No, 'No-Shave!'

Me: "You're shaving?! On a Friday morning?"

Bobby: "Yeah, I'm doing it for you."

Me: (puzzled look)

Bobby: "It's almost November, and you know what that means!"

Me: (thinking, "Ugh...yes, I do. 'No-Shave November'.") 

        "Ugh...no! I thought you'd forget about that."

Bobby: "Well, that just shows how ignorant you are. I invented it...why would I forget about it?!"

He's got me there.

Looks like I'm in for another scratchy November. Oh, well. I'll just enjoy his smooth, ever so handsome face for the next two days and try to embrace this "tradition" of his...part of what makes Bobby, Bobby! 

And, I do so love the man.

Sure, it's funny...when it's fake!

One Incredible Weekend: Part III

I'm still riding the high that was this past weekend. (Seriously, it was that great.) I think the past two posts have exhaustively covered the highlights of the trip. But, reflecting on the entire experience, I can't help but think about four elements of the weekend that helped make it so special.

The People :: We met and were surrounded by some really neat people throughout the weekend. Our  friends from the airport, yes, but also: the flight attendant who shook the hand of an elderly man wearing a Marines cap and thanked him ever so genuinely for his service...the man seated next to me on the plane who was ever so friendly and bantered with me throughout the flight...and, the dozen or so people at the airports that commented on our Mizzou gear and were excited about the big win. There are a lot of nice people in the world...and it makes all the difference!

The Time with Family :: This was the first "family" trip that we've taken together since Bobby has been a part of the picture...and it was absolutely wonderful. (True, my dear sister couldn't make the trip and that was a huge bummer. It would have been even better if she'd been around.) But, really, Bobby fits in so well with all of us, and is most certainly a dearly loved member of our family. It was really nice spending precious time with extended family, but also wonderful to be able to spend so much (quality) time together with my parents. It made me really excited for family vacations to come, with husbands and little ones along. This new chapter of family life is a fun one, and I'm looking forward to all of us going on more adventures together!

The Joy of Being a MIZZOU Alumni :: I am very proud to be a Mizzou alum, and never more so than I was on Saturday. It was a blast to cheer on the football team in a huge game (vs. OU!), and feel the pride of being a Tiger! (We don't always get to be cheering for the winning team as Missouri sports fans...but I think we could get used to it.) We danced to "Eye of the Tiger" and watched the score on Bobby's phone at the wedding, gave high-fives with every touchdown back at the hotel, and responded with a couple of "Z-O-U"'s to well-wishers at the airport. Wearing an MU sweatshirt in Virginia and Georgia suggests "I'm not from around here" (in a cool sort of way)...and that's kind of fun! I felt like a rockstar at the airport, really, sporting my Mizzou gear. (I know, I know...operative phrase being "felt like".) Oh, and don't you know it made Bobby's day when the flight attendant asked if he was "ON THE MIZZOU FOOTBALL TEAM" when we boarded the plane?! That's how spirited (and athletic) he looked! (I was proud of him...he said "no".) Anyway, there are a lot of Tiger fans out there, and it was fun representing the Zou away from home.

The Benefit of A Long Weekend Getaway :: Bobby and I have been fortunate enough to take two tropical, weeklong vacations...which, don't get me wrong, were amazing trips. A week in a tropical paradise is, well, amazing! But, this trip was such a nice reminder that taking a long weekend getaway can be completely refreshing, too!  (For someone who lives in the landlocked Midwest, seeing the ocean always does a body good!) Sure, when you pay for a costly flight, it makes sense to stay at your destination for a while. But, when that isn't feasible, just a couple of days away from the "every day" can really boost one's spirit and go a long way in reminding you that there is a lot of world out there to be explored...and that you can choose to be grateful for the little corner of it that you enjoy every day.

And so concludes what unexpectedly became a three-part narrative of one incredible weekend.

That it was.

One Incredible Weekend: Part II

Now, where were we? Oh, yes.... So, we got to Newport News, VA, rented a car, parted ways with our new friends, and drove 50-ish minutes to the hotel. The four of us had a lovely dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, Bobby and I spent some time in the jacuzzi, and then we called it a night. No other major happenings to report.

But, then Saturday came. Ah, Saturday. I'm pretty sure I woke up with a smile on my face. "It's WEDDING DAY, it's Mizzou GAME DAY...does it get any better?!" I was pumped.

I decided that you don't get THAT close to the coast and NOT go to the beach, so it was critical to me to find time in the day to make that outing happen! So, around 9:00 a.m., after a quick cup of coffee, my parents and Bobby and I got in the car and drove to the nearest beach, 30 minutes or so away. I am so, so very glad we took the time to do that. It was a GORGEOUS morning, and the beach was absolutely beautiful. (Perfect day for a wedding!) I don't think I could ever get tired of having sand under my feet and feeling waves tickle my toes. Being able to experience that is such a fun thing, and it made for a really memorable way to start the day. We walked around and Mom took some photos, and it was just enough time for us all to feel really refreshed. I'm glad we got to share all that together.

We got back to the hotel just in time for Bobby to catch a little bit of ESPN'S College GameDay from Mizzou, so he was a happy camper. (Seriously, of all weekends for there to be so much sports action! If we could've been in two places at once.... Bobby was definitely a trooper, participating in all the day's festivities, knowing there was a big game on. I owe him one!) A little lunch, a little visiting with the rest of the family, and it was time to start getting ready for the main event!

Kelsey and Jared's wedding was wonderful, and so very "them". The dress, the flowers, the music, the couple...it was all beautiful! (Not that I would have expected anything less! You'd think she was an event planner or something.) I know there were so many details that went into making it a special day for the two of them and for their guests, and it was all the more joyful knowing that Kelsey and Jared had waited so long for their big day and that they are such a great match. It was a pleasure to finally meet Jared (you know, Kelsey's new husband!) and it was so great to be able to celebrate with them. Congratulations, you two!

We ate (a lot), we danced (to "Eye of the Tiger", appropriately enough), we watched the MU score on Bobby's phone (while we danced)...and Bobby and I had a great time catching up with family and enjoying each other.

After the happy new couple left, we headed back to the hotel. The beautiful thing about our being on the East Coast was being able to catch almost the entire second half of the game, since it started at 7:00 p.m. CST! So, we all sat in the lobby and watched Mizzou pull off an amazing win over Oklahoma, thus ending a wonderful day in perfect fashion. (M-I-Z!!!)

One more post to come, with a few final thoughts about the weekend. Reflection is a good thing.

One Incredible Weekend: Part I

You know those days that are so great that you just don't want them to end?! This past Saturday was most certainly one of those days for me. Actually, the entire weekend was pretty stinkin' great.

Bobby and I got to spend Thursday evening with Morgan and Brandon (who were in St. Louis for a wedding this weekend), complete with dinner, apple pie, and board game fun. It's always a blast with those two, and I'm so looking forward to many, many more fun evenings together once we're living in the same city. (Although, I will miss having them as overnight guests. But, Morgan says we can still have slumber parties. And, I'm going to hold her to that.) Their visit was a great way to get the weekend started, and I'm so glad they made the trip a bit early to hang out.

On Friday morning, Bobby and I flew to Atlanta. We discovered that day that I may have lost a bit of my travel know-how. Forgetting to take off my shoes at security..."Strike #1", Bobby said. Directing us to the wrong gate, "Strike #2". Choosing terrible seats on the plane, "Strike #3". (By the end of the trip, I think we were at "Strike 8" or so. Go figure.) Bobby gave me quite a bit of grief for all those issues, since I generally consider myself to be quite savvy at airports. (I think I must just be better at international travel. I'd better stick with that....) Anyway, somehow we managed to get ourselves to Atlanta, where we met up with my parents!

We all settled in for a long afternoon layover at the airport, and at some point we started chatting with the couple sitting across from us. John and Dinah had also flown in from St. Louis and were "enjoying" the long layover just like us on our way to Virginia. Time flew by while we visited with them! Their stories about their dogs, country living, and newlywed life were entertaining and we all just clicked! They had the sweetest story about how they met (online!) and fell in love, and it was so fun to listen to them. We learned they were Christians and I think it was, for all of us, a really neat thing to be able to so easily connect with complete strangers and know we all loved the Lord. I was bummed to end our conversation (though I was glad to finally be boarding the plane), and I'm still kicking myself for not getting John's business card. (They breed Golden Retrievers, and I would seriously love to get a puppy one of these days. Oh, well.) Anyway, we ran into them again at the Enterprise rental counter at the Newport News airport, and I think we were all a little sad to part ways. You just never know who God will put in your path, do you? They were a blessing.

And then, there was a trip to the beach and a wedding and a Mizzou game. The End.

Oh, please...as if I could possibly not elaborate any more than that on those stories.... But, I am running the risk of this becoming a post that is far too lengthy for even my most dedicated two readers (Mom and Dad) to enjoy. So, I'll post more from our incredible weekend later. Stay tuned!

On The Move

I am only a couple of weeks away from needing to seriously start focusing on packing and preparing to move. And, although I'm very much looking forward to having such a large project to keep me busy, the thought of de-constructing the little home we've created for ourselves over the past 14 months is making me slightly overwhelmed and a bit emotional.

What our apartment looked like after we moved everything IN.
And, what I suspect it will have to look like again in order for us to move everything OUT. Bummer.

There will be more nostalgia to share later, I'm sure. But for now, I really just need to book a moving truck and figure out how to get my hands on a whole bunch of boxes. Here we go! 

Bobby and me after emptying my apartment in Columbia last year.
(Just to remind myself that it CAN be done. )

Proud of Him

I am so proud of my husband.

Bobby is on a business trip in Arkansas this week. And, from the moment we heard about this trip, we weren't looking forward to it. The trip means a week of earlier mornings, later nights, lack of home-cooked meals, and sleeping in a strange bed. Not to mention, our being apart from each other. I'd say that part is especially rough.

But, he never complained. (I was probably complaining about it enough for the both of us.)

It's turned out to be an even-less-pleasant week for him than was expected. There have been a lot of work-related problems to deal with, and he's under a lot of pressure to get it all done. But, again, he hasn't complained. (Not even about the $30/night hotel room he's staying in, in order to avoid a long commute every morning. Use your own imagination about how awful that must be.) For that, I'm proud of him.

Bobby got this position a mere three weeks or so before our wedding. Until that point, we had no idea what was in store for us, and having a source of income when you get married is generally considered to be a good idea. It was a major blessing when he got this job. And, it still is! I think Bobby is mindful of that more than I tend to be. That's probably one of the reasons that he works so hard, and takes the good (having a job!) with the bad (sometimes having to be away from home). And, because of that, I'm proud of him.

Bobby has a "go-at-it-with-everything-you-have" attitude that he applies to just about everything he does. I admire it. I'm thankful for it. And, I'm thankful for him. He's teaching me a lot, and I doubt he knows it.

He'll be gone six nights, and this is the longest we've been apart since we became "Mr. and Mrs." We're on the downhill slope of this week, though, and I think we're going to make it. It is "Wine-Down Wednesday", after all, which we fully intend to participate in together, even from afar. So, that's bound to help a little bit.

I miss you, handsome. Hurry home! And, until you get here...hang in there.

A much more relaxed Bobby on a non-business trip of ours.
(Remember those days, babe?)

Faith and Suffering

My last post prompted an anonymous comment unlike one that I’ve received before, and although I’m hesitant to respond publicly, the topic is such that I think deserves a thoughtful response.

The comment dealt with God’s providing for my wants…in a world full of starvation. (Pretty heavy way to start a Saturday morning!) But, it’s a genuine thought and it has given me some things to think about as I begin my day.

I have faith that God can provide for our needs and wants. And, to quote author Lee Strobel, “only in a world where faith is difficult can faith exist”. In my life, I have been blessed to have all of my needs met, and a lot of my wants, too! And, I have made the choice to try to recognize God’s involvement in my life, which includes seeing the things I receive (i.e. a new TV) as His doing. And, it’s made a difference in my Christian life to make an effort to acknowledge God’s constant work around me.

I understand this objection, though. God can provide, but He does allow suffering in the world (including starvation), which is a result of His gift of human free will. God’s answer to the suffering in the world was to come down to it, which is exactly what happened when Jesus was on the cross, dying for humanity’s sins. This response to suffering allowed for the promise of Heaven, where there will be no more suffering, no more starvation!

This is a challenging issue, one that I’ve wrestled with and one that I know I don’t have all the answers to. I learned a great deal from reading “The Case for Faith” by Lee Strobel, though. This book explores several of the toughest objections to Christianity. (Chapter One is titled “Objection #1: Since Evil and Suffering Exist, A Loving God Cannot”.) If one was interested, reading this book might provide some additional things to think about.

Perhaps this is more of a response than was expected or desired, but I’m glad to have had occasion to think through this today.

Difficult questions should not be avoided. Thank you, God, for giving me the conviction and confidence to acknowledge and explore this one…. 

26 Inches

Our apartment complex planned a social event for last weekend...a "Water Fun" day. Which made little sense to me, being that it is September, the weather is cooler, and everyone's pretty much "water-funned" out by now. Regardless, the drawing for the 26-inch flat screen TV sweetened the deal a bit, and Bobby and I decided, "why not?"

Now, although I would not have scheduled a water play day in late September, I was able to see what someone might have been thinking when they did. (Something for the residents to do on a Saturday afternoon....) Sure. But, I was very curious what they were thinking when this event was re-scheduled from its initial time slot of noon-2:00 p.m....to 9:00-11:00 a.m.

On a Saturday morning. In September.

I didn't get it.

Needless to say, Bobby and I were already thinking our chances of winning a TV were looking relatively good (these events aren't usually well-attended)...and once we learned of the time change, we thought "this looks promising! We'll go over there at 10:45 a.m., enter the drawing, and leave!" Couldn't hurt anything.

So, we walked the 50 feet from our apartment to the basketball courts, where we saw a bucket full of water balloons, some squirt guns, and one lone attendant hanging out, who asked "you guys live here, right? Do you want to enter a drawing for a free TV?" We looked at each other, casually acted as though we were shocked by this chance to win a TV (we were feeling a BIT lame at this point), and proceeded to BOTH write down our names on the sign-up sheet. (We were thinking SURELY we'd only get to sign once since we live in the same apartment. Wrong we were!)

Our two signatures made a total of five signatures on the sheet, and the "event" was scheduled to end 10 minutes later. This was shaping up to be even better than we'd imagined. (Only five signatures? Really?!)

I should point out that the girl there seemed genuinely surprised at the low turnout. "I guess everyone just wanted to sleep in", she said. You think? It's Saturday morning, in September, and you want them to come play water games? Figuring out the reason for the low attendance didn't seem all that complicated to me.

Oh, well. I really shouldn't criticize. They had good intentions. And, after all...

WE WON THE TELEVISION!!! Bobby got the call the next morning that he (yes, it was HIS name drawn...he likes to emphasize that point) had won the TV and it would be available to pick-up today. Yay! So, this morning I went to the office and brought it home.

A 26-inch TV isn't huge, I know, but it's our first flat screen, and poor Bobby has wanted one for SO LONG. (I'm too stubborn to get rid of our perfectly good "old school" set...at least until we have room to put it elsewhere.) It seems everyone we know already has a snazzy flat screen.... (As do most people living in our apartment complex, I would guess, most likely contributing to their furthered lack of interest in coming to the event and entering the drawing...which worked out for us!) I'm sure we'll have another TV purchase in our future, but this will certainly get the job done for now!

It was such a fun surprise, and another reminder that we've got it pretty good these days. Our patience (okay, Bobby's patience) in not buying a new TV and being mindful of how we spend our money and being aware of what things we can live without has made this even more rewarding for me.

I like to think that this winning is another of God's reminders that He's looking out for us. A reminder that He takes care of our needs, and is more than able to provide for our wants, too.

Big Things

Big things on the "happening someday" list that I'm really starting to look forward to....

Buying a house

Decorating a house

DIY home improvement projects

Hosting engagement/bridal/holiday/baby/sports parties at said house

Pregnancy

Buying baby clothes (which, by the way, I spent far too much time looking at while I wandered through the mall today)

Decorating a nursery

Being a mom

Big things on the "happening in the not-so-distant future" list that I'm really excited about....

Crossing things off of our "must do in St. Louis" list

Kelsey's October wedding

Fall festivities, followed closely by the holidays

Moving back to Springfield

Finding an apartment to call home for a while

A new job, I hope

Planning/hosting my sister's bridal shower

The 4 special weddings on the calendar for 2011...and 1 more that I'm hopeful for!

Buying a house

Decorating a house

DIY home improvement projects

Etc, etc.

"Little" things that I really need to focus on for the time being...patience and contentment.