Snuck out for Dinner

I have been thinking. Sounds scary huh? I KNOW all the advice about nurturing your  marriage and  how you'll turn around one day and not know one another. I believe that. yet, you can only do what you can do. We don't have date nights. We don't spend time together. My husband was out of work and home for three years. We didn't spend time together then,. We wondered how we'd eat dinner and stared at our three kids under 6 and read out loud. We have stayed in survival mode for awhile.

He's working now. 40 hours a week with a back injury. When he is home he is in recovery mode and we discuss whether or not we should be driving a car with bad brakes and how to pay bills and pray for our children.

I don't get time away with him, alone, or with friends. Its been  a lonely stage of life for me and I feel pretty needy. I used to have friends. I use to have something to give. Honest.

I have been thinking a lot about life being in stages and how this isn't it all that I am. Seemed like an amazing life changing thought for me. This moment in time isn't all that I am--I am an accumulation of all of those moments.

A friend called. A good, dear friend. Someone I have known for 25 years. ( She had tried to Facebook me, text me and email me before finally getting a hold of me :) She was heading up North for a girls' weekend and wanted to know if I could meet her for dinner and stay in a hotel. All her treat.:)

Could I do that? really? I am working nights. At home.  (because, in thoery I ahve time then:) I wasn't working that Friday. My husband was wrestling with our son and broke a rib and pulled something. He was home from work. He didn't mind being with the kids but was a little jealous that HE wasn't the one to take me to dinner. (I cant remember the last time we have done that)

Our washing machine broke. and no one in town can deliver for a week. Our modem broke and our computer crashed. I have a gift certificate  for a Best buy in the  next town over, where my husband works. Easy. Not really. they wouldn't let me use the card online and my husband called in sick. We arranged for me to take his truck and meet my friend. then the brakes went out in his truck. I wondered if this was not a good weekend to go.

But, honestly. This is just how my life works:)

I went. and I felt guilty. And I had a great time. We stayed in a quaint quaint little hotel and walked around town wine tasting. at one point my friend worried she had said something wrong. I didn't flinch and responded "my opinion of you is made"  It has been 25 years. I know her faults and i know her strengths and I'm here to stay. She exhaled and said "I like that"



I hadn't been wine tasting before and tried not to take it too seriously. I fought it but I really learned a lot. It was very educational:)

We walked here:



The Wandering Dog

and here:





Lucas & Lewellen

and here:




Lion's Peak


 then took a Taxi here:



The Hitching Post II

brought dessert back to our room.
Then slept.

Honestly, I was gone for dinner and breakfast and not much was missed. I felt so relaxed and refreshed. There was plenty more drama and dilemma waiting for me. Should I feel guilty for running away and being selfish? Could I have handled my many blessings and drama and  dilemmas without a chance to catch my breath? I don't have the answer to either.

\

Our version of Dollar Tree Hurricanes

I have many excuses, none very good ones. Whenever the situation arises in a group to make a craft I get many looks of pity, or someone reaching over and tweaks mine until it's right or sweet children ask if I want to trade. It really is that bad.


You already know how much I adore Melissa. She has a regular feature titled "Under $10.00 in under an hour." She made these

and gave a tutorial using these three items from the Dollar Tree:


It looked so easy that even I could do it. I decided to use coffee beans. I had a really hard time finding unground, whole coffee beans for a price I was ok with. Who knew? Anyway, I got all the supplies and my handy glue gun and a card table ready. My daughter walked by and took off all the price stickers and decals. I had forgotten that Melissa mentioned needing to do that:) Melissa also mentioned that you need to find the center of the vase. Nah, I'll just eyeball it. NOT a good idea. It really does matter! They were all wonky and crooked. Dumped all the coffee out, ripped them apart and walked away. My son and I stood over the vases trying to remember how to find the center of a circle and knowing this should be simple. We walked away.

My artistic husband found them. Immediately figured out what I was doing: glued them, decorated them and placed them on the mantle. The wrong mantle in the wrong room and in the wrong place. Can you tell I am really annoyed that he fixed my mess:)

Here are "Ours". Who knew something so simple would become a group effort:)

Linking up at Works for me Wednesday, We did it! Wednesday, 57th Penny Pinching Party, Make it Yours, Show and Tell, Strut Yourself Thursday, Transformation Thursdays, Show off your Stuff, Hooking up with HOH, Get Your Craft on, Feature Your Sassy Site, Look at me Im so crafty!, Im Lovin' it Fridays, Frugalicious Fridays, Feature Yourself Fridays, Favorite Things Friday, Whatever Goes Wednesday

All About Us

All About Us

This is fun. All about US. As in him and her. I was tagged by Allie at Monkeys on the Bed. She is an amazing gal and such an inspiration to me :) (She made my blog button too)

What are your middle names?
His is Alexander, mine is Rose (after my maternal grandmother and I found out recently my Paternal great grandmother too)


How long have you been together?
We started officially dating November of 1994.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We were friends for about two years. Honestly friends. Close friends. We attended a few bible studies together each week and got to really know each other.

Who asked who out?
Josh instigated once we both really saw what was happening. It was scary though to rsk the friendship that we had but we both knew this was it.

Who made the first move?
Josh did.

How old are each of you?
me-37
him-37 he is actually 5 months older than me:)


Did you go to the same school?
not the same school but in the same town :)

Are you from the same home town?
No. I went to college where he was born and raised.

Who is the smartest?
DEFINITELY him but we balance each other really well :)

Who majored in what?
I have a degree in English. He left college and got more technical and licence driven in his studies.

Who is the most sensitive?
He is a really nice guy. Me not so much. But when it comes to stuff like letting the baby cry..he is much tougher.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We don't. When we do I really want the money to count so it usually someplace REALLY REALLY cool.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
The Sierra Nevada Mountains. Havent gotten much traveling in.


Who has the worst temper?
Im Irish and Italian. I have a hot temper at the drop of a hat. I get worked up over anything and everything. he is very mellow, very even keeled. BUT when he does get angry--he means it.



How many children do you want?
We both love babies. Love children. We have never felt "done" but now with five we are content and feeling done. It is kind of a strange feeling. We shall see :)


Who does the cooking?
Im here and I cook but he is much better at it. I am the baker too. I dont bake often but when there is baking it is me. Although I think I usually call him in to check everything :)


Who is more social?
Josh is very social but takes FOREVER to warm up. I am a little too extroverted and open and a chatter box.




Who is the neat-freak?
That is sooo easy. Josh. Left alone, Id probably be a slob.

Who is the most stubborn?
We are both incredibly so and a lot of things really really matter to us. Theology, morality, health...we have yet to actually disagree but it would be really ugly and I dont know who Id put my money on.

Who wakes up earlier?
Definitely him. He gets up for work by 4:30. He is naturally up WAY before me. I have been known to sleep until 3 pm if let be.

Where was your first date?
I dont know the "when" exactly. Sometime after November 1994 :) We went to some Italian restaurant and it was soooo awkward. We had known each other forever and eaten out together a million times but now it was all clumsy.


Who has the bigger family?
He does. Two sisters, parents still married, cousins, aunts/uncles. Grandparents.
I have zilch. My parents never married. My mom died when I was 9. My grandmother when I was 7. (I do have a sister I have met)

Do you get flowers often?
He used to pick wild flowers for me.

How do you spend the holidays?
That we are still figuring out.

Who is more jealous?
Remember how I got worked up over every little thing while he is so even keeled? We trust each other totally but I'll turn on a game for him and then keep hitting guide because I want his attention. Yeah, poor guy.

How long did it take to get serious?
We wer friends for those two years and then once we were dating we knew we were getting married. Scary stuff.


Who eats more?
I'm sure I do.

What do you do for a living?
I keep us all alive but dont make a living :)
He works as an EKG tech.

Who does the laundry?
Me. (Not much folding here either Allie :)

Who’s better with the computer?
In theory I do more but only because I have played around more. He actually knows the whys and hows. I dont know much.


Who drives when you are together?
Him. I get lost SOOO easily and really dont care who drives.

What is your song?
We dont have one. But when I was in labor with our fourth child, josh was doing Karaoke to Pat Benetar. SO SO SO funny. I will never here her songs the same again.


I tag:
Rachelle
Wendy
Corrine
Allison
If and when you do get a chance to answer, could you comment and let me know :)