Flashback Friday

It's time for week #2 of Flashback Friday with Mocha With Linda. I had fun participating last week and wondered this week what she'd choose for the topic. Here is this week's prompt:

When was your first date? You can choose either your first date ever or your first date with your spouse - or both! How old were you? What did you do/where did you go? Did anything memorable - either good or embarrassing? If it was your first date ever, did you continue to date that person? If so, how long? If it was the person you married, did you know he/she was "the one" or did it take a longer for love to bloom? Any other memories you wish to share about those wonderfully awkward first dates?!

My flashback:
My first date was with the wonderful man who is now my husband. We were eating lunch one day in the Bean with our group of friends. He asked me if I'd seen the movie "Titanic" and if I'd like to go. I remember someone in the group asking what did he say and another girl saying, "He just asked her out." I was so excited. My friends helped me curl my hair, and I remember seeing his little red truck pull up outside my dorm. He looked so cute all dressed up in his cowboy clothes. We went to eat supper at Cotton Patch and then went to see "Titanic." I had never seen it before. It was a very long movie and we weren't sure we were going to get back to campus in time before curfew! But we did!

That was the first of many wonderful dates. Our favorite thing to do was to take walks around campus. On cold nights now it reminds me of those walks, and I remember our "early days" of getting to know one another. I told my Mom he gave me "that feeling" in my stomach. She said she didn't think it was my stomach. :) I'd never been in love before. I had liked guys and had crushes but nothing ever like this. I've probably mentioned this here on my blog before, but my Mom even had a feeling about the way he looked at me one night when they were visiting campus. This was before we had even started dating; she wrote about this in her calendar journal too. The first date was in the spring semester of our freshman year. He proposed in December of our senior year.

Something that is special is that my husband and I were friends first. We got to know each other and always wanted to know more. We had so much to share with each other and were such a good match. It didn't take long for it to feel like I had always known him.

Thanks for visiting today! I look forward to reading your stories of your first date.

Have a day of blessings!

Odds and ends...

I wanted to do an update on some various things from the recent past.


First, I have decided to move "As long as it is called Today" to a different day. I have wanted to change the day and now seems a good time since I've missed the past few weeks. I'll pick back up with the questions this coming Tuesday so stay tuned for that.

Next, I told you in my posts last week about Caleb's "preciousness" during our time at the hospital as we were saying good bye to Mammaw.

During one of our times in the waiting room we'd gotten word that Mammaw was worse. I told Caleb that we didn't know if Mammaw was going to be with us much longer and that God might think it's time to take her to Heaven. He thought a minute and asked if they'd have to take her body outside. I said no, God will just take her. He said maybe the angels will take her.

We talked freely with him about her going to Heaven. I told her she wouldn't be sick anymore and could run and play now. I tried to explain to him that we would bury her body but she got a new body in Heaven so she doesn't need the old one anymore.

He talks about Heaven and I can tell he's been pondering it. He told his grandfather in the waiting room that Mammaw was going to Heaven soon and he does have a real sister in Heaven and Mommy's dad (he meant grandpa Peepaw) went to Heaven already. It was all very sweet to hear him talk about.

We were gathered one night with the family to eat and Caleb said the prayer. It was just beautiful. He said help us Lord. You know we are sad because Mammaw went to Heaven. Then after the funeral we gathered at Mammw's house to eat again. He prayed then too. His boldness always surprises me. Sometimes at bedtime he says he doesn't want to pray but both of these times he just let out these beautiful heartfelt prayers. It was so touching to hear him.

Today is the first day of spring! This time of year is always exciting to me. It has been beautiful here all week. We plan to do something as a family. It has been nice getting back into the routine at home this week. Caleb and I are having a lazy day at home today after finishing up some chores Thursday.

Have a great weekend!
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"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so." Genesis 1:14, 15

2009 Goals Update: Organize/declutter #1

Throughout the year I'd like to give updates on how I'm doing on various aspects of my goals for 2009.

We spent New Year's Day very busy cleaning and sorting. My husband's focus was our bedroom closet while I spent time in our bedroom cleaning my night stand, vanity (I could actually sit there Sunday to do my make-up), the tops of our dressers, and photos on my hope chest. I also made labels for some drawers in our closet that we use for t-shirts and shorts. It seems those things never have a place to call home but now they do. I organized a couple of my drawers as well and it is so enjoyable to have things nice and straight. I have a bag of clothes to get rid of from our cleaning too.

Over the weekend we bought Caleb a little laundry hamper of his own. It's actually a small trash can. I chose it because it has a flip top lid, and I knew he'd love that! He has been so excited to do laundry. Sunday he had one set of clothes in it with his pajamas and thought it was time to do a load of clothes. I told him I wasn't washing clothes until Monday. When Monday morning came, he was ready to help me dump all his clothes into the washing machine. The funny part was that he left the hamper in the middle of the floor after he put his clothes into it. Kinda the same as leaving the clothes on the floor! We showed him it goes in his room and to just take the clothes to it when he takes them off.

I am happy with the progress. We are all working hard to keep things in their new homes!

Quilt of Holes

This week I received this little story called Quilt of Holes in an email forward from my Mom. I liked it and wanted to share it today.

Do you ever feel that your life is just a mess? Do you ever wonder how anything beautiful can develop of your life? Or how God can love you when you've messed up so much, so often? Do you compare your own lives to others and what they are doing and think you'll never be good enough or measure up to them? As I think of these questions, I am reminded that we must listen to the voice of Truth.

The point of this little story should be our goal each day....that our lives should be a shining light of Christ to all around us. His love shines through us when we give our troubles and problems to Him. He wants to carry our load. When we try to solve our problems on our own, we're usually not fun to be around. We get grumpy, whiny, and irritable. We worry and feel stressed all the time. When we let Him help us though, His light shines through and others notice something different about us.

I hope you are blessed by this little story.
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"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

A story.....

I just had to share this story! Yesterday morning Caleb asked me to do a lesson with him. We did another one this morning. He has some workbooks he likes to do and then I make up stuff to do on his marker board or in his writing tablet. I have a planner book to write out my ideas for the coming school year for us....one more year till he goes to school!

This morning he wanted to write a story. First he drew the picture. (The circle is the sandbox with sand and bugs in it, the boy is on the side.) He wanted to draw the boy inside the sandbox and I said you could put him on the side so you could see him, like he's about to get in the sand. So he did that. It surprised me that he drew the boy sideways, including his eyes and mouth, about to get into the sandbox.

Then he told me this story to write:

One day there was a boy in his sandbox. There was a snake in his sandbox. The snake snaked the boy. The litle boy had to go to the doctor. They had to do a operation to him. They put a bandaid on the little boy. Him (He) feeled (felt) better. Him (He) got home.

By: Caleb