Hoping for Favorable Outcomes

Home after a few days away.  Nine days off that flew by and seem like a short eternity.  Back to work tomorrow morning.  This has been day one of gluten/dairy free.  The STP, who has been gluten free since before it was cool, is eliminating dairy for a month to see if it will clear up some symptoms he has been suffering with.  I, the good wife, am going gluten and dairy free for the month in support of him.  The joy is that starting today we can complete a month before Christmas.  Honestly, I can taste those Christmas morning sweet rolls.  The STP unfortunately will still be gluten free regardless of the dairy experiment.  I'm sorry for that, but not sorry enough to eat gluten free sweet rolls.  Not sure what I'd like the outcome of the elimination month to be.  So I am choosing not to think about it.  Just do it.  I've lasted one day.  Only 30 to go.
Favored today that I have to spend more time thinking about things I have that I can't eat, instead of thinking about things I don't have to eat. 
Favored that I have plenty to do this month to keep my mind off of cheese.
Favored that I have located several GF/DF recipes to make Thanksgiving food.  Maybe lemon bars will be the new pumpkin pie.
Looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving. 

A picture of me in Colorado with a little pot.  Because that's legal there.

Best Four Weeks of Summer

As part of the catching up process for this year, I present a few pictures from the month Claire Marie spent visiting us.

 It was one rollicking adventure full of enough good times that I had to make a Shutterfly book to document it all. 

So this is just a few of the memory jogging pictures that show the absolutely best part was just hanging out together.

Taking in the vast country we live in.

Doing typical Wyoming things.

Such a privilege to have this month together.

Love this girl to the moon and back.

It's a Wonder

Didn't feel like I accomplished much today.  Feeling fat. And just not on top of things.  The STP took me out to dinner and a movie.  Because the way to cheer me up when I am feeling fat is to feed me. Went to eat Italian and see 'Wonder'.  The STP wanted to know what the movie was about.  I wasn't sure, although I had seen the trailer and several previews.  Hoped it wasn't going to be depressing.  Because I wasn't about that.  Good food.  Good movie.  Can't really tell you much more.  Because maybe you will want to see it yourself. 
Favored this evening to have someone who loves me enough to notice a funk when I'm in one and endeavor to lift me out of it.  Favored to have 'restaurant money' so I can order a stromboli.  Favored that the waiter brought me tirimisu for dessert.  On the house.  Favored to have half a stromboli in a box for lunch tomorrow.  Favored to have a husband and a son who have shared their wisdom about predictable plot twists--So I was a little prepared.  Favored to have emotions--I cried anyway.  Thankful for happy endings.

Path of the Flood Memorial Day Weekend

Let's record this event as well.  Because I wanted to run another half marathon this year, and because the STP was not interested in taking his vacation to support my running, I chose a race close to home.  As in close to my childhood home.  And then I talked several family members into running with me.  And I talked some of them into doing it while wearing tutus.

This is the crew that ran the half.

 And this is the crew that did the 12K

All together we represented five states.

Four sisters and a sister in law.  Three generations. 

At least two crazy aunts.

One family. 

 So glad we did this.

Makes me wish I was still running.

Too bad I'm not good at running and I don't really like running.  But I love finishing.

Love each one of these women.  Proud to call them family.

Some Moments Missed

Somewhere in the last year or so I got lost in the technology.  I don't know how to listen to music anymore.  And I don't know how to deal with photos.  So in an attempt to catch up I downloaded the icloud to my pc.  At least that's what I think I did.
So here is an event from this year that you may have missed.

We had a new grandbaby.

Not that we had much to do with it, unless you count giving birth to his mom (35 years ago today!!) and keeping her alive.  Which come to think of it was not an easy thing, so we rightfully take great pride in Caleb Arnold Henry.  

 Here are the grandkids to date.  

This makes me feel old.  Which is good because I have an excuse for my technology ineptitude.  Grandmas are not supposed to know these things. 

The Story of My Day

Today I completed 18/25 of a little project I am working on.
I made a pot of vegetable soup.
I took a bubble bath.
I read a few chapters of Vanishing Grace.
I wrote a few things down.
I listened to some Christmas music.
I shopped online.
I relaxed. 
All in all a very good day.

Just This One Favor

Day three of my nine days off.  Day one of our time away.  Started the day by stopping at the dentist for the STP to have a crown replaced.  Then we re-routed through a small city with a mall, a Kohl's, and a Hobby Lobby.  And we bought a new vacuum cleaner.  And a small metal black bird.  Just to prove that we really know how to get away.  And we topped off lunch with a Frosty, because we are not diary-free until next week.  Then in our excitement we left the city without refilling the gas tank.
And this is where things get dicey.  Because we drove about an hour and a half into the great open spaces of Wyoming before the STP noticed the gas gauge.  Which had a little picture of a gas pump lit up.  As in fill up immediately.  When we plugged in the GPS it initially said the nearest gas was 165.2 miles away.  Which seemed reasonable when I surveyed our surroundings.  As it turned out we were ONLY 15 miles from the nearest Shell station.  No worries.  I assured the STP I could run 13.1 miles in under 4 hours.  I could not, however, run back.  So we prayed.  Like for a miracle.  And we coasted down the hills and held our breath and lifted our feet going up the hills.  And we pulled into the gas station and pumped 15.5 gallons of gas into my 15 gallon gas tank.  And we thanked God for showing favor to stupid people. 
So let's review:  Dental care, vacuum cleaner, S'awesome sauce and a Frosty, 80% off fall decor at Hobby Lobby, safe travels, a car running on gas fumes.  This favor this day goes to me.  Yes indeed.

God Loves You, but I'm His Favorite

Started a stretch of nine days off today.   At the end of day one the house is not cleaned and the laundry is not done.  But the STP and I picked up some wood at the Dodge City Building Center and if well begun is half done, then that project is well....begun. 
We borrowed a truck to haul the wood because the STP's truck was too small for the job.  Oh, yeah.  The DCBC owner helped load the wood, and put it on our tab.  The building center is like my Cheers.  Where they know my name and I'm always glad I came.  I am favored to live essentially across the street from the DCBC.  And to have a generous friend with a big truck.  And to be trusted enough to have a tab at the DCBC. 
Teaser:  The word HUGE is in the title of the plans for the new project.  My plan is to paint it red. 
Did a little baking this morning.  Thankful for Krusteaz gluten free/dairy free brownie mix and I was favored this morning to find two rotten bananas on the kitchen counter.  Just squeezed them out of their greasy black peels and turned them into a dozen gluten free/dairy free muffins. 
Thankful we are not really being dairy free until next week.  Made a pizza for supper to try and use up the cheese in the fridge.  Thankful an abundance of cheese covers a multitude of gluten free pizza crust.  I will miss pizza when we go dairy free.  Guess I will just have to eat more brownies.

Returning the Favor

Chapter 4 of Philip Yancey's book Vanishing Grace starts with this quote from Lewis Hyde:

Between the time a gift comes to us and the time we pass it along, we suffer gratitude.

I'm not exactly sure what he means by that, but it has made me think.   And brought me to this thought later in the chapter:

Grace dispensers give out of their own bounty, in gratitude (a word with the same root as grace) for what we have received from God.

 So I am thinking that merely to feel grateful, or even express that gratitude verbally (or in writing), falls short of the mark.  And indeed, when I experience God's favor the proper response is to pass it on.  To share the blessing.  Which brings me to Raffi's words of wisdom:

It's mine, but you can have some
With you I'd like to share it.
'Cause if I share it with you,
You'll have some too.

What exactly does suffering gratitude mean?

While I ponder....
I am grateful for a bathtub, a bank, and a bowl of salad.
I am grateful for heat, hot water and combustion engines.
I am grateful for skin, sight, and sunshine.
I am grateful for faith, hope, and love.

I would be willing to share most of these things with you.  Except maybe the bathtub. 

Favor of the Day

Tonight Mr. Prager spoke at UW.  He said ingrates are mean and unhappy.  Since I have no desire to be either mean or unhappy, I will instead be grateful.  Seems like a trade in my favor.
Today I am grateful for live streams.  And mountain streams.
I am grateful for spell check.  (Greatful looked right to me.)
I am greatful grateful for a successful deer hunt for the STP. Deer season ends tomorrow.  I will be even more grateful for the end of beard season.
I am grateful for sisters and daughters.  Especially the ones born in November.
Since I always give thanks in November, I often record my thanks for these sisters and daughters, so today I would like to say how grateful I am for my other siblings and children.  This year I sent them and their spouses each a birthday card somewhere around their actual birthday.  This is not typical, nor will I repeat this feat next year.  So I hope they appreciated the card, and the sentiment, and the effort.  Otherwise they could end up mean and unhappy.
Just sayin.

Missing One Day and Catching Up

Yesterday I was sick.  Achy joints.  Upset stomach.  Chills.  Lethargy.  Miserably tired.  Spent the day on the couch in my pajamas. 
Where is the favor in that?
Thankful I have been sick only one day in the last forever.
Thankful my dreadful sickness lasted only 24 hours.
Thankful I did not throw up.
Thankful for a day off and a short to do list so a day on the couch was not the end of the world.
Thankful for a dog to keep me company.
Thankful for the STP who made me tea and finished the laundry.
Thankful for my flannel pajamas.
Thankful for quiet.

Today was a better day.  I felt good.  I went to work.  I ate more cheeseburger soup.  I went to AWANAs.
Thankful for the promise of eternal life.
Thankful for thoughts of heaven.
Thankful for elementary age kiddos who share their thoughts on heaven. 
Thankful for songs.
Thankful for laughter.

Today the STP had the first round of his allergy testing.  The STP is allergic to Chinese elm pollen and cockroaches.  This is good news because I will have little difficulty giving up cockroaches.  We will be giving up dairy for a month and this will be torture.  We have given up dairy before, but never for more than 6 consecutive days.  The plan now is to eat through all the dairy in the house, take a weeks vacation, and then return home to no dairy.  If it turns out the STP has to give up dairy permanently we will probably have to renegotiate out marriage agreement.  'Til death do us part?  This could be the death of me.

Cheeseburger Soup

Enough said.

What Happened to You?

Today was Sunday.  Like most Sundays I spent the morning at church.  Singing, praying, sharing, listening to the STP.  Worship.  And then, because it was the first Sunday of the month, I stayed to eat lunch with my fellow worshipers.  My church family.  And this evening I'm trying to even imagine a mass shooting in that scenario.  And I want more facts.  And less opinions.  Because this hits close to home for me.  And I want to know about the shooter.  And I want to scream "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"  But because I spend every Sunday in church, and because I listen to the STP, I know the better question is "What happened to you?" 
So today I offer prayers for the Sutherland Springs community.  For the Pastor of the Sutherland First Baptist Church.  And his wife. And their family.  And the shooter's family.
And I am very aware and thankful today for God's favor on me.  On the STP.  On my family.  On my church family. 

Forget About It

Today I thought about calling my Dad to discuss Penn State's football season.  And then I remembered that he died almost three years ago.  I don't know what was more disturbing to me.  That my Dad is gone or that I didn't remember that my Dad is gone.  There should be a name for pre-Alzheimers.  The years between the death of your parent from Alzhiemers and the onset of the disease in your own brain.  The time when you can't remember your co-workers first name (or their last name), when you can't find your keys, when you don't know what you wore to church last Sunday.  And you don't know if it is just everyday forgetfulness or something more dreadful.  Peri-alzheimers.  Like perimenopause.  A nebulous set of miserable symptoms that precede the real miserable condition.  So today  I will be thankful for memories.
Thankful for the chance to talk and laugh with my daughter today.  Remembering the Mother-Daughter class we attended together when she was a preteen and her own discomfort at sharing the facts of life with her daughter. 
Thankful that I organized my recipes last fall.  Thankful that I could easily find the recipe for Pumpkin Sandwich Cake.  Thankful that the cake is in the fridge ready for fellowship dinner tomorrow. 
Thankful that there are turkey hat memories, even if the photos are elusive.
Thankful for an extra hour today.  I used it to clean the fronts of my kitchen cabinets.  They are so nice and clean that I just want to touch them.  But that is how they got covered in greasy fingerprints in the first place so I refrain.
Thankful that the porch swing and the porch bats are put away.  The end of two seasons in one blustery cold day.  Thankful for the promise of holiday seasons to come. 
Thankful to touch base with the Goob this evening.  He sounds good.  He talks about classes, professors, meals. He was a little noncommital about graduation, but I am hopeful.
Did I see God's favor today?  Yes, yes I did.  I saw it in ongoing relationships with my adult children.  I saw it in a warm kitchen full of good smells.  I saw it in the gift of time.  I saw it in good memories.  Thankful I remembered to notice it.

A (slightly less than) Favorable Day

"Let's get out of town," said the STP .   "Where no one can call us."
I wasn't feeling the same need, but a trip to the big town sounded good.
Not so fast.
In fact, not fast enough.  Calls before I was out of the shower.  Didn't get out of Dodge until just before lunch time.  Texts on the road.  Got tired, hungry, and cranky before we were done at StuffMart.  Calls before the car was unloaded.  Had just enough time for a little pity party while the STP made a hospital vist and I made soup for supper.  Calls after supper.  The STP hands me the phone.  "They want to talk to the female in the house."  Unfair?  Yes.  In my favor?  Let me think.
So let me start by being thankful that it is not my marriage in trouble. 
Thankful that the STP still holds my hand after 37.5 years of marriage. 
Thankful that I had enough money in my envelopes to pay my StuffMart bill and enough fresh food in the fridge to make soup. 
Thankful that I could fill a shoebox with things for a child who can't even imagine a StuffMart. 
Thankful that it is not my Mom in the hospital. 
Thankful for a call from a telephone surveyor from the Department of Health.  How many times in the last 12 months have I not had enough food?  Zero.  Has a doctor or healthcare worker ever told me I have diabetes?  No.  COPD?  No. Asthma?  No. Skin cancer?  No.  Any cancer?  No.   How much do I weigh?  No.   A seventeen minute phone call full of questions designed to remind me that I am surprisingly healthy with very little effort on my part. 
Unfair?  Yes.  In my favor?  Now that I think about it?  Yes.

Thanks Continued

Today was my Friday.  A little perturbed that I had to work 4 days in a row.  But tonight I am looking forward to a three day weekend.
So today I am thankful for waking up to snow.  And for safe travels.  The first snow is always a little tricky.  Thankful the STP had the good tires put on the Suzuki last week. 
Thankful for a drama free day at work.  Thankful for co-workers who work.  Thankful for afternoon breaks with popcorn and iced tea.  If your workplace doesn't have a popcorn machine, then I am sorry to tell you, but life is not unfair in your favor.
Thankful for a quiet evening at home.  For a husband who brined the porkchops and folded a load of clothes before I got home.  Thankful for time and money to pay the first of the month bills.  Thankful for my flannel pajamas and a fire in the pellet stove.  Thankful dog cuddles. 
Thankful for plans for a good day tomorrow. 

It's November

Let's be thankful, shall we?
The Goob observed once that life is unfair.  And that it is never unfair in your favor.
And it certainly seems that way.
So this November I will try to notice the times that things are unfair in my favor.  That is, I will notice when God shows me favor, and I will be thankful.
Today I am thankful that my car ran.  That I had the time, money and ability to fill the gas tank.  That I did not hit the doe or her two fawns that crossed the road in front of me before sunrise.  As always when the temperature plummets and the first slushy snowflakes of the season hit the windshield I am thankful for heated seats. 
I am thankful that I did not run out of candy for trick or treaters last evening.  I am thankful for young families who brought their little ones to our front door to get candy from 'the candy man'.  I am thankful for kisses and sour patch kids delivered to our front door from the little spider fairy who lives in the house next door. 
I am thankful to be married to 'the candy man'.  A generous, honest, kind and patient man who loves me when I am positively unlovable. 
Today life was definately unfair--in my favor.

Taking a Knee

Today, the Monday after the NFL bruhaha concerning the national anthem, I got down on my knees...next to the hospital bed of a 87 year old grandmother.  And I prayed.  I prayed that I could draw blood out of the tiny vein that snaked under the thin, crepey skin on the back of her hand.  (I prayed sincerely because I had already stuck her and missed once.)  And I pulled out my tiniest butterfly needle and my most awesome phlebotomy skills, because she needed the result before she could have a procedure.  And while I was down there  my knees, I prayed for my sister-in-law who is lying unconcsious in an ICU bed in Savannah, Georgia.  And while everyone in the room held their breath, there was a flash and then a flow of blood through the tubing and into the syringe.  It was a little sacred moment right there in room 110.
Offered prayers. Shed blood.  A God Who delights in answering.
One procedure completed.  Waiting on news from Savannah.

Last Christmas

Last Christmas I shopped for Christmas pajamas

For everyone who spent Christmas with me.

And no matter how many pictures we took, we never looked like the families in the Christmas pajama advertisements.  And plaid pajama pants make our butts look big.

So Christmas pajamas will not be a family tradition.  Just a once in a lifetime memory.

Recording here so I don't forget and start online shopping when it gets cold this weekend.