Thoughts

Did you know that 49 out of 50 states have snow on the ground right now? Florida is the lucky winner with no snow on the ground.

The past year or two I kept thinking I wanted a mondo storm like 1993 again, but now I don't wish that. On days it snows Marc has to leave real early and is gone all day to plow. Snow days are no fun when you're home alone with no one to shovel, drink hot chocolate, and watch bad TV shows with! And Lily and Tucker are like two lumps who just snooze the day away so they're not that fun either on snow days!

My friend Paul said something that really struck a chord in me last night. We were at life group reading "Doctrine" by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears and discussing what the term "covenant" really means and the various covenants God has made with His creation throughout history. We were talking about how God creates us from Himself, cares for us, and loves us. Paul said, "God calls me His creation even if I am just the booger He picked out of His nose". We laughed, but what Paul said is so true and a good reminder. I'm proud to be one of God's boogers!

My Marc is so good to me. I sent him a text message from work last night while I was on a call that was going longer than I had planned. The message said, "Probably can't leave for another 15 mins...star. ving." When I got home 45 minutes later he had made me my favorite dinner (Nature burgers) and had it ready to go. Some may argue that he only does this because he fears for his own life (I'm, uh, not the nicest person to be around when I'm hungry), and while that may be true, I know that there is a tiny part of him that does it because he loves me. I am lucky to be loved by a man that likes taking care of me. It's also a good lesson for me, Miss I Don't Need Anyone To Take Care Of Me, to be reminded of.

Marc gets frustrated because he says I don't ask for help when I need it (pffft.). We joke around about this, but it is something I am trying to work on. Marc is also teaching me the point where I ask for help (apparently it's somewhere prior to when I'm all ticked of and have thrown something across the room). Over Christmas my mom (hi Mom!) had our baby books out and Marc and I were looking through mine. Guess what my first sentence was? "I do all by myself" Sigh. I have a long road ahead of me.

Bart visited last weekend - I hardly got to see him, but even if I had been around I'm not sure if I could have wiggled my way into the bromance. We are SO THANKFUL that Bart is back here safe and sound. Please still be praying for him as he is figuring out what life after the Air Force will look like.

Slip of the tongue or true feelings? An actual conversation between Marc and myself:
Sara: Marc! Marc! Marc!
Marc: What?
Sara: Uh...
Marc: Hurry up, you're a waste of time
Sara: *shocked look*
Marc: I mean you're wasting time! That's what I meant!

We laughed about it. I love this guy.

Leadership Advance was this past weekend - what a ride. I love when I go into something with a "worldly" heart and God just messes me up and pushes me and makes it so much better than I could have imagined. I posted some pictures on Facebook. We had five of the HSM senior girls and five of the HSM senior guys - this group was a trip (I guess I'm 76 since I just used the word "trip" in that context). My group two years ago was a lot of "S" - this group still had a lot of "S", but nearly every single one of us had "I" - it made for a really fun group! As a coach I was supposed to keep my mouth closed and let the participants problem solve together and observe them interacting. Many thanks to Jake Nold who asked me what I was thinking every now and then when he noticed I was nearing a point of explosion from keeping all my thoughts inside. Jake is very good to me like that. And, for the record, I didn't break any rules by anything I said. It was funny to see our personalities change throughout the day based on meal times, amount of sleep, etc. Also, for the record, I hate that PVC pipe activity as well (although it does work, I've seen it). I had a really big moment with one person in the group - they may not know it - but God was very present. I pray that He continues working in that relationship. I also got to know one of the other girls better - I had been praying for an opening in that relationship and God provided it - I pray that He guides me as I seek more time with this individual!

Marc and I just drove from Harvest Fields to Subway and back again. We hit every yellow light in between. Every. Single. One. Marc said they were "soft yellows" and drove through them.

I still owe you a post about the holidays...