I have reached my BREAKING POINT!

Well, this is it. I've reached my breaking point. The lady in this video feels exactly like I do.

With one of the biggest snow storms of the season headed our way, I'm gearing up to shovel my driveway for what seems like the millionth time this winter. I'm also getting ready to plow the church parking lot and shovel the sidewalks. I recently saw a good teacher friend of mine. I asked him how things were going. He said he felt like he was fighting a losing battle. Shoveling manure (only he didn't use the word manure) against the tide was how he put it. I told him I was having the same struggles. I guess there has been a lot of shoveling going on this year.

Everybody say it with me. "WE LOVE WINTER!".

Weather Update

The most recent forecasts are calling for 6-12 inches of snow along with ice and sleet.

In like a lion indeed!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In like a lion...

Spring is almost here! Tomorrow is the last day of February and spring is only three weeks away! It won't be long until we see daffodils and tulips bursting out of the ground. Wait... what? The weekend weather forecast is calling for sleet, freezing rain, ice and snow? You're kidding, right? This is just a joke you're playing on winter-weary midwesterners, isn't it? It's not? DRAT!

The Cincinnati Enquirer describes the weekend weather forecast as follows:

"Prolonged storm with significant snow and ice headed our way". Don't you just love journalists? Talk about a sensationalized headline! Nothing like a prolonged storm with significant accumulation to kick off the month of March. They're not kidding when they say it comes in like a lion. I sure hope it goes out like a lamb the way it is supposed to.

I.... Love.... WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grammar

I'll make this short and simple. I want one of the items pictured below. The butchering of the English language is rampant and downright embarrassing these days. It's not difficult to know how to speak well. The biggest culprit? Laziness. I deal with kids every day who use the laziest speech you can imagine. Guess where they learned it? From their parents who also use lazy speech. Just like poverty, laziness is generational.

Winter Hazard

Winter is waning. For the first time in months the snow has completely melted and the ground is visible. The freezing and thawing snow and the salt has wreaked havoc on local roads. You don't have to drive around very much to figure what that means... POTHOLES! I'm driving very carefully these days and doing my level best to avoid potholes. I got new tires last month and potholes eat tires for lunch. I'll be darned if I'm going to ruin a brand new tire due to a pothole. Bottom line... the roads are a mess and municipalities do not have the funds for such extensive repairs. Yet another reason I love winter.

Nothing Worse

Parents say there's nothing worse than when your kids are sick. While that's partly true, I would also contend there's also nothing worse than when your grandkids are sick. We got word today that Elliott has some kind of virus and had a fever that spiked at 104. After some Tylenol and a trip to the doctor, his fever is down to 101 and his parents are waiting for the illness to run its course. His Momma said he isn't really acting any differently, he's just hot. That was good news. At least he doesn't seem to feel bad. Regardless, we are praying for a speedy recovery for our little guy.

Here's Elliott cuddling with his Momma as she prays for him. Very sweet!

Our first date

February 24th, 1989. 25 years ago today Tami and I had our first date. It boggles my mind to think we have been together for 25 years. In many ways it just doesn't seem possible. It's as if our days of dating were last month, but a check of the calendar indicates it certainly has been 25 glorious, wonderful years.

We met in college. I had admired her from a distance for quite some time (Tami says I stalked her, I say I admired her from afar). Either way, I was too shy to approach her and she had no idea I was even alive. I knew she was out of my league and I don't think she was in the market for a boyfriend. I thought things would remain that way until one day we ended up in a class together. As luck would have it, we wound up being two people in a larger group who gathered in a lounge to study and chat before that class. It was in that environment that we kind of got to know each other (but just barely). I was smitten with her, but was too scared to act on those feelings. I guess she got tired of waiting because she eventually asked ME out. How lame is that? I was such a chicken! The funny thing was, I didn't even realize she was asking me out. She wanted to know if I wanted to come over to her house to watch some movies (I didn't know at the time she had a child at home to care for). I already had plans for that evening so I politely declined. It wasn't until an hour later on my drive home that I realized she was actually asking me on a date. DUH! I couldn't believe it. A golden opportunity and I blew it! Somehow I found her phone number and called her. I explained I really was busy that night, but asked about the following weekend. She was available and we set up that first date.

There's really not much to tell about that night. I arrived after Tami had already put Jessi to bed. We watched two really bad movies (she picked them out... haha!) Jessi had the chicken pox and woke up crying as we were watching the movies. We had some popcorn and chatted a little bit. That's about the extent of it. It's nothing earth shattering, but that's how it all began. Needless to say our subsequent dates were a little more eventful as we went out to restaurants and movies etc... It didn't take long before I realized I wasn't just dating my new girlfriend, but her 4 year old daughter as well. Most dates after that took us to the park, the zoo, Kids' movies and anything else we could do to keep Jessi entertained while we got to know each other better. It certainly wasn't a typical courtship, but it's our story and I wouldn't trade it or change it for anything. 25 years later here we are. Three children all grown or nearly grown and grandparents to boot.

God sure knew what He was doing when he brought the three of us together.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Little General

I forgot to mention yesterday that our babysitting duties on Friday and Saturday included the other Grandparents too. You'd think 4 well-seasoned parents (and grandparents) caring for a 6 year old a 7 month old would have an easy time, right? Well... yes and no. Yes, everything went very well and there were absolutely no problems, but no, it wasn't easy. It took the efforts of all 4 adults to ensure things went well.

During our fun babysitting adventure, I jokingly said I was going to start calling Elliott by the nickname of Napoleon. The Little General. It didn't take long for all 4 adults to realize who was in charge and calling ALL the shots. I'll give you a hint. Nobody calling the shots was over a year old.

I will say it again. We had SO MUCH FUN! Sveta was an absolute sweetheart and angel and Elliott was, well, running the show.

We're still tired today, but it was totally worth it!

The All Nighter

Last night Tami and I pulled an all nighter. No, we weren't studying for final exams. We were babysitting and spending the night with the grandchildren. We didn't really stay up all night, but it kind of felt like it. It's been a long time since we've gotten up in the middle of the night with a baby. To be honest, it was an absolute blast!

We got our sweet little Elliott to sleep about 7:30 and we thought he would be down for a good, long while. Nope! 35 minutes later he was awake and ready to par-tay! We played with him and had lots of fun (Sveta was watching the Olympics). Finally about 10:30 we got him to sleep again. He slept until 3:00 A.M. and then he woke up once more. Again he was ready to par-tay like a mad man. We played with him until about 3:45 and he went back down and slept until 7:00.

Elliott does not have a reputation for being a good sleeper and we were prepared for a very rough night. In reality it was a piece of cake. I know it's easy for me to say because I don't have to do it night in and night out. We are wiped out today and it's easy to see why God gave babies to young people.

We had a great Friday night and Saturday with the grandkids. Sveta was so sweet and was a big help with her little brother. Elliott was a laugh a minute. What a great start to the weekend. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a nap!

God's Ways

God's ways are not my ways. God's plan for my life is drastically different than my own plan. In my own way and my own plan, my Dad wouldn't have died at the age of 47. He would have lived to see his grandchildren and he would lived to enjoy his retirement running fishing charters on Lake Erie. God's plan took him from this earth before any of that could happen.

Why all this talk about my dad? Well, tomorrow would have been my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It's so strange to think about that. In my memory, any 50th wedding anniversary celebration I ever attended was for really old people. My Mom does not fit that description and Dad has been gone for nearly 24 years. It just doesn't seem possible.

Thinking about what could have been for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary causes strange feelings. Dwelling on it is not healthy. Especially since it was God's plan for Mom to get remarried. Cliff is a great guy and has been a real blessing to our family. I miss my Dad, but I also love Cliff and I am so thankful to have him in our family. There are reasons for all these things happening, I just don't know what they are... and I'm not supposed to know. I don't understand it, but God's plan is perfect in every way. Whatever the reason, I know all things are done for His glory.

Soli' Deo Gloria!