Pressing On

I dropped Jim off at the airport yesterday for a business trip. I remember a time when I looked forward to him taking off for a few days. It usually meant a break from cooking, or at least a low pressure meal like mac and cheese for the kids and a bowl of popcorn for me while watching a fun chick flick. I could talk the kids into watching a romantic comedy with me and we would have a slumber party. I would convince Jarrod that he was the man of the house in dad's absence so any and all bug killing would be up to him. He took his temporary role very seriously and would typically grab whatever he could use as a weapon to fight off the bad guys. We would play hair salon and Jacqueline would do my hair or nails, I wouldn't go out with that Pebbles Flintstone bun she gave me, but it was great fun and such sweet memories.  As this past year has gone by, I have become very comfortable with it being just the two of us. I appreciate my time with Jim. I can count on him not only to provi

" It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home" (Proverbs 21:9 NLT) And in case I flew by that verse, I received affirmation by this one: " It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife. (Proverbs 21:19 NLT)"  I had to help Jim change out the air filter in the AC unit the other day. The unit is located in the attic. I had not seen the attic in our new house until then. It's not what you might picture an attic to look like from the movies. There are no windows,  room for much storage or even flooring. The pull down staircase leads to a dark peaked room with one light bulb at the top of the ladder  that requires a pull of a chain to illuminate. Exposed pink insulation between the wood beams makes it difficult to maneuver to the other side on the small room. The AC unit is located across the beams. I watched Jim gently walk/crawl to the AC unit. It didn't look comfortable o

The dust is beginning to settle again. We have been in our house for three month now. Funny how yesterday marked the one year anniversary that I got on a plane from Phoenix to Chicago.  Bags packed, truck loaded with all our stuff and headed to our then temporary home in the Midwest. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be sitting on the East Coast and calling this, my new temporary home. I was flipping through my photos on my phone and cannot believe all that has happened in a years time.  All good things!  I have both literally and figuratively, seen four amazing seasons. I've always loved the fall season. The crisp cool evenings and mornings are my favorite. I enjoy sitting with a cup of coffee curled up with a blanket ( doesn't need to be fall for that),  a toasty fire in the fireplace, I love to bake and listen to the sound of a football game on the TV. Last fall I saw the most beautiful turning of leaves in Chicago and nothing compares to the sound of t