Day 38: Work

Today I had to go into work and take care of one of those Plan Bs I had written about last week. You know, the ones that have taken over my life since this is the winter that just won't stop? 
Then I got to change into a fancy dress in the luxurious community college public restroom before running off to a gala where my husband won a fancy award for being awesome at his job.

It's been an interesting day of wishing I was at home in my stretchy pants watching t.v. while hoping that everything I had to do outside of home went smoothly.

I've been a little anxious about how this one event I've been planning for work would go.  There was inclement weather last week, forcing us to cancel, forcing everything to change and become complicated before my very eyes.

Today I am thankful for the people I work with.

They are kind and helpful.  They are forgiving and teaching.  They are "yes" people.  For that I am thankful.

Day 37: Neighborhood

I've mentioned it before; I never intended to move to a small town.  There are times when I wonder if this is the best fit for our family, and if we need to be in places that offer different experiences, but I don't regret being here, in the smallest of small towns, at all.

Yesterday we were tucked away again in yet another snow day - the millionth one of 2014.  But you won't hear me complain.  Okay, maybe I will complain a tiny bit because I actually really needed to go into work and do some things.  But nothing that couldn't wait in the scheme of things.

I think part of me actually missed snow while we were gone...and an excuse to stay in my stretchy pants all day.

Earlier yesterday morning the boys went out to play with their Dad in drifts of snow piled on top of already large piles of snow.  At one point I looked out the window and say them playing with the neighbors - running down the sidewalk next to an empty street full of snow.  And I felt so happy.

Today I am thankful we moved to a small town.

The neighbors are friendly.  The neighborhood is safe.  We can walk everywhere we want to go.  Right now, at this moment, it is the best fit for our family..

Day 36: My Dad

My Dad at 26 - Shockingly hard to find a casual picture of him with a shirt on during this era.

When I was 22 my Dad made me get a new car.  Correction - a new to me car. Up until that point I was driving an old black Chevrolet Corsica that my parents had purchased for me with the agreement that I would use it to drive my younger brothers wherever they needed to go, and myself to a job at Tiny's Dairy Barn. 

I really liked that car, and couldn't understand why my Dad suddenly thought I needed to buy a new car with my own money that cost more than twice as much as my beloved Corsica had.  It was swiftly replaced by a Honda Accord that was a pretty nice consolation prize, and that I kept until the day I watched it drive away down my in-laws driveway.  It's a pretty weepy story you can read HERE.  Have tissues handy.

After I got married I spent many of our beginning years complaining about our car.  About how the Corsica had never run out of air in the tires.  The Corsica never had engine trouble.  The Corsica never leaked oil. 

It turns out The Corsica did all those things and I just didn't know it.  What I failed to remember is that The Corsica stranded me a number of times before cell phones were a thing that people carried around in their purse - one of which was (luckily) in front of a payphone on the toll road in the middle of the day when my dad had to leave work to come rescue me.  Allegedly, the Corisca had an entire engine replaced.  Allegedly, The Corsica wasn't awesome at all.

My Dad was.

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday and I hope as I write this he is being showered with lovely cards written by the people he has touched over the years. 

Today I am thankful for my Dad.

The reason my car seemed so perfect is because my Dad took such good care of it without me even realizing it.  The reason I had an safe and loving childhood is because he, along with my Mother, created that. The reason I could call him for help in the middle of the day when I was stranded on the side of the road next to a random payphone on the interstate was because he had written down every single one of the possible phone numbers where he could be reached onto a piece of paper and had stuck it in my wallet. 
He is the reason I can change my own oil and dribble a basketball between my legs.  The reason I love movies and rollerskating.

I think if everyone was lucky enough to have parents as lovely as mine, then there would be a lot more love in the world. 

Day 35: Special Delivery

This week has been filled with special surprise deliveries for me and my family.  A combination of my birthday and just having incredibly thoughtful people in our lives has lead to awesomeness coming at us almost every day via the mailman.

Last week it came in the form of a few care packages from people I love very much.
Yesterday it came in the form of fancy tea and an electric kettle that takes me back to Northern Ireland.
Today it came in the form of a simple but thoughtful birthday gift, and then a huge surprise of dress up clothes and transportation books packed along with RED VELVET M&Ms.  Sweet goodness.

Today I am thankful for these signs that people are thinking of us. 

I feel loved.

Day 34: Reliving

Yesterday we shared about our experience in Northern Ireland in front of our home church.  It was the first time I had talked about it on an open stage to people who knew me before my experience and after.  It could have been stressful and worrisome, but it was fun and relaxed.
People listened attentively and acted interested. 
There was head nodding and encouraging smiles.
It was exactly the audience I would have wanted to have listen to me talk about something so dear to my heart.

Dustin wrote out our talk before we actually shared it. 

If you must know the most simple way in which we are so very different, this sort of sums it up:
In his version there were about three pages of History and 1 paragraph of feelings.
My version was very much the opposite.

When someone asks me to share my experience in 40 minutes or less I can't help but feel cheated. It becomes incredibly emotional for me. 

But at the same time, I do realize that most people don't want to hear the 40+ minute version.  Nobody has time for that. (If you do, call me - we'll go out for coffee.  I promise to ask you questions too.)

Perhaps the reason it becomes so emotional is because it is starting to get dream-like.  We were here, then we were there, now we're here again. 

Did it really happen?

How did the rain feel when it hit my face?

How long until I forget?

The soft whisper of the Croi - I can barely remember.

But I held it together. I talked about Peace Walls and Ray Davey.  I joked about tea trolleys and art activities. 

But then at the very end Dustin had stuck this picture in...

And I just couldn't talk.

Because I miss them, and others like them.  And this was my experience.  

Today I am thankful that I got to relive those emotions.

Even though it makes me sad, it is a feeling.  A very real feeling. Proof that I was there.  Proof that I loved.  Proof that it happened.

Day 33: Super Bowl

Today I did something I haven't done in almost three years - I watched the Superbowl.

Of course, I use the term "watched" loosely.  Anyone who was there could make the argument that I just ate a lot of food and talked about how amazing Red Hot Chili Peppers were.

I would be lying if I said I was a football fan.  Besides the television series, Friday Night Lights, and the drumming of a good pep band in my chest laced with the smell of popcorn and hot chocolate, I really have no attachment to this weekend ritual.

As I told my sister-in-law tonight...I'm going for the tacos.

It's one of those things that is distinctly American and you don't really realize it until you're not living in America.  I remember the some of the volunteers sort of getting geared up for the game, and us trying to explain what makes it fun even if you don't follow football.  I remember actually telling someone that I wanted to make some traditional Superbowl snacks for the game, but didn't know how to because their country didn't have Velveeta.

Have you been to a Superbowl party without Velveeta used in at least one dish?

Today I am thankful for the small nuances that remind me of home.

Whether it's the Superbowl, or authentic Mexican food, or a good Velveeta dish...there are things I do love about living here.

And P. S. Anthony Kiedis KILLED IT at halftime.

That is all. 

Day 32: Plan B

This winter has been filled with altered plans, cancelled plans, and postponed plans.  Plan B has been brought into action multiple times this weekend alone, and yesterday afternoon at work I even had to move on to a Plan C.

My younger self would have gone absolutely nuts.  I hated staying in, hated cancelled plans, and a snow day on the weekend felt like a jail sentence.

Now it feels like a free pass.

A free pass to breath in and out.
A free pass to watch a movie at 11:00 in the morning with my kids.
A free pass from showering or combing my hair.
A free pass from running errands and getting groceries.
A free pass from obligations I didn't even realize I wasn't looking forward to.
A free pass to take a long afternoon nap.

Today I am thankful for Plan B.

It's not always convenient, but for some reason it often comes at the right times.