Tag: men

Steak Night

Tonight was steak night for my man’s other rodeo committee. We had a great time. And the steak and the rest of the food truly was awesome.

Tonight was, apparently, also the ‘run into everybody by odd coincidence’ night. I just happened today see an old buddy getting out of his car as I walked up to the committee tent. He had no association with the committee until just this year, so I was surprised to see him. But I was not surprised to see him, because his mom had just posted on Facebook about how he was doing so much with the rodeo this year, and I had wondered just today what she’d meant by that. So, I got to ask him and found out.

The people who eventually sat with us at our table and stayed – others came and ate and left, that buddy and his girlfriend included, but they came back way later – not only were tied to girls form my high school, but my mom had run into one of those girls last weekend at something else entirely. I was able to tell them something their niece had done that they hadn’t been yet known. (Good, not bad stuff.) And then, come to find out, these people live down the street from and know reasonably well my sister… and her husband.

Now, my sister’s husband does this po’dunk country growling kind of mumbling yell whenever he’s fussing at the kids or at the baseball boys or, well, yelling in general at times. Somehow, within fifteen seconds of their learning who my sister was, both of the men, who are brothers, and my man are all standing over the table in a sort of crouch, imitating very effectively this growling-mumbling-yell that my sister’s husband does. And, frankly, it was hilarious. 😛

Anyway, now I must sleep. Early rodeo shift for me tomorrow morning. Goodnight!

Post-a-day 2023

So many hats

What does one do with 20-30 baseball hats? And he wears them, he does. Some he wears quite often, others just often, and some rarely, but he wears them all. The question is: Where do we store all these hats, and how?

He tried a little hanging bar with clips. For one thing, I don’t like clipping the hats. It seems uncomfortable for them, somehow. Yes, I am fully aware that they are hats and not living beings. However, could you imagine any material, living or dead, surviving unscathed from metal claw clips holding them, hanging all its weight in those claws, for most of its life? I think not. So, let’s not hurt the hats. For another point, though, that bar only really fits five or six hats comfortably, anyway. We aren’t putting those bars all over the house or all up and down any single wall, either.

So, the bar idea doesn’t really work.

We could put a shelf and line the whole top of the bedroom with them, like wallpaper decoration. But I doubt I would find comfort and relaxation in thirty baseball hats staring at me every night, so that’s unlikely to work.

I have all my hats in a single box, just a bit sorbet than a shoebox. They’re all lined up, one in front of the other, overlapping comfortably, all sitting in the open-topped box on a shelf in my closet. But I only have about six or seven, ten at most. He has at least triple that… perhaps something like that could work, but we don’t want to pack them away to where he can never see them easily. He’d never end up wearing any of them that way. Perhaps I can find a way to set them up like that, but on shelves somewhere easily accessed, yet still out of the way… hmm…

What do you think, eh? Because I definitely don’t want them scattered throughout the house forevermore. What to do with thirty-ish baseball hats???

Post-a-day 2023

Getting ready

Family is coming over tomorrow for dinner. We spent today doing things on each of our to-do lists (which I had made the day before yesterday). Still no gas, so we have new oil space heaters from The Home Depot that he picked up during his several errands today. We have cute, seasonal-ish tissue boxes around the living space, now. I reasonably handled everything that I’d brought from the apartment, and so the dining room is cleared out and cleaned up. I handled whatever else I’d had sitting around the living spaces. I got my man to help remove the broken tiny lightbulb in the little chandelier in the dining room, and then replaced it with the brighter bulb and put the thing back together – looks and works great now. I set up the red and white towels and napkins and dish towels and rugs my mom dropped off yesterday for us to use as Christmas decor… and then I took most of them back down and out them in the washer, as they had obviously been in the storage unit for a few years (or more), based on their feel and sniff-scent (which is when you only can smell it up close, not a radiating scent). I poured the kettle of boiling water into the freezing cold wash, just to help however I could. Then I hung them all out to dry overnight. The big towels are resting atop parts of the oil heaters now, as they are big fluffy towels that likely wouldn’t be dry by tomorrow afternoon otherwise. (And yes, I know what I’m doing here, as I spent years drying my clothes on such heaters. Never cover the front part.) I set up the decorations I liked from the tubs my man pulled down from storage in the garage, including a little village and two tree skirts – yes, I did the one, then found a nicer one, and so put it just in top of the other, saving the effort of picking it back up – and a funky punching-bag-looking, triangular sandbag Santa and a few other little things to put around the house.

I also made a wreath from the scraps I’d picked up the other day at the Christmas tree lot. Hopefully, we can find the old door hook and hang it on the front door tomorrow.

And I wrapped all the little gifts I’d had stashed for my man, and I put them under the tree, atop the pretty little skirt.

I set up the two power strips for the village and for the lamps and internet extension and tree lights. And I put lights on the tree, as well as a single ornament I’d found of a red fire truck, old style, and a few candy canes. I left the rest of the canes for my man to dress the tree, though. I’d wanted to decode it together, but realized that neither of us has any ornaments, anyway. So, candy canes, down separately will do. He was in the room when I did the lights and candy canes, anyway. Sure, he was vacuuming, but it counted well enough for this hurried night of to-dos.

Oh, and I also put away and tidied some clothes in the spare room, put some things away, put some things in the give-away pile, made a Santa hat for our St. Francis statue in the kitchen, put various beverages tidily in our outside fridge, cleaned up the drink area of the garage, and fed us a bit.

My man ran a bunch of errands, handling a lot of important stuff for us both, and giving the dog a fun adventure. He put the stove back in its nook against the wall (even though it doesn’t have any gas yet). He built what I estimate to be about 35 feet of fence on the side of the house – and it looks good. He pulled out all the Christmas lights for the house, starting to sort them and ready them. He tidied his stuff a bit on our back patio, and a bit in the house, too. He helped me light our Advent candles on our newly-placed-out advent wreath from my mom, while I sang the lovely German song for lighting the Advent candles (and he joined for the last chorus!). And now he’s at the gym, working out and then taking a hot shower.

Tomorrow, I have to tidy the office, especially my desk; put away the hang-upside-down board (obviously, the right words are not coming to me so late at night right now…Inversion table! Got it!); wash dishes with my ridiculous boil-pour-dip method of using the water kettle to handle our lack of hot water; set up the German cookies and chocolates I got; clean all surfaces; work – yep, still have to get those few hours of coding stuff in!; take a nap; fold the napkins and put all the towels back, once all are dried… and that might be it…. Oh, and hang up the wreath on the front door! I also would like to tidy more in the spare bedroom, and handle finishing touches on everything.

My man has to work his whole work day – he’d have taken the day off, but his boss is already off tomorrow, so he’s just rolling with it – and he also has to put up the Christmas lights on the house, finish tidying in the back, and finish tidying his things inside the house. Hopefully, he’ll also get a nap!

We can do it. I know we can. God, please, help us do it with grace and ease, if you will. Thank you for everything. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Surprise!

The test was nothing like anticipated, and was actually kind of ridiculously easy for me, as it played well to my strengths. I believe several people struggled, but I had minimal struggle – I aimed for perfecting the movements, while, it seemed, most others aimed simply to be able to do the movements. It was a surprise and a bit of a relief, as well as a touch disappointing. I was looking forward to the hard kick test of which I had heard for years. But it wasn’t meant to be. The head guy decided, for some reason, to do it all differently this time.

Perhaps they will decide that it wasn’t hard enough for us, and so will do their own version of it on us in February… only time shall tell!! But that’s how it all went today – simple and easy.

And I trust that it was perfect that way. Thank you, God.

…..

Separately, have you ever had something happen, and felt a need to speak up about it, though felt embarrassed or ashamed to have to bring it up in the first place? Yeah… I have one of those things that I now want and need to address, and am also scared to address. But I have reached out to the appropriate person, and will have that conversation with her tomorrow, and ask for her guidance on how to proceed with the situation as a whole. Hopefully, it was all intended as harmless. However, I still need to speak up about it and communicate that it wasn’t acceptable. (Yikes, I know. Prayers for successful communication appreciated.)

God, guide me clearly, please, and give me the ease and purpose and words needed for this situation to sort out beautifully and with you newly at its heart. In your name, I pray. Help me, please. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

10k

Do our run, get an event shirt that’s retail value is only one dollar less than your entry fee. Eat some bananas and RX Bars and churros after the finish line. Do our free yoga class afterward to stretch yourself out, and take the $88 mat you used home for free.

Not bad, lululemon. Not bad at all for your first effort at a run in Houston. We accept ad we thank you for the event.

P.S. My man got himself the fastest time he’s ever gotten on a 10k today, and he didn’t even prep. He signed up late, did a two-mile run earlier this week, and hoped for the best in his shorts, tank top, light sweater thing, and gloves in the sudden near-freezing temperatures. And he did his best, quite literally. Super proud of him, and grateful to have him be with me in this beautiful, wonderful, awe-inspiring life.

Post-a-day 2022

It’s Friday night…

And I juust-juust-juuust-juuust-juuuuuuuust Got Paid!

Anyone recognize that early 2000s jam right there? It occurred to me on my way home this afternoon after school that it was the last day of the month – thus my reason for taking the scooter to get its state inspection at the time – and so 1)October starts tomorrow(!!) and 2)I must have gotten paid today. And then it hit me that today is also Friday… and then the song hit big time with great haste.

After I got home, when my man was with me and almost finished with his own work for the day – he works remotely – I just had to play the song. So, I blasted it as a surprise for him. It was wonderful and ridiculous and stupid and genius all at once.

Thank you, God, for such a silly and amazing time. Amen.

Then, when he finished working, we goofed off a bit before heading to the driving range. My mom and stepdad then stopped by the range to give us some petit fours from Louisiana, where they had just taken a small vacation, and some October Louisiana beers for us and my brother and sister-in-law. We chatted for a while and it was awesome.

But he time they finally left, the sun was getting close to setting, and my brother was finishing at his event for school, and so he came and joined us at the range and even hit some balls with us. Then he and my man enjoyed two of those not-cold beers from my mom as we all just hung out after the balls were all used up, and we waited for a table at the wings restaurant we had planned to visit for dinner. (We had checked in online, and the wait was over an hour still.)

After a while, we gave up watching the poor tactics of the ball carts, and headed to use our coupons for free wings that we had gotten at the Astros game for a player having stolen a base. And we had a grand ole time at the restaurant, being idiots as usual.

The whole evening was just really awesome tonight, and I am immensely grateful. Thank you, God, for such fun and fellowship and love. Thank you. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

A strained refrain – Refrain the strain?

When did the cute stop being cute?
When did the adorable
Become annoying?
The laughter that once
Filled the days and the nights,
When did it turn
To rude quips,
To snaps,
To frustrated sighs?
And when,
Oh, when
Did the shivers of delight,
Utter excite (ment)
Turn to crying at night
And wanting just to walk
Away,
So I stop causing
Such strain,
Such hassle,
Such pains?

But, really,
The question isn’t, “When?”
It is, “Why?”

And the answer
Is that I deCIDED.
I cut off all chances
Those wonderful things
Had at surviving,
Let alone thriving…

And,
While that is so sad,
So terrible to hear,
What’s wonderful about it
Is that I</> decided it all…
And so I</> can let it all go,
And choose sonething new.

I can create new life.

Post-a-day 2022

P.S. Happy birthday today to baby Grace!!

She has arrived!

She is here and we have her and it has been awesome! I actually cried when I picked her up at the airport, and very unexpectedly so. It both surprised me and didn’t. I really love and have missed getting to spend time with my step-sister these past several years. And I am so grateful that my man gave me such an amazing opportunity – I think he has only a glimpse of how significant and valuable this is to me and to my family – and that my step-sister said, ‘Yes’!

Thank you, God, for such amazing blessings. Please, help us to pursue your will and to be our best selves through it all – keep us safe, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Tired of late night hurries

I used to start getting ready for bed around 6pm. I would awaken around four or four-thirty in the morning, decently rested and awake, and I would gather my clothes and head downstairs to get ready for and to go to the gym for the 5:15am workout. And I’d do the same thing most weekdays, and only stay up a bit later on Friday and Saturday nights, maybe going to sleep around midnight or 11pm instead of around 8 or 8:30pm.

But I met a man, and I feel like I haven’t been “normal” ever since. I rush to get ready for bed late at night now, lucky if I can get to sleep before midnight. I don’t get to take time reading before bed. One-sentence minimum, then move on – got to hurry, so I can sleep as much as possible…

And I don’t like it. And I believe he doesn’t like it either. How do we figure this out?

Oh, God, please, grant us the clarity as to how to manage our schedules such that we both sleep well each night and awaken refreshed each morning, and we are fully able and prepared to be our best selves – who you made us to be – every day. In your name, I pray with gratitude. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022