Frugally Fighting Monotony

Had a quick whirlwind weekend to my in-laws in Massachusetts for Easter. We don't go visit often enough but when we do it's always a bittersweet walk down memory lane for my husband. His dad still lives in the house in the same neighborhood he grew up in. Joel has so many memories of his childhood friends, the little traditions they came up with and ALWAYS remembered (honking twice and waving at one friend's house, for instance!) and it always leaves him a little bit reflective and melancholy. Because...he's a grown up now. He remembers how life used to be. It's not that our life isn't happy....it can just seem a little monotonous sometimes....go to work, go home, try to relax, go to sleep, get up, go to work.....we feel beat up by the mundane cycle of routine.

On our way back I had an idea, the whole drive back (including getting stuck in traffic) we brainstormed some crazy little activities that we could use for a date night or any day that we wanted to break out of the normal routine. Took a little doing to think outside the box but I'm proud of what we've come up with. Things like:

- go to a restaraunt we've never been to
- put on loud music and dance around the house
- memorize a Scripture verse together
- go to a store and pick out mushy cards for each other and then put them back (that's courtesy of my frugalista aunt, awesome idea!)
- grab the guitar and go down to the lake to sing praise songs at night
- make a fort in the living room (seriously, who didn't make a fort when they were little!)
- write an encouraging note on a dollar bill and then go spend it
- make up a new word and use it
- draw a picture of heaven
and one I think will go down in the history books of good memories with Joel and Elena....
- learn how to say "Excuse me, you're sitting on my sandwich!" in 3 different languages!!!

These are just a few! We've agreed that whenever we decide to pull a card we HAVE to do what it says even if it's not convenient. There are so many things on our minds lately, the tragic death of a co-worker, flooding, marriages in turmoil....we need to give ourselves ways to let go and have fun. I want to be able to look back on my life and marriage and be able to say, we tried hard, screwed up a lot, but we sure did have fun together!

I love you, Joel, always, no matter what.

In hopeful anticipation

Do you feel it? Do you get the sense that something good is coming? When I'm not focusing on all the mundane and trivial things of the here and now, I stop and I feel it. Good things are coming....the flowers are pushing their way up out of the soil, the air is getting a little warmer, new lives are being birthed all around us.

I'm thinking of my beautiful friend, Jill, and her girls. I remember at exactly this time 6 years ago, I was a senior in college, anticipating and eagerly working towards my Senior Art Exhibit and graduation. She was at the end of her third trimester, eagerly anticipating the birth of her first baby girl. We shared in each other's joy and accomplishment. We looked forward with expectancy and trepidation to how our lives would change in this new season. We had tremendous hope.

Now my wonderful friend Aimee is eagerly anticipating her first baby. A bouncing baby boy. As I gather a care package to send to her...I find myself excited. Eager. Hopeful. For a new little person to enter the world, bringing joy and blessing to his parents.

But even more than the weather and new life....I'm anticipating the Easter holiday. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection/Easter Sunday....for some reason I look forward to the celebration more this year. Maybe it's because this year I've had my share of sorrow. Maybe it's because I've started looking forward to celebrations and remembrances. Maybe it's because my heart's cry is for more of Jesus. How I would have loved to be amongst the women that saw their glorified Savior. I can just imagine the tears, the fear, the excitement when I tried to tell the others of what I had seen and experienced. And how I would want to cling desperately to Him when said He was leaving....only to come back one day. I have experienced the resurrected presence of the living God. And I want more. If you ever see me crying, shaking, stumbling over myself trying to tell you about Him....it's because my words could never do justice to who He is and the love he has for us. But I desperately want you to know.

Most of the time you'll see me doing completely mundane things, going to work, cooking food, taking care of my home, doing laundry.....but I have a little secret. I know there's more! I have the complete assurance and utter HOPE of more! This isn't all there is for me....

What will we celebrate this spring? What will we fix our hopeful, tender hearts on?