The One Where We Said, “I Do.”

It’s been a whole decade. 

While I’m not really surprised, seeing as how there’s nobody else in the world that has the tenacity of Michael to stick with me for this long, I have to admit it’s a little bit surreal to know that I’ve actually built a life with another person. 

Hear that, honey? We’ve BUILT A LIFE. 

Without killing each other. 

I know 10 years is a mere drop in the bucket for many of you. I hope it’s just a drop in the bucket for us! But we’ve had some awesome times in the last 3,650 (give or take a few, I didn’t figure leaps) days and I wouldn’t have traded a minute of my life with him to be anywhere else. 

So let’s celebrate! 

This is Michael, without me. I know he’s in London, but let’s pretend he’s sad and forlorn and quite lonely. 

This is me, without Michael. Apparently, my parents were so desperate for me to find purpose in my life that they enlisted me. 

We needed each other. 

Then after a weird turn of events involving us dating each other’s friends while secretly pining away for one another (that’s not EXACTLY what happened, I just like to pretend it that way. This is my story.) we realized that we had to be together. I think it was the matching pants that did it. 

So we dated, and broke up, and dated, and broke up, and dated, and broke up. 

Then Michael finally got past his issues (which were totally unfounded, because, seriously, who wouldn’t want to enjoy my brilliant conversation and wit on a daily basis?) and proposed. 

There was a picture from that night, but the flash makes us both look like we dipped our faces in baby powder, so never mind. 

Then we registered. We got gifts. We invited. We planned. We picked a honeymoon destination. We went to counseling. We bought furniture. We made HUGE decisions about where we’d live and what we would do. 

Then the day came. The night before had been fun, hanging out with our friends and eating Sonny’s BBQ. My brother sat in my room until the wee hours of the morning while I packed, and I like to think that maybe he was there because he would miss me. My mom and I put the hot rollers in my hair, and headed to the church. We left my car at my grandparents’ house because Michael’s Mustang was the getaway car. We arrived at the church and started getting ready.

This has always been one of my very favorite pictures. These girls were a blast. They are the reason I was not nervous, and in quite a good mood when it was time to hit the aisle. They helped make my day so happy. 

This is while my friend Clark was singing “Love Changes Everything”. Thank you, Alta Woods, for not having the “only Christian songs” rule for weddings. While I support that rule, I am so glad we used that Andrew Lloyd Webber song. 

Here we go! We could not, would not be sentimental before this moment. He had a ceremony to do, and I had perfect eye makeup, courtesy of my cousin/guru, Jenni. So we laughed, we talked about how awesome the music sounded, we joked about how we wanted to get the show on the road. 

Michael and I opted not to see each other before the wedding. I kind of wish now that we had done that, just to do the pictures early, but good grief, I loved seeing his face. Nobody stood up when I came in, per my request. I wanted us to see just each other, and not have to look through the crowd. Michael knows me so well, and specifically asked me not to walk down the aisle waving at everyone, but to try and stay focused on him. At first I found the request a little ridiculous, I mean, it’s my parade, right? But when the doors opened, he never even had to ask. There was nowhere else I wanted to be but right at the front, beside the best person I’ve ever known. 

If I had to change everything about that day, except the groom, of course, and just keep one thing, it would be having my dad do the ceremony. He did a great job, and it was touching and sweet, without being a tear-jerker. 

Oh, and the above picture is the one where Michael thinks my hair looks like Cousin It from The Addams Family, in the episode where he gets a toupee…but he’s quit saying that out loud when he sees it.

And there we go…full of excitement, promise, wishes and a lot of nerves about our future.

Then there was the reception which I hardly remember. Then the run through rose petals, which was sort of fun. Then the awkward pulling away from the church, and the drive where we just didn’t know what to talk about for the first time in the 7 years we’d been friends. It was awesome, scary, funny and overwhelming. 

Then the honeymoon from the depths of Hades, and the move to our first home: an apartment on St. Anthony Avenue in New Orleans. We had to find jobs, and set up house before Michael started school. 

Those years were spent praying for provision and direction. We made so many friends and had some great experiences, and some not so great experiences. For example, we said goodbye to the Mustang:

We were sad about the car being stolen, but our grief was assuaged when we found out we were expecting something else: A BABY! Our world turned sideways when we saw those results. Then Michael finished school,

we moved to Meridian, MS, and 3 weeks later:

Then 20 months later:

Then two and a half years later:

And the rest, they say, is history. Our history. There’s so much more to the story, which already has gotten too long for this post, because there is so much more to us than where we live and what we do and having kids. Everything about Michael has become a part of me, and everything about me is now a part of Michael. We are a unit, cohesive and unbreakable. 

We’ve had thousands of laughs. We’ve discussed everything under the sun. We’ve fought about misunderstandings and miscommunications. We’ve prayed and seen God do amazing things. We have high expectations of our marriage and work hard at it. We are each other’s best friend, and favorite person. 

I may do things on this earth that are pretty good. I have a lot to be proud of, with my kids and an accomplishment here and there. But the thing I am most proud of, and the thing I work hardest at, is this. I love my husband. I have prayed for him since I was 15 years old. It is an honor and privilege to be his wife every day. 

Thanks for hanging with me, buddy. We’re better now than when we first started this deal. God has been so faithful, so good. I give him the glory and praise for everything. Let’s go kick up our heels!

Shrimp, Sand, Surf, Smiles, and NO Sunburn!

I’m still kind of shocked that we pulled it off. 

We took all of our crazy selves to the beach. 

(collective “oh my gosh, they’re nuts!” I understand, I thought so, too!)

We packed up most of our earthly belongings a week and a half ago, and set out down Hwy. 51 into Madison to make a very, very important stop. 

We had to pick up Allie. 

Yes, our sweet friend, Allie, who my kids adore to pieces and who was the reason we all came home reasonably unstressed. She’s 17, funny, smart, sweet, and patient. She fit in with our weirdness immediately, and so far, hasn’t told anybody that we’re insane, to my knowledge. 

We drove to Hattiesburg and had lunch at a very crowded McAllister’s. Then made our way to Biloxi where we found our hotel for the night. Michael had a suite reserved because we had so many people. They made a mistake at the hotel and put us in a smoking room. Now, just in case any of you that read this smoke, that’s your choice. What you put in your lungs is your business. But the rooms stink, and I refuse to stay in one. So the only room they had left was a room with a king bed, a couch bed, and they could bring us two rollaway beds. The room was HUGE. It was more like a studio apartment. The kids jumped from bed to bed for a solid hour. We watched Jonas and Horton Hears a Who. Allie and I bought groceries and Michael went for pizza. It was a fun start to our week. 

The next morning we got up and went to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport. If you have a chance to go, please do. It’s just wonderful. I really enjoyed it more than the Children’s Museum in New Orleans. It was clean, bright, and very interactive. We stayed 4 hours, enjoyed a picnic lunch, and just had a big time. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

This thing was in the middle of the museum. The kids loved it. I hit my head too many times to be crazy about it. 

You paddle in the canoe in front of the green screen…

And you show up on TV!

There was the play supermarket, where Aidan worked the fish counter. Business is slow at the moment…

Molly had to catch the train. If I had a dollar for every time we sang “Boomerang Express” in this little train…I’d buy the museum.

There was so much more. A science area, an area where kids can experience what it’s like to lose one of their senses. There’s a toddler section, and a huge outdoor area with gorgeous tree houses in the old oaks that are so prominent on the coast. It was a wonderful time. 

We drove through a thunderstorm, but finally made it to Alabama’s coast, and our condo. The rain stopped, so the kids quickly put on swimsuits and headed out. This was Paisley’s first view of the beach! 

And she quickly leaped into her daddy’s arms, because she didn’t like sand on her feet. 

The older kids, however, had a LARGE time. They stayed outside until dark. 

The rest of the trip looks pretty much like this: we played on the beach. I tried to introduce the guy we rented our chairs from to Allie because he was cute. We ate a lot of seafood and sandwiches. We stayed up late because we stayed on the beach until dark. We came in every afternoon and napped. Allie and I hit the outlet mall and I got a great dress and one of those straw cowboy hats that makes me look like I’m going to a Kenny Chesney concert. I packed clothes for a family picture, but it never happened. We got one, though. And since I’m standing behind Michael, it’s the only picture you’ll ever see of me in a swimsuit. 

This was bright and early one morning, before we all got wet. Having Allie there was brilliant, she could play on the beach while Michael and I swam, or could take Paisley to the pool, where she was happiest. It was a great decision to bring her, and I loved getting to know her better. 

This dude gave us his body board, and we LOVED it. The waves on Wednesday were huge, this picture doesn’t do them justice. Michael stayed in the water most of the day. They were easily 10 feet tall, and so much fun!

And this is proof that you can have too much fun. 

I got a sinus infection on Wednesday. We drove home on Thursday and before Michael even took Allie home, he dropped me off at MEA to get a shot and a Z-Pack. I was feeling better by bedtime, but that drive home had been rough! 

Now all the sand is washed out of our suits, the coolers are stowed away. We’ve been home almost a week now and I’m craving just one or two more days of sunshine and sea. 

Summer’s not over yet….

She’s Always Good for Reminders

I have a cousin named Sarah. She’s smart, funny, cute, athletic, super-talented, sure of herself, a great wife and mom, and a friend. Her birthday was last week, and I was at the beach. I was sitting on my rented chair thinking about how it was her birthday and I needed to call, but then I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I had a sinus infection and all thoughts of birthday greetings flew out the window. 

So I sent her a belated text, and her response let me know I was forgiven. Whew!

Late last night, I got an email from her asking if I was going to put the beach pics up on the blog. I laughed and wrote back that if she’d join Facebook, she’d have seen them by now! She’s not joining Facebook, she’s stubborn that way. But she may be one of the last few folks who check the blog regularly, so I told her I’d be putting the pics up shortly. 

I just said all of that to say: We went to the beach, there are pictures, and they will be here soon. I can’t figure out a fast way to post pics on the blog, so I put it off until I have lots of time. 

Now back to Sarah. I’m glad she’s my friend. I’m glad she’s my family. She makes me laugh, and her son Tyler may be one of the cutest little boys I’ve ever known. I miss her, she moved to Florida a while back, and I love it when we talk on the phone now and then. 

When we were growing up, she was always treated as “the responsible one” because she was the oldest, and had to make Jenni and I behave. But she was secretly as crazy as we were, she just knew how to hide it for the grownups. Some of the best jokes I’ve ever played, I played on her, and she always retaliated tenfold. 

She fell in love with Jason right after high school, and we all knew that he was it for her. He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever known. They are just right for each other. Through everything they’ve been through, they’ve stuck closely together, relying on God to be their guide. I’m proud to be family with people like that. 

So happy late birthday, sweet Sarah. I love you, and I’m glad you’re you. I’ll get those pictures up, but you still need to join Facebook. I’m just sayin’.

(This was her favorite Christmas present, EVER.)

Freedom.

I do not consider myself an overly patriotic person. I love my country dearly, and would not live anywhere else. But I don’t wear tshirts with flags on them, strictly from a fashion perspective, I’m not making a statement. I don’t get into patriotic country songs, I change the channel when they’re on. I have so much respect and admiration for anyone who has served our country. I appreciate all they are doing and have done. But I just don’t make public displays of patriotism. 

I guess there’s really no big reason, except that I always have put my relationship with God over my status as a citizen. I feel more comfortable claiming Christ than claiming to be an American. I choose to cling to the infallible, rather than the extremely fallible. It’s nothing personal against America, it’s just who I am and the decision I’ve made. 

And I’m free to do that. 

Freedom is a big issue for me. I mean, what are we truly free from? I think about this from a spiritual perspective: free from guilt, shame, eternal punishment, fear, sadness, strongholds and ultimately, death and an eternity in hell. There are so many other things I could have named. Knowing that I’m free from all of that makes me so thankful. 

I can make mistakes and know that I am forgiven and free from the guilt that could attack me for the rest of my life on earth. How awesome. I can face enormous obstacles knowing I’m free from the fear that comes with the unknown. That humbles the mess out of me. 

Freedom can be misinterpreted as free-for-all. Again, from a spiritual perspective, this is a dangerous misconception. I believe we are free from all of the things that are not of God, but I also believe that we should live within the parameters that the Bible has set for us. We are free to be who God wants us to be, but with that freedom come responsibility. (I know that sounds like Spiderman). I am free to live how I want, and at the same time, I have the responsibility to be a representative of Christ wherever I go. I don’t know what that means for you. God works in each of us in different ways. I make my decisions based on what I think God would want me to do. I don’t always, or even mostly, make the right decisions, but I try to keep my motives pure and heart in the right place. I think about my kids and the influence I have on them. I want them to be taught correctly and with honesty. I want them to know freedom and acceptance, while knowing that there are some actions that don’t honor God. It’s a hard, difficult responsibilty to balance all of it, which is why so many people just choose to live a “good life” and just get by with being a nice person. I can’t do that. I believe that Jesus died out of such a whole, complete love for us that it should be a natural response for me to love him in return with my actions. 

So tomorrow, while my family and I celebrate our independence as a nation, I’ll be thankful for my independence from the strongholds of sin. I’ll be thankful for the one who died so that I’ll never be enslaved again. I love my country, I’m proud to be an American. I love my Jesus and I’m proud to be his child. 

God bless America.

I’m Here To Help

In this week of HUGE news…I would not be a good friend if I didn’t share this little tidbit with you. 

GAP is relaunching their jeans line this fall, and so right now, this weekend, a whole bunch of their men’s and women’s jeans are…

19.99!

So if you’re a fan of the Essential Curvy, the Long and Lean, or my fave, the Mid-Rise Boot Cut…head on over. 

I’m sure there were other types too, I just didn’t look that long. It was closing time, and Michael and I were busy doing the happy dance over finding jeans that fit my “I had 3 babies and love rice krispy treats too much” body. 

The lady said the 19.99 wouldn’t last long, then they’d go back to a “regular sale price”, whatever that means. 

Enjoy! (Oh, and the tank tops are still 10 bucks each. I have 7, and could still use about 4 more. They are that wonderful.)

Maybe I Should Watch Steel Magnolias

I need a good cry.

Do you get like that? I just feel so emotionally and physically strung out. 

I think if I could just sob for a few minutes, and get it out of my system, I’d be fine. But I don’t have any tear triggers available right now. The news is on, and Rob Jay is attempting a sportscast. Maybe that will make me cry. 

Have I ever told you that I hosted a beauty pageant with him? That was a rough night. He showed up almost an hour late, parked right in front of the school, and acted like a diva. The roof leaked in the auditorium and there was a storm outside. He moved out of the way of the leak, which left me, in my formal dress, having to stand directly under the constant drip, drip, drip of rain. In a formal dress, that I had BORROWED, by the way. I’m still holding a grudge. 

I needed to cry that night, too. 

Aidan got the pinkeye. I’m so upset about this. Partly because I don’t want him to be sick, but also because I worked for hours today, cleaning, scrubbing, wiping, mopping. I washed all the sheets, and now I have to wash his again tomorrow morning. It feels like a mean joke. 

Vacation is 3 days away. Michael comes home tomorrow. We’re going to get our groceries on Friday, and pack up on Saturday. I’m praying hard that nobody else gets sick. We’re taking a sweet friend with us to help with the kids, and I’d die if we had germs in the van. 

Besides the cry, I could use a good dose of peace. I feel overwhelmed with so many things to do to get ready to leave. I also feel the responsibility of leaving the house perfect so it can be shown while we’re gone. Not that anybody’s going to look, but I have to do my part, regardless. 

Since this post couldn’t possible get any more negative, let’s brighten things up with pics from Paisley’s party on Saturday. Mostly, can I share with you the food? I was so proud of this spread, I worked hard on it. 

See those cupcakes? My labor of love, those little babies. 

She was so fun that day. She realized it was all for her while we were singing. When she heard her name during the song, she lit up and grinned. I’m so glad she had her turn for a fun day. 

I just heard on Conan that they’re raising the number of best picture nominees from 5 to 10. That’s awful for someone like me, who has seen one movie all year. I loved Hannah Montana, but I don’t think it will be among the 10, and that makes me a little sad. 

Oh, speaking of movies! Michael has been working in Wisconsin, you know? Well, he’s staying in Iowa, across the Mississippi River. He found out today that the movie site for Field of Dreams is about 20 miles from where he is! He’s got some time tomorrow before he flies out, he’s going to try to go visit the house and baseball field. That’s so cool. He loves that movie. Maybe I should watch that, I’d definitely cry. 

I miss him pretty badly. Maybe “if I cry, he will come home”. 

Lame joke, but I had to tie this all together somehow.

He’d Better Bring Home Some Cheese

Michael is in Wisconsin. I think those of us (meaning me) left behind should get a big chunk of cheddar out of the deal. 

I’ve put Paiz in the bed 6 times. This is actually an improvement. 

I slept in 3 one hour spurts last night. I’m really tired, again. 

Tomorrow, the kids are going to school. I wish I could spend that day shopping for vacation, or looking for an outfit for our 10 year anniversary date, or taking a long nap. But no…I’m hanging out with my bucket of Clorox and some Pine-Sol and getting this place back in order. 

I read today that my 3 favorite bloggers that I don’t know all spent the weekend together. Big Mama, Boo Mama and another blogger went to The Pioneer Woman’s ranch. If you don’t read their blogs, you should. They are stinkin’ delightful. I’m working on not being jealous. Her Lodge at the ranch is muy fabuloso. 

I think Paiz is down for the count. Now maybe I can turn the light on. I feel weird sitting here in the dark. 

Last week, we went swimming at my aunt’s house in Clinton. Here’s the evidence:

I personally really think this is a cool move. Not sure what’s going on here, but he looks kinda wicked. 

Cannonball!!!!!!

And this was right after I said, “dude, you’re gonna need a compressor for that big thing.” He attempted to blow it up anyway, and when he started to pass out, he realized I was right. Just kidding on the passing out. He just waited for Paiz to find something else to be interested in. 

Sleep is about to overtake me. I want to hold out to watch Conan on The Tonight Show. I have no idea why I think he’s so funny, but he absolutely cracks me up. So I’m going to get ready for bed now. That way, if I fall asleep while I’m watching the show, at least I’ll fall asleep laughing.

Bone Tired

I’m not responsible for anything wacky that is posted tonight. I’m too tired to think straight. 

VBS was wonderful. My kids had a blast. Michael had a blast. I had a blast. We’re 5 for 5. 

I had an opportunity to share Christ with a kid who is looking for some answers. We had a great talk. I’m praying for him. 

Paisley celebrated the joy of being 2 today. There was lots of water, friends, and fun. I worked my tail off, and then sweated off the rest of me, but it was worth every minute. 

I have had NO time to get anything for Father’s Day. I am a terrible daughter, and wife. Maybe next week…

But last year, I wrote this about my husband and dad.

I still mean every word.

A Good Word

Today’s sermon was about prayer. Ronnie is preaching through the spiritual disciplines and today was Prayer day. I took notes and hung on every word, because we’ve been praying about a specific thing for months now, and nothing has happened. I am feeling discouraged and wanted some thoughts on what to do about it. 

So Ronnie tells us today that prayer is expected. Prayer is learned, and prayer is answered. It was a really great message. 

At lunch today I told him how much the sermon meant to me. I told him that selling our house has been a much bigger test of our faith than we thought it would be. I just honestly don’t know why it hasn’t sold. I know it’s a slow market, but I guess I just really thought that God would have sold it by now, because that makes sense to me. 

I have thought all along that surely God knows that my son needs to be in public school for first grade. Surely I’m not called to homeschool. Surely God doesn’t want me to pay the registration fee for the girls’ preschool so I can be home with Aidan, and then if the house does sell, we’d lose that money. Those are all things that will have to happen if the house doesn’t sell, and it just doesn’t make sense to me why God would want that for us. 

But I’m not God. 

So I’m willing to do what he tells me to do, although so far, I haven’t felt like homeschooling is the answer. I have no idea what will happen here, but I learned today that I must not stop praying about it, just because so far, the answer doesn’t make sense to my human logic. I’ve got to pray, because prayer changes me. Prayer, that constant communication with God, keeps me close to him, therefore it’s easier to accept those things that I just don’t understand. 

Let me give you some background as to why we’re here in the first place. When Michael first got the job he has now, we were thrilled with how God was providing for us, and the whole reason he does what he does is so I can be home. The job was a great situation. We had 2 little kids with no plans for 3, and could make it fine on his entry level salary. 

He commuted from our little rental house in Jackson for a few months, and that got old very fast. We knew we needed to be in Madison county. We started house hunting, and realized quickly that we could not afford a house in Madison with just one of us working. So we found a cute little gray house in Canton that met all of our needs, except for the school district. I knew it was a risk, but I also thought we’d just move in a few years, no problem. Right after we got a contract on the house, I found out that Paisley was on her way. We accepted that we’d just have to squeeze for a year or so and make it work. 

Living here has been wonderful. Michael comes home for lunch every day. He is home quickly after work. We can go by and see him anytime. If I have to run an errand, he can come home for a few minutes. It has blessed us so completely. We have a huge yard, and no neighbors. My kids can run and play and ride bikes to their hearts’ content. 

But school is imminent. I really want Aidan to be in a classroom. Plus, my girls are busting at the seams now. Molly asks daily for her own room. We all squeeze into the tiny downstairs bathroom to brush teeth at night because the kids would rather use ours than theirs upstairs. It’s just getting a little cramped. 

So I’m praying. I know God will answer. He is my father, and he will take care of me. He has never made a mistake or done anything wrong. He is perfect, and his plan is perfect. I will continue to pray, to know his heart and his will better. 

And I’ll be thankful for our little gray house in the almost-country and be the best homeschool mom ever, if that’s what he wants. 

V-Very, B-Busy, S-Summer!

Right this minute Michael and I are side by side in the bed, each with a laptop. He’s looking up Thomas trains on Ebay and I’m talking to you guys. 

Thomas trains may be the best toys we’ve ever bought. Aidan got his first one before he was 2, and has played with them off and on for the last 5 years. That’s some serious toy longevity. Paisley likes them, too. She goes to her big brother, takes his hand and says “Choo Choo Bubba!”, then they go upstairs and build a track and she knocks it down. 

Yep, we’re just kickin’ it around here this summer. 

We’ve been to the park a lot. I am loving life at the park these days. I can go sit with my friends in the shade and my kids can run around without Mama having to follow them every step. I’ve waited for this for years. 

We spent today at my Aunt Peggy’s house, playing in the pool all afternoon. We did cannonball contests and had a big time. I love the water. I love swimming races with Michael. The kids cheer and yell for both of us. Michael always wins in the underwater swimming. I always win in backstroke. Neither of us are Phelpsian by any means, but we have a great time. I love splashing, jumping, swimming, and just lying completely still on a raft, and blocking out the sounds of the kids. The water is definitely my favorite part of summer. 

My other favorite part starts on Monday. Vacation Bible School! I think there may have been only one summer of my entire life that I didn’t do VBS. When Michael and I were newlyweds and didn’t really have a church home, we didn’t do it. But I have either been a participant, a helper, a teacher, a food preparer, or a worship rally leader every other year that I can think of. I’ve danced to the Rickshaw Rally, gone on a Ramblin’ Road trip, paddled to Outrigger Island and everything else. 

I get so excited about it. I try to put as much into it as I want the kids to get out of it. I mean, that’s the point, right? I don’t think it’s ever about the theme, or the decorations, or the music, although those things are awesome. I think it’s about a whole slew of kids seeing Christ demonstrated in the lives of the adults leading. I don’t want the kids in my room to say, “yeah, it was fun. my friends are cool. we did cool stuff. the teachers did their job.” I want them to see me excited about what they’re excited about. I want them to see me not afraid to act like a maniac, if it gets their attention and helps them to realize that adults really do care about what is going on in their hearts. 

I want to go home every day and say, “that was fun!” It’s a personal challenge to myself every year: how hard can I laugh? How passionately can I convey God’s Word? How off the wall can I act to get them to understand that the Christian life is a blast! 

Last year, I got to sit down and tell my sweet 5th and 6th graders about how God made me and how there are some things about me that are not quite like everybody else. I was talking about my arms, legs and the other little quirky things about my body. I then shared with them how God created me to worship him, and whether my arms are bent or straight, I will raise them in praise regardless of what they look like. It was an experience I won’t forget. I felt like they understood feeling different or weird. I think they “got it”. I pray that God used what I said to maybe calm an insecurity or two. 

So I’m pumped up about this week. I want to see some kids meet Christ, and know it’s for real. I want my own children to have a wonderful time, and be completely exhausted at the end of each day (wishful thinking). I want Michael, who is so great to come work this year, to teach the Word every day in such a way that the kids see Jesus. I want to have the energy and enthusiasm so that they’ll know that Mrs. Anne cares immensely about the state of their precious hearts. 

After 31 years in the VBS business, I always get way more than I give. It’s a great investment, no matter how you look at it.