The Wind is Whipping Wildly at the Window

I was in the mood for a little alliteration.

It’s getting fierce outside, y’all. We’re expecting a thunderstorm later tonight, and of course the weatherpeople make it sound like it’ll be a doozy. I doubt it will be a full-on doozy, maybe more like just a dooz.

I have not been myself this week. Today, Aidan was supposed to wear his “Chapel Uniform”, which means navy CCS shirt and gray shorts or pants. I sent him in his khaki shorts. I haven’t done that in the whole year he has been at CCS. I felt like a dummy. I’ve been distracted, I’ve fallen asleep at random times during the day, I’ve had a non-stop case of the munchies, and no tortilla chip is safe in my presence.

I think it’s the lack of caffeine. I was told by my doctor on Monday to cut out caffeine, and I guess it had a greater effect on me than I thought it did.

So back to what I was saying. Oh, wait…I wasn’t saying anything.

My husband just saw the title to this post and raised his eyebrows at me. It’s a good thing he knew I was weird when we got married.

And now the rain has come in, and any coherent thought I was going to write about (and I promise there were a few) has gone out the window. I’m now going to to watch the weather, because I have sleeping babies upstairs I have to protect.

Because even during an “off” week, that’s one job I won’t mess up.

Making an Impression

Tuesday was a great day. Michael has been teaching a class at a local university and the first six weeks or so are on marriage. I guess he wanted to gain some credibility with the students, so he invited me to come to class with him and dialogue about some “hot topics” and answer questions the students had about marriage issues.

This sort of thing is right up my alley. I love sharing about marriage and encouraging young people to do it God’s way. It has become a passion of mine to take every opportunity to speak Biblical truth about marriage to anyone that will listen. The message that the world conveys about marriage is awful. What God intends marriage to be is unbelievably incredible. I want God to use me to help change how young people view this awesome commitment.

So I dressed up in my new black suit. Side note: I’ve never owned a suit until now. For my birthday, my mom got me the whole jacket/pants/skirt set at the Gap, and I love it so much. I look like I’m going to a job that pays. It’s awesome. I wanted the students to find me credible, and I’ve learned from the little bit of speaking that I’ve done that if you are cleaned up, they’ll at least pay attention for five to ten minutes. So I cleaned up.

The class went really well. We were asked several questions, and I enjoyed giving answers as honestly as I could. Several students wanted to know if we fight. Absolutely we do. But we have learned to fight healthy, and we do not tear each other down in regard to character. We talked a lot about God’s plan for marriage. I was honest about things I struggled with, but how blessed I’ve been by putting everything I’ve got inside of me into making my marriage work. It was a good class, and I am thankful Michael let me be a part of it.

Today, Michael gave the exam on marriage. Before the test, he told the students that their bonus points would be added on if they would write one thing they liked about his wife. (He’s a dork. But a sweet dork.)

I received some really nice comments. Lots of students liked my hair. One guy said I had style. Just about everyone said they appreciated my honesty. One girl said that she’d be embarrassed talking about her personal life in front of people. One man said I was submissive and didn’t take over the class (I have no idea what he expected me to be like. That one made me laugh.) But my favorite, my very favorite was the guy who said, “I liked getting a new perspective, and she’s out of your league.”

He will get a Christmas card this year for making me laugh all day long.

If he (or anyone else) had any idea how insecure I was for years and years about dating “the” Michael Albritton that I’d only seen on the baseball field, they’d know I feel more like he’s out of my league. After eleven and a half years, I still feel honored that he wants to be with me. When Michael became a Christian and was growing by leaps and bounds, and I was stuck in a church rut that I’d been in for years, I felt like he was way out of my league. So that comment today made me laugh because it has always been the opposite for me. I don’t know why the guy said that.

I’m guessing it was the black suit.

Or a burning desire for bonus points.

A Good Choice

I have a good marriage.

A good way to describe our attitude toward our union is, “we ain’t goin’ nowhere else, with nobody else, never.”

Amen.

Anyway, I think I’ve mentioned we’ve had a little sickness in the house this week. It’s been awful. Aidan is in the middle of a nasty relapse. Michael may have progressed from a virus to an infection and can’t breathe to save his life, and has confiscated all blankets for his own personal comforts. The girls felt better today and showed it by being loud.

I’m hanging in there. I’m aware that once I’m tired, I’m as good as gone as far as illness is concerned. So I’m drinking lots and lots of water and vitamin C and praying that God will continue to give me a servant heart, even after six days of sick folks.

So today I was reminded of something that happened a long time ago. (Now I’m referring back to the fact that this is about me and Michael and our marriage, but you needed to know about the sickness for later in the post…and so on and so forth.)

2003: Aidan was a few months old. Our family of three was living in an apartment, and learning how to maneuver life with a new baby. He was a terrible sleeper, and wanted to be held around the clock. We were both exhausted.

I remember one night during that summer, something happened. I don’t remember what it was, but Michael and I had words. Okay, we had a huge fight. I have no idea why, because God is gracious to remove stuff like that from the slate. I do remember a jar of something falling on the floor in the kitchen and breaking, and me saying a word that I don’t think I’d ever said, or have said since. I was furious.

I remember cleaning the floor, and getting in my car and going to the store. I just walked out. We lived right across the street from the store, so I didn’t go far (and in hindsight, I’m amused at myself, because I thought I was being very dramatic) and I just sat there in my car. I left without saying goodbye to him or the baby. I just left in anger and drove away. I sat there in the parking lot and cried and prayed and then made a very important phone call.

To my mom.

I don’t remember what I said to her, but I know it was something about everything being too hard, and I was just so tired, and Michael didn’t understand, and I didn’t have any friends, and poor me, blah, blah, blah.

My mom gently reminded me that I had a family. That things would be hard but life without them would be harder.

I drove back across the street (that’s still funny to me) and walked in the apartment. The man I loved more than I loved breathing in and out was in the nursery, rocking our son. I went in to my two best guys and realized that we have a life. A real life, full of trials and hurts and unfairness. A real life, full of laughing and support and love.

I realized that I wanted nothing else.

So tonight, after a long day of tissue and hot tea, ibuprofen and snuggles, I know that I made the right choice way back then. I am the one, every day since, that receives the blessing.

Four Against One

My whole family is sick.

But not me.

They all “gots da feezer”, according to our littlest sick one, Paisley.

For some crazy reason, I don’t get sick. Michael and I tried to remember when I was sick last. In December, everyone caught the stomach bug and was sick for a full day. I was a little queasy for about two hours.

I think I had a sinus infection last year, but I just got a shot and kept on going, because I had to sing in church.

I use this super-human ability to talk to my children about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and getting exercise. I seriously think that’s what works for me.

They just look at me like they hear me, but don’t understand the words coming out of the hole in my face.

Go ahead, ignore me. I am the one who doesn’t have chills right now.

That’s right, husband o’ mine…I’m talking to you, too.

As I write this, Paisley has padded downstairs in her “zippy suit” (red Superman fleece footie pajamas) and crawled in with us. If I manage to escape “Flu-palooza 2011” unscathed, then it will be a miracle.

Speaking of miracles, one of my best friends had twins today. They came at 28 weeks, so there will be some hospital time for them, but as of this afternoon, they were doing okay. I’m so grateful. I’ve prayed for them since she told me last summer that she was expecting, and I absolutely can’t wait to hug her and check on the little guys.

I just have to kick some flu virus boo-tay first.