v for vacation
We leave tomorrow for vacation.
“You just got back from America! Wasn’t that a vacation?” you ask. Hmmm… 18-hour days, with sometimes 6 back-to-back meetings/speaking engagements, and a rigorous ministry schedule isn’t what I call vacation.
This past trip was a ministry one, with us having a few days off to spend with family and friends. Tomorrow we leave for a month-long personal trip, with a few days off for ministry.
This is the first time we have ever done anything like this. It feels almost…weird. But exciting. Definitely exciting.
We are heading to the States with some South African friends of ours. We will be in New York, Florida, Michigan, Seattle, and…Hawaii. (Hence, my daydream…) I cannot wait!
When my friend Amy came to visit us in New York, she taught us her getaway-bound mantra, “V for Vacation!”, which she excitedly pronounces with her fingers in the shape of the letter “V”. We quickly picked up on this and have been declaring “V for Vacation” in excited anticipation of our departure!
I’m fairly confident I’ll end up with a lot more “V for Vacation” pictures by the time this month is over!
happiness is…
…day-dreaming of Hawaii.perfect timing
Last week, on a day when I was feeling absolutely horrible, Niel’s mom came by with a mail delivery. Amidst the stack of bank statements and junk mail, I saw a card envelope. I just knew it was a card from my mom. I grabbed for it, and saw her very-familiar, feel-like-home handwriting on the envelope.
I opened it to read:
“Few things are worse than being in a hug position with no one to hug. Miss you!!!”
Although I burst into tears, I was so glad. So glad to have a mom who loves me and misses me. So glad I have a God who navigated the mail system to get the card to me right when I needed it!
Thanks, Mom! Thanks, God!
squeeze squeeze squeeze
I squeezed her hand anyway. Every time I sat down in that chair, I squeezed her hand three times. That meant “I love you”. Maggs knew that. Throughout our dating and married life, three squeezes of any kind always meant “I love you”. And the person getting squeezed squeezed back either two or four times. Two squeezes meant “Me too” and four, “I love you too”.
I smiled as I read this in a novel I recently finished; Niel and I do this exact thing with each other. And it seemed the perfect description of our silent love gestures.
Do you and your certain someone do the “three squeeze hand hug”, too? Or have any other special things like that?
Don’t forget to squeeze your loved one today…
happiness is…
…Tivo!iShare…
iJust got home from a full week of travels and fun. And a little “work”. After a week away, iFind it difficult to blog. Not because it was a boring time, but because it was filled with so much. iFind it hard to nail down a story or two to share.
Since iArrived in the States in August, iHave been blessed to see many friends along the way. iFinally got to see my dear friend Amers Kitty while we were in Michigan. While the days went by quickly (especially with one being entirely filled with a board meeting), we enjoyed a great appetizer of conversations (and even a memorable hot tub soak!). iAm looking forward to the official Kitty Reunion here in New York — and to continuing that conversation smörgåsbord.
After an extra night in Detroit due to canceled flights, iFlew into NYC (with Niel, of course), for a fun visit with our friend Laura. Mom and Dad even joined us for a night, which was a blast. There truly is nothing like Manhattan at Christmastime. iLove the lights, the sounds, the smells… iGot to take in two Broadway shows, which was an incredible experience that iHope to be able to partake in again down the road.
iTook a boat ride out to see the Statue of Liberty up close and personal (she really is beautiful), and to visit Ellis Island. My grandma emigrated to America from Sicily when she was 13; we were able to track down some of the records from her family’s arrival into New York. iWas moved — and thrilled — to retrace a portion of our history.
iCame home tired; we enjoyed a slow nothing-day today to “recover”. iRealize how quickly my time in the States — at home — is coming to a close. iWant to take in each moment. This past week was filled (overflowing) with so many memories that iWill hold in my heart forever.
iAm blessed with an unbeatable husband, an incredible family, and wonderful friends. iCouldn’t ask for anything more.
an orange county christmas
For some reason I simply cannot fathom, Niel hates Christmas music. Always has. Probably always will. (Gasp!) Yet he endured an evening of Christmas carols and cold-weather cheer with my mom and I at our town’s tree-lighting ceremony. Two cups of hot chocolate made the repetitious rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus” more bearable for him.
Christmas-carol-disdain aside, Niel seems to love Christmastime. Not quite as much as I do, but close. His favorite thing is opening his “Christmas sock” (stocking). Well, Christmas came early for Niel. Or at least one of his gifts did.
We took a trip upstate New York yesterday for a chopper unveiling at Orange County Choppers. Niel loves watching their show (as do I), mostly for their ongoing family drama but also for their unique and detailed creations. Getting to visit their store, see some of their bikes, and watch a bike unveiling was an incredible experience. Getting to do all of that with my husband? Priceless.
It was a fun and memorable trip, complete with brief conversations with Vinny and Rick, and a good glimpse of Senior as he drove up on the new bike. The whole thing was taped by Discovery for an upcoming episode (next Monday night, in fact). Be sure to watch — maybe you’ll see us!
happiness is…
…togetherness.waiting to exhale
I’m holding my breath.
Niel will be back with me in less than 12 hours, and I can’t wait! Even though our “40 Days of Partition” seemed to go by extremely fast, I am anxious to hug my Hombre again.
I am married to my perfectly-suited match. God, indeed, knows what He is doing!
I am so proud of my husband; he is a wonderful man of God, with a boundless passion and a drive that pushes him to work even harder than I do! He has spent the last few months going at an exhausting pace; we are both looking forward to the upcoming month of rest…
Together.
presidential pardons
There’s a turkey farm not too far from my parents’ house. All autumn long, there are hundreds (thousands?) of white turkeys roaming the field. The day after Thanksgiving, however, the field is empty. Not a bird to be found. A moment of silence is required when we drive by…
Each year, my dad jokes about springing the turkeys — freeing them before they become centerpieces on dinner tables. Of course, we never do. This year, we at least paid these rather unbecoming birds homage by taking their pictures.
Although we didn’t spare any of our local turkeys from their doomed fate, I take pleasure in knowing that our President will pardon a few…
Happy Thanksgiving!
