Do you ever get into one of those times when there is so much going on in your head that you can’t even begin to explain it all?  Well, if you do, this is one of those times for me.  If you don’t, then you probably just think I’m crazy.  No, I am not hearing voices in my head, but there are so many thoughts, that I find myself thanking God that I have the “nothing box” in my brain that I can choose and turn it all off and space out for a while!  

For you female types out there, this is actually a huge bonus of being a man.  Not that it doesn’t come with its pitfalls too, but there have been so many times that I have heard KK tell me that she couldn’t sleep last night because she couldn’t stop thinking about everything.  This isn’t really a problem for a guy.  No really!  I’m serious.  But that is beside the point.  Back to my nothing box.  

I can’t imagine having all these thoughts running through my head constantly, not having answers and still having to dwell on them.  Thank you God for the nothing box.  My wife has done such an outstanding job dealing with all the thoughts in her head and she doesn’t even have a nothing box!  I applaud that!  Great job, baby.  Anyway, I’m rambling.  Maybe one of these days I will get back to really having some meaningful posts a little more often and not solely focus on football (off course the season did just start and will be on for a while!), but for now, just bare with me as I don’t have all the answers and therefore can’t really explain it all!  Maybe one of these days.

So, I am continuously amazed by my wife.  She hasn’t had the easiest life for the last year or so, but if you ever read her blog you wouldn’t know that.  She might tell you that some stuff has been rough, but to tell you the truth it has probably been the hardest year or so of her life.  But no matter what is going on she sticks with me through thick and thin.  

Honestly, I don’t really know what that means.  (I mean, I understand what it means but it doesn’t seem to make tons of sense.  I get the thick part.  You could say, “we are right in the thick of it now” and mean that you are right in the middle of all kinds of crap, but what about the thin part?  I have never heard anyone say, “well I guess we can relax now because we are now in the thin of it!”  So where does the thin part come it?)  But that is beside the point (another phrase I don’t get).  She has been through surgery, giving up a job that she LOVED, moving in with a boy, sickness, birth control, and I don’t have to stop there!  But, no matter what, she is always proving to me that she is always there with me through it all, thick or thin, hard or easy, fun or sucky.  I cannot ask for more than that!  I hope that if the situation is ever reversed that I will be able to fight through things as much as she has!  It’s crazy.  

Maybe one day, you will get the whole story, but I’m telling you, if you are going through some rough spots, talk with my wife!  She knows how to deal with them!  She is simply amazing!

So today is just one of those days.  Yes it is week three in the college football season and that is awesome.  But that’s not it.  Yes, it is my day off and so I got to sleep in.  But that’s not it.  Yes, I’m still in bed at the moment, under the fan and listening to he rain.  That’s not it either.  But, what makes this pretty much on of the best possible situations to be in on a Saturday is that my wife and I have slept in, are still in bed, are listening to the rain, and are watching college football!  I’m not sure it gets much better than that (without taking away the rain and being on the beach and listening to the waves instead of the rain… but that would be pretty ideal for me)!

Now granted I am pretty sure that my wife wouldn’t list the college football part as part of her ideal situation, but that’s ok.  It would probably be watching Beauty And The Beast or The Little Mermaid.  I mean come on.  You can’t really beat college football.  

Well, she already went back to sleep again.  Still good times, though!

Well, my wife informed me today that my blog was boring.  Too much football apparently.  I (personally…or male…ly) don’t see anything boring about it at all!  I like football.  Heaven forbid!  HA.  But I love her.  And she knows that.  So, today, I won’t take up too much of your time, but just wanted to say thanks to all of you that are praying for us.  We really appreciate it all!  Maybe one of these days we will be able to really let you know that, but for now, this may have to do.  Thank you so much!  We love you all!

So, for those of you that know me, I moved into this house here in October of 2006.  And it was a fixer-upper.  Well, we have done so much.  I thought I would give you all an update for those of you that don’t get to be here very often.  Here are some of the things that needed fixing and what we have been able to do to fix them!

• Tiling – When I moved in the kitchen, master bath, second bath, and utility room were either vinyl or carpet.  We have replaced all that with tile!  (thanks to those of you that were amazing help in all of that!) 
• Paint – When I moved in the house was totally builder’s white.  They didn’t do anything at all to the walls.  Good times.  With plenty of help, the walls in every room have been painted!
• Utility Room – Apparently the utility room needs paint too.  I had no idea.  Well my wife has done an incredible job fixing it up!

• Rose bushes – Throughout the yard (front and back) the owners before me had planted rose bushes and they were VERY over grown.  Gross.  So those have all been pulled out and tossed.  A total of at least 18 bushes.  GONE!

• Trees – Yes mom, I have removed 4 trees from the back yard.  One of them was a thorny tree that you basically walked into as you walked out the back into the yard.  Fun.
• Pond – My wonderful predecessors thought it would be an outstanding idea to install a “pond” in the backyard.  Fun.  Oh, and they didn’t take care of it.  The firewood that the placed around the black plastic tub…I mean pond was completely rotten.  The tub was dug down into the ground about 3 feet.  That was difficult by myself.  They even added in what I call the Narnia lamppost.  Thankfully that is aaaaaaaaaaaaall gone!  That was a rough couple days!

• Grass – There were plenty of places in the yard (front and back) that needed some grass.  That’s still a work in progress, but the places that need grass are much smaller and further between!
• Garden – As if the pond wasn’t enough, they wanted to plant a garden.  Yippee!  Well, their garden consisted of a large section of the yard with cement blocks half buried in the ground and with more cement poured over the top.  Yeah.  That took a sledgehammer and several hours.
• Back Porch – There is a back porch that has a “roof” and other things built onto it.  The last couple days my wife and I have spent several hours tearing it apart!  You should see it!  We have a brick wall!

So if the average life-span of an American male is 80 years, 1/160 of my life has been officially completed with my wonderful wife!  That’s right.  For those of you that don’t like to do math in your head, 1/160 is 6  months.  My wife and I have now been married 6 whole months.  I am pretty surprised that she put up with me this long.  I mean for real?  Didn’t think it would happen.  Well, for some reason she sticks it out with me.  Must be a sucker for punishment!  Ha.  Well, anyway, she loves me and we have been married for 6 months and we are still going!  So thanks for all the prayers and support for the first 6 months!  We really appreciate it!

Well here we are.  I thought I would give you a break from my whining for a couple days.  We have surpassed days 4 and 5 and are now well into day 6.  There are good things today and a couple whiny notes.  The ear has popped!…and then clogged right back.  I spent most of the morning attempting to pay attention to what we were talking about in staff meeting but that is hard when YOU CAN hear every FEW WOrds and PARTS of some OTHErs.  Rather odd.  So, I believe we are progressing towards being healed, but it is hard to tell some times!  

As I am sitting here working and for the last several months, I realized and continue to realize how extremely blessed I am.  I have the job that I want for the church that I want.  I have an incredible wife.  We have a house, two cars, a dog, A/C, etc.  I have been blessed way beyond what I deserve.  If we took the time, we could all stop and count the ways that we are truly blessed everyday.  But occasionally something helps us gain that perspective all over again.

Ladies and gentlemen, would you please turn in your hymnals to page 333.  Sister Mildred, we’re gonna play, free at last, free at last, thaaaaaank God Almighty!