Couple Fries Short

Yesterday Mr. T and I did a little traveling for his business and a little shopping for the baby.

I went into a clothing store in search of a Bridesmaid dress to wear to the upcoming wedding of my former roomie, Melissa, who is beautiful, generous and has a charming amount of "sassy" in her.

I found a clerk in the store and asked if they sell maternity clothes.
"For women?" she asked.
"Umm, yes." I said.

Perhaps I mumbled when I asked if they sell maternity clothes. 
I mumble sometimes.
Or perhaps she was a couple of fries short of a happy meal.
Either way, she blessed me with a chuckle.

Also, we asked a different lady if she knew where the Target was in town. 
"Oh yes," she said.  "Just go up this street about a mile.  I'm not from here, but I think it's about a mile.  It'll be on your left-hand side."

And so we went.  And went.  And went.
And turned around and went some more.

Finally found a blue collar worker and asked him if he knew where it was.
"Actually, we don't have a Target here."
Great.  Nothing like adding a hour of aimless wondering to your day. 

So onto the next town we went in search of Target, which proved to be a more fruitful endeavor.
We entered, already a little tired and with high hopes of making it a fast shopping trip so we could get home at a decent hour.

Except I forgot to calculate in one factor...

Have you ever been stroller shopping with an Engineer?
It's not fast.  Very funny, but not fast.

Mr. T needed to go down the line, take the strollers down, analyze the specs, figure out how they fold up and unfold, and "Hey, what do you think this plastic thing is for?, etc.

Needless to say, we were overwhelmed and decided to wait on that purchase.  We did find a car seat, however.  Somehow we dropped a small fortune on it and we're not even sure why, except the one we purchased gave us a greater sense of peace.  Not because it was safer.  More because we liked the color scheme and fabric.  I think we've been bam-boozled.

Newby parents.

I guess the point is that we are all a couple fries short of a happy meal sometimes.  It's the spice of life, if you ask me.  

Friends For Hire

I'd like to take a few moments to tell ya'll about my lovely birthday.

Before I do, let me say that I have the best circle of friends any girl could ask for!  Mr. T went above and beyond, as usual, and my former roomie, Jordanne, drove all the way from Kansas City to help with festivities. 

I felt very special and celebrated.  Everyone should feel that way on their birthday!  That's why I've decided to hire them out.  I'm putting together package deals that you can choose from, depending on your budget and preferences.  Here's what the deals include: 

Deluxe Birthday Deal
Having two friends stay with you all day to allow for the following:
*Sleeping In
*Coffee, banana bread & fruit in bed while you read magazines of your choice
*House decorated from floor to ceiling with streamers and balloons
*Delicious breakfast of rainbow colored pancakes (with candles), breakfast casserole, bacon and juice
*Time to open presents, containing a wonderful mix of items you asked for, silly items that make you smile and items you wanted, but forgot you wanted until you opened them
*Rest Time - read, visit, laugh
*Movie Time - your choice of course!  Friends will remain and laugh alongside you as you indulge in guilty pleasures, like watching Tyler Perry's "Madea" movies or 80's throwbacks like Labyrinth.  Munchies provided.
*Friend Time - visit a friend of your choice, where there will be more presents, more food (including the yummiest ever birthday cake), and more silly cards.  (The Delightful Scollards and their 7 lovely children were the perfect choice for my Birthday evening - complete with perfect strawberry short-cake!)
*Giggle Time - finish the evening off by watching YouTube videos and laughing until tears stream down your face...more than likely a reaction to your heart being so full of love and gratitude.

Not Quite Deluxe Birthday Deal
*All of the above, minus breakfast appetizer, a few presents, Movie Time and evening Friend Time

Even Lamer Birthday Deal
*One cup of coffee
*One present
*One movie

Why Even Bother Birthday Deal
*Subtract everything in the Deluxe Birthday Deal
*Add bowling

We can talk pricing if you are interested in any of the above deals.

As you can guess, I had the Deluxe Birthday Deal!
In addition to all the wonder and glory the day brought, I was blessed with phone calls and cards from those far and wide.  Oh, and a new dress from my Mom who said she would get us the baby's crib for my birthday but couldn't help herself and had to send a present as well.  I hope I'm as good a Mom as she is.
 
THANK YOU to everyone who made the day special, especially to Mr. T, Jordanne and the Scollards for being the Cream of the Crop in this world!  If only everyone had people like you in their circle of friends!

The Birthday Email, Age 32

This morning I asked Mr. T to pray for me.
"I have to write the Birthday Email today and I still don't have a good angle," I said.

There's a lot of pressure to be funny.
And grammatically correct.
But mostly funny.

I'm sure Larry the Cable Guy and his wife have the same conversation every morning. 
"Babe, I gotta be funny today, but I don't have a good angle!"
"Just act like a big, dumb hick again.  That always keeps people laughing," his wife replies.
"Oh yea.  That's exactly what I'll do!!!"

Larry and I both live in the great state of Nebraska, where there are lots of cows, but not a lot of comedians.  Unless, of course, you count every small town preacher who starts off his sermon with a gut-busting joke.  Or my wonderful Father-in-Law who's known for generously sharing his collection of knee-slappers. 

And we all feel it.
Larry.
Preachers.
My Father-in-Law.
Myself.

Pressure.
It's amazing we can get out of bed in the morning, living under the pressure to be funny.

For those who are new to this whole thing, I started writing a Birthday Email several years ago.  Basically, it's a time for me to give the general public suggestions of what they can get me for my birthday.  It's sort of a joke...sort of.  But seriously, it's the stuff I want so please consider that when you're rushing out to make your purchases.

Year 31 has been a great year!  Being married to Mr. T has brought me a greater sense of peace than I have ever known.  I am so over the top in love with him, who he is, how he thinks, how he laughs, his hugs and the color of his eyes.  He takes the cake.

Not only that, but blessing upon blessing, we get to grow our family this year!  In about three months, our daughter will come.  That means, for the next three months, we can enjoy being "perfect parents".  We have so many opinions about raising kids and how people SHOULD raise their kids and we talk about when OUR kid comes we're not going to make THOSE errors in judgement.  Ahhh, the sweet bliss of being perfect parents.  I know the feeling won't last.  We'll make lots of mistakes and quickly join the ranks of other couples who, despite making mistakes, love their children fully.

So, with all these blessings, what else in this entire world could a girl possibly want?

I'm glad you asked!!!

The list is as follows:

Duvet Cover

 


Cute Pillow #1




Cute Pillow #2
Size 12 X 16




Chalkboard


Colander
 

The new Pioneer Woman cookbook was on my list, but my lovely sister already got it for me!

I love the people in my circle.
Family.
Friends. 
Co-workers.
Acquaintances.

My life is full of God's abundant grace.  My every breath is dependent on Him, who is the giver of all good things.  Whatever Year 32 brings, joys and sorrows, I hope the faith Mr. T and I have will deepen as we follow a God who guides us, a God who IS love, and a God who remains faithfully near.

May you see God's rich blessings and grace in your life as the year continues to unfold!

Love always,
Mrs. Tidyman