Month: February 2016

I really stink at Valentine’s Day. My husband always says he doesn’t want anything, and he is completely sincere about it. He could care less if I get him a card… a gift… anything. So, I usually find myself at Walgreen’s on Valentine’s Day finding a card out of the picked over selection that isn’t too mushy but attempts to convey how I feel about this man. It never feels like enough.

Let me tell you about our first Valentine’s Day together. We had been dating for about 6 weeks. This was a very new relationship, and I didn’t really think to have any kind of expectations. This coming from a girl who had never had a proper relationship before. I did not date throughout high school or college. Not for a lack of desire, but simply because I had it in my head that no guy would ever be interested in me. So I had a wall about 20 feet high around me that screamed “don’t bother.” That’s a different story for a different time.

At the time, I was a music teacher in rural Minnesota. As my luck would have it, Valentine’s Day coincided with the annual state music educators conference in Minneapolis. Which I was attending. And he wasn’t. I was a little bit devastated that my first chance at being in a relationship at Valentine’s Day was going to be a huge let down.

Then something happened that I didn’t expect. He pulled out all the stops.

In the week building up to V-Day and my MMEA adventure, Todd began giving me a card each day. Each day, it was a surprise, completely catching me off-guard. As I was leaving for Minneapolis, he handed me three more cards, each to be opened on a specific day, and each revealing a little more of his plan. What started as a cute idea for a week’s worth of cards ended with him walking into the Hilton’s lobby, looking tall, dark, and handsome as he carried an enormous bouquet of flowers, walking straight towards me. It was right out of a movie!

I had always prayed for the right man to come into my life. I struggled for a long time to come to terms with what I thought was a destiny for singlehood. As I watched friends plan their marriages and fall in love so easily, I prayed to be noticed.  But then, God. He placed the right person in my life at just the right time. We often look back at our beginning and marvel at how the pieces fell into place, not by our plan, but by His. His timing has been a theme throughout our marriage and relationship, whether we were on board or not. His plan for us was always perfect. I just didn’t know it at the time.

Making minimal plans for celebrating this weekend (it’s a writing weekend for school), I still want to be thankful for the Valentines that God placed in my life ever so intentionally. So, I will find a way to say I love you in a special way.

Sending lots of love your way and praying for your blessings.

 

 

Today was a snow day.

Our first this school year.

Normally, when school is cancelled, we get a phone call at an obscenely early hour, telling us to not get up. Ironic. This time, they called off school the afternoon before, giving us plenty of time to prepare to have the kids home for the day. We even decided to keep our 3 year old home from day care based on the horrible forecast and shortage of teachers making it in from surrounding communities. The boys gleefully proclaimed their joy for staying home, letting me know that this would be an EPIC pajama day complete with movies and baked goods. Well… there was a movie. And I did manage to bake a loaf of peanut butter banana bread that will be super tasty tomorrow morning.

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a snow day as a teacher. We’re talking 13 years to be exact. I can remember my last snow day like it was yesterday, even though it was a lifetime ago. It was while Todd and I were dating. We were just a few weeks into our relationship and we were both teachers at the time- me at McLeod West teaching band and choir, and him in Hutchinson, teaching social studies.

That morning, he called me, saying Hutchinson had cancelled school for the day. I was SO jealous because my little rural district had not yet cancelled, and I was dreading the 15 mile drive down Hwy 15 from Hutchinson to Brownton, clearly drifted over and not ideal conditions. I got about 5 miles down the road when he called me back to say that he saw the McLeod West cancellation on the TV. This was looooong before the days of smart phones and text alerts. I just barely had my first cell phone and had yet to master the art of texting. Plus, I didn’t know anyone who texted, so I had no reason to learn. (A lot has changed in 13 years…)

I cheered at the thought of a snow day and we made plans for breakfast and movies. I was giddy with the thought of spending time with this new guy in my life. When I arrived at his place, I took to the kitchen, ready to show off my breakfast-making skills. So of course, I burned the bacon.

SO EMBARRASSING!!!!!

I was mortified. And convinced that my poor bacon-making skills reflected on me as a person (which they didn’t) and that would be the end of that (which it wasn’t). Instead, it is a highlight in a story of how our relationship began, embracing our imperfections as we were getting to know each other.

Fast forward to today’s snow day antics. There was no burned bacon, but there were snowballs, shoveling, and snuggles with the kids. I am grateful for the journey we have been on together and the memories we are making with our children. And it all started with some burned bacon on a snow day…

What are your snow day memories?