We have this light fixture. It's in our stairway--or above it rather. This house is configured so that light fixture is also the main light for the upstairs hallway too. There is almost no natural light in that area so the hall/stair light stays on a lot. We've only lived here 11 months so myhusband has only had to change it once (after we clamored around in the dark for a week or two). This particular fixture could not be positioned in a more precarious spot in the center of the ceiling of the stairway. Read: no place to position a ladder. Hard,twisty wooden stairs. Sharp, wooden banisters. Cold, hard marble floor below.
When my husband finally changed the light bulbs last time, it involved 3 or 4 support personnel, a bendy ladder positioned and resting like no ladder was meant, death defying balancing and reaching, and definitely prayer and very little breathing. When the deed was done, he wiped the sweat from his handsome brow and said to me through gritted teeth, "I don't want to do that again."
There are a few reasons why this house was deemed temporary when we rented it, none of which were that fixture...at the time. But.... that fixture is fading again. And I am on the hunt...for a house...if nothing else but to spare my husband's life.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Not-So-Ordinary But Definitely Fabulous Ryan
We were married 16 years ago this month. It's a simultaneous feeling of "No way! How could it be that long?" and "Really?? Only 16??" I don't mean that in a bad way at all, it's just that we've had a lot of change in our lives in the past 16 years. More than I care to think about at times, but always so glad I get to share it with him.
Since it was just Father's Day, and since I missed blogging on our anniversary, I thought I'd dedicate this post to him. I've been having a hard time trying to figure out what route I wanted to go with this (after all, when you meet in 7th grade, there's a lot of material to work with) but I finally got an idea from a friend who is recording 1000 gifts of things she's thankful for. I think I will follow suit, but maybe pare it down a little for the sake of time and call it: The joys of being married to Ryan.
1. Laughter. Nobody can make me laugh as often or as hard--especially when the last thing I want to do is laugh.
2.Children. Five surprises--each in their own way.
3. Appreciation for technical audio/visual stuff. I now know that when you see something cool, someone very well stayed up all night (or many nights) to produce it.
4. Pronunciation. With him around, I know that I will not sound like an idiot for long.
5. Integrity. He models it in every area. If I were to pick one word to define him this would be it.
6. Closed doors. They always should be closed. It was probably a mistake that they even put hinges on them.
7. Delicious and creative food . The man can hold his own in the kitchen. (The pizza dough experiment phase was awesome--I've never lost that weight.)
8. Well-behaved children. He is a firm believer. Doesn't matter if you're a neighbor kid either.
9. Thoughtful gifts. Despite the fact that he isn't really a "gift" person.
10. Suspense. He likes to surprise. I didn't even know where we were going on our honeymoon until we got there.
11.Sky gazing. He still runs outside to look at the sound of a Fighter...or anything military sounding. We all follow because he's instilled in us a love for that, too.
12. Confidence. He is my rock. Where I waver, he is firm, assuring and constant.
13. Creative cakes. Our kids are blessed to have a dad who likes to and is good at making amazing birthday cakes for them. Where I would say "good enough with sprinkles" he says "I think I'll Google homemade fondant right after I sculpt a pirate's treasure chest out of chocolate pound cake".
14. Overcomes the technically impossible. Sometimes too well. I'll never forget when the authorities showed up at our apartment because they detected that the aircraft navigation interference was coming from our living room.
15. Camaraderie. He will not only watch a Jane Austen with me but enjoy it.
16. Friendship. There is no one else I'd rather spend time with.
17. Conversation. It's fun with him. (Don't tell anyone, but he thinks there COULD be aliens. I just about asked for an annulment when I first discovered this, but it's all good now.)
18. Adventure. Like starting a business with zero capital, or camping with 4 little ones, or moving 10 times in 16 years, or throwing cranberries in the recipe.
19. Understanding. When the house is a mess, or his shirt isn't ironed, or I'm feeling blue.
20. Faithfulness. To follow the Lord, to lead his family, to love his wife.
21. Anticipation. Dreams, plans, time together. Looking forward to the next 16!
I love you, Ryan!
Since it was just Father's Day, and since I missed blogging on our anniversary, I thought I'd dedicate this post to him. I've been having a hard time trying to figure out what route I wanted to go with this (after all, when you meet in 7th grade, there's a lot of material to work with) but I finally got an idea from a friend who is recording 1000 gifts of things she's thankful for. I think I will follow suit, but maybe pare it down a little for the sake of time and call it: The joys of being married to Ryan.
1. Laughter. Nobody can make me laugh as often or as hard--especially when the last thing I want to do is laugh.
2.Children. Five surprises--each in their own way.
3. Appreciation for technical audio/visual stuff. I now know that when you see something cool, someone very well stayed up all night (or many nights) to produce it.
4. Pronunciation. With him around, I know that I will not sound like an idiot for long.
5. Integrity. He models it in every area. If I were to pick one word to define him this would be it.
6. Closed doors. They always should be closed. It was probably a mistake that they even put hinges on them.
7. Delicious and creative food . The man can hold his own in the kitchen. (The pizza dough experiment phase was awesome--I've never lost that weight.)
8. Well-behaved children. He is a firm believer. Doesn't matter if you're a neighbor kid either.
9. Thoughtful gifts. Despite the fact that he isn't really a "gift" person.
10. Suspense. He likes to surprise. I didn't even know where we were going on our honeymoon until we got there.
11.Sky gazing. He still runs outside to look at the sound of a Fighter...or anything military sounding. We all follow because he's instilled in us a love for that, too.
12. Confidence. He is my rock. Where I waver, he is firm, assuring and constant.
13. Creative cakes. Our kids are blessed to have a dad who likes to and is good at making amazing birthday cakes for them. Where I would say "good enough with sprinkles" he says "I think I'll Google homemade fondant right after I sculpt a pirate's treasure chest out of chocolate pound cake".
14. Overcomes the technically impossible. Sometimes too well. I'll never forget when the authorities showed up at our apartment because they detected that the aircraft navigation interference was coming from our living room.
15. Camaraderie. He will not only watch a Jane Austen with me but enjoy it.
16. Friendship. There is no one else I'd rather spend time with.
17. Conversation. It's fun with him. (Don't tell anyone, but he thinks there COULD be aliens. I just about asked for an annulment when I first discovered this, but it's all good now.)
18. Adventure. Like starting a business with zero capital, or camping with 4 little ones, or moving 10 times in 16 years, or throwing cranberries in the recipe.
19. Understanding. When the house is a mess, or his shirt isn't ironed, or I'm feeling blue.
20. Faithfulness. To follow the Lord, to lead his family, to love his wife.
21. Anticipation. Dreams, plans, time together. Looking forward to the next 16!
I love you, Ryan!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
For Phil
Today, I am wishing my brother a Happy Birthday. This is the brother closest to me in age, though that is 10 and 1/2 years. But it never quite felt like 10 and 1/2 because...well, because.
It must not have been easy to give up his "youngest" spot in the birth order to a surprise child like me, but he did--fairly graciously. Here is how he made me feel like part of the family and not just an add-on. In no particular order:
1) Tried to teach me all about his baseball cards--even got me to attempt counting them.
2) Took me to see the Phillies play the Portland Beavers. Wasn't too mad when I made us late to watch Mike Schmidt in batting practice. I think I was busy riding my bike with my friends and didn't get back to leave in time.
3) Repeatedly cheated me out of M&M's. "One for me, one for me, one for you."(Seriously. This is a fond memory. Or at least that is what he tells me.)
4) Somehow got me to promise to make his bed for an entire summer. (I think this was a deal where I got to watch ONE episode of Little House on the Prairie instead of Monday Night Baseball.)
5) Somehow got me to wrap all of his Christmas gifts from him--including my own.
6) Gave me the nick-name "Jo-Ugly" but at the same time encouraged me that this was "only a stage".
7) Encouraged me that I should go to Southwest Christian School. "I think this would be a good school." he said. "No way." I replied, " I think it's liberal." (Yep, I'm weird. Complicated story.)
8) He taught me to ride a bike.
9) Confronted me in my shyness and told me it was a form of selfishness and being stuck up. Made me mad but I guess he was right.
10) Taught me to hit an inside pitch. Couldn't teach me to throw. Hopeless.
11) Gave me boy advice that my husband thanks him for: "Boys like hard to get, but not impossible to get."
12) Sang at my wedding against his own wishes in order to honor mine.
13) Endured me hanging out in his room while trying to listen to the game. (Well, mostly endured. I remember getting picked up and tossed out a time or two.)
14) Let me hang out with him and his lovely fiancée--now wife. It's still one of my favorite things to do.
15) Instructed me on respecting the office of the president. I repeated a phrase I had heard from him and was told "You can't say that Jimmy Carter stinks anymore, Jill. He's the president now."
16) Gives me a call now and then to find out "what's goin' on".
It's the kind of stuff that made me belong. A shy girl with mostly grown and absent siblings, I craved any sibling time and interaction. I was very blessed to have it with him as much as I did.
I loved that he felt close enough to tease, to steal M&M's, to bestow a nick-name. It was the type of experience that gave me courage to add a fifth to my own aging family. I knew that closeness was possible even with years working hard to divide. I'm thankful for the genuine brother experience and count it one of the best parts of my life. He lives across the country now with his own fun family. Finances unfortunately dictate the frequency of our visits. But, oh, how cherished they are when they do happen. Happy Birthday, Philip! Thanks for the memories! Love ya! (Can this count as a card?)
It must not have been easy to give up his "youngest" spot in the birth order to a surprise child like me, but he did--fairly graciously. Here is how he made me feel like part of the family and not just an add-on. In no particular order:
1) Tried to teach me all about his baseball cards--even got me to attempt counting them.
2) Took me to see the Phillies play the Portland Beavers. Wasn't too mad when I made us late to watch Mike Schmidt in batting practice. I think I was busy riding my bike with my friends and didn't get back to leave in time.
3) Repeatedly cheated me out of M&M's. "One for me, one for me, one for you."(Seriously. This is a fond memory. Or at least that is what he tells me.)
4) Somehow got me to promise to make his bed for an entire summer. (I think this was a deal where I got to watch ONE episode of Little House on the Prairie instead of Monday Night Baseball.)
5) Somehow got me to wrap all of his Christmas gifts from him--including my own.
6) Gave me the nick-name "Jo-Ugly" but at the same time encouraged me that this was "only a stage".
7) Encouraged me that I should go to Southwest Christian School. "I think this would be a good school." he said. "No way." I replied, " I think it's liberal." (Yep, I'm weird. Complicated story.)
8) He taught me to ride a bike.
9) Confronted me in my shyness and told me it was a form of selfishness and being stuck up. Made me mad but I guess he was right.
10) Taught me to hit an inside pitch. Couldn't teach me to throw. Hopeless.
11) Gave me boy advice that my husband thanks him for: "Boys like hard to get, but not impossible to get."
12) Sang at my wedding against his own wishes in order to honor mine.
13) Endured me hanging out in his room while trying to listen to the game. (Well, mostly endured. I remember getting picked up and tossed out a time or two.)
14) Let me hang out with him and his lovely fiancée--now wife. It's still one of my favorite things to do.
15) Instructed me on respecting the office of the president. I repeated a phrase I had heard from him and was told "You can't say that Jimmy Carter stinks anymore, Jill. He's the president now."
16) Gives me a call now and then to find out "what's goin' on".
It's the kind of stuff that made me belong. A shy girl with mostly grown and absent siblings, I craved any sibling time and interaction. I was very blessed to have it with him as much as I did.
I loved that he felt close enough to tease, to steal M&M's, to bestow a nick-name. It was the type of experience that gave me courage to add a fifth to my own aging family. I knew that closeness was possible even with years working hard to divide. I'm thankful for the genuine brother experience and count it one of the best parts of my life. He lives across the country now with his own fun family. Finances unfortunately dictate the frequency of our visits. But, oh, how cherished they are when they do happen. Happy Birthday, Philip! Thanks for the memories! Love ya! (Can this count as a card?)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Missing Editor
Well, my husband is out of town on business so you know what that means. That's right! I have thousands of unused words for the day (although Laura and Jennifer did get a share of them earlier--thank you, ladies, for the fellowship). So here I am ready to unleash them all on you--my kind reader. Can I be random? Because I am typically random in my conversations. I have lots of thoughts and half thoughts going on. If you care to keep reading I will share some of them with you in lieu of my man ( I actually hate that term " my man".)
1) I am thrilled it's just about summer break, largely because I like to sleep past 7--it doesn't have to be much past, but "past" nonetheless. One more week...
2) My mom gave away her car this week. She hasn't driven in about 3 years, but giving up her car was hard for her. It was a gift from my dad.
3) I'm bummed because I'm not sure I'll get a garden planted this year.
4) My brother's birthday is tomorrow. Hmmm.. I may even write a real post on that.
5) I am pondering the message found in John 15:11 lately. Wondering how it applies to me and if I am even capable of "asking in His name". So deceptive is my heart.
6) I am wondering if I can lose 10 -15 pounds by the 4th of July. I've been meaning to all year but haven't quite built up the wherewithal. Same story every year. Hoping it has a different ending this time. But that is doubtful 'cause the plot would have to change.
7)........................................................................
8)........maybe I used more words than I thought today.
9) This is a really lame blog.
10) Nobody's here to stop me from posting it.
1) I am thrilled it's just about summer break, largely because I like to sleep past 7--it doesn't have to be much past, but "past" nonetheless. One more week...
2) My mom gave away her car this week. She hasn't driven in about 3 years, but giving up her car was hard for her. It was a gift from my dad.
3) I'm bummed because I'm not sure I'll get a garden planted this year.
4) My brother's birthday is tomorrow. Hmmm.. I may even write a real post on that.
5) I am pondering the message found in John 15:11 lately. Wondering how it applies to me and if I am even capable of "asking in His name". So deceptive is my heart.
6) I am wondering if I can lose 10 -15 pounds by the 4th of July. I've been meaning to all year but haven't quite built up the wherewithal. Same story every year. Hoping it has a different ending this time. But that is doubtful 'cause the plot would have to change.
7)........................................................................
8)........maybe I used more words than I thought today.
9) This is a really lame blog.
10) Nobody's here to stop me from posting it.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
This Fabulous Morning
This fabulous ordinary morning, the Oregon sun is peering in my window--maybe not so ordinary around here.
This morning, my husband woke up early to drive 20 some minutes into Salem (the big city) to get the oil changed on my car. After that, he will replace the tires. He knows how much I dread these tasks--especially the oil change. The oil change guys love to make me feel bad about my car. They are NOT fabulous.
This morning, I was greeted with the explosively loud door knob rattle, as only a 1901 door knob can rattle when a two year old grabs hold. My sweet, pajama clad boy made his entrance, climbing up to my bed and whispered his request: "Thomas". So now, we are snuggled in my sunny room watching "Thomas".
This morning: ordinary yet made fabulous by the gifts. The gift of sunshine. The gift of a husband. The gift of a child. Every good gift is from above...
(Sorry for the cheesiness and over-use of "this morning" and "fabulous" My husband wasn't here to dial down the cheese factor for me. He was out, busy being fabulous.)
This morning, my husband woke up early to drive 20 some minutes into Salem (the big city) to get the oil changed on my car. After that, he will replace the tires. He knows how much I dread these tasks--especially the oil change. The oil change guys love to make me feel bad about my car. They are NOT fabulous.
This morning, I was greeted with the explosively loud door knob rattle, as only a 1901 door knob can rattle when a two year old grabs hold. My sweet, pajama clad boy made his entrance, climbing up to my bed and whispered his request: "Thomas". So now, we are snuggled in my sunny room watching "Thomas".
This morning: ordinary yet made fabulous by the gifts. The gift of sunshine. The gift of a husband. The gift of a child. Every good gift is from above...
(Sorry for the cheesiness and over-use of "this morning" and "fabulous" My husband wasn't here to dial down the cheese factor for me. He was out, busy being fabulous.)
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