Never Drive While Hormonal

Seriously. I wanted to kill someone. Or at the very least drive them off the road. I couldn't believe how ticked off every other driver on the road was making me today. Like all the idiots conspired together to be on my path all at the same time. It must be hormones.

Or maybe it was the fact that I'd just tried to go to the Goodwill with all my kids while their daddy was getting his wisdom teeth pulled. It sounded like a good idea. I am in desparate need of some clothes. I just can't ever seem to get to the thrift store, or if I do I spend the money on the kids (why can't they invent clothes that grow with the kids??). So since I had to wait around town for 2 hours I thought, hey, I'll just go see what I can find. Maybe come home with a new top or two. *insert sarcastic laughter* Right. I wasn't in there 5 minutes before all three of those little imps, I mean, children, were fussing. Including the baby who is usually more than happy to be toted around in the Baby Bjorn. But I kept on. Through all the dirty looks and sympathetic stares of the other shoppers, and the escalating noise that I pretended wasn't coming from my cart. ("Gee, whose annoying kids are screaming?? You'd think people could keep their kids under control!!" :P)I kept hanging clothes on the handle of the cart to try on since there wasn't room in the cart for them. It wasn't until I had gone through the entire women's section and stopped at the dressing rooms that I noticed that Faith had been UNhanging them and dropping them on the floor. (!!!) Looking back, I noticed the very efficient clerk picking up one of my shirts and hanging it back up. Gaaa!!! Didn't she have anything better to do than follow me around and pick up the clothes I spent precious time picking out?!?!?! Oh well...two cute tops remained on my cart. I pushed the entire cart, screaming kids and all, into the dressing room and tried them on. They didn't fit. They made me look fat. Why can't they make clothes for real people? And why can't they make 15 passenger shopping carts?

Then the phone rang: "Your husband is ready for you...would you like to come pick him up?" (I only briefly thought about saying no. Only briefly.) I drug the cart out of the dressing room, payed for a couple of dresses for the girls, and piled my crying children into the car. Upon arriving at the surgeon's, I found my very loopy husband trying to explain to me that he was fine with a mouth full of gauze. The nurse told him not to talk.

After arriving at home, everything got worse. Faith wouldn't take a nap and kept finding banana peels to put in the most inconvenient places; Kailey filled a cup full of spit and rubbed it in Baby Joel's hair (who then had to have a bath); I made her go outside where she screamed bloody murder until her grandma came running through to woods thinking one of the kids was dying; Sky just laid on the couch and couldn't even get himself a glass of water (yup, shoulda left him) and I kept cleaning only to turn around and find the girls undoing everything I just did. And I'm still ticked at all the stupid drivers.

But I suddenly remembered something. Earlier, after trying on those two shirts at the Goodwill, I put my own shirt back on. Kailey immediately stopped crying and exclaimed happily, "OOOH! Now you're Mommy again!!" :^) And Faith counted clearly to 5 on her fingers today all by herself, several times, without any prompting (a HUGE step!). So I guess my life isn't so bad after all. Crazy, yes...but at least I'm able to eat my chocolate chip cookie. Unlike my husband who almost agreed to my proposition to stick a cookie in the blender for him. Poor man.

One of these days I'm going to have to get myself some new clothes, though......

A Love Story, The Wedding

Hot summer day, ripe with anticipation. I stand there, surrounded by giggling bride's maids and sweet flower-girls. Hundreds of friends are gathered to witness our joy. Music plays "Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands..." I can't believe this is finally The Day. We have waited so very long, my Love and I. We have cried, laughed, sighed, and longed. Our waiting is finially over. Our faithfulness to God and each other is about to be rewarded.

My groom is standing out there, waiting for his long-awaited bride. I can't see him, nor him me, but for each of us there is no one else present but the other. Flowers everywhere. Someone adjusts my train for the forty-seventh time.

Suddenly the music changes.

"All of my life I have dreamed that somehow love would find me;
now I can't believe you're standing here..."



One by one, the bride's maids, sisters, cousins, friends, walk down the aisle, flowers in hand. Oh, the littlest flower girl doesn't like all the attention and is carried down the aisle by the maid of honor.




"If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder then I
wish you could see the love for you that lives in me..."

Breathe, just breathe.

The moment has come and I go, walking slowly down the steps of my parent's front porch, through the arbor of flowers and lace, I turn to face my friends and family. My Beloved awaits....



"And you would know you have my heart
If you could see, what I see
That a treasure's what you are
If you could see, what I see
Created to be
the only one for me
If you could see, what I see."

I watch his face. He is smiling, tears in his eyes. I smile back as I, flowers in my hair and in my hands, dressed beautifully just for him, walk towards him. Time stands still...



It seems an eternity, but I finally reach him. Turning toward him, I relinquish my bouquet to a waiting maid and give him my hands. The ceiling of our wedding chapel is the blue, blue sky and green grass the carpet. On a mountain top, in the woods, our vows are witnessed by the sparrows. We gaze deep into each other's eyes...




"Do you, Sky, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife...to have and to hold from this day forward...til death do you part."

"I do," says my Beloved, for all the world to hear.

"Do you, Darcy, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband...to have and to hold from this day forward...til death do you part."

"I do," my strong voice carries on the wind.

The earth holds her breath, while angels watch this mystery...two hearts becoming one...two lives joined together forever...

"I now pronounce you Man and Wife!" exclaims the preacher. "Sky," he says, smiling, knowing, "you may now, finally, kiss your Bride."



In all the world, was there ever such a kiss? Our friends cheer, for they know our story. Some of them walked with us through the dark times of waiting. Joy erupts across the yard, a joy that heaven itself cannot contain. My heart is full...I think it may burst.

Grabbing hands, we run, laughing down the aisle as cheers, laughter, and music surround us. Then the party begins. Dancing, feasting, laughing with friends, hugs to grandparents, kissing while everyone watches. It is heaven on earth.




I was told later that the most amazing Northern Lights filled the skies that night. They lasted until dawn, dancing, twirling, ribbons of color in the night. I like to think that the angels were having their own celebration; that God was saying "This is how much I love you."

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness; Delight yourselves in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:3,4




The End....or should I say, The Beginning.