The World of Granite Counter Tops

Today's blog is all about this picture that my Colombian friend posted online today:

Translation:
"There are people who spend their lives doing things they detest to make money they don't need, to buy things they don't want, and to impress people they don't like."

Isn't that SO true?  I fall in and out of the category from time to time, I admit it.  Especially the last bit: IMPRESS PEOPLE THEY DON'T LIKE.  

I'm not talking about doing things you don't like in order to make money to survive.  That is a completely different story.  But this quote goes hand in hand with a blog a posted a while back regarding keeping up with the Jones'.  

Aaron and I are currently in the process of building a home.  We're scheduled to move in this summer.  I have struggled, off and on, with this purchase because of my life experience.  I have seen the slums of Central and South America.  I know the faces that occupy them.  I have held the children born in them.  Yet here I am, building a 2500 square foot home in suburbia with my granite counter tops, AC, and two-car garage.  This house means I don't get to be a stay at home mom quite yet.  This house means no vacation for a couple of years.  "So why are you buying it?" you may be asking yourself.

We have wanted to buy a home and get more settled.  Our entire adult lives seem to have been surrounded by "temporary".  We have apartment-hopped for years and, with Aaron's new job, we know we'll be in GA for many years to come.  So it's time to buy and to settle.  As a wife and mom, I couldn't be MORE thrilled with the notion.  The missionary within, however, is like "WHAT?"  

It will be big enough to offer hospitality to any traveler seeking a soft pillow and warm meal.  It will be the place where my children have their first memories.  It's the haven we've been waiting for and we're thrilled its finally happened.  These are all good things, none of which I'm ashamed.  

 

But don't we all fall into that occasional trap of wanting everything to be "just so" in order to look like we have it all together?  I know I do.  I don't live in a constant state of that trap, I just trip over it every now and again.  :/  The tricky part is to not get caught up in and attached to the things we find ourselves possessing.  Its ok to be comfortable, its ok to enjoy nice things, I believe God wants that for us 100%.

So what then?  There is no conclusion.  Life is a balancing act and I'll let you know when I get it all figured out (yeah right).  The desires of my heart have not changed.  I still want to reach the unreached, to open myself up to shine His light brilliantly as He brings Peace and Hope to those who have none.  I want my children to be exposed to the outside world; the world that doesn't have granite counter tops, or any counter tops for that matter.  And they will.  Trust that.  But I'm accepting now that there is also no shame in the quiet comforts of life that God lovingly sets in our path to enjoy, even if temporarily.  And enjoy it we shall!  

Welcome all, Mi Casa es Su Casa!

Sick. Sick. and Sick. Again.

This year, so far, has been marked by sickness of all kind.  None of it has been "serious" by any means.  Just your regular household viruses and plagues. 

I'm pretty sure that if I weren't me, I would be looking at me thinking "she's such an exaggerator."  Or perhaps "she's acting like a hypercondriac." 

Let me assure you that neither of these have been the case.  I would prefer to be able to "suck it up", take some helpful meds, and carry on with daily life, sick or not.  That hasn't been an option for me.  I have missed work at Wells and work as a doula.  I have had to cancel appointments and hire childcare on my "off" days because I couldn't take care of my little man.  If it wasn't me, it was Aaron.  If it wasn't me or Aaron it was Reesor.  AAAAAAAAAhhh!!!!!  In chronological order:

First week of January: I got some kind of sinus infection or cold.  But this wasn't your average cold or infection.  My head hurt so bad that standing or sitting made me feel like I would pass out. I missed a day of Wells for that one and it lasted about 4 days total and took equally as long to fully recover from.

End of January:  Reesor got what I had (I think) or some variation thereof.  He had a fever and insisted on sitting in my lap or co-sleeping 24/7.  His was only about 3 days so it was "ok".

Mid February:  Aaron's turn.  Aaron became fatigued due to all his crazy new work as a brand new Financial Advisor with Wells and therefor became ill.  Pretty sure it was the flu.  Achy all over, chills, fever etc.   He didn't have the option to miss work for that so he had to work through it, probably high from all the cough meds and "DayTime" decongestants. 

First week of March:  I got the stomach flu.  As in, I hugged the porcelain god for about 30 hours which was followed by a fever and extreme body pain.  I remained nauseas for days afterward and everybody, EVERYBODY (including myself for just a second) wondered if I could be pregnant.  I missed a birth for that which added insult to injury.  And no, multiple tests confirmed I was not and am not pregnant.

As soon as I recovered from that Reesor started coughing.  The kind of coughing where you can hear the mucus deep in his chest trying to break free and as it surfaces you choke and can't breath for a few seconds and your eyes water and you turn red (only you're a tiny little person and its scary as hell)

While he was on the back-end of his cough, I got it.  Which has turned into a head cold now.

This morning, still battling with my snot-fest, I came down with mastitis.  If you don't know what that is, in my own words, I will tell you:  Mastitis happens when you are a nursing mom and one of your breasts becomes infected.  By infected I mean: YOU WANT TO CUT IT OFF IT HURTS SO BAD!  Sorry for the TMI.  It's accompanied with a fever and flu-like symptoms that take your average flu and make it look like a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean.  Yay for me!

So for all your skeptical folk out there wondering why I have been complaining about illness so much...now you know.  Yes, we are a vitamin-taking, vegetable-eating, in-shape family.  I'm hoping that whenever the warm weather arrives, I'll be finished with all this shenanigans and won't have to look at a tissue, barf bucket, or thermometer for a long long LONG long time!