Lesson Eight: A Home for the Housewife

I can hear the remarks already.

"Not even two months in and she's already stopped writing."

"Why do we even read this? She never writes anymore."

Well, to all those comments I say: Oh dear. I am so sorry. But married life just swept me away in its wonderfulness and forgot to give me time for things like blogging.

But I have stolen a few brief minutes, though I can't say I'm not in the wonderfulness of married life, because I am currently watching my husband eat a steak that he just made. And I did just get a bite of it. And I don't even like steak and it was AMAZING!

But anyway, on to the main point of my blog today....

Luke and I BOUGHT A HOUSE yesterday! I cannot tell you the long and arduous road we took to get to this place. After three houses under contract and one thing after another, I was beginning to think that we might never get a place to live. However, God is faithful and my husband is optimistic and we have a house.

Our search for a place to live began back in September. We knew that we wanted to buy something and so we began the long process. I'll spare you most of the gory details, because it would take too long to relate all the trials and problems and bumps in the road that we went through, especially since most of you reading were there right along with us.

But now all that is behind us.

For the last month and a half, Luke and I have been housesitting my "adopted" grandparents house. And while it has been wonderful to have our own space, (a house to ourselves does beat my parent's basement with six other people) we still have longed for our own home. A place that is ours and ours alone. Where our books are on the bookshelves and our clothes are in the closet.

I know that I have needed a house of our own for a long time. Not having a place began wearing on me. I was a houseless housewife. And it was hard.

But now, I am so looking forward to painting and moving in. I can't wait to unpack everything and put everything it its own place. I can't wait to see the lines of spices in our cupboard. I can't wait to put flour and coffee and sugar in our little containers. I can't wait to sleep in our bed. And have our bedroom. I can't wait to have a kitchen with all of our utensils and cooking gear.

I can't wait to have our own little nest to take care of.

I am so excited for our little home.

Lesson Eight: God is faithful and sometimes the best things are worth the wait!

Shea's Tiny Tips: Exercise

As a semi-busy woman, I don't have a lot of time for exercise - and let's face it: I'm LAZY. Very LAZY, when it comes to exercise. I don't like it at all.

S0 here is what I call the

EASY EXERCISE FOR BUSY HOUSEWIVES

This program is made up of three easy ideas, not all of which are mine and not all of which are original:

1. Instead of taking a grocery cart with you around the supermarket, take a grocery basket. Believe me, by the third item your arm feels like it is going to fall off.

Warning: Do be careful of applesauce. It is heavy and glass jars break.

2. Park very, very far away from the store and wherever else you have to go. It will force you to walk.

Note: Combining steps one and two cause a double workout. But warning, your arms may fall off.

3. Instead of weights use a gallon milk jar. Pump some calcium!

Caution: If the milk jug is empty, not all of the exercise benefits will be reached.

That is the three basic steps. More may follow.

A final word of caution: I am not held responsible for broken grocery baskets, spilled food, pulled muscles, lost cars, or spilt milk. Nor am I responsible for loss of limb or life when using this program. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Oh, and if it works, let me know! I won't be doing it.

Lesson Seven: Student Wife?

Since I have been in college for more years than I care to count, I am not new to being a student. Sometimes I think if I had to pick a profession a "professional student" might be the closest thing that I could come up with. Unfortunately, in order to be a professional student one must have lots of money and time. And not go to Metro.

When Luke and I had first decided that we thought we wanted to get married, I set about trying to graduate as quickly as I could. I figured that if I graduated before we got married our life might be a little easier. I have no idea if that is true or not.

After one semester of twenty credit hours and a few semesters of fifteen or so, I soon became weary of academia, particularly just being down at Metro so much. So I got married with one journalism internship, one journalism senior experience class, two upper division political sciences classes, one elective and one social sciences class to go.

I realized before I got married that I didn't want to take a lot of classes the semester after I got married because with working and everything else, Luke and I wouldn't get to see each other very much. So we decided that I would take one class.

One evening class. Once a week.

I was so happy. Only one day I had to be down at that cold, desolate, happy-killing campus. Only a few hours I had to spend in college student's presence.

I thought I would be so happy and so grateful to only be down there once a week.

But....

As Luke drove me up the first day of class and we turned into the King Center Circle my heart dropped.

"I hate this place," I moaned. "Why me? Why? Why?"

"You know, I thought that after our winter break I would be ready to be back," Luke said. "But I'm not. I'm so glad I'm taking this semester off."

I whimpered, "Not fair."

And as I walked into my class and saw Annoying Girl #2, my heart sank.

Why me?

Why Metro?

Why school?

The next week, sitting in class, listening to the professor painstakingly talk over the entire chapter that we were suppose to have read, I groaned.

It is going to be a long semester.

But sitting here at the computer, typing away gibberish about school that no one will care about and trying to elicit some sort of lesson from it - since that seems to be my theme, I think I realize something.

Right now, I must juggle not only being a working wife and a housewife, but also I must be a student wife.

And at least I only have to go down there once a week.

And it isn't THAT bad.

And I should simply concentrate on what I have to do while I have to do it.

So, I suppose my lesson seven will be:

Lesson Seven: Make the most of every situation. Be grateful that it isn't worse!