Where to begin?

It's been a rough month, broken up with moments of levity. We lost power in the "ice storm of the decade," the last of my grandparents passed away (he was a step-grandparent, but the only one I knew as a grandparent). I'm having health issues (too personal for a blog post). And The Boy was having school issues due to his "disabilities" for lack of a better word ... (will these ever go away...probably not, but at least I can say, after a flurry of emails to his teachers and a meeting with the principal, I have hope). I have to thank God that in the midst of trial there are these moments of laughter. Here the are the tid-bits:

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"Mama, do these pretzels taste weird?" Joshua asked me, holding one out to me. I noticed the words "Gluten Free" on the package.
"Nope. They taste just fine to me." I pointed to the label.
He made a face and said with sincere sympathy, "Mama. I'm so sorry for you."

(Actually, those pretzels were pretty darn close to the real thing!)


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Hannah stumbled out of her room, hair in her face, half-delirious from being JUST awake. "HOW DO YOU STOP THE BEEPING SOUND!?" she demanded angrily. "Wake up your brother and tell him to turn off his alarm clock," I replied. She marched into his room, climbed up the ladder to his loft bed and yelled in his face, "JOSH! STOP THE BEEPING SOUND!"

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Hannah, my little time-nazi was thrilled when I pulled up to her school at exactly 8:30 when the bell rang. "See," she said to me, "This is why I always want to leave the house at 8:25."

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She came downstairs in a pink and blue stripped short-sleeved dress, and pink capris underneath the skirt. "I totally understand how you feel, Hannah," I said. "I wish it were spring too. However, you're not going to school dressed in that today."

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Grandpop's death and consequentially, funeral was difficult to get through, and so I found myself trying to find distractions wherever they might lie. The Sunday after his burial was a day our business was open, and so I found ways to keep myself occupied there, rather than think about the loss. I came home to container of expensive chocolates on the kitchen table.

"I thought you might need these," Jeremy said.
He doesn't outwardly express romance and love often, but when it matters and it counts, he always knows how to make me feel better.

The next day was Valentines day. I received a phone call at 5:03 in the evening, as he was commuting home from work.

"Uhhhhh," He said, "You, uhhh, weren't, ummmm. expecting anything today were you?" he asked. "It is Valentine's day."

"No, babe," I said, "You bought me chocolates on a day I needed it, rather than a manufactured holiday. I think we're good."

"Ok. Cuz, I would have stopped and picked up something if you wanted me to."

Well, that might not have meant as much. I didn't tell him. He got major points, not only for the consolation chocolate, but attempting to make valentine's day 'more better' to borrow a phrase from my father-in-law. I guess after nearly sixteen years of marriage, eighteen of being together as a couple, twenty-two of knowing each other as friends, I suppose I might keep him.