2017 - Finishing Off The Year - Love is in the Air?

There was a lot to do in September and even into October. Hurricane Irma left plenty of work for us, not only on our own property but at the church as well. My son E was able to help pick up branches and debris so we could have services start up right away. Thankfully at the house we only had one day and one night without power, so inside there wasn't anything that needed to be taken care of. Outside there were trees and branches to chop up so the bulk trash could be picked up, and coconuts all over the yard that needed to be removed as well. Once that was done we moved on to taking down the shutters. It was a lot of hard manual labor, but when we saw the pictures of the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, we gave thanks to God that things hadn't been worse. We also praise Him because my family on the island were all safe, though their recovery would be long and arduous.

One big change that came about during that time happened to my daughter A, and it would be a big change for all of us. My daughter had made a promise to the Lord as a teenager that she would wait for Him to bring the man He wanted her to marry. Now she was 27 years old and had never had an official boyfriend. As she watched many of her friends get married or engaged, she wondered if maybe God's will for her was to stay single. So while she was in Israel she went to the Wailing Wall, where Hannah had prayed and asked for a son. There she asked the Lord show her the man He had chosen for her to marry, but if it was His will for her to remain single, that He would take away any desire for marriage. Leaving her future in God's hands, she left in peace just as Hannah had done centuries ago.

When she got back she discussed with a few of her "still single" friends her experiences in Israel, and the conversation turned to online dating. They went back and forth whether this was a good idea and teasingly dared each other to be the guinea pig. My daughter decided she would sign up on a Christian dating site and give it a couple of months to see if it was legit. They all agreed to watch over her and make sure she was safe.

Now, I won't lie. I was not in favor of online dating. The thought of it scared me quite frankly. But she was a 27 year old, an adult, and while I could tell her my opinion I could not make her do what I wanted. It was time for me to put my daughter's future in God's hands as well.

She went out with a couple of guys but was quickly disillusioned. Almost at the point of accepting defeat and admitting it was a mistake, she decided to give it one last try. Three strikes you're out, right? This would be her third and last try, then she'd cancel her account and let her friends know it was a bust. Just a week before Hurricane Irma hit, she answered a guy who'd sent her a message almost a month before but who she'd never gotten back to.

Interestingly enough, the young man she contacted hadn't had a girlfriend since high school. He also signed up with the dating service, went on a couple of dates that didn't pan out, and was also about to close his account when A sent him a message. They began chatting about - what else - Hurricane Irma and all the preparations being made. From there they talked about all kinds of topics - church, school, video games. They had a lot in common: the same interests, the same beliefs, the same values. The more they talked the more they wanted to talk and the more they found they had in common. It wasn't long before they decided to meet up and have dinner.

I'm so thankful for all her friends who were on full alert, ready to rescue her if the guy turned out to be a loser, or worse! But they didn't have to worry. He was an absolute gentleman. We met him in October, and in November he came over for Thanksgiving dinner. By then they'd made it official, they were in a courtship. God proved to me that when I leave things in His capable hands, I can rest assured that He is in complete control.

The rest of the year went on without a hitch. Despite the hurricane and my son moving away, 2017 was a calm year. My son was happy living in Central Florida and was doing very well at his job. For my 55th birthday we went to see Tenth Avenue North in concert and had a wonderful time. We celebrated and praised God for His blessings. I especially thanked Him because even in the storm He had blessed me, and 2017 had been a year of rest. It was then that I sensed in my heart the Holy Spirit telling me to get ready, because 2018 was going to be a rough ride. Heaven help me!

Happy Singles Awareness Day!

Nothing like a holiday to remind you of how unattached you are.  The first year of my separation was difficult, and days like these only emphasized it.  Especially since a week later, on the 21st, is my wedding anniversary.  But you know what?  I'm not letting a holiday ruin my day.  No sir, I was determined to focus on the positive, not the negative.  Easier said than done, huh?

Our language is limited when it comes to the word "love".  We expect it to explain the feeling we have towards our family, our friends, our spouse, our children, and our favorite food.  In the Greek language, there are several words that are used in reference to love.  Phileo love is affection towards friends, people that aren't related but who feel a sort of unity in brotherhood.  It's where we get Philadelphia from, the city of brotherly love.  It also denotes those things that we prefer or cherish, like foods, movies, clothes, styles of music, etc.  There is Agape love, which is unconditional.  It's the kind of love parents have for their children, the kind of love God has for us.  And then there's Eros, which is where we get the word erotic.  It's romantic love, love between a husband and wife.  It's the one we immediately associate with Valentine's Day.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  Valentine's Day can be a day about any type of love.  There's no reason to limit ourselves.  I kept that in mind for today.

First thing this morning I prepared a menu plan for the next couple of weeks.  It was important that I pick meals that are quick to make, or that can be made in the crock pot.  That way I wouldn't be stuck in the kitchen cooking, then rushing to get out the door.  I think I came up with a good variety that we all love and I can whip up in less than 45 minutes.  I then got dressed in a long sleeved shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a white denim jacket.  Not the typical South Florida type outfit, but it's been mighty cold here!  We got some rain a few days ago, and since then the temps have taken a dip: it was 46 degrees this morning, but it felt like 41 thanks to the wind chill.  For a Floridian, that's downright freezing!  The temperatures got up to the mid 60's in the afternoon, but it still felt pretty chilly, even with the sun out.  I bundled up accordingly.  I also used my Complexion Rescue as foundation, and I am loving it!  At first I wasn't sure I was impressed with it; it worked nicely under my liquid foundation but I couldn't see myself using it alone.  With some experimenting I found the secret to making it look like a flawless face - mineral veil.  Mineral veil is Bare Mineral's loose translucent powder.  I set the Complexion Rescue with mineral veil, then add a little bronzer, blush, quick eye shadow and liner, mascara and lip gloss, and in less than 10 minutes I'm heading out the door looking amazing!

I'm still trying to shop for groceries every two weeks instead of weekly, and keeping to a budget of $300 or under for the whole two weeks.  I know, not an easy feat with prices being what they are.  I'd already gone to Winn Dixie yesterday and gotten my meats, along with a bunch of produce and canned goods.  I'd spent $104.58, so I had about $200 left to spend.  I went to Walmart first.  I had to buy a few food items, including Molly's dog food which includes both wet and dry, and I needed some toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, etc).  Despite getting a few items not typically on the grocery list, I spent $104.92, which I thought was eerily close to what I'd spent the day before.  From there I went to Costco for the bigger items: toilet paper, olive oil, dog biscuits, bacon (yes, we eat a lot of bacon.  Don't judge me).  The total spent there was $58.99.  So all in all I spent $268.49, $31.51 under budget.  Yay me!

Of course I was quickly going to spend my savings :P.  I wanted to take advantage of the pants sale at NY and Company to get some work appropriate pants.  I once owned a large amount of dress pants which I used for work; being a purchasing manager meant I had to meet with vendors on a weekly basis, and while jeans were allowed, they weren't a professional look for me, so I dressed in skirts and pants most days.  About a year after I stopped working, I got rid of all but two pairs of dress pants.  It made no sense to keep a bunch of clothes that I wasn't wearing, and I was not wearing dress pants at all.  The two pairs I kept in case it got cold out (like this winter) so I wouldn't have to go to church in a dress or jeans.  Now, however, I'll be in an office where pretty much everyone is in dress pants or Docker style pants - no jeans allowed.  Yes, I can wear a skirt, and I may occasionally, but the school gives us button down shirts with the school logo, and I don't know that those will look very nice with skirts.  I got a couple pairs, one in navy blue that almost looks like dressy jeans but they aren't denim, and the other pair in brown.  Nice neutral colors that'll go with anything.  Then I looked for a dress.  My daughter's college roommate's brother (did you get all that?) is getting married at the end of the month, and I need a dress that is dressy but not formal (that's what her mom said).  So I'm looking for something that is pretty and wearable, classic and wedding appropriate.  There's a catch, though: it can't look like the dress my daughter will be wearing, a navy blue lace dress.  Okay, not a problem.  I figured I'd find something I liked, since NY & Company is my favorite store.  And I did find a dress I liked.  It's a lace dress, very similar in style to my daughter's dress, except it's in teal, which means it isn't the same.  That's what I told her, anyway.  She ain't buying it.

We went to several other stores, and I quickly spotted a trend.  Lace dresses are all the rave.  They are everywhere, and most of them are navy blue or orange.  Orange is a lovely color, just not on me.  I can wear peach, but bright orange washes me out and makes my skin look yellow.  Jaundice is not an attractive look, let me tell you.  I left the mall with just the pants.  I'm wondering if I'll find anything I like.  I have a dress that's been in my closet for, oh, I'd say at maybe 8 years?  It's tight up on top but I can manage to get it on.  If I can't find anything else, that's what I'll have to wear.  I'll just eat very light, and breathe minimally.

As a Valentine's Day gift, my daughter bought Domino's pizza.  I know many people like Domino's pizza.  Not me.  I'm a native New Yorker.  I know what pizza is supposed to taste like, and it's not supposed to taste like Domino's pizza.  I've told my children plenty of times that Domino's sauce is the worst I've ever tasted.  They know I can't stand it, but my daughter had a coupon, and it was a sweet gesture, so I said okay, and I ate the faux pizza for my daughter's sake.  I know I make it hard for her.  She was saying how I won't eat Pizza Hut pizza because it's too greasy (it gives me a stomachache it's so bad), and I won't eat Papa John's either (seriously, the box it comes in probably tastes better).  The only pizza I can stomach is Little Caesars, because it's only $5 so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.  There's not much I miss from my days in New York, but New York style pizza is definitely at the top of that short list.

So that's it for my day.  Maybe not the most "romantic" Valentine's Day, but still filled with love, and that's what matters, right?  Hope everyone's day was filled with love.  God bless ya'll.