Enjoying R&R!

Joe made it home last Thursday!! It has been wonderful, to say the least, to have him home. After being on our own for nine months, it has been so nice to have another pair of hands to help out around the house. He's taken on a few small projects, like fixing a couple of screens on the back porch, adjusting the feet on the washing machine so it doesn't "walk" out of the laundry room when it's on spin cycle, and doing a few maintenance items on my car. To my surprise, we discovered that the registration on the vehicles expired at the end of February. Oops! I never received the renewal notices, and it never occurred to me that I should check to see when they expire. Silly me!

His being home has been restful and relaxing for all of us. It's funny how things quickly fell back into feeling normal, especially when I thought I was getting used to being alone. Even the dogs surprised us, welcoming Joe at the door with happy barks and wagging tails. We were a little concerned that they would not recognize him and attempt to protect their territory, but they acted like he'd never been gone.

Joe's working through the kids' list of activities they had for him, including going to the movies and playing laser tag. From the parenting perspective, it's nice to have someone else that's "got my back," so to say. I don't have to be the lone bad guy, when it comes to reminding them about their chores, homework, etc.

We've got another week and a half of Joe being home, and we plan to make the most of every minute! I'll try to post a few pics later on....

Only Six More Days...

Well, maybe six; could be as little as five, and as many as seven or eight.... days until Joe comes home for R&R!!! I am getting very excited. Hannah asked me a few days ago when her Dad was coming home, and when I told her it would be next week, she was very excited as well!! We are all looking forward to some much-needed family time!

Hannah has been pestering me about letting her skip school so she can go to the airport with me to pick up Joe. I explained that I may not get much of an advance notice before he arrives, so he may come in the morning, afternoon, or evening. She went on to explain that in her mind, she has this vision of her rushing into her daddy's arms as soon as they see each other in the airport, and she really wants it to play out in real life. It's very sweet, but I have the same vision!

Now to accomplish all the to-do's on my list; I seem to add more than I cross off. My type-A personality really starts to kick in at times like these. I have a picture in my head of how I want things to be, but all I really end up doing is putting a lot of pressure on myself. Then when I don't get it all accomplished, I feel like I failed. It really is ridiculous -- I am my own worst enemy at times. Lord, help me to focus on that which is really important!