Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Trick or Treat?

Happy Halloween!

My life has been stressful lately, as if you couldn’t tell. I feel like I’m living in fast forward, and I know this is not how the Lord wants me to live. All the days pass by in a blur. If I didn’t keep a blog, I’d probably forget half of the things that happen in a month. I’ve been overwhelmed and trying to do this all on my own. This has led me to recently surrender to God daily all my fears, struggles and worries before the day even begins. There are just some things I can’t control.

I had been looking forward all day Friday to coming home from work and relaxing. Instead, when I stepped in the door I was greeted by chaos. There were boxes piled in the living room and all along the hallway, and interestingly a different baby gate was now up between the living room & kitchen.

I inquired about the gate first. Gregg told me that when he came home that afternoon, there was confetti all over the place. In her distress at having Gregg hardly pay any attention to her that morning or the night before, Tess chewed up two paperback books we had on the coffee table. One of them is our Sacred Marriage book for small group, so we’ll have to replace it. Good thing we’re having a fondue night this Tuesday instead of our regular discussion. Gregg said he gave her the whooping of a lifetime when he found the mess. He filled an entire plastic bag with the shredded pieces of paper, then went back to Wal Mart to exchange the baby gate we got for a wider one so we could confine her to the kitchen from now on.

And the boxes? Somewhere in between paddling the dog, cleaning up the mess and running back and forth to the store, Gregg got the brilliant idea to start reorganizing the storage room (our extra second bedroom). He figured it needed to be done sooner or later with his folks and grandpa coming for Christmas, because we need to fit a bed in there. I started to unravel. After a busy day at work, THE LAST THING I wanted to do was hear about more problems with the dog and deal with a project that was going to take several hours.

I put down my stuff on the couch, kissed Gregg, and shut myself up in the bathroom- and prayed. There was no way I could relax in the house now with junk everywhere, so we went to Sam’s Club to do our monthly grocery run and had dinner at their little food court. You can’t beat a slice of pizza, a hot dog, two sodas and a pretzel for under 6 bucks!

As we shopped, we went down the pet aisle and looked at the doggie beds. Since Tess will be spending the majority of her day in the kitchen, we figured she ought to have something comfortable to sleep on instead of just the hard tile floor. We both said how much we want her to be good, because we don’t want to give her back, but were hesitant to drop $30 on a stupid dog bed. We decided that if we had money left over in our grocery budget at the end of the shopping trip, we’d buy it. It turns out we did have the money left, so I stayed with the cart while Gregg went back to get the bed. The things we do for a dog. I think we just should have gotten a hamster instead. When we got home, we put it on the floor and she climbed right in it. Mission accomplished.

Saturday morning I enjoyed sleeping in ‘til almost 8, while Gregg worked on getting that room organized some more. Then I got up and made us breakfast, and he made the coffee. We ate out on the back porch and I told Gregg it was like being on vacation since it was late October and 70something degrees. Yeah, fall didn’t last that long. After cleaning up, we got ready and went out to run a few errands. We stopped at Steak ‘N Shake for lunch first and took our time eating and talking, in a big comfy booth. Then we went over to Bed Bath & Beyond in the same shopping plaza and used the last of the $ on our gift card to buy a new shower curtain liner and hair catcher for the bathtub. Such exciting stuff.

While we were there, Gregg got a call from Russ on his cell phone and passed it to me so I could talk to Beth. I congratulated her on the new baby which is due in December and asked about some of our friends back in New Jersey. There were six of us who got married within the span of a year and a half, and they have all already either had babies just recently or are due to soon. Crazy. If we had stayed up there, I’d be feeling completely out of the loop and it would be even harder for me knowing Gregg & I aren’t on the same timetable as the rest of them.

On our way back from BB&B, we stopped at the Ebay store and picked up some cash for a few items Gregg had dropped off. We decided to use it at Lowe’s to buy paint for a few more rooms in the house. We went with the colors we had originally picked out in April, and I was really hoping they wouldn’t come out too dark. Since yesterday was Gregg’s day off, he started painting the kitchen and will finish the bathroom a little later in the week before my mom & stepdad come and stay for the weekend.

Oh, he painted the kitchen alright. It was like being transported back in time to the 1970s. Gregg kept saying the color would look better once all the paint had dried. I’m sure that he really wanted to believe this more than anything, after having spent the entire day painting, but that wouldn’t make it so. When all was said and done, our kitchen looked like a hideous green sea monster had thrown up all over it.

Gregg stood in the middle of the room, once all the appliances had been moved back, observing the color from different angles. He kept making this icky face and finally said, “I hate it.” I confessed that I didn’t like it either. He said there was no way we could leave it up on the walls, so that means repainting the entire stinkin’ kitchen. I felt so bad. My husband had spent his whole day off trying to make our house beautiful, and the results were yuck and double yuck. Now we have to fork over more money for new paint and he has to spend more time on a project that should have been finished last night. He also hurt his back working on it and I’m worried he’ll do even more damage by continuing.

We spent about an hour debating what the new color should be. After the debacle, I didn’t want to go anywhere near the darker hues. We went back and forth, and finally selected Belgian Waffle, a bright creamy color that looks (ha!) like it will compliment the room very nicely. If Mom & Art weren’t coming into town this Saturday, I’d say we can just live with the green monster for a while until Gregg is feeling better. We picked the absolute worst week to start this, I realize that now. And there’s still the bathroom to paint!

Sunday morning we were rushing around as usual, trying to get ready. Service was pretty somber, in light of last week’s startling announcement. The church had invited a former associate pastor to come preach for the next two weeks, and his message was about our utter dependence on God. I was convicted about how much I rely on myself and try to control every situation. I was also struck by how I need to be a better wife. By obsessing over things that are out of my hands and or over stuff which isn’t really that important, I put myself above Gregg and become critical of him. Who cares if the house is spotless when I’ve neglected to spend time with my husband and meet his needs?

I need to stop being the roadrunner and just be still. Maybe then I can hear God’s voice. I have this little day-by-day verse calendar at work and ironically for October 30, it said “We are always wanting to be doing, to be giving, to be planning for the future, to be mapping out all our life; instead of resting and receiving day by day, leaving tomorrow to God”.

So yea, though I walk through the valley of the disobedient dog and ugly retro paint, I will fear not. Or something like that.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

This Place Has Gone to the Dogs

A funny thing happened this morning- Gregg always kisses me goodbye by the front door before I leave for work and Tess gets up on the couch, thinking she's going to go out too. When he opened the door, she ran out onto the lawn and he called for her to come back in. She wasn't listening very well though. Gregg told me to go start my car while he took care of the situation, then went inside to put jeans on since he was only wearing boxers. When I opened the door to the car and sat down, Tess jumped in behind me and climbed in the passenger seat. I quickly closed the door so she couldn't escape again. Gregg came outside looking for her and I rolled down my window to tell him she was in the car. He came around to the passenger side, grabbed her by the collar and pulled her out. Then he picked her up and carried her toward the house, stopping to say goodbye again. The dog had this look of surprise on her face, like what just happened?

Gregg decided that we now have to permanently leave the baby gate up, even in the mornings when we get ready for work. When I was in the shower yesterday and today, she grabbed clothes out of the laundry basket and started chewing on them. Yesterday she also ate the only favor from our wedding that we had saved- it was on the end table in the living room, right beside the framed invitation; a little bundle of Hershey's Hugs wrapped in netting with purple ribbon & silver-like rings. I was really upset, but Gregg said if she hadn't gotten to it, the ants would have. I pointed out that we've had it for almost four years and no bugs have gotten into it in all that time. I thought she had eaten my MP3 player too, because that was on the end table also and it was missing. It turns out Gregg just put it up on top of the tv so that she couldn't get it. We just can't trust her anymore.

I told Gregg, "What are we going to do? Just put everything away so she doesn't chew or eat it? Where can we keep her where she won't get into stuff??" He said we just need to make sure that she always has chew toys available. She does have her plastic bone, but half of it's already been eaten. I feel bad that Gregg wanted a dog so much and she's making life so difficult. We can't watch tv in peace because she jumps on the couch and wants attention. When she gets up on the bed and we tell her to get down, she doesn't do it right away but then when she is down she throws a "tantrum". By this I mean she growls and barks for several minutes. If we ignore her, she stops eventually. She doesn't compliment our life like that guy on the animal show said. She complicates it.

I really think that she is better when Gregg isn't around. The whole going crazy for any attention, I mean. She doesn't expect a lot of attention from me so she doesn't get all worked up. But with him, she goes nuts- jumping up, biting him playfully, can't sit still next to him on the couch. She's downright annoying.

Our lives are busy enough as it is without a dog to have to constantly deal with, or clean up after. What did we really expect though, getting her from the shelter? Maybe we need to look into obedience training.

Anyway, it's not the end of the world. Just one of the many challenges facing us right now. Sometimes I'd like to press the pause button on my life. I think these lyrics from an amusing country song sums it up well: "It was 1980 something, in the world that I grew up in... now I've got a mortgage and an SUV and all this responsibility; it makes me long for 1980 something..."

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Weekend Recap

Fall is finally here in Florida!! It's in the 60s today and blustery. I actually had to break out my jacket this morning because it was 50 something degrees when I left the house. My hair is as flat as a pancake right now- ah, how I miss those days. A dramatic change from the weekend, which was in the upper 80s and humid.

Speaking of the weekend, we had a pretty good one, considering all of the recent drama that's been unfolding. Friday night we went to the movies with some friends and out for ice cream afterwards. The movie that we saw is a Christian film called "Facing the Giants" and it is AMAZING. This young couple deals with fear and failure, struggles with infertility, and experiences the life changing power of God in their lives and in others'. My synopsis doesn't do it justice. I'll just say go see it, and make sure you bring your tissues!

Saturday was the church picnic. We showed up around 11 and found shelter from the blaring, hot sun in the shade along with the other adults who didn't have kids that were playing on the rides. We got something to eat, then I had to go monitor the kiddie pool for half an hour. The kids were splashing each other and water was going everywhere, but it felt refreshing. By 1:30, I was exhausted from the heat so we went home and I got my homework for the crown class done. Then I checked up on my favorite blogs and surfed the internet for a while. Gregg made dinner for us- on the grill, of course- and then we headed out to Walmart to buy milk and get my prescription for bc refilled. The pharmacy had already closed though, so we just went straight to the back to find the milk and passed by the baby section on the way. We'd been talking about getting a baby gate to close off the hallway to the dog while we're gone during the day and we finally broke down & bought one. Of course, I couldn't resist checking out all the adorable (and expensive) baby stuff while we there!

It turns out the gate was well worth the money, because while we were out Tess got into the bathroom garbage, went into our bedroom & chewed up the remote for the tv in there and also Gregg's glasses (which we incidently didn't find until just last night. We knew they were missing, but she had taken them into the living room and they got stuck under the couch). In our haste to leave, we had forgotten to close the bathroom and bedroom doors so naturally she got into trouble- again. We punished her, cleaned up the mess and promptly put up the baby gate. Problem solved.

Sunday was... difficult. To see a man who poured his life into the church for the past 25 years stand before the congregation, broken and defeated, was heartbreaking. He had trouble making it through his speech without dissolving into tears. People were stunned at his announcement and stayed in the sanctuary long after service was over, hugging each other and crying together. The whole scenario was very upsetting. The church is going to be reeling from the news for the next several weeks, trying to figure out where to go from here. There is a congregational meeting on November 12 so that we can vote whether to accept the resignation and have a forum where questions can be asked of the elders.

Gregg and I went home to have lunch and barely said anything. Even though we had had the chance to process everything a few days in advance, it was still really hard to be there and see how much this devastates our church. We talked to Gregg's parents and my dad that afternoon, then went back to Walmart for my bc and to buy a universal remote for both tv's. We just made waffles for dinner when we came home. After cleaning up and moving laundry around, I read the next chapter in Sacred Marriage for our small group this week and we watched 7th Heaven together. After a very emotionally taxing day, it felt good to be at home with the person I love the most, surrounded by comforting things.

Thanks for your prayers, ladies. I really appreciate them. Please continue to lift up our church during this difficult time.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Sheep Without a Shepherd

Something big is going down, and I'm not sure what it all means yet.

Wednesday night Gregg came home to find me in the kitchen, drew me close and asked if we could go out for dinner. I said matter of factly, "We just went out to eat yesterday and I already started dinner". He let me go and said "okay", then took a deep breath and said "Pastor Dan (our senior pastor) resigned today". I just stared at him in disbelief with my mouth hanging open, trying to figure out if he was really serious. I said, "what??" He repeated what he had just said and I could see he was not joking. "Now do you want to go out?"

Still in a state of shock, I turned off the stove and asked him the reason Dan would resign. Gregg said to get ready first and he'd tell me on the way to the restaurant. He explained that the pastor felt like he was preventing the church from growing the way He sensed God was leading it to. Our city has been steadily increasing in population over the years, but during this time Covenant has just maintained the status quo. He feels inadequate to be its leader at the size it's at now- almost 1,000 people- and the responsibilities & demands of his job have already taken their toll on his marriage. I know what a fraction of that feels like, having to "give up my husband" on occasion for the ministry; I can't imagine what it's like for Beth to have to do that all the time.

He's also been the only senior pastor Covenant has ever had, so this is a huge deal. Over Wednesday and Thursday, he met with all the members of church staff one by one to let them know and on Sunday he'll announce it formally to the congregation. An email went out to everyone saying that the early service is cancelled, so that "all the members of the body can be present for an important event". A committee has already been formed to find a new pastor.

Gregg said Pastor Dan apologized for having us move down here and now essentially, bailing on us. He told him how much he appreciated all the work he's done for the church so far and said he didn't know what this means for his position. But he added that the way he sees CPC heading, it will continue to have a great need for a very strong technical ministry. So Gregg is like, 95% sure that even with the pastor leaving, his job is still secure. We are confident that God is in control and has seemed to arrange different people within the church recently in order to move it forward & see His plan accomplished.

Still, it's going to be a big shock to the congregation and I'm not sure what's going to happen. It's a little un-nerving. I've heard horror stories of churches losing their senior pastor and falling to pieces over it and never recovering. Gregg sees the change as a positive one mainly, but his heart is heavy for Pastor Dan and for the church as it undergoes a major transition. He said Dan told him he doesn't know where he's going from here, if he'll ever preach again. He and his wife will stick around until May at least, so that their youngest daughter can finish high school, and then move away.

Obviously, this sort of thing can never happen at a "good time" but the same week as the Harvest Party, one of our biggest outreaches, and less than two months before the Christmas season ramps up? To make matters worse, Gregg noticed that the youth pastor's office was almost completely cleared out. He said, "I hope I'm wrong and it's just for a redecoration, but we might have a double resignation or a firing to deal with". Tomorrow is the annual church picnic, of all things, and we have to be very careful not to allude to the fact that we know anything. Last night at worship rehearsal, someone on praise team commented that Pastor Dan looked awful and wondered aloud if he was sick, saying that they should pray for him. Gregg looked over at the music director, like "oh no". But it turned out he really didn't have a clue. They prayed and that was that.

I hung out with some of the girls from our small group last night, and it was kind of weird not to share this huge piece of information in our conversations. We had a great time eating and chatting, and I feel a lot closer to them now. That's what I've been wanting- some good old fashioned girl talk. We met at Sarah's house and she showed us the baby's bedroom. If everything goes okay, in February they'll be able to go out there to pick him up.

So after a tense few days already, we have today and tomorrow to get through still. Basically, as morbid as it sounds, we're just waiting for the ax to fall on Sunday. It's going to be a very emotionally charged morning and I'm sure there won't be a dry eye in the congregation when it's over. I will say that I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Pastor Dan, removing himself from leadership so that God's will can be done. That takes a lot of humility and submission. It's an excellent example for the rest of us.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Jesus, Be The Center

That has been my prayer lately. With all that's going on and the responsibilities of life sometimes distracting me and taking my joy away, I've needed to focus on Jesus and remember why I do what I do. It's really helped. I've felt a lot less anxious about things in general. Gregg and I have been able to reconnect after a very busy few weeks, too. We've just enjoyed relaxing together and talking about everything and nothing. Monday night he washed and folded all the dirty laundry he brought home from his trip, which I so appreciated. It was one less thing on my "to do" list. I can't stand coming home from work, knowing there's all this stuff to do yet around the house.

Yesterday Gregg got his birthday present from his parents, which he was really happy about. They sent it late because they were on vacation the week before. It was a very nice shirt from Cabela's, a tupperware full of yummy chocolate chip cookies and $50 cash. We went out to eat with some of the money before small group started at 7. It's always great every week, spending time with friends sharing laughter/concerns/prayers and rejoicing in each others' good news. One couple announced they had made the decision to adopt a baby from overseas, something they were wrestling with for a few months.

We've been discussing how various aspects of our marriages point us towards God. Sometimes the things that come up are downright funny, but mostly they’re just honest from-the-heart stuff. The couple that leads our group, who have also been married the longest, are really open about the struggles they’ve faced together. That has helped the rest of us be candid about our own marriages and not feel like we need to pretend everything’s perfect and there are no problems. I love that all of us though, whether married for nine months or ten years, have made God the center of our marriages and continually seek His will & direction.

By now we’ve had our fair share of problems and know that they are, strangely enough, blessings in disguise: they shape our character and give us roots so we can stay firmly planted in a society where 50% of all marriages fail. We realize that whether or not our spouse really is the one, this is the person we’ve chosen to go through life together with, good or bad, and we’re in it for the long haul. It doesn’t sound very romantic. I’ll confess that right now I’m looking for a private retreat in the midst of our busy schedules, full of nothing but romance. But it makes me think of something our pastor said when he married us almost four years ago- “agape love (unconditional, committed love) will sustain your marriage when the other two, philos and eros, wane”. How true.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Hubby's Home!

I was laying in bed watching tv when the key turned in the lock around 9:30. The dog and I both sat up and went towards the door at the same time. It's always great when Gregg comes home after being away. Obviously because I miss him, but also because it's like a little reunion between us. He put down his suitcase and laptop case in the hallway and wrapped me up in a big hug. I held him tightly and didn't want to let go. I let him unpack and change for bed, and then he came around to my side of the bed and held me. Did I mention how great reunions are?

He joked that he should go away more often since the house was totally clean and all the laundry was folded and neatly put away. Yeah, ha ha. But seriously I was on a cleaning mission yesterday. Scrubbing, swiffering, windexing, I did it all. By late afternoon, you couldn't tell that we had a dog. Except for the fact that there are still dog toys lying around- um, and the actual dog herself, but you get the idea. She was lying on her "bed" (a couple of blankets on the floor in the bedroom) with her paw over her nose at one point. I think she was overwhelmed with the smell of clean. Or she was resigned to the fact that Gregg was never coming home again and she was now stuck alone with the crazy cleaning nazi.

I feel so good that my house is clean, for the next few days anyway. It was such a workout too. I was exhausted at the end of the day, and it carried over to this morning. I didn't wake up until after Gregg was out of the shower. Eventually I got out of bed, let the dog out and made him breakfast, then saw him off and got in the shower myself so I could leave on time for Sunday school class, which I volunteered to lead this week. After service, I sold cd's of this and past Sundays' sermons at the table in the back to help Gregg out. We were, as usual, the last ones to leave church and we were both tired and hun-gry.

On my way home, I started to feel weary, thinking about all the stuff coming up in the next few weeks and that all we do lately is run around here, there and everywhere with little quality time for each other. We seriously need a vacation. I switched the radio to a Christian station that rarely comes in, though, and to my surprise they were playing really good worship music. It made me realize my soul was thirsty. I sang along to familiar songs, like "Jesus Be The Center" and "Meet With You" and immediately felt better. Like everything came into focus and Jesus was the answer again. By the time I got home, I felt refreshed and ready to enjoy this beautiful day. Before. another. hectic. week. starts.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Home Alone

...for the second night in a row. I'm feeling lonely here without Gregg. I just got off the phone with him and started to tear up. He said he won't be home until 8 or 9 tomorrow night. And then he'll have to get to bed pretty soon after that to be up again early in the morning for church. I know at least I'll have Sunday afternoon and evening to spend with him, but it seems like lately we hardly see each other. He said that the conference has been really good so far and he's learning a lot that he can take back with him. Two of his top volunteers are on the trip with him and they've been "bonding". So all good stuff. I can't help but feel selfish though. I just want my husband back!

Thankfully, I haven't been without things to do. The dog definitely requires some maintenance... and some cleaning up after. Today I came home from work and she had chewed the remote control for the stereo to bits along with an entire new roll of toilet paper. It was like some psycho confetti strewn about the living room and hallway. I was beyond livid. This is the second remote she's destroyed in one week too. One freaking week. This is EXACTLY why I did not want to get a dog.

I also worked on my blog and caught up on a few of my favorite Nestie blogs for a while last night and then the Internet crapped out on me. It still wasn't working when I tried to get on tonight, but I had Gregg talk me through how to fix it. That's the beauty of having a techie husband. I plan on getting the house cleaned tomorrow, since I'll have the entire day, and memorizing the scripture we need to for Sunday school. For now, I'm going to relax and kick back with some popcorn and The King of Queens.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Count Your Blessings

Today I find myself counting little, but special blessings. Last night was our small group, and Gregg originally wasn't going to make it because they switched worship rehearsal nights from Thursday to Tuesday this week. As I was simultaneously whipping up brownies (since it was our turn to bring snack) and trying to keep an eye on the boiling pot atop the stove, I asked him when he had to leave. He said that he didn't have to go to rehearsal anymore, so he could come with me, yay! I was so glad- I really didn't want to be there without him.

We went and had a great discussion on the assigned chapter in Sacred Marriage on respecting your spouse, and good conversations afterwards. A new couple, who just moved here from Ohio, came to the group for the first time. After prayer requests, I served up the brownies and the leftover bread pudding I had made the day before. Everyone raved about how good the pudding was, and I actually didn't think it turned out that great. Cathy asked to keep some of it and we ended up just leaving the whole pan with them, saying we'd get it next week.

Tomorrow night Gregg is leaving straight from work for a Tech Expo in Clearwater. He'll be home sometime late on Saturday, which means I'll have the house to myself for two nights. I never like it when he goes away, but I am looking forward to having time to get a thorough cleaning of our house done (okay, I sound like a total dork, but it really needs it) b/c I don't do house chores on Saturdays anymore since that's our only mutual day off together. Obviously I'll do other things besides clean, like take time for me.

I love my husband and will miss him, but when my whole life revolves around another person and always thinking: "what am I going to make for dinner and does he have clean underwear/jeans/shirts for tomorrow?" it'll be nice for a few days just do things for myself, watch what I want to, paint my toenails, who knows? The sky is the limit (ha ha). I know by the time I crawl into bed tomorrow night, I'll be missing him like crazy. I hate going to bed without him. :( That's the worst part. It makes me that much more grateful he was able to attend small group because we won't be together these next three days.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Weekend Highlights

Happy Birthday to my beloved hubby, who turns 30 today! I love you.

This past weekend turned out pretty nice. Friday night we went to Jonathan and Michelle's as planned. The boys "bonded" over the grill, while Michelle & I talked in the kitchen and she showed me all the work they did to the house. After dinner they showed us how to play a new card game and we played a few rounds, each one becoming increasingly aggressive as we got good at it. Then we just sat around having coffee & brownies and talked until after 11 o'clock!

I asked J & M how they were doing after the miscarriage, and they said they were bummed about it but were confident God was in control and still very much want a family. Jonathan explained it was harder in some respects because he's in a high-profile position at church as the young adults pastor. After learning how common miscarriages actually are though, they felt a little better.

Jonathan gave us some ideas for managing our finances better, and suggested we open an ING account. In the car ride home, Gregg told me he really wanted to do that and I said, "Um yeah, I suggested that to you about a year and a half ago, and you completely poo-pooed the idea!" He tried to say that I didn't have all the facts originally, but I said that I told him everything Jonathan did. "Well he said it differently", he said. Whatever.

Saturday we slept in until 9, which was lovely, then didn't do much for the rest of the day except go to Sam's Club. Yesterday after church, we had pizza and veggies at my adult Sunday school class leader's house. I'm taking the Crown Financial study series and it is suggested that we have at least two get-togethers outside the class. It was a great time and we both got to know some more people from our church. Afterwards, Gregg left to go back to church to set up for a concert, and I headed to WalMart to buy some more ingredients for the dessert I'm making for his b-day. While I was there I picked up a mushy card, too.

The lasagna only took me an hour and a half to make, and I had it out of the oven and was cleaning the last of the dishes when Gregg arrived home. I finished cleaning up the kitchen while he told me about his night. We put the lasagna in the fridge for the next day and then went to bed. It felt so good to be off my feet, finally. Tonight we don't have much planned, just a quiet evening at home. I can't believe one of us is actually 30! I remember when I used to think that was sooo old.