Category Archives: family

How to Tell if Your Husband Loves You

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This post is for you married ladies. Between us girls, sometimes we wonder if our husbands really care. Can we tawlk? Let me give you a fairly easy litmus test. Trust me, ladies, I’ve done this and now I know. You deserve to know how he really feels! 

Directions: 


1. Break your foot. Right or left, it doesn’t matter. Break it good so that you will need a cast. 
2. Decide that you want your cast to be special, that you want to make a “statement.”
3. Think of a snappy motto that you want to display. I have provided a helpful and patriotic example. 

4. Ask your husband/suitor to draw or write this motto on the cast. If he says, “ok,” then he has shown you a certain degree of affection.
5. Do not stop there, girls!

6. Decide that your cast is not special enough. Go to a nearby craft store and purchase Aleene’s decoupage paste.
7. Give your sweetheart a paintbrush and ask him to decorate your cast on places you yourself cannot reach. If he says, “ok,” then he has shown you that he is a keeper, however…
8. Do not stop there, girls!
9. Look at your toenails. You’ll notice that your toenails on said broken foot are blah. 
10. Get a bottle of nail polish and with your cutest facial expression, ask your DH if he’ll paint your nails.
11. Give him time. By this point, you might notice a slight discomfort in your man. Push past this girls. Allow him a moment. Continue to make the most pitiful face imaginable. Note: you may need to do this up to a full minute but do not give up! If your guy takes the nail polish bottle, albeit reluctantly, congratulations! You know your husband loves you madly!

I have tried other techniques but after nearly 21 years of marriage, I can say that this method is fool-proof! Let me know how it goes or any other suggestions you have. I’m always here to help.

Signed,

Scooter
 

I can’t wait!

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The first concert I ever went to was to see Elton John. I wore a multi-colored striped t-shirt that I had made just to look extra hot and brought my camera with fresh flash bulbs because I had to capture the moment. 

When Elton John came on-stage with his fancy glasses and strutted up to the piano, I seriously thought I was going to cry. I couldn’t believe I was at an Elton John concert and well on my way to being a full-fledged, independent woman at around 14 years old.

I also thought I was going to cry at an MC Hammer concert and not because of the guy’s funny pants. I happened to like MC Hammer at that time, thank you very much and I was a mother of two kids at the time and needed a night out with my husband. Let’s just blame that one on hormones. 

Moments, events, concerts, parades move me. I get carried away and overwhelmed. There is an energy and excitement; it’s like something big is going to take place and I’m getting to be a part of it even if it’s as a dorky teenager or a mom. I can’t help myself. 

Next week something very major is going to take place. 
I’m going to see my son. 
My Soldier. 
My boy. 

Sure, I’m going on a scooter with a broken foot and that wasn’t exactly what I anticipated but I’m going to see my son. 
My Soldier. 
My boy.


I haven’t seen my oldest OS since June 30th at West Point. Oh what an emotional day that was for me and thousands of other parents and well-wishers. I even have trouble recalling that day because of its intensity. 
Even though I was completely ambulatory at that time, I confess it was nearly impossible to walk away from the place. I left part of my heart at the United States Military Academy. 

Since June 30th, we’ve only talked with our son for a total of one hour in 6 1/2 weeks. We have received precious letters like manna from heaven but only 60 minutes total of slightly normal conversation. Not complaining but just saying, we have missed him dearly. Just the thought of seeing my child, hugging him, hearing his voice face to face beats any concert or performance I shall ever attend. Just the thought of connecting with Nathan again makes me want to weep with joy. I have ever experienced separation from any of my children for this long. 

But in a week I get to see my son. 
My Soldier. 
My boy…

Like a very wonderful and talented singer once sang (and I was there so I should know), “can’t touch this!” Hammer time next Saturday! 

Pity Party Gains a New Member!

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So far, Denise, Jenn, Nancy, Sharon are coming to the Pity Party! It’s never too late to join, we’re having so much fun! Woot!

Big news, the Pity Party has a new guest of honor…my middle OS Aaron! I guess he was jealous that I was having a Pity Party, he just had to join the “celebration.” His birthday is in about 3 weeks but apparently he couldn’t wait to have some attention. Less than a day after my PP was going full swing, Aaron decided he wanted a piece of the action.  


During football practice on Thursday, Aaron got his thumb stuck in a football helmet. I hate that when that happens. The thumb doubled in size and so for the second time in a day, Mark, my super duper DH, took a family member for x-rays. We had just finished eating dinner when Aaron began writhing in pain. 

By going to Urgent Care on Thursday night, we assumed this was going to eliminate the need for Mark to take Aaron to the doctor today. He is behind on work because of all of my problems and interruptions. WRONG! Of course, you guess it.  Mark and Aaron went to the orthopedist this morning. Urgent Care wasn’t sure if our middle OS had indeed broken his thumb so for the third time in 24 hours, Mark is carting someone to the doctor. 
On Monday, he will take our OS to the hand specialist to see if he has torn two ligaments on his thumb. We are learning in a very interesting way that we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

I have asked my disabled mom to help us out in the meantime. She has a knee brace, an infected toe and a host of other medical issues but praise the Lord, she was willing to come over for the next week and has been scrambling about the house doing whatever she can. We are a motley crew!  

We are currently recruiting new members of our family who are ambulatory. If you’d like to be part of this dynamic team and have two working arms and legs, we’d love to hear from you! No need to even send a resume, if you can walk or hold things, you’re in! We won’t even check your references! It’s just that easy!  

Can you believe it? I guess misery really does love company! In all seriousness, folks, we could use some prayers. This is stressful, depressing, not to mention, painful and I’m needing a godly perspective right now.   

This was me minutes before getting the crummy news about my foot…

 

Pity Party Continues…for 6-8 weeks

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Linda Ronstadt wrote a song, “Poor, poor, pitiful me.” I like singing Linda Ronstadt songs which is good because it looks like this is going to be my anthem for the next two months. 

 

I woke this morning after a fitful night of sleep. I felt fairly optimistic going into the doctor’s office, enough so that I thought about taking a couple silly pictures while on the way there.


My mood quickly changed after the doctor reviewed the x-rays. I have broken the fifth metatarsal bone. CRUD! Repeatedly the doctor told me I could put absolutely no pressure on my foot for 6-8 weeks. This is very problematic, how does that happen?

The biggest disappointment is that I will be going to West Point on crutches to see my son. I was going to drive to NY with my disabled mom and my two OS in two weeks. My husband started a new job and has very limited vacation time. Our plan was to meet him in NY and all go together. Now it looks like I’ll be packing a wheelchair for me, and perhaps one for my mom. Thousands of people attend A-Day, nothing is going to make me miss seeing my boy but never, in my wildest imagination, did I think I’d be greeting him in crutches. 

Next week the doctor puts a regular cast on my foot. I never thought a silly turn of the foot would land me in a position like this. 

Pity Party and YOU’RE INVITED

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Yesterday was the first day of school for my two OS. I picked them up in the carpool line and nearly lost my mind. It was a nightmare. I didn’t know where to go so I think I stopped my van in the traffic line. 

Consequently, mommies that were behind me gave me death rays out of their driver’s windows. (I thought I was in the middle school parking line but I might have been blocking the elementary school parking line, I’m still confused.) By the time my two guys came out of the building, 17 minutes later I was fit to be tied. They had sweet little smiles on their faces, I did not. It wasn’t a great way to greet your kids especially on their first day back to school. 

This morning I told my husband he was going to come with me to pick up the guys because maybe he could explain what I should do. He told me in a kind but firm way that he couldn’t because he had work to do. Oh, really???

That’s when I decided I’d sprain my ankle. That’ll teach him. 

While walking out of the house to get our sons, BY MYSELF, my foot and ankle rolled off my heeled sandals. Excruciating pain began immediately as I frantically hopped to ring the doorbell. Mark ran down the stairs and helped me inside.

I moaned and saw stars which was a problem since it was only 3:30 in the afternoon. So here I sit, unable to put any pressure on my left leg. I’m feeling sorry for myself and my puffed up foot. Misery, agony, despair.

Thusly, you’re invited to my pity party. So far my husband, two OS, my sisters and my mom are joining me. We could take random pictures of my foot. You could bring me a present. Be creative! I’m not too picky. It will be fun!

My husband bought me some flowers, is making dinner – grilled lemon chicken, couscous with toasted pine nuts and grilled asparagus. Feel free to share your ideas! I also like shiny, sparkly things. 


According to my google diagnosis, I believe I have sprained my anterior talofibular ligament. I’ll see the doctor tomorrow. I think the party will still be going strong though. Hope you can make it! 


Family Portrait, sort of…

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A few months ago, I was interviewed for a newspaper article. When the story came to print, I eagerly read it only to discover that the writer stated that I was the mother of two sons. My heart sank. How could he make such a mistake after I implicitly and proudly told him I had three boys??? For Pete’s sake, he and I shared a moment, he has three daughters, how could he be so dumb? It took me several weeks to write him because it bothered me so much but I eventually informed him of his error. Even though the journalist apologized, the damage was done. He didn’t know how much that hurt me. I am the mother of three sons!!! I’m screaming it from the rooftops!

Even though my oldest OS is far away, he is exactly where the Lord wants him. But that doesn’t stop me from involving my OS in family events. It’s just that now, well, I’ve just become quite inventive with incorporating my favorite soldier into gatherings. Said in my best Mr. T impersonation, “I pity the fool who makes that mistake again.”

During our family reunion, we enjoyed Sunday Service at the chapel in the mountains. We arrived promptly at 9am for the group pictures. 

When it was time for my mom’s brood to get our pictures taken, I didn’t want Nathan to be overlooked. It didn’t seem right for him to not join us. I had the solution, I grabbed the canvas USMA bag with his name on it and placed “Nathan” on the ground while the paparazzi snapped away.

Oh my, was Aaron thrilled when I asked him to “hold” his brother for the cousins photo! NOT! Thank goodness he’s such a good-natured guy who loves his mama. Sorry the picture is so small. Aaron is the tall guy on the left. He’s “holding” Nate! How sweet is that!

The Highs and Lows of a Mountain Vacation, Chapter Two

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About 20 minutes after having the BEST PARTY IN THE WORLD, we (that is, my sister, brother-in -law, hubby and mom) were tired and joyous. I had been giggling so much during the party, my cheek muscles hurt. It was midnight, we were happy but tired. It was time for bed at least that’s what we thought…


But then my sister Denise, heard her 2 1/2 year old son Jon rustling in his bed, coughing and acting listless. She picked him up and tried soothing him. Throughout the day, Jon seemed a little sick. During our party, however, he polished off five cookies without a problem. Now my little nephew was having some trouble breathing.  Denise thought he might have a slight touch of the croup and figured a trip to the doctor’s office tomorrow might be warranted.

Then Jon began to have even more labored breathing. He became more agitated and inconsolable. Denise and JD called their pediatrician’s emergency phone number but by then Jon’s breathing had rapidly worsened. We were all running around trying to figure out what to do. A sense of panic filled the cabin even though we all tried to keep it together. “I think he’s going to have a seizure!” Denise shouted to JD. Denise rushed Jon into the bathroom and we cranked on the hot water to create steam. I ran to the bedroom to get Jon’s beloved stuffed cow and threw it into the bathroom. 

But nothing was working. Jon’s lips were turning purple. We thought he was going to lose consciousness. Just 30 minutes before, we had been yukking it up and having a blast. Now we were in a frenzy as 911 was called. Here we were in a cabin high atop the Smoky Mountains with no idea where the nearest hospital was with a child who needed urgent medical attention. By the time the ambulance arrived, Jon had calmed down but now his face was pale, he was not reacting even when the paramedics were handling him. They found his oxygen saturation level unacceptable and Jon and Denise were whisked away to the hospital via ambulance. 

It was a long, long night. Repeated steroid injections and breathing treatments finally got Jon stabilized. They thought at one point that he was going to be admitted to the Children’s Hospital in Knoxville. My husband accompanied JD to the hospital while Mom, my boys and I stayed home with baby Josiah who happened to have a fairly restful night, thank you Jesus! It was past 2am before Mom and I got to sleep. Everyone who went to the hospital didn’t sleep. We were all zombies Monday morning. Jon slept for long stretches all through the day but was much better than hours before. Kids are more resilient than grown-ups, that’s for sure. 

Jon will be seeing a pediatric pulmonologist and he was acting his hilarious self on Tuesday when we all returned home. He was getting in trouble, bopping his brother on the head, drinking juice and talking up a storm. You would have never known he had been so sick. Apparently there was a point when his oxygen saturation levels were 50%, which is very poor. Now he’s our full-tilt toddler again! Hallelujah!

There were a few moments of levity at the hospital. Uncle Mark was quite the hit when he put a rubber glove over his head. JD took this picture on his cell phone. 

What a night, huh?

Highs and Lows of a Mountain Vacation, Chapter One

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Today’s post is about one of the highs of our Smoky Mountain Family Reunion. I will soon write about the low and trust me, it was definitely a low point for all of us. 

During lunch at the Apple Barn, (which took 45 minutes for a five mile journey- OY! The traffic is INSANE!), I decided we needed to have a party. Not just any party. I wanted to have THE BEST PARTY IN THE WORLD! Talk about pressure! At eight o’clock our guests arrived and we greeted them with left-over gifts from Nate’s send-off party and left-over necklaces from my stepfather’s 50th birthday party. Plus left-over gifts that we didn’t even order but arrived in a package with all the stuff we bought for Nate’s send-off party. No one seemed to care, it just lent to a festive mood. Note the chili pepper necklaces most of our guests are wearing. 

My brother-in-law is an attorney by day but we learned he has a potential second career. Professional Bingo Caller. We didn’t know about this hidden talent. Maybe JD and Isaac and the Tender Tones can have a gig sometime soon. Maybe not. I have included a video segment for your perusal and I’m sure you will agree that JD’s got some mad Bingo calling skills. 

We had family in one room playing Bingo winning amazing prizes ala Oriental Trading Company and another bunch of family in my mom’s room playing Pit. 

According to family legend, Grandma Muth used to say, “there is no family when it comes to cards.” Uncle Brad brought Pit, a frenzied card trading game that he has hung on to since the 70’s as the ugly orange bell and groovy box indicates. Who knew this gentle man has a ruthless side? Who knew that normally demure Aunt Nancy turns into a wild woman with a deck of cards? 

It wasn’t until midnight that all our company left. We hugged each other and commended ourselves on such a fun evening! We were ready to all go to sleep. Was that the end of our evening? Not even close, stay tuned to Chapter Two aka The Lows of a Mountain Vacation…dum dum dum dah (cue omnimous music)…

Tennessee Talent Showcase

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Friday marked the day when my mom’s extended family all descended upon Sevierville, Tennessee to begin a five day family reunion. After nearly a decade, over 50 kin from Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina came together and made memories. It has been a wonderful time even without my beloved son. I will blog shortly about my attempts to include him in the reunion though. He was never far from my heart or mind, that’s for sure. 


Saturday was the day of our Talent Show. As many of you faithful readers know, it was going to be the first live performance of Isaac and the Tender Tones. The crowd seemed suspenseful and impressed as we arrived in the family room in our matching, homemade costumes (sewn by one of the Tender Tones!). We heard snickers and laughter but I’m pretty sure it was just jealousy on the part of the less gifted ones in the audience.

Well, I’m not sure what went wrong but let’s just say, Isaac and the Tender Tones still need a little practice. After repeated practices and last-minute changes to our songs, we, well, there’s no easy way to say it, folks, we bombed. It started with a certain “Tender Tone” (aka MY MOM or maybe it was me?) getting the giggles and folks, it pretty much went downhill from there.

Our rendition of the George Gershwin classic, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” was fortuitous.We should have called the whole thing off. Our song from the Broadway hit musical “Tomorrow” was lackluster but highly dramatic. The Tender Tones began singing after Ike had already played the first stanza. He wasn’t sure what we were doing and looked confusingly at us but it was too late to inform him of our last minute musical changes. Being the consummate performers, however, we persevered. I don’t think it bothered anyone, including us but shockingly, we did not win in our talent show category. Hmphf! We do need a lot of work, as you will see. 

It’s hard to have a bad time when you’re in the Smoky Mountains in a beautiful cabin with delightful, loving people whom we are privileged to consider family not only because we’re related but also because we know Jesus. 

Here’s just a brief clip of the first and quite possibly, only performance of Isaac and the Tender Tones, we hope you enjoy. If interested in hiring us for your next event, please feel free to leave a comment and my booking manager aka husband, will get back to you.

Officer Christian Fellowship an oasis for a new cadet at West Point

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Yesterday we received two letters from our son and as you can imagine, it soothes my heart to hear from him.

One of the few things my son is doing which do not produce anxiety in my heart is Officers’ Christian Fellowship and for that I say “amen!”

On Wednesday nights, my son and interested NCs have a first name (their very own!) and are allowed to even find a bit of a personality! What a privilege! Most other times, New Cadets are not afforded such luxury. You and I take these things for granted but you don’t if you are a lowly New Cadet.

A place of smiles and fellowship, being refreshed by the Word of God, fresh cookies and caring people. If I were a NC, I think I would live for Wednesday nights.

That’s also where you will find Barry and Barb Willey with Officers’ Christian Fellowship. Each summer in Wednesday, they join the chaplains and after worship time, the cadets get free time to relax, eat sweets and drink sodas.

Then they can get in a line and the Willey’s take a head shot of the New Cadet along with anyone else they want and then Barb sends the pictures to anyone they choose.  What a treat! This is a wonderful ministry at West Point and it’s great that Nate has plugged into the community. Today we received a picture of our son from Barb. It was the first thing I looked for in my email box this morning.

Nate is smiling!

He looks happy!

He has friends!

I am overjoyed!

Last night apparently my son sought Barb out and made sure he got a picture. He even asked for his buddies to be in the picture which makes me want to cry, (I’m tearing up right now). I am so thankful for the Willey’s. I love their servants’ hearts, they are reaching out not only to the cadets and New Cadets but to their families. I am comforted knowing my son had a mama’s arms around him even if they weren’t my own.

According to Barb’s facebook, she was up until 4am downloading photos knowing eager parents would want to receive the photos. I can relate. Although I wasn’t up until 4am, last night I received a late night email from a student needing a “word of faith.” She was hurting and needed some encouragement. I wrote her back immediately because she needed to know someone cared.

Isn’t that what we all want? To know someone cares? I sure do! In a letter from our son, Nate wrote about how Colonel Cook’s sermon on Psalm 121 was so applicable. “I will lift my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help?” He said, “it’s pretty cool when you’re at Trophy Point and you have hills surrounding you.”

Nate will always have beautiful memories of how God’s Word was so alive during his time at West Point.

The Lord is caring and providing for our son, he feels God’s presence in this place.

Maybe not when the cadre are screaming at him but he is finding a peace that passes understanding. God always cares, always understands, is 100% dependable. 

Today I lift my eyes and hands up to the Lord and offer a word of blessing upon friendships, old and new, near and far and the body of Christ working together for His glory and kingdom.

Update: Now, five years later, my oldest olive shoot, Nate knows even more intimately how the Lord and His Word can speak to a Soldier’s spirit. During his recent journey through Ranger School, Nate found God’s Word just as relevant and life-giving. I just love what he wrote on the inside of his cap!

Click Officers’ Christian Fellowship for more info about OCF and check out this facebook page OCF at UMSA!