Humor

I was talking with the boys the other day about different families that we know and what are the main things we notice about them. For example, we have friends who their whole family likes to talk a lot. We know other families that are really into sports. I asked Alex what he thought our family was known for. He said that he bets that people think we are funny and joking all of the time, even at home. I thought about how right he is to say that.

Marty is so funny and cutting up all the time, that once someone asked me if he is ALWAYS like that. I said yes. One of the things I love about him is his sense of humor. When he was deployed, my life was really boring without him teasing me and the boys. I probably shouldn't tell you, but one of his biggest thrills is trying to moon the boys. He definitely keeps life interesting. At least I know that my life will never be boring. I can just picture him now as an old man trying to moon the boys with his old, saggy butt.

I guess I am pretty funny too, or at least that is what I have been told. I even joke around with the doctor when I have an appointment. I love catching people off guard by saying something witty when they don't expect it. Sometimes when conversations get too serious, I like to say something silly to provide some comic relief. One time I even made a friend laugh so hard that she peed herself. Now that is power!

Alex is funny, but not when he is trying to be. When he tries to be funny, he flops. The best things he says are when he doesn't expect it to be funny. I love the one time that he told Marty that he didn't want to see his muffin top. He says his friends laugh at his joke too. He has a good sense of humor, because he never gets offended when people tease him about NASCAR which he loves.

Now Scott is very funny. Alex says he is Marty's unaltered clone (like in Star Wars). He has Marty's sense of humor. It doesn't hurt that he is really cute too. He makes me laugh all the time. He has been known to flash his moon a few times too.

One thing I really love about my family is that we seem to have fun no matter where we are or what we are doing. We seem to notice all the little odd and weird things about life. If we have a camera, you can bet that we will get a picture of it.

So many people think that if you are a Christian then you have to be dignified and you can't make jokes or act up. I disagree. I think it is actually a sign of maturity to know when you can be silly and when you need to be serious. I love being able to tease the pastor and act like I didn't understand the sermon. I love acting up at a ladies group. I think God has a sense of humor (just look at all the crazy things he created or the things he allows to happen to us) and if we are created in his image then we have a sense of humor too. I say go for it, be funny, and try to make your friends pee theirselves!

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them.""

Psalm 126:2

Laundry, Laundry, and more Laundry

You know, I have been thinking a lot about laundry these days. It seems like no matter how much laundry that you do, there is still more that needs done. (I suspect that they multiply at night in the hamper while everyone in the house is sleeping.) Plus, think about how much work is involved in the laundry process. First, you have to actually get your kids (and your husband) to get their laundry in the laundry basket. If you

are lucky, they may even put it in the right piles.

After you get everything sorted, then comes the washing process. It is not so bad if you are in the states with the mega large washing machine. Over here in Germany, we have really small washers that take forever, so it can take a while

to get the laundry done. Then you have to dry your laundry, and try not to forget that it is in there so you can catch it before everything wrinkles. The idea is to be on top of things and hang up stuff and fold it after each load. I say idea, because that never happens in my house. Most of the time we take out one load, put it in a pile and put the next load in the dryer. It seems like it takes us a while to get back to the folding process. Sometimes by the time to we get to it, the pile is a giant mountain that looks like it will topple at any moment.

Most of the time the laundry is lucky if it ever sees the inside of a drawer. My boys think a laundry basket is their dresser. I wish I was more on top of things, but I guess I don't really make it a priority.

I saw a quote about laundry: "Behind every successful

woman is a basket of dirty laundry" -Sally Forth. I got thinking about how you could be successful and still have dirty laundry. I remembered a verse from the Bible about how women are supposed to be busy at home. "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (Titus 2:3-5 ) If we are busy at home, that is what God wants. Plus, we will have less time to be getting into trouble.

I was also thinking what a blessing it is to see my children's dirty clothes, because it reminds me how God has blessed me with children to raise to follow him. Plus, it is a joy to see my husband's dirty clothes in the laundry. I remember the days when he was deployed and the laundry seemed to be such a reminder that he was not here with us. I guess when I am feeling overwhelmed and discouraged at the piles of laundry, I will just remember that they are a visual reminder from the Lord of how much he has blessed me.

Feeling Girly

Over the years, I have struggled with my weight and my self-esteem. As a survivor of child abuse, I have found many ways to adapt to my insecurities. For example, if I use weight as a shield, I will not attract any unwanted advances. As a teen and young adult, I quickly found that looking good brought unwanted attention. When I got out of Marine boot camp, I weighed the least I had weighed as an adult and was looking very fit. I got a lot of attention from guys on the base, and really felt uncomfortable with that. While I was in the Marines, they were obsessed about weight, appearance, and physical fitness. They expected me to be able to keep up with the men when it came to fitness. Needless to say, the attention to all that did not do much for me except make me stressed. After I was married and out of the military, I eventually started to put the weight back on. I think part of it was due to pregnancy, birth control shot, and depression. I felt lousy and didn't have a lot of energy. I knew I needed to lose weight, but I just didn't seem to have what it took inside to get it together. Once, I had a friend who got a group together who wanted to lose weight. We would get together and weigh ourselves and hold each other accountable. I was doing well and losing a lot of weight doing this, but when our group stopped meeting, I lost interest. Another time, I was doing lots of walking with a friend and losing weight, and again lost interest. Then, Marty got sent to Korea for a year. That is when I hit the most I have ever weighed. I am embarassed to say that in February 2007, I weighed 265 pounds. We moved to Germany and I encountered a lot of stress here as well, which led to me seeing a doctor for my anxiety. The desire of my heart has been to lose weight and get in shape, because I know that it is not good for me to be like this and it is not what God wants for me. I would pray to God to just help me to have some inner will power to get it together. I got on some medication for my anxiety, and it had a surprising side effect: I was no longer able to tolerate greasy food, fast food, soda, sweets, etc. Not only that, I didn't want that stuff and my appetite was smaller. From November to now, I have lost about 50 pounds, 1 shirt size, 1 bra size and 3 pant sizes. At first I felt really guilty that I was losing all this weight and I wasn't doing anything. I really feel that God gave me this jump start gift in the middle of a really hard time in my life. The more weight I have lost, the more I feel better about myself. I am getting out of my comfort zone and doing things that I never would have done before: jumping on trampolines, riding down slides, going on shopping trips with the girls, etc. I have always been kind of a tomboy when it comes to clothes, and I didn't really like to draw attention. I never have been a girly girl or felt particularly girly. In losing all this weight, I have noticed a change in myself. At the age of 37, I am finally starting to feel a little girly. I will wear bright colors now, I like to paint my toenails, I won't leave the house without my hair and make-up being done. The more girly I feel, the more sassy I feel too. It is kind of an exciting time in my life. I feel like for the first time that I am ready to start being more proactive in losing weight. I hope to lose at least 50 more pounds. I am doing this for myself and not for anyone else. I am tired of living life on the sidelines. I want to live life to the fullest.

"My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:2