unwrapping today. it was a great gift...

I've had a most enjoyable day.

I got up early and walked my always-at-the-ready yellow lab, Jonah.
He makes sure I keep up a heart-racing pace.
So...perhaps I should have said...
I got up early and my always-at-the-ready yellow lab, Jonah,
walked me.

It was a great time to walk...and pray.

After my invigorating walk, I did all the morning stuff
to get ready to go to work...
and listened to John Piper preach the last sermon
in a series on "The Beatitudes" that I've been enjoying
as I've done all the morning stuff this week.

I left my sufficiently exhausted yellow lab, Jonah,
on his bean bag bed in our bedroom...
that would be the bedroom belonging to Sweet Husband and me,
not Jonah and me...
just thought I'd clarify that for anyone wondering...
and I drove to my place of employment.

Not long after I had settled in at my desk
a sweet friend showed up, pulled a chair up to my desk
and began to share her fears and anxiety about
a new job she's had for three months,
which if she's not built a successful clientele in one year's time
she will lose.

I understand fear.
It's one of my greatest sin struggles.
What a privilege to share with and pray for my friend...
a privilege I do not deserve and am only afforded by
the blood of Jesus.

It was a God-appointed, precious time.  ...so thankful.

The office was pretty slow today
so my co-worker, Martha, and I got to visit quite a bit.
We took a detour from Sarah Groves, Chris Tomlin, and the likes
and listened to James Taylor via Grooveshark most of the day
until Martha asked if we could switch
to the former Mrs. James Taylor...Carly Simon.
Martha really likes her voice.
I was happy to oblige.

For some reason we started talking about kidney stones...
like I said...slow day at the office...
and we each had a story to share;
mine about my dad and Martha's about her husband.
I'll just say that I won't be able to look at Junior, her husband,
with a straight face again...
ever.

Another friend came breezing in the door
about an hour before it was time to go home.
She handed me a DVD and told me I had to check out
her "latest thing" that she is incredibly excited about.
The DVD had "Zija" written on the face...
I could not even imagine what I was getting ready to watch.

By the time she had explained all about "Zija"
the miracle nutritional supplement, available in drink, powder or pill form
along with a complete line of skin care,
I was fully in-tune with the whole deal...
another pyramid scheme...
and I told her I was not at all interested in
contributing to, building or climbing a pyramid.
She reassured me it was definitely not a pyramid scheme...
it was "network marketing"...

Do I look like I fell off the turnip truck yesterday?

My friend left, after regurgitating "Zija" info all over me.
The DVD ended up being quite entertaining.
I could make it fast-forward and the voices of the narrator
and the people sharing testimonials sounded hilarious.
I used to love to do that with records when I was a kid.

Records...round vinyl disks that had recorded music on them.
Oh my...I just really showed my age, didn't I?

Anyway...

I left work and drove home and as I approached our driveway
there was Sweet Husband...
one of my favorite times of each day...reunion!

He had walked the trash can to its spot at the end of our driveway
for trash pick-up day tomorrow.
When he saw me, he threw his arms up above his head...
because he was so happy to see me, of course...
I stopped and he hopped in the passenger seat
to ride in the air-conditioned car back up the hill...
it's not that far...but we were glad to ride it together!

We did our usual after work routines
and shared some highlights of our day with each other.
Yes, he enjoyed the kidney stone story.

Grocery shopping after work was a plan we discussed this morning.
So, we decided to grab some sandwiches at Firehouse Subs
and then venture to the grocery store...
it's always better to shop for groceries when you're not hungry!

But before we went to Firehouse Subs
we took a detour and visited our local Verizon store
located at the opposite end of the strip center from Firehouse Subs.

Now...I don't get jazzed about cell phones.
As long as my phone has a green button for "send" and
a red button for "end" and a keyboard for texting my friends and family,
I'm happy.

But, today I might have gotten a little jazzed when I saw the Droid 2.

I played with it a little while...as well as the Droid Incredible...
while Sweet Husband visited with a school board member...
(we live in small town USA...picture Mayberry RFD...
so we see someone we know everywhere we go)

but I didn't buy either phone.
I can't buy one without revisiting the store at least 5 or 6 more times.
...it's tradition.

After checking out the Droids,
Sweet Husband and I made our way to Firehouse Subs.
It was there that I felt old...
not as old as I did when I typed "records" earlier...but old.

I knew one of the girls working in Firehouse Subs...
she's grown...out of high school...gainfully employed...
and she used to be in my children's choir...
Oh, Dee Dee tell me it isn't so!!

When Sweet Husband asked me who she was,
after she had referred to me as "Ms. Kay,"
I told him and his eyebrows slowly raised up
as his eyes grew as round as saucers.

I think I need a Droid 2...immediately.

Just kidding...

The grocery store was uneventful and
thankfully, not very crowded.
We found ourselves wondering how we would feed
four children, ourselves, and pets
if everyone was still home...
especially since all we bought was food for two meals,
some toiletries, a couple of kinds of juice,
a half-gallon of milk, some fruit, and
some replacement sponges for my dish wand
and we spent as much as we used to spend for
at least two or three weeks of food
when everyone was still living at home!

I think I need to begin planning a garden for next summer!
...maybe raise a buffalo, some goats and chickens...

Sweet Husband and I then brought our purchases home,
put them away, let our exuberant-over-seeing-us yellow lab out,
changed into our comfy lounging end of the day clothes, and
watched a couple of Andy Griffith episodes.

Sweet Husband is now in bed resting before rising to
meet with a group of men to worship and pray tomorrow morning
before they each go into the world to their respective workplaces.

I'm very thankful for my husband. 
I'm very thankful for my job and co-workers.
I'm very thankful for friends.
I'm very thankful for this sleepy little town.
I'm very thankful for this day.

Not everyone in this world has enjoyed such a day, such a marriage,
such a work environment, such friends, such a friendly place to live...

It's time for me to lay my head down for some rest, too...
but I felt the inclination to recount this day and enjoy it once again.
I don't often do that...
pause...remember...and give thanks.

I should do it more.