Y'all really need to head over to Katy Lin's this week and show her some love. She's had a hard week! She may not even feel like participating in her own creation. As we say here in the South, bless her heart! But it is Friday, so I will continue on in honor of mon capitaine.
Since I brought it up earlier this week I wanted to talk more about my banner. Why am I doing that on My Husband Rocks? Because My Husband is the one who made it!
He is in his happy place when he is creating things on his iMac at work. When I told him I wanted a new look for my banner, we started discussing how I wanted it to look. He took my ideas and created what I think is the prettiest banner I could have imagined for my blog.
He just gets better and better at this creating thing. While he had to make some changes that I wanted, his basic idea was kept intact. I love the "wild meadow" feel to it. I can just hear Bambi yelling "The MEADOOOOOW!"
The little caterpillar at the bottom is my favorite, though. He didn't start out that way. He started out as solid brown. You can see why I asked my husband to put some stripes on him, for goodness sake.
When people enter our blogs, we want the first thing they see to be beautiful. My husband rocks because he has that down to an art form! Thank you, My Sweet, for letting me reap the benefits of your creative mind!
What do you think of the new look? My sweet husband has created my banner, and I fooled around with the colors and fonts on the rest of it. It's not one of those cute templates like Brandi or Missy has, but I like change about as much as I like getting my tonsils removed. Which is why I still have my tonsils.
Back to the new look. What do you think? Is the background too dark? Does it look too much like mud? My husband said he didn't like the way it looked on his computer at work, and he has a fancy dancy iMac. I just wonder since I have a dinosaur Dell if it matters what monitor you have. Of course, I didn't like my old color when I saw it on his monitor, either.
I do know that I lurve the new banner. I will post more about it later. And don't think that I've forgotten about the recording. I'm still working on it. In my mind, at least. I also went to a party last night that I'm so posting about (at some point). I have a ton to post, but school is in full swing, so I have had limited time on the 'puter.
Oh, and one more thing...if you haven't signed up for Blog Around the World, why not? Debbie has created a monster. I mean, like Grover or Elmo. A fun monster, if you will. She started it as a blog post, asking for a comment from every state in the Union. Somehow it morphed into a brand new blog...a fun one at that. Check it out and meet women from all over the world! Be sure and tune in when It's my turn to introduce y'all to Mississippi. I can't wait!
Okay, now I need your opinions! Leave me a comment, pleeeeeeease, and tell me what you think. And I'm serious, tell me if you like it or not. You will not hurt my feelings. I need to know if it's visually pleasing. If you don't like it, why would I want to keep it this color? And if you don't have a Blogger account you can leave an anonymous comment. Just click on the "Fantabulous People said" at the bottom of the post and it will take you to the comment page. Leave your comment, leaving your name at the bottom of it if you'd like me to know who you are, then click "Anonymous" under the writing space of the comment box. Clear as mud? Hey, then it matches my color!
Once again it's Friday, and once again it's My Husband Rocks! time. I love this. Sometimes I get concerned that I'm redundant, but, hey, since he's my husband and this is my blog, I can talk about him all I want, right? Thanks, Katy Lin, for having this idea in the first place.
I have probably talked about my husband's ability to do any project he lays his hands on, but I examined that more carefully this week. Our Tuesday morning Bible study classes started this week. I am privileged to lead one of the classes. No big surprise here, it's TrueFaced. I'm telling you, it's a good book. Anyway, I was introducing myself to the ladies in my class (you know I love to talk about myself), and I started talking about my husband (I love talking about him, too). One of the ladies jumped in and told about when my Sweet Husband helped her husband get a water leak fixed at her house. I told them all that he could do just about anything...plumbing, mechanical, woodworking, general maintenance. I started thinking about the women in that room and several of them have either benefited or have family members who have benefited from his help. He is so selfless with his time and is willing to jump in and help where he can.
He makes me proud to be his wife because he is diligent at work, at church, and at home, but also when helping others. Not only do I respect him for his willingness to help others, but other people around us respect him, as well.
Thank you, my Sweet Husband, for your willingness to help others when they need you. You know I need you always!
The Pink Potpourri is one of my favorite blogs to read. Allie has daily topics she talks about and they never cease to make me smile. Well, she is hosting a swap this week and I am all about swapping. Recipes, happies, clean jokes, whatever. I love to interact with other people. You wouldn't guess that about me if you saw me grocery shopping in Wal-mart. Or at Logan's trying to eat a hamburger with a little br...uh...girl throwing food at us. (Not kidding, this happened tonight)
Okay, back to interacting with people. I love it. I hate missing anything I think there will be people I love at. That was totally bad grammar but it's too late for me to be caring about all that. I also love free stuff. So, to mingle my love of interacting with people as well as my love of all things free, I am participating in Allie's swap!
We have to choose at least three things we are willing to swap, then let Allie know what our choices are. Then she will set us up with a partner to swap with. I think I'm going to chose a recipe, a bird, and a haven't-quite-figured-out-what-to-call-these-yet decoration. If you'd like to get in on the fun, head on over to The Pink Potpourri!
I am in the middle of my Jane Austen book-a-thon. I have already read Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice, and I'm currently reading Mansfield Park, most definitely the hardest one yet to get through. I enjoyed the others so much I didn't expect to not like this one just as well. It does have it's merits, but there are times when I want to reach in the book and tell Fanny Price to SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF, NINNY! Ahem...Sorry.
I have seen these buttons around on different blogs and have tried to get through the quiz. Each time I have been interrupted and not been able to finish the quiz. I had a feeling I knew who I would end up being, and I was right. I'm too emotional not to be...
So if you would like to find out which Austen character you are most like, take the quiz and leave me a comment about it. Or if you don't want to take the quiz and know who you are most like just from reading the books or watching the movies, that's fine too. Or if you don't give a flying flit who you are most like, leave me a comment anyway!
Since I was just too ding dang busy to get in on the fun of the Mistreatment party the Nester was throwing, I felt a little downhearted. I mean, yeah, I was having fun singing and wearing my voice completely out and wearing cute clothes and all, but I wanted to get the button!
So, in honor of all you mistreaters out there, as well as for my own decorating entertainment, I did a little mini-mistreatment. All because I won a tassel. Yep, Susie Harris's Rooster showed up at my doorstep a few days ago. But since I have been soooo busy, I haven't had time to find a place for him, much less post about him. 
Let me just say that if you order a tassel from Susie, not only do you get your beautiful tassel, but she throws in a few beautiful little happies as well. When my husband came in the house with the box from the mailbox I did a happy dance. I went through everything (including the GREAT bag that was included in the giveaway...it's huge and perfect for when I have to take my homeschooling stuff with me) before I allowed myself to unwrap Mr. Rooster. My husband kept saying, "That's really pretty!" I wanted to find a place for him immediately but because my kitchen still hails from 1992, he just didn't go with the decor. I'm trying to convince my husband that it's the next thing to redo, all in Tobacco Road. He's getting there.
Anyway, in order for me to find a perfect home for Mr. Rooster, I knew I was going to have to invent something new. I looked around the house until I came upon this little blue shelf.
One of my problems in my home is that I don't update stuff nearly enough, as evidenced by this little country blue shelf with a few little country things on it. There are a few morsels on there I can use, but for the most part it just screams early to mid 90's, no? Not to mention the dust on my wall. Ugh. Don't look at that. I bet you just did, didn't you?
Anyway, I knew that in order to give Mr. Rooster a proper home I would need to do some updating on this little shelf. I like the "bones" of the shelf, just not the color or the little heart in the middle. Being the Kimba-ite that I am, I went to Wal-mart and bought a can of black spray paint, knowing that anything looks better with black spray paint on it. I also wanted to cover up that heart, so since I had to go back out toward Hobby Lobby yesterday I just hopped in and bought just a little bit of black toile.
After I spray painted the whole shelf black I took the pegs out and hot glued the toile to the front of the inside of the shelf, then folded it under and hot glued it to the back of the shelf. I then cut holes where the pegs should go and put the pegs back in. If I had it to do over again, I would mark where the holes would go and then cut them out a little bit better before gluing the fabric onto the shelf. It pulled the fabric a little when I put each peg back in. You can't really tell, and as you know, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!
Here's the result: 
I love it! It can stay where it is now and look like it halfway goes there. And when we paint the living room Tobacco Road it will still look great there. As for what I put back on top of it, I edited what I originally had on there. How many times can I say "there" in one paragraph?
All of these were my Mimmie's, except for the little basket hanging, and that's no longer there anyway. I just love those tiny little bottles and the camera and thimble. Every time I see them it makes me think of my beautiful Mimmie.
Here's how it looks with the tassel hanging from it. 
I had those measuring spoons hanging in the kitchen and needed something else to hang here, so I tied the checked ribbon around them and hung them by Mr. Rooster. I think it's so pretty! It makes me happy every time I walk by it!
Oh. My. Word. What can I say about Saturday night? We recorded a live CD with our Worship Team and it was just amazing. Since it was a concert setting, we had a sanctuary full of people, and our pastor felt the Lord prompting his heart to give an invitation. He had not planned on it at first, but really felt like it was what the Lord wanted him to do.
How amazing it was to find out today that nine people came to know Christ last night. Nine! All because we were recording a CD. Now, don't get me wrong. It was a worship service, to be sure. We wanted people to come to know Him. We wanted to draw others to Him. We lifted His Name high! Instead of it being "just" a recording, I guess Jesus had other plans.
Pictures and more stories to come, including one about a very important piece of technical equipment falling into...well, I'll tell you more about it soon!
Man, the days fly by, don't they? This is my 8th edition of My Husband Rocks! Well, if you want to be technical, my 9th, but that one had to be abbreviated until the next day because I had peeps coming over. Thanks to Katy Lin, I have thought more deeply about why I love my husband. You'd think I'd be tired of talking about him. Not a chance.
He is my hero. No kidding. As a homeschooling mom, some days are just rotten. I have to be honest with you, some days I want to quit. Wednesday was one of those days. A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day if I've ever seen one. I didn't want to call my husband because I knew he was sick of my whining about how Kiddo detested Math. So when he called, what did I do? Whined to him about how Kiddo detested Math. But that's putting it just mildly.
No, he didn't like hearing we were having issues. But beyond that, he came up with solutions. He's good at that. And calming me down when I need it most. Sometimes he does it in a way that I know he means business and to continue on in my whiney, hormonal emotional, irrational way would be a mistake. More often than not, though, he is able to calm me down with sweet, encouraging words that let me know (even though I don't believe it most of the time) that I'm a good teacher, a good mom, and a good wife, and not to give up. Giving up is the last thing I want to do for his sake, as well as my son's.
Thank you, my Sweet, for your encouragement this week. You mean the world to me.
...was bad. Really bad. Bad day in school (for both me and my poor Kiddo...we both ended up crying, and that's putting it mildly), bad day for my sinuses, bad day for Jonathan who peed in the floor twice...I could name a few other things. I was very frustrated. Again, that's putting it mildly.
Then I read this post on Like a Warm Cup of Coffee, guest posted by Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolates. It made me realize that I have a job to do, no matter how my day is going. I am the keeper of my home, and for me right now that includes educating my son. Like Lisa says, "This is what God has called me to do." Yep. Yucky Math days and puppy pee and all.
It's a great post, one that I appreciated very much after yesterday. Thanks, Lisa, for the great post as wel as subbing for Sarah! Now, y'all go check it out!
As you know, if you read last Friday's post, we acquired a puppy Thursday night. And you had lots of questions, which I am prepared to answer, for the most part.
First, let me say that he is a he. That would make sense, and we certainly wouldn't want him to be a she. Not that having a she dog is a bad thing, but you get my point. I think.
Yes, he is a boy. We will get him "fixed" as soon as...well, as soon as...um...okay, the vet's office said we had to wait...a...little...while...before...OH, I just can't say it...you can fill in the blanks. Let me just say that things haven't fallen into place yet and when they do we are taking a trip to the vet's!
Whew. That was probably TMI. On to more pleasant topics.
Tina and her husband (Loretta's neighbors) took such good care of them, and I know Loretta and her family did their share, too. They bought food and toys and shampoo and took care of the little guys until permanent homes could be found for them. We are so grateful for their loving care.
When we arrived at Tina's Thursday night we discovered that both pups had been given names. What turned out to be our puppy was called Buddy and his brother, the dominant one of the two, was Skip. Kiddo thought he might keep the name Buddy, but I told him that he could name him anything he wanted to, this was his puppy. Except Loretta's husband said he couldn't be named anything sissy or wussy. Whatever.
I suggested he think of characters in books he liked to read or movies he liked to watch to get inspiration. The first name that came out of his mouth was Jonathan. He's a character in a book series that Kiddo loves to read. He named some others but I kept coming back to Jonathan. He looks like a Jonathan. I know, I'm crazy. But he does. But I thought that the first name would probably not be the last, so we started suggesting more, like Aslan. We decided that was TOO much to live up to. Kiddo then said Goldie, which fell into the "sissy or wussy" category, so that was out. Kiddo finally decided on Jonathan. I loved it. It's a big name for a little puppy, but it just fits. He really does look like his name, just like Windi and Shadow look like their names. Not literally, but you get my point. Work with me, people.
Kiddo asked me on the way home what the name Jonathan meant. We are big into the meaning of names. There are some names we wouldn't even consider when I was pregnant with Kiddo because of what the name meant. I won't mention any because some of you might have kids with those names and who am I to tell you your kid's name means "garbage collector?" Just kidding. We really didn't find any that meant that. At least not that you know of.
Sorry, back to my point. I told him I wasn't sure what it meant but I'd look it up as soon as I had the chance. While Husband and Kiddo were bathing Jonathan I hopped on the 'net (oh, how I love Google!) and found out that Jonathan means "Gift of God" or "God has given." How appropriate. I knew I liked that name!
Oh, my word this dog is cute. And sweet, and even-tempered, and almost house broken. Yes, I said almost. He hadn't tinkled in the floor at all until Saturday, and even then I knew we should have been paying better attention to him. I realized after his accident that he had been standing by the door. Duh. He has had a few more of those and he did have a couple of other accidents that Kiddo had to clean up, gagging the whole time. I would have, too, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't gag. Which, of course, just made my Kiddo mad at me. Thankfully, Jonathan hasn't done that in the floor since Friday morning.
Wet and stinky accidents aside, this dog is just precious. And so stinkin' cute I wish I could kiss him all day. I know, some of you are all like, "Ewwwwww!" But you dog people out there know exactly how I feel. I feel like that big lummox of a dog on Bugs Bunny, "I will keep him and squeeze him and love him and call him George!"
Except we call him Jonathan.
If you have read my blog for any length of time you know we have two Shetland Sheepdogs, Windi and Shadow. They are pretty old; Windi will be 12 in September and Shadow is 8 1/2. We haven't had a puppy in the house in over 8 years.
My husband has wanted to get Kiddo, who is also 8 1/2, a puppy for a few years now (Shadow was originally supposed to "grow up" with him...duh...dogs grow up a LOT faster than babies!) For years now I have resisted. It wasn't time, he wasn't responsible enough, etc, etc. Plus, we wanted a specific breed: Golden Retriever. Kiddo has loved those dogs since he can remember, and any time we've talked about getting one, he's always assumed it will be a Golden.
My sweet husband had been working on me for several months now about getting Kiddo a pup in December. Not at Christmas, mind you, since that is the worst time to bring a puppy home, but earlier. That gave me a few months to slowly get used to having another dog in the house, house breaking all over again, worrying over whether or not Windi and Shadow will get along with it, blah, blah, blah. That also gave us time to save up for the puppy. Golden Retriever puppies ain't cheap.
So when my friend, Loretta, emailed me a picture of some Golden Retriever mix puppies that her neighbor had found abandoned on the road around from their house, I stalled. I mean, I staaaaallllleeeedddd. I got the email on Friday and wanted to hit "delete" as fast as my fingers could move. But I couldn't. I knew I needed to at least tell my husband about them. But I waited until Tuesday, when the Lord wouldn't let me have a moment's peace any time I opened my inbox. I showed him the message and the picture and he about had apoplexy. If it hadn't been 10:30 P.M. I think he would have gone down there right then. Had I not been there he may HAVE gone down there. You're welcome, Loretta.
Those puppies were all he could think about for the next few days. The lady from the Retriever Rescue came and when she saw them she wanted to take them but Loretta's neighbor told her if she hadn't found homes for them by the weekend she'd give her a call. If we'd had to adopt from them it would have been $250. Free was much better.
So we headed down there last night to take a look at them. Kiddo had absolutely no idea why we were going down. Loretta's kids are friends with him, so it wasn't beyond us to go down there, just not "unplanned" and especially not on their small group night. When we first got there Kiddo went inside to play, which gave my husband and me time to go check out the pups.
Let me just say there was no hope for me now. My husband was hooked from the very first look. Hooked, I tell you! It was just a matter of which one Kiddo would pick out. So we lured him outside and had him play with them.
Here's the dialog that ensued:
Husband: "Why don't you pick one out?"
Kiddo: "I like this one, he's smaller and calmer."
Husband: "Would you like to take him home?"
Kiddo: "You're kidding, right?"
Husband: "Nope, that's the reason we came down here; you can take him home if you want to."
Kiddo:
So we are now the new owners of one of the cutest puppies on the planet. OH. MY. WORD. This dog is cute. 
So why is this "My Husband Rocks?" Well, if it hadn't been for his prodding, this sweetheart wouldn't be in our home right now being spoiled absolutely rotten. Not that he was mistreated at Loretta's neighbors...exactly the opposite. But Kiddo is smitten with him, just like My Sweet Husband knew he would be. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, all thanks to my Husband, who most definitely rocks.
It wasn't until Darlene asked me if kept in touch with anyone from Australia that I realized I totally forgot to add to the ending of my story that my friend Ruth , who was the youth director of the church at Sheffield, called me last night to wish me a Happy Birthday. The connection wasn't the best we've had (I kept hearing strange beeping noises after I would say something), but hearing that sweet Aussie accent immediately made my birthday that much happier.
We chatted about the boys and the husbands and homeschooling (she homeschools her two boys there in Tasmania). I told her about my bloggy friend, Rachel , who lives in South Australia. If I'm not mistaken, I believe she said her mom has relatives in Adelaide. I wonder if Rachel knows them? Yeah, that's like Kimba saying she has relatives in Memphis, and wonders if I know them.
Every time I talk to Ruth I miss her more. I so wish we could pack up and head over there for a couple of weeks. And then have them pack up and come here for a couple of weeks. I know our boys would have a ball together. That is, if they can understand each other. Last time my Kiddo talked to her oldest son he spent more time saying, "What? I didn't understand you!" than he did actually talking. Which just made me laugh. Getting used to the Aussie accent over the phone takes a little practice.
Thank you, Ruth, for your call. It was such a very special gift to me!
What a weekend. I'm spoiled rotten, I tell you. I'll tell about my birthday weekend later this week. With the busyness of the weekend behind me (and more of me that's behind me with all the eating that's been going on, hee hee), let me start the week talking about the most memorable birthday I've ever had.
Everyone knows when people turn 21 they are said to have "come of age." It's when you're legal to drink alcohol and smoke. Not that I've ever done either of those. Seriously. Okay, not that I've ever knowingly done either of those. That's another post aaaallll by itself. Anyway, turning 21 is a big, big deal. Being in Australia when I turned 21 was a big, big, BIG deal.
It had already been such an upside down, topsy turvey summer for me, being away from home for longer than I had ever been, throwing snowballs the last week of July, dancing at a Baptist youth function. It was surreal, this summer of no summer. But I knew the weirdest part was yet to come. My birthday was less than a week before we were to return home to the States and resume our normal lives.
We were at a retreat center the weekend of my birthday, and I was in one of the cabins cleaning up when I realized I was by myself. I was wondering where everyone else had gotten to, when one of the girls came and told me I was needed in the gym. We walked in and everyone there shouted "Surprise!" and ushered me to a table laden with streamers and birthday cake and all sorts of other Australian goodies. 
See the cake? It was covered with kiwi fruit and orange slices. Not what we Americans consider birthday cake, is it? Much healthier than buttercream frosting, to be sure. But it was yummy, nonetheless. And see the jar with the yellow top just to the right of the cake? That would be Vegemite. It defies description. It's definitely an acquired taste. I never acquired it.
Back to the par-tay. They showered me with gifts that night. A handcrafted wooden bowl made from native Tasmanian wood, earrings made from another Tasmanian wood, a mug with different Australian animals on it (you can see it in front of the Vegemite jar). I was definitely feelin' the Tassie love that night.
But that wasn't the only celebration they gave me. The next night after church we all had a big party that was sort of a "farewell to Keith and Heather/birthday party." I had yet another cake to cut and one more gift to receive from the people of Sheffield. It was a koala made with kangaroo fur, handmade by Dianne's sister. I had admired it the night we went to the Baptist youth dance. (That still cracks me up when I think about it - saying "Baptist" and "dance" in the same sentence...I'll post about that later.) Anyway, we had stopped at Dianne's sister's house to freshen up before the dance (at least I think it was her sister...it was some relation, anyway) and she had one of those koala's. I couldn't stop petting it. Evidently, Dianne noticed how much I loved it and commissioned her sister to make one for my birthday. I was thrilled. 
This is me (bad grammar!) holding my koala with my friends Janelle and Alicia. Janelle gave me the cutest little wombat that I named after her. You can't tell in this picture, but I'd been crying. I do that a lot, you know. When I'm happy, when I'm sad, etc, etc. I was both happy and sad that evening. I was happy that they loved me so much, but was so sad knowing I'd be leaving soon.
There was one more gift I received, but it wasn't from any of my Australia buddies, it was from Keith. I think I'll save that for another post, because I need to explain my relationship with him in more detail, I think. Nothing inappropriate, mind you. Just very different personalities.
So that was how I spent my 21st birthday. It was amazing. Most people don't forget their 21st birthdays, I'd imagine, but few people get to say that they spent theirs in a foreign country doing amazing things and surrounded by new friends. I'm so grateful to the One who made that the best gift of all.
A few weeks ago Kiddo and I ventured south to my best bud, Kat's, house. Why am I just now posting about it? I'll get to that later. I want to talk about our time down there first.
Kat and her family have a really great above ground pool, so one of the highlights of the trip was the all-day swim by Kiddo and Moose, Kat's sweet little boy. Of course, Fep, Kat's beautiful daughter, swam as well, but she got out more than the boys did. They were in it for the long haul.
We had to do some things before the swimming commenced, though. First, I had brought the promised gifts of the birds to Kat and Fep. That was a big to-do. We had to figure out just where to place Kat's bird, and I'm sure it's been moved since we settled on a resting spot. 
Then we had to go stalk a little old lady's house. Not really. Kat's hairdresser told her about a lady she knew who was selling her property for a song, so I wanted to go see where it was. We even pulled in her driveway. I hope she didn't see us.
Then, since we were out anyway, I begged asked Kat if we could go into town to the Dollar Tree to find some birds. I bought one just so I could show Kat what color they are originally. I ended up giving it to her. The two birds hit it off really well once we got home. Look, here they are having quite the chat...
Reminds me of us when we're together. Chat, chat, chat. Anyway, we ate burgers that Kat grilled and had ice cream in the shade of the carport...
Then we noticed the dogs. Dixie, her Corgi pup, and Rupert, her Beagle mix, love each other. Love to torment each other, more like it. We watched as it went from this...
To this...
To this...
If you look close enough, Dixie's tongue is hanging out like she's drawing her last breath. Don't let her fool you...
She can hold her own.
Kiddo and I were just about to wrap up our fun day and head home when Kat told me to have a seat. I wondered what she had up her sleeve. She came back in with something behind her back and told me she couldn't wait for my birthday to give me what she was about to give me...
A Nester Tassel! I couldn't believe it. It's so pretty, and it goes really well on my china cabinet. I gave her a big hug for such a sweet gift. Kat always gives really great gifts. This may sound funny, but one of her best ones was my Iced Tea Pot. That thing is worth its weight in gold.
I have loved both Nester's and Susie Harris's tassels for a while now, admiring from afar, wondering where I'd put one if I had one, and now I'm the owner of TWO tassels, one from each of them! In case you didn't hear, I WON a Susie Harris tassel yesterday! I AM IN TASSEL HEAVEN! I can't wait till my rooster gets here!
Now, why should this be so significant? Why do I bring up gifts and winnings and all that jazz? Why is it fair that I get TWO tassels within a few short weeks of each other? Well, because today is my birthday. There. I said it. Debbie, aren't you proud?
Yes, August 3rd is my birthday. I'll post this week about different birthday memories, one of which was spent in Tasmania.
So there you go. It's the best birthday I've ever had as a blogger. The fact that it's the only birthday I've ever had as a blogger is beside the point. Had I not started blogging I wouldn't have "met" all of my new friends.
That in itself is the best bloggy present I could possibly imagine.
Since I left my poor husband out of the loop last week, I figured I'd do a bang-up job this week on Katy Lin's brainchild, My Husband Rocks! Friday. I want to expound on a topic I brought up in this post a few weeks ago.
I told you about the ministry that he's called to do. He is our sound technician at church. He has a couple of helpers, but he is the main man when it comes to running sound for our worship services. Let me show you what he does on a weekly basis - or at least some of it.
First, let me just say that this just makes me want to get in there and untangle this mess. I'm a little OCD when it comes to detangling things. Got a necklace with a knot in it? PLEASE let me untangle it! Got some yarn that's a tangled mess? I'd LOVE to get in there and pull it free. So this picture just makes me want to unplug everything and put it back neatly. Nobody would be able to hear anything Sunday morning, but at least it'd be pretty. Luckily, my husband has a piece of fabric he covers this up with so no one is the wiser of what lies beneath. Now, here's the crazy thing. HE KNOWS WHAT ALL THESE WIRES DO!
At some point these wires all end up attached, whether through a cord or through the air, to some of this stuff:
These are some of our microphones and beltpacks for our "ears," or inner ear monitors. My husband knows exactly who should get what each week. And even though the band pretty much stays the same from week to week, the Praise Team changes completely every week. He has to know who gets what microphone as well as which ear buds go to whom. As a Praise Team member, I am very grateful that he knows where MY earbuds are and doesn't give me someone else's (for some reason this makes me think of Debbie's post). 
See these knobs and buttons? Aren't they cute? Not so bad, are they? Yeah...
And my husband knows what every one of these buttons and knobs does. He usually doesn't have laptops on top of the board, but we are getting a new speaker system and the dudes working on it need the laptops to do whatever it is they do to install a new system. 
That would be my husband on the far right. He is "watching and learning" as he told me today. He feels like the guys installing this system are the Steven Spielbergs of the sound industry. He is almost giddy to be working with them. 
Here's my man in his happy place. When he's here on Sunday morning it's usually dark and loud (not too loud...he keeps it at an average of 90 dB "A" scale...not that I know what that means). I'll try to get a picture Sunday morning since I'm not on P.T. this week. Only that means I can't sing during the music. He doesn't let me stay up there beside him if I sing. It makes him not hear things properly, so he makes me sit in the pew in front of the sound booth until after the music portion of the worship service is over. Meanie. But I get over it pretty quickly.
My man rocks because he lets our Worship Team rock! Without him, it wouldn't be nearly as fun being a part of the Worship Team. Oh, I'd still do it, because it's what I'm called to, but it means so much more to me sharing the experience with him.
I never win anything. Never. Now, my best bud, Kat, thinks that I live a charmed life or something because I get authors and producers and coaches and whoever else to email me and talk to me, and all that jazz, but I tell her I'm either just at the right place at the right time or I take the initiative to email them first. But, I NEVER win anything. Until today.
Susie Harris has some of the prettiest tassels. I have been admiring them from afar for quite some time. So when she had a giveaway this week I left a comment for her, really wanting to win. Not expecting to, but wanting to.
Imagine my surprise when I read this post this morning. I did a double take. I thought. No, she doesn't mean me. There must be another HeathahLee out there. I know I didn't win. But then she left me a comment and said that it WAS me! Okay, that was horrible grammar, but I don't care! I won!
Now, I know that today is Friday and I will be posting My Husband Rocks! later, but I wanted to thank Susie for her sweet comment AND for the tassel and the bag! I can't wait for them to get here!
