You can sleep when you're dead

I used to find Nate crazy when he'd stay up to all hours and then say "You can sleep when you're dead."

However, these past few weeks I think that my outlook on that has been changing. I think caffeine has been my lifesaver in that.

This week has been super fun. Well, minus the amount of work I've had to do. The evidence of the fun is the fact that my apartment is extremely messy because I haven't been there to pick up or even wash dishes. Stuff is just piling up as I drop it before I go to sleep.

Since Nate and I both had nights off Wednesday and Thursday, we made the most of them. Wednesday we had sushi and walked around the mall before going boating with friends, until about 1:30 a.m. Thursday we went out to dinner, took another boat ride and finished up the night with a midnight viewing of "Ted."

Even today, since I had two and a half hours before I went back to work for the evening, we spent some time with a friend. Then tomorrow I get up early and head out of town for a bridal shower.

There have been some late nights, but when I decide whether to hit the hay or stay up to spend time with Nate and other friends, I realize that I want to make memories and have fun instead of spending time in bed.

Life is short and so much more fulfilling when you cherish it and make the most of it. I still enjoy my sleep, don't get me wrong. I don't super enjoy waking up early still. However, I wouldn't trade fun moments for a few more winks.

I think I'm starting to like the phrase, "You can sleep when you're dead."

Never broken

On FoxNews today, there was an article about the rising percentage of divorces among Baby Boomers. Even couples who have been together for 30 or 40 years are suddenly deciding to split up.

As someone getting ready to get married, I hate reading about that. Honestly, it's kind of terrifying.

I know that both Nate and I see marriage as a lifetime commitment. We are both so sure about each other and about our love. We know what we're getting into with each other. We may not know all the problems and temptations we'll encounter, but we have faith in each other and in God to get us through.

The good news in the article is that the divorce rate in younger generations seems to be decreasing. It said that people in our generation have a renewed zeal for marital and the traditional family.

I wonder if part of the reason that our marriages are lasting is that we have seen too much divorce in the older generations. Our parents, our friends' parents, even some of our older friends have gone through the pain of divorce. Even though people think all of their problems will be solved with divorce, we have seen that separation often adds even more heartache and problems.

I guess it's a little scary deciding to make a commitment to someone in a life that is full of temptation and questions. Will I be a good enough wife? Will I satisfy him so that he won't need to look elsewhere for companionship and happiness? Will I be able to put aside my selfish desires to support my husband as much as I should?

I want to make Nate so, so happy that he will never for a moment regret his decision to marry me. I don't us to ever add to that divorce statistic. I pray that our cord of three strands - us and God - will never be broken.

Really?

Recently, a Youtube video showed a bus monitor getting yelled at and made fun of, literal verbal abuse, by children on board.

It made the news, and I really do hope that those children are dealt with.

People felt so bad for the woman that they started to donate money for her to go away and take a dream vacation. Today, I read a news article that donations had jumped up to $500,000.

That's wonderful that people want to contribute to this woman. But I have to say, I was flabbergasted that this is what people are donating to. There are so many needy people who don't have jobs, who are starving, who need to hear about Christ. There are so many important Christian organizations in need. Yet people are donating a half million dollars to a woman who got made fun of.

Like I said, I'm glad that people are aware of this horrible situation and want to help rectify it, but I still think that's a little, a lot, of overkill. I wonder what the woman will do with all that money.

Pure love

I just had to share this everyday moment.

Novie loves me way too much. I was on the couch, writing a story for work, and she decided that sitting by me was not close enough. And instead she wanted to lay on top of me.

But it was hilarious and made me smile. I love my dog so much.

Keep my eyes open

I don't really know what to blog about today. Honestly that makes me a little concerned just because I wonder if I'm not focusing on the right things in life.

I haven't been very contemplative lately, and although I've kept up pretty well with bible reading, it's been by listening to it be read aloud in the car.

I guess I have just been taking daily life at face value and not reading much into it, but I wonder how many lessons I've been missing in doing that.

I believe in the importance of daily life and everyday moments. I think that God uses small things to teach us big lessons. I need to keep my eyes and heart open to that more I guess.

Forever friends

We have a couple of friends coming to town this afternoon, a couple who used to live here but moved away for a new job in a bigger city.

She was invited to my bridal shower on Saturday - my first one! - and they decided to take a little vacation and come up for about a week.

We had a lot of good times together, even before I moved to town. I used to visit when Nate lived here, and I would come for the weekends. Then all of us would spend time together, or I would hang out with them while Nate worked.

Not just with them, but it's easy to get back into the flow with old friends. You just pick up like time hasn't left off since you were last together. You catch up a little about what has happened while you're away, but really you just start to make new memories instead of talking about situations that didn't share the both of you.

That makes me miss my friends from college too. We are so good at picking up like life hasn't changed. However, my friends are moving, buying houses, and I'm getting married. With huge changes in our lives, will we always be able to pick it up like that? Or will it get weird when we haven't seen each other for a long time?

It reminds me of an "Adventures in Odyssey" episode that I listened to recently. A pair of friends made a pact at camp that they would meet at that spot every five years after they graduated from high school. They met the first year and then moved the reunions to 10 years.

10 years!

I can't imagine not seeing my friends for 10 years! Yet, on there they seemed like they still loved each other and were still friends.

I know it's just fiction, but I hope that my friends and I will be like that. I don't know where Nate and I will end up, but no matter what friends we leave behind, I hope that we're not leaving them behind forever.

Everyday weekend

It was a nice weekend, chock full of special, everyday moments.

I only got four hours of sleep after working late on Friday night, but I wanted to get up and have breakfast with Nate before I left for my hometown. It's so nice to spend time with him first thing in the morning. It just makes the rest of the day better.

When I got home, I got to have a delicious Father' Day lunch of ribs, baked beans, french fries, buttery Wonder bread and root beer at a local rib joint. We don't necessarily talk about anything deep or amazing, but it was fun just laughing and spending time together. We even stopped at a secondhand store and got a book for a crafty project.

I attended my friend's engagement party, and it was nice to see her in her element, with a whole group of new friends from dental school.

Then I grabbed some ice cream from a local joint, and just spent a little time with my parents. It felt so good to give them a little something and to surprise them. I was just in such a joyful mood and so happy that I wanted to give back a little something.

Exclaiming over a little baby at church, chatting with some people I grew up with, grabbing pizza at my grandparent's house and shopping for some crafts. It was a full Sunday, but also a good one.

Then it was wonderful to get home. I know I was only gone for a day, but I missed Nate. I loved coming home to my little apartment and my man. I have a wonderful life, and I couldn't ask for anything else.