TEXploration Uno.

We are heading out for a little TEXploration today! We loaded up the camper for a few days in the hill country. You may recall the Great New Braunfels Disaster of 2013. Well, that was in June and we haven't had the camper out since. 

Well, it's a new season, a new day!

We loaded up with supplies, food, and some school work. Can you virtually experience the Sisters' joy with me? I can never understand their grumbling about cracking a book while we are on our way to someplace awesome. What a dream for most of their friends!

Plus, we loaded up the bikes, so shut your yapper.

Are we little adventurers or what? So cool, right?

Before you think I am an arrogant cuss, read on to see how cool we really are.

We made it approximately 1.3 miles down the road before Spouse saw flashing blue lights and one of Houston's Finest. This was exceptionally wonderful because I wasn't driving. Turns out that our uniformed friend wanted to alert us impending trouble:

See that bumper? Notice how the bike looks as if it is sitting on the road while still on the bike rack? Yah. Not supposed to do that.

So, in true Spouse fashion, this man rigged two bikes on top of the car & two tied up on the bike rack. 

We are so grateful that the Lord orchestrated the events when He did. We drove the 1.3 miles back to the house ever so gingerly. We gladly unloaded the bikes back in the garage, ready to sacrifice them now rather than on 290 somewhere between Houston and Austin. Pretty sure we wouldn't love that.

And...we're off! Again! I'll keep ya posted.

We love this junk.

Five Minute Friday: Ordinary

It's time for another Five Minute Friday! 

It's a Gypsy-Mama thing, and it's a good one. I've missed it the past couple of months.

Here are the rules.

If you have a blog--you should so do it. If you don't have a blog, you should do it anyway. Just sayin'.

It's Five Minutes of pure blog adrenaline.

Five minutes of writing on one word. Period. No editing. No nothing. No pressure. No stress.

This week's prompt is Ordinary.

Ready? Set.

Go.

_______________________________________________

Dear Ordinary,
I don't love you. You and your BFFs, Mundane and Common, are comforting to many introverts, but to the extroverted sanguines like me, we tend to shudder at the sound of your name.
Ordinary.
I'm sorry. I just don't love you or the crew with which you run.
We just don't jive together.
And, let me tell you, it's definitely not me.
It's you. You are just so...average.
I'm just not cut out for the status quo.
So, I'm leaving you.
I want Awesome.

Sincerely,
Me.


Stop.

Ok. That was so fun. I've really missed it.

What would you say to Ordinary?

Gettin' a Grip. Marriage Edition.

The other day, Spouse and I were holding hands in the car and I just had to snap this picture:

While it's not really an artistically beautiful photograph, it is a disturbingly accurate likeness of our marriage. 

Notice that we are gripping on. By God's grace, we are both gripping at the same time right now; although, I would be lying if I told you that it's always been this way. If not for sheer determination to continue gripping when the other wasn't, we would be any number of marriage statistics: divorced, separated, in a lifeless, miserable marriage, incarcerated, singing Cher songs to drown our misery...who knows? 

Those times of not gripping come from a variety of places. There have been times of selfishness that have left us doing nothing but holding on to ourselves. There have been weeks and months of holding on to babies. These seasons are not necessarily for lack of desire to grip, they may simply be a reflection of urgency rather than importance. I know of semi-recent times periods that left me so exhausted that my grip just wasn't very strong--I just didn't have the strength. What I also know is that the Lord gave my Spouse extra-strength so that he could grip for the both of us.  I am so grateful for this season of grippin' together.

Notice we both have cuts. Oh, Sweet Reader, do we. We showed up to this party with quite a few cuts. We've cut each other. When things were really ugly, we aimed for the old cuts. We were a good aim. Not awesome. Oh, but by His wounds we are healed.  Nothing but grace, People. No longer do we want to go for blood. We want healing and growth and togetherness.

Notice the regular background. It's a regular car and a regular phone charger and regular jeans. Nothing that screams "Extraordinary!" This is very much our now. Regular. Schooling. Cleaning. Regular. Working. Swim. Gymnastics. Regular. 

2013 doesn't look a thing like 2012 and feels sometimes quite mundane. But, we are doing it. 

And, honestly, it's hilarity amidst the mundane. We laugh a lot. 

Notice that the gripping is intentional. The background might look boring, but we are doing the thing.  I mean, look at me, for the love of Tetris! I'm gripping his thumb like a joystick. On purpose! 

We are purposeful about our Jesus, our marriage, our parenting and our home. In. That. Order. 

It was not always this way. Grace. Just grace.

And, that's the picture of us gettin' a grip.

Sometimes that's all you can do, isn't it? 

Get a grip.