The Little Drummer Boy. Mr. V thinks it has been overplayed this holiday season and, I have to say, we certainly heard it more than three times during our roundtrip roadtrip (Dallas-Houston-Dallas) this past weekend. There are so many different versions - ladies singing, a round for the fellas, the tour of some darling children's choir - that it's easy to find a song to suit your liking or drive you up a wall.
Regardless of how you feel about drums and pa-rum-pa-pum-puming, or even little boys, you have to give the song credit: it has a wonderful lesson for us all.
See, I have a bit of a problem. I know that not everyone does this but a lot of people do. I think it's awful, and I wish I could get rid of it. It sneaks up without warning. Curious? Here it is: I compare myself to others.
I tend to wonder if I'm doing things as well as other people. It's not so much a "I'm better than you are" thing as it is a "Am I doing this well enough? Hmmm." We could dig deep into my childhood memories to figure that one out OR we can think about the song.
So, what can the little drummer boy teach me (and possibly you)? Let's take a look at the lyrics (minus the drumming).
Come they told me,
A new born King to see,
Our finest gifts we bring,
To lay before the King,
So to honor Him
When we come.
Little Baby,
I am a poor boy too,
I have no gift to bring,
That's fit to give the King,
Shall I play for you,
On my drum?
Mary nodded,
The ox and lamb kept time,
I played my drum for Him,
I played my best for Him,
Then He smiled at me,
Me and my drum.
Ok, maybe you didn't need the whole song, but did you notice the bold words? I want to tell you about them.
No matter what talents I think I lack or how short I come of my idea of perfection, God already knows that I'm not going to measure up. All he wants from me is the best that I have to give Him. If I do my best for Him, He'll be happy. This is so hard for me, a girl who grew up in a society of "look how great I am," to come to grips with. I always think "I need to be better." And while trying to live a more godly life is nothing to scoff at, there's a delicate line that we walk between trying to be Christlike and trying to be perfect.
God wants our best. He knows we're not perfect. That's why He sent Jesus. He sent Him so that we don't have to be perfect. We do, however, have to do our best with what we've been given. Praise the Lord!
Something to think about.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Mrs. V
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
How to make your wife a happy camper (without the camping, of course)!
I don't know how many husbands read this blog. Come to think of it, I don't know how many people, male or female, read this blog. If you're a guy reading this blog, 1) thanks for stopping by! And 2) keep reading; I've got a surefire way of improving your marriage.
Every now and again, Mr. V will look me in the eye, pause for a second (to make sure I'm listening, I'm certain), and say "I love being married to you."
That's it! All he has to say is "I love being married to you" and it makes me so happy! Who wouldn't want to hear that the person who has pledged to spend the rest of their life with you say "I love being married to you."??? Who wouldn't want to hear anyone say "I love hanging out with you" or "I love being with you."???
NO ONE!!!
Mr. V is really good with the compliments. He's learned that it helps keep things pleasant if he tells me sweet things here and there. He threw out a sugary sweet one last night with my in-laws gathered about and my sister-in-law asked how many of those he's got. Sure, sometimes it sounds cheesy, but sincere or hilarious, they make me smile.
And isn't that what being married is all about? Making each other smile? I think so.
PS - Ladies, it works on your guy, too, so keep the compliments coming (or get them going). You'll be amazed at the results!
Every now and again, Mr. V will look me in the eye, pause for a second (to make sure I'm listening, I'm certain), and say "I love being married to you."
That's it! All he has to say is "I love being married to you" and it makes me so happy! Who wouldn't want to hear that the person who has pledged to spend the rest of their life with you say "I love being married to you."??? Who wouldn't want to hear anyone say "I love hanging out with you" or "I love being with you."???
NO ONE!!!
Mr. V is really good with the compliments. He's learned that it helps keep things pleasant if he tells me sweet things here and there. He threw out a sugary sweet one last night with my in-laws gathered about and my sister-in-law asked how many of those he's got. Sure, sometimes it sounds cheesy, but sincere or hilarious, they make me smile.
And isn't that what being married is all about? Making each other smile? I think so.
PS - Ladies, it works on your guy, too, so keep the compliments coming (or get them going). You'll be amazed at the results!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
What is it with men?
Okay, I'm coming upon my sixth complete month as Mrs. V, and I have to say - I STILL don't know what's up with men. Not that I really thought the two rings on my left ring finger would unlock the door to understanding men. I knew better than that. They're just so. . . mysterious. And not in a James Bond sort of way. They're more like Carrot Top mysterious.
Since my mother taught school and my dad ran a consulting firm out of our house, I was hanging out with the guys as my nearest playmate growing up was my brother. I'm trying to say that, in spite of having an opportunity to study the opposite sex up close and personal for most of my life, and in spite of having lived with one particular man in the sacrament of marriage for nearly six months, men are still an enigma.
Why, for example, do they love all-you-can-eat buffets? What is keeping them from going to the doctor when they're clearly ill? Why do they love sports, regardless of what it is or in what form (live, televised, dvd, based-on-true-events movies, video games)? Why can't they endure a touchy-feely conversation for more than maybe 10 minutes at a time?
I know, I know. Some of you are saying that your man hates sports. Or abhors the all-you-can-eat-buffet. Or maybe you know a guy who doesn't mind listening to you prattle on about what she said to him about such-and-such for hours at a time. Goodness knows, there ARE guys out there like that.
But since I've joined the married club, I've noticed that the things about Mr. V that cause me to tilt my head to the side and say "huh?" are the same things that my married and dating friends wonder about. And some of my friends want to change their men. I don't. Not really. I have a friend at work who says "well, you married him!" if I ever express my wonder or curiosity about things my guy does. I know who I married and I accepted him for who he is before I walked down that aisle. I just don't get a few things. That's all.
If anyone out there can explain any of these things to me or would like to form some sort of support group for Women Married to Mysteries, please let me know. Maybe we can work out a secret codes for "Save me! My husband is dragging me to a monster truck rally!" and "I can't take any more Cici's Pizza! I need some real food!!!!"
I'm just sayin'.
Since my mother taught school and my dad ran a consulting firm out of our house, I was hanging out with the guys as my nearest playmate growing up was my brother. I'm trying to say that, in spite of having an opportunity to study the opposite sex up close and personal for most of my life, and in spite of having lived with one particular man in the sacrament of marriage for nearly six months, men are still an enigma.
Why, for example, do they love all-you-can-eat buffets? What is keeping them from going to the doctor when they're clearly ill? Why do they love sports, regardless of what it is or in what form (live, televised, dvd, based-on-true-events movies, video games)? Why can't they endure a touchy-feely conversation for more than maybe 10 minutes at a time?
I know, I know. Some of you are saying that your man hates sports. Or abhors the all-you-can-eat-buffet. Or maybe you know a guy who doesn't mind listening to you prattle on about what she said to him about such-and-such for hours at a time. Goodness knows, there ARE guys out there like that.
But since I've joined the married club, I've noticed that the things about Mr. V that cause me to tilt my head to the side and say "huh?" are the same things that my married and dating friends wonder about. And some of my friends want to change their men. I don't. Not really. I have a friend at work who says "well, you married him!" if I ever express my wonder or curiosity about things my guy does. I know who I married and I accepted him for who he is before I walked down that aisle. I just don't get a few things. That's all.
If anyone out there can explain any of these things to me or would like to form some sort of support group for Women Married to Mysteries, please let me know. Maybe we can work out a secret codes for "Save me! My husband is dragging me to a monster truck rally!" and "I can't take any more Cici's Pizza! I need some real food!!!!"
I'm just sayin'.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Working Toward a Debt-Free Life and Loving it!
Even before we got married, Mr. V and I sat down to take a hard look at our debt. You know, that ever-increasing pile of money you already spent but didn't actually have? Yes, that debt. I went to public college and he went to a private school. I drove a pre-owned car. He was sportin' a nice little "luxury sports vehicle" (his words) that he bought new. We were both still making payments on all of these things. It should be said that as of this post, we are both still driving those vehicles, and only one is paid off.
Neither of us came from money and we're certainly not rolling it in now, but we noticed a disturbing trend in our finances once we put them down on paper.
Beyond the aformentioned "necessities" (education and transportation) that we had accumulated, was a list of credit card transactions as long as my arm. I was maxed out on my AMEX, Mr. V was near the limit on his after the engagment ring, and we were getting ready to pay for a good chunk of our wedding which, for us, meant dun dun dun another credit card.
Add to that the cost of replacing a few items lost when we were burgled in late March and a mattress-built-for-two, and you can see that we were just amassing debt left and right. And to make matters worse, WE KNEW WE WERE DOING BAD THINGS!!! Our montly budget told us to stop, but we couldn't.
Until August, when luck turned around for us a bit. All of a sudden, we weren't spending money on a wedding that was coming up (we were newlyweds!) and we'd already made the purchases that kept us from sleeping on the floor or eating out of the dumpster. We were working at a school participating in a grant program (extra incentive money for a job well done) AND we'd taught summer school. What would we do with our newfound riches?
I'll tell you. We went after our debt like a lion does its prey. We sought out ways to take it down, and take it down fast. We set up a realistic budget, allowing for date night and personal spending so we wouldn't feel stiffled (and we couldn't tell each other what to do with our personal funds). All of our other money was already designated to a specific cause - food, gas, bills, rent, savings, missions, tithing, etc. And anything over that was promised to the debt. We blended advice from my accountant father (pay off your highest interest debt first), and that of Dave Ramsey (attack it smallest to largest, pay the minimum on all others, and snowball your monthly payments) and came up with a plan that has really paid off for us.
To date, Mr. V and I have paid off approximately $22,000 of our debt since August, and we're very proud of that. It has taken hard work and some sacrifice, but it feels so good to own my car free and clear, to not be strangled by our credit cards, and to know that we're on our way to bigger and better things, and a more secure financial future.
We encourage everyone to look into financial classes that your church offers, OR you can do what we did and take the cheap way out: we checked out Dave Ramsey's book from the public library.
By the way, we check a lot of other things out from the library, too, including movies and television boxed sets. It allows us to cheaply decide how we're spending our time. Yes, we're behind on what's going on with Jim and Pam of The Office, but that's ok. We're pretty excited to be where we are.
Neither of us came from money and we're certainly not rolling it in now, but we noticed a disturbing trend in our finances once we put them down on paper.
Beyond the aformentioned "necessities" (education and transportation) that we had accumulated, was a list of credit card transactions as long as my arm. I was maxed out on my AMEX, Mr. V was near the limit on his after the engagment ring, and we were getting ready to pay for a good chunk of our wedding which, for us, meant dun dun dun another credit card.
Add to that the cost of replacing a few items lost when we were burgled in late March and a mattress-built-for-two, and you can see that we were just amassing debt left and right. And to make matters worse, WE KNEW WE WERE DOING BAD THINGS!!! Our montly budget told us to stop, but we couldn't.
Until August, when luck turned around for us a bit. All of a sudden, we weren't spending money on a wedding that was coming up (we were newlyweds!) and we'd already made the purchases that kept us from sleeping on the floor or eating out of the dumpster. We were working at a school participating in a grant program (extra incentive money for a job well done) AND we'd taught summer school. What would we do with our newfound riches?
I'll tell you. We went after our debt like a lion does its prey. We sought out ways to take it down, and take it down fast. We set up a realistic budget, allowing for date night and personal spending so we wouldn't feel stiffled (and we couldn't tell each other what to do with our personal funds). All of our other money was already designated to a specific cause - food, gas, bills, rent, savings, missions, tithing, etc. And anything over that was promised to the debt. We blended advice from my accountant father (pay off your highest interest debt first), and that of Dave Ramsey (attack it smallest to largest, pay the minimum on all others, and snowball your monthly payments) and came up with a plan that has really paid off for us.
To date, Mr. V and I have paid off approximately $22,000 of our debt since August, and we're very proud of that. It has taken hard work and some sacrifice, but it feels so good to own my car free and clear, to not be strangled by our credit cards, and to know that we're on our way to bigger and better things, and a more secure financial future.
We encourage everyone to look into financial classes that your church offers, OR you can do what we did and take the cheap way out: we checked out Dave Ramsey's book from the public library.
By the way, we check a lot of other things out from the library, too, including movies and television boxed sets. It allows us to cheaply decide how we're spending our time. Yes, we're behind on what's going on with Jim and Pam of The Office, but that's ok. We're pretty excited to be where we are.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Swimming
Tonight, I experienced my first high school swim meet.
Don't be fooled. I'm not some closet swimming enthusist. I don't even watch it in the Olympics. And, to tell the truth, I had to be dragged from the warmth of my down blanket and the comfort of my home to watch children pound the water or shiver as they waited on the sides.
But I actually had a good time, when all is said and done. Those kids have a ton of heart and they are so positive. I have worked with enough organizations to know that, more often than not, if their team isn't on top, they don't care.
Not the case with these kids. Don't get me wrong, these kids were so far from bad. They just aren't at the top of their game yet, and that's okay. They're all working so hard to get better and having a blast doing it and that makes me so proud of them. I don't even know most of them, but Mr. V and I were talking to the coach and you can tell that the kids really try.
I know of lot of teams where that just wouldn't happen. I know a lot of teams who are at the top and just don't care enough to make themselves any better. These guys are AWESOME, and watching them brought a smile to my face.
In other news, the wheat tortillas at Freebirds are incredibly good. Gave them a whirl tonight for my quesadilla and I'm not disappointed. Just thought I'd pass that along!
Don't be fooled. I'm not some closet swimming enthusist. I don't even watch it in the Olympics. And, to tell the truth, I had to be dragged from the warmth of my down blanket and the comfort of my home to watch children pound the water or shiver as they waited on the sides.
But I actually had a good time, when all is said and done. Those kids have a ton of heart and they are so positive. I have worked with enough organizations to know that, more often than not, if their team isn't on top, they don't care.
Not the case with these kids. Don't get me wrong, these kids were so far from bad. They just aren't at the top of their game yet, and that's okay. They're all working so hard to get better and having a blast doing it and that makes me so proud of them. I don't even know most of them, but Mr. V and I were talking to the coach and you can tell that the kids really try.
I know of lot of teams where that just wouldn't happen. I know a lot of teams who are at the top and just don't care enough to make themselves any better. These guys are AWESOME, and watching them brought a smile to my face.
In other news, the wheat tortillas at Freebirds are incredibly good. Gave them a whirl tonight for my quesadilla and I'm not disappointed. Just thought I'd pass that along!
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