Wedded Bliss....

Number 17: A Lineage of Successful Marriages

Today is my parents 27th Wedding Anniversary!!! To say I'm impressed and proud is an understatement. My parents married young and their success is probably considered a rarity in the world we know today. I was so excited to see the 27 red roses delivered to my Mom's office today...but better than that, it makes me so happy and excited for my future when I see my parents hold hands, give a little kiss (no PDA in front of the "children"...let's all thank Jesus for that!), and support one another in their goals, efforts, hopes and dreams.

My parents marriage has taught me that you can weather difficult times and share in life's greatest joys...God can throw anything at you, so you may as well take the journey with your best friend and someone you know will still make your heart beat a little faster 27 years from now.

It's not just my parents marriage that has set a good example for me...I'm surrounded by lots of amazing couples. My great grandparents were married over 60 years when my Grandma passed away. November 1st I had dinner with my Gramma Drummond and that would have been her 59th Wedding Anniversary, my best friend has a wonderful marriage, the Young Marrieds class we have (well, not during our construction phase...) at church is made up of various marriages which provide me with an interesting vantage point. Some have been married awhile, others are newlyweds, some are in the middle. Either way, their experiences and advise is invaluable.

I'm so thankful for my parents and for the marriage they have built as an example to me and my siblings. I look forward to years of building my marriage to set the same type of example for our kids...

Oh...and by the way, for all those who ask...Married life is treatin' me just dandy!

P.S. The picture is not indicative of my parents relationship which is actually quite loving...however, it is an accurate representation of pre-dinner antics at the Drummond house.

Falling Off the Wagon

I know, I know...I'm a terrible blogger. I've only been doing this for a week and I've already skipped several days. So, although I posted my "Thankfulness" on Facebook, but I'll make it official on my blog here :)
So, here goes Numbers 14-16 :)

I'm Thankful for:

14. Quiet Time in my Car - I truly value the time I spend alone in my car. It may seem very simple, but sometimes you just need to be alone and take a little time for yourself. It's necessary to sit in 40 minutes of traffic on the Expressway (Yeah, that's an oxymoron) to make it to work, so I may as well make the best of it. Sometimes, I sit quietly. Sometimes I speak my thoughts out loud. Every now and then, I crank up my music and sing as loud as I want. But, to be honest, I spend a lot of my alone driving time praying :) Don't worry, I always keep my eyes open and at least one hand on the wheel!!!

15. Dinner with Friends - Like I mentioned in a previous post, I love my new home. So, I'm trying to get into the practice of inviting people over. There are a few benefits (1) gives me a reason to clean my house (2) let's me appear friendly (3) forces me to expand my cooking skills (4) gets my Mom to help me rearrange, clean, inspect...whatever! So, last night I had two friends over for dinner and I just really enjoyed myself and decided I'm going to do this more often. No reason not to, right? I have to eat, they have to eat, and when I cook lots of food, I feel like making dinner was a worthwhile effort. So, if you'd like to be on the Musial's dinner rotation, hit me up :)

16. My Church Family - My Dad was teaching at church tonight and first of all, he was hilarious! But, he was talking about the story of Joseph and how Joseph suffered through many disasters, tribulations and just terribly discouraging circumstances. The purpose? To save Joseph's family from a time of great famine. God did all of that to save ONE family. My Dad said that's what Pastoring is...standing in the gap for other families, and although Pastoring comes with its trials, pains and heartache for our whole family, it was worth every bit. He would relive every moment, every struggle, every broken heart to meet the individual families in our church...I absolutely agree!!

My life is so much better because of the people in my church. Some incredible people have walked through the doors of our church with talents, dreams, visions, and the biggest hearts I think I've ever seen. They really are a family to me - from the oldest to the newest. When I go to church I feel loved, welcomed and supported and I get more than just a relationship with God - I get a family to lift me up and make me a better person. Every day I pray for the families in our church that God will provide for them, bless them, prosper them.

When I see my church family grow in numbers, grow in spirituality, or even grow in the strength of our relationships, I realize how blessed I am. God promised my church an ABUNDANCE...and that's what my church family is - the abundance we've prayed for, the one we were promised and the one I intend to cherish for as long as I can.

We are growing, becoming better, and changing the World we know...little by little...one backpack, Missions offering, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas gift at a time!

I would sacrifice anything for my Church Family...any of them. I am blessed beyond measure!

Just Your Average Nerd

Number 13: Education

Yes, I'm your classic nerd who reads for fun, enjoys writing and LOVES school. I have an embarrassing amount of student loan debt and were I independently wealthy with unlimited funds, I would go to school forever and be everything I've ever dreamed of...a Pediatrician, a Psychologist, Forensic Expert, Writing Professor...whatever, the sky would be the limit.

Now, I know most people don't enjoy school, and there were some things I didn't like...art, economics, and Organic Chemistry classes to be exact. But, I loved stepping back into time in History classes and reliving the eras in an English class. I loved learning about nasty little critters in Biology & Parasitology, and thoroughly enjoyed the equations and experiments in Chemistry.

High School was just a means to an end for me, but College, that was amazing. My Undergrad in Creative Writing was eye-opening, inspiring and just flat out fun. What's not fun about writing papers about yourself, your family, your spirituality?? Basically, writing about yourself! It's not like they can tell you you're wrong!

I went back for my Master's for two reasons: (1) I realized I wasn't going to be a teacher and a Creative Writing degree can only do so much for you and (2) you don't have to pay back your Student Loans if you're still enrolled full-time in school, so on to a Graduate degree I went.

I am a firm believer that education opens doors of opportunity and that God desires people to be well-educated and able to stand on their own in many arenas - academic, corporate, political and social. Someday, I plan on having a closet full of graduation caps & gowns, robes and all the garb. I LOVE to learn...you're never too old, never too accomplished and you should NEVER be too satisfied that you can't learn more and achieve more!

Plus, you have forever to pay those student loans back and they're very quick to lower your payments if you promise to make them on time :)

Just Lounging Around

Number 12 - Lazy Days

Today I'm thankful for Saturdays where I have nothing planned and get to lounge around and do nothing. I assume in the future once I have a puppy or children, these days will be few and far between. But, I spent the majority of my day watching movies in bed, having lunch delivered and snoozing a bit.

The only thing that could make lazy days better is if it was raining. I LOVE rainy days where you can justify staying in bed all day. So today, with our mildly cold Florida weather, I just cuddled under my covers all morning and enjoyed the concept of nothingness.

You never realize how wonderful doing nothing is until you're in the middle of a jam packed week where all you can think about is sitting down and doing nothing. Today, I soaked up every minute of it and can't wait until my next "lazy" morning :)

So, sorry this blog is short today, but as I said...I spent the majority of my day doing nothing!

To Those Who Fight For My Freedom....

Number 11 - American Military Servicemen/Women & Veterans

It is Veterans Day 2011 and I'm sitting in bed with the TV on, laptop in hand, blogging and exercising my First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech...Sunday, when I go to church, I will exercise Freedom of Religion and next week, I will publish an article in FOCUS magazine and exercise Freedom of Press. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, it will be to a free America, where I can come and go as I please, work and earn wages, live a good, full life, receive health care and own my Home.

I realize, that none of these things would be possible without the men and women of the United States Military who so bravely and dutifully sacrifice their lives (both in death and life). I know that because I maintain the right to be free, a Daddy will miss the birth of his child, a Mommy will leave her babies behind and a Husband or Wife will spend nights alone just waiting.

I am so proud when I see a Soldiers in fatigues at the airport reporting to MacDill Air Force Base...maybe it's just another stop on the journey, or maybe they are new recruits, but either way, they wear my country's name on their uniform and for that I owe them thanks.

So, to the Veterans & Active Military in my life and those I have never met, thank you for protecting my Home, giving me the opportunity to live a blessed life, and for defending the Freedoms, Hopes and Dreams known only in a place as wonderful as America. My prayers are with you...may you and your families be blessed!

Thank You!!!

**I took this photo on my Honeymoon at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

It's Been a Rough One Folks...

Well, Ladies & Gentlemen, it has been one heck of a rough day! I woke up late, got to work and started walking into the office and left the car running, my least favorite issue at work popped up again, I had an argument with my Husband, and the only thing I could make for dinner tonight was Sloppy Joe's...which I HATE!!!

So, I guess the trick to true character building is to give thanks for something even though you have had a bummer of a day. In an effort to lighten my mood, I'm going to be thankful for something silly which I enjoy with my whole heart...

Number 10: I'm thankful for FOOD

I am aware that gluttony is both sinful and unhealthy, which is why I like to walk a fine line with my love of food. I'm not quite sure how I developed this intense passion for food. My Dad routinely forgets to eat lunch (this has NEVER happened to me...) and my Mom doesn't even like food...eating is an inconvenience to her.

So, how do I learn to love food?? No clue. But I love all kinds. If I were stranded on a desert island and could have 3 things, I would choose Tacos, Chili Cheese Dogs, and Root Beer Floats. I'm assuming there would be plenty of apples, pineapples and other fruit on the island, but really, they have very little appeal to me.

My favorites, just to name a few are Candy Apples, Creme Brulee, Spaghetti, Burritos, Chicken Fried Rice, Cupcakes, Jambalaya, Potato Soup, Taco Dip, Chili, Mac & Cheese, Corn Casserole, Popeye's Chicken (it's so bad...but soooo good), Quesadillas, Peanut Butter, Buffalo Wings...and the list goes on and on and on :)

My sister told me once that God made a mistake and put me in a little person's body and I really should be fat. I'm fairly positive she's right. And all I can say is I'm thankful that God may have made a mistake with me. While I'm eating Breakfast, I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat for Snack, while I'm eating Snack, I'm thinking about Lunch, while eating lunch, I'm thinking about Afternoon Snack, and ALWAYS thinking about dinner.

Now, I should be honest and say I'm not a pro cook or anything, so a lot of these items I get when I eat out, but I have perfected a few dishes...Spaghetti, Tacos, Sausage, Enchiladas & Crunchy Chicken. But, my real passion is dessert. I LOVE cupcakes, cakes, creme brulee and cookies...and I make everything from scratch. No boxed mix for me. Someday, I will be famous for this love of food....and when November is over, you should expect to read a lot about it.

Sorry for the length of this post, but FOOD has a very high importance ranking in my life. I have NO friends who don't like to eat. Keep this in mind Friends :) Now, I must get to dinner...I'm about an hour behind in my feeding schedule and I'm beginning to get grouchy :)

Give Thanks...preferably by bringing me food!!

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.”- Oscar Wilde

Home is Where the Heart Is

Number 9: My Home

While it may seem awfully materialistic after my introspective posts the last few days, I am very thankful to have my little home. We have beautiful colors on the walls and every room is painted and decorated to fit our tastes (ok, let's be honest...Mike didn't choose anything but the TV). I have a Guest Room for any friends or family members who find themselves in Tampa with no place to stay.

I have a beautiful kitchen counter graciously installed by a church friend and I have a "Cambodian" bathroom with my little elephants and water color paints on the walls/shelf. Family pictures are in the foyer and hallway.

To be honest, when Mike picked this house before we were even engaged, I was most excited about the large Master Bedroom closet that would someday be mine. But, now, I'm proud of so much in this home. It took months of adjustment, but it really has become a home I'm proud to invite people to. I also have to confess that we didn't do it all alone. Our siblings and parents made some paint strokes, installed crown molding and hardwood floors, stocked cabinets and built a pantry...all under the guise of a "Painting Party". Much to their chagrin, there was no party :)

I'm also so incredibly thankful because I haven't always lived in a nice home. Now, I'm not complaining...I have been raised well and with much compared to others. But, the majority of my childhood I lived in the back of the church and it took a full-fledged miracle to get my family the home they live in today and I thank God for that every day. I am no stranger to small places housing a large family and I know the sense of dread and fear when my parents asked "God - where are we going to live?"

But there they are with a beautiful home that was a blessing straight from heaven and my Husband loved me enough to consider my future and stability BEFORE he married me and gave me this beautiful shell of a house we've made a home. My parents house will always be home, but this house, mine and Mike's...that's HOME!