Staying Alive

I haven't updated, but just letting you all know that we're still alive. Since I went back to work it's been really overwhelming, but I'm thankful that God is still helping our little family hold together with the little that I have. Erwil has been really patient and helpful during my time of adjustment. This is a giant reminder that I'm not the perfect mom, not the perfect wife, nor the perfect teacher. Yet despite of what I lack, somehow our family manages to get through the day. All I can say is that there are too many prayers being answered. It's beautiful to see how God love and mercy are new every morning!

Prayers answered!

It was last Saturday when Erwil and I visited a car dealership in Irvine. I was able to drive off in a brand new Toyota Venza, which Erwil refers to as a station wagon on steriods. We both hate monthly car payments so we prayed and prayed for months about when God will allow us to have another car to replace the one I had. Even though the economy has created so many incentives for car buyers to lease or finance a loan to drive a car, it can't be done in haste. Soon after the my mom's car wreck, Erwil and I thought that it was a good time to seek out internet deals on Edmunds.com. This brought us to a Power Toyota in Irvine that gave us the best offer for the amount we were willing to pay. It was super hassle free and it didn't take a long time to make the car purchase. All I can say is that I love my new car and God's so gracious to provide for our needs in more ways than one. We just thank God that He generously gave us the financial means to pay for it without any lingering debt hassles.

As of Tuesday's staff meeting, the principal announced that I am no longer going to be displaced from Catskill. At the very last minute, we had exactly 4 students enroll. This is the exact number of students to keep me where I'm at! For the past month, I had no idea whether to unpack or pack all of my classroom belongings since I didn't know where I was to go after October's Norm Day. I'm so thankful that the principal aggressively sought out students to enroll. Amazing how God provided what almost seemed impossible to fill in His perfect time.

What Season Are We In?

My husband Erwil knows exactly what season we are now in--football season! Well for now it's just pre-season, but at least in our house we know what's coming up. Do you smell the scent of football season in the living room? I can. My husband loves it, being a Dallas Cowboy fan. He is the average quiet guy, but I have to warn you that he will transform into a smack-talker if engaged into a battle of football verbiage against the Cowboys.

Growing up, I never had a favorite pro football team because I didn't understand the sport. Whenever the timer reads one minute and twenty seven seconds in football minutes, why does it convert to eighteen real-world minutes? Why do the referees only speak in stiff arm sign language and constantly blow their whistles to stop and start the game? Unwilling to understand football, I tuned out the whole sport out for thirty years because I thought it was a waste of energy for my brain to consume.

It took thirty years before I learned to respect football as a legitimate sport because of my football maven husband. Erwil patiently explains why the referee makes such calls during the game and has fun predicting plays that will earn more yards for the team. Once I started to see the why's and how's, it became entertaining to watch football with Erwil. Being a student of Dallas Cowboy University, I rightfully name myself a late-bloomer fan, not a bandwagon fan as some may prejudge. I stepped into his world and learned not just to respect football but have an even deeper respect Erwil for what he knows about football. This is one more strand of the marriage cord tying us together.

I have only been married for 2 years, but even within this short period of time I know and feel that my attitude and system of beliefs have changed. The Dallas Cowboy reference is just one example of a visible result of a marriage between Erwil and I jointly share. I do honestly believe there will be even more changing that will be done, that has to be done, and can be done if I dare live up to all the heavy words that took flight during the recital of my marriage vows.

Marriage is about growing together in unity and love, as so many have quoted on deafening auto-replay while toasting to generic wedding champagne. Actually, there's nothing silent or cheap about unity and love. Jointly these principles leads me to constantly finding myself being introduced to growth opportunities that I never came close to highly appreciating before in my single life. Of course, there will be times when Erwil and I won't even come close to loving the same things. For example, Erwil hates crowded Christmas shopping at to the mall. I love to go Christmas shopping every year, so that's why Amazon.com is perfectly tailored for husbands like mine. Another example is that I only like eating my rice like my pasta--al dente style. Erwil on the otherhand makes his rice sticky and soft, to the point of Elmer's glue stick consistency which I loathe. That kind of rice should only be fed to four footed animals, in my opinion.

We have our differences. Nobody's wrong or right, just different or bizarre. I'll be honest that he may hear me complain only because I was so used to doing things my way for thirty years before I got married. It's not ever to be taken personal to the point of declaring a holy jihad. Tolerance is the cement to hold down our patchwork of differences.

More often times I find that we do develop a closer bond whenever we don't close ourselves off to each other's interests. For example, if Erwil can learn to become a Gleetard who watches 2 entire season episodes of Glee, I can learn to enjoy being carried into becoming a Dallas Cowboy fan myself. The point is that in a marriage we try to keep an open mind and be willing to share things together but also allow each other room for separate challenges as well. This explains the whole "marriage takes work" cliche, but I should add that the work is like finding a massive pot of gold under that mossy heavy boulder.

Please don't be surprised if you see us racing home right after church so that he can watch his beloved team play while sitting in our living room. It reminds me that I have to find Maddy a new jersey to match her daddy's enthusiastic Dallas Cowboy spirit. We might even deck our Christmas tree with Dallas Cowboy ornaments this Christmas. It's Erwil's turn to choose the theme this 2010 since we went for my all-out Hello Kitty themed Christmas tree last year.