Category — The History of Me

Between my blogging history, Twitter, and context clues, you probably already know, but today is Caelyn’s 2nd birthday. We’re having a party this Saturday with the immediate and extended fam, but it was on this date two years ago in an operating room that a doctor peeked over the sheet at an incredibly swollen me and said, “Okay, it’s gonna feel like there’s an elephant on your chest. Ready?” and then drew his elbow way back past his ear and shoved Caelyn’s head out of my ribcage.

Caelyn doesn’t know today’s her birthday. I burst into her room this morning with a huge smile and a, “HEY! IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!” She just smiled, pointed at her posterior, and said, “Biper?”

But, still, I couldn’t let the day go uncelebrated, could I?

Birthday Stop No. 2

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Yesterday was our 4th anniversary. (Yes, it was also Juneteenth.) To celebrate, we enlisted Cristin to babysit and had dinner at The Melting Pot in Addison, where we ate on the night we got engaged. Then we caught The Promotion at the Angelika Film Center at The Shops at Legacy and wrapped the night with a stroll and two double-sized cappuccinos.

I have to tell ya. It was pretty darn nice. We dressed up and everything! And we haven’t done that for a date, since, well, the last time we had dinner at The Melting Pot.

Over fondue, we tried to recall how we’ve marked our previous anniversaries:

1. We were still in Abilene. We know we ate crab at Red Lobster. We think we purchased and watched Jurassic Park in bed with the top layer of our wedding cake.

2. I was huge. Caelyn only had 11 more days of sweet womb time. We had crab again. Neither of us remembers what happened afterwards. Maybe we came home & I fell right to sleep. Maybe we went to the theater. If we did, we can’t remember what we saw. I think it came down to Cars or Nacho Libre, and we saw the former because of the time. (I STILL haven’t seen Nacho Libre.) Or maybe it was Mission Impossible: III. Last night we were thinking we saw Superman Returns, but we actually caught that one two days before Caelyn arrived.

3. We did a back-to-back double feature with Ocean’s Thirteen and Mister Brooks, after packing it away at Saltgrass.

I know what you’re thinking. Since we’re obviously not mondo-anniversary celebrators, why would we have a big-to-do date for the 4th? It’s not like 4 is 5 or 10 or 35.

Honestly, we didn’t have a reason, other than the fact that I had told Chris that I thought he ought to take me back to The Melting Pot if and when that unforgiving black skirt I wore on our engagement night fit again, and we both could’ve more than used the retreat from the norm.

So we made a night of it.

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I’m working during a short, late nap here, so I don’t have time to tell you all the things I’ve been thinking about over the last week (like the Britax Boulevard and visiting family and passed fitness goals and why the Kingdom keeps slipping into my conversations), so I’ll just tell you the most time-sensitive one:

Happy (late) Father’s Day!

. . . to the fathers who frequent For the Record and especially to Chris, who, in case you don’t know, is the father of that little cutie we feature here on a regular basis, Caelyn. (Incidentally, he’s also my husband.)

Our church is launching a new non-profit organization called Parenting Alone, which will provide resources, child care, counseling, and other assistance to single parents. (IBC already has a substantial single parenting ministry, but Parenting Alone is envisioned as something nondenominational and outside of the church that will hopefully grow into multiple store-fronts across the country.)

This past Sunday, they introduced the idea to the congregation via a video of IBC women sharing the pain and struggles they faced after going through a divorce with children. (Of course, not all single parents are divorcees and not all single parents are women. Some parents even start out as single parents. The peolpe on this video just happened to be divorced women. No matter the case, I’d guess that facing parenthood on your own isn’t easy. I think it’s downright terrifying for a lot of people.) Even though I’ve never been a single parent, these women’s stories stirred something in my heart for them and other parents like them, and they made me think about my own life, particularly back to before Caelyn was born when I worked at a biblical counseling ministry in North Dallas.

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Something happens to me when I start working on a new project that I actually care about.

I get focused.

I work on it in my spare time. I read about it in my down time. I think about it when I’m supposed to be doing something else, like blogging or sleeping or coloring.

Yesterday, I had a pen in my purse, so I took notes during church. Here’s a sample:

The Gospel shouldn’t be reduced to the afterlife.

Polka dots . . . or buckles with Cs?

Why were they, who thought they would be accepted, rejected?

• “I never knew you.” “Did not do my father’s will.”
• Didn’t have the relationship required to act in his name.
• Didn’t have the authority to act in his name.
• Used his name in vain by using it selfishly.

Pizza? Chickfila? Subway?

“Do not be like these.”

• Pagans, Scribes, Pharisees
• Contrast between religious and authentic

Lipgloss? Candy? Mini cupcakes? Crayons?

SotM revolutionized the law — heart became the central issue.

In case you can’t tell, those are notes about the closing of the Sermon on the Mount and Caelyn’s birthday party, which will be happening in just a few weeks. (The birthday party, not the Sermon on the Mount.)

No, I’m not crazy enough to think you really care about what I’m thinking about during church. I’m just sharing this bit of info to let you know where I’ve been.

Or at least where my mind’s been.

My body’s been right here on the couch during nap time, just like always. I’ve even had the laptop open. But I’ve been looking at party stuff. I keep thinking that I’ll just look for a little bit and have plenty of time leftover for blogging and commenting. But you don’t need me to tell you that it never works out that way.

I’m kinda at a standstill, though. I’ve figured out how to make the invitations, but I can’t make ‘em until Chris reserves the locale and we confirm the guest list. I’ve figured out how to decorate the tables, but I can’t buy the supplies until the plates get here and I can match the colors and until we find out what kinds of tables we’ll have and how many. I’ve figured out the favors, but I can’t make them until I have the guest list. . . .

Sensing a trend yet?

Anyway, I figure it’s high time I fill you in on the last few weeks. But actually doing it would take more time than either of us cares to give. So whatdaya say to a list of highlights, in no particular order? (I promise comments/responses will be appearing the next time I hit the computer.)

I’m only doing 10 and I’m just gonna type ‘em as I think of ‘em, because if I tried to cover all the things I’ve made mental notes to blog about, we’d be here all afternoon. And I won’t mention Claire’s first birthday, since I already have.

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As you all know, MK Olsen has agreed to be my stunt double. (All we lack is her signature. And knowledge of my existence.) Upon reading the news, JSmo claimed that she has “always” thought that I look like Michelle Tanner. She even challenged me to post some toddler pictures.

She’s right. I do look like Lil’ Munchkin in some of my toddler pictures. Unfortunately, since the scanner doesn’t work with Leopard, the only ones available for posting are those that have already been featured on the old blog. (Aww, nuts!) I don’t mind putting them up over here, and I will, but I’m not sure how accurate a comparison you can make, since only one is a head-on shot and I’m making a weird face in it.

But I don’t want JSmo starting her own blog just so she can post pics of me on the pot — how rude! — and we do our best to give the fans what they want at For the Record, so . . . You got it, dude!

Pre-toddler, snoozin’ on the Pops

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