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Thursday Update: 02/19/09



Happy Mid February! Sometimes I really just can’t believe how the time flies by. Growing up the ‘old folks’ always say that, and as a kid you just shrug and say whatever…but seriously…where DOES the time go!? Things have been pretty busy for us lately, and maybe that makes it go faster…I don’t know. I just find myself more and more perplexed by the speed at which life happens these days. I guess Ferris Bueller really did know what he was talking about when he said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So true.

Last week I mentioned that Matt and I got a new car, but didn’t elaborate. We sort of accidentally bought it! It wasn’t an impulse or anything like that…it just happened much faster than we intended. We had been contemplating a larger vehicle for a while now. Something that the wheelchair easily fit into and that we could still have room for passengers (where a wheel wasn’t sticking out between their heads), something that was taller than a sedan so Matt could easily get in, but not too tall so I wouldn’t have trouble loading the chair, something that wouldn’t cost us much more than our current car…etc. So we went out with the idea of trying several vehicles which we thought would be good contenders. Until you actually try to put the chair in a car, you don’t know how it’s going to fit. We checked out several cars and drove a few, and were ready to leave to ponder our options when I had to meet the manager. Matt and I know this trick, of course, from his brief stint as a car salesman. If the customer wants to leave, let the manager talk to them. I just smiled and went along with it, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to buy any of the cars we had just driven. The manager was friendly and asked what we were looking for etc. I told him our needs and he pointed out a Dodge Journey on their showroom floor. It was a 2009, but had been a rental so it was used. It was all spiffed up, shiny, and new. They quickly went to work showing me all the nifty compartments and features. I liked the looks of it, but was SURE it would be way out of our price range. Then he showed me what the MSRP was and what they had it listed for and I got a little more interested. I begrudgingly agreed to drive it, if they’d be willing to take it out of the showroom…which of course they were. They ran around moving cars out of the way, virtually falling all over themselves to sell us this car. We loaded up the car with the wheelchair and took it for a spin and…yeah…we loved it. Of course, we still weren’t sure we wanted to commit to that car…but we went back inside to talk numbers just to see where we’d end up. I knew what I wanted the payment to be, and that’s what I told the salesman. We went back and forth a few times, but I stayed firm (Matt was so proud of me…he actually turned to me and said ‘good job’ at one point!). Finally the finance guy came out and assured us they’d get us to the number we wanted and told us to take the car home. We agreed, if he was SURE the financing would be what we wanted…he was POSITIVE…so we drove home in our new car…a little stunned at what had just happened. I went back the next day to finalize things and sure enough, the financing was even LESS than what we were expecting!! We were both so tickled…the car has any feature we could ever want in a car, and more! It’s just perfect for us and I think we’ll be happy with it for a good long time. We felt so fortunate we could afford to get a car so new with so many features and warranty etc…it is a blessing and we are glad it worked out, even if it happened faster than we intended!

Last Friday I went to my cousin Brooke’s surprise 30th b-day party. It was SO much fun. I was worried that with the bad snow we were having that we’d have trouble getting over there and my cousin Amber and her husband Nathan wouldn’t be able to get down to Ankeny from their house…but they made it safe and sound and we all headed over there in time to watch Brooke and her husband Brett come in and be surprised. Matt was nervous about trying to walk out in the snow, so he stayed home. I was bummed he didn’t make it, but had a good time playing darts with Amber and Nathan and catching up with Uncle Rick and Aunt Beth.

Saturday was one of the laziest days I think I’ve ever had. Normally I’m doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc on the weekends. I had already done most of that on Friday, so Saturday…I took the day off. I didn’t do much of anything and it was delightful!! I did manage to get off the couch long enough to make Matt his traditional Valentine’s Day cookie…but that’s about it. For an explanation of To Blave...check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BRI0NtQ1DU
We made popcorn and watched movies…and it was just a perfectly lazy day together!

Sunday after church we went to the Home and Garden show downtown Des Moines. We always enjoy going and wandering around all the booths, dreaming about things like screened in porches, pergolas, fireplaces, and of course…PLANTS! George was working a booth for the cabinet company he works for so we stopped by to chat there a few times as well. We probably spent over 3 hours wandering around, taking it all in, talking and just enjoying the day together. Days like that…I love. Just me and Matt, no particular thing to do…no timeline…no commitments. We just talk and just are. While I wish it was like before and we could walk hand in hand through the crowd, I am happy to push him and lean down to whisper in his ear about the different things I see and think. Just being able to do something we’ve always like to do together…what a blessing that is. Times like that make me realize how fortunate we are…how lucky we are to be able to share something like that together still. This life isn’t easy – and some days the grief of what’s been lost swells up inside and we cry…but most days we just look at each other and smile and soak in all the good that still surrounds us. I look at Matt and I am thankful…not just for the fact that he’s still here, but that I know him at all. I am better for having been his wife. I am blessed by him. I just love him so much. I thank God that He chose me to be in Matt’s life and that He gave me the gift of this amazing love for my husband.

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