A Day in the Life

 I do enjoy watching You-Tubers do their day in the life vlogs. I also sorta snicker at them. Because sometimes the shooting of an ordinary day trying to look perfect for the shot or thumbnail must surely be too much pressure. Takes the fun right out of watching when things are too idealistic. I mean, does your bread turn out every time? 

Would writing it be any better? My life is in a transitional period at the moment, with the build of the house being accomplished and my husband going back to work after fourteen months off. His new job is local, which is great for us in many ways, but it is another thing to navigate. He still prefers the night shifts, which he did before, but as a travel nurse. That was different because when he was gone on his shifts, he was gone for the entirety. Now he is home sleeping in-be-tween shifts and the house needs to be quiet. This is the new challenge. Because life is noisy and tip-toeing around all day gets rather restrictive.

So I am glad when I have a day like yesterday:

My alarm rings at 5:30. Toria has spent the night with me and snuggles deeper into the blankets till 6. Meanwhile, Shaunti and I are up buzzing around. Me, making coffee and rounding up the hot lunch supplies, Shaunti is putting together a crockpot meal for her co workers. We stumble over and around each other for a good hour in the kitchen. "where's the garlic press? "How long does this rice need yet?" "I will clean up that part, Mom". All things Shaunti says to me as I whirl around gathering and organizing things to take out, things to put back.

6:30...I sit with my cup of coffee, Bible, and phone and post a happy birthday about my husband to the whole world via Instagram. Feels too invasive this morning. Why am I so this way? I struggle to write something that isn't too heartfelt and deep for public consumption. 

7:30... Husband walks through the door and I make that birthday man 3 easy over eggs and 2 pieces of toast with creamed honey. He's too tired to say much but talks briefly of a challenging patient during the night. He mentions we got our first pay check. Thank God.

8:00... Finish cleaning the kitchen, load up my car with hot lunch food, and put the dog away in his kennel in the shop so his high pitch hyper barking doesn't wake Bruce.

9:00...I drive to town to my friend's house to pick up the rest of hot lunch supplies. Her kids are recovering from immunizations and a bug of some sort. I offered to take care of serving for her so she could stay home.

10-12...Prepare and serve the chili soup, cornbread, salad, and bars. And a whole bunch of other cleaning of corners in-be-tween the stirring of the soup and the gathering of dishes. After...washing the bowls with warm and fuzzy feelings of being with children who are wholesome and honest and blessed more than they will ever maybe know. So much goodness all in one place. This is school and church for me. The loving in the serving. The best kind of joy.

1-5: Arrive home. Let the dog out. Unload the car. Woke up the house. Snuck outside to make a few last minute phone calls to invite friends to a ice-cream and cake party for my man. bake an angel food cake, make huckleberry fruit topping, make a gluten free pound cake, peel, cook, and mash potatoes, marinade and grill cheap steaks, prep the veggies...in the kitchen forever I think. (note to self: don't buy cheap steaks. even grilling them doesn't mask it). Live and learn. 

Laife arrives around 4 which made Bruce think the surprise I had hinted at, was only the kids all coming home for supper. I let him think that. 

5:30...Kids all home. We sit around the table with full plates and everyone talking at once. I listen and savor it all in my heart. I'm sure I add a comment or two, but mostly I just soak up the chatter and thank God for my family.

6:00...We give Bruce our gifts. The kids went together and got him a tool. An impact something or other...I give him a 10 dollar fanny pack off Amazon for our trip to Italy in February. We clean up the kitchen and pull out old family videos and howl with laughter together over the antics of our children when they were little. 

7:00...The after party begins. The doorbell rings and we start to sing Happy Birthday to Bruce. I only invited two families and it is only parts of family that can come. But the party is a success. The cake is eaten and coffee is drank, games are played at the table by the younger ones, while the older ones try to communicate over bedlam. 

9:00...I am wiped out. Brush my teeth and crawl into bed. Thankful not all days are that hectic. Thankful that this one was.