7 Quick Takes (Volume 199)

1) It was fun to watch Ladies Man at his first football game conducting the band.
How can I get him to do that to me at home?

Hey, a woman can dream, can't she?

Nice work, Ladies Man. Proud of you!

2) We had a lovely family dinner celebrating Miss Innocent One's birthday on Monday night. I'm not sure what it is about our family dynamics, but something happens when we're all together. Weird things come out of our mouths. I don't even remember what Ladies Man was talking about but at one point we got this gem.

Ladies Man: Hate the sin not the sinner. Got me through preschool.

The waiters came and sang happy birthday in traditional embarrassing fashion. Afterwards they dumped a bunch of suckers next to Miss Innocent One. Immediately the other kids started grabbing and every single one of us slipped into our predictable mode of behavior.

Me (protecting Perfect Baby Angel Child): You guys, those are hers. Stop taking them all.

Ladies Man (not giving a flip): She's not going to eat them all.

Drama Queen (thinking it's time for Miss Innocent One to buck up already): She doesn't care.

Miss Innocent One shrugged, not wanting to say no and come across as a little kid, but secretly wanting to keep every last sucker to give to friends after school the next day.

Kevin (tiring of Ladies Man and Drama Queen's bullying tactics and using his own drama for effect): Okay. Put DOWN the lollipop.

Meanwhile Drummer Boy laughs, says nothing and tweets the entire scene.

Classic.

3) I told you about our recent addiction to Cake Boss. I had a horrible thought last weekend while thinking about Miss Innocent One's birthday. How in the world could I make a birthday cake that wouldn't look completely stupid after all the amazing things we've seen on that show?! My standard confetti cake or angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream wasn't going to cut it anymore.

And I wasn't just putting pressure on myself like I normally do. Miss Innocent One started pointing out fondant recipes she found on Pinterest. She had expectations!

Call me inspired, stupid or just plain lucky, but I gave it a shot and I don't think it turned out too bad.
The zebra pattern continued INSIDE the cake as well.
Why does that not look as appetizing now as it did then? Hmmm. Anyway, the most important thing is she loved it.
Whew. Now I'm afraid the cake bar has risen. Kevin's birthday is coming up in a few weeks and he teased me about a piano cake. Hello, people! I am an ordinary woman without the handy gadgets and STAFF of the cake boss.

Just what I need. More pressure. Maybe I should've totally flopped it so no one would expect anything from me.

4) I thought college was supposed to be tough. Drama Queen and Ladies Man's girlfriend spent an evening having a "coloring book date." I'm all for healthy ways of stress relief, but these two have me worried. Are the concerns about society being dumbed down valid?

5) Another fun activity we did last weekend was Paint Yourself Silly. The store is full of unfinished pottery. You pick out a piece, paint it and they put it in the kiln. Super, super fun thing to do. I highly recommend it.

Here's what our creations looked like in progress. Miss Innocent One is very serious.
These two? Not so much.

I'll update you next week on how they looked after the firing process. We pick them up tomorrow.

6) It's funny how a few years can make a huge difference with a child. Ten years ago we were literally DRAGGING and I mean LITERALLY DRAGGING Ladies Man to school. We had tons of stressful times chasing him around the house, in the driveway, down the alley. We're talking gripping door jams, jumping out of moving vehicles, calling the principal to meet us at the car . . . horrible, HORRIBLE scenes.

Ten years later, he's fighting me about having to eat breakfast and leaving on his own for school at 7:AM. As he leaves I offer, "Bye. Have a good day."

He smiles and says, "Yep. It should be."

And he was off. Just like that. No hiding, no stomping, no crying, no loud proclamations of "I'm NOT going to school!" Just a smile and confidence. Kinda made all those horrific mornings ten years ago worth it, you know? One parenting decision made right. Aaaaaahhhhhh. Let's savor this moment.

7) We're headed north tomorrow to attend our niece's NEBRASKA wedding reception (you'll remember our trip to Texas for the wedding), then off to the Husker game to catch our kiddos in action on the drum line. And yes, I'm anticipating more tears. I am human, you know.

That's all I got this fine Friday, folks. Catch more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Holding Hands in the Dark

Sleep eludes. My best efforts to produce it come up short, so I slide out of bed, wander down the hall, set my mind on something else. I'm gone a while, longer than I should be if I want to function in the morning, and when I finally drag myself back to bed, the hour and the time expired make me certain my husband will not stir.

Yet as I slip under the covers, his hand finds my arm. He says nothing and I really don't think he's awake, but his fingers pat and slide down my arm until they entwine with mine.

I can't help but smile and don't even care that sleep still feels far off. Apparently he's aware of my presence and must have noticed my absence. I am known and missed. Even in his sleep.

If a human can do this, how much more can God, who NEVER sleeps or slumbers, notice me? How much more does He see? How much more must He love us?

He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Psalm 121:3-8

Thank You, Lord, for indications of Your notice, for confirmations of Your care. Thank You for the reminder while holding hands in the dark.


Find other Thankful Thursday posts at Grace Alone.



Photo Credit: andrew and hobbes

Playing it Safe

My 16-year-old son came home yesterday saying this was going to be the year of getting out of his comfort zone. "I've been praying for more confidence," he said, "I think this is how I get it."

He's decided not to play it safe.

For the majority of my life, I've lived pretty safe. I've followed the expected pattern. I finished high school, then went straight to college. I picked a field of study that gave me a predictable job, majoring in math and getting a teaching certificate. I got married, had children.

Playing it safe is respectable, admirable, smart. Isn't it?

I've always thought so, but when I read the Bible, God does not let His kids play it safe. Hagar returns to Sarah who mistreated her. Rahab hides the spies. Abigail defies her husband to soothe the anger of David. Esther approaches the king though she could be killed for doing so. Mary says, "yes," though she surely will face public humiliation.

All respond to God's instructions, His unconventional instructions. None play it safe.

And all see God at work, up close and personal.

This makes me squirm. I want conventional. I want predictable. I want safe.

Am I willing to say I want God more?

I've long had a fascination with missionaries. I can't understand giving up the comforts of life to live among people who may or may not accept your message. I want to be that altruistic, but I'm not. How do they do it? Are they able to follow God's leading because they experience Him in a deeper way when not playing it safe?

I must admit my few forays into the unsafe zone have shown me God in a real and convincing way. We got married while we were both in college. We bought a house in an uncommon way. We raised (are raising) four children on one modest income. As a result, we've seen God provide in unusual ways. We've seen miracles. We've been forced to wait patiently for His plan and learned to value what He does.

But it's been scary sometimes.

Many times I've prayed for God to show Himself more real, to help me grow in a certain area, to appear in a miraculous way. He answers my prayers in unsafe ways, like praying for patience bringing more opportunities to be patient. I get unexpected trials, assignments that are too big for me, experiences I'd rather not go through.

Instead of seeing it as God leading me through the desert to the Promised Land, I think He's forgotten me, rejected me, wants to punish me. All the while He's saying, "Trust Me even when you can't see. Don't play it safe."

So I have to ask myself some tough questions. Do I want to experience more of God if it means leaving my comfort zone? Am I willing to do hard to know Him better and grow in faith? If I play it safe, will I miss being part of God's work? Will I miss knowing Him in a deeper, more meaningful way? Do I want to risk that for personal safety?

My fearful human self whispers, "I want You, God," but my pulse quickens. What if it hurts? What will He require of me? I can't know and I suppose that is the gift we give Him--trust without knowing. So I pray, "Yes, Lord, whatever You want," but ask for His mercy to come alongside. I breathe deeply and hang on.

Is God leading you out of your comfort zone to draw you closer to Him, to show You more of His love? Do you think Christians can play it safe?



Photo Credit: James Jordan

7 Quick Takes (Volume 198)

1) We had a SUPER time at the Cornhusker Marching Band Exhibition.
Look at my amazing children! Drummer Boy is the center snare player with the goatee. Drama Queen is on the right end.
Here's a closer pic. They're working hard.
So, SO proud of you guys. It is so cool to see you playing TOGETHER! And liking it! I am a blessed mama.

2) Adding to our excitement at the exhibition was the presence of TONS of our family--grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. They had their own cheering section! It made the night so fun and special. Ladies Man enjoyed entertaining his cousins.

Since we were all dressed in Husker gear, we took a family picture.
While that pic is all sweet and proper, this one is probably more representative of who the Boesigers really are.
3) We started watching Cake Boss on Netflix last weekend and already I'm having adverse effects. I find myself craving sweets more than usual. I've been dreaming about cakes and Buddy Valastro. I'm calling my family "Mia Famiglia." The other day I had to stop myself from saying "yous guys" to my kids. And it's becoming more and more tempting to yell about everything.

Isn't it weird how one little change in your habits can affect you so much? Good thing I haven't been watching Real Housewives of New Jersey. Who knows what else I might be tempted to do?!

4) It was back to school week for everybody at our house. Of course I took the obligatory first day of school pics. The kids thought I was stupid and humored me, but I think their mocking shows. Can't you see the goofy smirks and eyes that are refraining from rolling?

Miss Innocent One is an 8th grader this year. It's our last year to have a kid in the middle school after 12 years! Why does that make me feel old?
Ladies Man starts his junior year in high school. I find it funny to take note of where each of the kids' heads land in the blind behind them.
5) This is the first time my college kids have started school BEFORE my other kids. Seems a little weird. They shouldn't get out of the traditional mother badgering, should they? I thought I'd give them a little chuckle on their first day.

My text Monday morning: Happy first day of school! Did you take a picture for me?

Obviously leaving the house at 6:AM for band rehearsal has affected Drama Queen's brain.

Drama Queen's text: No. Was I supposed to?

She's a classic good girl, you think? Love you, babe!

6) Miss Innocent One has had some adolescent angst about school starting up again.

Me: Are you excited to get back to school?

Miss Innocent One: I don't know. People just seem to get stupider.

Me: What?

Miss Innocent: Seriously, the older they get, there's more drama. Stupid.

And for a 13 year-old, clothes are super important.

Miss Innocent One: What do you think I should wear the first day of school? My skinny jeans or my new shorts?

Me: I don't think it really matters, does it?

Miss Innocent One: But what would YOU do? Let's play WWTD, What Would Tami Do?

Me: I'd wear the shorts because it will get hot later in the day and I hate changing clothes which you might want to do if you wore jeans.

I'm don't think that's the answer she wanted as she changed the subject.

Miss Innocent One: My friend says people are going to be very surprised when I come back to school.

Me: Why?

Miss Innocent One: She says I've changed a lot over the summer. A new haircut. Gotten taller.

Me: You are looking older. You are very pretty.

Miss Innocent One: Whatever.

Me: You should just accept it. You're pretty. You've always been pretty. Even as a baby you were pretty. It's just you. You need to accept it.

Miss Innocent One: Okay, you don't get to do that. Who was the one complaining about her gray hair ten seconds ago?

Ouch. She caught me. Boo. I hate it when my kids are smarter than me.

7) Tonight we're going to our high school's first home football game where we'll get to see Ladies Man's debut as drum major. On Saturday Miss Innocent One will celebrate her upcoming birthday with some friends. In honor of her 14th birthday this coming Monday (how did my baby get so old?!), here's a pic I just love of us.
Happy Birthday, babe. We love you!

And that's the week at the Boesiger house. Kinda low key. And I LIKED it. Find more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

How Satan Gets At Good Girls

I'm a good girl.

A girl who always follows the rules. My rebellious phase lasted maybe two months. I get paranoid if someone looks at me funny. I do what I can to keep everyone happy. My conversion story is lackluster. I didn't have to be cleansed from any addiction or horrible past. This girl who did what she was supposed to do, just started living by God's rules one day.

And yet there are days I wonder if following the rules is worth it. Bad stuff still happens to good girls and those they love. God doesn't always answer prayers the way I'd like. There is no perfect life. And when the hard stuff hits, I feel my efforts to be good have been overlooked by God. Why bother? Does it matter? Is there really protection in living His way?

“‎When the truth doesn’t feel true is when we begin to believe it isn’t. Satan’ biggest, most effective weapon against good girls may not be lust or slander or adultery or addiction. It is forgetfulness.”

Emily Freeman
Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

The truth is, when I'm scared or worried or feeling like nothing matters, I've forgotten the goodness of God in my past. I'm listening to Satan's whispers saying, "this can't possibly work out right" and "what's the point of following a God who doesn't reward your faithfulness" and "it doesn't matter what you do when tragedy and trauma hit everyone."

The moment I entertain these thoughts, Satan's sucked me in. I may not be sleeping with my neighbor or doing drugs or cheating on my taxes, but believing those lies is just as harmful.

Not acknowledging God's faithfulness and goodness in the past blasts away at my faith every bit as much, if not MORE, than any other sin I avoid.

I need to remember Who He is and what He's done. When I don't, I leave myself vulnerable for Satan's attack.


As the host for this week's In "Other" Words, I invite you to give us your thoughts on this quote. Link up below.




Photo Credit: CapesTreasures.com

Parents to Friends

Today I tackle another question from the Help Me With My Dry Spell post.

I'd like to hear your perspective on the transition from parent as "authority" to parent as "friend" as your children age - how does that work, any specific suggestions on how to 'let go' slowly or does it just happen naturally over time?

I've thought about this question for a couple of weeks now and before chiming in, I'd like to say I have never felt like a parenting expert. I blame myself for any bad habits I see in my kids, but any good qualities I attribute to the grace of God. I can't say I've been an intentional parent. Most days I feel I'm hanging on for the ride, praying God will make good of my efforts. My kids are sensitive, creative, loving individuals, but I can't say it's because I've done A, B, or C. God does good work. Period.

Having gotten that off my chest, I'll offer my observations on this subject. In my experience, this transition happens slowly over time. I remember feeling such sadness when my oldest went to kindergarten. I cried every day for two weeks and he was only going for half days! I realized it bothered me because I was giving up some control over him. I no longer knew how he spent his entire day. I wasn't privy to his conversations. I wasn't there to ensure proper behavior. It was the first step to letting go.

The letting go continues, requiring more as they get older. Sleepovers, walking home from school, driving privileges. The older they get, the less they are home, limiting your control over their behavior. We set and enforce boundaries, but they choose how they will follow.

I find the toughest stage yet to be navigating the parental role as they leave the house. What if they don't do __________________? How often should I remind them? Do you let them learn the hard way? What if they do things you don't like? Is it your responsibility to correct them?

While I don't have the answers to those questions (every situation seems to call for a different response), one thing I find very satisfying and comforting is the relationship I have with each of my kids. They talk to me. Even seem to LIKE talking to me at times. I find this a huge blessing and thank God for it every day. As I think about how that came about, I immediately recall one habit that helped.

I worked hard to have dinner together many nights a week. This gets tricky as kids get into high school and have their own activities. Sometimes it meant we ate early at 4:30 or 5, requiring Kevin to come home earlier than usual. Sometimes it meant waiting for a kid to get off work later and eating at 6:30. It's not always possible, but if I could make it happen, I did. As I look through the years of our family, our best times have been at the dinner table. We didn't prepare deep, spiritual lessons or use the time lecturing them. We were just us, eating, being together, laughing, connecting. This simple habit fostered togetherness and defined us as a family.

We've always been very open with our kids (sometimes I wonder if it's been TOO open), but now they are comfortable discussing many things with us. I've made it my goal to be the same with them as I would be with anyone else. I didn't want to have a "Mom" persona and a "Tami" persona. I hated the idea of them listening into Bible study some night and wondering who I was. I didn't want them seeing someone different outside the house than they saw inside the house. I don't know, of course, but I hope that built respect in them for me and paved the way for a friend type of relationship later.

An added pressure to our family life was Kevin working for a church. At first I felt our kids had expectations put on them because of it. I decided early on I wasn't going to fall for that trap. We answer to God, so my kids never got the "You have to live to a higher standard" speech. I wasn't putting that pressure on them. We did our best to model authentic lives and listen. We let them be who they are, not who church people thought they should be.

I'm of the mindset there is no magic formula for raising kids. Each child possesses a unique gift set, has a different personality. How can there be a step by step plan that works with everyone? My goal is to bring up individuals who love God and their family. Despite my weaknesses, I see that in my kids. Thank You Jesus! So far, so good. Nice work, God.

What are your thoughts on transitioning from parent to friend?

7 Quick Takes (Volume 197)

1) CONGRATULATIONS TO DRAMA QUEEN WHO MADE THE SNARE DRUM LINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA!!!!!!

Not many people can be out of the drumming loop for over a year and get their chops back in shape to be competitive. But she did it! They only picked two new players and she was one of them. Boom diggity! Drummer Boy tells us she was the best rookie they had. So now my kids are playing together at the college level. So, so exciting!
Not sure who's idea these outfits were. The girls look cute, but the boys and those pasty white legs. . . just saying. Our Drummer Boy is smack dab in the middle with his amazing sister, Drama Queen, on the right end.

Awesome, awesome job, you guys. SOOOO proud of you, your patience and perseverance, Drama Queen. We're looking forward to seeing you AND your brother strut your stuff this fall. I just may wet myself.

2) I have a confession to make. I am a hypocrite. After my last post preaching to you to "just say no," my family went out for ice cream. I justified it by saying I don't do it all the time, which I don't and I ate a very healthy dinner, which I did, but I still carried guilt as evidenced by the following conversation. Clearly I have food issues and you should feel sorry for my husband who does his very best to build me up.

Kevin: You look good.

Me: Honey, it's dark.

Kevin: Well, you looked good tonight.

Me: Was that before or after I had the chocolate malt?

Poor guy. Do you see what I put him through?

3) We had a superb time in Texas at our niece's wedding. Is this a beautiful picture of the bride and groom or what?
Congratulations Hannah and Caleb! We love you.

4) And here's a peek at the rest of us at the wedding. Drummer Boy and Drama Queen weren't able to make the trip to Texas because of drumline auditions. Boo. But we made the trek with these folks. Ladies Man's girlfriend blessed us with her presence.
Got a great pic with Miss Innocent One. She's looking older, don't you think? Yikes!
We enjoyed staying in a house with Kevin's mom and dad and caravaned back with them Monday.
Sitting WITH my husband at a wedding was a rare treat. Usually he's at the piano and I'm in the audience listening to people talk about the great piano player.
Good, good times.

5) I am feeling like a new woman now that we've finished our Christmas musical script. It's been such a big part of my summer that I've stopped myself a couple of times this week and thought, "Wait, what am I going to do today?" We're entering new territory with this one, our first two act show. Hopefully it will be engaging enough that people won't care if it's long. If you think otherwise, PLEASE don't tell me. I may have a stroke.

6) Our kids at home start school on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's time. I'm getting very tired of listening to Mario Kart and Disney netflix reruns. I know for myself, the busier I am, the more I get done. I'm hoping school will kick them out of slug mode and they'll feel motivated to get some things done at home too. When you have all day to do something, it's too easy to put those somethings off. For instance, Ladies Man has been going off with friends every day and I finally confronted him with his lack of doing anything at home.

Me: Where are you going now? You haven't been home at all. When are you going to clean your room? It's a disaster.

Ladies Man: Mom, I cleaned my room twice this summer!

Oh, stupid me. I was under the impression a weekly go-over was a good practice!

7) We're headed up to Memorial Stadium tonight to watch the Cornhusker Band Exhibition. It'll be our first peek at the Boesiger kids in action. If you're looking for a free, fun evening wander up. Show starts at 7:00.

And that's the week in review here. Hope your week was good and you enjoy a great weekend. Take in more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

How Do You Handle Emotional Eating?

Today I'm tackling a question from the Help Me With My Dry Spell post.

Julie writes,"I'd like to hear your perspective on emotional eating and conquering it."

Oh boy, sister, do you understand who you're asking about this?!

I was the little girl too heavy to ride the ponies at the amusement park, the college girl who spent a summer wearing jeans because her thighs were too big to be seen in shorts, the expectant mother who cringed at getting on the scale for every prenatal visit, praying she didn't cross a dreaded threshold.

Food has been issue for me my entire life.

Suffice it to say I do NOT feel completely competent to answer this question, nor do I think I have "conquered" anything. But I have made progress through the years, painfully slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Overcoming any habit is a long process I'm still in, but I can share what I've learned so far.

My first big realization came when I noticed I didn't think as I was eating. I'd chide myself AFTER I'd inhaled five cookies. My stomach would rebel with an extra piece of pizza. I'd leave family functions feeling miserable from eating too much. I didn't give a thought to what I stuffed in my face and afterward felt helpless to stop it. I'd pray for better self-control, but continued my bad habits. One day I realized I couldn't expect God to magically give me supreme self-control and do nothing. That's like praying, "Lord, make me an Olympic athlete" and never training. Having greater self-control was going to require something of me. So I started praying differently.

Lord, show me the moment of decision, that moment I decide to eat something for comfort rather than hunger. Stop me and show me the choice.

God is faithful. He started showing me right away. As He did, I felt responsible to choose wisely. Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't, but responding to those moments started a training program of sorts for me.

I'm learning to PRACTICE saying no to me. The more I do it, the easier it gets. Not just in the area of food, but in every area of life.

Now before you freak out, let me remind you we already do this. Every mother out there has denied herself sleep to tend to her kids. When a friend needs a sympathetic ear, we put aside what we're doing. We suppress the explosion we'd love to have in the checkout line. We crave the attention of our husband, but give him space when he's busy. We make dinner for our families even when we'd rather have popcorn.

If we can do this on a regular basis in other areas of our lives, we can do it with food, right?

Let me tell you, I am by no means a master. Just the other day, after a phone call stressed me out, I started on dinner and began chomping watermelon chunks as fast as I cut them. I still have work to do, but I have grown. At least now it's fruit instead of M & Ms and leftover pizza. And some days I can deny it all together, not because I'm a self-control guru, but because I've practiced saying no and it gets easier.

When we consider that Jesus told us we are to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily, the effort seems worth it. In light of that, every little NO to us, every denial of self, begins a practice that brings us closer to God.

Easy? No. Doable? Yes. Over time. With lots of practice. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll see progress.

How do you handle emotional eating?

One NO at a time.

What are your tricks for managing emotional eating?



Photo Credit: awrose

7 Quick Takes (Volume 196)

1) Ladies Man: Liking my family is in the top 5 things I want in my wife.

Drama Queen: What's number 1?

Ladies Man: That she likes me!

2) We moved Drama Queen back to Lincoln this week. I don't know what my problem is. The situation with her couldn't be more ideal. She's living with my mother and Drummer Boy, only forty minutes away, and yet I cried half the way home.

Me: I don't know why it's so sad.

Miss Innocent One: 'Cause she isn't here.

I guess that's it. She's moving up early to attend drum line camp at the University of Nebraska. She's waited a year for this week. You'll remember last summer's disappointing wrist break. She's back now and ready to go. I think she and Drummer Boy are excited to play together again and really hoping they both can be on the snare line this fall. She's done everything she can to make it a reality, practicing her fool head off all summer. She felt confident to say she was ready to make the guys "poop themselves" with her hard work.

You go girl!

And we miss you.

3) We enjoyed watching Ladies Man make his drum major debut last weekend. The band won't be able to miss him!
He works hard to get the kids excited (or is he just a little kid in a big body?).

4) Having Ladies Man as drum major has been fun for Kevin as he was a drum major in high school and college. The conducting style has changed dramatically since Kevin's days though, and the kids have laughed their head off whenever he's demonstrated for them. Just ask Ladies Man to perform Kevin's version of the Star-Spangled Banner and see if he can do it without laughing!

5) My kids don't only mock their father. I get my fair share of teasing too. Apparently I am the queen of "word blurps," getting my tongue tied.

For example, the other day I came home with pluots, a plum/apricot crossed fruit. We cut a couple up to try them.

Ladies Man: It's like a freckled plum.

Miss Innocent One: It tastes just like a plum, doesn't it?

Me (savoring my bite on my palate, trying to make a discerning comment): No, it has more sweeterness to it.

Miss Innocent One: Sweeterness?!

And the phones came out to text their mother's latest guffaw.

Apparently I've given them plenty of entertainment as I've heard repeatedly about my classic word blurp from vacation. I was trying to describe something and called it peeny tweeny. I have no idea what I was thinking! They haven't let that one rest all summer and tell me it's a sign I'm getting old. I just think my brain works faster than my mouth.

Yeah. That sounds more sweeterness, doesn't it?

6) Kevin and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday. 26 years. I've been married longer than I haven't and find the experience quite satisfying still. He is a good guy I never get tired of. Love you, babe. So, so much.
7) We're headed south to Texas today, yes all the way to the Lone Star State, to attend our niece's wedding. Super looking forward to it. Kevin and I have been stressed all week getting everything done so we can enjoy ourselves this weekend. Now it's time to let the fun begin. I bought a new dress I totally didn't need, loaded up on junk food for the road and we can't wait to hang out with our family all weekend. Should be an awesome time.

I hope your weekend is just as awesome. Jump start it by reading more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes (Volume 195)

1) We had a blast at my cousin's wedding last weekend. Congratulations Scott and Christie! One super fun activity was the photo booth.

My sister and I had a good time with Mom. Teri accidentally jabbed Mom with the pin from her corsage in the middle pic which explains Mom's expression.
Then came me, Miss Innocent One and Kevin. I couldn't get my stupid nose on straight before it snapped.

Fun, fun times!

2) Ladies Man returned from his missions trip the same day we were out of town at the wedding. In my efforts to track him down to be sure he was home at a decent time, I received this text from him:

Ladies Man's text: im in an alley way bleeding my heart out i got jumped by a couple guys with bananas they wouldn't stop beating me with the bananas they probably had about 4 clumps of them, they took my wallet, phone, and dignity....but I should make it home on time :)

My text back: What have you been drinking?

Ladies Man's text: ya know the good stuff water, im just happy to be home

We're happy too, Ladies Man. Yes we are.

3) We got a great picture of my sister and I at the wedding. For our whole lives people haven't believed we were really sisters. I used to torment her and tell her she was adopted since both our parents have dark hair. In my defense, I had to do something to knock her down to size. She was blond, blue-eyed, big-chested, beautiful, and in high demand among the male persuasion. Telling her she was adopted was all I had!
Now I carry guilt and she uses it against me. Good thing she made the colorful and fun crack a few weeks back so I don't have to be the only one feeling bad about a stupid thing I said.

4) Poor Drummer Boy's been having trouble with his car this week, the week he's helping with band camps at two different schools 70 miles apart. It's times like these I wish we had enough money to go buy each of our kids a nice, newer, super reliable car they never had to worry about. I know it's supposed to be character building and all to scrape by and make do and we've done it with the best of them, but there's something way more painful about watching your kids have to do it.

To add salt to his wound, the day we took his car to be fixed, Drummer Boy's flip flop busted and his extra pair of shoes was in his car. He had an entire day of band camp ahead of him and no shoes, so he had to improvise.
He taped it together with stick tape! Hang in there, Drummer Boy. Better days are ahead!

5) I read a book that said though your brain takes up only 2% of your body weight, it uses 20% of your energy. People tell me I overthink things. Do you think I can use this as an excuse for a daily nap? It takes energy to think so hard!

6) A telemarketer caught Drama Queen in a weird mood.

Drama Queen: Hello? Hello? Hello-oooooo? What? Huh? What? Hello?

Telemarketer: May I speak with Mr. Boesiger please?

Drama Queen (in her best back road voice): His mouth is full. It might be rude for him to talk on the phone.

Telemarketer: Okay. Thank you.

And that was it. They must get it enough that it doesn't faze them. Imagine them on the other end after they hang up.

Telemarketer: Stupid kid.

7) We're going to our high school's band exhibition tonight. The kids show us what they've been doing at band camp all week. It will be Ladies Man's debut as a drum major and I can't wait to see him in action.

I hope your weekend is good to you no matter what you do. Fill it with some laughs by reading more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.