Arguments of Newlyweds

I feel like Matt & I are far enough removed from our most momentous
arguments to divulge them to you.
Don't worry, we don't argue about anything meaningful.
That often aggravates Matt more than the argument itself.
I just say, "At least our fights are over stupid stuff instead of really big, bad stuff."

Like when Matt said, "You're stupid." in a silly, sing-song tone of voice.
I blew up over that one and locked myself in my room for a good 45 minutes,
and then proceeded to come into the living room, not to apologize,
but to gripe him out for not apologizing first.
That was a good one.

And then the other day, I was emptying the dishwasher
while he came into the kitchen and put his cup in the sink.
I looked at him with that look that says,
"You're not really going to put that cup in the sink when the dishwasher is open and
receiving dirty dishes, are you?"
You know that look, ladies.
That proceeded into an argument that was a while in coming.
We're still working on the dish thing.

We used to argue about his habit of falling asleep on the couch instead of in bed with his wife.
For some reason, that really bothered me.
I'm not really sure what transpired, but I prayed about it,
and it suddenly didn't bother me anymore.
He can sleep on the couch anytime he wants.
The ironic thing is now that it doesn't bother me,
he hardly ever does it!
Oh, how the Lord loves to teach me little lessons like that.

And then there's little things that I do that annoys him to no end like:
Not pulling the sheets taut while making the bed.
Leaving my key in the car in our closed garage.
Leaving old coffee grounds in the coffee maker until the filter is full after a couple days.
(I no longer do this after an unfortunate cockroach incident.)
Not turning the water filter switch back to normal on the sink faucet.
Leaving tall decorations on the coffee table (it obstructs his TV view!)
Not throwing away expired foods.
(I was actually quite oblivious to those abstract numbers until we got married,
and he cleaned out our spice cabinet from items bought in '06.)
Sending him pictures of spiders I encounter.
(He is SUCH a baby about spiders!)

And the list goes on and on,
but I hope you are catching my humorous undertone here.
Matt & I are able to argue quickly, make up, and not bring it up again (often).
We are celebrating our 6-month anniversary today,
and I can't express how happy he makes me.
I love my husband!!!!

Motion Sickness: Dog Style

Mom's been at the lake house going on 2 weeks now.

She wanted someone to go down and stay with her while the guys came to mud.

I didn't want to go by myself,

so Matt & I took a last-minute trip to the lake.

It was wonderful and restful and really great to spend time with my Momma.

She's done such a great job decorating and fixing up the house down there.

We decided to bring Darcy with us since he's never been there in his adult life.

I took him when he was a pup and had just learned to bark.

Dad was driving the motor home with all the grand kids in it, me and Mr. Darcy.

Dad got so annoyed with him that he put him in the trailer hooked up behind the motor home.

He had to ride in there for the remainder of the trip!

Needless to say, he was not scared out of barking.

He is the loudest dog EVER!

But he did wonderfully riding in the car after a small bout of motion sickness...

He looooved being there.

Especially since my Mom's 3 dogs were there.

Darcy would just chase and chase them while they stood their ground snipping at him in irritation.

He really is a puppy trapped in a 2 1/2-year-old, 75-pound body.

And then Mom kept feeling so bad for him and letting him out without a leash.

He would wander around sniffing and sniffing and then catch a smell

and he would dart off after the deer.

I was terrified all weekend that he would run away.

When he puts his nose to the ground, he has no concept of where he goes.

One time we were all talking inside for quite a while, happened to look outside,

and there was Darcy sitting in the grass in front of the door.

He had been out the whole time!

Once a year, there's a flea market at PK,

and we happened to be there when it was on!

I love me a good flea market!

I didn't get much, but Mom did find a toddler's bed for $25!

The only problem was that we were in her Solstice with the trailer behind it.

But where there's a will, there's a way!

Oh, and on a very side note, these are my b-day gifts from Matt's Mom!

Love them! Thanks, Diane!

SSSShhhhhhh......Ramon & Rainnie's Gender Reveal party is tomorrow night!

C'mon testosterone! We need another boy!!!

Birthday Week. Check!

Well, my birthday week was superb!

I pretty much love ANY and ALL recognition concerning and surrounding my birthday,

so when our Life Groupers placed a special Happy Birthday sign on my cookie, I was delighted!

And then when the waitress at La Diosa placed a candle in my Creme Brulee, I giggled in delight!

I filled up my day with activities which I had planned all week:

Coffee with Pops at Starbucks.

Lunch at the Texas Tech Club with Mom & Matt.

Massages with Mom.

Pedicures with Momma.

Shopping with Momma.

Came home to cupcakes from my favorite Cakery from Matt!

And then La Diosa with Randall, his g/f, Priscilla & Cyle!

 Randall sabotaged my phone...

 It was a really lovely day! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Oh, and here's the landscaping I've been working on at work...

Before

 

After

 

 

 

 

Before

                                 After

Donnie Darko Ruined Bunnies For Me

Well, how was your Easter?!

I had the pleasant surprise of finding out Monday that our office was closed Friday.

Yippee!

So, Matt & I slept in 'till 11 & 11:30, respectively (which was glorious),

and then pretty much did a whole lot of nothing the rest of the day.

I did have a lovely time with the Lord in the backyard with this beast at my feet...

But then we made up for our laziness on Saturday where 

Matt built me this wonderful table for the laundry room:

And then, for fun, I painted my toenails all pretty-like.

And we went to Wal-Mart (with the rest of Lbk), and I cleaned the whole house, and watered the yard, and went to Lowe's, and Matt put up my trellises, etc.

And on Sunday, we got all dressed up to join my family at church.

It was so incredibly packed, but thankfully, we got there early for Matt to help usher.

I just wish all the ppl that come to church on Easter & Christmas would come every

other Sunday too.

It's so enlightening and refreshing to be in the house of the Lord with fellow believers.

Matt helped on the prayer team as well while hundreds of ppl went up to receive Christ.

It was pretty awesome.

(And no, that is not my child although a lady came up to me saying, "He's so cute! God bless you!")

OK, I accept the fact that I'm now old enough to have one of those myself so I didn't correct her.

Matt then watched the Masters for hours on end while I tanned & read The Hunger Games.

I just can't seem to get into the 3rd book!

Ugh!

Then, it was time for family dinner and Easter basket hunt!

 Mom went a little haywire with all the goodies.

And as we were sitting around, Walker came to show off his worm.

And in typical Neufeld fashion, the bidding started to get him to eat it.

It got all the way up to $125!

We'll pay anyone to see them eat anything we wouldn't dare touch.

Unfortunately, the pressure was too much for him.

But their hunt for Easter baskets distracted him:

Oh, and here's some pics of Ramon & Rainnie's 

2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt a couple weeks ago.

 

And if you've seen Donnie Darko, 

you'll know why this bunny is terrifying.

Hope you have a wonderful week! 

It's my birthday week, after all!

Bluebonnets don't grow in West Texas

Yes, yes it is me up and at'm in the blogging world again.

A lot has happened over the last 3 weeks...

I just never took the time to write it all down.

Shame on me.

One thing that you probably saw on FB was that our dear puppy, Channing, passed away.

His meds weren't working anymore, and he had a really bad episode

Monday night where we literally thought he was dying in our arms.

I put him to bed that night expecting him to not wake up in the morning.

He woke up, but he never fully recovered and passed away at the vet's clinic Wed. afternoon.

While I was shocked that he actually didn't make it, I was also a bit relieved, sadly.

It was like taking care of a special needs dog for the last 2 months.

Matt & I were constantly asking ourselves how much we wanted to spend at the vet next.

Channing would keep us up at night, and I could feel myself constantly tense while around him,

not sure what symptom would manifest itself next.

Normally, I would try to make myself feel better by getting another dog,

but we have Mr. Darcy right now,

and he is loved and enough dog for us at the time.

My dear brother, David, brought me beautiful flowers the day after Channing died.

Him and Ramon and Matt helped me bury him after it happened.

They were all very sweet and sympathetic.

I love my brothers dearly.

And here is where I give a shout-out to my wonderful husband.

Channing died on his birthday.

Not the most opportune time.

Matt was so busy at work, but left to come to my office after I called him.

He helped my brothers did the hole while still in his dress slacks and fancy shoes.

He was invited out with his boss to have cigars and Scotch after work,

but Matt passed it up to come home and take care of me.

He never complained about it happening on "his" day.

He just sat on the couch with me, watching TV, and being there.

We just celebrated our 5-month anniversary yesterday!

I cannot believe it's already been 5 months.

We have had the most wonderful time being married.

We love sharing our trials and triumphs with our Life Group,

and we have amazing family and friends praying for us and uplifting us.

We are diligent with our money and time,

and we are seeing it paid back to us in so many wonderful areas.

I don't know how many times in the last 5 months I have come before the Lord

speechless with thankfulness and awe at His divine provision and blessings.

I just want to shout from the rooftops that "Marriage is not a death sentence!!!!"

It has been the best decision I have every made, and I am so overwhelmed

that all my parents' and my prayers while I was growing up for my future husband

have been answered through Matthew Fraley-Nowacek.

He is my greatest source of joy (besides Jesus, of course).

September 2009. Matt's first weekend to Lubbock to visit me as his g/f.

 

We went down to Ft. Worth last weekend to visit Mama Diane with a pit stop in Abilene

to stay with Matt's sister, Amanda, and her family.

I always look forward to Ft. Worth trips.

Diane has such a servant's heart manifesting itself in delectable home-cooked meals,

comfy beds, and a refreshing backyard.

I LOVE her backyard and her hammock and her tall trees.

Matt & I spent hours reading the Hunger Games,

and just enjoying sweet family and beautiful weather.

Needless to say, I did NOT want to come home!

And then I made Matt pull over on the side of the road for bluebonnet pictures

which were EVERYWHERE and so gorgeous!

He said, "There is nothing manly about a man standing alone amongst bluebonnets ."

But he struck his manliest pose and braved the bluebonnets anyway.

 Over and out, dear friends.

What a Beautiful Day to NOT be Sick!

I believe I have finally emerged from the slums!

It turns out that my week of lethargy & non-motivation 

was just gearing me up for sickness that entertained me all weekend.

I attribute Ramon's generosity to sharing this gift with me.

But I am finally breathing through both nostrils again,

and only have remnants of my whooping cough (or so it sounds).

On Sunday, I was able to worship the Lord in a new way.

Our dear friends, the Richardson's, have a mentally handicapped daughter who stays at a special home.

She brought her friends to church this week, and they sat in the pew behind us.

We soon discovered they had a love of music and sang loudly for all to hear.

They didn't know the words.

They didn't know the melody,

but their singing was so beautiful to me.

I just cried throughout the whole worship time.

And then on the pew beside us was a young Down Syndrome boy.

I often see him in church with his parents and brother

and am always drawn to him because as soon as he walks into the sanctuary,

if music is playing, he has his hands up in worship.

This Sunday was no different.

He kept his sturdy little arms raised the entire time his father held him.

Only once did he lower them to grab the top of his brother's head

and give it a kiss.

Well, that just started the water works all over again.

What a sweet time to be reminded of how the Lord views us all equally.

In fact, I think the voices of those children are sweeter to the Lord than my trained voice ever is.

I came across this short story/memoir in my Reader's Digest this morning and wanted to share it.

It's quite delightful.

Excerpt: Quite Enough Of Calvin Trillin

BIOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING
"I've found that a lot of people say they're from Kansas City when they aren't. Just for the prestige."
Chubby
It's common these days for memoirs of childhood to concentrate on some dark secret within the author's ostensibly happy family. It's not just common; it's pretty much mandatory. Memoir in America is an atrocity arms race. A memoir that reveals incest is trumped by one that reveals bestiality, and that, in turn, is driven from the bestseller list by one that reveals incestuous bestiality.
When I went into the memoir game, I knew I was working at a horrific disadvantage: As much as I would hate this getting around in literary circles in New York, the fact is that I had a happy childhood. At times, I've imagined how embarrassing this background would be if I found myself discussing childhoods with other memoirists late at night at some memoirist hangout.
After talking about their own upbringings for a while-the glue- sniffing and sporadically violent grandmother, for instance, or the family tapeworm-they look toward me. Their looks are not totally respectful. They are aware that I've admitted in print that I never heard my parents raise their voices to each other. They have reason to suspect, from bits of information I've let drop from time to time, that I was happy in high school. I try desperately to think of a dark secret in my upbringing. All I can think of is Chubby, the collie dog.
"Well, there's Chubby, the collie dog," I say, tentatively.
"Chubby, the collie dog?" they repeat.
There really was a collie named Chubby. I wouldn't claim that the secret about him qualifies as certifiably traumatic, but maybe it explains an otherwise mysterious loyalty I had as a boy to the collie stories of Albert Payson Terhune. We owned Chubby when I was two or three years old. He was sickly. One day Chubby disappeared. My parents told my sister, Sukey, and me that he had been given to some friends who lived on a farm, so that he could thrive in the healthy country air. Many years later-as I remember, I was home on vacation from college-Chubby's name came up while my parents and Sukey and I were having dinner. I asked why we'd never gone to visit him on the farm. Sukey looked at me as if I had suddenly announced that I was thinking about eating the mashed potatoes with my hands for a while, just for a change of pace.
"There wasn't any farm," she said. "That was just what they told us. Chubby had to be put to sleep."
"Put to sleep!" I said. "Chubby's gone?"
Somebody-my mother, I think-pointed out that Chubby would have been gone in any case, since collies didn't ordinarily live to the age of eighteen.
"Isn't it sort of late for me to be finding this out?" I said.
"It's not our fault if you're slow on the uptake," my father said.
I never found myself in a memoirist gathering that required me to tell the story of Chubby, but, as it happened, I did relate the story in a book. A week or so later, I got a phone call from Sukey.
"The collie was not called Chubby," she said. "The collie was called George. You were called Chubby."

Is this week over yet???!!!

Boo. boo. boo.....

Have you had one of those days where you feel unmotivated 

to brush your hair or change out of your baggy sweats much less go to work,

be productive, spend an hour at the gym, and fix dinner?

Of course you have.

We all have.

But what about one of those days that stretches out all week?!

Is this natural?

I can't remember ever feeling this lethargic.

And NO, ladies, I am NOT pregnant!

Although I do like to use that excuse anytime I feel this way...

thinking to myself, "Well, maybe I'm pregnant."

And. honestly, I wish I had that excuse right now b/c I'm feeling downright poopy!

The highlight of my whole week was getting my hair done on Monday.

Thank you, Christa Black, for this inspirational hair-color photo:

I worked out Tuesday.

Was so sore yesterday which was my excuse to NOT workout again.

Then, I wake up today and am even MORE sore!

Plus, I think my darling Hurley Rae contaminated her father

who in turn, came to work and contaminated me

b/c now when I cough my lungs burn.

So, I'm done complaining for now.

Any ideas on how to get out of this slump?!