that's my man!

It seems strange that it's been almost a week since I last blogged. I feel like I write all the time. It must be my internal blogging. I confuse it with what I've actually written. I know I'm not the only one who does this-- as you're driving home from work, thinking about all the things you're going to blog about...but then when you get home, the blog just never really happens. I guess it's good to have processed anyway. I also tend to do this with emails, which is much worse. Someone emails me and I read it and then think about how I'm going to respond...then I never actually DO respond, I just think that I did, when really it was all in my head. Yikes. This could be potentially dangerous. "So, Erika, I've been thinking it over lately and life just doesn't seem worth it. Unless you have any objections, I think I'm just going to jump off a cliff. Talk to you later." Then I spend a few days thinking about my objections...in the meantime, friends could be falling off cliffs all over the place. Or perhaps that's a bit dramatic. At any rate, I should work on quickening my response time.

Anyway...the weekend was good. Got to hang out with Matt's fam on Friday night and then I had breakfast at Big City with friends on Saturday. That was a lot of fun. Saturday night Matt and I went to an engagement party for a girl I discipled for 2 years. It was a surprise (he proposed to her at dinner, then when they came home, there were like 20 of us there!). It was so exciting because I feel like I've been a "part" of their relationship since the beginning. I remember the first time Trish ever mentioned John (they were co-workers)...and how they were "just friends" but she needed me to help plan really elaborate practical jokes to play on him (one of my hidden areas of expertise)...and no, Erika, we're really just friends!!!....and then a few months or years later when she decided maybe she had a teensy tinsy crush on him....and then they were dating...and then we spent a few afternoons practicing holding hands because she wanted to make that first bold hand-holding move but she didn't want to mess it up so I helped her prepare...and their first I love yous...and John emailing me for advice as to how often it is appropriate to say "I love you" and later, after I said you can never say it too much, he emailed me to say that he told her in Kroger in the rice aisle and it went over very well, thanks...and when they decided they wanted to get married, but thought they'd wait a few years to get engaged, til after grad school...I said they'd never last, but they could try if they wanted...and then a few months later, Trish said "yeah, we're never going to make it that long...is next year too soon?"...and then Friday night John called and said "I'm going to ask her to marry me tomorrow, will you come over to celebrate?" And we said yes, and she said yes, and I absolutely couldn't be any happier. Maybe it's because I think Trish is one of the most wonderful people on the face of the planet. Maybe it's because her and John's story reminds me of me and Matt's story, and I get really excited when people marry their first-and-only boyfriends. Maybe it's because ever since the first time we prayed about her dating John, I knew it-- I knew he was the one, but I couldn't tell her with such certainty. But I feel like I've been pulling for them for so long...I'm just thrilled!!!

Anyway. Sunday we had fun at church and then a basketball game that afternoon. We've really enjoyed being on the bball team (well, Matt is on the team. I am the team mom. And self-appointed head cheerleader. Ok, team mom was self-appointed, too.) He gets to play ball and be manly with the guys, I get to hang out in the bleachers and get to know the other wives/girlfriends and play with their kids. It's been a lot of fun. And I love cheering for the team. On Sunday Matt made the game point, nailing 2 free-throws with 1 second to go in overtime. So he was the star of the show, and I loved getting to get a big sweaty hug and kiss after the game, bragging to all the other wives that that's my man!!! Sure, their husbands may have played solidly the whole game...but only one person can score the game-winning point, and that was my husband! We had another game Monday night and I felt very proud when lots of the guys/wives greeted us with "hey, there's the man who saved us last night"...and not just a few "so, did you guys have fun celebrating last night?" comments from the ladies! My my my. ;) We won again last night, which means that all in all, it has been the winningest season Vineyard bball has ever had! I would like to attribute that to my hubby joining the team. Any naysayers can meet Matt at the freethrow line to work out your disputes like men.

At any rate, it's our last kid-free night. Tomorrow the Spradlin chilluns move in to make our normally-large-enough 2 bedroom house feel much, much smaller! Matt had the kids for a few hours by himself yesterday while I was at work...he was a bit worried about having solo babysitting duty...but when i arrived home, all 4 boys were eating a lovely meal of whole wheat spaghetti with organic veggie marinara and sunflower seeds (this is the kind of thing the Spradlins eat)...and there was hardly any spaghetti sauce on my tablecloth, so I'd have to say they were doing quite well! Of course, they had already played tennis and kickball and gone to the playground, so the kids gave Matt high marks on his report card for "Funness", "Good Supervisor", and "Good Driver." He got slightly lower marks on "Good Cook" (although I didn't see anyone starving) and "Good Doctor," since apparently his Bandaid-ing skills weren't up to par.

Well...this post is really long. I'm off to enjoy my last night of peace and quiet and eating non-kid food!!