Cinnamon buns and bacon...

Ethan took the day off of work tomorrow, and I am so unbelievably excited about this.

This means:

1) I get to sleep in with my husband. This never happens unless we're on vacation because he has Wednesdays and Thursdays off, and I have Saturday and Sundays off. So one of us is always leaving before the other. Someday we'll have the same off days...but until then, the days we do have where we can sleep in and lazily wake up next to each other are treasured by me.

2) I get to cook breakfast! I absolutely love to cook, and I cook dinner for us about 3-4 evenings per week, which just become the norm for us in the last six months....before then the only night we could have dinner together at home was Sunday night due to schedule conflicts. I NEVER get to cook breakfast for us. So tomorrow morning I'm making Ethan's favorite cinnamon buns (granted, they're the Pillsbury kind so all I have to do is bake them) and crispy bacon, which is kind of my specialty. I can make bacon super crispy without burning it - and Ethan loooooooves crispy bacon. I will probably make eggs too, because I'm not a fan of the cinnamon buns. I was raised on my dad's homemade cinnamon buns, so everything else just tastes like a lame attempt at it.

3) Ethan won't be as tired tomorrow and will be able to get more done, and we'll be able to go for a run together! Which also never happens. And the weather is absolutely beautiful and perfect for it this weekend.

My weekend has been nice so far....last night I was off at 8:45 PM (which NEVER happens...note the theme here...) and was in bed with Ethan by 10. I finished most of our tax return and am just waiting on one more document, which will be here in the next couple of days, I'm sure. We aren't your typical couple with the tax return...we put the whole refund straight into our retirement savings. We actually do this with any "found" or unexpected money.

This morning I slept in until 9 and then headed up to Buckhead to have my tire repaired, and then went grocery shopping. I think everyone was outside enjoying the beautiful day because the grocery store was a quick trip. I whipped up some apple cinnamon muffins for Ethan's breakfasts this week and hardboiled a bunch of eggs. I always do this on the weekends so that he has something portable for the following week since he doesn't always have time to eat if he sleeps until the last possible second...which he does often. I would too if I had to be up at 5:45 AM every morning. It's a miracle that neither of us drink coffee, honestly. I did some things around the house and then headed to Art of Touch, which is where I get massages. I've been working out quite a lot, so the massage was heaven. I bought a package of 6, and I can't wait to get my next one, which will be in 2 or 3 weeks. I try to spread them out.

Right now I'm at "work", babysitting for my Greek kids. The little girl is at a sleepover, and the 10 year old boy has a friend spending the night...right now they are playing Halo on the XBOX, so I'm merely here to be an adult presence. Not a bad way to make money...sit here and blog while being paid for my time. Ethan is working on his CPA exam prep homework right now, so I'm not missing out and am less of a distraction this way!

In other things....lots has been on my mind lately...I'm not one to go into deep and personal details about my life, but if you think of it, could you just pray for me? I could use clarity of thought and discernment for some upcoming decisions that have to be made. Thanks!

My best friend...

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. ~Arnold Glasow

I'm sitting here at my kitchen island writing this post as I wait until the clock hits 7. I'm leaving here at 7 PM and going to the airport to pick up my best friend, Erica. I'm pretty sure she gets emails on her iPhone informing her that I've posted a new blog, so I won't reveal our destination just yet. I started plotting this in March, and with the help of her husband was able to keep it hush-hush until last week. She doesn't know where we are going yet. We're heading away for a much needed girl's weekend. The last time we were able to take a trip together was when we had a very spur of the moment trip to NYC to be with our friends Irene and Phillip. Before we were married, we used to go on trips together, and then Erica married her husband Doug...but the trips didn't stop. We still went to the beach together. In fact, on one of our beach trips was the trip that I met MY husband on.

We have been through so much together in the time that we've known each other (since age 6). We've survived nasty fights with each other (when we were younger), broken hearts, complicated relationships, etc. Erica has been, and will always be, there for me - no matter what. I can call her at 3 AM. I can trust her to tell me what she really thinks. She is also one of the strongest Christians I know, but she is amazing in that she does not judge others. I'm very black and white and sometimes jump to judgement. I have done things in my life that were stupid and completely against how Jesus wants us to live. Erica loved me anyway. She always told me she disapproved and pointed me in the right direction at every opportunity she had, but with a gentle and loving spirit: not one of nagging and condemnation. Even to this day, she is the first one to suggest praying over situations, or sharing Scripture with me that relates to whatever I am going through at the moment. This girl hits her knees the second anyone she loves begins to struggle. She has been an incredible example to me (and I'm sure to the many others she comes into contact with) through her own walk with Christ and constantly challenges me in that area. I'm a better person because of her in my life.

I can go weeks without talking to her, and we just pick up right where we left off. We're better about not letting weeks go by thanks to all the modern technology of iChat and text messaging. I have no doubt that when I am ninety years old I will look over to the rocking chair next to me and she'll be sitting right there next to me. That's just the kind of friendship we have. She knows that the same goes for me. We really love each other, and I am so thankful that the Lord gave me such a wonderful friend in Erica. I can't wait to spend the next four days with her just catching up and being girls.

And I'll end this post with a song by Amy Grant that we adopted as "our" song back when we were teenagers. The lyrics pretty much sum up how we feel about each other. And no...it's not "Friends".


I Will Be Your Friend

When every moment gets too hard
The end of the road can feel so far
No matter how much time we're apart
I'm always near you
I'll be the shelter in your rain
Help you to find your smile again
I'll make you laugh at a broken heart
Wherever you are

[Chorus:]
'Cause I'm never gonna walk away
If the walls come down someday
All alone and you feel afraid
I'll be there when you call my name
You can always depend on me
I believe until forever ends
I will be your friend

So many people come and go
But nothing can change and you I know
You'll never be just a face in the crowd
And time will show
Through the seasons and the years
I will always hold you dear
Never you fear

[Chorus]

I'll be around when every candle burns down low
And I want you and I want you to know