Marriage....Perfect????

Well, yes, I have been married for 30 years.  Well over half my life.  So in honor of the 30th anniversary of this union, I decided it appropriate to share some of my observations and some things I have discovered about marriage.

1)  IT AIN'T EASY!  It isn't possible to spend any length of time at all with a person and not have issues.  Dang, I have issues with my dog after being with him all day.

2)  Love grows.  There is a love there that is so amazing.  When God joins you with another person, He blesses you with a love that has no explanation.

3)  You honestly do become one. I have seen couples that really do start to look alike as they age.  Hmmmm. no comment about that.  Lane and I do think alike though.

4)  You KNOW each other.  I know he doesn't like certain foods.  I know what temperature he likes the thermostat set to.  I know which socks he likes best.  I know his favorite color.  I know what he likes to do on Sunday afternoon.  I know what kind of ice cream to get at Ingle's.  I know how he likes his shirt ironed. I know what songs to turn up on the radio.  I just know.

30 years.....  I looked at him the other night and asked, "What have we done for 30 years?  Where did all that time go?"

Well, we've done a lot.  We had three precious children.  One now in heaven.  We started a business that is still in operation and has provided for us very well for these years.  "Logan Plumbing Service for all you plumbing needs.  704-739-6696".  We remodeled a house. Not an easy task and here we are 30 years later doing it again.   We started out with no heat/ac, one bedroom, cardboard walls in the kitchen and bare plywood floors.  I had a washing machine but no dryer and would hang clothes on the line before I left for work in the morning.  Fun times...really.

There are a lot and I do mean a lot of things that I would like to forget.  We made mistakes and  some bad choices. Fortunately, those mistakes and bad choices helped define who we are and what our marriage is today.  Perfect.  Yes, we have the perfect marriage.  Oh, we still disagree and he still drives me crazy with dirty socks and ice cream bowls in the den and forgetting to pick up milk on his way home.  I still think we should change the step treads and he thinks we should fix up the sunroom first.  He thinks we should paint the potting shed something whimsical and I think it needs to be more traditional.  I think we should store my gardening stuff in the garage and he absolutely refuses to let me in there near his precious cars.  I think we should have one car each and he thinks he needs 15.  There are always things in a marriage men and women disagree on because, believe it or not, we are different.  Yes, we have issues,  but our marriage is still perfect.

Here is the key to a perfect marriage, GOD first.  I truly believe and know and have witnessed that if you put God first in your marriage, everything else falls into place.  Is it going to be easy? HECK no.  But can you handle things? HECK yes.


So my one word of advice to newly weds and young couples and people thinking about getting married or people thinking about getting a divorce is "Commitment."...People do not commit to anything.  This is why our divorce rate is so high.  Get tired, get a new one.  Just like buying a car or new shoes or a new house.  Just move on.  Keep your word because you are only as good as that.

Happy Anniversary.

school days and birthdays

Well, today was the last day of school for students.  It is kind of a bitter sweet day.  I will truly miss some of my students but I am honestly glad to see a lot of them move on over the hill to KMHS.  It has been a, well, year.  Again this year we had a student with cancer.  Fortunately, he went through surgery, treatment and returned to school for the last few weeks.  His first day back was very emotional.  I could hardly teach my class that day.  Praise God for this wonderful miracle.

State testing is always horrible.  Scores came in this week.  We look for growth from 7th grade to 8th and I was extremely pleased.  One of my students had a 20 point increase and most had increases of between 2 and 14 points.  Woohoo.  Take THAT Common Core..

I received some of the most wonderful notes, calls and gifts from kids and parents.  That's what makes walking in my classroom each morning worth it.  Monday we do paper work and finish cleaning and then we are out for a few weeks.  And no, what's your name in Raleigh, I don't get paid for these weeks I don't work but it is still nice to be home.

Its been a rough year.  Some of our kids have issues and challenges that most of us can only imagine dealing with.  Death of parents, abuse, severe poverty, etc., only begin to touch what we deal with.  Then there's all this junk the state is trying to do to us lowly teachers.  I knew when I originally went into teaching that I would never be rich.  But, what's your name in Raleigh, it would be nice to have just a tiny little raise.  I mean it has been years (I don't even remember how many now).  But I will continue to go in that classroom everyday next year and do what I love and love what I do.

Today is my birthday.  Can I really be 53 years old?????  Where has all that time gone?  My grandmother died at 53 and I thought she was the oldest woman in the world.  Geeze.  My mom's comment was, "what if you had a daughter 53?"  It is pretty cool being in your 50s.  I see people in the 30s and 40s and I am so thankful I am not them.  Whew.  Get a grip.  A lot of the crap you are stressing about will not amount to a hill of beans when your in your 50s.

So, thanks to all the kids and parents who were really great this year.  God bless you with success at KMHS and in your future.  Many of you I will hear about in the future because your potential is so great and your future is so bright.  Go forth with love in your heart and passion in your soul.

Thanks to all of those who sent me posts, texts and called, sent cards and brought gifts for my birthday.  I am humbled at your love and thoughtfulness.