an abnormal week...

I haven't been posting much about what's been going on in our life, mainly because it's been so typical from day to day: get up, work, eat, sleep, etc. Nothing too interesting. But this past week has been spiced up a little bit from the humdrum of normality. Let me share a few of the tidbits with you, starting with a week ago, Sunday...

sunday-tuesday:
I was blessed with the delightful opportunity to spend 2 days with my mom, who came up to visit me. We had a grand time, did loads of shopping, ate at great restaurants, soaked in a hot tub, and talked on just about everything. It was great. I love my mom... :)

tuesday:
My husband, Joe, had been experiencing an upset stomach for about 2 weeks, so he went in to the doctor to have it checked on. It turns out he had an ulcer! Weird. But at least we found out the source of the problem....he was assigned meds and suggestions on a milder diet, so we'll see how well he sticks to that. He's looking forward to an excuse to moan and complain about his ulcer...so watch out! :)

wednesday:
Joe, in retaliation to me leaving him for 2 days, left me for 2 days to go pheasant hunting with his dad and brother-in-law. Not really...they had it planned even before Mom and I had our plans, it just seeemed like retaliation to me. :) They spent two days in crazy winds and cold weather, and came back with only 1 pheasant. Sad for them. But they had a good time and great conversations.

thursday:
We had an unpleasant surprise early in the morning on Thursday. As Joe left for work, he discovered that someone had stolen our cd player, cd player adapter, and our case of 200 cds from our car. Gr. It was quite unusual, especially since our cars sit under a street light in a church parking lot that is way out in the open....it would be difficult to do anything secretively without being noticed. But oh well. Though we are saddened by our loss of some of our favorite tunes, we are glad that the perpetrator ended up with a PILE of Christian cds -- many with a Christ-centered message that will hopefully convict his/her heart and help them to see their need for a Savior. We filed a police report, and they promised to keep an eye on our place...so we'll see what happens.

friday:
Every year, Joe receives a free turkey from his workplace as their Thanksgiving gift to their employees. This year, Joe ended up with TWO turkeys...due to a small mixup. But it actually works out great, because we're helping supply the turkey for our Thanksgiving meal. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, eh?

saturday:
I had the unique and not so pleasant opportunity to confront a difficult bank customer. It involved lies concerning a stolen (or not so stolen) checkbook and the process we needed to go through. I'm a very non-confrontational person, so this was......interesting, to say the least. But the Lord is gracious and gave me strength for the moment and wisdom to know what to say. And for that I am thankful.

sunday/today:
We celebrated Joe's sister's birthday with an AMAZING homecooked meal...though it tasted exACTly like something you'd eat at Olive Garden. Many gold stars go to Joe's mom and all the effort she put into making it taste Olive Gardenesque. Amazing...plus great time with my nephews, niece, and the rest of the family.

Though there were ups and downs this week, I am so thankful that the Lord blesses us with an abundant life - no matter how bland it might seem at the time. A perfect thing to be reminded of as we approach Thanksgiving. And in case I don't get a chance to post again before the holiday...have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!!