I like doing almost everything with Ty

I love my husband to death, and we love to do most things together.  This past Saturday I was reminded of one of the few things I do not like doing with him.

Ty wants to turn one of our upstairs bedrooms into a prayer room.  We decided to go shopping to look for a comfy chair and ottoman for the room.  I was so excited to go with him.  You see, one of my favorite things to do is go shopping and my favorite items to shop for are home goods.  As a matter of fact, Home Goods was one of the stores we visited on Saturday.  For Ty to suggest we go shopping was too good to be true; one of my favorite activities with my favorite person on the planet. 

So off we went on our shopping mission.  We went to several stores in search of the perfect chair and ottoman.  What I quickly realized was that our outing was actually more of a "hunt".  There was nothing leisurely or browsing about it.  We entered each store, marched to the section that had chairs, scouted out the options, and when we did not find a suitable chair Ty was ready to march back out.  If I veered from the path to look at anything else I realized that I was frustrating my dear husband.  After all, that was not part of our "hunt".  We were shopping for chairs and ottomans and NOTHING ELSE.  To even consider deviating was beyond his comprehension.  He had no margin in his mind that I might see something else that I wanted to look at, touch, or consider buying.

What was I even thinking?  We had been shopping many times in the past and had run into this snag.  We would be leaving a store together and on our way out, I would spot an item that grabbed me.  When I would go to look at it, Ty would protest saying, "I thought we were leaving.  You remind me so much of my mom.  I used to get so frustrated shopping with her.  I could never get her out of the store!" 



Ty and I on a recent trip to the mall (thought taking Theo might help)

Being compared to his mom was a compliment.  She was an amazing "shopper".  She loved to shop, loved buying gifts for others, and had great taste.  So when he would compare me to her I wore it as a badge of honor.

So, I was again reminded that although we love doing most things together, shopping is not one of them.  When we shop together I will most likely exasperate my husband and he will most likely frustrate me.  If we do end up going shopping together, I need to majorly adjust my expectaions and realize this trip will be more of a "hunt" and not my kind of shopping. 

All that to say, I cannot wait to go shopping soon.... without my dear husband.

It was a magical moment

Ty's Dad and his wife Gunn came to Omaha to visit this fall.  Dad and Gunn have been married about 4 years.  Gunn has been a dance instructor for over 50 years.  They met because Dad was taking dance lessons and Gunn was his instructor.  They both love to dance and are beautiful dancers.

While they were in Omaha we decide to take them to a favorite restaurant, Zurlos.  That night there was a live band playing.  The next thing we knew, dad and Gunn got up, walked up to where the band was playing, and began to dance.  Mind you, no one else was dancing that night and there really was no dance floor.  No one was EXPECTED to dance, just enjoy the music during dinner.  Needless to say, all eyes were on them as they began dancing as if they were the only two people in the room.  Their eyes were locked on each other and the smiles never left their faces.

As I sat there watching them I scanned the room and all I can say is something magical settled over the room.  I saw one couple watching them dance and then the wife ( I suppose) leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek.  Another couple sitting nearby was watching them dance and I heard the wife say, "they remind me of my grandparents, they loved to dance".  It was like romance swept across the room and everyone was infected.  Thats what happens when you encounter those who live life to the fullest.  They are the most "young at heart" senior citizens you would ever meet.  They travel, go to yoga, dance, do cleanses and play rummicube nightly to stay mentally sharp. 

Their life so inspires me to be intensional about not letting my life slip into a rut.

Every day is a gift and we need to live life to the fullest, embracing each moment and squeezing all the life and joy out of it that we can.  I sure needed to be reminded.  They are such a wonderful example of living large.  I wanna be like them when I grow up.  How about you?