Miss Independent?

There are so many things that I usually rely on David to take care of. Big things, like filing our taxes; little things like unwrapping the Hershey's kisses when I bake peanut butter Hershey's kiss cookies. And I'm always aware of the ways I need him, and try to be sure I make it clear, on a regular basis, that I appreciate him.

But wow, being a whole week without him really highlights all the ways I'm dependent on him!

Here's a list of just some of the things I did all by myself this week, that I normally would never have to do:

• Woke up every morning with the alarm clock. Usually, David turns off the alarm, gets up, takes a shower, gets dressed, and then tells me that I really, really have to wake up.
• Got my own breakfast. Again, something that David takes care of for me while I blearily make my way towards the shower.
  
• Shoveled our car out from the snow that had been dumped, oh-so-helpfully, all around it by the snow plow.
  
• Killed a beetle in our kitchen.
• Scraped ice off of my windshield.
• Hosted a dinner for our small groups all by myself -- granted, it was a potluck dinner, and it was with people who are all wonderful conversationalists and great helps at cleaning up, but still!
• Took the garbage out.
• Hooked up our computer to our TV so I could watch some free internet TV from the comfort of our couch -- without breaking either the TV or the computer, and without electrocuting myself!
  

These are all things that I'm fully capable of doing on my own on a regular basis. Except for the beetle. I really, really can't deal with bugs of any sort. With their creepy little legs, and their skittering little ways... Ugh. I was tempted to cede that wing of the apartment to this beetle, but then realized that it might skitter its way over into the bug-free zone, so I had to deal with it... Shudder.

Whoops, lost my train of thought there a little...

I really am a capable, smart, full-grown adult. And I can certainly handle taking care of myself for a week. But I love the way David and I have our own spheres of influence within our marriage -- and I love the way we take care of each other.

So excited that he'll be back home tomorrow night!!

I get by with a little help from my friends

You guys are all so wonderful. :) Thank you for the blog and facebook comment love, and for looking out for me while David's gone! It was very heartening to see these concrete examples of care and affection -- I really appreciate you!

Quick public service announcement: it looks like maybe blogger isn't publishing all of your comments? A friend of mine mentioned this morning that she had commented on the post below, but I don't see it there. (HHD, this is for you... Oh well, at least we see each other on a regular basis in real life!) I'm guessing that may be a glitch on blogger's part -- there are certainly times when my connection to their server is lost -- but I don't know for sure. So if I haven't responded personally to a comment, check to make sure it posted.

It's also wonderful spending time with my IRL friends. :) I got to hang out with our married couples' small group last night -- can't think of a better group to be a fifth wheel to! And then my friend Mimi came over tonight and brought dinner! And tomorrow night, we're having a potluck dinner with our other small group!

What a surfeit of blessings. :) Thanks for the "little help," friends!

Cheer Christina up while David's away -- leave a comment!

Day one of the PEF/Manna winter retreat... So I'm all alone in our suddenly too-large and too-quiet apartment.

I was supposed to be traveling to DC tonight for a deposition tomorrow (and then hanging out with a college roommate and her boyfriend), but the trip got canceled at the last minute. Literally at the last minute: I was starting to shut down my computer to leave, when I got a series of emails postponing and then canceling the deposition. So there goes my new and exciting work challenge -- and my distraction from a David-less home.

So I thought I'd declare my very own delurking day on our blog as a cheering-up measure. :) According to Google Analytics, we have had 134 unique visitors to this blog since its inception. The vast majority are referred from Facebook or Google Reader, so I'm guessing we know most of you out there... And we'd love to hear from you! Staying connected with friends and family is, after all, the primary purpose of this blog.

So do me a solid, and leave a comment! Whether you're a long-lost friend, a next-door neighbor, or someone who just stumbled across our blog somehow, I'd love for you to delurk and let us know that you've been reading.

It sure would cheer me up... :)