Moody Mania: Sound the Alarm

"That's what your voice is like to me sometimes."
- Ryan, to me, as his alarm clock makes an incredibly loud, annoying noise.

Which begs the question: who decided to name it that? Why must we be alarmed every morning?

Don't misunderstand me; I am very thankful to be able to work and pay the bills. With that said there are about 863,000 things I'd rather do each morning than get out of bed. Here are a few that come to mind.

Swimming in a sea full of these guys while holding packs of hamburger meat.

Getting locked in one of these until further notice.

Being summoned for scoop ~~doody~~ duty at the elephant exhibit.

Listening to Gilbert Gottfried read aloud the entire Encyclopedia.

Running into oncoming traffic wearing this outfit while waving a Liberty Tax sign.

Accompanying this family to an etiquette dinner with the Queen.

Attending the burial service of a sweet, cuddly kitten.

Being stuck in a confined or even large space while someone smokes a cigarette.

I take that back; I'd actually prefer to be working in that case.

Cleaning this building with a single bottle of windex and step stool.

Being under the care of Kathy Bates while sick.

Taking this guy for a leisurely, neighborhood stroll.

Having Miss SC Teen 2007 as my bus driver on a world trip.

"Some people don't have maps."

Being one of these bugs.

Playing a game of cards with this lady.

Repairing cockpit controls after spilling a drink on them.

Waking up to this.

I think my point has been made.

Just this morning a customer called SEVEN times and chewed me out because they hadn't paid their bills and we therefore couldn't service their machine. REALLY?

So perhaps I should refrain from paying my mortgage and take it out on my real estate agent who sold me the house?

"How's that working for you?"

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Since I'm a glass half full kind of person, I strive to focus on the positives. And although there are circumstances and work related things that make us want to jump out of the nearest window, we remain kind at heart.

Like the time I went to Advanced Auto Parts with a weak car battery. Poor Horace (name changed to protect the innocent) insisted that I shouldn't charge my cell phone battery with the car off.

About eight times he said, "You gotta get your car CRUNK (aka cranked) to avoid this problem."

His and my idea of a "crunked" car obviously differ.

I didn't have it in me to correct him, so I thanked the kind man and his odd grammar and laughed about it later. After all, laughter is good for the soul, and Advance Auto Parts hadn't charged me for that on my receipt.

One certainty in life is that laughs are never hard to come by in my family. A couple of weekends ago we had a lovely family lunch at our house.

What you aren't seeing behind the scenes is the calamity that took place prior to this picture.

We made three separate trips to the grocery store after forgetting several things
I dropped my iphone in the toilet (currently there is no app for that).
I burned my hand on the crock pot

And that was just during an hour and a half span in the morning. Somewhere Taylor Swift is singing, "I knew you were trouble when you walked in..."

My next clothing purchase will be a full body protective suit. Imagine the look on the sales clerk's face at Macy's when she asks if I'm "looking for anything in particular."

I've also had the opportunity to take part in many events lately, of which I've enjoyed every minute!

First up was a shower for the Carolina Family Planning Center hosted by a local church in Dillon. I got to perform my song, "To Call You Mom" and tell the story behind it.

And I was asked to make a speech at a wedding shower for these lovely people:

As I mentioned to those attending, my first thought when asked to speak was, "These hosts do realize that people are coming here for a relaxing and peaceful afternoon, right??"

But as suggested I took it upon myself to give a little of my own 1 year and 10 months worth of marriage advice. A few highlights:

Love is blind, but marriage is an eye opener.
Man is incomplete until he's married. Then he's finished.
Marriage is when the two become one. The problem is deciding which one to become.
Definitions are important. Example: mine and Ryan's definition of a homemade meal.

$.99 Totino's. Nothin' wrong with that!

Ryan's idea of a homemade meal, however, involves something that marinated all day with 56 ingredients.

In the eloquent words of Sweet Brown...

Know how to read your spouse, like that look they get when one of you is about to spend money.

Do something the wrong way, and you won't be asked to do it again. Case in point- mopping the floor. I literally stood in a circle and swirled the mop around me as Ryan looked on in disgust and ~~suggested~~ demanded that I start at one end of the kitchen and work backwards. Since he's the expert, I let him do it : D Problem solved.

Lawn care. Scientists have discovered a few living specimens in our yard. They're fighting to survive and will hopefully live to see May. Our prized lawn decor is what can only be known as Crepe MURDER.

Ryan's at it again.

But above all, put HIM first and your spouse second, make time for each other each day, and never go to bed angry.

That evening we had a fish fry at Robin & Danny Moody's. What torture that I couldn't pig out on it! But at least these little cuties kept me entertained, or maybe it was the other way around... : ).

This past Saturday I was THRILLED to perform Christian music for an hour during Dillon's Main Street festival. People I had never met came up to me afterwards and told me the music touched them, and there is no greater reward in this world than to hear that. This, I believe, is my calling in life.

This week marked a milestone. I the baby got its very first gift from none other than my incredible coworker, Jeannie. It's a car buddy that hooks onto the seat. I absolutely adore it!

Last night Dorothy and Jamie came over to help address invitations for our high school reunion that may or may not be taking place, depending on how many funds we receive and how much participation we actually get : /.

When Dorothy came in she said she had a special gift for me, and without question this is one of the most special and thoughtful things anyone has ever made for me. It's a New Mother's Survival Kit packed with many necessary items.

I absolutely ADORE this gift and will keep it forever. Just when you think Dorothy can't be any more thoughtful she outdoes herself again. This was such a special treat, and I thought it was the greatest thing since Happy Meals were invented!!!!

After a delicious meal at Red Robin the three of us were hard at work addressing envelopes.

...Or hardly working : P. I LOVE these two!!!

I'll leave you with an analogy that I heard from a recent speaker about the iPhone/iPad. Our minds really can't grasp all of which these inventions are capable. By the touch of a button or simply speaking we can get directions, make calls, and send messages, all while simultaneously using it as a GPS.

Unheard of, right???

But if you never plugged in or charged your iphone/ipad it would be useless. It would literally die and would not serve its intended purpose. In the same way if we are not plugged in to our relationship with the Lord we are not being spiritually fed and therefore can't further His kingdom to our fullest potential. That fact alone is certainly enough motivation for me to seek Him daily in prayer and stick to His word.

Moral of the story: don't be this guy.