Breaking the Silence

You might be wondering where on earth we have been, and even perhaps if we fell off completely. Fear not, we didn't. I've been right here all along, just feeling rather busy. I definitely have the post on what God has been teaching us all ready and written, but Batman said that it really would be better if our "story" was posted first... Then what God has been speaking would be more pertinent... Since this post hasn't been written and ready, I have to admit, I've been avoiding it. Well, no longer! Here I sit, in the quiet, worship music in the background, gathering my thoughts so you can be brought up to date.

It all started on a Friday evening... Friday, April 9, to be exact.... It went something like this:

Bruce - "Hey, there is a racetrack about an hour away from here. They have practice runs all day tomorrow. We should take the boys and see how they do."

Batman - "Yeah, why not? I'll go home and let the wife know and meet up with you in the morning to head up there."

Bruce - "Sweet. See you latta."

Batman (upon returning home, to me) - "Hey, Chub and I are going to take the Boy and the BFF racing tomorrow."

Me - "Oh, ok. How long will you be gone?"

Batman - "I dunno, probably all day."

Me - "That's fine. The Girl and I will be going with you. I refuse to sit home alone every weekend. I know this is just to check it out, but I know where it's going, and we are a family, so we go as a family."

Batman - "Ok, you can go. I'd rather have you with me anyway."

The next morning, we got up and while I gathered everything together at home, Batman ran downtown to do some errands. When he came home, he informed me that the Boy and the BFF had a sponsor. Wait, what?? They haven't even started yet! Cool, God!!! :D We finished packing up and away we went. The boys had a blast and decided that, yes, they did in fact want to start racing officially. We left Silver Springs and returned home, fell into bed, and awoke V.E.R.Y. E.A.R.L.Y. the next morning to return to Silver Springs by 7:00... AM... Ack!! We looked around at all the campers and decided that staying overnight in a camper really was the way to go... But we didn't have a camper.

That afternoon the brother was at the track watching the Boy race, and commented that we should get a camper. My response was along the lines of not being able to buy one, someone would have to have to give me one. Hear that, God? The next evening, I called him to tell him that in the morning I would be picking up my camper... that had been given to us. Hmmm.... Reason number 7,098,234,987,987,001 why I know God hears my every thought and word.

Batman has wanted to race all of his life, but his parents didn't have the money to put him in it. Since the Boy was an official racer, Batman was REALLY feeling the itch. He hopped on craigslist and found a motorcycle to race... The kid selling it was willing to trade it for a car. Batman had a car that he didn't need or use anymore... Hmmm..... They were in contact with each other and set up a time to meet. He loved the bike and the kid loved the car. Away we went with the bike in the back and we signed Batman up the following weekend.

In order to race, you need riding boots and jersey and pants and chest protector. A friend of ours handed Batman a jersey and pant set. (WHAT?!?!) We found boots and a chest protector for great prices (at first he was borrowing his cousin's). Our whole racing adventure has been a series of things just like that... Sometimes a very big deal to us, and other times something small yet still very tangible. Throughout this journey, we have prayed for God's guidance, direction, and protection, for Him to continue to open the doors if this was the right direction, and to shut it right down if it wasn't. It's good to know when you are on the right track. :)

More Winter Fun

Since we are surrounded by beautiful and enormous mounds of snow, I thought today would be the perfect day to post about Batman's ice races. Yes, I said ice races - for the three wheeler (or four wheeler or motorcycle, but since his baby is the three wheeler, that's what he races). Now, since I do my best to never even STEP on ice unless ice skates are on my feet (even then it isn't a pretty picture), the idea of RACING on the ice is a very foreign one to me. To Batman, though, it was something he looked forward to ALL. YEAR. LONG. Literally. As soon as we found out that they were being held on Superbowl Sunday this year (*ahem*, yes, I am playing catch-up, here), we called our friends and rearranged our Superbowl party schedule just a tad so he could still go. The littles and I packed up in the truck with him at some ungodly hour bright and early and away we went!

When we arrived, I was surprised at the number of people there and at the condition and quality of the place that we were at. We were in Podunk Wh---ville! Needless to say, for insurance purposes, we are now members of the Wh---ville Rod and Gun club. Huh. Batman says it would be a perfect place for a summer picnic with friends out by the pond/lake/marsh thing. I hold out that it is a little far from H--- and that we don't have any friends that live there, anyway. As far as using it for the gun club, um.... well.... it isn't like we can't just go out in our own back yard for some target practice. But whatever, I digress. Back to the ice races.

Batman had A BLAST, the kids thought it was terrific, and one of their favorite parts was watching the remote control cars race around the pond. Not kidding. They also loved watching all the vehicles with actual drivers, and the boys made plans to practice up on their motorcycles and enter the races with daddy next year. The Girl, however, held firm. She plans on standing at the edge and watching with mommy. Driving and slipping around in circles on the ice? No, thank you. Watch other idiots adventuresome people do so? Sounds like fun.

How does he love me? Let me count the ways....

Batman is a great man. He is faithful, he is honest, he is trustworthy. He is a terrific father and he provides for us and cares for us. And let me just say, as husbands go.... W.O.W. Yep, he's pretty terrific.

This man can make me laugh like no other. Sometimes it's a giggle, sometimes a smile and a roll of the eyes, and sometimes the laughter is that deep-down, can't-stop-even-if-you-wanted-to belly laugh.

Batman makes me feel safe. I love the way my hand fits in his... Completely surrounded and covered. He makes me feel beautiful... That look in his eye and little smile he sends me, even when I feel rumpled and frumpy. I feel protected with him. I know that he always has my back and would do anything to make sure I'm safe. I love how tender he can be. People that know him some might scratch their heads at that one and question... Tender?? Absolutely. Time and a place for everything, and he absolutely can be tender, and it always makes me feel so cherished.

The one thing he always said he WOULDN'T do is dishes... He did so many when he was younger that he said he was DONE. That was one of the prerequisites for a wife. One that would do dishes and not consider it her hubby's job. Um... I'm a stay at home wife/mommy. Of course it's my job. But do you know what he is doing right now? I am curled up on the couch with the laptop and the flu (yay) - everything hurts. My fingers are moving and that is about it. He is in the kitchen doing dishes so that I don't have to. The one thing that makes him cringe he is in doing so that I can rest. It may seem like a small thing, but to me, that is huge. I never even asked. He just tucked me onto the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. Batman truly is a great hubby (he would be without the dishes thing, but seriously, that just earned him like a dozen gold stars!)

So, Batman, thank you. Thank you for your love and your tenderness and your humor and your hard work, and most of all today, for serving. I love you and appreciate you more than you can know. I am proud to be your wife.

Catching up and such

Once again, I've disappeared. Not for an insanely extended amount of time or anything, but long enough for Batman to begin to worry that all our faithful readers will disappear. Ha.

I've just been laying low for the last week or so, feeling very tired. And no, not because the pregnancy epidemic has spread to our house. Rest assured, it has not. I've just been quite pooped. A visit to the doctor (you know, that once-a-year kind. *shudder*) has verified that everything is hunky dory. Weight (*scoffs*), blood pressure, general health... And the normal blood work results to tell about cholesterol and all the other nonsense very important blood level readings - lovely. Every last one of them is lovely. Yay. So why I am so utterly exhausted is still in question. Answers will be forthcoming, soon, we hope.

In the meantime, what I really wanted to say was this:

I love my hubby.  Now that I've said that, allow me to grant you a little window into why:

Growing up, my daddy not only showed my mom how much he loved her, he never hesitated to show me. I grew up with the knowledge that little girls (and grown-up ones, too) are to be cherished, and every Valentine's Day, my dad would do something special for me. The most memorable Valentine's Day for me is February 14, 1997, just four months and three weeks before our wedding.  My dad came in to the house and gave me a bouquet of flowers (don't worry, mom got one, too, and hers were always bigger ;) ). I remember tears in his eyes. I know there were tears in mine. He gave me my flowers and told him they would be his last Valentine's Day present to me. The next year my husband would get to take over.

Batman has done a great job. Not only does he shower me with love, but he has carried on the tradition of showering that love on his own daughter as well. I firmly believe that a large chunk of a little girl's feelings of self-worth stem from her relationship with her daddy. I am so thankful that my little girl is cherished by hers. Both The Girl and I are immensely grateful that Batman knows the way to our hearts.

One for each of us. He's a great man, I tell ya.  No, I'm not sharing.  Well, ok, maybe just one.

What I WILL share is this: a post about another race, one about the adventures of a motorcycle, a weigh-in, even though I'd really rather not, and maybe a few others.  Stay tuned!  I will be back! :)

Three Wheeler Races (or "How to Catch a Cold")

Saturday morning dawned gray, cold, and misty. And early. VERY early. Much earlier than this girl likes to get up on a Saturday morning. (I have mentioned it was early, right? Oh yeah, and cold.) Our alarms went off, I whimpered, then I whined, while Batman bounded from bed. Well, it seemed like he bounded, anyway. Grudgingly, I crawled from bed and shuffled into the littles' rooms to wake them up. With a stretch from each of them, they bounced out of their own beds and hurried to get dressed, chattering excitedly about the races to come. How these three could be so chipper was beyond me, especially since any other morning they would be just as bleary-eyed and cranky as I was. (It could have had something to do with the fact that we were called out in the middle of the night, so ambulance duty sucked about three and a half hours of my night from me, but I don't know....)

After layering on as many clothes as I could find and ensuring that the kids did the same, we were off to meet Batman's cousins one road over. All the three wheelers and snowmobiles were loaded in the trailer, so away we went - to the gas station down the road. Tanks of gas, a couple full throttles and bags of chips later, we were off again. This time ensuring that the trailer doors were secured. We made it to the next town over to meet the rest of our group, although this time we were following a "truck driver who knows where he's going." Right. Several wrong turns later, we jumped back into the lead, followed the advice of our handy dandy GPS, had to turn around once, then F.I.N.A.L.L.Y made it there... With an hour to spare. The boys unloaded their rides and got themselves registered and were off to play. They needed to see whose ride did what. Not that they didn't already know, but maybe Pennsylvania snow is different than New York's. Hey, you never know....

The races finally began, and we all watched as many snowmobiles raced and were either finished, or moved on to the next bracket. Then, it was THEIR turn.... With engines revving, the boys readied to race down the now muddy track. Batman won the first two races, giving his cousins their first strikes each. Then the cousins raced each other, so one was out... He'd been eliminated twice, so he was done. Batman and his same-named cousin were up against each other again. This time, Batman lost. Back around they went, with the end result being a tie. The crowd was in an uproar. Ties were NOT what they were there to see. By now, they were in a frenzy and ready to see someone get creamed! The announcer called Batman and cousin back around once more, and this time, the cousin won. Batman says that the cousin's two-stroke 250 something three wheeler is much nastier than his own four-stroke 350X. I just nod and pretend I get it when they start talking that language.

All the races were finished, and it was time to hand out trophies. We dutifully clapped and cheered for all the winners of the different snowmobile classes, and then, the three wheeler class was called. All of us were patting the cousin on the back and congratulating him... He had won fair and square. But then the announcer surprised us! He called both Mr. Smith and Mr. Guthrie up. There was hand shaking all around and the cousins beamed at each other, both holding their own trophy.



It was time to load up and head for home.  We'd been in the cold Pennsylvania outdoors for about seven hours.  Remember, it was COLD.  And wet.  But mostly cold.  The next day dawned to a sniffling Batman.  A couple days later, I started sniffling.  I'm pretty sure Batman thinks that the races were worth it, though.

The Speed Wobble

It was a beautiful day when we were driving down the Gulf Coast in Mississippi. I looked ahead and saw my husband on his motorcycle, his front tire wobbling. Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I muttered something about him messing around. Later, when we arrived at our destination, he mentioned how he momentarily panicked when his bike went into what is commonly called a "speed wobble" after he brought it down out of a wheelie and he was unable to stop it. He replayed how he had stiffened up and fought to control his motorcycle, knowing he was headed for a certain crash. Striving to regain control, something filtered through his brain and he heard it: "Just relax." Relax?!?! Seriously?! But he remembered hearing about the natural reaction to fight the wobble and try to bring the motorcycle under control, but the RIGHT reaction is to just relax, and the bike would correct itself. So he fought his nature and did just that. He let go of the handlebars and just completely relaxed his body, relinquishing even the remotest possibility of control over his motorcycle. Amazingly, the front wheel straightened and the bike was back on the "straight and narrow course" that he was previously driving.

This memory has been cycling through my mind lately. The sparkling water on the right, the broken and battered buildings and vegetation on the left. My husband fighting to remain in control in front of me. His words recounting how he let go, no longer trying to control his course....

Can you tell where I am going with this?

It amazes me that God remains so patient with us, tapping our shoulder, nudging us and reminding us of the right way.... Oh, how long it takes me to get it sometimes! I've been remembering Batman's story of learning to let go in the physical while God has been teaching us and reminding us and prompting us to let go in the spiritual. How many times do we fight and strive to remain - or regain - control of our lives, heading for certain destruction, when the right answer is to relinquish control to the One who can really handle it? Batman and I finally got it. It's time to let go. Guess what? The bike lined right up, and we're back on the straight and narrow course we started on. Is your bike in a speed wobble? Are you headed for a guaranteed wreck? Let go of the handle bars. Relax. Let God take control.

Bucks and Doe and Bears, OH MY!!

Hunting season is nearly upon us again... With one MAJOR difference this year......

....... ME.

This past spring, my girlfriend and I took the hunter's safety course together because it is needed to get your pistol permit. I still haven't quite figured out why I want THAT either, but apparently, I do. Anyway, this year our woods and fields are, according to the DEC anyway, more overrun with deer than normal, so each hunting license was going to be accompanied by doe tags. Yay. So, J figured I should get a license this year since I have completely my hsc and can obtain a hunting license and then we would have two times the amount of tags to fill out. Brilliant, I tell you. I went along with it. Sure, honey, you can shoot more deer, fine with me!!! Then these well laid plans began to crumble before my very eyes today....

Everything went smoothly at Walmart... I am now IN THE SYSTEM and in possession of my very own hunting license. When we got to the truck, I proceeded to hand my license over to my husband with a sweet smile and an innocent, "have fun, honey!!" comment... I'd remain safe and sound at the homestead and do my wifely duties of cooking him a hot lunch when he goes out. That was MY plan, anyway.

He shook his head, refusing to take the papers, and said with a maniacal grin, "oh no, honey, YOU are going hunting this year, too!!"

Wait, what? I think I misunderstood. I am sure that I didn't hear right....... You want ME to go out into the woods, SIT QUIETLY - ALL day, HOLD a gun, AIM a gun, and actually shoot accurately???? At something LIVING?! There must be some mistake.

Nope, no mistake. Number one, he isn't filling all those tags by himself. Number two, they are my tags, I apparently have to fill them MYSELF. Something about some law or something. I was tricked, I tell you.... TRICKED!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS or HAPPY HOLIDAY?

Our mad day of shopping started Saturday for me (the man of the house). The wife and I went to the big city up to the north of us, about a forty minute drive. We left at 9:30 A.M. in the the truck just because we don't ever drive it due to the gas prices. The battery was getting low, plus my doors don't lock in the chick magnet so the truck was the best choice. We started at the mall which was the beginning of the "Happy Holidays" from every retail store we shopped at except one, but I will get to that later. I would promptly spout back "Merry Christmas" with a big grin and they all said "thank you!!" so chipper. Now my beef is, where's the Merry Christmas that I grew up with and whats the problem with it, if the retail store is making so much from this time of year? Why are they worried about saying "Merrrrrry CHRISTMAS!" when everybody and their brother are shopping for CHRISTMAS. It does not make sense to me. So anyway, we went to Payless and I was there to buy a beautiful pair of Air Walks. We got the usual greeting at the door , and replied back "Merry Christmas". I found the sneaks and brought them to the counter. The nice lady at the desk asked me if i needed any socks with my purchase and I in my quick logic of thinking said "no thanks I put a pair on this morning." I laughed, my wife laughed the other lady next to the woman I was talking to laughed until women gave me the worst look I've ever seen, so that cut the fun right in half! Well the only place that said (out of the twelve stores we went to) Merry Christmas was Burlington Coat Factory, I was about to give the greeter a huge hug! but I gathered my excitement back together and gave a BIG MERRRY CHRISTMAS back to them. I love the BCF for that. Traffic was horrible, it was slow and people just kept pulling out in front of us, which by the way can aggravate me in many ways. People have gotten more pushy along with taking Christmas out of... Christmas. Several stores sell "Holiday Trees" or "Family Trees" now instead of "Christmas Trees". Hmm...

When we finally made it home I poured myself a small glass of wine and relaxed and reminisced the night. Well that's my time of shopping and if you missed it I would say my point is Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your families and keep you safe through the New year. HooooRa!

The Great White Hunter...

...has been out playing today.



















Wait, no, wrong picture. That was a paint ball thing......


Today he woke up bright dark and early to meet up with a couple friends to obtain the perfect poor innocent creature to slaughter tasty meal kill deer to take down in a sportsmanlike fashion. He found one! He found a seven point and took it down brutally murdered rendered it lifeless "with a head shot on a dead run."*

Good job, honey. What's for dinner???

*direct quote from the GWH himself.

Enlightened by JAG

It was a brisk evening as I sat basking in the bubbles of the hot tub and enjoying a conversation with my bride. I would have to say the talk was going well in the crisp air (or maybe i should say crunchy air) until it turned to the topic of Dixie cups and cereal (crunchy and/or soggy)! As the wife proceeded I kindly interrupted and changed the subject to something less, well how should I word this... STUPID comes to mind. So the next few minutes she began to tell me that it takes her an hour to print off our kids' school, being the library does not carry the short story's that the kids read. So I posed the question, "what short stories?" My wife replied "you know like the bet between the wind and the sun, stuff like that." Then she told me The Boy is reading the life story of Chris Columbus and how he sailed and landed on our continent in 1942. Now this is the women whom i love and have entrusted in the teaching of my children! Questions began to arise in my mind (and they came very quick). I thought, no wonder the thirteen colonies had such a hard time! They no more got started and the depression hit, then they had to go to World War Two! MAN we have prospered very fast. You know we are a blessed nation in that time line. I pulled my head off the back of the tub and looked at her and said in ultimate wisdom, "ah babe, what year was that?" and the wife gave me a "deer in the head lights look" and she replied slowly "1842?" I again in ultimate wisdom smiled and thought "I can have so much fun but its not nice to pick on those who went to prep schools." So after a few more tries she landed it JUST LIKE CHRIS DID. I was so proud of her as I was trying to hold the laughter in. So kids the lesson for today is always look both ways before shooting the spit wad in class! Because its obvious that she got caught and spent that vital day in detention. My wife is a little gullible at times which brings back to memory the great northern tree rabbit nest that we found in the back of her parents house... if you must know ask her. But she has one up on me she can spell and punctuate. My love to all.

From the front lines,
BATMAN