Category / Mr. Right

by Bethe

I’m fine… and I mean it this time!

The minute Mr. Right’s airplane took off, my tears dried up. Thank goodness, because I think my eyeballs were starting to swell. I haven’t been emotional since.

I hosted a meeting for church at my house last night, and afterward two of my close friends stuck around to eat brownies out of the pan and catch up on girl talk. It was just what my weary soul needed. After that I climbed into bed and caught up on most of last night’s Bachelorette (snooze fest), before finally drifting off to sleep.

I woke up at 3:45 a.m. to TWO emails from Mr. Right, who was enjoying free wi-fi in the Frankfurt airport while I was in my benedryl-induced coma. Then this afternoon he texted to say they landed safely in India, made it through customs, and are going to try to catch a few hours of sleep before starting their first full day over there. Feel free to pray along with me that God does some big things over these coming days. I was just thinking today how cool it is that the same God I serve over here in Fort Worth, Texas is the same God that people on the other side of our planet are worshipping. It makes me feel so small, and gives me so much comfort that my God is so big.

In the meantime, I have another dinner party with girlfriends tonight. And lunch with my in-laws tomorrow, after a PHOTOSHOOT with my local newspaper. Crazy thing is, this time I’ll be the one in THEIR ad (so random, I promise). Then we kick off our new ESL semester on Thursday night, I’m squeezing in lunch with one of my favorite people, and this weekend I’m throwing a wedding shower for a dear friend. This may go down as one of my most social weeks in a very long time.

by Bethe

En route to India

If were were going to make a list of things I’m really good at, these items would not make the list:

1. Having a poker face
2. Holding back tears
3. Saying goodbye

Yes, my friends, you know what this means. I was a big, sloppy, weepy mess all day Sunday (and this morning… and maybe a little bit Saturday night) as I prepared to send Mr. Right to India for 12 days. I didn’t mean to be a mess. Through the tears and snot I would reassure him, “I’m fine. Really. I promise.” And he would just look at me and see right through my reassurances.

Actually, even the dog could see right through those reassurances.

So I must say that I’m a bit relieved that he’s finally on his way. I think waiting for him to go and preparing myself to say goodbye will be a lot harder than actually having him gone. I’ve scheduled one fun thing after another for the next week, and I’ve reserved the right to schedule a massage if I get desperate. For the record, I am not at all scared for his safety. I’m just sad because I’ll miss him while he’s gone.

In the meantime, please pray for his travels over the next 24 hours (he should arrive in India sometime tomorrow afternoon our time), for his health and the health of the other pastors meeting them over there, and that God would be glorified through everything they do.

by Bethe

More hodge podging

So much to write about, but not sure where to start…

First off – I have lost a little bit of weight! Praise Jesus! I’m down five whole pounds from my peak last fall, and last week I wore a skirt I haven’t been able to fit into for much too long. Of course, I had to wear it a bit higher on my waist that normal, but it zipped, and it didn’t look obscenely tight on my hiney, so I’m calling it a win. This morning I hit a number I haven’t seen since last spring. What a wonderful feeling. It only took eight weeks of half marathon training to finally see a difference. Maybe now that the ball is rolling, the rest will melt off. Right? A girl can dream…

Speaking of half marathon training… we’ve hit that point where we do long runs on the weekends. As in, I have to run eight miles on Saturday. Nine miles next Saturday (but that’s about 900 calories). Gulp. It’s totally doable, I just listen to books on tape and try to distract myself from the monotony. We run five miles, twice a week, on weeknights. That takes me a full episode of the Kardashians AND E-News with Ryan Seacrest. I know way more celebrity gossip than I ever thought possible because it’s the only thing showing at the gym, and it keeps me from losing my mind from boredom on that treadmill. Oh how I wish for the day I can get Hulu on my iPhone and catch up on all my favorite tv shows… maybe then I can do a marathon. Maybe.

Mr. Right and I became ESL certified this weekend. We’ve done our training a bit out of order, accidentally taking an advanced two-day course last summer, leaving us utterly confused. But now we finally know the basics of lesson planning, choosing curriculum, how to structure our class. And I realized that everything I did last semester was completely wrong. My bad. Through God’s grace my students learned English anyway, and loved coming to class, and they still learned about Jesus, so I’m calling that a win (like my too-high skirt that finally fit).

Speaking of ESL, I’ve been praying a lot about our new semester, which launches in a few short weeks. I desperately miss my students, and I’m feeling a huge burden for internationals right now. Like, my heart aches to help them. We had our dear friend Timothy from Nigeria spend the night at our place Saturday night (he lives in the seminary dorm, so we try to have him over occasionally to give him a change of scenery and a home cooked meal). He has turned into a wonderful friend, and I have learned some wonderful things about his home country. Someday I’ll have to share some of the misconceptions he says he had about Americans. It’s fun because we have some of the same misconceptions about Africans. If you’re a praying person, please pray for his country, which is suffering from some major violence toward Christians right now.

Oh, and speaking of internationals… Mr. Right is going on a last minute international mission trip in February. For TWELVE DAYS. I was home alone for just two nights in December while he visited a friend in Oklahoma, and the house was a wreck, the dishes were dirty, and I was wearing his old t-shirts around the house as I moved from craft project to craft project. So please start praying now for both of us as we’re apart for such an extended period of time. I do so love his company. But I’m also wildly excited for this opportunity for him. All of my girlfriends can expect dinner invitations during those two weeks, and it’ll be a great opportunity to finish a few quilts (and start one for my nephew). And read a book or two.

I should start a list…

by Bethe

Happy Anniversary… for real this time

We’ve been celebrating for a week, but today, January 8, is our REAL anniversary. So of course I’m feeling extra mushy, going back and rereading Facebook messages from our wedding day, and thinking back to all of the things I was feeling, all the special people who were around us, and how I had no idea just how much I could love my husband.

This is the video we played at our rehearsal dinner… which makes me weepy and warm and fuzzy.

And this is what Mr. Right surprised me with this afternoon… he practically chased down a Girl Scout to snag me my absolute favorite cookies (I have a habit of hoarding them in my freezer and rationing them so they’ll last me until the following year). In fact, since he had to work most of today (which is why we’ve extended our celebration to a full week – a trade I will happily make), I will admit that I may or may not have spent my afternoon lying in bed, reading my book and munching on cookies (only two) with my electric blanket on full throttle, thus probably cooking my innards but keeping my toes toasty and warm.

And, he bought me dozens and dozens of roses.

I’m a sucker for flowers.

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband and best friend.

by Bethe

Crushed under the weight of my own expectations

I was doing some heavy thinking on the treadmill yesterday… what else is a girl to do while she sweats out four very ugly miles as part of her half marathon training?

And what was I thinking, anyway, training for this half marathon? It has been an ugly few weeks… I have a dozen excuses of why I’m not very stallion-esque while I run, but none really matter… I’m still training through the ugliness. Even yesterday’s ugliness when I happened to forget my deodorant (gasp). I feel sorry for the person running next to me. (Let’s be honest… my nose has been stuffy for two months, so I was blissfully unaware of how much I really embarrassed myself.)

But back to the treadmill… I was mulling some deep thoughts as I sweated to Beyonce. I read a blog yesterday about ways to increase the amount of walking I do. Which is a great idea. You know the drill… park at the back of a parking lot, take the stairs, yadda, yadda, yadda…

And this is how my stream of consciousness progressed:

I should walk more. Heck, I’m trying to drop a few pounds, this sounds like an easy way to facilitate that.


But then I’d have to wear flats every day. And even my best work flats aren’t really made for a lot of walking. So I’d have to buy new shoes.


But I’m supposed to dress for the job I want… It’s proven science (at least, I saw it in a magazine once) that the most professionally intimidating women wear stilettos. And since I have a fairly public job, I need to be a put-together professional fashionista.


But if I walk long distances in heels, I’ll mess up my feet. I don’t need a bunion. Those surgeries hurt.

And then I thought about other contradicting expectations I put on myself:

I want to be a domestic goddess. I should be a fabulous cook. And baker. Good women know how to bake pies.


But I shouldn’t really eat those sorts of calorie-ridden foods. I need to be eating lean. Basic. The last thing I need to be eating is pie. 


But a domestic goddess doesn’t just make grilled chicken and steamed veggies for dessert. She needs to wrap that chicken in cream cheese and bread dough and bake it in the oven. And I should saute those veggies in some sort of wonderful Italian olive oil.


As a domestic goddess, I should have a clean house. I should put myself on a cleaning schedule, and have sparkling floor and dustless blinds. On all 20 of my 10-foot-tall windows.


But I work long hours. So if I spend much time cleaning, I won’t have time to work out.


Maybe I should work out before work. Oh wait, if I do that, I won’t get my quiet time in. I could try to do both, but then I would have to wear a pony tail to work. And then I won’t look fashionably intimidating. How can I juggle a quiet time, getting ready for work, cleaning my house, working out, and cooking healthy?

And suddenly I’m drowning beneath the weight of my own expectations.

The other night, as Mr. Right and I prayed together before bed…

Side note – a pastor at our church told us that the divorce rate for couples who pray daily together is 1%… and since divorce is not an option and we want to set ourselves up for success, we’ve adopted a nightly prayer time, just the two of us, before we go to bed… and I absolutely love it.

As I was saying… the other night, as Mr. Right and I prayed together before bed, he prayed the sweetest prayer over me. He prayed that the Lord would reveal what His expectations are for my life, and that He would save me from being crushed by my own self-expectations.

I never thought of it that way. I do tend to be my own worst enemy when it comes to holding myself to an impossible standard.

And I didn’t realize that Mr. Right had noticed.

What a sweet prayer for a girl who wants to be a Martha Stewart homemaker with a Jessica Biel body and a Condoleeza Rice brain. Marriage, in the midst of all the fun, surely is a sanctifying experience.

by Bethe

Happy Anniversary to me (and Mr. Right)

Last weekend we celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary – it was a week early, but this coming weekend we have a gender reveal party for my sister’s first baby, and we just couldn’t bear to miss it. So we bumped it up a week and had ourselves a glorious time.

We spent Sunday night at the Omni, the same hotel we stayed in on our wedding night. In typical fashion, Mr. Right sweet-talked the hotel into upgrading us to a suite, complete with two bathrooms, a huge living room and a gorgeous view of Fort Worth.

We got gussied up and treated ourselves to a  fancy dinner at Texas de Brazil (we even snagged a coupon that let us save a little cash). Other than that, we did absolutely nothing. We mostly reminisced about our first year of marriage – it was such a challenging one, but filled with such sweet moments (and so many laugh out loud, pee in my pants funny memories) that we relived again together. In typical Bethe fashion I cried through most of our reminiscing, because (a) I’m a girl and (b) I tend to get overwhelmed with gratitude when I think back to all the miracles God worked in our life over the past year – the dozens of answered prayers, the moments of celebration, the tender moments between just the two of us… and the other times when I felt extreme sadness, and yet my sweet husband was there to walk alongside me.

And then there was breakfast. Is there any greater luxury than ordering room service in a hotel? We ordered room service for breakfast, and I got to enjoy a giant stack of pancakes without having to change out of my pajamas. It made me feel like a princess (it doesn’t take much, does it?). Then we climbed back in bed and spent the whole morning watching movies. It was peaceful and relaxing and I loved every minute of it.

We spent the afternoon shopping and eating lunch at our favorite Fort Worth spot (Zoe’s), and I snagged the cutest red ruffled dress at a local boutique. And then we drove home, took another long nap, and spent the evening watching more movies.

It was the perfect end to a great Christmas vacation, and I feel recharged and ready to face the world.

To those of you who prayed for us this year, I want to say a whole-hearted THANK YOU. Trust me when I say that Mr. Right and I logged many, many hours on our knees in 2011. Please don’t stop on year two!

by Bethe

I am thankful for Mr. Right

Friends, I feel like a zombie today. It usually happens right after a particularly large special event. This week I practically birthed a free-standing emergency room, and after three days of putting on a huge grand opening, doing four last-minute media stories, and working some crazy overtime hours at a pace that feels a lot like a sprint…
I’m pooped. Which is why I’m still doing my 30 days of thankful, even though it’s now December. I’m choosing to be thankful in December, and to ignore the fact that it’s because I’m behind schedule.
Oh, and I should tell you that Mr. Right is trying to peer pressure me into running a half marathon with him in February. That husband of mine knows I’m a sucker for a good challenge, and I could use the motivation to work out hard. But I also remember swearing after my last half marathon that I would never. run one. again. 
Which is why I was back on the treadmill last night for my first official training run… 3 miles. It was ugly. But I did it. And the whole time I pictured my hiney looking like Britney Spears’ in the I’m a Slave for You video back before she went crazy. You remember… that’s the hiney I plan on having after I run 13 miles. Only mine will be more covered up.
So back to being thankful…
You knew it was coming… on day 30 I am thankful for Mr. Right. 
I am thankful for the way he showed up, after 29 years of waiting, and swept me off my feet with an unstoppable determination to woo me. I think that determination has only gotten stronger over our first year of marriage.
I am thankful that he’s a hard worker. Not only is he a full-time seminary student but he also works 30 hours a week at our church, and in his spare time volunteered with me at our ESL program, mentors guys on the side, and helps fellow students with their evangelism practicums. He has a stamina that I will never match, and yet it’s fun to watch how God has uniquely gifted him, differently from me, to bring Him glory.

(Did I mention that Mr. Right has been chosen to be on the COVER of his seminary’s official brochure? I am so, so proud of him.)

I am thankful that he’s an amazingly creative cook. He just invested in a $6 smoker at an estate sale (we’re such big spenders) and since then has smoked everything he can get his hands on… pork tender, beef jerky, cheese… to Mr. Right, cooking for someone = love. It’s a total treat to come home after a long day to a home-cooked meal made by my favorite person.

I am thankful that he’s fun. He’s a cowboy boot-wearing hippie, a free spirit, and an outdoorsman. He has lived all over the country, but he’s most at home in the mountains, on his bike, or in the pool.  Before he came along I didn’t know anything about “gear.” It’s still pretty foreign to me, but I sure do love borrowing his super warm technical shirts, using his sleeping bags and camping backpacks when we travel, and sleeping in his “you never have to wash these, but I’m a girl so I do anyway” wool socks. 
He loves books as much as I do. He speaks Spanish and has created all sorts of funny nicknames for me. He knows how to build things. He loves his family.
I am thankful that he’s strong. That he has already demonstrated that he will stand by me during difficult times and fight for me when he has to. I am also thankful that he’s okay if I need a good cry, and that nothing grosses him out, including the threat of being puked on. I am thankful for all of the times he’s gone with me to the doctor when I was sick, just so I wouldn’t have to face it alone.
I am thankful for a husband who asks me every Sunday night, “What one thing can I do this week to make you feel loved?” I am thankful that he’s a spiritual leader who encourages me to pursue Christ, and who prays for our marriage daily.
I am thankful that he looks so darn cute in those jeans. 🙂 And I am thankful that he continues to choose me.
PS–I want to officially welcome Mr. Right into the blogosphere… go check him out.
by Bethe

Three more days of thankful

I have been trying to eat from the salad bar at work every day, and it has helped me to lose five pounds. (insert back flip here) Of course, I have gained and lost those five pounds several times over the last few months, but I’m hoping that my diligence in eating a healthy lunch every single day can help make that move permanent.

Then again, week-after-next I’m going to have a birthday date, a birthday girlfriend lunch, two family birthday dinners, and two Thanksgiving celebrations in a seven-day period (not to mention we bought 2-dozen cake balls from the lady who did our wedding cake!). I’m going to assume those five extra pounds will find their way back to me by the end of that week, but maybe my salad-eating ways will help chase them away the following week. I’m thinking optimistically.

Instead of opting for one of the high-calorie salad dressings from our salad bar, I bought my own bottles of own olive oil and basalmic vinegar and keep them stashed in one of my cabinets at work. Every day at noon I go to pull out these two glass bottles and something inside me feels a little naughty – like I’m really pulling out a bottle of gin for an afternoon happy hour at my desk, like they do in the movies… or Mad Men. At least, I think they do that on Mad Men… I’ve never actually seen the show. But that’s what I would suspect, based off what I’ve read about it in US Weekly.

Confession… I ended my 10-year US Weekly subscription right before Mr. Right and I got married because it seemed like a frivolous spend during a time when we were pinching every penny. But I did download the App on my iPhone, so I’m still in the know.

Yes, that’s a bottle of Lysol wipes and a hammer next to my oil and vinegar. There would be more randoms in there, but I’m about to move my office (temporarily) and so the rest of my junk is already packed… these are the only essentials that remain. 
So that brings me to what I’m thankful for:

Day 12 – I am thankful for those random moments in every day that delight me, entertain me, or bring an unexpected treat. Whether it’s a sweet comment from a coworker or getting hopelessly tickled over something that nobody else will ever understand, I am thankful for the little things that bring me unexpected joy.

Day 13 – I am thankful for late night walks around the lake with Mr. Right. We took one last night–it was unseasonably warm and provided such a calming end to our weekend–watching as the light danced off the lake and taking in the sound of… quiet.

Day 14 – I am thankful for my old Sunday School class. I dearly miss them, and they have been nice enough to let me visit them for the past few weeks as my own class covers something I’ve already studied twice this year. I am thankful for Katie and Amy and the sacrifices they make to teach us every week, and to the other girls who pray for each other (and for me). It’s a good reminder, over and over and over, that I’m not alone

by Bethe

You + Me

Mr. Right and I absolutely LOVE to ride our retro beach cruisers around town. It’s one of “our things” that makes us all mushy as a couple. Whether it’s riding it through our neighborhood at dusk, or taking them out on Trinity Trail armed with a picnic, they’re one of our favorite things.
Plus, I feel like I’m eight when I ride it, what with those big handles and banana seat. I’m still searching for the perfect basket for my handle bars.
So in honor of our blue and red bikes, I designed this card just for him.
It debuted this week in the form of a love note from me to him, and I’ve also framed an 8×10 print for my sewing room. It makes me want to sigh and then cuddle up with a quilt and a good book in front of my fire place. In other words, it gives me warm fuzzies.