Lunch With the Ladies

It was nice of Martha to get a year older so we could go to Mimi's and celebrate. The servings were all so big we had lots to bring home to our starving husbands.

Expectations or Hope?

What is the difference?

When we want something, we hope it will happen. Hope for that thing is distant and illusive, without specific time or place. The fact that we don't have the thing we want gives us a vague sadness, but there isn't real pain because the thing we hope for is still too far away to hurt very much. That distant hope may not actually affect our daily life in any meaningful way, yet it may have been the very thing we based important life decisions upon some time in the past.

But when circumstances change such that we are lead to think we might get the thing we hope for, the distance and illusion start to turn into immediacy and a distinct possibility. At that point, we start to have expectations. We start to make plans based on those expectations. We start to get excited and happy at the thought that our hopes are actually coming true. That expectation changes how we think and act.

So what is the difference between having one's expectations disappointed and one's hopes crushed? Having one's expectations disappointed hurts a lot. But having one's hopes crushed is death-giving.

Slow Week

I don't usually go an entire week between blogs, but I guess I haven't had much to say this week (besides the fact that I lent my camera to someone, so I haven't had any new photos to post).

Rachel was very sick a week ago with a migraine that just wouldn't go away, and which presented with more nausea than head pain. She missed two days of work because of it, then worked the rest of the week even though she didn't feel that great. She did find a couple friends to go to the Great State Fair of Texas with yesterday, and they seemed to have a good time. They got to hear part of a concert by Third Day, which Rachel enjoyed. She's hoping to get back to the regular schedule this week and that her stomach is calm.

Today had a few bumps for me--I got to church only to realize that it was my turn to bring cookies for the visitors, and I had forgotten. So I said I would go to the store to buy some. But I couldn't find a store. Our church is not in our own neighborhood, so I didn't know where the grocery stores are. I ended up half way to downtown Dallas before I found a grocery store. Then when I came out and went to unlock the car, my van key was missing from my key chain. I went back inside and looked, asked the cashier, but never did find it. Lucky for me, I had a hidden key in a magnetic holder, so I didn't get stranded where no one knew where I was!

This afternoon we ended up going to a lovely choir party that we originally thought we'd have to miss. It was fun and way too much good steak! I wish I'd brought my swim suit because they had a heated pool. Though it seems it would hardly need to have been heated since it has been about 15 degrees above normal for weeks.

Gary was traveling this past week too. He got home hours late on Wednesday night. His flight out of Boston was aborted on takeoff due to a light coming on. Turns out there was dirt in the fuel. You know, better late than NEVER!

I talked to David yesterday. Looks like we won't see him or Sarah for Thanksgiving, and won't see Sarah at Christmas either. She has such a heavy work schedule, and needs to save her vacation days so she can get married! I hope we see her again sometime before the wedding!

Rachel and I watched Night at the Museum while she was sick--not too bad of a movie. It is the kind of silly comedy that Gary likes, so he's watching it now before we have to turn it back in.