Together for Life

    It's funny how attitude really is everything.  Much to my chagrin, I would have to admit that when Joel and I found out we had a couple's retreat to attend this last weekend in June, I was less than thrilled.  Of course, it was really a very silly thing to have my knickers in a knot about (who wouldn't want to go on a retreat with the most wonderful man in the world and meet other wonderful, encouraging people along the way?!). This is all just proof that I truly am a work-in-progress.     Come to find out, the place we were going to be staying at was going to be called "The Shack".  Okay, I'm sure several of you know exactly the spot I'm speaking of and may be able to guess where I'm going with this.  I had no clue whatsoever about the place.  All I could picture was a dinky little Super 8 motel.  This of course did not exactly help my attitude issue.     I truly have to laugh at myself; as we pulled up to The Shack, lo ...

One year ago today, my stomach was in crazy-tight knots because I knew that that evening, a very special gentleman was picking me up for our very first date. Nope, the knots did not go away once he came up to the door. Yup, there WAS some comic relief in the course of our evening (the waiter at the diner we went to asked us point blank if this was our first date!), and yes, there was some major confusion for us as, on the way back home again, he asked me without hesitation, "So, was this our first date?" (You see, in my mind, it wasn't supposed to work like that; he was supposed to take me home, where I was going to sit and wait the rest of the week to talk to him again, and hope and pray that he would ask me for another date.) I was more than a little taken aback, and my response was a little too nonchalant.... Oops... so my seeming lack of enthusiasm made him wonder if I really liked him.  Obviously, however, we got things straightened around, no small thanks t...