Home Alone

Skip and I had a rare treat tonight--home alone! It doesn't happen very often but our sweet kids were scattered all over and we had one of those special quiet evenings that we treasure. Several appointments  that day had kept Skip focused constantly on water consulting, and I spent most my day as taxi to my kiddos along with teaching Izzy school.  I was glad I had a reliable car, plenty of gas, my health, and awesome kids to hang with!  An added bonus of the the day was that Skip was able to have Peet's coffee with our son, Paul, this afternoon while I had the special privilege of sharing Starbuck's coffee alone with Esther along with a prized pumpkin scone. 

Esther and Landon

Skip and Paul

When I surmised we had a night alone, I quickly dropped by the grocery store to purchase a hunk of steak, asparagus, red potatoes, some huge mushrooms along a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider! By the time Skip arrived home, the table was set, dinner was piping hot, and melodious music filled the room, a real rarity!  Skip lit a candle, and with the flowers Skip had brought me that week, the table was almost Martha Stewart perfect--another rarity!!  Our conversation lingered past dinner without interruption--the third rare occurrence of the night!

Beautiful Fall Bouquet

The clock struck nine, and we acknowledged we were back to reality.  Skip insisted I take a warm, relaxing bubble bath while he make the final round up of kids for the day from college group, a friend's house and a volleyball game, not forgetting to get dog food somewhere along the way! It took only a few minutes  to get out the Secret Wonderland bubble bath!  After finishing the final chapter of an excellent read from our Biblical Counseling class How People Change by Timothy Lane and Ted Tripp, in piping hot water, I just marveled at how much I had to be thankful for in my life!!! One of my favorite quotes from this marvelous book was:

"Each morning that greets me is full of hope
Not because I am successful at what I am doing,
Or because the people near me appreciate me,
Or because circumstances are easy,
But because God is, and is my Father.
To look at the morning any other way
Is to believe a lie.
To live in hope is to live in truth;
To live in truth is to bring him glory;
To bring God glory in my daily living
Is the highest form of worship."

I hear the distinct sound of the squeaking brakes on my car, indicating the troops have arrived and within minutes will be flooding our home with delightful chatter, the singing of Christmas carols, girly giggles, and wild stories of their evening! Amazingly, in a few years Skip and I actually  will be home alone every night and will reminisce warm-heartedly over these crazy, crazy days!!!