Just us girls

Well, Joe’s down in Roanoke getting in some last minute studying. We decided that it was best for him to head down a few days early so that he could get his final studying done with a full nights sleep and without a 3 year old vying for his attention. Saturday morning we went out to breakfast as a family, then we came home and Joe packed up all of his gear. Of course I think of things that he doesn’t have time to think about, so I went to the grocery store last week and stocked up on all sorts of snacks and water for him to take. I could just picture Joe sitting in his hotel room studying away, and not eating all day. I know, I know…anyone who knows Joe knows that the guy wouldn’t skip a meal, but I felt like it was my duty as a wife to ensure that he had snacks to help tide him over. And I knew that when he was still up studying at midnight, there wouldn’t be restaurants open to feed him. Snacks were necessary. Besides, it's not every day that a 35 year old man has an excuse to eat Gushers, Beef Jerkey, granola bars, etc. Yes, I included fresh fruit too.

As difficult as it is to not have Joe around (how in the heck do single parents do it?), we knew it was the right decision for him to take the weekend to study. Of course, Ella was up every 2 hours on Sat night, and while it was hard on me to deal with her alone, I was so thankful that Joe was getting a good sleep and would be well rested to study on Sunday. He has said that being in the hotel has been really good for studying. He has a desk where he can study and it’s quiet without any distractions. And there isn’t a sweet 3 year old coming to his office door and saying, "Knock, knock daddy!"

Tuesday and Wednesday Joe takes the bar. Please keep him in your prayers. I’m not going ask you to pray that he passes (although we both hope that he does)…I’m going to ask you to pray that he does his best and feels good about it when it’s over. Pray that God keeps him calm and relaxed and that he is able to recall all of the things he has learned over the past 4 years. And while you’re at it, if you could pray for all of his friends who are also taking the bar this week. I can’t name every one of them, but God knows who they are.

Ella and I have had a low-key weekend. It has been way too hot to get her outside (104 on Saturday and 106 on Sunday), so we have spent most of our time hanging out in the house. Saturday afternoon we did go swimming in our little pool in the backyard. The water felt so good! We both just sat in the water and played for about 30 minutes. Sunday morning we made cookies for breakfast...yummy! In the afternoon we had company come by, which was great for me! Leslie stopped by with her sweet 6 month old little boy (ADORABLE!!! His huge, gummy smile and laugh almost did me in!). It was past Ella’s naptime, so she just walked into the kitchen and laid down on the floor and fell asleep. I guess the cool floor felt good, but sleeping on a hardwood floor isn’t comfortable, so after about 30 minutes I took her up to her bed. We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out at home, then last night (after the rain had cooled everything off) we went to the grocery store. Not too exciting around our house.

And yes, Ella has been asking for Joe. I just tell her that daddy is studying. She accepts it, but I know she will be the happiest 3 year old on the planet on Thursday when Joe gets home. I’ll be happy too!

P.S. What do you think of the new blog layout? I love tye-dye...always have, so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it!