Keeping Busy

Matt has been in Florida for work since last Monday, so Rhapsody and I have been on our own for over a week. This is the longest amount of time we've spent apart since we've been married. I am so ready to have him home. I've never been a fan of Matt being gone. Life is just so much better when he is home, but I will admit I've learned how to cope better with his absence over the years. I remember one summer I was at OSU and Matt was gone somewhere for the weekend. It was summer and the dorms were quiet and my friends were gone, and I kid you not I spent two whole days doing nothing but crocheting pot holders and watching movies on the Lifetime network. It was a miserable weekend. After that experience, I've learned to fill up my time as much as possible when Matt is gone to avoid any more weekends like that.

The timing actually worked out well for Matt's trip because I had several things this past week and weekend planned, and I purposely tried to make plans on the few evenings I had free. Here's a recap of ways I've been keeping busy without my husband.

Matt left last Monday, and it was one of the few evenings where I had nothing planned. Thankfully I had a lot to do at home to keep me busy. I had put off a lot of house chores over the weekend, so I could spend as much time with Matt as I could before he left, so I spent last Monday evening doing laundry, dishes, and straightening the house. On Tuesday of last week I worked late in Owasso which is normal for a Tuesday evening. On Wednesday I headed over to my friend Ivory's house for dinner since her husband was also out of town for the week. Erica and Lindsey joined us for dinner too. It was a fun night eating and chatting. I remember talking to Matt when I got home that night and he asked what we did. I told him we ate dinner and then just spent the evening visiting. He said, "Really, that's all you did." Men just don't understand :). On Thursday, Judy hosted a prayer shower for Lindsey who is getting married next month. She prepared dinner for us before we prayed. There is a small group of us that have been getting together monthly to pray together, and we dedicated that night to praying for Lindsey's upcoming marriage. It was such a precious time for Lindsey and for everyone else too.

My parents came up on Friday to spend the weekend with me. The weekend had been planned for a while since we had tickets to our last show at the Performing Arts Center, and it worked out well that they could entertain me for the weekend. They were disappointed Matt couldn't be there, but we still managed to have a good time. I think I lost count of how many times Barry mentioned that he missed Matt. On Friday night I cooked dinner for us and then my mom, Erica, and I headed to see the Wizard of Oz while Barry mowed my yard (Thanks again, Barry!). Saturday we went out to breakfast and then headed to a hair appointment. I got a cut and my mom got her hair colored. I think it's pretty strategic planning on her part to use a hairdresser in Tulsa so she has to come visit every six weeks :). After our hair appointments we spent the afternoon shopping. Mom and Barry are redoing their bathroom so we shopped for rugs, towels and light fixtures. I took them to Cherry Berry that evening for frozen yogurt.

My parents left on Sunday morning and after church I spent the afternoon napping (and I did watch a Lifetime movie, but it was just one, I promise). That evening Matt and Erica and Jason and Andrea came over and we played Settlers. Last night, I drove to Stillwater and had dinner with a good friend from graduate school. I hadn't seen her in way too long, and it was nice to catch up. After dinner we drove around town and she pointed out all the changes that have happened lately. I can't get over how much Stillwater and the campus has changed since I moved there seven years ago. They are redoing the Student Union and building so many new things. It's really amazing. Tonight I was in Owasso again, and tomorrow is my last night alone since Matt gets home on Thursday.

Since my work schedule is more flexible during the summer, I've had a few extra hours at home during the day and I've tried really hard to be productive with the extra time I've had. When I've had free time during the day, I've spent the extra moments cleaning out closets, cabinets, drawers, etc. I made a pretty extensive to do list before Matt left, so I wouldn't run out of things to do.

Tomorrow night I'm planning on spending the evening grocery shopping and getting ready for Matt's homecoming. He's put in a request for a homemade dinner, and I want to make it special for him. Not only is Matt coming home on Thursday, but some of our good friends from college are coming to visit this weekend, so I have lots to look forward to!