Shell's Life

Our small town theater does not get the newest movies until at least a month after the national release. Star Trek has been so popular that we did not get it until last Friday - 2 months after the release. It's definitely obnoxious for the movie buffs among us, but I can wait for most flicks.

Tonight, C, Redhead and another friend agreed to watch the movie at 6:30. We got there at 6:20 and the line was well into the parking lot! I have not seen a line at the movie theater since Return of the King! We inched through, and finally made it in and all 4 of us got seats together. But the theater was packed. It was a good sign for the theater, but stressful for the spectators!

Anyway. We loved the film. It was full of a lot of laughs and an interesting story. C and I kept leaning over to each other after cracking up at references to the series. C was pleasantly surprised at how well done it was. It was definitely worth the 2 month wait! I'm tempted to purchase it when it comes out! Everyone else love it?

It's been a busy week for me, as you can tell, since I have not updated. Actually, it hasn't really been busy from events, I just haven't had the chance to sit here and blog.

Wednesday, Lo and I spent some time at the beach. The weather was gloriously warm, and we chatted while laying on a blanket.

Thursday, I had my girls group, and Lo made us breakfast at her house! Ahhh, it was really yummy!

Friday, I went to my in laws' house to pick up C's new computer monitor! He has been wanting a flat screen like mine for a while and it came on Friday :)

Saturday, I went to a baby shower for a woman in my small group. I got to play the games and grabbed a piece  of delicious cake (with caramel frosting..ahhh :)) on my way out the door for work.

Sunday, I had a flat tire so I skipped church and ended up walking the 1.5 miles to work. It took me 35 minutes, and ended up being pretty hot by the time I got there.

Then, after work, I met Redhead and another coworker for ice cream at a new ice cream shop in town. There prices were pretty good and they had an interesting selection. I got chocolate peanut butter and to be daring, a scoop of cotton candy. It wasn't that bad, just a bit pink and blue...
Today, I saw lots of old friends at work, so that was fun. The rest of my week is fairly eventful as well!

Hopefully I will not be absent as long this time!

We went to see Up tonight. It was a great and humorous story, but extremely touching as well. Whenever C and I watch a touching movie together, we both end up crying. And this was no exception.

The old man in the film and his wife were adorable together. So loving, creating such great memories together, and then Karl had to live on his own without her after her passing.

We left the movie quiet, but sweet towards each other. We headed to the beach for a walk, holding hands as we went.I don't want to get old, but knowing C will be with me through it makes it bearable. Looking forward to the years of memories we will have together makes me smile and so do the memories we have already made together. The stacks of photos and scrapbooks we have of each other. Long walks on the beach. Laughing together at Star Trek episodes. Our wedding day. Our honeymoon. Someday finding out we are expecting a child. Our child's birth. Watching our kids grow up.Knowing C is by my side will make all trials we go through in life easier and I am excited to see what is in store. Though, he did tell me today that he was pretty sure he won't float off with our house to South America :)

Today at church, our pastor preached on church discipline. I was not too interested, but the sermon was well done, and really short (15 minutes). As a finishing touch, he had a newer couple in the church come up and share a testimony. It definitely took a lot of courage for them to share their story.

They had an ideal marriage, 17+ years, and then the husband had an affair. It has now been a year since they have started working through the issues. The forgiveness the wife had for her husband was incredible, and their openness about struggling with all of this was really, really good to see. The church body was not condemning in any way to them, and the entire situation was something I would love to see a whole lot more of.

THAT is what church is supposed to be. People coming alongside of others who openly admit that they have a problem and getting compassionate help that really makes a difference. I want to belong to a church that is not superficial any longer. I am tired of "happy plastic people" (Casting Crowns) who put on a happy face and pretend nothing is wrong. That's one reason I love my small group. I'm still not completely comfortable sharing a lot of things there, but it's getting better, and I love the community aspect. That's what church needs to be as well. I believe it can be that way, if we all can get over our pride issues and just be real with each other.

/Soap box. :P

Going to the grocery store on Thursdays is awful. Thursday is senior day, and each person there is stocking up on everything and moving slow. Basically, a nightmare. Right now, due to my work schedule, I have been doing my shopping on Friday nights. It's almost as bad as senior day.

During the school year, I get my groceries mid afternoon on Mondays or Sundays with my mother for company. Leisurely strolls with other cheery shoppers.

Friday nights after 5:00pm are not nice and happy strolls. I am just getting off of work at that point, tired, cranky without time to slow down and calm down. And everyone else is cranky and in a rush as well. Other shoppers clog up the aisles and don't let you through. The little carts that I like to use are all taken and I have to use a big, clunky one. Friday night grocery shopping stresses me out like work does!

Tuesday night, however, I went into the grocery store at 6pm, on my day off. The parking lot was packed, but I only had 1 thing on my list. I picked up my hamburger buns, nearly running into frustrated other customers, weaving my way through the aisles to the ice cream freezers. I found myself with a smile on my face, content to take all the time I needed to get what I needed and leave.  With a spring in my step I checked out. What a difference a day off makes in one's patience!

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I have had a really productive weekend so far (in my terms anyway) C and I are discussing rearranging our living room. It probably won't happen today, but soon.
- We got rid of a bunch of cardboard boxes that have been living under our dining room table for months.
- I cleaned :P
- I bought a couple banker boxes at the drugstore Monday night and have been madly filing paperwork away. It is reducing the clutter noticeably.
- I just updated C's 401(k) stuff from his work finally. He was automatically enrolled when he turned 21, and he had no clue what was happening with it. I upped his contributions to match the employer match. AND added me as the beneficiary finally. I figured that might be a nice thing to have in place.

It's been good to be productive. The weather has been gorgeous, so I wish I was outside, but the house desperately needed some attention!