These crazy computers and this wiley internet are so enchanting.
Brad is currently out of town... He is in Anaheim with some of his youth and a handful of leaders to participate in the North American Baptist Conference 2011 Youth Gathering. Youth groups from all over North America connected to this particular Baptist Conference have been converging on to the Chapman University campus to get ready for a week of hands-on missions work. The conference officially starts this afternoon but, our team flew down Saturday so they could take advantage of, you guessed it, Disneyland. (sooo jealous)
This week, once they get started, will be insanely busy for them. I wonder if some of them realize just how busy it will be and just how exhausted they will be before the week is out. I would be there with them if I could but I can't leave Noah yet and it wouldn't be appropriate to take him along... Carlon could live without me for a week but he hasn't had to yet and it would be a challenge for whoever had him.
So I'm stuck at home while Brad his having a good ol' woot woot time with his youth. The hard work doesn't get to him.
I am missing him so tremendously that I can't even begin to explain. Brad is away at least once a year usually twice for a conference or retreat. You'd think after almost 6 years of marriage I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. I don't like it when he goes away, I especially don't like it when he gets to go to someplace that I also want to go to (Disneyland, last fall San Francisco...) Meanwhile I'm at home still getting up at least once a night to feed our 4 month old, being woken around 4 or 5 to our 2 year old coming into our bed, changing usually 4 to 8 diapers in a day, half of them poopy. Meltdowns, messy fingers and faces, teething, diaper rashes, picky eating.... the list could go on.
He is gone for only 8 days, 2 of which have already passed but, it feels like an eternity. I don't function well without him around, it's like part of me is missing. I wonder how I managed before I met him, I thought I did pretty well.
Now for the other side of the coin...
I was online the other day (wiley internet) and was complaining about Brad being away when I was reminded of an old friend of mine and the fact that her husband is away... and is never coming back. She will have to wait till eternity to see him. She has 4 at home and is faced with the daily, almost hourly challenge of living without her other half. I talked with her for a bit and was overcome with my own stupidity and emotion. I felt silly with my complaining and told her so. She was very gracious and shared her challenges and even recalling how she had difficulty if her husband was ever away at a conference. (Grace!)
I will be honest, I still am missing Brad very much, but I won't complain about it anymore. And I know that the daily challenges I'm facing with 2 little ones, they are regular, there's nothing new about poopy diapers or meltdowns, I've done it before I can do it again. And I know that as green as the grass looks to be that Brad is standing on right now, I'm sure he will come across some moss or a weed or two. It's not easy managing 15 teenagers, even with the help of 5 adults...
