Dec. 11, 2006 - I am moving blogs....
I've decided, for the sake of my sanity, to move my blog over to Blogger. I am not sure what is going on with HSB, but my Mac and I are having a lot of trouble.
So, if you would like to come and visit over there, the address is:
http://sunflowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Hope to see you!
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Dec. 6, 2006 - So Very Thankful: One Thousand Gifts, Part 1
Today I decided to join Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts list - it's a challenge (?) to list 1000 gifts you already have - not that you want. I thought - no problem! I can do this easily! And then realized that it's ONE THOUSAND gifts.... so I had better get cracking!
1. Jesus
2. purring cats making happy feet
3. Early morning cuddles with my sweetie
4. The chicken
5. 70 degree days in November
6. socks
7. baby head smell
8. my blanket that is soft like Gabe was (my most wonderful cat who died last year)
9. spontaneous song
10. the dog bumping my hand with a cold nose for attention
11. seeing a daddy bluebird feed his (able to fly) baby at the feeder on my deck
12. lilacs
13. baby giggles
14. the smell of Weleda diaper care cream
15. lavender scented anything - especially the house cleaning stuff!
16. good pillows
17. Hummingbirds, pugnacious little birds that they are
18. The privilege of being a mother
19. butterflies
20. cold crickets - it sounds like their wings are "chattering"
I have to go to bed now, but this is fun! I look forward to reading others' lists too.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Dec. 6, 2006 - Presenting: Thumbelina the Snake!
The things I do for love.....
Last week, Emma
came in and told me that she found "something like a snake" in the
yard. I thought, surely the child would not approach a snake, and
if she had, she would be screaming, so I said, "You mean like a big
worm?" And she said yes, kind of like that. So, I went
outside to see what it was, and she had, indeed, found a small snake in
the yard.
I said: "Oh, look at the cute little snake!
I thought: "Dear
God, they found a snake. What if it's poisonous? There are
a lot of poisonous snakes in North Carolina, aren't there? I
can't make them afraid of snakes. I am going to have to pick it
up. What if it's poisonous? Okay, I don't think it could
bite me if it wanted to, it's head is too small. I am touching a
snake. Please, someone, pinch me and tell me this isn't really
happening."
I did, in fact, pick up the little snake. It was a strong little
bugger! They don't have any hands, so how on earth did it hold on
to the grass so tightly? I had a hard time getting it - I didn't
want to hurt it, and it, of course, was trying valiantly to slip into
the grass and disappear.
Once I got it, I
looked at its eyes, thinking "I can tell if it's poisonous by its eyes,
right? How does that work again? Why don't I have a snake
book?" It had nice round, yellow eyes, not poisonous looking at
all. Actually, looking into its eyes, I sensed no
animosity. I have an odd connection with reptiles - don't ask me
why. They just like me. Isn't that a disturbing thought?
When we held it with two hands, it was quite calm. It reached up
and sniffed my hair and my glasses. The girls each held it - Abbie went
first, of course, because Emma wasn't quite sure she wanted to touch
it. (Emma lives by the motto, if Abbie doesn't get hurt, then I
might try, too.) But, once she saw that it wasn't dangerous or
slimy, she held it too.
The girls named their reptilian friend "Thumbelina," and they talked to
"her," and had a grand time checking "her" out. They really
wanted to keep "her," but I didn't know what to put "her" in, and there
is NO WAY WE ARE KEEPING A SNAKE IN THE HOUSE EVER but I didn't say
that part. I told them to tell her goodbye, so they each had one
more turn holding this little snake, kissed it goodbye (!), and we let
it go back into the flower bed.
Honestly, it's things like this that make me so glad I
homeschool. We've met Thumbelina the snake, and gotten to see a
baby robin that was just learning to fly. We've had birds build a
nest on our front door wreath, and seen them grow up and fly
away. And let's not forget Hoppy the grasshopper - Abbie took him
to preschool last year, and now every time we see a grasshopper
outside, we say hello to "Hoppy." We find bird nests and leaves
and pretty rocks, and bring them home. I have so much fun, I
think I might be homeschooling for ME.
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Dec. 6, 2006 - Meet Dumplin!
This
is Dumplin, a little Bantam hen and our neighborhood chicken.
Never heard of one of those before? Neither had I, until a couple
of years ago. A chicken showed up one day, and my neighbor
Chrissy adopted her and named her Henny. She had a little hen
house in Chrissy's yard, and pretty much free rein of the surrounding
yards. She was quite entertaining, if not particularly friendly.
Then, when Chrissy moved, Henny disappeared. There were no
"remains," and I think someone had her trapped and taken to a nearby
farm (maybe the one she came from in the first place).
Well, Mr. Dave (of the infamous pine tree incident posted previously)
decided that he liked having a chicken hanging around. He has a
friend who raises chickens, and brought home two - Dumplin, and
Biscuit. Biscuit has since relocated herself a few streets over -
we don't know why. Maybe she got chased there?
Anyhoo, Dumplin is still here. She's a strange little bird.
She doesn't like it when you try to catch her, but if you give up and
turn away she shrieks. Sometimes she sounds like a duck.
Since Mr. Dave works all day and we are usually home, she likes to hang
out with us. We like to feed her birdseed - she eats out of our
hands. We leave the garage door at least cracked, if not open,
during the day so she can come in - she spends a lot of time there when
it's raining or particularly windy. She likes to roost on top of
our cars (which are outside), even though I am sure there are warmer
places for her. She seems so cold in the mornings now - it's been
getting down into the 30's at night. This morning I found her
standing on one leg, trying to keep her other foot warm, I guess.
I thought about knitting her a little chicken sweater, but I can't
figure out how to go about it. At the suggestion of some of the
very knowledgable ladies from the Well Trained Mind boards, I think
we're going to try to build her some kind of nest box this weekend, so
at least she has a place to snuggle in if she wants.
If
you have any suggestions for our little chicken - even if it's just to
tell me to leave her alone because she's perfectly able to take care of
herself - I would love to hear!
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Nov. 26, 2006 - Pine Boughs Keep Falling On My Head......
I was awakened from nap today to the - ahem - sweet sound of power tools. I didn't think much of it; my husband had mentioned that he was going outside with our neighbor, Mr. Dave, and when those two men get together, power tools are usually involved. Like the time they built the catapult in Mr. Dave's driveway, and used it to shoot his dead Christmas tree to the top of the hill. (In case you're wondering, we do live in suburbia; it's not as if people aren't around to notice these things. I did tell Todd that they would not be allowed to play together very often - between Dave's creativity and Todd's engineering mind, they could cause a lot of trouble!)
After we were up and about, the girls went outside to see what was going on, and Emma rushed in to tell me that I had to come outside, right then. Out I went, to discover that the boys had decided to cut down the rather large Loblolly Pine tree that stood between our houses.
I knew this day would come; we've often talked about the need to remove that tree. It dumped loads of pine needles in our gutters, and was generally a nuisance where it stood. Usually, though, I get some kind of forewarning that these little projects are going to take place.
The girls and I went out and harvested all the pine cones we could find, and we got a 30-gallon garbage sack full of beautiful cones! We can make angels, bird feeders, wreaths.... whatever comes to mind. And, if we are so inspired, the branches are in the back yard for more gathering.
When I asked my husband why they decided today would be "the day," he responded, "Mr. Dave lost his satellite connection."
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Nov. 24, 2006 - Little Sisters
My Abbie is such a funny little nut. Yesterday morning, she asked me what "no comprendo" means - I told her it means, "I don't understand." I'm not sure where she heard it; probably on Sesame Street.
Anyhoo, last night, my mom was telling us about taking the girls up to a park to ride their bikes. It's a small park in our neighborhood, with sidewalks all the way around and through it. It's a perfect place for bike racing, apparently. They rode their bikes around and around, and if one girl thought the other was ahead, they would quickly turn around and go the other direction so that they were suddenly in the lead. Tricky little things, aren't they?
So, at one point, Abbie was way ahead of Emma, who of course could not let that continue. Emma is, after all, the eldest and determined to be in charge at all times. She said, "Abbie! Wait for me!" Abbie replied, "I can't hear you!" and kept on pedaling. Emma yells again, "Abbie! Wait for me!" and Abbie says again, "I can't hear you!" and pedals faster. For a third time, Emma called to Abbie to slow down, and Abbie hollered back, "NO COMPRENDO!" and pedaled as fast as she could in the other direction.
We laughed and laughed. I must say that one of the best fringe benefits about having children is the comic relief.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 27, 2006 - Whew!
We have had quite a day around here. LOTS of attitude from the Bean. This morning, I told the girls they could come with me to take the dog for a walk - always a big treat, since I try to walk before they get up most days.
First, they wanted to ride their bikes. Then, they decided that their scooters were a better idea, because they haven't done a lot of bike riding, and going down hills can be scary when you're not confident in your braking ability. I told them it was fine, but there would be no whining or complaining, and they were responsible for their scooters - Mom was not going to be pushing them home.
It went pretty well for about two-thirds of the way - then Bean just didn't seem to be able to help herself and started complaining of being thirsty, hot and tired. I told her that when I start feeling crabby, I think about all the things I have to be thankful for, like two healthy daughters who are able to walk and run and play so that they can join me on walks on beautiful, sunny days like today. She didn't "feel" like trying to change her attitude, but she did stop complaining for the most part. I took them home, gave them water to drink and they rested while I had a shower.
After lunch, a friend needed some help while painting, so we went over to her house. It's less than 2 blocks away, so I walked and the girls decided to ride their scooters - until Squinky decided to ride her bike, instead. That was fine until we were about halfway there, when Bean decided that she wanted her bike, too, and we should turn around and go back for it. Umm - no. So, she informed that she hated her scooter and would never ride it again. I told her I would be happy to get rid of it for her, along with anything else she decided to complain about today.
They were pretty good while we visited, and she did fine on the way home. However, once we got home it was a different story. They were riding bikes in the driveway while I got dinner ready, and they asked me to move the car out of the garage, like we had done yeseterday. I said no, because dinner was almost ready and then it would be time to get ready for bed. She proceeded to throw a fit, so she received a spanking and then we parcticed appropriate responses 5 times before she was allowed to go back out. She continued with her bad attitude when her sister asked whether I was going to move the car, so I told them it was time to come inside. She proceeded to yell at me, so I sent her to her room, where she ate dinner and now awaits me to come tell her when she can get ready for bed. She has been crying ever since, because she does not like to be alone - which would, after all, be the point of her eating alone in her room. I think she gets it.
This is so hard. Did anyone else know how hard it was going to be when they signed up to become parents? This week has been much the same every day. Bean does not want to do her schoolwork, and questions and argues with me about every task. When she's not being contentious, she is watching her sister work, in case Squinky might need some of her expert advice. In the amount of time she spends complaining and not working, she could finish her work for the week. She's only in first grade! Apparently I have not been responding strongly enough, in my attempts not to yell at her, because she seems to think she can behave horribly all the time. We didn't even *get* to school today. I have news for the dear child - we are NOT going to continue this way.
Tonight, while she is in the bath, I am going to take all the toys out of the room that Bean and Squinky share. I forsee the Bean spending a great deal of time in there in the near future, and I need to make sure she will not enjoy it. Sigh. Why, oh why, can't she see that this behavior will get her nowhere? I suppose, like her mother, she will have to learn this lesson the hard way.
Our current Bible memory work:
Do everything without grumbling or arguing. Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world...
Philippians 2:14-16, CEV
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 13, 2006 - A little sad today.....
I am feeling a little blue today. My sweetie is going on a moose-hunting trip in early October, with my dad, my brother and my brother-in-law. That's enough in itself, because I am never happy for us to be apart, and this will be the longest time ever, I think. I have yet to handle any separation from him graciously. The original plan was for all the wives to bring all the kidlets to my parents' house and hang out with my mom and my grandma. My girlies and I have been looking forward to this since we started planning the trip last summer.
I finally nailed my dad down for dates they need to leave and return, and sent an email out to my sister and sister-in-law about what we're all doing. My sister, bless her heart, is finishing up the last 3 months of her residency, and she's exhausted. She doesn't feel like she can take both babies to my folks' house; she is just too tired. My mom and I decided that my mom should go there rather than asking her to make the trip.
I thought that maybe I could take my girlies, then, and visit my sister-in-law and most adorable nephew C. in Chicago. He is the delight of my life, that boy. Cheeks that you want to eat up. Smile that lights up the world. You know, all the sweetest baby things packed into one little (rather huge, actually) guy.
My sister-in-law emailed me to say that her mother is coming to stay with her, thank you very much, and if her mother isn't able to come, she will decide if she can go to Alaska or not. In any case, she feels that having my girls at her house would be so disruptive to C's schedule that it would be worse than going solo for the week.
Well. I hardly know what to say. Honestly, I don't think my girls are so bad. They love their little cousin, and would jump at the chance to see him. We will have school to do, and it will be October in Chicago, so we could be outside a lot if he has trouble sleeping with them in the house. Also, they both still nap.
I have taken every opportunity over the years to let my girlies see any family as much as they could, because we live so far away from everyone. I am completely taken aback by my sister-in-law's response to us coming to her house. Yes, having family around gets babies out of their routine, but all the extra love and fun has been worth it for me.
I was so excited to get to see C. and my wee nieces, Peanut and Nubby, and I am heartbroken at the thought of not being able to go. But, I don't think my sister needs us to pile into her house, either, since they are trying to sell it and get ready to move in December. It looks like we are going to stay here, which is not the end of the world; we have school to do and co-op, and I'm sure we will come up with some fun things that we can do, "just us girls." I will surely miss seeing those babies, though, and the week will feel much lonlier now.
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 10, 2006 - Love Defined
Last Sunday (not today; I wasn't listening closely enough to tell you much about today), the sermon at my church was on the love of God. It was a great sermon. Very challenging, too.
The pastor read part of Chapter 13 from the book of I Corinthians in the Bible, but with a twist: he suggested that we put our own name into the text and see how we measure up against this well-known definition of love.
Beth is patient (Ummm... not so much. Better than I used to be, but still lots of room for work. Hear me on this: if you ever pray for patience, prepare to be tested. A lot.)
Beth is kind. (I do pretty well with being kind. I am much kinder when the kids are not whining, complaining or arguing with me.)
Beth does not envy, (I don't think I envy much. I am OK with this one.)
Beth does not boast, (I may be more boastful than I realize but I don't *think* I struggle with this.)
Beth is not proud. (This is one of the major struggles in my heart. I was raised with pride being a family virtue. When I read "love is not proud," I think, "How nice for it!" When I apply it to myself, however - ugh.)
Beth is not rude. (I'm usually not rude.)
Beth is not self-seeking, (I am definitely self-seeking at times. I like to think I put my husband's interests and those of my family ahead of my own, but you know, when I want to do something, I sign up to do it and then tell my husband about it afterwards, rather than talking to him about it and asking him if he has other plans.)
Beth is not easily angered, (Another biggie - I have a quick temper. Eep.)
Beth keeps no record of wrongs. (Kind of. I may not remember the specifics, but the feelings of distrust do hang around for a long time. When I am hurt again and again by the same person, it gets harder and harder to "forgive and forget." It's also much easier to let things go when the person who has hurt me is actually sorry. When they're not sorry, and they can't see what they've done that's wrong, well, let's just say it takes a bit longer to get over.)
Beth does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (I am pretty good at this one. I really do not rejoice when bad things happen, even when they happen to someone that I might like to think could possibly deserve them. I don't let my mind go there.)
Beth always protects, (I am VERY protective of those I love. I do not believe they would have cause to doubt my loyalty. I may not always love them like I should, but God help the person who tries to hurt them when it's *not* me.)
Beth always trusts, (I used to be very trusting. I am far less so now. I have not done a good job of guarding my heart. Proverbs 4:23)
Beth always hopes, (sometimes more than others)
Beth always perseveres. (I'm still here......)
Beth never fails. (We will not go into all the times I have failed.)
There you have it. Using God's definition of love, I have a l-o-o-o-o-ng way to go. I am going to print this off and review it every day. Nothing like a reality check to keep me humble.
The good news? There is grace. My mom told me one time that she was feeling like the worst mother ever; she didn't think she was "training us us" very well. God said to her, "You are not in this alone. My Grace covers everything."
And you know what? He told the truth. I don't remember my mom's mistakes. I remember lots of love, laughter, and singing as a kid. We had a great time. I never doubted that my parents loved me.
I am so grateful that even though I fall miserably short of the mark, God is here with his abundant grace. I mess up on a regular basis, but my girlies know I love them in spite of my sharp voice and impatient nature. I will keep on praying, keep on learning, and hopefully keep on getting better at loving them (and everyone else) the way God is teaching me. In the meantime, thank you, Lord Jesus, for leading the way, walking beside me, and holding my hand when things get rough. And, thank you, thank you for your amazing grace that allows your love to flow through all things in spite of me.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 9, 2006 - Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.....
So, I got to go to an all-day scrapbooking event today, and it was FUN! I didn't get much done, and it did occur to me that I actually paid money to get to hang out with friends, but I loved it (and I did finish my honeymoon album finally - we've only been married for 11 years).
I was talking with a couple of friends in the kitchen about the pros and cons of being on medication for depression/anxiety. One friend has weaned herself from hers, and is feeling that she liked herself better when she was taking it. I am afraid to try life without mine - I have a hard enough time as it is, I can't imagine how I would be without it. We were discussing times when we've felt like we might need to be institutionalized, and our third friend made some very good points about mental health facilities:
- It's quiet.
- They speak to you very calmly.
- When you are upset, they leave you alone.
- You get to do crafts.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Sep. 1, 2006 - MOMMY TIME OUT
I am sitting at my computer for a few minutes because I gave myself a time out.
We
are trying to do our last day of study on creation. Abbie didn't draw
her picture of day 5 yesterday (birds and sea creatures) so she's doing
it today. I made the grave mistake of showing her my TM that had ideas
for the drawings, and she proceeded to CRY because she had drawn waves
with rounded tops and she "wanted to draw triangle waves." (The picture
in the TM shows pointy waves.)
This is after I asked her to
get our school bag out (all the art supplies, crayons, pencils, etc)
and she proceeded to dump it all over the floor.
Now, I have
tried VERY VERY hard to practice patience and not yell, but I yelled
about the crying over the stupid picture. Really, how many times does
one have to tell the child that crying solves nothing - just ASK for
help and we can probably come up with a way to fix it. ARGH.
This
is the same child, who, on Monday, when told that we were done with
school for the day proceeded to throw a tantrum because she wanted to
do more. Now, if she had *asked* me, we could have come up with
something - it's not as if we have no other available materials in the
house. But no, she has to start shrieking.
I am sure that
lurking behind all this is my ineptitude as a mother and teacher, but
all I can come up with right now is a boatload of frustration. Again I
say, ARGH!!!!
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Aug. 28, 2006 - First Day Of School, tra la!
We finally started school today! I had intended to be a bit better
prepared, but, we ended up having eveything we needed. For the first
two weeks, we're studying Creation, and I had hoped to have Oreo
cookies for snack to represent light and dark, but oh, well. I
also thought we would have a special "First Day of School Breakfast"
with waffles or something. Maybe it will have to be a special
breakfast for the second day.
I am not sure what was up with Emma. She complained about every single
thing from the time she got up this morning. She finally got a spank,
and that was the only thing that convinced her to stop. So much for all
my positive discipline attempts. Sigh.
Emma assured me that
she would not be doing any school. So, when we were done reading
stories and got to the table for the "school" part, I was quite
surprised when she asked if I had something for her to do. I told her
that I thought she didn't want to do anything ever, and she said, "Well, I suppose I could do something." Ha.
Abbie
was SO excited to finally get to "do school!" She got to cut out the
first number for her Creation poster and make the first page in her
creation book. She was enjoying herself so much, she actually cried
when she learned that school was done for the day. Yes, I could have
given her more to do, but she threw a tantrum instead of asking if
there was something else we could try. Tomorrow we will try
again. I have some nifty nesting Creation globes, and they were
so excited to find them that they could hardly STAND it when I told
them they would have to wait until tomorrow to see what the globe for
Day 2 looks like. Ah, if only we can approach every school day
with this much joyful anticipation.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Aug. 26, 2006 - Some UnBirthday Thoughts
So - yesterday went well, considering that I spend most of my birthdays feeling sad, lonely and crying on and off. I have been pondering the change, and I think God has been gently working on my heart again.
There have been so many wonderful little things happening at our house since we got home from vacation. It's been so, so good for me, because it's kept me from focusing on just how much I miss my family, which is what I usually do when we get back from Michigan.
- My girlie didn't have any pain when she re-broke her arm.
- The pediatric orthopaedist did her surgery this time, and is
taking care of her. I like his plan of care for my daughter
better than what we did last time with the other doctor.
- We got signed up for a homeschool co-op - YAY!
- The very, very nice co-op people put the broken child into a Backyard Scientist class, even though it was already full, instead of the PE class I chose (Doctor says not even ballet until after the first of the year).
- The folks in my small group gave me a Happy Birthday balloon, flowers, and a giant cookie for my birthday!
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
Aug. 25, 2006 - Happy Birthday To Me!
I turned 35 today. Normally, I don't ascribe significance to my birthdays; I don't care that much about getting older. Today, though, was different. Today I learned something.
My husband and I moved to North Carolina 8 years ago. It was a tough decision for us; we needed to establish our marriage on our own, but we both grew up in Michigan and hated to leave our extended families behind. I knew God was leading us here, but it was scary.
In my family, birthdays are a big deal. My mom has a gift for making you feel so special, so loved on your birthday - it's a beautiful thing. I grew up spending my birthday with grandparents, aunts, uncles cousins; whoever could come and have cake. Since we moved here, I think I've had family with me once.
So, I've been depressed on my birthday almost every year. I just figured it was what it was; I miss my family and I am acutely aware of how much on that particular day.
Today, though, was different. I had to renew my driver's license, and my husband stayed home from work so that I could go to a scrapbooking event at a friend's house. I could not let him see that I was feeling blue when he surprised me by taking the day off for my birthday! So, I smiled a lot, thanked him profusely, opened my presents from my family with the girlies, and then got on my way to the DMV.
On the way, I had to stop at a gas station for my caffeine fix, and the man working there was so friendly and cheerful, that I fixed a smile on my face and said "Great!" when he asked how I was, and chatted with him a minute. I felt my spirits lift a little more.
At the DMV, I made a real effort to be friendly; people who work with the general public day in and day out do not need any more unhappy people in their day. I chatted with a girl in line about the cool purse she was carrying, and found out she'd gotten it in England. I told her my funny license renewing story from last year (see below) and we both laughed. I thanked the woman who gave me my new license, and she thanked me for thanking her - I could hear the surprise in her voice that someone showed gratitude in the DMW office.
When I got to my friend's house, I met another homeschooling mom, which was a tremendous blessing in itself. She also had her 6 year old daughter with her, and I learned that this little girl and I share the same birthday. I could not possibly feel sorry for myself in the presence of this beautiful child celebrating her special day, telling me all about the Ariel birthday party she's having - you know how much fun it is to have a birthday when you're 6, right?
I have a Mary Kay business, and one thing you hear a lot is "Fake it until you make it!" I suppose you hear it in any sales-related field. You have to put on a happy face when you deal with people because they need to know you are focusing on them and their needs. I am not typically good at hiding my feelings, and don't often put much effort into it. Today, I put it into practice, and it WORKED. I started the day feeling blue, but when I stepped out of my pity party and made a point to be cheerful to other people, somehow the smile worked its way into my heart, and by the end of the day, it was real.
I can still feel that little place in my heart that wishes I could have celebrated my birthday today with my parents, my siblings, sibs-in-law, my nieces and nephew. However, I learned that even on MY birthday, I don't have to wallow. I can rise above the sadness and, eventually, the joy will creep its way into me and become the real thing.
(License renewing story: Last year, my husband got a card in the mail to renew his driver's license; we thought since we'd been here 7 years it was time to renew. He got his, and a week later, I went to get mine. At the DMV, I handed over my old license to the nice gentleman helping me, and he asked me what I wanted to to do. I told him since I'd lived here 7 years it was time to get a new driver's license. He said, "Ma'am, you can't renew this more than 180 days before it expires. What is it that you want me to do today?" I said, "I have lived here for 7 years, and I need to renew my license!" He then explained to me that in North Carolina, you renew on your birthdays ending in 5 or 0; my husband had turned 35, but I was still a year away. So I got to go home and tell my husband how OLD he was. And that although I would be 35 the following year, he would still turn 36 first. Ha!)
