5 Things I've Learned From My Husband

Everyone wants your advice.

Or so the unstated philosophy of my family goes.  They have a catch phrase that precedes any tidbits of advice that they will push on you, solicited or not.  It goes: If there is one thing I've learned in my life...

In honor of them [and unsolicited advice everywhere], I've created the Five Things I've Learned... series on this blog.

Be prepared to be amazed by the unsolicited tidbits of life-learning I will pass on to you.
....

5 Things I've Learned ... 

From My Husband

1. Dancing in the kitchen is better than a ballroom.

I once thought the best dancing happened in ballrooms, with mood lighting, good music, and a variety of skilled dance partners. I was wrong. The best dancing happens at home, after a long day, when your husband turns up the music, grabs your dish-soapy hands, and twirls you onto the kitchen floor and you dance the evening away with just him... and maybe your two year old. That is the best dancing.

2. How to use lightroom and photoshop.

Guys, I really thought I was tech-savy. And then I met Andy. I am daily learning how little I know. The more I learn, the more he seems to know.  I can't catch up. This man is a tech-genius.

3. What true forgiveness looks like.

I mess up. A lot. And in big ways sometimes. And yet this solid rock of a man that I married is gracious, kind, loving, forgiving, and always understanding. How did I get so lucky?  I'm pretty sure I'm getting better at demonstrating some of the godly characteristics that he has shown me, but he constantly impresses me with how he lets God live and love through him.

4. Cars are a hobby.

Can't they just be transportation? Do they really need to be hobby?  I'm waiting for the day when we have the same car for more than a year. It hasn't happened yet...

5. The best advice is a listening ear.

It doesn't make sense, but watching Andy proves it again and again. People don't need your advice. They just need your unconditional love, support, encouragement. They know what is wrong in their life, and they likely know how to fix it. They don't need you to point it out; they just need you to listen and care. And if they want that advice? They'll ask for it.

Who knew?

© Andy and Elisha Catts - our first wedding anniversary in Sunriver, Oregon.

Comment Discussions: What have you learned from your husband?

New Years Resolutions

I really only use the term "New Years Resolution" to put a name to the many resolutions I make throughout the year. For the past few months, I've been planning on blogging and writing more, but life's craziness hasn't allowed me much free time for it. So my "new year's resolution" is to write more which includes more blogging. I'm hoping to look back at this year and have lots of virtual pages of words. So one will hopefully find Elisha's (and Andy's!) word vomit located here throughout the year.

Right now I'm curled up in Andy's office down at the service center working on grant writing (well, I was working on grant writing, now I'm lazily blogging). We're listening to new music that we've borrowed from Dan (my music savvy cousin-in-law), specifically at this moment, John Legend. I admit, music transports me to a whole different world. Right now I'm imagining sitting on park bench cuddling with Andy watching the busy world go about its busyness while I'm content and warm, cuddled close to the love of my life. I am, of course, actually sitting in a 30 year old chair in an office whose chartruse walls are pocked and marked and pinned with bright yellow and teal fliers. I don't have a real desk, so the fiber board nailed to the mismatched rickety pieces of wood is sufficing as a typing surface. After about ten minutes of letting the laptop shift and sway as I typed, I decided to move it to my lap. So now I'm sitting Indian style in my cozy 30 year old office chair that 90 percent of the homeless community wouldn't want even if I offered to pay them to take it.

Onto more interesting subjects that don't involve seat cushions. I went dancing this weekend and it was amazing! Mandi came in from Corvallis and we went out to the Sunnyside Grange and did west coast swing until 11PM. Aferward, we decided that we weren't done dancing and decided to meet up with some friends at the Scottish Rite Center for the Portland Fusion Exchange. Pretty much the fusion exchange is the most amazing dancing I've had in years! Everyone mixed west coast swing, blues, lindy hop, and tango together into this fusion of wonder and awesomeness. I have felt like my dancing has been really stale and stiff lately and I haven't really been enjoying going out dancing much, and then going out and relaxing and having fun just added the spark that has been missing from my dancing. I am so excited to go out and do more west coast dancing with the new perspective that I've gained from just loosening up and having fun this weekend.

Have I mentioned that I love Mandi? Seriously, she is one of the most fabulous people in my acquaintance. We spent the whole weekend being girly (translated from Elisha = going shopping and giggling a lot). I love how relaxed I can be with Mandi. I rarely let down the weird walls I build all around myself, but Mandi is the kind of friend who I can immediately just relax with. I stop thinking about the things I should say, shouldn't say, can say, can't say, and I just am. Which is kind of what happened with dancing this weekend - I stopped thinking about the things I should do, shouldn't do, can do, can't do, and I just danced. Perhaps I'm learning something about just being myself and being okay with it.

AND I mad a quilt!!! How cool is that?! I'm officially a quilter. And I'm addicted. On Friday, I hung out with my lovely friend Becca from Bridal Exclusives and we spent the day quilting. She helped me pick out some awesome fabrics and then taught me how to put it all together. I just finished the quilt on Monday and I'm so proud of it. It's basic and simple, but it's the first time I've used a sewing machine and I'm pretty excited about the results. We're going out today to pick out fabric for our next quilting project. I'm determined to rock this quilting thing. So if you all get quilts for Christmas presents this year, don't be too shocked!

Have I mentioned that I love my husband? He's so handsome. :) He's sitting next to me being all oblivious and working hard and I'm just so amazed that such a wonderful man fell in love with me. I feel so blessed and excited about our future and I am so happy and thankful that God "intervened" in our lives and brought us together.

I miss my mom. She's off having a wonderful time in Australia and I'm so excited for her, but I miss her a ton. I'm used to calling and chatting with her nearly everyday and it is so weird to not have her around to soundboard all my crazy ideas off of. She is one of the best listeners and "advice-givers" I know. She always seems to know the right thing to say. I'm just glad that she's only going to be gone until the end of the month!

Okay - I'm off to the fabric store with Becca again! Ciao!