Go Chisholms GO!: 2019

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas!

As always, along with hosting a lovely Christmas meal, Bridgette and Brian also hosted a celebration for James.

Christmas week was spent mostly around the house -- playing games (video and board), building Legos and other engineering feats, "doing science", riding bikes, and climbing at the gym. Alma and James completed the goal of riding to Dunkin' Donuts (a 10-mile ride).

And lastly, along with the children receiving video games for Christmas (Lego Harry Potter, Lego Avenures, and MineCraft), we went from a tv that was the size of our computer monitor ...

... to this -->

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Ode to Joshua

Recently I've been feeling especially grateful to be married to Joshua. While this blog may seem outward-facing (for the entertainment of the reader; or, you know, bragging), I use it mainly as a recording of our family's history and a reminder to myself to write to stay in the present moment and look at old posts to appreciate the moments we have shared. Therefore, with this combination of feeling overwhelming love and wanting to remember why I especially love him these days, here are a few thoughts on the subject:

The mantra that still goes through my head when I think about Joshua is "He is out of my league" which is what I told my mother after our second date. While this may seem self-effacing, it is more that I still marvel at the fact that Joshua, who is the best at taking care of others, chose to spend his life with me.
Joshua is dedicated. This dedication may put him in funny situations when the balance is off (see: past jobs) but it is the best for a marriage. There is nothing I could do or say or become that would get him to leave. Instead of taking this lightly, I try to be deserving of this devotion.
Our house is exactly as I imaged having a house when I was a child and young adult. I love that we don't have matching sets of things, it is small so that we are always interacting with one another but still comfortable for our daily needs, and that I can move the furniture around often. In fact, the living room has had three configurations this month. Joshua is always pleased with whatever happens, including the 20+ plants that move around in the living room, which makes me so happy.
Not only does Joshua encourage me to pursue the right career and educational path, he always reminds me to think of creating balance in our lives.

And two items that I love about Joshua that also drive me slightly crazy:

Joshua is a tireless workhorse. He spends all week being devoted to work and all weekend moving through household chores. He leaves little time for fun or downtime. This is awesome in that I will never be the wife who is wishing for assistance. However, I worry that he never takes a break -- what does that do for his mental and physical health?
Because I'm not great at reading people's expressions, I am often attracted to folks who wear their emotions on their sleeves. Joshua is an open book, which makes it easy to know where his is at a given moment. However, at times, this creates a situation in which both of us are trying to take care of each other, based on the emotions we are sharing. Interestingly enough, during precana (the couples counseling that Catholics attend prior to marriage) the counselor noted that this would be our biggest challenge based on our Myers-Briggs results.

While Joshua and I are more opposites that we imagined we were when dating and engaged, I'm so grateful for our relationship and marriage.