"Get Your Life Together Week"

Periodically, I declare it "Get Your Life Together Week." When this happens, Chuck and I make lists of all this things we've been wanting or needing to accomplish and give ourselves a week to do it. Whether it's make doctor appointments, finish paperwork, or clean something, we HAVE to do in that week! It makes for an extremely busy week, but it's nice to tie up all the loose ends we've been neglecting. So, here is a SMALL portion of my list:

-Get taxes done
-Clean out clothes- donate to church for the Trunk Show
-Replace Aiden's 3-6 month clothing with 6-9 month clothing
-Wash diaper bag
-Clean car
-Replace light bulbs over dining room table
-Redo budget
-Clean all vents in house
-Clean all fans and lighting fixtures
-Organize garage
-Dust and restring lights in ficus tree
-Go through Micah's toys and donate old toys to church for Trunk Show
-Organize all closets, cabinets, and vanities
-Scrub carpets
-Shave dogs

Ok, I might need to extend this by a week! There is always something to be done!

Happy Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day, I've decided to list 10 reasons I love my husband:

1. The man is a genius! Seriously, he is one of the smartest people I know. People always say that he has wisdom and knowledge WAY beyond his years, and that is so true!

2. His eyes. I love them! His eyelashes are SO long and gorgeous.

3. His involvement in our family. I think it is so easy for pastors to get caught up in ministry and their family ends up getting short changed. I really appreciate Chuck's commitment to spending quality time with me and the boys. I never doubt that we are his first priority.

4. How easygoing he is. Chuck is so flexible. I've seen marriages where husbands or wives have to walk on eggshells to make sure their spouse doesn't become angry. That is not the case with Chuck. He is so quick to put other's first, and it is rare that he asserts his own desires. He is so relaxed which makes everyone around him relaxed.

5. His commitment to our marriage. Bottom line- marriage takes work and effort, no matter how much you love each other. I am grateful that Chuck puts as much effort into our marriage now as he did 7 years ago. I never doubt that he loves me. I never worry that there are underlying issues that haven't been dealt with. I never go through a day without him telling me that I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. He truly is an awesome husband.

6. He is a blast! I always give him a hard time and tell him that he's a "stick in the mud," but the truth is that there is no one else I'd rather hang out with. I so look forward to going out on dates nights because I love spending time with him. He really is my best friend.

7. He is a Godly man. I live with the guy and know him better than anyone else. I see when he is frustrated, weak, and having bad days. I can say that I've never seen anyone strive so hard to please God. I hear him praying, I see him studying his Bible, and he is constantly reading to grow and become a better person. He is not a pastor that doesn't practice what he preaches. I am thankful to be married to man with integrity who is not fake.

8. Speaking of preaching, Chuck Barrineau is one of the best! We have been senior pastors for 5 of the 7 years we've been married (the other two, we were youth pastors). That means I've heard him preach A LOT. I honestly never get tired of listening to him. Not only that, but I usually hear his messages throughout the week as he develops his thoughts and runs ideas by me. So, by Sunday, I usually have a pretty good idea what the sermon is. Even with that, I enjoy listening to him. I learn so much from him every week, and I think he is hilarious. The only problem is when he uses embarrassing stories about me for illustrations (like me talking in my sleep). Oh, well... I guess it's good that I'm not easily embarrassed.

9. HE CAN COOK!! HALLELUJAH! As everyone pretty much knows, I HATE cooking. I love to clean- it's therapeutic to me, but I despise cooking. I have no desire to learn how to cook... I don't want to be anywhere near the kitchen unless I'm cleaning it. Thankfully, God gave me a man that enjoys cooking and is good at it. I just wish he had more time for it.

10. He puts up with me. That is not an easy task! I am a very quirky, random, hyper person. And I'm noticing how obsessive I can be about things. I will jump from thought to thought and have 10 different conversation in a span of 5 minutes. I will stop in the middle of one conversation and go back to a conversation we had 3 days ago as if we were still talking about it. I have a hard time relaxing if my house is not clean. I am loud. I am emotional. If I get upset, it takes me a while to get over it. Are you worn out yet? Despite all that, Chuck loves me as I am- with no make-up and my hair in an afro! I never feel like I'm not good enough or that he wants me to change. It's nice be able to rest assured that you're loved even with all your flaws.



There are many more reasons, but I'll leave it at 10... I wouldn't want anyone to start gagging! I cannot really do justice to how wonderful Chuck is. I wish everyone could know him like I do. He is amazing.

Happy Valentine's Day, Chuck. I love you infinity times infinity in Jesus' name to the 37th power, and that's the highest you can go in Jesus name!

2009 in Review

It's 3:00 am and I can't sleep; therefore, I blog...

2009 has been a busy year. This is a look back at all the fun things that happened.



In January, Chuck and I, along with Lori, surprised Adam and took him to Gatlinburgh, TN for his birthday/ vacation. The Monday before his birthday, we packed up and went to Myrtle Beach. Lori called Adam at work and told him that she had locked herself and Ethan out of the house. Adam came home, let her in the house, and we surprised him. We told him to pack because we were leaving right then. We had booked a beautiful cabin and Lori had already worked it out with his job. We had a great time! We went to Wonder Works, played in the snow, and played lots of pool and air hockey. Only complaint- I was 1 month pregnant and sick!



Also in January, we were given tickets to see Rascal Flatts when they came to Charleston. It was a great concert! I'm not a fan of country music, but I really like Rascal Flatts.



In April, my family in Pittsburgh, PA threw a birthday for my grandma who turned 80. My mom, Micah, and I flew up for it. My sisters, their husbands, and brother also attended. It was great seeing my grandmother and family that I rarely get to see. I wish they all lived closer... they are all such wonderful people. My grandmother is awesome! She still plays on a bowling league! I really hope that I am as full of energy as she is when I'm 80!



At the beginning of July, we went on another mini vacation for Chuck's birthday. Lori's grandparents own a cottage on Oak Island, so we stayed there for a couple days and just relaxed.



Chuck and I worked at Camp Robinson again this year. Like every year, it has it's ups and downs. I love meeting new people and developing new relationships. We came out this year with some great new friends- Brandon and Megan! And camp would not be camp without the volleyball games. By the end of the three weeks, we are so thankful to be home in our own beds with our own bathrooms.



Micah turned 3!!! I cannot believe how quickly this kid is growing up! How do you make it stop?! We threw him a birthday party at Celebration Town, so we didn't have to do anything for it. Being 8 months pregnant, I did not feel like putting a birthday party together. Celebration Town was a lot of fun!



The most exciting thing happened in August- Aiden's arrival! I still cannot believe that I have two kids! Aiden is such a wonderful, easy baby. He has been a great addition to our family. Chuck, Micah, and I love him so much!!


Our house went through a lot of changes, and I love it. Micah got a new rock star room, and Aiden's room is beautiful- all courtesy of the Seymours. Our kitchen was completely gutted and redone. Our guest bedroom was moved and repainted. Our bedroom was repainted, and we were given a new couch for Pastor Appreciation. AND our carpet downstairs was replaced with hardwood floors. I love, love, LOVE it!

It seems that most of the negative things happened at the end of the year. In November, I had a toenail removed due to a toenail fungus I got at camp two years ago. The whole thing was a fiasco, and I still think I should get some kind of compensation from the IPHC. Worker's Comp? :-)

Another negative is the kidney stone. It is the first, and hopefully the only, kidney stone ever. It was a horrible experience and I am so glad it's over!



Of course Thanksgiving and Christmas were great. We were given a Wii for Christmas! Whoo hoo!!



So, there you have it- 2009 highlights. Overall, it was a really great, busy year. This list doesn't even include all the traveling we did or everything that happened with Restoration Ministries. That alone would be a crazy long blog.



I am so thankful to be where I am in life. I love my husband and kids- they truly are the greatest! On top of that, we are connected with some of the most wonderful people at RM. I can't wait to see what in store for 2010!

"Christmas Time's A Comin'"

If you attended our Christmas Variety Show, you will recognize the title. This blog isn't about the show, but since I mentioned it, I thought it went very well. This has been the most relaxed year for me as the director. I guess I've just come to realize that things usually fall into place, so there is no need to freak out beforehand. We had well over 200 in attendance which isn't bad in my opinion. The only issue was my voice. I woke up Sunday morning and had lost my voice. I really thought that once I got it warmed up, it would be better. I was wrong! At 3:00, I was gargling salt water, drinking tea, taking DayQuil, taking honey and lemon, and I STILL couldn't sing. After we rehearsed a few times, I realized that I just couldn't sing, so Pastor Lori graciously took my solos and I just squeaked through the other songs. I didn't recover my voice until Wednesday. I was so frustrated, I could have cried... it's just disappointing to practice things and prepare to have it all changed up at the last minute. Oh, well. There's always next year!

Usually, Christmas Day is a fun day to spend with family, open presents, play with them, eat and chill out. Not for the Barrineaus. Our Christmas is probably the most hectic day for us... well, Christmas and Thanksgiving since it's pretty much the same routine for both days.

We wake up at Chuck's parents' house. We usually go to Georgetown a few days early since his parents and sister see Micah and Aiden the least. We open presents with Chuck's parents, his sisters, his nephews, niece, and great-niece. Then, we eat. It's usually barbeque since his dad cooks a hog a few days before. This year, we also had a turkey.

Then, we leave and go to my mom's house in Mt. Pleasant. We eat again and open presents with my mom, my sisters, their husbands, and my brother. Last year, we played a little pool, but there wasn't much time for that this year.

After that, we go to my dad and step-mom's in West Ashley. (By this time, we usually have to make a trip to our house in Summerville to unload our car so there is room for more presents.) We eat... again. Usually, it's Puerto Rican food, which is awesome! Then we open presents yet again.

Cons: With all the traveling we are exhausted by the end of the day, I don't feel like we really get to see each family member because we spend just a little time at each house, there truly is no downtime, and Micah has to wait until the next day to get his presents out of the boxes since there isn't time for him to play. Oh, and we eat way too much food! Joy is going to kick our behinds the next time we workout!

Pros: Micah and Aiden get to see all their family in one day, our parents get to see their grandchildren, the boys are the only grand kids so they get insane amounts of gift which they get excited about, we eat lots of food :-)

Chuck and I saw "Four Christmases" a few weeks ago and laughed because it's pretty close to how we spend our holidays... minus the drama, etc.

I don't know... maybe one day we'll stay home and have our own Christmas with our own family traditions. I don't foresee that happening anytime soon. It's ok, though. We love our families and look forward to spending time with them any chance we get.

Anyone else have a crazy Christmas?

Update

Wow, my last blog was July- pathetic.

Since July, we've had a major change- Aiden arrived!! Needless to say, I am SO happy to not be pregnant anymore! I LOVED being pregnant the first time around, but this time- not so much. A large part of it was due to the fact that I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was a total freak thing. I did not fit into any of the risk categories. I had to go to a class about it and a nutritionist put me on a strict diet. I also has to check my sugar 4 times a day. Holy cow, was I happy to get rid of those needles! Anyways, Chuck and I made the most of it, and tried some new recipes, etc. On the bright side, I started losing the baby weight before Aiden even came.

Partly because of the diabetes, my doctor decided to induce me. It was wonderful knowing exactly when he would be here. I was able to clean my house from top to bottom so it was ready for me to come home!

The morning that I was being induced, I was suppose to be at the hospital between 6:00 and 6:30. Chuck and I set the alarm for 4:45 so we could leave by 5:45. We slept through the alarm and woke up when Adam (Adam and Lori stayed with us the night before) called to see if we were awake. After Chuck had a short conversation with Adam (while still asleep) I woke up and realized what was going on. We jumped up and rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, everything went well. I had an epidural, which was wonderful. Most of my family was there, so I had plenty of excitement to distract me (which was great since Aiden was in no hurry to get here). The nurse checked me about every hour or so. At about 5:00, she came into check me and I was about 7 cm. Thirty minutes later, she came in to adjust my IV and decided to check me again. She said that I was 9cm and she was getting the doctor. My doctor came in and said, "If you sneeze, this baby will come out, so hang on!" She left to change clothes and it was a whirlwind after that! The nurse kicked everyone out, prepared the room, and called the nursery. My doctor came back in and told me to push. I pushed twice and Aiden was here- less then 10 minutes and NO STITCHES! Hallelujah!! He was here on August 25 at 5:54pm. He was 6lbs. 8oz. and 20 in. long.

When we got home from the hospital, we took a day to sleep, then life picked back up again. We had a meeting that Saturday, church, End of Summer Party, the Kids Crusade, a trip to Columbia, a trip to Greenville, a trip to Myrtle Beach, a trip to Georgetown, and a trip to Falcon, NC. As I type, Chuck is speaking in Aiken. Things have been so busy, and Aiden has fit into our life just perfectly.

We are so thankful for our new addition. Micah absolutely loves him, and Chuck and I are continuously commenting on how much we love our family. God has been so good to us!

Dinner Conversations With a Two Year Old

Chuck and I had an interesting conversation with Micah at the dinner table tonight. We got on the subject of Micah being a big brother. Previously, when the topic of another baby comes up, Micah would refuse to acknowledge it. If we asked him if he wanted to be a big brother, he would yell, "NO!!!" (I'm sure everyone can picture exactly how he says it, too! )

Tonight, we asked Micah again if he wanted to be a big brother. He put up his hand and said, "Not yet! Not yet! It's my birthday first!" (He will be turning 3 on July 31st.) Chuck and I looked at each other, surprised at the different response. I asked him, "So, after your birthday, you want to be a big brother?" He replied, "Yes!"

Hallelujah! We've had a breakthrough! Micah has accepted the fact that he will not be an only child. We started to talk about him protecting, holding, and having to be very gentle with Aiden. Micah seemed very excited about all of it.

I then asked Micah where Aiden was. Micah looked down at his stomach and said, "He's in my belly! See?! (as he poked his stomach out)" It was hilarious!

Apparently, Aiden is in Micah's belly and I'm just bloated. The mind of a two year old is so interesting!

We're home!

Holy cow, it has been over a month since I last blogged. That's because it seems our life has been in fast-forward for quite some time. This is what has been going on:

Camp- We were at camp for 3 weeks! While I'm not a camp kind of girl, we did enjoy ourselves. It's nice seeing old friends and meeting new people. I also enjoy the volleyball games (yes, I did play), although they got a little too intense this year!! LOL!! I realized during the last week how much Chuck and I want a Nintendo Wii!! ;-) Micah had a good time too. Although we realized that we had been there too long when Micah started calling our camper his "camper home." He keeps asking us when we are going back! We are SOOO thankful to be home. Being in the middle of nowhere makes you really appreciate your comfortable home. I am continuously thanking God for my shower, bathroom, bed... etc. The list goes on and on!

House- The kitchen is almost done, HALLELUJAH!! There are only a few more cosmetic things still lingering, but it looks fabulous! I love it! And our entire downstairs carpet was replaced with hardwood floors. This is WONDERFUL for someone who is constantly concerned about the cleanliness of carpets and feels the need to scrub them every other week!! Seriously, I am much more relaxed not feeling like I need to scrub carpets! Now, we are just trying to get things ready for Aiden. On the to do list is painting and switching some rooms around. Hopefully, most of it will be done this week.

Micah- My little boy will be turning 3 years old on July 31st! I can't believe it!! He is growing up so quickly!

Pregnancy- It is almost over! I am now about 34 weeks. Since I last blogged, I found out that I have gestational diabetes. It's crazy because diabetes doesn't run in my family and I don't fit into any of the risk categories. I had to attend a class about it where they provided a nutritionist who put me on a strict diet, and they taught me about taking care of myself. In addition to the diet, I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day. Pricking your finger in not fun. On the bright side, this has caused Chuck and me to eat healthier which is something we've wanted to do anyways. Chuck is enjoying making new meals, and they have all turned out SOOO good! I've actually started losing weight already. My doctor wants me to gain 10 more pounds before I have this baby, so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, everything has been going well. I'm trying to enjoy this pregnancy since I'm planning on it being my last. I'm just ready to get some decent sleep and for the exhaustion to go away.

All in all, things are great. I'm excited about the new things that are yet to come, and I'm so thankful for my husband, Micah, church, everything! Life is great!