Date nights make marriage fun!

Mojo is settling into his kitty life very nicely. I'm a little concerned that he may have a flea or something in his coat but I think I have nothing to worry about so I've focused on him. He's had little black specks in his coat but that may be from playing in the dirt or something and he hasn't been itching constantly. The vet told me that due to the cold temperatures, fleas take a break during the winter but I'll probably have to look into flea control in the summer. We may just get some precautionary flea control though, just in case. Mojo is getting bigger and bigger and can stretch mostly across my belly. We have to get him his own kitty bed soon instead of my blanket that he lays on. Mojo has also decided to bring earthworms in to play with from time to time but he's really starting to settle down in the afternoons and evenings with long naps and rests. It's so funny to see him change and grow. He used to fit in the palms of my hands and now I have to hold him with both hands. Must be all the premium kitty chow and cheap soft food I give him.

The theme of these past two weeks for the church seemed to be marriage. There was a movie called "Fireproof" showing with Kirk Cameron, a couple doing a marriage seminar and this last weeks sermon was on Love and Marriage. Gordon and I decided to go see the movie on Tuesday and we had Doner Kebabs for dinner which was very delicious! The movie focused on a couple that had been married and were drifting apart. It got to the point that they decided they would get a divorce. The son's Dad asked the boy to do him a favor and take "The Love Dare" which is a book that you read each day for 40 days. The dares keep getting harder and harder and the wife thought the husband was trying to butter her up for the divorce. Eventually, the couple came back together and discovered their love again and were able to stay together. There is an actual book called "The Love Dare" and Gordon has talked about trying it out. I guess the point of watching the movie was that all marriages could use a little "Fireproofing" in order to withstand the hard times when the fires do come.

The sermon on Love and Marriage was really great too. I think it hit on a lot of positive points of marriage. Tom said something that seems so true, lots of couples happily live together for years without marriage and sometimes when they do get married they call it quits after so many months. He asked the question that if marriage is just a piece of paper saying your together then why does it have the power to affect us so drastically? I know that I have been affected by marriage in a great way. I have another person to share my life with and not be alone and I believe in the sanctity of marriage so maybe that's the power it has over me. Plus, Gordon helps me believe in my own self-worth, however hard it can be for me, and pushes me to better myself. I hope that I do the same things for him. Marriage has the ability to change us for the better, if we let it!

Gordon and I had a really good talk after the sermon on Sunday about love and marriage. There was a passage that he touched on briefly, in order to avoid people getting too upset, about women obeying their husbands and men honoring their wives. I can see how in today's world that can look like subjugation and it was used that way back in the day. When I look at it thought I see something else. If you look past the words of honor and obey, you can see a underlying theme which is respect. I respect my husbands opinion and I will listen to what he has to say, in turn, he honors me by listening to my viewpoint and treating me as an equal partner in our marriage. It may not sound like that to you but that's what I hear when I listen to that passage, mutual respect will lead to a happy marriage, as well as lots of love. People seem to focus mainly on the wives obeying part but I also look at how the man must honor the women by not cheating on her and treating her with respect. Okay, that's my insight for the day. Anyways, some people in the congregation don't like the passage or the subject matter for last Sunday but Gordon and I enjoyed it and we told Tom that he did a wonderful job with his sermon.

Gordon and I also went to women's lifestyle expo on Saturday. There seemed to be a lot of vitamin companies there as well as exercise places. We got a coupon for $2 off the admission and it looks like we only had to pay for one of us! I was mostly interested in the little craft stalls that they had and they also had a maternity center there too. I found the cutest little customized bags for the girls that I'm going to try and get for them for their birthday. I may have to wait though and try to send them a little something in the mean time. I also signed-up for information on an Environmental volunteer group to be able to do some good things for the Earth. I ran into someone from a career services agency that I talked to about me finding a job. She told me that I would have to get my degree looked at by NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) to be considered for any job in New Zealand. So, looks like we're going to have to save some money for that which is $450! It will be worth it if I want to keep applying for jobs after I get my work permit. I just get so frustrated sometimes with the way NZ can make it so hard for a girl like me to get a job. I think back to all of those jobs that I applied for and that they just passed me by because I didn't have my degree looked at by NZQA before. Oh well, what can you do besides right about it on your blog?

I was able to buckle down and get a group of cards cut and folded. I've also punched out most of the designs that I need for each set. Now I have to find some coordinating colors for each design that I have in mind. I've been really, really lazy but mostly tired because I've been reading a lot due to book club and some books I got from the library. I'm working on making my way through "Eclipse" but it may take me awhile. I've also been working on my knitting and finished my green baby blanket. Now I just have to finish my robin egg blue blanket. My next task is to do some little scarves for Operation Cover-Up. Its a great cause that gives blankets, mitts, hats and scarves to children in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine that live in the orphanages or their families are really poor.

I almost forgot, Gordon and I finally had a date night! We decided to have it on Thursday because Gordon was on duty crew from Friday until the next Friday. It was a great night for pizza and a movie. We tried the Wholly Pizza place which was Wholly Bagels but they do pizza at night. We decided to have the New York size Garlic and Herb pizza with some pepperoni and we got a free soda and beer! Our movie was totally awesome too, "Star Trek"!!! It was so great to see the new Star Trek movie with Gordon and he really enjoyed it as well. It was nice to be on date night as well because it has been such a long time since we've been able to go on a date. Gordon and I are going to try and make it a monthly thing. In June we are looking at Mongolian BBQ or something. It is important to get out of the house once in awhile on a date, for me at least.

Gordon is back on night shift this week so we have a little of time together during the days. Gordon spent this morning watching the Champions League Final. On Wednesday, we went to the church luncheon. The elderly parishioners seemed to enjoy us "young people" being there. They had delicious mini-pancakes, called pikelets, with cream and jam that I enjoyed very much. The scones and pumpkin soup were delicious as well.

cafe. It was so yummy and I had a green apple and mango Book club was very fun as well. We decided to meet at another cafe and tried the new gelatogelato. So yummy in my tummy and I'll be back again! I also got some hot dark chocolate and it had one of those spoons that are straws as well! A great place and I wouldn't mind going there anytime at all. We met our newest member, Emma, who is from the UK and her partner is a Kiwi. She actually is contracted with the department of conservation! She is between contracts right now and she asked me what I do with my time since she recently has become a "lady of leisure" like me. I was thinking about sending an email out to them and seeing if they wanted to catch a movie or something. I found out that Jo is a scrapbooker and I told her about the workshops that I go to and emailed her the website where I sign-up for it. So hopefully, she'll be able to come to the next workshop. It looks like I'm starting to make friends!

I've also been thinking about making a garden area around that barren tree in the backyard. Mojo likes to climb it all the time. I was thinking of three little beds that I could put my flowers into. I have to plant my alstromerias and rose bush somewhere soon. I also have to get my cosmo planted along with the cuttings that Christine gave to me. Gordon will dig the earth up for me.

Looks like its almost dinner time for me. Sorry for the pause in updating but I always try to update at least every two weeks so I'm doing good so far! Enjoy those warm temperatures while Gordon and I have to snuggle to stay warm, hehe.