Brad is the best.

I realize this is the second post about Brad in the past week, so if you want, you can retitle this as "On how Erin is a Drama Queen when she has a migraine and the manner in which Brad copes." That was just too long to type in the title box.

This has been a bummer of a week for me in the "head health" department (try not to confuse that with "mental health"...I really am just talking about my head). I'm not sure what's going on atmospherically in Jackson, but it's cruel and mean. On Monday, I woke up with a severe sinus headache. I'm fairly certain that I told Brad it felt like I had an axe in the top of my head. I may or may not have actually interrupted his morning quiet time to inform him of that fact and whimper a little. He was great. I dramatically sprawled on the floor while he brought me a glass of tea and talked with me until the caffeine (and sinus meds) kicked in. I was telling him about my crazy, ridiculous dreams, and he asked intelligent questions about them in a way that indicated "I don't think you're crazy or weird. I value you and your nutty dreams." He's a good guy.

Skip ahead two days. Tuesday was a very busy day. We both went right from one activity to another: work, zumba (me)/running (him), dinner in one swallow, Iranian friends came to our house for an English lesson, and as soon as they left, we headed over to Ben's and Janie's for dessert. By the time we got home after 10:00, I realized that I'd started getting the beginnings of a migraine while sitting at Ben/Janie's kitchen table. It was really dull, but I knew it could become pretty serious if I didn't go ahead and take my medicine.

I didn't take my medicine right away.

It got really bad around the Boswell house. I took my medicine, but at 1:00 I woke up with a full-on migraine. I started fumbling around for more medicine and my cherry pit bag, which woke Brad up. He very sweetly got my medicine for me and heated up my cherry pit bag. We both dozed off until 4:00 (who am I kidding, though? I didn't sleep) when everything got really bad. My head had been so bad for too long, and I just decompensated. Crying/sobbing/rolling around on my pillow like a crazy person/whining about the pain. Took more medication (I know this makes me sound like an addict, but I did call my M.D. dad and check to make sure I wasn't concocting something that would cause me to combust). Brad heated my cherry pit bag two more times, fetched my medicine, brought me tea and crackers for the nausea and just let me cry it out (which, by the way, makes it much worse. I just couldn't help it at that point. I'm sure there have to be fellow migraine-sufferers who know that feeling of desperation and panic...right??). All in all, it was a bad night. I'm not sure how much sleep each of us averaged, but it wasn't a whole lot.

Getting to and staying at work (after waking up and feeling like I'd been hit with an elephant tranquilizer) was a challenge. I was SO tempted to curl up on the floor behind my desk between appointments (I didn't). I did skip chapel and go take a nap in my sister's dorm room, though. And then, Brad did the very best thing.

WARNING: Peggy in Seattle, don't read the following. You'll regret it. I'm looking out for your best interests.

Even though we're on a budget and had no more "eating out" money left in August, he brought me Chick-Fil-A for lunch. With sweet potato fries and a big sweet tea. After I kept him up all night and cried all over him and complained a LOT.

I felt very fuzzy feelings toward Brad. He's the best.

Dome-sick

Дом is the Russian word for "home." (It's pronounced "dome"). Sometimes I get a little dome-sick for Ukraine. It's really strange to think that Ukraine was legitimately my home for 2 years and that after years of hoping and planning to serve overseas, I've already done it and come back. I just can hardly believe it. Recently, I've had a lot of moments where I'm thinking about Ukraine and missing it. Here are a few triggers from the past week or so:

1. Skyping with Nastia. I miss her SO much! I met her my very first Sunday in Poltava, and we both watched each other grow so much in the course of two years. She laughed at me (a lot) in my growth as an Amerikrainian, and I'm so excited watching her continually grow into a strong woman of God. She's such an encouragement to me. We skyped on Saturday, and as always, went for an hour before we realized it.

2. I went to see "The Help" last weekend (and have subsequently begun reading the book) and thought about Ukraine when Minny says that Crisco is the best thing since mayonnaise in a jar. That made me think about how weird it was to by mayo in a pouch whilst in Ukraine. And ketchup. And milk. And ice cream. And sour cream.

3. I changed a roll of toilet paper the other day, and it started me thinking about all the crazy scented toilet paper they have in Ukraine. I would sometimes have to hunt (imagine me digging through the toilet paper options on the shelf while Ukrainian passers-by scowl at me) for non-apple/orchid/cherry scented paper. Or tissues. It wasn't until about 2 months before returning to the States that I had my moment of enlightenment. You WANT that scented stuff when you're squatting over a massive whole in the concrete-ish floor of an outhouse with no ventilation and lots of...scents...out in the country. You want it so you can cover your nose with it... And that thought reminded me of a beautiful Sunday spent with the Rays. I miss them more than I can accurately describe.

4. I thought about Ukraine when I woke up with a weather pressure headache this morning. It made me think about how I became 100% accurate in predicting snow showers; my head would always split open when it was about to snow. Most of the time, I detested the snow. However, I have an extremely happy memory of walking through town in new snow and eating pizza at Celetano's with Ira, Nataly, and Victoria.

5. I missed Ukraine dreadfully yesterday when we had lunch with some new, Iranian friends of ours. Their daughter reminded me forcefully of my friend, Nataly. Her mannerisms and her speech patterns were Nataly to a "t"...and it made me want to spend my Friday evenings with Nataly and Victoria again. We fell into a pattern of visiting every Friday night after I taught English club. Sometimes we'd bake, sometimes watch a movie, always we'd talk...sometimes we'd look through gobs of photos or listen to music. I learned so much about their lives and shared much of mine with them.

Over course, I begin idealizing Ukraine at times and forget about all the really hard stuff: visas and registrations, maneuvering the post office, cross-country travel, being yelled at when I had no idea why, being stuck in gloomy gray-ness, lonely hours of missing home and friends, feeling like a complete failure in the speaking Russian department.

Then again, all of the unpleasant things made my life in Ukraine real. I wasn't there for a week or even a month of fun adventure; I was there through all 4 seasons (twice) and experienced life in its ups and downs. At times, it was excruciatingly painful. So often, it was an exciting adventure (usually ending with me embarrassing myself and everyone laughing at me). Always, though, it was very much my life. I get that twinge of achy missing often these days, and it makes me so grateful that I have those memories...it means they really happened. In all their glory (or extremely lack thereof...squatties, buses, and falling on the ice.)

Life is funny sometimes

Sometimes, when I think about how Brad and I ever ended up married, I just can't believe it ever happened. I also can't refute that it was not coincidental. There are so many factors that pulled our paths together, and if one of them hadn't happened, we wouldn't have even met.

Sounds like the opening to a Nicholas Sparks book or something...

But seriously, here are some facts:

1. I'm older than Brad by 3.5 years/4 school grades.

2. I began homeschooling my junior year of high school.

3. I took a year off before going to college and spent a total of 6 months in Senegal.

4. I applied for the Journeyman program.

5. I prayed that I wouldn't have a boyfriend in college.

6. I left to live in Ukraine for 2 years after Brad and I started dating.

Crazy collection of facts, I know. Seriously, though, ALL of those factors were really important in leading up to our marriage. If I hadn't begun homeschooling and begun spending time with people who did this crazy thing called "taking a year off before college," I would never have even considered postponing the start of college. Thankfully, I did, and I was able to spend an incredible time in Senegal, learning so much about God and service and Senegal (duh). I also met some very dear folks like Kari, Peggy, and the McIntires. I don't regret it for a second and wouldn't have turned into this particular version of Erin had I not spent that time in Africa.

Spending that time in Senegal meant starting college a year after those who graduated high school at the same time as me. If I hadn't, Brad and I wouldn't have overlapped in school at all. There's also a chance I wouldn't have ever become friends with Nathan, who ultimately introduced me to Brad.

If I hadn't applied for Journeyman, I might not have had a "venting-over-the-endless-application-for-Jman" dinner with Nathan. I met Brad at that dinner. Nathan wanted him to sit with us, and I found out about how Brad had pants-ed Nathan the night before. To this day, I still think that's the most out-of-character thing I've ever heard of Brad doing. It's also extremely funny.

If I hadn't asked God to keep me from having a boyfriend in college, I might not have said "yes" when Brad asked me out. Kind of like Gideon, I asked God not to let anyone ask me out in college unless it was someone I was supposed to consider. My fleece, if you will. No one did until that fateful day in December 2007.

If I hadn't left for 2 years in Ukraine mere months after Brad and I had started dating, I wouldn't have been stretched or grown in all the ways that I needed to before we were ready to get married. It seems crazy (and I wouldn't necessarily recommend a long-distance relationship), but it was an incredibly important season of my life.

Who saw any of that coming? It's so funny to look back and see how all of those seemingly unrelated events came together so nicely.

And now we're married. I never have to say goodnight anymore, and I'm always folding his laundry. :)

Back to school

Today was the first day of classes. It's been a pretty tiring week or so around here. Union really throws its heart and soul (read: staff, faculty, and upperclassmen) into getting all the new students moved in and settled. It's really exciting and fun, but it takes a lot of effort. Brad worked close to 60 hours last week, trying to get all of his students in. We were both at Union all day on Friday (new student move-in day), running around and doing this and that.

It's really fun, though; colleges just sort of need students on campus, I think. :) Maybe not all colleges feel like that. I realize that my experience working (and attending...when I was a student) at Union is a little different than larger schools. Union is a fairly small, Christian, liberal arts university, so there's the ability to put a lot of heart and care into students. It's really personal and supportive. Aw...

So, that's where I've been/what we've been up to. I'm sure exciting things will start happening soon. Until then, here's fun news: Brad's sister scored one of Union's women's soccer team's 3 goals last night. Woooo!

I'm very homely.

When I was in college, a friend of mine was trying to describe another friend as being very home-y, good at domestic things, destined to be a good wife and mother, etc. Instead of saying either of those things, he used the word "homely," thinking that he was bestowing a very positive compliment. Amanda and I thought it was hilarious and set him straight, but I have to admit that I often associate "homely" with "home-y."

I think I'm becoming a little homely. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked.

1. I do laundry a LOT. I'm not sure how it increased so very much (I mean, I went from doing one person's laundry to two...that's not a ridiculous increase.). Maybe it has to do with the fact that Brad works out multiple times and week (whereas, I'm strictly a twice a week exerciser). And he mows the lawn. Those clothes are GROSS. Whatever the reason, there's a lot of laundry.

2. I've become a consistent coupon-er. I'm not super aggressive about it or the queen of. I do love getting a good deal and saving as much as I spend. It's like a game, and I love winning it.

3. I dusted off my sewing machine and took care of some much-needed mending. Let's forget for a minute that I'd forgotten a few nuances and had to read the instruction manual before starting...

4. I spot-cleaned the carpet a few weeks ago. That's right. Spot. Cleaned. I do not mess around when shooting for the title of Most Homely.

*Side note: I've mastered folding fitted sheets. It's true, and I'm quite happy about it.

I realize that's not a very long list, but somehow, I find myself staying busy with house-y things more than I thought I would. I shudder to think of what my laundry pile would look like if we had a bigger family. Or the spots on the carpet. Oi.

I love weekends.

Don't we all, though? Granted, most of my summer has been like one long weekend (I'm on a ten-month contract, so I didn't have to work regular hours this summer), but actual weekends are more fun because Brad is off and can be friends with me. This weekend was full of lots of fun.

First up: Aqua Zumba surprise birthday party.

You read that correctly. A) Yes, there is such a thing as Aqua Zumba. It's sort of like water aerobics set to music...and is much more dance-y. It's not as hard on the joints (wow...that made me sound elderly.). It was also surprisingly more challenging than I expected. B) The party was a surprise party for my boss. She's turning 60 this month (although she truly does not look a day over 50- she doesn't read my blog, so you can trust that's a legit compliment that comes from my heart.), and her daughter schemed to get this surprise party together for her. Her daughter, Holly, contacted those of us that are sort of the Union "core Zumba crowd" and invited us out (as in, out in the country) to a relative's house for Zumba and reallllllly good food. The party was a hit, and I was sore the next day. Oh! Best part of the story: One of the ladies attending the party had gotten my boss to make a particular dessert that everyone loves to be served at "a party." Little did she know she was making the favors for her OWN PARTY!

Second phase of the weekend: Brother-in-law came in for a visit.

Firstly, I think it's weird that I have a brother-in-law. Secondly, we had a lot of fun with Tim. He's been doing an internship (cancer research) at Vanderbilt this summer (yeah...he's really smart and all the medical schools want a piece of him), so he popped over for a weekend o' fun in Jackson. We grilled 3 times while he was here (mostly because Brad has a big huge crush on our grill)! We also saw "Captain America," which was fun. We played a game of Settlers with our friend, Hughey, and Brad and Tim put on their crazy selves to go RUN in trillion degree heat. Nuts. They're nuts. Then, Tim and I talked about couponing. He's a man of many interests.

We also made our specialty: cinnamon ice cream. We're perfecting the process, and it's goooooood, if I do say so myself.

Then, I reorganized the pantry. I like to live on the edge. :) Anyone do anything cool this weekend?