Where is my checkbook?! (Jim)

The alternate title to this post is: "Or Jim's Adventures in Being a Bachelor."

I know, I haven't blogged in a long time and I feel awful about it. Chelsea over at Roots and Rings has my favorite blog on the internet and updates every weekday and makes Sarah and me feel like blogger failures because of her consistency and content of her posts. So, maybe we'll just have to get our competitive juices flowing and start posting consistently again.

As most of you are aware, my lovely bride was MIA for four days back at the end of June. She was in Grapevine helping with our church's Junior High Camp and generally helping do all of the logistical work that goes into an endeavor like that...which is wonderful. Except, when she's making things run smoothly in Grapevine, she is not making things run smoothly on Dayton. So, what did I learn in my four days of forced bachelorhood? Let's break this down bullet-point style:

• In a lot of ways, Sarah is the grease that keeps my life running smoothly. It's easy to lose track of just how much she does on a daily basis that simply makes life work, especially around the house.
• One of my sin tendencies is laziness. Knowing that I have the responsibility as the spiritual head of our family helps spur me on spiritually as well as physically. Without Sarah around, I didn't feel like doing anything. I think I went running once in those four days, I checked on my garden less, I cleaned less, I slept more...etc. My wife kicks my butt into gear just by being around because us husbands like to impress our wives with all of our accomplishments. I don't want her to think she married a lazy good-for-nothing...
• I don't like sleeping by myself anymore. I did not have a good night's sleep the entire time she was away. You get used to being next to someone. You get used to being able to talk to your spouse before you fall asleep. I love sleeping next to my wife and not doing that is detrimental to my sleep and my health.
• I love conversing with my wife. I laughed a total of four times (compared to my daily average of 759 times) while she was gone. Sarah is funny and makes me laugh a lot. She is also my best friend and the person I share everything with...whether that be the latest Rangers story or what the Holy Spirit had shown me in preparation for Community Group. Talking on the phone just isn't the same.
• I am a boring person (just ask our dogs). What did I do for fun those four days? I read two complete Harry Potter books and watched the Texas Rangers. I'll say it again, without my wife, I am a boring person.
• I am not very good at organization. It's quite possible that I ask Sarah where something is in our house five times a day. This is part of what I mean when I say that she is the grease that makes our family run smoothly (and this will only become more true as our family grows over time). Well, needless to say, I couldn't find anything while she was gone (mostly because I put stuff down where it shouldn't go and then didn't have her keen observational skills to fall back on to find it).
• I love my wife and miss her when she's not around.

Before this trip, Sarah and I had only spent two nights apart from each other. I am hopeful that we will not have to spend many more nights apart in the future!