Pool days and other musings

If I didn't mention in an earlier post, my mom is visiting this week. I always love having mom here, and she has been such a big help throughout my pregnancy. It was my birthday yesterday, and we had a great time shopping with my new friend from church, Anna. Anna is also a pretty amazing girl, and I am so glad that I met her! It's really kind of weird how much alike we are in some ways, but I told her she's the better-behaved, prettier version of me. Mostly I think this because I'm constantly putting my foot in my mouth, a personality trait that I'm afraid has worsened as I have gotten more and more pregnant. More on this later.

Anyway, back to mom: she and I are having a lot of fun hanging out, and we've been to the pool several times since she got here Friday. I have been joking around that I was dead set on NOT matching my hospital gown when I deliver this baby (aka I have to rid myself of my naturally hospital-sheet white complexion.). So, on Saturday, when dad was still here, all of us (mom, dad, me, Brent) ventured over to our neighborhood pool. It's a really nice pool and surrounding area, and our house is less than a ten-minute walk from the pool, so we love the accessibility. So off we go on Saturday. Keep in mind the fact that I hadn't seen my dad in a pool in years, so I was really excited about giving him a hard time when we got there. He's was always brutal to me when I would get in the pool with him growing up (dunking, sneaking up on me, etc. etc.), so I was bound and determined that Brent and I were going to do him in! Well, once we got to the pool, we had to wait around while he sat in his chair wearing his fisherman hat reading a book for about an hour. Finally, we begged him to get in, and he obliged. We all swam around for awhile, and we tried in vain to get dad (or the great white whale, as he called himself). But I tell you what, he's just too sneaky. What actually ended up unfolding really involved my mom. If you don't know my mother very well, let me fill you in: I get my gene for lack of common sense from her side of the family. We're a longgggg line of gullible women (sorry, Meemaw!). My mom is famous for believing pretty much anything that anyone tells her, bless her heart, and she always ends up being the butt of dad's jokes. I think it's sweet and endearing. Plus, I really can't judge her now because I'm just as bad!

Anyway, back to the pool that day. Mom was floating around on my new mesh raft. Dad, of course, felt the need to mess with her. All the sudden, mom yells over to me, "Rach, is this raft different somehow? It feels like it's waving up and down in the water. Does it have a propeller or something???" Poor mom, while she was telling me all this she didn't realize that I had a different perspective from her. Dad was right behind her head, quietly pushing the raft up and down in the water, making mom mistakenly believe the the raft was somehow being "propelled." Wow, ladies and gentlemen: my mother. When we made her aware of what was going on, she of course turned around, yelled "JIM!" and hit dad as hard as she could. Ah, how I love my parents. They crack me up. So anyhow, we never got dad, but mom sure was entertaining.

On a separate note, I went out last night with some new friends from church. We ate downtown at Smoke on the Water, a nice barbecue restaurant that I'd never been to. There were about seven of us there from our Sunday School class, and it was so nice to hang out with a big group of girls. I haven't had any close girlfriends, really, since I moved from Kentucky, and these girls are just wonderful, let me tell ya! It's been hard to find friends as great as the ones I had to leave behind in Kentucky. I was so blessed to have amazing girlfriends that I'd grown up with. But these new friends from church made me feel so at home already. We ended up talking for an hour at least after dinner; Brent thought I was never coming home. God is so good to provide sweet new friends in my life.

However, I did realize one thing after dinner last night. I was driving home with one of the girls, Michelle, who lives down the street from me. I told her how I felt kind of bad because I felt like I monopolized the conversation all night. I am from a long line of talkative women, and when my family is all together, we tend to talk all at the same time. I call it layer-talking because we just kind of talk over each other. I forget that other people aren't like this, and I got to thinking about that last night. Though Michelle, who is an absolute sweetheart, of course told me that I was fine, I still kind of regretted the fact that I talked so much and didn't listen more at dinner. I've been saying for a long time that I've been working on trying to be a better listener, but I feel even more passionate about that now. Didn't some wise person once say that the reason God gave us two ears and one mouth is because we're supposed to listen twice as much as we talk? Please seriously pray for me as I try to reform this part of my character. I feel very convicted about "taming my tongue," and I would appreciate prayer on this subject. :)

Well I guess that's about it for today. Brent and mom are taking me out for dinner tonight for my birthday, since I was out with the girls last night. Now I just have to decide where I want to eat....