Kristy Dorminy

Josh and I will be married 20 years in January 2021; since the kids were all three going to be away from home this past week, we decided to plan a getaway for us. We planned this well before Covid-19. We almost decided not to go. What a bad decision that would have been! It was our best vacation yet!!

Being married 20 years is a big deal and deserves full celebration, which I will likely write about in January when the actual anniversary date arrives. This time away was particularly needed because —have you ever had three teenagers? I mean, if you have and you survived, send me all the advice, ok?? We deserved this vacation, not necessarily as much for being married 20 years as for daily facing life with three teenagers. During a global pandemic with “safer at home” orders for many, many weeks. Dear Lord, help me.

Don’t misunderstand. I love my kids. I love how God made them and their fun, quirky, strong personalities. I love to watch them use their gifts and talents. I enjoy hearing their perspective. I love my three kids.

And I love time alone with Josh. Neither of us realized how much we needed this time until we were actually away, alone, just being together.

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We got settled in and found our way to the pool. There were kids laughing and playing on a float and then they were arguing and slapping and calling for their mama…and then we overheard someone say something about an adult pool. And without being too obvious, we packed our stuff and walked around to the adult pool…all the while hoping it wasn’t topless women, but weighing the scales of what we’d put up with on our vacation—topless sunbathing or obnoxious kids. 🤣🤣🤣I kid. I kid.

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I woke up every morning around 6am so I could sip coffee and watch the sun rise. And I don’t mean that I just watched the sky change pretty colors. I actually saw the big, round orange sun pop up every morning and make its was up, up, up into the sky. It was gloriously beautiful.

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And another full day of sun and relaxation.

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No one else on planet earth I’d want to be on this journey with. He is my favorite, forever and always.

Ruby was huffing and puffing while she was helping clean up after dinner. I was also tired after a long day and was washing dishes while wishing I was able to sit down and rest. I reminded her to think long and hard before jumping into motherhood because most of motherhood is work. I know that there are a million blessings intertwined but to overlook the vast amount of work would not be smart. She didn’t say anything is response.

The work can be monotonous and yucky—like using your hand to wipe off nasty dishes from time to time. Or cleaning the dog’s throw up off the floor. And I can’t forget the gazillion nasty diapers I’ve changed or runny noses I’ve wiped. Plunging toilets. Wiping hard toothpaste out of the sink and more. Then, there’s just the regular stuff—making beds, driving kids to places, ordering school uniforms, wiping down counters, figuring out what to cook for dinner for the millionth time, folding laundry, sweeping the floors, paying bills, picking up random shoes or baseballs or notebooks or games scattered all around the house.

Sounds glamorous, right?

I know, no one goes into motherhood or family life for the fame and glamour. But that doesn’t mean moms don’t sometimes feel a little trapped in this monotonous work. The Lord reminds me often that this is an important work. My kids need me. My husband needs me. The hidden work is often where I’m being made. My inner thoughts are being sharpened and my character is being strengthened in these daily tasks I sometimes huff and puff at.

I am reading in Exodus and came across the section in chapter 28 about how to make the priest’s robe. It struck me as comical when God is describing the hem that He, first, gives an overview: “You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:”

Ok. Sounds straightforward enough.

But then He adds in the next verse “a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe.”

And immediately I was struck my the monotony of that task. “A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate.” Wonder if the person assigned that task ever looked at someone hammering out gold or handling the jewels for the breastplate or making the laver and wish they had a little more exciting job?

But every person making any part of the holy garments and holy pieces for the Tabernacle were doing a holy work. God told Moses to speak to “all the skillful persons.” These were people “wise of heart,” my Bible clarifies…so they probably understood the magnitude of their job. The person or people making sure there was “a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe,” were making something for Aaron to wear “when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the Lord, so that he will not die.”

I’d say that’s a pretty important role! So I’m reminded that even (and maybe even especially) during monotonous work, I’m a part of ushering in the presence of God. The way I view these mundane tasks matters. God meets me here in the messes.

Lord, give me a heart of wisdom today in everything I put my hands to—the dishes, the toilets, the sweeping and mopping, the driving and drycleaning pick-up, dinner and every little interaction with those I love. Help me see this role the way You do. Amen.

Independence Day 2020. A very interesting time in our country. Global pandemic, racial tensions, an election year, face mask mandate in several states, how school will start is still unknown, and more weirdness.

In an act of sanity, we tried to do something we would normally do even though it was discouraged by most. We cooked and ate with real, live people! 😊 What a great lunch! We had friends over—old friends and new friends that are church friends and work friends, young friends and our age friends. I’m so grateful for those who were willing to be with us today as we celebrate the undeserved privilege of living in America. I sure didn’t have anything to do with the fact that this is my birth country, but I’m grateful that because of that I was able to, quite easily, hear the gospel at a very young age and know Jesus as my Savior and Lord, my Friend and my Father—Another undeserved privilege that had nothing to do with me endearing myself to God. All Jesus. All praise to Him! And who the Son sets free is free indeed!!!

I meant to get a group photo, but everyone was busy eating and talking and enjoying themselves. So I’ll share what I did get.

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Now the kids have gone to hang out with friends, Josh is snoring in his chair, and I’m sitting with Rolo while she begs me to go share some BBQ with her. Sweet, silly, manipulative dog. And my neighbor just text me to ask if she can have some flour to make an apple pie. Seems like a very American thing to do today! Happy Fourth!

We had a fun day with friends today! And although I’m not one for adventuring, this was a good time.

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Overall, the summer is going well. We had crawl space work done. We had to get a new upstairs A/C unit. The kids have gotten lots of rest. We’ve had lots of deep discussions about current events. There are peaceful protests and violent riots around the country. Race relations, as a whole, are in bad shape.

The Covid-19 numbers are rising in North Carolina, so Governor Cooper decided to mandate mask wearing in all public places where you cannot keep six feet distance. We will see if it helps the numbers. I’m so over all of it but you can’t just ignore it all—it’s something to consider no matter what you’re doing! I’m hoping the increase will actually help herd immunity to happen and maybe fall won’t be so bad. But I have to admit, as I am beginning to read through the book of Exodus, I can’t help but relate a bit better to the people of those days. Everyday the headlines get grimmer and grimmer. July has been told to come in, sit down and mind its own business, yet somehow I don’t think that’s going to be the case. We shall see.

Josh is our hero. I am amazed at how much he does, how hard he works and how much time he devotes to us. He’s so easy to honor and celebrate!

Each of these kiddos get frequent reminders from me about how blessed they are to have a dad like Josh! So grateful for his godly influence in each of our lives. He isn’t on any social media and has no intentions of getting on any of it. It’s a colossal waste of time, in his opinion. And he ain’t wrong. He’s very comfortable in his own skin and boldly shares and lives his convictions. He’s a critical thinker and wise beyond his years. He leads us well. We love Joshua Lee!❤️

Hope you know how much we adore you, Josh!

What I wouldn’t give for a normal day. For a day of waking up early, getting everyone off to school, working out, grocery shopping or Bible Study group, washing clothes, dinner prep, picking kids up, fussing at them to get their homework done and then going to bed to do it all over again. Just a normal day. I miss it so bad.

This year has been so disappointing and full of upsets. Not to mention we are doing remodeling and crawl space work and having to get a new AC unit installed upstairs. We have challenges in other areas of life that I won’t mention here. And then there are racial tensions such as I have never experienced in my 43 years of life. And while I acknowledge there are so many issues that need addressing around all of it, I don’t feel safe sharing thoughts or opinions on the world wide web…have you read some of the comments out there and the ‘out for blood’ actions and words that are spewed?? It’s not a fun place, this internet. I am amazed at how many people have the issues solved and are ready to tell me what I need to be doing about it.

So, I post here to just say that I miss my normal days. I miss mask-less days. I miss hugs and smiles and eye contact. I miss moving around and going places with ease. I miss the kids at school and all that it entails. I miss my normal. Not sure it will come back, so I just wanted to say I miss it.

We so enjoyed our visit to Georgia to see PawPaw and spend his birthday with him. He cooked for us the entire time—not sure that’s a great way to spend your birthday, but he did it joyfully! I didn’t take many photos because sometimes it is so nice to unplug from this screen. And I also needed my hands free to swat the gnats out of my face. For real. Kudos to those who live south of the Gnat Line. I think that’s why Josh is so mentally tough—he withstood gnats the first half of his life.

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PawPaw willingly stood as a target for water balloon launching.

The pool was nice and refreshing! I’m so glad we were able to get down there. ❤️

Y’all. We had to go have some fun. Every day and night, with every snippet of news, with every list of “what you need to be doing to make things better,” a seemingly not-so-real pandemic, protests and riots, virtue signaling that makes me want to vomit, and even people that really want to defund the police, I lose hope for human decency. So I’ve decided to back off the wasteful social media that seems to be filled with lots of bossy people making lots of noise and trying to make lots of money. I’ve changed my blog to private. So if you can read this, I think you’d have to be approved. I hope so anyway.

We had a great time at the lake today!

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Thankful for the fresh air, warm sun and beautiful weather. Thankful for time with friends and family. Thankful for time away from the normal routine and news.

Molly asked Josh, “Who do you think of us three will have the most expensive wedding?”

Josh quickly replies, “I hope Mack’s is!!”

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣