This weekend/ Sad/ Happy

So this weekend, Adam and I went to a marriage retreat at a camp we have been to before as chaperones/leaders for our church's high school group. It was nice to have some time just for us, but there wasn't as much "free time" as we had hoped. It was very session-heavy. We learned a lot of tools to help us fight intelligently. There were a lot of opportunities for us to practice using the tools, which was good, but we didn't really have a lot of unresolved issues, which is also good. So we did practice using them and I think when issues come up, this will help us address them before they become huge blowout problems. It just got me thinking how sad divorce is. I mean, I have always known that, as a child victim of divorce (I don't want to use "victim" to make me seem all pathetic and what-not; I just mean that literally, my parents divorced, and I was a victim, not a "participant"), but this weekend got me thinking about the husband and wife that go through a divorce. Of course it's difficult, but can you imagine if you wanted to try to make it work, but your spouse didn't? And there's nothing you can do, once it gets to the point of the other person giving up/wanting out. They don't need your permission. It doesn't seem fair, because you got into marriage together, but you can get out of it alone. It makes me really feel for the person who wants to make it work, if that is their situation. It also makes me really happy that Adam and I said before we got married (possibly before we even got engaged), that divorce is not an option. It's just not. We are together till death do us part, and thankfully he is a wonderful husband, and I know that when problems come up, we will work through them. Easy for me to say now, right? But it's true. And it's comforting to know that. I feel very God-lucky to have him, and not only that I have a caring husband, but that we both have a personal relationship with Christ, because without that, I can see how it would be so much easier to give up. I love him.

Two things (at least)

Let me just say that it's a pain having divorced parents. If you are the victim of parental divorce, you know what I mean. Not to say that there aren't good things that can come from it... but it's a pain. And now I'm an adult, so you would think the whole custody thing should be over, right? Well, not when you live out of state. Very frustrating!!

Anyway. Yesterday I went on our bank's Dairy Tour, which is a big event we organize every year. Since I am now part of the Ag (Agricultural) department, I helped plan and attended the Dairy Tour. We went to three new or recently improved dairies. One had a robotic calf feeder, so they don't have to hand-bottle-feed newborn calves. Another one had slatted floors which helps limit the amount of cleanup they have to do (which, even from the little I know about dairies, would be a lot when it comes to cows and poop). The final one was huge and very automated - a 5,000 cow dairy. I know you probably don't have a reference to say "is that a lot of cows comparatively speaking," and again, neither do I, but to give you a little bit of perspective, before this dairy was built, the largest dairy in the county was 3,500. In the county! Anyway. It was a neat experience, and even though California is a big dairy state as well (it's the cheese!), I doubt I would have ever gotten a similar opportunity if I was still living in California. And the smell wasn't too bad, for the most part. In California, when you drive past Chino you can smell the manure from the freeway... so I was a little nervous about going INSIDE three dairies! But I survived and I learned a lot, even though I don't remember all of it.

So I am heading to California tonight - I get to see Rowan!!! That boy is going to get so many snuggles he is not going to know what to do with himself! :) And I will go to my friend Julia's wedding, which is going to be awesome/amazing/fantastic/so much fun! And I will be out for a full week, which means I have a week to do what I normally try to cram into two-and-a-half days!! Awesome!! Since I will be busy next week, don't expect a lot of posts. I might surprise you, or I might be snuggling/admiring my new nephew. We'll see ;-)