Bits for Sunday, December 16, 2007

I have to admit - I enjoy a good snowed-in-Sunday. I stayed "extra rested" in bed this morning - after the church cancellation notice came through, of course. I put up the blinds so I could look out at the snow and turned on the Christmas tree lights and snuggled down for a pretty perfect morning.

Since I had the time, I made baked potato soup for lunch - it is a comfort food sort of day. While beginning to cook, I noticed that someone (and I think I know who) made an appearance with a plow to open up my driveway. THANK YOU!!! In a little bit, I'm going to go shovel the sidewalks and that should certainly burn off the Christmas cookies I had for breakfast. :)

Then I plan to hit the scrapping for the rest of the day - and that completes a perfect day!

So if you're having a snowed-in-Sunday also, you stay warm and safe and enjoy the extra rest! (Once the shoveling is done, of course.) And if you need a break - here's some Advent reading for you:

Shepherds: The Light of Spreading the Good News!

Luke 2:8-18

God chooses the most unlikely candidates to do His work. It doesn’t matter what training we have – what our background holds – what our strengths and weaknesses are. The only two things that God really needs are our openness and our willingness.

Perhaps that is why He chose shepherds to be the first missionaries. The first ones selected to spread the Good News. I can imagine that few people paid attention to shepherds. They were probably just a group of men who smelled as bad as the sheep they herded all day long. Maybe they were viewed as less intelligent or less important because they didn’t have a more impressive or skill-demanding occupation. Perhaps they comprised the bottom rung of the occupational ladder – above only the unthinkable occupation of prostitution.

I can imagine there was quite a bit of dissatisfaction in this job. They had the worst parts of all jobs rolled into one. Like the mail carriers of today, they had to report for duty regardless of weather conditions. Like the medical field of today, they had to work holidays, weekends, and all other lesser desired hours, because there was always work to be done. Like farmers of today – one disastrous event could completely shut them down forever with no hope of recovery. Like the police force of today – there was always danger that had to be faced (though more in the form of animal predators rather than escaped convicts).

Maybe that is why God chose them. Maybe He wanted to give them one perk in a career otherwise filled with repetition and disdain from the community. Or perhaps He chose them because they were the only ones being quiet enough to listen that night – while the world around was busily bustling along.

For a group of men stuck on the night shift, the surprise of a world-time awaited them. The Lord lit up the night sky with a fantastic display of an angelic choir. A message came down from Heaven just for them. An invitation to be the first visitors to the King of Kings.

Forget the sheep! These men made the executive decision to take a break together, leave the sheep to do what they would, and go in search of the Baby. And the experience of that night moved them so greatly that when they were done visiting Jesus, they became the first missionaries – telling everyone who would give them the time of day just what they had seen and heard that night. You would think that the praise and glory and spreading of the news about the birth of Jesus would have been reserved for the educated and holy men of the temple. But instead it was granted to men who were “the least of these.” And though they’d not been trained for public speaking, they were the ones chosen for the task.

And most importantly…they took the opportunity.

Christmas - Days 14 and 15

I'm settled in for a long winter's snow - since apparently that's what we're starting to get. I have a good supply of the world's staples (bread and milk - always amuses me how people flock for this before a storm - as if they regularly consume them as a combined dish) and Bekah's staples - chocolate, ice cream, chips, cheese, pork chops...you get the idea.

I've had a busy - but good - couple of days in the Christmas celebration department. Yesterday we were dismissed from work early (nothing weather related, but certainly very welcomed!) and I had a chance to visit the discount bookstore that's closing. I won't even tell you how many books I purchased, but when the most expensive book was only $3.00 - you can imagine that I went a bit crazy. Merry Christmas to me! I started reading one right away - and I'm very excited about it. It's written by Bruce Marchiano, who portrayed Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew production. We watched that at church a couple of years ago and I thought it was the best portrayal of Jesus I'd ever seen. He put so much joy into Jesus - and I loved that. Anyway, Bruce wrote a book about his experience, and I wanted to see what he learned. I'm about 30 pages in and have already done quite a bit of underlining. :)

Last night was the all-campus Christmas party and I actually enjoyed going. It used to really bug me because it was one more place I had to go by myself, and I hated that. But the last couple of years haven't been so bad. And that iced coffee - well - YUM. I had two cups and would have gone back for more but I was starting to guzzle...and that's just not attractive at a dressed up all-campus event. But it was a fun celebration, at any rate.

Today I went to help Joe and Sarah paint in their new home. Had my first experience with wallpaper removal. That was kind of interesting. And sticky. And I helped paint the kitchen a very cheery yellow! And the whole time, there was some very festive Christmas music going on in the other room. Though not an official "Christmas celebration" - it was a very fun time. Sarah, I love your house. :)

Christmas - Day 13

I had a HUGE icing party at my house last night. Party of one, that is. :) The cats didn't even sit in the kitchen hoping for a scrap to fall to the floor. (They must know that I'm even OCD about my cooking and don't allow for messiness.) Everything turned out just great and the couple of cookies that I sneaked for taste-testing were yummy. And I did take a picture - I'll get it posted here at some point. :) That ended all the Christmas prep - and now I can simply....enjoy.

In non Christmas-related news, I'm starting to get irritated with this writer's strike. Last night I tried watching Leno - which I've not watched since the strike began, because I get confused in the reruns. (Leno is my news source, so if he's joking about old stuff, then I get all messed up.) Anyway, last night's rerun featured jokes about the finale of Joe Millionaire and a guest was going to be the Bachelorette, Trista Rehn. Um....Trista as in Trista that has been married for about three years and has a baby? THAT Trista?

It was then that I decided that reruns aren't fun, and when every blessed show goes to reruns...well...I guess I'll watch more HGTV and TV Land!

Christmas - Days 11 and 12

The last two days I've been a baking crazy woman. Tuesday evening I started the annual Christmas baking and used up nearly all my measuring cups in the process. :) I didn't really sample much of what I made - aside from licking spoons and beaters. Isn't that the best part of the baking process anyway?

I kept the spirit going by watching Holiday in Handcuffs (do NOT laugh at me) - which was I think on ABC Family. It had Mario Lopez in it, so you know, how could it be bad? I love all the little made for TV holiday movies. Cheesy yet cute.

Last night I came home from one of the worst days I'd had in a while...to find that my oven (which I had set to clean when I left for work) was STILL cleaning. After pulling a reaction like my Dad ("I wonder how much this is going to cost on the electric bill?") I sat down and cried for a half hour. I had come home hoping for improvement, not an oven stuck on cleaning. I managed to get it to stop and unlock in time to bake the cutout cookies. Tonight is the icing night. I love to ice cookies.

So that's been my holiday celebration the last couple of days. Now if I can give everything away before I'm tempted to dip into it myself! :)

Braeya's in Trouble and Christmas - Day 10

Braeya received a middle name after having lived with me less than 24 hours - because I already needed it to yell at her. I was painting my bedroom and she kept trying to get into the paint try (she was very tiny - about six weeks old) so I confined her to the bathroom to keep her out of the paint. Long story short, because she was so tiny, she found a very obscure hiding place and though my parents and I searched the entire house for about an hour after we were done painting and she was allowed to come out, we couldn't find her. I was crying, my Dad was crying, my Mom was sick to her stomach...it was a mess. We thought she'd somehow gotten outside without us knowing about it. And then...she showed up. Wherever she'd hidden must have gotten boring. And she received a middle name on the spot.

And this weekend I had to pull out the "BRAEYA JO!" because she learned to flush the toilet. And she practiced. OFTEN. So until I can figure out how to stop THAT from happening, she is banned from the bathroom. I don't feel really bad about it, but I do feel bad that her grounding is also keeping Kaegan out of the bathroom, and that is HIS spot. He loves to sleep for hours right beside the shower. Poor kiddo. It's rough having a little sister. (Not that I know. I was the little sister in my family.)

Anyway, aside from that, yesterday was a good Christmas day. Our church's Ladies Bible study had its Christmas party. Let me tell you - these ladies can COOK. I was so miserably full when I came home. And now that I am watching what I eat, I don't eat until I'm miserably full anymore. Not even at Thanksgiving. But last night I just had to have seconds. It was so worth it. SO worth it.

Christmas - Day 9

Today was an almost perfect day. The almost was courtesy of the icky weather - but the rest of the day was great. I woke up knowing that we were supposed to be under an "icky weather advisory" - so I figured my plan to attend my own church would be thwarted. I enjoyed a leisurely morning of staring at the Christmas lights and listening to my Dad's radio program. (I have to pay extra close attention in December so I can know when he's pulled out the ultra-humiliating recording of me reciting Luke 2 as a somewhat congested 3 or 4 year old. Fortunately today was not that day.)

At the last minute I remembered this town does possess churches closer to me than the one I normally attend and icky weather advisory or not, I could make it to church somewhere. So I pulled myself together and attended a very nice morning service - even if it wasn't home.

The rest of the day was sort of a hodge-podge Christmas. Snippets of Christmas movies on TV (though I do have to admit I was suckered in by Sleepless in Seattle) and the last of the wrapping that I can do without snagging some boxes from somewhere. I enjoyed a couple pieces of Mom's Christmas candy and ended with a church service at my very own church tonight. Despite my concern that instrumental music would put me to sleep, the violinists who provided our music this evening were not only talented, but they were not snooze-inducing. A great end to an almost perfect day.

Bits for Sunday, December 9, 2007

Herod and the Chief Priests: The Light of God’s Plan Prevailing.

Matthew 2:1-18

Another day. Another list of political duties to attend to. A banquet to prepare for – just to showcase his wealth and power…and to waste taxpayer dollars on a round of drinks. A line of people who wanted to see him – to plead their cases – and he enjoyed the sob stories almost as much as he enjoyed saying no at the end of them. All in a day’s work for Herod.

Another message for him – something urgent, no doubt. Wasn’t everything? Magi from the East have arrived and requested an audience with you, King Herod. Magi? Well they might be good for a gift or a compliment on the fine workings of the kingdom. Show them in.
The men stood before King Herod, richly dressed and obviously on a mission. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2)

Herod’s blood boiled within his veins. How dare these men stand in his own palace and insinuate the presence of another king? And that they desire to worship Him! Before causing himself political embarrassment, he dismissed the men and called an emergency meeting of his staff. He demanded answers, and when Herod demanded, Herod got. Though they trembled at the thought of bearing bad news to the temperamental king, they spoke up in hopes that because they spoke the truth, he might spare their positions – and their lives. The Christ was to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill an old prophecy.

Donning his most serene countenance, Herod met alone with the Magi. Feigning great interest, he directed them toward Bethlehem only if they promised to return with a report of the baby’s exact location so that he too, could offer his worship and gifts.

While attending to his normal kingly duties throughout the following days, Herod often withdrew to himself, offering only the explanation that he had an important project. He devised scheme after scheme to rid himself and the world of any King of the Jews. He alone ruled, and he intended to keep it that way. He restlessly awaited the return of the Magi…day after day…after day.

Too much time had passed. They weren’t coming back. In a rage like his staff had never seen, Herod called together his army and sent them out on a killing spree. His targets? Not thieves. Not late taxpayers. Babies. Any boy two and under…kill them. Don’t ask questions. Don’t research. Just destroy. He sent the soldiers away and leaned back. That should do it. The world would be rid of this Baby.

Herod did not know that the most carefully devised schemes and the acts of irrational rage are no match for the Plan of all Plans. By the time the army left his presence, God’s Word had already saved the life of His Son: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child and kill him.” Herod may have outwitted his kingdom, but he could not outwit the King of Kings. His plan prevailed above all.

Christmas - Day 8 and Braeya's Card Adventure

MY FEET HURT!

I had my last shopping hoopla today. Last one before I start boycotting stores altogether on account of the sheer madness. Because the weather cooperated, I was able to go out of the city limits to shop, so that was exciting. After narrowly escaping the accidental joining of a funeral procession (how embarrassing if I would have had to break away from the line of traffic to go to the first store!), I enjoyed a long and crazy - yet successful - day of shopping.

The sales were out in full force today and I came home with not only the last of the gifts and a new supply of work socks, but a number of couldn't-pass-em-up clothes.

For my festive daily celebration, I went to my friend Sarah's house. She cooked a very yummy dinner and we watched The Holiday. I'd not seen it before, but I loved it. It might have to go on the must-own list. I wanted to stay and chat, but we were supposed to start getting ice, and I was too far away from home (anywhere outside my garage is too far away from home in ice) for my comfort, so I left and tried to beat the weather!

So now I need to go sort the purchases and the receipts - but I leave you with this photo. Sorry that it's fuzzy, but do you have any idea how hard it is to hold down a cat and take a picture at the same time? During one of my Christmas card stamping fests, Braeya batted the red ink pad with her paw every time I dabbed the saran wrap wad in the ink. By the end of the stack of cards, she looked like she was bleeding. She took a bath, but for several days after, I saw traces of pink on her paw.

Christmas...Days 6 and 7

Friday at last.....yay! L-o-n-g week that ended with a l-o-n-g day!

But life is good and my Christmas celebration is good despite long days and a long week. Last night I finished the wrapping. Well, at least what I can do. I have a couple more things to purchase and some things that have to go in gift bags because they just can't be wrapped. But what can be done is done.

And this evening I celebrated by watching The Santa Clause...The Escape Clause. Cute movie! I didn't know I was going to be watching it, but my friend Angela stopped by and offered - so watch, we did!

In not so Christmas related, yet very exciting news, this evening also brought about the installation of my new carpet on the stairs. I'm very excited to have that project behind me! I can't believe how much better it looks in there. I'm not sure how I doubted...it had nowhere else to go but up in looks. :) So I definitely love that.

And since I was sort of confined to one room while they worked on the installation, I sorted pictures for my upcoming scrap-a-thons. I found a multitude of pictures taken around this time last year...at work. I could see a definite change in looks from last year to this year. It was funny to me because just this morning I looked in the mirror and thought, man...for all the better food and no pop and working out...I'm still really fat. And then I went to breakfast (hmmmm....) with Olivia and completely randomly, she told me that she could tell a big difference. So I told her what I'd just been thinking and she said, "Well go home and find a picture from last year." I forgot about the stack I hadn't scrapped yet, so they were in the pile to sort. And she's right. I could see it then. Just the boost I needed to keep from drowning that sorrow in a pile of cookies.

So all around - good days!

Christmas, Day 5 - and a pleasant surprise

Yesterday was a long day at work for me. I had to stay after for a bit, and when I was ready to leave, I realized I still needed to shovel and eat dinner and exercise...before hitting the actual PLAN for the evening.

MUCH to my surprise (and joy), when I drove up in front of my house, some mystery shoveler had visited me! I don't have any idea who it was - but if you know, tell him/her/them thank you for me! That was a great gift!

Because of that, I was able to celebrate the season by working on my wrapping project, and I am over half done now. I'm quite excited about that. My plan is that the gifts under the tree will serve as an anchor to the tree skirts which the cats tend to....rearrange.

Christmas...Days 3 and 4

SNOW! I spent my days 3 and 4 of this Christmas finally finishing the signing, addressing, sealing, and sorting of all my cards. What a project! Tonight I took a break from addressing to make some chai and when I looked outside, I discovered the snow had begun! Now as long as I don't have to shovel it....

I'm glad to have the card project behind me (except for straggler cards) so that I can look ahead to the next Christmas project, but I do have to say that I love addressing the cards. I love looking at the names of people on the "card exchange list" and remembering the fun times we had when we used to see each other more regularly. Former youth pastors...college roommates...friends who have moved away...I miss them! I'm already looking forward to hearing from them and seeing pictures of their growing families.

So days 3 and 4 were a success, and now I'm going to enjoy watching the snow fall!

Christmas...Day Two

It sounds like a spring storm outside! I keep checking to see if my wreath has left the property, but so far, so good. But I don't think I care for this much wind.

Today proved to be a successful day two of the twenty-five days of Christmas at Bekah's. This evening I visited another church that was having a special Christmas program. It was pretty close to perfect for my tastes. Christmas carols, a little Gaither music, handbell choir...nice. A little strange to walk into the church with an umbrella in hand to hear Christmas music...but still very nice.

After that ended, I went over to Angela's to help her decorate her Christmas tree. Minus a little strand-of-lights-gone-bad issue and a couple of stops to chase her cat who was trying to snitch some tinsel to eat, it was a very quick decorating and I think the tree turned out really cute!

Bits for Sunday, December 2, 2007

I'll admit it. I'm cheating at my own weekly bits. For weeks now, I've been trying to decide what to write about for Christmas this year, and I'm not closer to an idea now than I was in September.

But it just so happens that two years ago, I wrote five little articles for our church's "Twelve Days of Christmas" devotion book. So via the magic of copy and paste...I will spend December sharing those with you. That gives me a whole year to think of a theme for December 2008...

By the way...the theme for the book was "Behold the Light." Each day focused on a person and the light that shone from his or her life.

Elizabeth: The Light of Joy and Belief

Luke 1:39-55
How many years had Elizabeth waited to become a mother? How many times had she stood among the women of the city and watched as another one announced that she was expecting a little baby. How many times had she smiled and hugged and congratulated the glowing ladies who were her friends and neighbors…and then cried in the solitude of her own bedroom because she could not experience that joy for herself?

But her time had come. Though she was older and her friends were enjoying grandchildren, her time had come at last. She wanted to rush out and share her good news, but for five long months, she stayed home (Luke 1:24 ). She rested and prepared and rejoiced. And at the end of five months, she emerged from her home, ready at last to share her good news with everyone around her.

It was then that Mary arrived. When Elizabeth saw her coming down the road, she probably rushed to the door, eager to share with her own family the good news of her upcoming baby. But Mary spoke first and when she greeted Elizabeth , the baby inside Elizabeth moved. Was it the first time she had felt the life within her? The moment she had waited years and years to experience?

And in that moment, Elizabeth knew. Knew that Mary was carrying a little one, too. And not just any little one. The little one. The promised Messiah. So many thoughts could have rushed through her mind. No! It’s not fair! This is my moment. You are young. You aren’t even married yet. This is my time. I felt my baby move. There is life in me, and I don’t want you to take this away from me. You can have your turn later.

But no. Elizabeth was filled with joy. She blessed Mary. She said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:42-45).

And together the two women shared – though of different generations – sharing together in the wonder of life growing within them. And of Life that would grow in the world because of the children they would bear. Unlike her husband, Elizabeth did not doubt for one minute that the baby within her was God’s plan and that the Baby within Mary was God’s son. She believed and shared a beautiful time with Mary – time filled with joy.

She could have been envious. But she chose joy. And because she did, she enjoyed the company of Mary for the rest of her pregnancy – and together they prepared for the lives that came into the world to change our lives.

Christmas...Day One

I decided that this year I would try to do something special every day in December to celebrate Christmas, because it's my favorite season.

Today ended up being rather frigid, but it didn't stop me from having some Christmas fun!

This evening my friend Robyn (from work), her daughter, and I went on a Christmas tour of homes. I haven't been on a home tour for probably ten years, so I was excited to go. I told Mom before I went that this was like HGTV in person.

We toured four homes and I came up with all sorts of great ideas to implement...after this year. The homeowners spent more hours than I could ever hope to know in preparing some beautiful Christmas displays! And Sarah, I found some that had (if you can believe it) even more trees than I do! But the decoration went beyond the trees. I made mental notes of coffee table displays, dining table centerpieces, mantle decor (if I ever have a fireplace) and even themes for bathrooms. (And I coveted a garden tub or two along the way, I have to admit.)

At the end of the tour, we went to the church's bake sale and I found a couple little treats to bring home. That almost led to catastrophe. They packed my purchases in a paper bag similar to what you would receive at Bath and Body Works. I put it on the couch, and while I ate my dinner, I noticed Braeya was nosing around in the bag to see what it might have for her. (As if I share cookies...HA!) She stuck her head through the handle to peer inside, and then the handle got stuck around her neck. It wasn't choking her, but it did FREAK her out. She went rip tearing through the house, screaming, and there was no way I could catch her. I knew even if I did catch her, she'd bite me because she was so scared. So while I half laughed at the sight and half pondered how to fix this mess, she headed straight for "the tree." The eight foot tree. I had visions of it toppling to the floor, glass ornaments shattering....but fortunately the bag caught on a branch and tore enough to free her.

This would be why I can't HOST a home on a tour. :)

Little Bit o Christmas

In honor of tomorrow being the first day of December....I thought I would share this that my friend Kari emailed to me.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I wrap everything that I can. If it absolutely cannot be wrapped and I can't find a box to put it in - I bag it. I wrap because I have a theme for every Christmas and the paper is part of the theme.

2. Real tree or artificial? Too scared of fire to deal with real. And too cheap.

3. When do you put up the tree? The Friday/Saturday after Thanksgiving...while all the crazies are out trampling each other for technology and toys.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually a couple of days after Christmas - definitely before New Year's.

5. Do you like eggnog? Tried it. Hated it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Daybed - when I was a third grader. We have some festive pictures of that Christmas. I opened my gifts wearing a green and gold school spirit sweatshirt, light pink sweat pants, and white ballerina style dress shoes. What a babe.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? I have a one piece ceramic holy family that my Mom painted for my great grandma years ago (I inherited it after she died) - and baby Jesus has one arm intact and one arm amputated and snuggled up next to the good arm. I also have a small frosted glass nativity from when I was a kid. My dream is to own a Willow Tree complete Nativity.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad. He only wants gift cards, so I always have to come up with a creative way to offer them. One year I bought a bunch of popcorn boxes, filled them with popcorn, and hid the gift cards throughout the boxes.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My Mom because she likes anything or my brother-in-law Jeff because I usually like everything he wants. (We have similar tastes in coffee, books, and music.)

10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received? I love all gifts - so I can't think of a worst.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I make them all by hand and spend about 6 months on them from start to finish. I'm in an annual competition with my dad to see who receives the most cards. So far I have won every year, but a couple of years have been close.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't think I have a fave - but I love the marathons that Hallmark and ABC Family and Lifetime run. I like the mushy love stories. HATE the movie with Ralphie.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually do 90% of mine in one day - which is usually in early December. This year it was before Thanksgiving.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's homemade chocolates. They are the BEST.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear - except on the hodge podge tree, and I use colored lights on that.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh boy - there are many. I think O Holy Night is my favorite "anthem" song and Welcome To Our World (sung by my friend Julie Crandall) or All is Well (sung by point of Grace) are my favorite "other" songs.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually just traveling to my parents. Not a long trip.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes but only if I sing the song. Kind of like the only way I know the books of the Bible.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Both. I have six trees.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Idiots at Wal Mart blocking the scotch tape aisle with a class reunion.

23. What is the 'corniest' family tradition you do, or miss doing? It's not corny, but it's a tradition I miss. Every year when I wa s little, my Mom would read the children's book "A Certain Small Shepherd" for our family devotions. I have a copy of the book and still read it but it's not the same.

24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? overuse of obnoxious lawn ornaments.

25. Which looks best theme trees or homey trees? Yes.

Hamster Wheels

I've not written this week because my brain feels like its on a hamster wheel. If I can't make coherent thoughts of what is happening...why should I subject you to reading?

This time of year is tough at work. Every job has its hard parts. And I'm sure the same job can have a different effect on different people. In my job, I hate it when I desperately want to help someone and I can't...for whatever reason. This week I've been slowed down by computer problems beyond my control (to the point where it takes me literally twice as much time to do a task as it should). I've had to deliver news that people don't want to hear. And today I was the recipient of a verbal tirade...which isn't really new...but today it happened in front of someone else. (Just to clarify - this wasn't a co-worker or supervisor who let me have it. Just one of the people I was trying to help.) I don't like being made to look stupid in front of another person. I kept my composure during the event but the moment the door closed, I had to hide in the next door office and have a little meltdown while the workers over there brought me peace offerings of the chocolate variety. It helped.

So anyway, with work being as it is, and with evenings being filled with Christmas prep...my mind feels like it's on a hamster wheel.

Maybe it will make sense tomorrow?

The Halls are Decked...and I am Pooped

I have one minor task left to do on the Christmas decorating, but if I have to look at one more piece of evergreen right now, I will absolutely scream. So it's still curled up on my bed waiting for much later, and I'm sitting here catching a moment of rest before one of my "nieces" arrives for a few hours of QT with Aunt Bekah. I know once she gets here there will be no rest - since she's two and energetic. I'll have her and two angry cats who will be glaring at me for letting someone under four feet tall in the front door.

But for as exhausted as I am after all the decorating, I'm very pleased with the way it all turned out. I started yesterday and completed three trees before I gave up and called it a night. I had to call it a night on the couch because my bed was buried under plastic tubs that had once held the ornaments and lights and garland and...and...and. I enjoy the occasional slumber party on the couch, but last night I was craving a good stretch in a warm bed, not a curled up half-sleep where I had to wake up every time I wanted to turn over. Even so, it was very nice to fall asleep next to a big tree with Christmas specials playing on TV.

This morning when I woke up, I could feel the raw scratches on my arms where I fought with pine needles and pine needles won. I could still feel the very tender goose egg on my right arm where a ladder fell on me. I thought of the tree yet to assemble and said, "I don't think so." I got up, took a shower, threw on some makeup (a lesson well learned yesterday...more on that in a minute) and drove to Big Lots for a mostly assembled tree. I found a skinny little hinged tree that came in a box about a yard long, and $19.08 later, I walked out the door. I came home and had it assembled, fluffed, and lit in about 25 minutes flat. Sure beats the four or so hours it would have taken to mess with the big tree. And it fits the room much better too. I am pleased.

About the makeup...yesterday I didn't put much effort into getting ready because I planned to stay home all day and work on the house. But halfway through the day I ventured out for a coffee drink and the new Christmas CD that David Phelps released this year. When I purchased the CD, I paid by check, and the lady at the register looked at my name and asked who my parents were. I told her and said "Do you know them?" She said yes and then she said, "I think you were a year behind me in school." I need to say this carefully because I could get myself in a whole lotta trouble right before the holidays, but let me just say that I could tell that we were not in the same...class. I said, "Um, maybe you're thinking of my sister?" She said, "Oh yes, the one in Kansas...she was ahead of me. I said, "Well I have another sister too." After a few more explanations, we clarified that I was BORN the year before she graduated, not actually in the class behind her. Clearly some makeup was necessary and I won't be making that mistake again.

Silliness

I've gone a little picture crazy lately. Tis the season, I suppose. :) Here's some of the silly ones.

Last weekend I went to the wedding shower of our secretary's daughter. Part of the table decorations were crystal prism "thingies." During the gift opening time, I started playing with them, and the lady next to me told me to hang them from my earrings for an extra special look. I did - and then I realized they went well with my obnoxious black ring that I bought when I went to Brown County last month. So I was kind of a little Joan Rivers jewelry special going on - right during the presents.


Here are a couple of rejects from the Christmas card photo shoot. I think this facial expression mirrored the one my Mom wanted to wear - the "can we just be done with this?" look.


This one I liked - but I figured I should probably actually look AT the camera for the card picture.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful day! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope you've enjoyed a day of...well...whatever you enjoy most!

I slept in this morning (until my Dad called at 9:15 and I had to figure out what the ringy sound was and how to stop it) and had a perfect morning of watching TV from bed. Matt and Meredith may have had ringside seats to the Thanksgiving Day parade, but I definitely had the warmer end of the deal!

This year, Thanksgiving dinner was at my parents' house, and everyone was there except my Kansas family. The meal was wonderful - WAY too much food. And last night I did something horrible to my jaw, so eating was a pretty significant challenge, but I managed to eat through the pain. I wasn't missing Thanksgiving dinner, no matter how much it hurt!

After lunch, I was entertained by Emma and Wills, my younger cousins. This is the first time I have seen Wills since he could talk, and he had a lot to say! The two of them went outside for a while and when they returned, he was carrying a piece of tree bark. He yelled to all of us, "LOOK!!! I got a piece of ark!" (We were thankful he wasn't around Mr. Noah, or that whole piece of history might have gone sinking into the depths.) Wills' dad asked him if he found it on the ground or yanked it off the tree, and he proudly announced, "I yanked it off the tree." Then he grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, I'll show you!" So with no time to don a coat (and we were getting a bit of snow right then) I followed him out into the yard where he found "the tree" and yanked off a piece of "ark" for me.

After everyone left and the leftovers had been stashed in various corners of Mom's refrigerator, she and I went about conducting the great Christmas card photo shoot of 2007. It was comical, to say the least. This is the first year that I've put a photo in my card since Kaegan's first Christmas, so that's about five years. I was completely OCD about the whole thing - even informing Mom that if my hair day went bad or the zit that sprouted out on my chin two days ago was too crazy, we'd not be taking any pictures. So three locations and thirty four pictures later, I felt I had some decent contenders.

Now I'm home, I've had an iced coffee and a little snack, and it's time to make some serious headway on the Christmas cards.

Have a great Thanksgiving - and to those of you braving the shopping establishments tomorrow - GOOD LUCK!!!

Good Grief

I watched the Bachelor after-show last night and by the end, I was yelling at the TV and beating the air with my fists. I just don't get it.

Here's my take on it, which could be totally off base. I still need to believe that he went into it with honorable intentions and that he did not do it just to get publicity and become a 15 minutes of fame star. I also still need to believe that he really did like (though I'll concede to no love) both Jenni and DeAnna. HOWEVER - I think pretty much everything else he said was an excuse. I think he wants to believe he WASN'T offering excuses, but he still did.

Before I get into what I thought about his speech, let me just say that my opinion of Jenni went up about 50 points for her behavior last night. I liked her before - it wasn't that I didn't. It was just that she seemed kind of giggly all the time. But the fact that she seemed genuinely hurt for DeAnna meant a lot to me. And the fact that when she offered Brad the hypothetical situation of dating just one of them - she offered up dating DeAnna - that was classy. And her dress was cute - but WAY short. When she reached up to hug him, I got a little worried there for a minute.

Now to poor DeAnna. I thought she handled the situation with a whole lot more grace than I would have. I appreciated that she did not hide her anger, because I thought it was more than justified. I felt sorry for her because you could tell they still had that chemistry and they both knew each other well enough to have this totally personal argument in front of so many...and still he let her walk away. I hope she sticks to her statement of that being his last chance.

Brad, Brad, Brad. You lost two really great girls - and one that might have been absolutely perfect for you. YOU ASKED FOR HER DAD TO BE FLOWN TO THE SHOW - HELLO!!!! YOU DO LIKE HER! She doesn't deserve better than you. She deserves a chance to see what she could have WITH you - and you deserve the same with her.

I could NOT believe what he said to DeAnna at the end about how she'd never know how much he would miss her.

So that is my take. Just a hearty "Good Grief."

Nice save on the part of the show for bringing back Ryan, Trista, and cute baby Max to save the day.

Definitely Didn't See That One Coming

I will be the first to admit I'm the girl that never figures out the ending of the movie ahead of time. I'm the girl who actually has to watch until the very end of the crime shows to figure out whodunnit. So with such a record, it really shouldn't shock me that I didn't figure out how the Bachelor was going to end...but I really didn't expect that one.

I know they said it was going to be "the most shocking rose ceremony yet," but aren't they all? I thought he was going to send the first girl away, then send the second girl away and get the first girl back. But I knew by the time he told DeAnna no...there wasn't enough time left before the show ended to get anybody back.

Brad's still my favorite Bachelor - and if he really wasn't in love, then good for him for not proposing just for show. But seriously - he couldn't have kept just one of them to see where it went??? Just to date?? I don't get it.

Bits for Sunday, November 18, 2007

I spent a good portion of my weekend finishing the scrapbook of my baby pictures. I wanted it to be done in time to take it to the family Thanksgiving dinner so I could get the journaling of others included in it. So my fingers are covered in ink and my table is covered in paper scraps, but I successfully made it to a year old.

Last week I gave you a break from the big list of 25 for 2007, but this week my life consisted of stories at work that I do not care to relive, much dealing with leaves in my yard, much working out, and much scrapbooking, so I guess I’m back to the list for writing material.

The fourth area I worked on this year was the area of stewardship. I grew up hearing about stewardship in connection with money – and it is about money. But it’s also about more than just the green stuff. It’s about whatever you have. Luke 12:48 says “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” I began to realize that I’d been entrusted with some things that could stand a little bit more attention from me. So here were my commitments for the things God has given to me.

1. Save monthly. Mom and Dad raised me to understand the value of a savings account, and I appreciate that. But as I sit at my desk every day and pilfer through the files at hand, I listen to Money Matters by Crown Ministries, and I have learned that I have some improving to do in the world of money. It was becoming a little too easy for me to slip some extra into the “spending” part of my paycheck world and not quite as much into the “saving” part of my paycheck world. So I made a goal to save every single month – even if it meant less Hobby Lobby money.

The verdict? It’s been a good discipline for me. I’ve achieved it every month – and the months when money was tight, something extra always came in so I could meet this commitment.

2. Do weekly housecleaning. I also grew up in a home where weekly housecleaning was taught by example – and I learned early how to do my part to pitch in. I usually pitched a fit about it, but I pitched in anyway. I see the wisdom in it now – four year olds are much closer to the floor, so dusting baseboards is really a perfect task for them. But even though I was raised to clean well and clean often, I was slipping in this chore in my own home. My housecleaning became the victim of my “too busy” schedule and if I had to let anything slide, this was cut from the plans. God was nice enough to provide me with a place to live – the least I can do is honor Him by taking care of it – clear down to dusting end tables and scrubbing toilets.

The verdict? This one is still tough – still the one I want to cut corners on each week. But I find it much less of a hassle to clean when I do it on a regular basis.

3. Tune up the car. I am such a girl when it comes to cars. Only recently has my knowledge of them surpassed the level of color identification. But while I’m very dedicated about putting gas in my car (only had to run out once to learn that one!) and getting my oil changed, I hadn’t done a great job of checking up on the rest of my car’s health. My car has been good to me – a reliable little critter – and I decided this was the year to pamper it. Early in the year (thanks to an annoying puncture wound) I wound up replacing the tires, and just a few weeks ago, I sent it to the shop for a little checkup.

The verdict? I’m still such a girl about cars, but I feel good knowing my little car has been given the thumbs up for car health.

4. Work on yard improvement. I’m very fond of working in the kitchen. I’m quite happy when painting and decorating the rooms. I’m not so thrilled about outdoor work. But there’s no reason why I can’t get out the door and do what I can to make the house look presentable from the outside. So this year I got my hands dirty and put in some edger stone in the backyard, worked hard to stay up with the mowing and trimming, and more recently, I dedicated my time to leaf cleanup (a maddening task made much simpler by the new leaf blower/vacuum my Dad bought me).

The verdict? There were weeks when knowing I had to report on this task was the only thing that got me out the door and in the yard. But I’m very happy with the way the yard looks – though I don’t quite keep up with the landscaping neighbors.

5. Get new carpet for the stairs. Oh the carpet on the stairs. It is the color of an interesting diaper deposit (sorry, Dad) and is older than any carpet still in use should be. Last year I went through a rather extensive overhaul of the stairway room – and this was the one final step that I never completed. I don’t want to enter 2008 with that project still unfinished – or rather I’m just anxious to do the scrapbook page with the before and after pictures. So this week I went to the store and scheduled an appointment for the carpet boys to come and measure – and I am finishing the redecorating project.

The verdict? I’m excited to see something neutral instead of the olive color that was great in its day – but its day has long gone. The only thing that makes me sad is that I know no matter how great the carpet is that I get, the lasting power will never match whatever power they put into this carpet!

Only one more area to share with you – that will be next week!

To Be Responsible or to Have Fun

I think it's entirely possible that the week went flying by without me. How'd that happen?

One good thing about it is that work has been so insanely busy that at least the work hours move quickly. Too quickly. Can't get everything done. Our students are trying to register for classes, which means if they need help paying a bill, they need our office. I haven't had anyone cry on me yet - but I imagine it's not far. I need to put a new box of Puffs on my shopping list.

And after work...well...it's the weighing of the "do I have fun tonight or do I do chores?" I've tried to have a good balance of each. Take out the trash...and go to Bible study. Stay after to work late...and go to a ball game. Run to my favorite place on earth for things I need to buy...and watch TV. Work out...and work on the yard. Switch the clothing seasons and do laundry...and assemble Christmas cards.

It's no small wonder that at 2 this morning, I was still tossing in bed (trying valiantly not to disturb the carefree kitties snoozing away beside me) with a racing mind. Thankfully today is Friday, which means extra sleep can be mine this weekend...unless I decide to work on the leaves...and clean the house...and...and....

Good Job, Brad

I know I've admitted on here before that I like to watch The Bachelor. I gave it up a few seasons ago because I got sick of the stupidity. But I wandered back to watching it...and I just have to say that this season has my favorite bachelor.

Yeah, yeah he's good looking. But most seasons, once you got past the looks, you were done. Kudos to Brad for having good sense as well. Tonight when I watched him take the tough questions from the women he sent home, I thought he gave them genuine and meaningful answers - not just beat-around-the-bush quips to save face. I like that.

I am torn on which woman he'll pick. I think either of them would be good for him; it just boils down to what he is looking for most in a life plan. But regardless of how it ends, I'm glad for a season that included real conversation and not just hot tub parties. Good job, Brad.

Bits for Sunday, November 11, 2007

This week I’m taking a break from “list-reporting.” You were probably ready for a break two weeks ago, and I actually had something writing-worthy happen, so for those two reasons, I take a temporary leave from my lists to bring you the following breaking news from Bekah-land.

I went Christmas shopping.

Okay, I promise there’s a little bit more to it than that. Yesterday my Mom and I went on our annual Christmas shopping extravaganza. Normally we go in December when the sales are roaring, the Christmas music plays in the malls, and I am in desperate need of a day off work. This year we went on a Saturday to preserve my vacation days, we played our own Christmas music in the car (I do a rather interesting impersonation of Russ Taff singing “What A Wonderful World,” by the way), and we found sales even before Thanksgiving.

But along the way I made the following observations about holiday shopping, so I thought I would share them with you.

* You should always take a stroller. Not for a baby. For packages. I had quite seriously contemplated calling up some random parent-friend of mine to see if I could borrow the big old travel system for the day, but given that we were shopping on a Saturday, I figured the stroller-owning parents might actually be using their strollers. But I’ve noticed that in the mall, the moms carry the babies and push the presents. It’s ingenious, really. A place to stash the stuff, and cup holders on the side!

* Parking may be the riskiest business of the day. Mom and I had to park a couple of states away from the mall, and halfway through our shopping, we had to trek back to the car for a deposit of the back-breaking sacks. Mom decided to change shoes while we were out there, so I spread my papers out on the trunk, alongside my calculator, to see how I was doing on the old budget and how much more shopping I needed to do for each person. This poor guy parked his truck a few feet away, thinking we were about to leave. He finally got the drift that we were just gearing up for round two and he drove away. As we hiked back into the mall, we nearly saw a four car pileup in aisle six as someone tried to pass someone else (hello, it’s a PARKING LOT, not a FREEWAY) and then another car backed out at the same time. I thought we were all goners. All for the love of a close parking space.

* Never wear rings. When Mom and I were on our way to the car for that mid-shopping deposit, she kept saying to me, “I have a free hand, do you want me to carry a bag for you?” I kept saying “No, my hands won’t move!” As soon as I dumped the bags into the trunk, my still-curled-up fingers resembled candy canes and were so swollen that I don’t think I was in any danger of losing a ring. Usually I forego the jewelry altogether on a shopping trip, but I forgot this time.

* The receipt trail is longer than Santa’s naughty/nice list. Mom and I were in line at Penney’s when the receipt started printing out…and kept going…and kept going…and kept going. Mind you, I had only purchased two things. The receipts could serve as gift wrap for them both. And this is what I’ve learned about holiday shopping. One printout was my notice that if I shop online from now through the end of the month and spend over $49, I can get free shipping. The next one was my actual receipt. The first three inches of it were the logo/address. The next three inches were the actual receipt part. Then there was the message about taking an online survey to receive 15% off my next purchase. Then there was the notice of how I paid…followed by my associate’s number, followed by my holiday portrait offer, followed by the exchange policy, followed by their website information, followed by a bar code. THEN I received the two gift receipts – each printed separately for my gifting convenience. While the lady was gathering and folding my receipt, Mom and I were blessed to hear the story of the man at the next register. He had purchased queen size cream colored sheets, but the pillowcases were too short for his king size pillows, so he bought the pillowcases separately but when he washed it all, the sheets faded to white and now they don’t match the pillowcase and could he just make an even exchange for this sheet set? The lady asked him if he had a receipt. He said no. She did the exchange anyway. SO WHY AM I ACCEPTING SIX FEET OF RECEIPT TAPE???? DOES IT EVEN MATTER? When I came home, I counted fifteen receipts, eight gift receipts, and six supplemental advertisement receipts, which leads me to my next point…

* The after-shopping takes longer than the shopping. If I were to take advantage of all possible offers thrown my way yesterday, then my future holds a busy schedule. I need to drive back to Borders next weekend, spend $10 or more, and get something 30% off (minus anything in the 2 ½ inch list of exceptions). After that I can spend two consecutive nights at a Country Inn and Suites and get a $15 gift card. I can order a delicious turkey feast at Target for just $59.99. Of course don’t forget about the aforementioned free shipping from Penney’s as well as the survey/15% off offer from them. I can go to Kohls online and offer my feedback on a survey – FOR NOTHING. I don’t think so. I can drive back to Kirkland’s (a great store) next weekend for 20% off a single Christmas item. Dicks Sporting Goods offered me $10 off my next purchase of $50 if I rushed home and completed an online survey. For shopping at Sears, I can take a survey and perhaps win a $4000 gift card. I can also “por favor tomate el tiempo para proporcionaros tu informacion y participa…” oh wait. I think that is the same thing. Unfortunately I have dial up internet, so I’d still be completing these surveys at Easter.

* And finally – watch that weight. On the way home, Mom and I stopped for fast food. By this time, my back was breaking from all the carrying of sacks, my feet were screaming, since I dressed for looks over comfort and didn’t wear my best shoes. We’d been gone for almost 12 hours and were getting a little loopy. We stood in line for our burgers at an establishment run by the twin sisters of Frick and Frack of the Wal Mart photo booth. We waited a while before they took our order, and when Frick (or was it Frack?) came over to the register, she said to my Mom, “I’m sorry about your wait.” I rolled my eyes. This woman could have made two and a half of my mother. I wanted to say “Really? Cause I’m not half as sorry about her weight as I am about yours.” Someone please tell these customer service people not to say that!

But all in all – a successful day was had by both of us. And I would tell you more, but I have some surveys to complete.

For Blogger Deb's Mom...

Blogger Deb's Mom taught one of my English classes in college. Knowing that she occasionally stops by always makes me nervous that something I write will end up on the "don't do this" example sheet in her classroom. While I do my very best to make sure my posts follow the rules of the English language, I like for this space to be somewhat casual. I try not to go too crazy with the proofreading.

Last night I was watching TV and saw a commercial for some random prescription medication that everyone should discuss with a doctor. The chipmunk-sounding list of disclaimers at the end included this phrase: "Patients taking aspirin and the elderly should not use this medication." I called my father (a wording guru) and told him he might want to avoid taking aspirin and the elderly at the same time. :)

(At this time you're free to guess how many times I've read this post to hunt for errors...and I just know I've missed something.)

Making the Plan

Mom and I are going Christmas shopping this weekend. I'm stressing (not bad, but a little) because I am not sure when I'm going to formulate "the plan" prior to that trip. Last week when I hid from trick or treaters, I pulled out the budget and made the list of people to buy for and divided up the money appropriately. So I know WHO to buy for and HOW MUCH to spend on them and I have LISTS from most of them...and that's where I'm stuck.

Worst case scenario - I'll ask Mom to drive so I can spread out all the papers in the car and make the plan on the way to shopping. But I'd really like to have it done before then. I don't like to go into these trips and find whatever I find. I want to go after certain purchases and find the best possible deal. That is my goal.

I'm probably too OCD about the shopping trip just like I OCD about every other aspect of this holiday. But I like to have just the perfect gift for everyone. And I like to have 90% of them purchased in one trip flat. Shoot - I might even have everything wrapped before I put up the tree. (Or then again - maybe not. Why be overly ambitious?)

All of this has stemmed from the year I failed to shop for ANYONE until Christmas Eve. Dad was my chauffeur and Mom ran around behind me telling me who was still on the list. They made me promise to NEVER pull that stunt again.

Think I've successfully transformed?

Bits for Sunday, November 4, 2007

Ahh…the world is right again…all the time zones back in their proper places. What a great weekend!

It’s probably a good reminder for me to share the third/fifth of my list this week, because I didn’t have much enthusiasm in this department this week. But it’s too far into the year to give up now, so maybe explaining it to all of you will motivate me to stay on track.

My third area of commitment this year was the area of ministry. Last spring I spoke at a one-day women’s retreat for some of the ladies at my parents’ church, and the key verse for the day was the one that hovered over this area this year. 2 Timothy 1:6 says “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” That day we talked about how each of us has different gifts and how we’re expected to use what we’ve been given, rather than doing what comes more naturally: sitting around wishing we had the same gifts as our neighbors.

Using our own gifts can be scary because the things we’re really good at are often the things we’re most passionate about…and that can bring about a big dose of vulnerability. It’s scary to think about opening up your soul and having people laugh at you – or shrug their shoulders and roll their eyes. But regardless of the reaction, we’re supposed to fan those gifts into flame, so here were my specific covenants to do so this year.

1. Finish writing and seek publication of Advent project. Last year, during December, I started writing about Advent and lives that had been changed after encountering Jesus in the flesh. Though I write all the time, I decided it was time to at least attempt to take something I’d written and move it out of the confines of the journals only I see. This year I picked up that project (I’d somewhat abandoned it as the holidays closed in last year and I became busy) and finished it. I’m in the process of trying to find a way to publish it. That’s a very uncomfortable adventure for me, but I’m forcing myself to stick with it and keep trying until the right door opens.

And even though I’m done with the Advent book (minus the ever-elusive title) – I’ve also started making a small group study out of it. That’s pushing me back into my own words and causing me to learn even more from the study of a year ago.

The verdict? I guess I’ll keep trying until I’m successful – and I have plans for the next ten years to write more book-length works.

2. Habitually (weekly if possible) meet with Olivia. Olivia goes to my church, and probably four years ago, we started meeting for coffee one night a week. We’ve done some Bible studies, we’ve done nights of just girl talk, we’ve gone out for breakfast, we’ve had scrapping days…we’ve had fun. It’s exciting to me to see Olivia run after God’s plan for her, and I’m so thankful for all that I have learned from her.

I noticed last year that I was slipping into a habit of postponing our meeting a day here or a week there because I’d allowed my schedule to become too crowded. So this year, I made the commitment to be available every week if I possibly could. This semester we’ve had to get a little creative and meet before work for breakfast because it is the only time we’re both available at the same time. And though you know me and mornings, I love those mornings. I love spending those minutes with her and just knowing that we’re both learning and growing.

The verdict? As long as she’ll put up with me…or for as long as we live close enough to do so…I would love to continue this tradition. And when the time comes for our meeting together to end, I would love to start up with someone else.

3. Finish spring Bible study with enthusiasm and pray about fall. For the last five years, I taught the Ladies Bible Study at my church, and I noticed that I worked hard to prepare in the September-December months, but from January-May, I started to lose steam. I determined this year I would study hard and do my best even at the end of the season.

At the same time, I started to feel that God was pulling me away from this group. I love these ladies and could not imagine not preparing and teaching each week. But God confirmed to me that it was time to step down – so I did. I’m not 100% sure of all the reasons, but for now I know that releasing that duty has given me more time to write, and it’s allowed me to be involved in a short-term Bible study that I desperately needed right now. So I know it was a good thing.

The verdict? I’d love to lead a small group again…guess I’ll wait on God to say!

4. Entertain once a month. I inherited the hospitality bug from my Mom, and it’s something I really love to do. I love inviting people over for dinner or a game night (well, depending on the games…) or a movie night. But I noticed last year that I did a really lousy job of actually picking up the phone and making the invitation. So this year I made a commitment to have people over at least once a month. Sometimes it’s a full meal, sometimes it’s just snacks, but it’s always a chance to hang out with good friends and have fun.

The verdict? I am hopeful that in the future I will keep up the good habit of inviting people over, even though it won’t be a specific commitment anymore.

5. Do something purposefully encouraging to someone once a week. I realize it’s a little ridiculous to have to make this a priority. But I would think of things to do for someone – a card, a flower, a batch of cookies – and the thought was the end of it. I needed to push myself to actually do it. So every week I’m on the lookout for a little something fun I can do to cheer up someone’s week. The things don’t always take a lot of time or cost much money, but I love seeing (or hearing about) the reactions when the little gifts are discovered.

The verdict? I have something similar to this planned for next year, with a slight twist to it.

Ministries don’t have to be flagrant to be important. Don’t be afraid to use whatever has been ingrained in your heart. God gave it to you for a reason, and He wants you to use it!

We Survived!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a beautiful message up there on the DST ticker - "Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight!" Don't you worry, baby. Don't have to tell me twice.

I celebrated my last day of this ridiculousness by sleeping in until 11. I intended to get up at 9, but it was a rough night, thanks to this stupid cough. Since my list of chores today didn't have any particular time attached, I decided to not stress out about being up at 9 and went back to sleep.

Today was very busy. Starting next weekend, the holiday rush begins, so I enjoyed this one last uninterrupted Saturday to do chores around the house. I used my new toy (thank you Mom and Dad!) of a leaf blower/vac to work on my yard. Best invention EVER. I planted the mum I won at the church dinner a couple of weeks ago. I cleaned out the fridge (nasty job) and took out the trash promptly afterwards. I bought new workout shoes, as my old ones have many miles on them and are starting to get thin on the bottom. I stopped by the bookstore sale and had my free cup of coffee and used my coupon on a new book. Oh - and I enjoyed probably my last exercise outside until spring. It was too beautiful a day to let that pass.

So now I've just had my little dinner and I'm about to clean the house and CHANGE THE CLOCKS!

This is the best weekend EVER.

Ick to Sick

So this is week two of being sick and I'm so over it. Too bad I can't actually be OVER it.

Fortunately, so far I've not had to miss work. I thought about it yesterday because I had this annoying cough that even I was sick of hearing, so I could only imagine how everyone else felt. But unfortunately, I can work with a cough. I wasn't throwing up, so I reported for duty. Had I known our system wasn't going to report for duty for more than five minutes at a time, I might have rethought that coming to work thing. Also unfortunately, I was raised under the teaching that if you're too sick to go to school/work, you're too sick to do anything else after hours, and I had to grocery shop last night. I was completely out of food that didn't require significant hours of preparation. So in the interest of shopping, I came to work.

Never fear though - the weekend is upon me. Surely that will get me at least an hour's rest. (Sometime after I work on the yard, probably.) And if all else fails....at least I get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday! WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Catching Up on the Tornado

It has been a while since I posted a Kansas update, so today I went crazy and you'll find several posts below showing some updates from the land of great wind.

Sunday marks six months since the tornado hit, and although I'm sure it still feels like a massive task ahead to those in the middle of it, so much has been done in these six months! You'll see in the pictures below that new buildings are in progress and temporary housing is in place and functioning.

Just as a note...this month's issue of Guideposts magazine has an article about another minister in Greensburg. Not my brother-in-law, but one of his friends. I think he is/was the Methodist pastor. I've not seen the magazine yet, but Lori said to be sure and look at it!
Secondly - tomorrow night (Halloween night) - the Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers episode is supposed to be about the Greensburg tornado. It's an hour long program that runs from 10-11. I was on the Discovery channel website today and saw that if you miss it, you can catch up with it at 2 a.m. the next night or a few other times in the coming days. I'm not sure what all it will entail, but I know it will be on.

And speaking of the Discovery channel - they're preparing a documentary series which I think has 13 segments - about the rebuilding of Greensburg. My brother-in-law had an interview with somebody about that. Don't know if it was a footage interview or just facts that will be relayed. I haven't been able to find anything out about when it will air - probably not for a while. But it's out there in the future.

And to start your little photo tour of the post-tornado Greensburg....a rosebush from in front of the Mennonite church. It came back to life!

The Old Has Gone

Here's what is left of their old house. Once it was determined that the basement would not be reused, they tore out the walls and now it's just a hole in the ground.

And the New Has Come!

TA DAAAAAA!!! The new house! What...you don't see it? :)

Just kidding. But this is the future home of...the future home. In case you didn't know/didn't remember, they will not be living in the same location they were before the tornado.

Every good Kansas home has a basement! This we learned! Here's Lori with her brand new basement.


And after the basement floor, of course, comes the addition of the basement walls as seen here.

And then the floor joists - or as they called them in that one conversation Lori heard, "floor joyces."

Here's Jeff holding some Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). They're apparently the latest and greatest in "building green." I'm sure Leonardo DiCaprio will have something to say about that.

FEMA-ville

There are lots (I forget the exact number, so we'll go with the ever popular "lots") of FEMA trailers in Greensburg. Lori calls it FEMA-ville. Here's a glimpse:

GPS - But Not the Thing that Finds You

Greensburg Portable School!

The school "complex" is located in twenty some trailers/portables/whatever you want to call them. THis is one of the elementary school trailers.


The dark trailers in the back are for the high school. The large building on the right is the practice gym. Official games are held in a nearby town in a school that is no longer used. (Right, Lori?)

Town Sights

I promise...you're almost done!

When Lori said their hospital resembled the M*A*S*H unit....she wasn't kidding! This is the current hospital in Greensburg.

This is the John Deere dealership. As you may remember from previous posts/pictures, many of the pieces of equipment were "resituated" on the lot - one ended up in a pond!

And every town needs a convenience store! This is the Kwik Shop. Fairly soon after the tornado, it operated out of a semi trailer. It has upgraded to a real building now.

Sunday Afternoon Naps

After I took my nap yesterday afternoon (on the couch during a Lifetime movie), I discovered I'm not the only one who enjoys a good nap on Sunday!


Kaegan had claimed my bed, which was (embarrassingly) unmade. I never skip making the bed, but my decision to go to Sunday School was last minute (due to not feeling well), and this just didn't get done. He didn't seem to mind, though.

Braeya had claimed the guest room bed. She was NOT happy to be awakened by my photo shoot. Wonder who she gets THAT from? ;)

The Weekend in Pictures

Saturday I went to the wedding of one of our former student workers, Stephanie, and her amazing now-husband, Nick. I l-o-v-e-d their wedding. The ceremony was incredibly personal and told so much of the story of their love and who they are as individuals and as a couple. It reminded me very much of what I hope to someday have in my own wedding.

The reception was super fancy. I had to cheat off my neighbor to know the right fork to use. But her table decorations were SO CUTE!!! She always wanted a fall wedding, and she sure had one! The pumpkins told us our table numbers, and the little mini pumpkins at each place had the menus tied to them.

I am not sure that most of you know (because why would this be a normal writing topic?) that I have an INSANE phobia of public restrooms. I'm the laughing stock of my office because if I go down the hall to the bathroom and there's someone else in there, I have to come back to the office until the person/people leave and then I return. In addition, I refuse to use port-a-potties and random "community bathrooms" scare me.

SO...it was a huge deal that I agreed to use this "community bathroom" in Brown County. Unfortunately, it absolutely REEKED. Every time I went in, I tried to hold my breath, because every accidental whiff made me sick to my stomach.


Now THIS is my kinda store!!!

At last - the road rage picture. I have enlarged it some (keep in mind we were at the opposite end of the block by the time I took this) but it's still a little far away. The lady in red to the left of the car is totally cussing out the driver. You can see the two walking people in the middle of the street staring - there were more gawkers, but they aren't in this shot.

Bits for Sunday, October 28, 2007

Happy day before Hermit Day! Just glancing at my calendar, I see that tomorrow is Hermit Day. Don’t know what that means, but I can assure you that as I face an early alarm tomorrow after a week of vacation, I think it’s a day I just might need to observe!

The week of vacation gave me extra time to think – extra extra time since I was sick four of the five days I had off work! I realized the end of the year is rapidly approaching, and there are still a few of my covenants (the one-time sorts of commitments) that I still need to complete before the end of the year. Time to kick it into gear.

So to push me into action, here’s the second fifth of my commitments for the year – the area that was probably the most challenging of all.

Area Two: My Temple – My theme verse for this area was “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…” 1 Corinthians 6:19. I always read that verse in a rather exasperated tone – as though Paul was saying “Hello! Get with the program, you idiot!” Thankfully, I think Paul was much nicer than that, and I think the tone was much more pleading and merciful – “Don’t you know? If not, let me be the one to tell you what a treasure you have…”

2007 became my year to wake up and realize that this body I have is something I only get one time. If I didn’t start taking a little bit better care of it – I could be in big trouble later. And if I couldn’t find it within me to take good care of it for my own sake, then I needed to do it for the sake of the Holy Spirit. So here were my commitments regarding the temple.

1. Exercise five days a week. What a shock to my poor body that had only seen about five days of exercise in life prior to this year. I have been a textbook case of resolving to exercise, doing well for a week, and then giving up. I tried my very best to think of all the reasons why I quit so I could be prepared to combat them. My commitment was to spend anywhere from ½ hour to 1 hour each time that I exercised, and I’m excited to say that so far, I’ve kept this commitment each week. I’ve done Tae Bo (a comical event, should any of you ever need a good laugh), I’ve walked (giving me a comical tan line at the ankle), I’ve worked out on the elliptical machine I invested in earlier in the year (unloading it piece by piece from my trunk was a comical workout in and of itself) and more recently, I’ve added one day a week at the gym, sweatin’ with the skinnies. While I worried that this was too ambitious a commitment, it’s worked out well. I take a day of rest from it every Sunday and then I’m allowed one other day a week to be too busy, too lazy, or too tired. Other than that – no excuses. Not even my spur of the moment trip to Kansas after the tornado or my week of sickness kept me off the schedule!

The verdict? I think this has sufficiently become a habit for me. It’s not going on next year’s list, but I don’t have any intentions of giving up in this department.

2. When offered food choices, choose the better choice. I hate diets. They don’t work for me, because I’m not willing to stay committed to them for life. So my goal was to employ the general principles I learned from Gwen Shamblin’s “Weigh Down” book that I read a few years ago. Everything is permissible…but exercise moderation. I tried to stop eating like six construction workers and start eating like a lady. I didn’t give up the things I loved, but I tried to have smaller portions or healthier versions. You’ll still find me in line for fru-fru coffee drinks, but you’ll find me ordering them with skim milk and sugar free whipped cream. I still love my bread – but I try to eat wheat now more than white. Four cookies instead of six. Cheerios instead of a bag of M&Ms. It’s worked well. Not a quick melt-away-the-pounds eating plan, but definitely one that keeps me from chewing on pens in between meals.

The verdict? Like the exercise, I think this one is an ingrained habit now. I don’t need to keep it on the list, but I plan to keep practicing it anyway.

3. No pop. Hands down, the hardest one on my entire list of twenty-five. They don’t make a patch to get you through carbonated beverage withdrawal. For a couple of years, I’ve given up pop for Lent, and for this year I did it simply because I wanted to do one thing out of the whole twenty five that represented a genuine “this might kill me” sacrifice. And for me, that sacrifice was the self-denial of pop. Going from drinking a 32 ounce full fledged (no diet, no caffeine free, no sugar free business) Coke every day to drinking water and iced tea every day – that was big. And try as I might to convince myself it was just a long Lent, 365 days is a far cry from 40 days. One time I even dreamed that I messed up and had a small glass of Coke. Boy was I relieved to wake up from that!

The verdict? Unsure. I don’t know if it’s best for me to keep this one or if I’m strong enough to just have a little taste now and then without falling back into the pop-drinking pit. I’m going to have to think on this for a while.

4. Find and apply verses of physical worth in God’s eyes. It’s hard to be a girl sometimes. Especially on the days of sweatin’ with the skinnies. It’s hard to look in the mirror and not immediately gravitate toward everything you hate, even if what you hate is something that no one else even notices. And I know I’m not alone in those thoughts. You’ve had them, even if you don’t want to admit it. So this year, I bought a little spiral bound set of index cards and every time I ran across verses that talked about how God views me, I wrote those verses on the cards. And then on the days when I feel like running around with a paper bag over my head, I carry those verses with me and I read them over and over to remind myself that no matter what I see or what the looks or words of others say that they see, it’s what God sees that’s important.

The verdict? I’ll probably turn it into a writing project.

5. Floss daily. You can stop laughing now. I know it’s a bit of a ridiculous thing to put on a covenant list. But you do not understand. My teeth are so close together, flossing requires not only the floss, but a hammer as well. It’s quite exhausting. I’ve never liked to floss and I’ve been sitting through the dentist’s lectures twice a year about how I need to do it or I’ll be sorry. Finally she flung at me the dreaded phrase of “gum disease” and told me I was in the beginning stages of it – and if I truly didn’t start flossing, I’d be losing my teeth eventually. I happen to like my teeth – and I’d really like to keep them for a good long time. So I broke down, bought some floss, and started flossing every single day.

The verdict? After a glowing report at the last dentist visit, I’ve decided to keep up this practice for the sake of the pearly whites.

I would say that of all five areas, this one has given me the greatest sense of accomplishment, because it was the biggest area of overhaul, and required the most lifestyle change. I wasn’t sure I could make it – but so far, I have!