Praise the Lord & Pass the Prozac

2011-12-28T12:22:00.001-06:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the sun is shining. The dogs are enjoying the backyard today.

I am thinking... of how different the weather was last year at this time. Surprise snowfall blanketed the ground. I was a little disappointed we didn't get a white Christmas this year.

I am thankful... we had so much family here to celebrate Christmas. The house was full; 19 people here for dinner, including nephews' spouses/significant others and another couple who have no family here. Mother spent almost a week here with us as well. We had a great time. Also got to see my Florida niece and nephew for a few hours Monday evening as they journeyed back from a visit to their grandparents in St. Louis. Wish we could have had longer!

From the learning rooms... All quiet for now, but will be getting started back up with math and science next week.

In the kitchen... Nothing going on, but it is CLEAN!

I am wearing... Navy pants and cornflower blue sweater.

I am creating... Hogwarts Castle with Joel. We are halfway through. Just 5 bags left to assemble.

I am going... to stay home today. Have been out with the boys for allergy shots earlier, but hoping we can just hang here for the rest of the day.

I am wondering... what the new year will bring.

I am reading... nothing at the moment, but I have a lot of things waiting on my Kindle, as well as some books I picked up at the Scholastic Book Sale just before Christmas.

I am hoping... to see a lot of personal growth in me and my family this year.

I am looking forward to... the KLOVE Friends and Family Cruise in February. Brian and I are sailing with 2 other couples from our old church in Omaha. I need to find some clothes to take with me!

I am hearing... the sounds of Halle and Joel playing Kinect Adventures on the new XBOX the family received for Christmas.

Around the house... the Christmas tree is still up and decorations are still out. The dining room table is covered in LEGO pieces and a half-built creation. My bedroom is decked out with new sheets, a new quilt, and new shams that I bought back when we were getting the bedroom painted. We finally turned Emily's old room into a guest room... new mattress set in there. We'll work on adding some other things to the room to make it multipurpose; maybe set it up as a crafting area as well.

One of my favorite things... is a peaceful home.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tomorrow I am going to the hospital's Wellness Center to get signed up. Brian and Noah have been working out there for a few weeks now. Time for me to get busy in the pool. Friday is Emily and Noah's birthday. We are going to The Melting Pot for dinner to celebrate. No NYE plans yet, but will probably spend it at home. Hopefully my sister will be able to come over.

Here is picture I am sharing...

This is what Joel and I have done so far on his new LEGO Hogwarts Castle.

Another September daybook

2011-09-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... there is a fall evening breeze blowing. It feels good to have the cooler weather here. I think fall is my favorite season.

I am thinking... about the work waiting for me in my bedroom and closet. We have had painters here redoing the entire downstairs (ceilings, walls, trim) for almost 2 weeks and they finally finished up today. Having everything pulled out of my closet (which, because it is the largest one, became the place to throw things if you didn't know where else to put it) has kind of forced me into cleaning/reorganizing mode in there. I used my built-in labor (AKA Noah, Halle, and Joel) to carry things up to Emily's old bedroom, which we will eventually turn into a guest room/craft room/multipurpose room. Now I have to sort clothes and only put back the things I actually wear. My closet is going to look pretty bare, I think.

I am thankful... my children were able to help me with the closet cleanout. I could not have done it alone.

In the kitchen... are freshly painted walls with no grease splatters behind the stove. I need to run to Home Depot for backsplash tile quickly, before that changes!

I am wearing... grey pants and shirt. Not a very imaginative ensemble, but at least it's comfortable.

I am creating... ideas for decorating the house. Pinterest is my friend!

I am going... to get back to work in my room once I finish this.

I am wondering... about very little right now. My mind is on overload with all the "immediate" and "urgent".

I am reading... Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb and Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher.

I am hoping... to get into a routine at home again soon. We have brought Noah back home to homeschool around the same time the painting started and it has been a challenge with all the activity going on here in the house, not to mention waiting for materials to arrive. He is actually taking 2 classes outside the house, English and American history. We're doing math and biology here at home.

I am looking forward to... the upcoming weekend. Brian and Noah are going away together to Outback America, and Halle is going on a junior high youth retreat with our church. That means it will just be Joel and me, which should make for a very laid-back and quiet weekend.

I am hearing... my oldest daughter and her boyfriend upstairs watching football on the big screen (actually, I'm only hearing her; she's a very VOCAL football spectator).

Around the house... The jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table is still there, but it is finally completed. I will find a frame to mount it in when things settle down a bit. The house is in general disarray; besides my closet to put back together, I have a cleaning closet to reorganize and also our coat closet to do.

I am pondering... how long it will take to get the house in order.

One of my favorite things... a fairly clean and clutter-free home.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Continue to get things put back where they belong, attend my ladies' book study group at church tomorrow morning, shuttle Noah to and from his Tues/Thurs classes, and most of all: enjoy the weekend.

Make your own daybook entry.

Daybook for September

2011-09-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the sun is shining. Fall hasn't arrived yet, but I know it will be here soon.

I am thinking... of making changes.

I am thankful... we have a God who knows what we need.

In the kitchen... are dishes waiting to go in the dishwasher.

I am wearing... comfortable clothes; grey pants and light turquoise v-neck.

I am creating... a plan for the coming year.

I am going... to make some phone calls.

I am wondering... what the future holds.

I am reading... Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher.

I am hoping... I get some positive information today from my phone calls.

I am looking forward to... the weekend.

I am hearing... the sounds of silence. The house is very quiet. Youngest son is home sick from school and is reading to himself in my bedroom.

Around the house... There is a jigsaw puzzle in nearly completed state on the dining room table. It has been so difficult that we're going to glue this one together. Rory, my Great Dane, is lying at my feet under the desk. She wants to be wherever I am. She's good for my ego.

I am pondering... what the future may hold.

One of my favorite things... A good book and a quiet house.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Laundry. :D

Make your own daybook entry.

The Simple Woman's Daybook, 7/25/11

2011-07-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... I can see the freshly-mowed lawn and tree leaves fluttering in the breeze.

I am thinking... about my sister. One week ago today, she had to make the heart-wrenching decision to euthanize her 9-yo Great Dane, Rockwell. He had gotten to the point where his back legs were not working and his muscles had atrophied so much that he was nothing but skin and bones. Then on Thursday morning, she found out one of her mares had given birth during the night to a pretty little roan filly. They had a vet check her over the weekend because they were concerned she wasn't doing well. The vet gave it a penicillin shot and that was it. This morning, the baby was dead. I am hurting for my sister having to experience these 2 losses so close together, and I am angry that the vet did not do more for the foal.

I am thankful... God is in control.

In the kitchen... it is clean, except for the bowl and skillet I used making cinnamon crepes for brunch.

I am wearing... grey capris and a grey boyfriend t-shirt.

I am creating... memories. I said "Yes" when my youngest asked if his friend could stay over last night, and he and his sister are having a great time playing with him (and it's not video games!).

I am going... to the store later to pick up some things for dinner. We are having a friend from church over before he moves to New Mexico on Wednesday.

I am wondering... if the vet will do something to make amends to my sister for mishandling the care of the foal, and if so, what.

I am reading... Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason.

I am hoping... something good happens for my sister soon.

I am looking forward to... dinner tonight, and Wednesday night dinner/devo at church.

I am hearing... Noah playing Minecraft on the other computer in this room. Halle, Joel, and their friend, Jacob, filming a "movie" that involves guns and bandannas.

Around the house... Men are here checking the airflow and energy efficiency of the house. We have certain rooms that are hotter/colder than others and our utility bills have been on the high side. Hoping to find out why and what we can do about it.

One of my favorite things... is curling up with a good book.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I have a sleep study scheduled for tomorrow night. My sleep apnea has gotten worse so that I really need to use a CPAP machine. Will do the sleep study then get a machine/mask the next day. Kids will be meeting a new dentist on Wednesday as well. At some point we have to go shopping for school uniforms; the kids go back 1 week from today. :(

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

"Cricket", Ladybug's foal, at 2 days old.

Share your own Daybook by going to The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Another belated update or Almost Gone with the Wind

2011-05-04T20:22:00.001-05:00

I know, my last post might have given some hope that I would show up here more frequently. I confess I even thought I would. However, there is no way I can let recent events go unchronicled . I will start with the biggest event... the one that made national (international?) news this past week.

Last Wednesday, April 27, our state was hit with a record-breaking number of tornadoes. One AP story quotes statistics of 226 tornadoes in one day and 334 deaths in the 24 hours between 8am that morning and 8am Thursday morning. We also had many severe thunderstorms accompanying the tornadoes, with hail and strong winds. The storms caused a 2hour school delay in the morning for schools in our area; as tornadoes began to form in surrounding areas, most schools wound up letting out early (my children's school has a tornado shelter, so it did not; my kids spent about an hour in the shelter).

Noah and I were out in the storm at one point (had an appointment that we didn't know had been canceled due to the weather) and stopped at a local fast food restaurant just moments after a tornado had been sighted less than a mile away (unbeknownst to us). Only a minute or two after we placed our order, we were ushered to the kitchen of the restaurant, where we got to wait out the storm for 30-45 minutes. During that time, there was an area-wide power outage; most of northern AL had its power knocked out, including where we were sitting and here at home. We were able to get home during a lull in the storm. Emily had gathered our candles and flashlights, so we were not totally in the dark.

Brian was still at work in Decatur (tornadoes were at work near him as well); the hospital was on emergency generator power. He wound up having to stay thru the night and next day, as the hospital was taking in storm victims from surrounding communities. Another regional hospital south of here in Cullman had taken a hit from a tornado, so could not provide care to victims.

To make a long story short.... we were without power from Wednesday afternoon until sometime during the early morning hours of Monday. Thursday morning dawned sunny and beautiful. We had absolutely gorgeous weather, temperate and clear for the remaining days. It wasn't until late last night that another set of thunderstorms rolled in.

Our time without power was merely an inconvenience, a slight one at that. Yes, we lost some food in the refrigerator and freezer. That's really about it. The boys spent more time outside than they ever do, getting to know the neighbor kids more, riding bikes, hanging out... We played board games by candle- and flashlight. Halle and I cut up magazines and made collages together. (Definitely therapeutic.... I think we'll be doing more when our magazine stash is built back up!). On Sunday afternoon, Brian and the boys accompanied a group from church to help clean up a home that had been hit by one of the tornadoes. The following newsclip includes a short interview with Joel, and you can catch glimpses of Brian (bald guy in maroon shirt) and Noah (tall kid in light blue shirt and basketball shorts with backwards baseball cap).

There are still some areas without power. So many lost homes, lives, and loved ones. I read an article today about one congregation of believers whose meeting place was demolished by a tornado. They met Sunday afternoon in a neighboring congregation's building. The article stated that "8 people rededicated their lives" during their service. I can't help but wonder why it takes a tragedy to bring about a revival. I guess it is just one more instance of the upside-down nature of the gospel. Sorrow can bring about joy, pain can bring about healing, and death can bring about new life.

Back from the dead

2011-02-11T13:23:00.000-06:00

It's been forever and a day since I've posted anything. Rather than blame it on being busy or nothing happening, I'll let you all in on what I've learned about my frequent blog vacations: I've learned that one of the main reasons I stayed away was depression. I didn't even realize it at the time, but I had been living my life in a constant state of mild clinical depression for a very long time. Now that I've been diagnosed and am on medication (NOT Prozac, LOL), things are so much better. It has made a huge improvement on relationships with my kids and my husband. I think my general outlook on life has become more positive, and my husband says I am much easier to live with! (I never knew I was hard to live with!) Anyhow, there is much peace and joy here in our home now that I am chemically balanced. Life's not perfect, but it's still great. Thank God for bringing the right people into our lives to help bring this about.

Another reason for my absences (related to depression) has been that I used to use online activities to escape. My time online was often a sore spot between me and my husband. So I purposely stayed away from blogging out of respect for him. As things settle into normalcy here, I see that I can still blog and respect him... but the out-of-balance me could not do both. I still will not be here every day; maybe not every week, either. But I will not have mental conversations with myself to talk me out of sharing something here that I want to share (unless of course, I *need* to do that!).

So that's the BIG news from our household.

Other really good news is that I had carpal tunnel release surgery done on my right hand 2 days ago. I have been suffering with numbness, pain, and tingling in both hands for a very long time (years) and finally decided I needed to do something about it. Only took about 3 weeks to get through the appointments needed to officially diagnose it and set up the surgery. I was able to schedule my surgery just 5 days ahead of time, too. Yesterday, I took advantage of the Vicodin prescribed for me; the pain wasn't awful, but annoying. I haven't taken any today and am going to drive the car for the first time since surgery this afternoon. I'm looking forward to my followup visit with the doctor next Thursday morning. I have to leave the Ace bandage on my hand until then. It's a bit of a hassle. Meanwhile, I will enjoy letting the kids do as much for me as needed. It has been nice the last couple of days!! In another 6-12 weeks, depending on how quickly this heals, I will have the other hand done.

There you have it. God is doing big things in my life and my family's life. Hope you can see what he's doing in yours, too!

October already?

2010-10-11T14:26:00.002-05:00

Cannot believe how fast this year is flying. Just 2 more months (and 11 days), and we'll have lived in this house an entire year! It doesn't seem possible.

The kids are on their second (and last) week of fall break, and Brian is taking the week off from work as well. Tomorrow is Halle's 12th birthday; she hasn't told me yet where she wants her birthday dinner to be. We'll have a small celebration tomorrow evening, then Friday night she is having a few friends from church come over to make pizzas, decorate chef's aprons, and spend the night.

That reminds me that I let Joel's birthday slip by without a post to remember it by. (Bad mama!) He turned 10 on Sept. 15. We need to remember to take him over to the post to get an ID made now that he is "legal." (I wonder why they picked 10 as the age to get a military ID?) With Brian home for the week, we should be able to get that taken care of this week.

I'm getting used to having the kids gone during the day. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of the quiet with them gone, but I also find myself missing homeschooling and wondering if I will ever get to do it again. I certainly am not being as productive as I thought I might be with them away. (Bad mama!) One thing I am doing is attending one of the ladies' Bible studies at church. There is a small group of us meeting on Tuesday mornings working through Beth Moore's study on Revelation.

The kids are doing well in school. They each had an overall percentage average in the 90s (that's all subjects averaged together). At parent-teacher conferences, I heard high praise for them all. Halle's teacher said she would love to have a room full of Halles, that it would make her days so enjoyable and easy. The boys' teachers each said they appreciated their behavior; no troublemakers here!

Guess it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'd like to host the family here for Thanksgiving (our first one here in our new home!) and hopefully for Christmas as well. It just makes sense, since we have the space. I'd better get crackin' coming up with gift ideas as well. I guess one advantage of the kids being gone during the day is that it will be easier to shop and wrap!

Simple Woman's Daybook, Sept. 4, 2010

2010-09-04T10:59:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the sun is shining and it's beginning to feel like fall. Cool, crisp mornings that make me think of apple pies, leaves to jump in, and a hot cup of tea or cocoa.

I am thinking... of what I might do today. Watch some movies with the kids, a little laundry, ???

I am thankful for... my husband, who works so hard so that I can be here at home with our family. I don't tell him enough.

From the kitchen... Something quick and easy, since it's just me and the kids today. Probably pizzas or pancakes.

I am wearing... something comfortable and casual to hang around the house in.

I am creating... a home for my family.

I am going... to get to see old friends tomorrow. One of my friends from Omaha has taken a job here and is moving in this weekend!

I am reading... Out Live Your Life, Max Lucado. Have to get busy and read more if I am going to get the review up on the 10th!

I am hoping... we can have fun around the house today without making a huge mess. I hate cleaning.

I am hearing... Not a whole lot. It is fairly quiet here in the office and the TV isn't turned up loud enough in the other room for me to hear it.

Around the house... I am enjoying how clean it looks and feels after the cleaning ladies finished with it yesterday.

One of my favorite things... Not having to run all over town getting things done. I really do like staying at home. I love being with people, but I don't like being overly busy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: The usual trips to and from school every day; Sports physical for Noah (he is going to be on his school's basketball team!); a Pampered Chef party at a friend's house; my mom coming to visit next weekend.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-08-27T11:20:00.002-05:00

So much going on since my last post... A month of school down and just 5 more weeks to go until the kids get a 2-week fall break. I'm not sure which of us is looking forward to it more! I am still trying to figure out what my routines will be while they are in school during the day. I have had many unexpected things come up that have made keeping a routine difficult for me. Last week, I came down with bronchitis. The first day, I could barely hold my head up. I had to ask Emily to pick up her brothers and sister from school. The next few days, I felt better, but still had little energy to do anything. We've been looking for a new housecleaning service, and one day was spent waiting for the crew to show up to clean... they were much later than they should have been and I wound up asking my sister to get the kids from school because they were still here (I don't want to risk leaving the dogs alone with them... just in case one was to get spooked and react adversely.)

At any rate, I have much I'd like to accomplish. I have stacks and shelves of homeschool books and supplies that I no longer need. They are taking up valuable space here in the office. I need to sort through them and figure out which books I am keeping (ones I want to save for future grandkids) and which I need to sell. Once I get these off the shelves (and floor), I will have space for other books that I've had to keep stacked or boxed somewhere.

The other exceedingly large task that has been waiting for me for several years is getting all of the pictures we have organized and scrapbooked. I have thousands of hard copies just screaming to be taken care of; these photos date all the way back to Emily's early years. Then there are the digital photos on CDs, DVDs, or hard drives needing to be handled. I'd like to set up a place where I can start work on this project. It will probably have to be in the sitting area of our bedroom; either that, or in the bonus room upstairs. Either way will necessitate finding some kind of storage or organizational furniture/equipment to hold the supplies and photos.

Not of lesser importance, but possibly lesser urgency, there is the continued decorating of the house. We'd really like to change the color of the walls in our family and living rooms. They are so light that the house just doesn't seem as warm and inviting as I'd like it to. We recently made an addition to the furniture in the formal living room, and I think it helped the room not seem so barren as it did when it just contained the sofa and love seat. A change in wall color would complete the room, I believe. Here's a picture I took:

Once we change the wall color, I'd like to have a quote added to the wall over the piano. A dear friend sent me this quote about 5 years ago, and I have kept it ever since: Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. I think it would be a perfect complement to the piano. (BTW, if you hadn't already guessed, that was the recent addition; my brother-in-law no longer wanted his piano and offered it to us at a very good price. It's nice for Halle to be playing on a real piano rather than a digital one now.)

So now comes the task of figuring out what to do first. These are the times I like a little company. Some things are just more enjoyable when shared, don't you think? Come on over; I'll make a pot of coffee.

Simple Woman's Daybook, 8/2/2010

2010-08-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY, AUGUST 2, 2010...

Outside my window... it's a beautiful day, but WAY too hot to be outside.

I am thinking... and wondering when the men in the family will be home from their afternoon at the Space and Rocket Center. They wanted to catch the Star Wars exhibit before it leaves next month.

I am thankful for... air conditioning! Seriously... But also that my kids enjoyed their first ever (half-) day of school-away-from-home and are looking forward to tomorrow.

I am wearing... grey knit pants and a green-and-white striped shirt.

I am remembering... the list of appointments and errands for the week.

I am going... to start cooking dinner soon (hopefully... depending on the men). Bacon and eggs, biscuits and gravy. YUM YUM.

I am currently reading... amazingly enough, nothing right now. But I have 3 or 4 books borrowed from friends that I intend to start this week.

I am hoping... to get our home office area organized soon. I need to sell some of my homeschool stuff now that I don't need it any longer. It will be hard to decide which books to keep and which I can bear to let go.

On my mind... What is it going to be like around here during the day when it is just the dogs and I?

Noticing that... my oldest child is truly growing up.

Pondering these words... "Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes."

From the kitchen... Not a bloomin' thing right now. Ask me again in an hour or so.

Around the house... I think I can say all of the rooms are "company-ready" (except maybe my oldest's). I'm dying to enlarge the entry from the garage and create a "drop zone" for the kids to put their things when they come in. And I'm wanting to pick a new color for the walls in just about every room but the dining room and our bedroom. The rooms are too beige.

One of my favorite things... a breakfast date at Cracker Barrel with hubby after I dropped the kids at school this morning.

From my picture journal... a picture taken before the start of summer, when we were at the Sandestin Hilton with Brian for a nurse anesthetist conference. We were staying on the top floor, and even though the weather wasn't really all that great (mostly overcast or rainy), we had a great view. It was enough for me to just open the slider to the balcony to let in the sound of the surf and the breeze from the gulf as I read a book in the room.

Do drop by and visit Peggy's Daybook page, and leave a link for yours as well!

Book Review: The Voice New Testament

2010-07-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

The Voice New Testament is a new Bible published by Thomas Nelson. While some might call it a translation, I think it fits more in line with a paraphrase such as The Message. However, this does not take away its usefulness. As a companion to a good Bible translation, I think it can bring new insights to familiar passages (ones we think we already "know" all about). According to the Preface, this new Bible version was created to "rediscover the story of the Bible." My favorite thing about The Voice is the inclusion of outlined boxes that contain extra material that expounds on the theme of the current passage, much as a teacher or preacher might do if they were discussing the passage in a class or worship service. Far from being a "study" Bible, one could think of this as a Bible storybook for grownups. It will capture your imagination and bring color and life to the story of God and His son.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Blog Tour: Robert Bresloff - The Wee Musketeers

2010-04-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I wanted to participate in a blog tour for The Wee Musketeers, written by Robert Bresloff. I won an Advanced Reader's Copy through LibraryThing a short while ago. I was more than happy to join in, and was excited to get the opportunity to ask the author about the book, which tells the story of 3 friends who get transported into the story of The Three Musketeers along with the grandfather of one of the boys. There is suspense and action as they find themselves changing the direction of the story and needing to get it back on track. I think I enjoyed the book as much as any kid who would read it. My children are familiar with the story because of the Disney live-action version with Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell, and Oliver Platt. I think perhaps this version might make them think about reading the story to compare the storylines.

So now that I've filled you in on the background, here are the questions I asked Mr. Bresloff to answer for me:

What was the inspiration for this series? I’ve always loved The Three Musketeers. Whether it be the book, movies, comic books, it didn’t matter. I even dressed as D’Atragnan on Halloween when I was in grade school. I still have my first copy of the book that my older brother gave me back in the early sixties. Because I loved the book, the characters and the romance so much (my brother even taught me how to fence at 11 years old) that I often wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of 17^th century Paris with D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos.

What other books do you have planned? I have recently signed with Gauthier to produce, The Fifth Codex, an adventure that takes place in modern day Yucatan Peninsula. It follows the adventures of a well known archeologist and his teenage assistant, as they travel through the land of the ancient Maya searching for the mysterious Fifth Codex.

Illustrator Dan Ziembo and I are teaming up once again on the follow up to The Wee Musketeers, titled Robin and the Little Hoods. This time, Bobby, Fritzy, Keith, and Grandpa Max are joined by a new character, a girl named Judy as they travel to the middle ages and Sherwood Forest.

Is there a reason the book is set in 1961, as opposed to the 21st century? Being a parent and grandparent, I realize the importance of children using their imaginations as well as playing outdoors. Unlike today, where children spend most of their time on computers and playing video games, my generation played outside and we played pretend a lot. We played soldiers, cowboys and Indians, yes and even musketeers. I wanted children to know the kind of things that my friends and I did in the, really, not so distant past.

Are any of the characters based on people you know? Fritzy and Keith were, at the time, my two very best friends. We got into an awful lot of trouble (nothing serious) and played a lot of games. Many were pretend games, and just as the boys do in the book we played outside— almost all day. Grandpa Max, well, he was my grandfather. Unfortunately, Grandpa Max passed away before I knew him. I guess this was my way of having the relationship with the grandfather I never had the pleasure to know. It was actually my brother Marty that read to me and got me interested in the classics.

What do you like to do when you aren't writing? I’m an exercise therapist as well as a personal fitness trainer, so that keeps me pretty busy, but when I’m not working, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my grandchildren.

What is the best book you’ve read this year so far? That’s really a tough question. I try and alternate reading adult books and kid’s books. I love to see what other authors are writing as well as the classic children’s books authors, such as L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll and more recently, J.K. Rowling. The most interesting read so far this year was Codex 632 by José Rodrigues dos Santos. It’s about Christopher Columbus’s true origins.

If you could recommend one book for everyone to read, what would it be? I can’t really recommend one book that everyone should read, but for the kids, I recommend the Wizard of Oz series. Baum is a wonderful storyteller that created a fairyland like no other in literature. Oh, and The Wee Musketeers

I think this book would appeal greatly to boys, although some girls who aren't locked into the idea of "girl books/boy books" would also enjoy the story. It makes a great read-aloud for ones not reading yet, and would work for indpendent readers up to around 11 or 12, I believe.

What's goin' on

2010-04-06T12:09:00.001-05:00

So I haven't really written much about what's been happening around the home lately; just haven't taken the time to sit and write much. But it seems I have a little time today between laundry loads to write, so thought I'd catch anyone up who's interested.

Last time I posted anything more than a meme post, I talked about looking forward to the ladies' retreat in Nashville. It was a great weekend (well, really less than a weekend) and I hated to see it end. We heard an awesome testimony and hiked MILES from our rooms to the convention center at the Opryland Hotel. Man, that place is HUGE! I think I'd rather go there when I didn't have anything to do and could just spend some time relaxing by the pool or something. The trip home was just as wonderful as the retreat. Lots of deep discussions and challenging conversation.

Then in the middle of March, we got to celebrate some birthdays. My brother-in-law's birthday was the 13th, Brian's was the 16th, and my "nearly-niece" Heidi's birthday was also the 16th. We used the occasion as an excuse to meet up for dinner at a new-to-us place called The Mellow Mushroom (sounds psychedelic, doesn't it?). They make AWESOME pizza. It was deelish. Looking forward to a return visit!

The next week was a very special treat. Casting Crowns was in town for a concert on the 25th. I had scored 2 free tickets through a Facebook contest hosted by the local Christian radio station, WAY-FM about 2 weeks before this. Then the day before the concert, I won 2 more tickets from Mark Hall; these tickets included passes for a meet and greet before the concert. (Side note: I wonder if living in Alabama has made me more lucky... I've never been able to win anything so easily before!) I was able to give the first 2 tickets away to a friend and her daughter, and Brian and I used the last 2. The concert was one of the best I've ever been to, probably because it was much less of a concert/performance than it was just a time of worship. Before Casting Crowns sang, we heard from Caleb (Steven Curtis Chapman's sons, Caleb and Will Franklin) and Kutless.

Sprinkle in some fun family dinners on the weekends (I've been lucky enough to be able to get my sister and her husband over for at least one meal a weekend, and sometimes one of the boys will come along too). The other fun part is that she brings their new Great Dane puppy over to play with our dogs. Sully (short for Sullivan) is almost 14 weeks old now and is bigger than Campbell, but not big enough to take Rory down yet. Rory is great with him and they have a ball together. This past weekend, after they had been playing pretty intensely, we noticed things had gotten quiet and found them curled up together resting on one of the rugs. I wish we'd gotten a picture. I'll try to get one of them together soon. I have a feeling he is going to be a big boy. His paws are already larger than Rory's.

March was a month of movies as well. We saw Alice in Wonderland (meh... I wasn't all that impressed) and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. That last one was fun. We went with my sister and b-i-l to see it and everyone enjoyed it. Oh, and this past Sunday evening, we took in How to Train Your Dragon with sis/hubby, 2 of their boys, and the boys' girlfriends. I imagine we'll be getting that one on DVD eventually.

OK, this is getting long, so I'll make the rest of this quick. Halle and Joel are back at their respective music lessons again, and we're looking to get Noah started back with his guitar lessons. Emily had a visit from her best friend in CA for 4 days ; they spent 2 of them driving to MO to visit my mom and to eat dinner at Lambert's.

And now for the really big news: We spent the better part of last evening scrambling around picking up the house and getting the last of the unpacking done that we'd been avoiding in order to get ready for a visit from ..... drumroll please..... our new cleaning lady. I can keep the laundry done, the groceries bought, the meals cooked, and the kitchen semi-clean, but this house is more than I can handle, so we found someone who is coming one day a week to clean. (Brian if you are reading... stop now.) I owe my husband more than I can say for this.

So there you have it. Indeed. (Inside joke...) I'll be back with more news sooner rather than later.

Glorious Day - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2010-04-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

In honor of Easter, here's Casting Crown's version of an old hymn... depending on your hymnbook, you may have known it as "One Day" or "O Glorious Day." Strange how a new melody can make you hear the words almost as if it's the first time...

Glorious Day

Casting Crowns

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Oh, glorious day

More songs of inspiration can be found at Amy's.

"To Know You" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2010-03-27T05:59:00.001-05:00

What's our purpose in life? What's God's goal for our lives? To make us like Jesus... to bring him glory. Paul said in Philippians 3 that

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...

Nearly every line of this song is rooted in Scripture, especially in the book of Philippians (mostly chapter 3). What does it mean to know Christ?

See more inspirational music at Amy's this weekend.

To Know You

Casting Crowns

To know You is to never worry for my life
To know You is to never give into compromise and
To know You is to want to tell the world about You
‘Cause I can’t live without You

To know You is to hear Your voice when You are calling
To know You is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know You is to feel the pain of the brokenhearted
‘Cause they can’t live without You

More than my next breath
More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know You more
I leave it all behind, You’re all that satisfies
To know You is to want to know You more
To know You is to want to know You more

To know You is to ache for more than ordinary
To know You is to look beyond the temporary
To know You is believing that You’ll be enough
‘Cause there’s no life without You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

Spring Reading Thing 2010

2010-03-20T08:41:00.000-05:00

It's been a long while since I've participated in Katrina's reading challenges, but now that I'm a bit more settled in the new house and have that all-important library card.... Well, it's time to jump back in!

I am trying to avoid my tendency to put reading ahead of the other responsibilities in my life, hence my list is shorter than in times past. This also has to do with the fact that many of the books are library requests and I am not sure how long it will take to get them. The library here has a shorter check-out period than I've been accustomed to (2 vs. 3 weeks), so I may have to do the unusual (for me, at any rate) and renew some of them. I'm not sure of the rules here, but in previous libraries, renewing wasn't an option if someone else was waiting, so hopefully that won't be a problem. The online system back in CA actually showed me what my position in the holds list was, so I knew how many people were ahead of and behind me in the list; I don't have that luxury here, so I'm flying blind.

With all that out of the way, here's the list:

Books on hand

The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery. This has been on my shelf for a good while now.

The Wee Musketeers, Robert Bresloff. This is an Advanced Reader's Copy I received through LibraryThing. It's a kids' book and won't take long once I take the time to sit down with it. Looks like fun, and is right up Joel's alley.

Not a Tame Lion, Bruce Edwards. Another book I've had for quite some time. I actually began this one, but it got misplaced in one of our moves and I found it again shelving books after this one.

Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury. Technically not on hand, but will be arriving in the next week or so.

Books I'm waiting on

Girl Meets God, Lauren Winner. This book received a lot of buzz several years ago, but this will be my first chance to read it.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller. Having loved his previous books, I'm really looking forward to this one.

Take Three, Karen Kingsbury. Third in a series of four.

Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver. Light fiction... read an online review that sounded interesting.

Coral Moon, Brandilyn Collins. Another book I read a recent review of. I've read some of her work before. Light suspense, nothing heavy.

The Rise of the Black Wolf, Derek Benz. This is second in a trilogy for young adults. Joel is currently reading the first (which I read a few years ago). I want to pre-read this one for him.

The Fall of the Templar, Derek Benz. Book three of the trilogy.

I'm also hoping to come across something good to read aloud with the kids. We have gotten out of the practice of reading aloud and I'd like to start again.

From there to here

2010-03-04T00:57:00.000-06:00

This is part 2 of this post...

The USAF whisked us away from Ohio one wintry February day and set us down in Omaha, NE. We had been in Omaha house-hunting one weekend a few months before (November 2002) and had visited a church that just "felt" right to us. We had emailed the church before coming and had received emails from a few people there, so we weren't entirely strangers that very first visit, nor the second time after we arrived in our new home. The amazing thing about this congregation was the speed at which we became a part of things. Never before in our lives had we been invited into ministry so quickly. Our very first Sunday there, we wound up staying after church for the better part of the day and helping coach puppet and drama skits for LTC. Emily was assimilated quite quickly into the group and was given roles in both drama and puppet skits, participated in the chorus, and even caught up with the group in Bible Bowl study. Our LTC involvement lasted the entire time we were there (just a little over 2 years... we managed to get in 3 conventions before having to move again).

Our LTC group was more than just a group of parents mentoring their kids, though. We were a small group as well... we prayed and sang together, shared our hearts and hurts, and took care of each other. This was another first for us. We'd not experienced this before. These relationships filled a void in our lives and created relationships that we are still keeping alive today.

It wasn't just through LTC and small group that we felt connected. We were blessed to have reached this church just shortly before they hired a new preaching minister. So we got to be the "new folks" with him and his family. We fell in love with them all. We became regular out-to-lunch friends on Sunday afternoons, spent occasional Friday or Saturday evenings playing board games, and went to the occasional concert together. Halle was the flower girl for their daughter's wedding the weekend before we moved away. If you're a regular reader, you know that they are still a part of our lives; Jim came to CA for Brian's retirement ceremony.

I look back and I see how we were going through a progression of sorts... in Ohio, we learned what it felt like to be loved. In retrospect, I feel like I was soaking it all up, but not really passing it on. Then in Nebraska, the same kind of love was there, but in addition, we were equipped to display love to others. Plus, we had the benefit of getting to be involved in ministry in ways we'd never been able to before. It was amazing to me, who had always felt kind of on the fringe of things. Now that I had a taste of what it was truly like to belong, I could never be satisfied with just sitting back and letting others do everything. What I learned there gave me the passion to be involved.

If leaving Ohio was hard, leaving Nebraska was even harder. And I had even more states to scatter my tears through as we traveled from there to California less than 2 1/2 years after arriving there.

I can't help but look back on all this as we begin a new chapter of life here in Alabama. We're settling into a new church family. In the less than 2 months we've been there, I'm already finding a place to serve on the praise team. I'm looking forward to an overnight women's retreat this weekend in Nashville and hoping I get to know some folks better at that. Brian's involved in a men's class on Wednesday nights, the kids are enjoying their classes... We're excited to see what God's going to have us do here.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Fade With Our Voices

2010-02-13T08:28:00.000-06:00

Here's another favorite by Jason Gray. Jason does a lot of work for World Vision, promoting them in his concerts and this song is one he wrote for them. How do you answer his question?

Fade With Our Voices

Jason Gray

After all the songs are sung
And our prayers for Kingdom come
Did we bring honor to the words we sing?

Chorus:
Does our worship have hands?
Does it have feet?
Does it stand up in the face of injustice?
Does our worship bow down?
Does it run deep?
Is it more than a song
That fades with our voices?
Does it fade with our voices?

Lord it's you we long to please
Make our lives a melody
That we proclaim when we live in Jesus name

Repeat chorus

So if we raise our hands high
Let us also reach them out
And if we lift our voices up
Let it be the sound of love

Let our worship have hands
Let it have feet
Let it stand tall
In the face of injustice
Let our worship bow down
Let it run deep
And be more than a song
That fades with our voices
...It's more than a song that fades with our voices
It won't fade with our voices(Let it be the sound of love...)

February flurries

2010-02-08T16:45:00.000-06:00

Woke up to snow falling this morning... no accumulation to speak of other than on the outdoor furniture, but even that was less than an inch and wound up melting by midday. But it did look pretty as it was coming down.

We're getting more and more settled. The 3 younger kids got new bedroom furniture last week; that's been a real help for them in having storage for their things. They each got a platform bed flanked with storage towers with shelves and cubbyholes for their toys, books, games, etc. It's a great set from Pottery Barn Teen that should last them many years.

I'm nearly done with the library-slash-schoolroom. We have a desk (also PB teen) coming Thursday for that room. Its arrival is providing much-needed motivation to finish sorting and culling what I need and don't need. However, some of the boxes are Brian's things... I'll have to set those aside until he has time for them.

The next rooms to focus on will be the breakfast area, our room, and the formal living room. We'd like to get a counter height table that seats 6-8 people for the breakfast area. We're looking for new bedroom furniture (bed/nightstands) for us, plus chairs/ottomans and/or a chaise for our seating area in the bedroom. And then we need to figure out if we want to get new furniture for the formal living room or move in the leather furniture from the keeping room or not.... Then that would leave us deciding what to put in the keeping room (the denim sectional from the bonus room upstairs??). Seriously considering taking the furniture out of that room upstairs and putting in some LoveSacs or something similar. After all, that room is mostly the video-gaming/sleepover/movie-watching room and really doesn't need heavy, hard-to-move furniture. Decisions, decisions...

Looking more and more like we have found a church to worship at full-time. For me, that is usually the hardest part of a move, and definitely the most important. But this time it wasn't too difficult. All of the kids are making friends easily there, and Brian and I are connecting with folks, too. Yesterday morning, the most amazing thing happened: I was recognized by a woman who was a camper at our church youth camp in SE Missouri back in the summer of 1983. She was one of the 6th grade girls in the cabin I served as counselor for shortly after my freshman year of college ended! I still marvel at her recognizing me. Once she told me her name, I certainly could see who she was, but I'm not sure I would have realized it without her discovering it first. Just another one of those cool God-things, I think! I'm looking forward to reconnecting with her.

It's going to be a busy week. One of the nearby rescue missions is coming to pick up some of our old furniture we have stored in our single-car garage tomorrow. I have an appt. in the afternoon, then CR in the evening. We have church Wednesday night. Thursday is the furniture delivery, then an early dinner out with my sister and her husband before we take in a local concert (Jeremy Camp, Chasen, The Afters, and Jason Gray.... I'm going mostly for Jason Gray, but looking forward to all of them). I will be ready for a quiet night in on Friday!

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Temporary Home

2010-02-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

Saw/heard this one for the first time Friday morning and was moved to tears. How much we need to remind ourselves that what we have now is temporary.

Temporary Home

Carrie Underwood

Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to being alone
Another new mom and dad
Another school
Another house that'll never be home

And when people ask him how he likes this place
He looks up and says with a smile upon his face

This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know
This is my temporary home

Young mom on her own
She needs a little help got no where to go
She's looking for a job looking for a way out
Cause a halfway house will never be a home

At night she whispers to her baby girl
Someday we'll find our place in this world

This is our temporary home
It's not where we belong
Windows and rooms that we're passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where we're going
I'm not afraid because I know
This is our temporary home

Old man, hospital bed
The room is filled with people he loves
And he whispers don't cry for me
I'll see you all someday

He looks up and says
I can see God's face

This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know
This was my temporary home

This is our temporary home

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: That's What I Love About Sunday

2010-01-16T05:44:00.000-06:00

I think I liked this song from the very first time I heard it. It's not your typical "praise and worship" kind of song, but it does say a lot about what used to make Sundays such a special time for many of us. I think we've gotten out of the habit of celebrating Sunday the way we used to. For many, it becomes another day to run errands and get all the "stuff" done we didn't get done during the week. Maybe we need to take a few more naps or "not do much of anything" a little more often.

That's What I Love About Sunday

Craig Morgan

Raymond's in his Sunday best,
He's usually up to his chest in oil an' grease.
There's the Martin's walkin' in,
With that mean little freckle-faced kid,
Who broke a window last week.
Sweet Miss Betty likes to sing off key in the pew behind me.

That's what I love about Sunday:
Sing along as the choir sways;
Every verse of Amazin' Grace,
An' then we shake the Preacher's hand.
Go home, into your blue jeans;
Have some chicken an' some baked beans.
Pick a back yard football team,
Not do much of anything:
That's what I love about Sunday.

I stroll to the end of the drive,
Pick up the Sunday Times, grab my coffee cup.
It looks like Sally an' Ron, finally tied the knot,
Well, it's about time.
It's 35 cents off a ground round,
Baby. cut that coupon out!

That's what I love about Sunday:
Cat-napping on the porch swing;
You curled up next to me,
The smell of jasmine wakes us up.
Take a walk down a back road,
Tackle box and a cane pole;
Carve our names in that white oak,
An' steal a kiss as the sun fades,
That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.

Ooh, new believers gettin' baptized,
Momma's hands raised up high,
Havin' a Hallelujah good time
A smile on everybody's face.
That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.

That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.

Join us at Amy's for more music.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Shine

2010-01-09T07:53:00.000-06:00

I hope you enjoy this song taken from Philippians 2, one of my favorite chapters of the New Testament.

Shine

Matt Redman

Lord we have seen the rising sun, awakening the early dawn,
And we're rising up to give you praise.
Lord we have seen the stars and moon, see how they shine,
They shine for you,
And You're calling us to do the same.
So we rise up with a song, and we rise up with a cry
And we're giving you our lives.

We will shine like stars in the universe,
Holding out Your truth in the darkest place.
We'll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we'll be living for Your glory.
We will burn so bright with Your praise O God,
And declare Your light to this broken world.
We'll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we'll be living for Your glory.

Like the sun so radiantly
Sending light for all to see,
Let your holy church arise
Exploding into life,
Like a supernova's light,
Set your holy church on fire;
We will shine.

Join us at Amy's for more songs.

Last post of the old year

2009-12-31T17:49:00.001-06:00

Greetings from Huntsville, AL! We've been in our new home for just over a week now. A lot has happened since my last post. I attended the last CRNA resident graduation of my husband's military career, flew here and back from CA, attended/participated in my husband's retirement ceremony, threw a dinner party (catered, thank goodness) for 75 or so of our closest friends and Brian's work colleagues, rode over 2500 miles in the RV from CA to AL, celebrated Christmas, and hosted another dinner for 15 here in our new home.

Brian's retirement ceremony went well, even though not all went as planned. Originally, my sister and I, along with her husband, were going to sing the national anthem. I contracted some kind of upper respiratory bug on my way here a few days before the ceremony and lost much of my voice. Pam then seemed to pick up the same thing, so that by the day of the ceremony, neither of us was in much shape to sing. Thankfully, Emily stepped in and saved the day by singing with Kirk. They received compliments from several people, many of whom said it was the best they'd heard at a military ceremony. It was a decidedly unique ceremony, in that we opted for a non-military chaplain to deliver the invocation. Our dear friend Jim prayed only as he could, and it meant so much more to us to have him praying over Brian than someone who would not have known us as well. There were appropriate amounts of solemnity, tears, and laughter... the latter especially coming at the music played for the recessional: Sweet Home Alabama.

That night, we had a catered dinner at a local banquet hall. The food was great and the room was packed. I had ordered a custom cake from a great place in Vacaville (think Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss) and I was thrilled with how it came out, and it generated a lot of conversation. I wouldn't be surprised if the bakery gets some more business based on that cake. (BTW, it tasted great as well!)

We left CA Saturday morning (the 19th) and made it to the Palm Springs area before deciding to stop for the night. It was after dark and neither driver (Emily was following in her car) had really had a full night's sleep the night before, so they were ready to call it quits. The next day, we traveled around 800 miles through AZ and NM and on into TX, stopping at a KOA in Van Horn, TX. That was one long day! We passed through 3 time zones and were into Central Time when we stopped, so it was 2 hours later than we realized... 11:30 pm! We crashed quickly that night. The next day we left around 8am. Brian and Emily were bound and determined to make it to Huntsville without staying over another night. For anyone wondering, the distance from the KOA in Van Horn to our home is 1244 miles. And yes, we did it. Emily actually took the lead after lunch and beat us to the house by about an hour, but the RV pulled up in front of the house at 3:15 am on Tuesday. We were delighted to see that elves (my sister, her husband, and at least one of their sons) had been at work in our house in expectation of our arrival. They had put the kids' beds together and set them up (ours was ready already) and also dug out some of our Christmas decorations and had hung our pre-lit garland on our fireplace mantels. And they'd turned up the heat as well!!

Unpacking seemed to be a slow process. I was still recovering from whatever I had; Brian had contracted it as well. But we managed to get the kitchen put together by Christmas Eve. The night before that, Pam & Kirk came over and helped with some unpacking. Kirk and Halle got our Christmas tree put up and decorated. On Christmas Day, we had a big lasagna dinner here. Pam & Kirk came, along with 3 of their sons and 2 of the sons' girlfriends, plus another young couple who are good friends with their family. Our table extends to 10 ft. long, and that was just enough to hold all 15 of us. I envision a "kids' table" in our future some day!

So here we are on New Year's Eve... nothing big planned, just a night of Beatles Rock Band or other video games, movies, and pizza with Pam and Kirk (and maybe some of the boys?? Don't know yet if any of them are coming.). Still lots of unpacking to do, but it'll be there tomorrow... and the next day.... and the next...

Happy New Year!!

The now and the not yet

2009-12-02T13:01:00.000-06:00

And so it begins. The packers (5 men) arrived yesterday on time (a first, I believe). They set straight to work and worked without stopping. In what has to be a record, they had our belongings boxed up and ready for tomorrow's truck in about 5 1/2 hours. We had bought them lunch, but they were so close to finishing, they kept working and took it to go. I'm sitting here in the house now, waiting for a mattress delivery (the 3 younger kids are getting new ones; all moving up to full-size beds).

We have all of our necessary goods for the next few weeks with us in the RV, which is set up in the base RV park. Sure will be an interesting time between now and when we arrive in Huntsville! The dogs are happy to be there; they love it in the RV. The younger kids do as well. Emily... not so much. But she will do fine, I'm sure.

I am planning on flying to Huntsville to meet the moving truck when it arrives. I'll be able to see that the furniture is placed in the right places and maybe even get the phone/internet/cable installed while there. Hopefully I will get back in time for Brian's students' graduation dinner on the 11th.

We are here for just 17 more days. Brian's retirement ceremony is the 17th. My sister and brother-in-law are flying in from AL, Brian's sister is coming from MO, and our friend Jim is flying from Omaha the day before. We'll head out on the 19th to make our way across the country. The last time we drove between Huntsville and here, it took 5 days. Hoping it doesn't take any longer than that, this time. Praying for good weather and safe roads!

I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For: Then Sings My Soul

2009-11-28T11:07:00.000-06:00

Sharing a clip and a song from my favorite Christmas movie, Holiday Inn. Thought it appropriate for this Thanksgiving weekend.

I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For

Bing Crosby

I've got plenty to be thankful for
I haven't got
A great big yacht
To sail from shore to shore
Still I've got plenty to be thankful for

I've got plenty to be thankful for
No private car
No caviar
No carpet on my floor
Still I've got plenty to be thankful for

I've got eyes to see with
Ears to hear with
Arms to hug with
Lips to kiss with
Someone to adore

How could anybody ask for more?
My needs are small
I buy them all
At the five and ten cent store
Oh, I've got plenty to be thankful for

Holding the Key: Then Sings My Soul

2009-11-21T09:07:00.000-06:00

Continuing my Jason Gray love fest this week with "Holding the Key." Jason minces no words in pointing out how we simultaneously desire both to be known and to hide our true selves. I pray everyone has someone who not only holds the key but uses it.

Holding the Key

Jason Gray

I came here tonight with a mission

To confess what I'm trying to hide

But here in the hour of decision

I want to give you the company line

There are secrets I don't want to tell you

And wounds you might not want to see

But they keep me bound to my sorrow

And I really want to be free

And you're the one holding the key

You don't have to give me an answer

An answer is the last thing I need

There's no magical cure for this cancer

I just need you to listen to me'

Cause You're the one holding the key

We were made with these hearts

Meant to be open

Then we locked them away

Afraid of being broken

But we're given each other to set it free

And you're the one holding the key

This dark room is perfect for hiding

But I don't want to hide anymore

You can't force the light here inside it

But you can help me open the door

You're the one holding the key

We were made with these hearts

Meant to be open

Then we locked them away

Afraid of being broken

But we're given each other to set it free

And you're the one holding

The key to the truth

Of what's really going on

Your listening ear

Is the grace of God

Love will take the shackles off

But you're the one holding the key

We all need it sooner or later

A safe place for telling the truth

I'm happy returning the favor'

Cause I'm holding the key for you

How I Ended Up Here: Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-11-14T09:53:00.000-06:00

Guess I'm on a bit of Jason Gray kick this month. I think he writes some of the most honest lyrics I've ever read. If you ever get a chance to see him, it is so worth your time. It's unlike going to see the big-name groups in huge arenas. When he sings, it is almost like having him in your living room. He sings, tells stories (funny ones and ones that touch your heart), and is just very down-to-earth and accessible.

How I Ended Up Here

Jason Gray

There's something I need to confess

At the risk of exposing my faults

But I'm starting to find that most of the time

I just don't like people at all

When I saw you five minutes ago

I was afraid you might talk off my ear

I panicked inside and decided to hide

And that's how I ended up here

Crouching behind the live lobster tank

Hoping you'd just pass me by, oh...

That's how I ended up here

Oh how I wish I could say

It's my first time to hide in this spot

But with all of the people I try to avoid

I find myself down here a lot

I mean, just look at these guys in the tank

With the red rubber bands 'round their arms

If they don't open up

And just keep to themselves

They won't do anyone harm

So I screen my calls, don't answer the door

Sometimes wish I could disappear, oh...

That's how I ended up here

That's how I ended up ..

Building a wall so no one could bother me

Living my life in isolation

Opening up to only those close to me

Nobody's close to me, what have I done?

See, I really want to be known

But I'm not quite as strong as the fear

That you won't understand the fool that I am

And that's how I ended up here

That's how I ended up here

Praise God on High - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-11-07T09:49:00.000-06:00

I won't say a whole lot about this song... I'll just let the words speak for themselves.

Praise God on High

Someday our pain will be no more.
Someday our tears will fade away.
Someday we’ll see our Lord and
Savior face to face.

Someday we’ll rest from all our burdens.

Someday we’ll see His smile.
Someday he’ll look us in the eyes
and say “Welcome home, my child.”

Chorus
Praise God on high!
All that’s wrong will be made right.
How we long for the day
every wounded soul

will be made whole.
So let’s worship Him with a mighty voice
like we’re already with Him in paradise.
Praise God on high! Praise God!

Someday we’ll walk beside the Father.
Someday we’ll rest at His feet.
Someday our trials

will all be over.
We’ll be completely free!

Chorus

Chorus

Tag
Praise God on

high! Praise God!

For more music, join Amy for Then Sings My Soul Saturday.

Grace - Then Sings My Soul

2009-10-31T09:28:00.000-05:00

This week's song is one that may not be familiar to many. It doesn't get wide airplay, except maybe on a local Christian station, if you are lucky to have one, or if he has been in or near your town in concert. This particular video is from a station in OK, where he visited and performed live on air. But all that is secondary to the song... Grace. In this song, Jason has anthropomorphized grace into a girl who loves him even though he doesn't deserve it. Not a stretch from the truth of the matter, is it?

Just a little more about Jason... He has a speech impediment (stuttering) and uses his weakness to glorify God. He writes some of the most intense and personal lyrics I have ever heard. Please check him out. If you are blessed enough to get a chance to hear him in person, go. You will be blessed. He is real and approachable; it isn't like seeing one of the big name artists in an arena. It's almost like a living room singalong.

For more songs, visit Amy's.

Grace

Jason Gray

Sweet Grace amazes me

The way that she can see

Beyond the man I am

To the man that I could be

She’s bringing out my best

While she covers all the rest

Some say her love is blind

But I say her love forgets

She don’t like it when I try so hard to impress her

‘Cause when I do that, it’s a lie that makes her love look the lesser

The truth is I know

I’ll never be, I’ll never be good enough

I’ll never deserve her love

I’ll never be, I’ll never be good enough for Grace

But she takes me anyway

I am the cheatin’ kind

But she’s changing my mind

The way she takes me back

Though I fail her every time

She’s got friends who tell her that she

Is much too good for me

Well, I’ve told her that myself

But she refuses to leave

I’d like to think my strength won her affection

But the truth is it was my weakness that caught her attention

I’m grateful to know

When my tears fall down like rain

She wipes them from my face

She tells me that I’m lovely

And if I am, it’s all because of Grace

This love turns my inside out

And my world upside down

Grace is changing me…

Painting Pictures of Egypt: Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-10-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

I'm enjoying participating in this weekend meme, "Then Sings My Soul Saturday," hosted at Amy's. I have been reacquainted with old favorites and made some new ones as well. If any of you have visited Amy's to see the other songs posted each Saturday, I hope it's been worth your time as well, and that you've been refreshed by it.

This week's song is one I came across a year or so ago. It was a free music download somewhere (I'm thinking probably Itickets.com). I didn't know at the time how much the lyrics really applied to my life, but I like to listen to it occasionally to remind me of my tendency to be like the Israelites sometimes and look backward at where I've been...

Painting Pictures of Egypt

Sara Groves

I don’t want to leave here

I don’t want to stay

It feels like pinching to me either way

The places I long for the most

Are the places where I’ve been

They are calling after me like a long lost friend

It’s not about losing faith

It’s not about trust

It’s all about comfortable

When you move so much

The place I was wasn’t perfect

But I had found a way to live

It wasn’t milk or honey

But then neither is this

CHORUS:

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt

Leaving out what it lacked

The future seems so hard

And I want to go back

But the places that used to fit me

Cannot hold the things I"ve learned

And those roads closed off to me

While my back was turned

The past is so tangible

I know it by heart

Familiar things are never easy to discard

I was dying for some freedom

But now I hesitate to go

Caught between the promise

And the things I know

BRIDGE:

If it comes too quick

I may not appreciate it

Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

If it comes too quick

I may not recognize it

Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

Big House - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-10-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Seems only fitting to have this song on my mind lately. God is blessing us with a "big, big house" in Huntsville, but it's nothing compared to what he has waiting for us in eternity.

Big House

Audio Adrenaline

I don't know where you lay your head

Or where you call your home
I don't know where you eat your meals
Or where you talk on the phone
I don't know if you got a cook
A butler or a maid
I don't know if you got a yard
With a hammock in the shade

I don't know if you got some shelter
Say a place to hide
I don't know if you live with friends
In whom you can confide
I don't know if you got a family
Say a mom or dad
I don't know if you feel love at all
But I bet you wish you had

Pre-chorus
Come and go with me
To my father's house
Come and go with me
To my father's house

Chorus
It's a big big house
With lots and lots of room
A big big table
With lots and lots of food
A big big yard
Where we can play football
A big big house
It's my father's house

All I know is a big ole house
With rooms for everyone
All I know is lots a land
Where we can play and run
All I know is you need love
And I've got a family
All I know is you're all alone
So why not come with me?

It keeps getting better

2009-10-10T12:41:00.000-05:00

So I haven't really had time to do much more than post a meme every weekend lately (and I missed that last weekend... but as you will see, I had good reason!). Time to bring folks up to speed on the plans to move on to a new place and a new phase in our lives.

Brian is currently on leave and is back in Alabama, working at the job that will be his post-Air Force career position. He's been there since the beginning of the month, and aside from a quick trip back for a couple of days this coming week (Halle's birthday is Monday), will be there till the middle of November.

Halle and I flew to Huntsville last Friday so that I could help Brian look for a house. Last weekend was really the only free weekend he would probably have, so we jumped at the chance to get started on the hunt. We flew into Nashville, where my sister met us at the airport for the short (at least when you spend the whole time talking) drive south.

We hit the ground running Saturday morning.... between 9:30 and 4:30 we looked at 6 or 7 houses. The following day, we had 3 or 4 more to look at in the afternoon, including a return visit to the one house from the previous day that would not leave my head. We took my sister and her husband along as well; they were invaluable in pointing out things we hadn't seen or thought of as we looked at the houses. When we returned to the house that was becoming my favorite, we realized it really was the one we wanted. Even better than the fact that it has all the rooms and space we wanted is that the location is awesome. We can get to my sister's house in less than 20 minutes, and it is less than 30 to Brian's work. There are a nearby grocery store and fast food restaurants, plus it isn't far to the Arsenal for my main grocery shopping and also healthcare there.

We made an offer on the house shortly before Halle and I left town to come home, and got a phone call from our buyer's agent about 3 1/2 hours later with the counteroffer. We accepted it, and then marveled at how easy it was. The home inspection was yesterday... no huge problems to take care of. We are set to close by the 20th of next month, but probably will not get to move in till the end of December.

I am still in awe that we found something so quickly. I am really looking forward to the move and setting up housekeeping in a place where everyone has his/her own room and plenty of space to keep their things. We have room to put our school things in a separate space, there is a bonus room upstairs for video gaming and hanging out, and we have enough space to have folks over without having to sit in each other's laps. (And a driveway that will hold all the cars, too!) I don't have pictures, but will put some up when I have the chance.

"Grace Tells Another Story" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-09-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

The first time I really heard the lyrics to this song, I think my mouth dropped open and hit the floor. In those lyrics were phrases that were almost identical to ones I'd uttered recently to friends in talking about my struggles to overcome my past. So to hear that someone else identified with those thoughts and feelings was, in a way, comforting. But what brought even greater comfort was the reminder in the rest of the song. The reminder that those things were lies fed to me by the father of lies, and that God's grace reveals another story, the TRUTH.

Enjoy the video. Lyrics are beneath.

Grace Tells Another Story - Mercy Me
They say don't waste your time
You simply cannot find
An ounce of good within the heart of man
They say we've got to lay
In the bed we've made
And live this life without a second chance
But I'm inclined to say
There must be something more
We've been told that the heart is just too far gone to save
But grace tells us another story
Where glory sends hopelessness away
Oh grace tells us another story
They say we cannot change
There is no other way
Get used to it cause this is all there is
They say don't raise your voice
Cause we don't have a choice
We're dealt this hand so learn to live with it
Well I have to believe
There must something more
We've been told that the heart is just too far gone to save
But grace tells us another story
Where glory sends hopelessness away
Oh grace tells us another story
And though we may not understand
Why You'd give us another chance
We praise You who lets us start again
We've been told that the heart is just too far gone to save
But grace tells us another story
Where glory sends hopelessness away
Oh grace tells us another story (repeat)

"While I'm Waiting" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

2009-09-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

No one likes waiting. It's not always fun; it's not always easy; it's not always pleasant. But there are times it is oh, so necessary. What do you do, especially when that waiting isn't necessarily something tied down to a finite timeline?

John Waller's song, While I'm Waiting, began receiving widespread airplay after the release of the movie Fireproof. The words and message were a perfect parallel to the storyline unfolding on the movie screen, where a husband was quietly trying to win back the love of his wife by demonstrating his love through acts of kindness, and by obeying God. He put feet to his faith.

Do we do the same thing, or do we treat God like a candy dispenser in the sky, dropping in our coins (prayers) and waiting for him to answer them? I love the message in this song: "I will serve you while I'm waiting; I will worship while I'm waiting..." and more importantly, "...taking every step in obedience." That line reminds me that my obedience isn't something to be bargained about with God; I will not be like a petulant child and withhold my obedience until I get what I want. That's just not how our God works.

I hope you are blessed by the words and music below.

Then Sings My Soul: I'll Join the Rocks, FFH

2009-09-12T09:33:00.000-05:00

This week's song isn't one I've heard much on air, but is one of my favorites from an old FFH CD. The title is I'll Join the Rocks. The central message is being made for worship and doing that even if it means I'm the only one doing it. I cannot listen to this song without being drawn in and singing with it. Lyrics are included in the video.

For more songs, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

Memories

2009-09-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

Sitting here tonight reminiscing a bit... I just sent off a note to a friend from our old church in Ohio. The note started out as one thing and turned into another, and now has morphed into this blog post.

As I was writing her and telling her about all the changes that are coming up in our life here, I thanked her for the example she and her husband were to Brian and me when we lived there. Her husband was one of the elders at our church, and both of them were awesome models of a Christian marriage, as well as of what it was to be a follower of Christ. The entire congregation as a whole was one of the most loving congregations we had ever been a part of up to that time. What I told Diane (and what I tell others when I talk about our time at this church) was that it was during our time there that I learned what it was to feel loved and served. In the 3 years or so that we attended there, I gave birth to a baby, had a medical scare with said baby, and lived through Brian being deployed for 3 months. I never had to ask for help; it came running up to me every time I needed it without me saying a word. I still am in awe of it. I don't know if I ever adequately expressed my appreciation to the jr. high and high school girls who would ask to go home with me after church during the time Brian was deployed.... and then proceed to send me off to the grocery store while they cleaned my house or folded the laundry. Or the folks that invited us to lunch with them (whether it was Dutch treat at a restaurant or at their home) and made us feel like we were really a part of their family... For a young couple whose biological families weren't nearby, those experiences were invaluable to us. Leaving that church family behind was the first move we ever made that left us in tears.

Thankfully, it wasn't the last.....

To be continued......

Then Sings My Soul: To God Alone, Aaron Shust

2009-09-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

This is my first foray into this meme. I wish I'd found it sooner, as this is one that has meaning for me (not something you can say about a lot of memes out there).

This week's song is To God Alone, by Aaron Shust. The first thing that hooked me was the music, but the more I sing and listen, I come face-to-face with my self. I see the tendency I have to want credit for the things I do, to want recognition, appreciation, or praise. I remember all the way back to my school days, when I was often the "curve-buster" on test days. Never once did it occur to me to give God the credit for my ability to remember things (maybe that's why that ability seems to be disappearing these days!). Even more so in these days, when I am in the process of trying to lose my pride, fear, and a million other character defects that prevent me from following Christ more fully... there is the tendency to look at what *I* am doing, forgetting that I am only doing it because of Him. This song reminds me that He is the one really doing it all, not me.

Enjoy:

To God Alone

Aaron Shust

Can you take me by the hand

Can you use me as I am

Break me into who you want me to be

When the time is finally right

You will open up my eyes

Show me everything you want me to see

This life is not my own

Chorus:

To God alone be the glory

To God alone be the praise

Everything I say and do

Let it be all for you

The glory is yours alone

Yours alone Take the offering

I bring You want more than what I sing

Can I give you every part of me

Turn these pennies into gold

Take this life I call my own

Until I'm running after your heart

I'm needing to let go

We will rise and we will fall

But you remain after all

You're glorious and beautiful You're beautiful

To bring you up to date...

2009-08-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

Plans are underway for Brian's retirement. We've selected a date for the ceremony (Dec. 17), chosen a place for the dinner, and are working on choosing a caterer. He is looking for a post-retirement position near Huntsville, AL so that we can move close to my sister and her family. There is MUCH excitement from my kids at the prospect of living near their Aunt Pam, Uncle Kirk, and their 4 boys. (Never mind that these boys are already adults (ages 23-28)... thankfully there is enough kid left in them that they make great company for my gang.) Brian has had a lot of email and phone communication with one hospital and is headed back there in a couple of weeks for an on-site interview. We are trusting God that it will happen if it is meant to be.

I realize I didn't post anything while we were at Saddleback last week. Honestly, it was just too busy. Our nights all lasted until 9 or so... even the one early night we went out to dinner with our gang so wound up not getting back to the RV until after 9. All we were ready to do was hug on the kids a bit and then head to bed.

Anyhow, it was a great time. Rick Warren spoke at the opening session... I have never sat and listened to someone for an hour and a half when it didn't feel like at least that long or longer before. He had some really cool stuff to share. You can see it here. It's the webcast from August 12, 2009, titled "The Jesus Model for Healing - 2." There is also a link at the top of that page that will allow you to download a .pdf file of the notes from the sermon.

One of the coolest parts of the conference was meeting other folks. This is made really easy by the fact that not only were people wearing name tags with the name of their church and city on them, but an overwhelming portion also had shirts with that info as well. I bumped into one woman from the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Nashville and made a point of asking her if she knew a couple there who used to attend the church I grew up in. (I had heard through their son that they were in Nashville and attended there.) She did, and then in the course of the conversation mentioned she had moved there from Dexter, MO.... this couple were the first people she had met in Nashville who knew where that was (because it was maybe 30 miles from us!). Well.... my niece is married to a guy who grew up in that church, and his folks are the caretakers of the church youth camp... and connection after connection was made. She knew his folks, knew my brother and his wife (on the camp board)... Small world, huh? All this in a crowd of 3500 people. I also bumped into a couple of guys from Tulsa, OK... they know a worship leader there in Tulsa that I know because I went to church with his mom and sister back in Omaha. And one of them grew up a half hour away from me as well.... and his sister goes to church with my niece. The world is shrinking a little more...

But the best is yet to come. I should point out that one of the neat things the conference organizers did was to put a colored dot on everyone's name tag; this dot identified the attendee as being from a particular region. We had a green dot as part of the Western region. I had been on the lookout for red dots (Southeast region, of which AL is a part). For most of the conference, all the red dots I had seen had been FL, NC, GA... but not AL. On the very last evening on our dinner break, I happened to notice a woman talking on her cell phone... I saw the red dot and inconspicuously got close enough to see her location: Huntsville, AL. So I struck up a conversation with her after she hung up. Turns out she and her husband had met Brian the night before at another workshop, so she already kinda knew about me. But here is the wow thing: they want to start a CR ministry at their church some time next year... probably *in the first quarter*. Hmmm. We will probably be moving there by the first of the year. Other cool things... their 2 youngest kids are the same ages and sex as Halle and Joel, and they homeschool. I kinda felt like meeting them and getting their contact info was a little present from God, and another indication that he approves of our desire to be in Huntsville.

So today I am checking my Facebook page and noticed a post from Keith Lancaster that referred to a blog post about a cappella music. I checked out the blog and felt an almost instant kinship with the author. I left her a comment, she responded to me in an email, and after a few more emails between us, here is what we know: She lives in the Huntsville area. She homeschools. She knows my sister and brother-in-law because they used to attend church together. And of course, we already knew we were both into music. We are totally convinced this is a God thing. Just one more thing to help me feel like we are walking in God's will for our future.

Is it any wonder I can't keep from grinning ear-to-ear tonight? Do any of you have similar stories to share? I'd love to hear them.

6 days on the road

2009-08-10T11:31:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 6 of our summer adventure on wheels. Not much of an adventure, really. Mostly me and the kids and dogs sitting around the KOA. But it's still been fun. We left home last Wednesday and drove to Bakersfield. The excitement started almost as soon as we arrived. While Brian and the boys went in the RV resort office to register us, Halle and I took the dogs out for a potty break and the RV door locked behind us. Here we are in 97-degree temps, no shade except what little the RV provided, the RV was running (and thankfully the generator too)... After about 20 minutes of trying all the windows, Brian was finally able to get the front passenger window unlocked and open from the outside and we hoisted Joel through. Lesson learned. Don't leave the RV unmanned without a set of keys in hand.

Thursday morning, we took our time getting stuff together before heading on down to San Diego. We made it here a little after 3pm. The KOA here is very big and was very busy when we arrived. It has since cleared out a little.... but not much. The kids have enjoyed swimming a few times. The dogs are happy that there is an off-leash area here for them to go in. My only complaint about it is that it is nothing but mulch, which gets up in my shoes and clings to Campbell's fur. I'd much prefer grass.

On Saturday, we went downtown with Brian after his meeting was over and spent a little bit of time touring the USS Midway. The boys were really interested. My favorite thing (don't know if Brian got a picture or not) was the giant statue nearby that recreated the famous LIFE magazine picture of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square when V-J Day was announced. Here's a photo I found online of it. It is HUGE.

The boys and Brian went to the Padres/Mets game later that evening (actually, we had just enough time after our Midway tour for them to drop Halle and me off at the RV and rush back downtown to meet some of Brian's CRNA friends for the game). Halle and I spent the rest of the evening kicking back with the dogs, watching TV and/or playing games on the laptop.

Tomorrow morning, Brian has one last meeting until 10:30 or so. Then we'll gather things together and make the drive up to Newport Beach. We'll be staying here while we attend the annual Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. Newport Beach was as close to Saddleback as we could find an RV park.... about 30 minutes away. Emily is flying down tomorrow evening and will be here to keep the kids company while we're away. Just 4 nights there and we head back home on Saturday.

Before the month is gone....

2009-07-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

Life is zooming along as usual here.... Halle had a great time at church camp, despite falling off of the top bunk one night. Actually, I think it was more of a slither than a fall. She was wrapped up in a sleeping bag and managed to wiggle herself into just the right position so as to slide off through an opening less than 2ft. wide. She didn't even wake up! I imagine this will be one of those "remember when?" stories we will be telling in years to come.

Lots of changes in the neighborhood. Summer tends to be a busy moving time on base, with folks trying to get settled so kids don't miss any school. Out of the 10 units on our street, we have 4 new families (and will eventually get more; we have 3 empty units). Yesterday we were able to meet several of our new neighbors when I hosted a neighborhood ice cream block party (I won it from Dreyer's a few weeks ago). Turns out there are several other hospital folks on this street and the adjacent one (including one of my husband's new residents). Always nice to have something else in common with the neighbors besides the payor on the paycheck!

Our big trip for August is getting closer. We've reserved our RV spots and our rental cars. I'm hoping it won't be too hot in SoCal. Just checked the almanac on Weather Underground and looks like the record high for the time period is in 80s, so shouldn't be too bad. Last year when we took our big 3-week trip, the mid-90s and 100+ temps we had on portions of our return trip made it nearly impossible to cool down the front half of the RV. Hopefully that won't be a problem this time.

Off to chillax for the rest of the evening....

Twice in one month?

2009-07-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, 12 days into the month, and I'm already making a second post. I might be on a roll!

Halle leaves for church camp today. It's her first time, but she will be bunking with a friend from church and her friend's mom is the cabin counselor, so I'm sure she is going to do great. This camp is different from the ones we're used to. Each cabin has its own bath facilities and there are activities like archery and canoeing (and probably more I don't know about). Apparently it has a regular staff already; the churches just supply the counselors and a camp nurse. Anyhow, she is all packed and ready to go... she leaves after church today.

After Halle leaves, the rest of the kids and I will be headed back to base to get in line for a FREE early showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I am sure the base theater will be packed to the gills. We've been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks, since we found out about it.

I have to pass on this video I saw at Carrie's a few nights ago.... some people think the beginning is cool, and I suppose it is, but I enjoy the rest of it even more. Enjoy!

The times, they are a-changin'

2009-07-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day holiday (all 3 or 4 of you who read this...). We had a relatively relaxed weekend. Brian grilled some rib-eyes for our dinner on Saturday, then we headed downtown for a spot to watch the fireworks. I still am not used to needing to wear a jacket to watch fireworks.... it was quite windy and cool out. The fireworks were OK; nothing spectacular, but the finale was definitely the best part. We were several blocks from the park where the fireworks were being shot off and it was pretty loud to me from there; I can only imagine how loud it sounded to the folks actually in the park!

Our neighborhood is changing quickly this summer. The kids' best friends moved away at the beginning of June and last weekend their house and the one next to it got new occupants. One family is another homeschooling family with 6 kids ranging from 13 down to 1. The other is actually one of Brian's students. My kids have hit it off with the newcomers. There were several times last week when I had 9 kids in my house (8 if you don't count Emily, since technically she really wasn't hanging out with the others). Talk about chaos! But it was a good kind of chaos.

Big news in our family is that Brian has decided to retire from the Air Force. He has submitted his "application to apply" for retirement and is waiting to hear back. It is entirely possible we could be moving before the end of the year. Don't ask where, because we don't know yet. We are entirely open to God's leading on this. We'll have to see what kind of jobs are out there for him. Ideally, we will find something in a fairly homeschool-friendly state that isn't too far away from family. Brian is exploring all options. It's exciting and scary all at the same time! All prayers are greatly appreciated.

Alive and well

2009-06-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

Much has happened since the last post. I spend most of my time on FaceBook and haven't taken the time to write anything here. But since today is my birthday, I decided I can spare the time. Thanks to all my FaceBook buddies who have sent me wishes over there. I feel very loved.

We had a great time in Malibu. It made me miss my church of Christ roots a lot. I know we are here for just a season and I am gaining much from being here, but all the same... I am looking forward to getting back to my roots a bit.

Emily finished up her junior year of high school with a cumulative GPA of 3.74. Not too shabby, considering she didn't take any weighted classes. She plans on finishing her senior year through independent study with University of Nebraska Lincoln's online program. We are waiting on the transcript evaluation from them so we can get her enrolled and decide on her last few classes. We found her a used Honda Civic to drive just before the end of school, so I got a reprieve from my 2 round trips to her school daily... that was nice. She is looking for a summer job to help keep gas in it.

Noah has passed me up in height now. At 13 1/2, he is almost 2 inches taller than me and about 2 inches shorter than his dad. I think he really is going to pass him up, too. He is still taking guitar lessons and learning a lot there.

Halle had a piano recital after we got back from Malibu. She did a great job and if she was nervous, certainly didn't show it. She is on hiatus from lessons right now (her teacher is in and out a lot in the summer), but is continuing to practice.

Joel is still taking drum lessons and is doing great. I love listening to him when he and his teacher "jam" together. Mynor (his teacher) will pull out his guitar and play and have Joel accompany him. I've recorded a few of their sessions on my iPhone.

Next week, the 3 younger kids are taking golf lessons at the base golf course. It's just a couple of hours in the morning, and they each get a set of clubs out of the deal. I figure so many people play golf, it's a good chance to learn the sport.

No big plans for the summer until August. We are taking the RV down to San Diego with Brian to attend the AANA conference down there, then head to Lake Forest at the tail end of that conference to attend the Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback Church. We'll get home from that just in time to celebrate our 23rd anniversary on the 16th.

I won't make any more promises about how often I'll be back. No sense disappointing myself or anyone else.

Morning in Malibu

2009-05-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

Howdy from beautiful Malibu, CA! We drove in yesterday in our RV and set up camp at Malibu Beach RV Park, just 2 short miles from the campus of Pepperdine University. We're looking forward to attending the Pepperdine Bible Lectures for the second time, the first being 3 years ago when we attended with several friends from Eastside Church of Christ in Antioch, CA. This year, the trip was solo, but we're looking forward to seeing our Eastside friends again (Hi, Rick!), our good friend Jim from Omaha, and hopefully a few others, including some we've only known online. Tomorrow we are lucky to get to celebrate Jim's birthday with him by taking him out to eat.

We had a good trip down yesterday. We left the base around 4:30-4:45am, after filling the tank at the base gas station. One more stop to top off the tank again and clean the windows, and we arrived here before noon. It's so nice to not drive/ride all day long! I must confess though, Malibu Canyon Road is a little unnerving for me in a 35-ft. motorhome. It is very twisty and curvy, with some steep parts. I definitely prefer straight and level roads!

The weather looks to be gorgeous this week, with highs in the mid-upper 70s and lows in the upper 50s. We slept with the windows open last night and didn't get cold at all. Our RV site has a great view of the ocean, which is just across the street. Brian and the kids spent 20-30 minutes at the beach yesterday afternoon. We have the better part of today to ourselves until the Lectureship starts this evening. Not sure what we'll do with our time. Brian and the kids may go back down to the beach. I brought a few books with me to pass the free time.

Looking forward to getting up to the University tonight, especially for the opening song session. It's been a LONG time since we've heard some good a cappella singing and I am pumped!

Easter weekend recap

2009-04-13T08:23:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is recovered from their weekend. I sure hope I am, because I didn't do a lick of housework or laundry. So I know what I'm doing this morning... I have some excuse, though. I had some mighty full days this weekend. Brian was out of town and I had a lot of stuff on my plate. Saturday morning, I had Easter choir rehearsal at 10:30. It was nearly 1 by the time I left the church building from that. I had to make a stop to hunt up something to use for the kids' Easter baskets on my way home. So that left me getting home a bit after 2.

Then Halle and I went to see the Hannah Montana movie together. She redeemed her Christmas stocking coupon for "1 movie with the parent of your choice" so we could have a mommy/daughter date. Call me a sucker, but I liked the movie. I wouldn't even mind having the soundtrack (especially if it includes Rascal Flatts singing "Bless the Broken Road"). Just don't ask me to dance the "Hoedown Throwdown." Nothing good would come of it.

Hung out with the kids the rest of the evening and hit the hay around 10ish since I needed to be up early for Easter. Unfortunately, it took me a while to fall asleep and then I kept waking up every hour or so through the night ... for some reason I tend to do that when I know I need to get up early. Wound up getting up around 5:30 to play Easter Bunny for the kids and get ready for church. Left at 6:30 so I could grab a couple boxes of donuts to take with me. Since the choir/worship team was going to be at church from 7-12:30, we all brought something to share/snack on between services. We had 3 services beginning at 8am. The second service was packed, and it made it even warmer than usual in the auditorium. But the singing was great... I could have sung all day if it wasn't for the standing up part!

Got home a little after 1 and grabbed the kids for lunch. We went to Outback (saw another family from church there, too). Then after we got home from there, I took a nap because I was plumb tired out. It sure felt good. Just kinda chilled the rest of the evening. So today I pay the piper: laundry, some housework, and probably grocery-shopping to round it out.

Happy April

2009-04-06T00:22:00.000-05:00

I started to title this post 'Appy April, but then I thought folks might think I had an appendectomy... thus the boring title above.

Things are still moving at a breakneck pace around here, although yesterday was refreshingly laid-back. We actually had NO outside commitments. Didn't do a whole lot of anything, which was a nice change from the usual way things go. Joel stayed outside for a good part of the day and wound up with a sunburned neck (thankfully he was wearing long sleeves).

Brian and Noah are leaving for Denver in the morning. Brian has a quick trip there to brief a General about something, and we had an airline voucher that was due to expire soon... so he took the opportunity to treat Noah to a father/son trip. They should have a lot of free time tomorrow to do some stuff together. They'll be back Tuesday night.

Spring break starts Wednesday afternoon for Emily. She doesn't go back to school until the 20th. There is a chance she will have play rehearsals during break... unless too many people will be out of town. This year's musical is "Grease," and she is playing the "Teen Angel" role (rewritten for the movie... Frankie Avalon's part). The really fun part of this is (and I am being totally tongue-in-cheek here) is that the dates for her play coincide with Halle's piano recital and a Christian music festival at which we are supposed to be helping man a CR booth. It is going to be wicked crazy here that weekend in May, let me tell you!

Speaking of Emily and school... she is not going back next year. There have been a lot of changes in the last 3 years she has been there and most of them aren't ones we are too happy with. So she is going to finish up and complete her senior year here at home, probably with UN-L (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and their online high school. She doesn't have too many credits left, since she had 8 classes a day the last 2 years. And it will be loads cheaper than the $8K we were spending on this school for a year. Hopefully she will be able to get a part-time job as well to save up some $$ for college and stuff. The other cool thing about UN-L's program is that it's self-paced, so she can finish up as quickly as she wants... knock out the easier subjects (like English) and take as much time as she needs with others (like chemistry, if she decides to take it).

Anyhoo, the rest of April will be challenging as well. Just as spring break is ending, Brian will leave for another TDY and be gone another 9-10 days. Then he'll have one full week at home before we take the RV down to Malibu for the Pepperdine Lectures. Should be fun.... will get to see folks we haven't seen in a long time!

Heading to bed in a few minutes, after the dryer is done. Had to wash jeans for Noah to take to Denver with him and they are still going.

March musings

2009-03-15T00:11:00.000-05:00

I should be showering, but I was feeling guilty I hadn't written a post in a while, so thought I should update before I head upstairs for the night. Ordinarily, I would shower in the morning, but some brainiac at the local power company (PG&E, of Erin Brockovich fame) decided to schedule a power outage for the entire base tomorrow morning from 7am to noon. Since I don't really want to shower at 6am tomorrow for 9am church, I need to get that done tonight, so I can dry and straighten my hair. Maybe I should sleep sitting up to avoid messing my hair up too much....

Here we are in the middle of March; Brian's birthday is Monday. For the next 3 months, we get to be the same age, and then I get to be older than him again. We'll do our usual birthday dinner out. He just has to decide where we're going.

Emily is doing well. After a follow-up visit with a family practice doc, he seemed to think that she had correctly self-diagnosed her problem last month, although there is no way for us to be sure now. Em thought her symptoms were very suggestive of TSS (toxic shock syndrome), and while the docs all said that was on their list of things to consider while she was in the hospital, for some reason it was never really explored. So for now at least, she'll go for the less convenient feminine product to avoid a repeat of last month's adventure. As she so succinctly put it when the doctor apologized for suggesting the inconvenient way, "It's more convenient than spending the weekend in the hospital."

Found out a few days ago that the housing office on base is planning on moving the field grade officers (that's Brian) into larger and newer housing in the fall. I am more than a little excited over that. I am not certain of the size of the quarters we could get; I have heard anywhere from 2000-2400 sq. ft. That would be almost 700-1000 sq. ft. more than we have now, so I am really excited about the prospect. We will still have 4 bedrooms, so the boys will still have to share, but at least the girls' rooms should be bigger than the 9.5 ft square rooms they have now.

OK, better get cracking or I'll be up too late getting my hair dried and straightened.

Don't want to leave you hangin'

2009-02-26T09:03:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted another update. Things get a little hectic around here and I don't get much time to sit down and write.

Emily came home on Tuesday. The doctors could never say for certain what caused the high fever and sepsis, nor could they say it won't happen again. The infectious disease doc thought it was a wicked kidney infection; the urologist didn't seem to think so; and the other docs admitted they were stumped. That was refreshing. I would much rather hear someone say they weren't sure than to say, "The only thing I can come up with is..." which is kinda how the ID doc sounded. Anyhow, she's taking a few more days' worth of oral antibiotics and going back in in a couple of weeks to have labs repeated and get checked out again.

She did go to school yesterday and was getting tired by the time it was over. She also said that she got winded climbing the stairs, which is unusual for her. I guess even though she mostly feels recovered, it will take a while before her body catches up with her mind.

Now, to keep an eye on things in case it recurs...

Updates

2009-02-23T12:49:00.000-06:00

Sitting here in Emily's room while she is off having an ultrasound of her kidneys. Her vitals are much improved; unfortunately we still don't have any real answers as to what started this whole mess. She is feeling 100% better and itching to go home. That's not happening today, but she does get to move to a regular room and finally get the shower she's been asking for.

I have been overwhelmed by all the emails, texts, and Facebook posts offering prayers and support. Technology is amazing. Thank you to all who've been praying.

I hope to have more news later today or at least by tomorrow.

Waiting for answers

2009-02-22T00:32:00.000-06:00

Emily (17) was admitted to the hospital last night... a few posts ago, I mentioned a kidney infection she had just before Christmas. On our way to school yesterday, she said she thought she was getting another one; she was having pretty similar symptoms. I told her we'd probably get her seen after school then. Neither of us realized just how bad it was until she called me to get her from school (she went in late and only lasted a couple of hours before she called and told me she was practically passing out). We had already decided we'd take her to the ER (no dr. appointments available), so her dad met us there and I left her in his capable hands.

It took a while to get seen, but once they took her back to the exam rooms, they realized how sick she was. She was dehydrated, had a high fever, low blood pressure, and high heart rate. She spent last night on a regular floor, but today they moved her to the ICU so they could monitor her more closely. Her BP has improved, but her fever comes and goes, her heart rate is still fast and her lab values on her bloodwork are all out of whack. The docs are very puzzled and still trying to figure out the cause. Their preliminary diagnosis was a kidney infection with mild sepsis, but the lab values have them looking for an additional condition.

Brian spent most of the day there (and is there now); he left a little after 9pm because she was falling asleep and really needed to sleep.... didn't get much last night and none today. She called him 30-40 minutes later and asked if he was going to come back up. She was having trouble sleeping. He may be staying the night there.

So now we wait. And pray. Hopefully they will find an answer tomorrow and can get her fixed up and home soon.

Rainy days and Tuesdays

2009-02-17T12:17:00.000-06:00

It took a while for the rainy season to really kick in around here, but it seems to have arrived with a vengeance. If I had some rope to cordon off the backyard, I'm sure I could start a mud-wrasslin' tournament back there. Might be a good way to earn a little extra spending money. Any entrants? ( I have to make jokes, otherwise I would let the mud and mess really depress the heck out of me.)

I've been busy catching up with laundry and stuff after our Palm Springs visit. The trip home was interesting. For some reason, the GPS sent us home by a different route and we wound up on some 2-lane backroads, going through some mountains and with snow blustering all around us. So weird! But we actually made it home in less time than the trip down, probably because we really only stopped once instead of 2 or 3 times. Don't think we'll do a trip of that length in one day again, though. It is very tiring on the driver! Our next planned trip is to Malibu in May for the Pepperdine Lectureships. I am really looking forward to it for many reasons.... beautiful scenery and weather, seeing old and new friends, and a chance to dine at Tra di Noi again (you knew there had to be a food reason somewhere in there!).

Rory took a trip to the vet last Friday for "that" operation. I felt a little bad doing it to her for Valentine's Day, but she seems to have forgiven me. I picked her up on Saturday morning and she was quite happy to see me. She has about a 4- or 5- inch incision on her tummy, all sewn up with stainless steel sutures. Have to take her back in another week or so to have those removed. I am quite relieved to no longer have to worry about supersize doggie diapers every 6 months or so now. She hasn't let sore stomach muscles keep her from climbing up on our bed, though. She still wants to cuddle with me there.

Guess that's really all the news worth telling for now. Felt bad that I hadn't updated since we got back from our trip. Hopefully I can get back to posting with a little more frequency.

A day in Palm Springs

2009-02-07T11:13:00.000-06:00

As planned, we took a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway yesterday. The temperature at the top (31 degrees) was more than 20 degrees cooler than the bottom.... there were snow flurries and about 3 inches of snow on the ground. The boys went outside and had a snowball fight. The girls had more sense than that!!

Once we finished up at the tramway, we headed into Palm Springs proper to hunt up a place for lunch. Tried a little spot called "Grill-A-Burger" with pretty decent food, then browsed the shops on the way back to the car. Before heading back this way, we drove past Elvis Presley's Palm Springs home.... Brian had seen the address on the back of a postcard, so we plugged it into the GPS. It was less than 5 minutes from downtown. Not terribly exciting, but we can say we've seen it.

Made a grocery run for a few things on the way back to the RV for the evening. Brian's meeting began last night at 7. The kids and I hung out here watching TV and reading books, getting showered up, etc.

Woke up this morning to the sound of RAIN falling on the roof. Thankfully it slowed to a near stop by the time I needed to take Brian to the hotel for his conference at 6:30. The kids and I will be heading out soon to check out the children's museum. Brian is scheduled to be done with his conference at 1:30 today; we'll pick him up for lunch then. Hopefully the weather will hold so that we can grill dinner tonight.

Let the sun shine

2009-02-06T09:35:00.000-06:00

Greetings from sunny Indio, CA! Not sure how long the sun will last today; the weather forecast calls for rain today (and tomorrow, and the next). The RV resort we are staying at is very posh; I think we have the cheapest motorhome here. Many of the other guests have custom golf-carts (I've seen mini-Hummers, ones that look like convertible roadsters, and just really fawncy ones), and we even saw one site with a full-size Bentley parked at it. There are sites that have extras at them, like outdoor kitchens, hot tubs, casitas, fountains.... I said on my FaceBook page yesterday that I felt a little like the Clampetts pulling in here! We are in a bare-bones spot, but it still outdoes many places we've stayed.... the pad is concrete and very wide, we have lots of grassy space to play with the kids, we face a waterway and have our own dock (too bad no little boat to tie up to it!). Right next door, they are working on one of those "fawncy" spots.... one with an outdoor kitchen, eating area, etc.

We had a nice trip down. Pulled out of our driveway a little after 4 am. After a couple of hours, Brian pulled over for a 30-minute power nap. We stopped a while later to gas up near Los Banos, then didn't stop again for 5 hours, when we pulled into a shopping center parking lot in San Dimas to make lunch (man, I can't say "San Dimas" without wanting to make a "Bill and Ted's" reference). No more stops until we arrived here around 3 pm.

Brian's conference doesn't start until tonight, so hopefully the weather will hold during the day so we can do some sightseeing. We'd like to ride the Palm Springs Tramway before we leave. There is also a children's museum in Rancho Mirage that I will probably take the kids to tomorrow, since Brian will be in meetings all day.

Time to get busy. My earlybird (Joel) is up and looking for breakfast. I realized before I got out of bed this morning that I forgot to bring the milk with us, so he will have to go without his AlphaBits for now... oatmeal it is.

On the road again....

2009-02-04T20:07:00.000-06:00

The family and I hit the road again tomorrow morning for the Palm Springs area. Brian has a CRNA conference down there this weekend and decided he wanted to bring us along this time. We're taking the RV and staying at what looks like a very nice RV "resort." Right now, it looks like the weather will be only slightly better than the weather here and will include 2 days of rain. I guess I shouldn't complain, what with so many of my family and friends dealing with snow and ice and power outages back in the midwest. Hopefully we will get to see lots of new and interesting things.

When we get home, we will have plenty of things to keep us busy, the least of which isn't a long overdue trip to the vet for Rory. She is getting spayed for Valentine's Day. (Well, actually the day before... but I will pick her up from the vet the morning of the 14th.) I'm sure if we women got gifts like that for Valentine's Day, we'd think twice about complaining about getting the traditional flowers or chocolates!

I hope to have time to write while we are there, and that we'll have some interesting and fun stuff to share!

Meme time

2009-02-01T19:30:00.000-06:00

I can't resist a meme, and it's an easy way to fulfill my posting responsibilities.... So here goes with this one I've had starred in my feed reader for quite some time now. I found this at Carrie's.

1) How do you like your grilled cheese?
On white bread, 2 slices of Kraft Deluxe American, light golden brown with cheese nice and gooey

2) Where did you go on your last vacation?
Took a 3-week RV trip back to MO and AL to visit family.

3) Who are your godparents?
Don't have any; that isn't a tradition in my church.

4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Far away from California, in a house we helped plan with lots of room for everyone.

5) Where are you at noon everyday?
Most days at home.

6) How many speeding tickets have you gotten?
ZERO

15) When was the last time you swam?
Back in June.... at our last RV stop on the way home in Chowchilla, CA.

16) What do you order at Subway?
I rarely go there. I prefer Charley's or Quizno's.

17) Do you keep your closets organized?
I try.

18) How do you make headaches go away?
Ibuprofen.

19) Have you owned a beta before?
Nope.

20) If you moved out of state where would you go?
Alabama or Nebraska.

22) Did you attend pre-school?
Nope.

23) What do your shower curtains look like?
Don't have any. The bathtubs in this house have the sliding door shower enclosures. UGH

24) Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
I don’t think so.

25) How do you make eggs?
Fried, sunny-side up.

26) Where do you wash your clothes?

Laundry room.

28) Who are the neighbors who live to the right of you?

Ed and Ling and their 3 children

29) What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise?

I try not to think about him.

30) What is the next vehicle you wish to buy?

Either another Honda Odyssey or a Pilot

31) Do you pay bills online or by mail?

Both.

32) What would be the best gift someone could get you right now?

Early retirement at hubby's current rank (right now, he has to stay in until 2011 to retire at his rank).

33) What is something stressful you will deal with next week?

Emily is staying home while the rest of us go to So. Cal with my husband for a conference. Pick your stressor: teenager home alone with dogs (with neighbors close by to monitor), RV trip, Mom and 3 kids trying to keep selves entertained while Dad is in meeting...

34) What is something in your home that you collect?

Americana items, Noah's ark stuff, books

35) What did you do last night?

Rearranged furniture in the living room

36) Who did you last see?

My husband just walked in from the BX.

37) How do you take your coffee?

On the rare occasion that I drink it, black. No sugar, no nuttin'.

38) What is the oldest thing in your fridge?

Don’t know and not going to find out. Although I know there's nothing expired in there; Halle just cleaned out all that stuff a couple of days ago.

39) On your keyboard what key is wearing out from pressing it so much?

None... I have a skin on top of my keyboard to protect it.

40) Where do you put your keys when you come home?

On the key rack usually.

41) Where do you go for Thanksgiving?

Usually stay home; occasionally get invited to someone's home.

42) How old will you you be in 2010?

43) What actor or actress would play you in a movie?

Camryn Manheim

44) How much cash is in your wallet?

$1 and some change

45) Would you have a one night stand with your favorite movie star?

Only if it involved board games and nothing else.

46) What color is your phone?

Cell phone is black; house phone is grey.

47) If you were starving to death would you eat a pet?

Not knowingly... I don't think. Perish the thought!

48) Ever been to Alabama?

Oh yeah!

49) What kind of accent do you have?

Slightly southern, decidedly so if I get around anyone else with one.

50) What kind of alcoholic drinks are in your fridge right now?

Not a one.

Not all my fault this time

2009-01-15T11:20:00.000-06:00

Finally, I have a real excuse for not coming around here! Of course, I shouldn't sound so happy about it, but dang... when a perfectly healthy person can't stop and write more than every couple of weeks, it's just sad. But this time I have a valid reason. Heck, I probably shouldn't be here now, but since this isn't my usual "life has just been stinkin' busy" kind of post, I wanted to get it done while I was thinking of it and before something else stopped me.

Anyhow, yours truly suffered her first real illness of any length (since childhood) this week.... I've been stuck upstairs in bed with pneumonia that began late Saturday night (and of course, it picked my husband's moonlighting weekend) and is hopefully on its way out. I finish my last dose of antibiotic for it today. Manoman, it has been no fun. It hit hard and fast, but I guess in a way it was good that it did, since it made me go to the ER on Sunday night. I didn't leave my bedroom all day Sunday and pretty much drifted in and out of sleep between taking something trying to get my fever down and trying to drink fluids to stay hydrated. But when I texted Brian that I had coughed up some blood, his suspicions about what was going on were just made a bit stronger, and he strongly encouraged me to head over to the ER.

It has been kinda hard staying in bed and taking it easy. I was feeling better on Tuesday and was up for a little while in the afternoon, but was feeling it by after dinner. I was back to gasping every time I took a breath. So I stayed in bed all day yesterday, only coming down to help Brian with a grocery list and to eat dinner. I am still planning on taking it easy today. After Tuesday, I am very wary of overdoing it... because I obviously can't tell when I am!

I have to confess, one thing made being stuck in bed a little more bearable: my new iPhone. Brian and I made the switch the weekend after New Year's Day and I have been so happy with being able to carry around all my scheduled activities in my hand, and to be able to effortlessly sync them with my Mac (without any third-party software like Missing Sync). I was able to read all my mail, read, make, and comment on facebook updates, and do a little checking of my Google Reader. I am one satisfied customer.

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T11:26:00.000-06:00

Continuing my recent trend of posting every 14-21 days....

It was a whirlwind few weeks, punctuated by doctor and ER visits shortly before Christmas. Emily missed the last 2 days of school with strange symptoms of swollen hands and itching whose cause wasn't diagnosed until a weekend trip to the ER.... a kidney infection. Thankfully, she only needed some IV fluids and some oral antibiotics. Didn't take more than a day or so before she seemed much more like her normal self.

Had a very nice Christmas with the kids. The 3 youngest set alarms for 6am and were rarin' to go. They were all very excited about their new Ipod Nanos. Unfortunately, Halle's has already developed a problem and I will have to call Apple tomorrow so they can send me a mailer to ship it back to them. We could have had it replaced at the Apple Store in Sac yesterday, but that would have meant Halle wouldn't have the engraving that came on the original one (her name and Christmas 2008). If we handle the warranty claim through AppleCare, we can get the engraving again, and she really wanted to keep that.

Brian and I had a pretty low-key Christmas for the two of us, but that was just fine by me. He did give me 2 things I had specifically mentioned. One was a SmartShopper. I ran across it one day at Amazon (while looking for ideas for Brian's Christmas gifts) and thought it looked very cool. Basically it is a gadget that allows you to record your grocery and/or errand lists on the fly, perhaps as you run out of something, and then when you are ready to go shopping, will print everything out, sorted into categories (dairy, produce, frozen foods, etc.). My neighbor says she always has a paper list going, but in my house, my paper lists tend to get misplaced a lot. This stays stuck on the fridge so I can't lose it. I used it earlier this week to go shopping and it was neat.

Emily and Noah both celebrated birthdays on Tuesday; Noah is 13 and Em is 17 now. We extended the celebrating into 2 days.... lunch at Benihana on Tuesday and then we all went to the mall in Sacramento yesterday. Emily brought along 2 friends and we had a late lunch/early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

We spent a few hours outside with the neighbors last night to celebrate NYE. We had a couple of firepits in the driveways and had a chili supper. Aside from the fog and chill in the air, it was a really nice time.

Today I'll be paying for the days of inactivity by getting lots of laundry and housework done. I am so lucky my man is a great help in that department!!

Bi-weekly check-in

2008-12-13T09:32:00.000-06:00

Just jumping in this morning to let those of you still reading know we are all still alive here. As for most people, December can be an activity-filled month for us. One of those activities has nothing to do with the holidays... That would be the graduation of my husband's students. I don't play a huge role in this, other than to create the invitations in November and then make the graduation programs in December, once all the details (speaker, awards, etc.) have been ironed out. This year had to have been the latest I have ever done the programs. With graduation occurring on Wednesday, I didn't finish the programs until Monday and didn't print them out until Tuesday (when I got the paper for the job).

In addition to those programs, once again I designed the programs for Emily's choir concert coming up next week. Her director like the job I did last year so well that she asked me to do them again. I got about a 2-week notice on that job. I was able to get these done and emailed the file to her a few days ago. The nice thing about that task is that it gives me credit towards the 20 service hours each family is required to do every year.

Speaking of Emily's concert, this year she is doing a duet with one of the guys from her choir. They are doing Pié Jesu. I am really looking forward to hearing them. I've looked at the music here at home and it is a really pretty arrangement.

Today is Halle's dress rehearsal for the Christmas program at church. We'll be heading out in a few minutes for that. Rehearsal is from 8:30 to 12:30. The performances are tomorrow at 9 and 10:45, so we will be at church from 8-12:30 tomorrow. During at least part of that rehearsal time, I'm hoping to make a couple of quick stops to look for some Christmas gifts. Also today, after I get Halle home from her rehearsal, I'll be taking Emily to a hair appointment at 1:30. Hopefully after we get back from that, I can be done running for the day. I know tomorrow will be extremely full... I'll probably have to go grocery shopping once we get home from church.

One really nice thing about the upcoming week is that Brian is taking a few days off and will be at home with us. I know the kids will enjoy having him around; so will I! He and I will try to get some time alone to take care of some of our Santa duties... should be fun!

On the first day of December....

2008-12-01T14:44:00.000-06:00

Since I last posted, it has been much the same here, with various runnings to and fro. The Six Flags trip was fairly uneventful. The weather was perfect and it was blissfully not crowded, so it was actually somewhat enjoyable, except for the overpriced lunch that was so horrible no one really ate it.

On a more recent note, we spent a nice Thanksgiving with friends from church. This was the first Thanksgiving in a long while in which I didn't spend hours in the kitchen. All I made for this meal was a small ham, a coconut pie, and a chocolate pie.

Over the weekend, we got quite a bit of cleaning and rearranging done around here. Brian is a dynamo when it comes to that kind of stuff. We also set up a new computer area for the kids, tucked away upstairs in the walk-in hall closet. We developed a new set of guidelines for use and times and the kids have been really good about them so far.

In other news, I recently received a very nice compliment from Carrie. She nominated me for this blog award:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!
These blogs are exceedingly charming.
These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement.
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers!
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Thanks, Carrie! Here are my nominees:

Betty at JettyBetty

Jenny at Enlightened Eyes

Dee at Finding Direction

Katherine at Raising Five

Donna at The Other Blog

Shane at Come Back, Shane!

Franklin at Youth Ministry Hilarity

Jim at Jim's Journey

Air miles

2008-11-10T01:26:00.001-06:00

Someone in this family has been logging the air miles this month, all 9 days of it . Just one hint: it hasn't been me.

Yes, the ol' USAF has kept my husband hopping. He had a quick trip for a meeting in Tampa last week (had a 6am flight on Thursday morning and got home Saturday around 3:30 or so). All that way for a 2 1/2 hour meeting on Friday. While he was there, he was notified that he was needed at the base in Ft. Walton Beach this week. They booked him on a flight that left around 6am this morning. He isn't scheduled to get back from that one until around midnight Thursday. (I started to say he "wouldn't" get back, but if there is one thing I am learning this month, it's that I can't plan on anything right now.)

Besides just missing him, his absence presents some logistical snags, which I have thankfully been able to get ironed out.... at least most of them. Tomorrow night is a rehearsal night for both me and Halle, but we have different start times and locations. My CR worship rehearsal starts at 6:30 at the home of one of the band members; her Christmas program rehearsal starts at 7 at the church. One of my friends whose son is also in the Christmas program is meeting me at my rehearsal and will take Halle on to the church. I'll finish up with plenty of time to pick her up when she is done. Then Tuesday night, Hal has AWANA and I have a step study meeting both at the same time, a good 15-20 minutes apart from each other. Another church friend who lives a few blocks away from us is picking Halle up and bringing her home.

The only snag that isn't completely ironed out is some fun we had scheduled for Tuesday. It is homeschool day at the Six Flags nearby and we have tickets to go. Brian was supposed to go, since Tuesday is a holiday (Veteran's Day) and he was going to be off work. He was going to drive the RV so that we could take a lunch break there and maybe rest our legs a bit. Plus, he is Noah's thrill ride buddy. We would have been able to split up at times so they could ride rides while I did the tamer things with the younger ones. Without him, we'll have to go at a much slower pace, and Noah won't have a ride buddy. Sigh Oh well... at least we can still go, I guess.

So now you know a little of what is keeping me away from the blog... all these things on top of the usual driving Emily to and from school, homeschooling, music lessons, CR, etc. I think about blogging, but seems there is always someone or something else screaming for me.

More Ipod fun

2008-10-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

Ran across another Ipod meme at John Dobb's blog tonight and just had to play along (the laundry can wait 5 more minutes).

Directions:

1. Put your iTunes/Ruckus/Napster/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 11 friends who might enjoy doing this.

Here are my answers:

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?

I Adore You, Phil Wickham

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

Miss Texas, Shaun Groves

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Sing to the King, Zoe Group (thought this was fitting)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

Mystery, Phil Wickham

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

I Rejoice, Matt Maher

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), Chris Tomlin

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

There She Goes, Sixpence None the Richer (this one made me laugh)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

“Love Don’t Live Here,” Lady Antebellum (oops... remember this was random!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

“Brighter Days,” Leeland (very true!)

WHAT IS 2+2?

“Listen to the Radio,” Nanci Griffith

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

“Your Grace is Sufficient,” Won By One

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“Grace,” Phil Wickham

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

“If Wishes Were Changes,” Nanci Griffith (Bingo!)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

“Ordinary Life,” Mark Harris

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“We Trust in the Name of the Lord,” Keith Lancaster & Acappella Company

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

“Does Anybody Hear Her,” Casting Crowns (Hmmm....)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

“You Are My All in All,” Keith Lancaster & Acappella Company

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

“Shout to the Lord,” Lincoln Brewster (although I would prefer Darlene Zschech’s version)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

“In Christ Alone,” FFH

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

“Fingerprints of God,” Steven Curtis Chapman

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

“My Hallelujah Song,” Julianne Hough

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Ding Dong! Merrily on High, Chanticleer

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

“No Higher Calling,” True Lift

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

“Once in a Very Blue Moon,” Nanci Griffith. (Oh dear.... LOL)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

“Beautiful,” Phil Wickham

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

“Everything Glorious,” David Crowder Band

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Hope of the Nations, Zoe Group (I don't get this question at all.)

I'm not tagging anyone, but please feel free to play along and leave a link to your meme in the comments.

With hope in my heart

2008-10-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

OK, it's been over a week again... but I really do have good reasons. It seemed like we were under attack from all sides this week, but through God's grace, we were not defeated. It began with the death of one of Brian's coworkers, an ENT surgeon who was much too young. It was unexpected and swift, and totally rocked the world of the staff at the hospital, including Brian. So while he was dealing with his grief, I was trying to keep things running here at home (and elsewhere).

I also spent several days working on a project for our CR leadership team. We collected statements from as many CR participants and leaders as wanted to participate regarding why they were thankful for Celebrate Recovery. I gathered them and printed them on colored paper, then put them into a gift scrapbook for our lead pastor as a gift for Pastor Appreciation Month. I just finished it this afternoon and will give it to him one day this week.

We had our usual flurry of meetings and gatherings during the week... something every night. I only managed to cook one meal, and that one was practically inedible (chicken and dumplings... I think I didn't get enough salt and pepper in them and the dumplings were terribly bland). That was Tuesday night... I can't even remember what we did Wednesday; Thursday we drove through BK and Friday, Emily made a Tombstone Pizza while Brian and I were in a meeting before CR. I had to leave CR early in order to pick Emily up here at home and take her to school for homecoming. Then Brian picked her up at 11:30 that night.

Yesterday seemed like a rather long day. After the week we'd had, even seemingly simple things like planning the menu for the week and making a shopping list seemed like gargantuan tasks. Somehow I managed to get it done, with just enough time from the time I got home from shopping left to finally cook another meal, only this time it wasn't for us! A family in our small group from church had a baby the morning Brian's friend died and the families in the group were taking turns bringing them a meal. I made chicken tetrazzini and a cherry dump cake for them and delivered it a little after 5pm. After I got home, Brian grilled steak for us. It was definitely the best meal we'd had all week! The rest of the evening was spent in more leisurely pursuits: Brian and Noah went to see "Eagle Eyes" while I played a couple of board games with Joel and Halle.

I am eying this coming with with hope that it will be filled with less drama.

Is there life out there?

2008-10-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

*tap, tap, tap* Anyone still here??? I am appalled that I haven't posted at all this month. I guess it is just a testimony to how little time I have these days (or maybe that I would rather watch this season's TV than blog....). I could actually be doing more running around right now, but since Emily isn't standing in front of me asking when I will take her to the BX, I decided to take this opportunity to write. If I weren't here at home, I would be taking Halle to her rehearsal for the kids' Christmas program. Brian volunteered for that duty tonight.

Biggest news from the past two weeks is that we have a new 10-year-old in the house. Yesterday was Halle's birthday. We celebrated on Saturday and Sunday: Saturday with a ceramic-painting party followed by pizza here at the house and a small sleepover in the motorhome. I baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast and one of Halle's friends went to church with us. After church, we went to Halle's choice of restaurant for lunch (Tahoe Joe's) and then home for a little while. Then we went to the mall so that she could get her ears pierced. While we were there, I decided to get mine done again. My decision had nothing to do with wanting 2 sets of holes, though. My first set are just too high up and too close to the outside of my ears, so that earring with dangles or small hoops just don't hang right. So don't look for me to be sporting 2 pairs of earrings at a time; it wouldn't look right anyhow.

Had to take Emily to the Verizon Wireless store for a new cell phone after school today; her Envy was just dead. Thankfully we were in the zone for a new phone and got it for nearly nothing. She chose the Glyde phone, which will wind up costing us less than $30 after the $50 rebate. I am hanging onto my phone until it dies... or until the IPhone is unlocked for other service providers.

Well, my hiding is over... Emily is ready to go, so guess I will jet. Hopefully I will find (make) time later this week for more.

Sunday night stuff

2008-09-28T23:34:00.000-05:00

After a week of coming and going, it was nice to be a little less busy this weekend. The week was full of things; worship team rehearsal for CR on Monday night, Joel's first drum lesson Tuesday evening, plus Halle's first night of AWANA this year, leadership team meeting for CR on Wednesday night, small group meeting Thursday night, and then the CR anniversary celebration Friday night. Insert big tired sigh here.

Just a few comments about all that stuff up there: Joel loved his drum lesson. By the end of the lesson, he was playing the bass, hi-hat, and snare together and accompanying his teacher's guitar playing on the chorus of "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." His drum set arrived on Thursday and I was lucky enough to know another homeschooler whose husband plays drums in the AF Band here and was more than happy to help us get them set up.

Friday night's CR was awesome. We moved the meeting from our small ministry center into our main worship auditorium. What a difference in the music between the two places! I hated for the worship to end.

After taking care of business around here yesterday (laundry), the kids and I went to see Eagle Eye. It was pretty good. Made me think of the old Sandra Bullock flick, The Net. Then this afternoon, I went to see Fireproof. GREAT movie! I highly recommend it.

This week looks to be a little less packed, although Tuesday night is full: Joel's drum lesson from 6-6:30, Halle's AWANA from 6:30-8:30, and I have CR worship rehearsal at 6:30 as well. Thankfully there are 2 parents available, so I will be able to drop Halle off on my way to rehearsal while Brian goes to lessons with Joel. Ai-yai-yai.

Monday meanderings

2008-09-23T00:56:00.000-05:00

I'm trying not to go too long between posts, but often postpone sitting here to write in favor of the many other things vying for my attention (namely household management-type things). With school back in session, I have less time to devote to keeping things up, so it is important to grab the time when I have it or life will quickly become quite unmanageable. Can't have that. I am not a happy camper when I feel overwhelmed.

Brian, Noah, and I were able to go see Steven Curtis Chapman last Friday night. It was a great concert (SOLD OUT!) and a testimony to the power of God to heal and comfort. SCC shared so much of his heart with us, including stories about Maria Sue, his little daughter he lost in May, in addition to sharing his music. I could have stayed there all night.

Saturday we did a lot of stuff around the house. Halle cleaned out her room and we helped her move some stuff out to make room for a small table where she can work on jigsaw puzzles (a favorite activity of hers). There is no room anywhere else in the house to do a puzzle other than the dining room table, and that location is no good for obvious reasons. Then we went to a local music store and ordered a drum set for Joel. He begins lessons tomorrow night from one of the musicians at church.

We are helping the boys make room in their bedroom for the drum set. There is just a little work left to do in their room to have it ready. The drum set should be here by Wednesday, so we are doing fine with that.

Tonight was worship rehearsal for the anniversary celebration for CR on Friday. I am really looking forward to Friday... I cannot wait to see how many folks come and who will wind up coming back again.

Since Emily gave me permission, I will close out with one of her pictures from yearbookyourself.com.

The time, it escapes me

2008-09-18T08:02:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to sit and write for a while now, but there seems to always be something a bit more pressing than a blog post demanding my attention (chauffeur duties, school, and housework/laundry, namely). Oh, and preparations for the 1-year anniversary of the Celebrate Recovery ministry at church. I've been making signs for the barbecue, name tags, and also doing some typing to revamp our operations manual. Then there's the research and development of the ministry website. I have a meeting later this morning regarding that.

Since the last post, we celebrated Joel's birthday (twice!) and made plans for him to begin music lessons. Celebrations began on Saturday with a party at a local jump house. We were able to convince Emily to invite a friend and come along. It was fun to see them enjoying themselves almost as much as the younger kids. After the party, a few of the boys stayed with us for a pizza dinner, followed by a sleepover in the RV. We parked it in the FamCamp on base and Brian chaperoned. It seems to have been a rousing success. Part 2 of the celebration was on his actual birthday, Monday. Joel chose Baker's Square for his birthday dinner.

As far as music lessons go, Joel has been asking to take drum lessons. After much thought and consideration, we talked to a guy at church who does this (he actually gives lessons on both drums and guitars... trains a lot of our youth so that they can participate in the youth worship and eventually the main worship bands at church) and he had an opening. So now we are looking for a drum set for him. This will involve some rearranging of the boys' room in order to fit them.

I spent last night at a CR training session on leading the small groups and newcomers' group. I had plans to write last night after I got home, but got very sidetracked here. I wound up messing around with photos of me, Noah, and Brian. Emily even got into the act (of course, posting anything of her here is an act punishable by death, so I will respect her wishes). Can anyone guess the year of this photo?

Yeah, I've been working on important stuff.

The day I learned some things

2008-09-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

I think I've posted about our 9/11 experience more than a few times, so I won't go into that story again. If you haven't read it and would like to (or if you have, but feel like you would like to read it again), last year's post is here.

Looking back, I realize that day taught me some things I didn't know. Or maybe they were things I knew but had forgotten and needed reminding of. Like the fact that despite the myriad ways in which we try to deny our creator, His image often shines through us in the darkest times. We cannot deny we were made in his likeness when in times of terror and pain, true acts of goodness come out of broken vessels such as we. For me personally, this was seen in the kindness and unselfishness of the driver who spirited us away from the chaos that was the Newark airport and drove us around looking for a rental vehicle so that we could return home. Or the man who reassured me he was helping me keep an eye on all of my children as we evacuated the airport and were being herded through the terminals and out the doors. Read any number of accounts of the day and you will find other similar stories.

I was reminded that my husband was a man of duty and honor. As a military member, he realized that even though he was "on leave," his first duty was to his country. He called his immediate supervisor, whose first words were to not worry about coming back, but who after hearing that Brian was willing to do whatever was needed, went ahead and recalled him. He went right to work once we made it home.

I was reminded of how many people cared for us. The phone calls from friends wanting to make sure we were OK, letting us know they were praying for us... Our families, waiting to hear from us that we were safe...

Most of all, I was reminded of the God we serve... How He never left us before, during, or after those fateful hours. How a tragedy such as the one our country suffered could be taken by Him and made into something to bring healing to others and honor and glory to Him.

A welcome departure

2008-09-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

I often wonder if it gets a little old hearing about the day-to-day (or month-to-month) happenings around here. I've thought a lot about trying to have something more meaningful to share, but have never known just what. Well, last night I had a little bit of an epiphany, and while I can't share it all here, I think at least part of it might be of some interest.... and who knows? Maybe this will start a trend in my posts.

Anyhow, I imagine many of you are familiar with the oft-quoted "Serenity Prayer." Or are you?? Until about a year ago, I was only aware of one small portion:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Little did I know, there is much more to the prayer than that. It continues:

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. AMEN.

This prayer is used to close out the worship/large meeting portion of Celebrate Recovery groups. Sometimes I think that it is easy to get used to repeating the words without even thinking about what we're saying. But if you are in a position in which you are seeking a change in your life, these words make so much sense. How many of you have spent countless hours trying to affect a change in something of which you had no control? Or know what things you do have power over, but lack the courage to attempt to change? It's a sobering thought. Who wouldn't want the ability to differentiate between the two, along with being able to be content in our powerlessness over some things?

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time.... We've all heard the platitudes of taking life a step at a time, a day at a time, etc. But isn't it true? We only have control over what we are doing in this moment. If we can live in this moment, rather than tomorrow or next year, won't we experience a bit more success?

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace... Ouch. Yeah, I could totally leave that line out. It doesn't sound like too much fun. But of course, exercise buffs are famous for saying "No pain, no gain." Doesn't that ring just as true for growing personally and spiritually?

Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.... That says a lot. How much trouble do we get ourselves in wishing the world was different?

Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to Your will.... God won't hand stuff over to me until/unless I surrender to him.

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next.... Let's not get greedy: reasonably happy, not perfectly and totally happy. We can save that for eternity. After all, if life were perfect here, what's the hope in heaven?

So there you have it... my little thoughts on this short little prayer attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

Don't faint

2008-09-01T23:43:00.001-05:00

Unbelievable, I know. It's been less than 48 hours since my last post and I'm already back. Got quite a lot accomplished today. I never got around to the bookcase yesterday, so that was left for me to tackle today. I wish I had taken before/after pictures. I am very pleased with my work and hope we can maintain it. To understand the size of the job, you need to understand the size of the bookcase: 4 feet wide by 7 feet high with 12 shelves almost 2 feet wide. The only shelves I didn't have to do anything with were the 2 shelves with the encyclopedia on them. I pulled off almost 75 books to either store on a different bookcase or to try to sell online (the sell pile was the smallest, around 25).

Before tackling the bookcase, the kids and I went to the mall (Aeropostale for Emily, her favorite place for hoodies and jackets) then Target. Dropped a few bucks on notebooks and binders for Emily for tomorrow and a few things for the other kids first day of school as well. We will figure out just what we'll need as we go along.

Cable guy did finally show up yesterday about half an hour before the deadline. Unfortunately, the installation order wasn't written correctly and they didn't bring the correct equipment. The set top boxes he brought didn't have the HDMI connections we need.... and closed captioning does not work on either one of our televisions if the box is connected via the component connections. Sigh. So we will have another technician coming tomorrow morning to fix that issue. There was also the issue of only one box actually showing on the order as well.... so the cable in my bedroom isn't even functioning. Oh well, not like I have had time to sit and watch anyhow.

Forgot to mention that a friend from church cut and colored my hair this past Friday. I am so happy with it, and think I've never gotten as many compliments on a hair cut as I have this one. Via the magic of the built-in ISight camera on my IMac, and a little crop-work done in IPhoto, I give you moi:

Happy 1st day of September!

Still gimpin' along

2008-08-31T01:51:00.000-05:00

Sorry to have flaked out and been AWOL for so long. It has been an incredibly hectic couple of weeks and I don't think I will even attempt to tell you anything of why. Suffice it to say we have had plenty of things to occupy our time; most good, a few benign, and a very few unpleasant. I guess ranking in the unpleasant is the fact that my knee surgery had to be postponed because of my cold/allergy symptoms I was having. Haven't rescheduled it yet, but it will probably be in October. I am going to start taking a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement to see if it is any benefit, since I have so long to wait.

School starts for all my kids on Tuesday. The Christian school Em attends built a new building for the high school, and Em will be there. She got to see it this past Friday when she went in to get her locker assignment and picture taken. It is very nice... big rooms, lots of technology, bigger lockers (inside this time, instead of outside, like at the other school). The other three will be in the same place as last year (here with me). My goal for this weekend is to get the bookcase in the dining room cleaned out and organized for our school year. I need to remove some books and add new ones. We are trying something new this year in our writing. We're subscribing to My Access, an online writing teaching/evaluation system. I think the kids will enjoy it.

Today we spent time getting ready for the cable guy to come tomorrow afternoon. We've had HD TVs for a little over a year now, but didn't have HD cable receivers. That will change after tomorrow. We'll have 2 HD receivers, one of which will also be a DVR. Yeah, we're finally entering the 21st century in home video recording. Anyhow, you know how TV areas can be really dusty. Add to that a bunch of JUNK and you have a big job to do. The downstairs is a real problem because the kids' computer and the Wii are both there by it and the kids spend a lot of time there. They had to get a lot of their gunk out of the room and I had to dust and vacuum so the guy won't be grossed out. I still have to do the same upstairs in our room, but it will mostly just involve moving some things on our chest and dusting. It won't be the time-stealing production the living room was.

So there you have it. Still gimpin' along with the knee, getting ready for school, and cleaning for the cable guy. Don't know if I can stand any more excitement. :)

Waiting....

2008-08-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

Hubby comes home today. The kids and I have been scurrying about to make the house a welcoming place for him. It has been a crazy week or so since I posted last, what with all the running about and then just holding down the fort while Brian was gone. I managed to contract a cold/allergies in the last few days, which has made the evenings/middle of night less than enjoyable. Lots of coughing/sneezing/leg-crossing/nose-blowing. (Sorry if that was TMI.) Thank goodness for 3am Olympics programming.

Took the kids to see Wall-E over the weekend. Eh. It was OK. The last part of the film was more enjoyable, but I really am getting tired of movies with agendas. Can't we just make stuff to entertain anymore?

Then yesterday I went to see Tropic Thunder with Emily. She was supposed to go with a friend, but the friend canceled at the last minute and she didn't want to go alone. We'd already Fandango'd her ticket so I wound up being her second choice. The main reason she wanted to see it is that she is a big Robert Downey, Jr. fan. In my opinion, he was the best part of the film, other than one small part involving a little Vietnamese boy. Other than that, I really wouldn't recommend the film. It was crude, full of f-bombs, and just not my cuppa.

OK, break time is over. Joel just put on Emily's accompaniment CD for Annie and is busy working to the tune of "Hard Knocck Life." Gotta love him.

Tap, tap, tap Anyone still here?

2008-08-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry for my extended absence. No excuses, really. Other than not wanting to bore you to death. But then again, perhaps that is what I do even when I post.... But truly, the only thing of note that has happened since my last post was that Halle had to have a tooth restored at the dentist. Funny thing... the incident that made this necessary actually happened before we left on The Great RV Road Trip of 2008. She and the boys thought it would be fun to throw empty 20-oz. soda bottles at each other. The ever-wise and prudent mother suggested that it was not a good activity, but the participants insisted they were "having fun." Said fun ended rather quickly when Halle wound up with a split lip when one of the bottle missiles hit her in the mouth. It wasn't until about 2 weeks later, at her monthly orthodontist appointment (just a few days before we were due to leave town) that we found out more was split than her lip. When the orthodontist removed her rubber bands and wire, off popped part of her tooth. It had broken straight across about halfway up. Of course, it wasn't a baby tooth, either. The only thing that could be done for her at that point was just a protective sealant until we returned from our trip. Then last week, the dentist built up the remaining portion of the tooth with a composite material. She'll have a more permanent tooth made for her once she is all done with braces.

August is one of our busiest months of the year. Brian always has at least one week-long TDY; usually it is two. This year is no different. He leaves Friday to go to the AANA conference in Minneapolis. He'll return the 14th, only to leave again the 18th for San Antonio. Then he comes back on the 20th, in time for my meniscus surgery on the 22nd.

Meanwhile, this week is VBF (Vacation Bible Fun, as opposed to Vacation Bible School). Halle and Joel both went today and had a great time. Joel wasn't sure he wanted to go; in fact, it was only threat of a pleasureless existence at home that convinced him to go without me dragging him by his heels. Once again, the mother's wisdom was boundless... he can't wait to get up and go tomorrow. However, our schedule here at home is so crazy that I had to enlist the aide of a neighbor who goes to church with us to help me get the kids there tomorrow and Wednesday. Noah is getting his braces off tomorrow, but his appointment begins about the time I would normally leave here to head to the church building. Then on Wednesday, my pre-op appointment in the orthopedic clinic is scheduled for the start time of VBF. Thankfully she had no problem with being able to take the kids, and if she hadn't been able to, I had at least 2 other folks who probably would have been able to fill in.

If that weren't enough, I'll have to pick them up just a little bit early tomorrow because VBF doesn't end until noon.... which is when Halle and Noah's music lessons begin. And on Wednesday we won't have time to hang around afterwards because I have my other pre-op appointment at 1.

Also on the agenda for the week, another appointment at the ortho for Noah to pick up his retainer (Thursday morning), a birthday party for the boys Friday afternoon, one for Emily Saturday evening, and if I get the timing/transportation for Emily worked out, I want to attend this guy's comedy show Saturday night:

Next week should be a bit calmer...

Stuff to do, but here I am

2008-07-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

It's a fairly busy day around here, but here I sit. As if writing about what I need to do today will make it all get done. Ha.

So today is a big day for my husband's co-worker/partner. She is retiring from the Air Force after 20 years of service. Brian has been working very long hours this week to get ready for the ceremony, never arriving home before 7pm, with the last 2 nights being 9:15 and 8:30 before he hit the door. He has been in charge of getting everything arranged for it and will be narrating the ceremony this afternoon at 2 (1400 in military speak). And once again, I had the pleasure of creating the programs for the event. Now that I bought Print Shop for the Mac, designing and printing the programs was much easier than when I did the ones for the anesthesia graduation.

Meanwhile, around here I have a few things to do before heading up to the hospital for the retirement ceremony, including folding 2 loads of laundry, feeding kids, and getting myself showered and dressed. Then tonight we have a dinner honoring the retiree. I'm a little nervous about it, because I don't usually enjoy these kind of things. I always feel very out of place because I rarely have much in common with anyone or know anyone very well. Plus there is usually a fair amount of drinking going on and I have never been very comfortable around people drinking alcohol. It just isn't my scene. With Brian being such a major player in the group, we will probably wind up being there for most of the event, which is scheduled to go from 6-10. I am thinking of sneaking a good book in my purse, or hoping the folks hosting have a dog so I will have someone to talk to. If all else fails, I do have Yahtzee on my cell phone.

Coming up

2008-07-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

So I haven't exactly taken the time to sit down and write since the 4th. We've had plenty of other things going on to keep me occupied. Mostly the usual and the mundane. Plus a little crud... Brian was sick most of last week; not enough to keep him home, but enough that he did come home early one afternoon and went straight to bed for the night. Then Joel started getting sick. Unfortunately, his led to a raging ear infection for which he is on Zithromax. We are celebrating his first afebrile day by taking in a movie this afternoon (Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3D, no less!).

I met with the orthopedic surgeon today about my knee. The MRI I had back in June showed a large tear in my medial meniscus. Can't repair it, so we'll have to remove the torn part. August is Brian's busy month, with 2 TDYs of 7 and 4 days, so it looks like we'll be doing this on the 22nd. The doctor said I probably wouldn't be driving for a couple of weeks, so we might be looking for an alternate way for Emily to get to school the first week of September, or Brian will have to fix the schedule so that he can go in a little later than usual that week. So I have a whole month to look forward (?) to this now.

A Fourth of Photos

2008-07-05T00:14:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! We got home a little while ago from watching the fireworks in Vacaville. They were nice... nothing spectacular, but then again, when you've seen Disney World fireworks as much as we have, it's hard to be spectacular.

Anyhow, I was able to get some photos uploaded earlier today and thought I'd share them here.

This was Rory's favorite place to be while we were going down the road.

Sometimes she even shared with Campbell.

This is Joel and Rockwell, my sister's 6yo Great Dane. He is a BIG boy!

Another one of Rory's favorite spots (but only when the RV was parked!).

Here you can see a bit of how tall Rock is. He weighs nearly 200 pounds.

This is a picture Noah took of my sister and me. (Even if it doesn't look like it, I'm the younger one... by a whole 5 years.)

Brian and Campbell as we were headed home.

A peaceful moment as we go down the road.

Praise the Lord & Pass the Prozac

Another September daybook

Daybook for September

The Simple Woman's Daybook, 7/25/11

Another belated update or Almost Gone with the Wind

Back from the dead

October already?

Simple Woman's Daybook, Sept. 4, 2010

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Simple Woman's Daybook, 8/2/2010

Book Review: The Voice New Testament

Blog Tour: Robert Bresloff - The Wee Musketeers

What's goin' on

Glorious Day - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

"To Know You" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Spring Reading Thing 2010

From there to here

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Fade With Our Voices

February flurries

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Temporary Home

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: That's What I Love About Sunday

Then Sings My Soul Saturday: Shine

Last post of the old year

The now and the not yet

I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For: Then Sings My Soul

Holding the Key: Then Sings My Soul

How I Ended Up Here: Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Praise God on High - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Grace - Then Sings My Soul

Painting Pictures of Egypt: Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Big House - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

It keeps getting better

"Grace Tells Another Story" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

"While I'm Waiting" - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Then Sings My Soul: I'll Join the Rocks, FFH

Memories

Then Sings My Soul: To God Alone, Aaron Shust

To bring you up to date...

6 days on the road

Before the month is gone....

Twice in one month?

The times, they are a-changin'

Alive and well

Morning in Malibu

Easter weekend recap

Happy April

March musings

Don't want to leave you hangin'

Updates

Waiting for answers

Rainy days and Tuesdays

A day in Palm Springs

Let the sun shine

On the road again....

Meme time

Not all my fault this time

Happy 2009

Bi-weekly check-in

On the first day of December....

Air miles

More Ipod fun

With hope in my heart

Is there life out there?

Sunday night stuff

Monday meanderings

The time, it escapes me

The day I learned some things

A welcome departure

Don't faint

Still gimpin' along

Waiting....

*Tap, tap, tap* Anyone still here?

Stuff to do, but here I am

Coming up

A Fourth of Photos

Tap, tap, tap Anyone still here?