Yesterday I had every intention of staying in my jammies and watching movies from the comfort of my bed all day. However, I had to trade it all in for being among the first dozen people to welcome into the world my new GREAT NIECE Mackenzie Elizabeth. We (Breanna and I) have already nicknamed her. Breanna calls her "Mickey" and I call her "Z.Z." because both of her names have a Z in them. So looks like I will probably combine it into "Mickey Z"
The video is crap until you get to about a minute and 20 seconds. The background conversations are goofy but ignore them and admire the cuteness.
Mackenzie was born December 16th at 8:14pm weighing 7 pound 1/2 an ounce and measureing 20.5 inches.
Some of you may remember this video when her Aunt Kira was born 2 years ago on the same day (yes I said HER aunt Kira... how funny is THAT!)
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Crumpled
Sometimes the oddest things will strike a chord in me.
A crumpled piece of paper nearly brought me to tears.
This particular piece of paper happened to be an application for the Adopt a Family program that we offer to members of our church.
I recall mailing the application to this family some time ago. You could tell by the condition of the paper that it was at one time aimed toward the trash can. I can actually see it in my mind. The mom or dad filling out the application and then because of pride and/or frustration or feeling that there are people in greater need they grab the paper and make that growling noise we all can make when overcome with this kind of frustration and they end up just wadding it up and throwing it away. Only to have the other person take it out of the trash and convince their partner that they really do need help this time. Sometimes pride can be a huge obstacle to overcome.
Then there are the applications that come in that appear to be tear stained. Single parents who don't have that partner to help carry the burden and so they have a double dose of pride to swallow.
I see these pieces of paper and know that these people sometimes identify with them…stained, crumpled. We still need to love them…He does.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy (Episode 4)
The scene:
7:15am, still dark, moon out, stars twinkling, Orion visible in the morning sky.
Truck is in reverse, I look over and Breanna (a.k.a Miss Crazy) is trying to bend the laws of physics and see the sky out of her window with the window still rolled up.
"You can still see the stars this morning."
(She acts irritated that I interrupted her star viewing with (of all things) WORDS)
"Science class ruined stars for me"
"How so?"
I dont recall her explanation but somehow finding out about gases, and the fact that we can see the light from stars long dead... having that KNOWLEDGE irritates her. She mentioned something about the stars in her head, and I told her that the stars in her head could all be alive and made up of bubble gum if she wanted them to be. She explained how that would interfere with her liking things to be logical. My response:
"Being angry at Science for explaining the stars to you is not logical"
Remainder of trip to school....silent.
7:15am, still dark, moon out, stars twinkling, Orion visible in the morning sky.
Truck is in reverse, I look over and Breanna (a.k.a Miss Crazy) is trying to bend the laws of physics and see the sky out of her window with the window still rolled up.
"You can still see the stars this morning."
(She acts irritated that I interrupted her star viewing with (of all things) WORDS)
"Science class ruined stars for me"
"How so?"
I dont recall her explanation but somehow finding out about gases, and the fact that we can see the light from stars long dead... having that KNOWLEDGE irritates her. She mentioned something about the stars in her head, and I told her that the stars in her head could all be alive and made up of bubble gum if she wanted them to be. She explained how that would interfere with her liking things to be logical. My response:"Being angry at Science for explaining the stars to you is not logical"
Remainder of trip to school....silent.
Friday, October 19, 2007
18 Bits of Good Advice and 3 I Don't Agree With
I hate emails that say "forward this to 5 billion people or all your family, friends, pets, accquaintances, neighbors and total strangers within a five mile radius will perish!" I received this is one of those messages. I really like MOST of the "bits of advice" and this way I can share and play a game all at the same time.
Here is the game. WHO of my dear readers can guess which THREE of these I do not totally agree with. Twenty million points to the winner.
ONE.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills
will be as important as any other.
THREE.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR.
When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN.
Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life
completely.
TEN.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN.
Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE.
Spend some time alone.
Here is the game. WHO of my dear readers can guess which THREE of these I do not totally agree with. Twenty million points to the winner.
ONE.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills
will be as important as any other.
THREE.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR.
When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN.
Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life
completely.
TEN.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN.
Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE.
Spend some time alone.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Weekend Recap
Friday evening started the weekend with a visit from the Boston College Football team. They had dinner in the PressBox and then toured the museum. They were a group of very nice young men. Surprisingly...there was food left over.
Part of the BC team heading down into the museum level
My favorite Friday moment was about 20 minutes before the hall closed a gentleman came in with his high school aged son. He told me how he grew up in Indiana and has been a huge Notre Dame fan all of his life and today he finally had the opportunity to visit and as soon as he drove on to the campus he started crying. He seemed embarassed because he had cried like that in front of his son. His son said it was no big deal and I said to him "Thirty years from now, you are going to look back, and be very grateful for that moment" and his dad just grinned. It was very touching...they almost made me cry.
Saturday morning started at 7am setting up for a Corporate Tailgate Party for Blue Chip Casino. Fun times...a little chilly, but fun times.
Once that was up and running we prepared for Rocket Ismail's autograph session. After he arrived and we were escorting him downstairs I told him that a gentleman claiming to be his high school coach had been hanging around all morning. At that moment the gentleman started walking toward us so I pointed him out and the look of joy and the bear hug that followed (my favorite Saturday moment) led me to believe that Rocket might be a few minutes so I ran down to tell our gang to tell his fans that he is in the building but would be a few more minutes.
During past autograph sessions I have learned that people are REAL specific about HOW they want their memoribilia signed. This sessions most popular request was "Rocket Ismail #25 1988 National Champions" now I know that does not sound like a lot but there was a great deal of stuff to be signed for a great deal of people...can you say HAND CRAMP...so Rocket asked if he could just sign his first name and so we informed the crowd that he would only be signing "Rocket #25" - some people were pretty insistent and this is where I came in - I had the privledge of being the voice of Rocket and telling people "No". When people would still ask him to autograph the entire Constitution on their piece of memoribilia he would smile and start and I would say to them "He is way to nice to tell you no, but I will, he is only going to be signing his first name."
There was also the rule about not coming behind the table...many tried shoving through...so I grabbed a couple of our male volunteers and turned them into Rocket's bookends. There was one exception to this rule: There was this little girl who was decked out in ND gear and she even had a button on declaring that she was "Gabriella Superfan" which was just too cute. So she will be on the website.
Part of the BC team heading down into the museum levelMy favorite Friday moment was about 20 minutes before the hall closed a gentleman came in with his high school aged son. He told me how he grew up in Indiana and has been a huge Notre Dame fan all of his life and today he finally had the opportunity to visit and as soon as he drove on to the campus he started crying. He seemed embarassed because he had cried like that in front of his son. His son said it was no big deal and I said to him "Thirty years from now, you are going to look back, and be very grateful for that moment" and his dad just grinned. It was very touching...they almost made me cry.
Saturday morning started at 7am setting up for a Corporate Tailgate Party for Blue Chip Casino. Fun times...a little chilly, but fun times.
Once that was up and running we prepared for Rocket Ismail's autograph session. After he arrived and we were escorting him downstairs I told him that a gentleman claiming to be his high school coach had been hanging around all morning. At that moment the gentleman started walking toward us so I pointed him out and the look of joy and the bear hug that followed (my favorite Saturday moment) led me to believe that Rocket might be a few minutes so I ran down to tell our gang to tell his fans that he is in the building but would be a few more minutes.
During past autograph sessions I have learned that people are REAL specific about HOW they want their memoribilia signed. This sessions most popular request was "Rocket Ismail #25 1988 National Champions" now I know that does not sound like a lot but there was a great deal of stuff to be signed for a great deal of people...can you say HAND CRAMP...so Rocket asked if he could just sign his first name and so we informed the crowd that he would only be signing "Rocket #25" - some people were pretty insistent and this is where I came in - I had the privledge of being the voice of Rocket and telling people "No". When people would still ask him to autograph the entire Constitution on their piece of memoribilia he would smile and start and I would say to them "He is way to nice to tell you no, but I will, he is only going to be signing his first name."
There was also the rule about not coming behind the table...many tried shoving through...so I grabbed a couple of our male volunteers and turned them into Rocket's bookends. There was one exception to this rule: There was this little girl who was decked out in ND gear and she even had a button on declaring that she was "Gabriella Superfan" which was just too cute. So she will be on the website.
After that I had to get the stadium theatre set for a corporate watch party (a group reserves the theatre and watches the game and eats a catered meal in our Stadium Theatre).
While all of that was happening we had people setting up the Press Box for a Post Game Celebration party.
<---Pressbox view showing the windows that look out toward the river.
Pressbox view showing the Heisman Art Gallery --->
During set up, the elevator got stuck - had to fix that, and a toilet got clogged - had to fix that.
At 4:00 I handed the reigns over to Joe A. and rushed home so that we could get to church in time for my husband to get his directions for serving on our First Impressions team during all five services.
Good Times.
While all of that was happening we had people setting up the Press Box for a Post Game Celebration party.
<---Pressbox view showing the windows that look out toward the river.
Pressbox view showing the Heisman Art Gallery --->
During set up, the elevator got stuck - had to fix that, and a toilet got clogged - had to fix that.
At 4:00 I handed the reigns over to Joe A. and rushed home so that we could get to church in time for my husband to get his directions for serving on our First Impressions team during all five services.
Good Times.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Best Mom Song EVER
Everyone at one time or another gets a song stuck in their head. I may have to TRY to get this one stuck in the heads of my kids.
Thanks go out to Jen F. for sending me this awesome video!
It makes you just want to save it on a DVD and play it for your kids EVERY morning...
(If anyone knows who this lady is, could you please let me know)
Monday, October 01, 2007
The best gift you can give your children....
....is a good marriage. This truth hit me this weekend as I was sitting in church. Paige was sitting between the two of us and she always does this but it never occured to me why until that moment. It is so important to her that her father and I love each other that she finds comfort in having us hold hands. She will take my hand and put it in Dave's hand and then place them in her lap and hold them with her hands. It comforts her.
Dave and I have a great marriage. We are not afraid to show affection to each other in front of our children (totally in a G-rated way), we say "I love you" to each other and to them at least a hundred times a day and yet Paige still needs this...it is THAT important.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I have not read this book...only a review, and this quote alone (used in part in this past weekend's message at GCC) makes it worth buying.
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. but in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell." - C.S. Lewis
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Only in my dreams
I dreamt of my friend Tim last night; at least this time when I awoke I remembered he is dead.
The anniversary of his death is coming up. Don't know why I refer to it as an "anniversary" - it is not as if it is something I am celebrating. He has been on my mind lately more than normal. Probably because the weather turned autumn-esque for a little while and my internal clock knew what I was experiencing last autumn.
My own personal haunting...only in my dreams.
I feel like God truly has answered my prayers when it comes to that. I always have dreams about my friends that I don't get to see on a regular basis, it is what reminds me to stay in touch with them. When Tim died I PRAYED HARD to not have dreams about him. Then, because I missed him I remember sort of telling God that I take it back. That was when I had the last dream, where when I woke up I had forgotten he was dead and reached for the phone to call him.
God has been good. I have not dreamed of Tim since then, until now. I am actually kind of grateful for it. You see, you would think that having shared a nine year friendship with someone that over the course of time you would have some EVIDENCE of it.
Nope, not me.
I live in the moment.
I don't take pictures or video or things like that.
I have nothing but memories....
.....................................sometimes though I wish I had a video
................................................................just to hear him laugh.
So God gave me dreams.
Not quite the same, but hey...He's trying.
The anniversary of his death is coming up. Don't know why I refer to it as an "anniversary" - it is not as if it is something I am celebrating. He has been on my mind lately more than normal. Probably because the weather turned autumn-esque for a little while and my internal clock knew what I was experiencing last autumn.
My own personal haunting...only in my dreams.
I feel like God truly has answered my prayers when it comes to that. I always have dreams about my friends that I don't get to see on a regular basis, it is what reminds me to stay in touch with them. When Tim died I PRAYED HARD to not have dreams about him. Then, because I missed him I remember sort of telling God that I take it back. That was when I had the last dream, where when I woke up I had forgotten he was dead and reached for the phone to call him.
God has been good. I have not dreamed of Tim since then, until now. I am actually kind of grateful for it. You see, you would think that having shared a nine year friendship with someone that over the course of time you would have some EVIDENCE of it.
Nope, not me.
I live in the moment.
I don't take pictures or video or things like that.
I have nothing but memories....
.....................................sometimes though I wish I had a video
................................................................just to hear him laugh.
So God gave me dreams.
Not quite the same, but hey...He's trying.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
A minor irritation with Internet Explorer
Hey!Internet Explorer!
Yeah YOU! Listen up!
Your new version included 2 things that brought me back from Firefox:
- Tabbed browsing
- RSS feeds updated right in my favorites window (no more need for Feedblitz!)
Well the RSS feeds haven't updated in over a month. The blogs have, I have checked. I thought maybe it was my computer. Well I have tried 3 different computers and no luck. Whats the issue?
I can get tabbed browsing with Firefox.
(Anyone know how to fix this?)
Yeah YOU! Listen up!
Your new version included 2 things that brought me back from Firefox:
- Tabbed browsing
- RSS feeds updated right in my favorites window (no more need for Feedblitz!)
Well the RSS feeds haven't updated in over a month. The blogs have, I have checked. I thought maybe it was my computer. Well I have tried 3 different computers and no luck. Whats the issue?
I can get tabbed browsing with Firefox.
(Anyone know how to fix this?)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy. Episode 3
Another episode...remember Breanna is in red, I am in green; for those of you behind in the episodes:
Pilot
Episode 2
-This episode takes place Thursday morning driving Breanna to school-
-Drive begins with an unusual long moment of silence-
I am exhausted
Me too
I have a stupid song in my head. Zazu (see above video) singing Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
Sorry, I sing that whenever I am bored....along with:
"A monkey went to sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea"
Poor monkey
You'd think he would have seen a boat or a fish or a bird
Or seaweed...
How could he see the BOTTOM of the deep blue sea sea sea?
I don't know
Must not have been too far from shore
That would explain not seeing any fish
Why? He could have seen minnows
Minnows in the ocean!?! They live in salt water!?!
They are just baby fish
They are?!?!
-This is where I TRY to stifle my laugh-
-Breanna is at this point speaking rather loudly and acting as if I just confessed to a hidden family secret-
I thought they were a species...a BREED! (said with lots of righteous idignation in her voice)
-I lose my stifle ablility and roars of laughter escape me-
You poor thing, I guess it never really did come up did it?
-Breanna has a look of outrage on her face-
Noooooo! When I was little you just told me to go catch "minnows" when we were at the lake, nothing about them being baby fish!
-me: still laughing-
This is where she gets out of the vehicle, I profess my love for her and wish her a fabulous day and she closes the door and starts shaking her head and spouting gibberish as she waves good-bye and walks toward the school.
Not sure what was crazier, the fact that we were analyzing that silly song or the whole not knowing that minnows were baby fish. God, I love being the mom of a teenager!
Friday, August 17, 2007
My new nemesis
So, it begins...
Paige had been the only person at her school bus stop for some time. This year there is a new girl, Alexis. She is a year behind Paige in school and at least a head shorter than Paige.
The first day, once the girls got on the bus, as I was walking back toward my house a green mini-van came careening at me and apparently it was Alexis' mother who had parked WAYYYYY down the road to watch her daughter get on the bus because Alexis did not want her mother to accompany her to the stop for fear of embarassment.
So, yesterday when Paige's bus arrived Paige gave me the normal half dozen hugs and kisses and professions of love and as I am walking off I see little Alexis lean in and sort of look at Paige funny and whisper something to her and then saw Paige grin and shake her head and smile at me and then they get on the bus.
So, last night I asked Paige what that was about. Apparently Alexis asked "Doesn't your Mom embarass you when she does that?"
Silly child...Paige let her know that it is SHE that initiates these things. Paige is a regular snuggle bunny. She loves hugs and words of affection. She has a hug and kiss routine for farewells and bedtime. If she has met you, she has probably hugged you good-bye. Up until now, no one has challenged her thinking.
Breanna was done with hugs and kisses before she went to kindergarten. She recently started to allow me to hug her again and it has taken - oh, about a year - for me to get used to her WANTING hugs again. So, with that being said I have been appreciating Paige and yet waiting for my younger daughter to be anti-affection.
Let's see how much influence little Alexis has on my Paige's way of thinking.
Paige had been the only person at her school bus stop for some time. This year there is a new girl, Alexis. She is a year behind Paige in school and at least a head shorter than Paige.
The first day, once the girls got on the bus, as I was walking back toward my house a green mini-van came careening at me and apparently it was Alexis' mother who had parked WAYYYYY down the road to watch her daughter get on the bus because Alexis did not want her mother to accompany her to the stop for fear of embarassment.
So, yesterday when Paige's bus arrived Paige gave me the normal half dozen hugs and kisses and professions of love and as I am walking off I see little Alexis lean in and sort of look at Paige funny and whisper something to her and then saw Paige grin and shake her head and smile at me and then they get on the bus.
So, last night I asked Paige what that was about. Apparently Alexis asked "Doesn't your Mom embarass you when she does that?"
Silly child...Paige let her know that it is SHE that initiates these things. Paige is a regular snuggle bunny. She loves hugs and words of affection. She has a hug and kiss routine for farewells and bedtime. If she has met you, she has probably hugged you good-bye. Up until now, no one has challenged her thinking.
Breanna was done with hugs and kisses before she went to kindergarten. She recently started to allow me to hug her again and it has taken - oh, about a year - for me to get used to her WANTING hugs again. So, with that being said I have been appreciating Paige and yet waiting for my younger daughter to be anti-affection.
Let's see how much influence little Alexis has on my Paige's way of thinking.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Puddles-O-Poo On the Day Back to School
So today was expected to be a bit crazy in my house. The first day back to school we usually scramble. The kids and I are both used to sleeping in and so getting up at 5:45 am is always a shock to the system this time of year. HOWEVER, this year...it went very smooth. We were prepared, no one was grumpy all went well. Unfortunately, I think that our doberman, Scarlet, was feeling the anxiety for us. I was awakened at 2:47 am by (of all things) a peculiar SMELL. My husband said that he had gotten up a short time prior and the dog had an accident and he was hoping it could wait to be cleaned up until morning. (OK, we have been through this before, he knows better...he REALLY likes his sleep) So, we both get up and as I round the foot of the bed, I step in something squishy. I demand he turn on the light and I look down and see a puddle/pile of dog vomit. Yum! So, as I am waiting for my husband to bring me something to clean off my foot I watch as my pathetic dog walks out of our room, into the living room and pukes on the floor. So, I hobble toward the hallway - only to see A LOT more puddles.
It ain't dog vomit in that thar hallway.
Apparently the mess has multiplied since my husband originally was made aware of it. So, I rinse my foot, and grab supplies. Dave gets the hallway of poo, and I get puke duty. So, I clean what I can off the carpet in the bedroom - less than happy with the icky smell and stain left behind and I move on to the living room, and just as I am finishing with that pile I look over on the area rug and I see ANOTHER Puddle-O-Vomit.
Did I mention that this is at 2:47 AM?
So, I grab the rug and drag it down the part of the hallway that my hero hubby has already rid of Puddles-O-Poo and go back to clean the puddle left UNDER the rug...yes, boys and girls-it had seeped through. Once done, hubby takes the plastic bags filled with toxic waste out to the garbage and heaves the rug out the back door! (I will hose it down later)
I find a magical cure for my ailing bedroom carpet and apply it, grab the Oust spray and clean the air and hero hubby and I return to bed.
I can't sleep. I have a freaking song in my head, and when I share this with my husband he states he has the same problem. Except mine is One Week by the Barenaked Ladies and his is Pink by Aerosmith. So I decide to read the NIV version of Proverbs 12 and finally get to sleep about 4 am (ish).
Back up at 5:45, just enough time for hero hubby to throw on clothes and be to work at 6am...and there, in the hallway is another Puddle-O-Poo. So, since my magical cure for the bedroom carpet seems to be working well, I figured I would try it out on a fresh Puddle. So, I sprinkle said magical cure all over this mess and go to wake my sleeping children.
As I am on my hands and knees I start to remember a speaker from the Leadership Summit, Carly Fiorina, stating "There is a gift in everything if only we will see it" and I think to myself "where is the gift in THIS Carly? Huh? Where is the gift in THIS?"
Finally I get to shower and I realize darn it, she is right. My gift is that I have found a great magical cure for cleaning vomit and poo, and I can share it with everyone. So, here is your flippin' gift:
You too can make quick clean up of vomit and poo....
With Arm & Hammer Baking soda. (or whatever brand you purchase)
Seriously, I COVERED the last pile of poo with baking soda and it killed most of the smell and turned the runny mess into something more "normal" and easier to handle. As for the vomit, same thing...trust me, I usually want to heave myself when faced with that and this does seem to make the smell diminish almost completely and again, a consistency easier to deal with. The trick is to COMPLETELY cover the mess, no sprinkling.
So, there ya have it. The first morning back to school in a nutshell.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
A Milestone for Paige
To help explain, I am going to share with you from Dan Vukmirovich's blog this excerpt:
"This weekend we will be asking people to cross the line of faith by walking through a doorway we have set up onstage. Pastor Mark Beeson, has evangelism flowing through his blood. It's at the heart of GCC. He talks about a farming approach to evangelism where we plant seed, water, fertilize, and patiently wait for people to be ready and then we harvest. Rather than asking people to make a decision for Christ every week, we do it only 1-2 times per year. Part of his rationale in this is that most thinking people don't make life changing decisions in 20 minutes. I agree."
Paige walked through that doorway this weekend. I was happy and weepy and well, I was a mom. She asked me to walk up with her but when it came to going up on the stage, and crossing through the doorway...she chose to go without me, I waited at the bottom of the stairs...her decision...her walk...her journey.
She has already chosen her next step...Baptism. On September 9th she is going to be baptised, (this date is also mine and Dave's wedding anniversary!) and when we registered her for the event there were questions for her to answer and I am going to share them with you:
What was your life like before you met Christ?:
Um, wow...I don't know
How did you realize you needed Christ?:
By coming to church
How did you commit your life to Christ?:
Walking through the door
What difference has God made in your life since you've begun this relationship with Him?:
made me believe in something that I can not see but I still know is there
"This weekend we will be asking people to cross the line of faith by walking through a doorway we have set up onstage. Pastor Mark Beeson, has evangelism flowing through his blood. It's at the heart of GCC. He talks about a farming approach to evangelism where we plant seed, water, fertilize, and patiently wait for people to be ready and then we harvest. Rather than asking people to make a decision for Christ every week, we do it only 1-2 times per year. Part of his rationale in this is that most thinking people don't make life changing decisions in 20 minutes. I agree."
Paige walked through that doorway this weekend. I was happy and weepy and well, I was a mom. She asked me to walk up with her but when it came to going up on the stage, and crossing through the doorway...she chose to go without me, I waited at the bottom of the stairs...her decision...her walk...her journey.
She has already chosen her next step...Baptism. On September 9th she is going to be baptised, (this date is also mine and Dave's wedding anniversary!) and when we registered her for the event there were questions for her to answer and I am going to share them with you:
What was your life like before you met Christ?:
Um, wow...I don't know
How did you realize you needed Christ?:
By coming to church
How did you commit your life to Christ?:
Walking through the door
What difference has God made in your life since you've begun this relationship with Him?:
made me believe in something that I can not see but I still know is there
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Currently Reading
I must say this...not everything I read is for the purpose of learning. I read to read, I read to laugh, I read because I love seeing what the world looks like through the eyes of other people, I read because I love to see what other people can conjure up in their own imagination, I read to see what my imagination conjures up through the input of other people's writing, I love to read because there has always been something in every book of fact or fiction that I did not know before...even if it is a word that is unfamiliar that makes me dig out my dictionary, every book teaches me something. That is what keeps me reading. If I were to go blind tomorrow I would be thankful for braille and books on CD, and MP3. Blindness would not stop me from "reading" it would only stop me from reading with my eyes. Reading, to me, is second to breathing (and any other functions needed to live such as eating and hydration).
I am usually reading more than one book at a time. One of the books I am currently reading is a book called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. One reviewer said that "Some will no doubt call it foul, blasphemous and sacrilegious. Those people need to learn to appreciate a good joke." I totally agree with him.
I am going to share two excerpts from the book which I think show both the humor that the author is going for and what the author portrays to be the qualities of what Christ may have been like as a child/young man:
First...the funny (beware...there is some colorful language in this book):
To get this, you have to understand that in the book "Biff" is brought back to life into current day by an angel so that he can write his "gospel" and is being forced to stay at a hotel and guarded by said angel until he completes his writings. He is fascinated at how long people live these days. Here is the excerpt that made me laugh the longest so far: (I have done some censoring of the words)
"If I do manage to escape the angel, I'm not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don't have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I'd have to learn all new dirges. I've tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I'm having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must busta cap in someones a$$? Is"ho" always feminine, and "muthaf**ka" always masculine, while "b**ch can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to get all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be "stupid"? I'll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand."
Now on a totally different note, what may be just as interesting as the author's sense of humor is that that I think Christopher Moore did some serious study of the bible and the history and culture of the bible as well. Again, it is a work of fiction, but really, I would love for a bible scholar to read this and write about the historical and cultural accuracy of the details in the book. However...his assumption of what Christ's personality must have been like as he was discovering how to BE the Messiah is very refreshing.
To set this up I will simply say that this is from Biff's "gospel" in which he and Jesus have visited, by this point, two of the three wise men who came to witness Christ's birth. (By the way, Biff calls Jesus "Joshua" saying that it is the closest translation to his Hebrew name)
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought right?"
"Yes" said Gaspar
"Compassion is the same way" said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift"
"Wow," I said
Yeah, I read that and thought "Wow" and so I blog...
I am usually reading more than one book at a time. One of the books I am currently reading is a book called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. One reviewer said that "Some will no doubt call it foul, blasphemous and sacrilegious. Those people need to learn to appreciate a good joke." I totally agree with him.
I am going to share two excerpts from the book which I think show both the humor that the author is going for and what the author portrays to be the qualities of what Christ may have been like as a child/young man:
First...the funny (beware...there is some colorful language in this book):
To get this, you have to understand that in the book "Biff" is brought back to life into current day by an angel so that he can write his "gospel" and is being forced to stay at a hotel and guarded by said angel until he completes his writings. He is fascinated at how long people live these days. Here is the excerpt that made me laugh the longest so far: (I have done some censoring of the words)
"If I do manage to escape the angel, I'm not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don't have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I'd have to learn all new dirges. I've tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I'm having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must busta cap in someones a$$? Is"ho" always feminine, and "muthaf**ka" always masculine, while "b**ch can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to get all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be "stupid"? I'll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand."
Now on a totally different note, what may be just as interesting as the author's sense of humor is that that I think Christopher Moore did some serious study of the bible and the history and culture of the bible as well. Again, it is a work of fiction, but really, I would love for a bible scholar to read this and write about the historical and cultural accuracy of the details in the book. However...his assumption of what Christ's personality must have been like as he was discovering how to BE the Messiah is very refreshing.
To set this up I will simply say that this is from Biff's "gospel" in which he and Jesus have visited, by this point, two of the three wise men who came to witness Christ's birth. (By the way, Biff calls Jesus "Joshua" saying that it is the closest translation to his Hebrew name)
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought right?"
"Yes" said Gaspar
"Compassion is the same way" said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift"
"Wow," I said
Yeah, I read that and thought "Wow" and so I blog...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
a S.W.A.T. to remember
I love our weekly staff meetings at Granger Community Church (we call them S.W.A.T. which stands for Staff Working As Team). Today the meeting was led by our Senior Pastor Mark Beeson and we were discussing internal church things but Mark always has great biblical comparisons to current life and I am going to paraphrase some of today's comparisons...simply because they were AWESOME and I do not want to forget them. (My thoughts in green)
Moses probably thought his life sucked when he was 39. Toiling around in the desert with his sheep all of his life. Not knowing that a year from then he would find the burning bush. He did not know that his pain was part of God's plan. Who better to lead God's people through, and teach them how to survive in, the desert for 40 years than someone who had spent 40 years doing that exact thing! God had a plan. God's plan was/is good. The "pain" you are suffering through today may be part of something BIGGER and greater next year.
Learn in and from your suffering.
Everyone loves a dream...until it happens. Everyone wants to fly to the moon until you build a ship and ask for people to go. Then no one wants to go, it's too scary.
Prepare for change, prepare for the dream.
Seed or harvest? No one given a one dollar bill would think "Yee Ha! I've made it! This is the harvest! Payoff for my life's work! Time to retire!" No, they would think "seed" lets put this dollar to work. What could happen if we all thought that same way about a million dollars.
I don't have a million dollars, but my thought was that every day is a dollar and I can make that day my seed and plant as much as I can while I am here on earth and enjoy the harvest in eternity with God.
I love this team!
Moses probably thought his life sucked when he was 39. Toiling around in the desert with his sheep all of his life. Not knowing that a year from then he would find the burning bush. He did not know that his pain was part of God's plan. Who better to lead God's people through, and teach them how to survive in, the desert for 40 years than someone who had spent 40 years doing that exact thing! God had a plan. God's plan was/is good. The "pain" you are suffering through today may be part of something BIGGER and greater next year.
Learn in and from your suffering.
Everyone loves a dream...until it happens. Everyone wants to fly to the moon until you build a ship and ask for people to go. Then no one wants to go, it's too scary.
Prepare for change, prepare for the dream.
Seed or harvest? No one given a one dollar bill would think "Yee Ha! I've made it! This is the harvest! Payoff for my life's work! Time to retire!" No, they would think "seed" lets put this dollar to work. What could happen if we all thought that same way about a million dollars.
I don't have a million dollars, but my thought was that every day is a dollar and I can make that day my seed and plant as much as I can while I am here on earth and enjoy the harvest in eternity with God.
I love this team!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
2007 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival
Okay, I need to pre-empt this by stating...all of the pictures are from my phone so do not give me crap about quality...
The College Football Hall of Fame just celebrated it's annual enshrinement and this year I was a part of that! To be honest, ever since I began my new position there (only a month or so ago) I have been almost DREADING the event. Everyone has been so wrapped up in it that as an "Event Supervisor" they were making me nervous! HOWEVER once the big event arrived I HAD A BLAST!
Thursday evening was the VIP reception and the staff team was playing ALL POSITIONS. I for one had a part in acting as "security" while the VIPs arrived and walked across the street from their hotel in order to "protect" them from autograph seekers. Okay, have you seen me? Have you seen a Football Player? I was having a total Charlie's Angel moment and looked at my shoes and decided that I was prepared...I have 3 inch heels and I am NOT afraid to use them! The reality of the situation is that I was just using my abilities to keep things flowing smoothly and being kind but stern to people who might approach the VIPs that night.
Friday 8am I reported for duty and was given quick instructions on how to operate and drive a scissor lift and spent a couple hours in it doing some decorating. Friday Evening was the Beach Party...There was food, and fun and music and VIPs mingling and having a good time. (By 10am I was sunburned - appropriate for a beach party right? -and was primarily on my feet until 11pm and I was EXHAUSTED and wanted to trade my feet in by the time I got home)
Back in Saturday at 7am to prepare for (more time in the scissor lift) the Parade and Fan Festival which included the celebrity flag football game, football clinic for the kids, lots of inflatables for the kids at the Kids Zone (which I DID NOT get pictures of) and the Enshrinement Ceremony - which not only was I off the clock for, I was done in time to hit the 7:30 pm service at church while the ceremony was happening, nice relaxing church.
Friday and Saturday each had autograph sessions scheduled and, for me - not being a sports fan, I found it funny when I arrived Friday at 8am to find people had camped overnight to purchase tickets to them. I don't love anyone enough to camp out in line for them....well, maybe Jesus...but other than that I doubt it. Both autograph sessions were sold out very quickly on Friday...many people were disappointed.
One thing I did enjoy was being in the Pressbox to help make sure that the autograph line went quick and smooth. It was fun talking to these guys...by the way>>>they are HUMAN. They have families and friends and a life outside of football. The ones I had a chance to speak to are kind and intelligent, and funny. During the first session I was stationed between Frank Sheptock and Mike Rozier. Frank Sheptock is just flippin nice and down to Earth and I kept running into his sister during the weekend who is just as nice and if it weren't for the VIP credentials I would have sworn they were South Bend residents. Mike Rozier is...funny, and quite a character. He could not open his beverage bottle and asked if I had any keys and when I told him the key he chose to use happened to be the key to a church he found it rather amusing considering the beverage. He was like the class clown for the first autograph session.
The second session I was with Chad Hennings and Jessie Tuggle. Chad Hennings and I chatted about the Air Force and he gave me some direction to help Breanna get into the field that she would like to pursue when she begins her journey toward enlistment. Did you know he had to sign a special waiver in order to be a pilot in the USAF because of his height? Apparently there are torso length limitations that they prefer to adhere to. While I was chatting with Jessie Tuggle, I found that he is now coaching high school football and one of his kids is on the team. I guess that both his kids are very good athletes (according to their proud father) and that we should probably watch for them in the future. He was very kind and you could really hear his love for his family when he spoke of them.
So many things to share, but I hesitate to blog a novel - and --though I am exhausted, sunburned, scraped, scratched, bruised, and sore...I am glad I had the opportunity to take part in this event. It was interesting and totally different than what I am used to doing and it was a great learning experience for me. It also gave me the opportunity to spend more time with the College Football Hall of Fame staff and see everyone pitch in and try to create a fun atmosphere for our community.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy (Episode 2)
Breanna and I have had this conversation or versions of it more than once while driving somewhere:
"I want to get my belly button removed"
"Wwwwwhyyyy?"
"It served it's purpose, I don't need it anymore."
"It still has a purpose. Are you trying to be Kyle XY?"
She blathered on about after being born the belly button serves no purpose.
"It's new purpose it to collect lint."
More blathering
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you. I will pay to have your belly button removed as soon as I have saved up the money to have my wedding venue built."
"SWEET!"
This conversation reminds me of when she was but a wee child. I remember when she would accompany me to the store and would say "Mommy can I have that?" and point to whatever her object of desire was at that moment. I would say "Yes, honey, someday." and strangely enough that always made her happy. (the item would usually end up being a birthday or Christmas present) Funny how sometimes just giving them hope is really all that a child needs.
"I want to get my belly button removed"
"Wwwwwhyyyy?"
"It served it's purpose, I don't need it anymore."
"It still has a purpose. Are you trying to be Kyle XY?"
She blathered on about after being born the belly button serves no purpose.
"It's new purpose it to collect lint."
More blathering
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you. I will pay to have your belly button removed as soon as I have saved up the money to have my wedding venue built."
"SWEET!"
This conversation reminds me of when she was but a wee child. I remember when she would accompany me to the store and would say "Mommy can I have that?" and point to whatever her object of desire was at that moment. I would say "Yes, honey, someday." and strangely enough that always made her happy. (the item would usually end up being a birthday or Christmas present) Funny how sometimes just giving them hope is really all that a child needs.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
My Story
When I first came on staff at GCC my initial reaction was "I am not worthy" and I would bet that many of my co-workers probably felt the same about themselves initially. I felt so much like a fraud that I typed what I believed was my story and gave copies of it to the two Pastors that I would be "reporting" to. This thing was (I believe)21 pages, typed, single spaced. I was certain that they would change their minds, but here it is 2 years and 20 days later and I am still here.
Today, driving into work I was listening to a CD of some worship music and the words rang true and helped me realize how much I have changed. I am ABSOLUTELY worthy of my position. It is not that I am any better than anyone else on the planet, but I realize now that I am EQUAL to everyone else on the planet. I matter and I deserve everything that I accomplish. God loves me just as much as he loves (in no particular order) Mother Theresa, Warren Buffet, Mark Beeson, Oprah Winfrey, Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, the homeless Vietnam Vet that I see pushing a cart every day down Sample St, my children, my spouse, your children, your spouse, our parents, my siblings, etc. I am no better and I am no worse, but only by Gods gift of his Son and the sacrifice made by Christ is that true. Which not only makes me worthy, it makes me grateful (for all things), less judgemental (of myself and others), more forgiving (of myself and others) but most importantly - more accepting of myself which makes me more accepting of others.
I look back at what I believed to be "My Story" and realize that the things that I thought made me undeserving were really not as BIG and AWFUL as I thought they were. Heck, some of it was not mine to feel bad about! Were there things I wish I had not done? Yes, but can't everyone say that?
Wow, have I grown or what?!?!
Today, driving into work I was listening to a CD of some worship music and the words rang true and helped me realize how much I have changed. I am ABSOLUTELY worthy of my position. It is not that I am any better than anyone else on the planet, but I realize now that I am EQUAL to everyone else on the planet. I matter and I deserve everything that I accomplish. God loves me just as much as he loves (in no particular order) Mother Theresa, Warren Buffet, Mark Beeson, Oprah Winfrey, Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, the homeless Vietnam Vet that I see pushing a cart every day down Sample St, my children, my spouse, your children, your spouse, our parents, my siblings, etc. I am no better and I am no worse, but only by Gods gift of his Son and the sacrifice made by Christ is that true. Which not only makes me worthy, it makes me grateful (for all things), less judgemental (of myself and others), more forgiving (of myself and others) but most importantly - more accepting of myself which makes me more accepting of others.
I look back at what I believed to be "My Story" and realize that the things that I thought made me undeserving were really not as BIG and AWFUL as I thought they were. Heck, some of it was not mine to feel bad about! Were there things I wish I had not done? Yes, but can't everyone say that?
Wow, have I grown or what?!?!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Just for Lindsay
Hey Lindsay! I know how much you wanted to be there to support your friend Taya while she sang the National Anthem at the College Football Hall of Fame's Celebrity Softball Game, but couldn't because you were busy being a good mom celebrating your son's birthday (Happy Birthday Dawson!).
Taya sang beautifully...and by the way, the gentleman at the end of the line on the left IS none other than former ND quarterback Tony Rice. Lindsay, maybe you can come when Taya will be performing again on Aug 3rd, sorry I do not have all the details but I am sure she will share them with you.
Oh and Lindsay, Taya was wearing a "pirate" striped shirt in honor of Dawson's birthday...too cute.
The View from my beach umbrella
On July 5th we traveled up to South Haven to see the fireworks from the beach. Viewing fireworks from any other type of location just seems lame to me. Fireworks on the beach make everything seem great...and somehow safer. The above photos are shots taken before the sun went down.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
La Vie Binge and Purge
Last night at the dinner table Paige asked Breanna to translate "La Vie Boheme" for her. Breanna told her that she thought it meant "the Bohemian life" or something along those lines. Paige being her 11 year old self was unsure about what the word 'bohemian' meant. So in her innocence she asked:
"Isn't bohemian when you stick your finger in your mouth and touch that little thing in the back and you puke?"
Breanna and Dave were quick on the draw to correct her and explain that "NO, that is Bulemia!"
....followed by roars of laughter (not at Bulemia but at Paige's incorrect interpretation)...priceless.
"Isn't bohemian when you stick your finger in your mouth and touch that little thing in the back and you puke?"
Breanna and Dave were quick on the draw to correct her and explain that "NO, that is Bulemia!"
....followed by roars of laughter (not at Bulemia but at Paige's incorrect interpretation)...priceless.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
My Best Friend
You hear the term all your life. "My Best Friend"
Little girls compete for the title (as if there is crown and sash) to be someone's best friend.
Even big girls play the game....that can be ugly. (I don't know if I notice it with boys or men.)
Some time ago I dropped the word "best" from my vocabulary when referring to my friends and I thought I would share about that. So, here it is. The reason for not having a BEST friend label:
It diminishes the value of your other friends.
So, with that being said, I am going to reinstate it into my vocabulary. The big announcement you have all been waiting for:
Who is my Best Friend?
drum roll please......
A friend for 15 years. Been through the good, the bad, the ugly. Shared or knows of my best moments, shared or knows of my worst moments. Has forgiven me for many things. Has loved me through it all. Laughed AT me through most of it. Doesn't always understand me but always accepts me.
None other than:
David! My husband!
I feel good giving him that title. He deserves it. It does not diminish the value of my other friends. He won't flaunt it or rub it in the faces of my other friends. He will wear it under his clothes like a secret identity. My own personal Superman (he is Super!), Batman (He would get a bat out of my hair if need be), Spiderman (he kills spiders for me on a regular basis)....Myman (you get the picture).
Now believe me, he had some tough competition. I am only listing here those people who were placed in my life without any blood or work connections. (Not that those people are not friends, but those relationships were easier to create.) These are the ones that I want to honor because I don't think I let them know often enough how much they mean to me. Let me start in CHRONOLOGICAL order:
Lori - Met in 9th grade. Heart of gold, has actually been around LONGER than Dave. Has also shared a bed with me (don't go there!). She was my only friend when I needed one, she hated me when we first met. She let me be me. She stuck. She laughed at my bike riding. She was there when I tried to be a rebel. She taught me that I could look cute. She brought out the adventurer in me. She remembers...sometimes too much. She may not know it all, but is willing to try most. Will do anything for anyone in need. Cracks me up. Is a survivor through and through. One tough cookie with a soft gooey center.
Paula - Met after I left high school...She too has a longer lifespan than Dave on the friends list. (she too has shared a bed with me....it's a girl thing) She has been my friend, my roomy, my party gal, my other half (she actually dropped down on one knee in front of Azar's and proposed to me once - ring and all - okay, it was a plastic "Big Boy" ring but it still counts...okay we were drunk and tired...so maybe not). She held my hair when I threw up from overdrinking. She taught me how to paint the town whatever color I wanted. She was my dance partner. My fellow "Illusionette" my fellow "Dream Weaver". She helped me remain independent (I know that seems contradictive), and helped me raise my oldest child while I was still single. She is a woman who knows who she is and is not afraid of life. She doesn't compromise who she is for what society says she should be. She can hold her own with a group of sailors but she is ALL WOMAN! She actually had alot to do with how I started dating my husband. She is always going to be there for me.
Jen - Met 7 or 8 years ago (time is foggy when you get older) She is actually an amazing addition. I met her through an old boyfriend who I remained good friends with. (They are now married). She showed me where my passions are. She raised my awareness of my abilities. She let me find out how much I love the things I love through experiencing them with her. She was my guinea pig. She is smart and fun and loving and thoughtful and kind. She is passionate. Did I mention PASSIONATE...about her husband, her kids, her life...She tries to give her all...maybe to a fault but she is learning. She is someone who I feel comfortable with in the matters of Faith. She shares openly. She loves immensly. She is another heart of gold...but she prefers platinum. Will do everything she can if asked. She recently helped me realize the disservice I do to my friends when I try to protect them from the bad things in my life by not allowing them to be there for me. Shame on me. She is my eye opener. I think I will call her VISINE.
I would also like to make special mention of a couple of interesting friendships:
Cher - I have not seen her since I left Florida in 1984. We lost touch when I was in high school but recently...this past January...I googled her (had tried several times over the past few years with no luck) and found a live email. So I took a chance in the hopes it was her and the opening line to her response was "Get out!". So, we have spent alot of emails sharing life and it still clicks. It seems like - how did she put it - our friendship was just on pause. This connection means so much to me. I can not even put it's value into words. I like what she is doing with her life. I feel like having this communication with her completes a circle. I am enjoying getting to know the adult she has become. In her minds eye I am still 13 years old and that is how I remember her as well. (I think it is neat to be locked in someone's memory without the wrinkles, stretchmarks, or extra baggage)
Tracey - Another long distance friend. I have not seen her since she was in my wedding in 1995. We met when I lived in New Jersey (late 80's) and it was like looking at me in a tiny little Italian girl's body. She was my constant friend, one of the family from the second we met. We did some fun stuff together, and some stupid stuff together and if she still wore braces she would still be picking the bugs out of them to proove it! We may not talk much but I know that I can pick up the phone and we can pick up right where we left off without any of the "why haven't you called me in X amount of time?" crap that some people lay on you. She is THERE. I am THERE for her. We know that about each other and are good with that.
So to all my friends. Thank you. Words can not express what you mean to me. You are all THE BEST. Each of you are so different from one another. (I find it fascinating that I have never had all of you in the same room together....would the building survive that much awesomeness in one space?!?!?) One of these days I would love to do a brunch to celebrate you all and the place that you have in my heart. Break out your calendars!
Love to my sisters!
Extra love to my Best Friend.
I am so blessed.
Little girls compete for the title (as if there is crown and sash) to be someone's best friend.
Even big girls play the game....that can be ugly. (I don't know if I notice it with boys or men.)
Some time ago I dropped the word "best" from my vocabulary when referring to my friends and I thought I would share about that. So, here it is. The reason for not having a BEST friend label:
It diminishes the value of your other friends.
So, with that being said, I am going to reinstate it into my vocabulary. The big announcement you have all been waiting for:
Who is my Best Friend?
drum roll please......
A friend for 15 years. Been through the good, the bad, the ugly. Shared or knows of my best moments, shared or knows of my worst moments. Has forgiven me for many things. Has loved me through it all. Laughed AT me through most of it. Doesn't always understand me but always accepts me.
None other than:
David! My husband!
I feel good giving him that title. He deserves it. It does not diminish the value of my other friends. He won't flaunt it or rub it in the faces of my other friends. He will wear it under his clothes like a secret identity. My own personal Superman (he is Super!), Batman (He would get a bat out of my hair if need be), Spiderman (he kills spiders for me on a regular basis)....Myman (you get the picture).
Now believe me, he had some tough competition. I am only listing here those people who were placed in my life without any blood or work connections. (Not that those people are not friends, but those relationships were easier to create.) These are the ones that I want to honor because I don't think I let them know often enough how much they mean to me. Let me start in CHRONOLOGICAL order:
Lori - Met in 9th grade. Heart of gold, has actually been around LONGER than Dave. Has also shared a bed with me (don't go there!). She was my only friend when I needed one, she hated me when we first met. She let me be me. She stuck. She laughed at my bike riding. She was there when I tried to be a rebel. She taught me that I could look cute. She brought out the adventurer in me. She remembers...sometimes too much. She may not know it all, but is willing to try most. Will do anything for anyone in need. Cracks me up. Is a survivor through and through. One tough cookie with a soft gooey center.
Paula - Met after I left high school...She too has a longer lifespan than Dave on the friends list. (she too has shared a bed with me....it's a girl thing) She has been my friend, my roomy, my party gal, my other half (she actually dropped down on one knee in front of Azar's and proposed to me once - ring and all - okay, it was a plastic "Big Boy" ring but it still counts...okay we were drunk and tired...so maybe not). She held my hair when I threw up from overdrinking. She taught me how to paint the town whatever color I wanted. She was my dance partner. My fellow "Illusionette" my fellow "Dream Weaver". She helped me remain independent (I know that seems contradictive), and helped me raise my oldest child while I was still single. She is a woman who knows who she is and is not afraid of life. She doesn't compromise who she is for what society says she should be. She can hold her own with a group of sailors but she is ALL WOMAN! She actually had alot to do with how I started dating my husband. She is always going to be there for me.
Jen - Met 7 or 8 years ago (time is foggy when you get older) She is actually an amazing addition. I met her through an old boyfriend who I remained good friends with. (They are now married). She showed me where my passions are. She raised my awareness of my abilities. She let me find out how much I love the things I love through experiencing them with her. She was my guinea pig. She is smart and fun and loving and thoughtful and kind. She is passionate. Did I mention PASSIONATE...about her husband, her kids, her life...She tries to give her all...maybe to a fault but she is learning. She is someone who I feel comfortable with in the matters of Faith. She shares openly. She loves immensly. She is another heart of gold...but she prefers platinum. Will do everything she can if asked. She recently helped me realize the disservice I do to my friends when I try to protect them from the bad things in my life by not allowing them to be there for me. Shame on me. She is my eye opener. I think I will call her VISINE.
I would also like to make special mention of a couple of interesting friendships:
Cher - I have not seen her since I left Florida in 1984. We lost touch when I was in high school but recently...this past January...I googled her (had tried several times over the past few years with no luck) and found a live email. So I took a chance in the hopes it was her and the opening line to her response was "Get out!". So, we have spent alot of emails sharing life and it still clicks. It seems like - how did she put it - our friendship was just on pause. This connection means so much to me. I can not even put it's value into words. I like what she is doing with her life. I feel like having this communication with her completes a circle. I am enjoying getting to know the adult she has become. In her minds eye I am still 13 years old and that is how I remember her as well. (I think it is neat to be locked in someone's memory without the wrinkles, stretchmarks, or extra baggage)
Tracey - Another long distance friend. I have not seen her since she was in my wedding in 1995. We met when I lived in New Jersey (late 80's) and it was like looking at me in a tiny little Italian girl's body. She was my constant friend, one of the family from the second we met. We did some fun stuff together, and some stupid stuff together and if she still wore braces she would still be picking the bugs out of them to proove it! We may not talk much but I know that I can pick up the phone and we can pick up right where we left off without any of the "why haven't you called me in X amount of time?" crap that some people lay on you. She is THERE. I am THERE for her. We know that about each other and are good with that.
So to all my friends. Thank you. Words can not express what you mean to me. You are all THE BEST. Each of you are so different from one another. (I find it fascinating that I have never had all of you in the same room together....would the building survive that much awesomeness in one space?!?!?) One of these days I would love to do a brunch to celebrate you all and the place that you have in my heart. Break out your calendars!
Love to my sisters!
Extra love to my Best Friend.
I am so blessed.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy
I love my time in the morning when it is just Breanna and I in the car driving her to school. The conversations should be recorded and maybe even YouTube’d.
Most of these conversations are utter silliness and are done while we are both laughing hysterically. It does not take much to set us off into hysterical laughter, but it is better than a cup of coffee for waking me up.
Last Thursday morning was one of those days. She headed to the car with a project board, and it is one of those that folds in three and so I ask to see it...and she denies me.
She DENIES me!
So I grab the back of her hoody and we battle on the way to the car.
She unlocks it, but I have the key fob…which means I have the power.
So I lock the doors.
She pretends to show me peeks of it, and finally she gives in.
Once we start driving, this is what follows that:
(Breanna quotes are in RED while mine are in GREEN)
“Why didn’t you want to show me?”
Which she blathers on about her artistic abilities and not liking to show her work to people, which I explain that I am not “people” and then the fun begins with her laughing and shouting:
“Help! Help! Rape!”
I thought I heard, and so I questioned “Help! Help! Hooray!?"
“No RAPE!"
" Help Help RAPE!"
" I said NO."
" No means NO "
"RAPE! "
"How would 'Help! Help! Hooray!’ get anyone’s attention?”
More silliness followed but it then led into:
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
I ponder and state “I have 4 cents in my checking account” while waving 4 fingers in her face.
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
“4 cents. (more finger waving) Which means I am broke. That is so little that they could not make it into one coin; they have to have 4 separate coins so you can see it.”
Then she stated something ‘off’ about a dime being smaller than 4 cents ….
“Hey remember that video I showed you of that weird group Lordi?”
“Yeah”
“Lordi is coming to Ozzfest!”
“We’re going to Ozzfest?!?!” (proof teenagers only hear what they want to hear)
“Nooooo, Lordi is going to BE there.”
“Hey who is that band that you used to listen to that wore the masks?”
“Dir En Gray?”
“No”
“Insane Clown Posse?”
“Maybe, I don’t know”
(Lots of discussion about her thinking it is one of those two and me doubting it)
She finally states “Slipknot!”
“YES! That’s it! Lordi looks like Slipknot mixed with Star Trek; one even reminds me of the Borg!”
Out of nowhere…literally, there had been a moment of silence and then she shouted:
[NOTE: THIS CONVERSATION HAS EDITED FOR CONTENT]
“Gummy Bear [EDITED]!”
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
" A gummy bear [EDITED]?"
“Yeah!”
Without any enthusiasm I could only respond with “Wow. It's [EDITED] honey.”
Because of a lack of proper response coming to mind; though I find the thought of her confusing it with [EDITED] very amusing, I realized I needed to change the subject. I then led into the question about colors and flavors of gummy bears and how she and I both like the clear ones that taste like pineapple....
She switches gears and goes into her rendition of Carlos Mencia's skit about Easter that goes something like: "Hide the eggs! And if anyone asks, eggs come from rabbits!"
We arrive at school, she gets out. I ask about her school ID, shout words of love while she unloads her school project and head to work with my head spinning.
Here are some links to help you “understand” our conversation (but really, you don’t HAVE to click on them. Consider yourself warned):
The Lordi Video
Dir En Gray
Insane Clown Posse
Slipknot
Ozzfest
Star Trek
The Borg
Gummy Bears
Carlos Mencia...Hide the Eggs! (this one is funny)
That was last Thursday. last Friday we bickered about whether or not I shake my leg when I am angry. I say no, she says yes. I say she is projecting her own attributes onto me.
So, just an ordinary morning with Breanna. How was your drive to work?
Most of these conversations are utter silliness and are done while we are both laughing hysterically. It does not take much to set us off into hysterical laughter, but it is better than a cup of coffee for waking me up.
Last Thursday morning was one of those days. She headed to the car with a project board, and it is one of those that folds in three and so I ask to see it...and she denies me.
She DENIES me!
So I grab the back of her hoody and we battle on the way to the car.
She unlocks it, but I have the key fob…which means I have the power.
So I lock the doors.
She pretends to show me peeks of it, and finally she gives in.
Once we start driving, this is what follows that:
(Breanna quotes are in RED while mine are in GREEN)
“Why didn’t you want to show me?”
Which she blathers on about her artistic abilities and not liking to show her work to people, which I explain that I am not “people” and then the fun begins with her laughing and shouting:
“Help! Help! Rape!”
I thought I heard, and so I questioned “Help! Help! Hooray!?"
“No RAPE!"
" Help Help RAPE!"
" I said NO."
" No means NO "
"RAPE! "
"How would 'Help! Help! Hooray!’ get anyone’s attention?”
More silliness followed but it then led into:
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
I ponder and state “I have 4 cents in my checking account” while waving 4 fingers in her face.
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
“4 cents. (more finger waving) Which means I am broke. That is so little that they could not make it into one coin; they have to have 4 separate coins so you can see it.”
Then she stated something ‘off’ about a dime being smaller than 4 cents ….
“Hey remember that video I showed you of that weird group Lordi?”
“Yeah”
“Lordi is coming to Ozzfest!”
“We’re going to Ozzfest?!?!” (proof teenagers only hear what they want to hear)
“Nooooo, Lordi is going to BE there.”
“Hey who is that band that you used to listen to that wore the masks?”
“Dir En Gray?”
“No”
“Insane Clown Posse?”
“Maybe, I don’t know”
(Lots of discussion about her thinking it is one of those two and me doubting it)
She finally states “Slipknot!”
“YES! That’s it! Lordi looks like Slipknot mixed with Star Trek; one even reminds me of the Borg!”
Out of nowhere…literally, there had been a moment of silence and then she shouted:
[NOTE: THIS CONVERSATION HAS EDITED FOR CONTENT]
“Gummy Bear [EDITED]!”
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
" A gummy bear [EDITED]?"
“Yeah!”
Without any enthusiasm I could only respond with “Wow. It's [EDITED] honey.”
Because of a lack of proper response coming to mind; though I find the thought of her confusing it with [EDITED] very amusing, I realized I needed to change the subject. I then led into the question about colors and flavors of gummy bears and how she and I both like the clear ones that taste like pineapple....
She switches gears and goes into her rendition of Carlos Mencia's skit about Easter that goes something like: "Hide the eggs! And if anyone asks, eggs come from rabbits!"
We arrive at school, she gets out. I ask about her school ID, shout words of love while she unloads her school project and head to work with my head spinning.
Here are some links to help you “understand” our conversation (but really, you don’t HAVE to click on them. Consider yourself warned):
The Lordi Video
Dir En Gray
Insane Clown Posse
Slipknot
Ozzfest
Star Trek
The Borg
Gummy Bears
Carlos Mencia...Hide the Eggs! (this one is funny)
That was last Thursday. last Friday we bickered about whether or not I shake my leg when I am angry. I say no, she says yes. I say she is projecting her own attributes onto me.
So, just an ordinary morning with Breanna. How was your drive to work?
To be or not to be...
An Oasis Leader...
What are the odds of 5 girls wearing the same shoes on the same night without prior notice?
I really don't have the answer. The above feet are Brittany, Jamie, Taylor, Emily, and Melissa. These are the 5 girls that I had the honor to lead last night at Granger Community Church's middle school ministry, better known as OASIS.
I decided to kick the tires on this serving opportunity. I don't know if it is where I am meant to serve, but because Paige has asked me to (she gets to attend this year) I am giving it a try.
My first impression...to be honest...indifferent. That is how I tend to be when I try new things the first time around. I enjoyed the group time with these girls, however because it was my first time I would have rather spent more time getting to know the girls. The agenda was already set and Oasis is wrapping up the school year and I was filling in for their regular leader...so I just stuck to the plan.
During the teaching time with Judy Gregory, I found myself watching how the kids were reacting to her more than I was paying attention to what she was saying. I believe I caught the central theme of it though. Raise the bar. How can you make the biggest impact with the resources you have at hand? Go the extra mile.
I guess I can look at it this way: Nothing that happened last night scared me out of coming back.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
VT revisited.
I keep thinking about my last post. I hate my "knee jerk" reaction to some things. That post was one of them. The more I look at it the more I think...okay all of it still stands except the part about:
"What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy?"
Now that I have gotten past it a little, I realize that human beings are human beings. We do what we can when we can. Many of us just do not realize what we CAN do.
Then there was:
"There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves."
I can not reinvent the wheel, nor should I expect anyone else to. I do want to state, that I do NOT think it is the fault of the college that this happened and I fear that is what some may have felt that I was suggesting (though no one has said anything...this is just me reviewing my post and going 'Ugh! How did people perceive that?').
This is a good lesson for me I think:
Before posting about a hot, emotional, event and giving my opinion...not only do I need to give myself time to look at intentionally...I need to give myself time to react to it emotionally, let the emotions simmer down, and THEN post.
Noted.
"What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy?"
Now that I have gotten past it a little, I realize that human beings are human beings. We do what we can when we can. Many of us just do not realize what we CAN do.
Then there was:
"There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves."
I can not reinvent the wheel, nor should I expect anyone else to. I do want to state, that I do NOT think it is the fault of the college that this happened and I fear that is what some may have felt that I was suggesting (though no one has said anything...this is just me reviewing my post and going 'Ugh! How did people perceive that?').
This is a good lesson for me I think:
Before posting about a hot, emotional, event and giving my opinion...not only do I need to give myself time to look at intentionally...I need to give myself time to react to it emotionally, let the emotions simmer down, and THEN post.
Noted.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Regarding the Virginia Tech shootings
Please know that I did not experience college the way most do. I have a year under my belt at a community college and of course there was that year at beauty school...but that does not count. I say that to let you know that I honestly do NOT know what resources are available on campus and I am going to share a letter I wrote to my friend Cher who is a college professor:
"I had been trying to avoid the VT shooting incident until I could REALLY look at it. Yesterday I made a point of watching a broadcast that told about the victims and I had not realized how many professors had been killed and I instantly thought of {my friend Cher}.
It worries me that there were several people who feared this young man and no one listened to them. Fellow students saw in his writing that there was something wrong. He had a tutor that feared him so much so that she had a code word for her assistant to seek emergency assistance. There were records of him stalking not one, but two different women. Obviously no one was 'listening' to him either. What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy? Those victims could have been my daughter, or her friends and the professors could have been {my friend Cher}.
This morning, I watched clips from the video that Mr. Cho made between his shootings and obviously this guy was hurting and feeling insignificant and was obviously mentally unstable. There are records of him having spent time in a mental health care facility. Isn't that on part of the background check when people apply for a gun license and make purchase of a gun?
College years are very transitional for most people. Some people do not have the maturity, sense of responsibility, independence, ability to adapt, social skills, level of mental health, etc. required to be in that sort of environment. There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves.
The Cho family must be devastated. I know the victims families are, but image if you were the parents or family of Mr. Cho...guilt on top of grief. Layers and layers of pain. How sad for all of them. What a tragic loss for all of us. What potential leaders, doctors, entertainers, authors, teachers, mothers, fathers, and friends did we lose in those that were lost that day? So many people with so much potential to contribute to society, now gone.
"I had been trying to avoid the VT shooting incident until I could REALLY look at it. Yesterday I made a point of watching a broadcast that told about the victims and I had not realized how many professors had been killed and I instantly thought of {my friend Cher}.
It worries me that there were several people who feared this young man and no one listened to them. Fellow students saw in his writing that there was something wrong. He had a tutor that feared him so much so that she had a code word for her assistant to seek emergency assistance. There were records of him stalking not one, but two different women. Obviously no one was 'listening' to him either. What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy? Those victims could have been my daughter, or her friends and the professors could have been {my friend Cher}.
This morning, I watched clips from the video that Mr. Cho made between his shootings and obviously this guy was hurting and feeling insignificant and was obviously mentally unstable. There are records of him having spent time in a mental health care facility. Isn't that on part of the background check when people apply for a gun license and make purchase of a gun?
College years are very transitional for most people. Some people do not have the maturity, sense of responsibility, independence, ability to adapt, social skills, level of mental health, etc. required to be in that sort of environment. There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves.
The Cho family must be devastated. I know the victims families are, but image if you were the parents or family of Mr. Cho...guilt on top of grief. Layers and layers of pain. How sad for all of them. What a tragic loss for all of us. What potential leaders, doctors, entertainers, authors, teachers, mothers, fathers, and friends did we lose in those that were lost that day? So many people with so much potential to contribute to society, now gone.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A shocking discovery!
So, I got on here today because I wanted to create a new post and add to my list. You see, in my drafts I am keeping a running tally of books that I have read this year...I don't know if I will ever publish the post, but I like having a list. So in doing that I notice that I actually have COMMENTS on my last post!!! Holy COW! I have COMMENTS!! People DO read this blog...maybe it wasn't crickets I was hearing when I would log on and post.
The one from "Baker" surprised me. I did not know she read my blog...so let me give a shout out to Kristin Baker!
The other comment was from Dell's corporate office. DUDE! They must have a team of people just searching the 'net for stuff like this. I am torn...do I respond? Right this moment, the me who is on vacation is thinking NO, but the customer service person in me is kicking my shin and telling me it is the right thing to do. So, Dell...I will get back to you. It may be in about 10 - 14 days. (I am on vacation and next week will be chock full of catching up and working on preparing for what will be an awesome wedding event)
So, anyway...after all of the "excitement" I can not remember what I was going to post about...shoot. I'm sure it will come back to me. Maybe tomorrow.
The one from "Baker" surprised me. I did not know she read my blog...so let me give a shout out to Kristin Baker!
The other comment was from Dell's corporate office. DUDE! They must have a team of people just searching the 'net for stuff like this. I am torn...do I respond? Right this moment, the me who is on vacation is thinking NO, but the customer service person in me is kicking my shin and telling me it is the right thing to do. So, Dell...I will get back to you. It may be in about 10 - 14 days. (I am on vacation and next week will be chock full of catching up and working on preparing for what will be an awesome wedding event)
So, anyway...after all of the "excitement" I can not remember what I was going to post about...shoot. I'm sure it will come back to me. Maybe tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
DELL's excellent customer service
My online chat with Dell customer service regarding making a bill payment (my payment is not due for a few weeks, I was just trying to make use of a gift card I received - a rebate from Cingular - a check would have been BETTER...HELLO CINGULAR! Anyway, here is the online chat with Dell:
3:44:20 PM
System
Your chat session will begin shortly.
System
Connected with R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)3:45:41 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service Chat. My name is R****** How may I help you?
3:46:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i would like to make a payment to my account using a visa gift card and can not seem to find where I can do that
3:46:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
I will look into this for you right away.
3:46:58 PM
Dawn Lovitt
thank you
3:47:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
You are welcome.
3:47:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Please verify the full name on the account.
3:47:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
Dawn R. Lovitt
3:47:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for the verification.The records show that your current e-mail address is dawnlovitt@serviceprovider.yay, is that correct?
3:47:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes (email address above was changed to protect ME)
3:48:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Are you referring to making payments to words (she misspelled it, not me) your dell preferred account??
3:48:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes
3:48:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i have been given a gift card and would like to use it toward this payment
3:49:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, I would like to inform you that you can't use the visa gift card to make a payment to words (she did it again) the account.
3:49:59 PM
Dawn Lovitt
you dont accept Visa?
3:51:18 PM
Dawn Lovitt
hello?
3:52:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, you can use only your checking account to make payments.
3:52:21 PM
Roselin Thomas
For further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:52:48 PM
Dawn Lovitt
so, could I use my debit card? (yes, I was ignoring her direction...I was curious)
3:53:51 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
i am afraid you can't.
3:54:01 PM
Dawn Lovitt
can you explain why?
3:54:16 PM
Dawn Lovitt
it is from my checking account. (she said "you can use only your checking account to make payments.")
3:55:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, as I informed for further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:55:56 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Is there anything else apart from this I can assist you with?
3:56:04 PM
Dawn Lovitt
well, no (she did not REALLY assist me to begin with...)
3:56:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SO, with that, know that I have needed to use their pay by phone option before. For some reason Dell can not seem to send me a statement on a regular basis to save my life. I have it on my calendar to go online and check my account every two weeks to make sure it is current...I should not have to do this. Anyway, when you pay by phone or online they charge you anywhere from $9.95 - $13.95. Even in this case where I was trying to get ahead of my payment. What WONDERFUL customer service.
3:44:20 PM
System
Your chat session will begin shortly.
System
Connected with R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)3:45:41 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service Chat. My name is R****** How may I help you?
3:46:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i would like to make a payment to my account using a visa gift card and can not seem to find where I can do that
3:46:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
I will look into this for you right away.
3:46:58 PM
Dawn Lovitt
thank you
3:47:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
You are welcome.
3:47:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Please verify the full name on the account.
3:47:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
Dawn R. Lovitt
3:47:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for the verification.The records show that your current e-mail address is dawnlovitt@serviceprovider.yay, is that correct?
3:47:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes (email address above was changed to protect ME)
3:48:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Are you referring to making payments to words (she misspelled it, not me) your dell preferred account??
3:48:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes
3:48:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i have been given a gift card and would like to use it toward this payment
3:49:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, I would like to inform you that you can't use the visa gift card to make a payment to words (she did it again) the account.
3:49:59 PM
Dawn Lovitt
you dont accept Visa?
3:51:18 PM
Dawn Lovitt
hello?
3:52:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, you can use only your checking account to make payments.
3:52:21 PM
Roselin Thomas
For further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:52:48 PM
Dawn Lovitt
so, could I use my debit card? (yes, I was ignoring her direction...I was curious)
3:53:51 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
i am afraid you can't.
3:54:01 PM
Dawn Lovitt
can you explain why?
3:54:16 PM
Dawn Lovitt
it is from my checking account. (she said "you can use only your checking account to make payments.")
3:55:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, as I informed for further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:55:56 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Is there anything else apart from this I can assist you with?
3:56:04 PM
Dawn Lovitt
well, no (she did not REALLY assist me to begin with...)
3:56:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SO, with that, know that I have needed to use their pay by phone option before. For some reason Dell can not seem to send me a statement on a regular basis to save my life. I have it on my calendar to go online and check my account every two weeks to make sure it is current...I should not have to do this. Anyway, when you pay by phone or online they charge you anywhere from $9.95 - $13.95. Even in this case where I was trying to get ahead of my payment. What WONDERFUL customer service.
Monday, March 19, 2007
$88.79
As promised I went comparison shopping for the items I received through my order to Angel Food Ministries and here are the results:
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce - $6.99
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs - $2.50
3 lb Popcorn Chicken - $8.02
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken - $14.08
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks - $4.98
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks - $3.79
7 oz Mac N Cheese - $0.45
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix - $0.83
10 oz Peanut Butter $1.48
15 oz Cut Pears - $1.25
8 oz Sliced Pineapple - $0.69
1 lb California Blend Vegetables - $2.43
1 lb Carrots - $1.38
24 oz French Fries (steak cut) - $1.50
10 pack Frozen Waffles - $1.05
8 pack Hot Dogs - $1.50
16 oz Bean Soup mix - $2.25
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie - $6.19
-----------------------------------All of the above for $61.36
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks - $13.98
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops - $6.18
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage - $2.98
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) $ 4.29
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $27.43
Grand Total of $88.79
A savings difference of $45.79
All of the above prices are the lowest possible price I could find for each item.
Please know that if I would have just gone shopping, those are not the actual "brands" I would have purchased - I prefer Kraft brand Mac N Cheese, I would have purchased pre-made Pillsbury biscuits, I would have purchased 4 New York Strips which each weighed 12 ounces and therefore spent an additional $6.99 on just that item alone. The chicken breasts I would have purchased from the meat counter would have weiged in at around 2 pounds and cost twice as much as well.
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce - $6.99
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs - $2.50
3 lb Popcorn Chicken - $8.02
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken - $14.08
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks - $4.98
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks - $3.79
7 oz Mac N Cheese - $0.45
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix - $0.83
10 oz Peanut Butter $1.48
15 oz Cut Pears - $1.25
8 oz Sliced Pineapple - $0.69
1 lb California Blend Vegetables - $2.43
1 lb Carrots - $1.38
24 oz French Fries (steak cut) - $1.50
10 pack Frozen Waffles - $1.05
8 pack Hot Dogs - $1.50
16 oz Bean Soup mix - $2.25
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie - $6.19
-----------------------------------All of the above for $61.36
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks - $13.98
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops - $6.18
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage - $2.98
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) $ 4.29
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $27.43
Grand Total of $88.79
A savings difference of $45.79
All of the above prices are the lowest possible price I could find for each item.
Please know that if I would have just gone shopping, those are not the actual "brands" I would have purchased - I prefer Kraft brand Mac N Cheese, I would have purchased pre-made Pillsbury biscuits, I would have purchased 4 New York Strips which each weighed 12 ounces and therefore spent an additional $6.99 on just that item alone. The chicken breasts I would have purchased from the meat counter would have weiged in at around 2 pounds and cost twice as much as well.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
$43.00
The following picture (to help you with proportions) is taken on my kitchen table.
I received all of THIS:
I received all of THIS:
In case you can not tell exactly what it is due to the plain, no brand packaging. (and the poor picture quality) Here is a list:
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs
3 lb Popcorn Chicken
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks
7 oz Mac N Cheese
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix
10 oz Peanut Butter
15 oz Cut Pears
8 oz Sliced Pineapple
1 lb California Blend Vegetables
1 lb Carrots
24 oz French Fries (steak cut)
10 pack Frozen Waffles
8 pack Hot Dogs
16 oz Bean Soup mix
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie
-----------------------------------All of the above for $25.00
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless)
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $18.00
Grand Total : $43.00
There is a local church that is a host site for Angel Food Ministries.
The local host site for the Granger, Indiana area is Calvary Chapel and their website is www.calvarychapelgranger.org
To put this in perspective: There are enough "Main Entree" (meat portion -if you will) items to make dinner for my family of 4 for 10 days. (Mind you a couple of them have enough to make 2 or 3 meals.) Plus there are some veggie options and carb options, and some fruit, and breakfast, and PIE...for only FORTY-THREE BUCKS! Let me repeat: $43.00!
Here is the basics:
Once a month Calvary Chapel places an order to Angel Food Ministries.
On their site they provide that months "menu" along with any "specials"
You must purchase the entire menu (which is what is listed above for $25.00) and it is ALWAYS $25.00. You can purchase as many UNITS of the menu as you would like. However, you must purchase at least 1 unit in order to purchase any specials. The specials are usually $18.00. and you can see above all the meat that was included in the special that I purchased. Once you order 1 UNIT of the primary menu, you can order as many "specials" units as you like.
There is a deadline for ordering each month and pick up seems to be 10 - 12 days after the deadline date. The only drawback can see for some is putting extra money into the food budget to by groceries "in advance" and have to wait to recieve it. For those people on public assistance such as food stamps or EBT cards...they accept them. Last time I checked they stated that if there is no balance on your EBT card they will wait to post until your card is credited again.
I am going to go to the grocery store this weekend and try to comparison shop the items I received and see what I would have spent at a local grocery store. I will be sure to post that as well.
Monday, March 05, 2007
My Celebrity Look Alikes
No, I am not deluded enough to think I truly resemble ANY of these ladies, but it is nice to look and say, yeah, I have their chin, or smile, or eyebrow arch....Please note that the highest resemblance was only a 66% match. I think I will try it with a baby picture next and see what it brings up!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Daddy Daughter Dance
The Daddy Daughter Dance was a week ago today
Paige became a princess (all the girls became princesses that night)
Dave got a glimpse of his little girl becoming a big girl
Not, much for ME to report. I played chauffeur.
Ask for details if you see them...they had a good evening together.
...and because I wont be doing this tomorrow....
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Christians, by Maya Angelou
Christians - By Maya Angelou
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I had to wait a day to get over it all. Yesterday...started out with the Bad and the Ugly but ended with the Good.
For those of you not reading from the Michiana area...yesterday was quite frankly...
....schmitty weather.
I went out at 6:45 am to warm up the truck and it was cold, and the weekends vomitous (is that even a word?) of snow was on the ground, but that was it. Fifteen minutes later I gather Paige and go out to take her to the bus and it was...........ridiculous. Wind whipping, snow stinging, can't see past my arm snowfall, and freezing. I lock Paige in the truck (nice and almost warm) and run and yell at Breanna to get her butt in gear we are leaving NOW. It took me almost an hour and a half to make what normally is a 30 minute journey if I hit all the lights red. Somewhere in the half dozen times that I had to get out of my truck to clean the ice off my wipers, I lost my cell phone. Luckily, after I came back to pick Paige up from school, I found it. Frozen under the snow in the parking lot....broken in half. (but the SIM card is still good)
That was the BAD.
Originally when I had left my house, I had my hair looking pretty cute. For those of you familiar with my naturally curly tresses...after braving the elements, that was the UGLY.
When I came home, I was dreading the fact that Dave would have to spend hours shoveling our drive and sidewalks. As I pulled up to my house, I had to take a moment to pull my chin out of my lap so that I could turn into my driveway. My COMPLETELY PLOWED driveway. Someone had plowed our drive and our front walk. I have NO CLUE who it was. I got out of my truck and just stood there turning in circles waiting for someone to come out and claim their good deed. No one appeared. So, thank you whoever you are... that was the GOOD of what could have been just a Bad and Ugly day.
For those of you not reading from the Michiana area...yesterday was quite frankly...
....schmitty weather.
I went out at 6:45 am to warm up the truck and it was cold, and the weekends vomitous (is that even a word?) of snow was on the ground, but that was it. Fifteen minutes later I gather Paige and go out to take her to the bus and it was...........ridiculous. Wind whipping, snow stinging, can't see past my arm snowfall, and freezing. I lock Paige in the truck (nice and almost warm) and run and yell at Breanna to get her butt in gear we are leaving NOW. It took me almost an hour and a half to make what normally is a 30 minute journey if I hit all the lights red. Somewhere in the half dozen times that I had to get out of my truck to clean the ice off my wipers, I lost my cell phone. Luckily, after I came back to pick Paige up from school, I found it. Frozen under the snow in the parking lot....broken in half. (but the SIM card is still good)
That was the BAD.
Originally when I had left my house, I had my hair looking pretty cute. For those of you familiar with my naturally curly tresses...after braving the elements, that was the UGLY.
When I came home, I was dreading the fact that Dave would have to spend hours shoveling our drive and sidewalks. As I pulled up to my house, I had to take a moment to pull my chin out of my lap so that I could turn into my driveway. My COMPLETELY PLOWED driveway. Someone had plowed our drive and our front walk. I have NO CLUE who it was. I got out of my truck and just stood there turning in circles waiting for someone to come out and claim their good deed. No one appeared. So, thank you whoever you are... that was the GOOD of what could have been just a Bad and Ugly day.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Experiencing Grief
When you lose someone you are close to; I thought I was done; it must come in waves...
I chose to stay home today, I have been so busy for the past two weeks that my home life and my house and my body are suffering. I needed a break and my head was screaming for it this morning.
After I took the kids to school, I figured the first thing I would do was go BACK to bed to get rid of my headache and see if some additional rest would help me.
I had this dream where I was driving past my friend Tim's business and spotted him and the old crew of guys outside. So, as would be my typical behavior I drove in for a visit. Tim and I sat and chatted and laughed but underlying his laughter I could see a sadness...in my dream...he let me know that he was sad over the loss of his family. In my dream HE had lost his kids and ex-wife in an accident and was heartbroken over it.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...(Just a few minutes ago) I woke up and my natural instinct has always been that after I dream about a friend I need to call or visit them. So, I woke up thinking I need to call or go see how Tim is doing. For a moment I had forgotten that he was dead... and then the grief hit me. In a way, it is like finding out all over again.
I really miss him. It has been 3 months, 18 days, and roughly 8 hours since I got the call.
I really miss him.
I chose to stay home today, I have been so busy for the past two weeks that my home life and my house and my body are suffering. I needed a break and my head was screaming for it this morning.
After I took the kids to school, I figured the first thing I would do was go BACK to bed to get rid of my headache and see if some additional rest would help me.
I had this dream where I was driving past my friend Tim's business and spotted him and the old crew of guys outside. So, as would be my typical behavior I drove in for a visit. Tim and I sat and chatted and laughed but underlying his laughter I could see a sadness...in my dream...he let me know that he was sad over the loss of his family. In my dream HE had lost his kids and ex-wife in an accident and was heartbroken over it.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...(Just a few minutes ago) I woke up and my natural instinct has always been that after I dream about a friend I need to call or visit them. So, I woke up thinking I need to call or go see how Tim is doing. For a moment I had forgotten that he was dead... and then the grief hit me. In a way, it is like finding out all over again.
I really miss him. It has been 3 months, 18 days, and roughly 8 hours since I got the call.
I really miss him.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
My "Who" list
Mark Waltz, Pastor of Connections, and all around fun guy posted this "challenge" on his blog recently:
" Look at your own life. Who has God brought across your path? Who has encouraged you? Who has spoken into your life? Who has exposed truth? Who has helped you experience God's grace, excellence, wonder or love?
Spiritual growth is life growth. Life growth is relational.
Pay attention - God's trying to help you grow! "
" Look at your own life. Who has God brought across your path? Who has encouraged you? Who has spoken into your life? Who has exposed truth? Who has helped you experience God's grace, excellence, wonder or love?
Spiritual growth is life growth. Life growth is relational.
Pay attention - God's trying to help you grow! "
So,,..here it goes:
David, my loving husband. He encourages me to do the things I enjoy doing but is never afraid to let me know when I spend too much time helping others. He also is very understanding of the fact that felt needs are voiced in seasons and that sometimes I have to SPRINT before I can rest. Loving me beyond reason and offering to hold my light while I read and walk on the treadmill...and all things similar to that.
Breanna, my eldest gene recipient. Her ability to bounce seems unending. Her solid grip on her own personal values is admirable. Her bravery to cut off all of her hair and dye it bright red...courageous beyond words. Her smile and laughter...a beacon.
Paige, my youngest gene recipient. Her ability to empathize at her age is quite remarkable. Her love for all things small unending. Her need and ability to nurture...almost abnormal but absolutely adorable. Her shameless displays of affection to those she loves...very appreciated.
My Parents. Mom - staying on track and keeping her goals in mind while trying to take care of so many others at work and at home...admirable. Dad - living every day with pain that is beyond my comprehension. Surviving when most would not...Superman. Both - Always loving and supporting me...thank you.
The loss of my friend Tim Kovas, whose unexpected death brought me face first into realizing how strong my faith really is.
Kathy Guy for wow, everything that Mark said: Encouraging me, speaking into my life, exposing truth, sharing life and feelings with me and teaching me God's grace, excellence, wonder, and love.
The rest of the Connections Team: Mark Waltz, Julie Smies, Theresa Hoeft, Shelley (DM) Arredondo, Susan Chipman, Guinn Shapiola, Ed Villalba, and Sherry Nadai. I group all of you together simply because I want to keep this light. Each of you has challenged me, shown me friendship, made me laugh and/or cry, encouraged me and supported me in some way shape or form. That is what teams are for and how friends are made. I feel honored to be among you all.
Amanda Sill, self proclaimed "slave". I prefer to call her a dedicated servant of God. A sense of humor that I enjoy, a beautiful smile and an ability to withstand my weirdness. A girl with a bright future ahead of her...and a spoiled brat all at the same time. NOW THAT is fun to be around. I want to be her when I grow up...
Mark Beeson...I feel like I say this all the time...for taking my hand and introducing me to Jesus.
All of the people who call GCC each day in need of counseling or resources of any sort. Allof the people who call GCC each day seeking a way to help those in need. Allowing me to see all of the puzzle pieces and letting me see how sometimes if a piece does not fit, where I thought it would ...there is probably a place on the other side of the puzzle where it will.
Respecting Your Addiction
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
My friends Theresa, Katie and I were having a chat about the "2 Missouri Boys Found, But Questions Remain" headlines that have been all over the news.
(The family will be interviewed for the first time on today's Oprah. (We will be meeting again tomorrow to follow up.)
It led us into some deeper conversations with humor sprinkled in to dispell the darkness. Some disconnected tidbits follow but there was a great deal of conversation that followed these so please understand we were not bashing on boys.
"It is not normal for a male adolescent to want to watch your children."
"Do not let your female baby sitter allow her male friends/boyfriends over to do homework."
"Pedophilia can not be cured, just like alcoholism can not be cured. These people struggle with these thoughts every day."
"State the obvious."
"Don't give them the control."
It is hard to summarize this conversation which included all the nightmares that every parent has, but a key point was Theresa's message from a former employer and friend who has worked for years with these type of people in the mental health care field. Don't let them make YOU feel uncomfortable about their problem. That does not mean that you remind them every time you see them that they have a problem, but when they create a moment that is intended to make you uncomfortable - such as:
Uncle Chester the pedophile (charged and convicted)at a family reunion (where everyone knows his history) approaches you and wants to know why you did not bring your kids. State the obvious:
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
"If you were an alcoholic, I wouln't buy you a bottle of wine."
"Just respecting your addiction."
Just respecting your addiction.
It's a new catch phrase. T-shirts will be printed next week.
My friends Theresa, Katie and I were having a chat about the "2 Missouri Boys Found, But Questions Remain" headlines that have been all over the news.
(The family will be interviewed for the first time on today's Oprah. (We will be meeting again tomorrow to follow up.)
It led us into some deeper conversations with humor sprinkled in to dispell the darkness. Some disconnected tidbits follow but there was a great deal of conversation that followed these so please understand we were not bashing on boys.
"It is not normal for a male adolescent to want to watch your children."
"Do not let your female baby sitter allow her male friends/boyfriends over to do homework."
"Pedophilia can not be cured, just like alcoholism can not be cured. These people struggle with these thoughts every day."
"State the obvious."
"Don't give them the control."
It is hard to summarize this conversation which included all the nightmares that every parent has, but a key point was Theresa's message from a former employer and friend who has worked for years with these type of people in the mental health care field. Don't let them make YOU feel uncomfortable about their problem. That does not mean that you remind them every time you see them that they have a problem, but when they create a moment that is intended to make you uncomfortable - such as:
Uncle Chester the pedophile (charged and convicted)at a family reunion (where everyone knows his history) approaches you and wants to know why you did not bring your kids. State the obvious:
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
"If you were an alcoholic, I wouln't buy you a bottle of wine."
"Just respecting your addiction."
Just respecting your addiction.
It's a new catch phrase. T-shirts will be printed next week.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A great day
The day started out with me accompanying Breanna to Core Class 101
at Granger Community Church. Mark Beeson did a stellar job as always and
I could see that Breanna was truly paying attention. I was impressed by her
decision to attend the class and take her next step toward church membership.
The first session lasted an hour and 45 minutes and I will not forget the comment
that Breanna said as we walked out in the hall. "Whoa, I never really understood
that before." The first session, Mark takes 35 - 45 minutes and summarizes the bible
from Genesis to Revelation and truly explains salvation, or substitionary atonement.
I wont forget that comment because:
a) I thought she already understood that
b) (and the reason for "a")she spent two years going through CCD classes (her father's family is Catholic)
It amazed me that my assumption was wrong...and that two years of CCD teaching (which I know she retained because I have heard her repeat the teachings to other people) did not help her to understand the gift that Christ gave us.
--------------------------
After core class we ran into my pal Amanda who found the interaction between Breanna and I worthy of a reality show...I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. Amanda also had to make me feel rather ignorant by showing me that I really CAN send a text message on my phone.
However, my regret of the day are a couple of comments I made while Breanna and Amanda were speaking about parents - fathers in particular that probably made no sense and probably sounded really BAD to anyone (like Amanda) who did not understand the background of the comments.
Completely out of context and it is not meant for you to understand them at this particular moment, but the comments were:
"I sware it was the month that he was cute"
"He served his purpose"
Almost as soon as I uttered the second one, I thought...what the H, E, double hockey sticks am I saying!?!?
Breanna and I have had conversations about her father, (for those who do not know, my husband is not her father but has been in her life since before she was 2) some of them lighter than others.
She once asked me how I could have ever found her father attractive, and as a flip comment
the "I sware it was the month that he was cute." comment came out of my mouth.
Which of course brought up the deeper question of how I only dated him for roughly a month and ended up pregnant. I was not even dating him any longer when I found out that I was pregnant. Which brought up me explaining that her father and I met when I was very confused about life and love and was heartbroken over someone else and quite frankly I was full of emotions and needed an outlet for them and at the time basically her father unwittingly played proxy for that person in my life. I claimed to and believed that I loved him and engaged in a physical relationship with him. Finally I woke up to what I was doing and we mutually ceased interacting....for a while.
Which of course brought up the...was I a mistake question that children of unplanned pregnancies inevitably will have. I explained that though she was not planned, she was not a mistake. She was a surprise. If I did not want her, I had options. I could have put her up for adoption or had an abortion. I chose to have her and keep her because I felt that she was meant to be in my life and not once did I doubt that. Hence her father served his purpose in my life...to take part in creating the gift of my beautiful Breanna.
I never claim to have always made good choices in my life, but deciding to give birth to and raise Breanna was one of best.
----------------------------
Breanna enjoyed talking to Amanda and gave her extra points for liking her snake and decided to hang out with her for a few hours to help set up some things for services later as well as be co-conspirator to freaking out Lindsay by surprising her with the snake. Apparently mission was accomplished and Breanna had a great time hanging out with Amanda. While I went and visited my friends Paul and Jen.
---------------------------
I gathered my daughter and her snake...
(by the way, in case you had not figured this out, Akuji went with us today
because Breanna had heard that Julie had wanted to meet him and she loves to show him off)
...and we stopped by the mall to pick up snake food (a mouse) and had some fun conversation about things she learned in Core Class that relate to her current life, such as "Voting creates division" which has really affected a club she has been trying to get started in her school. It opened a door for me to offer to offer (yes I meant to say that twice) my suggestions which ended up with her wanting to know if she could ask her club sponsor to let me be a guest speaker at their next club meeting. I don't care for public speaking but if someone wants me speak on a topic I am comfortable with, and that person has my unconditional love...I think I could bite the bullet.
We also had a conversation about how I think that left solely up to men, the world would not have made as much forward progression as it has. Not that men are not important to the progression but I have found many personal examples in relationships and in the workplace where the women have been the catalyst for change...just an observation.
-----------------------------
.....and then I dropped Breanna off at work.
at Granger Community Church. Mark Beeson did a stellar job as always and
I could see that Breanna was truly paying attention. I was impressed by her
decision to attend the class and take her next step toward church membership.
The first session lasted an hour and 45 minutes and I will not forget the comment
that Breanna said as we walked out in the hall. "Whoa, I never really understood
that before." The first session, Mark takes 35 - 45 minutes and summarizes the bible
from Genesis to Revelation and truly explains salvation, or substitionary atonement.
I wont forget that comment because:
a) I thought she already understood that
b) (and the reason for "a")she spent two years going through CCD classes (her father's family is Catholic)
It amazed me that my assumption was wrong...and that two years of CCD teaching (which I know she retained because I have heard her repeat the teachings to other people) did not help her to understand the gift that Christ gave us.
--------------------------
After core class we ran into my pal Amanda who found the interaction between Breanna and I worthy of a reality show...I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. Amanda also had to make me feel rather ignorant by showing me that I really CAN send a text message on my phone.
However, my regret of the day are a couple of comments I made while Breanna and Amanda were speaking about parents - fathers in particular that probably made no sense and probably sounded really BAD to anyone (like Amanda) who did not understand the background of the comments.
Completely out of context and it is not meant for you to understand them at this particular moment, but the comments were:
"I sware it was the month that he was cute"
"He served his purpose"
Almost as soon as I uttered the second one, I thought...what the H, E, double hockey sticks am I saying!?!?
Breanna and I have had conversations about her father, (for those who do not know, my husband is not her father but has been in her life since before she was 2) some of them lighter than others.
She once asked me how I could have ever found her father attractive, and as a flip comment
the "I sware it was the month that he was cute." comment came out of my mouth.
Which of course brought up the deeper question of how I only dated him for roughly a month and ended up pregnant. I was not even dating him any longer when I found out that I was pregnant. Which brought up me explaining that her father and I met when I was very confused about life and love and was heartbroken over someone else and quite frankly I was full of emotions and needed an outlet for them and at the time basically her father unwittingly played proxy for that person in my life. I claimed to and believed that I loved him and engaged in a physical relationship with him. Finally I woke up to what I was doing and we mutually ceased interacting....for a while.
Which of course brought up the...was I a mistake question that children of unplanned pregnancies inevitably will have. I explained that though she was not planned, she was not a mistake. She was a surprise. If I did not want her, I had options. I could have put her up for adoption or had an abortion. I chose to have her and keep her because I felt that she was meant to be in my life and not once did I doubt that. Hence her father served his purpose in my life...to take part in creating the gift of my beautiful Breanna.
I never claim to have always made good choices in my life, but deciding to give birth to and raise Breanna was one of best.
----------------------------
Breanna enjoyed talking to Amanda and gave her extra points for liking her snake and decided to hang out with her for a few hours to help set up some things for services later as well as be co-conspirator to freaking out Lindsay by surprising her with the snake. Apparently mission was accomplished and Breanna had a great time hanging out with Amanda. While I went and visited my friends Paul and Jen.
---------------------------
I gathered my daughter and her snake...
(by the way, in case you had not figured this out, Akuji went with us today
because Breanna had heard that Julie had wanted to meet him and she loves to show him off)
...and we stopped by the mall to pick up snake food (a mouse) and had some fun conversation about things she learned in Core Class that relate to her current life, such as "Voting creates division" which has really affected a club she has been trying to get started in her school. It opened a door for me to offer to offer (yes I meant to say that twice) my suggestions which ended up with her wanting to know if she could ask her club sponsor to let me be a guest speaker at their next club meeting. I don't care for public speaking but if someone wants me speak on a topic I am comfortable with, and that person has my unconditional love...I think I could bite the bullet.
We also had a conversation about how I think that left solely up to men, the world would not have made as much forward progression as it has. Not that men are not important to the progression but I have found many personal examples in relationships and in the workplace where the women have been the catalyst for change...just an observation.
-----------------------------
.....and then I dropped Breanna off at work.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Welcome Mackenzie Elizabeth Giles
Yesterday I had every intention of staying in my jammies and watching movies from the comfort of my bed all day. However, I had to trade it all in for being among the first dozen people to welcome into the world my new GREAT NIECE Mackenzie Elizabeth. We (Breanna and I) have already nicknamed her. Breanna calls her "Mickey" and I call her "Z.Z." because both of her names have a Z in them. So looks like I will probably combine it into "Mickey Z"
The video is crap until you get to about a minute and 20 seconds. The background conversations are goofy but ignore them and admire the cuteness.
Mackenzie was born December 16th at 8:14pm weighing 7 pound 1/2 an ounce and measureing 20.5 inches.
Some of you may remember this video when her Aunt Kira was born 2 years ago on the same day (yes I said HER aunt Kira... how funny is THAT!)
The video is crap until you get to about a minute and 20 seconds. The background conversations are goofy but ignore them and admire the cuteness.
Mackenzie was born December 16th at 8:14pm weighing 7 pound 1/2 an ounce and measureing 20.5 inches.
Some of you may remember this video when her Aunt Kira was born 2 years ago on the same day (yes I said HER aunt Kira... how funny is THAT!)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Crumpled
Sometimes the oddest things will strike a chord in me.
A crumpled piece of paper nearly brought me to tears.
This particular piece of paper happened to be an application for the Adopt a Family program that we offer to members of our church.
I recall mailing the application to this family some time ago. You could tell by the condition of the paper that it was at one time aimed toward the trash can. I can actually see it in my mind. The mom or dad filling out the application and then because of pride and/or frustration or feeling that there are people in greater need they grab the paper and make that growling noise we all can make when overcome with this kind of frustration and they end up just wadding it up and throwing it away. Only to have the other person take it out of the trash and convince their partner that they really do need help this time. Sometimes pride can be a huge obstacle to overcome.
Then there are the applications that come in that appear to be tear stained. Single parents who don't have that partner to help carry the burden and so they have a double dose of pride to swallow.
I see these pieces of paper and know that these people sometimes identify with them…stained, crumpled. We still need to love them…He does.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy (Episode 4)
The scene:
7:15am, still dark, moon out, stars twinkling, Orion visible in the morning sky.
Truck is in reverse, I look over and Breanna (a.k.a Miss Crazy) is trying to bend the laws of physics and see the sky out of her window with the window still rolled up.
"You can still see the stars this morning."
(She acts irritated that I interrupted her star viewing with (of all things) WORDS)
"Science class ruined stars for me"
"How so?"
I dont recall her explanation but somehow finding out about gases, and the fact that we can see the light from stars long dead... having that KNOWLEDGE irritates her. She mentioned something about the stars in her head, and I told her that the stars in her head could all be alive and made up of bubble gum if she wanted them to be. She explained how that would interfere with her liking things to be logical. My response:
"Being angry at Science for explaining the stars to you is not logical"
Remainder of trip to school....silent.
7:15am, still dark, moon out, stars twinkling, Orion visible in the morning sky.
Truck is in reverse, I look over and Breanna (a.k.a Miss Crazy) is trying to bend the laws of physics and see the sky out of her window with the window still rolled up.
"You can still see the stars this morning."
(She acts irritated that I interrupted her star viewing with (of all things) WORDS)
"Science class ruined stars for me"
"How so?"
I dont recall her explanation but somehow finding out about gases, and the fact that we can see the light from stars long dead... having that KNOWLEDGE irritates her. She mentioned something about the stars in her head, and I told her that the stars in her head could all be alive and made up of bubble gum if she wanted them to be. She explained how that would interfere with her liking things to be logical. My response:"Being angry at Science for explaining the stars to you is not logical"
Remainder of trip to school....silent.
Friday, October 19, 2007
18 Bits of Good Advice and 3 I Don't Agree With
I hate emails that say "forward this to 5 billion people or all your family, friends, pets, accquaintances, neighbors and total strangers within a five mile radius will perish!" I received this is one of those messages. I really like MOST of the "bits of advice" and this way I can share and play a game all at the same time.
Here is the game. WHO of my dear readers can guess which THREE of these I do not totally agree with. Twenty million points to the winner.
ONE.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills
will be as important as any other.
THREE.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR.
When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN.
Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life
completely.
TEN.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN.
Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE.
Spend some time alone.
Here is the game. WHO of my dear readers can guess which THREE of these I do not totally agree with. Twenty million points to the winner.
ONE.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills
will be as important as any other.
THREE.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR.
When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN.
Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life
completely.
TEN.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN.
Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE.
Spend some time alone.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Weekend Recap
Friday evening started the weekend with a visit from the Boston College Football team. They had dinner in the PressBox and then toured the museum. They were a group of very nice young men. Surprisingly...there was food left over. Part of the BC team heading down into the museum level
My favorite Friday moment was about 20 minutes before the hall closed a gentleman came in with his high school aged son. He told me how he grew up in Indiana and has been a huge Notre Dame fan all of his life and today he finally had the opportunity to visit and as soon as he drove on to the campus he started crying. He seemed embarassed because he had cried like that in front of his son. His son said it was no big deal and I said to him "Thirty years from now, you are going to look back, and be very grateful for that moment" and his dad just grinned. It was very touching...they almost made me cry.
Saturday morning started at 7am setting up for a Corporate Tailgate Party for Blue Chip Casino. Fun times...a little chilly, but fun times.
Once that was up and running we prepared for Rocket Ismail's autograph session. After he arrived and we were escorting him downstairs I told him that a gentleman claiming to be his high school coach had been hanging around all morning. At that moment the gentleman started walking toward us so I pointed him out and the look of joy and the bear hug that followed (my favorite Saturday moment) led me to believe that Rocket might be a few minutes so I ran down to tell our gang to tell his fans that he is in the building but would be a few more minutes.
During past autograph sessions I have learned that people are REAL specific about HOW they want their memoribilia signed. This sessions most popular request was "Rocket Ismail #25 1988 National Champions" now I know that does not sound like a lot but there was a great deal of stuff to be signed for a great deal of people...can you say HAND CRAMP...so Rocket asked if he could just sign his first name and so we informed the crowd that he would only be signing "Rocket #25" - some people were pretty insistent and this is where I came in - I had the privledge of being the voice of Rocket and telling people "No". When people would still ask him to autograph the entire Constitution on their piece of memoribilia he would smile and start and I would say to them "He is way to nice to tell you no, but I will, he is only going to be signing his first name."
There was also the rule about not coming behind the table...many tried shoving through...so I grabbed a couple of our male volunteers and turned them into Rocket's bookends. There was one exception to this rule: There was this little girl who was decked out in ND gear and she even had a button on declaring that she was "Gabriella Superfan" which was just too cute. So she will be on the website.
Part of the BC team heading down into the museum levelMy favorite Friday moment was about 20 minutes before the hall closed a gentleman came in with his high school aged son. He told me how he grew up in Indiana and has been a huge Notre Dame fan all of his life and today he finally had the opportunity to visit and as soon as he drove on to the campus he started crying. He seemed embarassed because he had cried like that in front of his son. His son said it was no big deal and I said to him "Thirty years from now, you are going to look back, and be very grateful for that moment" and his dad just grinned. It was very touching...they almost made me cry.
Saturday morning started at 7am setting up for a Corporate Tailgate Party for Blue Chip Casino. Fun times...a little chilly, but fun times.
Once that was up and running we prepared for Rocket Ismail's autograph session. After he arrived and we were escorting him downstairs I told him that a gentleman claiming to be his high school coach had been hanging around all morning. At that moment the gentleman started walking toward us so I pointed him out and the look of joy and the bear hug that followed (my favorite Saturday moment) led me to believe that Rocket might be a few minutes so I ran down to tell our gang to tell his fans that he is in the building but would be a few more minutes.
During past autograph sessions I have learned that people are REAL specific about HOW they want their memoribilia signed. This sessions most popular request was "Rocket Ismail #25 1988 National Champions" now I know that does not sound like a lot but there was a great deal of stuff to be signed for a great deal of people...can you say HAND CRAMP...so Rocket asked if he could just sign his first name and so we informed the crowd that he would only be signing "Rocket #25" - some people were pretty insistent and this is where I came in - I had the privledge of being the voice of Rocket and telling people "No". When people would still ask him to autograph the entire Constitution on their piece of memoribilia he would smile and start and I would say to them "He is way to nice to tell you no, but I will, he is only going to be signing his first name."
There was also the rule about not coming behind the table...many tried shoving through...so I grabbed a couple of our male volunteers and turned them into Rocket's bookends. There was one exception to this rule: There was this little girl who was decked out in ND gear and she even had a button on declaring that she was "Gabriella Superfan" which was just too cute. So she will be on the website.
After that I had to get the stadium theatre set for a corporate watch party (a group reserves the theatre and watches the game and eats a catered meal in our Stadium Theatre).
While all of that was happening we had people setting up the Press Box for a Post Game Celebration party.
<---Pressbox view showing the windows that look out toward the river.
Pressbox view showing the Heisman Art Gallery --->
During set up, the elevator got stuck - had to fix that, and a toilet got clogged - had to fix that.
At 4:00 I handed the reigns over to Joe A. and rushed home so that we could get to church in time for my husband to get his directions for serving on our First Impressions team during all five services.
Good Times.
While all of that was happening we had people setting up the Press Box for a Post Game Celebration party.
<---Pressbox view showing the windows that look out toward the river.Pressbox view showing the Heisman Art Gallery --->
During set up, the elevator got stuck - had to fix that, and a toilet got clogged - had to fix that.
At 4:00 I handed the reigns over to Joe A. and rushed home so that we could get to church in time for my husband to get his directions for serving on our First Impressions team during all five services.
Good Times.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Best Mom Song EVER
Everyone at one time or another gets a song stuck in their head. I may have to TRY to get this one stuck in the heads of my kids.
Thanks go out to Jen F. for sending me this awesome video!
It makes you just want to save it on a DVD and play it for your kids EVERY morning...
(If anyone knows who this lady is, could you please let me know)
Monday, October 01, 2007
The best gift you can give your children....
....is a good marriage. This truth hit me this weekend as I was sitting in church. Paige was sitting between the two of us and she always does this but it never occured to me why until that moment. It is so important to her that her father and I love each other that she finds comfort in having us hold hands. She will take my hand and put it in Dave's hand and then place them in her lap and hold them with her hands. It comforts her.
Dave and I have a great marriage. We are not afraid to show affection to each other in front of our children (totally in a G-rated way), we say "I love you" to each other and to them at least a hundred times a day and yet Paige still needs this...it is THAT important.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I have not read this book...only a review, and this quote alone (used in part in this past weekend's message at GCC) makes it worth buying.
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. but in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell." - C.S. Lewis
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Only in my dreams
I dreamt of my friend Tim last night; at least this time when I awoke I remembered he is dead.
The anniversary of his death is coming up. Don't know why I refer to it as an "anniversary" - it is not as if it is something I am celebrating. He has been on my mind lately more than normal. Probably because the weather turned autumn-esque for a little while and my internal clock knew what I was experiencing last autumn.
My own personal haunting...only in my dreams.
I feel like God truly has answered my prayers when it comes to that. I always have dreams about my friends that I don't get to see on a regular basis, it is what reminds me to stay in touch with them. When Tim died I PRAYED HARD to not have dreams about him. Then, because I missed him I remember sort of telling God that I take it back. That was when I had the last dream, where when I woke up I had forgotten he was dead and reached for the phone to call him.
God has been good. I have not dreamed of Tim since then, until now. I am actually kind of grateful for it. You see, you would think that having shared a nine year friendship with someone that over the course of time you would have some EVIDENCE of it.
Nope, not me.
I live in the moment.
I don't take pictures or video or things like that.
I have nothing but memories....
.....................................sometimes though I wish I had a video
................................................................just to hear him laugh.
So God gave me dreams.
Not quite the same, but hey...He's trying.
The anniversary of his death is coming up. Don't know why I refer to it as an "anniversary" - it is not as if it is something I am celebrating. He has been on my mind lately more than normal. Probably because the weather turned autumn-esque for a little while and my internal clock knew what I was experiencing last autumn.
My own personal haunting...only in my dreams.
I feel like God truly has answered my prayers when it comes to that. I always have dreams about my friends that I don't get to see on a regular basis, it is what reminds me to stay in touch with them. When Tim died I PRAYED HARD to not have dreams about him. Then, because I missed him I remember sort of telling God that I take it back. That was when I had the last dream, where when I woke up I had forgotten he was dead and reached for the phone to call him.
God has been good. I have not dreamed of Tim since then, until now. I am actually kind of grateful for it. You see, you would think that having shared a nine year friendship with someone that over the course of time you would have some EVIDENCE of it.
Nope, not me.
I live in the moment.
I don't take pictures or video or things like that.
I have nothing but memories....
.....................................sometimes though I wish I had a video
................................................................just to hear him laugh.
So God gave me dreams.
Not quite the same, but hey...He's trying.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
A minor irritation with Internet Explorer
Hey!Internet Explorer!
Yeah YOU! Listen up!
Your new version included 2 things that brought me back from Firefox:
- Tabbed browsing
- RSS feeds updated right in my favorites window (no more need for Feedblitz!)
Well the RSS feeds haven't updated in over a month. The blogs have, I have checked. I thought maybe it was my computer. Well I have tried 3 different computers and no luck. Whats the issue?
I can get tabbed browsing with Firefox.
(Anyone know how to fix this?)
Yeah YOU! Listen up!
Your new version included 2 things that brought me back from Firefox:
- Tabbed browsing
- RSS feeds updated right in my favorites window (no more need for Feedblitz!)
Well the RSS feeds haven't updated in over a month. The blogs have, I have checked. I thought maybe it was my computer. Well I have tried 3 different computers and no luck. Whats the issue?
I can get tabbed browsing with Firefox.
(Anyone know how to fix this?)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy. Episode 3
Another episode...remember Breanna is in red, I am in green; for those of you behind in the episodes:
Pilot
Episode 2
-This episode takes place Thursday morning driving Breanna to school-
-Drive begins with an unusual long moment of silence-
I am exhausted
Me too
I have a stupid song in my head. Zazu (see above video) singing Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
Sorry, I sing that whenever I am bored....along with:
"A monkey went to sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea"
Poor monkey
You'd think he would have seen a boat or a fish or a bird
Or seaweed...
How could he see the BOTTOM of the deep blue sea sea sea?
I don't know
Must not have been too far from shore
That would explain not seeing any fish
Why? He could have seen minnows
Minnows in the ocean!?! They live in salt water!?!
They are just baby fish
They are?!?!
-This is where I TRY to stifle my laugh-
-Breanna is at this point speaking rather loudly and acting as if I just confessed to a hidden family secret-
I thought they were a species...a BREED! (said with lots of righteous idignation in her voice)
-I lose my stifle ablility and roars of laughter escape me-
You poor thing, I guess it never really did come up did it?
-Breanna has a look of outrage on her face-
Noooooo! When I was little you just told me to go catch "minnows" when we were at the lake, nothing about them being baby fish!
-me: still laughing-
This is where she gets out of the vehicle, I profess my love for her and wish her a fabulous day and she closes the door and starts shaking her head and spouting gibberish as she waves good-bye and walks toward the school.
Not sure what was crazier, the fact that we were analyzing that silly song or the whole not knowing that minnows were baby fish. God, I love being the mom of a teenager!
Friday, August 17, 2007
My new nemesis
So, it begins...
Paige had been the only person at her school bus stop for some time. This year there is a new girl, Alexis. She is a year behind Paige in school and at least a head shorter than Paige.
The first day, once the girls got on the bus, as I was walking back toward my house a green mini-van came careening at me and apparently it was Alexis' mother who had parked WAYYYYY down the road to watch her daughter get on the bus because Alexis did not want her mother to accompany her to the stop for fear of embarassment.
So, yesterday when Paige's bus arrived Paige gave me the normal half dozen hugs and kisses and professions of love and as I am walking off I see little Alexis lean in and sort of look at Paige funny and whisper something to her and then saw Paige grin and shake her head and smile at me and then they get on the bus.
So, last night I asked Paige what that was about. Apparently Alexis asked "Doesn't your Mom embarass you when she does that?"
Silly child...Paige let her know that it is SHE that initiates these things. Paige is a regular snuggle bunny. She loves hugs and words of affection. She has a hug and kiss routine for farewells and bedtime. If she has met you, she has probably hugged you good-bye. Up until now, no one has challenged her thinking.
Breanna was done with hugs and kisses before she went to kindergarten. She recently started to allow me to hug her again and it has taken - oh, about a year - for me to get used to her WANTING hugs again. So, with that being said I have been appreciating Paige and yet waiting for my younger daughter to be anti-affection.
Let's see how much influence little Alexis has on my Paige's way of thinking.
Paige had been the only person at her school bus stop for some time. This year there is a new girl, Alexis. She is a year behind Paige in school and at least a head shorter than Paige.
The first day, once the girls got on the bus, as I was walking back toward my house a green mini-van came careening at me and apparently it was Alexis' mother who had parked WAYYYYY down the road to watch her daughter get on the bus because Alexis did not want her mother to accompany her to the stop for fear of embarassment.
So, yesterday when Paige's bus arrived Paige gave me the normal half dozen hugs and kisses and professions of love and as I am walking off I see little Alexis lean in and sort of look at Paige funny and whisper something to her and then saw Paige grin and shake her head and smile at me and then they get on the bus.
So, last night I asked Paige what that was about. Apparently Alexis asked "Doesn't your Mom embarass you when she does that?"
Silly child...Paige let her know that it is SHE that initiates these things. Paige is a regular snuggle bunny. She loves hugs and words of affection. She has a hug and kiss routine for farewells and bedtime. If she has met you, she has probably hugged you good-bye. Up until now, no one has challenged her thinking.
Breanna was done with hugs and kisses before she went to kindergarten. She recently started to allow me to hug her again and it has taken - oh, about a year - for me to get used to her WANTING hugs again. So, with that being said I have been appreciating Paige and yet waiting for my younger daughter to be anti-affection.
Let's see how much influence little Alexis has on my Paige's way of thinking.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Puddles-O-Poo On the Day Back to School
So today was expected to be a bit crazy in my house. The first day back to school we usually scramble. The kids and I are both used to sleeping in and so getting up at 5:45 am is always a shock to the system this time of year. HOWEVER, this year...it went very smooth. We were prepared, no one was grumpy all went well. Unfortunately, I think that our doberman, Scarlet, was feeling the anxiety for us. I was awakened at 2:47 am by (of all things) a peculiar SMELL. My husband said that he had gotten up a short time prior and the dog had an accident and he was hoping it could wait to be cleaned up until morning. (OK, we have been through this before, he knows better...he REALLY likes his sleep) So, we both get up and as I round the foot of the bed, I step in something squishy. I demand he turn on the light and I look down and see a puddle/pile of dog vomit. Yum! So, as I am waiting for my husband to bring me something to clean off my foot I watch as my pathetic dog walks out of our room, into the living room and pukes on the floor. So, I hobble toward the hallway - only to see A LOT more puddles.
It ain't dog vomit in that thar hallway.
Apparently the mess has multiplied since my husband originally was made aware of it. So, I rinse my foot, and grab supplies. Dave gets the hallway of poo, and I get puke duty. So, I clean what I can off the carpet in the bedroom - less than happy with the icky smell and stain left behind and I move on to the living room, and just as I am finishing with that pile I look over on the area rug and I see ANOTHER Puddle-O-Vomit.
Did I mention that this is at 2:47 AM?
So, I grab the rug and drag it down the part of the hallway that my hero hubby has already rid of Puddles-O-Poo and go back to clean the puddle left UNDER the rug...yes, boys and girls-it had seeped through. Once done, hubby takes the plastic bags filled with toxic waste out to the garbage and heaves the rug out the back door! (I will hose it down later)
I find a magical cure for my ailing bedroom carpet and apply it, grab the Oust spray and clean the air and hero hubby and I return to bed.
I can't sleep. I have a freaking song in my head, and when I share this with my husband he states he has the same problem. Except mine is One Week by the Barenaked Ladies and his is Pink by Aerosmith. So I decide to read the NIV version of Proverbs 12 and finally get to sleep about 4 am (ish).
Back up at 5:45, just enough time for hero hubby to throw on clothes and be to work at 6am...and there, in the hallway is another Puddle-O-Poo. So, since my magical cure for the bedroom carpet seems to be working well, I figured I would try it out on a fresh Puddle. So, I sprinkle said magical cure all over this mess and go to wake my sleeping children.
As I am on my hands and knees I start to remember a speaker from the Leadership Summit, Carly Fiorina, stating "There is a gift in everything if only we will see it" and I think to myself "where is the gift in THIS Carly? Huh? Where is the gift in THIS?"
Finally I get to shower and I realize darn it, she is right. My gift is that I have found a great magical cure for cleaning vomit and poo, and I can share it with everyone. So, here is your flippin' gift:
You too can make quick clean up of vomit and poo....
With Arm & Hammer Baking soda. (or whatever brand you purchase)
Seriously, I COVERED the last pile of poo with baking soda and it killed most of the smell and turned the runny mess into something more "normal" and easier to handle. As for the vomit, same thing...trust me, I usually want to heave myself when faced with that and this does seem to make the smell diminish almost completely and again, a consistency easier to deal with. The trick is to COMPLETELY cover the mess, no sprinkling.
So, there ya have it. The first morning back to school in a nutshell.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
A Milestone for Paige
To help explain, I am going to share with you from Dan Vukmirovich's blog this excerpt:
"This weekend we will be asking people to cross the line of faith by walking through a doorway we have set up onstage. Pastor Mark Beeson, has evangelism flowing through his blood. It's at the heart of GCC. He talks about a farming approach to evangelism where we plant seed, water, fertilize, and patiently wait for people to be ready and then we harvest. Rather than asking people to make a decision for Christ every week, we do it only 1-2 times per year. Part of his rationale in this is that most thinking people don't make life changing decisions in 20 minutes. I agree."
Paige walked through that doorway this weekend. I was happy and weepy and well, I was a mom. She asked me to walk up with her but when it came to going up on the stage, and crossing through the doorway...she chose to go without me, I waited at the bottom of the stairs...her decision...her walk...her journey.
She has already chosen her next step...Baptism. On September 9th she is going to be baptised, (this date is also mine and Dave's wedding anniversary!) and when we registered her for the event there were questions for her to answer and I am going to share them with you:
What was your life like before you met Christ?:
Um, wow...I don't know
How did you realize you needed Christ?:
By coming to church
How did you commit your life to Christ?:
Walking through the door
What difference has God made in your life since you've begun this relationship with Him?:
made me believe in something that I can not see but I still know is there
"This weekend we will be asking people to cross the line of faith by walking through a doorway we have set up onstage. Pastor Mark Beeson, has evangelism flowing through his blood. It's at the heart of GCC. He talks about a farming approach to evangelism where we plant seed, water, fertilize, and patiently wait for people to be ready and then we harvest. Rather than asking people to make a decision for Christ every week, we do it only 1-2 times per year. Part of his rationale in this is that most thinking people don't make life changing decisions in 20 minutes. I agree."
Paige walked through that doorway this weekend. I was happy and weepy and well, I was a mom. She asked me to walk up with her but when it came to going up on the stage, and crossing through the doorway...she chose to go without me, I waited at the bottom of the stairs...her decision...her walk...her journey.
She has already chosen her next step...Baptism. On September 9th she is going to be baptised, (this date is also mine and Dave's wedding anniversary!) and when we registered her for the event there were questions for her to answer and I am going to share them with you:
What was your life like before you met Christ?:
Um, wow...I don't know
How did you realize you needed Christ?:
By coming to church
How did you commit your life to Christ?:
Walking through the door
What difference has God made in your life since you've begun this relationship with Him?:
made me believe in something that I can not see but I still know is there
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Currently Reading
I must say this...not everything I read is for the purpose of learning. I read to read, I read to laugh, I read because I love seeing what the world looks like through the eyes of other people, I read because I love to see what other people can conjure up in their own imagination, I read to see what my imagination conjures up through the input of other people's writing, I love to read because there has always been something in every book of fact or fiction that I did not know before...even if it is a word that is unfamiliar that makes me dig out my dictionary, every book teaches me something. That is what keeps me reading. If I were to go blind tomorrow I would be thankful for braille and books on CD, and MP3. Blindness would not stop me from "reading" it would only stop me from reading with my eyes. Reading, to me, is second to breathing (and any other functions needed to live such as eating and hydration).
I am usually reading more than one book at a time. One of the books I am currently reading is a book called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. One reviewer said that "Some will no doubt call it foul, blasphemous and sacrilegious. Those people need to learn to appreciate a good joke." I totally agree with him.
I am going to share two excerpts from the book which I think show both the humor that the author is going for and what the author portrays to be the qualities of what Christ may have been like as a child/young man:
First...the funny (beware...there is some colorful language in this book):
To get this, you have to understand that in the book "Biff" is brought back to life into current day by an angel so that he can write his "gospel" and is being forced to stay at a hotel and guarded by said angel until he completes his writings. He is fascinated at how long people live these days. Here is the excerpt that made me laugh the longest so far: (I have done some censoring of the words)
"If I do manage to escape the angel, I'm not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don't have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I'd have to learn all new dirges. I've tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I'm having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must busta cap in someones a$$? Is"ho" always feminine, and "muthaf**ka" always masculine, while "b**ch can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to get all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be "stupid"? I'll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand."
Now on a totally different note, what may be just as interesting as the author's sense of humor is that that I think Christopher Moore did some serious study of the bible and the history and culture of the bible as well. Again, it is a work of fiction, but really, I would love for a bible scholar to read this and write about the historical and cultural accuracy of the details in the book. However...his assumption of what Christ's personality must have been like as he was discovering how to BE the Messiah is very refreshing.
To set this up I will simply say that this is from Biff's "gospel" in which he and Jesus have visited, by this point, two of the three wise men who came to witness Christ's birth. (By the way, Biff calls Jesus "Joshua" saying that it is the closest translation to his Hebrew name)
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought right?"
"Yes" said Gaspar
"Compassion is the same way" said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift"
"Wow," I said
Yeah, I read that and thought "Wow" and so I blog...
I am usually reading more than one book at a time. One of the books I am currently reading is a book called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. One reviewer said that "Some will no doubt call it foul, blasphemous and sacrilegious. Those people need to learn to appreciate a good joke." I totally agree with him.
I am going to share two excerpts from the book which I think show both the humor that the author is going for and what the author portrays to be the qualities of what Christ may have been like as a child/young man:
First...the funny (beware...there is some colorful language in this book):
To get this, you have to understand that in the book "Biff" is brought back to life into current day by an angel so that he can write his "gospel" and is being forced to stay at a hotel and guarded by said angel until he completes his writings. He is fascinated at how long people live these days. Here is the excerpt that made me laugh the longest so far: (I have done some censoring of the words)
"If I do manage to escape the angel, I'm not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don't have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I'd have to learn all new dirges. I've tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I'm having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must busta cap in someones a$$? Is"ho" always feminine, and "muthaf**ka" always masculine, while "b**ch can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to get all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be "stupid"? I'll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand."
Now on a totally different note, what may be just as interesting as the author's sense of humor is that that I think Christopher Moore did some serious study of the bible and the history and culture of the bible as well. Again, it is a work of fiction, but really, I would love for a bible scholar to read this and write about the historical and cultural accuracy of the details in the book. However...his assumption of what Christ's personality must have been like as he was discovering how to BE the Messiah is very refreshing.
To set this up I will simply say that this is from Biff's "gospel" in which he and Jesus have visited, by this point, two of the three wise men who came to witness Christ's birth. (By the way, Biff calls Jesus "Joshua" saying that it is the closest translation to his Hebrew name)
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought right?"
"Yes" said Gaspar
"Compassion is the same way" said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift"
"Wow," I said
Yeah, I read that and thought "Wow" and so I blog...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
a S.W.A.T. to remember
I love our weekly staff meetings at Granger Community Church (we call them S.W.A.T. which stands for Staff Working As Team). Today the meeting was led by our Senior Pastor Mark Beeson and we were discussing internal church things but Mark always has great biblical comparisons to current life and I am going to paraphrase some of today's comparisons...simply because they were AWESOME and I do not want to forget them. (My thoughts in green)
Moses probably thought his life sucked when he was 39. Toiling around in the desert with his sheep all of his life. Not knowing that a year from then he would find the burning bush. He did not know that his pain was part of God's plan. Who better to lead God's people through, and teach them how to survive in, the desert for 40 years than someone who had spent 40 years doing that exact thing! God had a plan. God's plan was/is good. The "pain" you are suffering through today may be part of something BIGGER and greater next year.
Learn in and from your suffering.
Everyone loves a dream...until it happens. Everyone wants to fly to the moon until you build a ship and ask for people to go. Then no one wants to go, it's too scary.
Prepare for change, prepare for the dream.
Seed or harvest? No one given a one dollar bill would think "Yee Ha! I've made it! This is the harvest! Payoff for my life's work! Time to retire!" No, they would think "seed" lets put this dollar to work. What could happen if we all thought that same way about a million dollars.
I don't have a million dollars, but my thought was that every day is a dollar and I can make that day my seed and plant as much as I can while I am here on earth and enjoy the harvest in eternity with God.
I love this team!
Moses probably thought his life sucked when he was 39. Toiling around in the desert with his sheep all of his life. Not knowing that a year from then he would find the burning bush. He did not know that his pain was part of God's plan. Who better to lead God's people through, and teach them how to survive in, the desert for 40 years than someone who had spent 40 years doing that exact thing! God had a plan. God's plan was/is good. The "pain" you are suffering through today may be part of something BIGGER and greater next year.
Learn in and from your suffering.
Everyone loves a dream...until it happens. Everyone wants to fly to the moon until you build a ship and ask for people to go. Then no one wants to go, it's too scary.
Prepare for change, prepare for the dream.
Seed or harvest? No one given a one dollar bill would think "Yee Ha! I've made it! This is the harvest! Payoff for my life's work! Time to retire!" No, they would think "seed" lets put this dollar to work. What could happen if we all thought that same way about a million dollars.
I don't have a million dollars, but my thought was that every day is a dollar and I can make that day my seed and plant as much as I can while I am here on earth and enjoy the harvest in eternity with God.
I love this team!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
2007 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival
Okay, I need to pre-empt this by stating...all of the pictures are from my phone so do not give me crap about quality...
The College Football Hall of Fame just celebrated it's annual enshrinement and this year I was a part of that! To be honest, ever since I began my new position there (only a month or so ago) I have been almost DREADING the event. Everyone has been so wrapped up in it that as an "Event Supervisor" they were making me nervous! HOWEVER once the big event arrived I HAD A BLAST!
Thursday evening was the VIP reception and the staff team was playing ALL POSITIONS. I for one had a part in acting as "security" while the VIPs arrived and walked across the street from their hotel in order to "protect" them from autograph seekers. Okay, have you seen me? Have you seen a Football Player? I was having a total Charlie's Angel moment and looked at my shoes and decided that I was prepared...I have 3 inch heels and I am NOT afraid to use them! The reality of the situation is that I was just using my abilities to keep things flowing smoothly and being kind but stern to people who might approach the VIPs that night.
Friday 8am I reported for duty and was given quick instructions on how to operate and drive a scissor lift and spent a couple hours in it doing some decorating. Friday Evening was the Beach Party...There was food, and fun and music and VIPs mingling and having a good time. (By 10am I was sunburned - appropriate for a beach party right? -and was primarily on my feet until 11pm and I was EXHAUSTED and wanted to trade my feet in by the time I got home)
Back in Saturday at 7am to prepare for (more time in the scissor lift) the Parade and Fan Festival which included the celebrity flag football game, football clinic for the kids, lots of inflatables for the kids at the Kids Zone (which I DID NOT get pictures of) and the Enshrinement Ceremony - which not only was I off the clock for, I was done in time to hit the 7:30 pm service at church while the ceremony was happening, nice relaxing church.
Friday and Saturday each had autograph sessions scheduled and, for me - not being a sports fan, I found it funny when I arrived Friday at 8am to find people had camped overnight to purchase tickets to them. I don't love anyone enough to camp out in line for them....well, maybe Jesus...but other than that I doubt it. Both autograph sessions were sold out very quickly on Friday...many people were disappointed.
One thing I did enjoy was being in the Pressbox to help make sure that the autograph line went quick and smooth. It was fun talking to these guys...by the way>>>they are HUMAN. They have families and friends and a life outside of football. The ones I had a chance to speak to are kind and intelligent, and funny. During the first session I was stationed between Frank Sheptock and Mike Rozier. Frank Sheptock is just flippin nice and down to Earth and I kept running into his sister during the weekend who is just as nice and if it weren't for the VIP credentials I would have sworn they were South Bend residents. Mike Rozier is...funny, and quite a character. He could not open his beverage bottle and asked if I had any keys and when I told him the key he chose to use happened to be the key to a church he found it rather amusing considering the beverage. He was like the class clown for the first autograph session.
The second session I was with Chad Hennings and Jessie Tuggle. Chad Hennings and I chatted about the Air Force and he gave me some direction to help Breanna get into the field that she would like to pursue when she begins her journey toward enlistment. Did you know he had to sign a special waiver in order to be a pilot in the USAF because of his height? Apparently there are torso length limitations that they prefer to adhere to. While I was chatting with Jessie Tuggle, I found that he is now coaching high school football and one of his kids is on the team. I guess that both his kids are very good athletes (according to their proud father) and that we should probably watch for them in the future. He was very kind and you could really hear his love for his family when he spoke of them.
So many things to share, but I hesitate to blog a novel - and --though I am exhausted, sunburned, scraped, scratched, bruised, and sore...I am glad I had the opportunity to take part in this event. It was interesting and totally different than what I am used to doing and it was a great learning experience for me. It also gave me the opportunity to spend more time with the College Football Hall of Fame staff and see everyone pitch in and try to create a fun atmosphere for our community.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy (Episode 2)
Breanna and I have had this conversation or versions of it more than once while driving somewhere:
"I want to get my belly button removed"
"Wwwwwhyyyy?"
"It served it's purpose, I don't need it anymore."
"It still has a purpose. Are you trying to be Kyle XY?"
She blathered on about after being born the belly button serves no purpose.
"It's new purpose it to collect lint."
More blathering
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you. I will pay to have your belly button removed as soon as I have saved up the money to have my wedding venue built."
"SWEET!"
This conversation reminds me of when she was but a wee child. I remember when she would accompany me to the store and would say "Mommy can I have that?" and point to whatever her object of desire was at that moment. I would say "Yes, honey, someday." and strangely enough that always made her happy. (the item would usually end up being a birthday or Christmas present) Funny how sometimes just giving them hope is really all that a child needs.
"I want to get my belly button removed"
"Wwwwwhyyyy?"
"It served it's purpose, I don't need it anymore."
"It still has a purpose. Are you trying to be Kyle XY?"
She blathered on about after being born the belly button serves no purpose.
"It's new purpose it to collect lint."
More blathering
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you. I will pay to have your belly button removed as soon as I have saved up the money to have my wedding venue built."
"SWEET!"
This conversation reminds me of when she was but a wee child. I remember when she would accompany me to the store and would say "Mommy can I have that?" and point to whatever her object of desire was at that moment. I would say "Yes, honey, someday." and strangely enough that always made her happy. (the item would usually end up being a birthday or Christmas present) Funny how sometimes just giving them hope is really all that a child needs.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
My Story
When I first came on staff at GCC my initial reaction was "I am not worthy" and I would bet that many of my co-workers probably felt the same about themselves initially. I felt so much like a fraud that I typed what I believed was my story and gave copies of it to the two Pastors that I would be "reporting" to. This thing was (I believe)21 pages, typed, single spaced. I was certain that they would change their minds, but here it is 2 years and 20 days later and I am still here.
Today, driving into work I was listening to a CD of some worship music and the words rang true and helped me realize how much I have changed. I am ABSOLUTELY worthy of my position. It is not that I am any better than anyone else on the planet, but I realize now that I am EQUAL to everyone else on the planet. I matter and I deserve everything that I accomplish. God loves me just as much as he loves (in no particular order) Mother Theresa, Warren Buffet, Mark Beeson, Oprah Winfrey, Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, the homeless Vietnam Vet that I see pushing a cart every day down Sample St, my children, my spouse, your children, your spouse, our parents, my siblings, etc. I am no better and I am no worse, but only by Gods gift of his Son and the sacrifice made by Christ is that true. Which not only makes me worthy, it makes me grateful (for all things), less judgemental (of myself and others), more forgiving (of myself and others) but most importantly - more accepting of myself which makes me more accepting of others.
I look back at what I believed to be "My Story" and realize that the things that I thought made me undeserving were really not as BIG and AWFUL as I thought they were. Heck, some of it was not mine to feel bad about! Were there things I wish I had not done? Yes, but can't everyone say that?
Wow, have I grown or what?!?!
Today, driving into work I was listening to a CD of some worship music and the words rang true and helped me realize how much I have changed. I am ABSOLUTELY worthy of my position. It is not that I am any better than anyone else on the planet, but I realize now that I am EQUAL to everyone else on the planet. I matter and I deserve everything that I accomplish. God loves me just as much as he loves (in no particular order) Mother Theresa, Warren Buffet, Mark Beeson, Oprah Winfrey, Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, the homeless Vietnam Vet that I see pushing a cart every day down Sample St, my children, my spouse, your children, your spouse, our parents, my siblings, etc. I am no better and I am no worse, but only by Gods gift of his Son and the sacrifice made by Christ is that true. Which not only makes me worthy, it makes me grateful (for all things), less judgemental (of myself and others), more forgiving (of myself and others) but most importantly - more accepting of myself which makes me more accepting of others.
I look back at what I believed to be "My Story" and realize that the things that I thought made me undeserving were really not as BIG and AWFUL as I thought they were. Heck, some of it was not mine to feel bad about! Were there things I wish I had not done? Yes, but can't everyone say that?
Wow, have I grown or what?!?!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Just for Lindsay
Hey Lindsay! I know how much you wanted to be there to support your friend Taya while she sang the National Anthem at the College Football Hall of Fame's Celebrity Softball Game, but couldn't because you were busy being a good mom celebrating your son's birthday (Happy Birthday Dawson!).
Taya sang beautifully...and by the way, the gentleman at the end of the line on the left IS none other than former ND quarterback Tony Rice. Lindsay, maybe you can come when Taya will be performing again on Aug 3rd, sorry I do not have all the details but I am sure she will share them with you.
Oh and Lindsay, Taya was wearing a "pirate" striped shirt in honor of Dawson's birthday...too cute.
The View from my beach umbrella
On July 5th we traveled up to South Haven to see the fireworks from the beach. Viewing fireworks from any other type of location just seems lame to me. Fireworks on the beach make everything seem great...and somehow safer. The above photos are shots taken before the sun went down.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
La Vie Binge and Purge
Last night at the dinner table Paige asked Breanna to translate "La Vie Boheme" for her. Breanna told her that she thought it meant "the Bohemian life" or something along those lines. Paige being her 11 year old self was unsure about what the word 'bohemian' meant. So in her innocence she asked:
"Isn't bohemian when you stick your finger in your mouth and touch that little thing in the back and you puke?"
Breanna and Dave were quick on the draw to correct her and explain that "NO, that is Bulemia!"
....followed by roars of laughter (not at Bulemia but at Paige's incorrect interpretation)...priceless.
"Isn't bohemian when you stick your finger in your mouth and touch that little thing in the back and you puke?"
Breanna and Dave were quick on the draw to correct her and explain that "NO, that is Bulemia!"
....followed by roars of laughter (not at Bulemia but at Paige's incorrect interpretation)...priceless.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
My Best Friend
You hear the term all your life. "My Best Friend"
Little girls compete for the title (as if there is crown and sash) to be someone's best friend.
Even big girls play the game....that can be ugly. (I don't know if I notice it with boys or men.)
Some time ago I dropped the word "best" from my vocabulary when referring to my friends and I thought I would share about that. So, here it is. The reason for not having a BEST friend label:
It diminishes the value of your other friends.
So, with that being said, I am going to reinstate it into my vocabulary. The big announcement you have all been waiting for:
Who is my Best Friend?
drum roll please......
A friend for 15 years. Been through the good, the bad, the ugly. Shared or knows of my best moments, shared or knows of my worst moments. Has forgiven me for many things. Has loved me through it all. Laughed AT me through most of it. Doesn't always understand me but always accepts me.
None other than:
David! My husband!
I feel good giving him that title. He deserves it. It does not diminish the value of my other friends. He won't flaunt it or rub it in the faces of my other friends. He will wear it under his clothes like a secret identity. My own personal Superman (he is Super!), Batman (He would get a bat out of my hair if need be), Spiderman (he kills spiders for me on a regular basis)....Myman (you get the picture).
Now believe me, he had some tough competition. I am only listing here those people who were placed in my life without any blood or work connections. (Not that those people are not friends, but those relationships were easier to create.) These are the ones that I want to honor because I don't think I let them know often enough how much they mean to me. Let me start in CHRONOLOGICAL order:
Lori - Met in 9th grade. Heart of gold, has actually been around LONGER than Dave. Has also shared a bed with me (don't go there!). She was my only friend when I needed one, she hated me when we first met. She let me be me. She stuck. She laughed at my bike riding. She was there when I tried to be a rebel. She taught me that I could look cute. She brought out the adventurer in me. She remembers...sometimes too much. She may not know it all, but is willing to try most. Will do anything for anyone in need. Cracks me up. Is a survivor through and through. One tough cookie with a soft gooey center.
Paula - Met after I left high school...She too has a longer lifespan than Dave on the friends list. (she too has shared a bed with me....it's a girl thing) She has been my friend, my roomy, my party gal, my other half (she actually dropped down on one knee in front of Azar's and proposed to me once - ring and all - okay, it was a plastic "Big Boy" ring but it still counts...okay we were drunk and tired...so maybe not). She held my hair when I threw up from overdrinking. She taught me how to paint the town whatever color I wanted. She was my dance partner. My fellow "Illusionette" my fellow "Dream Weaver". She helped me remain independent (I know that seems contradictive), and helped me raise my oldest child while I was still single. She is a woman who knows who she is and is not afraid of life. She doesn't compromise who she is for what society says she should be. She can hold her own with a group of sailors but she is ALL WOMAN! She actually had alot to do with how I started dating my husband. She is always going to be there for me.
Jen - Met 7 or 8 years ago (time is foggy when you get older) She is actually an amazing addition. I met her through an old boyfriend who I remained good friends with. (They are now married). She showed me where my passions are. She raised my awareness of my abilities. She let me find out how much I love the things I love through experiencing them with her. She was my guinea pig. She is smart and fun and loving and thoughtful and kind. She is passionate. Did I mention PASSIONATE...about her husband, her kids, her life...She tries to give her all...maybe to a fault but she is learning. She is someone who I feel comfortable with in the matters of Faith. She shares openly. She loves immensly. She is another heart of gold...but she prefers platinum. Will do everything she can if asked. She recently helped me realize the disservice I do to my friends when I try to protect them from the bad things in my life by not allowing them to be there for me. Shame on me. She is my eye opener. I think I will call her VISINE.
I would also like to make special mention of a couple of interesting friendships:
Cher - I have not seen her since I left Florida in 1984. We lost touch when I was in high school but recently...this past January...I googled her (had tried several times over the past few years with no luck) and found a live email. So I took a chance in the hopes it was her and the opening line to her response was "Get out!". So, we have spent alot of emails sharing life and it still clicks. It seems like - how did she put it - our friendship was just on pause. This connection means so much to me. I can not even put it's value into words. I like what she is doing with her life. I feel like having this communication with her completes a circle. I am enjoying getting to know the adult she has become. In her minds eye I am still 13 years old and that is how I remember her as well. (I think it is neat to be locked in someone's memory without the wrinkles, stretchmarks, or extra baggage)
Tracey - Another long distance friend. I have not seen her since she was in my wedding in 1995. We met when I lived in New Jersey (late 80's) and it was like looking at me in a tiny little Italian girl's body. She was my constant friend, one of the family from the second we met. We did some fun stuff together, and some stupid stuff together and if she still wore braces she would still be picking the bugs out of them to proove it! We may not talk much but I know that I can pick up the phone and we can pick up right where we left off without any of the "why haven't you called me in X amount of time?" crap that some people lay on you. She is THERE. I am THERE for her. We know that about each other and are good with that.
So to all my friends. Thank you. Words can not express what you mean to me. You are all THE BEST. Each of you are so different from one another. (I find it fascinating that I have never had all of you in the same room together....would the building survive that much awesomeness in one space?!?!?) One of these days I would love to do a brunch to celebrate you all and the place that you have in my heart. Break out your calendars!
Love to my sisters!
Extra love to my Best Friend.
I am so blessed.
Little girls compete for the title (as if there is crown and sash) to be someone's best friend.
Even big girls play the game....that can be ugly. (I don't know if I notice it with boys or men.)
Some time ago I dropped the word "best" from my vocabulary when referring to my friends and I thought I would share about that. So, here it is. The reason for not having a BEST friend label:
It diminishes the value of your other friends.
So, with that being said, I am going to reinstate it into my vocabulary. The big announcement you have all been waiting for:
Who is my Best Friend?
drum roll please......
A friend for 15 years. Been through the good, the bad, the ugly. Shared or knows of my best moments, shared or knows of my worst moments. Has forgiven me for many things. Has loved me through it all. Laughed AT me through most of it. Doesn't always understand me but always accepts me.
None other than:
David! My husband!
I feel good giving him that title. He deserves it. It does not diminish the value of my other friends. He won't flaunt it or rub it in the faces of my other friends. He will wear it under his clothes like a secret identity. My own personal Superman (he is Super!), Batman (He would get a bat out of my hair if need be), Spiderman (he kills spiders for me on a regular basis)....Myman (you get the picture).
Now believe me, he had some tough competition. I am only listing here those people who were placed in my life without any blood or work connections. (Not that those people are not friends, but those relationships were easier to create.) These are the ones that I want to honor because I don't think I let them know often enough how much they mean to me. Let me start in CHRONOLOGICAL order:
Lori - Met in 9th grade. Heart of gold, has actually been around LONGER than Dave. Has also shared a bed with me (don't go there!). She was my only friend when I needed one, she hated me when we first met. She let me be me. She stuck. She laughed at my bike riding. She was there when I tried to be a rebel. She taught me that I could look cute. She brought out the adventurer in me. She remembers...sometimes too much. She may not know it all, but is willing to try most. Will do anything for anyone in need. Cracks me up. Is a survivor through and through. One tough cookie with a soft gooey center.
Paula - Met after I left high school...She too has a longer lifespan than Dave on the friends list. (she too has shared a bed with me....it's a girl thing) She has been my friend, my roomy, my party gal, my other half (she actually dropped down on one knee in front of Azar's and proposed to me once - ring and all - okay, it was a plastic "Big Boy" ring but it still counts...okay we were drunk and tired...so maybe not). She held my hair when I threw up from overdrinking. She taught me how to paint the town whatever color I wanted. She was my dance partner. My fellow "Illusionette" my fellow "Dream Weaver". She helped me remain independent (I know that seems contradictive), and helped me raise my oldest child while I was still single. She is a woman who knows who she is and is not afraid of life. She doesn't compromise who she is for what society says she should be. She can hold her own with a group of sailors but she is ALL WOMAN! She actually had alot to do with how I started dating my husband. She is always going to be there for me.
Jen - Met 7 or 8 years ago (time is foggy when you get older) She is actually an amazing addition. I met her through an old boyfriend who I remained good friends with. (They are now married). She showed me where my passions are. She raised my awareness of my abilities. She let me find out how much I love the things I love through experiencing them with her. She was my guinea pig. She is smart and fun and loving and thoughtful and kind. She is passionate. Did I mention PASSIONATE...about her husband, her kids, her life...She tries to give her all...maybe to a fault but she is learning. She is someone who I feel comfortable with in the matters of Faith. She shares openly. She loves immensly. She is another heart of gold...but she prefers platinum. Will do everything she can if asked. She recently helped me realize the disservice I do to my friends when I try to protect them from the bad things in my life by not allowing them to be there for me. Shame on me. She is my eye opener. I think I will call her VISINE.
I would also like to make special mention of a couple of interesting friendships:
Cher - I have not seen her since I left Florida in 1984. We lost touch when I was in high school but recently...this past January...I googled her (had tried several times over the past few years with no luck) and found a live email. So I took a chance in the hopes it was her and the opening line to her response was "Get out!". So, we have spent alot of emails sharing life and it still clicks. It seems like - how did she put it - our friendship was just on pause. This connection means so much to me. I can not even put it's value into words. I like what she is doing with her life. I feel like having this communication with her completes a circle. I am enjoying getting to know the adult she has become. In her minds eye I am still 13 years old and that is how I remember her as well. (I think it is neat to be locked in someone's memory without the wrinkles, stretchmarks, or extra baggage)
Tracey - Another long distance friend. I have not seen her since she was in my wedding in 1995. We met when I lived in New Jersey (late 80's) and it was like looking at me in a tiny little Italian girl's body. She was my constant friend, one of the family from the second we met. We did some fun stuff together, and some stupid stuff together and if she still wore braces she would still be picking the bugs out of them to proove it! We may not talk much but I know that I can pick up the phone and we can pick up right where we left off without any of the "why haven't you called me in X amount of time?" crap that some people lay on you. She is THERE. I am THERE for her. We know that about each other and are good with that.
So to all my friends. Thank you. Words can not express what you mean to me. You are all THE BEST. Each of you are so different from one another. (I find it fascinating that I have never had all of you in the same room together....would the building survive that much awesomeness in one space?!?!?) One of these days I would love to do a brunch to celebrate you all and the place that you have in my heart. Break out your calendars!
Love to my sisters!
Extra love to my Best Friend.
I am so blessed.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Driving Miss Crazy
I love my time in the morning when it is just Breanna and I in the car driving her to school. The conversations should be recorded and maybe even YouTube’d.
Most of these conversations are utter silliness and are done while we are both laughing hysterically. It does not take much to set us off into hysterical laughter, but it is better than a cup of coffee for waking me up.
Last Thursday morning was one of those days. She headed to the car with a project board, and it is one of those that folds in three and so I ask to see it...and she denies me.
She DENIES me!
So I grab the back of her hoody and we battle on the way to the car.
She unlocks it, but I have the key fob…which means I have the power.
So I lock the doors.
She pretends to show me peeks of it, and finally she gives in.
Once we start driving, this is what follows that:
(Breanna quotes are in RED while mine are in GREEN)
“Why didn’t you want to show me?”
Which she blathers on about her artistic abilities and not liking to show her work to people, which I explain that I am not “people” and then the fun begins with her laughing and shouting:
“Help! Help! Rape!”
I thought I heard, and so I questioned “Help! Help! Hooray!?"
“No RAPE!"
" Help Help RAPE!"
" I said NO."
" No means NO "
"RAPE! "
"How would 'Help! Help! Hooray!’ get anyone’s attention?”
More silliness followed but it then led into:
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
I ponder and state “I have 4 cents in my checking account” while waving 4 fingers in her face.
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
“4 cents. (more finger waving) Which means I am broke. That is so little that they could not make it into one coin; they have to have 4 separate coins so you can see it.”
Then she stated something ‘off’ about a dime being smaller than 4 cents ….
“Hey remember that video I showed you of that weird group Lordi?”
“Yeah”
“Lordi is coming to Ozzfest!”
“We’re going to Ozzfest?!?!” (proof teenagers only hear what they want to hear)
“Nooooo, Lordi is going to BE there.”
“Hey who is that band that you used to listen to that wore the masks?”
“Dir En Gray?”
“No”
“Insane Clown Posse?”
“Maybe, I don’t know”
(Lots of discussion about her thinking it is one of those two and me doubting it)
She finally states “Slipknot!”
“YES! That’s it! Lordi looks like Slipknot mixed with Star Trek; one even reminds me of the Borg!”
Out of nowhere…literally, there had been a moment of silence and then she shouted:
[NOTE: THIS CONVERSATION HAS EDITED FOR CONTENT]
“Gummy Bear [EDITED]!”
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
" A gummy bear [EDITED]?"
“Yeah!”
Without any enthusiasm I could only respond with “Wow. It's [EDITED] honey.”
Because of a lack of proper response coming to mind; though I find the thought of her confusing it with [EDITED] very amusing, I realized I needed to change the subject. I then led into the question about colors and flavors of gummy bears and how she and I both like the clear ones that taste like pineapple....
She switches gears and goes into her rendition of Carlos Mencia's skit about Easter that goes something like: "Hide the eggs! And if anyone asks, eggs come from rabbits!"
We arrive at school, she gets out. I ask about her school ID, shout words of love while she unloads her school project and head to work with my head spinning.
Here are some links to help you “understand” our conversation (but really, you don’t HAVE to click on them. Consider yourself warned):
The Lordi Video
Dir En Gray
Insane Clown Posse
Slipknot
Ozzfest
Star Trek
The Borg
Gummy Bears
Carlos Mencia...Hide the Eggs! (this one is funny)
That was last Thursday. last Friday we bickered about whether or not I shake my leg when I am angry. I say no, she says yes. I say she is projecting her own attributes onto me.
So, just an ordinary morning with Breanna. How was your drive to work?
Most of these conversations are utter silliness and are done while we are both laughing hysterically. It does not take much to set us off into hysterical laughter, but it is better than a cup of coffee for waking me up.
Last Thursday morning was one of those days. She headed to the car with a project board, and it is one of those that folds in three and so I ask to see it...and she denies me.
She DENIES me!
So I grab the back of her hoody and we battle on the way to the car.
She unlocks it, but I have the key fob…which means I have the power.
So I lock the doors.
She pretends to show me peeks of it, and finally she gives in.
Once we start driving, this is what follows that:
(Breanna quotes are in RED while mine are in GREEN)
“Why didn’t you want to show me?”
Which she blathers on about her artistic abilities and not liking to show her work to people, which I explain that I am not “people” and then the fun begins with her laughing and shouting:
“Help! Help! Rape!”
I thought I heard, and so I questioned “Help! Help! Hooray!?"
“No RAPE!"
" Help Help RAPE!"
" I said NO."
" No means NO "
"RAPE! "
"How would 'Help! Help! Hooray!’ get anyone’s attention?”
More silliness followed but it then led into:
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
I ponder and state “I have 4 cents in my checking account” while waving 4 fingers in her face.
“So, are you going to buy me coffee?”
“4 cents. (more finger waving) Which means I am broke. That is so little that they could not make it into one coin; they have to have 4 separate coins so you can see it.”
Then she stated something ‘off’ about a dime being smaller than 4 cents ….
“Hey remember that video I showed you of that weird group Lordi?”
“Yeah”
“Lordi is coming to Ozzfest!”
“We’re going to Ozzfest?!?!” (proof teenagers only hear what they want to hear)
“Nooooo, Lordi is going to BE there.”
“Hey who is that band that you used to listen to that wore the masks?”
“Dir En Gray?”
“No”
“Insane Clown Posse?”
“Maybe, I don’t know”
(Lots of discussion about her thinking it is one of those two and me doubting it)
She finally states “Slipknot!”
“YES! That’s it! Lordi looks like Slipknot mixed with Star Trek; one even reminds me of the Borg!”
Out of nowhere…literally, there had been a moment of silence and then she shouted:
[NOTE: THIS CONVERSATION HAS EDITED FOR CONTENT]
“Gummy Bear [EDITED]!”
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
"[EDITED]"
" A gummy bear [EDITED]?"
“Yeah!”
Without any enthusiasm I could only respond with “Wow. It's [EDITED] honey.”
Because of a lack of proper response coming to mind; though I find the thought of her confusing it with [EDITED] very amusing, I realized I needed to change the subject. I then led into the question about colors and flavors of gummy bears and how she and I both like the clear ones that taste like pineapple....
She switches gears and goes into her rendition of Carlos Mencia's skit about Easter that goes something like: "Hide the eggs! And if anyone asks, eggs come from rabbits!"
We arrive at school, she gets out. I ask about her school ID, shout words of love while she unloads her school project and head to work with my head spinning.
Here are some links to help you “understand” our conversation (but really, you don’t HAVE to click on them. Consider yourself warned):
The Lordi Video
Dir En Gray
Insane Clown Posse
Slipknot
Ozzfest
Star Trek
The Borg
Gummy Bears
Carlos Mencia...Hide the Eggs! (this one is funny)
That was last Thursday. last Friday we bickered about whether or not I shake my leg when I am angry. I say no, she says yes. I say she is projecting her own attributes onto me.
So, just an ordinary morning with Breanna. How was your drive to work?
To be or not to be...
An Oasis Leader...
What are the odds of 5 girls wearing the same shoes on the same night without prior notice?
I really don't have the answer. The above feet are Brittany, Jamie, Taylor, Emily, and Melissa. These are the 5 girls that I had the honor to lead last night at Granger Community Church's middle school ministry, better known as OASIS.
I decided to kick the tires on this serving opportunity. I don't know if it is where I am meant to serve, but because Paige has asked me to (she gets to attend this year) I am giving it a try.
My first impression...to be honest...indifferent. That is how I tend to be when I try new things the first time around. I enjoyed the group time with these girls, however because it was my first time I would have rather spent more time getting to know the girls. The agenda was already set and Oasis is wrapping up the school year and I was filling in for their regular leader...so I just stuck to the plan.
During the teaching time with Judy Gregory, I found myself watching how the kids were reacting to her more than I was paying attention to what she was saying. I believe I caught the central theme of it though. Raise the bar. How can you make the biggest impact with the resources you have at hand? Go the extra mile.
I guess I can look at it this way: Nothing that happened last night scared me out of coming back.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
VT revisited.
I keep thinking about my last post. I hate my "knee jerk" reaction to some things. That post was one of them. The more I look at it the more I think...okay all of it still stands except the part about:
"What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy?"
Now that I have gotten past it a little, I realize that human beings are human beings. We do what we can when we can. Many of us just do not realize what we CAN do.
Then there was:
"There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves."
I can not reinvent the wheel, nor should I expect anyone else to. I do want to state, that I do NOT think it is the fault of the college that this happened and I fear that is what some may have felt that I was suggesting (though no one has said anything...this is just me reviewing my post and going 'Ugh! How did people perceive that?').
This is a good lesson for me I think:
Before posting about a hot, emotional, event and giving my opinion...not only do I need to give myself time to look at intentionally...I need to give myself time to react to it emotionally, let the emotions simmer down, and THEN post.
Noted.
"What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy?"
Now that I have gotten past it a little, I realize that human beings are human beings. We do what we can when we can. Many of us just do not realize what we CAN do.
Then there was:
"There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves."
I can not reinvent the wheel, nor should I expect anyone else to. I do want to state, that I do NOT think it is the fault of the college that this happened and I fear that is what some may have felt that I was suggesting (though no one has said anything...this is just me reviewing my post and going 'Ugh! How did people perceive that?').
This is a good lesson for me I think:
Before posting about a hot, emotional, event and giving my opinion...not only do I need to give myself time to look at intentionally...I need to give myself time to react to it emotionally, let the emotions simmer down, and THEN post.
Noted.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Regarding the Virginia Tech shootings
Please know that I did not experience college the way most do. I have a year under my belt at a community college and of course there was that year at beauty school...but that does not count. I say that to let you know that I honestly do NOT know what resources are available on campus and I am going to share a letter I wrote to my friend Cher who is a college professor:
"I had been trying to avoid the VT shooting incident until I could REALLY look at it. Yesterday I made a point of watching a broadcast that told about the victims and I had not realized how many professors had been killed and I instantly thought of {my friend Cher}.
It worries me that there were several people who feared this young man and no one listened to them. Fellow students saw in his writing that there was something wrong. He had a tutor that feared him so much so that she had a code word for her assistant to seek emergency assistance. There were records of him stalking not one, but two different women. Obviously no one was 'listening' to him either. What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy? Those victims could have been my daughter, or her friends and the professors could have been {my friend Cher}.
This morning, I watched clips from the video that Mr. Cho made between his shootings and obviously this guy was hurting and feeling insignificant and was obviously mentally unstable. There are records of him having spent time in a mental health care facility. Isn't that on part of the background check when people apply for a gun license and make purchase of a gun?
College years are very transitional for most people. Some people do not have the maturity, sense of responsibility, independence, ability to adapt, social skills, level of mental health, etc. required to be in that sort of environment. There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves.
The Cho family must be devastated. I know the victims families are, but image if you were the parents or family of Mr. Cho...guilt on top of grief. Layers and layers of pain. How sad for all of them. What a tragic loss for all of us. What potential leaders, doctors, entertainers, authors, teachers, mothers, fathers, and friends did we lose in those that were lost that day? So many people with so much potential to contribute to society, now gone.
"I had been trying to avoid the VT shooting incident until I could REALLY look at it. Yesterday I made a point of watching a broadcast that told about the victims and I had not realized how many professors had been killed and I instantly thought of {my friend Cher}.
It worries me that there were several people who feared this young man and no one listened to them. Fellow students saw in his writing that there was something wrong. He had a tutor that feared him so much so that she had a code word for her assistant to seek emergency assistance. There were records of him stalking not one, but two different women. Obviously no one was 'listening' to him either. What has to happen before people start taking active roles to prevent this type of tragedy? Those victims could have been my daughter, or her friends and the professors could have been {my friend Cher}.
This morning, I watched clips from the video that Mr. Cho made between his shootings and obviously this guy was hurting and feeling insignificant and was obviously mentally unstable. There are records of him having spent time in a mental health care facility. Isn't that on part of the background check when people apply for a gun license and make purchase of a gun?
College years are very transitional for most people. Some people do not have the maturity, sense of responsibility, independence, ability to adapt, social skills, level of mental health, etc. required to be in that sort of environment. There needs to be a way for someone or a group to be prepared to figure out who these people are. There should be a person or group that staff and students could go to who would be willing to REALLY look into the warning signs exhibited and offer support to these people before they take things into their own hands and find a way to lash out at others and/or themselves.
The Cho family must be devastated. I know the victims families are, but image if you were the parents or family of Mr. Cho...guilt on top of grief. Layers and layers of pain. How sad for all of them. What a tragic loss for all of us. What potential leaders, doctors, entertainers, authors, teachers, mothers, fathers, and friends did we lose in those that were lost that day? So many people with so much potential to contribute to society, now gone.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A shocking discovery!
So, I got on here today because I wanted to create a new post and add to my list. You see, in my drafts I am keeping a running tally of books that I have read this year...I don't know if I will ever publish the post, but I like having a list. So in doing that I notice that I actually have COMMENTS on my last post!!! Holy COW! I have COMMENTS!! People DO read this blog...maybe it wasn't crickets I was hearing when I would log on and post.
The one from "Baker" surprised me. I did not know she read my blog...so let me give a shout out to Kristin Baker!
The other comment was from Dell's corporate office. DUDE! They must have a team of people just searching the 'net for stuff like this. I am torn...do I respond? Right this moment, the me who is on vacation is thinking NO, but the customer service person in me is kicking my shin and telling me it is the right thing to do. So, Dell...I will get back to you. It may be in about 10 - 14 days. (I am on vacation and next week will be chock full of catching up and working on preparing for what will be an awesome wedding event)
So, anyway...after all of the "excitement" I can not remember what I was going to post about...shoot. I'm sure it will come back to me. Maybe tomorrow.
The one from "Baker" surprised me. I did not know she read my blog...so let me give a shout out to Kristin Baker!
The other comment was from Dell's corporate office. DUDE! They must have a team of people just searching the 'net for stuff like this. I am torn...do I respond? Right this moment, the me who is on vacation is thinking NO, but the customer service person in me is kicking my shin and telling me it is the right thing to do. So, Dell...I will get back to you. It may be in about 10 - 14 days. (I am on vacation and next week will be chock full of catching up and working on preparing for what will be an awesome wedding event)
So, anyway...after all of the "excitement" I can not remember what I was going to post about...shoot. I'm sure it will come back to me. Maybe tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
DELL's excellent customer service
My online chat with Dell customer service regarding making a bill payment (my payment is not due for a few weeks, I was just trying to make use of a gift card I received - a rebate from Cingular - a check would have been BETTER...HELLO CINGULAR! Anyway, here is the online chat with Dell:
3:44:20 PM
System
Your chat session will begin shortly.
System
Connected with R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)3:45:41 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service Chat. My name is R****** How may I help you?
3:46:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i would like to make a payment to my account using a visa gift card and can not seem to find where I can do that
3:46:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
I will look into this for you right away.
3:46:58 PM
Dawn Lovitt
thank you
3:47:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
You are welcome.
3:47:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Please verify the full name on the account.
3:47:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
Dawn R. Lovitt
3:47:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for the verification.The records show that your current e-mail address is dawnlovitt@serviceprovider.yay, is that correct?
3:47:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes (email address above was changed to protect ME)
3:48:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Are you referring to making payments to words (she misspelled it, not me) your dell preferred account??
3:48:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes
3:48:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i have been given a gift card and would like to use it toward this payment
3:49:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, I would like to inform you that you can't use the visa gift card to make a payment to words (she did it again) the account.
3:49:59 PM
Dawn Lovitt
you dont accept Visa?
3:51:18 PM
Dawn Lovitt
hello?
3:52:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, you can use only your checking account to make payments.
3:52:21 PM
Roselin Thomas
For further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:52:48 PM
Dawn Lovitt
so, could I use my debit card? (yes, I was ignoring her direction...I was curious)
3:53:51 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
i am afraid you can't.
3:54:01 PM
Dawn Lovitt
can you explain why?
3:54:16 PM
Dawn Lovitt
it is from my checking account. (she said "you can use only your checking account to make payments.")
3:55:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, as I informed for further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:55:56 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Is there anything else apart from this I can assist you with?
3:56:04 PM
Dawn Lovitt
well, no (she did not REALLY assist me to begin with...)
3:56:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SO, with that, know that I have needed to use their pay by phone option before. For some reason Dell can not seem to send me a statement on a regular basis to save my life. I have it on my calendar to go online and check my account every two weeks to make sure it is current...I should not have to do this. Anyway, when you pay by phone or online they charge you anywhere from $9.95 - $13.95. Even in this case where I was trying to get ahead of my payment. What WONDERFUL customer service.
3:44:20 PM
System
Your chat session will begin shortly.
System
Connected with R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)3:45:41 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service Chat. My name is R****** How may I help you?
3:46:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i would like to make a payment to my account using a visa gift card and can not seem to find where I can do that
3:46:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
I will look into this for you right away.
3:46:58 PM
Dawn Lovitt
thank you
3:47:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
You are welcome.
3:47:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Please verify the full name on the account.
3:47:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
Dawn R. Lovitt
3:47:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you for the verification.The records show that your current e-mail address is dawnlovitt@serviceprovider.yay, is that correct?
3:47:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes (email address above was changed to protect ME)
3:48:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Are you referring to making payments to words (she misspelled it, not me) your dell preferred account??
3:48:19 PM
Dawn Lovitt
yes
3:48:41 PM
Dawn Lovitt
i have been given a gift card and would like to use it toward this payment
3:49:46 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, I would like to inform you that you can't use the visa gift card to make a payment to words (she did it again) the account.
3:49:59 PM
Dawn Lovitt
you dont accept Visa?
3:51:18 PM
Dawn Lovitt
hello?
3:52:06 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, you can use only your checking account to make payments.
3:52:21 PM
Roselin Thomas
For further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:52:48 PM
Dawn Lovitt
so, could I use my debit card? (yes, I was ignoring her direction...I was curious)
3:53:51 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
i am afraid you can't.
3:54:01 PM
Dawn Lovitt
can you explain why?
3:54:16 PM
Dawn Lovitt
it is from my checking account. (she said "you can use only your checking account to make payments.")
3:55:36 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Dawn, as I informed for further information I request you to contact dell financial at 800 915 3355. They work from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 9pm CST.
3:55:56 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Is there anything else apart from this I can assist you with?
3:56:04 PM
Dawn Lovitt
well, no (she did not REALLY assist me to begin with...)
3:56:11 PM
R****** T***** (name changed to protect the innocent)
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SO, with that, know that I have needed to use their pay by phone option before. For some reason Dell can not seem to send me a statement on a regular basis to save my life. I have it on my calendar to go online and check my account every two weeks to make sure it is current...I should not have to do this. Anyway, when you pay by phone or online they charge you anywhere from $9.95 - $13.95. Even in this case where I was trying to get ahead of my payment. What WONDERFUL customer service.
Monday, March 19, 2007
$88.79
As promised I went comparison shopping for the items I received through my order to Angel Food Ministries and here are the results:
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce - $6.99
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs - $2.50
3 lb Popcorn Chicken - $8.02
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken - $14.08
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks - $4.98
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks - $3.79
7 oz Mac N Cheese - $0.45
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix - $0.83
10 oz Peanut Butter $1.48
15 oz Cut Pears - $1.25
8 oz Sliced Pineapple - $0.69
1 lb California Blend Vegetables - $2.43
1 lb Carrots - $1.38
24 oz French Fries (steak cut) - $1.50
10 pack Frozen Waffles - $1.05
8 pack Hot Dogs - $1.50
16 oz Bean Soup mix - $2.25
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie - $6.19
-----------------------------------All of the above for $61.36
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks - $13.98
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops - $6.18
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage - $2.98
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) $ 4.29
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $27.43
Grand Total of $88.79
A savings difference of $45.79
All of the above prices are the lowest possible price I could find for each item.
Please know that if I would have just gone shopping, those are not the actual "brands" I would have purchased - I prefer Kraft brand Mac N Cheese, I would have purchased pre-made Pillsbury biscuits, I would have purchased 4 New York Strips which each weighed 12 ounces and therefore spent an additional $6.99 on just that item alone. The chicken breasts I would have purchased from the meat counter would have weiged in at around 2 pounds and cost twice as much as well.
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce - $6.99
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs - $2.50
3 lb Popcorn Chicken - $8.02
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken - $14.08
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks - $4.98
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks - $3.79
7 oz Mac N Cheese - $0.45
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix - $0.83
10 oz Peanut Butter $1.48
15 oz Cut Pears - $1.25
8 oz Sliced Pineapple - $0.69
1 lb California Blend Vegetables - $2.43
1 lb Carrots - $1.38
24 oz French Fries (steak cut) - $1.50
10 pack Frozen Waffles - $1.05
8 pack Hot Dogs - $1.50
16 oz Bean Soup mix - $2.25
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie - $6.19
-----------------------------------All of the above for $61.36
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks - $13.98
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops - $6.18
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage - $2.98
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) $ 4.29
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $27.43
Grand Total of $88.79
A savings difference of $45.79
All of the above prices are the lowest possible price I could find for each item.
Please know that if I would have just gone shopping, those are not the actual "brands" I would have purchased - I prefer Kraft brand Mac N Cheese, I would have purchased pre-made Pillsbury biscuits, I would have purchased 4 New York Strips which each weighed 12 ounces and therefore spent an additional $6.99 on just that item alone. The chicken breasts I would have purchased from the meat counter would have weiged in at around 2 pounds and cost twice as much as well.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
$43.00
The following picture (to help you with proportions) is taken on my kitchen table.
I received all of THIS:
I received all of THIS:
In case you can not tell exactly what it is due to the plain, no brand packaging. (and the poor picture quality) Here is a list:
2 lb Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce
2 lb OnCor Mastaccioli w/ Meatballs
3 lb Popcorn Chicken
5 lb Breaded Frying Chicken
2 lb (4) Hamburger Steaks
12 oz (6) Sandwich Steaks
7 oz Mac N Cheese
8 oz Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix
10 oz Peanut Butter
15 oz Cut Pears
8 oz Sliced Pineapple
1 lb California Blend Vegetables
1 lb Carrots
24 oz French Fries (steak cut)
10 pack Frozen Waffles
8 pack Hot Dogs
16 oz Bean Soup mix
1 (30 oz)Pumpkin Pie
-----------------------------------All of the above for $25.00
32 oz (4) New York Strip Steaks
1.5 lb (4) Pork Loin Chops
1 lb (4) Italian Sausage
16 oz (4) Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless)
-----------------------------------Plus the above items for $18.00
Grand Total : $43.00
There is a local church that is a host site for Angel Food Ministries.
The local host site for the Granger, Indiana area is Calvary Chapel and their website is www.calvarychapelgranger.org
To put this in perspective: There are enough "Main Entree" (meat portion -if you will) items to make dinner for my family of 4 for 10 days. (Mind you a couple of them have enough to make 2 or 3 meals.) Plus there are some veggie options and carb options, and some fruit, and breakfast, and PIE...for only FORTY-THREE BUCKS! Let me repeat: $43.00!
Here is the basics:
Once a month Calvary Chapel places an order to Angel Food Ministries.
On their site they provide that months "menu" along with any "specials"
You must purchase the entire menu (which is what is listed above for $25.00) and it is ALWAYS $25.00. You can purchase as many UNITS of the menu as you would like. However, you must purchase at least 1 unit in order to purchase any specials. The specials are usually $18.00. and you can see above all the meat that was included in the special that I purchased. Once you order 1 UNIT of the primary menu, you can order as many "specials" units as you like.
There is a deadline for ordering each month and pick up seems to be 10 - 12 days after the deadline date. The only drawback can see for some is putting extra money into the food budget to by groceries "in advance" and have to wait to recieve it. For those people on public assistance such as food stamps or EBT cards...they accept them. Last time I checked they stated that if there is no balance on your EBT card they will wait to post until your card is credited again.
I am going to go to the grocery store this weekend and try to comparison shop the items I received and see what I would have spent at a local grocery store. I will be sure to post that as well.
Monday, March 05, 2007
My Celebrity Look Alikes
No, I am not deluded enough to think I truly resemble ANY of these ladies, but it is nice to look and say, yeah, I have their chin, or smile, or eyebrow arch....Please note that the highest resemblance was only a 66% match. I think I will try it with a baby picture next and see what it brings up!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Daddy Daughter Dance
The Daddy Daughter Dance was a week ago today
Paige became a princess (all the girls became princesses that night)
Dave got a glimpse of his little girl becoming a big girl
Not, much for ME to report. I played chauffeur.
Ask for details if you see them...they had a good evening together.
...and because I wont be doing this tomorrow....
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Christians, by Maya Angelou
Christians - By Maya Angelou
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I had to wait a day to get over it all. Yesterday...started out with the Bad and the Ugly but ended with the Good.
For those of you not reading from the Michiana area...yesterday was quite frankly...
....schmitty weather.
I went out at 6:45 am to warm up the truck and it was cold, and the weekends vomitous (is that even a word?) of snow was on the ground, but that was it. Fifteen minutes later I gather Paige and go out to take her to the bus and it was...........ridiculous. Wind whipping, snow stinging, can't see past my arm snowfall, and freezing. I lock Paige in the truck (nice and almost warm) and run and yell at Breanna to get her butt in gear we are leaving NOW. It took me almost an hour and a half to make what normally is a 30 minute journey if I hit all the lights red. Somewhere in the half dozen times that I had to get out of my truck to clean the ice off my wipers, I lost my cell phone. Luckily, after I came back to pick Paige up from school, I found it. Frozen under the snow in the parking lot....broken in half. (but the SIM card is still good)
That was the BAD.
Originally when I had left my house, I had my hair looking pretty cute. For those of you familiar with my naturally curly tresses...after braving the elements, that was the UGLY.
When I came home, I was dreading the fact that Dave would have to spend hours shoveling our drive and sidewalks. As I pulled up to my house, I had to take a moment to pull my chin out of my lap so that I could turn into my driveway. My COMPLETELY PLOWED driveway. Someone had plowed our drive and our front walk. I have NO CLUE who it was. I got out of my truck and just stood there turning in circles waiting for someone to come out and claim their good deed. No one appeared. So, thank you whoever you are... that was the GOOD of what could have been just a Bad and Ugly day.
For those of you not reading from the Michiana area...yesterday was quite frankly...
....schmitty weather.
I went out at 6:45 am to warm up the truck and it was cold, and the weekends vomitous (is that even a word?) of snow was on the ground, but that was it. Fifteen minutes later I gather Paige and go out to take her to the bus and it was...........ridiculous. Wind whipping, snow stinging, can't see past my arm snowfall, and freezing. I lock Paige in the truck (nice and almost warm) and run and yell at Breanna to get her butt in gear we are leaving NOW. It took me almost an hour and a half to make what normally is a 30 minute journey if I hit all the lights red. Somewhere in the half dozen times that I had to get out of my truck to clean the ice off my wipers, I lost my cell phone. Luckily, after I came back to pick Paige up from school, I found it. Frozen under the snow in the parking lot....broken in half. (but the SIM card is still good)
That was the BAD.
Originally when I had left my house, I had my hair looking pretty cute. For those of you familiar with my naturally curly tresses...after braving the elements, that was the UGLY.
When I came home, I was dreading the fact that Dave would have to spend hours shoveling our drive and sidewalks. As I pulled up to my house, I had to take a moment to pull my chin out of my lap so that I could turn into my driveway. My COMPLETELY PLOWED driveway. Someone had plowed our drive and our front walk. I have NO CLUE who it was. I got out of my truck and just stood there turning in circles waiting for someone to come out and claim their good deed. No one appeared. So, thank you whoever you are... that was the GOOD of what could have been just a Bad and Ugly day.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Experiencing Grief
When you lose someone you are close to; I thought I was done; it must come in waves...
I chose to stay home today, I have been so busy for the past two weeks that my home life and my house and my body are suffering. I needed a break and my head was screaming for it this morning.
After I took the kids to school, I figured the first thing I would do was go BACK to bed to get rid of my headache and see if some additional rest would help me.
I had this dream where I was driving past my friend Tim's business and spotted him and the old crew of guys outside. So, as would be my typical behavior I drove in for a visit. Tim and I sat and chatted and laughed but underlying his laughter I could see a sadness...in my dream...he let me know that he was sad over the loss of his family. In my dream HE had lost his kids and ex-wife in an accident and was heartbroken over it.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...(Just a few minutes ago) I woke up and my natural instinct has always been that after I dream about a friend I need to call or visit them. So, I woke up thinking I need to call or go see how Tim is doing. For a moment I had forgotten that he was dead... and then the grief hit me. In a way, it is like finding out all over again.
I really miss him. It has been 3 months, 18 days, and roughly 8 hours since I got the call.
I really miss him.
I chose to stay home today, I have been so busy for the past two weeks that my home life and my house and my body are suffering. I needed a break and my head was screaming for it this morning.
After I took the kids to school, I figured the first thing I would do was go BACK to bed to get rid of my headache and see if some additional rest would help me.
I had this dream where I was driving past my friend Tim's business and spotted him and the old crew of guys outside. So, as would be my typical behavior I drove in for a visit. Tim and I sat and chatted and laughed but underlying his laughter I could see a sadness...in my dream...he let me know that he was sad over the loss of his family. In my dream HE had lost his kids and ex-wife in an accident and was heartbroken over it.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...(Just a few minutes ago) I woke up and my natural instinct has always been that after I dream about a friend I need to call or visit them. So, I woke up thinking I need to call or go see how Tim is doing. For a moment I had forgotten that he was dead... and then the grief hit me. In a way, it is like finding out all over again.
I really miss him. It has been 3 months, 18 days, and roughly 8 hours since I got the call.
I really miss him.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
My "Who" list
Mark Waltz, Pastor of Connections, and all around fun guy posted this "challenge" on his blog recently:
" Look at your own life. Who has God brought across your path? Who has encouraged you? Who has spoken into your life? Who has exposed truth? Who has helped you experience God's grace, excellence, wonder or love?
Spiritual growth is life growth. Life growth is relational.
Pay attention - God's trying to help you grow! "
" Look at your own life. Who has God brought across your path? Who has encouraged you? Who has spoken into your life? Who has exposed truth? Who has helped you experience God's grace, excellence, wonder or love?
Spiritual growth is life growth. Life growth is relational.
Pay attention - God's trying to help you grow! "
So,,..here it goes:
David, my loving husband. He encourages me to do the things I enjoy doing but is never afraid to let me know when I spend too much time helping others. He also is very understanding of the fact that felt needs are voiced in seasons and that sometimes I have to SPRINT before I can rest. Loving me beyond reason and offering to hold my light while I read and walk on the treadmill...and all things similar to that.
Breanna, my eldest gene recipient. Her ability to bounce seems unending. Her solid grip on her own personal values is admirable. Her bravery to cut off all of her hair and dye it bright red...courageous beyond words. Her smile and laughter...a beacon.
Paige, my youngest gene recipient. Her ability to empathize at her age is quite remarkable. Her love for all things small unending. Her need and ability to nurture...almost abnormal but absolutely adorable. Her shameless displays of affection to those she loves...very appreciated.
My Parents. Mom - staying on track and keeping her goals in mind while trying to take care of so many others at work and at home...admirable. Dad - living every day with pain that is beyond my comprehension. Surviving when most would not...Superman. Both - Always loving and supporting me...thank you.
The loss of my friend Tim Kovas, whose unexpected death brought me face first into realizing how strong my faith really is.
Kathy Guy for wow, everything that Mark said: Encouraging me, speaking into my life, exposing truth, sharing life and feelings with me and teaching me God's grace, excellence, wonder, and love.
The rest of the Connections Team: Mark Waltz, Julie Smies, Theresa Hoeft, Shelley (DM) Arredondo, Susan Chipman, Guinn Shapiola, Ed Villalba, and Sherry Nadai. I group all of you together simply because I want to keep this light. Each of you has challenged me, shown me friendship, made me laugh and/or cry, encouraged me and supported me in some way shape or form. That is what teams are for and how friends are made. I feel honored to be among you all.
Amanda Sill, self proclaimed "slave". I prefer to call her a dedicated servant of God. A sense of humor that I enjoy, a beautiful smile and an ability to withstand my weirdness. A girl with a bright future ahead of her...and a spoiled brat all at the same time. NOW THAT is fun to be around. I want to be her when I grow up...
Mark Beeson...I feel like I say this all the time...for taking my hand and introducing me to Jesus.
All of the people who call GCC each day in need of counseling or resources of any sort. Allof the people who call GCC each day seeking a way to help those in need. Allowing me to see all of the puzzle pieces and letting me see how sometimes if a piece does not fit, where I thought it would ...there is probably a place on the other side of the puzzle where it will.
Respecting Your Addiction
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
My friends Theresa, Katie and I were having a chat about the "2 Missouri Boys Found, But Questions Remain" headlines that have been all over the news.
(The family will be interviewed for the first time on today's Oprah. (We will be meeting again tomorrow to follow up.)
It led us into some deeper conversations with humor sprinkled in to dispell the darkness. Some disconnected tidbits follow but there was a great deal of conversation that followed these so please understand we were not bashing on boys.
"It is not normal for a male adolescent to want to watch your children."
"Do not let your female baby sitter allow her male friends/boyfriends over to do homework."
"Pedophilia can not be cured, just like alcoholism can not be cured. These people struggle with these thoughts every day."
"State the obvious."
"Don't give them the control."
It is hard to summarize this conversation which included all the nightmares that every parent has, but a key point was Theresa's message from a former employer and friend who has worked for years with these type of people in the mental health care field. Don't let them make YOU feel uncomfortable about their problem. That does not mean that you remind them every time you see them that they have a problem, but when they create a moment that is intended to make you uncomfortable - such as:
Uncle Chester the pedophile (charged and convicted)at a family reunion (where everyone knows his history) approaches you and wants to know why you did not bring your kids. State the obvious:
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
"If you were an alcoholic, I wouln't buy you a bottle of wine."
"Just respecting your addiction."
Just respecting your addiction.
It's a new catch phrase. T-shirts will be printed next week.
My friends Theresa, Katie and I were having a chat about the "2 Missouri Boys Found, But Questions Remain" headlines that have been all over the news.
(The family will be interviewed for the first time on today's Oprah. (We will be meeting again tomorrow to follow up.)
It led us into some deeper conversations with humor sprinkled in to dispell the darkness. Some disconnected tidbits follow but there was a great deal of conversation that followed these so please understand we were not bashing on boys.
"It is not normal for a male adolescent to want to watch your children."
"Do not let your female baby sitter allow her male friends/boyfriends over to do homework."
"Pedophilia can not be cured, just like alcoholism can not be cured. These people struggle with these thoughts every day."
"State the obvious."
"Don't give them the control."
It is hard to summarize this conversation which included all the nightmares that every parent has, but a key point was Theresa's message from a former employer and friend who has worked for years with these type of people in the mental health care field. Don't let them make YOU feel uncomfortable about their problem. That does not mean that you remind them every time you see them that they have a problem, but when they create a moment that is intended to make you uncomfortable - such as:
Uncle Chester the pedophile (charged and convicted)at a family reunion (where everyone knows his history) approaches you and wants to know why you did not bring your kids. State the obvious:
"Chester, you're a pedophile; of course I won't bring my kids around you."
"If you were an alcoholic, I wouln't buy you a bottle of wine."
"Just respecting your addiction."
Just respecting your addiction.
It's a new catch phrase. T-shirts will be printed next week.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A great day
The day started out with me accompanying Breanna to Core Class 101
at Granger Community Church. Mark Beeson did a stellar job as always and
I could see that Breanna was truly paying attention. I was impressed by her
decision to attend the class and take her next step toward church membership.
The first session lasted an hour and 45 minutes and I will not forget the comment
that Breanna said as we walked out in the hall. "Whoa, I never really understood
that before." The first session, Mark takes 35 - 45 minutes and summarizes the bible
from Genesis to Revelation and truly explains salvation, or substitionary atonement.
I wont forget that comment because:
a) I thought she already understood that
b) (and the reason for "a")she spent two years going through CCD classes (her father's family is Catholic)
It amazed me that my assumption was wrong...and that two years of CCD teaching (which I know she retained because I have heard her repeat the teachings to other people) did not help her to understand the gift that Christ gave us.
--------------------------
After core class we ran into my pal Amanda who found the interaction between Breanna and I worthy of a reality show...I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. Amanda also had to make me feel rather ignorant by showing me that I really CAN send a text message on my phone.
However, my regret of the day are a couple of comments I made while Breanna and Amanda were speaking about parents - fathers in particular that probably made no sense and probably sounded really BAD to anyone (like Amanda) who did not understand the background of the comments.
Completely out of context and it is not meant for you to understand them at this particular moment, but the comments were:
"I sware it was the month that he was cute"
"He served his purpose"
Almost as soon as I uttered the second one, I thought...what the H, E, double hockey sticks am I saying!?!?
Breanna and I have had conversations about her father, (for those who do not know, my husband is not her father but has been in her life since before she was 2) some of them lighter than others.
She once asked me how I could have ever found her father attractive, and as a flip comment
the "I sware it was the month that he was cute." comment came out of my mouth.
Which of course brought up the deeper question of how I only dated him for roughly a month and ended up pregnant. I was not even dating him any longer when I found out that I was pregnant. Which brought up me explaining that her father and I met when I was very confused about life and love and was heartbroken over someone else and quite frankly I was full of emotions and needed an outlet for them and at the time basically her father unwittingly played proxy for that person in my life. I claimed to and believed that I loved him and engaged in a physical relationship with him. Finally I woke up to what I was doing and we mutually ceased interacting....for a while.
Which of course brought up the...was I a mistake question that children of unplanned pregnancies inevitably will have. I explained that though she was not planned, she was not a mistake. She was a surprise. If I did not want her, I had options. I could have put her up for adoption or had an abortion. I chose to have her and keep her because I felt that she was meant to be in my life and not once did I doubt that. Hence her father served his purpose in my life...to take part in creating the gift of my beautiful Breanna.
I never claim to have always made good choices in my life, but deciding to give birth to and raise Breanna was one of best.
----------------------------
Breanna enjoyed talking to Amanda and gave her extra points for liking her snake and decided to hang out with her for a few hours to help set up some things for services later as well as be co-conspirator to freaking out Lindsay by surprising her with the snake. Apparently mission was accomplished and Breanna had a great time hanging out with Amanda. While I went and visited my friends Paul and Jen.
---------------------------
I gathered my daughter and her snake...
(by the way, in case you had not figured this out, Akuji went with us today
because Breanna had heard that Julie had wanted to meet him and she loves to show him off)
...and we stopped by the mall to pick up snake food (a mouse) and had some fun conversation about things she learned in Core Class that relate to her current life, such as "Voting creates division" which has really affected a club she has been trying to get started in her school. It opened a door for me to offer to offer (yes I meant to say that twice) my suggestions which ended up with her wanting to know if she could ask her club sponsor to let me be a guest speaker at their next club meeting. I don't care for public speaking but if someone wants me speak on a topic I am comfortable with, and that person has my unconditional love...I think I could bite the bullet.
We also had a conversation about how I think that left solely up to men, the world would not have made as much forward progression as it has. Not that men are not important to the progression but I have found many personal examples in relationships and in the workplace where the women have been the catalyst for change...just an observation.
-----------------------------
.....and then I dropped Breanna off at work.
at Granger Community Church. Mark Beeson did a stellar job as always and
I could see that Breanna was truly paying attention. I was impressed by her
decision to attend the class and take her next step toward church membership.
The first session lasted an hour and 45 minutes and I will not forget the comment
that Breanna said as we walked out in the hall. "Whoa, I never really understood
that before." The first session, Mark takes 35 - 45 minutes and summarizes the bible
from Genesis to Revelation and truly explains salvation, or substitionary atonement.
I wont forget that comment because:
a) I thought she already understood that
b) (and the reason for "a")she spent two years going through CCD classes (her father's family is Catholic)
It amazed me that my assumption was wrong...and that two years of CCD teaching (which I know she retained because I have heard her repeat the teachings to other people) did not help her to understand the gift that Christ gave us.
--------------------------
After core class we ran into my pal Amanda who found the interaction between Breanna and I worthy of a reality show...I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. Amanda also had to make me feel rather ignorant by showing me that I really CAN send a text message on my phone.
However, my regret of the day are a couple of comments I made while Breanna and Amanda were speaking about parents - fathers in particular that probably made no sense and probably sounded really BAD to anyone (like Amanda) who did not understand the background of the comments.
Completely out of context and it is not meant for you to understand them at this particular moment, but the comments were:
"I sware it was the month that he was cute"
"He served his purpose"
Almost as soon as I uttered the second one, I thought...what the H, E, double hockey sticks am I saying!?!?
Breanna and I have had conversations about her father, (for those who do not know, my husband is not her father but has been in her life since before she was 2) some of them lighter than others.
She once asked me how I could have ever found her father attractive, and as a flip comment
the "I sware it was the month that he was cute." comment came out of my mouth.
Which of course brought up the deeper question of how I only dated him for roughly a month and ended up pregnant. I was not even dating him any longer when I found out that I was pregnant. Which brought up me explaining that her father and I met when I was very confused about life and love and was heartbroken over someone else and quite frankly I was full of emotions and needed an outlet for them and at the time basically her father unwittingly played proxy for that person in my life. I claimed to and believed that I loved him and engaged in a physical relationship with him. Finally I woke up to what I was doing and we mutually ceased interacting....for a while.
Which of course brought up the...was I a mistake question that children of unplanned pregnancies inevitably will have. I explained that though she was not planned, she was not a mistake. She was a surprise. If I did not want her, I had options. I could have put her up for adoption or had an abortion. I chose to have her and keep her because I felt that she was meant to be in my life and not once did I doubt that. Hence her father served his purpose in my life...to take part in creating the gift of my beautiful Breanna.
I never claim to have always made good choices in my life, but deciding to give birth to and raise Breanna was one of best.
----------------------------
Breanna enjoyed talking to Amanda and gave her extra points for liking her snake and decided to hang out with her for a few hours to help set up some things for services later as well as be co-conspirator to freaking out Lindsay by surprising her with the snake. Apparently mission was accomplished and Breanna had a great time hanging out with Amanda. While I went and visited my friends Paul and Jen.
---------------------------
I gathered my daughter and her snake...
(by the way, in case you had not figured this out, Akuji went with us today
because Breanna had heard that Julie had wanted to meet him and she loves to show him off)
...and we stopped by the mall to pick up snake food (a mouse) and had some fun conversation about things she learned in Core Class that relate to her current life, such as "Voting creates division" which has really affected a club she has been trying to get started in her school. It opened a door for me to offer to offer (yes I meant to say that twice) my suggestions which ended up with her wanting to know if she could ask her club sponsor to let me be a guest speaker at their next club meeting. I don't care for public speaking but if someone wants me speak on a topic I am comfortable with, and that person has my unconditional love...I think I could bite the bullet.
We also had a conversation about how I think that left solely up to men, the world would not have made as much forward progression as it has. Not that men are not important to the progression but I have found many personal examples in relationships and in the workplace where the women have been the catalyst for change...just an observation.
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.....and then I dropped Breanna off at work.
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