Friday, March 31, 2006

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Fluff...'cuz I can...

*NOTE* - for some reason - my page is loading VERY slowly today - my apologies!

What time did you get up this morning? Um...around 6:45

Diamonds or pearls? Yes, and if you have to ask, you probably don't know me well...

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Wow. Been so long, I'm not even sure.

What is your favorite TV show? SVU, American Idol (yeah, I know)

What did you have for breakfast? Some trail mix

What is your middle name? Marie

What is your favorite cuisine? Italian, although I can do some damage to Southern cuisine and some Chinese foods

What foods do you dislike? Organ meats *shiver*

What is your favorite chip? Well, since I don't think chocolate counts for this one, I'll have to say Fritos or Pringles

What is your favorite CD at the moment? Zoe In Christ Alone

What kind of car do you drive? Honda 626

What is your favorite sandwich? Rare roast beef on sourdough with lettuce, tomato, mayo and cheese - oh, and I'll take a non-caffeinated soda - easy ice - thanks! Need gas money?

What characteristics do you despise? Dishonesty and arrogance

Favorite clothing? Flannel jammies

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? UK or Belgium (come on - a country whose main exports are chocolate and diamonds?! Yeah, baby!)

What color is your bathroom? To be determined...stay tuned

Favorite brand of clothing? Clothing comes in brands?

Where would you want to retire? Barbie's dreamhouse - have you SEEN that thing? Okay, seriously probably the northeast or northwest - not really a beach kinda gal

Favorite time of day? Early morning before the dog is doing his puppy-potty dance and everyone is still sleeping, especially if it's the weekend and we have nothing planned.

Where were you born? Pekin, IL

Favorite sport to watch? Football!

What type of detergent do you use? Whatever's on sale.

Coke or Pepsi? Coke

Morning person or night owl? As much as I like mornings, it's easier to stay up late than to get up early

Shoe size? 8

Pets? Yes, one very spoiled Brittany - Wrigley AKA Fuzzbutt

Any new and exciting news to share? Jenn? Can I?

What did you want to be when you were little? Well, I told my mother that I wanted to be a nurse, but she gave me the 1970's feminist party line about being more than that - that I could be a doctor if I wanted to - but all I wanted was the cool nurse hat.

Favorite candy bar? Heath or frozen Snickers

What is one of your best childhood memories? ...childhood memory...childhood memory...hmmm...nope - drawing a blank

What are all the different jobs you've had? Um...games manager in a carnival, retail clerk, desk attendant in college, deputy circuit clerk, administrative assistant/gofer

Piercing? Ears

Eye color? Green

Ever been to Africa? No

Ever been toilet papered? My house? No. Myself? Yes. At my wedding shower.

Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes

Been in a car accident? Yes

Croutons or bacon bits? Neither

Favorite day of the week? Saturday or Sunday

Favorite restaurant? We don't go out very often, so I don't know that I have a favorite right now.

Favorite flower? Lily of the valley, ranunculas, tea roses

Favorite ice cream? Yes. *j/k* I like those yummy decadent flavors, but in a pinch, I can be appeased with mint chocolate chip

Disney or Warner Brothers? Disney

Favorite fast food restaurant? Probably McDonald's or Burger King (onion rings...yummm!)

Carpet color? Ugh - do we have to go there? Okay. Blue. Yes, I know. Fortunately, Wrigley sheds an awful lot, so if it doesn't get vaccuumed for a couple of days, it's kind of a grayish.

How many times did you fail your drivers test? Once. But I drove anyway. (Shhhh!)

From whom did you get your last email? The Bay of Evil

What store would you choose to max out a credit card? Probably Hobby Lobby.

What do you do most often when you're bored? Watch TV, read, stitch

Ford or Chevy? Not really crazy about Chevy Chase, so I'll have to say Harrison Ford.

What are you listening to right now? Me typing and one of my collectors on a phone call.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Okay, well, I have an answer to that one, but not one I'm actually willing to tarnish my good girl rep with on my blog.

Time you finished this? Not a moment too soon.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Skills Test = OVER

Yep - all done. And she told me I did great on it. *whew* It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, although there were precious moments of sheer panic and terror thrown in for good measure...Then she decided to beef up my resume AGAIN. I was uncomfortable with some of the things she added - you know, little things, like that I know how to use certain programs and software that I've never even seen before. Yeah. Great. Now it's just a waiting game. And learning that software I'm already supposed to know.

Watched Hotel Rwanda last night. (Yeah, I know I'm a bit later than EVERYONE in the world!) Allen was curious to know what I thought of it. It was a very hard movie to watch. I consciously tried to disengage to some degree, but I couldn't. I told Allen that it was hard to figure out who the good guys were, besides Paul, of course. I found that to be very disturbing. I was really needing some clear cut boundaries and there were none. It was challenging.

Happy Wednesday!

Monday, March 27, 2006

Monday

This is getting ridiculous! Still not feeling great, still not wanting to be at work, still not able to be a full speed at anything. Stupid flu...

So. Skills test tomorrow afternoon - provided things go well until then (see previous rant) and happy thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Now, if I could just learn the program I need by osmosis...

Gotta run!

Thursday, March 23, 2006

...even more from my vast store of knowledge...

FLU + VERY TEMPTING (and yummy!) BEEF STROGANOFF = STILL BAD (ugh!) I simply couldn't resist - especially after not having eaten anything since Sunday.

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So why do you think the demons come out and bother us at night? I was so tired last night, from a combination of things, but I simply could not sleep. My mind kept racing and I was sorely tempted to try to solve all of the world's problems. Bad, bad idea. Everytime I tried to relax and remind myself how much I needed to sleep because of my health, the demons responded by uncovering another layers of problems to solve. I tried some of my old faithful 'drowsy-makers' to get my brain to focus on something else, but the one I rely on most often just reminded me of yet another task in my every-increasing load. I have found that prayer often wakes me up more, so that wasn't an viable option. I finally resorted to alphabetical hymn-naming - hey, when all else fails...
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Reading a novel called "Club Sandwich" by Lisa Samson - highly recommend it - btw! The main character is in the so-called sandwich generation - taking care of ailing parents, but still has young children at home. Just wanted to share this snippet with you:


I fix my cup of tea and settle in at the computer. I should work on a new column; Tony hated the antifeminist one, and I failed to convince him of its merits. But boy, did that feel good to write! I think I'll write about the insignificance of an organized pantry in the grand scheme of living. I'm going to write about the messy things of life, like love and family and watching your children become their own persons who will make many mistakes. One error they shouldn't make, however, is thinking they're better people if their pantries are organized or they can actually make it through a year of Bible Study Fellowship or a Beth Moore book
I've never made it through either one of those, and the Lord knows I've tried. I want desperately to be one of those people God ushers gently aside for a time of rejuvenation and growth. But so far I'm still careening to the right on the Snow Emergency Route of faith. I don't just lean on the everlasting arms, I weigh them down. I wonder why God isn't sick of me yet, and for every situation I handle with grace, two bovine scenarios precede it. For every word seasoned with salt, four are covered in crushed aspirin.
...any one else...?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

...in case you were wondering...

FLU=BAD

...and now you know...

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Bein' neighborly

Went to a women's ministry group meeting today, and we were trying to hash out what the plans for the rest of the year were. One of the things we talked about was the idea of "buddies" and how we all are longing for those kind of relationships - you know - the kind where you can drop in anytime, no occasion necessary, and just hang out, or run errands together - whatever. The more we discussed it, the more we felt led to try to encourage others to establish or at least try to establish that kind of relationship with a small group of friends. We decided that as the leadership of the WMG that we should form the first group and really get to know each other.

I hate to think how novel this sounded. I sat there thinking that we all just needed front porches again. We needed to be "neighborly," you know? Drop in anytime, encourage each other, phone calls, etc. Just be - instead of setting up "play dates" or "special evenings." Remember when we were kids and we just went to our friends houses? I loved that. No formality, no special invitation - you just showed up. Now, we have to coordinate schedules and rides and times.

I miss front porches.

After we dealt with that and other issues, one of the sisters shared some things from her heart. And I was amazed, because they were things that Allen and I had been feeling too. My heart hurt for her, because I could sense the pain behind the words, and behind the wall she admitted she had built. I think a couple of the others at the meeting were surprised at what she said, and what I shared about how Allen and I felt. But isn't that what a family is for? Bringing things out into the open, possibly opening someone else's eyes? I wish I could have stayed for more of this conversation. I felt like we were really getting to that sister's heart, and growing closer as a group. But time marches on, and I had been out too long.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Happy St Patty's Day

The interview part is over. And I hope I did alright. This afternoon is showing me again why I need to leave. Ugh. ...stupid accounting issues...

The interviewer was great. She was very friendly before and after the "official" interview, and all business during. Very reassuring. She told me that she would wait to administer the skills test to me until I had had a chance to brush up on some software - how cool is that?! So. Thanks to some very good friends, who have the patience of saints - BTW, I will be crash-coursing some software this week. However, I still need some assistance with Access - any takers?

Tonight, DS1 is having a friend spend the night - why does he always do this when dad's at work?! I think they have some sort of deal cooked up. Sneaky little buggers!

DS2 woke up this morning with a nasty nosebleed - something with which I am unfamiliar, never having had one before. So I cleaned up the bathroom, and will get laundry started after work.

...life is good...

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Boyz II Men

We watched "16 Children & Moving In" last night. It's about the Duggar family in Arkansas with, well, 16 kids, ranging in age from 17 to newborn, and they were moving into the home that the family had taken three years to build virtually by themselves. Allen and I were commenting on the positive aspects of their family: their love and cooperation, their organization, their faith, etc. It really is a neat story.

Anyway, after DS2 and Allen were off doing their own things, DS1 asked me if I had noticed a change in his attitude from when he was "younger." I told him that I had, and that I could see him growing and maturing alot lately. He was pleased, until I told him what we were expecting in his teen years. (And hopefully I'm wrong...) I told him that as he grew, and especially in the not to distant future, he would be challenging the rules and boundaries which we have set for him. This is part of growing up, and while we're not looking forward to it, we know it will happen. I also told him that there will come a time when mom and dad will not be 'cool' to him anymore, but to remember that we have been where he is and that we will always love him no matter what. I told him that he would be tempted to do things against what we've tried to teach him, but that I hoped that he would remember something of what he has learned. We kind of left it by saying how much we loved each other.

After the boys went to bed, Allen and I were discussing Tyler's fast-approaching teen years, and I recounted our earlier conversation. I told him that years ago, I had read something about how most of our culture has somehow lost that 'rite of passage' that declares to the child and the world that they are now seen as an 'adult.' I told Allen that I'd really like to come up with some sort of ceremony or something to commemorate our boys entrance into their teen years; something that would mark the occasion in a meaningful way. He agreed and we're trying to come up with some ideas. Any suggestions?

Monday, March 13, 2006

Monday

Weekend review....ready, GO!

Saturday: um, nothing...nothing exciting...nothing eventful...just nothing...

Sunday: well, kinda the same. S'posed to sing yesterday - wasn't feeling the best, but there ya go (see Saturday) Heading into the auditorium after practice when who do I see - but SKIP and his family! Color me surprised! SO good to see them. Church was good. Later that afternoon, Allen and I slipped out for some time alone - went to Lowe's and another store looking for a new grill. Allen cooked dinner (yes, I know I'm blessed!) and we watched the radar most of the evening. Oh yeah, we also watched the last part of the NASCAR race. (I know!)

Monday: Allen called me a few minutes ago and said that the new job people were calling me for an interview. So, any happy thoughts would be gratefully welcomed Thursday afternoon...

...but until then, I need to keep the bosses here happy, so back to work...

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Wednesday

Happy Wednesday. Not much going on around here right now. I think I'm on the back side of the Big Event, you know? Kind of like after all the fuss and excitement of the wedding and reception - then what? I was joking after the class at the retreat that I was spent, but I think now that I wasn't joking so much. I feel drained, like I gave everything I had. But in a good way. I'll be fine - just need to get through the next couple of days to be my perky, bubbly self again...

Met Beaner's puppy last night - what a sweetheart!

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

*whew*

...and I'm back. Wow. Thanks to all of your prayers and well-wishes, I was calm and was able to present the lesson with confidence. I will admit that I was happy when it was over, but...

I received only good comments (although, honestly, who is going to come up to you and say something bad right then and there?) I hope I was able to communicate what God wanted these dear sisters to hear.

I think overall it was a very powerful weekend and I believe God met us there. Lots of tears, lots of smiles, lots of laughter, lots of chocolate - everything I hoped and expected!

Thanks to all of your for your support and prayers and support! You're all the best!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

R minus 24 and counting...

Yep - about 24 hours until I leave for the retreat...holding my breath and praying nothing bad happens to anyone I know and love until then...

Tonight, I'm going to pack and clean and do my nails (priorities, ya know) if, of course, my back allows. For the last couple of days, my back has felt like a bowl of chocolate ganache with a few drops too much of water in it - seized up like I don't know what! (Just getting as much chocolate reference in as possible in preparation for this weekend!) Let's just say we tend to focus on the "treat" part of "retreat."

Allen's planning on relaxing and spending time with his boys and friends this weekend. They probably won't even miss me...but that's okay - Wrigley will...lol! Satan was after me really hard the other day, and I was even telling myself that I needed to stay home this weekend in a blanket fort and hide instead of going to the retreat. Allen was so encouraging and wonderful. He helped me realize that I was playing into Satan's hands and that I needed to stop. So I did. Had a little weep and then I was fine.

I'm getting excited about all the things that are planned for this weekend. I know y'all are probably excited that it will be over soon and I won't be talking about it anymore! Just know that I appreciate all your encouragement and prayers over the last couple of months.

Wish I could take Blogville with me! See y'all on Monday!

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Blog-a-prayer

Father God,

Thank you for the life you've given me. You have poured out so many blessings that I so don't feel that I deserve, yet You do. You overwhelm me with Your love!

Father, I want to pray for some of my friends here in Blogville - this lovely, homey community we've come to be on the web.

For my sweet Allen. Lord, I pray that You would help him with his feelings and attitude about church. He so wants to find his place in Your family! I pray that You would help him see how much he means to me and the boys. We love him so. I know he's concerned about his work situation, and I pray for a quick resolution. He wants to be a shining light, but sometimes I know how defeated he feels. Lord, he wants to be a man after Your heart. Give him the confidence and boldness to act on the thoughts that are from you.

For my Tyler and Ryan. Thank You for these wonderful boys, Lord. There are more days than I care to remember that I've felt woefully inadequate to care for Your children, and yet You seem to have more confidence in my abilities than I do. Watch over them, keep them safe and pure. Keep them searching for You.

For Jeanna. Father, she and Dwight have come through such a difficult year. I know that You are continuing to work in their lives. I pray that you will strengthen them, and help them to see each other as You see them. I pray for health for Nick and Jess, Lord. I know how much of a toll a sick child can be and I pray that her kids will be well.

For Diana. What a joy! Three miracles! Father, we rejoice with Donna and Diana! Your blessings are so much more than we can imagine! Jesus, I just pray for continued health for Diana and the little ones. Thank You for bringing them this far.

For Donna. Lord, what a blessing! She has come to mean so much to Allen and me. Thank You for her friendship and her wisdom and encouragement. I pray that You will continue to bless her and her beautiful family.

Lord, thank You for the wonderful news from Heidi! Hallelujah! I know she's relieved. I pray that the good news will continue for her. I also want to pray for her mom and family, and that Heidi and Paul will be lights to them, and will be peacemakers. I pray that Blake will feel more at home at church, and will want to be involved in the youth ministry. He has a lot to offer. I pray for Paul as he travels. Please keep him safe and keep Heidi and the kids secure.

For Terri. What a delight! She always makes me smile - how much more does she make You smile! I pray that you will grant her patience, Lord, and help her in the areas that she feels are lacking. I am so blessed to be able to call her friend. Thank You for the gift of her.

For Amy. Lord, give her guidance in the decisions she's facing. Grant her peace and assurance that her decisions are from You.

Jeff - Father, You definitely did good with him! He's such an encouragement, and You've blessed him with an enormous talent! I pray that You will help him be all You want him to be. Use him where You've placed him. Help him be organized and efficient, God.

Lord, be with Mark and his family. Draw him close to You. Let him feel Your nearness. Guide him and bless him. Strengthen him as he tries to do Your will.

For FB - Lord, her family is struggling right now. I pray that You'll guide her and help her to counsel her family members who are hurting. Her faith and desire for You are so encouraging.

Father, You've made us into a family here. I am in awe of the way You work! You are incredible and I thank You for all of the people mentioned here, and everyone You've placed in my life.
Right now, I pray that You'll bind Satan, Lord. That You'll keep him and his minions away from us. Hedge us in with Your love and protection. Hide us under Your wings. Fill us with Your Spirit, and Your love.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen