Writing it on my heart...

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, 

who loved us and by his grace 

gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 

comfort you and strengthen you 

in every good thing you do and say."

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

There are a lot of my people around me who are going through some tough stuff in life. This is not abnormal... everyone deals with something... but it seems to me that when someone or a group of people are on the verge of GREATNESS, Satan strikes the hardest.

Please know that I as I pray for those I know are having a tough time, I think of you as I remember this verse. 

Mac is back!

Every once in a while something happens that you don't expect and you're not quite sure how to respond. The sequence of events seems logical and plans are made and pennies are saved and you expect that what you get is equally as logical. And those stricken with the worst luck on the planet add one variable... the BIG X. That's the one thing that you know is going to go wrong, so you plan on the one wrong thing. 

In September I dropped my Mac. This was predictable on my part. Not a surprise, I should say. And after six months of learning a lesson, planning, penny saving and careful consideration I took my Macbook to the Apple Store to be shipped and fixed. This was also predictable. Who buys a laptop, brakes it and says, "Oh well, better luck next time,"? So three days into the "7-10 day waiting period" I get a call that says, "We must replace the main logic board. It will cost $755.00. Please call us and authorize the repair." (Again, predictable.) "Sure," I say, and they commence repair. Then today I get a phone call, "Your Macbook is ready to be picked up." And as you can imagine, I was sort of delighted in the idea of tap, tap tapping on my little keyboard again and so we got dinner, gathered ourselves and our pennies (by this time converted to dollars) and headed to the Apple Store. Predictability is written all over this scenario, right? 

I walk into the store, wait the general 5 minutes for a store employee to ask what they can do for me and I hand them my little slip and ask for my computer. "Will that be cash or credit?" they ask and after my response the lady says, "Oh, well you come stand here please," and off she went. I talked RAM and operating system with a clerk like I knew what I was saying and after a few minutes the other clerk came out with my little Macbook. "This is the one," and "thank you so much," and we commenced the payment process. I took out my little envelope getting ready to pay and then it happened... the BIG X. You know you're in for a surprise when the clerk looks puzzled and asks for some help, while looking at a screen you can't see. "Why is this ringing out as zero?" was the whispered question. "Hmm... let me check," says the other guy and whisks away for a few minutes. After a few minutes he came back and said with a big smile on his face, "There is no mistake here. It looks like this repair will cost you nothing. You are free to walk out of here with all of your seven hundred fifty five dollars if you'd like." 

Yeah. I had to catch my breath. Then I had to gather my wits. Now I had the money for another "gig of RAM" and I picked a pretty pink cushioned case... Several of the clerks were as happy for me at this point as they were sad for me back in September when it was evident that it would be a costly repair. The store was a buzz of the good fortune of this young lady. And to top it off, the RAM rang up 100 dollars less than the sticker price. 

I don't know whether this nice surprise makes up for all of the other bad luck I have had in life, but it sure makes me think twice about having the worst luck... that it's not about luck at all. That is a topic for another blog. For now, I'm happy to have my computer back. The lesson learned is well deserved and remembered. 

Up And Running

Logan is amazing. He figured out how to get our computer back up and running. I don't know how he did it... I know nothing about computers except: where the power button is, more ram = more power, and "save often". Oh sure I can navigate excell with the best of 'em and where all the tricks are for editing in word, but I can't reboot anything except my children's feet and I know that reconfiguring is useful for lego construction. So Logan is my hero. I have email, Windows and internet. He worked long and hard on it and I am grateful.

Blue Screen of Death

For all of you out there who have experienced the blue screen of death I can say that I feel your pain. Logan sat down at the computer for a liesurly stroll on the world wide web to be met with the blasted blue screen. Several attempts to reformat this and reboot that have proven to be in vain and so I am sitting at his work computer sending any emails that may be pertinent to the next 24 hours and thinking to myself that, "...it's just a computer... it's just a computer".

There are pros and cons to the whole thing.

Good: I still have access to email that does not require a trip to the library or someone's home to check my email.
Bad: I cannot check email during nap time or do any work stuff as is usually the case during nap.
Good: I will not have the option of computerized distraction during the day.
Bad: I will not be able to play music from iTunes.
Good: My Mac should be in my hands by this time next week so I know that this is a temporary mality.
Bad: Now we have to decide if we need to buy a new computer... or not.
Good: I won't have to shop for the computer. Logan will take care of that... if we decide to get one.

See? There are more good things than bad things. I think we're doing pretty good.

The one thing that bites though is that we've lost all of our most recent pictures. Logan has the rest backed up, but there were some pretty cute ones on the computer that I can't get to now.

The lesson? I don't even know. Is there a lesson in this? I'm not worried about it. I just have to alter my time management so that I can fulfill my job duties. That's kind of inconvenient. The altering, not the job duties.

So, I'm signing off for now... I won't know if you comment until I can check my blog again... later. So thanks in advance if you comment... most of them will probably be encouraging and sympathetic, so thanks for that too.

And the waves begin to swell...

Is it really mid February?!

This is the time of the year when I go dark... The quiet before the storm is over. There are so many things to do I don't know if I'll get around to blogging again until April. So if you are the praying kind, please pray for our family to remain sane and healthy through the next month and a half. Between meetings and appointments (they are different, really), home schooling and babysitting/PreK, keeping the house up, PUMP stuff, water aerobics, housing (work) business and soccer I think I'll be able to sit down around March 23rd.

I'm not complaining, mind you, I chose the things that make me busy.

See you on the flip side!

Blue Like Jazz

I finished "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller just moments ago. Now, I'm not much for book reviews... I haven't written one since highschool and don't have witty words to convey the over all message of the thing. But I can give a short opinion, for the sake of posting and sharing a little bit of my thoughts on the book.

Honestly, I wanted to see what all of the hype was about. I remember hearing about this book in 2005 but being a non-reader at the time I didn't care to pick it up. I thought it would be some sort of life changing oracle by the sound of the buzz floating around. But Donald Miller seems to me to be a normal guy who by some magic of language can put on paper the collective thoughts of people walking the journey of life in search for Jesus. He mentions God a bit but it seems to me that he is in search of a friend whose name was a mystery and his face was not known to him. - I cannot speak for the general public or even for my friends but it seems like Mr. Miller gives voice to the struggle to find Jesus and true spirituality, which is different than Christianity according to him.

He talks several times about the difference between Christianity and spirituality and that churches frustrate him because of their politics and false love. I found myself agreeing with his thoughts which is what makes me think that he gives this voice to those searching for the true Jesus who calls us to love one another no matter what.

I was also struck at the end of the book by his realization about loving himself. Love your neighbor as yourself was a profound thought to him in understanding that he wouldn't say the things to his neighbor that he says to himself. This thought got me to ponder how I treat myself. And of course I read this at a time when I feel especially vulnerable spiritually.

One other thing that I kept thinking about was the fact that his provocative statements about Christianity and spirituality are rather bold. I don't buy into some of the things he said, though I couldn't quote them now, but other things I found myself secretly agreeing with. I think that is because of the traditional manner of Christianity from my childhood that I didn't really buy into either but didn't have the guts to challenge and don't know if I do now. ~ At any rate, I find myself grateful that I have a minister for a friend who I can say confidently speaks boldly in truth whether I am listening to him on Sunday or in conversation over dinner between our families.

There's my two cents.

82 Things

I started compiling a list of a hundred things. I started a couple weeks ago and have put a few things on every now and then as I think of them, but I didn't get all 100 and I'm tired of thinking about myself. So I'm posting 82 things about me.

18. Potato soup is a comfort food for me.

19. I can hear the high frequency noises that come from electronic contraptions but I have a hard time hearing and understanding the voices of men.

20. Water Aerobics is my favorite form of exercise.

21. The latest I've ever slept in is 9:30 in the morning.

22. I have never seen the movies or read the books for the Harry Potter series. There is no particular reason for this.

23. Spring is my favorite season. I also love Fall because its my sister's favorite season.

24. I wonder things like... what made the "Danskin" people choose orange for their 2lb weight color and green for their 1lb weight color.

25. "Soccer Mom" will be added to the list of names that I go by this spring. This is one of the highlights of motherhood for me.

26. Office supplies make a great gift for me. What girl doesn't like a new notebook or Post-It?

27. If I ever work outside the home (and don't run a preschool) I want it to be an administrative assistant.

28. Caring for children is one of my favorite things to do.

29. Memorization does not come easy to me.

30. Sunflowers and stefanotis are my favorite flowers.

31. Diet Pepsi is my favorite beverage.

32. My favorite verses in the Bible are Hebrews 4:14-16.

33. The Wizard of Oz is my least favorite movie.

34. Feet are my least favorite part of the body. I do not even like my own.

35. I like to pretend that being trendy doesn't matter to me. But, I do not like to spend money or shop. So I am not trendy and it only bothers me on the occasion that I am in the company of someone particularly trendy.

36. I recently purchased the bag of my dreams. It is not made of shiny feaux leather, have leopard print or magnetic snaps.

37. I did not shop for the bag. A friend has one and I asked her where to find it. I made the purchase in less than 20 minutes.

38. I love it when my kids blow bubbles in their milk.

39. The toilet paper in my bathroom rolls over the top. It matters to me.

40. Logan and I got married on 9-9-2000 so it is easily remembered... by me.

41. I dip my pancakes in syrup with each bite. I keep my spaghetti separate from my sauce. And I like white rice plain.

42. I love to snuggle my kids and smell their heads.

43. Stand-up comedy is not funny to me.

44. I understand what covetting is by way of a lesson learned involving a Mac laptop.

45. My silky blanket goes with me when I stay overnight at someone else's house. It is a twin size blanket that I used when I slept in my grandparents' fifth-wheel. I love that blanket.

46. There is a church in Grand Junction, Colorado that I can remember very clearly. I went there before the age of six. It reminds me that the time I spend preparing for my preschool bible class matters.

47. Owning and running a preschool is a dream of mine.

48. I do not feel intelligent about politics because I don't have time to read everything there is to know about every candidate, and that seems necessary to me to be able to have an opinion about them.

49. Honesty matters to me.

50. I started this list from 100 so I would know how many I had left to think of. 50 to go.

51. Lipton tea is my java.

52. I dislike doing dishes VERY much.

53. I love the Pirates of the Carribean series.

54. I was not profoundly effected by any minister until we joined PUMP Church of Christ. (I do not say that to offend others, it is simply the truth.)

55. I loved the second trimester of both of my pregnancies.

56. I once climbed and sat in a cherry tree and ate cherries until my tummy was tight. I did not get sick and still do not get sick while eating cherries.

57. Spelling "neighborhood" correctly earned me bonus points in fourth grade. I remember my teacher's name: Mr. Russo

58. Most of my spelling ability is atributed to word-finds in fifth grade. We got a piece of licorice for every word find completed correctly. And I still think words in their s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g. (Mr. Burke was his name. He read a chapter out of a book each day after recess and he pushed his glasses up on his nose using only his face muscles.)

59. I color code things in my planner.

60. Tripping over things in my home is the one thing that frustrates me the most.

61. I do not like rose scented things.

62. In highschool my sister and I lived in very different worlds. But if anyone picked on one of us the other knew and defended the other. I hope for that for our boys.

63. I don't talk to anyone from highschool and will never go to a reunion.

64. I wonder how many people will really read all of these things about me. It makes me feel awkward to think so much about myself.

65. Stefanotis is a beautiful flower whose fragrance fills the room with my mother's presence; her gentleness and kindness and it makes me ache to be next to her.

66. Halloween is my least favorite holiday.

67. Sometimes I can still remember how my strawberry shampoo smelled when I was little.

68. Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis and the News, Carol King and Accapella (Travelin' Shoes) musically shaped me.

69. Motion sickness sometimes gets the best of me even when I'm driving.

70. I cheated on my final in Acts Class with Stan Granberg. Three years later I contacted him to tell him about the cheating and slept the best in years that night. He changed my grade to a D which could have been an F. I am still grateful to him for the grace.

71. I love cream and brown tones in a room.

72. The only toys I have from my childhood (that I can find) are two My Little Ponies.

73. My great- great granddad was a horse-back circuit preacher.

74. My highschool music teacher said that the difference between gospel music and blues is, "Oh Lord" and "Oh baby".

75. He also taught me how to hit the high notes by teaching me to shoot free throws, that purple is not just a color, and that a good jazz band doesn't find the beat with the drummer.

76. I let my kids jump on my bed.

77. Anxiety sweeps over me at the grocery store if I get there and realize I've forgotten a comprehensive list.

78. My favorite name of Jesus is "Advocate".

79. Chocolate gives me migranes.

80. I still struggle with regret over my wedding photographer. He did not allow my grandpa to take pictures of me. ~ I should have fired him on the spot. ~ It still makes me angry to tears and sad that I didn't stick up for him. Sometimes I fanticize about what I should have said to the photographer, and then I get embarassed and ask God to forgive my foul mouth.

81. When Logan and I got married it was the last time I saw my grandmother. I still remember her kiss and hug.

82. Conflict does not scare me. The possability of damaging a relationship scares me.

83. My first pet was a Samoide named Bear. Well, he was my dad's dog, but he shared. Bear loved oranges and snow and playing with my dad. He used to turn into a white fluff ball when my dad brushed him. We had to put him down when I was 18. ~ I still miss him.

84. I learned to sing in church where my mother gave us a half piece of gum before church started so we wouldn't bug her for it during communion. I still sing with gum in my mouth.

85. I was once ranked tied for 3rd in the solo competition at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in highschool. It is my first memory of having a placement in a competition of any kind. I sang with gum in my mouth.

86. I wish to have played volleyball in highschool and college.

87. The dentist chair is my second least favorite place to be.

88. Any place where "shopping" is required is my least favorite place to be.

89. The idea of getting on a plane makes my stomach hurt and my heart beat fast.

90. I will be 30 in June but I feel like I've been 18 for a really long time.

91. I do not wear anklets.

92. Orange juice is my favorite juice.

93. My son and I love the same Pooh character.

94. I love to read. I have read more in the last 30 days than in the last ten years.

95. People say I look like my mom and act like my aunt. I think it's because I believe my mother to be the most beautiful woman alive and my aunt's manner was impressed upon my heart at a very young age. I think my mother to be strong and my aunt to be gentle. Both are traits I do not think I know yet.

96. I know that there are eight steps to the second floor, nine to the ground floor and seven to the first floor of our building... 41 steps to the dumpster... 38 to our car from the front door... 22 to the Johnson Center and seventeen steps up to the cafeteria.

97. Kaytlyn, Abigail and Fiona are daughters of my heart.

98. I do not like Diet Squirt and orange Chicklets at the same time.

99. I love to garden and have a potting bench that Logan built for me. But I do not have a yard. So I have house plants and plans for a beautiful garden when we buy a home with a yard.

100. My greatest wish is to sing for Disney.