Tuesday is Guest Star Day!

Though my kids are grown and no longer need me THIS much, they still need me.

I still need, too.

Hop over and read this beautiful reminder!


I will, Elise!


(Requests for me to sing the Mickey Mouse Guest Star song always considered!)

Resolve

On Sundays, I become determined that THIS WEEK I will:

Read my Bible first thing
Keep the house tidy
Exercise
Eat well
Serve my family better


Then, Monday arrives. Maybe it was the late night, but what I've DONE so far:

Wash dishes from yesterday
Read the first four verses of Romans 1
Fought like crazy not to go back to bed
Told one of my kids to stop talking to me because I'm WRITING by golly


Why am I so tired? Thankfully, this week's sermon was so timely. Galatians 5:16 through 18 have assured me that this is normal.

Whew. I thought I was going crazy for a while there.

Off

Off to the Epcot House of the Mouse
He paid for me, but not my spouse.

Does it seem just kind of cruel
to leave my children, doing school?


(I didn't think so, either!)

Yet, I Do

Jessie recently blogged about the rationale we'll give ourselves when in the midst of a headache.

I have one right now.

During the headache, probably at its peak, I vow to once again cut all the foods that I know lead to migraines. I don't care if I've already tested them and discovered some that don't affect me, I vow to cut them out and eat nothing but lettuce and chicken.

The other side of me, the side delirious, reasons that since I already have a headache it doesn't matter what I eat now.

Somehow, I've managed to remain strong when it comes to chocolate. What I want is cheese.

Lots of cheese.

It's ridiculous.


Speaking of ridiculous, today's my Mother-in-love's birthday and she still looks amazing! Happy Birthday, Mom! Himself will be flying out next week to see his parents and siblings, all gathering for Pop's 70th birthday. I hope they give Mom a little sugar while they're there for HER birthday! We love you!

Home Again

I am home and almost caught up on my sleep. It was such a great Women's Retreat! I feel like I need to unpack not only my clothing and items, but I need to just as carefully unpack all the things I learned from the sessions. Just as purposely, I want to make sure they're placed where I will use them daily and not tossed into a corner somewhere.

Being the emcee was fun! I only made a few blunders (like calling Beverly Tyree by the last name O'Fee. Beverly O'Fee was my friend in California). I also have blisters on my feet for walking two hours on the beach, barefoot. Those were some pretty determined steps I was taking.

Now I am content to be back home and facing my daily life. God is good.


PS: Please pray for Dad today if you think of it. He's facing a medical decision that would help him tremendously if he chooses to do it, but so far he's refusing. Today he receives a second opinion and it will hopefully convince him.

What Did They Say?

My children have a language all their own. It's hilarious.

The fact that we don't watch television is directly responsible for this. We are not continually bombarded with noise or visual stimuli, so the things we do watch on TV are more apt to stick in our minds.

We love watching movies.

We have our favorite actors and genres, and when we watch a movie we thoroughly enjoy engaging in the story. Sharing this experience as a family gives us common ground. The result is, my children speak to each other in cinema. Cinematology? Cinema-ish?

All Kelly has to do is mumble a movie line under her breath, and her siblings either crack up or instantly gain understanding of a situation. It helps that Kelly is an excellent mimic and can usually nail an accent or voice impersonation on the head.

For example, someone does something nice to another person. Kelly's squeaky voice says, "You're a good person." -the prawn in Shark Tales

One of us are facing a potentially scary situation. Another one of us says, "Stay alive! I'll find you! Just stay alive!" -The Last of the Mohicans

All of us know what the other is talking about, but people who aren't rabid movie fans are sometimes clueless. In fact, the M family often has no idea what Tyler and Kelly are talking about as they go back and forth in this coded dialogue that has the both of them grinning and laughing.

What are they even saying?

The other day, our brown-eyed girl was over and happened to throw out a movie line.

It was a proud moment for us all. She's going to do just fine.

I'm Having a Thought, Here

It's exciting and frustrating to be on the verge of a thought. Does that sound like something Winnie the Pooh would say?

I feel like God is about to reveal something "great and wondrous that you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3) I have these niggling thoughts, then an affirmation of that thought, but there's nothing I can completely wrap my brain around yet. That's the frustrating part! All I know is that when things like this have happened in the past, it means a godly change in my life. That's the exciting part!

I was telling a friend at Dinner A'Fare (hey Lisa!) that I feel God has made my school year so much easier this year because everything else in my life is so crazy. I'm so, so thankful for that. I'm so thankful for a God who is sovereign over my life and knows exactly what I need. Not only that, but He actually cares enough to be actively involved in my life. He could let me continue as I am, but that's not His nature. Thanks be to God.

Other things I'm thankful for today:

*Himself upstairs, practicing drums for worship on Sunday.

*A brother and sister in conversation on the phone, not letting the miles separate them.

*Said brother and sister hanging up with "I love you"'s!

*Older sister wanting younger sister to go with her to the mall tonight.

*A brown-eyed gal able to join the sisters for adventure and loving it.

*A sweet comment left by Himself for Myself. What a day maker.

Life with the Lord really IS good. Isn't it?

Thirsty?

Here, Friends. Something sweet and soothing to drink.

Don't miss a word.

I Still Love this Picture

The team gave a presentation of their trip last Sunday. It was so great! I can't wait until Josh gets the video together.

Lately, I've been thinking of American materialism. I try so hard not to want or to buy, but America makes it so easy! Anything I want or need can be had at a price. I tell myself it's all right because I don't want or need "big ticket items" or luxury items.

Why do I hold on to so much stuff?

Every time I try to purge my books, it doesn't seem as if any have left. Why am I truly holding on to them? There are many favorites that I'd like to keep, but what about the others? What about the informational, non-fiction books that I have never read again?

Hmmmm . . . and how many blankets do I actually need? IN FLORIDA? I'm not talking about the ones on our beds or the ones that my mother made, I'm talking about the ones in the closets "just in case."

I read an article today (I think it was on the Empowered Traditionalist blog) about how women would dress in the 1940s and 1950s. They would have only a few outfits and one very nice dress, and they would treat them all with extreme care. They would only buy fabrics suited to their body types and immediately have things tailored to fit properly.

My closet is full of mediocre clothing that I rarely wear for one reason or the other. I actually practice the "only a few outfits" philosophy, but I have a full closet! Hmmmm . . .

I'm in a rut. I can tell.

Can you?

Don't answer that.

Someone . . .

has senior pictures up!

You guys, go check them out! There's a senior blog photo contest and we could win stuff! The blog with the most comments, wins!

Kelly had so much fun doing her senior portraits. Michelle is so great!

Go and post, all!

You May have Noticed

My blogs have been sorely lacking in photos lately. I'm sorry about that.

My camera has decided not to operate well. It will turn on, focus, and turn off.

I hope we find a solution soon.

Meanwhile, life keeps happening. Ty's job has some pretty terrific hours, almost better than bankers' hours!

Kelly took the ACTs today, specifically to improver her math score. When she was ready for the math part she discovered her calculator didn't work. We're so disappointed! I'll have to sign her up once again.

We heard there was a Farmers' Market in Longwood, so we went to check it out. It wasn't there. We ended up touring around for a while and that was nice.

Glenna found the Rocket Summer CD and is dancing around the house while the dogs chase her. At last, something to smile about!

Sometimes I Just Forget

I am convinced that God created hormones in order to keep women dependent on Him.

Let's face it; women are pretty competent creatures! Once per month, however, I know that it takes God's strength to get me through each day. (Actually, once per month is a misnomer. It's more like a week.)

When I draw on God's strength, I'm able to get out of bed.

On my own strength, I don't turn around and make it up.

In fact, my day looks like a checklist of successes and failures, each showing where I pushed God out of the way and took over:

Made dinner for the family. [Ding!]

Didn't bother with vegetables. [Fail.]

Took a shower and dried my hair. [Ding!]

Didn't bother with makeup. [Fail.]

Attacked the overflowing mess in the kitchen. [Ding!]

Corrected a child with anger instead of gentleness. [Fail.]

Made a healthful lunch, and fixed the evening's salad while I was at it. [Ding!]

Ate too much. [Fail.]

It reminds me of the book my children loved by Mercer Mayer, titled I Just Forgot. The little boy would remember some things but forget others. For example, he would remember to put his dishes in the sink, but he would forget to put the milk away. He would remember to take a bath, but he would forget to turn the water off.

As for me, I hope to do more remembering (drawing on the strength of the Lord) than forgetting (depending on myself). One empowers, the other drains, and both are deliberate choices. Moment by moment, right?

El Bonito

Glenna had to make a monster for Spanish class. Click to make larger!

Gun Fight at the Not OK Corral

The family decided to take a walk to Blockbuster on a surprisingly mild evening. Himself usually sets off at a brisk pace, but lately he's realized that his step is much wider than ours and we are usually hustling to keep up. Because he's such an all or nothing kind of guy, he began to over-compensate by walking at a snail's pace.

Man, I love that guy.

We were finally figuring things out when suddenly, there was a woman traveling in her car on the busy street in front of our neighborhood. She was honking her horn, looking at us with panic on her face, and screaming out, "Don't do it! Don't go!"

Did she know something about Blockbuster that we didn't?

"I'm sorry! Don't go!"

We started to look at each other in confusion. What did she ever do to us?

The answer was soon obvious when we heard a loud, "Excuse me, please" behind us. Stepping to one side, we made room for an angry and determined man on a bicycle. It looked as if he was leaving for good with his possessions in a large, black trash bag. Clutched in the same hand as the bag was a construction helmet. He had another bag in his other hand, the one steering the bike, and he was fighting for balance.

"Don't go! I'm sorry! Don't go!"

Ahhhh . . . now it's making sense.

He pedaled on down the road and she was able to follow through the green light. We all looked at each other with confusion and then continued our journey. Just under the overpass, Kelly spotted them.

"Oh no, Mom! They're right there." Sure enough, she had managed to swing her car around, park on the street, and run over to grab the handlebars of his bicycle. As much as we wanted to give them privacy, they were directly in the path and we had no choice but to go around.

Awkward.

Have you ever tried to NOT listen to a conversation? It's not so easy to do.

"Don't go! I said I was sorry. What am I supposed to do without you? . . . "

I was praying and praying that a cussing storm wouldn't break out before I could get my girls away from there. We all kind of chuckled when we got away (I think she neglected to bring her teeth to the negotiations) and pondered the incident all the way into Blockbuster. After making our selections, we headed home.

"Mom, they're still there!"

The argument was continuing and we would have to walk past them again. She was still standing over the front tire with both hands firmly grasping the handlebars. This time, it was his turn.

"What do I have to do in order for you to take me seriously? Huh? I'm sick of this cr**. I'm just sick of it. Maybe NOW you'll take me seriously . . . "

Awkward.

It gave us more fuel for conversation on the walk home and oddly enough, some teaching moments for our girls. How could this have been avoided? How far was he going to get on that bicycle, anyway? Did she lose all dignity by chasing him in the car and screaming for him to stay? What do you think led up to that moment? Good thing he took his hardhat so he'd be ready for work!

The next day, Kelly and I stopped at McD's for some soft serve (don't judge us). Kelly grabbed my arm and whispered, "Mom, it's them! Our neighbors!"

It looked like all was well in paradise as the happily reunited couple stopped for lunch.

She was buying, of course.

Normally Not

The New Normal actually isn't new, and it isn't normal.

Many of us have had to live for a time separated from a loved one. Having to say goodbye to Ty again, even though it's such a good thing that he's going to school, has brought back some conflicting memories. I confess I could be handling it better.

As a child, I was forever saying hello and goodbye to my dad. It was so strange to go to his home for a visit - so much had happened in my absence and I wasn't a part of it. Sometimes there'd be a new furniture arrangement, sometimes my dad would have built something or finished a project. It was so strange to see photographs of their daily lives or special events and know nothing about them.

I would return home to discover the same phenomenon had occurred there as well. Once, my mom and my grandpa painted my room in my absence (loved it!). Another time, my bedroom was completely moved into another room. Often, mom would clean my messy room as a surprise or have a treat waiting for me on my bed.

Always, there was a period of adjustment upon reentry. No matter which place I came "home" to, it took a few days to stop feeling like a visitor or a stranger. There were stories and events to catch up on; there were questions about whether I was in attendance during certain events or not ("Were you here when we did this?"), and there were routines and tasks to relearn since both homes were different.

Strangely, I never felt like a visitor when I went to see my family in New Mexico. Perhaps it is that the furniture was never rearranged or replaced. Perhaps it is that the state itself stays largely unchanged.




After high school graduation, Himself moved to the desert and started a year and a half, long-distance relationship with me that ended on our wedding day. No easy task, it was made more difficult by our own selfishness. His weekend visits could have gone better if we had made our expectations clearer and each worked to serve the other. What a mess that was!

Our first years of marriage were spent traveling and visiting various relatives. Since my parents were divorced and his parents were divorced (and none of them lived in the same town but 2 hours apart), we had to learn to budget our visits between friends and family members. We scheduled our holidays, trying to spread ourselves evenly among our parents and loved ones.

It was exhausting.

Again, the only visits that weren't exhausting were the ones we made to New Mexico. Maybe this is why, though I have never physically lived there, New Mexico has always felt like home to me? I know I long for it even more than I long for California!

Except for the Snow White blanket on his bed (it's the only one I could find!), I hope things were pretty much the same for Ty as they were before he left. We're certainly still dealing with the antics of the dogs, issues of the house, and busyness of life! I hope he won't be spread too thin on his visits home. This first time, I was busy with a wedding, church, and after-church activities. We tried going out to lunch (but didn't get to sit all together) and when I made dinner, one family member had already gone off to another activity.

I don't want to make too much of a demand on his time. I guess I'm trying to figure out what my expectations were and what reality will be and hope they're somewhat even.

Well, they weren't this time. Next time, I'll be more prepared. The one advantage we have is an easier ability to communicate, so the only thing he'll miss out on is physically being here. I certainly don't want him to feel like a stranger or visitor when he comes home!

You see, Ty? That's why I left the mess on the coffee table. I'm just trying to do my part for you, Son.

See You Tuesday!

Hey, All!

My son is due to arrive tonight and I won't be blogging while he's here.

(Unless he does something hilarious, and that's a high probability.)

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

The Dance of the Shopping Cart

All I wanted was some soy sauce.


Why in the world was the ethnic aisle suddenly the most popular aisle in the store? It wasn't even the entire aisle, it was just the Mexican/Asian section that was crammed with 5 shopping carts.

One dear elderly gentleman was trying to get out of the way, so he carefully lifted his cart and placed it to the side - right in front of the soy sauce. His elderly wife was trying to make up her mind on which teriyaki to purchase, and mister, she was taking her sweet time. I was content to wait it out, but now I had two more carts trying to enter the aisle behind me.

Don't you people have other aisles to peruse?

I decided to do a duck-and-grab for the soy sauce and get out of there. I successfully turned my cart around and was immediately boxed in. In the exact middle of this was the sweetie with the sauce.

Remember those little sliding tile games from birthday parties and gumball machines? The ones with one empty space, and you must slide the tiles in combination until they're lined up numerically?

"Ok, you move your cart there, and you slide your cart there. I'll slide over here, and you'll have to slide over to the right." It was almost a dance, but we were all clumsy as partners. Oblivious to the drama around her, Elderly Wife finally looked up from her teriyaki scrutiny and held up two choices to her husband.

"Which one? Is this the one you didn't like? I don't want to buy the wrong one again."

Elderly Husband was in a near panic at the clog they were creating. Fortunately, all were in good spirits and smiling as we slid, stepped, and slid our way around her.

Rock on, Sauce Sister. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.

Curiosity Killed the Cat . . .

. . . but satisfaction brought it back.

Many have asked about Kelly's math paragraph. Here it is in all its glory! Mrs. R, she says it's not great according to your standards. =) Not enough variation on sentence openers.

She was shown a picture of a hallway and told to describe it in a paragraph.


The hallway is a cold collection of angles and planes. Angles are formed systematically at the dozens of points where the planes meet in a perpendicular fashion. This pattern of intersecting planes creates a hall that has a series of inlets creating line segments that stop and start. This style contradicts the common hall of two parallel lines. The arrangement of collinear lights in the ceiling are circular; this means a math teacher may require her students to find the measurement of an arc encrypted in the lights' circumferences. From my perspective, there is one ray. It begins in an inlet and seems to continue into eternity. Not to be forgotten are the many vertexes hidden in each corner of every angle, also just longing to be measured. As it turns out the hallway isn’t cold, it just takes some work to find its personality.