Friday, November 28, 2008

The Day After Thanksgiving

Around our house, it is a tradition to pull out the Christmas decorations on the day after Thanksgiving. Today was no exception.



Part of what is special to me is pulling out one particular box. It contains 20 different ornaments that were sent to us four years ago from our friends at Five in a Row. They chose the theme of angels and sent us ornaments from around the country in honor of our Katherine. Those ornaments continue to minister to me each Christmas. I re-read all of the card and letters that came with them and thank God for those who prayed for us and cared for us as we walked that very difficult road.



Thank you, friends. May God fill your holiday season with joy!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends!

I'm thankful today. Thankful for Advil and coffee and a husband who got up with the baby. I woke up with an outrageous headache right over my right eye. Don brought me some Advil and let me sleep for another hour and a half. It was still there when I finally got up but not as bad. Now that I'm sitting with my second cup of coffee, I can feel just the last traces of it.

I'm thankful for my kids! They are a great bunch! The older ones are so helpful (in fact, Footloose is in the kitchen making my "famous artichoke dip" to take to my inlaws' today). Having our "later in life blessing" has been a challenge as he is such a strong willed fellow. Thankfully, we have four "big people" in the house to help tame him.

Speaking of our little Mr. Naughty Pants--how thankful we are for him! He is such a little love bug and he is so funny! He makes us laugh every single day.

I am so thankful for my husband! He is truly my best friend. Recently Footloose said to me, "I just love watching you and Dad together. He loves you so much. I hope I find a guy like that to be my husband." That's my prayer for her, too.

I am thankful for my church family. We are so blessed with our pastor and are so well cared for by our friends. It is such a joy to watch the Body functioning healthily and passionately!

I'm also so thankful for all of you! You make me smile to think that you check in here to see how I'm doing. You share my joys and frustration. Thank you for lending me your ear and for being such good friends!

Happy Thanksgiving! May the Lord bless your family!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A Meme

OK, I copied this from Sheri's blog...

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Anything action. He has a special affinity for vampire movies. His favorite TV shows are 24, Lost, Prison Break and Heros.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? He usually orders a Ceasar salad.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Mushrooms! Can't stand them! He can find them anywhere...even those little bity pieces in cream of mushroom soup. He also hates avocado.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Well, we are very rarely in a bar and he almost never drinks. I think I've seen him with a daquari a time or two. That's it. He will order a diet coke instead.

5. Where did he go to high school? Savanna High in California.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 13 wide

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He's not currently collecting but he has a sizable collection of DC comics with an emphasis on Batman.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? French Dip.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. :-)

10. What is his favorite cereal? Quaker 100% Granola.

11. What would he never wear? A Speedo. LOL!!

12. What is his favorite sports team? LA Lakers

13. Who did he vote for? Well, I wasn't in the booth with him, but I'm fairly sure he voted for McCain.

14. Who is his best friend? Me. Absolutely, me!

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? He wishes I wouldn't get stressed out about things that haven't even happened yet.

16. How many states has he lived in? Just California. Although, I am really trying to talk him into moving to Wyoming. ;-)

17. What is his heritage? English and Scandanavian.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? Well, I can't bake a cake to save my life but, if I could, it would, without a doubt, be carrot cake!

19. Did he play sports in high school? No but he did play in the band for a year or two.

20. What could he spend hours doing? Admiring my beauty. LOL!!

21. What's something cool about him? He's always willing to admit when he is wrong. I find this very cool!

I love him with my whole heart and can't imagine life without him. He is an amazing husband and father. We are very, very blessed!

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Thanksgiving Short Story

Unconditionally and Forever

by Footloose


Thanksgiving.

What was so special about it, anyway?

For me, it was a day where I was toted around in the big family van to my grandma’s house with my six sisters and eight brothers. We would eat dry turkey, bland ham, thin gravy, potato salad that desperately needed salt, rock hard rolls, five different cranberry pies- each from different people, all of whom expected you to like theirs the best, and, worst of all, peas. I didn’t get what the big deal with the peas was, anyway. Never once in my life had I read a history book that had noted the Pilgrims eating peas. Then, after the long, tedious meal, my grandmother would take me into the kitchen to wash every single dish we had used that day; I had given up years ago trying to tell her that we should just use paper plates.

After the dishes were done, we’d head into my grandma’s living room and talk. My siblings would talk in detail about their entire personal lives, my parents would speak about how proud they were of them, and all my grandparents, uncles, and aunts would join in. That was another thing- nobody paid attention to me. I was boring old Riley. I didn’t have the potential to become a famous athlete someday like Nick, Elliot, Ryan, and Lilly. I certainly wasn’t going to waltz on stage like a made up clown and act like I’m somebody that I’m not, as Joy, Leah, and Tyler did. My face sure wasn’t going to be smiling out at you from a magazine anytime soon like Alyssa’s, Madeline’s and Ashley’s. And I, most definitely was not talented in music whatsoever, much unlike Michael, Jesse, Cody and Sam.

It seemed that, with my relatives, you had to have something to be included in the conversation. It was ridiculous. The whole thing was. I didn’t know why any of my family cared about the holiday, anyway. Yet, despite my moans every November, they all seemed to love it, and I honestly felt sometimes that they stayed as long as they did, at the Thanksgiving parties, just to prolong my suffering.

And yet, the dreaded holiday was rolling around again. We all bundled up in our warmest coats and headed to Grandma’s. We sat through the long meal, washed dishes, and were just about to sit down to talk when my great grandmother Rose called me to her chair. A little shocked, I stumbled over to her large armchair; I hadn’t really ever talked with her before. She motioned for me to sit down on the floor, and then lay back in her chair, eyes closed.

“Grandma Rose? You still there?”

I asked timidly. She nodded solemnly and slowly opened her eyes.

“Riley, I’ve noticed something different in you. Different than your siblings. You don’t seem to enjoy Thanksgiving as much as them.” I looked down and my shoe and started to play with the peeling rubber on it.

“I can tell that I’m correct,” Grandma Rose chuckled, “Why don’t you like it, Riley?” I sighed and looked up into her serious gray eyes. My grandma had to be at least ninety, and I still marveled at the fact that she could look so stern.

“It’s just that… There’s never seemed to be a point to it!” I finally let out. But to my surprise, Grandma Rose smiled.

“I can understand that, dear. I was the same way when I was around your age. What’s the point of taking the whole day to talk and eat? Right?” I nodded and went back to picking at my shoe.

“And I finally learned from my great grandmother that it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s what you’re thinking about. I know, the Pilgrims get a little old every once in a while. But that’s not the point! The point is that we’re thanking God for what He’s given us.”

“God?” I looked up, skeptically, “I’m not so sure I really trust Him anymore. It seems to me that if he was a good God, he would have prevented Grandpa from dying…” I trailed off as I started to choke. I looked up at Grandma Rose and saw that her eyes were clouded by a light mist of tears.

“You know, Riley, your Grandpa Rick is also my son. And I know full well how hard it is too lose someone you love. But that doesn’t mean that you can completely forget our Lord. God loves us unconditionally and forever. He never ceases. Just think about it.”

She patted me on the head lightly and settled back in her chair. I stood up slowly and huddled in a particularly quiet corner of my grandma’s living room. I thought carefully about what my great grandmother had said. Maybe she was right… Maybe there really was a point to Thanksgiving… Maybe God really did love me?

There was only one answer.

“God…” I whispered, hands clenched tightly together, eyes squeezed shut, “I know there must have been some good reason that Grandpa died, but it’s so hard! Please, God, if you’re there, will you just give me something so that I can know? Thanks… Amen.” I opened my eyes to see my five year old cousin, Sally, skip over to me.

“Riley! Will you play a game with me? Please? Please? Please!” I grinned at Sally as a warm wave of Thanksgiving-happiness swept over me.

“Sure,” I said, “And while we’re at it, how about I tell I tell you the real story of Thanksgiving?”

“Okay!” She responded, beaming as brightly as ever. And as we settled down to play a lively game of Go Fish, I started speaking to Sally about how God provided for the Pilgrims on Thanksgiving by giving them food to eat. How he loved them, and how he loves each and every one of us, too, unconditionally and forever.”

Friday, November 21, 2008

Twilight, the movie...

My dear husband is planning a date for us this afternoon to see Twilight. He may be the only non-estrogen producer in the audience but he's man enough to handle it. :-)

We're hitting the 3:30 show and then he's taking me out to dinner. I did remind him that a date involves him holding my hand and giving me a kiss goodnight. He promised to deliver!

I'll update later to review the film...

OK, we're back :-):

I have to admit that I was disappointed. The movie does not follow the book much at all. Don asked me when it was over whether or not I thought they left it open to make a movie of New Moon or if they had strayed too far away from the original story. I do think they left enough anchors in it to be able to do the second book.

The casting: I was very happy with Alice! She was the best cast character--most true to the book. I was also happy with the casting of Emmett and Jacob. The rest left something to be desired for me although Jasper was pretty close to how I'd pictured him.

My favorite scene: Eaily the vampire baseball game! It was even better than I imagined it. It really gave the sense of the normalcy of the Cullen family despite the fact that they are so not normal! The tension between the two covens was also played out very well.

My frustration: Most of the movie was invented. I understand the need to leave things out and to add things in to make it flow better in a two hour movie but there were just so. many. things. that were not right and they took away from the story, in my opinion.

I'll leave it at that for now since Amanda told me not to give any spoilers. LOL!!

It was still a fun movie and a fun date with my hubby. :-) I'm going to spend the rest of the evening finishing Breaking Dawn. I'd love to hear what any of the rest of you thought of the movie!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What not to say at Jury Duty...

I've been called to serve for jury duty now 3 times in the last 3 1/2 years. I don't mind it. I really don't. I'm of the mind that it is my civic duty and, in fact, a privelege I enjoy as a citizen of the United States of America. I don't complain when I'm called and I try to go in with a good attitude. I know that, were I on trial, I would want someone who was focussed and devoted to the process.

I mean, even if I don't get chosen to sit on a jury, I still get a day to sit in the jury room, sip coffee and read a good book without a three year old's interruption. So, today, I headed over to the court house to fulfill my civic duty.

Upon arrival in the familiar jury assembly room, once I had checked in at the counter, I found a seat and pulled out my book. (I'm reading Breaking Dawn right now for those who are wondering which installment of the Twilight series I am enjoying.) This jury room is actually very nice. Large, with comfortable chairs, nice tables and even workstations for those with laptops. It is even equipped with a wireless connection. The cafeteria is immediately adjacent and prospective jurors may grab a snack at any time.

With the first announcement of the morning, my name was called to report (with 59 other jurors) to department C-26. We all trudged up to the 8th floor wondering what would await us. We entered and the voir dire (fancy word for questioning the prospective jurors) began.

It went on and on and on...finally, the attorneys began excusing those whom they did not want on the jury and new prospective jurors were questioned. I found myself in one of those groups.

They day went on and I began sensing that the attorneys were coming close to choosing their final 12 and 2 alternates and I was sure I was going to find myself on this jury; on a case where the charges were kidnapping, car jacking and using a lethal weapon in the comission of the crime.

Then, it happened. A prospective juror sitting behind me said it. While being questioned about whether or not he believed he could be a fair and impartial juror, he drew on his previous work experience in the men's jail. He had worked in food preparation and had supervised a team of inmates. He commented that the defendant, although he was dressed nicely, had on "inmate shoes."

The defense attorney tossed his pen onto the table, rolled his eyes and sighed. The judge's face changed and she immediately called the attorneys to a "side bar" conference. When they returned, her glare was fixed upon the one who had made the fashion observation. She sighed and dismissed the entire jury panel (with her apologies for the extraordinary waste of time our day had become) except for the big mouth. She continued her fixed look of anger upon him and instructed him to stay behind.

I wonder what happened to him. Honestly, I was a little scared for him as I left. I know people come up with all kinds of crazy excuses to get out of their duty but this, obviously, crossed the line.

So, I returned home to my normal life and wait for my next jury summons curious as to what my next experience will bring. It is a fascinating step into our legal system and I am actually thankful for the opportunity to participate.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

What board game are you?




You Are Scrabble



You are incredibly clever and witty. You can talk your way out of (and into) situations easily.

You are an excellent decision maker. You are good at weighing the options in front of you.

You're the type of person who can make something out of nothing. You are very resourceful.

You know a lot of things. Most importantly, you know when people are wrong - even when they won't admit it.



Very appropriate choice for me! I love Scrabble! I'm always up for a challenge on Facebook (hint, hint). LOL!! I'm not a fantastic Scrabble player but I'm on the "high average" side, I think. I suppose I could be deluding myself. :-) And, don't worry friends, that part about knowing when people are wrong? I'm not out there analyzing you all like that. I usually don't even know when I'm wrong!

By the way, we are safe from the fires and everything seems to be under control. We knew two families who were evacuated but they are both back in their homes. Thank you for praying for us and continue to pray for those around us who have lost everything.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Orange County Fires...

For anyone who is concerned about us, we are fine right now but the fires are close...very close!

The closest is only about 3-4 miles from us right now. It seems that much of our area is currently up in flames. There have been thousands evacuated and dozens have lost their homes. The smoke is so thick it is hard to even breathe and it seems to be raining ash everywhere. The high school around the corner from our house is currently a shelter.

I don't know what the night holds for us but we are praying for those who are being affected right now.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Name change here! :-)

Last February, I posted about giving my kids nicknames. They voted against the names I had chosen and came up with those you see me using regularly here.

Today, I am changing one of their names. Why, you ask? I picked up Screwloose from his driver's training (still hurts to type it--LOL!!) lesson and the teacher said, "He did really well on the freeway today!" What? I thought she was joking; just trying to get a reaction out of me. Reading her face told me she was not joking. :-)

She took my "baby" onto the freeway and he did well? My heart skipped a beat or two. Those who live here in Southern California (or who have driven here) will know why. The freeways here are insane! Drivers are aggressive, distracted and, sometimes, downright reckless. Not only did she take him out on the freeway but she took him out at 3pm on a Friday afternoon! Rush hour, southern California, beginning of the weekend...I'm really glad I didn't know ahead of time (although Screwloose said he told me this was today's lesson--I must have blocked it out LOL!!) or I would have been a nervous wreck!

All this to say that my son has been turned loose on the freeways of Southern California! He is no longer Screwloose, but shall, from now on, be known as Turned Loose! To all of my local friends: You have been duly warned! LOL!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Junie B. Jones....or?

Footloose is participating in speech this year through NCFCA. One of the speeches she is working on is a humorous interpretation cut from a Junie B. Jones story.

If you've ever read Junie B., you'll know that every story starts the same, "My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice except I don't like Beatrice. I just like B and that's all!" So, we've been hearing this opening endlessly around our house. So endlessly, in fact, that On the Loose has gotten in on the act.

At first, he was saying, "My name is Junie B. Jones. Except I don't like Christmas. I just like B and that's all." He finally got it right, though, and has been saying it often.

However, Footloose just came out of their shared room to tell me his new version (by the way, it is 10:22 pm and he should be asleep!). Anyway, here's what he's saying, "My name is crybaby. The B stands for baby except I don't like baby. I just like B and that's all!"

You know, almost a year ago, my pediatrician was showing great concern for my little guy because he was only saying a small handful of words and not stringing any of them into sentences. I wonder what he will think when he sees On the Loose next?

Clutter...where does it come from?

Does it multiply while I'm sleeping? Does it invite its friends without consulting me? Is it a conspiracy of my children? Is it simply the product of 5 people and all of their stuff in my 1482 sq. foot house?

Whatever the explanation, it drives me crazy! Why does every horizontal surface in the house attract clutter like a magnet? Why do things not make it back to there designated place? Does everything even have a designated place?

Here's an example of what I mean--this is the floor to ceiling bookcase in my "school room":



It probably doesn't look horrible at first glance, but if we look a little closer:

Here is an assortment of cell phone and camera battery chargers:



And, here we see where I stashed a whistle that I did not want to hear during school hours and two decks of cards I was sick of picking up over and over again!



Here is the paper and envelopes I just purchased for our Christmas letters. Why did I put them on the shelf that holds the current year's school books? Because I had company coming and didn't want them sitting on the kitchen counter.



And, here is my stash of cookbooks and cooking magazines. The problem? I never use them because I hate cooking! LOL!! There are also three index card file boxes that have not been used in years but sit there anyway. Why?



And, for good measure, here is the top of the piano on another wall in the same room. None of us plays the piano...it just collects clutter. Here we see papers that need filing, assignment sheets and lesson plans in the making.



All this is symptomatic of the whole house! Lots of stuff. Lots of stuff out of place. I'm going to tackle these two hot spots and I'll let you know how it goes. If I'm not back soon, send someone in after me! It means I'm buried and the stuff won!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Smile!

Footloose is out of braces! Here are some pictures I promised my mom (Hi Mom!!). :-)

Before:





During:



After:



A lovely transformation in a little under 18 months!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

That it might impart grace to the hearers...

In recent days I have become guilty of allowing myself to get caught up in negativity. It has been discouraging and depressing. Why do I, as a Christian, slip into this? Because I'm a sinner--no better than anyone else--and I fall into temptations of all kinds.

What I have learned:

I have not been spending enough time reading my Bible. If I had, I would not have suffered the way I have. ("How can a young man [or a nearly 40 year old woman] keep his way pure? By living according to your Word." Psalm 119:9)

I need to tame my tongue and sit on my fingers. With the advent of easy access to all things online and the ability to not have to face each other, our fingers can fly and the damage is done the minute we hit "send." ("..but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and wilth it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." James 3:8-10)

Christians are not always gracious (and that includes me!) and that is damaging to our witness.("A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 14:34-35)

In order to live in unity, we must strive to build each other up; not tear each other down. ("Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths [or your keyboards], but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" Ephesians 4:28-29; 31-32)

I need to stick to my own business and let God deal with every one else. ("Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house [or website to website]. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to." 1 Timothy 5:13)

As I have reflected, I've realized that I don't need to say everything I'm thinking. I need to think before I speak (or type) to make sure that my words are seasoned with grace and that they are edifying. I need to be understanding and forgiving of others; especially giving my fellow Christians the benefit of the doubt. Just because something is true doesn't mean it needs to be said; it can still be gossip and it can still be destructive. And, most of the time, I need to mind my own business.

My thoughts here are directed at myself. I seek forgiveness for anyone who was affected by any of my negativity (including my own family) and ask that you would encourage me in being positive and loving.

My prayer is that those who claim Christ would interact with their brothers and sisters in love so that others will see us and know that He is merciful, forgiving and the One who reconciles!

(Just a note: the things which led me to these realizations were not related to any of my FIAR friends.)

With love in Him,

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Twilight...

OK, I admit it! I have guilty pleasure...I have been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Who would have thought that I would be reading, let alone enjoying, a series of books written for teens that weaves a tale of vampires and werewolves?

I'm currently on page 400 of the second book: New Moon. At this moment, I'm irritated with Edward (and hoping he redeems himself), feeling sympathetic towards Jacob and so very happy to see Alice! I'll have to go get the third book so that I don't have to endure a break in the action when I'm done with this one (which will undoubtedly be today or tomorrow)! I've actually had to buy them because, would you believe, there is a waiting list a mile long at the library and I'm not a very patient person.

I resisted this temptation when I heard my friends talking about the books. But, my sister called a few weeks ago so excited about the books she'd been reading. She admitted that she rarely even reads a book and she was just over the top for these. She asked me to read them and who am I to turn down my younger sister? So, here I sit...sucked into a "vampire book." LOL!!

When Footloose found out I was reading them she exclaimed, "Mom! You're gonna have nightmares! You're freaked out by vampires!" She then told Screwloose what I was reading and he cautiously warned saying, "Mom, you're going to have nightmares." Guess what? I haven't had a single one! So there! LOL!!

I've chatted with my sister about them now a couple of times. It's been great having something to share that is so fun. I've also had fun comparing vampire myths with hubby who is somewhat of a vampire movie expert. :-)

I've had a tough couple of weeks and this has been such a fun escape. Thanks to my sister for her enthusiam and to my friends who told me to go ahead and read it!

Edward? Where are you?