Big Day Tomorrow and a Wonderful Friend

Well, tomorrow is the big day -- off to New York City! I am really, very excited. So much so I find myself nervous. I don't know why. In 48 short hours I will be on the edge of my seat as The Lion King begins and a dream to see a Broadway show will be realized. And the Statue of Liberty viewed through my own eyes -- live -- and not just in pictures. So much more to be sure.

But even more today I am so very thankful for my friend Sherri. I had originally asked her to stay with our boys but sadly, she had plans to watch somebody else's dog. So, I reluctantly found someone else (I say reluctantly because she loves dogs, is my friend, and was our first choice). An hour after arriving at work today the person who was supposed to do it told me she needed to go out of town for the weekend. My eyes welled up with tears as I read that email. What in the heck was I going to do? Panic. Freak-out. Cry.

And then God reminded me Sherri had told me a few weeks ago her plans had fallen through and she would be a back up if needed. I jumped out of my chair and ran upstairs. And guess what? That's right, she has before her the anomaly of a free weekend -- and a free week too. I have never been so relieved in my life. I can breathe again.

I suspect we'll come home to 2 very spoiled dogs but they're well down that road anyway!

So, Miss Sherri, here a very public thank you. You, my friend, are a lifesaver!

Fun Things

So here are some fun things going on around me:

My cousin Kristin and her husband Jon are having their first baby -- now in their 3rd trimester and winding down!

My cousin Cindy got engaged on Valentine's Day. I saw her today and she was just bubbling. She's got herself a keeper and he treats her like a queen. Having kissed some frogs, she deserves her prince.

Today in staff fellowship we got a brief report from one of the execs who just got back from Branson, MO. He described it as "kind of like Vegas but without the alcohol, more gospel type music, older folks, and good, clean shows a 3 year old could attend". Molly was standing next to me and she said "What happens in Branson stays in Branson". I said "Yep, mostly because they can't remember what happened once they leave."

We crack ourselves up! We just laughed and laughed and laughed.

A Few of My Favorite Things

This morning I was thinking through my schedule this week and trying to figure out how I could fit in everything I need to get done before we leave Saturday morning.

My mind immediately went to Friday at noon. I'm meeting a friend for lunch at one of my all-time favorite restaurants....HuHot. I love that place! I could (and should) go every week. When Steve was deployed I think I went at least 3 times a month. I knew the entire waitstaff and, most embarassingly, they knew me too. In an effort to not always eat by myself, I must have bought lunch for everyone I know. Then I grew weary of that and went alone...and I survived too. When I got my year end credit card statement, the most frequent charges were to HuHot and Guadalajara's.

That leads me to another favorite -- Guads -- at least that is what we shorten it to at our house. We grew to love Mexican food when we were in Phoenix which would have been a great place to eat it frequently but we had no money because Steve was in school.

Another recent addition to my favorite list is Hobby Lobby. I seriously could spend hours in there, just browsing around. I meant to schedule a time to do that but life just gets in the way, you know? I did manage to squeeze in an hour or so with my sister-in-law around Christmas but I want to go alone, when I can really get lost and just stand there staring at something for 15 minutes if I want to. Even as I type that I realize it sounds a bit weird.

I also love Waccamaw but we don't have one of those. And Ruth's Chris but we don't have one of those either. And the beach but we don't have one of those.

But mountains? Yeah, we have those! And I love them -- so majestic and powerful. Lately as I look at them I recall the verse where Jesus said that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can say to the mountain "move!" and it will. And you know I'd do it if I could. I guess we know what that says about how small my faith is.

And movies - oh, I love to go to a movie at the theater!

Did I mention travel? That's really at the top of my list. I'll go most anywhere. I love new sights, sounds, and exploring things different from my world. And then I love coming home to the last best place and marvel that God lets us live here.

A few other quick ones would be a great worship service or Bible study, riding bikes in Riverfront Park or Black Otter Trail, walking around Zimmerman Park (not a fan of bike rides there - too close to a steep drop), hanging out with E & P, um, Erica and Peter for those not familiar with Julie-eze, any time I have with Steve, and last but not least, laughing. Humor is essential to my soul. Laughter truly is some of the best medicine. And my life is full of it.

Happy Birthday Erica!

As I type this, I find it hard to believe that our baby girl turns 18 today. What happened that made these years fly by so quickly? It seems impossible that our Rica Rain (short for Erica Lorraine) can be all grown up. Yet she is.

From the first day my sister perfected the art of sharing her babies and we've all had the pleasure of raising her as a family. The only bigger delight we could have is to call her our own. It's both fun and sad to see how she has grown into a wonderful young woman. She is an utter pleasure to be around and it thrills me to see a characteristic or two of myself in her. She's quite a dichotomy. Intelligent yet common sense dumb, funny yet serious, social yet shy, has lots of friends yet likes to be alone.

The fact that she still likes to hang around with Steve and I is something I'm hardly able to grasp. Why would an 18-year-old want 2 "old" folks around? She seems to love it. She has a great sense of family and the fact that we get any time is an amazing gift. Of course going out with her friends is often more important (and should be), she still makes conscious choices to be with her family. I think it keeps her grounded and of course we're lots of fun in our own right:)

I could probably go on forever in this post so I'll just pick this place to stop. Happy Birthday Rica-Rain!! I can't even imagine life without you and Peter. You add so much to our lives. We treasure you, love you, and are so grateful to God for the gift of Erica Lorraine.

(The first picture is Erica at a few days old; the one to the left is her and Steve in Hawaii.)

Open Mouth, Insert Gargantuan Foot

The other night at Bible study my big ol' mouth got in the way...again! For a while I was very successful at letting a thought mull around my brain before it actually came out my mouth. I've noticed I am beginning to slip back into my old way of "in brain, out mouth" with no stops in between.

Here's what happened: Steve got out the Scattergories dice (20-sided) and each of us rolled it to get our own letter. With that letter we had to think of an attribute of God and then list several things we were thankful for that started with that same letter. Once we were all done, we took turns praying, praising God for that attribute and thanking him for the things on our list. My turn to roll came and I got an "N". Ugh! The only thing that came to my mind immediately was "nocturnal". I have no idea why. God, thanks for being nocturnal? That doesn't make a lot of sense unless I spin it with the idea that he never sleeps. I guess that's okay.

Now that nocturnal was in my mind, I could not get it out. So I say, OUT LOUD, "man, I can't get that out of my brain...the only other thing that pops into my head is "nice" and that's something a 7-year-old would write."

Yep, there it was. Sara looked over on her husband's paper and said "Well, I guess you better cross that out!" Like lightning my head jerked over that way and I stared in disbelief as Phil slowly crossed it out and laughter erupted from the entire group. He chuckled. I covered my face. I was horrified and could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. I said "oh, I'm so sorry - I really didn't mean anything by that." The laughter continued to reign. Finally someone said (I think it was Steve), "You know, you're not the only one able to roll an N."

It seriously never crossed my mind that someone else had the same letter. I am such an idiot! But in the end, Phil & Sara are a great couple and lots of fun so he harbored no ill feelings. As he left, I apologized again and he assured me all was fine as he walked out the door. Hopefully they come back next week -- not only because we love that they come, but also because it's their turn to bring dinner:)

My "N" attribute ended up being never-failing. If only I could remember Phil's.......

Lesson From A Broken Dishwasher

Late last week my dishwasher broke. Caput. Won't run. And yet I'm not upset -- not one itsy, bitsy, tiny bit. I'm not a huge fan of washing dishes by hand, aka the old fashioned way, but it's not the end of the world.

Now, given the trials of the last several months -- who am I kidding here - the last 3 years, you'd think this might push me over the edge. Since it didn't, I take that as a good sign. It's evidence that I'm learning something in my season of sifting.

I'm a little disgusted that the dishwasher broke down because it's only 4 1/2 years old. Since our house was new when we moved in, obviously all the appliances were too. I really think it should last longer than that but if it doesn't, who cares (in the big scheme of things)?

For the last 5 days I've been thinking to myself, mostly as I wash dishes, that truly only one thing was meant to last forever and I've taken care of that already by securing my place for eternity. It's far more important for me to spend time and effort (after doing dishes, heehee) helping others to be sure of their eternal destination because the only thing I can take out of this world is other souls. Not my dishwasher, not my cars, not my house.

Believe it or not, this is a huge spurt of growth for me.

Who's The Boss Anyway?

Time and again these last few weeks Sam has tried to declare that he is boss. Repeatedly we take him down and stand over the top of him to prove he's not and he must submit. This isn't such a big deal for Steve because, while Sam is strong, Steve is stronger. But me? Holy cow, that big brute can knock me over and push me around. The great thing is he readily submits and he's oh-so-anxious to please.

It's funny because he frequently attempts to assert his boss-ness in seriously cute ways. He'll act as if he just wants to sit with me and he'll put his adorable, albeit enormous, head on my lap and stare at me with those big, sad, brown eyes. Just when I go "aw, he's so cute" he tries to jump up and stand over me. And he's SO HEAVY! Sometimes I can take him down myself but sometimes Steve has to haul him off and then once down, I assert my kingship over him.

So yesterday as he was doing this I thought about how I habitually try to do that very thing to God. It works about as well for me as it does for Sam. The difference is that I never fool God with my big, sad eyes staring at him or by pretending submission only to try to overtake him. No, not possible to fool him. Nor does he need help to push me down and prove who the boss really is. Sadly, I generally don't submit as easily or as quickly as Sam does so perhaps I can learn a lesson or two from the big oaf. Just as I will win with Sam, God will win with me. It comes down to how long I plan to wrestle, squirm, and even fight. It only has to be as difficult as I make it.

This is why having a dog is invaluable -- the spiritual lessons abound!

Love Is In The Air

Valentine's Day makes me laugh. It seems to be the one day of the year when we must unashamedly proclaim our love and devotion to someone. And if we don't, I guess that means we need to check our love-o-meter. What about the other 364 days of the year? Are they not worthy of showing and professing love too?

So even though I know it's a made up holiday, I found myself disheartened at lunch as I sat across the table from Steve (at home no less) eating leftovers. I mean, really, leftovers aren't worth eating on a non-lover holiday let alone Valentine's Day! I was bummed because I secretly hoped he would call and invite me to one of my all time favorites - Hu Hot. But he didn't. Of course I didn't either but this is a holiday where the male species is supposed to woo the female, right? And guess what special plans we have for tonight? Nothing, at least not related to V-Day. I'll be out at Calvary teaching my Bible study as I do every Thursday and Steve will likely be playing Madden 2008. And it's all good.

So now I'm laughing to myself and at myself because it's dumb. Who cares if we go to lunch on February 14th or February 19th? What difference does it make? None. Nada. Zip. I'd much rather Steve be consistent in showing he loves me all year than to throw a bunch of money away on just one day where we're "supposed" to prove our love.

In truth he picked up a dozen roses for me yesterday (and a bunch of carnations from my boys) but even if he hadn't, I could still have come to the same conclusion.

So, if you didn't get something today, it doesn't mean you're less loved. Even in the absence of a significant other or spouse, the greater love heaped on us comes from God anyway. And that love never wanes, no matter what. Bask today in the words of Isaiah 54:10:

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you."

Pious Attitudes

I'm particularly disgusted today with pious attitudes. My feelings were deeply hurt earlier this week and last week when on 2 separate occasions those who believe they are more spiritual than we are had the nerve to insinuate Steve has no business being in ministry, particularly in the role of a pastor.

Really? I wonder how these individuals justify their sanctimonious, pious attitudes to God. After all, who calls people to ministry? And who equips them? Now granted, I have no business taking up an offense directed at Steve but because it was indirectly at me as well, I couldn't help it. And he doesn't care what they think. Not one bit. Here's a conversation we had a few days ago relating to this. I changed it a bit because I don't want to out these individuals although I'm not sure why I feel the need to protect them. Anyway:

J: You know, you can't be part of XYZ (this thing in particular).

S: No problem. I don't want to be.

J: But it's because you're not good enough according to these self proclaimed "wise" people (seriously, I did the quotes with my fingers).

S: Good. Even better because I really don't want to.

I don't know how he does it -- let stuff roll off his back all the time. He's like a stinkin' duck. The great thing about Steve is that he wakes up every single day in awe that God called him to ministry and wants to use him even a little, let alone in full time ministry. I know if I asked these aforementioned individuals they would say the same thing but they don't mean it. They can't. If they did, they wouldn't presume to know what took place between Steve and God. And they wouldn't play God in this situation.

So, I guess I'd rather be "unqualified" in their eyes than in God's. And I'd rather be on this side of the pious attitude than on their side.

As in so many things, God will justify his child and do it in a far better way than I could; and he will deal as gently or as harshly as he needs to with his other children who are choosing this path.

Just a Few Short Weeks

This weekend I received our Broadway show tickets in the mail. I guess that means our vacation is quickly approaching! I called Erica with the good news (the receipt of the tickets) and she said "it's hard to believe we'll be on a plane in 3 weeks".

YIPES - 3 WEEKS? Holy cow, I can't believe it. I knew it was coming up but hadn't stopped to calculate how quickly. Historically I would have thoroughly exhausted myself by now with all the pre-planning and details. But then I went on vacation with my brother (mentioned in my previous post) who seriously despises intricate planning of a vacation. He told me up front "ok, look, you will NOT be organizing this thing down to the minute. We're supposed to relax. It'll be fine, we'll see everything we want, but we won't be running like chickens with our heads cut off! Got it?" Yep, check, got it. And guess what? I loved it!

Given the success of that trip, I didn't plan much at all this last time we went to Maui -- other than the pre-purchase of tickets, hotel, and car reservation. And again, it all worked out! A brief scare on the snorkeling front but it worked out. Having waited until a couple days before we left, we almost didn't get a spot.

So now the excitement is stirring up and we're ready to hit the streets in a casual stroll...okay, probably running. Erica is really up for a street vendor hot dog (see, she's weird like me)!

Baby Brother

Today is my brother's birthday, more specifically my younger brother, Craig. I adore him--he's hilarious, sarcastic, and sometimes obnoxious yet I adore him anyway.

As kids he was frequently the target of the sisters (Shiela and I) ganging up on him which ceased to be fun once he could hold his own. And the purpose of little brothers is to annoy their older sisters, a purpose he fulfilled quite readily. About 2 years before I got married we started to become friends -- real friends. I loved that time. Then I moved away, and further away, and furthest away. A couple years after I moved home, he moved away. But now he's in Great Falls and we see each other several times a year.

My fondest adult memories come from our trips together. The first was to Phoenix when he moved there in 1997. Because I had lived there for 3 years, I jumped at the opportunity to drive down with him and help him get settled; a kid fresh out of college and me, the wise, 3-years-older-sister. It was just the two of us on a road trip, lots of laughter and adventure, and then tears as I boarded a plane and left my baby brother there all by himself. To be clear, the tears were mine, not his! The second trip was to Boston and Maine, with our spouses, in 2004. I smile ear to ear just thinking about how fun that was. He and Steve get along so well and I love that too.

So, Happy Birthday Craig! I love you man! I look forward to many other adventures, maybe Philly sometime soon?

Mom, Craig & I:

Dad and baby Craig:

Shiela, Craig, and I (on vacation in ND):

All the siblings:

Winter Doldrums

These last few days I've had a severe case of the winter blues. I love the change of seasons and each one has a beauty all its own but for some reason I appreciate winter less and less as each year passes. I like the first snowfall because the flakes seem to hug each branch and fence post but by February I'm over it! One great thing about winter is that it kills all those nasty little critters that overtake me in the summer.

So, today I'm just hoping for a really long spring (I don't like 90+ temps so much). I love the cool mornings and evenings and the balmy, warm days. I love that everything is blooming and turning green and I love long days of light. When I get up it's light and the sun goes down around 9:30 - that's the best!

So, to get through the winter doldrums, I think tomorrow night I will put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, turn on every light in the house and pretend it's spring or summer. Steve will be gone overnight so I am free to be as weird as I want:) Maybe I'll even be inspired enough to begin spring cleaning!

Way Too Funny

This morning I sat down at the table about 6:30 a.m. with my study books and got to work. The boys (aka my dogs) were particularly feisty and not at all pleased that I wasn't paying one iota of attention to them. And they were particularly displeased that I closed the door to the bedroom so they couldn't get to Steve.

After several attempts at being naughty and obnoxious they gave up and sat down, staring intently at me. So, as I sat there, I heard a, how shall I say this nicely? Um, a rumble came from Sam's behind. It clearly startled him as it did me. He jumped up, turned around, and stared at his backside -- clearly confused at what had taken place.

I erupted into laughter....until the inevitable smell hit my nose. But it was funny! He scurried over to me and put his head on my lap so I could comfort him in his fear -- or something like that.

Anyway, it started my day with a funny so I thought I'd pass it along!