Life on Prescott Avenue

New Year, New Look

2011-12-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

I really thought changing the design of my blog would take 30 minutes. HA!
But it's done and I'm happy with it. Fresh, new, up to date.

Hmmm.....Kind of my mindset for my life right now:

FRESH.....Cleaning out the cobwebs of negative thoughts.

NEW........Ushering new thoughts of how Jesus sees me. Loved, worth dying for, precious.

UP TO DATE......Bringing my body, clothes, hair up to date. Just because I'm 42 doesn't mean I have to stop caring how I look.

Oh, The Things I Find

2011-12-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

Today is the day I go through receipts, bills, and pay stubs to figure out where we are after the holiday craziness. I know, Dave Ramsey would have a complete mental breakdown if he knew how we handle our household finances. We are good stewards of God's money. We just have our own way of stewarding. Really.

So I open my top desk drawer. (The one containing said receipts and bills.) It was bursting forth with folded summaries of exchanged money. So, I removed those and then noticed that this drawer had also somehow become the catch-all for things that didn't exactly have a designated resting place.

I noticed that I kept repeating the same words as I pulled items one by one out of the bowels of the drawer:
"There's that....."
"That's where I put the...."
"I've been looking for this...."

And among the hidden treasures were:
-A checkbook to an account that has been closed for six months
-A crumpled piece of paper containing user names and passwords (I have since changed them all because I couldn't remember them)
-A sheet of two cent stamps sent to us by our realtor in 2006 after the postage stamp price increased and before the "Forever" stamp was invented.
-A piece of paper containing a user name and password Troy told me not to lose. For the record, it's not lost-----anymore.

So now every one of these long forgotten items is on my desk. (I'm reaching over them to type this post.) Where shall they go? Probably back in the drawer. But at least now, I can look at this post and remember what's in there. Kind of like a map. See? It's all good.....and apparently it's all in my top desk drawer.

Dinner Parties

2011-12-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dinner party--just what the name implies: a party involving a dinner. I LOVE dinner parties. I think it's because when I was young I thought dinner parties sounded so sophisticated. It's also because a dinner party doesn't foster unrealistic expectations, such as: Will I find someone to talk to? Can I eat while standing, while balancing a glass of wine? Will I be interesting or sit by myself in the corner?At a dinner party, the guest list is usually small, your seat is designated and you usually have someone to talk to.

Troy and I hosted a dinner party tonight and invited three couples (one couple couldn't attend due to travel plans). We had a wonderful time. The conversation was delightful. In fact, the conversation didn't lag once during the 4 hours we all sat around the dining room table. We conversed about a wide variety of subjects ranging from the television show "Big Brother" to the faithfulness of Corrie Ten Boom. From Alcoholics Anonymous to zippered sweaters. The guests started making plans to leave at about 9:15 pm and we continued to visit until 10:30 pm. LOVE!

Thanks Judy, Bill, Doug, and Willo for a wonderful evening.

It's Baaaaack

2011-12-10T21:09:00.001-07:00

I thought I may have dodged it this season. Thought maybe all the snow we had been getting lately had helped to push it away. But, it's here.

The little black cloud has found its way to my personal space and has taken up residence. I felt it coming yesterday, but I took away some of it's power when I helped out a couple of friends. Doing for others always shrinks the darkness, never quite taking it away, but definitely making it a little less ominous.

In fact, this morning, I was doing great. I thought those little acts of kindness had disintegrated the cloud. I was happily wrapping and packing Christmas presents. I was determined to get them on their way today. After two trips to three different stores to finish up little things, my mood was still good. Tired, but good.

Then it hit me, blind sided me, actually. I was almost finished packing and decided to make sure that the newly opened Postnet down the street closed at 4:00 pm. If so, I still had an hour and a half to finish up. Well, my friends, Postnet closes at 2:00pm on Saturday. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! It was like one of those movie scenes where the character faces such a startling disappointment that they fall to their knees with their head thrown back screaming and the camera does a swift "back away" so that the last shot is a UFO picking up the sound of the distressed character screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Too much detail? Welcome to my mind.

Anyway, it was a free fall, down hill drop in disposition the rest of the day. I finally finished the gifts at about 3:00 pm, drove into town, paid an arm and a leg at the UPS Store to ship my day's work. And I still needed to come home to a filthy kitchen, four loads of laundry, and unmade dinner. That's enough to make a girl need two pair of big girl panties.

So, here I am....With the seasonal black cloud that sneaks up on me every fall and doesn't quite leave until March or April. Some days are better than others. I'm usually able to "fake" my sunny demeanor during this time of year, but if you notice I'm not my usual smiley self, feel free to shake your fist at the little black cloud directly above my head. Maybe you can scare it away.

And One V-e-r-y Tired Me

2011-11-29T16:44:00.003-07:00

(Sing to the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas")

After a Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma,
These true things happened,really...

12 times of saying, "This tastes so good."
11 hugs (at least) from relatives
10 hours sitting around the dining room table, visiting
9 times laughing at Morgan's dog for barking at her reflection
7 meals a day
6 restless sleep nights (not my own bed)
5 Patti's Special BBQ sandwiches
4 hours of sleep in Wichita, Kansas
3 days of Troy being sick
2 minutes of fire alarm in a hotel in Salina, Kansas
And
1 V-e-r-y tired Me

That Time of the Year

2011-11-04T17:36:00.003-06:00

I have been a little "blog quiet" lately. Just not inspired, I guess.

I almost wrote about snow the other day, but couldn't put into words what snow does to my senses. I feel this rush of anticipation before it snows and then as it's snowing, I feel very mellow. Once there's a nice layer of snow covering everything in sight, I just feel this exhilaration that I can't describe. I don't necessarily want to go outside and play in it, but I do love looking at it through the windows. Yes, I open every blind in the house when it snows. (Not so great on the gas bill, but good for my emotional state.) One of my favorite television characters ever is Lorelei Gilmore on the "Gilmore Girls". She said on several occasions that the first snowfall of the year was magical. I concur! She also said in one episode, "I smell snow!" Well, I can't smell it, but I FEEL it. Like some inner energy that vibrates erratically before a snowfall.

Well, now I've written that post about snow. I'll post another day about why this feeling snow gives me is essentially important during this time of the year.

Why I Love It

2011-10-03T10:32:00.013-06:00

We're home and I can't fully express how that makes me feel. You know, calling this house that sits on Prescott Avenue my home. I love my house, but if I could wave a magic wand and wish it to another spot. It would be sitting on the mountainside overlooking Ouray.

I know you must be really tired of reading about my favorite place in the entire world. But I wanted to share some reasons why I love it so much...

Mouse's Chocolates and Coffee - My favorite coffee place. The coffee is very hot and if you bring in your own travel mug, you get to roll the dice for cool discounts and prizes. All the booths have gorgeous views and come equipped with a receptacle to plug in your computer while you munch away at one of their famous "scrap" cookies. The cookies are basically a sugar cookie with scraps left over from the candy making. AND they serve ice cream making it also my favorite dessert stop after dinner.

Rocking P Ranch - My favorite shopping place. Oleta and her daughter own the shop which is chock full of clothes, jewelry, home decor, and furniture. Oleta is a fire cracker and made Troy and I promise to come see her at the National Western Stock Show in Denver this January. She even wrote down the booth she would be in and told us if we didn't visit, she would be very disappointed.

The Outlaw - My favorite steak place. In the summer, the restaurant is filled with piano music and the savory smell of the grill. It basically pulls you in from the street with promises of frolicking fun and scrumptious food. And it doesn't disappoint. The atmosphere is a bit more calm in the fall when the majority of the patrons tend to be residents.

O'Brien's Pub - My favorite sports pub. Always crowded. Always friendly. Always good food. Their french fries are the best fries ever! Troy and I never miss a stop at O'Brien's Pub if only for just a large order of fries.

County Road 361 - My favorite view. Troy loves to drive up this county road that looks suspiciously like a jeep trail. The views are spectacular. Usually, we are enamoured by the water falls and bright green leaves of the newly budded aspen trees. This trip, the aspens had turned brilliant yellow with touches of neon coral shining through. LOVE!

Bon Ton Restaurant - A new favorite. This trip, we decided to try out some new restaurants. Bon Ton's serves Italian cuisine in the basement of the St. Elmo Hotel. Very cozy. The food was extremely tasty. We had cream of spinach soup that was so good, I wanted to lick the bowl but was concerned it might be frowned upon.

Ouray Brewery - Fun spot. The t-shirt on the wall said, "Ouray, Colorado...A drinking town with a tourist problem." this cozy eatery boasts dining on the flat top roof and bar "stools" that swing. The mac and cheese was a creamy delight. Next trip, I'm going to check our their "Adult Root beer Float".

Unfortunately, one of my favorite antique shops moved to a nearby town. I loved the unique items the owner sold as well as the Norah Jones music she always had playing in the background. We walked into the store only to see a different business. The new owner stated that several visitors have been disappointed that the business changed and that they couldn't get their Norah Jones fix.

Troy told me that if I could find him a job, we would move. Believe me, I tried. I told every shop owner that I was looking for a job for my husband. I'm sad to say that there is not much of a need for a facilities engineer in Ouray, Colorado. We are seriously planning to retire there. Until then, I'll have my once a year trip to get me by. Although, I think I might be able to score a decent job with the Tourism Board. What do you think?

Anticipation.....It's Making Me....CRAZY!

2011-09-26T18:59:00.002-06:00

I really wonder about myself sometimes. Actually, I'm writing this post hoping that my counseling background will offer me a little self-help action.

We are leaving for Ouray, Colorado tomorrow morning. I started counting down the days about three weeks ago. We haven't been on an extended road trip in over a year, actually a year and five months (but who's counting). I have wished each morning for the last week that we were leaving that very day. I have made reservations for the dogs and the humans. Saturday, I stated in a very matter-of-fact tone, "We should just leave on Monday. I'm sure we could extend the reservations one more day." I was chomping at the bit, wishing away the hours, and praying that nothing would happen to ruin our trip. (Don't laugh, Luke ate a WHOLE BOTTLE of Leia's pain medicine last October which force us to cancel our trip.)

And here I am tonight. My heart is racing. I have lists, and lists, and lists running through my head of things I need to pack and do before we leave. The thought actually flashed through my mind that it would just be easier to stay home! WHAT?!?!

What is the matter with my psyche? I should be as giddy as a school girl on the last day of school, but I'm so overwhelmed I'm almost paralyzed!

Deep breath.

Okay, another deep breath.

And another.

It will be fine. If I forget something really important (like hairspray) we can always stop and get it. It wouldn't be the end of the world. Really. Everything is good. It will be fine.

Hey, guess what? In about 14 more hours and we will be on the road! Yippee!

And Then They Will Know...

2011-09-07T21:03:00.006-06:00

I may finally do it this year. I may finally read through the whole bible in a year. It's inevitable that in December, near Christmas, I feel that urge, that need, to read the whole bible. I have read parts of the bible many, many times. I'm ashamed to say, there are parts of God's Word I have never read.

So January 1, 2011 I decided I was actually going to do it this year. Well, I have had days, weeks that I have not read the specified reading and then have spent weeks reading "two-a-days" to catch up only to become lazy and miss several days again.

I say all this to say that I'm reading Ezekiel right now. (According to the reading schedule I should be reading one of the minor prophet books right now, but I'm playing catch up AGAIN!) Two-a-days in Ezekiel. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm reading about eight chapters a day, which gets a little mind numbing. Please understand, I'm not studying as I'm reading. I just want to read through partly to say I have but also because I am learning so much about God even in the craziness of catch-up reading.

Over and over again in the book of Ezekiel, God says to the prophet, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says" followed by prophesy which history has proven did indeed happen. God tells Ezekiel that the reason the prophesy is being spoken AND the reason for Jerusalem's downfall is "then they will know that I am the Lord."

I thought about that as I walked the dogs today. I looked up at the beautiful clouds and the sun trying to peek through. I thought, "God didn't just want to prove who He was to those listening to Ezekiel. He is also talking to me." I have the privilege of seeing what Ezekiel did not see. God spoke these prophesies through Ezekiel so that we could look back on history and see that what the Sovereign Lord said came to pass so that I would know that He is the Lord my God.

And I have a personal relationship with THE Sovereign, All-Powerful God. Mind Boggling. Humbling. Amazing!

Saturdays, Part 2

2011-09-03T18:43:00.002-06:00

I wrote a post in May about Saturdays and how sacred they are in this home of the Wilsons. It wasn't until last night that I remembered that Saturdays are sacred for an entirely different reason during the months of September, October, November, and December.

College Football.

These College Football Saturdays usually start with "College Gameday" on ESPN. Enjoyed with a side of peanut butter waffles, bacon, and coffee. The rest of the day is a blur of football, halftime shows, beer commercials, and meals interrupted by bathroom trips and chip/drink runs.

So, today was the first College Football Saturday of the season. The weather here in Castle Rock even knew to cool down so that Troy and I could enjoy the games in the recliner with our blankets covering our legs (as it should be). By enjoy, I mean that Troy intently watches the game as I look up from my book, my crocheting, or my lap top when I hear the crowd roar. Don't get me wrong, I do like watching the games, but I also like the guilt-free feeling of doing exactly what I want as long as I sit with Troy. (Today, I finished reading "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe".)

So, now the games I really wanted to watch are in full swing, so, let's end this first Saturday of the College Football Season with a bang and cheer for the team with the best uniforms! :)

The Garden Grows

2011-08-12T10:55:00.008-06:00

Remember this?

Well, the strawberries were the first to make an appearance. Each day for about a month, I picked one or two tiny berries, froze them each in a mini muffin tray and then transferred them to a gallon size freezer bag. (Yes...high expectations.)Then they stopped producing and the plant started growing like CRAZY!

I've been closely monitoring two (count them...two) tomatoes as they grew from tiny green bulbs to smallish green orbs of possibility. I finally picked them today. Along with one decently sized strawberry.

And it looks like more tomatoes are on the way!

Where Else Would We Go?

2011-08-04T08:43:00.015-06:00

Our ninth anniversary is fast approaching.

I have to make a side note. "Ninth" has always been a hard word for me to spell. Not that I have an easy time with any word. I'm the world's most horrible speller. But "ninth"....shouldn't it be
n-i-n-e-t-h? I mean it looks like the "i" would be pronounced as a short sound in "ninth" rather than a long sound. Oh well...back to the post.

We decided from the very first that our anniversary gift to each other would be to get away for a little outing to celebrate. Some of our most memorable "gifts" have been: glamorous nights out for dinner and theater in San Francisco, a trip to Monterey Bay, a week long vacation in Hawaii, and weekends in the mountains.

We agreed on a budget this year and the fun of planning our adventure began.

I love searching the internet for the best vacation to fit our interests and budget. I found a great deal on a cruise from Vancouver to LA, with a one day stop in San Francisco. But we needed passports.

(This happens quite often, so you will be happy to know we finally submitted our applications and the passports should be in our mailbox in four to six weeks.)

So the fantastic cruise deal was a no go.

I started the search again.

Our budget was impacted by the fact that we needed to board our four-legged, furry children while we were gone and, unfortunately, the kennel is not cheap.

Hmmm...budget minus boarding fees...relaxing time away in a wonderful hotel/resort in a beautiful setting, with a great downtown atmosphere for at least three days. Hmmm...

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you know where we are going. Yep, Ouray. I've gushed so many times about my adoration for this "Little Switzerland" village nestled in the San Juan Mountains. There's something about going to a place you love. We have a favorite stops in Ouray that we make every time we are there. Familiarity is comforting. It always feels like the mountains are welcoming me with open arms and then enveloping me with their beauty.

During one trip, while window shopping in Ouray, I took a bathroom break at the Beaumont Hotel and Spa. WOW! I was enthralled by the opulence. I'm not too proud to tell you that while "sitting on the throne", I pretended I was a guest of this grand palace on Main Street rather than a trespasser from the Best Western down the street.

I typed "Beaumont Hotel, Ouray, Colorado" into the search bar and started dreaming. My dreams came to fruition when I discovered that our budget allows for three nights in the "Skylight Grand Suite". Let the countdown begin!

Nine years...good and bad, thick and thin, sickness and health, richer and poorer.

The celebration of our wedding day is important to us. Even when the "poorer" years didn't allow us to get away for a few days, September 28th reminds us how blessed we are that God created this marriage.

I do not believe in "luck", but if I could change the words of one of my favorite songs by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat from "lucky" to "blessed", it would sum up my feelings for this wonderful man God gave me.

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend.
Lucky to have been where I have been.
Lucky to be coming home again.

Lucky we're in love in every way.
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed.
Lucky to be coming home someday.

And to add my own verse...

Blessed by God in every single way.
Blessed we can celebrate our day
In a beautiful palace in Ouray.

:)

Empty

2011-07-29T12:37:00.005-06:00

My house is empty.

So are my emotions.

Everyone left on Wednesday morning. Troy to work. Mom, Dad, Morgan, and Connor to Oklahoma. It's just me and my emptiness.

I haven't written until this point because I didn't know how I was feeling or what to say. At first I thought I was just bone-tired. We packed a lot into 4 weeks. Then when tears filled my eyes Wednesday night, I thought I was depressed. But I think I'm mostly just empty.

I keep thinking about little things that were a normal part of my day for the past month that are not here anymore:

Connor's footsteps coming up the stairs from his bedroom in the morning. And with sleep still in his eyes saying, "I'm bored."

Peeking in on Morgan at 1:00 in the afternoon to make sure she's still alive to see her lying in bed curled up with a Harry Potter book. (She read the whole series again while she was here.)

Connor playing Wii sports while I'm making dinner and hearing his little delighted voice saying, "I'm really good at this!"

Girl talks with Morgan as we drove from point A to point B. LOVE THOSE CAPTIVE MOMENTS!

Watching Connor take on "big boy" responsibilities like helping clean the table after dinner and ordering for himself at a restaurant.

Hearing Morgan learn to take a compliment gracefully.

No Spongebob, no YouTube references, no day trips to explore museums and amusement parks, no fun filled discussions at the dinner table.

Empty.

That's all.

In Honor of the Shuttle Missions

2011-07-08T21:54:00.008-06:00

I wish I had the foresight to plan this, but it just happened this way.

We finally launched our model rockets on the very day the last shuttle mission launched. I had penciled it in on our Calendar of Events.

We were waiting for a break in the rain. We got it, a break...barely.

We launched the smaller rocket first...

And retrieved it...

Then we launched the larger one...

And lost it...

But still had a great night.

Calendar of Events

2011-07-07T08:21:00.003-06:00

I tried. I really, really tried. But I just can't do it. I can't just let a day happen and plan events accordingly. When did this happen? When did I become the cruise director?

I admit it. I've always wanted to have vacations planned. Mostly because I wanted to pack everything I could into those limited days. But to have every day planned?
I think it started when I stopped working full time. I no longer had my day planned based on what needed to be completed by a deadline.

I started pondering this as I looked at the "Calendar of Events" for July attached to the refrigerator. It didn't just appear. I worked long and hard on it.

The obsessive compulsive part of me understands the Museum Mondays, Take-turns Tuesdays, Wacky Wednesdays, Thrifty Thursdays, Family Fridays, Special Night Saturdays, and Simple Sundays. The practical side of me knows that I need to have things planned so that I can find coupons and directions for the outing. And the rest of me loves the ability to look at the calendar and tell the ever-questioning seven year old boy what we have on the agenda for the next day.

So what's on the agenda for this Thrifty Thursday? The pool and the library.

Rockets And Red Glare

2011-07-04T16:21:00.007-06:00

Rockets:
Our church announced that as part of our annual Independence Day Celebration picnic, we would also have a model rocket launch. Knowing that Connor is a typical seven year old boy who has a unique interest in all things scientific, I made a mental note to include him (with help from Uncle Troy) in this activity.
On Monday, I took advice from a hobby shop owner named Wolf, and bought a two rocket set. He assured me, the novice rocket builder, that the set was all inclusive.

Red Glare:
On Friday, Uncle Troy was sick, more seriously than I realized. (This sickness lasted all weekend.) I asked him to read the instructions on the rockets to insure we were ready to hit the ground running on Sunday. He read through the general instructions and said we were ready to go. After the picnic, we noticed that kids started lining up at the launch pad with their rockets ALREADY BUILT! So we hurriedly opened the packages and realized that in addition to the "all inclusive" kit we needed: super glue, masking tape, "recovery wadding", a craft knife, a ruler, and a pencil!
REALLY, WOLF?!?!

So, picture the scene: Connor is watching other kids launching rockets, questions about our progress running like a river from his mouth. Troy is trying as best he can to "McGyver" this contraption with supplies borrowed from the church office. I am TICKED because Wolf misled us and because I didn't think Troy was as prepared as he should have been.

We finally gave up on the construction and went home "Red Glaring" all the way.

Rockets, Part Two:
Today, Connor and I sat at the kitchen table with most of the extra supplies at hand and finished as much as we could of the rockets. We still have to buy "recovery wadding" at Hobby Lobby tomorrow.

For now all is well. Troy is finally feeling a little better (after a bout of severe dehydration). Connor is satisfied that we have two rockets (sans wadding) on the launching pad. And I am thrilled that life is better for both of my boys.

Launch pictures to follow...

Connor-isms

2011-06-27T08:48:00.004-06:00

Connor is seven and keeps reminding us he's almost 8 (In October).

"Morgan was really sick when she was little. She's good at taking butt shots."

Connor went down to his bedroom and stayed longer than usual. He said Luke (our dog) was laying on his bed.
Connor: "I was talking to Luke."
Me: "What were you talking about?"
Connor, shrugging his shoulders: "I was just telling him about my life."

In Wal-mart doing grocery shopping:
Connor, singing: "Hot Pockets....I can't get that commercial song out of my head."
Me: "Well maybe you should sing something else to try to get it out."
Connor, singing: "Red Robin....Hey, that's the same tune!"

After watching us deposit checks at the ATM:
"That machine must be broken. It didn't give us any money!"

Me, after talking to my mom on the phone: "Your grandma just asked me if I was tired."
Connor: "Yeah, I think I wear Grandma out."

The Fine Line

2011-06-25T13:00:00.004-06:00

Troy and I are thrilled...beyond thrilled, ecstatic.....to have a little-more-than-a-month long visit with Morgan and Connor. They are here now and will stay until the end of July/first of August.

The "love-them-to-pieces" side of me wants to spoil them with whatever they want since they will only be here for about a month. The "love-them-but-don't-want-to-establish-a-warped-since-of-Troy-and-Steph's-house-is-Disneyland" side of me wants to establish a routine and foster healthy habits that would be more in keeping with our house if they were to stay longer.

This struggle to walk that fine line clouded my mind all morning until I sat down for a quiet talk with my Savior. He formed my heart and knows it intimately. This morning, He sowed the seeds of peace in my brain. I know I will need the Living Water to douse these seeds on a daily basis, and He's promised to have the watering can handy. :)

I honestly don't know how those who don't know Jesus as their personal Savior do it!

Can't See the Bottom

2011-06-18T09:21:00.002-06:00

It's very dark down there. I don't think the echo of a dropped rock could reach my expectant ear.

She's leaving today and the sadness in my core is too deep to explore.

Every fiber of my body wants to hold her hostage. At the very least, I want to tie an invisible cord around her waist that I can hold in my hand (and reel in when my concern for her gets too great).

She's always welcome in our house and holds permanent residence in my heart.

I love you, Cherokee. I hope to see you again VERY SOON!

God and the Go-Go Girl

2011-06-17T06:14:00.011-06:00

My quiet time with God usually involves reading His word, praying, journaling, and reading other inspirational books. The only difference this week is that the prayer and journal time have been saturated with thoughts and petitions about my time with Cherokee.

I prayed at the beginning of the week that she would feel comfortable enough with me to share her feelings, fears, and dreams. God answered, "No problem". I prayed in the middle of the week that God would allow us to have shared moments that neither of us would forget for the rest of our lives. God must have chuckled and answered, "I can't wait to see your reaction!"

Wednesday night, Troy took Cherokee and me out to dinner. As we were finishing our dinner, Cherokee received a text from her sister, Morgan. (Morgan and Connor, Cherokee's siblings, were with my sister and her family in Branson, Missouri for a vacation while Cherokee was here with me.) Morgan said she was going to a Beatles cover band concert. Cherokee was a little envious because she really enjoys the Beatles and was actually the one who introduced Morgan to their music. When we returned home, I did research and found that a Beatles cover band named the Fab 4 was performing a free concert in the park the next night in Highlands Ranch, only about 25 minutes away!

Yesterday, Cherokee and I packed our lawn chairs, blanket, jackets, and snacks into the car and set out for a fun concert in the park. We had NO idea what was in store. We found a great spot and settled in for a night of "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand".

That's when we spotted her.

She had to be at least fifty years old. She was wearing a white beret, white go-go boots, a blue open-weave fringed vest over a MUCH TOO SHORT white dress with a ruffle barely covering her backside. The outfit alone was an eye-catcher. She caught our attention immediately. Well, to be honest, she was hard to miss since she insisted on dancing (yes dancing) right in front of the speakers. Several people were nervously looking around at the crowd for confirmation that we were all witnessing the same sight.

Did I mention it was very windy?

Cherokee and I were giggling about the woman and the reaction she was receiving from the audience when "The Moment Only God Could Have Created" happened.

A huge gust of wind blew through at the same moment Go-Go Girl decided to twist. The ruffle covering her backside flipped up and exposed her white thong wedged between her sagging butt cheeks. The mooned audience in unison said, "Whoa!"

Both Cherokee and I immediately broke into the "ugly" laugh. You know the one. Your face is paralyzed into this open-mouthed smile as tears are spilling from your eyes and you can't catch your breath or make a sound. The kind of laugh that is medicine for the soul. The kind that makes you feel giddy and exhausted the rest of the night.

The kind you never forget.

The kind God planned for us to share.

Cherokee and I will still be talking about this moment for years to come. It's our exclusive shared memory.

GOD IS AWESOME!

Reconnection

2011-06-14T10:55:00.003-06:00

Eighteen and a half years ago, I held a baby girl to my chest, smelled her newborn smell, and whispered, "I don't think I could ever love a child more than I do this one." I was fairly sure that even if I had my own children, this tiny baby girl would continue to hold a special, special place.

So many changes have happened since 1992. Another niece and two nephews were born. I married and moved away. Families formed. Others split. And some things have remained the same. I still have no children of my own. And Cherokee continues to hold a special, special place.

Make no mistake. I truly, deeply love my other niece and nephews. I just haven't spent as much time with them. Didn't hold them when they were only days old.

This special girl is visiting me in Colorado for the week. We haven't seen each other in years and are awkwardly making steps to transition our relationship from distant Adult/Child mutual admiration to Adult/Adult friendship. It hasn't been as hard as an adjustment as I thought it might.

I hope this is the last "reconnection" we have to make and can just continue to be "connected".

Good Day, Bad Day

2011-06-07T17:53:00.003-06:00

It was/is a good day.

I woke up with the birds chirping outside. I spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful morning with the dogs. I took a walk through the canyon near my house. Just me and the ipod. I made my to do list and was able to check most everything off. I hung out at the pool listening to the giggling, squealing kids and talking to my friend, Jenni. I came home and took a nice cool shower. Troy was home early so we had dinner early (meaning the kitchen is clean before 7:00pm!) And now I'm sitting here at my computer, enjoying the cool breeze through my office window while Luke lays on the bed snoozing away. Good day.

It was a good day because I chose to enjoy this day God authored. Truth be told, I could have had a really bad day with the same circumstances. For example...

We don't have air conditioning so we leave our bedroom windows open and the stupid birds outside start making noise at 5:00am! I can't sleep with their incessant chirping. Troy left for work early, which meant I had to get his breakfast ready earlier than normal, which made the dogs go CRAZY thinking it was time for the 7:15 walk when in truth it was only 6:15. Why can't they just wait calmly? Finally, they wore me down at 7:00. We took our mandatory walk. Then I exercised. I hate exercising. But I have to at least make this mile trek 5 days a week to keep me from being a lazy, pitiful, blob. Now the to-do list. I really get tired of laundry and dishes, and vacuuming, and laundry and dishes, and dusting, and laundry and dishes. I don't want to do anything! Maybe I can muddle through a few things before I go to the pool. Bright spot in the day. Wow, these kids are noisy! I can't even hear what Jenni is saying! As I step into the shower, I notice my skin is burnt. Great, another night with "sand paper" sheets. Why can't I just tan without the hassle and pain of a burn? Darn this fair skin and blond hair. Troy's home. You want dinner when? Like in 30 minutes? Well, okay. Wasn't planning on eating that early. I'll be hungry again and eat something I shouldn't, but that's fine. The wind is coming through my window making me cold because of this darn burn. I really wish my dogs were better behaved and didn't lay on my furniture. What a horrible day!

Wow, just writing that made me realize how self serving and angry a negative attitude can be. So, the next time I choose to have such a self-serving, negative mindset, I think I'll mentally rewrite it so that this day that the Lord has made is full of rejoicing and gladness.

But You Will Tomorrow

2011-06-03T10:47:00.004-06:00

[God] sends help at the hour we need it.

You don't have wisdom for tomorrow's problems. But you will tomorrow. You don't have resources for tomorrow's needs. But you will tomorrow. You don't have courage for tomorrow's challenges. But you will when tomorrow comes.

Max Lucado, Every Day Deserves a Chance

The Chair

2011-05-31T15:55:00.005-06:00

Prescott Avenue is not a through street and is home to many kids who love to play outside. (I know, shocking, huh?) I see much of their activity outside my upstairs bedroom window.

I've been witness to a snowball fight of epic proportion complete with igloo forts on each side of the snow packed street. I've watched with delight as two boys had a "shoe kicking" contest. They stood side by side, balanced their untied sneakers on their toes and flung them down the street. Still makes me smile thinking about it. I've also marveled at their ingenuity as they split a bike and a pair of skates between four individuals: One peddling the bike, one riding on the handle bars, one wearing the left skate scooting along with the right foot, and yes, the last wearing the right skate scooting along with the left foot.

They're entertaining, these kids of Prescott Avenue.

Yesterday, I heard wheels on the pavement that I didn't recognize. Not a bike, not skates, not a scooter, not a skateboard. I couldn't figure it out, so I investigated. I saw a group of kids taking turns to ride in an office chair while being pushed or pulled down the street. Throughout the day, the chair served many different functions: a simple ride, a trailer behind a bicycle, a "boat" with a hockey stick oar navigating along the sidewalk, and the chariot of the commanding officer whose minions, all armed with enormous water guns, were pulling him down the street. I hurried to get my camera but missed that shot.

I tend to personify objects by imagining that they have feelings. I imagine that this common ordinary office chair had no idea what the future held as he sat on that plastic square in front of his desk day after day. Maybe he dreamed of being an amusement ride, a trailer, a boat, a chariot, or maybe even a simple toy cart. And I know I let my imagination run wild, but I really can almost hear him screaming, "WHEE!"

Saturdays

2011-05-28T09:51:00.005-06:00

There is something sacred about Saturdays in our house. It's the one day of the week we are allowed to sleep in. I don't "sleep in" as a rule. But I like that on Saturday morning it's allowed if I ever decide to take advantage.

Typically, both Troy and I start our sacred Saturday morning with breakfast and quiet time. Then we talk about the "agenda" for the day, which usually involves some house or yard work that has been neglected for too long.

We then work together on the tasks at hand. (With the occasional break to run to Home Depot. Because what is a Saturday of yard work or house maintenance without a run to the Depot?)

Saturday evenings are spent basking in the satisfaction of a productive, yet restful day.

I know this sounds a bit idealistic. And I admit, there are more than a handful of Saturday nights we go to bed either feeling very lazy for having done nothing productive or feeling frustrated because the day didn't measure up to the promise.

But all in all, Saturdays are good days. Sacred.

Nosey Neighbor

2011-05-23T21:13:00.003-06:00

As I write, I sit at my desk in my office. To my right is a window that looks over my backyard and onto Bentley Street. I can see all the west-facing houses along Bentley down to the intersection of Bentley and Wagonwheel Trail.

I know some of our neighbors on Bentley street. Not all. I know things about all because you learn a lot when you walk your dogs by some one's house everyday.

On the corner of Bentley and Wagonwheel is a newly-painted blue house whose residents raise their grandchildren. They have a few small dogs who sometimes play in the backyard and are reprimanded when they bark as we walk by. I know their grandchildren live with them because one day the man from the blue house apologized that his dogs were barking. He had let them out before "taking my grandchildren to school" and let them stay out until he returned.

The next house on Bentley is the home of a loud foul-mouthed man who apparently doesn't like to work in the yard. That's all I know about that house.

The next house is owned by an older couple who take care of their grandson during the day. Each day at about 7:45, their son drops the grandchild off and leaves for work. During the summer, I see the child outside with his grandparents. The welcome sign on the door changes to represent each month. It's lovely.

We know the couple in the next house. Jim and Debbie. Jim is an accountant who has a vast collection of tie-dyed t-shirts. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen him wear anything else. Debbie works in the yard alot and was very gracious last year when I had to come to her door and confess that Luke had trampled down one of the beautiful flowers by her mailbox before I could gain control of him.

On the corner of Bentley and Prescott is the "house-of-the-revolving-door". Since we've been here, there have been four renters live there. The present tenants and I have a sordid past. They moved from a condo I walk by every day. Twice in a two week period, I almost had a heart attack when I saw their unleashed pit bull dog walking toward my very protective, new-to-me dogs as I walked by their condo. The second time, I said in the nicest voice I could muster, "Please keep your dog in the house or on a leash." I really do think their dog is a very nice, well-mannered dog. Unfortunately mine weren't nice or well-mannered. It could have been nasty. So I always felt a little uneasy and awkward when I would see them outside after that. Now they live right across the street.

This post is so not relevant at all to anything, really. Maybe it's a lesson to me that even though I don't know a lot of people in my neighborhood, they probably have an impression of me. I'm probably known as the crazy, dog lady. The one who still hasn't trained her dogs to walk beside her on a leash. Half the time she is dragging them from one "smell-good" place to the next and the other half she is being pulled along at break-neck speed. And you know what? Their assumptions are true.

Falling Down on the Job

2011-05-20T21:01:00.005-06:00

Well, I did it again. Was going to to write a post every night, but days slipped by and I didn't do it. I have good excuses though. Really.

1. I've been sick. Not scary sick. Just sick enough to make me want to climb into bed with the cover over my head at about 8:00pm.

2. Troy has been sick. He's a guy. Enough said.

3. I'm preparing for a house full of kids this summer.

My niece, Cherokee (who is graduated from high school tonight, by the way), is coming to Castle Rock for a week long visit in mid June. I'm so excited! Then a week after that, she is coming back with her brother and sister for the rest of the summer. Talk about a change in our family routine!

Those are my excuses. Lame, but true.

I'll Have a Little Coffee With My Cream and Sugar

2011-05-15T17:00:00.004-06:00

Those of you who know me, know that the title of this post is one of my favorite sayings.

It's also very true.

So, it's not going to surprise you that I HAVE to share a recipe I found last week and tried today. It's for Homemade Coffee Creamer and it's DELISH!! And not too hard to make, which honestly is why I tried it.

I made the Chocolate Almond Creamer but used 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract instead of the 1 teaspoon of almond extract. This made an "Almond Joy" Creamer. Cause....sometimes you feel like a nut. ;) I also substituted Splenda for the sugar.

I like the fact that this homemade recipe is cheaper than my usual creamer AND I know what's in it.

Dad's Heart

2011-05-09T21:16:00.003-06:00

My first memory of my dad is sitting next to him (without a seatbelt) in an old farm truck solving basic math problems he was asking me. I remember looking at his hands on the steering wheel and stick shift. I also remember thinking it would be cool to be married to someone like him someday. (And just to make Freud happy, I remember thinking, "If I sit up really tall and act older, maybe people will think I'm his wife and not his daughter.") Oh the thoughts of a six year old.

Tomorrow, my dad goes under the care of a heart specialist. He is getting his heartbeat shocked back into rhythm. I'm so happy that when it's all over, he will feel much better than he has the past few months. His irregular heartbeat and medicine to prevent a blood clot has made him feel much older than his 61 years. But I've been informed that they have to stop my dad's heart before shocking it.

That unnerves me a little.

Does the surgeon in charge of this procedure understand who Ronnie Benefield is? That he's the brother his 11 siblings go to in time of need? That he's the high school sweetheart and true love of my mother for over 40 years? That he's the man I trusted to be there even when I didn't act like I cared? That I need him to hug and kiss me when he arrives for a visit and before he leaves to return home?

Do they know?

God knows.... God knows... God knows.

Growing A....Marriage

2011-05-07T21:32:00.009-06:00

I wanted to grow a garden.
But was skeptical about my ability to follow through.

I shared my thoughts about growing a garden.
Troy was skeptical. But said nothing negative.

I decided to grow a garden.
A container garden of tomatoes, bell peppers, and strawberries.

I made my decision to grow a container garden known.
Troy was thrilled not to have to rent and operate a tiller.

I wanted to grow a garden.
Troy gladly helped me create a special garden...complete with squirrel protection.

I LOVE THAT MAN!

Hypothetical Advice

2011-05-04T19:59:00.002-06:00

If you ever find your debit card in the dryer, stuck under one of the tumbler fins, all bent out of shape, I have the solution. Turn it over and stick it under the fin the opposite way and run another load of clothes in the dryer. I suggest that you take it out as soon as the dryer stops. It's still warm and can be easily straightened if there is still a need. The dryer cycles do not affect the magnetic strip.

This, of course, is a hypothetical situation and has never happened to my debit card. Never.

More Than Love

2011-05-03T20:30:00.003-06:00

I DVR'd the episode of Oprah which featured the President and First Lady. For the most part, I enjoy listening to first ladies. It takes a special woman to share her husband's time with the world. I usually perk my ears to hear what the First Lady has to say.

Today as I readied myself for work, I played the episode. I listened while putting on make-up, doing my hair, and getting dressed. But one question made me stop my ritual and watch the response of the interviewees.

"What do you know for sure about marriage?"

Michelle Obama answered, "You have to like and respect the person you're married to...That's what I tell a lot of young couples. Don't expect it to be easy. Melding two lives and trying to raise others, and doing it forever is a recipe made for disaster...I think you go through that wonderful love stage, but when it gets hard, you need a little bit more."

I agree.... for the most part.

I do think that relying on that "love" feeling to stay married is a slippery slope. You DO need more. Even though I think "like and respect" are very important, I think a mindset of commitment and a personal relationship with God are the "more".

The first six months of our marriage were the hardest six months I've ever lived through. I had moved from rural Oklahoma to the San Francisco Bay area. Culture Shock! I had, in three short months, met and married Troy. I admit, during those months the thought of catching the next flight home crossed my mind too many times. But I kept thinking about the fact that I had made a vow before God and Troy to love, honor, and cherish until death parted us. I was committed. Still am. Always will be.

God didn't give up on me when I disappointed Him or didn't meet His expectations. That unconditional love reminds me every day how to love Troy. And how to like him.

Yes, I agree with you Michelle. When it gets hard, you need a little bit more.

Full Circle

2011-04-29T19:48:00.002-06:00

I'm one of those...you know the ones...those who believe the fairy tale.

I dreamed one day my prince would come. I sang along with Snow White, danced along with Cinderella, even dreamed alongside Belle.

It was four o'clock in the morning on July 29, 1981 and the Oklahoma air was already hot and humid. This eleven year old country girl sat with wide eyes as close as she could to the television screen. The volume was turned down very low so that she wouldn't wake the rest of the family in that small farm house. I was watching a fairy tale coming true.

Or so I thought.

Unfortunately, that prince and beautiful princess did not live happily ever after.

Although I had not planned on being awake at two o'clock this morning, I awoke at two-thirty and decided that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the eldest son of that beautiful princess marry his own princess.

This morning the Colorado air was crisp and chilled. This forty-one year old married woman sat in her recliner in front of a huge high definition flat screen. The volume was audible. My eyes were more cynical and suspect about the prospect of this fairy-tale-happily-ever-after wedding.

But then it happened, Kate stepped onto the red carpet of Westminster Abbey. She looked every bit the princess. Her wedding dress regal, elegant. Her train carried by her doting sister. The joyous chords of organ music echoed in the stately cathedral. I leaned forward and became a little girl on the brink of womanhood, wide eyed and in awe of this beautiful woman on her way to marry Prince Charming.

Thank you William and Kate for reminding me that I still believe in fairy tales.

Mind Overload

2011-04-27T19:55:00.004-06:00

I've had a lot on my mind lately and I didn't even know it. I suspected that my mind was almost to its maximum load when I couldn't find my cell phone yesterday after searching the house twice. (Yes, I did look in the fridge AND the freezer.) We don't have a home phone anymore so I couldn't just call it and hunt down the ringer. I finally just gave up and went to work.

It became pretty clear my mind had reached the maximum when Troy finally found my phone in HIS closet in a shirt pocket. As soon as he pulled it out of the pocket, the scene came flashing back to me....I had ironed shirts and started to carry them upstairs with several other items and thought the shirt pocket would be a convenient way to carry my phone.

This afternoon, it was glaringly obvious that I am definitely on overload. I was shaving my legs with my right hand, reached down with my left hand to make sure I hadn't missed a spot and shaved my index finger nail down to the quick! Thankfully, I just caught the nail. This was definitely a case of the right hand not knowing what the left was doing! Really?

I don't know what's been filling my mind. No major problems. Plenty of rest. But I have asked God to take whatever is taking up so much space so that I can function without hurting myself.

How Great Thou Art!

2011-04-23T15:30:00.008-06:00

I just watched a clip of Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill singing "How Great Thou Art".

It made me have goosebumps, a lump in my throat, the urge to burst out in tears and joyous laughter all at the same time.

The video is from "Girls Night Out", a special which aired on CBS last night. The audience was a gathering of the stars of country music. As Carrie sang the last chorus, the audience rose with a standing ovation.

I think we are "built" with this desire to praise God and we allow life, circumstances, and our own selves to numb that desire. Although I'm sure the standing ovation was in part due to the talent on the stage, I chose, as I watched through tear filled eyes, to believe that this applause was for God. Even if the audience meant it for Vince and Carrie, ultimately, it's for God, their creator.

And for your viewing pleasure....

"How Great Thou Art" performed by Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill.

Tip

2011-04-21T20:23:00.001-06:00

Bad service makes a yummy dinner not such a yummy experience.
Just had to say it.

Homework

2011-04-20T21:34:00.008-06:00

Troy and I are in marriage counseling. Don't worry. Nothing wrong. In fact, our marriage has never been better. I truly believe that each and every marriage needs a little "tune up" now and then. We actually are working on some issues, but nothing I really want the blogging world to know about right now.

So, as I said, we are seeing Steven, the counselor, who gives us homework each time we leave. This homework usually consists of something that was discussed during the session. Our appointment is tomorrow and, true to form, we hadn't done our homework. Our assignment was this: find healthy alternatives to combat the stress in our lives. Pretty general, huh? So, tonight, as Troy was cutting the dog hair from the wheel in the vacuum cleaner, we talked about our homework. And talked. And talked. And talked.

I really don't know that we completed our homework. But I do know that we spent about an hour sharing our fears, hopes, and dreams. And I do know that this hour of sharing reduced any pent up stress I might have had.

Steven is pretty smart. I actually think the purpose of the homework was less about the end result as it was about the process.

Productivity

2011-04-19T20:22:00.008-06:00

My post was going to be about how productive I was today. I didn't do any laundry. No dishes. No vacuuming. Didn't scrub one toilet. But I really felt good about the productivity of my day. Then I started wondering what productivity really meant. So, I looked it up.

Productivity: a measure relating a quantity of quality of output to the inputs required to produce it.

So, it's basically a ratio of output to input.
Yep, still feel productive.

Input: Quiet time with my Savior.
Output: Love, guidance, comfort, healing, super-natural transformation.

Input: Trip to Colorado Springs and lunch with a new friend.
Output: Bond-forming, life-sharing, moment-treasuring friendship.

Input: Short texts and conversations with my husband throughout the day.
Output: Connecting, loving, never-far-from-my-mind moments that keep us...US.

Input: Relaxing and writing this post.
Output: Counting my daily blessings. Reliving this God-kissed day. Thanking Him for it all.

Yep, VERY productive.

Bedtime for the Wilsons

2011-04-18T19:58:00.004-06:00

Not a restful night last night.

Troy took Friday and today off work for a much needed time of rest. His type of rest is reading, playing on the computer, staying up late, and waking up late.

I'm not "off work". I only work part time outside our home, but I still have to get up at 6am to give our beloved Leia her allergy medicine. (I saw that eye roll!) Yes, our girl who walks with a limp also has major spring allergies. Anyway, medicine every eight hours is unforgiving to the "mom".

I'm one of those people that can rarely go back to sleep after the alarm rings. So, alarm at 6am, up at 6am and 30 seconds. Then the dogs are walked at 7:15am. Precisely at 7:15am because that's when the high school students are picked up from the corner by the school bus. This time is also before the middle school students make their slow walk to the bus stop. The kids don't bother my dogs. My dogs bother the kids. According to my dogs, I should be deathly afraid of any person walking along with white cords hanging from their ears, looking down and pushing buttons on a small rectangular objects. No telling what could be in those backpacks! :)

I say all this to say. I don't usually have the luxury of sleeping in. (And probably wouldn't take advantage of it if I did.) So last night, at 12:30am, I called in from the bedroom to Troy in his office to ask him if he was coming to bed soon. "Yeah," he replied. I asked because I knew that if I went to sleep and then was awoken by him as he came to bed, I would have much trouble going back to sleep. A sign that I'm going through "the change". Sleep is sacred and often disrupted by night sweats and racing thoughts.

"Within the next few minutes?" I asked, hopefully.
"Yeah," non-committed.

I put down my book turned off my lamp and decided to talk to God until Troy came to bed.

ONE HOUR LATER....

Troy climbs into bed. I wake up. I'm awake. I'm hot. I'm cold. Troy starts to snore. Still awake. Look at the clock. I've lain awake for 30 minutes. Troy is cluelessly snoring. Now, I'm mad. So, I get up and take my pillow to the guest bedroom. Toss and turn. Restless, weird dreams. Wake up. Hot. Cold. Hot. Take my pillow back to our room. Get into bed.

"You okay?" Troy asks.
"Not sleeping well."
"Sorry." Troy slurs, then resumes snoring.

Finally fall to sleep after 3:38am. Alarm rings at 6am.

I really, really wish Eve had just plugged her ears, started singing, "La, La, La", and ran as fast as she could from that conniving serpent. I'm positive the whole change of life, night sweats, hot flashes, and crazy moods could have been avoided if a better decision had been made.

But on the brighter side, I'm really, really glad God blessed me with a marriage to a husband who understands this crazy time of my life and encourages me to take afternoon naps to make up for the lost sleep after dark.

And tonight I've already requested that we BOTH go to bed before 10:00pm. ;)

Note Worthy?

2011-04-17T22:39:00.005-06:00

I don't write that many posts. I always feel like I don't have much to write about. But I really, really enjoy writing when I write. So, I'm going to start strengthening my writing muscles. I'm going to pick one thing in my uber-eventful day(insert sarcastic chuckle) to write about. Starting tomorrow. :)

Well, I would start with today, but it was a basic Sunday. Nothing much happened. Really. Church, lunch, laze around the house, watch Amazing Race, hang out on the computer for a bit. See? What part of this lackluster day is worth writing about? I did make a pretty good dinner. A dish called "Vegetable Cheese Crescent Ring". It was pretty. And I thought it tasted good. Troy didn't care for it. (Although I did see him sneak a second helping.) Oh! I did get a huge compliment from my friend, Nancy, who was sure that the person that made the Challah bread for our women's bible study luncheon actually bought it from the bakery. Well, that person didn't buy it from the bakery, because that person was ME! I made it! I still have the flour in the kitchen floor air vent to prove it! (Don't ask.)

But that's about it. Not really much going on in the Wilson house. Really.

Run, Elijah, Run!

2011-04-16T21:01:00.005-06:00

I've been reading through the Old Testament during my quiet time and just finished First Kings. This morning, I read about Elijah. Not Elisha, Elijah. I know, I used to get them mixed up too. But now I remember that they are in alphabetical order. ;) So I was reading about Elijah and his encounter with the prophets of Baal on the Mount Carmel...mmm caramel....Anyway, (This is what happens to my brain in quiet time, too. Sometimes I can almost hear the finger snaps of God bringing my attention back to Him and His word.)

As I was saying, Elijah challenged the Baal prophets to call down fire from Baal to burn their sacrifice. The Baal prophets "called on the name of Baal" all morning long with no response...(duh)...Then they jumped up and did a little dance around the alter. Not really sure what that was supposed to do besides make Elijah chuckle a little. Then Elijah told them maybe they needed to be louder because Baal, being a god and all, might be deep in thought, or maybe he was busy, or maybe sleeping. My NLT translation actually said, "Maybe he is relieving himself"....which made me laugh out loud. (Sometimes my quiet time isn't so quiet.) The Baal prophets continued this nonsense until evening.

Finally, Elijah had seen, heard, and mocked enough. It was time for the evening sacrifice and he asked the people who undoubtedly had gathered around watching the spectacle to poor a huge amount of water on his sacrificial alter. I think Elijah might have been so excited to show the crowd what the one and only Living God could do. I'm surprised he waited as long as he did. The pow-wow dance would have ended the Baal show for me. With the alter dripping in water, Elijah said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word." Then fire from heaven came down and not only consumed the sacrifice, but also left the stones as dust and dried up all the water! Wow!

After witnessing this challenge, King Ahab began his chariot ride back home to Jezreel. The very next verse says "Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel." I can just picture Elijah watching Ahab turn his royal chariot toward Jezreel, urging his trusty steed to start the journey. And for reasons we will not know this side of heaven, the LORD gave Elijah the ability to run faster than Forrest Gump! (Okay, I had to stop there and laugh at the picture in my brain of Ahab trotting along and then hearing sandals hitting the ground hard and fast, turning to see a blur of the loin-girded Elijah streaking by with a trail of dust behind him.) Isn't that funny?! I honestly think God laughs with us when we enjoy reading his book.

Elijah had his mountain top highs and his mountain top lows, his "Look what God can do" experiences and his "Poor pitiful me" dark times. I think Elijah was a man who may have been a little manic-depressive. And I'm so glad God used Elijah's strengths AND weaknesses to His glory. I too experience those poor-pitiful-sit-under-the-broom-tree-and-dwell-on-my-sadness dark days. But seeing Elijah basking in God's glory gives me hope that I'll be in the right place (in God's presence)at the right time (in God's perfect timing) to see God's mighty power at work. You never know, maybe God will see a need someday to have me gird my loins and run like the wind! ;)

Love the Possibility

2011-02-12T20:15:00.003-07:00

Contentment. I have a love/hate relationship with that word. It's been a life-long struggle. At 3 years old, I distinctly remember seeing the tiny sibling bundle presented to me and thinking, "I didn't want that. I like being the sole object of your parental affection." And then another sibling came along 15 months later. And my parents did not name her my clearly superior name of Liza Jane.

I remember at the age of 6, staring down the dirt road in front of our house. My mind was abuzz with the possibilities of traveling all the way down that road until I found pavement and then taking that "Yellow Brick Road" wherever it led. This feeling of wunderlust followed me through college (even after I knew where the black top ended.)

Unfortunately, as a child, I didn't fully appreciate the sibling relationships. My brother and sister were good friends to each other. I was just the "older sister". I didn't cherish those years growing up in a home where I felt loved, protected, and encouraged to follow that dirt road because I was always looking for the next thing.

I fear that I'm doing the same thing now. God has blessed me with a husband who respects, loves, and adores me. I live in a house much too big for two people. I work outside this home only as much as I want to. I have family members who tell everyone about their daughter/sister/grandaughter/neice who lives "like a princess" in a huge house in Colorado.

And what am I doing tonight?

Sulking. Because we don't have extra money to totally remodel and redecorate our house. Pouting. Because Troy is not interested in going to an art class with me. Frowning. Because I watched a program about Disney World and have never visited the happiest place on earth. Sighing. Because I have dishes downstairs that are only going to clean themselves if I put them on the racks of the dishwasher.

Feeling Disgusted at Myself. Because God keeps pouring out his blessings on me and I keep saying, "Got anything better?"

Contentment. Love the possibility, hate the reality.

Thanks for listening. Check's in the mail. :)

That's Smart

2011-02-04T20:06:00.003-07:00

The website just read, "Congratulations, Stephanie! You are now following Life On Prescott Avenue." Really? I was trying to follow "Patti's Corner". And by the way, Life on Prescott Avenue is MY blog! How did I request to follow my own blog? Well, that's smart!

Here are some other "smart" things I've done recently:

-I opened the drawer and threw the potholder inside....THE FREEZER DRAWER! Found it the next morning....very cold. Hmmm, maybe that's where I should store the whole potholder family?

-I backed out of the garage on my way to work, realized I forgot my travel cup on the entertainment center, pulled back into the garage, went inside, retrieved the drink, back outside, realized my hands were so dry they were hurting as I opened the car door, went back inside to grab the hand lotion, back to the car, sit down, "Where is my drink?", back inside, pick up the drink from the end table where my lotion was sitting, back outside. Finally, off to work...where is my phone?...too late to look for it...thought I had it in my hand when I first sat down..(found my phone later in the cup holder, next to my travel mug)....really?

-My cell phone is our main phone, so when listing a main number, I list my cell number. A while ago, someone called to talk to Troy, instead of saying the usual, "Okay, sure, let me get him." I said, "Sure, may I put you on hold?" What was that all about? I haven't had to say that line in over a year. I started laughing and said, "I mean...hold on, I'll get him."

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

2011-02-03T10:34:00.005-07:00

My sister-in-law, Robin, gives great gifts. For Christmas, tucked into the package of goodies was this:

It's a squishy, pink, bundle of tactile delight. And when squeezed or shaken, it lights up with flashing red and blue lights! I played with it for a LONG time. (Much longer than is proper for a 41 year old living outside the confines of a padded room.) Finally at the end of the night, I put it on the mantle right next to the Nativity set. Troy saw it's placement and gave me a weird eyebrow-lifted look. I picked up the toy, shook it to make it glimmer, laid it back on the shelf and said, "It's the Holy Spirit."

The Christmas decorations, along with the nativity set, have all been packed away until next year. The "Holy Spirit" ball found a permanent home in my office. Every moment I'm in my office, I feel drawn to this toy. I squeeze it, pass it back and forth from right to left hands, and enjoy the sensory experience as I have my morning laptop routine. It's calming.

I still call it the Holy Spirit Ball. I don't mean this with any irreverence. In fact, it's made me think a lot about the gift of the Holy Spirit and what He means to me. I've always been intrigued with this Spirit of God living inside me since I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I often take God's Spirit for granted and go about my daily life. But recently, I have been very aware of His presence.

December 30, 2010, Troy and I attended the memorial service of Robb Williford. Robb was the husband of my friend, Tricia. Robb was only 35 years old when he died tragically, two days before Christmas. But in that short 35 years, the Holy Spirit shined in his life. His memorial service was a testament to his character as a devoted father, loving husband, loyal employee, honorable son, and most of all, an amazing Christian man. As his family, friends, and young widow spoke about him, the Holy Spirit draped both Troy and me in a blanket of comfort and inspiration. As the service ended, the Spirit used this mountain-top opportunity to begin a new work in me.

Instead of eager anticipation for the new year, I tend to dread the idea of making resolutions and failing to follow through. This year, I am praying to reacquaint myself with and learn to display this supernatural Spirit within me. And with His influence, there is no failure, only huge learning curves.

I pray that I never take this gift God has given me for granted. I pray that I always rely on this indwelling Spirit to guide me through the day to day obstacles of this sinful world. And I pray that when the pressures of life squeeze and shake me that I allow the Spirit to glimmer and shine through.

Where There's Smoke

2011-01-28T22:28:00.008-07:00

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You know these faithful three as Daniel's com padres in the book of Daniel. The ones who refused to bow to a 90 foot golden image. The ones bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. The ones who walked with Jesus through the flames. The ones who came out of that furnace without a singe. Not even smelling like smoke.

Through events authored and organized by God, I was invited to a small women's group to view a DVD in which Beth Moore taught from Daniel chapters 2 and 3. The conviction I felt when watching that television screen caused my toes to curl. Really, I was trying to keep them from being stepped on. Over and over again.

Beth pointed out two things that spoke to my heart. First, these three men refused to bow to an image and refused to worship the Babylonian gods. She pointed out that often, when we feel God is not following through, we bow to the gods of self-pity, bitterness, and unbelief. Second, these three men came through that fiery furnace and didn't even smell of smoke. She used the example of someone who has been brought by God through a trial, but is still bitter about the trial. That person still "smells like smoke" because they exude the hardship through every pore.

I confess, when I dwell on the fact that God has not blessed Troy and I with children, I have bowed to the gods of self-pity, bitterness, and unbelief. Many, many times. And when I finally drag myself off the ground and look up, God is still there, with open arms. Ready to accept my anger, hurt, rejection, and finally my tearful plea for forgiveness.

I have also been guilty of "smelling like smoke". One of the first things people learn about me is that I don't have children. I immediately label myself as the poor, barren, unfulfilled wife. Do you smell something? I do. I think I can even see the wispy swirls of gray still rising from my heart.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar that even if God did not deliver them from the furnace, they would still worship only Him. Wow! So, with God's help, I resolve not to bow to those gods I have harbored in my heart for way too long. I will ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit rather than seek that elusive fulfillment of motherhood. God may never bless me with children. But I will still worship Him only.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."
Psalm 30:11-12

Rejoicing and Being Glad

2011-01-12T09:23:00.004-07:00

I kept wishing I would wake up from this horribly frustrating dream. But I was awake. I started the day yesterday feeling run down from a lingering head cold. I tried to work out, but was only able to complete about a quarter of it. I rushed around the house getting ready for women's bible study worrying the whole time about the icy roads leading to the church. I jumped in the car and couldn't find my car key. Running late, I emptied everything out of my purse onto the passenger's seat and spied my valet key on top of the pile. Oh well, I would just use it. I'd done that in the past (many times). I drove with much caution to the church and arrived only five minutes late. The head-cold-induced fog followed me all morning long. I left the bible study at noon determined to come home and take a little nap before my afternoon stint at Sylvan.

As I drove up to my garage door, I realized it hadn't opened when I pushed the remote button. I pushed again. The door made a slight jolt, but did not "open sesame". Push. Jolt. Push. Jolt. Hmmm. And I don't have a key to the front or back doors. Hmmm. Push. Jolt. And I really, really, really need to pee. PUSH! JOLT! Maybe I left the backdoor unlocked when I let the dogs out this morning. It would be par for the course. I mean I've lost my house key; I've lost my car key; the front passenger seat of my car is buried in junk from my purse and the glove compartment in an attempt to find said keys. I trudged through the snow to the back door only to find that in one moment of responsibility, I had locked the back door. OF COURSE!!!! Would anyone see me if I squatted right here and made my own yellow snow?

I called Troy hoping against hope that he knew some magical formula for opening a broken garage door. Yes, honey, I already tried the wall mount key pad. No, honey, I didn't leave the back door open as I've been prone to do on more than one occasion. He had nothing.

I called my friend, Jenni, to see if she had a spare key. No, she had given it back to me. GREAT! That's at least 2 house keys I have now misplaced. Thankfully she lives less than a mile away and I was able to go to her house to relieve my bladder and eat lunch before leaving for work. Thanks Jenni!

My day had been so crappy, I decided to soothe myself with a nice Venti size White Mocha Latte from the drive through Starbucks. I gave my order to Suzie whose upbeat, smiley voice made me wonder if she had ever had to deal with a broken garage door, although I'm pretty sure she might have lost a key or two. As I pulled up to the window, I reached into the pile of junk in the passenger seat and immediately grabbed my wallet. Wow, first try. Things are looking up! Opened the wallet to pull out my debit card, only to see it wasn't there. REALLY?!?!?! Hi Suzie. Here's my credit card. Please charge my calorie laden chocolate drink to my credit card so that my husband can raise his eyebrow when he sees the statement. Deep breath.

I came home after work to a dark, quiet house. Troy was asleep because he had a night job. I decided to relax with some computer time until I needed to wake him at 9:00. Tempting fate one more time, I opened the checking account web page to find I had miscalculated and we were about $5 away from notta! What A Day!

And through all this God is so good! Troy awoke at 9:00 and we sat in the bed for about an hour talking about my horrible, no good, very bad day. He had come home from work early, took care of the suffering dogs locked inside the house, had extra keys copied for the doors, found my car key and debit card in a basket on the kitchen table, and only sighed once when I told him about my miscalculation with the checking account. Thank you God for my amazing husband!

Yesterday was God's creation. Yesterday was a kick in the pants. I was made very aware of the fact that I had let things slip through the cracks during the holidays. I need to put on my big girl panties and get organized again. That is if I can FIND my big girl panties. We are cash poor right now because we are planning for the future. I need to tighten the financial belt one more notch by lowering the grocery budget and using up the supplies in the bulging pantry and freezer. Yesterday was also a "come-here-poor-baby-girl" hug as God reminded me again how blessed I am to have a husband that sees every one of my scatter-brained, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants tendencies and loves me in spite of them.

Yesterday was a day the Lord had made. I now rejoice and am glad it's over. ;)

We Are The Champions, My Friends!

2011-01-05T17:01:00.002-07:00

And we'll keep on fighting to the end....

We are the champions,
We are the champions,
No time for losers,
Cause we are the champions....
OF THE SCALE!

Yes, my friends, I have lost the 10 pounds of Christmas weight plus two more!
And I'm not too proud to say I did the Nudie Patootie Champion Dance in front of the bathroom mirror.

Okay, you can now erase that mental image.

Starting Again....Tomorrow

2011-01-02T08:06:00.002-07:00

My white-knuckled hands are on the wheel. The winter wonderland all around me glistens in the morning sun. But my eyes are focused on the snow packed road in front of me. I haven't left my driveway and I'm seriously considering staying in the familiar safety of my home. My destination is a reward I've been looking forward to for many, many years. Can I do it? If I slide off the road, will I be able to get back on it and continue my journey? Will an obstacle be in my way that I cannot manuever around without damage?

Many times I've felt these feelings when driving after it's snowing or has recently snowed in Colorado. However, this is also the feeling I have about continuing my weight loss journey. My destination is the reward of being healthy, slim, and physically able to do so many things I cannot do now. But the journey is riddled with obstacles that have stopped me before.

I actually started this journey on August 24, 2010. The day after my birthday. I was really tired of my lifestyle. So, I looked back on the last few years at my weight loss attempts and picked the one that most success. It was the Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian Smith. (The doctor from that VH-1 reality show where washed up celebrities try to loose weight.) I had followed this plan about 3 years before and lost more than 30 lbs. Since that time I had gained 40+ pounds back. But I digress.

On August 24th, I started following the diet as regimented in the book. By December 1, I had lost 31 pounds! Very proud of me! I could get into jeans that were two sizes smaller. I was exercising 5 times a week. Feeling much better. I had already decided that Christmas time was going to be a break from the regulations of the diet. I wasn't going to worry about what I ate and exercise would happen only if I wanted to get up and do it. Here I am 10 pounds heavier. I'm a little down about that, but at least I don't weigh what I weighed on August 24th PLUS 10 pounds!

Tomorrow I continue my journey. This is the l-o-n-g journey. No Christmas break four months in. My goal is to stay faithful until September 15th, taking only a day each month to binge. It's a long journey, but the destination is so worth it. I'm a little scared, white-knuckled, and really anxious. But I'm also excited about getting back into the routine and experiencing the results of hard work.

So, here I go ........

Holy Pumpkin Cake

2010-10-25T09:12:00.004-06:00

I'm always amazed at the varied tactics God uses to teach and grow me. He used so many of those tactics this weekend and it took left over pumpkin cake to drive God's point home.

God began his subtle nudging on Friday night when I had a little emotional break down. I was feeling very common, insignificant, and ordinary. For over a year, I have been a full time housewife. Such a change for a girl who had worked full time in a career-building field since graduating from college. So the weeks are full of washing dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming and mopping floors, cooking meals, and cleaning our house. Troy is great about telling me how much he appreciates my efforts, but there are no accolades from others about the unique ability I have to complete my job. How much special training is needed to scrub a toilet?

Saturday, I was busy preparing the house and dinner for special guests. Troy invited his friend from work and his wife for a little dinner party. In this preparation, I ordered a pumpkin spice bundt cake from a local bakery. The cake was beautiful, with cream cheese icing curled in thick ribbons around the whole cake. As I brought it on it's cake stand into the dining room for dessert, the guests commented on how special they felt because I had ordered such a beautiful and flavorful cake for them. God has a way of highlighting certain comments or moments in a day that he wants me to refer back to again when the lesson is complete. Our guests's comments of feeling special was highlighted for me in bright pink.

On Sunday, God was in full-force, all-out teaching mode. The sermon was based on Romans 11:36 which says, "For from him, through him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever! Amen." God showed me that he has allowed me to borrow everything that I have so that I can use these treasures for his glory. Everything I have is God's...everything. My body, my abilities, my material possessions, my relationships...everything. All for his glory. The Sunday school lesson was based on Daniel 5:3-4 which says, "So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone." God continued to teach by showing me how wrong it was to use these goblets for a common use. I was beginning to grasp the lesson, but hadn't quite understood how it applied to me.

This morning, as I was making Troy's lunch, I opened the fridge to find the left over pumpkin cake. I had already decided to send it to work with Troy so that I wouldn't eat it. I was afraid it would go to waste if I sent the whole section so I cut it into four pieces and put each in a plastic bag to keep it nice and moist. I included one piece in his lunch for today. I placed the remaining bags of pumpkin deliciousness on the shelf in the fridge as I told myself these were set aside for Troy's lunches this week. Set aside...holy. Ding, Ding, Ding! God's provision in my life is to be set aside as holy. He has allowed me to have what I have for a purpose...to give him glory. I am not common. I am God's special order. My tasks throughout the day are only mundane and ordinary if they are not used for God's glory.

My task list today includes cleaning, washing dishes, and doing laundry. But I'm looking at this list with new eyes. My ability to clean these possessions God has lent me also comes from him for his glory. So, yes there is a special training involved in order to scrub a toilet...for God's glory.

The Hermit Syndrome

2009-12-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

So, basically, I haven't been out in the world past my driveway since Friday. Yep, I've become a recluse. And for the most part, I'm fine with that. However, I had a dream last night that I was shunned by the world and had to work in a tiny little room while everyone else was having fun all together. I was sad in my dream, but actually, that doesn't sound too far from the truth. Since I started working part time, I've kind of shut myself off from the world. I have friends (I really do!) but like me they are busy with their own lives. Is this what happens to those sad people that make headlines when they are found by police buried in piles of newspaper? Am I going to end up on an episode of "Intervention"?

I don't think I'm that far gone. I'm just taking a break from the world. Bears do it. Flowers do it. Caterpillars do it. I rest my case. So there, subconscious. I'm fine. I don't need your dreams of shunned loneliness. I'm fine! I will emerge from my den of hibernation, my layer of protective earth, and my swaddling cocoon. And when I'll do I'll be a much better person for it. I'll see the world with new wide eyes. I'll bloom in bright beautiful colors, and I'll fly to my highest potential.

Right now, I think I'll just cuddle up on in my recliner and read, crochet, and be a hermit just a little while longer.

Our Zany Christmas Tradition

2009-12-24T17:49:00.002-07:00

Christmas before Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Jenni inspired me to update my blog, since the last time I updated it was before Halloween! I'm a slacker!

Anyway, I was thinking about Thanksgiving and how it gets the shaft every year. As soon as Halloween is out of the way (sometimes even before) Christmas decorations start coming out. We kind of skip right over Thanksgiving. Maybe it's because there is not a huge amount of preparation that needs to take place. Maybe it's because we feel like there's not much in it for us except lots of food and football. (I'm a fan of both, so I feel like there's MUCH in it for me.) This year the "black Friday" sales actually started before Thanksgiving Thursday!

I LOVE Christmas, don't get me wrong. I'm always ready to see the sparkly green, red, silver, gold, blue decorations hit the store shelves. I'm sure I'm the first on my block to start listening to Christmas music. In fact, I have been known to set my ipod to Christmas music in the heat of the summer, just because I miss it.

I think maybe Thanksgiving would get more attention and we would express the thankfulness more if it was celebrated a week after Christmas....but wait...that's New Year's Day. And we certainly can't have a food celebration when we are starting our diets for the new year. Maybe February....oops, Valentine's Day. Sometimes people aren't very thankful during this ooey, gooey month. What about March or April? Mmmm, Easter with another big meal. May? Nope, the start of summer just doesn't seem like a good time to be thankful for the harvest. Any summer month, in fact might not work. September? Now, that's a possibility, but with school starting and all the prep for Octoberfest, that may not be good. October, well, there's the aforementioned Octoberfest as well as Halloween. November? Wait, I'm right where I started.

Here's a thought...why not celebrate Thanksgiving everyday. Not just on a Thursday in November? I don't mean the food and football celebration (although I wouldn't be super upset about that), but the real thanksgiving. The one in which we thank God each day for the blessings in our lives. Let's start a revolution...Thanksgiving EVERY Day.

Pumpkin Carving - A New Tradition

2009-10-27T08:13:00.000-06:00

The last time I "helped" carve a pumpkin was when I was 8 years old. And I have the scar on my chin from falling off the stool and hitting the edge of the washer as proof. (Long story.)

Anyway, Troy and I have never carved pumpkins together. So we decided to do it this year. We picked three pumpkins, one for each of us and one for the dogs. I think we did a pretty good job.

Can you pick out Troy's??? :)

The Gifts That Keep on Giving!

2009-10-26T13:42:00.000-06:00

I know, I know you've heard enough about the dogs. This week, and it's only Monday, I've SEEN enough about the dogs.

Per my post yesterday, you know that they had a feast on the perfect home made garlic bread I had prepared for Sunday lunch guests. Well, last night the once tasty bread came back to haunt them. They weren't hungry for even a fraction of their usual night time meal. One of them (we're pretty sure it was Luke) vomited on our bed AND his bed. We didn't notice it until Troy threw their beds from our bedroom to the den. (Yes, they are spoiled.) As he was throwing, he saw the aforementioned puke. Go ahead, you know you want to say it. "EWWWW!" So we had to stop the presses and clean up beds, carpets, chairs, walls.

This morning, I was going through my ritual of cleaning and started to vacuum the stairs. We have a Dyson vacuum. I mention this so that you can get a visual if you have this model. I was attaching the "stair cleaning" tool to the hose and noticed that the inside of the hose was coated with, yep you guessed it, the aforementioned puke. My eyes watered and my gag reflex introduced itself to me again.

The hose is detachable. (Thank you Dyson. You should put that in your ads.) And the detached hose is now in the kitchen sink getting cleaned and sanitized.

I feel like the Cat in the Hat has come for a visit. We keep cleaning up the spot and it keeps coming back bigger and better!

God's Provision

2009-10-25T14:54:00.000-06:00

Most of you have read from the bible the account of Jesus taking the boy's meager lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish and fed a crowd of 5,000 with food left over. Well, this post follows the same line, but God took two loaves of bread and turned it into 3 1/2 slices to feed 7 people.

Our church is studying about the five purposes in life: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Evangelism, and Ministry. In addition to the sermons about each of these purposes, our Sunday School class which Troy teaches is also studying these purposes. This week was about Fellowship, so Troy invited the class to our house for lunch after church. I didn't know how many of the 20 or so people were coming so I, of course, cooked for 100. I made a crockpot full of spaghetti sauce with meat, two packages of spaghetti noodles, two big bowls of salad, and two loaves of garlic bread (made in the bread machine). I was most proud of the bread because it was the best bread I've ever made.

I didn't know why at the time, but this morning, before church, I decided to cut one of the loaves in half and then slice that half and put the slices on the cake pedestal for "presentation". I wrapped the other loaf and a half in foil and left them on the counter. So essentially, there were 7 half slices of bread ready to eat, 3 1/2 full slices.

Troy and I went to church. I came home just a bit before the guests arrived to find that the foil wrapped bread had been eaten by the dogs we had left in the house because it was cold and snowy outside. Foil and crumbs were everywhere. But there were those 7 half slices under the dome of the cake plate.

And how many showed up for lunch? Five people plus Troy and me.

God provides all our needs. Even when we have the "best laid plans". God takes care of us.

Home Improvement

2009-10-09T14:05:00.002-06:00

So, I wouldn't call us home improvement project savvy. Don't get me wrong. Troy is a wonderful carpenter/handy man but we tend to only make major improvements on a "need to" basis or on a whim. Never somewhere in the middle.

Troy is usually ready to tackle the project as long as we have the money and he is not asked to paint. I am the one who walks in and out of the doors of Home Depot and Lowe's hoping "Yard Crashers" or "House Crashers" will ask me if I need any help with projects. I just never have a plan for how to start. (For those of you who ~~have a life~~ don't watch home improvement shows, the designers on the "Crashers" programs catch unsuspecting customers of Home Depot and Lowe's and ask if they can come in and do the improvement project for the home owner.) I keep an eye out for TV camera's everytime I walk into Home Depot now. Maybe I look too needy!

Anyway, back to the original purpose of this post.

As you all know, our life A.D. (After Dogs) is very different than B.D. For example, we were perfectly happy with the fact that even though the fence around our backyard looked a little worse for the wear, it fit the purpose for the moment. Within 3 days A.D., the dogs had made a break for it and were finally coerced back into the yard by our wonderful neighbor, Monica. So, we had to rebuild the fence sooner than originally intended. A long week of backbreaking work later, Troy and some hearty helpers from our church rebuilt the fence. It is beautiful and dog proof!

Now that the fence looked FABulous, it made the overgrown weed infested flowerbed surrounding the front of the house look even more disgusting. So, we decided to pull out all the vegetation in the bed, lay down a weed blocker, and cover the whole area in landscape pebble. Good idea, right?

Not so much.

Three trips to Home Depot and thirty, count them thirty bags of pebbles later, we decided it looked too plain. So, I bought two new shrubs (exactly like the two on the side of the house that by the grace of God we haven't killed) and I planted them in front of the bay window. I know that sounds simple enough but, if you remember, the dirt in the flower bed is now covered in weed block material AND 30 bags of pebble! But I was determined and finally planted both shrubs. See?

I'm so proud, I took two pictures!

This was our big project for the summer. Pretty cool, huh?

I know I promised to post pictures of the new office we redecorated this past spring but ~~my side is totally covered in piles of paperwork~~ it's not totally picture ready, yet. As soon as ~~I finally organize my messiness~~ it is, I'll post pics.

Humiliation

2009-10-07T11:12:00.002-06:00

I did it. I finally gave in and bought the Gentle Leader "bridle" for Luke and Leia about a month ago. The loose leash training ~~was too hard and I didn't want to deal with it~~ wasn't working. They were still dragging me all over the neighborhood and walks were becoming a dreaded experience every morning. I actually started dreading them the night before. The Gentle Leader is like a bridle on a horse. It keeps the dog from pulling because when the dog pulls it makes its head turn toward the leash.
Getting the contraption on the dogs the first time was a circus in and of itself. But now they are compliant and patiently sit with their little muzzles uplifted so that I can slide it on. Leia, however, starts making snorting sounds like it's cutting off her airway passages as soon as I start to put hers on. After a month, they still fight their bridles when they want to pull ahead, but this invention has made our morning walks much better ~~for me~~.
Before our walks, Luke and Leia are filled with anticipation and ignore the humiliation of this binding headgear. But as soon as we walk in the front door after our walks, Luke sits patiently with sad puppy eyes begging me to take the headgear off and Leia immediately throws herself in the floor in what I assume is a puppy temper tantrum to try to rid herself of this atrocious contraption before I can take it off for her. I had to take pictures of them with their new headgear on so that I could document this scene.

One Step Forward, Three Thousand Steps Back

2009-09-07T09:04:00.002-06:00

I took the dogs for their first individual training sessions yesterday. My training guide is from the website, VeterinaryPartner.com. The process for loose-leash training included immediately turning and walking in the opposite direction each and every time the dog strains against the leash. The idea is that the dog will start watching you to detect which direction to go. Leia seemed to pick up on the concept early and was constantly checking on me to see if I was changing directions. Luke, on the other hand, needed a little more reinforcement (we made the same trip back forth in front of the house several times).

So, things sound great right? Not so much!

Troy and I decided to take a walk in the canyon trail near our house with the doggies. The walk took us about triple the time we would normally take for training purposes. And we got caught in a mini rain storm.

This morning, Troy decided to be the best husband in the world and took over the responsibility for the walk. It didn't go well AT ALL!!!!! So, back to square one. I'm going to continue the loose-leash training for the next week. At that point, I'll decide what to do next.

It's Going to the Dogs

2009-09-05T07:35:00.002-06:00

One month, four days.

Yes, it's been one month, four days since we introduced ourselves to Luke and Leia. We found them at the shelter. The staff stated that they were picked up in our town about a week before. No tags, nobody called about them, so no information. Sad, but true.

They have fit into our family nicely, except for one thing: our morning walks.

I don't know if it's because they were my birthday present, if it's because I'm the morning person, or if it's because I'm the "mom", but I'm in charge of the morning routine. They wake us promptly at 6:00 am each and every morning. I get out of bed, get dressed, and let the furry alarm clocks out to the backyard. I then prepare their breakfast, let them in to eat, and take them for their morning walk. Troy goes back to sleep.

We are usually out the door for the walk at about 6:30/6:40. Little did I know that this is precisely the time that every other person in our neighborhood takes their wonderfully well-behaved dogs on their morning walk. However, in the eyes of Luke and Leia, these aforementioned dogs are ferocious, dangerous, animals, which must be attacked at all costs! Unfortunately, my precious, loving canines are now the bane of my dog-walking neighbors' existence. We haven't actually had any attacks, but the barking that occurs whenever we encounter another dog is uncontrollable (and not well received).

The other problem we have with our morning walk is their energetic search for smells. A.K.A. they drag me rather than walking with me. These two problematic behaviors have made me despise our morning walks.

I went to Petsmart looking for answers, and walked out with the schedule for obedience classes. (We can't afford the $200 it would cost to put them both in class at this time.) I've read a book written by the Monks of New Skete who are world renown for training German Shepherds from cover to cover. (Evidently, it's much easier to train when starting with a puppy.) So here I am, frustrated.

I've made the decision this morning to do some internet research on loose-leash training (walking without dragging the human). I am then going to work each morning individually with each dog.

My post is titled "It's Going to the Dogs" because I decided to keep notes here about how the training was going. In the short time I've known them, I have learned to love Luke and Leia. They are precious, loving, companions who will in the end teach me more than I could ever teach them.

Come along for the journey. I'm sure there will be laughter and tears along the way. Wow, it's the birthday present that keeps on giving!

Summer of '69

2009-08-23T21:11:00.004-06:00

It was a great summer, the summer of 1969. In July, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon. In August, three days of peace, love, and rock-n-roll happened in upstate New York.

And I was born!

This year, I was reminded over and over again that I was about to reach a milestone. Forty! The news did story after story about the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing and Woodstock.

Today is my fortieth birthday. I look back and think that when I was in fifth grade, my math teacher was forty-two. I thought that was ancient! So I am now officially ancient to all fifth graders everywhere. This honestly doesn't bother me.

This year, my birthday celebration happened in waves. We got my birthday presents, two three year old border collie mix dogs from the local shelter on August 1. I started working part time (which was a gift in an of itself) on August 10. And my parents flew in to surprise me on Saturday for a weekend celebration. It was great! If this is what happens when you turn 40, I'd gladly do it again!

Here are a couple of pictures of my presents and celebration:

Please Don't Judge a Book by its Movie!

2009-08-17T14:19:00.003-06:00

I saw the movie "The Time Traveler's Wife" yesterday. I read the book last fall and raved about it to anyone that would listen. I saw the movie with trepidation, concerned that it was impossible to moosh 30 something years of time (and time travel) into a two hour movie.

I was right. It was impossible. I liked the movie, but only as one who had played out the book already in her mind could. I was like a proud mom watching the production of a school play. Not because she enjoyed the play, but because she knows the back stories: the time and effort the teacher in charge invested, the nervousness of her child as he walks onto the stage, the preparation of the costume. I watched the slivers of time in Henry and Claire's life on the screen wondering how anyone who hadn't read the book could understand each gut wrenching scene this reel of celluloid was trying to depict. I hurt for those who couldn't enjoy the movie as I did. And I hope that those to whom I've recommended this book will read it before they see the movie or they may never trust my recommendations again.

Faith.....

2009-08-14T07:53:00.002-06:00

What is it?

Hebrews 11:1 says (in my New Living Translation) "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."

I've lived most of my life as a people pleaser. (Stay with me here. I promise I'm not on a tangent.) God recently told me to read Galations. So, I've started reading Galations. Immediately, I was drawn to Paul's statement in verse 10 of chapter 1. He writes, "Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God." This left me invigorated, but perplexed. I've been trying to please God by doing the things I think He wants me to do. But I always feel like there's more and I can't possibly do enough....so I give up. I stop talking to Him, I stop reading His word, I stop thinking about Him.

Then my gracious God led me to these verses in chapter 2, verse 19 and the first part of verse 20. "For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me...."

There is no earning of God's approval. The only one who could do that seemingly impossible job is Christ. He has already done it for me so that I could reap the benefit of the approval of the author and creator of the universe.

It's a concept I can't wholly wrap my mind around. But, for me, today, in this very moment, faith is knowing that because Christ paid the price from my sin, I have God's approval through no work of my own.

This!

2009-08-10T17:13:00.003-06:00

My last post asked, "What now?"

My house said, "This!"

I had put housework on hold for the last....month! I did what I had to do to get by (laundry, dishes) but not much else. In fact, to be honest, nothing else. So today "THIS" consisted of laundry, dishes, clipping and filing coupons, cleaning out my purse (no small feat, let me tell you!), cleaning all four bathrooms, straightening the house, dusting, and running errands. I still have dinner to cook.

I know most of you are now opening the case of your imaginary violin, but I had let everything go for soooo long. I know "This" won't take me all day after I make some progress toward having a clean home, but today I'm a little overwhelmed.

I think I'm still in the mode of thinking, "I've got to get this all done today because tomorrow I won't have time." I've got time. So now my mantra should be, "Slow down, rapidly beating heart. Calm down, acids in the stomach. Time is no longer the enemy. Breathe!"

What now?

2009-08-07T22:16:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to write about the exciting thing happening in my life for quite some time. But I wasn't sure when it would happen. I also wanted details to be worked out before I really let it all out.

I've quit my job.

Yes, people, I quit my job.

Don't get me wrong. I love Sylvan. I love the people I work with. But I didn't love feeling that I was letting my husband down on one side, and my job responsibilities down on the other. I felt as if I were trying to juggle everything and I'm not a good juggler. Heck, I'm NOT a juggler. Multi-tasking is not my strong suit.

I've been feeling pulled in two different directions for a few months. I knew I was not being the wife or the employee God wanted me to be, or I wanted to be. When I was at home, I was thinking about work. When I was at work, I was concerned about home. I know many, many women (and men) deal with this all day, every day. I couldn't do it anymore.

My gracious boss understood and never once made me feel guilty about this decision. In fact, because it was in God's devine providence, it was what our center needed. I was able to move into a part time teaching position vacated by one of our best teachers.

God inspired wise men to write in Proverbs, "Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time?" That verse jumped out at me the end of June as we were studying it in Sunday School class. I realized time was going by at a frantic pace and I was willing it to go faster just to end the day, week, month, season so that I could start to relax. I was wasting time by wearying myself to "get rich" or feel comfortable. Really? That was comfortable?

I know the grass is always greener, but I know this is what God has determined for me for this moment in my life. Even as I'm only about three hours past cleaning out my office, I realize I'm looking forward to the next week with delight and not dread, with anticipation, not anxiety. I'm ready to discover what God has planned for me now. I'm ready to see how He provides all my needs when I put all my trust in Him and not in my paycheck. I'm ready to be the wife Troy desires. And I'm ready to feel whole again.

Marker Boxers

2009-07-12T20:54:00.002-06:00

Today, during a great lunch with friends from church, I realized something that I'm sure every wife that works outside the home has experienced....the Marker Boxers.

The following story is true, the names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Susan and I were discussing the perils of working outside the home. How the house was never totally clean. How a home cooked meal is unheard of during the week. How dishes and laundry pile up. Susan then said, "I feel so bad, because Lee always runs out of clean underwear."

"I know Troy (totally innocent, so the name has not been changed) has run out when he wears his Garfield Mistletoe boxers."

"The Marker Boxers!" Susan exclaimed. "Lee's are funny Santa boxers!"

We laughed and laughed as Troy and Lee sat there thoroughly embarrassed.

So, do you have Marker Boxers in your life?

101 Uses for Plastic Spoons

2009-06-13T01:42:00.004-06:00

I've been avoiding the occasional "craft night" at church for quite some time. I'm not one of them......you know the ones......The ones who capture each moment of the past in order to tastefully display those freeze frames of good times on 12x12 sheets of decorated paper.

I was actually a little worried that I might not fit in. I'm not a scrap book kind of gal. I have no children to document. I e-mail pictures of vacations to family and post them on my Facebook page for others to see.

But tonight I decided to try it out. I took a crochet project I've been working on for quite some time and thought, "I'll at least keep my hands busy."

And then it happened........

A sweet, Godly woman in our group of 6 mistakenly and innocently combined the names of two local sporting goods stores while telling a story. The stores are Big 5 and Dicks. There was a shocked hush for about a nano-second. And then came a rush of laughter and giggles that soon had us blinking away tears.

Conversation bloomed......
From the Holy Land to red sauce and nacho cheese....from scrap booking tools to plastic spoons.....from "making new plant stands" to creepy, empty, dark churches........from long haired boys to dead pets..........from "Partners in Crime" to snoring husbands.......from cricuts to culs de sac.........from princess laptops to texts from the caretaker twin.......from blogs to Narnia dwarfs...

From the time I arrived at about 7:30 pm until we left at 11:30pm....

Friendships were made, renewed, deepened, and cherished.

I had a great time.
Thank you Lori, Patti, Willo, Ashley, and Jenni.

See ya' next time........

By the way, Patti, how do you really feel about cremation?

Goodbye, Sweet Baby Girl.

2009-06-02T20:29:00.005-06:00

We had to put Pinky to sleep today. We've known for a while that she was slowly losing the battle with kidney disease. A few days ago, she quit eating or drinking.

It's so hard to lose a pet. We chose to forget that this day will come when we open our hearts to a new pet. We push it to the back of our minds. But today, Troy and I faced it head on.

It's heartbreaking to walk around our house without seeing her peeking around the corner or lounging in the middle of the rug on the family room floor. She loved to stand beside the refrigerator and peek through the crack between the door hinges when I had the door open. She could hear the recliner motion from the top floor and would rush down to jump in the lap of whoever was reclining. She would often stand at the balcony above the door leading to the garage, looking down to make sure it was us coming home for the night before she would make her presence known. I don't know how long I will have to resist the urge to look up to see if she's standing there when I walk through the door.

I miss her so much.

Goodbye, Sweet Baby Girl.

Heaven on Earth

2009-05-23T09:26:00.004-06:00

Troy and I try to get away every Memorial Day. It's the last opportunity we have before summer gets crazy. Last year, we rode the Durango-Silverton Steam Engine train. I wrote about it (of course) here.

We drove through Ouray on the way back. I fell in love with Ouray. Troy planned this Memorial Day vacation around Ouray. We arrived yesterday at the Best Western in Ouray. Did I mention I love this place?! We woke up this morning to this....

See why this little piece of Heaven on Earth has captured my heart?

Mom and Me

2009-05-10T21:43:00.004-06:00

Mom was 17 when I came into her life. She and Dad had been married a year and she felt she was ready for a child......at 17. This is my favorite picture of us. She was 19 and I was almost two.

Mom and Dad are here for their annual spring visit. As we sat at the dinner table tonight, mom and I agreed that we "grew up" together. I couldn't have had a better role model. I'm the wife I am today because of her example. If I had children I would base the majority of my parenting skills on her parenting style.

What other mother had a "tee pee" set up in our front yard when I got off the school bus so that we could have a tea party in the tee pee? What other mother knows Jenny's phone number as well as I do......867-5309? What other mother believes that I can do whatever I want, even when I don't believe that I can?

Love you, Mom!

Band of Gold

2009-04-30T20:17:00.003-06:00

Troy and I were engaged five whole days before we were married. In that short amount of time we: bought my ring, bought my dress and shoes, secured a perfect location for the Saturday afternoon wedding and the weekend honeymoon, hired the preacher, ordered the cake for the reception to follow a week after the wedding, ordered my bouquet, invited our immediate family, and placed the announcement in the local paper. Whew......I think about it now and wonder how the stars aligned in such a way to make all this happen in such a timely manner.

Before we did any of the tasks from the previous list, we bought Troy's wedding band at the Walmart in Marble Falls, Texas. It cost $54.99. It was a plain gold band. We didn't have very much money so this was the perfect ring at the time.

Troy plays with his ring constantly. He also has to take it off and put it on his key ring or in his pocket while he's working with electricity (which he does almost every day.) I told him that if he ever lost it all he would have to do was run by Walmart on the way home and pick up a new one.

Well, it happened. He lost it.

The first thing he said when I came home Monday night was, "Guess what happened today." He held up his hand to show me his ring was missing. "I lost my ring."

My response was, "And you didn't run by Walmart to pick up a new one?"

He got misty-eyed and I knew in that moment that inexpensive band of gold was priceless to him.

So tonight, my friend Jenni and I met after work at Zales and picked out a very nice two-tone brushed silver and gold wedding band for the man I love more than anything else in this world.

I walked in the door tonight with a to-go box of Troy's favorite snack, jalapeno poppers. Inside was the ring tucked in it's Zales box. Troy opened the styrofoam to go box, saw the smaller jewelry box and instantly knew what it held. I love that he almost dropped the food to get to the ring. He loves it. He won't take it off even though we need to have it sized!

God has a way of reminding me in the mundane day to day living of life that he picked out this man just for me. And with that gentle reminder He fills my heart with even more love for this man than I felt on the day we bought that fifty dollar band of gold.

Is This Really Necessary?

2009-04-21T08:35:00.002-06:00

On a business trip last week, Troy stayed one and a half days longer than he expected. Normally, he is prepared for this but for many reasons, he was not this time and had to buy extra socks and boxers in Boise, Idaho.

Yesterday as I was unloading the dirty clothes from his suitcase, I noticed that he had bought three packages of boxers, two pair per package. (Must be prepared, I guess.) I proceeded to open the two unopened packages and noticed that the packages were resealable.

Does this seem odd to anyone but me?

If April Showers Bring May Flowers.....

2009-04-17T20:38:00.005-06:00

What do April snow storms bring?

A beautiful view from my front porch!

One of THOSE Days

2009-04-13T09:29:00.002-06:00

I'm having one of those days. You know the ones. And it's still early. Should make for a wonderful week.

Troy left this morning for a week long job in Boise, Idaho. I have the day off today because I work this week Tuesday-Saturday. So, I have the whole house to myself for a whole day. You would think this would be great, right? Apparently, I'm mental or something because all I can think about is all the things I want to do today and that there is not enough time!

I'm an insane crazy person to be stressed out by this situation.

Let's make a list of why I should be thrilled.
1. I have the day off.
2. I have no outside pressures.
3. I don't have to go anywhere.
4. The sun is gorgeous outside.
5. It's a beautiful day.
6. No cooking for anyone but me all week.
7. TV remote is ALL MINE for the next week.
8. I have a good book to read.
9. I have friends who I can go see if I want.

Now, in my warped, twisted way of thinking today, here is my list of things I really want to do in the next 12 hours:
1. Finish arranging and cleaning the basement for my parents' visit next month.
2. Put books and projects away in the new office.
3. Work on crochet gifts.
4. Do laundry including bed linens.
5. Make doctor appointment to discuss headaches.
6. Spend some time outdoors today.
7. Work on music for fall retreat.
8. Clean top floor of house. (It's been neglected for far too long.)
9. Take movies back to Blockbuster after I finish watching the last one.
10. Visit with my friend Jenni
11. Make jewelry.
12. Do my nails.
13. Have quiet time with my Savior.
14. Pick out and prepare clothes for this week.

See my dilemma?

Okay, you probably don't. I understand. I just needed to get it out there.

I think most sane people would say, "Prioritize your list and start at the top." And to that I say, "I know how to prioritize and start at the top." However, everything seems like top priority to me right now.

Actually, writing them all down did help. And I really know that Jesus time is really the top priority. So, I'll start there. And the rest will fall into place.

So, I'll get up from this counselor's couch and start my journey into this beautiful day.

Thanks. Check's in the mail. : )

Let it Blizzard!

2009-03-26T18:34:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it! It worked!

Flashback to December 2008.
SETTING: Parent's house in Oklahoma for Christmas.
TEMPERATURE: 75 degrees
MY ATTIRE: Winter clothing.
WHY?: It's December.
MY MOOD: Irritable
WHY?: I'm hot!

Flashback to January 22, 2009.
SETTING: My house in Colorado.
TEMPERATURE: 65 degrees
MY ATTIRE: Winter clothing.
WHY?: It's January.
MY MOOD: Irritable
WHY?: I want snow!

Flashback to Groundhog Day (February) 2009.
SETTING: In car on the way to work.
TEMPERATURE: 53 degrees
MY ATTIRE: Winter clothing.
WHY? It's February.
MY MOOD: Looking up
WHY? Phil saw his shadow.

Flashback to March 2, 2009.
SETTING: At work.
TEMPERATURE: 76 degrees
MY ATTIRE: Winter clothing
WHY? No spring clothing.
MY MOOD: You guessed it.
WHY? Need I say more.

Flashback the past two weeks.
SETTING: Work, home, church, in car, etc.
TEMPERATURE: I've quit checking.
MY ATTIRE: Winter/Spring clothing
WHY? "If I buy spring clothes, maybe I'll embrace spring rather than dreaming about snow."
MY MOOD: Hopeful.
WHY? I have a plan.
WHAT? A Snow Dance. Who knows, the rain dance worked for the Natives.

Today.
SETTING: Home
TEMPERATURE: 15 degrees
MY ATTIRE: fuzzy sweater, sweats, fuzzy socks
WHY? It's snowing!!!!!!!!!
MY MOOD: NEVER BETTER!!!!
WHY? SNOW DAY!!!!

I feel so good, I might even show you the Snow Dance if you ask!

Really?!?!

2009-03-09T15:22:00.002-06:00

I pick up the vibrating cell phone on my desk and see that it's Troy.

Me: Hi!

Troy: (in sad voice) Hello. Guess what.

Me: (in an equally sad, but worried voice) What?

Troy: (after a short pause) I'm getting another call. I'll have to call you back. Love you, bye.

Me: (holding the phone in front of me looking at the blank screen) Really?!?!

Am I a patient woman or what?

I Love Tax Season!!!!

2009-02-27T15:37:00.003-07:00

I'm not being sarcastic.

Tax season means I put all of our records together, take them to our local tax preparer, and wait with baited breath to see how much we are going to be able to spend on "fun stuff".

I know, I know. We should not use the IRS as our savings account. We should be putting our money into other more profitable areas throughout the year so that it can earn interest and work for us. The IRS gets to use our money all year long and then give us back a portion of what it took from us throughout the year.

I know this stuff.

But let me just say, the money I have "working for me" right now is suffering quite a blow in the work ethic department. In fact, it seems to be on a diet right now. It just keeps wasting away.

This being said, I love tax season.

Troy decided last spring to move our office from the basement/dungeon to one of the guest rooms upstairs. I was more than happy to follow this plan because it meant a chance to decorate with his cooperation. I bought paint the same green as the summer aspen leaves outside the new office window. We painted in August 2008. And there it sat. A big green room full of mismatched Target/IKEA furniture. Until tax season!!!!!

We used our much loved tax return to buy office furniture. Not just any office furniture but a nice golden oak wall unit with a dual desk that Troy and I share and a bookcase and file cabinet against the other wall.

Troy loves maps and has several framed. These maps plus the globe I bought him for Christmas will be the decor. It looks very rich. Not in a money way, but in a deep, solid kind of way. As soon as we finish the final touches of decor, I'll post pics.

I love Tax Season!!!!!

You're the Inspiration?

2009-02-27T15:28:00.004-07:00

I told Troy I wanted to write on my blog. I had many ideas, but no inspiration to get started. He stared at me with a look of exasperation.

I finally said, "What?"

He then proceeded to hold his arms high, and point down at himself. I just rolled my eyes. It was all I could do not to break out in a sad, sad imitation of Chicago singing, "You're the Inspiration".

Okay, can't help it......"When you love somebody till the end of time.....When you love somebody....always on my (mind)....No one needs you more than I."

Oooooo.....Shiny!

2009-02-17T09:20:00.002-07:00

I'm a little bit ADD. Definitely not ADHD. Not a hyperactive bone in my body.

I told Troy about a funny sign I saw recently. It said, "I'm not easily distracted, I'm just.......Oooooo, Shiny!"

Troy asked if I realized that was totally me. I do, I do realize this.

This aspect of my personality has both pros and cons and they are equally important. The positives of this personality trait are that I tend not to dwell on unpleasant things very long. I don't obsess about things. I have varied interests. The consequences of the trait are kind of the flip side to the positives. I'm not detailed oriented because I don't pay enough attention to any one thing to see the details. Many things in my life are left undone because something else was more interesting at the moment. Immediate gratification is a huge downfall of this ADD personality.

Take this blog post, for example, I started off writing about a funny trip to Best Buy in search for a new laptop for me and it's turned into a dissertation about the advantages and disadvantages of ADD.

Okay, back to the original plan.

I've been jealous of Troy's two (count them two) very light, very easy to maneuver laptops for quite sometime. He brings them from the upstairs office to the den often. They taunt me. I have a laptop. But 10 minutes of the 12 pound sharp edged monstrosity in my lap and my legs are going numb! I've mentioned that I wanted a new laptop several times. Troy told me that when we found a good one for less than $500, we would get it. I had given up on it. (Actually, I forgot about it.) But Troy found a great buy on a Dell Inspiron for $499. So off we went to Best Buy.

Troy is checking out all the "specs" of the laptops on display. I, of course, was checking out bells and whistles. Finally, we saw the one we were looking for. Troy is rambling on about all the advantages of this one as compared to the other laptops we looked at. He noticed I was temporarily speechless. He looked up at me to see what was wrong. I was staring at the sleek, reflective, SIX POUND, vision of a laptop. All I could say was, "Ooooo.....Shiny!"

And here I sit on my comfy couch in the living room, listening to my music, drinking a bottle of water and writing on my new, light, laptop. And, it's shiny!

Today Show Conspiracy???

2009-02-03T09:21:00.002-07:00

We've all pondered the conspiracy regarding the ratio of hot dog buns to wieners. I'm past that. Just buy enough to equal it out. Put your basic math skills to use!

I have another, more sinister, conspiracy theory...

I think the Today Show is part of a plot to rob mere mortal women of morning time.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Today Show. (I loved it more before Katie left.) But I still love it. Subconsciously, I've known of this theory for quite some time. I have purposely not turned on the Today Show in the morning so that I could not get sucked into the time warp.

Have you ever noticed that when watching the TS, time goes by without notice????

The TS parent company is GE (General Electric). Is it possible that they have built a time machine they are trying out on unsuspecting women everywhere????

Did Katie find out and threaten to do an exclusive report on the plot????

I've tried recording the TS to watch it later in the day. It's not the same. I'm not as susceptible to their GE wave transmissions when I'm wide awake.

So what do you think? Is the TS a worm hole in the space-time continuum?

Or have I been watching too many Lost episodes?

"Previously, on Lost"

2009-01-31T15:25:00.002-07:00

Two Weeks Ago:
Fade in...Troy in Den, lounging on recliner unproductively watching syndicated episodes of Lost on the Sci/Fi channel...Stephanie doing something very productive in the kitchen.

Troy-"Rick and Victoria watch 24 together and rave about it. We should find a show we like watching together."
Stephanie- "I just don't really like any of the shows you like and you don't like the shows I like. Take that show, Lost, for example. I would probably really like it if I knew there was going to be a definite ending and that it wasn't going to string the viewers along and then end mid-season with no answers to the questions."
Troy- "Lost is only going to be on for 6 seasons. It's been predetermined."
Stephanie- "Oh. Well I might like watching that."

For the past two weeks:
Fade in....Troy and Stephanie both lounging unproductively in their loveseat recliner. Seasons 1-3 have played non-stop every waking hour on the DVD player. (Thanks Blockbuster)

Beginning of each episode:
Troy, in best announcer like voice- "Previously, on Lost." "I think I'm getting better at it."
Announcer, in better announcer voice- "Previously, on Lost."
Troy- "I'll get it by the end."

End of each episode:
Stephanie- "BAD WOBOT!"
Production company logo with children yelling- "BAD WOBOT"
Stephanie- "I'm good."

Don't you wish you lived in this Prescott Avenue home with Troy and Stephanie who have such lofty aspirations????

Bliss

2009-01-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

You know that feeling when you have worked all weekend on the laundry and everything that you own except for the clothes on your body is clean, folded, put away, hung and ready to wear?

Me neither.

God: The Ultimate Alarm Clock

2009-01-23T05:51:00.003-07:00

God woke me up this morning at 5:24.

Actually, I asked Him to help me.

Last night before I fell to sleep, I was very restless. I am really unhappy and unhealthy with my lifestyle at the moment. The lifestyle list keeping my mind restless last night was as follows: The master bathroom is a mess. The sheets need to be changed on our bed. I can't remember the last time the bedroom floor was vacuumed. This office is a mess (mostly because I'm being a brat and not "cleaning" until we get new office furniture. My bad, I know). I haven't exercised in about (wow, I started to write how many months and I can't remember. Another bad). I cooked dinner on Wednesday night. (Good, right?) And then shamed Troy into taking me out to dinner last night. (Bad! Wednesday night was the only night I've cooked in a week!) All I've wanted to do for the past month is sit, watch TV and crochet!!!

Not a good lifestyle. Hence the need for help. So last night, I decided to stop asking God for what I thought I needed (new diet plan, workout plan), and ask Him to help me do what He wanted me to do. (Of course then my mind started wondering again about new diets, exercise videos, and new workout clothes. God then helped me fall to sleep. Ha Ha)

I don't know what God is leading me to do. But I do know He wanted my out of bed at 5:24am. So, I'm heading downstairs now to have some quiet time (and coffee) with God. I'm anxious about His agenda. Although I'm pretty sure #1 is going to be spend time with Him. That's exciting. I'm ready to spend some time with the creator of the universe who is "especially fond of me".

I'll keep you posted.

Thou Shalt Not Forget to Put Out the Trash

2009-01-11T21:39:00.003-07:00

I had a tough week last week.

I seemed to just struggle to get through the days, plus Troy was traveling. I felt as if my prayers to my loving Saviour were bouncing from the ceiling right back on my head.

And then this happened Thursday morning...

I turned on the radio as I normally do first thing, and took a shower. As I was taking a shower, I continued my talk with God. I basically said, "I don't know what to do, just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Turn off the radio."

"Really?"

"Turn off the radio."

So, I did when I got out of the shower. I thought it was so I could hear the still small voice God often uses to speak to me. But as I was putting on my make-up, I heard the faint sound of the trash truck and realized that I hadn't given even one thought to putting out the trash. I ran downstairs and put out the trash just as the trash truck came to my house.

I walked back up the stairs smiling and thanking God for being even in the small stuff.

Resolution Update #1

2009-01-04T20:30:00.002-07:00

Well, I've started......and boy did I pick a doozie of a resolution. Every time I do anything now, I think, "Is this helping or hindering my cause?" For example, I sit down to crochet a sweater I've been working on for me only to realize that the tiny change I made in the yarn weight is going to make my "open-weave duster" a "semi-open-weave sweater". Hmmmm. Is it worth the effort to make it and not wear it? Is this effort leading to future clutter in my closet? Is this cluttering my time right now? Wait a minute!!!! This discussion I'm having with my new and improved clutter free self is cluttering my enjoyment of crocheting! Even if it is crocheting for the sake of crocheting!

Is crocheting for the sake of crocheting......CLUTTER?!?!

The New Year Resolution

2008-12-29T10:35:00.003-07:00

I have made a concerted effort during the last couple of years not to make New Year's Resolutions. However, I find this year that because I haven't made an effort, my habits have become worse. So this new year, I've decided on ONE resolution.

My resolution is to de-clutter.

I know this sounds like a feather-weight type of goal. However, the end results run deep.

De-Cluttering means ridding my house, schedule, life of things I no longer have use for. It also means having a place for everything and putting everything in its place. Whether that be things, feelings, priorities......see what I mean? The promise of a life de-cluttered is very exciting!!!!

So here's to resolutions!

My Knight In Longhorns Apparel

2008-12-17T07:11:00.010-07:00

"I told my friend about your husband coming to pick you up

during the snow storm and we agreed that he is a great guy."

Christine doesn't know it yet, but the fact that these words have been floating in my head since she said them last night were a gift from God.

This has been a hard year for Troy and me. We've been disappointed in not being able to follow through with the foster care/adoption process. We've struggled with our own individual issues and didn't agree more than we agreed about many day to day things.

I had forgotten how it was to live by myself without my best friend ever with me. How I had to rely on myself for almost everything. How I didn't have Troy.

Troy listens to me ramble on about whatever is on my mind. His ears suffered when I made silly "Chinese" sounds to the tune of the Olympic anthem every time it was played during the August Olympics. He makes a clean sweep of the house every night picking up what I have left behind in my ever-present ADD mode to move on to something else before I'm finished with the last thing. He carries the dirty laundry down to the basement and the clean laundry up to the bedroom. (I think he could make this two flights of stairs journey in his sleep.) Even though Christmas lights are his last priority, he climbs up on top of the house to hang them so that I'm happy. If dishes pile in the sink, Troy loads the dishwasher. If it snows, Troy shovels the driveway and the sidewalk. He builds fires in the fireplace to make our few nights at home more cozy and romantic. He understands my aversion to cooking lunch after a full morning of church on Sunday morning and takes me out for lunch each and every time. He never gripes about the money I spend. (Although he would like me to use cash rather than the debit card for my frequent trips to Starbucks. Something about writing down $3.59 into the check book register.) He takes amazing care of our/his cat, Pinkie. He never gripes when I haven't finished ANOTHER project that I've spent way too much money starting. He celebrates my successes. He understands my weaknesses.

And he doesn't complain when he has to come rescue me on a snowy night after my little car couldn't make the slippery trip home.

No wonder my family calls him Saint Troy.

I have been very guilty of focusing on the disappointing, difficult times in our relatively young marriage. Thank you, God for using Christine to remind me of the wonderful man who has become my best friend, my caretaker, and my prince charming all wrapped up in his favorite ever-present, burnt orange, Texas Longhorn apparel.

You Can't Miss This!!!

2008-12-05T22:22:00.005-07:00

I just found this blog that I'm sure everyone else has already found, but I've laughed till I cried over several of this talented blogger's posts. Especially the series about Swedish Rock Bands. To see her blog click here.

Have fun!

What Troy and I Do When Nobody's Looking...

2008-11-30T16:17:00.003-07:00

Thank You God

2008-11-27T21:44:00.006-07:00

Thank you God for:

Ronnie and Judy, who invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner with their family since we had no family in town.
Troy, who is helping me decorate the house for Christmas even though he doesn't understand why I want it decorated.
My Christmas decorations, strewn all over the house, ready to be strategically placed.
Family at home who are patiently waiting to see us in December.
Pumpkin Pie
My beautiful house that becomes magical during this season.
Christmas music. Secular or Spiritual, I love Christmas music.
Miracles. I've seen them so many times....especially thank you for the most recent miracle in Aidyn's life.
Coming to live among us, not as an earthly king, but as a baby, young boy, young man, rabbi, friend, Savior.

Thank you God, for everything. If I were to write out everything You have given to me, I would be writing day and night. You are taking care of my life now in such a way that I may not ever know.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
Psalm 95:1-7

Nathan Here

2008-11-16T07:06:00.006-07:00

"Nathan Here" has been written on my calendar for several weeks. The top of the squares designating the days of November 13th, 14th, and 15th were titled "Nathan Here".

For those of you who don't know, Nathan is Troy's son from his former marriage. Troy became a part of Nathan's life when Nathan was three years old. Troy later adopted him. The contacts between father and son were sporadic in the years after Nathan's mother and Troy were divorced. Two years after Troy and I were married, Nathan came to California to visit during Thanksgiving break. Nathan was 14. He was good at being 14. Contact after that time was again hit and miss. Then about a month ago, the 18 year old Nathan called to say that he would like to come for a visit.

I had trepidation about the visit. I didn't know what the adult-boy's intentions were. I also didn't quite know how to relate to him. And I worried that Troy might have high expectations that might not be met.

The 13th came. Nathan here.

He's a pleasant kid who is unsure of himself. He rattles off motherly advise much like Forrest Gump. For example, before pouring a glass of pineapple juice from concentrate, Nathan stated, "Mom always says to shake well before drinking anything from concentrate."

He's into anything Japanese. Even wearing shoes that Troy calls "planks of wood". I have a feeling Troy is being "paid back" for all the times he didn't understand why his dad couldn't be more into science fiction.

He loved the snow we got on Friday. As soon as Troy told him it was snowing, Nathan jumped out of bed and within five minutes was out the door for a play time in the snow.

Nathan and Troy have very little in common. (Isn't this true of most father-son relationships?) He spends a lot of time by himself on the computer. (Normal, I'm sure.)

I really like Nathan and hope that he will come visit many more times in the near future. I think the more time we could spend with each other, the more we would feel more comfortable with each other's personality. He brings out the mothering quality in me. I like that.

Nathan here. It's been good. Nathan leaves for San Antonio tonight.

It makes me sad to see that tomorrow's square on the calendar is blank.

2008-11-12T21:28:00.002-07:00

Cool! She loves it....She really loves it! I was awarded by my friend Janet of www.jabberingjanet.blogspot.com

Here are rules:

1) List 5 things you love

2) Pass on the Award to 5 fellow bloggers

3) Please link back to my blog

Five things I love:

1. My precious friend and savior, Jesus.

2. My husband, Troy

3. My family back in Oklahoma

4. Making jewelry

5. Reading

I love many, many more things but there are 5 in a nutshell.

I pass this award on to Tricia, Robin, My friend Cindy Brick, and two more who I'm sure I will meet someday and just don't know at the moment.

I Love It.........Where is It???

2008-11-02T18:16:00.003-07:00

I totally agree with the poem above by the Unknown Author about Fall. I love the beautiful leaves, the clear sky, and the crispness in the air.......

What crispness in the air?!?! It's the mid 70's outside! Don't get me wrong. I love warm weather too, but I'm really, really tired of my summer wardrobe and am ready to change to fall/winter wear. I mean it IS November!

Random Things

2008-11-02T17:52:00.002-07:00

I was tagged by Jabbering Janet to write some random things about myself. Once again, I'm at a loss for oddities about me and my life. But here goes!....

1. I was the only girl in my class until fourth grade.

2. I was in Times Square to watch the ball drop to start 1999. (My friend and I wanted to "Party like it was 1999".)

3. Troy and I were married five days after he proposed to me.

4. I ate at Wally Ho's Garage and Grill in Pearl City, Hawaii. (This was Troy's suggested addition to the list. Thanks babe.)

5. I attended the 1990 Miss USA pageant in Kansas City, Missouri. (If you looked really close as the judges were being introduced, you could see me sitting in the audience behind Florence Griffith Joyner.)

6. My grandpa, Wilford, appeared in a nationally circulated magazine in an article about legends of Spanish treasure buried in the scattered caves on his property.

7. I was the first person in my immediate family to go to college.

Sights and Sounds of Waikiki Beach

2008-10-05T22:04:00.002-06:00

I took this video because I wanted to remember how the beach looked and sounded. I'll probably play it a million times over the next few years!

Images Of Hawai'i

2008-10-05T21:25:00.006-06:00

Day 1

East of Honolulu

Day 2

Have you ever read the Dr. Seus Book Go Dog Go?
I'm sure this is the Dog Party Tree!

The USS Arizona Memorial

(The fourth picture is of the actual sunken ship below the memorial.)

Day 3

View from our balcony, relaxing at the beach, and the Luau

Day 4

Visiting the USS Missouri and Wally Ho's

Troy standing where the treaty was signed.

From the deck of the USS Missouri, oil still seeping from the USS Arizona.

I made Troy pose next to this old Navy recruiting poster. :)

Wally Ho's Garage and Grill!

Days 5 and 6

This really was the view from my bed!

The whole week, we saw Asian people with cameras.

I just couldn't resist taking this picture!

Surfers

It's Already Over?

2008-09-30T01:13:00.003-06:00

Tonight, Monday night, is our last night in Waikiki, Ouahu. We've had a great time, but we are ready to get back to normal life. We've spent almost every morning lazing around after our McDonald's run. Then around 10:00 am, we start deciding what to do during the day.

Friday, we visited the USS Missouri Battleship. This is the ship where the treaty ending WWII was signed. I took a picture of Troy standing where General McArther sat as he signed. Before we went to the museum, Troy humored me by taking me to lunch at Wally Ho's Garage and Grill. Troy said later that he had a little bit of indigestion. I said, "Really?!?! I can't imagine why after eating at Wally Ho's Garage and Grill!" You should have seen the look he gave me!

Troy worked part of the days on Saturday and Sunday. I shopped on Saturday and spent all day at the beach Sunday, where I got a bit of a nasty sunburn.

Sunday was our anniversary so we walked down the street to P.F. Changs to eat dinner and then window shopped on the way back.

Today, we drove up to the North Shore, known for it's huge pipeline surfing. Not many large waves today, so we drove along the shoreline back to Waikiki.

I think we've had a great vacation. I've always heard that a great vacation is the kind that you've enjoyed but that you are ready to go home when it's time to go home. That would be the best description of this vacation.

Wow, I'm in Hawaii, Part Three!

2008-09-26T11:51:00.002-06:00

9/26/08

Troy and I spent a luxurious couple of hours on the beach yesterday. It was very relaxing! When I got too hot, I would go sit in the sand and let the waves cool me off. After the beach, Troy went to the room to take a nap and I went window shopping. We then went to a luau.

Major impressions of my experience at the Luau:

1. Kind of Hoaky but overall fun.
2. The fun was enhanced by the three drink tickets. :)
3. Poi is gross.
4. The moves Hula dancers make with their hips is impressive and illegal in 5 states!

Wow, I'm in Hawai'i, Part Two!

2008-09-26T11:41:00.003-06:00

9/25/08

What can I way about the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor that hasn't already been said? Tears stung my eyes and a lump caught in my throat as I walked through the doorway of the white hallow tombstone which divides the USS Arizona graveyard into two separate sections. One of the things that moved me the most was the list of names of men who had actually survived the Pearl Harbor attack but had asked to be buried not with their family on the mainland, but here with their brothers. The loss of their comrades had haunted them their whole lives to the point that they wanted to be with them again.
Troy and I needed the rest yesterday morning so we didn't get to Pearl Harbor in time to visit the aviation museum or the USS Missouri. We are going back to do that on Friday. On the way back to the hotel, I spotted a roadside attraction called Wally Ho's Garage and Grill! Now I'm on a mission to eat at Wally Ho's on Friday! I bought a new swimsuit at Walmart and have plans to put it into action today. I love plus size Samoan women! These stores have much better large size clothing than Denver does!

Wow! I'm in Hawai'i

2008-09-25T20:07:00.003-06:00

9/24/08

Sitting on the balcony of our 13th floor ocean front room, the view is amazing. I can look directly down on the busy beach side street, Kalakaui Avenue. The north side of the street is lined with shopping adventures calling my name and the south side, or beach side is a mixture of tropical images. Swaying palm trees and lush vegetation help back from the ocean by the sandy beach. The sand is the perfect contrast to the brightly colored umbrellas and beach towels dotting the shoreline. People of various shades of tan spend their time soaking of the sun, seeking shade, or playing on the shore line. The waves of the ocean rhythmically and continuously smooth the sand at the water's edge.
Near the beach the water is a teal green. Beyond the man-made rock breaker, the color changes to dark green and emerald, depending on the rock or sandy bottom. Further out, the water changes to a beautiful, breathtaking turquoise blue. A color that I'm sure is in abundance in Heaven. ON the horizon, the water is a dark azure blue. A stark contrast to the light blue sky. The sea is dotted with sailboats, yachts, and surfing students floating on the surfboards with giddy anticipation.
Troy and I woke this morning to an empty beach. It had just rained and we decided to take a 5:30 am walk. We played in the water cresting on the sand and then sat to watch the sun rise. Then it happened. We felt a sprinkle or two which quickly turned into a downpour, catching us off guard. By the time we made it back to our room, we were covered in sand, soaked, cold, and giggling. We showered and made a McDonald's run (conveniently next door). They serve a plate of pineapple with your morning combo! We lazed around in bed after breakfast, Troy playing his computer game white I watched morning TV and did the Sudoku puzzle from the newspaper.
Our plans for today are to go to Walmart and get some essentials and to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial, the USS Missouri is here. I found a coupon for Troy to do a free flight simulation at the aviation museum. He's pretty excited about that.

Six Quirky Things

2008-09-01T21:08:00.002-06:00

Well, it finally happened. I was tagged to write six quirky things about myself. At first, I really thought I didn't have that many quirks. You know, kind of boring. I said this to my friend, Janet, who immediately laughed, and laughed, and added that as her "Quote of the Day" on her blog. Hmm.... quirky? Let's see....

There is the unnatural fear of birds and windmills. I'm not a bird fan. And NO it's not from watching a certain Hitchcock movie. I HATE the sound of wings flapping, especially if they are hitting something. I won't go near a bird. Troy and I tried to eat a sandwich at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I couldn't even eat because the sea gulls and pigeons kept swooping around us. Not a fun experience! I actually screamed out loud as a pigeon flew under the table next to me. Now for the windmills...Not the old flower looking ones used for pumping water for cows on the old Little House on the Prairie farm. I have no fear of those nice, old, sweet things. The ones I very much dislike are the ones that look like they were made from Edward Scissorhands' left over parts! In California, there were hills of them. Some spinning, some still, some slowly rotating. Menacing creatures trying to capture the innocent wind! The wind should be free to move to and fro. It should not have to pass through the slashing blades of a sinister robot! Would that be one or two quirky things?

Anyway, there is also the love of post-it notes. When I find a new post-it note shape, it lures me like a new drug. Fun shapes and utility to boot! I love the ability to write a quick statement and stick it to something. It may the the most efficient thing I do all day!

If someone would invent a truly seamless sock, they would make millions on people like me. As a small child, I drove my mother crazy. She would put my socks and shoes on and I would cry until she took the shoes off and readjusted my socks. I hate the seams! There is always some spot that I feel the seam on my foot. I have been known to stop on a shopping trip in the middle of the mall and sit down to readjust my sock seam. I understand they are a necessary evil, however, I think I would just prefer to wear sandals.

I feel sorry for plants. In fact, we have a tree at the corner of our house that is terribly ugly and I don't want to cut it down because I feel sorry for it. It has a name. Ugly Tree. We introduce it to everyone who comes to our house and they agree that we aptly named it. I just can't bring myself to cut it down. It didn't plan to be ugly. It just happened.
Another example, we cut three low branches off the huge pine tree in our front yard. It's a beautiful, majestic tree. I went out every day for about a month, check to make sure the sap had sealed it's "boo-boo". I even tried to help by spreading the sap in the newly cut area. I almost cried. It's okay now. Every once in a while, I walk by the pine and pat it. I would hug it if I knew nobody was looking!

I am a huge fan of Petticoat Junction. You know..........

Come ride the little train that is rolling down the tracks to the junction. (Petticoat Junction) Forget about your cares, it is time to relax at the junction. (Petticoat Junction)

...........Everybody sing!.............

Lotsa curves, you bet. Even more when you get

to the junction, Petticoat Junction.

Reruns of Petticoat Junction came on every day after school on the only television station we received in my childhood. My middle name is Jo. I was sure that I was a long lost relative of Kate Bradley and her daughters, Billie Jo, Bobbi Jo, and Betty Jo. See the connection? Well, of course you do! I watched in anticipation as Steve, the crop duster who crashed near the Shady Rest Inn, recovered and eventually fell in love the youngest, most tomboyish daughter, Betty Jo. They moved into a little cottage between the Shady Rest and Hooterville. "Green Acres" was a spin-off! And then little Katie Jo was born! If I had ever had a daughter, you can bet that the name Katie Jo would have been a possibility! Okay, I'm mildly obsessed!

I think that may be six........Birds, Windmills, Post-Its, Sock Seams, Plants, and Petticoat Junction.........yep, my work is done! Wow, I'm a bit quirky!