Christmas in July

So, I drove down to Falls Creek yesterday morning. Half of my family was there with the youth from Parkway Baptist Church in KCK. So, I went down, met them for lunch, hung out, spent the night and left to come home this morning. Overall it was an enjoyable trip. Natalie is cute as ever! However, during the night, two people were sick and vomiting. (Mom had apparently been sick earlier in the week.) Michelle was one... she was up two or three times during the night, and apparently one of the youth boys was, too. So, they seemed to be dropping like flies this morning, as another girl was feeling ill. It reminded me of this past Christmas, when we spent the whole time passing around a stomach virus. I think I've avoided this one. However, it seems to strike mainly at night. So... I guess I'll let you know in the morning!

Ion... I grilled myself a fine dinner tonight... chicken with a sort of peach glaze on it. I also grilled peaches and corn with it. It turned out pretty good, though I either didn't let the coals "cook" long enough or something... seems like it took forever to finish everything. I even put the chicken in the oven for a bit after taking it off the grill. But, it was all yumsters. And... I have leftovers for days to come. :) I also cut up more stuff for mango salsa. I guess I was feeling fairly domestic today!

The Pop-In

Well... Brett (see two posts back) popped his head into my office today. He asked if he could use a phone. I asked him how he's been doing, and it sounds like his friend has put him up for the time being.

He didn't talk long but thanked me for the water the other day. Then he was gone.

The Protected Heart

I found this poem, scribbled on a yellow Post-It note. I'm not sure when I wrote it, but I thought you might enjoy it....

The Protected Heart

The protected heart - what an undeserved blessing!

But how does it know?

How does it know how to be greatful for not experiencing

what so many others have experienced?

How does it understand what it cannot feel?

What is has not been shown?

How can it speak of the wonders of

God's healing and forgiveness until it has hurt?

God, cause the protected heart to long for you.

Brett

Brett is the name of the homeless man I met today. I happened to be on the Channel 2 News this morning... helping the weatherman with some weather-related experiements. It's there that I learned today may possibly be the hottest day of the entire year.

Jump ahead to this afternoon. I returned home this afternoon after having lunch with a friend and noted a guy sitting on the curb in front of one of my neighbors' houses. It seemed a bit odd, because he was just sitting there. He had a sort of rolling bag with him. I pulled into my garage and hoped he wouldn't follow me up to my house. When I got in, I peeked out the front window and noted that he was still sitting there. It's such a hot day... a terrible day to be outside with nothing to drink.

I decided to take him a drink. I'm one of those people who would sincerely like to help people broken down at the side of the road but don't feel it's a "safe" thing to do in this current day and age... especially for a young woman. (Yes, I know the "young" part could be debatable.) But, he looked harmless enough, and he was sitting right out in the street... in the broad daylight... in the middle of my neighborhood... probably with all of my neighbors witnessing. So, I filled a plastic container with ice and water and walked it out to him. He got up as I walked toward him, and I handed him the water... asked if he was doing okay. He didn't drink the water for a bit, and he finally told me that he didn't want to get the container dirty. I told him he could keep the container, so please drink up. It was SOOOOO hot!

He was apparently headed to another area of town (a couple of miles away) to meet a friend of his. He was coming from his grandmother's house, but it was obvious he had just stopped in to visit her... not staying with her. He hoped his friend might put him up, though he hadn't yet received an invitation. He works at a local restaurant but doesn't get many hours. He apparently used to be a welder but didn't keep up his license (or whatever welding requires). He asked me where I went to church, and he said he's seen our sign. He didn't make it tonight, but I invited him to drop in any time.

Our neighborhood can be a bit tricky to maneuver due to a drainage ditch down through the middle of it, so I walked him part of the way through the neighborhood and pointed him on to a walking trail that would help him get through. We shared a few more thoughts about God, and I had a chance to pray with him.

I was blessed to share the time with him. It reminds me how fortunate I am to have a roof over my head, food to eat, water to drink and a few dollars in my pocket. And, it's taken a type of person who I couldn't have imagined being able to talk to and turned him into a real person.

Please be praying for Brett. I hope maybe our paths will cross again some time.

There's a reason I'm not dating :)

Every week of this season of softball, I've promised myself to get some new cleats. My old ones are from HIGH SCHOOL!! That makes them way too old to be wearing anymore. They're practically disintegrating beneath my feet. So, I ran by Shoe Carnival at lunch today, but they only had MEN'S cleats. (I later found out that men's and women's cleats are exactly the same.)

So, right before the game, I stopped by Academy Sports. The guy who helped me was pointing out all of the options. He was asking which color I preferred (red, white, blue or black). I told him "Oh, I'm..." He tried to finish my sentence... "flexible?" Um... "Well, I was going to say 'easy,' but..." He kind of smiled and made some comment like, "easy, huh?" (I'm retarded.) Anyway, I was leaning toward either the white or black shoes. He kept saying, "I think the white ones would really look good on you." Either way, I tried them both on. He still preferred the white ones. And then came the digging line... "I'm sure your boyfriend would like the white ones."

So, most girls probably would have either straightened him out or taken the bait. Krista's response: "ya think?" (or something similarly non-committal). Anyway, I couldn't get a very good read on him. What do I know about the guy from Academy? Exactly!! That's ALL I know... he works at Academy. Anyway, I suck at flirting... except for the "I'm easy" line, I suppose. And a fella's in for quite a rude awakening if he thinks that's true! I fear the opposite is more likely the case. (For the record... I don't have a flirting repertoire, but if I did "I'm easy" would not be in it!) ;)

Who turned out the lights?!?!

So I had two softball games last night. It's was so hot and humid... we were at least fortunate to play the late games (8:30 and 9:30). It was so sweaty and sticky. Yuck! But, we won our first game. It was a close game, but the last inning we pulled ahead by nine runs to finish them off!

Second game got started shortly after 9:30. We hadn't been playing long at all... batted once and took the field. We were standing there waiting for the first pitch when suddenly all of the lights (on every one of the fields) went out! It was the craziest thing... pitch black!! It was pretty wild... nine fields, two teams and umps on each field, plus our adoring fans... probably 300-400 people out there in complete darkness. Some people were laughing and running around. Our eyes finally adjusted a bit, but for quite awhile, we couldn't see a darned thing. We just sorta felt our way back to the dugout and stands. It was actually kind of fun. I wanted to go lay out in the outfield and look at the stars, but I couldn't find any takers for that activity. Instead we went to Braums.

HITD - Take II

More thoughts from the last post...

You know... As I was looking at that book today, I was thinking about how there's a whole world out there that needs the love of Jesus. I know there are people right here in Tulsa who need Jesus, too, but the basic human needs are so much more pronounced in other areas of the world. Anyway, sometimes I think it would be so easy to pick up and go. Then I sort of laughed as I was thinking of the locale of this latest read... Africa! Isn't that Mom's greatest fear... that God would send her little girl to Africa? ;)

Anyway... I haven't made any plans to leave just yet. But, I am becoming more and more aware of the human atrocities in the world. It seems there should be something done about them. I've been so encouraged by others who are taking an active role.

Sleep on that for a bit,

Krista

Hope in the Dark

I've been looking through a (picture) book today about the crises in Africa, "HOPE in the DARK." It's a beautiful book - photographs by Jeremy Cowart and reflections by Jena Lee.

Here's an excerpt, a comment by an African man:

"We know that Americans pity Africans," he told me. "But sometimes I think AFricans pity Americans."

"How so?" I asked him.

"Americans seem to expect that everything will be provided for them For us," he said, "this ear of corn is a gift from God. This evening's rain is a shower of mercy upon us. This healthy breath is life-giving. And, maybe tomorrow we will not have such things, but our hearts are so full from God's provision."

Vocabulary

Can't think of much else to post, so I'll list a few of my absolute favorite vocabulary words...

serendipity
stellar
tepid
abecedarian
svelte
vicissitude
efficacious

Speaking of Word Verification...

... does anyone else have difficulty reading the letters at times? Obviously they're supposed to be written in a funky sort of way, but I often find myself getting confused between the i's and j's. They always seem to post, though, so maybe I'm better at breaking the encryption than I think. :)

Soaked to the Bone

Well, I made an unfortunate decision to head to the grocery store tonight. It was late, but I decided it would probably be another week unless I went tonight. Just as I arrived to the store, two or three huge raindrops hit my windshield. I thought about turning back around, but again... I need food.

During my shopping excursion, I could hear the giant drops pounding against the metal roof. I hoped that if I took long enough the rain would let us. No such luck. I stood at the exit hoping for a reprieve but quickly determined it would be quite a long while yet. So, I made a mad dash but even gave up on that. I was pretty drenched. Not only that, all of my food and toilet paper got a pretty good soaking. But, all that said, it's a nice storm. Good deep, heart involving thunder. Steady drops of rain. It really is lovely.

Another odd thing, though. As I was loading my food/paper goods onto the conveyor belt, the two guys behind me started unloading their stuff. That's fine and all, but they didn't even give me enough room to finish putting my stuff on the belt. I laid down the bar for them, but finally had to hold the rest of my groceries until the checker was ready for them. It seemed a bit odd to me. And their cart was nearly in the way of me even paying for my groceries. I don't know if they were in a hurry or if they just weren't concerned about anyone around them. (I'm guessing the latter.)

Well, I may do some reading, or watch Seinfeld or balance my checkbook. All three sound enjoyable. No? :)

Verses

I know... I've been bad lately about blogging. :) But, maybe I don't have much to say. I would, however, like to leave with you these two verses...

Proverbs 25:28

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control."

Psalm 90:14

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

My blog is worth $2,258.16.
How much is your blog worth?

Up-to-Date

Wow! It's only been a bit over a month since I've blogged, but so much has happened during that time!

Update 1: Because some of your have asked... Sean (the DJ) took a job in Dayton, OH. He's already moved and everything. We had a pretty full week of farewell parties before he left. Now he's in the process of getting plugged in to Dayton. (We in Tulsa are still hoping God may have plans to bring him back to us again.)

Update 2: Um... I'm not sure how I haven't blogged about it yet, but I changed jobs!! I've gone to work for The Gathering full-time! My title is "Director of Operations and Connection Ministries." I'm basically the Church Administrator but also help with our small group ministry, following up with visitors, membership, etc. I had been looking into the possibility of going part-time, but that didn't seem feasible. So, I took the plunge. It really is quite a crazy deal... a faith adventure, for sure! I'm really enjoying it so far, though I'm learning all of the nuances of working for a non-profit organization. It struck me that it's my friends who are now paying my salary, so that's kind of strange. And, it's really easy for me to take criticism of The Gathering very personally. So... more to come on all of that. :)

Update 3: I've now been to Guatemala and back. It was a very nice trip, and I'm so glad I got to go. I'm still recovering a bit. I had some allergy problems... most likely from the vast amounts of mold in our hotel room. But, we got the (metal-framed) building put up in about 2.5 days. It was really amazing to see the variety of different people helping on the project - construction workers, college students, friends and families, people from the Mayan community, etc... different ages, different ethnic groups, different socio-economic groups. It was really cool. The Mayan community (called "Chuisajcup") threw a big celebration to dedicate the building. It was so much fun to be involved in that. It included fireworks, native dancing, a meal and much more. They had decorated the building with palm branches, pine needles and balloons. It was very festive! I'll try to write more about it later... maybe post a few pics from the trip.

That pretty much brings things up to date. I'm sure there's more to write about, but I'll save that for another day!

Blog Updates...

I've posted the mp3's from my two recent radio broadcasts. Check them out directly below and in my Brain Freeze blog.

On a sad note, my friend Sean was let go last week from that radio station (through no fault of his own). So... my days in the limelight are over. :( But seriously... please do be in prayer for Sean. I trust God is in control (as does he), but he just recently moved to Tulsa for this job. And, we're hoping to keep him here!!!

Purse Parties

Well... I'm just a radio star, and I got a bit more air time this go-round. Check it out!

God's Blogs

I was recently given and have been reading a delightful little book called, "God's Blogs" by Lanny Donoho. It takes a stab at the question, "what might God say on His blogsite?" Too many people in our world feel that God is no longer relevant. (How sad.) It's been neat to read through "God's blog" and be reminded why God created me in the first place, how much He loves me and what He truly desires for my life. I AM is the God of yesterday, TODAY and tomorrow!

I give it two thumbs up... especially if you're a blogger like me!! :)

Straight from my desktop...

Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Black Coffee

Um... right... they OBVIOUSLY don't know how I DRINK my coffee. :)

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Can anyone tell me...

Why did all of my fonts suddenly become large? Did I hit something? I'm very frustrated right now. :(

iTunes Game

Instructions: Put your music player on shuffle. Press forward for each question. Use the song title as the answer to the question. No cheating!

How am I feeling today? "Joyful, Joyful" by Lauryn Hill

Will I get far in life? "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry

How do my friends see me? "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz

Where will I get Married? "Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones

What is my best friend's theme song? "The Past is Another Land" from Aida

What is the story of my life? "Green Eyes" by Coldplay

What is/was high school like? "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff

How can I get ahead in life? "Where the Streets have no Name" by U2

What is the best thing about me? "Mighty is the Power of the Cross" by Chris Tomlin

How is today going to be? "The Secret Circle" by Kevin Max

What is in store for this weekend? "Allelujah" from the Exultate Jubilate by Mozart

What song describes my parents? "Who am I?" by Casting Crowns

To describe my grandparents? "All by Myself" by Celine Dion

How is my life going? "Hide Away" by Rock Kills Kid (where'd that come from?)

What song will they play at my funeral? "Peel me a Grape" by Diana Krall

How does the world see me? "La Luna" by Sarah Brightman

Will I have a Happy Life? "Clumsy" by Chris Rice

What do my friends really think of me? "All for You" by Sister Hazel

Do people secretly lust after me? "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" sung by Michael Buble

How can I make myself happy? "The Way you Look Tonight" sung by Michael Buble

What should I do with my life? "Queen of Hollywood" by the Corrs

Will I ever have children? "Sugar" by Imperial Teen (again... what?)

What is some good advice for me? "Rock the Boat" sung by the Hues Corporation

How Will I be remembered? "The Boy Next Door/You Made Me Love You" by Linda Eder

What is my signature dancing song? "Hold My Hand" by Hootie & the Blowfish

What do I think my current theme song is? "More Than Words" by Extreme

What does everyone else think my current theme song is? "La Strada del Bosco" Pavarotti

What type of men/women do you like? "If We Are the Body" by Casting Crowns

Ecclesiastes 7:10 & 14a

"Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'
For it is not wise to aks such questions."

"When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other."

Well, it's official...

1) I'm immune to brain freeze
2) I'm a minor celebrity.

So, I have a friend who is a DJ at a local radio station. He found out that I and another friend of mine have never had a brain freeze. So... he invited us to come into the studio this morning to experience our first brain freeze. They bought two Freezonis from QT (I had the blue raspberry) and had us slurp them down as fast as possible. We did that, and neither one of us got brain freeze. We did have watery eyes, frozen esophagi and stomach aches... but NO brain freeze!! So... there you have it. I'm a genetically engineered slurpee-sucking fool. :)

Check out the broadcast here.

(I'll be available for signing autographs from 9-11 AM tomorrow morning!)

~Krista

A Question for my Brother...

David,

Now that you're all grown-up, now that you have two little girls of your own, I'm wondering... wondering if you still dislike that picture... the one I have hanging in my bathroom... the one of the little girl who is half-naked... leaning over to inspect her belly button.

Just curious.

Krista

Se Magnifique!

I cooked dinner for some friends last night (Jim, Babs and Matt... who all have birthdays within the next ten days). On the menu? Parmesan crusted chicken with sage-butter sauce, roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary and baked asparagus. And there's only one dessert fitting for the April birthdays... Italian Cream Cake with vanilla ice cream. It's probably the most difficult meal I've ever attempted, and if I may say so, it's probably the tastiest, too! It was a day-long event, because I left for the grocery store around noon and work pretty much straight through until the meal was served at 7:30 PM. I really enjoyed it, too... though I guess I appeared "stressed" once my guests arrived. (I attribute that to the specific point in the cooking process... where everything was happening at once and required close and immediate attention.) But, I suprised myself. I shant cook like that every day, but it makes me think I could be a bit more creative in my meals (for myself and for entertaining).

Mom... you'd be so proud!! You, too, Sis!!

Me and the girls! 

Natalie (approx 8 mo) 

A Dose of Encouragement

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this weekend. I mean... I was, but I wasn't. The Gathering had a weekend retreat for Founding Members. Although I was looking forward to the retreat... it's been a long and fairly awful week... and last week was spent on the road (to KC and back). So, in many ways, I would have preferred to stay home this weekend. However, once I got to the retreat and had a chance to dream big with some of our other Founding Members, I was encouraged. We took time to eat together and play together. (I rather enjoyed a two hour break we had this afternoon. I took the time to just wander around the retreat property and visit with friends.) But, I REALLY enjoyed our brainstorming sessions and goal-setting. I truly appreciate the encouragement I get from being reminded I'm not alone in this great adventure God has set out for us. This weekend reminded me that we're all united in our vision to reach people for Christ here in Tulsa and abroad. It's so exciting to hear the passion of others for their ministry areas. I also feel encouraged by people who are looking to play an even greater role in the ministry.

Besides this weekend, I've been encouarged by two other people recently... one who has just recently come to know Christ and one who is still seeking. It's so exciting to have a front row seat to watch God move in the hearts of people. Isn't THAT what it's all about?

But, I suppose it's natural that all this excitement would be followed by exhaustion. I'm pooped!

G'night. (Don't forget to turn your clocks forward tonight!)

What is it about crying...

... that gets your nose all stuffed up?

This is Teo... kinda. (Remember this one, Teo? Serves you right.) 

Teo, Teo, Teo

Well, I was scorned yesterday by my friend, Teo, who complained that he was not mentioned very often on my blog-site... something about being "un-blog-worthy." I quickly pointed out that, though he was not always mentioned by name, he was often referred to as "my friend" and in the pronoun, "we." But, to make him feel better, I thought I'd mention his name here...

Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo, Teo.

Teo's name by the way is Matt, but that would be easily confused with my other friend, Matt, who I also occasionally mention. I'm not sure where "Teo" came from, although the Spanish name for Matt is "Mateo." I remember "Teo" first being popularized on a certain canoe trip... which is where my corresponding nickname, "Keo" was born.

Here are some other uses for the name "Teo"...

Go On, Get Your Teo Out!

A Different Kind Of Company. A Different Kind Of Teo.

Welcome To Teo Country.

I Was a Teo Weakling. (Ha! I'm not making this stuff up, folks!!)

Teo Really Satisfies. (Mm-hmm.)

Cleans Right Round The Teo.

Only Teo Has The Answer.

(Slogans compliments of The Advertising Slogan Generator.)

So, all I have to say now is... Teo... are you happy?

It's me...

100 Questions

I "stole" this from another friend's blog site. :)

1.First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Wakeman
2. Last word you said: "tonight”
3. Last song you sang: "Feeling Good” (singing along w/ a song by Michael Buble)
4. Last person you hugged: My niece, Natalie
5. Last thing you laughed at: My niece, Natalie?
6. Last time you said I don't remember: I don't remember
7. Last time you cried: My eyes got a bit teary talking to someone last week about my Grandpa Looney (who went to be with our Lord in 2001).

.:PRESENT:.

9. What color socks are you wearing: Mostly dark red
10. What's under your bed: Probably some dust bunnies
11. What time did you wake up today: 10:00 AM when my phone rang
12. Current taste: Toothpaste
13. Current hair: Brown with golden highlights
15. Current annoyance: An achy body. I haven’t felt well today.
16. Current longing: Health and Wellness :)
17. Current desktop background: A beautiful picture taken by my friend, Teo, in La Jolla, California, where we visited this past September. It has some daisies in the foreground and waves splashing on a rock in the background.
19. Current hate: Sore throats
20.Current favorite article of clothing: Probably my new jeans I bought for my supposed trip to Guatemala. :)
21. Favorite physical feature of the preferred sex: Smile
22. Last CD that you listened to: I’ve been transferring all my CDs to itunes, so I’ve been re-listening to a bunch of my old CD’s. Most recent may have been a “Best of U2.”
23. Favorite place to be: Coffee shop with a good friend
24. Least favorite place: Mowing my yard in the heat of the summer (most any other time, too)
25. Time you wake up: Weekdays – anytime between 5:30am and 7:30am.
26. If you could play any instrument: Guitar (have one, but don’t play it very well)
27. Favorite color(s): Fall colors – brown, navy, black, dark red
28. Do you believe in an afterlife: Yes!
29. How tall are you: 5’7”
30. Current favorite word/saying: It’s not my favorite by a long-way, but I’ve been working on perfecting my use of the words “affect” vs. “effect.” Those throw me every time!
31. Favorite book: Other than The Bible...I really like “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
32. Favorite season: I love them all! Spring is particularly great, because everything is blooming!
33. One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: My Grandpa Looney

.:FUTURE:.

35. Where do you want to go for college: N/A – Been there, done that. Went to Emporia State University in Emporia, KS.
36. What is your career going to be: Who knows. I’m a CPA, but I suppose I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. :)
37. How many kids do you want: I don’t know… 2 or 3?
.:HAVE YOU EVER.:.
39. Said "I love you" and meant it?: Well, sure.
40. Gotten in a fight with your dog/cat/bird/fish, ect.: No.
41. Been to New York: Yes, it was awesome!
42.Been to Florida: Orlando only.
43. Been to California: Yes… La Jolla (suburb of San Diego) is one of my favorite places to visit!!
44. Been to Hawaii: Nope.
45.Been to Mexico: Yes – a couple of times. Once to Juarez (just across the border from El Paso) for a missions trip in college and twice to Ensenada (just south of Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego) for work… I used to have an audit client down there. That’s how I was introduced to San Diego and La Jolla! It was awesome!
46. Been to China: Nope.
48. Dreamed something really crazy and then it happened the next day: Not that I can think of.

.:RANDOM:.

What happened to 49-51???

52. Do you have a crush on someone: “Crushes” are so elementary.
53. What book are you reading now? I’m reading several, but the one I’m reading for “fun” is “700 Sundays” by Billy Crystal.
54. Worst feeling in the world: Crushing my finger in a broken chair at Chili’s. Ouch!!
55. What is the first thing you think when you wake in the morning?: Do I HAVE to get up?
56. How many rings before you answer: 3 or 4. I like to answer earlier, but I usually have to run through my house looking for the cordless phone.
57. Future daughter's name: I really like Luella, but I haven’t completely decided I want to subject a child to it. I’ve heard it recently, though, so maybe it’s gaining some popularity. I believe it was my great-great Grandmother’s name.
58. Future son's name: Grandma Looney has started naming them for me. I believe Gabriel is at the top of the list. :)
59. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal: Not most of the time.
60. If you could have any job you wanted: I would be independently wealthy and be able to volunteer my time.
61. Who do you wish was with you? I sometimes wish my family was closer.
62. College plans: Again… been there, done that.
63. Piercings: One in each of my ear lobes. That’s it… promise, Mom!!
.:THE EXTRA STUFF:.
64.Do you do drugs: No way!
65. Do you drink: Not usually
67. What kind of Shampoo and Conditioner do you use: Right now… Aussie, or whatever that stuff’s called. Sometimes Herbal Essence.
68. What are you most scared of: Sharks… and someone breaking into my house at night.
69. What clothes do you sleep in: Pajama pants or shorts and a T-shirt, generally.
70. Who is the last person that called you: Melody… to see if we were still on for breakfast this morning.
71. Where do you want to get married: Tulsa… I suppose, though I’m not “married” to the idea.
72. If you could change anything about yourself what would that be: I wouldn’t be so busy all the time. I think that would lead to a variety of other healthy changes.
73.Who do you really hate: Pine nuts.
74. Been In Love: Yes… there’s a car I’ve been eyeing lately… :) Oh.. with a person? I’d rather leave that to your imagination.
75. Are you timely or always late: I’m very punctual.
76. Do you have a job: Yes.
77. Do you like being around people: Yes, very much, though a certain amount of alone time is healthy, too.
78. Best feeling in the world: Loving and being loved... or losing my stomach on a roller coaster :)
79. Are you for world peace: Um… duh.
80. Are you a health freak: No, unfortunately not, though I don’t mind healthy foods.
81. Do you have a "Type" of person you always go after?: Someone who is grounded and growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
82. Do you want someone you don't have: Always have, probably always will.
83. Are you lonely right now: Not this moment, but it’s not unusual.
84. Ever afraid you'll never get married: I wouldn’t say “afraid.” It’d just be nice to know.
85. Do you want to get married: Yes. I think I’d enjoy it. Plus, it would be nice to have someone with whom to serve.
86. Do you want kids: I think so… though I’ve noticed they’re an AWFUL lot of work

.:IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, HAVE YOU:.

87. Cried: No
88. Bought Something: Yes... groceries, coffee product from Starbucks and 2 meals
89. Gotten Sick: Maybe… I haven’t completely diagnosed my current condition, but I’m not feeling real well – weird throat, sore muscles, stiffness, etc.
90. Sang: Not too much… maybe along with a CD or the radio.
91. Said I Love You: Yes… I’m sure I probably said that to my family (sister, bro-in-law and niece) as they were leaving.
92. Wanted To Tell Someone You Loved them: I suppose.
93. Met Someone: No one new… but maybe tonight.
94. Moved On: No.
95. Talked To Someone: Yeah… quite a few someones… (
96. Had A Serious Talk: No.
97. Missed Someone: No.
98. Hugged Someone: Chelle, John and Natalie
99. Yelled at Someone: No.
100. Dreamed About Someone You Can't Be With: Is that a “literal” dream or “figurative” dream? Until I know, I’ll refrain from answering.

MB

Wow! I went to see Michael Buble in concert tonight. He was pretty amazing. I expected the singing to be awesome, but he turned out to be quite an entertainer as well. He did some impressions and made a fair amount of jokes. I was a bit disappointed at some of the swearing and off-colored jokes, as I would have expected it to be a "G-rated," family-friendly show. In fact, there were two young children sitting in front of us. But, save that, it was excellent. His voice is so clean and smooth. My two favorite songs are "Home" and "Feeling Good." You can see the videos here.

I was also excited to learn that the poet, Billy Collins, will be in Tulsa at the end of April. I have one or two of his books, but one of my all-time favorite poems of his is "The Lanyard." My question to you is this... does the poem make you laugh or shed a tear? Apparently it's produced both responses. I'd like to know what yours is.

A nugget of wisdom from the side of a Starbucks cup

"It's difficult for people to get rid of junk. They get attached to things and let them define who they are. If there's one thing I've learned... it's that you are what you can't let go of."

-Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

What can't you let go of?

itunes

Well, I've discovered itunes. :)

Exposed

I was reminded this evening of a funny story...

One weekend, quite some time ago, I spent a good bit my Saturday cleaning my bathroom floor... mopped it "hands-and-knees" style until it was spotless. I spent the balance of the day working in the yard. I don't know about you, but when I mow the yard and do lawn work, I'm usually covered from head-to-toe in dirt and grass clippings. This particular day, I came inside and stripped down so as to not track everything through the house. But, when I got to the bathroom, I stood in the doorway wondering how I was going to get across to the shower without getting the perfectly clean, white-tiled floor dirty. I had been standing there a few moments when I looked up and realized that I had opened the blinds while cleaning the bathroom!!

I quickly forgot about the white tiles. :)

Happiness is a cigar named Serendipity

Yeah, I don't know what the subject title is supposed to mean. I went back to that slogan generator website and tried it with the word "serendipity," which is one of my all-time favorite words.

I've been a bit down this week... no particular reason for it. I guess maybe it could do with the fact that I'm supposed to be in Guatemala, and instead, I'm forced to be in my same old boring routine. But, beyond that, I have no real reason to complain. (Though that won't stop me...) I'm a bit frustrated by my yard. It needs some major attention. Part of me is anxious to get out there and work on it, but the other part of me is completely apathetic... wondering if it wouldn't be better to still be in an apartment. I sat out on my porch for a bit tonight... something I've been a bit timid to do lately. It was enjoyable... nice weather... nice light breeze. I was a bit startled, though, when a vehicle pulled up and stopped in front of my house. It was just my neighbor from two doors down inviting me to a "purse party" at her house on Sunday.

I had more I was going to say about my dullness of mood, but those thoughts are probably better left unwritten. :)

Grounded

Well, most of you probably know by now that the trip to Guatemala was canceled... within 17 hours of take-off. :( I guess the building supplies didn't clear customs, so the trip was postponed. Hopefully I'll be able to go if it's rescheduled... though my passport expires later this month. I guess we'll see what happens. I went ahead and took today off work... since no one expected me to be there this week anyway. It was an enjoyable day... slept until 8-ish, got up and went to walk at La Fortune Park (while talking to Mom on my cell phone), visited with Babs and got to watch Baby Luke for awhile and researched about non-profit accounting software on-line. Oh, I almost forgot... I also voted. All-in-all it's been a good day... great day, actually. I think I could be happy not working (in a regular job anyway).

I'm also caught up on 24... though it took 12 hours of viewing, instead of the 8 I mentioned in my last blog posting. Had I gone to Guatemala, I'd probably be a couple of SEASONS behind by the time I got back.

Well, since I'm going back to work tomorrow, I s'pose I should get in bed.

G'night, All!!

Abstinence

Well, I'm not sure I blogged about it, but we finally finished the first season of "24." It was awesome, though I was very disturbed by the turn of events in the last episode. :( To quote Matt, "I'm not sure I'm up for another season... it's quite an investment of time" (or something to that effect). I was a bit disappointed to hear that, though I can certainly understand the sentiment.

Well, Mom and Dad were in town this weekend. Mom had her nose stuck in a Janette Oke book, so we didn't have much interaction with her. ;) JK, Mom. (I'm glad you enjoyed your book.) We had a nice time visiting, eating out and doing a bit of shopping/preparation for Guatemala. (Dad and I leave on Friday!!!!)

Jump to Sunday night when Matt stopped by my house to pick up the DVD player he'd loaned me. He came in, and the first thing he said was, "I have something to tell you, but you're going to be mad at me." I was a bit dumbfounded at first, because it would take an awful lot for me to be mad at Matt. I was trying to imagine what bomb he had to drop. (I'm sure all of you reading can see where this is going.) He went on to tell me that he had watched the first EIGHT episodes of Season 2 of "24." EIGHT EPISODES!!!!! Not one, not two... EIGHT!!! And to compound matters, I'm going to be out of the country for ten days. Who thinks Matt possesses the self-control it will take to refrain from further "24" viewings until I'm home? Yeah... me either. :)

The Ultimate Stain Remover...

Since some of you asked... yes! Vinegar is an effective agent at removing coffee stains. It comes with my highest recommendation. :)

Michael Buble & Aqualung

These are two of my newest CD's. I like them both very much. MB will be in Tulsa in March! I already have my tickets to go. I particularly enjoy his song, "Home."

On a more interesting note... I have a headache. Okay, maybe that's not more interesting. :)

Vinegar...

... it's the coffee stain remover. :)

Well, well, well... it's been awhile. I'll do my best to catch you all up. Skiing... Winter Park... last week... with Tim, Laurel, baby Seth, Carrie and Matt. A good time was had by all, and we didn't have any major mishaps. I'll tell you this, though, there is just nothing like snow skiing. I wish there was, because it pains me to only be able to ski three our of 365 days a year. It's the most amazing thing... being out in God's creation... freezing my rear off. I'd also be in much better shape if I could ski a bit more often.

I arrived back home last Wednesday night, so Thursday night started with a phone call from my neighbor telling me that our neighborhood was under a police barracade and helicopter search due to some sort of criminal being in or around our neighborhood. Fortunately they were gone when I arrived home; however, I didn't have a warm-fuzzy feeling. That pretty much passed when everyone showed up for small group. We had 20 this week!! Wow! It's fun packing my house out like that, though I know some folks are not likely to keep coming if we have such a large crowd. That's why I'm happy that we'll be starting another new small group in the next few weeks!

Other news... coffee stains... I got those as we were pulling out of Winter Park last Wednesday morning. We stopped for some coffee, and I ended up spilling a good deal of it on myself. Fortunately it didn't get all over Matt's X5 (he likely woulda killed me). But, I was coffee-stained for the entire trip. After doing a bit of research on-line, I learned that vinegar is a good agent for removing coffee stains. I've tried it, and the jeans are in the dryer as I write this. (Please keep your fingers crossed!) They looked pretty good coming out of the dryer, but sometimes wet clothes can have a misleading appearance. So hopefully I'm not locking in a nasty coffee stain.

Lastly... I've now received all of my shots for my upcoming trip to Guatemala. Those include shots for... typhoid, hepatitis A, tetanus and measles. I also got a flu shot, since I was already being pricked. :) And I've just driven over to Walgreens to pick up my chloroquine medication - that's an oral medication to protect me from Malaria. Ah... the joys of being over-medicated and protected from foreign agents in random Spanish-speaking countries. :)

Hasta luego!

Okay, I know I said I was going to bed, but...

I just read David's blog, and I felt like I should blog a bit about my week. It's been kind of a crazy week. Our pastor at The Gathering lost his 27 year old brother this week. (I don't mean he can't find him, I mean he died tragically.) There are also other random issues facing some of our leaders. So, Wednesday night, I had some bizarre dreams - nightmares actually - that seemed very spiritually charged. I woke up feeling attacked spiritually. I spent a bit of time in prayer - just praying for everyone in my small group and at The Gathering... praying for protection and encouragement... also thanking God for each of them. Another girl in our group told me she had a similar occurrence Wednesday night - woke up, sat straight up in bed and just felt attacked. Most of the time we just float through life, not thinking too much about the situations and circumstances around us, but now that we're really stepping out to follow God in this huge way, we've started to see the opposition work against us. And why wouldn't we? The Bible tells us that when we're following Christ, we're going to face persecution.

So, several verses have come to mind this week... James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds..." And tonight at small group, we took a look at Ephesians 6, where it talks about wearing the full armor of God for protection.

I met with several friends last night for a time of prayer - just encouraging one another and falling on our faces before God to ask for his strength and support. What an AWESOME God we serve!! "God's will is not always easy, but it's always right." (That's a quote from someone. Maybe Tozer?)

Slopes of Pure Happiness

Well, sports fans... We're under 36 hours to ski-time. :) We're going to head out early Saturday morning, so I've started in on the packing. At this point, I'm just biding my time until then. I thought about taking a sick day tomorrow, as I've had some sort of sinus infection a good deal of the week. But, I will probably go in to work... at least for awhile... if for no other reason than I can't find my cell phone and think it's possibly sitting in my office. I also lost my drivers license recently, but I've rectified the situation. I thought it might be helpful to get a new license since I may be driving this weekend. And, I figured Matt would appreciate it, since I'll be driving the X5. :) :) :)

I'd love to talk more but I should really be in bed. I wanted to say "bye," because I may not have time to blog tomorrow evening.

G-bye, folks!!

Fill It To The Rim With Krista.

Happiness is Krista-Shaped.

Make Room for the Krista.

I'm a Secret Krista Drinker.

http://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi?word=

11 hours and counting

Well... I've watched three more episodes of 24... and that was after a Super Bowl party at The Gathering last night. It was a good crowd... lots of food, games and fun. During the half-time, we had a "Gathering Idol" competition. They had six individuals/teams perform a variety of songs - everything from "Achy, Breaky Heart" to "Oops! I did it Again." It was pretty entertaining. Fortunately I avoided the stage. I did, however, participate in another contest where I and a variety of other contestants had to eat ten crackers and try to be the first to whistle. It took a good while just to get the crackers down. I didn't win. :(

So, my question is this... who won the game?

:)

Okay... I'm exhausted... probably from the late-night 24-watching session. G'night, all!

Marathon

I know, I know... I should be in bed, but I thought I'd take a minute to blog before crawling in. :)

As you all know by now, The Gathering is planting a new church in Tulsa. So obviously, there's a lot of work to be done. We have a "launch team" that is working through the details of incorporation, fundraising, budgeting, researching facilities, etc. So, we're meeting every other week, as we have been for some time. Today was a regularly scheduled meeting... held at my house. The meeting is supposed to be from 10 AM to about 12:30 PM, but we're notorious for running late. We met until closer to 2 or 2:30 PM. However, a couple of folks stayed past (about 3-3.5 hours past) that time to discuss additional topics. So, needless to say, that made for an awfully long meeting. I was fairly wiped out afterwards.

The remainder of the evening was plenty enjoyable though... dinner w/ Jim, Babs and Matt at Pei Wei... then back to Matt's for a movie - Zorro. (It's a bit cheesy if you ask me.) But we yucked it up for a bit and, as always, enjoyed the fellowship.

With that said... I'm off to bed. Sleep well, everyone!

"There are some weeks I have quite a pile of socks collected there!"

I realize it's now 4-5 weeks into the New Year, but I just ran across this "NEW YEAR'S GAME" in another blog, and thought it was interesting. You're supposed to "tag" others, but I'll just leave it here. If you happen to read it, I'd encourage you to follow the steps below...

1. Go into your oldest blog post
2. Find your 24th post (or closest to)
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to)
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions

Have fun. My sentence is in the title of this entry. :)

How it started

I thought I'd elaborate a bit more on my previous post. Teo was in town this past weekend, so in addition to working a generous number of Sudoku puzzles, we rented the first DVD of the television series "24." For those of you who are unfamiliar, each episode occurs in real time. So, the first DVD documents the first four hours (midnight to 4 AM) of the first day of the series. After watching just the first episode or two, I could tell I was hooked. In fact, we couldn't find the 4 AM to 8 AM DVD, so we had to purchase the entire first season at Target! We still only made it through the first eight hours! So... I have a long way to go. To give you an idea... I'm up to 8 AM the first day. The series is currently in season 5 (i.e. - the 5th day), about 4 AM or 5 AM. So, I'm basically four whole days (92 hours) behind. But, after looking at the current season website, I've determined it's not best to view them out of order. So, I won't start watching the current season until I get caught up (if I actually get caught up).

24

Yes, I'm addicted.

The Plans

You may recognize this verse, and maybe you find some comfort in it like I do...

Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Well, I've been reading through the book of Jeremiah, and I thought the context of the verse above to be particularly interesting. Basically, the Israelites had been taken into exile - into Baylon - by King Nebuchadnezzar. Well, a young punk-prophet speaks up one day (in front of Jeremiah and other priests/people) and says, "the LORD says that within two years, the Israelites will be free and be able to return to Israel." Jeremiah gives him a warning that peace and prosperity sound good and may gain him some momentary popularity, but he won't be believed unless it actually comes true. Long story short, The LORD reveals something different to Jeremiah, and he tells the people that they will spend seventy years in Babylon...

"When seventy years are completed... I (the LORD) will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place (Israel). For I know the plans I have for you..."

Isn't it funny that when we think of that verse or quote that verse, we always imagine that promise in the near term... next week, next month, next year. God was telling the Israelites that he had good things planned for them... but they were going to have to be patient. In effect... "you might as well get comfortable, because you're going to be here awhile." Apparently they had some lessons to learn first.

So, it makes me wonder... how many lessons do I have to learn? I guess I better get comfortable. :)

Cozy feet

I thought I'd include a picture for you of what I have on my feet as I'm blogging here. They're very warm and cozy... a bit challenging to walk in. But, I suppose they're really not made for walking. So, instead, I'm relaxing in them. :) They were a Christmas gift from a good friend, who obviously cares about the comfort of my feet.

Foot duvets 

Well, it's official...

The Gathering is becoming its own church! It's been a long-time coming, but we're moving forward. Up until this point we've been a ministry of Southern Hills Baptist Church, the church I've been a member of for nearly seven years now. But the church voted unanimously this past week to support us as a new church plant. There are so many questions yet to be answered, but it was officially announced tonight at The Gathering. So... it's now public knowledge.

It means a lot of work ahead, but I'm excited to see where God will lead us and who he will bring along side of us in this adventure!

I'm sure you'll be hearing more on that later.

Divine Intervention

Okay, I know it's kind of an odd time of the morning to be blogging. And, I'm still half asleep, so I won't promise this will make too much sense. But, I'm going to blog about a dream I juust had. If I wait, I'm guessing I won't remember it. And, yes... I'll be crawling back in bed when I finish blogging. I probably wouldn't have woken up or gotten out of bed except that I must have dreamed my cell phone rang. So, I got up to check that. :)

I don't recall all of the details of the dream, other than I was out and about in my car. In the dream, it was a very small car. (Okay, seriously people, I'm typing here with my eyes closed. How funny is that?) I was in kind of a rural area, so there wasn't a lot of traffic. I came upon an area where some road construction had been taking place, but the roads were open, but the survace was like this extremely thick, soft mud... maybe something like 6 or 7 inches deep. I didn't realize until it was too late that other cars had apparently been slipping in the mud. I think it was a bit like hydroplaning... everything was fine until I tried to slow down or stop. So, when I hit the brakes, I sunk down into the mud and began to swerve. Fortunately I avoided hitting anything, but I ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. By the position of the car, I knew there was no way I could pull it out or get it out on my own. In the dream, I either didn't think I would be able to find anyone at home who could come help me, or maybe I didn't have my cell phone (though, as mentioned above, I dreamed shortly after than it rang). Anyway, I was there fretting over how I'd get the car out. It seemed just beyond my reach... like the car was small enough that it was nearly possibly (yet I knew it was impossible) for me to get it out myself. I'm not sure what took my attention from the car, but when I turned back around, the car was no longer in the ditch. It was sitting just out of the ditch, slighty disassembled (though easy enough for me to re-assemble) and all clean. I remember being so thankful and believing it a true miracle... that God had been my rescuer.

What do you think it means? I'll give it some thought and blog about it later. In the meantime, I'd be happy to hear YOUR thoughts. :)

Okay... I'm going back to Zzzzzzzzzzz....

Rollercoasters

Seems strange that something I love so much in a tangible form can be so unpleasant in metaphorical terms. It's been that kind of week. I'm just tired... and yet can't sleep. I'd like to tell the operator to kindly stop the ride so I can get off.

Reminds me a bit of a clip from one of my favorite movies...

The Country

This is a poem by one of my favorite poets, Billy Collins...

The Country

I wondered about you
when you told me never to leave
a box of wooden, strike-anywhere matches
lying around the house because the mice

might get into them and start a fire.
But your face was absolutely straight
when you twisted the lid down on the round tin
where the matches, you said, are always stowed.

Who could sleep that night?
Who could whisk away the thought
of the one unlikely mouse
padding along a cold water pipe

behind the floral wallpaper
gripping a single wooden match
between the needles of his teeth?
Who could not see him rounding a corner,

the blue tip scratching against a rough-hewn beam,
the sudden flare, and the creature
for one bright, shining moment
suddenly thrust ahead of his time -

now a fire-starter, now a torchbearer
in a forgotten ritual, little brown druid
illuminating some ancient night.
Who could fail to notice,

lit up in the blazing insulation,
the tiny looks of wonderment on the faces
of his fellow mice, onetime inhabitants
of what once was your house in the country?

Happy New Year, Folks!!

Well, I think I've been blogging about a year now. I'll have to check that out when I finish here. :)

I slept in NYE... until maybe 8:30 or 9 AM. We were hosting a NYE party at Matt's house, so Matt and I hit the grocery store by 10:30 or so and spent the rest of the day baking and preparing food, save the short break we took to take lunch over to our friends, Jim & Babs. Luke was there, too, but we didn't take him any food. However, we did get to see him eat baby oatmeal for the first time. (Go Luke!)

We were hoping to have time for a break, but that never happened. We worked up until it was time for the evening's activity - The Amazing Race!! Tim & Laurel put together an "Amazing Race" for twelve two-person racing teams. It was quite a site, I'm sure. We were running all over Tulsa... finding clues and performing strange tasks. I have a video that I might be able to attach (with some help from David...). Anyway... Matt and I ended up winning the race!! It may have helped that the race ended at his house, so we had a certain advantage when we left the final stop with the (eventual) second place team. :)

Then we just partied down the rest of the night. Sounds like most everyone was sore from the race! Or... I could've been sore from laughing so much at the party. Mainly I laughed at JW for trying a bite of bleu cheese and gagging on it. :)

There are probably more details to share, but I'll have to do that in person. I'm tired and need to get in bed.

Happy New Year!!

Well, well, well. Do I have some stories to tell about Christmas 2005! It was a wild and crazy time. :) Actually, it WILL go down for the record books. Here's how it went...

Thursday, December 22nd...

I left Tulsa and rolled into KC around 3:30 PM, met up with my friend, Mike, and spent the afternoon with him (and a couple of friends who dropped in and out). Then, that evening we met up with a group of his friends for dinner and drinks at the Country Club Plaza. The food and company was all excellent (as to be expected). Mike was kind enough to give me a cheese serving tray for Christmas... most people have to be getting married to get such a gift! (Btw... Mike's in a great deal of trouble, too, because we had agreed NOT to get each other gifts... so I thought. Actually... that probably just means that I'M the one in trouble!!!)

I arrived home at my parents somewhere after midnight. Mom & Dad were in bed, but I let them know I was home.

Friday, December 23rd...

I got up somewhere around 8:30 AM and was informed by my Mom that if I wanted to go shopping with her and my sister (I did), I needed to be ready by 9 AM. So, I hurried and got ready and spent the vast majority of the day shopping. I bought very little, because I already had my Christmas shopping done (save the gift for Mike!). But, I had a very enjoyable day with Mom, Chelle and baby Natalie. (Yes, I got to tend to the baby!)

We arrived home fairly late in the afternoon and made preparations to head to Michelle & John's house for the evening's festivities. (The entire family was to congregate there for "Christmas dinner," spending the night and then opening gifts the next morning.) Said festivities took place and we eventually all settled in for the night. I slept in a twin bed in the spare bedroom with my niece, Erin, on a pallet on the floor.

Christmas Eve - Saturday, December 24th...

Baby Natalie started fussing about 5:45 AM, at which time Erin decided to crawl in bed with me. I was feeling a bit funny... sort of nauseous. I laid there a few moments but then got up to check on Chelle and the baby. I saw with her in the living room as she fed the baby. My nausea continued until the point I broke my fifteen year non-vomitting streak. I spent some quality time hugging the toilet that day. In fact, we had to open Christmas presents in between hugging sessions. So, the day was passed by 1) hugging said toilet, 2) sleeping, 3) opening gifts and 4) lamenting the fact I couldn't share in the holiday treats being enjoyed by my family.

That night, circa 8:30 or 9 PM, we made the decision to try and make the treck back to my parents' house. (I could continue my recovery from a full-sized bed that way.) I was feeling much improved and had even attempted some crackers and 7-UP... even a bit of chicken noodle soup. My Mom was kind enough to drive me. Half way through the 15-minute drive, I asked her to stop the car. I started thinking the trip wasn't a very good idea. Not only had the vibrations made me a bit queasy, but I was getting very light-headed. Mom pulled the car over, I fumbled around to get the door opened and I imagined piling out of the car and laying spread-eagle on the cold ground, in the cold night air. Instead, I laid out across the seat... and leaned back onto my Mom's shoulder. She later said I was sweating profusely. I'm not sure I really remembered everything that happened there, other than I leaned out of the car to cool down in the night air. I guess it's what I needed, because I was eventually recovered enough to finish the trip.

Christmas Day - Sunday, December 25th...

First of all, I should back up and explain that my parents had both had this strange "stomach virus" earlier in the week before I came home. So, there were certainly questions as to the contagiousness of the illness. I opted not to go to church, but since I felt better, I got ready to go over to my Aunt's house for the "big family" Christmas get-together. Our family convened after church at Mom & Dad's and we debated as to sanity of attending the big group function given our history of and potential future illness. We finally called and gave them a warning, but our presence was nevertheless requested. So, we all piled into two cars and headed for my Aunt Linda's house. By "all," I mean all of us except for my brother-in-law, John. He was already feeling a big uneasy, so he headed home. Good for him he did... he did a fair amount of toilet-hugging at home. My sister was not as fortunate. She did her toilet-hugging at my Aunt Linda's house. I figured we'd be the first of the family to leave, but we actually ended up being the last of the crew to leave. We toted my sister home, and she nearly made it; however, instead of running into the house to do her duty, she ran to the back of the driveway and delivered the last of her Christmas lunch.

At that point, we had two down - Chelle at Mom & Dad's house and John at his. Since we wanted to be one big happy, puking family. Dad went to fetch John so we could tend to them and the baby (who fortunately did not get sick) all in one location.

From Linda's house, David, Sarah and Erin all headed back to their house to meet Sarah's sister, Desiree. She arrived in town about 6 PM and had a plane flight early the next morning out of KCI. (They were making preparations to leave for the airport around 3:45 AM.) Mom assured them to call us if they were sick and needed any assistance with those plans.

Early, early Monday morning, December 26th...

Baby Natalie started fussing around about 2:45 AM. Since her crib was right next to my bed, I got up and tried to lull her back to sleep. No luck. Mom was sleeping on the couch (displaced by the sick couple), so I woke her to prepare a bottle (as I had been instructed before going to bed). Mom warmed up the bottle and was simultaneously startled by a ringing phone. Yup... you guessed it. David, Sarah and Erin were all sick. My Dad was shortly out of bed and out the door to go pick up Desiree and get her to the airport (afterwards returning to the other infected home to care for the suffering inhabitants). By that time, everyone was roused. Chelle, John, Mom, me and the baby all sat around the living room... agreeing it was an odd time for "family time." But, it was a rather humorous time marveling at the turn of events.

After catching a few more winks (until nearly 11 AM), we visited a bit more... talking of how memorable this Christmas would be, though maybe not for the reasons we had hoped. :)

I left for Tulsa a couple of short hours later.

What I learned...

If I'm going to be sick like that, I'd rather be sick around my family than anyone else. They love me and accept me... REGARDLESS. They even clean up after me (thanks, Chelle)! Though I'm sure we'd all have preferred NOT to be sick, it was neat that we could all take turns taking care of each other... moral support, making chicken noodle soup, holding someone's hair back, rides to the airport, etc. I have a very special family. And that was the best gift of all this Christmas!!

First of all....

I'd like to welcome my friend, Mike, to the world of blogging. It's a grand adventure, and I know you'll love it!

Christmas Parties, etc.

Well... 'tis the season. :)

Last Thursday was our small group's Christmas party. We had a lovely time - I think 17 people. We did what we normally do... visit and eat. We had a lot of good holiday snacks, and everyone seemed to enjoy standing around and chatting. But, we took some time to gather around and read through the Christmas story (Luke 2:1-20) and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas - the gift our Heavenly Father gave us in Jesus Christ his son! Then we sang some Christmas carols and shared in a special time of prayer. Other activities included an ornament exchange and more visiting/eating. Later in the evening, some of us gathered around the guitar and piano to sing some of our favorite hymns and praise songs. It was a very enjoyable evening. Those folks are so good for me.

Last night was our company Christmas party - quite a far cry from the small group party. :) A friend of mine was gracious enough to accompany me, and we had a good time. There were lots of food/beverages, interesting conversation and gifts exchanged. We had a "dirty Santa" gift exchange, where we were supposed to bring a "round" gift. I received the best number - #1. But, I was plenty happy with my original gift - ROUND Tortilla chips and salsa. Fortunately it was never stolen. All-in-all, it was an enjoyable evening as well. Though I don't have much in common with my co-workers, they're an entertaining lot.

So, that brings you somewhat up to date. I have nearly all of my Christmas shopping. What's ironic is that the gift I have left to get is the person's name who I was assigned for our family gift exchange. (Yes, that's YOU, Dad!) He can be somewhat challenging to buy for. I have part of his gift, but I need to get it finished up and wrapped. I think everything else is covered. So, my Christmas tree is looking perfectly happy with a small multitude of gifts under it.

Can't wait to see everyone up in KC! I'll be up there shortly!

Upon request... 

Sole Survivor

Well... she did it! Danielle "Dani" Boatright... Sole Survivor (Survivor Guatemala), winner of $1,000,000. I can't believe it really. I know I'm silly, but I had to dig out a picture to show my Tulsa friends - It's a picture of me and Danielle from my 13th birthday party. Very funny... and I'd post it here, but it's a rather humiliating picture of myself. :)

But... congratulations, Danielle! We've enjoyed watching and rooting for you!

You're Beautiful

I've found a new song I like - James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." It's kind of a depressing sort of song, but I'm somehow attracted to it. I was playing it here on the computer, but for some reason, I guess I can't blog and listen to it at the same time. Maybe I'll try it again now that I have this window up...

Ah, here we go. I have it playing now. I'm disappointed to see that it's been approximately six weeks since my last blog. No... I didn't forget my blog site, though I haven't thought much about blogging lately. I'd like to say that's because my life has been full of excitement lately. Unfortunately, I don't think that's the case. However, we are deep into the holiday season now, so I'll blame some of it on that. I have my Christmas shopping started... most of the "little things" bought, though I still have some of the bigger gifts left to buy.

I dunno... I think I'm getting kind of lazy lately. I can't seem to get myself in bed at a decent time, which means I'm not getting up very early in the mornings, which means I'm not working out. I have plans in my head to change that, but so far it hasn't happened. The Survivor Guatemala finale is tomorrow night. I think after that I may shut my TV down for awhile. In fact, it almost sounds good to me to take down the entire entertainment center... force myself to be more creative with my time. But, speaking of the Survivor finale - my classmate from high school has made it to the final four, so that should make the finale very interesting. Only sad part is that it airs during church tomorrow night. I think I'll just miss the first hour but high-tail it home to catch the 2nd hour of the finale. Maybe I can drag a couple of people over for an impromptu watch party.

Well, it's nearly 2 AM. I suppose I should force myself to crawl in bed. I suppose the two cups of coffee I had after 9 PM didn't help. Ah... caffeine... gotta love it!

Have a good night, world.

Don't Wait...

I was just reminded of this verse…

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV) - "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."

In other words… "If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything."

It's a nice reminder… we can sit around and wait until conditions are just perfect before we do anything… or we can step out, make plans, take risks and watch God produce the results.

That's pretty cool.

~Krista

Principles

"I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad - as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth - so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane - quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."

Charlotte Bronte, in "Jane Eyre"

Reason

"I can live alone, if self respect and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treausre, born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights shoud be withheld; or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give. Reason sits firm and holds the reins, and she will not let the feelings burst away and hurry her to wild chasms. The passons may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgment shall still have the last word in every argument, and the casting vote in every decision. Strong wind, earthquake-shock, and fire may pass by: but I shall follow the guiding of that still small voice which interprets the dictates of conscience.'"

Charlotte Bronte, in "Jane Eyre"

The necklace

I received this forward today and thought it was worth archiving. :)

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."
And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy; this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing
God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

Tranquility is Overrated

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."

-Charlotte Bronte, from "Jane Eyre"

Well... at least I know I'm not in a coma!

I completely smashed my finger on Wednesday night. Somehow I got it caught under the edge of my chair at dinner. The padded portion of the seat had come loose from the metal chair frame at the right front corner. So, as I was sitting down, and scooting my chair in, somehow my finger got in between the "padded" portion and the frame. It probably wouldn't have been near as bad if I hadn't been in the process of sitting down. I wasn't expecting it, so I think I wasn't sure what had happened... just that my finger was in incredible pain. It happened so fast, and yet it seemed it took forever for me to realize I had to stand up to get my finger out. Talk about pain! I honestly don’t remember the last time I was in pain like that. Surely I’ve been in more pain than that, but honestly… that could be about the worst (physical) pain I’ve ever had. I was just sitting there a few minutes not talking, because I didn’t think I could talk… particularly without crying. Then finally I tried to squeeze out a few words. I was slowly regaining my composure until someone asked how I was. Then I just pretty much lost it. Tears started streaming down my face. That continued for several minutes. Finally the throbbing dulled enough for me to continue on fairly normally.

I have a nice little bruise spot showing through my fingernail. A friend of mine has kindly suggested that the nail will probably fall off. :( I'm hoping that's not the case, as I don't think the squishing had any direct impact on the nail bed. But, I suppose only time will tell.

I did talk with a doctor-friend of mine today. She said that one of the tests to determine whether a patient is in a coma is to take a pin (pen?) and add a good deal of pressure to the fingernail (due to the fact it's such an intense pain). So... at least I'm thankful to know I'm not in a coma.

Frozen Grapes

They are my new favorite delicacy. :) I hadn't really ever thought about it, but a lady in the grocery line recently noticed that I was buying grapes and asked if I ever freeze them. So, I now bring them home, wash them and throw them into an old plastic ice cream container. It seems to meet a need... good healthy snack, refreshing, etc.

They come with my highest recommendation.

Blog Spam

I've been annoyed lately with the spam comments I've had on my blog. It's somewhat a challenge keeping up with them. But, I just discovered an option under my settings that turns on a "word verification." It asks someone leaving a comment to verify a word. This stops the spam and annoys any friend who wishes to leave a good-hearted comment.

So... friends.... please let me know if the word verification is so burdensome as to cause you to stop making comments. I would rather delete a thousand useless spam comments than miss one sarcastic comment from you. :)

Thanks!

My first time

Well... I ran my first 5K this past Saturday. I knew I could run the distance, but I was still a bit nervous about it. A friend of mine had talked about running but decided not to. So, I was half relieved and half nervous that no one would be running with me. I was a bit disappointed in that I stopped and walked part of the race. I attribute that to two things...

1) The course was very, very flat. Without the variation of inclinations, my left shin was experiencing a good deal of pain.

2) There was a 10K race as well, so I kept seeing the 10K markers... thinking I was much further along in the race than I really was. So, when I thought I was nearly done and saw the 2K marker, I was fairly overwhelmed.

But, I did finish the race, and I finished under the time I expected (barely). I won't post that here, though. Maybe when I improve my time significantly I'll start publicizing that information. I should mention... it will do you no good to look for the results. I actually paid for someone else's registration. So, I ran under a pseudonym. And if that's not enough, for some reason, even the pseudonym didn't make it into the race results. :)

True Love

I think the sign of true love will be when someone spends his hard-earned cash to play ridiculous games at the fair in order to win an unusually oversized stuffed animal for me.

A New Direction

Ah... at last... Fall is upon us!! The wind slowly stopped blowing from the south and started blowing from the north. It's brought some long-awaited cooler weather. It's supposed to get down to 49-degrees tonight, with only a high of 70-degrees tomorrow. Whoo-hoo!! I arrived home this evening after work and opened up several windows so as to have a nice breeze blowing through the house. It provided a nice change. I've also turned my A/C off... The electric company probably won't be happy, but I'm ecstatic!

So, welcome to Fall... another good reason to write a poem. I may have to do that later, though. It's past my bedtime.

G'night, y'all.

Weekend w/ Nat, et al.

I had a pretty busy weekend - went up to KC to spend a bit of time with my family. We had a family baby shower for Natalie on Saturday and her baby dedication at church on Sunday. The trip was way too short, but I was happy to be there. I would typically stay with my parents, but they had other company (namely my Grandma, Aunt Janelle and Uncle Eddie). So, instead, I stayed at Michelle's and John's AND NATALIE'S!!! So, I got some great quality time with the baby. I didn't even mind the occasional burping (Nat seems to love spitting up on her Aunt Krista!) and diaper changing. She's a real cutie, so somehow the rest doesn't bother me.

But, hats off to Michelle and John... and all parents for that fact. Parenting is not even comparable to a full-time job. It never ends...

Anyway, I've included a pic below so that you can get a small glimpse at Natalie's cuteness.

Nat 

Poems about Pancakes... Banana Pancakes

The following poems are dedicated to all of the banana pancakes in La Jolla, California...

Cove Cakes

Come to me, my darling pancakes -

Onto my fork and into my mouth!

Verify your status among all

Edible delights.

Cause my tastebuds to explode in jubilation,

And sing your praises in all restaurants, so everyone may

Know of your succulence and

Elevate your name on menus everywhere, thus

Securing your place on breakfast plates, both now and forever.

Banana Pancakes

As the first morning light pours into the room,

I feel a faint breeze across my cheek

as it makes its way in from the salty sea.

A seagull, acting as my own personal rooster,

wakes me from a peaceful slumber.

Oh what a day! A perfect day, I'd say!

After pulling on my faded jeans and getting dressed,

my feet take me instinctively to a quaint cottage -

the quintessential place for a leisure-filled day like today.

The menu begs for my attention, overwhelming me with possibilities -

a million varieties of eggs alone!

But, there's really only one choice for me - banana pancakes!

I KNOW I just had them yesterday,

but I'm helpless to resist their sweet and powerful invitation.

The pancakes swim through my senses - not just my tastebuds.

I know understand the woman behind me taking pictures of her breakfast.

How long can this last, you ask? Not long enough.

Before I know it, my bare plate stares me in the face,

asking me where my beloved pancakes have gone.

But, never fear! There's always tomorrow morning!

La Jolla

Well, well, well... I've finally experienced the worst of La Jolla's weather. It's been lightening most of the night. (This after the most amazing sunset tonight.) The lightening has been pretty spectacular, but has still stayed a fairly good distance from us. And the thunder has been plentiful... mostly the low-rumbly variety.

I'm reminded of a time I was in Ensenada, Baja California (not too far south of here), and some locals were trying to apologize for the 75-degree and sunny weather... the kind of day we midwesterners wait for all year long and then cherish for days and years to come.

I kept expecting it to pour down rain, because it seems that thunder and lightening of this kind are almost always companions of a wonderful thunderstorm. However, after what seems like hours of thunder and lightening, it only rained lightly, sprinkled really. It was enough for me, however, to get up out of bed and close the door to the veranda. And that was really more for the benefit of the homeowners than for my protection. In fact, I may open it again now, as it doesn't seem to be raining any more.

My trip has been delightful so far, if you were wondering. It's so nice not to be constrained by a daily planner. We get up when we will, eat at our leisure and do whatever we want, whenever we want. We've pretty much lounged around here - have done some reading by the pool, napping (for certain) and have taken some leisurely strolls down to the beach, occasionally stopping to play near the water's edge. I've more than once come home with the bottom of my pantlegs soaked with ocean water and coated with sand. We've also eaten at some nice restaurants... mostly choosing local flavor over any chain. Our only "deviations" were Wahoo (known for their fish tacos) and In-n-Out Burgers; however, even these are found only in California (or at least in this region of the country). My favorite have been some of our breakfast selections - Harry's and The Cottage. We made a trip in to the Gas Lamp District last night for dinner. Our selection was a place called "Johnnie Love's." It had a live jazz band and the best pork chop I've ever had.

I'll probably have more stories to add later, but really we've just kicked back to relax, so that limits some of the stories. I'll tell you about the books I'm reading later, too, as they have nothing to do with La Jolla itself.

Nat

I've included the best pic I have so far of my 4-week old niece, Natalie Renee. She's a cutie, no? :) I haven't seen her since her third day of live, but she'll be coming to visit me on Friday!!!! I'm very excited to hold her. I've had much more face time with the Tulsa babies, so I'm anxious to catch up on holding my niece. My 3-year old niece, Erin, will also be in town this weekend, and her birthday was last week. So, we may need to have a bit of a celebration when she gets here, since I wasn't able to make the party last weekend.

Well, I've been feeling kind of sickly today... nothing real particular... just not quite right. I stayed home as to make a quick recovery. So, I s'pose I should be in bed.

Have a good night, all!

Natalie 

Das bebes

Well, I had the babies (and parents) over tonight for dinner. I made my Grandpa Looney's "saucy chicken and rice." Mmmmmm. I haven't had it in ages, and it wasn't as good as I remember Grandpa's being. But, it was pretty good. I was hoping to make his hard rolls, too, but my lawn needed some serious attention, and it won out.

Luke & Seth are both pretty cute. I was hoping they would be a bit more lively, though. They just slept most of the time. It was good to get everyone together.

I'm anxious for my fam to come next weekend for Labor Day. I'm looking forward to seeing them all. But, I'm particularly looking forward to seeing my new niece, Natalie. :) I'm sure she's changed a ton in these past few weeks since she was born!

Claim to Fame

I just found out that one of my high school classmates is one of the cast members on the next Survivor - Survivor Guatemala. I guess I'll be watching. It looks like she's an early pick to win, too (based on the casino odds)! Good luck, Danielle!

Birthdays

Well, I turned another year older this week. Thirty-one seems quite a bit older than even thirty did. Oh well. I had fun celebrating with friends. Wednesday evening, my friend Matthew gathered several of my friends for dinner. We went to P.F. Chang's. It was the first outting with Tim & Laurel and baby Seth. So... I chuckled to myself during the dinner... as we struggled to find a place to put the baby. (I think he finally ended up under the table!) I just sat there and thought... "welcome to a new of life of friends with kids." But, we had a great time. Matthew paid for everyone's dinner, so that was a special treat! After dinner we went back to his house for cake and ice cream. It was a Chocolate Ganache cake that said, "Happy Birthday" in red lettering. It was yummy.

Thursday night (my actual birthday) was small group night, and I wasn't sure whether or not they were even aware of my birthday. I later discovered that they were WELL aware. We had Bible study at the regular time, but about 8:30 ten to fifteen more people came over to join the party! We had some good eats and fun games - including "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."

My notable gifts included... a bracelet, three tiered glass candle holders, a SNL video (best of Christopher Walken), Tuti-Fruity candles, soap from the Red Dirt Soap Company, the Beatles 1 CD and a small picture frame.

At some point this week, I tried to remember how I celebrated my Tulsa birthdays...

1999 - Went to Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater with the Mag 7
2000 - Ate with nine of my friends at Cardigan's
2001 - Moving Day (moved into a new apartment)
2002 - Celebrated August Birthdays over at Andra's house
2003 - Ate dinner at P.F. Chang's (with Matthew and Erin)
2004 - Semi-surprise party thrown by Matthew, and nearly slept through dinner with some friends on the day of my birthday (this one deserves a whole separate blog)!
2005 - Described above. :)

Coffee Cups, etc.

Hello good people of the blogging world! I haven't posted for nearly a week, and I've been missing it. I visited some friends the other night, and they were threatening to hunt down my blog. So... let me know J&B when you find it... :)

I had to get over to Pier 1 tonight, because I had a gift card that I thought would soon expire. (I realized after getting there that I have another year before it expires.) It's not that I don't like Pier 1 or can't find things there I like. The opposite is more the case. I like so many things that I can't decide on one thing to use the gift card on. I'll think... "oh, that's neat," but "I guess I really don't need that." So, I vascillate between liking things and vetoing them because of their impractical nature. But, I finally decided on something tonight - two somethings actually - twelve somethings, really. I bought a set of heavy ceramic mixing bowls (4 total) and eight coffee cups that look to be hand-painted - with brilliant colored vertical stripes on them. So, I ended up going over my gift card amount by $25. Figures. But, I think I'm happy with my selections.

So... I'm debating something recently... maybe you can help! I'm wondering if it's a terrible waste of money to hire someone to clean my house. Here lately I'm doing good just to get it picked up. It would make me feel much better to know it's getting a good thorough cleaning (dusting, moping, etc.) at least once a month. But, obviously it will cost me... probably between $30 and $50/month. I dunno. In some ways it seems like something I should be doing myself. But, I'm NOT doing it. And, I have a hard time truly relaxing when I there's cleaning yet to be done. So, I'd love for you to weigh in on the matter. Seriously, I want your opinion!

~Krista

Retrospect

We seem to be shaped and formed by so many things... some things we choose, others we do not. And often we do not know which things cause the most dramatic impact on our lives until we look back, many years later and see the path we left behind.

Curiosity

Why am I so afraid to know what would happen
If I stepped out of the boat?
In many ways I long to know
What it might be like
To feel the water beneath my feet -
For there to be a firm support
In the place I least expect it -
To step out, with my eyes firmly fixed

On He who can calm the storm
And bring unexpected change in every situation.
Why must I live so safely,
Surrounded by unwritten rules,
Which tell me that to step out is to risk my own life?
But then I'm reminded...
"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
But whoever loses his life for me will save it."

Baby-mania

Sorry for my delay in posting, but it's been a busy week. Here's the score...

Michelle & John - had Natalie Renee (my 2nd niece) on Monday (8/1)
Jim & Babs - had Luke Everett on Tuesday (8/2)
Tim & Laurel - had Seth Timothy on Friday (8/5)

How crazy is that?!?! My sister and my two dearest sets of married friends all had babies this week. I've seen all the babies, and they're all pretty adorable. I know each of these couples (as first time parents) are in for quite a radical change in their lives. But, I can't help but believe these radical changes may also affect MY life.

Ah, I feel a season of change coming on...