In Cold Blood

Well, I've finally set to reading an American classic, "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. It's been on my list of books to read for some time (though I reviewed my list of "books to read before I die" just yesterday and couldn't find it on there). I think my particular interest in the book is the fact that it tells the true story about a cold-blooded murder of an upstanding family in a small Kansas town in late 1959. I seem to remember from my college days that the murderers stopped in Emporia, KS to buy some supplies. Very creepy. Indeed, the book is relatively creepy. I've determined that I can't read it too closely to when I go to bed. And, I also think it's reviving some of the sleeping difficulties I noted right after our break-in last fall. However, I'm curious enough to know what happens to push on through. I like this particular quote, as it reminds me of those nervous nights last fall...

"Imagination, of course, can open any door - turn the key and let terror walk right in."

Lessons I Learned from my Deck

My Memorial Day weekend project was to rebuild the deck on the back of my house. When I say "my" project, I really mean my Dad's project. :) Since my Dad's a home builder, he's definitely the expert, but other family members (me and my sister, primarily) aided him as best we could. We didn't get finished, but there was some definite progress made.

There were two concrete steps off the back of my house that provided a considerable amount of work to remove. We rented a jack hammer for a couple of hours and (again, my Dad) chipped away at the steps. I used the jack hammer briefly, but that was mainly "for the experience" (according to my Dad) and "for a good photo opp" (according to me). But, as I was sitting back watching my Dad hammer away, I was saddened just a bit. The deck was pretty much unusable as it was, but even so, those steps have been my friends for the past three years that I've owned my house. I was reminded of the times I sat on that back stoop talking on the phone or just contemplating life. So, though I was excited about the new deck, it was a bit difficult to leave behind those stoops.

It made me think about life a bit... how it's comfortable to hold on to the past, even when I know it keeps me from moving forward. But, sometimes you have to remove the old before the new can take hold.

"God, let me be a person who bravely lets go of those things that keep me from experiencing the newness of your grace and mercy."

The Miseducation of Krista

Isn't it funny the things God uses to teach us? If you've read my post from April 29th, I've been working on not worrying as much. I've had several situations this past month or so that could have caused me a lot of stress and anxiety, but I've chosen not to get worried or stressed out about them.

One of those is one of the teams I sort of lead at church. It's called "The Crew." Late last month, right after preparing our May schedule, I had three people call and tell me that they were going to be able to help with it any more. Three may not sound like many, but we were already running a fairly tight ship with only about 10 helpers. So, three people, each serving twice a month had a pretty significant impact on the team. That's something I usually would have been really worried about... until I had a chance to find enough helpers and rebuild a schedule for May. However, I decided to trust God to take care of it. And, I knew that (no matter how few helpers we had) week-to-week things would still get done somehow... whether I worried about it or not. So, last week I was telling someone about the three new helpers we've had in May... one new person each week, and it dawned on me that I DID NOT HAVE TO TRACK ANY OF THEM DOWN! I really thought to rebuild the team, I'd have to spend some time on the phone begging for help. But, instead, each of these people either contact me out of the blue or just happened to mention to me that they were looking for additional ways to help out around the church!

What an incredible blessing! All it took was letting go of it and leaving it in God's hands! You thought I would have learned that by now!

"Thank you, Papa!"

Don't get on my "bed" side!

I drove home tonight after work and lifted my garage door like I always do. Instead of finding the empty garage, I found my bed... perfectly assembled and made up. Hrmmm... that's unusual. I normally sleep in my bedroom. (head scratch) It didn't take me long to realize that my roommate is a traitor and assisted my "friend," Chris, in moving my bed out to the garage. He was in the office this afternoon. When he mentioned that he was going to stop by Blockbuster to rent a movie I owned, I naturally told him I would loan him my copy. (Big mistake.) Truth be told, had my roommate not been home, I probably would have had a temporary lapse of judgement and given him my key. Fortunately she WAS home, so the disruption was limited to the bed.

The whole reason that happened is because several weeks ago I had help moving his scooter into a 20' box truck. That would have merely been funny had not his scooter been stolen before in the past. (I had that piece of information but, personally, still thought it was funny.)

Of course, that was egged on by him hiding my keys in my kitchen cabinets the last time he was over for small group.

And that was retribution for something I can't even remember, though I'm sure whatever that was was retaliation for when he took all of my light bulbs from out of my light fixtures and hid them around my house (everywhere from my sugar canister to my underwear drawer).

I'm sure there are more stories to tell, but... you get the idea. :)

Mango-induced rash

A bit of explanation on the last post... I've had a bit of a problem with mango salsa since last summer, though I assumed it was related to the jalapeno or cilantro. Well, after a bit of extensive research this weekend, I think I've linked it back to the mango. That's incredibly disappointing, but I love mango!

But, after eating a whole mango Sunday night, I've developed a poison ivy type rash. I did a bit of research on-line and discovered others with similar experiences...

I loved you once...

What a sweet affair... once or twice a year, you and I would share some heavenly moments. I can hardly believe it's over. It's been only 24-hours since you last touched my lips, but I think I shall never forget you. I loved you once, but it's not meant to be. I'm sure I'll see you around, at dinner parties and in the homes of friends. I'll catch a glimpse of you from across the room and remember all that has passed between us. A tear will invade my eye, and I'll be forced to look away. But, I must leave you forever. My health depends on it. Thank you, mango salsa, for the good times. I shall never forget you.

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Take this quiz, and let me know how you fare...

Things to say...

Wow... I've been working for my church for a year now. It doesn't seem like that could be possible. "Happy Anniversary, Me!"

I bought a pair of pants this week in a size smaller than I ever remember wearing!! I'm sure I passed quickly through the size once pre-puberty, but that memory has long escaped my awareness. Regardless, it feels fairly exhilarating. :)

I've been reading "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. Great book! I'll have to share more thoughts/quotes from the book at a later time.

I took advantage of Tulsa's public transportation for the first time last Saturday. There's a Tulsa Transit bus stop two blocks from my house. Who knew?! It was an enlightening experience. I've only really used public transportation in populated US cities and foreign countries, so it brought a more urban-feel right to my doorstep (or at least as close as two blocks away). I encourage you all to check it out!

I don't know what else to tell you, other than... I'm going to bed here shortly. So, goodnight, friends!

Funny...

... I ran across this quote by Groucho Marx tonight...

"It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy."

My Confession

Well, I've been blog lagging... "blagging." It's not that I haven't thought about blogging. I just haven't gotten it done. I would say things have been busy, but I don't know that that's true. So, I guess I just haven't taken the time to do it.

The Holy Spirit has been revealing some sin in my life. It's the sin that rips away at joy and peace... worry and fear. I've never really identified those as sins before, but so many of the scriptures related to the topic say, "Do not worry" (Mt 6) and "Do not be anxious" (Phil 4:6), etc. They don't read that much differently from the Ten Commandments... "You shall not..." But, I've never read them that way. I always read them more like, "when you're worried...." But, it's obviously something I struggle with, because all of my favorite verses in the Bible deal with that topic.

But, why is that such a big deal? Well, I would never consciously say (or really even think), "God, I don't trust you," or "God, I don't believe you're in control here," or "God, I don't think you have my best in mind." However, that has to be the ultimate root of my worry/anxiety.

So, I'm laying it to rest. I'm not saying I'll never be anxious or worry again. (I wish that were the case, yet I know myself better than that.) But, now that I I've identified it for what it really is... the willful act of doubting God... I think I won't hold on to it as long. But, for good measure, I ought to ask for your help. When you see me getting stressed and worried about something, gently remind me who is in control. :) I really do trust God, so I might as well act like I believe that!

So, peace and joy to each of you. Good night!

Jump the Shark

"Jump the shark" is my new favorite phrase, so I'm going to attempt to make it popular among my friends and family. Check out the definition in the Urban Dictionary.

So, my blog may have just "jumped the shark." But... I hope not. Because how else will I help get that phrase into wider circulation? :)

Hope everyone's doing well. I have more to say, but I'll save it for another day.

G'night!

Just some of the girls!!

Someone will have to send me some pics of Avery. (I had to lift these from John's blog!)

I feel the need - the need for Krista!

Enjoy!

Signs of a Long & Painful Summer...

I mowed the lawn for the first time (in 2007) this afternoon. It's been needing it for a week or two, but I just couldn't bear the thought of beginning my summer mowing in March. :( I clearly remembered hating it from the past two summers, but today I was reminded just how much I hate it. Ugh. I feel like my lungs are still filled with dust... and that's on top of having some kind of sinus infection that hit me over the weekend.

But, before this sounds too depressing, I'd like to note that it may just be a wonderful summer after all. I won't go into details, but I've realized some personal victories as of late. So, it will be interesting to see how the summer plays out.

Quick update... I went up to KC this weekend to help David & Sarah move. (The only thing I accomplished toward that goal was to paint about half of Erin's bedroom.) I went to an Easter egg hunt w/ John, Michelle, Natalie and Erin Saturday morning at the Speedway. But, I got back to Mom & Dad's and crashed for the afternoon. Then, I went out with a college friend (and a couple of his friends) for dinner. Then, strangely enough, we all took a driving tour of my hometown, Tonganoxie, and some other outlying areas.

All-in-all it was a good weekend. I wish I had felt better. I pretty much stayed around Mom & Dad's on Sunday and just watched non-stop movies all day. But, now it's time to get back to the daily grind here in Tulsa!

On Friendship...

"Give me one friend, just one, who meets the needs of all my varying moods."

(Esther M. Clark)

Another Run-in with "The Law"

If you read Sarah's comment in the previous post, she referred to an "infamous" run-in with the cops in Emporia, KS. It's a fine story, so I thought I'd share it!

It was about 3:30 AM. A couple of girls from my high school had come for a campus visit to Emporia State University, so I was doing a bit of entertaining. We had been out bowling and then over to an all-night diner to have milkshakes or something. I was headed back to campus via Commercial, which is the main street that runs through downtown Emporia. A cop (who was bored no doubt) clocked me going 36 mph in a 20 mph zone. I remember him saying, "16 over... that's kind of hefty." I responded by saying something like, "well... it's 3:30 in the morning... it's not like I'm gonna HIT anything." (I know... I would've sent me straight to jail, too, after a snide comment like that!) The officer proceded to ask if I had been drinking. I replied, "no." (I conveniently left out the chocolate milk shake.) He told me to slow down but didn't write me a ticket. :)

The funnier addendum to the story is that a friend of mine was driving behind me and saw me get pulled over. He was going to circle to block so he could drive by and laugh at me. Instead, another bored cop pulled him over for having a headlight out! He wasn't as fortunate, though. HE GOT A TICKET!! Ha, ha, ha!!! KRISTA WILL NOT BE MOCKED!! ;)

I have some other good stories about being pulled over... one in which I had to actually say my "ABC's." (No, Mom... I hadn't been drinking.) But, I'll save those for another day/blog.

Thank you, Occifer!

Well... I got pulled over tonight. After church, a bunch of us went over to Mazzio's. I hate the entrance/exit to this specific Mazzio's, as it always confuses me. There are some strange lights and a median there at the entrance. Plus, it appears more like two entrances than an entrance and exit. As I was leaving, I exited through one of the entrances and drove south briefly on the northbound lane past the median and then into the proper lane. It was about 10 pm, so my thought was... this probably isn't the right way to get out of here, but it's late and there's no one around..... EXCEPT for the police officer in the northbound lane. I obviously didn't notice him until I was half-way through my little maneuver. :(

He flipped around and turned on his lights. He was shortly thereafter joined by another policeman. He asked for my license and insurance. FORTUNATELY he didn't ask for my registration, because I had very randomly pulled it out of my car yesterday and hadn't returned it to the glove box!!

When he came back he said, "so, I suppose you know why I pulled you over?" I nodded and commented that "I'm always confused as to how to exit that parking lot." He then shared with me how HE exits it. I also explained my reasoning about it being late and no one being out there... except for him, of course. So, he told me to drive carefully and let me go. Phew! I didn't even have to playing the crying of flipping-the-hair card. ;)

Beware of the Ides of March!

Happy Ides, people!

One month until tax day. Have you done YOUR taxes? Yeah... me neither.

Significant Relationships

I read this quote recently in a coffee house/book shop...

"Significant relationships are meant for those who place enough importance on them to nurture them." (Unfortunately, I can't remember or find who originally said/wrote it.)

Nurture your significant relationships. And if you don't have any significant relationships... create some and then nurture them. :)

The Little Red Hen

Do you remember the story of the little red hen? For some reason it has come to mind a lot lately. In fact, I was thinking of it again this morning (hence the blog). It has some obvious "lessons" to it. Some of those are helpful...

"If you're not going to help, don't expect a handout."

"You must be willing to risk something in order to reap a reward."

Some are a bit more harsh...

"Don't expect anyone to help you in your labors. You can, however, expect them to show up and take advantage of your hard work in the end."

I'm not sure which lesson is for me. Maybe my lesson is that it's easy to get bitter and selfish in life... especially when we feel like we're on our own. But, then again, what good is life if we can't share what we have with others?

I guess I'll have to think on that a bit more. I'd love to hear your suggestions and interpretations, too.

In the meantime, I'm off to work! Have a great day y'all!