Reverently Irreverent

August 30, 2009


Ahh, the reverent ceremony that is the Lord's Supper. Surely you recall the last adventure with the hair, yes? Well, we observed it again tonight with different, yet still giggle-inducing results.

Usually Luke sits in between my Mom and Dad during church. Since Mom is at home taking care of Dad (who is doing remarkably well after his surgery--thanks for your prayers...), they weren't there tonight. Luke sat in between Jason and I. Since Jason is a Deacon, he had to help serve the bread and cups of juice.

I knew right away that Luke was a little too feisty. He had already eaten all the mints out my purse and one of Jason's cough drops and was complaining that he was STARVING to DEATH (in the dramatic way that only Luke can express). When I passed the bread plate across him, he leaned over and shout-whispered "Hey, I almost grabbed that whole plate and ate it all."

So I shushed him and hugged him tight to my side.

He hungrily stared at the bread in my hand as I made an attempt at being reverent. "Hey, Mommy? I am going to get babibipitized next Sunday, okay?" I smiled and hugged him a little closer.

As soon as the bread was gone, Luke leaned over and shout-whispered, "Mommy, when I am in 2nd grade, I will just go to the gym and wait on you to come in and pick me up. I won't worry if you are late..."

"Not the time, Luke," I mouthed as I prayed not to drop the drink tray that was coming my way.

I held the tiny cup of juice in my hand and thought about the sacrifice Jesus made...just as Luke leaned over and shout-whispered, "Hey, is that JUICE? That smells like JUICE! Is that GRAPE juice? I LIKE grape juice."

I nodded silently and stifled a giggle, all without cracking a smile.

At the designated time, I drank my juice, realizing one millisecond too late that I still had a honey-lemon cough drop in my mouth.

I don't recommend that.

Luke looked up at my grimace and smiled as he shout-whispered, "If that wasn't grape juice, what WAS it?"

I love that silly boy.

Happy Birthday, Emma!

August 27, 2009

My sweet Princess,

It only seems like yesterday that I was greeted by your sparkling blue eyes for the first time. I was instantly in love. You grabbed hold of our hearts and wouldn't let go.

We were all so proud and excited to meet you.Oh, the ribbons and bows, and little pink, frilly things that awaited you:
You observed the world in your own special way...and you still do.
You charmed everyone who met you with your big eyes and sweet smile.
You always kept us laughing.
Even when your mischievous side took over. (Note: Sprinkles are not babyproof.)
Your imagination and sense of wonder about the world are two of your most endearing qualities.
Your silly side is so much fun.You are an all-star in every way. We love you and are very proud to call you our daughter...
...even when things get a little hairy.
You are the smartest, most thoughtful, and creative young lady I know.
Oh, my precious, sweet baby of mine...
I can't believe that today you are NINE!

We love you, Emma!
Happy Birthday!

Blindsided by a Monday

August 25, 2009

I should have just stayed in bed yesterday.

I knew when I woke up in a Nyquil-induced fog that the day was not going to be one of my finest. Alas, I had much to do and places to be, so I jumped right in to that Monday.

I never saw it coming.

I dropped the kids at school and headed to Tuscaloosa to be with my Mom while my Dad had hip replacement surgery. I stopped off at Wal-Mart in Fayette to buy Dayquil and cough drops once I realized that I couldn't breathe. (Note: If I am putting a cough drop in my mouth, please KNOW that I am sick. I hate the furry teeth effect that eating a cough drop creates.)

I made it to Tuscaloosa and followed the directions that my pastor had texted me about how to get to where my Mom was waiting. He instructed me to park in a parking deck. As I approached the deck, I noticed that it had a sign that instructed drivers of large trucks and vans NOT to park there. As a big honkin' SUV driver, I was alarmed. I am pretty clautrophobic in parking decks that I know my SUV will fit in, so I really didn't want to attempt to get into one that I might get stuck in.

I cruised around the surface lots around the hospital trying to find a spot. I didn't really care how far I had to walk, as long as I could park legally, I was going to be happy. I drove around and around until I found another parking deck, one with much larger overhead clearance, I was thrilled to see.

I pulled into the deck. I observed one sign for valet parking, another for outpatient surgery patient parking only, and another for parking and exit. "Parking and exit is clearly what I need...especially the parking part," thought Girl Genius. I drove that way. I observed about 10 parking places, all occupied. Then I saw the exit gates and the ramp to go up. Except that the ramp was a one-way exit. The road I was on was one-way. I had no choice but to pay and leave. Grrrrrrreat!

I pulled up to the gate and opened my wallet. All I had was a $20 bill. I looked at the machine. "$1 to exit. Accepts all bills, no change given." Do WHAT? So I checked for quarters....nope, none. I was not about to lose $20 for nothing. I backed up out of the gate and prayed/panicked. I had no way out.

About that time, another SUV pulled up. I hopped out with my $20 bill and asked the little gray-haired ladies if they had change for $20. The driver looked and didn't have it. Her passenger pulled out two $1 bills and handed one to me and one to her driver. I profusely thanked them and told them they were my guardian angels for the day.

I got out of that deck and drove around the hospital, down the street, across an intersection, and half a mile across another lot and finally found a spot to park in. Forgetting my bottle of water and my box of tissues that has been my constant companion for the last 6 days, I began my trek to the hospital. I saw a scrub-clad woman get out of an SUV identical to mine. I followed her to a covered shelter just as a shuttle bus pulled up. I shyly/shakily inquired if I could ride. The driver nodded and I gratefully climbed aboard.

The driver asked where I was headed. I admitted that I had no clue. The nurse offered to take me to the surgical waiting area, which was a HUGE relief. The driver made a special stop off his route to get me to where I needed to go. I counted my blessings that God had sent some good-hearted people my way to get me out of the messes I had gotten myself into already.

My Daddy came through the surgery fine. He was in good spirits as I left shortly before 1:00 p.m. so that I could get back in time to pick up the kids from school. I made the 13 minute hike from his room to my car (!) and headed homeward. About 10 minutes into the 1 hour and 15 minute trip, my cell phone rang. It was the school nurse calling to let me know that Luke was sick. I quickly realized that all the people who would normally pick Luke up were in (1.) Tuscaloosa or (2.) Birmingham. I told her that I would get there as quickly as I could.

Admittedly, I am a speed limit abiding driver 99% of the time. But, when I know that I have a sick child who is counting on me to be there for him and I am waaay too far away for my own comfort, I am going to push the limits to be there quickly. Once I got through the really curvy parts of the drive (and away from the 10 log trucks that conveniently showed up just in time to slow me down), I started driving more speedily. I wasn't giving Dale Jr. (sorry, only Nascar driver I know of) a run for his money at 60-65 mph, but I was going faster than the posted 55 mph.

Next thing I knew, I met a motorcycle. He switched on red and blue lights and made a u-turn and pulled in behind me. I shook my head in disbelief as I pulled off the road. As I handed over my license and registration to the officer, I told him my plight of a Daddy who'd just had surgery and a sick child at school, all the while thinking about how very FAKE my story sounded. He looked at my license for a moment.

He looked me in the eye and said firmly, "Slow it down, Mrs. Robinson. I don't want to catch you speeding again. Consider this your warning." I thanked him, assured him that I would do better, and invoked God's blessings on him. As I pulled back into the road, I saw the state seal of Alabama on the front of his motorcycle. A STATE TROOPER!?! I didn't realize State Troopers drove motorcycles. I guess I can cross being pulled over by a chopper trooper off my bucket list now. (Note: When my Mom drove home yesterday afternoon, she saw 5 chopper troopers and one driving a Dodge Charger. Three chopper troopers had cars pulled over.)

I drove the speed limit the rest of the way, half crying hysterically over the unbelievably frustrating day I'd had and half thanking God for taking care of every ugly situation that I had gotten into all day long. I was so ready to get home and crawl in a hole and pretend that day had never happened.

I got to the school and found that Luke had gone back to his classroom. I chatted with the nurse a couple of minutes before Luke showed back up in her office. He'd had an accident--A BAD, BAD (gag-inducing) accident. Fortunately, the office had a spare pack of new underwear, so I got him changed, waited for Emma, and went home.

Jason called later and offered to take the family out for dinner after the ugly day I had experienced. I told him that there was no way I was leaving the house after all that. I'd had all the Monday I cared to have.

Today is not Monday, thanks be to God! My Daddy is doing well and expects to be up walking today. I want to thank those of you who prayed for him yesterday and those of you who let me vent via Twitter and Facebook about my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Y'all rock!

Friday

August 21, 2009

Jason is still sick today. He saw Dr. Sinus this morning. He got his 2 shots, so he's hoping to be better by the weekend. This virus is nothing but mean! By the way, he said that he didn't see anyone wearing pajamas in Dr. Sinus' office. (But he saw them on me when he got back. I totally dropped the kids off in the jammies today. In my defense, they are cute pink PLAID (that's for you Rachel) lounge pants and a pink t-shirt. I don't wear my Mickey Mouse jammies out in public...as public as the 5 minute drive to school is, anyhow.)

Jill tagged me this week in a meme about my 10 favorite movies of all-time. It took me this long to unfog my brain enough to remember that I have ever watched a movie. Here they are in no particular order.

1. "Steel Magnolias" -- I cry an UGLY cry whenever I watch this. I have been known to cut it off right before the Halloween scene so that everything ends up happy. I want to be Olympia Dukakis' character when I grow up. She's just fabulous.

2. "Titanic" -- Jason and I saw this on our first date.

3. "Coming to America" -- Most deplorable language in this movie, but it still remains one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. My college roomie, Jennifer, and I would put this or "The Lion King" in the VCR (yes, I'm old) every day while we "studied." I can still quote either of those movies, word for word. (Just not the ugly words.)

4. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" -- I love, love, love this movie. I do not let a Christmas season go by without watching it. I have been known to watch it in the summertime, too.

5. "Field of Dreams" -- Made me want to learn to play baseball. Never happened.

6. "Back to the Future" -- I love me a good time travel story. Watching that movie makes me feel like I'm 12 again.

7. "What Women Want" -- Mel Gibson was so cute in this movie. Too bad he's crazy now. I would love to see a sequel to this.

8. "To Kill A Mockingbird" -- One of the few times a great book translated into a great movie. Gregory Peck was SO awesome in this movie.

9. "Pirates of the Carribbean" (All installments) -- Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are so pretty. I had to go back and re-watch all the movies to see what the plotline was after the first time I watched them. I was too busy admiring their loveliness.

10. "Tommy Boy" -- Love Chris Farley in that movie. I will laugh until I cry every time I see this one. I will watch it every time I see that it's on.

As you can tell, I'm not a real "deep" movie watcher. I'm more of an escape-type movie watcher. I'd mostly rather laugh than cry when I watch a movie.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do this meme, just leave me a comment letting me know. I'd love to see what you enjoy watching.

Have a great weekend!

Germs ARE the Enemy

August 20, 2009

Last week the kids started school. By Friday, Luke was sick with a sore throat. Sunday night Emma started complaining of her throat hurting. Monday night I was stricken with the sore throat virus. Today Jason is also home sick with the evil bug. Five days at school was all it took for the whole family to get sick. Awesome.

For the most part, the kids are better. Jason doesn't think he has as bad a case of it. As is my custom, I took the virus and ran with it. I had to go to Dr. Sinus today because the stuff coming out of my nose had taken on some shades of Christmas-time.

The great thing about Dr. Sinus is that you don't have to have an appointment. There weren't that many people in the waiting room when I got there, and there weren't too awful many cars in the parking lot, so I knew it probably wouldn't be that long a wait. I was kept entertained by a cute little girl who asked, no, demanded to know the names of every person in that room. (Her name was Marley. She was almost 3.) Every one that came in was required to have a conversation with Marley. She made sure of that.

Maybe I'm weird this way, but before I go to the doctor's office, no matter how sick I am, I take a shower, get dressed, and even put on make-up. Today it was mostly just concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes and powder to hide how red my nose is, as well as mascara and lipstick, so that I didn't look completely dead.

In contrast, I saw not one, but TWO twenty-something year old women in the waiting room wearing their pajamas. One was decked out in matching Tweety Bird lounge pants, shirt, and fuzzy black slippers. The other was slightly more conservative, but was obviously wearing jammies. When did this become acceptable? Yes, I will admit to dropping the kids off in the mornings at school wearing jammies (only last year--I've managed to dress every morning so far this school year), but I have never set foot out of the car in them, much less gone to a doctor's office or anywhere else in public. I could see it if they were so stricken that they had to make an ER visit, but if they are well enough to drive themself to a doctor's office, it seems to me that they could've, at the very least, put on sweats and tennis shoes or flip flops! The fuzzy slippers sent me over the edge. If Marley hadn't been asking me (for the 3rd time) what my name was, I totally would've laughed at the Tweety-bird-and-fuzzy-slipper wearing-girl.

Later I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some ingredients for vegetable soup for tonight's dinner. I remembered that Emma needed new socks, so I was browsing through the sock aisle when this man comes at me on a motorized scooter. I kept edging to the left to try to keep from being run over when I saw a woman on a scooter coming at me from the other side. I don't know if they expected me to levitate or continue our game of chicken, or what, so I quickly manuevered through them to keep from being Wal-Mart sock aisle roadkill.

While I'm on that subject, since when did everybody think it's okay to use those motorized scooters? It used to be that you would only see people with major ailments, like a broken leg or foot injury, or an elderly person using them. Now it seems like some of the people I see on them are just lazy. They drive to the chip aisle and then hop off and walk with no difficulty over to the Cheetos and Fritos, then hop back on. It seems to me that the door greeter should screen these people like the government does for disability to determine whether or not they are eligible to use the motorized scooter.

So, here I sit with my box of kleenex (second one in 24 hours), my antibiotics for the sinus/ear infections, and my decongestant. Do y'all know how under-rated breathing really is?

Praising God!!!

Thank you all for your prayers! Elliot had a lot of scar tissue damage, but the surgery was a success! The next 7 days are very important in Elliot's healing process, so continue to pray for no complications and quick healing.


Pray for Baby Gracen from South Carolina tomorrow. He is also an EA baby. He will be having the same surgery. They will do another surgery on another baby on Wednesday that burned his esophagus by drinking Drano. These surgeons are amazing!

An update on Elliot

Elliot has been in surgery pretty much all day. I have been getting updates off his mom's Facebook page. Apparently, we have generated a lot of traffic on her page today. We've managed to crash it multiple times! (Thanks a lot, Facebook. Really.)

So far, the surgeons have managed to locate the ends of his esophagus, which was difficult, due to scar tissue that had built up from the last 2 surgeries. They have put stitches in the ends of his esophagus and are preparing to connect the ends together. I can only imagine what a delicate process this must be!

Heather has been a superstar to keep her Facebook page updated every time the surgical liason nurse comes out to keep her in the loop. I know that she and Jay are on pins and needles and cannot wait for the awesome news that this ordeal is over.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers. I know that Heather and Jay can feel their sustaining power. Keep 'em coming!

A Special Request for a Special Boy

This is my husband's cousin, Elliot. You may remember that I have mentioned him before. Today is a big day for him. He is having major surgery, performed by the best surgeon in the nation for his specific condition. Please pray for a successful surgery, peace for his family (Heather and Jay), quick healing, and a chance to go HOME for the first time!

Here is his story, in his mother's words:

On January 25th of this year, I gave birth to a beautiful boy, Elliot (4 lbs. 12 oz, 17.5 inch). He was born with a rare esophagus condition, known as Long Gap Esophageal Atresia. We had a hint of his condition before he was born but didn't know it would last so long or transport us across the country.

The day after Elliot was born he had his first thoracotomy to try to connect his esophagus (surgery #1). It didn't work. The surgeons had determined he was a tougher case than they initially thought. He had a gap in his esophagus that was greater than 4.5 cm. Our surgeon had only seen three cases like this in his 25+ year career. Surgery #2 was an emergency repair of his stomach after surgeons had accidentally perforated it during one of Elliot's contrast studies. Surgery #3, the most recent, was another thoracotomy. They thought the esophagus was connected but that too failed. Surgeons in Long Beach were trying to prepare us for a plan we didn't want. A plan that would require several more surgeries over several years. This option was not good enough for us. We searched for better and we found it in Boston.

The Children's Hospital of Boston is one of the top hospitals in the country. And it is becoming a referral center for Esophageal Atresia. In the past two years, the doctors have treated over 7 EA babies successfully! After just two days of speaking with the Boston surgeons, both hospitals and our insurance company, we were flown out on a medical learjet to New England. It has been a whirlwind of activity but one that is filled with hope. Elliot's next surgery (hopefully the last) is planned for August 17th. We will have the dream team of medical surgeons present and they nearly guarantee a repair of the esophagus.

It has already been a long and stressful road for all of us. Elliot is now six months old and has never been out of the hospital, he has never been home. One of these days we'll get him there.

*******************************************************************************


Thank you all for your prayers for this special boy. As of 6:30 a.m., Elliot has been taken back for surgery. I will update my blog as the day goes on.

Unanswered Prayers

August 14, 2009

I was just reflecting on God's goodness today when a song popped into my head...a country song, of all things. It's funny how my brain works sometimes.

I was thinking about a guy I liked in Junior High School. Just the mere sight of him would set my heart aflutter. If he waved at me or talked to me, well...that day was a red-letter day in my diary. Whoo!

I remember praying every night for God to let this guy see how great I was. Sure, he was a High Schooler, and I was a mere 7th grader, but I knew that God, in all His great wisdom, would find a way to make this work.

Somewhere along the way, I lost interest. Maybe I fell for someone else, or I realized what a lost cause I was chasing. Regardless, in the words of Garth Brooks, that was an "unanswered prayer." At the time, I didn't feel like God had let me down, but I knew He must have something else in mind.

Fast-forward to college. I was in a doomed friendship with a guy that everyone (but me) realized was bad for me. I prayed every day that this friend would look at me with new eyes, that he would see how great I was, and see how God had brought us together. When it didn't happen and the friendship ended in the worst way possible, I was crushed. I could not understand for the life of me why God would let this happen. I mean, I had prayed so fervently for this relationship. I lost sight of what God had planned versus what I thought should happen.

I remember the first time I heard Garth Brooks' song after this devastation had occurred. It spoke to me that day. In case you aren't familiar with the song, here are some of the lyrics:

"She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again

CHORUS:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers"

Thinking back now on all the requests that I made to God for that relationship, as well as other relationships, jobs, and so many (now) trivial issues, I am so thankful that God chose not to grant me what I'd begged for. It wasn't that He was letting my prayers go unanswered, He just knew that His plan was far superior to mine. Jeremiah 29:11 says "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."

God never lets a prayer go unanswered. Sometimes His answer is "yes," sometimes it's "no," and often it's "not now."

I am thankful that God told me "no" back then. God knew what He was doing all along.

I am so grateful.

Understanding Addiction

August 13, 2009

As I understand addiction, the first step is to admit that you have a problem.The problem with addiction is that the person cannot control their compulsion.Overcoming addiction recognizes past mistakes.It encourages you to learn from your mistakes.It allows you to repair the errors of your past.

There is a process to recovery.It can be a long, difficult process.
It is the addict's responsibility to help others recover from their addiction.

(Y'all? I have 38 pairs of sandal/flip flops. If that's not a cry for help, I don't know what is.)

Playing Catch-up

August 12, 2009

Our first day of school was Monday, 8/10.
They've grown so much since this time last year. Luke is really catching up in the heighth department:
I wish these pictures were scratch and sniff. Emma is wearing some of my perfume.
Of course, Luke had to get in on the good-smelling action. He put on some of his Daddy's cologne, in hopes that "Secret Girlfriend" would see/smell him. (She did. Luke is still lamenting the fact that she's in a different classroom this year.)

We are looking forward to a really great school year. Look out 1st and 4th grades, here we come!

The Birthday That Was...

August 5, 2009

As you may remember, August 3 was my birthday. If you forgot, just go ahead and mark your calendar for next year. I can wait.

[Humming.]

[Twiddling thumbs]

[Realizing I don't know how to "twiddle" my thumbs.]

[Looking up "thumb twiddling" on YouTube.]

Oh, you're back! So, as I was saying, Monday was my big day. Not big in that it was a milestone birthday or anything, just big in that it was a fun day, chock full of celebrations. And dessert.

After a champion's breakfast of leftover birthday cake, I headed to Birmingham with the kids. We met up for lunch with Rachel, her daughter Ali, Rachel, and her son Joe. (Raise your hand if you are confused...I thought so.)

Here we are in all our hot-ness. "Hot" meaning it was 90-ish degrees.
(Me, Rachel, and Rachel)

After lunch we played at the playground until our faces melted off. Did I mention it was hot?

Luke enjoyed playing with Joe:
Rachel and Joe couldn't resist a ride on Barney's evil twin brother:
After we said our goodbyes, the kids and I headed to Vestavia Bowl for some air-conditioned fun. I knew this wasn't your typical bowling alley when I heard this announcement over the loudspeaker: "Attention bowlers: For the owner of the black Mercedes Benz E350--You have left your door open." I watched as a well-coiffed lady raced out of the building in three-inch Italian heels. She came back in shortly after and dragged two protesting children straight out the door behind her. Buzzkill.

As expected, I am a pretty miserable bowler. I am a pro on Wii, but real-life bowling is a little different. Emma took a picture of my reaction to my pathetic-ness:Luke really enjoyed himself, even if he lost both games. Check out his form:LOOK OUT!!!!Emma had reason to gloat. She beat me on the first game and I only beat her by one point on the second:Somewhere in the middle of the second game, I decided to sit down for a minute. You can only stand up for so long in those oh-so-comfortable-and-attractive rented bowling shoes, you know. The tables had these weird swing-out bucket seats at the table that were attached with metal arms. The one I sat in would retract back in really fast, so you had to be quick to sit down. When I sat down as quickly as I could in it, I heard a weird sound from the back of my pants. (Don't go there.) I reached back (as subtly as I could in a crowded bowling alley) and felt that my pocket had come unsnapped. So, I snapped it back.

Here's what I didn't know and nobody had the decency to tell me:
(Consider this a warning. You cannot un-see what you are about to see.)Oh yes. It's a half-dollar sized hole that you can see my lilly-white underwear through. I didn't find out until I uploaded these pictures yesterday. The disco ball wasn't the only thing shining that day, folks! Upon further investigation of the jeans last night, I determined that the hole is actually a lot bigger and goes up under the pocket flap, too. Of all days not to be wearing blue underwear!

Next, we went over to the Galleria. On the way there, we saw two Smart Cars. My kids are convinced that they are actually golf carts driving around on the highway. This is the second one that we saw:The tag on it reads "Lil Guy." Luke was highly amused by this. He informed me that when he gets a car, his tag will read "Big Guy." It's never too early for the testosterone to kick in.

Right before we turned in at the Galleria, we were side-by-side with "Lil Guy" at a red light. Emma looked over and declared a foul. "Mommy, LOOK at that guy. He's not little. He's a great big guy!" And you know what? He was. I laughed myself silly when she started singing "Big-Guy-in-a-little-car," a'-la Chris Farley in "Tommy Boy," which she hasn't seen, but has heard me quote.

Since I'm pretty much done with back-to-school shopping for the kids, I didn't subject them to going into any stores that I like. Instead, we went to the Lego store, Bama Fever, Build-a-bear workshop, the Disney store, through the Wynfrey, and to the carousel. Emma was really excited to see the Frog-Duck-Butt that she'd seen a picture of on Rachel's blog.After I had undoubtedly amused all the shoppers at the Galleria with my unintentional peep show, we had a wonderful dinner at Carraba's. Later, I gave the Geek Squad an eyeful when we mooned over plasma tvs at Best Buy.

Even though I exposed my 30-something-underwear-clad-backside, it was still a super-fun day. Who knows what kind of crazy wardrobe malfunction the next birthday will bring?!?

I added this post to Wendy's Life is Funny Blog Carnival. Check it out!

And the winner is...

August 4, 2009

A big "thank you" goes out to all of you who entered my very first giveaway. I had fun getting to know some new folks, and I hope you will stick around! : ) I am already planning the next giveaway, so keep watching for it.

And the winner is...

True Random Number Generator

Result: 5 Powered by RANDOM.ORG



Gina
July 27, 2009 11:39 AM

Hooray for giveaways!

Is Belk just a southern thing?

Congrats, Gina! Shoot me a direct message on Twitter with your address and I'll get your new kitchen decorations mailed off to you asap.

Also, I want to thank all the sweet folks who left me happy birthday wishes yesterday. You all rock! I wish I could've celebrated with all of you!

Birthday, Bugs, and a Philosophy for Life.

August 3, 2009

Do you know what is special about today???
[No, not just because it's "National Watermelon Day," although that IS pretty awesome.]
Today is the day I made my appearance in this world! [Thanks, Mom & Dad!]

Now, let us eat cake!

But don't put a bite in yet...

I have found evidence of Armageddon:
Yes, that would be those nasty bugs I mentioned last week. This is the wall outside the Fellowship Hall at our church. If this isn't proof of pestilence of Biblical proportion, well, then, I don't know what is...I dare you to click on it to get a close-up view. It was a freaky, writhing mess.

Now, it's safe for you to eat your cake.

My final thought for today is from a note Luke wrote for no one in particular. It made Jason and I laugh, but it also hit home in a pretty deep way:

[In case you can't read it, it says "Danse like a fool."]

Dancing like a fool? I'm not really sure where he picked that up from, although, it does sound suspiciously like something I may or may not have said about our cute little Santa that shakes his hiney for us at Christmastime.

I guess that in Luke's mind, to "Danse like a fool" is to just let down all your inhibitions and just enjoy the moment. Luke is my happy-go-lucky child, not one to worry, and is just generally good-natured. (I don't know where he gets it from. He comes from a long line of worriers.) Luke is just a little more willing to take a risk on being joyful and not to care what others think about his joy.

Jason keeps this reminder next to the bed, so that it's the last thing he sees every night before he goes to sleep and the first thing he sees every morning. I think we are going to work on learning to "Danse" more.

I am resolved to spending more of my time in my 3Xth (those who need to know, know) year finding the joy in the moment and taking the time to "Danse like a fool."

You haven't entered my giveaway yet? Seriously? Today is the last day! Go for it!