Glimpses

Sometimes your children do small, seemingly insignificant things that give you a tiny little glimpse of the person they will become. And it's simply amazing when that little glimpse makes you giddy with excitement for that day to come.

(Sidenote - I think a person's taste in music tells me more about our potential friendship their words ever could. Truly.)

That being said... go listen to Maggie's playlist on her blog. It's a little glimpse that she and I are going to be great friends one day... *smile*

Dear Santa

I would like to make a note of the few things that I want for Christmas. I know it seems childish, but if I don't write it down I'll forget them.

1. I want some good slippers. I have none and my feet get cold. But my husband gets annoyed when I walk around in socks because it will wear holes in them. Need slippers.

2. Chopin's Nocturnes. Because they are just so beautiful.

3. An under-the-counter can opener. Mine is old and broken and I miss it.

4. New candles. I haven't bought any in probably three years and you can tell. Pitiful.

That's all I've thought of so far. Maybe I'll add to the list later...

Ridiculous Rambling

I hate that I don't blog much anymore. There are so many times that I'm out and about and think of a post topic but by the time I get to a place where I can do something with it, I forget! It's pretty annoying.

The age of the blog is somewhat past I think. Facebook has taken over. FB is more about instant gratification and quantity over quality. Which has its appeal, even for me. But the good old blog that makes you slow down, settle in and absorb has its appeal too.

My schedule is sooo close to slowing down. For those of you who read this and don't know my schedule of late, let's suffice it to say, I've had obligations every day of the week since August. Football for both boys has now headed into the playoffs, meaning we're almost done for the year. Ballet and music still continues. But football has taken up three nights a week and all of Saturday.

Football has been so fulfilling. Brody and Ty have learned a lot about the game and themselves. Plus they've made lots of friends. I've gotten the opportunity to meet some new people too. All of this figures into learning how to plant a church, meeting people and longing for ways to share the gospel with them.

I wish church planting was a clear and concise thing, but alas, it is not. I'm learning to find the sensation of being completely out of control reassuring. It's when I feel like I'm doing it right that I start to take ownership of it. And that always ends badly.

I need a haircut. Anyone know how to do that? For free? ... Hmmm. Anyone? Beuller?

Being Missional

Missy and I are having a great time making up life stories for everyone we meet. So far, 'Patricia' has quite the sordid past. She's slightly damaged. 'Jorge', her husband tries to help her but she needs more than he can give.

'Hank' sat in the hot tub for several hours talking to 'Richard' about the rogue crabs that try to take over the condo pool during the night. No conclusions were reached.

Across the way, in the other building we watched as 'Ethel' lost her hair money to 'Estelle'. Bless her heart. It was probably because 'Estelle' made her sit in a really uncomfortable chair, knowing that she has a bad back. Their husbands, Bill and Henry, sat in the other room composing new southern gospel music for their band, The Blue Hair Group. They're really popular.

'Joe' the maintanence guy had to close up the pool early so he could get home to his 400 pound wife, cause she needs her doughnuts.

Today, we met the other Joe, who's real name turned out to be Colin which made me very happy. Anyways, Joe (aka Colin) let us use the chairs and umbrella for free, but we had to pay $20 to look at him. It was a steal really. We're gonna sell some stuff out of the condo to get some more money for tomorrow.

Maggie's Words

Maggie has a new blog and I like it very much. I need to help her change the settings for comments though; it wouldn't let me leave one...

I like her writings. I like the way her mind works. I always have. I remember once, when she was in second grade, she decided to get creative with her sentences for spelling. I remember one in particular, I'll put the spelling words in italics. "Sarah Wilkes is jelly and I will have happiness." Funny.

She should write more, I think. Check it and see if you agree.

www.margaretsharp.blogspot.com

Fundamental Differences

There are fundamental differences between boys and girls. If someone tries to tell you this is untrue, what they're really telling you is that they have no children of their own, and in fact, have never met anyone under the age of 18.

A girl is handed a Barbie doll and immediately begins to plan a wedding. A boy, given the same doll, immediately begins to plan a death. I have heard one of my sons give his sister the following advice: "You need to take it to the pool house next time and try to drown it. I bet it'll make bubbles." His sister looked at him in horror and clutched her doll to her chest.

Girls tend not to laugh at each other as play. They may laugh at someone who's not there but not each other. It's just not funny. They will get their feelings hurt and cry and uninvite people to their party, even if that party is nine months in the future.

Boys see a stick and fall in love. I've never seen one of my daughters do this. A stick is... well, a stick. But a boy sees the same random piece of wood and catches his breath. He must have this stick. (Not unlike my father who, seeing a bolt in the middle of a busy intersection, will risk his life to obtain it.) A stick is full of magic. It can be a gun, a sword, a lightsaber, a battle axe, (are you seeing a pattern here?) even a machete. A stick can save an empire. Unless your sister, completely unaware of its power, throws it into the bonfire. Then of course, the empire is on hold until a suitable replacement can be found.

In the same vein, when boys play, you hear the word "die" a lot. Sometimes in quick succession. (ie. "Die! Die! Die!) Not so with girls. Girls say things like "pretty" and "silly" and "ohhhh!". Boys and girls playing together? Well then you hear things like "That's stupid" or "Stop it!" or "Whatever."

I've never seen my daughters do tricks with their, um, privates. Boys however, well that's a different story. Many a conversation has been halted because the introductory sentence was, "Momma, did you know that a penis can..." Aahhhhh! Stop talking. Stop. Talking. Now. My children learned the word "inappropriate" at a very young age.

There can be similarities between boys and girls though. Let me see... they both eat. And sleep. And, um, nope... that's all I've got in the similarities department. I'm sure with some thought I could come up with more, but right now... nope. I got nothin'.

My Saturday

So we spent the day in Chelsea at the football field. And by all day, I mean 8am to 4:30pm... all day. I took all my kids plus Bren and Ellas. It was a long day but not really a bad day. We watched the games and cheered until our heads hurt. We went to Hargis between games and ate a picnic lunch, chased the ducks and hiked to the cross on the hill. It was pretty fun. Except Maggie hurt her toe and Bren was attacked by a mutant hornet. He escaped without being stung, but it was ironic since we were playing the Chelsea HORNETS. Funny.

We drove to Ginger's after Ty's game. The kids swam and we talked. And watched the newest New Moon trailer like three times. It looks so good! I can't wait til November. Ginger and I always have fun together. We laugh like preteens and make stupid, silly jokes. But it's not always silliness. It's so cool to have a friend that really gets you. I'm gonna miss her when she moves.

Gotta got to Springville church now. See ya soon.

Music Flashback, Clean House

I updated my playlist tonight. There's some good 90s music on there now. Verve Pipe, Third Eye Blind, The Wallflowers, Three Doors Down. Good stuff. Not sure why I'm remembering all these bands.

My house was ridiculously dirty tonight. I stayed home while Chris took the boys to football and cleaned. And cleaned. And cleaned. I ran the dishwasher twice and the washing machine once. I vacuumed the floors and the rugs. It felt just lovely to sit in my living room surrounded by... nothing. Ahhh.

Ty is combing my hair. I love it when my kids get the urge to play with my hair. It puts me right to sleep. My eyes are all droopy right now.

I miss blogging. I should do it more. It's very therapeutic.

A Snapshot

A quick snapshot of my life:

I'm sitting in my comfy green chair, cruising the web. Listening to music. Sippin' my coffee.

Ty and Griff are playing tennis on the Wii while Michael and Brody cheer them on. There is much laughing and jumping and screaming and high fiving. I am smiling.

Maggie and Gracie are playing a game on the internet. Laughing at each other. Getting along. I am relieved.

My packing for the beach is almost done. My laundry is done. My supper is laid out. Addison is coming for pot roast. Dane is house/cat/dog-sitting while we are gone. I am happy.

It's funny how different I feel today as opposed to Friday. I want to say that I wish every day was like today... but without the crappy days, I wouldn't really appreciate it. I guess I should just enjoy it. I am grateful.

Struggle

This is a post I wrote quite a while back but never published. Obviously the moment I was having has passed but it's still an honest expression of what was going on in me at the time. Thought I'd share...





Why the disconnect? Do I really give off the vibe of being unhappy and overwhelmed? Is it not okay to express pain in those moments when I do feel that way? Just because I have moments of feeling stressed out does not mean that I feel that way all the time.

I have noticed that when I feel the heaviness and weight of duty there is something askew. Something is out of line. I shouldn't feel burned out. I shouldn't grow weary of doing good. But there are times when it seems that there is no other option but to extend myself to the point of discomfort. That other people just expect more and more of me the more I give. That they give no thought to the fact that I am tired.

Where is that line? And what happens when there is no other person that I can confide in? When I feel absolutely alone in the struggle? What then?

Do I drop everything? Leave people hanging out to dry? Or maybe realize that I have complete freedom to fail. And people will be disappointed in me. And let down by me. And maybe even forced to take some of my responsibilities.

And all the while I recognize that I do all this to myself. I want others to help me, I expect it. But I don't always ask for it. And when I work and work and work and then forget something or don't do it right, it wounds me to have it pointed out. And it makes me angry because the person pointing it out usually is the one that always leaves it up to me to handle things. Tuesday morning quarterback.

Oh, my sinful, pride filled heart. It burns in my chest. It chokes the life out of my relationships. It isolates me and whispers evil in my ear.

The Best Song

Chance Meeting by Act of Congress is my most favorite song ever. It has consistantly been at the top of my list for a year now. It's not that I listen to it repeatedly. It's just that every time I listen to it, it makes me feel... amazed. I love it. If a movie is ever made of my life, I want Chance Meeting playing in the background while they're telling the love story of Chris and me. And if I die I want it playing in the background as people watch a slide show of my life. I love it that much.

If you don't have it, it's on the Declaration CD by Act of Congress. You can order on iTunes.

Let the Dazzling Begin....

What It Takes To Have Flawless, Happy Family Pictures... Like Me

We had our pictures made this morning. And yes, the ridiculously talented Jessica took them. Thanks for asking...

I decided at 9 o'clock last night that we would all wear white shirts. It sounds kind of hokey but nothing else looked right. So the girls and I loaded up and drove over to hell, where it seems that they have all kinds of white shirts on sale for like $5. So I was super happy. And my conscience only convulsed slightly. (I stomped it down.)

When I got home, Chris pointed out that the boys really needed haircuts. I wanted to protest but since it was obvious it was true, I had to nod sadly and then panic about when this was going to take place. It was, after all, 10 pm, Chris was leaving for work and pictures were scheduled for 10 am the next morning. Chris volunteered to do it the next morning. Tragedy averted. Almost.

I forget that Ty has major issues with haircuts. He hates the little hairs that get all over you. He claims that it is unbearably itchy and he breaks into man-sized whines. Seriously. So, Chris cut his hair at 9am and I spent until 10am trying to remove tiny little hairs from his shirt. It was super fun. I tried using tape and even threw it in the drier. I ended up holding the shirt and picking individual hairs out of the fabric. I couldn't bear the torment he was in.

The actual photo shoot was lovely. Aside from the broken glass on the sidewalk... did I mention that we were barefoot? And also aside from the hordes of mosquitos, that is. We sprayed each other with chemicals and even had to rub the bug spray on our faces. The attacks were brutal. My sister-in-law was especially targeted. Bless her heart.

But I'm sure the efforts we made will be worth it. And besides, Jessica is a miracle worker. Oh and my kids are beautiful. We can't forget that. That always bears repeating. I'll post the pics when I get them. Prepare to be dazzled.