Work and Stess

I just read yet another article that lists the most stressful jobs that pay poorly. Although I am not employed, I do work - hard. True, the fall is my "down time" when I'm not as busy, but the other 9 months more than make up for it. I'm not complaining mind you. I love what I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it. I'd go out and get a job and have some more money in my pocket. As it is, I'm broke - always, but I'm happy.

That's not to say that I don't get stressed out. I do. A lot of the time. I don't worry about "stuff" that I can't control, which is most everything, but most of my work involves people and we all know how difficult people can be.

It was funny reading this list because I find myself in 3 of the top 10 positions. Here is what I do ...

Special Events Coordinator
Median pay: $35,900
% who say their job is stressful: 75%

I coordinate trips to the Rez and I coordinate the REZonate Music Fest. I am VERY GRATEFUL for a wonderful team of people who work hard on REZonate, but I'm the person who is ultimately responsible - which means I get all the glory at times and all the crap at other times. That's OK with me. I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing even if not everyone "gets it".

Fundraiser
Median pay: $42,700
% who say their job is stressful: 67%

Again, this is me. I HATE this job. I wish I were a multi-millionaire so I could just pay for all the ministry stuff and be done with it. I'd MUCH rather just give my own money than to ask people for theirs, but I don't have that much. Its the part of my "job" that I truly HATE. By the way ... these folks may $42,700 a year?? Hmm...

Minister
Median pay:$45,300
% who say their job is stressful: 71%

OK, I'm not a licensed or ordained minister. I'm not even an employed minister. But I am married to one and like it or not - that makes me a part of it. I like it OK. My church is fantastic for allowing me to be who I am. I am NOT your typical pastor's wife. I'm not even your typical Associate Pastor's wife. My church makes it pretty easy .... BUT .... I could really do without all the people who get their panties in a bunch over really stupid, petty things and then threaten "I'm just going to leave the church". I hate that. Its so manipulative and immature. I want to say - "GO AHEAD, nobody's standing in your way. Let me get that door for you on your way out". By the way, its my experience that people who say they're going to leave the church are just using that as a manipulation tactic to get whatever it is they want. People who leave the church, just leave it. They don't threaten to. The act of threatening to do so blows these folks cover and shows that they really want things to go their way and will use manipulation to get it. There are all kinds of reasons to leave a church - some good and some bad but throwing this threat around is a sure sign that this is a person who is going to be a problem wherever they go - may as well go be somebody else's problem. I know, we should be patient and loving and all that. There's a big difference in loving somebody and enabling their immaturity.

I've had jobs before. I've done everything from work at Cinnabon to drive a bread truck to working retail. My last job was taking care of two developmentally disabled women. It was a hoot. Really. I loved the job but management made it miserable. I have stories about this job ... many of them are somewhere on this blog. Take care of a 30 year old, severely retarded, bi-polar, schizophrenic person sometime - its a hoot. Oh and that was just ONE of the ladies I took care of.

So ...what was your most stressful job?

Diaper Cake: Part One

Well, I've begun. And I've got to say its a lot easier than I expected. I've only got two of the three tiers that I'll do, but here's a sneak peak at what's going on. Next week we (hopefully) find out if they are girls, boys, or one of each, and that will determine the decorations for the diaper cake.

Top Tier

Middle Tier (yes that's tp in the middle - I'll eventually replace that with something else - what can I say - ya work with what ya got.).
Two tiers stacked
It'll have wide ribbon around each tier and cute decorations
and a stuffed animal (or two) at the top.

The cool thing about these is that not only are they cute but every part of it can be used!

Every Now and Then

Every now and then I get a creative itch. Once in a while these ideas I get turn out OK, and other times, not so much. I've been researching my latest idea and I think I'm gonna give it a try.

Allison is having a baby shower in January and I want to try to make a diaper cake for her. They are really cute and a great way to give a practical gift in a creative way. I'll let ya know if it turns out or if it ends up that I just give Allison a bunch of opened diapers that have been manhandled.

I do enjoy doing stuff like this. When Shelly (from Pine Ridge) was here in Sept. our crew had a dinner at Richard's Pizza so we could all have time to visit with her. Richard's provided the dinner buffet and I provided the desert. Since I think of sunflowers when I think of the Rez, I made these little "dirt cake" flower pots. The pic isn't too good thanks to my phone camera but they did turn out pretty cute - or at least I thought so.

And when Logan graduated from the Criminal Justice program at Butler Tech, instead of a traditional cake I made a doughnut tower. It seemed fitting for a future cop in training. I think somebody got to it before this pic was taken but you get the idea...


So, next up is the diaper cake. I'll let you know how it goes ....

Eat It Up

Tomorrow is the traditional turkey day here in America. May you each have too much to eat and enjoy your family.

We had our Thanksgiving before Halloween this year. That was because my son was getting ready to head off to boot camp and would not be here on the big day. As it turned out, I was in the kitchen making pies (the one pictured here as a matter of fact) when he told me he was not going to the Army. So, we had Thanksgiving before Halloween for no good reason. BUT I am thankful that he's here and not at boot camp. Tomorrow we'll eat sandwiches and chicken wings and watch football and I think probably make a trip to Walmart to get a gift for one of the kids on the Rez. Sounds good to me.

I was thinking about other Thanksgivings we have had. A couple of years ago we had a family from Liberia over to share the meal with. It was fun. The lady was living in Liberia with her husband, son and brand new baby girl when the rebels came to their village. They fled for their lives and in the chaos, became separated from each other. She and her two children ended up in a refugee camp and were later sent to America to live. That was 6 or 7 years ago now and she still has no idea what ever happened to her husband. No word of if he is dead or alive or where he might be. I'm not sure how you go on after that, but she is doing a good job of it. She's a remarkable lady and its been a blessing knowing her.

When they were over for Thanksgiving dinner that day my husband thought he'd be really funny and ask how they celebrate Thanksgiving in Liberia. He was expecting to hear "we don't because the pilgrims didn't land there" or something like that but was surprised to hear that they do indeed celebrate Thanksgiving in Liberia. You see, Liberia was founded by freed slaves from the United States. The word "Liberia" is from the Latin and means "free". Also, the capital of Liberia is Monrovia - named after President James Monroe.

I have other Thanksgiving memories too - I was born on Thanksgiving Day - at noon! NO, that does NOT make me a turkey. And my family will recall the day my uncle was going to kill the turkeys for Thanksgiving and I had a fit. Really, an out and out fit to the point where they had to call my mom to come and get me and take me home. My youngest son must have taken after me because when he was little (he'll kill me for this) we all sat down to eat Thanksgiving dinner and he began to cry because the turkey had to die.

Those are just a few of mine.

So, what are your Thanksgiving memories?

A Week in the Life

So ... I forget to update here as often as I should, but for anyone who is interested in our crazy life ... here's what's happening this week.

• Brian is better. He no longer looks like something from a horror movie. Whatever the doc gave him worked and he's back to normal and I have to say he "brought it" last Sunday night at church.
  
• Went to the funeral of a really sweet lady this week. Phyllis we're sure going to miss you.
  
• Cody (my oldest son) sent me a text saying, "I just castrated a pig". I asked him if he had a ball. He and Allison are in Ill. on the farm where her parents live. Last time he was there he stared down a 1300 pound steer. They're going to make a country boy out of him if he doesn't die first.
  
• This is a bit more than a week ago, but for anyone who hasn't heard - Logan decided not to go into the Army (much to his mother's relief). The plan is to go to the Police Academy. I'm still not sure why he changed his mind but I suspect it has something to do with a pretty blonde that's been around our house for a while now. He now has a old Chevy truck that runs fairly well except that it leaks some kind of fluid and the driver's door requires holding it shut as he's driving down the road.
  
• My dad's PSA is back up and the pill (which I think is a form of chemo) is not kicking it so ... its back to IV chemo starting next week. It'll be a lower dose once a week rather than the really strong stuff he was getting before so hopefully it will do the job and not kick his butt as bad as it did before.
  
• I have messed up my shoulder somehow. Got the results from the MRI yesterday ... I have a torn rotator cuff and a bone spur on my shoulder that is banging against the arm bone (forgive the less than techy lingo) and causing some bruising and swelling in the arm bone. Got a cortisone shot and will start PT ... do 3 weeks of that and if that doesn't fix it (nobody including the doc thinks it will), I'll have to have it fixed.
  
• I've suddenly gotten quite busy with Pine Ridge stuff again. So much for a break. We have 7 kids to have people buy gifts for and a fundraiser for the work project coming up. Me, I'm having a blast playing Santa to the kids. I LOVE this stuff. Its SO much fun!
  
• Gunner is back in his "cone". I'm really ready for this dog to get back to normal but probably not as ready as he is.

Life is good ... hard sometimes but good and its anybody's guess what'll happen around here in the next week.

Making A List and Checking it Twice

Please see this post on the Pine Ridge blog to see how you can make Christmas special for Hammer and his brothers and sisters. Y'all know Hammer, right?

Problem People and Just Plain Jerks

If you work anywhere in the vicinity of other people you will eventually run into a "problem person". You know the one's I'm talking about. They make life miserable for everyone else. It may be your coworker or your neighbor or (hopefully not), your spouse.

I don't know about your experiences, but I do know about mine so that's what I'll talk about here and maybe, something here will help you too?? Or maybe not. As they say in AA, take what works and leave the rest.

My most aggravating experiences with PPs have been on mission trips. Imagine that! These PPs have come in many flavors ... sometimes they are just lazy and don't want to pull their share of the work. Sometimes they think they know better what we should be doing and how to do it than the folks who have been there for years. Or maybe they just whine and fuss and throw little hissy fits because things aren't going the way they their way.

When I was new at this, these people bugged me. A lot. I had no idea how to handle them and it would stress me out and caused me to wonder why in the world I do what I do - because I don't really have to put myself through the torture of it all. I choose to do it because its the right thing to do and because I have the time to do it, and because I care. But I don't have to do it. I could just as easily choose not to do it and leave the headache to someone else. And ya know what? I would really be OK with that. Leadership is not a perk folks, its a pain in the backside a lot of the time... ok, all the time.

Truth be known, PPs still bug me. A lot. And they still stress me out ... but not as much as they used to. I've learned something that I think is a good way to deal with them - give them some rope. That's right. Let them go do their thing and show everybody what a butt they are, because you know what? People do know. So a lot of the time if you just give 'em enough rope they'll hang themselves.

Now sometimes some PPs will go a step further. Sometimes they see it as their God-given mission to let the world know how horrible the situation is - or how horrible you are. In those situations you've got to have really, REALLY... REALLY... FIRM... boundaries. And you've got to realize that you do not have to fight these people. Oh its tempting. Its tempting to get on their level and start doing likewise. Its tempting to let everyone know that they are just hearing part of a story and not the whole story. Its tempting to defend yourself and its tempting to defend your ministry. But if you do that you will look like as much of a butt as they are because people in general are really pretty much aware. People are quick to get someone's number. So again - let 'em go. Yeah, some people will sympathize with them and maybe even some people will believe them. It's OK ... they'll find out soon enough.

P.S.
Its not your ministry to defend anyway.

Meet Us @ Starbucks!

We would love for you to join us!

Beginning Sunday, Nov.22

9:00 am - 10:15am

A "Boundaries" Refresher class

@

Starbucks in Cobblewood Plaza
Winton Rd. and I-275

If There is an Upside ...

I wasn't going to tell anyone. Actually, I had hoped it would just "go away" on its own, but after 6 months of aggravation I decided maybe it was time to see a doctor. Duh! I know, I know ...I'm terrible about going to see any doctor. I generally have to be absolutely and completely convinced that there is no getting better without a doctor's help before I will finally break down and go. The thing is, I don't have time for this. I simply don't have time to deal with ill heath. No time for doctor visits, no time for the treatment, and I can't STAND for people to fuss over me. Last time I went to a doctor I got chewed out pretty good for not getting regular exams - especially since both of my parents have had cancer. "Are you just stupid or what?" were his exact words. You might say.

BUT, this week it was time.

And I must say ... I am SO IMPRESSED with the doctors I'm seeing. After checking my insurance to see who was covered I made the appointment and yesterday I went in to Beacon Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. All I have to say is WOW .... these folks are SO efficient, SO friendly, and SO good at what they do.

I literally walked two doors down the hall from the exam room to get X-rays and then after seeing the doctor was walked by the Physician Assistant across the hall to get an appointment for an MRI.

Turns out, as I expected, I have a bone spur and a torn rotator cuff. The MRI will tell more about it and then we'll decide what direction to take. The doc just looked at me like I was a bit crazy when he found out it had been going on for 6 months. I didn't tell him I went skydiving with this injury.

Then this morning I was laying on the couch watching the morning news. The sports segment was on and since I could care less about Who Dey or the Reds or any other team in Cincy, I was doing my best to ignore it ... until I heard a familiar name - Dr. Kremcheck. Everyone in Cincy knows him because he's as famous as his patients are. He isn't my doc but one of his partners is and Beacon is his group. (My doc used to work with the Pittsburgh Steelers so I'm thinking I'm in very good hands.) Dr. Kremcheck was on the news this morning talking about the new PT room at Beacon Springdale (where I'll likely be going) and talking about how its intense one-on-one treatment particularly for people with rotator cuff injuries or knee replacements. Apparently its not uncommon for their more famous patients, professional athletes, to be there and that they all walk around talking to the other patients there, check out scars and such. He said you just never know who you'll run into there. Hmm... I'm thinking that if some pro athlete walks up to talk to me during PT I will probably offend the heck out of him because I won't know them from Adam. I used to be a big baseball fan, had all the baseball cards and the whole deal but ... well, don't get me started about what has ruined baseball.

So while I'm not looking forward to the time I'm probably going to have to put in to get better, if there is an upside its definitely that I've got access to some really, really good doctors.

I LOVE This Lady!

Some of you may already know Regi but for those of you who don't, let me tell ya, she is one very awesome lady! She has done all sorts of wild and wonderful things that have made a huge difference to a lot of people. Currently her and her husband run a homeless shelter in a Southern California gang infested neighborhood. I'm so glad to see that she is blogging again! Check her blog out here and check her new dreadlocks too! I wanna be Regi when I grow up.

Twenty Little Fingers, Twenty Little Toes

Here are the latest pics of the twins. I'm not sure which is which. We still don't know the gender and it is still possible that they are identical. Time will tell. Next month we get the 3D pics!

Alien baby?

This one is my favorite pic

I'm a Real Biker Now!

I must be a real biker now. I went to church this morning and a good friend gave me this beauty because she was out shopping, saw it, and thought of me! (insert big grin)

I love it! I've got a place on top of my desk all picked out for it so I can see it often. Its actually sitting next to another bike that a friend saw and "thought of me". Hmm ... do you see a pattern here??

Then, not five minutes later, a little girl who's daddy is the Vice President of the Teamsters Motorcycle Association here in Cincy passed me in the hallway and said, "Hey Amber, are you going to be at the TMA meeting today?" Ha! She must think I'm really a biker or something (I did go to a few of their meetings when we were working on REZonate and the TMA did our charity bike ride for us. Too funny though...


Unfortunately I am not a real biker. I only dream of Harleys. When I get a few thousand extra bucks I'll buy one though, you wait and see. Until then, I'm just a wannabe.

The More You Know

Lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer - almost twice as many.

Lung Cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men in the US, taking more lives than breast, prostate, and colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined.

Although it is commonly thought of as a smoker's cancer, as much as 25% of lung cancers are found in people who have never smoked.

Symptoms of lung cancer may include:

• a cough that won't go away
• recurring respiratory infections such as pneumonia
• chest, shoulder or back pain that won't go away
• unexplained wheezing
• shortness of breath or hoarseness
• coughing up blood
• swelling in the neck or face
• difficulty swallowing
• unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• increasing fatigue or weakness
• unexplained recurrent headaches
• seizures
• bone pain

Early detection is important because lung cancer rarely displays symptoms until the disease is in the later stages.

Check out this article for more information about early detection stratagies.

Honor or Dishonor

Did you see the headlines about the Iraqi man who purposely ran down his daughter with a Jeep Cherokee because she was too "Westernized"? He tried to flee to Britain but was returned to the U.S. where he was taken into custody. His daughter meanwhile was hospitalized in serious condition and later died from her injuries. What a crazy world.

I'm not sure if this is an Islamic thing or not, but I am sure as in any religion, that there are those in Islam that would condemn this action and those who would defend it. Every religion, including Christianity has its share of nut balls who take things to the extreme.

Unbelievably the dad, now facing charges in his daughter's death, defends his actions. "By his own admission, this was an intentional act, and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family," the prosecutor said. "This was an attempt at an honor killing."

This story is disturbing on so many levels. Let's leave the obvious one for a little later and look at a few others. I've got to wonder .... how is it that this man can come to America and "dishonor" our laws by assaulting and killing his adult daughter because she chose to live her life differently than he would have liked? This is America! We value freedom here. How "honorable" can it possibly be to act in ways that dishonor the laws of a country in the name of an "honor killing"? See the absurdity of it. It looks ludicrous even in print.

It also strikes me that the dad's reasoning completely left out his God. His reason for killing her was that "she was bringing shame on him and his family". What about what his God wanted??

I wonder if people will maybe take Rifqa Bary a little more seriously now? Remember her? She was the 17 year old girl who converted to Christianity and then fled to Florida because she was convinced that her Muslim father would be forced to kill her for dishonoring the family. Whether he would or not, who knows but she was convinced.

These stories are obviously disturbing because for most of us killing our children for any reason is unthinkable. Most of us spend our lives protecting our children (or trying to) and live with the fear that something bad will happen to them. So yes, to most of us these stories are simply hideous.

But I've got to wonder .... is there not a deeper issue at work here? In short, are we all that different when it comes to wanting to control the choices our children make? Think about it - how many times have you heard cruel and harmful things spoken to a kid because they weren't living up to someones expectations? Never mind that the thing we are really worried about is us and not them. We don't want our children's behavior to reflect badly on us, do we? In truth, its our own behavior that reflects what we're really made of - not our kid's.

And so in the name of defending and honoring our values we do the most dishonorable thing and murder a soul. And well, I've gotta believe that dishonors our God, who is the author of free will, in a big way too.

If you think this is a stretch, maybe it is, but I challenge you - next time your child does something you don't approve of, listen to what comes out of your mouth and see how it would feel if those words were said to you.

Friends and Foes ... Listen Up

You all know I have recently become hooked on skydiving ... and if you know me then you know I'm always trying to find a way to combine the things I love with the things I'm passionate about - namely Pine Ridge. So ... I'm going to jump for charity! When donations to Backpacks For Pine Ridge reach $500 I will jump out of a plane (with a parachute). You have to go to the link below and donate in order for it to count toward the jump. You can however, always donate directly to Backpacks For Pine Ridge on our web site - it just won't count toward the jump. Either way is fine with me because either way the kids on the Rez win.

So, if you're my friend, this is a good opportunity for you to donate a few dollars and help the kids at Pine Ridge and allow me to do something I love. And if you're my enemy ... well ... donate to help the kids and know that I'll be jumping out of a plane.

Just follow the link below (or on the sidebar) and watch the altimeter go up as donations go up. Oh and if you're like me and love to skydive or have ever wanted to give it a try, you can sign up too and get your own altimeter going. Just be sure to click on Backpacks For Pine Ridge as the charity you want to jump for when you sign up.

Visit My Donation Page! Click Here

Wordless Wednesday

The SCARY Thing About Halloween

I love Halloween. I know, in some of the more legalistic Christian circles, that's not a popular thing to say, but I'm not legalistic so I'll say what I want and I happen to love Halloween. I am well aware of the evil behind its origins and all that stuff that some people like to bring up but I'm also completely aware of the fact that dressing up and having a party and eating candy and taking kids trick-or-treating is not about anything evil. Enough of that.

As I was saying, I love Halloween. I love the crisp weather. I love the beautiful leaves. I love dressing up in silly costumes. I love the parties. I used to love taking my kids trick-or-treating (I really miss that), and I love the candy. I even love the spooky old movies that are more silly than spooky. But you know what's really scary about Halloween this year? The price of candy! Is it me or is the price of Halloween candy higher this year? I just got back from Walmart and wow ... candy prices seem to be higher than usual.

Tomorrow night is the party at church for all the kids. We all bring candy for around 120 kids. Since I'm of the mind set that there is no such thing as too much candy and since I'd rather not have to tell some little kid that I ran out, I buy for around 150. If there's some left over. Not a problem. I know how to take care of that. I also buy enough candy for both me and Brian to give it out to the kids so I usually buy around 300 fun sized candy bars. And I like to buy the good stuff. Who wants a bag full of junk Halloween candy, right? Normally I buy Reeses and M&M's. So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I saw that a bag of Reeses was $5 this year and only has 25 bars in it! That would add up pretty quickly. I could have easily spent $65 on candy. So, I still bought decent candy (Nestle, Payday, etc.) and I still bought enough for both of us to give out but there will be no Reeses or M&M's in the mix this year. Bummer.

BTW, are those two little guys not the CUTEST kids ever?? Never mind answering, I know they are. They're mine. :)

Goin' to the Dogs

Poor Gunner had a really bad day last Tuesday. He got neutered. Since then he's been pretty much zonked out on pain meds. When he's not sleeping off a buzz he's peeing and pooping all over the house. Doesn't matter how many times we take him out, he still manages to make a mess in the house. Just this morning he went out and peed 4 times only to come back in the house and pee 2 huge lakes of urine in the house ... and then poop. I can't get mad at him. I mean, look at him. He's pitiful. So I grab a towel and mop it up. Now I'm going broke buying laundry detergent and can't get my usual laundry done because the pee towels are always in the wash. Oh and the floors ... well, let's just say its a good thing we're replacing the flooring until he's over this.

And then there's Taser, our beautiful and very girly girl German Shepherd. She's been outside playing while Gunner stays inside and gets pampered. Neither of them are happy with this arrangement. She wants to be inside and he wants to be outside so they sit on either side of the patio door and cry at each other. And I have a hunch that Taser, although she's not the brightest dog in the world, has figured out that Gunner is getting pampered because he's "hurt" so she's taken to limping. There seems to be nothing really wrong with her paw - no abnormality, no cut, no sticker stuck in it, but she's limping anyway. It could be she sprained it. Or it could be that she's faking it to get attention. Actually, as I type this, she's standing perfectly fine on the back deck barking at a squirrel. I'm going with the idea that she's faking it.

FYI

For those of you not on Facebook or keeping up with this in other ways, I posted all the wild and wonderful things that happened this year here. And that doesn't even take into account the trip to PR or my personal life! Crazy...

I Happen to Know Some Really COOL People

This afternoon we packed food for Kids Against Hunger that our group will take to Haiti next October when they go over to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. All in all, we packed 21,000 meals! I've been to Haiti and helped distribute food to the people who are literally starving there ... its one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. What can I say ... once you've done that, its just not something you forget. Ever. It was good today to be able to be a small part of that again.

It was good too to see Bill back from D.C. Back from the WHITE HOUSE no less. I didn't get to see his award but did get to talk to him about his time there and he passed on this article that appeared in the LA Times about it. Very cool stuff.

And this weekend I missed out on something I wish I could have been a part of. It wasn't my 30th HS reunion but it was something close - a gathering of old friends from my hometown. I've known these folks for ... well, for all my life. I hope they don't mind that I snagged one of the pics from Facebook. Looks like they all had a great time. These are good people. People I should have gone back and hung out with.

This and That

Just some things going on at our house ...

Two weeks from today Logan leaves for Basic Training. I dread it. He's started boxing up all of his stuff and preparing to move out. I don't mind so much the moving out part, but I sure wish it were under different circumstances. When our oldest moved out it was because he got married. Although I knew I'd miss him and knew our relationship would change, it was still a happy occasion. This one, not so much. I SO wish he were moving out because he was going to college, or getting married, or just getting a job and could support himself. Anything but the military. Not being able to talk to him for several weeks will be tough. No phone calls, no text, no Facebook. What's a mom to do? Accept it I guess. And then get busy rebuilding his bathroom. :)


Cody and Allison had another sonogram yesterday and saw the twins. We still don't know if they are boys or girls or one of each. What we do know is that they are healthy. One was jumping all over the place and the other kept swatting him/her as if to say, "knock it off I'm trying to sleep". Maybe by Dec. we'll know if we're shopping for pink or blue.


Tomorrow Gunner, our mutt that moved into the backyard and decided to stay is going to have a really bad day. He's getting neutered. Poor baby. Its a good thing dogs don't know all this ahead of time or he would be a mess. Its also a good thing I don't have to watch his panic tomorrow (at last not for long) or I'd be a mess too. By this time tomorrow he'll be back home and wondering what happened to him. No doubt he'll get lots of love and attention and babying. That's pretty much standard fare for him anyway.

My friend Vicki is home from the hospital. I made dinner for them tonight and had Brian drop it off. No one was at home so he left it on the porch. I hope a dog or cat doesn't get into it. I wonder where she was? Earlier today I heard that she was in a LOT of pain so I hope she didn't have to make a run back to the hospital.


My tooth is messed up. Three weeks ago I went in to have a broken tooth fixed. They had trouble getting me numb. After two tries of the strongest stuff they have I was numb enough that I didn't both to tell them I could still feel it when they drilled. At that point I just wanted it over with. Well don't ya know ... it also seems the gold crown I've had on it now has some decay under it. Last week I went in to have the old crown removed and a temporary one put on. It is driving me CRAZY! It feels like a wad of gum stuck over my tooth. Except that now it feels like its sliding over my tooth. Yeah, I'm pretty sure part of the tooth is now exposed. I think that's a bad thing. I'm supposed to get the permanent one on next Tues. I'm debating whether to wait till Tuesday or call them tomorrow. I'm SO tired of the dentist.

Tomorrow's another day ... still wrapping up some Rezonate stuff and dropping off some things to The Community Foundation.... and maybe calling the dentist. Life goes on ...

*Pictured: Logan (top), Vicki giving me a "victory hug" after I landed (bottom). I'd say we looked so "top gun" but I don't think the top gun guys hugged too much.

Wordless Wednesday: from my trip to Hocking Hills Yesterday

The Ugly Truth

Click here

I don't think much else needs to be said

Spring Grove Cemetery Photos

I spent the day at Spring Grove Cemetery today and took my camera along to see what I could find.

a creepy looking tree ... not sure what the story is there but there has to be one

another creepy tree ... sorta reminds me of the tree the headless horseman lived in (Sleepy Hollow)

i Heart Faces Pink Week

When I saw that iHeartFaces.com is having "Pine Week" in support of breast cancer awareness I had to submit this pic of the first part of "Team Vicki". Those who read here regularly already know that 2 years ago Vicki was diagnosed with stage 5 breast cancer. She's been kicking cancer's butt ever since. This past week she underwent more surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and is coming home today! Before she went in for this past surgery 6 of us went skydiving with her to support her and to just have some fun. It was a blast! So here is my submission for the iHeartFaces Pink Week! Vicki is the one in the middle with the big smile. :)

Fat Chance!

I shouldn't even respond to this because its so ludicrous that the only response it deserves is to ignore it, but this touches a real hot button for me and there's been a LOT of this nonsense in the media lately ... so I guess I just have to say something about it.

I thought we were making progress. I thought maybe, just maybe women were starting to get a positive message about embracing who they were and being "real". Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty has done a wonderful job of encouraging women to shake off the crazy-making messages the media has doled out for so long and accept and even celebrate who they are and how they look. I thought maybe the insanity was slowing down a bit.

Until this week.

This week I've heard of three different incidents that send a very damaging message to women

.

1. Jessica Simpson was blasted on Fox Sports for being too "fat". Apparently the writers thought that no man would ever want to be with someone who looked so fat. Oh yeah, right. I'm sure of that. I'm betting the writers were a bunch of idiots who couldn't get a date with someone who looked remotely as good as Jessica. I may not be her biggest fan but listen, the girl is NOT fat. Not by a long shot. What was Fox Sports thinking?? To top it all off, the spot was sponsored by of all places, Burger King.

2. Ralph Lauren fired Filippa Hamilton who has been their model since 2002 because she was "too fat" at 5'10 and 120 pounds. This was after a recent ad was released with an image of her that is so altered that she looks like a freak. I mean really, her head looks HUGE in this pic. Is that supposed to be "pretty"?

3. And then there's the most ludicrous of all. It seems that Barbie (who I hate by the way) is not even immune from accusations of being too fat. According to French shoe designer Christian Louboutin, Barbie's ankles are too fat. Somebody help her quick! We can't have a Barbie doll running around with fat ankles. Maybe she needs plastic surgery. I guess some people will do anything to get their name out there. Did he really expect women to go running out to buy his shoes if Barbie is too fat for them?? Seems like somebody is too stupid for his own good.

Now most of us can read this and know that its SO absurd that we pass it off as just that and pay no more attention to it. But the thing that concerns me is that there are a lot of young girls who are still forming their identity who hear this and are affected on some level by it.

I have done my share of fighting off the insane notion that you have to fit society's standards of "beauty" to be acceptable. I am grateful to be free of it. The scars will be there forever though. I had hoped that one of the benefits of recovery would be that I would get to a place where I could accept the way I look. Not like the way I looked - I knew that was impossible, but I had hoped to be able to accept it. It never happened. What I did accept was that it just wasn't that important. Truth be told, there isn't a day that goes by that it doesn't affect me. But it no longer controls me. This is my life and I alone am responsible for it. I no longer have to starve myself into somebody else's idea of what I should look like. I like my freedom too much to allow somebody else to determine what I do or don't do.

So ladies, I think the response to the designers and corporations who promote such insane standards should be - if you think we're buying your bull crap or your products anymore - fat chance!

39 Years is a Long Time to Wait

The thing about a hero is - they never talk about the heroic things they've done. You might sit next to them in church for years and never know. Most of them balk at the term "hero" and yet, the dictionary defines a hero as someone distinguished by their exceptional courage, nobility and strength.

39 years ago, one of our own at Winton Rd., William Sizemore, was a part of an extraordinary group of men who displayed exceptional courage.

It was March 26, 1970 in Vietnam and they were part of the Alpha Troop or "A Troop". They had been awake for 2 days and had just suffered a horrible accidental ammunition explosion that killed several of their men when they heard the cries for help. An airborne unit, the Charlie Company, was surrounded by the Vietnamese in the dense jungle. The conditions made it impossible for a helicopter to get them out. Running out of ammunition the Charlie Company was sure to be overrun, killed or taken hostage.

The decision was made that Alpha Troop would volunteer a rescue attempt. And that they did. Amidst attack from the enemy they were able to load the wounded and evacuate Charlie Company. Because of this decision around 100 lives were saved.

To go in and make a rescue attempt like that is incredible. It is even more so considering what Alpha Troop had just gone through previous to the rescue. What happened next is also incredible.

Shortly after their heroic action, Alpha Troop joined in the invasion of Cambodia and their story was all but forgotten. One of the men from Alpha Troop was told that "no such battle happened". For 39 years these brave heroes have gone unrewarded and unrecognized. But no longer.

Next Tuesday, Oct. 20th the remaining members of Alpha Troop will travel to the White House to receive the highest honor bestowed upon a military unit - the Presidential Citation. Hopefully President Obama will be there to give the awared in person. For anybody who's like me and wants to watch - it will be televised on CNN and FOX around 11:45.

The Alpha Troop's former commander, John Poindexter has written a book about the events of that day called The Anonymous Battle.

You also can read more about this on The Alpha Troop web site, or see the NY Times article here, or read the account of one of the men of Charlie Company here. These sites are very worth your time to read.

Bill, we are rejoicing with you and your fellow soldiers as you finally receive the recognition you deserve. We are SO SO SO proud of you and grateful for your service to our country.

* Pictured above: From left, John Poindexter, Stanley Carter, Fred Pimental, William Sizemore, Ray R. Moreno and Angel Pagan.

Ya Never Can Tell

Ya just never can tell what Blasé is going to say next. Imagine how surprised I was to log into Bloglines and see this post on his blog. Ha! For those of you who know me, you'll get a kick out of it. Thanks buddy. You're too kind. Kelly, if you're reading here I'm thinking we need to get that 7:30 pm on Thursday prayer thing going. ;)

If you haven't checked out his blog, then what are ya waiting for? He's got a whole bunch of followers - mostly women. LOL

Yeah, I Think I'm Addicted

I Dare Ya!

Barbara had this interesting post titled "What Do You Want to do Before You Die" on her blog yesterday. The link she provided is pretty interesting. I've been asked this same question or some form of it a few times recently - probably because I went skydiving. :] But ya know, I don't really have a "bucket list" so to speak. And no, I'm not in a mid-life crisis. I may be in mid-life but I'm not finding it to be a crisis at all. I'm not just "conquering fears" fears either although that has been a part of it.

Let me explain...

I kinda feel like you've got to die before you can live. And I feel like the old me died a while back and I'm just beginning to really live my life. Before fear of what people would think about me pretty much determined what I did or didn't do. Through the recovery process I learned that this is MY life and that I and I alone am responsible for it. What other people think about me is really none of my business. I will answer to God for the way I've spent my time here and they'll answer for theirs.

See, its not the "death-defying" acts like skydiving that require great courage and faith, its the daily task of getting out of bed and facing the day that takes guts. I no longer have to starve myself to death to conform to someone's opinion of what I should look like. And I no longer behave in ways that conform to someone else's idea of how I should behave. In a word, I'm FREE.

Life took a new and exciting turn back then. Life has never been better. Seriously, I could write a book about all the crazy things that have happened since I started living. Shake off all the man-made restraints and follow God and you'll be amazed at who and what crosses your path. Try it. I dare ya!

*For the record, I am afraid of heights but skydiving is not as much about heights as you might think. With no point of reference you don't have the sensation of being up high. I was just as afraid of leading my first group to the Rez as I was jumping out of a plane on Saturday. Really. The level of fear was exactly the same. Both things still scare me but hey, its just fear.

Today's the Day

skydiving 065
Originally uploaded by ABuriff

This is the first round of "Team Vicki", a bunch of us who went skydiving to support Vicki (the one in the middle) in her fight against breast cancer. Today she is back in surgery. It will be a very LONG surgery and then they hope to keep her asleep until late Tuesday to help with the pain. Keep her and her husband in your prayers.

The First Step You Take is the Longest Stride

Well its been a little over 24 hours since I took the big jump and I have to say that I do feel different. I'm not sure what that might be and suppose its too early to tell, but it does seem that jumping out of a plane changes you in some way. Would I do it again? Yeah, today if I could. I loved it! Was it scary? Oh my ... YES!! Scary doesn't begin to describe it. That first jump out of the plane is a heart-stopping moment to be sure. But as with most things, the fear is a small price to pay for the reward of the experience. I'm not sure what if anything, can be learned from this experience, but I'm kicking around some thoughts about it and will post something when I figure it out. For now, let me walk you through my experience ...

Climbing into the plane was different. The floor seemed slippery and I couldn't get my footing very well and wondered if I would be able to stand up to jump out. There were two benches that sat very close to the floor of the plane and we sat single-file, straddling the bench between the legs of the guy we were jumping with so he could fasten us to him during the flight. I was right beside the door since I was the first tandem jumper out of the plane. The camera guys were in front of me since they jump out first and hang onto the plane to get pics of you jumping. Those guys are SKILLED. Jason, the guy I jumped with, handed me seat belt which I thought was odd since we were jumping out ... I don't remember ever doing anything with it. The plane climbed to around 12,500 feet and then the door opened.

I think I said, "Well that's a little unnerving". The next thing I knew the camera guys were jumping, it seemed all at once and one head-first. "OH MY ........" It looked almost like they had been sucked out. Incredible!

Then I hear Jason say, "Let's get into position". I don't remember standing up. I'm still not sure if I stood up or if he picked me up. I'm just not sure what happened but I was suddenly aware that I was standing in what seemed like the open doorway of the plane. I knew I was supposed to have my toes hanging over the doorway so I did look down to check to make sure. As I did that I heard Jason say, "One ... Two..." We never made it to Three. Suddenly we were hurdling through the sky at an unbelievable speed. I've heard someone say that we drop at a rate of 200 mph during the free fall. I don't know. I do know that I couldn't catch my breath. I kept thinking "BREATH! BREATH!" I tried breathing with my mouth open and well ... that was a really bad idea. Jason had told us to keep out chin up so the camera guy could get pictures. It took everything I had to do that because I was in shock and couldn't THINK of what I was supposed to do. Besides, I was just trying to BREATH and thinking was impossible with the ROAR of the wind in my ears.

I had been given a little watch like thing that indicated our altitude and was instructed to look at it and at 5000 ft we would pull the cord to the chute. I'm not sure how anybody can think about that. I was just ... stunned. Jason had said at one point he would take my hand and place it on the ball and let me pull the chute but that never happened. That is fine by me.

Jason pulled the chute and my world rocketed in another direction in the span of a heartbeat. At one moment I was heading 200 mph through the sky and the next moment I was being jerked as hard as I could be in the opposite direction. That was rough. I was sure the harness would be embedded at least 3 inches into my body.

Then ... it was silent.

And awesome.

And beautiful.

And peaceful.

We seemed to just hang in mid-air with the beauty of the fall colors below and the clear sky all around. My family and friends were below and I know that at least Brian was really stressed out and worried. I think if heaven is above us somewhere it must be a lot like that. Just really AWESOME and CALM ... no fear... no noise... just beauty and peace. A sharp contrast to the hectic pace of a few moments before.

Just before landing we did some funky twists and turns and then slid in for a soft landing to the cheers of family and friends.

It was over way too quickly. I wanna do it again!

If you ever get the chance - go for it. Take the words of the Nickleback song to heart and DO IT!

My best friend gave me the best advice.
He said each days a gift and not a given right
So leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That fist step you take is the longest stride

So go live like you'll never live it twice

Here's a link where you can watch the video of my jump. You'll have to type in your zip code.

Skydiving Pics

Skydiving was amazing. The jump out of the plane was definitely a heart-stopping moment and the freefall at a speed of 200 mph through the sky was simply overwhelming. The ride down is beautiful and peaceful as you glide through the air. Then you land and have some of the best people in the world there to cheer for you. Amazing. If you ever get the chance don't ever let the fear stop you from jumping.

Real Women ROCK

Love this!

Nicole Eggert is BACK IN BAYWATCH! from Nicole Eggert

Wordless Wednesday

Red, White and Blue
Originally uploaded by UrbanArtfare

Pink Parachutes

There weren't any pink parachutes today, but there should have been. Today three of my friends took the big jump and went skydiving for the first time. I went to watch and cheer them on. The original plan was for all six of us to jump yesterday but the weather wouldn't cooperate ... so ... three went today and the rest of us will go next Saturday morning.

Why on earth would we do this? Well, lots of reasons. I for one have always wanted to go skydiving but recently had a good reason to go do it. My friend Vicki is a pretty good reason.

Vicki is one amazing lady. She's smart. She's funny. She's courageous. And she's not the least bit self-centered. It wasn't all that long ago that Vicki got the bad news that she had breast cancer. And to make matters worse, the cancer was pretty advanced. In fact, if memory serves me right, she was told that it was as bad as it could be - that if there were a stage 6, she would be stage 6. Since then she has fought hard and is kicking some serious cancer butt.

You know, as I type this, I can't recall a single time when I've heard her complain. Chemo is NASTY stuff. Really nasty. I find it completely amazing that she hasn't made it known far and wide how awful she feels. She's been honest and has said when she didn't feel well but you really have to ask her about it - she doesn't complain. I don't remember a time when she's done anything at all to draw attention to herself or to gain sympathy from others. She just does what she has to do to take care of herself and she does it with an amazing sense of humor. I know that last year she was one of the first to sign up to volunteer at REZonte in spite of all she was going through herself - figures that the last person you would expect to come out and volunteer would be one of the first. But Vicki's like that. Nothing much stops this lady. When we first talked about going skydiving she said she wanted to go if she wasn't sick. Then she quickly added, "Oh I'll go even if I am sick. I'll just take my puke bag and go". Watching her go through this with the attitude she has just makes me sit back and say, WOW.

On Oct. 12th she'll go back in for more surgery. Before she went back, she wanted to skydive and so a few of us decided to jump with her. My only regret is that we all couldn't do it together. Here's some pics from this morning. As you look at them, send up a prayer for Vicki!

Bev and Vicki suiting up!

Sherri suiting up

Ya gotta have attitude to gain altitude!

Never read the back of the jump suit before you jump!

And there they go ...

Vicki landing

Sherri and Vicki after the jump

Bummer

Went to go skydiving today but the weather didn't cooperate. Since there isn't a time that's good for all 6 of us to go together, 3 are jumping tomorrow morning and Ericka, Bailey and me will jump next Saturday at 8am. The weather had better be good. :[

Mosaic

I downloaded new software by Andrea Mosaic that lets you make a mosaic. I know no one likes this pic of me, but ... I do. Its one of the few pics of me that I do like, so ... here it is made up of several tiny pics of the people and things that make up my life. You can click on it for a larger view and see what all you find in there. You may find a pic of you!

October

I love October. I love fall. And I love living in Ohio in the fall. Some things I'm looking forward to this October are:

• Skydiving
  
• Planting Tulip bulbs. I ordered some of these French Blend Rose tulip bulbs today and will hopefully be planting them next week.
  
  
  
  

• A visit from Shelly. Next Wednesday Shelly, the missionary from Pine Ridge and a good friend will be here! She will be speaking in the Wed. service, then on Thursday evening the crew will get together with her for a dinner and some time to visit. Friday morning her and I will be speaking at the Rotary Club in West Chester.
  
  
• Once the leaves turn I will be taking a day for ME and grabbing my camera and heading to Spring Grove Cemetery for a day of exploring. Spring Grove is one of Cincy's beautiful places to visit. I know, its a cemetery, but its a pretty and interesting one to visit. They even have guided tours (for free) and one of them is during the full moon. How cool is that?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Again, once the leaves change, me and Brian will be taking a day off to go up to Hocking Hills to enjoy a day together and take in the fall colors. Hocking Hills is one of Ohio's best kept secrets and I hope it stays that way so too many people don't spoil it.
  
• Maybe going back "home" to meet up with a bunch of old friends from my childhood/school days. I'm still not sure ... will I know them? Will they know me?? I dunno....
  
• Halloween! I love Halloween. I love the candy. I love the costumes. Oh yeah, I love seeing the kids in their costumes too. I'm going to be a gypsy this year. Come on, ya gotta dress up. We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.
  
• Carmel Apple Cider, Nuff said.
  
• And Thanksgiving. I know Thanksgiving is in November, how could I forget that - I was born on Thanksgiving Day. But this year Thanksgiving will be early at our house because my son Logan leaves for Basic Training Nov. 4th.

Wordless Wednesday

If You Want to Watch Us Skydive Saturday...

For anyone in the area who would like to come and watch us skydive on Saturday, we will be there at 3pm.

I'm not really sure what time they'll be pushing us out we'll be jumping out of the plane.

From Cincinnati I-75: Take I-75 N toward Dayton, take exit 29 for OH-63 toward Monroe/Lebanon - 0.3 mi,turn right at OH-63 E/W OH-63 - 2.9 mi,turn left at OH-741 - 2.0 mi, turn right at Greentree Rd - 1.0 mi.

Warren County Airport
2460 Greentree Rd.
Lebanon, OH

And I'm pretty sure there's still room if anyone wants to jump with us.

There's Nothing Like a Funeral to Make You Feel Alive

If you really want to freak somebody out, walk up to them and ask them if they will speak at your funeral. I've recently updated my funeral plans and can tell you that you get some strange reactions when you ask someone that.

Some years back I began planning my funeral. Not because I thought I was going to die anytime soon, but because I got tired of going to funerals where the people left behind were left to guess at what the deceased would have wanted. I decided to put my wishes in writing so that when my time came, and it will come to all of us, that there wouldn't be any guesswork.

I believe its a good idea to make those plans now, while its easy to do so. If you wait until death is imminent, it is often too difficult for family and friends to want to discuss it. And if you don't do it at all, then family members have to deal with figuring out what you might have wanted. Being married to a pastor, I've seen both of these things happen way more than is necessary.

So I planned out my funeral. And I update it every so often to include my current favorite clothes, music, etc. Just so everyone knows ... its perfectly OK to wear jeans to my funeral. I'll be wearing mine. :) Its also perfectly OK to be honest. I get tired of going to funerals where everyone talks about what a wonderful person the deceased was when everyone there knows good and well they were a pain in the backside. They had their good points too but please .... when its my turn just be honest. There's both good and bad about me and I've tried to live honestly and hope that I will be remembered honestly as well.

So, what about you? Have you planned your funeral yet? You're going to have one someday ya know. May as well have a say in it.


*Post title is from the song Life is Beautiful by Sixx AM.
*Photo taken at Glendalough, Ireland

Here's the Video

Phyllis is a very sweet lady in our church who is fighting some really nasty cancer. She's been sick for a long time and hasn't been able to be in church which has always been a really big part of her life - so ... since she can't be with us, I put together a video greeting so that when she's at home laying on the couch and feeling crappy and isolated, all she has to do is plug this into the DVD player and see her kooky church friends wishing her love.

Hats off to those who participated. Nobody likes to talk to a camera and I'm sure every single one of us who did this felt really stupid but you guys will make Phyllis' day ... probably a few days and will surely give her a reason to laugh. Keep Phyllis in your prayers. She's one of the good guys.... one of the people who doesn't play church but is the church ... one of the people we need down HERE for a long time to come.




This is an edited version of the video. Youtube has been giving me a hard time today. The first video I uploaded was too long and was rejected so I had to cut parts out. You all missed the part with Howard and Angie. Angie was hitting Howard and telling him to "say something". A few other parts were also cut. Phyllis got the whole video though. It was delivered to her tonight.

My Other Blogs

I've been spending money again. Lots of money. I'm sure Brian loves to hear, "Honey, I just put $3000 on the credit card today" when he comes home. Its the time of year when I buy backpacks and school supplies and Cody's old room starts looking like a warehouse. You can see some pics up at the Backpacks for Pine Ridge Blog. The UPS man is probably not happy with me this time of year. Or maybe he is ... he gets his route over in one stop.

Today I've been cooking. I'm not a great cook - I figure good cooks are people who love to cook. I don't. I do it and I do OK but I don't love it. But no one is starving at my house - anymore. I did that for a while but not because of my cooking ability. Something I wanted to do when Cody got married and Logan moved out was to make up a book with all the recipes I've collected over the years for them to take with them. I had wild ideas (imagine that) about doing a scrapbook cookbook and all. But ya know what? Scrapbooking is expensive. Its a lot cheaper to just do a blog. Its free in fact, and other people can access it as well. So, if you're feeling brave, I have a blog of recipes. I'm still adding to it and still trying to take photos of the dishes I have there, but its a start.

I think most of you know about the Pine Ridge Blog where you can keep up with all that's happening with the mission trips to Pine Ridge Reservation. If you've missed it, well there's some cool pics and stories up there from Fred and Judy's trip and some news about Shelly's visit - she'll be here in a week and a half!

What Was I Thinking??

A week from today I'm going to be jumping out of an airplane with a bunch of my friends.

The date has been out there in the future for a while but now it's getting closer and the knot in my stomach gets bigger and tighter every time I think about it. I'm terrified. What in the world was I thinking? I'm so afraid of heights that standing on the train platform in Chicago made me nervous so why did I think I could jump out of a plane??

Oh well.... I've always said we shouldn't let fear keep us from experiencing things so, next Saturday I'm going up and I'm jumping out.

There's no way I'm backing out just cause I'm afraid.

U2

How awesome is that pic? You really have to click on it to see it bigger. That was from the show at Soldier Field in Chicago. I WAS THERE!!!

This is a clip from that show too. Please pardon the poor quality. I'm guessing it was from somebody's cell phone since they didn't allow video cameras in.

They Say Its Your Birthday

Today (Friday) is a very special lady's 50th birthday! Barbara is one of the first bloggers I met and has been a loyal friend. She's one of those folks who you can tell anything to and she'll listen and not judge. The thing is, she genuinely cares about other people. She can be going through her own personal hell but she has time to rejoice with you about something that's going on in your life. She is one of the most self-less people I know. Since I've known her I've seen her go through what may be the toughest thing anybody can ever go through and yet she has faced it with dignity and grace and wisdom. If you haven't been to her blog, GO THERE NOW and say hello. You won't regret it.

Barbara, I wish I knew of a way to let Bruce (or Bono) know about you because I am very sure that if either of them did, they would be honored to wish you a Happy Birthday. I love ya! I'm proud of ya! I'm grateful to have met ya!

Happy Birthday girl! If anybody deserves to have a good one, you do!

Forever in Blue Jeans

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a wearer of jeans. All the time. I do dress up for funerals and weddings but that's it. Any other time, its me and my jeans.

The problem is that finding jeans that fit can be a real challenge. But, I think I may have found the trick.

Most of the time I have trouble finding jeans that fit because the are way too baggy in the butt and thigh. I can't stand baggy jeans. I'm not saying they have to fit like a glove or anything, but there can't be any bagginess or I will go insane. IF I manage to find a pair that fit in the butt and thigh, they are always way too short and leave me looking like I'm wearing high waters. Can't stand that either.

SO ... today I got brave and went to the Jrs department to do my jean shopping. Yeah I know, an old fat lady has no business shopping in the teens department but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

And the result is - they fit! At least they do at the moment. We'll give 'em some time and find out if they still fit but I do have hope.

And if worst comes to worst, this company makes custom jeans. If you have a pair of jeans that fit you like you want 'em to, you can simply mail them to them and they'll make you a new pair off the measurements of the old pair. It's $55 for that and free shipping, which is a bit pricey for me but might be cheaper than buying less expensive jeans that I can't wear.

BTW, I spent a whopping $30 on these jeans. That's more than I've ever spent on jeans but they were on sale and I think I might be able to wear them!

I've Been Waiting For This

Yup, that's Cody (my son) and Allison (his wife) and yes that is a pregnancy test and yes, it is positive! Wooo Hoooooooooooooo!!!



We've known for a while but have been waiting to get the go-ahead to be able to share the FANTASTIC news.



Here's the kicker ...



it's TWINS!


Their due date is April 19th, one day after Brian's birthday but we figure since there's two of them they'll probably come a little early.

We couldn't be happier or more excited!

I Don't Want to be a Good Christian

No, seriously. I don't want to be a "good Christian". I mean really, when you think about it, isn't the term "good Christian" and oxymoron? If we were "good" we wouldn't need Christ.


The term itself implies that there are "bad" Christians, which sets up a whole system for focusing on behavior rather than the heart. In fact, I Googled the term "good Christian" and came across this interesting article in WikiHow that lays out no less than 16 steps to become a "good Christian". And then as if 16 steps wouldn't do the trick, they added 6 more "tips". And if that were not enough, there are an additional 12 "warnings" to help steer you in the right direction. Good luck with all that. I found the one "reform yourself" especially interesting. As if anybody could.


Like I said, the whole "good Christian" approach is all about behavior. Now I'm not advocating bad behavior ... I just think its a good idea to remember that we're all sinners saved by grace and our need for grace doesn't end when we accept Christ. To me, it's pretty simply, not easy, but simple: Love God, Love People. Nothing else matters.

Maybe Rich says it better....

I would rather live on the verge of falling and let my security be in
the all-sufficiency of the Grace of God than to live in some kind
of pietistic illusion of moral excellence ~ not that I don't want to be
morally excellent but my faith isn't in that idea that I'm more moral than
anybody else. My faith is in the idea that God and His love are greater than
whatever sins any of us commit. ~ Rich Mullins

* Photo by Nikki Sixx who may or may not be a good Christian but is an amazing photographer who I believe "gets it".