New Addition To The Top 15

Or even quite possibly the top 10.

Jason and I watched the movie, Yes Man, with Jim Carrey, this evening. I forgot how much I laughed while watching this movie. It most definately deserves to be amongst my top 15 favorite movies of all time. I'm thinking top 7.

It's a Michelle kind of movie. I cried hilarious/grief stricken tears as I watched this one particular scene. I heard Michelle's laugh. Boy, do I miss her laugh.

Click HERE to catch the MOTORCYCLE SCENE.

Diamond Earrings

I wore my diamond earrings to work today to remind me of God's presence and ultimate control. This worked well because my ears are slightly allergic to the gold posting - a constant reminder. Plus, it's a rare event for me to wear earrings at all (due to the allergic reaction tendencies). I think I'm going to have to switch up my jewelry choice each week - can't get used to wearing something so that I'll hardly know it's there, like my wedding rings and watch. That would defeat the purpose. I've been tossing around the idea of getting a nose ring. I'd get an eyebrow ring but my eyebrows are almost non-existent - wouldn't want to draw attention to the sparsity of them. Maybe I should get a tattoo on my knuckles?

Resurrection Sunday Dance, Budapest, Hungary

We went to my dad's church yesterday and he played this video for us during the service.

It's easy to become so negative when you hear about different current events and disasters - both man-made and natural. It's easy to forget that God is victorious - and will continue to be victorious, because sad & bad news fill the stories on TV, newspapers, Internet, and even in our own lives.

But let's take a few minutes to remember who we serve - and who's side we're on. If you belong to God, you are on the winning team. I tend to forget that. What a glorious day it will be when "we all get to heaven." But we will have glorious moments before then as well - why should we wait?

This video was shot in Budapest, Hungary. 50 years ago, army tanks filled that square and 30,000 people lost their lives. You don't have to think too hard to recall current day events with similar images. Satan tries so hard. What a loser. I hate him.

This is just a little reminder that although it seems like this world is falling a part, and it probably is (but that's okay, it's not our true home), there will be a huge celebration when it's all said and done.

P.S. ~ Dan leaned over to me when the video started and said "Slumdog Millionaire." He's so right - it is like that!

Home Grown & Organic

We had no idea what we were doing, but we grew that salad. We planted it, watered it, tried to avoid spraying it with the weed killer, and then, when we thought it looked good enough to eat, we cut it off at the ground, washed it, and this evening we made a Caesar's salad out of it. I let the kids try it first - I'm a sissy. It just doesn't seem quite right not buying it at the grocery store - seemed kinda weird to me. Since they kept eating it, and Jason said it was crisp and good, I attempted a bite as well. Yeah, it's a salad. Nothing special about it. Same old same old. Hopefully I won't grow any parasites in my intestines tonight.



We ate outside tonight - what a beautiful evening! I'm outside right now - waiting for the chocolate chip cookies to be done baking. (Please hold on a moment, I need to go check them)


---------------------------


This was my first day of joining the kids in Summer Vacation. It seemed more like a Saturday than a Friday - what with having the kids home and all. I've been looking at my kids more closely of late - boy, are they growing up! They're getting their summer coats - turning all golden in the summer sun. Their eyes are beautifully green - a compromise between Jason's big beautiful brown ones and my blue/grey. Noel is looking less and less of a little girl. She's wearing last year's shorts - a little too small - and it proves to us how long her legs are. There's hope that she won't be as short as me! (and fear that she's going to be too beautiful for her own good :) Ethan is looking more and more like his daddy, except for his eyes. What a handsome guy he is! He'll turn 10 this October - where did those 10 years go? In another 10 years he'll be out of the house (with any luck)! I can't believe it - and I hear it being said every day, time goes by too fast.

A few years ago, I used to watch my nephew (the middle guy in the above picture) during the day. He is the same age as Noel. He came over today and is spending the night. It's a throw back to old times - the three of them being together again.

-----------------

I think I might sip a glass of Chardonnay and read my book outside this evening. Sounds good to me. I wonder what you are doing?

A Place By Me

Exodus 33:21-23



God said,



"Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."



"Here is a place beside me."



"A place beside me."



But I must look. And then place myself there.



A wise friend asked me what it was that God might be inviting me to - during this anxiety-ridden time of my life.

And then I thought about what Leslie wrote in the comments about seeing God do the work. That I might be trying to take over what he's been wanting to do.

In trying to survive - could I be getting in the way? Sometimes it's so easy to forget about God. I can't see Him. I can't feel His physical presence. I don't hear Him talking. Not when I most need Him to be the hero, during my work day.

I was talking to Sista Wild Child tonight on the phone. She said she wishes she could hire herself out to people as a personal cheerleader. Boy, would I absolutely LOVE to have her beside me, cheering me on! "Way to go Em! You opened the Una Boot wrapper without any trouble this time!" I can just picture our days together - what a blast!

I'm not saying God wants to be my personal cheerleader, well - that's not all He wants to be. But I'm thinking He wants me to understand that He knows how to do my job. He knows how to do the doctor's job. After all, He is The Great Physician.

So what is He inviting me to?

To a place beside Him. To see Him. To experience Him. He is God. And I am not. I don't need to be in control. I may be inadequate, but He isn't. He wants me to witness Him in action. I think He wants to show off for me. I could be wrong - but maybe not.

Last year He just sat on the opposite side of the couch from me, waiting for me to stop wrestling with Him to find rest in Him. I desperately wanted Him to miraculously pull me out of the pit that I was in. I desperately wanted Him to give me answers. I desperately wanted to feel His strength and presence. But all he did was look over at me, saying nothing for the most part.

It was only after I decided that I didn't need the answers to all my questions that I could find rest in Him. And it was only after I returned to the one truth I knew I could always count on that I could finally experience it. God loves me.

And He wants to be my hero.

I wear a purple purl ring to work everyday now. Jason gave me the ring one year for Christmas. I wear it to remind myself that God is right there beside me, and sometimes, as my wise friend told me, He's wrapping His arms around me as I draw up syringes, or handing the doctor his instruments. Just like a lover would wrap his arms around his love to teach her the proper technique in swinging a golf club. That's my visual. And I wear my purple ring to remind me. Because I can so easily forget in the heat of the moment.

Oh this is going to be a long lesson learned my friends! I'm going to have many ups and downs with it. And guess what? You'll be reading about some of them.

Poop

This post has nothing to do with poop but I entitled it poop so that I wouldn't write the swear word option because I only allow myself a certain quota of swear words per month and I think I should save the rest of my usage until I really really need to so that I will be highly satisfied when I do.

With that said or written, I'll now explain my expletive.

Wait. My mind is shifting to what the TV is repeating over and over again: booby traps. It's quite annoying. How did we ever come to say: booby traps - where did that saying come from? Do I really want to know?

So back to poop. I'm going to have myself a little pity party right now.

My kids have summer vacation and I DON'T!!!!! My heart is breaking. I want to sleep in. I want the care-free days of being bored and wanting to tie my kids in chairs with duct tape over their mouths. I want to drive to stores and go window shopping. I want to go to the park with the creek and get eaten by bugs and threatened by snakes. I want to read for a couple hours, DURING THE DAY, and lay out for 3 minutes before I give up because I'm sweating too much. I want to have aspirations of organizing and cleaning my laundry area and then just take a long nap instead. I want to look at the day ahead of me and wonder; "what am I going to do today?" I want to not care about weekends because they're just like every other day in my book.

I saw those buses drive by my office window today, shipping the kiddos home for a few months of Summer vacation. I heard the kids laugh and have fun, without a care in the world. Dumb kids. I want to be a kid. I want to have summer vacation.

Instead I'm working on a stomach ulcer. I'm still not eating breakfasts or drinking my morning coffee. Stupid summer vacation. Everyone needs to work. Nobody should have off or have fun. Everyone should develop stomach ulcers.

Because misery loves company.




Okay, pity party over. This week started off well. And my kids tend to drive me even more insane - more than my normal amount of insanity. So really, I'm thankful I'll be spared day upon day upon day upon day of being surrounded by children who are not always so lovely. But it would be nice to spend a couple more days with them.

There Is Nothing So Satisfying As ...

... a really good sneeze and an appropriately used swear word. Myth Busters confirms (the swear word usage).

Sorry dad.