Love Does

Well, it's been a long time since I told you about the books I've been reading. There is a huge stack of books by my bed that I won't put away until I blog about them. I thought I would start with Love Does by Bob Goff. Have you read it???

Even though I read it last summer, it has really stuck with me.

Love Does really challenged me to stop planning, thinking, and talking about doing stuff, and just do something. It's no secret to people who know me well that I love to plan. I will plan anything...parties, lessons, vacations, etc. You name it, and I will plan it. Also, I tend to be a big dreamer. There are so many projects and ideas floating around in my head all the time. My biggest problem is that I find it hard to get past the dream and start doing. When I arrive in heaven, I don't want to have to say, "Well, I had a lot of good ideas, but I didn't act on any of them." Instead, I want to make sure that I don't miss opportunities for myself and our family to serve others and share Jesus.

Here are a few quotes from the book that really stood out to me:

This one pretty much sums up the whole book:

"In the end, love doesn't just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it. Simply put: love does." (p. xiv)

"I think of church as a vibrant community of people consisting of two or more of varied backgrounds gathering around Jesus. Sometimes they are at a place that might have a steeple or auditorium seating. But it's just as likely that church happens elsewhere, like coffee shops or on the edge of a glacier or in the bush in Uganda. All of these places work just fine, I suppose. When it's a matter of the heart, the place doesn't matter. For me, it's Jesus plus nothing-not even a building." (p. 14)

I couldn't agree more with the quote above. It's Jesus plus nothing. Period. It is so frustrating to me when we as humans get all torn up over the color of the carpet in the church or some other unimportant issue. It's all about Jesus. Not carpet. Or anything else for that matter.

"I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter." (p. 25)

That one hit me really hard. A year later, I'm still thinking about it and asking Jesus to help me focus on what truly matters for eternity. Those things that have eternal significance.

"God is always trying to save lives, and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it. So the next time God asks you to do something that is completely inexplicable, something you're sure is a prank because it requires a decision or courage that's way over your pay grade, something that might even save lives, say yes." (p. 66)

This idea is really tough for me. I so want to be willing, but I wouldn't necessarily use the words brave and courageous to describe myself. In fact, I often find myself completely tangled up in fear. I don't want that fear to control my obedience to Christ. It's hard.

"I think God's hope and plan for us is pretty simple to figure out. For those who resonate with formulas, here it is: add your whole life, your loves, your passions, and your interests together with what God said He wants us to be about, and that's your answer." (p. 143)

Oh wow! I struggle with this so much. It seems I'm constantly trying to make sure I know and am completely following God's will for my life. I've been reading a lot about this from other sources too. What seems to keep coming up is that since God created us, He is the one who planted those desires, dreams, and talents inside us. Of course, we need to make sure we are using them in ways that line up with the Bible. It just feels super freeing to me to know that the ideas in my head aren't a surprise to God. They are there for a purpose, and I just need to make sure to use them for His glory.

"What I realized about my faith is that I was doing just that, collecting information and memorizing things about God. I collected pictures and gathered artifacts and bumper stickers about Christianity, and I talked about knowing Jesus like we were best friends, when actually, we really hardly knew each other at all. And I memorized Bible verses and the names of the books of the Bible in order and the sequence of a bunch of events as well as who was there. At some point I had to confess that I was stalking Jesus." (p.198)

Because I am a rule follower in life, I tend to make sure I'm doing all the "things" right. Checking off all the boxes and calling it done without experiencing true relationship with Jesus. This also reminds me of the book Not A Fan (it's really great too). I don't ever want to be a stalker or a fan.

I certainly don't have it all figured out, but this book really helped me realize some important stuff. Honestly, I could go on and on, but I've already made this post way too long. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you do. It may just change your life!

(If you have read Love Does, I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

Eternal Significance

It will probably be on my tombstone. The question I ask over and over again to family and friends and most importantly to myself. I'm pretty sure that people get tired of hearing me say it.

"Does it have eternal significance?"

So many times I find myself getting all up in a tizzy over something going on in life. It could be something small like traffic that slows me down. Maybe it's something that seems even a bit more important such as a large bill arriving in the mail or an unexpected job change or loss.

We know that Jesus cares about every tiny detail in our lives. Nothing is too minor for Him. In fact, he wants us to talk to Him about all of these things. He is our best friend after all...isn't that what best friends do?

Here is one of my favorite reminders from Scripture:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

Did you notice it says "in every situation"? It doesn't say "when you get desperate" or "when the situation is important enough". No! It says "EVERY". That means that Jesus wants to hear about it all. The laundry. The dog. The burnt dinner. The exciting surprise. The test results. The birthday party. Everything.

Isn't it so wonderful to know that we don't have to figure out which life events or situations are big enough or important enough to talk to God about? They all are!

I do want to share everything with Jesus, but God has also given me a little litmus test to keep my own emotions in check moment by moment too. It's that original question up there. Does it have eternal significance?

When I feel my blood pressure rising or hear a report of bad news, I try to remember to ask myself, "Does it have eternal significance"? Often, the answer is no. I've only lived 39 years (I am clearly very young), but I've learned that most things that we get upset about are not eternally important. That doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't important at all. For example, choosing a school for your children is certainly an important decision that may affect their lives here on earth. But will it matter in eternity???

It helps me to keep things in perspective. What really matters on this earth is our relationship with Jesus and how we share His love and the message of salvation with others. And that's about it.

When I arrive in heaven, it won't matter one bit how much that broken washing machine cost. What's going to matter is my personal relationship with Jesus and the way He used me through relationships with other people.

So I'll keep praying and telling Jesus all about the seemingly big things AND the small ones, and I know He will keep reminding me what is eternally significant along the way.

Philadelphia aka Tour de Cheesesteak

After we left New York City and Coney Island, we spent a couple of nights in Philadelphia. I'm not sure why this picture of us with the Liberty Bell has black lines on it. We saw the bell, crack and all.

 While we went to Philadelphia under the cover of "education" and "historic landmarks", but visiting the birthplace of cheesesteaks was a real plus. HOWEVER...we didn't like any of them. Seriously. We tried four (FOUR!) different places. We went to the three most famous, and one that wasn't as well known. Talk about a let down!

The first place we went was Pat's. Eh...

 

 Then we went (literally) right across the street to Geno's. Both of these are very well-known.

 And again, eh... (this on was a tiny, tiny bit better than Pat's)

 In between all of our cheesesteak eating, we managed to tour the city and see more historic places. The Betsy Ross house was really interesting. It was a paid tour, but the kids really wanted to do it. I'm glad we did.

 We also took a tour of the Mint to learn about and see money being made.

 Now back to the food...

Brian wanted to try the Roast Pork sandwich from another famous place called Dinic's. It was in Reading Terminal Market. Wow! That market was a crazy place full of vendor after vendor. I wish we had more time in there! Brian thought this sandwich was pretty good.

 In the meantime, Parker and I shared a cheesesteak from a place in Reading Terminal Market called Spataro's. It was the least well known place, but it was the best. Not great...but better than the rest.

 We took a tour of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.

 Of course, we had to go by and visit the Rocky steps and take our picture with the Rocky statue.

 

 Then one last cheesesteak hurrah at Tony Luke's. Better than the other two famous ones, but still just ok.

So as you can tell, the cheesesteak situation was a real disappointment. The meat is just very bland, and there was never enough cheese. The bread wasn't that great either. I'm sorry to be so negative, but I want to save you all the heartache that we have endured. I'm a little bit dramatic.

The moral of the story is this: Go to Philadelphia for the history, but not the food. The end.

(Disclaimer: I feel like I need to tell you that none of us ate whole sandwiches at all of these places. We shared them all except for the roast pork. It was all in the name of research. So don't judge!)

Keep On Survivin'

It seems as if I should have added one more thing to my list of 39 things I don't want to do while I'm 39.

Find a frog in my house in the middle of the night.

Technically, I wasn't the one who found the frog. The story goes a little something like this...

Parker came into our room in the middle of the night and told Brian that there was a frog in the bathroom. I was sound asleep, so I had no idea all of this went down until the next day. When Brian went to investigate, fully intending to find a frog shaped piece of fuzz in the corner, what he found was a frog. A real frog. When I heard this story, I pictured this only even uglier and bigger (the size of the bathtub for example).

Brian assured me that it was a tiny frog that looked suspiciously like Claire's African dwarf frog that resides in a tank in her room. Claire's frog, Ella Katie Murray, is known to be a survivor. First of all, she's lived almost three years. Parker's frog only lived about a year. Secondly, she's survived for months and months in the dirtiest, nastiest, can't even see through the water it's so foggy tank. Maybe we aren't the best frog owners, but that's beside the point. Yep, that girl's a survivor.

My theory is that Ella Katie was so deprived of clean water that she managed to find a way to escape from her tank in a search for the nearest water (the bathroom). I seriously can't find any way that she could have escaped, and it's a mighty long way from that tank in Claire's room to the far corner of the bathroom. Somehow she did it. So Brian, in his middle of the night sleepy stupor, gave her what she was looking for. Water. (Insert flushing sound here.)

We are hopeful that she's swimming in the sewer somewhere singing (in the words of Destiny's Child), "I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it, I'm a survivor, Keep on survivin'".

Swim on, Ella Katie, swim on.

39: Things Not To Do While I'm 39 Edition

My first list of 39 was goals for the upcoming year. So I figured, why not make a list of things I don't want to accomplish during the next year. Here we go!

39 Things I Do Not Want To Do

1. Eat green beans

2. Waste time

3. Care what others think

4. Cook the same things over and over

5. Be fake

6. Get another crack in my windshield (It's already happened twice)

7. Worry

8. Be sick

9. Gain weight (obviously)

10. Lose my patience

11. Miss opportunities

12. Compare myself to others

13. Stay up too late

14. Sleep in too late

15. Eat licorice (gag)

16. See a snake

17. Dream about a snake

18. Find a snake

19. Step on a snake

20. Watch a show/movie about a snake

21. Be bitten by a snake

22. Drink Diet Coke (Diet Pepsi is fine. Even Coke Zero. But not Diet Coke.)

23. Write with blue pens (It's ridiculous. I know.)

24. Get more wrinkles

25. Waste money

26. Eat at Quizno's (I had a very bad Quizno's experience one time)

27. Make excuses

28. Have my house infested with brown recluse spiders (or any spiders for that matter ~ did you see that news story???)

29. Be lazy

30. Be disorganized

31. Complain

32. Be discontent

33. Procrastinate

34. Run a marathon (no thank you)

35. Have chicken pox (I've never had it)

36. Be trapped (claustrophobic am I)

37. Clean the bathtubs (that's Brian's job) :)

38. Watch The Walking Dead (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?! Gross!)

39. Ignore God's prompting

*** Edited to add: I SAW A SNAKE!!!!! It was right across the street from our neighborhood which is entirely too close for comfort. Prayers appreciated.

Visiting Gatlinburg & Ripley's Aquarium

Last weekend we hit the road to work in a couple of day trips. On Saturday, we went to Gatlinburg. It was a little early for the fall color on the trees to be at the peak, but we still enjoyed driving into Gatlinburg on the Foothills Parkway.

These mountain views are beautiful no matter what the season is!

We had fun visiting Ripley's Aquarium. Even though we've been several times before, we always love it.

We also spent some time walking around downtown Gatlinburg. The weather was really nice!

We ate dinner at The Peddler. It was fairly good, but it was pricey and not out of this world. I doubt we'll go back. Just keepin' it real!

Parker was thrilled to find that the headless horseman was back at Ripley's Haunted Adventure. We never go in there, but he likes looking at the headless horseman. A few years ago, they took it out. He was super excited to see that they finally brought it back. Here they are acting scared...

We love spending time together as a family making fun memories!

What I Learned In February

1.  A bad sinus infection can flat knock you down.


2.  Antibiotics don't always work as quickly as I would like them to work.


3.  Little bits of warm weather make the cold and snow that much harder.


4.  All Pinterest recipes are NOT what they claim to be.


5.  Finding holes in otherwise good, newish children's clothes is not a good way to start a day.


6.  I really love Golden Grahams cereal, and I get irritated when someone eats the last of it.


7.  Steroids are not my friend.  They keep me awake all night.


8.  Not getting sufficient sleep makes me miserable.  And quite unpleasant to be around.


9.  Finding curtains in the style and color I want is completely impossible.


10.  I'm not a fan of The Bachelor this season.  Bye, bye Juan Pablo.


11.  Harry and Keith are a nice addition to American Idol.  Finally.


12.  Cadbury eggs are one of my love languages.  Bok, bok.

The Cocoa Creme Is Well Deserved

The truth is that I haven't been to school in five days.  Well actually, I've been to the physical school four out of the five last days, including Sunday.  However, I wasn't there during the school day with my class.  I already told you about my personal day on Friday.  Then yesterday, I had a class I had to go to across town.  I was technically working I suppose.  Then today, I had an appointment...

 

"Oh, no she didn't just put a picture of stirrups on the blog!"
"Oh, yes.  I did."

 Here's the thing, I had A LOT of time to kill while I waited for one whole hour and forty-five whole minutes for the doctor.  So, I took the picture.  And texted it to three people.  That's just how I roll.  I needed some people to feel sorry for me. 

 

Anyway, with that lovely appointment finally over, I was footloose and fancy free.

 

Brian met me for lunch at Fatz.  We had a little fellow from Fatz visit the school a few weeks ago.  He gave all of the teachers gift certificates, so I figured we might as well use them.  If I'm being honest (Simon Cowell), I've never been much of a Fatz fan.  It was pretty good though.

 

Then I ran a few errands, tried on some clothes, and picked up my free Chik-fil-a sandwich (no pickles).  I'm saving it for lunch tomorrow.  Don't tell me it will be soggy.  I'm willing to take the risk.  Cut me some slack...I've had a rough day (see picture numero uno).

I finally have all of my "chores" for the evening finished, and this is about to happen:



The artist formerly known as Hostess Ding Dong

I want to state for the record that I talked myself right out of that ice cream and oreos the other night.  But it's about to get real up in here.

 

Holla.

I Figured It Out

Theologians have debated for many years about Paul's thorn in the flesh.  Some think it was this, others think it was that.  But I know the truth.  I figured it out.

It was a fever blister.  That wouldn't go away.  Ever.

Not so bad that he couldn't function in life or share the gospel.  But just enough to drive him absolutely up the wall.  Or the side of the tent.  Or the jail cell I suppose. 

 

Seriously, people.  This is Day 12.  DAY 12!!! It is much improved.  But hanging on for dear life, Bertha just won't give it up.  She's much smaller and less noticeable.  Nevertheless, she's still kicking.

 

I used Abreva this time.  According to Abreva, the typical "heal time" is 4.2 days.  Let me repeat.  This is Day 12.

 

Clearly, Bertha laughs in the face of Abreva. 

 

Poor Paul! He didn't even have Abreva.  His probably lasted for months and months.  And then a new one would come. 

 

I feel his pain.  Literally.

 

Let's Talk About Books

I've read (or tried to read) quite a few books over the last few months.  I need to start by telling you that I have certain rules about books.  The first and most important one is as follows:

Thou shalt always finish what thou starteth.

For many years, I made myself always finish a book once I started it.  It didn't matter how much I hated it or how much I wanted to quit reading.  I made myself finish it.  Maybe I thought it would get better if I could just stick with it (sometimes that happens).  Or maybe it's just that I couldn't allow myself to feel like a quitter.  That's the more likely option.  I can be pretty hard on myself even about silly things.

I had a breakthrough.  

It happened with this:

Don't get me wrong! Tina Fey is hilarious.  Her book was recommended by so many people.  I really wanted to love it.  The truth is that I just didn't.  About half-way through, I did it.  I even shocked myself when I put it down and decided I was done.  There was quite a bit of bad language, and I honestly just didn't think it was that funny.  

Then with my fancy, new-found freedom I started and gave myself permission to quit a few other books after that.  They were so forgettable that I can't even remember the names of them as I type this.  So I just threw caution to the wind and stopped reading them.  And guess what? The world didn't end! However, we did have that close call on December 21.  Anyway...

I have found a few winners along the way too.  When I read Kisses from Katie, I cried and tried unsuccessfully to convince Brian every night that we needed to sell everything we own and move to Africa. It's an amazing story about a young woman who gave up a very comfortable life to create an even more amazing life in Uganda as the mother of 13 children.  

I also read Jen Hatmaker's challenging book:

At which point, I cried and tried unsuccessfully to convince Brian that we needed to sell everything we own and move to downtown Austin to live on the streets and minister to homeless people.  

Oh, I kid.  Kind of.

It was a VERY challenging book though.  Jen made it clear that the book was not intended as a guilt trip of any kind.  She is so funny and entertaining while also being so honest and real in her writing.  I quickly decided that she should be my friend.  Assuming of course, she knew I existed.  

(Jen ~ In case you are reading this, call me.)

Most recently, (other than a few Christmas books that got the ax), I read Gone Girl.  

I need to tell you that I am usually not drawn to mysteries.  At all.  

But here's what happened:

I kept seeing it show up on recommended book lists everywhere.  Literally everywhere.  My interest was piqued.  

Then I somehow caught word that they are making it into a movie.  That Reese Witherspoon is producing.  Interest double piqued.  

So I decided to give it a try, knowing full well that it might be out the door quickly considering my new, relentless habit.  If it didn't tow the line, it would indeed be a Gone Girl.  GONE!

The author's writing style had me at hello.  I was the one who was a goner.  It was one of those that I couldn't put down.  

At the end, I couldn't even decide whether I liked it or not.  I know that sounds crazy! It's just that it really made me think, kept me interested, etc. BUT I was still frustrated.  Oh, just go read it! So we can talk about it! 

(Warning: Some language and themes are not the best.  I SO wish authors could write good books and leave out all of the trash.)

If you read it, I really need to know! Maybe we can go see the movie together.  Rumor has it that Reese may even be in the leading role.  Which, if you've read the book, you would know is very intriguing.  Oh, go read it already!

P.S. If you have any book suggestions, please let me know!

He Is NEVER Allowed To Leave Again

I have no pictures to go along with this post, and for that you should be thankful.

I have a gross, disgusting story to tell you.  I'm warning you right now that you probably don't want to read this.  Leave now if you must.

Earlier this week, Brian had to go out of town for two days.  He rarely ever has to travel with his job, so I am not accustomed to having him away, especially during the week.  A few years back, he had to be gone for a whole week THREE DIFFERENT TIMES, and it was awful.  Every time he leaves, something goes wrong.  One time, we had a car problem situation.  Another time, we had a leak in our roof.  Seriously, something goes wrong every single time.  So I guess I should have expected that this time would be no different.

He left at the ungodly hour of 5:00 am.  So I was pretty much awake from then on, and I actually got up early.  I should stop here to tell you that I have the best husband in the world.  What? I've already told you that? Well, here's further proof.  He always makes the kids lunches, helps them with breakfast, and takes the dog out/feeds him every morning.  I knew it would be a little harder without his help, but I got up early, remember?

It was so nice to wake up to an upset stomach (mine).  I'm sure it was just my nerves anticipating what was about to unfold.  I had no choice but to start getting ready anyway.  I took the dog outside, then went back up to put my makeup on.  Then I heard both kids yelling, "Yuck, Max stinks!"  That usually means that he has diarrhea.  You see where this is going, right?  Before I could even get in the next room, I heard, "Oh no, it's on my bed!" That's right, dog diarrhea on Parker's quilt.  Clean up began.  Then I tried to get Max into the bathroom so I could clean him up.  He got scared because he thought I was going to give him a bath.  So he ran down the steps, peeing ALL THE WAY DOWN ON EVERY STEP.  Clean up continued.  As I was cleaning the steps, Claire was yelling that a huge spider is in the hallway about to eat her alive.  Spider killing commenced.  So by that time, it was 30 minutes from time we needed to leave, and I was not at all ready, the kids hadn't had breakfast, and lunches weren't packed.  I finally got my upset stomach self pulled together enough to get dressed.

When I finally made it downstairs to get us all out the door, I went to Max's crate to get his bone out for him.  You don't even want to know what I found in there.  Throw up.  Dog throw up.  Everywhere.  When I tried to lift his blanket out that contained the mess, the throw up went all over the floor.  So I started crying.  What else was there to do?  I gagged and cried and cleaned.  And then I gagged some more.  Unbelievably, we made it to school  on time.

And that was just Day One.

(I am thankful to report that Max is all better.  I am all better.  The quilt survived.  The steps look just as dirty as always, but not any worse.  No more spiders have been spotted.  Best of all ~ Brian is back home with us, and all is right with the world.)

Now Just Look What I've Done

Who would have thought that my little announcement on this little blog would have caused such a big scandal for House Hunters?  Oh, I'm kidding! I do think it's weird though that I read that original article that I linked to a long time ago.  I kept meaning to write about it and kept forgetting.  Then as soon as I did, poor House Hunters started getting into all kinds of hot water.  Just a coincidence of course...at least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

I've seen all kinds of news articles about the big scandal, and here are just a few if you're interested:



http://hookedonhouses.net/2012/06/11/house-hunters-what-it-was-like-to-be-on-the-show/

http://hookedonhouses.net/2012/06/15/hgtv-responds-to-the-house-hunters-scandal/#more-43073

http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/House-Hunters-participant-says-reality-show-is-fake/8700426&rss=rss-wabc-ent_story-8700426

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-0619-house-hunters-fake-20120618,0,7667731.story

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/06/authenticity-of-hgtvs-house-hunters-questioned/

In case anybody cares, all of this new House Hunters information doesn't change anything for me.  I still watched it just last night.  And this morning.  And there are seven more waiting for me on my DVR.

I'm About To Break Your Heart

I really don't want to be the bearer of bad news...but you have a right to know the truth.

House Hunters is one of my favorite shows EVER! I love seeing the different houses in different parts of the country.  It's very interesting to compare prices and see what you get for the money in different states and cities.  The different styles of homes and decor also pull me in.  And we can't forget the thrill of guessing which house they will choose.  Of course, the predicting is followed by congratulating myself for my obvious intuitive wisdom or yelling at the people that they are making a horrible choice that they will regret for years to come! Why can't they see that I know what's best for them???

House Hunters is actually kind of a thorn in Brian's side because it's set to record on the DVR.  Since it's on HGTV so often (approximately 27 times a day), it really does seem like it's always recording.  He gets frustrated because it's always on! I really think he secretly kind of likes it though because he watches it with me sometimes and plays right along.  Of course, he still acts all irritated when it comes on to protect his tough guy image.  So for years, I've been innocently watching, predicting, congratulating, and yelling.  Then, I came across this...

The Truth About House Hunters

WARNING: Do not click that link unless you are prepared to handle what's on the other side.  If you click and read, there will be no turning back.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

I'm sorry.  So very sorry.

(I still watch it.  Pretty much every night. With Brian aka Mr. Tough Guy.)

A Special Surprise

I was surprised at school today when the secretary walked through my door to deliver these beautiful flowers to me.  They were from one of my sweet students and her family.  It meant SO MUCH to me! I'm going to miss these little monkeys a lot when they move on to second grade.

(Just to keep it real...one little boy just randomly announced this today: "One time I threw up and my dog ate it".)

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...FIRST GRADE!

Grace for the Good Girl

Ok, here goes...

I finished reading Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman sometime last week.  Truth is, I'm still processing it, and I think I will be for a long time.  I don't know if I've ever connected more with a book than I did with this one.

Here's the Amazon description if you're interested:

Many of us believe that we are saved by grace--but for too many, that's the last time grace defines our life. Instead of clinging to grace, we strive for good and believe that the Christian life means hard work and a sweet disposition. As good girls, we focus on the things we can handle, our disciplined lives, and our unshakable good moods. When we fail to measure up to our own impossible standards, we hide behind our good girl masks, determined to keep our weakness a secret.

In Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman invites women to let go of the try-hard life and realize that in Christ we are free to receive from him rather than constantly try to achieve for him. With an open hand and a whimsical style, Emily uncovers the truth about the hiding, encouraging women to move from hiding behind girl-made masks and do-good performances to a life hidden with Christ in God.

I already feel like God has taught me so much in the past several years about topics that the author discusses in the book, but I just couldn't get over how much I related to her.  My high-lighter got a work out that's for sure.  Claire even asked me why I was writing all in my book! At times, I almost stopped high-lighting all together because it seemed like a waste of time when it was almost every word.  

So here's the thing...I'm a good girl.  At least I try to be.  That's always been the goal.  I was a "good" child, a "good" teenager, and so forth.  Chances are, lots of you all are too.  I never had a big rebellion.  I was saved at a young age and raised in church by wonderful Christian parents.  I was WAY too responsible to risk my reputation, hurting my parents, or disappointing Jesus.  Kind of like a mother hen, I kept all of my friends in line.  At least I tried to, and I felt responsible if they didn't "follow the rules".  Yep, that's me.  Pretty much a big ol' goody two shoes.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm far from perfect.  I've made more than my share of mistakes.  Way more.  It's just that I'm one of those girls with a really boring testimony.  At least that's how I've always felt.  I'm so thankful for my boring testimony, but along with that comes my "good girlness".  

I've rambled long enough, but I must share some of these quotes from the book with you.

"My idea of who I should be is at war with who I am.  I want to be perfect in every situation. I just do. I want to know what to do. I want to know how to do it right."

"Because I care so much what you think, my hiding has everything to do with you. I desperately want to manage your opinion of me."

Preach, sister, preach. 

"Still, I like knowing the rules.  If the sign says Don't Tough, I don't touch. If it says Keep Out, I stay away.  If the form is due on Friday, I'll turn it in on Thursday just in case.  If the doctor says take one in the morning and one at night, I am sure to space them out exactly twelve hours. And even though I admit to occasionally bringing candy into the movie theater, I am always worried that the ticket person will search my bags and throw me out for smuggling in a bottle of water and two Peppermint Patties". 

"It is the false belief that I, myself, am the cause or explanation for the bad, uncomfortable, or dissatisfied people or circumstances around me.  Likewise, it also means that I feel the need to prevent the bad, uncomfortable, or dissatisfactory circumstances from happening in the first place.  I can't remember a time when I didn't feel responsible. I was responsible to be right. I was responsible to look good. I was responsible to have it all together. I was responsible for being responsible."

I'm going to stop quoting now because this post is way too long.  Also, I REALLY want you good girls out there to read the book.  I could write so much more.  SO MUCH MORE.  I want to, and I'm holding back because you need to read it for yourself and see if any of her words resonate with you.  Obviously, the book goes into ways to overcome the fear and anxiety that accompanies being a good girl.  And in the end, it's all about Jesus of course.  

I know I encourage you to read books fairly often, but this time I really mean it with my whole heart.  Especially if you are a good girl.  

(If you read it, please let me know.  I'd love to discuss more of the book with a fellow recovering good girl.)

My Day

So I just posted about Parker's fun program at school tonight on the other blog.  He did such a wonderful job in the role of Stinkbug.  Now I'm sitting here on my "letting it all hang out" blog reflecting on this day.

1.  I had my last evaluation for this school year today.  Everything went really well, so I'm not complaining.  Just admitting the fact that I am tired from the anticipation and carry through.  So thankful it's over, and I can feel good about it.  But tired.  So very tired.

2. An afternoon of homework, dinner and clean-up, fancying up a stinkbug, and racing back to school.

3. An evening of cheering on a stinkbug from the audience, taking pictures, and feeling proud.

4. Home, bedtime, preparing stuff for tomorrow, etc.

5. Hearing a cry, rushing in and finding a child covered (and I mean covered) in vomit.  Cleaning up a bed (with help from the most wonderful husband and daddy in the world), changing sheets, starting the washing machine, helping with an unplanned shower, and tucking in for a second time tonight.  Predicting that it could be a long night.

6. Feeling thankful that I get to be here for every single part of it.  And I wouldn't change a thing.  Except maybe the vomit.

(I really don't like that word.  The "v" word.  I just don't like any of the alternatives either.)

7. Praying.

Hold On To Your Socks

Because I'm about to rock your socks off with some exciting pictures.

Yesterday, we had another fun Spring Break day of doing not much at all other than running around here and there all day.  Brian and I had to meet with our accountant in the morning, then the kids and I shopped a little.  They were extra thrilled to try on clothes and shoes at several stores as you can imagine.  I may have encouraged them to stay the course by the promise of an Icee at Target.  I'm not above a good old-fashioned bribe.  Plus, it is spring break after all. 

Things took a dramatic turn for the worse when the Icee machine had a sign that said "Closed for Repair".  Words of Doom.

With the promise of a Sonic half-price slushy sometime between the afternoon hours of 2:00 and 4:00, we headed off to eat a nutritious lunch at Arby's. 

I present to you the first exciting picture of the day:

See I told you it was going to make your life complete.

After lunch, we had some time to kill before Happy Hour began.  For the sake of saving $1.19, I refused to go before 2:00 and pay full price.  Being frugal is probably one of my best strengths.  I bet Brian would totally agree with that last statement.  Ahem.

So we stopped by Mom's house to visit a bit.  Then Megan came by.  Then Mike.  There was a lot of talking.  Two and a half hours later, I screeched into Sonic on a wing and a prayer just in time to make the 4:00 Happy Hour cut-off.  And drinks were served.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture.

Then last night, I got to spend some time with Lisa eating, driving, and shopping.  We pretty much solved all the problems of the world (as usual).

But here is the only picture I took:

I really have no explanation for why I took this picture.  Yes, it's a picture of my foot.  Maybe I wanted to document that I actually can still half way stand up in heels even though I never wear them anymore.  Or maybe I just wanted to see what it looked like on my giant foot.  Or maybe I just wanted to look like the crazy lady who takes pictures of her own foot in the middle of T J Maxx.

I did discover that I truly can't walk in heels anymore.  I eventually put the other shoe on too and tried to walk around.  If they had people watching the store through security cameras at that moment, somebody got a real laugh.  "Hey, look at crazy lady taking pictures of her foot and walking around like a newborn calf."

In other news, I found myself defending my OVER THE COUNTER Sleep Aid that is currently my drug of choice on more than one occasion yesterday.  So apparently I felt the need to take a picture of my brand new box when I got home last night.  Somehow, I rationalize that it is safer than Nyquil (my one true love) because there is no pain medication or allergy medication or ingredients that contain alcohol.  And I only take one.  That's half a dose.  It's totally non habit forming.  See it says it right there on the box (in this last exciting picture from the day):

You can go ahead and put your socks back on for now, but just so you know...today promises some excitement too, so I'll be back soon with more pictures.  The fun never stops around here.

I Won't Quit My Day Job Just Yet

My Dove dark chocolate tonight said the following:

"Be the first to hit the dance floor."

I have a feeling those chocolatiers haven't ever seen me in Zumba.

I've been thinking of some other inspirational sayings I'd like to find in my dark chocolate wrappers.  Here they are in no particular order:

1. Drink more Pepsi.
2. You look super hot in your minivan.
3. Have you lost weight?
4. Your hair looks fabulous ~ it's definitely not thin and flat.
5. Spend more time on Pinterest.
6. Stop wasting time cleaning, hire a maid.
7. Nyquil addiction is healthy and normal.
8. Watching House Hunters makes you smarter.
9. You are totally rockin' that half eyebrow.
10. Italian Village pizza lowers cholesterol and blood pressure.  Oh, and it's fat free too!

I think I might just have a second career on my hands writing for Dove.  If fact Dove, have your people call my people. 

So what would you like to read on your wrapper?

I May Have Mislead You A Little

My hair really isn't dark brown at all.  In fact, NOBODY has even noticed the change except the people I told to please notice it.  So, everybody just calm down for cryin' out loud. 

I finally updated the other blog, but let me assure you that Phoebe continues to be difficult.  I think she knows her days are numbered around here anyway.  I had to email all of the pictures individually to myself then download and save them all.  Ridiculous. 

Last night, I made lasagna.

Enough said.

(Two days until Spring Break!)

And All God's People Said...AMEN

Welcome weekend! We are out of school tomorrow, and I am beyond thankful.  We just completed our AdvancEd (BIG DEAL school accreditation from the state that happens every five years).  It was lots of time preparing since school started in August, and then two very stressful days with a visiting team in our building.  They visited my classroom twice, but I was fortunately not chosen as one of the teachers who had to be interviewed.  For that, I am very thankful.  The good news is: WE PASSED! The bad news is: every teacher/principal/staff member in our building is exhausted.  Which brings me back to the day off tomorrow.  I have threatened every living thing in this house, and a few non-living things (alarm clock, telephone, etc), to not even think about waking me up in the morning.  One morning this week I was in my classroom at 6:30.  Just to clarify, that's 6:30 in the AM.  Then today I didn't leave the building until after 6:00 pm.  Not that I'm complaining.  Thankful for my job.  Thankful that we passed.  Very thankful for tomorrow off.  And the next day.  And the next. 

(Two weeks until Spring Break!)