What a difference a year makes!

One year ago today, I had the (I still pray) last major surgery to correct a string of recurrent incisional hernias from my gastric bypass. I fought the insurance company for six long months to give me the surgery, since it included a tubal ligation, hernia repair with gore-tex mesh and, most of all, a panniculectomy (which is pretty much a tummy tuck on steroids). In spite of the in-depth research that I did to prove the long-term success rate of such an approach, the insurance company didn't want to spend the money and it took them awhile to understand that spending $25,000 once would be far more economical than spending $15,000 every three months to repair the hernias that re-opened. Thankfully, they finally listened and I had the surgery. I was in pain! You can go here to read a bit more about it if you're interested.

Now, one year later, I am in a completely different place; one that, back then, I knew was coming but didn't really spend a lot of time contemplating. Two weeks from today we will be leaving Minnesota and moving to Illinois. I've got the truck rented and I'm desperately searching for available friends to help us load a truck on a Friday (sigh!). I weigh about 13 pounds more than I did after surgery, which is a bummer, but I haven't had any hernias, which is wonderful. I'm glad, too. I don't think I could handle it if that happened again. I'm leaving my job with my wonderful benefits for the unknown and it is somewhat unnerving to me.

I know my post isn't making a lot of sense. I guess that should be too much of a surprise; it was over 100 degrees today and I packed a ton of boxes in a house with no air conditioning (well, a tiny unit in the bedroom but that doesn't count for the rest of the house) and no screens on half the windows. Perhaps my brain is fried. Or maybe I am on auto pilot, trying to avoid the reality of the emotional pain of leaving my friends, family and city. Or maybe I'm just really glad that I'm not spending tonight lying in a hospital bed, pressing the morphine button to try to stop the pain of three operations in one.

Oh well... Time to take my confused brain to bed. Nighty night.

My heart is a pendulum

I've never thought much about pendulums before... Except in terms of really pretty grandfather clocks and financial matters. A heavy brass marker keeping time. A seller's market responding to inflation and becoming a buyer's market.

But these days, I feel that I am a pendulum, swinging between nostalgia and excitement. I want to move to our new home but I don't want to leave this state. I want to be hired at a new job but I don't want to leave my job at The Big Company. I want to get everything packed, but I want to sleep. Although I am not manic depressive, I find that I am beginning to understand a bit more how it could affect a person.

Our move is three weeks away. I have so much work to do and I worry if I can get it all done. I'm really looking forward to getting to Champaign and getting our truck unpacked and our home settled and our new lives started.

But until that time, my emotions are swinging... A pendulum going back and forth, back and forth until life slows down and the pendulum settles in the center of my life.


Here are some comments from this post:
princssis said...
Just take a deep breath and relax for just a moment. Then, get back to it! I find when I make the decision to finally delve into something, I actually can get things done faster than I thought.
Anyway, I'm sure you'll get it all done. You have to, right? Anyway, we're all waiting patiently down here for your arrival.
See you soon!

kenju said...
That is typical, Blond Girl. Fear of the unknown is always uppermost in our minds. But try to picture the family in the new home, meeting new people, settling in to life in the new place, and you will be motivated to do each day what needs to be done.

Shannin said...
I know what you mean - when I was getting ready to leave California for here I was a constant bundle of emotions all the time. The worst was Don was here...

Chrissie said...
Hi Blond Girl,
Couldn't let you get skipped....
I have moved 42 times 20 years - yes, tis true. I'd find the link to my list of moves, but I'm just way to tired to dig it up - but it's there, somewhere on my blog - within the 80 something posts I've posted.
Each time I feel the pendulum. I don't know why I do it.... I think I was a gypsy in my other life!

Adjusting

Training is going well. So far it's been a lot of "rah rah sis boom bah" - which The Big Company excels at. It's fun, but trust me, the real work is just around the bend. I now know that the specific area of phone service that I will be in is equity trades. I'll actually be using that NASD Series 7 test that I worked so hard to pass back in 2004!

I've been meeting up with old friends and that's been a lot of fun - but it could get me in trouble! My biggest problem has been that I get to talking to my friends and that has made me late from break a couple of times. My trainer has made it beyond clear that this will get me in big trouble if I am not careful. I used to be a salaried employee and I didn't have to worry about being a few minutes late from break - especially since I usually worked more than 40 hours and I didn't get paid OT. Now that I've taken a grade decrease and gone to a phone queue, I am back in the realm of being watched all. the. time. I can't let this be a problem, so I went out and bought myself a hanging watch that I can put on my badge. I'm not a wristwatch type of girl; I just really don't like them. But this should work well for me; it will just hang on my badge and keep me on time.

Another adjustment was that I went out and bought an airbed to use while I'm staying with Mom. She only has a little one bedroom apartment and I was sleeping in her double bed with her, but it didn't work. Hubby, yes. Mom. No. 'Nuff said. Now her room is wall-to-wall bed and I'll share this bed with Sweet Girl until she goes home, but I think it's for the best... at least I know I'll sleep better tonight.

The one thing I don't think I'll adjust to... I MISS CHAMPS!!!!!!!!!! I'm still so grateful for this opportunity, but Oh, do I miss my man!!


The comment:
Paul said...
I'm sure it's tough, but I hope the time goes by fast for you--and Champs. Chin up.

This world has nothing for me

Have you heard the song "Rescue" by The Desperation Band?

Here are the lyrics:
You are the source of the life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name
By which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

My heart is Yours for life
I need Your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in You

I will follow You (This world has nothing for me)
I will follow You (This world has nothing for me)

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name
By which I am saved
Capture me with grace
Capture me with grace
(won't You) Capture me with grace
I will follow You
I will follow You
Jared Anderson© 2003 Vertical Worship Songs/ASCAP

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it; everytime it is played in worship I am there, full on. Even so, I heard it on the radio today on my way into work and it totally stopped me in my tracks. Before I even was aware of what was happening, I was in tears. You see, the one part of the song that I never quite connected with was "this world has nothing for me" - because it does! So much of who I am and what I present to the world is tied up in what I do everyday. I am a Communication Specialist. A Toastmaster. A choir member. A daughter. A friend... you get the point.

But we are moving soon from Minnesota to Illinois. We're down to weeks on this move and I am realizing more and more each day just how many changes are in store for me. So much of what goes into "identifying" me will be stripped away. I will be reduced, temporarily, to the three most important roles I hold in this world: Child of God, Wife of Champs and Mother of Sweet Girl.

As I go through these changes; the laying down of roles, duties, perceived obligations and work to make a new life in Illinois, the only constants I will have are Jesus, Champs and Sweet Girl (well, death and taxes, too, but we won't look at them now :-)

Today, for the first time as I sung the song, I understood what "this world has nothing for me" means to me. Yes, I am still in the world. I will find a new job, new friends (yes, I am keeping the old friends too!) new church - the world will indeed be a part of my life. But this stripping away has brought me to the one true relationship, Jesus, and the two He has placed in my life - my husband and my daughter. Other than that, this world has nothing for me. I am marking time at my job. I can't wait to leave the little place we rent. I am giving away stuff that no longer seems to matter.

It hurts right now to be laying everything down. I'm a security girl; I like my job and my benefits. I like the reputation I have created for myself. I've worked hard to become someone in people's eyes. Right now, my heart is crying out "I need you Jesus. Capture me with grace". and with that cry comes the assurance "I won't be left behind. No one else will do. I will follow You. This world has nothing for me."

Let me not soon forget this moment of Grace, oh Loving God. Thank you.

Editor's Note: My thanks to Margalit, who made the following comment on my meme below, in response to the question, "Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?" Margalit's response was, "I guess so, but it isn't going to make you happy. I get VERY uncomfortable when I go onto sites and see the assumption that everyone walks with Jesus. I don't, I'm Jewish and it makes me a bit skeevy to read posts like your first one.'"

Margalit, thank you for telling me what you think. I understand the "skeevy" feeling; it's the same one I get when I go to people's blogs and it appears that they all assume I hold the same political beliefs they do.

However, in response to your comment regarding this particular post, I didn't write it assuming everyone walks with Jesus. In fact, I didn't write it hopeing it would cause someone to want to walk with Jesus. You see, I come from a family where most don't (and wonder why I do) and I work in a company where most don't (and don't understand why I would choose to). But I do walk with Jesus.

I am going through a particularly trying time in my life right now and my faith is a great comfort to me. I assume that yours is to you, as well. I would expect that if you were going through changes and stress, that I might come to your blog and read, possibly, how the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and the observance of Passover brings you the comfort of knowing that Yahweh brings his people out of bondange. I guess my point is, that everyone, whether we agree with them or not, needs to be free to turn to what helps them, and express gratitude for that help. I didn't write this assuming everyone would walk with Jesus. I wrote it because today I walked farther with Jesus. And no, you didn't offend me or make me unhappy. You made me thoughtful.

Thank you!


Here are some comments from this post:
Beverly said...
I've always lived basically in the same place, except for college years and the few years after that. When I married, I lived in the same city that I grew up in. All my roots are here. It would be hard to have to move.
I will think of you and pray for you as you make this move. Someone gave me a little plaque once that said, "The grace of God will not lead you where the grace of God will not keep you."

1:43 PM
Blogger Geekwif said...
He is the only sure thing. Even more than death and taxes. I think it is hard to understand that line now because there are things that we connect ourselves to here. However, I believe there will come a day when we'll understand that line in a way that we cannot now – when we'll say, "Wow, compared to this the world really held nothing for me." Only the things that really matter will be there because they are the only things that are eternal.
Oh yeah, and I'd just like to say that I expect to be part of your life in this world after the move too. Just add me to the list please..."Child of God, Wife of Champs, Mother of Sweet Girl, and Friend of Geekwif". ;)
P.S. That is one of my very favorite songs too. It's a very good car song.

Pearl said...
Wise response.
I write to myself as the first audience, not to convince anyone else. I sometimes forget readers are out there.
Thanks for stopping by my place.
Warm thoughts your way in these days to learn from.

Carmi said...
I'll be thinking of you and wishing you only the best as you make the trek to your new life in Illinois.
As someone who's done the big move, I can confirm that your identity will remain intact. Who you are is dictated not by where you live, but by what you do when you're there. Since you're already a builder of family and community, I suspect your identity will survive and thrive just fine.

rampant bicycle said...
Hang in there! I've made a big move too (Texas to Canada!) and can speak to exactly how uprooted you feel when you do it. The good news is...you can still build once you're there. :)

Shane said...
change is always good -- maybe inconvenient at times -- but there's always silverlining on every black cloud.
did i just write that horseshit? heh heh

Suzy said...
BGirl, I sooooo have loved that song for quite some time now! It brings me such peace inside. Have you heard Jeremy Camp's 'Walk By Faith'? It's my favorite right now because it talks about... 'because this broken road prepares Your will for me'. Comforting!
Glad I stopped by today....I didn't know who sang the 'Rescue' song. =o)

Body Worlds... Amazing

Have you heard of Body Worlds? It is a traveling exhibit of "plastinated" human beings. There are three exhibits that travel around; the original one is here in my hometown at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Champs and I went last Saturday night and I must say that, while it was an expensive date; OK, a REALLY EXPENSIVE date, it was also really worth it.

First we attended the Omni Theatre for a movie called "The Human Body", which showed many functions of the body from the inside on a 6 story screen. Pretty cool! The sections on reproduction and the blood were fascinating. It's amazing to see a million tiny red blood cells from wall to wall above you!

After that, we went into the Body Worlds exhibit, where there were portions and entire bodies of more than 200 people. The plastinates, as they are called, are people who donated their bodies to be plastinated after death (you can read how the process is done here) . The tour starts small with individual bones and body parts, then moves to a full body. The muscles are so red and the inner organs are the greys and reds you would expect. Apparently the plastination process does a good job of retaining the colors as it stops decomposition.

The first full body was of a man who had been a smoker. His muscles and portions of his ribs were removed so the lungs would show through. They were amazing - black and putrid. Nearby, you could see the lung of a non-smoker and the difference was profound. It reminded me of when I was a child and saw "Casey Jones" (a Minneapolis children's show) feature two lungs like that. I was five at the time and despite the fact that both of my parents and later two of my siblings smoked, I never once lit up; and I never will, due to that sight.

Anyway... The exhibit continued on with bodies in various poses designed to highlight certain body systems. A man playing chess to show the brain and nervous system. A man's skeleton separated from his muscles to show both systems in their entirety. Perhaps the most profound body was one of a woman who died of a fatal disease in her 8th month of pregnancy. Her baby could not be saved, either. She arranged before her death to be plastinated with her baby. The exhibit of her leaning back on her elbow with her uterus exposed and the babe curled within is so breathtaking... And so sad.

One of the things that I found interesting was the fact that there must have been at least 200-300 people milling through the exhibit and yet, it was so quiet in the room. There was a hush that acknowledged some unspoken rule that the plastinate's humanity and final gift must be treated with reverence.

Near the end, I started to be a bit done with the exhibit. Although it was really interesting, I began to get to the point where I could no longer see them as impersonal. There was one body that had been cut from top to bottom in about 5-6 sections and posed one in front of the other. However, the cuts were not always straight through. The heart, for example, was left whole and mounted in one section, with a corresponding space where it would fit into the slice in front of it. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but he was like a standing human puzzle. The problem is that, unlike almost all of the other subjects, they left his skin on. And he had tattoos. And pubic hair. And a balding head. Seeing the tattoos and hair really kind of did me in. After that, I was ready for it to be done.

I am really glad we went, though. The secrets of the human body are fascinating, mysterious and beautiful. If you have a chance to see this exhibit (and you won't have squeamish nightmares, as some of my friends would), then I recommend you go see it. It truly is amazing.


This post created a LOT of comments:
Heather said...
Okay. I am a nurse and there is NO WAY I would go to that exhibit.

Geekwif said...
I'm glad you were able to see it and that it was so fascinating to you. I am just as glad that I didn't see it as I would have been completely overwhelmed by it.

Ravvy said...
it was here in Adelaide, AUSTRALIA for like one day *or one day that i knew of anyway* and i heard that it was even on on the day that it was happeneing and it was so popular, i would've just loved it completely as im a bit of a freaky geek when it comes to the human body and blood and arty stuff like that... so i woulda loved it and been totally facinated! Unfortunately at the time i had no moolah and was unable to go at all.. i really hope it returns...
Great Blog!!!
Here via Micheles Via AUSTRALIA!! :)

utenzi said...
I've read about this in several of the magazines I get. As much as I like science, even forensics, I don't think I want to see this exhibit. It's just a little too visceral to me. It does sound incredible, and I'd have loved to see it when I was in my teens or 20s but I've gotten more sensitive to "death" in my advancing years. Now I think it'd bother me to see such "real seeming" dead people.

Jean-Luc Picard said...
That sounds really creepy. I don't think I'd be keen on going there.

bobealia said...
Wow! My husband is a Med student, and I think he would love that.
I am guessing you didn't mean to say Palistinians... (when you were talking about the pregnant lady) it confused me for a few good seconds. LOL!!!
How expensive was it?

bobealia said...
That is an expensive date!! It was a super cool one though, sounds like...

kenju said...
That's a great idea, and I would definitely go.


panthergirl said...
It really does sound fascinating. I'm sorry I missed it when it was here...although I'm sure I would not have taken my son to see it. Were there kids there?

Sparkling Diamond said...
Wow, how fascinating! I would love to see something. I have always been so intrigued by the human body and I think it is so amazing that we can do something like this. If donating my body could help science learn something new or save someone's life, I'm all for it!


Shane said...
i always thought this process was quite amazing. i know it's controversial among some sects. People need to learn how to lighten up. I just read a post about someone who was outraged over the Geiko caveman commercials -- get a life (rolling eyes)

David said...
uggh real corpses,, dont think I would pay for that - I also dont watch tv, day or nighttime

Tracie said...
I have heard of this exhibit and read about it in several different places, but I am not sure that I want to go see it for myself.

Dara said...
I don't know how I would have felt about that exhibit. I think it's fascinating that we have the technology to do that and use it as a learning tool. Thanks for stopping by.

The Flamingess said...
I've heard about the plasticised bodies, but your description was very enlightening. I'd definitely go. No idea what the highlight woul d be, but I know I'd be faciniated by the technology. I feel donating ones body to science is is an excellent use for the vessel when we are done with it.

I missed the one-year mark! Auughhhh!

I should have written this post on Monday, but I just didn't realize. I am 6 days late. That's appropriate, I guess. I am always late. Heck, I was two weeks and 48 hours late for my own birth, so my continued lateness should be a surprise to no one. I guess my only comfort is that Geekwif is late, too.

But I digress.

I am late for my one-year blogiversary. I started my blog on June 19, 2005. Through this year, I've blogged about funny things, heartbreaking things, exciting things and mundane things. I've met new friends and acquaintances and I've forged closer relationships with my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law in Illinois.

I started my blog as a way to chronicle our transistion from living in Minnesota to Illinois, and continued it when it became apparent that we would not be moving to Illinois as quickly as we has planned. Since I started my blog, I've had a major operation and we have done a home remodel project, sold our house and moved into a rental property. When I started my blog, I expected to choose a school for Sweet Girl to attend kindergarten in Champaign - and she just completed kindergarten in Minneapolis. When I started my blog, my mom lived with us and now she has her own apartment and is living by herself for the first time in her life.

Yes, it has been a year of sweeping changes, unexpected delays and unavoidable frustrations. It has also been a year of growth and joys. I know I haven't been very consistent with my blog, but I will remain committed to it. When we do move in August, it will allow friends and family here to remain connected with us. And when I need to cry or laugh or just shake my head at all the changes life is throwing at me, I know my blog - and all of you - will be here to listen and help me renew my perspective of thankfulness and joy.

Happy year to you all! And happy blogiversary to you, Geekwif!

Moving: A Nice Idea if You Can Handle the Stress!

Our family is moving to Illinios in August. The second week of July we are heading down for a week to try to find a place to live and, hopefully, get some jobs lined up. We're driving in two vehicles; our car and Champs' truck with a U-Haul trailer filled to the gills. We're going to get a storage space and drop off all the stuff until we move. Then we're going to leave the truck at Princsiss' home (Thanks sis!) until we move.

We're hoping to also take our cat down and leave him with someone for the month. The move will be a four day process; two of them driving. The cat doesn't travel well. Our vet is two blocks away and he caterwauls the entire time! We'll have to drug him for the trip, so it would be easier and better for him to be drugged for one day instead of two. Also, we don't know for sure if a hotel will allow the cat overnight. We want to get another cat to keep Gus company, but it's too much work figuring out how to move him, much less move two of them. We'll get another cat in Illinois, probably.

We'll move in Mid-August. That will be, as I mentioned, a four-day process:
Day one: Get the 24-foot truck and load it.
Day two: Leave very early and drive to Wisconsin Dells and spend the afternoon playing and get some good sleep.
Day three: Finish the drive to Champaign (Champs will drive the truck and I'll have Sweet Girl in the car) and start unloading the truck.
Day four: Finish unloading, get our stuff from the storage space, and return the truck.

I was saying the other day that the stress of this move is almost doing me in. I figure, what with arranging the move and then getting everything settled and starting a new job, etc. I should be almost back to normal in, oh, say... October - just in time for the holidays.

I am trying to be positive and upbeat about all of this, but there is just so much going on and so many details to see to - and it seems to be all my responsibility. Champs is on the road three days a week, so I am taking care of the small details. Thank goodness I have him to help with the heavy lifting! haha!

I'm excited about the move, but I'm not happy about leaving my job and my family. What I am excited about, though, is the change in pace for our family. Hopefully Champs will have a normal, in town job that will let him come home every night and I am hoping to start a new business. So it isn't all bad. It isn't all good. It is all busy, and all stress, but when it's done, everything should be right where it's supposed to be.

The Last Heartbeat

My grandmother, who I loved more than anyone can imagine, passed away of pancreatic cancer when I was 17; one week before Christmas. My mom and my aunt were with her when she passed. Mom told me later that she laid her hand on Grandma's chest and felt Grandma's last heartbeat. She described it as incredibly peaceful as Grandma's pain and suffering were over.

The image has never left me and 23 years later I still feel the impact. Most people I know find it comforting to lay their head on someone's chest and hear the strong heartbeat of their loved one. Not me. When I lay my head on my husband's chest, it isn't long before I begin to think of the last heartbeat. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to feel it. So I move my head to the crook of his arm and rest my ear on his shoulder. His shoulder can't pull any surprises on me, right?

I have no fear of death in terms of what will happen to me after I die; Jesus is my Lord and I am confident of His promise of Heaven. I have to admit, though, that the process of getting there does scare me a bit. The thought of my husband or daughter dying scares the bejeebers out of me. So much so that my best friend, Geekwif, convinced me that I needed to stop watching "ER". All those emergency room scenes had me completely worked up over my family!

I wonder what my life would be like without the assurance of Heaven? Without the bone-deep awareness of God's grace? My niece is right; life is short - the promise of each heartbeat fleeting. How wonderful that we can look beyond our last heartbeat on earth... to our first in Heaven.

300th Post (when it was on my old blog)

Editor's Note: This was the 300th post when it was on my first blog. Here it's about the 70th or so, but it was still worth retaining, so here goes:

Have you ever let the weight of expectation build up to the point where a reasonable task becomes an insurmountable task and you don't get anything done? Well, that's what happened to me. This is my 300th post and I've wanted it to be really special. Fantastically special. I couldn't come up with an approach that met my hopes for a great post, so I never wrote anything. The sad part of this, aside from the fact that I let the weight of expectation rob me from reflecting on some really great events lately, is that I have pretty much decimated my readership. Used to be that if I missed a few days of posts, I had comments from people asking where I was. Oh well. Who knows who will read this?

There is a certain sense in which maybe it doesn't matter for now, though I want it to. Our family's move to Another State is getting closer than ever and there are days when I feel like the stress of it all is more than I can take. I have so, so, soooo much to do before we move and I'm not sure I can get it all done. That being the case, I'm note sure how much actual blog writing I'll be doing for the next couple of months. Once we move, however, I'm sure I'll be back with a vengeance as I sort out the new chapter in our lives.

But, this is my 300th post, so I do have to write something. Let's go for my 30 top 10's from recently.... These are in no particular order; more a stream of conscienceness posting, OK?

1. I just got an insulin pump! It is so cool and it will really help to control my diabetes. It is the coolest thing and it can calculate exactly how much insulin I need for each meal or anytime. I must say, though, that it is really weird having something attached to me 24/7.
2. Sweet Girl just turned 6 years old. This is a post in itself, really. We had a wonderful party and she enjoyed every minute of it.
3. Champs may soon move from a 3-day trip to a 2-day trip. Or, his boss may make it a 2-day trip just before we move, so we'll see....
4. Sweet Girl got a free swingset. She loves it. I painted it blue and Champs worked like crazy putting it together. Again, a post in it's own right.
5. Sweet Girl is done with kindergarten and couldn't be prouder of herself. Shortly before school ended, she was tested at a third-grade reading level, so we couldn't be prouder, either.
6. I had a third Longaberger party since January. While it was very successful, I think I am basketed out for awhile!
7. I have a possible job interview on Tuesday morning. Well, I do have the interview, it is the job that is possible. It would be a virtual job, allowing me to work evenings, weekends, from home, etc. I'll know more on Tuesday.
8. I am so happy that "Last Comic Standing" has returned! Love that show!
9. You know, salvation belongs at the top of every "top 10" list, so please pretend that was right up there.... I am beyond grateful to Jesus for His grace.
10. I have a new boss at work and I love her. She is supportive, flexible and understanding. She's also helping me cope with the changes that are coming with great humor.
11. I bought the cutest black high heels in the world and believe it or not, they are comfortable! And soft! And I bought them on clearance!
12. I recently discovered Myspace.com. I must admit that it is a bit confusing, but I'm learning. I need to borrow a teenager to give me an instructional tour.
13. My Longaberger consultant is retiring after 20 years. She had a sale of TONS of baskets and pottery that have piled up over the years. I bought some wonderful pieces at a great price. Of course, I could have spent much, much more. I'm actually proud of myself for holding back.
14. Sweet Girl starts new daycare on Monday. I was blessed to find a great daycare provider whose husband is a teacher. They're a great couple and will work to keep Sweet Girl's learning up over the summer while ensuring she can run around to her heart's content.
15. Today is Princssis' birthday! Happy birthday, pretty lady!
16. I have an idea for a business when we move to Another State. Everyone I've told it to thinks it is a great idea. Now I need to create my business plan, etc. Nothing like a little goal to keep you motivated.
17. Our zoom-zoom car (97 protege) is heading to the 94,200 mile mark and doing wonderfully. I love my zoom-zoom car!
18. Champs, Sweet Girl and I are heading to Hometown City, Another State the second week of July. We are hoping to have job interviews and to find a place to live. We also want to get a storage place for some of our stuff and hopefully find someone who will watch our kitty, Gus, for a month between our visit and our move date. Again, a post in and of itself.
19. My dearest friend, Geekwif, is getting a puppy and she and the Geek are beside themselves with joy over little Razz.
20. Speaking of the Geek and the wif, they are Sweet Girl's godparents. They gave her the most lovely kid's bible for her birthday. This is an easier version for her to read, and it should carry her through to her early teen years. She loves it. Way to go Geekwif!
21. My friend, Amy, has a great website where she's promoting her new CD, "Sparkle". It's Christian pop/rock and a great album. Sweet Girl is Amy's biggest fan and can sing along to almost every single song. I just got a signed copy of the CD today for Sweet Girl. Though we've already got the album, she'll love having her own copy.
22. The local wading pool just opened. It's about 2 blocks away and Sweet Girl can't wait to go. It has a fountain tree for the kids to play in.
23. I was told today that I have the two most important features a woman should have; a great personality and a great pair of legs. Since it was my husband's co-worker and he said it in front of Champs, then there is no guilt and I can just enjoy the compliment. I needed that!
24. We took Sweet Girl to the build-a-bear workshop for her 6th birthday. You've never seen a child have so much fun! The best part: she choose a velvet bear and dressed her in a purple dress. The voicebox she chose? A lion. So my girl has a sweet bear dressed in purple who ROARS! Tell me, what does this say about my daughter? I'll tell ya - Helen Reedy better not stop by here!
25. Champs bought me the most beautiful diamond "mother and child" necklace for mother's day... Now if I could just pick a great present for him for this father's day...
26. I found the cutest frame in the store the other day; it is decorated with daisies, buttons, denim and lace. It says "Sweet Girl". Well I had to buy it! How could I not?
27. When we move to Another State, hopefully (and most likely), Champs won't have a traveling job. Oh, it will be so nice to have him home all week! It's been three years now that he travels three days a week and it is wearing on him, me... even Sweet Girl.
28. OH! I almost forgot! Champs saw his eye Dr. today and though his right eye is still rejecting the transplanted cornea, the rejection is getting better and the doc feels strongly that it will be completely done rejecting in in the next few months. Woo Hoo!
29. My brother-in-law, Tank, is home from Iraq and he is safe. We are proud and truly grateful.
30. The last of my 30 Top 10 is just this: I have so many people who I love and who love me back. They make my life complete and give meaning to all the crazy things I do. Champs, Sweet Girl, my mom, Geekwif, my brothers and sisters, Champs brothers and sisters, friends from church... There are so many. When life gets to be too much (as it has lately), they really anchor me. Thanks, all.

So that's my 30 Top 10. Hope that suffices for a 300th post; the weight of expectation aside. I have to admit it took a lot of thinking, especially near the end of the list, but I think I'll come back soon and talk about a few of these. Night night!


Here are some comments from the post:
Geekwif said...
Yay for 300! Sorry I didn't finish that little project in time. I actually am working on it, believe it or not. Time is just very limited.

A few comments on your top 30 -
#7 - New development? This is news to me. I must know more!
#12 - I've checked out Myspace a couple times, but can't get over the teenie-bopper aspect of it. I think I'm getting old.
#20 - While we would be proud to be parents of such a beautiful little girl, you may want to add the letters g-o-d to that one to avoid any confusion. :) Glad you like the gift.
#24 - Ha! Hear her ROAR!!
#30 - You are always welcome. It goes both ways.

Blond Girl said...
Yeah, Geekwif, Champs saw that about #20 and advised me to change it before you saw it... We were laughing that, if you did see it before I fixed it, you would be soon calling to see when we were dropping Sweet Girl off to her new home.... I've fixed it now. And yes, you are the most wonderful G-O-D-parents!
I'll tell you about #7 soon. We need to get on the phone!

princssis said...
Congrats on #300! Great list, especially #15! :) Thanks!

Women are from Mercury and men are from Pluto

Editor's Note: I am a member of Toastmasters, an international speaking club. I've been in three clubs so far since 1997 and I am working towards the highest designation you can earn, the Distinguished Toastmaster. Currently I am an Advanced Toastmaster - Silver, and I am almost done with my Advanced Toastmaster - Gold. What you are about to read is from an advanced speech I gave today. It is from the Professional Speakers program and is meant to be an entertaining speech. I hope you enjoy it!

John Grey, the famous author of "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" made great strides in the male to female relationship realm and much of what he said makes sense. However, I think that, while he got a good start, he got it wrong. Venus and Mars are only two planets apart. If you ask me, he didn't make the chasm wide enough! The truth, my friends, is that women are from Mercury and Men are from Pluto. I have proof. It all comes down to the facts of territory, temperature and time.

When a man marries a woman, they become one. The trouble starts when they try to decide which one. It doesn't take much to figure it out, though - just the powers of observation. I know as I explain this that you will think I am just supporting a stereotype. Maybe I am. You see, stereotypes exist for a reason - because they are true. No one would make joke after joke about Imelda Marcos' shoes if there weren't a gazillion other women out there storing shoes in every unseen corner of the home, relying on her significant other to look at her feet and say "oh, black shoes" instead of differentiating between the black pumps with the bows, the black slingbacks and the black mules.

So, for the next few minutes I would like you to step out of the socially acceptable politically correct mindset and instead, step into my marriage. I am a true Mercurian and my husband the ultimate Plutonian.

When I say that women are from Mercury and Men are from Pluto, my first reason is the temperature of the respective planets. You see, being so close to the sun, the average daytime temperature of Mercury is about 350 degrees. That sounds about perfect to me. If I were on Mercury, I might finally feel warm! I don't know why, but I am always, always cold. I've lost a lot of weight and since that 100 or so pounds went away, it seems that I cannot get warm to save my life. I am always cold; cold to the point that, if the maracas were missing, you could use my chattering teeth to keep time. Actually, I'm so cold, normally, that my husband would tell you that I am devoid of life. He seems to think that I am a cadaver walking around; something akin to a modern day "Stepford Wife". And there is the distinct possibility that he is correct.

I have become a heat-seeking missile of sorts, looking for sources of warmth to which I might attach and leech out the heat. In the summer, when we are lucky enough to have 95 degree days, all my friends are rushing indoors to the air conditioned comfort of the office while I can be found outside, cheerfully warming myself on a rock. I type for a living and I find that if I stay in the air-conditioning too long, I work up a wind chill on my hands.

It's sad, really. The other day Champs and I were at a band tournament. There were stage lights, food prep machines and over 200 bodies all working together to make the club warm. Of course, they had to turn the air conditioning on. While no one else was even aware of it, the vent some 20-odd feet away from me soon had me shivering miserably. I leaned forward and placed my hands on Champ's thighs. I could feel his warmth - but he could feel my cold through the denim of his jeans! He looked at me in shock and even over the loud rock music, I could hear him exclaim, "good god woman, are you even alive?!?" When I get cold, my skin pebbles with goose flesh so badly that I look like a freshly plucked chicken. Just dip me in 11 secret herbs and spices and fry me up.

Please.

Champs, on the other hand, likes it cool. He would flourish on Pluto. The temperature there is about minus 350 degrees. Just think, permanent air conditioning and you don't even need to have a saver's switch installed to keep the cost down. In winter, Champs sleeps in his underwear only, a stark contrast to my full-on flannel. He is like a furnace putting out an extra 1500 BTU's per hour and I am powerless against the lure of free heat. He finally found a way to keep my cold feet off him at night when he bought me an electric blanket and started "pre-heating" my side of the bed each night. It worked, too. See, all winter long when I got into bed, I would luxuriate in the warmth of my 2 foot wide heated "safe zone". I tried to put my feet on the back of his knees, but it meant moving out of the safe zone, so I stayed where I was. Champs still considers it the best money he's ever spent.

There's another reason that I can prove that women are from Mercury and men are from Pluto; it's a matter of territory. Just look at it's name - Mercury is the god of commerce. Um, hello? This is a guy who understands a woman's prime function in life: shopping!

As the second smallest planet, it is the perfect size for shopping, and shopping is definitely part of my territory. I have a world to decorate, people! Now, like I said, I am dealing in stereotypes here, but they are stereotypes into which I fit like a glove.

I suppose there are a few women out there who don't enjoy shopping, but I have never met any of them. Food, clothes, shoes, beads, crafts; it doesn't matter. We all love and need to shop. Champs has figured this out and pretty much leaves me to my own devices. He has learned to give me a list of what he needs and then wait for me to bring it home. It is much less painful for him than going shopping with me. In fact, there are only two places that he will happily accompany me shopping: Cub Foods and Home Depot and that is only because they fit firmly into his territory.

Let's face it, men are all about the food and the tools, and when you can combine the two, you've pretty much reached nirvana. What, you don't believe me? Just watch any man grilling up brats or a steak. He is in his element. He is in his territory. It fits; Pluto is the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld. Sounds like a dead cow sizzling over flames to me.

Not to mention, Pluto is the name of a famous dog. Doesn't every husband want a dog? Oh yeah, and then there's the spiders. Correct me if I am wrong, but it is every husband's job to kill any and every offensive bug that creeps into his territory, isn't that correct?

Yes it is.

God of the dead, I tell you.

Another thing about this territory issue is the size of the territory. Pluto is the smallest planet and Mercury is a bit larger. This is appropriate. If you look at the average house, it is clear that the woman has the larger territory. The garage? That is Champs' territory all the way - but I have the house and I mean just about all of it. Every closet, no matter whose clothes are hanging in it, is mine. The bathroom is mine. OK, yeah, you've always heard that the bathroom is the man's, but if you really think about it, the toilet is his. Everything else? My territory. Here's how it works: if I clean it or I decorate it, it's mine.

When you look at the territory of men, what one word comes to mind? Tools. Yes, tools. Home Depot is Mecca to my husband. He has a list of power tools that he needs. This is a man who really doesn't want to build anything, he just wants to know that he could be ready to do it at a moment's notice if so inspired. I didn't understand this at first.

I've come a long way in my understanding, however. When Champs first started explaining all the tools he "needed", I couldn't begin to grasp why the man would need 5 saws. A jigsaw, a handsaw, a miter saw, a reciprocating saw and a table saw. Um, isn't a saw supposed to cut? How many ways to cut are there, anyway? But then I got it; it's like shoes! Just like I could not expect one pair of shoes to meet the needs of my cute feet, Champs could not expect one saw to meet his cutting needs. And now we understand one another: I get shoes, he gets tools. The secret for us Mercurian women is to truly understand the pull of the power tool on our Plutonian men.

Case in point: This last Valentine's Day was the first time in our marriage that Champs and I had enough money to actually buy presents for one another. Since he was going to be out of town on the big day, I asked him two days earlier what he wanted to do about the holiday. I expected him to say something like leave Sweet Girl with Grandma and go out to dinner that night. But he pulled the rug out from under me. He said he already had something planned. After a bit of drilling, I found out that he had spent about $100.00 on me and I would get it when he was out of town. Auugh! I had to figure out quickly what to do for him that would equal what he was doing for me - and have it ready by the next night. It had to be loving, meaningful and above all, romantic. I could not think of even one thing that was romantic and would fit the spending limit! I thought of a bracelet I had seen at the jewelers, but I knew that, while I always think jewelry is a good gift, it would not mean much to Champs. If it were Christmas or his birthday or anytime when I didn't have to be romantic, I would have no problem; power tools all the way, man. But this was Valentine's Day! Unless Cupid uses an air-compressed bow and arrow, I couldn't see how tools would be romantic.

I polled all my friends. I was asking one friend on the elevator for her opinion when a man who was couldn't help hearing our conversation spoke up. "Go with the tools", he said. "You can't go wrong with tools". My friend nodded in agreement. Soon I was asking every guy I could find; bracelet or power sander? Without reservation, every guy said how cool a power tool would be. "But that's not romantic!" I would exclaim with dismay. One guy finally cinched it for me:
"Do you love him?"
"Yeah."
"Does he love tools?"
"Well, yeah."
"O.K., then get him what he loves to show him your love."

With a sigh of resignation, I bought Champs a hand held screwdriver and a power palm sander. I wrote on the card "you smooth out my rough edges" (I didn't mention the screwdriver since that pun would have been a little over the top). He loved it! Funny me, I thought the dozen roses he had delivered to my office were pretty romantic, but to him, that was romance. Go figure.

Now, if you still need proof that women are from Mercury and men are from Pluto, all you need to do is consider the element of time. Did you know that a year on Mercury is only 88 days long, but a full day (from sunset to sunrise) takes 176 days? How typical is that, ladies? Your day is ALWAYS longer than your year!

Not only that, but of all nine planets, Pluto is the only one that doesn't orbit around the Sun in an orderly fashion. Pluto orbits the Sun on a different plane than the other eight planets, going over them and below them. While all the other planets are going around in an orderly circle, Pluto has this elliptical orbit, where it goes around the sun in an oval shape so that it can quickly run ahead of its neighbor, Neptune, every hundred years or so and try to get there quicker. Now, I ask you: Won't ask for directions or follow the map and is always trying to get there quicker... Who does that sound like? I'm telling you, men really are from Pluto!

It has been said that too many couples marry for better or for worse but not for good. You can be married for good. All it takes is a true understanding of the unique traits of the man and the woman in the marriage. I mean, women may be from Mercury and Men may be from Pluto, but thank God we are at least in the same solar system!


Here are some comments from this post:
Mom Nancy said...
That's an amazing essay. YOu should send it to a woman's magazine or something!

princssis said...
OK. How in the WORLD do you come up with this stuff? Either you have a very vivid imagination or you do a lot of research before blogging!
I had to laugh about the "Pluto is the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld. Sounds like a dead cow sizzling over flames to me." However, I have to disagree with you about the spiders. I am the spider killer in our household! Who would've thought a 6 foot tall man would shudder when a spider is in sight and call for his wife to kill it!? Ahem. HERE!

kenju said...
I have decided that men will not ever understand women in the same way that women understand men. Mine wouldn't know a tool if it bit him, so that doesn't work as a gift in our family....LOL

Geekwif said...
You're too too funny. Good speech. I hope your fellow TMers loved it.

Shannin said...
Very, very funny... I may have to print this out for my husband, although he's not a tool guy (deathly afraid of anything that has to be plugged in - some deep, dark trauma from his childhood I think).

Guppyman said...
Tools are ALWAYS good. And you should have gone with the screwdriver pun.... that's always good too.
Oh, and by the way... I actually use my garage full of tools.... Most women I see NEVER wear half the shoes they own.

princssis said...
Oh, I see you added the editor's note! That 'splains all the "research". You changed it a little, too, didn't you?
It's still very good!

Blond Girl said...
Very observant, Princssis; not on the "editor's note" - that's pretty big, but on the other changes. Yes, I added some things from the actual speech that got some good laughs as well as edited out some little problems that I created by cutting and pasting from Word.
I'm so glad you liked it! Now I just need to get my butt in gear and write another post....

Corporate stupidity sent me home

I had planned to work until 5:00 tonight. I left the office at 4:30. I gave up; corporate stupidity had done me in.

As a Communication Specialist, I do at least 90% of my work in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. I store all my documents that are being developed or are legally approved in a shared drive on the company network. Our shared drive is running out of room.

Today I worked for over 5 hours on two letters that were not so much written as designed. Fully formatted with forms, information sheets, disclosures and the most carefully worded enhancement offer for our annuity clients. Lots of work, folks, and works of art, if I do say so myself.

I also worked on the updates to two financial statements that are set to go into production in one week. They are being developed but the developers realized they couldn't use some text I had written and had legally approved because our system couldn't calculate the date to go with the text. So, I had these two statements going through a rush (and I mean a mach 20 rush) legal approval.

In the midst of all this work, I went to access the statements and found that someone had DELETED ALL MY DOCUMENTS OFF THE SHARED DRIVE! People, we are talking about four years of document development! After I got my heart started again I contacted our technology desk. They said the documents were probably deleted because they needed the space for "regulatory documents". Um, people? Everything I write is legally approved and stored for NASD audit. How much more regulatory do you need?

I know they'll get my documents back. See, they did this two weeks ago, too. Apparently I didn't make myself clear last time when I said they couldn't delete my work. Tomorrow I am going to make them figure out who hit the delete key and I am going to personally visit them. Then, when they restore my files, I am changing the name of my folder to "Don't Delete These Documents if You Value Your Life". Maybe that will work.

I love working for The Big Company. But once in awhile, corporate stupidity can really put a crick in your week, you know?


Here are some comments from this post:
Geekwif said...
Just one of the many reasons why I hate working for big companies. I hope they are able to get back all your docs.

Shannin said...
Ha!! That's why anything I cannot lose/recreate I copy to my P drive as well. I know, I know - not company policy, but when a year's worth of data gets "accidentally" deleted that's not a good thing.

We Scare Me

Not long after Champs and I were married we found, like most couples, that we tend to think alike. It wasn't long before we were finishing one another's sentences. Before much longer, we were thinking of the same thing at the same time - things like Champs saying "you know, it's been awhile - we should go to Chevy's for dinner" at the same time I was thinking that going downtown for a mess of fajitas sounded like a good idea.

I think it was about a year into our marriage when I first said "We scare me". When we think of the same thing at the same time, we scare me.

Tonight we SO scared me.

First, the background: In January Champs and I bought two MP3 players which were, to put it mildly, pieces of crap sold by Samsung. We returned mine, but before we could return his, Champs accidentally dropped it from about 12 inches above the ground. The face cracked. This was four days after we purchased it. Best Buy couldn't take it back because it was "customer damaged". I called Samsung who refused to make good on their product. I explained (ad nauseum, to whomever I got on the phone) that an item made to be portable needed to be of higher quality. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally dropped my Kyocera cell phone or my Palm Pilot - and they have emerged unscathed. As I explained to the Customer Service Manager, if the company makes a product that breaks that easily and the company will not support the repair or replacement of that item, what am I to assume but that they produce crappy products and they know it?

All to no avail. We still have the damaged Samsung player and no satisfaction from the company. As far as we are concerned, all Samsung products are crap and we will NEVER purchase anything made by that company again.

Fast forward to tonight. A cell phone commercial came on with two guys bragging about all their phones could do. Live TV, text messaging, video and theft deterrent. The "theft deterrent" came in when one guy threw his phone at the other guy.

Then the commercial broke to the product. It was a Samsung cell phone. Champs and I started laughing and had this conversation:
Champs: "That wouldn't stop a thief!"
Me: "Yeah, it would break the first time. Well, it is a theft deterrent, actually."
Champs (laughing) "Yeah, it's a Samsung. No one's going to steal it!"

Then he pretended to be a thief taking a phone and looking at it and pretending to return it to his victim: "Oh, man, I'm sorry. You can have your phone back. This is a Samsung. Here you go!"

And this is where we scare me: Champs and I then said, in almost exact candence: "In fact, man, here's another phone." (meaning that the thief would feel so sorry for anyone having a Samsung phone that he would give the guy one of the others he had stolen). Then we both looked at each other and busted out laughing. The same thought, the same moment.

We SO scare me!

(I hope you can picture it - it really was a funny moment, but it's a little hard to describe it without facial expressions and vocal intonation...)

About a year ago I apologized to a friend for rescheduling the second time. I explained that I was just so busy I was juggling everything. She basically told me she didn't care how busy I was; I was copping out by playing the busy card.

It caught me up short.

Since then I've tried to not make "I'm busy" an excuse. And for the most part it has worked. The only problem is that I am now trying to cram even more stuff - work, time with the hubby, time with the Sweet Girl, appointments, friends, ideas, housework, move planning, free-lance work for others, worship team, etc., etc., etc. into the same about of time. I heard once that if you want something done, ask the busy person to do it, since that person is likely to find a way to do it.

I seem to be that person.

One unfortunate side effect of all this busy-ness is that my blogging has been suffering. While I think there are people who would read my blog faithfully if I wrote in it faithfully, I am pretty sure I've alienated them all. Sigh.

I'm not sure, short of cloning, what the answer is. I do know that I will be glad when we have moved to Another State and gotten everything settled. I am finding that this big of a move affects everything. Absolutely every aspect of my life is in flux right now.

Speaking of the move and being in flux, here is something you can pray with me about, if you will.

There are two reasons are family has not yet moved to Another State, although we've been officially planning the move for almost a year now. The first reason is that Sweet Girl is still in kindergarten and we didn't want to uproot her in the middle of a school year. That alone put our move out to summer.

The second reason is more complicated. Champs had a corneal transplant in his right eye on April 27, 2005. In order to move, we need to have his eye in good health and, preferably, with a special contact fitted for him. Well, he has been fighting rejection in that cornea since the beginning. That eye is the last piece to fall in place for us to move.

We just met with Champ's eye specialist on Friday. The last time he was in a couple of months ago, the doctor said the rejection was still there, but weakening. We were hoping for a good report when we went in this time, but it wasn't what we were hoping for. As it turns out, this cornea is still rejecting. However, it is only about a 30% rejection and is focally-located, meaning it is a very small, specific area of rejection. The doctor explained that this is unusual. He has seen it before and it can still be quelled. Essentially, Champs has too good of an immune system; you can't pull the wool over his eyes (no, that pun was not intended, really!)

So, we know that he won't have a special contact fitted before we leave. The question now is, can we quell the rejection so we can leave? The doctor gave Champs another cortisone shot beneath his eye (ouch!) to hopefully stop the localized swelling. He is also sending Champs to his internal medicine doctor for a new treatment; a type of anti-rejection medication used on other types of transplant patients. It has to be monitored carefully with liver tests and, apparently, is very expensive. This makes me worry about the cost of medicine after we move. Who knows what our insurance situation will be? Some jobs will insure a worker immediately, while others will make you wait six months or a year.

Yeah, I'm treading water - in more ways than one!

I Feel Pretty

My hair has gotten very long and has been feeling pretty lifeless - that's the way a lot of life has been feeling lately. My friends have been complaining about my reliance on ponytails. I needed to cut off some of the length and give myself a reason to use some styling mousse instead of a scrunchie every morning. Not to mention, I'll soon have to go on a bunch of job interviews for our new life in Illinois. Clearly, it was time for a haircut.

I used to have a gal named Lisa do my hair at a salon back before I met Champs, but I stopped going to that salon when Lisa left and started going to another salon every 11 months whether I needed it or not.

Well, my friend Amy told me about her hair stylist, Lisa, awhile back. She said she does hair in her home and recommended that I go. Meanwhile, another girl at church, Sarah, kept telling me I had to have her roommate, Lisa, cut my hair. I planned to go see Amy's Lisa, but I kept forgetting and forgetting to get Lisa's number. Finally a week or so ago I remembered and got it from Amy.

Yes, you guessed it - turns out Sarah's Lisa is Amy's Lisa who was my Lisa. Cue the Disney "small world" music... I had so much fun catching up with her! Her little girl and Sweet Girl played together while I got a triple foil color, cut and brow wax.

I took along a photo of Reese Witherspoon with the haircut she had in the movie "Just Like Heaven" as a starting point. No, I don't think I look like Reese, but we both have high cheekbones and pointed chins, so I felt that a cut that looks good on her will have a great chance of looking good on me. Lisa agreed, got out the scissors and, boom, 6 inches of my hair, GONE.

Now I have a shoulder length bob with lots of lovely blond highlights and lowlights. It has lots of layers and moment. I love it.

Plus, I got my brows waxed. It's been awhile. I won't kid you; it hurt! Especially the right eye. Those hairy little buggers didn't want to come out. I think my eyeball folded on that one it hurt so much. But I didn't yelp or cry or anything. Hey, I'm a woman. I've had 5 abdominal surgeries and I give myself 5 shots of insulin everyday. I can handle a little wax pain. That said, don't EVER ask me to get a bikini wax! Man, it just ain't happenin!

I feel pretty tonight. I needed this. Who knows? Maybe when the redness goes down, I might even post a picture of my new look.... Maybe.

The New Tot in Town

Here in the land of 15,000 (at least) lakes, we have a number of news stations. Most of my friends or folks I talk to tend to watch Kare-11. There's others, but none that are as happy. And you know, to Minnesota Nice, there is nothing so important as being able to find a happy place in the middle of whatever else is going on. Gas prices too high? Murder at Block E ("E" for execute, perhaps) getting you down? War in Iraq too much to listen to? Well, at least there are the smiling faces of Mike and Julie to soften the blow and Bobby and Belinda to tell us how to make our roses grow.

Now, I know I sound sarcastic, but I don't mean to. I can't help it, really; sarcasm is like breathing for me; sometimes it's fast and shallow and others deep and belabored, but it's always there. I digress. In spite of sounding sarcastic, the truth is I prefer it. If I didn't, I would watch a different channel. But I like Kare-11. And I like their new weekend meteorologist, Sven Sundgaard.

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day when she mentioned Sven. Or tried to, anyway. Our conversation went something like this:

Mom: Have you seen the new weekend weather guy? (She doesn't attempt a word like "meteorologist". The woman has at least a cursory understanding of her limits)

Blond Girl: Yeah. I like him. He's young, but personable.

Mom: Yeah, he's young. What's his name? Seven? Sween? Sw....????

BG: Mom, his name is Sven.

Mom: Yeah, that's right. Sween. No, Seven... ????

BG: Mom, it's Sven, can't you pronounce that? (Insert amazed tone here - how many Sven and Ollie jokes has my father told over the years?)

Mom: Nope, it's too hard.

BG: Really? Mom, you're a native Minnesotan! You're half Scandinavian. "Sven" should be a no brainer to say - like "tater tot hotdish"!

Now, whenever I watch the weekend news on Kare-11, I'll be tempted to say, "Oh, there's that nice new weatherman, Tater Tot!"



Here's some comments from this post:
Geekwif said...
Holy cow! The guy looks like he's about 16! I guess you really meant it when you said "tot".

Shannin said...
I don't think he's allowed to do the 10:00 news - it's after curfew!!
I remember when he was introduced and Don and I, native Californians and all, had to make fun of Sven Sungaard... Hey, back home we had Fritz Coleman and Dallas Raines...

HolyMama! said...
ok, i don't know how to pronounce sven either.

Anonymous said...
I live in an apartment complex in West Minneapolis and was riding the elevator when one day is see Sven hop on. Wow, he is a pretty short guy... 5'3" maybe.

Moncrief Speaks said...
I sort of love your blog.
And you know Sven has his own blog, right?
http://www.kare11.com/cs/blogs/sven_sundgaard/default.aspx

Who Would've Thunk I'd be Happy to do Laundry?

I should be sleeping, but thanks to low blood sugar, I'm not (ah, the joys of diabetes). Since I have a pretty busy day ahead of me, I'm going to get today's posting done now and get that much further ahead. Man, what a day I had yesterday!

Since we moved here in January, I've been doing my laundry at a local laundromat. Laundromats cost a lot of money and take a pretty big chunk of time out of your day (not to mention the oogie factor of washing your clothes in the same machine that someone else just washed their underwear and who knows what else in, but I do my best not to think about that). Therefore, I've worked pretty hard trying to get us laundry capability here at the rental, only to be thwarted time and again.

See, there was a washer and dryer here when we moved in. However, they were both so old that I'm pretty sure Moses washed his tunic in them. They were just disgusting. And since I have a pretty high oogie factor, I vetoed them before we even moved in. Instead, I put out an ad at The Big Company employee classifieds for a free or cheap washer and electric dryer. Fifty dollars later, we were in business. Since Champs has a cargo van for work, we were able to easily pick them up and store them in our garage for the move. Sounds great, right?

Not so much.

It took a couple of weeks after we moved for Champs to find the time to get everything settled in the basement after moving to get the machines swapped out with the disgusting ones. Since more than half of our stuff is boxed and stored in the basement and we had something like 10 guys helping us move, the boxes were everywhere down there. Once the basement was cleaned up and Champs went to get the machines in, he found that there was a problem with the dryer. It was electric, but the house is not wired for 120 amps. Auugh! After deciding that the ancient dryer wasn't as nasty as the ancient washer, he put that one back in. So there were two dryers in our basement. Sigh.

Right away we realized we had another problem: the floor under the washer had a serious slope and the washer was so out of balance it did a dance of distress just agitating the clothes, never mind actually spinning. We tried everything to even it out and level it, but nothing was working, so we had to let it go for awhile. Sigh again.

Then I tried the ancient dryer. It took (and I am not kidding) 2 hours to dry a small load! Darn and sigh!

OK, so some time passed and lots of laundry was done at the Laundromat (Oogie). Then one day at work I saw an ad for a free gas dryer. Lo and behold, a guy at work had a 7 year-old dryer that works great; all he wanted was for it to be hauled away. Champs gladly went and got it and soon I had one wonderful Whirlpool dryer with 7 cycles and the promise of faster clothes drying. By this time, Champs had also figured out that one of the leveler feet was missing on the wash machine and got a replacement at Home Depot. I was so close to doing laundry in my own home that I could smell the Downy!

Problem: the gas connection leaked. And the venting tube was broken. Here I was, with three dryers in my basement and no clothes getting dry! Darn, darn and sigh!

Well, we got the gas thing looked at and figured out what was wrong so Champs could fix it. Then yesterday Champs was able to get the washing machine leveled and the dryer drying safely! (!!!!!!!!!!!) Four months and two days after we moved in, I got my laundry facilities back and I couldn't have been happier. I did 10 loads of laundry yesterday; all the regular stuff plus all of our summer clothes that I pulled out of storage. I think I kissed Champs about a million times through the day and thanked him repeatedly. I love my man!

I also cleaned out our coat closet, washed the cat-box and the cat, stored away our winter clothes, cleaned the house and packed four boxes of knick-knacks and baskets away in anticipation of moving in August (and Champs worked like mad, too; the yard looks fantastic). All in all, I worked my tail off but Oh, did it feel good to get it all done and to be able to do the laundry again! I do love the smell of Downy in the afternoon....

Fetch, Rover!

I think we gave the cat the wrong name. He is named Gus, after the roly poly mouse in Disney's Cinderella. Only he's not roly poly and he isn't mousy. He is a bit cheeky like Gus and the same color, but after that the similarity ends.

If anything, I think we should have named him Rover or Fido. Why? Because this cat has taught himself to fetch.

Yes, fetch.

I have owned many cats through the years and I have never had one that fetched. Even the one who was raised with a dog would sit up to beg for food, but he never fetched. This is a new one for me. You see, it all started with pipe cleaners. I bought a package for Sweet Girl last year and she quickly went through the fun colors. The pink, purple, teal and yellow pipe cleaners are long gone. There are these orange stragglers, however, that have just hung on. I don't even remember who or how it started, but we started using the orange pipe cleaners as kitten toys. They are purrrfect cat toys! You can bend them into any shape and, when stretched out long, make a wonderful wand for the cat to bat at while leaving your hand out of the reach of unbelievably sharp little kitten talons.

Well, one day I got tired of playing with the pipe cleaner, so I tossed it on the floor. About 15 minutes or so later, the cat had carried it back to me for another play session. I gave him about 3 minutes of half-hearted playtime then threw it away again. This time he was back about 5 minutes later. I threw it to the floor right away and he went after it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now he expects to play fetch all the time and initiates the game daily. Gus brings the pipecleaner to me, then crouches expectantly, waiting. When I throw it, he bounds off my lap, jumping as high and far as he can. I've seen him soar 5 feet in a single leap off the coffee table in pursuit of his orange obsession. He brings it back, drops it in my laps and waits - then bounds off with joyful energy at my next throw.

Gus' favorite time to play is first thing in the morning. Or just before bed. If I refuse to play, he meows at me in the that voice that can only mean "hey lady, what's your problem? I know you're planning to lop off my pro-recreational equipment next week. Can't you at least take a moment to play with me? Huh?"

And so I play fetch.

With

My

CAT.

Many Crowns

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

I always look to Easter to be a great reason to get a new dress, and this year was no different. Geekwif and I went out shopping yesterday and I bought new shoes, a new skirt and top and a new dress, as well as accessories to go with the dress I had already bought for Easter. All in all, it was so much fun to go shopping and to plan all the things I wanted to do to make me and Sweet Girl look cute for the big day.

This morning I did all I needed to do; curling irons, make-up, nail polish (for me and the girl), new shoes, hat for the Sweet Girl, etc. Right on time we tumbled out of the house resplendent and ready for the service. I'll admit, the morning was a study in stylish narcissism. Sweet Girl was set to take part in her children's church program and I was ready to sing on the worship band choir.

When we got to church, though, I had the happy and thoroughly welcome reminder that it is not all about me; it is all about HIM. Worship opened with the classic hymn "Crown Him with Many Crowns" and then the children did a processional to the song "Agnus Dei" while the worship band sang. This littlest children (of which Sweet Girl was a part) had "wings" attached to their Easter finery and danced like angels. The older children waved flags and banners. At the front of the church there was a red chair set to represent the throne of God. One girl danced around with a crown of thorns while a boy danced with a royal crown of jewels. Both crowns ended up at the throne.

The poignancy of the moment almost made me forget to sing. How many times through the years have I blithely sung "Crown Him with Many Crowns" and not thought about what those crowns were? I have long assumed it meant the crowns we earn on this earth to throw at His feet. It was different for me to think about the song in terms of the crowns that He already had.

King of the Jews.

Son of God.

Son of man.

The Great I Am.

My five year-old and all the others danced on unaware of the new facet of praise they had given me. But forever more, when I see her twirling I will think of her wings, the crowns, the throne and the absolute wonder of the all powerful King who laid down his crown of jewels to wear a crown of thorns - for me and for you. As we sang in worship, "The darling of Heaven crucified, Worthy is the Lamb!"

He is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

As (almost) always, read on for my question of the day...

I am finally, actually, really going to do it!

No, not tell you our names. I will never be ready to do that. But I have been blogging for almost a year and I feel like it's time to post a picture of the family. I've been seriously considering it since Geekwif posted The Truth and The Real Truth. Then Paul, who has never posted a photo, posted one of his daughters and another of him and his First Wife. Well, that inspired me and now I am ready. So, here we are this last Christmas. In fact, it was our Christmas card. I bet you can easily guess which one is Blond Girl, which one is Sweet Girl and which one is Champs.



Kinda funny, actually. I asked Champs if he felt it was safe for me to post it and he said, "Sure. Just tell them all that I'm a big man with an Irish-German temper. They won't mess with me." That's my man. You know, when we got married, we wrote our wedding vows. In addition to the classics - love, honor, respect and so forth, he promised to protect me and our children. And he has. I love how safe I feel with him.

I should have some great insight to post tonight, but I don't. Champs is leaving for his weekly three-day road trip tomorrow and I want to spend time with him before he leaves, so this is going to be a pretty quick post, actually.

Have a wonderful evening, everyone. I am going to go spend some time with my Champs and also read some more of "She's All That" by Kristen Billerbeck. Loving this book!



Here are some comments from this post:
Paul said...
Nice picture of happy people. Happy is the most important part. I can see that you're blessed.
Your family is so good-looking--we must be related.


Suzy said...
Awww how sweet!! I always wonder about the blogs I love...what the person looks like and the such. I even sometimes have this image in my head of each person when I visit their blog. I know, I'm weird that way. =o)

~~hugs~~

Geekwif said...
Hey, I know that picture! It was hanging on my refrigerator until I took everything down to pack in boxes. Nice to see your happy shiny faces again!

Russ said...
Hey Blondie...
Its me. Russ. Back to the land of Blogness.
I was lost but now I'm found.
Anyway, LOVE THE PIC!! That little girl is just adorable!! And it appears that you have no problem... that big dude in with you guys looks like he could kick some serious booty.

MissMeliss said...
Oh, sweet picture.

princssis said...
WOW! I'm so surprised! I NEVER thought you'd put "full-face" pictures on here.

Shannin said...
Great photo! SG is soooo cute!

Ginger said...
VERY nice photo! What a lovely family.

hotrodmama said...
Just browsing through your blogs and found your picture. Don't know if you'll get this as the pic was posted some time ago but I just want to tell you what a beautiful family you have. BG, do you know how pretty you are?
Love ya,
HRM

Monkey Snot

First, I have to thank all of you for your wonderful words of encouragement and your prayers the last few days. Although I haven't been able to post, I have been watching the comments and they've helped me more than you can imagine. I will continue being sunny and serving lollipops, as per your encouragement. I would, anyway; like I said in my last post, I'd rather focus on the 3/4 in the glass than the 1/4 the glass is missing.

Here's something I've been thinking of. Last week on Friday I took my zoom-zoom car in for some routine maintenance and to have a torn axle boot repaired. I always go to the same mechanic. His name is Jason and I trust him very much. The work took longer than anticipated and I needed to take Sweet Girl to the doctor, so he loaned me his vehicle. Like I said, he's a great mechanic (and a good friend). When I got back, my car was done and Jason reviewed some future repairs and maintainence that we should have done before we move. Then I was ready to leave. Halfway out of the drive, I remembered that the seal on the passenger door is coming off, so I circled back. Hopping out of the car, I asked Jason if he could easily order new seals for me. He asked me why and I showed him how the passenger door seal was falling off. "Oh", he exclaimed as he ran back into the shop, "you don't need new seals! You just need some monkey snot!"

Exccuuuse me? He returned, holding up a tube of glue. He ran a bright orange bead on the inside of the door seal, then snapped it back into place. Once that seal was tightened, he checked the other three doors and sent me on my way. He told me to turn the heat on and leave the door shut so that the heat and pressure would seal the glue. A more opportunistic mechanic would have been happy to order up a new seat of very expensive seals for me when all I really needed was some monkey snot.

I got to thinking about that today. Now that the weekend is here, I have much to do. I am going to try to get our taxes done. Good friends of ours are taking Sweet Girl for the day so she can see her best friend (I like to call her Snow White because of her dark hair and her porcelain skin) and I can focus on the taxes. Champs will take on a to-do list to try to help me get a handle on some of these things that need to be done so that I can stop feeling so stressed. Hopefully by Sunday things will look a little different around here. Not done, by any means and not new, but repaired and ready to go. A little heat, a little pressure and some monkey snot - and I think my own seals will be back in place.

Here are a few comments from this post:
Star said...
Every girl needs a good mechanic!

Carmi said...
Too bad you can't take him with you to your new hometown. He sounds like one of the few honest ones out there.

Sparkling Diamond said...
A good honest mechanic is hard to come by...you are very lucky! And I am glad the monkey snot was glue as I was eating while reading the post...:)

Mommy brags on Sweet Girl....

Sweet Girl was playing on the computer today while I made dinner. She was on POGO (thanks to my mom, who taught her about it) and she was playing a frog-jumping game. She called me out to see what she had done. In the IM portion, my little kindergarten girl had typed and submitted (verbatim - spelling and punctuation included) this comment; "Shoot! I allmost got the blue fly"

Be scared, people, be very scared. My girl knows how to IM. She will NEVER have a computer in her bedroom!

OK, bragging done. Read on for today's long post.


Here are some comments from this post:
Petite Mommy said...
LOL...that is totally cute! My son just turned 5 and when I am on IM he wants to type messages to the people I am talking too! He also says he wants to make his own websites like mommy and daddy does. He also has his own computer in his bedroom. It's not soo bad right now!

shpprgrl said...
and they say 'nothing' when we ask them what they learn at school! once my little one came to me and said...mommy i made you a new screensaver for your computer. she had, and she made one for each holiday too. that was probably 1st grade. just imagine what they'll be doing when they're our age.

Lightning Bug's Butt said...
How proud you must be. When I was a kid, I wasn't allowed to touch the family STEREO!

Somewhat related thoughts

My blog, my thoughts, my canvas. Right? Right.

I've been accused and given accolades for my "sunshine and lollipops" approach to life and blogging. Generally, this approach works for me. I prefer to think of the glass as 3/4 full. There are times, though, when reality overwhelms me and I can't abide lollipops (can't dis the sunshine, though; we've waited way too long for it!).

So here are some of the things that have been on my mind today. Sorry, there's a few of them. But if you've ever wanted to get past the fluff and see what makes me tick, then you're welcome to come along for the ride.

First - Was it really worth it?: I had my gastric bypass two and a half years ago (I can't believe it's been that long all ready!) and I've lost 120 pounds. Since the day I had the surgery, people have asked me if I think they or a friend should have it. I always say that the answer is different for different people in different situations, but the one thing that anyone considering the surgery must remember is the things that got you fat will not go away just because you have the surgery. Eventually, the need to eat to deal with life will return and eventually your body will have healed enough to support the behavior. I have reached that point. And it scares me. Horribly.

In the last two months, I've gained five pounds. If I say this to anyone, they just smile and tell me not to worry; it's no big deal; everyone gains and loses five pounds; I'm just normal. I don't think my husband is even concerned. And yet, I feel powerless. I know the problem; it is snacking. I know why I'm snacking; I'm stressed. Thankfully, I still can't eat a ton and if I really listen to my body then I stop eating. But constant, low-level snacking throughout the day doesn't fill me enough to make me stop but fills me enough to feel inured to the stress. The only thing is, I am opening myself up to the stress about my diabetes and getting fat. I'm used to those stresses, though, so maybe on some level I am choosing to trade that stress for the chance to inure myself to the current stress. Or maybe I am just a weakling who is too dumb to stop myself. I don't know. I only know that I must find a way to stop this in its tracks. I worry that I won't be desirable to my husband. I don't worry that he'll stop loving me; I had that before I lost weight, but I worry that he'll be disappointed in me for failing. I worry about making my diabetes worse. I have been fat and I refuse to go back. I may not be beautiful now, but I am average and normal and healthy and by God, I am NOT giving that up. But if I fail, was all the pain and trouble I've gone through to get here worth it?

Second - Yes, it was worth it: Last week Sweet Girl's school put on a spring concert. Champs wasn't able to come since he's out of town on his job on Tuesday nights, so it was just her and me. Ohmygawd, she was so cute and all the kindergarteners just made you want to melt! Of course, I didn't get to post about it because she woke up sick the next morning and I was a little preoccupied after that! Anyway, when I got there, I dropped her off with the other kids back stage and then made my way to the front row where there appeared to be one available seat.

After confirming that no one was saving it, I put my jacket on the back and looked at the seat. It was flimsy - really flimsy! This was the kind of small light metal and plastic chair that I've spent my entire life avoiding so that I wouldn't have to suffer the embarrassment of having it collapse under me. I was pushing on it and testing the "give" in the legs when the man in the row behind me said "don't worry, you can sit there". He was a big guy - probably over 6 feet and 250 pounds. I chuckled lightly. "I know." I said, "It just looks kinda flimsy." He looked me over and said with a smile, "Oh, don't worry. You're a little thing. It's holding me; it'll hold you no problem." That man will never know what a little gift he gave me. Believe it or not, those four little words "you're a little thing" have allowed me to turn away from temptation many times this week. I want them embroidered on my brain! So yes, it was worth it.

Third - Welcome to my quiet circus of chaos: My top five strengths (and synopsis, from Now, discover Your Strengths) are, in order:

1. Communication - Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You want your idea to survive; your word pictures pique people's interest, sharpen their world and inspire them to act.
2. Strategic - This theme enables you to sort through clutter and find the best route. It can't be taught; it is a way of thinking. You ask questions, play out scenarios, ask "what if", making selections until you arrive at your chosen path - your strategy. Ask "What if?" Select. Strike.
3. Empathy - You can sense the emotions of those around you - instinctively you share their perspective. You don't necessarily agree with, feel pity for or condone each person's predicaments or choices, but you understand. You help people give voice to their emotional life.
4. Woo - Winning others over; strangers are not intimidating, they're energizing. You derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once you make the connection, you're happy to wrap it up and move on. In your world there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet. Lots of them.
5. Input - You are inquisitive. You collect things because they interest you. You find so many things interesting. You keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It's interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one one day some of it will prove valuable.

Why do I tell you this? Because with these strengths, I am in my element organizing, directing, planning, connecting and generally making things happen. I can explain things in a way that my audience always understands. I feel confident in my ability to navigate change; I can gather the information I need, create the networking contacts to find my resources, meet the people who can either help me or direct me to someone who can and chart a path to success. In the past, this has proven both powerful and troublesome. I can be intimidating to others, especially when I know the path and I charge full strength ahead. I don't normally let that stop me.

Until now. I feel so damn overwhelmed! Our move to Illinois is only 4 months away and the list of things to do is so long and overpowering that I fear I can't get my hands and brain around it and get it all done. Although I am good at finding a path, I don't feed on overwhelming challenge the way some do. I work well under a deadline, but eventually I do break down. It's been at least 12 years since I felt this overwhelmed (and Champs didn't know me then, so this kind of emotional territory is new to him).

I am leaving a job I love (as a Communications Specialist - big surprise, huh?) and leaving the security that comes with it. I finally completed my commitment to my current position today, leaving me free to apply for any job in the company I want. I know I'm a damn good employee and I could secure a great promotion and move farther along the communication path, but it's not worth it with only four months left at the company. They aren't in our new hometown, so I can't transfer, either. I have to package my skills in a way that will speak to a need at one of the bigger employers in my new hometown.

I am leaving my mom. It should matter that I'm leaving my family, but it doesn't; not really. I don't see my brothers and sisters often. They never call me unless they need something. But my mom is different. She lived with us for two and a half years and I worry that she'll be OK. I worry that my dead-ass brothers won't care for her the way she needs. I worry that she won't take care of herself.

I'm leaving my best friend. Of all the friends I've ever had, Geekwif is the only one who has been unfailingly loyal and patient (remember the intimidating thing? Well, she's immune. Must be the Geek; he and I actually have frighteningly similar personalities, so obviously she handles both of us well). I don't worry about leaving her much since they're moving to Wisconsin anyway and we're both incredibly comfortable with all the electronic communication devises available to long-distance friendships these days.

I am happy to be moving in every other way. I'm exciting about living in the same town as Princssis and the rest of Champ's family. I am looking forward to the schooling we've chosen for Sweet Girl. We've decided that we want to build a home, so I am looking forward to that. I'm really looking forward to living in a state with more reasonable taxes (!) and I'm even looking forward to the challenge of a new career. We've prayed and prayed and we both believe that this move is the will of God for our family.

It's just the transition that is scaring the pants off of me. Or should I say, the chocolate into me. I know this stress is the reason for my eating lately. But I don't know how to succeed right now. I can't see the path. I can't communicate my need clearly to my husband. I can't understand all that he is feeling because I am too full of my stress to gauge like I normally do. I have the names of people to contact who might help and I can't bring myself to contact them. I have tons of job-finding resources building up that I haven't had the time to go through, catalog and put into action. All five of my strengths are mired in this circus of chaos. I want out! I wish I could quit my job right now and just focus on our transition. Or I wish I could call of the move and focus on my job. In the end, I know I will get it all done - the resumes, the taxes, the budgeting, the interviews to set up, the housing to find... All of it. But man, oh man, how much weight will I gain in the process and how do I let someone help me with all of this when I feel like it's all my responsibility and if I don't succeed, everyone will suffer for my failures?

Yeah, so much for lollipops, folks. It's just as well I don't have any tonight. I'd just eat it.

Don't worry, the confident Blond Girl you're used to should return soon. If she can kick some organizational butt and get a few successes under her belt in the next couple of days, that is.

Oh, and here is a quick, fun thought - full of lollipops and sunshine: A once in a century event will happen in about 2 hours: at 01:02 and three seconds a.m., the time and date will be: 01:02:03 04/05/06. Fun, huh?


Here's some comments from this post:

Praying for your Prodigal said...
Sending hugs...and prayers your way. You have a lot coming up on your stress chart! I hope you will be able to stay connected with your loved ones...with frequent phone calls, lots of e-mails, daily blogging, and yes, weekend retreats to and fro....just the girls! If you have to leave your mom and your best friend....it is worthy of scheduling some long weekends right now!
And regarding your positive attitude.....it will take you much further in life...than an pessimistic underpin. Stay just the way God created you! You are a blessing!

Elizabeth said...
Totally know where you are coming from on the optimistic attitude. I never get any comments on my blog and my people always say its because my attitude is tooo fluffy. "LIKE COTTON CANDY" but if I dwell on the bad things in my blog I will continue to dwell on them in my life and that gets you NOOOOOO where!!!!
Enjoyed reading!!!

Geekwif said...
First - Never ever call yourself dumb or a weakling again, okay? I might have to open up a can of whoopah on ya.
Second - You are beautiful. Trust me, I know it's not easy, but we girls have got to stop comparing ourselves to the wrong people.
Third - Of course Champs will never stop loving you! One of the reasons you married him is because he was a sure thing. You knew he was constant and that is an assurance you can rest in. (Rest is a good way of relieving the stress, by the way.)
Fourth - Delegate!! I know you know how. You tend to take everything on yourself, but you're not the only one moving. Let Champs take on some of the responsibility. He may not be the expert in some of these areas, but I bet if you and he sit down and look at it together you'll find there are jobs he can take off your shoulders.
Fifth - You are way too sweet. You make me sound too good. :) And I'm going to miss you too, but as you say, technology will keep us together.
Sixth - Pray pray pray. And I will pray with you.

kenju said...
Find something to focus on so you won't give in to the temptation. You are so positive (which I love) and I think your strengths will come back as soon as you have a handle on the move. Good luck!

princssis said...
BG - I read this last night but didn't comment then. Today, as I was waiting at jury duty, I was reading Joel Osteen's book, "Your Best Life Now". I came upon a section called "Speak Life-Changing Words". In it, reads, "'For the Lord grants wisdom! His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding. He grants good sense to the godly - his saints. He is their shield, protecting them and guarding thier pathway. He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to make the right decision every time.' I cannot tell you how many times....God supernaturally protected us and kept us from making mistakes."
"The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you're going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family."
BG - don't listen to those that criticize you over your "sunshine and lollipops". Those words are the positive words to keep your mind and spirit focused on the good things in life - the good things God has in store for you and your family. Keep up with the positive attitude! It will keep God's blessings flowing!
BTW - I'd recommend the book!

Sweet Girl Shares

Well, Sweet Girl woke with a fever on Wednesday and I thought maybe I had missed the boat on declaring her healed from the Mono. She was home on Wednesday and Thursday, just not feeling well. I already had an appointment with her doctor set up for Friday morning, so I didn't bother to take her in.

When we went in on Friday it turned out that she doesn't have Mono; she was healed (thank you, Lord) but what she did have was round number two of Strep Throat (round one was diagnosed on February 28). Her doctor was stunned that it was Strep again, but not overly surprised; with the weather warming up, all the bacteria and viruses are getting really active. My daughter isn't the only child whose been slammed the last month or so.

Funny thing is, I woke up with a sore throat yesterday. I figured it was a touch of a virus and that the pain would go away. I knew it wasn't Mono; according to WebMD and other medical websites, you're pretty much immune by the time you're 35. So I ignored my sore throat and got Sweet Girl her medicine. Through the day, though, the sore throat didn't' ease up.

This morning I woke up feeling absolutly awful. No fever, but every swallow was like drinking knives and every muscle hurt. Thankfully my clinic is open on Saturday mornings so I hauled my butt in. The only reason I went is because Sweet Girl tested positive for Strep yesterday. I was certain the doctor would say I had a nasty virus, but both of us were shocked when my rapid test came back positive. Oh, and adults, who rarely get Strep, according to the internet, don't get a fever like a kid, so I am right in line with the symptoms. Adults aren't supposed to get this. I don't even have my tonsils; they were taken out years ago! And no, I'm not pulling an April Fool's joke; I really do have Strep throat. I have regressed to my childhood.

Wasn't it nice of Sweet Girl to share? I told you I'm working to raise a nice child! Thank God for antibiotics. I'm going to go away now. If you need me, I'll be curled in a little ball under my electric blanket. Blond Girl out.