Monday recap

First of all, please forgive me if this post seems a bit strange. I'm kind of out of sorts. I forgot my power cord to my Mac in Mountain Home yesterday, so I brought my work laptop home, but the wireless doesn't seem to work on it, so I'm back plugged into the router. Man, after more than a year of wireless freedom, this is really weird.

I've been at home in bed all day. Evidently a huge flower has showered me with pollen and I can't stop sneezing. My head is killing me and I have a sore throat. Benadryl always helps, but that, of course, makes me sleepy. I hope the deluge of rain cleaned the air a bit and I can breathe again tomorrow when I reenter the world.

The big news of the day is that Ashley had the twins this morning. Parker and Emma were born just before 10 a.m. and weighed about 6 lbs. each. Ashley and the twins are doing well, and I'm thrilled that I get to see them tomorrow.

Speaking of... DeWood, can I buy you lunch?

Thanks to all of you for the great movie posts. Several of the ones you love I haven't seen, so I'm adding them to my Netflix que. I figure if you guys like them enough to watch them over and over, they're worth a screening.

Today's significant for two reasons (three now that it's Emma and Parker's birthday): (1) my grandfather would have been 87 today; and (2) one year ago today I moved to Conway. Man, can you believe that's only been 12 months ago?

Movies that never get old

In a nod to "The Office," I'm interested to know what five movies you'd want with you if you were stranded on a desert island (AKA movies you can watch over and over). Here are mine:

1. Love Actually
2. Sweet Home Alabama
3. Fools Rush In
4. Office Space
5. Christmas Vacation

Ok, comment what your five movies would be.

Lazy, rainy day

My dad's upset that I've messed up his routine by not updating my blog the last couple of days, so this post is for him.

Not a whole lot to report today. I'm in Mountain Home, watching "Just Shoot Me" after a massage, pedicure, brunch, and a long nap. Yeah, it's tough to be me sometimes.

The Devil Wears Banana Republic

Remember Miranda from "The Devil Wears Prada"? Wasn't she hateful, dismissive, and self-absorbed? Every time I watch that movie I wonder if she ever considers the feelings of the poor people who work for her.

Yeah, I think I'm turning into her. If I start saying, "That is all," it will be scary.

Thought for the day...

... or, thing that makes me feel guilty today. I'm still reading Beth Moore, covering the Gospel of John, and she asks: If your life were a Gospel told by someone else, would people know the Lord based on the way you live?

Oooh, right between the eyes. Words are cheap. How much action is in my faith?

Ouch.

Fill 'er up

So, Lola got her first fill-up today, and I'm happy to report that she got a pretty impressive 28 MPG, with most of the driving town miles.

Obedience, fish and happiness

I just returned from my inaugural singles Bible study in town. We're studying the book of Jonah, and it started me thinking about obedience. And how obedience leads to joy. And how living in a big fish for three days may lead to repentance, but not necessarily to happiness.

{Just for grins, imagine my big brother singing "Oh Brother Jonah, he got swallowed up in the belly of a whale," at church as a child. Hee hee.}

You know the story. God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, but Jonah refused and boarded a ship bound in the opposite direction. God sent a storm, and the sailors threw Jonah overboard, where he was swallowed by a "big fish." After three days in stinky fish, Jonah repented, and God caused the fish to throw up Jonah on the shore (can you imagine how Jonah smelled at this point?). So Jonah ends up in Ninevah, the Gentiles were saved, and Jonah threw a fit.

Yes, Jonah eventually did God's will, but he lost the joy of obedience. God used him, but Jonah didn't find any pleasure in it. Why do we struggle against what God wants? We know He only wants what's best for us. Why do we think we know better?

See, it's easy for me to judge Jonah, but I've been in his boat (pun intended) many times. Running from God. Causing a mess. Finally giving in only to find that I eventually do what I should have done in the first place, but I miss the blessing.

God never promised us an easy life, but He did promise us joy in Him. I hope it doesn't take a big fish to remind me of that.

Happy Easter!

It's hard to believe it's Easter already. It was great to see the family yesterday; to view photos of the Easter egg hunt, click here (there are also pics of the casa if you're interested... or even if you're not).

Happy Easter, everyone! Here's hoping you know the One who rose from the dead on this day.

GREAT Friday

Happy 4th birthday to sweet little Peyt Peyt. I love ya, even if you do call me Fart Blossom.

Lola and I (I've decided the car's a "Lola" after all) went to the Corridor this afternoon to meet my pal Ashleigh for dinner at Abuelo's, then I stopped at Krispy Kreme to get donuts and the Bentonville Wal-Mart (the mecca of commercialism) for groceries. The fam's coming up for Easter dinner tomorrow afternoon, and I'm making ham, deviled eggs, and hashbrown casserole, then we're having donuts for dessert. It's not a traditional Easter dessert, but who can say no to a Krispy Kreme?

Today was simply beautiful and the perfect day to celebrate Good Friday... the day Christ died for all of us. Easter is a holiday for food and family, but I hope we all spend some time with the One who made the day--and all our days of eternity--possible.

Thursday Recap

5 a.m. I've been awake for at least an hour. Perhaps that nap I snuck in at 4:30 yesterday afternoon wasn't such a good idea after all. Or, more likely, it has something to do with the fact that I've been really lazy about my morning quiet time as of late. I'm listening, God. I'm up. I'm reading.

7 a.m. Leave the house and detour around the closed streets downtown (due to flooding) to get to City Coffee for an amazing raspberry white chocolate scone and non-fat latte (I think that offsets, right?). Bummer... cinnamon scones are all they have.

7:45 a.m. Finish quiet time and latte and start plan to take over the world (AKA my 60-day assessment for my boss).

8:30 a.m. Forget 'til last minute about weekly breakfast at work (you'd think after 8 Thursdays I'd figure it out), so I miss out on made-to-order waffles and omelets because I already ate that stupid cinnamon scone.

9:05 a.m. Leave Siloam Springs for Rogers.

9:45 a.m. Stop by NW Arkansas Toyota to check out the new Camry's. Test drive white one. Buy silver one.



11:25 a.m. Talk to Ashley, who's bored on bedrest, while navigating the Rogers traffic in the new car. Not used to being so low to ground, or getting decent gas mileage.

11:45 a.m. Have lunch meeting at P.F. Chang's. Order kung pao shrimp and a tiramasu dessert shooter. Yum!

2 p.m. Marketing meeting at the Rogers Center. Gaze out the window at the new car and decide she needs a name. My friend Lindsay suggested "Lola." I'm thinking more "Barbara" or "Celine." I think a silver Camry is more boardroom than bedroom. The red Audi convertible I really wanted could have been a Lola. But Celine makes me think of that annoying Titanic song, and I'm not sure my new Toyota makes my heart go on and on and on. So baby will go home unnamed.

3:20 p.m. Call Jen to congratulate her on getting her first residency choice... Texas A&M in Temple, TX. Wonder how much it will cost to fly round-trip from XNA to Austin. Think about repercussions of Jen being a blonde Aggie.

4 p.m. Arrive back at the dealership to sign life away. Get free Diet Coke in the "customer center" and read a magazine. Sign on the dotted line 26 times and think about death, but refuse the casualty payoff. Hey... I'm dead. What do I care if it ruins my credit rating?

5:30 p.m. Finally get in what's-her-name after she gets a bath and a fill-up (I spent $52 filling up the ol' TrailBlazer yesterday... bummer) and they try to sell me other options which would bring my payment to about $1,200 a month, like in the event that I should lose my right eye in a skiing accident while wearing a pink bikini, my car will be paid for, provided I get the oil changed at the dealership every two weeks. Um, no.

5:37 p.m. Visit with my grandmother, who's excited I now have a "Camera" like hers. She describes her day, telling me that "The Village People" put on a style show. Turns out it's not as exciting as I thought; she lives in Methodist Village, so the Village people are merely other residents, and they modeled clothes from their closet. Evidently one dude modeled overalls and carried a potato for "farm wear." Hmmm....

6:00 p.m. Talk to my aunt Kathy, who's watching Dewie and Louie while Huey practices soccer. While on the phone, I hear her tell Ave, "If you do that again, I will yank your arm off." Not sure what that's about; he's always a perfect angel around me.

6:40 p.m. After a short stop at Hobby Lobby, arrive home. Leave car in driveway to take pics for blog. Neighbors think I'm mental.

6:50 p.m. Call Pizza Hut to order a pizza. Dude answers, "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut; will it be carryout or delivery?" I say, "Delivery." He says, "Sorry, we're not delivering right now."

6:52 p.m. Eat a half a bag of chips and decide to blog.

Spring has sprung. Are you ready? Vacation tomorrow. Wahoo!

Oh, and vote for the new car's new name. I'm leaning toward Audrey Hepburn... it's classic, right?

Totally awesome

I am a realist. While others see the world in ideal terms, I see a place where bad things happen, happy endings rarely occur, and the glass is usually half empty. Some might call it pessimism; I prefer to think I'm not setting myself up for disappointment.

It takes a lot to truly impress me. When I was in the 8th grade, my parents and I made the trek to the Grand Canyon. I remember the anticipation and thrill of that first lookout. How awesome it was. How amazing that someplace like that could exist. Seven hours and 17 lookouts later, however, I wouldn't even get out of the car, telling my parents, "Hey... you've seen one big hole, you've seen 'em all."

On the same trip, we went with my mom's parents and aunt and uncle to see the California Redwoods. What an amazing sight. But three hours into the trip my mom could barely contain her exasperation with me as I napped in the car while my dad shot six or seven rolls of film. It was an impressive sight at first, but I just don't see the need to see 100 of those trees to experience the grandeur.

A beautiful new purse makes me happy. A cute pair of shoes makes me smile. And a new lipstick can change a bad day into a better one. But only temporarily. Eventually the purse gets an ink stain, the shoes rub a blister, and the new lipstick is lost somewhere underneath my car seats.

Many have said that Generation X, of which I am a member, is a generation that likes instant gratification. We bore easily, spending mere seconds on a website before losing interest. We rarely make long-term commitments to jobs, houses or, quite sadly, spouses. We have DVRs and satellite radios because we can't make time for commercials. We are a multi-tasking, ambitious lot, who thrive on change and excitement.

But I am completely and continually astounded by God. Every time I open my Bible it speaks to me. The same verse, read at different times and by different people, has a completely different application. It is living and active and has remained current for more than 2,000 years. Isn't that cool?

Yeah, I'm not easily impressed, but every day I nearly weep at who He is. It's like that song by MercyMe, "I Can Only Imagine," which says, "Will I stand in Your glory, or to my knees will I fall, will I sing 'Hallelujah," will I be able to speak at all"... Can you even begin to fathom what it will be like to see Him face to face? I can't imagine being able to stand or speak, but just to fall down before Him and be amazed. Because of who He is.

I'm crying as I write this. Every day I am prideful of who I am, but when I pause to think about how small I am, how great He is, and how amazing it is that He loved me enough to save me from myself, I am in awe.

I got tired of the Grand Canyon in mere hours. The awe-inspiring, everlasting God will impress me for eternity.

Rain, rain go away

Question: if April showers bring May flowers, what do March floods bring... April studs I'm hoping.

Here's the view of my backyard. All I need is a diving board, and I could be swimming laps out there.



Speaking of photos, I just realized that I've never shared pics of the inside of my new place. Here are a couple to tide you over.

The office



The 4th bedroom, otherwise known as the workout room (stop laughing)/junk room... yep, that's a treadmill that hasn't been put together yet.



Oh, and a couple of prayer requests: pray for Ashley, who was put on total bed rest today to get ready for the twins; and for Jen, who finds out on Thursday where she'll match for residency. Oh, and pray for Jen's mom, Pam, who broke both of her hands last week... ouch!

The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost

As previously reported, I enjoyed a 4:30 a.m. alarm last Friday morning. The reason? I attended my first WorkMatters breakfast in Rogers. Several of the folks from my office go to the monthly "Eight to Five Unplugged" events every month, so I decided to go see what all the fuss was about. Yeah, I considered turning off my alarm several times and getting some much-needed sleep, but I'm really glad I forced myself out of bed and over to Rogers.

Last week's speaker was Dave Roth, who's the President of WorkMatters. The purpose of the organization is to integrate faith and work, and they're doing some great things. Roth talked about taking the road less traveled, and discussed the seven pillars of faith and work:
1. Relationship - first with God, then with others
2. Integrity - wisdom and courage to do what's right, every time
3. Excellence - work with all your heart
4. Influence - be intentional with the impact you have on others at work
5. Service - lead strongly through serving others with humility
6. Calling - align your gifts, skills and experience with your vocation
7. Balance - create a sustainable work/life equilibrium

Roth challenged us to think of someone who's strongly influenced our career... chances are we all thought of someone who cared about us as a person, who really cared if we were on the right path, and doing the right things to get there. He implored us to be the kind of leaders who genuinely care for coworkers.

Colossians 3:23 says: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Most people are motivated by money and power. I want to be motivated by serving God through my work.

If you're interested, last week's message is available on iTunes.

Kingpin

Last night Taylor and Blake decided that they wanted to see a movie, and since they've seen every single movie that was playing in Siloam, we took off for Fayetteville. I was going to take Chance to see "Horton Hears a Who," but he decided he'd rather see it with his mom than with me {Chance's order of people he loves: his mom, his dad, the rest of us, then his sister}. So we went bowling instead. And he beat the poo out of me.



Evidently the boys stayed up 'til 4:30 a.m. again, and played more than 100 games of Halo while they were at my house. Guess I'm not a very good babysitter; I had been asleep for six hours by 4:30 this morning.

Happy St Patty's Day, everyone! I have to work three days, then it's three days off. And zero trips this week. Wahoo!

Love can't be bought, but it can be rented

$15.98 Pokemon toys
$16.00 Movie tickets
$15.50 2 games of bowling
$50.00 Snacks
$26.80 Pizzas
$8.00 Mountain Dew Code Red
$4.99 AA batteries to replace dead ones from playing XBox too long
$17.79 McDonald's
$5.20 Sonic flurries

Spending at least a little time with your nephews = PRICELESS

For everything else, there's a debit card

Night and day

Friday morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. in order to be in Rogers by 6:45. Getting up at the crack of dawn... wait a minute... crack of dawn would infer that the sun was up. It wasn't. It didn't make an appearance until well after my meeting started. But I digress.

So last night, after driving to Rogers then Fort Smith for meetings on Friday and getting up yesterday to go to the baby shower, then driving to Midland to get the boys, then driving back to Siloam, I was exhausted. I wanted to go to bed at 7 p.m., and the exciting Razorback game only added to my need to crawl into bed for a good night's sleep.

I finally got into bed around 9 p.m., and the boys continued to play Halo. Chance came to bed sometime after 5 a.m. So I'm guessing the three of them will be asleep for quite a while. Boy, this spending time together is really working out well. We're totally on different sleeping schedules.

Oh, and when Chance came to bed, he turned on his Nintendo DS. I said, "Um, I think you've had enough gaming for awhile. Go to sleep." I just don't get it. How can something be so addictive? There's not anything I want to do 'til 5 a.m. except sleep. Which is hard when you're bunking with a kid who has heat-seeking missile capabilities and leaves you with 6 inches of bed; you can switch sides, but he somehow knows that and burrows the other way.

Two for one

As reported earlier, my pal Ashley and her husband Larry are having twins, a boy and a girl, next month. This morning was the shower for Parker and Emma. As you can imagine, there was a lot of pink and blue.




Ashley and Larry





Me, Ashley and Susan... doesn't Ashley look fantastic? I, on the other hand, look like I'm pregnant with at least one baby.




We had quite a spread, all courtesy of Susan and her mom.

Where the boys are

My house has been overrun with boys. Smelly boys with insatiable appetites. I have two flat screen TVs, but I can't watch either. The TV in my bedroom has been taken over by an eight-year-old playing Guitar Hero. The TV in my living room has been taken over by two 15-year-olds playing Halo. I spent $100 at Wal Mart on snacks and Pokemon toys. But I love 'em. I was looking forward to spending time with them, but unless I'm hiding behind some sort of boulder in cyberland, chances are no one cares about me.

So sorry

Note to self: stop venting via blog. It just freaks people out, makes them question themselves, and generally wreaks havoc.

Rule #1: If I write about it, it's probably not hypothetical (Jen).
Rule #2: By blogging about whatever seems to be bugging me at that very moment, I somehow manage to transfer much of the frustration and anger to the keys of my laptop and therefore alleviate my stress, but it is very sweet of you to be concerned (Alisa).
Rule #3: If I know you read my blog, I'm not talking about you (Susan and Ashley). So your guilty feeling is merely equated to how I feel every Sunday at church... the Pastor's probably not talking to me, but it certainly doesn't hurt me to hear it.

On a lighter and happier note, my very talented cousin-in-law, Shannon, has her new website up and running. Check it out and book a session... she's amazing!

Oh, and last night I had a crazy dream... Jen was pregnant... with a girl. Yeah, it was weird.

If you're happy and you know it

I'm convinced that most people will never like their jobs. They could be a taste tester at Godiva and not like chocolate. Or a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition photographer and find it too humid on the beach. Glass half full, attitude mostly bad.

While I realize that I can be a bit of a Polyanna at times, I'm of the mindset that people are usually as happy as they choose to be. You meet those who struggle to make ends meet, who have lost loved ones, are working at a seemingly mindless job, and love their lives. Then there are those who, at first glance, seemingly have perfect jobs and perfect lives, and they hate themselves and what they do.

I also don't understand people who accept positions with very specific job descriptions and then proceed to spend their days telling their boss that they're unfulfilled and not fully using their talents. If you were hired as a scrub nurse, why do you feel that participating in three procedures qualifies you to perform surgery? Just because you watch it doesn't mean can do it. Not everyone has to be in charge. Sometimes you just need to sterilize the scalpel and do what you were hired to do... with a smile on your face.

Or maybe it's just me and my current soapbox.

2 steps forward, 2 steps back

Forgive my Paula Abdul reference, but that seems to be the mantra of my life of late. Moments of productiveness followed by hours of sitting still, waiting for inspiration. Feeling on top of the world, then getting knocked back on my rear. Keeps me humble, I suppose.

I did get so much accomplished today; so many things were crossed off my "to do" list this afternoon, and it felt GREAT. Now I'm watching "Idol" and trying to interpret what Paula means during her critiques. Does anyone have a "Paula to English" dictionary? "The world needs to see what we hear"... what the...

On a more serious note, I'm still loving my Beth Moore book. Last night I was reading her interpretation of how John must have felt after his brother, James, was killed. She contends that, during this traumatic time in his life, John surely discovered what it meant to be alone before God. Stripped bare. Broken and confused.

"Sometimes we don't realize how real He is until we've experienced the awesomeness of His answerless Presence. He knows that what we crave far more than explanations is the unshakable conviction that He is utterly, supremely God."

How completely humbling it is to me to take a moment and try to comprehend just how awesome God is. It's incomprehensible, but so true. Utterly, supremely God. Wow.

Let's spring back!

I don't know about you, but I want my hour back. I missed church this morning since I forgot about the whole "Spring Forward" thing.

Yesterday Amanda and I went to Tulsa for dinner and some shopping. It was my inaugural trip on Hwy 412 (otherwise known as the $4.50 toll road). It took us about 30 minutes to get back through the toll since the toll booth was unmanned, the change machine was broken, and few folks have 9 quarters at their immediate disposal. When are those things going to take debit cards? The lady in front of us threw dollar bills in the thing and drove through while the sirens went off. Amanda and I could barely scrape up enough change between the two of us, all the while punch-drunk laughing while singing "Bennie and the Jets" at the top of our lungs.

The shopping excursion was a bust since Amanda purchased a bottle of water and I purchased nothing at all, but at least there was a great meal. We also went to the Apple store, where I saw the beautiful MacBook Air for the first time in person. Impressive, but out of the ol' price range.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Branson for a meeting, but I guess there won't be shopping since one of my coworkers will be with me and I'm guessing he's not interested in outlet shopping. And tomorrow night I'm going to my first singles Bible study in town. Should be interesting.

Where's the snow?

It was supposed to start snowing here early this afternoon. Dad called at 1 p.m. and reported heavy snowfall in Midland. Estella texted me around 6 p.m. and said there were "blizzard-like snowflakes" in Mountain Home. We've got nada. Nothing. Not a flake of snow, not a drop of sleet, not a sign of rain.

What's up with that? How am I going to get snowed out of work tomorrow if we don't get any?

Ironing out the wrinkles

I know that aging is inevitable and infinitely preferable to the alternative, but when did I get so old? It’s as if an alien has invaded my body and I don’t like it.

This morning, after painfully rolling myself out of bed, taking an Advil for my back and head pain, and slathering moisturizer on my formerly oily face, I got in the car to head to work. On the way, I was looking in the mirror at a stoplight (hey… I’m old, but vain) and noticed craters in my forehead. When did that happen? Jimmy Buffett once said, “Wrinkles only go where smiles have been,” but I doubt my forehead’s had much to grin about. Man, I’m tempted to call Dr. Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery and schedule some botox. Maybe they can suck the fat out of my rear end or thighs and fill the crevices in my face.

It’s very disturbing when you realize you’re getting old. My friend Joe and I were talking on Monday night about how we’ve stopped trying to be fashionable and have started buying clothes because they’re comfortable and stretchy.

Now I know why your eyesight goes as you age… so you can’t see how haggard you look. If I feel this old at 35, how am I going to feel in 20 years?

35’s not hold, right? I mean, my uncle’s mother was celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary when she was my age, but that’s unusual.

Guess it’s true what they say… getting old ain’t for sissies.

Snow way, snow how

What a difference a few hours make. Two of my Russellville pals reported 11" and 12" of snow in their backyards this morning, but it was all melted by the time I drove through this afternoon. My car was completely covered when I walked out of the hotel this morning, but it didn't last long.

I'm finally back in my own bed for the first time in a week. And I'm pooped.

Evening update

Just got back from a trip to Maumelle/Conway/Maumelle/Little Rock/North Little Rock. I met Joe at his place, and we had an awesome meal at Michelangelo's. We started with a cheese pizza, which had Gorgonzola on it and was fantastic, then I had some great shrimp pasta, and we shared a tirimasu for dessert. Yum!

After dinner I stopped at the Hester Zoo to see Lon, Jen, Huey, Dewie and Louie. Those boys are always so thrilled to see me {sense the sarcasm}. Peyton says repeatedly "Hi, fart blossom" and "Bye, fart blossom" every time I arrive and leave. Jen suggested I write, "I stopped to see the coolest family I know." So there ya go.

Now I'm back in the ol' hotel, waiting on the snow. It's supposed to snow 4-6" in Siloam. Wonder if I can get home tomorrow.

I've been everywhere, man

Let me preface this post by admitting that I'm a brat. A spoiled brat who has a cheese-ball life. The past four days have merely confirmed that.

On Friday, my event ended at 9 a.m., so I took a minor detour on my way to Mountain Home through Branson for a bit of shopping. My outlet shopping experience has always been that it's either great and you find lots of stuff, or you find zilch. My shopping fell into the former category. Not only did I find Ann Taylor suits for $50, I found shoes for $19. And it was such a beautiful day, that I walked down the cobblestone pathway at Branson Landing and felt pretty bratty.

Estella, Chris and I had dinner at El Chico on Friday night. Then, on Saturday morning, I had a fantastic massage, followed by lunch at the club with Estella and Heather, a two-hour nap, and an evening movie.

Yesterday I went to church with Estella and Chris (ET had to play handbells); Chris let me drive his vehicle, and let me tell ya, there's no cooler feeling than driving up to the club for Sunday brunch behind the wheel of a Porsche. Nice.

After brunch yesterday I took a nap, then we went to see the worst movie ever, There Will Be Blood. I want three hours of my life back.

I had a meeting in Mountain Home this morning, then I drove for three hours in the deluge. Now I'm in my hotel room, getting ready to meet Joe for dinner at Michelangelo's.

Hey... I told you I was a brat.

There you go, Jen. The weekend update.