Wednesday, January 31, 2007

well that just stinks



Columnist Molly Ivins dies

My favorite article (although old) about Molly Ivins is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article. Now the paper is only worth reading for the comics.

To read others comments see the guest book.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Friday Five: Renewal from RevGalBlogPals

The Friday Five as posted by Songbird

In my office the other day, two church members asked about the boat on my table. I told them it was a gift from a seminary classmate, a reminder of the work and teaching of our professor, Kirk Jones, author of Rest in the Storm: Self-Care Strategies for Clergy and other Caregivers. He always reminded us that Jesus went to the back of the boat and took a nap.

Not surprisingly, I could not find an image of Jesus resting. Preaching from the boat, yes. Calming the storm, yes. Walking on water? Oh, my, yes! But no one seems to want to picture Jesus taking his rest.

In this week that looks unlikely to hold a complete day off, I am pondering renewal. List four ways you like to relax or give yourself a break. Then name a fifth, something you've never been able to do, a self-care dream.

Four ways of taking a break from church stuff:
1. geocache!!! (my children say I'm obsessed)
2. do stuff for school
3. sleep
4. read fiction unless the weather is too bad to geocache, then this is higher
5. go some place cool like New York City and see a Broadway show or go to a Seattle Seahawks game in Seattle

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

maybe something is sinking in

There was a period of time when both the SportsQueen and the Entertainer wore the same size clothes. Then the SportsQueen had a growth spurt and the Entertainer got all of those clothes. We quickly donated the ones that she didn't like but she still had a very significant wardrobe.

The Entertainer is now outgrowing that significant wardrobe. We sorted six (yes 6) garbage bags full of outgrown clothes to donate over the weekend. As we were moving those bags downstairs and then to the vehicle, the SportsQueen said, "Mom, maybe we should go to "the red and white circle store" or to "the mart developed by Sam" and buy some new underwear and socks to go with these clothes. You know, they don't get those new things very often and socks and underwear need to be new." I said, "Great idea, SportsQueen."

So as we drove to find a bin to donate the clothes we stopped at the red and white circle store. We bought socks and underwear that corresponded in size to the clothes we were donating. We found the biggest packages for the lowest price. We had a pantypalooza with socks. When we checked out, the total announced by the cashier was over $50.

As we walked toward the door, the SportsQueen said, "Mom, that was kinda expensive and we only got socks and underwear." I said, "Yep, it was." She said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean for you to spend that much." I replied, "That's okay. It was a good idea. And we're gonna help some other kids."

That's a lot for a 7th grader to recognize: new underwear and socks to go with the used clothes and the cost associated with the gift.

Maybe her world is bigger than the orbit just past the end of her nose.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Badda Bing Badda Boom Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals

It's been a very full, busy week. Here's the F5, short and sweet.

The questions are simple, the answers unlimited. Go!

Who The SportsQueen

What was the high scorer

When during the last basketball game

Where at a different jr high (we were the visiting team at the school 3 miles away)

Why because she got a freethrow and a layup and the usual highscorer got a layup

Bonus: How the usual highscorer fouled out about 2 minutes into the second half so SQ played almost all of the second half instead of the normal rotation of half a quarter at a time

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

3 to go

I have officialy begun the last 2 of 3 classes before dissertation. Tonight was Grief and Bereveament. I'm the only doc student but there's no extra work!

Did you know that Kubler-Ross's 5 stages were actually for when you find out you are dying not about someone else dying? They are the stages of dying not the stages of mourning. (Seriously, I read her original stuff to check this.) We're using Worden's Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy that has the four tasks of the mourning process: 1) to accept the reality of the loss; 2) to work through the pain of grief; 3) to adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing; and, 4) to emotionally relocate the deceased and move on with life.

After reading Worden's explanations, his tasks make so much sense to me compared to my own observations with families who are grieving. This seems to be a class with direct application.

Of course, there's my own grief that I'm sure I'll get to deal with. Ironically, the class wrap up will happen on the 25th anniversary of my father's death.

look over here

So geocaching is like a scavenger hunt, or hide and seek, using a gps. We convinced my sister to go with us to look for a cache hidden at a nearby wally world. We had the coordinates and had determined the cache was hidden next to the guard rail in one of three trees. The gps has a section that shows the range of accuracy in feet. We were within 13 to 16 feet of the exact coordinates when we were next to the trees.

Meanwhile, the Entertainer is holding the gps and stands about 20 feet away from the trees in the parking lot. She says, "You need to look over here. I've got 10 feet of accuracy." We say, "Yeah, but what are the coordinates?" Reply, "I have 10 FEET of accuracy!!!" "But what are the coordinates?" "TEN FEET of accuracy." Me: "But it's from the wrong coordinates."

We were still telling her that her ten feet of accuracy didn't make a difference when the coordinates are wrong when security came to see what we were doing.

The amazing part is we found the cache with the help of the headlights from the security guy's truck and he was really cool about the whole geocaching thing.

We get the giggles about that night.

The marathon friday five

Blogger wouldn't let me get this posted earlier.
In honor of all of the marathon shows on cable channels, here is the marathon Friday Five.

Friday, January 12, 2007
Friday Five: Countdown Edition
Last night my TV Boyfriend Keith Olbermann made some comments I really appreciated, and it got me thinking about what makes one person admire another. In the spirit of Keith's show on MSNBC, welcome to the Friday Five Countdown Edition.

Please count down five living people you admire and tell us a little something about why they make your list. These could be famous people or people you know personally.

5. Magda Williams (only she's remarried and I don't remember her current last name) Magda had more impact on my life than she probably realizes. She heard what I didn't say when I thought no one was listening or paying attention.
4.Pennye for intentionally entering into the pain of children and making a difference for their safety
3. Mike for being willing to be a Mentor, officially and unofficially, and caring about me after the assignment was completed
2. Pat who realized she was planning her days around soap operas and decided to go back to college at 52 finished her bachelor's and then did a masters
1. J.K. Rowling for being a great author who didn't let life circumstances stop her imagination


Friday, January 05, 2007
Friday Five: Birthday, Redux
Yours truly had a birthday this week, and while we've done the birthday thing before, I'm going to do my best to come up with new questions...

1. "It's my party and I'll [blank] if I want to..."
Favorite way to celebrate your birthday (dinner with family? party with friends? a day in solitude?) The more people the better and devil's food cake with chocolate icing.

2. "You say it's your birthday... it's my birthday too, yeah..."
Do you share your birthday with someone famous? (Click here to find out!)
I share with Hillary Clinton, Mahalia Jackson, Pat Sajak, Cary Elwes, Jon Heder, Lauren Tewes, Jacklyn Smith, Bob Hoskins, and Jackie Coogan and my 7th grade math teacher and two people at my last church. At least my youngest was not born on my birthday, but she could've been.

3. "Lordy Lordy look who's forty..."
Milestone birthdays:
a) just like any other birthday--they're just numbers, people.
b) a good opportunity to look back/take stock
c) enjoy the black balloons--I'll be hiding under a pile of coats until the day is over
d) some combination of the above, or something else entirely.
Bring on the party, I'm making up for all those crappy birthdays as a kid. Give me a hard time, I don't care just be sure you're there to party with me.

4. "Happy birthday, dear... Customer..."
Have you ever been sung to in a restaurant? Fun or cringe-worthy?
I have never been sung to in a restaurant but I would actually love it.

5. "Take my birthday--please"
Tell me one advantage and one disadvantage about your particular birthday (e.g. birthday in the summer--never had to go to school; birthday near Christmas--the dreaded joint presents)
EDITED TO ADD: This could also simply be something you like/dislike about your birthday (e.g. I like sharing a birthday with my best friend, etc.).
There have been several years when I have received an extra hour on my birthday, that's cool. But it's a little close to Halloween when it comes to decorating.


If you're feeling up to it, post a direct link to your blog entry in your comment using the following formulation:
what you want the link to say goes here
For a complete how-to, click here.


Friday, December 29, 2006
Friday Five: Dream a Little Dream

"In the Last Days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I'll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they'll prophesy."
(Acts 2:17-18, The Message)

On this final Friday of 2006, it seems appropriate to speak of dreams. A very important dream about a lighthouse played a role in my journey towards ordained ministry, and mine last night were vivid and included a flying church.

Please feel as untethered yourself in responding to this Friday Five.

Tell us all about:

1) a dream you remember from childhood
I remember sitting on my mother's lap in the brown plaid chair that is now in my den. We were both asleep and it was pouring down rain. I dreamed that the Three Bears came to our house. The momma bear had my mommy's umbrella. They were kind of scary to me but they didn't hurt anything.

2) a recurring or significant dream
I don't have a recurring dream anymore. When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted a white firebird trans am until I dreamed that I was driving one and rolled it.

3) a nightmare
The most recent one was someone breaking into the house and killing my kids. yuck

4) a favorite daydream
Preaching at Annual Conference ordination service.

5) a dream for the New Year
Finishing coursework and passing comps so I can move on to dissertation

If you're feeling up to it, post a direct link to your blog entry in your comment using the following formuation:
what you want the link to say goes here
For a complete how-to, click here.


Festive Foods Friday Five
Well friends, we've covered advent, music, and movies/TV--but we here at F5 HQ would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that quintessential holiday topic... fooooooooood.

1. Favorite cookie/candy/baked good without which, it's just not Christmas.
My best friend's sugar cookies.

2. Do you do a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, both, or neither? (Optional: with whom will you gather around the table this year?)
The fancy dinner happens on the designated family day for celebrating. Christmas Eve after the earlier evening service, we eat with a group from church. We almost never have the celebration food on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

3. Evaluate one or more of the holiday beverage trifecta: hot chocolate, wassail, egg nog.
Hot chocolate all the way. We found some really rich hot chocolate at the local hardware store (don't laugh it's REALLY good).

4. Candy canes: do you like all the new-fangled flavors or are you a peppermint purist?
I really don't like peppermint so bring on the other flavors.

5. Have you ever actually had figgy pudding? And is it really so good that people will refuse to leave until they are served it?
I have never had figgy pudding and don't care to try it either.

Edited to add: Well, I am APPALLED with myself that I forgot to include a question about the crown prince of holiday foods--the fruitcake.
Fruitcake is just nasty especially when made my teetotalers.

Feel free to add your thoughts on this most polarizing holiday confection.

As always, let us know in the comments if you play. And a handmade buttermilk praline from the reverendhousehold to all those to link directly:
what you want the link to say goes here
For a complete how-to, click here.

And finally--may Christ be born anew in your hearts this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!!


Friday, December 15, 2006
Friday Five: Yuletide Favorites



For this mid-December Friday Five, let's explore some Yuletide favorites.

1) It's a Wonderful Life--Is it? Do you remember seeing it for the first time?
I was married before I saw it the first time. It's okay.

2) Miracle on 34th Street--old version or new?
Absolutely the old one.

3) Do you have a favorite incarnation of Mr. Scrooge?
The musical version followed by Muppets.

4) Why should it be a problem for an elf to be a dentist? I've been watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for years now, and I still don't get it.
Because an elf would need a stool to reach someone's mouth leading to the possibility of slippage followed by extra holes.

5) Who's the scariest character in Christmas specials/movies?
• The Bumble
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Muppet Version
• That Mean Magician Who Tries to Melt Frosty
• Your Nomination
The mean neighbor in The Bells of St Mary's
Please leave a comment if you play on your blog. A visit from St. Nicholas is assured to all who link directly:
what you want the link to look like goes here

For narrative instructions, see this helpful link.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

back from the edge of the universe

I fell off the edge of the universe but now I'm back.

Really, we celebrated Christmas with family before Christmas -- five hours from here. I had trouble getting my laptop to stay on the network at my sister's house. We finally figured it out the night before we left.

We served Christmas supper at the local homeless shelter that takes families. We've served there a couple of times before. Our church is on a regular rotation and I usually join whatever Sunday School is serving. Christmas fell on our day. There was a little confusion with the shelter about if they needed us or not. In the end, we served. We had kids, two jr high and one elementary, and adults who worked together to serve so the food was hot when the folks came to the serving window. When we have been there before we have seen small children and infants, but this time seemed to be mostly adult men. While I'd rather no one need to be in a homeless shelter on Christmas, I was glad the families with children were not in abundance.

The girls went to their dad after serving at the shelter. Since I haven't come anywhere close to taking all of my vacation time, I left again, too.

The girls are back, school has started, our routine is returning, and so I am no longer lost over the edge of the universe.

However, we have discovered geocaching. We are having tons of fun. Some discribe it as hide and seek with a GPS. If you are curious you can visit www.geocaching.com (blogger won't let me do the link) to check it out. When I put in our coords, we discovered a cache that is very close to our house. The excitement was greater than for Santa. We've been hooked, we hooked my sister, and we have a reason not to be couch potatoes.

I start the last two of three classes before dissertation on Jan 16. I'm taking Grief and Bereavement (maybe a preacher could use that) and Qualitative Research Methods.

The Letter of the Alphabet Meme

As seen over at Bits and Odd Pieces of Mindy's Kingdom

List 10 things you love that begin with that letter on your blog.



My letter is D.

1. Donating outgrown children's clothes.

2. Dunking donuts in coffee.

3. Driving my car while listening to Sirius satellite radio.

4. Determining that I have a statistically significant possibility of an "A"

5. Deleting the recording of "Lost" after saying "WTF?!?!"

6. Displaying my loyalty to the Seattle Seahawks (even in Cowboy territory)

7. Delighting in the humor of my children

8. Dialing the phone to talk to my sister

9. Discovering the hidden cache

10. Defying the odds
Site Meter