Interesting Cross-Reference

I was presented with these two scriptures in my Bible study this morning. Read and discuss.

Genesis 28:10 - 12
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

John 1:48 - 51
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Unmentionables

This post isn't about underwear, but about things I haven't mentioned recently. That was just a cheap attempt to get you read this. And it obviously worked!

First of all, I haven't mentioned here yet that I am pregnant. I am four months along with a quickly-growing belly. I don't yet know the baby's gender but will hopefully find out in a few weeks. I am due in March, about a week after my sister Cheri.

I got a new computer about a week ago. It is my first laptop. I am loving it so far. This thing may never leave my house, but I've already used it in four different rooms since getting my wireless network set up two days ago!

I have hardly been playing my guitar lately. Last fall and spring I was leading worship for my Bible study so I was constantly practicing. Then came summer. Then we decided to omit music for this fall. Hence, I haven't had a reason to practice and have really slacked.

I have also done very little crafting lately. Very little scrapbooking. No cardmaking. No random other stuff. Again, a lot of slacking.

Not much blogging lately either as you may have noticed. Wow. I'm starting to feel like a real slacker!

Actually, I have enjoyed taking a break from these last few things but I'm ready to start doing more of all of them.

Oh, I also haven't mentioned anything about the Fantasy Football season. For the last few years, my family has had a league together. I always love it, even though I'm usually near the bottom. This year, so far, I'm 0-5, last place. Yes, that's no wins and five losses. It's not quite as much fun this way. You want to know who's number one, at 4-1? My mom. She picked her team based on their names. And her strategy is working.

Well, there's a little catch-up (not ketchup) on my life!

Dancing Queen - For Real This Time!

Well, I did it the old-fashioned way and went through YouTube (instead of uploading through Blogger like I was trying to do last time) and it worked! Now you can see my silly dancer...

Back to Blogging

Q: How does one know when it's time to start blogging again?
A: When one finds herself with more to say than her husband wants to hear in one sitting!

So here I am, ready to blog some more. First of all, under the headline of Blog World Collides With Real World: Last Friday, I was at McDonald's, a place for Food, Folks, and Fun as the advertisements used to say. And we had all three: in addition to seeing a friend from church there, I saw a little girl running around who I knew I knew from somewhere. I just couldn't place her face, even after scanning all the adult faces in the kids' area where we were. Finally, it hit me. I've seen her face at Hale-Yeah!--that's Brian Hale's daughter. Looking around the room some more, I recognize (again from pics at his blog) his wife (Jacinda) and younger daughter! Unbelievable! Of course I had to go say Hi to this complete stranger who I already felt like I'd met! You can go meet her too at Jacinda's blog!

During the same visit to McD's: As I mentioned, we were sitting in the kids' play area where they have the big play structure for the kids to safely climb up in, across, and slide down. Unfortunately, it's safe because it is totally enclosed, with very few "windows". So when I (rather unwisely) allowed my two-year-old daredevil to go up, while there were about ten or twelve other loud kids swarming, I lost track of her. I sent my four-year-old up. Did you see her? Yes. Where is she? (Pointing up high) Right there. Was she happy? Yes. Okay, fine, if she's happily playing up there, no problem. But I was still searching for her through one of those "windows". Finally, as I got closer, I heard crying over the noise of the other children, and another mom asked if that's my daughter, that she's been crying and is over there, pointing up the stair case. The tight spiral staircase that even a five-year-old couldn't stand up in. After quickly determining there was no other choice, I crawled through the small entrance and up the stairs to find my daughter at the top of the stairs, scared and crying, just sitting there while other kids stared at her, wondering if they should do something before continuing on their journey through the bright plastic cavern. Of course I felt terrible that I had let her go up there and then didn't even know she was crying for I don't know how long. I inched my way down the stairs with her on my lap. One really little girl coming up the stairs stopped when she saw me and just stared. Finally she (rightfully) laughed and went on. We emerged and I tried to comfort my poor little girl who I was certain had been traumatized for life. But she wouldn't let me. The tears had stopped and she wanted to go back and play. Is this what they mean when they say kids are resilient?

Cool Geek

That's right! I'm a cool geek. A cool technology geek, actually, according to nerdtests.com. I may not be able to compete with NerdDad's scores but at least I'm cool.





Did I mention the quiz said I was cool? I already knew about the geek part, but no one has ever officially verified my coolness.

Dancing Queen

Two blogging firsts: 1) My first home video post and 2) my first post in a long time!

I avoid dancing in public. Others who know me well enough to have seen me dance will attest to my lack of rhythm. I have higher hopes for my daughter. She has always loved to dance and never ceases to entertain us.

UPDATE: From my first look, the video isn't showing up. Can anyone see it???

UPDATE 2: I have tried again but again it seems to not work!!!

Neat Video

I just watched this. It is very powerful. It might look cheesy at the start, but hang in there.



HT: Blog Hero

What Accent?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I'm not from the "Midland" area though I do distinctly remember a college dormmate who lived down the hall and around the corner saying that when she heard me talking from my room it sounded like I had a Midwest accent. (That was probably her way of telling me I was too loud, too.)

I also can't resist posting something saying I have a good voice for TV and radio. I always thought it would be cool to be a radio DJ. But I think I would have trouble talking to myself--I think I need a live, physically present audience. Hmmm.... I'll have to work that one out....

So, what's your accent?

HT: Tales of a Music Mama (who I don't have a link to yet but read all the time!!! Sorry Flo!)

Give Me a Sign God

Conversation with my almost four-year-old son on our walk home from Starbuck's tonight:

Him: Mom, what's that sign say?
Me (helping him sound out the words): Right turn only.
Him: Right turn only. That's going to be my memory verse for today.

Little Laugh From Sara

After teasing my husband about not liking to have lights on in the house at night...

Him: Has anyone ever told you you're mean?
Me: No! (pause) They're too scared.

Ha! Well, I thought I was funny.

After Years of Mystery...

There is no more wondering about which Springfield the Simpsons' home is in.

Deja Vu

After studying through Jonah as I had mentioned in an earlier post, I just kept on reading and went through Micah. There were a couple of verses in chapter two that I found really interesting. To summarize the situation, Micah is living during this time where no one in Israel is following God. They have all turned to foreign gods and are doing whatever they darn well please. Micah is a prophet appointed by God, but not accepted by the nation's leaders. In fact, they have even apparently appointed their own prophets. Micah's message is of doom (followed by reconciliation, but mostly doom) for the nation and no one wants to hear that.

Here's verse six: "Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.”


And, my favorite, verse 11: If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!


So, I'm reading this and thinking about how far these people have strayed from God. And then I started wondering if this is at all like the church today. I don't mean that the American church has completely turned from God, but I'm wondering: Are there Biblical truths that are "unacceptable" within the church? Do we try as best we can to ignore those teachers whose messages make us uncomfortable (regardless of whether they speak the truth) and surround ourselves with teachers who give us messages of comfort and prosperity (even if it's a little off the mark biblically)? Although I can't think of a real concrete example, there's something about Israel's response to Micah that feels vaguely familiar.... Is it just me?

Okie Tan

Growing up, I used the term "okie tan" to describe the sun tan lines you get from wearing a t-shirt. Everyone I knew in my hometown of Bakersfield, California called it the same thing. I moved away to the big, big city of Fresno and heard a friend say "farmer tan" (or "farmer's tan") to describe that distintive tan. I had never heard that term before. The conversation probably went something like this:

friend: ...So now I've got this dumb farmer tan.
me: What?
friend: My farmer tan.
me: What?
friend (impatiently): My farmer tan. I've got a farmer tan. See? <pulling up short sleeve to reveal contrasting skin tones>
me: Oh! You mean an okie tan!
friend: What?
me: An okie tan.
friend: What?
me (impatiently): An okie tan!!! <pulling up my own short sleeve to reveal contrasting skin tones>

Of course, that's how a lot of my conversations go... So, I've been thinking about this recently and googled "okie tan". The search turned up ONE occurrence of its use.... by a girl in Delano (a city 30 miles north of Bakersfield). So apparently the use of this phrase is limited to a very small region although it is widely used within that region. Isn't that weird?

Have you ever heard "okie tan" before? What term do you use to describe a t-shirt shaped tan? And where did you learn that term? Leave a comment.

Gangster/Folk Crossover

You've seen them here before: The Conchords. Here they are hilariously funny again....


HT: Hale-Yeah!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (pictorial edition)

With happy kids

Eating lots of food

In airports

At the pool

Listening to my son's mariachi band

Surrounded by beauty

Sand everywhere

Observing wildlife

On the beach


With family

We're in the News

Well, sort of. Look for my family's appearance here as "irate summer travelers". Yes, we have been awaiting our passports (after applying over eleven weeks ago), wondering if we will actually be able to go on our vacation to Mexico. After a little help from Congressman Devin Nunes and his staff, our passports have been processed, overnighted to us, and should arrive in the next hour. Of course, as of a few hours ago, it doesn't matter since the new (as of 1/1/07) requirement that travelers to Mexico and Canada must have passports has been temporarily suspended due to the State Department's inability to process the "massive surge" passport applications they have received in the last few months. Well, either way, we get to go on vacation!!!

Cool Cooking Site

I know, I know.... I don't post for over a month and now two posts in a day! I just like to keep my readers on their toes! Actually I just thought I wouldn't remember to post this later. I was looking for info on grilling artichokes and came across Cooking for Engineers. From my brief visit it appears to be a great site. The guy has a very cool table format he uses for recipes and he uses lots of pictures--always good. Check out this lemon bar recipe to see what I mean. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the recipe in table form.)

Jonah, Part 2

So I just read chapter 3 and was struck by another little thing. It's verse one: "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time." So, Jonah rejected God's first command by physically running away from God. God spares the guy's life from drowning and then allows him to live on dry land again (instead of inside the fish). Jonah doesn't really deserve it, but God allows him to live anyway. That should be enough. But then, on top of that, God reaffirms Jonah's position as prophet by giving him a second command to go to Nineveh. Unfortunately, as we'll see in chapter 4, Jonah still has a bad attitude about the whole thing. Does he not realize the grace just extended to him??? Anyway, it's just encouraging to know that God doesn't think in our terms--our usefulness to him is not over because we have walked away from him and his ways for a period of time.

Jonah and The Big Fish

I was just reading Jonah and made a realization in chapter 2 where Jonah praises God for sending a fish to swallow him and, therefore, saving his life. Jonah starts by describing his descent into the sea: "all your waves and breakers swept over me." I love how visual his description is: "Seaweed was wrapped around my head." (Where else do you find seaweed in the Bible?!) And that's when it hit me. Jonah didn't know his life would be defined by and remembered for these few days. He didn't know his name would always be followed by "and the Big Fish" (or "and the Whale" for those of us who were taught inaccurately back in the day). He was just Jonah the prophet. And he thought his life was over. And for good reason considering he had just blatantly disobeyed God. But no--God provided a great fish to swallow Jonah. Now, I'm thankful for all the things God provides for me, but I sure hope He never has to provide a fish (or any other creature for that matter) to swallow me.

Jonah didn't know how his story was going to end, and we never know either. I love to consider whatever circumstances I am in, no matter how good, bad, or (more often) mediocre, as having the potential to become something that will define me (or someone else) or that will be remembered by many for many years. Not that I'm looking to be thrown into a sea... but I guess sometimes that what it takes!

In the Beginning

This is my 3.5 year-old's account of creation as overheard in the car tonight: “On the first day, God created light and dark. On day two, God created squishy fish and pens for people to write with. On the next day, He made creatures and squishy fish and animals that creep and crawl and hop and gallop. On the next day, he made light and dark and Adam. On the next day, He made people and cars and trucks and helicopters and boats and tractors. On the next day, He made engines and buses to go everywhere. And shapes and colors. On the next day, He made toys to go in the stores. On the next day, he made numbers and letters. The end. Wasn’t that a good Bible story?”

Walking For a Cure

Back in January, a friend of mine, Debbi Gunn, called me very excited about something. She has a very close friend who suffers from cystic fibrosis and was frustrated by her daily struggle with the disease. So, in an attempt to turn her frustration into something positive, she contacted the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to find out what she could do to help find a cure for the disease. They told her about the annual Great Strides fund-raising walk. She immediately signed up and invited everyone she knew to walk as part of Team Tisa (named in honor of her friend). And that is why she was calling to me: to see if I would be willing to walk with her. I joined Team Tisa, and this Saturday, April 21, my family and I will join in the two-mile walk. Now I am asking you, if you would be willing to sponsor my family as we attempt to raise $1000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can make an online, tax-deductible donation here. Thanks for your consideration and any donation you can give!

Name That Tune

The Mystery Song Lyric Game Contest Thingy is back! And it's new and improved! The songs will not be limited to the 80's and I will give some type of hint. Leave your answer as a comment. (Don't look at the comments if you don't want to know the answer!) Of course I'll reply in the comments as to the correctness of any answers. Have fun!!!

Line: "Hooking up words and phrases and clauses."
Hint: TV

For Laughs

My sister Cheri sent these to me today. I found them quite funny. Enjoy!

Link Love

You may notice a couple of new blogs on my list to the left...

- A long overdue link to Hale's De do do do, De da da da. I've been reading from the beginning and never put up a link. Sorry Hale! (Check out his "How to Be a NASCAR widower" for a good chuckle.)
- Next, a link to another Hale: Brian Hale's Hale-Yeah! If you go there right now, you can see some great pics from his recent beach trip. (I want to go!!!)
- And... (drum roll please)... Introducing Just an Average Girl... by Maya! Yes, that was a pig you just saw fly by your window!!! She finally gave into the pressure! I look forward to keeping up on this girl's busy life!

Also, a nice site I just found: ScrapVillage. I haven't explored the entire site, just the fonts. They have LOTS of fonts, intended for scrapbooking, but they're not all just handwriting-type of fonts. (Though there aren't many you'd want to use in a formal document!) And the best part--they're all free and easy to use!

Winners!

After my rant about not having a winner, I've received 2 correct answers!!! NerdDad and Scott both recognized the line from REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". NerdDad also pointed out that I had already used this song. (He won that time, too.)

And the winner is...

...no one again! All right guys... Is everyone tired of this game? Is it too difficult? Are you bored? Are you still there??? Hello? Is this thing on???

Ta Da!

Hey look! I took some time today to make some changes around here. What do you think? I'm basically done. I may add a new title block. Otherwise, I'll just fix stuff. Please let me know what you think!

New Pic

If you haven't already noticed, I've got a new picture for my profile. I'd been wanting to update it because I've had a new hairstyle for a while, but, as you can see, my new hair is still not in the picture. But that's okay because I really like this picture. I had the idea for the photo and explained it to Brad and we had a little photo shoot yesterday. We work well together that way: Brad loves to take pictures and play with all his fancy camera stuff and I love to have my picture taken! Here's another good one...

I actually feel very guilty changing my picture only because I promised I would change my whole layout a LONG time ago and never did. At this point, I've kind of abandoned the whole idea I had (good thing this is With Reckless Abandon!) but I'll do something different sometime!

80's Mystery Song Lyric

I think you'll get this one!

And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight

What song is it from? Email the title and artist to me. I'll post the answer and winner(s) later!

Blast From the Past

I have officially lived in Fresno for about 10 years. (Unofficially for 4 years before that, too.) I've lived in four neighborhoods, attended three churches, had two employers, went to one school, and been involved in several other random groups. That's enough involvement to get to know quite a few people. But I rarely run into people I know. Let me correct myself: I rarely run into people I used to know. (I run into people from my neighborhood and my church quite often!) But the last few days have been different. It started with a baby shower. A guy I used to work with and his wife just had their first baby. (Congrats Ramiro and Yvonne!) I hadn't talked to or seen either of them for about three years but a mutual friend got us in touch again. They invited me to a baby shower on Saturday where I got to see the new baby, his parents I hadn't seen for years, and even one of the new mom's friends I'd met many times but also hadn't seen for three years. Wow! I realize that's not exactly "running into" somebody but the next ones are. Tuesday, the kids and I picked up my husband from work and went to McDonald's for lunch. We're standing in line when I notice a man get in line behind us--it's another guy I used to work with (Marky T as we used to fondly refer to him) that I haven't seen for probably about four years. Then last night we went to Costco. Yes, on Valentine's Day. I figured there would be less people and I was right. What I didn't realize was that we would run into the Truitt family with whom we used to go to church. We hadn't seen them for at least three and a half years. It's funny because I used to try to avoid running into people I knew. If I saw someone in a store I would look the other way and pretend to be carefully selecting parsnips or whatever might be nearby. Not to be mean or rude but to protect us both from the awkward conversation that I knew would ensue. But now, well, now I live for awkward conversation! I'm the one to get the other person's attention. (Actually the Truitts got my attention before I saw them--They live for awkward conversation, too.) I actually enjoy running into people now. I really don't know what changed, but I like it better this way! I no longer have to purchase unnecessary root vegetables!

When Will I Learn?

We live near a Walgreen's. We go there a lot. It's a great destination for our walks/tricycle rides. If you ever see a red tricycle sitting outside a north Fresno Walgreen's, you'll know we're inside. The past few weeks--I guess it would be more accurate to say since Christmas--Walgreen's has had their Valentine's Day stuff out. Every time we walk in, my son has pointed out Lightning McQueen on the front of this particular card as we pass the card aisle. So I thought it would be special if I bought the card for him. So what do I do? Wait until the day before Valentine's Day! And what do I find at my friendly Walgreen's? First, a line with about 20 people. Second, a mangled half-stocked display of Valentine's cards--with Lightning McQueen no where to be seen. What was I thinking? My husband and I gave up trying to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day early in our newlywed years because we hated waiting an hour and half for a table. One year I waited in line at See's Candies for close to an hour on February 13. And now this. Fortunately, my son has no expectation of anything so he won't be disappointed, but I know how excited he would have been to get that card!!!

No Winner?

No one got the song lyric this week! Was it too difficult? It was from Phil Collins' "Don't Lose My Number". So no winners this week--I'll try to make the next one easier!

80's Mystery Song Lyric

Here's this week's lyric:

They came at night leaving fear behind
Shadows were on the ground

Email your answer here. And remember, everyone with the right answer wins!!!

My Reading List Revisited

Last January I posted a list of the books I read in 2005 and the ones I hoped to read in 2006. For my own benefit, I wanted to look at that list again and see how I did. You can come along too.

On my books to read list:
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
A Mom After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
Bruchko by Bruce Olson
Birthright: Christian Do You Know Who You Are by David C. Needham
The Chronicles of Narnia (7 books) by C. S. Lewis

I did read the Douglas Adams books (those were a re-read) and I also read Bruchko. I got about halfway into the Elizabeth George book and stalled. I need to pick that one up again--it was pretty good stuff. I didn't even touch Birthright. I didn't read through the Narnia series, but I did get out the first book and started reading it a few pages at a time with my son.

Although I didn't get through my list, I did read a few others not on the list, several as assignments for the School of Women's Ministries. I read Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction by Gary L. McIntosh and Samuel D.Sr. Rima, which was a pretty good book. I read a short (auto)biography of Fanny Crosby called This Is My Story This Is My Song. I also read the classic Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan for the first time ever. Another book I stalled halfway through is Revolution in World Missions by K. P. Yohannan, a great, eye-opening read that I need to pick up and finish and that I also highly recommend. Those are all that I can recall at this moment.

I'm really impressed with myself because I have always disliked reading books and, therefore, read as little as I could get away with in school. That meant I spent my twenties reading hardly anything. But maybe I'll make up for it in my thirties! I don't have a list I'm working off of this year, but so far I've already read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni. Maybe now it's time to pick up those unfinished ones!

Excuses

I'm not abandoning this blog. Or its reader(s). I just thought I should say that. This last week has been really crazy. I got the flu and was pretty miserable for a few days there. Then my normally easy-to-handle son lost his mind. Well, that's what it seems like some of the time: He's started throwing tantrums again. It's been quite a while since he's done that and he's really improved his tantrum skills in that time. So the last week has been very physically and emotionally draining. Anyway, all of that left very little time and energy (though plenty of content) for blogging. So hopefully, I'll get to blog a little here and there this week. And if you think of me when you're praying, please pray for my family during this stressful time. Thanks!

And the winner is...

*** I realize I am REALLY late posting this! Sorry! ***

Congrats to Jackie for recognizing this line from Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me". I've decided to start listing everyone who gets the right answer, not just the first one, because, well, because I can! So although Jackie was first, April is also a winner! I also have to give an honorable mention to my sister Cheri who knew the song title and guessed unrelentlessly until she figured out the artist! There's no shame in guessing!

Look for another 80's song contest on Friday! And I promise I'll try to try to post the answer sooner!!!

80's Mystery Song Lyric

Here's this week's line from one of the rockingest (though probably not wholesomest) songs of the 80's:

Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp

Know it? Email the title and artist to me.

Business Time

I saw this at Shlog. I pass this on with the same recommendations that he did:
1) Don't watch this if you're not married.
2) Don't watch this if you're under 18.
3) Don't watch this if you're promoting one of my future concerts. Hmm... I guess that won't eliminate anyone... Moving on...
4) Don't watch this if you've been married for less than one year because you won't get it.

If you haven't been eliminated... get ready to laugh! I've got to go sort the recycling.

5 Things You May Not Know About Me

Tagged by Nerd Family. Here we go...

1. I used to be a mime. (Yes, the kind that doesn't talk, believe it or not!)
2. I took two semesters of fencing in college. (I was better at mime.)
3. I've always wanted to collect swords.
4. I actually do own a small collection of kaleidoscopes. They are much less dangerous than swords.
5. Even less dangerous than kaleidoscopes: Paper. I think it would be cool to own a stationery store. Hmmm... I wonder if paper beats sword... Then we could play paper-sword-kaleidoscope!

And the winner is...

It's a tie this week! Both April and Brian gave the correct answer within minutes of each other. Congrats to you both for so easily recognizing Byran Adams' "Summer of '69". That song always makes me long for those days, even though I never had a band and I wasn't born until the summer of '75! Still, "those were the best days of my life"!

80's Mystery Song Lyric

One of my favorite songs of all time today! Here's the line:

Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard

Email the title and artist to me and I'll post the winner and the answer later.

A Poll

I don't have a lot of time to blog but I have two quick things:

- Check out the cutest kids I've ever seen here.

- I want to do a little poll. If you are a Christian, answer these two questions:

1. Do you believe that you have access to the power that created the world and rose Jesus from the dead?
2. If so, do you use that power?

What I'm Missing

Friday night I was driving alone. This has always been my best time for reflection, and I rarely drive anywhere alone anymore. But here I was Friday evening. Something (and I'm not sure what it was) reminded me of sharing with my college friends in times of worship. Not just a bunch of goofy kids singing songs about Jesus (though we were that), but real hearts opened up and poured out before a worthy King. And I missed it.
---
Sunday morning I was doing the rush-to-get-everyone-ready-for-church thing. I was getting irritated that I was running late and I thought "I am not going to get to church late again!" I didn't want to miss half the worship time because I had to make my hair perfect or because of a last minute diaper change. Then I started to think about how long it had been since I'd been at church... Last week: vacation. Week before: helped in kids' classes then went home. Previous week: Visiting family for Christmas. Previous week: Choir performance. It had been five weeks since I had been in a normal church service! Five weeks since I had the chance to just worship with my church family.
---
We sat down in church 28 seconds before the service started. Normally music starts right away but this particular Sunday our Senior Pastor introduced the worship time by reminding us what worship is: not about singing, not about us in anyway, but about bringing worth to God; it is not something we initiate but a response to who God is. This was the perfect lead in to a really great worship time. I sang with my eyes closed almost the entire time, trying not to think about who was around me or who was on stage or even if I was singing on key.
---
It's kind of funny how God orchestrates things. Sunday morning when I realized I hadn't been to church for five weeks, I thought that's probably why I was missing corporate worship. But then when Pastor Jan started the service by talking about worship it was kind of weird, like he was saying it just for me. I just love those times when things all work together in unexpected ways. It's a reminder to me that God knows and loves me personally.

And the winner is...

I got several good guesses and correct answers this week!!! But the honor goes to April who was first with the right answer ("Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago) and who was helped by the fact that she had recently heard the song on the radio for the first time in many years and who was at Disneyland while we were there and who we didn't run into to! And an honorable mention goes to Brad who was first with the correct artist. (One of the best things about writing a blog is that I don't feel confined by all the rules of writing I learned growing up: In this one short post I've managed to start two sentences with conjunctions, write (at least) one run-on sentence, and end one sentence with a preposition! Take that Ms. Chaney!)

80's Mystery Song Lyric

Here it is--this week's lyric. I think it's an easy one. What do you think?

Everybody needs a little time away, I heard her say, from each other.

Email the title and answer to me.

I'm Back

After a fun week of vacation and a few days of getting caught up, I'm back! The fam and I spent a week in San Diego (plus a stop in Orange County) doing all the fun stuff there is to do there. We spent two days at SeaWorld and had a really great time there. We were really impressed with the high quality of everything there and lack of crowds the days we were there. It was really great to be able to let the kiddos run around a bit and not be afraid of losing them. My boy measures exactly 42 inches with his shoes on which allowed him to ride Shipwreck Rapids with me. We were the only ones in the nine-person raft. He wanted off after the first drop but was really proud of himself after it was all over! We visited the world-famous San Diego Zoo and did a little shopping at one of my favorite malls: Horton Plaza. After almost a week there we headed to Anaheim for some Disney fun and a quick visit with my SoCal sister. Then we headed home. It was a fun trip, though also a lot of work, having the little ones. It was a great way to start the new year! I'll try to post a few pics later!