How we deal with telemarketers and political calls

First off, you should know that I hate talking on the phone anyway. There's a few friends I can talk to for hours, but most of the time, the phone ringing is nothing more than an irritating distraction I choose to ignore.

However...

In these political times, I can't ignore the fact that my phone never stops ringing. Go away! I'm not voting for you because you bugged me. Period. I track who calls the most and then I vote for the other guy. So there.

My four year old, on the other hand, looooves the phone. She takes all the calls we don't want. Even the eight year old, when she's bored with whichever friend has called, will hand her the phone when she's done and the friend's not. The worst fact of my kiddo's life is that she's not allowed on the phone without permission. So she looooves it when she gets a turn.

So tonight, caller id announces it's yet another political call. I look at the four year old.

"Want to talk on the phone?"
"YES!" I hand her the phone, tell her to answer it, and tell whoever it is that Mommy is busy.

"Hello?"
(It's loud enough I can hear what's going on)
"Hi. This is X from X Campaign. Is your mom or dad home?"
"Yes."
"Can we talk to them?"
"What do you want me to say to them?" She's looking at me because she's forgotten to tell them I'm busy.
"Just tell them we at X Campaign would like to talk to them about blah blah blah blah blah."

I'm thinking, this person is incredibly stupid for trying to give such a long message to such a small child, but whatever. The longer my kid keeps them on the phone, the more of their time and money we waste and the more I feel like I'm sticking it to the man.

"What?"
"Can you just get your mom or dad?"
"No. They don't want to talk to you. You have to talk to me."

By this point, I'm sitting here, trying not to laugh hysterically because she thinks she's doing me a huge favor, and if I laugh, her feelings will be hurt. She thinks her gatekeeper job is the most important job on the planet.

"Little girl. This is very important. Do your parents know you're on the phone? Phones are for grownups."

And I'm thinking... I don't like people who are condescending to my children, so now you've really got no chance of ever getting me in person.

"I can talk on the phone if I want to. What do you want?"
"Can we talk to your parents?"
Now she remembers. "My mom's busy."
"Uh, we'll just call back later. Tell your mom and dad to vote for X."

Yeah, we'll be sure not to. But thanks for playing. Not only did I get a good laugh, but you gave me a blog topic. Next time you call, my kiddo is going to sing you a song. Those are the best. Or maybe I'll have her tell you about her Christmas list. She's already making one, and that's pretty funny to listen to her telling telemarketers. HA! Wouldn't that be funny. I'll vote for candidate X if you buy my kid all those ridiculous toys in the commercials.

I know, I'm a stinker. But you know, if you're going to call me without my permission, then I'm siccing my kids on you without your permission. Turnabout being fair play and all that.

Things that make you go aw!!

Tonight, when I got home from teaching my class, my little one handed me a scribble paper and said, "Mom, I made this for you. Listen to what I wrote."

Here it is. The sweetest thing...

Mom, I love you like America.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Okay, so I realize she's only four and probably doesn't fully understand what that means... but it was still the cutest thing in the world to hear my little girl, saying with absolute sincerity, that she loved me like America, and stood there, reciting the pledge as though it was the most solemn vow because it somehow expressed how much she loves me.

Love that girl!

Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival

So let's try something new, and since I have exactly six minutes left in Saturday, I'm going to participate. Plus, I have absolutely no idea what to blog about. So let's join in the Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival.

Here's the question:

Why do you read and review Christian fiction? Do you exclusively read Christian fiction or do you also read general market books?


My Answer:

I like to read and review Christian fiction because there are a lot of great books out there people need to know about.

And yes, I also read general market books. Love books of all kinds and love sharing the ones I love.

Anyone else care to take a stab?

Thursday Thirteen #64: Things in my fridge

Thirteen Things about what's in my fridge 1. Cheeseburgers from last week I need to throw out. 2. Pea soup. 3. Sauerkraut and sausage 4. Milk 5. Ratatouille 6. Ketchup 7. Lime Juice 8. Yogurt 9. eggs 10. Misc veggies 11. a variety of salad dressings 12. mustard 13. butter (the real stuff) I'd take a picture, but the kiddos lost the camera. I should also mention this isn't an all-inclusive list. I do have vulture children, after all, so if I don't have a full fridge, they eat the furniture. So what's in YOUR fridge?

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Unusual Thoughts on the election

I'm going to admit right now to a bit of election angst. I've always pretty much voted with one particular party, however, there are a number of things this party wants to implement that really scare me. However, the other party is no better. I'm terrified of a few things they want to implement.

A friend of mine and I were talking and one of the interesting commentaries that came out of it was the question, how is this a democracy when our only choices are the lesser of two evils? When the choice is to choose which policy will hurt our families and countries the least?

I don't think we really have a choice. I don't think this is democracy.

Because I really don't know what the answer is, I decided that the best answer was to pray. To say, God, I want to cast the right vote, but I'd really like to look beyond my own self interest and conflicting feelings to choose the right candidate.

The answer surprised me. It was, simply, vote for the candidate you don't want to win.

WHAT?

As I prayed and reflected on Scripture, the reasoning was pretty clear. Do I trust God with the election? Do I trust His sovereignty and know that regardless of who takes office in January, HE will be in control? Throughout history, we've had good rulers and bad. Biblically, we've seen examples of life under persecution and life under reasonable peace. God had a plan.

God still has a plan, whether we greet President Obama or President McCain after the election. He's got it under control.

But because part of our responsibilities as Americans is that we are to vote, we need to vote on election day. We do need to educate ourselves on the things we're voting for or against. However, we also need to recognize that when all the votes have been counted, the hanging chads argued over, in the end, God is still God. No matter who ends up in the White House, this is still His country.

The one thing you don't want to miss

I've really been enjoying the song, One Life to Love by 33 Miles, which, by the by, is a FREE download on iTunes through Monday. You can click this link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=292674314&s=143441

The chorus talks about having only one shot at the one thing you don't want to miss... I've been thinking a lot about that thought lately.

What's the one thing I don't want to miss?

Today, my sweet B turned 8.

The plan was for me to post something very sweet about her, showing pictures of how she's grown. Sadly, not a lot of her baby pics are digital and/or are somewhere in hubby's compy and I can't find them. However, I've spent the past couple of hours looking through all the photos on my computer, and I am overwhelmed by all the memories. So many moments. Some I remember so clearly. Some I don't. Others I wish would've happened differently. And many that until I looked back, I failed to appreciate just what magic they were.

For example, we often refer to the youngest as "The Terrorist." As I looked at pics of B at the same age and younger, I can remember some of the stories behind the pics... feeling frustrated because she was acting like such a monster. I forgot that we called B "The Monster."

The same little girl who, this past week at parent teacher conferences, was called "delightful." Her teacher couldn't say enough good about her. She's eager to learn, well-liked by the other students and staff, at or above grade level on all of her subjects. We walked through the book fair and a couple of girls randomly hugged her. I asked her what it was about and she looked genuinely confused. "I don't know, Mom, for some reason, everyone likes to hug me."

I know the reason.

I am so humbled by the incredible children we're raising. Friday night, we had a conversation with the senior in high school about her future plans. I was so amazed at what a level-headed young lady she's becoming. She's so intent on her goals. Tonight, hubby and I were talking about the college guy and how he's making some decisions requiring a great deal of maturity. I once spent hours on my knees over those two and the scrapes they got into. And here they are... not perfect, not done yet, but wow... I am in awe.

My daughter's teacher told us that it's clear she's in a good home with good parents raising her right. My friend Amy once told me that I was a good example to her and that she had a lot of admiration for me as a parent. So many days, I sit here, crying, praying, wondering how I'm going to get through the next day. How either my children or I will not survive their childhood.

I will tell you with all the honesty in me that any success I have had as a parent is because the Lord has carried us through it all. One of my favorite verses is I Samuel 7:12, where Samuel sets up a stone he names Ebenezer because "Thus far, the Lord helped us." As I looked through the photos tonight, I realized how many of them are Ebenezers to me. At each moment, I could clearly see, "thus far, the Lord has helped us."

When I look at the one thing I don't want to miss... this is it.

Each moment is so precious. Even the most desperate, the scariest, and yes, those times where the camera captures the absolute horror and panic over the latest horror the children have put me through. Those moments are the times when we can look back and clearly see just how God has helped us. You can't pick any single one of them to miss, because through the good and through the bad, God's mercy and grace shines through. And trust me, you don't want to miss it.

Precious Moments

As many of you know, my Panera time is precious. It's my get away from it all and focus on writing time that I get three days a week. I savor that time. This week, I lost two days of Panera time. Monday, I volunteered at my daughter's book fair while the little one was in preschool. Today, B was off school, so I had her with me.

I have to admit, I've been a little resentful about giving up my Panera time. Summer without Panera time was miserable.

Last week, when my daughter was telling about being off school, realizing that her sister still had school, she said in a very excited tone, "Mommy! I get to have special Panera time with you!"

Again, because I am a less than perfect mommy, I thought, "GRR! That's MY time!" But I smiled and said, "sure, we can go to Panera."

As the days for our joint Panera venture drew near, her excitement grew. All she could talk about was how she got to go to Panera with Mommy. And I realized, how awesome is that to know that the very best thing my daughter could think of was going to her mom's favorite place to have a cup of tea and spend time together? One day, she's going to be too busy, or maybe not interested in hanging out with her old mom. How precious that I get that time now.

And then I thought of these folks I see regularly at Panera. It's an older couple, and they're there every time I am, having a cup of coffee and reading the paper. But every once and a while, their daughter joins them with her baby. I first noticed them when she was pregnant, and over the past year, I've watched her baby grow up.

At Panera, I've seen groups of little old ladies doing their Bible study, multi-generational groups come together to knit, businessmen doing their deals, people getting hired, people getting fired, and I can't help but think what an honor it is that I get to be a part of it all, even if it's only from a distance.

So today, I brought my little girl to Panera. I got my tea, she got hot chocolate. We shared a bagel. She told me about a song she's writing about the invisible friend sitting next to us that everyone has. God. She was so passionate about sharing that with me. I realized that if we'd stayed home, I'd have spent the morning yelling at her to clean her room or something like that. But because we went to Panera, we shared breakfast, we shared conversation, and we shared lives.

I hope that 10 or 15 years from now, she still wants to go to Panera with me. And it still makes her feel as special as she felt, walking through those doors, head high, smile on her face, and joy in her heart. And maybe, someone else who goes to Panera on the same days we do will watch her grow up the way I've watched this other baby, and it will bring the same blessing it's brought me.

Thursday Thirteen #63: Learning to knit

Thirteen Things about learning to Knit One of my friends, the lovely Camy Tang, is a knitter. Over the past couple of months, I've gotten to spend time with her, and each time, she's amazed me with her skill. And the fact that while the rest of us were bored out of our gourds, she had something to do. So... I've taken up knitting. Here's what my experience has been like so far: 1. Long tail cast-on... I spent an hour trying to figure it out and just could not get it right. I kept ending up with three loops instead of one. Camy laughed when I called her to tell her that. 2. I went to church, and found myself praying about knitting because I thought it'd be really cool to knit in church. (Is it rude to knit in church? I hope not!) 3. God must've liked that idea, because I came home, picked up the needles and was able to cast-on perfectly on the first try. 4. I think my needles are too big, because I keep getting tangled in them. 5. I also should not have gotten aluminum needles. The stuff keeps falling off. Camy says this happens with aluminum. 6. I really like knittinghelp.com for the information. I've been learning to knit from the videos alone. 7. Both Camy and my friend Allie (who is also a knitting queen) said Continental is easiest. I could not figure out how to get the stitch right until I saw this website. 8. I've been told knitting is a good stress reliever. I'm finding it semi-true... I like it when I'm in sync, but when I mess up, I get stressed. 9. I also think knitting will be a great way to make me more menacing... don't mess with me because I've got a pointy thing. HA! 10. One of my plans for knitting is that I'm going to use it as a prayer tool... as I knit a stitch, I'll be praying for something different. So far, it's pretty cool. 11. My kids are really excited that I'm knitting. Once I get the hang of it, I'm going to make it a mother/daughter thing. 12. Here is what I've done so far. Totally crappy, but totally mine. Love it! 13. Despite my progress, I still have not figured out how to untangle my yarn.

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Lazy Jane

I’ve been wrestling with this topic lately because someone I know is disappointed with things God has not done in her life. Where is God? Why is she still waiting on the promises He’s made?

I looked at her list and I thought… maybe God is waiting on her.

It reminds me of a poem by one of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein. Lazy Jane wants a drink of water, so rshe lays there and waits it for it to rain. He says it better, but don’t want to infringe on copyright, so look it up.
Sometimes we’re Lazy Jane when it comes to God. We want a drink of water, but instead of doing the obvious, and turning on the faucet, we sit with our mouths open and say, “God! Where are you?” He’s sitting up there saying, “The sink is ten feet in front of you!”

Granted, sometimes, God will put water in our mouths. But a lot of the time, He’s put the water out there and is just waiting for us to get up and get it.
I’ve been guilty of this often enough. “Lord, fix this situation in my life.” Then I sit back and wait for Him to wave His magic wand and make it all better. It’s amazing how many times, when I go ahead and take that first step, He comes alongside me and starts to make things happen.

What have you asked God for? Is there something you can do to take a step in the direction of that thing? Because maybe, it’s not so much that He’s asking you to wait, but He’s pointing at the sink, waiting for you to get up and turn it on.

Thursday Thirteen #62: Influential Books

Thirteen Things about Influential books A lifelong bibliophile, I thought it would be fun to share the books that have most influenced my life and why... be surprised! 1. Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. My first "chapter book". I read it when I was five. Borrowed it from an older neighbor girl and have been hooked ever since. 2. Witch's Harvest by Sara Craven. My first taste of Harlequins... mmm... yummy. And yes, I'm still an addict. Go figure. 3. The Spring of the Tiger by Victoria Holt. Not my first Holt, which was Legend of the Seventh Virgin (I know, I'm scary with remembering books), but she's another writer whose stuff I can't get enough of. Actually, she's my all-time favorite author.) Anyway, this was the first book that made me bawl my eyes out. I know the ending is supposed to be happy, but it wasn't very satisfying for me. I hated that Clayton's redeeming moment was his death. 4. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Having not grown up in a Christian environment, I remember reading this book and thinking, "What? The guy who wrote those books I loved as a kid is a Christian?" It definitely made me rethink what I thought a Christian was and what I thought a Christian could write about. 5. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Probably the best reflection of who I am in my faith. LOVE this book. 6. I, Claudius by Robert Graves. My friend Jaime and I read this back in middle school. We thought we were so grown up for reading something so beyond what middle schoolers read. Still, I find the intrigue fascinating. 7. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This really just shows how loony I am... I think I am one of the few people on the planet who thinks this should be labeled as one of his comedies, not a tragedy. I get giggles just thinking about it... "Get thee to a nunnery!" 8. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. LOVE this book. Weird, because I need happy endings, but I always figured that Scarlett would've won him back in the end. I actually liked Scarlett. Hmmm... maybe that's why I have a hard time with likable heroines. 9. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I KNOW! Some of you who know me well are thinking I'm nuts since I am such an advocate of happy endings. And no, I do not think it was a happy ending. Spoiler: They DIED. But there is something very beautiful and captivating about her writing that makes me read this book over and over. And even though they died, there is something incredibly powerful and romantic about the love they shared. 10. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Another weird book, since I haven't actually finished it. The bookmark is still at about 1/5 of the book. However, after reading that much of it, I can tell you why the guy was an alcoholic. Frankly, I had to stop reading it, otherwise, I'd become one myself. Wow, that stuff was dry. Anyway, this book taught me that while I love to read, a connoisseur of what others define as fine literature I am not. 11. The Republic by Plato. I am fascinated by this book. I actually almost just picked it up and started reading it again just now, but I held back. Each time I read it, I come away with something different, and sometimes even contradictory from what I last took away. This book makes me think a lot about life and government. Probably a good book for the election. 12. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This should be every writer's bible. Really great book that reminds me to accept my writing process and go with it. 13. The Bible by God. I almost left this off the list, because I didn't want to sound trite. Every Christian names the Bible. And the truth is, I don't read it as much as I should, understand it as much as I want, and feel woefully inadequate when it comes to talking about this book. But everything in my life, everything I read, always draws me back to this one book. This one story that is the ultimate romance, the ultimate mystery, and the ultimate battle where good triumphs over evil. And in my opinion, those three things are absolutely necessary to make any read worth my time.

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Being satisfied

I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with a friend I hadn't seen in a few years and meet her husband. She kept going on and on about her new home and how wonderful it was. I was excited for her, to see that after years of struggle, she was finally living her dream. I couldn't wait to see this amazing home that she couldn't stop talking about. She drove me through some beautiful country, past enormous beautiful homes, then turned down a little lane into...

A trailer park.

We pulled up in front of an old dilapidated trailer. When I described it to a friend, she made the comment to the extent of, "so basically we're talking aqua appliances and pink toilets." Um, no. Think older.

Her amazing house is a single wide trailer, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and you can see a lot of places where frankly, it's falling apart. She escorted me into the living room, cleared off some papers from a chair that she proudly told me they pulled out of a dumpster, and they invited me to sit. After all, it was the best seat in the house.

I'll be honest. At first, I was a bit disgusted. The place was rundown and dirty. She made a comment about how I don't keep a very clean house, so she didn't think I'd mind that she hadn't picked things up, but let me just say that I have never allowed my home to get that dirty. When I left, I was picking dirt and fuzz and hair off my clothes and I honestly have no idea where it came from.

But what do you say? She was so happy, so proud, and it hit me. I'm a big meanie. Who am I to judge how she lives? It may not be the home I'd want for myself, but she loves it. Later, we were talking and her husband made the comment that someday they'd like a real house with a real yard. But for now, they own this house. It's completely paid off. They pay utilities, HOA for the trailer park, and get this... $50 a year in property taxes. As he put it, they have everything they need. Why, then, would they go into debt for something else?

I left their home feeling almost envious. They didn't need a big house, nice things, or any of the other "stuff" society tells us is important. They were happy enough without. With the current financial crisis, I can't help but think that this couple is the wisest couple I know. They haven't bought into the lie of bigger being better. They haven't bought into the lie of buy now, pay later. They accept what they have with utter gratitude.

Last night, I chatted with a friend who shared her thoughts on the financial crisis. She and I prepare taxes for folks who live in McMansions, making less money than we do. I've griped in past blogs about people who make less money than we do, who drive fancy cars, wear nice clothes, and have all this "stuff". They also have a lot more debt. As I told my friend, I'm actually surprised the crisis didn't happen sooner, and that it's not a lot worse. But maybe we haven't seen the worst yet.

I know, pessimistic thinking. But honestly, what did we expect? At some point, the buy now, pay later philosophy demands to get paid.

My friend Kay has a great post talking about how we got into this mess. She also links to a great article. So check it out.

I've had to take a long, hard look lately at what it means to be satisfied. We just bought a bigger house last summer (for the record, our mortgage is almost the same as it was with the old house... that was intentional). But honestly, as much as I gripe about not having enough space, we do not need five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Really, given that much of the world lives with barely a roof over their head, I could probably make do with a lot less.

The reality is, we've replaced God with stuff. And because stuff is not God, we're never going to be satisfied as long as our goals and dreams revolve around stuff. As much I think some sort of bailout needs to happen for the sake of the country, we need to get real and realize that the only thing that's going to save us is to jump off this roller coaster and stop spending money we don't have on stuff we don't need.

Crikeys!!

I know, talk about long time no blog. My most humble apologies. ACFW kept me running and then I ended up with a nasty virus. I came online to work and that's about it. And okay, I admit, I played a little Crackrat. But that's because it's mostly mindless and all I had to do was click the little buttons to get my points and cards.

Soo... here I am... returning from a long (well, seemingly so) absence from my beloved blog.

Tell me, what have I missed in the blogosphere? Any posts I need to hunt down and re-read?

Interview with Camy Tang: Single Sashimi

Speaking of time with great friends, I've gotten to spend some time at the ACFW conference with my good friend, Camy Tang, and talk about her latest release, Single Sashimi.

1. What's the story behind Single Sashimi?

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Drake Yu. Why would Drake call her after … what, five years? Six?

Venus heard in his voice that resonance that was almost a growl, that titanium-hard determination to get what he wanted. And he usually got what he wanted. The voice said: “I want you to work for me.”

Not this time… If it was a choice between Drake and McDonald’s—she’d choose french fries. She’d never work for him again. It would take an act of God.

Venus Chau is determined to start her own game development company and launch the next Super Mario-sized phenomenon. However, she needs an investor to back her idea. When Drake Yu, an old nemesis, approaches Venus with a contracting opportunity at his sister’s startup, the offer to become Chief Operating Officer tempts Venus to think the unthinkable.

Venus would rather throw away her PS3 than work for Drake again … except Grandma bribes Venus to do this favor for Drake’s wealthy family with a coveted introduction to the most respected investor in the game industry. It’s also a short job—only a few months—so Venus won’t have to stand Drake’s presence for very long.

But one wild youth group, a two-faced assistant, and Grandma’s determined match-making threaten to make them both fail—or go insane. With the encouragement of her three cousins, Lex, Trish, and Jennifer, Venus discovers that even a wounded heart can undergo a beautiful transformation …


2. How'd you learn so much about the video game stuff for the book?

A friend of mine, Stephanie Quilao, who runs the popular Back in Skinny Jeans blog (http://backinskinnyjeans.com/), used to work for Nvidia, a company that makes all kinds of things related to video graphics and gaming. She gave me the idea because of the things she told me about the video game industry.

Then a fellow youth staff worker at my church got me in touch with his sister who happens to know everyone on the planet. She got me in touch with a few engineers who work in video game companies—one is a programmer, the other is a designer. They helped me with all the nitty gritty stuff, basically creating Venus’s Spider program.

3. What was the best part about writing the book?

I absolutely love Venus. I wish I could be her. And writing Drake was just too cool. He ended up being more sexy than I expected him to turn out. So writing their scenes was a lot of fun.

4. What do you hope readers take away from this story?

That there is hope for control freakazoids like me and Venus. Oh, you mean something meaningful? That God really is in control, and that there is hope for control freakazoids like me and Venus.

5. What's the one thing you wish people would ask you because you're dying to give an answer, and what is that answer?

Why is your dog Snickers a butthead?

We really don’t know, except that she came that way from the Humane Society. She is very friendly toward people but she has a problem with dogs. Any dogs. If they’re small dogs, she sees them as prey. If they’re big dogs, she wants to pick a fight. She’s messed up in the head. But she’s very cute and we love her anyway.

Thanks for having me here, Danica!

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ for a huge website contest going on right now, giving away ten boxes of books and 30 copies of her latest release, SINGLE SASHIMI.

Thursday Thirteen #61: Travel edition

Thirteen Things Travel Edition For those of you who don't know, I'm in Minneapolis, at the ACFW Conference. Great times, great times. 1. I've been super stressed for the past week over everything I had to do to get ready, and I was positive I was forgetting something. 2. Now, I really don't care. Whatever it is, it'll work out. 3. However, I am super tired. Too many late nights and early mornings lately. Scary for the first day of the conference. I skipped out on part of a session to take a nap. 4. Airport funny: They called our flight to board, and I started rummaging through my purse, looking for, not my boarding pass, which was in my hand, but my car keys. To the surprise of my fellow passengers, I triumphantly pulled them out only to realize with great embarrassment that um, I don't need them. Blaming lack of sleep on that one. 5. It's really hard to use my laptop to write on the plane when the person in the seat in front of me decides to recline. 6. I did, however, get six or seven pages written. (Let's not discuss the fact that after Camy and I brainstormed last night, I've since realized that I'll need to delete an entire chapter in the beginning.) 7. Another funny freakout moment: I'm at the hotel, and I notice they have a giftshop. The sign says, "Minnesota gifts." My thought: why on earth would they have a Minnesota gift shop in... oh yeah, I guess I am in Minnesota. 8. Why is it that when TSA chooses to rifle through your belongings, that they cannot at least put things back the way they found them? 9. Despite the fact that I have a wifi card, I can never get the hotel wifi. I always have to hardwire in. 10. I LOVE that many airports now have free wireless, which I can get with no trouble. 11. After you've been to so many conferences, it all begins to have a very familiar routine. I kinda like that. 12. Meeting new friends from all over the world is such a joy and blessing. 13. But the greatest blessing of traveling all over the place for conferences and things is getting to see your most beloved friends. There's just not enough time, but it sure is precious when you get to spend it with them.

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Fighting the grumpies

So we've all figured out I'm in a bad mood, right? I've been in this funk pretty much all week. I don't WANT to be in a bad mood, and I keep trying to NOT be in a bad mood, but the grumpies keep taking over. I keep trying to see the upside of things, I keep trying to do the right thing, and it feels like this dark cloud hanging over me just gets heavier and heavier.

This morning, I called my beloved Squirly and before I even said anything she said, "I'm so glad you called, is everything okay with you? You've been heavy in my heart and I've been praying for you." So we talked for a while, and it was so wonderful to hear her voice. In just five more days, I'm going to get a big hug and some huge squeals of delight outta that girl.

I love that I have friends who still love me even when I'm fighting the grumpies.

My husband read my blog this morning and called me in a panic... "What's wrong? I read your blog."

Nothing's wrong. I'm just grumpy.

I'm fighting it, or at least trying to. So in my effort to fight the grumpies, I've worked extra hard to be extra nice to people. Thus far, it has consistently backfired. My attempts to add humor to my friends' lives? Completely taken the wrong way. I actually spent this morning emailing back and forth with the same person apologizing, then re-apologizing for apologizing, etc.

So I give up!

I'm not going to try to be nice to anyone. I'm not going to apologize to anyone else. I'm not going to pretend I'm not in a bad mood. And I'm not even going to try to figure out why.

I am what I am. Today, I am grumpy. Maybe tomorrow, I will be happy again. But today, we're just going to accept me and say, "I love you anyway."

I am never being nice again

NEVER.

Thursday Thirteen #60: The Dumps

Thirteen Things about The Dumps Lots of dumps in my life right now... some literal, some figurative... 1. My house. It's beyond gross. 2. Family... sick and getting over colds. 3. It's been really cloudy lately. 4. Did I mention it's getting cold? 5. College kiddo is dealing with some rough things. 6. I've got so much to do, I'm overwhelmed. 7. Why doesn't my monthly come gift wrapped in pretty paper like it does on commercials? Because this sucks. 8. I have a weird sinus thing going on. 9. I'm tired for no particular reason. 10. My dog won't stop barking. 11. No school today. Again. What's up with that? They start two weeks early so they don't have to go one day a week? 12. I have to teach a class tonight. 13. I need to buy some jeans that fit.

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Something Powerful

I've been reading the Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, and I've decided I've finally found the perfect spokesperson to my own personal theology.

"There is a myth flourishing in the church today that has caused incalculable harm: once converted, fully converted. In other words, once I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, an irreversible, sinless future beckons. Discipleship will be an untarnished success story; life will be an unbroken upward spiral toward holiness."

Wow... Can I just raise my hand here and say that I've been one of those? Thinking that there was something wrong with me because I haven't suddenly crossed over that invisible barrier turning me into the perfect Christian. I've struggled with wondering why I haven't "gotten it" yet, and why it seems like for every step forward I take, I end up making a thousand giant leaps back.

Manning continues with, "Tell that to poor Peter who, after three times professing his love for Jesus on the beach and after receiving the fullness of the Spirit at Pentecost, was still jealous of Paul's apostolic success."

I love reading stories in the Bible where our heroes mess up. Not because I rejoice in the failure of others, but because I know that even the most perfect Christians aren't perfect.

As Manning says, "the Christ-encounter did not transfigure me into an angel. Because justification by grace through faith means I have been set in right relationship with God, not made the equivalent of a patient etherized on a table."

I have to say, this above all gives me the most hope. Jesus gave us the opportunity for a relationship with Him, not a brainwashing to turn us into little Jesus robots. If He'd wanted that, He'd have done it. We'd all be perfect little Jesus clones running around the planet, doing all the good things we're supposed to do. But it doesn't work that way. Relationship means that sometimes we do it right, sometimes we get it wrong, and together we work it out.

Isn't God cool?

Thursday Thirteen #59: Why I like Sarah Palin

Thirteen Things about why I like Sarah Palin I know, *gasp*, I never get political or talk politics on my blog. However, I happened across her speech last night, and I have to say, I was impressed. Here's why: 1. Going to make a lot of Hillary comparisons here, so here's the first. As far as I can see, she is the complete anti-Hillary. Where Hillary is cold, grasping, and someone I absolutely cannot relate to, Sarah is warm, genuine, and I can relate to her. 2. She's funny. Some of the commentary I heard talked about how they were turned off by her sarcasm. I disagree. I thought it showed she actually had a personality, as opposed to most of the politicians out there, who I think are made of wax. 3. Love this line: "We met in high school, and two decades and five children later he's still my guy." 4. Her smiles seem genuine. Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but to me, the fake smiles of most politicians make me sick. 5. Another great quote: "I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better." The reason this impresses me is that I was a political science/history major in college. My favorite prof used to say that his ideal presidential candidate was one who wasn't looking for the job. I believe that while Palin obviously wants the job, she didn't go looking for political power. Contrast that to Hillary, who has made her quest for power very obvious. In my opinion (and something that my prof and I always discussed), it's the people who seek power who are the most dangerous to a democracy. 6. More evidence of how she's not power hungry: "I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people." AMEN! 7. This, I think, is the great irony of the election: "Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve." We always think that the Democrats are the ones who push for reform. Certainly, in this present age, we often think of the Democrats as those who seek to shake up the political status quo. But in this election, if McCain/Palin win, the Republicans are going to do it. And I, for one, am very much looking forward to it. 8. "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all." This highlights my biggest problem with government in general. If we can't solve all the problems we sit and debate it rather than do something that will ease it. I like the fact that she's got the attitude of "let's do something until we can totally fix it." 9. "We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers. And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate." Now... I don't know how true this is, and this will be something I'm researching. However, given that many of the attacks on Palin are her inexperience, I think it really makes me think about whether or not Obama is experienced enough to lead a country. I appreciate that she's given me this to research and think about. 10. "Our nominee doesn't run with the Washington herd. He's a man who's there to serve his country, and not just his party. A leader who's not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either." Again, rousing applause from me. My friend and I were talking about McCain the other day and how he doesn't consistently fall in line with the Republicans. Neither does Palin. And you know, that's what I want in a leader. Someone willing to look at what's best for the country, not necessarily what's best for the party. 11. Her family. She's got a beautiful family. I'm frustrated that some of the attacks on her are about whether or not she can be a competent leader given that she's got a young family. Um... hello? Did anyone say that about JFK? He had babies in the White House. Was he unable to do his job because of it? The reality of what I see in Sarah Palin is that she is a regular mom, struggling to raise her kiddos just like the rest of us, who, just like the rest of us, wants to hand our children a better world than what we were given. And she will be in a tremendous position to do so. 12. Her daughter's pregnancy. I know, weird thing to say here, but you know? I respect her for how she's handling it. She didn't lie or make excuses. The fact of the matter is, as much as you try to raise your kids right, they make their own choices. And as a mom, you have to just love them through it and do what's best. To me, the example of having a mother with less than perfect kids, traveling through life, trying to figure it out with the rest of us, that's the kind of person who represents me. 13. This promise... this is what I will hold her to if they're elected: "But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart. I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States." Truly, my hope, and my prayer, is that every leader in America would be willing to make this promise- and keep it.

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Stuff!!

So... I had my day with the Lord. It was nice. But can I just gripe a typical American gripe? I got nothing productive done! House, still a mess. Laundry, still in a basket in the family room. Projects that are due piling up like crazy.

Monday, I worked my tail off. Some Labor Day. I labored. For one of my many jobs, it was the first of the month, so I had to do all my updates that are due on the first, but in a lot of cases, I can't get them done until the first because content isn't available until then. I also got an email from the guy overseeing the textbook I'm writing to say I needed to add something to what I'd written rather than have a supplement. Okay... Then we had a family BBQ. Then we had to get kiddos ready for school. I finally threw in the towel at 9, took a bath, and read a not-very-satisfying-why-did-I-waste-an-hour-of-my-life-on-this book.

So today, I got up, raced to get folks ready for school, dropped small one off at the school, met the new teacher who freaked out because she didn't know us (and this is my problem, why? Read the roster!), and worried the entire way to WFTJ because I have so much to do and I have no idea how I'm going to get it done.

At WFTJ, I warned them I'd be multitasking. I finished the changes to the portion of the textbook that was urgent. I set some goals. I committed to checking in with my friend Karen to stay accountable with my writing. And of course, WFTJ was as informative and uplifting as always.

Then, we went to lunch. More good times. I've missed my weekly lunches with my writing buddies. We got ready to leave, and my friend Jan mentioned she was going to write. Which was also my plan. I've decided I can't let the stress of the to-do list and my overcommitment prevent me from writing. My writing time is my writing time. Period. So we went to write. You can read her blog to find out what happened. I would just like to point out that I did NOT play Crackrat, I actually wrote and got about ten pages done. So there.

I raced home to meet the eldest kiddo, we spent time together, worked on her homework, I cleaned the kitchen, threw in a load of laundry, finished some work leftover from yesterday (and I only have a few more things to catch up on, YAY!), searched for a library book that is still missing, and am getting ready to pick up youngest kiddo, drop off the library books due today, grab a bite to eat, then head to church.

And in the midst of this, I have to ask... is all this piling up because I took a day off? It sure looks like it. However, I'm going to make a bold assertion and say that I think taking that day to relax and be filled by the Lord has given me the strength to do all of this and more. I have so much stuff to do. And yes, part of my quest in the coming months is to cut out a lot of the stuff and focus on what's important.

Here's the thing, though... I can't keep waiting on the stuff to go away to make time for what's important. I have to do it now. Which means God has to come first. Family has to be a close second. Writing third. And the rest can fall into line after that. Someday is never going to come. Not in the way I think it will. So I have to learn to prioritize now and make it all fit in.