Communion, Cats, and Coconuts

Bum bum BUUUMMMM!!!! I'm baaaackkk!

Yes, I've been away for, well, a little while. Some Many of you have noticed that it's been almost three months since my last entry. Several reasons for that:

1) As mentioned in the previous entry, I've been concentrating time back in the gym. I realized that the holiday pounds were sticking around, and I was already back from my spring break trip with the kids -- in March. I've kept up my committment to pilates and stepped up my cardio to three days/week. I ended up scrapping the CrossFit because it was really bulking me up. I looked like a ghetto girl sans ghetto, bootily speaking. Wasn't pretty. Had to drop weightlifting altogether, and my joints were happy to hear the news.

2) My former pastor officially left at the end of February, leaving me to stand in the gap for a crucial area of ministry that had been neglected -- fellowshipping with and taking communion to our shut-ins. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a "shut-in" is someone in ill health or has any sundry other reason(s) why they are unable to come and worship with us at Sunday services. Many times these people are in nursing homes or assisted living facilities; other times, they are simply home-bound and it isn't safe for them to venture out of the house or be around crowds of germ-toting people. This item right here is an entire series of blogs that have been simmering in my heart like rich, hearty gumbo -- it's worth blogging about, but I will have to be careful to be confidential. So so so many things I want to share that I have learned while serving in this capacity. Needless to say, since we have not had a full time pastor, I'm the one making hospital visits and making sure these people are not forgotten during times of transition.

3) Spring break came in March, and we braved the wet and cold to spend time with R. These trips are so much fun. The kids are old pros now at navigating airports, long lines at security, and moving walkways. Flying through Denver feels like stopping at an old friend's house at this point.

4) We had to find a new home for the cats. This was a significant emotional event at my house. I spent many a sleepless night in prayer, which may seem silly considering what a burden and source of annoyance Newman in particular has been (the white one), but they have always been family nonetheless. Blog forthcoming on this topic for sure.

5) The month of April is a nightmare some years. This year really wasn't too bad, church-wise. The lenten season brings with it extra fellowship opportunities during the week, as well as contemplative worship time. Unfortunately, extra rehearsals for church musicians can wear out small children and their already-worn-out parents. My nephews also have birthdays two weeks apart in April, so we are always pulled in many directions this month. Went by in a flash.

6) We just went to Hawai'i for eight days and partied our coconuts off! We came home feeling like solar panels for the lush, tropical sun. We made sure R. wasn't lonely over there as he worked, and we also made sure that the beaches and pools were well-supervised. I was repeatedly hit on by a homeless diabetic man who wore a wool beanie to the pool and claimed to be Sean Connery and wanted to spread the Good News of the gospel. Apparently, God had only called him to spread said Good News to women in two piece bathing suits, so poor R. missed out on the fun.

The bummer of this trip is two-fold. Readjusting to the time change, which for us is five hours this time of year. The kids, as per usual, did fine. I was dragging for a couple of days. But I came back to a calendar with nothing on it, and I was so bored not having R. around. Also, switching from having someone with whom to share your time, even the mundane everyday sort of stuff, to being a single parent who sits in a quiet house alone every night is nothing short of bizarre. And even though there's always conversation over the phone, nothing beats having a shoulder to curl up next to as you laugh hysterically at "King of the Hill."

Am I sorry for the lag time here? No, not really. I have missed all the people that read my blog and leave comments. I will confess: I haven't actually been keeping up with my bloglines. I'm sure the post count is well into four digits at the rate most of you guys blog. But to be quite honest, I love working out. I love the smell of fresh-cut grass and something cooking on the grill. I love hanging out with 90 year-olds who are raging against the dying of the light or have served proudly in WWII and Korea. I love chaperoning field trips (sometimes). I love ripping weeds out of my yard and re-discovering my flower bed. I love watching the sun set as I drink a frozen sangria-swirled margarita while the kids chase bugs and watch the boats go by at one of my new favorite restaurants. I love spending time, even if we don't speak with words, with my sweetie. I love rescuing garden snakes from being run over in traffic. I'd trade real life for a computer screen any day of the week.

The Amish Challenge

Let me preface today's post with a disclaimer. "Great!" you're thinking. "What did GGG do or say now that's gonna cause great gnashing of teeth and wrenching of hands?!?" Well, nothing. Yet. Here it is: I did, in fact, have a great time on this trip and had some wonderful, amazing experiences. I think I had an expectation of what I thought being amongst the Amish would be like prior to embarking on this trip. So, please read the rest of this blog keeping that fact alone in mind. I don't think I necessarily have to point this out; however, religion is a touchy subject for some people, and I do not want my thoughts to be misinterpreted here.

When I think back to the religious aspect of this trip, there are several thoughts that come to mind. While not all people agree with me here, I am the kind of person that is fascinated with learning about other people's countries, cultures, and religions. I believe that God created us so that we are all unique and have something to offer others that they can take away and be blessed by it. For example, in a religion where leadership is reserved for males only and their houses of worship even remain segregated, Jewish women, the female head of the household, is the one who lights the candles 18 minutes before the sun sets on Friday night to mark the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. Mosques, in the religion of Islam, are also segregated and only used for prayer services -- things like instruction or marriages do not take place in these grandiose structures. I would not know about any of this had I not gone to a mosque in Istanbul last November and taken a Jewish heritage tour of the city with an amazing young father, Josef Ben David, who took our group past three two-foot-thick bomb-proof sets of doors just to reach the actual synagogue where he would talk to us about various traditions in the Jewish faith. I love learning about the traditions and practices of people who are completely foreign to me -- it is truly amazing to witness the diversity of Elohim's creation.

Specifically, though, I really felt that I fell short in this department on my recent trip to Pennsylvania, however. Lancaster County, PA, is considered the heart of Amish country for our nation, yet I felt as though things were very hidden or clandestine. One thing I have learned from being in Muslim countries is that you don't go around outright taking pictures of people, unless they come up to you. I really wanted to respect the privacy of these beautifully simple, quiet, humble people, but I was just aching to hear their voices, have a conversation with them, to hear what their daily lives were like, to hear about the tenets of the Amish faith to see what, if anything, we shared in common. But I still felt as though we were kept at arm's length.

We were invited by a Mennonite pastor to attend his congregation's Sunday services, and I was disappointed that we weren't able to attend. Had I known we wouldn't be able to attend, I think I would've skipped out on the movie at the Mennonite Information Center and just had a good conversation with him.

As we progressed through the trip, we did pick up tidbits of information about the Amish here and there. We absolutely fell in love with the adorable Amish children we saw everywhere, peering warily at us from underneath tousled braids and neat straw hats. I love the fact that they focus on how pride can infect our lives and how they are constantly humbling themselves, almost to the point of subduing who they are (which I think maybe could be a little extreme). I learned that you would never hear them tell you that you were going straight to hell for not believing as they do. I think that's a lesson every human being, especially modern day Western Christians could take to heart. HisGirl was interested about how their views impact evangelism, but I think that there is a way you could marry the two concepts of wordless witness with the call to expose others to the good news of the Gospel in a way that is meaningful and effective.

Even as much as I did learn about the Amish, they still remain a complete mystery to me. I wanted to respect their privacy, but oh, how I wanted to really get in there and hear more! I found this document at the Mennonite Information Center that really blew me away, and I think this is the true challenge to believers everywhere:

THE AMISH CHALLENGE

"We realize that not everyone is cut out to be one of the plain people. Many have not the opportunity, but here is the challenge:


If you admire our faith, strengthen yours.

If you admire our sense of commitment, deepen yours.

If you admire our community spirit, build your own.

If you admire our simple life, cut back.

If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them yourself."

--an Amish man writing in Small Farm Journal, Summer 1993

Meet The Chicas

I, like S4J, am having trouble knowing where to start and what all to say. What makes it worse is that, the longer it is since I've gotten home, I'm losing the freshness of all the memories and the high of being in Pennsylvania this time of year. It's taken me several days of working a paragraph at a time to even get this much out! I'd better crank out a couple of these while my brain is still functioning...

I thought I'd take some time to introduce you to the Chicas. Not all are bloggers, although some are. And let me state right off the bat, as to avoid any unforeseen "issues," that I'm not trying to be clique-ish here. I just want you all to find out what I enjoy about each of the '08 girls. With no further adieu, I give you the Chicas of 2008!

As many of you know, this is HisGirl, mommy and blogger extraordinare. She is the fearless leader in the group, our virtual cruise director. I may be the first one to charge into a burning building, for example, because someone said there is a child trapped inside, but His Girl will stop everything and discern a proper and efficient plan of action that is usually a hundred times more effective than bursting through the door. To say she is zany and hilarious is to really not do her justice, and to say that she thirsts for more knowledge of the Lord is the understatement of the year. I'm the cranky Martha trying to make everything just-so and be a good hostess, while she is the focused Mary, sitting at the feet of the King, soaking up wisdom and love that she doles out in generous measures to everyone in her path. And just when you think she's going to tell you to settle down, she does something completely hysterical like get verklempt over homemade fried chicken at an Amish restaurant. She is the Devoted Disciple of the group.

Next comes S4J, my musical partner in crime. I have known her the longest out of all the girls, and is actually the person who introduced me into the group. S4J is also the co-cruise director. She accuses me of being multi-talented just because I have musical ability. This heffer can take photographs that make Annie Leibowitz look like she's using a Dora the Explorer disposable camera, not to mention sing like a profession and even learned how to play guitar on a 12-string! Her sense of humor is just skewed enough for us to be lots of trouble together yet somehow keep her out of hot water. If you were to be stranded on a desert island with the two of us, I'd be the one trying to make a fire. She would be figuring out how to clean the water and sterilize things, after washing her hands, of course. I'd be kvechting about mosquito bites while she'd be singing some silly song about mosquitos being minions of the devil in the most pleasant voice you've ever heard. She would also let you cry tears of frustration until you were completely exhausted. She is our Loving, Looney Listener.

Our next chica is not a blogger, so she doesn't have an online handle. Let's call her... Rebecca Yoder. Or the Weaverton Schoolmarm. Your choice. Mrs. Yoder here is apparently the one we've got to keep our eyes on. She is quiet, gentle, funny, but has started coming out of her shell. She's like a geode: she may appear like your average, everyday stone you might find on a naturewalk, but once you have cracked this stone in half, there are brilliant, spectacular crystalline formations that you would never know was there if you only looked at the outside of the stone. What an unexpected surprise! When I first met RY she was quiet and reserved but always sweet as shoo-fly pie. Then last year in Seattle she surprised me by playing percussion (read: homemade shaker) during praise and worship. This year she pulled the rug out from under us! Not only was it her idea to put a certain someone's chonies on the line for "Jacob Yoder" next door to see, she hornswoggled us into a one room schoolhouse for an encounter with the living dead! (Think the Amish version of "Children of the Corn" and you'd be on the right track...) That sneaky Rebecca Yoder. It's always those quiet ones that you never suspect. That's why she's our Blossoming Blessing.

Here is one of our newest chicas, fresh off the farm. I really think this picture speaks more volumes that you could ever know. Also not a blogger, this new chikkie -- let's call her Bambi Stoltzenfus -- is my SOUL MATE! (OK, like, in a friend-to-friend way, you dirty birds!) It's a rare thing when I meet someone who shares so many qualities of mine. There is another chica who falls into this category, but she was not able to be here for this year's excursion. At any rate, I worried that we I would run her off and make her think we were complete weirdos. Yeah, right! Not only did she fit right in, she helped us take our ridiculous silliness to unheard-of levels. I don't think I've laughed so hard in my life about teaching kids why they need to use handsoap! If you were at a New Kids On The Block concert with her and asked her, in a moment of adolescent stupidity temporary weakness, if you should throw your panties on stage, she'd be two steps ahead of you: she'd unsnap the sides and give hers a toss and look at you like, "Hurry up!" However, I think my favorite thing about Mrs. Stoltzenfus is, in addition to her hijinks and hilarity, she is incredibly grounded and unwavering in her faith. She is the High-Octane, High-Quality Chica.

Meet yet another new chica, Jenster. (She's the one on the left.) Jenster graciously opened her home and hospitality to S4J and myself the night before the other chicas arrived on the scene, and I wonder if she had any way of knowing just what she was getting herself into! Mwaa ahh ahhh!! At any rate, she's funny, sneaky, and can crack the funniest joke you've ever heard while keeping a completely straight face. Two seconds after she's said the most hilarious, snarky thing you've heard in your life, she's overflowing with a wisdom and perception of how real life intersects with scripture and holy relationship that just blows your mind. On top of being a wife, a mother, a breast cancer survivor, and new chica, she is also gifted at speaking and integrating how faith should look in our lives, not how we should talk about what we believe. She is definitely the Deep Waters Chica.


This is our Chikkie. She makes each and every trip with us, in full garb depending on where the Chicas are headed that year. This year she is sporting her plain clothes, reminding us to focus on simplicity and keeping it simple. She may be the quietest member of the group, but her presence is always required in group pictures and ridiculous antics. Part of the fun of going on this trip each year, besides the big "reveal" of where we're headed to next, is to find out what Chikkie will be wearing to coordinate with the new location or theme. Not seen here in this picture is her evil twin, the Dirty Birdie. DB hasn't actually made an official appearance yet on these trips, but her presence is well-known and represented! We try to keep this under wraps, but once you get a gaggle of women together, well, you can imagine how it goes from there!

Lastly, here I am, giving you my best Jacob Yoder impression, trying desperately not to wet my pants with stifled laughter. If you could only know how hard we laughed on this trip, you'd think we would all have ripped abs by now! As for what I bring to the group, that depends on who you ask. Despite what actually ends up transpiring, I attempt to bring music and laughter to the group. I can usually be counted on to say something off-color to get someone to laugh or purposefully get the group charged up and their energy flowing. Which chica would I be, then? I'm just good ol' GGG.

Where Do I Even Start?!?

Jenster. S4J. HisGirl. The Liberty Bell. Independence Hall. Cheesecake Factory! Amish buggies. The aroma of horses, "etc." Homemade rootbeer. Adorable Amish children with no shoes. Scary, waxy animatronic people in a one-room schoolhouse. Delicious homemade shoo-fly pie. Praise and worship. Devotions. Laughing so hard you hope you don't pee your pants. Bags so big under your eyes from lack of sleep that you're certain you'll be charged at the airport for carrying extra luggage. Special treats planned by precious friends. Did I mention scary, waxy animatronic people?!?

I would love to give you the play-by-play for each day of the trip, but that would take more time and attention than my kids are allowing me to give my computer today, and rightly so. As usual, this Chicas of Faith trip was a blast, and it was such an unexpected adventure. The theme this year was, "Simply Following Him," and we had a very free-flowing approach to how this trip would play out. We welcomed another couple of Chicas to the fold, and dearly missed those who were unable to be there in body but were absolutely there in spirit. And even in the midst of the churning turmoil that I was going through personally, I was able to walk away with a new understanding of people and situations, along with this gem that the Lord gave me today:

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you." -- II Peter 3:9 (NIV)

OK, God -- lesson learned.

P.S. -- IS IT 2009 YET?!?

Hurricane Ike Update

Nothing. Nada. Not a darned thing.

That's what effects we felt of this monster storm.

I guess I should be more positive -- we got one brief shower that was enough to dissolve the fertilizer I put out this morning. And we didn't have any damage or outage of power.

But seeing as I have no life and immensely enjoy rainy days, this was one of the most anti-climactic days I've had since the kids and I returned home from Washington.

On a lighter note, I will be travelling this week to Salt Lake City. Since I am not Mormon, nor do I ever plan to be, some of you might be wondering why on earth I'm headed there this week. As it turns out, there is a reunion for the unit with which R. served in Iraq. I had the privilege of meeting some of the veterans from this unit on Memorial Day on the National Mall. I was so touched by the sense of connection these guys shared. So many of them are Vietnam vets and have really fought and struggled to reclaim their lives from the harrowing images of battle and the heartbreak of fallen comrades. What amazes me is the look they give one another as they embrace and say, "Welcome home, brother," even after so many years. They didn't just return home from war at some time in the past. They return home to each other every time they gather and fellowship together.

Another reason why I will travel with R. to support him and this group of warriors is because of how the older guys support the current generation. The guys who have been around the block can spot a soldier from a mile away who is at high risk for not handling life back home very well. They love these young warriors and knock themselves out to tell them how proud they are of them and how they are there if the need arises.

What am I there for? To observe these brothers-in-arms reuniting, strengthening a bond that is crucial. To express to R. that I love him by supporting this tight-knit group that mean more to him than most people. To experience a part of the country I've never seen before. To hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing on Thursday night. And to look good at the banquet, too. :)

And BTW, if any of you are locals or have been to SLC before, toss me some pointers on things not to be missed!!

Reflections on Washington: NatureGirl Edition

Now that we are in full-gear to head to the hot, sweaty Texas beach, it seems like our lengthy stay in Washington was a long time ago. True, we have been home for 10 days, and in that amount of time we've been very busy and have unexpectedly bought a new car (a 2008 Jeep Commander, blog to come!!). That being said, I feel like I need to recap a little bit...

When you see breathtaking views like this, you can certainly appreciate Bible verses like, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2 is one of my many favorite mountain verses. Views like this inspire me more than any other natural scene on earth. Being under the thick canopy of fir trees, feeling the crisp air filter down to the soft bed of needles or the crunchy snow gets into my very bones and makes me feel like there's a whole other side to life that I'm missing out on. Rather than refreshing me to come back and face daily life with renewed zeal, it haunts me the way a good dream does, one that is so lovely that to wake up is to break your heart. This is certainly not the first time I have been to the mountains or the Pacific Northwest; in fact, in my travel journal I wrote:

The Pacific Northwest remains one of my most favorite places in America. The natural scenery, the mountains, the delicate wildflowers, the lush green gerns, and the weather all call to me like an old friend that I had forgotten about.

These little wild mountain violets blessed my socks off. They were the only color splashed on a landscape of fir needles where the snow had only recently melted. These delicate little fellows would never have withstood the intense Texas heat, but they boldly proclaimed their presence in a world washed with hues of browns and greens.

Why add words to this picture? This was at Rainier, but I'm convinced that someday, I'll have property and a house somewhere where I'll get to see this as often as I want. Either that, or maybe heaven will have this. Who knows. :) I'm fairly certain I'm related to John Denver now or something.

This picture of the pine cone and the one below of the budding tree remind me of pictures that S4J and my uncle D. take. They are naturals at taking amazing photographs of very simple things and drawing the eye to lovely small details. I'm particularly fond of the way the snow caught the light and sparkles around the pine cone. The way the sunshine caused a slight glare around one of the buds on the tree seemed spiritually symbolic to me of new life and the Holy Spirit shining through us to others when we created new in the blood of Christ.

Just in case you are wondering, the kids handled going on their first plane ride(s) beautifully. They navigated through airports, escalators, trams, and moving walkways better that most adults I know, and even the two hour difference in time didn't seem to bother them too much. I, however, was exhausted as I was the one up early, packing, moving heavy stuff, herding them to the proper gates and whatnot. I'd love to take them to Hawai'i sometime. They would handle the travel fine, once they got used to the time change. Until then, we're going to enjoy tooling around in the new car and on our bikes. In an effort to promote getting exercise and saving money on gas, I've made the executive decision that we're riding our bikes to Lil' G's school to drop her off and pick her up this year, weather and time permitting. She's doing great on a kid's bike with training wheels, and this is the setup I've got now for Bud and me:

Just a stock photo -- not anyone that I know. But I got the mountain bike up and running, so now I just have to do some test runs to school to see how long it takes us to get there. One thing I loved about the Tacoma area is that they have over 200 bike trails up there, for all levels of ability and even some designated as family friendly. Where I live simply does not have the same kind of enthusiasm for anything short of NASCAR, high school football, or eating Mexican food. I want my kids to grow up loving the outdoors, animals, exercise, healthy AND yummy food (not that nasty crap that people want you to think is healthy -- I'm talking fresh, real stuff), and not be so used to a fast-food lifestyle and culture. I want to focus less on team sports and extracurricular committments and focus on being active as a family, travelling and experiencing life together, not rushing around eating Cartilage McNuggets in the back of a mini-van on our way to tee-ball, soccer, and dance lessons.

As of tomorrow, I'll be out of pocket for a few days, digging the sand out of hard-to-find places and drinking gin and tonic or rum and coke out of my 64 oz. truck stop mug. I think the kids will be around there somewhere... Just kidding! No need call CPS just yet. I owe you all a good picture of the new member of my family, my Commander, and as promised, the BIG SECRET is about to be unveiled. HisGirl and I are still working on technical difficulties, so please stand by and keep checking back...

Pit Stop: Home

Well, we have arrived home again from our time in Washington to the disgusting, oppressive heat in the grand ole state of Texas. Can you tell I'm thrilled to be home? There is something to be said for sleeping in one's own bed after a lengthy travel, but it's a bittersweet thing for me this time around. Once again, I'm having to reacclimate to being alone, and I don't like it one bit. My heart is with R. but my mind has got to be plugged in here, and I'm stressed out and distracted. You can imagine how much fun I am to be around right now!

It was a good, memorable experience. Can't really call it a vacation, because that's not what it was intended to be. I've been working on uploading pictures for almost an hour now, going through them and wondering just where the time went and how fast it went by. The kids really handled travelling well, and actually handled the time change better than me, truth be told. I look forward to schlepping them up there again sometime in the not-too-distant future, but with R.'s schedule being full of travel and unpredictability, and kids starting school soon, I'm not sure when that will be. However, we do have a family vacation planned with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents next week, and I'm trying to talk S4J into a mini-chicas this weekend.



Yes, yes, Gretchen and I did have our "MIRL," and it was just the coolest. Picture my personality but putting a "relaxed and groovy," laid-back, wise, funny spin on it, and you've got the Bloggy Queen of the PNW, as I've decided to dub her. Her kids are the coolest, and Big seems like a big sweetie to boot. She was uber-cool about my puky Lil' G and energized Bud, and we even got to enjoy a glass of local wine to top off the afternoon. It was an amazing treat and blessing to get to meet her and experience her heartfelt hospitality. Can someone say Chicas '09?!? haha!!!

I'll get to posting some of the cool pics and giving everyone the run-down in a bit. Got to sort out household/essential things that were deliciously neglected whilst I retreated to the arms of my sweetie, and start preparing for another trip. I have some interesting excerpts from some journaling and just "wow" pics to put up. BTW, keep your eyes open: there is a special event coming up here at GGG's place. I'm even getting my own cool button from HisGirl to kick it off!!! Be sure to check back...

Much love to Gretchen and everyone who prayed for and over this trip, my children, my relationship, my nerves, etc. Please keep those prayers coming. We still have a long way to go, but I know that God is faithful and present and sovereign. Check back soon for the latest updates!!!

Cascade Mountain High

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber." --Psalm 121:1-3 (NASB)

R. and I took the kids up to Mt. Rainier yesterday and had such a great time. Everywhere you go around here, Rainier stands patiently, majestically, always seeming just out of reach but always nearby. Bud and Lil' G affectionately call it, "Snowy Mountain." By the first five minutes out of the car, Lil' G was completely frustrated by slipping on the snow, but Bud wanted to ski. It's a weird feeling touching the snow and being insanely cold, yet baking in the sun because it's 85 degrees outside...







Despite the kids simply acting their ages, all four of us are having a wonderful time, enjoying being together and in one anothers' presence. I would love to report that we were enjoying cooler temperatures, but that would be a bold-faced lie. I can report that we are not having the same kind of intense, melt-your-brain-to-your-skull heat up here, but in a part of the country where homes are built with no air conditioning, even the slightest amount of unseasonable heat can seem ridiculous.

To top it all off with a heapin' helpin' of gravy, the sixth and best food group, I get to have a "MIRL" (read: Meet In Real Life) with the one and only, the bloggy queen of the Pacific Northwest, none other than Gretchen herself!!! She has most graciously opened up the hospitality of her home at the beach, complete with sand dollars and bald eagles, and we are anxious to take her up on it. Photos and details upcoming...

I leave you with what R. and I like to call a "Pookie Pic." We have collected these from all around the world. Now we have one on top of a dormant North American volcano, a.k.a., Mt. Rainier...

Could The Airline Industry Be Any More Frustrating?!?

I feel like I'm waking up after a night of cramming for finals or some such nonsense. My body is limp with exhaustion, and my eyes feel swollen in their sockets. All this because I had the gall to try and book airfare for the kids and I to fly to Seattle this summer.

What, pray tell, is the REAL reason that, almost a full month out, a ticket for a three and a half year old must be on the upwards of $700? And who, in the name of all things sacred, came up with the HAIRBRAINED idea to charge people to check EVEN ONE BAG?!?!?

Given, I would not have had this frustrating situation had I been travelling alone. I could've taken the flights for around $450 and had pretty good flights. But no, that would be too easy. In the airline industry's sincere, heartfelt attempt to make travelling with children a harrowing, mind-numbing, curse-word infested experience as early as possible, they make even finding a flight the most painful thing as they can.

Yes, I know the airlines can't help who makes what reservation, got it. But when you enter into your search that you are travelling with children in the ages 2-11 range, you think they would show you only those flights that have seats REMOTELY NEAR ONE ANOTHER! As tempting as it is to hunker down in first class and let some irritating "businessman" entertain Bud and Lil' G, it sends pictures shooting through my fatigued brain of K-Mart-esque kid nappings and other scary, inappropriate things. I'm always reminded of a girl on the plane with S4J and me on our way to Palm Springs one year. She was probably 11 or 12, but sitting next to Chester the Child Molester. At one point, I heard him tell her how pretty she was, and the mommy in me wanted to: a) switch chairs with said child, and b) make a new Coach coin purse using freshly harvested testicular material. Needless to say, that is not an acceptable arrangement for my kids.

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? Yes. I did, in fact, make a fairly reasonable reservation. Here's hoping everything turns out the way we reserved them, people will be willing to be accommodating to us, I can pack efficiently, and the kids will be so excited about their first plane ride to go see someone we love so dearly that they will be little angels without me having to spike their drinks with Benadryl...

I'll double up on scriptures to make up for the mayhem yesterday! Forthcoming...

I'm a Girl Who's Been Around the Block...

Between living the military lifestyle, PCSing (that's Permanent Change of Station for you civilians out there), visiting friends and family, and taking off for pure adventure, apparently I've been a few places. I just love these maps! They really help me to see what a variety of places I've gotten to go and how blessed I am to have had the opportunities to venture out and experience all sorts of God's creations... Enjoy!



create your own personalized map of the USA

As if that weren't enough...



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

I need to work on making more of this last map red!!

DEATH BY WHITE STAG!!!

Egads, GGG! Where have you been?? Inquiring minds need to know...!!

Patience, my pretties, patience. Actually, I do appreciate the concerned comments. Mama P, I named this blog especially for you. I nearly fell outta my chair when I read, "Death by White Stag?" What a frightening thought, to meet one's demise in the smarmy, unmonitored dressing "rooms" of one's local Wal-Mart. If there is a God in heaven above, I pray that the Almighty would see fit to spare me such a gnarly demise -- haven't I suffered enough?!?

OK. All joking aside. I'd love to just put out a blanket, "I've been really busy," excuse, but you, the Readership, would have none of that. Let's take a stroll through the past 30 days:

Picture it: Alabama, April 4, 2008. A hot, young widow struggles with the forces of nature and Homeland Security to fall into the strong arms of the Pookie who loves her. (Did I mention how amazingly attractive this girl is?!? I digress...) I spent a weekend having some much-needed Pookie time. We ate, we drank, we ate some more, we went to the Space Museum in Huntsville and saw exhibits and a great IMAX film, "The Miracle of Flight." I felt like I was on a middle school science field trip. It was great. BTW, did I mention that this is where NASA hosts Space Camp for kids??? And did I mention that going to Space Camp was, like my DREAM ever since the space shuttle Challenger's unbelieveable demise?!?!? It was so neat to see all that stuff. Anyhoo, we had a nice, long dinner at a great German restaurant and just had some much-needed down time, for once being in the same zip code.

They also had the coolest OCC Liberty Bike on display (that's "Orange County Chopper," for those not in the know). The whole thing was made out of bronze and had various effects incorporating the Statue of Liberty. Such a cool bike. I'm sure Paulie designed the bike -- such a creative guy!

In addition to being a globe-trotting GGG (does that now make me "4G"??), I have been in full immersion mode for Lay Ministry training. I've been working at getting ahead in my assignments, and as of about 15 APR, I blew a fuse. The material I had to read, especially from, "Where God Meets Man," was so intense and meaty that I ended up limp with exhaustion and nursing a raging headache for three days after I finished reading it. Between the eye strain and the incredible amounts of great information I digested, I just could not function; I went into safe mode.

Let me add some theological insight here: I am learning daily what it means to me to not only be a Christian, but what it means to express that through the denominational affiliation of being Lutheran. Being raised in the Lutheran church is not exactly the most charismatic of experiences. So many of us who choose to attend denominational churches are "box checkers" or conformists, which disgusts me to no end. On the other hand, as I'm growing and reading more and understanding more clearly, I am alarmed and concerned at things that I hear other churches passing off as gospel truth and sound preaching. What is so frightening is that the basic tenets of what they put forth as truth are not fundamentally wrong; however, it is in the fine details that people are not getting a transparent view of our God, our Holy Scriptures, and the world around us. These fine details are most destructive when they become so embedded in the parts that are true that one cannot separate one from the other. My bottomline comes down to these two points: 1) Challenge your beliefs and articulate exactly what you believe as often as you can, and 2) Search out the parts of your belief system that conflicts or doesn't have a clear meaning or explanation to you. How can we offer the Truth of the Gospel to unbelievers and skeptics when our own beliefs don't make sense to us? Do you know basic meanings of the words you use to share the message of the Gospel, so that you can explain what they mean to a person who has no earthly idea what you're talking about??? Just because you read something in the Bible and think it's talking about A, B, or C doesn't mean even you truly understand what you've just read. Question and research what pastors and teachers tell you. We are all human. What they are teaching and preaching should really be driving us to interact with God and the Word for ourselves, praying that the Spirit would reveal truth to us and give us understanding of what we read.

Also, don't just stop there. Take your body and your mind and squeeze yourself into the text and times of our Scriptures. Don't be blindly fundamental or flaky and symbolic. Do the work -- search it out -- open your heart and prepare to have your socks blown off!

And DON'T attend a church because you like the pastor, the music is good, your kids' friends attend the youth group, or the programs are great. Choose your faith community wisely. Don't just look at what one congregation says it believes, although that is hugely important. Look at what the denomination as a whole professes. If they ordain gays and lesbians and you don't agree with it, you might as well start agreeing with it if you decide to attend church there. If they say that Jesus was merely a human who was adopted as God's Son at His baptism (aka Adoptionists) and you don't agree with it, you might as well start agreeing with it. What you hear preached in your church will be impacted by the doctrines of the larger church, so don't think it doesn't matter! And you Non-Denoms, you don't escape this conundrum, either. I think you guys actually have to be even more discerning because you do not have as many affiliations and larger administration covering doctrinal matters. I simply think we've all got to do a lot more looking at the fine print to make sure things are not slipping past us that appear benign but, grain of sand at a time, can build up quickly to be major stumbling blocks on our spiritual paths. OK...sermon is over!

Dateline: 26 APR 08, My town, Texas... TORNADO!!! This is not an actual picture of my neighborhood, but it was the closest thing I could find on Google Images to what I actually saw. Here's how the near-deadly scene unfolded:

Lil' G had a violin recital last Friday evening. She and Bud were bathed, dressed, and waiting patiently on the couch watching "Go, Diego, Go," and I was putting the final touches on my hot self. I mean, it's difficult to improve upon near perfection, but what can I say... Anyhoo, after sprucing up, I was on my way out of my bedroom when I happened to look out my window, which is usually behind the closed blinds by this time of day. I noticed a weird looking cloud and lots of wind. Thinking that the clouds looked awful greenish-grey and that the wind was really churning, I went out to the back porch. The weather sirens were blaring through the town, and I could see a wall of rain headed north and a black wall of clouds headed south. Uh, yeah, we're not leaving for the recital. Amidst the angered cries for Diego, I told the kids to go sit in our "safe place" for bad weather as I checked the local TV station for the latest weather update...

"...Fire Station 2 on XYZ Road has just confirmed a tornado on the ground just west of the high school and coming south across the lake on FM 1234..."

If you could run your fingers over a map of where I live, you would take XYZ Road and drag your finger west of said fire station. Leave that finger there. Take another finger and cross over the lake on FM 1234. The intersection of those two paths leads to, LITERALLY, my backyard. So what do I do? Well, I do what any good Texan does -- I go stand out on the back porch to watch it go by!!! Really, it did not touch down until it was about 3 miles south of my house, so it must not have touched down for too long near me. The bigger story was the SOFTBALL sized hail that commenced afterward. By the time the tornado was well out of our way, I was debating whether or not to load up and still try to make the recital. After all, we still had 15 minutes until it started. No sooner had the thought passed through my pea-sized brain, I heard a strange 'thud' in the road. It came faster and faster. Apparently there must be a girls' softball team in heaven, and boy were they pissed! We had huge hail and heavy rain for 15 solid minutes. On one hand, I was so thankful that my car was inside the garage. On the other hand, I halfway considered backing it out in the driveway -- Lord knows it would've been totalled and I would be sportin' a new ride by now! Oh well...stupid conscience...

Lastly, and possibly more importantly, I've been in a bit of a funk, too. I don't know how I find the time to devote the kinds of energy it takes to really pull this off well, but I somehow manage to do it with flying colors. I'm at a point in my life where my love life and my life with friends -- close female friends -- are both very important to me. I won't expound on my love life here, other than to say that yes, in fact, I do still have one and that it is truly full of love. Perhaps that is precisely what makes being so far away from him so hard. Understanding the "why" behind it doesn't make it any more pleasant to deal with. I live for the few hours a month we get to see each other, and the time we spend keeping in touch in between. I look at where my life was a year ago today, and just gush when I think about where things are now, in this department.

The arena of friendship has been a very difficult pill to swallow ever since I left the security of my former life as a military spouse to the wilderness of civilian life with a military heart. Long distance relationships are hard to maintain, be they between sweethearts or even close friends of any gender. I pine for the days when I could wander in and out of the homes of my friends, meet and socialize, be involved in activities together.

I also feel caught in the middle of two dimensions of existence: domestic goddess and young, single modern woman. The two have almost nothing in common with each other. Domestic Goddess makes Gap and Old Navy cotton look chic. She thrives off of having a clean, organized home, age level-appropriate toys and TV for her children, healthy, balanced meals, sparkling laundry rooms complete with empty hampers, a handle on the ins and outs of running a household and being a homeowner. Young, Single, Modern Woman is focused on what she does, her interests, her hobbies, her health and fitness, how to fill weekends with down time and social interaction, mingling, networking, keeping an open mind in relationships, being well-rounded, etc. I love being a mom. It is the single most important job I've ever had, and my two children are some of the only things in my life I have managed to "do" right. If I died before the end of this post, I would feel like my life finally had meaning once these two beautiful creatures entered into my life. However, I'm not married. I can't always be domestic. I'm young and cute (OK, hot), and having to do the North American DoDo Mating Dance, which is so damned frustrating! (Rewarding yet frustrating at this age...) I'm not divorced, I don't have a husband to complain about, but people who are single don't have to care about being covered in nasty toddler diahrrea 15 minutes after they were supposed to have taken someone to school or showed up at a board meeting. Obviously, I have a hard time discerning what category(ies) I fall into. This translates itself in the friendship arena as trying to figure out with whom I share the most in common. To whom will I feel the closest bond? Will my married friends ever forsake sacred family time to come spend time with a single friend? Is it appropriate to even ask? Who will return the gesture of my friendship? I sit at home every single night, waiting for my evening phone call. When it comes after a night of socializing with friends, I admit I feel so jealous that he can have that outlet and I do not. Don't misunderstand me: I love the domestic side of my life. It's just so complex to weave these two sides together.

I could go on about several of these topics, but I think I've had enough of a bloggy blowout to satisfy some of you for at least a day or two. Things are still good, ever busy, and I can't wait for next week to be over. Bit o' advance warning: don't expect much blogging for another week or so. But I am still here. Steady and sure, as the heartbeat of a newborn baby trying to survive in a world she doesn't understand and in which she feels completely vulnerable all the time...