More ornaments!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now, the much anticipated Day 2 of ornament sharing!!



This first one is my fave "first Christmas together" ornament. It has a picture of me and Jim on our honeymoon at the miniature golf range (which tells you we did not go somewhere warm and exotic). Best part - I chose a photo where I would be "driving". (And the big bunny backseat driver)













This one is not one the tree yet because it is our pickle ornament. It goes on tonight and then the girls look for it on the tree in the morning - who ever finds it gets a little extra gift. If you look carefully, you can read the description of the tradition.













This is from my Boston days - I just like the lobster. I think I may have actually bought this on a visit back and bought my sister a matching one, as we were sharing an apartment at the time. (Not for long, as Jim came to visit over Christmas and proposed!! Hurrah!!)















This is baby Jesus in the manger. He used to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, but I think the dogs tried to eat him one year. One of the girls made this at TPCC one year. I guess you could look at it as being deep and philosophical and a testament to the very simple way Jesus came into the world.





Until last week, when we bought an ornament to commemorate our 2nd annual attendance at the Yuletide Celebration (Holiday music variety program downtown at the symphony), this ornament was our newest ornament. I think it is going to be one of my favorites. I actually bought it at a conference I attended for Relay for Life (American Cancer Society). As I looked at it, though, I realized how perfectly it told the Christmas story. The star in the sky showed the way to where Hope was born. The star guided those who sought Jesus - who had hopes of finding a King and Savior. Jesus, the Hope of nations, the Messiah for whom the people had longed and waited. It is in Him we have hope, not in the things of this world. Isn't that awesome?

I wish now I had bought tons of these so I could share with family and friends the message of true hope. Since I don't have one to give you, please enjoy this virtual one with a reminder that we can put our hope in Christ who loves us and will always care for us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Elf Yourself

Jim "elf'd" the girls and the dogs. I think this is just hilarious, I was crying I was laughing so hard. I don't have the download, but here is the link - yours to view over and over ad infinitum until January 15th. Joy and bliss!!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/bWW76gjI7PjRAoRJA77w

Ornament bliss

Inspired by my friend Jen - here is a selection of ornaments from our tree. Stay tuned, as I will post one of my newest favorites tomorrow - or as soon as I remember to do it.



This first ornament is one of our older ones and dates to when I was young. It is a ballerina made out of a clothespin.

















I love this photo of the girls at Disney World. In their VBS shirts, of course.










The girls are HUGE Hoops and Yoyo fans, so they both want to hang the Hoops and Yoyo ornament. This year, to determine who would hang the ones they both wanted to hang, we did Bible trivia. Kaylie won by knowing the name of the first King of Israel. Of course, right after saying "King Saul!", she adds, "and then he changed his name to King Paul!". Um, wrong Saul, Kaylie, but huge points for enthusiasm!


(Also note one of our multiple obligatory COLTS ornaments! Yee hah!)









This is the first of our personalized family ornaments, dating back to when Jim and I were first married. This is ornament.1, with me, Jim, and the hamster, Hamilton. Future modifications added our first dog, Hannah, then Kaylie. I don't think we have one with both girls and both dogs.














I love this ornament. Back when I served as 2's coordinator at TPCC, we had an ornament exchange every year and I bought this ornament as my give away, but really wanted it for myself. I was overjoyed when my mom (not knowing the story) gave me the same ornament for Christmas that year!! Great minds really do think alike!!





More to come...PS - Merry Christmas!

Everything old is new again

Thanks to a technical difficulty, I had to redo my blog. Thanks to technology I pretty much could copy the old one and re-import here and fortunately I was able to keep the same blog address (because I have such a huge following and all 3 or 4 of my readers would dearly miss me :) )

So welcome to my new old blog. You will notice my total lack of creativity remains in tact and I have kept the exact same layout and everything. Yee hah.

Girls 'n Grace Contest!!!

A Girls ’n Grace Christmas Contest!

Pam Davis, creator of Girls ’n Grace, and Authentic Books are sponsoring a contest, just in time for Christmas. To launch the release of the latest two books in the Girls ’n Grace series, Sydney Claire: A Girl ’n Grace in the 1960’s and Mesi’s Season of Change: A Friendship Story, they are giving away one of the character dolls.

As a Christian mother, Pam Davis knows the lasting imprint that “playtime” can really leave on an impressionable little girl. With the right character as a role model, God could use those sweet afternoon tea parties, hours of make-believe, and sleepovers to sow seeds of faith in tender hearts. This concept became the foundation for the Girls ’n Grace products, a line of dolls and books designed to fulfill Davis’ dream of demonstrating to today’s young girls what it means to be girls of grace.

To enter the doll giveaway contest, submit your story about your best teachable grace moment with a child in your life to mystory@girlsngrace.com. Below is the information that you need to include on your entry.

All entries must be submitted by December 17 to mystory@girlsngrace.com
Stories should be 400 words or less
Include the name of the blog site (or a link to the blog) where you saw the contest
Include your preference of Sydney Clair or Mesi doll
The winner will be notified, and the doll will be shipped to arrive on December 23.
Please note that entries may be reprinted/reposted by Girls ’n Grace and Authentic

If you would like to post this contest on your blog site too, please send the link of your post to ajennings@tbbmedia.com, and you will receive a copy of each of the new books. The blog that has the most entries will also win a doll to keep for themselves or that can be given away on their blog.

Visit the Girls ’n Grace interactive website at www.girlsngrace.com for more information about the books, dolls, Bible studies, games and more.

Comfort Movie

I stole from a friend the idea of posting my three favorite comfort movies of all time. The ones I watch when I am down or sick or blah or want to cuddle up in a blanket and feel cozy. I also think these are the ones I have seen so much that I can put them on and fall asleep to them feeling like all is well.

My top one is actually the Muppet Christmas Carol. At some point this became the movie I watch when I am sick. It has just become very comforting to hear the songs and the familiar corny jokes. Of course, I have always been a Muppet fan and still listen to my John Denver and the Muppets CD at Christmas.

Next would be Mary Poppins. Again, just one I have grown to turn to when I am sick or migrained. (not much else one can do with migraine and can't handle a suspense movie or something that requires you to pay attention)

Next is not a movie, but more of a genre - any of my Cary Grant and Gene Kelly movies. Especially Charade and Singin in the Rain. (Although at this time of year, I am more prone to watch Holiday Inn or White Christmas).

I know, nothing stimulating or exciting, but that is why they are comfort movies, not exercise movies. I think such old flicks make the list because they bring me back to childhood and the warm memories that brings.

What does anyone else like to pull out on those blah days? (all you zillions of blog readers)

Tree time!

(I am hovering in this no man's land between a share my life blog and share my thoughts blog. This is one of those share my life posts. Have some deep thoughts I want to share, but it is past my bedtime, so superficial is as good as it gets right now.)

We went to get our Christmas tree today. We have this gift for not choosing the loveliest of days to go cut down our tree. This year again one of those years. Nice cold rain/mist/drizzle falling. But no crowd at the tree farm! We really enjoy the tree farm where we go and choosing the tree, bringing it home and decorating it is one of our favorite family traditions.

Photos of the finished product will be forthcoming - some lights seem to be awol and the tree is still drying out. Stay tuned! :) (I know, you are dying in anticipation, aren't you?)

I didn't think about pictures until after the tree was cut, so Jim displaying his saw skills post-the actual cut.

We skip the whole tying the tree to the roof thing and just slide it into the minivan. I think the folks at the tree farm think we are on drugs, but it is much easier - and I really prefer to not repeat the year we turned a corner and the tree tumbled off the roof. Bad enough tying it on in the parking lot, even worse along the side of the road. (Kaylie was reprimanded on the way home so she is not very happy right at this moment.)

Snow issues

Went to Michigan to my mom and stepdad's house for Thanksgiving. Came home Sunday - in snow the majority of the trip. Talked to Mom today - they got 8 inches. Why do they always get the big snow AFTER we leave?? Whatsupwiththat?? Maybe it is God helping out this slacker mom who has 2 kids and only one pair of snow pants. The girls had to keep taking turns (in what snow was already on the ground) over the holiday weekend - who got to be warm, and who was going to wear 3 pairs of pants and still get sopping wet. Should have pictures somewhere...need to get me, the computer, the internet and the camera together at the same time. PS - If you talk to my family, my husband, or Santa, #1 on my Christmas list this year is a new digital camera that will fit in my pocket and can go everywhere with me.

Thank you notes

So I am finally remembering to have the girls write their thank you notes for their birthday gifts. It is one of those things that if I don't do it right that instant, it keeps slipping my mind because I forget we haven't done it yet. So, eons later, here we are doing the thank you notes. Their note writing leaves a little something to be desired, though. For example, here is one of Hannah's lovely notes: "Dear Nana, Thanks for the birthday money. I don't know what I am going to do with it, though." Well, Hannah - give it to me, I have plenty of ideas. I tried to explain that she didn't sound super-grateful and she wants to sound appreciative of the gift, so they know she liked it. Kaylie chimes in, "and so they will want to give us more presents!"

'80's night

Last weekend, I went to a Relay for Life conference. Relay is celebrating 25 years, so the theme for dinner was the 80's and everyone was to dress in their 80's garb. Seeing as I graduated from high school in 1990, I felt highly qualified regarding this decade, even if my wardrobe (and hair) are still lacking 20 years later.

I ended up with a pretty good outfit: huge bow in my hair (pouffed as big as my hair gets with mall chick bangs), big white oxford shirt over leggings with the collar up and a pin/brooch at the top button, white socks, black flats, jean jacket, big earrings, jelly bracelets. Classic 80's all the way, IMHO. In fact, I had people actually snickering at me in the hotel lobby.

It was a lot of fun seeing everybody in their get-ups - side pony tail, cut up t shirts, sweatshirts with the neck cut out, neon, Bruce Springsteen looking outfits, jazzercise clothes, and on and on. It was great! :)

Somewhere there is a photo of my complete outfit. Had no camera, but here is a picture I shot of myself at the end of night (notice the flat hair - it never stayed poufy then and still doesn't). I am not good at self portraits, so my apologies.

Pray for Vikki

A co-worker of mine, Vikki, is sick. Please pray for her. Here is a link to her blog so you can read all about her situation: http://greggandvikki.blogspot.com/ Thanks, friends.

The most wonderful time of the year

Say what you will about Starbucks, but I love when they come out with the red cups. It is one of my favorite signs of the season. While being bombarded with Christmas stuff at Target starting in October is annoying to me, one can never get enough peppermint mochas (decaf now, of course), so bring on winter, Christmas, and the red cups!

Retraction

I take back what I said yesterday about St. V being my home away from home. Have only had to go three times this year, which is way less than I am sure some folks have to endure so I should not complain. What made it feel so "Groundhog Day" was when they gave me a menu to order dinner - it felt like the 1,000,000th time I had looked at that thing - and STILL nothing sounded good.

Oh, and one last election rambling: Thank you for your support, the election is over, take down your yard sign.

Random Election day thoughts

Seeing as I spent the majority of election day at my not so favorite home away from home, St. Vincent Hospital, I had plenty of time to come up with plenty of random election thoughts (and some just plain old random thoughts)


...the day started out well enough, casting my ballot for John McCain. Left the house at 6:40am. Polling place is 2 minutes away. Finished voting around 7:35am. First time in the 11 years we have been in this precinct that I have stood behind more than 5 people in line - and usually there is no one in line.

...so where did all these people come from? And will they keep voting?

...my photo is a little blurry because I could not really set up the shot for fear I would get kicked out or my vote tossed out.

...however, I shouldn't have been worried, seeing as there was a lady campaigning INSIDE THE POLLING PLACE, who then proceeded to come over and briefly cover for one of the official polling place workers when she stepped away from guarding the ballot box. WHAT??!!! Extremely wrong. I was very upset at this. Especially because she was misleading people with what she was saying. Whatever, but keep it outside the polling place.

...how can the Marion County Clerk say there were no problems when the same ballot scanner that didn't work in the primary didn't work on Election Day? So then we have to just slide the paper ballot in the slot, which at 7:30 am was already so full, you could reach in and pull someone's ballot out. Wow, our elections are so full of integrity. At least in my little corner of the world. When I tried to point it out to the ballot box guarder (Judge? I can't keep their titles straight),she said she didn't see it (she didn't have her glasses) and would have to get the inspector over. Thanks for the concern lady. I don't believe she did anything.

...Why do they stick migraine patients in the noisiest places in the hospital? (ok, I am sure it is not THE noisiest, but seems like it some times)

...Who decided red would be republican and blue would be democrat, and how did they get all the networks to jump on board? You would think one of them would go maverick and use purple or something.

...election time, watching the results, and listening to the analysis makes me really miss Professor Loy. I wish I could go sit in on one of his classes every four years during election season. I learned so much from that man and respect and admire him immensely. I wish I had him around to bounce things off of and ask questions to.

...Could they have called Mitch Daniels as the winner any faster?

...Every time I have seen Jill Thompson (which is not much) she has seemed unpleasant and cranky. Tuesday night was no exception.

...How cool is it that Indiana was getting some love from the national media and the candidates this year? It amazes me that Barack Obama was in Indianapolis Tuesday morning. Back in the day, if we were really lucky, the Republican VP candidate might stop by once for some big fundraising dinner that was a zillion dollars a plate. Even when Quayle was in office and running, it wasn't like he dropped in all the time during election season. While I don't like us being a "blue state", I hope we continue to get the attention and respect we deserve. I hope both parties will realize they need to come here and share their vision with the groovy people of Indiana.

...After waiting over 1/2 hour in an ER room for a doctor or nurse to come in, I am wondering if they have forgotten I am here...

...John McCain is kind of like this year's Colts, you know he can win (has the potential to win), you want him to win, you know he probably won't win, but feel like if you accept that, then you are admitting defeat before it has even happened and are being disloyal. I just did not see how any Republican candidate was going to win, given the low ratings Bush has been getting and the current issues with economy.

...I hate these hospital TVs where you have to go through all the channels to get back to the beginning or go down to another channel. I miss my regular remote so I can switch back and forth between channels. Of course, I have to keep the TV quiet, so I am missing 1/2 of what is going on anyway...

...Eight years ago, I was sitting up in bed, feeding a week old Kaylie and watching the beginnings of the Florida debacle. We need some hanging chads or something to spice up this year's post-election coverage.

...How AWESOME was John McCain's concession speech???!!? I thought it was great. So glad I got to hear the bulk of it. Going to have to look it up and listen to the whole thing again. I wish he had always come off that inspiring. Or maybe he did and I just missed it - which means he can't have been too horribly inspiring then, eh?

...So will we keep hearing from Sarah Palin, or will she quietly return to Alaska to live out her term and her days?

...Oh, and thank goodness Tina Fey doesn't have to leave earth. What ever would we do.

...This mass pandemonium and partying in the streets over an election result is slightly disconcerting to me. How do these people view Obama? Do they have realistic expections? Why such jubulation? Given the passion shown, would there have been riots if McCain had won? Where does it come from? I just don't recall ever seeing this before. Again, this is where I miss Professor Loy, he could put it in context and draw the correlations for me.

...While I hate the way politicians can get away with misleading the public with soundbites and catch phrases, election day reminds me of why I loved being a political science major.

...and finally, Hallelujah to know that through everything, the Lord is on His throne, He is sovereign and in control, and He will guard, protect, and comfort His children.

Easily Amused

I am so glad my girls are as easily amused as I am. God has blessed them both with a wonderful sense of humor and they are so fun to be with. Our newest fun thing to do when we are just killing time is to take silly photos with the "burst" mode on my cell phone that takes four quick photos. It cracks the 3 of us up to take the pictures and then flip through them really fast like a really old, really short movie.

This one (taken at church, waiting for Hannah to finish basketball practice) was killing us because of the girl walking through the background - disappearing and reappearing.

Okay, so maybe you had to be there. You have to see it one right after the other really fast to get the full effect, and...okay maybe not...well, it was funny to us anyway.

Who I ought to be

When Kaylie and I were going home from the car wash today, we took a short cut through the shopping center parking lot to get out to the street and head home. Our path took us behind the movie theater, where we passed a lady with 2 children and a cart of groceries. I drove past and fleetingly thought about helping her, then as I normally do, decided she probably did not need help - it was a nice day out, they probably were not walking far etc. But I did not get far before I felt convicted for being so dismissive. I made a quick reverse-rationalization (sure it was a gorgeous day, but what if she had milk or something that might spoil?), turned around, pulled up and asked if I could give her a ride somewhere.

Turns out they were waiting for their car to be repaired at the shop across the (very busy) street, so I was so glad we stopped - I wouldn't want to try to cross it with Kaylie and Hannah in tow and her two girls looked close to their ages. After we let them out, Kaylie says, "Wow, Mom, that was a really nice thing that you did helping that lady." Then she says, "When I grow up, I want to be just like you, and look out for people to help." Talk about wow. And feeling convicted. Here I wasn't even going to help, and Kaylie has me up on this pedestal of which I am totally unworthy. And how proud am I that my kid wants to grow up to be someone who helps others. And, yikes, our kids watch everything we do and, good or bad, pattern their behavior after it.

The House that Tricia (and Hannah and Kaylie) built

Hey - I built a house last weekend!! Okay, it was cardboard and only slept 4 (and nothing else), but it was a house and it didn't collapse!!

We participated in Slum Survivor night at church to highlight world poverty and experience just a small taste of what people around the world experience everyday. It was fun and moving all at the same time.

This is the view from the front - notice the coveted corner lot.

We had neighbors one layer of cardboard away to the side and rear.

Hannah and Kaylie posing by the side of our "house". It was just deep enough to lay down in and just wide enough for the 4 of us.

Our back "door" - thanks to the corner lot, we had dual access - how cool are we??

(big expanse of clear tarp is our neighbors' outside "wall"...brrrr...)

The row of "homes" behind us.

We ate beans and rice and did challenges to earn treats like pillows and fruit and candy. Great event and hope to do it again sometime.

Mini-reunion

So ever since I joined Facebook, I have been feeling really old and very anti-social as I have realized it is almost 20 YEARS since I graduated from high-school, AND almost 20 years since I have seen many of my high school friends. And it is not like I moved far away or something. (I made it out of Zionsville, but only by about 10 minutes!)

It was VERY FUN, therefore, to get together with some old friends this past weekend. Everyone looks great and so much the same. For a few brief moments, I feared I would not recognize them and would be doomed to wander around the restaurant looking like an idiot. But, no worries, I immediately saw Steph and all was great from there.

A lovely time and I look forward to more time with my "re-discovered" friends!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Ok, I am up WAY past my bedtime, so this will be quick. I have added a link to make contributions to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. As many of you know, I have been actively volunteering with ACS fundraising events for a number of years now. They have so many great programs and support for all kinds of people dealing with all kinds of issues related to cancer.

Please consider making a donation of any amount to the cause.

Thanks for your support!!

PS - and for some reason it is showing $0 raised. I have actually raised a little bit of money, but am very far short of my goal.

Another baby in the family!

No, it is not mine. :) My cousin, Clay, and his wife, Mary just had their first baby! A precious little girl named Allison Grace. They induced Mary a few weeks early due to a possible complication, but Mary and Allison are both doing fine. Yee hah!

Levi James Cable

Here he is..

(If he looks a little sad, it is because he already misses his Aunt Tricia. My theory on why he was so late is that he was holding a sit-in and was not going to budge until his mom and dad moved to the Midwest. Being so young, he probably did not realize that doctors have their ways of getting babies out of mommies. Fortunately for him, no forceps involved.)

This is my little (6'5" w/big muscles) brother's first child. Congratulations to Barry and Caroline!!! Levi was born August 21, weighing 8lbs 5 oz and measuring 21 inches.

My mom is out there (California) right now and she better come back with lots of photos because so far this is the only one I have. What good is internet and technology if no one is going to send you pictures of your newest nephew???

Up and down and all around

Lots of emotions today.... The best part is that my nephew was finally born today!! He was due August 9th and I have been waiting very impatiently for his arrival. (Not as impatiently as my brother, mind you, but I am so excited about this!) The dismal part of it is that my brother and my sister-in-law (and baby Levi) live in CALIFORNIA, so I have no clue when I am going to get to see him. Blah. I did get to hear him cry over the phone, though! The minute I have pictures I will post them. YEE HAH!!

Going backwards from that, we had reps from Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Jesus Film Project and the Seed Company speak come to work and speak with us at lunch today. They shared this really cool video with a couple who had financed the work to translate the book of Luke into the native language of a people group in Ethiopia so that they (Wycliffe/Jesus Film) could show the Jesus film to the people in their native language. It was so moving to watch these folks watching the film and hearing about Jesus for the first time. And how cool to be that couple and been blessed to have played such a role in people hearing the gospel for the first time. Did you know there are close to 7000 languages identified, and Wycliffe has set a goal to have begun translating the Bible in every language that needs it by the year 2025? So cool to see how the Word is being spread to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

My day started with the kickoff breakfast for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. This is a fundraising walk the American Cancer Society has to raise funding and awareness for breast cancer research and programs. ACS has some wonderful support programs in place and they are always working to do more. One of their big goals is to see funding increased for a federal program that provides mammograms for free to uninsured Americans; but right now only one in every five women who is eligible to receive one can because the program is underfunded. One of the speakers this morning was a cancer survivor named Cindy Hart. She spoke about how cancer has changed her life, but also about some good that has come out of her cancer. How she was in the right place at the right time, for example, to save a man who was choking and she would not have been there at that time if it weren't for cancer. No one wishes for bad things to happen to them, but I love that she is blessed to see that all things do come together for good - whether they make sense overall or not. She even said that at one point she thought, "ok, God, I get it". I do not know where she comes from spiritually, but yeah, I think she gets it too. It was so cool to hear because this is one of my core beliefs - that God is always with us, and He will always take care of His people, and God has a plan for everything - sometimes we are blessed to see part of His vision and it makes sense, sometimes not - but that does not change His role or His love. (I am not very eloquent, but hopefully you see what I am saying)

Oh, and then just now, Jim took me out to see the baby bunnies! They actually look like little bunnies now. They are TOO CUTE! Not as good as a picture of Levi, but here are the bunnies.

The book I'm not reading

(If you read my last post, let me first say that all I have been able to think of all day is "Jingle, Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle..." and so on and so on (and on and on). Is it time for the Christmas Musical yet?)

(second aside: the girls just told me that the grandfather of one of their friends died and the family is going to the funeral. "That's sad," I said. "But now he is in heaven with God and Jesus," says Kaylie. "That's good news," I said. "That's very good news," says Kaylie. I love moments like that.)

Anyway, on to books. Over the past few months I have started reading alot again. I have always loved to read, but as work and family and life have taken over, I found I was doing very little reading for pleasure. The girls, on the other hand, were always reading, and I was getting jealous. One day, when I was wishing that I could just sit around and read, I decided that I could if I just made time for it. And I did and, whaddyaknow - I do have time to read! Then came the challenge of finding something good to read. I would go to the library and stare at the books, wishing you really could judge a book by its cover.

Suddenly, thanks to the internet (oddly enough), I have now found myself with more books to read than I have time to read. My Visual Bookshelf on Facebook gives me recommendations and I can peek at my friends' shelves on Shelfari and see what they are reading that sounds good. And I get newsletters from the library with new and interesting books that are out.

What frustrates me is when I get a book from the library (especially when I have been on a long waiting list), and I get it and within the first few pages if not first few paragraphs, I know I cannot read the book. I don't want to live in a bubble, but I don't want to fill my mind with that much that is so contrary to my world view. There is only so much you can overlook without starting to feel you are making a compromise. It is just disappointing when a book sounded good and probably would be without some of the language and other references.

This has me thinking about Aaron's sermon last Sunday from Jude and an analogy he used about the ice. A very good analogy. I would like to read said book because it sounds entertaining and it is relevant to the culture, but I do not want to become so immersed in the culture that I fall through the ice. It is a delicate balance. And so very important to not go to one extreme or the other.

So maybe I am living in an isolated world, maybe I am just too weak a Christian, but I have another book for the stack of books I am not reading.

Christmas in August

The girls are participating in the children's Christmas Musical again this year. They had their first practice Sunday and received CDs with the music. This is now all we have listened to for the past 3 days. The songs are already stuck in my head and driving me slightly batty and we have months until the production. But Hannah is really hoping to get a part this year, so she is very intent on learning the whole musical to up her chances. I wonder if I did this to my mom when I was in school... Oi vey.

At least it is something with a good message to it....could be worse.

Weekend Update

Another fun weekend with bee-uuu-tee-full weather!!!

Fun:

• Indians game with work peeps and their families. Awesome weather, fireworks, hanging out with friends, and Hannah caught a baseball. She was psyched. Had Rowdie sign it and everything. I ask again - what is Rowdie? A bear? A dog? A monkey without a tail?

• biking on the Monon Trail with the family on Saturday - who would think we could have such lovely weather in the middle of August??
• Bought some groovy new storage containers to do some serious organizing around the house. Yee hah!
• Second weekend in a row of doing fun stuff - starting to feel like a normal person again!

Not so fun:

• my rear end hurts (I mean really, really hurts) from biking. One would think that being un-thin, this would not be an issue for me; but then one would think wrong.


• migraine. blah :( Still doing the no caffeine thing and drinking extra-extra water, which helps with the dehydration and thus the head, but still had some bad headaches this weekend.
• did not see any fun Gen Con dudes roaming around downtown last night. Quite disappointing. Usually good for a couple fun costume sightings - this year I saw nada.
• No Fred yet. Barry and Caroline's baby refuses to come out. More frustrating for them than me, but I still can't wait. I hate that they live in California and it will be forever before I get to see him. Seriously going to dampen my efforts to be favorite auntie.

Overheard:

• In the car, Hannah was being crabby at Kaylie and Kaylie says to her: "Sounds like someone's being a Miss Gumpy Pants" in this cute little sing song voice. Probably lucky she didn't get decked.


• When Kaylie put on what I told her to wear the other day, she hated it and complained to me, "I look like a supermodel whose shoes don't match her dress". Kaylie was not wearing shoes or a dress.
• On the Monon Trail, bike riding: Kaylie: "I don't mean to humiliate you, Mom, but my butt hurts!!!"

Baby Bunnies!!

As many of you know, we have 2 dogs: Archie and Marvin. They have a nemesis in the backyard - a bunny who will sit just out of their reach and not budge no matter how much they bark and holler. Well, this bunny is much bolder than she first appears, as this evening Jim discovered baby bunnies burrowed in a hole perilously close the house.

Apparently the dogs were going gangbusters at something in the yard, and when Jim went to look to see what they were digging at, he discovered teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy baby bunnies all huddled together. They are small enough to fit in your hand. I wish I could show you a photo, but they are huddled down in the hole and it would just look like a dark blur.

Not sure what will happen, but for now we are doing what we can to keep the dogs out. Hopefully more good news to come...

Tired, but thankful!

Today was a really tiring, but very good day!

It started with the Back to School Blast down at Jireh Sports. This is a great event where Jim and I have served for a number of years. (Just me this year, though, as Jim was unable to attend) They give out back packs filled with school supplies, have free haircuts, food, crafts and activities, a health tent, blow up things like a joust and a velcro wall, and a climbing wall. This year I got to help with the climbing wall. And for the first time ever, got to try my hand at climbing. (have always wanted to try, but feared making a serious fool of myself when I failed to climb higher than 2 feet off the ground)

Check me out making attempt #1: (props to Kirsten for taking the photo)

Unfortunately, not the most successful of all attempts, but hours later, I tried again on another side and (with LOTS of help from the rock climbing dude) made it ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP!!! How cool am I??!!! For someone like me, who had to work really hard to get there, this was a HUGE deal and I was very pleased that I perservered - and had someone who held me up when I "fell off", so I did not have to start over.

Later in the day, we took my dad and Suzanna to the airport - they are flying out to vacation in Reno and see my brother, Barry and sister-in-law, Caroline (and nephew-to-be-any-minute-now, Fred (not going to be his real name, but have to call him something until he gets born and officially named)). Then it was off to the State Fair!! A Cable/Fortin family tradition. The girls LOVE the fair! They must get it from my dad, who it seems like every year at Fair time, no matter when I call, he is at the Fair. And eating a ribeye sandwich. Or corn. Or a tenderloin. Or something else. Or maybe, if he has just eaten, he is shopping.

Anyway, first stop always must be: Little Hands on the Farm. They love this where they go to all these little barns and do "chores" like you would on a farm. And then at the end they get a treat - maybe THIS is why they like it. That or the hat.

Then we roamed and wandered and ate and did all that good fair stuff! Kaylie loves horses, so she really enjoyed going to the horse barn, even though alot of horses weren't around.

So, after being on my feet all morning at Jireh, and then walking around the fair all evening, I am way beyond tired!! But what a great day - after spending so much of the summer in bed, I am so thankful for a beautiful day spent serving God and being with my family!! WOO HOO!

I'm 100!

This is no big thing to the blogging pros out there and the popular folks - but I am very excited because I have had over 100 visitors to my little blog since I started just a short time ago! I know, it is nothing compared to the thousands of visitors many bloggers rack up, but I am excited - even if half the people may have ended up here by accident!

So thanks for checking in!

Tomato, tomahtoe; meclomen, meclizine

Ok, I know oy with the poodles already and all that - but if I can go on for just one more day - can I just tell y'all about today??

Here is how it begins: I decide on the way to work that since I am running a little late, I am just going to be mostly late and stop at Starbucks, check out this whole ordering decaf situation and, actually most importantly, get a muffin, as I had a doctor appointment right during lunch and knew I was going to need something to tide me over. I made this decision while driving to work in the rain. I stuck stubbornly to this decision even when the heavens opened up and it started pouring just as I approached Starbucks. Milliseconds after opening the car door, I was wet, and worse, my sandal-clad feet were wet. Ick. Even more challenging was getting back into the car muffin and decaf iced Americano in hand. I was very soaked, and the muffin bag barely made it. But I made a decaf Starbucks run - and in the pouring rain no less! What a suburban warrior I am!

The big news of the day ended up coming at the office of our good friend, Dr. Simchak. I had a one week follow-up appointment from last Tuesday. (a miracle given that when I tried to schedule a 4 week follow-up as I left they told me his first available was Nov 4, if that gives you any idea of his calendar) I learned many moons ago to bring a book when coming to see Dr. Simchak - due to his popularity, one often has to wait to see him, and seeing as I had been squeezed in, I made sure I had one today. Good thing, as it took almost 2 hours to be seen. But I made great progress on my book! I think everyone should have forced relaxation placed upon them every so often like that. The only problem is that it is kind of stressful at the same time because you are thinking about where you should be. Anyway, big revelation - he asks how I did on the Meclomen, the anti-inflammatory, last week. "Meclomen? I thought it was Meclizine. It was an anti-histamine and I don't know how I did, I was too tired." ACK! I WAS TAKING THE WRONG MEDICINE!!! So for 4 days I was dutifully taking this medicine every 8 hours and going to work, driving, etc all while being so tired I could barely function all in the name of getting rid of a headache and it wasn't even the right med!! Can you believe it??

So I confessed to Dr. Simchak I was bad-mouthing him because I thought he was giving me what was basically sleeping pills and taking me off caffeine all in one fell swoop. (You know I did wonder why he did not warn me I would be tired, that was out of character; also strange that he would tell me to take Lunesta last week to make sure I slept - that was definitely not necessary. I need to do a better job of getting the names of these medicines and not just blindly trusting the pharmicists to read the chicken scratch on the prescription slip. "It's an M word" doesn't cut it.) And we have made some changes to my other meds and now I am happily and merrily back on my way.

PS - Jim just called Kaylie into the other room, and she goes in there and says (starting off very sweetly), "Well, I'm not trying to be rude, but what is it now??!!!" (the last part in frustration) - which I know is totally inappropriate (as Jim quickly pointed out) - but I still find very funny. You had to be there, I guess. I know, just blow the dust off my Worst Mom in the World Trophy and hand it to me...

De-caf Day 6

Thanks to LeDena and Jennifer for the comments on the decaf life. I learned many moons ago I am not alone in headache-land and I am always encouraged when I find others who frequent the land. Of course when they are super-women like LeDena and Jennifer, I feel like such a slacker! Anyway, the best part was hearing from 2 young, vibrant women who are caffeine-free. Were I to think rationally, I would of course have to know the c-f club was not solely composed of early-bird special patrons at Denny's, but to hear first-hand was very reassuring. I am working up to ordering something decaf at Starbucks so I can use up the balance on my gift card. If people can order no-fat, low foam, soy, no whip, etc etc lattes, then surely I can go in and order something and just make it a decaf. Right?

I do have to say that I fixed coffee this afternoon for a client and it was all I could do not to help myself to a cup. I mean a whole pot, just to give the client a cup! I hate to see the rest go to waste! Typically I would fix myself a big ole' mug and enjoy a late afternoon treat, but today, not so much. It was very tempting - like being on some diet or something. Fortunately my boss - great guy and coffee enjoy-er - saved the day and took a cup so I did not have to feel like the rest was going to waste and it took some of the temptation away. That and then I had to leave for the day. When in doubt separation will always help avoid temptation, eh?

Oh, and I am feeling guilty about calling Dr. Simchak evil. He is, of course, not evil at all. He is a lifesaver. Now that I am done taking the evil sleepy drugs and they have worn off I can think much more clearly. Still tired, but not beat-down dead tired - yee hah!! Tomorrow I go see the good Dr. and we shall see what the next step is. More to come!!!! Stay tuned, it is always an adventure!!

Caffeine-free blahs

My neurologist is a lovely man named Dr. Simchak. He is one of my heroes, as he has made it his life's calling to rid me of headaches. (not just me of course, but I like to think so sometimes) You can even Google him. On his group's website it says he "has a special interest in headache management, speaking frequently on this subject". Of course, it also says he enjoys house pets and wildlife. :) Anyway... he is great and seems to really care about his patients and their quality of life.

Until this week. My new name for Dr. Simchak is Evil Lord Darth Simchak (with-all-due-respect). He has forbidden me from caffeine intake. If you know me, that should be enough said, but of course, I am not going to leave it at that.

Here is the story: Ever since being released from the hospital I have been fighting pretty bad headaches. So I go to see Dr. You-Know-Who on Tuesday and after an update on my recent travails, he says "We are going to put you on Meclizine for 3 days to try to break up the headache. It is really important that you drink lots of water. And no caffeine". WAIT. Stop the presses. WHAT?!?! "No caffeine?" I innocently ask. "No caffeine for 3 days or no caffeine ever?" (We have covered this topic before and my understanding was to just try to be reasonable - so this was news.) He says: "Well I usually tell my chronic headache patients no caffeine". Chronic headache patient=Tricia. Unhappy headache patient=Tricia.

So I whined a bit and he did not feel sorry for me and sent me on my way. WHAT HE FAILED TO TELL ME was he was sending me off on my merry little way with an antihistimine that was going to turn me into a vertical version of myself asleep while at the same time taking away my beloved coffee and all of the fun coffee beverage variations. Yes, the Meclizine is Antivert, which is some antihistimine that one of my other doctors told me patients sometimes take as a sleeping pill. And now you know why Dr. Simchak is now Evil Lord Simchak. I must have been mean to him once or something.

It has been a long week of dealing with being amazingly tired, to the point I cannot even tell you how tired I have been; combined with adjusting to not being able to have caffeine. Many moons ago, I started teaching myself to drink caffeine-free Diet Coke, so I am hip to that, but it becomes very difficult when I leave the comfort of my home to find a beverage to drink. After good ole H2O, there are very few low-cal caffeine-free options out there in the out-to-eat marketplace. And, ironically, I went out 3 times this week. Grr. And I miss my coffee. I think decaf is totally pointless (although I am sure I will quickly come around), so I get to work and - no coffee. That has been the first thing I have done when I got to work for the past year and now..... zip. BLAH!!! My Starbucks card still has $$$ left on it! And the list goes on and on..

I am having big trouble adjusting to this whole no caffeine thing. Not from the physical side, but from the lifestyle and pyschological side. Today is Saturday and I got up and usually would have made a pot of coffee and curled up on the couch and drank my java and it was very annoying to not be able to do that today. (This is why I think I will end up caving and going decaf unless I just end up adjusting quickly) Has anyone else gone through this and has any tips/insight?

I love Church!

Sunday I got to go to church. And how wonderful it was! I know some people are perfectly content without attending church regularly, but I do not know how they do it. I felt like and empty urn just soaking up the worship and the presence of God and my brothers and sisters in Christ. It was so restorative to my soul, I just can't even tell you!

This coming Sunday, the message is "I'm Home!", and I can't wait! What an appropriate topic after the past few weeks we have had, plus I think I am on vocal team and nothing is better than getting to SING!!! Yee hah!!

I am so blessed!

A few weeks ago I read this Ted Dekker book, Heaven's Wager, and, not to give away plot points, but a character dies so that another will live. I mean live eternally. And I thought, wow, how cool and what a compliment to play such a role in God's plan, to die so that someone else can live. I guess at that point I had this very romantic, rose-colored glasses, view of the whole thing.

Then I found myself feeling beyond miserable lying in a hospital bed and decided I was not so sure about the whole dying thing. I was not so keen on the pain and all and not sure I was ready to do that to my family. But I still loved the idea of getting to play a role in God's plan for someone else, so I just prayed for patience and peace and reminded myself that there was some reason I was there, even if it was not something cosmically wonderful. God knew, and that was good enough - because He most definitely knows best.


So, now that I have shared the relatively long, drawn out whiney version of my hospital stay (see below if you haven't, it is a lovely tale), allow me to tell you how amazingly blessed I am. (And I am sure this list will be extremely incomplete, but I don't know if one can ever actually count ones blessings.)

• I have a wonderful, loving God who will always take care of me no matter what and will watch over me and my family through anything.
• I have an amazingly wonderful husband who takes great care of me and my kids and was wise enough to take me to the hospital when he did. He has also been such a trooper the past couple weeks and been single dad to the girls with no complaints.
• Jim was able to go to Baltimore this weekend solo and be a blessing to his brother - we all were supposed to go, as Jim's neice got married, but it ended up just Jim and that worked out great because he got extra time with his family and was free to hang out and support his brother. Jim rarely sees his family so this is a gift.
• I have healthy active grandparents who have been babysitting my kids for the past couple weeks - how cool is that?! This is a win-win as the girls get time with their great-grandparents and Nana and Papa get some young blood to keep them busy. :)
• Those healthy, active grandparents are also currently spoiling me. (Yee hah!) While Jim is out of town, the girls and I are staying at their house and I have not been this pampered since I was their age. It is perfect.
• My dad and Suzanna love dogs. They are dog-sitting Archie and Marvin. And baby makes SIX DOGS. Daddy says they keep stepping on one every time they turn around, but he and Suzanna are taking great care of the boys which is one less thing for me to worry about this weekend. Oh, and Dad is picking Jim up at the airport at 11:30pm Monday night. YAY DAD!!!
• I have really patient, adaptable kids. They have handled this whole hospital thing really well. Probably helps that they are getting spoiled, but they are such troopers and I adore them.
• Can I just say I may have the most patient employer in the world???? No calls of "how much longer" no complaints, no nothing. Just lots of prayers and get better soon. All Hail Ronald Blue and Co. (and I miss you too!)
• Of course, great doctors and nurses (although I wish they were a little better at finding veins). When you spend as long as I do, you get quite a few nurses and I had no lemons - yee hah!
• Great friends who have been earnestly praying for me. That means so much to me. Everyone wants to know people care, so it has been so nice to have people asking about me and praying for me.
• And did I mention that God loves me and cares for me. That is all anyone could ever want or need.

Take care and God bless and hopefully no more adventures for me for awhile!!!!!!!!!! Thanks again for your concern and prayers!

Hospital I and II

WOW, do I have quite the story for you - and let me warn you, like many of my stories, it is going to be long!

The short version is that, except for a brief, painful, 24 hours hours, I have been in the hospital since the Sunday after the 4th of July. (So the 6th?) I got out on Friday the 18th. So I spent almost 2 full weeks IN THE HOSPITAL!!!

Let me show you my lovely view...

And my constant companion....

I know - you are totally jealous. I did get really pretty flowers, though.

As much as I enjoy them, I would not recommend going through all that just to get them.

Here is the story, if you are interested: I had been struggling with a severe migraine for days and it was not going away, nothing was helping. By Sunday (the 6th) I was in a terrible state and called my neurologist 3 times (with 2 different drug "cocktails") before he finally told me to just go to the ER and get an IV. Well, go to the ER we did, but none of the meds they gave me helped. (Despite the boast from the ER nurse that they could clear almost any migraine in one shot, maybe two) Oh, and they gave me this medicine that I always have a reaction to, even though I told them I knew I was going to have a reaction. ("agitation" they call it - it is more like some kind of Jack Nicholson thing). After many moons and many meds in the ER, they raised the white flag and decided to admit me. Now at the risk of giving you TMI, I must also tell you that it was also determined at this time that I had a UTI. Sorry, but it is vital to the story.

So I stayed in the hospital from Sunday through Thursday, getting rid of my migraine. Each day was just one more day, one more day. The doctor, of course, wants to make sure that you are fully migraine free when you leave, so it takes awhile. By the time I left Thursday, including the time at home I had been in bed quite some time. So I did not really think about my back being a little sore.

Thursday evening I got home, sent a couple I AM HOME emails, showered, and collapsed back into bed because by then my back was really sore. And then things just went downhill from there. The pain in my lower back got worse and worse AND to compound matters, that "Greensleeves" Snickers commercial and one of the songs from Singin' in the Rain were playing over and over in my mind in this crazy way. It was like this - pain, feverish, probably slightly delusional - all night Thursday night and all day Friday. I did not leave the bedroom. So I ate nothing and drank very very little.

At some point Friday night Jim comes in the bedroom feels my forehead and tells me I am burning up, takes my temp and it is 102. Then he tells me I am going to have to go to the ER. It was like in the movie Speed where they go to the airport to drive in circles and the tourist guy says "but I've already seen the airport". I was in no shape to go, but knew he was right. The worst part was we could not find my glasses and I did not even feel well enough to put in contacts and I could not see a thing.

So we went to the ER and apparently it was packed. All I know is they told me there was no room in the inn and so I laid down on a bench. Jim says we spent over an hour in the waiting room. Oi vey! I feel worse for him than me. We got back to the ER room, finally got some lovely morphine for my back and learned that my potassium level was dangerously low. Apparently in one day I had severly dehydrated myself despite getting bags o' fluid the entire time I was in the hosptial round 1.

The potassium level in and of itself was bad enough that they has to re-admit me and that is when my life turned into Groundhog Day. Come to find out the UTI (see, told you it was important) had turned into quite the kidney infection and the infection was in my blood and everything. So for a few more days I felt really puny, then finally started feeling better. Ahhh. Then, just when it was time to go, my white blood cell count went up and I got to stay, yes, one more day at my home away from home, St. Vincent Hospital.

Told you it was going to be long, and believe it or not, there is much much more I could tell you (like just how much of a "hard stick" I am, etc), but that sums it up. I am home and I am blessed and I am feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and concern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Glorious Fourth

Except for waking up with a killer headache, had a lovely day. Neighborhood Garage Sale comes around next Saturday and I am really trying to de-clutter, so I hopped out of bed anyway and started trying to clean up and thin out. Did not make it very far, but made some progress and any progress is good.

Had a reading break mid-day; enjoying a fun Sophie Kinsella book.

The Music Man is on - Pickalittle, talkalittle, cheepcheepcheep...Trying to get the girls into it, but, they are more interested in...
Fireworks. Jim bought this ginormous set today plus a package of 48 boxes (!) of sparklers. Gotta admit, I have always dug sparklers, (in fact, that is me with 6 lit at once) and they do go like candy, but 48 boxes is quite a bit. Whose idea was it to make all these fireworks legal, anyway? Must be someone who lives in a really well insulated home.

I guess we might as well join the club. Our neighborhood has sounded like a war zone for the past week (better than New Year's when some of our exuberant neighbors fire real guns and I want to take the girls and barricade under the bed, but that is another story for another time...seriously though, we have a neighbor who keeps shooting off something that could double as a gun shot sound effect; very creepy), so I s'pose we may as well join in and at least get some visual stimulation to go with the auditory assault; make it a little more pleasant.

So, right after the opening credits, out for pre-Fortin Fireworks fireworks, we go. Note the lovely pyrotechnic display. This one made some wonderful squealy noise right as I was taking the photo.




Jim saluted Lady Liberty....
and displayed proper firework safety (that and he had no clue what any of them were going to do, so he took off each time he lit one - who can tell the snaky things from the shooty things?)

Now the girls are missing "Gary, Indiana" because Phase II has begun. Gotta run! Happy Fourth!

Don't Iron Naked

Yes, today's deep philosophical lesson comes from Kaylie. And it is this - keep your shirt on when ironing. It is a painful lesson she has learned and I would show you photos if I could do so without exposing her.

This morning Kaylie chose a dress for church that needed ironing and I while I set up the iron, she went ahead and stripped - apparently she does not know I am not a fast iron-er. She was asking how you iron (seeing as I generally do not have time to iron and thus avoid it, she rarely has seen me engage in this activity) and I thought - hey, she's going into 2nd grade, she likes to learn big girl stuff, I will show her how. So, Kaylie is ironing along and goes to move the iron and burns herself on the stomach. Oi vey. Will someone please dust off my Worst Mom of the Year trophy? I am going to need it. Says Jim: "That'll leave a mark." Tell me about it.

I was trying to reassure her and told her that my mom was burned by an iron when she was a little girl too. Kaylie asked where and I started to explain, "you know that spot on her arm where the skin is crinkly.." "YOU MEAN MY SKIN IS GOING TO GET ALL CRINKLY??!!!" Did I already say oi vey?

Finally we got calmed down and bandaged up. It is not a bad or a big burn, but was still pretty upsetting in the moment. Hence the new family rule - which at least made Kaylie smile through the tears. And then, interestingly, my Bible reading today was in Proverbs on wisdom. Nothing about ironing, but I still know I have a long way to go in so many ways.

Learning from Kid Drama

So I have been working on this drama/storyteller piece for a preschool event at church. I think it is great how God is showing me things while I work on stories I have known since I was in preschool, too. Especially since we are focusing on a theme of Jesus helping us through the storms in our lives and one of the legacies I want to leave my kids is for them to always trust God to take care of them in any situation.

One of the stories is Jesus calming the storm and there is so much to treasure in this story. We should study it more as adults. First - did you ever think about how big this storm is and the fact that Jesus was sleeping through it? Of course the fact that He was asleep has always been integral to the story, but asleep, on a boat, in a storm, with people who would not be there if they had not followed Jesus into the boat and onto the sea. Me, I would be too worried being Tricia-Your-Cruise-Director trying to make sure everyone else was okay - let alone the other factors against the whole sleep thing. It is hard enough to sleep through a storm on dry ground, (If you don't get thunderstorms and/or you don't have kids, you might not get it, but trust me, it is hard. Even if it does not scare you, the noise makes it physically impossible to sleep), but I think He models such trust and security when He is sleeping in this storm. Not just with what He isn't doing, but because He is resting in God. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but it is such a great image, please don't burst my bubble. I guess it is the "turtle" in me that would rather hide away in God during the storm than charge into it.

Another application from this story - even when it seems like God is sleeping - He is there. He is in control (no matter how the situation appears). He knows what is going on in our lives. He cares. We may think He is not "doing something". He may not be doing what we want or expect, but it does not mean He doesn't care or does not hear our cry for help. And in His time, He will arise and open our eyes to the calm He saw all along.

God wants us to trust Him, to rest in Him, to be secure in our knowledge that He cares for us, that He is alive, that we should not fear. He hears our cries, He cares for us.

I see so much here that I start babbling and repeating myself. Please pray it comes out coherent for the 200 preschoolers and parents we will be sharing with on Saturday and that God speaks this message to them through us.

Back home again...

Woo hoo!! The girls are home. The Fortin family is back intact. It is great having the girls back home. I forget how fun they are. God has blessed them both with great personalities and senses of humor. It is definitely noisier and messier, but it is all good.

We had a great weekend up in Michigan retrieving them. My job on Saturday was to keep the girls out of the way so Mom, Ron and Jim could get some work done. yee hah! The girls and I ran an errand for Mom and then went shopping and sight seeing up in Mackinaw City (about 20 or 30 minutes from Mom's). We had gorgeous weather and a great time! We even went to the beach (3 lakes in 1 day!). Great day - except the migraine. Blah. Would be really nice if those would stop.

Sunday morning I still had the migraine, so we just loaded up in the car and headed straight home instead of going to church - Jim set me up with a sleeping area in the back and I rested most the way home. How cool is he?!! I highly recommend it as a way to make the time pass on a 7-8 hour car trip!

So this week we try to settle back to the Fortin version of normal and work on getting some things done around the house. Happy Summer everyone!!