Seven Weird Things

1. I sing to myself - loudly. Now those who know me can stop laughing now. After all no one else enjoys my out of tune crooning with words from somewhere deep in my head. If I run out of songs I just make noise.

2.I don't like the way coffee tastes most of the time. I only like the way it smells. Then I hold my breath and swallow. I drink it black - like a true coffee lover. That's cause I don't want the calories of sugar or cream when I am drinking something I don't like. Even if I like it better with sugar or cream. it makes perfect sense to me.

3. I dropped my cat off on a dark road one night just to get rid of it. That's awful - I know - but at least it wasn't a dog! Two days later our neighbor brought the cat back to me. He was covered in soot from being in the neighbor’s chimney for two days. The darn thing almost found his way home. My three little kids praised the Lord that He answered their prayers. Considering the neighbors had a fire the night before – I thought the kids were probably right. So I kept it.

4. I don’t like to make the restaurant choice when we go out. Everyone thinks I do. I don’t. I can never complain if I make the choice. I would like to choose where NOT to go…which is very different than where to go. My husband always picks where I do NOT want to go. Okay – so I like to play a game about picking the restaurant when we go out to eat.

5. When I am alone I hurry hurry hurry through the house to get everything done so I can sit on the couch and say, ” I’m so bored – I have nothing to do.” Then I wander from room to room and try to work up a cry. Once in a while I am successful – but if I am not crying within – say 75 seconds – I just give up.

6. I am not fair with my kids and their spouses. I mean I cheat. I treat some better than others. Okay – I admit it. The boys get left out – I give the girls a whole lot more. I love to buy things for them – real things – little things – or just be with them. I have the world’s best daughter and two daughters-in-law that I secretly love as my own.

7. I dream I live in a truck…. Or a camper…. Or a little mobile home. I get rid of all my stuff. I have very expensive – but very few items. I am unencumbered – no job, no debts – no health problems. Maybe I move to New Zealand and leave behind about 15 years when I go… I make elaborate plans in my head about my little life. Of course – all my kids and my husband somehow are always there – especially my grandkids. Then I usually look around me and say - "Wow, I don't even remember driving here!" Scarey, huh?

Jesus People Adventure

COEUR d'ALENE, IDAHO

It's not about change. Change is linear. It's about returning - God calls us to return...that's cyclical. That’s what I heard in Idaho. I also heard that God hates self sufficiency. So now I come home with those two nuggets. There was a lot more said but that is what I have come home with.

Bill and I took an amazing trip to Coeur d’Alene Idaho. Chuck Missler is the Bible teacher and father of this ministry- Koininia House. He is as genuine as he appears to be through his teachings. He has had a profound impact and Bill’s life and mine. It reminds me of returning to the Jesus movement of the 70’s when hippie-dom and king-dom joined hands and turned around……returning to the Lord of mercies, the Lord of grace, the Lord of holiness, the Lord of miracles, the Lord of sacrifice, the Lord of judgment, the Lord of power…. Only this time we return with heart and mind.

I remember when everything in me could think of nothing but who Jesus was, what He was doing right now and how I was in the middle of it. I saw Him everywhere, in everything, with the passion of young love. My heart was smitten. This Jesus movement caused folks to go mad for Jesus. It rejected the stale absent, allegorical God of our denominations for the experience of His presence.

As we grew up, and learned lessons of maturing, the fervor eluded us. Today so many are still trying to find it under every miracle-preaching, Bible-thumping somebody who’s been “saved by the power of the Holy Spirit! – Amen? – Amen!” We simply need to return to the Lord our God – with heart and mind. We are mature now. It is time to given him not just our heart but our intellect.

So I am refreshed and ready. How great it is. Look at this beautiful place. I will have to post pictures later. .

The Lake

Chuck Missler - a true Man of God

Beautiful Sunday afternoon!

Date Night

I love date nights! Almost as much as I did when I was 30 and my hubby took me out. These date nights are definitely not with my hubby. Actually he goes – but – to be honest, we invite another couple. A couple of kids. Grandkids. Once a month. Tonight we decided to have a pizza tasting contest for supper. We bought four different kinds of pizzas and carefully laid them out on plates. Emma made score cards so we could rate them – a task she enthusiastically took on. Celeste cheese pizza is pretty awful.
We put the bed together for Andrew – Emma now has her own bed at Grandma’s. She loves the idea of it. She wanted to hang out in her own room and watch the food channel. Now we have recipes to try - they are not from the food channel as Emma concocts them being inspired by the food channel.
Sometimes we do fantastic things, sometimes ordinary things. We have gone to monster truck pulls and Lipizzaner shows, and other exciting places. The movies are always a favorite around here too….as long as it includes eating out.
Here are some photos: Life is good.

Delicioso!

11 and acting it

Pizza options

Score cards here! Pens and Pencils here!

White Chocolate Bear-Pops for the taste team.

Sarah Palin Fan

Okay so I am definitely a Sarah Palin fan. She says "ya" instead of you. She says "gonna" and she winks cause she KNOWS what we average American working persons think of political nonsense. I noticed in the garbage reading rack at the grocery store that every bad article was about Sarah Palin or John McCain. So I am now on a personal mission to find a mainstream magazine or newspaper that writes a large negative headline about Obama. "Obama, Secret Lovers Tell All.... And Their Wives Are Shocked!", "Barak came Back! His Missing Year on an Alien spaceship." or how about this one, "Barak Screams Obamanation: Macy's Day Parade Hastens Global Warming."

How about news - ABC, CBS, NBC and all their affiliates who make no apologies. No need to whisper with your hand over the mike. They out right and boldly lie, decieve and herd the American people toward the cliff of socialisim, eroding their faith in any thing that is even slightly true, right or noble. How is what they do different than Iranian TV with all its censorship and politically powered control? It is free reign censorship of integrity and truth. Grrrrrrr.

That's it. I am done. Did I say yet that I am a Sarah Palin fan?