Abbie

I'm at home with my youngest daughter. She is sick. It's hard to watch your children be sick. You want to make it all better, but you can't. While she is sleeping, I wanted to jot down a few thoughts...

For those of you (I write this in case someone, someday besides my brother reads this) who don't know my daughter she is a hoot!

Abbie has always surprised me. She surprised me at conception - not planned AT ALL. When she was born we were expecting a 10 lb. baby, she was 7 lbs. 14 oz. I expected her to be dark like her sister - total opposite. I did not expect her to constantly cry the first few months of her life. Come to find out she was lactose intolerant. I guess eating a huge bowl of ice cream each night while I was nursing wasn't okay with her stomach. She is tall and lanky (unlike the rest of us), but she is tough. This part often surprises me due to the lack of "padding" she has. She is smart...sooo smart. She is already reading novels and only in second grade. I guess my biggest surprise of all is her heart.

Abbie is the most caring human being I know. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments of self. But, if someone falls, or gets hurt she is the first one there. She loves babies and from the time she could walk never liked to hear one cry. She has always shown great concern for others, even before she could talk. When she was just learning to totter around our apartment, if myself or Emma were crying, she would come over to us and pat us making cooing noises with her mouth.

Abbie is the first one to give something up in this family. She gives to us without asking anything in return. She is concerned for others in this world. She has shown this by giving her money back to God many times with the expressed hope of helping some one in need.

Her sense of humor is fantastic! She is always happy (unless I've just asked her to clean her room) and she is quick to laugh if the situation calls for it. Abbie is usually the one to find the bright side in all situations with quips of, "well at least it wasn't..." or "it will be okay mom, I still love you".

When I think of her a picture of a ray of sunshine comes to mind. She is just that. Full of laughter, quick to forgive and always ready with a hug and kiss.

hidden alarm clock = happy wife

I love my husband, I really do...but something had to be done. Let me explain.

Every so often in our 12 year marriage, Jake decides he is going to exercise. That's fabulous! I love it! I WANT him to exercise. As a matter of fact, I'll even go so far as to say I'll create an envelope (Dave Ramsey) solely dedicated to exercising. This is how much I care and support that he wants to exercise. However, start messing with my sleep and it becomes a whole new ballgame.

My dear husband has recently decided that he is going to get up at 5 a.m. to go ride his bike. I wouldn't have a problem with it except that he doesn't actually leave the bed at 5 a.m. Oh no, he let's his alarm go off long enough to wake us both then HE rolls over and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, I'm starring at the ceiling incredulous to the fact that he fell back to sleep in .5 seconds (how do guys do that?!)

You see, normally I wake at 6:00 a.m. I roll out of bed by 6:15 a.m. and then I'm up and on my way. When he wakes me at 5:00, it takes me a good half hour to forty-five minutes to fall back asleep. By then, what's the point?

Again, let me reiterate that I wouldn't mind the 5:00 a.m. time if his butt actually left the bed. If I know he's leaving the bed, I can go back to sleep. Instead, I lay there wondering if he's going to get up.

I've tried asking nicely that he not set his alarm for such an ungodly hour. I've tried yelling, threatening, pouting and finally the silent treatment (you know all "good" wifely tactics for getting what we want). He just laughs and grins at me thinking "this too shall pass".

You see my husband thinks that if he ignores me I'll get over it soon. Au contraire, mon frère! This morning was the last straw.


And so in order to have a good nights rest this evening.........





I've hidden his alarm clock.

Movie producers piss me off

I just found out that one of my all time favorite books is becoming a movie! One of two things will happen...1) they will follow the storyline beautifully, awards will be won, many copies of the DVD will be sold and Carrie will be the happiest person on earth or 2) they will not follow the storyline, copies of the DVD will be sold, maybe an award and Carrie will be mad. I'm leaning more towards option #2.

Why do movie producers feel like they have to "tweak" the story to make it better? Obviously the book was good which is why you wanted to make a movie of it in the first place! Rarely is the movie better than the book. Here are several books I've read that Hollywood has seen fit to ruin:

1) Most recently: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief I don't think they read the book before they made the movie. I think they read the title, said to themselves, "Hey that sounds like fun! Kids seem to be buying it." and preceded to make a movie that in no way resembles the book. When my nine year old daughter points out major flaws in the movie...something is really wrong!

2) Gone With the Wind in the book you actually half-way like Scarlet. In the movie...not so much.

3) Any of the Twilight books - yes I've read them and yes, I've watched the movies. Sad but true. As a friend and myself watched the last one, New Moon, we made fun of the actors and their inability to speak clearly.

4) Any of John Grisham books that have been turned into movies.

5) Inkheart

6) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

7) The Secret of NIMH

8) Any Harry Potter books

9) Love Comes Softly

10) Number ten spot goes to a T.V. series that refused to allow any similarity of book and show to match. The ONLY thing they got right were the names....Little House on the Prairie . Take that Michael Landon!


I think I'm done...as I look over my list a thought occurs...maybe there's nothing that beats good ole imagination. Hollywood can't compete with the images in my brain. Still...as I watch some of the movies...I have to wonder...what were they thinking?!

voca

I have a name for my storytelling!

My friends Tina and Palmer came to stay with us over the weekend. Palmer is an AMAZING photographer and storyteller. They have the amazing job of traveling, taking pictures and telling the stories of missionaries and missions around the world! They get to see first hand who Jesus is to people all around the world. Their mission is to allow their photography to be a "voice to the voiceless".

They asked me my opinion about a name for their work...they threw out two names that were okay. Storytellers and something else that I can't remember...then Palmer said, "voca". And I fell in love!

Voca - vocabulary....vocal...voice...words for those that have none

I looked up the word online and found this: "Voice Output Communication Aid, a device to speak for someone who cannot speak." That's exactly what they are doing! This idea of communicating to others for those that cannot lines up with this thing (for lack of better words) that is starting to wake up my soul! Creating video, slide shows, taking pictures, writing... it's all apart of something that speaks to my creative side. A little voice in me that is growing stronger each day. "This is what you were created for!" It whispers to me. This idea of speaking out...voca...being a voice to those that do not have one.

Even if this is not the path God has for me...I'm proud and excited to walk along beside my two friends as they "voca" for others!

story telling

I want to quit teaching. I want to try something new. I'm not quite sure what this "new" thing will look like...as long as there are no desks, chalkboards or red pens involved I think I'll be okay with it.

I feel as if my life is part of a choose your own adventure book. Depending on what decision I make will lead me to a different part of my story. I think with teaching I've hit the "you've been eaten by a bear" ending. I'm ready to start over with a new story...a different ending.

I think I'd like to tell stories. If you think about it, there are so many stories swirling around us. Lives that go silently by, never noticed, never read, never known. Within these stories are tales of romance, hatred, strength, love, friendship, pain, healing, restoration, faith, hope...the list could go on and on. I think that if we could share these stories with one another, listen to them, enter in to them...we would find each other and ourselves. I think we would find we're not that different after all. I think we would find we're all looking for God. We're all trying to find our way back to him.

The end is nearing!

Let's see...only 8 1/2 more days left of work! I cannot wait for the summer. I am ready to make the hard decision..."Do I lay on my stomach or my back?"


Side note: Jake bought me an hour long masage and peticure for mother's day. Not bad...not bad at all.

Flowers fix everything

So a couple of days ago Jake and I have this HUGE blowout fight. The kind of fight that you wonder if you should call a lawyer. The results were one of us sleeping on the couch and no communication all night and into the morning. It was the kind of fight that made me so sick to my stomach I couldn't eat breakfast.

I go through the whole day mad and weepy. I can't focus on teaching and all I want to do is go to Jake's school and talk about it.

About 2:00 my co-worker comes in carrying a vase with tulips in it. A HUGE smile on her face (because she has heard the whole story many times throughout the day). Her exact words are "I hope these make you cry." My whole class is silent. Mrs. P is getting flowers? Make her cry? What can all this mean?

I read the card, I cry, all is forgiven. I can't even tell you why we were fighting. Jake is the hero I am his queen. Life is good.

Flowers make everything better.