Slight Train Wreck

Pictured above is an excellent portrayal of what occurred last night due to my error in communication.  A sweet lady in my church lost her husband about 3 weeks ago.  Last night I decided to go visit with her for a bit.  The plan was to go there and visit then head back to the office to work on school.  This plan was discussed with my friend P who makes sure I stay safe.  I generally always try to let someone know where I am at all times or at least the general plan of what I'll be doing.  

Well, the visit turned out a bit longer than anticipated.  I got to hear this sweet ladies heart...  She spoke of the first time she met her dear husband up until the very last breath he took while laying in their living room.  We discussed life and all that it entails.  More than anything I got to hear what she calls her "Journey" in life.  Which is a phrase I have often used myself for life.  It is a continual journey.  This particular sweet lady has had several other deaths in her family over the past few months.  Under normal circumstances she herself should be a train wreck.  While there were tears shed in our chatting last night she never lost the joy in her eyes.  Her hope is set on things far above that of this earth.  It was refreshing to sit with her.  

What I did not know was the train wreck I was causing.  I left my cell phone in the car.  My friend P who always makes sure I'm safe had no clue if I was safe or not.  Typically I get back to there house around 11pm where I am staying until my house is complete.  The phone rang at 12:20 at this sweet ladies house and it was the husband of my dear friend.  He was home with kiddos while my friend was out looking for me. They had also called another couple to see if they knew where I was.  That couple was out searching for me as well.  Train wreck!  

I got home around 12:40.  Went straight to bed still unaware of the complete train wreck.  This morning I apologized to my friend for causing her to panic.  She had a less than favorable face to make at me and had less than favorable words to share.  She was scared to death that I was not safe.  I felt awful.  

Then my other friends who had been out looking for me as well called to make sure my dear friend did not kill me as she had insisted she was going to do last night when I got home.  

I hate that I caused so much chaos but I have thanked God all day for being reminded last night just how much I am loved by people in my life.  My safety would have been of no concern if there was no love involved.  To my family who wonders if I am being taken care of out in TN. Rest assured I am being watched after.  

Moral of the story... Communication is the key.  

2nd moral of the story...  Age does not remove curfews!  :)  

3rd moral of the story...  Next time I go visit the sweet lady from church 

just take pajamas and spend the night!

Happy Anniversary Brother & Sis in law

Six years ago to this day my big brother had a pretty exciting day.  This is the day Sara Blanscet agreed to hang out with him for the rest of his life.  They got married down in Aggieland at All Faith's Chapel on campus.  It was of course a fun filled day.  I have five major memories from that day.  

5. Trying to find an easel to put a ginormo picture of them at the sign in table for the reception.

4. Helping soon to be sister in law get the dress to the Chapel in my mom's suburban. 

3. Soon to be sister in law having a stomach situation (she knows what I'm talkin' about)

2. Waking up the next morning in our single wide trailer where my sister in law and I were living that semester not being able to walk through the house from all their wedding junk! They trashed the house with their stuff then left town!  Punks!!  

1. The best moment I remember though was when my brother saw Sara beginning to walk down the aisle.  The look on his face is one I will never forget.  It was a look that I only hope my groom will have for me one day.  It was a look of awe that the woman walking down that aisle was soon to be his wife.  Beau is not a natural smile for a picture kind of guy but I remember that day I didn't have to poke him at all to get a good picture.  He had joy on his face that day. Then the moment Sara started walking towards him that joy became amazing to watch.  I am thankful I got to take part in that special day 6 years ago.  

Love you both dearly!  

Happy Anniversary

True Story

I'm sure to someone somewhere in this world a raccoon is just so cute and cuddly.  They look similar to a cat with the hair and long tail.  However, when I think of raccoon I picture more of what is found in the next picture!

Let me share a brief story why...  

No really, it has to be brief because I have school to be working.  

Friday afternoon we had a group check into camp.  We fixed them dinner but most of their group showed up around 8pm and not 5:30 as they had planned.  Supper was a little late.  I got back to the office about 9 and worked on a few things.  About 10-11 I worked on school work.  Then at 11 one of my summer missionaries from last year called.  We chatted close to an hour.  

So, it's 12 o'clock.  I'm a little tired since I've been at work since 9am.  I go out to my car.  Something seems to be moving in my back seat perhaps a gust of wind has blown through (not sure how b/c the windows were up).  As I am opening the door I look back into the back seat to see a shadow movie.  Then the shadow is JUMPING TOWARDS ME!  I am almost certain it looked just like the picture above!  (Okay maybe that's a little dramatic).  I jump out of the way as what appears to be a raccoon comes jumping out of my own car at me!  Paralyzed I just stood there.  Too shocked to scream or cry.  My heart was going 90 to nothing.  I had almost been mauled by a coon.  

Moral of the story...

Always close the sunroof on your car...

Recent drive

Since my nephew was little I have called him Booger Butt.  Sometimes it comes out as Booger Roo.  I use to love saying that to him on the phone when he was with my mom.  I could hear him put the phone down and laughingly say, "Nana, she called me booger butt."  He and Nana would laugh about it and then he could carry on the conversation with me.  Now, he knows exactly who he's talking to when I say, "Hey Booger butt whatcha doin'?"  Yes, perhaps it's not the prettiest name but it makes him giggle.  Which makes me smile.  

On the drive home from church this past Wednesday I was on the phone with Ty.  The conversation started as all do with him by calling him Booger Butt.  I was riding with my dear friend and her 4 kiddos.  They are great.  However, using the word butt is not appropriate for their ears.  As a whole I do try to stick with that but I didn't think much about it because it's what I always call my nephew.  When I got off the phone they began to ask why I called him that so I explained it to them.  Then one of their kiddos begins to tell me about a floor matt they saw in a magazine the other day.  She thought I would have liked it.  Her mom, my dear friend rolled her eyes because she knew what matt she was talking about.  I asked what it said...  Then I almost fell out of my seat in the car from laughter.  Below you will find what the matt said.  Now that's just funny to me!  

 

A couple of pics

Just thought I'd throw in a couple of pictures from this week.  

No, I do not know how to sew on my own.  With the help of my dear friend though it goes alright when I sit down at a sewing machine.  My dear friend decided that she'd like to try quilting.  Then she ran across an organization collecting quilts to give to homeless children.  For those who are like me and are quilting ignorant here's a brief explanation.  Each of the four matching squares is a block.  We asked ladies in our church to help make the blocks.  Then once we received those my dear friend penned them together while I sewed them together.  Next step is to actually turn it into a quilt.  I will be there for moral support and a fountain Pepsi to offer my utmost support but that part will be done by the one who actually knows how to sew!  

I've sewed a few times only at the table with my dear friend near by to offer help.  More times than not I get a little...  Okay, that's a lie.  I get ALOT frustrated when I sew.  My biggest issue was running the dang sewing machine.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to get that little string to make lines.  This time around i really wanted to figure this out.  I asked my dear friend to sit down and show me once more how to thread the machine.  In .5 seconds she does it and says, "that's all you do."  I looked back at her and explained that she might have well just done brain surgery on someone and then looked at me like okay it's your turn now!  

She goes to the other room to continue pinning all the blocks.  My determination kicks in.  This is ridiculous.  It's a little piece of string...  I can do this!  I take the string out backwards.  Seeing how it goes through all the different spots.  Finally, it made sense!!  Now the bobbin is still a little hard but I'm going to master that one day too.

That's me with my hair pulled up for the first time in a long time!  I'm standing on the porch of MY HOUSE!  Unique feature of this house is found right there on the porch.  Most porches have a simple safety railing on the porch.  I have a privacy fence on mine!  Yes, I am standing straight up and not bending at all.  That's how tall my railing is.  Not sure exactly how it got that tall but I'm not complaining.  Soon, hopefully soon, I'm going to have a closet in that house.  No, I'm going to have two closets!  I can't wait!!  

I can just imagine what was going on in this picture.  It's time to get the wifey a gift.  He finds something real niiiiice.  Wraps it up and gives it to her.  Trying to hide his excitement he snacks while she opens it.  

He's so proud of himself.  While dear wifey's face screams...  What the heck is this?  

The eyes speak volumes as to what her tone might have sounded like.  

She has two options.  Put it back in her lap and turn to tell him how much she loves it!  Then quickly putting it in her sock draw having no idea what it was.  Or to turn to him and respond how thoughtful and to ask exactly what is it  or does it do.  Allowing him time to explain both what it is and the best way to use it.  Which one do you think she chose?

Last year my brother and I got my mom a used laptop for Christmas.  It was a huge hit!  She loved it but upon opening do you know what she did with it?  She gave it right back to me so I could start showing her how to use it.  Through this week process I often heard these phrases, "You can do that with a computer?  I never knew that!  How cool!  You mean I can do all that sitting from my recliner?"  That last one peeked my dad's interest in the laptop!  :)  

What's this got to do with anything?  

It's got everything to do with everything...  That's what!

Ever heard about the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?  It is a free gift God offers to all who are willing to accept.  Through salvation we are welcomed into the family of God for all eternity.  His a visual aid for those that need that (like me).  

Salvation is a gift offered to humans by God our Creator.  Upon His handing of that gift into our hands we have to make a choice.  Do we deny the gift and give it back or do we unwrap it to see what it looks like.  If you choose to deny and give it back your life will forever be altered.  If you choose to open it and receive the gift your life too will forever be altered.  Once the gift is opened and received what you do with it will determine the rest of your days on earth. 

Do you stare at it’s weirdness and put it down and move on with life?  Do you try and figure out exactly what it is yourself?  Do you store it somewhere safe so it stays clean and protected because you know it is such a valued gift?  Or do you do as my mom did with her computer?  Do you give it back to the One who gave it to you so you can better understand what it is you have just been given?  THIS  my friends is the part in life most believers fail to ever understand.  Salvation is not just a get out of hell free card.  It’s a life more abundant and free card.  Frustratingly enough though we are never taught how to access that freedom. 

I love my mom to death but had she not let my brother and I walk her through how to use what she needed on her computer.  I am confident to say it would be in a box in a spare bedroom just collecting dust (like most bibles are doing in our homes of America).  Thankfully she asked how to use it!  Otherwise that would have been one expensive box collecting dust.    

Two perplexing issues to me

Two things in life I don't believe I have ever fully understand.  

1. Jazzercise or Aerobics (can you see ME doing that in the picture?)

I don't remember all the circumstances around it but in high school for a period of time one winter when it was too cold to workout outside one of our coaches thought doing jazzercise/aerobics would be a great idea.  Hold the phone.  I did not do jazz to anything.  I refused to do it.  This particular coach thought she would show me who was boss.  I was sitting a chair in the back while everyone did that mess.  I sat there shaking my head.  Not gonna do it!  She tells me to come to the front row.  Not expecting my surprise.  I had no problem coming to the front row.  And I brought my chair with me.  Sat down right in front of her.  Assuring her again I did not do that and she wasn't going to convince me otherwise.  I sat in the chair the remainder of that class.  I do believe that was the last time she brought a jazzercisse video to athletics class.  

Yes, I'm sure there would have be athletic benefits to it.  But what you need to remember is that I did not want to do that.  Period.  End of story.  Pretty sure if you were in my mom's office as she is reading this you'd probably see her laughing out loud!  She raised me, she knows!  If you could see my dad reading this from his recliner he's just shaking his head and belly laughing.  He raised me, he knows!  (Not to mention the fact mom says I got this trait from him).  :)  There was absolutely nothing in that coaches power to get me to do that.  There was no threat in the world that would have worked.  I had it settled in my mind I was not going to participate in that.  Hence, dragging my chair to the front row to sit down.  

Which leads me to the second thing in life I'll never understand.  

2.  Obedience

As shown by my very true first story obedience has never been real high on my spiritual gift survey shall we say.  Pretty sure if Seiring is reading this she too is getting a good laugh.  Seeing how she drove 4 hours to my college graduation yes to show her support but more so to make sure I really did graduate.  She knew this mindset in me that often got in the way.  I know people who have no problem doing exactly what they're told when they are told to do it.  Whatever gene that is I'm pretty sure mine has gone dormit or has just plain disappeared.  I have questions.  Lots and lots of questions.  I have an insatiable desire to understand.  I didn't see how jazzercise was going to benefit me.  Thus, I wasn't going to do it.  

If you can convince me that something is beneficial and worthwhile then you'll never have to think twice about my obedience.  It will be done in a heart beat.  But at the ounce of a question you better take time to help me understand before I pull the chair to the front row and sit down.  

Tonight is one of those obedient issues.  

I've gone back to college for a Master's in Biblical Counseling.  I pretty much hated every minute of my academic career after they removed nap time come 1st grade.  It was shot for me.  I made it through elementary due to recess time.  I made it through middle school and high school because you had to go to class to play sports.  I made it through college because I was too scared to call my Mama to tell her I had dropped out.  Now onto my Masters!?  What?!?

That's what I think almost everyday that I have to pull out my books to work on my classes.  I have nine hours and it's midterms this week.  (Yes, I am fully aware I should be studying and not blogging but I needed a break).  Tonight I was reminded again about this thing we call obedience.  I do not want to be doing school.  I want to be hanging out with people.  I want to be watching TV or movies.  I want to be doing something....  ANYTHING...  other than sitting by myself working on SCHOOL!  But it is for the sake of obedience that I am doing school.  I do not know for sure what I have gone back but I simply know it is something the Lord drew my heart to do.  It is out of a heart of obedience I will continue this scholastic endeavor and lonely nights for the next 3.5 semesters.  Hopefully in that time frame God will show me what this is all about before I pull my chair to the front row leaving my books in the back and say forget it, I'm done!  

Maybe one of God's major points is just to teach me another lesson in obedience even when I don't understand.  If only I could've learned this lesson years ago.  Perhaps my younger years could have proved less stressful to those around me.  

Even though I will never understand jazzercise nor will I ever participate in it I hope God continues to teach me about obedience and the joys it truly can bring.