My Favorite Day

You know how sometimes people ask you what day in the year is your favorite? Or it may be a question on one of those surveys that goes around via email. And most often people reply with a globally recognized holiday. I've always had trouble with that question, because I really don't know what my favorite holiday is. I love them all!
A couple months ago I was thinking about this and realized that December 26th is my favorite day in the year. It's not because there is post-Christmas bliss, though I do enjoy looking at all the things I've received the day before.
The real reason that December 26th is my favorite day is because back in 1979 God sent my two best friends to earth on this day. I didn't even know how special that day was when it happened, because I was just a little over one, but as we've grown and they've become some of my closest confidantes, I've learned to treasure this day above others.
So, Happy Birthday Amy & Drewey. I'm so grateful for both of you, and trust that you have a wonderful day as you turn 26 on the 26th!

Christmas in Killarney

Well - here I am. Safe and happy in the house of my parents! It's snowing outside, and so beautiful. Just like what Christmas should be! In fact, last night seemed so Christmas-y, that we each opened a present :)
The trip up went really well. I left work by three on Thursday afternoon, and could feel myself getting healthier as I drove down the driveway. (My goal for this week is to kick this three week old sickness!!) It's amazing what having eleven days off will do for the psyche.
I met Aunt Kathy for dinner, and then made it all the way through the border before too late that night. I stopped at a little motel in St Stephen, and then made the rest of the trip yesterday morning. It was snowy, and not at all good road conditions, and I was incredibly grateful that I come so far the night before, and had only had three and a half hours to drive, instead of the whole trip. I counted four cars off the road, and was very thankful when the snow finally stopped, and I saw the signs for Amherst.
Mom and Dad were at the Farmer's Market in town, so I met them there. We did some last-minute Christmas shopping and headed home. The house is beautifully decorated, and it truly feels like Christmas.

Narnia!

An absolute must-see!
Amazing casting...
Incredible scenery...
Very happy with how they portrayed it!

How Do You Ensure...

... that a class is bent forward, listening enraptured to your every word for an entire day?

You make sure the trainer has LARYNGITIS!

And yes, I now know from experience. Today was the first day of my new class, and I could barely squeak out the words. At least they looked interested - but it was probably because they were trying to decipher the teaching from the wheezing!

Tidbits (Part II)

* Whenever Chloe comes to my house and I am getting ready for the day, she insists on perching on the counter in my bathroom, grabbing a cotton ball, putting it under the running water and leaving the wet mess on my sink. She babbles incessantly while she's doing it, and it's become her signature calling card. Makes me wonder what is going on in her little two year old head. As she gets older will this become part of her daily routine?? "Ok - a little foundation, a little blush, a soggy mass of cotton balls..."

* It's snowed twice in this past week, and this one has misplaced her shovel. It's going to be a very long winter with no shovel and no boots. Of course, I could go out and buy them, but then what would I blog about??

* Wrangler chewed my cell phone charger cord into three pieces last week. So I had to go to Radio Shack and buy a new one... and I'm now the proud owner of a $30 charger with a really thick cord. They didn't advertise it as kitten-resistant, but it looks that way.

* Today was back to work day. Once I finally oozed out of bed, it wasn't really all that bad, for which I was very grateful.

* Last night I had a homework party with Amy. This is the second time we've done it this week, but since I don't have any homework, I lie on her bed and read. Last night I finished "Girl Meets God" which was a fascinating non-fiction book about a girl who was raised by a Jewish father and a Baptist mother, and her journey to find which religion was calling to her.

Now I'm off to Bible study at Evan and Jill's...

Tidbits

* Jed and I just went to see "Chicken Little." Very funny, and even had a reference to Star Wars, that made his little heart sing

* I braved the masses yesterday to go and get a lap top at a VERY good price. I got there 15 minutes after the store opened (at 5:15 am, to be exact!) and they were SOLD OUT! Angry eyes at all the people who had thought of scraping their cars off the night before!

* My Thanksgiving was made especially happy by a voicemail from MATT!! I haven't been able to talk to him since May, what with him being under water on a sub and all, so what a treat to hear his voice!

* Last night a whole bunch of the "kids" (Amy, Andy, Derrick, Wesley and Douglas) who grew up on Chestnut Hill at the same time I did, and are currently residents of Singleton, converged on my home for games. We had a fabulous time playing Cranium and Taboo.

With Thankful Heart

All week I have been so happy... and so thankful. And it wasn't just the fact that I had completed a difficult training class at work, or that I only had to work three days! I love Thanksgiving - love the opportunity to focus on all that I have to be thankful for. Not that I don't do that on a regular basis, but it's fun to know that most everyone else is doing it at the same time.
And this year, I've realized once again, how very much I have to be grateful for. The older I get, the less I take things for granted, and this year I've realized what an incredible life God has blessed me with.
Last night we had a Thanksgiving service at Chestnut Hill, and it was so rich. There were so many people there, and the response was amazing... person after person standing up and giving God thanks for all that He's done in this passed year. It went for over an hour, and then people stayed around talking and laughing - realizing how very fortunate we are.
Between talks with Jill as we got ready for the service, and having Derrick and Wesley over for a bit after church, and a long talk with Mom on the phone after everything died down, I realized once again how much I love the family God has put me in. And how rare the bond that we have is. And how fortunate I am that some live so close by.
I woke up this morning to snow falling, and the first snowfall is always so beautiful. I opened my shades to see two of my favorite little ones bundled up in snow clothes, tentatively waddling around, exploring the white stuff.
And in the tradition that we've always had in our house, here's my list of other things that I'm thankful for from this past year.

- Mom & Dad, and almost daily contact with them
- Being next door to Evan and Jill... not just across the field, like last year
- Seeing Darren and Sara's family several times throughout the year... all five of us driving in the convertible to get ice cream
- Being back on Chestnut Hill (I never get tired of being thankful for that!)
- Our family vacation in August
- My little apartment
- Drewey & Amy
- My whole group of friends, and the times we've been able to get together through out this year. God has been so good to give us such an incredible support system and bond as we all trek through this stage of life
- Contentment in the stage of life that I'm in right now. I love my life, and have complete peace
- The Boys Next Door - it opened up a whole new world that I, Lindsay Hones, got to relish in for those two months... and am still reliving and loving
- My new car, that will help me get safely through this winter
- Being a trainer at Oxford - I love finally being able to answer "Yes, I like (sometimes even love) my job!"
- The cruise - it came completely out of the blue, and was an amazing time of having fun and once again realizing how much I have to enjoy in life
- The Josh Groban concert with Amy
- Being an Aunt - it fills me with daily joy to know that I have five nieces and nephews whom I adore
- My VA friends - blogs have allowed me to keep in more frequent contact with them, as well as a trip down in Sept for Kerin's wedding where I was able to spend some quality time with several
- My cell phone... hurray for the technology age! Blogs and cell phones are on my list, but it's b/c of who's on the other end of them. I am VERY grateful that Verizon hasn't figured out the Nova Scotia is not part of the US, as I can call Mom & Dad under the plan that I have, and now Drewey has Verizon so we can talk as much as we want for FREE- and I'm thankful that Mike & Rachelle live three hours behind me, as they are my late-night driving companions!
- A renewed vision and a deeper relationship with my Jesus. These past few months, it's been amazing for me to see where He's brought me, and a joy at knowing He'll take me further and deeper when His timing is right

And as I think of those that I know might read this, I feel like Paul when he said, "I thank my God always concerning you..." Happy Thanksgiving, my friends - and may you each have a special day, basking in the knowledge that we serve a God who delights in giving us our heart's desires!

Thoughts

I've been going through a Bible study book called "Falling in Love With Jesus" and I've had the opportunity to study the story of Mary and Martha in depth. It's a timeless tale, and one that I've heard either preached on, written about or have read it myself numerous times. This time, though, I read it with new eyes. And here are some of the things that I gleaned...

*When the story is first told in Luke, Mary is introduced to us as "Martha's sister." I found this very interesting, because it's often the situation where the lesser known sibling/spouse/friend is referred to as "so and so's" something. In this case, Martha was the outgoing one, the one that was more known, and Mary was just "the sister." And yet Mary is the one who ultimately made the right choice, the choice that has her going down in history as the one who "sat at Jesus' feet."

*Then Lazarus died, and Jesus came back to Bethany to grieve with the two sisters. Martha rushed out of the house, and met Jesus before he even got to their house, admonishing Him that if He had only been there her brother would not have died. Jesus answered her back with riddles and questions. Mary waited until Jesus called for her, and then went into Him, broken, falling at His feet weeping, but using the exact same words that her sister had used. Jesus didn't question her, or confuse her with riddles. He wept with her, and then did the unimaginable - rewarding her quiet faith and raising her brother from the dead.

This made me wonder... Even though the words were the same, Mary had a different attitude in approaching Jesus. Was it because she had a deeper relationship with Him? A relationship that came from sitting at His feet, spending time with Him.
I know that Jesus allows anyone to ask Him questions, but will He perhaps answer differently dependent on the attitude that we have in asking? Not because He can't answer if our attitude is wrong, but because we may not be open to what He chooses to do if we're not in line with Him?

I know that in my own experience, when I've knocked on Heaven's door demanding answers, it's hard to hear anything but my own grief or anger. But when I get my spirit right, it can be easier to hear what God is saying in return to my questions.

Thoughts?

Jed's Food Pyramid

The other night I was at Evan and Jill's for dinner. Jill had made her delicious chicken fajitas, and all were enjoying them except Jed, who loathes chicken. They make him a special one that has cheese, sour cream and a small piece of chicken hidden somewhere in the wrap.
After finishing his first one, Jed requested a second. Jill made him one, leaving out the chicken, (as he'd already gagged a piece down in his first one) but slipping in a piece of tomato. Sadly, Jed saw the red piece of grossness go in, and began to howl.
Jill, being the wise mother that she is, told him she had left out the chicken, but put in a vegetable, because (in true mother style) "You need to eat your vegetables."
"BUT CHICKEN IS VEGETABLES," wailed her firstborn.
After some questions, it was discovered that "vegetables" are anything food-wise that he doesn't like to eat.
And there you have it!

Overwhelmed With Goodness!

Well, November 8th came and went, and what a day! I've decided, based on how much fun it was, that I'll have more than one birthday a year. Course, I wont age, just have fun!

It started on Monday night, when I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to my door by Katie... and dinner with Cherilyn (her birthday is the 6th, so we always try & do something together on the day in between) and several emails (from proactive people) before I went to bed.

I woke up in such a happy mood on Tuesday, and got a phone call from Mom, and visits from Evan, Jed & Chloe before I even left for work. Then the phone calls, emails, and text messages started pouring in. By the time I got to work at 7:30, I was already overwhelmed by how special I felt. Then, my supervisor came into my classroom and announced to my class that it was my birthday. He then proceeded to make them sing "Happy Birthday" to me while he hopped all over the room, pointing at me. I don't think I've ever turned that many shades of magenta in my entire life. As he was leaving the room he told my class, "The reason I came in the morning was so that you would have time to do something nice for her by this afternoon." His guilt trip worked, and they got me a cake & balloons during lunch.

And on my way home I talked to Dad on the phone & then stopped at a meat shop in Bedford to pick up the best marinated steak tips in the world for Evan to grill for dinner. I walked in, and while the guy was filling my order he looked at me, grinned and said, "Is your name Lindsay?" "Um, yes" I stammered, and he said, "I've got something for you in the back." He brought out a huge bouquet of balloons that Amy had dropped off a little while before, having known that I was going to stop there on my way home.

Jill made an incredible dinner, Evan grilled the meat, Mom was with us (which is the first time in nine years that I've had Mom there on my birthday!), Amy came, and the kids played with the balloons. There was laughter, so much food, more flowers (some GORGEOUS roses sent through the mail by Drewey & a bouquet that my brother picked out especially for me... using the method of "which colors do I dislike the most, because Lindsay will like them the best" It worked, by the way. They were beautiful!) and presents. How fun is it to get presents?? Mom and Dad got me an MP3 player, which I'm more than excited about... or will be once I figure it out.

And while reading blogs, I stumbled across an entire blog entry written by my VA big brother, talking about how much he loves me. For a "Words of Affirmation" person, that was an amazing gift. Then Sara sent a poem she wrote, and it made me laugh, laugh, laugh.

What a happy day... I think I'll do it again next year!

There's this girl...

... in my new training class that has a penchant for throwing out random questions or comments. Today, I was training the masses on how Oxford covers Chiropractic care, and she raised her hand. I've learned to cringe on the inside when I see her hand go up... I spend most of my day cringing, as she's constantly asking/telling something.
This afternoon was no different. In the middle of expounding on Oxford's policy regarding chiropractic care, came this question.
"Um, I don't know if this has anything to do with what we're talking about right now, but... Why did Forrest Gump have those braces on his legs."

AAAAAAAaaugh!

The Lord's Prayer - Hannah style

I was babysitting on Sunday night, and one of the little girls (nine-ish in age) was making a prayer card for her Confirmation classes, and had to write out The Lord's Prayer.
She started multiple times before she was happy with the results, and as I was cleaning up her false starts, I saw one of the pages and it made me laugh out loud.

"Our Farther, who aren't in heaven, howly be thy name..."

A Big Ol' Thank You!

Wow - the stint as a diva has ended. What a let down!

But what a way to go out! For our closing night, which was Saturday, I counted 23 people that were there to cheer me on. Drewey got a picture of most of them, and I can't wait to see it.

We had a great performance that night... one of the best of the run of four. And it was so fun to be behind the curtain and hear laughs that I recognized!

So - for those who were in the audience on any of the nights, thanks so much for making me feel special. And for those who called or emailed to say "good luck" or prayed that I wouldn't get sick, (which I didn't, thank the Lord) it meant a lot.

I'll let you know when the next one is!! :)

Notes From the Diva's Dressing Room

So, on Friday night, right before the curtain went up for Opening Night, one of the members of the Board of Directors from Bedford Off Broadway came up to our dressing room with a program... a fresh one that showed that Lindsay M Jones was indeed the actress playing three small roles in "The Boys Next Door." Yes, my stint as a hispanic diva was over, and I was back to the real me. The Board felt so badly about the misspelling that they reprinted that page and did an insert in each one of the programs.
And to further add to my feeling like a diva, the director brought both Mary (the one other female cast member) and myself some of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. And there were people there from work, and they also had an amazing bouquet of flowers for me. So when I got home at almost one that night (or Saturday morning, as the case may be) I put both bouquets in vases and brought them into my room, so that I would see them as soon as I woke up.
Then last night, Aunt Jeannette was at the show, and brought me a huge bouquet of some of the prettiest, most yummy smelling tiny pink carnations. So this morning, my first experience of the day was the wonderful smell of three bouquets! And my second was seeing the source of that smell. What a way to wake up!

Keeping Up With the Honeses

As seen in the playbill for "The Boys Next Door" the part of Mrs Warren, Mrs Fremus and Clara will be played by the talented

Lindsay M Hones

It's hard to be a diva with such a difficult last name to spell!

Once again...

...I must let my faithful readers know that there will be a lack of blogging for a bit. As of Sunday, we are going into TECH WEEK for the play, which means that I will be at rehearsal all of Sunday afternoon, and every night from seven to eleven... and then we have OPENING NIGHT a week from tonight!
All that being said, with leaving the house at 6:45 each morning for work, and getting home at 11:15 each night, there wont be a whole lotta time for blogging.
It's all very exciting!! And could I ask that you all pray for a lack of sickness during this time of lack of sleep?
Thanks guys!!

Is This What's Going to Happen to MY KIDS??

So, I heard this funny joke. And it made me laugh. Hard. But, what if I have kids, and this is me??

A blonde had a baby, and when she got home from the hospital, some of her family came to visit her.
They asked if they could see the baby, but she said she would make coffee first, and they'd chat... then they could see the baby.
After about half an hour, the family members were getting anxious to see the baby. The asked if they could now that they'd finished drinking their coffee, but the blonde said not yet.
Several more minutes passed, and they started asking again.
Finally the blonde said, "You can't see the baby until he starts crying!"
"But WHY?" asked the family.
"Because I can't remember where I put him!" the blonde mother replied.

The Phobia that Came to Life

So, my biggest fear in life (besides having someone hanging from my shower head when I get in, but that's a completely other thing!) is snakes. I don't like seeing pictures of them, hearing stories about them, or seeing them at zoos or in movies. Living in NH is good place for snake-phobic people, because we really don't have that many of them, and the ones that we have aren't all that dangerous.
I've been so scared of them that I have declared on numerous occasions that if I ever saw one in my house, I'd move.
Last night I got home from work, exhausted and so ready for a relaxing weekend. The only thing that was in the way of me and complete relaxation was a messy room, so after dinner I went in to bring order. As I reached over to pick up my backpack, I saw a snake tail disappear into it. (Oh my gosh - I'm having a hard time even typing this, as I get all panicky all over again!!)
I went flying over to Evan & Jill's house, and they came and caught the horrific beast, but irreparable damage had been done to my psyche. I called Amy & she came up. Bless her heart - she had misunderstood my frantic screams on the phone and thought it was still in my room, so she came up with HUGE boots on, and a pincher-thing to catch the snake. She was also followed up by her Dad, who was armed with a huge flashlight, ready for battle. At the same time, Derrick came up to Evan & Jill's to pick something up, so he and Mr Partin went over and tried to find if there were any others, or where this thing had entered my apartment. They plugged a hole in my closet where they thought it probably came in.
After a time of trying to calm down, I went back to my apartment, but spent the time crouched on one of my living room chairs, eyes continuously scanning the floor for unwanted guests. There was no way I was going to sleep in my bed last night, so I actually slept on Evan & Jill's couch last night, jumping at everything that touched my skin.
A little while ago, Amy came up and was around while I cleaned my room from top to bottom. Pretty much everything that I picked up, I was expecting horrible reptiles to squirm out of. I saw something moved and screamed so loud it scared both of us out of our minds. Sadly, it was only my shadow.
And the Salvation Army will make out well from this episode, because having over 25 pairs of shoes on the floor of my closet is now freaking me out. Instead of looking at those shoes with love, ready to wear with any outfit, now I just see them as a mound of things where horrible beasts might be hiding!
So here I am, typing with my legs all drawn up on the chair, because I'm too afraid to put them on the floor in case something slithers over them.

Oh No - Now I Have Guilt!

So - on Tuesday night I got a call on my cell phone during rehearsal. It was Jill saying that The Cuteness got hit by a car and was in kitty heaven. Blah! Sure, she was a pain in the butt, and sure, I had been in the process of getting rid of her, but ... it was kind of sad!
And Wrangler cried a lot that first night, so I let him sleep on my bed. And every time I would wake up, he'd be curled around my head or arm. Poor little guy.
I told someone here at work yesterday what had happened, and he offered to send up a prayer that my kitty would make it to heaven. He told me that his cat had died last year, and he felt much better after he had prayed that it would be in heaven. A nice, though perhaps misguided gesture, I thought.
But I have my doubts about The Cuteness' afterlife abode. A couple months ago little Alicia (after having been scratched by said feline) told her Mom, "The Cuteness wont be able to go to Heaven, because she'll bite and scratch God!"

Memories... and God

Yesterday I was overwhelmed with memories and sorrow. It was beautiful fall day, just like one year ago, and the memories of that Sunday afternoon threatened to undo me.
I went to a nearby park to walk... and talk with God. And even though I wanted it to help, I was afraid it wouldn't. But God knew better. And He came and met me. I walked up a very long, very green hill, and right at the top, amidst the sea of green, was a lone yellow flower. And with tears flowing, I picked up my God flower, and knew that He cared, and that He was watching little me. And like I wrote on my blog regarding one year ago today, "The peace was as real as the tears. The road will be long, the tears will be many, but I truly believe that God has a plan, and its not for me to doubt Him. I’ve done enough of that lately, and its time to trust."