There's this girl...

... in my current new hire class at work, and we really click. In fact, we've been doing things together in the evenings after work, we talk on the phone quite often, and yesterday we went to the beach. How fun is that?? It's almost like we're becoming best buds... oh wait! We ARE best buds! AMY IS IN MY NEWEST CLASS!

And yesterday we crossed another thing off our "Things to do Together - Summer Edition" list... Go to the beach with the top down!

Other things we've crossed off thus far:

• Eating gelato at a little cafe nearby
• Saw Ice Age II
• Picnic in the park

Things yet to do... with Drewey, too:

• Whale watch
• High Hopes Hot air balloon Festival
• Isabel Gardner Museum in Boston
• Go to Concord, MA - Porsmouth, NH & Kennebunkport, ME

Things That Go CRASH In the Night...

... and scare the bejabbers out of me!

So, I was out for a walk on Saturday night, and was almost home. It was starting to get quite dark (as opposed to the semi-dark when I had started out) and there in front of me I saw the shadow of a four-legged being cross the road. Kind of startled me, but I decided to not be too afraid.

Then I heard The Beast walking toward me through the field. (For those of you familiar with my surroundings, I was on the same side of the road as my house, walking by the Seven Acre Piece, right across the road from the church. For those of you not familiar, the time has come for you to visit me!) It was kind of like a LOST episode, but sadly, there was no Jack or Sawyer by my side. That always seem to make Kate a little less nervous.

SUDDENLY The Creature BURST through the grass about 20 feet in front of me, and my legs began to tremble. I stood frozen on the road, not sure whether to:

1. run into the church,
2. stay frozen,
3. wait for a car to come by and rescue me, (and pray it wasn't scary stalker man who gives out flowers to people on walks)
4. scream loudly and draw all the attention of the neighbors,
5. faint,
6. or give chase! (Yeah, um... that one never crossed my mind!)

There I was, knowing that the Dreaded Quadreped was in between myself and my home! I could still hear it crashing around, though now it was in the cemetery.

I bravely opted for Option Number One, and crept quietly over to the church, pulled out my cell phone and called my big brother to come and rescue me. Who needs Jack or Sawyer when Pastor Evan is around?!?

Phones And Such

Just wanted the masses to know that I have now disconnected my home phone and will be going wholly on my cell for now.
And that's all I have to say about that!

Boys, Girls, and the Differences Between Them

On the way home from Bugaboo Creek for Jed's birthday last week, Amy & I were driving the kids in the mini van. Chloe requested the chance to regale us with songs, so she began "singing" a song about a monkey with a pink ribbon who was in a tree. (It was rather like a Gregorian chant... multiple syllables on the same note, then going up or down periodically)

Then Jed requested a turn, and began chanting a song about a Minotaur (I have not one clue on how to spell that Narnia creature!) who killed a cow.

Not to be outdone in the Minotaur category, Chloe then began singing another song, but the Minotaur in her song came into the house and stole her makeup.

What incredibly witty lyrics!!

A Man Among Men

Things I love about my Dad...

* I don't remember a day growing up that I didn't hear "I love you" from him (and the only reason I don't now is because I don't talk to him every day)

* He prayed with me every night before bed - all the way up through high school

* There are several of my friends whom he has taken under his wing as his own daughters

* Because of his love, it's been an easy step of faith to believe that God's Father-love is deep

* He sleeps during movies, but if others are laughing at the movie, he'll laugh too... just to show us he's "awake" :)

* I'm always aware that I'm his little girl and that he thinks I'm wonderful

* He's made it very clear that there is nothing I could do to make him love me less

And so many more. How blessed am I?

Six Years Ago Today...

... A little someone came into my life, and taught me that it's very possible to love someone so much it makes you cry.

Happy Birthday, Precious Jed!

I Don't Think It's Just the Highlights!

So, today at work I was called in to do a little subbing for a trainer who's child was sick. I was talking with the class about various issues regarding when a woman is with child, and what our company's policies are that they would need to become familiar with.
Suddenly in mid-sentence I completely forgot what it's called when a woman has a child in her tummy. (BOTH my sister-in-laws are in that stage right now! HOW could I forget that word??) There I was, standing in front of 20 people, trying to get this important concept across, when I had to pause, and for lack of a better word say...

Maternity-ness!

Right after that, "pregnancy" came to mind. By then it was too late! I had 20 people laughing at my expense. Twenty-one, really, because I was laughing pretty hard myself!

And Then There Was LIGHT!

The sun was out for almost the entire day today... and lately, that's a BIG deal! (Amy, Wesley and I went to the park today, and it was such fun! I saw a snake... that was not much fun!) It's been raining so much lately, all my thoughts of "I think I could handle leaving my beloved NH if it was for Oregon or Washington" have flown COMPLETELY out the window. (I've been to those states several times, and each time I have been overwhelmed with their beauty!) I would never survive in a sun-deprived state!

But the more it's rained, the more I've wondered if I was blowing things out of proportion in my mind.. something that I've only done once or twice in my life! Maybe it just seems like it's rained the last 87 days straight! Maybe I haven't had to use my windshield wipers either on the way to work or on the way home, every single day since Christmas! Etc... you get the idea...

Then, as I was driving with Amy last night, we heard on the radio that in the last two months we have received 18 inches of rain! "If that had been snow," continued the announcer, "that would be 180 inches!" So, I began to put my math-brain to work, and figured out that if it had indeed been snow, we would have gotten...

16 feet in total over the last two months!
One foot every four days for two months straight,
or three inches every single day for TWO MONTHS STRAIGHT.

And that is a very lot of snow.
The End.

PS - If you find any math inconsistencies, please don't mention them. I'm very shy about my math skills.

I've Discovered the PERFECT Job!

And you might wonder what could this job be? I will tell you!

I think that the perfect job would be a Professional Street Namer!

Here are three characteristics that to me make it seem like perfection...

* Get to utilize your creative bent

* Can honor those whom you choose to - what better way to say "You're special" than in naming a street after someone??

* There must be no expectations in this job! After I've driven past Chubbuck Rd so many times I could scream, it became clear to me that there really must not be a whole lot that would go into street naming...

Can you think of any others?

Things That Made Me Laugh Today

On the way home I saw a bumper sticker that always makes me laugh...

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons
For you are crunchy & taste good with ketchup

And,

This

Things I've Forgotten in the Past Week

* That I had a blog... really, truly, I forgot. So I wasn't not posting because my life is boring, or that I've been too busy, or anything else. I just forgot.

* Several days ago, on the way to work, I went in to get coffee at a little convenience store. When I came out and got in my car I thought...
"Oops - I left my keys in the car.
Oops - I left my keys in the ignition.
Oops - I left my car running."

* At work, I agreed to facilitate a training that would go Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. I didn't remember until last Friday that I would not only be out of the office, but out of the state on both Thursday and Friday.

My hair has been getting darker as I've gotten older, but there was only one thing to do after a week like mine. I went and got my blonde highlights put back in!!

A Water-Logged Tribute

It's wet, wet, wet!

The floodgates have opened and water is flowing freely all over the state.

The sun hasn't been out in days.

I've seen pictures on the news of people in boats being evacuated from their homes and they live less than 15 minutes away.

Surreal.

But that's not what today is about. Today is about Moms, (and because this is my blog) mine in particular.

I have so much to be thankful for when I think of Mom. She's my...

Best Friend
Confidant
Sounding board
Shoulder to cry on
Person to laugh with
Mentor
Prayer Partner
Example
Biggest Fan

Thanks, Mom. I love you!

Do Angels Smoke?

Tonight on my walk, as I was going down the Hill, I was awe-struck by the sunset. The sky was a myriad of pastels, and the clouds were contrasted with the darker hills far away.

I was thinking about how beautiful it was, when a car came up behind me, slowed down and the driver rolled down his window. He pointed at the sky, and said, “Behold, what the hand of God hath wrought!” He then smiled, waved his cigarette at me, and left me staring wide-eyed at his retreating car and license plate... IS4319.

Turning around to head back, I was overcome with glee at the blog fodder that had come my way!

I was close to home when I heard a car pul up behind me again, and I turned to see my Smoking Angel back for more. This time he said that he had a flower for me. Warily I said, "Um - thank you," and he said, "NO! Thank God!" He then drove away, saying out the window "Womenhood is the flower of life."

By that time I was thinking that this wasn't quite the funniest thing that had ever happened to me, and I don't know what was pumping more... my feet or my heart as I tried to get home before he came back a third time, with his next gift of verse or flower.

Just another Saturday in the life of me :)

Drama In Fake Life:

In Which Our Heroine Is Kidnapped!

I almost never remember my dreams. In fact, it's a rare occasion when I do, and I get all excited. On Sunday night I had a dream, and was thrilled that I remembered it in great detail Monday morning. The strange thing is I hadn't been watching any intense TV, movies, or reading any thrilling books. And as far as rich food, Jill and I had gone to the 99 on the way home from Craig's concert, but I would hardly call what we ate rich food... or good, for that matter, but I digress!

THE DREAM!

I'd been kidnapped, but got on a plane to get away from my abducters.

Uh - oh... One of the kidnappers followed me onto the plane, so I was still in grave danger.

We landed in Montreal (b/c that's where ALL abductees go) and I ran toward the rental car place, but alas, I had no cash.

Conversation with myself, about the dilema, as I'm running, "I don't have any cash, but if I use my debit or credit card, they'll be able to trace me to which car I rented, and know that of course I'm driving home to NH." WHAT TO DO?!?

Then, I saw the kidnapper... and I KNEW who he was! His curly hair disguise didn't fool me! NPR, I'd know you anywhere... and why were you trying to kidnap me, anyway??

Because I couldn't pay cash, and wisely wouldn't put the rental on my credit card, I pulled a move that will put me in line to be the next Jack(queline) Bauer! I hid under the table of the rental car place!

And as much as I tried to go back to sleep, I couldn't, so we'll never know if:

A) I made it back to NH safely?

B) I did make it home, how did I get a car? Or did I find another way?

C) Whether NPR ever got his hair straightened after having it curly.

Transported to Another Realm...

... is pretty much the thought that keeps coming to mind when I think about Craig's recital.

The music made me laugh!

It made me cry.

It made me worship!

It made my throat hurt, because it was so beautiful!

And combined with the beauty of the pieces, there was the overwhelming realization that kept coming... Craig CREATED this!

Wow.

You've Heard of Multi-Tasking...

... but have you heard of Multi-Injuring?? It's the newest big thing! This happened while my old computer was being laid to rest, and before my new one came in... so if you've heard this saga, feel free to skip. If you haven't, enjoy! :)

You know Dick VanDyke in "Mary Poppins" and how he plays all those instruments at the same time? I felt like him, except with injuries several Friday nights ago.

I woke up in the middle of the night with my back hurting VERY badly! Sometimes when my back hurts, it effects my stomach as well, so not only was I in excruciating pain, but I was also nauseous. I tried to massage my back for a bit, but it didn't help, so I decided to get my pain meds. Only thing is, they were out in my car.

So here I was, wrapped in my bathrobe, out at my car at 2:30 in the morning, digging in the dark through my bag to find my ibuprofen. Imagine my relief when I found it! But, because it was late and I didn't want to wake up Evan and Jill with slamming car doors, I tried to close it quietly. I succeeded in closing it quietly, but I also succeeded in closing my thumb in the door as well. Haven't done that in years, and the pain was beyond intense!

As I stumbled into my apartment with tears streaming down my face, I thought about that whole thing of "if you're in pain, hurt something else, and it will take your mind off the original pain." And I thought very angry thoughts to the person who first said that, because it's not true. All that happens is that there are now three things that hurt instead of just two!

I was standing in the kitchen trying to pour a glass of water with which to take the pills, and my back was spazzing, my stomach was threatening to expel all of it's contents and my thumb was throbbing. On the microwave the time glowed 2:38 & I remember thinking, "I don't think I've ever cried at 2:38 in the morning before."

My queasy stomach finally won out, and I went running to the bathroom. After finishing in there, I grabbed my ice pack and went back to bed with ice on my back, a less upset stomach and a still-throbbing thumb.

When I woke up (later) Saturday morning, and was putting on my makeup, I saw that in my stomach's vigor of expelling all the contents from the night before, I had broken all the blood vessels underneath my eyes! And that just made me laugh out loud!

So, Dick Van Dyke - eat your heart out! I'm well on the way to being just like you... only different!

A Question to Ponder...

Today I saw a poster that said (in effect) "Drink lots of coffee, but do it in your own mug, not styrofoam, because styrofoam cups can sit in landfills for 500 years."

And I began to wonder... "How long ago was styrofoam invented?? Surely it hasn't been around for that long!" Being the resourceful female that I am, I Googled the subject, and the results are as follows:

Styrofoam was invented in the 1940's!

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? If something has only been around for roughly 60 years, how does this poster-maker know it will sit in a landfill for 500!?!?!?

What do you think??

Happy Resurrection Day!!

Not a word was heard at the tomb that day
Just shuffling soldiers feet as they guarded the grave.
One day, two days, three days had passed
Could it be that Jesus had breathed His last?

Could it be that His Father had forsaken Him?
Turned His back on His Son, despising our sin?
All hell seemed to whisper, "Just forget Him, He's dead,"
Then the Father looked down at His Son and said,

"Arise My Love, Arise My Love
The grave no longer has a hold on You
No more death's sting, no more suffering
Arise, Arise, My Love!"

The earth trembled and tomb began to shake
and like lightning from Heaven, the stone rolled away
And like dead men the guards stood there in fright
As the power of Love displayed it's might

And suddenly a melody filled the air
Riding wings of love, it was everywhere.
The words all creation had been longing to hear
The sweet sound of VICTORY so loud and clear!

"Arise My Love, Arise My Love
The grave no longer has a hold on You
No more death's sting, no more suffering
Arise, Arise, My Love!"

Sin, where are your shackles?
Death, where is your sting?
Hell hath been defeated!
The grave could not hold my King!

"Arise My Love, Arise My Love
The grave no longer has a hold on You
No more death's sting, no more suffering
Arise... Arise...Arise!"

"Oh no - Wrangler ate her kittens!!"

Was the first thought of my sleep fogged brain this morning, when I got up and saw the basket void of kittens!

But, no, cats do not eat their young as so many in the animal kingdom do. Wrangler had just cleverly hidden them in a cupboard that she accessed by crawling underneath the stove. Do the joys of owning felines ever end??

By the by - thanks to all for the warm welcome back to the blogosphere! It's been such fun to check the responses! To answer the question posed, I will now describe the minicats that now reside in my apartment. One is black and white (surprise!! That seems to be a Jones special. All of The Cuteness' kittens were a variation of that, as have been the kittens that Evan and Jill's cats have had) and the other one is all gray with a white head. So very cute!

Hurray for having a COMPUTER again!!

I'M BACK!!! Thanks to DJ's expertise, I have a laptop and am back in the business of blogging. I've sure missed it... more than I thought I would.

And how fun is it that I have a great story to come back with???

I went to bed on Monday night, but at midnight I was awoken by a cat who had something to prove. Wrangler wanted to set the record straight once and for all, declaring herself a female in a way that can’t be mistaken. There on the floor of my room, with myself as midwife and witness, at 12:54 am, Wrangler brought forth one small kitten into this world. (I will not be making any observations as to the gender of said kitten, as we all know how well the last guess turned out!)

I waitied for over an hour for more kittens to come, but Wrangler decided that one was enough, and was she ever proud! She purred loud enough I was surprised that the cops weren’t called for a noise violation!

So, last night I came home, exhausted from the midwifery of the night before and wanting to turn in early. That was not to be, because wonder of wonders, Wrangler (or -ah) had decided that after waiting 20 hours, it was time to grace the world with another one of her offspring! Yup - you heard me correctly! At 10:40 last night, she had another kitten.

I have a feeling that for the next couple weeks I will be constantly staring at her stomach, trying to decide whether she might produce another kitten for the heck of it!

And that's how I've re-entered the blogging world... Catch you all around :)