A Quotable Uncle Rick

I've often seen my Uncle Rick admire something in nature, and then say to those around him, "You know what? My Father made that." I love hearing him say that (though not nearly as much as I love hearing him sing!), and that line has been more and more in my thinking these last few months.
When I was on my cruise, there was a huge lightning storm one night, and I went up on the top deck and watched it for a long time. It was amazing, and all I could think was, "My Father made this."
And then when the boat docked, Bonnie & I watched a storm roll in over the ocean, and it was one of the most spectacular cloud shows I've ever seen. It made me want to throw my hands up in worship & yell, "My Father made that!"
The last two nights I've gotten home from rehearsals after 11pm, and living on Chestnut Hill, it's so far away from city lights that the stars are incredibly bright. And these last two nights I have raised my face and hands to the sky, and thanked my Father for making the world that we live in so beautiful.

"The Boys Next Door"

No - this is not a post about Evan, Jed & Tucker...
This is a post to tell about the play that I'm in!
It's a really sweet story about four mentally challenged men who live together in a state run town home. They have a social worker who has been assigned to them, and the play follows their lives, as well as a few people who interact with them on a regular basis.
The three parts that I was chosen to play are VERY different from each other. In two scenes I am Mrs Fremus, the boys 75 year old neighbor, who's very hard of hearing. In another scene I am Karen Warren, a younger neighbor lady who comes to see if the boys have seen her son's hamster. (They killed what they thought was a "rat" the night before...oops!) My last (and favorite) role is Clara, one of their mentally challenged friends. It's a short scene, and I wish it lasted longer, but it's a whole heap of fun! (After I auditioned, Amy said she couldn't wait to see me act like that. "What do you do, Linds?" she asked. After explaining how I act as Clara, she said, "Oh... I've seen you do that thousands of times!")
Because I have these small roles, my time at practice has been busy filling in for any of the lead roles who are not there. I think there has been only one rehearsal that I have solely been the roles I was chosen for. All the other nights I've switched around from being Jack (their social worker) to Norman (pretty highly functioning - works at a donut shop & has a girlfriend) to Lucien (about the mentality of a five-year-old) to Arnold (who is a very nervous person - pretty highly functioning, but has OCD-like symptoms to the extreme) to Barry (the highest functioning of them all, but w/ schizphrenia brought on by an abusive father).
We had rehearsal today, and I was playing both Barry & Lucien. It got a little hectic when they had dialogue with each other. It was scheduled from 1-5, but around 3:30 the guys in the cast mutineed. With the Pats game starting at four, they had no interest in sticking around, and with promises that they'd really pay attention and work hard on Tuesday & Wednesday night, the director acquiesced & sent us on our way.
What a treat to get home early & take a nap!

Of Eggplants...

So - I have a new vehicle and I'm ready for winter! Thanks to Paul, I now have a four wheel drive. What does this have to do with eggplants, you wonder? I'll tell you! The new addition is definitely PURPLE, and about the color of an eggplant. Never would I have chosen this color, but I have become strangely attached to it.

(Oh yeah - and it's a Geo Tracker with low mileage, and a soft top... and we like it, Precious!)

Bahamian Treasures

When I was in the Bahamas, at each of the straw markets that we went to, there were these wooden elephants that I fell in love with. Finally, at the last market we visited, I decided to bite the bullet and get one. What better way to remember the Bahamas with a genuine, handcrafted Bahamian elephant??
And then tonight, I was studying my cute little curio, and saw a small round sticker under his trunk. Turning him over for closer scrutiny, I saw three words that made me burst out laughing.

Made in Philippines

Schedule of Events

I got home from my cruise one week ago today. That evening I had rehearsal (OH YEAH - I forgot to update my blog, but before I went on my cruise I auditioned for a part in the play "The Boys Next Door" and got not one part, but three small ones! It's been wonderfully fun to join enjoy another aspect of life... one in theatre!) and then I worked a long day on Wednesday. Wednesday night I also had play practice, but in between work & practice I had to unpack, do laundry & start to pack again. Left early Thursday morning for work, all packed to leave from work to fly out to VA that evening for Kerin's wedding.
Arriving at BWI around 8:00 Thursday evening, I took a shuttle to the rental car place and got into an exceptionally slow moving line to pick up my rental car. The guy behind me in line was making snide comments at the wait, and lack of staff, so when I got up to the counter, I tried to be extra nice. Having worked in customer service for two and a half years, I know what it's like to have rude people direct unjust comments at you.
The man behind the counter took all my confimation information for the cheapo $18-a-day car that I had reserved, and then asked if I was down on business or pleasure. I told him pleasure, as I was on my way to a wedding. He smiled, said, "I think you'll really enjoy this - no extra charge" and handed me the paperwork for a 2005 Chrysler Sebring convertible!! It was SUCH a joy to toodle around in that beautiful car all weekend. And VA had the most perfect weather for having the top down at all times I was driving. When Darren told Sara what had happened she said, "If I had been nice to him, I just would have stored up treasure in Heaven."
I got to the Hall's around 10:30 Thursday night, and Geni and I pulled one of our until 2:00am chat sessions. The next morning I went to HSLDA's office & had a wonderful time chatting and catching up with old friends. Then Geni and I had lunch at Pen's, which is my favorite restaraunt, and one that we would go to almost once a week when I lived down there.
Friday night was the rehearsal for the wedding, and when I got back to Hall's, I went to bed before midnight... practically an unknown in the Hall household!
Saturday morning Geni & I went yard saling, and then back to the house to get ready for the wedding. It was a beautiful, sunny, VA day, and Kerin was a stunning bride! The ceremony took place in her family's back yard, and there were over 500 people there! It really is a special feeling to know that you are creating the music that your friend is walking down the aisle to.
After the ceremony I went out for dinner with Sherri, Audra & Nathan, and we had a wonderful time - lots of laughter... until after dinner when we went and saw "Brother's Grimm" which has got to be one of the darkest, most random movies out there. I thought with both Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in it we couldn't go wrong, but evidently...
Sunday I had the opportunity to go to Blue Ridge Bible Church, my heart's home when I lived in VA. The service was wonderful, and I was able to see so many people that I love and don't get to see often enough!
Then it was off to Darren & Sara's house, to spend the afternoon before the trip back to the airport. The kids (who am I kidding?? the adults were too) were enamoured with the car, and we went around the block several times, and then Aunt Lindsay offered to take everyone out to ice cream. It was a good thought, until we got there, ordered & found out that they didn't take credit cards. Yeah for older brothers who carry cash!! I also was able to see the church that Darren & Sara have helped to plant. I love seeing things that I've heard so much about, so that there's now a picture in my mind.
Then it was back to the airport, where I had to, with great sadness, turn in my wonderful car. I had an uneventful trip home, though I must admit I was a little hesitant to be flying on 9-11, and arrived home to the waiting arms of Amy.
Yesterday I started training a new class at work, with 23 new hires! When I dragged my exhausted self home yesterday, Evan, Jill & the kids were here to welcome me home. The first thing that Jed said was, "I'm sure glad you took those braids out of your hair!" He wasn't a huge fan of my Bahamian look. Tucker heard me from the driveway, and when the front door opened, he flew as fast as his crawling would take him - down the hall, out the door & practically leapt off the front porch into my arms. He snuggled for the longest time, and then would pull his head back, jabber away in my face, and then snuggle some more. "You missed Aunt Lindsay," I would croon against his head, and Chloe would loudly proclaim, "Me! Me!" This travelling has been fun and all, but there is truly no place like home.
Oh - and last night I went to bed at 7:30. Felt SO good!

Well, this is it...

Today the ship is filled with people walking like drunken sailors. We hit a storm, and it's been pretty rocky all day long. Thankfully, it hasn't made me sick, but there are the little white bags that you find in the back of airplane seats stuck to the walls next to the elevators. It's a very strange feeling to be riding in an elevator and feel yourself going up or down, as well as sideways!
I was exhausted this morning from playing so hard these last few days, and I took a really long nap. Felt like heaven!
They opened the waterslide for a bit today, and we go to use that, and it was wicked fun! They had to close it when the pool that we slid into starting having waves that were too big, because the ship was rocking so much.
There was a concert tonight from a group named Alathea. They were on the Christian cruise with us, and consisted of three women about my age, who are from Eastern Tennessee. The music was along the same style as Allison Krauss, and I enjoyed it immensely.
And for dinner tonight, I started with a chilled mango/ginger soup, and it was scrumptious. Then I had turkey for my entree - not exactly something I wouldn't eat at home, but good none-the-less.
And now, the enormous task of packing lies ahead of me. It's been such a wonderful trip, unlike anything I thought it could be, and I'm so grateful for the chance I've had to take it.
Life and blogging updates will seem so boring after all this, but I'm truly ready to be home.

From The Land of Braided Hair

Well - today was another spectacular day in the sun. It began very rainy, but it was a warm rain, and kind of refreshing. We were docked in Nassau, and took a boat trip to a private island for a day of complete relaxation. We swam in the clearest of waters, lay in hammocks, ate yummy food, and saw beauty all around us.
After the excursion, we went to a straw market, which was a lot of fun, but completely stressful for someone who has not yet mastered the art of saying no. It's a miracle that I didn't come home with a bag full of horrific little fans & straw bags!
Do you want to hear about dinner? I hope so, because here goes. I began the meal with a delicious broccoli, cheddar soup, then a crisp salad, and then a main portion of duck. They had Baked Alaska for dessert, and it was a requirement that everyone at the table take some, even if you didn't like it.
We went to a magic/comedy show tonight, and then there was a midnight Mexican buffet on the top deck, and dancing as the ship moved away from port. The masses are all still up there, but this one got tired.
Oh yeah - can you guess from the title?? I succumbed and got my hair braided today! It was only the partial braids, and I'm really happy with them. It was definitely the thing to do.
Tomorrow is a day at sea, and we dock early Monday morning. I'll keep you posted...

Yet another day in the lap of luxury!

The people here are so friendly. Bonnie says it's probably because we're used to New Englanders, but being loathe to speak ill of my beloved NH, I'll just say it's because everyone is relaxed and happy!
Today was a day in the sun. We were able to do some shopping, and then got to have a "Dolphin Encounter." Everyone on the tour sat on the edge of the water, with our feet in the pool, and the dolphins swam around. Then four at a time we got to get in the water with them and stroke their backs and get kisses from them. I have the pictures to prove it! :)
But really, even though the day was spectacular, I must report more about the FOOD! Tonight for dinner I had chilled strawberry bisque, Caesar salad & quail for the main course. It was all scrumptious. The strawberry bisque made me feel so cultured, but really, even though the name is all pretty, it tasted a lot like melted strawberry shake. Yum! And the quail? So good, actually. It was really funny looking, because it was such a little bird (the drumsticks was much smaller than my pinkie) but stuffed with yummy herb stuffing.
Tonight I went into the room and when the staff turned down my bed, they made a sculpture out of the brand new towels that they brought. It was a cute little elephant, and they had taken my sunglasses & propped them over the elephant's eyes.
Well, I'm tired, and must get some sleep before tomorrow's fun... I just looked at the time. I guess it's today's fun now!
Stay tuned!

How The Other Half Lives...

...and for four days I have the chance to pretend I'm one of them! I've heard that cruises are alot of fun, but my gosh, this is incredible!
Our cabin has beds that are so comfortable & the comforters are down, and the sheet count is high... if there weren't so much to do, all I'd want to do is sleep!
Once we went through about eight checkpoints, and finally boarded the ship, we had a scrumptious buffet lunch, and got settled in.
As I looked out my cabin window while I was unpacking, I saw a whole school of dolphins cavorting right underneath the window. (And tomorrow I'm going to SWIM WITH THEM! Well, not those ones specifically...)
The afternoon was spent swimming, sitting in a hot tub, sprawling on a deck chair, and people watching.
And dinner was INCREDIBLE! Our waiter is from Romania, and his entire job is to make each person at the table feel more special than the next. (He actually just walked by the window where I'm sitting & smiled & offered me his beer) Our napkins were laid on our laps, and menus were given. You could order from multiple salads, appetizers & entrees. I got Satay chicken for my appetizer, and two little pieces of chicken that had a yummy peanut sauce on them came on sticks, and then a delicious salad, and some sort of chicken w/ garlic & pesto on it for the main meal, served with linguine. For dessert I had a Guava Cream Puff Pastry, which was light & delicious.
We went back to our cabin after dinner (which was at eight o'clock) and our beds had been turned down and there were little chocolates on our pillows.
Then we went to a show that was kind of an ice-breaker and comedy thing, and now I'm spending exhorbatant amounts of money keeping you all up to date! And all this typing while being serenaded by live piano music!
And now, the corny postcard sentiment, but I do truly wish it... "Weather's great - wish you all were here!"

A taste....

... and then I'm gone again!

I'm off to cross something off my 30 by 30 list. Tomorrow I leave on my much anticipated cruise!

Due to the electrical genius of my older brother, my phone line is now working again, so when I return from the Bahamas, my blogs should be more frequent, and I can regale you with tales of other things I'm currently working on crossing off said 30 by 30!

Before I leave you, though, I must tell a tale that has made me thrilled that I can blog again.

The other day I was jumping on the trampoline with Jed. After we finished jumping, I lay down on my stomach, and he draped his five year old frame across my back. In a minute, I heard a muffled voice ask, "Aunt Lindsay - are you ever going to get married?"
"I ask God that every day, Buddy," I replied, "so maybe you should start asking Him too."
I heard a grunt as Jed's reply.
After a minute I asked him, "Who do you think Aunt Lindsay should marry," expecting hear some word from the Lord.... out of the mouth's of babes, and all that, right?
His immediate reply?
"I think you should marry God!"

Talk about having high expectations! Good thing becoming a nun is not on my 30 by 30!!

Sad FYI

Due to system constraints, my blogging will be sporadic at best for the next couple weeks.
That means, my computer is having major issues, because my acient phone line (yes, I have dial-up) doesn't like humidity, and will only connect to the internet for 30 seconds at a time.
So, you can either pray for a better phone line, better weather, or better cash flow so I can get DSL... or you can sit tight and wait for the next post.

Aunt Mary Kay

Addie, age 4, has discovered make-up, and was fascinated by all the face-care regimes that went on in the house during this last week.
On Sunday morning, she was in my room watching me get ready for church, and was staring wide-eyed as I'd open each new tube, jar or container and apply the contents to my face.
I looked over in time to see her "experimenting," and burst out laughing, because there was my little neice, opening my contact case and studiosly dabbing saline all over her face.

(Yup - I'm back, and will be writing more about the trip at a later date :)

Gimme a "V" - Gimme an "A"....

Well, All-buddies,

After an exceptionally l-o-n-g drive, I am safe in Nova Scotia, and will be here for a week of VACATION!

So, this is to let you know that I'll be on vacation, in body, mind & blogging :)

Catch you on the down swing!

Let's Discuss...

So, here's a question to pose to the masses...

Is it considered stealing or being economical if you take extra straws or napkins from a fast food restaraunt? I'm not talking about taking three & only using two. I'm talking about grabbing fistfuls for purposes other than that session of imbibing.

What do you all think?

Things That Should be Illegal

Men in full military uniforms, riding motorcycles, driving behind me on the way home from work.

It's really not safe for the female populace that drives, speaking as one of those females, because how in the world am I supposed to look at the road when there is a real live army guy following me on a motorcycle??

Had he been of a little darker skin tone, and had a guitar strapped to his back, I would have surely been in the ditch!

I've been busier than...

* a one-armed wallpaper hanger

* a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest

* a sister who's brother's family is moving into the house next door... oh wait, that IS me!

That's why there has been a non-plethora of blogging, but I'm happy to report that the whole kit & caboodle of them is moved in, and we are now happy co-inhabitants of the beautiful white house that Evan & I grew up in... just on different sides of the mudroom.

The Lost is Found

I found my James Taylor CD! Mom & Dad got it for me for Christmas, and I've been missing it for more months than I had the opportunity to enjoy it.
My whole apartment had been searched many times to find this CD. I had looked in every CD case I own... more than once! Peaked under things many time, I had. I looked on top of things (which was quite a task... dragging chairs all over the place), and in things where CDs should never be, in hopes of finding this Musical Master's greatest hits. All of these were to no avail, so I resorted to what every normal human being resorts to... I started accusing people of stealing my music!

"Are you SURE you didn't borrow this CD, and both of us have forgotten about it??"

Well, yesterday Amy & I were out for lunch (North Garden - YUM!) and I was whining once again about this misplaced CD. All of the sudden I had an epiphany! The one place I hadn't look was in my walkman. Within minutes of getting home, I was rifling around for my CD walkman-thing. I held my breath as I opened it up, and there, in all it's beauty, was the longed-for CD!

I felt like a modern day parable. The woman who swept her whole house for the coin - except I'd take James Taylor any day over a coin!!

Just One Ticket, Please...

This past Friday, I took the day off to go to the beach. When I woke up that morning, I was greeted by gray, rainy skies. Being the phlegmatic that I am, I took the weather in stride and decided to do something else. Who am I trying to kid?? Of course I didn't! I was mad, and decided to go the beach anyway, dang it, because that is what I had been looking forward to!

So, I loaded myself and a picnic lunch into the car and set off to the North Shore of MA, because that's where the beaches that I love are located. I wasn't sure which beach I would go to, or what I would do when I got there, but I had a backpack full of books & sweatshirts and knew that it would be a happy day despite the grayness.

As I headed into Gloucester I suddenly knew what I wanted to do! I parked at a wharf and bought a ticket on a whale watch that was leaving in 20 minutes. It was a fabulous afternoon. The ocean has a way of clearing my head, and it was four hours of peaceful fun. It was pretty foggy, but once we reached the spot where the whales had been spotted by other boats that morning, the fog cleared a little, and we were able to watch a humpback for over 45 minutes. She was feeding on fish right near the surface, and we could see her mouth opening as she caught all the fish, and then her tail as she dove down to get more. It was fascinating!

I'm becoming very aware that I have something to be treasured, in my single status, because I can still do things spur of the moment. That may not always be the case, and I want to take advantage of it while I have the chance. In the last few years I've realized that it can be exciting to do things by myself, and that there's no shame in ordering just one ticket.

This story makes me laugh every time I think about it

One thing that is very frustrating for a customer service rep on the phone (she said, speaking from experience) is when the caller doesn't provide the information that the rep is asking for.

"Can I have your name, please?"

"Sure - my kid's name is..."

OR

"What's your provider's ID# with our company?"

"I don't have that handy, but here's his federal tax id#."

But the biggest one is when people start spelling things without pronouncing them first.

"Could I have your name, please?"

"Yup - it's S-Z-A-U-C-H-T-O-R-I-A."

Well, that's fabulous, but I have no clue how to pronounce that, so now I must resort to "sir" or "ma'am."

There's an older lady where I work, who has been on the phones for multiple years. She doesn't have the epitome of service style (ok - not even CLOSE), but she's still there... I don't know why, but maybe she just hasn't gotten caught by the right people, or something. And becuase she's been there, taking calls for so long, she doesn't have a huge amount (ok - NONE) of patience left for people who don't answer her questions the way that she wants.

Overheard from her cube a little while ago.

"I asked you for your name, and all I'm getting is an onslaught of letters!"

H-O-L-Y M-A-C-K-E-R-E-L!!

A Shining Star in Service

So, every now and then service isn't quite what "they" refer to as, "Back then." Today I was going through a drive-thru and ordered a Dr Pepper. I pulled away, took a sip, and was nauseated! It had no syrup, just tonic water, which I loathe! So, I looped around, went inside and told them what was up. They all looked perplexed, said that they didn't drink Dr Pepper, so didn't know what it should taste like, and then went over to the machine.
Much arm-waving and rolling of the eyes ensued when they discovered the empty syrup container. Then they had to holler to someone who was not in this entranced circle to "bring out the Dr Pepper syrup."
Out came this one-armed man, lugging a huge box of syrup to fill the soda fountain for all the other Dr Pepper fans like me.
After a few minutes he assured the others that the change had been made, and another person graciously filled up my cup.
I got back in my car, headed out the driveway & burst out laughing as I took the first sip...
IT WAS ROOT BEER!