Call the National Enquirer!

So - even though I was sad when The Cuteness died, I was kind of relieved, because she had become a very mean, very fertile kitten making machine. I was so excited when her tenth kitten turned out to be a boy, and decided to keep him.
Wrangler has been a great cat. He's snuggly, unlike his mother. Nice, unlike his mother. Doesn't scratch people the minute he lays eyes on them, unlike his mother. A boy, unlike his mother... the attributes go on and on.
He's quite a sociable cat, so he spends alot of time over at Evan and Jill's, playing with the kids and his sisters from The Cuteness' previous batches. He'd spent so much time over there lately, that I hadn't seen him in a couple days.
I was babysitting a few nights ago, and called for Wrangler to come snuggle. As he walked toward me, I noticed that his tummy was becoming rather large. When he got up on my lap, and I began rubbing his belly, I noticed that he had additions that boy kitties shouldn't have. I looked closer and saw something MOVE inside him!

Aaaaaugh - my beloved boy kitty is PREGNANT!!

It took me a day or two to like him/her again. I had been so utterly happy that I didn't have to deal with kittens any more, and this just really messed with my mind. I mean, he's been a boy for almost a year. I can't just drop everything and think of him as a girl at the drop of a hat! And plus, there's the problem of a name! I loved the name Wrangler, so have had to think of feminine forms of the word:

~Wranglerette
~Wranglerina
~Wranglertoria
~La Wrangler
and my personal favorite... Wranglah! A feminine ending, with a New England flare!

So - there you have it. The saga of the he/she cat.

(once again, my thanks to E&J for the use of their computer)

Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles...

This tale was too priceless to not blog about, so here I am at Evan & Jill's computer...

I got hit hard with the cold-thing that's been going around. Started this weekend, and on Monday I felt like I'd been the casualty of a hit-and-run with a semi! Tuesday was some better, and I was able to drag myself out of bed for part of the day.
Today I went into work, but because of the two missed days, had to get there exceptionally early to prep for the class I needed to train today. At a little after 10 this morning, having already been at work for four hours, I was crashing badly. I sent my class to break and went back to my desk, not knowing how I was going to make it through the rest of the day.
I went back into class on faith that I'd make it through as much of the day as I needed to. Somewhere between 10:30 & 11:30, I became aware of a breath of fresh life that was coming my way. There really isn't any way to describe it, but I felt different... it was almost like a sugar high, and I was expecting to come crashing down, but I never crashed. I made it through the rest of the day, and even got to leave a bit before my scheduled 4:30.
When I drove in to the driveway at home, Jed & Chloe were getting the mail and Jill was watching from the front porch. I couldn't wait to tell them about how much better I was feeling. As I told Jill about the sweet life that had poured over me during the morning, she asked what time it had been. I told her sometime between 10:30 & 11:30. In awe she said, "That's when the kids and I were praying for you!"
God bless the faith of little children! I think that it's a pretty awesome God that looks after us!!

So, here I was all excited to tell you about my trip...

...and I got home to a computer which is more than dead. Wont even turn on.

So, the exciting details will have to wait until my computer is either raised from the dead, or replaced.

And PS - Melo, my favorite Starbucks drink is generally chai as well, but that day in Seattle I got a Cinnamon Dulche Latte and it was heavenly! :)

Another day in Seattle...

...and eating another round of the best Greek food I've ever tasted!! And we got coffee at the first Starbucks and watched the people at the Pike Fish Market toss fish, and, and, and...

And there she is, everyone!! It's Rachelle!! :) And how about that scarf, folks?? I got it in Cannon Beach yesterday.

I'm flying home tonight (actually leaving tomorrow morning at 1 am) and will write long and drawn out tales of all that we did once I get back to my own computer. Catch you on the down swing...

From today...

Today we drove down to the coast of Oregon and explored. There was amazing scenery! And, because the weather cooperated, I got to see Mt Hood, Mt Rainier AND Mt St Helens. We're headed back to Seattle tomorrow, so perhaps there will be a few more pictures (like ones with Rachelle in them - guess who's been behind the camera??) before I leave.

Ben & Aunt Lindsay

Guess who went to the Space Needle today?

Miss Jones Goes to Washington

Well boys and girls - I'm off.
Jill, Jed and I are leaving for Washington tomorrow. Jill & Jed will spend the weekend with her family, and I'll be with Mike, Rachelle & Ben. Can't wait!
God bless JetBlue and their $118 roundtrip tickets :)
We'll be back Monday morning... completely jet-lagged!
Until then,
Me

Window Down, Window Up!

On Thursday, it was so warm here in NH that I left work early in order to enjoy the Spring-like air! Knowing that it was HIGHLY unusual, and that we probably wouldn't have anything this warm again until July, I wanted to take full advantage of it. I rode the entire way home with my window all the way down, and it felt like a piece of Heaven! There were feelings of goodwill to all people as I happily saw that probably 90% of my fellow travellers also had their windows down. Once I reached my house, I changed and took a very l-o-n-g walk. Ahhh - it felt so good.

Then came Friday. It started relatively balmy, but dropped 30 degrees in the afternoon, and by the time evening was here, we were in the middle of a gigantic wind storm. Some of the surrounding towns still don't have power restored! Saturday was exceptionally cold, with snow squalls, and today was just as chilly. Guess we're back to being in the middle of a NH winter. Oh well - at least there was a glimpse of what's to come.

At LAST - A REAL Blonde Joke!!

A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan
officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to
borrow $5,000.00.
The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the
loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce.
The car is parked on the street in front of the bank; she has the
title and everything checks out. The bank agrees to accept the car as
collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy
a good laugh at the blonde for using a $250,000.00 Rolls Royce as
collateral against a $5,000.00 loan. An employee of the bank then
proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it.
Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000.00 and the
interest,which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Miss, we are
very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out
very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we
checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles
us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000.00?"
The blonde replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for
two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"
FINALLY, a Smart Blonde joke!
(Thanks, Rachelle, for passing it on!)

Some Funny Google-ness

I got this from Isaac's blog... Type "(Your name) is" into Google and see what you get. I laughed a lot looking at all the things I "am." As I got further down the page it deteriorated rapidly into a whole slew of unfavorable things to say about Lindsay Lohan. (Who thankfully, I am not!)

Lindsay is 5'10" tall

Lindsay is 100% not pregnant

Lindsay is having a craving for a McDonald's happy meal

Lindsay is hot

Lindsay is used to attention - she's been working since she was 4

Lindsay is considered one of the world's most respected poets

Lindsay is currently involved in two major research projects

Lindsay is cool - she is a good listener... she's patient... she's observant... she has a great sense of humor

Lindsay is believed to have detonated a bomb, killing at least 25

Lindsay is walking home because her car wont start

Lindsay is hard at work on a third book

Lindsay is a Council vice president

Lindsay is a philosopher of sound

Lindsay is currently a professor of art and history at Spelman College

And finally....

Lindsay is a great deal like her own mother! At least they got a few right :)

Winter Traveling

At work we have these little sheets of weird/interesting/informative facts in every bathroom called "Captive Audience," and they get updated twice a month.
This month they had something that made me laugh... it's a list of all the things you should have in your car during the winter to ensure safety if you were to ever get stranded. The list is so long I don't see how anyone could actually go anywhere with a family. There wouldn't be room for the kids! "Sorry Grandpa & Grandma - all of us wanted to come, but we had to leave two of your grandkids at home so we'd have room for all the stuff we'd need in case we were caught in a snowdrift."

Here are the suggestions of what every safety-conscious person should have in their vehicles at all times during the winter months...

~Shovel
~Sand or cat litter (for traction)
~Tire chains
~Booster cables
~Cell phone
~Extra warm clothing or boots
~Ice scraper
~Small tools (evidently you get to choose which small tools you want with you - choose wisely!)
~Winter sleeping bag or blankets
~Snack food
~Water
~Flashlight with good batteries (You get to choose on this one as well - which are "good" batteries??)
~Matches
~Newspaper
~Games & toys (If you don't have room for the kids, what good are the games and toys?)
~Ziplock bags (I will not put what they did next to this one!)
~A 12 volt adapter coil heater that can plug into the lighter to heat water

So, drive quietly and carry a full carload!

Scared Out of my Skull

I was watching some episodes of "24" this afternoon, and when I do that by myself all my nerve endings are in a heightened state. When I'm ready to go downstairs, I have to get off the couch gingerly, coaching myself on how to walk again... furtively looking right and left for people that might be ready to jump at me with guns blaring.

The last episode I watched ended dramatically with a large power outage. I was cautiously making my way to the stairs, and reached over to turn on the light. As I flipped the switch, the lightbulb blew, causing me great alarm which I showed in screaming at the top of my lungs. I then started to laugh, because it really was funny, but the laughing was kind of half-hysterical... the "assuring oneself that what just happened was really funny" laugh.

Create Your Own Clever Title - I'm Fresh Out of Ideas!

I heard a story about a little girl who learned this verse at Sunday school: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Gather which is in Heaven."

Later that day, she asked her mother the meaning of this verse. Her mom said, "Well, it means that when you are good, kind and thoughtful you are letting Christ's light shine in your life before all who know you."

The very next Sunday the little girl got into an argument with another student and created somewhat of an uproar... to such an extent that the teacher had to go and find the little girl's mother.

The concerned mother came and said to her little girl, "Sweetie, don't you remember about letting your light shine for the Lord before others?"

The child blurted out, "Mom - I have blowed myself out!"

Don't you feel like that sometimes??

Drama, Drama, Drama

No, I haven't gotten another part in a play. This is "Drama in Real Life" for Reader's Digest if I ever heard of some.

Yesterday was my first day back at work after eleven very spoiled days off. I started a new hire class, and it went surprisingly well. I was telling Mom & Dad this with much gratitude on the phone last night. I had been previously assured that the day was well covered in prayer by several people, and I definitely chalk up the smooth sailing to that intercession. In jest, Mom and Dad threatened that since the day had gone so well, just for kicks perhaps they'd not pray for me today. Even though I know that they did, I was beginning to wonder by the time I left work today!

I was looking forward to the day in the classroom, because there were two hours of the day that the class was scheduled for presentations from other departments, so I was off the hook for a bit.

The Vice President came in at the scheduled time to do his presentation, and I went upstairs to check with the next person who was scheduled to talk to the class. While I was up there, I heard my name being paged over the loudspeaker. Now, in some companies that's not a big deal. At Oxford, it's huge. The loudspeaker goes into every crevice in the building, and is only used perhaps once a month... sometimes even more time elapses between uses. It's pretty much only for extreme family emergencies or if you parked in the wrong spot and the receptionist is out to get you! The reason it's so infrequently used is because it's guarded by our front desk receptionist, who is a wonderfully cranky older lady, who is the extremest (yes, I know that's not a correct adjective, but I liked it in this case!) no-nonsense person I've ever met. I am one of the only people at work who thinks she's "wonderfully cranky" because she actually likes me, so I don't have many run-ins with her.

Panic coursed through my veins as I picked up a nearby phone to call the front desk. All my friends that were around stood up and starting razzing me, "Lindsay - did you park in the front circle??" I reached the receptionist after only one ring and she said, "Lindsay, someone from your class is down here having a gallbladder attack in the lobby. Just thought you'd like to know."

"Fantastic," I replied, hanging up the phone and running down the hall. "Fantastic" has become my new word for "Crap - the world is falling apart around me!"

(I later heard all the ruminations of the coworkers who heard me let out a loud "Fantastic" and then saw me running away. Some thought it must be very bad, but the others said it "can't be bad because she said Fantastic." They then decided I had probably gotten flowers delivered at work, which would explain both the happy explosion of words and the rushing away.)

Arriving in the lobby, I saw my poor new hire (only on day TWO of her job there at Oxford), doubled over and writhing in agony. The ambulance was called even though it wasn't life threatening, (because I was informed that I couldn't take her to the hospital due to company policy) and I sat with her, rubbing her back and waiting it out. (But first, because of company policy, I had to ask her permission to rub her back) I also knew that she was a friend of someone I knew who works there, who is a Christian, and that they attend the same church. While the receptionist had her attention on talking to the 911 operator, I whispered to the new hire that I knew she went to so&so's church, and would she like me to pray for her. She moaned a quiet "yes," and I sent up a prayer so quietly that only because God is God, could He have heard.

The fire truck came... the police came... and the ambulance finally came. And this poor girl got loaded into the back, having told me that there was no one for me to call to meet her at the hospital.

After they got her loaded in, Wonderfully Cranky Receptionist told me that I had done a great job of staying calm and keeping the new hire calm, and then I got all shaky and told said receptionist that now I was going to fall apart. I am not ok when bodies don't do what they're supposed to do! It's not a gift I have. But, I was amazed and grateful at how calm I was able to stay, and thought that maybe a new leaf has been turned over in this new year. Not that I'm going to go out and find a whole bunch of bodies that aren't acting right, but still, I guess God really does give grace for us to handle what we thought we couldn't. Amazing how true those verses can be :) After I got myself together, I had so much adreneline pumping through me that I felt like I could do about anything. Twenty minutes later it all left, and I felt like I'd never be able to stand up again!

So then, later this afternoon, the door of the classroom opened, and in walked our morphined-up gallbladder heroine! Bless her heart, she had been discharged from the ER and taken a taxi back to work, so she didn't miss all of her second day. I'm only hoping she stays on as an employee, because she's the type we need - desperately!

Move ahead to 4:15... class gets out at 4:30. I was just beginning to believe that the day would end on a quiet note, when another participant ran up to my desk, said, "I need to go to the bathro..." and continued to run out the door, vomitting as they went. OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! After a few minutes I had to go and find her, and she met me in the hall, begging to go home early. "PLEASE DO," I wanted to holler, waving hand sanitizer all over the place, but instead I calmly replied, "Of course - don't worry about a thing!"

I stayed late tonight, cleaning the daylights out of the classroom...

In Memory of Six Years Ago

For if our loved ones are with Thee,
And Thou art with us,
How can they be very far away?

-Peter Marshall

Crayola Christmas

A short time ago Mom read a book by Robert Fulghum called "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." In it, he has a short story about how everyone, whether they are old or young, needs new crayons. Especially Crayola crayons - the big 64 count green and yellow box with the sharpener in the back.
So, guess who got crayons and coloring books for Christmas?? And not just a 64 pack... I got the 96 count box!
It's been so much fun! There have been many hours spent in coloring - by both Mom and me. So many hours, in fact, that Jed would be proud. I told him on the phone about my gift, and he's pretty excited to have me home so we can color together.

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!