My Blog Remodel Is Almost Complete

It might appear that nothing much is going on over here, but that is because I am in the last stages of remodeling this site. I don’t even know if you can still call it this site!

As of next week, Lord willing, everything will look different. At this point, I should say thanks to Darcy at Graphically Designed. Not only is she talented, she is super nice. If you can hold a person’s hand through computerland, she has done that for me.

As of next week, Lord willing, I will have a new title.

As of next week, Lord willing, I will have a new URL.

As of next week, Lord willing, I will be on Wordpress.

Most importantly, next week I want all of my friends to be able to find me. Thanks to Darcy, this should not be a problem. If you come here, you will be sent straight to me. If you subscribe via email, you don't have to do a thing. I will take care of you.

This has been in the works for so long. In fact, I announced it on my 1 year anniversary. At that time Christy and I talked about making our blogs like a cyber living room. If I could take everyone and put them into my living room, this is where we would go. I can’t wait until you join me.

So, please, check back next week and click to my new home.

Blessings.

Discussions From A Car

I have a sweet friend, who becomes dearer to me all of the time. I have taken her to chemotherapy a couple of times and the conversations we have in the car, or those that I hear in the waiting area have been carving out a place in my heart.

Driving to the office, she told me about her love for God's word. Not just that, but she told me about her struggle with its content. She prays for forgiveness when reading the Old Testament. Not after, but before, because she knows that she will not understand it on her own.

This 83 year old dynamo, sees the Old Testament as perplexing, and Revelation is "spooky". Still it is the only thing she asked for while in the hospital, recently. She can't pronounce the names or the cities but that isn't enough to deter her.

Her favorite passage says that God is slow to anger. That is good news for this feisty female. She hates getting her "feathers ruffled". When she feels anger coming on she prays for God to, "kick Satan's butt and get him the heck outta here."

Being labeled, "quick to anger" is not on her agenda. It is really safest to follow her agenda. In fact, just talking about the possibility of ruffled feathers seemed to make a few stand on end.

I can't help myself. I just love her. I learn more from her Oklahoma phrasing than many sermons that I have sat under.

She teaches me that there is a simplicity to God's word. I love this. When I am with her, I want more of God's butt kicking ability. I don't feel like I have to understand it all, or put it under some theological heading.

I think that a lifetime teaches us this. We craft a language between a sinner and a Savior. The grammar isn't perfect and the spelling is lacking but it is personal. Intensely personal.

A real God, in real life, in real relationship.

The Two Weeks I Look Forward To

Last week was that time of the summer, again. My nephew stays with me every summer for a couple of weeks, and every year he is a different kid. I love figuring him out and catching up with no mom and dad. Just he and I.

The problem is that he is growing up.

In fact, a friend told me that I will probably only have him for a couple of more summers, at best. She thinks that he will choose his friends over me at 16. She even said he might choose a girl over me.

That hurt.

I was relieved that he still wanted to take our annual trip to the Science Center. We do the exhibits, the planetarium and the IMAX...every time. I will be totally honest though, this is my favorite part. Erosion.

Cause I see this...

So, I will take whatever time he gives me. I just look forward to this time of the year.

Five Years And We Are Still Dating

I guess that everything started right here.

My friends told me that it was time to make a decision and, after three months of deliberation, I was ready to admit that I liked Dwight. Some people speed their way into a romance, but mine was more like crawling through sand. I was sure of one thing, though; I was ready to make that man my very own.

I was not, however, ready for a boring love story; and, that is how we ended up on the rim of the Grand Canyon at dawn.

One could say that I took matters into my own hands. I decided that I “had” to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon and I “had” to do this with Dwight, Mindy (Dwight’s dog), and my best friend from college.

We drove up late the night before and camped out until the following morning. The four of us enjoyed a late night screening of Switch, cat naps, and a catastrophic morning brew of coffee.

Truth...Dwight and wandered away sometime in the middle of the night and on the very spot of this picture, we had our first kiss.

From this, I know that it is dark, cold and windy on the rim of the Grand Canyon in the early am. I was grateful that we did not slip to our demise, but I was even more grateful that I remembered what I was doing. I won’t lie, I was SOOO nervous.

We kissed for the first time on Independence Day and we were married on Veterans Day, the following year. Patriotism takes on a whole new light in our marriage.