Checking in

What I've been up to:

Not a lot.

I mean, everything I've been up to has been so normal.


I've been doing some experiments in the kitchen.
We've visited with friends- both in our home and in the hospital.
We've spent some time visiting with family.
We've been busy at church.
Josh spent a week studying for a test.
I actually got some reading done.
I went to the dentist again.
I tackled a basket full of half-finished knitting projects- mostly unraveling them so I can use the yarn for something I actually want to make.
Casey's been crazy, probably from being cooped all winter.
This weekend, we're packing meals to send to Haiti with hundreds of other people at our church.


Really boring stuff. So, rather than forcing myself to post something random like "colon cleanser reviews" or "My 101 Favorite Rocks meme" or "Stupid Youtube Video of the Day", I just haven't been blogging at all.

If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know, promise.
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Edited to Add:
Did I say I wasn't going to post any Stupid X Of The Day? I lied. Just came across this & couldn't resist. Puppy Picture O' The Day:

Casey, multiplied by 10. Or so.

Thankful #4

Thankful that my kitchen experiments yesterday seemed to be successes.

Thankful that this week has been quiet, and that I've gotten the chance to spend some time at home, unhurried, before a moderately-busy weekend.


Thankful that, even on days that I feel like my pants have become too tight and think that I need a good dose of acne treatment gel, my husband still reminds me that he thinks I'm beautiful.

Thankful that I'm going to get to hang out with one of my favorite three year olds tomorrow.

Thankful for the respite from more snow we've had- for a couple days, anyway. Also, for the above-freezing temperatures forecast tomorrow.

Thankful #3

Thankful for the beauty that winter brings, even if I curse the cold.






Thankful for doctors who know what their doing, as they take care of my friend's sick baby.

Thankful for the time we got to spend hanging out with my nephew Saturday.

Thankful for our non-celebration of Valentine's day, where we just did life together- church, grocery shopping, going on a drive, dreaming of the future. This "quiet normal" is what I love.

Thankful for just the right song on the radio, just when I need to hear it. Blessed be your name- in suffering, in abundance, in pain, in sunshine. Blessed be your name.


What are you thankful for today?

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I'm trying to practice the spiritual discipline of gratitude more often, and hope to make this a Tuesday/Thursday feature. I hope it doesn't annoy my readers too much. I'm thankful for you guys, too, you know.

Dog Show Adventure

Saturday, we took our dog-crazy nephew to the big Indianapolis dog show. I wasn't sure how it would go- if he would be overwhelmed with the people and dogs everywhere, or if he'd enjoy the trip. Turns out, he loved it! We picked him up fairly early Saturday, and headed out on the adventure!

It's hard for a nine-year-old to be surrounded by his favorite animal, and not reach out and pet every single dog that passes his way. Mason did an awesome job keeping his hands to himself and always asking before petting someone else's dog. Show dog show people (and dogs!) can be pretty uptight when every hair is exactly in place for the judge, and I didn't want anyone to get mad at us for mussing their dog's perfectly-groomed haircut. Turns out, I was needlessly nervous, and Mason found plenty of dogs to give hugs and kisses. His favorite, a pug puppy by the name of "Toad", I didn't get any pictures of, but it climbed into his lap and loved on him well. Mason was in heaven.

We met a friend's cocker spaniel, who wanted to play:



We got to see one of my friends showing her whippet Tiger. They got a first-place ribbon!


We got to meet her great dane Connor. Mason said "He's as big as me!"


This pup in need of wrinkle cream was roly-poly and too cute!


We went to another nearby building that was housing the obedience and rally trials, and ran into Josh's coworker and family. Their golden retriever Booger and his coworker's daughter took their turn at rally, and Mason thought they did awesome.


After Mason was tired of walking around, we went to his requested lunch stop- Macaroni Grill- and then to the Carmel library for some playtime before heading home. It was a full day! We had a great time hanging out with our nephew we don't get to see very often. One-on-one time is so valuable.

(Also, I love going to dog shows!)

Thankful, #2

Thankful for warm tea on cold days.

Thankful for the kindness of strangers.

Thankful for friends who pray for each other.

Thankful for willing hands ready to help with a last-minute project.

Thankful for lots of extra sleep last night.

Thankful, #1

Thankful for my husband, who got up early and drove me to work today in the snow.


Thankful for my friends who I get to see every week and have good, spiritual discussions with.


Thankful for my friends' kids, who curl up on my lap, or tug at my fingers wanting to go play.


Thankful for my newfound quiet time in the morning, a much-needed space for reading and prayer.

Thankful for food stocked in my freezer and pantry, so I've been able to avoid grocery shopping for quite a while.

I'm going to try to be more purposeful about being grateful for little things in my life. Here's a start.

GO BLUE!

We're going over to a friend's house to watch the Colts today. I'm ready. GO BLUE!

For years, I was not excited about living in Indiana. Winters especially made me wish cross country moving companies would come and pick up me and my stuff and whisk me off to somewhere warmer. More recently, though, in the last 5 years, I've started to learn to appreciate Indiana and (yes) the beauty in the landscape of corn and soybeans. It's taken me a while, but after living here for half my life, I can say I'm planted in Indiana and beginning to grow roots where I was sure I'd never settle. Also, I'm a Colts fan. It's Super Bowl time!

Off-center

In college, I went to a technology conference. Among other, more important things going on, one of the vendors at the conference was a Segway dealer, and people were lined up to try out these fascinating contraptions. I remember when the Segway was first featured on Good Morning America, and the speculation and excitement leading up to the device codenamed IT. Anyway, I like gadgets, so I wanted to give the Segway a try.

When I stepped up on the two-wheeled platform, the device leaned forward under me. I leaned back to compensate, and it moved backwards, too. To avoid falling off the back, I leaned forward again, and it rolled a tiny bit forward, again. I went back and forth like this for a while, leaning forward and back to keep my balance, and the machine stuttering and shuddering underneath me, matching my movements. Finally, the employee assisting me said "Stand still!" I thought I was trying to standing still- I wasn't trying to move, just trying to balance! It was the machine that kept moving! I had to consciously force myself to not compensate when I felt the Segway move underneath me. I stood straight, and stopped trying so hard to balance. Amazingly, the Segway immediately became still; the platform solid under my feet. Only when I got my footing by becoming still could I actually go anywhere, and drive the Segway by leaning forward in a controlled way.
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This is kind of how I feel right now. There's nothing wrong- I'm just a little off-center, and that prevents me from moving forward. I'm doing my best to keep my balance- but I'm not doing what I need to do to stay centered. Life's not particularly busy right now exactly; I just feel disorganized, I think. My life isn't like fast-paced PS3 games, nor do I want it to be. Things are pretty simple right now, but it's as if I'm maintaining Life right now, but not making much progress. Like on the Segway- I'm managing to stay on top of it, but not go anywhere. Until I make a conscious decision to Be Still.

That's really what I need- to Be Still. To live consciously, rather than just trying to keep my balance.

This is what I've been thinking about lately.


Mostly, I need to start spending more "Being Still" time- with God, or reading, or exercising- which isn't physically being still, but it clears my head. I'm wired to need time to reflect, maybe more than most- and it's not that I don't have the time, I've just not been taking the time. They're different. It's all about making a conscious choice to be still. I'm working on it.