who knew?

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cro1.htm

all this time i thought crocodile tears were the big, very sad kind. thanks lw for pointing out the semantical errorship of that last entry. and i'm pretty sure that semantical errorship is a phrase that i just made up, but i doubt there's a website to address it.

anyway, i found this information highly....informative. turns out, she didn't have "crocodile tears"at all; let me rephrase: ahem.

"Then I looked in the rearview mirror and saw ginormous tears cascading down her cheeks. These were the kind you might imagine streaming down the face of a bereaved animal that actually has the ability to produce tears. Her eyes were turning red and her bottom lip seemed as if it would surely reach the floor board."

hope everyone had a very merry Christmas today!

So Be Good for Goodness Sake

I've never used Santa Claus in parenting before, so I don't really know why I said it. I mean, we've just let the kids believe for as long as they want but have never, aside from the whole sitting in a lap and taking a picture thing, really encouraged or discouraged the whole idea. That is, until this week when evil took hold of me. Abby, our lone remaining believer in the jolly round guy, had been exhibiting quite a bit of what we affectionately call, "Abbitude". We were in the car, where all noises (especially whining) are magnified a hundred-fold. Anyway, I'd had enough. After all, we were already 5 whole days into Christmas break. Who can blame me? So I casually said something to the effect of, "Abby, Santa probably isn't even going to bring you anything because of all that complaining." Then I looked in the rearview mirror and saw crocodile tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, eyes turning red, and a bottom lip that was about to touch the floor board. Man. Well, I tried to patch that up but it only held for a little while because she broke down AGAIN at dinner. Clay said something about her needing to stop doing something, and there came the tears again. I asked her what was wrong and she barely choked out the words, "I don't want Santa Claus to bring me coral!"
"Coral?" I asked.
"Yes! (sobbing) That's what Santa brings to kids who are bad!"
It's so hard not to laugh in times like these. But it was no laughing matter to her. In fact, it took about 10 full minutes for C to console her and another five to explain that coral would actually be a nice gift. In the words of Junie B. Jones, wowie wow wow.

Book Review: Thanks to VB's recommendation, we've been reading the advent story, "Jotham's Journey" together since Thanksgiving. We've all loved it, so I'm suggesting it to everyone with elementary-aged or older kids to read in future years. Good stuff.

Amazing and Not So Much...

It turns out that Midland really is the hub of the universe. FBC has just hired a new worship leader. He's coming from Florida, but he and his wife grew up...that's right...in Midland. His dad was youth min. at Kelview back in the day. In fact, they're there right now, hopefully remembering to bring back a dozen sausage, egg, and cheese burritos from Jumburrito to earn my friendship. :-) Anyway, that makes 3 out of 6 FBC staff members whose testimony includes the phrase, "When I lived in Midland..." I, too, am flabbergasted.

Well, the Amazing Race has reached its conclusion this season. We were somewhat disappointed in it this time because all the people were so rude to one another. And it gives me no pleasure to see mean people winning 1 million dollars. They probably don't even tithe. But it was sort of predictable...all the meanness, I mean. Because it was the Family Edition, and how do you get teams of 4 family members to act nicely 24/7 in such conditions? I'm racking my brain and I can't think of any of you whose family wouldn't be painful to watch in a competitive, stressful environment like the Amazing Race. :-) NO offense; I'm sure you could say the same about us. But if we all ever do get together for an Amazing Race, I think it should definitely go through Midland....

Eight Thumbs Up

so everyone should go see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I'm saying it's the best movie of the entire year, even better than my other faves - Because of Winn Dixie, Cinderella Man, and Pride and Prejudice. and take your kids b/c they'll love it, too.

Holiday Musings

It's been a year. Here's some stuff I've missed lately:

going into Miss Caycie's and saying, "oooo, I like that" and then getting it the next day (hey, AL!)
C'view staff Christmas party and the sumo wrestler
having a personal photographer who chronicles our lives at no charge (hey, JB!)
Parker playground moms
Thanksgiving Around the Tables, except that last one was sad and then i got hives the next day
Home for the Holidays table with TS, VB, LW, and other Parker folk
Mornings at Oscars or Jumburrito (hey, SM!)
the c'view gym b/c it's the time of year I used to get to show SJ a thing or two on the bball court
Upward Bball
serving as AL's little servant girl at various holiday functions :-)
a little farther back, Christmas Eve after church - the Ash-bash.

You can all start to anxiously await the arrival of the Hopkins' Christmas letter. It's written, but has had to wait for metal chip in eye to clear, B's black eye and NOW big nose scrape to clear before adding a nice family photo. c'mon and admit it - you know you're excited.

do NOT try this at home, kids

We thought C had pink eye. Turns out he had a metal chip imbedded in his cornea. You see, sometimes when you're cutting the tops off fence posts and you don't wear safety goggles this can happen. Dr. JM let even let me have a look in the microscope and pointed out the circle of RUST that is still in C's eyeball. ewwwww. Doc says it should heal up with medicine and I sure hope so, b/c if not...he'll have to have it scraped off. double ewwwww.

Did you know that lipstick can go through the washer AND dryer and remain completely contained within the tube? At least with Clinique lipstick, I've found this to be true. The lipstick itself is ruined, but the clothes are clean and unblemished. However, I have NOT had similar luck with ballpoint pens. These tend to explode all over your clothes.

good times

well that was fun. here's the down-low:

*saw Dreamer with A while C&B watched Harry P
*saw Chicken Little with C's whole fam and celebrated M and H's birthdays
*played football
*ate turkey and lots of other good stuff with C's whole fam + the Ss
*played more football
*played cards til way too late/early (2 a.m.) with the Gs and Ss--what am I, 19?
*watched football
*watched C and TW finish the fence
*ate leftovers
*ate at Abuelo's and saw Pride and Prejudice with C, the fence guy and his wife. Have to say of the 3 movies I saw this week, P&P was my fave. and only 2 weeks to Narnia!
*facilitated SS discussion of M and the burning bush
*took a nap!

hope YOU had fun!

Turkey Day

Too much of a good thing is wonderful. - Mae West

With this in mind, C's 2005 reasons for thankfulness:
* Faithful Jesus, who illuminates every good thing with proper light
* A's public declaration of her trust in Him
* The friendship of my 39-year-old-but-still-hot husband
* A boy who admires his little sister but picks on her as big brothers are inclined to do
* A girl who adores her big brother but doesn't hesitate to kick him in the shin
* A mom and dad so lovable I'd let them retire on the back-forty.
* lots of family who don't live very far off anymore
* a job...i think i've mentioned this before...that i can do while wearing pajamas
* old friends - cell phones, email, Yahoo! Games, and a blog
* new friends - brunches, lunches, and dinners. movies, shopping, a day spa, a week in Abilene, Hand and Foot, a great house, girls' trip to The Woodlands, and a really, really, really large fence.

Of course there is a lot more stuff, but if I want to keep that job that I can do in pjs, I'd better get cracking today. I hope you have a wonderful week of family and/or friends, good food, and praise of the One who makes life worth celebrating. And since I can't sit at everyone's table on Thursday, I'll just go ahead and tell you: I love you. I'm thankful for you. And I hope the Aggies can somehow miraculously beat the Longhorns. Hullabaloo, everybody!

All My Peeps

Yay for the coldness that's coming today. I don't think that I mentioned it, but when I was in N'ville last week, it was the most perfect fall weather. 30's at night, mid-60's during the day...and so pretty! I also didn't mention the big fun that I had with writer-friends there. It is very cool to have friends who serve in ministry all over the country. I have writer buddies in Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Idaho, California, Virginia, Montana, Nebraska, Mississippi, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico, Vancouver, and other places that I can't think of right now. You should know that there are some incredible people writing Bible study curriculum; they exercise in daily life the truths with which they challenge others.

so how come y'all have been so slow on the comments lately? i see you're still visiting daily, but have been somewhat speechless (except for those of you who don't like to comment but who email your answers or tell me in person...i like that). how 'bout everybody comment me and tell me what you're doing for Thanksgiving.

you see, we BUILD to that

Thanksgiving coming up. I wonder if it will be 8o + degrees? Let's begin our preparations by contemplating the things we're NOT thankful for...

* e-tickets that don't divulge pertinent information (like which terminal you'll be departing from). yep, got there and had no clue. called clay-pot but the dfw site was down. of course, guessed wrong, causing unnecessary walking at both beginning and end of trip. argh.
* unseasonably hot weather
* rocks where there ought to be soil. makes fence post digging difficult for my hard-working honey-man.
* unidentifiable illnesses
* fantasy basketball players already injured, causing my team to hoover
* dust
* nasty HBO in my hotel room. unable to surf thru channels safely after a long day of work
* distance
* spam and SPAM
* movies that you expect to be good but end up being stupid and dumb
* dishrags that don't absorb water. i guess that's what they mean by linens 'n things
* memory loss
* having to wait until January for the season premiere of your most favorite show in the whole wide world
* Alias, season 5

p.s.

Great news & horrible news for my friends...Macy's lump is benign! She'll have surgery to take it out, but that should be the end of it. But Bobby's younger brother died in a car wreck Sunday night. Bobby told Clay on the phone today that this last week has been like a final exam when it comes to exercising faith. Keep praying for them.

Well, I'm off to N'ville tomorrow. Bummer, too, because I'll miss B's presentation as Walter Elias Disney in the school cafeteria Thursday night. :-(

Yea for video!

sometimes writing a title for this thing is just a chore

You know you're out of shape when....
every time you go to answer the phone the person on the other end says, "What are you doing? You sound like you're out of breath."

I think I've hit the treadmill one whole time since we moved in August (for various reasons such as illness, anters-play ort-way, and pure laziness). But I can still amaze the 9th grade boys with my man-like ability to heave the pigskin and spin a basketball on all 10 digits. So there.

We're building a fence. Usually when I say "we", I mean Clay. But last night Abby and I helped to set 8 or so posts. I think that Brandon is going to get in on the action tonight. And I would just like to say again, an acre is very big. Also, I must offer public thanks and appreciation to the Redwood guy for his expert hands-on help and advice.

No More Sickness

This week I've been busy writing discussion questions for FUEL (youth dvd curriculum). My book of study? REVELATION. It's been fun, actually; except for that one session that covers chapters 4-20. That one was a bit of overload. Anyway, I thought I'd give you some of the questions because you seem to have been uninspired to comment on my recent blogs. I don't blame you, really; I've been far too brief to expect banter.

Anyways...a sampling from the various lessons:
* Why wasn't it good enough that the church at Ephesus was hard–working and resisted sin? Why is love so important? What is your usual motivation to serve?
* Do you think that it is easier to stand strong under the persecution of an enemy or under worldly temptations? Why?
* What does it mean that Jesus is described as both a lion and a lamb? What does that mean to your life?
* Compare and contrast the judgment described in Revelation with the judgments that God pronounced in the times of Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Tower of Babel. What does this teach you about God?
* In what ways do people express pride in their hometowns? How can you express pride over the new hometown that awaits you?

so go ahead and ponder.

and while you're at it, pray for our little friend Macy A. in Midland. She has a mass on the back of her leg and has to have a biopsy on Monday. And pray for her mom and dad, Bobby and Josie, who have to endure the weekend after hearing the dr. drop words like chemotherapy and radiation after viewing Macy's MRI yesterday.

Recreation?

I almost had a "Meet the Parents" moment tonight in our last volleyball game when this guy spiked the ball with all his manly muscles directly at my head.

Church league volleyball is of the devil.

If only...

Clay and I just finished season 4 of Smallville on DVD, so I couldn't help but think last night that if the Astros had Clark Kent on their team they would have won that game.

Name Dropper, Part Deux

If I were a braggart :-), I might tell you that our friend who had the tickets for last night couldn't get the Diamond Club seats this time (yawn). It seems that he's a partner with EY and the team he oversees handles the Astros account. As such, he sits in the Diamond Club with Drayton from time to time. But sadly, they were forced to sit 21 rows up down the third base line. Still, Clay had a great time...everything except for the losing part, that is.

However, since I'm not really all that into boring you with such blatant and arrogant pretension, I'll tell you some other stories:
* Clay and D.N. found themselves across the aisle (same row, one section over) from my little bro and his wife. how cool is that?
* Brandon's 5th grade program at school is Thursday night. I thought I'd stir up some dinnertime conversation and asked him Monday night, "If your program were on Tuesday night instead of Thursday night, what do you think your dad would choose: the World Series or your impersonation of Ed Sullivan in "ROCK: The History of Rock 'n Roll". Hmmmmm?" He immediately and confidently explained that surely Clay would choose the program, because "Family is more important than sports." Good thing for Clay that Brandon still doesn't know any differently. But when I asked Brandon, "What if your dad was going to preach and your friends invited you to a Rockets/Mavs game that meant you'd have to miss church? What would you choose?" Brandon: "Well, I'm a kid. Of course I'd go to the game." And there ya' have it.
* The staff at church enjoys at least a weekly prank. So after hearing about our dinnertime conversation, they called Brandon's elementary school and asked LsS to have the principal send a bogus email, explaining that a District event has conflicted with Thursday night's program, which has now been rescheduled for Tuesday night. That was some funny stuff.

Gamer

Clay is going to game 3!

short version: guy from church calls and says, "I hear you're a big Astros fan. I have two tickets . Wanna go with me?" So being the great guy that he is, he called me (with what sounded a bit like trepidation--maybe a tiny fear that we'd have irreversible plans that he knew nothing about) and asked if it was ok with me. Of course, after asking the only question that really mattered: "How much?" and getting the answer that every wife loves to hear ("free"), I shared in his joy and gave my blessings upon his long-awaited mecca.

I think he might be more excited than he was on the day we married. :-)

You see, since he was but a wee lad, he has reserved a portion of his brain for the storage of thousands of useless Astros facts. He has since filled that part of his brain to overflowing. Yes, in 30-something years, he has loved his Astros, even when they would have been more aptly known as "Dis"astros. He has even chastised friends who were less than devout, climbing aboard and then down again this 43 year (or whatever) wagon.

Thanks to Nana, he's even already got the proper fan apparel - a League Champion t-shirt, hot off the racks. So, go Roy O. and the rest of the boys - Clay Hopkins will be in the stands!

lyrical thoughts

yea, Astros!

so i was driving this morning and thinking about your responses to the foresight vs. hindsight question. then this song came on the radio and it made me think about my own hindsight. so i thought i'd share because even though it's not where i am currently, it's where i have been before. It's by Mark Schultz and it's called "He Will Carry Me". Hindsight tells me that it is true. Foresight tells me that it will be true again.


And even though I’m walking
Through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Who’s love will comfort me
And when my hope is gone
And I’ve been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me

p.s. i love that i can go home, click a few buttons after hearing a song on the radio and have it on my computer for just $1, without having to buy the whole cd!

late night ramblings

Pujols. even though his name makes me laugh, i don't really like him...not one little bit.

birch.net - who ARE you? inquiring minds want to know.

p.s. everyone - feel free to comment on previous posts this time since i've gotten somewhat ahead of us all today.

game 5

GO 'STROS!

Name Dropper

An interesting little tidbit...while visiting with old friends in Orlando we found out that one of our youth workers from SOBC (who then worked as a stunt man at Universal) is now in California working on the set of Alias! (which, as you know, just so happens to be one of our fave shows.) Dave and his wife were (back in the day) very involved with the youth at our church and lived down the street from us. As we were leaving Orlando, Dave was headed overseas to work on The New Adventures of Robin Hood.
http://www.us.imdb.com/name/nm0605815/
Now, DM is the fight coordinator or stunt director or something for Alias and has won awards for his work on the show. I just found a picture of him with Michael Vartan on the web. very cool.

So besides all our theme park escapades, we spent some good time catching up with AK and her girls at the House of Blues. It was great to see them after so long! And thanks to TH (former youth) who set us up with tasty appetizers. Plus, we went out to our former pastor's ranch...L Bar J. You see, he married L Candler, as in Asa Candler who invented Coca-Cola. He was her great granddaddy, so they have lots and lots of land in FL. They've sold most of it to Disney for a wildlife preserve, but J and L still have 500 acres right off the preserve. Abby got to ride a horse and both kids got to drive a jeep. That was both encouraging and frightening, because Brandon drove it very well and responsibly and Abby drove like a bat out of Miami.

I couldn't help but notice, though, how different I am now than I was when I lived there. and this fact reminds me of a question that I'm thinking of including in some adult curriculum I'm working on. let's try it out on you- Which is better: foresight or hindsight? Why?

Roots

This has been perhaps my most distracted week ever. I don't know why I thought I might be able to have a productive writing week between Hi-Def and the rapidly approaching departure to Orlando; silly, silly girl.

We leave in 2 days for a week-long vacation. yea! Abby (poor girl) has had to endure 6 years of knowledge that her brother has embraced the Mouse (and has pictures to prove it) while she has not. So you can look for that picture of redemption next week, if I can spare a few moments for the Internet cafe' at the very cool place we're staying. Brandon, though, is looking foward to getting back to his roots, his Orlando birthplace being an interesting and unique fact amongst his friends. We'll worship with old friends Sunday morning at SOBC, then spend the rest of our days hitting the parks: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, MGM, Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios. thank goodness my kindly physician on the 2nd floor fitted me with some shoe inserts that I might not endure week-long pain and suffering.

so now i'm going to try and salvage one whole day for writing purposes. have a fabulous week yourselves: live, laugh, love, and all that other stuff...

Life in Hi Def

So this weekend I was a small group leader for 11-12 grade girls during our D'Now thingy that we call Hi Def. It was great. I didn't get my required amounts of sleep, but no matter...it was good to get to know some girls I'd only really been acquaintanced with previously. Plus, I still love youthy speakers and worship peeps, for myself, that is. And then on top of that, Nathan, Josh, Sharon, Aaron, and Rowdy all came in to help lead and it's a blast to see former students serving God like that and being all leadery and stuff. With so many students, mostly you don't get to see long-term results. So you can see why the weekend was particularly sweet.

plus, I'm pretty good at matchmaking. i think that i could probably make a living at it. but I think that's all I can say about that.

I don't think that I can do another fireworks show now that I've experienced the one the Rangers put on 3 times this year. It's just the longest, bestest, coolest show ever. And it was especially fun to watch SA clap like a toddler each time they surprised us with those six simulataneous blasts off to each side of the main show. Oh yeah, Aaron's whole family, including Lolly and her chicken?, came for the game. Good times.

This morning I finished up one-fifth of an assignment and so I'm resting in the momentary satisfaction. Mainly because with one sentence left to write, my computer went NUTS on me and it took me a good 30 minutes to rectify. It wouldn't let me type lowercase and I had one of those "throw it out the window" moments that I've only heard about before now. but now it's ok because I finished (in lower case, yea!) and I learned a whole lot about all the stuff it says in Hebrews 11 - 12:2 in high definition.

In 5 days we'll be in Orlando with all our Wooldridges. wouldn't it be great if i could walk normally by then?

Thanks, and Gig 'em

and this, friends, is what helps ME to not feel so inept. ~Proud Member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '91
WHOOP!

You see, socks are our friends...

I just saw that I have 27 hits today on my blog and that pretty much must be everyone I know, so I figure that you'd like to read something new? But I'm feeling sort of melancholy tonight. Maybe pensive is a better word, or contemplative (there are your words for the week). I'm not really sure why, except that in my research for a lesson on faith that I'm going to be writing this week I came across some statistics that are sort of shocking. I know, I know...27 people didn't come to my blog today to read some depressing statistic, but it's all I've got right now. So anyway, I read that
* "88% of children raised in evangelical homes leave church at the age of 18, never to return." - Southern Baptist Council on Family Life, 2002. Now I don't know how true that number really is; I've heard they're coming out with a new one soon. I do tend to think it's possible, though, because it happens in youth groups before 18. I'm thinking it's more like 16 years old for a lot of people. But then I read this, too...

* As a result of a different study, "Barna suggested that many Americans may have fallen in love with faith rather than the object of their faith. 'It's much less demanding to be devoted to the idea of faith than to invest yourself in a true relationship with the living God. The data raise the question of just what people have become infatuated with: the idea of being a person of faith or the reality of having an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.'"

so you can see why I'm leaning toward thoughtfulness rather than playfulness at the moment.

You will, perhaps, be entertained to know that I've been limping around for the last 6 days. I wasn't even able to play volleyball Saturday night, as the hole in my heel screams at me with every step. And I must look funny, too, since our Family Counselor (not our family counselor, but our church's paid staff person--if we needed one do you think I'd blog about it? :-) ) told me that I had toilet paper hanging from my foot last night after church. "It's gauze," I explained. And you know, it's difficult to actually say it in pig latin when people ask you what's wrong. I wish I could just say, "Read the blog." But, no, I have to come out with it. Although, I have learned that virtually everyone I tell has had their own anters-play ort-way at some point along the way. Strangely comforting for me, though perhaps scary for you. Wear socks, people. If we all work together we can stop this crazy epidemic.

Think of me Wednesday as I attempt to hop back up those stairs to the wacky foot doctor on the 2nd floor. And pray for more important things, like all the people out there who only think they have a clue.

ig-pay atin-lay

This morning I had to go to the thriving metropolis of Waxahachie to visit the foot doctor. I know this may not be good decorum to mention, but it must be told since the rest of the story is so stinking hilarious. I had to have an......anters-play ort-way removed. It was very large and I currently have a 17 mm x 11 mm hole in the heel of my right foot. But on to the real point of the story. First, my friend and I arrived (thank you who feared for my driving ability once the surgical procedure was accomplished) to find the foot specialist perched atop a two story building. This begs the first question: Why in the world would a foot doctor locate his practice on the 2nd floor, where pained podiatric patients must climb up and down with each visit? [the p's are for those of you who enjoy good alliteration every now and again]

Nevertheless, up we went. I was a very brave girl and didn't budge as he numbed said heel with an extraordinarily long needle. Now, I do ok with needles and watched the whole procedure calmly from leg-length distance. But it was just too much when he brought the thing over for me to see. I can't even say the phrase without using pig latin; I definitely didn't need an up-close view. Anyway, once my foot was cauterized and wrapped up, the dr. tells me to hang on to the thing. You see, usually they send them off for biopsy. He didn't think it was necessary since mine was so obviously an anters-play ort-way, but "let's hang on to it just in case." So he hands me the vial in which it has been placed for safe keeping and says, "Just don't take it out."

WHAT??? Is that a temptation to some people? Am I missing out on something great by not even thinking of such things?

And back down the stairs we went, vile vial in hand.

Afterwards, we headed to Wal Mart, lunch, and then to pick up my sleepy-time medicine for when my foot hurts later. (Yes, I know that sentence was, in fact, banal.) During our little outing, my friend made this statement: "When I hang around with you, I don't feel so inept." I'm thinking that wasn't really a compliment; what say you? :-)

I know that many of you, like me, are watching Rita develop and take its course toward Texas. I found an interesting weather-blog-site thingy that I thought I'd share with you, because this blog is not intended for entertainment value only; sometimes I like to inform.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/SteveGregory/show.html

That's So Cliche'

Alias is moving to Thursday nights this fall, in case you didn't already know that. Thankfully, this year we don't have to wait until January for BOTH our shows to kick-off, only 24. Although, 24 is by far the more favored of the two, so it's still a little bit sad. Plus, Vaughn won't be on Alias and that whole fiery ball thing last season was kinda weird, so I'm not expecting great things. But...back to 24...I did a little searching today and found that Tony will return to 24, as will Chloe. And Sean Astin will join them this season--forget Lord of the Rings, how can you NOT like Sean Astin after The Goonies and Rudy? If you're interested (and I know you are) you can find out a little more (it's all very hush hush) about the 5th worst day of Jack's life at www.24spoilers.tvheaven.com So we have all that to look forward to on January 8-9, 2006.

Have I mentioned that we're wireless here at the heezy? If it weren't 101 degrees today, I could be sitting on the back porch typing this blog on Clay's laptop. That's right...the back porch. So when you come to visit me, bring yours so that you can enjoy the miracle that is the wireless router (I don't really know what that is, but it sure is neato).

Speaking of the house, it is fully broken in. Last Sunday, 12th graders came over for lunch. Yesterday, RC, his girlfriend J, and the S Family came over to enjoy some Fightin' Texas Aggie football and steaks. Today, the 7th grade SS dept. landed at 4430 Teresa Trail after church for some hot diggity dogs. Good times.

So I know that you're all dying to know how the second volleyball match went last night. And I'd just like to say:
It doesn't matter if you win or lose, but how you play the game.
Everyone is a winner.
Just get out there and have fun.
If at first (or second) you don't succeed, try, try again.
We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time.

and so have I just now. goodbye.

Blogger Decorum

It's funny to me that I keep getting verbal blog topic suggestions from some of you who never brave the comment page. Perhaps I should hold that over you head; start posting comments and maybe I'll address your blog idea. That, or go get your own blog and I'll come read it and post comments, because I try to practice good decorum in blogosphere like that.

Well I have officially been a full-time writer for two days now. After spending the last couple of weeks attending conferences where I'm given projects, help brainstorm ideas, and am instructed in the finer points of curriculum writing, I'm now spending regular work-day hours in the blue room. My friend SJ has been boasting of the incredible facilities at USAA where she now works in San Antonio. While I don't have a Chick-fil-A, corporate Wendy's or Starbucks at my workplace, I do enjoy the fact that I can do my work in my pajamas, if I so choose. And it's no fancy fitness center, per say, but I can jump on the treadmill (still in my pajamas) or jump on my bicycle for a ride (although I'd probably have to get dressed for that one). As with blogging, it is important to practice good decorum in view of the neighborhood.

Don't you love it when a blog comes full-circle like that into a neat, tidy little ending? I believe that's 2 almost in a row.

Bump, Set, Spike

Good point, TW. Last night Clay and I ventured back into the world of church league recreation after, if memory serves correctly, a 10 year hiaitus. The bad news is that our volleyball team got schooled. Not once, not twice, but three times we were dominated. While I won't say that we were the Bad News Bears version of church-league volleyball, I will admit that we're....not good. But there is sunshine over the horizon. The team that we played was a well-oiled machine. They were the Bulls of the 90's playing against a lowly expansion team. That's good news because we did improve in each of the 3 games. I can even smell victory on the horizon. And the best news is that my shoulder (after serving over-handed 4 times) feels just fine! Only one of those serves actually landed in the court of play, but that's not the point. In addition, my cat-like reflexes at times impressed even me. :-) Go FBC!

Tonight at the big youth party for new-to-Midlothian students, I got in the boxing ring with Clay. We put on headgear and these gigantic boxing gloves that had to weigh about 15 lbs. apiece. Anyway, I'd just like to say that I highly recommend that sort of activity~perhaps at a marriage enrichment retreat or something, I don't know, but that's some good therapy. :-)

At the risk of sounding like a website for Celiac support, I'd like to report that I have discovered some DELICIOUS wheat/gluten-free cookies. They're more expensive than gasoline, however, so I must pace myself. Fortunately, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups also satisfy the occasional chocolate craving. Well, now that you've got me thinking about dessert...later!

The Day That Cynthia Got Her Internet Back

The blessed day of Internet connection was today. Good thing, too, because bills needed to be paid and a blog needed to be typed. I almost hugged the young man who came to install it this morning, but that probably wouldn't have been appropriate. Actually, I've been so busy the last 2 weeks that I haven't had time to bemoan the absence of the worldwide web (You know, I don't think I've ever used the word "bemoan" in a sentence before). We got moved in on the 26th, the kids started school on the 29th, and I went to writers' conference on the 31st. Clay had Rapid Rewards to use or lose by next month, so he went with me this time. The days were for conferencing with LifeWay peeps, but we did get to do some fun stuff in the evenings. S&DP moved to N'ville this summer, so we had dinner with them at the Aquarium one night and the next, Clay and I walked over to the Coliseum to watch the Titans play the Packers. A public thank you to my mom who stayed here with the kids while we were gone. It was all a very nice little diversion from boxes. But now I'm finding myself here at the house, not wanting to go or do anything during school hours because solitude is a precious treasure. I do have lots of work on my hands (literally, as writing assignments are the theme of my fall), but it's quiet, thinking work-- and that's an enjoyable kind, even when it seems there is no end. This leads me to believe that a healthy work environment is essential to the emotional well-being of the worker. Even though I am as busy as a bee and heading to Dallas for another conference on Monday, I feel no pressure or stress. Perhaps you should paint your office blue, as mine now is.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I live in the boonies. It's ok, though, because there are LOTS of other people who live in the boonies with me on their acre or whatever, and we have nice neighborhood streets and trails and Air Canopy for Internet, which allows me to connect to the world really, really fast. Now we've come full circle, and so I guess I'm finished for today. :-)

I like 10

quotes of the day:

At Meet the Teacher tonight, Brandon discovered that practically ALL his buddies got put in his class at school this year AND he got the teacher he wanted. But we were reminded that another class will have to be added because there are 30 kids in each class. Brandon said, "Mom, are you going to be the new 5th grade teacher?"
Me - "No. "
Brandon - "Oh. Because if you were, I'd let them move me out of that class so I could be in yours."

I think I'm going to raise his allowance.

Abby at dinner: "Brandon, now when does the future start?"
Brandon: "2035."

So if you don't know it, we're moving this weekend. Drawers are already lined (thanks LDW) and a load has already been taken over. So this is my last blog for awhile, but I'll catch you on the flip side.

Random Thoughts

It seems there's a very good reason that bread is made with wheat.

Cowboy hats and flip flops are a strange combination.

It's almost as if I can actually feel myself getting skinnier.

August 29 is too late for school to start.

If you can't eat Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing or if you're having me over for dinner, Newman's Own is pretty good.

I never once thought I'd live in a neighborhood were a wild boar had been spotted nearby.

I think that even I could be a doctor if I just excused myself and went to my office to read my medical book each time a patient came to visit me.

I still love my wireless keyboard and mouse and chair massager (but the chair massager does have some pesky wires).

August 29 is too late for school to start.

I wonder where I packed their school supplies?

Sometimes there's a feeling of pressure to blog, even when one has very little to say.

purposeful silence

oh I get it...no one is commenting because you're all pretending to be very, very busy until AFTER we move.

nice.

But don't worry~I wasn't REALLY expecting you to come help. :-)

Glass Half-Full

Well the party was a success. Fun was had by all, and the boys were even asleep by midnight! They were all so tired that they voluntarily turned off Star Wars Episode 1 that we put on after they got situated for the night around 11:30. That's my top secret plan for every sleepover..."everyone get your pjs on, brush teeth and get in 'bed' and you can watch a movie." They think I'm the greatest b/c they're thinking they get to stay up really, really late. But almost every single time, they fall asleep before the movie is over. It's a win-win proposition.

I think that the gluten free diet just might make me rich. You might not be aware, but in Midland I developed this habit of picking up lunch or breakfast quite regularly. Now, I've got my fun money that I'm allotted each pay period and there's nothing really to spend it on except the beloved fountain coke, which I can get for only 75 cents during Happy Hour at Chicken Express each day if I want to. As it stands now, I'm enjoying tasty Delimex Chicken Taquitos for lunch in my own kitchen most days, at a fraction of the cost of a trip to Chick-fil-A. So you see, my glass continues to be half-full.

T minus one week til closing. For anyone just looking for something to do, we'll be transporting all our worldly possessions to the new homestead at the end of next week. You're welcome to come join us! :-)

Ten

As of today, Brandon is an entire decade old. To celebrate, he's in the living room watching the Star Wars Trilogy, a much anticipated gift. Tonight we're taking him and some friends to Ennis to a new drive-in theater they have there to see Sky High and eat hot dogs, popcorn, and birthday cake (although I'll be having nachos, popcorn, and perhaps a Rice Krispie treat. See, it's really not that bad!) Then the boys are going to spend the night here, ending the festivities in the morning over donuts and milk (again, Rice Krispies or a yummy omelette for me). It's all a very exciting plan for a ten-year-old, and his 6 year old sister as well.

It seems a little strange that he's 10, even though his friends have all passed that marker already. I began to have some thoughts about the next decade of his life and had to just shake that out of my head because it's too boggling for sure. The next ten years is when the boy becomes a man....a thought that is frightening and joyful all at the same time for the one blessed to call him son.

But before we get too deep in thought, some relief:

* "Mom, I'm going to get to live in the future!" - Abby, with eyes gleaming after reading this month's Natl. Geographic for Kids with some ideas about what the future will be like with hover crafts and things like that

* "It's sparkling!" - Abby, yesterday in the car after noticing the drops of rain on the windshield

No Gluten, Please

After a horrible flare up last week of whatever it is that I have, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. With the knowledge of my own medical history and a day on the internet, I'm going on a self-imposed gluten free diet. Gluten, in case you're not aware, includes wheat, barley, rye, and oats. These 4 things are apparently found in most EVERYTHING we eat, so this diet is a challenge, to say the least. But I am encouraged, even positive, because if my problem is indeed gluten intolerance, then that explains pretty much all my weird medical oddities over the last several years. The condition is called Celiac and is cured by a gluten-free diet. So if I can stick with it, I should get all better.

Plus, I was on a gf diet during childhood, because I was diagnosed with Celiac at 2. We thought I had outgrown it, because I can eat all that stuff with little to no abdominal symptoms. But it seems that you can have it without those. So here we are, Rice Krispies are my friend and popcorn and white corn tostitos. I have found that I must focus on all the wonderful foods that I can eat, instead of the long list of things that I cannot. Otherwise, I might find myself in a world of discontent, like the Israelites who complained about their daily manna. But, I must admit, I am somewhat saddened over the loss of flour tortillas and the chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A. Although, I did have a tasty grilled chicken salad there the other day with tortilla strips on top and it was quite delicious. And I shall make Outback Steakhouse my new favorite nice place to eat out, since they provide a lengthy menu with gf choices, even putting the "GF" on the menu beside those menu items.

This really summarizes my last week, which is why I had nothing else to blog except that it was very, very hot. Because I itched, I researched Celiac, and I made trips to the grocery store to buy gluten free items. In the evenings, we swam, played 2 on 2 basketball in the driveway, and drove out to the house...which is ALMOST finished. We're closing next week!

hotter than Sheol

and oh yes, NOW i remember humidity.

Changes

Operation Bore-Them-to-Tears isn't really working out the way I had planned. B & A, it turns out, are best friends in disguise. They thoroughly enjoy their time together, laughing hysterically about things no one else finds funny (like me). When forced to be together for extended periods of time, they usually enter some imaginary world, becoming characters in places far, far away. When they remain themselves, they still manage to enter an imaginary world where bodily noises are completely acceptable and, apparently, the highest form of comedy known to man. somebody please help me.

Just kidding (about the needing help part). We've had a great summer together and I LOVE the way they enjoy one another. I will miss them when school starts!

We're beginning to box the things we unpacked back in December, looking forward to moving into the new house in a couple of weeks. Yea! And we don't even have to take Oscar with us--in case you didn't notice, he sold!

Bible study update: I'm not doing the patriarchs study, since I'm apparently not old enough. :-)That, and we've cut back our Wednesday night schedule in preparation for the big move to the new campus in January. The B. Moore videos are too long for the allotted time, so we've ordered Priscilla Shirer's "He Speaks to Me", with videos only 30 minutes long each! Just for a point of reference, she's Tony Evans' daughter. It looks really good; I'll let you know more if you're interested.

Gotta go pack...

What a Deal!

a little disappointed that that last post only elicited 2 comments, because that was stinking funny, if I do say so myself. but I'm working through it...

Despite my evil plan to bore the children to tears during the month of August in order that they might joyfully embrace the start of school at the end of the month, we took a trip to Six Flags yesterday. Those awful reading programs that encourage kids to write down their hours during the school year (a minimal standard, by the way, that any child who reads even a little bit can easily accomplish over the assigned lengthy course of time) left us with two free passes that were about to expire this Sunday. So, after Clay left work yesterday, off we went. My only solace was that he also had a free ticket, a gift for "group" leaders, such as ministers to youth. We only had to pay for one ticket (mine), and even that was at a well-discounted rate. Still, after $9 parking, and $36 for an exquisite dinner of chicken strips, fries, a chili cheese dog, a burger, and 4 drinks, the 6-hour adventure cost us ONLY $70! Wow--what a deal. (I know it's hard to detect sarcasm in the written word, so I'll just go ahead and let you know that last statement had lots of it.)

Actually, we did have a good time. It was overcast so we weren't dying of heat and not many of the lines were that long...except, strangely, for the Antique Cars which gave Abby and me a 30 minute wait while Clay and Brandon rode the Texas Giant next door. But all was not lost; I wore my Super Summer t-shirt that says, "Don't Waste Your Life", so those people who cut in front of us at the beginning had something deep and meaningful to consider all 8 times they passed beside us in the snake-like line. Because what else do you do in those lines besides tell your kids to get down off the rails to move ahead every 2 feet and contemplate the t-shirt profundities of every passerby? Unless you are a teenager, of course, in which case you would be looking for your soulmate, I suppose.

Now you know why we chose October for our Disney World vacation. Of the Big 3 Reasons Not to Go (long lines, heat, and overpriced food), we'll only have to work around one....and thanks to mom and dad, we'll have a nice big house with a nice big kitchen in which to eat as many nice big meals as we so choose.

I Love Trash (Apparently)

With Super Summer each year comes attention to a theme. As Dean of Khaki School this year, Clay's focus was on trash. And, once decorated, their room looked incredible, I must admit. His team of leaders put together a room that looked like the inside of a garbage can. No inch of the walls or even ceiling, it seemed, was left uncovered by wadded up newspapers, fast food wrappers, soda cans, and other common forms of refuse. Clay's part, in addition to saving newspapers for months in the garage, was to track down a stuffed Oscar the Grouch, which was placed in a silver metal trashcan as the centerpiece for Khaki's meeting room.

Why am I telling you this now? Because once again, after Super Summer ends it becomes MY job to resell Clay's nifty purchase on eBay. With no hope of reclaiming the $25 he spent on the 19" adorable Oscar the Grouch, I am currently watching a 2nd listing (he got zero bids the first go-round) and wishing only that some Oscar freak will decide to search him out and at least offer my starting price of $6.99.

It reminds me of the year of Green School. His theme was "Field of Greens" and he built an entire putting green. To dress in character, he bought green golf pants, a plaid hat, and a green golf vest with the Master's logo on the chest. I can't remember how much that one cost, but it is still in his closet, unsold afterward on eBay because apparently everyone who would wear one of those vests already has it. Or has burned it in the trash....hey...maybe he could have used that vest THIS year....

Oh, don't worry. I asked for his permission to spin this tale.

SJ called a couple of nights ago from Safeco field in Seattle. She wanted to ask Clay if he'd like her to buy him some Ichiro bobblehead dolls. He replied, "Two more ought to take care of college for Abby." And that was a very funny joke, too, because we (and when I say we, I really mean he) bought not one, but TWO when we were there at Safeco during Ichiro's rookie-of-the-year season in 2001, I think it was. It seemed perfectly natural that an Ichiro bobblehead was going to demand 4x the amount paid once listed on eBay...we were smack dab in the middle of bobblehead mania and Ichiro was becoming a star. But, alas, the bobblehead purchase never worked out in our favor. Last time I checked, the same bobblehead couldn't even get a $1 bid. It seems there was an Ichiro bobblehead glut or something.

But I believe that those are our four worst purchases ever, except for some clothes that Clay claims are in my closet and haven't been worn more than once. So I guess I'll just watch for Oscar movement this week, and if someone decides to buy him, maybe I'll just throw in an Ichiro bobblehead doll.


p.s. If you're wondering, I changed my template for a simple reason....because I can. but I don't know why it deleted that last post, "Be thankful in everything, and all that stuff". If you missed it, sorry. but no big, because it wasn't even all that good. Check out my new links (top right)...eventually, if I can really get it together, maybe I can send you to a picture or two.

Saving Brain Cells

I suppose I'm a bit tardy in telling you that the kids and I did not go with Clay on the mission trip this week. Maybe you thought I was there and that's why we've gone a week with no blog post. Instead, the reason is more complex than that. Brandon has been uninjured. Abby and two cousins have been underfoot. Clay has been unavailable. In short, the week has been uneventful and I have been uninspired. Or perhaps I'm simply just trying to store up all possibilities of brilliant thought for the 5 writing assignments I have this fall. :-) I think we'll all agree that I need all the help I can get....perhaps I should have begun storing up months ago! :-) I AM excited about those opportunities: 2 adult curriculum projects (Life Values and Quick Source), 1 new youth piece called "sixty-six", a FUEL (dvd-driven curriculum) assignment, and high school's "Life f(x)", because they've done away with the Family Bible Study piece. So if your church uses any of that stuff...check it out! It's both funny and wonderful how over the last few years, whenever I've tossed around the idea of going back to teach school, God answers me loudly with writing and speaking opportunities, which are what I really love to do anyway. So I'll sit in this chair as long as He wants, continually thankful for His activity in my life!

I'll also be leading a ladies' Bible study (Beth M.'s new patriarchs study) on Wednesday nights at church and will direct the high school Sunday School department. We're going to use Fuel, and I'll get to do some large group teaching on weeks we decide to take a break from the dvd presentation. Thanks to you who have kept asking me about when and how I'm going to jump in and get going here at FBC Midlothian.

Back to mission trip~all reports from Clayton are good. He's having a great time and wishes you and I were there. Shout outs to my elder friends who are having birthdays this week and next---SA, AL, and LDW---it's so nice of y'all to break in those bigger numbers way before I have to think about it myself. You're so considerate! :-) love ya'~

Wear a WHAT???

Have you ever looked at a word and your brain just can't seem to decode it correctly? It happens to me from time to time, so I'm hoping I'm not alone in this. On Monday night the kids brought 3 friends to VBS. So I was busy registering them and when it came time to check off which craft class they would choose for the week, I read them off...."Gliders", "Scrapbooking", or "Wear a Bleee-art...wear a blurt...(then loudly and with foolish confidence) Wear a Blurt. I don't know what that is, so you might not want to choose that one." After I got them all situated and was walking down the hall my brain finally decided to kick into gear and it made my mouth say the words correctly aloud, "Wearable Art!!! It's wearable art!" Wow. But in my defense, the words on the card were printed as one word like this: wearableart. So you can see how such a mistake could be made.

Well the house is looking fantastic. Cabinets are in, trim work is complete and the bricking should be finished up later today. Tomorrow we go to pick out fixtures and stuff and then I think we'll be done with all our choices (except for landscaping, of course, which will be a long, costly, and arduous adventure spanning the next several years.) Next week, they'll paint. So our August move in is looking more and more do-able. Isn't that nice how I hyphenated that word for you so as not to confuse your brain?

Went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today. Say what you will about Mr. Depp, but he's exceptional at playing odd characters. I was a big fan of the first adaptation--Willy Wonka--but this one had some pretty funny stuff added in and I didn't have to sit through Granpa Joe and Charlie singing two painfully awful songs. And those Oompa-Loompas are dark brown, it turns out, instead of reddish-orange like those first movie-makers tried to make us think. I, for one, was strangely relieved.

Brandon's stitches are out and his face looks mostly normal again. Case of the mad terrier attack closed. Welcome Week (alternative to VBS for incoming 7th graders) is going swimmingly. Hope you're all having a fabulous week as well. Later.

A Very Super Summer

Upon further review, I think that maybe our lives are just eventful...and that's the reason some fun things happen to us. Because in addition to the neat stuff, we seem to have quite a list of the other kind. Take this week, for example. While Clay and I were at Super Summer in Abilene, the kids went to Midland for the week. Brandon (who I'm beginning to think should perhaps be kept under lock and key for awhile) managed to get bitten in the face by a dog. He and his friend, P, had gone to a neighbor's house to feed the precious little Terrier. Said dog was already in turmoil because his owners were away on vacation and remodeling was going on in the house. Then along came the two well-intentioned preteeners. Trying to make friends with the upset dog, Brandon reached down to pet him and came up with a hole in his lip. The result? 4 stitches and a way swollen face.

Other than that, the week was a success. The kids had fun, Super Summer was...well, super, and I was even able to fit in some Midland time myself. The marketing job was fun, especially rolling around campus on our official marketing golf cart. I worked like a dog, though (and hung in there quite well, I must say--a question before the trip since I haven't exerted that much energy in at least the last 5 years). It was lots of fun to see the students (FBC and Crestview) at recreation and throughout the day in their Bible study and family groups, and the worship times were especially meaningful. Let's see, oh yes...food! Though the Hardin Simmons cafeteria was available to me every day, LDW and I snuck off no less than 4 times to eat at Rosa's. And since I had not yet met my Mexican food saturation point, I topped off the week with one last visit in Midland on Saturday. Excessive? Yes, but tasty and thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.

So now we've arrived home and jumped right into Vacation Bible School. It's in the evenings, though, so I think we'll be able to get some r&r during the daytime this week. On Saturday, we're supposed to be leaving for Harlingen for the high school mission trip. We've got a group who is supposed to go over to Matamoros to do construction while the rest of us do soccer camp and other stuff through Buckner in Harlingen. It may end up being hurricane clean up, though, in which case the kids and I will stay here.

I think that should catch you up on life here (at least for the next day or two...)

An Aggie Couple in London

Just a few moments before I attempt a pleasant night's rest on the eve of my first trip to Super Summer to spend the week slaving away in the Wienie Wagon...thought you might be interested in reading our London friend's account of events this week.

http://wandsworthdiaries.blogspot.com

"Bueller...Bueller...Bueller..."

I guess it's really true, CG. All the cool stuff DOES happen to us. Last night we got to go to an Astros game at Minute Maid Park, compliments of Dad's workplace. We were down on the field level, 24 rows up a little way past first base. We got there way early because it was Clay's vacation and he's a huge fan. The kids and I left him to watch batting practice and headed (only a couple of sections over) to the kids' area, "Squeeze Play". As we walked up, a media girl was there to inquire whether Brandon or Abby would like to be video-taped demonstrating the games. Since Abby had her big TV moment last week, I figured it was Brandon's turn. The camera guy filmed him looking cute and waving hello, racing the giant mechanical bball player at "Home Plate Stretch", whacking water drops coming up from the "plate" at "Splatter Up" and throwing pitches into the giant catcher's glove at "Strike Zone". Oh, and he got a free hat.

Then we, with Clay, purchased signable souveneirs for the kids so they could stand along the first base side of the field to see if they could score some autographs. As they stoood there waiting, we had a front row view of Brandon, complete with first and last name, on the Jumbotron as promised. And before the National Anthem was even sung, Brandon was the proud new owner of a ball signed by Morgan Ensberg and Brad Ausmus, and Abby proudly toted a pink Astros bat signed by them as well. The only thing that could have made our Ferris Bueller moment more Bueller-like would have been for one of those foul balls to land softly in Abby's nachos like she was hoping. But she was content with her new bright yellow Squeeze Play hat that Brandon gave her (even wearing it loosely "in case my head grows during the game") and Brandon was happy for more obvious reasons. Later, we took them back to Squeeze Play when the game was well in hand for the 'stros because at Minute Maid, it may cost $7 for a bowl of melted cheese on tortilla chiops, but those kids' games are free for everyone.

Next stop on the summer tour: Super Summer in Abilene for Clay and me and a much-awaited return to Midland for the kids. As sands through the hour glass....

Paluxy Blues

today i don't think i'll use capitals b/c it hurts to type. this is a labor of love. we (kids & me) went with some friends today over to glen rose to dinosaur valley state park. it's a nice big park that strides the paluxy river. very pretty, but some of you may already know i'm not a river kind of girl. there were lots of slippery rocks that i fell upon (i think i slipped onto my rear 8 times, but i may have lost track) and, on one such occasion, tore a hunk of skin off tall man on my right hand. i don't think anyone else fell as hard or as often as i did, so i'm not sure if i had slippery soles or if i am just becoming highly uncoordinated. either way, i felt dumb. brandon had a blast, of course, but i'm hoping the trip will last him awhile because i don't think my body can take that abuse again. and do you know how often you type keystrokes with the tall man on your right hand? a lot, i tell you. but now i am home and smelling like a city girl once again. also, i'm very thankful for my homedics foot bath/massager and my homedics chair massager, too. both are doing a fabulous job right this moment as we blog. and don't hate me because i'm soft.

well, abby has officially broken her thumb-sucking habit. yay, abster! she's been off the thumb one whole month, so we don't think we have to worry anymore about her sucking it during her graduation ceremony in 2017.

the heezy is coming along nicely. looking to get in it mid-august still. sheetrock is up now. hopefully we'll get bricked next week. whoop!

Almost Famous

Well that was kind of cool, but I hope it wasn't our 15 minutes of fame, because it really only lasted about 15 seconds. At the Rangers game tonight (Midlothian Stars softball team...remember?), the little roving reporter guy came up and interviewed a girl on the team and Clay, Abby and I were on TV. Not the jumbotron tv, but the real tv...the one in your living room. Too bad if you missed it, because that just makes my 15 seconds of fame even more pitiful. I'll be sure to let you know, though, when the commercial that Abby's team is in airs.

Really, the kids and I spent most of the day at the ballpark, because the kids had a little church field-trip thingy there this morning where we got a tour of it. They got to sit in the dugout, go through the press box and other cool stuff. Brandon loved it, but Abby thought it was "boring". Either way, they both had a memorable summer's day. I think tomorrow will be more restful than memorable. In the words of JA, I sho' tired!

Last night was very nice. 15 people got baptized and lots of people from church were there for the big event. Clay baptized Abby and it was as tender a moment as I remember when he baptized Brandon. Then we had hot dogs and all the kids swam and jumped off the diving board to their little heart's content. Good stuff...I'm looking forward to doing it again in August! [great big yawn] Goodnight.

A.E.H. and her very big day

So Abby was reading the kids calendar from church about fun summertime events that is posted on our fridge. She read that this Sunday night we're having a pool baptism at the W's and said to me, "Um, mom, we're having a pool baptism and we need to talk about that." Remember...I told you she prayed to become a Christian in December? Anyway, we HAVE had that talk and she is getting baptized at said date and location. She is soooooooooo excited about it~can't stop thinking/talking about it and reminds everyone she sees. Which is very cool and sets my mind at ease about her being able to remember the event later on. It is a huge deal to her, so I'm thinking it will be firmly entrenched in her mind for years to come. And I'm not even going to try to not cry. because that's just silly. I'm getting teary just blogging about it.

So have a happy weekend. I know I will. :-)

Medically Speaking....

They say that 40 is the new 30. I'm not sure what that means, but after recent drs. visits, it doesn't encourage me any as I head toward that milestone over the next several years. I've been told that I need to start taking calcium supplements because "you're not young anymore" by one kindly physician, and another recently enlightened me this way: "I know that you're not middle-aged the way you think of middle-aged, but medically speaking, you ARE middle-aged." well.

I'm sure that whole "40 is the new 30" thing is because of people like Brad Pitt (41),Tom Cruise (43), Brooke Shields(40), and Sarah Jessica Parker (40), but then...they started out more beautiful in the first place AND they spend the money to fix physical age-tellers, so I'm thinking they're not the best gauge for the rest of us.

Abby has gone 2 straight weeks with NO thumb-sucking. This is quite an accomplishment for her~she's working toward one month and a trip to Celebration Station. I think she's really going to kick the habit this time, because she has shown a determination that we've never witnessed before. She needed a band-aid on her thumb for the first week (just the right one because the left one "tastes nasty. It's not juicy.") Before, this tactic has not deterred her in the least; she simply yanked that band-aid off as soon as no one was looking. But this time, she seems as if nothing will stop her from the bumper boats, and we hope, a newfound freedom from the thumb.

Also, we've found out that Abby's softball team won a contest the Rangers put on...send in video of your team and win fabulous prizes. They've won first place and get 50 tix to a game, their picture on the big screen AND a 30 second spot on a Rangers COMMERCIAL. She's very excited. And Clay took the video himself, so props to him.

Circle Yes or No

Well Brandon took 2 showers this week at camp and bought a travel size Scope mouthwash in the gift shop mid-week so he could avoid brushing his teeth from that point forward. And still, somehow, he came home with a new "girlfriend". Those preteen years are magical, I tell you. Actually, from the polls I heard as the vans were unloading, his personal hygiene was right on target with the other boys. Several proudly exclaimed that they had not showered all week and I know of one for sure who could not remember brushing his teeth after Monday. Bless every man who has ever endured a week in a cabin with 10 year old boys.

The "girlfriend" story is quite entertaining, too. I sat and listened to B, Z, and R at lunch telling me all about how she went to camp "liking" B and R. R decided to go ahead and ask her to "go out with" him one day, but asked B to stand behind him as his back up in case she said no. But, since he had purchased a package of Sour Punch Straws for her, she could not resist. It lasted 5 hours, or so I'm told, at which point B stepped in. She couldn't resist him either b/c Z had given her Sour Skittles, telling her they were from B. I asked B (because these are important questions) what made her his girlfriend since he said they didn't walk together, sit together, or talk anywhere except the "Canteen". He said it's because "I like her and she likes me." I give it another half hour.

A is on her way home from N&Ps house. I can't wait to hug her little neck! It's been a fun week, but now I understand what my mom meant all those times she talked about needing all her chicks in the nest and stuff like that.

FYI - Cinderella Man is a GREAT movie if you, like me, love true stories and can handle all the pugilistic bloodiness. Little Opie did well and I didn't even think about Russell Crowe throwing a telephone at that hotel employee after about the first 5 minutes.

Insipid Insights?

Childless evening #2 provided me with so much blog material I don't even know where to begin. We went out to camp to visit Branman, which is a post all on its own, but I have other things on my mind at the moment. Then we went over to Ft. Worth for dinner with L&SA at Rosa's. It was, I might add, almost as wonderful to eat at Rosa's as it was to see our friends. I almost felt like we should push a bunch of tables together for Crestview, but it wasn't a Sunday night and we weren't in Midland. Anyway, our conversation produced so many possible blog topics: dredlocks, stepping in gum, and bug-swallowing incidents just to name a few. I have two such incidents of my own...took a drink from a can of coke once and ended up with a bumblebee in my mouth. Another time, I kept feeling something weird in my ear. My mom put drops in and out crawled a GIANT ant (ok, so I didn't swallow it, but it's still a good story).

But, again, I digress. What affected me the most was a question. We were talking about the blog itself when LA asked, "They're (blogs) supposed to be banal, right?" Now I'm certain he didn't MEAN to offend me, but the question has haunted me since, even causing me to question my very blogistence. I mean, BANAL??? You might need to look it up in your dictionary or at merriamwebster.com so you can know why I'm so distraught. But I can tell you it's not good. Ah well, perhaps he'll find mine not so lacking in originality and freshness and will redefine his opinion.

I'm off to lunch in Waxahachie with MLS. Catch ya' later~

Everything Is Not an Anecdote

I forgot to mention that while we were in the West End, we came upon a young spray-paint artist. Now, I know that probably doesn't sound all that exciting, but it was really incredible. The guy was very young and had quite a crowd watching him as he quickly painted space pictures as a driving beat blared through his jambox. These pictures were so good I don't think I can describe it, but each one took him 5-10 minutes and it seemed as if he was just creating each new scene as he went along. We (incl. S&LsS and fam) were quite impressed, even thinking he should charge more than the $25 per picture he was getting. As we left, Brandon said, "That guy is unnatural." well put. And speaking of Branslam, he got his first homerun on Saturday during his end of season tournment. Yea, Brandon!

Last night Clay and I went to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I liked it, but it was sort of weird because there's all this violent killing going on but it's really a comedy. It was strange to laugh, but we did anyway. I think we're going to see Cinderella Man later this week.

yesterday, I went to a drs. appt. near downtown Dallas, then drove across the metroplex almost to Ft. Worth to pick out appliances for the new house, THEN drove down to Sam's in Grand Prairie before heading home. The entire trip, portal to portal, took about 4 hours. (just in case you wanted to know how long that might take a person) I don't know why, but I found that knowledge both informative and interesting. However, a scene from the movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles may better express your thoughts at the moment. It's where Steve Martin says to John Candy, "You know everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have NONE of that. They're not even amusing ACCIDENTALLY!..........You know... you know when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea: have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!" I have to remind myself of that sometimes.

Rantings of a Quadruped

You might have wondered, "How long CAN a dog continuously bark?" I think I'm going to be able to give you the answer. Most days, we're awakened by this precious neighborhood dog's melodious rantings. However, today he seems extra determined to be heard. We're going on 2 1/2 hours at the moment, with no sign of exhaustion or laryngitis. Now I understand how you could be driven to consider soaking a biscuit in anti-freeze (I won't give up your name here) and tossing it over the fence. [note: don't worry activists and dogmanitarians, I don't think it actually happened. It was more of a pleasant dream I heard about once.]

So, no, I don't think I'll spend my first childless day in the house. Got B and Z off to camp this morning and A left yesterday with grandparents. Z wanted to go see Dallas from the observation deck at Reunion Tower so we ate in the West End and rode the elevator up last night. I kept looking around for A b/c it was really weird---her not being there. But we've already spoken twice and she's having a great time.

Anyway, I'm all done writing for the time being, so if anyone wants to do something fun this week, I'm all yours. Aside from a drs. visit in the big city today and some Welcome Week preparations, I'm footloose and fancy-free.

whoa....it happened again....you remember that "If you blog it, it will come" theory? It sounds as if the dog has just stopped barking. spooky. I think I could probably get on Oprah or something with this newfound ability I seem to have.

The Pretty Flowers

So we started summer small groups and I'm leading, along with KP and TC, the 11-12th grade girls group. We're going through the book and workbook "Every Young Woman's Battle". I'm looking forward to it for a couple of reasons.
A. good chance to get to know some girls.
2. never led a study on that particular topic before. As the kids get older, I realize more and more how important it will be for me to be ready to discuss such issues. And wow...parents never had to address "virtual relationships" as a subset of their sex talks before, did they?
and
D. Bible study is always a good thing.

I'm teaching in youth SS for the next 3 weeks as well, which also pleases me. 11th grade girls, and then the whole group, I think. Let's see, what else....we're having our own version of "The Amazing Race" on Saturday and I just found out that I can't be there b/c Brandon's baseball tournament conflicts. bummer, too, b/c I was looking forward to watching that pool challenge at the Wooten's! I think we need a Minister to Adults or something to put together stuff like The Amazing Race for big people because that would be fun. maybe. I mean, really...why should we have to wait until we're in the "Glory" class to have people plan group trips for us to go eat at Luby's and look at the pretty flowers?

Well, the sun is shining and the pool is calling my name. Before I go, a few personal notes...
SJ - Happy Birthday to you way up there in Portland, OR!
BD - posting just b/c I know you're waiting. :-)
SAd - pick up the phone
R&KJ - thanks for the invite; will definitely make that visit soon
SAs - ok, this time I'll come to you...you have a Rosa's nearby, right?

not a clever title in me at the moment

Note 2 Self: blogs about Michael Jackson and/or disgusting restaurants get no comments.

Today I wrapped up my week of dizzles so now I'm officially on summer break, too! Actually, though, I already feel as if we've had a month and a half of it! Brandon has football camp at the high school every morning this week and is loving it. Don't worry...it's non-contact and they're not wearing pads or anything. But he's loving the drills and is having a blast because he's sporty like that. And I love it when he comes home every day telling me about the obstacle course agility drill and other stuff. He has this big smile on his face as he describes every detail of the races that he's lost. It's almost like he gets a kick out of the challenge, even though he's smaller and not as quick as a lot of his friends. I've also noticed it in the pool where he races his buddy Rio every time they swim together and Rio has won every single time. Brandon always comes up smiling and says, "Wanna race again?" I want to say, "See who can hold his breath the longest" or something that I know he has a chance at. But I love that about him.

Just when I thought baseball was over, we find out Brandon is playing for the All-Star team. We don't know yet if he's going to get to play or is an alternate who has to be there all the time but just sit the bench, but he's excited about it anyway.

The house is looking good. They're supposed to stain the concrete today; we'll check it out tonight. I'm glad we're here with the peezy for the summer, but it sure will be nice to get everything out of boxes in a couple of months. I think it will be like Christmas for the kids, especially for Abby who has probably forgotten all the toys she has that have been missing.

ummmm, guess that's it for now.

There's a manatee in my macaroni

Is anyone besides me sick of opening your home page day after day to see Michael Jackson's picture and name under"Front Page News"???? I'd just like to say, WE GET IT ALREADY! And speaking of our world's strange fascination with weirdness, I ran across this article and thought you should know(just in case you're ever looking for a place to eat in Taiwan):

Out There: Toilet Eatery Bowls Diners Over
Sunday, June 05, 2005

•Foodies are feeling a little "flushed" about a new restaurant in Taiwan that serves them food in pint-sized toilet-bowl dishes.
And, yes, the food is designed to look like something that belongs in pint-sized toilet-bowl dishes.
Restaurateur Eric Wang's theme eatery, called "Marton" — named after the Chinese word for "toilet," matong — has become quite the popular one in the southern city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second-largest, since its opening last year.
You see, at Toilet, the food isn't served on boring old plates. No, no, no. The meals "bowl" diners over as they arrive at the table in miniaturized Western and Asian-style porcelain thrones.
And Wang doesn't stop with the theme. The venue is a bottomless pit of toilet tricks and treats.
Nestled in the teeny-tiny toilet bowls are squishy offerings like curry chicken rice, chocolate ice cream and anything else that reminds one of, well, the real thing.
Patrons seem to love it.

WOW, and I thought it was stepping out to eat at PF Chang's. You can see the rest of the story here http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158641,00.html if you're so inclined. I also learned from another "Out There" story that there's a new phenomenon sweeping this 15-minutes-of-fame-starved generation...food sightings. Yeah, you heard me right. Taco Bell has even devoted a page called the "Food Sightings Museum" (www.tacobell.com) where people can be heard about the Virgin Mary they saw in their Stuft Burrito. weirdness, i say. But on the other hand...maybe I should be staring at my food a little longer.....

Musings

Well the summer has certainly begun with a flurry of activity. Had a great week with the extended fam. Got to check out the new Market Street area in The Woodlands...very chic...lots of upscale specialty shops and kewl restaurants around a grassy, waterfally, statuey park where classical music wafts about the air. Also toodled over to Dave's Pepper Palace in Old Towne Spring so I could stock up on my favorite dip mix (I'll eat some for you, my Midland small group friends!) And Clay and the youth had a great time at camp, too. We're all back home now and are enjoying a peaceful rainy day indoors. Since I'm in a rather thoughtful state, let's have a list, shall we?

Things I've Learned (or have been reminded of) So Far in the Summer of '05:
*Pepperoni Rolls are a timeless food favorite.
*Family get-togethers on the less-celebrated holidays are the best because whatever tradition occurs is a result of your own doing.
*The Woodlands, TX is my favorite place on the planet.
*Cell phones are a wonderful invention so you can talk to your youth minister husband when he's at camp and you're not and you can even send him a picture on his phone to make him smile.
*There's a Pier 1 Kids, and it's very cool.
*Sometimes you have to drag your kids out of a swimming pool when their eyes are bloodshot and fingers are wrinkled because it's quite possibly the most treasured kid activity known to mankind.
*You can have fun on Monday nights even after 24 has ended for the season.
*You can travel from Midlothian to Houston to Austin to Waco to Midlothian in about the same amount of time it used to take you to drive from Midland to Houston (or even less if you followed the youth choir tour bus.)
*Brain tumors...I'm trying to think of another word besides that one that AL says I shouldn't use and "stink" just isn't strong enough.... (thanks for the tea and Starbucks visit JK&LB...looking forward to next time with M, too!)
*The hectic schedule of youth ministry in the summertime is a small price to pay for the intense pleasure of seeing teenagers commit their lives to Christ.

looking forward to week 2...

That Nasty Fall

"He said to Adam....The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you...You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground..." Gen. 3:17-19

I'm glad I'm a woman. Today, Clay has gone (with KD and NE) to load up and haul off the massive piles of wasted construction scraps and other trash from our lot. ($2K saved...cha-ching) This, after spending yesterday dropping the cable/phone/computer wires by the sweat of his brow throughout the new house (cha-ching again). Yes, indeed, it's good to be female. Oh, stop thinking that. I'm going out there in just a little while to help, but there are inside chores to be done first; plus, the kids just got up. The bottom line, though, is that I'm not in charge of such horrible little projects, and for that I rejoice. There are some other problems that we women must endure (see v. 16), but overall, I think it's a nice little trade-off.

Well, school ended without incident and now we're preparing to make the most of our 3 months of freedom. I did get to click "send" yesterday on the big writing assignment that I've been working on since April. Now I just have a few loose ends on that and a week of dizzles (hip-talk practice for you, mom....that's a week of devotions) to write in the next couple of weeks. Then I'm through at least until August and maybe September. I'll be on vacation next week, but will post if there's anything exciting to share. Until then, have a blessed Memorial Day, live, laugh, love, and all that other stuff.

tha peezy fo' sheezy

I can't say much because I've been publicly reprimanded by M&B, but OH MY GOODNESS. I think that was the best season of "24" yet. And quite possibly, the best season of dramatic television ever. It's a sad day now, though. I'm somewhat at a loss as to what I'll do for entertainment between now and 2006. I guess I might have to check out a book or something, because once Alias draws to its dramatic conclusion tomorrow night, I'll be all done for awhile. let's all observe a moment of silence.




You guys are making this hard on me...posting belated comments on previous blogs. But that's ok; I'm up to the challenge, I think. Thanks SA for the reminder of Brandon's "it's a little bit funny" story, and to dad for, well, just being dad.

T minus 1 full day and 2 half-days until I've got 2 kids at home with no state-mandated activities for an extra-long summer. Hey, SP, we're goin' to the peezy! I'm looking forward to a summer full of blog-worthy material. After all, I realize that some of you have real jobs and don't get summer breaks anymore. I'll do my best to keep you in tune with life on the other side.

summer activities I'm most looking forward to:
*swimming
*family get-togethers (like next week!)
*mission trip to south Texas where it's even hotter than Brandon's last baseball game
*swimming
*my first Super Summer ever - I'm working in the Wienie Wagon!
*Gage and Britt's bday party
*moving
*swimming
*sleepovers--because I'm cool like that
*tagging along with KP on her educational/recreational-calendar-planned-don't-let-the-children-be-cooped-up-in-front-of-the-PS2-all-summer-long-events
*reading the Bible through alongside Brandon and Clay(we're all 3 in Exodus right now...let's see how far we'll get this summer!)
*and swimming.

Beff's Dad

I should probably be writing for pay right now since I have two assignments I'd love to get finished before school is out on Friday, but I thought I should first tell you about the 15th anniversary trip. I surprised Clay with a trip down to the place of our courtship...Texas A&M University (whoop if ya' can). We spent Thurs. through Sat. walking around campus, eating at familiar places, updating our former student wardrobes, and mostly just taking it easy. A&M played t.u. in baseball Friday night and it was a GREAT game. couldn't have asked for better. From inning one to the victorious end the crowd was raucous. We were sitting around a pretty good contingent of teasips and some particularly vocal A&M students, which is always an exciting mix. They shared unpleasantries throughout the course of the game, but nothing too uncomfortably ugly. It was all in good fun, and the Ags pulled out the win on a wild pitch with bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth. A good time was had by all, except possibly all those people in orange who left the field with scowls on their faces. But the biggest coup of the trip was that I pulled some strings and Clay and I had free lodging at the VP's on-campus very large and nice home. He doesn't actually live there, but uses it for entertaining, student meetings and such. He was in New Zealand and was thrilled to let The Hopkins stay when he heard from my former Intramural boss that we were coming to town for our anniversary. That "Student Worker of the Year - 1990" is still paying off for me, I tell you. And that's a good lesson for us all...do a good job, even if it's just some hourly minimum wage gig. You never know where your boss will end up down the road.

So upon our return we had Brandon's last regular season game in the hotter than Sheol afternoon. They lost, and finished in 3rd place, which is still quite an accomplishment for them. They'll have a tournament that I can only hope will be played in the evenings, because I don't know anyone, child or adult, who enjoyed being out there Sat. when it was 200 degrees (or something like that). The Abster has her last game tomorrow night and I'm pretty sure she's invited everyone she knows.

And speaking of the Abbinator, I've been reminded of a story that I failed to share earlier when we were doing that. It's funny, and I want to share it now just to show that I was not the only recipient of her zings.

I think she was 3 years old -
me: who's your favorite mom?
Ab: you are
me: who's your favorite brother?
Ab: Brandon
me: who's your favorite daddy?
Ab (deadpan): Beff's (Beth's) dad.

When you're 36, do people round up to 40?

Well it continued to be a great bday. It started out a little hectic, though. I was planning to write yesterday morning before my lunch date, but turned on the computer and my brand-spankin' new keyboard and mouse wouldn't work. So I tried to make it work for way too long before I had to step away from the situation entirely so as not to reign curses down on an inanimate object. Because that's not a very mature thing to do when you're aggravated, and I am 36 now. So I thought I'd take it back and get a better one, but this made me sad because I love this one. That's why I picked it. So last night we (and when I say "we", I mean Clay) reinstalled (thanks for the tip T&LDW) and hooked it up a little differently. Waaaalaaa! It's working perfectly.

That's probably a little TMI, I know. Lunch was fun and after I got the kids from school they swam happily before coming in to get ready for dinner and Brandon's game. I tell you that pool is going to be great to have this summer. We had chocolate chip pancakes and sausage for dinner. mmmmmm. Then...this is the neatest part....we went out to the new house (which has been framed and there are some wall-innards and stuff)and wrote Scripture verses on the floor and framing. The kids had picked some to write on the floor of their rooms and Clay and I wrote some in other parts of the house. Then we had a family prayer time as we walked through the house. It kind of reminded me of the unit I'm writing about on leadership. The session I've been working on this week is from Joshua 4 where the Israelites set up the twelve stones before the ark is carried up out of the Jordan. The point of the lesson is that it's important to lead others to recognize God's work in their lives. Anyway, remembrances are good and I hope that ours serves to remind us who God is, what He's done in our lives, and who He'll still be in the not so far away future.

Brandon's team that started out like the Bad News Bears this season actually has a chance to finish in first place. Unbelievable. The transformation is incredible, as we witnessed them beat, no...DOMINATE, the first place team last night. funny, and I'm sure there's some spiritual app there, too, but I know that you prefer levity here in blogosphere, so I'll save it for another day.

Best Birthday Ever

So my mom and dad always give me birthday money for my birthday. Usually I'm very responsible with it and buy myself clothes or useful and needed things for the house or yard. But today, I'm sitting here at the computer witha brand-spankin' new cordless and ergonomically correct keyboard in my LAP (I got a mouse, too) while my HoMedics SBM-200 chair massager is working out the knots in my back. I can't recall ever spending my money on items of such frivolity, self-indulgence and pamperedness. This massager is so great that I'm even making up words like pamperedness. I'm pretty sure that's not a proper use of the root word, but I'm so relaxed I don't even care!

Also, I got to go out to dinner last night w/out kids and that was fun. And tomorrow I get to go to lunch with some friends at a place in Waxahachie that I hear is great, even though it might remind me of my San Angelo experience of croissant with turkey-for-her-only bias. Oh! AND, a couple of concerned blog-readers (S and LsS) got me an extra special treasure---a whole bag full of SPAM products! Did you kow that there are many flavors and varieties? It's "CRAZY TASTY"! I think I got all the different flavors, plus a "SPAM Single" package--"Just rip and tear your way to CRAZY TASTY town!" Very funny gift, but know this S&LsS....it's ON! I have awhile to plan, but there will be sure and swift retribution on the days of YOUR birth.

Let's see...I also bought some of those really neat flip flops that have the soles of a tennis shoe. I like 'em. I like 'em a lot. And Clay got me the new Jars of Clay cd, "Redemption Songs". It is very very good...old hymns sung in a modern way. If you liked the music from the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" (RJ, for sure), you'll LOVE this cd. I especially like their renditions of "I'll Fly Away", "Nothin' But the Blood", "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand", and "It Is Well." good stuff.

All that, and my birthday hasn't even actually ARRIVED yet! Yes, indeed, Gloria Deluxe CH has nothing on me. She probably only got a new saw or accordian strap for her birthday.

Go Google Yourself

Have you ever googled yourself? It's quite interesting, but also a little bit depressing. I googled myself yesterday and found out that I'm not the most famous Cynthia Hopkins around. It's really weird to see your name with someone else's picture, but that's what I found. There's this chick who is, apparently, a very successful musician. Anyone heard of the band, Gloria Deluxe? Well, the other CH started the alt-country band and plays the accordian, guitar, saw, trumpet, viola, and drums. She's a "magnet on stage" and has written the award winning gleeful musical odyssey "Accidental Nostalgia," that explores the pros and cons of amnesia. hmmmm. Then there's also a CH who was the set dresser for the 1986 TV show "Yuri Nosenko" with Tommy Lee Jones. AND, if that weren't bad enough, there's another CH who is a writer! She's Canadian, and I ran across an article she wrote for "Mothering", which I have to admit, was very good. So there's a chance that I might not even be the best CH writer!!! How am I supposed to work this morning with this newfound knowledge????

But there is a ray of sunshine. I did run across the real me on two web pages and that was kind of cool. The ec sample on LifeWay's site is a devotion that I wrote. You can see it here.

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_ec_Sample.pdf

Scroll down to see my name as a devotional writer on the bottom right hand side of the contents page. Then, scroll down past the article to see a devotion that I wrote awhile back. And then there's this old notice from a church in Lubbock for their "Holiday Celebration" that I spoke at last fall. They put my name on there and "Featured Guest Speaker", which is kind of funny to me, because I'm pretty sure that didn't help them sell more tickets. Maybe if it had been Gloria Deluxe CH.... :-)

I also googled my maiden name and found out that I may, in fact, be the most famous Cynthia Wooldridge, if I still went by that name. Because mostly I just found genealogy stuff for that name.

Now I don't want you worrying about me---I don't have this deep inner desire to be famous or anything, it's just that it's kind of fun to see yourself on the world wide web. So take a few moments and go google yourself. You might need to narrow your search by adding your city or something. Have fun with your new little project, and let me know how it turns out!

the complexity of brick and some other stuff

So it turns out I was wrong about a few things~
1. all brick is not, in fact, created equal. Thanks to my builder brother for straightening me out on that one. And just in case the rest of you didn't know, clay brick is way better than concrete brick.
p.s. the house is taking shape-it's framed and looking good!

2. Chick-fil-A is not actually a good place to eat breakfast, health-wise. Thanks to Sharon for spending time in her last semester at A&M to actually study each menu item for nutritional value. (this really isn't new news to me, it's just that I've chosen to ignore the knowledge. and will, it seems, continue to do so as I have just this moment polished off a delicious chicken biscuit)

3. Jack didn't stop the nuke in time, but I'm thinking he's going to figure out how to make it land in Siberia or the ocean or something before it actually destroys us all. And also, I'm tired of Audrey, the acting President, and that guy from China. 3 hours before it all comes down...whew!

4. Boston Rob and Kelly didn't win the Amazing Race. Yea, Uchenna and Joyce!

Abby has her end of the year party today, a luau! The next couple of weeks are fun-filled for both kids. Clay and I have apparently been assigned a very important job at Brandon's Field Day this Friday. So important, in fact, that Coach Oliver had to lay it down for us Monday night at Abby's softball game (the other team didn't show up :-( Word must be getting out, the Stars remain undefeated with only 2 games left on the schedule.) Next week, Abby has field day and Brandon will have "Cowboy Day". I'm not sure what that one's all about, but he said something about a longhorn at the school, grilling hot dogs and other cowboy-type stuff.

And next week will surely prove to be fun-filled for me as well. After I turn 36 on Monday, there are only a few more days until our 15th anniversary. Clay and I trade off each year who has the duty of planning a date/trip or whatever. It's my year, and I must say, I've outdone myself. But I can't tell you now because he reads this and I'm keeping it on the down-low. But I will say that we'll be out of pocket for a few days. More to come!

~Cynthia

Mother's Day

The kids gave me my M-Day gifts a day early today. They helped clean the house, drew pictures and each gave me a card they had picked out at Target. Brandon even stuck a dollar bill in his card for me. :-) And Abby hasn't stopped showering me with words of love and kindness all day long. See? Some of our moments are tender. Here are the best of the best:

* We talked with Abby a lot last year about what it means/takes to be a Christian. One night after she'd asked some questions and I'd explained it, including the fact that it involved making Jesus her boss, she thought for a moment then said, "Maybe I'll do that tomorrow." She then rolled over and went to sleep.

But then, on Dec. 8, all on her own, Abby prayed to make Jesus her Lord and Savior during her bedtime prayer. When she was finished she looked up at me and smiled that great big smile of hers and said, "I did it, Mom." We're waiting a little bit on baptism, but know that the choice was her own. Since then, we've watched with great pleasure as she has sought to grow, even at her young age, through reading the Bible and having "quiet times."

*July 2001 - Brandon had been asking about getting baptized for awhile, but had not yet understood about grace up until this point. Then, one night during his bedtime prayer he said all on his own that he wanted Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and the boss of his life. We talked about it a lot the next few weeks and felt confident that Brandon understood what he was doing. He prayed again with Clay and was baptized a couple of weeks later.
August 2001 After Brandon's baptism, we were looking at the pictures I had taken of the event. Brandon saw the one where he's looking seriously down into the water, seemingly prayerful. He laughed and said to mom, "Nana, you know what I was thinking right there? I was thinking, 'I sure do wish I was swimming in this water right now, because it is so warm.'"

It's funny to me how both kids came to Christ in similar ways. I guess I had this picture of leading them to a point of decision, and in a sense we did. But mostly, both kids just took the lead when they were ready. When I was trying to hold Brandon back a little bit, concerned about how young he was, a friend reminded me that salvation is between them and God, not them, MOM, and God. Guess I'll probably have to learn that lesson about some other things along the way as well.

It's a very, very good thing to be a mom.