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.