Journey of a Lifetime

The Rev and I have just returned from what can only be called "The Journey of a Lifetime"; we took our only child to be dropped off at college.  We drove 4,458 miles together in a smallish-type car visiting friends along the way and reliving moments of our daughter's youth.  We were reminded of everything from "joey" the boy in kindergarten who our daughter deemed had "handsome hair" to the super-hero "superior boy" the boy from high school. 

We also discussed the difference between what, while in kindergarten the Kid the deemed "friendship kisses" vs "love kisses".  The Rev was always ok with the fact that his daughter at the age of 6 gave a boy a kiss because it was only a "friend kiss, dad" until while re-telling the story to some college kids they laughed and said wait till she says "but dad, it was only friend sex, not love sex". 

We also covered which is better to have a boyfriend with a motorbike or to have a boyfriend with someone with whom you used to have a restraining order against.  Hands down agreed that it would be best if she go with the motorbike over the restraining order. 

Driving the kid back to college and helping her to get established in her room not only allowed us to see where she will be residing this year, meet her roommate, and check out the campus, but it also allowed us invaluable time together to grow and to let go.  We are proud of the young adult woman that our daughter has grown into and look forward to watching what the future holds for her. 

It doesn't get much worse.

Today was possibly the worst day that I have had since moving to Oregon.

First I left my sunroof open (not something I recommend doing when living in Oregon).  Then it rained about 2 inches.  I know this because my cup holder had 2 inches of rain water sitting in it waiting for me.  That means I also got to sit on seats that were full of water for my 40min commute home.  Oh, what a joy.

 And if that isn't bad enough, I hit a baby deer not 5miles from Grants Pass.  Yep, I lived in Montana for 6 1/2 years, on a stretch of road where there is an average of one deer a day killed and I never hit a deer but yet after living in Oregon for less than 2 years I have managed to kill a baby deer.

I think I may need chocolate, LOTS of chocolate!

Snapshots of Grandpa

Some called him Bob, Robert, Grandpa, Daddy, GGP, or grandpa tic-tac, but whatever you called him just don't call him late for dinner.

My grandfather passed away on Friday.  Now both of the men who played a great role in who I am today, are no longer walking among us.

I am told that there will be a time at the funeral to tell quirky stories and let others know how much this great man meant to us all.   But really if we all didn't know what a great person he was why would we be at his funeral?  And really what can you say about a man who was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, an uncle, a grandfather, a county assessor,  grange member/officer, 4-H member/leader, square dancer/caller, wheat farmer, a singer, and was also probably his hometowns first cross-dresser in 1942 when he played a women in a town play.  He was also the kind of father who bought back his child's 4-h animal at the fair because she had gotten too attached to it. 

So instead of standing up at his funeral (something I don't think I'm capable of doing anyway), I'm choosing to use this as my podium.

The memories of my grandfather basically are in two categories.  Category 1 is all about motion and they begin with riding on the lawn mower with my grandfather.  My brother was older than I was and as I rode along on grandpa's lap, he was able to bump along on the mower by himself but I have no doubt that he too started by riding on grandpa's lap first.  The next several snap shots in my memory album make up an inside memory, and more specifically in the utility room of my grandparents house where my grandpa taught me to dance and to learn to do singing calls for square dancing.  My grandfather basically broke all the rules by getting the local club to allow us kids to get to take square dance lessons at the age of 12 and began to teach me to call as well.  His philosophy was that his generation danced at an early age and every generation should be taught to interact with adults and we should all treat one another with respect and dignity.  I remember goofing off once at a dance and my grandfather explaining all of this to me, very gently but it made an impression.  Being twirled around in a pretty dress by my grandpa always made me feel special and I should act accordingly.  My next set of memories are both inside and outside but still involve movement, as my grandparents were the first ones to help me explore the United States.  Thanks to my grandpa I have hiked through the hills of Glacier National Park, and explored many others parks as well,  their atlas bears my marks to prove where he had been.  My grandparents took my mom, my cousin, and myself cross country enabling me to see sights that I never would have seen otherwise.  My grandpa had a love for traveling the road less traveled  which taught me that you see more  and  learn more of the country by traveling the minor highways but also taught me to make sure you are well prepared because if your motor-home breaks down it could be a long wait before someone happens by to help you out. 

The next set of memories comes from sitting with my grandpa.  My grandpa taught me to play cribbage.  A game that helped me at a time when I was struggling with math.  I'm not sure if he really knew that I was struggling in math or whether he just needed another partner but either way it is a game I thoroughly enjoyed and love playing best with him.  He was great to play games and could  be found after family dinners with the "boys" playing pinochle a game I just don't understand.  As he got older his group of friends would gather at the dinning room table in the evenings to play cards or dominoes and if I happened to be visiting I was always included.

Whether in motion or not, my grandpa had a great sense of humor and a wonderful laugh.  He loved his family.  Even his grandkids and great-grandkids when they were being silly and sitting in his chair waiting for him to come and try to sit on them.  My grandfather lived a full and wonderful life.  He never talked down to me, he always encouraged me, and always welcomed a visit no matter for how long it could be.

I will miss my grandpa but the snapshots in my mind, of a man who was everything to his family will remain clear and crisp to be passed on to my children's children and hopefully beyond along with the lessons that he taught us all about respecting one another and doing the things you love to do.

Boxes

Im not sure which is worse working with people who have decided what box I belong in because of who I am married to or that my husband's profession leads people to draw the conclusions that they need to put me into such boxes.

Today at work, I mentioned that I wanted to watch a certain TV show. A co-worker replied "you watch that show?" When I explained that yes, I actually like this show and that it was a show that I enjoyed watching with my kids I got the reply "doesn't it have a gay character?" I replied yes, it does, in fact it has a couple of them. But life has gay people in it too. In fact some of my best friends are gay. There was a huge pause followed by "but isn't your husband a pastor". Yes he is. He is a pastor to ALL of God's children.

I must admit that this was not the first box that I was put in today. Earlier in the day, I was also told by someone that they have a problem with me because their mom is a "pastors-wife" and they just don't understand how I can have a full time career instead of supporting my husband full-time. I kindly explained that I had a career prior to my husband going to school and it was my career that allowed us to pay the bills while he attended seminary.

I support my husband and my family in all that they do but they do not define the whole of who I am.

Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult

I am a big Jodi Picoult fan. She always seems to pick a topic of controversy and makes you think, all the while giving you something enjoyable to read at the same time. I have yet to read a book written by her that I didn't like, granted I may not have "loved" all of her books but there definitely has not been one that I have not liked and thoroughly enjoyed while reading it. Sing Me Home was no different.

As usual, Jodi has done her research and done it well. The main character, Zoe is a musical therapist. I work in the medical field as well as teach piano on the side, I definitely LIKE Zoe's character. As Zoe deals with pregnancy, divorce, and then finding herself again with an opportunity for new love and for a new family you will find that through Jodi's dramatic and detailed writing you will be rooting for Zoe whether you want to or not.

That's not to dismiss any of the other characters. Sing Me Home is a book told in three voices, Zoe's, Zoe's ex-husband Max's, and the voice of Vanessa, a school counselor who we first meet at Zoe's baby shower. There are other minor characters who you will fall in love with as well, people like Zoe's mom Dara. There will be character's that you will just groan at like Pastor Clive. There are others that make you ache like Lucy, the teenager that is working with Zoe through music therapy. There isn't however one character who isn't needed or who you feel you didn't get enough information on. Through Jodi's writing you will feel like you are reading about people in your own community or people that you can, at the very least visualize in every setting.

Zoe's ex-husband is very real and the situation that we find him as an alcoholic trying to figure out what to do in life makes us wish that it really was just fiction. Unfortunately Jodi's writing is right on and reflects the thoughts of many in the world today.

Sing Me Home is ultimately a book of relationships and how we treat one another. The book being told from both sides of the story enables us to do just that, hear both sides of the story. Often in a controversial issue we have our own thoughts as to what is right or wrong. By having the story told from more than one perspective, Jodi makes us listen and actually hear the story from all sides. While you would really like to dislike one side or the other you find that you are unable to because as you listen to their stories you actually like all of the characters.

I applaud Jodi's work for she always takes a hot topic and makes you think all the while giving you something enjoyable to read and hopefully broaden your thinking, never telling her readers how to think.

Thank you Jodi for another great read.

National Lollipop Day!

Today in honor of National Lollipop Day, we were all given Tootsie Pops at work.

The Legend of the Tootsie Pop Indian Wrapper ~ The Indian Wrapper legend has circulated for decades from generation to generation. The claim is that a Tootsie Pop wrapper with a picture of an Indian shooting an arrow at a star on it can be redeemed with Tootsie Roll Industries for a free bag of candy. 30% of the wrappers include the Indian figure.

Tootsie Roll Industries has received a steady stream of letters from consumers attempting to redeem their Indian wrappers since the 1930's (nearly all of the letter writers expect free Tootsie Pops in return), and they now process about 150 letters per week The company originally sent special letters expressing their regret to prize seekers, then in 1982 they created their "Legend of the Indian Wrapper" to accompany those letters with the hope that children's liking for a good story would help to assuage their disappointment." Some individual store managers took it upon themselves to redeem Indian-bearing wrappers for free Tootsie Pops, but the exchange was not sanctioned by the Tootsie Roll Company itself.

Today however, at work if your wrapper had an Indian shooting an arrow at a star you got to take it to the HR dept and redeem it for a real prize, a 10.00 gift card.

All those years as a kid as I watched my wrappers trying to get free a Tootsie Pop it always seemed like I had a wrapper that had an Indian but no one that would redeem it. Today I wasn't so lucky.

Oh well, I got a Tootsie Pop and I got one that was my favorite flavor too. Now to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
1 lick...
2 licks...
3 licks...
CRUNCH! Guess, I'll never know.

Needing direction

Im in that in-between time.
A time in my life where one exchange kid (one that I have grown extremely attached to) has returned back to her own home country and the next kid has not yet arrived.

Add to that the fact that we have now lived in our new town 7 months and Im still trying to find out who to hang out with, where to hang out, and generally what I want to get involved in.

Ive mentioned to several members at church that if choir practice was held at a different time that that could be a viable option. Currently the choir meets prior to me getting home from work, I'm hopefully that in the near future that may change. I also have been approached to join Daughters of the King and am considering that idea.

The scrapbooking store down the street where I thought I could possible find a place to hang out and possible meet people to hang out with, has now closed.

I talked to one of the volunteers at the library and there wasn't a book group that fit my time schedule either.

Wondering how people who move often such as working military wives for example, handle moving especially if they don't live on base?

Rev has been great about hanging out with me but I'm sure that he didn't truly enjoy the trip to the antique store today and he enjoyed the novelty store even less. Thankfully he endured them both without complaint.

I Blame My Mother

In the early days, my mother, Dr. Spock, and the editor of Parent's magazine all recommended reading to your child.

I didn't ever really take a lot of Dr. Spock's advice so I guess I can't really blame him.

I did read a lot of Parent magazine when my child was young so I guess it could be somewhat their responsibility.

My mother on the other hand encouraged reading in our home when I was growing up. My mom's purse was always big enough to carry a book and we were always encourage to never leave the house without a book ("you never know when you may have to wait and having something to read will come in handy" was a phrase we learned to live by.) I became an avid reader. I read all the time. I too never go anywhere without a book. Hence it must be my mother's fault.

When the kid was little we went to the library once a week for story hour and came home with a bag of 40 kid's book (40 was the limit) and we read every one during the week usually more than once.

When we wanted her to do something that she didn't want to do it became easy to convince her all we had to say was "I'll get you a new book if you do.." We rationalized this bribery with books was a good, educational thing.

Parents beware.

The kid now does not go anywhere without a book. She reads everywhere including in the car.

Unfortunately I believe that we may have created a monster.

There was a dance recently at school. The kid wasn't going to go until a Boy said, "if you go to the dance I'll buy you a book". Wow does he have her number. He was even smart about it and didn't provide the book until she showed up at the dance. I believe Boy is going to make a good parent at some point.

Meanwhile, I can see kid's future now and it is starting to scare me. Nine years down the road, her masters degree is complete and a young man turns to her and says "I'll buy you a book if you marry me."

Oh dear me, I must stop this cycle now! She must learn that there is more to the world than books.

There are diamonds after all.

A Nothern Light

A Nothern Light -- by Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly does a wonderful job with this coming of age story set in the Adirondacks in 1906 about Mattie, a 16-year-old girl who on the one hand has made promises to her dying mother but on the other hand wants to follow her own dreams. Mattie is a talented writer who has ambitions of a higher education. Mattie is a wonderful character who you root for through every page. Mattie's family situation is not ideal, she lives on a rural farm in poverty taking care of her father and younger siblings. As the farm is failing Mattie takes a job at a summer resort in order to save money to help her family and ultimately help achieve her own dreams of education.

While working at the summer resort her story becomes intertwined with the real-life story of Grace Brown, a young woman who is found dead at the resort that Mattie is working at. Grace's beau is also missing and presumed dead. All of this forces Mattie to deal with yet another promise. It is through a packet of letters that Grace has given to Mattie with the promise that she will "burn them" that Mattie begins to find out who she is and what is really important. She also finds out more about Grace and what really happened.

While the book goes back and forth between Grace's letters and Mattie's life we see how Mattie deals with poverty, feminism, and racism. The author does a wonderful job with the language of the book and the description of the characters. You really feel like you are a part of the book and the early 1900's.

This was a book that I didn't want to put down, nor did I want to forget about either Grace Brown or Mattie. As a woman this book empowered me. I also found myself thinking of others who I felt would benefit from reading it. Definitely a pass on book.

Like A Fine Wine

I now have proof, it is true, we do get better with age. When I graduated from college, I struggled to reach the minimum 50wpm on the exit typing test. Today, I took a timed typing test at a interview with a job placement agency. I easily got 53 wpm and ZERO errors. I was also given a spelling test, a computer literacy test, and a basic medical procedures test. I am happy to report that I scored well on all. Yep, even the spelling!

Even with my success on the recent tests, looking for a job is not my favorite task. That is probably why I tend to find a job I like and become like a piece of the furniture. I actually worked with one company/dr. for 13 years and would probably still be there had my husband not gone back to school which relocated us to another state.

While some say the "grass is always greener on the other side" I prefer to remember that the grass gets watered because of the pay check that I am receiving at this job, so why bother to look elsewhere? Currently though I have no paycheck with which to water the grass and I am hoping that doing well on the placement agencies tests will help to provide the nourishment the garden needs.

Tonight however, I am just happy to raise my glass in a toast to getting older and wiser.

What's For Dinner?

My husband has a knack for preaching. Often people will ask "How does he get his sermons?" sometimes however it is pretty obvious.

Priests are a lot like writers. Writers often use those around them in their stories, I know this because a writer told me so when I was complaining about being used in one of my husbands sermons.

Today my husband gave an excellent and very informative sermon. As I sat in the congregation, listening to him preach, thinking "that's my husband", I was overwhelmed and very proud of the leader that he has become. What was even better was the fact that neither the kid nor myself were used in the sermon. The downside was that we will probably never be invited to another parishioner's home for dinner. Yep, that's right, he used a parishioner who had invited us to dinner in his sermon. Well actually he used a question that was asked by their college-aged kid which developed into a pretty good discussion at the table but either way, I see no dinner dates in our foreseeable future.

I might add that we have had dinner at the homes of 4-5 other parishioners and none of them have made it into a sermon (yet). Todd has given 4 sermons at this new parish and has already used parishioners in 2--Christmas Eve he used a question that was asked about insects in the hay of the manger and now today.

Someone today after church, asked me how I liked being a part of a larger church...looking at the numbers and knowing that as I pointed out in the beginning that writers use what is around them, I would say I like it quite well. Being a member of a larger church means that my husband has at least 100 other people to put into a sermon. Whether or not the interaction comes from a Men's Breakfast, a bible study group, a large altar guild, a choir, youth group, etc... or from a dinner party either way at least there are more people being used for sermon fodder.

Meanwhile at coffee hour I heard someone asked my hubby about confidentiality and dinner conversations....well it was good while it lasted and a good thing I like to cook.

New Home

We are finally getting settled in our new home. Fortunately we were able to rent the home of a parishioner who is out of the area for awhile seeking medical treatment. They have a lovely home and we are settling in nicely.

The home has a wonderfully landscaped yard that I can hardly wait to see in the spring. It also has a creek that runs through the backyard. The first couple of weeks that we were here it did nothing but rain and the creek did nothing but rise. I was extremely worried that I was going to need to pack and move to higher ground or possibly find out the address of Noah and where the ark was being built. Then I found out from a neighbor that, no, I just needed to "put on your waders and rake out the leaves from the fence at the edge of the creek". Hello? I'm from Montana, I don't have any waders!

I however, went to the store (3 stores actually) before I found waders that I deemed fashionably acceptable, blue with white polka dots. I then went home and spent the better part of a light rainy afternoon raking leaves out of the fence line.

To my relief the water is now flowing freely into the neighbors yard at a rapid rate and I no longer feel the need to look up Noah in the white pages. However every day that it rains, which is about 5 out of 7, I look out the window and wonder if the creek is gonna rise. Hopefully it will stay at a manageable level.

Meanwhile everyone is beginning to find their way around town, locating the coffee house and of course finding out how to get to the mall. Next step...look for work. Wish me luck.

It Is Worth Every Penny!

Rotary Jacket for being an exchange student.....$100.00

Price of sending a high school junior on a rotary exchange trip for a year.....a bunch.

Watching your daughter give a presentation about her year abroad......priceless.

It amazes me how much my daughter has grown. No, she hasn't gotten any taller. But her mind is broader. The world is big but now seems a little smaller since she has been to seven countries.

As I listen to her telling the Rotarians about her experience in Germany, and the friends she now has in so many different places and countries, I find that I am witnessing the glow that radiates from not only her face but her whole being. The electricity in her voice speaks volumes of how much this experience has meant to her.

I am so thankful that she was able to take advantage of this wonderful time. My only regret is that she can't do it every year.

How High Can You Count?

When I was little, I learned to count on my fingers and toes and then in kindergarten we counted all sorts of objects. We learned to count not only by 1's but also by 2's, 5's, 10's, 20's, etc... We learned all the different ways to count to 100.

I know that they still do this in school because the little kids in our town love to share how they celebrated counting things on the 100th day of school.

Counting came in very handy when I was young and my father owned a restaurant and I got to run the cash register and had to count back change.

You are probably asking "Why is she telling me all of this?" Well, I'll tell you why.

I have recently decided that the only people who can count are those that are under the age of 10. I went to a grocery store which I shall not name, and my total was $57.56. I gave the cashier the following: 2-20's, 1-10's & 2-5's. The cashier looked at me with the blankest look I have ever seen and said the following "I'm not good at math."

Seriously, I couldn't make this crap up. I have a 5-year-old nephew who can figure out how much money I gave the clerk.

This is not the only time that I have dealt with financially challenged people. On more than one occasion I have been at a sporting event and have had to correct the high-school kid who has given me back more change than I was due and in two incidents I was given more money than I actually gave to begin with.

My problem is with the fact that a.) the cashier at the grocery store didn't even have to count me back change, his cash register would do it for him. He merely had to count the money that I had given him (It would have gone something like this: 20, 40, 50, 55, 60...ah, yes she gave me enough..right-0, lets put it now in the register.) b.) its not rocket science to count back change from a $2.50 hot dog.

It seems that once we let kids start using calculators in schools (and I agree they are easier and faster), the kids of today have started to forget how to count. I know that they can do it, its on that little building block that is now buried somewhere in the mess of all the other knowledge that we have piled on top of it. The question remains, how do we uncover that building block and show them that it is essential?

Football A Method To Teach Our Youth

It seems that in this day and age the art programs in schools are always being cut. Sports programs on the other hand never seem to feel the sharp edge of the knife. Its my opinion that schools need both. Kids can learn so much from the arts as well as sports if they are given the right opportunity. The problem is that most of the time the emphasis is put on sports because it draws in money into the school and money after all is what is all about.

Sports can be limiting. Most teens who play sports don't get the opportunity to play again after high school unless they live in a city that has a recreational league. And lets face it you don't see many 80 year-old football players out there but I know several senior citizens that continue to sing in their church choir enriching the lives of many.

In my life time I have sat through more sporting events than I can count from baseball to hockey to volleyball to football and it always seems that the team that is having the winning season will have the most fans at the venue. Which brings me to what I don't like about sports; the emphasis is always on winning and not about how to play the game and being a good sport or even about letting everyone get a chance to play. I understand and appreciate what it means to watch and root for a winning team. If your team is 5-0 you will have a lot more fans in the stands than when your team is 0-5 but shouldn't we be sitting in the stands to cheer on our youth and as adults show them that it doesn't really matter if you win or loose but rather how you play the game and whether or not you have fun.

I realize that there is probably not a school administration around that feels the same way I do because they all seem to want a winning season so that the stands are packed and the coffers are full. But sometimes I like to sit back and wonder about what the world would be like if we weren't so fixated on always winning but rather building up one another instead.

Then there are times when I come across a sporting clip that gives me hope for the future. Such as this clip of the school in Snohomish Washington whose football team allows everyone to play, even Ike a down syndrome kid and he doesn't just warm the bench. He may not win a football scholarship but he and his team mates are learning about more than just the game. They are learning how you treat people and really isn't that what we should be teaching our kids--how to be great adults?

*note: the clip that I have posted is from 2009 but there is also a clip of the 2010 touchdown as well.

You Are Worth More Than Many Sparrows

Its always fun to ask someone who likes to read "so, what are you reading now?" Discussing a book with someone is a good way to get to know a lot about someone. It is also a good way to find material for one of my favorite past times.

The Sparrow, written by Mary Doria Russell has become one of my favorite books and it came to me from a conversation with two people who read a wide variety of material. We happened to be talking over dinner about the books we were reading and one thing lead to another and when I left their home I ended up with a copy of The Sparrow tucked under my arm.

Sci-Fi books are not really the type of books that are at the top of my "My Must Read" list nor are Fantasy books but this one had me turning pages late into the night. The premise is that four Jesuit priests, an astronomer, a physician, her engineer husband, and a child prostitute turned computer expert have been sent to a newly discovered planet to try to contact a totally unknown species that has been found to exist.

The story takes place in the time span of 2019 to 2060 and is told from flashbacks from Emilio Sandoz one of the Jesuits and who happened to be the sole survivor of the mission and is currently on trial for things that have occurred while on the planet Rakhat.

The story is about more than discovering a new planet and the life there, it is about religion and what you do when your "perfect God" turns out to not be what you thought, but it is also about politics, and family.

The author does a suburb job of defining characters as well as creating a planet that even though it seems rather foreign can still be pictured quite well. The whole story could have been an extremely dark and dreary story had it not been for Ms. Russell's light way of bringing it all about and the wit of her pen makes it all very readable. In fact as I was nearing the end of the book I was getting sad that I only had a little bit of time left with Father Emilio. Turned out that there is a sequel and I am currently turning pages once again with Father Emilio and enjoying my time with him as we continue to delve a little deeper into politics, family, religion, and what do you do with it all when none of it seems to make sense.

I will warn you there are parts of the story that are hard to read but there are parts of Anne Frank's Diary that were hard to read too and I believe that I learned something about myself and the world from both reads.

Life Is About More Than Just You

Homecoming as we explained it to our exchange student is when the alumni coming back to the school for a weekend and get together for a sports event.

Kudos to Ennis, a local high school for taking the opportunity to use their "Homecoming" week for someone else. The whole student body, staff, booster club, school board, and community got involved in raising money for an athlete, Jared Smith who doesn't even go to their school. Granted Smith was injured while playing against the Ennis team earlier this year but people get injured all the time, its part of the game.

However, sometimes we all need to learn that in the big picture, there is more out there than the rah rah rah of the game. Bake sales to raise dough, competition between grades to see who can raise the most money for someone less fortunate, 50/50 raffles that normal support the close-up which at this game will be going solely to the Smith family and everything else that the Ennis school and community did to support the Smith family shows true character and represents what sportsmanship is all about.

Way to go Ennis--you've taken an opportunity to teach your kids more about sports than wins and losses. Lets hope they learned something.

Jared Smith's story

How Can I Help You?

WOW! I think I found my dream company.

I have bought several pairs of shoes from Zappos.com and have always had good results.

However, this time the shoes didn't fit. I needed to send them back.

No problem, Zappos pays for shipping both ways. I boxed the shoes up and put the return label on the box. When I requested the return label, I asked for in-store credit knowing that I wanted to exchange the shoes for the correct size.

I called Zappos customer service 3 days later to find out if the shoes had reached the warehouse so that I could do the swap.

Nope. No shoes in the warehouse.

I explained that I wanted to exchange the shoes for the right size. No problem, "we can do that without the shoes being in the warehouse". "what size did you need?" I was asked. I told her what size I needed.

Dang, they didn't have my size. But wait, "let me check and see if any other store has your size" SERIOUSLY...she was going to check other stores?!?! yep and she did, but they didn't have my size either. Apparently the shoe I chose was a discontinued shoe.

Bummer. Ok I needed to now check and see what shoe I wanted to switch for and call back.

Found replacement shoe and called back. Customer service rep that I talked with this time was again friendly and accommodating. In fact, she said that because I was exchanging the shoes they would send out my new shoes "next-day air".

Shoes were sent out yesterday, UPS guy left 'em at my door today.

Thanks Zappos for being so accommodating. You so exceeded my expectations for customer service.

where has all the time gone?

Happy Anniversary!

Im not sure where all the time has gone. I don't really feel old enough to have been married for 20 years. But when I look back at all that has gone on over the last 20 years, I guess it is entirely possibly I just find it hard to believe.

If you had told me 20 years ago today that the man I was marrying would end up a priest and that I would be involved in search processes that would try my patience and my nerves and then proceeded to ask me if I still wanted to go through with the wedding I would have laughed thinking that you had the wrong couple. Knowing however that it is true, I might have pondered the question a bit and then proudly gone down that aisle.

What can I say......love is blind.

For the next couple of weeks things are going to be incredibly busy at our house. Besides being in the middle of a search process, we are awaiting the arrival of our new foreign exchange student who will be living with us while we are here and possibly moving with us.

This weekend we get the opportunity to entertain a search committee that will be here to check us out and then in two weeks we will be flying out to another location for a formal interview with another church.

I think I have done all I can to prepare:

haircut....check.

wardrobe picked out....check.

mouth under control.....lets hope so.

nervous under control....not a chance.

Is It I Lord?

Doubt is a terrible thing to have. It's even worse when it's not you but others that are making you doubt yourself.

I have been triaging patients as a medical assistant since 1987. I have worked in Family Practice, Sports Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and even briefly in Nephrology.

Mostly, I know I know my stuff. It is nice to know though that in times of doubt, which make me feel particularly vulnerable, that God looks out for me and sends someone with kind words who can remind that yes, I do indeed belong where I am.