My Life Since November

I've been a horrible blogger this winter...too much busyness and not enough time to have coherent thought to write down much.
(By the way the pic is of the hugemongous windmills in western Kansas that you can see if you are driving to Colorado. They are fascinating to me. )

As I posted in my last blog I really was having a hard time slowing down and enjoying life and it got tested to the max this winter. Its been super busy but also filled with many blessings. God has taught me much about resting in Him and letting go of things so HE can do what He desires through me and many times in spite of me. Its been hard to remember that all that I have is His, I am just a steward of it. But I am slowly learning to let go.

Well to start things off my parents came and visited in early December and stayed until the end of the month, which was a treat to have them here with me so long. We had fun puttering around here at my house and working on little things together. Dad built me a most beautiful cabinet for my bathroom...I was needing a bit more storage for towels etc and since he is "retired" and loves to build things I begged and he delivered. What do you think??

They also encouraged me to say goodbye to some old furniture and replace them finally. I have a wing back chair which was my first new furniture buy after graduating from Seminary. It has served me well but it is a bit worn out. I finally gave in and got a new one. They went through the "pain" of going shopping with me and my sitting in about a billion chairs. I felt like Goldilocks :-) You know, too hard, not soft enough, etc. And I don't know why some things become like "friends" and they are hard to let go of. Guess that is why Jesus said to not get attached to things. I do still have my old chair as a "back-up" yeah I am pitiful. But I do love my new rocking-recliner...

In the middle of their visit was our annual Birthday Party for Jesus celebration with the preschoolers. It was fun but a busy week getting things ready for teachers and kids alike.


Next my parents and I traveled to Denver, CO to enjoy time with my brother and his family but also cheer on my niece as she graduated from College Suma Cum Laude :-) VERY proud of her, its been a hard road to travel, lots of obstacles that she had to overcome but she made it. I am so proud of her for sticking with it. Now praying for her to find a great teaching position. That was a huge college graduation. Over 1400 graduates and of course she was in the last group to walk. Goodness! But I have never been to a less dignified graduation. People were walking around, talking in groups (loudly) many walked out as soon as their person graduated. Lots of rudeness. Sad to me that people weren't respectful of the experience for these kids and adults who had worked so very hard. Was very different than my graduations.
(In the pic Sis n Law: Jackie, Heather, and Bro Robert looking uncharacteristically serious, ha ha ha, think it was the LONG wait to see his baby girl walk across that stage.)

After this came back home to get Christmas stuff taken down at church, thankful for those that help us do this year after year. It is such a huge undertaking. Then it was time to gear up for the new year as well as go home to my parents for some time off with them. I "helped" them drive back to SC. Of course when my Dad would let me drive :-) Been a while since I have ridden that far. I don't know why riding is SUCH a tiring thing but wow! I was worn out when I got to mom and dads. We piddled around, shopped and basically were lazy. Mom ended up getting sick so we had to stick to home.

When I got back it was time to hit the ground running with our annual mommy and me event at work. Its always fun to plan and bring to fruition. And of course the most fun is seeing the girls run around and enjoy everything with their mommies. SO much excitement. But since its an overnight event it is also a bit tiring to my Associate and I. It takes a bit to recover from the lack of sleep and the busy-ness of the night. But its always worth it. And we had awesome pics of the night from fab photographer Jana Cotton of Cotton Crop.

And then this week North Texas got slammed with an ice/snow storm along with freezing temps. Coldest in over 20 years. Due to the freezing temps and 0 degree wind chills this stuff isn't going anywhere and we seem stuck in limbo.
Makes me very thankful for the roof over my head and blankets, heat, etc. We take so much for granted.

So in a nutshell this has been my life in the interim. Of course I am leaving out big chunks of things but it would take hours if I listed them all. But I hope you have enjoyed this snippet of my life over the last 2 months. Its been a crazy ride but fun memories have been made.

Not Your Typical Sunday Morning....aka being Greeted By Yellow Police Tape

Well the fun started at 6:50 AM Sunday morning as I opened my garage door to back out and go to work. What greeted me were 2 police cars with lights flashing blocking my driveway along with crime scene yellow tape. Its very surreal looking at YOUR driveway and seeing all this going down, especially in a suburban neighborhood. Anyway, as I get out of my car I notice they are also starting to tie up blue tarp to block the section of the alley behind my fence. Obviously there was something there that they didn't want anyone to see. So the police officer that greeted me as I got out of my car told me that there was a dead body in the alley behind my fence. Seriously???!? This was one of my neighbors boyfriend. It is amazing how my wannabe detective self started kicking in. My mind started playing back all the sounds I heard that morning. Realizing that I had heard a really loud scraping sound earlier that morning. It was so loud I thought someone was trying to break in. And then I tried to remember times, etc. I know I have watched way too many crime shows.
Later that night as my imagination was creating all kinds of scenarios and thinking I am going to have all kinds of trouble going to sleep, I called my very wise dad and he encouraged me to call the police office and see if I could find out more information. So I followed his advice and found out it was a suspected suicide. I still don't have all the details and me and my other neighbor still don't know which family has been affected on our block. We are trying to find out and I am trying to find ways we can help them and be there for them. But if God brings it to your mind, please pray for this family and their friends that have been affected by this death. Suicide is so devastating especially if they didn't suspect anything was wrong.
It made me wonder at our society once again, do we truly care enough about the people around us to butt in to their isolation? To care enough to make sure they are okay. Our world today promotes isolation with all the social media, email, etc. People really don't have to have personal interaction with others if they don't want to. And bullying of children and teens makes it even more important to start noticing behaviors. If you know anyone that is seemingly more isolated, less connected with friends and family, not communicating, not socializing, start checking up on them. Find out what is going on with them, bug them and work with them to help get them back into the swing of life. If they need professional help, i.e. you feel they are deep in their depression, contact a licensed counselor or minister that can get them help. But most of all don't give up being there for them. And again, this isn't limited to adults. Teens and children experience these behaviors in alarming rates. A great website with basic info on warning signs, how to get help etc. is http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

the Unexpected Laugh

Almost every Monday our Discipleship Staff which is comprised of our boss and all of the age group ministers at my church gather to do everything from evaluating Sundays to planning, discussing books we are reading and prepping for upcoming events, etc. Many of our staff have been here for ten plus years some of us are "newbies" of six year tenure. (smile) Almost every time we meet there is ALWAYS the unexpected comment or side note that just brings the laugh.

So what does the picture have to do with staff mtgs?? Explanation below:

Well today's meeting was no different...there was so much random discussion going on about whether or not someone should have email sent to their phone and the benefits of it and the fact that their smartphone should be able to do it etc. Then the comments started from our non-smartphone using staff members.. about their phones...the one that caught me off guard was the "confession" that one of our staff member's phone was such a "non" smart phone it had a rotary dial. And I just lost it...and while it deserved a snort of laughter, I did resist the non-ladylike urge. By the way did you know there were rotary cellphones...about six years ago??

So when you are caught off guard by a laugh, confess...do you snort? Just for fun here is a take on different types of laughs from Mary Poppins.

Pictures from Recent Trip Home

My pictures ended up in reverse order...the first shots of downtown Edenton (where my Mom grew up) Were some of my last pics before I started my journey home.
A not so great shot of downtown Edenton.. my mom and I got away for the afternoon after cleaning out my Grandmother's things from the nursing home. That was much more emotional than I anticipated it to be...so my mom suggested we come down the road and walk around the waterfront.

My Grandmother's Resting Place
Her flowers were gorgeous. She is surrounded by family, literally. Everywhere you turn in here is a cousin, Great Grandad, Great Grandma, Great Aunt, Great Uncle, etc. Whew! But I love seeing names of people that I have heard about all of my life.

The Cotton is blooming... I love it when its all ripe for harvest reminds me of snow.Cotton Fields..

My Mama and Daddy

The Waterfront, Downtown Edenton, my mom lived on Queen street as a little girl. Its about 4 blocks west of this street. A little history, Edenton dates back to Colonial days and was the first Capitol of North Carolina. The ladies of Edenton also staged a tea party before the Boston tea party took place.

I don't know why...but I have always liked these trees...
I think its because they have been battered and blown about, but still stand.

My Aunt loved to feed the ducks downtown

The restoration of the Roanoke River Lighthouse

The Porch and back view of Barker House
Edenton's Visitor Center

The front Side of Barker House. They have added two new Cannons since my last visit. The Cannons were recently discovered and restored. They are from the Civil War.

My running around buddy the day of the funeral, my little cousin W. We were trying to help his daddy "wear him out" before his ride home.

W. being silly and goofy...of COURSE we all loved it :-)

My brother and W playing Peep Eye...hilarious

My mom and W. He added much needed joy and laughter for the day

As my Mom said he was the reminder of hope and continuation of life. I just know he wore me out that afternoon chasing him around the church. It was a blast. And of course you can tell he was enjoying the chase.

My brother and sister n law. Loved being able to spend time with both of them.

My Cousins Jason and and his sweet Mama Arlene. I have missed laughing and spending time with them. Jason played the organ for my Grandmother's Funeral. So sad that I didn't get to hear him play more that day. Super talented.

My Grandmother S., not liking me trying to take her picture.

Almost all of the boys from my Dads family...missing my nephew Stephen ,Uncle Jim and my cousin Steven. Oh and by the way if you are ever driving through the northeastern portions of NC and you have a little bit of a lead foot, you might just end up running into my cousin W (bottom left) he's a highway patrolman... :-)
There were many more pics taken, but I promised on threat of death not to put them out into cyberspace for all the world to see...
We had a great time celebrating my Grandma Harrell's life and catching up with my extended and immediate family. She would have loved all the laughter, conversation and memory making from the day. I am afraid that many of them I won't see again this side of Heaven so I am very thankful for the time I got to speak and see them.

Lenny Kravitz crashes the VOP Choir in New Orleans for "Fly Away" CNN

This happened to our High School Student choir called Voice of Praise! What an awesome moment and memory for them.

All you can do with Duct Tape or the Red Green Show

The Joys of Home Ownership

Take a person who has never liked working in the yard and give them a home and you get a yard that is in some serious need of TLC and the owner some tutorials on how, when, why and where (smile) I have kept up with almost everything in my yard but only as needed. And although I wanted to do some things in my yard I was a bit overwhelmed.
Solution: my parents to the rescue. They came in for my birthday and they really like yard work and can see how to make what needs to happen, happen. So for the past week I have been walking around listening, looking and taking mental notes, hoping to not encourage a mini-jungle state to my yard again.
So whats the lesson from all this? Several things come to mind: God did say to Adam to SUBDUE the earth; kinda need to follow that one and lastly some advice: when you are even THINKING about buying a house, have a plan to learn how to do all those things that you really don't like to do. All in all I am VERY thankful for my home and feel that God has blessed me with it. I need to be a better steward of it.

Ode to a Pile of Laundry

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I think that I shall never see the end of my pile of laundry.

When the washer stops and the dryer buzzes

I go excitedly thinking that no more fuss is

Needed to finish this task.

However laying before me it basks

Ominously rearing its ugly head,

Another load needing its water bed.

So what shall I do with this endless drudgery?

Be thankful to the Father above and not be blubbery

That my Kenmore works

and I am not a poet laureate

Busy Time of Year for Me...

(yes I still use a paper planner...I like writing it all in)
This time of year is just a bit nuts for me at work and it all starts in October.(Well actually it starts when we begin our new church year in August but this time of year is a concentrated sprint as well) It starts with the build up to our annual Fall Fun Fest; decorating the church for Christmas (which I am liaison to the decorations team so I help with that effort) our Preschool annual event Birthday Party for Jesus; our new Hanging of the Green family event; and Sounds of Christmas. Usually I sing in Sounds of Christmas but still am not able to sing for long periods of time without coughing so I had to nix that for this year. All this plus the "normal" every week activities makes it non stop 11 weeks of activity.

But in the midst of all of this about 4 weeks ago I had a nasty bout with Bronchitis. My doctor said I was dangerously close to the Pneumonia mark. My breathing was really shallow and lungs were filled with infection. TMI? :-) Just know it was gross and I didn't really know how bad it was til I started recovering. At times I thought I would cough up a lung, ha ha ! Anyway, its been a loooooong trek trying to get back to "normal" from this. One annoying thing in the midst of this is that I still have not been allowed to get back to my full exercise routine; I can do my weights but no to the elliptical right now. Sad for this ...because that also means it will take a while to get back to where I was before I got sick.

As a result of the recovery I am usually zapped when I get home. Its hard not to do something for me...but have tried to be "good" so I could recover well instead of slowing it all down by not resting. But let me tell you its been hard.

In the midst of all of this have been several emotionally draining situations at church: we had the home going for one of our little ones this week. Little 5 month old Emily fought long and hard for many months but last Friday she went home to be with Jesus. I admit these things always send me to God's throne with crazy questions, anger and frustration. Thankfully He is there to lean on for me as well as others and all of Emily's family. I can't imagine her parents heartbreak. If you would, please join me in praying for Jeff and Karen. Thank you.

We also had one of our Dad's suffer from a brain bleed last week. Scary part of this beyond the nature of the ailment, was that his wife was in Guatemala at the orphanage we sponsor with people from our church when it took place. Thankfully she was able to make it home before they did his surgery. It has been a crazy couple of days for them. Thankfully he is at home recovering but its gonna take a few weeks for him to get back his strength, etc. If you would, would you also please join me in praying for the Jensen family. Thank you.

I end all of this with a question...do you let the crazy-ness at your job rob you of spending time with your family and friends? My hardest task in days like these is keeping my time balanced, not getting so wrapped up in my job that I miss out on time with my friends. (My family is a bit far away for me to spend time with, but I do keep up with them via phone, texts, and email.)

So at this time of year don't miss out on those special moments with your family and friends. You can never get those moments back.

Walking Through Days in a Blur

Do you have those times of the year that you look back on and for the life of you can't remember one day from the next? For me its this time of year. Why? With my job summers are a bit busy with special events, VBS, etc. But the Fall is packed with starting programs back up that have been on hiatus for the summer as well as a new Bible Study, aka Sunday School year. This means lots of recruiting, training, constantly evaluating, creating publications, and meeting with people. There is not a lot of down time.
This always poses problems for my sleep habits, harder for me to wind down at night and to truly stop my brain from processing. And I know from the past this also is the time of year I start to catch stupid little bugs that my body should be able to ward off but it is too run down to fight because of the lack of sleep and rest.
So...you may ask what are you going to do about this? Well, I had a plan to help myself wind down during this busy Fall and not suffer from sleep and rest deprivation. The plan's goals are to make sure I spend time outside each day in the fresh air, walk, or ride my bike, and turn off the digital media. But here's a confession, this week I flunked!!! I gave in to the tired feelings and brain fog and allowed myself to veg out in front of the TV and computer. And sleep this week you may ask?? Horrible. I have averaged 4 hrs a night. Not good heading into cold and flu season. And my working with preschoolers who share their germs every day doesn't help either. With my current lack of rest and habits I am definitely headed into sick-ville. However, I am determined NOT to do this, so I am getting back into the groove of my daily wind down goals...so the tennis shoes are by the door, the bike is all ready to go, and the digital media has a 9 pm curfew. :-)


So with all that said, is there something you need to do for yourself this new school year? Is it to be healthier, to be more active, to tackle something you have wanted to try, or is it just to carve out more time to spend with your family and friends? Don't set insurmountable goals but set realistic ones and for pete's sake don't give up or give in!

The Dreaded Migraine

This last week and weekend was busy with a capitol "B" and then capped off with Sunday which started really early as in 4 am with my running to get ready for our Kindergarten graduation that began at 8:30 and of course we had our usual morning activities. Then that afternoon we geared up for our Bible Study leaderhip training and meeting which didn't end until 9:15 pm or so. So was it a stressful weekend? Most assuredly. So after all of the stress of the day it should have been no surprise to be awakened by a pounding headache and pressure behind my left eye. But dummy me not tuning into the weekend that I had, had got up and took meds for what I thought was just a sinus headache. But of course three hours later I was awakened to more intense pain. You know the kind: can't move your head for fear you are going to throw up? And then I knew it wasn't a sinus headache it was the dreaded migraine. So I got up to take my meds for it....but of course not recognizing the culprit early it really was too late I knew I was going to have to ride it out and let it run its course. Which meant no light, no sound, and laying VERY still. And this was an ugly one. It is is still with me: nagging pain, weak eyes, sensitivity to light and sound. And its been over 2 days.

Does this sound familiar to you? Migraines are so debilitating. I remember the first one I had was when I was in seminary. It scared me to death. It was mid-terms and I of course had tests and papers due. Can you say STRESSFUL! Anyway, while I was at work I noticed that I couldn't see well out of one eye. It was like someone had taken some oil and dropped in my eye and smeared it in a big circle so I couldn't see through the center but only around the edges. (here is an example on the right of what you "see" or dont' see ) There was also intense pressure and pain behind that eye. Sounds wierd I know but it was a classic ocular migraine. However, I thought I was going blind in that eye. It was scary.

Such is the world of migraines. They are sneaky and hit like a ton of bricks. Unfortunately after all these years I still haven't figured out all of my triggers. And yes I have noticed that high stress is a trigger, but not all of the time. But that is the key you see to helping to prevent them, finding your triggers. So if you suffer from migraines. You have my deepest sympathy. If you don't but know others that do, take pity. They really aren't something you can just "get over" and get on with it. They truly can knock you flat and take a while to recover from .

So what did I learn from all of this? That I need to be kind to myself during high stress times. Need to take more breaks, walk, and get PLENTY of sleep. But this is a process for me as I muddle through the sea of migraine symptoms and preventatives. But I am not going to give up trying to become migraine free. :-)

What I LEARNED on my Summer Vacation

better have a back up plan for that GPS that is ignorant of detours, roadblocks and road construction.

• 
  


• there is no need to pack the entire contents of my closet or armoire for a 7 day trip, there are washing machines at my parents house and even in hotels.



• one doesn't need every type of hair styling product whle on vacation that is in ones cabinet to get the perfect "do" 1 of each will be fine. So total of 3 bottles NOT 8.



• that if I want to do something while at home then I need to make sure I make a list cause I will ineveitably forget to do something.



• there are absolutely too many miles between mine, my parents' and my brothers houses...I miss spending time with them. Once a year stinks for visits...need to be intentional to get together more.



• One cannot read more than one book while on vacation so don't even try to pack more than that. If you finish it while on vacation great! You can go and get a new book at the bookstore. There are bookstores in the towns you are visiting.



• my spirit needs to be recharged more than once a year. There need to be more times during the year spent for me to re-charge, dream, plan, and spend time with the Father free from the distractions of home.



• Need to be alert more to what God is showing and telling me through the everyday"ness" of my life. He is speaking but am I listening? No, not always. Am too busy most days. Need to slow down so I can hear and see.



• Have missed listening and learning from some of my favorite speakers and preachers; they haven't gone anywhere. I have neglected my podcasts for mindless television too many nights. Must remedy that.



• Cannot believe how much I miss the sights, sounds and smell of the ocean and the feel of the sand under my feet.



• God desires for us to laugh and joy in Him. Best times are spent at His feet watching and listening, just being aware of His presence and enjoying Him, not coming to Him with a checklist of rants or requests.



• Have neglected carrying my journal with me throughout my day and am missing many insights and aha moments as the days go by because I don't write them down.

Some of these are funny check list things others do not sound grandiose or life altering but in my times of thinking while driving many of these were like "duh" moments. I think in the busy-ness of everyday life we forget to take notice of our lives and where they are headed. It is imperative that we be more intentional before we reach a day that stuns us with its arrival and makes us ask: "Where did the time go?"

What I Did on My Summer Vacation Days 5&6

Sunday night my dad surprised me by asking if I wanted to spend the night in the mountains Monday night and then head home on Tuesday. My late Birthday present. I of course said YES!! So Monday morning we headed out for Boone, NC. On the way we stopped to see my Uncle Jim, my dad's baby brother. I haven't seen him in forever. I was his birthday present one year, ha ha ha. Seriously I was born on his birthday. Anyway, we had a great visit. Got to see his new church pastorate. Which is a church that was started in 1727. It has a beautiful building with some wonderful old stained glass. The glass dates back to 1919. Pretty wonderful that it has lasted all these years. It was fun seeing it but the best was listening to my Dad and Uncle Jim laughing and talking.

After a great visit we continued our journey north through the mountains until we reached Boone. I hadn't seen the town of Boone in over 14 years. It was practically unrecognizable to me. When I would go up to visit friends during college we visited lots of places. I could hardly find landmarks of places we visited and ate at. Except for Makotos. I was SO excited to see that it was still up and running. Wonderful Japanese Steak House. Anyway, it was a bit late when we arrived so we trekked over to Moses Cone Manor which is a family have to visit location. Its a beautiful manor house overlooking a valley. Then we headed down to Blowing Rock. I love that little town. But while we were there the heavens opened and it started pouring rain. So we cut our sight seeing short and returned to the hotel.

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to the parkway. We started at the northern point of Doughton Park and then made our way south. We had fun stopping and looking at the scenery along the way. It was fun to see some little critters along the way, some muskrat, rabbits, and deer. There was one baby deer who wasn't frightened at all and even stopped and posed for pictures. He even wagged his tail for us as if to say "Hi" :-) We visited the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church which houses one of Ben Long's wonderful frescoes. This church has a wonderful history of ministry to many people in the mountains. The Last Supper Fresco is what is located behind the pulpit. Fresco painting is an amazing process and it is fun to hear what he went through as he created this wonderful painting. I love that he painted himself as doubting Thomas, his testimony to the struggle he had to come to faith in Christ. There are other stories to tell from the visit to the church, ponderings and musings that I will share later.

After we visited every nook and cranny of the church we headed south to Grandfather Mountain area so we could see the Viaduct and the mountain itself. It is always amazing to see the viaduct.http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/linncove.htm all 1243 feet of it. The most tremendous feat was building it from the top down, not disturbing the mountain as they built it. But they did it. There are some fun stories from Grandfather Mountain as well. When we were little we would go up the mountain to see the sights. There was Mildred the bear and all the bear cubs. There was also the mile high swinging bridge. Sad to say I was always too chicken to make it across. My own Grandmother finished it when I couldn't. Pretty sad, huh? The drive to the top is rather narrow. Not a lot of room for 2 cars to pass each other. Once when we were little I remember sitting the backseat of our car and whispering to my brother that "we were going to die" as we watched another car come straight for us as we were driving to the top. Of course we didn't die but it sure was scary there for a moment or two.

After this we headed back to my mom and dads. Sad to say my fun journey home is over except for the journey back. Tomorrow I head back to Texas. There will be a few stops along the way to see some old friends but then back home and back to work. Learned lots, rested, and had fun visiting and reminiscing.

So... What Do You Do When You Can't Sleep

Many nights I will fall asleep normally and then wake up a few hours later, wide awake. Very annoying. So what do I do when I can't sleep?I will journal or usually I grab a good book and try to let that lull me back to sleep. I wish I could say I always grab my Bible but that wouldn't be the truth. When I read the Bible it actually stimulates my brain and I start thinking and pondering, not a good thing to do when I need to fall asleep. Sounds horrible huh? Especially when you read verses that speak about meditating on scripture day and night, David talks about this quite a bit in his Psalms. But I can't just pick up my Bible and read, cause it will keep me up for hours. I will however pray. I will start ticking off my mental list of prayer requests and sometimes that will relax me. Something else is to ask God why am I awake? Sometimes as in the case of Samuel He has something He wants to alert me to or show me and in the "awake" hours I am too focused on me to hear or be aware of what He is showing me.

Other things I will try:

If there is a movie on that I like I will see if it can help my mind to zone out because usually its my brain that won't let me sleep. My favorite movie to lull me to sleep these days is the Illusionist. Not that its a snoozer, I actually like this movie. But its just a quiet type of film and the colors they use are mostly sepia and muted dark colors and for some reason, it relaxes me and I can fall asleep to it. So I will set the timer on the TV and hopefully sleep.

My last resort is to take a sleep aid. Most of these including prescriptions make me too groggy in the morning and I don't like how long it takes me to wake up. But if I am desperate and facing a long day ahead I will take one. The next day will be filled with caffeinated drinks. Mostly coffee.

Another thing a friend taught me to do when its my brain that won't let me go to sleep is to grab a blank notebook and some colored pencils or markers and just start doodling or writing out random words. This works sometimes for me, but many times it gets the creative juices flowing and just keeps the old brain on alert mode, so not such a good all time remedy.

So with all of my remedy's listed, what do you do when you can't sleep?

My Idea of Perfect Iced Tea

You start with these essential ingredients

3 of these to boiling water

Let it steep for 3mins.

while tea bags are steeping

fill this* half way with water

Then add 1/2 cup of this and your steeped tea and stir.

Then you have this.....

ahhhhhh

** pitcher is 2quarts