Those boys are much too much!

Look over there to the right and click on the first item in "Things that make me so happy I just gotta throw something" I saw this commercial this morning at about 6:45 in the morning. I crack myself up every time I think about! That little girl has got it made with THAT dad!

The Intruder...

Let me set the scene. I'm sitting at my desk in my office. I have no windows in my office so I like to make my own productive work atmosphere. First, I light a great smelling candle. Next, I make sure I've got great music playing. Right now I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens presents Songs for Christmas (I highly recommend it). Next I make sure that all projects except the one I'm currently working on is put away in the 'IN' box or filed away and out of my vision. (I know, that part shocks you :) Finally, I fix myself a nice cup of hot tea or hot chocolate or something else hot. Then I almost snuggle down in my chair and go about the business of being completely focused on my task whether it's answering emails, corresponding with church visitors or managing a big gathering. So you can imagine that in this state of comfortable but intense concentration, I was appalled by the strange movement I caught from the corner of my eye. Alanis couldn't have sung it better. It was a cockroach taking a casual stroll across my desk. I'm pretty sure it noticed me long before I noticed it and I'm even surer that when I looked at it, it raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Now how do you like your atmosphere, sister?" My murder attempt failed so now it's lurking about my office plotting it's next appearance.

Why can't I ever be more prepared for the unexpected? When will I ever learn that I'm not really in control of how things go. I can try and try and will probably try for the rest of my life to set the scene for the perfect moment, week...life. So these little 'reminders' that the unexpected is going to happen are healthy wake up calls for me to keep things in perspective. All that said, I'd still really want to smush that roach!

Get Ready

This past Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent. I remember I took a big deep breath and said to God, "Okay God, you've got my full attention". It's not always easy to get our full attention with all the Big Sale shopping opportunities and tasty holiday distractions around us during this time of year. Advent marks the beginning of the church year. We are accustomed to making our New Year's resolutions on January 1st in accordance with the calendar year. What if we left all the losing weight, quitting smoking and all the other regular suspects for January and use Advent to make another kind of resolution? I invite you join me in making a fresh new effort to open yourself up to hearing God in this new church year. In the midst of all that strives to distract and divert us we must learn to be quiet and listen...listen to what the true gift of Christmas is. With the Christ child comes the example of love we are to practice with one another. Equipped with that love our response is to love those around us...stranger as well as those we call friend. In all of this, we get Get Ready for the arrival of the Christ. Take time this holy season to Get Ready. Click here to see our church's offerings for getting ready http://www.firstchurchdallas.org/news_detail_headlines.php?doc=113

Give Thanks

I one way or another you are getting ready. Getting ready for the tradition of Thanksgiving. The thing that helped me get ready the most was our minister's sermon on Sunday. It should be posted by tomorrow on the church website and I recommend you read it. The link to our church website is right over there on the right.

The getting ready part can be a little hectic at times. If you're celebrating in your own home you are most likely preparing food, getting serving dishes ready and maybe even cleaning guest rooms for out of town guests. Or maybe you are traveling and must pack, fill up your gas tank and are maybe even taking Christmas gifts for those you don't plan to see at Christmas. There are many items on your list. Last year I started a new tradition for myself for Thanksgiving. I made an actual list of thanksgivings. It was the only way I could really concentrate on what I'm thankful for. Dr. Fiedler's sermon helped me kick start my list in emphasizing the things I could include. We are always thankful for the food we eat, the roof over our heads and the clothes on our backs. But I was convicted to think about personal growth goals I may have reached. To think about peace in adversity I may have been given. To think about strength and grace I've experienced even when things have been difficult. Acknowledging this type of gift and growth truly pushes us forward in our understanding of our relationship with Christ and with the humanity around us. This year, make a list. See if doesn't make the holiday more meaningful. Also, it's still okay to thank God for that pie. :)

Must...have...pie!!!!

Are you aware? Have you not yet come to the realization? It is time for Pie. Lots and lots of Pie. Pumpkin Pie, pecan Pie, mincemeat Pie (you probably hate that one)....slurp. There is no other time of the year when I simply must eat Pie. Is it because it's cooler outside and nutty spiced up Pie makes me all warm inside? Is it because someone who really knows their way around Pie made that Pie and you know you just can't miss out? This, of course, is not a healthy relationship with Pie...when the Pie has such control. So I pray. I pray for the strength to defeat Pie or at least be it's equal. I pray for peace when I decide that I will limit myself to only one piece of Pie. Of course I won't ask "What would Jesus eat" because, HE WOULD EAT THE PIE!

And, would I like coffee with that? "If you don't know me by now...you will never never never know me" Of course I want coffee. I want black coffee with Pie.

So as we all prepare our list of thanksgivings, our hearts for the coming of the Christ child, let's also prepare our minds for the temptations that come along with the joy of the season.

Where do I begin???

You and I both heard all about this Saturday night and yesterday morning. Here is the message posted and ready for preaching outside First Baptist Church,Dallas...our 'kitty corner' neighbor. But it's taken me all this time to be calm enough about it to just address it for what it is. As the Director of Evanglism of FUMC Dallas, I struggle to find the Christlike love, respect and inclusion into God's kingdom in this sermon title. I'm still just a little jolted by it. Just the judging message of 'I'm Okay, You're Not' sends an icky feeling up my spine and makes my heart sink. So far, the sermon transcript has not been posted on their website nor is it available on YouTube. I want to hear what the senior minister has to say before I fully crumple on the floor in response. In the meantime, I'm comforted by the Traditional, Relevant and Inclusive nature of the congregation of which I'm a member. I can invite any and everyone to my home church and know that they will experience the love of Christ. I don't have much to offer as an individual but as child of God, I can invite others to experience the embrace of a loving God.

here's a dime...call someone who cares

"...so did I tell you about my grandchildren and the science award my grandson won. Oh and did I tell you about my weekend? Let me tell you how great it was. I beat everyone at bingo and won a dollar except Dinah was upset because she thinks I cheat. "

My revelation for the day is that what's important to one person is important to me. I don't care how much it has nothing to do with me, I am interested because someone cared enough about me to share their joy with me. How many times do we find ourselves thinking, "Good Lord, why are you telling me about this? I seriously don't care." Shame on us. Make it your business to care. I think that sometimes we get so very caught up in our own very important lives that we don't consider the joys and concerns that others are experiencing. I believe our empathy of others is a huge leap of our own understanding of our personal spirituality and a perfect way to extend Christ's love to everyone around us. Wow! What a concept...Empathy as evangelism.

The Dreamer

Here is my 2008 Jack-o-lantern...the only thing I HAVE to have besides a truckload of candy...to be ready for the trick or treaters. I'm rather happy with this year's creation. Usually I just whack a few holes in a pumkin so I can spend more time on roasting the seeds. But this year I decided to take a little more time. I found this template online, came home and started carving. I love that he is so dreamy. I wonder what he's thinking of? Enjoying the cooler weather? I get thoughtful just looking at him. He reminds me to dream and find joy in those dreams. Tonight, about 50 children will come to our door dreaming of sweets and praise for their creative costumes. I think of their parents and the fun and joy in the activity of meeting neighbors and watching their children's faces. Happy Fall everyone!

That's Fair

I'm just getting around to saying it but, "Its State Fair time". I love the fair. I love the food (Rachel's must haves...corney dog, brat with plenty of sauerkraut at Mueller's...and that's it. I can take or leave the rest. I wouldn't mind an ice cold beer but I can live without it. I never try the newest fried monstrosity and I won't even try your's. I just need to go and see all the people, listen to Tex tell me what's happening next and then...the most important thing of all...take about a two hour stroll through The Creative Arts building. I know, I know! You'd rather have a liver transplant. But I just love to walk through and look at the patience, love and creativity that has gone into the amazing things displayed. After I've stood in front of the preserves and pickled okra and drooled down the front of my shirt...



I go all around the perimeter of the room and look at every quilt. Then I attack the center. Look at this little sampler I found.

It's not the most intricate piece of work I've seen but I'm pretty sure this could be my life's mantra. That just about says it. I don't get very excited about spending money and the whole idea of materialism so for someone to have sewn that into a piece cloth???...they just have to be kin.

Going Buggy!

Last night my husband surprised me with a really nice dinner out...on a Tuesday even!!! He raced home, picked me up at 5:30 and we were off to The Keg. The Keg is a steakhouse close to our home. Outside, there are two big bronze statues of longhorns and lots of cacti and rocks and native grasses. As many of you know, I really don't eat cows but have no problem watching my husband enjoy a nice steak it that's what he has a hankerin' for. I ordered a nice merlot, a wedge salad and the Ahi Tuna steak with two sides of asparagus. We had a great time talking, laughing, teasing and just being still and enjoying a nice meal together. After we paid the bill, we walked to the front and out the door. Just outside the door, on the prickly pear, look at what we found. Are these stink bugs? What are they? I saw two big bugs and then all those little babies. Are those all their kids or did someone get permission to invite friends over to their prickly pear pad? I just love these bugs and realized after 5 minutes that I was still standing there looking at them. God makes cool stuff!

A Stinky Sunday Morning

Now that's not what you want to hear a church staff person talk about right? But it is what it is. Let's just suffice it to say that the back of my car never looked so wonderful as I approached (no...ran) to it at about 12:35 yesterday afternoon with the beautiful prospect of going straight home, getting back into my pajamas and getting back into the bed so I could have a second chance at a nice day.
Every Sunday I know that I will be in the crook of being a member of our church staff and just a plain 'ol member of the church. I do everything I can to be fed in the midst of feeding. Actually I try to look at all my encounters on Sunday mornings as 'being fed'. But yesterday between the adventures of Confirmation, coraling two baptism families for a quick briefing, and feeling just plain stretched to the point of transparency...I just felt beat down before worship even started. I found myself in my office crying 'UNCLE'. Lucky for me I got a second chance at church later in the day.
Yesterday evening at 5:30 our UrbanLife and Music & Arts ministries conducted a 'Service of Scripture and Choral Meditation'. It not only saved my day but put me right back on the path I was on earlier in the day. The congregation came into a setting of quiet in which we were well able to prepare our hearts for stillness and a setting for hearing God. The service lasted about 50 minutes. During the 50 minutes I felt a sense of calm and love that only God can give and the setting allowed me to not only listen but to hear God's soothing presence.
Last night's moment reminds me that I must take time every day to be quiet. No talking. No conversation. No writing. Just listening.

What's the Main Thing?

Haven't you ever heard of people say, "Keep the main thing the main thing"? I guess we all get to decide what the main thing is. The quote most likely is a moral or value driven statement. And maybe for some the 'main thing' changes from day to day. The main thing could be God, or family or Love...
Today the main thing for me is to breathe. No, seriously...I can't breathe. Allerigies are kicking my butt and I'm unable to concentrate on anything but trying to get a breath. The older I get the worse the allergies get...and today I lost. I couldn't work, plan or eat because of the lack of breath. I feel defeated...a little lost in having to concentrate on breathing.
It makes me think about how I often forget to breathe daily. We get up, get ready for the day, grab a bite to eat, drive to work, assess our day and then bam! we're off on a meeting, task driven day. When do we breathe and reasses the main thing? It's a trap we all fall into. No one is immune! Only now, when I'm forced to think about it do I stop to breathe. Help us all, Lord, to remember the importance of your breathe in our life.

Fear the McRib

I'm not here today to judge what you eat. I just have say my gross out level today is so over the top that I have to share. So I was driving to work this morning and saw the sign..."The McRib is Back" Now I do try to stay away from fast food and especially as far away from McDonald's as humanly possible. But back in the day I did imbibe in a McRib or 100. Apparently, though, I've been thinking about that sticky 'sandwich' enough to do a little digging into the mystery of it's make up. With just a little effort I think the McRib could reach Spam fame...have you ever Googled the McRib? One guy posted pictures of his adventure in discovery. First he removed the top bun

Then he washed off the sauce and turned the 'meat' over for a looksy. Guess I didn't think about the 'ribs' being stamped on only the top side

Then he sliced it open and...YIPE!!!

okay, that's all I can take. Organic salad anyone????

What's it all for?

Why do we work so hard? at being nice, being benevolent? Are you looking for some kind of 'thank you'? Do you need affirmation? Do you need recognition? Or are we just being kind for the sake of being kind? It's a question we care about. We as humans need a little bit of 'you're doing a good job' don't we? We need some 'ataboy'.

What if it were just a way of life? Let's translate this into Texan terms...say you're on the road and you let someone cut in front of you. What are you waiting for? The Wave...right?...out the back window? What if you don't get it. Are they less Texan? maybe. But what does it matter? You did what daddy taught you so who gives a flip if you're thanked? I realize this as I drive to work and understand that I'm in the midst of many different kinds of people who come from many different places. I realize that Christ wasn't expecting anything and He gave anyway. In this particular instance, this is what Jesus would do. Just don't ask me to wear that dang bracelet. Jesus wouldn't wear that bracelet! I'm pretty sure of that!

Would you do it all again?

Someone asked me that question today. "If you had it all to do again, what would you change?" We've all heard this question before but have you ever really thought about it? It seems silly to think about it since we can't change the past. On the other hand, could it shape our future and how we could do things from now on? We always heard that we learn from history...although sometimes it seems like the history we learned in school has been repeated many times. I say that we as individuals fall into the same patterns.

So if you could do something over, somehow get another chance, where would that change occur? Would you have studied more? Would you have treated someone differently? Would you erase a mistake therefore changing where you are now? Or do you see it as a part of the big plan?

Let's put aside the whole everthing -works -for -good notion. Let's say, for the moment, that our choices weren't necessarily what made us who we are. Maybe instead we made those choices because of who we are. What if we think about those bad choices and simply learn from them and chalk that up as just a really bad choice. what then? Isn't it okay to just accept that we made a bad choice and nothing good is going to come from it? The best part is that we don't have to make it again. We can move on to the next thing...all fresh and new.

Think about this today. Think about your past whether it was 20 years ago or yesterday. Move on and get over it then thank God for your free will for the choices you will make tomorrow.

Blind as a bat...i mean...armadillo

After a few hours at the river during my time off the first week of August, it was time to get back to the cabin and eat a little dinner. On the 5 minute walk back we encountered this little guy. He's just minding his own business, grubbing a few worms and roots I guess. I stopped to let him cross the path but he has no idea I'm there. I really love armadillos. Just doing his thing and being cute.

Church Coffee

Have I mentioned lately how much I love coffee? I think I'm going to marry it! I mean, I think about it all the time. I don't care if I've just had some I can pass a coffee shop and feel this unexplainable celestial pull to the counter and before I know it I'm uttering something about 'bold but not bitter'. I think one of my very first posts explains my theology of coffee (click here). Just looking at these beans makes me wanna get a cup...even if it is church coffee. (tick, tock, tick tock) okay, I'm back.
Tomorrow I leave for a week at the farm. The 'you-can-have-whatever-you-want' gods have taken a liking to me I guess. Each morning I will wake at 6:30, flick on the coffee maker I set up the night before and wait. I'll pour a cup for my mom and one for me and watch for deer or turkeys as I wake all the way up. Thank you God for coffee...

Saturday Morning

It's 8:45 on Saturday morning. I've just been in the back yard to see what surprises Mother Nature has for me this morning. Look at these morning glories and moon flowers! All her life, my Grandma Mills grew these moon flowers by accident really. I think she planted seeds once and then they came up every year after that...the plants were huge!! Mine are on a much smaller scale but the flowers are still wonderful. They bloom in the night and then last into the day until it gets really hot. Then they get tired and make room for the flowers that will bloom tonight. For a really good time I'll get a lawn chair, get a tall glass of iced tea and go out there about dusk and have a moon flower party as I actually will get to see them open. The whole plant shakes and shudders as the flowers open before my eyes like one of those videos they speed up so you can see the action. Sometimes it seems like the flowers so anticipate opening that they just shiver with excitement. Can you imagine being that ready to start the day??
Sorry for once again making a 'flower/life' connection but I just can't help it. I realized this morning that maybe this is why I HAVE to start my day outside. Maybe I'm looking for inspiration for the day from these self starters. They're just so proud to be 'out' that I think I can gain some perspective from this incredible expression of God's excitement for life.

Date Night

Well, if July wasn't already the best month in the world, it is after yesterday and this coming Wednesday. Yesterday Alvaro and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Actually, we celebrated on Saturday at a great restaurant we've discovered...Roy's. It's a Hawiaan fusion type place where we got great service and food. I highly recommend it! After that, we went to see the new Batman movie. A good old fashion date night! On Wednesday, we celebrate our anniversary again since we had to weddings in 2002. One here in Texas and one Cali, Colombia. So on Saturday I think we will celebrate with a Dairy Queen Blizzard of the month (which I've been craving since I saw the sign advertising the Girl Scout's Thin Mint flavor) YUM!!!

I'm no marraige expert but I sure do recommend having date nights to keep a relationship happy. For some reason, just being out and about and experiencing the landscape going by is such great togetherness...listening to each other's comments and impressions of world...and a little hand holding along the way is great too. :)

Anyway, I'm happy and ready for the work-week after such a fun weekend. Have a great week.

That's Sick!

okay, it's just me who's sick...no really, I'm home sick today. I've got the tummy thing and...oh, I won't go into it. And yes, because I'm neurotic, I feel guilty as heck that I'm not in the office! So I'm doing what I can to check in on my computer and do some work online.

When I'm out sick, I worry that I'm missing out on the things going on at work. Like I'm going to miss out on something that isn't going to be there tomorrow...waiting, lurking, anticipating my return. I have my sister in law picking up a stack of papers I need to work on so that I won't feel that the day is a complete loss. Why can't we just be sick? The answer....

For me, being sick is not a good reason for our visitors to not get a contact. When someone has gotten their butt out of bed on a Sunday morning and decided to visit a church, they deserve a little lovin'. So, tonight, in my jammies, I will make some phone calls between spoonfuls of soup and toast. God works even through the urps and downs heh heh.

It's the Big One!

Well, here's why I haven't blogged lately. It's my birthday month and I've been having way too much fun to even think about it! Tons of cards, emails, dinners, the gift of a pedicure and manicure, cakes, cupcakes, balloons, an ice cream party and a myriad of other wonderful gifts and well wishes. What else could a girl ask for? Growing up, my mom always made it our birth MONTH. My big day is on the 8th so for eight days in a row I got to open present. One day it might be a bottle of shampoo and the next, a fun pair of socks and the next day...a carton of Whoppers! I didn't care what it was...it was wrapped up with a bow and I got to open it.
I have to admit that in June I was having some funny feelings regarding this birthday. I'll just say it...I didn't want it to come. It's a biggun and maybe it's vanity, maybe it's because I'm not so good about change but I just didn't think I was ready. But on Tuesday of last week I awoke to the alarm just like always. I sat up in bed and took stock of my mood. Everything seemed okay to me...I didn't feel any different. I stumbled to the bathroom sink, washed my face and looked into the mirror...didn't look any different. So I decided right then and there that it was going to be a great day.
Of all the birthday joys I've received, the best gift has been the acceptance of self which God gave me at 5:30 on a Tuesday morning. (All the best gifts come in the morning :)

Home again, home again...jiggety jog

Saturday night we arrived home from our amazing trip to Rome. I could talk for a week about it...all the things we saw, all the things we did, the amazing people we met and the memories we made. But to spare you all that, I will just say that I've never experienced history, culture, food and exhaustion in such an intense manner. Every day was full and we seemed never to stop being amazed by so much really old stuff :) From standing where St. Peter was crucified to viewing ornaments that adorned Caligula's pleasure boats...makes me realize again how small my little part in this world really is. Now, back to our regular ol' lives; which as Alvaro and I have both agreed, is the most wonderful thing we have.

Having too much fun to write

Step number one after flying to Rome...take 5 hour nap since you cannot sleep on the plane. Then wake up to not knowing what day it is and if you should eat breakfast or dinner. Wow, what an amazing time already. Yesterday we saw the Colleseum and The Forum... we are staying only a 5 minute walk from Vatican City but tomorrow we will go into St. Peter's. I can't figure out how to get pictures into the blog entry...so you'll just have to wait on those.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone again and to tell you all about our trip. Probably won't write much as I now know we are going from morning to night! Miss you all! (Mom and Dad...you will love it here!

Leaving on an airplane

It is 6:45 a.m. and I'm sitting on the couch waiting for the shuttle to the airport. Today we are going to Rome!!! We have anticipated this trip for a few months now and it's hard to believe it is finally here. The only reason I haven't blogged about before is that if I acknowledge something this exciting too soon, I would be unable to concentrate on work and stuff due to my ridiculous excitement...plus I get the stomach ache.
So, for the next week I'll treat this blog as our travel journal. Forgive my childlike amazement at the things we will see...I've never been to Europe nor have I experienced the history of such an ancient land. There is a internet room at the hotel and I'm armed with my camera.
Today we board the plane at 10:00 a.m., make a stop in Chicago and then its an 8 hour flight to Rome. Stay tuned......

Woo Hoo!!! My 100th blog entry!

Yes, I know you're in a state of complete and utter shock that I have that much to say and even more shocked that my opinions and thoughts just tumble out to whoever is listening and even those who are not. HA! My first blog entry was in May of 2007. The idea to blog was inspired by my new friend Rev. Kathryn Ransdell (see her blog listed in my faves over there to the right). She had started a blog and encourage us on the church staff to do so as well. It has turned out to be a great way for me to process my thoughts out loud and more importantly, communicate what I really think. I'm certainly not an accomplished writer and your forgiveness has been kindly welcomed.

So what topic would be worthy of this milestone? I certainly can't just talk about my day, the insects I picked off my flowers this morning or how mad junk mail makes me! I know, I'll talk about God :)

As you know, I don't do well with trite language regarding God...I'm not an utterer of "Just give it to God" and I'm not one to communicate that loving God makes life all better - as if it were all about how our lives are going anyway. But I AM one to be in amazement that I'm still loved by God even though I have so not lived up to God's understanding of my potential. I accept God's unending love and at the same time say to God, "Really??? Even after that fiasco??" I would say that of all the great theological concepts and discussions one could have about God, the most important thing is to accept God's love. Accept the grace God gives and gives and gives. Only then can we be the kind of people who can successfully serve God, participate in relationships, love other people and generally move on from our concentration on 'us'.

Give it a think. Are we in the habit of truly internalizing God's love? Or do we entertain self loathing thoughts of incapability in certain areas of our lives. God gives the love and acceptance 24/7...the only obstacle is us.

Family Reunion

Every other year, the Kern family reunion occurs at Camp Lone Star in LaGrange, Texas. My grandfather on my second dad's side was one of 11 children who grew up in a small community called Swiss Alp...just 5 miles outside of LaGrange. This is why we have the reunion in LaGrange...it makes for an easy pilgramage to the homesite and church where Karl Kern and his wife Katerina made their life and carried their calling. This church is the second oldest Lutheran congregation in Texas and my grandpa was the third pastor here. During the course of our time at the church, we get to hear stories such as the one about the boys (in their michevious years) drinking all the communion wine Katerina made from wild Mustang grapes leaving none for Sunday morning. Or the one about my grandpa, Hans, having to smack a runaway horse in the face just to get it to stop...it had some of his younger siblings in the wagon. That horse fell flat but the children were all saved :)

This weekend was so special as we were all reminded of the responsibility to cultivate a sense of longing for understanding our faith. Even planting the seed of wondering is what we are called to do whether it be with our children or our friends.

30 Minute Worship

I've been thinking about whether or not to bring this up for a while now. I have driven past this church just south of Waco several times over the last two years or so and I just can't help be in wonder of this banner that has been splayed on the outside of the building. Now, I don't even remember the denomation of this congregation and I guess it doesn't really matter. What matters is that I most clearly have an issue with this 30 minutes worship idea. Just thinking about driving down I-35 makes me remember that I'm going to pass this church and that blasted banner and that I'm going shake my head in befuddled amazement once again.

Indulge me as I wrestle aloud with my apparent 'problem' with this abbreviated worship concept. First of all, who is this 'quickie' aimed at? If someone has 30 minutes don't they have an hour? Is the decision to worship God on a Sunday morning just so inconvenient that people are feeling the need to bolt after half an hour? I know a lot of retail Christians who take what need from Christ and leave the rest on the shelf. Let's say this church is trying to appeal to first time visitors and seekers and are trying to 'ease' them into an hour long worship (horrors). At what point do they spring it on these unsuspecting folks that there is more to their spirituality than 30 minutes on a Sunday morning. How will people ever find out that the community of the church (if this is what they are seeking) involves time in service to others and time in in-depth study. I just can't help but feel like our society is always trying to make things more 'palitable' in order to sell the product. We want convenience...even to the point of making sure worship doesn't interfer with our real lives. I mean, we wouldn't want to be the last one on the lake! Worship and spirituality is what it is. So many congregations are trying to be all things to all people and then end up serving their congregations poorly. Just like any relationship, a relationship with God takes work and time investment. Maybe one day I will be bothered less by this banner...but probably not.

To Join or Not to Join

...that is the question. Have you ever listened to people talk about church membership? We all know people on both sides of this fence. Some will declare, "I don't believe in organized religion" to which of course I sarcastically declare, "Yes, disorganized religion is most preferable!" Others feel it is an integral part of their spiritual growth to claim a particular church body as their faith family. Part of my day job is to help people discover if FUMC Dallas is the church home for them. I have the most fun exploring with church visitors the many parts of this church body and of course find emmense joy when I get to witness an individual, couple or family finding themselves so "at home" that they want to join the church.
What cannot be assumed, however, is that everyone who walks through the doors of this historic sanctuary is a 'joiner' or that they are even 'churchy'. No assumptions should be made about any one anyway - much less by those claiming to strive to love as Christ loves. We, belonging to a church faith family, must look afresh on each person we encounter...it is the ultimate form of love and respect to strive to get know a person and then love them just as you found them.
That's my brand of evangelism anyway...to get excited about all the different kinds of people God created. We must be genuine in our love. We must not see people through our Christian-colored glasses hoping that everyone will eventually start to look and act like us. Anyway, that would be too bland for my taste :)

Some serious theology and staying up till 3 a.m.

What do these two things have in common you ask? Why would someone stay up till 3 o'clock in the morning thinking about theology anyway? Well, if you're 12 and you've been preparing for your Confirmation for the last year, you end up at confirmation camp where you study your understanding of your faith AND you stay up till 3:00 a.m....that last part is just because you're 12! I want to declare to all you reading this that 12 years olds are brilliant! I heard some amazing revelations this past weekend when I was honored to act as a leader for this year's retreat. The most refreshing thing I witnessed was the excitement these kids exibited in their getting to declare for the first time...all by themselves...that they are going to be full members of the church. On June 1st the entire group will stand in front of the church and promise to give their Prayers, Presence, Gifts and Service to not only this congregation but to the Christian Faith as a whole. It is their promise to God and themselves that they will strive always to grow, give and serve God in whatever faith family they find themselves. How much fun and how humbling to see 12 year old squirrels take something so seriously and be so moved by this, the beginning of their journey.
On Sunday, we returned to the church at 9:30 a.m. just in time for me to hit the ground running with Sunday morning tasks and opportunities finally arriving at my home at 2:00. I never knew one could take three naps and then sleep through the night...now I do!

A little distraction from the work day

A friend told me today that she is 'jonesing' for a blog entry...Wow! Has it really been since the end of last month?!?! Slacker!

This morning at about 9:20, I was right here at my computer working with a co-worker on a presentation that the whole staff would review at 9:30 so I was under the gun. Apparently some other co-workers were in the hall outside my office yelling at me to 'watch out!' and 'duck!'. I didn't hear a thing as what looked like a purple martin flew into my office, hung a sharp right and flew directly into the wall knocking itself out cold! I missed the whole thing! What you have to understand is that my office isn't anywhere near an outside entrance to the church. This bird did some pretty impressive maneuvering to find it's way in here. Of course you know I'm a big sap for anything live and could hardly stand it when I finally came out of my computer fog to see it laying, wings spralled, on the floor. What to do??? People are expecting the presentation to be ready in just a minute but there's a stunned bird laying on the floor of my office. I did what any career girl with her priorities all messed up would do...I gathered some forces, found a big box and proceeded to have the bird safely removed. After a couple of Lazarus inspired 'awakenings' and a couple more confused flights, he was in the box and headed for freedom so he could tell all his little bird friends about his exciting morning...and mine :)

Anticipation

It is way past Easter but I wait...I anticipate my Eater lily's opening. I know I've planted it in a place that doesn't get enough sun...it doesn't get the love it needs. but still I wait. I wait for it's bloom. We aren't always planted in a place where the soil is good. But we can still bloom...be beautiful...still make a difference. Poor lilly...what will it be even though it's not in the place it should be? something amazing I'm sure...I can only wait for this miracle of bloom. What miracle can you make even if you don't feel you're in the right place.

In Memoriam

On Sunday at 11:00 p.m., my maternal grandmother, Ida Bernice Mills, died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 88. Over the last 3 days I have had an AMAZING revelation. For the first time in my life I have truly understood that the gift of life completely outweighs the sadness of loss of life. This is something that people always say is true but I'm sure I've never grasped it before this week. I am very sad at the loss of my Grandma. However, my memories of her and the things I learned from her are what occupy my emotions.
1. The best meditation and prayer takes place while laboring in your garden.
2. The best water for everything is rain water.
3. No matter what horrible event befalls you, look toward tomorrow and joys it will bring.
4. Every woman should know how to change a tire, build a barbed wire fence and sew a dress.
5. Value your grandchildren.
6. Eat your vegetables (and know how to grow them)
7. Don't have too much stuff.
8. When you get really old it's okay to have chocolate covered cherries and cheetos for dinner.
When I was 7, I learned how to use a post hole digger. To this day, that is my favorite skill even above playing the piano. I think it's because that skill represents her and her way of life. Thank you Grandma for everything.

What a different a night's sleep makes

The sun is shining, my list of things to do is huge and I'm motivated! Thank goodness for sleep and rest. It's another day and it looks like it will be a good one! Tonight we're going on a date to see "Shine A Light", the new Stones movie. Also, thank goodness for patient husbands.

What a crank!

I haven't felt very nice today. This morning when replying to an invitation to a lunch happening next week I said I would bring a big fat rock in a sack! Then I declined a fun girlie invitation to eat Italian food and drink wine. Yesterday, I learned that the weird pain I'm having is due to a rip-roaring bladder infection (sorry, too much information but I don't care). Oh well, I've made plans with my husband to have a quiet night in watching Scrubs and The Office. If I don't laugh at that I must be dead!

God thinks your knees are cute!

Yesterday in Dr. Fiedler's sermon, we were asked to think about how we approach God. When you get a visual of approaching God, do you think of yourself standing there with one hand in your pocket and a Diet Coke in the other saying, "Hey God...Wassup?...Howsit hanging?" Or are you more inclined to approach with a little more awe and humility? I know that when I'm in worship the most meaningful communion with God happens when I'm on my knees. The only thing better would be to be laying flat on my face in prayer but I can only do that at home.

Yesterday, our church dedicated new kneelers for the communion rail. I have to say they are really cushy not to mention amazingly beautiful. A total of 13 families or groups purchased them for the church in honor or in memory of a loved one...then a larger group of people spent two years stiching all 13 kneelers by hand. What a perfect expression of love for those honored, those who stiched and for the members and visitors of this church who will for years kneel in awe of God in our sanctuary.

Special Day

Today, together with my father's family, we remember James Leonard Knobles on his birthday. I woke up thinking of my Grannie knowing that it will be a melancholy day. Here is a picture of him not too many months before he was killed in Vietnam...yes, that's him on the right with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon...only the best for our boys :)
Love you Grannie!

I have nothing to talk about today so enjoy this cartoon. That Moses...what a card

My Weekly Prize

Every Monday morning after I walk into the church and look at my email, I go into the sanctuary to double check for missed sign in/attendance sheets. I always worry that there was a first time visitor whose information wasn't collected so I go through each pew, look in the books again and then put the books back at the ends of each pew. Yes, you are right, this is tedious as there are probably 150 little folders for me to look through. But I have a game I play. Every Monday I look for a prize that I will put on my prize shelf in my office. One time I found a really fun slimy frog for my desk which brought unspeakable pleasure to my frequent visitors. I almost always find a pack of gum or mints...hey, finders keepers. A couple of weeks ago, I found this note that a child wrote on one of our FirstKids scratch pads that we keep in the backs of the pews just for doodling. I read it over and over and laughed every time at the word 'tord'. That just breaks me up!

I wonder how early it is that we humans start comparing our behavior, our looks, our acheivements, our 'success' and ultimately our lives with everyone else's. We simply can't help but to define ourselves in the light or the shadow of others. In order to not seem so bad ourselves, we say, "Hey, take a look at that guy! He's way worse than me". I think of my mother. Her comback would be that we're not talking about that other guy, we're talking behavior in our own house.

Anyway, this little gem of a note is getting taped to my computer so that every day I can remember to quit comparing myself to everyone else. Hey, if you're reading this and you recognize your kid's handwriting, call me...I just love your kid!

Easter High!

My main goal this week has been to do whatever it takes to prolong the high I felt on Easter morning. It was the culmination of a very emotional Holy Week all of which provided for me the entire journey of Christ's love and sacrifice for us. This week, the flowers have been brighter, the sun more sun-shinier and the voices of those around me have a certain richness to them. The experience of Easter morning worship is the ultimate renewal...way more meaningful than the marking of the new year and all the promises we make during that time. The real newness comes when we are smack dab in the middle of a celebration that throws joy in your face and demands you pay attention to the love and grace God has for us.
Of course for me the best way to keep this reality in my face is to be outdoors and be 'in' God's creation...remembering again that I am a creation of God just like these amazing tulips. They are glorious aren't they? And we are glorious in God's sight.

Feeling Blue!

When the dark days come, we need to remember that even if a secret sabotuer - depression - is at work temporarily derailing our progress (or so it seems), each day offers us a gift if we will only look for it. Sometimes we're sad for a very apparent reason - a overwhelming loss, for example, or worries over money or health. Other time we don't know why we feel so bad, which makes us feel even worse. It could be for a million different reasons - an appalling lack of appreciation (by ourselves and by others), exhaustion, the weather, hormones, the advent of the flu, or simply part of the process of personal transformation. It's on days like these that you can barely get yourself dressed and out the door. You look like hell and couldn't care less. You can't remember if you took a shower yesterday or when the last time was you washed your hair. Life seems bleak, not bright with promise. It's taking more work than you expected to discover who you really are, and now you're no longer sure you even want to find out.
What should you do? You have two choices: One is simply to give in, stop resisting. You've got the blues, so sing them baby! But before you do ask for grace. Then have a good cry. Use an entire box of Puffs and make an impressive pile of them on the coffee table as you use them up.
The alternative is to shift gears. Ask for grace. Put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea. Eat some comfort food...you need the happy inducing serotonin kick. But don't eat it in front of the fridge. Sit down and savor your treat. Wash your face, put on lip gloss and your newest jammies. Brush your teeth, turn out the light, thank God for the day and go to sleep.
Whichever route you take, the day will be over within 24 hours and you might feel better. If you don't feel better, love yourself enough to call for help. Get your doctor on the phone and talk and take action.

My Rating as a Wife!

Earlier this week, my very clever husband thought it would be amusing to inform me that this week he is holding my review and will be assessing my performance as the wife. Wow! ...this could go very badly! I haven't even been trying to impress him all that much and I'm just not sure I'm ready for this review. I mean, give a sister some notice!
So to continue with this fun little excercise I ask Alvaro at the end of each day how I'm doing. He always says, "On a scale of 1 to 10...." and then he gives me the verdict for the day. One evening, I had achieved an 11 (I have no idea why...I was just sitting on the couch doing my cross stitch drinking some tea in my pj's...apparently this gains huge pointage!) Then another day, he announced that I had dipped to a staggering 4.5! What?!? What brought this on you ask? I guess it was because I was stepping on the back of his flip flop with each step he took...yeah I guess that is pretty annoying so I'll accept the 4.5
But the thing is it didn't take long at all for me to shoot right back up to 9 or a 10. Either he has a major issue with short term memory or he just doesn't hold on to grievances. In all seriousness, I can't remember a time when he ever really remembered a slight I caused or a hurt I imposed.
Just today (four days into this fake and funny review process) I was completely struck by how it is the perfect picture of how I always experience God's love and acceptance. I believe that God wastes no time at all in telling me when I've not lived up to my potential of being a caring and loving person. But then it's over and I feel the complete and non-judgemental love that I always felt. There is no list of grievances stacking up against me. This is where my freedom lies. In being a cherished child of God.

When People are MEAN!

Multiple Choice Question:
When people are mean your response should be:
a) cuss
b) shake your head in disbelief that someone's mama did such a bad job
c) later think of all the stuff you 'could have' said
d) look at them like they have two heads (and a couple of horns)
e) shame them with a sarcastic "Wow, really?"
f) get so mad that you cry but you don't want them to see you so turn around and walk off
g) tell everyone else how mean they are therefore making yourself a rotten person
h) none of that stuff!
I have a way of dealing with this. I have to practice a little more but it's quite simple really. Are you ready??? "It's not about you" Okay, so you can get your feelings hurt cuz no one likes to encounter mean people; it doesn't feel good. But it should only take you a couple of minutes to realize that you didn't make them mean. Mean people are either mean as a character flaw or they're just having a really bad day and they tend to take it out on other people. Either way, what can you do to control that??? Control what you can control which is your reaction to mean people. Today I encountered a mean person on the highway...incredibly mean. And it wasn't just toward me...for as long as I could see this person speeding away from me he was cutting people off, putting people's lives in danger and generally only thinking of himself. I thought about what might have happened to him today that life was so difficult. Maybe he's having marital issues. Maybe he's grieving for a child. Maybe he's just mean. No matter what it is, I can only pray that tomorrow is a better day for him (and for those of us on the road). The next time you feel offended, try a bit of compassion instead of the automatic offense and anger. It's not always easy because God gave us the emotion of anger. But maybe we can all figure out when is the best time to utilize the emotions rather than just let them shoot out like rubber bands.

It's my birthday, I'll be a crank if I want to!

My birthday is in the summer so I'm not talking about my birthday today. I'm talking about my husband birthday which was on Friday. When it's my birthday, it's my birthday all month and I love to get cards and for people to remember that it's my birthday. This photo is of me (stirring my coffee with a mondo sized spoon) and my mother-in-law at Buca de Beppo. My cute husband has a different vision for his birthday...for no one but me to mention it and then to have a nice quiet night on the couch without a bunch of people making him eat a cake he may not like and then stay up all night doing the pleasantries that you have to perform when people are trying to celebrate you. When we first started dating I thought to myself, "Wow, how selfish" Here people are trying to celebrate you and you're being a big ol' crank! It only took me about 5 years to finally figure this out. It's HIS birthday, why can't he celebrate it the way he wants? With a cringe, I also figured out that the party thing was really for me anyway. I love to do birthdays and so apparently I thought I would put that on him!

So anyway, the cute husband is not a crank after all. He just wants to have the kind of birthday he wants to have. And I have finally gotten it through my dense skull that the loving thing to do is not to force a party on the man but to honor his wishes and have a quiet little day with a private little dinner out...don't even think about telling the waiter to bring a desert with a candle in it cuz', good Lord no, they might sing!

Out of Town Guests

Have you ever had out of town guests for more than a week? On February 7th, my husband and I received his parents into our home and they have to return home on Sunday the 24th. My new niece Gabriela was baptized on the 9th and everyone came for the celebration. We've had guests from Colombia, Guatemala and Los Angeles. As wonderful as family is, I laughed today when I realized that my husband called me at work today to just have a conversation. We put so much into being hospitable that I think we've lost sight of ourselves. This is my first blog entry since they arrived...the routine is officially shot!
I used to think it would be horrible to say anything less than perfect about family but I know now that since we're all family I can say I feel cramped if I feel cramped. I can long for the moment that my husband and I can lay on the couch and watch CNN for hours on end on a Saturday while he naps.
I adore my parents-in-law and they know I'm doing my best in conducting myself in Spanish. When I get home on Sunday after church, I will be thinking, speaking and even blinking in English...oh glorious day :)

Ash Wednesday & the Lenten Season

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. The day that marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. At 7:30 p.m. I will get the ashes on my forehead which will be the external sign of the internal reality that I am striving toward humility in God's midst. The forty days on the Lenten calendar are representative of the time that Christ spent in the desert being tempted by the devil. The culmination of these forty days is the celebration of the week of Easter that starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. During the forty days of Lent, through Holy Saturday, it was tradition for Christians to observe a fast—not completely abstaining from eating and drinking, but limiting the kinds of food and drink as well as the number of meals.
The tradition of fasting dates back to the early Middle Ages, when examples of acceptable foods were fish, bread, and fowl, and when the consumption of alcohol was for the most part banned during the fast. Nowadays, people who choose to observe the fast are much less restricted in their choice of foods, and fasting is mostly about being modest and showing humility and restraint in one’s eating habits. For some this means giving up chocolate (agh horrors!) or meat or coffee or what ever you should really eat less of anyway...really more of a resolution than a sacrifice. Giving up something for Lent isn't a get-skinny-in-time-for-Spring-Break thing...it's a concentration on Christ's journey and a very private mental communion with God. I have friends who always ask what I'm giving up for Lent...just like they ask me about my New Year's resolutions. I always lie and say I haven't given anything up or that I haven't decided. For me, it's a very private thing...somehow just not for conversation.

However you decide to concentrate on this time make it meaningful. It may not be giving anything up at all. It may be a Lenten book study (click here to see the one offered at FUMC Dallas) or intense moments of prayer in a private place. Make it a time to explore your relationship with God and ask some really tough questions of yourself. Am I putting my faith into action by serving others? Am I being quiet and really listening to God's answers to my concerns? Am I really working to make those changes in myself that I've been wanting to change? Let these next 40 days be pure communion with God.

Controlling the Controllable

Yesterday I was telling a friend how I spent the morning. Between 7 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. I washed and changed the sheets and duvet cover on our bed, dusted and vacuumed the bedroom, washed the floors and baseboards in the bathroom and bedroom, cleaned out the pantry and mopped the floor in there, removed everything from the kitchen counters and scrubbed it, folded and put away all the clothes and made lists for shopping for the upcoming visit from Alvaro parents from Colombia. (I still have lots of preparring to do for that). I've been meaning to get started on this deep cleaning project for weeks now but just never had the motivation to do it. When I woke up yesterday on my free morning, my inclination was to do some excercise, study my new, "Mark for Everyone" book and then maybe do a little sewing. But then I started feeling the pressure of being overwhelmed by work, worries about friends and family health, relationships that need feeding and the state of the house. Soooooo, I decided to control the controllable. The excercise of dividing the things in my life that are under my control and those which are not is amazingly cleansing. Once I made those two lists, I got busy on the controllable list and saved the other one for bedtime prayer. And by golly, I'm feeling less overwhelmed! Eureka!
I pray all the time for the ability to put tasks and concerns into perspective and I do believe God is a list maker because I frequently get the message to make a list. I make lists of the things I need to do and even lists of things that it would be nice to do. I even have a list of the kinds of lists I would like to make just to make sure I take advantage of the ideas God so lavishly makes me think of. It may not be list making, but I'll bet God is answering prayer in a way that is perfect for you. Quietly listen and then take action.

Chili Winners!!

Congratulations to all the entries for the 2008 FUMC Dallas Chili Cook-Off. Those receiving trophies are: 1st Place: Best Chili - Becomers Class, 2nd Place: Best Chili - Genesis Class and 3rd Place: Best Chili - Voyages Class featuring Steve Sims and Todd McCavitt. As is the tradition, The Lunch Bunch, pictured above in full costume, won Best Booth with their Sock Hop themed booth.
Thanks also to the Sarah Circle for welcoming the congregation and talleying the votes.

How to Relax

Do you find yourself in a tizzy? Are you running in so many directions that your feet have become tangled? Have you gotten yourself into that all too familiar position of too many people expecting too much of only one you? Wait. Are you asking me? Oh, well then, YES! I haven't even blogged in over a week...and that's usually one of my ways of getting unraveled. Actually, I've been concentrating a bit more on another mode of relaxation.

In a meeting about 9 months ago, as a 'get to know you' question, we were asked about our favorite music group. As the question worked itself around the room I was having a huge struggle trying to decide my favorite. Of course I worked it into a stressful excercise because I just couldn't decide who to say. After all doesn't music say a lot about who you are? Would I say the Stones or U2? Or would I mention some of my new favorites like Sufjan Stevens or Ghostland Observatory? But what about Johnny Cash or The Possum. And how can I sleep at night if I didn't say The Doors. Finally I decided that the only one and true answer would have to be the one who has been a favorite since before I can remember...Johann Sebastian Bach. I don't care if it is the harpsichord, guitar, organ or what...I can't get enough! Listening to his compositions actually make me want to pray harder, meditate and inspire me to be a new person. Yes...it's that dramatic. My husband gets this same effect with yoga.

My charge today is that each of us find the thing that makes us decompress...forces you to stop the madness for at least an hour. It might be well thought out and inclusive prayer for someone else. It could be a physical excercise that allows you to meditate on your mental well being. It could be hand writing a letter to a friend or family member that focuses on that person and how you feel about them. Maybe you sit down with a good Bible study and learn or relearn the depth of God's love for you, God's child. Whatever it is, do it. Take the time you need to take care of yourself. Me? I'm going now to find something with a cello.

Chili Cook-Off

I'm taking a little break from my preparations for our 2008 FUMC Dallas Chili Cook-off themed "Great Bowls of Fire". Yep, that's Jerry Lee to the right with his righteous hair! I've been listing teams, updating my task list, updating the email group list, confirming what I need to purchase, checking on the trophy order, making sure I'm publicizing to the congregation enough and brainstorming on who to recruit to count the votes. I'm chill-eeed out! Sunday January 27th is the big day. Last year, twelve teams competed and about 250 people attended this free event. My favorite part is that our congregation represents ALL generations and they ALL turn out to eat, visit, play and just have fun together. Yesterday, an eight year boy tore out the reminder from the bulletin and told his mom he wants to enter the cook-off! Yes! Full participation!

I think one of my biggest fears in church work is that I will be responsible for an event and it will be a big ol' flop therefore not being an event that our visitors will remember or our church members will want to invite people to next year. Plus, I'm a perfectionist and just can't stand to be responsibile for a flop. Yeah, you already knew that :)

Anyway, the competition is on, six teams have signed up so far and the official trash talk has commenced. Bet you didn't think Sunday school classes dish trash...to be convinced, come to the Chili Cook-Off on the 27th and witness some friendly slinging 'o trash!

Family Disfunction

Are you affected? Are you a victim of family disfunction? Have you taken part in the big trend (that's been going on since Moses and before)? Of course you are. We all are! If you aren't thinking about how what your mom would think, you're a big liar! Does this mean you are scarred for life...I guess so, of course, if you choose to be...you are! Or you can you just put yourself apart...get out of it. Oh, I know what you're saying...Rach, you're in some kind of haven if you think it all just goes away especially since someone just accused me of being my mother. yipe!
I think often of my mother and her ways. It's not so hard for me since I do most things the way my mom did...I don't know if its cuz I think it's the right way or because my mom says it's the right way. Either way, I do stuff that way. Am I a victim or am I just learning?
I don't know what I'm talking about...I just had a nice conversation with my mom...so I'm just thinking about her and the fact that I'm cooking and that I'm putting the peels from my pototoes into the bag the onions came in...why would you want to waste another bag?
Some would say that I do things the way I do because I wouldn't want mom to disapprove. But maybe, just maybe, I like doing things that way too....it's a possibility. Or maybe I'm brainwashed.

Getting Acclimated

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I don't belong here"? Maybe after you move to a new town. Maybe when given a new responsibility. Or maybe when you're faced with a tragedy or illness. How often I have found myself in that position wondering how I got where I am and having major reservations about whether or not I can manage my new situtation or surroundings. This picture is of Tiger and Vinegar, my parents' cats. Tiger and Vinegar were introduced to my family after a huge flood in Pasadena, Texas when they literally washed up to our driveway when they were only kittens. We've always assumed they are brother and sister. Tiger is the more adventurous one and Vinegar is a little more cautious. Shortly before Alvaro and I were married and we were in Pasadena for Easter, Tiger decided to take a vacation to Dallas by hopping into my trunk and making the 5 hour trip. We didn't know it till we opened the trunk at my apartment and discoved him. He was so happy to have a little time away.
Now my parents have moved to the country and here they go again...having to get acclimated again. After a quick think, they decided they don't really like cows or horses or other big animals. However, when we were home for Christmas, I found them venturing out into the field slowly investigating. They have once again acclimated to their new surroundings.
I wonder how and why. Was it because they had the constant of each other and my parents? Was it because of their own resolve? Or was it simply because they had no other choice and just had to buckle down and do it for survival. I wonder too why we humans find ourselves in situations that at first aren't comfortable. I'm never one to venture into the whole, "God is testing me" notion but I do believe strongly that God is right there with us as we bumble through. Through contant conversation and questioning of God we find our way into comfort and peace. It also doesn't hurt one bit to rely on the comfort of our family and friends...God speaking to us directing through them.
Who would ever think that cats could bring me to this understanding? Maybe God speaks through cats too. Take that you cat haters :)

I never sausage a sad face

Sorry, that is pure cheese...but I couldn't help it. I've just learned that Alvaro and I don't get to go to Fredrickburg to make deer sausage with my uncle this year...it's the same weekend as the FUMC 2008 Chili Cook-Off and I'm kinda in charge of that. Man, making sausage is a fun time! My apologies to all you non deer-eating folks. Over the course of that one Saturday, my family will have processed over 500 pounds of sausage...dried one pound links, pan breakfast sausage and fresh sausage links. With my uncles very special secret, 'I'll have to kill ya if I tell ya' recipe, there is just nothing tastier!

The only thing better than the sausage itself is the time spent with my cousins, family friends and anyone else who just wants to come over and be a part of the process. My cousin Sam is in charge of making sure everyone has plenty of hot pan sausage to snack on. Alvaro is in charge of cutting up the pork that gets mixed in. I like to tie the links and prepare them for the smokehouse. My uncle, Anton, is the official stuffer and casing untangler. (yeah, is kinda gross to watch) But for how many generations has this family made their own sausage, preserves, wine and put up vegetables? How rich to be witness to these age old and well practiced traditions that once were done for survival. In this same family was passed down a rich heritage of faith in which we are always reminded that God is the source of all our necessities. Even though I know I don't get to be there, Saturday evening the 26th will end with guitars and voices coming together singing hymns and probably some great folk songs. I'll probably still get some saugage but I won't have tied any of it.

I'm an Aunt!!

On December 29th, our niece was born!!! She was a week early and we were out of town so I didn't get to go to the hospital to see her. I've been visiting a couple times since we've been back to see her. She is just the smallest little thing when I hold her and she is extremely entertaining with her amazingly creative and silly faces. There are so many loving people in her life...Lilly's parents and great aunt are visiting from Colombia in addition to tons of friends. Here is my extended plan for Gabriela...watch out little one!
1. Be her cool aunt. When it's time for Lilly and Ciro to get out of the dang house for a change, Gabriela will ASK to come to my house.
2. Teach her to do the stuff girls aren't normally encouraged to do...like climb trees, dig for earthworms, play outside and get really dirty.
3. Be an influence. I'm going to be the strong voice of English as her parents wish her to be completely bilingual. Later we'll also see if she has an affinity for the piano :) lessons anyone?
4. Crafts! My poor sister and brother in law...you won't be able to see the surface of the fridge!
5. Faith. Here is the most important thing; to be another adult who will assure her that God is with her and loves her in everything she is and everything she isn't. More than anything in this world, she will need God's guidance as we all do in loving Gabriela.
Yeah for babies!!!

yea yea yea...enough about Blackacre already!!!

Since, two of you have asked and commented on our pecan farm, Blackacre, I have one last photo from our Christmas vacation. I can't seem to find it but I have a picture of myself in this same place (the entrance to our fabulous and very fancy farm) from when I was about 7 or 8 years old. One of the things I like least in life is leaving Blackacre. I usually cry a couple of pathetic tears as we leave so I decided to leave this time by having Alvaro take a picture of me smiling as we left. I'm smiling because I know we'll be back and it will just as wonderful every time I'm there. Now that my parents live nearby, it's extra wonderful to be there. Spending time with them is so meaningful and it's fun to be together for longer than just the weekend. I can pretend that Alvaro and I live at Blackacre and I can just drive a couple of miles to my parents place and hang out. I guess even adults can play make believe.