REALLY????

Have you seen the “pick me” youtube video that shows the pro football players performing stunts to convince people to pick them for their fantasy team?  Here’s a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHH-6ZQktRQ&feature=related-  It is pretty amazing.  A friend (who always makes me laugh) in St. Louis put a link on FB yesterday and I watched and then shared it with my kids – who were totally impressed.  My hubby didn’t get home from work until 10:00 last night (ughhhhh) and so this morning as he was about to head out to work, the kids wanted to show him that video.

While he enjoyed the video, his “sceptic persona” began to rear it’s ugly head.  He immediately told the kids that it was all “camera work” and wasn’t real…but it was “a fun video to watch” (thanks for humoring us, Dad).  Really???  He’s such a fun-sucker.  Why is he hating on those guys?  Can’t he let us have our amazing moment?  He went on (& on) explaining why they couldn’t be real, citing the improbability of the NFL teams even letting those guys try some of the dangerous stunts and how impossible most were to do.  I felt like someone let all the air out of my floating lounge chair while I was relaxing in the pool.  Of course, he is probably right.  After 18 years of marriage, you’d think I’d be used to him being right – but it still causes a conundrum in me….I’m proud that he is so smart and logical and wise….but, darn it, sometimes it’s no fun!! 

I saw the disappointment of “reality” flash in my kids’ eyes as they realized what he said was true.  I hate that too – why can’t they go on believing everything good & wonderful & amazing???? I guess God gave them a Dad so they would have to grow up and not be so gullible.  Maybe not having my Dad around while I was growing up really did stunt me in more ways than I realize.  REALITY BITES.

The Cowboys, the Broncos and me….

I have been a Cowboy fan since I was a little girl.  I’m not sure how it all started, but I remember when they won their first Super Bowl in 1972.  It’s hard to imagine a little girl (who was very “girly”) being such a fan at such a young age, but I somehow connected to the passion of the game.  Back then, there weren’t DVRs to record the game and watch later or officials reviewing every play with replay booths on the sideline….it was what it was while it happened.  Sunday was a day for church, family and rest ~not shopping and eating out and kids extra-curricular activities.  Most stores weren’t open, most meals were eaten at home and most kids were riding their bikes freely all over town.  So, during football season, we all watched our Cowboys after church and a home cooked meal.  Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Calvin Hill (the list goes on)…not to mention Tom Landry…they pulled out miracles on Sunday afternoons with a grace and class that is missing today despite the fact that their pay was so low many of them had to have second jobs in the off season to make ends meet.

I am still a Cowboys fan.  Much has changed, not only for the Cowboys, but in the general lifestyle we live.  Now our Sundays are packed with activities and we often use our DVRs to record the game until a more convenient time to watch.  The faces and attitudes have changed with the passage of time and the accumulation of wealth and fame.  I still have a soft spot for the silver and blue and the star on the helmet.  I am struggling this year ~ not because the team doesn’t seem to have the chemistry to be a playoff team (although I believe they have plenty of talent).  No, I have been with the Cowboys through many disappointing seasons and hard losses.  It’s the attitudes that are getting on my last nerve.  I want to see passion.  I heard commentaries about the over-celebrating after the win over the KC Chiefs on Sunday and how the Cowboys just needed to calm down.  I disagree – it was the one little spark of life I’ve seen out of them in quite a while.  They acted as if they actually cared. 

I was a big Tony Romo fan when he first started to get to play for the Cowboys.  He had that big smile and actually looked like he was having fun and he loved to play the game.  I’ve noticed a marked change in his countenance since he got the “big bucks”.  Now it looks like it’s heavy on him and not fun, but something he just has to do.  Money can apparently weigh a lot (although I wouldn’t personally know!) and it tends to make one very “me-centered” and often can ruin a good thing.  He doesn’t seem to really care the same way.

I have nothing personal against Wade Phillips.  I assume he is a nice man who is a good defensive coach.  I believe he is Head Coach of the Cowboys as a “place holder” until the “right” coach becomes available to Mr. Jones (don’t even get me started there).  He’s being well compensated but I don’t see that his heart is really in this.  His body language and facial expressions irk me ~ come on ~ give a hoot, PLEASE!!!

And then, the big problem….JERRY WORLD.  MONEY IS HEAVY people.  He built himself a WORLD WONDER (which anyone can do if they have the $$….not a miracle here) but it is embarrassing.  It’s embarrassing because he has a team playing sloppy and without passion (no matter how much money he throws at them) and there are people in his very city who don’t have food and shelter.  It saddens me.

I will continue to be a Cowboys fan, but I’m struggling.  I’m relying on memories of the Staubach and Aikman years to get me through.  I am hoping for passion to return.  I watched the end of the Broncos & Patriots game this past Sunday.  No one expected the Broncos to do much this year.  On paper, it looks like re-building times….but something is happening to them: PASSION.  They look like a team that is having fun, working hard and caring a lot.  I don’t know how far they will go, but they’ve got my attention.  I don’t really like that their head coach is a Bill Belichick wannabe, but I did appreciate his passion on Sunday.

Passion is what makes a winning team – not Money!  Passion comes first, then winning, and of course, winning feeds that passion.  I know we live in different times and money has to be a factor, but it is not really what makes a team exciting and win games. 

This is all actually a great lesson about the BIG picture in our own lives.  Living with Passion for the only real thing worth having Passion for is what makes life “Alive”.  It’s never the money or success or fame we have.  It’s Passion for the race we are running (Hebrews 12:1-3).  It’s Passion for the Author & Creator of Passion itself!

God’s wonderful little surprises!

We are so happy to have our daughter in the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra this year.  The best part is that SHE is so excited about it and is always ready to go for rehearsals, etc.  It has been fun to watch her get excited about the music.  

That being said, I dread each email I get from them, knowing it will in some way cost me!!  A couple of weeks ago we got the dreaded “what the kids MUST wear for the concert” email.  It was a long black skirt and top with 3/4 length or long sleeves or a long black dress with the same requirements, black shoes & hose.  She’s 12!  Where do I find a simple long black anything for her??  She’s wearing a size 14 girls size mostly.  Not likely I’m gonna find what I’m looking for at Justice!!  I looked online and found a few sites that sold dresses/skirts/etc. for just such occasions (they are specialty shops), but it was going to cost me around $80 at least for the outfit.  I had decided it might be what we would have to do, when what to my wondering eyes did appear?  FINE PRINT!  All of them said to allow at least 3 weeks for production!  First concert is Oct 4!! Yikes! 

I was thinking I could make her one, but even finding an appropriate pattern wasn’t going to be easy and we don’t have much time  – I’m not some super seamstress or anything!!  I also knew that would be pretty costly itself. 

Yesterday I decided I would begin a search here in town to just see what I could find.  I had been praying and dreading and praying and dreading.  I told her when we finished school yesterday that we were going to go look.  I had decided I’d look in the Jr. sizes and they would probably fit her.  She wasn’t too excited either.  (She asked where we were going – Target? – yeah, right, Target will have just what we are looking for – NOT!)   She had said she would like to have a dress – not a skirt & top…but I told her we would take what we could find.  Visions of UGLY dresses/skirts, etc danced in my head.

So off we went on our quest.  We decided to stop first at Bealls.  I hardly ever go there but it is at the end of our street and was convenient.  It was actually the first time I had ever set foot in that particular store.  We walked in and started searching.  We found a couple of skirts in the women’s dept., but they weren’t really quite long enough (and were about $55 each).  I happened to look up while in the Jr. dept and there were 3 long dresses on a high hanger…looking lonely.  The two in the back were black with spaghetti straps.  I saw that one was a size small and searched out someone to get it down for us.  It was actually very cute.  I knew she would have to wear a jacket over it, but it was marked down from $54 to $27!  She tried it on and it was a perfect fit – just a little long – I can fix that!!

We went to look for a jacket and most were $40-$80, but I figured we would do what we had to do.  Most were eliminated because they didn’t have the right sleeves or didn’t cover enough, too sparkly or something.  Again my eyes went to a rack that was a little ways away.  I saw a black shrug with sleeves just right and, lo and behold,  it wasa size small and regular price $34 on sale for $24!!  She tried them on together and they were perfect.  WHOOHOO!  I was feeling like I had just hit the jackpot! (Even though, I didn’t have even that kind of $ to spend, I knew it was a gift from God!)

We went to check out feeling all smiley – we had found exactly what we wanted at the first place we looked – AND it was all on sale! YAY!  The salesperson scanned them in and gave me a total of $19.05!!  My mouth just dropped….”For both of them?” I asked.  She calmly said “yes, that’s right.”  I was flabbergasted – I asked how that could be and she said “oh they just hadn’t been marked correctly – the scanner always gets the correct price.”  I paid and we walked out with our purchases…I was trying not to skip! 

I couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear – I KNEW God had heard me praying desperately!  Claire is thrilled with the outfit and so am I.  Hmmmmm….now for the hemming….and shoes, and hose… Oh well, those will be the easy part!  Why, oh why have her feet grown so since last winter???  REALLY….she is wearing size 9 1/2!  I am not sure she is my daughter….

Thanks for the lovely surprise yesterday, God!

Pressure

OK, so my friend (you know who you are) has apparently been anxiously awaiting my next blog for over a year!!  I told her I would try to post something today and almost forgot (read “FAIL”).  I am sitting here looking at my keyboard and feeling PRESSURE!!  What to write about? 

Maybe the fact that I feel like our home is now entering a time of “all puberty…all the time” with a 15 yr old and a 12 yr old.  That probably wouldn’t be all that entertaining, but I’m sure it will add lots of “flair” to my future blogs over the next year or so!!  How will we navigate these new waters?

Hmmmm, let’s see.  I could write about how my husband has decided to return to school…again…to finish up his 2nd Masters Degree.  He could finish by Spring, so that will give me some fodder over the coming months as well.  This is the first week, so not too much to say yet – except that it is 10:30 and he has been in bed for quite a while.  Working full time (physical labor) along with all the normal activities that have already been keeping us busy..and now adding school to that – CRAZY!  He’s one tired guy!  He will do great, though, and will be a whiz at Hebrew before we know it .   How can I be the support I want to be for him?

There’s always homeschooling and the crazy insecurities I feel and yet the incredible peace it brings.  That, too, is in the early stages of the school year.  We have had a good start and I feel energized.  WE are learning Latin, so I guess our family will be all about the ancient languages this year.  Maybe we should add in some Greek?!!  …Am I doing this all right?  Are they learning the right things – are they learning ANYTHING?  What if I have made the wrong decision for them all along?

Oh, and how about the fact that I feel like a “surrogate college mom”?  My neice (from Belgium) is in her Freshman year at LCU this Fall.  She’s homesick…so far away from family & everything that is ‘normal’ for her…and here I am.  Yikes!  We are her support system – her family away from family.  My hope is that “FAIL” won’t be stamped on my forehead at the end of the semester!! 

Or I could write about my daughter beginning her first year in the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra.  She is so excited and confident.  I, on the other hand, felt so out of my league and wondered if we were really “symphony people” when we went for our first parents meeting on Sunday.  It is a BIG deal!  Again – I hope not to have “FAIL” on my forehead……Can I be a “symphony mom”?…well, well, well….there seems to be a common theme developing here….

So, I guess I DO have something to write about.   I am soooo excited about all the “new starts” of Fall and the new phases our family is entering ~ but I am definitely feeling very insecure about “doing it all right”.  I guess that’s normal.    The PRESSURE to “perform” up to everyone’s standards…or even to write an entertaining blog…should be set aside and replaced with COMPLETE DEPENDENCE on the ONE who will never have “FAIL” written on his forehead!   He’s already won this race…so I don’t have to!  THAT is something worth writing about

Can Wii get fit?

I know I need to “move” more …. I enjoy walking, biking, etc. but the minute a day arrives with bad weather or, as the case has been the last couple of weeks, giant mosquitos threaten to carry you away, I get out of the rhythm and my motivation wanes.  The kids had saved their money for months and then we helped them some and they bought a Wii back in June.  We decided this week to purchase a Wii Fit.  The whole family is loving it.  The kids are happy to have this as their “P.E.” assignment for school.  They actually want to do it all day!!  It’s pretty cool to see your kids that excited about exercise!!  I have been motivated to get up early and workout before getting my shower and starting work.  I’m really the only one in the family who needs to lose any weight but we could certainly all use a little more fitness I’m sure.  I will try to write a blog every few days (maybe each week) keeping you up to date on our progress.  I’m interested in whether we will be able to keep up the excitement we have now!!:)  It really is fun so far - which helps the time go by fast and makes you want to do it again.  There’s the aspect of friendly competition between us which is also fun and causes you to push just a little harder….actually just the competition with myself is plenty for me, but we enjoy giving each other a little grief.

My wii age has dropped to well below my actual age already (day 2!).  I wonder how much that will fluctuate over time.  Everyone’s wii age went down today, in fact. 

Hmmmm….now I need to also be eating better.  I’ve been trying, but this is motivating me in that area as well! (Hope that continues too!) 

So the question over the next month….will wii get more fit?  I will blog as we try.

Gina

Come on, Feel sorry for me!

OK, I’ve not been good about writing regularly on this blog.  I can’t seem to get into a good rhythm.  But today….today just calls for a good ol’ self pity blog.

I have been battling allergy stuff for over a month, but nothing that has really stopped me in my tracks…until now.  Last week I had a scratchy throat, headache and finally lost my voice.  I thought that was the worst of it and with a little time it would get better.  It didn’t.  Over the weekend, I just planned to get some good rest and surely I would feel much better by Monday.  NOPE.  Of course, I didn’t plan on our Air Conditioner Blower going out Saturday and the house being over 90 degrees inside….it’s been high 90’s or 100’s for the past two weeks+ around here.  That didn’t help much with the relaxation thing.

Some very “cool” friends of ours heard about our plight and said they had a couple of window units they weren’t using and came and helped put them in on Sunday night.  SURELY this would help and I would feel like myself Monday or Tuesday- alas, it was not enough.  The cough has deepened and I’m just weary of the fight.  I have ZERO energy.  I finally gave in, after waking with a head-splitting headache and coughing my head off yesterday, and went to the Dr.  He gave me powerful antibiotics and an inhaler.  I thought I would surely wake up this morning feeling much better – not so much.  Oh well, I guess it will just take time, but it is driving me crazy.  I just want to feel human again!

Ok, you don’t REALLY have to feel sorry for me – I think I feel sorry enough for me all by myself.  I’ve had my little pity party and just need to get some rest and take care of myself. 

THE REAL REASON FOR THIS BLOG:  While I was at the Dr., my blood pressure was very high.  I haven’t checked it in a while so I have no idea how long it’s been this way!  It scared me.  The Dr. seemed to think that it was related to my illness, but my gut tells me it was more related to my GUT and my lack of exercise of late.  It was a nice kick in the larger-than-it-should-be-you-know-what.  So, today, even in my sickness-fog, I am making plans to get in better shape.  I know our whole family could stand to eat healthier and move more – although no one else has shown any signs of trouble – they are all thin and full of energy (I love them, but I’m a little jealous!)- still, I know we need to do it.

The kids have saved up their money and we helped some and they bought a Wii.  I am hoping to get a Wii Fit before too long and start using that to help get me into shape.  We are all going to get new bikes, but with the temps (105 yesterday) I am not sure that will help until it cools down.  I would like to blog about my progress.  I’m thinking that will keep me accountable and also get me to blog more regularly. 

For now, I have to get over this upper respiratory stuff.  I do wonder if I had been taking better care of myself if this would be so bad!  I will go get the rest I need and drink some juice and will be blogging in the coming days about how things are going.

 

 

West Texas Spring

It’s Spring in West Texas. That means that every day is different. One day it’s in the 80’s and sunny and the sky is the most beautiful blue you can imagine, the next it may be gray and sleeting and in the 40’s… and can the brown skies, high winds, temp in the 70’s be far behind?  Yesterday morning we woke to Thunderstorms (we really needed the rain and so it was good).  Today is the brown day…my sinuses are complaining! Tomorrow promises to be beautiful.

I am trying to just enjoy all the variety….because soon it will be summer….day after day of hot sun…ahhhh, West Texas!

We’re Here!

Yes, we are in our new house!!!  I have not had time to post a blog in all the confusion and some of you may be wondering.  Our new home is great – we are still busily putting things away and have done some painting (the kids were all about getting their rooms painted to their specifications).  We have a lot of work we’d like to do, but it is certainly more than fine the way it is – that’s good because it takes money to make changes, so those will come little at a time.  We are looking forward to it. 

It’s nice and roomy – we will find a way to fill it up I’m sure! Lots of windows to cover (but I love windows, so we’ll do it as we can).  The trees are all starting to bud out and turn green and that’s exciting to see what’s here.  We need to do some work in the back yard, but that too will be fun. 

We’ve also found a new church that we are very excited about being a part of.  We love their heart – for the poorer neighborhood surrounding their building.  They are making such a difference there.  It is a very diverse congregation (age wise as well as race) and we love that as well.  So far, we are thrilled.  The kids LOVE it and are quickly making friends.  Luke already has been given a nickname by the Youth Group so he is very happy.  Eric is teaching one of the adult classes this coming Sunday (our 3rd week) so he’s been found out. 

I’ve been to California for work twice (one week each) since the first of the year and that has kept us all off kilter a bit.  Eric and I continue to work from home (and now we actually have room) and it’s a blessing.  I don’t know how long this will continue, but for now it is where God has placed us and it is working out well.

That’s a quick catch up on what has been going on here for the last couple of months.  I hope to get better about blogging more often now that we are more settled.  I also want to put a pic of the house up when I figure out how to do that!!! 

New House!

For those of you who don’t know yet, we have been house hunting.  After last years’ weirdness when our landlord was foreclosed on and we had to move with about 2 weeks notice, we decided that we would try to buy when our lease was up at this new place (end of March).  So, that meant we started looking in December.

 We looked at 20 or so places and nothing really captured our hearts, but on New Years Eve, we were scheduled to go look at a few more and I *happened* on a house online that we hadn’t seen before. We asked our realtor to put it on the list and when we went in, we knew…after a quick look even the kids were asking where we could sign!  So, we put in an offer on Jan. 1 – very symbolic, I guess – and it was accepted that day.  It is a great house – with about 2400 sq. ft.  It has been flipped and there is still some work to do, but mostly it’s a nice blank slate for us to do what we want to with it. 

 It is all with the underwriter now and we are assured everything will go well, but we are awaiting the final word.  We should close around Feb. 15 if all goes as planned.  The inspections went fine and the appraisal was for more than we are paying – yeah!  I hope we aren’t buying the “Money Pit.”

God has been in this the entire way, so we feel good and feel like it is His house – we are just the custodians. Eric is excited about teaching Luke some “handyman” skills over the coming months.  What will we do with all that room?  I’m sure I will be writing a lot about this whole experience in the coming weeks, so tune back in to find out more…..

I’m Comin’ Home, I’ve Done My Time….