Jonas turns 9, and other evidence that I am getting old

There will always be moments in a generation that cause us to look at one another and ask "Where were you when...". My parents had the first moon landing, JFK's assassination, and maybe Pearl Harbor. I say maybe to December 7, 1941, because my parents were very young then. My generation has, so far, the space shuttle Challenger disaster, the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, Michael Jackson's death, and 9/11.

I personally like my 9/11 story best of all, because it resulted in my son's arrival. And every year, millions of people are reminded of the horrors that happened that day. I'm lucky enough to tell a whole lot of them that some good came of that day too, and introduce them to Jonas. He's a sweet hearted boy, who is smart and funny. He also is about the most hard-headed stubborn kid I've ever known! We've had several run ins as he's gotten older, because guess what? I'm stubborn and hard-headed, too. I love that boy. But watching him grow reminds me that I'm getting older, too.

Then last night, some cast mates and I went out to have a drink after practice. I think those of us with acting in our blood are goofier than the normal person, but it sure makes for a fun night out! The "wow, I'm old" moments of the night were thus: the waiter asked for my ID, but then said he was just kidding. Ouch. Then, we decided to leave because the music was too loud. What?? Seriously, it was depressing. The final blow came when, after a few shots of very good tequila, the lawyer in the group started telling us how to best avoid a DWI conviction. That simply is NOT a conversation we would have had 15 years ago. We thought we were invincible back then, and never would have thought past the drink in our hand.

But I'm not sad or discouraged. Growing older just means we're getting more right than wrong. I'll take that! And then I'll go play putt putt golf tonight with my son to celebrate his 9th birthday!

A Year???

Uh, hi. Not sure if you remember me or not, but I used to post to this blog. Yeah, I even think my name is on here somewhere. Ring a bell? Yeah, it's me. Sorry for the extremely long break.

I think the blame lies with Facebook. I got caught up with the lives of other people, spelled out in quick bursts, and forgot the joy of spelling out my own life in long, drawn out fashion.

But I'm back. Maybe it is the insomnia that has kept me up the past few nights. It might be the tumbling thoughts in my head that are begging to be hashed out, flung on to paper (er, screen?), and analyzed for clarity and consistency and content. Oh wait. That's what I do for a paycheck.

I don't want to promise that here. Here, I want to be inconsistent. I want to ramble and not be clear at all. Sometimes. Here, I want YOU to dissect the content and let me know what you think.

Do we have a deal? Great! Let's get started...

I need a camera. That picture on the front page is OLD! No one in my family looks like that anymore! I've missed the last year of events in my kids' lives because we don't have a camera. We have a camera phone, natch, but someone needs to teach me how to download the result of that. Anyone? Let me know...I'm not too proud to beg.

I'm going to stop there for now. Ease myself back in to this. I have a lot to say (can I get an amen?), so don't fear. I'll be back. =)

Summer is almost over

But we have crammed all kinds of excitement in to it! The kids spent 3 weeks with my parents, 2 weeks with Craig's parents, are water-logged from all the swimming we've done, and have driven 4 different cars over the past month.

Rental #1- the night before we left for NE Craig was side-swiped in the Stratus. Not wanting to risk taking an injured car over 2000 miles the mext morning, we rented a Jetta. It was nice. Had some great acceleration.
Rental #2- on our way home from NE, the kids and I were caught in a storm on the highway. Traffic was at a standstill as the wind blew and hail fell. And then the trailer next to us was blown over and landed on us. Thank God we were all okay. So the next day we got in to a new rental, a Kia Rondo. This one has lots of room, is almost a crossover, but has horrible acceleration and I will be glad when the Stratus is out of the shop.
Rental #3- we decided to take advantage of the cash for clunkers deal and traded in the 1994 Honda Passport for a Nissan Altima. Soooo pretty! And the A/C works!!!! Happy day! But the day we signed all the paper work the car wasn't ready, so we took another Nissan Altima home. It was wonderful, but nerve wracking. Not our car! And two kids...
New car #1- we picked up our new Altima yesterday. It's so purty! And did I mention the A/C?

We will break in said car this weekend as we head to San Antonio to my cousin's birthday party. My parents will meet us there. My cousin Shauna will be in town from San Fransico, so that will be neat!

And even after school starts on the 24th, we have travel plans. My brother's 40th birthday party is the 29th and Craig is going back to NE for his 20th high school reunion. Whew!

Funnies from my kids

The kids are spending 20 days with my parents this summer. They left on Father's Day and will be back on 7/10. It's been a surreal time away from them. Craig and I have both gotten a lot done in their absence, but goodness we miss them.
My mom had a funny story to tell on the kids the other day. My parents live by a body of water and the kids have spent countless hours swimming, jumping, diving, etc. in that water. Needless to say, they have turned very brown, and very blond. Well, my mom is not a fan of white pasty skin, and told me should couldn't handle Carleigh's white tummy and back anymore. You see, we've only let Carleigh wear one piece bathing suits. I personally am scared to death of the signalization of girls at younger and younger ages, and I plan to do what little bit I can while I can to guard Carleigh from this. So- bikinis are not an option. My mom would argue that I have never been comfortable in a bikini so I've projected this on to my daughter, which may hold a small grain of truth, but it doesn't matter. I want my little girl to be a little girl for a lot longer, and I don't think bikinis contribute to that.
Apparently, my mother and I had never had this conversation, because she took Carleigh to the store to buy her a new bikini. At first, Carleigh scanned the choices and was deep in thought. She commented on how pretty some of them were, but then she stopped. She told Pepe, "I can't get one of these. I don't have boobs yet."
Let me tell you that I have NO idea where Carleigh got this idea. But it's funny anyway!
Then Jonas sees Pepe is going to check out and buy the bikini they have picked. He immediately asks, "Pepe, did you call my daddy and ask him if that is okay? He doesn't want Carleigh to have one of those."
I can tell you that we have NEVER had the "no bikini" conversation with Jonas. Why would we? But apparently he is more observant than we give him credit for, because he made the connection. And he stood up for what he believed to be right. I am so proud of him for trying to protect his little sister, and for speaking up.
Can't wait to get them back next week. I miss the little punks.

Michael Jackson

I am not good at this, am I? It's been a while since I posted. I need to get back on track.
The longer posts will start again soon, but right now I wanted to make an observation on this Michael Jackson mania. At first glance, I shake my head in disgust at the fuss so many people are making over the loss of MJ.
But then it dawned on me.
The day Huey Lewis dies, I may very well hole up in my room, take out every scrapbook I've ever made for him (yes- that's plural), and play only Huey Lewis' music for the next month. With that in mind, I am sad for Michael Jackson fans. I hope they find comfort in his music.

Authority of the Bible

This is tough for me. Not that I don't believe in the authority of the Bible, but can someone help me understand a few things?

This book was written over thousands of years, by different men, in different languages, and from different cultures. Awesome, right? Definitely God-breathed. And I understand that the birth and death of Christ resolved the need for the law in the Old Testament.

But what about some of those things stated in the New Testament? 1 Timothy talks about leaders in the church being men only. So what about the fatherless homes, fatherless neighborhoods? If the church is any group of believers, there will be instances when men are not around. These women can't teach their sons? Is that why there is so much dysfunction in the fatherless societies? It is contrary to the plan God has.

Next issue- 1 Cor 11:2-16 . I haven't worn a hat in church since I was a child. Am I sinning? I'm not trying to be legalistic here, but this issue makes me say hmmmm. If I say the Bible has the authority to determine my actions and thoughts, I should wear a hat in church. But church is a body of believers! So I should always wear a hat or other head covering? Am I being insincere because I disregard this verse? Cause I just said "I believe the Bible - the whole Bible- has the authority to determine my actions and thoughts". Note: After I wrote this, I researched a bit and found this article on Bible.org. I need to read it again, but I really got a lot out of it!

These are NOT deal breakers, by any stretch of the imagination. But I wanted to flesh them out.

Personal God

Personal God- "I lift my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2

When we moved to Arlington, we were attending church at Irving Bible Church. I knew without any hesitation we needed to find another place of worship. Not because of anything IBC lacked, but because I wanted to LIVE in Arlington, not just sleep there. We wanted to be involved in our community and knew that if we continued to commute to church every week, and Home Group once a week, on top of commuting to work 5 days a week, we would never have a chance to become a part of Arlington. So we began church hunting.


We ended up at Pantego Bible Church reluctantly, because it was 18 miles from our new house, but we something told us to try it anyway. I was heavily pregnant with Jonas that first Sunday we walked through the doors. Within 10 minutes, we knew we were someplace special. We were greeted warmly (maybe because it looked like I would bust open any minute!) and I remember the official greeter asking us "Where do you live?". We explained that we had been in South Arlington for a little less than a year, and he immediately picked up a piece of paper and showed us where other South Arlington residents met each Sunday morning. We didn't go to that class that morning, but we were struck with how they were organized by geography- not that we were young marrieds, or new parents, or that sort of thing. The only thing that defined a class was where we lived! After a fantastic service, we headed to a small room where a church elder explained the basics of PBC in greater detail and asked if we had any questions. We were hooked! This church had it right! They wanted everyone to know Christ first, and their neighbor second- and they meant it! Members were encouraged to come to the building only once a week, for corporate worship. Bible studies, small groups, even organized kid activities took place in neighborhoods and homes. It was exactly what we were looking for!

This is just one example of how God is personal to me. He heard Craig and my prayers and answered them to a T. I have so many other examples, but you aren't hear to read a novel. (That is available in an earlier post, if you are so inclined) My God is alive and well, and active in my life. He hears my prayers, knows my heart, and loves me passionately. The same God who made the earth, and the stars, and the sun, made me, and knows me! And LOVES me.