Speaking The Truth

I was driving down the road recently when my oldest child told me about a conversation she had been involved in with two friends. The girls were talking about church and, being near-teenagers, the topic became what they wear to church. The two friends shared what they like to wear, and when it was my daughter's turn, she told them her basketball sweats were her favorite church outfit. The two friends shared a knowing look, and then one of them asked my daughter "Do you go to one of those feel good churches?"

At this point I became very quiet, trying to decide on a good explanation of what they meant by that and what I think about it. However, before I could respond my son piped up and said "Yeah, it does feel good!"

My son is someone I often think is not listening. He tends to live in his own world and cares more about the next episode of Star Wars the Clone Wars, than what is going on in the room. I'm wrong. The truth is, he does know what is going on, and probably better than most of us. Because he cuts out the bullsh*! and just says exactly what he thinks and feels. While I was trying to come up with an explanation that both defined the term "feel good church" and, with political correctness, explained why some people feel this is a bad thing, and what the correct term for our church is and why we feel that way..........my son just told the truth. Yeah, it does feel good, and he's not ashamed of it, nor does he care what the term really meant or what anyone else thinks about it or why. Hmmmm. What if I did that?

The Rest of My Mexico Pictures

"Reality is a hallucination brought on by a lack of alcohol." -unknown (no I don't mean me)

This morning I woke up (actually that is a lie, in order to wake up, one must first sleep, and I didn't do either). So, this morning I gave up, and got out of bed around 5:00. After seeing hubby off, I put on a pot of coffee, and looked out the back door, discovering that the dogs (see unpleasantly large animals pictured on left) were gone. Chewy (the one I'm not supposed to own on the top left) was the obvious culprit. I say this with complete confidence, because Cleo (the one that's supposed to be clean and indoors on the bottom left) sneaks out like a teenage girl. She goes out a hole under the back fence, that she assumes we don't know about. If she thinks we might be looking outside she won't acknowledge the hole exists.....she won't even acknowledge the fence exists! She's good. Chewy on the other hand sneaks out like a teenage boy. He wedges his nose into the largest, most obvious gate in the yard, pries it open, knocking over cinder blocks, and leaves it wide open, so that he can saunter back in when he feels like it.
They were gone. And I didn't want to go looking. A few minutes later a loud banging noise compels me to return to the back door, this time I discover that two robins have flown into my french doors, and committed suicide.....at the same time. (I don't know if this was a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing, or if they were just stupid.) Problem is, they did a lousy job of killing themselves and so flailed around, bleeding on the back deck for several minutes. At this point I decided that coffee would help, so I poured some, and thought about doing something productive....but before I could even sip the coffee, the dogs came wandering back into the backyard and Chewy (remember the one I'm not supposed to own) was soaking wet. Picturing the carnage that would ensue if the dogs got to the now (hopefully) dead birds, I panicked and ran to grab shoes and shovel, and threw the bird (that's right one bird, but I'm choosing not to think about that) over the fence. As I went to grab the hose to clean the blood off the deck, Chewy (still not supposed to own him) brushes up next to me, and I realize that he is soaking wet because even a dog knows he should bathe after being sprayed by a skunk.

Short story long, I washed the bird guts off the deck, ignored the giant, stinky dogs, closed the fence, and replaced the cinder blocks, went inside, washed my hands, and finally drank some coffee. It was almost 7:15.......a.m.

Not sure why I posted this riveting tale of my wonderful morning, other than just to see it all typed out.

No! I Don't Have Swine Flu...I Think.

Yes, I have been very sick. No! Its not the swine flu! Every well wisher that has called me over the last few days has eventually gotten around to asking...... 'well..... is anyone else from your trip sick?', or, 'when did you get back from Mexico again?', or, my favorite, the more direct approach, 'do you think you have swine flu?' The truth is no, I don't have swine flu....I think.

Since I can stand up and walk today, without pain or fear of fainting, I googled symptoms of swine flue, there are only 52 billion or so options for this, so I picked the three most official looking options...... on the first page :-)

The reason I say with confidence No! I don't have swine flu!, is that every list I checked called swine flu a respiratory illness. I have not had a single respiratory symptom. The reason I add, I think, is that it also adds on every list that sometimes it involves vomiting. I have felt like sh*! and had the beformentioned vomiting. But, I'm much better so no harm done either way. I'm still dizzy, but I think that will go away.

Sorry for the Mexico pictures without any labels. Those pictures were just some of my favorites out of hundreds! We had the time of our lives, our precious friends wed, and Derek and I had our second honeymoon! We have all been trying to come up with reasons to go back next year! I can't begin to explain the beauty of Puerto Aventuras or the spoiling we received from the resort where we stayed, but it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I will forever be in debt to our friends for making that trip possible and necessary for us. They will never know what it did for our relationship.


So long story short, we loved it, we're back, we'll go again, and No! I don't have swine flue...I think.......

(Sorry for the small font, I don't know how to undo it!)

Kaleidoscope

I've never liked kaleidoscopes. They hurt my eyes. The chaos makes me uncomfortable. Looking at them makes me feel physically tired.

Somehow, I've begun to feel like I have a lot in common with a kaleidoscope.

There are so many parts.....just like life.

All the parts don't always make sense by themselves. Black, green, purple, blue, orange.....

Work, problems, kids, marriage, church, friends, self...........

But they com together and make something that, despite my discomfort, is beautiful.

In the recent past, I spent at least a year in what I finally labeled a "mini identity crisis". After years of submerging myself in raising three young children, they were all in school. I had started a career, and had to end it. Martha Stewart housewife, definitely not my thing......I couldn't figure out what to do with myself..........

Then slowly, like the turning of a kaleidoscope, the picture began to change. I found a new job, one that allowed me to work within the field I am passionate about, as well as be with my children when they were home. I re involved myself in the kids' activities, under new labels, "cheer sponsor", "chauffeur", "counselor". The years I had spent investing in the development of my son took on a new dimension. My wonderful husband and I started relating in a new and even more wonderful way....... Oh yeah, and I remembered myself, not in the dark, self-involved, whats wrong with me way I had been, but just somehow, casually, bumped into myself along the road.

Oh....I remember you......didn't we know each other once?

What happened?

I'm not really sure. Yesterday I took a day off, a real one. I sat in a chair, watched Law and Order marathons mixed in with Paranormal State, and realized that I. Was. So. Tired. A good tired. The kind of tired that comes when you've been going hard and stop to catch your breath, and know that you will start right back up where you left off.

Not to0 long ago, I blogged about the difficult circumstances that we have been experiencing. That is the craziest part, life hasn't gotten any easier. I've just somehow come to terms with living it again.......

.....and even though it hurts my eyes, and the chaos makes me tired.....just like the kaleidoscope....

it is so beautiful.

Cancer

This woman......

is fighting cancer......

She WILL win.

Fight on friend!