God's Radar

When I was a little girl I started to pray for my husband, whoever he was. So now that I am married it is almost second nature for me. This morning, however, I was fast a sleep when suddenly my very good dream turned odd and I awoke quickly. Then I found myself praying that God would protect Mike's car and keep him safe as he drove to work. I pray this prayer often but I rarely find myself waking from a deep sleep to do so, or waking from a deep sleep wanting to do anything for that matter. About an hour and a half later I got a call from Mike. He had run into some snow on his way to Pullman (after removing his snow tires on Sunday). On his drive he almost followed a van that had slid off the road. He said he got lucky and was able to regain control of the car. Luck I don't think so, that was God. Thank you!

Prayer is interesting to me because I can't see that this big wonderful God I believe in would need me to watch his radar and say "Hey, look out for that over there." I imagine prayer to be like the 2 year old who helps make cookies. Sure the two year old is helping but could you do it without him? Yeah and probably a lot more efficiently and with half the mess. So why have the 2 year old help? I think it's because he learns something every time and you get the joy of spending time with someone you care deeply for. That is how I see prayer and the other morning I was grateful that God let me watch his radar.

COMING SOON....a new post!

I promise! :)

Sneezy...

I love the names and characters of the seven dwarfs. Don't ask me to name them all because I couldn't. Occasionally, these names will pop into my mind when I am feeling particularly like one of these funny little characters and it sometimes causes a small childish memory to creep in and cheer me up a little. Today, I am Sneezy. Yes, I have caught a cold with such grandeur that all I could imagine myself doing is laying on the couch all day. However, I tend not to be very good at just laying on the couch. I have to have stuff to do. Books, movies, food, people to talk to. I even contemplated going to work this afternoon so I would have something to do. I have things to do but the problem is I want to lay on the couch and do nothing, the problem with that is then I get bored, the problem with that is then I want to do something, the problem with that is I don't have the energy. So I am sitting here writing a really lame blog for something to do. Poor Mike was going to stay in Moscow tonight now he feels like he should come home so he can take care of me. I really hope he stays in Moscow though because I would like to think of myself as a big girl who can take care of herself.

I will talk to you all later please send me emails or comments today because I could sure use them. Thanks!

The Wagon

Today, was to be the day I got "back on the wagon," the diet wagon that is. Where did the phrase fall off the wagon come from? You might be wondering, as I was. So I looked it up. I found this next little blurb an enlightening piece of trivia.

Before roads were routinely paved, municipalities would dispatch horse-drawn water wagons to spray the streets in order to prevent the clouds of dust that traffic would otherwise cause. Anyone who had sworn abstinence from alcohol (and would presumably be drinking largely water from then on) was said to have "climbed aboard the water wagon," later shortened to "on the wagon."

Why is it that when I am trying to get back on the wagon it never seems to slow down. Full speed ahead seems to be it's mantra, which would be fine if I were on the darn thing. But of course not. First, you fall off and this proverbial wagon most likely runs you over. Few, at least not myself, are able to take the short fall and just climb back on. Most likely it will take me some time to recover from the fall. The injuries usually include fatigue, weight gain, an absence from the gym, a decrease in water intake and sometimes even an upset stomach. This time I have chosen a weight loss buddy who I hope will give me a hand as I attempt to make the climb. Unfortunately, today I made a flying leap for the wagon and missed, by a long shot. Maybe tomorrow.

For now I leave you with a diagram of , what else, a wagon.

When I was a little girl my mom made a decision that I will probably be forever grateful. She realized her limitations in providing me with the tools that she felt every women should have and she carefully chose friends who possessed those skills. These friends were women she respected, trusted and prayed for. The first being a great cook. I for some reason cannot remember this women's name. I can, however, remember the smell of the first quiche I ever made. She taught me the skills of a great cook. Most of which I have forgotten but the basic pleasure in presenting a nice home cooked meal I will never lose. The next lesson was cleaning. Who better to teach me this skill than my own mother. After cleaning a bathroom 3 times until I got it right I think I can now say that I know what clean is. I really don't know if David (my brother) knows but he tries. Next, a value for the word of God. I am sure my mother labored long and hard on her knees for the right mentor and she found one. Later, in life there were differences that drove my mom and this person apart but I will always have untarnished memories of my time with this person. Finally, I was going to learn to sew. Peggy, was my mentor in that arena and has remained a dear friend of our family ever since. In high school I even sewed a dress that I wore for my Senior pictures. I won't say that I love to sew but I am truly grateful for the skill. I am not a master seamstress but I like to think I can tackle a small project if need be.

Up until this last week I did not know the great passion and obsession some women hold for sewing. I had the pleasure of joining my great friend Nicole for a weekend. We volunteered to work the Puyallup Sew and Stitch Expo, we will receive a paycheck for freezing outside for hours on end taking ticket after ticket, passing out flier after flier, begging people to drop their umbrellas while passing through the narrow doorway so we might live to SEE another day.

While working this event a few things stood out to me. First, the public are like dogs. On their own they are sweet and friendly, in packs they become violent and dangerous. Sometimes even ridiculously stupid. Common courtesy and basic common sense fly out the window and are replaced with tunnel vision, as they head straight for all the pretty booths carrying yarn, sewing machines and fabric. There were women of all ages, most of whom qualified for the senior discount and were appalled to find there was none. But one look at the sea of white hair, walkers and wheelchairs and it was easy to see that a mistake like allowing a senior discount would bankrupt the whole expo. I got such a kick out of watching as these women would walk through the gates with the same expression you would find on a 10 year old at Disneyland. It was terribly cute. Then there were the men. Sparse as they were, there were men. Some of which you could tell had come only to keep an eye on the checkbook. Then, there were the young ones who you could tell were still new to the relationship and if they didn't go it would be taken personally by the female and a breakup would be in the near future. One gentleman stood out to me the most he was there with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, for him it was a sheer joy just to spend the day with his girls. I saw him again later taking bags to the car so his girls wouldn't have to carry them around all day. He was absolutely heartwarming to watch.

After my fingers and hands and nose melted and returned back to normal temperature I was able to enjoy the evenings with Nicole, her husband Ian and their almost 1 year old Peyton, who took his first steps while I was there. They are great friends and a joy to be around. I appreciate their hospitality and their friendship. Plus, who wouldn't love spending 5 days with an adorable one year old. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted to even think about using my camera so there are no pictures. Maybe next time.

I have to brag on Mike. I got home on Monday night from my trip and waiting for me were a dozen beautiful red roses, a very sweet card and a movie basket complete with gift card from Blockbuster. Mike had put some time and thought into that and I really appreciate it. We rented "Little Miss Sunshine." It is a really wacky movie but we laughed a lot.

'Til next time!