Viva!

Hmm...quick life update since I haven't blogged much lately. Only a few family issues but over all, things have been really quiet. Hence the lack of blogging.

So, least important info first. One of those guys that sells meat out of his truck because he "bought too much and has to get rid of it" showed up at my door today. I'm in my Pink (brand) pajamas, green with recycling emblems all over them and a violet Emily Strange shirt. My hair is hanging messy (I haven't brushed it yet) and I have a big white glob of face cream on a zit on the left side of my face. I actually don't look too bad considering, but I am a bit of a mess. I step outside half way, he's on the other side of the stairs, "is your mother or father home?" he asks. "I am the mother." I smile. He pitches me and I tell him we don't really eat red meat. I send him on to torture the neighbors. Perhaps if he had a catchy jingle on his truck like the ice cream man, he'd sell more. People lined up for miles to get their meat-cicles. I would have to ask my parents first though, I mean if it's ok to have one before dinner:)

In other news, we're waiting to hear back from the owner of a house we've fallen in love with, for a lease to own. We're also waiting to hear about a big job that would turn the lease into an own much faster. We're praying SO HARD!!!!

Unfortunately, we got a bit behind on Lu's schoolwork this year with all the um...crap. So we're on a mad dash but we're almost there which means she'll get a bit of time off for summer and then we'll start fourth grade fresh in September.

Lu is enjoying Vacation Bible School this week and making new friends, yea! I think we've decided on continuing AWANAS next year, along with CYT, basketball and possibly Future Farmer's of America or Girl Scouts. As for the summer. I've been madly working on my memoir and am planning on helping grow Lu's artistic talents. Jude has a job in L.A. next week and we're planning on going up with him. Lucy collects American Girl dolls and we've been promising her forever to go to the store in L.A., so.... We have a deal with her too, there are six books for each girl and when she finishes reading an entire series, she gets the doll. She's been reading a lot:) She even has the Kit movie (the first released in actual theaters), air date memorized for the last six months. She's planning on bringing her Kit doll to watch it too.

Latest book- Marya Hornbacher's Madness, A Bipolar Life. Her book Wasted is one of my favorites.

I guess that's all for now. I have to try and talk Regent University into letting me defer my start date one last time to the beginning of the year. I hope they'll let me. Welp, uh gu bu, uh gu bu, uh gu bu, that's all folks.

Prayers Needed

Anorexia Victim's Suicide Sparks Lawsuit
Family Claims Health Insurance Co. Said It Was "Pulling The Plug" On Her Hospitalization.

This is my friend/ neighbor Janell Smith. She was 26 years old. The case is in court Monday the 30th. Please pray for a favorable outcome. Her family needs some justice and closure. She was an awesome person and deserved so much more. You can watch the whole story at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/19/earlyshow/health/main4193963.shtml

Happy Feather's Day

Mistaking Father's Day for Feather's Day, Herbert joined his family for Sunday morning service dressed in his wife's pink boa. Unfortunately the congregation did not see the humor and Herbert landed in counseling. His children, Bobby and Susie sulked in corners and wore all black. "Mourning", they replied when asked. Poor Mary, Herbert's wife, was kicked out of the book club primarily because it's not considered gossip if the person's sitting right there. In the end, they are forced to move to a different town, flamigoville, where the plight of the flamingo is top priority. In hearing of Herbert's "mishap", he was made an honorary hero. The family becomes town royalty, Mary is made head of the book club and the children incorporate color into their wardrobe once more. The moral of the story is that men shouldn't wear boas and that whoever you are, there's a place that you'll fit in. It's all about finding the right family. And did I mention that men shouldn't wear boas?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the great dad's but especially to the special one in my life. Jude, (aka:) to MacGyver obsessions, Indiana Jones marathons, games of War with Lu, homemade ice cream and eight years of learning to be parents together. I look forward to figuring out the rest of it in the years to come as we become the parents God made us to be. We love you, Lu & Avery and all the CRAZY animals in this CRAZY house:)

More Spare Change Puh-leaze!

So Liz and Nicole inspired me to start with some small changes, my blog. Some more cheerful colors and a little attitude. Hmmm. Thank you ladies:) SMOOCHES!!!!

Any Spare Change?

I have NEVER been good with change. I realize it's part of life and therefore I must accept it. Perhaps it is the writer side of me that looks far too deeply into things. I hate that I view everything small as a sign that my universe has somehow fallen off kilter and therefore is bound to implode at any moment. Take Alpine for instance. What happened to my Alpine? My sweet little town that during my teen years friends referred respectfully to as "cow patty land." No one wanted to drive to the "middle of nowhere." I found solace in my writing and found imagination. Not that I had a choice, but I'm thankful regardless.

Now, it's Albertson's and ugly brown cookie cutter houses, Starbucks, a remodeled Alpine Inn (I liked the musty Pirate's of the Caribbean feel), and the entire Daniels Market area gone. It might be pathetic but I liked the old pharmacy and the Radio Shack. I remember going into the now torn down building that was once a bank (and later Gymtricks), when I was a little girl. I don't know why but I always thought banks were the coolest thing. They were quiet and looked and smelled like a hotel. The women that worked at them had perfectly styled hair with manicured nails.

Most significant still, family and friends. This area of my life has changed so dramatically in the past few months. It's a bit frightening when one is forced to realize that all the things they thought they could count on for stability, actually have a false bottom. I have had to take a really hard look at who I am, what my family (Lu and Jude) means to me and how I want the three of us to live. I've also had to step back and look clearly at the people in my life and whether or not they give as much as they take. The biggest change was coming to grips with some experiences that took place in my childhood that I had not wanted to face the truth about. I had to learn that someone I'd always viewed as a hero, because I wanted him to be, wasn't.

We're looking at a move in a few months, the town I love won't be my home anymore, not that I recognize it anyway. Jude and I will turn 30 this year, we might try and adopt a baby, I'm still trying to decide whether I want to start college back up in August or concentrate full time on writing, and we're going it alone, without the support of extended family. My only regret in that, is for Lu. She deserves wonderful grandparents. Thankfully, we have many supportive friends that we consider family.

I guess change is a little scary for everyone, even if they enjoy it. I just have to remember that the most important things in my life were born out of change: Steps in my Christian walk, maturity, marriage and my baby girl, the amazing Miss Lu. Whatever change lies ahead of me in the last months of my twenties, I know God is orchestrating. And whatever doors he opens, we will walk through faithfully. God's got plans for my thirties and for this family. Painful journeys aren't so bad in life if we take something from them. Without the struggles, how could we truly appreciate the blessings?