Archive for May, 2008
May 18, 2008 @ 4:38 pm | Filed under: Soul Food
Our worship leader was commenting during last night’s service about old hymns, such as Amazing Grace and others like it.
He said he often wondered what the inspiration behind these songs that have withstood the test of time was.
His words made me think of this clip that I received from someone last week.
Enjoy! I hope it inspires you as much as it did me.
amazing grace, black keys, Wintley Phipps
May 15, 2008 @ 4:20 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me
I’ve not watched a single episode of America’s Next Top Model this past season so all of my info is at least second-hand, if not third.
But I can’t help but be greatly disturbed – and puzzled – by the hype that this year’s winner has garnered. Rather, that her size has garnered.
Whitney, a twenty-year-old student from Atlantic Beach, Florida, received the coveted prize of being the 2008 face of America’s Next Top Model. Perky and energetic, with fresh-faced good looks of the girl next door, Whitney truly is beautiful.
But the wild thing – and the one thing that I just cannot possibly wrap my mind around is that at five-foot-ten and a size 8/10, Whitney is being heralded as ANTM’s first-ever plus size model! In fact, this is the headlines that hit news stands everywhere last Wednesday:
‘ANTM’ SHOCKER! CROWNS ITS FIRST FULL-FIGURE WINNER
Huh…? Seriously?
Because I know that thousands of young girls – including many that I know in my life - are tracking this show and the models that walk its runway, it upsets me that this kind of message is being broadcast. If a size 8 is now considered plus-size, then our little girls don’t have a prayer of a chance to grow up with a healthy view of their bodies and their self-image.
I think that what disturbs me even more is that everyone, everywhere, seems to be accepting this fact without even blinking an eye. Even Whitney. She says this:
“People always say you have to be stick-skinny, emaciated and unhealthy and I’ve kind of stood up for [being full-figured] my whole life,” Thompson told The Post in her first post-victory interview.
“I’m not going to lose 50 pounds – if someone asks me to do that, I’ll go to another [modeling] agency,” she says. “I’ve already heard online from boys and girls all over the world who are dealing with eating disorders.
“They’re thanking me for standing up and saying, ‘I am a plus-size model and I am beautiful.’
“This is what people should look like,” she says, referring to herself, “rather than skin-and-bones, which is disgusting and sends a bad message to people everywhere.”
I applaud her spirit and her words, and agree whole-heartedly with the message that she wants to send. But in saying this she is acknowledging that she believes her size 8/10 self to be plus-size!
If this is plus-size, then, honey – make me a plus-size any day of the week!
America's Next Top Model, beauty, models
May 14, 2008 @ 12:51 pm | Filed under: he said she said
”Is this stuff good?” Mike stood at the open refrigerator. Partially hid by the door, he stuck an arm out and I caught a glimpse of the yogurt container he clutched in his hand.
“Sure. I think so.” I shrugged, assuming he meant is it good as in it’s not expired yet, is it? It was yogurt, for goodness’ sake, the older it is, the more yogurt-y it is, right?
“No. I mean, is it good?”
He carried the container into the living room, sank into his chair, peeled back the foil lid, and dubiously gazed into the creamy depths of the stuff. “Yogurt. Is it good?”
I sat up and stared at him, realization dawning. “You’ve never had yogurt before? Ever?”
He shook his head and cautiously dipped his spoon inside the carton. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t aware of the priceless facial expressions that made me wish my camera was at hand.
I sat on the edge of the sofa and watched as he took the inaugural taste. It was a tiny bite, to be sure, and for those who know my husband – you know he doesn’t do small bites!
“Hm…” His eyebrows raised in a modest show of appreciation. “This stuff isn’t bad.”
I couldn’t resist at this point.
I raced for the camera and was back just into time to capture a perfect shot…of the bottom of the container.
I think he liked it.
Her favorites: Yo+ (any flavor) and Activia (vanilla)
His favorites: Yoplait (peach, blueberry)
May 12, 2008 @ 5:55 pm | Filed under: Family,Motherhood
The first Mother’s Day is almost always such a special time in a woman’s life.
I remember my own, back in 1988, when I was a brand new mom with a roly-poly four-month old little boy. During those early months, there are lots of special ‘firsts’ – first smile, first uninterrupted four hours of sleep, first tooth, etc…
New moms are tired, but they are also filled with joy in a way that just can’t be explained until motherhood is experienced firsthand. So when that first Mother’s Day rolls around, new moms everywhere truly do feel like a new member of a special club.
And it is.
For the next eighteen years (and, ladies, that’s a minimum, from what I’m told), this child is yours to lead, to enjoy, to guide, to laugh with, to instruct, to correct, to cajole…
It is the hardest job…but it pays the highest dividends.
It is the least thankful job….but it is the most fulfilling.
It is the one job that allows for zero vacation days…but it is the place where you feel most at home.
This year it was my sister-in-law’s turn to experience her first Mother’s Day. I know the day was bittersweet for her because it was also the first Mother’s Day without her own mom, who lost a battle with cancer this past November.
Robyn, in honor of all that has come into your life, and in memory of what once was, here’s a poem I found. I want you to know that we love you immensely and are so happy that you’re a part of our family!
Tomorrow and A Day
“Mom, I have a boo boo,
Could you kiss it, make it well?
I tried to ride my new bike
but I crashed it then I fell.”
I will kiss your pain away.
I will dry your little tears.
I will rock you in the cradle.
I will soothe away your fears.
“Mom, is that my baby sister?
Do you still love me too?
Can you fix my broken teddy?
Can we paint my bedroom blue?”
I will love you till tomorrow.
For tomorrow’s never end.
I will fix a heart that’s broken
and I promise it will mend.
“Mom is Santa Claus a real man?
Can you take my sister back?
When will Dad be home from work?
May I have another snack?”
I will tell you about Jesus
and the gifts he brought to you.
One of them is little sister
and we’ll eat with Dad at two.
“Mom, how does a firefly glow
like the color of the moon?
Can we go to the playground?
Can we buy a red balloon?”
I can’t give you all the answers
but I’ll try my best to be
loving, caring, and forgiving
as I hope you’ll be with me.
“Mom, why do bad things happen?
Is God mad at you and me?
Mom, will you always love me
even when I’m sixty three?”
If you’re feeling overwhelmed
get down on your knees and pray
and remember that you’re loved
till tomorrow and a day…
Happy first Mother’s Day, Robyn!
babies, Family, Mother's Day, traditions
May 12, 2008 @ 5:14 pm | Filed under: Family,Friends,It's a Girl Thing
Several of you have emailed or called, wanting to know how it was to turn forty. So here you go – a photo journey through one very memorable – very special - week in my life!
May 10, 2008 @ 9:13 pm | Filed under: Friends
One of my best friends graduated Magna Cum Laude from UT Dallas this morning! We (her friends) were immensely proud and I think the entire commencement audience might have had a clue when – in unison and…loudly – we chanted: “Rochelle! Go! Four point-o!” as she walked across the stage to claim her hard-earned diploma!
Enjoy this recap from our very special day!
Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com
May 8, 2008 @ 3:00 pm | Filed under: Friends
On the list of all the things that I treasure most, the friendships in my life are certainly at the top of that list.
I love to meet new people, and make new friends, because that’s a sign of growth and of expanding the borders of our lives. As we grow older, we gradually learn that we share bits and pieces of ourselves with many different people, and in many different ways.
But I also greatly treasure the friendships that go back…way back.
One of these special relationships is my friendship with Kathy. Even though we live several hundred miles apart now, the friendship we shared as little girls has only deepened and matured with the passing of time. I had the opportunity to catch up with her this past week when I accompanied Mike to Houston for the OTC Conference. While he worked and walked the tradeshow at the Reliant Center, I relished this unexpected time with a dear friend.
Kathy had suggested we meet at a restaurant in Uptown Park. As I drove into the exclusive shopping area, I thought about how on any ordinary day these shops would have provided a mecca of retail therapy to wile away the afternoon. Today, they still looked intriguing but that wasn’t where my head was. I didn’t want to shop. I only looked forward to sharing good food and great conversation with an old friend.
I arrived first and spotted her the minute she walked up the sidewalk and to the front door of the restaurant. The first thing I noticed was how fantastic she looked. Expecting her first child, she is co-owner of a great little coffee shop and works there herself about ten hours a week while working her (day) job in the financial offices of a large Houston pediatric cancer hospital. I’m pretty sure she’s in the running for Wonder Woman of the Year.
We began to talk as we were led to our table and we didn’t stop talking for over two hours. Long after we’d finished our salads and tea, we continued to sit and chat and catch up on one another’s lives.
I’ve known Kathy since we were both five or six years old and in kindergarten. Even though we never went to school together (she attended parochial schools, I went to public school) we spent many of our available waking minutes together during our growing up years.
We lived just down the street from one another on Bayshore until we were both about eighteen. Through the years, we’ve talked through just about every major life decision with the other and have always found a true confidante in one another. We can go for weeks and - many times - months without so much as an email or phone call and then dive right back into conversation as though we’d never had a lull.
Having these couple of days to catch up and spend time with Kathy was an unexpected oasis in my busy life, and a much needed one. And if you live in the Houston area, or the next time you’re through there on a visit, make sure you stop in at Fill Your Cup. It is an amazing coffee shop where the coffee is great, the employees are warm and welcoming, and the owner is an exceptional person.
And…my friend.
May 4, 2008 @ 10:51 am | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Uniquely Me
“Let’s go to dinner tonight.”
I was walking past, on my way downstairs, when Mike’s words caused me to pause.
“Okay…”
“Let’s go around seven.” Mike barely looked up from his computer. “Sound good?”
“Sure.” I went on about my business, aware in a really weird way that something was just a bit off about his dinner suggestion.
He walked me into the restaurant promptly at 7:15 that night and I saw them immediately. A long table filled with friends and with balloons and with all kinds of reminders that I was turning…forty!
These friends were actually the women who serve with me on our WOW (Women of Worth) committee. I was beyond touched at the gesture but it was when I opened their gift that I felt the tears in my eyes and the joy in my heart.
Nestled inside of a great box filled with everything from popcorn to Funyons (there’s a story here!) to chocolate chip cookies was a hard-back copy of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This is the book that WOW is using this year as a base for bible study groups and a fall retreat.
Inside both covers were words penned by these women, very special individuals who’ve come to mean the world to me. Each of them bring such talent and creativeness to our group. They serve tirelessly and willingly, and they share with me the burden that I carry for the women in our church.
Girls, you made my day!
You helped to make turning 40 a really special time in my life!
May 3, 2008 @ 1:54 pm | Filed under: Uniquely Me
There is something very mysterious going on in our house. In our laundry room, to be exact.
One by one, my husband’s socks are doing a great disappearing act!
It’s weird.
My running socks are content to stay in pairs and are always present and accounted for. But Mike’s socks…they obviously are taking great issue with him and are going to great lengths to be freed from this house!
Seriously though – where is it exactly that socks go?
Is there a secret backdoor to the washing machine that is only known to sock-kind?
After a couple of months of hanging onto mismatched socks, most people will simply give up and find some other use for them.
Crafty type people will turn orphans into sock monkeys or sock puppets.
Non-crafty types use them to dust or wax the car.
Still others donate their mismatched socks to the Goodwill, reasoning that a poor person doesn’t mind wearing mismatched socks rather than no socks at all. (News flash: poor people also have drawers of their own mismatched socks they are trying to get rid of.)
And then, there’s the people like myself, who are eternally optimistic that eventually the missing socks will show up and can be reunited with their mates.
I’ve been doing a bit of research on the missing sock phenomenon. There’s plenty of theories floating around the internet about aliens, black holes, and time travel; a few people even suggested that leprechauns or the sand man sneaks into laundry rooms everywhere late at night to steal unsuspecting socks.
While these theories are humorous and rather entertaining, I wanted the real reason why my socks turn up missing on laundry day.
Socks really don’t vanish into thin air, you know. They merely go somewhere else. That somewhere else is one of two places, neither which is a black hole or another planet.
Evidently many of them are simply in hiding. According to Internet reports, if you take the time to pry up the agitator, you’ll be likely to find up to 20 missing socks. Twenty socks, folks! They allegedly weave themselves around the rod, resembling something like a kindergarten art project.
I’ve added Remove washing machine agitator to my to-do list. For those of you who may need further instructions, here you go:
To remove the agitator of your machine, simply pry up the agitator cap, unscrew the nut and bolt, and gently tug straight up. It’s that simple.
The second place missing socks tend to go is really quite logical, when you think about it.
Socks are staticky little buggers. They stick to other clothing like glue, especially when run through the dryer. Socks can disappear up the sleeves of tee shirts, in pant legs, or in the fitted corners of your sheets. They also attach themselves to velcro strips and towels. When they disappear in another article of clothing, especially something that doesn’t get worn that often, it could be months before you discover the missing sock.
So the next time you’re standing in line at the store, or are sitting in your pew at church, and you feel that little tell-tale soft lump of…something…
It’s enough to almost make you wish it truly were night stalkers that were making off with your socks!
May 2, 2008 @ 3:40 pm | Filed under: he said she said
Because sometimes conversations are just wacky enough to record!
MIKE (attempting to give me driving directions): “Stay on 121. You’ll exit right before you get to Nokia.”
ME: “There’s a Nokia in Frisco? Really? Hm…”
MIKE: “Yeah. Nokia. You know, the dish place.”
ME: “Dish place. Huh?”
MIKE (heavy sigh): Yeah, the dish place. The big box store that sells dishes.”
ME: “Oh! You mean Ikea.”
MIKE: “No. Ikea are the flatware people. They make knives and forks.”
ME: “Uh. No. That would be the Oneida people.”
I know, I know! You simply cannot make this stuff up.
