Two Truths and Lie

Brett and I recently enjoyed a dinner with a couple we hadn’t spent much time with previously.  To get to know each other better we decided to play Two Truths and Lie.  If you’re not familiar with this game it’s a simple game of figuring out which two facts stated by the individual are the truth and which one is the lie.

The most difficult part is actually figuring out what to share.  It can’t be something like “pizza is my favorite food” because that would lead to very little conversation. In fact I think it might go something like this… “huh, that’s interesting. Do you like plain cheese or other toppings?”  Wow- that is a real conversation starter! 

The ideas have to be something provoking.  Here are the examples from the night:

Person 1- Got three speeding tickets in a week; Has a 4 inch scar from melanoma (skin cancer) on their back; was a life guard at the beach

Person 2- was tracked by a bear for 2 hours; has lived in 4 homes in 5 years; ejected from a plane (they’re a pilot)

Person 3- was in a state teen beauty pageant; knows sign language fluently; was the president of her sorority

Person 4-has only one kidney; was a victim of an attempted kidnapping; (darn- I can’t remember the last one)

All of the last statements are lies.  It ended up being a great night of conversation with these amazing truths.  Can you believe that someone was actually tracked by a bear for 2 hours?!

If you have a moment, share your truths and lie.  I’d love to see if I could figure them out!

 

Life After a Tonsilectomy

“All the ice cream you could ever want.” 

This is the statement I had in the back of my head when I prepared to have my tonsils removed.  And if you’re wondering if that is true I am here to let you know that it is absolutely FALSE.  In fact, there was no ice cream at all for the first week.  Believe me,  I tried to get just a teensy spoonful down.  Knowing I couldn’t eat anything but ice chips and Ensure meal replacement, my husband still went out to get me Friendlys Ice Cream.  He even had the employee puree the ice cream into the creamiest milkshake ever…. It took me FOUR days to eat that thing!  All four days hurt but I wanted it and the ice chips weren’t making the grade!

Now I am 5 weeks past the surgery and it appears that I made the right decision.  Many of my friends who had the procedure done said that it would be hellacious for the first 10 days (at least) but after that it got better and in the end it would be the best thing they did (for their throat).  I’m starting to see that come to fruition and am grateful that I had a good surgeon and even better friends who counseled me through the fear and anticipation. 

And though my title says ‘life after a tonsilectomy’  and may imply after the recovery too I’m including life immediately after I woke up from anesthesia.   I’d like to say, for the record that the recovery was in fact hellacious.  Notable moments include: vomiting, not eating anything substantial for 10 days, not talking (at all) for a solid 8 days, not seeing my children for 10 days, not being able to move out of my bed for 5 days due to zero energy, scabs on the back of the throat, and not being able to lay on my back b/c I’d suffocate from the swollen uvula; oh did I mention rectal suppositories for the vomiting?  I could go on but I think there’s plenty for the reader here to say “Yuck- thanks for sharing!”.

So, I’m back on the blog and hope to be seeing your comments and blog entries.

 

Layers

Last Tuesday I spoke at our women’s ministry quarterly coffee house gathering.  I followed two well respected women who spoke with different perspectives on parenting. 

The first shared a message of parenting her children and the spiritual comparison of God parenting us.  The second shared her current views on being a child of God with the history of an abusive father.    I shared the struggle of control in parenting i.e. getting pregnant, miscarriage,children’s health,  and controlling our daily lives– but God is ultimately in control– and does such a better job. Vulnerable, raw, and exposed we all pushed past the nerves to give the wonderful and ugly pieces of our lives so that we may better know each other and God.  Wow. 

I find myself recognizing  how many layers we all have wrapped up in the smile and 30 second hello exchanged on Sunday mornings.  I must confess that I foolishly assumed these women who smiled, seemed happy and otherwise care free,  carried only that very  joy exhibited inside.  That the pain, circumstances, trials and sometimes tragedy recently shared were only possessed by the few.  Turns out that many of the women who shared have had pain and heartache in some manner or another.  Again, how foolish of me to assume a carefree existence. 

I feel odd that I’ve never considered the ‘layers’.  I almost feel ashamed. 

Praise God for our layers.  Praise God that we’re wrapped up in lots of layers that have shaped us into the wonderful women He intends.  Praise God that we can relate to each other so much more intimately because of those layers!

Living in Excess of Ease–A Suburbian Lifestyle

Our pastor is in the midst of a Jesus in Suburbia sermon series.  One particular point he made (amongst several very good points) was that we often live in excess of ease.  That our challenge is resisting this lifestyle while media and propaganda inundate us with accumulating more stuff.

Brett and I have been de-cluttering and looking at our budget.  We’ve sold one of our two cars due to the financial drain of repairing a 1999 Saab.  But now, two months of being a one car family, we are seriously looking at purchasing another vehicle (newer and less expensive to repair).  We both feel convicted of Pastor Rick’s message and would like to live appropriately and resist excess.

So, do we get the mini-van that has 50,000 miles on it that is cheaper, without warranty?  Or do we get the mini-van that has 13,000 miles on it that is more expensive but we coud keep longer AND has the warranty?  Other thoughts are more specific about the excess of ease with consideration on leather, automatic doors, sunroof, dvd package, etc. 

At this point we’ve decided that we don’t need any of the above.  We’d like stow and go seats and the sliding door windows to retract.  For those amenities we can give up the rest of the ‘ease’. 

With all this being said I still have moments when spending any amount of money that is in the category of thousands, makes my stomach churn.  Why are cars so expensive?  I really can’t stand money!

Back Together Again?

Last night we had Owen over (along with everyone else from our bible study) and some how I think he and Lainee rekindled their love.  Apparently they played “wedding” and married.  I saw several kisses (on the mouth) and at one point they had climbed into MY bed.  One adult caught them in our bed and one of the kids said “Could you please close the door?  We’re trying to get some sleep.”  They were quickly separated.

When Owen left he asked if Lainee would wave at the window.  In her hand she should wave the heart balloon (we’ve had it since Valentine’s Day) as a sign of her love for him.  She did this and I smiled.

This morning, Owen’s mother called and told me how Owen was intently looking for the heart balloon.  When Shannon asked why, he explained that would be how he knew Lainee loved him.  Shannon explained she was waving the balloon… just look.  She then asked if he decided to marry Lainee after all.  His reply was “Mom, I don’t know who I’m going to marry.  Lainee doesn’t know either.  We’re not grown up yet.”

Heart Break

Lainee (our 4 year old) has always believed that she is going to marry her friend Owen.  They’ve even been known to talk about their wedding in detail… i.e. church or out door wedding, rings, and how many kids they’ll have.  It’s truly amazing how much of a “wedding” they understand at this ripe YOUNG age of 4.    Even in public people comment on how cute they are as the two youngsters walk hand in hand down the mall corridors (and Owen is usually pushing our stroller!).

Owen has recently been enrolled in preschool and now has other friends.  You see Lainee was his primary playmate and she put the stars in the sky (well, his sky anyway).  Sadly- for Lainee- his horizons have been broadened and so have his stars multiplied. 

The other day we were at his his house and he said he didn’t want to marry her anymore.  It must be human nature/instinct because Lainee pretended it didn’t bother her in any sense.  I even asked her how it made her feel and she commented unaffected. 

As we left Owen’s house I heard some sniffles coming from one of the girls.  When I realized Lainee had tears streaming down her face I inquired as to the cause.  She mentioned that Owen didn’t want to marry her anymore.  As I explained that  the betrothal was pretend she proceeded into an area of maturity I had not expected.

“I love him.  I will never love anyone like I love him.  I wasn’t pretending. I wasn’t pretending.  I’ll never find anyone like Owen.” 

Wow.  Her heart wasn’t the only one breaking now.  I tried to console her and nothing seemed to help.  What could I do?? I had to fix this some how.  I had to console her.

I called Owen’s house and spoke with his mother.  She asked Owen about the break-up.  He  got on the phone and told Lainee that he didn’t know who he was going to marry but he’d love her forever.  Wow— break my heart some more. How stinking cute is that?

Lainee was satisfied and two weeks later she found a replacement.  Colin.  He is in her Sunday school class and has apparently had a crush on her for some time.  She has kept him at arms length given her monogamous nature but now that she is a free agent she’s decided he’s a good choice. 

The Vibrating Luggage

Part 2:

Now that we’re safely on board the ship and have finally been released from the crew’s dungeon of a holding place we move on upstairs toward our room.  At the 14th floor we stop and begin down the very very long hallway until we reach stateroom 322.  I notice a slight humming sound but dismiss it.  All I can think about now is getting out of the turtle neck and down vest I’m wearing to replace it with short sleeves and sun glasses (of course I’ll keep my pants on… their not necessary to change).

I pick up the luggage and the look of horror spreads rapidly across my face.   “Brett, our luggage is vibrating!” I exclaim in a rather hushed voice so as to not bring attention to this rather odd event.  He looks puzzled.  I assume the worst and say, “What did you do?”– I’ll let your minds wander here as to my intent in the query.

He maintains his innocence but all I can think about is the steward who brought our luggage to our room.  He must have assumed that we were one of ‘those’ couples… footloose and fancy free amongst other things.  I ask Brett once more about the contents of the suitcase.  Genuine shock and wonder have consumed us both. 

Quickly we enter the stateroom to satisfy my curiosity.  As I unzip the bag and notice almost immediately the culprit committing the vibrating I laugh out loud.  Brett comes closer but still remains puzzled.  Taking out the item I explain that it is a microderm abrasion tool used for regenerating facial skin (yes, I have fine lines and I’d like them to go away).  I bought it only two days prior and had forgotten to take the batteries out while traveling!  Buzz Buzz Buzz 

Coming soon:  The Steward Turns Down our Bed

We’re Back…And There’s So Much to Tell!

We’re Back!  We had a great time on our cruise and can confidently say we will be life long cruisers!  Princess Cruise Line was fantastic in so many ways but things got off to a bit of a stressful and rocky (literally) start!

Sunday morning, a week ago, Brett and I woke up at 4:30am and proceeded to get ready for our anniversary celebration cruise!  We were staying at my parents house and my wonderful mother woke up with us and prepared coffee, breakfast, and snack for our day of traveling.  After setting off to the shuttle service we made our way to the PHL airport–and the world of tipping began (but that’s not super relevant to this story–just a side comment).

Things appeared to be going well up to this point.  We boarded our plane and I had a great window seat and my MP3 player to keep me entertained.  Just when we started to head to the tarmac the captain received word that Air-force One was flying in the same air space we would be traveling.  Since federal regulations prohibits sharing air space with AF1 we had to re route our trip… which meant we had to go BACK to the gate and refuel for the longer trip.  Now our flight was officially delayed.  We left about 30 minutes late.  This wouldn’t have been terribly concerning if we didn’t have a connecting flight that left us a mere 45 minutes between ON TIME flights.  So, needless to say we prayed very hard that the flight would arrive at 10:45 (original arrival to Atlanta was 10:15am) in order to make our 11:00am departure to Fort Lauderdale. 

Sadly to say, airlines are allowed to leave 10 minutes early and this very flight took advantage of that allowance.  We arrived at 10:55am and missed our connection.  This still didn’t cause too much concern until we discovered the next flight out to Ft. Lauderdale left at 2:30pm with an arrival at 4:12pm.  THIS WAS A HUGE PROBLEM!Check in on the boat ended at 4:00pm and port departure was 5:00pm sharp.

  Since we had no choice (and we complained our fair share) we settled for this flight and prayed once more.  Upon boarding I told 2 flight attendants, the captain and co-pilot of our situation.  They tried their best (and even made an announcement to let cruisers off the plane first!) but we left late and arrived in Florida at 4:30pm.  The port is a 15 minute drive and we still had to get our luggage.  Panic and general FREAKING OUT consumed me.  My ever optimistic husband tried to spin a vacation in FL with a trip to Disney World.  How wonderful right??!!

As I stared at the luggage belt, willing it to begin turning out our luggage, I had an epiphany…. catch a taxi and hold the boat.  So, I turned to Brett and said “I’m going to stop the boat.”  He agreed and off I went. 

I caught the very expensive taxi and made it to the port in 15 minutes.  I ran as fast as possible and the cruise staff quickly notified the captain of my arrival.  The captain said he’d wait 5 minutes past 5pm.  Seriously?? I couldn’t believe they weren’t willing to wait for my husband who was (hopefully) only 15 minutes behind me. 

The port side security and cruise staff gave me a bit of a hard time with questions like:

How do you know you’re husband will be here shortly?

Why doesn’t he have a cell phone?

Why didn’t you fly in a day early?

How do you know he has the luggage?

I’m officially freaking out when my cell rings and Brett has phoned to say he is in the taxi (borrowed the cabby’s cell) and is 10 minutes away.  The cruise staff asked how far away he was and I told a white lie and said 5 minutes away.  God forgive me but they were not even happy when I said he was still 5 min. out.  At this point all I can do is blame the travel agent who set everything up for us.  It was her job to arrange this all and her job to make sure we didn’t end up in this situation.  My ever sweet husband did remind me to calm down and I can now take some responsibility in the fact that we didn’t even notice we had a connecting flight until days prior to our holiday.

At about 5:10pm Brett arrived at the ship.  His taxi almost crashed as it raced into the port, being flagged down by cruise employee’s.  Our luggage was whisked away (literally) and Brett gave the taxi driver a 6 dollar tip for lack of time to receive change.  Our total taxi bill just to arrive at the ship ended up at $35.00— but it was a nominal fee as we walked up the crew’s entrance and sailed away. 

We sat happily in the crew’s “dungeon” for one hour as they tried to re enter us into the system.  We had already been deleted from the computers and it took some effort to get us registered again.  We didn’t see the ship leave port nor did we actually see the ship from the out side (until 2.5 days later when we arrived in St. Maarten).  Care free we remained however– because we made it!

Coming soon–Part Two:  The Vibrating Luggage!   

Just Call Me a Cruiser

February is a great month for a vacation.  It’s cold here and I can’t wait to get into some wam weather.  My friend Heidi would prefer to live in New England where it’s cold or chilly for most of the year. Yuck!  Give me the perfect 78 degree day and I’m all smiles.

We’re off to a cruise soon and I can’t wait!

Voting Today

My girls and I went to vote this morning.  Lainee was very inquisitive on the purpose for voting.  Questions presented included: What’s a president?  So is he the King? Do we vote to get exercise? and finally …. after we walked out of the voting booth …. So, who’d you vote for Mom?— many of the attendants stopped and waited for my response.  How awkward!

Kids make me laugh!!!