These Words of Mine

Puppy Love

2009-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is what it's like every day when Chris gets home. I'm not kidding.

They greet him like he's been gone for a year.

Heartbreak at the Coffee Shop

2009-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

I am in a very awkward situation right now. It's tearing me up.

I have an hour and a half to kill between my haircut and my book club, so I set up camp at the corner table in It's a Grind. I just sat down to enjoy my Praline Latte and am working on setting up my new computer when I notice the man and woman in the chairs beside me. They are very clearly arguing. Within a minute, it is obvious what they are talking about.

They are (not at all discreetly, mind you) trying to negotiate who gets what in their divorce. They're arguing about the house, the cars, the pet, the appliances - everything. It's awful. It's uncomfortable for me, but I can't help hearing them. I feel like I'm intruding on a very personal and devastating conversation.

The part where I almost start crying, though, is when they start arguing about what they will tell their kids. Obviously the kids are small.

"We'll just tell them daddy and mommy made a big mistake and should never have gotten married. That we'll be living separately now."

I know I'm still a newlywed and all, but I can't stop obsessing about how a couple gets from their wedding day to this point. How does it happen?? Chris and I have talked about how we can never EVER allow divorce to be an option. Ever. We cannot even allow ourselves to consider it for a second. Because the second we indulge the thought, even to write it off, it begins to take root.

I don't know anything about this couple. I don't know what circumstances lead them to this point. What I do know, though, is that my heart is hurting for them, and especially for their kids.

Meet Elember

2009-11-09T10:30:00.001-08:00

A hurricane hit El Salvador this past weekend. I know this because I have to report on it for my job. Whenever there's a crisis, my task list gets reordered around that crisis. So as I was going about my newly rearranged El Salvador-focused Monday morning To Do list, I opened Compassion's home page.

And I fell in love.

This is Elember.
He's four.
He has the cutest bowl haircut I think I've ever seen.
And now half his country's under water.

Will you sponsor him? Or if you can't, will you forward this to someone who will?

I'm telling you, it would make Elember's day.

'Tis the Season

2009-11-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today was a momentous day.

After church we went Christmas shopping. But here's the remarkable part ... it was Chris' suggestion! You know I wasn't about to say no.

So the first hour we were at Costco. We even had lunch there - both of us for $3.17!! (Isn't Costco great?)

Then the next five hours we were at the mall. Yeah, I know. Five hours. I can't believe both of us lasted that long. Once we got going, we just decided to knock it out all at once. Actually, we spoiled ourselves a little too. Thanks, Old Navy!

In other news, I'm typing this post on my ... BRAND NEW MAC! Seriously ... it's so pretty I hardly want to touch it.

Maybe this new toy will help me to blog more frequently.

9

2009-11-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago today was my first day at Compassion. Seriously? It feels like just last week I wrote this.

It's been one wild ride!

A Tiny Little Burrito

2009-11-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Well, the news is out and all I have to say is ... FINALLY!

See I have this little issue with keeping my mouth shut, especially when I'm excited about something. And it doesn't get much more exciting than this ...

They told us a few weeks ago and it's been killing me to not say anything. (I had a couple close calls, but thankfully in the end no beans were spilled.)

This news is doubly exciting considering everything they've been through this past year. Congratulations, guys.

Pray with me for a healthy baby?

P.S. My super talented brother designed all those ads. Don't you think Chipotle should hire him?

Cross Country Snowboarding

2009-11-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

I apologize for posting three videos in a row, but this one is too good to pass up. (Thanks, brother.)

No matter how many I see ...

2009-11-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

these clips never seem to get old.

This is Danyl, a teacher from the UK auditioning for a television show called the X-Factor.

In case you missed them, here are the other two.

Going to Chick-fil-A is good birth control.

2009-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Chris and I decided that last night.

We went out to The Chick for dinner. It was a snowy night and we had two free sandwich coupons. (Thanks Facebook!) Spent $3.97 for dinner for two ... can't beat that.

Anyway.

The place was a madhouse. There must have been three kids there for every one adult. Where in the world did they all come from? Granted, we chose a table right next to the play area, but still. It didn't much matter where we sat. As we ate our dinner amidst the the chaos, our conversation (not surprisingly) centered on our feelings about having children someday. Or more accurately, how we could have kids and not wish we didn't.

Don't get me wrong. I love Chick-fil-A. And I love kids. But the two of them together ... no thank you.

(This video doesn't have anything to do with kids, but it totally made me laugh.)

Courage

2009-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."

-Ambrose Redmoon

Thoughts on Marriage: 2 Months

2009-10-15T09:23:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow will be two months since Chris and I got married. In some ways, it seems much longer than that. Especially when I think about how much I've had to learn. How much adjustment and change and growth has already happened. Getting married is the best and hardest thing I've ever done.

I think the thing that has taken me most by surprise is how, in the middle of this most intimate of human relationships, I find myself having to cling more completely and more wholly and more fervently to God. I am having to trust Him and go to Him with more frequency. I am having to confess more to Him than ever before.

When I was single and struggling with my desire to be married, I thought my dependence on God and my desire for Him during that time was so strong that it would probably be unmatched by any other time in life. My singleness put me in a position of asking God to fill my need for love and intimacy. It was a daily battle. I would swing wildly from one extreme to the other - from despairing and being consumed by my unfulfilled desire for a husband to the next moment brimming with hope and belief in God's promise to fulfill the desires of my heart. It definitely was a time of growth and maturity and independence.

But thankfully, I was wrong about my desire for God. It was matched, and in fact has been surpassed. Marriage has taken this dependence-on-God thing to a whole other level.

I've had tons of friends get married. I'm a realist. I knew going into this that it wouldn't be easy. I knew it would be hard work. The interesting thing is, though, the things that I expected to be hard actually aren't that hard and things that are hard are things I never expected. I suppose you can't truly ever be prepared for something like this ... at some point you just gotta jump in.

Here's one thing that makes it so challenging: It's having to make adjustments in every single part of your life. All at once. If we could take things one at a time, it would make more sense to expect perfection. But we can't do that, so we have to give each other the allowance to make mistakes and the grace to have second chances.

The amazing part is, though, through all this change and adjustment and growth, as long as I involve God in the process, I'm finding within myself a greater capacity to love Chris.

So ... if that is the result then I say, "Bring it on!"

I Just Haven't Met You Yet

2009-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

I saw Michael Buble at the Wang Theater in Boston with my siblings a few years ago and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Guess what? He's got a new CD out!

Here's the video for one of his new ones ... great stuff.

He's kind of a goofball. But my word, the man's got some pipes!

MTV and Compassion

2009-10-09T12:59:00.001-07:00

I know I already posted today, but gotta share this ...

Check out the conversation happening on Compassion's Facebook page!

Quite exciting, if you ask me. This kind of thing really fires people up! It's awesome to see so many people go from being lukewarm to fiery hot. Besides, as Paul says, "But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

So let's rejoice!

(Oh, and then go donate $10 to Compassion. It could help us win $50,000!)

Pause ...

2009-10-09T09:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the posting delay. I'm a newlywed, trying to learn how to be a good wife and ... well ... let's just say it's a lot to learn. I'll be back to my regular posting soon, though. I promise.

Meanwhile, for those of you following my brother's blog about RA, he finally posted an update.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Closer to Love

2009-10-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

All photos and slideshow by Daron Short. Didn't he do a FANTASTIC job?

Greece

2009-09-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

For your Friday, I thought I'd post a few of my favorites from Greece.
Um ... actually it's kind of hard to just pick a few ...

Kanye, Part Deux

2009-09-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I felt the need to say something about the whole Kanye/Taylor debacle in yesterday's post, I think I ought to share today's thoughts too.

I just got a good a kick in my judgmental hiney by one of my favorite bloggers.

I have a lot to learn. Good words, Jon.

Married Life and Such

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random thoughts tumbling around my head today...

1. I love being married. It's so fun. It's like having your best friend over for a sleepover every night. Seriously, it's awesome. Don't get me wrong - it's work. Hard work. In some ways, harder than I ever anticipated. But SO worth it.

2. Speaking of being married, I think there's something in the air. Four weeks ago we got married. We went to a wedding this past weekend. We're going to another wedding this coming weekend. Then two weeks after that we're going to another wedding. It's like I'm a senior in college again.

3. Today is September 15 and we are going camping for this first time this year this weekend. That's just sad. I guess, though, I have been a little busy this summer. So even though it's just for one night, I'm ready to get my camp on! Thanks for the idea Jamie.

4. Kanye needs to start thinking about the impact of his words before he allows them out of his mouth.

5. My amazing husband took me to see a Cirque du Soleil show this past weekend - Kooza. I first heard about Cirque du Soleil something like 15 years ago and since then, I've wanted to see a show. I was not disappointed. It was the BEST show I've ever seen. The music, the dancing, the acrobatics, the costumes - everything. And we saw it all from a few feet away! Here's a little taste ...

Actually, you know what? This deserves a post of it's own.
I'll get right on that.

And They Want to Run Our Health Care?

2009-09-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

I went to the DMV today to change my name and address. I arrived a little after 1 pm, hoping that I had missed the worst of the lunch rush. I had to wait in line to get a number (or as a guy behind me said, we were in the "line for the line.") After about five minutes, I am handed a slip of paper with number 678 on it.

Now they've recently implemented a new system at the DMV where there are four sets of numbers, in the 100's, the 200's, the 400's and the 600's, and the number you receive depends on your need. Monitors around the room display the current number for each category.

I see that they are currently serving 627. That's 51 people ahead of me. Knowing I'm in for a long wait, and trying my best to be understanding, I settle in to read my book.

As time goes by, the automated voice calls number after number. The 400's are obviously military and they are the ones that get the quickest service. The 100's and 200's are called less frequently. But very few 600's are called. After 45 minutes, they are serving number 633. Six people.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!?

At their present rate of service, I have to wait almost eight hours.

I had to leave, of course. Compassion is not paying me to sit at the DMV. I told the number lady as I was leaving that it was an 8 hour wait. She just shrugged. I asked if there was a better time to come. She said usually it's slower right after lunch. I asked if there was a better day. She said Wednesdays are their slowest days.

Looks like I'll have to change my address to the DMV.

I'm Sorry

2009-09-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

I have deleted my last post. It was in poor taste and was basically laughing at other people's expense. I apologize to those I offended with it.

I'll be the first to admit that my judgment is off sometimes. I say and things or do things without fully thinking them through. I realize that sometimes my words seem to contradict my alleged desire to honor God with my life.

I'm a big girl. When I make a mistake, I own it. I admit, posting this last post was not the best choice.

However, two things have infuriated me ...

First of all, to associate MY mistakes with the ministry of Compassion is wrong. Compassion is not responsible for the things I say or do - I am. Just like every other Christian institution, the ministry of Compassion is made up of humans - fallible, fallen individuals who, although they honestly desire to serve God with their lives, will make mistakes. I am one of those people. Anyone I offend on this blog should not put that on Compassion. It's on me.

Secondly, if you feel the need to point out my flaws to everyone who reads this blog in the comment section, at least have the decency to own your words instead of posting anonymously.

I'm seriously considering making this blog private or deleting it altogether before it becomes another forum for miscommunication and judgment.

Mr. and Mrs.

2009-09-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I married the man of my dreams.
Then we went on a dream vacation.
Lucky, lucky me.

(I'll be back soon with lots more.)

Hurry Up, Sunday

2009-08-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

OHMYGOSHIMGETTINGMARRIEDTHISWEEK!!!

That is all.

Unforgettable

2009-08-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

My wedding plans keep getting ruined by people who do it first and make the news, rendering any attempt at surprise completely useless.

First, there was my idea* to have the wedding party dance down the aisle. But good thing someone else did it first cause we all know what a bomb that was.

But now I can't even break a record with my dress . (And the last-minute alterations are going to cost a ton.)

So much for an unforgettable wedding.

*Okay that wasn't technically my idea.

Details, Schmetails

2009-08-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ohmigosh things are getting KER-AY-ZEE around here! I'm sure you can tell by the waning blog posts. I'm trying to keep up with everything, but dang. It's hard.

12 days left, people. Twelve. That's it. One dozen.

I went down to The Fine Arts Center today after work to nail down details and figure out the placement of everything ... where the tables will go, what the setup will look like, what time things will happen, who will do what, blah, blah, blah. So many details. Millions of them. They never end. And we all know details aren't really my thing. (By the way, Melissa, the wedding coordinator at The Fine Arts Center? Frickin' amazing.)

One of the things I found out today is that if it rains - wait a sec - where the heck have I been the last three weeks? I mean when the daily downpour and accompanying electrical storm arrive, the ceremony will be held in the gallery instead of the courtyard. Which actually would be REALLY cool. (Oh except that there's this neon colored, slightly larger than life, sculpture of Will Rogers on a horse that would be our ceremony backdrop. COOL. We are already betting that the Botero exhibit currently on display might make some waves.)

Anyway where was I? Oh yes. So Chris and I will likely make our vows under the watchful gazes of Will Rogers and some obese naked people. My good friend Skip is doing the honors and although he's been a pastor for a long time, this will be the first wedding he gets to officiate! This fact makes it extra special.

After the ceremony, we get our party on.

We have chosen this GREAT song to dance to for our first dance and do you want to know the coolest part? My cousin Abbey is going to sing it live for us!!! Chris gets all the credit for this one. It was totally his idea. So we're going to do the 8th Grade Shuffle (also known as the Hug'n'sway) as Abbey wows everyone with her pipes.

Then we attempt say hello to everyone. Even though I'm a complete extrovert, I'm actually dreading this part. I get ADD when I know too many people and I feel like I can't give anyone my full attention. So I can't imagine how a less extroverted person will deal with it.

Anyway after we make our rounds, we'll bust a few more moves on the dance floor, shove some cake into each others' faces, exit through a sparkler-lit walkway and jet off to Greece.

Happily ever after. I can't wait!

Dreaming ...

2009-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00