Windshield Rosary

Recession Wine

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:13:00 +0000

To all my penny-pinching, wine-loving friends: I’m looking for the very best cheap wine money can buy. If it gives you a blinding headache, do not list it here. If you make a sour face when drinking it, that’s no good either. But if it costs less than $5 bucks and you genuinely like it, I want to hear about it. If you have a favorite for under $10, please tell me about that one, too. Consider it a public service. The holidays are one social gathering after another, and people need to know what to drink without breaking the bank. (PS: If I can buy it at Trader Joe's or Costco, even better.)

Are You Kidding?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:35:00 +0000

I love the optimism of marketers. Companies I’ve never bought a thing from think I’m suddenly going to spend $27 for a candied apple just because they sent me a fancy catalog at Christmastime.

Good versus Perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:10:00 +0000

“Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
I believe Voltaire said that, although the quote might not be 100 percent correct. But I’m going to let it go. I’m not going to make myself crazy over it. And I’m going to see how many other things I can let go. Not that anyone would ever mistake me for a perfectionist. Right now, I’m shushing the inner critic who is laughing as she points out all the places my life is riddled with a lack of perfectionism, a lack of excellence. She says I shouldn’t give myself any excuse for leniency. For sure, she would run a tighter ship. It would be all tough love and discipline, baby. But at 11 o’clock on a Thursday night, I’m not interested in tough love or discipline or the hours of work left constantly undone. I’m interested in sleep, and whatever was or wasn’t accomplished today will have to be good enough.

The Diversion Approach

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:47:00 +0000

The best way for me to get something done is to have something else pressing to do.

Apple Cinnamon

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:14:00 +0000

I made pancakes for dinner.
The important part of that sentence is: I made dinner.

New Game Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:48:00 +0000

The goal of the day was to Get Things Done.
But the invisible team of Undone seems to have won.

Like Newlyweds

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:41:00 +0000

I’ll listen to any woman who has been married 53 years and still dances with her cheek pressed against the chest of her husband. Her advice: “Give and take.”

Non-Stop Action

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:59:00 +0000

Today’s events included a breakfast party, a dinner party and a nap in between.

The Hits Keep Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

This week felt like one crazy tragic news story after another. I’m wondering if every week is this way and I only just noticed because we added Headline News to the radio rotation at work.

Life Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:05:00 +0000

It sounded interesting, but I did not enjoy my 67-cent coconut-curry-milk-chocolate bar. The yellow-stained wrapper should have told me that this flavor experiment had gone awry.

Do Not Quit

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:38:00 +0000

I heard the man say, “We have to be careful because we can underestimate ourselves.” And I knew he was right because so many times I give up before I even start.

Quiet In There

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:38:00 +0000

Oh, the anxiety my worrisome mind creates. It is a master of What Could Go Wrong. My soul would prefer not to be bothered with such neurotic games. “Shhh,” my soul says. “Trust. Trust. Trust. Everything is as it should be.”

Overheard

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:11:00 +0000

“You’re on the Caveman Diet. If you can grow it or kill it, you can eat it.”

All Saints & Souls

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:16:00 +0000

My family celebrates Dia De Los Muertos with an enchilada feast, homemade “Day of the Dead” bread, and an altar dedicated to my grandparents, the two babies my mother miscarried and, this year, the baby my sister and her husband lost in July.
At my church, we write the names of those who have died on pieces of paper and place them on the altar for the entire month of November.
To an outsider, these traditions may seem bizarre or morbid or simply sad. But to me this designated time for remembrance is a chance to connect. It’s a chance to thank those I’ve loved for the kindness and beauty they brought to my life.
Some people, without me ever having met them, have had the most extraordinary impact on my life. John’s mother is at the top of that list. And how could I ever thank her except through an act of remembering her in my heart?
If there are loved ones you would like to remember, I invite you to write their names in a comment, and I promise to place them on the altar at my church next Sunday.

Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:15:00 +0000

I’m really warming up to this Great Day of Pretend. I could do without the gore and violence, but I like the idea of becoming, even for an evening, the person you dream of being. I like the idea that even the humble pumpkin can transform into a grand jack-o-lantern.

Help Is On The Way

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:37:00 +0000

“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” ~Luke 14:5

I think Jesus is telling us something about God: God doesn’t hesitate to help us. He doesn’t think twice about helping us. He responds to our needs immediately, much like we would react if a loved one had fallen into a well.

My Happiest Jobs a la Jen Lemen

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:23:00 +0000

1. Sharing my life with my incredible husband.
2. Dreaming really big.
3. Sitting in a silent chapel before Jesus.
4. Loving my friends and family.
5. Writing my little sentence stories.
6. Talking, especially in the form of soul-deep conversation.
7. Befriending strangers.
8. Sipping coffee, tea, and wine. Eating chocolate and homemade food of all kind.
9. Walking, sleeping, laughing, crying, holding hands.
10. Practicing gratitude, detachment and joy.

Open a Window

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:55:00 +0000

I spent too much of today staring at a computer and not enough of it breathing fresh air. As a result, everything in my head feels stale.

This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

As I was leaving work yesterday, I happily exclaimed, “Have a good weekend!”
In response, my boss and co-worker replied, “Christina, it’s Monday.”

There’s An App For That

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Driving home from Aptos tonight required three of us (my dad, John and I) navigating via our iPhones. Just to be clear, the app works great. We are the ones with the problem.

On Business

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

I always, always, always warn people about starting their own business. It is so much work, I say.
It will stretch you in ways you can’t imagine, I say. It will magnify in your own mind all of your weaknesses and might even make you forget your God-given talents and strengths, I say.
You will, at times, feel like you are stuck in mud, up against a wall, at the brink of tears, I say.
What I sometimes forget to mention (and it's a very important part) is it’s a lot of fun, too. The fun is, in fact, a huge motivating factor. Otherwise, who would put up with the rest?

Brave in Sorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:36:00 +0000

In between the million blessings are the million sorrows of life. “It’s our sufferings we share. It’s our sufferings that allow us to get along,” the priest said during a Mass for our friends who recently miscarried their first child. The couple decided to celebrate their baby’s brief life with a gathering of friends and family. It is a brave thing to do, to be willing to share your sadness and not just your joy with others.

Adventure Always

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Me: “What’s the best way for us to get there?”
Him: “The best way to get there is the way we’re going, whatever that turns out to be.”

Eighty?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:42:00 +0000

If, like me, you keep seeing the new BMV commercial and wondering what performance warranted an 80 minute standing ovation, here is your answer (courtesy Wiki Answers):
"On June 30, 1991 Placido Domingo received an 80-minute standing ovation including 101 curtain calls after singing Otello in Vienna."

Creatures of Habit

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Tonight we roamed the warehouse known as Costco like two lost souls. An achy head for me and computer frustration for him made us glum and gloomy. With are bad moods in tow, we scoured the aisles for the treasure called dinner. And after considering many options, we finally settled on cheese pizza. OK, it was organic four-cheese pizza with a corn meal crust. But in the grand scheme of things is that really so much different than a quesadilla?