Gobble, gobble, gobble

As I'm sitting here, grossly full from a huge Thanksgiving dinner reading all the comments by my Facebook friends talking about how they've over-eaten today as well, I can't help but wonder... what is the purpose of the overly excessive meal that has become a tradition for American families on this one day?
Yes I know the holiday is in remembrance of the first meal by the Pilgrims in their new land shared with the Indians, but what we do on this holiday is nothing like what they did on that day.
They may have sat at a dinner table with their friends and family, but they didn't have turkey, they didn't gorge themselves on sugar-filled and sugar-topped pies and sweets and they surely would not have had so much food that they were able to eat left-overs continually for the next week.
We had so much food tonight at my family's Thanksgiving meal that I could not even fit a spoonful of everything on my plate in one go around.
I always find it funny that after having filled our bellies with so much food that we're almost unable to move, we always instigate some type of entertainment provided by the children. We sit on the soft sofas, barely awake from too much turkey while the girls sing and dance and cheer, hoping that some of their activity might rub off on our depleted metabolisms.
I always regretfully end up sinking into my chair with the regretful thought, "Why did I just do that to myself?"
Why do we do that? If we really want to celebrate the intentions of our fore-fathers it seems it may be more appropriate for us to go plow a field or build a barn.
I'm just so thankful that at least one real tradition has survived from our ancestors. Check any history book and you'll find that after the Pilgrims and Indians shared a meal, the men cleared the table and washed the dishes while the women went to Walmart to go Christmas shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Phone call to God

Day one on Saturday, coming home to an empty house was kinda nice. My children and CJ are out of town, so it was refreshing on Saturday to be able to sleep and try to recuperate from my jet lag.
Sunday morning rolled around a little bittersweet. In my still sorta asleep and not quite yet woken up phase, I kept waiting for my girls to come bouncing into my bed begging for breakfast before getting ready and going to church together. The patter of their feet never came.
I kept myself busy on Sunday afternoon catching up on email and other tedious chores that required my attention and kept me from drifting into an emotional state.
Now it's Monday and I'm starting to wonder if Thursday will ever get here?
I had to literally force myself not to cry when my girls called today from Knoxville where they're staying with CJ's mom.
"I miss you Mommy!" Miá said sweetly.
Ugh...
That lump in my throat was a good thing that kept me from being able to wail.
Then I started to wonder if that's how God feels when His children go away from Him. Do you think God gets emotional over those whom He loves so much, yet they never call him or talk to him in prayer? I bet He misses us when we wander far away from Him, and He desperately wants us to stay close to Him.
I know it says in the Bible that Jesus wept. He knows the pain of sadness and lonliness and heart break. He knows how parents feel when their children are a long distance away. After all, He is the father of all fathers.
Have you called your Father lately? I bet He'd love to hear your voice.

Small town surprises

There really are some benefits to living in a small town... it's more than just the family atmosphere and the traditional values. There are short lines at the stop sign; the lady at the coffee shop knows just how I like my morning coffee, and I'm on a first name basis with the Sheriff, the Chief of Police and the Mayor.
Of course I've heard there are a few drawbacks, like everybody knows everybody's business, but I happen to like that aspect of living here. I've never been good at keeping secrets, and I think it holds you more accountable for your plans and actions.
But this morning I got to experience one of my most favorite parts of living in a small town.

About a month ago, I was wasting time surfing the internet and I typed in the address of one of my most frequented websites - ebay - and proceeded straight to my preferred section, purses. My friends will all tell you that I'm a sucker for purses, watches and shoes. I can't help it - I'm fascinated with the accessories. Especially if it's a good bargain. I love trying to get fancy and 'expensive-looking' items for really low prices. I'm always amazed by what you can find at ebay!
Anyway, I found a couple of really great, cute purses that I instantly fell in love with, and guess the price? 99 cents each!
The disadvantage: they were from a dealer in China. I did "win" the items in the online auction for less than a dollar each, however, shipping from Asia was closer to $15 each. (Still a good bargain in my opinion though.)
But do you know how long it takes to get mail from China? I was prepared for the wait, after all, the purses were worth it. But everyday I would anxiously go home from work to see if my purses had arrived while I was gone.
Then today, Mailman Bob shows up at the Columbian-Progress with two packages in his hands. He said, "I knew you had been waiting on these so I thought I'd just drop them by your office."
How sweet is that?!?
Yes, it was my purses and I was so excited to finally receive them, but I was even more excited by the fact that my mailman had brought them to me!
Only in a small town will the mailman know where you live, where you work, when to deliver packages containing Christmas gifts and when not to (cause he knows you're trying to surprise your spouse.)
Only in a small town does the mailman know specifically about your spending habits on ebay.
And only in a small town does the mailman care enough to go out of his way to brighten your day through his small act of kindness.
Sure, he could've just left them at my house (it's where they were addressed to go) but he knew how eager I was to receive them, so he brought them to my work.
My mailman is the best, but so is living in a small town!

I am rich!

You know that place between sleeping and awake? You're somewhat cognizant of the world around you, yet the sweet dreams that lulled you through the night have not released their grasp of your brain functions. That's where I was yesterday morning, laying in my bed before the first beep of the alarm sounded when I sensed a small, warm body snuggle up behind me. I felt the bony arms wrap around me and I could smell the sweet, yet salty perspiration that children develop from a hard night's sleep.
I knew without opening my eyes that it was my Miá, my younger child who has not yet reached an age of self-awareness yet exudes self-confidence and displays affection openly without fear of approval or perception. My baby who, with innocence and naivete, calls things as she sees them and doesn't hesitate to say whatever is on her mind. My child who with adoration in her heart wants me to be the last person she sees before going to bed and the first person to greet her in the morning.
Miá crawled up behind me and got close enough to whisper in my ear with her small, melodious voice, "Mommy.... I love you."
I turned over in my bed to find her smiling face beaming at me. She giggled with delight and I couldn't help but laugh in return.
Worth more than any amount of money or reward, it's moments like these that I know I will cherish for a lifetime.

My vampire and me

It had been a long, tiresome and exciting day. My mother, Zoë, Miá and I had tromped all over New York City beginning at 7 a.m. that morning. It was now late afternoon and we were beat! All we wanted to do was find some food and find a subway station to take us back to our hotel.
We were leaving FAO Schwarz, crossing over Fifth Avenue and walking past the Plaza Hotel.
To escape the crowds and a busy thoroughfare, we decided to take a side street to reach our destination that traversed past a private entrace of The Plaza. (not the grand main entrance - this was less ostentacious and more concealed)
We were almost oblivious to the group of people lined up behind barriers on both sides of the street. There had been so many people everywhere else, for all we knew they were lined up for a show or a buffet or who-knows what, and we decided to just bypass the scene. When we circumvented the masses and got to the location that was next to the front of the crowd where the barriers held them back, I began to notice all the cameras and the excitement. Standing in front of the barrier, I spoke to a young woman on the other side of the metal bars and asked her, "What's going on?"
"I think they're filming a movie!" the cute brunette responded.
I replied, "Do you know who's in it?"
"Nope!" she said. "I'm just here cause my friends dragged me along."
Hmmm.... I thought to myself. "Let's just go," I said to my mom. I didn't see any movie cameras or trailers and it didn't look like a movie scene to me. No telling how long those people had been waiting there and no telling how much more time would drag on before they caught a glimpse of some unknown "movie star."
So we started walking.
Right as we got up to the side entrance of the infamous hotel, who crosses in front of me but Robert Pattinson.

"OMG, OMG, OMG! It's Robert Pattinson!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
He was gorgeous! Dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt unbuttoned part of the way and a black tie hung loosely around his neck, the sight of him took me by surprise.
It's relevant to provide some history. I have been a R.P. fan for quite sometime. It was several months back when CJ brought home the first Twilight movie and I disregarded the film saying, "I don't want to watch some vampire movie."
He cajoled me, "Everyone says it's really good. All the girls seem to like it."
So I watched it reluctantly but instantaneously fell in love with the beautiful and hypnotizing Edward Cullen - R.P.'s character in the movie. I think I watched that movie three times before it was due back to the rental store.
I then proceeded to read the Twilight books. I read all four books in the series in a week. I just couldn't get enough!
Since then I have found myself stopping at every magazine stand and gazing at every website that has a picture of R.P. featured. I just can't seem to help myself! (It's an innocent fascination really and my husband has no concerns.) :)
But as I came face to face with this man that has held an allure over me, I lost all sense of maturity and self-awareness.
I squeeled loudly with my words running together in an almost foreign language type of tone. Then... for a moment.... time stood still - Robert Pattinson turned and looked at me!
We were eye to eye for a flash of a second.
The look he gave me though was not a smiling face. It was a look of fear. I think the poor man thought I was going to attack him.
Then in an instant, he was gone... wisked into the restricted hotel like steam that evaporates into the air.
My shoulders slumped. I realized what an idiot I had made of myself and what an opportunity I had missed - my camera was in my hand the whole time and I had not snapped a single picture. What a great journalist I am, huh?
I was still in shock, standing frozen in the path of what had just occurred, til I felt a small hand tugging on my sleeve. It was Miá. "Mommy, who was that?" she said with her sweet innocence.
Zoë, the older sister, with indignation replied for me since my voice had seemed to cease. "Duh! It's Edward from Twilight!"
I smiled at the occurrence. The whole story seemed to transpire in slow motion, but in reality it was over in a flash.
At least I thought it was over til my mother, with similar stagger and surprise, began shrieking just as I had moments before, "OMG! OMG! OMG! It's Pierce Brosnan!!!"

Like a replay of the serendipitous encounter I had just experienced, my mom was brushed with the same destiny with a movie star of her attraction. P.B. had arrived just moments after R.P. because they were filming a movie inside in a restaurant in the Plaza Hotel.
It was quite the event.
In retrospect it almost seems like a dream.
But it really happened.
And I have the Newsweek article from the next day to prove it.... the headline: Robert Pattinson anxious to return to London after enduring fanatic New York females.
Well, at least I left an impression....

Falling off the wagon...

Well, it's been nearly two months since I've blogged. There's no excuse really. I could give some like "I've just not had enough time," but in the end, excuses are just a waste of time. So it's redundant, and I'm moving on.
June and July have been a whirlwind. Youth trips, mission trips, conventions, weddings in other states and trips to foreign countries have all been stuffed into a few weeks' time. Like kernels of popcorn that explode when enough heat is applied, there were times when I felt like the pressure of it all would make me pop. But in the end, it's what I signed up for and agreed to. I made the choices to be this busy and I must say that even though it was all a bit stressful, it was an adventure and a lot of fun.
One of the highlights has been taking my mom and children to New York. I had a short visit there once before, and I tested my own resourcefulness by going back as the leader and provider for my family this time. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment to know that I could go to another city and manage to get around, take care of the details and planning and really have an enjoyable experience all at the same time.
The good news is that things are starting to get back to order. My office staff is now back at 100% - at least for the day - you never know how long that will last. And my spouse and kids will be returning from the last of the summer trips at the end of this week. (I have enjoyed a few days of sobering sanity being home alone for a short time.)
Now that order and structure is returning, I will attempt to be more fervent in my blogging. Back to the grind...

Bounce...

A little more everyday, I'm learning that life is about reflexes. How you respond to the surprises in life, the unplanned moments and the interuptions. Just when you think you have things figured out, there's a bump in the road or a fork in the road or maybe even a dead end.
Well, you can't just sit down in the middle of the road and cry about it. You have to do something about it.
I know I'm a magnet for chaos. It's a world I've grown accustomed to. But there are a few daily routines that fill my day, like my morning coffee. I can't imagine a day without the habit. The first of the morning catch up with the office staff. I love coming into the office in the mornings to find everyone eating breakfast or maybe even just filling out paperwork at their desks, but while they do, they're talking about what happened over the weekend or the night before. I truly enjoy hearing about what is going on in their lives each day. But for daily routines, that's about it for me.
I do try to plan. For instance, I'm going to New York this summer for a few days. I've made hotel reservations. I even bought tickets to a Broadway musical in advance. But at some point I recognize the best prepartion I can do is to be prepared for the unknown.
I think that's the way life is and the only true way to be prepared for the twists, turns, ups and downs, is to know how to bounce back or get up. So can you truly be prepared for the unknown? The answer is yes, and faith is the key!