tony, my husband, preached a couple of weeks ago. he always does an amazing job, but this was definitely one of his best. it's weird to say that about a sermon, but it's true. so...you should all go check out his blog and have a listen. it's worth the 15 minutes!
Living The Resurrection: Be a Dorcus
Tuesday, May 4
Saturday, March 13
preschool...LOTS and LOTS of preschool...
do you have a kid or kids in preschool? does pickup time every day bring with it an insane amount of arts and crafts papers and projects? if you're like me, it's fun to look through all of that stuff, but, unless it's something they are really proud of or it has their handprint on it, i don't want to keep it. now, i can pack-rat with the best of them but i'm working hard at suppressing that so keeping piles and piles of papers that we will probably never look at again just seems silly.
until last week, i was simply throwing it all away (or recycling it). i wished there was something better to do with it, but couldn't think of anything. but then we ran out of printer paper. and i had this great idea...why not use those papers to print coupons? (i print coupons a lot, by the way.) so now i have a stack of papers from jonah and raena that i pull out to print coupons, grocery lists, and other things that don't need to be official.
what do you do with all that stuff?
until last week, i was simply throwing it all away (or recycling it). i wished there was something better to do with it, but couldn't think of anything. but then we ran out of printer paper. and i had this great idea...why not use those papers to print coupons? (i print coupons a lot, by the way.) so now i have a stack of papers from jonah and raena that i pull out to print coupons, grocery lists, and other things that don't need to be official.
what do you do with all that stuff?
Friday, March 12
3rd time's a charm...
or 4th, or 5th, or however many times i have tried to "start over" with my blogging. we'll see if it works out this time! the last year has felt like a whirlwind. with work, church, family, etc. we have been super busy. it never quite seems to slow down. i guess that's what happens when you start getting old. i've always been told that time moves a lot faster as you get older and now i'm starting to believe it. i feel like raena was just born but she's already almost 16 months old! jonah will be 4 in july. FOUR!! sometimes i feel like i don't want to blink because i might open my eyes and find that i'm 45 with 2 teenagers. anybody else feel that?
well, all that to say that i'm giving the blogging another try. and hopefully this time i'll be able to keep up in the midst of it all.
well, all that to say that i'm giving the blogging another try. and hopefully this time i'll be able to keep up in the midst of it all.
Monday, September 22
frustrations
i do not pretend to be completely educated on the following subject. i admit that i could be wrong. however, that being said, i do strongly believe that my thoughts are not far off from what i've come to learn and know of Jesus.
i recently watched "sicko", the documentary on healthcare in america by michael moore. now, i'm sure some of you might be tempted to stop reading at the mention of his name. i know that he definitely has an agenda in his films, he tends to go over the top, and presents one side of the story, but i also believe that there is truth in what he says. being pregnant myself and having a 2 year old, healthcare is an important issue to me. so, as i watched how pregnant women in france get a MINIMUM of 6 months PAID maternity leave, no matter their jobs, i was slightly jealous. and after seeing how the french government issues people to come over postpartum to help you with whatever you need help with...twice a week...and yes, it's free...i was ready to pack our bags!! (i can see some people now saying..."it's not really free, you pay for it in taxes"...i'll get to that later.) so, obviously, that was very appealing to me. but what affected me even more was hearing the stories of americans who have been bitten by the healthcare system...those who were "fortunate" enough to only go bankrupt trying to fight off sickness, and those who couldn't pay at all and ended up dying because they had no treatment available to them. i didn't understand, after watching the film, how we could possibly think that national healthcare would be a bad idea. i'm not completely naive. i know that there are problems with such a system. nothing works as smoothly as we'd like to believe. however, if national healthcare has worked in countries like england and france for so many years, and worked so well that there would be a revolution in england were the prime minister to take it away, why are we afraid of trying it america?
i think the answer comes down to the fact that we are an individualistic society. it's every "man" for himself in america. it's the land of opportunity, but only if you, the individual, have the drive, determination, and often times, the right color skin and economic status, to make something of yourself. and if you've had the privilege of accomplishing your goals, you don't want anyone to take that away from you. you worked for it...you earned it...it's yours. somehow, christianity has become tangled up in this web of "the american way of life"...so much so that it's hard to distinguish between the two.
so obviously we're afraid of an idea (a SOCIALIST idea) that means we aren't the ones in charge of what we get. those of us who can "afford" to pay an outrageous amount of money every month for healthcare don't want to give up the "privileges" that lends us. we can even fall into the trap of thinking, "i have healthcare. i have options. the healthcare problem doesn't affect me." and yet it does. not because they tell us in the media that even those with healthcare don't have all they think they have. it affects us because it affects the poor among us. we are all God's children and when there are those among us who cannot afford what we can, how can we think that's not our problem? it is our problem, especially those of us who claim to be christian. we cannot separate ourselves from the hurting, the poor, the disenfranchised, the widows, the sick, the dying. if we think that we can, we are sorely mistaken. the gospel of Christ isn't an individualistic gospel. (which, i think, opens a whole other can of worms.) if there is a chance for the government that we are a part of to "give equality to all" in terms of healthcare...one of the most basic needs of life...shouldn't we take it? shouldn't we support it? sure, it might mean that we pay more taxes (and it might not). it might mean that we have to wait a little bit longer at the doctor's office (and it might not). it might mean that we don't get to choose what doctor we see or what hospital we go to (and it might not!). but isn't all of that worth it to be able to give the same options to those who have nothing? why do we think we should have "the best"? especially when others have nothing?
i'm still trying to muddle through all of the frustrations and irritations that have built up in my mind. it's a little difficult to even begin to talk about this because i have so much flying around in there. i guess you could technically call my a socialist, but what's so wrong with that? didn't the church in acts share EVERYTHING? and didn't those who refused to live that way fall down dead? was that just a cultural thing? i don't think so. i'm no bible scholar, but i don't think so. i think it was the way that they cared for one another. could we do that today? would we be willing to do that today? as a member of the body of Christ, i sure hope so.
well, i am slightly a pessimist, so i'd have to say that, honestly, i don't know that national healthcare will ever happen in america...unfortunately. there's way too much politics and money (and i would like to insert "greed" and "evil") wrapped up in the health insurance companies today. but that doesn't deter me from fighting for change. i don't think that should deter any of us from petitioning the government of the country we live in to have the most elementary thoughts about humanity. i mean, for crying out loud, public education is free! not to devalue education because i think it is extremely important, but come on...what the government is saying to us is that educating people is more important than actually keeping them alive. and yet, education in america isn't a sign of socialism for some reason. i just don't get it.
i'd love to hear your thoughts on this. i think it is an important thing we should be thinking and deliberating over. i think a lot of us know someone who has been directly affected by the healthcare system...someone who has gone bankrupt trying to pay for the debt they've accrued simply by being sick. and even if we don't personally know someone, i think we should still be shocked into rethinking by the simple hearing of such stories.
i'll end with this question...would you be willing to give up some of the things you have grown accustomed to believe are "luxuries" so that someone else could have their basic needs of life met? it's not an easy question but i think it's a necessary one.
i recently watched "sicko", the documentary on healthcare in america by michael moore. now, i'm sure some of you might be tempted to stop reading at the mention of his name. i know that he definitely has an agenda in his films, he tends to go over the top, and presents one side of the story, but i also believe that there is truth in what he says. being pregnant myself and having a 2 year old, healthcare is an important issue to me. so, as i watched how pregnant women in france get a MINIMUM of 6 months PAID maternity leave, no matter their jobs, i was slightly jealous. and after seeing how the french government issues people to come over postpartum to help you with whatever you need help with...twice a week...and yes, it's free...i was ready to pack our bags!! (i can see some people now saying..."it's not really free, you pay for it in taxes"...i'll get to that later.) so, obviously, that was very appealing to me. but what affected me even more was hearing the stories of americans who have been bitten by the healthcare system...those who were "fortunate" enough to only go bankrupt trying to fight off sickness, and those who couldn't pay at all and ended up dying because they had no treatment available to them. i didn't understand, after watching the film, how we could possibly think that national healthcare would be a bad idea. i'm not completely naive. i know that there are problems with such a system. nothing works as smoothly as we'd like to believe. however, if national healthcare has worked in countries like england and france for so many years, and worked so well that there would be a revolution in england were the prime minister to take it away, why are we afraid of trying it america?
i think the answer comes down to the fact that we are an individualistic society. it's every "man" for himself in america. it's the land of opportunity, but only if you, the individual, have the drive, determination, and often times, the right color skin and economic status, to make something of yourself. and if you've had the privilege of accomplishing your goals, you don't want anyone to take that away from you. you worked for it...you earned it...it's yours. somehow, christianity has become tangled up in this web of "the american way of life"...so much so that it's hard to distinguish between the two.
so obviously we're afraid of an idea (a SOCIALIST idea) that means we aren't the ones in charge of what we get. those of us who can "afford" to pay an outrageous amount of money every month for healthcare don't want to give up the "privileges" that lends us. we can even fall into the trap of thinking, "i have healthcare. i have options. the healthcare problem doesn't affect me." and yet it does. not because they tell us in the media that even those with healthcare don't have all they think they have. it affects us because it affects the poor among us. we are all God's children and when there are those among us who cannot afford what we can, how can we think that's not our problem? it is our problem, especially those of us who claim to be christian. we cannot separate ourselves from the hurting, the poor, the disenfranchised, the widows, the sick, the dying. if we think that we can, we are sorely mistaken. the gospel of Christ isn't an individualistic gospel. (which, i think, opens a whole other can of worms.) if there is a chance for the government that we are a part of to "give equality to all" in terms of healthcare...one of the most basic needs of life...shouldn't we take it? shouldn't we support it? sure, it might mean that we pay more taxes (and it might not). it might mean that we have to wait a little bit longer at the doctor's office (and it might not). it might mean that we don't get to choose what doctor we see or what hospital we go to (and it might not!). but isn't all of that worth it to be able to give the same options to those who have nothing? why do we think we should have "the best"? especially when others have nothing?
i'm still trying to muddle through all of the frustrations and irritations that have built up in my mind. it's a little difficult to even begin to talk about this because i have so much flying around in there. i guess you could technically call my a socialist, but what's so wrong with that? didn't the church in acts share EVERYTHING? and didn't those who refused to live that way fall down dead? was that just a cultural thing? i don't think so. i'm no bible scholar, but i don't think so. i think it was the way that they cared for one another. could we do that today? would we be willing to do that today? as a member of the body of Christ, i sure hope so.
well, i am slightly a pessimist, so i'd have to say that, honestly, i don't know that national healthcare will ever happen in america...unfortunately. there's way too much politics and money (and i would like to insert "greed" and "evil") wrapped up in the health insurance companies today. but that doesn't deter me from fighting for change. i don't think that should deter any of us from petitioning the government of the country we live in to have the most elementary thoughts about humanity. i mean, for crying out loud, public education is free! not to devalue education because i think it is extremely important, but come on...what the government is saying to us is that educating people is more important than actually keeping them alive. and yet, education in america isn't a sign of socialism for some reason. i just don't get it.
i'd love to hear your thoughts on this. i think it is an important thing we should be thinking and deliberating over. i think a lot of us know someone who has been directly affected by the healthcare system...someone who has gone bankrupt trying to pay for the debt they've accrued simply by being sick. and even if we don't personally know someone, i think we should still be shocked into rethinking by the simple hearing of such stories.
i'll end with this question...would you be willing to give up some of the things you have grown accustomed to believe are "luxuries" so that someone else could have their basic needs of life met? it's not an easy question but i think it's a necessary one.
Wednesday, September 10
close call
so, since we moved to montgomery, i've had to get a new "baby doctor"...also known as an OBGYN. all i had to go on in my selection was the recommendation of a few friends. i ended up going with rachel's recommendation, but her doctor couldn't fit me in. it was time for my glucose test and i needed to get in right away so i took the 1 doctor in that practice who had an opening. now, keep in mind, i'm already a little nervous because it's a man. i've always had female doctors so this is an idea i'd have to get used to.
as i'm pondering all of this and waiting for my appointment, tony tells me that he talked to one of our pastors about me finding a doctor. he told her the group i was going with but couldn't remember my doctor's name. she told tony that 1 of the doctors in that group goes to our church. of course, when tony is relaying this story to me, he can't remember the name of the doctor from our church either!
so now i'm freaking out because, not only do i have to get adjusted to a male doctor, but i have to grapple with the possibility that i may also get to see him every sunday! of all the doctors, how could i have picked the one and only that attends our church? and of all the billions of churches in montgomery, why does he go to ours?! hooray! (spoken with oodles of sarcasm, in case you missed it) how awkward will this be?!? "grace and peace dr. so-and-so. good to see you this morning. i'm sorry, can you sit on the other side of the sanctuary? thanks."
well, luckily i got to talk to our pastor before my appointment and found out that the doctor i chose is NOT the doctor that goes to our church. WHEW!!! i'd rather not have to interact with him outside the office and hospital, and especially not at church!
i did get to meet the OBGYN that goes to our church. he and his wife are really cool and i look forward to getting to know them better. and it made me even happier that he's not my doctor. i mean, who wants to hang out and be good friends with their "that" doctor and his family? thanks, but no thanks!
as i'm pondering all of this and waiting for my appointment, tony tells me that he talked to one of our pastors about me finding a doctor. he told her the group i was going with but couldn't remember my doctor's name. she told tony that 1 of the doctors in that group goes to our church. of course, when tony is relaying this story to me, he can't remember the name of the doctor from our church either!
so now i'm freaking out because, not only do i have to get adjusted to a male doctor, but i have to grapple with the possibility that i may also get to see him every sunday! of all the doctors, how could i have picked the one and only that attends our church? and of all the billions of churches in montgomery, why does he go to ours?! hooray! (spoken with oodles of sarcasm, in case you missed it) how awkward will this be?!? "grace and peace dr. so-and-so. good to see you this morning. i'm sorry, can you sit on the other side of the sanctuary? thanks."
well, luckily i got to talk to our pastor before my appointment and found out that the doctor i chose is NOT the doctor that goes to our church. WHEW!!! i'd rather not have to interact with him outside the office and hospital, and especially not at church!
i did get to meet the OBGYN that goes to our church. he and his wife are really cool and i look forward to getting to know them better. and it made me even happier that he's not my doctor. i mean, who wants to hang out and be good friends with their "that" doctor and his family? thanks, but no thanks!
Friday, August 15
montgomery
so we moved to montgomery, AL this week. the last couple of weeks have been really busy and crazy and this weekend isn't any different. we are heading to roanoke, AL to do a youth revival at a friend's church. we're excited. it's like we're traveling evangelists...er something! i think it will be a really great weekend. and when we get back, tony starts his new job as the youth pastor at aldersgate united methodist church. we have gotten to meet quite a few of the teens and they are awesome. they have been so welcoming already, as have all the parents we've met. i already feel like we're home.
wednesday we...i say "we", but i didn't help at all!...unloaded the truck. we had great helpers and it only took about an hour. that night a bunch of the teens came over and helped us unpack boxes. they were so much help! all in all, everything is going really well and i can't wait to get back next week and get back to unpacking and setting everything up.
jonah has transitioned AMAZINGLY well. we decided to put him in a "big boy bed" when we got here. up until now, he's been in a crib. i figured it was better to get all the transitioning out of the way in one big swoop before baby raena arrives! i was surprised at how excited he was about his new bed. i was planning on waiting until we got back from roanoke to start the new bed process. so we had the pack-n-play all set up for our first night here. yeah, he wanted nothing to do with it! he slept in his big boy bed the whole night! and then the next day for his nap and then last night again. he is freaking awesome! i mean, i know i'm a little biased, but still! last night we went and bought him new bedding, which he picked out. and what did he pick? thomas the train, of course. i will leave you with a picture that, i think, sums up his excitement...
wednesday we...i say "we", but i didn't help at all!...unloaded the truck. we had great helpers and it only took about an hour. that night a bunch of the teens came over and helped us unpack boxes. they were so much help! all in all, everything is going really well and i can't wait to get back next week and get back to unpacking and setting everything up.
jonah has transitioned AMAZINGLY well. we decided to put him in a "big boy bed" when we got here. up until now, he's been in a crib. i figured it was better to get all the transitioning out of the way in one big swoop before baby raena arrives! i was surprised at how excited he was about his new bed. i was planning on waiting until we got back from roanoke to start the new bed process. so we had the pack-n-play all set up for our first night here. yeah, he wanted nothing to do with it! he slept in his big boy bed the whole night! and then the next day for his nap and then last night again. he is freaking awesome! i mean, i know i'm a little biased, but still! last night we went and bought him new bedding, which he picked out. and what did he pick? thomas the train, of course. i will leave you with a picture that, i think, sums up his excitement...
Friday, August 8
renewed
so i'm going to attempt to start blogging again. i've got a little more time on my hands these days, so i figure i could put it to good use. although i'm not 100% convinced that blogging is the most productive use of time! but it's fun and maybe, just maybe, someone out there actually cares to read about what's going on in my life. so, if you are that person...this is for you.
tony and i are in the middle of packing up all our belongings and moving to montgomery, AL. i'm amazed at how quickly we've been able to accomplish this. we still have the kitchen and bathroom to put in boxes, but everything else is pretty much good to go. i'm not sure how this happened, but we have way less stuff now than we did when we moved here. i'm grateful for that. not only because there's less to pack, but also because we've been trying to simplify our lives and packing has helped me realize that we are doing better than i thought.
currently, i'm sitting here with tony (who is NOT at work...hooray!) watching the braves game. last night was his last night at the hotel where he's been working. it will be very nice to see him the 4 or 5 times i wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!
speaking of full bladders (which i seem to have all the time these days because of this baby girl!), we decided on a name...raena simone. it's exciting to finally know what we're going to call her so she can have somewhat of an identity. i can't wait to get to see her.
so my first post back was full of randomness. hopefully they'll get better...er something like that...
tony and i are in the middle of packing up all our belongings and moving to montgomery, AL. i'm amazed at how quickly we've been able to accomplish this. we still have the kitchen and bathroom to put in boxes, but everything else is pretty much good to go. i'm not sure how this happened, but we have way less stuff now than we did when we moved here. i'm grateful for that. not only because there's less to pack, but also because we've been trying to simplify our lives and packing has helped me realize that we are doing better than i thought.
currently, i'm sitting here with tony (who is NOT at work...hooray!) watching the braves game. last night was his last night at the hotel where he's been working. it will be very nice to see him the 4 or 5 times i wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!
speaking of full bladders (which i seem to have all the time these days because of this baby girl!), we decided on a name...raena simone. it's exciting to finally know what we're going to call her so she can have somewhat of an identity. i can't wait to get to see her.
so my first post back was full of randomness. hopefully they'll get better...er something like that...
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