Blooms at Last

I do not have much of a green thumb, and I usually end up killing any plants I buy or am given. However, I have managed to keep alive an African Violet that someone gave me after one of my miscarriages. It was blooming when I received it, and it bloomed once before Ryan was born, but it hasn't bloomed in the four years since. I was about to give up on it when lo and behold, I was watering it last week and saw blooms pushing their way to the sun! I don't know why exactly, but I almost cried. It now has more than a dozen fully opened and more on the way. I guess maybe the window I put it in when we moved is its happy place.

Date Night

Since we have moved, Ed and I no longer have any friends nearby on whom we can call to watch our kids so we can have a "date night" or some time alone together. So a couple times a month we take the kids to McDonald's. They play on the play structure, and we talk or play a game while they're having fun. It's not very romantic, but it's better than nothing!

Gone

Even though we had to content ourselves with viewing it on television, it was pretty spectacular to watch the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant cooling tower implosion this morning. We had hoped to watch it in person, especially since we only live 10 miles from the site, but they had access pretty well blocked off to everyone except those who live within view of the tower. We were at Trojan Park a couple weeks ago, and it was neat to watch them drilling holes for the explosives from a large crane. I've included several links to footage in this post (some of which take a while to load), but Fox News 12 probably has the best montage of footage I've seen so far.

We drove by the site several hours after the implosion on our way to Mt. St. Helens, and it was strange to see vacant sky where the tower once stood. It sure does improve the appearance of the lake and park though! I can't wait to go back and get some pictures of the new landscape.

On a side note for my family, the implosion was done by Controlled Demolition, Inc., owned and operated by the Loizeaux Family. I've been thinking about Miss Loizeaux recently, mostly wracking my brain to remember her first name...Linda? My most lasting memory is of her leaning on the podium in front of the class, twisting her engagement ring while she stared out the window daydreaming about her fiance (Ken, was it?) and their upcoming wedding. I also distinctly remember her making a point the first day to teach me the Spanish word for twins, gemelos. I wonder what she's up to these days?

For my other readers who are wondering what in the world I'm talking about, Miss Loizeaux was my high school Spanish teacher and she also had my twin brothers in her seventh grade class that year.

Mother's Day Prayer

As I was enjoying a rare and blissful pleasure this morning, an uninterrupted shower, I was praying and thinking about Mother's Day. I find it peculiar that now that I am a mother, I don't have the unreserved joy on Mother's Day that I had once thought I would enjoy once I attained the illusive title, "Mommy."

Maybe the joy is muted by the memory of the many babies I never held or the lingering scar of years of infertility and childlessness. Maybe it's the knowledge that this day holds pain for some that are precious to my heart. I think of those who fear they may never know the joy of raising a child, those whose arms are empty because they loved a child selflessly enough to trust another mom to give what she cannot give, those who are separated from their mothers by death or estrangement or many miles, those who find it hard to celebrate a mother who seems unworthy of praise, those who don't have food or shelter for their children, those who are suffering the pain of watching a grown child make devastating choices, or those who fail to be the kind of mother they know God is calling them to be.

Still, as I enjoyed a pancake breakfast prepared by my husband this morning, I was overflowing with joy. It is a breathtaking privilege to look around the table and see the beautiful faces of two children I have been given the honor of raising. I am joyous this morning because of sticky hands and obnoxious noises that come from my two charges, and I thank God with all that is in me, again, for making me a mommy.

For those who are on the painful side of this day, I want you to know that you are not forgotten, you are loved and needed by many. And I prayed for you today.

Calling All Imperfect Mothers

I have featured the blog Holy Experience before, but I had share today's post, A Shepherd's Mother, as well.

Thanks, Ann, for sharing your life with the rest of us "pilgrims."

Yard Sale

Ever since we knew we were going to be moving, we have been planning to have a yard sale. The one snag was that we moved in the dead of winter. It had been raining for months, and it continued to rain for months after our move. At last it seems that spring might be here to stay, though it isn't consistently very warm yet. So we opened up the boxes of things that we had packed up especially to sell, drug out tables and sorted, marked, and piled things for days before our two-day sale.

It turned out to be a gorgeous day on Friday, and we sold $455 worth of stuff that day alone. We awoke Saturday to rain, so we rearranged our tables and turned our yard sale into a garage sale. We ended up making $300 on Saturday, and the bonus was that someone hauled away our very ugly old couch that we had stuck out on the curb with a "Free" sign on it!

We made enough money to pay Abby's last medical bill (we paid off Ryan's entire surgery bills last month!) and to hire someone to grade our yard in preparation for topsoil and grass. You'd think I'd learn by now and quit worrying about getting bills paid. God is so faithful to provide!

Movie Recommendation

We watch practically no television, largely because we can't find a show that's worth watching. We do watch quite a few DVDs, most of which are ones we own. Once in a while we will brave the video rental store and see if we can find a movie to watch. This past weekend I waded through an astonishing amount of vile films until I stumbled upon a movie that looked safe and intriguing enough to rent. Turned out to be fantastic! It's called I Am David, and it's about a little boy who escapes from a communist forced labor camp after World War II and travels across Europe on his way to Denmark. If you're wanting a clean, interesting, and different movie to watch this weekend, I would highly recommend it.

Week 11

It was another week of lackluster effort as far as losing weight goes. I didn't lose or gain again this week. Hubby and I are taking this week off from even trying. His mom fell and broke six ribs, we've had car problems, and it's just been too hectic trying to coordinate all our schedules, help his mom, and still stay on program. Sigh. We hope to be back at it again next week.

Week 10

Well, it was a wash this week. I didn't gain any, but I didn't lose any either. So we'll press on with this week and pray for better results. Hubby has already lost the two pounds he gained last week, so he's doing well so far this week.

Dirt

I have been following this blog, Holy Experience, for a little while, and one of today's posts just hit way too close to home. Check out It's Only Dirt.

Week 9

I wish I had victorious news to share today. However, I caved to temptation way too much this week. Abby's birthday didn't go well eating-wise and Easter was just as bad. I almost didn't bother to weigh but decided to afterall...may as well face the music. I gained three pounds. Could be worse, but I could have lost two pounds too. So does that give me a net gain of five pounds? Hoping for a better week starting today.

He is Risen!

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.'"(Matthew 28:5-7)

Easter Song

by Keith Green

Hear the bells ringing,

They're singing that you can be born again,

Hear the bells ringing,

They're singing Christ is risen from the dead.

The angel up on the tombstone,

Said He has risen, just as He said,

Quickly now, go tell his disciples,

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead.

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah.

Hear the bells ringing,

They're singing that you can be healed right now,

Hear the bells ringing,

They're singing, Christ, He will reveal it now,

The angels, they all surround us,

And they are ministering Jesus' power,

Quickly now, reach out and receive it,

For this could be your glorious hour.

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah...

The angel up on the tombstone,

Said He has risen, just as He said,

Quickly now, go tell his disciples,

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead.

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah,

He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah...

My Prayer on Good Friday

THY glory alone, 0 God, be the end of all that I say;

Let it shine in every deed, let it kindle the prayers that I pray;

Let it burn in my innermost soul, till the shadow of self pass away,

And the light of Thy glory, 0 God, be unveiled in the dawning of day.

Frederick George Scott

Interruptions

This was Elisabeth Elliot's daily devotion yesterday, and it was really timely for me.

Interrupted Plans

by Elisabeth Elliot

We like things to go smoothly and as planned. Very often unexpected things intervene, and our plans go awry. We think we've got "problems." There is another level at which everything that happens is being engineered. "God has no problems," Corrie ten Boom said, "only plans." When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) "toward the goal of true maturity" (Rom 12:2 JBP). Believe God. Turn the interruptions over to Him. He is at the controls.

Month 2

Well, the second month on Weight Watchers has flown by. I struggled a little bit this month, but this week went really well, though I haven't decided what to fix for Easter Sunday. I lost five pounds! Yippee! It feels good to be back fully on program, and I hope this week will be good as well. Hubby lost three too. It's so much easier to stay the course when you have a "buddy" going through it with you, so I'm so glad he's doing the program with me.

Which Brady Are You?

I actually have some more thoughtful things to post if I can find a chunk of time to articulate them, but I just couldn't resist one more of these dumb quizzes! This just cracks me up every time I read it!

It also brought back horrid memories of a Grand Opening at a computer store where I used to work. Our vendor rep was Christopher Knight (Peter Brady), and we had a bunch of classless folks working there who, along with other rude things, kept whistling or even singing the Brady Bunch theme song the entire day. I still cringe thinking about that day. Remember that, Steven?

You Are Jan Brady

Brainy and a little introverted, you tend to think life is a lot worse than it actually is. And while you may think you're a little goofy looking, most people consider you to be a major babe.

What Brady Are You?

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

I found this quiz today, and I thought the results were funny, though I've never been accused of being modern before! (I'm trying to ignore the fact that they misspelled Frappuccino).

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Week 7

It was a week of struggles...some won, some lost. Neither hubby nor I lost any weight this week, nor did we gain any. We are back with determination this week though, and I hope we can avoid any more chocolate chip cookie/Gramie's tacos fiascos this week!

Week 6

Not the best week on program, but not horrid either. We were away from home for five days, and though I struggled to stay on program for the majority of the time, I finally threw in the towel on Saturday afternoon and admitted defeat. I pretty much ate whatever I wanted the remaining couple of days. But today is another day, we're home now (though there's not much food in the house), and I am back to counting points today. I did weigh today (nervously), and found I was up one pound. So the damage wasn't too terrible, as long as I didn't lose my mental edge.

Oh, I must share that Eddie didn't even try to stay on program and still managed to lose two pounds! I guess standing and/or walking during 20-hour work days will burn lots of calories. Way to go, Honey!

Downtown Getaway

Ed called me early last week to ask if the kids and I would like a free weekend at a four star hotel downtown. Of course I said, "Sure!" His company moved from the industrial side of Portland to downtown last weekend. When his boss asked him how he was planning on getting it all done (Eddie's the IT Manager), Ed told him that he planned to bring his pillow and basically sleep a few hours on the floor when he could. Later his boss came and told him that they were going to put him up in a hotel and that his family could come too! They also told him to take the whole family out to dinner at the Macaroni Grill (one of my favorite restaurants) sometime during the weekend.

We had two of these comfy beds!

Do you think there are enough pillows?

The kids and I packed up Thursday afternoon and headed downtown to the Marriott. We ended up staying there for four nights instead of just three since the move didn't go quite as quickly as Eddie had hoped. The kids and I had a great time but were ready to come home and left first thing Monday morning. I'm so thankful they allowed us to stay there because during the whole five days we were there, we still were only able to spend about five hours total with him (he did come and sleep a few hours, but not much)! We wouldn't have seen him at all if we hadn't been right up the street.

9:23 pm
They RARELY are up this late!

The hotel was one of the nicest we've ever stayed in (who can afford those prices? Tips alone cost us $25 during our stay!), and I was very impressed with the service, with one exception. On Saturday I stepped on a carpet tack that was sticking through some worn carpet on the threshold leading to the bathroom. No big deal, really. On our way out that morning, I informed the front desk of the hazard, and they assured me they would fix it right away. Well, Sunday morning Abby came bouncing out of the bathroom and landed smack on the same carpet tack. Her foot started bleeding (mine didn't...too much callous, I guess), and I was a little irritated that they hadn't fixed it. So again on our way out I informed the front desk. She too was very unhappy that it hadn't been fixed! It was promptly fixed and they sent up milk and cookies for the kids that evening. Also, they set us up with a Marriott Rewards card and put enough points on it for a free room! So if Ed and I ever have a chance to get away for a night, we now have a free room at a Marriott. Yippee!

9:45 pm