Grown-Up Fun

This past weekend our children were gone. It was just this side of glorious. Mimi and Pop took them to Dallas and Jim and I were by ourselves. Kenny asked me if we would miss them. I very nicely said that it would be quiet around here. I also told him that by Sunday we would be missing them.

Sure.

It was quiet. I read and watched football with Jim. We went out for dinner and saw a movie with Tammy and Rob. (3:10 to Yuma - it was good.) We rented 3 movies and watched them all. Jim grilled us steaks and we split one. Just one! We ate a pan of brownies. We knew we couldn't leave any evidence.

It was wonderful and quiet. It was a little weird at church but Jim was able to put his arm around me without pushing a child down the pew. One of Abbie's friends was a little put out with us that Abbie wasn't there. Like it was our fault. The living room stayed cleaned up.

Oh. They had fun, too.

Tradition!

Remember the good-ole-days when we all had gospel meetings? (Not Revivals) Our family went every night and we usually had to fix supper at least one night. That's the way it was - we went to church every time the doors were open. Amen.

We had ACU Lectureship this week here in Abilene. During Lectureship there are classes during the day and speakers every night. I usually want to hear everybody that talks. I'm interested in the topic or I know of the speaker and want to hear him or her. This week was no different. I wasn't able to go to any classes during the day because of work but I was determined to hear at least two of the evening lectures.

So we took our children to two evening lectures. I wanted to tell them that these men and their words made such an impact on me - their words would do the same for them. I didn't think it would matter.

Landon Saunders on Monday night - he was smokin! He spoke for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes that went into my heart and caused me to look at everybody the next day differently. Kenny read a book and Abbie colored. Toward the end Abbie said, "This guy is good!" She thought he was funny. I thought he was poignant.

Jeff Walling last night. Now, we had to work to get to hear him! Rush here, cook as quickly as possible, gobble it down and hurry to get a parking place. But I couldn't miss Jeff Walling! Those of us of a certain age remember those youth rallies he used to do. Do we even have youth rallies any more? Never the less, my kids loved him! He told some funny illustrations that both of them were quoting in the car this morning. I got to say, "Remember that was about God's grace?"

It was hard to be there. It was hard to be on time. My kids would have rather been at home watching TV. But it was worth it. For me and hopefully for them, too.

A Question For The Weekend

I wish there was more time. I'm so happy to have the wonderful friends I have but I wish I had more time for more people. This is a thought I have alot - there are so many wonderful people and I don't have time to know them better! It takes time to make a friend and time to maintain that friendship.

Who do you wish you could know better? First names only, please.

Back Row - Who Knew?

I'm getting all caught up in this Transforming Community thing that's going on now at Southern Hills! I know some people see it as a "new" way to raise money but I don't want to be that cynical - I'm catching a vision!!

A vision of what our group that meets on Buffalo Gap road can look like. A vision of what our group can do for hurting people. A vision of lost people finding a place to meet Jesus. A vision of where our clan's gonna be in 10 years!

At HIP last night I ended up on the back row. Yall know that I don't like the back row but last night that's where I landed and things look different back there. There are people that I never see and people I'd never seen (including 2 good-looking men that my single friends may need to meet!) It was a new perspective.

One of the most interesting things was Steve Ridgell asking for a committment in the prayer time. He asked people to stand that were hurting or trying to get out a sinful situation. But he also asked people to stand that would commit to helping hurting people - being a community. Steve didn't make it sound good. He made it sound dirty and he made it sound like lots of hard work. He was honest about the heartbreak that can happen when we get into one another's lives.

I wasn't sure about standing. Yeah, I wanna help hurting people but my first commitment is to my family. Next, it's to my church friends - we're already in each other's lives and that can be alot. Isn't that enough? How much am I called to anyway?

Well, I was on the back row. I saw how quickly people stood. I saw who they were. I saw their determination to helping hurting people. I saw that other members of my clan had caught that same vision! It was powerful. It was wonderful.

I'll never dis Tammy for sitting on the back row again - there's stuff going on back there!

Other Thoughts

Posted over at not-so-deep TV thoughts..... It's time to talk NEW FALL SHOWS!

3:05 pm

Yesterday:

Kenny: Mom, I didn't have my math homework in my folder.

Abbie: Yeah, my Green Folder (comes home every day) wasn't in my backpack either.

Mom resisted the temptation to say: I told you to pack up your backpack after you finish your homework and your Green Folder is signed. and I'm not responsible for your papers, you are! and Yall wanted to go the fair, right? You should have had all that done before we left! All this would have sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher.

Mom said: What can we learn from this? What can we do so this won't happen again?

Kenny (in a world-weary voice): I can pack my backpack when I finish my homework.

Abbie (upbeat, Kindergarten voice): Not let Mom have my Folder!

A Question For The Weekend

It's Fair Time! We love the fair around here - I always enter clothes in the fair and Pop always enters some woodcarving. (Yes, we both got ribbons this year.) Since the fair is right across the street from us and we drive by it all the time - we can't hardly get by without going.

That means we have to work the system. For our family that means going on $1 ride night - which is Monday this year. The children are given $10 for rides - that means 10 rides for them. Jim and I usually go for $5 each so we can ride with the kids when they need us. (Except for the Tilt-A-Whirl - I have to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl every year!) The kids have School Day Tickets so Jim and I usually have to pay.

We also eat at the fair. Fair food is wonderful especially once a year. We always know we're having a funnel cake and Jim needs a Lemonade. Our downside is that we usually don't go to the rodeo. It's too late on a school night. We always want to see the rodeo but it just doesn't happen.

All this is subject to change when our children get older - we know that. There is a day in our future when 10 rides won't be enough.

What about yall? Are you going to the fair? Do you have a cheaper plan that works for your family?

Welcome to The 21st Century

Whew! Going to work (almost) every day is putting a dent in my blogging hobby! I don't have time to put together coherent sentences and all my thoughts seem to fly from my head when the day is over. I'm doing good to make sure the trash is taken out!

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Ten years ago. when I had my last real job (yes, Young Children's World was real but different) we had just gotten new Macs. At the time, Mac was the computer of choice for non-verbal communication (a la Stephen Hawkings) and we were using it to get our non-verbal kids to communicate. We were very careful with our precious new babies. We turned them off - we re-booted them constantly because it got us back where we wanted to be - I was afraid I would push the wrong button and lose everything! My partner was much more savvy and actually backed-up info. She was the authority.

At my last real job, we had lots of paperwork! It was done in triplicate with paper that had the carbon attached - you had to press down really hard. There were large files containing all the paperwork on all my students. They were kept in locked files that I had the key for and I added pieces of paper on a regular basis. Those pieces of paper were gone over with a fine-tooth comb by me, my supervisor, and, sometimes, the State of Alabama. All that paperwork was very important, dadgum it.

My new job is almost completely done on the computer - at the office or remotely. I spend most all of my day looking at a computer screen. We create new forms in Excel (not by hand, of course.) We add signature lines and keep 3 screens open at once. While working on one screen another will pop up with a phone call. Or someone telling everyone, at once, that there's food in the conference room.

It's all new for me. Thank goodness I started this blog 18 months ago or I would be completely lost!

Edited to add: My hubby tells me that I don't have 3 screens open at one time - I have 3 Windows open at once. Oh, whatever.....

More Fred

I haven't had the opportunity to watch all this video but it's 7 minutes from Fox Network. It seems that my readers have an interest in Fred Thompson so I'm posting this from YouTube. If you have time to watch it, maybe there's something to you want to learn about.

He does give answers to questions that many of us want to ask - including abortion, Iraq, and gay marriage.

A Question for The Weekend

I'm putting a link here today. "Uncle Billy," who has a life outside of buying stuff for my kids, is trying to raise some money for the GOP (The Grand Old Party.) He fears that the Democrats will do something crazy if they are elected.

So how about another political question....

Would you vote for another actor for President?