My Last Xanga Post...

Post Last... Following Suit... And so we come to the end of another era of life. Shortly, we will pack Norman away so that he can move to a bigger and better computer desk (let's face it, he will practically have his own bedroom), so I'd better make this post fast. And there is so much to say... and yet, so little... God has been amazingly good to us. In fact, I am rather shocked at the way He has provided, just recently. I shouldn't be shocked. He is, after all, God. But I am. I will miss blogging here, as the story, itself, of how I began to blog in the first place is quite intriguing. Of course, if you are reading this final post, you probably already know the story. For all of you who were faithful readers and friends, please visit me at my new blog. I will miss you greatly if I don't "see" you there. You should have the addy by now, but if you don't, just send me an e-mail, and I'll get it to you ASAP. My posts have been somewhat anemic to this point, but that will all pick up again when the move is complete. Blog stalkers... you probably don't even know who you are, but I do. Don't bother to search for my new blog. It's time to let it go... Following are the lyrics for "The Valley Song" by Jars of Clay. I loved this song when I first heard it, but I didn't really understand it until now... You have led me to the sadness I have carried this pain On a back bruised, nearly broken I'm crying out to you I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy When death like a Gypsy Comes to steal what I love I will still look to the heavens I will still seek your face But I fear you aren't listening Because there are no words Just the stillness and the hunger For a faith that assures I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy Alleluia, alleluia Alleluia, alleluia While we wait for rescue With our eyes tightly shut Face to the ground using our hands To cover the fatal cut And though the pain is an ocean Tossing us around, around, around You have calmed greater waters Higher mountains have come down I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy Yeah Alleluia, alleluia Alleluia, alleluia Alleluia, alleluia alleluia, alleluia Alleluia, alleluia alleluia, alleluia I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy I will sing of Your mercy That leads me through valleys of sorrow To rivers of joy Oh, Lord sing of Your mercy, Mercy Your mercy Lisa

The "Never Ending" Move...

So... It seems as if we started moving several weeks ago, because... well... we did. But, finally, we are nearing the end... I think.

I am still a little hesitant to believe that this is all going to work out in the end and I am going to find myself standing on the deck of my incredible new house sometime early next week, exclaiming with some amount of shock, "This is my house..." and probably crying...

I still have much to catch up on, especially in the virtual world, but for the moment, let it suffice to say that God is unbelievable, and that's just why it makes sense to believe.

More to pack... more school work to complete... and a whole lot more to write... later.

Lisa

My Poor Neglected Blog...

Ah... life is so crazy right now!

Where have you heard that before?

I am currently working with a schedule that allows me Internet access only a couple of days per week (if you can believe that)! I am basically doing school work from dawn to dusk when residing in the paper mache' house, and I'm checking my e-mail once or twice each week in order to delete all of the Disney shopping ads (since I'm trying to avoid shopping right now) and the viagra ads (since, well, just nevermind!) If you are reading this pathetic post, you should really send me some real e-mail. I like it. But I might not get back to you until next week. My other current residence has no Internet access at all, so I have taken to doing things like going to the park with my kids. It's a beautiful thing, for the most part. I am a little OCD about checking my mail, though, so there's a bit of withdrawal going on!

I am too tired to post anything more of substance, tonight, but look for posts soon regarding my amazing Halloween blunder, the thousands of ways I feel blessed right now, our new house that we are hoping to close on soon, a few of the funny things the kids have said that I haven't yet forgotten, etc, etc, etc...

Thanks for Reading! (Even when the content kind of stinks...)

Lisa

You Can Call Me "Your Royal Highness"...

... if you want!

Oh... Grace. She actually uttered these words to her brother earlier in the week, and I cannot believe he didn't deck her. Instead, he has been referring to her as "Princess Grace", ever since.

So... we've been a little on the busy side. Yesterday, I stopped to think about my recent blogging habits, and I was suddenly rather embarrassed when I realized that I never blogged the royal princess' 6th birthday. If she had Internet access, herself, I would be left to assume that this is the primary reason she has taken to calling me, "the royal 'cooker'". I suppose it could be worse, though. Phil has been named, "the royal driver", and it seems that Seth and Caleb are answering to, "servant!" Ian, apparently, is too young to play.

But yes... birthdays...

We actually did most of the same things for Grace's b-day that we did for Seth's, this year. I have taken to referring to this as, "the year of the ridiculous birthday season". We did the present thing early a.m. and then enjoyed cake and ice cream for breakfast (talk about making yourself sick!). After that it was off to Chuck-E-Cheese, where there were slightly fewer parties planned for this particular Saturday. It was very fun for the kids. Chuck-E-Cheese does not particularly delight me any more, but it wasn't my birthday, now, was it?

Next was picture time, where we were sorely disappointed to find that our favorite photographer had not yet returned from maternity leave (yes... selfish, selfish us). The pictures turned out alright, and I spent a fortune, though a slightly smaller one than usual.

Then we made our way to CP for the last time this season. I think that Grace had a good time, which is really what matters, but after our last couple of experiences there, I am determined to NEVER go back during Halloweekends. I still have much to say about that, but I think I'll save it for another post. The lines were terrible, and we inhaled enough second hand smoke to probably take at least several hours off of each of our lives. That was the downside. On the other hand, there is just no place like CP for amusement park thrills!

Overall, I think Grace had a fantastic day, and she even won a tiara at Chuck-E-Cheese, adding to her collection of royal accessories. I can never believe how fast kids grow. Each birthday is a stark reminder...

I'm posting some pics. below:

Grace and Her "Beauty and the Beast" Cake

Oh, the things we acquire on birthdays...

One last spin at CP

Thanks for Reading!

Lisa

I Feel Happy...

... and a little overwhelmed
... and basically exhausted

I really wanted to blog last night, except I couldn't, because Norman (you know, my computer) is sitting on my desk... at my house... that I kind of don't live at anymore... except for a couple of days a week.

This is all a bit hard to explain, but we're in the middle of a move that is going to take several weeks to complete... and it's a shorter move than most. Go figure... Ah, the joys of buying a house.

I am currently sitting in Phil's office, nursing Ian, and keeping an eye on Seth, Grace, and Caleb (half dressed as usual) watching the Backyardigans, who appear at this moment to be levitating... the Backyardigans, I mean. Not the kids. It just goes to show that most people really have no idea what goes on behind the closed doors of the church office... hehehe...

When we arrived yesterday, we received a welcome package from the church, and my immediate thoughts went to, "You Know You've Left the Naz. If..." There was a Blockbuster gift card. If you're a Naz., just laugh... and if you're not, you probably don't get it, but that's OK.

We've had a very busy couple of days, including the house inspection, meetings with realtors and mortgage companies, grocery shopping, and Casey's (IA people, smile big) for dinner. And that really doesn't even begin to touch on the crux of what Phil has been doing (and what we're really here to do, by the way).

I feel like life just exploded! I feel happy!

There's much more to be said, but for now, I'm out...

I owe several very important people some e-mail, and I'd better take care of it now, because I'm not exactly sure when I'll be on next... Besides, it's a very good excuse to avoid my schoolwork...

Thanks For Reading!

Lisa

10 Years...

For a long time now, I have been eagerly anticipating my 10 year class reunion… about 10 years, I guess! It's funny, because I was definitely not a social butterfly in high school. If I'm going to get really honest here, I was a dork… geek… nerd… whatever. But for some reason I have always felt kind of connected to the people I graduated with, and I really wanted to see them again.

When it came time for our 5 year reunion, I was all ready to go. Except, as it turned out, we made our move to Iowa over that weekend, and I had to be resolved to waiting another five years. At the time it seemed like forever.

I pretty much lost contact with everyone until the last year or so when many of us connected via myspace or facebook, or by some other virtual means. I have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with people, and my anticipation grew.

Then, this weekend, it was finally time…

On Friday night, Phil and I went out to the 'ol high school for the last Varsity football game. Well… scratch that. Actually, we went out to the new high school, because the school I graduated from no longer exists as a school. The new school is incredible, and the new field is very nice, but I can't say that either stirred any old memories, because I'd never been there before! I wore my class of '97 sweatshirt, hoping that someone I knew might recognize it. I have no idea what possessed me to order a size L, because I was tiny in high school, but this weekend I was glad I did, because at least it fit… Anyway, by halftime, we were relatively sure that I was the lone dork from my class, sitting out in the freezing rain, watching high school students with numbers on their varsity jackets as high (or low) as "10" running by. Let me just take a moment to mention that the jackets made me feel rather old, and I'm quite sure that if any of them noticed my sweatshirt, they felt that I was rather old, as well. We snapped a quick pic. and left before we had to endure the marching band's halftime show…

We went under the new overpass, past the vacant lot on which the Oasis used to stand, right by the Speedway that used to have gas for $0.82/gallon, and stopped at the new Gus' to munch some breadsticks and the new Target, on the corner, to do a little shopping.

Saturday evening was the actual reunion. Over the past few weeks I had heard from several people who were not going to be there and a few who were. Phil and I talked about the people that he might remember from my class, and we talked about the people I really wanted to see and even a few that I probably didn't. And even though I was really excited to be going, I started to feel a little on the nervous side. Let's face it, by the time we actually got to the parking lot I was feeling… well… a lot like I might have felt in high school. And that's not so good…

We, of course, went in anyway. We had paid $80.00 for this event, after all… Another quick aside… Reunions are expensive! They are just about as bad as wedding receptions, and the food isn't any better, but I suppose there will be more on that in a moment…

We were a little on the early side, and the only people there were the people who had been planning the reunion. That was fine with me, because it gave me a few minutes to compose myself before having to remember a whole bunch of names. There was nothing overwhelming about our entrance. I, of course, started pulling pics. of the kids out of my wallet, almost immediately. I think I was the only person there with "hard copies" of pics. Almost everyone else was just flipping open their cell phones to show off their kids. I do not have a camera phone, but, really, how many times can I write, "dork" in one post…

It wasn't long before more people started arriving. Someone noticed that there was no music, but all we had to offer were a couple of preschool cassettes, so that wasn't very helpful. I guess someone with CDs eventually showed up, because the whole night didn't go by in silence. I thought there was going to be a DJ, but again, it probably worked out better for us that there wasn't. I cannot dance… at all.

There were less than 25 total alumni, which was a pretty disappointing turn out. However, I got to see several old friends that I hadn't seen in years, which was fun. When everyone sat down to eat, we were completely alone, which was a little awkward, but Beth and Brian came and rescued us, and we enjoyed our dinner with them.

Again, let me take that back. We enjoyed them. I'm not sure anyone really enjoyed the dinner. If anyone from my class is reading this, I hope that they will not take offense. We are very picky eaters when it comes right down to it. We just like our meat… well… cooked, ya know? I am also a huge fan of mashed potatoes, but I do not think it is natural to mix in little pieces of ham. The pasta was pretty good. It tasted a bit like Chef Boyardee, but I'm really not complaining. I have four children, seven and under. Chef Boyardee is alright. We were all a little offended when they took our rolls away, but I wasn't beyond retrieving them, so that turned out OK, too…

After dinner, we had the chance to sit and talk with several other people, and it was really a good time. It's funny, but when you stop to look back on how things were ten years ago, you have to laugh at the whole clique factor. I felt completely comfortable with almost everyone there, and it was actually a bit surprising to me how easy it was to just talk to people. I'm not going to say that it didn't take me a little while to "warm up". That's just part of my personality. But I had a lot of fun. In fact, I had so much fun that I really didn't want to go when Phil's mom called at 9:30 to let us know that Ian was inconsolable and I had to come feed him before he woke the entire neighborhood!

As it turned out, leaving when we did was probably in our favor, as well. The only really awkward moment I had all night came as we were getting ready to exit and I ran into one of those people who would have made the aforementioned "People I'd Rather Not Run Into" list. I said, "hello", got a mumbled, "hi" in return, and away we went.

That's the reunion, in a nutshell. But, like nearly everything else in life, it got me thinking. I think what it really comes down to is this: community is really important! It's ironic, but after spending time with just a few old friends from a very long time ago, I realized that there really is a connection there that you can't just form over a short period of time. These are people that I spent every single day with for months on end, school year after school year. Some of those relationships go all the way back to the second grade for me! That's Seth's age now! Maybe I'm just feeling sentimental, but I believe that there is something important about the friendships you make as a child. I think that the people you grow up with are more likely to understand who you really are, because there's just a whole lot of history there.

We noticed something else, too, that we really appreciated. Often, when you get in a social situation and the people you are with realize that you're in ministry, the whole mood shifts. You can just be carrying on a normal conversation, and someone says, "What do you do?" And Phil says, "I'm a pastor." And suddenly these sensors start going off all over the place. You know the ones… beep… beep… beep… and these little red lights start flashing. Then everybody clams up… and looks for a quick place to hide their beers… and starts apologizing for their language. You see this defensive wall come up, and then they make their "escape" from your presence at the earliest possible moment, conspicuous or not. I really have a difficult time wrapping my mind around this phenomenon, but it really does happen. It didn't happen at my reunion, however, and I thought that was great. Again, maybe it has something to do with the fact that these people have known me for a very long time. Heaven knows they, of all people, realize that I have not lived a perfect life, and somehow they realize that neither I, nor my husband, are going to pull out a 75 pound Bible and start beating them with it or anything like that. It was kind of nice to feel like normal people…

Which brings me to a humorous realization I had. When you are hanging out with people who are drinking, you just drink more. In our case, we were drinking water. I think I must have gone through several gallons, and I had to pee all night. It's probably a good thing I don't drink alcohol, because I would have been beyond drunk!

One more concept, and then I'm out… I have recently heard from a few people who felt like they would be uncomfortable at the reunion because they haven't accomplished what they set out to accomplish in life. After spending an evening with the few alumni who dared to show up, I think I realized that most everyone is in the same position. I know of just a couple of people who have actually "accomplished" the goals they had in high school. I honestly think it's amazing and to be commended. However, maybe the rest of us just weren't meant for the goals we had back then. There is something to growing up and finding a different purpose in life than you ever intended. At the beginning of the evening, I felt a bit tongue-tied when people asked what I'd been doing for the past decade. At some point, Phil pulled me aside and told me it was OK to tell them what we've been doing. This made me laugh, on the inside, because I realized that I have been doing something. In fact, I've been doing a whole lot of "something". I just had to step back and switch gears from the "Where I Thought I'd Be in 10 Years" mode to the "This is How it Really Happened, and it's All Good" mindset. If I've ever felt sorry for myself (which I have, but only rarely), it's been stupid. Life didn't necessarily turn out how I thought it would, but I am very, very happy… and very, very blessed, I might add, nonetheless…

I have recently been listening to the new Caedmon's Call CD, Overdressed. Now, I love Caedmon's, and quite frankly, they could put out trash, and I'd still buy their recordings, but it is uncanny how their music has mirrored our life so closely… and I mean every single release. When I got this new album, I wasn't sure I liked it… gasp! But then I realized that it was because it reflected where we were at in life… again… and I wasn't sure I was altogether satisfied with that. After a great deal of reflection on both life… and the album… I like them both a great deal. Below are the lyrics for "Sacred". They apply very directly to my own current place in life, but I think the chorus (in bold) applies to everybody…

this house is a good mess
it's the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don't pay overtime
i'll get to the laundry
i don't know when
i'm saying a prayer tonight
'cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping
but they're running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind
my cup runneth over
and i worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

'cause everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

when I forget to drink from you
i can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper so rise and shine
rise and shine

'cause everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

Thanks for Reading!

Lisa

P.S. I volunteered to be a part of planning the next reunion. I think this will be a whole lot of fun!

P.P.S. I didn't take nearly enough pics:

Uh... This is bad. It's now been over a month since I have posted, and I still have not completely made the move to my new blog... Thus, I have not given out the address yet. It's coming soon. I promise!

Speaking of moving... My quote of the day is from Phil, regarding our current bidding status on the house we hope to buy, "It's just like playing a very expensive game of chicken!" That is so true...

More to come... But probably not much more here...

Hey... If you read this and I don't have a current e-mail address for you, PLEASE send me one soon. A new "Personal Mass E-mail" (Is that possible?) will be on the way within a couple of days... I hope...

Lisa

Return To Cyberspace...

Thus begins my return to the blogging world... Or at least I hope that's the case. Of course, very few people even know that this particular blog exists, but that's a problem for another day... maybe tomorrow?

Just over a year ago, I wrote about Russia... and how we weren't going there. And to tell you the truth, we never visited Russia, but North Dakota is close enough.

Tonight, however, I would like to say that South America is a different story, altogether...

Here we go again!

More details to follow...

Thanks for Reading!

Lisa

Birthday Season

Well, it's time for the birthday blitz around here. I always try to make a post on each of my kid's birthdays, but we had so much fun while celebrating Seth's 7th, that I am only now getting around to writing about it... some two days later. Shame on me!

Birthdays are typically a big deal in this family, but this one really took the cake... and the ice cream, too! We started off by opening presents at 8:30 am and then preceding to eat the aforementioned foods. Yes, it was rather early for such things, but we couldn't figure out how to fit it all in, otherwise! Below are pics. of Seth with his gifts and cake:

Generally speaking, children like to actually open the boxes and play with their new toys. Unfortunately, there was not time for this, as we had places to go and rodents to see... We headed straight out the door and traveled to Chuck-E-Cheese, our traditional birthday destination. I should mention, here, that we allow our children to pick whatever restaurant they want for their birthday lunch/dinner, except on "party years". They always pick Chuck-E-Cheese.

On this particular Saturday, it was, of course, a zoo! The entire stage section was reserved for some other party, but we eventually found a couple of booths that we could occupy. I no longer enjoy Chuck-E-Cheese, myself, but this post isn't really about me, so I'll stuff it. Seth had a great time! I was quite proud of him as I observed him sharing tokens with his brother and sister, as well as complete strangers, on occasion. In the end, he won enough tickets to purchase a slimy little lizard thing and an itty bitty yellow slinky. We were all impressed.

It took us roughly half an hour to get everyone's shoes back on and to get out the door! This, of course, would have made us slightly late for Seth's portrait sitting. What we didn't count on was the traffic/construction that made us really late. The photographer took us anyway, even though she was supposed to be on her lunch break, and that was greatly appreciated. We got several good shots that we will share once they arrive!

I was ready to call it a day at this point. Instead, we drove to CP for yet another fun, family adventure. Seth's crowning achievement was riding the Gemini for the first time! He loved it! Unfortunately, I only have about four seconds of video to show for our half hour wait, because I never saw Phil and Seth get on. I haven't re-watched the tape yet, so I hope it turned out OK.

I plan to archive our entire trip, per normal, but this particular post is specifically about Seth's b-day, so you'll have to check again soon for another post... We did manage to finally snap the all elusive pic. we've been waiting for all year! That's the teaser...

After a few hours of fun, we walked back to the van, loaded up our crew, and drove home. Grace, Caleb, and Ian were all asleep within minutes, so we drove through at McDs and got fries for all parties age seven and up. Seth almost never falls asleep in the van anymore. After all, you never know what you might miss. He did fall asleep, however, after he ate his fries.

At the end of a long and exciting day, we returned home and crashed (Well, except for Phil who still had a paper to write... I saved mine for Sunday...) It was a fantastic day. I cannot believe my "baby" is seven!

Here's one more pic:
Thanks for Reading!

Lisa

Where Were You?

9/11. Throughout history, the most critical events have been marked by each individual's ability to remember exactly what they were doing when "it" happened. My parents could tell you where they were when JFK was assassinated or when man first stepped on the moon, without thinking twice. I could tell you where I was when the Challenger was lost, and subsequently, where I was when the news of yet another space shuttle disaster, Columbia, reached my ears. But, without question, the events of September 11, 2001 are etched on my memory like no other.

It was a beautiful, typical morning for our family of three (plus my bulging belly... later known as Grace). Phil was sitting at his computer desk, just getting ready to check one of the Detroit papers, on-line, for the latest Tiger's scores. He often called to me to report these on any given morning. I had just begun to prepare Seth's bottles for the day, when Phil did, indeed, say, "Lisa, you have to come here!" Figuring that there was some clutch, game winning home run or something, I called back that he would have to hang on a minute. But he wasn't going to wait.

Within moments, I was staring at footage of a second plane flying, mercilessly, into the World Trade Center.

I sat down to read the breaking news, as Phil worked to get the television tuned in. The only word that comes even close to adequately describing my feelings is surreal. Somehow, I couldn't believe it was really happening.

At some point, I must have gathered my wits enough to finish making the bottles, because Seth didn't starve that day. In fact, we hung him up in a "Johnny Jumper" in the computer room doorway and fed him Cheerios all day long. And we watched the news for nearly 24 straight hours.

My immediate concerns were for my cousin who lives in New York City and for my dad who was on a flight to Chicago that morning. Both were fine, though I assume a bit inconvenienced. It took my dad hours to rent a car in order to get home.

As I think back on this event in history, today, I realize that I still have a difficult time wrapping my mind around what happened there. It changed our world forever... and it changed our world completely. Yet I think there are already a great number of people who have forgotten. I am not suggesting that we all dwell on the events of the past, day in and day out, until we find ourselves unable to live in the present or hope for the future. There is a time to move on. Our own family did just that, celebrating Seth's first birthday just four days after the attack... welcoming a new little princess to the world the following month... beginning our journey toward God's call just weeks later... and so on... and so on...

But I hope that we will always stop to remember, if only just for a moment, each September 11th.

Thanks for Reading.

Lisa