Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Fear of Pain and Loss

I watched Little People Big World last night simply to see them deal with the loss of their very close friend, Mike. I realized after an hour that I was making myself watch it for very specific reasons. I'm terrified of losing people I love. I watch TV for various reasons, but one of them is surely to see that other people suffer, go through struggling relationships and experience loss. And maybe by watching them, I somehow know that all things will pass. No matter what happens, it is in our nature to seek happiness and saddness eventually fades. I guess I figure if I can watch someone go through the worst, I will know it is possible for me to do the same. Not that I want to. I still fear loss, death and not knowing what the future holds. But yet, I'm drilling into my brain constantly the idea of faith. Ironically, I think faith has come naturally to me. It's easy for me to tell someone it's going to be OK and truly believe that. I guess once you've felt hopeless and come out the other side OK, and maybe even a better person, you can look past grief and sadness. However, I still appreciate the grieving process and know it is by no means an easy road. I guess I'm just trying to say that although there are terrible things that happen in this world that we will never understand, there is always hope. Now I fear I'm rambling... :) Please feel free to share a time of sorrow that you overcame. It helps us all.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Update on last post

From Walgreens:
Dear Erin Shipps,

Thank you for taking your time to contact our Corporate Offices. We appreciate hearing from our customers and value all comments received.

The check reader at the register read the wrong # on the last digit. So it sent the check to Erin Shipps account and it cleared. Paperwork was submitted to reverse this transaction and put the money back in your account. We just received confirmation from your bank that they will be processing this reversal.


*Whew*!!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Because frustrations are just around every corner

Thought I'd rant a bit about some things going on right now. :)
1. I just noticed an unauthorized transaction on our money market account from two months ago! It was $212.99 to Walgreens, written in check form. Small problem, we don't have checks on our MM account. And who spends that much at Walgreens? I don't know how this happened, but you better believe when I actually find time to get to the bank when I'm off work and they're still open, they're going to hear it from me! I should have been watching this account more closely, but we only look at it when we need to pay Glenn's tuition. We can't exactly take a $200 hit at this stage in our life.

2. Glenn's program switched from JCCC to Baker as of next semester. Thus, they added two more classes, on top of two more we didn't know about going into this. So, he can take the two classes and graduate from Baker and if he wants to be a teacher some day, go back and get his bachelors in this program. OR, he can not take the classes, get his cert. from JCCC and be screwed. They won't let you into the bachelor's program if you do this. So, more time, more money. He'll have to go through the fall, thus postponing any baby ideas I had in my brain... I know it will be fine, it's just a few more months, but they program put us in a really tough position and it was a difficult decision to make.

3. I'm sick. :( Waaaaa

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I love ugly old couch prints

It's been almost an obsession the past couple of years. I love gawdy lamps, sparkling chandeliers and ugly couch prints! The lamps and chandeliers will have to wait until I have more time and money to find them. But my awesome mom bought me this purse at Target and I'm in love with it. :) I got the smaller version, but you get the idea with the print.

Click here.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Freecycle

In an ever-growing effort to be environmentally conscious and grow our sense of community, I found a great yahoo group called Freecycle. It is a non-profit, grassroots movement of people giving to those in need. No money is exchanged, only unwanted items offered. So far, I love it!

P.S. I still have a lot of fish in my tank! haha

Why I'm voting for Barack Obama

I'm about to write something that I've been wanting to write for a long time and I'm sure a lot of people will not like it, but I have to say it. I've never been the kind of person to believe everything I hear or jump on the bandwagon of either major political party. I'm registered independent and I probably always will be. Neither party is perfect. This is the first election that I really feel a part of and that I really care about. I don't take my decision to support Obama lightly. Despite differences in a few things, I find myself aligning more with his ideas than McCain's.

I don't appreciate being treated like a naive Christian. John McCain talks a lot about certain things because he is pandering to a certain conservative vote. He chose Sarah Palin because he is pandering to a certain conservative vote. He attacks Obama in specific ways because he is pandering to a certain conservative vote.

The beauty of all this is you don't have to agree with me.

But I can't support someone who I believe is just telling me what I want to hear. What I appreciate about Barack Obama is that he says what he thinks and believes no matter where he's at. If you haven't viewed the Saddleback Civil Forum where Rick Warren interviews Obama and McCain, you need to.

The fact is that we live in a country with other people. Shocker, I know. Sometimes we have to make decisions based on the common good. Obama does not support gay marriage, but he does support the rights offered of a civil union. This is still a "conservative" view. While he does support a woman's right to choose, he also shows great support for reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, which is really the underlying problem. People will always have abortions, whether legally or illegally and our responsibility is to help people not be in that situation in the first place. As Obama has said, we need to educate our children on the sacredness of sexuality. If our children constantly see sex on TV, in movies and hear about it at school, and we fail as a society to show them its sacredness, we will lose this battle and more and more abortions will happen. Attacking the result is never as effective as attacking the source. Catch my drift?

Should there be a moral compass guiding our nation so that all hell doesn't break loose? Absolutely! But we need a person who can represent and listen to all people, not just one group. In my opinion, Obama is a great compromiser. A presidential election shouldn't be based on abortion and gay marriage. There are such bigger issues than that! And, by the way, a president is not the only one who decides things on issues we care about. What about our senators and representatives? When was the last time anyone cared at all about those elections? (myself included) This week, I did my research and am now well informed for my local elections.

Obama prioritized the top three concerns of the public in the second debates: Education, Healthcare and Energy. (McCain couldn't do this by the way. He continues to support the idea that we can attack all three at once and we all know this isn't possible.) I absolutely agree with Obama's prioritzation of these issues. First, we must begin to actively pursue becoming energy independent. This will take 10 years so the sooner we start, the better! Ultimately, this will strengthen our autonomy and economy. Second, affordable healthcare has been something big in my life as my husband has been without health insurance for many years. It's scary. The number of people without healthcare is ridiculous. I don't want to live in a country where basic needs are considered luxuries afforded only to the rich. In the past eight years the gap between the rich and poor has grown astronomically and now look where we are. Finally, our educational system has become a joke to the rest of the world. Our country continues to fail in keeping up with the rest of the world and the best teachers are being shipped overseas.

Obama's priorities are right on. All of these are important and being able to say we can realistically do them is incredible. I need someone I can believe in. Not someone that I feel is just like everyone else. We need someone to bring our nation together, not drive it further apart. As people in the same country (and world) we NEED to care for one another! Have we forgotten that our greatest commandment after loving God is loving our neighbor as ourselves? And that doesn't mean harshly judging one another, hoarding our money and belongings because we "deserve" them and closing ourselves off from the rest of the world. And that is what we have become.

I don't want to get into a giant argument with people. I know some will disagree, which is fine. I just want people to be informed and really research the rumors they hear. Pick up an issue of Relevant magazine some time or read factcheck.org. Don't rely on what the media feeds you b/c it's mostly lies, overgeneralizations and things blown out of proportion. For the first time in my life I've really done my research and that is why I'm voting for Barack Obama.

Peace.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Crop boots!



My constant need, obsession, rage and craze to buy crop boots for fall finally came to an end. My wonderful husband took me shoe shopping as part of our date last Friday and after checking out DSW and Off Broadway, I was in a huff, totally disappointed by their prices. I was still spending birthday money, but wanted two pairs for the price, not one! Saddened, we went on and Glenn stopped at a music store. Lo and behold, across the street was Payless. I thought, what the heck, I'll go in and look. Joy! BOGO AND two that I adored! I love crop boots for their 80s flare.

New Automobile




Because Glenn's car was near death, and the availability of Honda Fits is ridiculous, we went with this nice little number two weekends ago. :) It is our first big grown-up purchase on our own and it's fab. Of course now I have to learn to drive a stick if I ever want to drive it. It is a blue Mazda 3i Sport. Yippee!


Friday, September 19, 2008

Why we love

Just got back from a show in Austin for work. (Erin, I flew into Dallas twice, so I'm sure I picked out your house. lol) I managed to get through to the last chapter of my latest Nicholas Sparks book At First Sight. I was so anxious that I could not finish it on my flight back today, but as I know his books so well, I didn't not want to be a blubbering, sobbing wreck on the plane. :) So, I waited until tonight. Glenn is at a session and it was the perfect time to finish. Only took me about 10 minutes, but I spent most of it bawling, of course. His books always make me think about life and love and tragedy. This time I wondered, why do we love so vehemently when we could lose it at any second? We never know what is going to happen in life and the thought of losing people in my life scares me to death. Perhaps I worry too much about it. I mean, if you're too scared to lose love, you'll never fully embrace it.

I have faced tragedy in my life. At 15, my friends and I experienced the loss of a friend to cancer that will forever bond us and still makes me cry to this day. I have written about it many times, but looking back I always see how she changed my life. I realize, maybe for the first time, that her life was about so much more than tragedy and the sadness we all felt following her death.

I do love passionately and that may be why I am so afraid to lose it. I don't know how to be without love. I buy a dog, love him, nurture him, laugh because of him, only to know that one day I will weep uncontrollably when he dies.

I often have nightmares about losing my family or friends and I don't know how to deal with those when I wake up. I want children so badly, but seeing tragedy in other people's lives and knowing that anything could happen to a child sometimes deters my spirit. How could I bring something into the world that I know I will love so much and possibly lose? Or that something could happen to one of us? But I know that any parent would say tragedies were worth every smile from that child's face; and the love we feel in any amout of time with that child far surpasses the sadness we may feel.

I had to accept death from what seems like such a young age now, but accepting something and understanding it are totally different. I will never understand death. I've quoted C.S. Lewis' saying many times in my life, but he once said that death is foreign to us because we were created to be eternal beings. Why I hold on to this statement, I don't know. But possibly, it makes some sense of the unknown and offers me some sort of peace about the future.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Fish!

Anyone in the area want some baby fish? I have three fish about to give birth (two guppies and one dalmation molly). They're probably a couple weeks away, but wondered if anyone was interested. I don't want them to get eaten and I can't keep all of them, so let me know! Of course this is all assuming I catch them giving birth before they eat them all!

Revival

I think God has really been opening me up the past couple of months. It's a strange experience when you think you're doing fine and although you have had more down times than usual, you feel like you're trying to go the right path. But lately I've realized my life could be so much more. Our church has played a huge part in God working on me. It is everything I think I could ever hope for in a church. From the moment we stepped into that family, we have felt accepted, loved, encouraged and strengthened.

I used to think all the babies being produced in our church had something to do with the water, but after a year I can say that the love this church surrounds children with makes me confident about bringing a baby into it. It is an environment that blesses children and they will always know they are cared for. That is invaluable. I desperately want that for my children.

I've also been challenged a lot by Pastor's preaching. His style is deeply rooted in the Bible and he has walked us through many passages that have opened my eyes and my heart to many things. I have not had that since college.

The biggest things my church encourages me to do is serve. I'm not the best at social situations and I get a bit of anxiety, but I can feel God speaking to me (again, finally!) about where my talents should be used. I know it's God because I'm always taken aback at my immediate volunteering to do things! I do them without thinking now. We are trying to start ESL classes at our spot in the mall and with the foreign population that walks that mall every day, I think it could take off. My experience in Spanish and desire to understand other cultures better made me jump at the chance! I know it will be a blessing in my life.

I've also been immersed in a wonderful book called The Faith Club. It was written by three women: a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. After 9/11 they got together to discuss their faiths and write a childrens' book about the similarities in their religions. It is fascinating. I have an amazing Muslim friend whom I met in college. She and I instantly connected because of our shared values and beliefs. She is very dear to my heart and a constant challenge to my spirit. I started reading this book because of her. I wanted to know more about the average Muslim, not the radicals we hear about in the news or the terrorists our government is constantly trying to convince us to fear, but those who practice real, true Islam. A lot of stereotypes are covered; the book is very helpful. I recommend it highly! I still have many chapters left, but I expect to be enlightened even further and learn so much about other people.

I'm really just tired of the world being segregated. Last Sunday Pastor was walking us through his plans for the next five years since it was the church's five-year anniversary. He touched on the fact that people of all races are welcome in our church. It took me aback at first like it shouldn't even be something that needs to be said! But it does. I want to be a part of a multi-cultural community/family and I think we're doing our best.

At any rate, God is working on me like never before and I think I'm ready for the attitude change I will go through.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Blue Duck Invitations

Because people keep asking me for samples of my work, I simply started a Myspace page showing my work *crossing my fingers that it's not illegal or anything*! Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/blueduckinvitations

And pass it on!! Gracias!

Monday, August 11, 2008

My home

For the first time during a vacation, I missed Kansas. I appreciate beauty pretty much anywhere I travel and Arizona is one of the most beautifully diverse states I have ever seen; but I can understand why people usually end up back where they grew up. All my life I fantasized about living somewhere else. Some place exotic and NOT Kansas. Forever I thought Kansas was boring and uninspired. Now, I can't say that it is all that exciting, even to this day, but it will always be my home. Flying out of Phoenix we saw rows and rows and rows of houses, all crammed together with maybe two feet between them. The ground was covered as far as I could see. That was not home. I kept watching out the plane window to see sights of Kansas. Finally, the clouds cleared and I started to see open farmland and homesteads sometimes miles away from the next. This is home. Open land, trees, green, comfort, peace, security. I was longing to come home more than usual this time. I missed Kansas and it's nice to be back. Now if Colorado welcomed me with open arms... :)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Nothing is free

I guess I'm still learning this concept as we believed that if we drove all the way to the Cheesecake Factory, fought to find a parking spot and wrestled our way through the line that we'd actually get that yummy cheesecake for $1.50/slice. It was CF's 30-year anniversary; I checked it out on Snopes and everything! But alas, when we reached the front of the line, they said it was dine-in only. Bummer. Guess I didn't need cheesecake anyway.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Font humor

I know only a select few will appreciate this, but it's too funny!
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823766

Monday, July 21, 2008

One Amazing Saturday

This past Saturday we saw the Dark Knight in the morning and then the Foo Fighters at night. It was a wonderful day! I was riveted by The Dark Knight and absolutely think Heath deserves an Oscar nod, no matter what other critics say. It was a fantastic movie, very true to the original comics. It was a very dark movie, but it went very deep with twists, turns and the internal struggles of the characters. I just thought it was fabulous and won't say anything to ruin it for those who haven't seen it. But if you haven't...get out there and see it! Our theater in Olathe has $5 tickets M-Th!

As for the Foo Fighters, it was our first time seeing them and I found that Dave Grohl is a genius and an incredible frontman. What if he had never come out from behind the drums of Nirvana? His ability to work the crowd and make everyone have fun is spectacular! More than half-way through the concert, they walked this long catwalk down to a circular stage that dropped down from the ceiling! We didn't even see it coming! They did a whole acoustic set from there with seven people and it was just awesome. I probably lost a little bit of hearing and a few brain cells, but it was a great show. We had floor passes and Glenn was elated to go down close and see all the equipment. He's so knowledgeable and really fun to go to concerts with because he knows so much. I just love him so dearly. He's so cool! haha

Friday, July 18, 2008

Scrimping

Being on a tight budget is never fun, but it is a huge lesson in discipline and test of our wills. Lately, we have been trying to find free or cheap things to do and eat and we've had some luck! This week, Myspace and Sonic hosted a free screening of The Rocker (Rainn Wilson), which was great! They only did this screening in five cities and wouldn't you know it just happened to be in our city and at our theater. We had a great time! We also found that we could eat HyVee Chinese food (which we love!) for $6 total! We shared and it was more than enough food. We share a lot because portions are ridiculous these days! Other things we can share for $5...Subway footlong, Quiznos sub and Dominos pizza! I love saving money. Last night we used our coupons from Sonic from the free screening and had two sundaes for $2 total! Ahh, life is good.

Tomorrow we will venture out to see Batman and hope it's not too crowded. We are going early so it only costs $5/ticket instead of $8! Then, it's off to see the Foo Fighters for $10 (parking) thanks to our wonderful brother Nate! That's right...free Foo Fighters, eat it up. :)

On another note, I finally got to use our re-useable grocery bags from Target and they are fabulous! Yay for being "green"!

More later on ways we're saving money on necessities.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Faith-based initiatives

Recently I pointed out Relevant's brief interview with Barack Obama and I'd like to expound on one of the issues they discussed. From what I gather, Obama believes his faith-based initiatives will see more success in Congress than Bush's because it is not just based on his supporters (mainly Christians). I think he will see more success because of this. But there is a hitch: People will inevitably complain that their tax dollars are going to support causes they don't agree with. Obama's team's solution is to monitor faith-based groups, saying that when they are using government funding, no proselytizing is allowed. Now, I don't think any religious group would feel happy about this.

With faith-based initiatives, the government is saying: "We see the good you are doing and want to support that." That is fabulous! But in the same breath, it turns around and says, "As long as you keep your faith to yourself." Therein lies the problem. First, there is no real way to monitor this and second, what kind of quandry does that put religious groups in? Keep your mouth shut and you get money? How terrible. I just don't see this working.

On the other hand, I think Obama reaching out to more faith-based groups is very good and people who complain that their tax dollars are going to support Muslims, Hindus, Universalists...whatever need a reality check. Are we that self-centered to say "no, those people can't have tsunami relief, the starving can't have food, the dying can't have medicine" simply because we don't agree spiritually with all the groups offering this aide? Just something to think about.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Dancing around the world

I'm feeling pretty blue today. I'm not so sure I was cut out for the office life, at least not like this. Most days, the politics, the noise, the gossip, the boredom it all just gets to me and some days I don't feel like I can pull the weight off. What if what I want to do is have babies and create invitations at home? What if that is what will make me truly happy? I still love magazines, but until I can work on one I really, truly have passion for, it's just a job and it doesn't make me happy.

At any rate, here is a video my co-worker sent me that really made me smile. Thanks Angela!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&eurl=http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=4700755

Monday, July 7, 2008

Relevant Interview with Obama

Short, but some good stuff in here. I wish he hadn't focused so much on abortion, but for those of us who support Barack Obama even though he doesn't believe exactly what we do, this is excellent and reaffirms my belief that he is a genuine and honest person. Relevant will have a similar interview with McCain coming up and I am interested to read that because he always seems to be blowing smoke when he talks. We'll see. At any rate, this is a good read:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life_article.php?id=7591

Thursday, July 3, 2008

HAIR!!! :)

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I absolutely love my new haircut (and my awesome hairdresser). Here it is all funked out direct from the salon. I'll post more pictures of it straight tomorrow. Oh and I also discovered for the first time in two years that I do in fact have ears. ;)




Rain, rain go away

I'm beginning to think God doesn't want us to see concerts at Starlight Theater this summer. Last night we went to see Joe Cocker and Steve Miller and were rained on AGAIN! Same thing happened with the Doobie Brothers/Chicago, except this time we stuck it out under the awnings. So, we couldn't see anything and the music was great so I was upset that they had to keep stopping. I don't think Joe Cocker stopped, but Steve Miller did and when he finally came back on we were leaving. Stupid rain. I'm tired of it! We have five sunny days in a row and the ONE night we're at Starlight...downpour for more than three hours. I just don't get it. At any rate, all of our tickets have been free, so I can't complain too much. :)

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Weird bumps in the night...

Two strange things happened yesterday:
On our way to the big dog park around 5:30 or so we had trouble getting out of our complex as a man on a motorcycle had evidently been hit by a car. He was face down on the ground with a few people around him helping. I have no idea what actually happened to him and as usual, I'll probably never know. But this sparked a conversation between Glenn and I where I said I sometimes think about being an EMT. I absolutely hated the feeling of helplessness seeing someone hurt. I wanted so badly to run over and say, what's going on? I know how to help! But I cannot. Glenn was surprised at my wanting to do this because he said he didn't see me as a person who could handle a job like that. The more we talked the more I talked myself out of the idea. Perhaps I should simply learn some basic first aid? I'm not so squeemish about blood, but I think if I saw a bone sticking out I might lose it. There's also that whole thing about seeing dead people and not always being able to save lives. That is inconceivable to me.

I have a lot of friends ironically who are becoming doctors or nurses or are in law enforcement and I will always understand why they do what they do. The ability to save a life and the inherent need in us to want to help people is fascinating. For these people to do what they do every day is astonishing and I'm sure it tears away at the soul some days. But I imagine the positives far outweigh the negatives. For today, I understand you and I thank you for doing what you do.

The other thing that happened last night was strange and I'll still not know the answer; around 1:30 a.m. I heard a loud bang (not like a gunshot, but like something slamming into something else) and then a woman screamed. That was it. It was a gut-wrenching scream. I looked out the window, but you can't see much and it's frustrating me not knowing what happened. I scoured the news this morning and nothing on either of these happenings. But there were to deadly car crashes last night. Very sad stuff.

Here's hoping tonight's Steve Miller/Joe Cocker isn't rained upon and no more car crashes occur.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Planes, trains and automobiles


Glenn and I are considering getting a new car and we've narrowed it down (for practicality, versatility and cheaper insurance sake) to this!
Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen? Honda Fit...check it out!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

A running list of things I'm thankful for

High time I started recognizing this stuff. I am thankful that:

My husband took care of my three fish that died
He doesn't let me carry laundry up the stairs if he can help it
He kills creepy crawly things for me
He holds me when I cry

My dog still makes me smile
Days are sunny
Pizza is a part of my life
Chapala Mexican Restaurant exists
A&W makes such fabulous diet sodas

More to come...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The great hair debate of 2008

As usual after six months, I am bored with my hair. I have loved my current hair cut for around six months and have gotten SO many compliments on it. But alas, my love for it is fleeting. I've wanted to try really short hair for a while now and I need some good opinions. :)

I fell in love with Holly Kiser's hair on Make Me a Supermodel. It's daring, edgy, feminine...all the things I've always strived for in my hair.
So...I need votes. Anyone think this is a good idea? I'm probably going to do it anyway...or something similar.

My love affair with TIME magazine

Just when I think the magazine can't get any better...

A while back I wrote about my deep concerns about adolescent obesity. Coincidently, TIME magazine's newest issue focuses on this topic for their cover story! It is a fascinating read.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Branson trip

Thought I would update everyone on the rest of our trip.

After probably 30 hours in Bolivar, our car was fixed (and paid for!) and we headed to Branson Friday afternoon praying that our car would not have trouble again. We made it and we had no other car troubles after that.

Friday night we ate at the Fall Creek Steakhouse. Someone had told us it closed, but we drove by anyway because...holy cow they throw rolls at you. :) We arrived expecting it to be closed, but it was open, in a huge new building. Apparently the old one had burned. We were very excited and needed this relief after the previous day. We waited about 25 minutes or so only to be underwhelmed by the food. It was boring and seemed mass produced. Glenn had ribs and they were not good. I had soup and what was supposedly a wonderful salad bar. Yeah, I had some lettuce, cheese, sesame seeds and dressing. Boring. The only fruit on the salad bar was pineapple. Great. The only fruit I can't eat. Thanks. So we were disappointed, but still thankful just to be settling in.

After a much needed good night's sleep, the next day we experienced the fabulous breakfast at our hotel and set out early in our hiking clothes to hike some trails. The guy at the hotel told us to go to Dogwood Canyon because this place I had found on the Internet (Lakeside Wilderness Area at Lake Tanycomo) he hadn't heard of. So we headed to Dogwood. We had hiked this before with my mom and brother and it is gorgeous! However, after probably an hour of driving to get there, a sign stopped us dead in our tracks. No pets. :( Our whole purpose for hiking was to get the dog out of the hotel room and have some fun. We love hiking with Frankie. We were devastated. This trip just wasn't being realized the way we imagined. So we headed back toward Branson a different direction. We decided to try and find the lakeside trail, which by the way, was not known by the hotel attendant OR a gas station attendant. We didn't find it either. We did stop at Table Rock Park or whatever it was called and ate lunch and walked around a bit. The water was beautiful. But this is where we discovered that a majority of the trails were flooded over because the water was so high. that was disappointing.

We left and drove around downtown to see the new modern area. It is so different, according to Glenn. I don't remember it enough to know the difference.

We got cleaned up at the hotel and headed out to the World's Largest Toy Museum that afternoon. It was fantastic! I wanted to go more, but I think ultimately Glenn enjoyed it more. After that we headed to the Dinosaur Museum and although we had fun taking silly pictures, it was underwhelming. I was really looking forward to it as most people don't know I really wanted to be a paleontologist when I was a kid. Crazy. I know. Can you imagine me digging in the desert? Anyway, on the way to the museum we stopped and had a little piece of Heaven in Branson: funnel cake, topped with strawberries, topped with ice cream. It might be the most fantastic thing I have ever eaten. :) We ate the whole thing and we were so full!

That night we decided to try and find an authentic Mexican restaurant and we did! El Portal on 76 is a fantastic place with great peach daquiris. We got our fill of Mexican (on our already full stomachs!) and went home to sleep the night away. We also tried to see the new Noah the Musical this night, but it was sold out ALL weekend. :( Guess we should have gotten tickets earlier.

Sunday was our shopping day...OK, MY shopping day. We went to the infamous (that's when you're more than famous) Tanger Outlet Mall only to find most of the stores gone and the ones left were not for us. The Gap was gone, so that was disappointing. We headed to The Landing, Branson's new east side, to peruse the new shops there. I found a Charlotte Russe and Maurices! I was in Heaven and finally found a pair of dark jeans and a couple of shirts. I was really hoping Glenn could find some clothes, but alas, not very many grown up boy places to shop. It was sad.

After shopping, we took a nap (it wears you out you know...) and relaxed until our 5 p.m. show. We had free tickets from our hotel to see the Bart Rocket Show. He does comedy, magic and ventriliquism. We weren't that excited about going, but hey, it was free. And it was fantastic! I definitely recommend Bart Rocket to everyone. He is great. His ventriliquism was some of the best I've seen and he was so funny! His 2-year-old son also came out at the end and did a booty shake to some Justin Timberlake. It was adorable.

We stayed an extra day to make up for the one we lost on the way in. So, Monday we slept in and made the thankfully uneventful trip home. Frankie was an angel in the car. He slept a lot and just did so well. He was pampered at Boxcar Willie Hotel with fancy dog bowls and a home made treat every morning! We really enjoyed having him with us on this trip. Through all the stress he was comforting and mostly calm. We truly appreciate this and love our dog very much!

So all in all, it was a good trip. We always love the laid-back and friendly setting of Branson. Setbacks will always be there, but we have grown as a couple and continue to fall more in love through all situations. I saw a side of my husband that I haven't seen much: He took control of our bad situations when I was crumbling. I dearly love my husband. And just for him I say: Shoji Tabuchi. And from now on you can call us the Swarzeneggers. HA! (we're trying to come up with a new name to give at restaurants as Shipps doesn't work so well and Glenn sounds like too many other things)

From back in KC...peace and love...and good car fortune.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Vacation woes and God's traveling mercy

Today, Glenn and I (and Frankie) left for a short trip to Branson. We knew it would be a risk driving my 9-year-old car, but we couldn't justify, nor afford a rental. So we took the risk. Everything was going great. We stopped at the Osceola Cheese Factory, picked up some cherry white cheddar (some of the best cheese I've ever had, and I've had a lot of cheese!), and headed out for our last leg.

Just north of Springfield, about an hour and a half north of Branson, our car started sputtering. Thank GOD we were near an off ramp and we just made it off the highway on top of an overpass when the car died. We coasted to the side of the road.

Not long after a gentleman in a white truck and cowboy hat stopped to help us. He drove down the road to a repair shop and got their name and number. We called, but they were really busy and had no tow truck. Luckily I had renewed our AAA membership yesterday and was on the phone with them when the man offered to tow us a mile down the road to Bolivar, MO. The tow was an experience, for sure! We pulled into a repair shop and they said they could get us in in an hour or so.

We went back to the car to wait and I broke down. I cried and cried and Glenn prayed with me. I haven't been on vacation forever and this was not going to ruin it! Did I mention we have to entertain the dog this whole time? :)

About 20 minutes later they got our car in (much sooner than expected) and maybe 30 minutes later they told us the timing belt tensioner had broken. The part will not be here until tomorrow morning. The bill was going to be $275 and Glenn and I decided the best thing to do was get a hotel room for the night in Bolivar and head to Branson tomorrow. Not how I envisioned my vacation, but I'm trying to roll with it.

So we found a hotel (that took dogs for a reasonable price), unloaded our mounds of crap and called a taxi to take us there. After we got settled and ate some food, Glenn got a call on his cell phone. The man who gave us the tow was on the other end and told us he had paid our bill. HE PAID OUR CAR REPAIR BILL. We are needless to say in shock and in tears. This man was an angel for us today. All he said was that we should pay it forward. Believe you me we will. And after some detective work, we found his name and address and we will send him a thank you card with a picture from our vacation.

We felt today that things could have been a lot worse, but we were definitely not happy about it. Then God slaps us and says, "BE THANKFUL". I don't think we truly were.

So from our hole in Bolivar, we're doing good and are very thankful. Here's to happier times in Branson tomorrow!

Oh, and did I mention we saved $30 by staying here instead of Branson? :) So far this trip has made us money. HA!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Prayer

I've been thinking an awful lot about prayer in the past year. One year ago I was pleading with God incessantly to get me out of a town/job that were unfulfilling to me. He obliged. And the timing was perfect, I might ad. But prayer has had me somewhat stumped.

I began thinking, maybe our prayers have become too self-centered. Maybe we expect that just because we ask God for something, He's going to give it to us. Maybe we feel like we deserve things or are entitled to them. Whatever they are, it can be crushing when it doesn't align with God's will. Oddly enough through all the struggles of last year, I felt at peace with accepting His will.

So my connundrum comes with me asking myself what can my prayers change? Who am I to argue with God's will and who am I to assume I know what I or others need? I started thinking about prayer in the Bible, the most important being The Lord's Prayer. The Message puts it this way:

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes."

I love the idea of praying simply. That prayer pretty much covers all of our needs. Pray it daily!

Sometimes I think we pray to comfort ourselves. If we can just petition God about this, we will feel like we've done something. So I started thinking about Jesus praying in the garden.

"Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there and pray.' Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, 'This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.' Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, 'My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?'"

His human side is making one last-ditch effort to say "Man, I really don't think I can do this!" But even through his sorrow and anguish, he is ever conscious that God's will is more powerful than his desires, and ultimately more important! Could Jesus have changed God's mind with this plea? Thankfully not!

Take what you will from this. I hope it means something to someone. For now, I'm changing the way I pray. Simplifying.

Update: Glenn and I were discussing this and he brought up a point that I thought extremely relevant. Sometimes we think that by praying we are not worrying, when in fact we usually are. Just another thought.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Why David Archuleta is a Tool

Ugh...don't get me wrong, he's a nice kid, but he's not great. But he will win.

After last night's performances, I was cemented in the fact that Cook is a real artist and Archuleta is a tool, ready and willing to be molded by the American Idol minions. Sure the boy can sing, and that's exactly what the producers want -- someone whom they can make money off of. Honestly, Cook is better off persuing the route of Daughtry. And he will be much more sucessful than Archuleta. Mark my words!

Last night, Cook showed that he is versatile, has a great vocal range, is creative (that's been a season-long showing) and is just an all-around more talented musician than the 16-year-old "prodigy". Gosh I hate that word. Clive Davis is a genius in the two songs he picked and finally someone tackled a U2 gem.

Archuleta sings the same song every time with that same nasally tone, squinted eyes, bobbing head, lip-licking and odd hand guestures. He's awkward and I really have a hard time believing serious, deep songs coming from a teenager. Although I respect teens a great deal, they have not experienced the hardships of the world or the facets of love...how can they convince me they are singing these things from their hearts? Also, give up on the humility after the judges comments. I just can't take it anymore. Grow a pair and at least act like you think you're talented and deserving of the praise they give you.

David Cook is humble in a way that is not annoying. Maybe I'm a bit biased toward a KC boy, but seriously, he should win, even though I don't want him to. He's better off.

And thanks David Cook for the small slam about Archuleta repeating a song. It's about growth and a repeat will never be as good as we remember it.

Shipps...out.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Adolescent Obesity

Something has been weighing heavily on my heart for a long time now. With American obesity at what I'm sure is an all-time high, I am greatly saddened by obese adolescents.

Now I was never a small kid. Actually I was pretty big. Not fat really, just big. In fact, I haven't grown a lot since 5th grade. My feet are and since then have been a size 9 and I've never worn a pants size below a 9. Ever.

But this is just ridiculous. I see overweight and obese children ALL the time. It's out of control. And for the most part their parents are obese and teaching them terrible habits. Children don't realize the expectation they are tuning their bodies to when they eat and eat and don't exercise. Adults have a hard enough time taking weight off; just imagine a generation of adults who have always been obese and have taught their bodies that this is the way it goes.

I mostly blame parents. Children can't be expected to have self-control. This is a concept I'm still learning today! Letting children eat whatever and whenever they want is detrimental to say the least. Setting them up for disaster. And it makes me very, very sad. How difficult is it to set some boundaries? How hard is it to say, no you've had enough?

We can't keep teaching our children that obesity is the norm and its OK to be that way. It's not. It's truly not.

I have struggled with weight my whole life, it seems. So I can show some sympathy to the love of food. But this epidemic has gone too far. I'm tired of seeing 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds eating twice as much as me and constantly going back for more food. But I feel helpless. You can't tell someone how to raise their children. If they don't feel bad that their kids are going to turn out exactly like them, there is little I can do. Except feel the sadness.

A link from my friend Mandy: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24842630/

My New Hero

Driving in Kansas City is not the most joyful of experiences I've ever hard. Since moving here, one thing I dearly miss is open roads and a lack of stoplights. Lately construction has been really bad. Going into downtown they have closed two lanes on I-35 and we were lucky enough to have to go down that way for my dad's graduation last Saturday. It was backed up for miles and while I will not question the validity of having two out of three lanes closed for miles when you're working on a 1/2-mile section of the highway, I will say that this construction phenomenon led me to see one of the coolest things I've seen in my whole life.

The way home was even more backed up than the way there and as we were nearing the end of the merging of the final two lanes, my hero emerged. One car, dismissing the line that spanned for miles, and obviously in a state of higher importance than the rest of us, decided it would be OK to barrel down the ending lane and bypass the rest of us suckers stuck in the line of eternity.

Now I see this all the time. People who think they are more important or their time is more valuable, so they scoot around and wait until the last possible second to merge, thinking...well they will have to let me in when I'm out of room. I have been guilty of letting these fools in to save myself from eminent danger. And mostly because I don't have the cahones to do otherwise.

This is where my hero comes in. Seeing the overly self-important person coming in the merging lane, a man in a humble car moved into this lane in front of him. We thought...what is this guy doing? At first we thought he was trying to pass people. Until the other car came whizzing by. He held his ground and prevented the car from going around everyone else in front. The car swerved around in an apparent fit at seeing the demise of his evil plan and finally accepted his fate. My hero had blatently told this jerk: Not today - you have to wait like the rest of us.

Honestly, we laughed and cheered and thought...why haven't we thought of doing this before? Seeing it done, I think maybe I could have the cahones do to it in the future. Here's to you Mr. cut-off-the-jerk-trying-to-pass-everyone-in-the-merging-lane-guy! You are my new hero.

China

Like most of the world, I've been following the devastation in China that began one week ago today. Beginning with an earthquake and followed by massive aftershocks and landslides, the death toll is expected to reach 50,000 people.

Because of its proximity, I always think of 9-11 when disasters happen. Thankfully, this is the worst tragedy I can remember in the U.S. as far as number of victims. I say thankfully because
2,752 people is so small in comparison to 50,000. Though I would never be so bold as to say those nearly 3,000 lives are less important, but it's a perspective issue. Because they were Americans, that number means more to most than 50,000.

I can't even begin to imagine what has happened in the past week in China. For the most part I am grateful for this. On the other hand, I can't ignore it and some part of me wants to see the gruesome details and hear the heart-wrenching stories so that I will be forever changed. With a heart more deeply tuned to world suffering and tragedy in the aftermath of the wrath of nature.

In my small world, the earth seems like a relatively safe place. And then I see the awesome and magnificent power it can unleash and I am humbled, feeling ever so much smaller.

A big story coming about now is the shoddy construction of old or hastily built schools that killed many children in 6,900 classrooms. Can you even comprehend the number of children? In one town, one in seven people was dead. As I think about the floor I work on, I imagine one out of every seven people being gone and it is unbelievable.

In addition, it is estimated that 5 million people are now homeless in China. When I think of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it left here, it is almost something I am just now able to grasp. But 5 million? No. I cannot even begin.

God bless those affected and the survivors who have a long road ahead.