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you might need a prescription for this sort of whiplash
The table was loaded with the wreckage of the birthday breakfast. It. Was. A. Mess. Cold leftover scrambled eggs on several plates. Sticky syrup, half empty juice cups, chairs pushed back, cloth napkins scattered across the table top. My life felt exactly like that table. It was a crystal clear moment. This table is my life. A gigantic mess that I am left alone to clean up. _______________________ I think that’s a picture of what loneliness can feel like sometimes, you know. And while most of us are living lives that don’t stay in the lonely all of the time, I’m pretty certain we’ve all lived a…
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a little full circle story (and a little awkward story too): The Time I Met Andrew Peterson
Sometimes you get to see how it all comes together. Or, how bits and pieces of a story all come together. Sometimes you get to hear about ridiculous ways in which I behave and the special knack I have for saying the oddball comment out loud. Sometimes one single blog post features both of those things – the coming together and the awkward. This is that time. First, the backstory — About two years ago, the days of my life were dark, chaotic, stormy. (This is a euphemism. A gentle way to spin the reality the kids and I were actually living.) Times were terrible. My marriage was for…
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Five Finds Friday (blurry faces and making it to Friday)
This was supposed to be a full week. But mostly things were delayed, postponed, cancelled, skipped or finished halfway. I’ve been pretty “under the weather” for most of the days. We’ve watched a record number of movies this week. I tried to make one of them about Aaron Copland, this term’s composer, and about St. Patrick’s Day and movies based on novels we’ve read, but it’s still been too much TV. So, I’ve limped and hopped and here I come, dragging myself right into Friday anyway. FUNNY Last night I was at a homeschool conference. Where I practiced my particular skill set – Awkward. I’ve got…
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when the day takes control of you
Is it possible for a day to just want to sabotage you? No? Days don’t have the ability to act themselves? Fine. Alright. But a week – it has the power – doesn’t it? Because I’m thinking that the evidence of my life is sort of proving my point. Actually, this is all pretty tongue in check (as if my writing needs that sort of obvious disclaimer), as I know that the reality of my life (and of this week) is truly a picture of blessing and provision. This weekend Otto and I slept under the shark tank at an aquarium with his Trail Life group. It…
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Spring Scents Can Be Yours – A Grove Collaborative Giveaway
It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to offer a Grove Collaborative giveaway. If you’re new to Grove Collaborative – it’s a website that works like an online pantry sort of. You sign up for an online subscription and you pick the products that you use regularly – or that you want to buy in general. You’ll get an email each month to alert you that your order is being prepared. At that point you can either allow your order to come as it is, you can push your order back another month or you can change your order to new items. (Lots of choices there.) My…
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pause.
Pausing doubt. I don’t even know how long ago the leaders at our church taught a sermon series about doubt. The ideas from that series have rattled around in my mind for months – maybe a year. Which means that by now it’s trickled into regular thoughts and both morphed and grown from what I originally heard. In other words, I won’t be quoting anyone but myself today because my memory is not that well versed in word for word accuracy. There is this idea of saying to doubt, “Wait right here. I’ll be back later.” You know – putting this fear – this unknown – the questions I…
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Five Finds Friday (it used to be a quarter and strong backs)
Whew. It has been a full – but also a really good – week. I want to watch a movie Friday night. What’s something great that I’ll love? I want to watch it at home. I want it to be slightly meaningful but not an all out drama – less Still Alice and more Walter Mitty. I’d love to laugh and I don’t mind crying but I don’t want a romance that only glorifies lust and unfaithfulness, although a love story would not be a terrible choice. Hmm. I think I probably won’t be finding that perfect film. My expectations might be a little too high. But – anything…
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and another post of the remains of the day
Today I ran a lot of errands. Back and forth in the car. Counseling. Library. Bank. Taxes. Vet. Art Class. It probably wasn’t that much, but it felt like a lot. And yet somehow I never made it by a store to purchase much needed toilet paper. Are we the only family that runs out of toilet paper unexpectedly? Friends came to our rescue, thank goodness. For real. Thank goodness. I also taught school and managed a website. And feed humans. I was reminded of how I could not possibly maintain this new business without the aid of many talented friends. (And you guys. Truly. You get things done.…
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when you talk to me on the street, IF you talk to me on the street
It’s happened just enough times to feel like a “thing”. Just enough times to be both still surprising but also …. something else. It’s a novelty really. I’m away from home. At an event of any sort. Someone walks up to me, a stranger. And says they know me from reading the blog. (I’m always in my hometown, guys – not like in some other state. I’m not that well read.) Whenever this happens, it feels like I’m being secretly recorded for an episode of Punked or Candid Camera – two shows that by their mere mention age me instantly. (Just like the initials DVR. I used those initials in…
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a game of sorts and a day of sorts
I’m two steps behind myself. (I’m like Bergen Hawkeye in this picture – a sort of blur.) I’m fiercely fighting getting sick. I’ve pretty much told myself, “No. You do not have the time to allow that to happen.” And so I am applying and diffusing oils as if I am true believer and I am gargling salt water and drinking tea overflowing with honey and downing multiple glasses of grape juice and drinking tons of water and trying to go to bed on time and swallowing whatever elderberry/echinacea/grapefruit seed oil/vitamin D/you name it fruit or capital letter vitamin is in the cabinet. I think it’s mostly…
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Think of the extra time I would have if I did not have to . . .
grocery shop, shower, sleep, eat. I guess basically I am saying I wish I was a robot. ______________________________
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Five Finds Friday (why I screamed & cute tassels)
This week has felt unusually speedy because Mosely and I have been gone for two days of it – belated birthday adventuring. I’ll share more about that but this morning I am up early (for me) and typing and catching up on emails and feeling the weight of business ownership and the drag of fighting off a cold or whatnot all week because – I tell you what – ain’t nobody got time to stop for that. Also, the state of the laundry in this house is atrocious. We’re down to using beach towels and I won’t even comment on the unacceptably low number of clean undergarments. But –…
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Ripley’s Gatlinburg Attractions: A Review in Three Parts, Part 3 (Guinness World Records)
I’m including the same intro and review before and after each of these three reviews. You can read our family’s Mirror Maze Review here and our 5D Moving Theatre Review here. _________________ Gatlinburg in the winter is a different sort of town than Gatlinburg in the summer. When we took our recent adventure to the mountain town, we found it sleepy and quiet and that’s exactly the way we liked it. Traffic was minimal (except for the weekend) and the streets were not overcrowded and the restaurants had no wait time. Again – that’s exactly what we love – especially when we are always a party of six (at least) and generally…
