Chihuahuas In My Shirt

I'll start with a bit of a confession. Then I will get to the story.

I've been in a mood lately.
I know, I know... I have too much to be grateful for to be in a mood.
But I am. I blame the weather's inability to cool off. Ya'll. I am sick of hot.
I partly blame Pinterest.
If you haven't been there, then go at your own risk.
It is addictive, and it's been depressing me lately.

If you don't know, it's a "collective" site of all the things you love. And all the things other people love and deem "cool."

So I sit and click and gawk and oooh and ahh and slide further into the blahs.

It's bad enough that my house doesn't look like all the fabulouso bloggers' homes out there.
And I don't cook like the Pioneer Woman. (How much do you love her?)
And I can't tell you how to make an entire garden patio from soup cans. (Don't laugh.... someone has probably done it.)

I can't just see a neat idea and recreate it, a yummy recipe and make it, or a pretty room and admire it.
I have to start feeling icky because I am not all that I see.
Why do we do that to ourselves? (Am I alone here?)
Internet, be darned.

But I have to stop, get off the world-wide web, and look around me at the life I've been given. It is a blessed one. I get to be a part of some really cool stuff.

Like just a few days ago.
I was running errands and stopped at a traffic light. I glanced over to the car beside me where a rather large lady was holding the tiniest baby chihuahua I have ever seen.
Cute didn't do him justice.
(What I am about to say is true.)
While I was looking at the puppy and going all "awwwww...." over him,
the lady took him and pushed him down into her shirt.
Way down in between her very healthy chest parts. Way down.
Tucked him in, put her hands back on the wheel, and drove off.

My "awwww..." went to "ewww...." and I know the light was red long before I could go.
I have seen a lot, folks. Now I have seen a lot more.

Who needs fancy homes, amazing photography, and sinfully delicious food?
Not me, I say.

Just give me my humble home, my scrawny pantry, my stack of dirty clothes, and my cat's stinky litter box.
I will also take a chihuahua. A tiny one that I can poke down into my bra.
Now that is living the good life.

PS... Not everything on Pinterest is cool. Or polite. Or appropriate. We do live in a free - but sometimes twisted - country.

A Hurricane And A Sermon

My mind is busy this morning with thoughts about all my friends in NC, MD, VA, and the Washington DC area.
One of the nice things about the Army is how it brings so many people into your life.
I've met folks I would have never known if we were not a part of this crazy Army thing.
But having all these friends scattered all over the world makes my heart stretch more than I'd like. Places that were only places on a map before are now much more...
Because someone I call "friend" is living there.

I suppose it should be that way anyway.
Places and faces on the news and the map should be more than just places and faces.

(Is the theme song from "It's A Small World" going through your head yet? Good. Mine, too.)

The pastor on Sunday made a point about the love of God being Global.
Well, duh. Of course God's love is Global.
But is mine?
If I am honest, I kind of like my little bubble.
But, it shouldn't take a natural disaster to shake me out of it.

I get caught up in the laundry and homework and sport practices and laundry and bills and gas prices and groceries and laundry.
I can't SEE over the laundry. And everything else.

There's a song from a few years ago (Brandon Heath) that says exactly what I need to say.
(And it's much better than "It's A Small World.")

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Praying for my East Coast pals today and praying for my own ability to SEE a little further.

Snacks... The Holiest of Concerns

Since moving to a new area, we've been church hopping. Or church shopping.
We've been to 4 or 5 different places looking for the place we fit in.

It's not easy and it's not fun and it's one of the 492 things I hate about moving.
It's become more of a chore since the boy hit Middle School age. We want him to have a Youth Group he can get involved in.
We also want him to continue in AWANAS. (Bible Clubs for kids and teens) He's been involved for 5 years already, and he's learned so much.

The problem is.... lots of churches don't continue AWANAS past the 5th grade. The material is out there, and some churches do go with it all the way into High School.

So we narrowed our search down to one church we liked that still had AWANAS for Middle and High School kids.
And a Youth Group.

We went for the second time on Sunday morning, and we took the boy back for AWANAS Sunday night.
When we got in the car, Dan/Daddy and I had a million questions...
"Did you like it?"
"Were they nice?"
"Was it fun?"
"Did you meet any new friends?"
"Do you think you would like to keep coming?"

He smiled and leaned back in the seat and said,
"They had snacks. Cookies and juice."

Something tells me we'll be back.

Chalkboard Confessions

One of the things I like in our new house is a partial chalkboard wall in the kitchen.
It's only a small wall section, but it's perfect for writing notes.
And drawing pictures of your cat.
And listing things we're out of.
And writing whatever is on my mind.

I like to call it "Chalkboard Confessions."

This is what I wrote back when we moved in.


There's sure to be more wisdom and wit where that came from.

So Now We Are Fans

We took a little quick trip down to the big city of Nashville this past weekend.
Now that we live so close, I imagine myself shopping - I mean, visiting - more often.

Anyway.... we went and saw ourselves a pro football game.

The Tennessee Titans vs. The Minnesota Vikings.

(These are football players, not ants.)



We had ourselves a good time.
Except for the ginormous blisters I got from hiking to and from our ridiculously expensive parking spot in Tibet. And from hiking back and forth to our seats up in the clouds.
Cute shoes? Yes. Long-range traveling shoes? Not so much.

Yes... that is outer space you see just 7 rows above us...


Look at the nachos in Dan/Daddy's hands. Now that's what I call dinner.



By the way, the Titans won.
So when my blisters heal, we may have to take in another game.

Day One

Well it's technically Day Four, but the picture was made on Day One.

Day One of Middle School.

The first day of my little boy's trek into the land of lockers,
changing classes,
remembering schedules,
figuring out 6 teachers instead of 1,
more choices at lunch (woo hoo!),
and
no recess.

He's not too jazzed about that last one. He said PE doesn't count.

So far, he's doing fine.
So far, I feel old.

The summer was too short, and it was too hot. (I know that's irrelevant, but ya'll. It's been hot.)

Don't misunderstand me... I do love some alone time, and he is a great student... he'll have a successful year, I am sure of it.
I am just not ready to have a kid who's halfway to Graduation.

The night before the real first day, he was lying on the couch with his head in my lap. We were talking about Middle School and him growing up and how I was not a fan of either when he said the words that this momma loves to hear,

"But I will always be your baby."

Yes, baby giraffe, you sure will.

Straight Teeth

One of the highlights of our short and stressful summer was the 8 hour round-trip journey to the Orthodontist.
The boy's treatment was almost done when we moved. Almost.
So instead of finding a new Orthodontist in our new town and paying those "new patient fees" all over again....
We decided to drive back to his Orthodontist while we were living with my parents. Crazy? Maybe. But the gas and frustration was still less costly than finding a new Orthodontist.

So.... My mom went with us, and we drove 4 hours to the appointment.
The very kind and patient staff at the Orthodontist's office knew our dilemma, so they worked late that afternoon to give us this...

A very happy braces-free boy.



The first stop we made on the way home was Walgreens... where we purchased Gummi Bears, Milk Duds, and Sugar Babies. He ate them all the way home.

Getting him to smile for the camera isn't quite the battle it was before.




Now if you will all join me in prayer that we don't lose the retainers.