Monday, May 23, 2005

Personal Day Off

What a glorious day.....a day off....a three day weekend before the 3-day Memorial weekend. I used one of my personal days today and I still have one more before the end of the school year. I only have one more month of work until summer break.
It was nice to sleep in, read a book, read the Sunday paper....I usually don't get to do that until Tues. afternoon! I did a little coupon clipping. cleaned out my desk, and got caught up on my filing and paperwork.
While going through my desk I found a list for putting together an Emergency Preparedness kit. Several fiction books I've read, recent articles and conversations have prompted me to consider putting something together in case of an emergency. I will now need to do a little shopping and organizing to pull it all together. Another thought is that we need one for each car in the event anything happened while we were both at work. It wouldn't be a bad idea to make a list of instructions on how to turn off the gas etc. I don't know why this has suddenly become something I want to get in order! I have just been feeling the need to get organized!
And along that line....I spent most of the remainder of my day cleaning out closets, putting together piles of clothing for a donation, one for the storage unit, another for "trash." Since my surgery almost 2 years ago I have stayed down several pant sizes smaller. I continued to hang on to the larger sizes because I never thought the weight would continue to stay off after this much time. Now my closet is orderly making it easy to find something that is the right size etc. when I'm getting ready for work in those pre-dawn hours.
This evening we had to go to church and have directory pictures taken. I think this was the 4th time we've done this at TCC and usually we have other family members with us......it wasn't good to just have the two of us. We looked old and tired! At least with the boys there were other faces to look at and we weren't as noticeable. Oh well, I guess it saved us some $$$$ because if they had turned out well we probably would have been tempted to buy them. They must have really been bad as the sales lady didn't even try to persuade us to buy any....we'll just take the free 8x10!
Last night we had a great evening service at church called "Praise-n-Pie." We sang old hymns, modern and new songs about Heaven. Walt gave a short talk on the subject as he has been reading Randy Alcorn's book entitled."Heaven." He did such a good job. It would be nice to do a study on the subject as I don't think many dwell on Heaven much. Of course, after the service it was time for pie......mmmmmmm......I had apple. Yes, it included gluten and i loved it!!!
Speaking of gluten....I baked my first batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies this evening. I'll have to see what my "taste testers" think. I'll keep you posted......

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Opening Night

So much has been going on this week that I think I will have to work backward to recall so many thoughts going through my mind….
Last night I got to go to the premier showing of the new Star Wars movie. Heather won a Star Wars package (grand prize) from KINK radio and I got to share in her bounty of prizes—free movie passes. After work we raced downtown to the Channel 8 building on Jefferson to pick up the free passes and then to the Lloyd Cinema to join other lucky winners in line for the 7:00 pm showing. The line next to ours was for the midnight show and people were “camped” out with tarps, grills, camp chairs etc. It was smart to arrive prepared as it rained quite hard and often during the long wait. It was fun to “people watch” and those around us became part of our “community” for several hours. We were a little concerned when we arrived about the number of people in line but the guy in front of us assured us that the theater has 750 seats and we would have no problem getting in. We saw a few people in costume, some light-sabers and Storm Troopers (employees) who were very helpful. We, like many in line, went as ourselves!
We were able to get good seats and Heather “held the fort down” while I raced to the restroom and then got in line for the concessions. Had just enough time to eat a hot dog (even the gluten bun…oh, no!) before the show started…..no previews…..just jumped right into the action. Boy, it was action-packed right from the start…..if you get motion sick, you may want to bring your Dramamine along!
The movie really brought the entire series together and explained a lot about Darth Vader, Luke & Leia, etc. Since I work in an elementary school I had a hard time thinking about some of the younger students going to this movie – a lot of violence to process in rapid succession. That’s my only soapbox but only because I’m more sensitive about it from my job. It did make me realize how the “deceiver” lures you away from your community by making you doubt your relationships, through self-pity, feeling lonely, angry etc. Reminded me of how THE “Deceiver” can really shake up a Christian’s life if you listen to those thoughts. We really need to stay connected and keep abiding.
What a fun adventure that was for the middle of the work week. One guy in front of us in line was going to watch the 7pm showing; friends were holding a place for him in line since he had tickets for the midnight show. He figured he would get out about 2:30am, walk a few blocks to work, sleep at his desk for 4 hours and then work his shift at work the remainder of the day. Yawwwwnnnnnn……makes me sleepy just thinking about it…..but then again, he's much younger!
There are many more thoughts from our “whirlwind” lifestyle this week but I will have to share more later…..

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Electric Blanket

I can't believe it....it's nearly mid-May and I am still using my electric blanket. As I type away on my laptop surrounded by the warmth of the blanket, I can hear large raindrops spilling over the gutters and onto our deck. It feels more like February than May....and I'm ready for some "blue sky" days. I know we need the rain but I would love a few days of wearing flip-flops and capris!
For my devotion today I read Psalm 142 and it reminded me of our SS class discussion Sunday. It pointed out to me the steps of going through some difficult times -- feeling ready to give up; alone (self-pity) -- then going to our source of help (God) where we can bring all our complaints/hurts -- then sharing praise in the assembly of His people. Mentoring has been something I have been studying off and on since the beginning of the year through a book I have been reading. It is defined as "a deliberate transfer of wisdom from one person to another." I know that whenever I go through a difficult time in my life I am always encouraged by someone who has walked a similar path before me and can share encouragement through their life experience with me. I am so thankful for those who have walked through some of the bigger issues in my life during the past few years. I feel very blessed and need to be reminded to share that with others who may need encouragement or hope too.
I was able to go to the Scrapbooking night at church last night. It was fun to work on a few of my pages and chat with the other ladies. Always fun to hear others' stories and see their journey through the pages they are creating. I only completed 2 pages and I'm still on Wallowa 2003 but I am moving forward and enjoying the hobby instead of feeling it is a burden. I love the creative outlet this gives me plus recording family memories at the same time. My "Creative Keepsakes" magazine came in the mail today so I think I'll spend some time getting inspired for future pages......
I have been trying to follow a gluten-free/casein-free diet now for over 6 weeks. It has been hard to give up bread products -- the gluten-free breads I have tried have been very disappointing. I eat a lot of rice cakes as a substitute. I did "cheat" on Mother's Day and had French Toast......it was wonderful!!!!! Now I am craving pizza -- people bring it for lunch at work and it smells so good. Wonder if any restaurants have tried to serve a gluten-free pizza? You name the place and I'm there!

Sunday, May 08, 2005

30th Anniversary


30th Anniversary
Originally uploaded by Karen Germer.

Outside Hall St. Grill.

Mother's Day


The guys made breakfast....nostalgia from the past. We had 5 entrees from the menus they had as children. Delicious!