Things we discuss when we're alone...

Husband: "What if Super Powers were opposite, and being really BAD at something was the super power? Like, me being bad at accents, it's my super power!"

Me: "If you could only have one super power what would you choose?
- I call being really bad at accents!
- Dude! I can't believe you took that one! Now I have to go with something dumb like flying or being invisible."

Both: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

I know that you're only gone for one night, but how could I not miss having mini-conversations like these!

Maybe for the yearbook, they will photoshop it zipped.

Sitting down at my desk after lunch this afternoon, I notice that my pants are unzipped. This does not surprise me as I am often noticing that my pants are unzipped. I do a quick brain scan of my morning to see if I can remember the last time I was supposed to have zipped them, but since I can't remember that crucial piece of information, I move on to list the people whom I have probably flashed since arriving at the office this morning. And we don't even have a Casual Friday policy! (Did you get much done this afternoon? Oh yes, I spent most of it thinking about how I work for a Christian school and how I walked around all morning with my underwear in plain sight!) So, there was that meeting with my boss...then some students came by to take my picture for the yearbook...um...I went up to the copy machine several times...oh! and a guy came to fix the phone in my office. Then, since I'm the kind of girl who likes to dream big, Husband and I went to lunch. At a restaurant that had so many patrons, they were lining up outside the doors to place an order.

You know what? Most people only dream (cough-havenightmares-cough) about walking around with their underwear showing. But not me, I'm the kinda girl who goes out into the world and makes her dreams (cough-nightmares-cough) happen!

Spring Break '07 Shout Out

Working for a school means that I can occasionally pretend that I don't have a real job. I get to take two weeks off during Christmas and New Years AND a week off in the spring for Spring Break and none of that was listed that in the benefits package. (They also didn't list some of the stuff I'm required to do under the job description, but who's counting?) So thanks to a week off and plane tickets from my parents Husband and I headed to Springfield, a much coveted Spring Break destination and home of the Throwed Roll. Actually, Springfield is home to A LOT of things such as, Brad Pitt's high school and the Assemblies of God National Headquarters. But those exciting facts are for another post. (Probably on some other blog.) For me, Springfield is home to most of my growing up years.

Husband and I haven't had a chance to visit the city that brought us together since we moved (ran) away almost four years ago. Over the course of the week, we realized that we don't miss it at all. We also realized that there are lots of people living there that we do miss. And we miss them with a deep ache that we must have learned to ignore over the past couple of years. The ache was (and still is) undeniable and very palpable. I am still nursing it. To watch friendships pick up where they left off is an amazingly indescribable experience and even I can't string together enough adjectives to paint that mental picture. Also, seeing offspring of people that you've known since sixth grade is more surreal than I was prepared for. We saw lots of people and we didn't see lots of people, so if we missed you we are really sorry. Thanks to all the friends who made time for us and thanks to those who will still be friends with us even though we didn't have time to spend with you. We will do our best to not wait another 4 years to come back.

Bethie, the party was ridiculous fun. And the mango curry was amazing, but not as amazing as the conversation.
Fun Van-ers, thanks for showing up. We didn't know what to expect, but you reminded us why we called it the Fun Van in the first place.
Sam and Katie, Sorry we didn't tell you about the unofficial Which Couple Can NOT Have Kids Longer Contest. You probably would have tried harder if you'd known there was a competition. We're so excited about the new addition to your family this fall, and not just because we won. No, really.
Phil and Kristen, thanks for letting me crash your house for a couple of hours and introducing me to your kids. Mini-Chad and Cinderella are lovely, surreal, but lovely.
Earl and Jan, we'd so go to your church if we lived in Berkley. It's like we're dating, we always go out to eat, and you pay, and we part in a-flutter pining for next time. Maybe we can squeeze in a Council date? I promise to wear something cute. Thanks for listening to us young'uns, because we know you've heard it all before.
Mom and Dad. We love you and we loved being with you last week. It went by too fast. Thanks for getting tired of us being poor and buying us plane tickets. We'll do our best not to wait another 4 years to come back.

The Post Where She Talks About God

For Lent this year I gave up Lent. It didn't start out that way at all. I had a big idea that this would be the year that I would really concentrate on and celebrate the significance of the season because recently I've discovered a new way to live and think and feel. I was introduced to a new Jesus. Actually, he introduced himself to me. And I was born again, again. You see, Sunday School Jesus and I have had a relationship (of sorts) for most of my life. (Sunday School Jesus is the Swedish guy that you see in all the movies who has a pat answer for everything and if he were any more serene, he'd be comatose.) That guy worked for me for awhile. I could believe in S.S.J. because my world was very black and white, so the pat answers covered things. All the rules were there for a reason. But at some point, I started noticing gray areas in my world, areas where all the rules and regulations I lived with really were not good alternatives because there were A LOT of people being left out. And when I went to where I knew to go for help with finding answers to my questions, all that was offered were more black and white ultimatums and harsher rules. Which in turn made me feel guilty and frustrated and sad. But this new Jesus has offered me a different point of view. One that embraces everyone and gray areas, wrestles with things that don't make sense, and insists that I be creative in seeking my answers. A faith that is not satisfied with making an appearance a few times a week, but one that must be exercised every day. And it's a freedom that I didn't know was possible. It is the freedom to be who I am. The last few months have been beautifully liberating as I am learning how to live out this new kind of relational faith.

I do not come from an orthodox background, so Lent was never something that I ever really learned about until I became an adult. Even now, my understanding of it is really basic. I had planned to really learn and connect with some very historical parts of my faith. And in the light of my new found freedom to embrace all things God, I was ready with both barrels loaded, to learn and glean and use these Lenten months to become very, very, Spiritual (with a capital S). In hyper-spiritual overdrive, I planned to read certain things at certain times, give up certain foods on certain days of the week, attend services at orthodox churches, so that I could truly have a big God experience. The first week went really well, because I am a good rule follower and because it was a light week in the Reality Department. The next week, I missed a few readings and didn't plan very well for the meals. Then all of a sudden I look around and I am not abiding by any of the rules and, uuuhh.....whoops, I haven't been for a couple of weeks now! Oh, this is not good. I'm gonna have to double-time it now because it's Holy Week and TRUE Christians really get what this week is all about. And after royally not getting around to double-timing it this week, my big redemptive plan was to attend a Good Friday service at the most orthodox place that I could find. As if that would somehow absolve my failure for reaching Uber-Spirituality during the past several weeks. Good Friday came and I managed to plan my day so well that I missed the service. So instead of spending the afternoon feeling like Mel Gibson at the premiere of The Passion of the Christ, I spent the afternoon hiding my guilt from Sunday School Jesus.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, because I use what Husband refers to as the "Slow-Cooker Method." (It means that I have to wrestle and chew on things for quite awhile before they makes sense to me. I will usually have a strong gut level reaction to something, but it must be "slow-cooked" before I am able to articulate it.) But, at some point Friday evening, after slow cooking my guilt and my new found freedom together in the crock pot of my soul, Someone (with a capital S) whispered something else to me. Perhaps, in my attempt to Become Spiritual, all I did was trade one set of rules for another. I forgot about the relationship. And the relationship is what this whole things hinges on.

By giving up Lent for Lent, I didn't give up organized religion, I just loosened my grip on the box that I try to keep God in. He's bigger and WAY more interesting than I've ever given him credit for. I'm in a new relationship. We're learning how to live with each other and function together on a daily basis. I will get better at this. And I can't wait for Lent next year.

sKKKirt

Only now has it occurred to me that perhaps the $2.99 it would have taken to get this skirt off the rack at Goodwill would have been money well spent.