Christmas Party

Tonight we had a Christmas dinner and party with our weekly Bible study group from church. My original plan was for a white plastic table cloth, but I learned the hard way that it does not work to put such an item into the dryer to remove the wrinkles. So I went to plan B and had two tables of contrasting colors.


We started with Bible reading and communion, then enjoyed a lovely meal together. After that we did the white elephant gift game. It seems like each year the rules to that game get more and more complicated - this year we had to lead the group in a Christmas carol before we were allowed to open a gift.

In other news, Rachel got laid off her job yesterday. It wasn't too much of a shock since we expected the job to end around the end of the year anyway, but it does mean she needs to start looking for a "real" job now. Pray with us about that, if the Lord brings her to mind. Also, her big Texas teacher test is this coming Saturday.

Gary is off to Michigan tomorrow for a couple days of consulting at Eastern Michigan University. I hope he doesn't freeze to death.

Nursery

Our church nursery was getting desperate for help, so Rachel and I volunteered to join the roster for the first Sunday of each month. This may be the closest I get to grandkids for some time :-(



The three kids we took care of today were happy kids, if all with runny noses and one with a load in his diaper. The two boys were the cuddly type, while the little girl seemed pretty independent.

These are the things I learned today:

• The plethera of Fisher-Price toys come in second to shoes, blankets, and other babies when it comes to keeping one-year-olds profitably occupied.
• That being said, toys work better after being licked, sucked, and chewed.
• Goldfish solve many of life's problems for babies and their caregivers.
• Don't wear dangle earrings when working in the nursery.
• And, "Mom, this is called seriation."

My baby may pass that teacher test yet.

Impact Library

We are very happy to have another librarian in the family--our new daughter-in-law, Laura. Since going to Ethiopia only a few short months ago, she and an Ethiopian woman have organized an NGO (non-governmental organization) to start a children's library. The official opening of Impact Library was about a week ago, in spite of the fact that the shelves aren't quite full yet.

UNESCO provided funding for audio visual equipment, and were on hand to take photos at the grand opening. Here is a link to their write up of the event. She told me the children in the photo are from a local orphanage and were very excited about all the books.

But that isn't all--Laura has already talked Random House into donating 220 children's books for this library. Only problem with that, is the books are now sitting in my house, waiting for a donation of shipping to transport them to Addis Ababa.









They continue to look for funding to support this library, so if you know anybody needing a good cause to donate to...

Trimming the Tree

I have figured out quite a good system for getting the Christmas tree set up--get somebody else to do it for me.


They picked out a very nice Noble Fir which Rachel thought was much more deserving than the cheaper Douglas Fir. With a little help from the cat, Rachel chose which of her greatgrandma's crocheted ornaments would find favor this year.

Every tree needs an angel on top. The angel on our tree is named "Daivd," forever making fun of the childcare worker who could not spell.

Blind Paper

Did you ever wonder what braile scrap paper looks like?

Angioedema

Today poor Gary discovered the technical term for the weird swelling he keeps getting--angioedema. It is like hives, but under the skin instead of on top of it. It shows up on his feet where it is painful, and hands, and lips, and throat. It is caused by allergies, but we don't know what he is allergic to. Current possible culprits: aspirin, salicylates, pork, preservatives in certain things.

Maybe by the time David gets his long white coat, we'll have it figured out.

Guns

Rachel got home from her trip to Kansas safely last night. She came home spouting an entire new set of gun vocabulary and these photos to prove she knew what she was talking about. Her best line: Mom, I shot a revolver; it was so cool--it revolves!



In other news, the missing bubble gum has been found: seven partial pieces were found inside the basket of Christmas music, each one etched with mice teeth marks.

Theology Books

While enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with our friends, I discovered they have found a good use for all those theology books--to hold up the bowl of creamed onions.

Sandra emailed early this morning to say the plane did not crash and she had gotten back to Donnbronn safely. David left for Houston midafternoon, and we are still awaiting Rachel's return.


In the meantime, I've pulled out the Christmas music which I enjoy so much. My favorite is this album by GLAD. Those guys can really sing.

Goodbye, Sandra

Somewhere near the end of her visit, we realized why Sandra really came to America--chocolate ice cream!


She treated us to a nice meal at Chili's before we took her to the airport today. She flew out of the new Terminal D at DFW airport which has only been open for business a short time. It is all new and modern, with lots of strange artwork inside. She flies back to Frankfurt and expects her dad to be there to pick her up and drive back to her "willage" (Sandra, you don't can say that!) in time for the annual Christmas market.

Lazy

Wow, I've been lazy today. Eat junk food, lay around, watch football (which I don't even like to do) and read.

I did manage to clean two bathrooms in 10 hours.

I need to start thinking about Christmas gifts.

Thanksgiving

We are thankful David made it home safely from Houston last night. A bunch of his friends were here to greet him, including cute little Claire.



We took our pot of Texas Sesquicentenial Chili to Arlington and ate that along with a pot of minestrone and some fresh bread from La Madeleine Bakery. One of the cousins was a fluent German speaker, so Sandra chatted with him. We took our usual shot of the kids, but we're noticing they are getting fewer and older--what's up with that??




Then today I made green bean casserole (where's Rachel when I need her?) and off we went to eat with our friends the Sages. Unfortunately, Gary did not join us as he woke up with a fever. I did bring him a plate to eat during the Cowboys' game. Thanks, Jessica, for the invitation.

Pies

Every Thanksgiving our neighbor Jesse tries to bake more Thanksgiving pies than he baked the year before. This year he's got a bit of help from his siblings and Sandra who wants to learn how to make pies and take the recipe back to Germany. I'm thankful I get to eat some of these apple and pumpkin delights without having to do anything more than furnish a couple emptly pie pans.

Me, a Doctor?

I followed a link on someone's blog and took this online test. Funny, I always did want to be a doctor. But it wasn't in the cards for me, as they say. I always thought one of my boys would become a doctor, but it turned out to not be the one I suspected. The son who studied biology turned to economics as a graduate student, and the son who studied physics decided to become a doctor. As for me, my brains drained out when I had kids; what more can I say??

You Should Get a MD (Doctor of Medicine)

You're both compassionate and brilliant - a rare combination. You were born to be a doctor.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Is There Just One Right Person to Marry?, part II

My two unmarried children are both in dating relationships and have been spending some time thinking about "is she/he the right person to marry?" and "is there only one right person to marry?" I've already thought about this topic in a previous blog entry, but the topic has come to my mind again as I pray for my children and their relationships.

Currently, I'm thinking about this topic in terms of value. If, for instance, you are the only one for me, then I am going to value you greatly, be careful how I treat you, and make sure I don't lose you since you're irreplaceable. If, on the other hand, you are only 1 out of 100 whom I could marry, then your value is considerably less, maybe only 1/100. I can treat you with less care, because, if I lose you, it is only a minor and momentary loss--after all, there are 99 more waiting on my doorstep.

Rice

I have recently been educating myself about rice. We eat rice regularly, but I did not grow up eating rice. In fact, I used to think I hated rice, but that was because I had only every eaten it in this nasty dish as a child. Yuck! I grew up in a meat-and-potatoes culture where rice was nearly unheard of. I was well an adult before I really tasted rice as it was meant to be eaten--without sugar!

Many times my rice turned out sticky and gummy. Then I tried a bag of basmati rice, and it turned out to be a lot easier to cook. It smells different than other rice, and even I can cook it almost to perfection every time. I recently tried another variety, jasmine, but it turned out too sticky again. That made me curious so I did some research and found this nice link to an explanation and photos of a number of different kinds of rice. Turns out the stickiness is more because of the type of rice than because of my cooking abilities.

I guess this blog entry is a bit late; last year was the International Year of Rice.

Daughter #2 Returns

We had quite a surprise today. Our first exchange student daughter, Sandra, showed up in Dallas for a nine day visit. She had made the arrangements with a friend of ours so she could surprise us. We are very excited to have her here. She came at a good time because she will be able to see David when he is home for Thanksgiving next week.

Sandra lived with us during the 99-00 school year when Rachel was a senior, David was a junior, and she was a sophomore. The second exchange student daughter we had live with us, Doro, was here during the 03-04 school year.

Sandra remembers her favorite store, Clothestyme, but I'm not sure they are still in business. Sandra will be with us until November 26, so that will give us some time to try to find it.

Personal Watermelon

I thought watermelons were supposed to be bigger than cantelopes.

Correction

I got a call from a faithful blog reader (I have at least one) today, saying, "Yeah, I know that song--Jesu Azali Awa--that you wrote about in your blog. I listened to it on the way to work today." And I thought no one had even heard of it. Sure enough, a popular Christian singing group called Selah has it out on one of their CD's. Here are all the words. Turns out I also had the language wrong. The language the song is written in is called Lingala, spoken in Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly called the Belgian Congo.

A Grand Adventure

Today was the conclusion of our church's two weeks of missions emphasis. We are fortunate to have a pastor who is both missionary kid and former missionary before he became a pastor. We often enjoy his stories of life in Romania. He mentioned how many people are afraid to answer God's call of "Whom shall I send?" because they are afraid of what they are getting themsleves into. "At one point, I was afraid to ride the train from Germany to Amsterdam. And indeed, the first time we did that, we got on the wrong train. But, we survived. Life is an adventure." He pointed out that we often do things without really knowing what we are getting into--like getting married and having kids, for starters.

Annual Day of Prayer

There were three or four hundred of us, I guess. Mostly dressed in the boutique's best, not much to look at. Lots of white hair, but a few babies too. Mostly married folks, but a few singles too. The pews were piled higher and deeper with advanced degrees. The best part was we sound great as a choir in the round. At one point, the song leader said, "We're going to sing a song in Mboke. It will be new to most of you." So we sang

Jesu azali awa,
Jesu azali awa,
Jesu azali awa na biso.
Aleluia ah aleluia na Jesu.

I didn't return to the meeting after lunch. Instead, Rachel and I went for a hike on the MK Trace. It really isn't that beautiful of a place, but in Dallas, we can't be too fussy.



And at the highest spot, there is a nice view of Joe Pool lake.



Rachel had no plans tonight, so we decided it was time for another cooking lesson. She made quiche, spilling only a little in the bottom of the oven. I'm not sure, but I think she might be calling me an oaf.


And she's been wanting to try making cheese biscuits since having them at Red Lobster.

Farewell, Stella

Today we had lunch at my favorite place, (Ton's) with Stella and her mom to say farewell to Stella who is taking a job at Methodist Children's Home in Waco, TX. We want to wish Stella the best as she starts a job as Youth Care Counselor. Our prayers will be with her in what will no doubt be a challenging job.

New Computer

No, not for me, for grandma. My mom phoned last night and asked me to buy her a new computer. "Buy it" in the sense that I would order it, but with her credit card. So I did. In a couple days, she should be the proud new owner of a Dell Desktop with a flat panel monitor. Rachel's comment: "Yay, a new computer to play games on at Christmas."

The Wave

Have you ever been to a professional baseball game where the fans did the wave? You know, a rowdy bunch in the outfield bleachers gets bored with the game so they get all the folks in that section to stand up, wave their arms, and yell. Then just as they are finishing, the next section does the same thing, and so on. If the fans are willing, this process can go all the way around the stadium, and then start again. It is fun to watch this phenomenon, and fun to participate in too.

I started thinking about the wave in church today. No, I wasn't daydreaming about baseball. the song we were singing, He Reigns, got me to thinking how believers all around the globe raise their hands and voices in praise to our savior every Sunday morning.

• As the sun rises in Fiji, the believers gather and praise God.
• Then an hour later Solomon Islanders pick up the refrain.
• Then Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Japan
• Indonesia, Philippines, Korea
• Malaysia and a few in Vietnam and China
• Yes, praises from Thailand, Burma, and Mongolia.
• India, Nepal, Tibet
• Pakistan. The song is faint, but still audible from Afghanistan
• Madagascar and Iran
• It gets louder: Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia, Turkey and Russia
• South Africa, Zaire, Romania, and Sweden
• Cameroon, Italy, France, Germany
• Ivory Coast, Mali (don't forget Timbuktu), Spain, Ireland
• This time zone is sparse--Senegal, Canary Islands, and Iceland
• Brazil joins in
• Uruguay, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago
• Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Quebec
• Peru, Panama, Indianapolis and Toronto
• Then it is my turn, joined by Mexico and Winnipeg
• Next it goes to Grandma and Grandpa in Phoenix, Calgary
• San Francisco and Vancouver
• Gambier Islands and Juneau
• Tahiti and Honolulu lift their hands and voices
• Lord, do you hear them in Samoa?
• And look! The Fijians are starting over again, even though it is Monday.

"New" Chair

I got a small wooden rocking chair out of the free furniture co-op for David when he was furnishing his new condo, but he rejected it because it was too ugly. It was pretty ugly, pink and green with ivy painted across the top. But Rachel could see beyond the ugly, and claimed it for her own, insisting all it needed was some paint.


Last night at 9pm I decided to sew a cushion for this chair. 23 hours later I had finished it (no, not 23 continuous hours of work. I did sleep, go shopping, do three loads of laundry, make lunch and a few other things too). The fabric came from the free boutique and the stuffing for the cushion came from recycling some old throw pillows also from the boutique.

So now Rachel has a new chair, only for the price of a quart of paint.

Voting on Marriage

I went out to lunch to day at Olive Garden with a number of ladies from my office--eating and talking, and not having to cook--now's that's the life! I got a rather large item, just so I could bring a bunch home to feed to Gary tonight. Then I don't have to cook twice!

On the way home I stopped by the public library to vote. They've upgraded the voting machines to these handy-dandy touch screen things, easy to use with nice bright colors (although I expect the print was too small for some folks). Most of the propositions I couldn't make heads nor tails of, though I did do my homework and read an online ballot before voting.

I voted to define marriage in Texas as between one man and one woman. Like, duh! I don't consider that an act of social conservative protest. I just consider it a way to say that I don't like people redefining perfectly good words like marriage. If homosexual unions need some kind of legal protection (and I'm not saying they do), then they need to call them something other than marriage. As a linguist, I certainly know that the meanings of words do change over time, but the gradual, natural evoution of semantics does not happen because a minority group legislates it to be so.

Is There Just One Right Person to Marry?

After the wedding reception we hosted for my son and his new beautiful bride last August, an old friend asked me, "Do you still think there is just one right person for everyone?" I paused, then said, "I used to think so, and I'd still like to think so, but that position isn't logically defensible."

My husband never did think this way, and it used to kind of make me mad. I wanted him to think I was the one and only person for him. After 20+ years of marriage, he wrote me a song, "You're The Only One For Me." How can I be mad at someone who sings to me??

Sometimes I read blogs of random people, and I found this post on the site of a young man who at one time attended LeTourneau University. He's a decent writer, but I don't even know if he is a believer. He wrote:

For a long time I labored under the idea that there were dozens, perhaps hundreds of women that I could end up with and live my life with and be happy with. I'm starting to change my mind. As my marriage enters its third month, I'm constantly reminded how wonderful a person my wife is. She seems to be the perfect choice for me. Beautiful, fun, smart and a great cook. I don't see how there could ever be anyone else this perfect for me. She's the one and only. And I'm hers. How awesome is that?

(Freakin' awesome, that's what it is!)

My daughter recently asked me the same question. She said, "I guess there could be more than one person, but somehow it just doesn't feel that way." I still think logically there must be more than one person you could marry, but emotionally, we all want to think we are a unique shape that fits into someone else's unique shape.

More Humble Pie

I don't usually post twice in one day--I mean, don't I have anything else to do??

But now I just have to say that since I wrote the previous post, someone came to my house and gave me $xxx.xx with a note saying, "Because God told me to, and because I want to."

Thank you, Lord.

You Can't Talk About Money, It Isn't Polite

I'm feeling humbled today.

When Gary and I were newlyweds, we were dirt poor. We lived on a stipend that he was getting from Cornell University and my babysitting job. I had not quite finished college when we got married, so I was attempting to complete my last semester by correspondence classes. One day in the spring I had just completed a paper for one of my classes and we wanted to go celebrate. So we did. We had just enough money for one hamburger and one coke at McDonald's, which we shared. We knew that the next day was payday, so we would have $0 to our name for less than 24 hours. We look back at that time as "the poorest we ever were" and laugh about it, and sometimes repeat the story to struggling newlyweds.

Well, I was remembering that story this last week, because we were totally out of money. Our income, like many missionaries, fluctuates each month according to what our donors happen to have sent in during the previous month. (Sometimes, we have "extra" money because Gary moonlights as a computer/linguistics consultant, but he hasn't had any of those jobs in many months.) Anyway, without going into any more of the gory details,** we found that the month was longer than the money and I was kind of fretting about having a negative bank balance. I reminded myself, as I often do, that God will supply our needs, as He has done for the 30+ years we've been doing this. But still I was fretting, sad to say.

Then today I got an email saying "So-and-so has sent you a gift of $xxxx.xx from the sale of stocks. Look for this on your October 2005 statement" (as if we wouldn't notice a gift of that size). So, while it is entirely possible that my bank account will be overdrawn before next Monday when this gift is deposited (depending on the timing of certain direct debit bills), it looks like we'll have the funds to cover it. :-)

Thanks be to God. I'm writing this story to give testimony to the fact that God does, in fact, meet our needs.

**I know it isn't acceptable to discuss one's personal finances in public. In our society it is more acceptable to discuss one's sex life than one's finances. But I don't view my financial situation as a reflection of my worth as a person, or my worth as a worker, so I'm less concerned about that "rule" than other people. I hope this story doesn't embarrass you.

Labiodental Flap

Just in case there are any linguists reading this blog, I'd like to point out that one of my colleagues has gotten the International Phonetic Association to adopt a new phonetic symbol, named the labiodental flap, into the International Phonetic Alphabet. This special alphabet is used by linguists around the world to represent all the exotic sounds that the human mouth can make. Ken didn't invent this sound nor did he discover it. But he did research this sound and found it exists in 70 languages, most of which are in central Africa. A new phonetic symbol is kind of like having a baby, and everyone in the Linguistics department is proudly showing off this new addition.

BBQ

As you can see from the jackets, it was chilly, but it was nice to have one last BBQ of the season.

Updates from Africa

I got some new photos from Andrew and Laura this morning. Always nice to hear from them. Looks like they have found some furniture for their living room. Last time I saw a photo, it was a big bare room with nice floors.

I got emails from two African countries this morning--three from Ethiopia, and one from Uganda. David's girlfriend is living in Uganda for a year, teaching school under the auspices of the Mennonite Central Committee. Her email said she had gotten two proposals of marriage last week. I'd say David better get on the stick before it is too late!

Speaking of David, he's two-thirds through his first semester of medical school. But his challenge for today is repairing his broken washing machine. He called last night to say he had torn it apart (using the info I sent him a blog or two ago) and had to go buy a multitester to check the solenoids. When I offered to mail him an old voltmeter we have, he replied, "But I have to have a digital one." He always was the snooty kid in the family.

Self-paid Missionaries

Tonight at our weekly Bible study I met and interesting couple and learned a bit about them. They are part-time missionaries, in a very specific way. The husband is a CPA, and he works for some company in Ohio that prepares tax returns. He works for them 4 months of the year, during tax season. Then for 8 months of the year, he and his wife do financial work (internal audits, installing new financial software and training people to use it, etc.) for a mission board. Sometimes they go to Africa, sometimes to Dallas. They don't have any children, so that makes this lifestyle possible.

We know another couple who live in Dallas who does similar work. He is a police officer, she is a clothing designer. He uses his 4 weeks or more of vacation and go to various places to do financial work (he was an accountant before he decided to become a policeman) for missions. His wife goes a long and gives haircuts and perms while shopping for exotic fabrics for her clothing business. (She also makes custom wedding gowns and lets missionary girls wear them for only a $50 cleaning fee.)

It is Fall and Love is in the Air

Today we got an email from someone who is, shall we say, in the autumn of his life. Over a year ago his wife of around 50 years died. He has fallen in love again, and reports that, with his children's support, he is thinking of marrying a single (never married) lady who lives down the hall in the retirement center. It was just too cute.

He's not the only one--a couple months ago two 70 year olds, recently widowed, have married and are acting like 18-year olds.

These gentlemen know what is good for them.

Broken Washing Machine

I'm awaiting word from David to hear how his big test went today. This is the end of block 2, so his first semester of medical school is two-thirds finished.

In the break before block 3 begins, he needs to try to repair his broken washing machine. He called me for advice the other day, but the best I could do was scan eight pages from the indispensable homeowner's bible and email them to him. Oh, I and told him that no, it wouldn't be a good idea to leave his wet clothes in the washer from Friday until he had time to do something about the washer on Tuesday. Ah, the joys of homeownership. I may need to buy a copy of this book for David for Christmas.

The leaves are starting to fall from our trees, making a mess on the deck I just worked so hard to refinish. I remembered that my mom had bought Gary a leaf blower last year for Christmas, so I got that puppy out and tried it. Wow! I had that deck spottless in no time. After that rousing success, I just couldn't resist the temptation to try it on my kitchen floor. Luckily, no one was home to observe how that went.

Finished

It took a full two weeks, but today we finished the deck refinishing project. I spent most of the afternoon working on it, and Gary joined me to do the second picnic table while I cleaned up the mess. It took two gallons of stuff--not paint, but Behr Premium Weatherproofing, Natural Clear color. The weather has remained pleasant, so maybe we can barbecue on the new deck before it gets cold.

We watched the first game of the World Series tonight with a couple of Rachel's friends. She made Puppy Chow for us to munch on. But you can't eat much of that at once, or at least you shouldn't.

I called David just as the game was getting started. He was too busy studying for a big test on Monday to watch.

How Many Coincidences Does It Take

...to make a miracle?

Miss Rachel, the Texas Teacher

Rachel's one-year Texas teacher certificate arrived today, squashed into the mailbox along the "Do Not Bend" stamp. It was signed by a familiar name: Anette Griffen was the principal at Duncanville HS when Rachel was in 9th grade. Rachel has collected the information she needs to start preparing for the two tests she needs to take and pass over the next year to get her permanent certificate. Your prayers along that line would be appreciated.

I also went to the Boutique mircowave "sale" this morning, only to learn it was yesterday morning. They still had one that fit my specifications: small, working, and free. So now I have a "new" microwave to replace my other used one, one that fits onto my countertop a bit better.

Gary's Back

Gary got home tonight in time to watch the last inning of the baseball game, Houston beating St. Louis. So David now gets to be in a World Series town.

I painted a few more boards on the deck today, while fixing a nice dinner for a couple of Rachel's hungry friends. I've run out of stuff, so I'll visit Home Depot tomorrow. Someday I'm going to finish this project.

Today I got bit by a mosquito on my arm, about one centimeter from where I got my flu shot yesterday. I bet that mosquito is either dead or well-immunized.

Snoopy Bandaid

Today I had my fall flu shot. $15, including a Snoopy bandaid. I made Rachel come and get one too. By the time we walked there she was white and saying she was seeing "black and white spots." She got the shot, then said she wanted to throw up, and the nurse sweetly asked her to lie down on the floor. After a few minutes her color came back and she was OK. On our way back to the office she said she now understood what it meant when people say, "It's all in your head" and how fear can make you sick.

Other activities for the day: grocery shopping, more work on the deck, and going to a birthday party. I should clean my kitchen, but I'm tired. No doubt if I leave it, it will still be a mess in the morning.

Deck Refinishing

The weather has finally cooled down to the high 80s, so I decided to start my fall project--refinishing the deck. We have a very nice deck that Gary's parents built for us several years ago, but we've been too lazy to refinish it every year. It is a lot of work to scrub 2-3 years' worth of dirt and algae off the deck, so our friends lent us their pressure washer to try. It doesn't do a perfect job, but probably good enough, so we're cleaning it that way.


After a couple years of wear, the nails start working themselves out too, so they all have to be pounded back in. I convinced Gary to help with this chore.

The deck is too big to do all at once, so we're cleaning then painting a section at a time. And the job is too big for me alone, so I've talked Rachel into helping. When I went to Home Depot to buy the sealer, this time I bought the most expensive kind that is supposed to last for four years. We'll see.

Speaking of Rachel, this week she finally heard from the Texas Board of Education about her status as a Texas teacher. The good news: they have granted her a one-year temporary certificate. The bad news: she has to take two more standardized tests to qualify for permanent certification. Ugh. So I guess she'll order the study guides and start studying again. In the mean time, she still has a temporary job that is bringing in some money, and she is hoping to save enough to buy a used car.

Another Reception

I was very happy to receive a few photos from Andrew and Laura in Ethiopia yesterday. I remember them saying their coworkers had had a reception for them, but I missed other details about it. Apparently, as you can see in this photo, they had some kind of special white wedding garb. Another photo had a couple of cute flower girls with them. I'm hoping to hear more details.

The weather has blessed us with a few drops of rain, but not nearly enough. So today I'm planning on refinishing another layer of the deck. It is too big to do all at once, so I'll work at it little by little. I did just borrow a friend's pressure washer, so I'll see if that will take the place of scrubbing, but I doubt it.

Not much else for news. Gary is working way too hard. He is staying up so late and getting up so early that when he lies down to watch the baseball playoff games, he is asleep before the third pitch. He's home this week, but off to Richmond next week and Boston the week after that.

Too Good

Sometimes I think my life is too good. Why do others suffer and my life is easy? It isn't fair.

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

I decided to be ambitious today and prepare my breakfast for the next week. I like to make a bunch of breakfast burritos at one time, then freeze them so I have a quick breakfast ready for the coming days. So I got 10 tortillas ready, cracked 10 eggs into a bowl, sauted some onions and green peppers. Then I somehow managed to tip the bowl of eggs--not yet scrambled--over onto the stove, one of those smooth glass cooktops.

I started cleaning up the mess. Do you know how hard it is to pick up spilled eggs? While doing this, some of the eggs spread over the hot burner. Voila! Cooked eggs with no pan to clean up! Nice smell, too.

I broke out into hysterical laugher--all by myself with no one around to listen.

It's Pay Day!

Sometime during the wee hours of the morning, the magic electrons brought our funds for the month. Having just checked the totals, I decided to go shopping at my favorite store. I found my daughter three shirts, two of which she liked. The other one goes back for the next lucky girl. I found a shirt for myself too. I found a pair of scrubs that should fit my doctor-wannabe son, and I also found a tupperware bowl that he could use (even if the lid is cracked). Of course, he'll probably want me to fill it with homemade cookies before I send it to him.

Alas, I can't buy everything at my favorite store, so off I go to Walgreens and the grocery store. I'll make Rachel go with me for company. It is just us girls here for a few days as Gary left this afternoon for a linguistics conference in Lubbock, TX. He gives his paper (part of an invited panel) on Saturday morning. He takes an early Sunday morning flight back to Love Field so he won't even miss church.

Eyesight Is Not the Same as Vision

Last Sunday we had an interesting woman speak to the congregation. She was a cheerful lady, who spoke clearly and confidently. She and her three eldest daughters (they have five kids total) sing semiprofessionally with a wonderful close girl-harmony not unlike Point of Grace. Anyway, she told her story: First she and her husband were told they would be unable to have children, I don't remember why. Then she did get pregnant and gave birth to daughter number one who had numerous health issues as a child, but eventually thrived. When she was pregnant with daughter number two, her doctor came in and told her, "Today you must decide--your eyesight or your baby. If you continue your pregnancy, you will go blind." She replied, "There's no decision to be made here, I won't abort this baby." The doctor called her a fool.

She gave the congregation a little lesson about communicating with blind people.

1. Don't talk louder.
2. Don't point.
3. Eyesight is not the same as vision.
   

Her blindness does not seemed to have slowed her down or hurt her spirit, and her husband and five sweet kids rise up and call her blessed.

Her words reminded me of something. In 1996, we had a banquet to celebrate the completion of Lingualinks, a package of software for language work that Gary had supervised for several years. At the banquet Gary was given a gift of a portable tape player--the kind for playing 4-track tapes used by Recordings for the Blind. The speaker said something similar of Gary: "He may have poor eyesight, but he does not lack vision."

Lord, Bless the Churches on Kiest Avenue

Our pastor did a cool thing today. He prayed for our church only after he prayed for the other churches on our street: The Potter's House and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and the little Hispanic church across the street and the Church of Christ. He asked the Lord to receive the praise that was being lifted up from each of these congregations and to work in the lives of people who live on Kiest Avenue.

This brought tears to my eyes. I like a pastor who knows the world doesn't revolve around his parking lot.

(I also noticed our immediate neighbors, Oak Cliff Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, were not in his list.)

Butterflies

This has been a pretty slow week for blogging. I just haven't felt very inspired to post much. I did take this photo this week of three butterflies chasing each other above a lantana bush.

One day this past week it was 104 degrees, and then a storm came and gave us just a little rain, and cooled things 10 degrees. But we need lots more rain, our whole yard is dead.

One small accomplishment for the week: I repaired 2 (two) VCRs. Now they both work again. It was just a matter of opening them up and finding the right place to clean and the right spot to replace a loose piece that fell out.

I haven't heard much from the boys this week. Andrew seems to not write as much as he used to now that he's married. Now there's a surprise, huh? I phoned David once this week, but he didn't answer. At least Rachel keeps talking to me. And she's been so happy lately, she hasn't even had anything to complain to me about.

Today we had a watermelon party in the neighborhood. It was a get-acquainted party for the residents' association. We are blessed to live in about the world's best neighborhood.

Speaking of good neighbors, my neighbor gave me a pair of Nike shoes today, worn about twice. She didn't find them comfortable, and they fit me perfectly. I had needed a new pair since I wear the outside heels off so quickly. The Lord provides.

Gary is at the Rangers' game tonight. I think it is their next to last game. A friend had an extra ticket. And Rachel is away at a party for the singles' group. I'm just home trying to think of something to blog about. And finish the laundry, and clean the kitchen, and you know.

Center Retreat

Today our entire Center was on a one-day retreat. The location was a large Baptist camp not many miles south of Dallas. It was a time of fellowship, teaching, and prayer, some of it outside in the still-100 degree temperatures. One of the best parts was listening to us sing--several hundred voices singing in gentle acapella harmony.

We were called together by a blast on the shofar. Our ethnomusicology team takes their job seriously.

Blind Dates

Yes, I can say that's what I have--since my husband is legally blind. His disability is annoying at times, like when he doesn't notice that I lost 5 lbs. But, you know, he also doesn't notice if I gain 5 lbs. either. Yay! It is great to be loved unconditionally :)

Speaking of blind dates, I set up a couple of my young friends on one. I hope they don't end up hating me for it.