This just made me laugh and I wanted to share because we can all use a laugh now and then. On our tortilla chip bag it says that they expire December 3, 2011 at 8:49 a.m. So what do you think happens at 8:50 a.m.--they spontaneously decide to go bad?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Crazy
I realized how stressed I am today when I saw a lady smoking a cigarette and I wanted one, something, anything, to relieve this sense of being so overwhelmed!
Bob has been working and we have been going to church a half an hour north of where we are living now, so he has been driving there 6 days a week. Our lease ends at the end of August and it was our goal to buy a house by that time so everything would fall perfectly into place without much overlap. Right; I forgot that I don't get to write my own story. We do not yet have our own house to move into, but through this uneasy time, the Lord has continued to provide blessings. A couple from our church who have an apartment in their basement have graciously offered to allow us to stay there for any amount of time needed until we find a home.
We did find a home! And we put an offer on it which was accepted, but it is a foreclosed home (just what Bob wanted so he can get his little hands on it and fix it up), which means a lot of waiting. And as of now, we are waiting to get a signed contract back. So it is sort of ours and sort of not ours. Even when we do get the contract, there are still lots of steps to make sure that the home is in okay condition and habitable. So more waiting for us. You'd think I would get good at it after all this time, but not really. Still working on it, Lord.
In the meantime though, we will be using my UPS box address that I have for work. So for all of you who read this blog AND want to write me a letter (I know the numbers dropped off significantly there), the best address to use from now on is :
I can use all the love notes I can get!
Bob has been working and we have been going to church a half an hour north of where we are living now, so he has been driving there 6 days a week. Our lease ends at the end of August and it was our goal to buy a house by that time so everything would fall perfectly into place without much overlap. Right; I forgot that I don't get to write my own story. We do not yet have our own house to move into, but through this uneasy time, the Lord has continued to provide blessings. A couple from our church who have an apartment in their basement have graciously offered to allow us to stay there for any amount of time needed until we find a home.
We did find a home! And we put an offer on it which was accepted, but it is a foreclosed home (just what Bob wanted so he can get his little hands on it and fix it up), which means a lot of waiting. And as of now, we are waiting to get a signed contract back. So it is sort of ours and sort of not ours. Even when we do get the contract, there are still lots of steps to make sure that the home is in okay condition and habitable. So more waiting for us. You'd think I would get good at it after all this time, but not really. Still working on it, Lord.
In the meantime though, we will be using my UPS box address that I have for work. So for all of you who read this blog AND want to write me a letter (I know the numbers dropped off significantly there), the best address to use from now on is :
4355 Cobb Pkwy SE
Suite J446
Atlanta, GA 30339
I can use all the love notes I can get!
Comes the Dawn
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your roads
On today because tomorrow'ground
Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in midflight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much,
So you plant your own garden and decorate
Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure,
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn... and you learn
With every goodbye you learn.
-author unknown
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
A little more than a walk in the park
Sorry, no pictures again. Still working on it. Today, I spent a workout morning with my new friend Kristina. Kristina is actually sort of an old friend because she is the sister of my roommate from college. Kristina and her hubby Sean moved out here from California a little over 6 months ago so we have been spending some time together, mostly going on walks and such. However, Kristina had much more than a walk planned for us today. She came up with a whole series of workouts to do in the park that overlooks the river. We did high knees, sit ups, push ups, leg lifts, lunges and more, and I tell ya she is a driver. She should be a trainer the way she can get you to keep moving.
I thought it would help to be overlooking the river, that it wouldn't hurt as much or be hard in such a serene setting. Not so much. I am sore already and it is only an hour past when we worked out. I never know if I like this or not, because it reminds me that I am out of shape and getting old. Yes, I am having issues with approaching the big 3-0. I have a little over a year still, but I am preparing for it, the downhill body from there. I have heard that's when most of the metabolism stops. So thanks to Kristina, who is helping me get ready by blasting drills at me and making me laugh in the process. I love her spirit and the fact that she brough a list of items to get done on our workout agenda and practiced them on her husband first.
I thought it would help to be overlooking the river, that it wouldn't hurt as much or be hard in such a serene setting. Not so much. I am sore already and it is only an hour past when we worked out. I never know if I like this or not, because it reminds me that I am out of shape and getting old. Yes, I am having issues with approaching the big 3-0. I have a little over a year still, but I am preparing for it, the downhill body from there. I have heard that's when most of the metabolism stops. So thanks to Kristina, who is helping me get ready by blasting drills at me and making me laugh in the process. I love her spirit and the fact that she brough a list of items to get done on our workout agenda and practiced them on her husband first.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Clear as mud
It has been dreadfully hot here. Like the kind where it is too hot to go outside, or even go in the pool because the water is too warm to be a relief. The only kind of escape we get is when it rains, which has started to happen more frequently. In the middle of the day we will get a quick storm and then the heat dies down and you can feel normal again.
Yesterday, I was driving home and talking to my dad about the latest saga on our house hunting adventure--more of that later--when it started raining. Fine by me, I thought, because it meant that it wouldn't be such a nasty scorcher for the rest of the afternoon. Plus there was the added bonus that rain=no exercise, because you can't possible go for a jog or walk in the rain, right? Fair weather walker, that's what my California walking friends would say. But since the weather was always fair in California, we were always walking. Anyway, I digress.
I was talking to my dad and turned on the windshield wipers, and immediately the whole window was too muddy to see through. Now, those of you who know me know that tidyness is not a virtue in my book, and I don't really know how long it has been since I have washed my car. So my immediate thought was, this muddy windshield is a result of the dry dirt that was probably caked on there mixed with the rain; a logical conclusion. However, the more I drove, the more muddy it continued to get, to the point that I could hardly see through my windshield. I was starting to get nervous so I slowed down. Then it got better. So I sped up. Then it got worse. The cycle continued, until I finally pieced together that the truck in front of me was the cause of my clouded windshield. When I put two and two together that I was driving behind a DIRT TRUCK, it made sense that the muddy film on my window wouldn't go away unless I slowed down. My dad and I laughed about it for a while. Comic relief is such a God-send. I wish I had more of it in my life.
Yesterday, I was driving home and talking to my dad about the latest saga on our house hunting adventure--more of that later--when it started raining. Fine by me, I thought, because it meant that it wouldn't be such a nasty scorcher for the rest of the afternoon. Plus there was the added bonus that rain=no exercise, because you can't possible go for a jog or walk in the rain, right? Fair weather walker, that's what my California walking friends would say. But since the weather was always fair in California, we were always walking. Anyway, I digress.
I was talking to my dad and turned on the windshield wipers, and immediately the whole window was too muddy to see through. Now, those of you who know me know that tidyness is not a virtue in my book, and I don't really know how long it has been since I have washed my car. So my immediate thought was, this muddy windshield is a result of the dry dirt that was probably caked on there mixed with the rain; a logical conclusion. However, the more I drove, the more muddy it continued to get, to the point that I could hardly see through my windshield. I was starting to get nervous so I slowed down. Then it got better. So I sped up. Then it got worse. The cycle continued, until I finally pieced together that the truck in front of me was the cause of my clouded windshield. When I put two and two together that I was driving behind a DIRT TRUCK, it made sense that the muddy film on my window wouldn't go away unless I slowed down. My dad and I laughed about it for a while. Comic relief is such a God-send. I wish I had more of it in my life.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Guarding solitude
"I hold this be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other."
-Rainer Maria Bilke.
I read this quote on someone else's blog today. I loved it and immediately sent it on to Bob. We are always working at managing the balance between togetherness and solitude. It is such a hard concept once you get married and sometimes you don't realize the need for solitude until it is too late. When we first got married I feel that we lost ourselves in each other and I think within the last few years we have realized the NEED for individuality, remaining who we are, and how that can contribute beautifully to a marriage.
I always wonder what our kids are going to see in us. I can't think of anything more reflective than having other people live with you and know you and look into your lives. How will they say we connected? Did one of us give in too much, lose ourselves in the other? Or do we remain ourselves and greater capable to love WHO the other person is? I hope it is the latter, we are sure working toward that.
Separate time is always good for us. We always come back more refreshed, more in love and thankful for the other person. We reconnect with God, who we are, and the things that he is speaking to us individually. I am realizing that a good relationship does not mean all time is spent together, but rather who each of us brings to the marriage, which is reshaped by solitude.
-Rainer Maria Bilke.
I read this quote on someone else's blog today. I loved it and immediately sent it on to Bob. We are always working at managing the balance between togetherness and solitude. It is such a hard concept once you get married and sometimes you don't realize the need for solitude until it is too late. When we first got married I feel that we lost ourselves in each other and I think within the last few years we have realized the NEED for individuality, remaining who we are, and how that can contribute beautifully to a marriage.
I always wonder what our kids are going to see in us. I can't think of anything more reflective than having other people live with you and know you and look into your lives. How will they say we connected? Did one of us give in too much, lose ourselves in the other? Or do we remain ourselves and greater capable to love WHO the other person is? I hope it is the latter, we are sure working toward that.
Separate time is always good for us. We always come back more refreshed, more in love and thankful for the other person. We reconnect with God, who we are, and the things that he is speaking to us individually. I am realizing that a good relationship does not mean all time is spent together, but rather who each of us brings to the marriage, which is reshaped by solitude.
Raw oatmeal
I know that oatmeal is good for you, but I have always found it too high maintenance for a breakfast food. Instant oatmeal has basically been depleted of all that might be healthy, not to mention the flavored ones that add in all that sugar. And when I have tried to make oats on the stovetop or in the microwave, I always end up with an overflow of mess when it boils over. Then it is too hot to eat so I have to wait for it to cool down. It then usually cools down too much and becomes hard. See what I mean, high maintenance.
A few months ago a found a recipe on a blog for raw oatmeal. I wasn't so sure about it but liked the idea. Just a few weeks ago, I tried it out and have been eating it almost every day since. I have kind of made up my own version that I want to share with you:
First, for one serving you soak 1/2 cup oats in water overnight (I usually store it in the fridge, but am not sure if you have to). In the morning you dump out some of the excess water and put oats in a food processor with anything else you would like in your oatmeal. I usually include a dash of vanilla almond milk, almonds, walnuts, flax seed, agave nectar, and cinnamon. Then you process it until the items are blended together and look like creamy oatmeal, put in a bowl and serve. It is delicious and has made the perfect summer breakfast because it is cool and healthy. I guess if you wanted it hot you could put in in the microwave for a tad, but then it wouldn't be "raw" anymore. Happy eating!
A few months ago a found a recipe on a blog for raw oatmeal. I wasn't so sure about it but liked the idea. Just a few weeks ago, I tried it out and have been eating it almost every day since. I have kind of made up my own version that I want to share with you:
First, for one serving you soak 1/2 cup oats in water overnight (I usually store it in the fridge, but am not sure if you have to). In the morning you dump out some of the excess water and put oats in a food processor with anything else you would like in your oatmeal. I usually include a dash of vanilla almond milk, almonds, walnuts, flax seed, agave nectar, and cinnamon. Then you process it until the items are blended together and look like creamy oatmeal, put in a bowl and serve. It is delicious and has made the perfect summer breakfast because it is cool and healthy. I guess if you wanted it hot you could put in in the microwave for a tad, but then it wouldn't be "raw" anymore. Happy eating!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sabbath
I think we had a perfect Saturday. It started when some of Bob's colleagues and their wives asked us to go on a bike ride with them. And this wasn't just a casual stroll of a bike ride. We rode 16 miles, dodging construction and other sorts of obstacles along the way. The best part about a bike ride is that although it is exercise, you don't realize it (until after when you are sore all over and cannot walk). The other best part is that you can talk to the people you are with. Unlike running, where every ounce of breathe is needed to finish. So in the couple of hours that we rode, I got to personally talk with every person on the trek. What a great way to get to know someone!
We weren't quite as "experienced" of riders. I didn't know bike riding was so technical, since about everyone learns it at the age of five. We did not have padding on our shorts, so our bums got sore faster, we did not have helmets, which was actually fine with me since we never fell and I still think they are so dorky, and we did not have a place to hold water bottles on our bikes. So, luckily our friends shared the water they had. Dehydration is bad on a long bike ride in the summer in Georgia.
We took a pitstop to enjoy some homemade blueberry muffins, made with fresh ground wheat from a food mill. Yes! Then all the men and women tried to convince Bob why we needed to get a mill, which is what I have been trying to tell him for months. The muffins sold themselves, really, but the help of everyone else didn't hurt. I think we are one step closer.
At the end of our ride, I had a near death experience with my chain falling off while I shifted gears. Not really near death I guess, but embarassing. Everyone else was way up ahead and Bob had to come back and get me. After we finished and got our land legs back, we went to McDonald's (I know) for a smoothie. After getting over the fact that we were investing money to that establishment, I admitted I really did enjoy the smoothie. Probably because it has more sugar than an ice cream cone, but it was good. And I didn't feel guilty because I had just biked 16 miles, which probably sounds like nothing to a REAL biker. We had such a great time that I hope every Saturday involves a hard, fun workout with fun people.
Bob and I then made our way to Costco, which is my favorite place to go on a spontaneous date. After loading up with samples and goodies, we made it home just in time to get rained on when we unloaded our stuff. We spent the afternoon reading Harry Potter, our new obsession (I know we are late in the game), cooked lots of food and rested. On the Sabbath. It was awesome. I wish every Saturday could be as fun and restful.
We weren't quite as "experienced" of riders. I didn't know bike riding was so technical, since about everyone learns it at the age of five. We did not have padding on our shorts, so our bums got sore faster, we did not have helmets, which was actually fine with me since we never fell and I still think they are so dorky, and we did not have a place to hold water bottles on our bikes. So, luckily our friends shared the water they had. Dehydration is bad on a long bike ride in the summer in Georgia.
We took a pitstop to enjoy some homemade blueberry muffins, made with fresh ground wheat from a food mill. Yes! Then all the men and women tried to convince Bob why we needed to get a mill, which is what I have been trying to tell him for months. The muffins sold themselves, really, but the help of everyone else didn't hurt. I think we are one step closer.
At the end of our ride, I had a near death experience with my chain falling off while I shifted gears. Not really near death I guess, but embarassing. Everyone else was way up ahead and Bob had to come back and get me. After we finished and got our land legs back, we went to McDonald's (I know) for a smoothie. After getting over the fact that we were investing money to that establishment, I admitted I really did enjoy the smoothie. Probably because it has more sugar than an ice cream cone, but it was good. And I didn't feel guilty because I had just biked 16 miles, which probably sounds like nothing to a REAL biker. We had such a great time that I hope every Saturday involves a hard, fun workout with fun people.
Bob and I then made our way to Costco, which is my favorite place to go on a spontaneous date. After loading up with samples and goodies, we made it home just in time to get rained on when we unloaded our stuff. We spent the afternoon reading Harry Potter, our new obsession (I know we are late in the game), cooked lots of food and rested. On the Sabbath. It was awesome. I wish every Saturday could be as fun and restful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)