Labor Day Weekend

Not much real labor going on here....I spent Friday night with "Tinkerbell." Her brother has been babysitting for the summer but it was like we were never apart. We went swimming, made chalk drawings on the driveway, washed my hair in the sink, and watched a Star Wars movie I had never seen. We were supposed to do owagummy during the movie but I was stumped until Tink brought me paper and scissors ooooooh, origami

Faves

Favorite big cat: tiger

Are they amazing or what? I just love their markings and their whiskers. Truth be known I am fascinated by the whiskers of a house cat. I love to look at them.
OK, well that gets the big cat category taken care of. Next?

I really, really like giraffes too. Under the topic of strange things to do with a whole lot of money, I would sponsor one of each at a zoo.

On a smaller scale, with the exception of Siamese, I prefer the domestic short hair cat. I prefer solid or calico to a tiger or tabby but personality has been known to make one color blind.

Hamstrovakian Team takes Gold!

BEIJING -- In gymnastics today, the odds-on favored Hamstrovakian team took the gold in the Women's Synchronized Dangling. Pictured here, from top, are teammates Ursula Stolichnaya, Ivana Hugankissya and Olga Reallylongfunnynameski.

The Chinese ambassador immediately insisted that
1) the photo was not edited, and
2) all hamsters were at least 16 years old

She's sayin': Um, yeah, I hate to be a pest about this, but I'm pretty sure I asked for a yellow flower.

They swept the podium on the individuals, too. You should see them wearing their medals.

This entire post is complements of cuteoverload.com. Thank you very much.

Miss T.S. Fay

I was late to work today because I was waiting for Fay to lighten up just a teeny bit so I would not get drenched walking the few steps to my car in the driveway. Of course, when I got to the church it was raining hard and blowing sideways - not even an umbrella could help. I had nominating committee groceries but I just took in the things that needed to go in the frig and left the chips and bread for later.

I heard from Carol mid morning. She was a bit shaken, having driven through flood conditions to get to work. I also heard from mom, She got the heavy rain but no damage. Pastor Cliff and I finished the budget and turned it in. It was early afternoon before the official decision was made to cancel all activities except for choir practice (We have a visiting candidate for Minister of Music. ) It has rained every minute that I have been home and the pond behind my house is the highest I have ever seen it. There are flood watches in counties all around us. I just saw a weather report which sends the rain north and west across the state tomorrow.

So, I had a quiet evening. I answered email and watched the US volleyball team win gold Yeah!

Becky, Brenda, and Baby Landon

This one is for you.

Becky: Thanks for suggesting I post more than once a day. In this computer age, the post script has nearly become extinct. If we want to add, subtract, or perfect a thought these days, we hit the edit button. Believe me, I know right where it is. (In fact, I just moved an entire sentence!) I am not sure I can write with a pencil anymore. Anyway, does a second post the same day communicate either forgetfulness or urgency? Not this post.

I have not been doing as much cross stitch since I started posting. I need to finish up the largest piece I have ever done - Walt and Mickey walking toward Cinderella's castle. I am almost to the backstitching but I have a few spots to fill in. I have learned so much about doing a piece that large and I will do the next large piece differently. I think my next (also large) piece will be Villa Mirabillia by Mirabilia Designs. I have to finish the Lavender and Lace "Angel of the Sea" first.

Brenda: (and Scott, Lucas, Lia and Landon) I really enjoyed coming to your house on Thursday night. When did Lucas and Lia grow so big? You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers - I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do next.

Landon: Go to sleep, sweet baby boy!

Smorgasborg

It is appropriate that, when seeking to describe the offering of a veritable buffet of thought provoking tidbits, I would come up with a food related title. I haven't ever given the word smorgasborg much thought and I have to admit it kind of makes me smile. Yesterday, the word executable had nearly the same effect. Wow, I must be really comedy deprived. (I watched the movie "Licenced to Wed" last night and that certainly didn't do it for me...YAWN!)


Familyfriendsconnect readership has recently doubled (that is, two people told me that they read regularly.)


At work I am focused on Budgets and Brazil and then a bunch of smaller projects. The budgets are due Monday. I enjoy creating speadsheets from the financial reports. As with so many things it would be easier to keep the reports current than do the mad dash at the end but, isn't it an Olympic summer? The Brazil trip is October 6 -20. This is a large team (12) and visa applications need to go to the consulate this week. I have referred to myself in the past as an "Interruptions Manager" but I don't like what that term implies. I never want those I serve to feel like they are interrupting. Perhaps "Work Flow Engineer" would be a better title. For me, one undeniable key to success is to keep all notes in one place. That place is my desk calendar.



OK, Goal report:

done:a1. purse a5. frig a7. finances a8. call a friend a10. camera

still undone: 2. car 3. laundry 4. dining room table 6. no tv (I watched it while I cleaned out my purse and did the finances) 9. post Scripture and praise chorus.

I'll do more tonight.

A Few Simple Goals

I have the next two nights off. So, I am setting a few achievable goals.

1. Clean out my purse. Tonight, on the way home it set off the seat belt sign on the passenger side of my car. Does that mean it weighs as much as a small child?

2. Clean out my car. This means a stop at the church thrift store and the garbage can.

3. Catch up on all my laundry. I did a towel load the other day. I just need to do a dark load. Very do-able. Almost not even list worthy.

4. Clean off the dining room table. Again, very do-able. There are only a few items. It's just that the dining room table is such a tempting "I'm not quite finished with this" place for stuff to land. So, do I put the items away without finishing or do I allow myself to get sucked sideways into a task that has the power to actually vaporize an entire evening? Note to self: approach the dining table cautiously.

5. Clean out the frig. Are you noticing a trend here? How many times must we use the word "clean?" Did you know that November 14 is Clean out your Refrigerator Day? I am way ahead of schedule. I'd like to see the Hallmark greeting card for this one.

The egg salad is old and the milk smells really funny

If you don't freeze that meat you will waste a lot of money

What is that green thing way back in the back?

Oh, it used to be cheese, either cheddar or jack...

All the bottles on the door each have a dab of something

Check your expiration dates, now that would be a fun thing

Use some soapy water and throw that food away.

Get ready to party on"Clean out Your 'Frig Day!"

6. Watch only 1 hour of television. Oooh. This one might be hard. Something powerful happens when my behind meets that big blue tv chair and besides, THE OLYMPICS are on. Can you really get your fill of croquet at the Olympic level? (Consider changing the goal to NO TV so behind will not get sucked into the cushions of afore mentioned big blue tv chair. Abstinence has always been easier for me than self control.)

7. Balance the finances. Use this one as a reward. Sit down at the empty dining room table (instead of the big blue tv chair) to do this.

8. Call Holli Hyatt and/or Leslie Glessman and find out how/what they are doing.

9. Print out two Scripture verses and one praise chorus and tape them to the bathroom mirror.

10. Fiddle with used camera that I was given and have not learned to use.

Bonus Goal

11. Make a plan to spend time with friends. Well, actually, I have already done this one. I am going to the Comptons on Thursday night. It is my personal habit to slide one already accomplished task on any official to-do list and then immediately check it off. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. And, as everyone knows, accomplishment breeds accomplishment.

Ok, Let's add one more goal: Go to bed at a reasonable hour. I just realized it is 12:23AM oops.

"So You think You Can Dance"

If I could only watch one tv show all summer long, this would be it, especially after the auditions are over and the competition begins. The fact that this show is on three hours a week is both a blessing and a curse. Three hours of one show is a commitment! I must admit that having the DVR enables me to watch it at my convenience and w/o commercials. This is my second season of "Dance" and the better of the two. For me, it doesn't compare with American Idol or the even the other dance competition show. The choreographers and performers amaze me. I wish I knew more about how to evaluate the technical aspects but more often than not, it is the emotion of the dance that transports me.

I'll never forget the discussion I had in a group of friends and acquaintances about "the job we wanted to have in heaven." At first, I wanted to conquer a life long nemesis like paperwork. (Please tell me we won't have paperwork in heaven.) Either that night, or since then, I have decided I would like to be a graceful, athletic dancer, praising the Lord with effortless movement.

Opening Ceremonies August 8, 2008

I almost didn't watch the opening ceremonies. I'm glad I did. I was looking for some of the amazing statistics involved and found these remarkable pictures. A couple of things stood out for me. The sheer number of people involved: 15, 000 individual performers and the precision of the performers. I loved the run around the globe and oh, the 29 firework "steps" across the city of Beijing. Did you know that colorful rainbow was "painted" by the athletes stepping on brightly colored ink pads before walking across the canvas? I loved the sight of Yao Ming (7' 6") and 9 year old Lin Hao. Many who saw the Chinese team enter the Olympics asked ‘who is that little boy?’ He was the nine-year-old survivor of the earthquake in Sichuan. 20 of the 30 classmates in his school perished in the disaster, but after freeing himself he went back into the rubble to find his classmates. Lin Hao, the ‘hall monitor’ in his school encouraged his fellow students to sing songs to help keep up their spirits while rescuers worked to free them.

A lot of the technology was lost on me because it could not be captured, translated, to my 27" tv screen but the masses of people acting as one, the children, the colorful costumes, the single suspended torch lighter was too big to miss even on the small screen, I suspect that will be true of many of the stories and personalities in the seventeen days that follow the opening ceremonies.

The Wedding at the Beach

Saturday night was my first beach wedding. It was small and very casual but also very sweet, and honoring to the Lord. In the earlier afternoon, I worried about the weather. When I got to the Sun Splash Park there were no vacant tables. I spoke to a family and confirmed they were leaving soon so I stood nearby to claim the table.

The best man, Bob, laid palm fronds on the beach in the shape of a heart.

Sue, who stood with Suzan, made the bride's dress and a dress for herself.

The guests brought food and it was perfect -a variety and plenty of it. Suzan made the chocolate groom's cake with raspberry filling. The bride's cake we bought from Publix. I contributed the punch made of white grape juice and Seven Up.

Pastor Tim prayed the opening prayer. Pastor Cliff Smith (my boss) performed the ceremony. This picture is Cliff and his bride, Kathy. I was also the sound man. Country singing sensations Tracy Byrd, Alan Jackson and the group Alabama added their vocals at just the right time thanks to my handy cd player.

Suzan was delighted to include her daugher and two of her grandsons in the wedding party. And yes, the groom kicked off his shoes for the ceremony!

And then at the end of a beautiful evening the Lord God kissed the sky with an amazing sunset.