The Book Store

I have a new favorite family hangout. Barnes & Noble. Our new outdoor neighborhood shopping center opened this weekend, and it is full of shops and atmosphere. I love it! So far, my favorite store is B&N. We went there tonight for a family outing... coffee for the mom & dad, train table for the boys, and books for everyone. It was relaxing, calm, and fun.

Sporty Saturday

Like most of our Saturdays these days, today included a flag-football game followed by a baseball game. I loved it! I am tired, but it is a good tired. A "we're building a family" kind of tired. A "we're making memories" kind of tired. A good tired!

Jack, up to bat...


While Jack is mid-season in baseball & football, Allie & Cooper are mid-season in the sport of spectating. Here are a few photos of them today as they were cheering their brother on... um, kind of.

Cooper & my dad were "talking on their phones" with cousin Skyler's "shoe slops" (flip-flops). Then, Cooper had fun trying on his hat along with Poppie's...



Allie, looking pretty as a princess...

He's a good sport!

The highlight of my day...
Today one of Jack's teammates had a really good play during their flag-football game. Jack ran up to his friend, gave him a high-five, and yelled, "Nice play!" As they walked back to the sidelines, I saw my tough football-playing son walking with his arm around his buddy as he continued to congratulate him. I was so proud of my little guy and of the sportsmanship that he is developing.

Post-Game Entertainment

After the football game my family was all standing out in the middle of the field chatting when my little niece, Skyler, and her mommy started walking toward us from the side line... she was wearing a pink shirt and was carrying pink roses. As she got closer and handed me a rose I read that her shirt said, "I'M THE BIG SISTER!" Woo Hoo! I have a new niece or nephew on the way.

Friday Night Lights

Last night we went to one of my dad's high school football games. All of my Selke-family was there except one sister, Sara, and her family (the new Oklahomans). We missed them badly. The rest of us were easy to recognize at the game as our kids were the ones wearing the "I LOVE POPPIE" shirts. My getting-more-creative-by-the-day-sister, Emily, had the great idea to make them, and they were a hit!

The Selke Grandkids (except for Sweet Asher)...







If you look at my blog often you know that my Cooper is a sports-a-holic. He was so excited to go to Poppie's football game! UNTIL... he saw the "CowboyDog"...the mascot wearing cow-print clothes that reminded him of a dalmatian, evidentially. At first he was okay about looking at the CowboyDog from a distance, but once we tried to get this photo, he was totally paranoid that it was going to get him... and still kind of is. Poor little guy! At least we got a new, funny Cooper-word out of the deal.


This year my big brother, Coby, started helping my dad coach. It is so cool to watch them work together on the sidelines - especially when they walk the same, stand the same, rub their heads the same, etc. My dad is the absolute best coach I have ever known or known of. Hands down. I am glad that my brother is getting a chance to emulate him in this way!


A few pics., just for fun...








Maybe my favorite picture of the night... Jack joined my dad and brother in the huddle at the end of the game. This is the 3 of them, from the back, during the prayer.

wish that i could...

...on so many levels.



I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Father & Son

~~~~~~~ Corey & Jackson at Meridian State Park - June 2006 ~~~~~~~

A Quicky ;)

I only have time for a quick blog entry, but I have to share...

It's Thursday!!! Woo Hoo!
My favorite shows come on tonight (2 for the first time this season), and I am so excited!

What are your favorite shows?

Funny Girl

Tonight we were driving past a medical center of some sort. Allie saw their sign and was in disbelief. She announced to the family...

"Look! They do buttocks hair removal!!!"
(the sign said "Botox * Hair Removal")

We all died laughing!

Then Cooper said, "Ooh! That's gross!"

Which made us all laugh even harder.

...we needed that today! :)

The Best Date Ever

... or at least one of the best.




This morning Corey and I went on a golfing date. No, I don't golf, but I had this idea that riding along with him while he played would be very relaxing and fun. I was right! We had so much fun being alone together. Really ALONE! Undistracted. We hardly ever get times like that. We got to visit, I got to read a bit, he got to play some golf... and we got to be together. Without distraction. For 4 whole hours! It was amazing! Like a mini-vacation. The course that he played is beautiful, the weather was nice and cool for most of the round, and I got to see with my own 2 eyes that it really does take 4 hours to play golf. :)

Thanks to my little sis, Emily, for watching little Cooper, so we could have this much-needed time together! We appriciate you so much!





Corey looked super sexy (and very professional, I might add) in his Tiger-Woods-Red shirt!



Corey's nickname in high school was Shark...


Kickin' Back and RELAXING!



This sweet mama duck & her ducklings reminded me of me & my 3 babies.

The Kind of English I Speak...

This is a fun kind of bloggy thing to do... I saw it on my sister's blog. Looks like we speak the exact same kind of English.

You should try it too. Let me know if you do.
What Kind of American English Do You Speak?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/

My Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English

20% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

My Baby's Head

Okay, I know I am beyond-sentimental about some things...

Tonight I was laying on the couch with my baby boy watching Little Einstien's. I was running my fingers through his hair and rubbing his head when I realized... his soft spot is almost gone. When did that happen? How did I miss it? I think that I have known to soak in everything that I can more with this baby than I knew to with the first two babies, but I guess that I cannot catch every "first" or "last" no matter how hard I try to. Thank God for cameras, and scrapbooks, and jouranls, and blogs. By recording things like what my newborn baby's head looked like just minutes after he was born I can compare it to the present and not feel like I have lost quite so much.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Then & Now~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laying in the Grass

Tonight my girly and I went on a neighborhood walk. We ended up at a little pond with a fountain near the lake. The weather outside was perfect. Not hot at all. We kicked off our shoes and sat and talked for a while. Then she explored a bit as I sat and watched her - amazed at how much she has grown and changed. I sang John Denver songs, and then we laid in the grass and visited. How long has it been since you laid in the grass? It had been a while for me, and I found it to be refreshing. Very natural. We laid there for a while and talked about what her hopes and dreams are for her upcoming birhday. I can't believe that she is about to be 11! While we were laying there, the sun set and the moon appeared in the sky. It was beautiful. Peaceful. Perfect!

Our Love Story – Part 2

We were 13 and 18 and in love. This was not totally unheard of in our small town, but it was unusual. Most times when there were couples that were this young and with this kind of age difference there were things going on between them that shouldn’t have been. That was not the case for us, but I am sure that in the circles of gossip our purity was questioned. We were together for different reasons. We loved getting to know each other… we could talk for hours. We understood each other more than anyone else in the world understood us, and we found comfort in each other because of that.

Over the next 4 years we continued to grow more and more in love. I was very involved in school and church while Corey was away at college during the week - an hour from home, and we both worked most of the weekends. But we lived for those weekends - even if we only had a few hours to spend together. Our time spent together was almost always spent at one of our family’s houses. We would play games, watch TV, lay outside and look at the stars, go hunting or fishing together, cook together, or just sit and talk. We never went on dates until I was 16. We became a part of each other’s families. We shared holidays and went on trips with each other’s families. Everything we did outside of school and work was done together – usually with our families.

I can say that being fully in love and committed to someone at such a young age was hard sometimes. I was different from all of the people that I went to school with. Sometimes it was hard to relate to them, and I am sure that it was hard for them to understand me. I was at a place in life that many people do not reach until they are in their mid-twenties or thirties. I was a decade younger than those people, so I didn’t really relate well with them either. I would have times that I questioned what I was doing, but my love for Corey always brought me back to knowing that with him was where I was supposed to be.

The spring of 1991 rolled around. We were 17 and 22. One night Corey & my dad were looking at the baseball cards that they liked to collect together when Corey asked my dad if we could get married. He said yes. Corey came and told me that they had talked about it, but he did not officially propose. We began to unofficially plan for a wedding the next summer after I graduated from high school – as soon as we possibly could.

In May he graduated from college and signed up to be a summer missionary. We would have to go much of that summer without seeing each other. When he boarded that plane, I was heart broken. I had never felt my heart ache like it did that day as I stood at the window of the airport and watched his plane roll away. Once during that summer my parents took me to see him. He was working at a boys ranch, and they were having a rodeo that night. When we pulled up, my eyes darted from here to there as quickly as I could make them… looking for my guy. Finally, I saw him. He was the most beautiful sight that I had ever seen. He was very tan from working out in the sun all summer and the white shirt that he was wearing accentuated that even more. And that smile… he flashed that smile at me when he saw me, and I melted.

We survived the summer apart, and he came home to Meridian in August. He had gotten his college degree – two of them actually, but could not find a job. He continued working with an electrician in town and I started my senior year of high school and worked a lot. One December night when I got off of work, I found a note in the car. Handwritten from Corey. It told me to go to a location where I found another note which told me to go to another location… and so on. I ended up out at the place that his family owns and walked up to the hunting cabin to find Corey sitting at a table in the candlelight. Waiting. When I walked in, we talked for a moment then he got down on one knee, told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and asked, “Will you marry me?” Of course I said yes.

The next few months were filled with wedding planning, working, finishing school, house hunting, finding a college… an odd assortment of activities. We were both so anxious for June to arrive, so we could be together all of the time. One thing that I vividly remember Corey telling me during that time was, “This is going to be hard.” We never lived with that oblivious “love is enough” kind of outlook on life. We always knew that this marriage thing was going to take a lot of work.

15 years later, I cannot say that I understood what his forecast of “hard” was going to entail. I had no idea what twists and turns our life would take us through. But I can honestly say, if I had to live through it all again, there would not be a better person to live it with. Corey has proven to be the hardest worker I have ever known. He knows what he believes and he stands behind that 100% - even when it is not easy. And when it comes down to it that is what marriage – life - is all about.

Our Love Story - Part 1

It was August 1986. I was 12 years old and about to start 7th grade. My dad had gotten a new job as an athletic director at the high school in the tiny town of Meridian, TX, and my family was moving from our moderately sized town in West Texas to that small Central Texas town. I had lived in Plainview for as long as I could remember. I had survived changing from private to public school in 4th grade, being the new girl, and being second-tier in the cool kids' circle, but I had begun to find my place. I was sad about leaving that place. My friends. My home. My grandparents. But I was excited about the new adventure that awaited my family as we moved hours away from our home.

Meridian was a quaint little town with a river that ran through it, hills, and trees. All of which was different from the plains that I was moving from. I was instantly intriguing to everyone that I met in that tiny town as not much new happened there, so new equaled good and exciting. I liked that! I liked that people were interested in me. Liked me – even if it was for an odd reason. I quickly made friends with a bunch of kids, was invited to parties, and even spent the night at some of my new friends' houses.

Football was everything in Meridian. That is the case in most Texas towns, and it is even more amplified in small-town-Texas. I had it good. My dad was the coach. How much more involved in football could a 12 year old girl be? I hung out with the team at times, went to the 2-a-day practices in the evenings, and played catch with boys that I had a crush on. The most defining moment of being "the coach’s daughter", "the new girl", and "the intriguing one" came on the night that the football team had an ice cream social after practice. It was so hot and humid outside. The football boys were sweaty and gross, but that did not stop me from noticing, for the first time, the most handsome guy that I had ever seen. He was tall and had dark hair and skin. He had a beautiful, I mean BEAUTIFUL, smile and a 67 on his jersey. I asked my new friend who he was, and she said, “His name is Corey. He is my second cousin.” I found out that he was 17 and about to start his senior year of high school. I thought nothing else about him. He was obviously not an option for a boyfriend…

A little while later, that friend invited me over to spend the night. We were making tacos for dinner, and guess who stopped by to eat? It was him. Corey. I was nervous. Giddy. I don’t remember anything that was talked about that night except that he said that he wanted his babies to wear cloth diapers someday. I said, “What if your wife wants something different? She will probably be the one changing most of the diapers. If I were your wife, I would use disposable diapers!” That’s it. A funny thing to remember, I know. After he left, my friend and I were up in her room listening to music, laying on the bed talking… things that girls do. She showed me a picture of her cousin, and I looked at it all night. My heart would beat fast when I did. I even kissed it a few times. I was dreaming, but I never thought that my dream would come true.

School started. The junior high and high school shared some of the same rooms in the tiny school. It just so happened that Corey had a class right across the hall from me, and when we would change classes I got to look at him. It was like going to the mall and looking through the jewelry store window. You know that you are not going to get the jewels that you are looking at. You just imagine what it would be like to have them. Wear them. All the while knowing that you may never have anything that beautiful or expensive. Those kinds of things are out of your league. Later I found out that Corey had noticed me too… in the hall when we were changing classes. One day, he even told a friend of his that he was going to marry me someday.

The school year progressed. He did his thing. I did mine. He and my brother became friends, and I would find a reason to join their conversations when he came to visit my brother. He graduated and went away to work for the summer. Then, one late-summer day our paths crossed, and I mentioned that he should come by and visit my family, - Not me. My family. - and he took me up on it.

Fall came, and Corey moved about an hour away to go to college. In small-town-Texas everyone that goes to college within an hour drive comes home for the weekend. They leave school on Fridays in plenty of time to get back for the football games on Friday nights. Corey was no different. Sometimes he would come by my family's house for a visit on the weekends. Sometimes we would talk at the football games. There was definitely the beginning of something emerging. We loved talking to each other. Getting to know each other. We started writing letters to each other and would even talk long-distance on Wednesday nights. That is all that we could afford. One October night, after the homecoming game he gave me a ride home, and it happened... our first kiss. This was an unusual situation. We knew it. But we were falling in love with each other despite the obvious obstacles.

I survived without Survivor!

Last night was a big night for me. After a summer without any of "my shows", the first one of my select-few came back last night. I was so excited when I would think about it through out the day. It was "Survivor Day". I LOVE Survivor!

This season, a friend of a friend is on the show. His name is Jean-Robert. (You have to say that with a French accent. Oui.) So, as much as I wanted to be for a team with men named Chicken and Frosti - for no other reason than the fact that those are just hilarious names -, I felt compelled to pull for Jean-Robert. For now. We all know that this show brings out the worst in people, so I will have to see what kind of player he turns out to be, but for now I am a JR fan.

Slipping Away

It was 5am. April 12. We were asleep, groggy, and missed the call, but when I looked at caller ID I knew that it was bad. My husband's brother's ex-wife was calling. At 5am! This had to be really bad... one of only a couple of things. I called her back. It was the most torturous sound that I have ever heard. Never have I heard such desperation, sadness, and panic all wrapped into one voice. Her son. Our nephew. He had been in a terrible car accident, and he was gone. I was stunned. In some ways I think that I still am.

After we got home from the funeral I would check his myspace page ever so often. His friends would post how they were missing him for weeks after he was gone. I would look at his choice for his page's background, the music, his friends, his favorite things. All of it... pieces of who he was and hoped to be. I would look at it every couple of weeks for a while - then I did not. I had not thought to look at it again until today. I was having a sad day... an "I want to surf the net kind of day", so I thought that I would just see if anything had changed on his page. I typed in his name... Nothing. His page would not come up. I felt a sinking feeling inside. He has been gone for almost 6 months, but somehow he is still slipping away. Was his page gone? I googled his name. A few months ago articles about him would come up on the first or second page when I searched this way. Today I had to click to page 6 to find anything about him. Slipping. Finally, by linking through other people's pages, I found his. I was relieved. It is amazing to me that just a couple of weeks ago people posted on his site. They are still connecting to him, his memory, in this technological way. In some way this computer age makes it harder to say a final good-bye but at the same time, there is comfort that comes because of it.

Guitar Guys

Jack and Corey are taking guitar lessons together, and I think that they are both enjoying it. Cooper, although not officially a pupil during the lessons, wishes he were. Thinks that he is. The first day that their teacher was here for guitar lessons, Cooper hunted down his little plastic Wiggles guitar, went into the dining room, sat on the piano bench, and stummed along. He was one of the guys. He was sure of it! Today, he took his new-found guitar (aka a raquetball raquet) into the lesson and joined in again. The teacher commented that "he's got the form down". I don't know about that, but he does "play" passionately, and it was so cute seeing my boys playing their guitars together.

Look What I Got!

Corey brought me these beautiful flowers... just because. Isn't he great!?!

A Good "Mommy Day"

This morning I have been getting in touch with my inner-toddler. :) No really... I decide soon after the 2 big kids and the daddy left for the day that it was "Cooper Day". Now you may think from my posts that every day is Cooper Day, as he gets more blog-time than anyone else... but here's the scoop.... the others are harder to capture with my camera and one of them in particular does not want much blog-time. That, added to the fact that Cooper is always with me, might lead one to believe that he gets all the one on one time that a baby could ever want. Well, that is not the case. Not that he is neglected, but most of the time he is the cute little cherry on top of whatever his siblings are doing. He is in his carseat a lot as I taxi them from activity to activity. He is always a spectator at some sport. And he is my constant errand-running companion - although that is not either of our favorite time spent together. This morning I realized that it had been a long time since I just played with him... made a mess with him. So, today we colored. We played puzzles. We ate lunch - both of us in "big chairs" - and did "cheers" with his sippy cup and my can of soda. And his favorite activity of all... we played ball. Lots and lots of ball. Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Basketball, Football. The boy likes sports. And today I was his number one teamate. In no hurry to go anywhere or do anything except be with him. It was awesome!

Being An Aunt

i am an aunt - called MiMi

one that is having to figure out how to do that with 3 kids of my own

one that loves my nieces and nephew like crazy

one that is having to find the way that they fit into my busy life

there is not a pattern to follow

it is not as easy as I thought that it would be

cookies, milk, slumber parties, time getting to know them

their little personalities

not yet - not like i'd like, anyway

someday

i pray

A New Blog Thing

I added a music video to my blog (on the left). I am not sure why it automatically added 4 clips of the same song. I have not watched them all, but I have watched the top and bottom one. I love them... and I LOVE the song! (Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns)

THE Fit

Well, so far this parenting-thing has been pretty easy with little Cooper. Don't get me wrong, I have earned my title with him... bounced him for a few months straight (it seemed), dealt with my share of sleepless nights, and have handled the "normal" suff that comes with mommyhood/ babyhood/ toddlerhood... but all in all he has been my easiest baby and toddler. He has been the only one that I could say "no" to that seemed to care that I had spoken... before I had to tap his hand. If I ever did have to do that, it was once or twice then he had the concept down... "Oh yeah, we don't touch the fireplace." The other two had to be reminded. And reminded. And reminded. And still they were sneaky little things that tried to get away with things when I was not looking. But not Cooper. The other two were climbing out of their cribs (and in Jack's case, carseat) by this age. But not Cooper. So, I was hoping that that was his permanent personality. That he was going to remain "the easiest child on earth". But this past week, he gave me a glimpse into the past... and hopefully not the future. He threw THE fit. If you are a parent of anyone over the age of 3, you know what I am talking about... you have probably forgotten it a bit - kind of like childbirth - but you have a memory of your precious little baby turning into a little monster, don't you?!? Now, Cooper has had other fits in his life, but until this week I had forgotten what a 2 year-old fit looked like. Sounded like. And in some cases, felt like. Oh, I have seen my fair share of them, but somehow, by the grace of God, I had forgotten what all the experiennce of THE fit entailed. It starts with an irrational child upset about an irrelivant issue. There is no talking them down from it. It has to run its course... which often includes flopping, thrashing, throwing punches, snot, tears, and loud LOUD screaming... not just crying, folks. Yes, that is what I experienced my sweet baby doing this week - a few times. With the other two, I would get so upset during THE fit. I would try to make it stop. Make them stop embarassing me. Make them obey me... and STOP! This time around, I realize that he must go through this stage. It is a part of him testing the boundries. Learning the rules. Seeing what I will do when he becomes a crazy-fit-throwing-baby. This time, I have decided that I get to point the boundries out and walk away. I don't have to sit there and let his fit throw me into my own. It was my "Ah-ha moment", as Oprah would say. I am hoping that by coming to this new revelation, I will nip this phase in the bud a bit - and my sweet Cooper will return to me even sweeter than before. Hopefully! If you see me with mascara running down my cheeks and a raspy voice... don't ask. You'll know that I was wrong.

Box Buddies

The "little cousins" had so much fun playing in the moving boxes when we went to help my sister and her husband move. Cooper and Claire are starting to really love playing together - he loves to entertain her, and she loves to laugh at him - and I am sure that Asher will be in on the fun more and more in the next few months.

My Son, Jack

Retro-Post:
This is a letter that I wrote to Jack when he was five. It tells the story of a day when he was in kindergarten... and of his generous heart.


January 26, 2006

My dear son Jack,

I am so proud of you today. This afternoon when I came to pick you up at school your kindergarten teacher, Mrs. McMullin, told me that she had to talk to me. She told me that it was treasure box day for your class, and when you took your turn at the treasure box you spent your tokens getting something not only for yourself but for Allie and Cooper too. She told me how proud she was of you and how generous and kind that you are. That made me so happy! Then, she told you that because you had been so generous you could go back to the treasure box and get something else. When you came to show me what you chose, I almost cried. It was a teddy bear/ football Christmas ornament. You chose it for Daddy and me – because he played football in high school and because I would like a teddy bear. You were right. I love it! And I will always remember this day because it is a day that you pleased not only your parents and your teacher, but it is a day that I know that you pleased God. You make me happy. I love you, Buddy!

Love Always,
Mommy


Jack as Jack Be Nimble before his kindergarten festival

Pants!

This morning I was reading through some of my old entries. I don't have a very good memory, so I love going back and reading stories about my kids... things that I would think that I would never forget when they happen, but I always do. I have not been good at recording heart-felt stories or funny things that my kids have done over the last 11 years. I guess it took too much time, energy, and thought (all things that I was short of) to sit down with a journal and write. However, this cyber-journaling thing works really well for me. So, I decided that as I remember things that I want to record in my memory - and in theirs - I will retro-post them here. So, here goes...

June 2003
It was Vacation Bible School week at our church. Jack was 3. Getting out the door in the mornings - especially when it is not part of our regular routine - is not my forte. I don't remember all that was going on that morning, but I do remember that I had a lot to organize and bring with me as I was helping at VBS. I got my kids dressed, loaded the car, and told the kids to go get in. We drove to the church and as we were getting ready to go in Jack said in his most serious and to-the-point way... "Pants!" "I forgot my pants." I turned around to see the little boy that I had fully dressed earlier that morning sitting in his car seat... in his undies. Evidentially, he had gone to the bathroom just before we left the house and had not put his shorts back on when he was done. Of course there was not enough time to go home and get pants as I had responsibilities at VBS in a matter of minutes, and I could not make him go in without them to "learn his lesson". Thankfully, there was a pair of shorts in the nursery closet that got us through the day.

"Mommy Come HeeeYa"

... aka "Mommy Come Here!" That is what I woke up to at 3:30am... a little while ago. Cooper hardly ever wakes up at night, but tonight - when his mommy is exhausted from 3 days of helping to move 9000 lbs.of boxes and take care of 3 babies, a Saturday full of ballgames and errands, and a husband that is gone on a last minute hunting trip - he is awake. So, after a bit of crying, I went to his room and followed his 2-year-old request, "Blanket and Rock", where I sat in the rocking chair with him until I fell asleep and we both almost fell to the floor. That jolted me awake, but as I resumed rocking with my eyes mostly shut, I could sense him staring at me with that, "Boy, this is the life! I could sit here and rock... and not go to sleep... FOREVER." look on his face. So, currently he is back in his bed "requesting" in that 2-year-old-middle-of-the-night-way for me to "Come HeeeYa". I was giving him a few minutes to remember that he is exhausted, like his mommy, and go back to sleep, but I am afraid that I am off to rescue him and add him to my collection of kids in my bed. He'll make #3. Oh well! Maybe I'll get to sleep tomorrow night.

Go "Waggies"

Today was Jack's second flag football game. His team's name is the Aggies. So, today we were at the game, and Coop was cheering his big brother on with Allie and me. We were all saying, "Go Aggies!" Then Cooper continued cheering by himself... "Go Jackie!" "Go football game!" "Go Waggies!" I thought I heard him right but asked just to make sure... "What team does Jack play on?" He said, as proudly as can be... "THE WAGGIES!" :) Woop!

My Sister

I'm back. I've been in Oklahoma for the last few days helping my sister move. When she told me she was moving I thought, "Hmmm... well, that will be something new to get used to." I wasn't sad. She wasn't sad. At the time she thought that we would live the same distance apart as we currently did - 2 hours - just in a different direction. Well, come to find out, it is more like 4 hours between our homes. We are used to being able to be available to each other all of the time. I am scared that that will change. I pray that it doesn't, but I am scared that it will. So this morning, as I laid in the guest bed at her house, I was sad. I wanted my sister to come home. To Texas. I didn't want to leave her there. When I drove away from her house and saw her standing there, holding her precious baby boy, I was sad. I missed her. Even before I was gone.

That's in the Bible?!?

My buddy was commenting on one of my blog entries about my personality...

"Your post reminded me of something I was reading this week. Genesis 16:12 describes Ishmael, and when I read it, I was reminded that God ordains our personalities. He truly needs all kinds...even pessimists."

So, I looked up that verse on a website that gives many different translations of the same verse. This is part of what one of them said...

"And he shall be as a wild ass among men"

I literally laughed until I almost fell out of the chair.

I wonder what she was trying to say about me!

Remembering

September 11th.

Not just a date.

An event.

A very very sad event.




I was getting ready to take the kids to preschool that morning. We turned on the TV, and saw New York. A tower. Some smoke. New York. So far away - another land. It didn't really register. I had lunches to make, diapers to change, and ponytails to put in curly hair. A few moments later the second tower was hit. What was going on?!? I took the kids to school, ran some errands, and heard the store clerks saying, "They've hit the pentagon." "There's another one down in Philadelphia." Now, this event had my attention. My full attention. Was our nation's capital next? Our president? I was an American. A safe American! A scared American. I wanted to go get my kids, but I resisted. Soon after that, came the quiet. We lived in the flight pattern just north of an international airport. There were always planes above and the noise that came with them. That day... and for many days after that... there was nothing. I sat outside on the step and looked up at the sky. Nothing. I thought of the people in New York. Unimaginable. I could not imagine what they must be feeling... if I was feeling so insecure thousands of miles away.