Yeah, I’m a wimp.
As I write this, I am in the comfort of my brother-in-law’s beautiful, air conditioned home in Mansfield, Tx (near Ft Worth).
Most of my friends are still in the Houston area suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. My husband and I were actually some of the more blessed ones: although our power was off, we still had running water, a gas stove and no structural damage or flooding.
Ike actually came through Conroe at around four a.m. My precious husband, fearing for our safety, actually made me a pallet of couch cushions in our interior bathroom and he slept on a pallet on the hallway floor. We were concerned that the huge oak tree in our backyard would end up in our bedroom or that the windows would blow out. Thankfully, neither of those things happened.
Most of the day Saturday we spent watching the storm – electricity went off sometime around six a.m. so there was nothing else to do! That evening, after things had calmed down, we ventured out to see the damage. We didn’t see any flooding but we saw lots of trees down, roofs damaged and power lines down.
We came home to a dark, hot house and had a wonderful meal of leftovers. We actually ate really well during this time mainly because we didn’t have anything else to do but cook, eat and wash dishes! I just bought groceries last week so we were in good shape where food was concerned.
To pass the time we played games, read books, took pictures, played with Caesar and listened to a battery operated radio. I actually got so bored at one point that I even made a parody video of a KTRH reporter covering Hurricane Ike…there’s only so much “Live and in depth team coverage!” a girl can take! And what’s up with reporters actually putting themselves in harm’s way to cover a story? Do they really think we’re so stupid that they have to demonstrate what NOT to do in case of a hurricane??? Anyway, we’ll see if I have the guts to post it here and give all of you proof of what a dork I am! LOL
Finally, after about 24 hours of no electricity (and hearing the mayor say we wouldn’t have any for 2-3 weeks) I told Chris that I thought this was an excellent opportunity to go see his family in the DFW area. Kevin and Melissa are expecting their first child in November and I really wanted to see them before she was due. Before Ike, we couldn’t find time to go see them, but now all we have is time – and besides I was hot and bored!
I know, I know – wah!!! Here I am complaining about being hot and bored while millions of people are standing in line for ice or gas or food.
I do feel really guilty about having such a good situation now, but the truth is I’m having a blast! Last night we went to TGIFridays to celebrate my mother-in-law, Jackie’s, birthday. We had such a good time with Kevin and Mel, Bro. and Sis. Miller (Melissa’s grandparents), Chris’ grandmother, Jordan and his girlfriend Christina, and Uncle Jim and Aunt Sarah. Today has been a wonderful, relaxing day. We’ve had a good breakfast, did a little running around and finally back home to play games. Tonight or tomorrow we will start cooking all the meat we brought with us to try to save as much of it as we can.
Please keep praying for everyone in the affected area. If you’ve never been in a similar situation you can’t believe how scary it is. For me, the lack of supplies wasn’t the hardest part because we were really well off compared to everyone else. What was hard for me was the knowledge that our basic needs had no way of being met. If we did run out of something or had some kind of need who would we call? Where would we go? The police were already overwhelmed, the hospital was no better off than we were (their generator failed), and all the stores were closed or had little product. Thankfully, we had plenty of fuel and traffic wasn’t bad on the way to Mansfield.
Also, please keep my parents in your prayers. They live in Lufkin and are suffering from Ike’s aftermath as well. They have purchased a generator but as many of you know generators can’t run a house full of electrical appliances.
If you are reading this and you are from the affected area please know that you are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. I wish I could bring all of you here with me and we could all sit around and play games together. Unfortunately, all I can do is pray for you and hope for the best.
To my church family: I love you all very much and miss you more than you know. I can’t wait until things are back to “normal” and we can all be together again in His house. Just thinking of you brings tears to my eyes – I can’t wait to see you!
Coming soon…a slideshow of our recent adventures!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
True Confessions!
Ok, I have a confession to make. Full disclosure. Here it is. Ready?
I LIKE IKE! (Sort of)
See, it’s like this. My husband works retail; I teach school. We just don’t get a lot of time off at the same time. But since Ike is coming to town we’ve closed CCS, the store is closed and we’re staying HOME!
I am concerned for the safety of everyone in the area and we ourselves have taken precautions to prepare (we’re not in the mandatory evacuation area)…but YEA!!! I’m home with my sweetheart!!!
Last night, we actually had an “Ike and Harry” party! Harry is a good friend of ours who has been out of town working for the past couple of weeks so we invited him over for dinner. Harry was also kind enough to help Chris with some hurricane preparation work. We had lasagna and salad, iced tea, garlic toast, chocolate cake and Costa Rican coffee (thanks Paul and Stephanie!). We had such a good time… Good food, good company, good coffee…a good time had by all - what more could we ask for?
Today we made our final Ike preparations and now we’re just waiting for Ike to come in.
We did sleep late, had a big, delicious breakfast and have been playing toys with Caesar…and we definitely plan to take a fat nap later today!
I sincerely hope and pray that everyone is safe during this storm…but in the meantime we’re taking full advantage!
Here’s a slideshow of our Ike and Harry party…Enjoy!
I LIKE IKE! (Sort of)
See, it’s like this. My husband works retail; I teach school. We just don’t get a lot of time off at the same time. But since Ike is coming to town we’ve closed CCS, the store is closed and we’re staying HOME!
I am concerned for the safety of everyone in the area and we ourselves have taken precautions to prepare (we’re not in the mandatory evacuation area)…but YEA!!! I’m home with my sweetheart!!!
Last night, we actually had an “Ike and Harry” party! Harry is a good friend of ours who has been out of town working for the past couple of weeks so we invited him over for dinner. Harry was also kind enough to help Chris with some hurricane preparation work. We had lasagna and salad, iced tea, garlic toast, chocolate cake and Costa Rican coffee (thanks Paul and Stephanie!). We had such a good time… Good food, good company, good coffee…a good time had by all - what more could we ask for?
Today we made our final Ike preparations and now we’re just waiting for Ike to come in.
We did sleep late, had a big, delicious breakfast and have been playing toys with Caesar…and we definitely plan to take a fat nap later today!
I sincerely hope and pray that everyone is safe during this storm…but in the meantime we’re taking full advantage!
Here’s a slideshow of our Ike and Harry party…Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Consistently and Correctly Stupid
All right, I’m fired up. You already know that I’m a high school teacher… but I’m not just any high school teacher. I love my kids and I believe in them and I get angry when I feel that they’re being attacked. Right now, I’m angry. We have good kids that attend our school and our church. They have the most amazing potential for greatness! They are smart, talented and very generous both with their time and their love for others. I know…”Every mama’s crow is the blackest”, or in my case “every teacher’s”, but mine really are! LOL Seriously, they are great kids, but they, and young people all over the world just like them, are under attack.
The other day I saw a headline referring to the Video Music Awards and purity rings. Well, VMA’s and purity rings in the same sentence??? You bet they had my attention! Apparently, a host of the VMA’s (I do not even stoop to give him Google hits on my page) spent a great deal of time slamming different celebrities who had publicly announced their commitment to remain morally pure until marriage. We don’t do purity rings, but if I understand correctly, they are a symbol of that commitment. As a young person growing up, I didn’t believe in wearing rings so I chose to symbolize my commitment to purity in a different, but no less tangible way. Below is the video of The Today Show spot that Meredith Vieira did on the subject.
Did she just say, “consistently and correctly”?!?!?Most teenagers I know can’t even remember to brush their teeth consistently and correctly…How in the name of common sense can we tell them that if they choose to become sexually active, just use a condom – consistently and correctly! At this age kids are awash in hormones. You’re going to look me in the eye and say (with a straight face, no less!) that in that situation they are going to remember to even wear a condom much less put it on correctly??? Please!
Besides fighting their hormones, they also have to fight their own culture - as you saw in the video. They can’t even go a single day without something sexual being thrown at them. They see it and they hear it everywhere. It’s no wonder that they are curious about it and want to know why God and their parents and their church leaders are the only ones who are telling them no where this is concerned. Our churches are working overtime in Youth Departments all over the nation trying to push back against the flood of immorality that is coming out of Hollywood faster than we can blink. In many cases, Youth Pastors are leading the charge and shouldering much of the responsibility and teaching that happens on this topic. They are the ones who are doing the REAL sex education: the kind that doesn’t say idiotic things like “consistently and correctly”, but things like “Don’t even get into a situation where this could happen! Date in groups! Keep the lights on and your hands to yourself!” In my very humble opinion, sex education is just a way to assuage the conscience of advertisers, producers and other media moguls who are responsible for sexualizing everything our children see and hear. From dolls and children’s underwear (yes, I said CHILDREN’S) to music and movies our kids are inundated every day with either a scantily clad model or an overt message of “Everyone’s doing it but YOU!” This is a lie and I’m glad that someone with the platform had the guts to stand up and say it. Yeah for Jordin Sparks!!!
And by the way, contrary to one of the quotes by the VMA host, “a little sex” has hurt many people. STD’s, unwanted pregnancies and broken hearts are all products of “a little sex.”
As a young person who grew up in the church and had many friends in the church, I can say that I KNOW that good kids mess up; good kids make mistakes; it happens all the time. Some get caught and some don’t. My point is that we shouldn’t expect them to fail, but rather give them the tools they need to succeed. We need to let them know that, with God’s help and our love and support, they can live a morally pure life.
Now, this isn’t to say that I believe that a piece of metal on a kid’s finger is going to keep him pure any more than I believe it would keep a married person faithful to his vows. However, I do think it is important that we as adults show our support for young people who choose to make this kind of commitment in real ways.
If you are a parent with a teenager, I challenge you to actively partner with your Pastor, your child’s Youth Pastor and Sunday School teacher (and anyone else who will love your kids) to push back against the culture. How do you do this? Support, support, support! Don’t let your kids hear you run down their leaders. Teach them to respect them and to follow their lead. Teach, teach, teach! Don’t let the bulk of responsibility rest on the church in this area. If your kids are hearing about this from everyone but you, they’re not hearing about it enough. Tell them why it’s important for them to wait until marriage to have sex. Tell them God’s plan for marriage and love. Focus on the Family has some amazing resources on this topic.
If you are not a parent, but have a relationship with some of these kids, I challenge you to love them and support them and their parents with prayer and encouragement as they walk through this minefield called teenager-hood. Our church is really awesome about this. Many of our young people are already involved in many areas of ministry. They are a true blessing to departments like outreach, Sunday school, Hospitality, music and media. Our Pastor and his wife are consistent in prayer and support for all families, but they have a special love for children and young people. Thank God!
For those of you wondering, yes, my husband and I waited until marriage to consummate our love and I can say with all conviction that I’m so glad we did. Were we perfect? Did we always behave the way that we should have? In all honesty, no. But that’s how I know that good kids don’t always make the best choices – because we were good kids. This is why it’s so important that we teach our kids real, applicable ways of handling these situations, that we actively create ways to lead them to make this type of commitment - and forget about this “consistently and correctly” hogwash.
The other day I saw a headline referring to the Video Music Awards and purity rings. Well, VMA’s and purity rings in the same sentence??? You bet they had my attention! Apparently, a host of the VMA’s (I do not even stoop to give him Google hits on my page) spent a great deal of time slamming different celebrities who had publicly announced their commitment to remain morally pure until marriage. We don’t do purity rings, but if I understand correctly, they are a symbol of that commitment. As a young person growing up, I didn’t believe in wearing rings so I chose to symbolize my commitment to purity in a different, but no less tangible way. Below is the video of The Today Show spot that Meredith Vieira did on the subject.
Did she just say, “consistently and correctly”?!?!?Most teenagers I know can’t even remember to brush their teeth consistently and correctly…How in the name of common sense can we tell them that if they choose to become sexually active, just use a condom – consistently and correctly! At this age kids are awash in hormones. You’re going to look me in the eye and say (with a straight face, no less!) that in that situation they are going to remember to even wear a condom much less put it on correctly??? Please!
Besides fighting their hormones, they also have to fight their own culture - as you saw in the video. They can’t even go a single day without something sexual being thrown at them. They see it and they hear it everywhere. It’s no wonder that they are curious about it and want to know why God and their parents and their church leaders are the only ones who are telling them no where this is concerned. Our churches are working overtime in Youth Departments all over the nation trying to push back against the flood of immorality that is coming out of Hollywood faster than we can blink. In many cases, Youth Pastors are leading the charge and shouldering much of the responsibility and teaching that happens on this topic. They are the ones who are doing the REAL sex education: the kind that doesn’t say idiotic things like “consistently and correctly”, but things like “Don’t even get into a situation where this could happen! Date in groups! Keep the lights on and your hands to yourself!” In my very humble opinion, sex education is just a way to assuage the conscience of advertisers, producers and other media moguls who are responsible for sexualizing everything our children see and hear. From dolls and children’s underwear (yes, I said CHILDREN’S) to music and movies our kids are inundated every day with either a scantily clad model or an overt message of “Everyone’s doing it but YOU!” This is a lie and I’m glad that someone with the platform had the guts to stand up and say it. Yeah for Jordin Sparks!!!
And by the way, contrary to one of the quotes by the VMA host, “a little sex” has hurt many people. STD’s, unwanted pregnancies and broken hearts are all products of “a little sex.”
As a young person who grew up in the church and had many friends in the church, I can say that I KNOW that good kids mess up; good kids make mistakes; it happens all the time. Some get caught and some don’t. My point is that we shouldn’t expect them to fail, but rather give them the tools they need to succeed. We need to let them know that, with God’s help and our love and support, they can live a morally pure life.
Now, this isn’t to say that I believe that a piece of metal on a kid’s finger is going to keep him pure any more than I believe it would keep a married person faithful to his vows. However, I do think it is important that we as adults show our support for young people who choose to make this kind of commitment in real ways.
If you are a parent with a teenager, I challenge you to actively partner with your Pastor, your child’s Youth Pastor and Sunday School teacher (and anyone else who will love your kids) to push back against the culture. How do you do this? Support, support, support! Don’t let your kids hear you run down their leaders. Teach them to respect them and to follow their lead. Teach, teach, teach! Don’t let the bulk of responsibility rest on the church in this area. If your kids are hearing about this from everyone but you, they’re not hearing about it enough. Tell them why it’s important for them to wait until marriage to have sex. Tell them God’s plan for marriage and love. Focus on the Family has some amazing resources on this topic.
If you are not a parent, but have a relationship with some of these kids, I challenge you to love them and support them and their parents with prayer and encouragement as they walk through this minefield called teenager-hood. Our church is really awesome about this. Many of our young people are already involved in many areas of ministry. They are a true blessing to departments like outreach, Sunday school, Hospitality, music and media. Our Pastor and his wife are consistent in prayer and support for all families, but they have a special love for children and young people. Thank God!
For those of you wondering, yes, my husband and I waited until marriage to consummate our love and I can say with all conviction that I’m so glad we did. Were we perfect? Did we always behave the way that we should have? In all honesty, no. But that’s how I know that good kids don’t always make the best choices – because we were good kids. This is why it’s so important that we teach our kids real, applicable ways of handling these situations, that we actively create ways to lead them to make this type of commitment - and forget about this “consistently and correctly” hogwash.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My "Grand" Grandparents!
This weekend our church will be doing several different things in honor of Grandparents Day. We’re putting together some special music and a few other things that will focus on the contribution of Grandparents in each of our lives. Of course, that’s got me to thinking about my own wonderful grandparents, James and Ruth Gillis.
Outside of my mom, these people have probably had the greatest influence upon my life thus far. But not because they lived next door and it was easy; they actually lived eight hours away but made it a priority to have a relationship with my brother and me. They made that drive from Arkansas to Texas so many times, they probably had it memorized!
I wish everyone could know Granny and Papaw. I want to be like them in so many ways! For one thing, they have been married for 58 years and they STILL flirt with each other! For example, one time (not too long ago, actually) Granny was trying to tell Papaw about someone they knew that had injured his knee. She lifted up her skirt a little to show him what had happened on her own knee, and when she did Papaw let out a whistle and said, “Wooo, Mama! You got pretty legs!” She cut her eyes at him, pursed her lips and said, “Shut up and listen to me!” Papaw just threw his head back and laughed…he knew she liked it!
That’s another thing about Granny and Papaw: they have the best sense of humor! They don’t take themselves seriously at all. Instead, they have learned to laugh. When people say things to hurt their feelings, they just chuckle, shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, allright then.” I can’t tell you the hours we have spent in their den drinking coffee and laughing together about something that happened or that was said. These people simply cannot be offended because they choose not to be. Period. Maybe that’s how they survived the ministry for all these years!
Papaw is the type of man that doesn’t say much unless he’s got something to say. He’s perfectly content to let someone else do the talking, and that someone is usually Granny. Granny’s a real straight shooter…don’t ask Granny what she thinks if you don't want to know! She’ll get that finger to wagging and those pretty eyes to snapping and you’ll KNOW you’ve been GOT! She always starts off with, “Now you listen to Granny…” (Can you tell I’ve been GOT a time or two??) But it’s a good thing to get GOT by Granny! She’s one of the wisest people I’ve ever known and I still call and discuss every major decision with her before I talk to anyone else (except for Chris, of course!). I know that someday the Lord will call her home and I won’t have her here to help me, but until then I intend to take full advantage of her wisdom and experience.
Well, I could go on and on about Granny and Papaw but I guess I’ll stop here for now…but if you’re ever in Alma, Arkansas, be sure to look them up. They’ll put on a pot of coffee, invite you to stay for supper and tell you stories that will have you rolling in the floor…but I’ll warn you: once you get to know them, you’ll miss them and long for their comfortable companionship. I know I sure do.
Outside of my mom, these people have probably had the greatest influence upon my life thus far. But not because they lived next door and it was easy; they actually lived eight hours away but made it a priority to have a relationship with my brother and me. They made that drive from Arkansas to Texas so many times, they probably had it memorized!
I wish everyone could know Granny and Papaw. I want to be like them in so many ways! For one thing, they have been married for 58 years and they STILL flirt with each other! For example, one time (not too long ago, actually) Granny was trying to tell Papaw about someone they knew that had injured his knee. She lifted up her skirt a little to show him what had happened on her own knee, and when she did Papaw let out a whistle and said, “Wooo, Mama! You got pretty legs!” She cut her eyes at him, pursed her lips and said, “Shut up and listen to me!” Papaw just threw his head back and laughed…he knew she liked it!
That’s another thing about Granny and Papaw: they have the best sense of humor! They don’t take themselves seriously at all. Instead, they have learned to laugh. When people say things to hurt their feelings, they just chuckle, shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, allright then.” I can’t tell you the hours we have spent in their den drinking coffee and laughing together about something that happened or that was said. These people simply cannot be offended because they choose not to be. Period. Maybe that’s how they survived the ministry for all these years!
Papaw is the type of man that doesn’t say much unless he’s got something to say. He’s perfectly content to let someone else do the talking, and that someone is usually Granny. Granny’s a real straight shooter…don’t ask Granny what she thinks if you don't want to know! She’ll get that finger to wagging and those pretty eyes to snapping and you’ll KNOW you’ve been GOT! She always starts off with, “Now you listen to Granny…” (Can you tell I’ve been GOT a time or two??) But it’s a good thing to get GOT by Granny! She’s one of the wisest people I’ve ever known and I still call and discuss every major decision with her before I talk to anyone else (except for Chris, of course!). I know that someday the Lord will call her home and I won’t have her here to help me, but until then I intend to take full advantage of her wisdom and experience.
Well, I could go on and on about Granny and Papaw but I guess I’ll stop here for now…but if you’re ever in Alma, Arkansas, be sure to look them up. They’ll put on a pot of coffee, invite you to stay for supper and tell you stories that will have you rolling in the floor…but I’ll warn you: once you get to know them, you’ll miss them and long for their comfortable companionship. I know I sure do.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Happy Labor Day!
This will certainly be a "Labor Day" for me since I will be working hard to get some grading and lesson plans done. This year I'm technically only at the school from 8-12 everyday but I usually stay much later than that to get things done. I'm hoping that once I get into the groove of the school year that my time spent at the school will even out some. So far, I haven't gotten into the swing of things very well and I've spent a lot of time getting things done on my time that I used to get done on school time...Ah, well, housework and groceries will be there when I get to it, right? Maybe my husband won't notice!
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