Saturday, March 29, 2008

Gloomy Saturday!

It has been a blur of a week. Not too much extra going on, but just a week full of stuff.

Church dinner theater is actually No-Dinner Theater this year. The new fellowship hall at church with a grand new stage will be finished in time, but without the state/county documentation for occupation. So we're relegated to use the chapel stage again. But the kitchen facilities won't be available, so there will be no real dinner. We may have popcorn or snacks, so that might help!

Rehearsals were heavy this week, with a Monday rehearsal since Sunday was Easter. Then there were normal Tuesday and Thursday rehearsals too. Tomorrow is Off-Book Day. I need to really work tonight and tomorrow to try to get those last few lines ingrained in my head!

Thursday Zach and I left work early to attend the funeral of my former coworker Lee Sizemore. He was the driving force at LifeWay to begin the video-driven Bible studies that most all churches utilize. He made Beth Moore famous. She even spoke at the funeral! It was a nice service. Zach saw Lee as a mentor, in a way. Lee gave Zach an internship at LW, before Zach graduated and was employed full time.

David has been on Spring break this week. I can pride myself to say that I never asked him what he was doing that day or why didn't he tackle such-and-such project? It was a "Honey-Do-List"-free holiday! He did get some things accomplished, but not necessarily things on my list! That's OK!

Natalie is looking for a new job. Her manager knows she cannot afford the drive to work if the office moves farther away. She's been busy taking resumes to doctors' offices, testing at an employment center, and responding to jobs online. Friday she had two responses! One opportunity for office work fell through when they couldn't offer enough pay. She's in a spot where she can take a slight pay cut to compensate for the different in the drive/gas, but if they don't offer insurance benefits, it's a no-deal. She had two interviews on Saturday. This morning I sat in the car while she went to a meeting for a potential nanny job. The home is only 6 miles from her place, so that would be convenient. But she isn't sure that's what she wants. Another interview was for a new shop going into an H'ville development. But they advertised falsely by teasing with benefits when there are none. She just cannot do a pay cut with no benefits. Hopefully something else will come about!

Everything else is about the same. Most things are fine, others are not. I continue to lean on the Lord. He is faithful! I am thankful that He promised never to leave me alone!

On my mind this week has been a family who is facing the upcoming birth of their baby who won't live long, according to doctors. Of course, God is in control! I pray for them to continue to hold His hand.

Later!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

The weekend's halfway over!

We've had a good few days! I've enjoyed having some time off work, even though the weekend itself would be fairly busy.

I slept in Friday, which was great! After hanging out for while during the morning, I ran to Rivergate to look at clothes--not really looking for an Easter outfit, but just a Spring sweater or two. Found some, then battled the crowd at Walmart! Plus, the road was full of crazy drivers!

Nat came over for supper, then we were going to the Good Friday service at church. I stayed home with stomach cramps and missed the service. Don't know where that came from. Really didn't feel very good for several hours.

This morning we got up early and headed to Dover--all four of us! We hung out with Mom a while, plus did a few jobs for her, such as David hanging a curtain rod and us installing guards on her breakfast chair legs. Her new floors and paint jobs look great!

We later ran to our favorite Dover eatery: Cindy's. While they are known for catfish and their lunch buffet, they also have great cheeseburgers. Nat and I especially enjoy them.

Not long after we got back to Mom's, Robin and Mickey arrived. They were staying overnight. Then we all tackled a huge job: moving Mom's dining room suite from the living room to the den, and moving some of the den furniture to the living room. That will make her living room look more normal, rather than being a large dining room. Mickey will also change some of her light fixtures, plus they may do some painting for her. She still has a few rooms to knock out.

We had a good drive home (I even took a nap!), and were back before dark. Zach was supposed to get together with a school friend, but it fell through. David and I ran to Walmart to get a couple of ingredients for tomorrow's lunch! I hope to create a glaze for my ham that will mimic the honeybaked ham flavors.

Better go! It is late and I need to cook a little before going to bed. Plus, we will be doing 3 services tomorrow, so it will be a long morning.

It will be a great Resurrection Day!
Later!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Yes, I wore green today--sort of.

Well, today was St. Patrick's Day and no one questioned the color of my clothing. That's rare. Some years I've been fussed at for forgetting to wear green, then I raise my right hand and show my college ring with the jade inset. (Oh, today I wore teal.)

I have fun memories of this celebration: in Erin, TN. When I was a kid, we often went to visit my grandparents on the weekend of their yearly celebration. It was always exciting to go to the tiny downtown square to see the parade and all those silly people with green hair! Yes, I am proud of my Scotch-Irish heritage; I can verify the lineage! But since I'm not Catholic and do not drink beer, the day's significance doesn't mean as much!

Today was an unusually nice Monday, so that probably means another day this week will be wicked. Work was OK and not terribly stressful. In fact, I visited with a student friend who flew into town for an interview. I met Erica at Collegiate Week at Ridgecrest, got acquainted, then used her to write devotions. We met for lunch before she had to go to her interview. I hope she gets the job!

I talked to my next BCM director/writer and host of my next writers conference. That trip to NCSU in Raleigh, NC, will be in about 5 weeks. I haven't been to Raleigh before, so I'm looking forward to it.

Friday night Zach was watching the SEC basketball championships, tuning in to the end of one game to be ready for the UK game. He happened to be watching the game in overtime when the tornado hit the Georgia Dome. He called out to me from his room for me to leave my movie and turn to that channel. We watched nothing productive for about an hour as the people in that building marvelled at the rippling curtain roof of the dome and the swaying scaffolding. They had no idea that a tornado had hit. Today I learned that one of my managers was there that night. He said it was sort of crazy! I can imagine! I learned that night that I'd do well not to personally experience a tornado again, as it is very difficult (more unnerving) to see TV coverage of them.

Well, I'd better close. I'm thankful for God's hand being on us as we move through life. He knows better than I do, so I don't need to try to drive!

I'm in prayer for Renee and Kennedy at the doctor in PA and for baby Audrey's family. Audrey is due to arrive in this world in a couple of months, but probably will not survive.

Later!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Busy Weekend!

Wow, I hadn't realized so much time had passed since I last wrote. Not a lot has happened, but then again, things have been hectic.

David is in Washington D.C. with 40 middle-schoolers and a couple of other school staffers. They left Wednesday and will be home on Sunday. Sounds like a whirlwind trip. He's having fun!

I've had tons of work at work this week and lots of meetings and classes. But that makes the week go faster!

Dinner theater rehearsal are fast and furious! It does seem crazy how we've never had the entire cast there at the same time. Someone is always sick or has something else going on. I guess inconsistent attendance or lack of commitment is a pet peeve, particularly when you give your time to do something.

Anyway, this week I'm thankful for ways the Lord provides encouragement to me.

My prayer concerns are for those families with children who are ill. There are several on my heart.

Till next time!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

What a beautiful weekend!

Wow, am I sorry that the weekend is nearly over! It was gorgeous here! And the weekend was way too short! Can Spring be far behind?

Natalie came over Friday night for pancakes and we watched TV and hung out a while, until she and Zach decided to go to a late movie.

Saturday I went to a baby shower, then to Mary Ann's for a hair trimming. The shower was sweet and the soon-to-be new mommy got lots of cute stuff. That baby girl will be wonderfully dressed! This was my second shower in two weeks. It is very cool to see these new little families begin. Several of Zach's peers (and also our friends) are young couples with new babies or expecting them! The shower attendees are a great mix of young and my age women.

Nothing much new happened around the house. I was able to sort through a couple more boxes, and threw away some stuff. Every little bit helps! Still want to work in the dining room!

Sunday was extra beautiful! I slipped out of third service during the first prayer and only stayed long enough to do the orchestra prelude. Then I had to book it down to the college class. Jason had asked me to teach for him. That was enjoyable. When he called me Thursday, he admitted that he should kick himself for having not asked me sooner. It went well. Wish I could do it more often.

Tonight was definitely a sunroof night. After having dinner theater rehearsal this afternoon, I went by the house and picked up David to make a Starbucks run down the road. That was a big splurge!! Two 50-somethings in our 11-year-old car with a sunroof, thinking we're really living! Ha!

Our neighbors next door are home from Philadelphia. Dad Mo and 5-year-old Rana have been at the Children's Hospital there since before Christmas. Rana had pancreas surgery for overproduction of insulin. Not sure when they got home, but I'm sure Mom Lulu and the other 5 kids are glad they're home.

I've got several folks on my heart for prayer today. I learned that two men we know from church have cancer, though we don't know yet the prognoses. Another dear friend is in his last days from his cancer. And a friend of my mother's has had a recurrence of his cancer. It surely seems rampant!

Today I'm so thankful for salvation and God's provision to us. I continue to wait for His hand in specific areas of my life.

Till next time!