I See You

Sat down in church this morning. A father and his young son were in the row in front of me. The boy turned around and looked at me with a bulletin rolled up like a telescope. I think I surprised him when I rolled mine up and looked at him that way.

That is the purpose of the bulletin/worship folder, isn't it?

Rest Before Work

Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

God waited until he was done with his work to rest, but almost 11 hours of sleep last night certainly will help me be ready for my Monday and Tuesday which will be back to back 14 hours of work and then back to work at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Reminder

A great reminder to close out Thanksgiving at the mission service last night:

Titus 3:3-7
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

and Romans 2:4
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

The Day After

Just had the best part of Thanksgiving dinner: a leftover turkey sandwich!!!

Renae's mother "protected" some of her pumpkin dessert and orange jello salad.

Thankful Thanksgiving Thursday

Lots of things big and small in no order:
1. A job
2. A bike rack for the car.
3. Godly parents who are very generous.
4. The fun of raising chickens this year.
5. Siblings who are always looking out for me.
6. Heat and a/c.
7. Wii and Wii Fit.
8. The 10 best nieces and nephews in the world.
9. Friends in Michigan who have become like family.
10. Getting to spend time at a cottage this summer and fishing every day.
11. Extra work at CU to make up for 10% fewer hours worked at HMI.
12. Sunday afternoon naps.
13. Cell phones and Verizon in network calling and texting.
14. Gardening.
15. A friend who does all kinds of projects with me and for me.
16. Speedway Speedy Rewards 7th drink is free.

Crafts and more

Bought these at the Hudsonville High School craft fair on Saturday. I don't know that you can see the detail very well, but these yard decorations are made from old spoons and forks. The middle of the flower has the tines of the forks curved around for extra design.

These are Christmas yard decorations that Renae and I saw at the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain in September. We looked at them and said, "We can do that." Personally I think they are too high on the stake, but I don't think in Michiganese. Renae says they need to be high to stay above the snow.

And this is me several weeks ago installing the hitch on my car for the bike rack. Anybody need their oil changed?

Football Sunday

I didn't think the Bills vs. the Jaguars would have any interest to me, but strangely it does.

Had to laugh at several of Mike and Mike in the Morning's comments about the 1-8 Cleveland Browns playing at the 1-8 Detroit Lions on Sunday.

They had 8 reasons to go to the game; here are the ones I remember:

You can buy raffle tickets: first prize--you get to leave!!!
It's a free ADD test--if you can pay attention to the game, you don't have it.
Cleveland's coach hasn't announced his starting quarterback; it may be YOU!
The first 1000 fans get a Cincinnati Bengals hat.
They will be playing other games on the Jumbotron.

Thankful Thursday

1. A couple of projects at work seem to be nearing completion. Today I mailed off checks for bank approval something I tried to do last week but there were issues with the new program.

2. My Christmas flight arrangements are complete.

3. Saturday continues my traditional Saturday before Thanksgiving festivities: Hudsonville Craft Fair, Hudsonville Holiday parade, Pumpkin Pancake breakfast for friends, and then Michigan v. Ohio State.

4. Got to talk with Nancy last night. Although she has a long, long, long road of recovery, she is doing really well. She has a more comfortable cast on her wrist after yesterday's doctor visit.

Whoopi Soup

I made Emeril's Whoopi Soup yesterday. Honestly, I'll not make it again, but it was an attempt to try something different with the butternut squash from the garden. Even though it's far from my favorite I'll eat it this week just because of the work and ingredients that went into it.

Can anyone tell me why the ingredients call for whole milk/heavy cream and lemon juice? Am I just ignorant about how to serve soup?

Jigsaw

Life's been a bit rough lately. In the middle of my busyness of grading papers and class prep I got to use a jigsaw for a few minutes. Power tools are a great way to feel well, powerful.

Renae and I saw some Christmas yard decorations at the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy Festival arts and crafts sale in September. Of course we thought, "Why would we buy those when we can make them?" She will end up doing most of the work just because I'm so busy, but I at least got to cut one of each piece for myself today.

Pictures later when they are done.

Btw, I still have all ten fingers and two eyes--love those safety glasses!

In Honor of November 15, first day of gun season

For all the hunters, and remember the person who wrote this probably drives, votes, and may have procreated:

Heard on the radio today in a discussion of why journalists and politicians don't want to make an issue of the Fort Hood gunman's religious beliefs being the root of his violence:

"Where are the Southern Baptist bombers? Where are the Methodist gunmen? Where are the Lutheran terrorists?"

Today At Work I Spent All Afternoon on the Phone

This afternoon I literally spent all afternoon on the phone with a project manager from our check printing software company. We are making an upgrade to the program I use every day. The PM blocked off 1:00-5:00 for what I thought was supposed to be training but she was sure we wouldn't need all of that time. Little did I know we were also installing files and then training. I am now much more intimately acquainted with the software than I ever cared to be.

WebEx was slow so we were delayed by that, and then there were other issues. Earlier I could print checks but not the reports to the correct printer tray. Now I have reports from the correct tray but no checks are printing.

We got off the phone at 4:45 and are scheduled to talk again at 1:00-3:00 tomorrow.

I am quite mentally fatigued which means even though I should grade papers, fold laundry, and pick up around my house tonight, I seriously doubt how much of that will get done!

I Guess I Volunteered for This

This morning our department manager sent out a list of opportunities for our area to get involved with Christmas giving/sharing projects. She gave a couple of options or organizations and some of the things they needed and asked for our opinions.

I replied with the ones I liked and said that I would be glad to help facilitate meaning I would be glad to be part of a team or group to help with the organization, etc. of collecting the gifts.

This was her reply to me:


OK thanks. Your offer of assistance is accepted! I'll forward all responses to you. Thanks again!

A Stereotypical Monday

Some days drag on and on, and today is one of those. The department is starting on a major project that I thought we were all going to be working on together from 12-3 today, but we discussed it for an hour and then waited for someone to run the reports. I started on my dealer's report about 4:00.

And when I leave here in a half hour, I still have four hours of work to go.

Extreme Home Makeover After the Show

Just finished watching the show. Btw, a cousin said you can go here and watch the episode with the Terpenning family in Beavercreek, OH.

My friend reaches out to the father when they are leaving for Disneyworld just before they get in the car. He also shakes hands with Ty Pennington when the team goes to play a game of wheelchair basketball.

It would've been great if Bill got to speak, but as he said there were 20+ hours of taping for 40 minutes of airtime.

Hope you enjoyed it if/when you watch it.

147 Million Orphans

I worked with Scott and Gwen for a year in Tennessee. Through their blog I've reconnected to their lives. I knew they had adopted one daughter from China. Click here to view the video celebrating the second year "Gotcha Day" for their second daughter from China.

I dare you to watch it and not have some tears.

They have a burden for the world's 147 million orphans. They have raised my awareness for how many things can be done to reach these children who are created in God's image and for whom He loved so much He gave His son to die.

Extreme Home Makeover

Sunday, November 8 watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It's on ABC at 8:00 pm. Eastern. Last winter I met the father at a wheelchair basketball tournament. The coach of the team is the former girls basketball coach of the school I was at in Ohio. He and his wife are friends of mine.

The Terpenning family's father is the last Vietnamese orphan airlifted in the 70s. He had polio, and in addition to his own health issues has taken on the care of his younger brother as well.

Great story, great family. Catch the show if you can, and let me know what you think.

My Saturday

Today I went to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. If you're into space and/or military aircraft, you would really like it. Not being big into space (touche to my friend who would say I'm spacey) or military aircraft and having just visited the Space Center less than two months ago, I'm glad I can say I've been there but probably wouldn't have gone without the free admission.

Now it's Roll, Tide, Roll time.

Wii Running

One of my frustrations with the Wii is the lack of documentation on different games as far as how to do them and how to improve. It's just a do it and learn. Apparently they don't know that practice doesn't make perfect--practice makes permanent; perfect practice makes perfect.

This morning I tried the Basic Run for the first time. The only directions were run so that you don't pass the Mii in front of you. That Mii is kind of a pacer for you. So I'm running along not passing that Mii when my Mom Mii and Dad Mii passed me!!! Later I realized that my pace controls the pace of the Mii in front of me so I was able to pass the Mom Mii and Dad Mii just before the finish line.

On my second "run", the Dad Mii and I crossed paths as he was running towards me.

Fun times to exercise with Mom and Dad!

Thankful Thursday

1. No cavities.
2. Don't have to go back to the dentist until May 18. (Unless my crown falls off again!)
3. Move at work is done and things are getting settled.
4. Mary, Mary--Happy Birthday today!!!!!!!!!!!
5. Nancy came home from the hospital yesterday.

Airfare

From the Grand Rapids Press 11/3/09:

New federal statistics show Grand Rapids’ Gerald R. Ford International Airport has the nation’s second most expensive airplane tickets behind Huntsville, Ala.

A prize to the first person who guesses which two cities I fly between 95% of the time multiple times a year?

Voting for Matt Worked

Thanks to everyone who voted for Matt.

He won the lasik surgery and will have it done on Friday. His mother is so excited.

Silas Marner

I know I haven't read a lot of classics so I want to do so. Several years ago I was visiting family in SC and my niece was reading Silas Marner. Since then it's been on my list to read. On Tuesday I checked it out at the library (had to do it in another local library as my town's library has the Cliff Notes but not the book--seriously!) and have tried to read a chapter each day. After three days I'm not sure how I'll get through it!

No doubt the problem is with me, but some of these classics are killing me!

Will it get better?

Week in Review

This has been a busy week:

1. Monday and Tuesday was month end work at work.
2. All week I've been working on a software upgrade for our check printing. While I'm not doing the upgrade, I had multiple requests for files and two conference calls right in the middle of month end work.
3. Thursday afternoon I went to this exhibit to go through the exhibit and talk with the director to write an article for the HMI employee newspaper. As much as I enjoyed it, it took all Thursday afternoon.
4. Wednesday night I started back to handbells at church. Thanks, Jayne from handbells, for welcoming me back.
5. Almost every evening and much of yesterday I spent working on prepping for class tomorrow night.
6. Tomorrow we begin work at a new building so Friday was busy, busy, busy packing the department and my office.

I like to be busy, but this week at work was more than I like. If it all could be spread more evenly.

Nancy Update

Good news--Nancy is in a private room and out of critical care! Her breathing is going well and she is doing the breathing contraption which showed positive results within hours. As long as she does ok with that the threat of pnuemonia lessens dramatically. Friday she was able to sit up in a chair. The othorpedic team wanted to do that on Thursday but the trauma team would not let her yet.

Thanks for praying. Her family is very appreciative. They have a long road to travel. I haven't heard how long she should be in the hospital, but her home recovery will be months.

Please keep praying for her recovery. God miraculously spared her life as the emergency personnel at the scene and medical staff at the hospital have said they cannot believe she survived.