realizing what’s important, and trying to forget about what’s not

Last Friday, a precious little 11-year-old girl in my church went Home to be with Jesus.

She was taken quickly, in a boating accident. No warning.

Her death has shaken our church to the core, because, as my pastor said:

“Parents aren’t supposed to bury their children; Children are supposed to bury their parents.”

We search for comfort in the knowledge that this little girl knew Jesus as her personal Savior, and that we shall see her beautiful, smiling face again.

But it still hurts.

Today I was tasked with scanning pictures from her very short lifetime into our computer at work so that our Associate Pastor can make a video for her funeral.I didn’t know this little girl personally, but as I traveled through her life in pictures, her death became much more personal. Who was this girl searching for eggs on Easter Sunday? Who was this girl making donuts with her mommy? Who was this girl snuggling her younger siblings?

I may not have known her, but many do. Many have been touched by her legacy of faith. The light of Christ was evident in her life at such a young age. I pray that I too would leave such a legacy behind.

Her family needs prayer. Our church needs prayer. But we do not grieve as those without hope. For we WILL see her again one day. Thanks be to God.

for the first time in recorded history

My sister has a friend who’s a little, shall we say, obsessed, with clothing, shoes, and the like.

Girlfriend dresses nicely.

She’s one of those people who can pull cheapy clothes together with nicer brands and just make the outfit work.

Well, her friend is moving to NYC (I forget why, but then again, why not?) and she needed to get rid of a boat-load of crap before she did so. Most of this boat-load of crap included clothing and shoes.

So she passed some stuff on to my little sister.

Now, depending on the outfit, this girl is 1 or 2 sizes bigger than my sister. But my sister took some stuff anyway.

She was trying it on earlier, and everything was too big. It wasn’t as if she could get away with it either, which was a bummer for her, but great for me. Because depending on the outfit, I too, am 1 or 2 sizes bigger than my sister.

So, I ended up with all of it. (except for a couple of sweatshirts, because who cares how big they are?)

As she was trying on the last item of clothing, and realized that it too, was too big, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and said:

“Man! I wish I was fat.”

And those of us who can actually fit into the clothes (me) are suddenly thinking that they should Shred a little more intensely.

what i learned this week

Sometimes, it’s NOT just the thought that counts.

After a long, tiring, emotionally draining search, Husband and I think we’ve found THE house. This is not the end – it’s the beginning of the end. Hopefully. Maybe.

But y’see, wherever there is a moment of peace, there’s a moment of turmoil ready to steal the peace away.

Not surprisingly, Obama is at the forefront of the issue.

I’ll start from the beginning.

We were seeing lots of lovely houses on some teeny-tiny lots. Seriously, I have figured out America’s obesity issue – kids don’t have yards to play in; they have houses to sit in. Which is breeding laziness. But that’s a completely different post for another day.

So we were loving the houses, and then walking outside to see the back yard, and there was a whole lot of “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” going on.

And I was getting frustrated, convinced that maybe I was being too picky, and that I should just suck it up and buy this GINORMOUS house on this little tiny (not even a quarter of an acre) lot, and that our children would also sit inside and rot their minds by play video games all day. I mean, everyone else is doing it, I guess.

And then my realtor remembered this neighborhood, where the lots are a decent size (and, um, flat) and he thinks there might be some houses for sale in there.

“Well, then, let’s go look!” I said.

And we looked, and I found IT.

Internets, if we were at the end of the end of this whole process, I would tell you all about this house. But I’m trying to spare your feelings here – I don’t want to get your hopes up or anything. All you need to know right now is that I love it, and it’s virtually perfect.

So, the current owners are asking more for it than what we can afford. (they bought it in 2006, at the top of the Real Estate “bubble” so they still owe a good chunk on their mortgage) But, we’ve got this lovely recession, and the fact that the average sale price in that neighborhood this year is about $50,000 less than what they’re asking, on our side.

Also, they’ve already moved out. The husband is in the military, and they’ve transferred him to California.

And this, my friends is where our fearless leader comes in.

Apparently, he introduced a program for military families, who are transferred, that would make up the cost difference of what they owe on their home vs. what it’s being purchased for.

Isn’t that a grand idea?

I thought so, because #1 – it would benefit me in this particular scenario, and #2 – I’m all for making the lives of servicemen (and women) and their families a little easier, what with my husband being in the army, and all.

Then, just this morning, I received an email from my realtor, with this tidbit of information included:

“Further research into the government “pay off your loan” program has uncovered that the government has not yet fully funded the new program.”

Um, question for the class – Who unveils a new program – one that benefits people with real, and sometimes dangerous jobs – without any real plan for funding it?

Ooh! I know, I know!

The same person who wants to use my hard-earned money to bail people out of mortgages that they had no business getting in the first place. Because they were on welfare. Or were receiving some other type of governmental assistance. And shouldn’t have been, because they were perfectly capable of finding a job, but were just too lazy to go get one.

The same person who would rather spend an obnoxious amount of money on a weather satellite.

Or how about the person who thinks that empathy is a good characteristic for a Supreme Court Justice to have. (Note to the President: it’s not – empathy is not required, and is actually frowned upon regarding interpreting the Law. You would know that, if you ever like, read anything about, or understood the way our government was designed.)

In conclusion:

When it comes to governmental policies or programs – it’s not the thought that counts. You have to have a plan for following through with your promises.

Ah yes, and therein lies the issue.

Be sure to share what YOU learned this week – visit Musings of a Housewife for more details!

when i met my husband, i was 30 in boyfriend years

“I have come to the conclusion that all good(looking) men are either taken or gay.”

“Well, you don’t need a man right now, you’re young, plus it’ll happen when it’s supposed to. Although, it did take me forever to find Luke.”

“What are you talking about?! You met him when you were 18 and married him when you were 21.”

“Yeah, but I had bad boyfriend experiences prior to him, so even though I was only 18 when I met Luke, I was like, 30 in boyfriend years.”

…and all my friends would tell me stories about how things might work out with these dips***s because they knew someone who knew someone who dated a dips**t just like mine, and that girl ended up getting married and living happily ever after. But that’s the exception. And we’re not the exception – we’re the rule.

Gigi, played by Ginnifer Goodwin in the movie He’s Just NOT That Into You.

I can literally remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was in my car, on the way to work, when I heard Greg Behrendt, author of He’s Just NOT That Into You, on my local radio station.

He was talking about women, and how, well, stupid they are; letting men get away with treating them like garbage all because they have this fantasy of “converting” a man from his bad-boy ways because they knew someone who did, and so they too wanted to make their bad-boy good.

He went on to talk about how it just might be possible that he’s just not that into you. And that he has this great book out that tells you all of the ways in which you can tell that he’s just not that into you.

I went out and immediately purchased it, and practically swallowed it whole in a day.

“Where has this book been all my life?!” I exclaimed after I finished reading. “And why didn’t I find this book before I started dating Luke?!” (who was, what Greg said we should hold out for in a man)

I just couldn’t believe the incredible insight in this book, from a man’s perspective.

Things like: (and I’m paraphrasing here)

“Letting the man pursue you doesn’t mean that he’s the “head” of the relationship or the “leader”, it just means that you’re worth chasing, and if you let him do that, he’ll know that he needs to spend the rest of his life doing so, which will keep him from, um, straying or just being a lazy sort of partner.”

“Men will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure and regularly see the woman they’re interested in.”

“If he’s not calling you, it’s because he doesn’t want to call you.”

“You’re dumb for letting it go on this long.”

It may seem harsh, but I believe it’s what women these days need to hear. In fact, if it weren’t for some sketch chapters in the book (relating to sex before marriage and whatnot) I would totally hand this book out to every single one of my Youth Group girls. And tell them to highlight and take notes. Twice. While also sleeping with the book under their pillows at night so that osmosis would play its part as well.

It’s not that I didn’t have people in my life telling me that the guys I was picking weren’t the best choices, I had plenty of those.

But not one of them ever said those life-altering words to me. Words that would have given me a different perspective and perhaps, cut my misery short. Words that are insulting, and strangely freeing all at the same time.

So internets, I’m going to say them to you:

If he’s not calling, or pursuing, or finding a way of just being around; it’s not because he’s intimidated by you, or lost your number, or can’t remember if you live at 20th and Walnut or 30th and Walnut….

If you are in a relationship with him, and he finds every excuse in the book not to have a movie night with you on Friday, or he seems distant or withdrawn; it’s not because he’s stressed about work, misses his mom or just needs some space right now…

It’s because he’s just NOT that into you.

(here’s to hoping it doesn’t take you three bad boys to find your good one!)

while you’re all thinking about sonia sotomayor and the economic recession….

Y’know, it has really bothered me, for the longest time, that Jennifer Aniston doesn’t have a good man.

I mean, call me crazy, but I really thought that the whole Brad thing was gonna work out. They seemed to be doing really well, and, let’s be honest, making it past the 1-year mark in Hollywood all but guarantees that you’re doing something right.

But, then they announced their separation and subsequent divorce and Brad traded in America’s favorite “girl next door” for big lips and 80,000 children.

Sigh.

Then last night I lay in bed thinking, (yes, for real) “Surely there’s some man out there for her, one who actually wants to be married and isn’t some idiotic 20-something who just wants to say that he “got in on” with JenAn.”

And then, it hit me.

What about her FRIENDS?

The unlikely choice – Matthew Perry, although apparently they were friends before FRIENDS. He’s funny and charming (based on what I’ve seen in interviews) and I’m sure he’s moved passed that whole 20 and early 30’s mentality of “I have to sleep with every living woman to cement my place in the history of mankind.” It could work!

Matching her pretty – Matt LeBlanc. Be honest with yourselves, you secretly loved the Joey-Rachel romance in the last season. You allowed yourself to think that even if Ross and Rachel couldn’t work it out, Joey and Rachel would work anyway. No? Ok, maybe that was just me. But for real, yo. Matt L was married and has a kiddo, he’s into the whole commitment thing, right? It could work!

Giving us all what we really want – David Schwimmer. He’s a great actor, he’s tall, sexy, and mysterious – he’s the whole package! And don’t fool yourselves, there’s a part of you that wants Ross and Rachel to make it real-life, you think it would last if they could avoid going on a break or acting like children. It could work!

There.

I’m glad I could be of assistance. And who knows? Maybe since they have all this history together, of friendship, and loving one another, and wanting the best for one another, they might realize that those are some of the qualities of a good marriage. And maybe JenAn could make it work with one of these 3 FRIENDS based on those good qualities and they’ll have a long, healthy, marriage – one that will revolutionize the way Hollywood views it. And it will all just be grand.

Or maybe she’ll just go back to John Mayer and forget everything she learned while making “He’s Just NOT That Into You”.

not helping our reputation

How many blondes does it take to make banana muffins?

2 – and we still somehow managed to forget the sugar.

things i could do without

1. Hearing more nonsense about “The King of Pop”. Why are we sad that a whacked out pedophile is no longer around to do his whacked out pedophile thing?

2. My new favorite house of the week being stolen out from underneath of me by another buyer.

3. Peeling skin. Y’all know how much I like to peel sunburned skin, but I’m realizing that I’m not as dark after I peel it.

4. Work on sunny days. Who wouldn’t rather spend the day on the beach under an umbrella?

wordless wednesday – exhausted after a day at the beach

it’s a good thing he’s pretty

Dad: (preparing the grill for some good summer food) “Hey Jake, run inside and grab the ‘dogs and a plate for me, will ya?”

Jake: “Sure, Dad”

Jacob returned minutes later and hooked up our Miniature Schnauzer and our Doberman Pinscher on their leashes outside.

Dad: “Jake, where are the hot dogs?”

Jake: “……….”