bliss bliss bliss - again!

oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH. today for the first time in months i am here, indulging in my favorite thing in the whole world!! coffee in the warm sunlight on the front porch, with The Girls playing in the driveway, music wafting out the open windows, and birds merrily chirping. THIS is what the stuff of life is made of. these are the moments that speak glory into my heart, and the hope of heaven into my warm fingers and toes. this moment of "perfection" is but an echo, and glimmer, of true perfection, true peace...can't wait til coffee on the front porch in eternity!

what's your flavor?

most of my friends know that i am broadly read - and recently, i've read a lot that i love! so here are a few recommendations... a little something for everyone! :)

1. Hood by Stephen Lawhead - interestingly, i am never particularily intersted in any of the topics of his books. but i've read at least 7, (including 3 that were pure science fiction!), which should tell you how amazing they are. they are full of wonder and richness, with unparalleled story telling and people who you are sad to leave at the end of the last chapter (which always makes me glad that he often writes in trilogy format). this book is his latest, the first in a trilogy based on the legend of robin hood. it's really quite miraculous to read!
2. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey - this a very accesible, honest (from the authors perspective) attempt at unmasking the 'flannel board' Jesus of sunday school in an attempt to see the real man more clearly. i can't put my finger on just one thing that has been remarkable about it - it's more like a stick of insense that slowly affects all of the air around it. i am in the process of reading it through a second time to more fully engage all of his ideas.
3. The Glorious Pursuit by Gary Thomas - this is a book on engaging in the disciplines that Jesus lived out. and no, it's not a guilt laden, task oriented book! it talks about the classic christian virtues, which are all elements of the heart that inform our actions, not a list of do's and don'ts that we hope will eventually affect our inner life. this book is more scholarly and thoughtful in tone, but is worth diving into. it's been a long time since i read a book that so fully engaged both my heart and my mind.
4. The Go-to Girl by Louise Bagshawe - "chick lit" at it's finest! lighthearted, funny, and low stress, and miraculously unsmutty (i'm not a fan of sex masquarading as chick lit). this was the first book of hers i read, (in a desperate attempt to find something i had not already read at the public library!) and i would definitely read more!
5. Alex Benier mysteries by Beth Saulnier (a series of 4) - completely fun, full of mayhem without being so dark, very engaging setting and main character. enough people die to keep it interesting, and there is enough else going on that the story sucks you right in! i keep going back to see if she's published anything new lately, since i've read them all!
6. Judas Child by Carol O'Conner - i dare you to read this and sleep soundly. i love all of her books, especially the Mallory ones, but this is a stand alone novel that will give you chills. i can't tell you more or i'll ruin the ending. but O'Conner is hands down my favorite author of fiction. compelling, tautly plotted, yet slow to unravel the story and mystery, her books are best savored slowly. i don't mind admitting, Judas Child just freaked me right out. :)

grr!

first let me say that, steve, this has nothing to do with you. don't take it personally.

we are trying to lower our bills. get a hold of our money. work a budget. all of which is stressful enough...without time warner cable. we spent nearly 2 hours online and on the phone last night, but apparently, pretty much no one but TWC is "available" in our area. and they are freakin' expensive! but we have little or no other choice...and i am so mad! and i'm mad at all the companies i see on tv....att, comcast, verizon, embarq, to name a few...who make great promises, and aren't here! i mean, we are not in the backwaters of the state! this is the frickin' research triangle! this is Duke and Chapel Hill! for pete's sake! what the hell?!

a real man

apparently, "manhood" is getting hard to figure out...at least, this is what i hear from "They". is a real man sensitive, or stoic? romantic or rugged? giving or demanding? (sorry, i ran out of alliterations) i can't answer that question, but i can tell you this. my day yesterday was made possible by a REAL man.

first, he let me sleep in a bit while he made breakfast for The Girls. Then, he sat on the couch with me (monday is his day off) and we watched 'the amazing race' while i drank my coffee. then he drove us over to the church, where he stacked a hundred chairs and rolled out tables and helped me set everything up for a women's meeting i lead last night...and he did it with great cheerfulness and energy. then he took me out to lunch, and spent the afternoon fixing - yes, thank you, Curtis!! FIXING - my laptop, debugging vista (which has been a bitch, if you'll excuse my language) so that this morning everything is running %100! then - oh, you thought he was done? no no - i left for my thing, he fed the girls, and then he came to the meeting at the church, and did the childcare for me, since i had tried and tried and couldn't find anyone else to do it. and while i stayed around to say goodnight and talk to women, he brought the girls home and put them to bed, and i came home at 9 to peace and quiet. and it was his day off. all day he worked alongside me, making it possible for me to do the things i had to do, and giving me the gift not only of his strength, intellect and kindess, but also of his company. i could not be the woman i want to be without him. Curtis, YOU are a real man. thank you.

monday morning

ooo - how fun! there you were...commenting on my blog! :)

for clarification, i assume that singing an anthem at an american college sporting event would only involve the american anthem. so while i hesitate to call it "the" anthem, in this case i guess it is. but we all know, deep in our hearts, what the True anthem is.

i am a little more than a week into lent - and while the discipline is hard, i am loving what it is doing for my heart. i have a fresh sense of God, and a brighter outlook on life. i'm not consumed with worry or anxiety, which i had been for a long time. it's been lovely, and i am hoping to carry on with my chosen practice for the rest of my life. God is bringing sping in my heart.

if any of you have a desire to pray for us, we are waiting for our visa to come through. if it doesn't, we have to leave the country by the end of the month. but God brought us here, and i know that our lives are in His hands entirely. that being said, prayer is always a good thing! :)
thank you - appreciate your prayers and love!

i have a dream...

today a lot of folks found out that i blog...and that i whine a little when i don't get comments. (just a little). so i wonder if anyone is going to read this because of that? it would be cool! i would feel pressure, though, to say things that were deep and meaningful. hmmm....

on a different note, it has also become public knowlege that i have a long-held desire to sing the national anthem at a sporting event...preferrably hockey, seeing as it's the sport of my youth, but any event would be fun! and suddenly, two of my friends who work with various sports are going to see if there's anything they can do to help me along! how totally cool is that?? hooray! it's my own, personal "make a wish" foundation!

well, that's it. a rare sunday post....i hope you have enjoyed your weekend!

the first time

it happened this morning, around 8:30. i opened the front door and realized that The Girls would not need a coat to go to school! the fierce wind and rain of last night seems to have blown in something warm! hooray, spring! i have my windows open and my heart is happy. ahhhhhhh.

i love the quality of light on a morning with storm remnants in the sky... the bright sunrise light peeking from behind the ominous grey of the clouds... it makes everything seem mystical somehow.

i love watching spring unfold. for me, it's almost like watching God recreate the garden of eden in slow motion. each fat bud, each bluebird carrying twigs, every inch of plant pushing up out of the ground is a miracle.

happy day to you...