Operation Soccer Ball

If you watch national newscasts or read newspapers, you know that things in Iraq still look grim … according to the media. That isn’t the whole story though. If you’d like to know more, check out some of the links on the right.

Each military branch has a news site on its website that compiles stories from home and abroad about all that is going on. This is a much better picture of the whole story, so you can also go to those websites and check it out for yourself. Then, listen with half an ear to the media, because they have their own agenda and the slant is profound.

In addition, Michael, at A Day in Iraq, has suggested we begin “Operation Soccer Ball” to provide the children in Iraq (lovers of the game every one) with soccer balls as a gesture of good will. The soldiers love giving the kids gifts as they go through the towns and villages, and the kids gather around them very excited about getting anything. Steven Kiel has agreed to be a distributor of all items sent. He also distributes small stuffed toys (Beanie Babies) and toiletries for adults. You can get his mailing address on his blog or through me. Best way to send things is Priority Mail. There is a box available from the Postal Service that is a flat rate - $7.70 for however much you can stuff in the box. It takes 2-2½ weeks for each box to arrive at its destination in Iraq.

Years of distrust of “westerners” have built walls among adults in the Middle East, but children are the future of the country. If you can help provide soccer balls, please let Michael or Steven know. Thanks so much.

In Reagan's Words....

"Today is Armed Forces Day, a day we set aside to remember and thank those Americans who wear our country's uniform and who serve our nation in so many places around the globe. Many are far from home, and things you and I take for granted -- family, friends, all the good things that go with life in our hometowns -- they've given all these things up for the sake of a challenge and to answer a call. The challenge is the task of defending freedom, and the call they've answered is summarized in three words: duty, honor, country. So, on Armed Forces Day, let's remember the debt we owe those in uniform. ... I know I speak for all Americans when I say to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen: We thank you for the job you're doing and the sacrifices you're making for all of us at home. And we're grateful and proud of you for your devotion to country and to the cause of freedom." --Ronald Reagan

Home at Last

It is great to be back home and have all of my family back under one roof for a couple of months. I've really looked forward to this. Loading up my son's possession in the moving truck was a job. He had nearly everything packed and labeled according to where it was going (home or storage), but it looked like a mountain of stuff. In reality, it only took us 4 hours to finish packing, load everything and clean the house for the last time, but it felt like 8. A meal followed immediately afterwards (what do you call a meal eaten at 4pm?) at Denny's and then my husband and I called it a day! My son had some things to drop off at various places before leaving town and we kept his little dog while he did that, but then we just turned on the television and did nothing. I don't know what else, if anything, he did.

We went to his church service this morning in a small town outside of Bryan/College Station. It is a small town, but a remarkably large church and they have just built a new sanctuary. We went in the old church building, though, because it is a beautiful old country church and my son knew I would like it. I told him it even smells like an old church. After the service, my husband hit the road in the moving truck immediately. We grabbed sandwiches at a shop in College Station, picked up the dog at the motel and weren't too far behind him. Even so, my husband and daughter had already left for choir rehearsal when we got here, so I didn't get to check on her. She called, though, and says she's fine. She wore herself out yesterday going to a high school graduation and party. Once home, some of the neighborhood kids came in to hang out for awhile and then she went next-door and ate supper over there before lazing around in front of a DVD. I'm pleased that she showed the good sense not to drive down to Waco to meet her "Dinner for 8" group when she was tired. She really is growing up! I'm pleased to see it.

That's about it from our thriving metropolis (yeah, right). Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week.

You Gotta Laugh

Yesterday morning, my husband and I were drinking coffee and reading the paper on the back porch. I looked over and asked him if he knew what had happened to the stained glass piece normally in our bedroom window. He didn't. We talked about it a minute. I tried to remember it breaking or something. Off and on through my busy day, I'd think about it and even looked in a couple of places in case I'd taken it down and put it away somewhere and forgot about it. Last night, as I started to bed, I looked over and there it was! On the inside of the blind. Not visible from outside unless the blind is pulled up. I had a good laugh at my own expense. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Just thinking out loud

I had a busy day today and I'm tired and ready to call it a day. But I noticed on my son's blog today that he sent messages to some of the people he will miss the most once he moves back up here for the summer and prepares to leave for another college in the fall. I think that's nice and I hope they all see their own message and appreciate it. He always does things in a unique way and they each have to have a password to get into their own message so I have no idea what he wrote to each one, but I'm hoping he relayed how special they truly are to him. He has made several good friends and I know it is hard to leave.

I made a mad dash to his bank to put in some money to cover carpet cleaning in his house so they'll be sure to get their deposit back. Turns out the close of business for his bank is 4pm and I got there at 2:55 thinking it would be 3pm. Rewarded myself with a Starbucks trip - I haven't had a latte since Monday, and I've worked hard caring for the recuperating daughter, so I deserved it. Even without the trip to the bank, but it wasn't as far out of the way by doing it then! Ha!

He said he's all packed except his books. Of course, he has more books than everything else combined, but he'll be ready when we get there on Saturday to load the truck. I spent this afternoon helping my daughter by sorting through some boxes and re-packing things that will go to storage for the summer and sealing the boxes really well to keep out uninvited "guests". She worked on straightening and organizing her room. It was desperately needed.

Anyway, it was a productive day and we know we accomplished some good things today. Hope yours was the same way. Have a great one!

What a Day!

My poor daughter had her wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. All went well with the surgery – she was done in 45 minutes – but the rest of the day did not go as smoothly. She was so nauseous and actually got sick a couple of times. She especially had trouble with the pain pills. And she needs the pain pills, but we had to stop them. Ice packs help, but after 24 hours of that, she’s tired of having that thing wrapped around her face, too. At one point yesterday, she looked at me and said, “I feel like a two-year-old.” But she’s definitely easier to deal with than she was as a two-year-old, even though I felt just as helpless at times yesterday as I did when she was little and sick.

An even greater problem has been maintaining her blood sugar levels. She has low blood sugar and if it gets too low, she has a headache and can even be nauseous. That definitely contributed to the problems yesterday because nothing she could eat provided enough protein for her. We boosted the blood sugar level with a milkshake, but then it cratered and she was in worse shape. So it was a vicious cycle. I’m hoping she’ll be up for a scrambled egg this morning. A steady diet of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese isn’t cutting it. We may find out just how many scrambled eggs she can eat in one day.

She’s been up this morning to change her ice pack, but she must have gone back to sleep. She said she slept last night, and I hope so since she can’t take her regular medication until her stomach settles down. Please pray for her to have a better day. She’s hoping a friend or two will drop by and I’m hoping she’ll feel like seeing them if they do

This and That

I’m still recuperating from three very hectic weeks all leading up to and culminating in my biggest event of the year – National Scrapbook Day on Saturday. We had a great turnout (three consultants and nearly 50 customers) and they all seemed to have a good time and get lots of pages done in their albums. Lunch was great (prepared ahead of time, but heated and served by my catering department-trained daughter) but they ate it all up. I got just over a tablespoonful of 4 out of 6 items prepared. That’s okay, for those who know me, I’ve been working to lose weight for the last 2½ years, so I’m not complaining about that. It was enough since I haven’t been able to work out much these past three weeks, either.

I don’t know why that wears me out so, but being on my feet racing from one end of the room (basketball court-sized) to the other constantly and having to be “on” for hours on end (I tell people all the time I can only be nice for a couple of hours at a stretch and then the real me appears) and know what is going on all over the place just takes it all out of me. Thank goodness for the men in our lives who showed up to break down tables, put them away, repack cars and help vacuum the room so it wouldn’t be an embarrassment on Sunday morning for the church-goers there. We were out by 7pm after the event ended at 6pm.

Our next stop was a Chinese restaurant in the next town that is my favorite only because they don’t use MSG in anything, so I can eat without fear and without asking questions about the food. I never realized what a pain that is to have to ask before ordering. And it bugs me when someone seems unconcerned with knowing and/or finding out the answer. To some, I’m a pain because I’m holding things up by making them go ask the cook or chef or someone in the middle of my order. Makes me wonder if they’d mind a troop of EMTs and paramedics trooping through the restaurant to put in a trach tube in the middle of their busy dinner hour on the floor in front of the patrons. I’d mind it except it might save my life, but THAT does seem like an inconvenience and would probably upset some folks’ stomachs.

When we got home, my daughter high-tailed it to her room to begin the recovery process from her long day in the kitchen (she also washed a LOT of dishes, but she didn’t have to worry about packaging leftovers for the trip home). My husband and I unloaded the cars and even carried everything upstairs. Believe me, that was a huge effort because I did NOT want to do that. However, I was glad I didn’t have to do it yesterday.

It took me a full 24 hours to recover. My daughter and husband left for choir practice at church about 3pm yesterday. I was still not even dressed. I did get cleaned up and put on a pair of shorts instead of pjs, but I let my hair dry itself and we won’t even think about make-up. Then about 7 or 7:30, they called and wanted to meet for dinner. My son had driven up for choir rehearsal, too (they’re all going to Europe this summer with the choir on tour, so it will be good for my kids to learn some of the music before they go), so I dragged myself out to the closest restaurant we have. Maybe I just needed a real meal, because that did wonders for me. When I got home, I actually did almost all of my paperwork – I have to enter purchases on the computer and into my ledger and then I’m done, wrote thank you notes to all of my customers and put away nearly all of the stuff we’d brought home. The only things left go in the attic and I didn’t have on any shoes (there’s a surprise) and I didn’t want to have on any shoes, so I’ll do that today.

In the end, though, it was a huge success. My sales were good and with the incredible Home Show from last week, my sales for the month are higher than I’ve ever had before and I still have half the month to go. I’m in line for a bonus after I order in June for sales consistency, and I’m really hyped about that. I already got rebates two months in a row and will get that again in June, looks like. I took so much time off last summer, and it has taken a long time to recover from that, but things are finally moving ahead now.

My last thought is about prayer. Not long ago, a man called me to tell me his 36th wedding anniversary was coming up in a couple of weeks and he wanted to do an album of their wedding for his wife. They didn’t have a photographer there, and he only had snapshots (some of them polaroids) to work with, but he took them and had them enlarged and brought them to me. Together, we created a very elegant looking album and he called after he gave it to her to tell me how much she liked it. I was just impressed that he thought of it and figured out how to get it done. One of the things he said while he was here really struck home with me. He was talking about meeting his wife and coming to the realization that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he said, “It makes you glad that God doesn’t always answer your prayers like you want Him to.” In other words, he’d prayed before about other girls that God would work out the relationship between them, but looking back, with 20/20 hindsight, he realized that God said no to those relationship, because He had this one still to come. I hadn’t thought about it like that before, but he’s right. I dated guys and prayed that I would marry them one day, only to discover they weren’t all I hoped they were and when I met my husband, it all came together. It isn’t always perfect, but it’s worth continuing to work on. And I love him. Some days I have to choose to love him because the feeling just isn’t there, but then I know he chooses to love me a lot of days when I’m not lovable, too. And I’m grateful that he does.

My daughter will have her wisdom teeth removed tomorrow morning, so please pray for her and for her recovery over the next day or two. It will be good to have that done and over with, too. This whole month has been about getting things over with. I’m ready to just enjoy the summer.

So those are my thoughts this Monday morning. Have a great week. I’m praying for those of you in my sphere.

It's Over

The case is over and the verdict is in. It took us less than an hour to determine the defendant was indeed guilty on both counts. The judge will sentence him in about 3 months. I know far more about drug dealing, abusing, and trafficking than I ever wanted to know. And while there are a few people off the street (and one more will stay off the street as of today), it is also just the tip of the iceberg and that is so sad. These people were brilliant and incredibly talented in business. Too bad they chose an illegal business for those talents. Too bad they chose to indulge in their own products and cook their brains. Too bad it takes so long to find them and try them and move on to the next ring.

There were moments that were funny. Like when they started to show us a video news clip about the car chase and outside the courthouse, sirens could be heard on the street below. Everyone laughed. Or when the police officer who was testifying was looking in a bin of several pieces of evidence for a particular gun. It fell over and hit the bottom of the bin with a resounding “thunk”. He dryly commented, “I think I found it.” While we laughed, the prosecutor says, “For the record, all the weapons being presented in evidence in this case have been deemed safe by the court security officers.” It was classic. The judge’s favorite was when one of the prosecution’s own witnesses was making a point about describing the obvious and pointed to “that piece of fabric over there under that metal eagle”. The prosecutor jumped on her with “That’s our flag, Ma’am.” He’s a recent veteran of OIF (Iraq) and is rather patriotic. She responded, “Exactly, you just made my point for me,” and he calmed down. The judge said he will tease him about that for years – jumping on his own witness.

But there are some scary people living among us – driving on the same streets with us. I am amazed at the weapons they have, at the money they make, at the life they lead – from the outlandish expenditures to the day-in and day-out survival mode in which they are afraid to go to sleep without posting a guard. I’m telling you, this was an eye-opening experience for me.

Thanks for your prayers. God definitely answered as none of us had any doubt. We had to clarify a couple of things and we did look at several pieces of evidence to accomplish that, but it really was an easy decision. And it’s over. And I have time to get ready for my event on Saturday!

The End is in Sight

The jury I am serving on will get our case tomorrow morning, so we are nearly through with this ordeal. Please pray for us tomorrow as we deliberate that we will reach the right verdict in such a way that we are not in conflict but that the answer is clear-cut.

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day full of special times with my family and thoughtful gifts from one and all.

A friend of my daughter's precious baby girl arrived safely and soundly on Friday. Mother and daughter are both home and doing well. And the new mother made it home in time to enjoy her first-ever Mother’s Day.

I will be ready for my biggest event of the year on Saturday, especially if we finish the case tomorrow. My daughter went back to the college to take her last final in the morning, but then she’ll be back for good. My son even came home this weekend, and it doesn’t seem so long until he’ll be back, too. It’s shaping up to be a great summer.

It's Mother's Day

I've had a great Mother's Day - beginning last night. We got home from moving our daughter out of her dorm and our son was here. I wasn't really sure he was even coming, so that was a great surprise. We unloaded all of my daughter's stuff and I had to work to finish up some things from a Home Show I'd done earlier in the day. (I say that as though it was no big deal, but in actuality, it was the highest sales I've ever had at a Home Show, so I was thrilled.

Anyway, my husband sent flowers earlier in the day yesterday, but they arrived with a vase, but unarranged. I called upon my son who worked for a florist briefly while in high school to rearrange them, and it was amazing what a little experience will do for you. He was actually hired as a deliveryman, but it was a small shop, so he had to do everything on busy days.

This morning, my daughter gave me a Baylor "Mom" shirt. I love it, and it really is beginning to sink in that I will soon have both of my kids there - mine and my husband's alma mater. It wasn't all that important until now. But it's cool and I'm excited about it for both of them.

My husband had my daughter send him photos from our trip to Las Vegas and framed a photo of me and my son, one of the Paris Hotel and one of my daughter all together in one frame. It is so neat and I love it. He also bought me a dvd, but we already had that one, so he'll exchange it for another.

Then my son brought in an antique rose bush - and it was more than 47 years old :). It is actually a cutting from a 300 year old rose bush. Because it has not been "engineered", it should be pretty hardy and I put it in the only empty pot on the back porch and I now have something to show my next-door-neighbor. She can grow nearly anything and I can kill nearly anything, so she always has more things to show me. I can't wait. I've watched for her all afternoon, but she hasn't been out.

So, it's been a near perfect day. I have to go back on jury duty tomorrow which I dread, but at least we're nearing the end of this case, I think, and I can get back to normal. Pray for me that I will be fair and wise in deliberations and that God will lead us all to the right decision.

Have a great day yourself, and thanks for stopping by my blog!