The dotted line

I'm a little superstitious. Which is difficult because I'm mostly logical. Children have that saying, "step on a crack, break your mother's back." The logical part of me knew that was totally false, yet the superstitious part of me wouldn't step on the crack.

As you get older the superstitions change. Breaking mirrors, black cats, talking about good news.

Maybe that last one only applies to me. I have a fear that if I talk about intangible good news that is in the pipeline, somehow it will not happen. I fear that my big mouth will impact the decisions people make, even though they don't even know me or hear me speak.

Now that I write in down, it does sound stupid. Aren't we supposed to share good news? The logical part of me knows God is in control and whether or not I talk about it doesn't really impact His plan. Old habits die hard.

That's why I'm talking today. I'm giving up the superstition and letting the good news of God's plan in my life flow.

We leave tomorrow to sign papers on the house in Puyallup. I've mentioned it before in passing, but this time it's final. We sign on Friday and the buyers sign next week. After 18 months and 20 days, we are excited to no longer have that house in our lives. We can travel to Seattle to visit our friends. We won't have to worry about who is mowing the yard or how we're going to get over there to pull weeds. We don't have to worry about that mortgage payment and how on earth we will ever afford any emergencies.

We no longer have a reminder of some of our early marriage hardships. We can solely focus on God's plan in our lives in Spokane. Being with our girls and family. Being in a marriage that finally puts God at the center. Being in a church family that holds us accountable and ministers to our hearts.

This house wasn't just a liability on our balance sheet, it represented a time when our marriage, our life together was a liability on life's balance sheet. This signing isn't just a time for peace of mind (don't get me wrong, that's a nice bonus too), it's a good-bye to our past.

I can't wait to sign on that dotted line and focus on God's plan for our future.

My Country Tis of Thee

It is interesting that Veteran's Day falls so closely to an election. At least every 4 years! As I was growing up, I looked forward to this day in November as a day off from school. We always knew it was coming because we'd color pictures of flags and sing the Star Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful. I didn't have any idea how significant this day was until I was about 15.

My grandpa Ray was in the hospital. My freshman english teacher, Mrs. Korus, asked us to write a biography on someone. It was a lesson about interview skills and creatively writing a story from your notes. I picked my grandpa because in all my 15 years, I'd never really known him as a man.

What I learned about him was far beyond anything I could prepare myself for. He was a shorter man, slighly rounded by years of grandma's good cooking. I remember he was easy to smile and if you got him to laugh, his arms would bend up around his belly and he'd almost make a wheezing sound rather than a true laugh.

As I sat in that hospital as a 15-year old biographer, I found the questions I had prepared were trivial compared to his life's story. He told of growing up poor, traveling with his family for work through Oklahoma. As I had just read Grapes of Wrath, I'd gotten a good visual of his childhood.

Despite how poor they were, he still felt a need to serve his country. Honestly, I can't remember what branch of the service he was in, but he told his personal experience on D-Day during WWII. For the first time I saw him not as my grandpa, with laugh lines, but as a man. A soldier.

His story embraced everything that his America. The amber waves of grain in the midwest to the broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fights of war. He embodied everything that this country was founded on.

He died a few days after my interview. He never knew how much that interview meant to me or how it changed my view of him. Changed my view of America's history.

Today is the day I remember those who have fought and are fighting so bravely for this country. I know not everyone agrees with war, but these brave men and women are fighting to defend our freedoms. Freedoms of speech, religion and opinion. Thank you for serving this country. Thank you for standing on that wall so I don't have to.

She's got the beat

I spent most of my time this weekend with Zoe. I missed her when I was in the land of expensive cars.

That kid doesn't disappoint. She can make me laugh harder than I ever thought possible. Like when she'd take her bottle out of her mouth at bedtime and fake cough. Then she'd just smile.

Not only is she entertaining, she's growing so fast. This weekend she started to dance. We were at the mall, passed a store playing some hip-hop music and she busted a move without thinking twice. She has some rhythm. She even taps her foot like she tap dancing. Dance Emporium here we come!

Last night at dinner, we had the Backyardigans on and she started singing with them. She can't say the words so it came out, "blah blah blah." In a sing-song voice. I thought N was going to shoot Mt. Dew out his nose. It was the cutest thing ever.

Now she sings to all her stuffed animals. Lamby got serenaded during a diaper change.

I love watching her grow!

Hello 21st century. It's nice to finally meet you.

I've been known to scowf at technology. I used to think those people with DVD players in their cars were totally absurd and some kind of rapper.

Then I took a road trip with a 20 month old. Those people became technological geniouses.

I spent some time in Scottsdale this week. I'm sad to say, none of it was in a spa. That city is something close to the Beverly Hills of Arizona. It is insane. Yeah, they have three lines for valet parking at the mall. I saw a $120,000 Mercedes and a 19 year old got out of the driver's seat. Then a $250,000 Bentley pull in behind them.

That was before I got into the mall and saw only designer stores that I've seen on Project Runway.

I guess you could say I was forever changed.

Because I came home and entered the rat race we call the 21st century. I bought a new iPod Nano. In blue.

Now I can safely say, "where have you been all my life?" Now I can listen to the BeeGee's, Elton John, Linkin Park, TobyMac and Tenth Avenue North all in the same rotation. Does it get any better than that?

Friday Five Faves - vol. 17

I know I said I wouldn't be back until the weekend, but between the massages, the facials and the body wraps, I figured I could fit in a Friday Five Fave.

Oh, I kid. I can smell the wonderful, relaxing aromas of the spa and I may have zoned out during the morning meeting to visual myself being pampered. I really don't think they'll miss me much during the afternoon sessions.

Or you know, my flight doesn't leave until 9 tonight, so I could fit something in before take-off.

It's the little thoughts like those that keep me going.

1) I went to Starbucks this week to discover this:

The red holiday cup! YEAH! I don't know why, but I swear my coffee tastes better in this cups. I'm a little disappointed they did away with the peppermint, red sprinkles this year. They replaced it with peppermint whipped cream. I don't get the whip cream. I feel that by not getting it, I'm saving myself 13 grams of fat per cup. Which is huge!

Again, all about the little thoughts.

2) 2:00 am bottles. Ever since Zoe has had a cold, we've been getting up in the middle of night for a bottle again. I think all the swallowing helps clear her nose. While having my REM cycle disturbed isn't my favorite thing, having Zoe cuddle into me and rub my arm while we sit in her room is. It's those bonding moments that make the lack of sleep totally worth it.

3) My new sweater from Lerner New York. It's totally comfy and the perfect autumn find. I seriously could wrap up in and not come out until spring.

Or you know, when it needs to be washed.

4) Daylight Savings Time. Zoe didn't quite enjoy Daylight Savings Time like she should've. Last Saturday I was up 6 times that night. Apparently the whole time change was just too confusing for her. Her internal clock was all messed up. Here's the cool thing about. I get to experience it twice. In the same week.

I don't quite know how this works, but Arizona thinks DST is a total waste of time. They do not participate. I gained an hour on Saturday, lost an hour yesterday and I get it back tonight. It's my own personal version of Quantum Leap.

5) Midnight showings. In my single days I was known to go see movies at midnight to claim being the very first to see it. The last movie I did this with was the most recent Star Wars with N. I'm proud to say that I just bought midnight showing tickets again. For Thursday, November 20th. To see Twilight the movie. I'm totally stoked.

Leavin' on a jet plane

Today and tomorrow I'm in Scottsdale. It's sunny, warm and they've put me up at a luxurious spa. Unfortunately I'll be in meetings most of the time, but perhaps they won't miss me too much if I'm not back right after lunch. A girl needs her post-lunch facial as much as she needs air to breathe.

I'm just sayin'.

I'll be back this weekend.

If they can get me out of the spa.

She says the words that make her mom's heart sing

Or you know, re-write the words to Barry Manilow songs. Apparently I'm a fanilow.

This week has been a huge week for Zoe. She's full of words now. Although she's not 100% aware of the fact that you have to say the entire word for it to work. Then again, her people understand her, so what's the need?

This week we have 9 new words. She's so proper about it. Most things start with "a" or "an." Makes the Communications major in me excited.

"a pup" is a puppy
"a pump" is a pumpkin
"a cuh" is a cup
"a cah" is a car
"a bah" is a ball
"a took" is a cookie
"a duh" is a duck

We also can say "pat" and "up."

She's learning so fast. N and I are truly blessed to be her parents.