Reflection

Looking back, 2007 has been one jam-packed year! Since I'm a fan of lists, I shall present to you the ABC's of 2007.

A - After Eve - I love that our church is a hub for awesome events!

B - Babies - This was the year of the baby. Not our baby, but lots of friends now have babies (14 couples to be exact!)

C - Chicago - Our Chicago friend is getting closer to deciding it's time to come home!

D - Doves - our neighbor has doves. There were 6 when we moved in, now there are 4.

E - Eating - As always, the Bings ate...a lot this year. Go figure. A favorite would have to be the Chocolate Evolution dessert, or perhaps some Lancaster ham loaf...mm mm good...

F - Friends and Fun - So many friends have come to visit us this year, and that always means lots of FUN!

G - Grandpa - Got to accompany him to the 60th reunion of the 1947 Maryland Terps football team and watch college football live for the first time since 2004.

H - Homeowners - In May, we bought our first home.

I - Ice Cream - This is the year that the Maggie Moo's obsession began (also the year the American Idol ice cream debuted).

J - Jealous? - Best Wife Ever = new flat screen TV for Christmas (that makes 2 TV "Christmas" presents for the 3 Christmases we have been married...but who's counting!)

K - KPMG Friends - So thankful for the friends that stuck with me!

L - LOST - Rocks my world...yet again...with their best season yet!

M - Mountaineers - In August we officially added one more Mountaineer to the family.

N - Nine:Thirty - With the arrival of one of the Bests to DC, a Guster concert at the 9:30 Club was in order.

O - Old - Sometimes we feel old...sometimes we are reminded that we act "old".

P - Pears - In November we learned that Husband is also allergic to pears.

Q - Quit! - As in, "Quick baking cookies before I get fat!" Husband did not understand that perfecting the chocolate chip cookie would have such dire results!

R - Red - Obviously my favorite color, now emphasised by my 2 new pairs of red shoes this year!

S - Small Groups - We said "good-bye" to one and "hello" to two other this year!

T - Ten Years - In July, Husband and I celebrated our first meeting, 10 years ago in 1997.

U - Ugly - The original paint choice for our main level was not cool.

V - Virginia Tech - In April, we all were Hokies...

W - Weekend Get-Away - We discovered Hershey Hotel...and the Circular Dining Room as an amazing weekend get-away in March...and in September...

X - X-tra Time - The new job cut my commute by 2 hours per day!

Y - Yay - We had a ton of fun this year, that deserves a big, "Yay!"

Z - Zero - As in the number of Metro rides I took in 2007 =)

Celebrate

I Celebrate the Day
-Relient K

With this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know
How much You've touched my life because
Here is where You're finding me
In the exact same place as New Years Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever?
And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever?

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I've felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That You give
That You were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me…

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that you would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever?
And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did You realize that You would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever?

And I
I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life

Doodle

www.google.com

Keep checking back folks, nothing says "Merry Christmas" like the annual Christmas Google Doodle! Today is Day One. If you're not checking the blog "today" then just click on the Google logo to see the whole series of doodles. I'm not sure how long they will be posted, but they always give me a giggle.

I love Google.

Arby's

This blog is dedicated to the Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich.

Arby's, oh Arby's, how well you know me;
Open late, what a great date, for me and the Hubby.

Arby's, oh Arby's, your beef and your cheddar;
Lots of BBQ and an onion bun, what could be better!

Arby's, oh Arby's, once the new year diet begins;
We will have to say good-bye, until the craving sets in.

Cards

I think I send out way too many cards. I just love getting things in the mail (that aren't advertisements for house painters or catalogues intended for the previous owners of our house) and apparently I think that everyone likes getting things in the mail. Is that so terrible?

I guess when I start spending more money on stamps than on Christmas presents for family we will revisit the situation...but for now I think I'm okay...Husband may think otherwise, but the arrival of the new TV today is sure to cloud his judgment on my Christmas spending habits, if only for a little while.

Right?

Fifty

50 degrees certainly feels different in December rather than in September. In September 50 meant that a coat was virtually unnecessary when making a lunch-run outside the office. In December, 50 still implies "coat weather" simply because it's December. Now as I sit here sweating in my wool sweater and boots I am reminded that perhaps months aren't really what I should go by when dressing myself...perhaps daily temperature forecasts should play into this preparation a bit more...

Simpsons

Today,The Simpsons Movie comes out on DVD.

It is a happy day knowing that this means Spider Pig can now make an appearance on the "big screen" in our home =)

Don't judge us based on the fact that The Simpsons are our guilty pleasure...it could be worse...we could have celebrated our anniversary by seeing the movie in the theatres.

...oh wait...we did =)

Grandma

"Erin made me a beautiful soft green scarf and sent it to me. I was very pleased and went out and bought a new jacket to show it off."
~Grandma

And people wonder where I get "it" from...

I love my Grandma =)

Fear

So this was the devotional that came in my email this morning...I love it and thought I would share...


God Knows Your Fears
by Jon Walker

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! (Luke 2:8-10 NLT)

Have you ever noticed God is always telling us to not be afraid? For instance, in the Bible, whenever an angel showed up with a message from God, the first thing the angel said is: "Do not be afraid."

There are all kinds of reasons we might be afraid to receive a message from God: We're afraid of change, afraid of losing control, afraid of sacrifice, afraid of not being good enough, afraid to face the fact that we're not good enough – and would prefer to live in our pretense.

And, I suppose, any us would be afraid if a member of the heavenly host suddenly showed up next to the receptionist at work, or in the middle of the laundry room at home. Ha!

Perhaps our fear comes from this sudden moment when we realize that what we say we believe is really true, with all the implications of what that means. Is a lukewarm faith sustainable in the face of an angel?

Our response to this is not only fear – we have a bad habit of telling ourselves: "Try harder!" It doesn't help that, frankly, there is so much Christian literature that re-enforces this "Try harder! You should be doing better!" mentality.

Yet the Good News of Great Joy is that you don't have to be good enough. You don't have to be good enough because God is enough!

The Bible teaches us to fight fear with faith – faith that Jesus will cover all our sins and shortcomings.

What does this mean?
· Replace your fear with faith – Ask God to help you. Remember, "I believe, Lord; help my unbelief." The apostle John tells us God's perfect love drives out all fear.

· Chase God, not perfection – You will never reach perfection, but Jesus, through his death and resurrection, is your perfection. God doesn't love you because you're the best kid in the class, or because you try really hard. God loves you because he loves you. Slow down, shake off your anxiety, and meditate on that.

· Expect God to speak to you in the routines of life – The shepherds weren't on some spiritual retreat seeking God. They were by their flocks, following their routine, maybe even a little bored – then suddenly …. Look for God this week as you go about your routine.

Lyrics

Christmas music always makes me happy. Yesterday we were fortunate enough to make it downtown to the annual Navy band performance. The musicians and singers were amazing, but the thing that struck me most...was the lyrics. Christmas songs can speak so much truth (and no, I'm not talking about Santa Claus coming to town...)

God rest ye merry gentleman let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas day. To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray....

Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room...

...and He shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords...

What truth these songs we take for granted proclaim to an unbelieving world!

I think my favorite part, was the second to last song of the night. The Navy band was rocking out The Hallelujah Chorus full-on gospel choir-style. The audience rose to their feet clapping along with the singers. Jesus was being exalted and the Lord was being praised! Right in the heart of downtown Washington, DC, by our military and our nations people. Now you tell me our country was not built on Christian principles and through blood sweat and tears of Christian men and women wanting to worship the Lord God freely. Go on, come with me next year to this concert, sit where I sit, listen to what I am listening to...and you tell me the Spirit isn't moving in America today.

I cried. It was so beautiful to watch and to be a part of.

Hallelujah! All praise and glory to the King of Kings!

Squall

A brief sudden violent windstorm, often accompanied by rain or snow.

I learned a new word today.


...from weather.com of all places. Who knew!

Bailout

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/11/news/economy/cnn_mortgage_poll/index.htm?cnn=yes

Finally someone reports on the "other half". Those of us who do not see a need for a mortgage bailout. Thank you CNN for shedding some light onto a huge chunk of the American public. Were you surprised? I wasn't. I would say that 9 out of 10 people I have talked to about the situation are against the mortgage bailout. I had wondered why we weren't getting any recognition. It's about time...perhaps a little late...but at least our voices will be heard.

Looks like Bingham Bootcamp is becoming more and more of a necessity for the average American consumer...

DVD

LOST Season 3 came out on DVD today.

I did not buy it.

Huck

Somehow the fact that Mike Huckabee strongly resembles Kevin Spacey makes me happy.

Cookies

I love cookies. There are few kinds of cookies which I will not eat. Oatmeal raisin cookies are one of those cookies, as are just about any cookie that includes a nut. I am not a fan of nutty cookies. Cookies are awesome. Nuts are awesome. Nut cookies are disgusting.

This Christmas season I learned how to make my grandmother's molasses cookies. They are my favorite Christmas cookie. If you like gingersnaps, but are scared away by the crunch factor, look no further than a sweet, chewy molasses cookie.

Through this blog we have learned many things, but three of the important Rachael food-factoids have got to be:
1. love for nectarines,
2. love for peanut butter, and
3. love for molasses cookies.

Care to show a little love this holiday season?

Tuna

Note to Self:
Do not have tuna for lunch on the day you decide to try a new deodorant. Tuna and "body" are difficult smells to distinguish between at times and a snap judgement could be made about you, your lunch, your deodorant, or worse.

List

You know what I want more than anything this Christmas?

An outfit for work that:
1) Fits properly
2) Is slightly trendy
3) Has some color
4) Is machine washable
5) Looks freaking awesome on myself.

Perhaps this comes from my hatred for basically everything in my closet. Perhaps this hatred stems from the fact that 95% of my work clothes were purchased in the spring/fall of 2004. Perhaps this is because I'm still not used to being "business casual" and not wearing a suit every day. Perhaps this is because my work wardrobe is a pathetic mix of button-down shirts that are to be worn under suits, but look like tents when worn separately, and cardigan sets from the "business casual" job I had before the suit job which was in the summer of 2002...after I had gained 35 pounds during my freshman year of college (obviously those look ridiculous now that I lost 20-25 of those extra pounds in the last 5 years).

I think I need to try everything I own on, in front of some close friends; get some honest opinions about "appropriateness" of said clothes; purge the closet of all violators; step out in search of age and work appropriate clothing.

At least I have a rockin' shoe collection...

Ears

I officially feel old. I can no longer stand to wear earrings and talk on the phone. The pain is too much to bear. I now have to remove my earrings to talk on the phone at work. Perhaps a few two hour teleconferences helped shape this reality, but really, a one minute voicemail is enough to make my ears scream out in pain. Not cool. Next thing you know I'll be wearing clip-on earrings for their easy on-off practicality.

On stick-ons...remember those '80s children??

Anders

David Anders rocks. In my head is a horribly calculating individual who only accepts roles as intriguing, manipulative, intelligent, freaking amazing villains. I am totally okay with that. He should continue to choose his characters wisely. He has amazing judgement as to what roles will work for him...Sark and Adam have been amazing finds.

Heroes Season 2 would be off the DVR list if not for David Anders. I hope he's not one of the two Heroes that is destined to die next week...

Or we're done...

Unless of course it is to make some massive plot connection or revelation...then I'm okay. He deserves an amazing Heroes death if that be the case, one that we know will ultimately end with his head being blown off...

Kmart

Wow. Okay, so read an article this morning about a brawl that broke out in a Wisconsin Kmart in Saturday. The brawl was caused by women fighting over credit card applications. Kmart credit card applications. Apparently Kmart was running a "deal" that customers would get $10 if they applied and were approved for the store credit card. Due to some technical difficulties, the approval process was not working properly and every applicant was granted a credit card with a $4,000 credit limit. Apparently people were confused because word got out that there was "free money" at the Kmart and a brawl ensued over the credit card applications that lead to "free money".

At first glace nothing seems odd? Try again...CREDIT CARDS people...CREDIT. Yes, these people were brawling over "free" DEBT. From the look of things, these people were definitely not fiscally responsible and therefore should have never been granted credit cards.

Raise your hand if you think 98% of these new credit card holders maxed out those brand new cards and has no idea what an APR is, but will quickly find out after they make the minimum payment at the end of the month.

Yeah. That's what I thought.

Marc

After catching up on Heroes this weekend both in episodes and in blogs I am happy with the changes EW has made in their TV Watch commentary department. The beginning of this season, both on and off the screen, was frustrating...but the inconceivable writer that began this season's Heroes journey was awful. We live in an era of serialized TV drama people...thick plots with some interwoven myth are now demanded by some audiences. The Heroes audience happens to be one of them...granted not quite as crazy as LOST fans, they still demand excellence and tripping over details etched in stone in the previous season is ridiculous. It's not like the show is that old. Get with the program. Don't suck.

Thank you, EW, for sending Missy Schwartz back to recapping Project Runway and sending the Heroes crowd Marc Bernardin. Marc makes me laugh out loud and definitely had a pulse on the dedicated Heroes following. We are the super-TV-viewers. We deserve well-thought out commentary to ease our obsessive brains back into reality after think too darn hard over TV show plots!

PS - I can't wait for Jeff Jensen to come back along with LOST in the spring =) Now there's a man who's hard-core into his commentary!

Leaves

The tree in our back yard was a brilliant red/orange when we left on Wednesday. When we returned, it was naked. Of course being the anal people that we are the next day we "needed" to rake the leaves. It was my job to put the pile of leaves into a giant paper bag for the trash guys. I could fit inside the paper bag, that's how big this thing was...and yes...I tried and that is how I know. Getting the HUGE pile of leaves (hard to believe it was only from one tree...very strange...) into the bag was no easy task. It was cold, and a little windy...and the leaves filled up the bag too quickly. Every other "scoop" we'd have to pack down the leaves. I was not good at this packing. Husband would stick his little hands inside the bag and it was like the leaves were scared and ran away from him. Me, notsomuch. I would push the leaves down and seconds later they would spring back up as if to say, "haha, we're not afraid of you missy!"

After expressing my frustrations to Husband, he had the following (very Husband) suggestion:

"You have to create the maximum surface area possible with your hands."

I took this to mean, "spread your fingers" which I did and nothing happened. The leaves still bounced back and I still had to holler, "Hubby, come push these leaves down!" every five seconds.

Raking leaves was entertaining to say the least, but the best part was the football and chili that happened after the leaves were gone!

Sales

So, Black Friday. I have never been one to go shopping on Black Friday, but this year...that all changed. Granted, we weren't crazy 4am shoppers or anything, but Sears did have a few deals advertised in the paper that sparked our interests. One new pair of boots and a set of drill bits later we decided to "swing by" the electronics department...

There she was, sitting pretty on the shelf for all to see. Marked down a wee bit. Our memories became jogged...several items were to be marked down double the sale price until noon only. Was she one of them, one of the lucky ones? Husband was off in a flash to find out. Moments later, flier in hand, he returned.

"So, is it on sale?"
"Yes"
"Double?"
"Yes"
"What do we do now?"
"We buy it."

We now have a family room TV.

Squeak

My navy heels were brought back from the depths of my closet this morning. Due to certain factors that we need not discuss, they can no longer be worn in the summer sans pantyhose...it has been chilly enough that today I deemed pantyhose and acceptable means of not freezing my toes off and out came the navy heels.

While walking around the office I quickly realized why the beloved shoes were not my chosen "favorites" anymore as they had been when I first purchased them over 3 years ago...to be more specific, in the summer of 2004.

Back to the issue at hand...my former favorite navy heels...squeak. However, only the left one makes the offensive noise, but since I am 100% human, I use both of my legs and, therefore, feet, when I walk. This is highly embarrassing in my eerily quite office and it leads me to my question of the day...

Question: Can squeaky heels be repaired?

Second question: how does one explain said squeakiness to the employees at the store repair store (i.e. the cobbler, not of the fruit variety)?

Ham

Would you drink ham?

Husband says, "Yes."

Adoption

To know or not to know...that is the question. As an adoptee I take particular interest in this article and the legislation it represents (granted my "home" state is not involved just yet...but better to be well-educated in the goings and comings than caught off guard one day...) On one hand, it would be awesome to know my medical history and, just for fun, the exact time of my birth. On the other hand, I respect the privacy of my birth mother/parents. I believe they did the "right" thing in choosing to give me up for adoption. If making their records "public" would in any way hinder a person's decision to give a child up for adoption, I'd say stop pushing for this information to be opened to the public. I mean, how ungrateful are you to not respect the privacy of those who gave you life? They didn't have to go through with their pregnancy but they did. They chose the best for their child and shouldn't they deserve some gratitude? When I turned 18, like most adoptees, I thought about doing "the search", but, obviously, I stopped. Too many horror stories about the reuniting of birth parents and children, too many questions, too many people to which I would have to explain my decision, too many whys...was it really worth it to dig up the past and potentially hurt someone in the present all to say, "Thank you" because really, that's all I want. To say, "thank you."

"Thank you for choosing to love me by giving me a chance. Thank you for not taking the easy road, but rather taking the road less traveled. Thank you for not trying to raise me yourself when you knew you were not up to the task. Thank you for offering me the chance at a better life. If only there were more like you in the world realizing the best thing they can do is to allow someone else to take the reigns. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Hands

Why does it never fail that as soon as I put lotion on my poor dry hands that I have to use the restroom...and subsequently wash my hands? I tend to not realize my hands are dry until it's ridiculously painful, itchy, and weird...which is a long time after first washing my hands...perhaps if I got into the habit of putting lotion on after I washed my hands it would be more effective.

Note: I still have not purchased new lotion for work. My cube still smells of spoiled black raspberry vanilla.

Itch

What causes a nose to itch?
Is it possible to rub one's nose off?
Why does the box say, "May cause excitability in children; may cause drowsiness"?
Why did it choose "drowsiness" with me?

What would I look like without a nose?

Ridiculous.

Costumes

This Halloween was quite the treat! Our new neighborhood has TONS of little kids (we had at least 200 kids come to our door) and the neighborhood was so full of fun and laughter. We met tons of neighbors that we otherwise might never have met and made lots of friends since apparently little kids LOVE Reese's (and Hubby's pumpkin). So much different from other Halloweens in my life which were plagued by fear, darkness, and anxiety.

I feel I have really come to terms with how Halloween fits into my world view and feel quite satisfied and confident now that I've separated the holiday from my past negative experiences with some helpful teaching from the pastors at Frontline. (FYI: Not all my past Halloweens were negative, and my mom made, hands-down, the BEST costumes of anyone else I know, but looking back and leaning on my cynical-side, I tend to dwell on the pumpkin smashing, late-night fireworks, and scary haunted houses...)

Enough depth. Onto the.....

1st Annual Halloween Superlatives!!

Best Costume
Lightening McQueen - featuring a cardboard car attached to the small boy with red suspenders! (Granted he took out like 4 kids in front of him trying to get to the candy bowl, but whatever, his costume DIDN'T come from off a rack at Target (that kid got two pieces of candy))

Best Ensemble
The Wizard of Oz crew

Best Duo
Two Spidermen, one older with lots of muscles and one younger with a skin-tight costume (too funny!!)

Best Effort
Little girl in "bear" costume (no head, couldn't really tell what it was) that would run so fast to get to houses that she would fall flat on her face...pick herself back up and keep on running!

Best Line
"I need a break!" (2 year old boy dressed as a skeleton sits down on our sidewalk and stares at us for 5 minutes)

Strangest Line
"I wasn't here yesterday." (I sure hope not kid, I have NO idea who you are!)

"What ARE you?" Costume
Kid running around carrying a stick with a bandage on the end wearing jeans and a tee shirt

Saddest Moment
Bing decides his pumpkin kitty looks more like Wilbur the Halloween Pig (click to see picture).

Biggest "Awww" Moment
"I can't have Reese's, I'll allergic to peanuts!!!!!!" (said with the greatest pain on his face...think I've gotta poo-face) to which I responded, "okay, here, I'll take it out, do you want a Kit-Kat instead?" "Do THOSE have peanuts?" (said with the most concerned look ever...like I told him his dog might not live or something) "Umm, I don't think so...." followed by 'Dad' interjecting "We'll check your candy later buddy, it's okay."

Weirdest Recurring Phenomenon
Kids reaching into the candy bowl to take a second piece of candy wanting to put it into their bag themselves...or get the candy of their choice when I hadn't chosen properly.

Best Trick or Treat
Surprising friends and getting to see their newborn all dolled up in a orange and white pinstriped onesy and pumpkin bib!

Pumpkins

Nice Pumpkins, eh?

I was pretty excited for some roasted pumpkin seeds, let me tell you! I made two different kinds. One was just with some salt and pepper and the other, oh the other...

Pumpkin Pie Seeds
Roast 1 cup pumpkin seeds at 250º-300º for 45 minutes.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet.
Add roasted pumpkin seeds and 4 tsp of sugar to the skillet.
Stir until all the sugar is melted and the seeds are covered.
Remove from skillet and toss with the following mixture:
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves)
2 tsp sugar
Spread out on plate to cool so they don't stick together in a big glob.

Enjoy!

Lotion

Can hand lotion spoil?

I suspect that something is "wrong" with the hand lotion on my desk at work. It is supposed to smell like Black Raspberry Vanilla (not one of my favorite scents, but not terribly offensive either for the workplace). I definitely think the lotion no longer smells like Black Raspberry Vanilla, but rather...Nasty Laundry Detergent Public Restroom Soap No Vanilla. This is unacceptable. Granted this bottle is probably three years old by now...maybe four...a Christmas gift from the pre-marriage days from a friend of the family. I still have just over half the bottle left (obviously this is a mental note to all not to buy me full-sized versions of lotions) and have quite a dilemma on my hands...do I throw away what may still be perfectly good (effective) lotion due to it's now offensive smell and buy a replacement? I'm sure that Bath and Body Works is running a sale on travel sized items...since they are always running a sale on those types of things... Or do I suffer on with the scent of Black Raspberry Vanilla But Not looming overhead in my cube?

I wonder if people outside my cubical can smell my lotion...


(By the time I checked the mail this evening, guess what was in the mailbox? That's right, a coupon for Bath and Body Works...apparently even they know I need new lotion!)

Snuggles

I love Kitty snuggles. I probably would not enjoy snuggles from Kitty in she wasn't so darn fluffy and soft. Husband is gone on travel and Kitty makes for a great companion. She is excited to see me, although still remains at the back door in the hope that Husband will return and play with her, she follows me around the house, and most importantly she crawls on the bed and curls up next to me each night to sleep. She purrs and provides much needed comfort and warmth.

Especially since it has become a tradition that "something" happens to my car while Husband is out of town and sometimes you just need something soft to dry your tears.

Tow

So my car *almost* got towed Tuesday night. Not cool. I was shocked when I saw five guys standing around the parking lot with two tow trucks and two cars getting loaded onto them. Why it required so many guys, I have no idea. Three of them were tow-truck guys and two were HOA rent-a-cops. Still far too many men if you ask me...were they planning on lifting the cars onto the trucks using only their brute strength?

In the end the guys laughed at me and my nonsensical question of "How do I get my car off of there?" (In my defense, they had done *something* to the car and started walking away saying, "You're free to go now." after I handed them $25 cash...which I'm sure is not technically policy...I could continue, but for the sake of boring my few readers I will not elaborate.) And of course when it was over and I was safe and sound in my car I burst into uncontrollable sobbing tears and called Hubby. I cried for a good 20 minutes...it was ridiculous and I just couldn't stop.

One of my gals informed me that all tow truck men are mean. This is how she thinks the interview for being a tow-truck man goes:

"I want to be a tow-guy."
"Well are you a douche-bag?"
"Yes I am!"
"Okay, you're in."

Perhaps my tears would have turned into giggles more quickly if I had known this prior to Tuesday night.

Science

An interesting discussion occurred this week touching on many related topics, but at it's core, the questions boiled down to "what is science?"

Science, according to Webster's, is: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through the scientific method and concerned with the physical world and its phenomena.

From Wikipedia I confirmed that; essential to the idea of "science" is the formation of hypotheses, theories, and laws.

I believe the confusion begins when natural science and social science are taught in conjunction with one another. Attempts to incorporate social science into natural science is only asking for trouble.

To what degree is the current body of scientific knowledge can be taken as an indicator of what is actually true? Has science become it's own theology?

How difficult it must be to be a scientist with a Christian world-view. Assuming their world-view is not compartmentalized into various areas, but they view the entire world with their Christian world-view...

Church

It's official! The Frontline Internet Church Campus is open. From the website you can now view Frontline LIVE on Sundays at 5:30pm. You can take part in the worship as well as the message along with your fellow Frontliners. How cool is that? What an awesome idea. For all of you that I've been talking about Frontline to, now's your chance to see what I'm talking about! Of course you're still always welcome to come with!

Check out the new Internet Campus by going to this website:
www.frontlinedc.com

I hope you can check it out some Sunday real soon!

TV

So it's about that time. Time that I sit down and consider what is rotting my brain...on the TV that is...Fall 2007 Edition.

So I started out with a HUGE list of new shows I wanted to check out, only a few even made it to "pilot viewing" and less have made the cut. It looks like my choices are pretty solid (except for one, maybe two) so let's see what I have been tuning into...

Dancing with the Stars - my family is into the show, the only show they watch, gives Mom, the grandparents and me something to talk about in the pop-culture realm...this is a first...I shall hang onto this show considering how much I love movies/tv and never get to share that with them...with the exception of my Grandma who has a love for the movies...probably where I get it from...

Heroes - no explanation needed.

Journeyman - I could probably live without, but Husband loves it and I am not opposed, not sure how this can run more than one season though...and from the network chatter it seems this show is doomed (much like our well-loved Justice from last season...so sad...)

Chuck - love it! Needs to continue...'nough said.

Beauty and the Geek - our favorite reality show has taken a downward turn with the addition of a girl geek and boy beauty...so not the same or fair...should totally come up with Hottie and the Nerd or something if they want to reverse the genders. Still a keeper though!

The Office - hilarious...when Michael Scott isn't the center of attention that is...some of these hour-long episodes have been rather painful. Loving the Pam/Jim subplot and Angela and her accounting crew are representing as usual =)

Smallville - totally rocks this season...quite possibly our favorite show on TV right now.

Scrubs - makes it's return for their final season this Thursday...of course I'll be watching...and if I were able, would have already pre-ordered the DVDs on Amazon.com.

Big Shots - another newbie...probably going to get canned (by the networks) but I just love Michael Vartan...I can't just sit by and watch ex-Alias stars get new shows and not watch...it would be wrong...Sark on Heroes, Vaughn on Big Shots...excellent, excellent. Not sure this show is going to last though...too many guys...too many sub-plots.

So there you have it. LOST isn't back until February, so then I'm sure the line-up will become shuffled yet again...it may be time to say good-bye to Journeyman and Big Shots by then...only time will tell...

Yes, I know that I am a dork.

Iggy

So much talk over a little dog. I didn't even have to hear the whole story to figure out the problem though...as soon as I heard, "Ellen got a dog from a rescue agency and gave it to...." I knew it was over. You can't do that.

One of three things the cat rescue agency we got our kitties from said before we were even allowed to apply for them was "if you chose not to keep the cats for any reason you must return them to us so that we can find them a good home," (in addition to they must be spayed/neutered and you cannot get them declawed). We asked for how long that rule applied, they said forever. "So in 5 years if we decide to move and we can't take them...." Hubby and I started to say. "We'll take them back regardless," they said. That was that. We learned how to clip nails and made appointments for sterilization (check and check).

Six weeks later when Tucker was still not recovering properly from the tail fiasco we knew we could not keep him. So we called up the cat rescue agency and arranged to drop him off at their animal clinic with the vet of their choice. We were refunded our adoption fee and that was that.

We followed the rules.

I am not an animal fanatic, but I assume rules are there for a reason, and the people who choose to make their life's work around animals certainly are more capable of setting these rules than I am. This is not a crazy rule, but rather standard for pet rescue agencies as opposed to humane society programs.

Duh.

Sweet

I love sweet things, don't get me wrong, but dumping an extra sugar packet into my tea was not what I anticipated this morning. Ick.

How long is socially acceptable to wait before helping yourself to "meeting snacks" for a meeting to which you were not invited? Breakfast snacks from 8am...by 10am those are fair game right? That's what I thought.

Obedience

"For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago."
~Romans 3:20-21

This was the passage from my e-devotion this morning. Talk about starting the morning off with a bang! I know I have felt this passage so many times in the last 10+ years that it is an incredible reminder of God's grace. No matter what I do, there's only one thing that will give me security for the future; knowing, accepting, trusting, and believing Christ is the only way to heaven and that his life, death, and resurrection were to allow us into the presence of God. It's be His grace that we are saved. Sure their may be all of these "laws" that we have yet to conform to, but that's okay. Life's not a report-card...it's more pass/fail...and there's only one thing we can do to "pass".

Men

I love it when men encourage other men.

This was a challenge to the men of Frontline by a fellow Frontliner:
I want us to step up as men for Christ. As I said during our time, we don't have to be meek, nice guys to be Godly. We need to be passionate, Christ-centered dudes that get what it means to sacrifice, suffer, and fight for the gospel in our workplaces, homes, neighborhoods, nation, and world. Jesus doesn't have to be your boyfriend. Jesus is our King and he is worthy to be praised and worthy to be followed. Don't be a pansy. Flip the switch and man-up. Follow after Christ like your life and this world depended on it…because it does.

Thanks Justin, for helping to encourage young men to stay on track and "man-up"! We ladies appreciate this immensely!

Controversy

Controversial issues are not controversial because there is no right answer. Controversial issues are controversial because there can only be one right answer. People will always fight for their beliefs, but in the end (and I do mean The End) there will be only one Truth. The idea of relativism and tolerance is so widely taught in our world today, that I believe people have forgotten what those words mean. Th essence of tolerance is love, not acceptance or efforts to condone. Relativism, the idea that there is more than one possible truth and what is true for you is true for you but what is true for me is true for me regardless of whether those two truths are the same, is in a word, ridiculous.

Just because you believe an apple is a pear and I believe an apple is an apple does not make the apple both an apple and a pear does it?

Nose

Fact: My nose is too small (acording to the ENT visit in June).
Fact: My nose is too big (personal opinion).
Fact: I have no allergies (according to the allergist and her prick test).
Fact: I have had seasonal allergy symptoms for as long as I can remember.
Question: Why does my nose itch constantly during the spring and fall?

Fact: I get headaches when I continually use nasal spray.
Fact: ENT prescribed nasal spray for my small nose.
Fact: ENT said only "cure" for chronic breathing issues was rhinoplasty.
Fact: I have always hated my nose and have longed for a new one.
Question: Why am I now scared, now that my "dream" has become a "recommendation"?
Question: If I could pick any nose for my face, which one would I choose?

Fact: Ragweed season is a killer.

Quotes

Guy from 1957 team sitting behind me: "Why are they still running that play? It didn't work in 1957 and it doesn't work now!"

Man in Beachers: "Are you from the 1957 team?"
Grandpa: "No, the 1947 team."
Man in Bleachers "Wow!"
Grandpa (to me) "Hey, that guy thought I looked young!"

Man in Bleachers 2: "Look, there's a sign for 1947! Those guys must be 80 years old!"
My Aunt: "Yes, that's my Dad."

Man in Bleachers 3: "There's more men from the 1947 team than from the 1997 team!"

Guy from 1957 team: "Media time-out? What's that? I have never heard of that!"
His friend: "It's for the TV commercials."
Guy from 1957 team: "TV commercials time-out...we didn't have those when I played football!"


I love football...have I mentioned that before?

Football

Football, oh football,
Oh, how I love football!
The breeze in the air,
The fighting so fair.
Hot dogs and peanuts,
I surely won't go nuts.

Football, oh football,
So perfect for the fall.
College ball is best,
NFL I leave to the rest.
Thursday through Saturday,
Could there be another day?

Football, oh football,
You are my favorite sport of all.

Yes, that's right, I wrote a poem. About football. What can I say? Free tickets to any football game make me light up, especially when I get the chance to see a guy from the 1947 team which took the Terps to their first bowl game ever walk onto the field and be cheered on by thousands of people. Knowing that guy is my grandfather, makes me smile inside and out. I love football, but not as much as I love my family.

Absurdity

$5 million here, $10 million here, oh look $22 million over there...

What in the world?! All we hear Congress talk about are the budget constraints they are facing, not enough money for the war, not enough money for health care coverage, not enough money for stem-cell research, I mean science (which is far too tied to federal funding in my opinion anyway, but a blog for another day) not enough money for all Federal officials to be able to fly first-class (so sad for them). Perhaps if they used their mad fundraising skills for good I would feel more positively about any one of the presidential candidates running amok, most of which scorning their elected duties of being our Congressmen and woman by running about the country in search of supporters and funds. I am not sure about you, but if I decided not to show up for my JOB and instead pursued my "next" career that would not be taken well at all. I doubt the my current employer would be very happy, but lets not forget about the potential replacement employer. Who wants someone who is always focused on "the next big thing" and avoids completing their current task by any means possible? I'm sorry, but when I vote you into office, you had BETTER be present and voting (preferable in my chosen mindset if the person elected is the person I voted for in the first place) and EVERY Congressional vote. None of this abstaining and none of this "not present at time of voting". I mean really, you get insanely long breaks from being "in session" and really, is it that hard to show up for work? I mean, I do it. How in the world am I supposed to believe you will take the "interests of the working middle class" to heart if you freaking can't be a hard-working individual?

But back to the issue at hand...all this money. Use it where it's needed. We live in age of the Internet and Podcasting, and online journals...why do you physically need to travel around the country wasting that precious money that could so be used for a greater cause? Why?

This is absurd.

Hand

Would you want your hand to be re-attached to your body if it had spent any amount of time in the belly of another animal?

I'm not so sure. I mean, on one hand (no pun intended) I AM Rachael, confirmed germ-o-phobe. On the other hand, I like my hands...and particularly using them to do things like eat, shower, and type blogs. I think it would come down to how long the hand had spent inside the animal's tummy. I mean, a few minutes, okay, just wash it off and we're good to go. Three days? EW. I mean, wouldn't the stomach acid have done a number on "my" skin, not to mention the inside parts of the human hand? Gross. They have got to make pretty sweet prosthetic hands by now...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/17/gator.attack/index.html

Kathy

The Inaccuracy of Kathy Griffin's Remarks on Jesus

I smile when I read things like this...mostly because it makes me feel like in some small way we are refuting the misinterpretation that intelligent people aren't/cannot be Christians. This gal definitely went through a lot of trouble to refute Kathy Griffin historically. I smiled. I love logic and reasoning as a way to get the message of the Gospel across to people.

Heels

Today heels saved the day. Well, not really. Although, they did prove to be very helpful for my mid-morning tea "run" (not really a "run" since it wasn't outside of my building, or even on a different floor from my action-center).

This morning, like every morning so far this week, started off rocky with me waking up a mere ten minutes from when I typically like to leave the house. Not good and a very discouraging way to start the day. I had also forgotten to lay out all the clothes/shoes/jewelry that I needed for the day last night (yes, it's like I'm still in grade school and I set out what I'm going to wear each day the night before…I can't help it that I like to wake up earlier than Husband and get out of the house and have a slightly less than horrific commute, at least in the mornings). I went ahead and grabbed my black flats (essentially a pair of glorified jelly-shoes (remember those?) so I could be comfortable during my walk up 4 flights of stairs to my action-center (I walk because, really, stair climbing at work is the only real exercise I get) since yesterday the red heels I was wearing made something in my legs hurt after all the stair climbing. Anyway, I keep a pair of black heels in one of my desk drawers, along with my space heater for those chilly office days, and usually wear those around since the black flats are kinda funky (I'm still saving my pennies for a new pair that I have been keeping tabs on at my local Macy's…someday they will be mine and I shall throw away the mock jellies). Anyway, I put on my heels right before going on my tea "run" which was the first time I went outside my action-center this morning. Good call. When I was getting my tea ready I noticed that we were out of stirrers. Travesty. I knew there were some up in the cabinets and started looking around. Yep, there they were…on the top shelf. I need a coffee stirrer to complete my tea making adventures. Without my heels I would not have been able to reach the box on the top shelf and would have either ended up looking like an idiot while climbing on the counters to reach the box, or had no way (until I found a spoon in my desk drawer I suppose) to stir my tea, add one packet of Splenda, and remove my tea bag.

Thank you black heels. Thank you for being a part of my tea "run" this morning. Without you I would be drinking hot water.

Sometimes I miss working in the city and being able to walk to get coffee or lunch or just to walk…

PS – While writing this blog I heard some guy barking on my floor. Definitely a "person bark" rather than an actual dog. That's strange.

Mighty

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save

Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save

Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

Mighty to Save
Hillsong

Glass

So I just watched a woman totally attempt to walk through a glass wall.

I am sitting at Panera awaiting my turn for an oil change...I chose a prime seat...close enough to the door that I get a warm breeze when the door opens which is quite nice considering I think they are trying to freeze us out of this establishment...or just try and make everyone buy a larger coffee. (FYI: I am not at the Panera from the Best Shopping Center Ever...but another one...I do love Panera...) Anyway, this woman was totally trying to open the "door" which is a push-door just to the right of a glass wall that separates the eating area from the doorway to/from the outside. Yeah, that's right, she totally plowed through the glass wall. Well, not exactly through...more like pounded into it and then promptly was thrown to the floor...yeah...that's how hard she hit it. There's this giant face-print on the glass wall. I tried not to laugh, but I saw her face as she was living and although it was red...there was a smile and an uncontrollable giggle. I heard from rustling behind me and turned around to see this early-30's business man red as a tomato giggling. That made me feel better...and we had a good laugh.

Lesson: always mind your surroundings or you may end up leaving a face-print on a glass wall and completely embarrassing yourself.

Trouble

So I'm in trouble. A new shopping center has popped up on my chosen route to work. This particular shopping center is trouble. Not only does it have a Starbucks (what shopping center in Northern Virginia doesn't?) it also has a Panera...right across the "street". I say "street" because really, its just a break in the parking lot. Nevertheless, the Starbucks and the Panera are less than 100 ft away from each other (okay so maybe I don't know how far away 100 ft is, but it's freaking close). This proves a problem...especially since the rest of the shopping center isn't open yet (except for the Pei Wei...yes, that's right this is basically the best shopping center for eating that was ever created...next to open...the Z-Pizza....jealous?) In the mornings, between 7:15 and 7:45 when I tend to frequent this fine shopping center there is NO ONE around. It's amazing...and very difficult not to stop by Panera and grab a bagel, then leisurely wander over to Starbucks for my morning beverage. Yesterday when I made my weekly (I'm going to try and only do this weekly...) visit to the Best Shopping Center Ever, the Starbucks, which I think employees the friendliest workers of any Starbucks ever, was offering samples of the Pumpkin Spice Latte...in teeny tiny espresso cups...complete with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was irresistible....and who am I to judge. I happily sipped on my free sample while waiting for my Tall Sugar-Free Caramel Skim Latte. It was basically the best morning ever.

Nectarines

I have decided that nectarines are my favorite fruit. Sure, my daily banana helps with the Charlie horses I get in my feet due to the inappropriate arch support in my favorite shoes. Sure, apples make great pie. Sure, rhubarb (is that even a fruit) when combined with strawberries make my favorite pie. But the nectarine is the perfect blend of taste and texture, no peach fuzzies, yet a peach-like quality...firm like an apple, but without the crunch (and without the allergic reaction from Hubby). Nectarines are essentially perfect. The pit is easy to cut around, there is no real stem to worry about...just slice around the middle and you have an amazing snack.

I bought four nectarines at Wegman's (or Weggie's if you're a member of my household) this week because they were on sale and I had *gasp* forgotten how much I LOVE them. They are perfect right now (perhaps in season, our friend at the "Vegetable CIA", a.k.a. USDA, would have to confirm that for me). I shall be stocking up next week and taking advantage of their abundance at my local grocery store.

Go get yourself a nectarine and enjoy!

Peanut-Butter

If there's one thing I have learned from my grandfather it would have to be the deliciousness of peanut butter. Creamy or extra chunky, I could not care less as long as its not that all natural "stir the oil back in before you take a bite" kind...I am a happy camper. (Note: I do not think I will ever be a happy "camper" but the phrase still applies just the same.)

I may or may not occasionally indulge in a straight-up spoonful of the peanut-y goodness...at work...from the jar hidden in my cube...savoring every moment until the spoon is licked clean. That may or may not happen...on a semi-regular basis.

;-)

Today

...is the day. The day that I postthe link to this blog on my MySpace and Facebook pages.

It's a big day. Almost six months in the making. I'm still not 100% sure about the decision (but then again I'm not 100% sure about the decision to maintain my MySpace page...Facebook has been my "social network" of choice but since I like photos and most friends post photos on MySpace rather than Facebook I am stuck).

This blog is way more in depth than my old (old) Xanga blog...man...that means like forever ago...and the blogging capabilities in MySpace are just not up to my standards. Facebook has implemented Notes and other ways to enhance profiles, none of which excite me...I preferred the old, boring, plain Facebook (although was excited when the ability to add photo albums was added....this just shows you how long it's been since I joined Facebook).

I almost ate an entire bag of home-made trail mix while writing this entry. Nervous eater perhaps? Afraid that the real me won't be pleasing to the reader? Notsomuch. It's 11am and I'm starving, the norm for a Wednesday morning I assure you.

Enjoy!

Mike

Dr. Mike.
Dr. Michaela Quinn.
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

Jane Seymour was named as one of the contestants on Dancing with the Stars this morning. I could not be more thrilled. I have been a fan since the early '90s. I can now say that I am thoroughly pumped for the season premiere (September 24th). After a long period of waiting and a summer full of crappy TV (with the exception of my personal summer favorites Top Chef and Last Comic Standing) I am ready for the regular season of TV to grace us with its presence.

I attempted to get my "dancing fix" through So You Think You Can Dance this summer (I began watching half-way through the season) but I must say, I am quite partial to Dancing with the Stars. I like the idea of taking your gift of dance and sharing it with another person through teaching them to dance. Watching amazing dancers is all fine a good, but I love the element of instruction that goes along with Dancing with the Stars. At times it even makes me feel like I could maybe dance, if I had enough practice and if Hubby would indulge in dancing...ever. Regardless, my mind is made up. Dancing with the Stars is my favorite of the dancing reality television shows.

Where does it fall in my ranking of favorite reality shows? Let's take a look:

1. Beauty and the Geek
2. Top Chef
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Last Comic Standing (used to be higher in the rankings...but the hosts just keep going downhill for me)
5. Grease: You're the One that I Want (although that was a one-time show)

Not too shabby...

News

It's a weird news day. I opened up to cnn.com this morning and found the following headlines:

11 Hurt at Tom Cruise Film Shoot
Illegal Immigrant Arrested After Year in Church
Mudlines, Floods Sweep People, Cows Away
Murder Plot Involved Rattlesnakes
Father Accused of Shooting, Paralyzing Daughter's Boyfriend After Finding Him in Closet
Blacksburg Carbon Monoxide Leak
Jetliner Burns, All Survive
Bears Eat Man at Beer Festival

Just strange things in the news today...strange, sad, weird, odd, ironic...so many things...none of them "normal".

...in other news...today is:

Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary =)

Coffee

My office pretty much has the worst coffee ever made by all of mankind.

I like coffee....and I know that I, personally, can make bad coffee...but even my nasty cup o' joe can't compare to the mug of nasty that is coffee from the 4th floor kitchen.

Perhaps I became too spoiled at my old job in the coffee department. It's not my fault that my old job included frequent trips to Starbucks as well as fresh brewed coffee made by my boss (of Colombian descent). I'm sure those two factors really have hindered my entire future in regards to coffee and my preferences, turning me into a bit of a coffee snob.

But this? This is NOT coffee.

I suppose there could be many reasons for this being quite possibly the WORST cup of coffee of my entire life, here are my top ten:

10. Who is "Cory Collection" and why must they insist on packing ground coffee only to be forced upon low level corporate employees?

9. Why does the 5th floor have a Flavia Coffee machine and 4th floor does not? (9b, why am I too chicken to use the coffee machine on the 5th floor?)

8. I sleep in and cannot brew my own coffee at home...maybe if our coffee machine had a timer...since going in and out of our bedroom would be sure to awaken Husband who would not be pleased...

7. I have been told it would be "irresponsible" to stop by my neighborhood Starbucks each morning before work...so I try to keep it down to once a week (although this week it was twice...and by this morning's events...should have been three times).

6. Our coffee comes in pre-measured pouches...of which we have 100s stuffed into various drawers in the kitchen.

5. My local gas station has better coffee (notice, gas station, not Sheetz station, since Sheetz coffee is far superior to the regular gas station...and I would totally settle for good ol' Mobil/Exon brewed coffee...)

4. It's gross and I dirtied my "real" coffee mug at work which I now have to wash rather than using a disposable cup (freaking Al Gore and his "Let's All Save the Planet" rants causing my office to desire energy efficiency!...which incidentally caused me to eat my lunch in a room in which the light repeatedly shut off because unlike most people, I can only assume, I sit still when I eat my lunch causing the lights to think the room is empty.)

3. Husband is not creating his signature lattes each morning for my enjoyment.

2. Who knows how long the coffee sits in the pot...I mean, it's disgusting, maybe only one person drinks it and they come in at 6:30am so by the time I decide to have coffee it's scorched?

and finally...

1. This cup of coffee is not a Tall Skim Extra Hot Peppermint Mocha.

Lunchtime

Lunchtime is a difficult time for me. Mostly because it spikes my unhealthy jealously of Husband's work friends and his lunchtime crew. Things are starting to pick up though since I ate lunch with people yesterday and someone else asked me to lunch for tomorrow. I decided today that perhaps if I ate lunch in the kitchen where there is table and four chairs that this would be a good "sign" that "Rachael likes to eat lunch outside of her cubical." This however was a foiled plan...mostly because the lights in the kitchen are on a timer that automatically shuts off the lights after three minutes of no activity...you can guess how much lunch went...I had to get up at least three times to re-set the lights. Someone came in once, but only to grab a few things. I must find a new plan because that one is just going to make a fool of me.

On the upswing I had a bowl of soup that was frozen from the last time I made African Peanut Soup and it was amazing.

Beast

Kitty is a beast. You wouldn't think that just looking at her...but she is. She is strong, creative, cunning, and most importantly crazy. The things she chooses to play with or rather to drag around the house baffle me. A few nights ago she got up on a very tiny table to get a cell phone and a DVD that were laying next to a dish full of candy. When we got up the next morning the cell phone and DVD were on the floor. Obviously our first reaction was that "Kitty knocked things over" but really, this is what I think happened.

It was late, probably around 4am (which is usually when Kitty starts thumping on our bedroom door and meowing/squeaking in attempt to wake Husband so he will come out and play with her) and Kitty was bored. Kitty then went into a fit of hysterics from seeing something at the back door window. She jumped and scratched, but it was no use. The moth was clearing not going to budge from the other side of the window. Oh well, no friends for Kitty. In all her jumping Kitty must have noticed the copy of Premonition Husband and I had rented from the always amazing Red Box down the street. Kitty was intrigued and since she had watched the majority of the movie with us, actually covering my face for part of it when she decided to lean across me to lick Husband's nose...she must have wanted to see it again. She then jumped up and knocked the DVD off the table (throwing the cell phone onto the ground since it was sitting on top of the DVD). Kitty then got distracted by the new "toys" on the ground and played a rousing game of soccer using both the DVD case and the cell phone as balls. This could occupy her until I woke up to the sound of her meowing at the door after my shower hoping that I would feed her and love her (which I equate to cuddles...she does not) when I emerged from the bedroom and headed off for work.

Kitty would have been a fantastic soccer player, if only she had feet and stood more than a foot tall...

Prayers

"People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers." ~ Rick Warren

What a powerful thought. Defenseless means "without help, or protection". You never really think of the object of a prayer request as "defenseless" but rather as one receiving supernatural aid. Defenseless, however, they are to casting off that aid. They cannot become the subject of an un-prayer to reserve the effects of prayer. There is nothing they can do but accept that someone loves them enough to pray for them. Such a simple act can leave a person defenseless.

In light of this new perspective...I thank all of you who have made me defenseless. What a wonderful feeling indeed.

Reading

Reading is something I wish I did more of these days. There are times (however infrequent) where I miss the leisure afforded to me by my previous mode of commuting. On the train I was free to read, listen to music, watch a DVD, write, solve (or attempt to solve) a Sudoku puzzle, or even just stare out the window and admire the trees and gorgeous sun rising over the Potomac.

These days my commute is much shorter (2 hours shorter to be exact) and it is completed entirely from my car.

(I love my car. It was a fairly spontaneous purchase the week after Thanksgiving in response to Husband becoming the principal driver of the car for about a week while his was in the shop. My old Subaru was declare "unacceptable" and we were off to shop for a new car. Granted, I had fallen in love with the "perfect" car more than a year earlier while attending the DC auto-show with The Boys making our shopping trip quite short...but this really is not the point of my story today...perhaps another time.)

This new commute-by-car is less leisurely and relaxing. I do not have the down-time I once had before arriving at home to dirty dishes, dirty laundry, and a particularly needy feline. I get busy with things or fall asleep in front of the TV (which I sat down in front of because "I just needed a little time to decompress") and reading is the last thing on my to-do list.

In the past week I have attempted to start reading a new book, Mansfield Park, by one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen. This book has been on my shelf for years...neglected and overlooked. I decided it was time that I dive back into reading...for fun (who knew!) It's been a tough road, having to re-read parts because I forget what I read quickly...and the fact that I read for maybe ten minutes at a time probably does not help neither has the various locations I have chosen to read said book thus far) but I like it. I like the feeling of reading again. Today I even ventured outside my office for lunch...ordered a bowl of soup (my favorite comfort food) and read. I enjoyed my lunch "hour" for the first time in a long while. Perhaps I shall do this again (although I'm sure to hear concerns from Husband if I continually charge my lunch on the credit card...we shall cross that bridge when we get there I'm sure) and perhaps it will even become habit.

I like reading very much. How could I have forgotten...

Words

Word
a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.

Our words are SO powerful. They can convey any number of meanings. Words said using different tones or intonations can have multiple meanings to those receiving our words. The same word can become humorous, sarcastic, loving, compassionate, annoying, hurtful, or helpful depending on the meaning behind the simple word.

Words can be used to encourage and to build up (Proverbs 12:25 "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up;") or they can be used to destroy and harm (Proverbs 12: 18 " Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.")

I fear that too often my words do the latter. How sad. Perhaps it's my sense of humor, or my ever present foot-in-mouth syndrome...or perhaps I am too hard on myself. I think we could all use a swift reminder to slow down and choose our words carefully when talking to each other. And with that I leave you...and and off to ponder what I will say next...

Bing-sons

We found a website called Simpsonize Me which occupied part of our evening last night. It was adorable. Above you can see our results...how freaking adorable!

Socks

Do you see it?

Do you see how similar these two objects are?

Both with flip-top lids which people have long fought over which was the correct way to store (lid up vs. lid down). Both are used to discard unwanted items. Contents of both will eventually get wet. Sitting side by side the similarities are many. Even down to the pastel colors and almost equal height.

I guess it is easy to see how one could confuse the two and throw ones dirty socks into the object on the left rather than the object on the right.

And that's exactly what Husband did last night (followed by a run down the stairs to tell me all about it almost in tears from laughing so hard...Kitty was running and jumping all over and I was on the floor laughing). A good night had by all.

Inefficiency

Inefficiency is something that really annoys me. I mean, why would you want to do something in a way that was not efficient? Who doesn't want to have less of their time wasted?

Granted I am an accountant and tend to be overly organized and on the verge of obsessive compulsive by nature...but still...I know plenty of messy slobs that are equally as annoyed by inefficiencies in their lives. Take the artsy journalist (okay, so not necessarily a "messy slob" but probably an individual who lives moment to moment rather than living by a To-Do list) who spends their days at Starbucks, drinking, writing, reading...they do not want to have to wait for the same person who takes their money for their latte to then have to wash-up, and begin to make their latte. No. We want to separate teams of people, one group for taking our money, and the other to start the tasty beverage as soon as it is called...in the hopes that after putting our wallets away we can head straight to the coffee bar to pick up our beverage of choice. Okay, so this goes far beyond coffee. I realize that much of my life is wasted by my being inefficient in the way I do things...take my two hour trips to the grocery store. (Granted the grocery store I frequent is huge and sometimes I get turned around...and usually eat my lunch while I'm there...but still..seems like an awful long time to me.)

I am an awesome project planner, and starter...but I'm not so good at the finishing part. Perhaps its the frustration I feel when I am in the middle of something and things are not proceeding quite as I had planned. When I was small I used to tell my grandfather, 'I just go with the flow." Now that seems almost foreign to me. "Go with the flow? How can I when this isn't how it was 'supposed to be'?" Instead of "where do we go from here" I'm trapped in the mindset of "how do we get back to where we deviated from The Plan" and continue on as, well, planned.

Wow, I think I've gone way further inefficient here in this far corner of my little brain...perhaps this requires more thought...

Rain

Rain is a funny thing. We desperately need the rain around here and were blessed by some Sunday afternoon. And then came the storms. Seems like people want the rain, but could do without the storms. How true is that for other areas of our life as well? We want the cleansing rain, the purity, the renewal...but not the storm that sometimes comes along with it. Rain was fitting after my past month or so. It's been a dry month. I took a four day weekend this past weekend and boy, was that some much needed rain.

Tired

Do you ever just feel tired? The kind of tired that even a 8 hour slumber cannot combat? The kind of tired that never goes away? That's me. Right now. Why have have I been so tired lately? Why does it feel like I just float through my days not caring what I do or where I go? Could it be a result of disappointment in my surroundings? Could it be I'm really just "tired" and need a rest? Am I coming down with something? Whatever the reason...I think it's time for me to admit that I need a little break. A break from the monotony of daily life. A break from commuting...from being encased in a cubical for 9 hours a day ( 9.5 if you count the days I eat lunch...also in my cubical)...from trying to come up with ways to save money (okay, spend less money) so Husband won't mention again how stretched we are now that we have become homeowners for a home that is too big for just the two of us...from arguing over navy blue, midnight blue, denim blue, or any other color blue...from shopping for things for which we have no intention of buying.

My break starts today and I am very excited.

Burned

At approximately 8:30am this morning I burned my shoulder blade on the coffee maker. How in the world did I do that, you might ask. Well, I will tell you.

Our coffee maker here at work is fairly industrial, like you would find at a gas station where there is a little red handle on the side that dispenses hot water. Since the coffee here is disgusting, if I do not bring my own, or stop at Starbucks, the only thing left for me to do is to drink tea in the mornings. Not a problem. I love tea. Hot or iced, either way I am satisfied (most of the time) with tea as my morning beverage of choice. So I got my little cup and filled it with some hot water. There were only two tea packets left in the little tray o' goodies that sits out on our counter (things like sugar, Equal, tea, and stirring sticks/straws are in this tray o' goodies). I was about to take tea bag #2 and thought, "I should re-fill the tray" since that's something I normally do...usually because I feel like it needs organizing most of the time and I like to arrange the various packets so they are all facing the same direction (a little OCD perhaps, but very pleasing to the eye). Someone had left a half empty box of tea on the counter in the corner so I reached back to get it. Apparently that hot water nozzle remains BLAZING HOT and drips water...I know because I apparently leaned into it not only burning my shoulder blade, but also getting myself all wet in the process. Awesome. Now I'm the burned wet weird girl in the office. Stellar Rach, stellar. I hope it didn't leave a mark, but I haven't checked because even though the people I am attempting to win over as friends aren't here yet...I know they would walk into the bathroom as I was checking out my back for burn marks...I'd rather the fine people at Panera walk in on my later this evening when I check in their bathroom before my dinner date arrives.

Last night Husband told me that I looked like I needed a day off...(like an extra day, not just my routine 9-80 day that I use to run errands) and told me to get myself a 4-day weekend...now I'm thinking he may have been on to something...I'm not right in the head...or back.

After telling a friend (and my dinner date for this evening) my troubles her response was, "I hope that you learned your lesson. Being a good person will always get you burned. Ha. Ha. I am awesome."

Nice.

Harry

Yes, I realize I am a little late to be jumping on the bandwagon, any bandwagon for that matter, in regards to Harry Potter. To tell you the truth, it is not none of the available "wagons" seem to suit me very well. I have been mulling over my feelings for the boy wizard since he first arrived on bookshelves many years ago. Being that the series falls into the genre of "sci-fi/fantasy" my interest was little to none in the early days since that is not my genre of choice.

Years past, and the movies started coming and the phenomenon escalated. People were starting to choose sides. Celebrating Potter for giving children motivation to read, or condemning Potter for the magical elements that the witches and wizards brought to the forefront of young children's minds. What strikes me most, however, was the infatuation many adults found themselves in...grabbing books from their children, not because they were concerned with the "filth" they were reading, but because they had such a strong desire to dive into the world of Harry Potter as well. How odd...when I was the same age as the Harry Potter target audience I found some of my favorite authors. Mark Twain, Jane Austen and Ann Rinaldi inspired me to read and more important to learn about the subject matter which they were addressing their their books. When we find good books isn't that what we do? We immerse ourselves in the world created by the author which sparks a desire to learn as much as we possibly can.

Here is where I begin to have my doubts with Harry Potter and his friends. The world that they are immersed in is full of light and dark, of good and evil, of "good" and "bad" witches and wizards...but the thing is, there is no such thing as a "good" witch or wizard. Magic of this nature is not of God and cannot be claimed as "good". Before I go any further, let me say that I recognize the use of magic in some Christian literature as well, namely in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, but I believe there is a difference. The focus of those books is not on the practices of the witches, but rather on the religious parallels drawn by the story at large. Lewis and Tolkien use elements of magic to create allegories and symbolism representing their faith to an audience that may have not been reached without their creativity. Meanwhile, Rowling herself has admitted that she carefully research the practice of the Wiccian religion so that her stories will be as "accurate" as possible for her audience.

I believe the turning point of my quest to develop an opinion surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon happened at the theatre while seeing the most recent film. I happened upon a sight that struck me to my core, a young girl, elementary school age, dressed in a full Hogwarts uniform carrying a wand stepping out of the theatre with her parents. My heart dropped...a lump formed in my throat. Wow. THIS is what we should be afraid of...the desire of our children to be in Harry's world. To live amongst the witches and wizards, to learn spells and to long for mystical adventures.

That was the end. My copies of Harry Potter and the Scorcer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have since been disposed of, and will not re-enter my personal library. If I am confident that my children should not be reading about this world, why should I waste my time reading about it either? Sometimes parents shield their children from things that are age-inappropriate for them to read/watch/listen to, but I am now a firm believer that Harry Potter does not involve a question of age, but a question of culture appropriateness. In my home, the culture of witches and wizards will not be glorified.

Please do not disregard my position on the basis that I have not read the books or given them "a fair chance" because that, simply, is not true. I have read the first two books of the series, and have watched all five of the movies that have been produced, to-date. It was not until I had read the books that I found any enjoyment out of the movies, and had actually made several attempts to watch the movies but found them, for me, unentertaining and confusing. That is when I decided to read the first book. I finished Harry Potter and the Scorcher's Stone in only a few weeks (yes, I realize this is much longer than the typical reader of this series) and rewatched the movie (third try is a charm was my thinking apparently). I was able to stay awake this time, something that could not be done the previous two attempts at watching this movie and found myself entertained and engaged. I then decided, that I would continue reading the series and watching the movies..."catching up" if you will. My journey has ended.

After many years of trying to digest this pop culture phenomenon, I believe I know where I fall which I feel is on a bandwagon of my own. I feel confident that I have not jumped to any conclusions, but have sought the guidance of God and inspiration from His people to form my personal opinion. I will not force my opinion on you, unless of course you use the counter-point argument that "it's just a movie" because look at the profiles of school shooting perpetrators, and other dysfunctional members of the young-adult society that claim their inspiration came from movies, video games, etc. Entertainment in its various forms IS influential, regardless of whether you believe it personally influences YOU or not. Perhaps you are not easily influenced, but did you ever think that your neighbor is just waiting for validation of his thoughts/actions, a validation that could quite possibly come from something a seemingly harmless as a children's movie?

Decade

It has officially been ten years since I met my husband. That seems like a really long time. Most people cannot say (unless they married high school sweethearts or something) that they have known their husband for ten years when they haven't even been married for two yet.

We spent a long time not thinking about dating...and then all the sudden our lives came together and within only a few days we knew this was exactly where we were supposed to be...Very comfortable, yet very unexpected. Good times. The story of how we got together is one most of our friends have heard (because they are patient and willing to listen to our long long history) and one which shows how little things can really be part of something much bigger in the end. Praise God for that!

In conclusion, I would like to give a shout-out to Camp Hope in Frostburg, MD for introducing me to the love of my life and being a crucial part of our journey together. Thanks =)

Motivation

I really did have an awesome Texas blog...but apparently it did not post. Sometimes Blogger fails me and I become sad....usually that's when I haven't chosen to copy my blog into a Word doc. or something similar to ensure it's survival to "post" mode. It's been far too long and now I do not remember my trip quite so well...other than the roads in Texas are ridiculous and no matter how many times Husband mentions "Oh I could live there!" I still cringe at the thought...

It's been entirely too long since I last blogged...perhaps because LOST is over for the season and I haven't been attempting to make sense of the show on a regular basis (although don't think that the wheels have stopped turning...maybe sometime this summer I'll make a gigantic post...we'll see.)

Really I think the reason for my disappearance is my lack of motivation. Why am I so un-motivated? Whether it be a lack of motivation to work, to read, to study, to blog, to go outside of the house...I feel surrounded by a lack of motivation. How can someone feel surrounded by a lack of, well, anything? It's a strange feeling...

Texas

Colleagues

“Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.”

Romans 12:16

This was the verse from the daily devotional conveniently emailed to my inbox this morning. Wow. In today's work/corporate environment how easy is it to fall into the trap of thinking you are better than your colleagues? Smarter, wiser, more experienced, more friendly...I have been specially in tune with this in the past few weeks. There are lots of new people I am meeting at work and very few that I have determined "friend worthy". How absolutely horrible is that? Yesterday I began to feel convicted of this after being approached by the one person who has been rubbing me the wrong way since we started (this person started about a month after I did). Every time we would pass in the hallways, or be in the kitchen at the same time heating up lunch I would smile and say hello (or something equally as "appropriate") and would get no response. Except for one time when I was heating up my lunch (a frozen dinner that took five minutes to cook according to the box...I like to follow instructions, especially when meat is involved...) and eventually I got a response from my, "Hi, looks like it's lunchtime!" comment...."Wow you're lunch takes a long time to cook, mine only takes sixty seconds." And that was it. The only "conversation we engaged in...until yesterday.


Yesterday was recruited and accepted the task of helping out another team on my floor. The team that my "new friend" heads up no less (God's sense of humor never ceases to amazing me and it always surprises me in a way that makes me stop in my tracks and think, "funny...very funny" inside my head). I ended up spending the better part of my day, and staying way past suppertime to help get the job done. In the end, I think my "new friend" and I were on solid ground...no longer thinking one was better than the other (although I did question the methods behind the task we were completing...but that's more of an efficiency thing than an I'm better than you thing, so I'm going to let that slide for now)...or that one was a complete jerk (okay, so that was probably more on my end). This lesson was only further emphasized this morning when I checked my email.


I know I still have others that deserve this same message/lesson applied to them, but it was nice to see this one come through...a little boost in morale if you will. A happy ending.

Hokies

Shocked.
Stunned.
Scared.
Sad.

So much went through my brain on Monday. I kept thinking about living in that dorm (West AJ was my freshman year dorm...) Trying to piece together the events as they unfolded and came to light was heart wrenching. I am so thankful that the people I know at VT are safe, although scared.

Virginia Tech is the most amazing campus with the most school spirit and pride of any place I have been before. And yes, this even means my very own WVU. The campus is surrounded by only the town that feeds off of it. No one in Blacksburg associates the community with anything other than Tech. The community is insanely close-knit which was one of my favorite things about living there. The student body is constantly a sea of maroon and orange no matter what time of year it may be.

I have no bad memories of my time there related to the school whatsoever. My choice to leave was complicated to those not involved and a giant leap of faith recognized by many of my friends and family. It looks like it's time again for those at Virginia Tech to take a leap of faith, to trust that God is in control of the situation and their healing.

I was on campus during the 9-11 attacks and saw how close of a community it really is down there. The way the student body and greater community provided amazing support to all those effected was breathtaking.

I pray that much good will come of these terrible events and that the strength of the Hokies is only even stronger in the weeks to come. I am confident that this campus will survive, heal, and bear the burden of this tragedy in the most honorable and dignified way. The Hokies always rise to the top and I am proud to say I am one.

Lines

Every time I leave the house "late" or try to get to work not at dawn I am reminded of why I choose to leave the house before 7:30am. It took my about 45 minutes to get to work (compared to my normal 25, that's a jump)...traffic just gets insane after 7:30. I hate just sitting with people making up random lanes on the roads when they don't feel like conforming to the traffic lines pre-printed on the blacktop. Apparently they think VDOT makes too few lanes and driving on grass/gravel is perfectly acceptable. I, personally, choose to put a little more faith in the men that draw the lines, perhaps because that's what they do all day.

Oatmeal

Today I tried oatmeal for about the third time in my life. It is getting better with each try. I know it's full of "good" stuff and is supposed to do everything from fill you up all day to cure cancer, or something like that...

It just is such a strange texture. While wandering around the market last night I spied a variety box for $2 and decided perhaps it was time to try again. I have such a hard time with breakfast foods (you wouldn't think I would have a hard time with any foods...but alas, even I have my food breakdown moments). Today is Maple and Brown Sugar day. I almost exploded the oatmeal in the microwave as I have seen coworkers do so many times before. One minute it's all chill and hanging out in the bottom of the bowl, the next it's crazy reaching for the sky! Insane. How does it grow so fast? Guess once it gets to a certain temperature it just goes crazy. Weird. All in all it's not too bad today for a breakfast choice, especially since it's raining and gross outside...always nice to feel warm on the inside.

The oatmeal is gone and I'm still alive. So far so good...

Restraint

The past four days have included huge lessons in restraint. Some of these lessons I have passed and others I have failed. Take Friday night for example. The sheer quantity of food consumed by myself in that one day was ghastly...and boy did I pay for those bad decisions (the never to be seen photo of my enormous belly that could rival a pregnant woman's proves this...but you shall never know). Sometimes I pass though, like not partaking in the Outback Bloomin' Onion last night at dinner. I was pretty impressed with myself...until this afternoon after lunch I downed a bag of Ritz cheese and crackers and a mini bag of Frito's. Awesome. Restraint is a difficult thing to learn. No matter how many times I eat half a pizza by myself and feel like dying afterwards, I still will do it again. Why does it take so long to learn, especially when you encounter intense physical pain?

Then there is restraint in regards to the things that come out of my mouth...or out of my fingers in the case of emailing/blogging. Even with that delete button I find it hard to hold back sometimes. Do I really feel like my feelings, my opinions are really worth spewing out into the open regardless of how they are perceived? Apparently, the answer is yes, I feel they are worth it. So wrong, I know...but sometimes you just want your voice to be heard...even if it's not heard by an actual person...or perhaps even at all. Just knowing that your thoughts are "out there" makes you feel like a load has been lifted off your chest. Weird.

Perhaps what I have learned here is that restraint is an ongoing process...at least until it becomes natural (and who knows how long that might take!) So in conclusion, be patient with people like me...we'll beat ourselves up later anyway, you don't need to do it for us.