tweetybirdy07's Xanga Site

Weblog

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Singing in the Rain

Okay, okay--I haven't been singing in the rain today (my neighbors and coworkers would think I was super strange), but I have been walking through it and looking at it all morning. Thanks to Hurricane Gustav, we're experiencing our first rainy day in a while. The temps have dipped to the 60s, much different from the 90s we had on Tuesday. It's reminding me of the August days I spent in Scotland last year.
For now, the rain is coming down at a drizzling pace, but tonight's forecast calls for downpours. We'll see what happens, but I'm thinking this evening may be the perfect chance to sport my polka-dotted wellies and take a walk to the library with my husband to return a DVD that's due.

Monday, September 01, 2008

Why, Sonic? Why?

Oh, Sonic. I was so excited to see you again now that you're only a 20-minute drive away. Instead of having to hop on a plane or drive 7 hours to experience your goodness, I was only required to sit behind the wheel for less time than an episode of the Office before I could see your familiar car bays and roller-skating servers.

I must say, I was very proud of you when I saw the long line for the patio seating and was told it was a 30 to 45-minute wait to get the chance to walk over to the menu board and tell the person on the other end of the intercom that I wanted a Number 1 with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. If the line was any indication, your food was going to be just as good as I remember.

Well, I was pleased with my meal. It tasted just the way it always has--and the fries were the best I've had. (You may want to try to do better remembering exactly what I ordered--I really don't like pickles on my burger, which is why I didn't request them when I ordered. But I'll forgive you this time.) However, you really disappointed me with the way you treated my friends. Your Coney looked disgusting, dear Sonic. It's a bad sign when the customer can't even find the hot dog because it is soooo small! Also, it's not a good idea to forget people's orders. I realize that you're probably really tired. These last two weeks have been super busy for you. But that's no excuse for forgetting my friend's meal! At least you made up for it by giving her the forgotten food for free.

Sonic, I still love you. I promise to try you again someday soon. But please, for the sake of saving your reputation with all those in Chicagoland who longed for your food for years, please step it up a notch. The sight of a boarded-up Sonic would absolutely break my heart.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Olympic Fun

Sadly, I haven't watched too many of the Olympic events these last two weeks. I caught the end of the opening ceremonies and watched a few of the men's swimming events, but nothing else has attracted my attention enough for me to tune in. Dave and I are usually reading, taking walks, or hanging out at the library (I know--we're total nerds) during the evening.

At work, however, I've been all about the Olympics. You see, the company I work for has been holding their own version of the Olympics, with such "athletic" events as the Mind, Body, Soul Relay, Wii Tournament, and Jeopardy. Teams were formed by department, so I joined my fellow Editorialites in competing against the rest of the company. My events were Ladder Ball and the Office Chair Race.

Now, you must understand that 1.) I am the least athletically inclined person I know and 2.) I am also one of the most introverted people I know, so this week was certainly a stretch for me as I tried to win events that were witnessed by many of my coworkers. Not only did I have to be in front of people; I had to dress up with a wacky tie that was part of our team's uniform and draw proofreading marks on my face as part of our intimidating war paint. Yes, it was certainly a week of stretching.

Ladder Ball was a dud. My no-athletic-bone-in-my-body self and my teammate were out after the first round. The Office Chair Race, however, was a different story. When my fellow introverted coworker and I signed up for the event, we figured it would involve a quick sprint down the parking lot and back. Boy, were we wrong! The event was more like a scavenger hunt that involved racing around our three-story office building, picking up items like an empty box from the warehouse, a videotape from the media department, and a printer from Information Services--all with me sitting in the office chair and my teammate pushing me around. After a few bumps into the wall and moments where we both wondered if there would be serious bodily harm, we made it across the finish line with all our required items--the second team to finish! We had so much fun, even though it was a bit wild and crazy at times, and it was a bonus that we got the silver medal. We'll find out how our department did as a whole when the closing ceremonies are held on Monday.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

When Life Doesn't Make Sense

I abhor messes. Every cup must have a coaster if it’s to sit on our coffee table. Dirty sinks drive me crazy. And don’t get me started on how I feel compelled to get rid of our pile of mail the second I notice it’s getting a bit too big.
Still, I end up creating messes in my home. In fact, it often happens on a daily basis, sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. when Dave and I are fixing dinner. Spaghetti sauce splatters on the stovetop. Crumbs clutter the counters. It doesn’t matter how diligent I try to be with cleaning up after myself; I’m greeted by a list of tasks to complete in order to make my kitchen spotless once again.
Fortunately, after a delicious dinner, I have enough strength to load the dishes in the dishwasher (or at least hand them to my husband). I can grab the nearest dishrag and wipe the counters clean in seconds. Even the occasional stain on our kitchen mat can be defeated with a few spritzes of Spray ‘n Wash. No, I don’t enjoy messes in my home, but at least I’m able to wipe them out on my own.
Too bad the same can’t be said about other messes in life. In the past week, I’ve been made aware of some doozies. A friend in the prime of his life, a man who we’d prayed diligently would be healed, was ultimately healed when God took him home, leaving behind a wife and two sons. Another friend is struggling with finances. Yet another is dealing with a difficult relationship that seems far from ever getting better.
Unlike the messes in my kitchen, I can’t grab a rag and clean these messes up. Instead, I’m left to wonder, along with everything else, why these messes have to exist. Yes, there are some messes that come because of our own actions, but what about those Job-like trials that come our way? Why do good people suffer? If I serve a miracle-working God, why don’t I see miracles in these situations?
I believe it’s because this is an opportunity God uses to grow our trust in Him and in His plan for our lives. I have to hand over my cleaning supplies and let Him handle the task. I may not agree with His method, but I need to trust that He knows what He’s doing (and He does). It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? But there are still times when I feel like yelling at God because He’s not doing things the way I’d like them to be done. There are times I’m tempted to try to figure things out on my own because it looks like nothing is moving forward. I may have to surrender the mess at least a dozen times in a day, then get up in the morning only to find myself doubting again.
But the truth is, He’s still working, even when I’m doubting. He’s still in control, even when I feel like life is in chaos.I wish I could tidy up this post with a nice little sentence that would make everything better. I wish I could say, “Life will be without messes once you trust in God.” But that would be misleading. Life will always be messy. But God will always be in control, and that’s what we have to cling to in the crazy times.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

New Beginnings

Before Dave and I got married, we decided that we would find a new church home to be involved with once we had settled in. So far, we've only made it to a local megachurch, but after 3 weeks of blending in with all the other seemingly faceless attendees there, I'm ready to start the search for a smaller church where we can be known and where we can get to know others.

It's a bit of a scary point. With the exception of college, the last time I began attending a new church was back in 1995. At the same time, I'm looking forward to seeing where God leads us. Considering we live near an area that I have nicknamed "the Christian bubble," we have plenty of choices of churches. It'll be interesting to see where we end up.