Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I'm not dead yet!!!!

If you have been wondering where the heck have I been, let me tell you, I've been sick as a dog and looking like warmed over death! Apparently the flu snuck up on me and smacked my behind. I'm feeling better today but missed all of Kiersten's weekend bday festivites this past weekend. I was thinking on Sunday that I might drag myself to church so that I could sneak into primary when the YW came to get her but after washing and drying my hair I had to lie down and take a nap. It's bad when even your hair feels sick and no matter how hard you try to get it to do what it normally does all by itself, it just lays there like limp spaghetti. Luckily Mike took pictures and apparently my momma embarassed the living daylights out of my child telling all the YW about the ruler incident. So, that's the reason I haven't blogged since Kiersten's bday, I haven't been around anything to actually blog about since then-although I did read the whole Twilight series again in between naps.

Friday, April 18, 2008

For Kiersten's Birthday

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!!! Kiersten is 12 on Monday the 21st!



Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Mommy, I'm armed with a ruler...

Yesterday, while I was on the phone with Kiersten for the "I'm home and safe and all is well" call, I heard a bang, a shriek and feet running. About to jump through the phone, I'm asking her what's wrong, what happened? This is the conversation that followed (please read her parts in your best drama queen impersonation) :

Me: Kiersten, what happened?

Kiersten: Mommy (pant pant pant) the back door flew open and there might be SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE!!!!

Me: Kiersten, where are you?

Kiersten: I'm in your bathroom with the door closed. I need the key to the gun cabinet.

Me: You need WHAT? NO MA'AM, YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE KEY TO THE GUN CABINET!!!

Kiersten: Mommy, I'm armed with a ruler, do you REALLY think that will do any good against someone with a gun????

Me: You are not getting the key to the cabinet! Okay. I'm going to call the next door neighbor and have him come over and check the house. STAY WHERE YOU ARE and I'll call you back.

Kiersten: Okay

After a minute or so, couldn't get in touch with the neighbor. At this point, remembered that the back door will fly open if it's not latched properly(it's done it to me a few times late at night and scared the bejesus out of me) and Mike had been out that morning. I call back.

Kiersten: Hello?

Me: Hey sweetie, is everything okay?

Kiersten: I guess so.

Me: I want you to walk into the front of the house and out the front door and go next door.

Kiersten: I'm already in the front of the house armed with the ruler, I'm checking the rooms. The bathroom is dark and suspicious.

Me: Kiersten, your bathroom has no outside source of light-of course it's going to be dark! Are you not scared anymore?

Kiersten: No, I'm good.

Me: I'll stay on the phone while you check the rooms.

Kiersten: The office is scary, I'm not going in there.

Me: Didn't you have to go in there to get the phone when you got home?

Kiersten: Oh RIGHT! Okay mom, I've finished checking the rooms and there's no one in the house.

Me: I told you, it was just the back door.

Kiersten: Maybe it was a GHOST!!!!

Me: I'm not talking about ghosts with you, don't mention that to your daddy, I'll be home in a few minutes.

The joy of having a child with an overactive imagination. By the way, if any of you tell her I wrote about the whole thing, I'll have to deny it.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Night creeping in......and reasons to rejoice

Last night as our little family was driving home from my parents, Kiersten remarked that the clouds in the sky looked like night was creeping up on us. I've really been thinking about that today...night creeping in. Night brings darkness, to some of us, it's a scary thing, but it also brings promise of daybreak. I think about the time when Christ was crucified, there were three days of darkness where no light could be seen at all, how terrifying! But, to those that had listened to the prophets there was a knowledge that all would be well. On one of our vacations to the West, we went to Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana and at the end of the tour, the tour guides shut off the lights. That's how I imagine total darkness, not a glimmer of light from any source.

As I was thinking about the night creeping in, I remembered something I had read in Jayne's blog a few months ago that morning always comes. This "night" could be seen as spiritual darkness, emotional darkness or actual night and darkness. The spiritual darkness that we are sometimes engulfed in is as dangerous as actual darkness-you stumble and trip and lose your way if you don't have an anchor. Remember about Lehi's vision? The most frightening part of that for me was the mists of darkness where people got lost and were separated from the ones they loved. Emotional darkness is just as debilitating I would think. Think about those scriptures that are written that someone was sorrowing in spirit or low in spirit. How many people in today's world are touched by depression or other illness where their spirit is low. Physical darkness itself is something more temporal but can still be "spun" to have a gospel message-72 hour kits! When the lights went out at our house a few weeks ago, we dug into the 72 hour kits and there they were-handy dandy lights and both Mike and I remarked how grateful we were for those little break and shake lights.

But in the midst of the darkness, the morning comes, first as those few purple rays that bleed gradually to pink and then a beautiful sunrise. As Jayne's blog said, the morning always comes and there is reason to rejoice. I love the morning when the day is new and there is something to look forward to even if it's just watching the sun rise or hearing birds sing. What a wonderful thought it is to rejoice in the knowledge that my Father in Heaven loves ME, Jesus Christ bore MY sins and loves ME still, even though I do wrong and fall. We truly have reasons to rejoice.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Random Wednesday

Today I decided to put down some random thoughts that I've been having lately. This is always fraught with peril, but here we go....

1. Watched conference on Sat/Sun and was amazed. How cool was it when we all stood as groups and as a general membership of the church to sustain Pres. Monson? For me, knowing that there were 13 million of us standing at one time to sustain that wonderful man gave me THE SHIVERS (for all of you in book club, read that in an Owen Meany voice). Also while listening to the talks, some of them were for me. I've never seen both days (I know, I'm a slacker) but it was actually really cool.

2. Finished my book club book earlier in the week. Thanks Michelle for picking that book (no, I'm not being sarcastic). It got me to thinking, Owen Meany believes that he's an instrument from God, but aren't we all in some way? We are sent from Heavenly Father for a divine purpose, we may not save anyone's life, but we all are part of a plan.

3. Read an article yesterday that made me want to scream with rage. It was about this documentary filmmaker that goes and interviews soldiers in the Congo about the raping of women there during the civil war and strife going on in that country. These men believed-HONESTLY BELIEVED-that if they raped a woman it would give them special "magic" to defeat their enemies. I've tried to find the article but now I can't remember where I read it, but you can read about the documentary, called The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo on the net and on HBO's website.

4. After reading about the documentary, went online to LDS Humanitarian Services to learn a bit about what they give money to. They spend billions of dollars a year on every continent helping people with water, humanitarian packages, the whole school supply thing, etc.

Now for the light and silly:

5. Why is there so much flippin' traffic on I-20 when I'm trying to go to work? It drives me insane(r). This morning as I was getting on the interstate I heard that there was an accident at Clemson Rd backing up to Pontiac. After sitting in the parking lot that used to be I-20 at Pontiac, decided the better part of valor was to get off and hop back on at Alpine. Well, wouldn't you know that there was a backup on 277 as well? So, 20 minutes late for work but luckily no one else is there at that time and I can sneak in.

6. Will Edward change Bella or will Bella change her mind and go with Jacob? If you haven't read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, you have no idea what I'm talking about but you need to read it. Wonderful, lovely books. I'm on the fence about the whole Edward/Bella/Jacob triangle. It drives me crazy.

7. That brings up a thought---libraries in the spirit world, got to have books for the eternities! I know that we'll be busy and all that, but we do need some downtime.

8. Kiersten will be 12 in a matter of 12 days, this is a traumatic experience for me, but she's excited.

I can't think of anything else right now. See y'all later

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Crap! She hit me!

I figured if I laid low, no one would tag me but alas, no such luck. Michelle tagged me and now here are 7 random things about me

1. I'm a closeted 80's hair band junkie.
2. I don't like scary movies AT ALL!
3. I like vampire novels (does seem quite strange after 2, but it is what is is)
4. My first name is Jessica (Mike didn't know that until about 2 weeks before we got married).
5. My middle name is Christina (spelled exactly like that even though I spell my name with a K)
6. I read while my boss is gone on trips since there's nothing else to do at the office.
7. My dream trip is England, Scotland, Ireland, Russia and New Zealand

I tag Connie, Jayne and Laresa (someone might need to tell her)