"Glee"fully Watching Baseball

I am very into baseball. It is one of my favorite sports to watch, both live and on tv. I am a Cardinals fan through and through, and am willing to miss almost anything else to see a game.

As a baseball fan, the World Series is a big deal. Even if you team isn't playing (which happens quite a bit), it is an exciting part of the sport and usually one of my fall highlights. HOWEVER, this year TWO of the World Series games have fallen on Wednesdays. Usually that would be a big deal, but there is more to me that just baseball!

I am also a musically oriented person. I love to sing along to the radio, play piano, blast my iPod far louder than appropriate at work, etc. I did show choir in junior high, but chose to perform with my church's large musical productions (I mean LARGE!!!) rather than do high school show choir (which also conflicted with fall tennis). My favorite sing-along in my car is a tape of my sister's senior year of choir. I am pretty sure I went to EVERY performance they had because my parents were chaperones. I even remember some of the choreography, which is impressive if you consider that I was in 4th grade when the tape was made. I tend to believe that I was born musical, but I attribute at least part of my insane love of the Fox show "Glee" to my sister's year's of show choir.

If you aren't familiar with it (and haven't seen all the commercials), "Glee" is a show about a high school glee club. In the pilot episode last spring, the group sang one of the songs on my sister's tape. I was hooked immediately! The group of kids in glee club are eclectic to say the least. They are from all social circles, but share a love for music. Some are there for the passion, some for the glory. Some for the friendships, some for devious reasons, and some because they just don't really fit anywhere else. The music is fabulous, and the plot lines are so true to life. I know that I did not have a normal high school experience, for a variety of reasons. But I can see myself in nearly every character in Glee, which is the other reason why I like the show. It is very REAL for me, exposing many of the struggles I felt in high school. But it is still light enough to be funny and enjoyable to watch. Clearly, I like the show a lot.

So here is the problem. These two pesky Wednesday World Series games have prevented me from watching Glee!! What would usually be exciting tv for me has become 9 innings of "nothing else to watch." I am sure that if the Cardinals were playing I would be willing to miss Glee to watch the games, but the Phillies and the Yankees? Especially with the Yankees winnings? Ugh! BRING BACK THE MUSIC!!!!! I NEED MY GLEE!!!!!

Miracle!

Amazingly enough, I am going to attempt TWO blog posts in one day!

I am finding myself falling farther and farther behind on my household chores (which is driving me CRAZY), but loving the additional time I am "finding" with my family. I think it is good to let the mundane things of life sit on the back burner occasionally, so you can focus on what is really important...like a seeing good friends at dinner tonight, or hearing from another friend that her three-year-old ended her bedtime prayer with "amen, dude!" These are the moments I'll never get back. Clean clothes can wait! :)

Wow!

In the age of technology at my fingertips, it amazes me that I haven't had time to update my blog since taking my new job. So, before my day begins, you are getting a brief update.

I am INCREDIBLY busy with my position...long and frustrating hours, little to no respect or appreciation for the work I do, and a lurking feeling that my position will be be cut soon for budgetary reasons. Wonderful.

My little one will be heading to kindergarten next fall - far too grown up for her Mama to handle. She is adorable and challenging all at once. So many of the things she does to irritate me are straight from my childhood though, so there is only so much I can blame her for - the rest is genetic!

J is busy with the shop (not that the shop is busy, mind you) and helping to run the Upwards sports ministry with our church. He loves being more involved at church, and I love seeing him find a niche and enjoy the work.

On a personal note, our Sunday School lessons have been very personal lately...challenging my faith to the core. Especially the lessons from Mark. So in Mark 11, Christ was on his way back to the city and was hungry. He passed a fig tree (not in season) with no fruit on it. Christ cursed the tree and it immediately withered. Interesting correlation...there was NO fruit on the tree, not even some that was un-ripened. If we take that concept and apply it to our Christian walk, Christ should see fruit on our tree, even if it isn't ripened. That means, if Christ were to pass me today, He should see the lives I am touching and trying to share the Gospel with. I may not have any ripened fruit to show, but I should have plenty ready for Him to take and ripen...Humbling to say the least. I am afraid that my life has become like that fig tree - nothing but leaves. God didn't call me to have just leaves - He has commanded me to produce fruit. I need to get busy on more important tasks. Tasks with eternal significance.

Otherwise, despite the long break, there really isn't too much that is interesting to share. Perhaps this time I will be able to develop a habit of posting! Much love to Iowa...the only person on earth who might read this!

It's Official

Well, It is official. My baby is a big girl. An offical pre-schooler. She started on Monday and absolutely loves it. She gets to play on the big playground equipment now and has REAL lessons during the day, which she LOVES!! Is has been rough for me to adjust to though. She now needs to be at school by 8, because that is when school starts, and she has more big-girl conversations than I have been prepared for, "You are doing that, Mommy, because that is your job. I take care of this becuase it is MY job. Do you want me to help you with your job? I can help when it isn't my turn, if you ask me to..." What happened to my baby?!!?!?

Oh, and Iowa...Please know that it is a GRAVE insult to confuse anything from Mushigan with anything in Ohio! Go Bucks! :)

Fallen In

When I was younger, my mother used to ask me if I had fallen in when she had been expecting me to return from somewhere faster than I did. Well, I think I have fallen in!

Things have been amazingly busy in our lives lately. J. is busy with volleyball season, which means M. and I are also busy with volleyball season. His girls are pretty good this year, but have not won a game in so long that they aren't sure how to win.

My new job is MUCH more stressful than I had anticipated and the hours are much longer as well. I have actually been concerned a few days that I might not pick up M. before 6...the time her "school" closes. I am dealing with teachers who are rather unprofessional and who are testing me. I am winning thus far (I think), but it is still irritating. Especially since I am only 1 year from being in the classroom myself - it isn't like I am out of touch with what they are doing.

M. is wondeful...as adorable as they come! She is saying new phrases all the time - things that just amaze me. We have been working on being kind lately, which is too cute. Her Bible verse this week at Sunday School was "The Bible is true." John 17:17. It was wonderful to pick her up and have her tell us proudly that "The Bible is true" and then tell us about how she learned about Jesus by reading her Bible (which she proudly takes all over the place and tells people it is the Jesus book!).

Otherwise, we are pretty boring people. My goal for tomorrow is to clean the house a bit (it is starting to get ridiculous), do the laundry (so M. can wear her favorite "twirlly dress" Sunday), and go to the grocery (so we have milk again). We may go watch J's girls lose at a tournament if we get up in time. WIth 2 of his girls injured, it will be an interesting day, I am sure.

Hope you are all good...sorry it has been so long. Maybe I will get back into a routine with this again! :)

VBS Early Release

Tonight started VBS for our church this year. The theme is Game Day Central and is VERY cool. I am helping "coach" the Yellow Stars (just out of kindergarten) and it is wonderful. We have 32 little hearts ready to have fun and learn about Jesus. What a blessing! I had four people comment about being able to tell I am a teacher by how I work with the kids. It is fun to break into teacher mode now-and-again. I miss that with my current (and future) job.

I left early tonight when I was pulled aside during the puppet show to learn that Jeremy was trying to track me down. Mackenzie was throwing up all over the place and I needed to get home ASAP. This is one reason I am glad we live where we do (and might just get a new car rather than move!) - I was home, after stopping at the grocery for Pedialite, in less than 10 minutes. I didn't even speed, since I passed three police officers on my way!

We aren't sure what is wrong, but Mackenzie hasn't eaten much today (a big red flag that she is sick) and threw up all over Jeremy, herself, and the couch (UGH!) while I was gone, and again while I was cleaning the couch cushions from the first one. She hasn't gotten sick again, but doesn't want any fluids, which concerns me, given the amount that came out. We have convinced her to take two little ice cubes, which is progress. She is sleeping again (on Jeremy!) and her 103.5 fever has come down a bit, so I am hoping she is getting better.

Despite being nervous about such a large group of little ones, I wasn't expecting to get an early release on the first night!! Hopefully I will be able to be there the other nights!!

Well that was brilliant...

So we had a frustrating "date night" of driving around looking at houses the other day (see my previous post), and when we got home, I spent most of the evening looking up houses on-line both to see how amazingly expensive the ones we saw were, and to find any that might be affordable and still have most of the amenitities I desire in a new house. Then, Saturday morning, I had a realization of sorts. Why are we looking to move? The big reason: to be closer to our jobs and have less of a gas-sucking commute for both of us. So, to find a house that has any of what we want (not all of what we want - that is WAY out of price range in the area we are looking), we are looking at double our current house payment - at least. So if the main reason we are moving is to not pay an arm and a leg for gas, why move and pay even more than that on a house payment? DUH!!! Why not just get a more fuel-efficient car?!? So, we are now looking at getting me a little Honda Hybrid (much to Jeremy's GM loyalty dismay) so that I can get 40-50 miles per gallon, and we don't have to move right away. Simple solution, and much more affordable!! Sometimes it amazes me that I work with the gifted! :)