Decompression

This isn't a great photo. There will be more to come. I got this off our photobucket account that our group set up. It is of a group of my fellow missionaries working on one of the houses in Hattiesburg. We were re-roofing the wind-damaged homes, which were hit hard by Hurrican Katrina almost a year ago. My team worked with a dear couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, who had gone all this time in desperate need. Their roof still had a blue FEMA tarp on it. We finished the roofing job ahead of schedule and got to do some additional work.

I'm finding that I'm having a hard time decompressing after this trip! There's so much I want to say and tell and think about, but if it all came out in a flood, I may actually emotionally drown, so to speak. Thankfully, it is coming out in trickles and I'm just letting the leaks happen as they will. I cannot believe that only one week would pack my heart, mind, and soul with so much information.

God bless you all for standing with me, praying for me, thinking of me, hoping with me. Thank you.

On Mission

I am posting this from Hattiesburg. We have been hot, sweaty, and tired as we work on houses that are in desperate need. We will travel to the gulf coast tomorrow and see another area that is in great need. I'm seeing God in many places, facing many challenges, and having fun making midnight runs to Walgreens! Much love to all of you -

Excited, Overjoyed, Nervous, Anxious, Scared

These are the pictures I am taking to Mississippi. I want to be able to look at my family every day. I know that I will miss them so much. We (the mission trip participants) are not allowed to take cell phones, so I may be unable to talk to my family for the entire week. For a mom of very small children, this is a difficult thought. I am truly stepping out in obedience in going on this mission trip.

I am excited, overjoyed, nervous, anxious, and scared. I can't wait to do ministry. I've been so thirsty for it. I long to meet needs and share the love of Christ. Our team will be re-roofing Katrina-damaged homes in Hattiesburg. We'll also be reaching out to the community in other ways. I can't wait to get back and share about everything. I expect God to do mighty things. That's the God that He is.

I am feeling all those human emotions as well, and the enemy has been prowling around like a roaring lion. I've felt his attacks, but God is bigger than the enemy. God already has the victory. I've been feeling inadequate and ill-equipped, but I suppose that's a good thing. If I could do it on my own, I wouldn't need to rely on God. At the same time, however, I've been feeling ill-equipped to the point that I've thought, "I'll be useless on this trip. Why am I even going?" and thoughts like those are ones that have crossed into the danger zone. God called me to go for a reason. I will do what He asks and leave it up to Him to make me useful. I will obey Him and I will obey my leaders while I'm on the trip. I'm only to go and serve.

I'm also feeling anxious about meeting new people, though my love in life is all kinds of people. Will I make friends? Will people like me, or will they think I'm weird? What about the people of the community? It's a different culture there, besides being a disaster area. Will I be too self-involved to be able to reach out in love? Will I be too self-conscious to say the right things? If worry could add an inch to my stature, I'd be the tallest person in the world! Again, I must resist the attacks of the enemy of my soul.

I'm scared about what might happen while I am gone. Will my husband be ok? Will he be able to meet the demands of work and the kids all alone? Will he go nuts? Will the babysitter be ok while she's here? Will she understand all my written instructions? What if BW or one of the kids gets sick? But then . . . again I hear the still, small voice of God reminding me that he has not given me a spirit of fear, but of sound mind . . . and remembering that His voice admonished me several months ago when He called me to go on this trip, "Do you not believe that I can care for your family while you are gone?"

I will go. I will be fine. My family will be fine.

Anyway, it's not about me.

"As they were walking along the raod, a man said to Him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head.' He said to another man, 'Follow Me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.' Still another said, 'I will follow you Lord, but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.' " Luke 9: 57-62

"Peter answered Him, 'We have left everything to follow You! What then will there be for us?' Jesus said to them: 'I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brotherse or sisters or father or mother or children or frields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.' "
Matthew 19:27-29

The Museum of Natural Science

On Tuesday of this week, as Grandma and Pappa were making the long journey from Arkansas, Chicken Nugget and I were having a fun day out. Last year, as I was heartily pregnant with Banana, BW took CN to Chuck-E-Cheese and to (the no-longer existing :o( ) Astro World (Six Flags Houston). So this year it was my turn for fun activities with CN! First thing we got our hair cut at our favorite barber shop, where the owner has birds and real frogs and fish and all kinds of things! She also has free soda, juice, or water and candy for every patron. She also had donuts on Tuesday!
We then went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few supplies for my mission trip. Then it was off to Tortuga's for lunch! Yum! CN had a cupon for a free kids' meal, thanks to perfect attendance at school! The sopapillas at Tortuga's were especially yummy. According to CN, "I could eat about 50 of those things!"
After lunch we had the most fun of all! We drove to the Museum of Natural Science in Houston! It was amazing and I can't even begin to describe all the things we saw. Of great interest were the dinosaur bones, the Butterfly Center, and the hall of gems. On Tuesdays after 2pm, you can get into the main exhibit halls free. There is so much there to see, I don't know how anyone could fit in the extra exhibits. Body Worlds is going on now, which would be utterly fascinating, but we didn't get to go this time. There was also a dinosaur exhibit that cost extra. We stuck with the main exhibit halls and the Butterfly Center, and let me tell you, it was sensory overload! The Houston Garden Center is right beside the museum, and we had fun walking through the rose gardens and seeing the other beautiful plants.
If any of you come to visit us down here, we will take you to the museum and we will all have a wonderful time! And maybe we can catch a fun IMAX!
I hope all of your summers have shaped up wonderfully. Too bad they are almost over!

Grandma and Pappa

Grandma and Pappa came for a visit. They were here for New Year's, but that is the last time we all saw each other. We'll see each other again in Oct. for a family reunion in Galveston (all of my mom's family on her mother's side lives down here - I've returned to my roots!), but they were itching to see the kids and couldn't wait till October. Especially since we made the decision (or gas prices / our budget made the decision for us!) not to travel this year and wouldn't be bringing the grandkids to them! So they made a quick trip - got here Tuesday, left this
morning. It was a nice visit. They played with the kids, Mamma and I did some shopping with Chicken Nugget, we just relaxed and didn't do a lot of anything else. That was good, because it rained like a Texas monsoon! Also, my parent's wanted a professional photo of all the kids, so they made sure that got accomplished. The pictures turned out beautifully, too! Mamma did a little cooking . . . Daddy did a little reading . . . Noodle ran from every photo op (see example of her blurry face with Grandma) except the group shot, and she wasn't happy at all about having that one taken! But she conceded, grumpy face and all. Banana cuddled and laughed with Grandma and Grandpa. Everything was just as it should have been for a Grandma and Pappa visit!

The Measure of a Man

I used to work at a Hallmark store. Since there was lots of dead time, my co-workers and I spent lots of time picking out our favorite cards. One of mine was one that said something like, "My husband - a guy that can carry a pink and aqua
diaper bag around the mall and still feel secure in his manhood."
Yeah! Right on!

Tonight I saw a commercial that portrayed a guy in the checkout line at a grocery store. This guy was buying tofu, bean sprouts, you name it - every kind of froo-froo health food on the market. The guy behind him in line was buying every form of red meat known to the free world, and the health-food guy furrowed his brow and looked unsure of himself. Suddenly, health-food guy spotted a magazine with a picture of a Hummer on it. So Mr. Healthy made haste in getting to the Hummer dealer and in buying a Hummer. The TV screen then flashed this message: "Hummer. Reclaim your manhood."

And I thought, how sad.

I grapple with my own issues, being a woman and what my role is and why. And am I selling myself short, etc. etc. But I have never thought too much of the gender role issue as far as men are concerned. Perhaps I should think more of it. But perhaps I think less of it because I live with one who is such a great man.

BW is smart and kind and caring. He challenges my schools of thought and is happy to agree to disagree. He truly puts my needs and wants above his own. He is a great dad who takes care of the kids at my slightest whim, and faithfully on Bunco night! And he's a team-player around the house, always helping with bath-time, meal-time, clean-up time, and mommy-is-pulling-her-hair-out time.

Some of my friends are amazed at his active role with the kids. When I started talking to my friends about my mission trip, many of them responded in this way: "Who will take care of the kids while you're gone?!"
And my baffled response was, "Um, they have a dad . . . "

And in a very manly way, BW accepted me, who had been married before and brought a child into our new marriage. Through the bumps and bends in the road that carried us to the healthy family we now are, he just held on tight and refused to let go. There were moments I really thought we might veer off the road, when a bump was too big, but he always found a way to steer us back on course. I never doubted his love or level of commitment. I never doubt it now.

So what is a man? Does a man own camo and a gun and a big truck and go fishing and hunting? Does he love to watch football and wrestling? Does he play all kinds of video games? Does he read a lot and have a smart brain? Does he drink beer and eat buffalo wings while watching the big game on his friends' big-screen? Well, yes, I suppose that a man could be any combination of these things.

My man doesn't wear camo or hunt, but my brothers did, and they are good men. My dad sits quietly a lot and reads and he is gentle and hugs people often. He also unashamedly cries tears in front of many people. And he's a great man. And so is BW, my man, who has cried tears before me when he really thought he had wronged me. And BW is smart and likes video games and carries a diaper bag (though it is not pink and aqua), and is secure in his manhood.

While at seminary, I really had to make a statement in class once. I have never been one to boldly speak out in any class ever, but this was just too much for me. The subject matter in class was that of marital roles, and my brother in the Lord said, "My wife has to submit. It says so. She just does."

To which I spoke up and said, "Yes, but it also says, 'husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and laid down His life for her.' It doesn't mean you lord over her. If any man is willing to love me that much and treat me that well, that he would put me above all else and lay down his life for me, I'd gladly submit to that!"

Not only that, but "Sumbit to one another our of reverence for Christ,"* something we should all be doing for one another and prior to marriage. My dear brother in the Lord, I really think, wasn't seeing the beautiful picture of marriage, which truly is a woman and man reflecting Christ and His sacrifice, for all the world to see. That is why Satan hates marriages and tries so hard to destroy them. I'm so thankful, and give all glory to God, that He has grown mine and my husband's marriage into that beautiful picture, and that He daily administers grace to grow it more and more into that picture.

I'm so thankful to God for the man that is my husband. I'm thankful that he doesn't have to rely on a thing or a behavior to know that he is a man. He proudly drives a Dodge Grand Caravan, and will likely not drive much else for many years. BW sacrifices money, time, and his own wants for his family. He lays down much pride in the face of certain outlying family issues, and puts on a brave face to deal with it for my sake and his children's. BW is a man - God's man . . . and praise be to God, my man.

*scripture references from Ephesians 5:21-33

You Really Should Go See It . . .

M. Night Shyamalan has done it again.

Go see Lady in the Water.

I am going to say right up front, though most anyone reading this would know, I am a weirdo. A nerd. A geek. You can't say anything that I haven't already self-proclaimed. That being said -

After this movie, I am an Official Big Fan of Shyamalan. No, the movie is not getting great reviews. No, the movie is not really scary. Actually, not at all. Lady in the Water is not a horror flick or a thriller. It's just dang good.

I'm starting to figure out that when it comes to Shyamalan's films, it seems that character and plot are incidental. Shyamalan can form plots and place people around a central theme, and when you walk away from the film, you get it.

Life is better if you just accept who you are.

You can't escape society.

God hasn't disappeared.

Everyone has a purpose. Yours is important and necessary to everyone, including yourself.

Like I said, yeah, I'm a nerd.

And like I said, yeah, the movies not getting great reviews. But reviews aren't what make a film great. I liked this movie so much for what it said. So go see it. Be a nerd with me.

A Tribute to her Dad

I was cleaning up and getting ready for a yard sale, when I came across Buffalo Wings' school portraits from the past two years. I asked Chicken Nugget if she wanted some pictures of Dad, and she said yes, so I gave her a 5x7 of one and two wallets of another. I figured she'd put them in an album or set one up in her room or something. A few minutes later, however, she emerged from her room with the creation you see here. She had a piece of candy taped to the back and said that it was a gift for Dad, so she gave it to him when he got home a few hours later. We have it sitting on the desk at the moment, but I put in front of the patio window for these pictures, because the light was better there.
Doesn't it crack you up?
It cracks me up!!!!

Just Thinking . . .

Yeah, so this post has nothing to do with my kids. I just have to constantly post pictures of them. Just in case all both of you who read this blog might forget what they look like.

But . . . maybe in a way, this post does have something to do with my kids. I'll get to that in a second . . .

Look at this post from my friend. Amazing. I loved reading that. And thinking about forgiveness. But I'll get to that in a second, too.

This morning our Sunday School lesson was about anger. I was the facilitator of the lesson this morning, and that always makes me nervous. I don't want to say the wrong thing or hurt someone's feelings, etc. etc. etc. When you're talking about a subject like anger, you never know when you may unwittingly say something that strikes a personal chord in someone's life.

I do have a problem with my temper and with forgiveness. But the forgiveness thing . . . it's not so much forgiving my brother or sister. Not that I don't struggle and have to deal with my human emotions of hurt, anger, disappointment. Not that I don't have to put grudges aside from time to time. However . . . it is so much easier for me to forgive my brother or sister than to forgive myself. But I'm in the mix. I have to extend forgiveness to myself as well.

I've been feeling like a lousy mom, a lousy wife. Satan's been attacking me from every angle. Last night and this morning the arrows were flying. Because I've been too hard on the kids (see, this DID have something to do with the kids!), been yelling too much, my patience has worn too thin, I've felt lazy and useless . . . all those things that Satan likes to whisper in my ear. Regardless if they are true, I have to accept forgiveness from my Savior. I have to confess and then accept the forgiveness. It does not honor Him to do otherwise, and yet . . .

If only I could really buy that favor from God. If only I could purge somehow, could pay, could beat my back until it bled. Then I'd feel that I deserved it. But I don't. And I can't. And - He doesn't even want me to.

I was saying this morning, in regard to sin and anger and Romans 3:9-12, it is human nature to act according to sin. That's what we are born to do. So why should it surprise us when our brothers and sisters let us down, hurt us, anger us? They are doing what it is in their very nature to do, since sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. And someone said, "Why should it surprise us when we do what it is in our nature to do?" meaning, why let myself off the hook? My brother or sister can't sin? But I can allow myself to do so without batting an eye. And I thought, yeah, that makes so much sense. I'm the same. And the forgiveness that comes down to me through my God, through my brothers and sisters; it's the same too. And I must accept it just as they must.

But the enemy truly is crouching at my door. He wants me to feel like I need to earn, and that's one of his greatest tools of deception. And I know that! If it could be earned, I'd have something to show for it, but Christ will get the glory for all. That's the way it is. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Forgiveness is freedom, for the forgiver and for the forgiven. I need to go the full circle.

Brennan Manning does a good job of explaining in the preface to his book Abba's Child:

"Self-flagellation has a personal history with me. When I was twenty-three years old and a novice in the Franciscan Order in Washington, D.C., the order practiced an ancient sprirtual discipline on the Friday nights of Lent. A designated cleric stood flat-footed beside the stairwell on the first floor, slowly and loudly reciting Psalm 51 in Latin. Miscerere me, Domine, secundum misericordiam, tuam.
"Meanwhile, the rest of us entered our cells on the second floor clutching a noose-shaped instrument of torture measuring twleve inches long; it was colied telephone wire. Throughout the duration of the psalm, we whipped our backs and buttocks to extinguish the fire of lust. I flailed away with such reckless abandon that I raised blood blisters on my back.
"The following day in the showers, a cleric took one look at my bludgeoned body and reported my condition to the novice master who reprimanded me for my intemperate zeal. Truth to tell, I was trying desperately to make myself pleasing to God."

And then, on page 22-23 of the same book, Manning goes on to say:
"But God loves who we really are - whether we like it or not. God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual makeup can render us more presentable to Him. As Merton said, 'The reason we never enter into the deepest reality of our relationship with God is that we so seldom acknowledge our utter nothingness before Him.' His love, which called us into existence, calls us to come out of self-hatred and to step into His truth. 'Come to me now,' Jesus says. 'Acknowledge and accept who I want to be for you: a Savior of boundless compassion, infinite patience, unbearable forgiveness, and love that keeps no score of wrongs. Quit projecting onto Me your own feelings about yourself. At this moment your life is a bruised reed and I will not crush it, a smoldering wick and I will not quench it. You are in a safe place.' "

And anyway, Manning and I seem to have missed this part of Psalm 51:
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnte offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

We were getting it right all along.

How can I do anything but let the tears wash down my face as I hide my soul in the cleft of the Rock? I am, I am in a safe place. And my Abba loves me. May I stop trying to make myself pleasing to God, when I should know that I already am.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

Summer Movie Reviews

Like many good citizens who are trying to save money (and gas), or else who are just flat broke, the Tasty Names family is going it without a vacation this summer. And by "vacation," I mean we are not visiting either Arkansas or Iowa. We're doing without other things as well, as are so many we know. But our one indulgence this summer is movies! Not at the cinema. No, I'm talking DVDs. This is in large part thanks to Netflix. I will attempt to give brief and concise reviews (as if I could!) of some of my very favorites that we've seen so far.

I have loved The Lord of the Rings movies. I'd never seen them until this summer! And I was taken in, as were so many. I need to read those books like my husband has. They intimidate me, though. Does anyone know some good reading material I could get my hands on regarding the symbolism present in the stories? It goes without saying that it's there; I'd just like to dissect it some more. At seminary, they had cinematology nights, in which they'd watch a film and discuss the Biblical symbolism. I never got to take part, but the Lord of the Rings trilogy was discussed. I'm sure it was great. I'm actually still waiting to see the last movie, The Return of the King. Nobody tell me what happens! Samwise is my favorite character. His loyalty to Frodo is amazing to me.

After Buffalo Wings and I watched The Village, we could not stop talking about it. M. Night Shyamalan never ceases to astound, does he? Did ya'll see this movie? I was really skeptical and almost afraid to watch it, because I just don't do ghouly scary movies. This movie is creepy, but not scary, especially after you figure out what is going on. BW and I pondered over the whole idea of the village itself. Trying to escape society, you create one of your own. It was brainwashing at its best. But now one of Those of Whom We Do Not Mention has been killed - by a blind girl, no less! At what point will someone begin to question? Also, the idea of trying to escape loss and hatred and having horrible things happen. Shyamalan paints a wonderful picture of what futility there is in doing such things.

One reason that I like Netflix is that I can get films such as Baptists at our Barbeque. It is an LDS film and it is possible to find these and many other types of movies at Netflix. It would probably be otherwise more difficult to get. I really liked this movie! It is cute and quirky, while having a great message attached to it. It takes place in a small town in which either belongs to the Mormon church or the Baptist church. One thing I really liked about the movie is that neither group is portrayed as better or worse, because each group has its own special annoying characters! In the end (you'll just have to get your hands on the movie to see how it happens!), both groups come together. The movie says a lot about how petty we humans can be toward one another, and about how people with differences can really coexist - even become friends! - if we look past everything we percieve not to like. I know it all sounds a little fluffy and cliche. It's not. Or it is. Either way, great movie.

Narnia. What else do I need to say? What a great movie! I loved the books, and I love how the movie stays so true to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Chicken Nugget has enjoyed the movie very much, too. I was afraid it might scare her, but it didn't. You know, the fighting scenes with all the weird beasts and stuff. BW and I saw the movie in the theater, and I cried like a baby, even though I knew what was going to happen. But I cried when Aslan came back, too. Everyone in the theater was clapping! It was great. Aslan is on the move.

I don't know why I like the comic-book based ones, but I do. Spiderman is one of my favorites. I never read the comics as a kid. I never watched the cartoons. But now, as an adult, I have really enjoyed the movies! I can't wait for the third one to come out. Maybe it's the classic battle between good verses evil. Or maybe it's Peter Parker's plight in life and his nobility of character. Maybe it's the cool visuals of Spiderman, in his snazzy outfit, flying around New York City! Whatever it is, I think the movies are neat-o!

So there's my reviews. Hope it made you want to rent something you haven't seen.

All In All, A Successful Summer's Day!

No TV today! That was the declaration this morning. Nothing electronic was to be used by the kids, all day, whatsoever. This summer is getting a little tedious, since we're not traveling at all (when it comes to groceries v. vacation due to gas prices, well . . . ). I was telling Chicken Nugget that I used to run around in the woods all day when I was growing up. We have a fenced-in front yard. No woods. So I'm trying to get creative.
The first thing we did was a craft. Last time we did crafts, I had all kinds of things for Noodle to glue onto paper, but she wasn't into it. She colored with markers on the newspaper that I had put down to protect the kitchen table. Hey, she was happy. But today I wanted something that she could actually produce. So we painted old shirts. Noodle had a great time with that, as did CN. Noodle's shirt is unique and beautiful and she is proud of it! CN painted a picture of herself and her sister on her shirt, with the words "best friends." On my shirt, I painted stars. It didn't start out that way, but after Noodle decided that the shirt I was painting needed some of her handiwork on it, I had to improvise. So I made a star and turned the blob, compliments of Noodle, into "stardust," or whatever.















Then we went on the Slip-N-Slide! CN had a great time actually sliding on it this time! She's getting less afraid and better and better at flopping onto her belly and sliding down as far as she can. She was just stopping short and kind of ended up laying on the thing. Now she'll run and slide more. Banana had fun splashing and crawling the length of it. Noodle still doesn't understand the concept, and really wanted to swing more than anything, but eventually she ran around on it a little.
Now the girls are playing princess. Banana must have figured, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Because I have no idea how he got that princess dress and crown on!
So, I feel good about having a pretty creative and active day, sans television or computer! Well, except for me using the computer do this blog . . .

The Way God Is

In 2001, I made a trip (with Chicken Nugget) to Mill Valley / San Francisco, CA. On the way home, we visited Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah to visit with our friend Boss. The side trip was a joy ride for me, but going to MV/SF was all business! I was there to view the seminary that I would eventually attend, later that same year.
The night after CN and I had arrived on campus, I had CN all tucked in and asleep in our guest room bed. I was feeling anxious and unsure and was praying about many things. I was asking God how this was to be. I was a single mom. Could hardly pay the bills month to month. Didn't know anyone out in big ol' CA. I was terrified of taking this new step, of how it would work out, yet knowing that the God of the universe was calling me to go. He was calling me to obedience. I was sitting on the edge of the bed that night, praying to the God who is in control of everything, and I was still doubting that what He had called me to, He could bring about.
I opened up the Bible and found my way to Ephesians. I didn't know why Ephesians, but just felt I needed to be reading there. So I read. And as I passed the first couple of chapters and figured I could stop reading and go to sleep, I still felt that I should keep on reading. And that's when I made it to Ephesians 3:20-21:
"Now to him who is able to do imeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
I remember that my heart started to pound. I looked up from my Bible and out the window, where foggy hills lay before me. The still, small voice of God stirred within me:
"You'd better get used to this place. And when it's all over, you won't be able to say anything else but that I have done this thing."

Well, He did it. God got me there and I had all I needed, and more! That's the way God is. My mind is finite. What an infinite God can do, I can't grasp. I only need to be obedient.
So I look with great anticipation toward the week of July 31-August 5, when I will be serving God in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. When I subitted to God regarding this trip, I asked Him for money! I had to have money to pay for the trip. So I said, "I will obey You, and I know that You will provide everything I need for this mission trip."
The cost of the trip was $840, and $200 of it was needed immediately in order to register. That $200 came within seven days of the day I had surrendered in obedience to go! It came from two different places, in two different amounts but that together amounted to $200! That's the way God is. Only a handful of people were aware that I was even going. But it was enough people that God was able to provide that immediate need. And why shouldn't He? These things really are cake to God.
I knew the rest of the money would come when I needed it. As SM reminded me while I was at seminary, things came when I needed them. I didn't have books for the semester? Well, SM would say, you just don't need them yet. But the semester has begun and I don't have books! And I don't have money to buy them! Gently again was the reminder, you don't need them yet. And when would the money for books come? Always at the very moment when I could not have waited any longer to not have them. Always, always, always, there was a provision.
" . . . you do not have, because you do not ask God." James 4:2
So, in regard to my upcoming mission trip, I prayed. I asked. I searched myself so that my motives would be pure. I asked God for $840 in the beginning. As of today, I have recieved $1773.
I kept getting letters in the mail with checks inside and the letters would say, "I have prayed about this and God wants me to give you this amount." When I passed the mark of the amount needed, I was just in awe. God must think I need it! I am telling people now that the amount has been greatly exceeded, I don't need anymore money! Several have called or asked me at church how much more I need, and can they help me out. I tell them to pray about it, and if God leads them to give, then that money will be used to help the people in Hattiesburg. There's lots of things that I can do with the extra money in regrads to the needs of those in Hattiesburg. So if you are reading this, and were about to write me a check and stick it in the mail, stop and pray! God might have another place for that money to go. My need has been greatly met, and thanks to so many who have blessed me, I will be able to greatly bless others! But at the end of it, I will say, "It is God who has done this thing!"

Singing in the Rain, or Happy Rainy Fourth of July, or Another Reason to Come Visit Us in Texas

I had just sent Scott out to get some bug spray. It has been raining, all of us have been sick, and the kids have been cooped up in the house for several days. But you just can't go outside these days without your deet! I called my mom just after Scott left for the store to give her the update on all of us. I looked out the window as I was talking to her and said, "Oh, no."
"What?" Mamma asked.
I said, "I just sent Scott to get some bug spray so the kids could go outside, and it just now started raining."
Mamma laughed, and then said, "Well, put their bathing suits on and send them out in the rain!"
I thought that was a great idea, so that's exactly what I did. Noodle ran and ran all over the neighborhood. Chicken Nugget and I had a hard time keeping up with her. The girls splashed in every puddle and I followed, carrying my umbrella! They had the best time. We eventually had to go inside. I think Chicken Nugget was ready, but not Noodle. She cried and wanted to stay outside. That girl!
So, it's a soggy Fourth, but it's not a total loss.
See, all of you should come and see us! Even when it rains, we still go outside and have a great time!

Hey, who is that?

An Ode of my Own

In light of all of Boss's odes, I want to write one, too. About all the Frogmortons.

When I think about my teenage years, I cringe. I was such a weirdo. I was ultra-emotional. I said and did weird things. I was selfish. I was rude, but didn't recognize it. And yet . . .

On the first day of my tenth grade year, as I was walking to gym class, I saw a girl walking just a few feet in front of me. She was carrying a piece of paper and looking all around her. She stopped, turned around, and asked, "Is this the fieldhouse?" And from then on we were very good friends.
(That girl was Boss, by the way!)

I spent a good bit of my 10th-and-11th-grade years over at her house. I loved going over there and spending time with Boss and her family. When I first met Boss, she was the oldest sibling living at home. Mrs. Strickland, her sister just older than herself, had graduated before the family moved from New York to Arkansas. Boss really missed her and I heard lots about her. When I met her, she was just as wonderful a person as Boss had described.

I wish I could go back and un-do some of the the things that I did at the Frogmorton house back then. One of them was, I should have tried the brocolli! Sorry. I really like it now, Mrs. Frogmorton. All of you were right. Brocolli is really good. So is Chinese food. I was such a picky eater. Add that to part of my weirdo status.

But it didn't even seem to matter that I was a weirdo. I don't want this to sound wrong, because it was a wonderful feeling: I was hardly noticed at all by the rest of the family when I was there. Let me explain that. I fit right in. I felt that I was treated as a brother or sister. I never heard anyone yelling. I never felt that I annoyed anybody. Daisy Sandybanks would always crawl into my lap. Carolioness would help Boss and I and our friend JF make crafts. Mr. and Mrs. Frogmorton never acted the least put-out by driving across town to pick me up bring me home from a visit to their home or church.

Sonnet and I became good friends, too, because we had some classes together. Namely journalism and chemistry. Thank God she was my lab partner in chemistry. Thanks, Sonnet, for helping me pass that class!

I was always included in family prayer whenever I stayed the night at the Frogmorton home. Boss would ask me if I wanted to come downstairs for family prayer. I always did. I felt like a part of the family.

I have to mention two other parts of the family: the Pinto and The Mystery Mobile. First, the Pinto. I have seen every corner of Benton (for instance, places like Armadillo Road) from the front seat of that thing. When I met the Pinto, I thought it had been a family member for years. It looked that way! But no! Boss said her dad had bought it when they arrived in Arkansas. As for The Mystery Mobile . . . once, as Boss ate supper with me and my family, my brother remarked that she had been dropped off at my house in The Mystery Mobile. I was mortified that he would say that! But Boss thought it was hilarious.

Boss and I spent a good majority of the time just laughing and laughing. And crawling up onto her roof to watch shooting stars. Or laying out on her balcony. Or prancing around her house in formals (or running around the perimiter of her waterbed, wearing formals). We were silly. I loved every minute of it. I didn't know why someone as cool as boss wanted to be friends with weird me. But we were. And we are. I'm so thankful our friendship has endeared.

Over the years, I have welcomed many LDS missionaries into my home. We have shared meals and talked and have become friends. I try to keep in touch with a few of them. Every time they come over and we talk and discuss things, they ask me why I am so interested in the Mormon Church. I tell them that it is for two reasons: 1) I have a degree in Biblical and theological studies. I love to talk about anything relating to the subject, and will talk with anyone that will talk with me about it! The missionaries always oblige. 2) The most important reason - I always say, "When I was in high school, I became good friends with a girl who is Mormon, and she and her family were good examples to me."

Boss and I have kept a close friendship over the years. Chicken Nugget and I went to visit her in Provo. Carolioness picked me up from the airport. She gave me a hug and there was such a level of comfortability in talking to her, even though I hadn't seen her since she was in probably middle school. I spent a few hours with Shana and her (then) babies. I got to walk Noah (then a very little baby!) around as he cried and helped ease his tears. It was Chicken Nugget's birthday weekend, and Shana made her a birthday cake and everything. Mark came home. We talked a little. Boss came home - Carolioness and I went to the train to pick her up. Yay! Happy reunion! Happy visit. It was so much fun. It was like we'd just seen one another. I got to meet her cousin and some other friends. I fell in love with the mountains. It's another one of my best memories, that visit to Provo. (hey, ya'll, I'm still so sorry my flight left so early and CN screamed and screamed.)

It was wonderful that I got to go to Boss and Coach's wedding reception in Iowa! I was doing mission work that summer in Winterset, Iowa, and my host family let me use their van to drive to Iowa City! It was wonderful. (Silly me, I did not take a camera!!!) I even got to serve the cake, and when I went to hacking away at the top layer (which I know that you're supposed to save and freeze and eat on your first anniversary for good luck!), everyone was forgiving! Weird Tarimisu, at it again! I said to Boss, "I think I have single-handedly ruined your first year of marriage," and then told her about messing up her top layer, but she said, "Well, we were going to ruin it anyway, because we meant for you to cut it and serve it."
Isn't she nice? :o)
And the moment I met Coach, I said something idiotic like, "Wow! You are really tall!"
Leave it to me. But I think he liked me anyway.
And all the sisters remembered me, even though Daisy Sandybanks was just a very little girl the last time I'd seen her! But she was one of the ones who was most welcoming, telling me where to go and helping me not feel left out, but really like I was a part of things. That was such a special day for me. And CN found a Frogmorton - BigZ - with whom she really became smitten! And I caught the bridal bouquet and everything.

Boss and I got to see one another a couple of times before Buffalo Wings and I got married. She even got to come to our wedding in Pella, which was very special to me. Then BW and I moved to the ends of the earth, so she and I keep in touch now with phone calls and blogging. And each time we talk, it's as if we'd only just spoken the day before.

So, thanks, Boss. Thanks for loving me and accepting me and for often being "my number one fan." Thanks for encouraging me as a mom. Thanks, Frogmorton family, for putting up with me when I was a weird kid. I've come a long way! And some of my fondest memories are of all of you. And some of the ways I conduct my family are modeled after how you conduct yours. Thanks for putting up with me now, as I intrude onto the family blogs.

Thanks for reading my epistle! I'm so blessed by all the wonderful people who have come into my life. I really don't deserve it.