catching up

It's been an eon since I last blogged. We've been out of our house and without wireless internet, so any internet time I get is at Tuan's office in very brief snatches. It's aggravating, but a small price to pay for the extra space that is coming at us. We've been living in another lodge on the property for about four weeks. Having four bedrooms and a laundry just feet away has been so incredible. i think the lodge could probably hold all the places we've lived since we were married--so fun. The downside is that the lodge is all wood and very dark at night. I have lamps everywhere, but am definitely looking forward to having white walls again! The renovation is going well. The new living room is framed and sheathed, and the kitchen/porch should be next. I am thankful that God is providing us with this much needed space, especially because . . .
La no. 2 is on the way! I'm sure most of you who read this blog know already, but I'll say it anyway! I'm 19 weeks along and due January 30th. Tuan and I were wanting to have another baby and are very excited. The hardest part was that I found out I was pregnant during overnight two of camp (I was about six weeks along, then). I felt really awful one Thursday and took a test (positive). Once the camp doctor checked me out and ruled out any other illnesses, I reckoned that I had the first trimester woes. :) I don't get morning sickness when pregnant, but I do get very, very tired--and a whole four weeks of camp remained, plus I couldn't/wouldn't tell hardly anyone before I had seen my OB and was 12 weeks. I honestly wondered if I could make it, but God was very gracious in helping me get through those weeks (particularly Fridays--Scott can attest to how hard Fridays were!). I was also very grumpy and irritable--not a good camp attitude, there. I am thankful for his grace this summer and excited about our forthcoming La--pray the house is done well before the baby comes!
Tuan and I are finally on vacation! My parents live outside of Destin and we are down here for the whole week--so fun. My four year old nephew came with us as well and he and Johnny are quite a pair! We took them to the beach and to this really fun playground. Tuan and I have eaten at Moe's twice already (sad day in Jxn when they closed) and are glad for a glorious five days of vacation remaining. It's good to be away from TL.
We did have an incident this morning, though. Tuan and I were going to go to some thrift store and realized that my phone and wallet were missing from the car (along with his Mp3 player and some CDS). Apparently there was a rash of these sort of thefts last night. Grr. . . Lots of pertinent things were in my wallet, and we immediately called all the proper bureas and companies and banks. It made me especially mad b/c I had a huge spa gift card in my wallet that I was hoarding until I could get an appt and baby-sitter. Thankfully, we had our computer and camera in the house. They are loaded with precious pictures that I don't want to lose! A Deputy Sheriff came and we had to file reports and swear things and make lists. I surely hope the guy gets caught.
I should like to "kick him in the nads" as Tuan says. He will be witnessed to, however, because he stole a bunch of indelible grace CDs. He also will be greatly disapointed by the contents of the Mp3 player as it contained an audio version of Treasure Island and a short story by Isaac Asimov! The thief apparently did not need a car seat, booster seat, size 11 chacos, or pricey raingear. Nor did he lust for Jan Karon and Clive Cussler books or a biography on Paul. He also apparently can recognize costume jewelry, because he left my bling sno-flake ring and doesn't have chapped lips because my chapstick was left. Odd thief. I still want to kick him in the nads.
Momma is convinced I am stressed out over this. My 13 year old brother tried to persuade me that even though I say I am not stressed out, "in times like this you are even though you don't realize it." He is an old soul. This is what happens when people have children at an older age, when their first two are older.
I am actually very thankful. We were not in danger, Johnny was never threatened, nothing super valuable was taken that will have to be replaced and I think we were able to curtail the damage to our accounts in time. I do ask that you all pray that my identity is not exploited and that this person is held accountable.
That's life for us in a nutshell right now. I feel very pregnant suddenly and just want to waddle and wear a mu-mu. I'm going to get off now, having updated in a not-so-timely fashion and enjoy my vacation!

I bet you think this post is about you.

Isn't it funny how out-of-the-blue things come into your life in spurts, and then disapear?

The Carly Simon song, "You're so Vain" keeps popping up in my life! I don't think I've ever actually heard her sing it. I only know it because Liv Taylor did a banjo version of it on his great hit, "Songs that Should Never be Played on the Banjo." Anyway, it's popped up on the 'net, in conversations and I picked up a CD the other day that had it. Perhaps God is trying to tell me something?

Yesterday, Johnny was being a "poisonous viper in a covenant diaper." In short, he was an especially sinful little covenant
child. I said something about, "O, he's just full of sin like the rest of us." My Aunt replied, "naahh." I wish I'd pursued the conversation, but it ended there. Later, it lead me to think through the concepts of original sin and how the idea that a baby being a sinner (and the full implications of that) could be a terrifying thought depending on your presuppositions. I believe that the Bible teaches that I am no more capable than a baby of willingly turning and believing in God. Salvation comes entirely from Him. Surely, if God can change my wicked heart and draw me to him, he can do that with a baby!

I was writing all of this not to spark a debate about infants and salvation, but because ultimately, I was reflecting on how our presuppositions affect our entire outlook on the world. Lord-willing, the Bible is at the root of what I believe and I think that affects my political views, too. Take for instance the whole idea of poverty and wealth. It seems liberals want everyone to be comfortable and get an education, but God forbid they should make too much money with that education! Granted, I want to be comfortable and I definitely have "caviar taste on a beer budget," but ultimately, whether rich or poor, I know that I deserve none of my blessings! I also know where my treasure lies.

It also makes me think that totally free enterprise doesn't produce humane results. There have to be laws to ensure that employees are treated fairly, because man is sinful and without guidelines will ultimately do what is most profitable for him, and not his neighbor. Along this same vein of the sinful nature, I am convinced that world peace is impossible. Even if the whole world were converted, until Jesus comes back there will be no peace between man and man. Not even in his church (as we have daily proof).

I'm sure this is full of error and fawlty logic, but these are the thoughts of a flawed human being! Let me know what you think, reader.

Fail-safe cookies.

The other day when three of our church kids were over here, Abby decided she wanted to make cookies. Abby didn't like chocolate or oatmeal (my standbys) and we had pretty limited ingredients on hand. Voila! It was time for "Paula's Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies." That's what the recipe in the Collins Pres Cookbook is titled. They were a favorite from childhood, are absolutely easy and fail-safe, and, they contain NO FLOUR! I know some folks can't have gluten, etc . . . So these are a good thing for them. Organic, all natural PB works just as well as cheapo GV PB. Tuan, the kids and myself devoured them! Here's the "receit."

Paula's Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix and drop by spoonfuls onto a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Flatten cookie and bake for 10-13 minutes in a 350 oven. They don't brown, but do make sure they don't overcook and dry out. I cooked mine a little over 15 minutes because I was too impatient to preheat. : )

Inspired by Caroline, I made a Simpson's avatar of Tuan. Wouldn't it be fun to do all of the TL staff?

These past few weeks, I've been resting, cleaning and especially mothering. I was briefly sad when camp ended, but having a change of pace for seven weeks made coming back to everyday life so sweet. It has been wonderful to play with Johnny, read books whenever he wants, play "piggies" with his toes and go to the pool without having to worry about camp duties! Even the first grocery run to wal-mart was fun. I was thinking to myself: "I am at wal-mart and am not looking for fifteen cases of gatorade, ten containers of tennis balls and a ph test kit for aquariums--I only have to buy milk and eggs--this is great!"

We move out of our house on August 15 and into the lodge--that's when renovations begin on our house. I've designed the kitchen and am so excited about it! Imagine, having a kitchen just how you want it to be! I feel very blessed. I began packing the other day (we have a lot to store) and am trying to leave out essentials. All of our glassware got packed, with the exception of a few mugs and some asstd plastic cups. Yesterday, out of desperation, I drank milk from a coffee mug. This was a huge moment for me. I NEVER drink milk from a non-transparent glass container, nor do I drink anything but hot beverages from a mug. That's one of those things that personally disgust me to the core. The glass thing is due to paranoia about the cup being dirty and me not realizing it until I drain the last drop. That happened at a friend's house once. They were scrupulously clean people but the cup had some dishwasher residue in it and, well . . . there you go. As for the mugs--I really dislike mugs (even ones that match my dishware).

We had kids from our church out yesterday for a before school bash (john, abby and camille for those of you who know them). Mrs. D. kept Johnny in the morning and I took them swimming in the pool and the lake. It was really fun to have them. I laughed a lot and enjoyed having a chance to play with older kids. We also went for a golf-cart ride and they played Uno and canoed with "Mr. Tuan."

Johnny stayed with my Mom and brother last night (they are up at Melissa's) and I was planning to sleep in--wouldn't ya know, I woke up at 7:30? There are some things I've been wanting to do that aren't so easy with Johnny, so today I'm going to go to the library, run errands and maybe even brave the Hudson's on Terry Road (scary).

Where does dispensational housekeeping fit into this? Well, I've been a little lax about wiping down my cupboards and mopping my floor lately. I mean, they are about to be torn out and destroyed, right? I was telling Zack Owens about this new philosphy and he compared me to a dispensationalist who doesn't worry about social justice/work because Jesus is coming back really soon. (something like that) So, for another 13 days, that's just what I'll be: a dispensationalist housekeeper.

Riding the Wave

Wow. Two more days until all of the Summer Stafff arrive. I can't believe it's almost here. We've had sort of a pre-training week this week as the horseback staff, some ropes folks, and some R/A people have been here, along with Scott and sundry others. I came into the week tired, but today I feel (physically) like camp has just ended. That's not good! I was doing pretty well, until a terrible allergy attack, followed by medicine that knocked me down and then kept me up all night before falling into something resembilng sleep around sunrise. I am so thankful Mrs. Dorothy had stayed the night with us. She kept Johnny while I tried to nap and fulfilled a few obligations. I'm taking Sudafed which dopes me up almost as much as zyrtec, but without it my nose would be running like an elf (unlike the dwarf-like runny nose which is a natural sprinter and only lasts a short while--see, I told you I was drugged up). So anyway, here I lie, with a dirty house, program to run, laundry to wash, cookies to bake and two days left. : ) Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise as I am physically resting, if nothing else.
This will probably be my last post for a while, so I wanted to share a few prayer requests with readers and lurkers, alike. It used to irk me when folks would share "unspoken" requests, but I actually have two that I can't detail except for this:

1. Pray for a situation with two friends. Pray for wisdom, sanctification and healing.
2. Pray for me about a situation. It's relational.
3. Pray for our church. There are several things going on under the surface and it seems that any little thing is about to just make things explode.
4. Pray for camp in general, but specifically for me: that I would not neglect my primary responsibilities/joys (Tuan and Johnny), that I would be wise in decision making, that I would really get to know the staff and that I would truly minister to campers and staff this summer. (with my job, it is easy to just view staff/campers as a mass that you move around in order to accomplish the task)

Thanks for all your prayers!

The allergy attack yesterday was begun by something indoors, but then I went horseback riding and that really got it going! I don't regret the ride at all, because some very good things happend for me personally. Several years ago, right before camp, I was riding with some staff and we were galloping down the levee. It was exhilarating, but then I realized my saddle was loose and I was leaning far to the right. Having heard some stories of previous staff who had stayed in the saddle and ended up under the horse due to a loose saddle, and not feeling confident of stopping in time, I decided to jump off. I ended up in horrible pain and had to ride in the ambulance to the hospital.
I've ridden many times since then, and it's been fun, but approaching even a canter has been nerve wracking (especially in open spaces). On yesterday's ride, however, everything changed. I had a good, obedient horse (gandy), for one and we ended up leading some on Twin Lakes road. Trotting in the lead, then slipping into a canter (although only for a few seconds) and being able to slow down because I said so (not because the other horses were) was a huge help. Finally, we reached the levee. Ashleigh, who is such a good friend to me, suggested that I canter on the levee. (Talk about recreating the scene--scary) It was now or never. I agreed and (leading, again) let Gandy go.
Now, for an experienced horseperson, all this was nothing, but for me it was huge. I made it down the levee trotting and cantering (Ash says we galloped a bit, but I think she was just being nice) and passing the spot, I almost cried. How incredibly freeing it was to do that and I absolutely cannot wait to ride again and do some more.
Sonny, Ry and some others raced on the levee and down Twin Lakes road--talk about a beautful sight. Ry, especially, since he was riding Boo bareback.
So that's enough for now, please, please be praying for us!