20 June 2009

Virtual Shower

David's sister Amy is going to have a baby girl! This will be her first, and the kids' first "real" cousin on David's side of the family (they have cousins who are the children of David's step brothers. We don't see them very often). So we're really excited for this baby to arrive!
I was going to throw a baby shower, but she had to go on bed rest for a while and couldn't travel down to Pocatello so I made a Virtual Shower. This post is an official invite for you all to check out the Virtual Shower and play the games! And if you want to give a present (that's what showers are all about, isn't it? But don't feel obligated--you can still go play the games) just let me know and I'll send you Amy's address.

12 June 2009

I'm So Proud

Not like I had a whole lot to do with this, but it made me beam anyway... I guess the boys' Primary teacher has been telling them that Jesus is in our hearts. I like that answer, but it's been a little tricky to explain sometimes because they sort of think literally about it.
Today while Owen was blessing the food at breakfast, part of his prayer was, "Please bless Jesus, that He can live in my heart." I started giggling and getting teary-eyed at the same time because the thought of actually living in someone's heart stuck me as funny, but the idea that Owen wants Jesus to be with him was very sweet.

11 June 2009

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I hate to sound ungrateful, especially in a place like Southeast Idaho where rain is generally in high demand and short supply. But it has been raining for two weeks solid! (Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration--really, I can only honestly say that it has rained at least once a day for the last two weeks.) It may be more than two weeks; I sort of lost track. I know it was raining the last few days that the boys were getting over croup, then we had a few sunny days, and then came the rains. Sometimes it has been sunny during the day and rainy at night, so at least we can go to lunch in the park. But mostly it's just been sorta drizzly all day long with big gusty thunderstorms in the evening.
These pictures were taken clear back on the 24th of May. The boys were still a little sick and everyone was sick and tired of being stuck in the house like we had been for two weeks. Since it was raining, we couldn't do much so we took a drive (this just goes to show how bored David was-- he never just takes a drive, but this was his idea).

At first the rain is fun and the rainbows are beautiful. But weeks later, when there's not even enough sun to make a rainbow, things get a bit old.

I have always loved taking pictures from inside a moving vehicle. This is an old meandering highway that connects Pocatello to the neighboring town of Inkom. On the freeway, it's a ten-to-fifteen minute drive. On this highway it's closer to 45 minutes.

It takes even longer if there are cows in the road. These heifers were not scared of us! They didn't budge an inch, and that one on the center line was so close to our car she could've swished her tail and slathered our windshield with manure.

Toward the end of our drive we got a really good view of Pebble Creek Ski Area. Apparently there's gold there, as indicated by the end of the rainbow.

08 June 2009

Bedtime Stories

We signed up for Netflix when we cancelled our satellite TV service. It is awesome! We get a new movie every couple days (we're on the one-out-at-a-time plan), and it even includes unlimited online watching (they don't have every title available to watch online, but they have enough that it will take me a long time to exhaust my list). All for nine bucks a month--cheaper per movie than the video store! We rented the Adam Sandler movie Bedtime Stories a while back. It is such a cute movie, and it was pretty funny, too, which isn't a huge shock because it's Adam Sandler.
Tonight, Owen decided to tell his own bedtime story to Samantha while I was changing her diaper and putting her jammas on her. It went like this:
Once upon a time there was a girl named Samantha. And one night she was getting dressed and getting poopy and getting wet.
It cracked me up! I just had to write it down for posterity's sake.

Join Now For Free!

Last Summer, my cousin Heidi posted some info on her blog about registering to be a bone marrow donor. It usually costs $52 to join (that covers the costs of the tissue typing test). I joined last Summer because they were having a special promotion offering free registration, including the tissue typing test. This summer they're doing it again! From now until June 22 (0r until they get 46,000 new registrants) it doesn't cost anything to become a bone marrow donor! Check out the website for more information, including answers to frequently asked questions.

04 June 2009

A Book Review

I don't usually do book reviews, because I'm not a very analytical reader by nature--I usually just read for something to do. And I'm not very good at simultaneously summarizing and conveying the personal impact of what I read. But I'm going to give this a go anyway (apologies if it sounds like something an 8th grader might write--I'm a little out of practice).
I recently read a book called Breakfast At Sally's that made me really think about how quickly I judge people that I don't even know, and how I treat people.
The book is a true story about Richard LeMieux, a man who owned a publishing company that fell on hard times and finally went bankrupt. Richard eventually finds himself severely depressed (though it would be a couple of years before he gets an actual diagnosis), divorced, evicted, estranged from his kids, left with only an old van, a few clothes and a faithful little dog named Willow.
Richard describes the people he meets (homeless or otherwise) while living out of his van in Bremerton, Washington, and the impact each has on his life. He spends a year and a half living out of his van, generally going to breakfast at the Salvation Army (Sally's), then spending the rest of his day in the library (to stay out of the Washington weather), or driving around. Sometimes he meets up with his friend C (that's all he's known as), sometimes he gives someone a ride to somewhere they need to go, sometimes he just drives. He gets dinner where he can, usually at one of the local churches that set up meals for the needy.
One day he goes with C to one of the camps where some teenagers live. Many of the teens have run away to escape abusive situations, some have been kicked out. While Richard and C are there visiting, a lady named Helene stops by to bring the teens lunch. She explains that a lady had helped her son when he had run away; taking food to him every day, and eventually telling him to go back and make things right with his mom. Helene just wanted to do the same for someone else's son or daughter. So she often brought lunch to the kids camping in the woods outside of town. I was amazed at Helene's kindness, and how loving she was toward these kids she didn't even know; she didn't judge them, she just gave them what she could--a warm meal and a listening ear.
After 18 months on the streets, and during a week of the worst weather anyone can remember, Richard is fortunate to meet Pastor Earl, who gives Richard some money to get a hotel room. The next morning, Richard goes back to the pastor, partly to say thanks, and partly to ask for some gas money. The pastor invites Richard and Willow to sleep on the couch in the church basement until the rain stops or they can figure something else out. He encourages Richard to help himself to anything in the fridge, and asks Richard to make sure the lights are out at night and the doors locked. Richard goes to talk to Pastor Earl in the morning, and the conversation had me in tears.
It isn't a spoken conversation. Rather, Richard opens his soul to the kind pastor, and communicates his fears, his worries, his burdens. The pastor then communicates to Richard his unconditional love for him as one of God's children, and his desire to help Richard in any way possible. The pastor makes a few phone calls (with real words) and arranges for Richard and Willow to become the night security guards at the church. Richard sleeps on the couch in the church basement for nine months, then with the help of Pastor Earl and his wife, Richard and Willow publish the book and get an apartment.
Richard tells his story so honestly, without blaming anyone for what happened to him. I found myself completely immersed in the book and finished the whole thing (430 pages) in a day and a half--it helped that all the kids were sick and pretty much slept for most of that day and a half so I found myself with some free time.
When I finished the book, I wanted to donate a bunch of stuff to the Salvation Army so they could give it to someone who needs it. I wanted to treat people better. I can't give money to every panhandler that I see, but I can give them the dignity of looking them in the eyes. I can stop judging them; I don't know their story, but I know that God loves them anyway.
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