@#%&*$#@!!!!

Okay, you're gonna get a different Iris today than in my last post.
I handled yesterday's inconvenience with the mom-mobile okay and actually had some fun.

But last night, some shithead decided to bash-in the window of our other car! We had nothing to steal! A storm front moved in bringing with it sleet and ice and we're expected to receive several inches of snow today.

I guess the big difference between the two events is that with the car window someone deliberately did it. As much as I imagine that the mom-mobile has a grudge against me, it didn't break the ignition itself. I want one of those bumper stickers that say, "Mean People Suck!"

So, another $140 We may very well celebrate a "Buy Nothing Christmas!"

A Surprise Mini Retreat!

I've never enjoyed having car trouble more!

At about 2:30 this afternoon I went to our local Cokesbury bookstore for what I thought would be a quick trip to pick up some books I had ordered. When I returned to my mom-mobile (Dodge Caravan) I found that my key would not budge in the ignition.

We've resisted joining that lobbying group known as AAA, but I was kinda wishing I was a card carrying member right then. I called a mechanic and he told me that I needed to call a locksmith. For some reason, hundreds of people chose today to lock themselves out. I called eight locksmiths before I found one who could help me, but I had to wait until he finished three other jobs, of course. My husband was home sick with the flu and wasn't keen on packing the kids up to come get me, just to take me back when the locksmith was able to get around to me. Besides, I didn't know how long I would be waiting.

Well, the locksmith didn't arrive until 6:00 PM, but I didn't care because I was in a bookstore! I was able to leisurely look over all the shelves without feeling guilty about lolly-gagging! I got to take a good look at some titles that I had thought looked good in the catalogs but didn't want to commit to buying without knowing more. I tried on some stoles. Two pastors in the Presbytery came in at different times and I chatted with them. I discovered that the store manager (I'll call him Mark) is married to a pastor in town and they have children the same ages as ours. We're going to make plans to have Mark and his family over for dinner sometime soon.

This mini retreat wasn't free, however. The locksmith bill was $110. Ouch!

Thankful

I am thankful for a stress-free Thanksgiving yesterday. I prepared the entire meal, but never felt rushed! My in-laws have been delightful. We live far away from both sets of grandparents, so it's been great to let them have their grandkid fix!

I am also thankful for chewable antibiotic tablets that the Boy can take instead of gaggy liquid. No more chasing him around the house! He is feeling much better today. Yesterday, he opted to sleep rather than come to the table with the rest of us. Sleep was exactly what was needed, as he is a bundle of energy today. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Update on the Birthday Boy

My little boy turns six years old today and gets to celebrate with a recurrence of strep throat. Yippee! So, another round of heavier-duty antibiotics.

To Dye Or Not To Dye?

I found my first gray hair when I was 8 years old. It's been downhill ever since. With my very dark hair, the suckers have always been easy to spot. If I saw one, I'd just yank it out; never believing the old wives tale about 3 more growing back in its place.

Well, sisters, I'm a believer now! However, the 3 new gray hairs for every 1 plucked didn't grow in immediately. They waited to grow in this past year. I feel like I've aged 10 years in the past 3 years, and I don't like it one bit. I'm only 34 years old! Gah! I never really thought this would bother me so much!

So, do I turn to the bottle? Of hair-dye, I mean! I have used semi-permanent color in the past year, but haven't yet committed to the permanent stuff. The two times I've done color, my sister or sister-in-law have applied it for me and they both live 800 miles away. I'm a little afraid of messing my hair all up and I can't afford to have it done. I've been letting it just go gray for the past few months and while I know that a few gray hairs can't hurt as a pastor, I've always believed that my (now relative) youth was an asset.

Do I age gracefully, cheerfully accepting the changes that come along, or do I resist?

On a more important topic: please pray for my son. He was very sick a week or so ago with Scarlet Fever. He's been better this week, but has spiked another fever tonight. Tomorrow is the little guy's birthday, too!

No Lurking This Week!

The RevGals have declared this week an offical delurking week, starting today and going until November 26. So, I'm joining in and committing to at least say "hi" when I read a blog. We all like to have lots of comments, it makes us feel good!

So, when you visit a blog, you can either just say "Thank you for blogging" or place a blogstone (o) (The invention of PPB of The Ice Floe) or whatever verbage the Spirit moves you to leave.

Let the Delurking begin!

Friday Five: Giving Thanks

Songbird says: It's that time of year. In the U.S., college students will be on their way home, traffic on the highways will be at its highest point, cooking and baking will ensue. But before the gorging and napping begins, let's take a moment to give thanks.

Please tell us five things or people for which you are thankful this year.

Well, there are way more than five! But here goes...

1. My sweet, patient, goofy husband!

2. My little boy and girl who keep me grounded and keep me from taking myself too seriously!

3. The people of our community of faith who continually inspire me into deeper relationship with God.

4. Indoor plumbing!

5. Dora the Explorer- for the much needed breaks she affords me!

I'm Home

I'm home, but I am NOT feeling relaxed and refreshed. I came home to my son who had broke out with Scarlet fever, strep, and impetigo while I was gone. Yeah, I'm experiencing a wee bit of mommy guilt here!

The conference was good and I did, indeed, enjoy having some time to myself. However, I have come home feeling quite depressed about the state of the PC(USA). All of this is beginning to hit close to home. I was informed yesterday that one of our "big steeple" church's leadership has submitted an overture to our Presbytery to require us to "strictly enforce G-6.0106b," which is the anti-LGBT ordination language in our constitution. So, I have a big fight at next month's Presbytery meeting to look forward to!

Honestly, I sometimes wonder if the most faithful response at this point wouldn't be to just split amicably and get about the business of ministry. What would be the best witness to the world? I just don't know. I just know that I'm weary of the fighting.

Going to Columbus!

I'm leaving tomorrow for the Covenant Network of Presbyterians conference in Columbus, OH. I must confess that I'm just as excited about staying in a hotel room all by myself as I am about the conference. Okay, I'm a little more excited about the solitude!

I'll be back at the end of the week. I'm hopeful that this conference will help me to be more informed and able to work for justice in our denomination's ordination standards. There will be much to share when I return, I'm sure!

God's peace to you all.

Friday Five: Nothing But the Tooth

Songbird says:

We are in the throes of what will (hopefully) be the final set of braces in this family, and so my mind is on the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

Please share your thoughts on the following:

1) The Tooth Fairy: I love her! When I was 8 years old, I had to have 8 teeth pulled at once. I think she felt sorry for me, so she left me 10 bucks that night! Just a couple of weeks ago, my son lost his first tooth and I got to play Tooth Fairy for the first time!

2) Flossing: Lame joke alert! "You don't have to floss all of your teeth; just the ones you want to keep." If I had a nickel for how many times a dental hygienist has told me that one...

Flossing is very important. I do it every single day. As the wise Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman, "You shouldn't neglect your gums!"

3) Toothpaste Brands: I use Aim because it's cheap, has flouride and is accepted by the American Dental Association. What more do you need?

4) Orthodontia for Adults: Go for it!

5) Whitening products: The marketing frenzy for these products went over the edge when they started advertising "Age-Defying" toothpaste! Give me a break! Also, have you noticed that some people end up with practically glow-in-the-dark teeth after getting their teeth professionally whitened?

Bonus: I'm about to drop my dentist because he has started charging a $7 "sterilization fee." WTF? So, I have to pay extra for him to sterilize his instruments? Has anyone else come across this?

Al Franken's SUPPLY SIDE JESUS... animated.