My Television is Possessed

There is no other logical explanation. I don't know how long it's been going on, because we use the T.V. mostly for movies and video games. There are certain channels we don't watch too often. I think it was last weekend that my daughter Rachel and I were watching a movie, and while we had it stopped turned over to PBS for a Masterpiece Theater. Only it was extremely annoying because it was broadcast for the blind! Which meant that they narrated and explained every motion.

Later, my son Chase was watching a cartoon on PBS, and they were doing the same thing. I looked just now, and they aren't doing it.

Then, again flipping through the channels, I noticed that "Dancing with the Stars" was being broadcast in Spanish. Weird, but we weren't watching it, so I ignored it.

Then last night, we turned on "Survivor", and we could here the music, but no dialogue. The T.V. in the kitchen was fine. After the first commercial, the dialogue came back on. But, while I was flipping through the channels trying to figure out what was wrong, "Desperate Housewives" was broadcasting Spanish again. In the kitchen it was purely English. All the other channels were fine.

Oh, and if I received the channel through the VCR, everything was normal.

So it sounds like the TV right? I went through the menu, all the buttons I could find, but to no avail. There seems to be no logical reason.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the channels was mysteriously missing, so I did the automatic reconfigure which stations we receive. So, I thought maybe there are stations broadcasting in these special "features". We looked at the online TV guide, but there were no stations listed like this.

By the way, we don't have cable or satellite. Something's in the air...

God's Big Plans for Me

At Bible study today, we watched a slide show and heard about an orphanage in Mexico that we are helping. This "retired" couple, only in their 40's, bought a home in Mexico and waited upon the Lord. He brought them an orphan on their doorstep. Soon he brought another and another. And now they have something like 24 girls and 14 boys. I actually think it's more than that. Every month they have more bills than money. But they just keep trusting God.

If the following sounds repetitious, it's because it's a reoccurring theme in my life. When will I learn? Anyway, I want to do that!! Not that in particular, but something where I'm using my life in a big, no holds bar kind of way for Christ.

I've always been the Braveheart disembowel me for Christ kind of person. But don't ask me to gather firewood in the rain.

What I mean is, I'm one of the blessed ones that actually recognizes when and what God is telling me, if I listen. Right now, He doesn't tell me to retire and move to Mexico to start an orphanage. He tells me to send an encouraging email, make a meal for a hurting friend, play along with my son when he tries to hire me for pretend money so I can buy his stuff. It doesn't seem sacrificial enough. Big enough.

But apparently it is. Because it's so hard for me to do. My flesh doesn't want to. And it may be bigger than I think, because God knows the big plan. He knows my place in it.

So guess what he's telling me now? Back to that same old thing again...

Unload the dishwasher.

Overlooking the Grammar

It's been a long time since I posted, but this is appropriately the post after my birthday post. My son (9 at the time) wrote me this letter.

Mom. I love you so very much!! Who could ask for a beter mom. Your so awsome!!! here are the ways your awsome.
Good at cooking
teaching
tutoring
and most of all....
.....being a mom.
happy birthday mom.
your ever
loving
son,
Chase

Happy Leap Birthday To Me!

What fun! There are web sites and you tube videos supporting us Leap Day Babies!! It's hilarious. Here are some interesting facts I found on one of these sites today...

Roughly 200,000 Americans are quadrennials

More than 2.1 million people throughout the world are quads

There is a 1 in 1,506 or 1,461 chance that a child will be born on Leap Day

I never knew. Tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure, "they" complain about discrimination. Not being able to vote or get a driver's license.

Not only have I never had these problems, I'm getting a free pizza from Papa John's today because it's my birthday.

I love my birthday. It seems like people remember it. Maybe not every year, but once every four years I get a lot of cards and often a party! Only two snail mail cards so far, but tons of e-cards. Sign of the times I guess. They're just as great.

On my off years, I get birthday wishes for two days because no one remembers if I celebrate February 28 or March 1. I do March 1, for the record.

When I was little, my daddy teased me mercilessly that I didn't have a birthday. But it is a treasured memory for me now.

In second grade the teacher asked us to write down our birthday, and I asked which one. She retorted rather snottily, "You only have one birthday." Which is technically true, but a little confusing for a seven-year-old, who had only celebrated one birthday on the actual birth day.

It seemed weird to me that I get so excited about this once every four year birthday celebration, but after watching some of the you tube videos, I see I'm not the only one!

Thanks, Mom. You did good. ♥

First Date

Seventeen years ago today I went on the first date with my now husband. We drove sixteen or more hours to Colorado to go snow skiing. We picked up one of his friends along the way. Thinking about it now, I guess it was a leap of faith for both of us. What if we'd hated each other? That would have been one really long date.

A mutual friend (Mom) had introduced us a couple of weeks earlier. But, we really didn't start talking until right before the date/trip. My mom had been friends with him for around six months, and I knew she liked him. When pressed if he was "...the one?", she had to say, "He might be."

He barely knew me, though maybe Mom filled him in a bit.

He was going to CO skiing with a friend anyway, so the idea was he needed my help with the driving since it was such a long trip. We cleared the air that neither of us thought anything inappropriate was going to occur.

We were both adults. In fact he a bachelor, and me a single mom of two boys.

I had a computer class at the college, so he picked me up around 9:00 p.m. on a Thursday, and we drove probably twelve hours before we picked up his friend.

So many things I loved about this date.

We had time to talk and talk. I asked him every question in the book, from what's your favorite toothpaste, and how do your parents resolve conflict, to what was your favorite Christmas gift?

It was my birthday (sort of), and an anniversary of my husband leaving me. This was God's restoration.

I'd never been skiing, and I was eager to find out how he would treat me. Much to my pleasure, he signed me up for lessons, helped me get my gear on, took me to the class. He met me for lunch and just took great care of me.

In the hotel room, he gave me the bed and slept on the floor.

The truck broke down on the way home. He had tools, but couldn't quite get it fixed (what a wizard he is at fixing everything). But we were close to his family, so they met us and helped us. I got to meet his family. They were so warm and loving. Dan's mom gave me a hug goodbye, and that touched my heart. I was so excited when the truck broke, because I wanted to see how he would handle it. He was so patient and calm.

At the end of that long, long date, he gave me a hug goodbye. What a gentleman!

He probably didn't realize how much of a test he was taking, but he passed with flying colors.

And he continues to amaze me. I am so blessed.

I Did it My Way

I feel almost flooded with new information about myself, and the things God wants to change in me. It is exciting to feel like He is preparing me for something challenging and big. It is odd that it's taken this long for me to realize these things about myself. It is scary to think that there's so much more wrong with me than I ever knew.

I'm still working on my tongue and hence my attitude. But I'm aghast at some of the things that flew out of that portal last night!

And yesterday, I had another startling revelation about myself. Not only am I a more critical person than I believed I was, I'm also controlling!

For those of you that have wrestled me over the remote, stop laughing. I knew I liked things my way. I knew I could be bossy. I attributed a lot of that to being the oldest child and being selfish and prideful. That I knew.

Wow. Controlling people can really annoy me. I guess that's the one finger pointed at you, three pointing back at me kind of thing.

But I'm willing to change. If I can just be the one to decide when, where and how much. Ha! ☺

Sergeant York

With Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan, this movie featuring World War One was a delight. Most of the movie tells about York's background before the war. He was a drinker and a fighter, then turned to Christ. He changes quite dramatically and is a conscientious objector to the war because he doesn't believe he can kill and follow God. He faces quite a dilemma of following God or honoring his country or reconciling how he can do both.

It lead to some good discussions with the kids. It also prompted me to look up how much of the movie was true.

Most of it was! Even the most difficult part to believe was true, which was his heroism in the war. I don't want to give it away, but it was pretty amazing.

The war scenes are hokey. Unfortunately, we've seen much more realistic death. But that nor the lack of color bothered us. If you watch it, let me know what you thought of the picture of his mother. We laughed pretty hard at that scene.

Nine year-old son, fourteen year-old daughter, Mom and Dad all give the movie five stars.