Thursday, October 25, 2007

fire update & thoughts

To answer the questions I've been getting about the fires here...

I'm fine. My house was on standby for evacuation on Monday so I packed up the irreplacable items and put them in storage at my office. I've left them there because we've been on the border of an evacuation area for the Harris fire since then. Monday & Tuesday night, I could see flames in the distance. This afternoon, we received conflicting instructions on whether or not to evacuate. We've stayed put because we can't even see the glow of flames and the sheriff hasn't shown up to tell us it's time to go.


There is a ton of devastation here. I've come to the conclusion that tornadoes are preferable to fires. When you survive a tornado, you're more likely to find a few belongings. With a fire, it's just so rare to find anything that's survived intact. Tornado warnings and watches last hours; the tornado itself is over in minutes. Fires last for hours that actually stretch into days. Fires rain smoke and ash for days; they have to be fought. Tornadoes are gone as quickly as they arrive. The commonality lies in the ability of both to bring out the best in people during the worst of times; to cause one to evaluate their priorities; and to remind people that memories and life are to be cherished and treasured; the rest is just stuff.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

the victory & defeat of shopping

today, i bit the bullet and went shopping. it's the time of year when i typically find i need to add a few items to my closet. i was dreading this trip. i knew i'd gained some weight. i was not looking forward to seeing the tags in the back of the clothes.


i was fairly sure i'd need a 16... a size i haven't needed for 3 & 1/2 years; a size i'd promised myself i'd never need again. i took the 16's to the dressing room and they were clearly TOO BIG! i was thrilled and went in search of the 14's. whew. i was relieved. my comfortable, i feel healthy, look healthy weight has me wearing 12's and the occasional 10's. Knowing I only need to drop a single pant size feels really doable! i was very excited and relieved.


but then came my shopping defeat. there's an adorable pair of nine west shoes i've been ogling since i first saw them. they went on sale so i decided i could afford to splurge. i couldn't wait to wear them. and then, they didn't fit well. i tried several different sizes, all without success. i looked for another pair i also really liked, not as much but i liked. and they didn't have anything close to my size. defeated by the shoe department, i took my smaller-than-i-thought-i'd-need jeans and went home, mostly smiling.

Friday, October 12, 2007

the kiss hello revisited

it seems the brits are quite confused by the new array of greeting options with the wider acceptance of the kiss hello.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

how i know i'm under the weather

i woke up yesterday thinking i had a migraine. i went back to sleep for a little bit and woke up again and realized, it wasn't a migraine, i was seriously stuffy. couldn't breathe, my sinuses hurt and i was running a low grade fever.

today no fever but still not feeling great. and i know i'm under the weather because only 4 foods sound good: toast w/butter; chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes and mac 'n' cheese. i like these foods anytime, but they're the only things i want when i feel yucky.

if i wake up like this tomorrow, i'll call the doctor. no time to be sick--convention is next week.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

but what are we teaching our boys?

marko has a great post here about dove campaign for beauty. i'm a big fan of this campaign. i've struggled with my self-image off and on my whole life. i believe in teaching girls they are beautiful just as they are. that they don't need to be skinnier, bustier, blonder, or more of anything but themselves.

the caveat is that girls want to be thought of as pretty. we want to be found attractive. so it's not just enough to change how women view beauty. we have to do more than teach girls that they are beautiful just as they are. we have to find a way to teach boys to see beauty in more shapes and forms than cover girl, super model packaging.

i think this can and should start in our youth ministries. for male leaders, do you pay equal attention to all the girls in your group? not just the bubbly, outgoing, popular girls? do your male students know that you find your wife beautiful? and what beyond her appearance makes her beautiful to you? are people's characters and inner qualities celebrated more than their appearance or athletic skill?

so, that's all. i just read marko's post this am and this is what started spinning in my head.