Whatever's on my mind...

We've had a slew of things happen in the last month or so to keep me offline, from coming back to Texas, to getting settled (and all that that entails), to meeting up with friends old and new, to the 7+ day saga of getting our computer gutted and back in the saddle, to, well, the beautiful blue sky and green grass of Texas beckoning us to come out and play, go for walks, picnics, and take pictures. :)

But I'm back, anyway. And my thoughts are swirling... here's a few samplings of the things on my mind:

• How God leads us. Sometimes we sense a very clear "DO THIS!" about a particular decision or specific direction in life. I felt this way about where to attend college, moving overseas, and homeschooling. Other times it seems that God gives us a wide open road with several options. I don't know how it all works out... I trust that He is sovereign, and that He knows all, and that He guides His children. Sometimes it just boils down to trusting Him and taking the next step.
• Can't believe Moses is 9 months old! Seems like he was just born. Sounds cliche, but I guess it feels this way no matter how many times you experience it.
• Food here doesn't taste as good to me as I expected it to. Granted, I'm still eating it, but it's just not as "WOW" as I thought every blissful bite would be. Maybe it's because I've cooked from scratch now for nearly 5 years and my tastebuds have adjusted to fresh foods? But jarred-sauces (even the fancy-sounding ones) just can't compare to fresh chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil... and open-pop-biscuits are nowhere near as fabulous as homemade cream biscuits. Still, I was looking forward to all of these flavors, and so far the only ones that have lived up to my expectations have been Blue Bell, Chipotle, and Red Robin.
• Oh how I love the library! Free! Just a few blocks away! Books everywhere! And even DVDs! I'm enjoying taking the kids a couple times each week.
• The No-S Diet is still going great. I'm down 3 pounds from what I was a couple weeks ago. On average, now that I'm not just holding my weight (like I did while I was in just-arrived-back-in-TX-eat-everything-delicious-that-you-possibly-can mode) I'm losing about 1 pound per week. More than that, I'm noticing that my personal self-control has grown, and that I'm really, honestly, content with how much (how little?) I'm eating now. I eat good-sized meals throughout the week, and enjoy treats on the weekends. It's simple, and makes good sense. As I've said before, I hope to eat like this the rest of my life. I feel like I have a healthier attitude towards food & sweets than I've ever had before (and I've never been one with an eating disorder, etc., just never exercised much self-control in this area). This feels great.
• Couponing is incredible. INCREDIBLE! It is crazy how inexpensively we can feed our family here, and how conveniently... now, I will say, I'm having to be more intentional about eating well, because of the difference in the quality of produce... but the toiletries, convenience foods, and disposable goods that we can get for a fraction of the cost is amazing. I'm following "CouponMom"'s system (free), and greatly enjoying the benefits.
• I'm currently reading Wendy Shalit's "Girls Gone Mild"... what a thought-provoking, culture-exposing book! Her thoughts on how the current sexual climate among college students & young professionals works (or rather, doesn't work) knocks some heavy blows to the ideas of feminism and "liberation". Have you read it?
• Monogamy is so incredibly freeing. Reading the book I just mentioned has just made me all the more thankful for a joyful, safe, and fun marriage bed! What a headache to constantly fret and wonder about presenting oneself in the best light, worrying about sexual issues (STDs, birth control, how to do x to satisfy your new lover, etc.), and more. How freeing and wonderful to be in a love relationship, walking side by side, where each romantic encounter is somehow different and unique and yet familiar and comforting! How precious it is to be in a God-centered marriage!

I anticipate that I'll be back to writing again soon- more than just the "7 Quick Takes" variety I've been doing lately-- as there are lots of thoughts swirling right now. Anything on your mind?

Doug's Brush With Fame: Chris Farley

I'm just sharing this, more to document the memory than anything else. I just finished The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts this afternoon, and asked my husband about his opportunity to meet Chris Farley nearly 15 years ago. Here's what he shared:

We were all invited to Planet Hollywood in Dallas as high school newspaper writers for a morning interview session. Maybe 20 or 30 schools were represented. This would've been my senior year, so either winter 1996 or spring 1997. The event was to promote the release of his new movie, "Beverly Hills Ninja". As he came out, we all stood in a greeting line and I shook his hand.

He seemed like he was buzzed if not drunk during the event. Over the span of half an hour, most of us had a chance to ask at least one question.

When I raised my hand, he referred to me (because I had spiky hair and bead necklaces) as, "yeah, the guy who looks like he's from the Violent Femmes". I've actually never looked into what they look like, so I don't even know if that's accurate. I asked him,

"As all of us are big fans of yours, we're concerned about your health. How have you been feeling lately?"

He laughed and replied, "Aside from the sharp pains running up and down my arms, I feel fine." He got a laugh, and moved onto the next question.

He died less than a year later.

When my brother Aaron and I were in high school, he was obsessed with Tommy Boy. Our parents both worked, and so we had our afternoons free after school to do or watch what we pleased. I have most of Tommy Boy memorized because we must've watched it 50 or 100 times together in those afternoons.

Reading the biography of Farley's life made me so sad for the loss of the delightful spirit he brought to life. Though he was raised a Catholic and continued to attend mass and express faith until his death, his superstitions also left him confused [Note of clarification: I am not equating superstitions with Catholicism. He had a myriad number of personal superstitions, like needing shoes to be lined up, and touching certain furniture pieces, and seemed unable to function if certain things weren't done the way he thought they had to be done.]. Though he loved his parents and brothers, he kept reaching out and seeking love from others, and never felt that he found it. Such a sad end to a man who had such great potential.

7 Quick Takes Friday - #20

Well, well, well... it's Springtime in Texas, and I love it! Here are my quick takes for this week:

1. Coupons! I've been having so much fun saving mega bucks on our groceries. Maybe I'm going a bit overboard because I haven't been here basically for about 5 years, but I'm CVS-ing and Walgreen-ing and Kroger-ing. A friend of mine adopted a baby last week and needed formula coupons and I was able to send her a bundle! It's been way fun to have such an easy outlet for saving money!
   
   
2. On the flip side, the produce here is very disappointing. Even farmer's market produce, although it's better than I'm seeing in the grocery stores. Seriously, the mandarins here look like something fake is sprayed inside of them- they're a weird color. The avocados don't ripen the right way. The tomatoes are mushy. The apples are waxy. And the bananas taste fake. I'm kind of grossed out, yet still wanting to keep our norms of eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.
   
   Makes me want to start my own Victory garden, except we'll not be here in future years to do anything with it, and I really already missed planting season. I do have a basil and rosemary in my kitchen window, though.
   
   
3. CashFlow the game is super fun! (But, wowzers, it's expensive on Amazon!) We bought it years ago, back when we were landlords, before we sold all of our properties and moved abroad. We dug it out from storage this week and have been playing with the kids.
   
   
4. Yesterday we went to the Amon Carter museum in Fort Worth and viewed their collections (free!) and picnicked afterwards. The Hudson River School collection was by far my favorite. Our sons definitely preferred the paintings and sculptures of cowboys and Indians.
   
   
5. Bluebonnets are in full bloom, and we need to do our pictures! This is likely our only chance for bluebonnet pictures in years... we may try today.
   
   
6. A few days ago, Ethan said, "I wish __(friend #1 in Turkey)___, ____(friend #2 in Turkey)___, and ___(friend #3 in Turkey)___ lived here. Then our circle of friends would be complete!" It's hard having part of your life on one side of the globe, and part of your life on the other. No matter how old you are.
   
   
7. Gulp, this one's hard to admit. I like the kind of mom I am here, better than the mom I am overseas. The stress levels-- in big and small ways-- are much, much lower. The "norms" of life are norms that I know... as in, I know where the freebies are; I know what the fun things to do are with kids, and where to find them; I know what it's like to grow up here and look forward to sharing those things with my kids here; I remember the tasty treats I loved and can offer those same things to my kids. I know those are all small, sideline things... but they're real, and it's hard to watch the sands of time slipping by and see evidence of the things we're missing (like, I never thought my sons wouldn't experience Texas little league baseball!). *sigh*
   
   

Well, that's this week's 7 Quick Takes. Thoughts? What's going on in your world?