To Israel part 3
Topic: To Israel 2005
The Food

I can see why everywhere you go in Israel, you see slim people. Their diet is so healthy! Every meal we’ve had here has included fresh produce. For breakfast they lay out the cucumbers and tomatoes, lettuce, all kinds of melons, citrus and fruits, yogurt, granola and cereals…and to our surprise, fish! Fish for breakfast? Well that is what Jesus served isn’t it? It’s the only meal we know He cooked and it was fish for breakfast….very cool…icky, but cool. They also have pasta for breakfast….lasagna, alfredo and noodles with mushrooms, eggs baked on top of this very good, Italian tasting mixture of tomatoes, onions and peppers. Lots of pastries, not rich but very good….lots of breads. The past few days they have had scrambled eggs and also a make your own omelet station too.

The restaurants here in the hotel are kosher, so it took some getting used to. To be kosher, you cannot (for one thing) serve meat along with any dairy products…which is one reason their meat dishes were so healthy….no butter, milk or cheese! So at breakfast and lunch, you are served lots of breads, veggies, fruits and dairy products. But at dinner, there is no cheese, no creamer for your coffee, no cream soups or pasta with cheese, no butter for your bread…it takes a while to get into that frame of mind for Americans.

Israeli’s are also very fond of humus…plain humus, no garlic. Humus with bread, humus on your salad, humus wherever mayo or something creamy should be, fried humus in your sandwich (called falafel). Humus in the morning, humus in the evening, humus at the noon time too. Everybody sing! (or hum…heehee) Humus at every meal, a humus for every occasion, thin, thick, little green herbs in it…it had us sticking rarely found ketchup packets, and even more rare: salad dressing packets, in our purses and pockets!

We ate our breakfast at the hotels, then lunch and dinner could get interesting. Here are some of our experiences:

For lunch, we always stopped at some food place along the tour, chosen by our tour directors. We ate at kibbutzes several times. Often a kibbutz has a side business along with farming, so a lot of them have a restaurant, usually cafeteria style…..lots of salads, fruits, and very good selections of main dishes. These were usually familiar things like baked chicken, a sausage looking thing, sometimes on a skewer called a shish-kabob, but it was only meat…like a meatball, made of lamb and spices, a turkey or chicken sandwich (in a pita, not sliced bread) called schwarmies...not sure of that spelling. The side dishes were rices, potatoes, and a lot of baked sweet potatoes or baked squashes and peppers…very good! Throw a pita bread on top and you have a common lunch here.

One day we went to a little place run by an Arab family who made falafel, a ‘meatball’ made not of meat, but of ground chickpeas (humus) that were fried and put into a pita pocket. It was very good…and for those who gagged at the thought of chickpeas again, there were also thinly sliced and breaded chicken or turkey strips which they call schnitzel.

One lunch time, we ate at a place that cooked St. Peter fish….a fish they think was the one Jesus told Peter to open it’s mouth and got a coin to pay taxes. This fish is found mainly in the Sea of Galilee and is UGLY. Unfortunately for us skittish Americans, it was cooked with the head on, kind of lightly breaded and fried with a side of French fries. I had the schnitzel!

Dinners at the hotel were elegant, served one course at a time and kosher. The main courses were Americanish, served with wonderful vegetables and salads and breads. The desserts at the hotels were very good…but very small portions, it was always just right and never too much. Except for the night they put out a dessert buffet. You should have heard and seen the excited, sugar enticed Americans ooing and awing over that buffet! We all heaped it on our plates like it was the end of the world. LOL All the time we were feeling guilty for being piggish, but not caring. I appreciated the Israeli ways of eating (except the humus thing…oh, and fish for breakfast makes me shudder). I may keep on trying the no dairy with meats idea because it seemed much more digestible and agreeable….although Charles keeps saying, “Just give me a cheeseburger!”

The People

I know this will sound like I am gushing, but I was very impressed by the Israeli people. As you probably know, Israel is wanting to bring back all the Jews from all over the world (if they want to) to make their nation one again and to build up their strength as a nation. So there are people from every race and language coming ‘home’ to Israel. They have a large place called an immigration absorption center that we visited one day. A very large number of Ethiopian people had been brought in within the last 6 months and they were who we had dinner with and learned about. They are careful to make sure people have authentic Jewish ancestry and bring them in to the absorption center to teach them Hebrew and teach them the customs and practical things about their new country. After one year, they are trained to do a job, fit in to the culture and speak the language. It is amazing, very organized, very interesting.

From our airport experience to the hotels and businesses, we saw a lot of young Israeli citizens all around, very professional, very motivated and sharp! They have a great generation coming up. When the young people are in grade school and high school, they go on trips around their country and shown them the agriculture and history of their land. It instills a great pride in them and they love their country whole-heartedly. So when we were at a few of the tourist areas, we would see the Israeli youth there and they would approach us and say, “Hello, welcome to our Land. What is your name? Where are you from? Shalom.” It was really cool.

There is a distinct orthodox Jewish population, then there are traditional Jews, who celebrate the holidays and traditions, but are not overly religious. Then there are secular Jews, who are not religious at all…but who are still very proud of their heritage. Here in the U.S. I have mainly known secular Jews, but in Israel, the Jews we met were mostly religious and interested in the things that were happening in their country because they are awaiting and preparing for the Messiah to come. We Christians are interested in it because we are waiting for the Messiah to come again. So we seemed to have a commonality that was very interesting to see. The rabbi’s we had speak were very excited about Americans visiting the country and especially that we were with an organization that was helping bring Jewish immigrants back to Israel.

As I mentioned, there are also Muslims and Palestinians living in Israel. It is striking how separated their cultures and housing areas are. As long as they are living in peace within the same country, they are welcome….but there is also a lot of continuing strife in some areas. Israeli’s live constantly on guard in close quartered settlements, looking out for each other, determined to stay even in unsure times, with a great love for their country.

To Israel part 2
Topic: To Israel 2005
Our first few days in Israel were spent in the region of Galilee….our hotel was right on the Sea of Galilee. (which is really a large lake, not a sea) The first day we got onto a ferry and rode it across the Sea of Galilee, which was a beautiful experience being on the lake that Jesus spent so much time on. I wondered if we would run into a storm in the middle of the lake. It only sprinkled on us, but seeing those waves would have been awesome!

The Galilee region is beautiful! With God’s help, the Israeli people have made this land into an abundant, productive country. A very common thing to see is a kibbutz, which is a group of people who live on a large piece of land and farm it. Each person on a kibbutz is treated equally. They are not paid, but are provided for and it is an enjoyable atmosphere. A lot of immigrants come into the country through a kibbutz because they not only run a farm or sometimes a side business along with the farm, they also teach new immigrants Hebrew and how to assimilate into Israeli culture. Our guide was a Jewish immigrant from Sweden. She came here 25 years ago and lived on a kibbutz for a year. Her stories are wonderful and she has taught us so much about modern Israel as well as the Holy land sites. While we are here, we are not to try to convert all the Jews that we see. We would not be welcome in this country long if we did. But I feel like we are a witness by caring about the Jews, acknowledging that they are God’s people still and supporting them in building up their rightful homeland again. Our guide as well as our guard are both Jewish immigrants, as well as our driver, who was born here. They love their country, they welcome tourists, especially Americans, to see their country and are preparing it for more and more Jewish immigrants to be able to return here. Now that they have a safe place to return to, there are thousands and thousands of Jewish people around the world who want to move here.

Every valley you see here is filled with agriculture….date, orange, grapefruit, mango, banana, avocado, apricot, plum and of course, olive groves. There are also cotton, pomegranates, figs, grape vineyards, as well as any kinds of garden vegetables you can think of. The Israeli people have created innovative ways to use water as well. Every plant that you walk by has a discreet little hose around it or by it that is a drip system to maximize water’s effectiveness. For several decades now, Israel has been planting tree after tree, reforesting the land. It used to be forested, but was cut down by usurpers making way for railroads. The forests are lovely too! Tall pines, cypress, and everywhere you go, you see huge eucalyptus trees. These were brought over from Australia as a gift to Israel and they are thriving!

The police and security are everywhere, so we feel very safe, although there are some areas we are not allowed to go to right now, even though they are part of this country. There are peaceful settlements of Muslims or Palestinians in every city, but there are also those that are volatile and possibly dangerous for tourists. Two of these that we were disappointed about are Bethlehem and Jericho. We got to peek over into both Bethlehem and Jericho from other places. Each looks like a regular city in Israel now, but as with all the places we visited there, you had to use your imagination to visualize what it must have been like.....a huge wall around Jericho with windows, one with a scarlet cloth hanging out....pastures of sheep around the hillsides of Bethlehem....very cool to imagine.

We get up in the mornings between 5:30 and 6am, eat breakfast and are on the tour bus by 8am, we tour around until late afternoon and then they have things planned in the evenings. My friend BJ has been on one of these tours and said the Holy Land tour busses should have a slogan on the bus, “I ran today where Jesus walked!” It’s so true. So I have been falling into bed, knowing I should write some things down but too tired to care. Now that I have time, it’s all so overwhelming, I’m not sure I can remember it all in order but I’ll try to hit on the highlights in the next few entries.

To Israel, part 1
Topic: To Israel 2005
When I imagine things, events, the future, it is always different than what my expectations were. There is no way to interpret what an experience will be like if you’ve never gone that way before…it doesn’t stop me though, I can’t help but wonder. For months now, since last spring, we have known we were going to Israel this fall. It was like a far off, exotic thing that was going to happen. Neither my husband or me has ever been overseas, so we had no idea what to expect….it was just a big wonder in our minds. My mind went to fear of the unknown and of preconceived ideas about the Middle East that I had developed.

Well, we are here now….the airplane didn’t drop us, we were not accosted by thugs in New York City, and I feel very safe walking around a Middle Eastern county…I didn’t get shoved into a car and kidnapped by terrorists once! Surprise, surprise! None of the things I let my mind wander off to worry about happened, and I am thankful for that. I’m so glad to finally be here and having this adventure instead of trying to imagine it. The real thing is always better than the imaginary…at least in my experience, since I tend to be anxious about the unknown and have a very vivid imagination.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though….we have already had adventures, even before leaving America. We arrived in JFK airport around 5pm Monday night. There was the occasional witch or vampire in the airports….since we flew out on October 31. Having a 7 hour layover in NYC, the airline provided us a complimentary hotel room to use until later that evening. We showered, had dinner and rode the shuttle back to JFK just in time to get in line with about 80 other people who were in our tour group.

We got in line at the Israeli airline counter, each person being interviewed by young Israeli employees. They were efficient and businesslike, but it made us nervous to be treated in a suspicious way.

When it was our time to be interviewed, the beautiful young woman interrogating us turned to her official voice and began spouting off questions….What is your business in Israel? How old are you? Has anyone given you something to bring into Israel that is not yours? Have you been in control of your luggage every moment since leaving home? Hmmm She stepped back to talk to a supervisor….”You come with me, ok.” (it was not a question, it was a command) “This woman will check your bags. Do not leave, we will show you where to go.”

We were led to a side area, dragging our over packed luggage to where some other people from the flight to Israel were also sitting. We sat….waited….the Israeli airline employees hustled around, talked to each other, gestured at us, talked some more, and talked about us to each other. Then she came back to us. “We have to search your bags. Please stay here.” More talking among other employees and gesturing. They took my carry on twice to check it with a wand. They took several of the others waiting with us behind a curtain to check them with a wand. (What made us nervous was not the wands, it was the plastic gloves they wore….help!) Everyone made it through alright and it turned out the gloves were only to protect them from germs or something. *whew!* “You leave everything here. It must be searched. Come back after 12:30.”

Well, there’s not a lot to do for 4 hours in JFK’s terminal 4 in the late evening hours, so we walked, sat, talked, drank coffee, watched people, sighed, then did it all again. When 12:30 came, we went back thinking we would pick up or carry on items and go to our gate. Wrong…..we were told we had to be escorted to the gate, so we had to wait with our little group of 6 other mighty suspicious looking baby boomers. ;) We were assigned a guard, walked with the guard through security, our stuff was checked again and we had to sit in a group with our guard until the plane started boarding. We were walked out in front of everyone waiting in line to board and put on first. We all felt pretty silly and strange, but when our guard let us go, he waved and smiled like we were old friends and told us to have a very nice visit. I think all of us thanked him for making everything so secure for us….but I think we all had the same feeling of “Why us???” The only thing we could think that we all had in common was our ages….all of us in our 30’s and 40’s. They say it is random, but we all saw a lot more suspicious-looking characters than us there on our flight. (some of them we have been riding around on tour busses with for a week now!) lol

The flight over was 10 hours loooooooooong. There was a large group of Hasidic Jews riding over to Israel from New York that night, all with their families. So all night there were babies crying and Jewish men stalking up and down the isles of the plane…up and down, up and down, stopping in the bulkhead to rock back and forth, saying prayers, all wearing a white button down shirt, a yamika under a jaunty looking black hat, black trousers and long black jacket. Several had the traditional long locks of hair growing where sideburns are, some with long bristly beards. The women sat with the poor fussy babies, the men and boys pacing and stomping and bumping my elbow, sometimes carrying their fussy baby as they paced. Oiy vey with the pacing already!

It was also our first taste of Middle Eastern food during the two meals that were served on the flight. It was hilarious to hear some of the Americans (especially the Texans) after they had taken a huge bite of humus, thinking it was mashed potatoes. People were holding it up, examining it, asking what it was?.lol. We did finally arrive in Tel Aviv, loaded onto our busses, drove to Tiberius and collapsed into our hotel beds.

Our tour guide, Madelyn, told us she will tell us what the pacing and rocking is about on one of our touring days…..all information comes at a certain point, not when you want to know, but when they think you should know. She is a great tour guide and I am not complaining, it actually cracks me up. She is a Jewish immigrant from Sweden, so she has a very distinctive accent that you find yourself imitating in your head as you think about what she’s said…it’s very contagious. So when you ask her a question, sometimes she just looks at you and says, “Well that is a very good question, but we will talk about it later, ok.” Again, ‘ok’ over here is not a question like Americans use it to infer, “Is that ok with you?” It is just a way of telling you what you will do. She has a wealth of seemingly endless information about this land, the people, her Jewish faith and history. We listen to her with eager ears….part of her charm is the strong Swedish accent sprinkled with Yiddish expressions and hand movements while speaking English….and she tells jokes that are unexpected and make us chuckle.

Today is Thursday. We have already seen and done so much, but we arrive back at the hotel at 10pm or later and have been falling into bed, not moving til morning! Today is the first day that my head hasn’t hurt and I have been able to ride the tour bus without falling asleep instantly whenever Madelyn was not talking.

It is a weird thing to do all that traveling and time changing and step right into a busy schedule. Jet lag feels more like a mental disorder than mere sleepiness. Besides falling asleep suddenly, you get confused easily, say funny words, tip your water too far away from your mouth so that is goes pouring onto your shirt, drop things, and it’s made a few of us a little tipsy….not from alcohol, but from a dizzy, off kilter feeling in your head. Tomorrow we move to a hotel in Jerusalem and stay there the rest of the time, so I think I will write more later.

Until then, shalom….

It's clouds illusions I recall...
Topic: People/Family stories
We had gone to visit a friend in the hospital. Since northern Arizona is a vastly spread out array of small towns, sometimes you have to go a long way to get treatment for certain health issues. His was heart trouble, so we drove an hour and a half to a town where they have a hospital that specializes in the heart. Under observation and on a variety of medications to make his arrythmia subside, his outlook from ICU was really good. This is a man in his 50’s, saying he was fine with whatever God chose to do…to take him home or leave him here. That’s awfully young for that kind of talk! I didn’t say that out loud, but it was a relief to hear him talk like that. He’s had a tough life, he talked about giving up alcohol 15 years ago and giving his life to Christ. He did a 180 from mean old drunk guy to loving, tender hearted, generous man. He said he remembers the look on the pastor’s face when he came lumbering down the isle that Sunday for the altar call. He is grateful for his life…thankful for God’s mercy and restoration. In fact, I think he encouraged us more than we did for him by coming to see him.

On the ride home, it was a cloud show day. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were big and fluffy, changing shapes faster than I could guess what they were. The first thing I noticed was the bunny running from the bear, which quickly turned into a mouse facing an elephant, who was laughing hysterically. On down the road I saw a long necked dinosaur….I can’t remember their real name, but it’s the one called a ‘long neck’ in the Land Before Time shows. It was tossing a football with a wispy teradactyl (you’ll have to forgive my shortcomings in spelling dinosaur names!) Pretty soon the long neck’s head detached and floated off….I felt like I was watching a weird Alice in Wonderland type of show. As we got closer to Flagstaff, the San Francisco Peaks loomed large in front of us…they are very tall, jagged, sharp pointy mountains rising from a flat horizon. Very cool. Over the highest peak, Mt. Humphrey’s, I noticed the strangest cloud ….it first reminded me of a halo, then distinctly turned into a sombrero, balancing on the very tip of the peak. A mountain wearing a sombrero is pretty comical, you have to agree!

There is another friend. Her husband’s mother is dying of cancer in their home. She was looking up at the ceiling the other day and my friend asked her what she was looking at. “The sky,” she said. I wonder if she is seeing her life changing and floating off into something very grand…something comforting and closer than we can see with mortal eyes. The hospice nurse told them this is common as a person is close to death. They see things that we can’t and it seems to be like gradually stepping into the afterlife.

My family’s life is changing too. My dad is moving on in his dementia and we are finding it is not going to be possible to keep him at home anymore….this is definitely life changing into unforeseeable things. Some changes are very hard. I’ve heard that the only thing we know for sure is that things never stay the same….life is about changing, moving on, learning, growing, accepting. No one can make it stop. But we can watch on and see what it changes into. Hard times are not enjoyable, but they do a good thing….they produce a great strength in us if we let it…..wisdom, endurance, patience, love….it’s all good eventually.

There is a song I love from the 60’s by Joni Mitchell about how clouds, love, and life all change around and become what they will as we stand by and watch, experiencing the new shapes and views in life. It reminded me of our friend in the hospital…I’ll bet his wife could tell a lot of ways his life changed as she was by his side observing, like watching clouds turning into new shapes. Change is okay though and if you know it’s going to happen, it can be exciting to watch and wait for….especially if it’s God who is doing the shaping. Enjoy the song. I never really paid much attention to the meaning of these poetic lyrics as a child or teenager. It was just fun to sing. Now, looking back these lyrics have some rich meaning about how life evolves. One of my favorite groups, Jars of Clay, has a song called “Ordinary Days” with a line in it, “I hope the days and clouds turn into something as they pass us by.” We usually don’t have a whole lot of control over where the days take us and what they turn into, but it’s interesting to see both sides once it has passed. (oh, the hindsight!)

Both Side Now
Joni Mitchell

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons ev’rywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on ev’ryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev’ry fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
You leave ’em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living ev’ry day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

The Cloud Appreciation Society

Things that go *pop*
Topic: God things
God keeps things interesting in our lives. When He is teaching you something, it seems to keep *popping* up in your life. My husband was preaching on Sunday (it’s ok, he’s a pastor) partially on Luke 10. Jesus was preparing His disciples to go out and preach His Message in towns all across the land. It was a monumental task….a dangerous occupation to say the least, challenging old traditions with this new message of love and forgiveness. So Jesus tells 72 of His followers to go with only the clothes on their back….

”Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages….” Luke 10:4-7

I thought, Wow, that is faith….to go out like that, trusting people to take care of you. (the kindness of strangers, so to speak) Through unfolding events the rest of the day and on during the week, I realized that is what we do as a ministry family. *pop*

It was a good Sunday, but a bit strange. I guess somewhere someone dubbed October as Pastor Appreciation Month. So all month the man of the house has been receiving cards of appreciation…..and we know they all meant every word. We have a wonderful church family that takes care of us, encourages us, and let’s God lead them through my husband. He is a good pastor, and the people trust him. And I can say from living with him every day for 21 years that their trust is not in vain.

So on Sunday the church had a dinner after church and they sat us at the front table, then began standing up one by one to tell Charles, and also our youth pastor, how much they loved them, appreciated them, how they were standing beside them.

These people, as they stood, made me remember things Charles had gone through with them, though they didn’t mention specific events….funerals of loved ones, weddings, babies, vigils in hospitals, sickness, fervent prayers in times of need in their homes, driving people places, fixing their roof, digging a water line up, chopping wood for elderly friends for the winter to heat their homes….I could go on and on. It is always humbling somehow, to be publicly applauded.

Last spring a couple in our church gave us a trip to Israel, which we’ve been planning for ever since…we finally lift off of American soil this coming Monday. So the church presented us with two very nice sets of luggage and spending money for the trip. We felt very grateful, overwhelmed actually….all the public attention for ministry that has been very personal, so much of it behind the public eye. Even though you feel like you shouldn’t be receiving rewards for service, Luke 10:7 says, “Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.” *Pop*

Of course Charles isn’t in the ministry for public attention, money, or rewards. But it is true that if you’re serving Christ and spreading the Message, He will take care of you through His people. Sometimes He blesses your socks off through them….sometimes you simply have what meets your needs. (and that’s ok too)

What was really hard to accept was when we received another card of appreciation on Tuesday, along with a check from a church member who lives on a very fixed and lowly income.

Charles opened the card and said, “Oh, this is from x.” Then he lifted up the check and our eyes met. “This is for $…..” I immediately said, “Oh x can’t afford that…what should we do?” To which my wise husband explained that this person wanted to do something for us.

He has helped x and been x’s friend…Charles has had many long counseling talks with x….and now x wanted to bless us. I am still struggling, thinking of this humble person giving us a very generous gift. But to give it back would to be robbing x of the blessing God gives those who are generous…who want to bless others. Jesus saw the widow who gave all she had to the Temple in Luke 21:1-4 and praised her for it. *ever so humble a pop*

The note in the card from x was full of sincere joy for us, learning of our trip-to-Israel gift….and asked for one thing….a post card from the Holy Land. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. I think seeing this attitude and generosity from someone I should be generous to was more the blessing than the monetary gift.

Yep, God keeps things interesting….keeps us humble as we learn to walk along with Him…teaching us lessons that sometimes don’t make sense until we see them through His eyes.

Teenage wisdom
Topic: God things
The man of the house (I like that expression and by the way, it’s what Laura Ingalls Wilder called her husband in her writings.) wanted to watch a movie tonight. And since that is kind of a rare happening, we plopped down to watch it with him. My daughters and I love to watch movies. We not only watch them, we memorize certain parts and quote them in our daily conversations. Lately they have all been quoting from Newsies, which I have not seen yet, but think the quotes are silly. We regularly quote from things like Gilmore Girls, Lord of the Rings, You’ve Got Mail, Princess Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…and a lot of others. Oh, back to my husband….we are watching Master and Commander, a very good movie.

My daughter Emma is beside me and during a scene where a young boy has to have his arm amputated without anesthesia, I commented that her sister Hannah won’t watch this movie because of that scene. Hannah thinks they didn’t have to put that part in the movie…he’s so young and it’s so gruesome. Without missing a beat, Emma said, “Well if he didn’t lose his arm, you wouldn’t see how good of character he has.” While her grammar is iffy, she has a point.

Without the pain and struggle that happens in life, people would never know our true character. Isn’t that what we are still on earth for? We should be drawing all men to Christ…drawing them by sheer curiosity if nothing else. It is the thing that most often baffles people about Christians. They watch us when bad things happen, as if we’ll see God for who He really is…just toying with our lives, not saving us in every situation like Superman or Santa Claus. When a Christian has developed good character in their life, it shows through, loud and clear. If someone is just going through the motions, floating along with a shallow faith, their undeveloped character shows also. I sound like I am standing in a tall observation tower looking down on it all, but the truth is, I"ve learned personally how my poor character has shown through in tough times and I'm trying, just like all of us. I've learned this though....

It’s the small things….like returning the extra change the cashier gave you. Even though it seems insignificant and easier to ignore it and not say a word, it changes your heart and your mind, it improves the strength of your character each time you make the effort to be honest….to be trustworthy, faithful, of good report…in what we say as well as what we do. I think it is not only our conscience that pricks our hearts when some insignificant opportunity for honesty comes up…it is the very Holy Spirit of our Lord providing us an opportunity to be faithful, to grow. It’s like He’s put fertilizer (sorry, it’s the only word picture I have presently) out in front of us and it’s up to us whether we use it to grow, nourishing our character or to bypass it and wilt a little….gnatty white flies annoyingly flitting around our soil which was once so good.

I was so proud of Emma for picking up on that. She is only 13. It is a main theme of Master and Commander, examples of the good and the bad character traits shown through all the men in the movie. For her to realize it and pick it out without a thought makes me realize she is showing a lot of intuition lately…..and a strong inkling of wisdom. Wow, God is showing me a lot lately of how He is working in my daughters’ lives. I love seeing that…it comforts me when I worry about them. It increases my faith, knowing He is in control, teaching them things...making it real.

Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

crickl needs material
Topic: Humor/memes
On one of my daily reads, Marla Swoffer passed on an internet meme that is hilarious. You simply enter your name and the word “needs” after it into the Google search engine and see what comes up. Post the first ten needs that come up.

My real name, Christie, brought up a few other bloggers who had already posted this meme, so I skipped those. I tried to do the search with “crickl needs” and got nothing but some things about my blog. Crick only got one need. So I went with my original nickname (before it morphed over the years), Cricket, given to me by my dad. Keep in mind that cricket is also a very popular sport. ;) This is really fun….try it!

1. Christie needs surgery to remove ... (afraid to see the rest of this sentence…lol)
2. Christie needs to be kept informed on the Vermont Department of Health (I'm very curious)
3. Christie needs to be signed by August 15, 2005 or will become a free agent. (time’s up)
4. Christie needs to write. (which helps a blog along)
5. Christie needs your support in her fight. (puts up my dukes)
6. Christie needs no introduction (heehee)
7. Christie's needs a continuing flow of charitable funding (keep ‘em comin!)
8. Christie needs a bath. (no comment)
9. Christie needs to get tough all right (grrrr)
10. Christie needs to slow down (does my slow motion act)
11. Christie Needs Glasses (mine are scratched)


Crick needs a volunteer to drive the milk (had to post my only find for crick….cracked me up)

1. cricket needs a fresh start (usually)
2. Cricket needs another revolution (turns around and round)
3. cricket needs an overhaul (excuse ME?)
4. cricket needs commitment and devotion. (is it too much to ask?)
5. Cricket Needs Windies (?)
6. Cricket needs humour, but not the crude type (I have an eternal need for humor...crudeness free humor...see #5)
7. cricket needs to give those long on imagination and short on facts a holiday (I shall give them Christmas)
8. cricket needs to be less selfish (afraid this is true)
9. Cricket needs to change, but not so much that it isn't cricket any more (cricket needs clarification)
10. cricket needs desperately to go back to respectable partners. (blushing…I think they mean for gin rummy...you know that yahoo riffraff)

My inner beast
Topic: Humor/memes



There is a place …a place where you can find your inner monster. Oh, it’s there….we all have one. Some are scary, ugly and twisted….some are fuzzy and goofy, like Sulley on Monsters, Inc.

Are you curious? Are you ready to discover your inner monster? Go here and follow instructions...... if you dare......

Fall pumpkin recipes!
Topic: Crickl's Recipes
With my husband gone for 2 weeks on a mission trip, I am struggling with finding motivation to get things accomplished. I just feel kind of withdrawn. I haven’t even had one idea for a blog entry this week. Having big plans of getting some things done while he was gone, I am really disappointed that I’m so unmotivated! So last night when my sister called to tell me she would like to bring my parents up for the weekend, it got my wheels turning. I planned out some menus for meals while they are here and what things to bake to have on hand for breakfast. (I don’t think they will want Fruit Loops)

Then, talking to a friend on the phone this morning, she said she’d come by soon to look at our dvd’s to borrow something. I remembered that our back room where our videos and dvd’s are is a total wreck. So I went back there to just rearrange some things so she could get in and have a look. Well, 3 hours later, I had my homeschool videos that were thrown willy nill into a huge box in the middle of the floor arranged. (We use BJU Homesat for most subjects in high school classes, so I have TONS of videos.) I got them all in boxes, labeled according to their subject and grade. Hmmmm, where to put these boxes! After emptying the top shelf of the video cabinet, I stacked the boxes on top.

In order to make room for the rearranged videos and dvd’s I had to totally rearrange my homeschool supply shelf, where every shelf was askew and awful. I threw away a kitchen garbage bag full of debri from my rampage.

I also had to deal with a huge box of paper towels that was in the middle of the floor in that same back room. So I dragged it to the hall closet, where I had to rearrange sleeping bags and some quilts to make room for it. I also found the curtains I’m going to redo for Maggie’s room in there and put them on to wash. (Hopefully I won’t forget them in the drier, so I won't have a tough time ironing them.)

Finishing all of this rearranging and purging of my closet and back room felt very, very satisfying. Bethany cooked us burgers for lunch (so I don’t have to fix dinner tonight…just a snack supper….yay!) As we were cleaning up lunch things, my eye caught sight of a can of pumpkin sitting innocently where I had left it by the mixer. “Oh, I need to make some things for breakfasts for the weekend!” Out came the laptop and click, click to my recipes folder. No pumpkin recipe looked that great….so I went to allrecipes.com and did a search on pumpkin bread. Finding some interesting recipes, I baked 2 of them, which I will leave you with and one that I will make soon, but didn’t have any cream cheese for it on hand today. (It got very good reviews on allrecipes.com, so I’m sure it’s very good! It’s described as more of a dessert/cake than a breakfast bread.)

I sat down here at my laptop thinking I would only copy and paste the recipes and here I’ve written a whole post! It was a strange kind of day…in between all of this flying about like the tazmanian housework devil, I had several people drop by, several phone calls and had to take or pick up Bethany several times. I feel like a worker ant…and now I feel as though I need to go to my roost and nestle down to rest….a well deserved rest it is too.

This one’s in the oven and it smells terrific!!

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

5/8 cup warm water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
1 Place ingredients in bread machine pan in the order
suggested by the manufacturer. Select basic setting. Start.
2 To bake bread in oven: select dough or manual cycle.
Once cycle is complete, shape dough and place in a greased
loaf pan. Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in
size. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven
for 35 to 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in
the center of the loaf reads 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).

This one I am eating right now and it is very satisfying….it’s a perfect breakfast or snack bread.

Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1 In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt,
pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and cloves.
2 In a separate bowl, cream together shortening and brown
sugar. Mix in eggs, pumpkin, and milk. Stir flour mixture
into wet mixture until just combined. Fold in raisins and
walnuts if desired. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 5
inch loaf pan.
3 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 to 55 minutes.

This is the dessert-ish recipe….looks wonderful!

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup water

Directions
1 Blend cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 beaten egg.
Set aside.
2 Combine flour, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, baking soda,
salt, and spices. Set aside.
3 Combine pumpkin, butter or margarine, beaten egg, and
water. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, mixing just
until moistened. Reserve 2 cups of the pumpkin batter.
Pour the remaining batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5
inch loaf pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over pumpkin
batter, and top with reserved pumpkin batter. Cut through
batter several times with a knife for a swirl effect.
4 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 70 minutes,
or until tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10
minutes, and then remove from pan to cool completely.

I also have a Pumpkin Fudge recipe I will post soon from my friend KQ.....

Signs
Topic: Humor/memes


Seen on a church sign today:

"Each day is a gift from God;
that's why it's called the Present"

Apple Time
Topic: Crickl's Recipes
Don't you love to bite into a nice crisp apple? My favorite kind of apple is a MacIntosh. (same as my favorite kind of computer!) They have just the right blend of sweet, tart and juicy. Unfortunately for me, they do not offer MacIntosh apples in stores in Arizona.

I learned to love them while living in New Jersey, across the bridge from Philadelphia. One of the things we loved while living there for ten years was the fresh (and cheap!) produce. A lot of times I would buy a bushel of apples for a dollar to make applebutter...of course the kind you buy for that price were the ones they couldn't sell as nice eating apples, but for applebutter or baking, perfect!

When my daughter Bethany was in kindergarten, we went on a field trip to an apple orchard to pick our own. It was a crisp fall day and we rode a hay wagon out to the orchard where there were neat rows of apple trees bursting with fruit! The children had a blast climbing the low limbs, pulling at apples or riding on parent's shoulders to reach up high. There were also a few ladders handy so you could climb up higher into the inner branches if you wanted to.

After filling our baskets with fruit, we rode the wagon back to the barn, where they served us freshly pressed apple cider alongside fresh out of the fryer cider donuts, coated with cinnamon and sugar. What a treat it was and the children were full of that wholesome rosy cheeked, can't help but smiling fall feeling. We got home that day refreshed and sleepy! I spent the next few days searching out apple recipes.

This is just one of the many apple recipes I have come to love, especially in the fall when they are fresh and the air is crisp. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

6 tart apples (Granny Smith works very well)
1 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter

Put sliced apples in a greased baking dish (recipe calls for 7x11 dish, but you can stretch it to fit a 9x13 by adding more apples). In a seperate bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or fork, smash the butter into the dry ingredients until you have kind of large crumbs...the size of peas or larger. Sprinkle this over the apples.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 or until apples are done and soft.

This is good topped with ice cream!

No common thing...
Topic: God things


I have updated some things on the Prayer page. And here are some quotes on prayer to provide some motivation.

"A man is powerful on his knees."
~Corrie Ten Boon~

"Prayer is not conquering God's reluctance,
but taking hold of God's willingness."
~Phillips Brooks~

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
Do not pray for tasks commensurate with your strength.
Pray for strength commensurate with your tasks."
~Phillips Brooks~

"Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due to His name, and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort. The most praying souls are the most assured souls.
~Thomas B. Brooks~

"In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart. Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan."
~ John Bunyan~

"Prayer does not equip us for the greater work,
Prayer is the greater work."
~ Oswald Chambers~

"Persons never need hesitate, because of their past sins, to approach God with the fullest confidence. If they now repent, and are conscious of fully and honestly returning to God with all their heart, they have no reason to fear being repulsed from the footstool of mercy."
~Oswald Chambers~

"When we become too glib in prayer
we are most surely talking to ourselves."
~ A.W. Tozer~

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
~Jeremiah 29:11-12~

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
~Romans 12:12~

The spice of life....
Topic: People/Family stories
We had a very nice Sunday! Church services were wonderful with heartfelt worship and one of our new members gave a testimony. This guy came out of a life of drugs and alcoholism and set it all down to follow Christ one day when he woke up under his truck with snow all around him. Two of the men at church have been helping him along and he has no craving for drugs or alcohol. I know not everyone is delivered immediately from such things when they give their lives to Christ, but it was such a blessing to hear this humble man’s story. He thought he couldn't speak publicly, but he had everyone’s attention as he told his story. He and some others in the church are starting a Bible study in a town 20 minutes from here that is notorious for drugs and ‘low life’. Please pray for them as they minister to the ones Jesus would have been ministering to.

After church Charles took us to Olive Garden for lunch. *Wheeee* We love Olive Garden and had a gift card for a dinner there. All full from lunch, we stopped by the Amazing 99 cent store and let Maggie spend the two dollars that were burning a hole in her pocket. =)

There was a dinner for the Young Life ministry in town tonight, so we didn’t have small group that usually meets at our home. Several of our small group members work with Young Life. So it was a very relaxing day….

I decided to call my family in Phoenix and see how everyone was doing. My dad is having cataract surgery tomorrow. He’s got dementia and they have to put him under to do the surgery so he doesn’t get scared or confused during it. Trouble is, general anesthesia sometimes makes dementia worsen, so add that one to your prayers for Monday if you would. I also talked to my younger sister. They found out she is carrying a little boy! She is 4 months pregnant after years of trying to have another child. Her daughter is 8. They are excited and we’re so happy for them!

While talking on the phone to my sister, sitting out on my porch, my fairly new neighbor walked up, thinking we were having small group. Yikes! Well…we didn’t miss small group because we had a very nice conversation getting to know each other better out on the porch. We talked until dark and then I drove her back around the block cuz we’re girls and it was dark. I love living in a small town ….people just drop by. It's very neighborly. I’ve been watching a few episodes of the Andy Griffith marathon on tv this weekend and a lot of it reminded me of our town in a satirical way. I wish our modern day people here were as wholesome as an Andy Griffith episode, but then we wouldn’t be living in 2005, would we? All in all though, it’s a great place to live.

Sounds like a full day, but it was really very relaxing…..several unexpected things, but I think that is what keeps life interesting...unexpected variety is the spice of life.....

Owen, the baby hippo, finds a home....
Topic: Humor/memes
A friend of mine sent me an email with this cute story. I looked it up on an email rumors sight and it is true.

After the tsunami this year, which also hit the Kenyan coast, an orphaned baby hippo decided this sea turtle was now his family. God loves His creation and sometimes takes care of us in 'unique' ways.

This story reminded me of all the people displaced and homeless from the Gulf coast. People all over the country are taking in evacuees and helping them find a new way to live.....strange new ways and places to them, but family just the same.

My 100th post here in blogtown....
Topic: Humor/memes
This is my 100th post!!! It is customary, I am told, to make a list of 100 things about yourself for your 100th post on a blog. I am not sure I know myself that well, but I will try. =)

I had a really hard time doing this. I am not a very intuitive person, so the list may not sound ‘deep’ and thoughtful. But it represents the way I see the world and my life. I am a very tactile, sensing person, so to an intuitive it may sound a little superficial….but I assure you, I do have depth to my personality. It is just very hard for me to express those feelings and thoughts.

The list is in random order, since that is how things came to mind. I hope this isn’t also my most boring post to date!

1. I love and am a follower of Jesus.
2. I like to talk to people about faith, about the Bible…not argue, mind you, just discuss.
3. I am married to one of the dwindling number of great men, Charles.
4. I am mom to Hannah, 18….she moved out at the end of the summer…it’s sad in a way, yet exciting to see her finding her way.
5. I am mom to Bethany, 15….amazing to see God working in her life the past 2 years and teaching her things I never could. She is really independent, a real leader-type and likes projects and goals.
6. I am mom to Emma, 13….an emerging young woman (emerging from tomboyishness…it’s fun to see!), exploring who she is made to be (her personality, talents, gifts), gaining some confidence along the way and learning to trust God…and sometimes her parents…with her worries.
7. I am mom to Maggie, 8…who loves to talk and ask questions…lots of questions. She is teaching me patience and she is trying to learn not to interrupt. She loves her dogs, playing with dolls, nail polish and watching Jimmy Neutron.
8. I homeschool my children. We’ve been doing school at home for 7 years now with one year off to help start a Christian school at our church. It was a good year, my kids greatly benefited from it, but we can’t afford to do it again and so it is back to teaching at home. I would like to support our local schools, but I won’t sacrifice my kids’ education and childhood to do it. Our school here, sadly, is a failing school.
9. I work with youth at church….and younger children sometimes too.
10. I love to teach the Bible to kids.
11. I am a pastor’s wife….. and I like it.
12. I like raquetball.
13. I love long drives in the country….or mountains….or by the ocean….etc
14. I like really good pizza…Pizza Hut, Pappa John’s or homemade
15. I like salad (the more veggies and add ins in it the better)…crunch crunch crunch.
16. I like chocolate…I love chocolate…I need chocolate…*going to find chocolate*
17. I love to study the Jewish feast days and their prophetic meanings.
18. I like to grow things…..indoor and out.
19. I forget to water regularly, so I periodically have crunchy plants.
20. Bugs freak me out….I try to keep my freaking inside though, so my kids won’t freak too….. someone has to remain calm!
21. I am having a hard time accepting being in my *gulp* 40’s.
22. My hair is brown….more precisely Clairol Balsam medium ash brown
23. My eyes are dark green and brown.
24. I hate swimsuits….why can’t we swim without being almost naked??
25. I love jeans…and anything cotton.
26. I make lists. I redo lists because I change my mind. I lose my lists or leave them at home when I go shopping. I think this is because I am very unorganized, yet know I need to be more organized…I don’t think it’s working.
27. I like to channel surf…..this causes irritation with my family. I am constantly wondering if I’m missing something better though.
28. I like to stay up late and sleep til 8am.
29. I like to cook….I try to cook healthy things and bread. I usually don’t make desserts unless we have company.
30. I like to go to restaurants.
31. I like coffee shops…espresso type shops…..my favorite, hot or cold and blended is a cafe mocha.
32. I like movies….I collect good movies.
33. I like to read, but it bothers my eyes lately and it takes so long to finish anything when you only have snippets of time to devote to it.
34. I have a very goofy sense of humor…..very literal and visual…I picture everything….I think my mind works in pictures… this is usually entertaining, but sometimes disturbing .....I have heard that other people think in words....hmmm.
35. I make up songs….my dogs are the only people who appreciate them. The songs are usually about the dogs. I hope it isn’t a big mistake to say this publicly.
36. I’m an ESFP personality type….this tends to be my excuse for a lot of things I feel I need to explain. =)
37. I’m very curious. I use my Google search engine almost every day to look up everything from a word I don’t know to what I’ve seen an actor in before. I also look up the pictures on my blog with Google image search.
38. I don’t like scary movies….the last one I saw was Secret Window…very disturbing.
39. I would love to be 3 sizes smaller.
40. I hate to diet. I cheat…I’m a cheater and always feel deprived and punished if I’m on a diet…..I tend to whine and be grumpy on diets too, which makes other people suffer when I’m on a diet.
41. I wanted to be a hippie, but was born too late. This is a good thing in retrospect. I still like VW vans.
42. I’ve never taken drugs…have only had a sip of alcohol a few times. I don’t think it’s wrong to drink alcohol sometimes, but alcoholism runs in my family, so I’m not going to even start.
43. I get kidney stones very easily. Because of this I usually have a glass or bottle of water with me.
44. I like cool weather, not hot.
45. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. (which enlightens you on line number 44)
46. I have a BA in Religion and in Theatre/speech. Kind of a useless degree, but I had a lot of fun in college. I took one year of graduate classes at a seminary in Texas….this resulted in an MRS degree.
47. I like banana popsicles and those rocket pops that are red, white and blue….lemonade flavored.
48. I’m a strict mom, but I’m fun.
49. I like home design, gardening and cooking shows.
50. I really like music….right now my favorites are Jars of Clay, Caedmon’s Call, Superchik, Switchfoot, Lifehouse and Newsboys.
51. I just wrote fifty things about myself and I’m bored to tears. I’m going to bed. (that was yesterday)
52. Slurpees…yes….Coke flavor.
53. Bethany’s deluxe Tang….no
54. I like weather…..thunderstorms, snow, fall wind, ice storms, dust storms, cold, freezing, chilly, brisk, even warm….just not hot.
55. I love rocking on the porch with the husband. (in rocking chairs, not to music, don’t be silly)
56. I love being outside.
57. I do not like horseback riding. Horses play mean tricks on me…I have witnesses,,,..unfortunately.
58. My husband gave me an iPod Shuffle this past summer….I love it and carry it in my purse. It has 150+ of my current favorite songs on a gizmo the size of a stick of gum!
59. I have 3 dogs….Millie, an Eskimo-poo, she lives inside the house and likes to boss us around (let me out, let me in, let me out, I need food, I ate my food…give me a biskit, I need water, I need patting, I want you to chase me now, let me out, let me in)…….Joonbug, a sheltie who is old, deaf and stiff, but very sweet…barks too much……Winnie, a one year old American Eskimo…loves to howl at the train whistle (which happens about 10 times a day…we’ve taken to howling along with her….it’s very freeing and primitive…I recommend it), wrestle with the other dogs (who find it annoying) and play with Maggie.
60. I have a hard time just saying something without explaining it. (you may have noticed this)
61. I have good friends I have never met in person….through the internet.
62. I grew up with 3 sisters and 2 brothers and my parents have been married for 59 years.
63. One brother died when I was 10…this affected my life greatly.
64. I don’t think I’ll make it to 100.
65. I like photography.
66. Camping is more fun with a camper. We used a tent for 18 years, with babies, in rain, wind, in good humor and bad, so I know this is true.
67. As an adult I have lived in New Mexico (2 summers), Texas (2 yrs), Oklahoma (2 yrs), New Jersey (10 yrs), and Arizona (8 years).
68. I play practical jokes on my kids.
69. I don’t like practical jokes played on me….I know…not fair…oh well
70. I have never liked to babysit….still don’t. I just went off the church nursery rotation for my first time ever as an adult!
71. I was a preschool teacher for four years before having our first child. Then we had a hard time finding a child’s name that I didn’t have a negative association with.
72. I love drive in movies….lawn chairs, big paper bag of popcorn, blankies, stars. There is still a drive in theater in my hometown, where I’ve taken my kids for movies.
73. My knee hurts. (running out of things now)
74. I don’t like talking on the phone.
75. I don’t like only doing one thing at a time.
76. I don’t like carpeting. Wood floors are best.
77. We keep a fan going in our bedroom year round.
78. I like personality tests....you can't flunk!
79. I am almost the exact opposite of my husband personality-wise. (he likes me though…and I like him….it keeps things interesting)
80. I am shocked that I’ve been blogging for this long. (I started 9 months ago…in January) I usually lose interest in things I start.
81. I absolutely hate public restrooms….so far I think California has the worst ever public restrooms.
82. I can’t hear well in noisy places….darn ear phones.
83. I am not a good person to teach driving to my kids….I was called a ‘spaz’ a couple of weeks ago….that’s not nice, is it?
84. I like toasted almonds on ice cream….chocolate ice cream.
85. Ice cream does not agree with my stomach, so I rarely eat it.
86. If I were a cartoon character, I’d probably be Winnie the Pooh…..I do like to say, “Oh, bother”
87. My best colors are Fall/Winter….according to color analysis thingies.
88. My most watched movie: You’ve Got Mail.
89. TV personality I most identify with: Loralie Gilmore…Gilmore Girls. I’m not a single mom, but the personality is about right….I wish I had as many quotes memorized as she does though and could make witty banter so quickly. (If I only had a team of writers doing scripts for me!)
90. I like traditional things, homey furnishings, fire in the fireplace, dog on the rug, husband beside me, kids chattering in the background.
91. I like hanging out with teenagers. I like the teen years better than the preschool years in my own parenting experience...how strange is that?
92. My hair gets really freaky curly in humid conditions….it’s my life long fight to have smooth hair.
93. I do NOT like to play board games.
94. I love to play gin on yahoo games.
95. I like the new VW Beetles….a cobalt blue convertible one would be just the ticket! My husband loves those new retro Mustangs.
96. I fear sharing too much of me….which makes me nervous making this list.
97. I laugh hysterically at Jimmy Neutron episodes.
98. I like magazines…..lot of good photos and short, to the point articles.
99. I used to think animating a puppet….like on Sesame Street…would be a perfect job for me…..I could use all my weird voices and be crazy in a socially acceptable setting….and get paid for it!
100. I love to make people laugh. I used to think this was not a very noble thing….but as I live my life and walk through this world, I am thinking it’s just what we need….good encouraging laughter…not the crude, degrading humor you see so much of today. So if you laughed or even smiled while reading this list, it was worth putting it out there.

Amen