Inspired and Beautiful

The lyrics grabbed me.

What if our greatest disappointments and the aching of this life are a revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?

Tears stung my eyes, because I know the thirst and longing, but also from the sheer beauty of the line describing it so perfectly. It seemed inspired, beautiful, and everything in me longed to pen something comparable. I want to create something recognized as having God's touch. I want to be a writer of beauty. I want to move the way I was moved. I want to draw tears and make a person pause in their day to think about what's been said.

I asked God, no, I begged Him, to use me that way, to give others a glimpse of Him with simple elegance and clarity.

But Tami, He said, don't you see? Anything, anything, given with a sincere heart, expecting nothing in return, is inspiring and beautiful. It doesn't matter who sees it.

Inspired and beautiful comes in many forms. It's the mother comforting her sick child through the night, a friend leaving an encouraging note, college students donating money for a missions trip. It's a hug with no words, a warm meal on a cold night, a listening ear. Inspired and beautiful is more than a clever turn of phrase. It's admitting weakness, sharing pain, a healing cry, honest words. It's singing with passion, believing and hoping above all odds. It's recognizing this life is temporary, fleeting. Inspired and beautiful is knowing God is who He says He is.

I may never write what others consider an inspired and beautiful piece of art, but with God's Spirit within me, I can live it!

So can you, my friend. Never underestimate the power of every little act of love.

Be inspired and beautiful.



Photo Credit: Nina Matthews Photography

7 Quick Takes (Volume 224)

1) We're experiencing a winter storm, although as I type this on Thursday afternoon, I'm slightly disappointed that it didn't live up to its hype. We were expecting 8-12 inches and we're no where near that. Drama Queen is taking a meteorology class this semester and I found it comical that her professor cancelled Thursday's class on Tuesday already. Many schools, even universities, cancelled classes ahead of the snow, expecting a major dump that hasn't come yet, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Remind me to tell my kids that when they're whining about going extra days at the end of the school year to make it up.

I'm still hoping for a snow-filled Thursday night. Maybe by the time you read this all my dreams will have come true!

2) I'm worried I'm getting wimpier or maybe my lack of sleep is catching up with me. (Don't you dare tell me I'm getting older. I WILL smack you!) I went for a workout before the weather got too bad yesterday and BOY! did I feel it! I found myself sighing out loud at times, surprising even myself, hoping no one heard. Oh no, I'm becoming the eccentric workout lady. My look certainly deserves the title. I can never find workout pants that don't shrink to be too short and my hair kinks up something scary when I perspire. I never wear makeup to the gym since you sweat it off anyway and I've got dark circles under my eyes to rival a raccoon. What's the solution?

Get more sleep or quit going to the gym! Though I'm not always thrilled about it, I better keep going to the gym. If I don't, I will be the cow I complain about being sometimes. Taking any suggestions for better sleep!

3) Kevin was told by a high school girl last weekend that he was a fashionable dresser. I've always liked this about him. He does have fashion sense and isn't afraid to try new things. His outfit that day was a pair of nice slacks, a patterned dress shirt, untucked, with the cuffs folded up over the pushed up sleeves of his corduroy sports jacket. I wish I could take credit for his good look, but I can't. I guess I'll just ogle him instead. Love you, babe!

4) We celebrated my nephew's first birthday Sunday. My brother was the smart aleck who made him a birthday bib.


Though the birthday boy was petrified of the party hats, Ladies Man and his other young cousins had fun with them.


5) And now a bit from Kevin's Korner.

I know house work can be a drudgery and I have to admit that I probably don't do as much to help out as I can. I have been trying to remedy that situation by making sure I always help clean up after dinner and last week I dusted and vacuumed the living room and dining room. Now before any of you ladies react to the last statement, I am not trying to make it seem like I've even come close to doing my fair share. Remember I said this is something I am working on. Tonight I thought I would volunteer to make supper. I had high hopes of coming up with a stellar menu. Princess Dawdle suggested I check Pinterest. I do not have a Pinterest account so I logged on to Drama Queen's. A discussion pursued about how easy it would be to find a good recipe on Pinterest. It was not successful, in fact I found just as many recipes by simply using Google. I was unable to come up with anything new. Instead I settled for tacos. I know, I know, there is nothing exciting about tacos for supper except . . . on the taco seasoning package it explained how to serve your meal once the meat was finished. Fill bowls with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and taco sauce. Pass the taco shells or tortillas and let everyone PILE ON THE FUN! I made sure to read this aloud to everyone in the house to make sure my meal was a success. I didn't realize that when you bought taco seasoning you were ensured fun at your meal. I guess you will have to check with Tami and the kids to see if indeed fun was had by all, but I have been told that dinner at the Boesiger's is an experience like no other.

Keep Kicking it!

6) Ladies Man was displaying grotesque table manners the other night, eating his ham with his bare hands.

Me: What are you doing?! Use your silverware!

Ladies Man: What? We don't have company.

Kevin: That doesn't matter. It's gross. Use your silverware.

Me: Are your hands even clean?

Ladies Man (using his teeth to rip off a hunk of ham clutched in his hand and chewing while talking): We're learning in sociology that we need to be respectful of other cultures. Some people don't have silverware.

Oh brother!

7) I've been doing more writing lately and feeling it in my shoulders. I think they get tense because my chair should be a little higher for the table I use and when I rest my arms on the table it puts pressure on my shoulders and neck. I tried explaining this to Kevin.

Me: I think my chair should be about three inches higher than it is.

I had to laugh at his solution.

Kevin: Wanna sit on my lap?

Yeah, because that would be productive!

All work and no play leads to a boring Tami, so I'll quit now. Where did my cute husband go? Enjoy your weekend, friends, and find more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

The Dirty "E" Word

I've always hated the word evangelism. And witness. And testimony.

I promise I'm not a heathen. Or a really poor excuse for a Christian (at least I hope not). I am definitely NOT ashamed of Jesus. I'm not trying to hide my faith. Those words just rub me wrong.

I've had perfectly polite people knock on my door to talk to me about God and though I try to be polite back, I find myself feeling annoyed. I don't like the assumptions they've made about me, especially when they don't know me. Why do they assume I need something they have? Why do they assume I'm lacking? Why do they assume I need "saving?" Why have I been lumped into a group of "sinners" when we've never met?

So when I think about evangelism, this is what stirs in my gut. I don't want to do this to other people. I don't want to make them feel inferior or talk down to them. How is that respectful? Or loving? Is it necessary to divide people into "saved" and "unsaved" categories? Can't we love them without knowing their spiritual status?

Yet whenever evangelism is talked about in church, I feel uneasy. Am I doing it right? Am I sharing the gospel as I should? Am I proclaiming Christ? Am I ignoring the needs around me so others will think well of me? Am I big fat chicken? There must be a better way.

And lately, I'm seeing it.

I've had all kinds of people asking me about my upcoming trip to Uganda--people I know well, acquaintances, even eavesdropping strangers. They ask and I talk. I start off pretty calm and formal, but as I go on I can't help but get excited at how God has orchestrated this. I tell them of the "coincidences" which led me to believe God was asking me to go. I talk about how He's soothed my apprehensions and the miraculous way He's provided a TON of money. I even share how becoming a Christian was difficult for me because I was afraid God would send me to Africa for Jesus and how crazy it is He's doing it 35 years later. I am astounded at how interested people are, even people I don't know! Their eyes sparkle, and not just the ones I know to be Christians. They offer their own God stories. They ask questions. They say, "wow" and "cool" and "awesome." Some merely nod their heads in confusion, but that's okay too, because I've pointed them to God and His weird ways. Sharing what God's doing in my life engages them, piques their interest, stirs them to know more. Are they hearing that God gets personally involved in people's lives? Are they yearning for the same involvement in theirs? Will they go home and pray that God might move in their life too?

It shows me evangelism is nothing more than telling people how God is working in my life. It's talking about Him openly, honestly with the same enthusiasm you might have talking about your vacation or the close game or a new opportunity. It's assuming the other person will "get" it and if they don't, being willing to answer their questions. I don't have to "save" them. I shed light on who God is and let the Spirit work. I speak. I listen. I make myself available. GOD does the rest.

We don't have to be afraid of evangelism or witnessing or giving our testimony. All we have to do is be willing to openly share our faith stories and how God has shown Himself in every day life. We bridge the gap between religion and reality when we display a genuine relationship with Jesus, one that goes beyond the church doors or privacy of our home. When we share what God's done for us, we love others. We are a witness.

How do you view evangelism?



Photo Credit: Realistic Imaginations

7 Quick Takes (Volume 223)

1) It has long been a habit at our house to watch court TV while eating lunch (no judging until you click here for the explanation), but lately with all the hubbub surrounding Downton Abbey, we decided to check it out and have been watching past season's episodes. When the kids had a day off school last week, Princess Dawdle noticed.

Princess Dawdle: Wait, what's this? Where's court TV?

Me: We started watching Downton Abbey and got hooked. We're watching this at lunch now.

Princess Dawdle: Wow. We've evolved.

I wish I could concur. Although the show airs on PBS which makes a person feel cultured and intelligent, I'm not sure it's anything more than a British soap opera. Interesting commentary on a person's place in life, but soap opera-ish all the same.

2) My favorite coffee shop in town closed this week. I'm still in mourning. It's the only place I could get a butterscotch latte and they did it so perfectly. They NEVER disappointed. Every single time I took that first sip I'd just melt. Sooooo wonderful. Plus they made me feel like a celebrity. I'd walk in and they'd say, "Your regular?" I've never had a place who knew my regular. What am I saying? I've never had a place! And now I'll go back to being a nobody, walking in and hearing, "What can I get you, Ma'am?" And don't even get me started about being called Ma'am. I know it's polite and all, but it just makes me feel old. When I was in college I worked as a grocery store checker and I used Miss for people around my age and Ma'am for those of a more advanced age. So now when someone calls me Ma'am it's like they're slapping me in the face saying, "You're OLD, lady!"

Sigh. I think I need a butterscotch latte. Poop.

3) I saw my little nephews last weekend and was so touched when the 8-year-old ran up all excited to tell me something.

Nephew: Hey, I told my class at school about your trip to Uganda. There's like a hundred, maybe a thousand people praying for you.

Me: That's awesome. Thank you!

Nephew: Yeah. We're all praying. And I'm thinking about giving you a dollar.

Me: Wow. That would be cool.

Later we said our good byes and were out the door when he came running back out.

Nephew: I need to tell you something. When you get a shot you should cough because then it won't hurt so bad.

Me: Really? That doesn't make any sense to me, because doesn't that jiggle the needle when you cough?

Nephew: I don't know, but it's true that it won't hurt as bad. I read it in my Weird But True book.

Me: Well I gotta get a lot of shots. That's good to know.

Nephew: Yep, just cough. That'll make it better.

And I walked away smiling at another ripple. So sweet.

4) Ladies Man had a band concert this week. While he was helping move chairs between bands I noticed his sock was stuck in the back of his pant leg and it drove me crazy. Finally I couldn't take it and had Princess Dawdle go tell him so he could take it out. Knowing it would annoy the snot out of me, look what he did instead.


He tucked both socks completely in and kept it that way for the entire concert!!! The boy has no shame! This is why the rest of the shots look like this.


5) And now it's time for Kevin's Korner. Today he has friendly tips for parents of show choir kids.

This is going to be a big show choir weekend for me. First we head to Elkhorn South to watch Ladies Man's show choir, Limited Edition, sing and then Saturday I will be judging at the Norris Show Choir Competition. This time of year is busy with music contests. I usually get to judge at a couple and also attend a few watching my kids do their thing. I never thought of myself as a tough judge but last year at the Norris contest as I compared my scores with my colleagues, I gave lower scores… consistently. This made one of the other judges extremely happy since he was usually the tough judge. The interesting thing was that when we ranked the groups we had the same order except for a couple of the groups so I guess even though I was the hardest judge it didn't matter because we all were in agreement. If you have kids involved in music contests coming up, here are a couple tips to put you in good standing with the judge. #1… Don't sit too close to the judge or try to nonchalantly look at what they are writing or what rating they gave your kid. #2… Don't make excuses for your kid's performance - even in a joking manner. #3… Don't give your child a standing ovation. No matter how much you cheer and applaud, we are not influenced by the crowds reaction. #4… Don't make comments to those around you hoping the judge will hear your critique of the performance. #5… It's okay to talk to the judge, we are people too. #6… If the judge does not look like they want to talk or they are busy writing on a ballot, patiently wait for them to finish. #7… Judges do not enjoy giving low ratings and we are not out to make your kid cry. We are simply trying to give helpful comments and want everyone to do well. But let's face it, not every performance is a superior. This has been a public service announcement. I hope you have gained a few helpful tips for the upcoming music contest season. If you see me at Norris on Saturday, come and say hello. I'll be one of the critique judges which means I will be in and out of the competition. I get to talk to every other show choir immediately following their performance. I am looking forward to it. I know many of you can't imagine me talking in front of choirs all day.

Keep Kicking it!

6) Ladies Man: What are you guys doing for Valentine's Day?

Kevin: Mom's got rehearsal.

Ladies Man: So you're not doing anything?

Kevin: We went out Saturday night.

Me: Your dad's been sending me texts every hour on the hour all day.

Ladies Man (looking over Kevin's shoulder at his phone): What do you mean? (Seeing "I love . . . ") Wait, maybe I don't wanna know.

Me: It's nothing weird. Just what he loves about me.

Kevin (showing him): I love how you mother our kids. Stuff like that.

Ladies Man (looking at his girlfriend sheepishly): Dang. That's a good idea . . .

Like I tell you, my precious sons, if you want to be a good husband, WATCH YOUR FATHER!!!

7) We've got a busy weekend ahead. We're headed to Ladies Man's show choir competition today. I'm playing in the orchestra for our community theater's production of How To Succeed in Business Without Even Trying Friday and Saturday night and then next weekend as well. Kevin's judging the show choir competition from 7:AM to 10:PM Saturday, while I might try to get to Ladies Man's speech meet during the day. Then we've got our nephew's first birthday party on Sunday. I'm looking VERY forward to spending time with my extended family for that. Gonna be going, going, going, but full of fun.

Hope you enjoy your weekend too, friends. Kick back and read more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Confessions from an Unexpected Wife

I never thought I would marry.

My history with boys told me this. It told me I was boring and undesirable and definitely not "hot." I watched my friends with their boyfriends and heard their stories. I listened to the guy I had a crush on all through high school tell me about his girl troubles, wishing he might see me as girlfriend material but being consistently overlooked. I fielded inquiries about my cute sister and saw every day how I lacked compared to her. I prayed for a husband. I hoped. But I really didn't see how it could happen.

But God did a miracle.

And I was thankful. I AM thankful.

I had my fairy tale wedding and settled into a whole new sense of "home" with my husband, a peacefulness I never imagined. But soon he disappointed me. He didn't do something the way I thought he should or didn't seem as excited to see me as I was to see him. I wasn't his whole world. I didn't understand his thinking. He didn't plan ahead, didn't worry about things I found important. I never woke to his adoring eyes staring at me. He barely got out of bed in time to say goodbye before he had to leave.

But I remembered he was my miracle, so I kept at it. I learned not every action was personal.

Kids came and with it a whole new joy and chaos we'd never experienced. He was off building his career, pursuing ministry projects which gave him energy and excitement while I felt isolated at home. Isolated is putting it kindly. To be honest, I felt stuck at home some days, stuck at home with sticky fingers and demanding little people and feeling forgotten. And lonely. And unappreciated.

But he was my miracle, so when I found myself taking out my frustrations on him, I admitted my feelings. It wasn't easy. It sounded selfish and petty and immature, but I made myself do it. He listened and responded, not always immediately, but in the days to come I'd realize I'd been heard.

It was easy to live separate lives, he consumed by work, me wrapped up in the kids, both bound by duty, pulled by others. Though we lived in the same house, some days I missed him terribly. No one ever told me marriage would require so much sacrifice and work. I found myself wanting to escape often, with or without him.

But he was my miracle and how do you tell God your miracle isn't quite right, not good enough? It had to be. He was a gift from God and good was there, VERY good was there if only I was patient and committed and willing to work. As I followed Sarah's example to do what was right and not give way to fear, as he listened to God's mandates to him as well, as we purposed to obey God separately, He pulled us closer to Him.

And to each other.

He is my miracle, but I've learned to worship God and not the gift, and though I'd like him to be mesmerized and find me irresistible, I'm really better off when he worships God too.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Matthew 18:20

Miracles can't happen without God. He's got to stay front and center in our relationship. He's got to be more important than either of us. The best way to hold onto my miracle is to follow the gracious God who gave it to me. Beauty comes only from His hand.

What unexpected lessons has marriage taught you?

Want to read more about marriage? Go to Chrysalis for more Marriage Monday posts.

7 Quick Takes (Volume 222)

1) It was parent-teacher conference week in our local school district and it marked an important milestone in the Boesiger household. After twelve years, twelve YEARS, we had our final conference in the middle school. It's almost as exciting as thinking about this being the final year for carpooling. Next year the kids we have at home will both be in high school and my mommy driving days will be over. I find this quite freeing until I think about one thing.

That means we're closer to them all being out of the house. Sigh.

2) I came across an interesting word: uxorious. It means having or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one's wife. Like, I wouldn't mind if Kevin were feeling uxorious and cleaned the house or Tami came home to find her uxorious husband had already cooked dinner or Tami's uxorious husband decided a once-a-month getaway was necessary for his wife.

Some might say it means doting, while others say it's a bad adjective describing a weak man who won't wear the pants in the family. I'll let you decide on that one.

And here's an interesting tidbit. There is no comparable word in the English language for the opposite, a wife showing excessive fondness for her husband. I think it's because men already get all the breaks.

3) There's a little boy in our church, I believe he's only 2 years old, who idolizes Kevin. He pretends he's Kevin at home. He talks about Kevin constantly. He watches him carefully and points him out during every service. We found out just how intense his worship of Kevin is when his parents told us this story.

Apparently this boy and his dad have a thing where the dad points to the son and says, "You're the man!" The son then responds likewise to his dad. But last week when Dad pointed to the little guy and said, "You're the man," the boy said, "No, Dad, Kevin's the man."

I gotta tell you it was music to my husband's ears, who had enough razzing about not watching the Super Bowl.

4) Show Choir season has begun. Poor Ladies Man missed his first competition last weekend being sick, but Princess Dawdle caught her first. They look pretty snazzy, don't you think?


They always need to take a goofy picture. Princess Dawdle is middle left.

THIS pic is my favorite. She is getting so pretty.


5) I was talking at dinner about a new thing I feel God's telling me to do when suddenly Ladies Man stopped short.

Ladies Man: Wait, what? How come I haven't heard about this?

Me: I don't know.

Ladies Man: Why are you going to do this? Do you know where it will lead?

Me: Nope. God said to do it, so I'm gonna do it.

I loved his immediate response.

Ladies Man (smiling and nodding his head in approval): Straight up!

6) We were driving down the interstate when we passed a guy obviously annoyed with someone and cursing his fool head off.

Me: Now why do people do that? I don't understand it. Why do you use that word? What good is that? I mean, I understand getting frustrated while driving. When somebody pulls out in front of me and goes slow I'm like, "Are you kidding me?!" but I would never blankety, blank, blank, blank.

Kevin: Is the intent of the heart the same?

Oh, okay, Mr. HOLY! Thanks a lot. I think he needs to get hit with the uxorious stick!

7) Just to show you my amazing good sport, I will let Kevin have the last word today in Kevin's Korner.

So I have been given the last word this week. Trust me this does not happen often in our household. I cannot blame Tami for that however and as our kids grow older and we have fewer in the house this may change. I thought surely there is a word that is the counterpart to uxorious. Thank the Lord for Google. After a little searching guess what I found. Maritorious… excessively fond of one's husband. It is noted on the webpage that the word maritorious is "rare, while uxorious is fairly well known." What could be the explanation for this? Women are better educated and have bigger vocabularies? Husbands are lousy at showing their wives excessive fondness? Husbands already get excessive fondness from their wives? You be the judge. Maybe I should have vacuumed the living room in the time it took me to find the word maritorious. On a side note, as I type this on the computer, maritorious gets flagged as misspelled and yet when I type uxorious it doesn't. Maybe the counterpart doesn't exist after all.

Keep Kicking It!

If by chance your husband is uxorious this weekend and you find yourself with some time for reading, take a gander at more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Ripples

All I did was say YES.

God made it clear He wanted me to go to Uganda. I said YES and now, before I've even gone, the ripples begin.

My kids seem to understand it. My daughters make sure I commit. They say they're proud of me. My college kids put links on their Facebook pages. My seventeen-year-old son makes me a "money" jar and quietly sets it by my computer on my birthday. They all say it's "cool" and seem to look at me with more respect.

Lots of people, some I hardly know, give me money to make it possible. They give sacrificially. They ask and seem genuinely interested. They express excitement and happiness. They say they're proud of me. ME!

My little nephews, only 7 and 5, pray for this trip every night and can find where I'm going on any map. Their mother says it's a gift to HER to see her children grasping this.

A woman hands me a jug of change, having no idea how much is in it, and thanks ME for moving her husband.

I take my son to his appointment and the friend who works there asks about it. I just tell the story of how it came about, and soon the new receptionist and a stranger in the waiting room get engaged, their eyes sparkling, asking questions of their own when my friend gets pulled away. They seem genuinely interested and excited for this woman they don't know.

Little ripples. And I've done nothing except say YES to God.

I see it and my eyes open wide in astonishment, that is, when they aren't misting over with tears. I swallow hard. God can use ME?! My little YES matters? It can make a difference in people's lives? Unbelievable!

It's taken so little to gain a bigger perspective, a picture of a God who orchestrates things beyond our imagination, who makes every little thing matter. And I know it's true because I'm seeing it. Every little act done in secret, every little YES, is used by God who takes the smallest effort and multiplies it for His good in miraculous ways, just like loaves and fish. He moves and He speaks and is alive and when we have the courage to say YES, He uses it in remarkable, incredulous ways. We are BLESSED and the blessing ripples out to those around us.

Is fear holding you back from saying YES? Take a deep breath, my friend, and dive in. You won't believe the ripples you make if you do. It will take your breath away.



Photo Credit: richardefreeman

7 Quick Takes (Volume 221)

1) Ladies Man: What's for dinner?

Me: I don't know. I just texted your dad asking him if it was completely lame of me to have him bring home Runza for supper.

Ladies Man: He's never going to say his wife is lame.

Princess Dawdle: Yeah. He likes you.

Why does it bring me satisfaction to know this is their impression of us?

2) After last week's Quick Takes I got an email from my sister-in-law telling me that Kevin's Korner reminds her of Drama Queen and her ranting. She was spot on, of course. Drama Queen tells Kevin all the time that she gets all her drama from him. As we were discussing this the other night, Kevin's phone rang. As soon as she heard it, Drama Queen reached for hers.

Guess who has the same ring tone as her dad?

Cut from the same cloth, I tell you.

3) I must have too many utensils in my utensil drawer as I can never keep a whisk in decent shape for more than a few months. When one of the loops got caught and stretched out I tried working with it for a while (because if I'm nothing else I'm loyal--even to decrepit kitchen utensils). Finally I couldn't take it anymore and yanked the stupid thing out of the drawer to throw away. Kevin took it and was gone for a while then came back saying he fixed it. What do you think?


4) You know you're getting old when your son asks your advice about business cards. Business cards?! Drummer Boy is old enough for such a thing? Yikes. The beard was an adjustment, but that's sort of a stretching-your-wings-as-a-young-adult kind of thing. Adding business cards and thinking about networking makes it feel like he's no kid anymore. Which means what for me?

It also makes me wonder about my own mother. She seems to take great delight in pointing out all my new gray hairs. I don't understand this. Wouldn't this make her feel even older? How do you do this, Mom?!

5) And now it's time for Kevin's Korner, the new favorite feature of Friday Quick Takes. I must admit I am sort of annoyed by this. I mean, come on, I've been faithfully writing on this blog over six years and he writes one little portion of one little post three times and he's a favorite?! Grrrr. Anyway, I'm trying to be mature about it (and it does save me from coming up with another take every Friday), so here's my darling husband.

This weekend is the Super Bowl. I am sure this will be no surprise for most of you, but I will not be watching the game come Sunday afternoon. To tell you the truth I don't even know what teams are in the game. Football has never been a big draw for me, maybe because for most of my early days I was the smallest boy in the class. In gym class when we played with the parachute, I was the kid put in the middle and bounced up and down. I was also one of the least athletic in the class. You would think a small kid might be one of the faster ones but I always came in second to the last. The only kid I could beat probably outweighed me by 4 times. Good grief! In high school I got a B- in gym class and the only reason it was not a lower grade is because the teacher thought I tried hard (which I did). Now don't let my lack of athleticism make you think I lack coordination or strength. I can hold my own in a dance-off and can put in a good day of hard labor when needed. Somehow these skills never transferred to a ball court or field. So what's all this ranting about? Simple . . . am I the only man on the planet that does not find enjoyment watching other men beat the tar out of each other? I get a lot more satisfaction hearing a great concert or watching a great movie. I know that is a shocker for you all but there has to be others out there. Come on guys, help me out! Is there anyone else that will be doing something different at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday when the 49er's and Ravens battle it out? I bet you're surprised I knew that, right? I cannot tell a lie. I had to google it.

Keeping kicking it!

6) Ladies Man is really getting into glass etching. When he showed me a picture of an intricate tree he planned to etch, I had my doubts it could be done, but he did it. And did it well. Nice work!


7) You will recall the Christmas cake disaster at the hands of my kids. It's a wonder they still felt adventurous enough to try it again, but Ladies Man had a hankering for some cherry cheese cake dessert. Since his mother politely insinuated it would not be happening at her hand, Ladies Man decided to rope Princess Dawdle into trying it with him. I had to laugh at Princess Dawdle's Facebook status:

Ladies Man and I are going to make a cheesecake. We will see how this goes people. :)

I'm not sure how I should take the exchange Drama Queen started in the comments.

Drama Queen: Mom is letting you have cheesecake in the house?

Princess Dawdle: Um, yeah . . . why wouldn't that be ok?

Drama Queen: Because she only eats nuts and lettuce? Just kidding, Mom.

I'll have you know, Drama Queen, I eat far more than nuts and lettuce. I had me some cheesecake, I did. And it was so good I kept sneaking little bites after mine was gone. Of course this may require more lettuce eating in my future, but it was worth it.

And with that, we're calling it a day, folks. Enjoy your weekend and take in more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.