Five Questions

My dear sister-in-law tagged me in a fun, little meme last week. Since I kinda like her (and I needed an easy post for a Monday morning) I decided to play along.

I'm supposed to give five answers for five questions. Here goes nothing!

Where were you five years ago today?
1. In the same town, same house, same church, same family I am today.
2. In our first year of having a child in every level of our local public school--one in high school, one in middle school and two in elementary.
3. Wondering what this new stage in life (having all my kids in school) required of me.
4. Just beginning a tough journey with my dad's health problems.
5. Living in lala land with no inkling of what a "blog" was.

Where would you like to be five years from now?
1. In the same town, same house, same church, same family I am today.
2. Getting used to the idea that all but one of my kids has moved out of the house.
3. Further down the path God has placed me on, with better understanding.
4. Able to easily write 2000-3000 words every day.
5. In a CLEAN house with beautifully organized closets and storage spaces.

What is on your to do list today?
1. Attend a funeral.
2. Get groceries.
3. Make food for a potluck dinner tonight.
4. Laundry, laundry, all kinds of laundry.
5. Collect writing samples to take to a conference.

What five snacks do you enjoy?
1. nuts, nuts and more nuts
2. popcorn
3. dried berries and raisins
4. prunes
5. granola

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Buy my husband a grand piano and a new vehicle.
2. Build a new garage.
3. Pay off the church building debt.
4. Buy a new laptop for me (yea!!).
5. Take my family on an exotic vacation.

Feel free to play along if you're so inclined and let me know if you did so I can get the juice on you! Have a great day, friends!

Quick Takes--Take Two

It's time again for Quick Takes Friday. Yee haw! Be sure to visit Jennifer F. at Conversion Diary to read the quick takes of others. Here goes nothin'....

(1) This meme was great to link to. I had more visitors last Friday than ever before. Thanks, Jennifer!

(2) I recently stumbled across a website that calls itself the church for those disenchanted with organized religion. I'm not sure what to think of that, I mean, isn't it basically the same thing, just online? They are "organized", coming to the same place, taught by the same teacher. But the differences are disturbing. An online community can be encouraging (I've experienced it myself in the blogosphere), but the lack of accountability and service to one another concerns me. Can we learn to be Christlike when the element of service is removed? Can we learn unity without working through disagreements and being forced to get along? Can we learn to love others without actually loving them in person? How can an online community allow for that?

I understand the appeal. It would be convenient. It could be motivating. Mostly it would be safe. There would be no one to open up to and share real struggles with. But does He want us keeping the lessons we learn to ourselves? Don't we gain as much from rubbing shoulders with each other, experiencing life with each other, as we do from listening to (or reading) an inspirational message? If we don't allow ourselves some vulnerability with actual, real life people, we deprive ourselves (and others!) of the gift of Christian fellowship and the valuable lessons of community.

(3) I had lunch yesterday with someone who took a trip to South Africa a few weeks before the election. She told me when people discovered she and her husband were Americans they would ask them who would be our next president, "the black man or the old man?" These people sincerely felt the outcome of the election was important to their welfare. She was struck by the power and responsibility of our nation to people around the world.

(4) For the first time ever, all of our kids will NOT be joining us for Thanksgiving. Our oldest will spend the day driving to another state to audition for a drum and bugle corp over the weekend. At first I was horrified, but after the initial shock wore off, I realized I'm proud of him. It takes guts to do what he's doing and pursue his dream. I'm impressed with his passion and fortitude at only 18 years of age. Go get 'em, Keygan.

(5) I have felt acutely this week the extravagance of God. I have been blessed beyond measure. Friends have been unbelievably supportive. I have physically felt prayers. I can see how all things are working together for my good and am so excited I could hardly sit still telling someone about it. It makes me want to shake people and say, "Hey, He can do this for you too. Follow His lead. Wait for His timing. Trust Him even when you don't understand and it doesn't make sense." It brings me to tears, knowing how small and unremarkable I am, yet receiving His lavish love. Who am I, Lord?

(6) I read a blog post this week of a woman telling the story of her four-year-old daughter coming to the understanding herself of her need for a Savior. Nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary, until I got to the comments--over 300 of them! Many of them were posted by atheists, followers of Richard Dawkins, charging the woman with child abuse for teaching her daughter she was a sinner. Vile, hurtful, hateful accusations were flung at her and one said he had notified child protective services. I was shocked at the vehement response. From reading a few other posts I understood the woman held beliefs I did not necessarily espouse, or rather, expressed them in a different way than I would, but wow, what an onslaught of venom.

It seems Richard Dawkins has spawned a new generation of atheists, those who are working to "evangelize" others to their way of thinking. It sure puts an interesting spin on evangelism and makes me wonder if this is how Christians have made others feel for generations.

(7) How did I go a whole week without posting? Why do creativity and thinking power ebb and flow? What must a person do to keep firing on all pistons? I heard yesterday on the news ginkgo is NOT the answer. I'm sure more sleep would help. If only I could figure out how to make that happen...Anyway, I got one post in this week. Maybe next week I'll be "on".

Have a great weekend, friends!

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

I was tagged over the weekend by maudie-mae for the Six Random Things meme. I've done two different versions of this (see 7 Things About Me and Of Meds and Memes if you're interested in my other quirks), but decided it would be fun to play along as there's enough fruity things about me to provide some fresh, random weirdness. I also wanted to join Jennifer F. at Conversion Diary for her new meme, 7 Quick Takes Friday. So I'm lumping the two together for one whopping big dealie bobber. Are you getting tingly yet? (Don't worry. The feeling will depart quickly as you start reading!)

(1) As a child I was terribly jealous of my blue-eyed, blonde sister. I got my jabs in by telling her she was adopted. I gave the poor girl a terrible complex, causing her to doubt her lineage every so often, even as an adult. (Yep, I was a big meanie.)

(2) I wish I had a buff, athletic body. I work my tail off at the local YMCA, but have never achieved that chiseled, sculpted look. I suppose I started out bad having cellulite by the time I was ten. Sigh. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I rarely get sick, so the exercise is paying off somehow. My dad used to say I was made from "sturdy stock". As a teenager I didn't appreciate that much, but as I get older it doesn't sound so bad.

(3) My maiden name is Kubik, pronounced like cubic. I used to hate the looks I'd get in math class whenever we were studying volume, but later wished I could go back to those days when the girls in gym class found a "naughty" word to rhyme with my surname. My first name came from a soap opera character. (Good thing the writers of that show didn't meet the girls in gym class--it would have made for a doozy of a soap opera name.)

(4) I've never been a great sleeper. I was a colicky baby. My mom talks of driving me around in the car a lot the first few months of my life. As soon as the car started moving, I'd be out. Forty-four years later, riding in a car still makes me sleepy (which can be tricky when you're driving). If the ride is longer than 30 minutes and my husband's behind the wheel, I'm a goner.

(5) Don't you just love people? I can sit for hours listening to their stories, trying to figure out what makes them tick. It is a lifelong habit of mine to focus in on what they're saying and determine from their body language what they're NOT saying. As a child I entertained myself by sitting in a corner quietly, observing every scene happening before my eyes. It is not a judgmental thing at all. In fact, it is frustrating to me that I can empathize with just about everyone. How do you decide who is right or wrong when you can understand the motivations of every side? I would make a terrible judge.

(6) I love, crave, need, even get up early for quiet and feel a little off if I don't get enough of it. I'm naturally a night owl, but having four kids has made the early morning hours a necessity. Now I find 5:AM just as refreshing as 12:AM (to my dear college roommate--if you're reading this, don't spew your coffee on your computer and ruin it!) My body's clock has adjusted fine (until I get in a car, that is).

(7) I take great delight that my husband's taste in women has changed over the years. In high school, he was attracted to blondes. He's always had a special fondness for his sister, a fair-haired, blue-eyed beauty. When we were first dating, his favorite actresses were Kathleen Turner and Michelle Pfeiffer. Now, Catherine Zeta Jones is at the top of his list. For those of you who don't know me IRL, take a look at my profile pic. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I've swayed him to the "dark" side. I love it.

And there you have it, more than you ever cared to know about yours truly. Feel free to play along on your own blogs if you're so inclined. Go ahead. Take a whack at it. It could be fun.

Have a great weekend, my friends.

Of Meds and Memes

One of the perks to being in the blogosphere is "meeting" some great people from a variety of places. Because we can't sit down to coffee and a good conversation, we have to invent ways to encourage and learn more about each other. To that end, a few nice ladies have tagged me this week.

I got a boost from Shelley at Living Beyond Myself when she gave me the Daily Dose Award. Keep in mind she recently colored her hair and perhaps caused her judgment to be skewed from the chemicals, but I am appreciative nonetheless.


This award is given to blogs that you read every day that inspire you. The point of the award is to pass it on. This is a tough one for me. I read a lot of blogs and many inspire me at different times in different ways, including Shelley's. Where does a person begin?! I could give a long list of people who have touched me, but instead I decided to choose just one. Ann of Holy Experience is an amazing writer whose words always make me sigh and dream of simpler days. She has a unique style and vision for life and describes it with beauty. Thank you, Ann, for showing me the beautiful amid the every day.

The second tag came my way from two sources, Heather at Mumblings of a Mommy "Monk" and Angie from The Knightly News. The rules for this meme are:
(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

I'm going to make a big assumption and trust that non-important things/habits/quirks are NOT the same as boring and completely uninteresting. I've purposely picked some mundane things so there will be no one screaming "TMI" or "WTMI" (WAY too much information) as my kids occasionally do. So here goes nothing:

(1) When relaxing or going to sleep, I unconsciously rub my feet together, kind of like a person might wring their hands. It seems to be a genetic trait as my dad and some of my kids do it too. My husband had a hard time getting used to it.

(2) I've never considered myself a woman's woman. I don't enjoy craft projects, scrapbooking or shopping.

(3) I have never been able to do a cartwheel or a pull-up. I'm uncoordinated AND a wuss.

(4) One of my worst times of day is the period between school getting out and dinner. In an effort to pump myself up at that time, I often have a cup of tea. Sometimes during tea time, I read a book while cooking dinner.

(5) I go through different food phases, where certain things sound especially good to me and I find myself consuming them more than others. Lately I'm fond of oranges and 90 calorie chocolate chunk granola bars.

(6) I'm a closet rebel who has always followed the rules, but wanted to be bad just once.

And in light of that, I'm going to fulfill my hidden desire. I'm breaking the rules and not tagging anyone else. Go ahead. Commence the booing and hissing. Keep it up and you may force me to get my navel pierced!

Have a great weekend, friends.

Mmmmmm. . .

While we were gone I was tagged by e-Mom for a restaurant meme, so here goes nothing. I'm supposed to pick five of my favorite restaurants. I feel I need to preface my choices by saying this list will seem very boring to most of you. There are not a lot of fine dining opportunities in our little community and my budget has not allowed for me to take advantage of many of those that do exist. I've decided to highlight some places that are distinctively Nebraskan and missed by those natives who move away.

1. The Black Crow. This is the best eating establishment in our little town and boasts clientele from around the region. The chef trained in Europe and I found out recently he nearly opened his place in Seattle (thought you'd get a kick out of that, e-Mom--it could have been on YOUR list!). Dinner can be pretty pricey, but never disappointing. The last time I ate there for dinner I had some kind of concoction with salmon, shrimp and squid in it--very exotic. Lunches are very reasonable and I believe there is nothing on earth like their Chocolate Decadence dessert. The ambiance is fantastic which is always a big plus in my book.

2. Valentino's. This local Italian restaurant chain started in Lincoln, Nebraska. I grew up on their pizza and associate it with many fond memories as a child, which is probably why I always like it best. Their Sunday brunch is one of the best around. Their family pack specials are a favorite of our family and a very good deal for larger families. We order one often at our house for movie nights.

3. Runza. Okay, technically this is not fine dining. This is actually a fast food chain, again originating in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Runza "sandwich" is a ground beef, cabbage, seasoning mixture rolled up in a dough and though this is their signature item, they also have the best hamburgers, french fries, onion rings and chili around as well.

4. Grandmother's. Like I said, I'm all about the ambiance which is one of the reasons I chose this restaurant. Again, this is a Nebraska original started by, I believe, Bob Kerrey, a former governor and U.S. Senator of Nebraska who once ran for President. Their menu is pretty standard home-cooking kind of fare (and very good), but my favorite part of this place is its roomy, tall booths. The tops are enclosed with etched glass which makes them seem very private and drowns out the usual noise found in a big eating establishment.

5. Carlos O'Kelly's. Yes, I know, this is a national chain and not purely Nebraskan. It just happens to be a favorite of our family. We don't often take the whole clan to sit down restaurants because it can really kaching (if you know what I mean), but when we do, this is one we like to hit. Their chips are full of pockets of crispiness (had to put that in for my daughter).

And there you have it. If you're ever in the fair state of Nebraska, check out these places and enjoy. I've decided not to tag anybody else for this as my delay in getting it done has probably made this old news. If you'd like to share (especially those of you from Nebraska who think I may have missed some really good places), please feel free to leave a comment or post something on your own blog. Bon Appetit!

7 Things About Me

I've been tagged.

Christine got me this morning with the meme, 7 Things About Me.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

Here goes nothin':

The college girls that come to my house on Monday nights tease me about having a "Death Stare." Apparently I have this hidden power to ask a question and stare them down until they tell me everything I want to know (and then some!). I prefer to call it active listening! For the record, I think I've given up plenty to them too--not very many people understand the significance of Diet 7-Up, girls! (It's probably better for the rest of you not to ask. It may cause us all to blush!)

I will always feel like a shy, little, fat girl, easily overlooked in the corner, taking in all the conversations around her, noticing what is unspoken and wondering what it must be like to be grown up.

I have an addictive personality and must be very careful to do all things in moderation.

I have a great desire to share what God has done for me both in writing and public speaking, but often feel frustrated at my lack of opportunity and God's idea that it is not the right time yet.

My perfect vacation would involve my husband, a remote location, leisurely meals with great food and conversation (I'm thinking two hours on a veranda with a spectacular view) , a stack of good books, quiet walks with cool breezes blowing over and meetings with God that wouldn't be forced to end when the sun came up. It would absolutely NOT include television, shopping or crowds.

Though I graduated twenty five years ago and have given birth to four children, I actually weigh less now than I did in high school (Don't think this is any great feat. I simply weighed too much in high school!).

I love to have in depth conversations with people, see how others think and find out what has shaped them into who they are. Because I like it when people are bold enough to ask me personal questions, I forget it can make others uncomfortable when I ask blunt questions of them. I hope they understand I am not trying to be nosy, only wanting to truly understand where they are coming from.

There you have it--more than you ever cared to know about me. You can blame Christine for it, okay?

For my part in this diabolical game, I tag:

Cyndi
Dianne
e-Mom
kpjara
Mary
MiPa
Rachelle