Santa & His Reindeer

So....today we were reined in to (there I go w/ my puns again) going to a second hand mommy/baby store today because there was an actual Reindeer in their parking lot for kids to see.

Naturally, I wanted Josefine to see the Reindeer as she has a love for all kinds of animals. Sadly, I did not have my camera, but alas, this post will not remain without photos. :) Anyway, my friend, Julie's family and our family went to see the Reindeer after Sunday lunch. And you wouldn't believe it...they had MILK and COOKIES to offer. But, not without a "price." We had to see Santa first.

Jim's grandpa Jacque looks just like Santa with his long, white, fluffy beard (he even wears red suspenders), and he "plays" Santa in the mall and at parades, making sure to tell the children that sit on his lap that Jesus loves them (his sweet way of carrying out the love the Jesus when the world gets caught up in commercialism), so because Grandpa Jacque is pretty much the best Santa ever, it wasn't high on my priority list to see a not-so-cool and no-related-to-us Santa. But, they had COOKIES, ya hear. And Josefine LOVES cookies. She can say and sign the word "cookie," so it's pretty much irresistable. So, I figured we could at least walk by Santa. Oh...my...goodness. As soon as I put that child down 5 feet away from Jolly Old Saint Nick she was attaching herself to me like a leech. But, with my history with Santas over the years, I don't blame the poor girl. Do ya think being terrified of fat men in red suits is hereditary?


Age 2: Not so excited about Santa...

Age 4: ABSOLUTELY terrified out of my clothes about Santa...

Age 27: Not so bad...because this is Santa Jacque. :) (P.S. Josefine IS in this picture...in my belly.)

Training in Pun Mastery

Ok, you've all heard them and have groaned at the sound of an approaching pun. Anyone ever had Dr. Myron or Dr. Schmidt as a prof? I have and I LOVED them! Not just because they're amazingly smart, but because they pull off the BEST puns EVER.

I'm going to make the rest of you wish you had let Dr. Myron break your kneecaps for real after this post. :)

So, Jim and I were talking about humor the other day. The best kind and the worst. The best kind, or considered the most intelligent kind of humor, is the making of puns. As my friend, Ange put it, you actually have to think to be funny! The worst kind, mostly from my perspective is sarcasm, which usually includes making someone else feel stupid so that you can feel smart without much thinking. I would say that it's the most inconsiderate kind of humor at it's lowest level. I don't mind some of the higher forms of more considerate sarcasm with the right group of people whom you already know you love and love you. I'm not totally bashing sarcasm, just saying that it has it's limits.

I'm sure puns have their limits as well, but they're much more innocent and less offensive and even more fun, if you like the challenge.

Tonight, I had a really punny conversation with aforementioned friend, Ange, on a Facebook thread of comments. As I read the conversation aloud to Jim, I was laughing so hard, there were tears running down my cheeks.

I felt it was only fair to share this jolly pun-making with you and copy our conversation here for you to "listen in" on.

Here's a little background to get you up to speed (you'll get why that's in italics later). We had just gotten together with Ange (who has a very interesting blog post that you REALLY should read) and her sister Julie for some games. We ended up playing a game called "Ticket to Ride," a fun Train game that was loads of fun, but Ange had to leave early.

Here's the conversation:

Ange: So, who won the game?

Sarah: Haha, well...we didn't count at the end, but we're sure Jim got the longest train. By the time we were done, I think my eyeballs were too tired to count up my winnings...I'm sure I could have, but yeah. Jim was willing to just clean up w/o finding out who won, either. Which I felt bad about at first, but he was cool w/ it. :) So, in short, we don't know who won! :D It was really fun, though. I'd play again now that I understand it!

Ange: Good! I'm sure he did win since he had the longest train and he had that long one at the bottom too! It's a fun game, we really enjoy it!

Sarah: ALL of his trains were totally connected and made one long train. So...yeah. He prbly kicked our cabooses... HA, I crack myself up.

Ange: That's a good one! You clever girl you:o)

Sarah: What can I say, I'm off the rails. :D

Ange: Oh boy! Man, I'm racking my brain for a good one here and I'm totally de-railed in my thoughts!

Sarah: Bahahahaa... :) Nice one! :D You've stopped me in my tracks with your subtle wit!

Ange: You conduct those puns like a pro!!!

Sarah: That's right, I'm not just blowing steam here!

Ange: Nothing like tooting your own horn or anything, kind of proud of yourself aren't you?

Sarah: It's been crossing my mind lately, that I should put the breaks on this pride thing. Nothing like a good friend to keep me STATIONary...

Ange: Oh man that was like 3 in 1 - you rock!:o) I should probably transit myself to bed here pretty soon :o/

Sarah: Sure thing...don't want to tie you down to this train of comments all night!

Now don't even tell me you didn't laugh...at least a little bit? Just one little chuggle?

Yeah, I know, that was a stretch...you're all aboard with these puns.

Oh, and one more thing...one GREAT thing about puns is that you know you've connected with someone when you can hold an entire conversation using puns! HA! HA! HA-choo...bless me.

I'm afreight to say that this may be getting a little out of hand, so I should really end this post before I lose track and I begin to express my true feelings. There's no doubt that this post has reached the end of the line...

You have to admit, this pun thing requires a great amount of engineuity. *snort*

What's for Dinner?

Not sure about the wisdom of this, but we're having Taco Soup for Conny, from Melanie. :) I'm not questioning the widsom of it because it isn't a super-yummy, super-easy recipe, but because I have these two terribly nasty canker sores from biting the inside of my mouth last week. Yuck. And MOST of the ingredients in this soup are tomatoes. I normally love tomatoes. In fact, they've been a huge part of my cravings this pregnancy, but tomatoes and canker sores don't often mix. We'll see what happens...

Another thing...I've got a dentist appt. tomorrow, and the last week or so of brushing hasn't been quality near those awful sores. I feel bad for my dentist. I'm also just now questioning why I just told you all of that. Hmmmm....well, either way, you really should try this recipe. And you might enjoy it a little more than Iwill if you don't have canker sores. :/

Small-Town-Central-Iowa-CULTURE-SHOCK

I had a photoshoot about 30 miles north of us today (a 3 month shoot with the sweetest little boy!!) and on the way home, I had a hankerin' for a Coke. So, I stopped at the McD's in town before I left and got a li'l kiddie meal w/ a Coke and a toy for Josefine. I guess I'd forgotten just how SMALL a small Coke is! Before I was halfway done with the fries, the Coke was gone...bummer! I couldn't possibly finish my fries without Coke. Well, at least that's what my pregnant brain was telling me. :)

It was then, I realized I was going the wrong way. Usually, that's disappointing, but this time, I was relieved to have to turn around and pass McD's again. I was entertaining the idea of getting another small Coke. Well, in my absent-mindedness, I missed the exit for the ONLY town in the area that has a McD's. I was doomed. 30 minutes left on the road, 1/2 a bag of fries and 4 chicken nuggets, and NO COKE. I called Jim and asked if there was a place to stop for a Coke in the next town I'd be entering before getting home. He assured me there was not. Deep down, I know this tiny town through which I was passing didn't even have a gas station, why would it have ANYthing else?

As I was passing through, I saw a sign that said "business district." Perfect! So, I followed the sign and found...well, nothing more than a bunch of dilapidated buildings and two guys talking by their pickups. So, I stopped and rolled down my window. The guys approached me and asked what they could do to help.

"I know this sounds really dumb," I introduced, "But, I'm looking for a Coke."

One of the men looked as though he were thinking really hard. Seriously? He finally answered "Well, there's a vending machine around the..." then he paused.

"Wait," he continued. "Do you mean a real Coca-COLA?"

I thought to myself, "ummm, yeah...that's why I said COKE." But, instead answered, "Yep, a real Coca-cola."

His reply. "You're not gonna find one of those in this town."

You're kidding, right? Wow...I must be well, experiencing small-town-central-Iowa-culture-shock!

First, apparently around here a 'coke' is the general term for 'pop' or in other cases, 'soda'. And second...not a Coke (the brand) to be found in an entire TOWN!

Not sure how our conversation ended, but he did suggest that maybe the bar would have something, so I thanked him for helping and found my way back to the main road out of town.

On the way out of town meant that I would be passing the bar. How in the WORLD could a BAR be a temptation for ME? Well, it was. I really, really, really wanted a Coke. When I passed the bar, I saw that there were two entrances. One said...well, "bar" on the door and the other door said "Pizza Pick-Ups". I figured I couldn't possibly get into an awkward situation if I went to the Pizza Pick-Up door. So, I did. Desperate for Coke.

No one was there...but, someone came over from the "other" side of the building and asked what they could help me with. I told them I was looking for a Coke.

"Sure!" the man chimed. "Just come on over here!"

Great.

Well, I followed him into a little place that didn't look like a bar at all. It looked like a little sit- down restaurant. There were two guys eating lunch and a nice lady at the counter who kindly got me a fountain Coke (just what I was looking for!) and bid me a good day. That was it? No, smoke-filled room with beer-drinking brawlers? Ok, then. I can handle that. One would think that a small town bar would be just that...well, I did anyway. And I'd never want to say I went into a small town bar either...because the one in OUR small town is NOT like that at all. Not sure how to interpret all of this...or how to feel about it, necessarily...

But, I got my Coke. It was a happy ending, at least.

30 Days of Thankfulness .Day 5.

I'm thankful for the cute little guitar Joy Sherman gave me. Jim is re-teaching me the basics (and it's coming back quickly, YAY!) and we're singing "Jesus Loves Me..." Another truth I'm so thankful for.

Every night before bed, we sing "Jesus Loves Me" to Josefine. And she yawns in the middle of the song each time. It's fun to know that seems to be a bedtime cue for her. Although I've often wondered if this will lead to her falling asleep during Sunday School in the future! Haha!

Really, though...lately when we've been singing it to her, I've been putting a bit more thought into it. I'm trying not to just "sing" it or teach Josefine that Jesus loves HER, but I'm trying to ingest that yes...Jesus loves ME, too.

The words "they are weak, but He is strong" have really stood out. I don't think I take that thought with me throughout the day. I come to something difficult and most often, my immediate thought is..."I can't!" Well, it's a good thing I realize that it is I who cannot...in my own power. But, have I really lived out the truth that it is GOD who is made strong in my weaknesses?

"'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. ... For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"Bacon" Made Me Cry

It's 9:30pm.

About an hour ago, I got home from a Bible Study on gratefulness...a great study and made me think hard about a lot of things. Jim asked me how the study went, so I told him, and I added about sixty bajillion extra thoughts I'd been having the past few days about the topic of gratefulness, my reaction to "not traveling" lately...my thoughts about feeling as though I'm half "home" and half not, and the struggle therein. Basically, I spilled my missionary wife guts out to him. He listened sweetly. He nodded and said "uh, huh" and indicated that he understood. Then, when I was finally out of breath I asked the common "know what I mean?" question. It was right then I had this incredible craving for bacon. "Jim...I want bacon." Then, I burst into tears. He gave me hug. The sweetest, most understanding, loving hug...and now, he's on his way to the nearest grocery store to pick up some bacon for me.

What a guy. I am so blessed...and so grateful for husband with a listening ear and willing servants heart...to fetch me bacon at 9:30pm.

An Ode to Lessons Learned

On Tuesday night, I joined my dear MIL as she attended a meeting for a local writing club. At first I was going because I wanted to spend some time with her, doing the things she liked and it was only a bonus that I enjoy a little writing myself. As it turned out, I was challenged and inspired. They were sharing their "odes" from the previous assigment, and I was privileged to be able to hear some of their work, especially my MIL's ode...it was my favorite. I decided that I would go home and write an ode, too.

Lately, the Lord has brought our miscarriage to mind through circumstances in lives of loved ones, and I remember the lessons He taught me as He carried me through that difficult time. So, I wanted to write my ode (which, I learned is often in the form of a poem) to the lessons I learned.

-----

An Ode to Lessons Learned

October would bring a joy to us,
baby #2.
Our hearts were filled with eagerness
but some fear and nervousness, too.

See Josefine was only
A fresh, young 9 month old.
And here, we would be welcoming
A new little one to hold?

Could I question God’s plan in this?
Could I trust Him to provide?
For the strength to give more sleepless nights,
I needed to survive.

But a Mother’s heart is born to give
And I knew that God would bless.
All I needed to do was trust,
And believe that His way is best.

Soon my fears gave way to joy,
eager to meet this one, so small.
Already my heart was part of this dream
And my flesh, part of this miracle.

But one day there was a trickle of blood,
A sign that something was wrong.
I prayed that this might be a fluke,
And it wouldn’t continue for long.

God seemed to have a different plan
And the bleeding continued for days.
Again I questioned if this could be
part of His perfect way.

The doctor told us that there was
“99% chance”
that this pregnancy wouldn’t work;
there was no way it could advance.

Then, I looked to God’s Word for guidance,
Sought His wisdom and His peace.
And realized that whatever the outcome,
His love for me would never cease.

But hope still lingered and faith was strong
That maybe…our baby could be alive.
I prayed with tears that the statistics were wrong.
Could this little one survive?

It struck me that prayer is a delicate thing,
You trust and yet you ask
For something that your heart so desires
For a life that would last.

March was the month that brought the answer,
we officially said good-bye
To hopes of an October baby.
Relief mingled with sadness, our mixed reply.

It wasn’t long before I saw
That what would really last
Was knowing that it was God’s goodness
That harbored me in the past.

His love would bring me comfort now,
Just as it had before,
When the storms of life would throw me down,
Leaving an open door...

To build my faith upon His Word
And believe that through all the pain,
He never will leave, nor forsake;
My loss is His glory’s gain.

Time: Eh, it's Relative

Time flies...TOO fast. On our drive up to MN, we were playing "Name That Tune" to help pass the time. I got up to 27 pts. and said "Hey! That's how old I am!"

To which Jim replied, "Last year, that's how old you were."

"I know," I said, and with GREAT emphasis proceeded to explain. "Last year...in December...I turned 27."

"You were born in 1981 and in December 2010 you will be 29." said Jim, very matter of fact. It's his gift. :/

And without skipping a beat, I screamed "NOOOOOOoooooo!" And we laughed with tears in our eyes for the next few miles. I know, not safe while driving (in a windy rainstorm, no less)

I'm not even joking. I really thought I was 27 and was mortally wounded to hear I was GOING to be 29 on my next birthday. *sigh*

Here's another back-up story to prove this isn't the first time this has happened.

I visited Jim's office in the maintainence bldg. last spring. And my friend, Jamie had noted her birthday on the calendar. She wrote "Jamie's 26th Birthday" sometime in May.

"Jamie!" I exclaimed. "I thought you were younger than I am! We're the same age...in May, you'll be 26, and I'm 26 now, so we'll be the same age for 7 months. Then, I'll be 27 in December."

Jamie wasn't so sure. "Aren't you 27 now?"

"No." I replied as matter-of-fact as Jim might. "I'm 26. I'm sure of it."

Then Jim walked in the room.

"I'm 26, right Jim?" I tried to confirm.

"No, Sarah. You're 27."

"WHAT?! You're kidding me!" I really need to keep up with my birthdays.

Day Brightener

Jim bought me some roses last Monday, and all week they served as a little "Day Brightener." Everytime I would look at them or smell them (and boy, did they smell sweet!) I would be reminded of my hubbies sweet love for me, and it always brightened my day.

I'm going to share one with you...perhaps it will brighten your day, too.

Sit, Stand, Obey

Just thought I'd share a funny story from the day...but, I should warn you. It has a kissing scene in it.

Jim has had a wee bit of a cold for the last few weeks. And because of that, he's wanted to keep it to himself, so we haven't kissed on the lips for the duration. I mean, pecks on the cheek are nice and all. But, I think he was missin' his good old fashioned kisses. Well, today I was seeing him off to work after his lunch break, and I gave him a big ole smooch. As we were "saying good-bye," he murmured something that sounded like "Sit, Stand, Obey."

"WHAT!?" I pulled back and looked at him with a confused and possibly offended expression. "Sit, stand, obey? I'm not sure that sounds like a good thing...what ARE you talking about?"

"I said," Jim defends himself, "I could stand here ALL DAY."

"Oh...okay."

And we proceeded to "say goodbye."

Happy Post Valentine's Day! Sit, Stand, Obey!

Stockings!

Oh, wow. I haven't written a post in for-ev-er...and I feel like a loser. Well, only KIND OF like a loser. A little bit...

I mean, seriously - it's been so C-R-A-Z-Y busy. I can't even begin to tell you.

But, I'll try.

First, we went on a road trip to Colorado for some meeting and to see the fam. Fun times, I tell you. FUN times. :)

I have lotsa pictures - none of which I have prepared to share. Because I am...so...busy.

Anyway - THEN, we got stuck in a blizzard on my birthday. So, I call it the Birthday Blizzard of '09. Pretty Snazzy, huh? So, the Hubs, Josefine and I stayed at a hotel on my birthday...with an indoor waterpark, which happened to be closed down because of the fa-reezing water temps. Se, we just hung out in the hotel pool, which was awesome enough, for sure. Josefine had the time of her life...I swear...this girl is a fish!

And, we finally got home last Thursday. And EvErY night (and day) since...has been BUSY. The night we got back, I had a party...Friday, Jim took me out *sigh*, Saturday we had one amazing Sunday School Christmas party with a fabulous (and hilarious) White Elephant Gift Exchage. Sunday - church, of course. Monday - a visit with our Germany-Bound friends. Tuesday was a Sign Language Class and Test, which I don't even think I've mentioned to you that I've recently taken up (and fallen in love with) Sign Language. Holy Cow...I totally don't need to bore you with my EVERY day of the WEEK busy-ness. BUT, it's just a little taste of how busy it's been.

Today, I had a wedding shoot. Beautiful and busy day for sure...I always adore weddings. I never cease to shed at least one tear out of happiness for the lovely couple. And here, I'm supposed to be taking pictures! Anyway - I've got tons of photos to update my photography blog with, too. See what I mean? Is your head spinning with MY schedule yet? I wouldn't be surprised. Mine is. ;)

And here, I've titled my post "Stockings." Oh, rabbit trail.

This is one thing that I've been spending all of my free time on...stockings! :) I have to make mine yet, but I was too excited not to show you Jim's and Josefine's! :)

This is where I got the pattern!

Tooshie Talk

Soooo, it's been like, forever since I've posted. My sincere apologies! We've been on the road and busy, busy...so, I'm guessing, until we get home...my posting habits may not improve much. But, alas...I have a fabulous photo of my Josefine and her new Teddy Bear that I would love, love, LOVE to share. I mean, I like it so much, I've entered it in this weeks I ♥ Faces Photo Challenge - the category is TOOSHIES! :) I also liked it well enough to post it on my facebook as my profile pic (sorry to my FB friends if this is WAY overdone) and to post it as today's Everyday Josefine post.

This is NOT a Giveaway, but you WILL win!

I just ordered 100 4x8 Customized Christmas Cards from SeeHere. The best part: I only paid shipping! :) Wahoo!

Here's the dealio - and how YOU can score 100 FREE Customized Christmas Cards, too.

Ok, so my photographer friend, who took our family pictures, sent me this *amazing* link with TWO *amazing* deals, and {free} is what I call a DEAL!

And a little something to get your Holiday Cheer on the right foot! :)

Our Family Picture Day

Remember Picture Day? Back in Elementary School...when your mom would dress you in the weirdest possible outfit and tell you to "smile with your teeth?" Actually, I'm sure it was ME who chose the weirdest possible outfit, but my mom did remind me to smile with my teeth. :)

Well, yesterday - oh, blessed yesterday - was OUR family picture day. I kinda felt all nervous, like "Will I look stupid and fat and will my double chin protrude like the dorsel fin on the Great White?" Okay, okay...It was the only thing I could think of...weird. But, still. I was actually NERVOUS about being photographed. I mean, Hello, I do it with people all the time. And, I always say "Don't be nervous. Just have fun!" So, I took my own advice and I had fun. Although, I didn't realize how much weight I've put on in the last few years (because, I've HARDLY taken a picture of myself since...who knows when) and I just assumed I always looked the same as I did in college, except with a different haircut, I do think these photos turned out marvelously (considered said double chin). Erin did a fabulous job just chillin' out and having a good time. That's my style...and I felt comfortable.

Ok, you're probably sick of the commentary already and want to see a few shots. Enjoy.

Just Because

Just wanted to post a li'l something...just because. :)

And a favorite verse I've been pondering on lately:

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

What Keeps Me Up at Night...

Have you ever gone to bed, your body ready to drift off, but your mind is still going, going, going? Has your body ever fallen half asleep and you're startled awake by some odd half-dream?

Has that dream ever been you, doing the Hammer Dance in the church kitchen to MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This," while gathered around you in a circle, are a bunch of ladies from church, clapping and bobbing to the music?

I have.

Just last night.

And annoyingly enough, it took for-ev-er to get that song out of my head. I even tried reciting verses I had memorized earlier. "I will rejoice and be glad...can't touch this..." Oh, for serious.

...thank you for blessing me, with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet.
Stop,
'Picture' Time...

Fish + Face = Funny.

Ok, you're REALLY going to think I'm nuts (if you don't already) after this post...

Today is Friday. Which means, Homesteaders Heart is hosting her weekly "Friday Funnies!" I always enjoy hearing a funny story, and I do love contributing my own funny stories as well. Under Grace and Over Coffee is also hosting her bit'o "Caffienated Randomness." Funny, random, funny, random...fandom, runny...it's all the same to me.

So, I was thinking...it's Friday. I need to come up with something funny...and random. And it hit me, like a fish in the face...something randomly funny DID happen today.

Here's the scoop.

My dear mom-in-law was having a not-so-funny day, so she randomly called up her darling son and daughter-in-law (that's us) and greeted us by saying, "Tell me something funny." Jim answered the phone, so he was the lucky one on the spot. Being that he isn't as spontaneous as me, he stuttered for a brief second and said..."my hair is getting long and I wore a hat all day. So, now I have hat-head."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, that's not funny (or random)...it's...true."

He replied, "She laughed, though."

"Okay, I'll give you that."

Then, in my devious little mind, I began conniving funny things from my poing of view. I mean, hat-head really isn't as funny as all that.

I started laughing out loud (LOL - I never use that, but thought it was appropriate this time) to myself.

Jim asked "What's so funny?"

I shoot back another extremely random question, "Have you ever been slapped in the face with a fish? You know, like on TV?" *I honestly can't recall ANY time I've seen someone getting slapped in the face with a fish, but it's vaguely familiar as a comedic action and seems pretty funny...if you ask me.

"No." Jim answered. Famous last words.

Lucky me, we had fish for dinner. A Rainbow Trout prepared deliciously by Cracker Barrel (it was take out, folks...don't worry, we weren't out in public). And if you've ever had Cracker Barrel's Rainbow Trout dinner, you'll know that it's prepared skin-on.

I normally NEVER touch the skin...but, this was worth it.

As Jim was innocently chatting away with his mom, I picked up the fish skin and...you guessed it, slapped him in the face with it. So. Random.

"Well, you have now!" I was laughing so hard I was crying.

"You just slapped me in the face with a fish!" Jim couldn't control his laughter.

"I....know...." still laughing.

"Mom, Sarah just slapped me in the face with a fish!" I could hear her laughter on the other line.

"How's that for funny (and random)?" I asked as I wiped away the tears on my cheeks. "Now, you can NEVER say you haven't been slapped in the face with a fish. How cool is that?"

Later, Jim handed the phone to me. He said, "Mom says I'm not funny. She wants to talk to you." Mind you...Jim really is funny. Very funny. Maybe this just wasn't his night.

So, I talked to Mom-in-law and like any good mother, she said that slapping her son in the face was 'mean'. But, deep down...I knew she thought it was funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You think I forgot to post a picture...no way, no how. Enjoy. Here is the funny man...singing Chicago's "You're My Inspiriation" to me. He's on the "...no one needs you more than I need yooooouuuuu" part. How much more random can one get...and I without the caffiene. Creepy.

I love this man.

Framed: The Unusual Kind

I'm a lover of photography and photos...and of course, what's a photo without a frame?

My latest acquirement is really unique...and I like it! Got it from Target and it's exhibiting some of my very favorite photos of Josefine.



Have a splendid day - and be inspired...go out and frame some of your favorite photos that deserve to be displayed. It brings such life and joy to our home to have smiling faces all over our walls! When we take loooong trips, I even bring some of my favorite framed photos to make everywhere we go feel a little more like home.

All Too Familiar

It's fall. Again. And it's all too familiar for me.

I can't tell you how many Iowa falls I have lived (well, maybe I can - I just don't want to do the math). And each year...the same feelings are evoked by the same cool, brisk air. The same darkening skies. The same desires to run again. It IS cross country season, right? The same fleeting memories of marching band. The same, the same, the same.

And you know what? It's not supposed to be "the same" anymore. My heart longs for change...I guess I was called to be a missionary. It's clear to me that I'm ready. Ready to take the next step and create new familiarities...a fresh "same thing."

But, first things first. God wants me to experience another Iowa fall...and, like anything, I ought to embrace it with thanksgiving. Because all too soon - the "all too familiar" - will be a bajillion miles away. And I'll be missing it.

Fall Flower: Captured October 2008

Why We're Meant to Be...

This is so random...but, I think I've discovered why Jim and I are meant to be.

Back Story: I got my hair trimmed today and picked up a new product...and it makes my hair smell like - shaving cream - blegh. Should I take it back???

ANYhoo, I joined my hubby on the couch and said, "I'm sorry, my hair smells like shaving cream."

And at that VERY SAME time, he said " You want some Ice Cream?"

I can't very well put the experience in words...but, we said the word "Cream" at the same time...and we cracked.up. We are SO meant to be.

On a sidenote: One of the extra's on the Monsters vs. Aliens movie is the song "Let Your Freak Flag Fly."

And...that's prbly how we met. *wink*

And because a post is ALWAYS better with a picture...

Gotta Love'm