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28 February 2007

The Long and Short of It

I have a gross story to tell. Here is the long detailed, "flowery" wife-version. For the short, to-the-point husband-version, scroll to the end until you see the picture of Enoch and Rosalind.

We went to my church's MOM's Unlimited meeting today (www.gracechapelpa.org), and after getting the boys to their classes, I sat at my table, took off my coat, and fed Rosalind, who was waiting patiently, still in her pajamas. When we finished, I took her to the nursery where I changed her clothes and left her with the care-takers, and returned to the large meeting room.

Since Nancy had already started teaching, I discreetly sat at my table in the front row, and quietly began to take notes. The "Marriage Moment" topic was about choosing to let your husband be the man--the way God created him. (One example she gave was to get to the point when you're telling a story.) It's okay, and in fact good, that your husband is different from you, and we need to be reminded to accept that and choose to give him that freedom.

There was a short 7-minute break, and I went to get a snack from the food table, since I hadn't helped myself to it earlier. I returned, and visited briefly with the ladies at my table, and then the teaching continued. I again took notes as I also finished eating the delicious coffee cake.

About 5-10 minutes later, I looked down at my watch, and there on my long black sleeve was an adult-sized cockroach, crawling on my forearm!

I reacted as I would have if it were a bee or a spider--I quickly brushed it off with my other hand and inhaled loudly through my nose and squirmed a bit in my chair, trying not to cause a huge distraction from Nancy's teaching.


Everyone at my table, as well as the 3 or 4 surrounding tables, all looked at me, but only the ladies at my table could see that the roach had been flung across the air and landed on it's back on the tile floor a few feet away.

I smiled and tried to whisper to my fellow table members what was going on without freaking out, still trying not to interrupt the whole lesson. Occasionally we would look over to see that the cockroach was still there, wriggling and moving his legs, but going no where.

After the lesson was over, Nancy saw the bug and I looked over just in time to hear the crunching sound coming from under her shoe. The roach was no more.

But the thought of where it may have come from is still haunting me. Was it hanging out at my table before I sat down? Was it from the church nursery? Did I somehow pick it up when I got my snack at the snack table? Or worse: did it come from my own house, and was it tucked away in my clothes, my bag, or my baby's car-seat?

Will I find more of his relatives in my house soon? Oh! I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about that one. It makes my skin crawl. And since I have long hair which sometimes tickles when it moves around on me, I'm finding myself very "tickle sensitive" right now. Every time I have an itch, I actually look where I'm itching. Every time I look down at my arm, I shiver and shake my head as I picture it in my mind.

Now, here's the short and sweet version for my wonderful husband, and anyone else who appreciates a story in a nutshell:


I found a cockroach crawling on me while I was sitting quietly at church today. It freaked me out a little, but now I keep thinking about where it might have come from. Eeeew! I hope we don't have them in our house!

24 February 2007

Birthday Boy



We invited some of our friends (and their kids) and a new neighbor over for barbecue pork rolls and potato salad and birthday cake. There were 10 kids and 7 adults, and one very special young adult (Lulu) who helped make the party a PARTY for the kids.

Note to self: next time, make your own cake! Store-bought birthday cakes are SO over-priced. I finally settled on a carrot cake that was delicious and a little more reasonably priced, but not the traditional birthday cake that most kids are used to. We pre-sliced the cake before blowing out the candles, so Julien only blew on his own piece, and we all could get right to eating it!

Julien takes this birthday business seriously, and rather enjoyed dressing the part with his birthday glasses which came from a card from Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson.

I just couldn't resist this photo!

Here's Lulu with the older gang of kids playing games in the basement.

Did we mention how much we love Lulu? She is the BEST!

The three youngest ones were having a rather subdued party of their own.

Isn't he a cutie?


Even Tristan was happy that it was Julien's birthday.

Five years! Where does the time go?

01 February 2007

Silly Little Gems

In the course of recording life's events, occasionally we come across those little gems: the silly photos. They're probably not the ones you'll be printing at the photo shop and framing (although I did frame this first one), but they make you laugh and stir up the emotions that go along with the memory. I have a few of these favorite silly photos that I enjoy and want to share with you. I also added a few favorite verses from Proverbs that seemed to fit the context for one reason or another. Enjoy!










"Bright eyes gladden the heart; good news puts fat on the bones." Proverbs 15:30





















"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12

























"He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently" Proverbs 13:24

















"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19

















"A joyful heart makes the face cheerful..."









"...but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken" Proverbs 15:13

















"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" Proverbs 17:22a















"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." Proverbs 4:18



















"A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, and the deeds of a mans hands will return to him." Proverbs 12:14



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