Read The Shack!

I know some of you have heard me talk about the book The Shack by William P. Young. It was suggested to me by my friend Michelle at church who said, "You just HAVE to read this book!" Many of you also know that I am the slowest reader when it comes to finishing what I start reading. I think it took me years to read Anthony Rapp's "Without You" and I've read two books in the Wicked trilogy, but that was accomplished due to Hurricane Ike.

Go buy this book or go to the library and take it out. You won't put it down! It is indeed fiction, but puts a human face (or faces) to the Holy Trinity, and it puts into perspective how you would cope with the death of a child, what is your relationship with God, how do you reconcile and forgive? Young described the title of the book is a metaphor for “the house you build out of your own pain”.

Young never claims to have written the book based directly on the teachings of The Bible. In fact according to wikipedia.com, he initially wrote it as a Christmas gift for his children, and after sharing it with friends, was presuaded to have it published. Sure there have been critics who have come out against the book saying it is heresy, scripturally low and there are theological problems. Eveyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I suggest you read it and come up with your own conclusions.

One suggestion I have is to read it with pen or highlighter in hand. I wish I had thought of it sooner, but towards the middle, I started underlining the lines that stood out for me. The other is to talk about it with someone else who has read it to get their insight and perception of the book. Michelle, another friend Gretta and I plan on getting together Good Friday over lunch to talk about it. (They were waiting for me to finish it!)

If you read it, let me know what you think. It's a great book anytime, but particularly apropos for this Lent and Easter season.

Spring Break Photos

Spring Break in PA

Maia, Evan and I made our way (by car) to Pennsylvania for our Spring Break. It was a whirlwind trip, but great to see our friends and family!

We left about 5 p.m. Friday and after taking an hour to get out of Houston, we followed 59 North until we headed towards Arkansas at Texarkana and ended up staying the night in Hope, Arkansas - "the birthplace of Bill Clinton"...I considered driving to the next town, but I had decided to drive until midnight and it was already 12:30 a.m. We woke up early and continued our trip around 7 a.m. crossing into Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia until we reached Pennsylvania and Scottdale at 1 a.m.

The next day we went to one of our favorite places we miss Eat n Park where we saw a ton of people we know. It made me realize it's good to have some anonymity when your out in Houston. It also amazed me how many people didn't realize we had moved! From there we headed to Monroeville to visit with my in-laws and the kids could play with the cousins.

Monday - my friend Kelli took the day off work to help me start sorting through stuff we had left at the house. I was so proud of myself that I gave away two lawn and leaf bags of sweaters to Goodwill! We decided after Maia and her friend Abbey who was skipping school and stayed the night woke up to head back to E n P for breakfast...yummmm! Later in the afternoon I took my mom to the cataract specialist where we waited for an hour to have a five minute consultation for him to tell her to do nothing and they would check her eyes every six months. A conclusion that seemed to satisfy everyone including my mom who had already made her mind up she wasn't having surgery. For dinner Kelli, her daughter Kaitlyn, Maia, Abbey and I went to Friday's and then Gabes. Boy do I miss cheap clothes! :)

Tuesday - slept in until 9:30 with Maia, worked more at the house. Evan and I had dinner with my friend Janet at NY Pizza and Pasta in Connellsville since it was St. Patty's Day at Bud Murphy's was a mad house. Maia had taken off with Abbey for Sea Base after school.

Wednesday - Lunch with my friend Marilyn and the kids at Italian Oven. Later that evening we had a casual get to gether at Carson's where Evan, Maia and I all had friends come join us for wings and a drink!

Thursday - Evan went to Southmoreland High School with his friend Matt Thompson and so Maia and I went to Olive Garden for breakfast, then stopped at Gabes where I picked up a dress that I should have gotten the first time we were there! That evening we had Fox's Pizza (double yum) with Grandma! :) Abbey stayed over again since she was skipping school again.

Friday - Last day in Scottdale. Kind of bittersweet, but I was missing Eli a ton and was ready to get back to warm Texas weather. I drove Evan and his friends to the mall and Maia went to HotShots with Abbey and met up with Kaitlyn. Meanwhile Kelli and I got a bite to eat and a drink at Carson's and then hung out at her house until it was time to pick up the kids.

Saturday - We left about 9 a.m. and went a different route than we had come up because I wanted to meet my friend Tracey's new little girl she adopted from China this summer - Sophie. Contrary to popular belief, traffic wasn't bad around Bristol even though there was a NASCAR race there that weekend. We arrived in Knoxville about 6 and had dinner with Tracey, her husband Michael and their children Nicholas (who is two days older than Eli) and Sophie. We then got back in the car and drove as far as Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Sunday - Got up early and headed out at 7 a.m. to head home through Mississippi and Louisiana before getting to Texas around 5 p.m. I've never been so happy to see Texas license plates and familiar roads once I got off awful I-45!

It was a good trip. Don't think I'll be driving it any time again soon. Last week was spent putting finishing touches and getting photos in for the Summer edition of Cy-Fair Magazine! :)

First Sunburn

Yes I managed to get my first sunburn of 2009 at the Knights of Columbus Chili Cook off we went to this weekend. It was one of those overcast most of the time with sun part of the time days, and I'll admit when the sun was out I was in it! We went to the chili cook off because Jeff's work has participated the past few years. This year there was dual meaning for competing. Dominion was returning as Overall Champion and seven or eight metal manufacturers (competitiors and clients) also compete amongst themselves for honor and the coveted metal cup. Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?

The Knights of Columbus of Houston is currently in transition as a new headquarters is being built in conjunction with a church, so an agreement was made with a local bar owner to lease the parking lot for a day for the event. Many of the cookers had been there since 8 a.m., so by the time we arrived there was fajita meat and sausages cooked on the grill and various beverages were being consumed as the chili slowly cooked under Connie's watchful eye.

The drive itself was an adventure, but isn't it any time you get on I-45 towards the city? Personally I would avoid 45 at all costs because the stress of driving in the traffic can make my arrival at any event less than pleasant. I digress - anyway, we stayed until they judged the metal company competition, amusing ourselves by tasting various chilies while pretending to be aficionados thanks to the Food Network, and just taking in all of the sights and smells from the karaoke to the kids running to the ice cream truck and the dog standing on the street waiting for a handout.

As the judges made their way down the line to test the chili, the tension in the air rose as it was determined there was a tie between two chilies and a sudden death taste off was to determine the winner...and we came in second. By 2:30 we were ready to hang up our chili cook off shoes. Jeff at one point said, "who would have though at this time last year, we would be here!"

It was indeed an experience to remember and in hindsight I would go again next year (with sunblock) when Dominion once again defends their Overall Championship at the 2010 Knights of Columbus Chili Cook off . After all - it's all for charity (the K of C's largest fundraiser of the year), so no matter what - it's a good thing.

Leaving for PA next week

Evan, Maia and I are so excited to head home to Scottdale, PA next Friday for Spring Break! We have a lot on the agenda. Most importantly I'm going to be clearing what's left in the house at 307 out so my mom can put it on the market this summer. I've heard there have been some good improvements and I can't wait to see them. Of course we all want to see our family and friends that we miss so much!

We will leave when the kids get out of school early and drive as far as Memphis and stay the night at a Best Western, then we'll get up and drive the rest of the way. On the way back we'll stop in Knoxville to see my friend Tracey so I can meet her new little daughter Sophie who she adopted from China last summer.

I'm hard at work on my Summer edition of Cy-Fair Magazine that will come out mid-may which means I have to have all of my writer's stories turned in before I leave for PA - so next week will be a little hectic to say the least.

I joined Windwood Presbyterian officially last Sunday. It's been my family and home away from home since we moved here, so it seemed only right and natural to become an "official" part of the church.

Eli's sleeping and I have work to do - so I'll check in again soon!

P.S. If you read the comment on my last post - it was "not by Evan". wink wink ;) Ah my 15-year-old is such a comedian!

Getting regular

No I'm not talking about prune juice and fiber! I used to be very faithful at this blogging thing and lately I've fallen off a bit. Not that there's nothing happening in our lives, I just have to find the time to write or remember to.

The membership class went well. To my surprise there were close to 20 people there. Some had been raised Presbyterian and were simply joining because they moved across town, but others were from Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran and Baptist backgrounds. I don't think little old CUP had 20 people join the church in all the years I was there since my return. Anyway, we are already officially new members, but will be received during the 11 o'clock service on the 1st of March. Then, Bob (our worship and arts director) asked me to sing during the service that day as well - yikes! I'm not sure what I'm going to sing yet. Some of it hinges on if Bob will be around. He is currently in New Jersey visiting his mom who is in the hospital with complications from stage 4 cancer.

I'm reading a really interesting book. It's called The Shack by William Paul Young. Mom - has Book Club tackled this one yet? It was recommended by a friend of mine from church who read it and another lady in the church is reading it as well and once I'm done we're going to have coffee and discuss it. Without giving too much away for those of you who want to read it - it's about Mack who is dealing with the death of his youngest daughter (who was abducted and murdered) and how God comes to him to help him deal with his loss, pain, and his faith.

Evan will turn 15 this Sunday. It's hard to believe my baby is close to driving and three years from going off to college! Mike will come on on Friday to spend some time with him until Sunday about noon since it's a good drive back to Eagle Pass for him. I guess we'll have our family celebration Sunday afternoon and evening.

I think that's it for now. The kids and I are looking forward to heading home to PA in a few weeks! :)

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

(Maia and her friend Kaitlyn at the Houston Zoo)

Today's weather (mid-70's) is exactly why Jeff and I moved down here to Texas! It is going to be gorgeous the next couple of days with temps in the mid-70's. Okay, so Sunday it's supposed to rain, but still be warm.

This Sunday the choir is off, but the bell choir is playing, A Servant's Heart is singing and I have to stay for three hours after the second service for a "new members" meeting which I guess is required to join the church, however being raised in the Presbyterian church I think it's kind of goofy to have to sit about learning about the Presbyterian denomination. I understand it for real newcomers, but oh well.

I found a new house for us to rent next year. It was my hope that we would be able to buy, but unless we can finagle a down payment of $9,000 in the next month, it will have to wait another year. We can come up with 5k, so donations for the other 4 would be accepted! :) We are going to rent a home smaller than the one we're in now. It's a three bed room and coincidentally right beside Eli's babysitter Esmeralda, so it's right down the road, keeping the kids in their schools. It's a one-floor open plan and the lady who owns it said her electric bill in the summer is half of what I paid this summer! I'm hoping our landlady will let us out of our lease two months early so we can move in at the beginning of April. It is a lease to own, so in a year Jeff and I will have first choice if we want to go ahead and buy the home through owner financing or a commercial lender.

We found out earlier this week that Maia's friend Kaitlyn is moving not only from the plan, but to Humble (pronounced "umble") here in April. It will take her to an entirely new school district just before the year is over. I think Maia is pretty bummed about it, but since she's the only other girl in this plan, it doesn't bother her to move in a few months herself. Maia came with us to see the house and announced right away that she liked it.

Work is going well. The Spring issue went to print this week and next week I'll be finalizing my editorial calendar for Summer. The kids and I are excited to be making the trip back home to PA in March. However Evan has already said he's concerned it will be "cold" up there still! Well that's all for now. I should go out and enjoy the rest of the day - if only Eli didn't like to keep my hostage at home!