I spent most of the week wanting to delete my blog. Mostly to keep my sanity and partially to take something off my back (self-imposed, though it is, I realize).
Mike has convinced me not to delete but gave me permission to take it off of my tired back for now.
Just so you know. :)
5.29.2011
4.14.2011
What I Thought Of
The same thing has happened to me twice in a matter of months - once at the Harris Teeter Starbucks in Greensboro and then tonight, at our school night at the Ramseur McDonalds.
On both occasions, I intended to pay for my purchase with cash. Tonight, I purposely left everything else in my trunk. I ordered my food after adding up my total "in my head." Clearly I am deficient in this skill (though I have the awesome task/responsibility of teaching long division and decimals to 10 year-olds) because I was cents shy of the total on both occasions. Both times, the cashier reached into his pocket and paid my change after my embarrassed admission of the mistake (and my insistence tonight of letting me "just run to my car").
Two thoughts about this: I was struck very plainly by the realization that I'm not sure that paying someone's change would have been my first instinct had I stood on the opposite sides of these counters. Number two: that that moment of word-fumbling discomfort and inadequacy may be the tiniest hint of the REAL sense of the Romans "falling short" for me.
And I am struck, very disgustingly, by the fact that falling short feels like more of a surprise (Me? Short?) than an obvious result of my own sin and choices.
And then I am struck, maybe to just a slightly greater degree, by the fact that Christ paid my 19 cents when I had no notion of paying it, absolutely no means to pay it, and shamefully, no intention to pay it.
May we walk into Holy Week with the awe and weight of its miracle in our hearts.
On both occasions, I intended to pay for my purchase with cash. Tonight, I purposely left everything else in my trunk. I ordered my food after adding up my total "in my head." Clearly I am deficient in this skill (though I have the awesome task/responsibility of teaching long division and decimals to 10 year-olds) because I was cents shy of the total on both occasions. Both times, the cashier reached into his pocket and paid my change after my embarrassed admission of the mistake (and my insistence tonight of letting me "just run to my car").
Two thoughts about this: I was struck very plainly by the realization that I'm not sure that paying someone's change would have been my first instinct had I stood on the opposite sides of these counters. Number two: that that moment of word-fumbling discomfort and inadequacy may be the tiniest hint of the REAL sense of the Romans "falling short" for me.
And I am struck, very disgustingly, by the fact that falling short feels like more of a surprise (Me? Short?) than an obvious result of my own sin and choices.
And then I am struck, maybe to just a slightly greater degree, by the fact that Christ paid my 19 cents when I had no notion of paying it, absolutely no means to pay it, and shamefully, no intention to pay it.
May we walk into Holy Week with the awe and weight of its miracle in our hearts.
3.20.2011
Promises, Promises!
I said I'd post a picture when it was official! We actually closed on the 1st and moved in 2 weeks ago. At least it's not July yet!
We didn't actually take this picture - none of the azaleas or dogwoods (yea!) have bloomed yet - but it happens to be a great picture from a former spring, so here it is!
More to come...though that really could be July! We have spent the last several weeks doing big remodeling, moving, and celebrating both birthdays, so other pictures really are going to have to be another day. Anyway, hurray for owning a home! We are loving it and trying to keep our heads above water at the same time...a constant combination! :)
Happy Spring!
We didn't actually take this picture - none of the azaleas or dogwoods (yea!) have bloomed yet - but it happens to be a great picture from a former spring, so here it is!
More to come...though that really could be July! We have spent the last several weeks doing big remodeling, moving, and celebrating both birthdays, so other pictures really are going to have to be another day. Anyway, hurray for owning a home! We are loving it and trying to keep our heads above water at the same time...a constant combination! :)
Happy Spring!
3.11.2011
Look Who's "The Big 3-0"!
(only pic of him - by himself -that's on my phone...doesn't matter - he's always cute!)
2.01.2011
Whoops
So in December (a little later than I should've), I ordered some adorable address seals to match our Christmas cards. They were "free" - I ordered just enough for our list plus another sheet for some post-Christmas fun. Pear Tree sent me DOUBLE the order by mistake. THEN - after returning home to a mysterious package from "The Adams Family" in Idaho, we got a complete other (doubled) set. Pear Tree must have fallen asleep during the Eller Family label printing. Anyway, wads of fabulous address labels.
Best part? We've found the house. Closing by the end of February. (Pics to come when it's official...and following my current blogging rate, at least by July.)
Best part? We've found the house. Closing by the end of February. (Pics to come when it's official...and following my current blogging rate, at least by July.)
12.28.2010
Ever Eventful
Inspired by Adge's text about our family tradition of interesting Christmas Days... This year, our Christmas Day trek south. This is Mike's pic of me, post-dinner in Atlanta, hoping we could make it to Nola the next day. Meanwhile, our NC home was bracing for...a blizzard?
10.12.2010
From the Other Side
(As promised. Forgive the delay AND the hiatus. Someday, life will allow time for blogging again. Hopefully sooner than later!)
My, my, just seeing that old picture of Katie in the yellow dress brings back the most special, warm memories of that year (1998). That was a most difficult summer leading up to July. I had come to Fort Worth to visit only for a couple of weeks. Camp Travis was the agenda and I was looking forward to seeing all my Texas friends again. I was really curious to know where Katie and I would pick up from as it seemed we were showing more interest in one another than just being friends before I left for the year. I played it cool for the most part not wanting her to catch onto my curiosity. I remember gathering in the Travis sanctuary for a camp briefing and trying to find her among all the youth who were gearing up for camp.
(This time in my life was particularly hard because I was wrestling with God about some spiritual things. There was a girl I liked back home but I knew she was not what God had in mind for me and I fought hard against God on this. Thanks to a band called Plankeye, and a song called "Thrice," I was nudged by the Spirit towards obedience - but kicking and screaming. Little did I know what God had in store just around the corner (well, across the country) that summer. I arrived in Texas with lingering feelings over my battle and was probably pretty distracted.)
Distracted, I managed to not make much of a deal reconnecting with Katie at camp. I remember wanting to run into her, but in my stubbornness didn't go out of my way to find her. In fact, I didn't see much of her all week - until the last night. She found me hanging out on a low stone wall and we began catching up. This lasted for some time and I remember the complete change that happened in me through that conversation. I knew I would jump back on a plane in only a few more days, but I can remember hearing in my spirit - she's worth it. I had not dated before Katie and certainly had no prior intentions of starting a long distance relationship that week, that trip, and especially that night. BUT, she was worth it. Those feelings only grew stronger over the next couple of days until flight day.
The morning came for me to make the hour or so trip to DFW and head back to Virginia for the rest of the summer. Dave and I had a serious talk about Katie following camp but the idea didn't enter my mind twice about pursuing anything just yet. I arrived at the airport and proceeded to check-in. Fortunately (all things considered), I had missed my flight. Not by an hour, but by a day! I had the right flight time but had gone by what I was told on the phone and not what my flight itinerary said. Dave had gone in with me and we had a quick, serious talk about what to do. I convinced him to let me change my flight for another week or so later, and in light of my recent discoveries with Katie, this was a very exciting (and interesting) thing.
The situation with Dave and Christy taking out Katie for a babysitter's overview later that day setup perfectly our first Reata "date." Dave and I began quickly scheming about the evening. The original plans certainly did not include the Reata and with Katie taking church pictures that day, she would be all dolled up for this "first date." In her mind, I was long gone to Virginia. But, I showed up at her front door when she was to be picked up and the night went from there. Immediately, when she got in the car with me (both of us in the back seat), I felt it was "us."
It didn't take long for me to be completely won over and my world in those final Texas summer days was filled with wanting to spend every moment with her.
The morning before I was to fly out was a very tough one. Not because I was going to be leaving Katie, but because of the conversation I was going to have with my mom. I knew I needed to stay and after already pushing my flight back once, I knew this would be hard for my mom to hear. I remember spending the minutes before I called her crying on Dave's couch - this was a difficult thing for a 18 yr. old. "Mom, I think I need to stay for the rest of the summer…I think she's the one," I said on the phone. Without missing a beat, my mom had told me that she had been praying since I left that I would find the person God had for me. (We had had a conversation about girlfriend stuff before I left for Camp Travis and she was in deep prayer for me during this time - I found out later). She not only let me stay for the rest of the summer, she did it with her blessing and encouragement (I wouldn't have stayed otherwise).
Again, I changed my date for the trip back to DFW and waited to surprise Katie (yet again) with the news. This was the beginning of "us."
My, my, just seeing that old picture of Katie in the yellow dress brings back the most special, warm memories of that year (1998). That was a most difficult summer leading up to July. I had come to Fort Worth to visit only for a couple of weeks. Camp Travis was the agenda and I was looking forward to seeing all my Texas friends again. I was really curious to know where Katie and I would pick up from as it seemed we were showing more interest in one another than just being friends before I left for the year. I played it cool for the most part not wanting her to catch onto my curiosity. I remember gathering in the Travis sanctuary for a camp briefing and trying to find her among all the youth who were gearing up for camp.
(This time in my life was particularly hard because I was wrestling with God about some spiritual things. There was a girl I liked back home but I knew she was not what God had in mind for me and I fought hard against God on this. Thanks to a band called Plankeye, and a song called "Thrice," I was nudged by the Spirit towards obedience - but kicking and screaming. Little did I know what God had in store just around the corner (well, across the country) that summer. I arrived in Texas with lingering feelings over my battle and was probably pretty distracted.)
Distracted, I managed to not make much of a deal reconnecting with Katie at camp. I remember wanting to run into her, but in my stubbornness didn't go out of my way to find her. In fact, I didn't see much of her all week - until the last night. She found me hanging out on a low stone wall and we began catching up. This lasted for some time and I remember the complete change that happened in me through that conversation. I knew I would jump back on a plane in only a few more days, but I can remember hearing in my spirit - she's worth it. I had not dated before Katie and certainly had no prior intentions of starting a long distance relationship that week, that trip, and especially that night. BUT, she was worth it. Those feelings only grew stronger over the next couple of days until flight day.
The morning came for me to make the hour or so trip to DFW and head back to Virginia for the rest of the summer. Dave and I had a serious talk about Katie following camp but the idea didn't enter my mind twice about pursuing anything just yet. I arrived at the airport and proceeded to check-in. Fortunately (all things considered), I had missed my flight. Not by an hour, but by a day! I had the right flight time but had gone by what I was told on the phone and not what my flight itinerary said. Dave had gone in with me and we had a quick, serious talk about what to do. I convinced him to let me change my flight for another week or so later, and in light of my recent discoveries with Katie, this was a very exciting (and interesting) thing.
The situation with Dave and Christy taking out Katie for a babysitter's overview later that day setup perfectly our first Reata "date." Dave and I began quickly scheming about the evening. The original plans certainly did not include the Reata and with Katie taking church pictures that day, she would be all dolled up for this "first date." In her mind, I was long gone to Virginia. But, I showed up at her front door when she was to be picked up and the night went from there. Immediately, when she got in the car with me (both of us in the back seat), I felt it was "us."
It didn't take long for me to be completely won over and my world in those final Texas summer days was filled with wanting to spend every moment with her.
The morning before I was to fly out was a very tough one. Not because I was going to be leaving Katie, but because of the conversation I was going to have with my mom. I knew I needed to stay and after already pushing my flight back once, I knew this would be hard for my mom to hear. I remember spending the minutes before I called her crying on Dave's couch - this was a difficult thing for a 18 yr. old. "Mom, I think I need to stay for the rest of the summer…I think she's the one," I said on the phone. Without missing a beat, my mom had told me that she had been praying since I left that I would find the person God had for me. (We had had a conversation about girlfriend stuff before I left for Camp Travis and she was in deep prayer for me during this time - I found out later). She not only let me stay for the rest of the summer, she did it with her blessing and encouragement (I wouldn't have stayed otherwise).
Again, I changed my date for the trip back to DFW and waited to surprise Katie (yet again) with the news. This was the beginning of "us."
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