Tuesday Tantrum

Do you look at the caller ID before you answer the phone?
I do.
For a reason. It's called "telemarketers," and I avoid them at all costs.
For the past week, I've noticed an 800 number calling me, and not leaving a message. Today, I finally answered the unknown number, planning to nicely tell whoever it was to go away.
I answered the phone, only to hear a recorded voice tell me to "please hold, all available agents are on other lines."
Are you kidding me? You call ME, at MY HOUSE, on a HOLIDAY, and tell me to wait because you're busy??? 
I have a few good lines for telemarketers, when they are unwilling to take NO for an answer. My favorite was years ago, when someone called me on Christmas Eve. I sweetly asked for their home phone number, and told them I'd call them the following morning. haha.
Yes, I know these people are just doing their jobs. I actually worked doing telemarketing as a teenager. I know how tough it can be, and how awful people can act. I remember running into the bathroom crying after a particularly nasty man answered the phone. But having a calling system dial people's numbers, and thinking that whoever answers will sit there waiting for the telemarketer to get on the phone? I'd love to know who the brainiac behind that is.
Ok, I'm done. (smile)

Did you have a good Memorial Day? Do you have any family members in the service? If so, please give them an extra hug.

For a complete change of subject, can I ask for your prayers? My mother in law is having brain surgery in a few hours. Please pray for peace for the whole family.

So. What's going on in your neck of the woods today?

Amazing

I had an awesome tea time yesterday morning. I love tea and all the cute things that go along with it, but what makes those times priceless are the friends that I share the time with.
I have to say though, that up until two weeks ago, I never imagined in a million years who I'd be sharing a cup with yesterday.

Eighteen years ago, I arrived at a small college in Illinois, walked into my first dorm room, and  met my first roommate. Anitra and I were strangers, thrown together by "chance." Or so I thought back then. We had our share of ups and downs, most of which I attribute to being young and silly. After the first semester, she moved into a different room with one of her friends. Then I never really saw her again.
Fast forward to two weeks ago, in my little NC town. On a whim, I went to the dollar store. I smiled at the gal who was looking intently at me, wondering what could possibly be stuck in my teeth, or if my hair just looked that bad. As I was about to move my shopping cart around her, she asks if I'm Kristin.  And tells me that she's my old college roommate, Anitra. I almost didn't believe her for a minute. What in the world are the chances that I would ever run into her again, half way across the country and 18 years later?

We started chatting, and after just a minute I asked her if she'd ever forgiven me for whatever ways I'd acted ugly back then. She raised her eyebrows, smiled, and said "Girl, I don't even remember any of that, so just let it go!" Isn't God so good?

We made plans to get together, and yesterday we had tea together. Not only did we have a hard time believing that God would have us cross paths again after all these years, but it turns out that last year she actually lived on the same street that I moved from a few years ago. We laughed, trying to imagine our responses if someone had told us all those years ago that we'd be sitting together over tea in NC 18 years later.

God tells us that "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16.  While each day holds something new, and sometimes surprising, it's no surprise to God. Not only did he know, back when Anitra and I roomed at Trinity, that we'd be friends again years later, He knew it before He even created me.

His ways amaze me. And His ways are perfect. He's had a plan for me since the beginning of time, and I can't wait to see what's next.

Makin' Me Happy

I went around snapping some pics of the things that were making me smile today.
Here are a few.....

Some of my roses by the front steps..... who wouldn't smile at that?

John digging for treasure

Some plants springing up in the garden

The result of all John's "hard work". He's getting himself ready to have a campfire!

So, what's making YOU smile today?

My Day

I've felt like this all day, too!

Meeting the Queen

I met The Queen last week, for the first time.
You know which queen I'm talkin' 'bout.
One of my favorite bloggers, The Carpool Queen.

I was running only 2 minutes late, which was pretty good considering I'd just come from TJ Maxx, where I bought awesome zebra striped heels. I rushed into the Starbucks, and there was her famous self, looking all cute and stuff in a pink belted jacket. CPQ is a beautiful gal, and she has a sweet smile.
Plus, she liked my shoes. I told her I had PMS and needed to buy them, and she nodded in understanding.
And, she is tall.
Being almost 5'9" myself, I always expect everyone else to be shorter than me, and so I smiled when  I didn't tower over her by 2 feet. I think she's the same height as me.
And she has a very gentle voice, which was fun to hear, given all the funny things that come out of her when she writes.
And, I keep starting sentences with And. So I'll stop.

I ordered coffee and a treat, and she ordered some kind of drink that I don't remember because it had like 7 names to it. I even asked her to repeat it for me, but I still can't remember.

She even came bearing a gift, a dishcloth she knit all by herself. I was thankful and jealous all at the same time, because I really, really want to learn to knit. She's funny, and she knits, too.


We chatted for a few minutes, and she snapped pics of my shoes. Then I showed her my favorite camera trick with my iPhone, called QuadCamera. It takes four consecutive pictures, like this one of CPQ drinking her fancy drink:

Pretty neat, huh?

A few minutes later, who should walk past us to get to the restroom, but a clown. CPQ started snapping pictures of all the clown stuff, while I laughed and commented that she really does take pictures of EVERYTHING. When the clown came out, she told us she'd be right back, although we weren't sure why she was coming back.
She told CPQ and I that we looked like joyful people, (the joy of new shoes must have been radiating from me) and she made balloons for us.

I can't wait to see what characters we encounter next time we meet up.

Sweet Perfume

Last night it rained.
And that was a very, very good thing.

The past week, the pollen has been worse than I remember in years. EVERYthing has been completely coated in the yellow stuff. We even took pictures of our feet on Easter Sunday after walking through the grass barefoot. You know it's bad when the kids don't even want to stay outside.

This morning, we opened the door to let the dog out, and the sweet smell of spring came floating through the air. The rain had washed away almost all the pollen. The air smelled fresh and sweet, just the way a Spring morning should. I cracked the door open again and breathed in the fresh scent, and it lingered in the kitchen as I made the kids' lunches.

I was thinking this morning on the verse from 2 Corinthians 2:14 -- "But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him."

I also like the version in the New Living Translation, which says:
".... now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume."
 
For me, it's a great word picture. Do I spread the fragrance of Him? What is left lingering with someone when I leave? Do I leave the sweet perfume of the joy of Christ? Or am I leaving others coughing on the yellow pollen, polluting the air with gossip, negativity or complaints?
 
I want to be a breath of fresh air, to spread Christ like a sweet perfume. Thankfully, when I mess up, Christ comes like the rain and washes all the yuckiness away, so I can start fresh like a beautiful Spring day.
 

Behind Bars

Today my daughter Emma will be going behind bars, and won't get out for the next few years. She went to school this morning fully prepared to enjoy her last day of freedom. Actually, she's been preparing herself for the past few weeks, doing all kinds of things that she'll miss out on because of those bars. Eating Starburst, sugar gum, laffy taffy, popcorn.....

The scary thing is that if I don't comply with the rules, I may find my own self behind some bars, too. It's a "pay up or else" kinda thing. Bail is thousands and thousands of dollars. I don't prefer orange suits, so I think I'll pay up.

Emma prefers rainbow colors, so that's what she'll choose. She thinks she'll change it up a bit depending on the holidays. I told her ok, as long as she doesn't choose something gross like black and orange for Halloween.

She keeps saying that she SO does not want this, but she knows she'll be SO glad after she's released. Who doesn't love freedom?

Yeesh, I see so many analogies here this morning, but I haven't had my 12th cup of coffee yet. So maybe all the ideas in my head about choosing hard things because of the reward that follows will have to wait for another day.

I need to go run and get some pudding cups from the store. And supplies for chicken n dumplins. And some Tylenol.
This afternoon, Emma will be the proud new wearer of braces, and I will be the despondant   poor  proud owner of an orthodontics bill.

Not sure who will be needing the Tylenol.......