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More funny text exchanges

Posted on December 12, 2012 | 1 comment

I got a new phone a couple months ago because it was time for a free upgrade and my old phone was getting “quirky” the only sadness in this is that my new phone doesn’t show the number of text messages sent between myself and the other person. This does mean Simon can no longer make fun of me for the number of messages between certain people but now I can no longer judge the value of my friendships by how much I text that person.* I also was able to keep my old phone so my texting history is forever preserved on that piece of technology… I should probably guard it more carefully, but I’m not exchanging government secrets via text (and really, no one should be exchanging government secrets via text, that would be plain stooopid).

Anywho, I thought you would enjoy another edition of Funny Text Exchanges…

Me: We haven’t texted since Monday, is there something wrong with us?
Her: That’s the weirdest thing ever.

Me: You need to make yourself a reminder note that says “Dear Satan, STFU.”
Her: Ooh… we should make that on bracelets.
Me: Craft night!

Me: I cleaned all day Saturday… not my favorite [understatement of the century]
Her: Nor my gift.
Me: I rather hate it but I also hate stepping on hard toys and in sticky messes. [clearly my general cleaning standards are a bit lax]

Me: I just had a visit from your husband.
Her: I’m sure it was nothing less than pleasant.

Me: Can’t hang out tomorrow… will be on a break from real life with my college girls
Her: Just tell your college friends you’d rather hang out with me and our seven kids 🙂
Me: Wait… seven
Me: Are you pregnant? Because I am not.
Her: Sorry I can’t count

Her: I honestly don’t know what I’d do if there weren’t all of these music shows on… I am successfully wasting hours each night
Me: That’s me with so many forms of television

Me: Happy thanksgiving to you! So thankful to have you in my life!
Her: So thankful we found each other.
Her: I mean – not in a weird way.

Her: Just ate a dunkin donuts jelly donut and thought of you [I worked there in high school]
Me: I had a mcd’s diet coke yesterday and thought of you

Her: How did it go?
Me: They were wonderful… lulled into submission by Mexican food (and by Mexican food, I mean fries)

Her: Ugh – I hate sheets almost as much as I hate baths.
Me: Liam threw up in his sleep. Strange. Even more strange that we didn’t discover it happened until he went to go to bed last night.
Her: Ha! And ew. That is strange. He didn’t smell like puke this morning?
Me: Nope… it appears he just threw up off his pillow, no other mess. That is talent.
Her: Nice. We all have our own skills. Some more impressive than others.

Me: Wanna hang out sometime
Her: That would be dreamy

Me: Want to continue our cookie decorating tradition?
Her: Are we brave enough to attempt that?
Me: At your house 🙂

Her: Uh oh
Her: Just realized you left the dip
Me: Phew, thought it was puke related… I now live in fear we are going to infect the world
Her: I will start that more like: you jerk

Me: Got a new phone. I have lost our million text messages.
Her: What!?
Me: My message count is now 3
Her: Four

Me: What, you don’t want to include us in family time?
Her: I’m a cold hearted snake

Me: Another mom just parked next to me and applied new hairspray before getting out of her car to pick up her kid.
Me: I was totally judging her… bad me
Her: Yes, for shame on you for judging us thin-haired static-sufferers
Me: I am contrite.

*If you think that statement is true then I shake my head at you… some of my favorite people don’t text and I still love them greatly.

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Posted in Life in general, Texting

The most wonderful time of the year

Posted on December 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Since Thanksgiving we have been busy, busy, busy – it seems everyone wanted to get Christmas gatherings planned before the true crush of Christmas which strangely leaves me with nothing “official” for next week, a week when I would normally be super busy. This might actually mean I will get my holiday baking and goodie making done and presents wrapped prior to the night before we leave for Lansing. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a couple things planned, but no parties (except a small group get together I have misguidedly called “Adult Themed Small Group Christmas Party” on the calendar in my phone – no idea why I would call it that; we are just having a sit down meal without kids, nothing risque about it, as my title would suggest). I love this season because I am a social creature, I like spending time with people.

Despite loving the season, I still I feel the busy-ness of this time of year, it leaves my head spinning and me wondering what I am missing. I remembered that at this time last year, we were getting ready to move our office and preparing for our upcoming trip to Australia. How did I manage to stay sane last year? (Answer: the grace of God, plain and simple.) I asked my co-worker if I was crazed last year and she said, “Actually, I remember commenting to my husband about how laid back you were about everything.” Phew… I am definitely the “good in a crisis” girl. Though, being good in times of stress doesn’t mean there isn’t some debris left in my wake, but that debris is mostly contained to my own home – literally and figuratively (sorry, Simon). [It also means that we don’t normally put up a Christmas tree because then I have to add “take down Christmas tree” to my list of to-dos for January, which is the time I normally use for crashing and slothdom (because even a party-loving girl needs some downtime). But this year, we did it, we put up a tree and I realized how much I loved doing it growing up and I’m glad we can give that memory to our kids and I do promise to put up a tree from now on. Scout’s honor.]

In the midst of the busy-ness, we are taking time to drive home the reason for the season, to make sure that our kids are celebrating Jesus’ birth more than they are asking for presents from us (and everyone else, including, Santa – it’s an ongoing “battle”). On Kim’s wonderful suggestion, we purchased The Advent Book last year and my boys LOVE reading it every day (Liam opens the odd-numbered doors and Jack opens the evens). In the season where we can focus so much on “take, take, take” I want my kids to remember it’s as much (if not more) about giving as it is receiving. They get the message of receiving pound into their little brains everywhere they look, our job is to counter that message with the one that points to the manager and the giving of gifts to others. We can celebrate the season by honoring both the spirit of generosity and the discipline of graceful receiving. We are recipients of gifts that we did not earn but that are given because we are loved so much by the giver of those gifts – whether they come in swaddling clothes or pretty wrapping paper.

I love Christmas because it is a season of get-togethers and togetherness – of family and friends, and traditions new and old. And I love that, to me, as a Christian, it celebrates my Savior’s birth, giving reason and meaning to this life here on earth and I give gifts to others to honor that celebration and love.

Source: dayspring.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Music Monday: Albums

Posted on December 10, 2012 | 1 comment

If 2011 was the year of concerts, then 2012 has been the year of music downloads and lots of them being whole albums (thanks to MP3 credits and $5 deals from Amazon). I just like music and this year I’ve needed the escape that good songs and new music gives me. Here’s my recounting of my favorite albums I’ve added to my collection this year.

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow | Their voices are beautiful and the music is haunting and perfect for enjoying a good book while cuddled under a blanket on the couch.
Adele – Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Simon bought me this album as a random surprise – it’s the next best thing to seeing her perform live and in person.
Maroon 5 – Overexposed | I’ve been a longtime fan of the band and love them more from watching Adam Levine on The Voice but this album is definitely my favorite of theirs, can’t wait to see them in concert in February!
Mumford & Sons – Babel | A sophomore album that is ever better than the first.
Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons | Praise and worship music at its best and my kids like it… this absolves me from letting them listen to Party Rock Anthem, right?
Dave Matthews Band – Away From the World | Back to the DMB that I love, if you are a fan but haven’t loved their recent stuff, you need to get this album.
Ellie Goulding – Lights AND Halcyon | Love both of these albums, so glad I discovered this artist and her voice.

Best of the rest:

Tristan Prettyman | Cedar + Gold
Ingrid Michaelson | Human Again
Sugar & the Hi Lows | self-titled
Chris Tomlin | And if Our God is For Us
Newsboys | God’s Not Dead
Rick Hopkins | If Only It Was Now
Brandi Carlile | Bear Creek
Amos Lee | Last Days at the Lodge
The Lumineers | self-titled
NEEDTOBREATHE | The Reckoning
Bruno Mars | Doo-Wop and Hooligans
Jason Mraz | Love is a Four Letter Word
The Fray | Scars & Stories
Each month Amazon offers a free sampler of Rising Artists… I download them every month and keep only the songs I enjoy (the beauty of a free album is that you don’t have to keep songs in your music collection that you don’t love simply because you feel you ought to because you paid for it); because of these albums I’ve gained songs by Emeli Sande, The Lumineers and fun.

Good, but not my favorites:

Norah Jones | Little Broken Hearts
The Black Keys | El Camino
Kate Voegele | A Fine Mess [with the exception of “Forever and Almost Always”]

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Posted in Life in general

So Thankfulness…

Posted on December 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

I do not believe that you need to feel obligated to name the things you are thankful for on Facebook, or out loud for that matter… but I’ve been in a practice of being more specific about things like gratitude and prayer requests. When I say I am thankful for you, I want to tell you why and when I say I’m praying for you, I want to tell you exactly how so in my own head and heart I am giving more weight to my words. It’s easy to say you are praying for someone and it’s easy to say it and immediately forget about it, but when you take a moment to name your prayers, you are in essence actually praying… God doesn’t need us to say “Dear God” so he knows we are talking to him and he also doesn’t need us to take 30 minutes to lift up a prayer request when 1 minute will do. That was a very tangential way to tell you, here’s the list of things I posted on FB the month of November, all wrapped up in one place. You might find this practice corny, cheesy, not for you or whatever, but for me, it works.

Thankful, beyond words, for friends.
Thankful for a husband who gets up super early to go to men’s bible study.
Thankful to be spending the weekend with my three favorite boys!
[apparently I skipped this day]
Thankful for nearly nine glorious hours of sleep last night – the rarest of occurrences. [For the record, my average is 5-6.]
Thankful that Jack ate a frozen waffle for breakfast… if you know my picky eater, you know this is a big deal. (and he just asked for another) [Author’s note: Jack will only eat them with the “crust” cut off; what’s that you say, waffles don’t have crusts? Well, Jack would beg to differ and also adamantly refuse to eat the waffles with crusts that you offer to him (at first I wrote “crusted waffles” and that just sounded gross.]
Thankful that no matter what, God is “president” of the world – at least according to Liam.
I am thankful for my siblings all around the world, whether they are in my life through birth or marriage, I think you all are pretty swell.
Thankful (again beyond words) for my parents who got me started out right in this world and continue to be listening ears and unlimited support for me and my own little family.
[and this one, also skipped – let’s pretend I said Diet Coke]
Thankful for date night with my hubby and friends who make it happen.
Thankful for the wonderful people in our small group – the abundance of laughter, authenticity of character and lack of verbal filters makes it just perfect for us!
Thankful for my job/business and that it gives me the freedom to drop Liam off at school and pick him up every day. [Not at all thankful for the pick up line which is why I normally park and walk up.]
Thankful for healthy (tho sometimes body-weary and broken) family and friends.
Thankful for MOPS: the friends it has brought into my life, the church family it introduced us to, the delicious brunches and the time for fellowship.
Thankful it is Friday and not only do I have the most fun weekend plans that kick off tonight, the day is filled with good things with some of my favorite people (and also work 🙂 ).
Thankful for the person who did housing assignments at Calvin back in 1996… They stocked First Rooks with the best people who I am blessed to call my friends.
Thankful for a weekend filled with some of my favorite things and that my boys all had fun without me!
Thankful that all five of us (George included) are getting haircuts today – we will all look great for the holidays and the little boys and I get to hang out with friends while we get our hair done.
Thankful I am not the Michelle Bennett who actually works for [a client] – she gets way more phone calls and demanding emails than I do (if all the wrong calls/emails I get are any indication).
Thankful to get to spend the day with my first born… Movie, lunch and a play date = pampering boy style.
Thankful for all of the good things in my life – Happy Thanksgiving!
Thankful my husband likes to shop at the mall and find good deals, I much prefer staying home and shopping via Amazon.
Thankful for new babies that have been added to our family and ones that are to come halfway around the world.
Thankful for being on the other side of the stomach flu. [I’m also happy to say that I think one of my super powers is avoiding puking, no matter how sick I am feeling – go me!]
Thankful for my kids’ creativity. At some point yesterday, both boys acquired 1000 invisible brothers (don’t call them imaginary, they are invisible!); this morning Liam was telling me that one brother (Bob) was in college* and staying home with daddy today… but not the brother Bob he had already told me about, or Michael or Snicklefritz McDoobie (apparently, only 996 have names). [*When I asked why he didn’t go to class instead of hanging out with Simon, I almost heard Liam roll his eyes when he said, “Because there aren’t any invisible colleges, mom.” Noted, just 1,000 invisible brothers.]
Forever thankful for a roof over our heads, jobs to go to every day and food on our table. God’s provision is boundless and good.
Thankful for Liam’s school and Jack’s daycare – most especially on days like today when I have had my fill of them by 7 a.m.
Thankful for kids who love us enough to throw tantrums when we leave their company (how’s that for positive spin?).
Thankful that there is so much to be thankful for in life! And thankful for my particular life, it isn’t always easy and seldom perfect, but it is mine and I kind of love it.

People Who Drive Me Crazy

Posted on December 5, 2012 | 8 comments

Source: someecards.com

Most of the parents in the school pickup line at Liam’s school, the worst offenders:
- Those who pull ahead and cut in front of the line of cars waiting and pull into an empty space just vacated by someone who just picked up their child. They must have temporary blindness to not see the line of cars WAITING THEIR TURN.
- Those who double park next to the cars who are waiting in line next to the curb, blocking the cars who are pulling through in the DRIVING lane.
- Those who PARK in the waiting lane (when there are plenty of actual PARKING spots available 10-20 feet away), get out of their cars, meander to go get their kids and are therefore unable to pull forward when the cars in front of them move and delay further the cars behind them who are waiting to get their kids. These people do not appear to be handicapped and unable to work the extra distance from a parking spot to get their kids.
- The school pickup situation makes me stabby, stabby, stabby mad is what I’m saying. Just follow the unspoken rules of common sense, politeness and social consideration.
Anyone who wakes me up who is not a) sick, b) bleeding, c) suffering from a broken bone or d) has not been asked to wake me up (though that last one is still a little iffy, because a morning person I am not.. [why yes, Jack did wake us up at 5:20 this morning, why do you ask?]
Cashiers who act like their could care less about moving at a reasonable speed when scanning your items. I get that they are there for their set number of hours and it makes little difference to them how many people they serve, but wouldn’t their day be so much nicer if the people they were helping didn’t want to hurt them because they were going SO BLOOMING SLOW [not that I would ever hurt someone for this reason, nope, I’ll just badmouth them on my bloggity blog – I slay with words].
Teachers and anyone in childcare who do not appear to actually like children.
People who drive a) too slow or b) too fast (i.e., recklessly, because, let’s face it, I drive faster than the speed limit a bulk of the time and I don’t drive myself crazy).
Door-to-door sales people – not a single one has ever come at a convenient time or convinced me to buy the product/service they were selling.
Anyone with a sense of entitlement that they have not earned.
Any parent who judges another parent when they are at the grocery store or a restaurant, as if their own children were always perfectly behaved.
The entire cast of Jersey Shore – I can’t see a “news” story about them and not sigh or roll my eyes.
Newscasters with gratingly annoying voice mannerisms.
Nickelback, Nikki Minaj and Kesha