Crunch, crunch

The leaves are finally crunching again! After a week of rain, gloom and sog, fall is back where it's supposed to be. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm stealing my friend Jersey's blog technique --
5 things I love about Fall
1. The crunch of colorful leaves under my feet (makes me feel like I should be at Fall Retreat again).
2. Honeycrisp apples (have you tried these??? YUM)
3. I can drink hot tea again. I'm mostly into the red teas these days. No caffeine, no bitter taste, but a lot of flavor.
4. Clothing options. I love that I can wear a skirt, jeans, long sleeves, short sleeves, jacket, sweater, flats, heels, socks, no socks... We're past the heat of summer, but not into parka weather yet and there's no ice to slip on.
5. Pumpkins! Pumpkin pie is my favorite of all the pies, with cherry coming in second. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars, pumpkin candles. I think I would love the pumpkin spice shake at Culvers if I could get myself past the calories (I am by no means a calorie nut, but the small shakes are over 750 calories, which is a little outrageous when you're trying to stay in the 1400-1600 range in a day).

I'd love to hear your favorite fall thing. I mean, you know fall's special -- it's the only season with two names.

What's important

Now, I don't LOVE forwards, but I got this one from a friend, and I just loved this illustration. I've been thinking more and more lately about how to prioritize my life, and what things really do matter, and this one came on just the right day for that.


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One day, a professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your God, family, children, your health, friends, and favorite passions. If everything else was gone from your life ...

but these things still remained ... your life would still be full."

The professor continued, "The pebbles are the other things that matter ... like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he said, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first ... the things that really matter.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

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I've been feeling lately like sometimes I fill my jar with sand & pebbles before the golf balls, and he's absolutely right, if you do that, you can't fit the golf balls in. I really want to work on determining what is actually a golf ball, and what may be a pebble or sand. I'd also like to start getting a little coffee in my jar.

Fresh Starts

I don't care what they say about Spring and fresh starts, Fall will always be the fresh start for me. We live in a school year calendar society, and Fall means a new year (and new pencils!!*). The chaos of summer is over, and the order of Fall has arrived. It's Ella's first day at school today, in her second year of preschool. She may have been a little hesitant last year, but this year I couldn't get her to stop and take a picture because she wanted to go. NOW.

Natalie has adjusted well I think. Much better than Mommy. She has played everything there is to play, and really seems to enjoy having it all to herself. I am hoping these times of Ella at school lessen the amount of fighting we have during the day. Perhaps all that was needed was a little alone time.

I, on the other hand, was not prepared. In the future I will need to be much more caught up with work the night before a preschool day, because Natalie alone is far more high maintenance. Her attention span when playing alone is about 30 seconds, which means I haven't gotten a whole lot done today. And yet, in the time I have found, I am doing this. Priorities?

In other fresh starts, Ella started dance this week! I have a tiny dancer! It took a little convincing for Daddy, but in the end it came down to Ella enjoying it. Imagine my distress when she then informed Daddy that she didn't want to go to dance class. Hush!!! She did seem to have fun, although parents have to wait in the hall so we're not distracting, so I couldn't see if she did. When I asked her she said, "I don't want to talk about it, I'll tell you next week." 4 or 14? Later she showed us how she makes an X, so it must have been at least a little fun. If you're looking for a home for outgrown leotards & skirts, we're happy to help out with that.

* I don't think I can properly convey my excitement over school supplies. I love them. New pencils, notebooks, folders, crayons. I was thrilled this year that we needed to get some supplies for Ella. She needed a pack of glue sticks, I bought 5. They were 20¢. She needed a pack of jumbo crayons, I bought 2. They were 80¢. For only 50¢ you can get a fresh start in the form of a pen. Love it. Thank you, Jesus, for back to school shopping. It's the little things, isn't it?

Filling my box

One of the sessions I went to at the Willow Creek Arts Conference was about creativity. And one of the things the speaker said really stuck with me: in order to be creative you need to "fill your box." We all have these boxes that we fill with our experiences, and that's where our creativity comes from. We need to be continually filling them so when we need to be creative, we can draw from it. I thought I'd share with you what's filling my box today:

Music: I admit it, Brennan and I are loyal watchers of "So You Think You Can Dance." Recently they had a band called OneRepublic who performed their song "Apologize." It's an amazing song, and I love everything about it musically. It gets stuck in my head, and then I have to listen to it again and again. It's not available on itunes yet, because their album doesn't come out til fall, but I found the video on youtube.

Books: Have I mentioned Donald Miller? Well let me do it again! Blue Like Jazz, Through Painted Deserts and Searching for God Knows What. They rocked my world like my friend Andria said they would. I still need to read To Own a Dragon, and he's got a new one coming out soon. Currently I'm reading "They Like Jesus but Hate the Church" by Dan Kimball. It's also very thought provoking & eye opening.

The Web: antiquemommy.com My mom sent me that blog today, and I couldn't stop reading it. Antique Mommy is a very gifted writer who made me laugh and cry -- and that's a good thing.

The World: Last night Brennan and I took the girls for a walk, and the sunset over the lake was amazing. Columns of light shooting out from around the clouds, and a pink-red sun reflecting on the still water -- incredible!

I love my children

Last night we met Brian & April for dinner in St. Cloud, which was long overdue and very fun. My mom brought the girls back here and put them to bed, and Ella said, "Grandma, thank you for staying with us until Mom & Dad get home." She's such a four-year-old. I love that.
Here's my help request of the day: Looking for a cute, reasonably priced bigger backpack for Ella for preschool. I like having one that's personalized so there are no mixups. Any ideas? Right now I'm thinking potterybarnkids.com, lillionvernon.com, landsend.com or llbean.com

Tuesday

Update:
VBS
Friday: God is in charge. Wahoo!
The end of the week is tough. The kids seem to get more wired everyday, and the adults look more weary. All in all, I think it went well for everyone. Ella had a really great time, and I had fun helping out. They sang in church on Sunday, and did a great job.

Work: Rough day yesterday. I misspelled the name of customer that got printed on $21,000 worth of products. It was a $30 mistake for me, but quite a lot more for my sales rep. Still feeling slightly nauseous about that, but I am assured by my other reps that these things happen.

Friends: Say a prayer for my friend Natalie. She's taking the bar today through Thursday.

Books: I've now read three of Donald Miller's books. Just finished "Through Painted Deserts." I love his writing style, and I'm looking at my relationship with God and the world around me in a new way. Now I'm reading "They Love Jesus but Hate the Church" by Dan Kimball. I saw him speak at Willow Creek about the emerging generation, and their views on "church", and it was really eye opening. The book is proving to be very good so far. It's a new way of looking at things for me. Highly recommended.

Kids: (might as well skip this part if you don't have any, because you won't care to hear this) In the past 24 hours Natalie has used the potty 4 times, even pooped once. Very exciting! Every package of diapers may be my last. She worries me more than Ella. Ella we just said it was time to use the potty, and she did. Natalie is STUBBORN. She goes if it's her idea, but you can't suggest it without a knock down drag out fight. We're trying to pick our battles with her. Right now we're focusing more on the potty since she's showing some interest. At some point we also need to get rid of "Gee" (pronounced with a hard G, it's the blanket) and the thumb sucking. They seem to go together, so it's going to be either very easy or a huge problem.

Online: www.jellybellyoutlet.com You can buy Belly Flops for half the price of regular Jelly Bellies. I got a couple of bags, and it was fun. Some of them are two beans stuck together, some are missing the Jelly Belly stamp, some are just misshapen. I didn't run into this, but I guess they may also be misflavored. I found the Flops to be a fun adventure. I'd do it again.

Wahoo!! It's a wild ride!

That's right, it's Vacation Bible School week. Ella is going for the first time, and just loving it. Natalie's been enjoying the nursery, and I've been trying to make myself look busy enough about the church that I don't end up with a group of preschoolers, but I'm still helpful. 108 preschoolers, 113 elementary age. Here's what I've been learning at Avalanche Ranch this week:

Monday: God is real. Wahoo!! "The Lord is the one true God."
Sometimes kids pay more attention when the adults leave.

Tuesday: God is with us. Wahoo!! "For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
250 kids in one room is a lot of kids. Have you ever noticed that large groups of people, including kids, sound really great when they sing together, no matter who is in the group or what singing abilities they may have? I love that. When we all sing the same song to God, it sounds beautiful no matter what.

Wednesday: God is strong. Wahoo!! "The Lord is my Strength."
The treats are down in the kitchen. Kids get a treat of the day, but helpers get a wide assortment of yummy cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. It's like a secret place with secret snacks!! Wish I would have learned that on Monday.

Thursday: God is awesome. Wahoo!! "The Lord Most High is awesome."
Give kids an open space, and they will run with wild abandon. Before all the kids get there to sing, the early birds (or really the on-time birds, the rest are very late) tend to just run. They knock over signs, they knock over each other. I must remind myself that they are kids, and having fun. VBS for me growing up was sitting quietly in my very small group and listening to the teacher. I saw something very cool this morning though, we had a crew without a crewleader (yikes!!), and the second it was announced one of our teenage helpers hopped right over and jumped in. I didn't catch who she was, but I think she'll be someone to watch. That showed an awful lot of initiative in an age that often can't travel without a friend.

It's been really fun to get the girls out of the house, and to be a little involved in what's going on. It's fun to know what Ella's learning so we can talk about it together. We've also been enjoying singing the songs together.

Let's see what Friday brings!

Things I hope they remember

Someday when the girls have grown into adults (yikes), I hope they remember things like this:
Sometimes when we get ready for bed, we go into Natalie's room, and we all sit on the floor in the almost dark, and we take turns singing songs. It's usually Ella's turn first. She will make up a VERY long song about her happy feet ("They like to hide in my socks and shoes..."), or about her day ("...and I love everyone, like my mom...and dad... and Natalie"), and at some point the rhythm gets her and she stands up to do a little lyrical dance. Ella seems most moved by the contemporary style (or at least that's what we've learned watching So You Think You Can Dance). Then Natalie will take a turn (sometimes delayed by Meow Meow's turn), and then Mommy, and then Daddy. Sometimes Natalie sings a song she knows, and she's starting to know quite a few. Sometimes she'll make one up. I will always sing a song I know, which Ella will question. "Is Jesus Loves Me really a lullaby Mom?" Brennan will make up a fabulous song about two little girls going to bed, and sleeping all night. Those are the nights when I feel like I know what it means to have a full heart.

I have been to the Willow, and it was good

Last week I had the opportunity to go to a worship conference at Willow Creek Church by Chicago, with some people from our church's worship team. It was really incredible. First of all, to be on the campus of a mega-church like that was impressive -- it's a gorgeous building. The worship was of course pretty impressive as well. I mean, when the David Crowder Band shows up to lead worship, it's got to be good, right? And being with like-minded people in the numbers of over 5,000 in worship is even more amazing. Not only were these my brothers & sisters in Christ, they were fellow "artists." Although, I confess, I have never considered myself an artist.

But what blew me out of the water and shook up the faith I've known my whole life, were two speakers: Dan Kimball and Donald Miller. Dan Kimball is the author of "They Love Jesus but Hate the Church." What an eye-opening experience it was to hear him talk, and see videos of college students being asked what they thought of Jesus. Every one had this serene & loving impression of him. Then they were asked about Christians. Judgmental, aggressive, hypocrites -- all negative.

Then there was Donald Miller. Honestly, I'd never heard of him before. He was hilarious and so real. But his knowledge of the Bible and the history of Christianity leads him to really astounding observations. He's written several books, and I ran out and bought "Blue Like Jazz" immediately. I mean immediately, it was available in the hallway. When I got a chance to have lunch with Andria (hadn't seen her in months, SO good to catch up), her only comment on that book was "That rocked my world." Um, ok, I thought. On the drive home, I soaked in as much as the daylight would allow, and then I finished it the next day. I'm half-way through the next book now. What makes him intriguing to me is that I don't know where he's going with it. So many times when you hear someone speak, you've got a clear view of where it's headed. And much of the time for me, I feel like if I can see where it's going, then I don't need you to tell me. I had no clue where he was going, but I really wanted to know. In reading "Blue Like Jazz", I laughed out loud (much to my embarrassment), but so many times I also wanted to say out loud, "Exactly!" And, yes, it rocked my world.

It really made me think about how I live my faith and show it to the world. Because when I ask myself why I became a Christian, what really drew me in, it certainly wasn't someone telling me that I was wrong. Or that I needed to repent. Or that they were right. I had met people who had the peace of Christ, and I wanted it for myself. When I made that decision, I wanted to make changes in my life. What makes so much sense to me, is the way they talked about it as a relational faith. It's all about the personal relationship with Christ, not rules & regulations. The closer I get in my relationship with Him, the more I want to follow Him and do what God would have me do. But it can't be broken down into bullet points & lists.

This has also led me to feel differently about the Bible. It's always been hard for me to read because I've always thought of it as something I'm supposed to be doing. It's the book with the rules. But it's not. It's a story. It's a letter from God, to me. There are lessons I will learn to be sure, but it's really a story. Each one of us will learn something different, because each of us needs to learn different things. And how incredibly amazing is it that the story has been crafted so that it can personally speak to each of us and meet us where we are?

I have been refreshed, recharged, renewed and challenged. I highly recommend "Blue Like Jazz" and the books that follow. And if you want to try him out for free, subscribe to his podcasts. Just search for Donald Miller. Or try Imago Dei, which is the church he goes to. There's a podcast from 12/31/06 that's him talking about our stories, which is much like one of the talks he did at Willow.

By request

My dear friend Amy says it's time for a new post, and I suppose she's right. Not sure what's new. We're enjoying more outside time, despite our allergies. Thank you, Jesus, for Claritin. Yesterday was Ella's last day of preschool, which I can hardly believe. Tomorrow we will have a program and picnic at the school. This girl LOVES school, and I'm afraid we're in for a long summer. We have many conversations E: "Where are we going today?" M: "We get to stay home today, and you can play with your toys." E:"But where are we going?" M:"Nowhere today." E:"When Daddy comes home from work, will he stay with Natalie so we can go somewhere?" I'm going to have to learn to be very proactive with activities for these two, so I can continue to get some work done during the days. (Hint, hint: suggestions welcome!)

In other news, our small group is just completing a study on James. I've really enjoyed it, even though James is at times painfully convicting. I want to focus less on the day-to-day blah, blah blah of all the "stuff" I have to do in order to blah blah blah, and concentrate more on spending everyday and every activity with God. I think life can be much simpler than I make it. I want to raise my children with God's love, do my work with God's joy, and generally live my life in God's peace. Doing things for yourself with your own energy gets tiring. One passage in particular that smacked me in the face this morning was James 5:13-15 from The Message:
13-15Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.