Living Doll

Moxie is a nifty little boutique located on 5th Street in Greenville. The owner has managed to find people who use genuinely vintage material to design and make really cute items. There's this one particular red dress...

In all honesty, I have never been inside the store before tonight. But tonight a special occasion prompted my entry. Kiddo was in the store window as a live mannequin. Granted, there were 3 other girls. However, my kiddo, being my kiddo, was the cutest of them all. She wore green, black, and white. Her hair was teased up and pulled away from her face. And her make up was simply fabulous. The best part was her expressive face. When the mannequins would shift into a new pose, their faces would transform and I was transfixed.

It was fun to stand around for a few minutes and watch the faces of the people strolling or driving by. Only once I could not control the "proud mama" syndrome and casually mentioned to a total stranger, "The one in green is my daughter."

The one major bummer: I forgot my camera!

My Day is Complete

I just tingled all over when chief meteorologist Phillip Williams walked into my place of business today! There he was with his smile, telling me he was visiting a certain classroom. I held myself in check, making sure I behaved as naturally as possible. The only mistake I made was peeling off the visitor's pass before writing his name on it, so it ended up sticking to the desk.

Oh my gosh! I can't believe I didn't ask for an autograph!!

They Just Seemed Too Old

Jewels and I enjoyed the ECU Homecoming game this past Saturday. Just prior to the half we left our exposure to a blazing sun in our nosebleed seats in search of ice cream, dippin dots, snow cones...anything cold. After leaving one concession stand empty handed, I heard snickering from behind me. Turning back, I saw two teenaged boys. They had to be at least 14 but were likely older than that. They were quite tall, but had not yet filled out. Shrugging, I dismissed them and headed toward the kiosk that sold cold treats. Again, tittering reached my ears. I ceased my stroll and looked at Jewels. "Is there something on the back of my pants or something?"

Jewels looked slightly perplexed. "I don't know. I think they kicked something at you." After sliding her gaze downward she remarked, "Oh. There's a big grasshopper on your leg." Sure enough. He was a good sized fella! I guess the young men-like people expected me to scream and jump around like some sort of hispanic bean. Instead, I talked to the little critter, gently picked him off of my jeans, and held him out with my palm up. He did the rest, and I bid him a fond farewell as he sprang from my hand.

Jewels and I had fun, but those two boys just seemed too old to think something like that was funny. One would expect that from obnoxious male 10-to-twelve year olds.

A New Kind of Oz

Using the Wizard of Oz to describe my former workplace was a no-brainer. The terrible Wicked Witch of the West vs. sweet, innocent (?) Dorothy was the perfect parallel, with its magical ruby slippers and the uncertainty about which yellow brick path to travel. But things changed. With the new worksite came a new kind of Oz. It is a kinder, gentler place. There are still days when I stand amazed and blinking, saying, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." For first month I looked over my shoulder, expecting wrath from a nonexistent mistake of some sort. That never happened.Instead, I have been cast with a different set of characters. These characters are enablers of the best sort. They are also courageous, compassionate, and wise. Not only that, but the majority of the munchkins who dwell in this place are kind, helpful, and possess a wonderful sense of humor. Trading the old Oz for the new is something for which I am extremely thankful.

The (Ongoing) Current Read

This is a book I have had to put down several times. The author writes well, despite his own complaints regarding his talent, but he makes my head spin! I have emailed a couple of excerpts to a friend of mine in hopes he will locate a copy and read it. My own copy is borrowed, long overdue to be returned to its owner. At any rate, I felt this worth a post.

I should add that this dissatisfaction with the conservative Protestant Jesus intensified just last Christmas when one of my children was home for the holidays from college. I asked him how he was doing spiritually.

"I'm struggling, Dad." he said.

"Tell me about that," I said.

He replied,"Well, Dad, if Christianity is true, then nearly everyone I love is going to be tortured in the fires of hell forever. And if it's not true, then life has no meaning." He was silent for a moment and then added, "I just wish there were a better option."

My heart was broken. I asked, "Is that the understanding of Christianity you got from me?"

He replied, "No, but that's the way most Christians think. They just kind of bottom-line everything to heaven or hell, and that makes life feel kind of cheap."

My son's insight doesn't apply to the best expressions of conservative Protestants, but it does, I fear, apply to often to the most popular ones. He put into blunt and powerful terms exactly what I felt vaguely and inarticulately when I was his age.

There are a couple of reasons why I need to stop putting this book down and read it from cover to cover.

1. This book is a loaner. I really need to return it to its rightful owner
2. I fear the impact of this book will be lessened if I read it in a piece-meal way.

Bread Day

The songs at church today included 'bread' lyrics. "Lord of the Harvest" has a little vamp that goes like this:

You are my daily, daily bread...

And we did "Breathe,"

This is my daily bread...This is my daily bread...

It is no wonder that in the middle of singing I started thinking about bagels! There was a lack of breakfast this morning and even though it is supposed to be a bad food group, I absolutely adore bread.

So there we are, up on the platform singing about how we are desperate for God..how we are lost without Him - and I'm thinking asiago cheese! There was a quick shift, however. Along with asiago cheese, there are onion bagels, poppy or carraway seed bagels, cinnamon raisin bagels, wheat, sourdough, and many more. There is a type of bagel to please any palate, provided said palate will indulge in the evil carbohydrate that is bread.

And God? He's the 'everything' bagel. Ever seen one of those? Ever eaten one? It is an explosion of texture and flavor. Better, the "carbs" we get from our 'everything' God give us the energy we need without the quote-end quote empty calories!

Second service I actually saw bread. It was a large hunky slice of crusty bread, slathered thickly with sweet cream butter and dripping with honey. He's the bread. The butter and honey represented His benefits. Again, good for us - blessings to our physical, mental, and emotional health with no artery-clogging fat & frightful calories.

I think I'll go right on eating bread.

An Email

I got this email yesterday. Just thought I'd share! :)

Subject: Cruise is booked.
No backing out now :)
I signed us up for the April 9th:
Monday, April 09, 2007
* Bahamas * 4 Days * Royal Caribbean * Sovereign of the Seas *
Late dining at 8pm
large table
Parasailing is a Royal Caribbean excursion so we will have to sign up for that one
Love ya oodles, happy anniversary.

(Another) Church Billboard

"The heavier the load, the stronger the traction."

...what??

Irish Proverb

(And extremely appropriate!)

It's hard to be a woman.

One must think like a man,

Behave like a lady,

Look like a young girl,

And work like a horse.

No Subject

She's like the wind through my tree
She rides the night next to me
She leads me through moonlight
Only to burn me with the sun
She's taken my heart
But she doesn't know what she's done

A Worthy Read

Since this blog is about my opinion I will be both blunt and brief. You should read this. It is a worthy read on many levels.

This Was Nice.

It was quite a day for dad and I....scared silly to put it simply but....it was all worth it.

We got the cutest little curly headed baby girl that ever was.
You got cuter and cuter and cuter then so comical.
You made all of us laugh about so many little things....frowning at dad, pretending to smoke Uncle Jack's pipe....the list goes on and on.

Happy Birthday "speghetti [sic] face".

Much love from Mom and Dad xoxoxooxxxxoxx

*smiling through tears*

The Lion King

It was one of those

awe-inspiring

incredible

impressive

enchanting

amazing

jaw hanging open

type of events.

That's all I can say.