Last weekend, my dad put up hooks around the eaves of my house so I could have Christmas lights! I thought about doing it myself the weekend before, but I wasn’t exactly sure how. Then I got sick. When I talked to my sister on Sunday, after my quarantine had lifted, we had the following conversation:
Me: I’m pretty tired.
Debra: You didn’t go hanging Christmas lights or anything, did you?
Me: Pops did most of it. I just watched.
Debra: Are you serious?
Me: I wanted lights! I wasn’t climbing around, I swear!
Debra: YOU GET AN F IN RECOVERING FROM THE FLU.
Actually, I am still taking it easier than I normally would. I’m back at work, but last night I rested and didn’t try to accomplish anything. I’ve been in bed no later than 10:00, a habit I hope to maintain since my bedtime had been creeping later and later. I want to be healthy for the rest of 2012 at least!
Anyway, my lights make me very happy. They didn’t even cost me anything, since I had a bucket full of lights bought on clearance several years ago. I’ll have interior Christmas decor pics on Friday!
2 Comments + Posted in: christmas
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| my faithful companion and foot warmer |
My normal week came to a screeching halt on Tuesday when I was diagnosed with the flu – just the news I’d been praying (in the midst of my agony) not to hear. The doctor told me to stay at home till Saturday and not to go back to work until Monday. I’ve never taken so much time off work for an illness, including more serious ones. But she seemed pretty adamant, so I was afraid to disobey. Besides, maybe if my co-workers stayed home instead of coming to work sick all the time, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. :P My boss brought me my work computer, so now that I’ve checked my e-mails and seen for myself that nothing is exploding in my absence, I feel less anxious about my forced vacation.
On this Day 3 of quarantine, I feel fairly okay. I’m fever-free (thank you Lord) and able to get around the house a little bit. I even finished putting the ornaments on my Christmas tree, though it took a while. All this stillness and relaxation is a startling contrast to my everyday life. It always takes a doctor’s note to get me to truly rest for an extended time. Even then, I feel ridiculous for not being able to run around like usual. I keep learning the hard way that if I refuse to give myself a real break when needed, God and/or my body will make it happen eventually. But believe it or not, I have learned to live at a slower pace over the past year, and I think it shows. Aside from feeling bad, I’m enjoying not having to go anywhere or do anything strenuous – getting to read and sleep and watch shows in real time! But I will be REALLY ready to venture back out into the world on Saturday!
2 Comments + Posted in: what i'm into
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. – Habakkuk 3:17-19
(View from my hammock, December 1)
4 Comments + Posted in: domestic, fall, reflections
Last weekend I went to my first ever Memphis Grizzlies game! I’ve wanted to attend a game for years, but it just hasn’t happened. When I found out my friend Myla would be singing the national anthem on Friday night, I really wanted to be there! But no one I asked could go with me. I do plenty of things by myself, but I just couldn’t go to my first Grizzlies game alone, especially after it had been built up in my head for so long. Plus, I was kind of tired anyway. So I sadly decided it wasn’t meant to be. Then, late in the afternoon, Carol (another friend of Myla’s) texted to say that she had two free tickets from work and did I want to go? YES!!!
To my delight, our seats were in Row J. (For comparison, my Tigers ticket is a few rows down from the ceiling of the Forum.) I couldn’t stop smiling! I was like 20 feet from Marc Gasol the whole time. It was fantastic.
Myla sang the anthem with class and style (no Christina Aguilera flourishes). I was so proud!
At the terrace level, you can order food from a little form and they bring it right to you! Since we didn’t pay for the tickets OR parking, we indulged in barbecue nachos, pretzel bites, and full-size drinks. I mean, it was a special occasion. :)
Again, this was my first NBA game, so I took note of the differences between NBA and college. NBA players have more style and grace. Their strategy and pacing is different (I was puzzled at first by the lack of offensive rebounds). The game atmosphere is much more fun and entertaining – two guys from Cirque de Soleil performed at halftime! As much as I love Tigers games, at halftime and timeouts, a pom routine is the most excitement you’re going to get. Unless you love watching fans do free throws for a giftcard to Ashley Furniture (which won’t even buy you a lamp there). Basically, at college games you’re there for pure love of the team, while a Grizzlies game could be fun even if you don’t like basketball.
Carol and I have a lot in common at this point in our lives, and it did me good to hang out with her. When most of the women you know are alike in ways that you’re not, you can easily feel like you’re Doing Life Wrong. So it helps to be reminded that there are a lot of different ways to be a Godly woman of purpose and influence. It’s less about where you are in life and more about where your heart is.
Anyway, it was a wonderful night! It sounds ridiculous, but I really felt like God loved me. :) I gave up on going to the game at all, but then I got so much more than I had asked for. Maybe He’s trying to tell me something there. I hope!
8 Comments + Posted in: friends, memphis, sports
The Panem Companion by V. Arrow
I reviewed this here.
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, a Love Story by Ree Drummond
I don’t follow the Pioneer Woman, but since I don’t live under a rock, I knew enough about her to be interested in this memoir of her unlikely courtship with her husband. She’s a funny and engaging writer. She also possesses a certain brand of self-assurance that’s totally foreign to me – I felt the same way about Dr. Phil’s wife when I read her book.
Speechless by Hannah Harrington
This novel was loaned to me unsolicited, and I’d never heard of it, so I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. Chelsea is a known gossip, riding on the coattails of her queen-bee best friend. After she outs a gay classmate at a party, a popular boy practically beats him to death. When Chelsea reports the crime, the popular crowd doesn’t just shun her, they make her their new target. So, deciding that her words can only hurt herself and others, she takes a vow of silence – and in doing so, finally finds her “voice.” To be honest, I didn’t find Chelsea very likable, even by the end of the book. But I still thought this was good.
Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
This sequel to Slammed is slightly less compelling than the original, but I still read the whole book in two sittings! I liked the narration shift from Lake to Will – hearing another character’s perspective is always interesting. These characters (including the new additions to the group) are vividly quirky, and admirably committed to each other, and you can’t help but root for them. Although Will and Lake’s circumstances are highly unusual and soap-opera-esque, the problems they deal with seemed realistic to me within those circumstances. And their love, it is pure.
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place In an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh
I don’t have time right now to say everything I want to say about this book, so I may elaborate later. Although I say that about a lot of books, and then it doesn’t seem important enough to bring up again. :\ Anyway, I’d been looking forward to this book ever since I heard about it. The American Church definitely values extroversion over introversion, and it’s past time to shed some light on the subject. Although Adam McHugh makes a lot of excellent points and observations, I didn’t personally connect with them as much as I expected. The book is directed mostly at pastors and people working in ministry, and would also be more helpful to people more extremely introverted than I am.
As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, edited by Joan Reardon
The collected correspondence of two smart, insightful, accomplished women over a period of several decades. Even when I didn’t understand what they were talking about, I was fascinated. I laughed, cried, and was inspired. I wish I could have known these ladies!
Books for November: 6
2012 year to date: 62
1 Comment + Posted in: book reviews, reading