Green Dinosaur?

I had an interesting conversation with Lance this evening. It went a little something like this:

"Jeanne, is that a cross on your shirt?"

"Yup. It sure is."

"Jesus died on the cross but now He's alive. Right?"

"That's right, Lance."

"Where does Jesus live?"

"Jesus lives up in heaven."

"The green dinosaur lives in heaven, too."

And then he walked away. I have no idea who the green dinosaur is. I must admit...I am curious.

Tagged!

Ok, Tina. Here goes!

Got this by email, but thought I'd post it here.. The way the game goes is if you read it, you must post it on your blog... Answer in 4s please..

WHAT WAS I DOING TEN YEARS AGO?

16 years old and getting my driver's license, playing in the band, singing in the choir, NOT paying a mortgage!

WHERE HAVE I LIVED?

Shoreham, Vermont; Washington, IL; Manchester, New Hampshire; Carson City, Nevada

WHAT SNACKS DO I ENJOY?

yogurt and berries, brownies, any little debbie snack cake, vanilla wafers

WHAT JOBS HAVE I HAD?

office cleaner, job coach for disabled adults, junior high history teacher, music director

IF I HAD A BILLION DOLLARS I WOULD?

pay off our house and LANDSCAPE.

5 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST TODAY..

laundry, vacuum, weed front yard, clean kitchen and dinner with friends

4 THINGS YOU"D BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT ME

I was the runner up for Prom Queen Senior year of high school, I hate the sound of a bathroom fan, I really want to be a dancer

MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO ARE:

spend time with family, travel, be outdoors

O.K., YOUR TURN...

AAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Seriously. I am so excited right now I could just pee my pants.

I have had a long and frustrating history with Sprint PCS Wireless. My contract is up on July 5th and we were planning to make our escape then to AT&T (unfortunately having to pay Mark's early termination fee).

We get unbelievably sketchy and stinky cell coverage at our house. AND to top it off the screen on my phone broke so I can no longer use the PDA or see who is calling me. Really frustrating. Especially for someone who likes to know who is on the other end of the phone before she answers.

Cell phone companies make you sign a contract for a reason: They want your money. I totally understand that. But I thought it couldn't hurt to try and reason with them see if they would release me from my contract a little early. So Thursday Mark and I went into the local Sprint store. I pleaded my case. They told me to pound sand.

Ok, I expected that. Mark expected that.

But I still thought I could maybe reason with someone who would take pity. So today I called Sprint Customer Service. After a very rude encounter with the first representative I spoke to I was transfered to Account Services.

I pleaded my case. She actually listened. She tried to sell me a new phone. I thanked her and gently reminded her that a new phone would not solve the issue of coverage at my home. And you know what I found out?? Our home is OUT OF SPRINT COVERAGE.

Ha! I say, Ha! Mark and I are not crazy. We really don't get cell coverage at our home!

It also means that after I fax some documents verifying that we actually do reside at our house we get RELEASED from our Sprint contracts with NO PENALTY.

I know you can't see me right now...but I am doing a very fun and very crazy HAPPY DANCE!!!

This is the best day ever!!!!!!!

Yeah, but...

I have many flaws. Some of them small...some of them not so small.

One big flaw is my tendency to criticize my husband for what he doesn't do instead of appreciating the things that he does. I'll say "thank you" in one breath and add a " but you didn't..." in the next.

Example: Mark is extremely good about taking the full kitchen trash bag out to the trash can. He's not so good about remembering to replace the bag in the kitchen. Yet I am ashamed to admit that more often than not instead of thanking him for taking the trash out I am criticizing him for not replacing the bag.

So I am working on just saying, "Thank you" for taking out the trash and simply replacing the bag myself.

Or he'll do laundry and stop short of folding it. My gut reaction is to be annoyed that he didn't finish the job. But is it really a big deal that I have to fold the clean laundry? He washed it, afterall.

How about, "Thanks for washing the laundry. I appreciate it." And leave it at that.

We are less than a month away from our one year anniversary. The farther we get into marriage the more I realize how important every word I speak to him is. Careless words can wound where careful words can bring life.

How bout it? How often do you affirm or thank the people around you without tacking something you feel they did wrong to the end of it?

The Block has been blocked...

Read this and check out what my cute husband has been up to at work...read the whole article! I'm so proud of him :)

He's back...

I convinced Mark to join the blogging world again. His new blog address is www.warning-humor-ahead.blogspot.com. Check him out! He should be working on it in the days ahead!

Resurrection

Here I am at the end. I'm in need of resurrection.
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead.
What I've lost to the world, what seems far beyond redemption.
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again.

I've been thinking a lot about these lyrics since I first heard them a couple of months ago. Something about them strikes a chord with me.

Probably because I feel as though I too have lost a lot to the world in the last few months.

Time.
Health.
A baby.
Hope.

Trying to navigate the waters of this season have been no easy task. The water is rough and the waves at times, enormous. Hard going when there are days you feel like you are trying to make it in a battered rowboat instead of a cruise ship.

It's easy to try and tell God He's made mistakes in your life when you are trying to bail water out of your dilapidated little boat. "Sure God. Drown me. Super plan." Blame is no doubt the easier way to feel better temporarily. But I heard my pastor say something the other night - He said God will always use two things to grow you to spiritual maturity: suffering and obedience.

Crud.

Suffering and obedience.

The worst part is it doesn't explain anything. It doesn't make it hurt less. It doesn't change my circumstances. It just means that He who began a good work in me will see it through to completion.

Here I am at the end. I'm in need of resurrection.
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead.
What I've lost to the world, what seems far beyond redemption.
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again.

It means what I've lost to the world only God can redeem.