The Redneck Event of the Year

Monster Jam!!! This Saturday was a busy day, we were at the gym by 9am for Austin's basketball game, I still have not remembered to take the camera, there are only 4 weeks left so I better get on the ball. Right after the game, we headed to Amanda's dad and step mom's house to have lunch since we were going to be in their town for the Monster truck rally. We stayed a couple of hours, had lunch, Amanda got her hair trimmed since her Dad is an ex-beautician, and toured their cute apartment. Then it was time to head over to the Bilo Center for the main event. It was sort of like pro wrestling, staged 4 wheeler races between the north and the south with mock fighting and the whole nine yards. Then it was the monster trucks turn to dazzle us with loud noises and car crushing stunts. Somehow they got points for how high the front end went up and how fast they went over the crushed cars. Grave Digger was the favorite and every time he came out "Bad to the Bone" was played. Monster Mutt from Dogtown USA wowed us with "Who Let the Dogs Out" and chasing a giant bone. Great fun!! (tongue in cheek) The boys and Amanda seemed to enjoy it well enough but this is probably a once in a lifetime event.

I Feel Good

I feel really good today. My lovely mom came over today to help me organize the boys room. It was a giant mess that had gotten away from the boys and myself. I am a good (mostly) maintainer, but the giant projects like garages and basements and kids disasters overwhelm me. I just don't always know where to start or how to organize things, so I like to tackle those projects with someone not alone. It only took about an hour and a half, but I promise you if I had been alone it would have take a lot longer.

I also feel good because I had some valances made for the sun room, and they were completed on Tuesday. I hadn't found any curtain rods that I liked for a reasonable price in any of the stores I had been in so I searched the web and found the perfect ones on a closeout. The small ones were originally $59 down to $20 and the larger size was $79 down to $35, plus I found a coupon online for free shipping. Woohoo!! Nate hung them up for me today and the my jury is still out on whether or not I like them. I had better learn to like them because they were not cheap and I hate wasting money. I will try and post a picture of them, they are completely flat with no ruffles or pleats, kinda like a shade and while they look cute on the 5 small windows the 2 quad windows look a little off to me.

I feel pretty good about the fact that I am still walking 2-3 times a week in this frigid weather. If it wasn't for my good friend MW who throws rocks at my bedroom window in the morning to get me out, I probably would not be venturing out. I have come to enjoy them for other reasons besides the physical activity. We always have something important to talk about and it feels like an hour long therapy session for both of us.

I finished reading Sex God by Rob Bell today. I have to say that I always find his books thought provoking. I read Velvet Elvis first and although I don't think he is the most theologically astute author, I find his books very captivating. He always includes the most interesting historical outlines to explain things that are often confusing to our western mindset. Sex God is really about our connectedness to each other and God, and how our humanness is a picture of the heavenly kingdom. It made me ache for how far we have come from what God originally intended for us, and I can see clearly how beautiful it is going to be for us when we are finally completely connected to God.

The other reason for feeling good is that our legal mess may be resolved more amicably than previously thought. God has a way of stirring the pot when you least expect it. Our future is uncertain, but somehow that brings me hope and peace.

Life

It has been 10 days since our life took this crazy turn that was so unexpected, and yet it wasn't the end of the world. For me that is a huge deal, because if you know me the end of the world has come and gone a dozen times already. We are doing good, trusting in God's faithfulness.

I lost 3 more lbs and am now 3, no 5 lbs away from my goal weight, stress is a powerful weight loss tool for me. Oh dag nabbit the cookies Amanda just made were too hard to resist so we shall see if I can keep it off.

I just signed myself and Evan up for art classes on Wednesday afternoons. I have no knowledge of art so I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I think that we are taking a prisma colors drawing class. He is my artistic child and I thought it would be something just he and I could do together. He needs a little hobby besides computer/video games. Even though they only get 30 mins each of either computer/video games, I believe that this is the highlight of his day. I'm hoping he will enjoy learning how to make his art better, and since I am artistically challenged this should be good for me as well.

Luke is pestering the tar out of everyone these days. I have never seen a more pesky 7 year old boy. He truly reminds me of Dennis the Menice. He follows Amanda around trying to hug her a thousand times a day, and demanding 3 minute hugs. He walks around speaking nonsense spanish in an incredibly loud voice. He is calling people and inviting himself over or asking them to take him out to dinner, this w/out my knowledge until they call me. He looked at me the other day and said, "your face is falling apart." He asked the pastor if he could buy a mounted elk head in his home for 10 bucks. When the pastor told him "no it's not for sale," Luke said "What makes you an expert on a good deal." He told the pregnant tutor that her baby doesn't like her that is why she throws up everyday. He prays to God while he is crying, "Lord why did you make me so cute, I want to be ugly, please make me ugly and not so cute." In case you are thinking that I find all this funny and cute, I promise you that child "feels" my displeasure all day long. I have no idea where he came from. I don"t know anyone in the whole extended family who carries on like that kid. He asked the banker if she sneaks lollipops all day long, he told the bag boy not to waste the plastic bags. He told me that "his life was a night of endless torture." (this because he had 2 pages of phonics work) When Nate wouldn't take him to work with him one day 2 weeks ago he said, "I have no meaningful work to do."

In the meantime, as you can tell, I have tons of meaningful work to do.