has the world gone mad?

Just an informal, completely unscientific survey here - I'm trying to find out if the entire world has gone mad, or if it's more of a local phenomenon, or if it's just a personal phenomenon. Maybe it's just a madness I don't understand. Perhaps a special form of Texas madness. I'm not above believing there's madness everywhere...but I understand the madness in the midwest.

Have you ever felt like God is breaking things on purpose? Even the things you believe were put in place by Him? I sometimes think my biggest problem is my need to understand why - that's my biggest faith obstacle. Not that it precludes faith, but that much greater things could happen in my life if I wasn't hung up on trying to understand all the time.

(As evidence of the madness, I would refer you to the College World Series bracket. So far, no fewer than 3 of the national top eight seeds have been eliminated and aren't even going to the CWS. And UNC is going. A world gone mad, I tell you.)

conspiracy

I'm sure it's a conspiracy; I'm not sure by whom, but somehow we've become completely dependent upon cars. Okay, at least in the places I've lived, you simply cannot be a functioning member of society without a car.

The trouble is, cars are nothing but trouble.

I've had my share of cars that stop working in the middle of the road. It is, however, a completely different experience when you have two small children in the car... Things did work out as smoothly as they possibly could have, at least until we get the estimate of the repairs.

It's not as if I'm a Ludite or anything (you are reading my blog, after all), it's just frustrating to be so dependent on something so undependable.

Sidebar: I'm not Jewish, but if I were, I would warn you, gentle readers, to beware of car trouble. Bad things occur in threes, after all. Lisa's accident would be 1, we would be 2, so that leaves 3, unless you count Azina's ongoing trouble with her car, in which case everyone else is safe!

argh (again...different topic)

You know those days when there are things that just hack you off and you really need to tell somebody about it, but are afraid that you'll sound like you're being petty or just completely ridiculous? That's how I feel right now.

Admittedly, I'm sure it's largely hormone-induced. I have discovered that I am extremely short-tempered when I'm pregnant, which is strange for me, because I am usually a very calm and collected person.

So I've decided I'm going to blog whenever I feel like this, and I run less risk of hurting someone's feelings or just sounding like a crazy hormonal woman.

I'm really annoyed at people who try to help do things and just end up creating more work for me because dishes DO NOT get clean by virtue of simply being IN the dishwasher!!

(And it wasn't Joe, just for the record.) :)

arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh....

The reason why there are reruns during the summer is because people are so hacked off by season finales that they swear off tv for a few months.

Okay, so maybe not really. But between the Gilmore Girls finale and the 24 finale that I just watched (how are they going to find Jack in China?!?!), not to mention the not-so-stellar Related finale, there's a good chance I won't be in the mood to watch anything but baseball for the entire summer. (Which is really unfortunate because it's too stinkin' hot down here to do anything but stay inside in the summer anyway.)

But, I have to be happy with the way Logan was taken down, especially because he never saw it coming. Of course the real jerks behind it all are getting away, which figures - they look way too much like the Triumvirate from The Pretender. Who's up for a little tv on DVD this summer?

a post by Alaina

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a post by Jadyn

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benefits

As much as I know that I am supposed to be a stay-at-home mom, there are some days when you wonder if there really are benefits to staying home. But on other days, you know that it is the best job in the world because you get to be a kid with your kids.

Yesterday, we went strawberry picking, which was all kinds of fun and yielded some really great pictures as well as strawberries. It took Jadyn about 30 seconds to figure out how the system worked and start pulling berries off the plants and popping them in her mouth, leaves and all. Then we hung out for a few hours in the afternoon, at which point we decided to go to Chick-fil-A for dinner, which is Alaina's favorite place to eat. When we pulled up, we discovered that Bob and Larry were there! So we ate there (rather than going to a park or something) and Alaina got to dance around with and in general hang out with Bob and Larry.

I think I sometimes forget how simple life is when you're a child...it's nice to remember every once in a while.

somedays it's harder than others...

to be an Astros fan. I know, I know, it's only the third day of the season today, but I'm a serious fan. I love the seasonal longevity of baseball.

Anyway, so Ashlee was the beneficiary of some very good, very free (for us!) tickets for the game last night. Things started off on a good note - we got the replica national league champions rings they gave out to the fans... and that's where the goodness ended. It was nothing tragic, just a series of signs that pointed to a bad ending of that game (11-2, Marlins, and the Astros didn't score those 2 runs until the bottom of the ninth, which we didn't even see because we left in the middle of the ninth).

The real point of this post is to recount yet another terrible display of a public proposal. Yes, some poor fellow proposed to his (I assume it's still the case this morning) fiancee via the KISS CAM. That's right, probably the most inane ballpark entertainment ever devised (except when they pick on the opposing team's dugout) was utilized for a public proposal. Now, to be fair, they were both wearing Astros jerseys and are probably big fans (and if they aren't, he's really a moron), and I'm sure he went to a lot of trouble to organize it all. But let me tell you, that was not the face of a happy woman. We're not entirely sure that she actually said yes - it looked more like she just stuck her hand out for him to put the ring on. She didn't initiate a hug or anything afterwards, either, he did. As much as it sounds like it, I'm not trying to judge the guy or what he did, it was just very uncomfortable to watch. So there's one more piece of evidence to pile up on the "no public proposals" mountain.

in case you're feeling complacent...

...or if you just like Don Miller (Blue Like Jazz), go check out Relevant's podcast from last Friday. The first part of Relevant's interview with him is in it, and the second half is in the podcast that will be out today. I think it's a great interview, with a lot of challenging things in it...I'm not sure if I agree with all of it, but it is definitely all about things worth thinking about and discussing.

And yes, I understand that I'm about a week slow, given that it came out last Friday, but I didn't even listen to it until Wednesday night.

a question...

When I was growing up, all the way through high school and into college, I secretly never wanted to pray (as so many adults in church always did) that Jesus would come back soon. I liked my life and I wanted to live. I was happy to live as a Christian and that sort of thing, I just wasn't ready to go to heaven yet. I'm pretty sure that I had an inaccurate view (and still do) of heaven, but it was not something I was interested in yet.

All of that changed...but I'm not sure when. I think maybe when I started being less selfish and more aware of people around me and the pain and suffering we inflict on each other. There are so many beautiful and fun things in this world, but there is so much more pain. It just makes me sad to think of the pain we cause other people and ourselves, especially intentionally. And then to contrast that with the picture of the world the way God created it...that has been enough to change my mind and ask the question of so many before me - how long?

You're invited!

This is a special invitation to everyone who visits this blog...

Our jewelry website is up, and our business is open!

We are inviting all of our family and friends (and if you read this blog, that means you) to visit our site, a l a designs, and let us know what you think. We're also taking orders during our special Friends and Family sale - tax free, free shipping, and buy one pair of earrings get the second half off.

We're not accepting payment through the website yet, but send us an email with your order, and we'll get your jewelry to you post haste. You'll find all of the details on the site.

Thank you for your help and support in getting our business up and running!

apparently I don't run fast enough :)

I'd better get this done so I still have someone left to tag...

4 Jobs I've had...
(I'm not entirely sure I've had 4 legal, tax-paying jobs, but we'll see...)
personal assistant
Univ. of Houston Orientation Team Leader
Children's Ministry Director
small business owner! (we're almost up and running!)

4ish movies I would watch on repeat...
You've Got Mail
The Muppet Christmas Carol ("You throw the fish away, and it comes back to you!")
That Thing You Do!
Newsies
The Jungle Book (live action version - if you've never seen it, go see it now!)
The Matrix (and then I'll write a book with the real ending to the movie...)

4 TV shows I love...
(This is easy - but I have to divide it into currently airing and sadly cancelled, and I know there are more.)
Gilmore Girls
24
Related
Love Monkey
(and the cancelled shows:)
Lois & Clark
Star Trek: The Next Generation (come on, you knew I was a nerd)
The Pretender
Square 1 TV (nerd, we've already been over this)

4 Vacation Spots I'd love to frequent...
India
Boston
London
the beach (a good one, far from Galveston)

4 websites I visit daily...
(as daily as I manage with anything...)
Relevant Magazine
cool blogs
a l a designs (we have big news - stay tuned!)
Kraft Foods (well, I'm working on honesty here...)

Four foods I lust for...
dark chocolate
Cinnamon Dolce Lattes
spicy food (Chinese especially, House of Hunan particularly)
raspberries

Four things I "love" most about Texas (just for Ashlee!)
humidity (good friends)
heat (good food, especially Mexican)
horrible traffic (the Astros!)
driving forever to get anywhere (access to lots of stuff - great concerts and good shopping)

Four people I am "tagging"
Azina
Raj
Lisa (though I'm not sure she even knows I have a blog...)
Joser (who doesn't have a blog but can respond in the comments)

the post to end the griping...

See, the thing is not that I don't have something to say, the thing is finding the time to say it! Which brings up an interesting question - how does one person's life get so full of things that "need to be done?" And why do they never go away, even when one is constantly busy?

Anyway, please do email ala_designs@hotmail.com and let us know that you want to be added to our email list and be informed when our jewelry business website is up. It's coming soon, I promise...just another one of those things on the list...

good gifts

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

In reflecting on the 10 days we spent in Omaha with my family, I kept thinking "good and perfect gifts" are from God. That is not to say that my family is perfect by any means, but being able to spend that much time at Christmas with my family, at the house we grew up in, in Omaha, is definitely a good gift to me. Part of me wants to say that our vacation had nothing to do with being a gift from God - it was just our turn to spend Christmas with my family this year. But I don't believe that. We did so many more things and had different attitudes toward each other than we've ever had before. I think that is a result of God working in each of our lives. It was a good gift to me to spend so much time with my family because I'm coming to the realization that God has work for each of us to do that requires us to be in different parts of the country. (If I had my way, we'd all be able to do what we're supposed to do and live in the same neighborhood, which is strange because I was always the one who wanted to go out and be on my own and do my own thing when we were growing up.)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Besides our trip to Omaha being a good gift from God, I'm starting to realize that my home in Texas is a good gift from God, too. I have no reason to not be joyful or give thanks for the gifts God has given me - it may not be the way I want things, but life on this earth is not perfect, and it never will be. On the contrary, while life may not be the "perfect" I could hope for, my life is full of two great gifts - two unique places I can call home.

So while I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, I do believe that a new year can be a sort of new beginning, and I believe that God is showing me these things that I need to work on. However, I do reserve the right to complain about the weather occassionally!

(I feel like this is coming out disjointed and random...I'm still thinking through all of these things, but I needed to get out what was in my head.)

Christmas potpourri

Before you try and sniff this post, let me clarify that the word "potpourri" is used in the Jeopardy sense...

Just in case anyone was unaware of this fact, it is highly frustrating to the parents and downright inconsiderate to recline your seat in an airplane when you are aware that there are small children seated directly behind you. I understand that airplanes are uncomfortable for everyone, but is the extra 3 inches you achieve when you recline your seat really worth the added stress to a small child (who may then stress out everyone else on the plane, including yourself) and that child's parents?

It took us 3 tries, yes 3 tries, to be able to see Walk the Line. We tried Monday night, and it was sold out. We got tickets early yesterday, and then when we got there, the only seats left were in the front row on the ends, so we exchanged our tickets for the late showing and finally got to see the movie. So between that, the movie quality not being that great (because of film artifacts), ridiculous ticket prices, and my frustration with the 12 years of commercials before movies, I've finally jumped on the home theater bandwagon with Joe. It will pretty much take an act of Congress before I go to a movie theater again.

But, Walk the Line is a good movie - I very much enjoyed it. I even wished it was a little longer. Now I need to get some Johnny Cash music...

odds and ends

Jadyn is a year old today - happy birthday baby girl! (And for a birthday present, I took her to the doctor, and she got shots. Nice of me, eh?)

Odd as it may sound, the Kevin Max Christmas CD "Holy Night" is surprisingly not cracked out. I love Kevin Max's stuff, but you have to admit that it's a little out there. But his Christmas CD is really good - basically all straightforward renditions of the songs, but they're done well.

My friend Josh has a blog now! Go check it out, after you finish reading and commenting on my blog, of course.

I thought there was more randomness floating around in my head, but I can't remember it right now.

good things happen at Christmas!

I just had to share my excitement...when I arrived home from our first gig selling jewelry, my Switchfoot shirt and Holiday Package was waiting for me! There are few things better than watching a Switchfoot DVD (seeing them in concert is one of them)! And I'm very excited about the new lowercase people magazine - I anticipate posting about that in the near future...

In case anyone is keeping track, my little baby turns 1 tomorrow. And no, she's not walking yet!

If you're still looking for a perfect Christmas present, one of a kind and handmade, you know where to find me! (But only if it's a gift for a girl, sorry.)

I don't blog more...

because I'm pretty sure no one wants to read about the terribly exciting things that go on in a house with two small children all day long! I'm just kidding, really, and I couldn't think of a good way to start this post. All of my friends are talking about dating, and I don't feel like I have a lot to add in that world, so I thought I'd talk about something else! (Not that those conversations are not important, because they are.)

Side note: Anyone who doubts my assessment of Jadyn (2 weeks shy of 1 year old, for those keeping track) as having way too much personality for my own good must believe me now. I have been trying to teach her the sign language for "more" and "please" for at least 3 months now, probably closer to 6. Never once has she shown any interest in actually signing the words, but I'm pretty sure she understands what I'm trying to do because she'll smile or laugh or nod her head or whatever. So the other night, Ashlee came over so we could work on our new business (jewelry making), and Jadyn was in the high chair eating cheerios while I worked on dinner. Ashlee went to the high chair and asked Jadyn if she wanted more cheerios, and you guessed it, Jadyn signed both "more" and "please" for her! Of course, she hasn't done it again for me. What a wonderful challenge God has blessed us with!

So, what I've been thinking about lately is this - what on earth is wrong with our parents' generation? (Without making a sweeping generalization, of course - I can name more than a few examples of baby boomers who "get it.") Over the week of Thanksgiving, I experienced multiple examples of so-called adults who act like children, specifically badly behaved children. And that fits with the experience I've had at church, where pretty much every ministry is being led by people under 35. (Which, I think, is far from the ideal way things should be.) I guess what I'm trying to understand is why this generation can be characterized as selfish, uncommitted, and non-communicative, and other than seeking the truth and living out 1 Timothy 4:12, what can we do about it? (To put it in context, an otherwise great family time over Thanksgiving was largely tainted by these kinds of attitudes, so much so that it would take a lot to get us to try it again.) Any theories? Anyone experienced something similar, or is it just my corner of the world that acts like this?

And just to tie it all together, I think this article on Relevant's website in analyzing the megachurch phenomenon maybe has something to do with, or is a reflection of, these attitudes. I'm still thinking about all of this, but something tells me it's all related. (Interesting article, by the way, and really about more than megachurches.)

we're not SAD, we're just confused

Only in Texas does it seem completely normal to eat a (good) cantaloupe and bake a pumpkin pie in the very same afternoon...

By the way, does anyone know what bourbon tastes like? I am making a ham for church on Sunday, and the recipe calls for bourbon, but I'm not going to use it because I'm making it for church. So any help would be appreciated!

God is exhausting!

I am feeling pretty drained today, which makes me a little short-tempered, but the events of the past 2 days have been awesome.

On Sunday, we had Awards Night for Upward Soccer. What is so amazing about my experiences with Upward Soccer is that God is teaching me that the personality traits that I think are required for running a smooth, successful soccer league are not necessarily the ones that I am supposed to be utilizing. I know that doesn't make much sense, but the more that I let go of things (particularly when it comes to things being done the "right" way), the more I feel like God is working through me and the families that are coming to our church are being impacted more than I could ever do myself. I don't mean to go all rose-colored glasses, but everything worked out so well on Sunday evening that I'm still in shock about it. (Believe me, there was every opportunity for something to go horribly wrong. In fact, any number of things may still go wrong.) The success of Sunday night was due in large part to Jared Hall, who is a fantastic Christian illusionist and very ministry-oriented. I'm just so excited to see people have a positive experience with a church. If you've been keeping up with the soccer saga, please keep praying that our church will not drop the ball when it comes to follow-up. Thanks.

And then, last night, a concert that has made the years of waiting totally worth it. Having been a Switchfoot fan literally since the beginning - I remember the release of The Legend of Chin - it is a sad state of affairs that last night was the first time I had ever seen them in concert. (Yes, I saw them at Festival con Dios, but that doesn't count because it wasn't their own tour.) But it was worth it because we had 2nd row seats. That's right, we could make eye contact with the band members. (And now I am completely ruined - those seats were so amazing that I don't think any other concert will ever be that good.)

The concert opened with Augustana, who is a great new band, and everyone who reads this needs to go buy their album. Why? Because their van broke down in Georgia and they had to fly in for the concert missing part of their band and most of their instruments. And it gets better - during their 3rd or 4th song, the lights went out. Completely dark on the stage, they just kept playing. So everybody pulled out their "Christian lighters." They were just good. The environment at this concert was so great - it felt like we were just sitting in somebody's living room hanging out with these bands. And it felt like that the whole night.

After Augustana was Eisley, which was a pleasant surprise for me because I didn't know who the openers were going to be, and I like Eisley. They were awesome - they have an unfair sibling advantage because their voices blend so well. As they are from Texas, they had a large contingency in the audience, which was cool. Both bands were really good openers for Switchfoot, which I think is unusual in most concerts - for whatever reason, most openers shouldn't be within 10 miles of the band they're opening for, but that doesn't stop them. (Like Rilo Kiley for Coldplay - terrible!)

And then, of course, the main event - Switchfoot! They opened with Lonely Nation, which I kind of expected (not that that's bad or anything). I was pleasantly surprised with the number of older songs they threw into the set. What was great is that Jon Foreman recognized the fans who have been around since the beginning, and they dedicated More than Fine to those fans. Then later in the show, they did Company Car for those fans. I thought that was awesome because I've been wondering for a couple of weeks if they would pull out any old school songs, and I was thinking it would be cool if they did Company Car, and they did! The only thing more old school would've been for them to pull out Chem 6A or Might Have Ben Hur or something. Apparently, Jon is writing a song for every city they stop in - of course the song for Stafford (where the venue is) had to have a line from "The Stars at Night." I was pretty impressed that he managed to stick a line from that song in another song - Stars, I think. I may have to tolerate that song now that Switchfoot has done it. During On Fire, Jon made a trip into the audience, and there was a ledge, basically like 1/4 of a wall, in front of the first row. He walked along that wall and stopped right in front of us to do the bridge to the song. It completely rocked! The show ended (the real ending, not the pretend ending) with Stars and We Are One Tonight, which is a great way to end a show.

And this post is way too long, so I'm ending it here, but I'm sure I'll find a way to talk about Switchfoot in everything for at least the next week! And I wish you all could have been there too!