Adoption Update: MOWA

on September 30, 2010
MOWA: Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethopia.

MOWA has to recommend your adoption forward to be finalized or the whole process will fall through and, to my understanding, you lose your referred child.

But once you pass that then you are on your way to Ethopia a week(ish) later to finish off the finalization process. (There's so many court dates that I get confused, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

BUT.

The important thing is that my cousin's MOWA court date was today and they PASSED.

This is big. This is awesome. And I'm so excited for them. This also means they'll be traveling soon, so please keep them in your prayers!

Bat-Man-3! Bat-Man-3!

on September 29, 2010
Sleepy. Playing Harvest Moon. Not going to edit.

I know. I know. It's been a little while. But I have something muy important to share today.

Batman 3 updates!!

Filming Start Date?

Christopher Nolan Thinking Batman 3

Closest thing I'll probably get to a confirmation that he's directing until they start shooting. I'm okay with that.

Also, I went to visit the First Baptist Church of Wellston tonight. Our drama team is planning on going to perform there and I wanted to do some scouting of what we would be working with ahead of time. Considering I was walking in by myself, and only found out the day before that I would also be eating dinner with them, my little social anxiety driven self was twitching.

But I have to say, they're incredibly, incredibly nice people. The youth jumped at introducing themselves, they're youth pastor (who I've been working with) was so flexible and showed me all around the place and is excited and although it's always a little stressful for me during that whole meeting-new-people issue, it was all good. Because they were awesome people. It was so much like being at Hilltop.

Come and I will sing you, I will sing you twelve-o...

on September 23, 2010
"This week I had a lot more opportunities to work on larger casket pieces ($250 & up) than I usually have the chance to do."

Do you recognize that line? It was all of two posts ago.

Originally the reason I was taking over more pieces is because one of our main casket designers has a shoulder that is in need of repair and it aggravates her rotary cuff to design them in particular. Partially, this is still true.

The other half of that equation is that from last Friday to this Saturday we will have had twelve family pieces.

Twelve.

I mean, a really busy week for us is seven, maybe eight. But we had five funerals at the end of this week alone.

Aaaanyway. All of this practice has been awesome - I feel much stronger in my casket skills, especially for the lower priced ones (today I whipped one out in an HOUR. Scoooore!) and am improving at the higher ones. Yes. Awesome. Not awesome that Imy's shoulder causes her pain, cause I love Imy. But I am grateful for the learning lessons and how she always comes to my rescue when something doesn't look right.

Also in the mix, it looks like I'm in the process of a second go at taking a wedding from the ground up. Eheh...eheh...can you feel me twitching? They're so scary!

Stories from Work

on September 21, 2010
This past Saturday my coworker Carla went to visit a friend of hers whose mother suffers from Alzheimer's. The disease has taken away the mother's ability to speak clearly and anymore they struggle to understand her. Carla, who recently cared for and lost her own mother to Alzheimer's, decided to take flowers to the two to cheer them up.

When the mother saw the roses her face lit up and she very clearly exclaimed "How beautiful!" And wouldn't let them take the flowers from anywhere but right in front of her.

And as Carla put it, it's those little moments that keep you going when you're in the midst of caring for someone with an illness.

That warmed my heart. This is a much better translation of why I love my job moreso than the last post I attempted to write.

Thoughts at Work

on September 19, 2010
I'm getting really sleepy, so this may or may not make sense at times. But I'm not going back and editing this one as much. :)

This week I had a lot more opportunities to work on larger casket pieces ($250 & up) than I usually have the chance to do. I really enjoy this - I'm now at a stage where I can complete a piece and recognize my mistakes. While it turns out satisfactory (we wouldn't send it otherwise), I can certainly see where I should've worked on an angle here, draped a little more there, carried my greenery through here.... Detail work. A chance to work on my technique (even if I'm slow).

I'm excited by this because I really love completing sympathy work. I love meeting the families and working with them (okay - some are crazy, but most are super sweet). I love that chance to step in and hopefully be helpful at a very specific time of need. This is what I love: not only do flowers provide that last gift from the family as well as that needed touch of comfort, but honestly, they can provide pure beauty. Pure beauty at a time when everything else is falling apart.

I love my shop, because they've taught and encouraged me how to work hard to understand the family's intent on the look they want to portray (He was all country...she loved roses...he was far out, can you do something in turquoise?)and to pull it off is worth so much to me. This is where my satisfaction is and this is an aspect of my ministry.

I also love the men that come in that genuinely want to send their wife or mother or loved one something pretty, whether they've given it tons of thought or just walked in off the street unsure. Those guys can make my day. I still find it incredibly sweet.

However long I stay in this business obviously cannot be seen and could even end tomorrow. But this is what I love about my work right now, even on the days when the customers drive me wild. I love that opportunity to step between two people's lives or in the midst of a family and work to create a moment, memory or gesture with beautiful flowers between them.

Sweet dreams. :)

"I'm chatty, it's part of my charm."

on September 18, 2010
"Can you ever once just say Let's get in the car? Is that so hard?"

I wasn't sure what I made of Red Hood until the end, but I really liked it. I can assure you I never thought the line "Can it be a sleepover? I'll pack my toothbrush" could be quite that creepy. Thanks Joker.

Also, the fight scenes were really knockout. Anytime Batman & Nightwing fly together is really beautifully done. The whole thing, I thought, was really well put together.

And while I'm normally not a big fan of Batman with a sidekick, it works well here. Nightwing is a wonderful foil. (Neil Patrick Harris, thumbs up choice.) Good stuff, good stuff.

"Did you know he could fly?"

on September 17, 2010
I am watching Batman: Under the Red Hood.

And we all know how well I can blog and watch a movie. Or do anything else and watch a movie.

(I can't.)

But I thought I would try.

Also, I just about made myself sick eating two giant bowls of Cheerios. Mmm. Cheerios.

And OH WOW that first Batman/Nightwing fight was awesome.

Never mind, I'll be back.

Birthdays!

on September 9, 2010
Do you realize there are four, count 'em, four birthdays in my family this week?
September through May we have lots of birthdays among family and friends. Whoohoo!

So to my loved ones who had birthdays throughout the week:

Carson: My favorite webslinger, dragonslayer, prince and friend of all things imaginary. Whether I'm the troll under the bridge or the kidnapped princess, watching you build dreams and believe in them never fails to make me smile. You are my superhero and I can't wait to watch you fly.

Grandpa Kime: Grandpa would have been 80 this year and his birthday would have been this past Tuesday. We clashed sometimes, but I never doubted he loved me and knew he was always teaching me what was good and right. Whenever I envision my "cloud of witnesses" I know he's one of my loudest supporters and on some days that is what keeps me going. His strength in the face of adversity lifts my feeble arms and strengthens my weak knees (Heb. 12:12).

Grandma Kime: My lovely, lovely grandma whom I love dearly. You are beautiful and you have always carried yourself with a grace and kindness that I can only pray & hope one day I can mirror. Thank you for all your love, all the tender care you've poured out on others over the years and, of course, all your cookies that sweeten the day. :) I love you.

Phyllis: How wonderful is my Phyllis? My Phyllis who, whether she realizes it or not, inspires me to let go and lets God as she practices it herself, who encourages me to stay on the straight and narrow and who never fails to let me know she loves me. I continually watch you lift up others and carry their burdens and I am honored to be your niece. I love you and I cherish whenever we get to chat. Thank you for always thinking of me and answering your phone when I call, even when you're almost asleep. ;)

Yay! Birthdays! I hope they were all wonderful. :)

While I'm here: look, links!

This is a photo of a baby seahorse. You should look. It'll make you smile. (Thanks Will!)

This is one of those things I'm afraid to link because it could turn around and all be a lie. Nonetheless, in case it turns out valid, it's too awesome and interesting not to post.

If you've seen The Dark Knight (which, if you haven't, we should talk) this is pretty funny. :)

And I hear the prairies calling out Your Name.

on September 8, 2010
"Well the moon moved past Nebraska and spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills...

I'm a little at a loss tonight to translate what I'm feeling from spirit to screen.

"There is this silence in the Badlands and over Kansas the whole universe was still by the whisper of a prayer, the whisper of a prayer...

Tonight after church we went, per usual, out to eat. And there were some topics brought up that made me lose my appetite. I drove home later feeling better but some things still nagged at me.

"And the single hawk bursts into flight and in the east the whole horizon is in flames...

It rained all day today and it was really wonderful to feel that release in the air.
I was listening to it pour and decided to pull up a Rich Mullins cd I recently bought on iTunes.

"And I feel the thunder in the sky, I see the sky about the rain, and I hear the prairies calling out Your Name.

Sometimes I forget how big God is. Sometimes I forget He's still really sovereign and still fully in control and how that means everything is under Him. And I forget how good He is and how beautiful He is. Until I see videos like this.

"I can feel the earth tremble beneath the rumbling of the buffalo hooves and the fury in the pheasants wings... And it tells me the Lord is in His temple and there is still a faith that can make the mountains move. And a love that can make the heavens ring, I've seen love make heaven ring...

And suddenly I'm reminded of how huge He is. Of His majesty. Of how good He is. And that He who brings up the sun every morning and the moon every night, will be there for us, constant, perfect, ready. Even when I don't understand, even when I'm tired or lonely. Even when I forget. He's still there.

He who cares for the sparrows.
Who cares for the cattle.
Who gives names to the stars.
Who is the keeper of the plains.
Who loves you. And me.

Who loves Africa.
And a boy who needed a home.
And a family here who wanted him without knowing him.

Who knows the sewer children in Russia.
Every child soldier in Uganda.
And of the conflict in Sudan.

The floods of Pakistan.
The pain of Haiti.
The loss of Sumatra.
The rage of Hurricane Katrina.

Every woman raped.
And abused.
Every lonely widow.
Every angry orphan.
Every struggling man.

He knows. He knows. The good, the bad, the ugly, He knows. And whether we recognize it or not, He's taking care of it. He had already planned for it. We go along for the ride, we struggle and pray and cling and grow and wait in hope for something better.

And because He is good it will come. And He will create a new heavens and a new earth. And God Himself will be our light.

"I hope that this thirst will not last long, that it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain. And I feel thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain and I hear the prairies calling out Your name."

The Labor Day Holiday

on September 6, 2010
How to Create the Perfect Saturday:

Lunch with grandma? Check.
Going to Brad & Regina's? Check.
Out of town friends in town? Check.
ZOO!? Check.
COLDSTONE?! Check. (Birthday Cake Remix, baby!)
Holly & Sam arrive? Check.
Bohemian Rhapsody sung by everyone in the car? Double check.

And thus started off my Labor Day holiday. :) I've tried hard to use three-day weekends for major projects and I've completed a lot through that. (The mass purge of the filing cabinet and closet come to mind as recent accomplishments...) But this weekend was all play. Harvest Moon every night. Staying home Sunday and Monday. Completing small tasks on larger projects. McAlisters Deli. It was so nice.

Of course, the Zoo is always a personal favorite, but this was such a strange trip. I thought a lot of the exhibits would be lively due to being the last major summer holiday and the parking lot was packed. (Seriously, we finally sat for several minutes waiting for a family to deal with strollers and iceboxes just for the spot). But we mostly saw...exhibits? Very few animals. Mostly just their exhibits. :) We did get some fun interaction with the gorillas, and the giraffes are always lovely (elephants still in Tulsa, but next year!). Even the Sea Lions were off somewhere else. No chimps. Few wild dogs. Can't find the otters again.
However, price of admission was all worth it just for Philip & Eric filling in the meerkats inner monologues. I wish I had direct quotes, but I don't, and no amount of attemping to reprise it will do it justice.

I haven't had Coldstone since Vegas when I tracked it down in the Excalibur. It was wonderful.

And then everyone sat on the patio of Coldstone for, um, two hours? reminiscing.

Of course, everything that was on hold over the summer comes back into full swing this week. My boss told me to rest over the holiday and that we would have to come back ready to go on Tuesday. Now we'll start our holiday work -- preparing for our annual open house, Thanksgiving, Christmas silks, etc. Wednesday night Bible Study returns this week at 5:30. Drama will start back up this coming Sunday. There are no less than four birthdays this week alone and several more in the coming weeks. I'm excited for all of them.

Hello fall! Let's begin again. How are you?

And the world's turning inside out...

on September 4, 2010
Ah, September. You've swept in with your 80 degree days and 60 degree nights. I fully admit I was not looking forward to your cooler days. How could I? It means winter is right around the corner and I work at an icebox. Brr.

But this week has been gorgeous. Maybe I was ready to shed some of those 100 degree days (maybe). For a week (maybe). Maybe I'll be ready for winter when it rolls around in potentially late November. Maybe.

Fall: you're my favorite season. Sunflowers come into the shop in full force. Oranges, yellows, reds abound. All of nature seems to give one last flourish of beauty before winter sets in. Perfect temperatures. Ushering in the holiday season.

And despite what I say, winter, I actually like you too. For a little while. I love snow and being cold at Christmas. I would be sad if you were not there. But after February I'm giving you notice. Move it or lose it.