Category Archives: Southern California Dreaming

7 Quick Takes: What Has Happened Here

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7 Quick Takes

So I’ve been hard to find for about a week or so. Here’s what is up:

— 1 —

We packed up our parsonage. I am eternally grateful that my mommy is a project manager. It meant that my living room bookshelves, Daniel’s cave, and Jon’s mancave were packed a week ago Monday and my kitchen was packed last Friday.

— 2 —

We loaded up a 20-foot U-Haul truck. Can I just say that last Saturday morning was a bit tense for me and leave it at that? I wasn’t totally ready when the moving crew showed up and I’m grateful to the council president at Metanoia and at the other church helping us who were calming me down and telling me to stop apologizing.

— 3 —

We deep-cleaned our parsonage. By “we”, I mean Jon. Serious deep-cleaning to remove any trace of us there. A parishioner also came to us on Sunday, handed us a $100 bill, and told us to hire someone to come in and do the rest.

— 4 —

We had our last Sunday at Metanoia. It went well and they had a catered farewell luncheon for us after worship. We left with lots of hugs, a good way to go. One of Jon’s colleagues also came when he was done with his worship duties for the morning and that was really wonderful.

— 5 —

We headed south to LA. After discovering that our motel in Tulare didn’t accept cats, we had to do some searching before we landed at the Motel 6 in town which was more than happy to host our kitties. It was not the best evening but such was life. We had an easy time driving the rest of the way on Monday.

— 6 —

We moved in with my in-laws. We’ve taken over two of their bedrooms with our essential stuff and put the rest in storage. We’ve been unpacking and purging extraneous stuff for the last few days.

And before anyone asks, I get along well enough with my in-laws that people are shocked that my mother-in-law isn’t actually my mother.

— 7 —

We found a really good home for my boys. Integrating 4 cats into the clowder at my in-laws’ house was going to be dicey so we had been trying to find homes for the boys and Freya. Last Saturday, my mother-in-law got a call from someone who had heard about this and who wanted to adopt my boys. My mother-in-law talked to her and liked her immediately and called me to let me know. We had just started loading the truck so the timing of the phone call wasn’t great but I did have a talk with the woman and liked her. On Tuesday, I crated my boys and took them over. She was so perfect that I honestly feel no guilt in leaving them with her. She wanted older cats and she wanted brothers so they wouldn’t be split and she fell in love with my babies upon seeing them. It’s a win-win for them because they get a quieter house with no screaming 5 year olds.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kathryn (our host this week) at Team Whitaker.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 18, 2013

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FOR TODAY August 18, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It’s a full moon tonight though and I’m pretty sure my in-laws’ mew-mews are out being lions or something.

I am thinking… about all that I have to get done this week.

I am thankful… for a good visit down here and for my mother-in-law who has taken on a lot of Daniel duty so I can sleep in and take naps. She keeps me sane on these visits.

In the kitchen… cleaned up the leftovers from the manicotti that a neighbor brought over for Jon’s birthday dinner.

I am wearing… charcoal shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… blog entries.

I am going… to have a long drive back up to northern California tomorrow. I’ll actually be reading through most of it so I should hopefully be able to clear some of the “Mount TBR” on my NOOK.

I am wondering… what my kitties are up to back home.

I am reading… Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels MD. It’s an interesting look at how the NHS looks in Britain in addition to anecdotes about his experiences as a doctor.

I am hoping… all goes well with my father-in-law’s surgery on Wednesday. If you could spare a prayer on his behalf, I’d appreciate it. His name is Ray.

I am looking forward to… my mani/pedi on Wednesday.

Around the house… nothing to report because my mother-in-law keeps a completely sterile house to the point that I could eat off of her kitchen floor.

I am pondering… what things to talk about for Thomas’ link-up. (If you have any thoughts/blog posts/etc on what was helpful when your kids were babies, go participate in the link-up. Thomas’ wife Alison is pregnant with twins and he’s picking the brain of the Internet on what to use.)

A favorite quote for today… ??When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of ‘No answer.’ It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, ‘Peace, child; you don’t understand.?? ? C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… solitude.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Daniel starts back to school on Tuesday, Morning Prayer on Tuesday, endocrinologist appointment and mani/pedi on Wednesday as well as my brother visiting, nothing on Thursday (thank God!), and ABA therapy on both Wednesday and Friday for Daniel

A peek into my day… My bed kitty while I’ve been down here. My cats are going to kill me.

Arthur

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7 Quick Takes: ELCA Presiding Bishops, Helping Jenn Become a Nun, and Cat Bribing.

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

A wine alternative. We have several winemakers in our parish (we’re a cow town in wine country) and Jon will sometimes be gifted wine by some of them. A couple of them know that I don’t drink so I was surprised when I got a call from the wife of one of the winemakers, telling me that she had something for me. The “something” turned out to be two bottles of really good sparkling cider because she didn’t feel it was fair that Jon always got wine and I never got anything. I was seriously touched by this but this person is incredibly conscientious about making sure that people feel included so I shouldn’t have been surprised.. She is one of the few people in the parish who is allowed to have my cell phone number and I keep a couple messages from her on there to listen to when I really need to hear that I’m loved. (She left a message the first night Daniel was in the hospital in January and I cried when I heard it because I totally needed to hear that she and her husband love us and were praying for us.)

— 2 —

Helping Jenn become a nun. I am blessed to have been a part of this.

A family (wishing to remain anonymous) offered to take over her student loans so that she could enter on August 28th. This is a huge sacrifice on their part and Jenn has asked that if people would like to make a gift toward paying them down, it would help them out tremendously. (She writes the BEST thank you emails too.) She has a blog here if you’d like to keep up with what is going on until her entrance on August 28th.

— 3 —

Send Liliana a birthday card. This kid kicked cancer’s butt and all she wants is a birthday card. She loves receiving mail and this would really make her happy. Details are here.

— 4 —

Orphans.Do you see these three darling children?

First row: Brett and Iris.
Second row: Kaia.

BrettIrisKaia

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are in the homestudy stage. Kaia has met her family and they are in love with her!!! 🙂

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 5 —

It’s a girl! Some of you know that I used to be part of the ELCA so I was watching news of Churchwide Assembly with a cocked ear because we would be electing a new presiding bishop (the head of the ELCA). On the fifth ballot, Elizabeth Eaton, the bishop of Northeastern Ohio Synod was elected, beating out Mark Hanson (our current presiding bishop) and Jessica Crist (my former bishop from Montana).

I was never a fan of Mark Hanson for many reasons so I’m glad that he’ll be gone. My feelings about Jessica are mixed. Her assistant to the bishop threw us under the bus in Montana and there are some who feel that more could have been done for us. Thing is… Jessica always treated me like an actual person vs. “the wife of the pastor at _____________ Parish” and I appreciated that. The reason I would have been chill with her being elected bishop was that when she found out about me having Daniel, she hauled butt to the hospital (at 7 a.m.) and my first lucid memory after my night of trauma and c-section is her sitting by my bed, holding my hand and explaining to me that I had just had a baby. I don’t know that I will ever be able to express how much it helped to have her there, considering that it was during a period of 36-48 hours where my memories are hazy. That kind of pastoral care is rare. She also did a good job of talking to the congregations who wanted to leave over the sexuality decisions in 2009 despite the fact that they were really rude to her and pretty much just came to the meeting to find out the process to leave the ELCA.

Anyway, my friends who have served with Presiding Bishop-Elect Eaton are happy for her but are really sad to lose her because she was an awesome bishop for them. I think that speaks volumes about her fitness for the job — that her pastors are bummed to no longer have her as bishop. I also have Facebook friends who are talking about “the stained glass ceiling being broken” and I’m trying not to roll my eyes too much. It’s a church that is used to female bishops — Jessica Crist is the head of the Council of Bishops so you can’t tell me that there are no women in leadership. I mean, it’s cool that Presiding Bishop-Elect Eaton is the first female presiding bishop in the ELCA but it’s hardly surprising.

— 6 —

Cat-bribing. I’m down in southern California with my in-laws for Jon’s birthday and I have their cat Arthur in the guest room with me. Once he realized my mother-in-law wasn’t going to come sleep with him, he vanished under the bed. I grabbed a thing of cat treats and shook some onto the cat spread next to me. Guess which kitty is now next to me munching on cat treats? Yep… Mr. Mama’s Boy. I’m hoping he stays. He is a fabulous cuddler even if I did get a cat bite infection from him in January.

— 7 —

Why I love my mother-in-law. She stocked the freezer with 4 boxes of Trader Joe’s Coffee Latté and Cream Bars. Enough said.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 11, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

I’m moving my memes and link-ups around and doing this on Sunday.

FOR TODAY August 11, 2013

Outside my window… sunny and warm.

I am thinking… about getting Daniel to his ENT appointment tomorrow and praying that nothing happens car-wise because there’s a weird rattling sound under the car.

I am thankful… for chances to sleep this weekend.

In the kitchen… so many dishes. No idea where to start.

I am wearing… green “Online Debate Team” shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… this blog entry.

I am going… to go attempt to figure out the dish situation when I’m done here.

I am wondering… when I’ll be able to get to Les Schwab to have them check out the car.

I am reading… Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels. I finished Banished by Lauren Drain on Saturday.

I am hoping… nothing is wrong with the car that isn’t easily fixable.

I am looking forward to… time in LA with my in-laws.

I am pondering… too many things in my heart.

A favorite quote for today… ??God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else – something it never entered your head to conceive – comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.?? — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… watching “The Big Bang Theory”.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ENT appointment with Daniel on Monday morning, ABA therapy on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, driving down to LA on Thursday, and being down there over the weekend.

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 8, 2013

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FOR TODAY

Outside my window… sunny. I’m told the temperature outside was supposed to be 95F today and Weather.Com confirms it.

I am thinking… about the crash at SFO and how amazing it is that more people didn’t die. (SFO is 2 hours away so this is major news here.)

I am thankful… for the first responders and passengers who risked their life to rescue people on that flight.

In the kitchen… turkey in the fridge defrosting and marinating overnight.

I am wearing… my black “Governator” shirt and black capri sweats.

I am creating… blog entries.

I am going… to hope that Daniel doesn’t have any more night terrors like he has had the last few nights.

I am wondering… way too many things to list.

I am reading… Apologia pro vita sua by Cardinal John Henry Newman. I’m a fan of spiritual autobiographies and this one was recommended to me. I also finished Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin, S.J. and The Diva Frosts a Cupcake by Krista Davis while I was in southern California.

I am hoping… that Hunter Pence is voted into the All-Star Game. Go vote! Do it now!

I am looking forward to… my hair cut on Thursday and my massage on Friday.

Around the house… I need to get the Roomba fixed.

I am pondering… too many things in my heart.

A favorite quote for today… “… I ever kept before me that there was something greater than the Established Church and that was the Church Catholic and Apostolic, set up from the beginning, of which she was but the local presence and the organ. She was nothing unless she was this. She must be dealt with strongly, or she would be lost. There was need of a second reformation.” — Newman (I’m taking “the Church Catholic and Apostolic” to be the Church on earth which includes all of us — Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox — as Newman had not become Catholic when he was writing this.)

One of my favorite things… my mani-pedi today. My fingers and toes are so pretty!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Morning Prayer tomorrow, ABA therapy for Daniel on Wednesday, haircut on Thursday, massage and ABA therapy for Daniel on Friday.

A peek into my day… The zucchini of light.

The zucchini of light

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7 Quick Takes: Independence Day

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Independence Day. Happy Independence Day to all my US readers. I hope you had a lovely day filled with parades, patriotism, good food, and fun while watching things explode.

— 2 —

Thankful. I’m down in southern California with my in-laws for a couple days. I got to meet my nephew Patrick this morning at his (SECRET BAPTISM) and enjoy some squishy baby cuddles. Unfortunately, there are no pics for this blog post because I left the transfer cable for my camera at home (!!!!!!) He is a cutie though and I thoroughly enjoyed having a sleeping baby in my arms for the first time since Daniel was that age.

Oh yes… it’s also 106F up where we live today. Down in southern California, it’s only 94F. So happy to be down here instead!

— 3 —

Zucchini of Light. My mother-in-law has a massive zucchini which she set on the counter with some patriotic candles stuck in it. When I asked her what it was, she explained that it was the “zucchini of light”. Apparently, she grew a huge zucchini one year and the family recoiled at the sight of it because they envisioned the hell of zucchini bread, zucchini pickles, zucchini pancakes, zucchini coleslaw, zucchini fries, etc. She put it on the coffee table with some Hannukah candles in it as a decoration piece and when some people came over for an Indian Princesses meeting, they asked what it was. My father-in-law replied sarcastically, “The Zucchini of Light”. Anywhere else, people would have caught the joke, However, in uber-PC California, nobody did. So… I guess we’re having a “zucchini of light” tonight in place of firecrackers. (It’s more than a little dangerous to have fireworks in southern California.)

— 4 —

She knows me well. While we were stopping by the church yesterday to pick up supplies for the (SECRET BAPTISM) today, I got a message from my mother-in-law telling me that she had bought TWO BOXES of Trader Joe’s Coffee Latté and Creme Bars for my 3 day stay in southern California. Every time I’ve had one since in her presence, I’ve been stroking it Gollum-style and saying, “My precioussssssss…”

— 5 —

Kitty kitty kitty. There is a tabby attempting to get my in-laws to adopt him. He has gorgeous stripes and beautiful green eyes but he’s skittish. I’d love to play with some string with him but he’s too afraid, especially since a small screaming creature (a.k.a. Daniel) tends to follow me places. *sighs*

— 6 —

Itchy. Something bit me or got me some other way because Tuesday night, I started breaking out in hives and when I scratched them, the burning started. I ran into the kitchen and begged Jon to go out and get me some Cortizone-10 at 11:00 p.m. After a tube of that, a bottle of Sarna, and some Benadryl, it stopped. Well… it started up down here so I took some Benadryl and just showered. I’m hoping it’s not my shower gel or something — that would be really bad.

— 7 —

*grumblegrumblegrumble* The only thing worse than being married to a Dodgers fan when the Giants are playing the Dodgers is to be married to one when the Giants are at the bottom of the NL West. C’mon boys! #BeatLA

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: April 8, 2013

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FOR TODAY April 8, 2013

Outside my window… dark. We just got back from So Cal where it rained hard this morning, blew the car around going over the passes on I-5 between LA and Bakersfield. It was windy during most of the drive home and temperate when we rolled in around 7:45 p.m.

I am thinking… about way too many things right now which is why I’m blogging to empty my brain.

I am thankful… for our house sitter who shampooed our carpet in the living room. Can we say “going above and beyond the call of duty?”

In the kitchen… food brought home from my in-laws.

I am wearing… black Arabic “We will not be silent” shirt and navy blue “Left Behind” shorts.

I am creating… nothing at the moment.

I am going… to hope my packed week stays relatively quiet.

I am wondering… what my dreams will hold tonight.

I am reading… Maphead by Ken Jennings. I also finished a bunch of Mary Daheim “Alpine” murder mysteries this weekend.

I am hoping… for interesting dreams tonight.

I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.

Around the house… unpacking to do.

I am pondering… too many things.

A favorite quote for today… “I must say my prayers today whether I feel devout or not; but that is only as I must learn my grammar if I am ever to read the poets.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Coca Cola.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Morning Prayer/editing tomorrow, Daniel’s well-child appointment on Wednesday, WIC appointment on Thursday, eye appointment and massage on Friday, and Respite Night on Saturday night.

A peek into my day… My in-laws’ new cat Tony.

My in-laws' new cat Tony.

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