Category Archives: Personal Issues

7 Quick Takes: Traveling Mercies and A Bunch of Prayer Requests

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Traveling mercies. I’m on the road again this weekend. Daniel starts school on August 18th and I want to get some time with my parents before then. I’m driving up to San Jose with him tomorrow and we’re leaving Jon behind to do some premarital counseling sessions.

— 2 —

Prerequisite baseball take. My boys are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers. Grump grump grump grump grump. I also now live in Dodgerland so I get reminded frequently. At least my other boys (the St. Louis Cardinals) are only 1 game behind in their division.

— 3 —

Prayer request. I spent a chunk of today sorting out the mess that my local Social Security office made of Daniel’s SSI. Could you pray that they get off their butts when they get my letter and documentation and fix it? Please and thank you.

— 4 —

IEP. We got the referral for Daniel to an autism program but they’re sending us to Covina for it which is not making me happy because that’s at least a 20 minute drive in morning traffic. I think Claremont is required to provide transportation for him but I’m not sure. Could y’all please pray that the IEP meeting goes well and we can figure out exactly where we’re being sent? (We were supposed to be sent to the school district next door.)

— 5 —

Kindergarten boot camp. We’ve mastered drinking from a cup and using a knife and fork at the table. If only we could master potty-training. It’s the bane of my existence at the moment.

— 6 —

Brett. The cute little boy on my sidebar has met his new family. Could you please pray that they can get through all the red tape that exists in adopting a child? Thanks!

— 7 —

Blog Hop. I participated in a blog hop about writing this week. Click here to read it. It was fun to reflect on why I do the things I do this way and I’m excited to see what the three people tagged have to say.

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

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 3, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

(This is being backdated and posted once I return to a place where I have an Internet connection.)

FOR TODAY August 3, 2014

Outside my window… sunny and probably around 80F.

I am thinking… about the call process we’re in and where we’re currently interviewing.

I am thankful… for my in-laws watching Daniel this weekend and for the time this weekend to rest, read, and take some serious Sabbath time.

In the kitchen… we’re staying in the church’s parsonage and they stocked it with snacks, fruit, and sandwich-making supplies for us.

I am wearing… my Online Debate Team shirt (because there’s totally someone on the Internet who is wrong) and black capri sweats.

I am praying for… clarity in where God is leading us, for healing for people in my family, that Daniel continues to amass new skills, and for some special intentions.

I am going… to fly home to southern California tomorrow.

I am wondering… where God is calling us to next.

I am reading… Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West. I finished Light from Heaven and Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon while traveling on Friday and read Sugar and Iced by Jen McKinlay last night.

I am looking forward to… seeing Daniel tomorrow when we get home. This is the longest I’ve been away from him ever.

I am hearing the washer at the parsonage rinsing/spinning a load of towels. (I travel with Tide packs so that I can do laundry on the road when needed.)

Around the house… quiet and the washer running.

From the learning rooms… still working on life skills, potty-training, numbers, shapes, letters, colors, days of the week, and months of the year with Daniel so that he can wow his kindergarten teachers this fall.

One of my favorite things… cuddles with Daniel. I’m missing my boy horribly.

A few plans for the rest of the week: flying home tomorrow, catching up on phone calls and Daniel stuff on Tuesday, ICP for the local Regional Center on Thursday, and possibly heading up to see my parents next weekend.

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7 Quick Takes: Leaving on A Jet Plane, Orphan Prayers, and Trader Joe’s.

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Leaving on a jet plane. I’m sitting in the Ontario International Airport (California, not Canada) waiting to board a plane for this weekend. Pray for good travel mercies for Jon and I and also for Daniel who is being cared for by my in-laws. It’s the longest I’ve been away from him ever and I’m a bit unnerved. I’m incredibly thankful for my mother-in-law Victoria who is doing the lion’s share for the care.

— 2 —

Control Journal. Earlier this week, I got the idea to make a “control journal” for Daniel like you’d find on the Flylady website. It took me a couple days because I had to take pictures of the steps I take in doing stuff like giving Daniel a breathing treatment and I had to mark up the pictures with instructions but it turned out really well. If you think I should do a post on how I did it, let me know in the comments.

— 3 —

Awesome Trader Joe’s story. I was at Trader Joe’s by myself with Daniel a couple days ago and ended up in a checkout lane next to the automatic doors. Daniel’s stimming behavior is opening/shutting doors so this was a bit too tempting for him and so he made a run for it. In the process of trying to get him back and get my gift card out, I dropped my wallet and everything spilled out. The crew member checking me out looked at me and asked, “Is he autistic?”

“Yes,” I replied.

This crew member immediately grabbed another crew member, told him to watch Daniel for me, and helped me pick up the contents of my wallet and sort it. When all was done, he helped us carry everything to the car and asked me a lot of questions about Daniel and his autism. It turns out that he is a college student studying psychology and he recognized the signs. He made sure we got everything into the car, complimented me on how I was doing this all by myself, and told me that if I ever needed any help like this to just grab another crew member.

So… my deepest thanks to Thomas at the Claremont Trader Joe’s. You seriously made my day.

— 4 —

Why I seriously love Trader Joe’s and will give them my business at any opportunity. My experience in #3 is just the tip of the iceberg. I have never had a bad experience with them ever in the 4 years I’ve shopped there since moving back to the West Coast and part of the reason is that their employees are all really wonderful. They have mini-carts for kids with a “Customer-in-Training” flag on them and they are really helpful for teaching Daniel how to shop at a grocery store and what the names of various types of food are. (It also helps his gait to push the cart rather than riding in one of the big adult ones.) Their corporate culture is very laid back and their headquarters is a very plain two story building in Monrovia. (I interviewed to be one of their database people 4 years ago. I didn’t get the job but I can actually say I’ve interviewed at their corporate headquarters and that I was one of the top 10 candidates for the job out of the hundreds who applied.)

— 5 —

Huh. I checked Jon and I in on the Southwest Airlines site last night and when I got our boarding passes, Jon got position A-16 and I got position B-28. In what universe is that reasonable?!?!?!?

Southwest Airlines, BTW, is incredibly good with Daniel. We flew with them two years ago when Daniel and I went down to surprise my father-in-law for Father’s Day after not seeing him for almost 10 months. (Long story.) They were incredibly helpful in getting him on the plane and giving me help in schlepping everything.

— 6 —

Brett. The family committed to Brett (the adorable child on my sidebar) is in his country meeting him and the other little boy they plan to adopt. Pray for good travel mercies for them and a smooth stay with no bureaucratic hangups.

— 7 —

Another prayer request. Please pray for Hope, the adopted daughter of my friend (and fellow Lutheran pastor’s wife) Dalas. They got her home from her country and she’s currently in the hospital as they try to get her nutritionally stable. Dalas is living at the hospital with her and her two year old son and it’s pretty brutal.

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

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 27, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 27, 2014

Outside my window… sunny and bright. According to Weather.Com, it’s 96F here right now. Ugh.

I am thinking… about my upcoming trip this weekend and what I’ll need to pack for it.

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law who is watching Daniel so I can take a breather and blog.

In the kitchen… nothing as of yet though my mother-in-law did make some stuffed peppers yesterday that looked pretty good.

I am wearing… green v-neck shirt and khaki shorts that I’ll have to replace this week as they’ve gotten a few small holes from being washed and worn so much.

I am praying for… my trip this weekend. It will be the longest I’ve been away from Daniel since his birth five years ago.

I am going… to Kohl’s in a bit to go shopping for shorts.

I am wondering… about what will be unfolding in the next few weeks.

I am reading… Light from Heaven by Jan Karon. It’s the last of the books in her series “The Mitford Years”. Next on my agenda are the first two in her “Father Tim” series in preparation for the book that will be coming out later this year. After that, I’ll read Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay.

I am hoping… we get more consistent results with potty-training this week.

I am looking forward to… seeing what God may be calling us to.

I am hearing the A/C and my mother-in-law cleaning in the kitchen.

Around the house… it is now 5 hours after I started writing this, night has fallen, and people are heading to bed.

From the learning rooms… potty-training, reviewing shapes/numbers/letters/colors, learning to write letters and numbers, reading books, and working on life skills.

A favorite quote for today… “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Daniel’s laugh when we play “Ring Around the Rosy” with my in-laws.

A few plans for the rest of the week: A peds appointment at some point for Daniel to get his cough checked out (and establish care here), various errands, and a flight out to my undisclosed location with Jon on Friday.

A peek into my day… Here’s one of the pictures of the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels that I took last week after the Mass for Immigrants that I attended. It’s an amazing space and all of it is tastefully designed. Some of these tapestries were used for the cover of My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin, S.J.

A shot of the tapestries on one side of the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook: Mass for Immigration Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 21, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It’s almost 1 a.m. It was a long day and I’m finally getting to blog this.

I am thinking… about what I’ll be doing with Daniel in a few hours when I have to get up.

I am thankful… that I got to go to the Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

In the kitchen… nothing at the moment but I’m pretty sure there will be something cooking/baking tomorrow.

I am wearing… my Momcat shirt and running shorts.

I am praying for… the children being deported after being separated from their families and sent north to cross the border to escape the poverty and violence of their home countries.

I am going… to Target tomorrow for some things.

I am wondering… some things about the call processes we’re currently in at the moment.

I am reading… In This Mountain by Jan Karon. It’s a hard read for me because Fr. Tim is dealing with serious depression and I know it all too well.

I am hoping… I sleep restfully tonight.

I am hearing my “Bach and Chant” playlist on iTunes. Currently, it’s the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

Around the house… it’s silent as everyone else is asleep including the kitties.

I am pondering… too many things in my heart which is why I’m up blogging.

A favorite quote for today… “If you are interested enough to have read thus far you are probably interested enough to make a shot at saying your prayers: and, whatever else you say, you will probably say the Lord’s Prayer. Its very first words are Our Father. Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntly, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending. Because, of course, the moment you realise what the words mean, you realise that you are not a son of God. You are not being like The Son of God, whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father: you are a bundle of self-centred fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit, all doomed to death. So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

One of my favorite things… quiet. It’s a rarity with a five year old boy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: working with Daniel on school stuff as well as whatever errands are thrown into the mix.

A peek into my day… *cues the “What I Wore on Sunday” script*

I got permission to join Jon and his dad for the Mass at the cathedral on Sunday afternoon and his dad pulled some strings to get me into the “reserved” seating. I knew that receiving the Eucharist at Mass would be off-limits to me as a non-Catholic so I made plans to go to a normal worship service where I could commune this morning wearing my outfit from last week (which has been washed since).

My Sunday morning worship attire.

Dress and camisole: Kohl’s
Shoes: Naturalizer

When my father-in-law told me that I’d be sitting in the reserved section, I thought that it meant that I’d be able to get a seat in the sanctuary instead of being in the overflow outside on the plaza. (I’m on Cipro at the moment so direct sunlight is no bueno until Wednesday.) Little did I know that I’d be up on the raised part of the altar platform in the front row of one of the sections with the “ecumenical guests”. Even more surprising to me was when I was introduced with the “ecumenical guests” by name and people were applauding for me as well as flashbulbs going off. (I joke about marrying into the “Lutheran mafia” because Jon is a 4th generation pastor; but my father-in-law *IS* a big deal in the ecumenical community and this was a rare look for me into his world.) I leaned over to the diocese’s ecumenical officer who was sitting next to me and told him that I was so NOT worthy of this. His answer: “Yes you are.”

Me outside the cathedral with the cornerstone.

Shirt: Kohl’s
Slacks: Kohl’s
Shoes: Naturalizer
Sunglasses: Nike (they’re prescription ones — one of the best investments I’ve ever made)

The Mass was amazing. It was half in English and half in Spanish and I was thankful to be familiar with Catholic liturgy because I’m probably the only native Californian who doesn’t speak Spanish. (I can read it passably but I can’t understand it when it’s spoken.) It was definitely “smells and bells” worship with a very zealous thurifer (the person swinging the thurible with the incense). The priest proclaiming the Gospel was so clouded in incense that he looked hazy from probably 10 feet away where I was sitting. The archbishop preached half in English and half in Spanish and it was an excellent sermon. There were also the relics of St. Toribio Romo González who was martyred in the Cristero War with some ranking Knights of Columbus guarding the statue with the relics in it. (They did not have their swords but they still looked pretty impressive.)

The tapestries from where I was sitting.

At the end of the Mass, the archbishop came to greet all of the “ecumenical guests” and speak with us individually. I’m glad I asked how to address him before that point (answer: “Your Grace”) and I was flattered that I was able to meet him. The picture above was taken afterwards once people were leaving — it would have been offensive to take pictures during Mass.

My necklace.

The story of my necklace: A family friend and her family were missionaries in Afghanistan in the 1980’s and the beads are the famous blue glass of Herat. She doesn’t have any daughters or daughter-in-laws so she made me the necklace from the beads for my 30th birthday in 2010. It’s the equivalent of receiving the family jewels and given my heart for the Afghan people (and for their food), I was honored to receive it.

Now go see Holly and the other pretties at Fine Linen and Purple.

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7 Quick Takes: Answered Prayers, Cat Drama, and Science Geekery

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Answered Prayers. Do you see the precious child on my sidebar? Yep… Brett. His adoption is fully funded now and his prospective parents are ecstatic. They head overseas later this month to meet him. I’ve been praying for this for two years now. My deepest thanks go to Becki who has loved him so incredibly much for these last two years, partnered her prayers with mine, and convened a panel of a bunch of us to find him a mama about two months ago. Girlfriend brought his FSP from $7612 to $14000 with her advocating for him and her networking. I’m grateful that she could succeed where I couldn’t.

— 2 —

Happy birthday, Nicholas! Dwija at House Unseen blogged about the first anniversary of her son Nicholas being born into Heaven. I unfortunately have at least a few blogging friends who have lost children and many of them never cease to surprise me in their joy, even on really painful days for them. This is one of those occasions.

— 3 —

Prerequisite baseball take. The Giants are one game behind the Dodgers and it popped up on my Twitter tonight that Lincecum was about to “no hit” the Padres again. I started obsessively refreshing Twitter and found nothing. It turns out that they weren’t playing tonight and the tweet was just letting people know that the specific game from this year was on CSN. Oh well… it was worth a shot. Hopefully, the Giants will flatten Miami and the Dodgers will start cellar-dwelling again so Jon can stop gloating.

— 4 —

Congratulations Marie and Brian! Mi amiga Marie of Catholic Coffee Talk is getting married this weekend in Ohio. Go leave her comments to congratulate her. Do it now!

— 5 —

Cat drama. On Tuesday night, I came in after sitting on the porch and talking to my mom on my cell phone to find out from my mother-in-law that Edda had sat at the door and meowed for me for a good 15 minutes. (Someone is a bit of a mama’s panther.) Last night, we had one cat fight after another with FOUL language uttered. Today, Freya went out and refused to come back in. We eventually ascertained that she was hiding under the water tanks and mother-in-law dispatched Jon with cat treats to go get her. No luck. She crawled under my car and after I got something to poke her out, she ran under the fence into the backyard. Eventually, I sat down 5 feet from her on the back steps and the little monster surrendered but it was unnerving, especially after she vanished for a day or two a few weeks ago.

I just went to go see if my in-laws’ orange tabby patch male cat Arthur (referred to by me as “the citrus cat”) was ready to come in and the Birman that adopted my in-laws decided to waltz into the house. He saw Edda and hissed at her but I informed him that proper Birmans do not use such language. (It’s a very strange cat-centric household.) He jumped up on one of the tables in the living room and allowed himself to be petted and cajoled into staying. (There is no doubt as to who the superior creature is here.)

**UPDATE** Arthur is in and the Birman went back outside after sitting and howling at the door for 5 minutes straight. (He’s an in/out cat and has so far escaped being eaten by something so I’m hedging my bets.)

— 6 —

Geekdom. In one of the black cat groups on Facebook, someone asked if our cats like boxes. Someone replied, “My cat is called Schrodinger!! OF COURSE SHE LIKES BOXES!!!”

I think my brain just exploded. #sciencegeek #catlover

— 7 —

Prayer request. If you’re following along with the whole “special intention” thing at home, keep praying and add on that I need help praying to forgive someone. Please and thank you. 🙂

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

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 14, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 14, 2014

Outside my window… muggy and humid and hot. It feels like the Midwest instead of southern California. It rained on us a bit when I was at Trader Joe’s earlier.

I am thinking… about the issues we’re having in finding an ABA program down here for Daniel. The school is required to provide one but it might not be in this school district so they’re having to make a referral. And no, homeschooling is not an option. We’re already dealing with a home teacher and I’m having to figure out how to structure her time so that it’s actually useful. I have the patience and temperament of a drill sergeant which is why I didn’t become a teacher in the first place. Additionally, I’d prefer not to have to get a Master’s in Education focusing on ABA in order to educate my kid correctly so I’d really rather find people who already have the training.

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law who made me vegan chocolate-peppermint cupcakes yesterday and who is doing everything in her power to support what I’m doing with Daniel. I am seriously blessed to have her and my father-in-law.

In the kitchen… I finished up my scampi from Saturday night for lunch today. Dinner has yet to be decided.

I am wearing… my Run for Courage t-shirt and jeans short.

I am praying for… a special intention, grace to forgive certain people, wisdom to know how to structure Daniel’s days at the moment, for friends who are dealing with a lot right now, and for Hevel’s safety.

I am going… to hopefully go visit my boys this week with tuna so that their new mommy can get them acclimated to her. (Tuna will bribe them to come out.)

I am wondering… how to teach certain things.

I am reading… A New Song by Jan Karon.

I am hoping… the house cools down. My mother-in-law just turned on the A/C so that should help.

I am looking forward to… finding out where God is calling us to go next.

I am hearing Daniel and his teacher working on counting. I’m having to intervene and make him actually say the names of the numbers because otherwise he’s not getting any speech connection or practice.

Around the house… laundry going and my mother-in-law is probably cleaning something.

I am pondering… too many things to list.

A favorite quote for today… “The Christian idea of marriage is based on Christ’s words that a man and wife are to be regarded as a single organism—for that is what the words ‘one flesh’ would be in modern English. And the Christians believe that when He said this He was not expressing a sentiment but stating a fact—just as one is stating a fact when one says that a lock and its key are one mechanism, or that a violin and a bow are one musical instrument. The inventor of the human machine was telling us that its two halves, the male and the female, were made to be combined together in pairs, not simply on the sexual level, but totally combined. The monstrosity of sexual intercourse outside marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union (the sexual) from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along with it and make up the total union. The Christian attitude does not mean that there is anything wrong about sexual pleasure, any more than about the pleasure of eating. It means that you must not isolate that pleasure and try to get it by itself, any more than you ought to try to get the pleasures of taste without swallowing and digesting, by chewing things and spitting them out again.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

One of my favorite things… Trader Joe’s Iced Tea-Lemonade

A few plans for the rest of the week: speech therapy for Daniel on Tuesday morning, lessons with his home teacher Tuesday – Friday, and various errands.

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