Home of the Fighting Bumblebees

The kids and I went with Ryan tonight to his school's homecoming game. It was a sight to see - I tell ya. Since I know squat about football, I always have more fun people-watching. Here were a few choice moments from the night: (Obviously, i would love to post a few pictures here but taking them without being noticed would not have been possible. Allow me to paint a picture or two.)

1. The girl with the TIGHT hot pink jeans, TIGHT and very low-cut purple shirt and matching shiny "patent-leather-ish" purple high heels.

2. The fake hair that each girl in the dance team for the home team wore over the bun in their hair. It was the match-your-hair-color, super curly looks-like-you-spent-hours-with-a-curling-iron-in-it kind of hair piece. Except some of the hair colors didn't match their real hair. It was supposed to look cute and from the field you couldn't tell, but they were only on the field for about 15 minutes out of the game...

3. The hair of the other team's dance team. Wow. It all was the exact same length, exact same texture, exact same...um...poof/afro-ish style, you couldn't miss it. It was almost a foot in diameter - no lie. Hmm...wonder if that was fake too?

4. The number of girls that had babies on their hips. (Careful, I'm naming no race here for a purpose...they come in all shapes, sizes, colors and backgrounds.)

5. The poor senior cheerleader girl (that I think was the captain) that just looked absolutely "too cool" or "too bored" for her own good as she stood in the middle of the squad tonight and attempted to cheer. Be excited!!! It's your senior year homecoming game!! You're not getting it back!

6. The 23-year-old head varsity basketball coach that I couldn't pick out of a crowd of sophomores if I had to. Not just because he didn't look old enough in the face but because he didn't even dress to fit the part.

7. The halftime announcer that was clearly ecstatic about announcing the 20 (yes I said 20) people that were on the homecoming court.

8. The other announcer that had such a thick Alabama accent that I couldn't even understand him. I did finally figure out that he was saying "Falcons" (the other team) and not "Fackins". Took me the whole second quarter to decipher that one.

I'm glad we went. Don't get me wrong. There are so many oddities that don't make sense on how things are done here for homecoming but "to each his own". I just know what it was like where I come from. I know what would be different if I were in charge. But I'm not. So I'll just keep those things to myself until I am (if that ever happens). :)

Until then, I'll just enjoy the people watching.

Thoughts from the last 3 days

1. Even after 17 years, I don't like the flu and am glad I don't have to deal with it or it's shot every year.

2. My neighbor could pass for the Barefoot Contessa lady. They're so much alike...wow.

3. There are 76,824 episodes of some kind of Law & Order and the pretty much run back-to-back on some channel at any point in the day. When it goes off of one, just flip up a couple of channels and another will just be coming on. It's never the same one twice either.

4. TV can truly steal your whole day away which is why we don't watch much of it. However, when we're sick, all rules are changed and you can watch however much you want - even if it's too much.

5. My son likes TV entirely too much.

6. I'm a wimp when I'm sick. I still wish that my mom were here to take care of me. She'll wait on me hand and foot and requires no entertainment value from me nor does she expect me to be even grateful for her efforts (even though I very much would be).

7. Too much hot tea can give me a tummy ache but it's just so good....

8. I love, love, love this time of year with all my windows and doors open and the breeze coming in and the sun pouring in saying "hello!"

9. My bed is the most comfortable place in the world.

10. My husband does not like it when I'm sick.

it's one of those days

I'm in a funk.

Laziness.

Can you say unmotivated?

It's just one of those days. The day you get up and, as you're getting dressed for work, all you want to do is put away the iron and cute, dressy shoes and just wear jeans and a t-shirt. A day that you really should spend by yourself because, let's be honest, these are not good days to be social. A day that you find it hard to be patient or graceful because of someone else's funk...or laziness...or lack of motivation. It's basically a day that you don't want to put up with yourself.

The problem is that I don't really have a choice to be social or not. I can try to stay out of things as much as I can but I just can't. It has to do with the other part of me on these days that is graceful and merciful and patient (sort of) deep down and that wants to be social because I know it's good for me to suck it up and be "a big girl" about things and realize that no matter how much I want something it's not what God intended for me to be. He didn't create me to be a grump. He didn't create me for laziness. He didn't create me to want to wallow in my lack of motivation.

Psalm 51:5-7

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.⁶ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Interesting....in my inmost places He teaches me wisdom. He desires truth in the inner parts of me. So convicting and comforting all at the same time because that's what I received.

"Tanya, get up and deal with it."

"It's not about you."

"Go _____ and talk to ______." (by the way it was just to say "hi". But I did it.)

These are the days that I always seem to be meeting someone new that doesn't know much, if anything, about me and I know it's a "divine appointment".

I'm still fighting it this afternoon. It didn't go away. It's a battle inside me to fight the desires of my flesh to honor the desires of the Spirit. But it seems to come down to perspective. I don't like it when my kids whine about what seems like everything and - let's be honest - when it comes down to it, I'm just in a whiny mood. So I need to snap out of it.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (my emphasis)
¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I think I'll go put my running clothes on.

A night to remember...

She's almost seven.

She asked me to snuggle with her tonight as she went to sleep. I wrapped my arms around her and laid with her. As she fell into dreamland, I couldn't help but go back to the night before (and morning) she was born. So many things raced through my mind.

• I was a week overdue and I was SO excited.
• I knew it was a girl from the moment that I found out I was pregnant. I also had known what her name was long before that.
• I had such a great pregnancy.
• I checked into the hospital the night before they would induce me to be "prepped" for it. The nurse said "we'll see how you're doing in the morning and whether you'll stay or go home." I said, " No ma'am. I'm a week overdue and my doctor said I was having this baby tomorrow. I'm NOT going home."
• I was in labor shortly after that and didn't know it. They had given me something to sleep b/c I had never been in the hospital before and they wanted to make sure I rested well.
• My water broke in the middle of the night. It didn't take long for me to definitely know that I was in labor.
• I slept through most of my labor due to a wonderful combination of a sleeping pill and an epidural. Ryan had to wake me up to push. :)
• I will never forget the first moment that I laid eyes on her. It's a picture forever etched in my mind. The doctor laid her on my chest. It was AMAZING.
• I remember her very first visitor. Don't remember his name. (surprise) :) But won't ever forget his face.
• I remember how soft her skin was. How sweet she smelled. I remember just staring. Her hands...her fingers (everyone said "she'll be a piano player" except Ryan. He said "she'll play basketball".)
• You could tell her eyes would be blue from the first day.
• I wondered what she would be like. I had no idea...

I really like where I work

because I get to be a part of things like this...

COMPASSION HAITI - STUDENT LIFE ORANGE BEACH from Taylor Robinson on Vimeo.

Things I'm so thankful for today...

1. All the windows are open (a triumph for my old house). The breeze is constant. The birds are chirping. I'm the only one home. :)

2. The dedication to the Lord of a child long prayed for.

3. A morning with no drama.

4. Staying up all hours of the night talking, giggling and watching TV with the hubby. It's like we were teenagers.

5. New mercy and grace today.

this ranks high on the funny list too...

If you're a mom - you'll be fine reading this. If you're not - just know it includes bodily fluids. :)

A little context...new parents...the baby is only a couple of weeks old...

http://thewetree.blogspot.com/2008/12/not-for-faint-of-heart.html