Does Nascar know?

Flash informed me this morning that Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are sisters.

Important Friday5, on Wednesday

Revgalblogpal Friday Five: Big Event Edition
Did you know that the major purpose for forming a non-profit, RevGalBlogPals, Inc., was to be able to attract grant support for a large scale RevGalBlogPal meetup? My dream from the beginning has been attracting financial support that would allow as many of our bloggers to be together as possible.RGBP, Inc. now has a planning committee, and we are in the early stages of planning the RevGalBlogPal Big Event. What, When, Where and Who are all on the table at the moment. In that spirit, here is the Big Event Friday Five!

1. What would the meeting be like? (Continuing Ed? Retreat? Outside Speakers? Interest Groups? Workshops? Hot Stone Massages? Pedicures? Glorified Slumber Party?)
Glorified Slumber Party...definately. I've been reading some of the other suggestions and I like the idea of low key. Some prayer time, someplace beautiful and relaxing but thet won't mind us having some wine and a good ole' time!
Part of me is thinking about a mission angle, and I once suggested us all going on one of those Lambing Weekends with Heifer Project, but, for our first gathering...oh and for our worship service, can we just crash the local tiny church?!

2. When in 2008 might you be able to attend? January? Shortly after Easter? Summer? Fall? Some other time?
Oh, who knows? Plan it for whenever is good and I'll try to make it. No promises though, I have no idea where we'll be after July 31. SIGH.

3. Where would your dream meeting location be? (Urban Hotel? Rural Retreat Center? New England Camp? Southwestern Fantasy Hotel? Far away from civilization? Nearby Outlets or Really Great Thrift Stores?)
I like rural retreat center, but the big city could be fun too! How about Chicago!

4. Who would make a great keynote speaker? (That's if #1 leads us in that direction.)
Eh. Someone completely awesome or just us. And by awesome I mean funny and light. I'm guessing it would have to be a woman with some tie to church.

5. Did I leave out something you want to suggest?
I'm thinking of this as a family reunion of folks who haven't met. And I figure this is a long weekend...or given the profession around here...a 3-day thing. Or we could tack it on to another popular conference...like the Festival of Homies that everyone is talking about.

Mostly I look forward to meeting folks.

Flash's Bibles

Flash brought me two books this morning
"These are my bibles" he said and put them down on the chair.
"This one is my Winnie-the-Pooh bible, and this one is my Jesus bible"

They are similar shapes, sizes and heft so I could see it.
He talked Hubby into one Rainbow and one Apple story

One door closes...

Its been a busy week. I feel like it was a sprint to the finish line.
Hubby graduated!
We had lots of family visiting, including great-grandpa.
He was married in the chapel where graduation was held, so it was bittersweet.
Flash had a fantastic time with so much attention and spoiling.
We'll have to rein him in this week.
Hubby's sister is due in late August and Flash went on and on about "Baby Cousin"
Tons of food in our kitchen. Hubby's mom always buys and cooks like there's an army.
Hubby is already planning the "Leftover Cookout"
Its 7:15 and Flash is still asleep...I think we have officially worn him out!
In an hour I'll leave for work, Flash for daycare and Hubby will be done with school.
Wow.

poor choice

Someone over at Wired Word decided the Mother's Day lesson should be about Divorce.
And that won't fly.
So, I need to find a lesson on my own.

Hooray Saturday!

Yard Sale went well...sold a few things
and picked up a toddler bed and some boy PJs, for free!
Fantastic weather, picnic lunch.
Small party for a friend
Supper and Playtime and then put Flash to bed
and Hubby and I watched Stranger than Fiction.
fantastic movie...very literary and a little bit of a rom-com
and don't let Will Farrell scare you away...totally worth it.

Friday5: Either or...

There are two kinds of people :
those who divide people into two kinds of people
and those who don't. So here goes...

1.Mac? or PC?
I have never owned my own computer,
all the computers I use are PC.

2. Pizza: Chicago style or New York?
MMMMM Pizza. Where I grew up, outside of Philly,
all the pizza places were Greek!
I love greek style pizza and I love pizza with lots of sauce
and I think I'm not very picky about it's derivation.

3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts:
a) Good. I like the variation in texture.
b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.
No Nuts, unless that means no brownies...
and no brownies would be terrible!
I still stock up on White Lily triple chocolate brownie mix
when I'm down south, cuz I can't get it here (and haven't decided to order it online).

4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top of the roll like normal people do?
I was once corrected by someone snooty
that it should hang over the top like fancy hotels do,
so they can make the little triangle. I rarely make the triangle though.

5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle,
or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go just like the tube instructs?
Wantonly, much to the displeasure of Hubby.
If thats all he has to complain about, life is going pretty darn great!

Couldn't think of a bonus question...sorry.

Almost time for a name change...

Hipastorzwife2b
It won't describe me for a whole lot longer.
should I just drop to 2b?
Should I go with something really different?
Does anyone have a suggestion?

Good happy things

not the elephant in the room...

Several revgals have been talking about a new biography called Take this bread: a radical conversion by Sara Miles. And I just checked it out of the library! Their book discussion book of the month is Velvet Elvis...but it doesn't look like I will get it in time to read it for their May 28th online discussion. Maybe this could be the pick for June? Although many of the book clubs I have known take a summer break. My May book club at the library is reading Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff. Yeah, its for new readers and its a great amount of fun.

Looking forward to LOST tonight...shameful how hooked I am...and then I'll read the blogs about it tomorrow. I might try to knit during it (I have a project that I need to get moving on) but have you noticed how dark the drama shows are? We have to turn off all the lights to be able to see whats going on sometimes. Especially during LOST and CSI type shows. I know the directors and such have special theater rooms in their houses, but I often need to see the clothes I'm folding while I watch, don't you?

2 storytimes tomorrow about Mothers and Mother's Day. Should be fun andI'll get my exercise with a little Hokey Pokey and Tooty-tah. And after-work I'm going to get new glasses! Cool, funky glasses too.

wrapping up...

The final paper has been turned in.
So the party was on last night!
And this morning...its a different world in a way.

So...here's the snapshot.
We've asked to saty until end of July.
We've had 2 out-of-town interviews/preaching.
He's sent 4 DVD's.
Presbytery paperwork to finish...and the final assessment thing.
The map at the "Placement Office" at the seminary is surprisingly sparse. The Phd.'s, the internships are up there. The pastor people are still in the process.
Like us.
Seems like I'm just spiting out the same news here, but this is what I have going on!
If I had another topic, I'd blog it.
But for now, this is it.

Friday5-catchup!

What am I ...
1. Wearing - Tan capris, blue and teal striped short-sleeve button down, turquoise hoop earrings, lovely sandals. Toenails are painted Cha-ching Cherry. Can you believe I couldn't wear sandals at my last job? Its a library not a construction site, folks!

2. Pondering- Always. Lots on my mind about place and purpose, as well as mundane things like "Why is the washer always broken on the day I finally decide to tackle Mt. Washmore?" When I posed this question at home Flash piped up "I know who can fix the laundry! Jimmie Johnson!"
If you get this...let me know.

3. Reading - Chicklit. The book on my nightstand is called Alphabet Weekends - Love on the Road from A to Z by Elizabeth Noble. Its about this women who's best male friend tries to convince her that they could be more-than-friends over a series of letter-themed dates. Also Hubby and I are listening to Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony on CD too. Also, Talking with My Mouth Full: Crab Cakes Bundt Cakes and other Kitchen Stories by Bonny Wolf (NPR's Foodie).
Nothing heavy.

4. Dreaming - job for him, none for me, backyard, extra bathroom, laundry machines, skinny, baby, friends wherever we go, oh and world peace.

5. Eating - Had a Lunabar for lunch with a Diet Coke...mmmm mmmm. But tonight is the neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party so I'm getting ready. Have to make some super-fast burritos when I get home.

Friday5 - Party edition

) Would you rather be the host or the guest?
Hmmm. I like to host, but I like being invited too. Being invited means no dishes and clean-up, but hosting means you get to think up what you will do and eat. And let's face it...not many folks entertain anymore, so if I don't throw it, who will?

2) When you are hosting, do you clean everything up the minute the guests go home? Will you accept help with the dishes?
Most of our "do's" are outside so I clean up the obvious things. I like to get a load of dishes in but current life situation means bedtime takes front seat. If I'm not completely tired after, then I start in on it. Sometimes its worth it to sleep and get up early to finish.
Attention everyone, but especially those who live in my home: I accept help with the dishes....and laundry too.

3) If you had the wherewithal, and I guess I mean more than money, to throw a great theme party, what would the theme be?
OH SO HARD... Kentucky Derby is on my mind and Cinco de Mayo, naturally. I love a Games Night but that doesn't require money or wherewithal. How about a Luau? Ooh, or a carnival!

4) What's the worst time you ever had at a party?
I usually have a great time at parties, even my own! I think it would have to be having to leave early because of Flash. I wasn't a party girl in high school or college. Just liked to have little get-togethers with friends. When we were first married and living in a small town we never threw parties and when we moved outside of Atlanta we never did either. And we didn't have a lot of friends in those places. But the outside world is different from school...as we are about to find out again.

5) And to end on a brighter note, what was the best?
This is years ago, but my Math prof friend and I threw a Formal Jello Party while we were in college. We made 5 courses out of jello, to look like salad, to look like meat and of course parfaits for dessert ("Everybody loves parfait"). And just to add to the wackiness, we asked out friends to come formally, suits or at least ties for the boys and the girls all wore their prom dresses. It was fantastic!
While we've been at seminary Hubby and I have had a weekly cookout and when our Michigan friends were here we had some epic parties celebrating football and Cinco de Mayo and the imfamous "Had a Bad Day parties". This husband would call up his wife's friends when she had a setback, and invite us over for a party. Wonderful.
Boy, I miss them. It would be worth moving to Michigan just to be near them.

I test, 1 paper

Thats all Hubby has left for seminary.
We'll still be living here for the next few months, until our plans firm up.
Hubby has Presbytery paperwork to finish, Final assessment stuff.
Then graduation.
We're going back to a church we visited in March,
Sounds like we're being invited back to the church we just visited.

Lots of parties and final dinners and such coming up.
The amazing Garage Sale.
Packing up.
One of our neighbors just moved Thursday, got a camp job, starts on Monday.
He's the first.

I am working. A lot.
My workplace knows the situation, my husband is graduating, we're going to move, don't know where. So several things happen. Plans for the summer have been made, hoping I'll be there, but simple enough to manage if they're "short one".
And piling on the finish-up work. Some of it is self-imposed. I had some goals for the way I want to leave this place. I'm going to have to scramble to do it.

Unless our plans go "sideways"
The contingency plan has us packing into a POD, staying at my Mom's and my working my job with an hour + 15 commute. My workplace is hoping for the contingency plan.
I am not.

Prayers

Flash got a wood-chip in his eye at daycare.
Dad took him to the ER.
They flushed it out and gave us some ointment.
Opthamologist appointment today.
He seems fine...the swelling and redness has gone down.
And they gave him 4 stickers!

Visit

We had an interview at a place we thought was promising.
Don't want to say much.
Like the town alot,
worried about the church.
Small, Elderly,
and I'm not sure they want to change.
Another difficult church
hiring a fresh new pastor.
I'm worried that it will suck him dry.
But...I could be wrong.
I have been before.
I didn't want to come here!