My Blogiversary!

I’ve been a member of the blogosphere for a year now and I’ve never completed a “me-me.” So, in honor of my blogiversary and my 71st post, here are 71 random facts about yours truly…

1 I was adopted at birth.
2 I know my birth mom’s name and could probably easily find her, but I don’t feel the need to do so.
3 I have never been a morning person.
4 But when I happen to be up in the early morning I wish that I were a morning person because it’s such a lovely time of day.
5 I have always had trouble sleeping.
6 On average it takes me an hour and 15 minutes to fall asleep every night.
7 And I wake up at least twice in the night…every night.
8 I love Mexican food and would eat it every day if I could.
9 Especially really good tamales.
10 I will never try sushi. The thought of it creeps me out.
11 I am grateful that Todd feels the same way!
12 Baskin Robbin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream may be the world’s most perfect food.
13 A close second would have to be Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.
14 Obviously, I have a thing for chocolate. The darker the better.
15 I love to bake more than I like to cook.
16 I am, however, a marginally good cook, but I would not consider myself a “confident” cook.
17 I am intimidated by gardening although the thought of it sounds peaceful and nice.
18 I am intimidated by sewing although the thought of it sounds peaceful and nice.
19 Hence, I have resigned myself to never being domestically on par with Martha Stewart.
20 In junior high I wanted to be an interior designer when I grew up.
21 Then an architecht.
22 Then a pediatrician.
23 But too much math was involved in all three of these professions.
24 So I chose my college major, History, precisely because there was no math requirement.
25 If there were a math requirement I’d probably still be in college to this day!
26 Although math is not my strong suit, I am completely neurotic about our family’s budget.
27 I check our bank account online at least once a day.
28 And it’s a good thing I do because Todd has no idea how much money we have even though he’s the one who makes it. Go figure.
29 Clearly, I pay the bills.
30 I am hopelessly uncoordinated.
31 Team sports intimidate me but I do enjoy individual sports, like ice-skating and skiing.
32 I have taken many dance classes over the course of my lifetime in an effort to improve my coordination. Not so much!
33 I’m secretly afraid that Nolan may have inherited the “uncoordinated gene” from me because he totally runs like a girl.
34 I think his run is adorable right now, but in a year or so? Not so much.
35 I get the “travel bug” frequently and feel like I have cabin fever if I don’t go on at least a small trip every couple of months.
36 New York City is my very favorite city I’ve ever visited.
37 I also love Walt Disney World.
38 And Hawaii.
39 I really really really want to go to Paris, but Todd hates the French so I’m afraid he’ll never take me.
40 Maybe for my 40th birthday I can convince him.
41 Oh crap! That’s in less than four years!
42 I love to read and probably neglect my child at times because I simply can’t put down a good book.
43 My favorite books are Les Miserables (Victor Hugo).
44 And East of Eden (John Steinbeck).
45 And Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy).
46 Only in the past few years have I gotten “into” more modern fiction.
47 I was very impressed with The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns (both by Khaled Hosseini.)
48 And Plain Truth and My Sister’s Keeper (both by Jodi Picoult).
49 I don’t like “chick lit” but I do love “chick flicks!”
50 If you haven’t seen You’ve Got Mail you simply must.
51 And Serendipity.
52 And Mama Mia.
53 I also love the following movies that Todd will watch with me…
54 All the Bourne movies.
55 And The Shawshank Redemption.
56 And Tombstone.
57 And Wedding Crashers.
58 And Elf.
59 I hate to admit it, but I’m a car snob.
60 I refuse to drive anything that doesn’t have leather, navigation, satellite radio and heated seats.
61 Luckily, Todd is a car snob, too.
62 We love to go to auto shows and read car magazines and have frequent conversations about cars.
63 We even go to dealerships about once a month “just to look.”
64 I am super excited for Christmas this year because Nolan is two now and he’ll really enjoy it.
65 I am so bummed that we won’t be able to attend The Living Nativity at our old church in San Diego this year!
66 Christmas just doesn’t feel “right” to me without The Living Nativity!
67 I want nothing more than for Nolan to know what Christmas and Easter are truly about and for him to come to know Jesus at an early age.
68 I pray for Nolan daily that he would make a difference in this world in Jesus’ name.
69 I also pray that Todd and I would make a difference in this world in Jesus’ name.
70 My favorite Scripture verse is Psalm 73:25, 26.
71 I hope and pray that Jesus comes back soon!

Haunted House?

We've had a couple of eerie "happenings" at our home today. I'm not a believer in ghosts, per se, but I do find the "happenings" a bit strange. First, at around 7:30 this morning Nolan's Fisher Price Sit and Spin Zebra went off. No one was downstairs (where the zebra is) at the time. Hmmmmm. Then, at around 9:30 Nolan and I were upstairs getting ready for his dentist appointment when the TV and DVD player downstairs turned on by themselves. I heard the "chime" our TV makes when it powers up and looked downstairs to see Baby Einstein on the screen. Double hmmmmm.

I've always scoffed at my parents who are avid viewers of TV shows like "Ghost Whisperer" and "Ghost Hunters." Maybe the cynic in me is being tested. If we do have a ghost, though, at least it's a friendly ghost who likes kids stuff.

Disaster Averted!

Thank you, San Ramon Pediatric Dentistry, for your love of Cars! I fully expected Nolan's first dental appointment to be one of his lowest lows, behavior-wise. But lo and behold, there were minimal tears and no ear-splitting screams since Nolan's beloved Cars was playing on the "big screen." To prepare for what I thought would be our mutual torture, I talked to him about visting the dentist all day yesterday and all morning before heading to our appointment. Luckily, Nolan enjoys having his teeth brushed at home and I even gave him a toothbrush so he could brush his stuffed cat's "teeth." He thought it was funny, to say the least!

When we arrived at the dentist's office Nolan headed straight for the toy firetrucks in the waiting room. Love at first sight! When we were called back he saw Cars playing and the toy Cars in the play area. His own personal heaven! During his examination he squirmed and shed a few tears, but there was no mass hysteria like I was prepared for! After he got up from the chair he ran back to the play area while I chatted with the dentist for a few minutes. The kicker of it all, though...when it was time to go the tears started flowing more freely since we had to leave Cars behind. Go figure!

Close To My Heart

Sure, it was 92 degrees here today...but Christmas is on its way despite the weather. In just a bit more than two short months millions of people throughout the world will celebrate Christmas. Many people center their Christmas around Santa and shopping, completely ignoring what Christmas is all about--Jesus' birth. Other people will rightly focus upon the coming of Christ and give glory to God for what He has done. There are still others who choose not to observe any holiday whatsoever and treat the Christmas season as just any other time of the year.

But then there are those people for whom my heart aches. Those who don't know the true meaning of Christmas simply because they have never heard. Samaritan's Purse, a remarkable Christian organization dedicated to bringing the gospel to people by meeting their physical needs, does just that. Their Operation Christmas Child project brings the hope of the gospel to millions of children, primarily in third world nations, in the form of a gift filled shoebox. The recipients of these shoeboxes receive age-appropriate toys, hygeine items, craft and school supplies and a small picture book detailing the gospel message in their own language. For many children, their shoebox will be the only gift they receive in an entire year. Oftentimes this tangible expression of love is the conduit to finding their One True Love, Jesus Christ.

Operation Christmas Child is by far my favorite ministry. I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of this ministry and If I had the financial means to provide a million shoebox gifts I would! Every year I feel called to contribute at a deeper level. One day, hopefully not in the too-distant future, I would be humbled and honored to travel with OCC's delivery crew to meet and minister to the children who recieve these gifts. But for now I will head to Wal-Mart, The Dollar Store and Target to purchase goodies for the shoeboxes my family will fill. I will pray for these children I do not know and for the Word of God to reach them and change them forever.

Will you join me in sharing Jesus' love this Christmas? Act now!

www.samaritanspurse.org

I Love Garbage Men

Nolan has super-sensitive ears and can somehow distinguish the roar of a garbage truck from blocks away. Today was trash day and as soon as he heard the crash of the trash truck heading down our street he left his sand table and sand toys behind and bolted for the gate that separates our patio form the outside world.

"Trash truck! Trash truck!" he hollered, as we both ran to the curb while the trash truck approached. As the garbage man saw us bounding toward him, he waved frantically and tooted the horn. Nolan laughed and laughed. Then the garbage man got out of his truck and got right down in Nolan's face to say "Hi, buddy!" and gave him a high five. Nolan was thrilled! Next he asked Nolan if he wanted to sit in the truck and press a button. Too much of a good thing, apparently, because Nolan was overtaken with timidity. He stood in awe as the truck's arm grabbed the trash can and swooped it up high overhead. He applauded as the can came back to earth empty. He wiggled with glee as the compacter compacted.

As the trash truck and its driver rolled away I was grateful for the joy this unknown trash truck driver brought to my child. Thank you, Waste Management. You made our day.

Fun On The Farm

Today we had some great family time at Joan's Farm. This working cattle farm is tucked deep in the heart of the Livermore Valley, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It felt like we were miles and miles away, although we drove less than a half hour from our home to reach it! Joan's Farm is home to one of the best pumpkin patches I've ever visited. It was by far the largest pumpkin patch I've ever been to and it truly has "something for everyone." There was so much to experience...and Nolan did! He loved blazing a trail through the thousands of pumpkins, getting "up close and personal" with cows, sheep, goats and chickens, and riding on a real tractor pull. Nolan LOVES animals and he and I read his favorite barn book at least three times a day, so he really enjoyed being at a farm where he could see so many wonderful and "familiar" things. We will definitely be back soon!

Nolan was very disappointed that he couldn't get in the cow pen to pet the cows. He tried desperately to wedge his little body between the rails. Todd and I are grateful his determination was thwarted!

On the tractor pull

Our favorite little pumpkin of them all!

Midnight Musings: Desperately Seeking Discipline

No, not for Nolan. He’s still the “model child” I don’t deserve. I am in need of discipline. Desperately.

Truthfully, I am dumbfounded as to how I ended up this way. In high school and college I was the poster child for the well disciplined life. I got out of bed early, was always on time for class, was impeccably dressed and coiffed, studied hard and did well in all of my courses, responsibly held down a job, had quality daily time with God… In other words, I maintained the perfect balance between school, work, church and relationships. Somehow I “did it all” by the grace of God and my trusty daytimer. Life was scheduled to the half hour. I took great pride in my accomplishments and the well balanced life I led.

In Seminary I “let myself go” to a degree because I realized I didn’t really know who I was apart from being the well-organized person who would always make sure everything was checked off of her list. Everything I put my mind to ended in success…until I realized that I was out of touch with my own emotions. As long as I accomplished my tasks I was “happy,” but I never let myself feel what was truly down deep in my soul. I naively wore rose-colored glasses for many years, and in Seminary God yanked those stupid glasses from my face and I came to grips with who I really am in Christ. Jesus taught me that I didn’t have to be so structured, perfectionistic and critical of myself because I had freedom in Him. My daytimer was still my constant companion, but I was no longer a slave to it.

When I joined the “real world” of full-time employment my personal discipline efforts skyrocketed. There was no way I would ever do well in the work world without a plan…and I most certainly had one! A great one! One that made me assume that I couldn’t function without a plan, ever, in any area of my life. Soon, Todd and I planned to marry. Then we planned to start a family. Plans take discipline if they are to be successful plans, and who doesn’t want success?

Herein lies the problem. I have wonderful plans and dreams for my family life, ministry, relationships in general…but little, if any, discipline to see those plans come to fruition. Since becoming a mother I have become lazy to an extreme that I didn’t believe possible for me. I am very “out of character” at this point in my life and I am having trouble finding myself in the midst of my funk. I never thought I would not shower daily. I never thought I’d be nonplussed by running errands in ratty sweats and a baseball cap with no makeup on. I never thought I’d “allow myself” to be 22 pounds heavier than I was on my wedding day. I never thought I’d allow my child to watch the amount of TV he does. I never thought I’d feed my family Kraft macaroni and cheese on a regular basis. I never thought I’d be an internet junkie. I never thought that I would not be actively involved in ministry. I never thought that a rich, daily quiet time with God would turn into a glib, almost obligatory prayer every now and then. I never thought I would be a “run of the mill” wife and mother. I am all of these things and then some…simply because I have not been disciplined to be more than I am right now.

Life demands effort and I confess that my efforts to live it well have dwindled over the years. I know that simply having a plan doesn’t mean that I’ll reach my goals…I have to work for them and not let life pass me by. I have no desire to be “Mrs. Perfect” anymore because God has set me free from that illusion and I know full well that perfection is unattainable. I simply want to be a good steward of my life and live it to the glory of God. Right now at this juncture, I truly don’t think I’d hear Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant!” and this breaks my heart. He desires more of me. He deserves more from me. And I want to give it to Him, myself, and my loved ones.

I don’t expect to wake up tomorrow morning completely changed simply because I’ve confessed to my many weaknesses. God could miraculously change me if He wanted to, but more often than not He guides and walks alongside us humans as we are in the process of change. Change demands work and work demands discipline. So I will pursue change. I will seek out discipline. I will celebrate the “little victories” and refuse to give up when I am faced with the dreaded “one step forward, two steps back.” I know what it is to live an abundant life. I’ve “been there, done that” and I desperately want to do it again through the partnership of my will and God’s strength.

Politics Schmolitics

The Liedahl home is "politicked out." Right now Fox News is the last channel we'd choose to watch. Only 28 more days of the mudslinging...we hope. No more debates, please. We just can't stomach any more from anyone.