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Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Random Thoughts
You have no idea how many saved and unposted blog entries I have.
Songs and smells bring me back to specific memories/points in time throughout the years.
Tonight, at dinner, Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush" played, and all I could think of was being at Skate World during elementary school and hearing that play during Couple's Skate. How bizarre is that? I haven't thought of/heard that song in who knows how long, and I never consciously made that connection before. But apparently it is engrained in my memory somewhere.
To this day, when I smell Softsoap's classic scent (the clear liquid soap), I am right back at Trinity International University visiting Andrew at undergrad there when we dated, washing my hands in Mary and Laura's dorm room (which is who I stayed with there). That was more than 8 years ago. They had that soap, and that's all I ever think about when I wash my hands with that soap, now.
What are some of your smell/song connections?
Songs and smells bring me back to specific memories/points in time throughout the years.
Tonight, at dinner, Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush" played, and all I could think of was being at Skate World during elementary school and hearing that play during Couple's Skate. How bizarre is that? I haven't thought of/heard that song in who knows how long, and I never consciously made that connection before. But apparently it is engrained in my memory somewhere.
To this day, when I smell Softsoap's classic scent (the clear liquid soap), I am right back at Trinity International University visiting Andrew at undergrad there when we dated, washing my hands in Mary and Laura's dorm room (which is who I stayed with there). That was more than 8 years ago. They had that soap, and that's all I ever think about when I wash my hands with that soap, now.
What are some of your smell/song connections?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Dena Recommends: Portable DVD player for long car rides with a child
Dena Recommends:
Portable DVD player for long car rides with a child
We recently had a long travel, and since those don't tend to go well with Oliver, I had a mini panic attack (not actually) a couple of days before we left and decided to use my Christmas money to order a portable DVD player for the car to see if that would keep Oliver entertained and keep the screaming to a minimum when all the other activity options ran out. I read a lot of reviews on Amazon and ended up with this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TCJI7E/ref=oss_product . I did overnight shipping (only 4 bucks) so we could get it in time to go. Now, we've only used it for several hours during the trip, but I have to say it seems like great quality at a great price. It has 2 earphone jacks, which I loved, but Oliver wasn't quite down with headphones, so we mostly used it without headphones. The sound was loud enough to hear over the road noises. Oh, and it comes with a car adapter, so you don't have to use the battery at all on the trip. The picture quality was great, and the sound quality was great, didn't sound tinny or anything. It sounded really well-balanced. It has a nice sized screen. Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be so much about the actual player we chose, but it was supposed to be about how I'm recommending that parents get one of these for such car rides. Totally worth the money, when and if you have it. It was a life saver. FOR REAL. I can't even imagine what the trip would have been like without it. We bought a soft-case holder for it with straps that attach it to the back of car seats, and it worked well. Actually, we jerry rigged it to attach to the back of one seat instead of hanging between both seats like its made to do, and it worked perfectly, too.
Portable DVD player for long car rides with a child
We recently had a long travel, and since those don't tend to go well with Oliver, I had a mini panic attack (not actually) a couple of days before we left and decided to use my Christmas money to order a portable DVD player for the car to see if that would keep Oliver entertained and keep the screaming to a minimum when all the other activity options ran out. I read a lot of reviews on Amazon and ended up with this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TCJI7E/ref=oss_product . I did overnight shipping (only 4 bucks) so we could get it in time to go. Now, we've only used it for several hours during the trip, but I have to say it seems like great quality at a great price. It has 2 earphone jacks, which I loved, but Oliver wasn't quite down with headphones, so we mostly used it without headphones. The sound was loud enough to hear over the road noises. Oh, and it comes with a car adapter, so you don't have to use the battery at all on the trip. The picture quality was great, and the sound quality was great, didn't sound tinny or anything. It sounded really well-balanced. It has a nice sized screen. Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be so much about the actual player we chose, but it was supposed to be about how I'm recommending that parents get one of these for such car rides. Totally worth the money, when and if you have it. It was a life saver. FOR REAL. I can't even imagine what the trip would have been like without it. We bought a soft-case holder for it with straps that attach it to the back of car seats, and it worked well. Actually, we jerry rigged it to attach to the back of one seat instead of hanging between both seats like its made to do, and it worked perfectly, too.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010 Small Review
I feel like today is a day one is expected to blog. But as usual, I don't know what to say or where to start. So many things I should be doing. Like Quicken. And laundry. And making sense of messy piles of everything. Life beckons. But I'll attempt a post.
Overall, I'd say 2010 was the most difficult year of my life, for many many reasons. But even so, there may not have been any other year where God carried me (and my family) through so much. There is not another year where I remember seeing his Hand of Providence so clearly. He showed his unfailing faithfulness.
2010 started with knowing Andrew would be leaving his position as pastor in Tchula, MS with not even a small prospect of another job or a way to make ends meet. Still, that's really all I can write about it, but there are so many very difficult and trying details that tie in with that. So. Very. VERY. Many.
Then we needed to move out of the Tchula Presbyterian Church manse by the end of July. We were having an impossible time finding anywhere to live (for reasons of finances, lease times, etc), until at the very last moment, God opened something perfect up for us. It was more ideal than we could have even hoped for as a best case scenario. We were able to rent out the downstairs fully furnished apartment in an elderly couple's home for very little rent. We moved in at the end of July. The downside was we'd have to be out by the end of October, because they would be housing a missionary there, come November 1.
During the whole year, Andrew was feverishly searching for work. Ultimately, for another pastoring position in the Presbyterian Church of America (the denomination we're a part of). But for immediate times, he looked for anything. Fast food work, white collar, blue collar, staffing agencies, word-of-mouth, part-time work, full-time work, jobs he was grossly overqualified for, and jobs he was grossly under qualified for. He covered all the bases. In-person and by mail applications. Online searching and making phone calls to search. It was his full time job, looking for a job. And oh, the stress of that situation. For all three of us. Drain. ing.
And God still provided for our needs, all of them, even with no income. Even though we didn't have a "nest egg" saved up for such a situation. The bills still got paid. No one went hungry. We had a roof over our heads.
Toward the end of August, with still no hope of a job for Andrew, his parents made another offer/plea for us to just move up to Illinois, where he is from, to live with his family for a time to save pennies, and for Andrew to have consistent work for a while, helping his dad with harvest on their farm. We thought about it (again). Prayed about it. Thought some more, prayed some more. With STILL no job possibility in sight, and the knowledge that we'd have to move AGAIN in less than 2 months anyway, and the knowledge of the difficulty in finding a place to live considering lack of funds and not wanting to get roped into a long lease, we decided we were moving to Illinois, in with his parents.
Even though we could have stayed in the downstairs apartment through the end of October, we moved out mid-September, so we could get up to IL in time for harvest to begin. Melissa, Andrew's sister, flew down to help us move. That was wonderful. Moving is exhausting. Especially for me, I think, since I have major fatigue issues. As soon as we got to Illinois, my body crashed, and I was sick in bed for two days.
Immediately, it was so good to be near family...and to be back in the Midwest. We are so not Southerners. Although we were sad to part with a handful of dear friends in Mississippi.
Andrew got to work with his dad harvesting crops right away. It was good for him to have constant work again. Good for his mind and spirits. And we were also able to have a month and or two of income, again.
Its very difficult living with other people. The three of us are in one bedroom. Most of our things are in a storage unit, but we still have A. LOT. of stuff, and we've tried to cram it into such a small space. Melissa lives here, too, so its like three families under one roof, trying to coexist peacefully. Under the circumstances, I couldn't expect it to be going any smoother, but it still has its very real challenges, for all of us.
While living here, of course, Andrew has kept up the constant job hunt. Still, nothing has materialized, either for a pastoring job or any other type of work (except for the short time of farming with his dad). Still, God has provided for all of our needs, even with no monies coming in at this time.
We are hopeful that God will provide a pastoring job for Andrew in 2011. We've made a couple of great contacts lately for that, but there is nothing to report as of yet. Please keep us in your prayers.
Overall, I'd say 2010 was the most difficult year of my life, for many many reasons. But even so, there may not have been any other year where God carried me (and my family) through so much. There is not another year where I remember seeing his Hand of Providence so clearly. He showed his unfailing faithfulness.
2010 started with knowing Andrew would be leaving his position as pastor in Tchula, MS with not even a small prospect of another job or a way to make ends meet. Still, that's really all I can write about it, but there are so many very difficult and trying details that tie in with that. So. Very. VERY. Many.
Then we needed to move out of the Tchula Presbyterian Church manse by the end of July. We were having an impossible time finding anywhere to live (for reasons of finances, lease times, etc), until at the very last moment, God opened something perfect up for us. It was more ideal than we could have even hoped for as a best case scenario. We were able to rent out the downstairs fully furnished apartment in an elderly couple's home for very little rent. We moved in at the end of July. The downside was we'd have to be out by the end of October, because they would be housing a missionary there, come November 1.
During the whole year, Andrew was feverishly searching for work. Ultimately, for another pastoring position in the Presbyterian Church of America (the denomination we're a part of). But for immediate times, he looked for anything. Fast food work, white collar, blue collar, staffing agencies, word-of-mouth, part-time work, full-time work, jobs he was grossly overqualified for, and jobs he was grossly under qualified for. He covered all the bases. In-person and by mail applications. Online searching and making phone calls to search. It was his full time job, looking for a job. And oh, the stress of that situation. For all three of us. Drain. ing.
And God still provided for our needs, all of them, even with no income. Even though we didn't have a "nest egg" saved up for such a situation. The bills still got paid. No one went hungry. We had a roof over our heads.
Toward the end of August, with still no hope of a job for Andrew, his parents made another offer/plea for us to just move up to Illinois, where he is from, to live with his family for a time to save pennies, and for Andrew to have consistent work for a while, helping his dad with harvest on their farm. We thought about it (again). Prayed about it. Thought some more, prayed some more. With STILL no job possibility in sight, and the knowledge that we'd have to move AGAIN in less than 2 months anyway, and the knowledge of the difficulty in finding a place to live considering lack of funds and not wanting to get roped into a long lease, we decided we were moving to Illinois, in with his parents.
Even though we could have stayed in the downstairs apartment through the end of October, we moved out mid-September, so we could get up to IL in time for harvest to begin. Melissa, Andrew's sister, flew down to help us move. That was wonderful. Moving is exhausting. Especially for me, I think, since I have major fatigue issues. As soon as we got to Illinois, my body crashed, and I was sick in bed for two days.
Immediately, it was so good to be near family...and to be back in the Midwest. We are so not Southerners. Although we were sad to part with a handful of dear friends in Mississippi.
Andrew got to work with his dad harvesting crops right away. It was good for him to have constant work again. Good for his mind and spirits. And we were also able to have a month and or two of income, again.
Its very difficult living with other people. The three of us are in one bedroom. Most of our things are in a storage unit, but we still have A. LOT. of stuff, and we've tried to cram it into such a small space. Melissa lives here, too, so its like three families under one roof, trying to coexist peacefully. Under the circumstances, I couldn't expect it to be going any smoother, but it still has its very real challenges, for all of us.
While living here, of course, Andrew has kept up the constant job hunt. Still, nothing has materialized, either for a pastoring job or any other type of work (except for the short time of farming with his dad). Still, God has provided for all of our needs, even with no monies coming in at this time.
We are hopeful that God will provide a pastoring job for Andrew in 2011. We've made a couple of great contacts lately for that, but there is nothing to report as of yet. Please keep us in your prayers.
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