House, Sport, and 2009!

Well, the house showing went well last night. I feel much better about everything. Now, we just wait and let them work through the details they need for a mortgage, etc. All signs point to an offer coming our way. Big sigh.... I just have to keep reminding myself to not get worked up about it. It will happen when it's time. Below are the 2 pictures I was trying to post yesterday. The Cemetery and the Water Company went in together for a new purchase! We've affectionately named it "Sport." Of course, the entire family had to test drive Sport before we turned it over to our Shop Foreman. This will be used for meter reads with the water company and for maintenance duties in the Cemetery. We're hoping to cut down on the use of gas... and save wear on the old truck that seems to be getting older every day. Finally, tonight is New Year's Ever. We have repeat plans every year with our Cowboy Group, and a few other dear friends, to celebrate the new year. Dinner at Tim & Tiffany's house (Tim's famous lasagna) and then we'll take the party to the Clubhouse for live music, dancing, and midnight breakfast. Here is the picture from last year. I can't wait to spend the evening with them again!

Pins and Needles

Well...I feel nauseated. Kind of like that feeling you get right before going on stage to speak in front of hundreds of people. But worse. The "interested" party is coming back to view our house again tonight at 7pm. Great, wonderful! They are bringing their daughter & son-in-law. That's where my stomach butterflies come into play. Scratch that... my stomach bats. I think it's because, as a daughter, if my mom took me to look at a house she was considering, I would be VERY cautious. I would be looking for little things that she missed, little things to point out that she needs to think about. Bad things. Am I cynical or what? Ok, I'm trying to upload a couple of pictures of our new "toy" at the office. Can't seem to get it to work right now. So I'll try again later. If I learn anything about the house, I'll be sure to post a big sigh of relief!

What Will I Miss?

Yesterday we had an interested buyer view our house. And then they came back to view it again later in the day.

The realtor believes they are very interested, and might make an offer on the house as early as today or tomorrow.

We've had enough lookers to get our hopes up, and then waltz away for one reason or another. So after one episode of sitting on the kitchen floor and crying (that was last year) I've determined not to get my hopes up too much until we know it's going to happen.

Flashback: That one particular time...we just KNEW they wanted the house. They said so. They were going to pay cash too! And then they didn't. They met a friend down the street at the clubhouse and got to talking to them... and were convinced that they didn't really want to be on our street - the main drag through the Country Club. Wouldn't they rather live in the "inner compound" nestled among more trees and closer neighbors? The house they then looked at - and bought - wasn't even for sale, but the friend knew that it might sell if there was an interested buyer!

Yes... that one brought my inexperienced, naive, little house selling soul to the kitchen floor for a good old fashioned cry. If you've never wept on the floor of your kitchen, I'd highly recommend it. Very cathartic! Here's the scene of the crime... just to the left of the fridge is where the victim collapsed:

Which brings me back to today. I'm trying to keep my emotions under the radar, so to speak. These lovely people may decide that our house isn't what they are looking for.

And that will be ok. I'm clinging to the promise God makes to always care for me. And... my goodness, has He done that? WAY over the top on the blessings scale.

I've been thinking though, what will I miss most about this house? So here's a quick list:

1. Living in a house that Rick and I built together - that's top of the list. He proposed in the breakfast nook - before the foundation was even poured. 2. The kitchen. Our future Farmhouse kitchen isn't "open" to the other rooms. 3. The warmth in the winter. Farmhouse is cold and drafty. 4. Neighbors. We have fun, lively people on our street. Farmhouse has about 2000 neighbors, all 6 feet under. My parents being the exception. 5. View of the golfcourse. See picture below. The "Farmhouse view" sure can sound picturesque, um... ok, just go with that. So it sounds like there aren't many reasons to move, right? That's when I need to remind myself of why we're doing this:

1. Live more simply. It's easy to get caught up in the crowd of "keeping up with the Jones'." 2. Cut out the 30 mile commute and replace with a 30 second commute. 3. Live mortgage free. Duh... who wouldn't do that? 4. Pay off debts & Invest in future. aka: kids college, retirement, future dreams 5. Live closer to my aging and mentally incapacitated parents.

Ok that last one was just for fun. I couldn't resist. JUST KIDDING, MOM & DAD! Love you!

I guess whether we stay here for a bit longer, or end up moving to Athens, there are good things to cherish. I have to remind myself everyday that where I am today is where I need to be for today. I need to live like that, intentionally, and not wish my days away.

Yikes!

Rick encountered a big bad black snake today while reading a watermeter.

We went back this evening to make sure he had moved out.

He had.

Christmas wrap-up

Well, I haven't posted in a few days... so here is a quick summary of our events over Christmas. Last Friday, the Bess Christmas gathering commenced. Added to our traditional taquito dinner, egg toss and balderdash game was a physical contest that quickly developed into a show and tell of stupid human tricks. Below, Mom takes on Rick for an arm wrestle. And here, the men are challenged by Taylor to an endurance test called the "electric chair." Rick won the Balderdash game and with the winning title comes the choice to designate the "cash winnings" of $200. Rick selected Randy, Craig's friend, to receive the gift. Randy just got a job (see my Miracle posting below) and will be getting his own apartment soon. We hope the cash can help Randy get back on his feet. The following day, Saturday, the Bush/Bess gathering took place at Mom and Dad's house. Wonderful food and fun conversation ruled the day as we enjoyed family. In the picture below are the Bush/Bess women. Unfortunately, Yulia and Yana had already left so they are not pictured.

Tuesday (23rd) brought our celebration with Taylor and Collin. We went to eat in Dallas at Roadhouse, and gave them their gift. My picture didn't turn out... so I can't post that. But we had a great time together. We have significantly scaled down our Christmas "gift giving" with the Boys, and I think they understand and appreciate that Christmas is not our birthday. We were able to give them each a simple gift, and focus more on giving to people who have tangible physical needs. We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with my parents and Rick's mom and Billy. Then we headed to the carols and candlelight service at our church. I was proud to have them with us that evening. Rick and I went back to help out at the 11pm service as well, and were excited to see a friend our ours that works at our favorite restaurant. He brought his entire family, and I hope that they were inspired and blessed. We awoke on Christmas morning and joined in the preparation of Christmas meals for Meals on Wheels recipients. Typically, they would not receive a meal on Christmas Day, so volunteers joined in to cook and deliver the meals. Rick and I LOVED doing this, and enjoyed delivering them. For some of the people, we were the only ones they saw on Christmas Day.

Pictured below is our assembly line for the meals. After pondering our busy past week of Christmas celebrations, there were a few moments that really rose to the top. 1. Designating the Balderdash cash winnings to be used to help Randy. 2. Turning in our Christmas offering on Christmas Eve for the House of Hope. We have worked hard at changing our lifestyle this Christmas so we could give to this. 3. Participating in the meal delivery on Christmas Day for Meals on Wheels. 4. Enjoying the gift of family-time throughout the week.

Necessity is the mother of what?

Brrrrr.

Yesterday it was SO cold... when we got home from church, Rick suggested building a fire.

We called down to the store on the corner to see how much a bundle of firewood would cost us. $20.00 for a "stack." Now, I'm not sure how big a "stack" is, but for $20.00 it had better be pretty big!

However, being the budget-conscious people that we are, we decided that there has got to be a more cost effective way to have a fire.

Enter: the golfcourse.

There is a place down from our house where the felled trees and vines are stacked, then burned. So we bundled up, loaded up the golf cart, and cruised down the path with our saw.

Here I am loading up the cart, proving that I can help too.

Presto! Enough wood to keep us warm for the rest of the day. We were proud of our resourcefulness... if only the story ended that tidy with a cup of hot chocolate and a romantic fire blazing. But it didn't. For reasons I can't explain, the smoke kept pouring into our living room. And YES, the damper was open. Upon further investigation, smoke was also coming out of the chimney. But everytime there was a gust of wind, smoke would billow out into the room. It was bad. We decided that we needed to get the burning wood OUT of the fireplace. So we rolled up the rug and Rick used the tongs to carry each smoldering piece out of the house, one by one. We ended up putting them inside the grill and closing the lid. That seemed to be the safest place to let them burn out. It was rather comical, once we got over the initial frustration. I wish I had a photo of the grill smoking. Next time we grill out, our steaks will have a unique "campfire" aroma.

It's Christmas with the Cowboy Group

Our Cowboy-watching group gathered Thursday night for a fun Christmas party!

This group of friends is quite unique - I can't even recall how we formed, but it's always fun to watch 'da Boys with a group of friends.

In the picture below, we are holding our gifts from a lively gift exchange. We're each supposed to be making a goofy face or pose. I think Charles and Twina (far left) are just so goofy normally that they didn't need to enhance it for the photo! Jan looks really mean, and Tiffany's using her pregnant belly as a shelf for her new fondue tray. And, of course, Rick and I are smooching!

As our second season together draws to a close (boo-hoo), I know that we've developed meaningful friendships that will continue on. Each of these couples brings joy to our lives, and I am blessed to have them as friends!

Wow... The Miracles Keep Coming!

I can't believe it... here are some more miracles. And these are REALLY, REALLY good! 1. Craig's friend Randy found a job! We have been praying for this to happen for a while now. We've had the chance to get to know Randy, and he is very inspiring. I'm so excited for Randy and thankful that God has provided! 2. After many sleepless nights (for over 6-months,) our concerns over losing a particular income stream at our business can be laid to rest. And that's not a pun about my cemetery business! It's actually with Rick's business, Cornerstone Business Solutions. We got good news this week that allows us to breath a HUGE sigh of relief! 3. And this one is the best! Many of you know that I'll be traveling to Guatemala in January on a mission team with Red Dot. http://www.reddot100x.com/ The only heartache about this trip is that Rick was not able to go with me.... Well, God is indeed sneaky! Things fell into place today and Rick received the phone call allowing him to go with us. I am so very excited that we will experience this life-transforming mission together.

Expecting a Miracle - updated...again.

This morning, I read about several miracles that the prophet Elisha performed. They are recorded back-to-back, and it sure looks like he was on a roll. "Death in the stew pot" is probably the most bizarre one - simply because I can't remember ever reading this before. Go check it out in 2 Kings chapter 4. It got me thinking about miracles, and I had an overwhelming sense of expectation this morning. We encounter miracles every day... some big, some little, some noticed, some that seemingly slip by without even a nod of the head. As we were getting ready for the day, I told Rick that I was expecting a miracle today. Bless him - he didn't look at me funny or even slightly quizzically. He just looked at me. Waiting for me to explain. And I can't, not really. I just know there are going to be miracles today. Maybe it's going to be a miracle of the heart. Maybe my heart, finally bursting through some challenges I've been wrestling with. Or maybe someone else's heart. Or our house might sell today. Or Craig's friend Randy might find a job today. Or our friend whose mother is in hospice might find the miracle she's looking for today. So here's what I'm going to do. All day long today, I'm going to watch for miracles. Big, small, they all count. They are unexpected blessings to marvel at. I'll update this blog through the day, as I stumble upon them. You are invited to participate. Email me with your miracles today, and I'll post them as well. I'm a little nervous trying this out, because what if nothing happens today that is extraordinary? I might feel, um... silly putting myself out there. But on the flip side, what if I see miracles all day long? How cool would that be? I already have one to start with. So here goes: Miracle #1. The road to Athens that has been under construction for a year or more was open today. Divided highway all the way to work! No more getting stuck behind a slow car on a 2 lane highway with barricades on both sides. Miracle #2. - 12pm - My friend Shari wrote with a miracle! She feels convicted to save her money so that she can go to Honduras and witness first hand the work going on at the House of Hope. Her creativity in saving/earning the money is fabulous, and I know she's honoring God with her budgeting and saving! For any of us on a budget... that is no small miracle! Miracle #3 - 12:30pm - None too small today... Mother's overly busy oven stopped working this morning, just as a marathon week of baking commences for our Bess family Christmas on Saturday. The miracle is that the repairman called her back and was able to work her in today, instead of Tuesday. It's fixed now, and she won't lose any time in preparing for Christmas! (I personally think this is a HUGE miracle, especially since it affects my tummy!) Miracle #4 - 6pm ish - Visiting with Debbie and praying with Pastor Chris over Sue (Debbie's mom.) - It's always a miracle when God dishes out his grace and comfort in a seemingly impossible situation. Sue opened her eyes and heard our prayers. And then there's something about those angels she sees in the corner of the room... Miracle #5 - 6:30pm - My sister-in-law Carolyn won a WEEK of vacation at her company Christmas Party. From hundreds of names at the Museum, hers was drawn. And she has got to be the hardest working, overworked, most deserving individual I know. A flat out miracle that she won such an awesome gift!!! (Where are we going, sweet sis?) Miracle #6 -10:30pm - Rick made it home after a looooonngggg day working the biggest line break we've had all year at the water company (on the coldest night of the year.) The miracle is that he and Armando safely maneuvered the backhoe out of a quickly forming sink-hole. It sounded pretty dangerous with both of them working in tandem. Thank God they were successful. Miracle #7 - reported 12/16 9am - Craig and Carolyn experienced several miracles last night at an event they hosted at their apartment community. They had numerous spiritual conversations with residents who were open to Christ-centered conversation. They felt like this event was the most successful one that they have had as part of the CARES ministry. Yea! Miracle #8 - reported 12/16 5:30pm - A dear family friend, Glenda, reports her miracle: "No one sees a house, buys it, gets a mortgage loan with preapproval, signs a contract, and chooses ALL the flooring, appliances, etc., in ONE WEEK, let alone 4 days! It just doesn't happen... except in God's timing and in His plan! For us it's a huge miracle. For Him it's just another ordinary day in the life of the Creator!"

Calling in Well

The day started out grand, with my calling in to work "well." I had plans for the day that included: Me and a Book. All day long, I've been trying to get little things done and out of the way so that I can get to the big plans (the book.) Making Collin and Rick breakfast. Done. Cleaning the kitchen. Done. Emptying a file cabinet for Craig to come and pick up. Done. Making the bed. Done. Attending the Chamber luncheon (where Rick retired today as Board Chairman.)Done. Put up a few Christmas decorations. Nah, do it later. Here comes the book... I can almost taste the relaxation, the s-a-n-i-t-y. Ring-Ring, goes the telephone. Time for a change in plans. Craig and his friend are broken down on their way here to pick up the file cabinet. Here we go... Find a mechanic. Tow the car. Pick them up at the mechanic (thank you Rick.) I'll take those few minutes alone to pursue my one goal for the day: READ MY BOOK. That's where I am right now. In lieu of reading, I decided to therapeutically write my blog. In a few moments, we'll load the file cabinet into the back of my car, load Craig and Randy as well, and I'll head to Dallas with my new priority.

Helping my brother.

After an intentional attitude adjustment, I'm reminded... what better way to spend my day off? I'm home. I want to serve. Who am I to decide when and where and who I get to serve.

So... getting to spend time with my brother is a bonus! And, I'll have about an hour of quiet time on the drive home. That's almost as good as reading a book, and perhaps it's what I needed most today.

Weekend roundup

Well - a busy weekend it was! Friday night we took the Chicken Pot Pie over to the neighbor's house. (a follow-up from Friday's blog.) We were both feeling rather guilty and saddened that 2 weeks had gone by before we knew of Wanda's passing. But God took our shortcomings and worked them for the best. While visiting with Glenda and the kids, she shared with us that the day had been one the rougher ones she'd experienced since her mom's death. During the days immediately following Wanda's passing, there were plenty of people coming by, bringing food, wanting to share memories, etc. But now that things are settling back to normal with her schedule, it seems that life has resumed for everyone else as well. That's when grief can hit the hardest. She told us that she believed it was God's perfect plan that sent us over to her that very night. Wow - talk about feeling redeemed! In our fast-paced life, we missed Wanda's final healing. But God worked that out and allowed us to share a moment with Glenda when she needed it the most. Is that not cool? Ok, so that was Friday night. On to Saturday. Christmas lights went up on the house, but I already shared the picture of Collin doing the "grasshopper" yoga pose on the roof. Thank God he didn't fall! Saturday night we drove to Craig and Carolyn's. A fun evening with Mexican Train, mom's Chicken Spaghetti, and hanging curtains. Check out this video below. Rick and Craig both thought I was holding up the camera for a still-shot photo. However, I had the video rolling instead. It's hysterical! (Mom, you have to click on the "play" arrow to make it play.) One of the highlighs that evening (besides the laughing) was getting to hear about Craig's work through Crosstrainers. In particular, his ministry to men in prison, and those recently released. I'm so proud of him, and inspired by his passion for standing by these men and investing in their lives. Sunday afternoon... I accompanied the youth group on a roller-skating adventure in Tyler. In the picture below I am trying to stand up. The picture isn't the best, but it does prove that I was upright for some of the time. Tonight we're staying in Athens at the Farm House. I'm sure there will be some sort of adventure to report on later...

It's Christmas Light Time

It's time for Christmas Lights at the Brown House. Actually, it's about a week later than we usually put them up, but the weather has been too uncooperative until today. It's beautiful outside!

I was summoned outside earlier to take a photo of the action, but what I found was Collin doing a yoga pose over the front door! (see picture below) I was mortified at the danger, but then I chuckled. Figured I might as well take a picture before I yell at him to stop! Tonight we're heading to Carolyn and Craig's apartment in Downtown Dallas. A friendly match of Mexican Train has been suggested. Also, the Dallas Mavs play tonight on cable, and since we don't have cable at home... Craig's place will be perfect. It's within walking distance of the AAC - a shame we aren't going to the game in person.

Our dear mother has agreed to provide the chicken spaghetti for dinner tonight - even though the parentals are not actually attending the party. See our pseudo-invitation to her below:

Dearest Mother... It would be our pleasure to request the presence of your "love" to dine with your descendents on the evening of the 6th, and in the 12th month of the year of our Lord 2008. Your love may be manifested in the most superlative of ways... namely, grub. We offer you the choice of expressions, reminding thee of such necessary transportation in the delivery. The favour of your reply is requested.

Sweet of her to send dinner, don't you think?

Busy-ness of Life

I had a grim reminder today about the busy-ness of life. Actually, it's been a few days in the making. But let me set the stage for you:

Our next door neighbor, Wanda, has been battling cancer. She has been living next door with her daughter, Glenda, and family. We have been casual acquaintances with our neighbors, bumping into each other occasionally: at the mailbox, over a gopher mound between our houses, at soccer games, etc. We've even shared a meal at their house together. Wanda is delightful - always working in the yard, or playing golf, or flashing her beautiful crooked smile at you. I visited with Wanda about a month ago in her living room. She had lost her hair and was very clearly struggling with pain and lack of energy. But she still welcomed me and visited for a few minutes. I knew that she didn't have much longer in this present struggle. Over Thanksgiving, Rick and I commented on how busy the neighbor's household appeared. Lots of cars, people coming and going... We looked at each other and wondered "Has Wanda passed away?" No, couldn't be. They're just having lots of family in for Thanksgiving. We continued on with our life. Five days ago, Rick opened up the mail and was reading the newsletter published by the Country Club. He showed me the box that said "In Memory of Wanda Gregory." Again, we looked at each other and thought "Has Wanda passed away?" No, couldn't be. We would know if that had happened. This must be a typo... they meant "In honor of Wanda Gregory." But it got us thinking. I combed the newspaper and the internet website of the local papers, looking for an obituary. Didn't find one. And it was too late to call next door and ask... So the next morning we climbed into our car and journeyed back to the busy life we live. Every day this week it has lingered in the back of my mind. We really need to call next door. And did I? No... Everytime I thought about it, it was too late, or too early, or not convenient. This morning... 5 days after reading the "In Memory of" note, I googled Wanda's name. It led me to a Caringbridge website. Wow - I wish I had known this existed! Glenda had been updating it daily for quite some time. And as I read the entries, it hit me. Wanda passed away the Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving. With tears, I read of her struggle, of the family's acceptance of the disease, and of their belief in the greatest healing of all. Here is an exerpt I took from Glenda's update. I don't think she would mind me sharing it:

Mom took her last breath on earth and her first breath in heaven at 10:35 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. I was talking to her about the journal entry I had just posted. We were listening to Dottie Rambo. I suddenly said, "Hey Mom, if you go on, you could worship God on Sunday in Heaven standing next to Dottie Rambo! She grinned, breathed her last breath, and flew away.

Wow. That's beautiful.

And as I pulled out of the driveway this morning, I noticed that their house looked empty. At 8:30am, everyone was either at work or school for the day. And so, one more day begins without my reaching out to our neighbors.

I'm hit with the fact that our life has been so busy, we didn't even know that 2 weeks had gone by since Wanda's passing. Sure, I can try and sluff off the guilt by saying "No one told me!" But in my heart, I know that I'm the one that's too busy, caught up in getting from one place to the next, neglecting the little urges I had to call, or simply walk next door.

Right now, I'm thinking about how important relationships are. More important than the rushing around that I do. It feels like I'm always rushing about from one thing to the next, neglecting to take a moment to consider the relationships around me.

Today is Friday. I've got the fixings for a Chicken Pot Pie ready... Tonight we'll walk next door and hug our neighbors. We'll remind ourselves of the important things.

Above: Wanda cheering on her grandson Eric at the football field.

House of Hope video

Here is a short video on the project Rick and I are involved with. (I have a small role in the video.) We traveled to Honduras over the summer and experienced something life-changing. The purpose of this video was to introduce the idea of a "Slim Christmas" to our church. We are being challenged to match what we spend on gifts for each other and give that much to the House of Hope for Christmas. Take a minute to watch it! In a few weeks at our Christmas Eve service, we will show a longer video with more detail. I can't wait to see that video. Christmas is not our birthday, it is Jesus' birthday. http://www.trietschmedia.org/mabank/ Note: This link is temporary. I'm not sure how long it will be available.