Joel Osteen

Do you ever watch this guy?



Sometimes, when we don't go to church on Sunday mornings and go to "Bedside Baptist" instead, I turn on the tube and watch Joel Osteen. He's the pastor of Lakewood Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country. His congregants join together in a massive arena...just thinking about organizing and facilitating weekly services there makes my head explode.

I like Joel. He is cheerful and positive, even though he has a mullet. He usually speaks on how people can live their best life and enjoy God's blessings and, subsequently, be a blessing to others.

I once heard my pastor speak about how pastors like Joel Osteen (he didn't name him specifically) bother him. He said that they just talk about people being happy, not about serving others or suffering for Christ. After that, I started feeling uneasy about liking Joel.

But then I saw Oprah interview him on her show last week. I watched as Oprah cornered him about his preaching style, and how he gets criticized for it. And he said that he is just preaching what God tells him to. And it's working. His church is growing and many people are coming to Christ.

So, I am giving him a break. Ben says he gets tired of all of the "gloom and doom" of church sometimes, and likes how Joel always puts a positive spin on things. Of course, we aren't regular "viewers", so there's probably a lot of material we're missing out on. Even so, his sermons are uplifting and make me think about God's grace, which is what it all boils down to anyway.

If you ever end up at Bedside Baptist, try Joel on for size, and let me know what you think. Maybe you already have an opinion about him...I'd be interested to hear that, too.

HOLLA -

Mother Blog

The title of this blog has two meanings:

1. I am indeed a mother. (Sometimes I still don't believe it!)
2. I haven't blogged in so long that this (and subsequent blogs) are going to be a mother. You know what I'm saying.

I hate not blogging. I LOVE to blog. I always have about ten ideas swirling around in my head about potential blogs. But here's the cold, hard truth, folks - I am a mother freaking mother. And that means little time during the day for the computer, and not much more time at night. I am still suffering from the "OH HOLY NIGHT WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO GET CAUGHT UP ON SLEEP!?!?!?!?" thing, even though I need to let it go. The thing is, I will never be one of those people who can function really well on little sleep. That is just not how I was made, and I'll never be that way. And that means that, instead of staying up past Amelia's bedtime to share my daily ramblings, I am more than likely going to choose pj's and warm covers over my head.

It's frustrating having to pass over things like blogging (and reading books, and watching movies, and hanging out with my husband, and catching up with friends on the phone) for sleep, but I know what happens when I do choose the "stuff" - the monster comes out.

It's not good.

So what would I like to share with you today?

HER.





And her beautiful eyes and her expressive brows and they way she jabbers and waves and laughs and her two little teeth and the way that she hugs and the way that she plays and her cute little nose and her soft little feet and her fat little legs and how she is growing up way too fast and the way that she looks at me when I sing to her and how her head turns when she hears her daddy walk through the front door and the sound of her breath when she sleeps in her crib and how my heart melts when she smiles at her mom....

And just how good it all feels inside.

HOLLA -

2012 Anthem

New obsession - and perfect companion to 2012 post.



HOLLA -

2012

Happy New Year!

I'm sorry to tell you that Ben and I did not go to a fancy party on New Year's Eve. We did not dress up in our finest duds and drink champagne and throw confetti at midnight. We spent the day at my parents' house, celebrating our fifth (and LAST!) Christmas. I hate to be biased, but my immediate family's Christmas is my FAV-OR-ITE. Being with my parents and my brother and his family is as good as it gets, and good food, good laughs, hilarious games, and lots of presents don't hurt, either.

After the big celebration, we went home, put Millie to bed, and then I sacked out about 10:30. Yes, I left my husband alone in front of the t.v. to celebrate. I know! I am a terrible wife. I didn't even care about staying up until midnight - I must have had some intuition that I would be up bright and early with a certain someone the next morning. :-)

Tonight, on our way to dinner, Ben asked me if I had made any resolutions. After rambling on for a few minutes, I finally spit out the two things I want to work on in 2012. They go hand in hand, really - the first is change. This morning, our pastor preached on change, and how it's never too late to move from point A to point B. Just because you've "always been" a certain way doesn't mean you "always will be" or "have to be" a certain way. The Holy Spirit is constantly moving us to change for the better. There's always room to grow. (Except on the waistline of my pants. There is no more room to grow. Especially after eating at Red Robin tonight. Steak fries dipped in ranch dressing=no more room.) I'd love for you to hear the sermon because it was so good - if they post it online, I will add a link here.

Secondly, I told Ben that I wanted to be less selfish. I readily admit that, 9 times out of 10, I think of myself and my needs before others. The last thing I want is to be inconvenienced by someone else. Becoming a mom has given this mindset an eternal shift, or more appropriately, a seismic rupture. But, in relation to the preceeding resolution, I need a LOT more work in this area. I want God to shift my focus from my own needs to those of others. Carrying a load for someone else certainly feels better than carrying my own, or at least, helps me to forget it.

So, there it is. I am looking for growth and change in myself, as I always hope to. I welcome any of you to keep me on the path, and help remind me of my goals. And as much as I am moved to change, I want to encourage others to change and grow as well, always for the better.

Speaking of change, I leave you with a photo of my new haircut. As I have experienced here, change is startling, shocking, messy, uneasy, hard to manage, hard to get used to, unpredictable, moves me to curse, and requires a lot of work.

And BED HEAD.




HAPPY NEW YEAR HOLLA -

Amelia, meet Santa...

After several weeks of planning and scoping out, we finally got a spot in line to see Santa. I'm not kidding about the planning. Ben had to make a special trip on his lunch break just to get a "pass" so we wouldn't have to wait in line. And other people who showed up without a "pass" couldn't even GET in line. This Santa business is CRAZY, I tell you!

I don't really remember this being a tradition for my family growing up, although I'm sure my brother Andy and I sat on Santa's lap on quite a few occasions to tell him what we wanted. However, for Amelia's first Christmas, we decided it was a MUST.

Seeing as how my husband is addicted to Bass Pro Shop, we chose it as our destination for Amelia's first meet and greet. I just made Ben promise that Santa wasn't going to be dressed in a camo suit toting a gun. He promised.

I can't really describe the feeling of being there and waiting in line. Amelia was in one of her adorable Christmas outfits, and the whole place was decked out in fake snow, trains, and Christmas games and activities. Even the fish in the fish tank had Santa hats on! No they didn't. (Be a lot cooler if they did, though.)

Of course, right before it was our turn, Santa had to take a 15 minute "break". "Really, Santa? You don't GET a break!" ...is what I was thinking. Nice Christmas cheer, huh?

Anyway, when it was finally Millie's turn, it was....MAGIC. I just wanted to freeze time and just hold on to the moment forever. Ben put her on Santa's lap, and I ran over to make funny faces at her so she would smile at the camera. The picture we got ended up being the end of a big smile, but it was a smile nevertheless. I'm not sure what she was doing with her hands, but she was happy. No tears! She even turned around to pet Santa's big white fluffy beard after. Precious.



This Santa was AWESOME. He must be a Santa trainer. If not, he should be. His energy was just so pure and peaceful, and when he spoke to Amelia, you could just feel the joy resonating from him to her. I hope we see him again!

Next year, I'm sure we will be back. And next year, I'm sure I'll wish for time to stand still again, because it's moments like these that I will cherish forEVER.

HOLLA -

Desiderata

Whenever we go home to Glasgow, I always find my way to the Desiderata posted on Ben's dad's fridge. You see, Glasgow is a place to unwind, unplug, relax, and reflect. Great conversation is exchanged, and slumber is welcomed by beautiful, wood-framed beds with soft, hand-made quilts. The mighty Missouri churns across the road, and warm Tuscan turkey sandwiches fill empty stomachs at the local bakery.

And so it is fitting that the words of Max Ehrmann's Desiderata intertwine with the lackadaisical hours at Papa Norman's.

At the close of this year and the beginning of a new one, I hope you find these words as inspirational as I do.



HOLLA -

How to Make a Baby Pyramid

Step One: Find a baby. (A cute baby works best.)



Step Two: Grab an aunt.



Step Three: (Two Aunts are better.)



Step Four: Have the aunts form a base.



Step Five: Grab an uncle for support.



Step Six: Don't forget your butterfly wings.



Step Seven: TA DA!



HOLLA -