The look and feel of Christmas from a retail perspective

There's something about working in retail during the holidays that gives you an extra boost of holiday 'spirit'. Maybe it's the constant reminder with the toy purchases, all of the baking supplies that whiz by my scanner, or the fancy seasonal drinks like the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. Consumerism at it's finest reminds me most of Christmas these days. Sure the dangling snowflakes and the Merry Christmas signs are a nice reminder of Christmas but it's the shopping, spending, and holiday buzz that really stick out to me. Joy's poem from Poel is suddenly coming back to me. Greedy, rushed shoppers with their eye on the prize: materialistic idols.

Yesterday a grandmother and her extremely crabby little grandson came through my line. He kept grabbing things out of her hands and throwing a serious fit when he wouldn't get his way. All his grandma kept saying to him was "Santa is watching you!" I couldn't help but laugh and recall how many times I, in my secular childhood, was told that very same thing. Santa, pssh. And to use santa as a form of punishment? Craziness. We should be acknowledging that God is watching our every move and not just when we're misbehaving.

Christmas isn't all bad from a retail perspective. You see glimpses of true believers scattered throughout the store. The ones who buy cards mentioning Christ. The few who will say "have a blessed day" which always puts a smile on my face. The children who truly appreciate their parents and thank them for the purchase they just made, being it so close to Christmas. The eleven or so year old boy who went through my line and just started chatting me up about his older brother that he is so proud of for being in the service. How he is going to make him a Christmas card this year and send him candy for Christmas. There are still believers out there. Still people who see Christmas as more than a day of receiving gifts but a day of celebrating Jesus, family, and friends.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving!

John, Denise's exercise ball and laughter

Last Sunday, before Jake became insanely ill, John and I were having a little fun at the Kreighbaum's with Denise's exercise ball. I don't know who had more fun between the two of us but a good time was had by all.

The Life

It's 7:52pm Saturday evening. I'm watching Cops and barely holding my eyes open.

True story.

Employed.

I'm employed for the first time in six months! I worked four hours and ten minutes tonight and it felt so good to have that change of pace, to actually work. Watching the "orientation videos" were a bit boring, and certain moments were extremely comical, but I smiled the whole thing through. I alternate between Starbucks and cashier every-other-shift, which again will be a nice change of pace. Avoiding the mundane is what I'm all about (ask Phil about that.)

I feel such a huge sense of worth again. I've felt like a worthy woman all my life but being unemployed and not contributing financially to my family made me feel terrible.

Hooray for employment!

A devotional worthy of sharing

It's Okay to Ask for Directions

Your life does not come with an instruction manual or a road map; however, your life with Christ does. All the dead-end streets that confuse and sidetrack so many in life are clearly indicated on God's road map, His word. More important, He charts out the highway to purity and destiny. Rebels who diligently study the map rarely get lost.

But God has given you even more than a map; He's give you a GPS! Before Jesus left planet Earth, He said He would send you His Spirit to remind you of His words and keep you oriented in your journey. He knew that you would regularly need His direction, but sometimes forget to pick up the map. So the Spirit becomes an internal positioning system to point the way to purity and warn you of obstructions.

I'm asking for Your directions this day, God. I trust Your wisdom to chart my course and lead me into a pure and unhindered destiny.

F Y I

I love my church family. I don't even like the term "church family." You're just an extension of my natural family. Actually I feel closer to more of you than most my biological family.

At any rate, what I'm trying to say is I love you all.

I thank God we're in each others' lives.

Halloween!

It's Halloween eve! I'm psyched. I really love this holiday.

Fill Me Up Lord

This is more a rambling note-to-self blog.

I'm running on fumes, out of gas, here. I NEED A JOB.

I applied for 10 jobs within the last 24 hours. Here's to getting ONE!

I had a self-pity moment yesterday for like .5 seconds then I got a phone call. I pulled myself together, got what I forgot, then turned on 90.7 FM. The man singing sang EVERYTHING I was feeling at that moment. I ugly cried for the first half of the song, realized that God was speaking to me through this song, really listened to the words and by the time the song ended I was laughing at myself. Thankfully it was raining so no one could really see me in my car driving along with snot all over my face. That was one of those "awe moments" that you can try to retell but words can't paint the accurate picture of how amazing the moment was.

God, I need to remain strong and look to you even when things seem like they cannot get any worse. You are faithful and I must remain the same way. Thank you for your sense of humor, the way you come to me when I need you most but may not seek you or realize how much I need to look towards you, thank you for your unconditional love Father. Amen

Six-Word Story

Post your own profound story using ONLY six words.

I have 4....

• Through mom's many mistakes, I learned.
• Through a deli burger, found Jesus.
• Lost my mind, found my keys.
• Laugh at funerals, cry at weddings.

Singing through tears

Sometimes a song will play that hits the "I'm going to cry uncontrollably for the next few minutes" button.

That song for me is Fake Plastic Trees [Acoustic Version] by Radiohead. It gets me nearly every time.

Fake Plastic Trees

Her green plastic watering can
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
In the fake plastic earth.
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself.
It wears her out, it wears her out
It wears her out, it wears her out.

She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns.
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins.
And it wears him out, it wears him out.
It wears him out, it wears . . .

She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love.
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run.
And it wears me out, it wears me out.
It wears me out, it wears me out.

And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time, all the time.
Oh, oh.

What songs triggers your Tear Jerker Button?

Please, Notice Me (as Chris Carraba sings)

I read this in Seth Godin's blog and had to recycle it.

"Notice Me"

If the new web has a mantra, that's it.
So much time and effort is now put into finding followers, accumulating comments and generating controversy... all so that people will notice you. People say and do things that don't benefit them, just because they're hooked on attention.
Attention is fine, as long as you have a goal that is reached in exchange for all this effort.

Far better than being noticed:

Trusted
Engaged with
Purchased from
Discussed
Echoed
Teaching us
Leading

Falling down laughing

Fall is here! Fall is here! I repeat, fall is here!

Things I love about this season....

- Leaves changing from green to lucious reds, oranges, and yellows
- Sweaters & hoodies make a comeback. I am more confident in long sleeves.
- Fresh, crisp, cooler air.
- Football (Go Patriots!)
- Better hair days. Frizz-be-gone.
- I sleep better and tend to go to bed earlier since it gets dark earlier.
- Apple picking, apple cider, apple pie.
- Jumping in leaf piles. (Makes for excellent photos)
- Bon fires and s'mores
- Pumpkin patches and hay rides
- Pumpkin carving
- Halloween! (I love halloween)

Why the heck don't we know our neighbors?

I met Lois today, my next door neighbor. Our garages touch. I've lived here three weeks and two days and just met Lois. I was outside photgraphing my duplex when my neighbors' door opens. I had a feeling she wanted to introduce herself sooner but there wasn't an opportune time. Barefoot, I walked up the driveway and said "Hi, how are you?" She never stepped out of her doorway but was pleasant the whole time we spoke. We shared names, talked about how the street was so quiet and nice, talked about where we'd previously lived and all that jazz. She then told me she comes and goes at random times and doesn't want to hit one of my boys when she pulls out of her garage. That was nice of her. I am not sure she's annoyed by them riding down her side of the driveway or if she is genuinely concerned for their saftey. Either way we met, conversed, and had our neighborly moment. Not sure how much we'll have to talk about in the future as she's 73 and I'm young enough to be her grandchild. I did tell her neighbors just don't talk as much anymore and she went on telling me how busy people are these days and ran through a typical day of hers. She is a busy woman. I hope to talk to her again sooner than later.

List 5 things you would do if you had 5 other lives to lead.

1. I would be a chef - even if it were just for friends and family.

2. I would get a PhD in English and passionately teach.

3. I would be a personal trainer who still ate Little Debbies snacks.

4. I would model and be best friends with Cindy Crawford's gorgeous hypathetical daughter. I'd be the prettier of the two, of course.

5. I would become a female Marc Driscoll.


I guess it's not too late to achieve some of these goals in this lifetime. Makes me sad to think I didn't start sooner. Makes me even more sad that knowing my personality I won't ever start.

9/11/09: How are you making today a good day?

Me?....

I'm appreciating life and the things that make it good; the faithfulness of God, my nieces big blue eyes, my awesome stepsons, friends that tell you the truth even when it hurts, "Run" by Snow Patrol, people who've helped mold me, art, my husbands quirkiness, Dunkin Donuts coffee, the smell of fresh cut grass, Jesus' great sacrifice, Pop Dan's gravy, quoting movies, The Office, little people that say the silliest things, church, independence, my country, and people who grate my nerves - because they help me with patience, understanding, and to appreciate those who do not grate my nerves so much more. Life.