tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55427822083433547482024-02-07T00:13:47.781-06:0040 Minus 365A lighthearted look at the year between my 39th and 40th birthdays.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-2741424786198624592011-02-26T22:44:00.000-06:002011-02-26T22:44:39.413-06:00Visit Me At...It's finally here. My new blog. Crazy to think of having a long-term blog, but I finally decided to take the plunge.
Seeking to be more intentionally focused on transformational living in God's kingdom on earth, I have titled the blog "The Unshakeable Kingdom." To find out why, read my first post at www.theunshakeablekingdom.wordpress.com.
Be blessed,
ChristineChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-80701897679653722642010-11-30T19:20:00.000-06:002010-11-30T19:20:08.438-06:00I Am A Queen!One of our family jokes is that I am the queen. Not in a froo-froo princessy way, but more in a royal-feel-free-to-serve-me way.
Lately, though, I have been thinking they may not realize it's actually a joke. It seems every time I turn around my boys are doing nice and kind things for me. Of course they have always done nice and kind things for me, but I really think it's happening more and moreChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-76077724472123763912010-11-29T08:51:00.000-06:002010-11-29T08:51:40.493-06:00More than Just a NameMy 40th has come and gone, and what a blast it was! I've been asked if I will continue to blog. I might, but if I do, I need a new title for my blog.
I like to have edgy titles for things I write or teach. Titles can capture the imagination of a potential reader/listener. Good titles hint at something unexpected lying just below the surface of the title. Good titles reflect accurately the Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-51737429443233866492010-11-25T14:35:00.001-06:002010-11-25T14:36:23.330-06:00Woot! Woot!Well, here it is. My birthday. I'm finally 40. Woot! Woot!
To celebrate I asked my family if we could do a whole lot of nothing today. No studying. No housework. No cooking. No fuss. Just me hanging out with the three most beloved individuals in my life. Lovely.
Of course there were gifts. From Boy 1 a full-on, top-down housecleaning. A very clever card in which in which he gave me a lesson in Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-34626418872640486832010-11-24T08:03:00.000-06:002010-11-24T08:03:39.356-06:00Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya...Tomorrow is the big day, the mother of all birthdays, the culmination of this blog:
My 40th Birthday!!
You may recall that I started this blog in an effort not to let my big birthday be stolen from me. Being several years younger than most of the people I spend most of my time with, milestone after milestone comes long after they have come for my "older" friends. Consequently, by the time Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-63941583037584569752010-11-17T12:28:00.000-06:002010-11-17T12:28:16.408-06:00The Inside-Out BoyA little more than 10 years ago Boy 2 entered this world with a gusto that flows far more than it ebbs. At the age of 3, when asked who he was, he stood upon the chair he was in, raised his hands to the sky and proclaimed, "I am KING of the universe!!" Of course, his dad and I have helped him better understand his place in the universe, but his great passion for living has not diminished.
Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-14214626165490395212010-11-11T19:46:00.000-06:002010-11-11T19:46:24.107-06:00The Chin-StrummerFor 14 of my nearly 40 years I have been blessed by my firstborn, Boy 1. From the very beginning Boy 1 has made his unique personality known: in utero snapshots often showed him strumming his chin as if deep in thought. A teacher once likened him to still waters that run deep and time outs never worked for he would simply sit in a corner and ponder.
A tender and compassionate heart pairs itself Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-86380338022091480282010-11-10T16:40:00.000-06:002010-11-10T16:40:47.401-06:00He Has a Great Vocabulary!Anytime I think about what I am grateful for, my first thoughts fly to my boys. One of those boys is my husband of 18.5 years.
I first met Mark 20 years ago this December. I was in my junior year in college, and he was a high school teacher. A mutual friend, David, convinced me to attend the book review Mark was giving at my college's library. I did not expect much from this book review, but I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-62311414276797772252010-11-09T19:20:00.001-06:002010-11-09T19:20:46.254-06:00My Birthday Gift to MeI've said for many years that I love having my birthday fall on Thanksgiving Day. Knowing the whole nation is giving thanks on my birthday makes the day even sweeter. I know that 99.9% of the people celebrating Thanksgiving are not giving thanks for me specifically, but it's still nice. So having my birthday of all birthdays fall on Thanksgiving seems appropriate.
Therefore, I dedicate the Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-72775161235563105542010-10-17T16:17:00.001-05:002010-10-17T16:18:21.266-05:00A Good TiredI spent the weekend at the World Mission Workshop with 100+ mission-minded college students and the missionaries who were there to teach and mold the young students. There are few things more exhausting than college students interested in missions. One group that is more exhausting, though, are adults who are, were, or were raised as missionaries.
Mark and I spent a total of 5 years in Croatia Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-40119664515770903632010-10-09T22:01:00.000-05:002010-10-09T22:01:56.867-05:00Hooray!Nearly a year ago, I began this blog as a light-hearted look at the year between my 39th and 40th birthdays. The year has taken some highly unexpected twists and turns, not all of which have been lighthearted; yet I remain committed to loving the experience of turning 40.
To that end I have searched high and lo for a button announcing my new decade. I envisioned a black button with white Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-3857858836514975382010-10-06T07:48:00.000-05:002010-10-06T07:48:08.087-05:0040 Minus 50I will be 40 years old next month. Only 50 days away, the anniversary of my birth approaches steadily, and I still have not found my button proclaiming "Finally I'm 40!"
As I prepare myself to ring in a new decade, I realize this year's birthday is special for another reason: it is the same day as Thanksgiving! I love it when those two days overlap; it brings joy to know that the entire nation Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-51301480350781875082010-09-29T14:49:00.000-05:002010-09-29T14:49:21.869-05:00The Drama of ParenthoodI watched an episode of the new drama Parenthood last night. I thought it would be an enjoyable, if vicarious, commiseration over the profound and absurd of parenting.
Parenthood portrays the family lives of the various siblings of the Bravermans. As I watched, I laughed with the mom whose teen daughter communicates primarily through superbly refined eye-rolling, I empathized with the Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-65920419098360823822010-09-21T10:11:00.000-05:002010-09-21T10:11:02.201-05:00"Are You Sober?"The scene: Boy 1, age 14, sits at the desk working studiously on his Latin II assignment. Father sits on a nearby couch reading. Boy 2, age 10, enters the room from kitchen and approaches Boy 1.Boy 2: (with completely deadpan demeanor) Are you sober?Father: Why would you ask him that? Of course he is sober!Boy 2: Seems appropriate for me to know if my teenage brother is sober. Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-19752314396344679542010-09-18T09:22:00.000-05:002010-09-18T09:22:35.042-05:00The Coach Who Yelled at My BabyBoy 2's soccer season started this week with practice and the first game. The volunteer coach clearly has his work cut out for him. With his recreational team of 9-13 year olds, Coach B is tasked with challenging the older, experienced players while teaching the younger ones in a way that integrates the fledglings into a cohesive team.
Growing up I did not play sports. My 2nd grade foray Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-14304082983069601182010-09-09T14:59:00.000-05:002010-09-09T14:59:51.937-05:00Today I bought myself a Tall Pumpkin Spice LatteToday I spent 15 minutes looking for the keys I needed to drive Boy 2 to school. Keys I always put in the same place, because I know I won't remember where I put them if I don't.
Today I went to work, to physical therapy, then back to work.
Today I generated paychecks for employees and set them on my desk to hand to my receptionist. They were still on my desk when she left at noon.
Today I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-35637808060286774762010-09-04T15:59:00.002-05:002010-09-04T16:00:31.586-05:00MatildaAlas! Has it been a month since my last writing? Why yes, yes it has. Just one more thing to blame Matilda for.
Who, you ask, is Matilda? Is she a house guest, who despite the fact that both fish and guests smell bad after three days, stayed a whole month? Is she a new addition to your brood of Boy 1, Boy 2, and Wee 1? Is she an imaginary friend?
Well, no, she is none of those (though there areChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-5323208859570615012010-08-03T18:42:00.000-05:002010-08-03T18:42:15.679-05:00For Her Eyes OnlyFor years I have held out hope for the early menopause my mother and grandmother both enjoyed...42 and 38 respectively. Being right in between those ages, I hope to average out the age at which our family's women go through "The Change." Consequently, about 3 years ago I stopped buying the Costco box that would last a whole year. I didn't want to get stuck with a bunch of pads when my time Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-7129411529235965532010-07-27T21:06:00.003-05:002010-07-27T21:09:07.469-05:00My Thumb...It Burns Me, Or, Why I Like My New Yoga ClassSeveral weeks ago I found a yoga class that suits me perfectly. A good mix of the lithe and lumbering, I fit somewhere in the middle of the participants. The instructor is a perky, young, aspiring physical therapist who kindly teaches us how to make slight adjustments to our poses which facilitate a deeper stretch or make the pose significantly easier to hold.
The class meets at midday on Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-46310489892897631852010-07-17T21:32:00.000-05:002010-07-17T21:32:06.697-05:00Nunnymolers in the New KitchenFor the better part of three weeks our entire family worked hard and lived in a bit of chaos as our kitchen was renovated. Since then we have been pondering what would serve as an appropriate celebratory meal in our new kitchen. Tonight Boy 2 got tired of pondering and did something about it: he planned, purchased, and prepared a three-course gourmet meal from the land of Redwall.
Redwall existsChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-50311352009293146172010-07-09T15:37:00.000-05:002010-07-09T15:37:46.944-05:00Hope Hasn't Killed Me YetI'm not very good at not getting my hopes up. I like to think that things will work out in just the right way that will result in the best for everyone involved. Sure, I've been more than disappointed on an number of occasions, but until the disappointment I got to enjoy the pleasure to anticipating in hope.
When we first learned about my fibromyalgia, I was tremendously hopeful that this would Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-64767992847540437002010-07-07T21:26:00.000-05:002010-07-07T21:26:52.390-05:00Retro CoolOn a recent trip to Target to purchase a birthday gift for Wee 1, a small, metal tea set caught my eye. It was just like the one I had 35+ years ago. Painted white with red and blue flowers, that tea set was a favorite toy. My mother once made me coffee (lots of milk and sugar and an itsy bitsy bit of coffee) in one of the cups. Of course, I hated the coffee, but I loved that tea set.
Looking a Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-14682942018323484392010-07-06T08:11:00.000-05:002010-07-06T08:11:14.860-05:00Marinated PostersOne of my favorite movies is "Joe vs. the Volcano." Joe lives a bleak existence as a former-firefighting hyperchondriacal advertising library assistant in a rectal probe factory. Pasty under the gray lights, Joe spends all his time and money trying to discover what's wrong with him. Finally he finds a doctor who tells him what he has always known: Joe is dying. In a twist Joe discovers that he isChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-22819999584523820622010-06-26T09:27:00.001-05:002010-06-26T09:42:54.647-05:00I Love What You've Done With My Kitchen!Three and a half years ago we bought the house of our dreams. Five bedrooms, three baths, living room, dining room, den. Hardwood throughout with brick exterior and large backyard. And a MAJOR fixer-upper.
We bought the house "as is" and got an amazing deal on it. In addition to needing cosmetic work throughout, the banister for the stairs was missing, the hot water heater near the end of its Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5542782208343354748.post-35706322994838114022010-06-24T08:31:00.000-05:002010-06-24T08:31:58.827-05:00One Stubborn ChickI am one stubborn chick. I've gotten myself in some mighty pickles over the years, but other times my refusal to give in or give up has saved me much grief. My insistence that I can do anything has pushed me to keep going when I'd really rather have spent a week in bed.
About 17 years ago I had a brief conversation with a woman whose 20 year-old daughter had just been diagnosed with a Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741653665805732354noreply@blogger.com0