A post about hurricanes

I can say with absolute certainty that a hurricane changed my life.  Being a California girl, some would look at me with a questioning tilt of their head but it is the absolute truth.  A hurricane changed my life.

The hurricane didn't destroy my home.  It didn't wash away my belongings.  I didn't lose a family member or a friend.  I never lost power.  My car was fine.  I wasn't even evacuated from my home.  All the things you might think of with those words "a hurricane changed my life" didn't happen to me.  They happened to other people.  The devastation from that hurricane was astronomical.  The ripple effects are still being felt today, 7 years later.

Unlike the hurricane that tore apart the lives of so many, the hurricane actually made my life more complete.

• Because of a hurricane I found a passion and a calling I otherwise would have ignored.  
• Because of a hurricane, I made friends in an area I would never have know existed before.  
• Because of a hurricane I have learned how to build stairs, build decks, build ramps, dig post holes, cement in posts (but please, don't ask me to level those stinkin' posts), hang drywall, tear out drywall, mud and tape, silicone holes in siding, scrape paint, pull out really old electrical boxes without swearing, lay peel-and-stick tiles, pull up peel-and-stick tiles and demo houses and structures.  
• Because of a hurricane I can drive you from New Orleans to Waveland without missing a beat.  I know the back way too.
• Because of a hurricane I know what a King Cake tastes like, why po'boys are so addicting and I've ate my way through a pile of crawfish.
• Because of a hurricane I know what a "haint" is and why the porch ceilings in the South are painted blue...and some homes.  
• Because of hurricane I made friends with a man who is as far apart politically from me as he could possibly get and we like each other anyway.  Not just like, I love and deeply respect him and I am pretty sure he would say the same thing about me.  
• Because of a hurricane I came to love an area so much I've actually looked for jobs there.
• Because of a hurricane I have a gold medal.  Un-freakin-believable.
• Because of a hurricane I look at the weather reports a little differently and I definitely pay more attention from June to November.

Yep, I can say with certainty that a hurricane changed my life...for the better.

A post about today's political brew-ha-ha

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even when I think their opinion is wrong.  I attempt to live my life with this outlook.  I don't and won't agree with anyone else on exactly the same issues or ideas any or all of the time.  Sometimes it is my opinion that is the wrong one.  It's happened before, it will happen again.

Today, though, I VERY STRONGLY disagree with someone.  I so strongly disagree that I've been really, really tempted to break my own "no politics on Facebook" rule.  I am okay with everyone having their own opinions, I don't always want to talk about those opinions and so I refrain from discussing politics, etc., on Facebook.  I am going to blog about it.

Can someone please tell me when rape is not legitimate?  How, exactly, would a woman's body "know" that a pregnancy is unwanted and "do something" to stop that pregnancy?  The logic here, says the 5 percent of women who are raped who get pregnant were not legitimately raped.  I would dare Representative Akin to make that statement to a woman who has had her life torn apart because of rape, not to mention rape with a subsequent pregnancy. 

I am so tired of politicians saying idiotic things and then, when confronted on their dumb-a$$ comments, retracting with a "I misspoke".  The damage has been done, the fallacy of your "truth" is out there and people believe you because you are a politician who couldn't possibly lie or be wrong.  Ever.  Especially a "good Bible based Christian".


I am a Christ Follower.  I believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  I also believe that women have just as much value as men.  I believe that women and men are both raped and that every rape is legitimate (whatever that means).  I believe that politicians lie all.the.time. and that this country needs to move beyond the abortion debate especially when it comes to elections and start focusing on the children, men and women who are struggling every single day to deal with the blows that life brings them.  I believe it's time that politicians who keep focusing on the abortion debate need to step up and take care of those children AFTER they are born by providing opportunities for health care, good education, affordable housing and so on and so forth.  I am DONE with the abortion debate and hope this country wises up soon.

Rant over. 

A post about my latest bus adventures

Someone told me recently I should write a book about my time on the bus.  I kinda laughed and smiled but the thought is there and it's germinating.  May happen, may not happen but I can blog about the bus!

Yesterday morning I was the NICE person who said to the two people who went to get on the bus "that's the wrong bus".  It felt good to help someone out.  My niceness stopped when I got on the bus.

The back of the bus looked empty.  That is until I was back there and found a guy laying on the bench seat along the left side up the bus, taking up three spaces and his backpack was taking up another.  Nice.  I sat down on the bench seat across the back, next to the backpack and just played nice.  We stopped and two other people got on board and headed straight back for the "empty" spaces.  One came back stopped, looked at the guy, looked at me and I smiled as I slid the sleeping dudes backpack away from the empty seat and to him.  That is when I secretly started hoping that somewhere along the windy mountain road, the bus driver would take a turn a little too fast throwing the sleeping guy onto the floor of the bus.  See, I told you the niceness stopped.

Sleeping guy woke up with a start as we got closer to the big city, sat up, looking around to see where we were and apologetically moved his backpack.  Okay, I could be nice a little.  But instead of sitting up and staying awake for the 10 minutes left of the ride, he lay.back.down.  Do you see where this is going?

We stopped at the Big Bus Stop where half to 3/4 of the bus exits and he still lay there, sleeping.  The bus left Big Bus Stop and started down the street.  We rounded the corner and the announcement came on for the next stop (which is about 2 blocks down the street) and sleeping guy sat up straight looked around and realized he had missed his stop.  Panic ensued.  I found that little streak of niceness again and pulled the stop request cord so he could get off the bus.  (I will admit that I was tired of smelling him by that point as well and happy to see him hoof it back to the the Big Bus Stop.)

Today, was another bus adventure.  The bus driver took an alternate route to get on the freeway, driving through part of town instead of to the nearest on ramp, panic was ensuing on the faces of the bus riders.  I could see it happen.  Two guys across the way had those looks on their faces like they might get up and storm to the front of the bus to complain.  One of them kept looking at their watch like he was timing the bus and if it took 1 second longer than "usual" to get on the freeway then he would file a formal complaint.  Then we got to the overpass and looked out to the freeway...

People, do not doubt the bus driver.  The traffic was backed up farther than we could see.  The drive through town probably saved at least 15 minutes of sitting in traffic in the long run and took maybe 2 minutes longer than normal.  I was still 15 minutes late for work because traffic was extra awful today, a reminder that universities and schools start next week and maybe I need to start taking the (ugh) 7:25am bus.

I wonder what tomorrow morning will bring...

A post about life these days

Someone recently made the comment to me, "I'm glad you're having the time of your life."  I sat there wondering what they were seeing in my life that I was not seeing.  I would not classify this period of time in my life as the "time of my life."  I'm not in the toughest season of life to-date but it is far from my happiest period of life.

I am busy. I have things happening but enthusiastic joy and happiness is not what I'm feeling these days.  In so many ways I wonder if I'm just letting life pass me by.  I'm wondering if maybe I missed some cue from God somewhere.  Maybe I'm waiting for God but God is waiting for me.  I can't say I'm unhappy.  I have a job, a place to live (thank you Mom and Dad), a car that works, friends and I have hope that there are many years ahead that will hold the time of my life.  Yeah, I'm not having the time of my life...at the moment.  

Another friend sat across the table from me recently and said "I want you to find time for some fun in your life."  I smiled and was grateful for a friend who reads between the lines and cares enough to challenge me.  Tomorrow I am going to the Zoo with two of my favorite guys (ages 7 & 5) and the fabulous, fantastic R-girl.  Fun is on the menu.  We will buy a zoo key, laugh at the gorillas, watch the lemurs antics (and probably sing "I like to move it, move it) and hope the grizzlies are playing in the water.  We might ride the train and maybe listen to the lions roar and yes, we will have fun! 

A post about current events

"Once in a while, our culture needs to be surprised by how much we love people–all people. Once in a while, our culture needs to be overwhelmed with joy that we are involved in the greater story. Once in a while, our culture needs to see us being a part of the solution and not the problem."--Matthew Paul Turner


This week I have been struggling to even want to belong to "the church" anymore.  I'm tired, oh so tired, of the debates about who is in and who is out.  Who is wrong and who is right.  I'm tired of feeling ashamed of the label of "Christian".  I'm tired of the finger pointing.  I'm tired of turning on my computer/TV/radio and being slammed in the face with hatred.  I'm tired of all of this.


But I'm not tired of God.  I'm not ashamed of Jesus and those two facts alone have kept me from calling it quits this week.  I may be tired of all the hoops and words and condemnation and anger and justification but I still love God and still love Jesus.  I'm clinging to the hope that one day the church will remember that we are called to love all people and can be a part of the solution, not the problem.