In God's Heart, I Am...

When I was a little girl, I thought I would be a poet.

{I also thought I would be the next Mary Lou Retton and the next Olivia Newton John and the next Bionic Woman, but those are stories you can go back and read...}

The first poem I remember showing to Mom, she didn't believe I wrote. I was little and out of nowhere my head came up with this:

God gives Himself to each of us,
To each a special part.
But I am the luckiest one of them all
For unto me He gave a piece of His heart.

After awhile I convinced her I hadn't copied it from one of my children's books so it went on the fridge, which was enough for me to consider myself published.

I was little and wanted to make sure I always had God's heart in me, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was in His.

It's easy to believe as a child.

But then we grow older.

And we see our flaws.

And we hide more than we show.

And instead of believing we are in His heart we shift our thinking and we start trying to earn our way in. Into a place where He already holds us as a precious gift.

My friend and (in)courage sister, Holley Gerth, saw that in herself and women all around her, and listened to a prompting that caused her to write God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman.

And girls, we need this book.

It's a tiny little book, but it is powerful. I've had so many little daily devotionals over the years that have been nice, and I read them and put them away and went about my day. But this one is different.

This one has made me pause.

Each day is only a few pages long, but Holley doesn't mess around. She starts with an idea, tells you her thoughts and then asks you three questions that stop you dead in your tracks.

Not the questions that you do two minutes before faith sharing because you're running late and they are typical ones you don't have to think about. {Not that I ever did that. Ahem.}

These are questions that dive into your heart, so that you can see yourself more clearly in His.

And after you ponder and pray and realize something new, she gives you a few lines of a prayer you think she pulled right out of your own heart, and then she gives you a pep talk that leaves your ready to face your day with a new readiness you didn't know you needed.

Can you tell I like this little treasure?

Would you like a copy, too?

Good. Because I'm giving one away. :)

If you want to be entered in, all you have to do is leave me a comment finishing this statement:

In God's Heart, I am...

Here's a video with some other people's answers if you need help getting started:

Please, only one comment per person, and the contest will go until 11:00 pm Thursday night. I'll announce the winner on Friday.

Good luck!

Gitz Bits 2010: Week 52

Can you believe it??? We made it through a whole year!

365 days.

52 weeks.

I honestly didn't think I would have enough to show you guys in this little condo for a full year, but we managed to do it. Now I just need to know if you're all still in the mood for a Gitz Bits 2011 version, or if you're ready for something new. Let me know in the comment section if we should start over next Tuesday or if you all have suggestions for something else you'd like to see in its spot.

Because I do it all for you... I figure you should have a say.

For now, welcome to the final week of 2010!

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Shan Clan left on Sunday night, and the only word I can think of to describe Monday was "displaced." I felt out of place in my own house being alone again, so I found myself flipping through the Shutterfly photo book Shannon had made me for Christmas of their July visit.

All I can say is that you know I love these people a lot, because I was still about 40 pounds heavier from Cushing's back then and I don't even care about it in the photos. I mean, I do, but I care about the emotions more.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I don't think Riley felt as much displaced as exhausted.

It was hard on him being good and not biting little people for so many days in a row. The pup needed his rest.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

And the d-r-e-a-r-y weather did not help our sunny dispositions. Can you believe how icky and foggy it was? But in truth, it was so foggy because it was so WARM. It got up to over 40 degrees outside, before heading back into the single digits.

I almost turned on the air conditioner.

You think I'm kidding. I'm totally not.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Susie ran an errand for me on her week off of work and picked out a new lamp at Target. The day before I had turned the other one on that I had by my bed, and it knocked out the breaker for my bedroom.

I figured it was a fluke. So I changed the light bulb and tried it again.

Here's a tip: Don't do that. Turns out the breaker went out for a reason and I got quite a shock. So I decided to unplug it.

I'm super quick like that. :)

So Suz ran to Target, her husband Mark assembled it and her son Jonboy came over to help him put it in place. I was in heaven having all of them healthy and out of school so they weren't around sick kids and germs. I love it when they can pop over and see me!

Friday, December 31, 2010

Riley was my date for New Year's Eve.

He looked pretty unimpressed by the whole thing, really, and still a smidge on the tired side. But I made him stay awake 'til midnight so I could at least give him a kiss on the nose.

Yes. This is what my life has come to.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Since the turn of the century there have been all of these crazy number date/time things, and I'm just bored enough to document them.

So here is a screen shot of 11:11 am, at 11 seconds on 1/1/11.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Suz came over to visit before heading back to work on Monday. She is an amazingly smart and talented speech pathologist working with preschoolers. I am so proud of her and what she does for these kids, but I hate that she is with germ-filled little people every day because it prevents me from getting to see her for months at a time.

So her husband Mark stayed with the boys and let me monopolize her for a bit. This is a photo of her lifting Riley in he air while chanting, "Fly Riley, fly!" It's blurry because he was doing his arm motion in the way he says "please" ... and we thought he was saying to please do it again.

Until he lowered his ears and cowered every time she went to pet him. Then we realized he was saying, "For the love of all things holy, PLEASE stop!"

I found this old video of him saying "please" so you can get the full effect:

Riley Please from gitzengirl on Vimeo.

Thanks for once again sharing my week with me! Click on the button below if you want to go to Jessica’s site and check out the other participants showing off their weekly photos as well:

It's Me. In a Video. Be Warned.

So, we did it! I'm in a video.

And I'm as dorky as I feared I'd be.

I wasn't sure for a few days if the video was going to happen, because at one point in the weekend my coloring waned between putrid and then rashy, and I was overdosing on anti-nausea meds in order to stop throwing up blood. No, you don't get to see those photos of me looking that cute. Yes, it is the kind of fun people look forward to when visiting the condo. ;)

Bless their hearts.

But by Sunday the meds were kicked in, I was feeling a million and ten times better and the only thing standing between you and a video of us was... me. I almost forgot. Good old Shannon, though, never forgot about you for a minute. She was packing up their stuff, getting ready to head out the door for their long trip home, and managed to give you a grand tour of the place.

We had talked earlier in the day about how to answer the main question people had about what a day in my life looks like. But seriously, there's not much to tell. The truth is that I don't do very much, move very much or get up very much. Actually, the goal my physical therapist set for me is that I get to a point where I can get out of bed once an hour, walk to the kitchen and get back in bed.

We have to work to get up to that. It's kind of pitiful. But a girl's gotta have a goal, right? :)

So a day in the life consists of me resting a lot. Sitting up in bed when I feel good, processing photos or writing for the blog at some point each day and generally just trying to keep going. I plan my shower based on when I want to try to work on the blog or if my nurse is coming, because I generally am exhausted after I take one. And I plan my bathroom breaks around when I get up to get a snack, which I plan around when I take my meds.

It's a laugh a minute around here.

Speaking of laughing, at one point in the video I get the giggles watching Shannon leaning over and waving her hand in front of the camera and you get to hear my laugh. Which can best be described as a hyena imitating a machine gun.

You're welcome.

So, enjoy your tour of the condo and your introduction to me. Shan did a great job showing you guys around, the girls are adorable, and I tried my best to be lively for you all. Which is probably why I'm dorky. :) Oh, and Eliana had one request... that we end the video with "kthanksbye" because that's what I say to her mama when I'm trying to win an argument and I want the last word.

I can't say it works, but I keep trying anyway.

christmas blog video from gitzengirl on Vimeo.

Snorting. Uncontrollable Snorting.

Oh my gosh, you guys. I swear to God I have NEVER laughed so hard in my entire life as I laughed at this video.

Seriously. Die hard laughing. Almost literally considering I can barely get any air in my lungs right now. This video about killed me, and it would have been worth it.

If you know me in real life you know that when I start laughing hard I start to snort uncontrollably. It's not cute but it's true. And this video made me laugh so hard and I snorted so constantly that I SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF MY DOG.

I have no idea if you all will crack up or not. But just imagine the girl in the video is me. Because it would be me. I HATE being scared with a passion. I watched Children of the Corn when I was in seventh grade and I'm still not over it. So when Ellen DeGeneres sent her writer, all dressed up like a reporter, into a haunted house to do a segment... I totally felt her pain.

In between uncontrollable fits of laughter.

And snorting.

"That's So Rude!" might be my favorite line. Right after, "Don't do it anymore, please. I know you're getting paid..."

Oh my gosh. SO FUNNY. I'm going to be honest with you people... I have been truly feeling really sick. I can't talk, can barely breathe, and my skin is crawling I feel so lousy. But this?

This is GOOOOOD medicine!

And I hope it brings you enough joy to forgive me for not feeling strong enough to get some digital freebies made for you this week. There are few things I hate more than being unreliable, and I appreciate you all always being gracious with me and my hiccups in posting here and there!

I'm missing it this week, but if any of you want to post to Shannon’s Take Five entry [she takes 5 minutes to write 5 things about her week], just head on over to participate and link up. :)

Have a great weekend, friends, and enjoy the people you love!

Gitz Bits 2010: Week 36

Monday, September 6, 2010

Riley has made a new friend. And it didn’t hurt that this new friend brought bacon. :)

My friend Candy has been talking about Riley for so long now that I think her husband Ron was starting to get a little jealous... and decided to check out this new male in her life. He thought it was hilarious that the pup knew how to say “please” and decided to catch it on video.

But I think he liked Riley’s head tilt more than anything... I swear that dog knows so much more than we give him credit for.

What Ron didn’t know was the rule about keeping me out of these shots, so please, when he pans over to me, remember that the camera adds 10 pounds.

Or in my case, 30. Whatever. :)

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Oh, cocoa, it was good while it lasted...

My cleaning lady came on Tuesday and brought me a dairy-free, whey-free, vegan chocolate bar that had absolutely nothing in it I was allergic to. So I tasted it by eating a tiny bite out of one tiny corner of the bar.

And I had a bad allergic reaction.

And thanked the heavens I only tasted it.

Much Benadryl later, it settled down and I did another experiment the next day to figure out what ingredient could have possibly made me react. I tried eating an Oreo in order to rule out cocoa.

And the reaction was severe.

So now, apparently, my body hates cocoa. Do me a favor and eat a frozen Oreo for me... because I really loved those suckers. :)

My waistline, however, is fine with this new arrangement.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Remember how I mentioned that Ron brought Riley bacon?

Well, Candy brought me more peaches.

I win!

For the record, it is not necessary for people to bring something when they visit. But after the bacon and peaches, I’m starting to think I should make it mandatory... because Riley and I were both quite happy with the arrangement. :)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Speaking of happy arrangements...

Awhile back I asked on Twitter if anyone had good lime slush recipes. I’m addicted to the Sonic lime slush... partially because they’re good, but mostly because they settle my stomach. And I’m sick to death of throwing up.

Flash forward to last week, when a friend of mine [who shall remain nameless just in case anyone could get in trouble for this] mailed me the base for the Sonic slush.

Seriously.

The actual stuff they use in the store.

She talked to a friend of hers, who has a friend that owns a Sonic, and before I knew it I had a gallon of the concentrated mix. And a recipe of how to make it myself.

And I should have really beautiful words for what just happened, but I’m still kind of speechless about the whole thing. About the kindness of people and the out-of-the-way gestures that can totally change a person’s every day existence, and the way that the right people are put in the right places at the right time. Not to mention the fact that a girl who can’t go and do something as normal as order a slush can now have a slush without having to ask people to go run and get it for her...

...all I got is WOW.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Ok, I didn’t mean for this week to turn into a whole big Gitz Bits full of “Hey, look and see what I got!” but that’s totally what it is.

Because... Look and see what I got!!!

(in)courage had our big one-year celebration, which culminated into the “grand opening” of our newly designed site yesterday. It’s a super big deal, with changes that make it even more community-based. We can now reply to comments, there’s a new Blog-Frog community that gives the readers more of a voice, and the whole thing has that great beach house feel to it.

Which was fitting, since so many of my (in)courage sisters were at an actual beach house celebrating with each other this past weekend. I was hoping to get to Skype with them, but Friday turned into a really intense pain day and I had to miss it. But in the mail that day I opened a package with this bracelet inside. It says, “Dream God-sized Dreams” and “(in) loves you” – which is convenient since I love them right back.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Panther Growl from gitzengirl on Vimeo.

Saturday can be summed up with one word: FOOTBALL.

Iowa beat Iowa State [YAY!], Notre Dame lost to Michigan [BOO!] and my UNI Panthers won their season opener 16-9 [YAY!].

Thankfully, UNI has started the Panther Sport Network so I am now able to watch home games on television, but it was even better when Ron and Candy sent me this video of kick-off. I love our Dome and there’s nothing more fun that hearing that Panther Growl over the loud speakers...

Sunday, September 12, 2010

You can not imagine how happy I was to see these flowers blooming again.

Not just because they are obviously pretty, but because when they all shriveled up and seemingly died in the 100 degree heat this summer, I was sure I had managed to kill what the Shan Clan worked so hard to plant.

So before the cold comes along and freezes these lovely blooms, I thought I’d better get one more snapshot of summer to remember them by. :)

Thanks for once again sharing my week with me! Click on the button below if you want to go to Jessica’s site and check out the other participants showing off their weekly photos as well:

What Shark?

Have you guys seen this commercial?

Every time I see it, I think, “THAT’S what walking around after your dad dies feels like.”

Except, of course, there’s no handy lozenge.

Every single little moment of the day... regardless of what I’m doing, how I’m feeling or who I’m talking to... I have some version of dad. dad. dad. dad. dad. going through my head. I’m thinking of Dad when I wake up. I’m thinking of him when I think of Mom or one of my family members for the 783rd time that day, wondering how they are doing and feeling and coping.

I’m thinking of him when I see on the news that a farmer’s field has flooded, and I pick up the phone to call him and hear what he has to say about it. And I realize in that moment how much I called to tell him about, just because I loved listening to him talk about things that interested him. I didn’t care about hog futures, but I loved talking to him about them. I didn’t care about how he was going to manage to dry up and fill in the lagoon, but I loved listening to every detail and asking him questions just so I could listen to him explain it to me.

I’m thinking of him as football is starting to play on TV. I hear those familiar sounds and I can’t imagine how I’m going to hear those sounds again without tears coming to my eyes. I called him each week to make sure we were watching the same games that day, so when he called after a bad call or I called him after an amazing play we’d both be having the same reaction.

I’m thinking of him as Nie Nie asked me why I say, “Oh my word!” so much and, without thinking, I replied, “To make little girls like you ask questions.” The phrase he said to me so often in my life when he didn’t have the answer to one of my myriad of inquiries.

I’m thinking of him, hearing dad. dad. dad. dad. dad. in my thoughts, in the background of my every day life. And when life gets quiet, as it so often does here in the condo, the sound grows louder. The weight heavies on my chest, and I feel the loss of him as surely as I have felt the weight of him all through my life.

And I know someday I will wake up and see the sharks that have devoured my arm. I know someday the sound of his name won’t be so constant. Someday it might not feel as heavy.

But every day, whether loud or quiet, the word dad will always hold the same, undeniable weight. The same measure of care. The same impact of love.

And I am blessed because of it.

Build It Anyway

If you follow me on Twitter, you inevitably saw the countdown in the past week or so as a few friends and I anticipated their weekend visit. Mandy, Brittney and Amie were driving from Texas [seriously… all the way from Texas] just to hang out with me this weekend and watch the much anticipated LOST finale.

[Ok, the incentive wasn’t really the finale, but we were ridiculously excited when we realized it fell on this weekend.]

Plans were in place. Mandy’s car was tuned up with new brakes, people were half packed, almost ready to leave on their straight-thru Friday drive… when Wednesday rolled around and Britt noticed a sore throat. Then, later in the day, Amie started with a cough and congestion, which was later diagnosed as a sinus infection. By Saturday, when they all would have been here, Mandy’s throat started hurting.

And that’s the story of most people who plan to come see me. :) It happened at Christmas when Jessica and Matthew were taking off and Matthew ended up with the stomach flu. By that weekend, when they would have been here, Jess had a cold.

And it’s not just friends in far away places… plans with friends here in town get canceled all the time because they, or someone in their family, ends up with an illness. We waited until the last minute to make dinner plans for my birthday in order to make sure everyone was well, and they were. Until two out of three friends ended up coming down with something that afternoon.

It’s inevitable, really, that plans will get canceled a lot when you’re living in a body that is immune suppressed. The last time I had pneumonia was because I came in contact with someone with an ear infection. My body will take something minor from someone else and turn it into major upheaval in my world. As much as I hate that my body is this way, I detest being the one who both invites people to come and then tells them to stay away.

We were all feeling quite sorry for ourselves on Twitter, but the truth of the matter is that I have always been very blessed in these situations. As much as I hate the disorder it causes in their lives, I am so grateful that every situation has happened far enough in advance that I have been spared coming in contact with illness. Every single time, they came down with their cold or flu before they’ve traveled here, rather than when they were sitting in my home. They always get sick before they take off and wind up in Iowa, unable to walk through my door.

I know it’s harder for my friends than it is me, because I rarely let myself fully believe something is going to happen until it actually does. I know the excitement of anticipation, but I’m also prepared for the unexpected turns because they happen for me daily. But as I was watching the movie Under The Tuscan Sun this weekend [it’s my substitute for the dream of actually being in Tuscany] I was struck again by a line that always gives me pause.

The main character, Francis, is standing in the villa she impulsively bought and decided to restore when she says, exasperated and afraid, “I bought a house for a life I don’t even have.”

The man who sold her the house tells her, “They say they built the train tracks over the Alps between Vienna and Venice before there was a train that could make the trip. They built it anyway. They knew one day the train would come.”

And that’s how I’ve decided to keep living my life. There are so many obstacles that stand in the way of being with people, celebrating with people, enjoying life with people. Most of my friends are in Vienna and I’m isolated here in Venice. There is no train that can make our connections inevitable, but I am going to keep building the tracks. I’m going to keep nurturing the connections I have with people any way we can have them, and be grateful for the community I am building.

Whether or not a train is ever made that can make the trip, I’m going to enjoy the process of building the tracks.

Edited to add this video Amie sent me after reading this post:

Flashback Friday: Que Sera, Sera

Do you know when I finally realized I’m old?

No, it wasn’t when I started walking with George, although that would have been a good guess.

It was when I made reference to the line “Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” from the TV show Different Strokes and a blog reader had no idea what I was talking about. So, I emailed her this video to jog her memory:

The problem is, it didn’t jog her memory. Because it couldn’t be in her memory. Because she was too young to watch Different Strokes.

And I’m not talking too young in the way that my parents didn’t let us watch Three’s Company because of the scandal that two girls living with a guy would inflict on our young minds. I’m talking about being too young because she didn’t exist. [If anyone here isn’t familiar with Three’s Company, just please don’t tell me about it.]

On a side note [not that I ever veer off from the topic at hand, but just this one time I will], don’t you hate it when the shows that you don’t remember being scandalous as a kid end up being a bit scandalous, and you realize that fact while watching with little people? Like, I remember Daisy Duke wearing short shorts, but when I got Season 1 of The Dukes of Hazzard for my friend Susie’s boys a few years ago, neither of us remembered Daisy sashaying around in a bikini with sexual innuendos. But, apparently, she did.

And a few years ago when my friend Kelly and her daughter Megan were at my house and we thought it would be fun to watch the movie Grease, it didn’t take long before Kelly and I were wide-eyed and holding our collective breaths that her then-too-young-to-catch-most-things daughter would actually not catch most things. We were out of luck when the scene in the back of the car came about and Rizzo and Kenickie started discussing whether or not he had his insurance policy.

Of course, I was the lucky one Megan turned to and said, “Sara, what’s an insurance policy?” Somehow Kelly refrained from laughing as I went into an explanation about how my brother Steve works for Northwestern Mutual Life and the value of having life insurance. That was either not my most shining moment or my most brilliant, I’m still not sure.

Anyway, realizing that I’m old and that many of you may not remember things like Arnold talking to Willis, or Jan trying to get rid of her freckles or Tootie with her roller skates, I realized that writing Que Sera, Sera at the end of my post on Monday may have escaped some of you.

When I was little, my Aunt Janella used to sing the song Que Sera, Sera to me whenever she’d visit… of course I thought my name was in it and she was just saying it funny, but hearing the tune or the mere mention of the words still just makes me happy. So, for all of you young people, who I’ve recently learned don’t understand half of my references, this is a very old song that makes me very happy:

Now, excuse me while I go get my shawl so I can be ready for dinner at 4:30.

Brought to You by the Letter I

There was an interesting suggestion last week that I write today’s post using all “I” statements. I have a feeling writing a story would be easier, but I’ll take the challenge! :)

I…

… have almost all of my Christmas shopping done. I started on Saturday and only have 4 gifts left to pick out. Two thumbs up for online shopping! I also have a way for you to do something charitable while shopping, without spending an extra dime! When you shop on Amazon.com, go to their site through this link: http://bit.ly/8cdQdr and they will donate a small referral fee to my friend Alece’s Thrive Africa mission. It’s like giving two Christmas presents in one! :) She really does amazing work.

… know my mom hates it when I say this, but just this one time it’s true:

… am an IDIOT. [Hey! That starts with an “I”, too! :)] I’m not an idiot all the time, but I certainly was on Wednesday. I had ordered Chinese food as a treat for Thanksgiving since I read that it is typically safe for whey allergies. I still don’t know if that’s true or not, because I never actually got to the main entree. [Here’s where the idiotic part comes in.] You know how sometimes Chinese restaurants put an eggroll in with the meal? This establishment put in a couple crab rangoon. I LOVE crab rangoon. A lot. And I took a bite. And swallowed. Yeah, well, it contains cream cheese. I knew the moment I swallowed what I had done, and then spent Wednesday night through Saturday on a lot of Benadryl trying to fight off the reaction that ensued.

… wasn’t kidding when I told you I was an idiot. Happy Thanksgiving to me.

… won’t ever mistakenly eat crab rangoon again. On a happy note:

… discovered that double stuffed Oreos don’t contain whey! I realize that is disturbing considering it claims to have a cream-filled center and actually contains no milk, but it’s a win in my favor so I’m not complaining. :)

… have found myself starting phrases with “I used to…” a lot lately with new friends. Statements like, “I used to love to dance…” or “I used to be a singer…” and “I used to be really active in my church…”

… wonder if I’ll ever get to the point where it doesn’t seem odd to be living a “before and after” life.

… am slightly embarrassed to admit that I bought Riley a Snuggie for Dogs.

… promise I’ll post a photo of him in it soon. :)

… wake up every morning thinking that today’s the day I’m going to get all my emails returned and get caught up on my inbox.

… still have an overflowing inbox.

… can now definitely say I’ve turned a corner with this whole Cushing’s thing.

… still look more like a woman named Big Bertha than I look like myself, but I’ve stopped gaining weight [woo hoo!], some of the swelling has gone down [which means I no longer see the tops of my cheeks when looking at the television… and yes, that was annoying], and every once in a while I have moments of real energy. I have a long way to go, but I am on the road!

… am currently trying to figure out a set up that would make it possible for me to paint some canvases again. Because in those moments of energy, I want to make you guys stuff. :)

… just realized how long this post is getting, and that I could seriously ramble on like this forever. So, I’m going to leave you with this:

… am finally in the Christmas spirit. Wanna know why? It’s not because my trees are up. It’s not because of all the Hallmark Christmas movies I watched this weekend in between football games. It’s not even because I busted out some Christmas music. It’s because my friend Shannon [known to you as the commenter named “chickadeesmama”] sent me a video of her sweet, beautiful, oldest daughter Hannah performing ballet to Come Let Us Adore Him – with a talent that is beyond her years.

… might be bursting with pride despite the fact that I’m not actually her mom. :) If your heart needs to be moved into the Christmas spirit, just watch the video below. [Hannah is the one on the far left.]

I did, and…

I loved it. :)

Ok, peeps… leave me some “J” topic suggestions for next week’s post!

Bloom

This title is fitting in so many ways. I’ve been dealing with daily migraines for the last week, resulting in some “blooming” headaches [that was my attempt at being witty]… which is one of the reasons I’ve been even more absent than usual. But there’s something I’ve been wanting to make sure you all know about so I figured it was about time I turned on a light and pulled myself back into the land of the living. Or the land of the blogs, as the case may be.

So what could be so important, you ask?

My friends Jessica and Angie, two of the busiest women I know, decided they simply had too much time on their hands and needed another project.

Lucky us… because they decided to have a book club. But what started as a book club has taken on a new life and, before it’s even started, has turned into an entire community of people who have come together to support each other and grow in all aspects of their lives.

Such a community needed a name, of course. And a blog. And a Ning site. So I’m here to tell you about this new adventure called:

Isn’t it cute?

The first book they’re going to be reading is Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This is the explanation from the Bloom site: Each week we will do a blog post about the chapter assigned from the previous week (i.e.: on Sept. 13 we will blog about the intro and chapter 1). Then that Wednesday, guest bloggers will write a post about the the chapter/topic of discussion/something relevant. We believe this will be a great way to get different opinions and encourage conversation. We are really excited about the contributors who are on-board – we have pastors, writers, all kinds of fun people.

So… if you want to give this a try just check out their blog, go grab a copy of the book and join in the fun! Of course, I joined. Because I’m a joiner. And because I just like Jess and Angie so much I could never say no to them anyway. And when you watch the video of them below you’ll understand why every time I talk to Jess, I hang up the phone and start plotting ways to move to Nashville and stow away in her guest room. [The video, by the way, was meant to be informative, but turned into a hilarious outtake reel instead.]

And if you don’t think these two ladies are reason enough to dream of a relocation to the land of country music, pay attention to the guest star of the video, Jessica’s sweet Elias. Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but Elias stole mine about a year ago and is keeping it Nashville until further notice.

Bloom Introduction from angie smith on Vimeo.

Foot In Mouth

Just checking in to let you know I’m still here. Things are getting rougher for me with each reduction and I just haven’t been able to get a post finished to share with you, but didn’t want you to think I dropped off the face of the Earth or anything! I’ll post something more in depth soon, but I’m leaving you with this little bit of funny to tide you over until then…

Since we’ve covered in numerous past posts like this one, or this one, that I frequently put my foot in my mouth and do ridiculous things, it makes sense that the following commercial cracks me up every.single.time. it comes on television.

Hope it makes you chuckle, too :)

The Origins of George

My brother Hoody sent me a cell phone video this weekend that he took of my sister Laura and brother-in-law Jeff’s grandson, Grant. He’s learning to walk and they joked all weekend that they discovered the origins of George:

So, I would like to make it known that I’m not using a walker because I’m getting old and feeble. I’m just trying to recreate my youth. :)

My George doesn’t look nearly as entertaining as his…
  

Unless, of course, you add a little white dog with a mohawk to it.
  

Poor Riley doesn’t enjoy George all that much. It took a few tries to get this terrified look off of his face.

If you can’t tell, he’s swearing at me with his eyes.

Either that, or he’s doing his best Mr. T impression of, “I pity the fool.”

The things I put that poor dog through in the name of blogging.

Pedaling the Piano

So, you guys know how much I loved singing… but one thing I never learned to do, but always meant to, was read music. While I’m able to use my ear for singing, that’s as far as my ear has been able to take me.

My Grandpa Gerald has this great knack for being able to play piano by ear. He would pluck out the polka Red Wing whenever he was visiting and my siblings and I would dance like it was a Friday night with Lawrence Welk. Last summer when he and my Grandma came to visit he walked by my piano and hit a few keys with his fingers… same song from all those years ago. “Guess I still know a little of it.” he said.

I smiled.

I had the best of intentions when this old piano came to my home. I was finally going to learn how to read music and have the ability to hear the piano played whenever I wanted. The piano was a hand-me-down, and I knew that it was built around 1900 and used to function as a player piano. It has all of it’s original parts and had only been tuned once… and I really need to have it tuned again. But truly, the sound isn’t all that bad.

My brother-in-law Jeff and nephew Thomas were playing around with it a few years ago, just out of curiosity to see how it worked. They opened the sliding doors and fiddled with little levers here and there, trying to see what they were attached to and how it was put together.

Wouldn’t you know it? They found this little lever that said “play.” Thomas started pedaling and suddenly the keys were moving up and down and little notes of music trickled out. After I hugged them each fifty thousand times, I clapped like a little school girl at the prospect of it working.

I didn’t need to learn to read music after all… I just needed to be able to pedal! [I tried very hard to get you a close up shot of the pedals, but a certain poser wouldn’t get out of the way.]

All this time, I had thought the roll in the piano was just a place  holder, but it turns out it holds an actual song. And a lovely one at that.

And when it finishes, you can see the patent information for the scroll.

As you can see on the top line, that date reads December 29, 1896. The oldest date on the sheet is 1909. Isn’t that amazing? From the little research I’ve done, this type of player piano was only made for a few years and has a 65-note format. Any players made after 1908 have an 88-note format and almost any rolls of music you can find are now made this way.

I had to tape a few tears in the paper of my roll, but it still worked beautifully. Or at least it did a few years ago. Now when I try to play it the roll moves slowly and I can hear air escaping from one of the tubes. Someday when I get it tuned I’m hoping that an air hose just got loose and when it’s reattached it will play like this again:

jonboy player piano from gitzengirl on Vimeo.

Didn’t my Jonboy do a great job?!?! It’s a whole lot of pedaling, but I’m thinking that’s one form of physical therapy I could talk myself into doing. :)