Hurry

The fact that I've been absent from here (and it hasn't been for lack of things going on or opinions to voice) should tell you a little about why this quote rings so true for me tonight.

"We need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives."

Amen sister (or more accurately, brother).

Need to go let that one sink in a little.

Hopefully you'll see me around here soon.

Here's to you Pail and Shovel Party

30 years ago this morning, 1,008 plastic pink flamingos greeted the UW Madison campus on Bascom Hill in a prank organized by the Pail and Shovel party.

3 days ago the Madison City Council sealed their place in history by naming the flamingo Madison's Official City Bird.

The Pail & Shovelers didn't pass health care reform, and they didn't do anything about the war on terrorism or global warming, but they knew how to draw attention and pull off a fairly harmless prank. And I'm smiling about it 30 years later.

A weekend of wedding fun

Congrats Ty and Amanda - love you guys!

My mom on Brett Favre becoming a Viking:

"Oh, I still like him. He's cute and sweet, just a little misguided."

Couldn't agree more! Well, not sure about the "sweet," or "little," part. More like kind of a jerk, and very misguided.

Waiting on a Whisper

"... Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:11-12

I just need to learn to be quiet enough to hear it.

8 pounds of love

These two tiny cats, weighing it at about four pounds a piece, have turned my life upside down lately. From waking up to four eyes staring at me (or two sandpaper tongues licking my face), to finding my favorite purple chair covered in gray hair. But also having two creatures who adore me waiting at the door when I come home at night.

10 points to the first person (commenter) who can identify the real names of the pop culture duo Lucy (left) and Ethel (right)are named after!

Grandma Bea Update

Good news! Grandma's surgery today went as well as could be expected! The long recovery process is started now, but we made it over one big hurdle. Apparently late last night she and "the girls" (my aunts) had the nurses cracking up. When my aunt brought my grandma a balloon (after taking it from the gift shop that was closed at the time, but looking straight into the camera saying "I'm buying this balloon. I'll be back tomorrow to pay for it,") grandma replied by saying "I'm so glad I'm here so I can get this balloon!" So glad she was upbeat right up until the surgery. Here's hoping she keeps it up over the next days, weeks, and months.

Prayer please.

I realize I've been a bad blogger and left you all hanging waiting for word on the car (there is a new one, and pictures and all the details are coming soon - I promise!), but there are more pressing things on my mind right now.

I'm coming to you (all 5 readers I have out there) asking for prayer.

My grandmother had a heart attack early this morning, and is scheduled for open-heart surgery on Monday. Likely quadruple bypass. Please cover her, the people at the hospital taking care of her, my dad who is dealing with a lot of it, and my whole family, in prayer.

I'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted.

In Him.
Katrina

Saying Goodbye.

That kind of woman.

"She wears her heart on her sleeve as big as Texas. She cries big and loves hard and sings like there's no tomorrow... And in her eyes I can see the wings of the angels who loved her up in heaven." -Julie Abbott (a woman whose blog of her artwork I can't seem to find now that I want to)

THAT's the kind of woman I want to be.

Dinner Conversation

Last night, over dinner my brother and I discussed...

• Ideal vacation spots
• Ideal everyday-life cities
• Communism vs. Socialism
• the merits of a Liberal Arts education
• Nationalized healthcare
• what kind of uncle he'll be someday

Did I mention this was dinner at the Food Court at East Towne Mall? That's right, all that talk over T-Bell and Sarku baby!

Have I mentioned that I adore this kid?

Tagged - more random things about me

I got tagged by Kaitlyn, and because I love the brutal, bare-her-heart honesty of her blog, I'm participating! After you read these (hopefully) 7 new things about me, go check her out!

1. I love string cheese, but can only eat it as strings (like by peeling it lengthwise, can't just bite into it).
2. I recently got two new pets - the cats my parents have had for the last 11 years. They live with me now, and except for all the hair they shed and I vacuum up nearly everyday, I love having them around. But even after 11 years of calling them by their names, it's still a little strange to call a pet Ethel (Lucy and Ethel after "I Love Lucy").
3. When I was in elementary school, my mom and I spent Saturday mornings in the winter at The Rollerdrome (the roller rink in town). I was fairly decent then. Probably not anymore.
4. I took an entreprenuership class in grad school, and started a mini jewelry business. I'd love to have an Etsy shop now, but am nervous that nothing would sell.
5. In a golf outing yesterday, I won the Women's Long Drive contest on the 18th hole. (Yes, I'm bragging a bit here...) 275 yards, in the fairway. No lie. It was pretty impressive.
6. Every phone call with my brother ends with the lines "Love you Brother." "Love you Sister." Just a thing we do.
7. Moving back to Madison has been one of the best decisions I've made in the past few years, but if I'm honest, it's left me fairly lonely for the past year as well. I'm choosing to learn something from it this time rather than letting it bother me as much as it may have in the past.

A Bit of an Update

Still around, just haven't felt like writing or sharing much lately. Hopefully the few of you out there will still be around when I get back. If not... understood.

On a random note... have you seen the Visa commercial about "when is the last time you went to the aquarium, with your daughter, on a Tuesday?" Love it. Completely reminds me of my dad. Granted, I'm 27, not 4 like the girl in the commercial, and it wasn't the aquarium, but my dad and I took days off on Monday to golf. Just the two of us. And it was wonderful. Just one of the little things I love about my dad.



Oh, and I beat him on the front 9. And I pulled off a birdie on 18 to tie him for the round.

Birds or Blossoms?

The question is, do I leave the nest alone, and let the plant die if necessary? Or upset the pretty little nest and risk the lives of the 5 potential birds sitting among my begonias?

I'm leaning towards leaving the nest alone.

In case anyone is curious, I've been told (by a bird-lovin' friend) that they are probably purple finches.

L-A-O-D-I-C-E-A-N

I have a bit of a reputation among some of my friends for watching strange sporting events. Of course, I'd argue that they aren't that weird, and some of them aren't really sporting events. I make a point of watching the three races of the Triple Crown and the Little League World Series along with all the other more normal televised events.

One of the other weird ones I typically watch, is the spelling bee. And it just happened to be on tv last night. I owe my pastor and friend back in Sheboygan, Jeff, a big thank you for letting me feel like a spelling champion. Because of multiple messages I've heard at Crossroads (my church in Sheboygan) about being "lukewarm", not only could I spell the championship word (Laodicean), I could also define it AND use it in a sentence.

So, thank you Jeff, for letting me feel like I could have held my own had I been on that spelling bee stage last night. But more importantly, for helping me understand how important it is that I NOT be like the Laodiceans, and not grow lukewarm, complacent, and indifferent in my faith like they did. But instead grow, seeking God more and more everyday, and living the faith I profess.

Bench Makeover

Last post I gave you the before picture of the ugly stool I found.

Here, in pictures, is the makeover of that very stool. Warning, it got uglier before it got better.

A little scraping of paint...

A little stripping of paint...

I forgot to get a picture of the repainting. Basically just a coat of primer with spray paint, and a coat of gloss black with spray paint.

A little un-upholstering (and revealing even further ugliness!)...

And a little reupholstering...

And the result... a much cuter bench that now resides in my pretty bedroom!

Two Pictures: One Pretty, One Not

First, the pretty.


Aren't they precious?! Precious is kind of an under-used word. But it kind of reminds me of my grandma when I say it. Not that my grandma says/said it, but it sounds like something A grandma would say. Enough of that, let's just say I've adored this little bouquet for the last few days after picking it up at the Farmer's Market this weekend.

And, the not so pretty.


This little stool was a flea market find this weekend (along with the hubcap in my last post). Too bad it's just plain ugly right now. I feel like it has so much potential. It could be cute! So this is my latest project. Any thoughts on how to clean this baby up? How do I get that white/rusty paint off? (I want it black.) And do I reupholster it black and white? or teal and white? It will eventually find it's way in to my teal/black/white bedroom. Stay tuned. There's sure to be more pictures of the whole pretty-fying process.

I'm not a car girl by any means.

My somewhat beat up older car with it's quirks is fine with me. I know next to nothing about cars. And I'm not all that impressed by nice cars (although they are fun to ride in Brother!).

So it's a little strange that I have this little wall dedicated to cars in my entry way. But I absolutely love it.

The pictures are a gift from my sweet friend E (Sorry that my picture of the wall is pretty boring.), one of the hubcaps is an awesome roadside find, and the other is one I got a great deal on at a flea market!


Love it!

That Bird? Mine.

I've claimed this bird as my own. She made herself a nest right above the main entrance to my condo building, which is right outside my door. A couple weeks ago, every time I walked out the door she was spooked and flew to a nearby tree. She'd sit on the branch, just a few yards away, just watching her nest, and watching me. Over the past few days, she's either become even more protective, or has warmed up to me, since she won't leave her nest at all.

I'm choosing to believe it's the latter, and am claiming her as my own little bird.

To my mom...

who has not only been the best mom I could ask for, but also best friend, example, role model, and woman I know, thank you mom. I love you more than I'm able to say.