For You

Lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

Whenever You Come Around --Vince Gill
The face of an angel; pretty eyes that shine
I lie awake at night wishing you were mine
I'm standing here holding the biggest heartache in town
Whenever you come around

I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath
Oh I try to speak but the words won't come
I'm so scared to death
And when you smile the world turns upside down
Whenever you come around

I feel so helpless; I feel just like a kid
What is it about you that makes me keep my feelings hid
I wish I could tell you, but the words can't be found
Whenever you come around

I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath
Oh I try to speak but the words won't come
I'm so scared to death
And when you smile the world turns upside down
Whenever you come around

And when you smile that smile
The whole world turns upside down
Whenever you come around
Whenever you come around


If you aren't familiar with this song, I suggest you find it and listen to it. You'll understand then.

Good night.

2008 Flood

I have been receiving pictures of the Cedar Rapids flooding via email just about everyday. As a scrapbook of sorts, my father put this slide show together. Watching this horrible event unfold both sickened, and enthralled me; it is an emotional rollercoaster that has taken me for a ride I would rather not go on again. The photographs show the horror of what the victims had to endure, yet they are some of the most beautiful depictions of our city that I have ever seen. I apologize for not recognizing the photographers that took the time to shoot these, but please know that your work has not gone unappreciated. It has been wonderful to see how the citizens of our wonderful city have pulled together to help one another. I truly believe that once we recover from this tragedy, we will be a stronger, closer, better, Cedar Rapids than ever before.

Flood of 2008

It is truly amazing to me how our community has come together in this time of crisis. I was especially touched by a Bible devotion sent to me by my pastor, and I'll include it in this entry. It helps me understand that this world is truly temporary. We are only here for a short time before we are called Home to our Heavenly Father...

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. - 2 Corinthians 5:1God’s people in the Old Testament knew about living in tents. The Israelites lived in them for 40 years as they traveled through the wilderness until they took possession of the land that God had promised them. Every year thereafter, God commanded them to observe a festival called "The Feast of Tabernacles" during which they built tents in their backyards to live in for a week. This festival reminded them how God brought them through the wilderness to their permanent home in the Promised Land.This verse from 2 Corinthians reminds us that we are on a “camping trip”. The tents we have are not made out of canvass, but they are the tents of our bodies. Sooner or later age and use are going to destroy these tents. We are going to die. But through Jesus Christ we know we are leaving our tents to go and live in the permanent home that God has promised and prepared for us. We are going to heaven by faith in our Savior.Perhaps your tent is starting to show some signs of wear. It might be breaking down. Don't let that bother you, remember that your heavenly home awaits you when your camping trip in this life is over.Prayer:Every ache and pain, declining abilities, and failing functions of my body are reminders that my life here is only temporary. Dear God, prevent me from being overwhelmed with this reality. Instead keep my eyes sharply focused on Jesus through whom I have the complete confidence that I will live gloriously in heaven. Amen.

Podcast Version. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. View this online at: WAJ: WELS Evangelism Devotion Service: Daily Devotions : A Camping Trip

Genesis 9:11 NIV

11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

This was God's promise to Noah when He rescued Noah and his family from the ark after the great flood had washed away all other inhabitants of the Earth. While we are not existing now in Biblical times, we have experienced a disaster of Biblical proportions.

A flood has come upon our state, and most severely, our town. Several of my friends and some of my family have lost everything they own; possessions and homes. It is difficult to express the sadness one feels at such a loss, and it is difficult to believe that this tragedy has actually happened. Personally, our family has not experienced a loss of such magnitude. Aside from saturated carpet in the basement that had to be removed, and constant seepage from damaged foundation, we are safe and sound. Today was the first day that I was able to see our downtown area and see the devastation for myself. The flood waters have receded some from their 32ft level (flood stage is 20 ft.) and along the bridges that link one side of town to the other, there is debris everywhere. Garbage, waste, and all manner of filth fouling the water of our Cedar river. The cleanup will begin in a few days. In the meantime, we can only shower every other day, and no laundry or dishes can be washed except for those days designated for such activities. It is truly horrible.

So, I hear many asking the same question over and over; "Why us?" "Is God angry with us for some reason?" Well, all I can say to the first question is, "I don't know." and to the second, "Although He has reason to be, I don't think so. I believe that God sends disaster to remind us that He is in control. That although we think we are a superior intelligence, He is the one who calls all the shots. He reminds us that we can come to Him for anything, and these events remind us to pray." Perhaps that makes God seem like an evil one. No, I don't think so. I believe that God uses all things for our good. Even the things that we believe will be our end; sickness, bad luck, and weather disasters like this. He is always there for us, if we just go to Him.

It would do us all good to remember that.

Thank you Lord for protecting my family through this time of difficulty. Please be with those who have lost their homes and help them to find comfort in the knowledge that You are their Savior - raised from the dead so that they may live forever in Your Kingdom where there is no devastation, no cold, and no loneliness.

--Amen

The Weight Loss War

I have heard it called many things; my "Weight Loss Journey," the "Way to a more healthy life," a "lifestyle change." The truth of the matter is, me vs. my weight is an out and out WAR! The weapon is my will power (or lack thereof), and the prize is never having to shop at Lane Giant-oops!-Lane Bryant ever again. Don't get me wrong - they have great jeans, but that is not today's topic.

Recently, the company I work for brought in Weight Watchers @ Work. Personally, I have been through the Weight Watchers program about 1-2-3---four times now. One thing I know for sure is that IT WORKS, if I work IT. Having once a week meetings at work is great on so many levels that I don't have time to list them all, but primarily because with so many of us struggling for the same outcome, there is no lack of support. In our last meeting, I stated matter-of-factly, that I loved having our meetings at work because I work with these people! I see them every day, and they see me! They will KNOW if I eat McDonald's for lunch (unless I sit in the parking lot...) or not! I'm not as young as I was the first time I tried Weight Watchers and by the slow movement of the scale, it shows. But that is ok. When I began 7 weeks ago, I tipped the scales at (are you sitting down? of course..you are at your computer) 244.8 lbs!!! That is way more than any woman all of 5'2" should ever weigh! In fact, I should way half of that!!! So....
At weigh in Week 7, I am a svelte 238.8! I am down 6 whole lbs in 7 weeks. While that is a respectable amount of weight to lose over that period of time, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed. But, I will carry on. I will count my points (all 28 of them), if I bite it, I'll write it, and I will not skip weigh ins if I feel I had a bad week. I must stand and take it like the warrior woman that I am!
In addition to weighing in, attending meetings, fighting back tears of shame, and celebrating every .1 lb I lose, I will continue to publicize my progress here on the World Wide Web in the hopes that it will inspire others to get with the program (whatever that might be for you), get off your butt, and lose that baby weight that didn't come off after your last child (who is now 12-oh wait...that's me!).

My next goal is 233.8 lbs. Stick around and see how long it takes...well, you might want to take a walk - I think it's going to be awhile. :-)

READY! AIM! FIRE!

WE ARE AT WAR!

My Dog? A Philosopher?

Plato said, "A dog has the soul of a philosopher."

I wonder which philosopher's soul my Lexie has? It would have to be one of solid stature, a bright outlook on life, and a very slobbery mouth. At 10 mos. old and nearly 70 pounds, Lexus (or Lexie, or Lexie Jo as she is called by those closest to her) is a massive bundle of energy. Taking her days in stride, she romps, barks, and eats her way from one day to the next, in the hopes that she will gain new experiences - or just food - around the next corner.

Looking back at how Lexie came into my life; as a gift from my husband (see my October 07 entries); and how she has grown from sweet little pup to a crazy, huge, horse of a dog, I cannot imagine my life without her anymore. She is a joy to me. She looks at me with those caramel colored eyes of hers, tongue lolling out of her mouth, tail wagging so fiercely I fear that she will bruise my legs, and she calms me. Walking her is one of my favorite activities. With her by my side, I no longer feel alone when I walk, and although she doesn't speak to me in words, she does in her expressions. Now and then, she will look up at me as we walk along, then bump her head into my knee for lack of paying attention. She makes me laugh when I want to cry, and she is there for me when I can't laugh and need to cry. How strange is it to feel that one is understood by a dog when the whole of humanity doesn't have a clue?

Lexie is approaching her 1st birthday in July. I wonder what kind of cake dogs like?

A philosopher's soul? Maybe not. But she has a soul just the same and it is a beautiful one.

On a Good Note

There have been numerous times during the course of this blog where I have extolled the virtues of my wonderful children; their accomplishments, their intelligence, their talents. Today, I would just like to ask, "Does anyone need a spare teenage boy?" Seriously, I love my Tyler. I really do. If I didn't, the decisions he makes, and the things he does as a result wouldn't get to me the way they do. Take today for instance:

On the way to the orthodontist to get their braces adjusted (yes, both of them), I get a phone call from the associate principal at their school (*please note that names have been changed to protect the - well - you know).

"Hello, Cara?"

"Yes. This is Cara."

"This is Roger Niederman*, Associate Principal at...There was an incident today involving Tyler and I would like to discuss it with you further."

Well, seeing how my phone is linked to the Bluetooth system in my car, and seeing how both of my children are sitting there waiting to see if Mt. St. Helen's is going to erupt from my mouth at these ominous words, I ask if he can call me back in a few minutes. He willingly agrees. I courteously close the interaction and turn to my son, "Do you want to tell me what is going on before I hear it from him?"

Tyler sheepishly nods his head, knowing that he is in deep. He proceeds to tell me about an altercation with another boy; a 7th grader no less; who has been the thorn in dear Tyler's side for some time now. Tyler has acne-what teen doesn't really- and this kid has been teasing Tyler about it. Tyler claims that it doesn't really bother him, that it is just this other kid being childish, but I can tell that it does. If it didn't, we wouldn't be here right now. Anyway - yesterday Tyler and this other boy (I'll call him Jake for the sake of the story), Jake, had an "appointment" behind the school to duke it out and get it over with. Jake didn't show; and he didn't show up today either. Tyler saw him getting on the bus and confronted him,

"Hey, how come you aren't back of the school?"

"I don't want to fight," Jake replies.

"Whatever," Tyler says and begins to walk away to head home, which is only about 2 blocks from the school. Just as Tyler passes behind the bus, Jake leans out the window and yells, "Pussy! I could beat your ass!"

Needless to say, Tyler hears him, throws down his backpack, boards the bus and gets right into Jake's face, daring him to start it. The bus driver has to physically remove Tyler from the bus, and that is where is ends...for Tyler.

According to Mr. Niederman, no sooner did Tyler leave the bus, but another kid on the bus started picking on Jake for not standing up to Tyler. The picking turned into a full blown brawl, and the bus had to return to the school as a result. So, the concern is not that Tyler confronted this boy, it was that the confrontation caused an uprising. Jake and the boy that fought him were both suspended. Yes, this is the last week of school. So, what happens to Tyler? What are his consequences for his role in this story? Suspension? No. Tyler is going to have office detention for the next 2 afternoons after school. During which time, his teachers, in an effort to give him one last chance to pull up some of his sagging grades, will give him extra work to complete and turn in for credit.

Mr. N says to Tyler, "I care about you, Tyler. I want to see you end the school year on a good note." He tells him that he things of him as a high school student now and that Tyler needs to start making choices that would befit such maturity. His teachers are giving him one more chance to make a positive impact on his academics. This is really special and not something they would do for anyone. In fact, his Math teacher said, "My grade book closed today, but for Tyler, I will open it again and let him earn more credit." That says a lot to me, and I hope it does to him too.

Tyler is so concerned about his image; whether others perceive him as cool or not. He told me that fighting was a way of getting respect. I told him that fighting is a way of getting respect out of fear-bullying. He said that respect was respect. I disagreed vehemently, "Fighting makes you look like a coward. It takes someone of very strong character to walk away from a fight." This is a fight you can't win, Tyler. No matter what, everyone will lose. Jake will lose his dignity. You will lose respect for fighting someone younger and weaker than you.

I will lose money because all it will take is one lucky punch and your braces are history.

Think about it. You are a bright, talented, young man. You have a future filled with potential and there is nothing you can't do. Middle school is over. Get through this last week doing exactly what you are expected to do. Try it out; you might like how it feels. You have grown up so much these last 3 years and I am so proud of you. Show me that you have the maturity to handle high school. Show me that you are ready to move on to the next chapter of your life. Never forget the lessons you learned in middle school though, and never forget how much your teachers, administrators, and counselor cared for you. You are truly special to all who have come into your life.

Especially me.