Back when Ben was job hunting, he went to a job fair. He's been to these fairs before, and typically you meet company recruiters who decide if your resume looks interesting, and schedule you for interviews with the appropriate people. At this particular job fair, he met a man with his current company who looked at his resume and began asking questions. They had a nice chat about Ben's experience and the company mission, then the guy asked, "So, how much are you looking to make?" Ben, thinking he was talking to a recruiter, answered, "Every brown penny I can get." The guy laughed and thanked him for his honesty, and scheduled an interview for three days later.
Three days later, Ben went for what should have been the first interview. He met with HR, then the program director and a few other important people, and finally with the "recruiter" he had met at the job fair. The "recruiter" was introduced to him as the Regional Vice President. The guy never mentioned Ben's comment, but he did offer him a higher salary than we had anticipated. Don't you know God has a sense of humor? I'm glad Mr. Regional Vice President does too.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
My Treasure
The other day Ben and I were planning our budget for the next year. We do this in May because we need to plan how we're going to pay tuition and other college expenses for the next school year, and he gets his annual raise in June. Now, he just started a new job with a big increase in salary, so we were pretty excited. But with all that, our budget is as tight as ever because we don't qualify for financial aid (long story), and have two kids in college. Both have full-time tuition, meal plan, separate apartments with electric and internet bills, books, and the usual "other" stuff. So it's not as rosy as we would like it to be, but God has always been faithful to supply every need, and we have no doubt He will continue to do so.
This all reminded me of an occasion, many years ago, when our five children were very small. We were on a road trip somewhere and had stopped to get something to eat. We were walking up a sidewalk toward a Denny's or something like that, and as we approached the double doors, an older couple was coming out and held both doors open for us. As we passed by with five littles in tow, the gentleman smiled and said, "Now, there's a rich couple!" We laughed and said, "Amen," and never forgot it. We have never been wealthy in the material sense, but we are rich beyond measure. We are very happily married and have five children who walk in truth. God meets every need and many of our wants. What's not to be thankful for?
Being thankful ~
Karen
This all reminded me of an occasion, many years ago, when our five children were very small. We were on a road trip somewhere and had stopped to get something to eat. We were walking up a sidewalk toward a Denny's or something like that, and as we approached the double doors, an older couple was coming out and held both doors open for us. As we passed by with five littles in tow, the gentleman smiled and said, "Now, there's a rich couple!" We laughed and said, "Amen," and never forgot it. We have never been wealthy in the material sense, but we are rich beyond measure. We are very happily married and have five children who walk in truth. God meets every need and many of our wants. What's not to be thankful for?
Being thankful ~
Karen
Friday, May 25, 2007
Underdog's latest post reminded me of this story from my younger days:
Way back when Ben and I were first married and had just had our first child, we had only one car. Since Ben was a field service technician, he had to drive it. I really didn't mind staying home all the time with wee Mike, but Ben felt it would be good for me to have a car. So he found a Thunderbird (can't remember the year, but it was one of those boats with a front end three times as long as the back end). And since it ran sort of rough and had quite a few miles on it, he decided it would be good to put a new motor in it. Now, I came from a family where, when a car died, it went to the car graveyard. In trying to convince me that his idea was a good one, Ben made this comment: "Rip the old one out, slap a new one in. 700 bucks. Two weeks, tops."
Fast forward almost a year. The tab is at $2000 and the car runs so rough I can't drive it. If you have to brake, you use your left foot so your right foot can keep giving it gas. It sits for many months, then is finally, mercifully, stolen. We have no desire to look for it. I pity the thief.
So now, whenever someone has an idea that will cost very little and take very little time, we all chorus, "700 bucks. Two weeks, tops."
Be thankful ~
Karen
Way back when Ben and I were first married and had just had our first child, we had only one car. Since Ben was a field service technician, he had to drive it. I really didn't mind staying home all the time with wee Mike, but Ben felt it would be good for me to have a car. So he found a Thunderbird (can't remember the year, but it was one of those boats with a front end three times as long as the back end). And since it ran sort of rough and had quite a few miles on it, he decided it would be good to put a new motor in it. Now, I came from a family where, when a car died, it went to the car graveyard. In trying to convince me that his idea was a good one, Ben made this comment: "Rip the old one out, slap a new one in. 700 bucks. Two weeks, tops."
Fast forward almost a year. The tab is at $2000 and the car runs so rough I can't drive it. If you have to brake, you use your left foot so your right foot can keep giving it gas. It sits for many months, then is finally, mercifully, stolen. We have no desire to look for it. I pity the thief.
So now, whenever someone has an idea that will cost very little and take very little time, we all chorus, "700 bucks. Two weeks, tops."
Be thankful ~
Karen
Just in case you ever get writer's block, maybe one of these analogies will stir your mind. If you can stop laughing. (Credit goes to JenIG at Homeschoolblogger for this list.)
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph. (My personal favorite)
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
Now aren't you ready to write something witty?
Be thankful ~
Karen
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph. (My personal favorite)
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
Now aren't you ready to write something witty?
Be thankful ~
Karen
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Last night we got the news that another couple in our church is in trouble. These people have probably been married 20 years or so and have four children from 10 - 16. They homeschool. They are active in Sunday School. They are always smiling. They are separating. Whenever this happens, Ben and I talk about the whys and the signs that we should have seen. A big red flag with this couple is that the woman seems very spiritual - always answering questions and giving examples in Sunday School, always asking for prayer for this or that - and the husband is very quiet. Now there's nothing wrong with answering questions, asking for prayer, or being quiet, but the thing is obviously out of balance. It's pretty easy to see who is the spiritual leader of the home, though she would probably deny that, or use the excuse that, "He's not leading and somebody has to!" The truth is that if he doesn't lead, it's better that NOBODY leads. It's never better for the wife to be the spiritual head. Never. It creates bitterness in the husband and confusion in the kids. So wives, let's concentrate on being the helpmeet God wants us to be, and leave the rest to our husbands, whether they take the responsibility or not. God's way is always best.
For great teaching on this subject, check out this book. I give them away by the case.
Be thankful ~
Karen
For great teaching on this subject, check out this book. I give them away by the case.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Our Awesome Friends
Our friends Jason and Vicki have doubled their family from four children to eight (they had five, but lost Katie in a tragic car accident 1 1/2 years ago). They have adopted three siblings and their cousin, all from Liberia. They have been working on this for many months, and finally, yesterday Jason arrived with the four African children in Nashville, where Vicki met them for the first time with the four American children. I'm telling you, this is the coolest thing I have heard in a long time! Don't you think?
Be thankful ~
Karen
I am not a TV fan. The only things I ever watch are American Idol, and the food shows when Abbie is watching them. And What Not to Wear once in a while. I have a hard time sitting still to watch an entire movie, and absolutely cannot abide the "flicking" from one channel to another. It makes me a nervous wreck. So in the evenings when the rest of my family is watching TV, I read.
I just finished reading The Innocent Man by John Grisham. If you like watching lawyer shows, you will love this book. It is the true story of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted of a brutal rape and murder, spent 14 years in prison (some on death row, with Williamson actually coming within hours of being executed), and were finally exonerated by DNA testing. All this while the true murderer was right under their noses. Amazing.
I also recently finished Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. It, too, was fascinating. I've already tried some of his techniques and they even work on my stupid bulldog! His training ideas are not that different from those we use with our children, other than the part about walking them 2 or 3 miles twice a day. It was well worth the read.
My girls are in TN this week visiting their sister, so I'm the only female in the house and feeling quite outnumbered. My goal is to get all the ceiling fans and light fixtures cleaned - they get grimy after a winter of heating with a woodstove - and vacuum out all the windowsills. Now doesn't that sound like a fun week?
Be thankful ~
Karen
I just finished reading The Innocent Man by John Grisham. If you like watching lawyer shows, you will love this book. It is the true story of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted of a brutal rape and murder, spent 14 years in prison (some on death row, with Williamson actually coming within hours of being executed), and were finally exonerated by DNA testing. All this while the true murderer was right under their noses. Amazing.
I also recently finished Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. It, too, was fascinating. I've already tried some of his techniques and they even work on my stupid bulldog! His training ideas are not that different from those we use with our children, other than the part about walking them 2 or 3 miles twice a day. It was well worth the read.
My girls are in TN this week visiting their sister, so I'm the only female in the house and feeling quite outnumbered. My goal is to get all the ceiling fans and light fixtures cleaned - they get grimy after a winter of heating with a woodstove - and vacuum out all the windowsills. Now doesn't that sound like a fun week?
Be thankful ~
Karen
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Out of the Mouth of Gracie. Or Not.
My daughter Deb used to work for No Greater Joy Ministries. Among her many duties was cooking lunch for the entire staff of 18+ employees. The Pearls' daughter, Shalom, used to bring her daughter Gracie to work with her, and Gracie loved to help Deb in the kitchen. So Deb taught her to say, "Lunch is ready," and Gracie would announce lunch every day over the PA system. Then Deb taught her to say, "Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" and everyone thought that was pretty cute. Then Deb had the great idea to teach Gracie to say, "Lunch is ready! Come and get it! Last one here is a rotten egg!" Gracie had a hard time remembering the last part, so she started saying it first so she wouldn't forget. The big day came when Gracie would say the whole thing over the PA. Deb held the button down, and Gracie said, "Last one here is a rotten egg! Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" but the part about the rotten egg was pretty garbled, and so began the following conversation:
Deb: Say it again, Gracie.
Gracie: I already did.
Deb: But I don't think they heard it, so say it again.
Gracie: I already did.
Deb: But it wasn't loud enough. Say it again.
Gracie: But I ALREADY DID!
Meanwhile, the button was still being held down by Deb, and the entire staff heard the conversation. I think Deb has given up.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Deb: Say it again, Gracie.
Gracie: I already did.
Deb: But I don't think they heard it, so say it again.
Gracie: I already did.
Deb: But it wasn't loud enough. Say it again.
Gracie: But I ALREADY DID!
Meanwhile, the button was still being held down by Deb, and the entire staff heard the conversation. I think Deb has given up.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Habla Espanol?
Mike called a little while ago. He went out job-hunting this morning, and was specifically looking for work on a framing crew. He's done that before and enjoyed it. And since our church is building a huge, new building, and since the framing crew was going to start this very morning, he decided to start there. So he shows up at 7 am just as the foreman pulls in the parking lot, introduces himself, and asks for a job. The guy's first question? "Are you fluent in Spanish?" WHAT??? Mike laughed and said no, and the guy told him he would never be able to communicate with this crew, as they're all Salvadoran. He offered to call his boss and try to get Mike on the American crew, which he did and Mike now has a job framing, but this is kind of spinning me up. To get a job in America we need to speak fluent Spanish? I'm sorry, but something's just not right here.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Be thankful ~
Karen
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
At Least He's Not Gacking Re-bar
This post will probably be funny only to those of you whose children have had braces. And those of you who know what re-bar is (it's about 1/2 inch diameter steel rods, used for reinforcing concrete block buildings).
So last night we're sitting at the dinner table and Elijah is looking sort of mopey and not eating much. Mike, sitting opposite him at the other end of the table, begins this conversation:
Mike: What's wrong?
Elijah: My mouth hurts. (remember, he saw the orthodontist the day before)
Mike: How come?
Elijah: Because Dr. Hearne put RE-BAR on my lower teeth!
Now, maybe you had to be there, but for some reason, I could not stop laughing. Then the conversation turned to the dumber of our two dogs, who goes outside on hot days and eats grass. But not the short, sweet, tender stuff. No, this great possesser of brilliance eats the tall ends, where the seed is just waiting to fall off. And get stuck in his throat. So the boys and I are out on the deck grilling some chicken and up the steps comes Pete (possesser of brilliance). He strolls around the deck hacking and coughing, and every once in a while, he puts his head down, bares all 78 teeth, and "gacks" really hard. Somehow this came up in our dinner conversation (bet you wish you could eat with us, huh?) and Mike did a perfect imitation of the "gack." I'm telling you, it looked like he had 78 teeth! At this point, I had tears rolling down my face and COULD NOT BREATHE I was laughing so hard. The daughters were getting worried. Then last night during an Idol commercial break, I remembered the "gack" imitation and started laughing all over again. My family thinks I'm short a few cards. Maybe you really did have to be there. Sorry.
Be thankful~
Karen
So last night we're sitting at the dinner table and Elijah is looking sort of mopey and not eating much. Mike, sitting opposite him at the other end of the table, begins this conversation:
Mike: What's wrong?
Elijah: My mouth hurts. (remember, he saw the orthodontist the day before)
Mike: How come?
Elijah: Because Dr. Hearne put RE-BAR on my lower teeth!
Now, maybe you had to be there, but for some reason, I could not stop laughing. Then the conversation turned to the dumber of our two dogs, who goes outside on hot days and eats grass. But not the short, sweet, tender stuff. No, this great possesser of brilliance eats the tall ends, where the seed is just waiting to fall off. And get stuck in his throat. So the boys and I are out on the deck grilling some chicken and up the steps comes Pete (possesser of brilliance). He strolls around the deck hacking and coughing, and every once in a while, he puts his head down, bares all 78 teeth, and "gacks" really hard. Somehow this came up in our dinner conversation (bet you wish you could eat with us, huh?) and Mike did a perfect imitation of the "gack." I'm telling you, it looked like he had 78 teeth! At this point, I had tears rolling down my face and COULD NOT BREATHE I was laughing so hard. The daughters were getting worried. Then last night during an Idol commercial break, I remembered the "gack" imitation and started laughing all over again. My family thinks I'm short a few cards. Maybe you really did have to be there. Sorry.
Be thankful~
Karen
Monday, May 14, 2007
Today Elijah and I travelled 2 1/2 hours for his orthodontist appointment (long story, but yes, he's pretty far away), and on the way home, E wanted a snack and I had to get gas. So we stopped at a particular exit where there's a truck stop we know and like, and while I was pumping gas, E went in to get his snack. He came out as I was finishing up, and we both got in the car and started to pull out. He looked at the change in his hand and said, "Hey, I didn't get the right change." I asked if he was sure, checking his receipt and his change. Sure enough, he was a dollar short. So without my saying anything, he jumped out and ran back inside the store. I pulled over and decided to let him try to handle it first without my help. I waited about 7 or 8 minutes and he finally came back out. He said the lady tried to give him a hard time, like how she trust him, and she wasn't just going to give him a dollar and all that. So he told her to count the money, and he would wait. Count she did, and found an extra dollar, which was his. I was so proud that he did that, but it's kind of a funny feeling. See, he's my BABY. And he doesn't need me to stick up for him anymore. That's good for him, but weird for me. Anyway, the proud feeling trumps the weird, so I'll just be happy about it and not dwell on the pending empty-nest thing.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Be thankful ~
Karen
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Contributing to my Own Delinquency
Ben's going away party at EDO was Friday and I went up to Arlington for it. (In case you don't know, he is starting a new job tomorrow, much closer to home and with a big salary increase.) They had a big lunch, cake, and gave him a fancy-schmancy coffee maker along with three bags of Starbucks coffee. Now I never thought I'd be a coffee snob, but I have become just that. Every once in a while I think it would probably be good to stop drinking coffee, but then I repent and ask forgiveness. And the kind they gave him, Breakfast Blend, is my all-time favorite. Ben prefers the bold and extra bold ones, but I like mine either mild or medium. So I'm really excited about this gift, because it's ALL MINE! Now if I could just get someone to give me a case of Coffeemate French Vanilla. . .
I'm really thankful for my teenagers today. They are a blessing to me every day, without fail.
Be thankful ~
Karen
I'm really thankful for my teenagers today. They are a blessing to me every day, without fail.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Warning: Rant
I am sick of women preachers. It is quite common for churches to have Mother-Daughter banquets around this time of year, and my daughters and I have enjoyed a few over the years. Usually a woman is brought in from outside the church to "speak" or "give a devotion" or whatever you want to call it. But last night we had an apparently well-known woman speaker (I had never heard of her) come to "preach." She has a beautiful singing voice and first shared some music. Then she started "sharing" with us. She got very emotional, always appealing to the ladies' feelings, and guessing about how a certain woman in the Bible was feeling or what she was imagining. Then she made the ever-popular comment that made me shut my ears. She accused all teenagers of being troublesome to their mothers. Now how do you think that made all the teenage girls feel? It so aggravates me when people lump all teens together as problems that we can't wait to get rid of. I wouldn't walk two blocks to hear this well-known speaker again. In my opinion, and it may sound harsh, she should stick to being the wife and mother God designed her to be, and leave the preaching to men.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Be thankful ~
Karen
Friday, May 11, 2007
Incredible
This may be the most amazing thing I've ever seen or heard. Please go listen to this guy play his guitar. You can find more of him by searching for Preston Reed on Youtube. Enjoy!
Be thankful~
Karen
Be thankful~
Karen
Monday, May 7, 2007
Trying Something New
I'm going to try blogspot for a while, since my other blog hosting site is somewhat slow these days. If I like it and can figure out what I'm doing here, I'll close the other blog. Maybe I'll get some help now that Mike is home for the summer.
Be thankful ~
Karen
Be thankful ~
Karen
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