I was going to just post one of these but they are all very funny. My kids love their Uncle Job but they had other things that they wanted to do at that time. Elisabeth wasn't willing to put down her book for this. We love you, Job, despite the lack of enthusiasm in these videos. Happy Birthday!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Here's a thought
It occurred to me this morning that I think, unless I'm missing something, that my brother Joshua at Camp Maranatha, is the only person in my entire family that someone might refer to as his or her "boss." And I'm not even sure about that.
This also goes, as far as I know, for everyone on Christine's side of the family, including the Browns.
I'm not sure what, if anything, this indicates about the heritage my children are getting. Hard workers with no career ambition? Diligent people with a knack for subservience?
This also goes, as far as I know, for everyone on Christine's side of the family, including the Browns.
I'm not sure what, if anything, this indicates about the heritage my children are getting. Hard workers with no career ambition? Diligent people with a knack for subservience?
A Day Without Snow
Yesterday's thaw was remarkable and remarkably complete. There was hardly a remnant of the snow even in the places where it lasts the longest.
And I woke up this morning to find a nice dusting over everything.
After 35 years of experiencing the weather it still has the potential to surprise me. I don't enjoy all the surprises but I do like knowing that it is bigger than I am.
And I woke up this morning to find a nice dusting over everything.
After 35 years of experiencing the weather it still has the potential to surprise me. I don't enjoy all the surprises but I do like knowing that it is bigger than I am.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A special holiday memory
was not what I had in mind yesterday when I locked everyone out of the bathroom at the store where the girls were up to some holiday activity. Leaving the bathroom (and yes, I washed my hands) I closed the door behind me and realized as the door clicked into place that I had not unlocked the door first. The young lady behind the register noticed my anxiety and came over to assist. I had to explain to a mother with an anxious little boy, that I had clumsily made the bathroom completely unavailable while the young lady went in search of a paper clip. She returned with a paper clip, a knife and a couple of spatulas. I wanted to tell her "we're trying to open the thing, not bake it!" But I was nice and grateful.
But the frustrating thing was that she was very determined to be the one to open it. She couldn't get the paper clip to work. She finally let me try and I was not successful, either. Then she resorted to the knife, which was what she'd been anxious to do all along. I grew increasingly uneasy about the matter. She seemed intent on using the knife to carve the door out of its opening. I tried to talk her out of her aggressive techniques and she replied, with well-intentioned earnestness, that if the door had to be broken open she would prefer that she be the one to do it.
At this point it was all just too emasculating and embarrassing. We popped the pins out of the hinges but that didn't do it either. I finally got the pin to work and turned around to listen for the applause. There was no applause. My family was hiding so well that you wouldn't have been able to spot them at all if it hadn't been for their eyes rolling so much.
But the thing that bothered me the most wasn't my clumsiness or ineptitude, but the philosophical approach of the employee, even though it was very kind of her.
I would have preferred she let me sweat it out. I would have liked for her to tell me "You have five minutes to fix it or I'm calling the locksmith, whose bill you're going to pay." Well, maybe not really. But the point is that she decided awfully quickly that the only way to remedy the situation would be break the door and that she would spare me the consequences of my stupidity by breaking it for me.
Which shows that she is ready to go to Washington and take a position in government.
I want to live in a place where I am allowed to take risks and enjoy the rewards when it works out and suffer the consequences when it doesn't.
I don't want anyone to be in a hurry to break the door down for me.
But the frustrating thing was that she was very determined to be the one to open it. She couldn't get the paper clip to work. She finally let me try and I was not successful, either. Then she resorted to the knife, which was what she'd been anxious to do all along. I grew increasingly uneasy about the matter. She seemed intent on using the knife to carve the door out of its opening. I tried to talk her out of her aggressive techniques and she replied, with well-intentioned earnestness, that if the door had to be broken open she would prefer that she be the one to do it.
At this point it was all just too emasculating and embarrassing. We popped the pins out of the hinges but that didn't do it either. I finally got the pin to work and turned around to listen for the applause. There was no applause. My family was hiding so well that you wouldn't have been able to spot them at all if it hadn't been for their eyes rolling so much.
But the thing that bothered me the most wasn't my clumsiness or ineptitude, but the philosophical approach of the employee, even though it was very kind of her.
I would have preferred she let me sweat it out. I would have liked for her to tell me "You have five minutes to fix it or I'm calling the locksmith, whose bill you're going to pay." Well, maybe not really. But the point is that she decided awfully quickly that the only way to remedy the situation would be break the door and that she would spare me the consequences of my stupidity by breaking it for me.
Which shows that she is ready to go to Washington and take a position in government.
I want to live in a place where I am allowed to take risks and enjoy the rewards when it works out and suffer the consequences when it doesn't.
I don't want anyone to be in a hurry to break the door down for me.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Elisabeth's 10th Birthday Party
We had a family celebration today after church. Grandma & Grandpa Tate were here but left after the gifts beacuse of the snow . . . its snowing here to beat the band! 
The birthday girl requested a chocolate & vanilla ice cream cake.
It was a rowdy crowd.
The cake was really hard to cut!
Our 10 year old! I can't believe she's ten!
We had lots of fun with the blue frosting . . . check out her teeth.
more blue frosting
Can you find the ice cream in her hair?
He ate his entire piece of cake and licked his plate too! Can you see the blue frosting?
The large white spot on his sweater is ice cream.
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