I think I have a new favorite book, and I’m not even finished reading it yet! I started reading A Million Miles In A Thousand Years a few weeks ago. Like I said before, I was completely stoked about the book since the moment I first learned about it. And it definitely hasn’t disappointed me. In fact, it’s really challenged me to take a deep look at my life and figure out what kind of story I’m living.
The book is basically about living a good story with your life. God gives us opportunities to create better stories with our lives. We are each the writer of our own story, choosing which scenes will take place. The choices we make affect the scenes that play out in our lives.
Miller writes, “And I found myself wanting even better stories. And that’s the thing you’ll realize when you organize your life into the structure of your story. You’ll get a taste for one story and then want another, and then another, and the stories will build until you’re living a kind of epic of risk and reward, and the whole thing will be molding you into the actual character whose roles you’ve been playing. And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can’t go back to being normal; you can’t go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.” (155)
Good stuff I tell you.
I’m sure part of the reason why I love the book so much is because it’s about the writing process, and that’s obviously something that interests me.
I’ll leave you with this to ponder over the weekend. “When the credits roll, we wonder what we did with our lives, and what was the meaning.” (123)
November 20, 2009
November 19, 2009
And So It Begins
When we bought our home almost 2 ½ years ago, the hubs and I knew we would be renovating the master bath. It’s a small house to begin with, but the master bath is ridiculously tiny. And choppy. It’s a very poor layout. But it took us awhile to figure out what we wanted to do with it. Heck, we’re still trying to figure it all out. We are, however, ready to begin demolition.
In fact, we made our first renovation to the bathroom a few weeks ago. The toilet handle broke, so instead of buying another cheap-o plastic one, we splurged and bought this bad boy. A $15 toilet handle. Personally I thought the price was a bit steep, but man does it look nice on our pot!
And yesterday, we played hooky to start work on the bathroom. OK, we didn’t really play hooky since our bosses, managers and co-workers all knew we’d be off for the day, but a girl can pretend.
We hit up a bunch of renovation-type shops in Nashville to see what we could find. And find we did! Chilling in our spare bedroom is an unfinished vanity (so we can stain or paint it whatever we want), a sink and six tile squares to experiment with. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but we’re also open to new ideas if something better comes along. Thank heavens for Google images…that thing has been such a DIYer’s dream come true!
In fact, we made our first renovation to the bathroom a few weeks ago. The toilet handle broke, so instead of buying another cheap-o plastic one, we splurged and bought this bad boy. A $15 toilet handle. Personally I thought the price was a bit steep, but man does it look nice on our pot!
And yesterday, we played hooky to start work on the bathroom. OK, we didn’t really play hooky since our bosses, managers and co-workers all knew we’d be off for the day, but a girl can pretend.We hit up a bunch of renovation-type shops in Nashville to see what we could find. And find we did! Chilling in our spare bedroom is an unfinished vanity (so we can stain or paint it whatever we want), a sink and six tile squares to experiment with. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but we’re also open to new ideas if something better comes along. Thank heavens for Google images…that thing has been such a DIYer’s dream come true!
November 16, 2009
Happy Birthday The Pup!
Yesterday was The Pup’s birthday—he is now two years old. My little puppy is growing up so fast! It feels like just a few weeks ago when we brought him home for his first night with us. This is what he looked like then. 
Here are some photos of his big birthday weekend.
Now, he’s a happy, healthy, strong 60 pound dog that loves life. And he loves teaching me how to handle the stress and mess of life. God knew what He was doing when He paired me with this dog.
Here are some photos of his big birthday weekend.
Snuggling with Drew
Enjoying a birthday treat
Sunbathing in the roses
Practicing yoga while taking a nap
November 11, 2009
Four Truths And A Lie
It’s time for this little game again! In case you don’t know how to play, I’ve listed five random statements about me. Your job is to figure out which one is a lie.
- I am obsessed with clean ears. I Q-tip mine at least twice a day.
- I was in a movie with Johnny Knoxville and Juliette Lewis.
- I love to make sandwiches…for me and for others.
- I’ve stepped on four nails during my lifetime.
- During my internship in Greece, I was offered a TV job in Serbia.
November 10, 2009
A Songwriter And A Truck
I’ve said before that my work has a weekly devo. We’ve had big names like Donald Miller, Max Lucado, TobyMac, Andy Stanley, Amy Grant, Frank Peretti and Point of Grace come visit us. Today was no exception. Mark Schultz came to sing and talk with us. He sang a few of his hits and then gave the story behind each of his songs. Once I knew the story, I realized what an amazing storyteller and songwriter he is. I’ll admit that I’ve never been a huge Mark Schultz fan. I don’t dislike him…I just never really got into his music. I grew up with it in youth group, but I didn’t play it in my personal CD player.
But now that I know the back story, man, his lyrics are powerful. I wish everyone had the opportunity to hear the history of his lyrics. You’d definitely shed a tear or two. Check him out, especially his song "Walking Her Home."
And if anyone is wondering what to get the hubs and me for Christmas, a new vehicle would be nice. Drew’s truck died three times last week, so it looks like getting a new truck moves up on the list. Sigh. This is going to be one big purchase, but I know it’s necessary. So if you’re feeling extra generous, feel free to contribute to the “Buy Drew A Reliable Truck” fund. Buying a new vehicle just stresses me out. I honestly thought we’d get a few more years out of his truck, but I really don’t like the idea of him breaking down on the side of the road on his way home from basketball practice one dark and stormy evening. Nope…gives me the willies. Ay yi yi. Or if anyone knows of a great deal on a used (but in great condition) truck or small SUV, please share!
Muchas gracias.
But now that I know the back story, man, his lyrics are powerful. I wish everyone had the opportunity to hear the history of his lyrics. You’d definitely shed a tear or two. Check him out, especially his song "Walking Her Home."
And if anyone is wondering what to get the hubs and me for Christmas, a new vehicle would be nice. Drew’s truck died three times last week, so it looks like getting a new truck moves up on the list. Sigh. This is going to be one big purchase, but I know it’s necessary. So if you’re feeling extra generous, feel free to contribute to the “Buy Drew A Reliable Truck” fund. Buying a new vehicle just stresses me out. I honestly thought we’d get a few more years out of his truck, but I really don’t like the idea of him breaking down on the side of the road on his way home from basketball practice one dark and stormy evening. Nope…gives me the willies. Ay yi yi. Or if anyone knows of a great deal on a used (but in great condition) truck or small SUV, please share!
Muchas gracias.
November 5, 2009
An Unusual Letter
Remember how I wrote that The Pup ate $400 worth of checks last week? Well, I finally got around to writing the letter to one of my accounts, explaining why the checks they sent me would never be cashed or deposited.
And when I called the company to ask them a question, I simply said, “Hi Miss Y, this is Grace. The one whose dog ate my checks.” She immediately started laughing and told me she knew exactly who I was. I told her at least it was easy to identify myself now. She agreed.
Here’s the letter I sent, minus certain details, of course.
Dear Mr. X,
I was sent two reimbursement checks, but unfortunately my checks were never cashed. My dog decided to eat them before they made it to the bank. I spoke with Miss Y about the situation, and she advised me to write a letter and send in the half check that was left.
Can you please reimburse my account for the following two checks. (I’ll leave this part blank for privacy reasons.)
And don’t worry, I switched my account to automatically deposit into my checking account, so we shouldn’t have any more canine fiascos.
Thank you for your help.
Grace
And when I called the company to ask them a question, I simply said, “Hi Miss Y, this is Grace. The one whose dog ate my checks.” She immediately started laughing and told me she knew exactly who I was. I told her at least it was easy to identify myself now. She agreed.
Here’s the letter I sent, minus certain details, of course.
Dear Mr. X,
I was sent two reimbursement checks, but unfortunately my checks were never cashed. My dog decided to eat them before they made it to the bank. I spoke with Miss Y about the situation, and she advised me to write a letter and send in the half check that was left.
Can you please reimburse my account for the following two checks. (I’ll leave this part blank for privacy reasons.)
And don’t worry, I switched my account to automatically deposit into my checking account, so we shouldn’t have any more canine fiascos.
Thank you for your help.
Grace
November 4, 2009
Doggone Cute!
I saw the funniest image the other day. I was driving back to work from my lunch break, and in front of me was a dog on a motorcycle. I raced to catch up with them, but I never did. Thankfully, I had my trusty point-and-shoot with me and was able to snap a quick photo before they sped away. As you can see, the dog is definitely chilling on the back of the bike, having a grand old time. Don’t worry, he was strapped in around his waist. And to top it all off, the dog was wearing goggle sunglasses. I thought I was going to have a car accident because I was laughing so hard. I think that dog is living a better life than The Pup!
November 3, 2009
What The Heck Are We?
As you know, the hubs and I enjoy dressing up for Halloween. This year, we shook things up a bit and headed to a friend’s house for a spooky party. Well, it wasn’t really spooky, but they did serve some amazing pumpkin soup with chili cran-apple relish (just thinking about it makes my mouth drool a bit). Mmmmm.
Anyway, here’s a photo of our costumes. Can you figure out what we are? Hint: we go together in order to make sense.
Anyway, here’s a photo of our costumes. Can you figure out what we are? Hint: we go together in order to make sense.
October 30, 2009
He's Got Rich Taste
Yesterday, The Pup ate $400. Actually it was $378.18. And it was in check form. But still.
I was in the other room for two minutes (120 seconds!!), and somehow he managed to find three checks lying on my dining room table, grab them, eat them, and hop back up on the couch looking all sweet and innocent. He would have gotten away with it, but I found part of a check on the floor when I walked into the room. My guess is that he was in mid snack when he heard me approaching. So he quickly abandoned ship and headed for the safest, most guiltless looking place he could find—the sofa.
Stupid dog.
Fast forward to the following morning when I had to call the places and explain why I needed them to write me new checks. Talk about feeling like I was in junior high again. One lady burst out laughing and told me, “I haven’t heard that excuse yet!” I doubt my face could have been any redder.
Looks like The Pup needs a lesson in leaving things alone. You can be sure he spent a long time in time out last night.
And for the record, I don’t really think my dog is stupid. There’s no way I could think that. Although I don’t like the actions that he demonstrated, he will still always be the cutest, sweetest, smartest, most lovable dog on earth. I mean, c’mon…just look at that face! And yes, that is a Nylabone that he’s hugging to his neck. Crazy dog.
I was in the other room for two minutes (120 seconds!!), and somehow he managed to find three checks lying on my dining room table, grab them, eat them, and hop back up on the couch looking all sweet and innocent. He would have gotten away with it, but I found part of a check on the floor when I walked into the room. My guess is that he was in mid snack when he heard me approaching. So he quickly abandoned ship and headed for the safest, most guiltless looking place he could find—the sofa.
Stupid dog.
Fast forward to the following morning when I had to call the places and explain why I needed them to write me new checks. Talk about feeling like I was in junior high again. One lady burst out laughing and told me, “I haven’t heard that excuse yet!” I doubt my face could have been any redder.
Looks like The Pup needs a lesson in leaving things alone. You can be sure he spent a long time in time out last night.
And for the record, I don’t really think my dog is stupid. There’s no way I could think that. Although I don’t like the actions that he demonstrated, he will still always be the cutest, sweetest, smartest, most lovable dog on earth. I mean, c’mon…just look at that face! And yes, that is a Nylabone that he’s hugging to his neck. Crazy dog.
October 29, 2009
The Beauty Of Fall
Fall has definitely hit the Nashville area, and I absolutely love it! My drive into work every morning this week has been such a joy. It’s still not as beautiful as Michigan falls, but that’s OK. The colors are finally peeking out, and I see a lot more oranges and reds now. It’s a bit bittersweet because I know it will end all too quickly, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. Fall is just too short of a season.
A few days ago on my lunch break I headed over to the little park by my office to get some fresh air and soak in the sunshine and beauty of autumn. Good thing I had my trusty little point-and-shoot with me, because I was able to snap some photos of what I saw on my walk. All I needed to complete my perfect fall walk was a cinnamon sugar donut in one hand and a cup of hot apple cider in the other. Mmmmm.
A few days ago on my lunch break I headed over to the little park by my office to get some fresh air and soak in the sunshine and beauty of autumn. Good thing I had my trusty little point-and-shoot with me, because I was able to snap some photos of what I saw on my walk. All I needed to complete my perfect fall walk was a cinnamon sugar donut in one hand and a cup of hot apple cider in the other. Mmmmm.
I love the reflection in this photo
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