Archive for the ‘Foolishness’ Category

More Treasures from GJ

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

I received this gem in my inbox today:

Hi, Steph. I know there’s a way for me to send things myself, involving a lot way-cool computer skills that I would love to have someday, skills that would allow me to use my computer without cussing and swearing and being a reproach to the cause of Christ—also skills that would allow me to not be so lazy—but in the meantime could you PULLLEEEEZE send this for me now that you don’t have measles anymore? ILY!– Grandpa Jake

On another happy note I am feeling so so much better! If you prayed for me, thank you so much! I might have not have survived the experience otherwise.

“What doesn’t kill you leaves you scarred” (what chicken pox and measles have taught me :P )

Things to do whilst sick….

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

- Sleep A LOT

- Listen to word A LOT

- Secretly try to work so that concerned home members don’t find out and order you back to your bed.

- Have prayer vigil

- Pray all those proactive prayers that you don’t always remember too.

- Have praise time

- Compose emails to all your friends and family who you don’t write nearly enough

- Mentally go through all the food you know is in the house and see if there is anything you feel like eating. Arrive at the same conclusion you did last time – plain yogurt.

- Watch Tina’s belly dancing video’s ( on a foolish side note there is one where this lady looks like a porn star turned belly dancer…it’s really funny, her fake boobies do most of the dancing for her. It’s amusing if nothing else. :) what’s even more hilarious is the documentary of “the making of it”) A real treat!

Okay, that was exhausting…I’m crawling back to bed…

Glad game #8: Combo night

Friday, March 27th, 2009

For some reason, whenever I think “bonding night” I think “dress up”. I think this was the last time the schedulers put me on bonding night, for obvious reasons. Nyna and Christie were real troopers in coming up with the inspiring wall signs that really made the evening come alive. Savor the details in these photos, there are many to be savored.

Sam and Boo fresh from the pages of the Heavenly Helper book.

Phil and his memory set card.

The rebellious ones looking very worldly. I think Angel might even be wearing makeup.

Eva said this was an exact replicate of a sign she used to wear for real.

Clara looking quite unrepentant.

Night snack, not to be missed.

And finally, my favorite photo of the evening. The timeless and much-loved TIV lift.

Heh. Heh. That was a fun night.

Inspirational message for the day

Friday, March 27th, 2009

I feel special because I get to live with a true treasure of a person. For this tale I shall call him Grandpa Jake. He’s older than my dad so I thought Grandpa Jake would be a good alias. :)

He is a rare breed of wonder and I feel sorry for all the people who have never gotten the opportunity to watch him in action.

The story

One of the teens in our home came down with measles. Poor baby, which of course brings on the usual questions and concerns about quarantine etc.

This sets the stage for this tragically funny turn of events.

Email 1 from concerned mother to entire home:

Seems like * 4 year old cutie pie is coming down with measles… and I wouldn’t be surprised if all the kids follow suit. Anyway the question is, since it seems to be spreading quite quickly do we really want to quarantine within the home? Of course if someone is sick they aren’t going to be mingling with everyone for their own sakes and so they can rest etc. The question is, do I need to start keeping the kids separate, away from everyone etc. or is every one OK with not isolating everyone who gets sick at this point? Need to hear back from you soon—thanks ILY

* name changed

Email 2 from Steph in reply to entire home:

I read somewhere that if someone comes down with measles that 90% of
people in the same household will get it if they’ve never had it. Sooo
I dunno, personally if I don’t have it now and I’m just sick with the
flu I’d rather not get it but there isn’t much that can be done about
that now. Sorry I realize that’s not a yes or no answer I just don’t
know.

Email 3 from Grandpa Jake in reply to me:

Saying “Sooo I dunno” is definitely one of the symptoms of measles!

Email 4 from Grandpa Jake in reply to home:

I think we should all get it, especially Steph.

Email 5 from Grandpa Jake in reply to home:

Just to let everybody know, I got chicken pox when I was 47 and I almost jumped off the roof in Hungary. So if I get measles, can we please keep the windows closed upstairs when I go up and take a shower? “Taking a shower” was the excuse I used in Hungary. At least in Hungary there was snow on the ground to break my fall. If I were to do it here, I’d probably use the window over by the photocopy machine, just to let everybody know. (Zedekiah 14: 6).– Grandpa Jake

P.S. If you wouldn’t mind shooting up a little prayer that everyone get’s over the measles and that it doesn’t have any negative after effects. We’d appreciate it, truly.

God does answer prayer!

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Whoa. I was just sitting here thinking about how I need to pray for people more and then I remembered that back in 2004, Chuck and I went on a concerted and concentrated prayer push for Jer. We used to wake up every morning a half hour before devotions and desperately pray that the Lord would turn Jer’s life around and use him for good. I think we kept it up for a good couple of weeks.

And like, five years later, look! The Lord totally answered our prayers. Jer’s now a good solid Christian doing good solid things with his life. What a victory!

Thank the Lord for that inspiring reminder that prayer works.

Glad game #7: Clara and I no longer look like this

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

2008 started out pretty rough for us in the looks department. Praise God that hair grows. Makes me miss Clara.

And here’s another offloading of one of my Google notes quotes:

“I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top.” ~ English professor, Ohio University

Glad game #6: Trick or treat

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

I have a lot to say about a lot of stuff. Much of it is much more meaningful than what usually shows up on this blog. Easygoing posts are much easier to make – they require less thought and less humility. But hey, thinking and humility are two things I’m striving for so once I get a grip on what I’m trying to say, I’ll post it and hopefully it’ll be a blessing.

But in the meantime, here’s a few more trivial tidbits of stuff that makes me happy from last year.

See — I never got to trick or treat on Halloween when I was a kid. I’ve done the dress up thing and yeah, that’s all well and good. But last year I felt an instinctive and intrinsic need to experience the practice of trick or treating. As always, my friend Chuck was there to support and share the journey of discovery with me.

Thankfully, we live with a number of families who around 8:00 at night can be counted upon to be in their rooms putting their loving children to sleep. We came to see them as our prime targets. In order to make sure that my first trick or treating experience was satisfying, we sent around this email to prepare the hearts of our Home members.

Jules and I, as you know, did not have a traditional childhood. We never got to celebrate Halloween the way God intended it to be celebrated.

All that to say, we’ll be shadowing your doorway on the night of October 31’st, in full costume, baskets in hand, waiting….nay…yearning for that joyful moment when all our childhood dreams will come true.

And if not.

We’ll toilet paper your doorway.

Much love,
Chuck and Jules

The night arrived and we commenced. We tried to project ourselves back into our childhoods and costumed as we felt we would have dressed at around age eight – a ballerina and princess, respectively.

The first door we knocked on was in and of itself, a reward. Just look at the happy faces. We also scored some awesome sugarless popsicles from these guys.

The next door was slightly less rewarding in that Doehler felt that sunflower seeds was all he could spare.

These guys were fully satisfactory. We scored real, unhealthy candy.

I’m not sure if there was full understanding of what we were trying to do by the child at this door. But she was a good sport and was, in the end, convinced to give us candy.

Here is where we encountered a challenge. But it was a challenge we quickly rose to. A certain someone who shall remain nameless for the shame that still abides with him did not come to the door. After repeated knockings he stuck his head out and told us in so many words to scamper off. We responded like so:

As you can see, it was a rewarding teamwork effort that left us with mixed emotions. And here are the cumulative fruits of our labors.

All in all, I felt it was a healthy sampling of what it’s like to trick or treat and my character is now that much more rounded out for having experienced it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t tried it yet.