Am I Too Lax?

I hate to admit it, but while my son is finishing up The One Year Bible (he's made it to Revelation, as we speak) I'm deep into the book that Evan gave me for Christmas. Actually, it's 2 books-in-one: It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy and It's a Big World, Charlie Brown. I would never compare a Peanuts book to the Bible but there is a lot of wisdom in those books as well as a lot of chuckles. I haven't read any of the later Charles Schultz books so I'm looking forward to reading some of the others. I had all of his early books memorized when I was young but for some reason I didn't keep up as I got older. Sometimes I need this kind of book right before bed to make the world seem less serious and scary. Have a happy New Year!

What Me Worry

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve Eve. I still have a few gifts to get, some wrapping to do, rum buns to bake and I'm not freaking out. (At least not yet.) In fact, I think I'm going to go read a book right now- I've been reading all of the Flylady pamper missions and I thought to myself, "I haven't just read a book for fun since summer!" I read a lot, but it's mostly biology and chem-
istry related, not the murder mysteries I love. So TTFN and goodnite.

In Memory of Dan Fogelberg

Nether Lands High on this mountain The clouds down below I'm feeling so strong and alive From this rocky perch I'll continue to search For the wind and the snow and the sky Oh I want a lover and I want some friends And I want to live in the sun And I want to do all the things that I never have done Sunny bright mornings and pale moonlit nights Keep me from feeling alone Now I'm learning to fly and this freedom is like Nothing that I've ever known Oh I've seen the bottom and I've been on top But mostly I've lived in between And where do you go when you get to the end of your dream Off in the Nether Lands I heard the sound Like the beating of heavenly wings And deep in my brain I can hear a refrain Of my soul as she rises and sings Anthems to glory and anthems to love And hymns filled with earthly delight Like the songs that the darkness composes to worship the light Once in a vision I came on some woods And stood at a fork in the road My choices were clear yet I froze with the fear Of not knowing which way to go Oh, one road was simple acceptance of life The other road offered sweet peace When I made my decision My vision became my release

Dan Fogelberg 1951-2007

Austin just informed me that Dan Fogleberg had finally lost his battle with cancer. We had just listened to his beautiful Christmas song "Christ the King" during our school party today and I had asked my students if any of them knew who Dan Fogelberg was. Of course, the answer was no, and that's just too bad. There's certain artists that have inspired me over the years and whose songs are wrapped up in some of my favorite memories and Dan Fogelberg was one of those artists. Diane and Dave and probably Jon and Mary and Jo will know what I mean. It's funny though, the songs I loved best weren't his hits but the obscure ones such as "Souvenirs" or "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler" or maybe every song from the album Home Free. And of course the one above and below.
So we're left with his beautiful lyrics as souvenirs.

Souvenirs

Here is a poem that my lady sent down Some morning while I was away Wrote on the back of a leaf that she found Somewhere around Monterey And here is the key to a house far away Where I used to live as a child They tore down the building when I moved away And left the key unreconciled (Chorus) And down in the canyon the smoke starts to rise It rides on the wind 'til it reaches your eyes When faced with the past the strongest man cries...cries (Repeat Chorus) And here is a sunrise to set on your sill The ghosts of the dawn moving near They pass through your sorrow and leave you quite still... Sitting among souvenirs

Isn't it funny how you think you HATE something and then find out you've been mistaken? For instance, for many years now I've said that I hate chemistry. That really meant I didn't understand chemistry and now I'm finding out that I didn't understand it because I didn't take the time to actually learn it. Since I'm teaching it this year, I now have a very good reason to learn it, not to mention I have a very good person (Dr. Wile!) to explain it to me. So, I'm not quite ready to say, "I love chemistry", but I'm not longer scared of it and I certainly don't hate it. And that's all I have to say about that!

I Guess I Better Write Something....

I was just reading Nate's blog and was reminded that he lists my blog as "blogs that he reads". I hope he hasn't fallen asleep during the long lull.

It's been a long, long ,long time.....

That was to the tune of a George Harrison/Beatles song. It just came to me. Boy, time got away from me-I admit I did bite off more than I could chew this summer. I always think I'm capable of doing way more than I actually can do, so instead of having a break and relaxing a little (and holding our new grandson) I've been stressed trying to get my teen workshops completed. They did turn out pretty good (at least from my perspective) but I was hoping the preparation would be much more fun than it turned out to be. Instead of enjoying all of my favorite time management and financial books, I started avoiding them and got a little anxious just looking at them. One thing I did learn form all this though, is that I don't manage time well and I'm very disorganized. Those who can't do it, teach? I also owe Monty (go Skins) a lot of walks.

Peter David Scott

Birth is so amazing. We prayed on Sunday evening that Christina would have safe delivery, thinking it was still a few days off, then Peter arrived at 10:44 am the next day. He wasn't with us and then he was, just like that. (Christina would probably say there was a little more to it.) He looks so much like his dad in this picture. Nathaniel's on the right, with mama. what do you think, Nathaniel?
Even if you don't agree with me, you have to admit, he's adorable.
kbs, aka grandma

I told myself this wouldn't happen...

I just knew if I decided to blog that I'd do it for about 2 days (which I did) and then get too busy (which I also did) so I'll promise to do better this week. Can you see my fingers crossed behind my back? Knowing what my schedule is for the coming week leads me to believe I'll fall short again. Of course, this is the story of my life- start with gusto and poop out 2 days into my new found hobby, project, or great love! I'm working on this less than desirable characteristic in my life but it's hard to break those bad and very ingrained habits. Flylady has helped me some but I have a long way to go.
We had a great time Saturday swimming with the grand kids over at Christina's aunt and uncle's house. Clara is quite the daredevil. She was floating around an inner tube all by herself making her mommy and grandmommy very nervous. The day was beautiful, the water was just the right temperature and it felt great to just relax in the pool. God even gave us a beautiful sky to end the day.

Why "Learning to Breathe"?

"I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies" Switchfoot

Just when I think I've found all of my favorite Switchfoot songs, I'm introduced to one more. I don't remember why I just discovered this song but it happened just when I needed to hear these words. Of course, if you're not a fan then you can't sing along and the music really adds depth to the words. I did hear it before I watched A Walk to Remember (for the first time) a few weeks ago so it was old and got pushed aside when I heard Only Hope which quickly became my new favorite.
And now for a plug.... If you haven't heard them give them a try! If you're an iTunes person you can get Switchfoot "bootlegs" (actually legal recordings from their concerts) for free and feel like you're at a concert.
I guess I really didn't answer the question "Why Learning to Breathe"? Well, because that's what it feels like I'm doing these days. Just when I think I have everything all figured out, God gives me another challenge and I have to start all over from the very beginning.... breathing to crawling to walking and maybe even to running (but not very often). I know this is his way of teaching me to trust him so I'm trying to let him break my fall. kbs

I've Been Inspired

My oldest son writes beautifully thanks to many years of writing for Rita Suder. The hard work paid off and reading his blog reminded me of how much I love to write. My grammar isn't as good as his ( I didn't even diagram sentences when I was in school) but I did well in creative writng so I'll give it a try. Hopefully my perfectionism won't hinder me, Nathaniel.
Someday soon I'll post a picture of me with my husband that's actually flattering but for now it will have to be me and my 1st grandson. I love this picture because it shows how I feel when I'm with him, HAPPY!