Oh the Perfection of me

I spent the better part of an afternoon on Tuesday, February 8th trying to make the PERFECT birthday day for my husband. I love throwing parties, giving gifts, and making things special. It is my chief love language (and it gets me into trouble quite frankly... budgets are such a bore when there is just one more thing that would make something go from kinda cool to WOW) ;). I collected the perfect little candles that spelled out Jason's name all the way back in September of last year, hung onto them, and actually remembered that I had purchased them, and could find them come the 8th (no small feat). I got two batches of yellow cake mix and two containers of chocolate frosting (I'd prefer from scratch, and would love that for him, but it is not what he prefers... I've learned to go with it). He really wanted cupcakes, so I got special birthday cupcake papers. I whipped up a dozen or so yellow cupcakes and made a small round cake. I also had all of his favorite things ready to go (a gift card to bass pro, some special bbq stuff from Uncle Buck's, runts, sweet tarts, and cosmic brownies... what can I say he is a connoisseur of sugar... that is why he's so sweet). I even got a special container in the shape of a cupcake so that he could take them to work! Anyway, now that I know what things he really likes (golly did I insist on a homemade cake the first time) I was ready to go.

I made my cupcakes, and they were well... sort of funny. I then went to flip the cake out of its springform pan and onto the pedestal (I still have to dress it up somehow) and it flopped. I FORGOT TO PUT THE WATER IN THE CAKE MIX. That explains why the mix looked more like taffy than cake mix! Then I took the stupid expensive candles out of the box and I broke the "J". :(

I have no super insightful statement to make about God or myself here. The bottom line is that I am so happy to have such a good husband to make crappy cupcakes for :)

The Misadventures of the Imperviable Bubble Girl

I am not a people pleaser, I am a New Yorker.  That is what I would tell you.  However, if you really wanted to rattle my cage you totally could.  Because after all, I am a Christian and it is not a good, kind, nice, caring, loving thing to do to treat you poorly.  Where do we draw these lines?  How do we care for people who hurt us (and are much more cognisant of that then we give them credit for) and really truly care for them (not "kill them with kindness")?  How do we preserve ourselves in the process?  How do you handle the situation when you know that with all the reason in the world the other person won't "get it"?

I have an acquaintance in my life that likes to "get under my skin".  This person is a very good and fast manipulator.  Just when I think I am being super tough, boom, there they are affecting my well being.  This person is not only a child of God, but a person who works in ministry that is well liked by many... so what is a girl to do?

I learned a new trick!  I am the imperviable bubble girl!  Today I conducted myself in a respectful manner.  I participated when needed, I didn't respond when not needed.  I didn't take on the roll of keeping a slowwww meeting rolling, I let it hang there in oblivion.  I didn't take on any extra-lame task that this person was trying to get me to pick up.  I didn't apologize.  They made a crack about my haircut and I didn't laugh ackwardly to make them feel better.  I am better than a rock... I don't need a fortress...I am a bubble.  When I was ready to float away I did.

I guess I have operated under the mantra of "their emergency is not mine" all this time.  Quite frankly that just isn't good enough.  Prior to my bubble days I would still jump even if I was avoiding the trampoline.  Now I don't have to be confident... because I am imperviable.  My heart belongs to God, not you.

February Christmas

Today was supposed to be the blizzard of all blizzards in Pella, Iowa. 

It wasn't. 

I still had the best day ever!  I woke up on my terms.  I watched meaningless, bottom-of-the-barrel TV and loved it.  I took the time to sit and eat an entire bowl of cereal in my own house.  I spend some quiet time with God (albeit that was short... but I'm a go-go-go kinda girl... it's ok, He knows my name).  I braced myself to go down into my scarry basement alone to get the tubs for the Christmas stuff that has been on my dining room table for three weeks.  Lenny and I went down together while Gnocchi sat at the top of the stairs and whimpered.  I put all of my ornaments and decorations away and put the living room back together again.  I then wrote the paper for my class that was due last Saturday.

I am not sure which of the random activities above to ruminate on right now.  There's the super lame day to be declared a snow day... but oh how thankful I am for it!  There's my lame attempt at bible time.  I could write about just how much I like cereal too.  I even could tell of my complete lameness that I put my Christmas decorations away on February 2nd.  I mean heck, why not wait until Easter and then just swap everything out?  I could even write about my dogs.  My sweet, sweet dogs who followed me around all day and refused to poop outside because it is so cold and snowy, yet were pumped to jump in the snow drifts and race around the back yard.  I think I will write about the experience of writing my paper (c'mon... keep reading, it will be fun, I promise).

I seem like a "type B" personality.  However this is not true.  I am really a "type A".  I am easy going about the things that I don't really care about, but watch out if it is something that I do.  I am an obsessive, perfectionist and am even competitive about it.  My assignment started out with vague directions to write a profile about a group (no specification about which criteria we are using to define group), to use some theories that are out there or not, and to make it of nondescript length.  The problem is that I am also strong-willed to the point that I can't even trick myself into doing something when there is a problem.  A better person than me would have called the teacher for clarification.  I however chose to put it off until I could muster the will to do it.  Anybody else would just be happy to be able to make it whatever they want it to be.  I on the other hand spent three extra days (after the due date) stressing about it.  If you would like to psychoanalyze, feel free.

Yet, I still call today a great day!  God is good.  He loves people who stress about silliness too.  He even loves those of us who put away our Christmas decorations in February.

Funeral's, Answering Machine's, Rival Fans, & Directories

My job is to call churches all the time.  One thing I have learned with certainty is that nothing is standard!  I called five different churches this morning around 10:00am (a fairly standard time of business).   Today I am calling to thank them for their work by offering  them a dinner and a copy of the book of a speaker from a widely known Christian organization. 

-  Response #1:  I am a fan of your rival school, so I can't come.
-  Response #2:  Unspecified voicemail (i.e. automated "Hello, leave a message")
-  Response #3:  Hushed tone, pickup on fourth ring, "I'm sorry we are in a funeral right now, you are going  to have to call back"
-  Response #4:  A tone that says "oh it's you again"... yes, we got your email, no we are not coming... after ackward silence...a polite "I'm sorry"
-  Response #5:  Long emergency info voicmail followed by a staff directory prompt

My favorite is Response #3 in case you are wondering.