Because it's been too long...

...I'm resorting to a random-highlights kind of blog entry.

- The real estate sign is in our yard. We're almost to the one-week mark, and we have only had one official showing. Didn't realize how much I had my hopes up until we got absolutely no action over the weekend.

- Our across-the-street neighbor died yesterday after a long decline. I'll most definitely be attending his service later this week.

- My last day at the office was Friday. It was lovely. I got all kinds of cool stuff, including my very own custom cover of our publication, framed and ready to hang in my new office. I'd try to explain the jokes, but most people wouldn't get 'em. The one that readers of this blog most definitely will understand: The article "Rescue ministry expands" mentions that I have to move out of state because I've already placed dogs with all of my friends in Texas, and I need a fresh crop of potential homes for more. (I suppose there's some truth to that.)

- Here's one of the other gifts I received. I think I'll carry it at Annual Conference -- and definitely at General Conference, if I wind up attending.

- Took the dogs to Arkansas on July 4. Left them there on July 5 so our new carpet could be installed and remain dander-free for potential new owners. Had to arrange a spur-of-the-moment relocation for them after The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010. Will blog that one later. Wish I had pictures.

- Saw the dogs Sunday and Monday during a trip to look at houses. Miss them. Will be moving in with them in less than 2 weeks, while The Alpha stays behind until the house sells or until we just can't take it anymore.

- Met our new niece in the same trip. Longest pinky toes I've ever seen.

- Regarding the other side of the family (mine), I'm having second thoughts about moving to Arkansas. Family Systems Theory suggests that proximity to family members really doesn't matter that much, but I'm starting to wonder.

- A very dear college friend is expecting. Being closer to her during this time will be a definite plus.

- Goals for today: Train new church secretary on website updates. Pack at least 4 boxes. Attend my last practice with the band. A few other things thrown in there, too. Maybe I'll find a moment to blog about The Jacuzzi Incident.

Best. Wedding. Ever.

At least, the best wedding I've ever attended, including my own.

Lovely Niece and -- ooh, should I give him a blog name? Let's see... oh, maybe later -- he who shall be known in the short-term as New Nephew made it official last weekend. The bride was simply gorgeous... here she is an hour or so before the ceremony, held at our home church:


No photos during the event itself -- it was a thoughtfully planned and meaningful worship service, and even if I'd wanted to take pics, I was kinda busy with singing. It was a great honor to have that role in the event. (My 19-year-old nephew walked by me afterward with his girlfriend and ordered, "You're singing at my wedding." So I take that as a good sign. Also, one of my mother's best friends was there, and she said I sound like my mom did. Loved hearing that.)

The bride and groom included sweet individual touches in memory of several people. Candles were lighted in the official remembrance of six people listed in the program, but most people probably weren't aware that the bride's bouquet included a single sunflower in memory of her little sister; that her grandmother's Bible lay on the altar; and that the groom was wearing his grandfather's boots -- the ones worn to walk the groom's mother down the aisle at his parents' wedding.

One of our hometown national park's renovated bath houses made a great reception site, as it's now an art museum -- an elegant setting for a joyful evening. Here are Lovely Niece and New Nephew during their first dance:


The DJ did a nice job of keeping things understated and elegant as far as the music mix was concerned. But a few hours before the wedding, we managed to arrange a little musical surprise for the groom.

You see... Last year, after my oldest nephew's wedding, The Alpha and I met up with Lovely Niece and he who was to become New Nephew, plus another couple who were to become their honor attendants, at a local establishment featuring German cuisine. We walked in to find a tuba/accordion duo onstage. I don't remember exactly what they were playing when we arrived, but their repertoire included a mix of genres, all polkafied. Before we even got to our table, New Nephew stopped, pointed, and announced, "I want them to play at my wedding!"

That's when it all started. It took more than a year to bring the plan to fruition.

After the engagement was announced this summer, planning rolled into high gear, and we kept teasing Lovely Niece and New Nephew about hiring the band for their reception. I became a Fan of The Itinerant Locals on Spacehook. We even checked to make sure they would indeed be local, not itinerant, on the date in question. They were, and their gig that evening ended at 9:00. But we didn't book them. We weren't sure how long the reception would run, and the bride and groom had decided on a DJ, after all. Wouldn't want to step on any toes.

Then, a few hours before the wedding, Lovely Niece was in the Bride's Room of the church, having her makeup done, and I was sitting nearby, checking Spacehook on my iPhone to pass the time. Guess who popped onto the screen with a status update? Yes, our favorite polka duo was promoting their 7 to 9 p.m. gig at the Brau Haus. Two blocks from the reception location.

I informed Lovely Niece of this opportunity. Should I go for it? As a special surprise for the man who would by then be her husband? She gave me the nod.

Via the comment field on the status update, I asked the Locals if they'd like to stop by a wedding afterwards. Their response was enthusiastic: "We'll have the kids with us, but we are game--that sounds like fun. We love weddings! Kids ok? 9:30ish ok? Just go through the front door?" A couple more exchanges, and we had secured a visit from the entire family.


When they walked in, New Nephew's jaw hit the floor. At that moment, The Alpha and I officially sealed our status as The Cool Aunt and Uncle. At one point he was hollering at us, "I love y'all SO MUCH!"

I leave you with a selection of video clips. My only regret is that I didn't have the camera set on high resolution.

Sunday night randomosity

...Here's a pic I took of The Boy earlier today. He was all curled up on the couch, on his dog blanket, and he actually let me wrap it up around him.


...This week is the countdown to Lovely Niece's wedding. I have yet to find out exactly when the pianist wants me there for vocal rehearsal in advance of wedding rehearsal proper, but I am happily at Lovely Niece's disposal for the better part of two days, so I'll be there when I'm told.

...My dad is part of a clinical study for cancer treatment now. He was diagnosed about 11 years ago, and it's starting to resist methods that have worked for a while. So my side of the family's Thanksgiving supper isn't an organized event this year, because he and his wife will be driving back from Amazing Cancer Center to Land of Our Roots that day. It's the first of his bi-weekly trips relating to this study. I'm hoping they don't get too road-weary in the coming months, and that he's not on the stinkin' placebo, which is a possibility.

...Despite all the stress surrounding this (and pretty much every) wedding, I'm really looking forward to seeing Lovely Niece give me my first Nephew-in-Law on Saturday. They've been together for about 8 years. It's time. I also love that she has an appreciation for liturgy, and that she and her groom are both clear that this ceremony is worship, and follows the order thereof.

...The sanctuary in Hometown Church will already be decorated for Advent, which begins the morning after the wedding. We ended Worship Committee meeting tonight by preparing our own sanctuary for Advent. I felt a bit younger climbing up the ladder to add the crown atop the Chrismon tree. (I don't enjoy decorating my tree anymore. Haven't for years. I just see it as a hassle these days.)

...I just finished my supper: One bottle of Newcastle. (No, that's not at all a normal supper for me.)

...I've known for some time that my dogs have it better than a lot of people, but I received reinforcement of that knowledge this afternoon when I upgraded The Boy's bed to the same kind we just bought for Tuesday (there was some coveting action going on). First-world guilt, served up right here.

...There's something else I want to blog, but I don't know what it is. There's a good chance it could be something unbloggable anyway, so I'm just going to leave it alone for now.

Oooh, they gave me one again!

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I had a lot going on, so I forgot to share my big birthday joy:

I got another goat!!!

Yes, once again, my wonderful husband's wonderful parents got me a goat for my birthday. They got it from Heifer.org's online gift catalog, which has this to say about it:

Goats Are Great for Families

The gift of a dairy goat represents a lasting, meaningful way for you to help a little boy or girl on the other side of the world.

Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens.

There's probably somebody out there thinking, "But hey, your birthday was your birthday! Why did you want a goat?" Well, I've wanted one for years, and when I finally got one last year, it was so cool that I wanted another one. (And don't think for a minute that I'm the least bit underprivileged in my birthday haul: The Alpha got me a Phone with an i in front of it.)

If you're looking for a way to honor someone with a different kind of Christmas gift this year, this is just one of many ideas out there. As we're reminding people at worship during November and December, "Christmas is not your birthday. So instead of giving to each other, or thinking about what we want, why not give to the One whose birthday it is?"

Two sweeties

Well, Tuesday got a little less nervous when we had our special house guest for a few days. Apparently, house guests are good for dogs who aren't sure about kitchen remodeling.

Several times we found her hanging out in the guest bedroom, our niece's space for the extended weekend visit. But this pic is the two of them hanging out in the den, just a couple of hours before Meredith flew back to the Land of Our Roots. (The Boy seemed to appreciate M's presence, too, but he's generally more subtle with his affections.)

We found out that the timing for her return was serendipitous; while waiting at the airport she learned her mother was being admitted to the hospital for IV steroid treatments (stupid MS). Even while making some progress on wedding plans, she has been quite the advocate for her mom these last couple of days. This evening I was treated to The Tale of How We Are Finally Getting to Replace That Lame-Ass Neurologist. I'm eager to hear how Chapter 2 of that one turns out.

MS150 cut to MS72

Well, The Alpha and ManBoy were having a pretty good Day 1 on the Bike MS ride, but it was cut short when a storm blew through the area just as they reached the last breakpoint of the day. They had already decided not to camp at the overnight site, which we knew was the right call when camping was officially canceled. And not long after we got home for the evening, about the time the hail started to fall on the next morning's starting line, Day 2 of the ride was canceled.

The National MS Society wrote in an email announcing the cancellation, "As we've seen this weekend, our North Texas weather is just like MS: unpredictable." True. In fact, it didn't rain today after all -- though I still think the severity of yesterday's and last night's storms justified the calling-off of the event. (Just as Mid-Life Rookie and I were leaving to pick up our riders, the Cowboys had a bit of a problem a couple of suburbs over.) ManBoy is disappointed that he doesn't get to answer the "What'd you do this weekend?" question with "Rode my bike 150 miles," but he had a very good time with the 72, so I'm certain he will find another opportunity.

Thanks to everyone who offered support, whether it was as a part of the online cheering section or as a donor. The money raised still goes to fight MS, and that was the real goal. Not all the numbers are final yet, but it looks like our two guys topped $1,600 together!

Counting down...

The Alpha's big ride begins early this Saturday morning. I'm looking forward to greeting him at the finish line Sunday afternoon. He joked that he's going to tie his bike to the back of manBoy's so he can keep up with the youngster. (At least, I hope he was joking....)

And while we're counting down, we're watching the number go up! Thanks to all who have given to help combat multiple sclerosis (including one lovely RevGal we haven't met face-to-face). MS is a crummy disease -- and we can make a difference in helping fund research that leads to better treatments and eventually a cure!

Scattered thoughts

Our Disciple class has one more Tuesday night meeting. After that, just the retreat day remains. I haven't been the best about keeping up with my reading. It is what it is. But I'm happy I signed up for the study.

I've been finding chunks of life unbloggable lately. Annoying.

Last night The Alpha and I went out for a thankful-we're-still-employed dinner. (Nothing fancy, but I did make sure mine included some salt around the rim of a nice big glass.) The Alpha worked a 13+ hour day on Friday, so dinner didn't really happen Friday night. My day was odd, too: my work environment now includes fewer people. *sigh.*

We walked the dogs both days this weekend. Tuesday seems destined to be tubby. She's energetic, but shaped a little differently. The balance between keeping her looking trim and keeping her well-fed is a tough one to achieve. (And if she's hungry, she starts eating things she ought not. From the yard. Which she put there herself. Ick.)

The Boy seems destined to be high-energy and rambunctious when it comes to leash behavior. He turns 5 this week. He may act a few years younger. I'm very, very fine with that.

I'm listening to the "adult alternative" channel on our digital cable right now. For various reasons, I've been unaware of a lot of popular music in the last decade or so; this is my feeble effort to catch up. They keep the artist, title, album, and year of issue on-screen the entire time the song is playing, so if I want to know, I can.

Family of origin issues. I has them. Just sayin'. (See paragraph 2.)

Had some phone time with wonderful niece today. Her long-time BF (there's an engagement in the near future) is doing serious job-hunting in the town where she's doing her graduate studies. I hope he lands something soon. I hope they can come visit us for a weekend this summer. I hope they can move within 15 minutes of us when she gets her Ph.D. But I'll start with the first hope, please.

Because MS really sucks.

It's been almost 13 years since my sister was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It's been about 8 years now since one of my dearest friends from college received her diagnosis, too.

MS is unpredictable, and affects different people in different ways. We're grateful that my friend is doing well and still able to work as a cytogenetic research assistant. My sister is disabled, though, and since November of last year she's been confined to a wheelchair.

The Alpha, super guy that he is, will be riding the MS 150 this year for a second time, in honor of these two women. He's not one of these folks that's into cycling; he's into this particular cause. Two years ago, as he prepared for his first ride, I didn't understand how big a deal it was to ride 150 miles on a full-suspension mountain bike. Then I saw him up against all the people with street bikes. He has a more road-friendly model this year, but he still kept his goal of not spending a lot on equipment, in favor of using the money toward fighting the disease.

Will you help? His fundraising page is here.

Together, we can move forward and make a difference.

New dog, 30-something bridesmaids

Just two of many highlights of this weekend in Home State:

1) meeting my new canine brother-in-law, Gus...

Here he's cuddled up next to my mom-in-law. The vet's guess is that he's 2 or 3 years old. He's very, very cute and, unlike my dad's 4-pound maltie-poo (my canine sister? man, that's so much more weird for some reason), Angus and Tuesday recognize him as one of their own species, which makes it much less likely that they'll try to eat him.

(Incidentally, the vet my in-laws have used for years got poisoned this week. He's recovering, but wow -- who knew that small-town veterinary drama like that could happen? Wish I could find a link to the actual story, but it's not popping up on the area paper's site.) UPDATE: Vet drama link in the comments, courtesy of The Alpha.

2) Co-hosting a wedding shower for one of my college roommates, and getting fitted for the bridesmaid dress while I was in town. Here I am with my co-host, the matron of honor. I think this is the last time we'll be bridesmaids (bridesmatrons?)... we're not exactly "maids" at our ages, but hey, this is the bride's only wedding, so by golly, we're doing it right!

There were other unbloggables, of course, but those things likely would've happened even if I'd been at home this weekend. (Should they have happened? No. Can I stop them? No. Can I change them? No. Do I need to go insert myself into the situation just because I happen to be in the same county? No. Look at me, setting healthy boundaries with my family.)

Okay, off to work. Busy week ahead.

Reflections on the year

As 2008 slips on by, with me way behind on other people's blogs, I did find a minute to spot-check my Bloglines account today. One of the blogs I checked was Diane's, and it is from her that I hereby blatantly steal the idea for this post.

She put her reflections in 3 categories: Memorable, Disappointing, and Ambivalent. I'm not ambivalent about "ambivalent," but I am about the other two, so I'm changing their names.

Joyful:
1. Attending the RevGalBlogPals Big Event 1.0, and looking forward to 2.0 this spring.
2. Our church finally completing its new building and making the long, long move across the field from the building we'd already sold.
3. Being able to provide a home to Tuesday the dog, when the timing was so right it just couldn't be denied.
4. Getting opportunities to work with new people in my same job.

Sorrowful:
1. The death of my sweet girl, The Best Dog Ever, Cub. But thankful for the outpouring of sympathy, even from people I've never met.
2. The deaths of two clergy friends, one anticipated, one unexpected. Each of their absences leaves a hole.

Ambivalent:
1. United Methodist General Conference. As a rookie delegate, I'm still trying to figure out what I learned, and what kind of difference it made that I was there. I don't believe all of my time there was wasted, but I struggle with the apparent necessity of navigating tons of bureaucracy in the hopes of doing at least some good.
2. Deciding, discerning, which opportunities required a yes and which required a no.
3. Reacting to my sister's and my brother-in-law's deteriorating health. Not being sure if I've always made the right call. Trying to maintain healthy boundaries in these situations as we decide how to help.
4. Tiptoeing into other forms of social media. I got two more Facebook invitations today, both from family members, and I'm still not planning to join. On the other hand, Twitter is kinda nifty. On the other other hand, finding out through Twitter that a friend has just died is kinda odd. On the other other other hand, I got ReTweeted a couple of times yesterday, which I liked.

Time to get my new chair's slipcover out of its dye bath in the washing machine. We shall see whether the result of this experiment lands in Joyful, Sorrowful, or Ambivalent... tune in next time...

Sister update

I realized I forgot to blog that my sister got to go home from the hospital! She's been home a little more than a week now. MS still sucks; she's still in a wheelchair; but her home is far more accessible now to accommodate that, and just being out of the hospital takes the stress level way down.

She can do a few steps here and there with a walker; she can transfer herself in and out of the chair; but with the level and number of exacerbations she had, walking just won't come back very easily. Yet, when I talked to our dad this afternoon, I got the distinct impression that he's surprised she still can't really walk, now that she's out of the hospital and all.

Soapbox moment: Folks, if someone you know has MS, do everything you can to learn about it. It's a wacky, frustrating disease, and it can affect people in all kinds of different ways. Do some research. You. have. the. Internet! Makes it really easy to learn about stuff like that.

Once you've learned a little, do something. Go on an MS Walk. If you're more athletic, do something more ambitious, like an MS 150 bike ride. And if you're not athletic, but your brother-in-law is, and he does one and asks you for a donation, make a ****ing donation this time, m'kay? Researchers are making headway, but they need funding to keep going. And we know you can afford it, so I'm going to ride you as hard about it this year as my husband rides that bike.


Photo: All the cousins of my generation who were present at my nephew's wedding. The one who is sitting down is in her wheelchair, on a 3-hour pass from the hospital. Sure, she looks good, but she can't walk. And only one other person in this picture has really tried to understand why.

Dots of the weekend

• Halloween night was The Alpha's time to shine. He dressed as a gravedigger to go with the cemetery theme of the front yard, and had a ball freaking out trick-or-treaters. I wish I had video, but it was too dark. Photo at right was taken at dusk, which allowed for clarity, but doesn't convey the full effect. (Click to enlarge.)
• The Boy is still learning to cope with new dog Tuesday's presence. Slowly, but surely. (He has no choice.)
• Concert went pretty well. Within the band, we noticed every single mistake, but it was obvious that others didn't. And from what I've gathered, my rendition of "Shut Up and Kiss Me" while flirting with The Alpha (strategically positioned in the front row) was a crowd favorite.
• At least two people who attended the concert because they saw our neighborhood publicity also came to worship with us the next morning. Outreach goal accomplished!
• My sister is still in the hospital. It's Day 13. She had a setback on Day 11. My other two siblings have yet to visit her, and one has yet to even call her (they live 20 minutes and 1 hour away by car, respectively, as opposed to my five hours). I left Sibling #2 a message giving him the hospital room phone number yesterday. I wonder if either of them reads this blog? I'm easily Googled.
• Our oldest nephew is getting married this weekend. I hope my sister can get wheeled out of the hospital for it, even for just a couple of hours. (And maybe the numbskulls will finally realize what MS does if they see her when she's not in a "but you don't look sick" stage.)
  
• We're still mystified as to why Tuesday's former owner let go of her. (Death? Foreclosure? I half-wish somebody had left a note...) She's well-trained, and has obviously been well-loved: we had to manage her expectation that she would be allowed to sleep on our bed, for starters. And last night, when I got the box of Frosty Paws out of the freezer for the first time since she's lived here, it was clear from her reaction that she knew what they were and she'd had them before.
• (This just in...) I like parentheses.