Holidays

Going on Break

By Lisa B on December 14, 2009

I’ve been feeling run down lately and not able to focus much on what I need to be doing or even deciding what it is I do need to be doing. I was going to throw up a Christmas card here and let you know I’m going offline for a few weeks — don’t worry Mom and Dad, I’ll see you Saturday

But I looked through my archives and came across the following post I wrote on December 19, 2008 — almost a year ago to the day. I was amazed that I still feel the same way I felt when I wrote this. It’s as if I haven’t learned anything this year — how to turn off the computer and live life. So I leave you with these words which are more of a reminder for myself than they are for you I hope you have a Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year! I’ll be back around January 11th if I can last that long

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This is a question that has plagued me for a few years now. When I worked in an office, the work I did had to be there. I couldn’t carry any of it home with me. I left it behind. Sure, I worked a lot of overtime, but when I wasn’t at the office, I wasn’t at the office.

I haven’t been blogging all that much lately because honestly, I’ve been on information overload just following people on Twitter. It’s been said Twitter is like a water cooler. Well, I’ve been on break too much. Lots of people have been asking if everyone is going to shut down their blogs for Christmas. I haven’t seen many responses other than people will be checking in and writing when they can spare a few minutes.

I’ll admit, I’m addicted to my laptop. Twitter…WordPress…these little projects I’ve said I’d do for others. It’s been poorly affecting my home life. Even Duck was getting jealous the other night because I wasn’t in there for tv time. And he should be. I should be able to put the laptop down and step away for awhile.

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

~ Proverbs 14:30, NLT

A side-effect of getting information overloaded has been the green-eyed monster surfacing in my life. Instead of being happy for others, I’ve been coveting what they have or jealous of what they’ve been asked to do. I have been looking at how my online buddies have grown in the past year whether it’s their blogs, their businesses or what-have-you, and instead of being happy for them — that God’s blessed them, I’m wondering why I can’t be like that or why so-and-so didn’t ask me to do that.

I’ve even been jealous of ladies going out with their best friends for special days — massages, lunch, etc. I miss that. I don’t really have any good friends to get together with offline, and that’s sad to me. But I guess I haven’t really been working on those friendships either. Not going to a church has been hurting too.

So, I need a break. A break from blogging, from Twittering, from just being on my computer in general. I want a peaceful heart along with a healthy body. I want to focus on the blessings God’s given to me. I need to get back into the Word of God and remember the most important thing starts with my relationship with Him.

I’m going to take a little bloggy break. I’ll be back January 5, 2009 when Doodle goes back to school. My hope and prayer is that God will cleanse my heart and soul and give me a right mind again.

Try not to get caught up in all the gifts or material things that you either get or don’t get. I truly wish all of you a very Merry CHRISTmas, and hope that you remember the reason for the season.

| Filed Under: Bloggin', Family, Holidays

Road Trip!

By Lisa B on July 7, 2009

Oh yeah! We’re going on a road trip! Just Duck and I on our motorcycles! Woot! Woot!

So Mom, Dad, and anyone else who might stress this, pray for us to have safe travels And don’t worry. I’ll be tweeting when we get places so that ya’ll know we didn’t fall off the side of the mountain.

Doodle is headed to the beach with Grandma and Grandpa. She’s in very capable hands. So we decided to take this opportunity to run for the hills We’ll be leaving Wednesday afternoon headed to Roanoke. I hope to see my buddy Heather @ Desperately Seeking Sanity and see if she’s found any sanity yet. Then Thursday we’re on the Parkway all day — all the way to Boone where I hope to meet up with Real Life Sarah. Sarah tweeted yesterday that she wants to have her picture made on my bike I think we can do that!

We’re hanging out in Boone for awhile, maybe hitting the ziplines. Lord, have mercy on me, I’m afraid of heights. But I’m totally determined to *not* ride up on a Harley and then chicken out because the lines are too high. That’s just not cool.

Back home Saturday by the afternoon because Duck’s group is playing Saturday night at one of their hot spots — a local retirement home. Honestly, they love playing Southern Gospel and old Country music, and the residents adore them.

And, since I didn’t post anything about the 4th, here are a few pictures from our weekend project. Duck and I bought Doodle a basketball goal (well, Duck likes it too!) for her birthday. He and I (mostly he — I hate hard labor) put roughly 800 lbs of concrete in the ground and the pole, and over the course of the weekend — got that sucker up! And it stayed up! It’s a miracle I tell ya!

She Shoots!

It's Going In!

Nothin' but net

Duck Basketball Goal

I’m not quite sure what look Duck was going for? Maybe he thought it was going to fall? But actually he was getting ready to slam dunk quite a few. We just won’t mention that it was set at 7’5″ when it should be 10′ for him

I will mention however, that I really don’t like the pictures I take with my camera. I need a new lens, a new camera, or a new operator. Serious lessons would be appreciated. Do ya’ll have any tips?

| Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Motorcycle

Valentine’s Day – YUCK

By Lisa B on February 14, 2009

I’ve always had a thing against V-day. If you can’t love on me 364-days a year, then don’t try to make it up with one day where “everyone” is “supposed” to buy their honeys flowers, chocolate and other assorted gifts.

Last year the day before V-day, I wrote God made me weird. I have some good stuff in my archives by the way. I need to go back and read them! It’s almost like reading a different person writing, and then I think, “oh yeah, I wrote that!”

If you wanted to read about my first Valentine’s Day with Duck, I wrote about that too. Seriously, go read. I’ll wait.

La-te-da-de-doh. Oh good. You’re back.

Well, I have to share with y’all that I absolutely adore Duck. He truly is God’s Perfect Gift to me and only me — so you’re out of luck Last weekend he encouraged me to go to BlissDom and socialize, meet friends, and have a good time. Although I lost my mind and didn’t call him enough — he worries about me — he forgave me.

While I was out of town, he shampooed the carpet in our bedroom (something that hasn’t been done in years probably), rearranged furniture, got rid of some clutter, dusted, vaccuumed, and did the laundry. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to walk into a clean house Yep! I’m keeping him!

He’s also got a great sense of humor. Yesterday I went to eat lunch with him. He told me he was going to run 3 miles and asked me if I brought my stuff to run with him. I don’t run. Well, I’ve learned to run — but only 70 feet at a time (softball bases) — and definitely not 3 miles. See? He knows I couldn’t run 3 miles! He’s so funny!

So, Duck — here’s my v-day card to you. I love you with all my heart. Thanks for buying me a Harley — the one that I actually ride

{edited to fix the link above to God Made Me Weird Thanks Kellie!!}

| Filed Under: Blessings, Blissdom 09, Holidays, Marriage, Motorcycle

When Doodle is the voice of reason, we’re all in trouble.

By Lisa B on January 6, 2009

For Christmas, Doodle got a Build-A-Bear that wasn’t stuffed yet and a gift card from my sister-in-law. She was all excited to go and stuff it that I mistakenly told her I would take her the day after Christmas.

What.a.huge.mistake.

The nearest Build-A-Bear is at a huge mall just across town. I never thought I would ever see that parking lot packed. It’s huge. But every space was filled. Cars were everywhere. People driving around, cutting each other off to get spaces. Following people down aisles as they left the mall to get their spaces.

On the verge of tears, I told Doodle I couldn’t handle this. That we might just have to come back next week.

She’d been playing music on my phone and we happened to be listening to Nicole C. Mullen’s Call on Jesus. She exclaims, “Mom! This song just gave me an idea!”

She proceeded to pause the music and pray for a parking space. As I debated giving the lecture of praying for something so small as a parking space, I decided to not give the lecture. After all, the parking space was important to her, she should pray about it.

A couple of minutes later we found someone backing out and got a space. We were utterly exhausted by the time we made it into the mall, to the store and back.

On the way home I thought about how Doodle had reacted to everything with a calm demeanor and prayer. Whereas I was ready for tears and cussing. I’m glad she prayed when she did, but I was really about to lose it. I have a pretty special little girl!

| Filed Under: Family, Holidays

We interrupt this bloggy break …

By Lisa B on December 31, 2008

to say Happy New Year!

I’ve seen a lot of talk on Twitter lately asking about goals for 2009 and all that stuff. Frankly, I hate setting goals just because it’s the new year. Resolutions just don’t ever set well with me because I rarely follow through with them.

I’m in great physical shape, and for that I’m very thankful. I’ve been working out at the gym on a regular basis for a little over a year now and I’m so glad I’ve done it. Was it a resolution? Not so much. It was starting out slow (not trying to “run” on the treadmill for 30 minutes) but more like walking for 10 minutes. The biggest thing was doing a little at a time, but staying consistent.

While I was consistent with my workout, I have not been consistent at all with some of the other things that should be more important. Like reading my Bible. Praying. Following God’s lead.

Many Christians are sharing verses for the year. I’m going to share the one I’m going to focus on this year:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

� Matthew 6:25 – 34 (NKJV)

Ok, so I threw in a few extra verses. They are all so relative to the one I’m going to focus on. Because seeking first (not last, not after Twitter, not after blogging) God is what I need to do every single day of 2009.

I pray that you and your family are safe this New Year’s and that God blesses you in ways you never thought possible in 2009. Happy New Year!

| Filed Under: Holidays

How do you take a vacation when you work from home?

By Lisa B on December 19, 2008

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

~ Proverbs 14:30, NLT

Try not to get caught up in all the gifts or material things that you either get or don’t get. I truly wish all of you a very Merry CHRISTmas, and hope that you remember the reason for the season.

| Filed Under: Blessings, Bloggin', Holidays, Personal

Birthday and Mother’s Day Follow-up

By Lisa B on May 12, 2008

Soliloquy had a birthday last Friday and came here to ask what I got for my birthday.

When I was little, I loved celebrating birthdays. I got to choose what I wanted for dinner (most of the time Mom’s spaghetti) and I got a chocolate pound cake. Oh yeah, and tons of presents As I’ve grown older though, birthdays don’t hold as much celebration for me. It seems everyone is busy and headed in different directions. When we do get together, it’s often not on the actual birthday. The Friday before my birthday, I got to eat Kanki (Japanese steak house) with my parents, my in-laws and of course, Duck and Doodle.

When Duck and I first started dating, I told him all I wanted for my birthday was a “Happy Birthday” on my actual birthday. I went all day without mentioning to him that it was my birthday and he finally told me at 10:30 pm that night. He’d heard my sister’s message on the answering machine telling me happy birthday. To his defense, he was thinking it was in a few days when we were to get together with family. Ever since then, he’s started like a week early — telling me happy birthday until my birthday passes. It’s kinda funny.

As far as presents go, I’m not really one to get excited about getting presents any more. If you are familiar with Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages (and if you’re not, you should be!), I scored the highest on Quality Time and Physical Affection. Get your mind out of the gutter — physical affection just means I’d rather have a hug (or lots of hugs) instead of material things. So whenever Duck asks me what I want for my birthday (or mother’s day or valentine’s day or whatever), I tend to draw a blank. I have everything materially I need and most of what I want. I’d feel kinda cheesy just saying “I’d like many more hugs please!”

Usually there is something big I want to do or to get, and if it happens to be around my birth month, then I declare it’s my birthday present and everyone’s happy This year I’m going to She Speaks and since I’m going to be in the area, I’m going shopping for clothes with Shari Braendel. Her time and my clothes are going to be my birthday present. And that’s totally awesome with me. I’ve always been more of a tom boy. Duck loves to take me shopping and pick out clothes for me, but he says he doesn’t really know what’s right for me. Shari’s going to show us both (Duck’s going too!) how to shop for me. It’s going to be so cool and one of those things that I just always felt would be way too expensive to do. Of course, I haven’t bought new clothes in a few years, so I’m sure we’ve saved money there.

Now, as far as Mother’s Day — well, I lump that in with Valentine’s Day although I don’t hate Mother’s Day as much as I do Valentine’s Day. I am of the mindset that if you cannot show me you love me and appreciate me the other 364 days of the year, don’t try to make it up with stuff on one day. I think because of my main love languages, I don’t like flowers, cards, candy, or even jewelry. I know. I’m just not your typical woman at all. But that’s me. Duck’s learned to adjust to me pretty well. He was raised a good ol’ southern boy full of manners and expectations that you buy flowers, cards and jewelry for all those special occasions. I still love his manners of opening doors for me and treating me like a queen — but I don’t want or need the other material stuff.

There you have it. I’m weird, but it works for us. I will tell you it took a few years of pleading with Duck that he didn’t have to do that stuff before he finally listened He thought I was trying to play mind games or something, but really I am as honest with him as I can be.

How was your Mother’s Day?

Edited to add: As if I didn’t say enough the first time I just wanted to say Duck went out and got me my favorite breakfast yesterday. It wasn’t anything he did specially for Mother’s Day though — he goes out and gets me breakfast every weekend. He’s just really sweet like that