Shoes, Replaced

In October 2006, I bought two pairs of Naturalizers that I have since worn every Sunday and on many days between. The black ones are still in reasonably good shape, but the brown ones had gotten pretty ratty. Last Sunday morning one of the heels broke right before church, so I had to wear the sandals I'd worn to walk to work during worship. Replacements were needed, pronto.

At first I was unimpressed with the Naturalizers selection at Zappos, but then I tried their site... major sale, huge selection. I bought no fewer than three pairs. With a coupon code I uncovered online, the total was about $100. If they last as long and wear as comfortably as the first pairs did, I'm going to send Naturalizers a hand-written thank you note.

The goods:
Not to put a damper on what would otherwise be a simple post about cute shoes... but as I scanned through the archives to find that original shoe post, I realized that I bought those shoes just a couple weeks after Deacon died. How is it possible that I've walked so many miles without that beloved dog?

You just never stop missing a good dog.

Grieving

It happens like this: for a couple hours, I'm in a lousy mood. No reason why, or so it seems. The day could have been lovely (as today was) or not, but the little cartoon storm cloud settles above my head and won't go away. Then I realize, again, that I'm still grieving.

Last night I dreamed about my church in California. And now tonight, I'm awake wondering how this one is recovering from surgery, how that one is handling another loss. I'm remembering how funny she is, and how he is the best kind of curmudgeonly. I'm thinking about the quality of light in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, and how they haven't missed a week since they started serving that pancake breakfast.

There's no doubt that it was time to go. We just couldn't make California home. We needed to be closer to family, and be in a community with more kids Juliette's age. I love where we've landed, and believe I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. But my God, it's painful to not be their pastor anymore.

How Not To Celebrate Your Father's 70th Birthday

Do not, under any circumstances:

1. Call just minutes after you know their company arrived, asking to Skype just for three minutes so your 2.5 year old can sing happy birthday;

2. As soon as the Skype video chat begins, immediately and inexplicably fall to the ground with said 2.5 year old in your arms;

3. Have your internet drop out at this very moment, so your poor Pa and Ma (and company) have a frozen image not of you (because, after all you are sitting on the ground in a daze, trying not to cry as hard as your 2.5 year old is crying), but of the blank spot where you used to be, in addition to the chair that landed on its side a good three feet from where it should have been (which is to say, beneath your behind);

4. Call back on the landline, still in tears, so that your poor birthday-boy dad has to comfort you in the middle of his own birthday party;

5. Calm down and share the last piece of the leftover ice cream cake with your 2.5 year old, who clearly did not land as hard as you did.

Actually, you probably should do #5 if you ever happen to find yourself fulfilling numbers one through four.

At the very least, it gave my father an opportunity to do something he does very well: comfort an upset daughter.

Thank you, *D*, for being a wonderful father, and I hope my ongoing issues with gravity didn't put too much of a damper on your party. I love you.

Seven on Sunday

1. While I was in Collegeville, I finished almost three drafts of chapters for my book. I also re-wrapped my mind around the project after many months of leaving it to simmer, unattended, on the back burner. Let's just say I have a LOT to do between now and the deadline. Unnumbered blog posts may be as rare as they were in the first months after Juliette was born.

2. I'm officially part of a writing group for the first time in a very long time. It's so exciting.

3. This morning after worship, the Mission and Outreach committee hosted coffee hour. They made root beer floats. I am wildly fond of root beer floats.

4. Our landlord provided us with a lawn mower, but it was a little old and smoky for comfort. We considered investing in an electric mower, but since we're unlikely to have a large yard anytime in the near future, Ben picked out a Husqvarna push-reel mower. It is such a lovely little piece of equipment, and not at all difficult to use. I had never really mowed a lawn before, as people always seem to be worried that I'll get hurt if I do so, but I successfully cut the front lawn without incident. I like that we've gone from having a gardener at the parsonage to powering our own mower. :)


5. My little gargoyle loves his new post.6. The Innocence Mission has a new album called My Room in the Trees. Such gentle beauty.

7. We checked Pollyanna out at the library last week. I remembered having liked it as a kid, but this time around I loved it.

Ten on Tuesday: Happy 30th Birthday/ 8th Anniversary Edition

1. I'm thirty years old! I've decided that I love the number 30. Ben told me first thing this morning that it's the sum of the first four squares, making it a square pyramidal number. (He'd been on Wikipedia.)

2. Ben and I have been married for eight years. (Happy Anniversary, dear husband.) I didn't manage to write his annual Father's Day One Act Play, so I wrote one for our anniversary. We read the script over lunch at Knead, a sweet little bakery in the next village over. That is one tradition worth keeping.

3. I celebrated my last day of being 29 with a trip to the gym, and my first day of being 30 with... a trip to the gym. Ironically, I have joined a local franchise of the gym that got (rightfully) sued for shady membership practices. I swore I would never give them another cent, but it's an amazing gym - waaaay nicer than the one in CA - and I'm paying significantly less. Water under the bridge. That little 45-day class action mandated pass was such a reminder that I am way healthier and happier when I BUST IT at the gym on a very regular basis.

4. My parents came to visit last weekend for my first preaching date at the new church. The bonus was that we got to celebrate both my 30th and my father's 70th birthdays, as they are a week apart. Happy Birthday *D* & KEWP.
5. You see that plant peeking over my father's right shoulder? I'm going to have to take a proper photograph of it in the light of day. M & D brought it from Ohio. It was a wedding gift from my friend Kara. We never could figure out how to get it all the way to California, so my parents have taken care of it all this time. It's about six feet long and has apparently parented a number of offshoot plants. It's so cool to finally have it in our own home.

6. Sunday went swimmingly... an apt description since I preached about baptism. I preach again this Sunday, and it will be about Communion. I'm talking about the divergences between the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ traditions. After worship the search committee hosted a little celebration, complete with birthday cupcakes. The two best compliments I heard all day: the semi-retired minister of congregational care telling me that I belong here, and someone joking that the search committee was out on the lawn doing chest bumps. Tee hee.

7. Although they were not birthday gifts, the chairs for my church study were constructed today. They are too cute.
8. Facebook does have a way of making birthdays that much more fun. I got so many greetings from all sorts of people.

9. One more Sunday anecdote: Juliette experienced her first children's sermon. She wandered away twice, while all the other kids were sitting quietly. The first time she came over and gave me a hug, which was of course cute. And the second time she made a beeline for the pulpit, which is several steps up off the ground (great for fire and brimstone sermons!). I had to go up after her. Much laughter ensued.

10. Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me!

Juliette's Smile

...makes me so very happy.