I literally work in a closet most of my day. I have an actual office, but I am never there. So as I sit in the closet, and as I travel between classrooms, I hear and see lots of interesting things.

Things I heard/saw today...
* The picture above is a gift from my little friend from "Nahlens". Notice the happy face? Notice the blue skies. He is healing so beautifully. :) I look forward to seeing his smiling face every day.

* ANTS!!! This morning, I discovered my closet is infested with ants. Could it be the fact that I eat lunch back there every day? hmmm... Anyway, I noticed a nice little line of ants, all going to one location, all working together. Then, there was this one ant... wandering away from the group. I thought, "You go little wandering ant!"
In life, I feel like that ant most of my life! I am either wandering away from the group because I am being defiant, or just because I don't know what the heck I am doing... Usually the latter, is the case. No matter what, I admired that little wandering ant.
I feel your pain, friend.

* Walking in the hallway, I saw a little boy peeking his head out of the bathroom. As soon as he saw me, he sang at the top of his lungs..."I feel good, na na na na na na na."
Yeah, honey, somedays after going to the bathroom, I am ready to sing that too!!

* From a substitute trying to teach safety..."If you get hit by a car, you might die, and that would be sad." uh, yathink?

* From the classroom next door, "What color IS Miss Muffett?" -isn't that up there with "what color is God"? Wouldn't we ALL like answers to that question that keeps us up nights!

* Thirty bright shining fifth grade faces tonight at the PTA meeting all singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
I was a slobbery, crying mess by the end of the song!

Hi. My name is Susie and I am a control freak.

they say the first step is admitting...

Say it slowly... I can do better. I don't need to take control...of everything.
I will not try to take over someone's classroom.
I will not make teachers cry.
I will be nice and represent the Hula
Boola to the best of my ability.

Scars...


Ok, here is a newsflash. I am not the most graceful person on the planet.
I try not to wear white shirts any more since every white shirt I own these days has some sort of stain on it.
I run into things, too, all the time as a matter of fact. I am considering a big padded bumper for the foot of the bed.
Hey, what's that bruise on your leg? Oh, the one that is the same height as the bed? Well, the corner of the bed moved in the middle of the night and attacked me.
So, this summer, on the mission trip, we did some climbing. Not huge mountain climbing mind you, just some treading on slickish rocks. So, surprise surprise, I fell.
I can actually hark back to the scene. I was trying hard to walk as carefully as I could, but something happened. My footing was off and I slipped. I didn't fall far, but I fell hard. My camera came crashing down on the rock and so did my butt and my right arm. All got bruised pretty badly.
Soon enough, I got bandaged, on flat land, and chastised by a bunch of teenagers for being so clumsy. Nothing like being chastised by teenagers to make you feel old and stupid. Oh and thank goodness this happened at the beginning of the mission trip so I could hear about it all week! What great fun that was!

So, three months later, the bruise on my butt has healed but the scar on my arm from the fall is still there.
I have been looking at that scar recently. I could get some "stuff" and make it heal, or I could leave it there. It is sort of a battle scar for me. A memory of sorts.
It becomes a division of time, in a sense. Did you know me before or after I met B? Before or after I moved to Indiana? Before or after the scar? See? It is a mark in time.

Today is September 11th... another passage of time. Everyone always says, "Where were you when you heard the news? Do you remember what you were doing?"
I remember I was giving my first graders a test and wondering if my husband and pen pal were all right.
September 11th changed our lives. It changed our world in so many ways. It made us angry. It made us stop trusting. It made us realize that we were vulnerable to our enemies. It also created heroes of great proportions.

Katrina is similar... life will be different now. Because of Katrina, people are living in churches, at homeless shelters, in major sports arenas. I know that Katrina has changed lives and has totally taken away more than I can imagine. Our schools are full and the town seems to be busting at the seams with so many bodies. Like I said before, Texas has opened up it's Big Tex sized arms and said, "Come on in y'all! Pass the fajitas!"
But that is the greatest part! I think it has given us hope. It has made us gain faith, and forced us to become the face of God to strangers. It is making us love, accept and grow. It is making us work together and wrap our loving arms around each other and heal each other.

My arm won't ever be the same again after that fall. I am convinced of that. Neither will we as people be the same again. Hopefully, because of this, we will learn, grow, and open up our hearts to each other like never before. We will mark our lives by those scars.... and we will be better for them.

Annie... Pet Art from Hugh...






More Art... this time from Hugh... Man Genius... and BESTEST of all!!!
Isn't this awesome????
:) He rocks!!!

just some art given to me recently from the Boy Genius.
:)
I love that little man!

My MOM...

There is no other way to put it... my mom is.... EXTRAVAGANT.
I had to check the spelling twice by the way!
My mom is so awesome and since today is her birthday, I thought I would create a little ode to her.

My mom and I have been pals for a long long time. My poor dad sometimes feels slighted, knowing that when I call the house, it is really to talk to mom and he becomes the middleman in the process.
My mom is incredibly intelligent. She gave me my love of books and my thirst for knowledge.
She reads entire encyclopedias for goodness sakes!

Me: Hey mom, what are you doing?
Mom: Oh, nothing much, just reading.
Me: Really, something new and cool?
Mom: oh yeah it is cool but not so new...
I am reading all of the Ms in the World Book.
It is great!

Yeah, that is a real conversation I would have with my mom.

She was a speech and drama teacher for years and years so who can even wonder where I got my sense of style? I wear the tap shoes and she wears the medieval capes.
Then, she became an elementary principal. Let me tell you, that was a shocker... going from attitudinal high school kids to kindergarteners that pee all over the place! But she did it in style. I never worked for her, but I have a feeling I would have liked her as a principal. She knew that what was important was teaching kids. She did everything in her power to make sure that happened.

Then, she retired and spends her time making quilts, playing with her crazy cat, teaching adults how to read, and singing in the church choir, and organizing her things. Yeah, she is a Virgo... we forgive her if her cans are organized by color in her pantry and her spices are alphabetical. We love her anyway.

But I think the most incredible thing about my mom is how great she did with me. As busy as she was with speech tournaments and play competitions, and teacher crap, she never never never made me feel unimportant. She always worked really hard to make me feel special, loved, and important. And she works really hard to do that with everyone she meets.

So, this is my turn to make her feel that same way. I don't tell her enough just how awesome she is...
So mom... here is your zoom song, and know just how EXTRAGAVANT you really are!!!
(Yeah, I know it is spelled wrong!)

I love you!

Scrapbooks...

I love me a road trip in the springtime. Everything smells fresh and clean and the wind can flow through your hair as you speed down the highway admiring the bluebonnets. But it isn't spring. It is still considered summer here in Texas and it is hot. H...O...T hot.
So a road trip wasn't really on my to-do list this weekend but since my mom's birthday is coming up soon, we decided to take advantage of the days off to go see her. (yeah for mom!!! b-day post coming soon!!!)
Another purpose for the trip was to sort through boxes of my crap that my parents don't feel like storing any longer for me.
They figure I have my own garage. I can store my own stuff.
Ugh. Close minded thinking!
hee hee.
So, I went through photo albums and scrapbooks, from eighth grade all the way to college. At first, I was ready to pitch them all... put them all in the trash. But no one would let me.
"One day," they said, "you will want that stuff, you will want your memories." I don't think so, but I kept them anyway.
I looked through those books a bit and laughed and remembered great times. I remembered crappy times and got angry all over again.
Now I know why I don't scrapbook any more.

I looked at those books and thought about the people in my life who had come and gone. The pages of the scrapbooks filled with friends who took up my heart those days.
How silly I was and how stupid.

I went to church with my mom on Sunday. They are in the middle of a minister search so for now, they do with "fill ins" from around the area. I knew this visiting minister well. We had staffed Cursillo together. We had talked about Austin College (go roos!) and had laughed. I was excited to see him there, but knowing that he is an older man and knows lots and lots of people, I didn't figure he would remember me.
The service began and it was order as usual... a little singing here, a little praying there. Then it happened. Jack, the minister got up and before he read the scripture, he stopped and scanned the room... he looked directly at me and I smiled. He got bright red and smiled a huge smile back. Then, this 70+ age old man did the funniest thing. He sheepishly waved at me. Like the first graders do to me in the hall when they want to say hello but don't want to get in trouble by their teacher. It was cute. I sheepishly waved back and he began the reading of the scripture.

At the passing of the peace though, I was surprised to see him right at my side to give me a big hug. He didn't know my name, I knew, but he knew my face. I was a friendly face among the strangers.
I realized as soon as he looked at me that I had been placed into his emotional/mental scrapbook. I was sure glad to have been placed there!

I used to think my scrapbook was full...overflowing with friends, people I know who have shaped my life and have an imprint into my future. I didn't think there were any more pages available. I didn't think there was room in my heart for any more love. Boy was I wrong.
So, to my mom and dad, my BT and Annie, the CoF, Ging and Miles man...boy genius, the Knit Wits, the Westminster Youth Connection, Cursillistas, my Renewal Group, and my newly added, Pirates of Penance... thanks for the ride.
Thanks for filling my scrapbook even more. For you, I am truly thankful.

Hugh's Birthday!!! Yeah!!!!


So, my man Hugh is 44 today! Wow! What an amazing thing! And how many amazing things has he done in those short 44 years? I would love to sit on the back porch of my house with him and talk for hours!!! I would love that! Oh the things I would learn! He is my hero.
I imagine he is sitting in his apartment celebrating that birthday. Just for today, he is wearing his Hughman Super Hero cape, eating homemade cookies and drinking the Hughman superhero elixir of life... (With an umbrella of course).
He might have even risked giving away his mild mannered alter ego by marching himself to the dog park in that same cape.
You never know with that Hugh. And hiding underneath the superhero cape, you are sure to find a pirate tattoo of some sort, I just know it! ARRGGG!
If you don't know Hugh, you should. We all should.
He is one of the best writers I know. He can make you laugh, cry, and think so hard your head hurts, all in one blog. He has a way of looking at the world that I love.

Hugh is a teenager trapped in a 44 year old body that is for sure!
He is the class clown in the chat room. (I am certainly the most serious one there.)
He can also channel a teenage girl in no time flat. Hugh also knows all the cool kid popular culture references, and even is daring enough to make up his own.... Hula Boola... totes brill for sure!
Hugh is so cool, his favorite color is black... who else is cool enough to say that?... oh, and lime green! Now that is coolness personified!!! Hugh is so cool that his favorite food is not the normal, "Mexican, Italian" crap. Oh no. That Hugh loves him some sushi.
The best thing about Hugh is his enormous heart! It is brimming with love for everyone he meets, and lots he may never meet.
So, I have asked Hugh lots of questions lately, and he has kindly put up with them all... but I have a few more questions for him in the form of a song that I heard today... (I couldn't help but think of him!)
Lyrics have been changed a bit to fit... please forgive me!

To be that good, it must be taxin’
No such thing as satisfaction
You’re makin’ things happen while I’m relaxin’
Like a Sunday afternoon
My dad used to tell me I was lazy
I got dance moves like Patrick Swayze
I’m the left over turkey for the world’s mayonnaisey
The star next to the moon

Now I know I’m just here to amuse you
And I don’t mean to abuse you
But if I could just use you one time

Tell me what it’s like
To be the queen of it all
The Neiman Marcus of the Mall
And tell me what it’s like to be the one and only
All American Hugh


Every now and then I get to the kneelin’
To thank him for it all
But you probably got some inside connection
So many numbers that you gotta rolodex them
So much muscle that you never gotta flex them
To catch you when you fall

And I know I’m just here to amuse you
And I don’t mean to confuse you
But if I could just use you one more time

Tell me what it’s like to be the house on the hill
The number one diet pill
And tell me what it’s like to be the one and only
All American Hugh


And I know you’re not here to amuse me
But you sure know how to confuse me
So if I could just ask you once again

To tell me what it’s like to be a star on the rise
A breakfast cereal prize
And tell me what it’s like to be the one and only
All American Hugh
The All American Hugh
The all amazing crazy Hugh...



The thing is, Hughman IS the all American. He is the breakfast cereal prize...the bee's knees, THE HULA BOOLA!!!
I love you Hughman! Happy birthday!
Here is your zoom song.

The president of your fan club...
Susiederk.

:)

it is almost midnight my time, which means it is almost Hugh's b-day!
Look for a blog to take this space very soon...
my ode to the hughman.
Susie

The kids are coming in... The rains may have washed them out of Louisiana and Mississippi, but Texas has wrapped its big texas size arms around them and said, come on! We will teach your children. We will love them and support them as we do our own. So they came today. By the dozens into our classrooms. All with parents who said the same exact words, "we lost everything... Please take care of my child." And we did. And will will continue to...


I guess that is the best I can do right now for the world...

Just Stuff.....

I guess about six years ago, the Circle of Friends were all gathered in Mullin, Texas for our annual New Years Eve gathering. We spent some time doing the usual heart-felt but cheesy toasts, to one another, to friends far away, to... blah blah blah. Then the question came up..."what was the best thing about this past year?" As we went around the table, lots of things were mentioned... new cars, new computers, new stuff. Then it was BT (the older and wiser member of the CoF) who spoke up and said, "you know, all of those things that you mentioned, the computer, the car... they are all great things... but they are just stuff. We need to spend time thinking about our year and whom we loved and how we touched other people's lives. Stuff comes and goes, but our friendships, that is what really matters in the world." Boy, were we feeling stupid.


Tonight, I came home griping about the master’s class I enrolled in. I griped about people I work with, I griped about my headache and my hungry belly and the coming of a head cold. I griped and griped and griped, and then I turned on CNN. I sat and stared at the devastation of it all. How stupid had I just been? I got to come home to medicine, a warm bed, the smell of cooking food, a roof over my head, and most importantly, my husband who loves me and listens to me gripe about my petty crap.
I watched the news and realized it wasn't just the "stuff" that people were worried about...it was their relationships with others. It was their family members and their friends. It was the important things that they worried about. And it made me feel sick to my stomach.
I pray tonight for forgiveness for being so petty in time of crisis. I pray for the people who have been affected by Katrina. I pray that they will find comfort with friends and family, as they sort through the "stuff" of their lives. I pray that we can all gain perspective, just like BT tried to impart that New Years Eve. I pray that those precious children of God will be able to rebuild and gain strength and hope. I just pray. I hope you will too.

Another Birthday... These never end!!!

Seems like when I started this, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. EVERYONE I know has a birthday coming up. This birthday thing may last a while friends. Bear with me.

I was telling someone the other day that this past year, I have managed to get to know three people who are going to seminary, and like about a million ministers. I need to be hanging out in seedier places for sure! So, I have learned something from all of this... ministers are people too. They have issues just like the rest of us.
They have bad days and days when they are tired and grumpy and frustrated with the world. They worry about finances and jobs and the world just as much as the rest of us.
Some days are good and they love their jobs. Other days, they would like to scream, curse and run away as fast as they can. hmmm. Sound familiar?

So, this person who is celebrating a birthday on Friday is someone I only know through chat and her blog, but she is someone who has made me really realize that preachers are people too.
You need to meet her... I promise you would like her. Her name is rev stacey and she has a blog here...

Ok, Stacey is a first year minister and she is still in her 20s. She lives in New York somewhere in the boonies... too far away from civilization to be able to order pizza delivery. She lives with an enormous, I mean gigantic dog. She is going through life one day at a time in her job. She loves it some days, hates it other days, but mostly, I think she is just trying to get by... and listen to God the best way she knows how. I think she is worth getting to know. I know that in the real world, in real life, she and I could be friends... or else she might sick that gigantic dog on me!!!

Stacey, here is your zoom song... enjoy!

I HEART BOOKS!!!


Rev Stacey has kindly added me to her list of links. Trust me friends, if I had a clue how to add links, I would be adding all kinds of people. :)
She also tagged me with this little questionaire about myself. Considering the fact that I write about myself all the time, this shouldn't be a stretch, but it really was!

1. Number of books owned: uh, millions? billions? mostly children's picture books which I love. My mom is to blame for my love of books. Amazon thanks you too, mom...

2. Last book bought: David Sedaris audiobook. This thing cracks me up! Also Stichin' Bitch, the knitter's guide.

3. Last book completed: Uh this is a hard one. As a reading teacher, I don't actually read. Well, I read lots of kid's books, but nothing substantial. I have about 6 or so books that I am in the middle of.. I guess Harry Potter #7 I actually finished....wow! Go me!!!

4. Five or more books that mean a lot to me:
Real live Preacher.com is the best! I refer to the stories all the time!
World According to Chuck, because it is also great writing and he signed it for me! Love that!
Any of the Mitford Series. I love that little minister man.
Reading Recovery guidebook... it is my Reading teacher bible.
About the Author... a great guide for teaching writing in the K-1 classroom.
Who's Mouse are you? my favorite book of childhood. Lots of great memories in that book!

5. Four bloggers I am passing this on to...
my friend Jay... so he can write about himself and not about the book of common prayer.
My BFF ginger... she is a fantastic writer... this will force her to do some writing.
My friend David Mahfood... because no matter what, he is a deep thinker and he can turn this whole quick question thing into a study on religion for sure.
Paula...because even though I just met her, we are soul sisters for sure.

Another Birthday Zoom Song...

please scroll down and read about the zoom song before reading this.
Annie...

There is Annie hiding in the monument to slactitude...

Well, the vet told us August was when Annie must have been born, so I figured I would write a little birthday zoom message to her as well...
The school I worked in when I first met Annie was quite old and had some really strange classrooms. The only doors to the rooms were from the outside. Hallways were for wimps.
I arrived at work, early as usual, and noticed several kids outside messing with something in the bushes. Now, as a teacher, the sight of several third and fourth grade boys messing with something in the bushes is, as a rule, never a good thing.
So, I got ready to face the chaos and went over to talk to them.
There in the tree was the tiniest little kitten ever! She was full of fleas and as thin as she could be. She was so tiny she could actually fit in the palm of my hand. I took her away from the mean older boys and took her inside the school. What was I going to do with this little thing? I couldn't leave her out there for more kids to come up and torture. I had to do something. Luckily, we had a little atrium in our school where she could go and we could keep her safe during the day. But then, what would we do with her after school was over?
I felt responsible! I had found this little thing! I was going to have to take her home. I made the call home and prepared for the worst. Here I was, the cat person, calling the dog person in the family, to break the news that we would be having a cat come live with us. Needless to say, BT was not pleased. But he did go to the store and purchase all the needed supplies for her to live comfortably at our house.
On the drive home, she slept in a box the entire time. I was so worried she was sick... I just knew she wouldn't make it.
As soon as we arrived home, BT made her a bath and gave her medicine for the fleas. She didn't move or fight when we put her into the water. We fed her, we loved her, and we watched fleas jump for their lives to avoid the medicine on her body. Neither one of us thought she would make it.
She was that sick. But something happened because once the fleas were gone and she got some good food in her, she was like a different kitten. She was running all over the house jumping and playing and being silly. She became our cat from that moment on!
That first Christmas when BT was gone the whole month of December, Annie and I became best friends. She slept on his side of the bed and looked after me as much as she could. She and I bonded. She was sure not happy when BT came back home! Her side of the bed was being taken over again. When she was little, she slept so that her body was leaned against my heart. I loved that.
Annie is no longer the teeny tiny little kitten with huge bat ears. She is big and fat and lazy and takes up half the bed, but she still sleeps right at my heart... right where she belongs.

Birthdays and the Zoom Song...

When I was little, my parents bought me one of those super cool floppy 45 records, that played the coolest song I know.
It was MY song. It had MY name in it and it was about some space captain named Zoom who was flying through space just to wish me a happy happy birthday.
I think I played it like a million times. Especially on my birthday of course!
Once I got to high school, I was too cool for such childish things and that floppy record went away.
Then college came and my friend Julie had that same record. This time, Zoom was talking to her... it had her name in it.
Once I got over the initial shock of not hearing MY name...(what??? Zoom sings to everyone???) I grew to like that silly song again. Now, whenever someone in my family has a birthday, we call each other up and sing the zoom song to them!
Unfortunately, I am way too lazy to actually buy the actual CD, so I don't know all of the words...only the ones posted in the little snippet on the internet. So, thankfully it is usually pretty short when sung.
I got to realizing last night that lots of significant people's birthdays are coming up or had just recently passed. Since they might find me calling them in the middle of the night singing the Zoom song a bit odd... I think I will do this instead...
Here is some info about people I know and love, who's birthdays are coming up or have just passed, and why you would like them too...

Consider it a cooler version of the zoom song...

Meet My DAD...
Maynard...yep, that's his name... that's what I call him anyway. NO one else calls him that but me.
His birthday was in June and I didn't get to see him on his birthday. He has the unfortunate luck of having his birthday before or on father's day every year. But, I guess that means more gifts for him.
My dad is the oldest of three kids, so that comes with lots of responsibilities. He has a great way of calming the waters when things are tense or crazy with his brother and sister. He also has the job of taking care of my grandfather, which is a full time job sometimes. He is so kind and sweet with my grandfather. You should see him! As much as my grandfather drives us all crazy, my dad is so patient and kind and willing to help him.
My dad is an incredibly smart guy. Although it was never diagnosed, I swear my dad has ADD and Dyslexia. He thought he was dumb in school because he had such a hard time reading. That didn't keep him from doing what he loved though. He became a teacher, and a principal and eventually retired as the Director of Fine Arts for the school district. Not too shabby for a guy with some reading problems. He is one reason I do what I do now... teach struggling readers. My dad didn't have it easy in school. He didn't have someone to focus him and help him when he struggled.
My dad is a great speaker. He loves to tell stories. You should see his face light up when he starts to tell stories. Some stories are not necessarily even close to the truth, which I guess helps since he is a fisherman and a golfer. :)
I can remember fondly walking down the dirt road with my dad, hand in hand. His big hand engulfing my little one. I remember looking at those two hands and knowing that he would always take care of me. Always.
My dad is a pretty great guy. He has a heart of gold and he means well. He would do anything for anyone and I love him a lot!!

There's your zoom song dad!!!



Ginger

I almost forgot Ginger's birthday since it was the beginning of August and I got involved in getting myself ready to go back to work! I meant to call her on her birthday too and force the Zoom song on her, but I don't know what happened. I suck.
So hope this helps...
Ginger and I met in college. We weren't really friends though until senior year when she moved in across the hall from me in the dorm. We hit it off and became pretty good friends, but not what I would consider close. She was part of the Circle of Friends though, so we were at things together. I fondly remember spring break of our senior year when we decided to rebel and not go home. We stayed with the boys instead and hung out at their apartment. I can remember being shocked when she washed her bra and hung it up in the boy's bathroom for all to see. I don't know why that really shocked me so much at the time. What a prude I was back then!
Ginger and I have become really close friends within the past ummm... 4 years now? She moved to Texas and I fell in love with her little red headed son. He is my bestest friend on the planet. If they didn't live 2 hours away, I would see that little Miles man every weekend! I love him so much!
Ginger is a fantastic writer. She is the kind of writer I want to be like when I grow up. She can take words and use them to make something that was ugly into something totally beautiful. She has a gift for that. A knack! She is my fashion guide and help. "Ging, I am going to some semi formal thing... what the hell does semi formal mean these days??? I am a teacher! I wear khakis on a regular basis!"
Ging calms me down and talks me through my fashion issues. She is also my positive influence. She is always looking on the bright side of things, when I want to just scream and yell and throw a temper tantrum, she is always there with a positive comment.
She and I have exchanged official BFF necklaces... the one with the half of the heart. Not really, but I know that if I ever needed her, she would be there... and I hope she would feel/say the same thing about me!!!

KNIT HAPPENS...

I taught myself to knit this summer. It wasn't hard, it wasn't time consuming, and it was fun to learn. Really, thinking back on it, I have no idea why I decided this would be a good hobby for me.
I am a crafty person to a certain extent. I stink at sewing, so any sort of project like that is out. I used to scrapbook, then I ran out of patience, and space. I used to create things with polymer clay. Yeah, other than the nativity scene I made out of that clay, there were very few useful things I actually made. They were all cute and lovely, but sort of silly and not of any worth or value. Then, I moved on to jewelry making. That was the cool kid craft at the time and I loved picking out really pretty glass beads and things. Problem was, I never officially learned how to make jewelry, and sort of made it up as I went along, so my bracelets always seemed to fall apart at the most inopportune times... in the middle of a friend's wedding for instance. So, I sucked at jewelry making, pretty much.
Then I got a new computer and realized that I could make movies! Oh, fun! I took all of the old movies of our annual New Years Eve events, edited out all of the stupid things I did, accentuated all the crazy things my college friends did, and created our own little "Best of" movies. Those were pretty cool. I still watch the trailer I made for them when I am in need of a hearty laugh. I still like making movies and already have two more movies to work on this year.
But, it is not something a person could do everyday as a hobby.
So, I needed to find a good use for my ADD and my hands. So, I picked knitting.
The funny thing is, it turned out to be less of a hobby and more of a study in people once I got into it.
I realized that there is an unspoken knitter's club. We have a secret handshake and password.
Once, I was staring at the needles in the middle of Hobby Lobby one day when I noticed a lady, in her 50s or so walking down the isle. I don't know what in the world compelled me to stop her and ask questions, but I did.
She was so nice and so helpful. I was instantly joined into the fold of knitters. She told me secrets and plans for taking over the world with knitting... I would tell you but ...
No really, she taught me all kinds of things! And by the end of the time, this once perfect stranger had given me her phone number and hugged me as she walked away. That was when I knew I was IN, baby!

Once you say, "I'm a knitter. I can purl and everything," you are an official card carrying member of the club. So, I thought I was pretty cool. I became a knitter... the hipster of the crafting world. :)
Then I made the mistake of telling my friends. I should have known that those you love would take things the hardest...

"Hey, when we go to the lake for the fourth, I am going to take some knitting. Want me to knit you a beer koozie? I just learned how to make them! What color you want me to bring?"
My friends were dumbfounded...
I might as well have told them I was putting myself in an old-folks home. Suddenly, in their eyes, I became like a million years old, the grandma from Loony Toons sitting in her rocker knitting. And I guess they thought I was kidding... because when I showed up at the lake with my little knitting bag and a blue knitted beer koozie just for them, they were all freaked out.
"OH, you really DO knit. You weren't kidding about that." Those were actual words from a few people.
I wanted to say, "NO, I really don't knit. I was just kidding. This bag, these needles, they are all a big plot to trick you...I guess it worked... ha ha to you!"
Ugh.
I have learned from that, that I need to not spring the news of my knitting all at once, but do it gradually. I have begun sneaking my knitting out of my bag during several occasions just to "feel the waters". You never know how people will take the news... but a big part of me wants to announce to the world... KNIT HAPPENS... Deal with it....you might get a nice scarf out of the deal.

It's a small world after all.

Yeah, I know... silly phrase makes you imagine those scary Disney dolls all singing and dancing in their syrupy sweet robotic, Stepford Children sort of way... sorry. Erase that image from your mind please and bear with me here...

Let's hark back shall we? (wavy screen) To a time about 9 years or so ago. The internet still had that "new car" smell and the world was not as harsh back then. Those were the good old days when kids could run out and play on the information superhighway unharmed. Back when, yes there was always porn, but it wasn't on every world wide web street corner.
When surfers were innocent. Back then... it was different.
My computer geek friends were scattered in all regions going to Grad school and I was in El Paso and I was bored... really bored and lonely, trying to find my place in the world, and missing them. So they patiently taught me about the world of chatting. They taught me to LOL and to ROFL. They taught me BTW, BRB, and even WTF (mom, don't ask about that one) and it was there that we caught up with each other's lives. I loved chatting. It was my way of reaching a big hand out and giving my college friends a hug. It was my way, as the only girl of the group, to keep tabs on those boys. It was new, fun, and exciting. I loved it.
And then I got hooked! I was chatting all the time. I was chatting the day the bomb went off in Oklahoma. I got to hear first hand what happened there and what it looked like, from chatters who were there. Made me feel like I was there too, feeling the pain, experiencing the horror right along side them.
And boy did I play with my "handle", my user name... we all did. LT would be Calvin, or Spaceman Spiff, or one of the other Calvin and Hobbs characters and so I settled pretty well on Susiederk... for Susie Derkins of course... nemesis to Calvin. LT would bug me and I would just shake my head and think, what a strange kid that one is... so it fit.
I was Susiederk. It was settled.

Then one day, as we chatted, some mysterious person came into our little chat room. His "handle" was BT224... and he seemed kind of nice. He was funny! That was what attracted me to him. He was funny!
He and I had the same sense of humor and we got along great.
We talked every night, like clockwork. Poor thing, he was working a crazy shift at work and would get 3 or 4 hours sleep a night just because he wanted to talk to me instead of sleep. He was a crazy man.
We talked about everything under the sun. We got to know each other... better than any couple would if they were going to the movies or dinner on dates. We became best friends. And I knew, I really knew that I loved him. He was THE ONE.
And he still is.
Ahhh. the world of chat.

And once we got together in real life, we didn't really need chat. We tried chatting again later on, but it wasn't the same. The place and people weren't the same. It was a different place. Those times, they were a'changin'.
And we hadn't really gone back to chat much since then... till now.

Oh that RLP! He challenges us all the time doesn't he? He changes things on us all the time.
RLP now has a chat section. It is pretty fun. I do it every once in a while...
Who I am I kidding? I am hooked! So is BT although I am sure he would never admit it.
I don't know if it is because it reminds us of the "good old days" of chat or what, but it is great.
We were just talking a few minutes ago about how it feels like a little family in the room. Everyone belongs and everyone has something valuable to input... well MOST anyway. And I have made such great friends! I think fondly about people in that room and would consider them a friend. I hope they would think the same about me.

So, if you are thinking of joining the RLP chat, here are some hints to help you make the choice...

Things you need to know:
1. Don't consider in any way that it is all religion all the time. It is not. As a matter of fact, when some people are in there it is just chaos. Trashing the place out and stuff. It is nuts.
2. There is a crazy Jetson's game going on there. You may join if you wish but you may NOT use the following characters... dj, or elroy. Those are saved for the creators of the game.
3. Hugh cheats. He is a cheater who likes to make up his own rules. Deal with it. You will be happier for it.
4. rlp will show up every once in a while. When he does, always say, "look busy"... he likes it.
Also, don't expect that he will want to talk about religion. He is a real person too. He wants to make up crazy games and be silly just like us. He also doesn't ever stay very long. Deal with it.
5. Be prepared to meet famous people... and realize because they are famous, they like to make up their own rules to things... (see also #3) Appeals for autographs are accepted but not always granted.
6. Realize that the later it is, the crazier it gets in the chat room.
7. Know that there is no age limit to chatting. Some people chatting are kids. Watch your language please.
8. Understand that I am the one and only president of the Hugh fan club... THE saint of the HULA BOOLA... do not try to take my title. I will wrestle you to the ground. It won't be pretty.
9. Don't do it if you can't take the pressure. :) We mess with each other a lot in there. If you are thin skinned, stay home, sissy.
10. While David and JoKer are chatting, don’t even bring up the words church, religion, orthopraxy. You will get a big lecture on the history of the church thus far with charts and graphs and everything! Danger, Will Robinson. Avoid Avoid… unless you are into that thing.
So, now that you have the cool kid's inside scoop... go at your own risk.
Enjoy the ride!!!
:)

Just a quick note...
There is a big possibility that The Story of Anthony will be published...
in a real live magazine!
Presbyterian Today is sending me contracts to sign and everything!
Wow!
I will keep you posted!

Ode to a new school year...

Don't you just LOVE the smell of brand new crayons? I love to just open the box and sniff. I am sure to the outside world, I look like I am snorting something else, but I love new crayon smell.
I also love the look of new school clothes. They rock! Freshly pressed, not yet stained from the latest lunch special.
I can remember trying them on like a million times before the first day of school. I even did fashion shows for my dad. I would model them around the house like I was so cool. I am sure my dad was thinking, "yeah, whatever... that's a pink skirt...woohoo" but I thought I was the coolest!
And don't even get my started on the new backpack...pencils, erasers, and such. Oh and the big chief notepad. If you are too young to remember the big chief notepad, you are really missing out! That thing always made me feel so grown up, walking in with my new pink skirt, my freshly sniffed crayons, and my big chief notepad. I was the bomb baby!
I think that is why I am a sucker even now for the school supply section of major department stores.

And thinking back, I can remember just how excited, but tremendously nervous I was to be there that first day. My mom worked in the school district, I knew all the teachers and they knew me... but I would still pray that the first day of school I wouldn't have to speak, for fear of my newly eaten breakfast being tossed as soon as I opened my mouth!
There is nothing like that feeling on the first day of school. Nothing...
So, let's raise a glass of Kool-aid to the kids...the ones who are headed to school this next week and those unfortunate souls who have already begun.
You, my friends, are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Remember that! Learn a lot because you are our future and really, our present.
Don't let us down... and sniff a few crayons, just for the heck of it!

I just spent hours chatting with some friends tonight (B was watching football which is code for napping on the couch) ... blog friends, but friends.
We talked about writing and how no matter what, we all just need to write. Crap or not, just write.
So, I am going to really work harder at writing.
Funny how as a teacher of writing, I don't do enough writing on my own.
My goal this year is to change that.
So, let's try this out.
:)
special thanks to Hugh. I meant it when I said I was official queen of your fan club!
N