Four years

O Captain, my Captain:

I don’t believe in soulmates, at least not the usual sense.

I don’t think there’s one perfect person out there, and if you miss them somehow, you’ll be miserable with anyone else.

I do believe, however, that the person you choose to spend your life with becomes your soulmate as you grow together over the years.

And that’s why I love you more every day.

The love I felt for you on our wedding day four years ago pales in comparison to how to feel about you now, and what I feel now is nothing to what it will be in 50 years.

What's the story, morning glory?

Photo source: IMDB.com

If anyone needs a gift idea for me in the future, consider this a big ol' hint.

I loved this movie and I'll watch it again and again and again.

Why did I like it so much?

A) It's about the media profession.

B) It's about a young woman who ROCKS the media profession.

C) It stars Harrison Ford.

D) All of the above.

It's not perfect; there's some gratuitous language that I could have done without. (Although having worked in a media profession for a while, I can say it's fairly authentic.) But overall, I really, really, really enjoyed this movie. And if you're Lois Brunnert, I think you might, too. :)

Quotable Tuesday

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

St. Francis of Assisi

Last month, a couple spoke to members of our church about their upcoming year in China. They are going to teach English at a Chinese teacher's college, and since they've been invited to do so by the Chinese government, they're forbidden from proselytizing. They can't take any more religious books than an average person would use for his or her daily devotions. Any electronic communication — e-mails, blogs, Facebook posts — will be monitored by the government. n fact, they can't refer to what they're doing as mission work, or to themselves as missionaries, because to do so would jeopardize their ability to stay in China.

But that doesn't mean they won't be preaching the Gospel.

When asked, they said they'll live their lives as Christians and if someone asks them why they are so joyful, they'll share their faith.

I was humbled by their courage. I live in a country where I can freely express my faith, and yet I often don't. Would anyone know by the way I live that I am a believer?

And with a little one watching me, who will learn how to be a woman of faith from my actions, I'm even more aware of what I'm saying when I'm not saying anything at all.

Why I love Thursdays

This ...

And this ...

And this ...

And most especially, this ...

{Nifty} Thrifty Thursday

It's been a while since I've been shopping, so when the Captain and I had a day off together, I was thrilled to visit a consignment store about 35 minutes away.

Here's what I found:

Orange LOFT blouse - $4.99

Embellished jeans - $5.99

Green and navy LOFT blouse - $4.99

Black Maurices blouse - $4.99

Black Nike pants (for the 5K I'm doing Saturday with my sister) - $4.99

Total - $25.95

You won’t like me when I’m angry …

I’m a pretty chill person. Just last night, a fellow board member on the local arts council said she thinks E is such an easy-going baby because I’m a relaxed person.

I loved that compliment, particularly because I have struggled my whole life with contentment. I am learning, slowly but surely, to live and let live.

So anymore, it takes a lot to get me truly angry. The Captain is probably the only person in recent years to hear me raise my voice. (And even then I think he can count the times on one hand.)

This is my round-about way of leading up to ….

Hulk SMASH!

The backstory: Part of my job is to make posters and informational booklets for local events. We save the files from year to year, so when the committees ask for last year’s poster or program to make changes, it’s a fairly routine request.

At the end of this month, there’s a livestock show in our community. The newspaper has printed all its materials for 30-plus years and it’s been a good relationship.

So when the committee chairperson asked for PDFs of the 2010 poster and book, I had no qualms e-mailing them to her.

A few weeks later, I checked in with her. She told me the committee had decided to go with another company. OK, fine, kind of disappointing, but whatever. I responded that I wished they had let us know they were dissatisfied with the price, but to keep us in mind for next year.

Another week goes by and the chairperson sends us the poster for the current year’s show.

It’s EXACTLY THE SAME poster I e-mailed her, just with dates changed. Same goes with the book.

I was livid.

I still am livid.

It’s one thing to not go with a local business. It’s a completely different beast to steal their original work and profit from it.

And what’s especially disappointing is that I sent her those materials in good faith, never anticipating that she would be so unethical. I had liked this person, trusted her, even, but that’s done.

(Also, because a PDF can’t really be edited, the changes they made look pretty amateurish. It annoys me more than a little that people will see those posters and assume I did them.)

It reminds me how naïve I must be, to think the people in my community would behave decently.

Thinking about a simpler time …

When trips into town were weekly, not daily.

When a quarter was a big deal.

When soda was a treat for birthdays and holidays.

When brothers and sisters were your best friends and playmates.

When new clothes were homemade.

When bread was baked at home.

When the church’s school bulged at the seams with students.

When walking three miles home from school was no big deal.

When the county fair was the height of the summer.

I never lived in those simpler times. Those memories belong to other people who have been kind enough to share them with me.

I don’t necessarily want to return to those times. I enjoy my computer and air conditioning and cell phone. I luxuriate in the creature comforts that accompany modern American life.

And yet.

There’s an undeniable appeal about those past years. Reading between the lines, it’s clear that sitting down as a family for a meal was a regular occurrence, not an anomaly like it is today. And I like that.

I like the idea that your family came first, that you lived within your means, that you helped out your neighbor when they needed it.

I like that families worked together and played together, living close enough to each other to spend a Sunday afternoon visiting without involving major travel plans.

So I’m thinking, is it possible to create that sort of environment for my daughter and her future brothers and sisters to grow up in?

How do I make an old-fashioned yet modern home?

I have ideas, but I’d love to hear yours!