Aquatic Frog + Uncovered Filter = Dead Frog

I was multitasking -conversing with Kevin on the phone, installing a filter in Keilani's new purple 2.65 gallon fish tank, adding our just acquired aquatic frog and 2 fishies into the water, forgetting to insert the bottom cover of the filter... uh... oops...

Speaking into the phone balanced between my left shoulder and my left ear, "Okay, Babe. So I'll see you in just a few hours," and yelling into the air, "Keilani, your fish tank is ready!"

Me - "Okay, Babe. Have a safe flight. I'll..."

Keilani - "MOM! MOM!"

Me - "Oh, dear Jesus!"

Kevin - "What? What?"

Keilani - "MOM!"

Me - "Oh no!"

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Chuke! Chuke! Chuke!

It was the most horrible sound I have heard in quite some time! The pull of the (accidently) uncovered filter sucked the head of the frog into it's suction and all four legs were spinning faster than a twig spiraling out of control in the midst of a cyclone!

Keilani - "MOM! Oh no! It's dead! Oh no!"

Kevin - "What's dead?"

Me - "Pray, Keilani! Pray!"

I quickly yanked the plug out of the wall and everything abruptly stopped - the terrible sound, the swirling frog legs, Keilani's screaming, and my heart...

Keilani - "It's dead."

Kevin - His voice still balanced between my shoulder and my ear, "WHAT'S DEAD!?"

Me - "I killed the frog."

Lesson number one - make sure the filter is completely assembled before adding aquatic frog to fish tank.

Lesson number two - two new aquatic frogs (pictured below) to replace one dead aquatic frog doesn't completely make up for an innocent (uh... idiotic) mistake, however... it does help.

Lesson number three (and perhaps the most important) - aquatic frog + uncovered filter = dead frog.

Because I miss running...

... I found myself skimming through some old posts about my of adventures of running. My leg is healing up and I hope to hit the pavement in a couple of months, but after reading this post I truly have to reassess my desire to lace up... it's good for a laugh anyway!

How To Make Your Body Hate You 101

Act like a moo cow, you know… graze all day long…

Then, because you didn’t eat enough, and because you aren’t really hungry, eat some more.

Eat more because grazing never did satisfy that need for something dripping with grease. Go ahead, stop at Sonic and get a cheeseburger and fries. That’s right. Live on the wild side.

Then, upgrade the drink to a Route 44 Diet Coke… because caffeine is good for you. Especially when you haven’t had any in a quite a while.

Oh, and be sure to drink all 44 ounces of that DC because you’re so very thirsty. After all you haven’t had a single ounce of water in about 24 hours, give or take a few…

…except for the 60 ounces you should chug about 2 hours before you run… yeah… that’ll hydrate ya! (And will motivate you to run a little faster because you’ll have to hurry home to visit the ladies room!)

And of course, run with someone who is much faster, who has far more stamina, endurance, and who has been far more disciplined than you all day… uh, all week long.

Please be sure it is a “fast run.” That's the one when you run 15 minutes at a pretty quick pace in one direction, only to turn around and run all the way back at a much faster pace. (It might be helpful to pretend like the boogey man is chasing you at this point - you’ll need all the motivation you can muster!)

Whatever you do, DO NOT WALK that additional 5 minute warm up and cool down! No-sir-E-bob! And why would you? I mean, what’s another 10 minutes of running when your lungs feel like a helium balloon trick gone bad!?

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t tell your friend, that person screaming, “Come on… don’t give up, you can do it! Only 8 more minutes!” to shut up, because first of all, that wouldn’t be polite. At. All. Second, you can’t talk because your lungs have tightened so much they have actually began to whistle… and you think you recognize the tune…

Give up… and let Jesus… take OOOOOOver. Give up...

Oh, and run in the late evening, after you have expended all your energy for the day.

Be sure it’s 38 degrees out there - and the warmth of the sun has long gone away.

That way you can layer! Because soon enough, you'll have virtually no energy to peel off your hat, gloves, and jacket. Doing so would certainly tax much too much oxygen, in which there is very little left, anywhere within a 100 yards of you.

This might be a good time to pray. Mentally of course, because you can't talk. Pray for strength. Pray for oxygen. Pray for your friend. To leave you. So you can lay down on whoever’s lawn is nearest to you. And crawl up in a little ball and go fast asleep. Nighty night time.

And by goodness, you must ignore the pain in both sides. Screaming. Calling you insane names. (Stupid, for example.)

Don't listen when that inner voice screams, "You are about to be sick…"

Remember the Sonic cheeseburger and fries?

That’s when you speed up just a little bit, because your friend (and I use this word loosely) keeps asking if you’re "alright," and tells you "it’s okay to slow down." That's when you give in to your pride. Speed up. Feel the pain.

Then, and only then, 8 minutes after you think you can go no more. Stop. Well, no... you can't stop. Jog another 5 minutes so you can "cool down" of course.

Then stop.

And now?

How to Make Your Body Feel Better 101

Two Advil and a warm bed.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who has called, texted, commented, and prayed for us. Our faith has certainly been lifted! What the devil meant for harm, God has used for good!

We Made the Local News

My Faith In Humanity

"I’m scared, Mommy.”

We stood on the street in front of our house that is nestled in a newly developed middle class neighborhood and stared at the black spray paint that threatened “Your next” and a swastika sign.

Un.be.liev.able.

I’m not sure who I was trying to convince but I managed to say, “It’s okay, Baby.” But I instantly regretted my words and told myself, “This is not okay. This is not okay.”

The fact that they painted the swastika backwards and misspelled “you’re” reassured me that this was a few punk kids being ignorant, but the racial connotation in a new generation of hate angered me beyond what my emotions could politely cope with.

When Keilani was about 3-years-old, another child who was a few years older told Keilani, as she climbed over a wall to enter the play area, “You can’t come in here, only white kids can play in here.”

I could spill out story after story of incidents of prejudice throughout my life – but I won’t. As angered as I feel over the injustices I have felt all because the color of my skin seems but a drop of water in a sea of frustration when I see it affect my child.

My faith in the human race dwindled a bit yesterday.

History

The alarm sounded way too early for a Saturday morning. An "old" friend was in town and we had plans to meet for breakfast. Keilani slid out from underneath the covers only after I promised she could go back to sleep on our way to downtown Dallas. We were up at 8 and downtown by 9:05. Not bad.

Seeing Rona yanked me back in time. She lives in San Diego now but I know her from Indiana. I was her youth leader 8 years ago and we are still very close. She may not be one of my "youth" anymore, but she will always hold a special place in my heart and remind me of the importance of investing myself in someone else.


Rona's brother lives in a downtown high rise apartment. Here is the view from the 17the floor.


I wanted to jump in this pool! It was heated!


Here's Rona!


Rona used to babysit Keilani! Keilani gets a big kick out of knowing that Rona used to change her diapers!

After breakfast we said our good-byes and Keilani and I headed for home. A billboard advertising the King Tut exhibit caught my attention and instead of merging onto the express way I pulled into the parking garage at the Dallas Museum of Art. The look on Keilani's face told me I had made a good decision. Within moments we were taken back 3,000 years.


We were not permitted to take any pictures inside the galleries, but here is Keilani as we exited. She is holding up a piece of paper with her name spelled out in hieroglyphics. We both thought it was pretty cool!

The museum was quite crowded which made walking a few feet without some stranger brushing up against us nearly impossible. My school is 5 miles north from where we were and I decided that it would be nice to take a leisurely stroll on SMU's beautiful and historic campus.


Where there is water - there Keilani is...


Keilani said I was only allowed to take pictures of her if she was allowed to take pictures of me! So here I am...


Southern Methodist University was founded in 1911. I love the feel of the campus.


One last picture before heading home...

By 4 p.m. I had had enough history to chew on for a while. Whether 3,000 years or a mere 3 minutes, what's in the past is just that - in the past. We can learn from it, grow from it, enjoy it, hate it, reminisce in it, regret it, dissect it, attempt to live in it or maybe even forget it, but we can't change it. It’s the past.

The most amazing thing about yesterday was not spending time with an old friend, the near perfect artifacts of the rein of a nineteen-year-old king 3,000 years ago, or a beautifully manicured historic university. No, the most amazing, mind boggling thing is that God has His handprints in all of it. I can sit in my living room pecking away at the keyboard and easily see His presence in the conversation I had with Rona, in the life of King Tut, and as I walked hand in hand with my nine-year-old on the green grass that He created. His presence is throughout all history. But what’s more astounding is not what I can see when I glance back in history, but what He sees when He looks into my future.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Fifteen Things...

...I'm willing to admit about me! Thanks Jewel, I really needed this little venting session.

1. I have been terribly absent minded for the last few weeks, and I don't mean just mere forgetfulness, but like where-was-my-brain-and-how-did-I-triple-book-that-evening type of absent minded!

2. I have mastered the art of procrastination and I'm quite proud of that sad fact.

3. Last Thursday after Kevin and Keilani left for work and school I crawled back under the covers and slept until noon. That's not the sad part - what's sad is that I don't even feel lazy or guilty about it. At all.

4. I can't stand messy sock drawers. Everyone has a match; therefore, no sock should be alone. If by chance there is a lonely sock that got displaced, I only hold on to it for a week, maybe two, and then I say good-bye.

5. I also think that sock drawers should be color coordinated.

6. My car is overwhelmingly dirty and I don't care enough to clean it. Oh, it bothers me, but it's beyond my comprehension and I'm willing to pay big bucks to have it detailed.

7. My idea of leisurely reading is a good psychology or counseling textbook. I know, I know... there is something truly wrong with me.

8. I often tell Keilani, "We like things. We love people." However, there is one exception to this rule... I looooove chocolate. (I know this is true by the number that screams back at me when I stand on the evil scale.)

9. I miss running so much that I dream about it.

10. I only make the bed if company is coming over, but I want the rest of the house to be nearly spotless all the time. (I didn't say I actually keep it spotless - I just really want it to be.)

11. I love my daughter with an incredible love that I had no idea I was even capable of feeling. It's intense and scary and the most fulfilling, rewarding, and satisfying emotion I have ever felt.

12. Yesterday, I stopped at the stop sign at the end of my street and proceeded to wait for the light to turn green.

13. I have learned to appreciate activities that require absoulutely no thinking - like watching a VeggieTale with Keilani. Life is too filled with overwhelming circumstances and busyness, and every once and awhile I like to shut my brain down and not think.

14. I am a recovering perfectionist that needs to re-enter rehab.

15. Two days ago while combing out Keilani's wet hair I decided to put in some leave in conditioner. A couple minutes later Keilani asked me why I was putting lotion in her hair. People, I put lotion in my daughter's hair!!

Well, there ya have it. There's fifteen things I'm willing to admit!

Snuggle Buggle

My eye lids argued with my brain to stay glued shut for just a little while longer. I was so tired. It was 6:24 and I had 1 minute before my alarm was about to blare in my ears. It was time to wake the Baby Girl. That's been my "job" for just over 9 years but this morning, just for a few moments, I thought about buying her an alarm clock so she gain a little independence and I could gain a little more sleep.

With my eyes still shut tight, and the sweetest voice I could muster at that hour of the day, I asked Kevin, "Can you get Keilani up?"

My raspy voice was met with a cheerful reply, "Sure!"

I reasoned with myself, “There’s really only room for one morning person per household, so I’m okay.”

I could hear his size 13 feet stomp into her room, "Keilaaaaaaani..... Keilaaaaaaani.... it's time to wake up."

She responded with her own raspy voice, "Okay, Daddy."

What? I thought for sure the first thing out of her mouth would be, "Where's Mommy?"

I don't know where the spring in my step came from but I bolted down the hall and into her room, "Don't you wanna snuggle buggle?"

I don't know where I got that term and why it has stuck, but snuggle buggling is a ritual that we have kept since the day she took her first breath and I'm not about to let it go without a fight!

She's growing up so fast and time keeps speeding up. Her voice still melts my heart. Her laughter still makes my day.

She flung her arms around me and dug her head into my belly and giggled, "Good morning, Mommy."

...and we snuggle buggled.

Happy Birthday, Keilani!

I'm a little late posting this... Keilani's 9th birthday was on the 1st! We love you, Keilani! Happy Birthday!

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