Status

Two summers ago, during the great WWF trip of 2010 (which you can read about here), I learned something life-changing.  I am sure there were other life-changing things on this trip.  I learned to make WWF salad.  I learned that dinner outside is almost always more fun than dinner inside.  I learned that 12 years of non-communication does not necessarily change friendships.  But on one of our first days, as we were getting ready to leave the house, our friend Dotti yelled out to her children one word.  STATUS?  And they yelled back.  "Putting my shoes on!" from one room and "Ready to go!" from the other.  And so it spread.  The process of communicating with others to see where they were, simply and effectively, with just a single word.  My friend Caryn implemented it with her family.  I had no children or even a  husband at the time, but I stashed the idea away, knowing that it would be useful someday.  And sure enough, as soon as I met Jake, I quickly rediscovered the value of STATUS? (though I dare not actually text it in all caps).  I found out that sending a text that said "Where are you?" generally communicated irritation, even when none was intended.  And so I adopted "status" for myself.  And it's only one word.  It's simple to send.  There is no judgment in it.  And while occasionally I may mean "Where the heck are you? You were supposed to have left the office an hour ago!", I usually don't.  So "status" serves its purpose.

So my blogging has been kind of sporadic.  I was on a roll earlier in the year, keeping on track with my once a week goal.  I will never be a daily blogger.  I just can't see it.  Then February was lazy.  I got in two finished blogs.  March was equally lazy.  I have several partially written blogs... just can't seem to finish thoughts.  I just can't seem to force myself to sit down and get it all out at once.  And so this is my Status blog.  The one that will tell you bits and pieces of what's going on with me.  Feel free to add your own status in the comments.

1. Jake and I started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University several months back, and let me tell you, we are all in. We use cash only for most regular purchases and we have been sticking to our budget even when it hurts (like last night when I desperately wanted to order a pizza, but made chocolate chip pancakes instead). There are days that it feels restrictive, but most days it just feels good to know where all of our money is going and to know that we have enough of it to do what we need to do. And sometimes to do what we want to do.

2. I think I can speak for Jake when I say that we love, I repeat, LOVE our new church. We miss our old ones and the people involved, but our new church is filled with opportunity and expectancy. God is doing something at Ranch Community Church, and we are excited to be a part of it. We have already made great friends, and we are so happy to serve alongside these people.  Each week I get to minister to some of the coolest kids I know, and I am just so thankful for it.

3. I am saving up for WWF 2012, the annual summer girls trip to Chicago.  I am already looking forward to escaping the Texas heat and hanging out in the Windy City with Caryn and Dotti.  We will shop at H&M, even though Dallas has two of its own stores now.  We will eat deep dish pizza, and I will not think about the calories.  We will run to catch trains and walk down Michigan Avenue.  And we will finish off our days with Garrett's popcorn and rinse our greasy hands in muddy puddles.  Because that's what we do.

4. I spend my Monday mornings these days watching a very cute baby.  He is at an adorable stage where he kicks a lot and he smiles almost constantly.  Right now he is upstairs asleep, as he often is when I arrive. It's unfair, really, to have such a cute baby near, and then not be able to play with him immediately.  But for the sake of his parents and their schedule, I will let him sleep, and I will play with him when he wakes up.  You're welcome, James and Amy.

5. Last month I turned 35.  It was a great day. My husband worked hard to make it fun. There were presents and there was birthday cake.  That's really all you need for a good birthday.  I got a hot yoga membership, about which I am excited and afraid.  I love yoga, but I hate heat and humidity.  So yeah, sounds like a fainting spell waiting to happen.  But I will let you all know how it goes.

6. I have been memorizing the book of Colossians with a girlfriend.  I hesitate to write this because I don't want to come across like I am boasting.  Honestly, it's hard work.  And I have gotten behind more times than I can count because I am not disciplined enough.  I am amazed, though, at what the brain can contain when you force it to.  I am also amazed at how much time I can spend in front of the television and not think twice, but I can spend 9 minutes quoting the first two chapters of Colossians and it feels like a lifetime. And that, my friends, is what a sin nature will get you.

7. This Saturday night I get to play a show called Dallas Does Dylan, a night of Dallas artists performing Bob Dylan covers.  I have no idea how I got included in this lineup of musicians, but I am so excited to be involved and to take it all in.  If you are free on Saturday around 7, the Opening Bell Coffee in Dallas is the place to be.

8. Things I currently adore: my husband, my Keurig, chevron patterns, Maddie Daggett (one of the coolest high schoolers I know), Urban Crust pizza, typographic verses, the thought of being debt free, new babies Nathan and Gavin (maybe the cutest babies on the planet), using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, pants that fit, Starbucks blonde roast coffee, chipotle chili powder, Bob Dylan music, Rosi Golan's album Lead Balloon (specifically the song "Can't Go Back"), my family.

And so that, my friends, is what's going on with me.  What's your status?