1. I found a picture of myself at age 14. Nothing says fundie church group (or maybe just 1991?!) quite like a herd of "sisters" in ankle length floral dresses! Too bad we're not wearing our headcoverings.
NOTE: Dontcha like my sup-ah fly (and scandalous!) sleeveless dress and my dangly, clip-on earrings? I felt so sass-ay! This pic was taken during a '91 summer mission trip to the heathen wastelands of Seattle, Washington. The best part about that summer was that one of these ladies had contraband: a tape of Simon & Garfunkel. My parents occasionally let us listen to that tape on the one condition that we fast-forward a terrible, worldly song called Cecilia. By summer's end, we still knew all the lyrics to every song. I have no idea how THAT happened. :P
2. Last month, my aunt gave me a bust of my Grandpa (the nice one--not the cult leader!). I gave him the seat of honor: the center of our dining room table. Later that afternoon, I walked in to see one of my twins hugging and kissing him. And after dinner, Jude left him a drink offering. I think Gramps is gonna like it here.
3. Someone asked me recently how I get my writing done before deadline. I don't have any magic tricks, sadly. Mainly it's hard work, early bedtime, early wake-up, having the twins in pre-school and the rockin' time-management skillz I learned in my fundie childhood (REDEEM THE TIME!). Did I mention hard work? Lastly, never underestimate the power of a supportive spouse. That has made a huge difference, too. Thanks, honey!
4. There are few things in life that thrill my soul quite like a bookstore. A friend of mine introduced me to this used bookstore and I think I could wander around here all day long. *happy sigh*
5. I've officially fallen in love with the written prayers of the Church. I've never been good at extemporaneous prayer. And when I do pray, I often feel like I'm leaving something out. Committing some of these wonderful, ancient prayers to memory has helped me focus. It also reassures me that I'm not missing something. Our family now says this prayer before each meal. The kids have memorized it quicker than I have!
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
6. Speaking of prayer, I found a prayer app I can use on my iPhone. It's offered by DivineOffice.org for $1.99 and I love it! Before I go to bed each night, I say my prayers and this app has given me access to richer, deeper prayers that linger with me after I fall asleep.
7. A HUGE thank you to some special women in my life. Looking back at my childhood pictures made me realize how far I've come. Especially when it comes to writing, there are some women whose shining optimism and enthusiastic support have meant the world to me. I just want them to know how much I love and appreciate them.
Thank you, Jennifer Fulwiler--one of my dearest friends who also has the best sense of humor EV-ah!
Thank you, Suzanne Broughton--my editor/boss at OCFamily.com who took a chance on me, a woman just beginning to find her voice. Thank you for believing in me, Suz!
Thank you, Amy Stevens--my editor/boss at The Orange County Register who encourages me to keep writing even when da haterz hate.
And lastly, thank you to ALL my readers. I don't take for granted every time you comment, tweet, follow or the emails that let me know I'm not alone. Thank you, thank you. xoxoxoxoxoxo.
Have a great weekend, everyone! And go check out more 7 Quick Takes @ Jennifer's Conversion Diary.
The 7 Stages of Blog Grief {a handy guide to pathetically freaking out all over the Internet}}
So, my blog went down sometime Friday afternoon (thank God it wasn't a Monday, am I right?). But THAT didn't prevent me from having a HUGE freak-out.
In order to redeem my stupidity, I'm dissecting the 7 stages of blog grief for you. Just so you'll know what to expect when (NOT IF) your blog goes down.
1. Shock/Denial: when @adam_thedad tweeted me that he couldn't see my site. I was all taken aback. Hence, my brilliant response:
2. Calm, cool acceptance: it's time to notify everyone involved that yes, a tragic accident has occurred. Be professional. Use correct grammar.
3. Mood swings: even though you know it's not your fault and that the problem will probably get fixed, you start getting all irrational and worrying incessantly that nothing will ever be the same again.
4. Anger/Questioning Everything: if you find out that the problem is a result of a massive "malicious attack" on your host's company site, just launch over the cliff into full-blown meltdown. Triple-tweet your distress (expect people to offer you cheese with your whine because OBVIOUSLY, lame "first-world" problems.).
5. Start crying literal tears about your virtual problem: your non-blog-reading husband is sure to COMPLETELY understand.
6. Realize that you've just shot your "Christian witness" to, um, Hades. Clearly, you think too highly of yourself and your blog's importance. Also? You said damn in one of your tweets. Time to go to Confession. How do I explain a "blog" to a priest?
7. When your blog comes back online, act like a war just ended and you SURVIVED! Go around kissing everyone (virtually). Commit acts of random capitalization. Pretend you're Sally Field winning an Oscar.
***Addendum, Disclaimers, ETC.***
The weirdest thing about all of this? It wasn't a fundie conspiracy to shut down my blog!
Also, I found out that some of you really DO love me. THANK YOU!
Lastly, my husband thinks I'm cute when I'm stressed out.
But I'm really not interested in looking cute again. ANYTIME SOON.
And now that you have proof of my clinical insanity, why not join the fun by subscribing to my blog? :)