Go Diamondbacks!

Last night was homeschool night at the Diamondback’s baseball game.  Naturally we asked the kids who was interested in going.  With one glance at the calendar, I realized it was transforming into date night… not family night at the ballpark.  Our eldest was babysitting. Our two youngest were invited to a birthday party. And my personal favorite opt-out excuse was from our eldest son…. who was heading downtown to feed the homeless.  What can you say to that?  “See you after the seventh inning stretch!” 

Lo and behold, it was also Bark at the Park night…. where people take their dogs to the game.  A BASEBALL game.  Good grief.  I’m not really a dog lover, but we do have a dog.  I wouldn’t dream of taking her to a game.  One question ran amuck in my mind all during the game…. where do they do their business?  Seriously… who thought of this??? Instead of the Kiss-Cam during the breaks between innings, there was the Pooch Smooch.  It was really sort of sad.  Will they have cat night next?  Or guinea pig night?

Another distraction was a group of three girls who were probably eight or nine, who weren’t actually supposed to be sitting in front of us, but they ended up there.  I discovered that they just met each other, but I would never have guessed by the way they were brushing each other’s hair, sharing chapstick and hugging one another.  I love that kids make friends so easily.  I didn’t have the heart to ask them to sit down 27 times so I could see the game that I wasn’t really interested in a whole lot.

Distraction #27 was the heat.  I realize we live in Phoenix, Arizona, but there was some humidity last night that made the 102 degrees feel like 112.  Metal seats didn’t aid the situation.

Distraction #87 was my sweet husband, who is not a baseball fan, repeatedly asking questions about rules, plays and all those numbers and letters on the scoreboard.  I’m not sure his appreciation of the American pastime grew at all last night, but he seemed to have a good time. And he did participate in the wave.

To top off the night, the D-backs won 6 to 4…. which means we eat three free tacos each at Taco Bell tonight.  Every time they score at least six runs, the next day is free tacos.  Thanks to the D-backs high scoring season, we have cut our grocery bill quite a bit with free taco night!  Yes!

FORTY-FIVE!

No, that’s not 45 more days of school!!!  (There’s only 33!)  Today I embarked upon this milestone in my life…. half of 90 years old.  It’s not that bad.  Other than not being able to read some of the tiny print on my birthday cards and the plant ID tags that I received.  Okay, or the free movie popcorn tickets.  Thankfully the numbers on currency are really big and always in the corner!  Yes, it’s my birthday!

How did I spend my day?  Oh, not exactly as planned, let me tell you!  Sleeping in was a wonderful pleasure.  After all these years, it still rates right up there with reading novels and gardening! After sauntering down stairs, I discovered my daughter cooking up my yum yum yummy breakfast… homemade apples and cinnamon oatmeal and special scrambled eggs!  Thank you, Larisa!  BUT, half way through my breakfast, I realized it was 10:30 am and I was going out to lunch with some friends at 11:15!!  So I put my birthday breakfast in the fridge for tomorrow!

Birthday lunch was fun with seven sweet friends!  Lots of laughs and turtles.  (Remember, my un-wanted turtle collection?  It is continuing!… potholders, garden kneeling pad, RING, etc. etc.) Thanks, Friends!

Upon returning to the castle, my son tells me that he wants to take a short cut over the canal to his friend’s house.  He tells me that he balances on this little pipe over the water WHILE carrying his bike.  I say NO!  He said it’s perfectly safe, as would any 14-year-old lad whose brain is saturated with testosterone.  I say NO!  So he drags me out to the canal to see the balancing pipe.  Well, it IS perfectly safe.  It is over the canal, but the canal goes under a HUGE cement overpass at that point.  There is a pipe…. but it is next to a wall that he leans on for balance.  And the water it is over is a puddle… only 12 inches below him… and eight inches deep.  So I let him go.  All is well, ….. but no. 

Nora was with us on the dangerous pipe exploration trip and went down on her hands on the ground in some cactus.  OUCH!  The spikes are as thin as hairs and my 45-year-old eyes can’t see them.  We arrive home and I google how to remove cactus thorns.  Lo, and behold!  I love google!  I spent the next hour smearing Elmer’s school glue on her hands in two layers and waiting for it to dry.  I peeled it off like sunburned skin and the ouchy was no more!  I love google.  Did I mention that?

Off to a birthday party at my parents and VOILA!  I survived my 45th birthday without scars.

Where’s the Righteousness?

Philippians 2:1-2  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

This is the verse that I took my encouragement from today…. being united with Christ.  It seems those around us have blurred the lines of righteousness when it comes to entertainment.  We had a no-brainer decision to make today about our son attending a birthday party where they were going to see a PG-13 flick….. it was a 12 year old’s party.  I did go look up the movie on www.pluggedinonline.com to read the review.  Some (read: FEW) PG-13 movies would be acceptable for a 12 year old to view if I have seen it first and there is no language/nudity/brutality/etc.  There aren’t many films that have made that cut.  This particular movie had a strong warning for sexual content, language and battles. 

I just don’t get the point of filling your mind with filth.  What in the world?  This film has the Lord’s name used in vain MORE than 10 times.  Last time I checked, that was one of the no-no’s in the Ten Commandments.  So, once again, my child is going to stay home while his buddies go movie watching.  He asked if Dad could see the movie first to check it out.  I asked him is Dad should go to a movie where the Lord’s name is used repeatedly as a swear word?  He agreed… no.  He was disappointed about not being with his friends, but I believe he understood.  We talked about surrounding ourselves with like-minded people who stand for righteousness.  I believe he got it, but it’s not easy.

Later the topic came up with our 15 year old daughter.  She asked, “Why aren’t there more people who think like you and Dad about movies?”  I really didn’t know what to say.  There are…. they live in communes and don’t have electricity.…   I guess my thinking is that if you are going to choose a book to live by…. then don’t skip the parts that you don’t like.  Or find another book. 

It reminded me of the story of the mom who baked some brownies but added a little bit of dog poop to the mix.  Her kids were asking to go see a movie that only had a little bit of bad stuff in it.  She offered them the brownies but shared that there was only a little bit of bad stuff in them.  :o)  Wise woman.

The whole situation made me feel sort of lonely in my convictions, but then I read about being encouraged by being united with Christ.  That is who we are to be measuring ourselves against and emulating.  I took great comfort in that and am feeling a little better.