We Do Not Know

Two posts in a day- I know, shocking. But this is just proof that we do not know what a day will hold.

It was 30 minutes after my last post that Mom called me from my bedroom to the back porch where we keep our little freezer. The door was half open and all the food inside spoiled. Among the contents of the freezer were 2 large roasts and pork chops. The pork chops and one of the roasts were spoiled, but the larger of the two roasts was salvageable after Mom took off the top inch or so. Mom had to rush off to go paint at a friend's house, and I was left to clean up the freezer... with bad lighting... and in my own shadow... with out much I could do about it. Which stunk both literally and figuratively.

I can now safely rule out nursing, forensic anything, crime scene clean up, and butchering from the future occupation list. I will details of clean up at that.

I walk away giving a short laugh though. There always seems to be something popping up that you plain couldn't see coming. Though, I am inclined to believe that perhaps a little more so at our house than most peoples.

Spontaneity is the spice of life.

A Measure of Perspective and Madness

To an extent or degree things like boldness, daring, and insanity are a matter of perspective. When I informed my cousin and our mutual friend that I was making a formal for artist series without a pattern, they looked at me like I was a half crazy and brave soul for attempting it. I don't quite see the brave aspect of it because it's a basic sleeveless shirt on top and an A-line skirt on the bottom. However, because there was no pattern, I didn't get the size quite right nor was it... symmetrical.

Through trial and error I have managed to get it fitting properly, but to get to that point was a matter of insanity. If you've never done it, you can only imagine how hard it is to put on a dress in-side-out, see what's wrong, pin, and then take it off and fix it. It becomes particularly hard when part of the dress is too small and needs taking out.

I ended up enlisting my Mom's help because quite frankly, there is no way a person can sew and then potentially alter a dress all by themselves without a sewing manikin. I do not have a sewing manikin, and I am deeply contemplating asking for one for Christmas! The only things inhibiting me from requesting one is the fact they're expensive and I have no where to put it. But this is beside the point.

Another bit more madness related to the dress is the fact that the dress was mostly sewn before I had a clue what sleeves I wanted, which is a relatively important part of the dress, considering I go to a baptist Bible college. Last night, after reviewing multiple dresses and sleeves from a couple costume sights, I decided to give it a blended medieval/Greek flavor (allowing it to be more flowing and unfitted, but keeping a slight twist of medieval). The dress also has an optional wrap (sort of thing) that will be able to be worn or not depending on my mood.

It is decidedly simpler than the last dress I made which was a fitted, blue jacquard, Arwen looking dress with large white veil sleeves and a glittering white trim with belt and it laces up the back. This dress I am now making is a dark red crushed velvet with shimmery cream/white sleeves and (when I finally get to JoAnn's to get it) the trim will be the same color as the sleeves and simple, but elegant. Where as the blue dress had trim around the neck, sleeves, and then the belt, the red one will only have trim around the neck and a belt.

Well, my hope is to get this dress done completely before I leave Wednesday, and to do so means I must now run off and work on it!

Part way Through August

Partway through August, I've only got 1 week left of work and Wendy's, and I'm putting up another little update... cuz so much has happened... well... sorta...

I have started plinking around on the piano again, and have since discovered I can play and sing 1 song. YAY! "Lord, Here Am I" is the song I can play and sing. I also have learned that I can easily hit an E, which is quite the accomplishment for me, considering I'm a natural alto.

In addition, I have picked up 6 of my piano books and decided that I need to play through them and memorize at least one song out of each. Aren't I the ambitious one? *cough*

Also on the agenda, but with a deadline, is making 3 long A-line skirts. A houndstooth, a flannel, and a suade darkish khaki color. I'm excited! I also have a formal I want to make, but we'll see how that goes!

I've also done some music finding and graphic art. Amongst the other more serious songs I found, I found two about food. "Solid Potato Salad" by Nat King Cole and "Homegrown Tomatoes" by John Denver. I made a wallpaper about the Homegrown tomatoes one, which I have put up. I want to make one for "Solid Potato Salad" but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Why don't they make silly songs like that anymore? It's just fun music with silly lyrics that's not trying to push an agenda, idea, or anything else. It's just fun. The world lacks silly fun stuff like that anymore, and I think it's a shame.


Anyway, Working at Wendy's has become slightly interesting. I had to learn how to do stocking and did it for only 3 days, thank goodness! If you've never worked set up for a fast food restaurant, you may not quite understand what all it involves, particularly when you work for a chain that is solidly dedicated to freshness.

The stocking I had to do involved making sure everything in the island in the dining room was full with more to spare under it. Salt packets, pepper packets, forks, spoons, knives, straws, napkins. Then, I had to make sure that there were enough cups, lids, hot sauces, crackers, granola, forks, spoons, knives, cutlery packets, nugget sauces, salt packets, pepper packets, napkins, kids toys, etc. for front counter and T3 (the register where orders are taken and you get your food). Also had to make sure there were enough french fry and nugget cartons too.

The how much, though slightly intimidating, is not quite as bad as the sheer quantity and variety of everything. We have 5 different sizes of cups with 4 or so sizes of lids, 2 sizes of chili cups and lids, between fries and nuggets there were about 5 different sizes of cartons, we have at least 5 different nugget sauces, hot sauce for the chili. For each of the sizes of cup/lid we had to have somewhere between 1 and 3 sleeves of, not to mention whatever was in the rack. And may I say, this was complicated by the fact of multiple half opened sleeves of the same thing that seemed to be a frequent problem...

In addition to stocking there was buns, Frescata bread, chicken drops, and bacon. buns involved untying them, tucking the end under the buns (after setting 2 bags on a tray), and then putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds. I had to do probably over 25 trays of buns. Kid you not. And we used them all! That is how busy we are! I never had to do Frescata, but the gist of it is, you had to put it on a tray, put it in the oven, and then take it out at just the right time. I think I was suppose to do potatoes too... but I never got around to that or Frescata or chicken drops. Bacon I did do, however. That involved taking out these large slabs of bacon, stacked about 5 deep in a pack, peeling the half frozenish layers off of each other, cutting it in half, putting it in the microwave, shaking it (don't ask me why, I still don't know!), and putting it in the sandwhich lines.

All this was to do be done in an hour and a half. How the last girl did it, I may never know. I'm just glad I don't have to anymore! But! I learned, and I am glad for the knowledge.

I have also learned how to cut lemons (which is about the biggest no brainer thing ever. And I am FAST at it too!), how to cut tomatoes evenly at a consistent thick (or thin)ness. I can also do cheese and lunch meat in about 20 minutes. Again, the quantity is what gets ya! I also know how to make Almost all the Wendy's salads. Their secrets are no longer safe! MWAHAHAHA! I also know how to hand food out the window... which is the second biggest no brainer. The hardest part about it is trying to figure out what order you're looking at on the screen. :oD I also think I have figured out how to take orders... I know, it sounds insane that one could work in a fastfood joint and not know how to take orders, but so it is.

So now I'm sitting here with just a week more of work before I'm done for the summer, and I am grateful for having done it. Besides the practical work lessons, I've relearned a few others as well... like "99% of life is just showing up for it." and that people that don't drink are rare and people that don't smoke are a novelty. I also learned that sometimes it's the big biker dudes that are the most gentlemanly. I have one regular (well, I have probably over 100 regulars, but one in particular) that looks like a biker and if you just looked at him, you wouldn't want to mess with him, but he is consistently the nicest and friendliest guy I have in the morning.

I've spent a good deal of the summer learning and sorting through things. It never will cease to amaze me that the things I think I have all figured out are the ones I don't really get at all. The opposite sometimes holds true as well. And again, God has been trying and testing me. First, He showed me that He really does mean it when He says "ye have not because ye ask not" and then He gave me something to try it out on.

My school bill came, I had less than half of it and then by a series of downright God arranged events, the money was there. I had never seen such a thing first hand in my own life before (wasn't much of a chance before), but now I do and I did and I walked away singing His praises.

Something interesting I have observed is that once you learn a lesson, God won't let you forget it by making you practice it. He taught me to take everything one day at a time and now... I'm having to exercise it lest I go mad.

Oh, I beg you all to continue praying, and little more so because Dad does not yet have a job, but there is an interview being set up! PLEASE PRAY! thank you!

Well, this has been my summer thus far. I have a few more weeks left in which I don't forsee anything interesting happening, but then again, I've been wrong before.

My Summer... Thus Far

Well, I know I have been silent for a good long while, so let me get you up to speed... well, at least partially.

Back track to the end of the school year. Watching all your friends leave for the summer and knowing you are stuck a whole week more not knowing if anyone you even know is staying is hard. I learned that. Watching God introduce you to new people and making summerlude one of the most enjoyable weeks you've had in a long while is amazing. So is finding out that a number of your friends are staying.

What is also amazing is getting ready for a wedding in the front seat of a mini-van in the sweltering heat with your mom sitting behind you curling your hair. I thought that was a feat for the record books. :o)

The end of May came, and I found myself starting back at Wendy's come June. I thought I was going to hate every minute of it, but... I haven't! I've actually learned a bit. For example- I can now make almost any salad on the Wendy's menu! I also finally figured out how to evenly slice tomatoes, I can also slice lemons... but that's not hard...

But I learned some other things that are slightly more important. At first I just had a terrible attitude about it. I was ungrateful that I even had a job. But then, God got a hold of me and showed me that I was being ungrateful and proud and a whole mess of other things. Here's where all those years of AWANA paid off- God brought to my mind a verse one day while I was working. It was that one that goes something like 'in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content'.

I learned to be content in a lot of ways: content with my job, content with my circumstances, content with my station in life, and much more.

And it seemed that 5 minutes after I learned to be content to live without what I want and to trust Him with what I need, He turned around and gave me what I wanted. I'm still waiting for what I need, but I have reached a point where I can just walk by faith.

So, in waiting for what I need, I simply ask that you all pray for my Dad in his hunt for a job and that I'll have enough money for tuition.

Familiar Story

I grew up knowing the story (or parable or whatever it technically is) of the Prodigal Son. To the point where I can't even remember hearing for the first time. Well, after a life time of church and Sunday School, this story got a little old for me. I had heard the sermons on it more times than I cared to recall. Well, Tuesday in my Acts and Pauline Epistles class, the story suddenly came to life for perhaps the first time. I discovered that I really didn't know it as well as I had thought I did. The teacher talked about the story and brought to light an interesting point which I think is good for us to mull over every once in a while.

When I mention the story of the Prodigal Son, your thoughts probably turned immediately towards the Prodigal Son. Understandably. Your mind probably flitted through the basic outline of the story, reached the bit about the fatted calf and then trailed off. That seems to be what most sermons do. They end with the fatted calf and how God will forgive the rebel (if he will but fall on his knees and repent today! Can I hear an A-men?! *cough* moving on!) and then briefly mention the other son throwing a hissy fit... or get bitter... or both.

The other thing that seems to happen with most sermons is that the preacher goes through, gets to the end, starts a sermonette on bitterness, using the other son as an example, and then closes with an invitation asking if we're like either one of the sons.

Nothing wrong with either of these things. However, when was the last time you heard a sermon, or more than a half-related rabbit trail in a sermon about the father? The father is really quite interesting once you start to look at him. He forgave both sons before they even asked for it with gifts besides. To the prodigal son he gave a feast and a fatted calf and to the other son he reminded him that he has access to all his father has.

It was the last bit with the other son that made me do another double take. (I already looked twice at the father... I'll explain why in a moment.) Honestly, I have a little bit of a hard time identifying with the prodigal son... mostly because I've never squandered all my money after running away from home. But, I do understand how the other son felt. There he was, serving faithfully the entire time, and it didn't seem like he got any recognition, but then the "bad" son comes home and suddenly there's all sorts of hoopla and the "good" son feels neglected. Now, take a look at Luke 11:31-And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. I think this is rather self explanatory. We sometimes forget that we are joint heirs with Jesus and have access to all of everything because of Him and God. We feel jipped... when we aren't. We're blessed because we don't have the scars the prodigal son has. So yeah, he gets a fatted calf and he, like us, has access to unlimited everything, but he has memories and scars and we don't. See the point I'm trying to make?

Now, back to the father. I might be blind and forgetful, but I honestly cannot remember ever hearing a sermon in which the father in the Prodigal son is paralleled to God the Father. It's pretty obvious, is it not? That was my first double take. the father is the Father and He is always waiting to forgive us before we even ask for it and rejoices when we come home to Him.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is really a beautiful example of the brilliance of Jesus as a teacher, story teller, and author. There are lessons to be learned with each character in it, there are multiple layers of symbolism... it is loaded, simply loaded with meanings and lessons. I strongly, strongly encourage you to go read it. It can be found in Luke 15:11-32.

I know it seems like one of the old, faded, worn out tales from Sunday School, but it is anything but that! It is fresh and vibrant!