Check Engine Light

I really, Really, REALLY wanted to adopt from China. I think God must have planted this desire in my heart long ago, but it grew into the biggest mustard tree of desire in about 2004. I'm not so sure He had planted the same seed in Gene's heart at the same time because he was what adoption bloggers call a RH (Reluctant Husband). However, God is a mighty God, and He gave me a very, very good husband.

One cold, rainy day my husband called me at work, and my heart nearly stopped. He asked me if I remembered him telling me that his truck's check engine light had been on, and I did remember that. I'd taken him to pick it up from the garage after I thought they had fixed it.

They had NOT fixed it. They said there was no real problem - just a faulty indicator, and if he could live with the annoyance of the light, it would save him money. As Gene told me that, I thought, "Oh, GREAT! The engine blew up. That's going to cost a fortune to fix." I should never assume I know where a conversation is going, though, because that's not at all what had happened.

It turned out that Gene had asked God if we were supposed to adopt. And he asked for a sign. Being a man, he didn't ask in a general "give me a sign" that could be misinterpreted. Oh, no. He asked God to make that check engine light go off if He wanted us to adopt.

And you know what? When Gene came back to the truck that light was off. I thought he'd asked for a pretty silly sign since if the light stayed on, it would presumably eventually burn out. That wasn't the case, though, it still comes on when you start the truck like it is supposed to do.

I can't say it was all easy from that point on, but we did proceed with adopting from China. What followed after that prayer has been nothing short of one of the most extreme home makeovers, ever. Maybe I'll blog about that another day. Right now I'm just going to stop and thank God for Gene, his truck, and God's willingness to answer Gene's prayer so clearly.

More Secrets

Remember my recent post about secrets? I got a coupon for a free pair of under we@r from that store, and who doesn't like free stuff? So, I went, got my free pair, washed them and I wore them yesterday. Can I tell you a secret? I'd rather go without than wear them again. After years of wearing their USUAL cotton product, they've gone all cheap and there are seams at the side. All day as I worked, I kept thinking, "WHAT is wrong with me? Something is rubbing at my waist. What could it be???" And it sort of made me irritable. One of my patients commented that I was quiet and seemed preoccupied.

Gene wanted to take me and Lydia out to eat last night, and I promise you that I had to go home and change under garments before I could go out to eat.

So I sent them an email and let them know I've had better luck with the brand Mich@el Jord@n promotes. I so hope they go back to making them seamless. It was worth the extra money for how comfortable they were. Gene would tell you that I don't splurge on many things, and I HATE the mall. They had previously earned my devotion, and I was a loyal customer.

Dear Santa

Lydia had been looking through a catalog this morning. After we'd been through it several times, I asked her what she'd like for Christmas.

She didn't even pause before she said:

MACARONI AND CHEESE.

I wonder if Santa's elves use Velveeta or Kraft?

How cool is that?

Last night, one of my F@ceb00k friends mentioned that he'd seen the International Space Station orbit over his house. I was rather bummed because I'd missed it. But you know what's cool about it? It was going to happen again tonight. And there's a LINK to tell you when it will pass over your zipcode, too! So, at 6pm, we all went to our "observation" deck upstairs to see it. And we DID see it. How cool is that? It's about as bright as a planet right now but it moves a little slower than an airplane. I'm sure it's much, much faster than an airplane really, but it appears to move slower than one. You know what's sort of funny about this whole story? I wouldn't wait in line outside for Black Friday shopping, but I stood out on my deck waiting to see the space station orbit overhead. Where are my priorities?

And in other news: a ladybug rode on my windshield this evening. Referrals must surely be on their way soon. At least I dearly hope that's the case for those who are STILL waiting. Those still in line have waited long enough to go through two consecutive elephant pregnancies, I think.

A big girl and the unexpected

At least she's not asking for the keys to the car just yet, but she is wearing her big girl Dora under wear. Oh, but we can't just do one thing like switch under clothing. No, sireee. We go whole hog around here. We switched to the big girl bed, too. I'll let you know how that goes. Her pajamas (size 3T) looked ENORMOUS on the hanger at K0hl's. Surely it would be a while before they fit. Ummm. Ok, later that night. LOL. She's getting to be a big girl. She's even moved up to the gymnastics class without mom.

On another note, I had Chinese food for lunch, and you know what that means? No, I'm not referring to water retention from the sodium. Fortune cookies! Mine was one I'd never gotten before: An unexpected event will soon make your life more exciting. Call me a fool, but I was darned near giddy thinking about what that could possibly mean for my future. Well, the possibilities are virtually endless, aren't they? Should I buy a lottery ticket? Cause we totally have those in Arkansas now. No. If I bought a ticket, there'd be a certain EXPECTATION of winning, wouldn't there? Will Gene suddenly decide Lydia needs a little sister or brother?

And then, well,THEN reality reared its head. It's a fortune cookie. And the fortune cookie probably isn't God's chosen method of communication. What was I thinking? That some prophet at the cookie factory printed it out just for me? Still, I often wish God would spell things out to me. Of course, He has through the Bible, but you know things like which job to take, how should I spend my weekend, what should I say or do for someone who is hurting, which cause do I support with my extra money or time?

Of course there are times when I think God does tell us specific things through our "circumstances". I believe He shows us His love in so many ways from a beautiful day to phone calls from out of the blue from a childhood friend, unexpected encounters and events. Maybe even fortune cookies...

That's a crock!

Remember me mentioning that I needed a new crock pot for the chili cook-off? Let me tell you something: it's a humdinger. It is so marvelous, so wonderful that MEN were admiring it. Gene was simply in awe. It started out with, "I thought you'd overfilled it. I was wondering how we were going to get it there without spilling until I notice that the LID LOCKS in to place!"

But wait! There's more! It has a retractable cord!!!! That's where it end for most of the men. I suppose it'd be even more spectacular if it had a rechargeable battery pack, a Tums dispenser, and made dovetailed joints, but even so, it drew quite a lot of admiration from the men. And I didn't even have to don a pair of fish net hose...

What's in a name? AKA: the post I meant to do Sunday

Do you like to pick out names? I do. In fact, I love doing it. Back when Gene and I were showing dogs, thinking up a registered name for the dog was one of my favorite things. If we could come up with a theme for a litter of puppies? Even better! If the registered name went with the call name? I felt like I'd hit some incredible jackpot. One friend had a litter she wanted to use the word "tell" in all the registered names. I came up with "Dakota (kennel name)'s Tell Tail Heart" which was a play on the famous Poe short story title. I did a litter with "wish" in all the registered names. My friend Kathy came up with my favorite, "Premier's From Wags to Wishes."

It took Gene and I an eternity to decide on Lydia's name. Or rather to agree on a name. He wanted to use the name Grace for her middle name, and I just thought it had an odd flow with our last name. Now that she calls me Mommy Grace and him Daddy Grace when she's feeling spunky I can't imagine a different middle name for our family ; )

BUT if I could pick any last name, any name at all, I think I'd choose Tejada. I'm convinced it's the best last name in the world. Why? It just sounds good with anything. No, wait. It makes any name sound even better. Suzy Tejada? Well, that sounds all kinds of special to me. Does Jane sound plain to you? How about Jane Tejada? or Ethel Tejada. See? It's just better. And if all else failed you could just go by "Ms. Tejada." Say it with me, "Tay HA Duh!"(be sure to put the emphasis on HA).

There are any number of names I don't like. Leonard is not a name I like, but it wouldn't have stopped me from marrying one if his last name was Tejada. Or, you know, I really loved him. And I weren't already married to Gene.