Hair Experiment

Why is it that every hair cut is a much-weighed decision? Yesterday, Leanna was asking me what she should do with her hair this next cut, and for once, I stuck with the simple, "I think you should do what you did last time." She and I never do that! We usually start looking at books, going online, discussing face shape and hair color...and yes, pretty much for every cut. It could be because we're dramatic, but I think it's because we like change...at least with our hair.

In early August, I had no idea what to do with my hair. The plan was to let my hair grow out until early November, when I would get it cut short again, so it would feel new and cute when I was 9 mos pregnant. But then I realized that growing out my hair from August to November was not enough time for it to get past the awkward stage, and why go through three months of awkward just to cut it short again? So, then I thought maybe I should just keep growing it out, even after Caleb's born. I've had it short for awhile; it's time for something new. But then I realized (after a conversation with Karen, my source for all things new mom) that I don't want hair that needs to be fixed when I'm a brand new mom and people show up with dinner or just to see the baby. I need hair that I can wet down, run gel through, and it's done. That, my friends, is short hair. (The other low-maintenance option is hair long enough for a pony-tail, but I can't pull that off in three months.)

So, after that debate, I decided I would do short hair, but try to get the shape back to the first short cut I got with Lynn. Lynn was still my regular stylist, but every appointment my hair got shorter and shorter, so I decided to try someone new. Still being cheap, I went to Ogle School of Cosmetology, where I got a 6-buck haircut. Sweet! And the student did a great job, kept the length, but shaped it up very nicely. I really liked the way it turned out.

And then two weeks later, it was frumpy again. Ah...now I see why those short haircuts were so nice. I could go 6-8 weeks between cuts before. I put off the decision for a few more weeks, but yesterday, I was done. To make my hair presentable on Sunday, I had to gel, blowdry, curl, pomade, and spray my hair, and I was not going to do that again. Sure, it's cute, but way too much work! So yesterday I went back to Lynn, and pretty much had my head shaved. Back to its pixie glory. Someday I'll grow it long, but today is not that day.

In the midst of these length concerns, I also had color to worry about. I have been highlighting my hair for awhile now, and had ended up with a little bit of a highlighting mess: more highlights on one side of my head than the other, and roots over an inch long. (Why do I choose to do things that require maintenance when I obviously don't maintain them??) So, the plan was to dye my hair back to its original color, and then put new highlights in. I didn't know if the color would cover up the existing highlights enough, but I thought it was worth a try.

And it worked! The old highlights were mostly covered, with a slight color variation off of the brown I chose, but I like to think of that as added depth. And then the new highlights...well, I'm pretty sure I like them. I did them myself, so at some point I just gave up because my arms were getting tired, but I think I got them all in the right places.

So basically, my hair looks like it did about two months ago, and I like it. :) I especially liked fixing it this morning! Yep, I think it's the cut for me, at least until it's time to grow it out again. But until that time comes, I think I'll just take my own advice to Leanna. I'm gonna stick to the cut I have.

What's been going on

I owe you a post here, for sure! I've been posting on my baby blog, and that seems to be just about life-consuming these days! I asked Jon this morning, "What can I post about that's not baby-related??" Well, I'm not really sure the answer to that question, but I'm going to try anyway. If baby topics come up, oh well! :)

Jon's started back to school. His last semester! It's very exciting, but also very challenging. This is his third and last semester of Hebrew, and I know he will be so glad when it's done. He's also taking a history class covering the Enlightenment, which has TONS of reading which isn't so fun, but he really enjoys the class itself. And then his last class is fairly easy, and they go over stuff like how to baptize, because I guess there's a trick to it! All in all it's a demanding schedule, but with few enough hours that it's doable.

He's also working on his resume and has a couple churches in mind where he'd like to apply. I'm sure he'll have applications all over the place before it's all said and done!

Bonnie & Clyde are our constant entertainment. They charm everyone who comes in the door. If you stay long enough, you'll get in on the game of musical chairs as the two go from lap to lap. Clyde loves to jump. He jumps from the couch to the computer chair, to the top of my monitor, then to the top of Jon's monitor, then to the printer, and then once he's made it he meows at the wall. Bonnie sticks to the ground, mostly, but loves to explore. Inside shelves, boxes, bags, she finds pens, paper clips, and her favorite: the Scrabble stickers from Subway. She's got a radar for those things.

I went to an Arbonne Mercedes event with my mom yesterday. A lady had made it to a certain level in the company where she is given a white Mercedes, and this event was to celebrate that. I admit that I went into it with a slightly jaded perspective. I mean, if you know me, you know I have no desire for a brand new white Mercedes. I wouldn't even have a white car myself, except that it was the best car I could find for $6,000. Buying new doesn't make sense to me, and having a Mercedes really doesn't make sense to me. So, to go to an event all about a Mercedes, with people packed in to ooh and ahh and be inspired by the Mercedes...meh... To top it off, everyone there was dressed professionally, and while I tried, I just felt quite pregnant.

Well, it turned out it wasn't so bad. It was definitely an atmosphere I'm not used to or like very much, but the ladies I spoke with were very genuine. The ladies were not so much there to be inspired by the Mercedes, but by the speakers and the success of other ladies just like them. The speaker, despite her multi-million Arbonne business, still shops at Target, which I can respect. And she also asked for a discount at a hotel (she was just there for a few hours to change, go over her notes, etc.), which I thought was funny. I guess, in a similar situation, I would have changed and gone over my notes at Starbucks or something, but I can grant her an extravagant pit stop since she did ask for a discount. And then, after heading to the event, she promptly forgot the name and location of the hotel where they left all their stuff. Oh, how I can relate! She did a really great speech, and it didn't focus on the white Mercedes at all. Instead, it focused on being able to have an overflow of money to give to others. That's something that's always been important to Jon and I--budget and stay out of debt so that God can use your finances when needed--so I appreciated the speech.

Overall, it was an exciting event, and I can't wait for the day when my mom is handed her own set of keys to a brand new, white Mercedes! Just remember, mom, the lady yesterday took her family to Cancun to celebrate! (wink!) Seriously, I know she can do it, and I know that Arbonne is giving her the financial freedom to do what she does best: gift-giving! Whether it's money to missions, clothes for a family in need, trips to visit family and adopted family, or diapers for her grandbabies, my mom has been given the gift of generosity, and Arbonne is allowing her to reach her full potential in that.

And speaking of gifts, my mom gave me a sea salt bath soak and lotion for attending, which I enjoyed thoroughly when I got home! Even today my skin feels very nice. I was hoping for a miracle, but no, my stretch marks did not disappear. Still, the sea salts are supposed to soothe sore muscles, which I'm sure I'll encounter more of as I make it through this last leg of pregnancy, so I'm thankful to have them!

And with that, I'm done with the post. I didn't go too overboard talking about pregnancy. Turns out there is other stuff going on after all!

Two more photo shoots!

I've gotten the other two photo shoots edited! Here are my favorites from each, and they link to their respective albums.

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/4.0
Speed: 1/50 second
ISO: 400

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/4.0
Speed: 1/50 second
ISO: 400

Lusk Photo Shoot

The first of three photo shoots are up! Click on the photo to get to the rest of the photos from the shoot.

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/5.6
Speed: 1/200 second
ISO: 400

So busy

Three photo shoots in two days! Whew! I'm beat! But what a fun weekend!

Garage Before and After

The key to a good After pic is a very bad Before pic! One might use this to their advantage and "stage" their first pic, but usually that's not necessary. It certainly wasn't in our case. Here's the before:

As you can see, the garage had become a maze of mess. What you can't see is that our attempt at organization--big plastic boxes stacked on top of each other in the back corners--had put our boxes to the test, and they had failed. One was crumpling completely in on itself from the weight of the others on top of it. Plus, every time we needed to put something in one box, it was inevitably the bottom box, which meant we just dropped the item in the garage "to put in the box later." Later never came. Until today!

Jon constructed three heavy-duty shelves that would house big boxes and paper office boxes alike, as well as allow for some room to stash odd-sized things like my photography backdrops. He also got rid of THREE boxes of books! (And if you know Jon, you know that was quite a sacrifice for him.) On my part, I parted with all my fall and spring decorations (because I only decorate for Christmas. anyway), and all but one of my beloved crafts. I also went through house decorations from my college days. AND (sigh...) the ghetto-fabulous cat tree is seeing its last days. It's going out with the next trash run.... It's in the house now for its last hurrah, though I must say these cats are not nearly as enthralled as Friday had been. Hmph. Spoiled on store-bought toys, I guess.

The one big thing left for me to cull through is fabric. I've collected quite a bit of it, and it's just so dang useful I can't see getting rid of it. I have a trunk full (that would make an excellent toy box for Caleb...), bags full, and even more stashed inside the house. However, several of my friends have picked up the sewing bug lately, so I might just bestow some fabric on them as a way to encourage their efforts. It would make me feel better about parting with it. Some of my fabric, however, I'll probably never part with!

Something else I feel like I'll never part with are my memory boxes. A tradition we started as kids, my parents would give us a box to hold the memories of our year: awards, drawings, stories, and many many many random things. I guess John did it, too, but I would also guess it the idea was for me, the pack rat with way too many memories. (Hey, when you're as forgetful as I am, you need physical things to remind you...and I just happen to want to remember everything.) So, sad to say, I have numerous memory boxes. Big blue bin, two large Rubbermaids...all housing memories from grade school up. It's embarassing, really, but that's one thing I cannot look at objectively.

And there are still some things in the garage that seem like I will never be able to get rid of them--namely, my darkroom photography equipment. I just can't seem to get motivated to put it up on Craig's list, and the sad truth is that I'm afraid most of it will go in the trash. However, I'm ALMOST ready to accept that truth, because I refuse to move it one more time. I have to get it up on Craig's list, and what doesn't sell, I'll leave at the front door of the local camera store in the middle of the night. :)

So, without further ado, the After!

As you can see, the darkroom equipment is in the front left, and that will hopefully be gone soon, which will clear up even more space. What you can also see is the floor! And the lawnmower! Where did that come from?? And almost every box (excepting a couple of book boxes) are accessible on the shelves, with no stacking and piling (and crumpling) to worry about.

What you can't tell is that one of the big blue bins is completely empty (all decorations relegated to the garage sale pile!), ready for stuff from our back storage closet, when my mom comes and helps me organize that area. And maybe she'll help me with my memory boxes?? (Pretty please with sweet smile and puppy dog eyes!)

All in all, I'm so proud of what we accomplished today. We made some organizational advances that will help us wherever we go, and we got a good start on our overall clean-out as we prepare for Caleb.

NOTE: Notice that Jon's accomplishment was to clean out some book boxes. For as much grief as I give him about collecting so many books, I obviously have the hoarding problem in our house! :) Hence, I've labeled this post "personality" because I think it speaks quite clearly to the type of person I am.

All in a word (Tag)

The Rules: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag three others.

1. Where is your cell phone? TABLE
2. Your significant other? FUNNY
3. Your hair? SHORT
4. Your mother? GO-GETTER
5. Your father? ENCOURAGING
6. Your favorite thing? CUDDLING
7. Your dream last night? WEIRD
8 Your favorite drink? SONIC
9. Your dream/goal? ENTREPRENEUR
10. The room you’re in? BRIGHT
11. Your hobby? PHOTOGRAPHY
12. Your fear? STAGNATION
13. What do you want to be in 6 years? PEACEFUL
14. What you’re not? CONFRONTATIONAL
15. Muffins? BLUEBERRY
16. One of your wish list items? MASSAGE
17. Where you grew up? TEXAS
18. The last thing you did? SHOWER
19. What are you wearing? COMFY-NESS
20. Favorite gadget? CAMERA
21. Your pets? FUZZY
22. Your computer? MAC
23. Your mood? QUESTIONABLE
24. Missing someone? NO
25. Your car? MARSHMALLOW
26. Something you’re not wearing? MAKEUP
27. Favorite store? TARGET
28. Like someone? YEP!
29. Your favorite color? GREEN
30. When is the last time you laughed? YESTERDAY
31. Last time you cried? 7/1/08

I tag: KarenD, KarenN, Carolyn (keepin' it in the family!)

The Big Snip

Yesterday, Bonnie & Clyde went to the vet for the Big Snip. We tried to warn them about it, but I don't think they were prepared. Neither were we!

The cats still waltz straight into the cat carrier when we bring it out. At some point, they'll start associating it with the vet, but for some reason they still do not. (Even after yesterday, they've gone in it several times.) So, there they go into the carrier, and off we go to the vet. We drop them off and feel very guilty about the pain we've left them to.

By 2:30pm, I was ready to know how the cats were doing. Poor kitties. After our own doctor's appointment (about 5:00), we called to see if we could come by and pick them up. No, we had to wait until 6:00 for a consult with the vet. Oh, okay, we didn't know about that. So we went home for 30 minutes, then back to the vet, where we waited.

Finally, someone brought B&C into the exam room. They were in the carrier and pretty frantic. They pushed their noses into the wires and would never settle down, which made the wait for the vet that much longer. Jon even broke into his own rendition of "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" hoping to remind the people outside our room that we were still there! He always makes me laugh!

The vet finally came in, and his first words were, "Well, Clyde really had a hard time of it, so he'll be pretty groggy, and for longer than Bonnie."

The (slightly funny) truth is that Clyde has a condition called cryptorchidism. Crypto: Where is it? and Orchid: testicles. (I just lost my G-rating right there.) That's right, Clyde has a missing ball. It never descended like it should have, which meant that his surgery would be as extensive as Bonnie's. The vet would have to make an incision in Clyde's abdomen to go searching for the missing...orchid. Well, as it turns out, it was quite a hunt, and Clyde's incision ended up being about 4 inches long, compared to Bonnie's half-inch incision. Poor guy!

When we made it home, we had two ravenous kittens, with the disadvantage of still being slighty drugged. They swayed and wobbled their way to the food bowls, and proceeded to make a huge mess of everything! Food and water were everywhere as the cats pushed their noses into the bowls and snarfed away! Most people would probably laugh at their antics, but I just can't. Maybe I'm too sensitive. I've never found drunk people to be funny, or people doing crazy stuff under the influence of something other than themselves. It's just sad to me. I do, however, recognize that I'm the exception, so if you find yourself giggling over my sad story, I'll forgive you. :)

Then Bonnie would not settle down. She carried her jingle ball around for about 30 minutes with no stopping. She never put the ball down, and she never actually played with it; she just did circles around the house. Now we know Bonnie does not handle drugs well! :) We tried to hold her to get her to settle down, but she would have none of it!

Clyde was fastidiously cleaning himself. Thankfully, he was staying mostly away from his incision, but it did start to bleed again for a short while.

Needless to say, Jon and I were basket cases. Coming out of surgery is one of the hardest things to see, I think. You think the hard part is surgery, so you expect things to be right back to normal afterwards, and it's always a shock to see that they're not.

Today, things are much better. Both cats have slept the entire day. Bonnie expressed slight interest in a string, and Clyde tried to pick on his sister once, but otherwise, they've just traded off who got to sleep in my lap (and at one point they were both in my lap!). I finally moved to the bed to work, to let them both cuddle up to me and still enable me to get stuff done.

I must say, in the past I've only had male cats with no shy orchids, and that surgery is a breeze. They usually come home a little wobbly, but are running and playing by the end of the day. This has been no walk in the park, and it's been as hard on Jon and I as on the cats, I think! We take them back on Thursday for their checkup, and I'm sure they'll be back to their crazy selves before then!

How I know there's a bug in my house

That Can't Be Comfortable!

Where is my cat's head??!!
Oh, there it is!

Roomie Reunion 2008

Last week, three other girls and I got together for Roomie Reunion! We were all roommates or friends during college, and we try to get together once a year. Here are the photos!

My favorite is our "stages" progression. We are in four different stages of life: single, married, married & pregnant, and married w/baby. So, we set up a shot (okay, a ton of shots) with that theme. Here is my favorite:

We had a blast, and I can't wait to do it again!

Silly Sophie

Today I went to lunch with Holly, Sophie, and Holly's mom, Sue. Sophie had a song in her head. You probably all know it:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart

(Where?)

Down in my heart!

(Where?)

Down in my heart!

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart

(Where?)

Down in my heart to stay!!

Well, it took a bit to figure out that the "joy joy joy joy down stay...." coming from the back seat was actually a song, but once we did figure it out, Sophie thought it was great fun for us all to sing together. Which we did.

When we were enjoying our Endless Soup & Salad at Olive Garden, Sophie would break out in her hearty rendition of the joyous song. "JOY JOY JOY JOY DOWN STAY......" Some things you just can't sing quietly, you know?

Well, on our drive home, we were all singing. We came to the end of the song, and Sophie said to Holly, "Do it!" (As in, start singing again, Mom!)

Holly replied, "You do it!"

This went on four or five times, until finally Sophie said, "No, YiYi do it!!" (That's me, by the way.)

It was so funny! It might have been the first time she put 4 words together in a sentence, too! She's potty training and starting to look more and more like a little girl and not the baby I've known for two years. I'm so blessed to have her (and Holly!) in my life!

What's going on with us? Pt. 2

After our discussion the day of the church planting meeting, I did my best to not be so impatient. I waited on Jon, and he waited on God. We have all experienced God's timing, and know how different it is from our own. Usually, I'm okay with that, but having so much come to fruition in November and December (baby, graduation, job, move?) has shaken my faith a little.

So a few weeks ago, I requested a coffee date where Jon and I could sit down and discuss our options. Put everything on the table and see what we might find. The purpose wasn't to make any decisions, but to figure out what we were each thinking.

Armed with our Starbucks frappuccinos, we started talking about options. It quickly became apparent that our possibilities are wide open. We could still be here and going to school, or we could be in South Dakota planting a church (that's for you, Cliff!). However, as odd as it may sound, it had not occurred to me that we might still be here. I figured, whatever we did would require a move. In fact, I was preparing myself to move, and looking forward to going somewhere where summers never saw 100 degrees (or 90 degrees!). So to think that we could stay here was a revelation to me.

Jon has had a dream of teaching military history in a military academy or a university. To do that, he needs his doctorate of history. So, he might still be in school for awhile, though probably working full-time as well. He is going to be doing some research to see how feasible that is, and what steps he needs to take.

My dream is to be a stay-at-home mom. Jon and I would like to switch our incomes, basically, so he would bring home the full-time check, and I would bring home part-time pay, hopefully through photography.

However, these two dreams of ours are surpassed by God's dreams for us. We don't know what those are, yet, or if He has given us these desires for His purpose. We don't know if church planting will come back on the table, or some other sort of bivocational ministry, or perhaps Jon will be a light in the dark world of liberal academics.

Our coffee date ended when we both hit the realization that we could talk about our plans all night, but we can't actually make any plans until Jon's closer to graduation. Unless we have clearer direction from God, in September, Jon will start sending out applications and resumes to universities to continue his education, to public schools to teach, and to churches and BSMs looking for ministers. We'll just see where that leads us!

So, to end this tw0-part series of where we're headed in life, the answer is that we don't know. We're back to square one and waiting on God's timing. Please pray for patience, peace and openness as we wait!

What's going on with us?

This post is long overdue, as I'd given my faithful readers a glimpse of where we were headed a few months ago, and then never followed up on it. I've spoken to many of you about it, but, for posterity's sake, here it is in writing.

The last time I mentioned "our future," it was in the context of church planting. We had started to take steps toward gathering a team and heading to the northwest to plant a church and make a difference. A few things happened in quick succession after that. The day came when those who were willing to commit would be meeting at our house. We did the typical frantic house cleanup, and a few hours before the meeting, Jon confessed, "I don't think this is where God is calling me."

What?? After all this? Well, it turns out I was partly to blame. In my eagerness (or fear?) for the future, I wanted to DO something. I didn't wait for Jon to step up as the spiritual leader, and he let me lead the way down this path. By the time we'd gotten to this point, he'd realized that it really wasn't where God wanted him right now.

The time for the meeting came, and no one showed up, which was further confirmation that our timing was not right. We came away from that day with a better understanding of our roles...and a clean house.

--More in the next installment!--

Domain Worth

I just checked out a new site today when I was looking around for my work site. Domain Crawler lets you type in a web address, and it tells you information about it: ranking and estimated value, etc.

I typed in lmnovations.com--my photo site--and I think it was worth $96 or so. Whoopee. But I typed in my blog address, and it's worth $7605!! So, if anyone out there wants this blog address, just let me know...I'll even lower the price to $6500 for you.

I looked up google.com, but there must be some kind of fluke because it's only worth $625. Or maybe my blog is that much better than Google. Heehee.

Look up your favorite addresses and tell me what you find!

Cleaning Out

Yesterday, I canceled all my magazine subscriptions. No more Real Simple organization tips, no more Martha Stewart Christmas ideas, and no more (tear!) Country Living. Country Living holds a special place in my heart, because I've been taking it since freshman year in college when I just wanted mail. But no more! I'm too much of a hoarder to have three hefty magazines coming to me every month. Plus, I haven't had the time to read them, and I've been a couple months behind for awhile.

As the straw that broke the camel's back, I've had some ethical issues with a couple of the magazines: Real Simple is so careful not to make any judgments on anyone's lifestyle, but in an article on budgeting, the first thing they suggested be eliminated was a person's tithe. Sure, it's okay to spend money on a feng shui specialist to come to your home, but heaven forbid we tithe. Anyway, that kind of ticked me off. And Country Living has always been a proponent of the homosexual lifestyle. They showcase a home almost every month that someone and "his partner" built together, and it's finally gotten on my nerves enough to cancel.

So that's that. In one day, I feel like I've significantly decluttered my life. Next to tackle: my piles of papers that reside in the house.

Still crazy kittens...just bigger!

Today I came home from an impromptu lunch with Holly (aka Sunshine in the blogging world) with many things in my hands: keys, drink, purse, etc. I made it in the door, but couldn't take my sunglasses off. So, I slowly made my way in the dark to the table, so I could set my drink down and free a hand. Drink down, I pulled my shades off, only to find before me two cats watching with disinterest at the blind lady in their home. They must have thought I was blind, because they were sharing a placemat on the table for a little catnap. Sheesh! Not even a bit of fear that they might be caught! Granted, they usually aren't able to get up to the table because we keep chairs pushed in tight and they're too small to jump all the way up, yet. So they usually don't get on the table to even get punished, which is probably why they didn't think they would be today when they found my chair at just the right spot for them to make it to the table. What a surprise for them when they both got a good squirt from the water bottle!

Anyway, that was just my adventure for today. Every day is entertaining with these two! They certainly live up to their names! Here is a pic of my hoodlums that I took today. Taking pics of one cat is hard enough, but I don't think I'll ever get both of these guys in focus in the same shot! I'm surprised they're even both looking at the camera!

Bonnie (l), Clyde (r)

Azariah at 6 months

Lens: 50mm f/1.8

Aperture: f/5.0
Speed: 1/320 second
ISO: 400

Bekah's Cakes

I just thought I'd give a plug for one of my good friends, Bekah. I've been chowing down on quite a bit of her cake, lately, and realized the world needs to know about Bekah's Cakes!! Pictured here are all the cakes I've had from her, ranging from chocolate to checkerboard to vanilla and even to mint! Every one of them are beautiful and delicious. And I have two more on the way in the next couple of weeks. Woohoo! So, if you're in my area and are looking for a way to give a personalized cake, I would highly recommend Bekah. Check out her site for all her cake designs (and she'll customize for you, as well!), and scroll to the bottom for her contact info.

About a year ago, I was turning off of I-35 to Waco when I saw a kitten in the grass. I pulled over to check on him. He was very feisty, and for all his 1 pound worth, he hissed and tried to be as big as possible. I called Leanna, asking what should I do. I was from out of town, it was a Sunday afternoon, and I had to be at a dinner meeting in about an hour. My options didn't seem very good. I called Jon and talked it over with him. Among the three of us, we decided that the kitten's mother was probably around, and either way he seemed like he could fend for himself. So I left. As I headed to the car, the kitten ran after me, meowing a pitiful plea. Every week I turn that same corner, and I've never seen the kitten again (though I always look, even now). Whether he made it or not, I don't know, but I've regretted my decision ever since.

So, I decided that I would never again pass up helping an animal, and leave hoping someone else would do it or things would just work out okay. I've turned around for a turtle I saw on the highway. (It turns out cold-blooded beings don't last long on hot pavement, even when they haven't been hit.) I've gone back to lead a puppy back home. The "puppy" ended up being full-grown, and he probably knew what he was doing, and he certainly knew where home was. I've driven the access road to check on a dog, though by the time I got there he was gone.

So all my past efforts have failed, but tonight they did not. Tonight, I was walking to the truck and noticed a toad making its slow way to the other side of the road. As I turned on the truck, I wondered how long it would take him to cross. By the time I got to him, he was only about a third of the way, and I couldn't be sure he'd stay put while I went around him. So, true to my decision, I got out and gently returned the toad to the curb. Hooray! I saved an animal...at least until he goes back out into the road. I can't know what he'll do, but I do know that I did what I could to keep his life going a little longer.

And that's something I won't regret.

Cats Stats

We went to the vet today for Bonnie & Clyde to get their booster shots. They got a regular checkup, as well. This was the first time for them to go to our vet--the Animal Shelter offers the spaying/neutering at only one office in town, so we had to go there for their first checkup so we could set the date for their "alterations."

Everyone was so glad to see the little guys again. They all oohed and aahed about how much they'd grown, and how they were lighter than everyone expected. The mama cat was still in the office, so they brought her by. The meeting was friendly, but she didn't seem too interested, and wandered off after a couple nose touches.

Bonnie was a champion patient. She weighed in at 3lbs 11oz, everything sounded great (breathing, etc.), she stood very still for the thermometer, and didn't seem to notice the shot too badly. We were a little concerned about the chub she's starting to develop on her belly, but the dr. wasn't worried at all. He promotes free-feeding until about 6 months, at which time their energy levels and growth rates wane, and it's time to start measuring out food. This was different from what the Animal Shelter's doctor said. He believed in regulating food amounts right at the beginning. I didn't really agree with him, though we did watch a little better that we just fed them enough for them to eat in a day, instead of leaving it full all the time. So I was happy to hear that our vet thought that was fine.

Clyde was up next. He weighed in at a whopping 4lbs 5oz (no wonder he wins all the fights!). Dr. M detected a small heart murmur and suggested it might be caused by parasites. (The parasites thin the blood, which makes it swoosh through the heart faster, causing noise.) He assured me that this murmur was not on the same scale as Friday's, and if the cause is parasites, it will go away when the parasites are taken care of. We have been directed to collect a stool sample (and yes, my pregnant self has a big rubber glove for the occasion!) so they can test it. Clyde didn't do so well with the thermometer. By the time it beeped that it had registered, he had crawled on to my arm and heading up my shoulder, trying to get his booty as far away from the dr. as possible. He's going to be our problem child at the vet, we can already tell. :) After that he did fine with the shot.

All in all, the cats did very well. They were content to let everyone come by and pet them, and Clyde even purred while Jon held him. They remain our laid back kitties.

I'd like to put in a huge plug for my vet. If you live around here, I would really recommend them. They go above and beyond in their care for our cats, and have been great to us, as well, as we've dealt with some hard blows in the pet arena this year. They honestly care about each animal, and the vets (Dr. M in particular) are very thorough. The vet techs are huge animal lovers, as well. When Smith & Wesson were so sick, they needed a certain tube of vitamin goo; the office didn't have any on hand, and one of the vet techs went to her house and brought back her own tube for us to use. They've also sent us a rose for each cat we lost, and cried with us and hugged us, assuring us we were still good pet parents. Then, best of all, they called us about Bonnie & Clyde, and boarded them for 7 weeks at no cost to us, because they really wanted us to have them. Those kinds of things just don't happen at every vet office.

I would also recommend the vet that will be doing the spaying/neutering, but for different reasons. My vet is a small establishment and pretty laid back, and this one is larger with more sparkle. They took pictures of the cats to put in their records, the ear scope is connected to a monitor so the pet owner can see what's going on, they have an online portal so I can view the records, and they send out periodic e-mails about pet-related stuff, including appointment reminders. The building is very clean and nice, and much closer to our house. If we weren't so happy with our vet, I would probably switch to this one for the convenience. So for that reason I recommend both.

Obviously I've kept the names anonymous because I have this idea that I've somehow managed to keep my location unknown from random people online. In reality, that's probably not true, but, oh well. If you know you live near me, ask me about these places and I'll tell you. :)

Now, Bonnie & Clyde are sacked out, and probably will be for most of the rest of the day. That seems to be what happens with shots. We like it because then they're cute and cuddly. :)

Goin' on Vacation!

This summer has been kind of hard for me, because my work doesn't give paid maternity except for the vacation days I already have saved up. So, considering I only have four weeks saved up, and I want to take six weeks maternity, every day I take off is yet another day unpaid in the future. Knowing that I have NO days off has been very...depressing. No vacation, no visiting family or even long weekends. All I have are the company holidays, which is one day every two months. Ugh.

But I'm still getting to go on vacation! After work on Wednesday, I'm heading to the most relaxing place I know to spend a few quality days. Yep, I'll be at my parents house. And since I work at home, and "home is where you pick up internet," I'll be able to work on Thursday like normal, and enjoy Friday and Saturday with my family.

I'll miss Jon while I'm there, and I told him he'll think my belly's grown so much when I get back--maybe not from Newbie but from good cookin'! I can't wait. My parents have made their home--inside and out--such a peaceful place, and I'm looking forward to the visit.

Every Cat Has Its Quirks

Here are a couple videos to show you Bonnie and Clyde in all their personality wonderfulness.

Bonnie is the explorer. She's the first one anywhere, and always curious. She's found the inside of the refrigerator, the inside of the dryer, the back corner of the closet, the top of the dresser, and the piece of paper in the trash can.

Well, maybe that last item isn't exciting for you, but it sure was for her!

And no, she never figured out she could knock the can over and retrieve the paper.

And Clyde, well, he's just as laid back as Bonnie is adventurous. He is the cat who wakes up from a nap and runs up to my desk chair to beg for lovin's. He'll sit on my lap, and I'm pretty sure he sleeps right on top of me all night long, until the morning comes and my love-deprived kitty meows incessantly for me to pet him. So, while it was certainly weird, it didn't seem too out of character that our sensitive little boy sucks his thumb. (The next video is two minutes long of thumb-sucking. If you've seen enough after thirty seconds, you won't miss much the rest of the way. If, however, you're like me and can't stop looking at something weird, then you'll have a whole two minutes of weirdness to watch.)

Jon says we have to try to break him of the habit, just like we would a kid. I think it's kind of cute and I'm not too worried about my cat's psyche, but we're supposed to be a united front, right? So I'm trying. But probably not hard enough and not successfully. He's just so cute....

Garden goodness

Today I had a salad of tomatoes and cucumber with ranch. It was yummy, and the best part was that I grew it all in my own back yard! (Not the ranch.) So, being as I am not usually successful in my gardening attempts, I've deemed these Very Easy To Grow. When we were out of town in Boston, the temps unexpectedly rose to 100 degrees, and my cucumber plants (out in full sun all day) were fried. The tomatoes, in partial shade, fared better, but the leaves have always been puny. Still, both have been putting out the vegetables! I'm growing grape tomatoes and pickling cucumbers. I'm also growing a variety of each of hot pepper and bell pepper, but I don't think they'll have peppers growing for awhile yet. They're starting to get blooms, though.

All in all, I have enjoyed gardening so much. I think it would be a really good hobby. Jon's promised that whenever we buy a home, he'll till up some of the back yard for me. I already have big plans for it. :) Have I mentioned that before? I feel like I have.

5 Qestions

I've been tagged by Tricia! Here are my answers:

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago was June of '98, and I was adjusting to a new town and new church. Our house was a crazy mess--a major fixer-upper--so that was going on all summer. My Mawmaw moved in with us, and my brother moved out...though maybe he was there through the summer? Ooh, that was officially the first time we had a TV in the house since I'd been born, so my dad and I pretty much soaked up all the Law & Order, Lois & Clark, and whatever else was on that we could. We were pretty much TV junkies.

2) What are five things on my to-do list today?

Well, the day is almost done, but here was my list for the day: Photo shoot with Holly & Sophie, movies with Jon, take a nap, pick up stuff at Wal-Mart, babysit for Bekah.

3) What snacks to I enjoy?

Salty stuff! Chips and salsa, pretzels, chips, pickles, pepperoncini peppers, and cheese are all fair game for snacking. On the non-salty side I like apples, and sometimes I like sugary cereal eaten dry (woohoo for Marshmallow Mateys!).

4) Where are some places I've lived?

In the big city, in podunk-ville, in city planning at its best, in the sticks, in college-mania, and in the ghetto (back to the big city). All in Texas. :)

5) What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

I would try to maintain a normal standard of living, with a few exceptions: I would have an architect build our house, and I would hire someone to do the housework. Maybe I'd even get a hybrid vehicle. I would like to pay off bills, making sure everyone in the family is taken care of, including a trust fund or something for future family. Then I would use a lot of it for missions efforts, and some of it for research and implementation of effective no-kill animal adoption centers. With the rest, I would travel the world, sometimes for specific missions purposes, and sometimes just to see if Michelangelo's David is as really amazing as everyone says.

I tag:
Lorie
Margie
Jill
Kaitlin
ChristieLynn

My most popular blog post

I use Site Meter to check on the stats of my blog. It tells me where people are from who come to my blog, what pages they look at, and how they got there. Consistently, one page keeps coming up as viewed, and most times because of a specific Google search for "fall hair color" or "strawberry blonde hair color" etc. Of the last 100 hits to my blog, 19 of them have been to this page! I'm sure Leanna's already guessed the page:

Leanna's Hair Color, posted on August 15, 2007

So, Leanna, when I did that, I had no idea that so many people would be looking at it. Just think what an impact on society you might have! That haircut might be the new Dorothy Hamill cut!

(You made it into both blog posts today, Lea. Don't you feel special??) :)

Kitten Pause

The other day I was laying down and Bonnie was laying close next to me, staring into my eyes. I winked at her, keeping my right eye closed. Her gaze shifted to my left eye. I closed my left and opened my right. I saw her eyes again focus on the open eye. How do cats (or people or anyone) know that the eyes are the window to the soul?

Clyde loves the refrigerator! Wherever he is, when I open the fridge door he comes running into the kitchen, sliding under the open door as if sliding into home base. He hops up into the refrigerator before I even see what's going on. We haven't shut him in, yet, but there have been many times when I'd normally just let the door close on its own and I realize there's a curious kitten inside!

Jon gets up earlier than I do, so he lets the cats in before I'm out of bed. They clamber up the side of the bed (it's still quite a climb for them) and race toward me as if their night of no lovin's has left them in serious need. Still trying to sleep, I reach out one hand to subdue the masses and otherwise lay still. The kittens decide--eh, who needs lovin's, let's play!--and the covers (with me under them) becomes a playground/boxing ring as they roll around. Inevitably, I start to wake up...just as they start to fall asleep...which puts me back to sleep. It's led to me getting up late several days in a row now. This morning they were both cuddled up right next to me, purring in sync with each other. Who wants to get up and face the world when purring kitties is the alternative??

I am not used to having cuddlebugs for pets. I've never had a cat who would sit in my lap, and it was a rare day when one would lay next to me on the bed. So having these little cuddlers has been so much fun...and brought some problems as well. Things I've learned regarding lap cats:

1. If you think you might need that hand at some point in the next hour or so, don't let them lay their head on it.
2. If you think you might need an item that is not within arm's reach, be sure and gather it to you before the cat finds your lap.
3. If you need to get up and be productive, do NOT let the cat cuddle. This will only result in unproductivity for the next hour.
4. Sometimes a cat is content enough that you can adjust them so you're more comfortable, but there's a risk it will wake them up enough to realize they have other things they want to do.
5. Cuddle cats are good during nap time, but hard during the night, when they manage to find the very part of you that you were about to move (leg, arm, etc.) and sit right on it...for the next 20 minutes.

As a mother to kittens, here are things I listen for:

1. Silence. I immediately pick up on the calm before the storm. Either they're asleep, which is fine, or they've just discovered something new (an open toilet could be a possibility) and are about to explore further.
2. Chewing. Kittens are like babies: they're so close to the ground they find all the things you never knew were there. This could be paper bits or a bug, which is generally okay, or it could be plastic, a rubberband, or an electric cord. Either way, it's best to distract the kitten and take away the item of interest immediately.
3. Water. The cats drinking water sounds a lot like peeing to me, for some reason, and I start every time I hear it. I'm getting more used to it, but I'm always on the alert for a kitten who has forgotten her way to the litterbox. Thankfully, these two have had no accidents, so I think I can rest easy.
4. Scratching. Not acceptable except on the scratching post or cardboard scratchers. I have caught myself yelling out, "NO!" only to realize they were scratching on an approved item, so I try to identify where they're scratching before coming out with water bottle spraying.
5. Purring. Ah...the sweet life of owning a cat. There's nothing more rewarding than a purring cat. Of course, Bonnie starts purring just because you look at her, and Clyde purrs the minute you pick him up, so it doesn't take much with these two!

Have I made you want a kitty, yet?

A Good Thing for Pets

When we decided to get two cats, I picked out this waterer for them:
It works great, and I highly recommend it. I have only refilled it once, and it gives a constant supply of water for our two cats. It would not have worked for Friday, who had a tendency to splash his water all over the floor, but these cats don't play in it, so it's just fine.

On a random, only-related-because-it's-a-cat, note, I love that the kittens are still small enough to pick up and hold in one hand.
That's Bonnie, and both she and Clyde will sit in my hand like this for awhile. They're just as cute as can be!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

This is a week late, but here are the photos of Sophie's birthday party.

The kids loved to play in the pool, and I took a ton of pictures of that. It was a great party! And now Sophie is two! I can't believe it! I first met her when she was four months old.

Here she is at 7 months or so:

My little cutie neighbor!

It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings!

Okay, so I may not be that big, yet--still looks like I just finished off a gut pack from Viteks--but the bluegrass band I'm in is officially disbanded after today's performance.

We sang/played at Dave's elementary school. It was their last day, and there were 500+ kids packed into the cafetorium, ready for a sing-along. We were the guest musicians! Woohoo! We were all pretty nervous, but I think it went really well. The kids sang along with You Are My Sunshine, and clapped on the fast songs. We didn't forget our words or mess up too badly on our chords, so I consider it a great success!

After this, we'll only get together at random times, instead of weekly like we have been. It has been a lot of fun, and while I still can't play anything more advanced than straight chords, I do think I've improved tremendously. I'm grateful to the guys for putting up with my very basic guitar skills!

At some point, we've talked about taking a Saturday and recording all the songs we've learned. If we end up doing that, I'll try to put a few of the songs up for you!

Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie:
Is very communicative. She meows if we pick her up, she meows to be picked up, she meows when she's purring....
Has beautiful eyes.
Has a deep, happy purr.
Is the adventurous one.
Likes to be going and doing.
Always starts the fights, but never wins.


Clyde:
Loves to cuddle.
Is content to be pet.
Has the same deep, happy purr.
Follows his sister into whatever she falls into.
Never starts the fights, but always wins.

Introducing....

We've had Bonnie & Clyde for a week now.

When I first got them home, I couldn't tell which was the boy and which was the girl. I thought I'd finally figured it out, but it turns out I was picking up the same kitten every time, so I'd gotten it wrong. When Jon got home and we got them both still, we determined who was whom. Even now we have to check their noses to know who we're looking it. Bonnie's nose has more pink than Clyde's.

We tried to put collars on, but they would have none of it. Clyde freaked out.

Clyde is the more high-strung in some ways. He about hyperventilated on the first car ride, and meows and pleads on any car ride. Bonnie seems to be more laid back. She instigates wrestling, and has even perfected a body slam from the couch, but Clyde always gets the upper hand.

They follow pretty well in male/female roles. Bonnie is communicative and loves to be held. Clyde is more aggressive and wild. I think both have the makings of lap cats, but the jury's still out on that.

The cats have made themselves quite at home. They have free roam of the house, including the bedroom, which Friday didn't get to go in for quite awhile. They do get kicked out of the bedroom at night. The first night they were in there it worked out okay, but the second night they decided to have a long wrestling match on top of the bed, so that was the end of that. Maybe later when they're older and sleep more!

These cats have two speeds: crazy playful and dead asleep. There's no cat napping or "resting." They're either wide awake or zonked out. It's a constant blur of motion and noise while they're playing, and then suddenly it all stops, and they've cuddled up together (evidently calling a truce during naptime) in some dark corner--under the couch, behind the pillows under the bed, and other places we haven't figured out, yet.

Bonnie & Clyde are very social. We had 8 people over to the house last night, and the kittens were immediately at everyone's feet. Clyde found a friend in one of the guests, and Bonnie flitted from person to person, depending on how interesting their shoe strings were at the time.

All in all, we love these kitties! They are happy and healthy, and they make this house and crazy and fun place to live. I'm so glad we have them!

Uncle Jon

We got to see my family over Memorial Day weekend. Ian, like most babies, loved to hear Jon's voice.
What a cutie! It makes my heart melt to see how babies love Jon. I love him, too! :)

Off to Boston!

Jon and I are headed for Boston in the morning! I'll be attending the HOW Design Conference, and Jon will be tooling around town taking pictures of everything I'm missing! I'm pretty sure I'll get a chance to sight-see, too, and I'm really excited for the chance to go somewhere. This will be my first trip to New England!

See ya next week!

Secret's Out!

I just told my boss, so everyone can know now! Secret's out!

The details:
13 weeks along
Due November 21st
Check out the blog for the Norvell Newbie!

Blogs

Pearls Before Swine

I've decided to combine my LMN-o-Photo blog with this blog. I don't post much on it, and not many people look at it. So, when I have a cool photo (and time to format it), I'll stick it here.

Hooray for simplification!

You know you're in the sticks when...

...you've lived there for years and Google still hasn't mapped your neighborhood.

The Auction

Tuesday night was the night of the auction. Since Jon would be downtown just getting off work at the time the sample portrait needed to be there, he took everything and set it all up for me. He came home telling me there was tons of stuff there, and we needed to be back there at 9-ish to pick everything up.

Before we left, I put on a cute top--just in case we met the person who bid on my services, I wanted to look artsy. :) We got to Joe T's, and it was a madhouse of people. The auction had just ended, and everyone was in a long line...for what I don't know, but it was something about claiming their purchases. We made it through to my portrait pretty quickly. There was a small table right next to it, with a framed piece of paper explaining what was being bid on, and my business cards in front of that. The stack of business cards was noticeably smaller than the stack I sent with Jon, so that was exciting.

Then I saw another framed piece of paper--this time for another photographer, with a value of $600!! Sheesh. Were all the donations that generous?? I knew at this stage I couldn't afford more than the $150 I gave, so I didn't feel bad in that way, I just felt kind of small. That coupled with the fact that I found the rest of the stack of business cards underneath my portrait kind of deflated my balloon a little.

I wandered around looking for the coordinator--I'd never met her, and thought someone might care if they saw a random person walking off with a large portrait. I didn't find her, but I did find all the other auction items. Thankfully, it seemed $600 was toward the high end of things, and there were a lot of $25 and $50 items. Usually, with charity auctions, items go for much higher than their value--a cake for $150 for example--but given the volume of donations, I'm wondering if things went for less than their value.

Finally, Jon and I just packed up the portrait and left. I did find someone who looked somewhat important and told her I was taking it. She said that was fine. She didn't ask my name or anything...weird.

All in all, it was a weird experience. Not quite what I'd expected, but I'm hoping it gave me a little more publicity than I'd had. What I've learned in marketing is that if your name is out there, it's out there. It's not always easy to put numbers on how valuable that is, but it's valuable every time. And even if I don't make any more money or connections out of this auction, it still gave me a good deadline to get my website up, my business cards together, and my price sheet finalized. So I'm glad I did it.

New site is up!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a quick introduction to my new site, lmnovations.com. I've had it for awhile, but it's housed my graphic design, etc. portfolio, and now it houses my photography stuff!

It will still have some tweaking and more pictures added, but I'm already passing out business cards, so I wanted it to at least be up.

More about the progress of the photo business coming soon!

Kitten pics!

Okay, we made it back from the vet! We played with four of the cutest and healthiest little kittens and their mama! I mean, these kittens were just balls of fluff, two weeks younger than Smith & Wesson, and probably weighing twice as much. You couldn't find a bone on them. Mama's milk has been good to them! And on top of that, they were so lively and cute. They had just had a nap and were wired for playing. Balls, string, boxes, each other....everything was fair game.

There are three females and one male. We picked out the male and one of the females, but someone else actually has first dibs, and she's picking two as well. So we'll get the two kittens that she doesn't pick. If she's not picky, the vet techs said they'd let her know our preference.

So yes, we're getting kittens!!

We're going to Boston for a conference mid-May, and they're going to hold the kittens for us free of charge until we get back. Or, we can pick them up earlier and take them back for the week we'll be gone, but that seems like a lot of change for the little guys to go through. Plus, this gives us a chance to get our house kitten-proofed and load up on toys, because these are some toy-lovin' kittens!

I don't think I got pics of all of them (well, I did, but they were so active a lot of the shots came out as blurs), but they all look basically alike. The boy has more orange on his face than the others, and one of the girls has an almost solid black back. So now, without further ado, the kitties!


And here is the mama so you can see how beautiful they will grow up to be.

Kittens

The vet's office called yesterday and said they have a litter of kittens, if we'd like to come look at them. The kittens are only 4 weeks old, so not ready to come home with us, but that actually works out well because the next few weeks are going to be very busy in the Norvell household, with many days out of town. So, we're going to look at little tiny kittens today!

We still have the vouchers for the Humane Society, but Jon doesn't really want to go that route since we're not guaranteed healthy animals, and we had such a bad experience last time. By going through the vet's office, we know the entire life history of these kittens (and their mother), plus we know that the vet will be taking good care of them until we can bring them home. If we go through the Humane Society, we had decided to get older cats with stronger immune systems, but we were sad that we would be missing out on the super-cute kitten stage. Through the vet, we'd still have that kitten stage. So, there are a lot of positives to going through the vet, though that would mean we'd lose our money at the Humane Society. However, I'm pretty sure we could reallocate that money to "sponsor" a cat who is less likely to be adopted. By covering the adoption fee, it could encourage someone to adopt a cat that is older, has been at the shelter for a long time, or needs special care. I'll have to see what I can find out about that.

But first, the visit to the vet this afternoon! I'm taking my camera because I don't want to miss out on any photo-op of our potential new babies! I'll let you know what happens! I'm just excited to be petting tiny kittens!

I understand

The last couple of weeks, the Calvin and Hobbes comics have been very poignant...and very close to home. I miss my kitties.
(By Bill Watterson)

(click on the comic to see a larger version)

Update on the earring

In February, I got the cartilage pierced in my left ear. Just in case someone was considering doing the same thing, I thought I'd give an update.

My ear was very sore for the first two weeks or so. I also had ringing in my ear, I'm guessing from the swelling. The swelling went down and my ear got much better, but I wasn't able to sleep on my left side until about two weeks ago. Even then, I have to shield my ear from the pillow with my hand. So, I thought my problem might be the earring post and back getting in the way, catching on my glasses, and generally keeping the area sore. Today I bought a nice sleek hoop that's small and makes a perfect smooth circle when it's closed. I figured it would be perfect.

I've had this piercing about 11 weeks now. The instructions said to keep the original earring in for 8-12 weeks, so I figured I was fine. It was kind of hard to get out because the earring back was "locked" on from the piercing gun. When I did get it off, my ear immediately swelled up. Great. I cleaned everything off really well, including the new earring, and started to put it in. But, the new earring is rounded, and the hole had swelled too much for me to easily put it in. At this point, I started to feel faint. :) I called Jon in to figure out what to do. After a few more attempts, we decided it was simply not time to put a new earring in, so back went the stud.

Maybe I'll try again in a few weeks. I do think the new ring would help keep it from getting knocked, which might be one reason it hasn't healed. On the other hand, I mentioned the soreness to a girl I bought the earring from today, and she said that could last up to a year! So maybe this is just normal.

It's not infected, and in almost every situation I don't even notice it, but I will be glad when it's healed. And I'll be glad when I can put the new earring in, because I like it.

So to all of you considering cartilage piercing, 3 months into it I like it, but I'm not sure it was worth it. I certainly wouldn't get another one. However, I do think I'll keep the one I have.

Japanese Gardens

Last Saturday Joe and Leanna came out to visit the Japanese Gardens with us. It was tons of fun, and we got lots of neat pictures. Lea, if you want any of these full-size, just let me know!

Awareness

There are a couple things going on that I wanted you to be aware of.

First, there is a new movie called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. A documentary by Ben Stein, Expelled seeks to open up conversation between those who believe in Evolution and those who believe in Intelligent Design. To do so, he brought in the most polarized scientists from each camp. That has stirred up some controversy, because there are many "middle ground" campers. However, taking a view to its logical conclusion often leads to the very view of the polarized group. To illustrate the point, Stein interviewed Richard Dawkins, a staunch Darwinist and athiest. He argues that evolution, taken to its logical conclusion, means that there is no God. Another scientist whose name I can't recall, exultantly stated (in paraphrase), "There is no God, there is no life after death, there are no moral values, there is nothing!" That same scientists was also in favor of euthenasia, which is another logical conclusion of evolution. If we are just cells smashed together by chance, here for ourselves and no one else, then why live after it's not fun any more?

The real revelation from the movie is that both scientific theories--Evolution and Intelligent Design--come through their own world views. A world view is, simply, one's belief about the world that affects one's decisions. The important word is "belief." Evolution requires a belief system for it to work, and yet Intelligent Design is invalidated for that same reason.

All in all, it's an excellent documentary. I would highly recommend it no matter your beliefs. I would caution you, however, on your discussions after the movie. The point of the movie is to open calm, thoughtful conversation between the two sides. However, this is an issue where emotions run high, and rational thought is easily put aside for less productive words. You can find evidence of that all over the internet; I encourage you to do some sleuthing on both sides. Find out if the movie is showing near you!

In other news, many of you have probably heard of Oprah Winfrey's new "cult religion." Oprah has started a webinar series on the book A New Earth written by Eckhart Tolle. In typical Oprah fashion, the book is very New Age. And also in typical Oprah fashion, what she touches turns to gold, and thousands have joined in on the webinar series. I read a blog post that had some very good comments on what is going on, and I will encourage you to read it as well instead of me rewriting what's been said. I'm not an Oprah watcher, but I know many people who are. Be aware of what's happening so you can discuss it with someone who might be duped by it.

It's good to be informed about these kinds of things: origin of life discussions and support of a New Age movement by a very influential person. As much as I'd like to duck my head in the sand 'til Christ comes back, I know that won't do the Kingdom any good. And it won't help the people who are lost and seeking.

Get informed and get in the conversation!

Showerhead Innovation

I ran across a new kind of showerhead today, and I thought I'd pass it on. There is a whole line of showerheads made by Evolve that preserve water when you're not using them. How many people (or people's spouses) turn on the hot water to the shower, then go off and do other things waiting for it to warm up? Shave, pick out clothes, check the mail.... When you get back, the water is nice and warm. But how long was it running nice and warm?

The Evolve showerheads have an auto-turnoff that reduce the flow of water to a trickle once the water hits 95 degrees. That will indicate that it's hot, and if you're in the middle of something, you don't waste any more water! Some people like water hotter than 95, and the showerhead does not prevent it from getting hotter; the designers evidently figured 95 was a comfortable temp to start, at least.

Check out the site! Only one of the showerheads is a low-flow design; the others are normal flow just like what you're used to. The cheapest one is $40, which is more expensive than the cheapest you can find at Wal-Mart, but really pretty on par with other showerheads. There's also an adapter which looks like it fits between your existing showerhead and shower arm, just in case you just bought your dream showerhead and are now finding it lacking. The site says the showerheads are available at The Home Depot, so we may go check them out. I know this would be useful at our house!

A Step

Today I've signed up to donate my photography to an auction whose proceeds go to a Christian school here in town. I'll be donating a sitting and a 16x20 portrait. I had started to donate an 8x10, but that's not going to be very impressive over someone's mantle, s0 a 16x20 it is. I'm giving about a $150 value (yes, those new prices I've yet to really use), and hopefully someone will bid more on it than that so that the school will make lots of money. And also, hopefully, this will be good publicity for me, too. I'll get to have my business cards set out as well as a sample of my work.

As far as a sample goes, I have two options for family portraits. One is the Sapp family. The other is the Schield family. The Sapps are a little older, with two grown boys, while the Schields are a mixture of ages (though they're all siblings except Mrs. Schield). The Schields is a more colorful picture, but I like the lighting in the Sapp portrait. What do you think? Let me know which one would make you bid for a portrait sitting for yourself.