9/11 Patriotism

I keep getting forwarded emails from people suggesting that everyone needs to put out their American flags for 9/11 and telling people that we need to show patriotic support for the ten year anniversary of the tragedy.  While I agree that on the anniversary of this momentous day in history we should take a few moments to remember and to understand its significance, it bothers me that people only feel the need to be patriotic on one or two days a year.  Maybe it's because my husband is a soldier but I feel like its deeper than that.  The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday and I do feel proud to be an American and wife of a soldier even if it isn't always easy and even knowing that as great as America is, it does have its flaws.  I think we should strive to appreciate our country and everything that we have because of it EVERY DAY.  We should treat every day like an American holiday and want to fly our flags all of the time not just when we feel obligated to do so. 

Samson and Delilah - Not The Epic Love Story I Thought

A few days ago I decided to take a look at the Bible story of Samson and Delilah.  For some reason I had always thought that theirs was an epic love story. This is definitely not the case.  In fact, I have serious doubts that Delilah ever loved Samson at all.  She betrayed him... multiple times!  This is a horrible story.  Why have I always been told that theirs is one of epic and unconditional love?  I thought that maybe as I read on that Delilah's mistakes would be redeemed but they were not.  I am not just surprised I guess you could say I am disillusioned and disappointed.  What other misconceptions do I have about other stories??  I am not entirely sure if I want to find out.

Bible Study

I have recently become more interested in Bible study.  Don't get me wrong this is not the first time I have picked up the Bible but I have recently found a renewed interest in taking a closer look at it.  I think I should attribute some of this new found inspiration to my friend Ellie who I have recently had some really interested theologically conversations with. 

A few weeks back, Ellie and I were having lunch at Panera and discussing one of her recent sermons when I mentioned to her that I really wished that the Bible had an index by topic.  To my surprise she looked at me and told me that they existed!  She told me that there are specific books which catalogue the Bible by topic and by word references and that it is called a Concordance. 

A week or so later, I began researching where I could get one of these books.  I found a Christan book store in town that May had told me about and found that they were having a sale on Bibles and Concordances.  Yay!  When I went to the store I found a topical Bible but it was vague and did not seem to include many entries.  I ended up buying a Strong's Concordance.  It seems a little intimidating because it is EXTREMELY detailed and has a Hebrew/Aramaic dictionary, a Greek dictionary, and a list of every single time every word in the Bible is mentioned as well as a comprehensive list by topic but the salesgirl highly recommended it and  it was a great deal.  Go big or go home right?

Anyways... so I have been looking up topics and looking up the respective Bible passages in the past week or so.  I have discovered that there are many many books in the Bible that I am slightly ashamed to admit that I didn't even realize existed.  I was raised a Catholic and went to CCD for years but when we discussed the Bible we always focused on the first few books about creation and the Gospels. Now I realize that the Bible is so much more than that!

I have asked Ellie to consider facilitating a Bible study online since she will be deploying soon.  I really hope that she agrees.

I Should Have Stayed In Bed

Today is one of those days when I would have been better off staying in bed.  I didn't fall asleep until one am last night mostly due to my own fault but I wasn't too worried because I didn't have to be up early today.  The first thing on my schedule was a dentist appointment at noon.  I figured I could sleep in till 9 and then get up and get ready.  Life had other plans.

I was woken up at 8:30 by my phone ringing.  It was the sub line.  I am a substitute teacher so it is not normally unusual for me to get calls in the morning to get called into work.  However it was unexpected today because today was the first day of school.  Who calls in sick on the very first day?!  Obviously due to my dentist appointment I had to decline the job but I could not fall back asleep even though I felt exhausted.

When I finally dragged myself out of bed I found myself running behind.  I hurried to get ready and dashed out the door.  Just my luck the drive to my appointment took considerably longer than I expected due to two accidents and a funeral procession.  Go figure.  When I finally arrived running about ten minutes late I parked the car and hurried into the building only to discover that they were running even further behind than me.  At first I was relieved because it meant that I wasn't really "late" anymore however after sitting in the waiting room for half an hour... nearly 45 minutes after my appointment time I began to get frustrated.  The visit only lasted ten minutes as they were just checking on the work they had done previously and I left the office. 

When I got home I decided to tackle the next task on my to do list for the day. - Call Time Warner Cable-  My Internet has been acting up and has been choosing to disconnect and not allow me to reconnect right when I am in the middle of talking to my husband.  Can you say annoying and frustrating?  I had already spoken to a tech on Friday night and he had told me that someone would need to come out to check my modem but I wasn't ready to schedule the appointment at 10pm so I told him I would call on Monday.  Today I instantly regretted that choice.  It took me 45 minutes of arguing and three supervisors to convince the TWC people that my router is not the problem and that a visit from a tech is indeed required.  When I got off the phone I was more than a little annoyed.

Feeling irritated but trying to turn the day around I decided to do some laundry.  The next hour or so went by smoothly but then dinner hour rolled in and I decided it was time to start cooking.  I wanted to make pasta so I went to the sink and turned on the water to fill up a pot.  Only problem? When I turned on the faucet the only water that came out was in a thin dribble even though I had turned the faucet on full blast.  Seriously? I thought, you have to be kidding.  I called the maintenance line hoping to hear that they were working on the water and that it would be turned back on shortly.  No such luck.  They agreed to send someone out to look at it.  While I waited I decided that it might be a good idea to check out my basement to see if there was any water there.  I was concerned that maybe a pipe had broken.  Sure enough my basement was full of water.  We have boxes down there and all of them are soaked.  This was around 6:40pm.

To make a long story slightly shorter a repair guy did eventually show up and two problems were discovered. 1) A major water main break down the street and 2) The sub pump (sp?) in our basement had been improperly installed and was spewing gallons of water into our basement.  I have one word to describe this.  AWESOME.  NOT. 

It is now 11:22pm.  The basement issue has not been fixed and the repair guys need to come back sometime this week to work on it.  I have not even attempted yet to deal with my soggy boxes.  At this point I decided that is a project for tomorrow.  I also am still without water.  It was supposed to be fixed hours ago but I just called for a status update and was told that it is going to be another 4-6 hours.  It's a good thing I am going to bed soon because I cannot even flush my toilets.  I can only hope that it is fixed by morning.  Ellie called me to offer that I could stay at her place for the night but I figured the water would be on soon.  It was really sweet of her to offer.  She pretty much made my night.  Well she and my husband who patiently listened to me tel him everything that had gone wrong. I am enjoying some brownies that Ellie gave me yesterday and a Mikes hard lemonade though.  Somehow these two small luxuries make all of today's disasters seem not so bad. 

I know that God will never give me more than I can handle but man I was really wishing my husband was here today to help me with everything.  I am not looking forward to cleaning up soggy boxes and dealing with the TWC tech tomorrow but hopefully everything will work out.

Peter Makes Me Feel Better About My Own Shortcomings

See my previous post for the sermon that I am discussing here.

I love the way Ellie begins this sermon because I think almost everyone has a similar memory of learning to ride a bike.  I know that my own memory of my father teaching me is very similar.  By using this example I feel like she made the Bible passage more accessible for me. 

I really connected with how Ellie describes the relationship between Jesus and Peter.  I love the way she says "I don’t think Jesus asks Peter about his doubts because he is judging Peter’s lack of faith or shaming him for being weak in the midst of the wind and the waves. Jesus knows all to well Peter’s limitations as a human being. He himself came into the world to live and to feel and to know that part of the human experience has to do with limitations, our limited vision and capacity, our propensity to forget God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness when we are in a dark and lonely wilderness. Jesus knows this all too well because he is one of us. I think Jesus asks Peter why he doubted because he wants to help Peter learn something important in this moment."

As a teacher myself I agree with Ellie's interpretation of this "teaching moment."  I like the idea that Jesus is not "calling Peter out."  He is not punishing Peter for doubting but instead showing him that he will be there no matter what happens EVEN if and when Peter doubts.  Peter makes me feel better about myself because I know that I too have many shortcomings and often doubt God's plan when life gets difficult.  It is easy to believe in God's Divine plan and presence when things are going well but it is not so easy to keep this faith when life seems dark and the challenges before us threaten to overwhelm us.  I often feel like Peter.  However I now realize that this is OK.  God is not going to judge me for doubting him.  Instead he will forgive me because he knows that as humans we are wired to doubt.  This is not to give us an excuse but to say that doubt is something that we as humans will always struggle against. 

When I spoke to Ellie about her sermon I explained to her how glad I was that she had chosen to talk about Peter and told her that I too am now thankful for Peter because he makes me feel better about my own mistakes.  Ellie went on to remind me that many of the apostles were imperfect people.  Many of them did horrible things before they came to Jesus.  For example, Paul, was responsible for the persecution and deaths of many Christians before coming to Jesus.  However in spite all of the imperfections that his followers had, Jesus was able to turn them into something wonderful.  He was able to use their shortcoming to teach them about his way and forgave them for their mistakes no matter how terrible they may have been.  In the same way I believe that if we let Jesus help us, he can turn our doubts, our mistakes, and our sins into a life that means something and is spent helping people to make our world a better place.

It’s Just Like Riding A Bike

The following is another sermon that my chaplain friend Ellie recently gave.  I really love what she has to say and following this post I will make another post discussing it.  However, I wanted to post the original sermon here first so that those of you who are interested could read it.  Thank you Ellie!

Reverend Ellie

August 7, 2011

Main Post Chapel

Matthew 14:22-33

“It’s just like riding a bike”

For my 7th birthday, I received a bright orange bicycle with a long banana boat seat. This was a major step up from the bike that I had as a six year old, because this new bicycle did not have any training wheels. Much to my dismay, no training wheels could be fitted on this bike because it was too big. If I wanted to ride my new present I had one choice: to ride without any safety net, something that I had never attempted before.

I remember the saturday morning when my father and I went out into our cul-de-sac so I could learn to ride my new bike.  Before I began to pedal, in fact, before I even agreed to get on the bike, I gave my father a serious talking to. Under no circumstances would he be permitted ever to let go of me. No matter how well I pedaled or how fast I went, no matter what, he had to promise to stay there by my side. With his compliance, I mounted the bike. As I began to pedal, I couldn’t help but continue to remind my dad not to let go of me. Even though he was there, even though I could feel him literally holding me, I couldn’t stop myself from looking back and demanding that he keep his promise. Because I kept turning around to talk to my him, I didn’t go very far nor very fast. That was good news for my dad. He easily kept up with me.

As the day wore on, I found a little more courage and stopped looking back at my dad. After all, he had not failed me yet, so maybe he didn’t need my incessant reminders. As I began to pedal faster and faster, my dad had to run to stay with me. He hardly needed to hold me at all. Still, as long as I felt him, I didn’t think I was on my own. Soon, I was riding my bike all by myself. It was amazing. But then I realized, I was riding my bike all by myself. With this sudden awareness, I panicked and instead of pedaling, turned around to look for my father. I could no longer feel my dad holding me, to my surprise, he was still there just as he had promised. And, as I began to cry out and fall, he caught me.

Why did you doubt? Jesus asks. It’s a pretty simple question. After all, Jesus had given no indication at any point that there should be a reason to doubt. Peter’s experiences of Jesus up to this moment were all trustworthy. Jesus had already healed quite a few people, calmed a storm, restored the life of Jarius’ daughter, gave sight back to the blind, taught time and again about faithfulness, and turned water to wine and a few loaves and fishes into enough for a meal which fed a few thousand. In all the history that Peter and Jesus have together, there wasn’t a slip of trust or an incident which would merit a loss of faith. But, in Peter’s defense, Jesus was a human being. Just because he had been dependable SO FAR what would stop him from deviating in the future. More to the point, those waves were tall and relentless. They had been battering the boat all night without reprieve. And, the wind was fierce, potentially strong enough to capsize the boat so certainly able to engulf a mere man.

It’s pretty obvious why Peter had his doubts. And, I don’t think his doubts were overtly about Jesus. Peter’s doubts overtake him because his attention and focus on his circumstances, the wind and waves and water, became more important, more pressing, than his trust in his friend and teacher. As Jesus and the memory of their history together sank more into the backdrop, the danger and fear of the moment overcame Peter. He couldn’t see or remember anything else but the terrible wind and waves. He was completely overwhelmed. And, as we all might imagine, when the wind and waves surrounded him, and he lost sight of God’s presence, God’s promise to him, God’s trustworthiness, and he began to sink.

This seems to be the story of our lives. We have these moments of deep, abiding clarity where our faith is so strong that we step out of the safety of our boat and tackle the impossible. We hear the call of Jesus, and we say “Yes, Lord. Here I am.” With surprising eagerness, we follow Jesus into places and circumstances that are not easy. We go along for a while, even in the stormy water. But, like a thief which comes in the night, that faith which compelled us to follow, to believe in God’s goodness, is stolen by all the stuff which presses in on us.

“It’s cancer, and there is nothing we can do.”

“I want a divorce. I just don’t love you anymore.”

“I regret to inform you that your son has been killed.”

“Your position has been terminated.”

“We have lost our home. There is nothing left.”

I don’t think Jesus asks Peter about his doubts because he is judging Peter’s lack of faith or shaming him for being weak in the midst of the wind and the waves. Jesus knows all to well Peter’s limitations as a human being. He himself came into the world to live and to feel and to know that part of the human experience has to do with limitations, our limited vision and capacity, our propensity to forget God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness when we are in a dark and lonely wilderness. Jesus knows this all too well because he is one of us. I think Jesus asks Peter why he doubted because he wants to help Peter learn something important in this moment. The moment that Peter begins to sink, the moment that Peter cries, “Save me Lord,” Jesus makes his presence known. Immediately, he reaches out and catches a flailing, sinking Peter. As Jesus catches Peter, at the same time, he asks, “Why did you doubt?” Jesus is there to save Peter though Peter has lost his sight, perhaps even lost his faith. And, Jesus will be there again, every time that Peter calls out. He will be there even when Peter is silent. Jesus asks the question because he wants Peter to remember this.

Jesus knows that more storms are coming, with even stronger winds and mightier waves which will surely capsize the boat and threaten to destroy everything that is precious to the disciples. Jesus asks him why he doubts because, knowing what it means to be human, he knows that Peter’s faith will be put to the test again. He knows that Peter will lose sight of him. He knows the anguish Peter and his disciples will experience because of the cross, because of his death and seeming defeat. He wants them to remember that even when it seems that the storms of life have overtaken them and Jesus is no where in sight, even then, he is there, ready to catch them, always ready to save. He is holding on to us even when we can’t feel him anymore.

I don’t know about you, but most days I am really thankful that there are so many stories about Peter in the Bible, especially stories about his doubts and fears and stumbles and falls. Sometimes I can feel so discouraged because, despite the fact that at times I have caught a glimpse of the God’s steadfast love or I have witnessed God’s faithfulness, I still find myself sinking into the great sea, crying out, “Lord, save me.” I have known momentarily the peace of true faith but still, the storms that come from no where, the gnawing doubt and fear I have of the future and just what may come of my life, these things still threaten to undo me on some days. In my stumbles and falls, when my faith fades into the background and only my fear and doubt remain, I do find great comfort that God continues to love me, to reach out to me and catch me, to call me by name, into service and as a witness to the good news of this gospel. Just like Peter, the rock upon which our church was built. Peter, a limited human being, who failed to be there for Jesus in his most needy hour, who fell asleep in the garden and then who denied him three times. Nonetheless, it is Peter who is called upon by Jesus to spread this good news.

And it is also us. Us who doubt. Us who question. Us, who in one moment have courage and in the next fall flat, it is all of us who, like Peter, are called to feed sheep, called to share our love, called simply to remember just who is there and has been there all along to catch us when we fall. Faith doesn’t go away because our doubts and fears cloud our vision. Faith is not forgotten forever when it seems lost or broken. Faith is a part of us that we don’t forget no matter how much time has past, kind of like riding a bike. When we have learned it, when it has become imbedded in our hearts and minds, our falls can never erase it. Even years of setting it aside do not make it null. It is there because God is there. We may not always be able to see or feel God’s presence, but our inability to see or feel does not dictate God’s ability to keep a promise.

“Why do you doubt?” we are asked. “Remember, I am with you always, to the ends of the ages.” May it be so. Amen

*Posted with permisson from Ellie. I have not edited or changed her sermon in any way other than changing her name.

Half Price Books

I recently discovered http://www.halfpricebooksonline.com/.  They have a retail store but online there is a lot more variety to choose from.  I am excited because I found two books that I have been wanting in "like new" condition for only 99 cents each!  Not only that but these are hardcover editions!  Yes, I had to pay shipping but since I bought two books from the same seller, I got a discount on the shipping of the second book and only paid $9 for both books shipping included.  I am excited for my new purchases to arrive and depending on how they look when they get here I am looking forward to finding some more great deals on this site. 

Patient Hope Revisited

Those who regularly read my blog may recall my post a few weeks ago about my chaplain friend's semon entitled Patient Hope.  I have recieved many interested comments about my post and her sermon so I asked my friend (who from here on out I will refer to as Ellie) and she agreed to send me the text of the sermon and to let me post it here for you.  Enjoy!

Rev. Ellie at Main Post Chapel

July 17, 2011

Romans 8:12-25

Patient Hope

Listen to these last two verses from Romans once more. “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

A couple weeks ago, a friend sent me a book entitled While There’re at War. The book’s author, Kristin Henderson, is the wife of a Navy chaplain. She gives an account of her own experience, waiting for her husband while he was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq during the initial invasions early on in the wars. In addition to some of her own reflections as a military spouse, she follows the experiences of a group of women in Fayetteville who call themselves “the Hooah Wives.” Throughout their husband’s deployments, the Hooah Wives stick together, helping each other survive the months and months of loneliness and fear. The stories that she tells may sound familiar to many of us. From the good-bye scene on the Green Ramp, to nerve wracking hours of waiting for green suiters to knock on the door with earth shattering news, sleepless nights, anxious days, and always this distant hope that one day, their loved one will come home alive and well.

Preparing for this sermon and reading Paul’s letter to the Romans about creation suffering as it waits for restoration, my mind kept wandering back to that time period of waiting which many face when a loved one is deployed. Those who are left at home to wait approach this difficult season in a variety of ways, some healthy and some destructive. We have heard and seen and even experienced the ways that people cope with the stress of deployment. Working longer hours in order to stay busy or joining a faith community in order to find support and care during this vulnerable time are some of the more healthy coping mechanisms some spouses choose. On the opposite end of the spectrum, others may fall into addictions to alcohol or drugs or even extra-marital affairs. The book takes time to discuss each of these, not from a place of judgement but instead from a position of compassion. Waiting is one of the most difficult tasks we are ever called to do. It is not surprising that in the process of waiting, many of us stumble and sometimes even fall.

Unfortunately, seasons of waiting are not something that we can avoid, even when we try to run away from their clutches. How we wait, our posture while waiting, this might be worth exploring. I entitled my sermon “Patient Hope.” I did this much earlier in the week, and honestly, it was just the first thing that popped in my head when I read the scripture. I wasn’t even sure what I meant when I wrote it. But throughout the week, as I considered Patient Hope, an idea started to emerge. We all have to wait in one season or another, but it is how we wait that reveals our faithfulness. We can wait in hope or we can wait in dread. Both are among our available choices, yet how we wait determines the quality of our relationship with God and with one another.

For years, instead of living with Patient Hope, I lived with a kind of patient dread. That’s not to say that I wasn’t a seemingly happy person who enjoyed life and friends, but secretly, I was constantly waiting with dread. Much of my posture in waiting had to do with my brother who was diagnosed with mental illness and drug addiction while I was away at college. Four states were a great buffer between the reality of my brother’s illness and me. Yet, I lived daily with dread that as matters deteriorated more and more at home, I would one day get the call that someone had died, either my brother from overdose or tragic accident or one of my parents caught in the cross-fire of his rage and violence. The days between calls from home were spent in patient dread as I prepared myself for the worst. And, with my patient dread, came a kind of closing in. I folded my arms around my heart, putting up invisible walls which might protect me from any more heartbreak.

Living with patient dread makes sense sometimes. The reality of our situations may lend to this kind of protective posture. Replacing our dread with hope may seem nearly impossible. Most of us have known the sting of disappointment. We know the pain which accompanies all the kinds of hurt which we might face in our lives: the death of a spouse, breaches of trust because of infidelity or dishonest behavior, the tragic news of an illness, wanting to be a parent, but not being able to have children or having a child who faces sickness and even death. The list could go on. With all these possibilities, waiting with dread is not a surprising response to life’s events.  After all, the whole creation has been groaning. How and when will we be set free from this bondage to decay? How and when will we obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God?

The problem with dread is that it is a silent killer. It turns us in on ourselves. As we groan inwardly, as we protect ourselves from the pain, we also become insulated to the gifts of life which keep us healthy. The good gifts of love and friendship and joy and blessing, they have no way to penetrate our walls. Before we are aware, dread, and all that comes with it, become our expectation. We become stuck in this posture, and we don’t believe that there is any other way to live.

It’s easy for me to say that Patient Hope is the answer but it’s harder put it into practice when we are in the midst of life’s storms. But, when we read the good news, and we look at the cross, we see what waiting in hope really looks like. Jesus’ life and ministry was all about Patient Hope. As he waited to see and experience what the world would do with him, he did so with a posture of hope, arms always opened wide, welcoming the stranger, the little one, the sinner, even when arms wide open would risk his reputation, his family and friends and eventually his life. On my desk at home, I have a hand carved crucifix. A friend brought it to me when I was living in Cape Town. I must admit, it was a little off putting at first. The crown of thorns, the nails in his hands, the ravaged face and body hanging by mere threads of life. I didn’t know where to put it because I didn’t want to scare people who came over to visit me with this almost two foot depiction of Christ dying on the cross prominently displayed in my living room. We Protestants don’t spend a lot of our time in the presence of the crucifixion. Our crosses leave much to the imagination. This week, though, looking at Jesus on the cross, I couldn’t help but think that this was the ultimate statement of Patient Hope. No walls of protection, no attempt to avoid the pain or disappointment. Just arms wide open, waiting with hope that death would not have the final say.

Paul writes to the Romans, “But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But, if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” It feels like Paul is saying this... If it has come to easily. If it’s not a big deal. If you feel that you already have it, already understand it fully, then you have missed the boat altogether. For Paul, hope, resurrection hope, doesn’t come haphazardly. It is not something to throw around or put on display. Resurrection hope is so powerful that on some days, it brings us to our knees with tears that spring to our eyes as much from our pain as from our joy and gratitude. Resurrection hope is what I like to call a painful gift. It is something so wonderful that we have no choice but to accept and embrace it. But, with saying yes to the gift, we also say yes to the risks and the heartache which cannot be avoided when we have our arms wide open.

Living in Patient Hope transforms us from our inward groaning as we wait for God to restore us. Each day, each moment that we wait in hope, rather than wait in dread, we open our arms just a little more, moving toward the posture which Jesus has shown us in his life and death, which Jesus shows us even now. When we live in Patient hope, we witness that resurrection is not just something that happened thousands of years ago, but it is something that happens every day. From the dust and ashes of our broken lives, God breathes life anew. Even the oldest bones, the greatest chasm, the deepest hurt, the darkest night are not beyond God’s restoration. Just because we can’t see or conceive of it, doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible through God’s grace and love.

It’s hard to wait in hope for something that we can’t see. It’s hard, on this journey of life, to hope when we don’t know all the dangers we may meet upon the road... will we hurt or feel alone, will we live life to its fullest, or will we have regrets? Even when we don’t know all the details, we do know the end of the story. We know what we have been promised.. restoration and fullness.. and we also know that God has promised to be there with us.

We follow a savior who has his arms wide open. All we need to do to remember this is look  at the cross. Jesus lived with patient hope, arms ready to embrace the muck and mess instead of push it all away. It cost him his life, yet that was not his end. Nor is it ours. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, we wait with Patient Hope. May it be so, today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.

*Posted with permisson from Ellie.  I have not edited or changed her sermon in any way other than changing her name.

Birthday Packages

My birthday passed a few weeks ago but I wanted to write a quick post about the two packages that I received in the mail.  This was my second birthday since I married my hubby a little over a year ago but for some reason both my hubby and my maid of honor (who happens to be my sister) sent me packages this year addressed to my maiden name.

The first package to arrive was from my amazing hubby.  It was delivered a couple of days before my actual birthday and was a complete surprise.  When the postman handed it to me I was puzzled at first as to who it was from because it was addressed to my maiden name.  When I took a closer look at the shipping label I recognized my hubby's handwriting and saw his name and address listed as the sender.  I had to laugh a little.  I  wondered to myself... why would my hubby send me a package addressed to my maiden name?  Did he forget he was married to me and that I took his name?  In his defense, this was the first time that he had officially sent me mail since our wedding and the last time he had mailed me anything we had not been married yet.  What is funny though is that when I asked him about it, he denied doing it and I had to actually show him the box over the web cam to prove that he had. He hadn't even realized that he had done it.  Poor hubby.  It was so sweet of him to send me a package and I felt bad for pointing out his mistake but it did make me laugh.

Ironically, I would receive another package address to my maiden name two weeks later.

The second package was from my sister.  It was sent to my mom's house since I was visiting here there.  My mom's birthday is soon after mine so my sister had mailed our gifts together.  She had addressed the box to both of us but had listed my name second so again it appeared that the box was addressed to my maiden name.  I know she did it that way because it was going to my mom's house and that is of course her last name but she should have listed my first name first and then my mom's and the  last name so it didn't read as my maiden name.  I laughed and told my mom about the package from my hubby.  She agreed that it was pretty funny.  She is the one who pointed out that the packages had been from my maid of honor and my husband... the two people who should know best what my last name is!!  LOL

Motormouth/Dashboard Drummer

Today I made the 5.5 hour trek north to visit my parents.  They only recently moved close enough for me to drive and although it is a long ride I like being able to visit more often, especially now that Hubby is away.  As I was driving, I realized what I had to blog about today…

Does anyone remember that VH1 show called “Motormouth?”  I want to say it aired sometime around 2004?  In the show they put hidden cameras in people’s cars and watched as they rocked out to music in the car – singing and dancing and having a great time because they thought that no one was watching.  I thought this show was hilarious.

Today as I made the 5.5 hour drive I realized that I am indeed one of these “motomouths.”  I have also heard us referred to as dashboard drummers.  I totally do that too!  I love to sing in my car.  No one can judge how bad I am and I have so much fun doing it.  It really makes the five hour plus trek go by quickly.  As I sang along today I was thinking about the old VH1 show and I thought to myself “man…. If anyone was watching me right now they would probably be laughing their butts off at me.”  I am sure that I am way off key and look ridiculous but with the volume turned way up I sound OK to me and who cares right? No one else can hear me.

Are there any other “motormouths” out there willing to accept the title?