Date Night

This week was so beautiful...It was the first week since the semester started that we actually got the time together that we are scheduled to. It was amazing...I spent a ton more time than I usually do in the PR with Jesse...studied some old friends (Abraham and Co.) and got to hang out with people all while bookstore goodness and homework got done.

This wonderful week culminated in a gorgeous date night. First I finally got the pictures from our lovely honeymoon developed and then I took Jesse (first time ever) out. We went to Mongolian BBQ, which is where he took me on our second date, and then to Coldstone for some serious creamed goodness. We ate so much chocolate...Jesus is so loving...and then headed home for some quality cuddling. It was wonderful...we went to bed early and got up late and Jesse decided to spend today with me instead of doing his normal 8 hours in the PR...it was just nice to do the every-day together. We did our laundry, cleaned the kitchen, dusted our belongings, bought groceries, got Isaac and Zoey some gourmet treats, brought the Skidlet over from KCAI and dear Elias is in town. We ate some Uno's pizza and introduced Elias to The Tick, which if you don't know is quite and endearing cartoon from the days of Love's youth that he loves...we immediately purchased season 1 on DVD after it's release.

All in all the day has been extremely lovely, I can't wait until our next one...Jesse thinks of me so often...I've never been more in love with Jesus than since we've been married...Jesse points me in His direction so often...once again, what is man that You are mindful of him?

Bitter and Hateful...

This is me today...bitter and hateful...why? No real reason...nothing that could ever be justified or will be repaid in blood ...just a day...a day in a season revealing the state of my heart and emotions that is not necessarily what I was hoping to see...do you ever feel like your going backwards even when you know that you're getting better? I do...when I am faced and dealing with the state of my heart it makes me think that I am never going to get any where...even when I look behind me in terms of distance I still feel like it is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the momentous feats in front of me that I have yet to scale...Oh Jesus help me...much ado about nothing I tell you...but I'm super offended about it...about the nothing...it seems so big but really it's trivial...I know this but man I tell you I'm still so pissed about it...

Okay citizens...that's all...

Everyone has one

Today was my moment to be humbled in the light of Christian world stardom...

In the bookstore it is the office of all to work their to keep the onslaughts of people who wrote a book once, paint flags, sell hand-made cards, recorded a CD in their basement and want to promote us AWAY FROM DALE...this is something that you are told from the moment you are hired and it stays ingrained in your being for all times...

Today a gentleman asked for Dale...hearing the fateful words I sprung out of my chair in my office and asked if I could help as the cashier was flailing for words...The man said "Yes, I'm looking for Dale...she is an old friend." I said "Okay, I'll go check if she's here, what is your name?" This is the moment people...wait for it, wait for it..."(little laugh from the gentleman)Yes, she'll know me as Jim Goll." Well actually I think we all do...I knew he sounded prophetic...

And again...right back where I belong...I hope that brightens your day.

Recap

-Biggest week ever in Bookstore History
-Married to love for three months today
-Feeling the tension of the ever looming 500 to 5000 dash
-Gotta tell someone how I really feel today (this one is going to be a toughy)
-Chilin' at the 8am...Paula's gettin' good
-Dogs don't care what time the first time you move is...it means that your conscious and should therefore be paying attention to them
-Screaming monkeys make beagles crazy
-Adolescent hyenas are uglier than most creatures
-Zoey still loves pizza
-Bring on the Calls baby...I can't think of a better use of my time and yours.
That's it in a nutshell...good luck people...

Some things should never be said...not even after midnight

For you on this special occassion on the 7 year anniversary of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City I want to share with you my experience so far...

Being that I was simply working ALL day yesterday and yay hours into the night I experienced a side of the celebration that many others do not have the privilege of enjoying...Rock and roll and I worked registers all night, Thigh highs was rocking the raffle booth and Texas was chillin' filling in the MASSIVE holes in all the fabulous sale displays...oh yes, quite a crew...

At 11:38pm a customer whom had visited us several times last night popped in just in time for my husband to leave and then through a series of undisclosable events Thighs to call me barren...no idea...I don't know how we got there or where we were going...as if this is not awkard enough this customer then looked at me and said "I don't know I think you look the opposite of barren"...meaning...pregnant? I had no idea at this point what the crap was going on...I just found myself nearly weeping and crying out for Jesse as the customer proceeded to say what he thought the opposite of barren was in several different ways "Fruitful...Young...Vibrant..." all the while never dispelling his comments as innapropriate or weird...I wanted to shoot myself...this is my shout out to those that a 24-7 place attracts...you don't look barren either.

This is why I love this man

I was cruising the blogs this afternoon and taking the Blanc weekend survey. I called Jesse and asked him the Blanc question to which I got this reply:

"The book that has most impacted my Christian life? Are you reading that first 90 days of marriage book?"

I love you too baby, I love you too.

What is man that You are mindful of him?

I'm pretty sure that I've blogged this beofore...one of my favorite scriptures...weeks like these make me think goodnes...the drama is excrutiating...and what are we in it anyway? Why does the Uncreated put up with our playground bantar and our bitterness? Why does He allow us to hurt and wound others when we all deserve hell? Why are we so depraved that we would injure those that love us and have been there for us in the midst of so much? And how do we treat those that are the offenders and the offendees? What should my heart say to those I want to love but feel like I can't in the midst of offense? But how do I even have the right to ask these questions? What is it that He gives me breath to curse His beloved? And why can't I keep that in mind when I slander them?

One of my favorite Stuart quotes is when he was watching the Passion and watched Jesus get just wailed on and then see Him tell His disciples to love their enemies which is where Stuart said "That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." I know what he means, but I don't wish that I would feel that forever...I want my heart to be pure, but the road is narrow and I am being crucified and currently not being very responsive...this is the predicament of the sermon on the mount this is hard...I'm dying and I should be happy about it...Jesus help me, help all of us and give us grace to love as You love...

The VW Ticker Continues...

We have to take an emergency trip to St. Louis today so I had to take the Vdubbs in to make sure she was ready for an improptu trip...she will be $447 later...I wrote a poem for this occassion:

Black inside and out
Lovely to a fault
Drivable only on days ending in "K"
Domenica why would I ever give you away?

Conference Week

This fall at IHOP looks to be an intense endeavor. Conference after conference, weekend after weekend, bookstore craziness to bookstore craziness, class after class, traveling teams, accountants, onething regionals and honestly we're just getting started here kids...this is life at the Missions Base...and there is nothing that we can do about it...

Why do we stay...we stay because we love Jesus? Because we want to finish FSM? Because we like the music? Because what? I stay because when I walk into the Prayer Room (when I get a chance to) I feel like I'm home...more at home than listening to Cities 97.1 and drinking a cup of Caribou Coffee through Minneapolis in a snowstorm...Something inside of me clicks with this place...it longs to be here, to know God, to search out the Mystery that is the Uncreated...this is why we came and this is why we stay...at the moments when I want to quit and move on to anywhere else I remember a Man, I remember the indwelling Holy Spirit and the good Father of all and realize this is the best place I could ever be...not because it's IHOP, but because it is exactly where the Uncontainable Trinity wants me to be.

Thank you Jesus for this place, thank you Jesus for a home beyond Kansas City, a city in the sky and a place in the heart of the Almighty that I might fill...a place to be enjoyed as I run this race...make me forever mindful of Your goodness, Your grace and Your Blood.

What keeps you here?

You know you're a VW owner when...

Today I was inspired by the Blanc blog to do my own "you know you're a ____________ when" so here it goes.

You know you're a Volkswagen owner when:

-Less than $1,000 for a repair is the best and most shocking news that you have ever received

-You have a list of approved synthetic oils memorized

-You have your service guy on speed dial

-You update other VW owners on your current issue

-A standard garage won't repair your car for any amount of money

-When you try to order parts from NAPA the guy behind the counter exclaims "Holy ____!" at the price of all you parts

-In case of emergency you own a Chilton book

-People gawk at you when you say "Oh yeah, that will totally fit."

...And you won't sell it for anything in the world...Domenica (our 98 Passat 1.8L Turbo), this is my ode to you...we will never leave you nor forsake you...

A Day in Review

I deem today the weirdest bookstore day ever...

Today the following events occured within the walls of my workplace:

-A child urinated on the bookstore floor
-A woman held her hand in the air until one of my lovely cashiers helped her
-Some one asked me if they could have product for free...you know like you do...

These are the moments people...

Tell us if you have ever had a day in the office worthy of one such title.

It's only 3:30...WHY????????

This is the email I just sent Rock and Roll...names have been changed to protect the innocent.

I HATE THE EMAIL IN THE SUBJECT LINE!!!!!!!

CAN’T WE BE PERSONAL HERE????????

Whew…this has already been quite a day…

The artichoke will be here this evening…they are leaving to pick it up right now

Pregnancy tests you ask? I don’t know…neither does anyone else…UPS people…tracking numbers…

This is my plea for justice in the realm of mongoose mistreatment every where…

Wedding Picture Favorites

Our wedding was amazing...here are three Jordan Vanderplate favorites. That's right kids...IHOP's own Jordan Vanderplate has many more talents than he lets on. Check out www.jordanvanderplate.com

Jesus Camp...as if they didn't already think we were crazy...

This morning we were cruising through the apple.com trailers...you know like you do and stumbled across a movie coming to theatres by limited release on the 15th of this month. The title of the movie is Jesus Camp.

The 87 minute documentary is about a Bible camp in North Dakota and features some of our very own. Lou Engle, a choreographed dance to Breathe/Prophesy, praying in front of the abortion clinic in OP and life tape at the supreme court. To the film makers credit, they weren't trying to make us look crazy...however, like we do the director of the Bible camp did. She didn't mean to by any means, however her poor word choices and unfortunate comparisons to millitant Islam have the liberal buzz freaking out like we're strapping bombs to children and sending them to Democratic Conventions everywhere.

Being narcistic, I of course look at the situation and think of how I could have improved it and made us look slightly less crazy...the responses I read by the likes of Michael Moore and others deemed us brainwashers and no different than the Muslims giving the kids AK-47s and telling them to blow themselves up...I feel like I could have averted this by making one stellar point...We're not telling children to blow themselves up. Apparently an 8 year old praying for the president, speaking in tongues and prophesying is more frightening to our liberal homies than an 8 year old saying that they want to kill all the Jews in Jerusalem and desecrating the bodies of western soldiers after they were slaughtered for wandering into Palestine...This being the state of world that we live in the only conclusion I can muster is that surely Jesus will soon return.

Also interesting...the movies limited release includes New York City, Kansas City and Colorado Springs of all places...They know where we are people and are banking on us seeing the movie. I submit this idea...the sequel should be at onething. Check it all out at www.jesuscampthemovie.com.