Sluggish Day

I've been feeling rather sluggish all day today, pretty much since the alarm clock went off this morning. It's been hard to motivate myself to do ANYTHING . . . and I couldn't figure out why . . . then I realized IT'S MONDAY! Though I may not be working anymore, my body apparently still bucks at the idea of Mondays. Mostly because I have to be separated from this cutie after wonderful weekends together.


That's him at Youth Explosion! 2000 . . . the summer between our sophomore and junior year of high school . . . the summer we first started liking each other . . . *awwwwww* (I got to tell a brief recap of "Our Story" last night at care group to a new comer and it was quite fun to tell it to someone who isn't tired of hearing it yet, haha)

This past weekend we finished up our Christmas shopping, finished the framework for our new garden in the backyard, hung out at the Rosses, Sr for the Panthers game and then CG. Full weekend, but so much fun! Greg actually got to lead CG for his first time ever on Sunday. Jeremy Oddy (our fearless leader) and his family were out of town for Thanksgiving so he asked Greg to lead our group. Greg did a fantastic job, he asked great follow up questions and led us all in a wonderful discussion about leaving our comfort zones in order to serve and further the gospel.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this week . . . Allie comes home for break on Tues, we get to have a sisters lunch on Wednesday and Mom and I are cooking up a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday!

One of my favorite SNL skits

A Quick One . .

This past weekend Greg went camping with 3 guys from church and I got to go spend the weekend with Leah! It's the first time we've hung out, just the 2 of us, since she got married back in April. It was long overdue. We didn't do a fantastic job of documenting the trip (I didn't even have my camera with me) so you'll have to imagine the pictures for yourself (think mounds and mounds of food, numerous chick flicks, walks with Henry, and an antiques mall). The conversation was great (I want "convo cards" for my kitchen table, too . . . ) and it was great to catch up.

The boys had a great time as well and did a much better job documenting . . . Greg took my camera with him and got many pictures of the beautiful fall foliage. My favorite is the picture of the fog rolling in over the mountains.























































Finally, one down and five to go. I finished the window treatments in our bedroom today, leaving only 5 windows that I need to finish. Thankfully when we moved in (in January) the previous owner had left all of her mini-blinds, so it has not been a necessity to get curtains up. But the room does look so much better with the curtains, more polished and complete. There will still be no rush, just some fun projects to look forward to as I make our little house more homey =)

The Dash

I will post more later about our trip this weekend up to Virginia with Greg's family for Grandpa Mickey's funeral; but I want to share this poem that was read at the funeral. It was very meaningful for all of us.

The Dash

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

©1996 Linda Ellis

Day Trip

This Saturday we (Dad, Greg, Ivy and I) had the opportunity to go up to Montreat to see Allie and watch her team in a match against Brenau University. (The picture on that article is of Allie!) The team played so well and we had a blast watching "real volleyball" (As much as I love playing pick-up games with M28 or at picnics, there's just something about watching an official team play. They cover the court so well and the volleys are so exciting to watch).

After the game, we went out to our favorite pizza place up in Montreat, My Father's Pizza. Seriously, if you are ever up that way, check it out. Dad was concerned that Allie might tire of it, since they get pizza there every time they go up, but I'm pretty sure that it's in the Baumgartner genes to LOVE pizza. Allie agreed =)

Speaking of Allie . . . she's been coming down with what she thought was a bad cold for the past week. After seeing her and hearing her difficulty in breathing on Saturday, Dad encouraged her to see the school nurse on Monday. She was originally diagnosed with walking pneumonia and sent to the urgent care center but the doctors there changed the diagnosis to an upper respiratory infection (which is apparently the better of two evils) and put her on a strong antibiotic. If you are able, pray that she would be healed quickly and that the infection would not travel deeper into her respiratory system.

From Hosea

I was reading from Hosea this morning and verse 10:12 jumped out at me

Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is a time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

Hosea spoke this as a warning to Israel because of their rebellion against God (this is made clear in the following verses of chapter 10), but I believe that the instruction can be applied as an encouragement (aka challenge) to me during this time of preparation that I'm in.

My favorite part of the verse is this:

Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord

What a wonderful picture of actively waiting upon the Lord. Just like Leah, I tend to think in analogies. I've been trying my hand at gardening the past couple of summers and I've learned a couple of things. 1. No matter how badly I might want my basil to grow from seeds, it is outside of my power to make them sprout. 2. If I don't properly take care of the basil seeds (watering them, making sure that they get enough sun light, etc) then I can be almost positive that they will not grow and mature into hardy plants. The same is true with my waiting and learning as I prepare during this season of my life. I can't change my heart by myself or grow in areas of sin and weakness no matter how much I might want to or how much I try in my own efforts. But I can devote my time and energy into preparing my heart, seeking the Lord and actively waiting in expectancy for what the Lord will do!

www.WeHavetheInternet.com

It's true . . . as of last night the Ross house is a high tech establishment . . . the primary purpose of this post is to let everyone know that email is no longer the most unreliable way to get in touch with us. (Well, technically the carrier pigeon was and is the most unreliable way . . . but you know . . . ) So feel free to flood our in-boxes beyond work hours =)