Kid encouragement

I was not feeling so thrilled about going to work today. I was still tired from driving home from Chicago yesterday, I am behind on some things at home and just wasn't feeling it. Then there was a wreck right in front of the road I need to turn onto to go to work, so I had to go way out and around and come in another way. Then a couple work-related things happened. So needless to say I was in a bad mood. But then I went to my mailbox, and there were 5 notes that kids in our Awana program had created to appreciate the staff. They were so cute and heartfelt that I couldn't help but feel a bit better. Below is one of my favorites.

Acoustic Ninja coming to town!

I am so pumped about this!! Trace Bundy, aka the "Acoustic Ninja," is playing at the Uptown Theater Nov. 3 at 7:30. I've seen Trace play several times and it just about defies description. He plays a style of acoustic guitar unlike anything you've ever seen, and the best suggestion I have is to go to his website, www.tracebundy.com, and watch the videos.

He's coming to the Uptown with a band called Urban John, and they are described as an ambient, groove-driven trio, which sounds interesting to me!

Tickets are only $10 and you can get them here.

Real beauty...or not.

Sometimes there are email forwards worth looking at...I thought this was one of them. Thanks, Emily, for sending it on.

Wonder why our image of beauty is so distorted? Here's a clue...
http://campaignforrealbeauty.com/

Spencer's First Homecoming

For those of you who remember Spencer as a small child or perhaps a small child in a turtle costume...he went to his first homecoming this weekend. Here's a picture of him before the dance. Hipness is obviously the major criteria for his outfit. He went with a group of friends.

Feel old yet?

Slow blogging week

Sorry it's been a slow blogging week. I can think of lots of interesting things during the day but then when I sit down and think "OK, now write something interesting," it's all gone!

OK, here's something...we had a lunch workshop yesterday with a speaker who came to talk to us about building volunteer teams. Here's the main takeaway, and if you're like me and pretty "achievement oriented," it's a bit of a mind-blower: The goal is not achieving the task, it's building the team. So in other words, you may end up with the perfect product, but if you haven't developed the team and the people along the way, you have not succeeded. Or, you may have a less than perfect product, but if you developed the team and people are closer to God because of the way you've led them through the project, you have succeeded.

Much processing to do on that one, and probably much changing of the way I do ministry. But the key point of why we are supposed to do it this way is, as the speaker said, "Everything else will fade away except God's Word and people." Bulletins will not last, banners will not last, brochures will not last, the website will not last, but people will last. Hmmm...

In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

One of the speakers we heard from at the MinistryCOM conference I went to last month was Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He's got a book coming out tomorrow, Oct. 2, and it sounds like an interesting read. Here's a synopsis...


Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn't chase. You will regret the risks not taken, the opportunities not seized, and the dreams not pursued. Stopping running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture: Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it (II Samuel 23:20-21).

You can check it out here.

Nothing but bad news.

Can I just tell you that I really dislike watching the local news? There is nothing that will make me feel depressed about the world faster than watching it. Really, Craig and I will watch for about 7 minutes and then have to change the channel. Tonight: woman found in trunk of car at Liberty Hospital. Woman tries to smother her foster child at Children's Mercy. Someone robs a Quizno's. Do I really need to know these things (except maybe the Liberty thing--that was like 4 minutes from our house)? Can't I just live in happy oblivion imagining that we aren't all out killing or trying to kill each other? Oh, it's OK, an "Everybody Loves Raymond" rerun is on now. Thank goodness. :)

Random thoughts

likes:
creating things
when a design works
new paths in life

dislikes:
boredom
condescension

Crate and Barrel coming soon...very soon...

one of my undercover spy in the southland has informed me that the Crate and Barrel near Town Center Plaza now has the name and logo of the store in place. It shouldn't be long now... (thanks Colie!)

Incidentally, can I just say that I can't spell "barrel" right the first time, ever? (Should have two l's.) Or exercise. (Should have a c after the x.) Or broccoli. (Should have two c's and two l's).

New Toy!

Today at work I got a real grown-up graphic designer tool...a digital drawing tablet. It's pretty sweet. It sits on my desktop in front of my monitor and I can draw on it with a pen stylus instead of having to use a mouse. Like much new technology you are first learning to use, I'm still at the "is this really going to make me more efficient, because everything takes longer" phase, but I'm getting it!

The Soap Box Company

I was just looking at the website www.thesoapboxco.com. It's a company run by my friend Jeff's sister, and they sell all natural bath and beauty products. Unique, feminine indulgences and always free goodies and specials.

Childlike wonder at the air show

Today, Craig and I and a bunch of friends went to another friend's apartment in the River Market to watch the air show at the downtown airport. He had a great view from his apartment, but we also got to go up on the roof where we could see everything perfectly. The highlight was the Blue Angels exhibition. It is amazing how their feats of flying prowess turn all of us instantly in awestruck kids, oohing, ahhhing, yelling, clapping and covering our ears. It was just fun. Really fun.

On a side note, being down in the River Market never fails to make us miss living down there. We love having a house, but I will always love the downtown vibe. What a great neighborhood the River Market is.

Official geek-ness

I decided today that I am officially a geek. Because at the end of the day I was really excited about what I was working on, and what I was working on was...examining census data. I came back from the ministryCOM conference in Phoenix with a real sense that to be able to be sure we are putting the most effective communications out there, we need to know that our perceptions of who makes up our community are right. I got on the census website and downloaded some numbers, and just had a really fascinating time looking at them. Interesting.

New Barenaked Ladies CD

Exciting event in Nicole-world: Barenaked Ladies new CD came out Tuesday. Check it out here. No seriously, just do it.

The Bitfall Project

File this under "what will they think of next?" The Bitfall Project uses strategically timed droplets of water to spell words and display images for just a few seconds. Check it out:

Bitfall Project 1

Bitfall Project 2

A pile of useless expensive things

Next to our microwave, there is a pile of useless expensive things. It's a small pile, just two things: my broken iPod, and a pair of pricy sunglasses with a shattered lens. (Actually, Craig got the sunglasses for free from work, so they are only theoretically expensive, but anyway...) Every time I look at them, sitting there so pitiful, not realizing their potential, it makes me think about the true nature of "stuff." I know that money can't buy you love, or happiness, but I do remember the sense of coolness I felt when I first bought that iPod, and the first time I wore those sunglasses, but what are they doing for me now? Nothing except making me mad at Apple. (The sunglasses manufacturer can't be held responsible...the sunglasses shouldn't have been in the car cupholder anyway.) God's teaching me something here, I have a sneaking suspicion.

OK, so I'm finally doing it...

I've thought about starting a blog for a long time, and haven't because of the following questions:

• Will I update it? Answer: I think so.
• Will anyone look at it? Answer: Ummm...
• Is my life eventful enough to have anything to write about? Answer: Perhaps, but if not, I'll just tell my sister's stories, because they are generally way more interesting!
• And the big question...am I brave enough to put my thoughts out there for the world to see and comment on? Answer: I am at this moment.