Sore Feet

I had heard an story on the news yesterday about the 2.5 million Americans who suffer from Plantar fastitis (sp?). Anyway, it is the swelling of the tendon that runs along the bottom of your foot. It caused excruciating pain when you first step out of bed on them and they hurt most of the day. I have been suffering from this for the past year or so. I thought that I just needed to lose some of the weight that I had gained and they would feel better. Well, I do need to lose weight and am working on it but wearing shoes without the proper arch support may have contributed to my problem.

I bought some of the cutest sneakers that last year of seminary but they had very little padding on the insole and absolutely no arch support. I wore them all the time. Hmmm.... a foot condition caused by cute shoes - would've have thought of it.

The story said that many sufferers found relief by; 1) shoes with good arch supports, 2) stretching the foot before ever getting out of bed. Here is my initial evaluation of the foot stretching advice. Yesterday, when I got out of bed it was like stepping on hot needles. This morning after diligent stretching, it was merely sore. It was hard to remember though because when the alarm goes off I usually jump up and wake up my daughter for school. This morning I waited a couple of minutes while stretching and still she got to school on time. So it is looking good so far. I worn shoes with good arch support all day yesterday. My only question is what about going barefoot? Because I spend all the time I'm home without shoes on.

My book for the RevGalPal's September book discussion arrived yesterday, "Good Fences: The Boundaries of Hospitality" by Caroline A. Westerhoff. I can't actually join the group yet because I haven't been blogging for three months (shrug), but I am looking forward to reading it. I finished Nicholas Evans "The Smoke Jumpers". It was a great book.

Bloggus Interruptus: Just got of the phone with my church treasurer. It is supposed to be my day off but apparently the conference has screwed up my pension/insurance automatic draft yet again. They have pulled out over $1100 dollars this month. When I called the conference, they said, "we have only drafted $279". It is hard trying to handle issues like this from a middle position, so I asked the conference person to call my treasurer directly. Now you might ask, why doesn't my treasurer have that contact name and number. She did. I have it to her after last months fiasco. But she wants it fixed and it is easier to call me, than it is to call the conference directly.

Tomorrow, I am spending the day a few counties over for the State Hippology Contest. Hippology is the study of horses. Last year Ryss was in the Top Ten for the entire state of Texas - Junior Division. That is big deal since Texas is so horse orientated. The contest consists of some actual horse judging events, then a written test, then a identification test which covers; tack, equipment, scientific labels for body parts, and the hardest identification of various grains, feeds, etc. It is an all day competition.

Ryss was awarded her purple belt yesterday at Karate. I'm so proud of her. And better yet, she came home and cleaned her room. Of course, she talked on the telephone the entire time. Yes, the entire time. I had to finally make her get off because it was bedtime.

I walked for one hour today. Didn't want to but my friend called and said "Are we walking?" Thanks to "The Thief" for the advice. Actually, two good pieces of advice; buy good shoes and get a friend to exercise with. Wish I had taken the shoe advice before I caused this problem in my feet.

Trapped

Trapped in HELL delivering the oboe to school ---- Otherwise, known as the carpool lane picking up the elementary school children. ARGGHHHHHH!! Good news though, found the 2007-2008 Music and Worship Planner. Thought I was going to have to order it from Cokesbury but apparently while still in seminary I had the foresight to buy it. Who'ed thunk it??

Visits

This is the amazing pear tree that I was telling you about. Too bad you can't see all of the butterflies fluttering around it. They really like the pears.

I went and visited at the nursing home in a neighboring county today. It was especially poignant because I was visiting my uncle. My mom's brother. He served twenty years in the Marine Corp, two tours of Vietnam and it really was painful seeing him laying in that bed. My soul is hurting right now. He is a remarkably luck man. He served in the war and never got hurt. Came home and was hit by a drunk driver in Hawaii. They were going to amputate his leg but they were having an orthopedic surgeon convention and they came together and saved it. He's a fighter. He hopes to go home on the 21st. I pray that comes true for him.

I called the band director today because my child came home crying last night. This girl plays four instruments, three extremely well (violin, oboe, piano). He has her playing the bass drum during marching season. He moved her ahead of her class last year and yesterday said it was a mistake since she didn't know the clap rhythms. I called him about her oboe lesson but asked him about what happened. He apologized for getting "caught up in the moment and not talking to her privately." He said it appeared, "that she listened to the others and then memorized the rhythm." Doesn't surprise me, she learned to play the violin before she could even read very well. I said, "Well, if you need to replace her with someone else for the good of the band, I understand." And, it wouldn't really matter to me because she is so busy anyway that she does need to cut back. But this was a little tongue in cheek because I know how desperate he is for musically talented kids in the band. I'm not a mom that interferes in her school life very much. I'm involved but if she gets in trouble with a teacher, I almost always back the teacher up but she was crying. And this wasn't the instrument that she signed up for, he wanted her there. Plus, I know that embarrassing her in front of her peers will not get the results that he wants.

Her new dresser was delivered today. Almost without mishaps but they ran it into the only picture that we have ever taken together at a professional photography studio. I tried to catch it and got my finger sliced open from the glass. It damaged the portrait but I scanned it into the computer so it is salvageable. The frame was very, very inexpensive so that doesn't matter. In fact, I have another one in the kitchen cabinet just waiting for the next school picture. Finger bled forever and went through two paper towels that were wrapped around it.

Finished shampooing the carpet. Getting up all the stains from the old leaky a/c unit. Have a bad headache though (stress I think). I sure don't want to go to the band booster meeting tonight and then help them at the tail-gate party fundraiser tomorrow night. I'm being bitchy but it is raising money for the HS students to go to Disneyland. Bitchy, bitchy, bitchy. Well, I have to run to the school and take Ryss' oboe. This was a last minute visit by the woodwinds instructor.

Sore Muscles

Did NOT want to get up and exercise this morning, figured "I've been good. I can take the morning off." And I'll be darned (not the word I was thinking), my friend shows up - ready to exercise. So we did. Have lost two pounds. Here's hoping that I can keep it off.

Still haven't heard from the furniture delivery people........ promised to call at 1:30 yesterday with the time..... have a issue with those kinds of things. Oh well, I studied Henri Nouwen for my meditation this morning. It was over fear (not irritation). Realized that part of my short temper was over the money thing for the end of the month. My mantra is..."let it go, let it go, let it go".

Thought you might want to see this huge praying mantis that was on my patio.

Day's End

This is a view from the top of Ryss's corn snake "Dot". She is leaving for a new home after over five years. She is over four feet long and has been one of the easiest pets we have ever owned and is going to a good home. Ryss just doesn't have the time to properly care for her any longer.

I worked out for 1 1/2 hours today. Did my regular Pilates workout and then my friend came over and we worked out even longer. I feel pretty righteous - not any lighter but righteous. But today I was watching CNN and saw this news story about a guy whose lungs were damaged by inhaling the fumes from his microwave popcorn. Granted he ate popcorn several times a day but this was very strange but that isn't the interesting part - immediately after hearing the story I had the worst craving for popcorn and had to make some. Didn't inhale the steam from my fat-free popcorn but I did eat a bowl.

Thought I better check on my financial aid for my D.Min. program today. Was informed that everything is in order and that they will send me some money after the 30th of this month. Excuse Me. My week long stay on campus begins on the 9/24. How am I supposed to pay for the hotel, travel, etc??? Oh, that's right she says, you are starting school before that - "YES" (you dunce). They are going to check on advancing me some of my student loan money. I hate being so needy but I am a single-parent, student pastor and barely scraping by. We didn't even go on a week-end trip this summer because we couldn't afford it. There is no way I can rent a hotel for an entire week without some up-front money. I was happy that I could afford to buy all of the books in advance. Anyway pray for me. Hopefully, they will help me out. I'm wondering if I should email my plight to the director of the program. Any advice out there??

I was vindicated today. Told Hard-Headed Child that volleyball would interfere with cheerleading, she argued and argued but I prevailed. They are actually canceling the squad tomorrow at the game because all of the girls except my child can't be there - they have a volleyball game. Hmmph..... told you so.

Admin Council went very smoothly. It is back to normal after the whole "remodeling of Sanctuary" controversy. I was very leery, though. The SPRC Chair even said during her report, "The rest of you really don't realize all of the work that the pastor does behind the scenes". Felt good but I'm not sure that some of those present were convinced but it still felt good. Everything is now approved and in place for the Mother's Day Out Ministry. Hip, Hip, Hurray!! Good thing because my article about it came out in today's newspaper. And they put it in big headlines about the fold of the paper (not on page one but big headline).

I will have three hours tomorrow to finish up my sermon and to blog, surf the net, shampoo the carpet because they are delivering the new dresser. So blog something interesting for me to read. They called for directions and were supposed to call back with the 3-hour window, but didn't. Maybe they will come early so that I can get to the Nursing Home before the afternoon nap.

Quiz from Cheesehead

1. Who gets to play you in the movie version of your life?
I would love to say Angelina Jolie but with my luck it would probably be Roseanne Barr. I can't imagine a more boring movie being made, except for some of those church workshop videos that I have seen.

2. What one profession would you choose if suddenly you could not be in whatever your current profession is?
I would be a librarian. I love books, more books, fat books, skinny books, little books and big books.

3. How far from your birthplace have you traveled?
I was born and raised for the first 12 years of my life in New Mexico, since then I have lived in Anniston Alabama to the East and Yuma Arizona to the West. That doesn't include the years I lived in Germany. I I have visited airports in Philadelphia to the north. To the south I have traveled down into Baja California to the catamaran races.

4. When is the last time you felt really, truly surprised? Why?
It was five years ago at the District United Methodist Men's Fish Fry. The DS came up and said he had a church for me. It was an amazing surprise because that was in the fall and I was appointed in January. Why? I really still in my heart of hearts didn't believe that I was worthy of the position. I thought then (and sometimes still do) that many pastors are so holy and so good and so kind, that I could never measure up. Hopefully, I'm doing okay but still not holy, not always good and not always kind but I am truly a work in progress.

5. Where do those socks go when they don't come back from the laundry?
In my house, they don't always all make it into the laundry. My child has this disturbing habit of taking off her socks all of the house and leaving them where they fall. I found over 10 individual socks when we cleaned her room (see previous posts). As for the rest, there must be a sock fairy that uses our socks to line its nest.

Those are my answers and here are the rules if you want to play too:
1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Noises in the Night

I was trying to go to sleep last night and kept hearing this sound. I'm like, "What IS THAT?" Took me a few minutes to identify it as rain. I haven't heard the rain in eleven days. What a blessing. It is still blessing us this morning which means that roads might be flooding later.

My 1/2 pound is still absent, Hurray!!. And now that all the foreign exchange students are gone and Ryss has confiscated the full-size bed --- I have my room back --- my exercise room. Too bad that I gave the treadmill away. The FES's broke the television and DVD in that room which I might eventually replace so that I can do all of my exercising in there (that would cut down on me having to vacuum the living room-see I can always see the brighter side). I decided that since I couldn't walk. I would double up on the exercise, so I have completed my Pilates work-out and am waiting for my friend to come so we can do her new one. I hope it doesn't' make me look like a geek. I'm the girl in the aerobics class that always went left when the rest of the class went right. I was dancing around the house the other day to "Play that Funky Music". My daughter said it looked like I was having a spasm.

Turned out that the Library received 122 books from my library. I actually went through one bookshelf, just one shelf, I have to pace myself. I might go into book withdrawal. I certainly don't want to get rid of one that I might possibly want in the next fifty years - once.

Hip, Hip, Hurray

This is my new a/c unit. I didn't think it would get done but 10 hours later they had it working. Moe and Curly were having lots of problems until Larry showed up and helped them out. I am so happy. The blessed, blessed quiet is so wonderful. They even helped me take the window units out so that I could return them to their rightful owners. Which I promptly did after picking up, GirlChild from karate.

She tested for her purple belt tonight. She said that her form was great but she totally blanked on the Japanese words so she almost blurted out the answer in Spanish which is really, really funny because she doesn't know Spanish too well. Which is a shame, I am Portuguese (1/2) and my ex-husband is Spanish. We even had a foreign exchange girl from Mexico City but Ryss just wouldn't work learning the language. Oh well.

I'm too happy to worry about my child's foreign language skills at the moment (especially since I don't speak Spanish either - don't even ask why not). I'm cool, the house is quiet.

I did not get to walk while she was in Karate as planned. I was busy loading a/c units into my SUV. And it was raining when we got home but I did get my early morning workout done and made plans to meet with a church member for more exercising in the morning. So I am being good. Still bummed about the dessert only once a week. Define dessert. Is that a chocolate dessert? Or anything sweet? I did eat a bite of watermelon sherbet (at least it was low-fat). Lost 1/2 pound. probably water weight but I am optimistic that it will still be gone tomorrow.

Finalizing plans for the Mother's Day Out Ministry tomorrow. I hope that I am in as good a mood after that meeting as I am tonight in my cool, cool parsonage. (Yep, that's gloating).

Books

Today I am donating 106 paperbacks to the local libary. Keep in mind that I gave them over 200 last fall. So I am addicted to books. This doesn't even count the books that I have given away to friends and family. I take books with me wherever I go, both theology-Christian books and a novel. As the mother of an extremely active child, I spend alot of time waiting, waiting at Karate lessons (green belt), waiting at music lessons (bass drum, oboe, violin, piano), waiting, waiting, waiting.

My diet and exercise program is still on-going. I walked yesterday and DID pilates, today I have already done my pilates and might walk while daughter is at karate. It will keep me from buying another book.

I heard the most distressing news yesterday. The American Dietician Assoc. said that we are only supposed to have dessert once a week. Crap, crap, crap.

Good news - they are putting in my new air conditioning unit today. District meeting was all about stewardship. I am pleased to announce that since I was appointed here we have always paid our apportionments 100% (which is more than they were doing prior to my arrival). Thank goodness they are already paid for this year or they would use the a/c issue as an excuse not to pay them. I knew paying them off early would really pay off.

Church Doesn't Suck

I'm reading the new Interpreter Magazine, and I see this billboard for Grace Point United Methodist Church (page 9). In the article, the pastor says that older persons were offended by the sign but it had increased membership by 200. I ran into a similar issue in my church. I was talking about people "bitchin'". Well, some of the people felt that was a curse word. I said no, not really it is more of a word for complaining. Needless to say, I won't be using that word in the future at Admin Council meetings (they were bitchin' by the way).

One of the reasons that I didn't belong to a church until my mid-30's is because of this kind of stuff. Many in church seem like hypocrites. Which is kind of off the subject above but on my mind. We will complain about a certain word in society even when it doesn't mean exactly what the older crowd thinks but we won't get off of our butt's and do something about suffering in our own community.

There was alot of other neat stuff in the magazine especially about blogging. However, I would have to have two different blogs because I'm not really ready for church members to read about my personal feelings, thoughts, etc. That seems to fall into the above category of being a hypocrite however. Maybe not?? I don't know. I do like the idea of using technology to reach more people. So let me know what you think: Should we have one blog for church members and another for our personal thoughts or should they be one and the same?

BTW: I did not refrain from laboring on this Labor Day. I did the church bulletin but did not really work on my sermon besides picking the Scripture text. However, in my defense, I couldn't sit in my living room. TeenChild is watching "Arachnophobia". I DO NOT LIKE SPIDERS. She was a toddler and someone had "Jaws" on the TV, I heard her yelling at the television "Don't hurt the shark, don't hurt the shark!" She really hasn't changed very much since then - she will still choose the animals over the people in movies, and she still yells at the screen.