thursday thirteen

As writers I think we need to experience all that we can.  Of course those experiences should in no way dishonor God, so I'm not talking about psychotropic experiences or anything like that.

One easy way to broaden your experience is through food.  Some of you read my TT about weird foods I've eaten.  So I could write about a character eating Kangaroo and describe it accurately.  :)

Today's list is the different nationalities of foods I have had.

1. Italian - who hasn't?

2. Mexican - again...

3. French

4. Greek

5. Moroccan

6. Lebanese

7. Vietnamese

8. Russian

9. Ethiopian

10. Liberian

11. Haitian

12. Indian

13. Thai

road-trips

I like taking road-trips when they can be relaxed and slow paced.  I like to stop and see things along the way.  At least I think I would like that.  I've never been on that kind before.

When I was in college, I used to ride with a boy from VA to CO straight through.  We stopped for potties and food, but that was it.  Thirty hours on the road.  Oh, it makes me nauseated to even think about it now.

Once some other girls and I went up to Michigan from Virginia for Thanksgiving.  The trip there was fine.  The trip back - well... We had trouble with the car in Ohio where one of the girl's lived.  It was something wrong with the timing chain.  Her dad got it running but told us that no matter what we needed to make sure the engine kept running until we got back to school.  Well, at a little town in West Virginia, we pulled into a turn lane to get gas, and just like that the motor died.  You should have heard the moans.  We pushed it to a station and a very nice man worked on our car in the parking lot, in the rain, for the entire next day.  My dad was good enough to wire us money for a motel.  The man who fixed our car wouldn't even take money for helping us, but my friend forced some on him as we left.  

Once, I flew out to California to meet with my sister and drive home with her.  She had some kind of little Ford that didn't have AC.  It was summer.  We drove through Arizona.  If you've never driven through Arizona in the summer without AC, I suggest you keep it that way.

Then about sunset, just this side of Kingman, the car broke down.  There we were, two girls, rattlesnakes hiding everywhere, and the sun going down.  Finally a guy stopped and we prayed and got in his El Camino that we later noticed had a mattress in the back.  I think he lived there.  We kept praying.  We also mentioned that our dad watched America's Most Wanted.  He drove us back to a truck stop where we called for a tow and he refused to take any money.  We forced some on him before we left.  We got ripped off a bit by the garage.  It was the timing belt.

Once, my parents and I were driving through Missouri and the car broke down - timing belt.  Someone needs to do something about those things.  Do cars still have them?

I've also done a road-trip with my hubby and kids from here up to Wisconsin.  That was nicely incident free.  My in-laws used to live in New Mexico so we've been down there a few times, but that hardly even seems like a road trip to me.  A real road trip involves more than two states.  For a friend of mine, I won't mention names, it apparently only involves leaving the Denver metro area.

I've been on several trips on the east coast and I once went with my friend and her family up to Yellowstone.  All of these trips are so much better in retrospect than they were at the time I endured them.  But I love seeing our country and I really hope to take some time to take some road trips where the trip is as much a part of the trip as the destination.  Did you get that?

where do you find your value?

I watched this movie a few months ago and it really got me thinking.  First of all, let me say, I am not a "liberal."  But I don't think that only liberals should be concerned with these things.

I'm showing you a clip that had the most impact on me.  If you want to watch the entire video you can go to The Story of Stuff website.

I honestly can't watch this without crying.  And you know what?  It makes me feel duped.  It makes me feel like an absolute fool to have fallen for this stuff.  Especially those of us who are followers of Christ should recognize this stuff for the deception that it is.  We need to wake up.

Today some friends and I prayed for the economy, jobs, the debt situation.  This "golden arrow" that we serve kept coming to my mind.

*I believe that after 911, Bush did tell us to grieve, hope and pray, so ignore that part.  He did also tell us to shop.*

This clip runs a bit long, but please, take some time to watch it.  I think it's six minutes.

hey there

At nearly nine months pregnant during the dog days of summer, it was all I could do to go to the grocery store.  One particular time, my husband went with me to help.  After wandering the aisles choosing all that we needed, I was desperate for a break.  I found a bench near the exit where I waited while my husband stood in line to pay.

I looked at my peachy colored dress that was large on even my girth.  It wasn’t beautiful, but it sure was comfortable.  I had reached the point in pregnancy where I no longer cared how large I looked and I had given up on trying to look attractive in any way in the sweltering July heat.  I felt huge, melted and tired.

As I rested my tired feet I saw my husband coming from the cash register pushing the cart with bagged groceries.  As he drew near me, I leapt up and joined him (maybe leapt isn't the right word). I began jabbering to him about our purchases and looked into the bags in the cart as we walked toward the exit.  I noticed a couple of new things and wondered if he had left the line to pick them up.

“When did you get these?” and   “Why did you get that?” and “Where is the rest of our stuff?” I asked.  Then with a funny tingling sensation I realized this wasn’t our cart!  He must have grabbed the wrong one at the end of the checkout area. 

I drew in a sharp breath and said, “Wait, this isn’t our stuff.”  I looked up to see his reaction and to my horror found that this wasn’t my husband!  A strange man with coloring similar to my husband was looking at me with wide eyes and mouth agape.  He hadn’t had a chance to get a word in, but had continued walking; no doubt in an attempt to escape the babbling, scary pregnant lady who had claimed him.

I stopped in my tracks to look behind me and there stood my husband at the cash register looking at me with quite the bemused expression.  I quickly mumbled my apologies and waddled away as quickly as I could in the direction of my real husband.

I will never forget the supermarket matrimony mistake and I imagine somewhere in the world there is a dark haired man who will never forget it, either. 

five kind things

Robin at Actions Speak Loudest did this on her blog and I liked it, so I'm doing it too.

The Five Kind Things Meme works like this:

List five kind things you do for yourself.
List five kind things you do for your closest friend, partner or child.
List five kind things you have done for a stranger.
List five kind things you do for fun.
List five people you are tagging with this meme.

Five kind things I do for myself:

1. I take a break when I need one.  My hubby is a very good dad and parents equally with me.  If I need time alone or off with friends, he is more than willing to provide it.

2. I play

3. I try to get off my own back from time to time.

4. I nurture friendships

5. I try to eat right

Five kind things I do for my friends, husband or child:

1. I try to listen without judging or offering unwanted advice.  I'm not always good at it, but I try.

2. I tuck my kids in and kiss them goodnight

3. I will buy a friend lunch or a gift from time to time.

4. I try to be supportive.

5. I wash their clothes - sometimes.  Not my friends' really, but I would if they needed me, too.

Five kind things I have done for a stranger:

1. Once I saw an elderly lady wandering around a huge parking lot.  I drove her and her husband around until they found their car.

2. I watched a lady's baby in an airport bathroom so she could potty.

3. I watched a lady's baby at the fair so she could ride the Merry-go round with her pre-schooler.

4. I frequently let people in front of me in check out lines, if they are frazzled, have only a few things, or seem impatient.

5. I pick things up for people when they drop them.

Five things I do for fun:

1. Read

2. Play computer games

3. Talk to friends

4. Sing and dance

5. watch movies

Five people I tag:

1. Jen @ Inner Voices of a Spinster in the Making

2. Julie @ Flower of the Family

3. Queen of the World @ To Know Me is to Love Me

4. Mom @ Moms the Word

5. Mel @ Monday Through Sunday

And all the rest of you are welcome to play, too.  Just let me know if you do!

There is a new review on Books and Starbucks.

tasty

My fortune cookie today said " You have great physical powers and an iron constitution"  That is SO COOL.  I had no idea.  

Anyway, on with today's post:

This great country of ours is a bit like Baskin Robbins, a buffet, a veritable smorgasbord, if you will.  Each region has it's own flavor.

I have been able to have a taste of several different regions of this nation.  I have enjoyed them all.

I bring this up because I did not want to give the impression that I do not like Kansas.  What I don't like is driving across it in one day.  I don't think I like driving across any state in one day, except some of those little ones in the east.

I love The Heartland.  If you are someone who lives on the outer edges of our nation and you have never been to Iowa, Nebraska, or Kansas you are missing out on the meat and potatoes, bread and butter of the buffet.  I love the heartland.  I can't even explain why.  There is a feeling deep inside that is stirred in those places.  A feeling of belonging.  A feeling of being  grounded.  Of roots, growing deep into the soil, extracting and embellishing all of the richness it has to offer.

If you can help it, don't drive across Kansas in one day. (Wyoming, or Arizona, either)  But do go there.  And take the time we didn't.  Take the time to visit the history at Ft. Scott.  Visit the House Where Dorothy lived and see the World's Biggest Ball of String.  See the World's Biggest Hand-dug Well.  See the ruts of the Santa Fe Trail.  Have a steak in a Stockyard restaurant.  Go to Boot Hill in Dodge City.  Enjoy the farmland and the quaint houses on the quaint streets of some really lovely little towns.  Count cows.  

I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and hope that soon I can visit some of the regions I haven't tasted, yet.  Anyone have a vacation home in the Northwest?  Someone in the deep south want to put us up?  (Does GA count as deep south?  I've been there.)  

Wherever you are enjoy the flavors of where you live.  Being gone makes me appreciate more the things I love about CO!