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Grounded-Winter Storm Nemo We can’t be there with snow. Before 9:30pm Thursday evening, they had
already cancelled our flight from Philly into Rochester, New York, due to the
latest blizzard that has caused it to "just keep snowing, snowing, snowing." This last part would, of course, be said
in the tone of voice used by Dory (played by Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo).
Fortunately, my mom left a day early, so at
least she’s made it up to her mother’s funeral even though Kevin and I won’t be
able to get there. I have written a number of posts in honor of my grandmother and intend to write something for the memorial service we'll have for her here at a date still to be determined. Here is the link to Marilyn Lohwater's obituary. Thank you, everyone, for your many prayers, cards, phone calls, and love!
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In a Sunburned Country I don’t want anyone to worry that I have ceased to be
a voracious reader. I still am. I just haven’t been reading as many books
that I have committed to write book reviews of for my blog. For example, I finished a hilarious and quite
educational travel book by Bill Bryson, author of A Walk in the Woods.
After reading that wonderful look about wading through the wilderness, I subsequently checked out Bill Bryson’s other
books from our local library. Because my
mom went to Australia this past fall, she had gotten In a Sunburned Country and liked it so much that when I asked to borrow her copy she said she would
get me my own. As often happens when I’m
fond of a passage in a book or exceedingly amused, I ended up reading several
sections of it to my husband as well as sharing excerpts with some of my close
friends.
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Going Outback: My mom came back from her trip with a renewed appreciation for our
family and the United States, which can hardly be considered a bad thing. She’s shared some quite hilarious stories
with us about her time there, ones that are even funnier knowing more after
having read about the historical background of Australia’s flora, fauna, and
people. When we were out to dinner at
the restaurant Outback nearby, my mom saw a large map of Australia, and made the
comment: “Been there, done that, and I couldn’t afford the T-shirt, so I got
the potholders.”
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DONE Kevin and I
are quite smitten with our new potholders, not just because our old ones had
many scorch spots and had snowflakes on them though we used them year-round,
but also because they are quite beautiful.
The images on them are copies from paintings by an artist with a very
cool last name: DONE. This is often how I feel at the end of a long
project, draining crisis, and/or difficult day, that I am for all intents and
purposes DONE.
We are presently praying for our friends Chris and Catherine, who are moving to Australia this week, that they make it there safely, and that they are brought closer to the Lord and one another in this next chapter of their lives as a married couple.
-5-
Boom Chicka Boom After
a prolonged period of time working extra hours at work and as a volunteer for a
variety of different ministry endeavors, I found myself dragging earlier in the
day than is good for someone responsible for the care of three small
children. I remembered some of the songs
that we used to dance to when I would lead indoor group dance/exercise at
school on days when it was too rainy, cold, or scorching hot to go outside to
play. I couldn’t get the CD player to
work, so I looked up some of our favorites on Youtube. Vivi, Livie, and Sophie were thoroughly
amused to watch me singing and dancing to such songs as: “Boom Chicka Boom,” “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” and “Bop ‘Til You Drop.”
It’s amazing how quickly I forget how much singing, dancing, and moving
around brightens everyone’s mood, including mine.This particular picture was taken during another one of the activities that generally makes everyone smile and laugh--a visit from my husband:
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The
Lord of the Rings At the end of last
year, I asked for prayers for a writing piece audition that I was working on
in order to become part of a team that’s writing a Catholic Young Adult series
that’s really impressed me. 
-7-
Just Do It! To make matters worse, when I went upstairs to help
set up the room in which we would be meeting to discuss the John Paul 2 High series and what my involvement in future books might be, I saw that the top
part of the walls of the homeschool classroom was painted to look like Middle-Earth
(minus Mordor, of course).
My immediate thought was: “Oh, sh*t! There is no way someone with Middle-Earth
painted on her walls is ever going to want someone who hasn’t read The Lord of the Rings on her team.
It was a little late to panic, so I meekly admitted I hadn’t yet read
the masterpiece(s), and the woman in charge, kindly let me off the hook.
The minute I told this story to our dearly
beloved brother in Christ, John immediately ran upstairs and got me the
1137+ page volume of The Lord of the Rings he had so I
could begin reading it right away.
I dove in and absolutely loved it! (This is another explanation of why I haven’t
been devouring as many books and writing as many book reviews lately as I
usually do. I was taking time to do the unofficial
mandatory reading for working with the editor and authors at Chesterton Press.)
Check out Jennifer Fulwiler's awesome tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday hosted weekly at her blog Conversion Diary.
