Technological Tears

Just trying to be savvy with my title.

Really, it is just referring to the weird and awkward sadness I felt yesterday when I literally chucked my broken cellphone into the store's recycle bin. The sadness continued when my phone number I have been associated with for the past four years was instantly deleted and I was assigned a new one.

I'm not a techie. Sure, I can hold my own on the latest technology, but certainly don't drool or anticipate the latest in any sort of wire-brain piece of plastic.

So, it was rather weird and even almost sad that I was experiencing sadness over these two situations.

I know it boils down to 2-3 things: 1.) my memory is horrid and now I must forget something familiar and learn to memorize something new; 2.) the phone and the number are now a thing of the past, never to be retrieved; 3.) they belonged to the last four years of my identity; and 4.) I always feel sorry for anything that gets broken....childish, I know.

But, soon after the sadness rolls in an eagerness of newness in my hands. The new cellphone is more sophisticated, so it will be frustration in learning the ropes, but ultimately, it's nice to have something new. And the phone number shouldn't be too hard to remember, I hope.

I was also amazed at how many applications and abilities all the phones had in the store....impressive, yet not when I start to think how people must fill their lives with empty connections to others, to be in constant gossip, to avoid actual conversations, to feel they must be in the latest know for various reasons, to feel that they must always be able to be reached.

I just wished that out of all of that technology, they would make phone buttons and touch screen 'keyboards' large enough for the size of the average and clumsy human fingertip.

I'm just glad I have a phone now....thank you Lord for your blessings!

Meet The Boys, George and Mac

After two months of getting through the loss of precious Sugar Cube, Jesse and I felt we were ready to get another cat, or if I could persuade, two cats. So, for my birthday (Feb 7th), Jesse asked me to guess what I thought my present from him was going to be....now, this is typically dangerous waters as it is usually something I wouldn't have considered and/or not what I suggested in previous hints or outright proclamations.

Well, I decided to take the bait again and guessed..... a cat? BINGO! After 7 years of marriage, we finally were on the same page!!!

We were both excited, me primarily that I was getting a cat/kitten (or potentially 2), and he was excited that what he thought of was something I'd actually want (I too, was also excited about this union of mind).

So, on a Saturday, we traveled over to the Pima Animal Control Center...after paroosing Craig's list and other cat adoption websites, I thought it easier to find our newest member(s) of our family by personally showing up to PACC and saving a cat's life.

We both wanted a kitten, but I also wanted to have 2 to be buddies, and to rescue an older cat. Thus, I managed to persuade Jesse into looking for two cats.

Ok, so walking into these shelters just rips my heart out. They funnel you through the first large dog room where dog after dejected dog lies on the floor, begs at their gate door, or barks for your attention. I just knew we'd be walking out with 30 dogs...and we hadn't even hit the cat room which is in the back of the center after you pass by two more dog rooms.

Finally we reached the cat room, and yes, I was ready to adopt them all. No, I'm not a cat-hoarder, but they were all so pitiful lonely and scared that my heart broke again. As I walked around each cage, I tried to give them a warm smile and not appear to favor one over the other. Just like the dogs, there were some that laid there with no hope, others reaching out through the cage, and others meowing and twirling to get attention. Oh my. Well, right away we saw that there was only one kitten and his name was "Skittles"...ding...he was one of the winners! Too cute and again, reaching through the cage for attention. Skittles' history was that he was a stray and brought in to the shelter.

So, now we're down to the next one. Our second choice, a fuzzy, red cat about 1-2 years, was already adopted...poop. We both love red tabbies and had hoped to get one. So, the search continued. I happened upon a small Siamese female that was twirling like a ballerina to get my attention. Oh, she was so cute! I was also looking at two other cats, both males and both over 2 years old. But, as I was watching the white ballerina twirl and reach for me, just above her I saw 'Fatso'. "Fatso" had the saddest eyes and the most pitiful quiet meow. He had adorable chipmunk cheeks and his coloring was exactly like "Skittles"..brown tabby. He was about 2 years old and calculating from the sign on the cage, appeared to have been there at the shelter since early December...almost 2 months... We also learned he was given to the PACC from a previous owner, so that was my guess as to why he seemed so sad.

I asked Jesse to come over and check out 'Fatso' and he immediately liked him, too. Now was the next step, which was to take the two cats to the 'get-to-know-you room' and see how they responded to each other. Right away, 'Skittles' wanted to play with 'Fatso', and although 'Fatso' didn't want to play, he didn't outright reject 'Skittles'. After a few moments, 'Fatso' took a slight interest and we all saw hope. And voila! The 'Boys', as they have affectionally been named by us, were on the track to adoption. A shot here, an ID injection there, and a mountain of paperwork to fill....yes, it's the government (and people actually expect it to run successful health care, ehhmmm)...plus a nice chuck of change...yikes....and the two were ours!

Now, time for a name change! Immediately, 'Fatso' looked like a Gus or a George to me...for a while I called him Gus, but finally settled on "George". Definitely had to get rid of those names! Skittles? He became "Mac"...again, much thought and finally decided on a double namesake to one of our favorite theologians/bible teachers, Dr. John MacArthur, as well as our favorite kind of computer...a MAC.....thus, "Skittles' became "Mac"......George and Mac, a perfect pair!

Well, when one adopts through the shelter, part of the harang is that the animal is spayed or neutered. So, after we got the cats out of their cages, let them play, and signed away our lives, they were put back into their cages to wait till Monday for the surgeries...I'm sure they were bummed to go back...what a nasty trick. But, come Monday, both Jesse and I were excited about picking up The Boys and didn't mind the drive completely across town.

After getting them home, I noticed something about George's neuter site that didn't seem right. I noticed that he was aggressively grooming 'the site' and noticed that the 'problem' was worse the next day. So, the first vet call was made. I couldn't get the cats in for their initial check-up until Wednesday. But, once there, the vet noticed the same thing I saw and we both felt we should take him back to the shelter for a recheck with their docs. I did; dropped him off on Friday morning and picked up later that afternoon. What I thought was a half-baked neuter was actually an aggressive grooming which started the day after his surgery while he was still in their care....long story. Anyway, because he needed to heal and he was an aggressive groomer, we had to put on 'The Cone of Shame'...an E-collar. The original collar was a nice, ocean blue fabric one that allowed some freedom, but sadly, would eventually allow him to lick the healing site. So, this moved his week of healing into an 11-day healing regiment in a standard, hard E-collar. Poor guy. But he was a great sport, and even managed to run all over the house, playing and wrestling with Mac...of course, Mac was trying to take advantage of The Collar.

Now, adopting from a shelter is always a crap-shoot....don't know what you're going to get, really. Our big concerns were that both cats would get along AND both would tolerate children. Well, we have certainly been blessed as George is THE MOST PATIENT cat I've owned....we took them both up to Vegas with us to visit my brother and his family about 2 weeks after we adopted them. This was the true test! The kitten, Mac, ran and hid most of the time, which I figured he would do, but George, good 'ol George, just hung around where everyone was and let the kids pet, pull, and play with him...it was great!!! I think it is a combination of his personality and his gratefulness to be adopted that kept (and keeps) him so patient and sweet. But, they both survived, and since have been interjected among other adults and children visiting our home.

They have been such a delight so far as they play all day between naps. I've eventually introduced them to the backyard, which they love, and found the 'trouble spots' where they can escape and fixed those. But as they both don't like being by themselves and without the other, they tend to stick close to the house, and at times, coming to the back door to 'ask' me to come outside with them. They even follow each other to the 'toilet--litterbox', including when I go ....just like kids! I just love them! So, the following are some general photos...I've got video I can probably add at some point to show their spirit.

Finally, an update...

A conversation at a baby shower today (shout out to Andrea Fallin!) made me remember that I'm WAY overdue for a blog! So, maybe this weekend I can catch up for the months of January and February and bring up to date to now mid-March....not that there is anything overwhelming to share...

One recent idea of a blog that came to mind was about my experience in stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new. Back in the fall of '09, I received a course catalog in the

mail from the Sonora Desert Museum which was hosting ART classes through the Art Institute of Tucson. I've always wanted to make artwork to decorate our house....sure Pottery Barn, Pier I, Home Goods have some lovely pieces, but it is all 'cookie-cutter' and I want to make

something special. In my mind's eye I've come up with really neat pieces of work, and I've also

run across various pieces I'd love to copy that I've seen in magazines, a restaurant here or a coffee place there....but, I know that once the idea leaves my mind and transfers to my hands, it would probably become a wreck and certainly nothing like originally envisioned.

So, I thought, "I'll take an art class and see if this is something I could pull off!". And since Christmas was about a month and a half away, I thought this would be a great gift for someone, anyone, in my family to give me...the registration fee for an art class! Thus, the 'wish list' went

out and on it was 'money for art class'....I got it in, in a way, not directly, but there was some money at Christmas so the class was paid.

I wanted to learn how to use watercolors....still do....but in order to take that class through this Art Institute school, you must take 2 prerequisite classes with them. I forget the second one, but the first one is Pencil I....learning how to draw with pencils, special artsy, graphite pencils.

Ok, still something I've never learned to do and I guess since it is the 'gateway class', this will

let me know early enough if I should plow ahead after this class to reach the watercolor.

The bonus to this class is the drive to and fro the Desert Museum, at least once I get on Gates Pass Road..not through town..it is so breathtaking to drive through the park, with my favorite

part driving over Gates Pass...a very steep hill that breaks out with a vista view for miles. The other part of the bonus is the walk to and fro class...walking to class through the museum park at 8:30 a.m. is so relaxing, hearing the hummingbirds carrying on their morning business in the hummingbird house along with other delightful morning festivities in the park!

So, the class. I am the youngest in the class with probably 90% being retired persons. And about 90% of the class has some experience in art, like, art major, worked in engineering, drawing for 20+ years, etc......so why are they in the class? Anyway, me and one other 'science

geek' are taking this class and we are the least experienced, but she has one thing on me and that is the time to do the homework as she is part of the 90% retired population.

I enjoy our teacher, Susan Fisher, and I appreciate her teaching style. She is very encouraging,

even for the two of us novices. Primarily this class is to teach basic skills in pencil drawing that we can take away and practice on our own. Again, there's that time thing...don't have much of it

to sit around and draw. I guess I have to get over the guilt of trying to learn a new skill :)

The only aspect of the class I don't really like is that we have to display our art homework...yikes. Yes, we've had to do it twice (it is a 5-class course) and the first time we had to present, well let's just say I did my homework at the last minute, well the day before, but I was definitely pushed for time and managed to multi-task by watching a new tv show I found on netflix that I think is a little gem called "Monarch on the Glenn"...a little Scottish diddy that is quite fun to watch.....so I guess the distraction of tv viewing also took away from the quality of my drawing.

Thus, upon presentation of our art, I felt like I could have done better by presenting a drawing of a stick figure man holding a hat and cane. Actually, my drawings weren't too bad, but still, compared to the other students with YEARS of art experience, my work was that of a

kindergartner.....Ms. Fisher was kind and found something to compliment.....incentive to draw

better next time!

Maybe I'll take photos of what I've done so far....we'll see.......but despite this

humbling experience, I'm still proud of myself for trying something new. So, look out watercolors, here I come....maybe

practicing concentric circles using a cup

1. blind draw and 2. free draw of seed pod

using rocks to practice box/square shading to improve skills in shading items that a

re boxlike in nature; practice drawing parallel lines to improve skills in drawing trees, stems, twigs, etc.

practice shading with two basic shapes (wooden sphere and square)

This is practice tracing and then shading in areas we think should be

blackened

This is my first presentation where we were to draw 3 'simple' objects to scale and true

size using a small rock as our measurement tool...I was off a bit :/ and these three objects turned out to not be so simple.... small, ceramic Korean duck, tea cup, and a shell

this is my second presentation of two objects, one black and one white, that we shade ...I used a black and white computer mouse and a white eraser.

Yes, I'm back...forgot some thoughts

I just checked the last post (not the one I wrote minutes ago) and it was literally 2 months and a day ago that I wrote the last post...how pitiful!

And when I was reviewing the most recent post, I read the title of our blog and became saddened. You see, 'the Cube' is no longer with us. Sugar Cube, more formally known, was our beloved 8 year old cat that had to be euthanized early Friday morning, Dec.03, 2009, due to renal failure. Her illness began that Monday and came to an end by Friday morning. She passed away in our arms at the vet ER clinic....I wouldn't change a thing about being there as she died because our presence gave her comfort, but it was VERY HARD to watch her in pain and know in just minutes she will be gone. It was VERY HARD to watch her sweet head lower and her purring come to a stop as the euthanasia cocktail took over her body. I'll never be able to pet that soft fur and love on our beautiful furbaby.....that was one of the thoughts running through my head at the time.

It is a bit boring in the house now that she is gone. Both of us miss her as her antics and place in the schedule of the day are gone. When Jesse is at work, I'm definitely feeling quite by myself as she was my buddy, staying by my side through the day, and tolerating my talking to her to keep me sane :).

I miss her warm little body that curls up next to us during the night or if we take naps on the weekend. Her 'turkey-call', this funny little gurgling noise she'd make when greeting us in the hall as we entered the house, or when she was running to the food bowl expecting us to follow, is a noise we'll definitely miss as it was so fun to hear and made us laugh.

She was a beautiful cat and gave us her flirty eyes when we either we petted her when she wanted or she wanted something from us (food, to be let in or out)...I guess the pattern here is that when she wanted something she knew how to flirt!

But, even though Sugar Cube is no longer with us, I am keeping her memory alive by not taking her out of our blog title.

Ah, Sugie, our fur-baby, you will be sorely missed and greatly appreciated for being a part of our life! Thank you Lord for your precious creatures you have created and allowed to be blessings in our lives.

her flirty eyes

her favorite way to lay around
watching the snowfall in Tennessee '08

Time Flies

Ok, I'm bad about blogging, I'll be the first to admit. I'm bad about reading others blogs, too, including when they ask me if I've read their latest one.

I think the last blog was toward the end of October, not sure, didn't even check before I started writing this post. Again, I'm a bad blogger.

Much has taken place since I last posted, or at least it seems like it has. So, I'm going to try to catch up over the next month (December) and get a few more posts on here and not seem so pitiful in my endeavor to blog.

I can't believe we are 24 days out from a New Year....the year 2010....that is so weird to write!

And today, Dec. 7, is a day to always remember....that attack on Pearl Harbour ....we must not forget events of the past such as these or we are doomed to repeat them in the future.

Well, I must get off here and go paint a Christmas ornament for our ornament swap squadron coffee tomorrow night. It will look much like one of these but will have a certain DM AFB squadron patch on it :).

General Revelation

God's general revelation to man is so obvious it is sad to hear people say otherwise. In bible study this morning at church where we have begun studying Romans, we were reading about the general revelation of God as mentioned in Romans 1: 18-20 and beyond...

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

As I hear about the death of a friend or gaze out at another gorgeous Tucson sunset, I am set in awe, wonder, and thoughtfulness about life here on earth. How precious it is. How short it is. How marvelously made it is. How it all works together for God's glory, even when we don't understand what is going on.

I've taken some photos of recent rainbows, sunsets, moonsets, and such and I would like to share them here. As I gaze up into these clouds or the stars at night (hard to take pictures of those :) ), my breath almost leaves me as I think about how awesome God is! I think on His rainbow that He has set in the heavens as a continual covenant to us.....the Lord keeps His promises for all time.....He doesn't break them. Thus, we still see rainbows today. The Lord's promise of eternal life in Christ also goes unbroken. A true faith in Him gives a believer the assurance that their life is held in the palm of God's hand and no one or nothing will take them out of it.

It takes my breath away that even though God is so awesome and powerful, above all creation and the heavens, that He cares to be intimate in my life as a believer in Him, as one of His children in Christ Jesus.

I've been using a 'read-the-bible-in-a-year-plan' and got behind by about 2 months, so with 2 1/2 more months left, I'm plowing through major sections of the bible a day at a time. I'm glad I am reading this volume and in various books as I see more and more the interconnection of all of these writings. It truly is amazing that as you feed the Holy Spirit that is in you, if you are a believer in Christ, how you hunger more and more to read and know the Word. The desire builds and grows and the Fruit of the Spirit lives out in one's life.

I'm really just trying to put rambling thoughts I've had this morning together in this blog, but these are the kinds of thoughts that sustains me in the challenges that meet me. It is what helps keep a smile on my face or my spirits lifted even in trials and hearing hard news of the death of a loved one or other pain someone is going through.

I just find that I cannot complain anymore because the Lord has delivered me from the worst fate I could suffer....eternal damnation in Hell. We don't speak this frank very much to our loved ones and we need to, and soon, as we are not promised to live tomorrow as I'm reminded by hearing of yet another tragic death of a family friend. Thank the Lord Mr. Maxwell was a believer in Jesus Christ....now he is singing praises to the Lord in person and is enjoying perfect health and happiness.

I don't know if the Lord will ever grant us children to parent. I honestly don't know and feeling a bit like that is going to be the case. My natural self tends toward the 'Debbie Downer' side, but I feel like I'm being prepared to handle this reality. Maybe I'm wrong, hopefully I'm wrong.

We have come to realize we have a different view of how open things should be in an adoption than what our agency promotes. We will be meeting with the coordinators next week to get some questions answered and see if we should be working together in the future.

Other than that, life is good, Jesse and I are blessed, we are better than we deserve!

We must trust in Him

In times that I don't understand why things work out they way they do, I go back to the thought that in God's sovereignty, He is working it out all out for Good. That He can see all around me and others and knows what plans are best for His children....even if the plans are unveiled to us, maybe make us go through grief and pain, or uncertainty. A true test of faith;refined perseverance.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. ''...."so we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. " 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12, 16-18

True believers in Christ have this hope in Him, and this hope gets us through the trials and tribulations that come our way.

I would like to shed a spotlight on a beautiful family that we were blessed to know for but a year. Brad and Sara Sullivan. Sara recently passed away, just two weeks after delivering their first child, a baby girl named Chloe Grace. Sara had been battling breast cancer and it appeared they had it conquered. Then, she started suffering some seizures and ultimately succumbed to what was diagnosed as 'postpartum angiopathy'.

I'm including this link to their blog so that you can be blessed in reading their story, and see true Christian faith in action....they both walked the walked and talked the talked even through the darkest of days. We love you Sara and look forward to being reunited with you someday soon!

http://bandssullivan.blogspot.com