thoughts on being MIA

I seriously cannot believe I haven't posted a blog in a month...that's a record. Not really one I am boasting about, but I record none the less...

Geesh! How in the heck are you? Good I hope. I am going to be more diligent about posting, so you can actually answer that question if any of you are still reading...I'd love to hear how you are.

I am kind of suprised at myself because honestly, I can think of many things right off the top of my head that I have wanted to post about...

...guess I am really busy...

...or something....

Let's be honest...it more likely "or something". I am no busier than anyone else in the world.

So instead of boring you to death with a bunch of details from the past month or trying to sum up 'what i've been learning' in a quick statement...how about if I just hit on a few of the highlights?

highlight #1 (in chronological order) BRENNAN MANNING

Right after I posted last time, we had the great honor of attending an artist conference in Nashville (put on by our beloved Porters Call www.porterscall.com)...and the guest speaker was none other than Brennan Manning. Now, if you are wondering who that is, please scold yourself and then promptyly buy "A Ragamuffin Gospel". I remember the first time I read that book. I was 18 and working for the summer in an awful factory to make some money for college. I was a welder. (That one statement alone sends my sweet husband into out of control laughter...go ahead. Join in. Laughter does good like medicine, the Bible says...then when you recover, you can begin where you left off) But I wasn't welding huge sheets of metal or anything...just these tiny little parts. To this day I still have no idea what they really were and what there purpose was, but that's besides the point. The work really wasn't hard. I just controlled the machine that did the welding. It was the heat that would get to you....like it was always over 110 degrees in the welding room...seriously. I tried to keep my mind off the profuse sweating that had claimed by body for 8 hours a day by....reading (naturally) My actual job with the machien was so automatic after awhile, that I didn't even have to look....that's where the reading came in. I think I originally picked up the book because Rich Mullins wrote the forward...I started reading at the beginning of my sweaty, second shift job one day and for the next 8 hours I never stopped. That's no an exaggeration...I was so intriuged that I read all through my two breaks and lunch. The only time I even paused was to wipe tears from my eyes...yes, I was crying...although weeping might be a truer description. THat book ravaged me. I read it in that one day...and it forever changed the way I thought about God....(go read it! not necessarily for 8 hours straight,,.*grin*)

So needless to say we were thrilled to hear Brennan speak. (Shawn says "Ragamuffin" is his all-time favorite book) I started to wonder before we left, if I had hyped it up so much in my mind that I would be disappointed. But really I don't tihnk I could have hyped it up to the point that I would have been disappointed. Brennan Manning is an older man now...he seems even older than he is. The battle with alcoholism hasn't been kind to his body. That first evening, someone had to help him up onto the stage and he had a hard time remembering when the next session would be...he kept saying 'see you tomorrow' when we were coming back only an hour later. But when he opened his mouth to share about Jesus his faltering, thick old voice boomed and his eyes discarded the watery opaquness of age and came alive with fire. As he spoke, we all scrambled to write down every profound word and when we were too moved to write, we cried. He told stories from his life that I can barely think about with crying....times as a child when God comforted him...times when we was lying on the street with alcohol poisoning and people stepped over him as if he were trash....words God used to heal a nun friend of his...so many of them. He challenged us to think outside of the normal parameters of what we have been taught about God...and we loved him. I think we all sensed that in some way God was visiting through this tiny old man. THen he would end the session with a silly Yiddish joke and wave to us good-bye. We were endeared.

I think as long as I live, those two days with Brennan Manning will always be a highlight in my life. If you ever have the chance to hear him speak, do...he won't be around forever...and there aren't many men like Brennan Manning. I actually want to give a son (assuming we have one) the middle name 'Manning' now...haven't quite convinced the hubby, but...

Okay...highlight #2 THE HUBBY

Marriage is not easy...all of you married peeps are nodding your knowing heads and all of you single people can't really believe it...someday, my friends, someday...We have really been in a tough spot...busy and frustrated and both realizing a lot of things about ourselves needed to change...Shawn went on a week long retreat at the beginning of the month. It was weird for me....he couldn't have a phone or a computer, so for the first time since we met, we had to go a whole week without speaking at all. I couldn't have missed him more. I was just praying so hard that God would refresh him (life on the road isn't easy) and speak to him... Well I was exceedingly happy when he got home and seem so much...lighter...than I have known him to be. God really spoke to him...he got to sleep regular hours...and had time to read...and it was GOOD. Once he got home, it just felt like time for a celebration of God's great ablity to renew His children and to breathe new life into everyday life....so we PLAYED....we took walks with the dogs(her name is Piper, by the way) and talked late into the night...the best of the celebrations was Valentine's Day...

Shawn actually had to be gone for a show on the 13th and so he got home on the 14th around 3pm. I had made dinner plans at this really swanky restarunt downtown, so I picked him up at the airport with the intentions of rushing home, changing, and rushing downtown. But after 1 second of looking at my man, I couldn't help wondering after hours of flying if all of that 'rushing' was really going to result in any fun for him. So I let him decide:

'Hey babe. I made reservations and we'd have to get dressed up, but we don't have to if you'd rather just order something in to the hotel or whatever..." He chose the second option.

So we went home and took our time bringing in the luggage and he spent some time wrestling with the pups and then we just chilled. I looked online to try to find somewhere we could order in...when Shawn decided he did want to dress up. But we had already missed our reservation...

"who cares? we can find something." I smiled, knwoing everything you needed to be dressed up for was booked. But I got dressed up none the less. I wore heels and he wore a tie. We weren't playing around.

Traffic was nuts! after being looked at like idiots at a couple of places (for trying to walk-in on Vday) we opted to try a pizza place that we love. Pizza. Yep....in our fancy duds. Luckily they still had a table. EVeryone stared at us when we walked in and we laughed at ourselves all in black right in the middle of sea of sweatshirts and jeans. But they have the best spinach and tomato pizza in Seattle, so I decided not to let the awkawardness get to me. We left full for our fancy hotel with the fireplace and took silly pictures....really it was the best...(you myspacers can see pics on my page and i'll post some on the blog for you bloggers)

Highlight #3: SARA GROVES
Went to see her Saturday night here in the greater Seattle area and it was...stunning. Just like she always is...PLEASE PLEASE pick up her record "add to the beauty"...it will feed your soul. She sang all of my favorite songs minus one, which is pretty good for an opener spot. Her two little boys introduced her...the cuteness turned the audience into varying stages of 'mush'...she said that her nephew (same age as her own 5yrd old) had asked Jesus into his heart and then the next day asked Spiderman to come on in too....She can make me laugh and cry...that's good stuff. And Derek Webb was before her.... now that's a good night! Derek's new album 'Mockingbird' is by far his best...

4th and final highlight (so you don't fall asleep) : CCM
I got a call last week from Jay at CCM and they offered me a regular column in their magazine, exploring the indie music scene...I tried to hold the excitement to a reasonable level in my voice so Jay didn't rethink his offer on account of my craziness , but I was bursting inside. I love indie music and writing,..and its such an honor to be sought out for something like that. The first column is smaller because its the GMA issue...but check it out!

So anyway...its late and I am trying to eat dinner and type at the same time...I am not sure how little peices of broccoli mix with the keys in my laptop...so ...maybe its time to leave the world of multi-tasking.

Love you all...have a great evening.
..and I was serious about letting me know how you are!