Quotidian Quips: On Surprises, Vanity and Strategic Planning

"Quotidian" - belonging to each day; commonplace; ordinary

"Quip" - a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment

I've long missed my "Couch Chronicles" posts from my bedrest days. (Just to clarify, I DON'T miss the bedrest, just the time to record the frequent funny conversations heard around here. Also, no longer confined to the couch, the name didn't really apply anymore, and it really bugged me to be without a catchy title. Nothing says "quotidian" to me more than the chore of emptying the dishwasher - or disciplining a naughty puppy! )

Olivia: "I think it would be really fun to have a surprise party."

Marina (my tell-it-like-it-is girl): "Yea but what if you didn't look right.....like Mom's shower." (What?!)

Olivia (my practical girl): "Well, then you just make sure you always look nice around your birthday..........especially on the weekends."

Our Miracle Girl

Almost 11 1/2 years ago, we learned that the sweet little baby girl I was carrying at the time was not healthy. That news was the beginning of a very emotional and trying journey through the rest of that pregnancy. It was a pregnancy filled with ultrasounds, consultations, tears, and much much prayers as we wondered if we should prepare for a birth or a funeral. Friends cried and prayed and waited with us. Through it all, our faithful God stayed very close to us and kept His mighty hand on that little girl.

Today she is eleven.

A handful of ultrasounds, x-rays, CT Scans and one very scary lung surgery later, she continues to bless us daily with laughter and creativity.

We love you Juliette!

Irresistible....

I know every mother thinks her baby truly is the cutest to ever walk the earth but really........couldn't you just eat him up?!

Thoughts on a New Year

I thought I would be thrilled to see 2009 (with all it's trials and tribulations) go. But the fact is, in those weak moments, God met us mightily and in the end, He was glorified in all of that mess. It feels a bit melancholy to be facing a wide open new year with all of it's unknowns. (God, really, I'd be just fine with a terribly boring and uneventful year - thank you very much.) I'll be posting my reading list soon which will likely give some clues as to what I'm being prodded to work on this year. In the meantime, I'm prayerfully pondering this blog's place in our family. Happy New Year to all of you and your families.

**After posting this entry earlier today, I perused my Google Reader and found this. (You may remember my friend Colleen - really a "cyber-aquaintance" who reached out to me during my bedrest - who lost sweet Bryce in September.) The things she writes often resonate in my own heart. Today is no different. Lots of wisdom there.