serve the Lord with gladness

I had two opportunities for service today. One I was glad about; one I wasn't.

Val and I taught the 1st & 2nd (and 3rd?) grade Sunday School class this morning. Several of my Sparkies are in that class; I miss Sparks more than I'd though possible. I'm really looking forward to starting up again in September. Anyway, class went pretty well, despite the fact that our 5-minute craft stretched into 35! I'd be happy to sub in that class again. I've decided that 5, 6, 7, and 8-year-olds are my favorite.

Our missions team had a breakfast fundraiser this morning. (I don't think I've mentioned our mission trip on this blog before. I'm going to Florida for 10 days in July with others from my church. We're helping at a sports camp/VBS in the Tampa area.) When I got to church (at 8 a.m. . . so I was predisposed to being grumpy), I learned that our team would be doing the afternoon services at the three nursing homes in town. This is the service I wasn't so glad about. Normally, I wouldn't mind being a part of the services (although I wouldn't be inclined to volunteer to help with them), but I didn't appreciate that it was sprung on me at the last minute. I was planning a nap for the afternoon! (I understood why I didn't know about it earlier, but I still wasn't happy.) Needless to say, I didn't have the greatest attitude as we arrived at the first home. I was there, but I certainly wasn't serving the Lord! Then we went to the second place. As I looked around at the residents entering the room, I saw how happy they were to have us. They smiled; they waved; they sang along with the hymns. Then we went around to greet them. As I shook their hands and thanked them for coming, I realized how important it was to them that we were there. And I had to repent of my rotten attitude. Right now, I'm exhausted. I'm surprised at how tiring it is to stand up and sing for an hour, even when it's broken into segments. By the last song, my voice was cracking! I'm glad that we went . . . and I'm glad God got through to me so I could enjoy serving Him!

home again!

Mom was released from the hospital today! She's tired and in pain, but she's home! And you should see my parents' house--it looks like a flower shop :-)

no air

I did call my landlord yesterday morning, but he didn't answer his phone and he apparently doesn't have voicemail. Fortunately, my uncle (hereafter known as UE) is the guy he would have called to fix my air, so when UE called me about something else, I told him about the air situation. UE is a very busy man--especially when it gets hot outside and everyone realizes they need their air fixed--so I didn't expect to see him right away. But at 10 p.m., my doorbell rang, and it was UE! Turns out I need a new compressor. He got one today but hasn't had time to put it in yet. I'm just so happy to know that my air will be fixed soon! (And, thankfully, the last two days have been cooler.)

summer has arrived

After weeks of wonderfully cool weather, summer has hit. It's 78 degrees at 11:30 p.m., and I feel like I'm slowly cooking in my apartment. Why? Because my air conditioner has decided not to work! When I left for work this morning, closing my windows didn't even cross my mind. When I stepped into my hot and sticky apartment at 8:30 p.m., I was really regretting that. I guess it's time to break down and turn on the air. I totally pride myself on low electric bills, so it pains me to turn on my heat or air. But I knew I'd be a much happier camper in a cool apartment, so I closed the windows and flipped on the air. I set it at 78--I didn't want to be too extravagant (and yes, that's my father in me!). The thermostat read 82. Forty-five minutes later, the thermostat still read 82. Not again!!! Last summer, my air broke down during the worst heat wave of the summer. Now, this won't be the worst heat wave of the summer, but it is the first heat wave of the summer, and it would be really nice to have working air. I'll have to call my landlord in the morning.

the bionic woman

My mom had her left knee replaced yesterday. She's needed it done for a long time, and the right one will need to be replaced, also. Dad and Steph were at the hospital for the surgery, and Val and I drove up after work. Mom's doing really well. They started physical therapy this morning, and at noon she was dressed and sitting in her chair. They're shooting for Friday as a dismissal date . . . and then she'll be out of commission for another 6 weeks or so. I'm already missing her at work!

decaffeinating becky

I'm trying to decaffeinate myself per my doctor's orders. Fortunately, she understands that Becky without caffeine is not a pretty picture, and she told me to allow myself a little caffeine. I'm trying to go with one caffeinated beverage per day. Today, I made it to 12:15 before I cracked open a Diet Dr. Pepper.

I love coffee, but I don't usually drink it for the caffeine--I prefer to get my caffeine from pop. I think maybe I'm equally addicted to caffeine and fizz. Anyway, I thought I could just make the switch to decaf. But now I've been hearing some scary things about decaf. What's a girl to do?

RIP, beloved tree--part 2

I took yesterday off but had to run out to the office in the afternoon. Here's what I saw:


That's my dad, taking out the tree. Sad day.