Lemme throw this disclaimer out there to ease my soul: we are in Texas for 9 days, and are playing 8 times and practicing as much as possible. We also took 24 hours to go to the beach and rest.
If you add it up, it's kinda nuts.
We are trying to squeeze in some family visits on Thursday and lunch.... so please, ease my pain and don't be hurt if we don't see you at all. Whoever you are, we probably love you and wish we could hang out.
There's just very little time. Hopefully we can come back in a few months for a vacation and see people and eat with people. I didn't even realize the schedule, but it's great to do ministry in Texas with the people we love. < end of disclaimer> (late breaking note: i sincerely apologize for the violent overuse of the word "people" in that paragraph)

Now, back to our vacation. We missed Hurricane Ike, you know. We were in Missouri watching live webstreams of Geraldo falling down and guys in bear suits frolicking (btw, just watched these clips again and laughed until i was a little nauseous). Anyways, we were super curious about what Galveston would look like 6 months later. It's amazing. I mean, the island is open for business, all the restaurants and most of the hotels are busy, but there is still major damage to a lot of buildings. If you are familiar with Galveston, you know the Flagship Hotel. The bridge leading to it is destroyed, and there are giant holes knocked in the front of the building, and most of the windows are broken out. What's weird to me is the white curtains blowing in the breeze. It's like noone has stepped foot in there since the hurricane. Creepy. The Strand is super quiet, too, although that could be normal on a Monday night. Some of the restaurants and hotels on that side are still really boarded up and closed. It's defintely a little spooky. We took a nice long stroll to survey the damage.

We got a great deal on our hotel, which is on the more damaged side of the island, and construction trucks are out on the beach working 24/7.

It's overcast and a little rainy, and there is hardly anyone here at all. For us, it's perfect. We are having a blast owning an island. :) Currently, the MOG is out on the jetties somewhere, convening with God and praying his iPhone doesn't get wet, and I am chilling in my hotel room with the door propped open so I can hear the waves. Good stuff.



In about an hour, we're packing up and driving back to Conroe, where will we set up and get ready to play at Christ the King tonight. Ministry on this trip has been so, so rich. I am so glad I got to come.

Later, gators... I'm off to the BEACH! If the hotel we're staying at has wi-fi, then I will post this afternoon. Otherwise, I'll update you tomorrow or more likely Wednesday. 

Talk amongst yourselves. In fact, why don't you submit your entertaining and amusing questions of a general nature to Madame Smartypants? Go.

UPDATE:

Click here for Radiant dates in Texas

We will be hitting the road in a couple of minutes here, Lord willing. I may or may not be able to live-blog from the iPhone en route. Peace out!

9:28 am: on the road, finally. 34 degrees outside and richy has the ac on. Also, we forgot the iPod and the iPhone only has 7 songs saved on it. Might be a long one, folks. (just switched it to heater)

11:12 am Carthage, mo. Not to be confused with the one in Rome. 42 degrees. Hot fries and coke. Toby is complaining about how hungry he is, and what he needs is an apple, now, if you ask him.some discord over the subject matter as the MOG only wishes to discuss abortion, the end of days, or aliens.

Not to be totally negative- it's actually peaceful in here as we rocket along. R2 is loving looking out the window while he crunches on some chips.

1:01 pm ate at the giant mcdonalds in Ok. It was ok. I hope all these babies fall asleep so I can eat my secret brownies. Not "magic" brownies, mind you. I don't indulge. Well, I indulge in some things, like excessive chocolate. I am going to be drafted as a driver pretty soon, so I must return to my novel before it is too late.

3:52 pm somewhere in Oklahoma. 60 degrees and raining, which is why I retired from driving. I don't do rain. Toby just now fell asleep and brynn is still holding out..
Atoka. We are in Atoka. Our gps had us slated for arrival at 10:30 but we have gotten it all the way back to 9:40 by consistently exceeding the speed limit. Go us.

8:21 corsicana. Just spent what felt like several years of my life driving. It stunk. As soon as I started, someone in our van (clue: potty-trained
person) began covering his eyes and muttering desperate prayers. Now, the last time I actually hit something (a parked car) was over a year ago,and my only moving wreck ever was in 2001. Still, I can't get no respect. I then gave credence to his fears by hitting a traffic cone that
was in a totally ridiculous place. Stupid Dallas. Our eta is growing later, due in part to the less than stellar response time by jack in the box employees. Now I have to go and pay attention or some people will drive right past Woody's Smokehouse without stopping to pay homage.

Oh, and I teared up when I saw bluebonnets.

10:40something We made it! Sheesh.

Just got done laying Toby down for a nap. He has been steadily collecting blankets as they make it through the dryer, and he now has 4 or 5. Luckily, it's still pretty cold here. 

Now, some people in my marriage tend to be a little obsessive. We jokingly call it OC, but in reality it's just a little obsessive, not all the way to an actual condition. So I worry, sometimes... that Toby might be obsessive to a fault, and I keep an eye on it. So when he started demanding that his blankets be layered in a certain order, facing a certain way, I took note. Next he collected 3 pillows, his "twinkle star" pillow that I made, and then 2 throw pillows from my room, and he laid them in his bed. This is how it works, Twinkle Stars is for his head, and then the two other pillows lay by his side with the patterned side showing, not the black side. And the blankets can cover the lower pillow, but not the upper two. His cup goes in the corner, between a specific slat. And his boots can't stay in his room, they have to go out for him to sleep. 

Hmm. Maybe I should worry. 

Not too much, though. One night he screamed for about an hour about some random detail, and I googled obsessive compulsive disorder toddlers. The links that came up basically said 3 year olds are learning patterns and routines, and it's normal. The actual OC quizzes were really sad. He isn't tortured like that, at all. In fact, if I talk him through it, (like, your blanket is in the wash) he can even sleep without his stuff, or not have ketchup with his fries, or whatever. He just has to have a reasonable explanation or he will form a one man picket line.

No question these are some genetic traits, not from me, if you know what I'm sayin. The good news is, he should be a very passionate, driven and productive person someday, if I figure out how to channel him.

Now, I have to pack for 5 people for 10 days and leave my house for the realtor to show it whilst we're in Texas. Sheesh.

People who don't do what I do often wonder what the heck there is to do on the internet. Well, there's Google, for one thing. I look up every dagdum thing, from how to get nail polish off hardwood floors, to how to feed 7 people without having to sell kidneys. I also bank online, and order library books, and learn recipes, etc. I could become an excellent agoraphobic.

I also belong to several message boards, where I do a cyber-version of people watching and read up on various topics. Most of these I joined because I have something in common with general populace of that board. 

For example, Free Republic, where I go after something drastic has happened to the conservative movement and see what other conservatives think and feel. 

Then there's Television Without Pity, which is NOT even remotely Christian-friendly, but indulges my inner Snark by making fun of the shows I love. 

I also belong to a couple of infant loss boards, and so on. There's an empathy and a depth in shared sorrow. I also lurk on an adoption board, and have learned so much about what really happens, and what parts of adoption need reform.

One of my favorites is Mothering. This is an ultra-crunchy one, where the main things I have in common is abiding by a loose sense of attachment parenting, including cosleeping, breastfeeding and baby-wearing, among others. I differ pretty drastically in that I am a conservative, and I am not fiercely anti-spanking, and I am not into the environment or natural living. And I love McDonalds. 

I love to read in my various worlds, what people are saying about current events, or worldviews, or whatever. The opinions are so opposite - it is just so fascinating to watch the debates unfold on different sides of the spectrum. 

People are beautiful. In most cases, even if I don't feel passionate about the issue, I enjoy seeing people who are burning with a cause express themselves. 

I feel the need to defend myself a little in advance here- I don't spend my life on these boards, at least not currently. (in deep grief, I did) But I do like to click in and see what different corners of humanity are up to from time to time.

And now, a bonus video- the folks over at Mothering would be horrified by me laughing at my own crying baby. In my defense, it's funny. She was ticked at me for moving the computer just before clicking record.

We had another JPR set today. It went well, although I would hesitate to says swimmingly today. Just well.

Then I had my break and spent most of it at Sonic, drinking a half-price Coke and reading Escape, which is the true story of a woman who escaped the FLDS cult and lived to tell about it. It's interesting... crazy. I'm at the part where they've just barely made it out and she is trying to survive on her own with 8 kids. I'm pretty sure one of the kids goes back to the cult. Know why? Because of the picture section in the center of the book. I hate it when they show the end of the story in the picture section. I try to skim with my eyes and skip any pictures that are past the part of the book I've already read, but I usually end up getting spoilers anyway. 

In that vein, it is very difficult being a person who likes surprises. Everybody in the world wants to tell me what they got me, and what is going to happen in the book or the show, and so forth. I just want to NOT know. Thanks. 

A few zoo pics here.

there will be no zoo video today. i normally am an evangelist of all things Mac, but I won't hesitate to tell you that iMovie is PUNK. There will be a zoo video, after we install the software that is supposed to be for professionals (radiant's copy of Final Cut Pro), because the software that is supposed to be for Joe the Housewife (iMovie) is jacked. So there you go.

in other news, I miss Texas.

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I miss

pine trees

people showing up unexpectedly

seeing my friend's babies be born

churching together

babysitters

mexican food

eating with family

talking on the phone and saying i'll be there in a minute

avocados

swagger

striking up a conversation over the produce section

family

seeing someone I know, everywhere

familiarity

Texas shaped stuff

family

easy friendships 

dates

community

the camaraderie of being a Texan, among other Texans. Because only we know.

Radiant

family

Last night the President was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He made a joke about the Special Olympics that might haunt him... as the mother of a future Special Olympian, I am mostly annoyed. 

There is no lower form of humor than mocking the disabled. Not only the disabled, but kids with greater challenges than most of us have ever faced, who then spend months and years training to be able to rise above their disabilities and do great things. These kids are overcomers. So the joke was offensive, but more than that it was so, so ignorant. 

I wish the President had shown more honor for the office of President and skipped the comedy circuit. 

---

Having a child with multiple disabilities has taught me a lot. I don't think fat jokes are funny. I don't think midget jokes are funny. I don't think blind jokes are funny. I especially do not think "retard" jokes are funny. I think they are all low and cowardly. So if you want to make me laugh, grow up.

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In other news, I feel the need to write something more positive here. I'm trying to think... ah yes, I am going to Texas in ONE week! That is very, very exciting! So there you go.

I am here, awake and still living. I didn't blog yesterday because I was at the ZOO. It was awesome, and I am making a little video for your viewing pleasure, only not today because I have 2 hours of solitary fun beginning when these little people fall asleep and thus, I will be deserting you momentarily.

We had our second JPR set today, and it went great. Swimmingly, even. This one is a format called Worship With the Word, and it was focused on Psalm 27:1-4, which is a great passage and an easy one to sing about. We practiced some last night, in the living room with an acoustic and Bibles, and so I was more familiar with the flow and how it should work. And it was really good. It has made me aware of how unfamiliar the Bible has become to me... which is wacky because from about 6 to 16 I was fed a steady diet of Scripture and I could practically breathe it... but not so much now. What is amazing is that spending 2 hours singing and thinking about 4 verses has made me a little hungry... I want to read some more... so that is very, very cool.

Today, I plan on grocery shopping and going to the library. The glamour.