D-Day

I've taken a looooong Christmas break and if I don't post now, it will stretch into a winter break.

"If the water was cold I did not notice it. I could only think of the poor guy that was drowning. He jumped off the boat too soon, the water was too deep. His gear held him down. I watched as his head sunk beneath the surface of the water. I don't even know who it was. I couldn't see his face. I guess it doesn't matter I would not tell his family that he died because he jumped off the boat too soon and drowned. I would have helped him but it happened so quickly. I was numb. It seemed as if his drowning was part of the battle plan. I did not want to die before the battle even began.
"The beach could have been booby trapped. Were there enemies on the other side of that ridge that marked the end of the beach? I wasn't going to jump out of the barge until we ran aground. The idea of this battle, THE battle, D-day; scared me to death but still, I needed to be on land. We had been on our ship for weeks waiting for orders. Some of the men were sick but all of us were bored.
"The impact of the bargve hitting the sand threw us all off balance and into the front of the raft. One man almost fell out. WE piled off, running low in knee deep water. The gunfire began almost immediately. We dropped flat on the beach, sand flew inour eyes, noses, and mouths. I looked to one side of me. Sorry-faced George was shaking sand out of his ears. I wondered if I'd see him on the other side of that beach. I began to crawl forward like we had trained so many times to do. Many men were in front of me. The ships we had just come from were firing over our heads at the enemy ahead. None of us expected resistance of this measure. WE thought our bombers had come and cleared the beaches for us."

"It sounded like thunder. The sand beneath us rumbled and bounced with the sound of boat and tank fire.
"Then- what we thought inconceivable began to happen. Land mines began to explode, triggered by crawling soldiers. Their body parts flew into the air and scattered all over the beach. I was almost afraid to move. A million thoughts ran through my head. 'If I hit a land mine what will my family have left to bury?'

"I looked around me at Jim, Pops, Frankie, Frank, Harry, Long-armed Joe, Sorry-faced George...all these men that I have trained with, ate with, these- my friend. I realize that many of them will never see America again. Reality hits me hard, even in the silence between rounds of gunfire and blasts I only think, "I am going to die, I am going to die." My other thought- "God, please kill the Kraut that kills."

~Jack, March 1943


Love to all!
Lizzi

WWII journal entry 2

September 20, 1942
"My number was called today. I am going to war. It's been almost a year since the attack on Pearl Harbor. I haven't been able to get a job here. No one will hire an able-bodied young man who is eligible for the draft. They don't want to train someone who is going to be sent off to war. Because of that I was going to sign up soon anyway.
The draft: They announce a certain date over the radio, if that date is your birthday then you must report to the nearest recruiting office.
June 15th was called today; tomorrow I report to the recruiting office.
Mom cried and hugged me as often as I'd let her.

Soon I'll be geared up, trained, and ready to fight. I've looked forward to this day since last December. Now, I can't imagine leaving home- to kill other men who believe they are defending their home.

Jack Albine"

Oh, Just a little late!

I really should have posted this at Thanksgiving!! But, I didn't think of it until I read someone else's list on their blog and thought, "Psh! My is better than theirs! I taught the teen girls in Sunday School the Sunday before Thanksgiving and in an effort to please the youth pastor's wife I did something "with being thankful!"
I gave the girls a limited amount of time to fill in a list of 25 things they were thankful for. The first five I filled in for them (aren't I nice!) They had to use one or two word answers and could not use a list of proper names either. Here is my list...

1. Salvation
2. The Bible
3. Our Church
4. Family/Home
5. Food

6. Job
7. Health
8. Mental Health
9. Friends
10. Christian upbringing
11. George (my cat) ... notice the order of these two...
12. Jonathan (my boyfriend)
13. Financial security
14. The youth group (of which I am a leader and not a member, thank you)
15. New days
16. Forgiveness
17. Memories
18. America
19. Freedom
20. Opportunities
21. My calling
22. That I'm not ugly (yes this is more than 2 wds, sorry)
23. Answered prayers
24. Soap
25. Internet
26. The color Green
27. Ross/Kohls
28. Music

I know 28 is an odd number to end at, but- I only had a certain amount of time!

Hope you all take time to think about these things we take for granted every day and Thank God for them.

Love to all!
Lizzi

December 7, 1941

It is December 7th the 68th anniversary of the bombings on Pearl Harbor. In honor of this day (and an effort to use some long forgotten school assignments) I am posting a fictional journal entry I wrote as part of a creative writing assignment in college.
From the journal of Jack Carter Albine, December 8th, 1941

"The President said it best, 'This day will live in infamy.' December 7, 1941, Sunday morning, just minutes before 8 o'clock, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The newspaper today held Christmas shopping items, pages and pages of gifts. There will be no Christmas for the men in those four sunken battleships and I dare say Christmas will not be the same for their families either.

We were listening to the radio. Mom cried silently as she rocked Elsie, my baby sister, back and forth in her rocking chair. Dad stopped reading the paper, chewed on the end of his pencil and scratched the back of his head. None of us knew really what to do or say.

The bombing lasted 2 hours and left our majestic Pearl Harbor in ruins. Today, America declared war on Japan. Churchill pledged to join us in that war. That attack has only awoken a sleeping giant. America has shed it's isolation and is preparing to fight.

We will Emerge victorious!
Jack Carter Albine, December 8, 1941


I will post a few more of his journal entries in the next few days/weeks. Hope you all enjoy it.
Love to all!
Lizzi

Who I am

I have been looking for a new job since May. That is 6 1/2 months! (But, hey, who's counting?!) There are many reasons why; normal ones, annoying ones, but The main reason is that I feel like a big girl needs a big girl job.

I am 24, and still a waitress. Yes, I graduated from college. Yes, I am skilled at many other things but, I am your loser waitress who is stressing her head off trying to make you happy with the greasy food.

Then...lately, I've begun to think deeper about it all. I've been applying to (more recently) four or five different positions a week and, in 6 months two people have called me back. Maybe, God doesn't want me to have a different job right now. Maybe He's trying to teach me something through all of this.

I have been defining myself by the part time job I hold; "I'm just a waitress." "No, that's not what I went to school for but- 'it is what it is'!"

How could I have been selling myself short for so long? I am not "just" a waitress. I just waitress to pay the bills! What I am doing- what I love doing- what I went to school for- is serving as much as I can in my church.

I will teach anything they need me to teach.
I will plan and operate teen activities.
I will edit the newsletter.
I will write and direct the Christmas play.
I will do that and more because it is what my Savior has called me to do.

So, from now on, ask me what I do.
"I am a servant of Christ. And, I love (almost) every minute of it!"

Love to all!
Lizzi

Ugly, Ugly Gaps

So! How does everyone like my new layout and design??? I think its rather pretty :)

Our youth pastor preached last night to the entire congregation about prayer in an unconventional manner.
He began showing pictures of young children missing teeth, then hockey players missing teeth the old men and women in third world countries with gaps and decay.
He looked up the word "cease" in his Bible dictionary and one of the definitions is "a space or a gap." So, he determined that we should be "praying without gaps." Praying once a day is like missing your front teeth. Looking at those pictures made me assess my prayer life.

I used to have conversations with God every time I was in the car alone. Now, I keep hitting the power button on the radio and singing away.
I used to write in my prayer journal daily, I almost couldn't sleep without filling a page of thoughts and concerns. Now, I just set my alarm- and sleep; never thinking twice about it.
Lately, I have often found myself saying "I'll keep you in my prayer" knowing my conscience is saying- "Fat Chance!"

My prayer life is missing its front teeth. WE HAVE A GAP! I'll be working on that.

Now, How ugly is your prayer life???

Love to all!
Lizzi

Memories

A year and a half ago my best friend, with whom I shared a tiny apartment in Santiago, Chile; and I would get up on Saturday mornings and make banana pancakes. Whether at 8am or noon (she preferred noon and I, eight) we had banana pancakes to celebrate our one morning off.

Now we live in different houses in different states doing different jobs. We planned to relive an old memory and once again meet for breakfast and make banana pancakes.

I arrived at her house hungry enough to eat a dozen banana flecked pancakes only to find that she did not have bananas. We had strawberry and chocolate chip pancakes (which I enjoyed much more), made with bisquick (which we definitely did not use in Chile.) We also used Aunt Jemima syrup which has to be imported in the grocery stores in Santiago and costs about $8 a bottle.

After pancakes we baked a cake, a beautiful, four layer whipped filling and strawberry masterpiece; another thing we did not find possible in Chile as their cocoa made chocolate cake taste more like brown bread. Finally we looked at wedding books (she is hoping to have a wedding sometime soon) and chatted about jobs and boyfriends and such.


So, In short, We planned to relive a memory, but, instead- We Made a New One!
Which makes me realize traipsing about the world isn't essential in making unforgettable moments.

Love to all!
Lizzi

Sariya

I have several duties to perform at church between teen leader, choir member, nursery worker, cantata director, but there is none that I enjoy so much or esteem as highly as Sariya's "mom."
I arrive at church, be friendly, smile, greet, shake hands, make all non-nursery children leave the nursery then- the bus arrives. The bus goes into Paulsboro, full of children active, crazy, loud, and not so ready to sit still in church. Amidst all of the noise and the runing and frantic bus workers there is a little girl named Sariya.
Ten years old, head full of braids and beads and for some reason she has chosen me. She needs at least two hugs and a kiss on the head before she will pry her arms off me and go to Sunday school. Sariya doesn't leave until she's certain I will be upstairs to sit with her until Junior church begins.
Why am I so important in her life? Why does she call me of all people, "mom"? I don't even know her last name! I've never been to her house. But she needs to hug me and she needs to talk to me every Sunday and every Wednesday.
Maybe God is reminding me that this world is alot bigger than my personal bubble? Am I just peeping in the mail slot of the door to a beautiful child and a life that needs touching?
How many times to we get the glimpse in someone's "mail slot" but leave it at that and never truly affect the life begging for our godly influence?
How often do we let our personal bubbles be more like concrete walls? Are we letting them know we care?

a catch up

So, I've been home from Chile for almost 3 months. This is going to be a catch up post. Chile was wonderful. Came home with only part of my heart. I left part of it in Chile with a guy named Jonathan. Hopefully some day I can put my heart back together when he comes up here to meet my family. Speaking of Jonathan, he'd better get online so we can talk or I'll smack him!!

Today is memorial day. I am working at the Elmer Twist all day, scooping ice cream, making milkshakes. Nothing like making some extra money. I think I will make myself a sundae.

My friend Alexis got married last weekend. Sarah and I were in her wedding. She is moving to Alaska with her new hubby who is in the air force. We will definitely miss that crazy girl.

Well, now, I don't feel like writing this anymore. I've given up writing anything(besides in my journal) for quite some. That isn't a good thing seeing how I am locked into that correspondence writing course for $2,000. I haven't sent anything in for.... 6 months... wow that's bad. I've got to get on that.

so- I'm warming up. Maybe the next time I blog it will actually be organized, productive thoughts and not a bunch of miscellaneous things.

Love to all
Lizzi

Spiders, Worlds, Chef hats, the Letter ¨R¨

So, it has been a while since I´ve posted. I just can´t seem to find time to sit down and type for a while. I share a computer with 6 other people who need to answer emails and facebook stuff and etc.

Here is a brief overview of what has been going on, off the top of my head.

There are spiders as big as my palm living in the basement with me and my friends.

I made a big globe that is super cool and if you go to my facebook pictures you´ll see it and pictures of my friends down here.

Now I am making chef hats for the kitchen staff, I already made their aprons. This is a mental adventure because I don´t have a pattern or even an example of one. I am kind of figuring things out as I go along.

I cannot roll my R´s which sad because Spanish is full of R´s. They laugh and I try but, oh well. In this I am praying for a miracle.

I am on a diet of mainly fruit. I fainted and threw up a few weeks ago and they figured that I am anemic so I try to eat meat and lots of fruit and vegetables. I´ve lost a little weight so my shorts all fall a bit as I walk. I had to borrow a belt from one of my friends.

I get back home in three weeks. I have one week of camp, I am going down south, then I have a couple days here in Santiago. THEN I GO HOME!!!

Love to all!

Bienvenidos!

Hola from a ¨siempre¨ sunny Santiago, Chile!

I haven´t posted anthing in over a month, for this, I apologize.

The month of December is busy for most people, I believe. I had a couple extra things to keep me occupied this year.

One of them being this trip. Two months in Chile working at a Word of Life Summer Camp. The camp is on the side of a mountain in Santiago, the capital city (which is in South America, not Africa an they speak Spanish) I will have the internet on the weekends so I hope to update often.


This summer I find myself with a bit more free time than last summer. Last summer I was always running somewhere. This summer I am writing and reading and taking naps. I can´t complain but I wish that I could be of more help somehow.

I am moving to a different room again, only the 4th time since I arrived a week ago. While moving down in the subterrano (basement) of my cabin I stepped over a black thing on the floor. On my way back out I stopped to take closer look at the ¨thing¨. It was dead, slightly crumpled. It´s tail which would normally curl up a bit was flat making it´s length about two and half inches long. I looked and looked and yes... it was as I feared, a scorpion. There is dead scorpion in my oom. It was once alive. There was a live scorpion in my room! Ah!!!

Later on today I will cover a giant circular metal structure with fabric to make a globe. Then I will make costumes typical of other countries. Fun junk' eh!

Love to all!
Lizzi

Omnibus

Definition: pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once

1. My neice, Avery (2) calls her snow pants- "Snowman panties"

2. A quote from Kiterunner: "Children are not coloring books. You cannot fill them with all your favorite colors."

3. I leave for Chile in 28 days!

4. My Aunt Judy at Thanksgiving dinner: "So, Jim, it'll be colder this winter."
My Uncle Jim: "Yeah, and it sucks! I want global warming back."

5. When Joseph was in the stable with Mary and the newborn Jesus did he wrestle with himself on whether he had missed God's direction somehow and that why they had just given birth in an animal cave. "Oh Crud! I just made God's Son be born in a donkey stall"- as he watches for lightening bolts divinely directed to his head.
(Even when it doesn't seem like it... it just might be God's plan after all- try asking just to make sure.)

6. My mom: "Well, I tried to put blueberry yogurt in my tea because we ran out of milk. Yeah, it was pretty yucky."

7. If you are looking for an interesting book to read (and are old enough to handle its contents) I suggest the Freedom Writer's Diary. It is hard to believe (and sad to know) that the things revealed in that book happen everyday in America.

8. Reflex tears (those shed while cutting onions or cleaning foreign objects from eyes) and emotional tears (sad or happy tears) are chemically different.

9. The World's smallest country is the Vatican city with .2 square miles. Montenegro is the world's newest country- officially on June 28th 2006.

10. Just one cow gives off enough harmful methane gas in a single day to fill around 400 liter bottles.

Love to all!
Lizzi

Feet

I hate feet. To annoy me all you have to do is put your feet near my body. (just ask Sarah, the little sister) Feet are eternally dirty, they usually have at least a hint of foul odor, and they are home to several different types kinds of fungus.

No, you may not borrow my shoes.
No, I do not like your socks either.

Keeping my hatred for feet in mind- a verse in Mark chapter one (in the Bible) intrigued me. The verse in John the Baptist saying that when Jesus comes he (John) would not be worthy enough to help Him remove His shoes. When I got to this verse I pictured John dressed in camel's hair potato sacks afraid to touch another man's shoe.

Not out of disgust
But out of self- unworthiness

What kind of man is this that we dare not even touch his dirty shoes when they are attached to his feet?

Confession: Probably if Jesus was walking on earth today and He came to my house and I needed, as a good host, to wash His feet (though it is no longer a custom) I would most likely debate- on whether I wanted to touch feet today (or ever). I would contemplate using rubber gloves... and finally, mentally scold myself with the reminder that-
"This is the Man that was beaten and crucified so you have never-ending life and fellowship with God... and you think you're too good to just wash his feet"

"Jesus... um... could I- uh, help you take off your shoes?"

Love to all!
Lizzi

Nieces and how they make me laugh

My niece, Bailey, is 3 and very smart. I don't just say that because I am a doting aunt. She knows and recognizes all of her letters and the basic numbers. She knows all the shapes, colors. She uses compound sentences. (never mind the fact that the 3yr old logic is evident throughout them.) Here are some of the quotables from my time entertaining a crazy, high-energy, ornery, fuzzy headed little girl.

*While I was buckling her in her car seat,
"Aunt Wizzy, you're such a nice, sweet dirl (girl)."
"Why, Thank you, Bailey, you are a nice sweet girl too."
"NO, I'm not! I'm itchy!"

*She often mixes her words up,
"Mommy, you gotfor my tup!" (mommy you forgot my cup)
"Aunt Wizzy, tan I sidebe you lay?" (Aunt Lizzi, can I lay beside you?)

*Everything did or did not happen to Bailey when she "was little"
She wore that dress (on a tv actress) when she was little
When she was little and she was a boy she didn't have a motorcycle.

Now, Avery, is 2 and SO Adorable!! She has one little dimple on her chubby cheek. She insists on calling me mom-mom.

*One day at dinner she reached over and grabbed my sleeve making my my neckline move over and slip down over my shoulder. Avery patted my bare shoulder and started saying, "Cow! Cow!"

*She started whining her ABC's. She was fussing one day over something and in a whiney voice she says... "A- B- C! D, E, F!" Half in tears and that wasn't the only time. Later in the day she started with "O, P, Q!!"

* She calls Bailey's princess castle, "Bailey's Boody House"

Darn! I love those girls!!

Becoming Jane

There is a movie with Anne Hathaway starring as Jane Austen called Becoming Jane. I saw it and liked it if only because I love Jane Austen and it is a sappy love story.

But, I have watched three of Jane’s books made into movies today and now am on a fictional rendition of her life. I am thinking in Victorian English and I won’t be surprised if this blog ends up sounding a bit “Jane-ish”

Anyway, my reason for explaining all of this is… I can see myself becoming somewhat like Jane Austen. She was single her whole life, took care of her sister (who was also unmarried) and her widowed mother until Jane died at 41. She wrote a series of vastly popular novels about love and marriage. Some of them were not published until after her death. She was a woman and in her day women did not get published and those who did were at times considered a bit shameful.

I know, I am only 23. I am not even close to being an old maid, and much further away from being a vastly popular author. (I don’t see this blog bringing me any closer to the latter and much nearer to the former) But, like Jane I prefer my imaginary heroes, the men in my books, much more than men in real life. “The only way to get a Mr. Darcy is to make him up yourself” I am dreaming of Mr. Darcy but only finding “Mr E’s” (read Pride and Prejudice and Emma to figure out the analogy)

As it seems from this movie, “Jane Austen Regrets” many men are in love with her wit and charm but she turns them all away or they get tired of chasing her and find someone else to love. One day she wakes up and find herself old, still loving men in reality but preferring those in her books. But, she is 40 and she doesn’t know that she is going to die soon.

I may end up like this. Never satisfied with the ones I find and therefore making up my own and being more pleased with them. Happiness in marriage only happening in my books and never for me personally.

Newest fear, Becoming Jane
Love to all!
Lizzi

The Biggest Loser

I do not watch television much. I do enjoy The Antiques Road Show, Globetrekker (which I sadly haven’t seen in about a year or more), What not to wear, and The Biggest Loser. I haven’t found much else to watch beyond these three.

My newest addiction is The Biggest Loser on NBC 10. It is about a bunch of obese people on a workout ranch trying to lose weight and win the grand prize of 25,000 dollars. Every Tuesday night between 8 and 10pm my parents and I are stuck to the couch watching fat people die on treadmills. Well, there is a little more to the show than that.

This show could be the reason for my newest frettings about my weight. I am not fat by any possible definition of the word but, I am afraid I will get there… slowly, each serving of ice cream and every chicken bacon ranch cheese steak I eat at work. (just typing it makes me want one)

I’ve never been fat, in fact at times my family has worried about me being way too thin. In Chile I put on some weight, enough to make me worry about buying a new wardrobe. How did fat people get to that weight? I’m sure they didn’t just wake up one day fat. It came on slowly in miniscule amounts with French fries, ice cream, and chicken bacon ranch cheese steaks.

So, with these ponderings I have determined to watch what I eat and… exercise! I know I always talk about running and exercising but, this time I will actually do it. In fact I have started tonight, I did sit ups. :) How many? I don’t know, I don’t count. I just do it until I get tired of doing them. So, probably no more than 15. It’s a good start.

Now begins my life long attempt to never, ever make it on The Biggest Loser.
Love to all!
Lizzi

“With eyes wide open to the differences of the God we want and the God who is, but will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle.” ~ Caught in the Middle, Casting Crowns.

Recently I have been completely “enthralled” with the latest Casting Crowns cd, “The Altar and the Door.” Partially because every time I listen to it, if I close my eyes I can imagine myself in the place where I first fell in love with that cd (a cabin dorm room in a camp in Chile)

The real and persisting reason is with every song I am struck with the validity and impact of the words. Whether they (the group) is praising God, lamenting past mistakes, or praying for a lost friend, the lyrics are heartfelt and deep. I have found that so many Christian artists have “fluff” lyrics. Every song is about a. themselves, b. how God loves them, or c. that God saved them and they are going to heaven. All of this is may be true but, the songs have no depth or personality or real spiritual meaning.

The other thing I find so often in current Christian music is the vagueness of the lyrics. Half the time I cannot figure out exactly what the song is talking about, let alone if it is Christian or not.

Now, I am not talking about groups like Lifehouse and ( ) who have moral, often uplifting songs. I am talking about singers and song writers who attempt to write a song about God but can’t even mention His name; like they are afraid if it says His name their song will not get on all the radio stations. So, their songs of praise to God often get confused with odes to a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

Casting Crowns sample:

“Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt? Who am I am, that the Bright and morning star would choose to light the way for my ever wandering heart? Not because of who I am but because of what you’ve done, not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.”
~ Who am I Casting Crowns, self titled cd

“Here I am Lord and I’m drowning in your sea of forgetfulness. Chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest. Don’t want to end up where you found me and it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight. Lord you’ve cast my sin as far as the east is from the west and I stand before you now as though I’ve never sinned but today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from you leavin’ this way. Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west… from one scarred hand to the other.”
~ One Mistake Away, The Altar and the Door

Love to all!
Lizzi

Deadlines

I have always known that I do not enjoy deadlines. Which to me means every bit of what the very word implies… dead or death- to cease to live, and lines- a certain geographical or figurative location, boundary. In other words, “the point at which you must cease to live.” I take the word quite seriously and therefore have avoided or casually missed every deadline ever set for me.

I prefer to write on my own time when the inspiration hits me. I do not want someone to tell me when and what to write. Quite the obstinate, bratty little girl I am, I know.

Now, once again, I am faced with deadlines. (The very word gives me chills.) I have decided to take my writing hobby to the next level and sign up for a two year writing course through the Christian Writers Guild. TWO YEARS of DEADLINES!!! Every two weeks I have a list of writing assignments to turn in to my mentor or writing coach. They tell me what to write, how to write it, and when to write it.

I guess, if I want to finish this thing- and do it well, if I want to be the accomplished writer I’ve always dreamed of being; I am going to have to suck it up and do what they tell me to.

Well, with that said, my first deadline is October 1st which is on Wednesday and I still have half of the assignments to do. :) Guess I better get to work and try to be a big girl. (which would mean leaving my bratty, childish self behind for a while)

Love to all!
Lizzi

Nonsense

I am going to write a bit of nonsense in this blog purely as a writing exercise. I read my blog posts today and realized on paper I am quite a serious person. That made me surprised because I am never serious about anything in person! (Usually on a daily basis that is). So, here it goes.

Every superhero has their enemy, their arch nemesis. I, being the heroine of my own life story, also have an arch nemesis. The enemies I face change with time and place and on how soon I can defeat them. I have found one enemy that is unconquerable- crickets.

Black, ugly, loud bugs that have a fondness for chewing on clothing. I HATE THEM. This year we have an epidemic of these creatures on the Briggs “farm.” They are under our cabinets, our couches, in our closets and any other dark place they can find to hide. When I come into my room I must announce my arrival so they (the enemy) can run and hide before I turn on the light and discover them.

While Sarah (the little sister) was home and an unfortunate cricket happened to emerge while we were in the room the sighting would end up in a slapping, jumping, yelling match.

The scene: We are both watching tv on our wonderfully comfy leather sofas and suddenly Sarah whispers my name, “Lizzi, give me your flip flop.” She is squinting intently at a spot on the floor about two feet away from me with her tongue between her teeth, poised over her top lip. (That is her “something is going to die” look) I catch the enemy in my sight and slowly slip off my neon green flip flops, one for me and one for her. We take our positions.

The next minute is a flurry of slapping and flashing green. We jump around trying to keep it from getting under anything and smack as hard as we can, missing it half the time. Finally we are victorious, settling back in our spots on the couch and our enemy’s carcass lying crushed on the floor. We leave the bodies for daddy to pick up :)

My theory is though, if I leave the bodies around any cricket in the vicinity will see the corpse of his dead friends and think, “I better not enter here, this is the cricket massacre place.” and turn around and leave. This may sound disgusting but, after leaving one dead cricket on the floor I have a week without seeing another one in the same room.

Maybe autumn will give me some relief.
Love to all!
Lizzi

A Scary moment

Friday I worked; thirteen hours running around with food, drinks and such (waitressing). Had an insane night (which will probably be the subject of another blog). Got home, ate dinner and sat down at my usual, favorite spot- the computer!

While I was checking my email and etc. my dad casually asks, “So, did you feed the cats this morning?” Why does he always ask me this? I always feed the cats (well, almost always) Now, if I only had the two stupid cats, Teddy and Bob, I might always forget to feed them. But, the cats will always be fed as long as I have George.

** Me- “Yeah, I fed them.”
Daddy- “Ok, was George there this morning?”
** Me- “Yes.”
Daddy- “Did you happen to see any of the cats when you got home?”
** Me- “Well, I saw one running away. But I don’t know which one it was?” What was he getting at??

Daddy- “Oh, well, I saw a cat George’s color on the side of the road”
** Me…… Silence, Silence. I think my heart may have stopped beating.

There is a special bond between a girl and her best friend. Some one to hang out with, to talk to for hours on end, to laugh with- even if this friend happens to be small, furry, and orange. There have been times in my life when I realized that George was my ONLY friend. (Which is pretty sad when I think about it now) I have a friend that listens to me whenever I want to talk, doesn’t bore me, doesn’t get mad at me, doesn’t scold me, doesn’t judge me, is always around (when I’m home anyway), and who scratches up the back deck, bites me when I try to pick him up, and leaves dead moles at my door. He is perfect!

Now, he was possibly lying on the side of the road, stiff and ripe to be buried. I’m sad to say that my first thought was.- “Oh crud, I wonder if daddy will let me use his gun to shoot the two stupid cats so I can get a kitten.”

I didn’t say anything, I just sat there for as long as I could possibly stay still. Finally I got up and went out the back door yelling his name to kingdom come. He didn’t come. HHmmm- maybe I should start asking for that gun, it might take a while to convince my dad that getting another George was necessary to my sanity.

I went back inside, through the house, and out the front door- and called again like my life depended on it. Bob, a stupid cat, meowed and jumped up on the steps. “I don’t want you! Stupid cat!”

George came from around the corner. My heart started beating again. I scooped him up and he made a deep growling noise in his throat. I didn’t care. Him not being dead got me out of having to shoot the stupid cats. I told George I was glad he wasn’t dead and he just kept on growling at me.

Just a bit of nonsense.
Love to all!
Lizzi