Ok, Seriously....

I have to say that walking is not my preferred form of exercise. Something about it just doesn't appeal to me. Mind you, I like walking in general. I am very grateful for the ability to walk in an of itself. But, to walk for exercise...like just randomly walk without a purpose or destination in mind just isn't my idea of a good time.

Until yesterday.

I was NOT in a good mood. I blame it on PMS, though there are other, real issues behind it all, I'm sure. After all, hormones all on their own cannot make a person a raging lunatic can they? I digress.

Anyway, after a long day, most of which I spent being COLD, AND after co-leading a Girl Scout meeting with 15 six and seven year olds, I was ready for some quiet time. Not gonna happen in my house. There are five of us (six if you count my mom who drops in often) in 1500 sq. ft. of single-story space.

I needed peace and quiet desperately. So, I grabbed my trusty ipod, generously passed down to me from my 15-yo who now has the bigger, better ipod thingy that I can't remember the name of, and off I went for a walk. It was walk or bust. So walk I did.

I had, thankfully, figured out how to download music from my current CD collection. IN said colelction was the newest As I Lay Dying CD, chock full of punk/alternative/screamo-type music. Perfect.

So, off I went, screamo music blaring in my head (only in one ear, of course, so I could still hear the sounds of traffic as I walked). Can I just say that screamo music is the perfect tempo for brisk walking? Seriously. You ought to try it. There was actually a very pretty ballad near the end of the CD, just as I finished my walk. Perfect timing. And almost no screaming (in the ballad or from me).

Get thee some screamo music forthwith. It may change your mind about walking (for exercise!).

Query

What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

I've always gotten a chuckle from this deep, philosophical question.

You?

Fall Is In The Air

My absolute favorite time of year is upon us. I love the crisp clean air of autumn. I love the changing colors on the trees. I love the cool nights and pleasantly warm days. The kids are back in school and life has gone back to its routine. It's all very good.

I have already gotten my autumn scented Yankee Candles out - my faves are Autumn Leaves and McIntosh. YUMMY! I also like anything that smells like baking - cinnamon and pumpkin spice come to mind.

Autumn also means Christmas shopping season. I am NOT only of those people that waits until the very last minute to do her Christmas shopping. And no, I don't holiday shop - I CHRISTMAS shop. But, that's another story altogether.

I have already bought a few small gifts, and have already started on some handmade gifts. The planner in me just thrives this time of year.

Why can't it always be autumn?

Full Circle?

You know, I wonder sometimes why that is. When I was just a little older than my oldest child is now, I was really into LOUD music. Dare I say I even enjoyed the melodic strains of HEAVY METAL screamo music?

I know what you're thinking. Not you, Bet. Surely you're more of a light rock, ballad sort of girl. Uh, no. I still prefer my music LOUD and very upbeat. The adult part of me and the pastor's wife part of me don't mind worship music, light rock, and pop music. Really, I can appreciate and enjoy these genres. I like to think of myself as a well-rounded individual, musically speaking. Really, I do. But, if I had my way, I would be listening to music that is just not acceptable to most of my peers. After all, I AM a grown-up. And respectable, pastor's wives listen to "worship" music, right?

Now mind you, I don't care for the lyrics and messages of secular heavy metal or rock bands. I try to avoid things that are not edifying or just plain vulgar and unnecessary. I do have my limits, you know. But, I am all for listening to the equivalent genre in the Christian music realm, and yes, it is available.

Now the full circle part. My eldest child LOVES music. Guess what kind? Yep. LOUD. ROCK. METAL. SCREAMO. Goodness, I love that child. A child after my own heart.

The challenge is getting him to actually enjoy listening to artists in that genre with a Christian (or at least clean) message. Enter in two of his favorite mainstream, yet Christian, bands -- Underoath and his absolute favorite, As I Lay Dying.

Imagine my glee when I was browsing in our (very) local Christian bookstore. (Can I just say how awesome it is to have a Christian book store right in my town???? I know. I'm easily amused.) Anyway, as I was broswing their now much larger and diverse music section, what do I lay my eyes upon? Yep. An entire section devoted to "Modern Rock" a/k/a metal-but-let's-not-tell-the-adults-that's-really-what-it-is. Not only did they have Underoath and As I Lay Dying, but various other artists that were just clamoring for my son's ears.

To surprise him, I bought him two CDs, which he can now download to his trusty-don't-ever-leave-home-without-it Ipod. I'm so excited to give these to him. I hope he enjoys them as much as I enjoyed buying them for him.

For your listening pleasure, check it out:

Underoath and
As I Lay Dying

Riding Out The Storm

We are being hit with tropical storm Hanna today. The rain started in the wee hours of the morning; I as up at 4 a.m. and it was already coming down hard. We've had to close our windows and it's really warm in the house. But, that's ok. Rain is nothing compared to what lots of others are dealing with right now. I read that the Carolinas got the landfall, together with all wind AND rain.

We've got milk and bread and lots of candles in case we lose power later today. We are under a tropical storm warning, but I'm not quite sure what all that entails. There is absolutely no wind to speak of outside; just rain.

It's been a long time since we've had a hurricane in MA. The last one I remember was back in 2000 maybe? I don't even remember it's name because it wasn't really a big storm. The last BIG storm I remember is Gloria, sometime in the mid 80s, I believe.

My kids have never been through a REAL hurricane. I wonder if this year may change that? The tropics are really active, and it's been a LONG time since a storm has come up the eastern seaboard all the way to us.

Not that I'm wishing for a hurricane....a tropical storm will do just fine.

So tired....

I am so very, very tired. I can't seem to focus on anything, and I just want to close my eyes and take a nap. This is very, very bad, considering I was asleep last night by 9:30 p.m. Usually, after Wednesday night Bible study, I am stoked and can't get to sleep for hours! This is not good. And, yes, I am totally being a whiner the last few days. I know I should post happy, positive things, but my brain feels foggy and I just don't want to divert my mind from its present state of fatigue. It's too much work.

I will try, though. I need to do SOMETHING to wake myself up. This is just awful.

Urgh....

I know that I have no basis to complain about what I am about to complain about, but I'm going to anyway. I understand that a pharmacy can't take medicine back, because goodness knows they have no way of knowing what on earth was done to said medicine once it left the safety of their store. I get that. What I don't like is that I now have a 90-day supply of maintenace medicine that won't do me any good because it's not a large enough dose. To continue taking it means that I will not feel any better, and may in fact start to feel worse. On top of that, I paid for 90 days of medicine that I can't use and now I have to go back and buy the correct medicine, for another 3-month copay.

Can I just say that this ticks me off? Why didn't the doctor double check the dosage I was on in the first place? Why do I have to be the one to check this out? How am I supposed to pay for another 90 days of medicine? I suppose I could get just a 30-day supply, but it is cheaper to buy it in 90 days increments. It's frustrating.

I'll bet that the meds I got cost the store a fraction of the price I paid for it; why can't I just return them and get the right one? What am I suposed to do with 90 useless pills?


Rant over.