Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Another random addition




To add to my list of 10 random things about me (see 2 posts down), here's number 11: I don't believe that man ever walked on the moon. If we had, Russia would've done it a thousand times since we did. Can't fool me!





Also, yesterday I saw a couple in their early 60s in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. The couple was walking to their car, the man pushing the buggy, when the lady proceeded to give her man a "good game." That's right - she smacked him right on the tushy. Right there in the parking lot. You gotta love a couple who keeps the flame going after all those years. The odd part was that their grandson was with them. Poor kid.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

About that whole Lent thing....




Yeah, it's over. Short-lived, huh? Indeed. If you will recall, I decided to give up carbonated beverages for Lent. Why, you ask? I answer with a resounding I DON'T KNOW!! An experiment, maybe? Well, my first mistake was drinking that beer that I didn't realize was a "carbonated" beverage...total bonehead. Yeah, so, Kurt got ordained. And my boss treated us to a celebratory lunch date the next day. So, I ordered a Woodchuck Cider with my lunch (man, I'm on a roll here - drinking at lunch, breaking Lent...Also, please note that I was not going back to work after lunch that day). Thank you, Carrie Anne, for bringing this sweet nectar into my life - which is actually a cider and not a beer, to be specific. Anyway, we saw the Hensons at lunch that day, so they actually witnessed me in the act of breaking my Lent vows. Congratulations. Anyway, after lunch it hit me that beer is carbonated. Aw, man! How dumb am I? However, after realizing this mistake, I thought I could simply renew my commitment to Lent and it would be fine. Then came the 2nd obstacle, which was not my fault: the stomach virus. After I was able to consume nourishment again (yesterday), it consisted (and still does) of crackers and SPRITE. So, Sprite is definitely carbonated...and Lent is definitely over. Moving on.

Now that I can think about food again without the risk of seeing it later, I want to pay a tribute to my favorite breakfast meal - The Ham Biscuit. I love ham biscuits!! Oooooooo-weeeeee! There is, however, a problem. Fast food restaurants make terrible ham biscuits. They are decent at the biscuit part, but the ham can barely even be called ham! It should be called thin, crusty un-ham. So, one of my favorite Saturday morning meals (the only morning I even think about cooking breakfast) is my homemade ham biscuit. Come visit and I'll whip ya up one somethin' good!

Spoiler warning!

LOST update: still hooked. We are caught up now to the regular season. I am still in shock about Kate having Claire's baby. What???!!! Can't wait til Thursday!

I've been tagged...

Ginger tagged me to write 10 random things about myself that you might not know. So, here goes...

1. I didn't weigh 100 pounds until I was a junior in high school.

2. I got my ears pierced when I was 2 years old. (So, I've had earrings for 21 years. Weird.)

3. I had a mullet as a child. Some friends from college still call me "Martullet."

4. My closest friends call me Martha Lynn.

5. I was named for both of my grandmothers: Martha and Lynn. My grandmother Martha decided to call me Marty to avoid being called "Big Martha" (and me, of course, Little Martha).

6. I have a premise for a novel and have begun writing it a little.

7. I love listening to music. It's my escape. I sing as often and as loudly as I can.

8. I miss college (and by college, I mean, actual classes). If I could, I'd get a Ph.D. in English.

9. I'm not ready for a child yet, but I think I will realize my fullest joy one day in being a mother.

10. I am fiercely loyal.

Now, I tag my first friends from college, Rachel and Becca.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Beware of the scam!



Millions of Americans were robbed today. The culprits were mostly women who are probably well-liked and usually well-meaning. But today, florists all over our country robbed people - lovers, friends, family - who simply wanted to celebrate happiness and relationships...blah blah blah. Barf-a-rama.

Attention, everyone! Valentine's Day is a retail scam. It's a day for florists and other merchants to jack up the prices on roses, chocolates, and plush toys and prey on silly people who fall prey to their money-mongering schemes...or, what I call, highway robbery.

I sound pretty irate and militant against Valentine's Day, huh? I know that florists have to make a living, and I am not against that one bit. Heck, I like flowers and chocolate. However, I am against setting aside one day out of the year and forking over good money to "show someone you care." Come on, people! How cliche is this day? Most people think receiving something on Valentine's Day makes them special when, in fact, it means the total opposite. Here's why: because the majority of people participate in this day! This is not special - unique, different, set apart. It's normal. It's popular. It's status quo. Nay, it's trendy!

Really, I don't have anything against the idea of Valentine's Day (except, perhaps, for some lingering bitterness of never being anyone's valentine in high school...). My main problem with it is the ludicrous waste of money that occurs on this day. There are great ways to save money and do something even more special than calling in an order to a florist to "show you care," when actually caring should be a constant and daily pattern in all of our special relationships.

Here are some suggestions:
1. Cook your Valentine's favorite meal. This morning, I baked Kurt some blueberry muffins. I don't cook breakfast during the week, so this was a treat. Sweet and cheap! And, much appreciated.
2. Make your own Valentine. This morning I arrived at work and my boss hadn't gotten his wife any flowers for Valentine's Day. So, I went on my tirade about florists robbing people blind, yada yada. I suggested that he go to Kroger (or Wal-Mart) and buy a few bouquets and a vase and make his own arrangement for her. It saves money and adds a personal touch. He liked my idea so much, he put me on the task. So, I bought 4 bouquets for $22 and made a lovely arrangement, if I do say so myself.
3. Write your own card. Instead of relying on a poem or witty phrase from Hallmark, express your own feelings to your special someone. Even if it's not Shakespearean, it'll still show that you care.

See, it's not actually the thought or the cash that counts; it's the effort. And, even though Kurt knows my stand against this day's scams, he got me some flowers anyway. And his mom got me a massage. And Bon Bon sent me something in the mail. And Becca's mom sent me a card. Perhaps these nice gestures will help assuage my rage because they were all personal, thoughtful, and not ordinary in the least. Even if I am a bitter, ole haint on Valentine's Day, I'm a thankful, bitter, ole haint.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

What else is new?


Good news! Kurt passed his last ordination exam yesterday. I went to the Presbytery meeting with him at Christ Pres in Olive Branch (lovely church & great staff). The morning was filled with a review of the minutes from the last meeting and lots of executive decisions, along with some preaching and exams for transfers into our presbytery (Covenant). I had the best time! Kurt said it would be boring, but I enjoyed seeing the ins and outs of our denomination and how it is run. There were lots of "second" and "aye"s, and a few "nay"s. Kurt said he'd send me as his representative from now on since I liked it so much. Ha! Anyway, after lunch, Kurt was examined along with 4 other guys, all fairly young. They got grilled pretty well, and the questions were very difficult, but Kurt kept his cool and passed with flying colors! I was so proud of him...and also very thankful that I will never have to do anything like that. Kurt's installation/ordination service will be February 17 (Sunday) at 6:00 PM at Lawndale Presbyterian Church in Tupelo. You are invited!

Also, the weather looked pretty nasty last night on the weather channel, but it didn't hit Tupelo very hard, if at all. I feel so badly for the families in TN, AR, and KY who lost loved ones, and my heart goes out to them. However, the storm did cause something pretty terrible to happen in the Cooper home. That's right. The freaking power went out again. I had to get up at 4:30 this morning and turn off our beeping (literally) house alarm. What's worse, Kurt missed prayer breakfast this morning because his alarm didn't go off because the power went out. Do you see how power outages can ruin a person's morning, entire day, or maybe even life? It really is one way that Satan attacks us! (I'm not crazy.) I dread going home today and having to reset all the clocks. I really REALLY hate that.

On another note, I've decided to give up carbonated beverages for Lent. I do not normally practice Lent...actually, I never have before, but I think it will be neat to try it. Here's why I'm giving up carbonated beverages: because I hardly ever drink them. It will be easy to give them up. I know this defeats the purpose of Lent - taking the easy way out - but I'm starting small. So, cheers to me!