C is for

C is for Candy, Coffee and Cats...

I grew up with a cat named Shadow. She was all black and was really a great pet. Typical, as far as cats go - she wanted to be pet on her time, didn't like to be picked up, and attacked your feet if you walked by too closely. I have a fond memory of her when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I kept poking her nose and she looked like she was smiling at me, so I kept it up. She returned the favor by scratching me clear across my face.

As far back as I can remember, we had cats in our house. There was Patches, Kitty and then Pepper.

About 3 or 4 years ago on a routine trip to PetSmart, I visited the section where they have cats from local shelters. That's where I met Cat.

This was the day we "adopted" her (05/07/2008)

We tried coming up with a really great name for Cat, but nothing stuck. It wasn't until we had to take her to the vet and they asked for her name that we had to come up with something permanent. I was embarassed to call her "Cat" so I said the first thing that came to my head - "Penny!" (We had just been listening to "Penny Lane" by the Beatles in the car). So now when the vet calls about Penny I forget and tell them they have the wrong number. It's a problem. So Cat has learned to get along with both of the dogs, and even plays with Samson from time to time. Surprisingly, she allows him to help clean her. It's a strange little relationship they have. Maggie, on the other hand, feels that she has to patrol Cat's every action and barks when she does something that Maggie deems inappropriate (i.e. scratching the carpet, etc.)

Here are Cat, Maggie and Samson in their favorite spot - looking out the window.

Cat enjoys cuddling, purring, and chasing hair ties around the floor. She is a joy to have around, and Andrew puts up with her in spite of his allergies, and I think we all appreciate that.

B is for...

B is for Books, Blogging and Best friends.

I’ve been very, very blessed in my life to have had many different friends along the way. God has placed specific people in my life during specific times when I really, truly needed them. They’ve spoken truth, love and humor into my life. These are people who I can look back on and say “I really don’t know what I would have done or where I’d be without them!”

Margie was my first best friend. We were born 2 days apart and were inseparable through elementary and middle school. We lived in the same half of our suburban neighborhood that had to be shipped to the scary-ghetto middle school. She and I were in our own little world, unaware of anything going on around us. Our moms were friends and every year, that took us our of school on the day between our birthdays and took us to King's Dominion. In high school, I had a really strong group of friends and church and she was really into sports so we didn't see as much of each other. Same with college. But when we do get together, we pick up wherever we left off. I can't think of a memory of her, in all those years, where we weren't laughing!

This is Margie and I when we were about 12 at King's Dominion for one of our birthday trips!

During my first semester of college I met Jeanne. She and I were hit by a car on the side of the road, and that really does something to bond two people together. We were roommates the next year. She and I share the bond of having gone through one of the scariest experiences in our lives together, hand in hand. I love Jeanne and think of her often. She and her hubby live in Chicago. She is one of the most generous and loving people in the world, and she is the epitome of the word "sweet."

This is Jeanne and I during college, post-accident.

This is Jeanne's car after our accident. Thank God we were standing in front of it, not in it.

While I was home for a semester in college (due to said accident) I was really lost and lonely, and God brought Leah into my life. She is one of the most ambitious people I know. She has a very strong relationship with the Lord and really helped me to find joy during that dark time. She was never afraid to ask me very pointed questions, and she helped me learn what accountability meant. I can’t think of a memory of the two of us that doesn’t involve coffee or baking of some kind. We were friends all through college and every summer we’d pick up where we left off the year before and were inseparable.

I can't believe I can't find a picture of us together! I'm not sure if we've seen that much of each other since digital cameras were invented.

During college I lived with some truly wonderful, smart, compassionate and hilarious girls. I loved their spontaneity, their creativity, their passion and their acceptance. I had some of the best times in my life with these girls. "What are you going to remember in 10 years? Studying, or piling 8 of us into the convertable to drive to Taco Bell?" I needed people who would push me to do my best, to try new things, who would be honest with me, and knew how to have a good time.

Here we are on a Spring Break trip!

During college I met Kelli. She was one of the aforementioned ladies I lived with. She and I spent about 2 years working together at the American Heart Association and I miss those days more than I miss college, I think. We were so carefree, we’d spend our lunch hours together almost every day, either running errands, sipping coffee, indulging at Panera or shopping at JoAnne Fabrics, Target or wherever else we felt like. I also knew I could share anything with her, and I did. Kelli is the most caring, honest and creative person I think I know. I love how she fully embraces and experiences life, the good and the bad. She and I are two peas in a pod and I adore her.

This is Kelli and I at our favorite coffee shop (Stauff's!) during a post-college reunion in Columbus!

Now we live in Virginia and God has blessed me yet again with an incredible group of ladies. We do life together, share our fears and encourage one another in our moments of strength and moments of weakness. I feel free to share my heart with them and know they’ll love me no matter what. I don't know that I've ever felt as loved by any group of people in my life.

Tacky Christmas sweater party at the Snovers!

I’m also very excited to say that my mom is my latest best friend. It hasn’t always been that way, we’ve had a very tumultuous relationship, but in the past few years we’ve really come to be very good friends. She is a fighter – she fought for her marriage, for her son, and has beat cancer twice now. She is an example to me in so many ways and I love basking in the wisdom of her experience. We’ve decided that when we’re both old and gray we’re going to move to a deserted island. Just the two of us, no one else. Whenever life gets to us and we’re overwhelmed, we’ll remind the other of the island and all seems well with the world. Here we are on our cruise in 2009!

Then there’s Andrew! He’s been my best friend for over a decade. He and I have learned how to love each other in our brokenness and speak love and truth and encouragement into the other’s lives. Marriage is a journey, I know it’s been said before, but it really has been a long and winding road for the two of us. I’m thrilled to have him by my side. He’s easily the funniest person I know, he has no filter and you always know where you stand with him. He is phony with no one. He’s also a complete genius and has a wonderfully caring heart. I love him.

Blogging A to Z

I saw the Blogging A to Z Challenge on my dear friend Jacqueline's blog and decided I'd give it a go!

Today is brought to you by the letter A.

A is for Apples, Artwork and April Fool's Day!

April Fool's Day used to be like Christmas to me, but I'm sad to say that I've lost my gusto. I'm even more embarassed to say that I didn't plan anything major this year.

I think as a young married couple, it is your obligation to pull the "we're pregnant" prank on at least one family member. We did this a few years ago and got the following responses:

Me: "We're pregnant!!"
My Dad: "No you're not, here's your mother..." (he is the one I learned the art of pranking from, so he handed the phone to mom)
Me: "Mom, we're pregnant!" Mom: "What?! You ARE?! I'm going to be a grandmother?! Wait...what's today...? (flipping through her calendar) WENDY! I'm not speaking to you anymore."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the family...

Andrew: "Hi mom, guess what? Wendy's pregnant!"
Andrew's mom: "She is?! That is such great news!"
Then, Andrew kept it going way past the point of it being a joke, using lingo like "we are in our first tri-mester so we aren't really telling anyone yet." He even told his mother "if it's a girl we'd like to name it after you" - I grabbed the phone from him at that point.

This year I'm targetting a co-worker. Andrew's gotten used to all of my "oh no, we slept past the alarm and it's 9am!!!" type jokes, and really doesn't believe half of what I say any more anyway. So far so good, I put tape on my poor, unsuspecting co-worker's mouse so that it doesn't work, changed the font on all of his monthly reports to Chinese, and it's not even noon yet!

What are you doing to celebrate April Fool's Day?

Listening

Here's another healthy does of Henri for ya. It's something I need constantly reminded of, and it's what I'd like my creed to be once I'm actually a counselor.


Listening as Spiritual Hospitality


To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.


Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Allow me to introduce you to my best friend . Hello, my name is Wendy and I am a germophobe.

I remember the very first time I considered germs to be hazardous. I was working at the time for the American Heart Association and was waiting my turn for the copy machine. The lady at the copier had sneezed two or three times, covered her mouth with her hands, and then she did the unthinkable. She touched the buttons on the copier.

I panicked! I took whatever I needed copied back to my office, sat down at my desk, and thought about what I'd just seen. How many times a day does this happen? How many times have I touched the copier buttons after someone who is carrying a communicable disease has wiped their hands all over it? The common cold...pink eye...? How can I stop this from happening again?! My mind was racing.

This was in 2004, before hand sanitizer was plentiful and clorox wipes existed. What options did I have? After considering a confrontation with my co-worker (aka "the sicko") I decided I'd simply go about my business and remember to wash my hands immediately following my encounter with the copy machine. So I did. Upon drying my hands and reaching for the bathroom door, another thought occurred to me. How many people do not wash their hands after using the bathroom, and then touch this very door handle that I'm about to grab with my freshly sanitized hands?

Yikes.

Suddenly my eyes seemed open to a completely different realm. How could I have been so blind before? How did I survive college? I watched as co-workers used the copier, the paper cutter, the break room coffee pot, doorknob after doorknob - and then went back to their offices and snacked on something with their now-germ-covered hands. This was going to be a problem...

Fast forward 6 or so years. Purell has created a revolutionary new tool! I'm now working in a public school with middle school students. I carry my own pen with me so that I don't have to use a hygiene-deficient student's germ-covered pencil that they've probably been chewing on. I have hand sanitizer with me at all times and don't eat anything without supplying my hands with a healthy dose of it. Any time I return home from a public place, my first stop is the sink to wash my hands. I've read several articles regarding the germiest public places you visit in a day and recently discovered that shopping cart handles and ATM machine buttons are some of the worst offenders.

While you might call me nuts, I like to think of myself as prepared. Cautious. Smart. I don't let these things scare me into becoming a recluse, nor do I worry or frantically chase people around with clorox wipes and disinfectant spray (although I think that's more socially accepted when you have kids, I've seen it happen).

The last time I visited my doctor's office, he asked about my hand washing habits. Meekly, I mentioned that some might consider me a bit of a germophobe. He set down my chart, walked over to me and looked me in the eye. "Wendy," he said, "there is no such thing as a germophobe. You, my dear, are simply conscious of your surroundings and I applaud you for that." Relief washed over me and I felt justified.

Before you start to think I might be OCD, I assure you, nothing could be farther from the truth. Paranoid, maybe, but I prefer to think of myself as aware.

A Healthy Dose of Henri

I've been receiving "Daily Meditations" from Henri Nouwen for about 6 years now. They arrive daily in my inbox and are still refreshing to me after all this time. They have cycled through a time or two over the years, but this is one of my all time favorites, mostly because it's both challenging and freeing. I remember the very first time I read this, in my little office at the American Heart Association while checking my email one morning. It has meant a lot to me and has helped to shape the way I see the world and the people in it.

"We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her. We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot. The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive.

The desert fathers said that judging others is a heavy burden, while being judged by others is a light one. Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. Let's remember Jesus' words: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1). " - Henri Nouwen

Jack Handy puts it this way..."Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes."

Either way, the message is clear....

The Shape of Mercy

This is the second Susan Meissner book that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. Her style of writing kept my attention and kept the plot moving along. This is a story that spans two very different time frames and three very similar women. In “The Shape of Mercy,” a wealthy college student named Lauren is commissioned to transcribe the diary of a girl who was accused of being a witch in the famous trials of Salem. Lauren is attempting to gain perspective on life and break free of the mold that has been cast for her. As she transcribes, Lauren learns about the woman who has hired her, Abigail, and a relationship that neither expected is formed. In this story, Lauren learns about love, loss, and how to truly live. Meissner artfully wove themes of societal stigmas, mercy and forgiveness together into a wonderful story.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"