Knock, knock . . . . anybody home?

Okay - I know that strong, independent, confident women of the world don't feel the need to apologize just because they fall behind on a few blog posts, but for the few of you out there who know me and read my stuff . . . you know that the British part of me won't get by with that. Sooo

I'm very sorry for the lack of posts and not letting you know my status for the past 23 days. Please forgive me for being rude and not checking in.

Seriously. I didn't mean to take that much of a blogging break. The demands of our lives these days have made it nearly impossible to spend more time at the computer than what was required for work and quick checks of email. I wish I could say that I was busy landscaping my back yard, or I was busy learning how to windsurf and that I was spending all that time I would be blogging outside enjoying the lazy days of summer, but lazy is the last word I would use to describe the summer!

Not that it hasn't been fun. Just a wildly, crazy, lots of obligations kind of fun. (With work thrown in there for good measure.) Rather than bore you with it all, I'll give you the quick bullets:

- Brad is currently working as our church's interim High School Director. The new guy will hopefully be here in Oregon in a few weeks but Brad has been doing an awesome job keeping a HS program afloat for the very discouraged kids who have been without a leader for 18 months. We have had the incredible privilege to spend lots of time with great students and some awesome adult helpers who have stepped up to the plate in this area.

- Brad is also trying to fulfill promises made to friends and co-workers to paint houses. He does this in his "off" time from the High School Director position. Translation: we haven't seen much of each other this summer.

- The kids have been in and out of different camps this summer. The boy is currently in his second week of drama camp and is loving it. The girl is making mom proud by helping out at our church's Vacation Bible School this week by letting 2nd grade girls crawl all over her for a few hours a day. We also had fun serving as childcare helpers for our church's ESL classes offered to the Hispanic community. We practiced our very limited Spanish with the kids while their parents practiced English.

- We managed to sneak away for a few days at the beach. Just the four of us. It was heaven. They are my favorite people to be around. It's the one thing that has kept me going during the craziness.

- Seeing some of the blockbusters. "Transformers" and "Harry Potter 5" have been favorites so far. Going to see "Hairspray" with the high school girls tomorrow night and will take my sweetie pie to see "Bourne Ultimatum" as our first night out alone this summer when it opens.

- Celebrating birthdays. The boy on the 7th. Mine is today and the girl's is on Wednesday. I got a brand new, red, shiny . . . vacuum cleaner. It's AWESOME! (Or as Brad would say, "It really sucks!") Seriously, it's like the Cadillac of vacuums and I love it. I plan on using it tonight - with my new birthday pjs on!

- Trying to grab snatches of creative time. Not much time for this but I'm starting to feel the misery of not getting enough time to write. I made myself journal for a half an hour this morning as a gift to myself. It was bliss. I really wanted to start a new writing project today to celebrate my birthday, but the journaling will have to do for now. And this blog post - that counts too, doesn't it?

Please know I've been sneaking peeks at your blogs and I hope to get back to a more regular routine again soon, but please don't be surprised if another little stretch goes by before I post again. Until then, know that I'm thinking of you all and hoping that you are enjoying the special blessings of summer with those who are close to you. Take care!

Happy Birthday!

(The birthday boy with his favorite cousin)




How could I know that raising a boy would be so much fun? Those brown eyes of mine looking back at me and crinkling around the edges when he's laughing . . . that awesome sense of humor that amazes me coming from one so young . . . the creative imagination that from the day he could talk, has never ceased to amaze me . . . that uncanny ability to figure out complicated math and mechanical issues beyond what I would expect at this age . . . those sweet bursts of affection that melt my heart. Who knew a little guy could capture my heart like this?

Happy Birthday Bub! I love you!

True Confessions

First, a bit of business. Kamsin tagged me ages ago (well, ok, a week ago) and I need to follow through here. So here are the specs . . .

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.
3. Tagees should write a blogpost of eight random facts about themselves.
4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).
5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they're tagged (cut and run).

Now, just to be fair, it is a holiday here in the states, so we here at ETS will make this a self-service tag. Play along if you're in the mood.

And so, without further delay, here are eight amazing, silly, little-known facts about Kim G.

1. My first kiss was when I was 15 years old and was with a 23 year old guy. (OK - sound horribly gross and even illegal now, but back then it was very heart pitter-patter making.) It never went any further than that but I had a huge crush on the dude. He worked at the video store across the street from the taco joint I worked in.

2. I can make an awesome burrito. My kids say every time we have burritos for dinner, "It's a good thing you worked in a taco place when you were a kid so you could learn to fold burritos." They don't teach that stuff in school, ya know. (Well, maybe they do in home economics . . .) My favorite part of working in the taco joint was eating fresh fried chips right out of the fryer when they were still hot. Yum.

3. I cry like a leaky faucet. Not so much at real life stuff any more (except when there's kids involved in tragedy) but at any movie, tv show, documentary or even commercial with a sentimental twist to it. (My daughter seems to avoided this genetic mutation, but alas, the boy seems to have inherited it. He wept during the movie "Happy Feet" when they banished the penguin. Poor kid - either the girls are gonna love him for this or he'll get the crap beaten out of him by the boys.)

4. I just finished reading a book that was the kind I'd love to write with deep, complicated characters and themes of faith and forgiveness, but it had some rather - er - graphic, steamy scenes in it that would have surely earned it a NC17 rating had it been a film. But I loved it anyway. ("The Secret Sisters" by Joni Rogers if you're interested.) I admire someone who can write a realistic sex scene. That's something I'm not sure I could ever do.

5. Things I don't think I could live without in my life: tea in the morning (English, black tea - none of the fruity, grassy, herby stuff), Clorox wipes, books and a daily dose of world news from NPR.

6. I prefer to be alone rather than go to a party most days, but I don't think anyone would call me a hermit. I do love to meet new people but I always feel like I must "work" to make the relationship move forward instead of just leaving it at the acquaintance level. The thought of that often robs the joy of the new friendship and thus, I think it's just easier to stay at home. Sick - I know.

7. I've become a bit of a magazine junkie lately. I've subscribed to four new ones, Vogue, Popular Photography,Wired and Good magazine (whose tagline is "For people who give a damn") I've picked up cards for two design magazines that I'm thinking about subscribing to. I've also picked up recent newsstand copies of Vanity Faire (the Bono issue) and Portland Monthly and checked out vegetarian cooking mags from the library. Someone stop me!

8. If I could change anything about my physical appearance, I think I'd change the color of my hair. I'd make it darker or lighter - it's kind of a nothing special brown. Maybe I'll join Laini and dye it pink! I'm pretty happy with the rest of me with the exception of the extra pounds I need to loose (but that's my fault not God's!)

OK - off to start the marathon day of cooking for tonight's block party. The boys next door (who are now in their twenties with kids of their own) are counting on my brownies for tonight. Musn't disappoint them!

Happy 4th to you all!