Rebels, Christians, Space Men and Politicians

I am convicted. My actual blogging friend, Nici, has taken me to the woodshed for never blogging. So here goes. First, I'll apologize because I don't have pictures yet . . . I got a fabulous new Canon Rebel XT digital SLR camera for my birthday from my dear husband, and I don't have a memory card yet -- which possibly erroneously presumes that I'd be able to figure out how to use it if I did. Meanwhile, my old, little digital Elph doesn't have a battery. So, no pictures yet.

In the meantime . . . the house is so beautiful. It is an oasis of spaciousness, soothing colors, modern and operational appliances, bright sunny windows and space for the kids to romp, settled in the midst of a mucky, loud, inconvenient construction site. I love my kitchen. A cool new GE Advantium oven is one of my favorite parts -- have you seen one of these? Apparently it uses microwaves and also photon waves (? particles?) to cook things -- they cook more quickly than in a regular oven but also get brown unlike in a microwave. I love my front-loading washing machine, too. OK, now I sound like a bragging yuppie, but really I'm just so grateful. I'm so grateful for everything in my life. Appliances that work are only icing on the cake. I have a fabulous husband, kids I love, a good, solid and flexible job, and loving family members. I have a brain that works (mostly) and a body that's getting better (I had a follow-up foot appointment today, and apparently the bones are healing nicely. The doc even said I could start wearing a normal shoe again . . . unfortunately, I don't have any that will fit my poor swollen foot). What is not to love?

Well, the sinkhole in our front yard, the constant mud in the foyer from taking the dog in and out, the fact that construction machinery and huge trucks are always blocking the road to get home . . . . but all that stuff is so completely unimportant, you know?

We found a great church, too -- we may do a bit of shopping around, but I think we're likely to stay. It's Damascus United Methodist Church in Damascus, MD, which is 4 miles up the road from us. They have SEVEN adult sunday school classes -- a smorgasbord that totally thrills me -- that's what kind of a dork I am. Anyway, the class I think I'm going to take is full of North Carolinians and they're reading Miroslav Volf's "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace." The services go a bit too long . . . that's the only problem. The church is one thing I was so looking forward to, to be part of that kind of community again, so I am really very excited about it. The kids even did sort-of all right a couple of weeks ago when we took them.

It's a weird thing, having kids only part of the time. I think of it as sort of a miracle that they listen to us -- it has got to be really disorienting for them. Different rules at our & mommy's houses, different priorities, different beds and loveys and snacks. The kids are so resilient, so easygoing about all this -- but I find myself wondering what is really going on in their little psyches, what they are really internalizing about the world and families and themselves. Now that we've moved, we live so much closer to them that our evening visits on weeknights happen here at our house, instead of daddy taking them to Chuck E Cheese or the mall or whatever, just killing time. This is wonderful -- not only do I get so much more time with them, and we get more family meals together, but they have lots of room and time to play with their toys here. Unfortunately, they cry at the end of every visit. I think it's a lot tougher for them, now that they actually want to be here on a given Tuesday or Thursday night, to have to go back to their mom's. My fond hope, actually, is that eventually everyone will agree that it makes more sense for them to stay with us overnight on those nights. Even though there are benefits to our current arrangement -- we almost never have to take them to school in the morning, for example -- there can never be enough time to watch them grow, to love them, to teach them, to be there for them.

S's thing lately is science, which warms my little Trekkie heart. She got a little science kit for Christmas (can you guess from whom?), and she loved playing with it with Daddy. She dyes crystals, makes them grow, that kind of thing. R, meanwhile, is SO into The Little Einsteins and Go Diego Go. And he loves singing and dancing -- he does both spontaneously, which is fabulously entertaining and lovable. Most recently, it was singing Deep and Wide unbidden at the dinner table (because it's Grammy's favorite song), and dancing to John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" (because Annie was listening to her iPod country tunes on shuffle). Too, too great.

Oh, the other thing I love about my new house, but haven't even tried out yet? The big soaking tub! (No jacuzzi jets because I had those in my old house in Maryland and all it meant was that the tub was impossible to clean.) Now that I'm thinking about it, tonight might be the perfect time to try it out!

Before I go to have a soak and then watch some DVR'd sci-fi (in hubby's absence -- he is NOT a fan) in the master bedroom, I have to let the dog out into the mud and take my vitamins. I also have to say that although I loathe the thought of the nearly two-year presidential campaign which appears to be inevitable at this point, I am so sick of hearing, seeing, thinking about or even acknowledging George Bush that if I were still single I'd be considering moving to New Zealand.

Kia Ora,
Annie

Impossible

OK, so blogging is much more difficult -- nigh impossible -- when you are actually working and not just lying around convalescing. As it is, today is our house closing and tomorrow is moving day (and we don't even have broadband access until Wednesday morning) so I need to stop right now -- but I will leave you with a logic puzzle to keep you busy til then. Wish us luck!!

Bulbs
Imagine you are in a room with 3 switches. In an adjacent room there are 3 bulbs (all are off at the moment), each switch belongs to one bulb. It is impossible to see from one room to another. How can you find out which switch belongs to which bulb, if you may enter the room with the bulbs only once?