Super Bowl Sunday is tomorrow and I have a confession to make. I have not one iota of interest in football. There, I’ve said it. I’ve tried, I really have…but my eyes just glaze over as I watch. I’ve been told about the game, cute stories about the players, and I know enough to know who’s who…AND who they’re dating…but when I try to watch it, I just sit there for hours, not really focusing…

There is one thing that fascinates me though…one thing, that snaps me back into the game. There are several well-known players who openly give God glory for their wins. When they score a touchdown, they raise their hands to heaven and do a little victory dance. In interviews, they talk about prayer and how God deserves all the credit.

I think it’s great that they’re giving God credit. But…I just wonder how God does it. How does God pick which team to win? Say Team A has a quarterback who praises God when he gets a touchdown and over on Team B their quarterback also praises God when HE gets a touchdown…Did God give them those touchdowns? How did he choose?

Maybe He has a spreadsheet in heaven, keeping track of the stats. Hmm, I’m not going to let the *Texans, Browns, Jaguars, Lions, or the Saints win just yet, it’s just not their time..Those 49ers, Cowboys, Steelers, and Bills all went to church a month of Sundays. I approve. The Vikings…well, I’ll only let them win if they get a cool coach…

If I were God, I would surely let the New Orleans Saints win at least ONE Super Bowl. I mean, look at their name. That should count for something. Maybe those Saints are not such saints after all.

The Houston Texans would be next on my list, since their name is so lacking in coolness . Couldn’t anyone think of anything more original than the Texans?

The Steelers’ Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger points heavenward after every touchdown to acknowledge his mother‘s passing. Kurt Warner carries a Bible with him to post-game interviews. At the end of the 2008 season, the first thing Ben Roethlisberger said was, “The Lord is good!” Kurt Warner’s motto is: “I want to be a role model in everything I do.”

Whew! I bet God is confused.

Here’s my two cents. Ha! You knew that was coming, didn’t you…

*If the Steelers win tomorrow, it will be their sixth Super Bowl win.
*If the Cardinals win tomorrow, it will be their first Super Bowl win.

Matthew 20:16, KJV
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

There’s my vote. We’ll see if God agrees.

*Special thanks to Allen for inspiring me with this post and giving me the facts. I had never heard of the Jaguars OR the Lions.

I had a lovely day with my daughter yesterday. She is off school for conferences yesterday and today. We got started on a project and it ended up being a big one. We went through every book in our house and FOUR AND A HALF HOURS LATER, we had filled nine paper bags with books. We love books, y’all. My girl and I love our books…

Greyley was so excited to go to Half Price Books to sell her books and “get rich, at least for a kid.” I talked her into lunch out, before we went to the bookstore. We enjoyed our Chinese food and made a big deal of the fortune cookies. I shuffled them under the table, Greyley closed her eyes, and picked one.

It said, “You will become an accomplished writer.”
I said, “NOOOOO,” and banged my head against the wall. “You got MY fortune!!!!!”
Greyley laughed her head off. “No, I didn’t!” She was so pleased.
My fortune said, “You will receive praise for a job well done.”
Greyley laughed even harder at that.

But really. That would be pretty great, wouldn’t it. Praise for a job well done. I think I’ll take it. And I really would be thrilled if she becomes an accomplished writer~ she already is brilliant in my book.

I know fortunes are just silly, but we had fun with them. We needed a little fun because our “fortune” was about to change. Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.

So, the nine bags of books. Have I mentioned how cold it is here? Today was extra windy…a bitter cold. We had to make several trips, carrying as much as we could, and were laughing hysterically the whole way. We were giddy with the thought of being “rich, at least for a kid.” I told Greyley not to get her hopes up, but she reminded me of how many books we had and the treasures she had put in the bags.

Fifteen minutes later, we go to collect and the guy says, “I’ll give you $7 for the kid’s books, $13 for your books…and this pile here, we’ll recycle.” Let me just give you a little mental picture…the recycle pile had about 40 books of great quality. Eloise, hardcover, with all four stories in one, PLUS a section on the author and illustrator…in excellent condition!!! In the recycle pile, I THINK NOT!!!

Greyley started getting big tears in her eyes. She was upset about the $7, but the thought that they would recycle her precious books just sent her right on over the edge. We took the cash and in shock, went to the car. By then, the tears spilled over.

“Recycle? They’re going to recycle all those books?” She just couldn’t get over that they would do such a thing.

It hit me hard too, I must confess. I ran back in and started stuffing all those books back in the bags as fast as I could. They are now in my trunk.

Greyley has never been more proud of me. So I guess you could say my fortune came true.

So for girls…and lots of guys, I’m finding out…it really is all about the hair. If we feel good about our hair, the rest of us just looks better. If it’s a GREAT hair day, we can even have a little extra spring in our step.

I have very few days where I just love what my hair is doing. I have very unruly hair. It’s naturally curly and while I see the benefits of having curly hair, I also look longingly at the silky straight tresses. My hair will never be that and I have just about given up having that…although there are some professionals~ thank you, Ann, Andy, Evis, and Tarah!!!~ that can make my hair go straight AND feel soft and I feel like a whole different person.

What is it about us wanting what we DON’T have? We’ll go there another day. For now, I really am all about the hair.

Bear with me.

The thing about curly hair is it always looks messy. No matter what, there will be a curl going BOING! somewhere in the mix.

There is also a halo of frizziness at all times. No matter what excellent products you may or may not use.

Why am I telling you all this? I’m not exactly sure, but I am this far along…

Well, a while back, I had just about gotten comfortable with my hair. You know, accepted how it is and some days…I even liked it. SOME days…I won’t go overboard here. But I was going with it…Nate likes my curly hair and that’s a good thing, because that’s what I have, and so on…along that train of thought.

We were guests at a church and I was in the bathroom before service when the pastor’s wife walked in. She began to make light conversation, while fluffing her hair and then stopped suddenly and studied my hair.

“Nice hair,” she said. It started out on a good note.
“Thank you,” I said, grateful that it was looking halfway church worthy.
“Is it natural curly?” She peered closer.
“Um, yes,” I nervously chuckle.
“Oh wow. It is really curly.”
Thus far, I have had this conversation a million times. It still makes me slightly uncomfortable, I don’t know why.
“Yes, it is.” I say.
And here’s where it turned.
“I would so love to have curly hair if it was still in style,” she said, as she fluffed her straight, flat hair.
I went splotchy, while she kept talking.
“When it comes back in, I’m totally getting another perm.”
She gave my arm a squeeze when she turned around from the mirror.
“We’re so looking forward to hearing you today.”

When church was over, I promptly went out and bought a flat iron.

Where do those people on American Idol get all that confidence? They come out in front of the judges, all bubbly confidence and can’t sing a single note. They leave, still shaking their heads and saying, “I did that really well. I know I can sing. I don’t know what those judges are thinking.”

Then there are the ones that get through to Hollywood that I’m shaking MY head over~ how could they let HIM in? But it’s the confidence, the whole package…where the voice is actually secondary.

Here’s what I’m thinking…I want just a TINY dose of those guts. For even just ONE part of my life. A lot of times it seems that cockiness gets you places. It turns me off and I don’t ever want to be cocky, but a little dose of confidence sure would help. But I’ve always thought that there is such a fine line between confidence and cockiness.

Confidence~ full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing

Cockiness~ arrogant; pertly self-assertive; conceited

I’m not sure why the phrase “full trust” has made me think “cocky”..it isn’t the same, so I need to re-train my brain. It’s bothering me because my fear of coming across “too cocky” or “too confident”, which have been interchangeable terms for me all these years, has actually held me back from doing the things I want to do. It has to end today.

Oh, I got chills when I wrote that. It sounded like I meant it.

I’m asking you to hold me accountable to some things I need to do. I’m setting some goals for my writing and getting it published. I need prayer for finding the right people. I need to step outside my comfort zone and go for it. There is never going to be a better time than now.

Yikes. This is scary. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Ready for a ramble? Welcome to my mind. The jumping around? My really good friends can actually keep up…

Guess what we had for Sunday dinner yesterday? It was one of those, “It’s Time to Cook Everything in the Fridge” kind of days. Nama also contributed to the groceries…so we had Steak, Pork Chops, Fried Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Fried Squash, Spicy Green Beans, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Sourdough Bread. Sorry, I didn’t take a picture~ we were too hungry after church and just dug right in.

I have had a major curly week. Every now and then, I stop and say a prayer of thanks for miraculous hair products. One product that changed my curly-haired-girl life is mousse. And then gel. And then spray gel. And now those serums that smooth those frizzies down. Some days (MOST!), it is still out of control, but I thank God for those beautiful products.

We had a heat wave earlier in the week…mid 20′s. The sun was shining, which really makes a huge difference. However, over the weekend, temps went down again. Can I say enough good things about windshield wiper fluid? No, I think not. When it gets slushy with freezing temps, a day without windshield wiper fluid is like not having any toilet paper in the house. Or tissues. OR paper towels.

My dear friend Jennifer is going to Naples, Florida for an extended stretch, starting in February. She is an exquisite photographer. She has taken pictures for us since Greyley was six months old. (Did you click on “exquisite photographer?” If you can spot Greyley twice on the website, you are gifted and talented…) Now we hang out and eat good food together, with pictures as the icing on the cake~ she is such a wonderful friend. I wish her well in Florida. She is going to go take fabulous photographs there and I will miss her.

I’m reading an awesome book right now, by a fellow blogger that I’ve connected with just this month through finding her blog. She’s been over here at Girly Muse a few times too, and just makes my day each time she leaves comments. After a few emails back and forth, it turns out we met several years ago when I was on tour with Sara Groves. Small world, isn’t it. The book is All I Need is Jesus & A Good Pair of Jeans by Susanna Foth Aughtmon. It’s about the daily quest to have the perfect Christian life and the perfect family and really just being awfully tired, among other things. A tired supergirl with a secret weapon…God. Susanna is hilarious, honest, and so refreshing. It’s a great book, you MUST go out and get it. Or order on Amazon, if you’re lazy like me. Her blog is hilarious too. You’ll know from reading it for a minute that you must go get the book.

I’m in the mood for soup. Warned you this was a ramble. Didn’t get enough sleep last night. I’m going to make tons of soup this week…until we’re just sick of soup. That’s how hungry for soup I am. Maybe if I say “soup” enough times, I won’t want it anymore.

I dislike grocery shopping, but now conditions are dire because we had “It’s Time to Cook Everything in the Fridge.”

I wonder how long I could pretend to be asleep and get away with it?

OK, I’m pretty sure that’s all you can handle. Oh, all right…one more, for good measure~ I have never, EVER smelled a skunk. My sniffer does not pick up skunk.

We once had a fish. Her name was She. Once while we were on vacation, Nama had to replace She with a She lookalike. At four, Greyley loved She with all her heart, at least as much as you can really love a goldfish. We didn’t mention the replacement~ it just didn’t seem necessary.

Sadly, one winter day, I cleaned out the tank and gave She new water. She didn’t make it. I broke the news to Greyley when she woke up from her nap and she wept and wailed and talked about it for days, weeks, months…she STILL talks of She with sad memories. Greyley could not bear throwing her away or flushing her down the toilet. She felt that She needed to be buried in her “natural habitat.” Yes, she really said that. Since all the lakes and rivers were frozen at that point, I put She in the freezer in a baggie and told Greyley we would bury her properly in the Spring.

Before Spring fully came, we went on a trip to Florida and Greyley thought it was the perfect time to bury She. So I carried She in my purse on the airplane and she made the trip just fine. After we woke up the next morning we had a proper ceremony.

Notice how distraught Greyley is even on her Daddy’s shoulders.

We all said a few words about how much She meant to us.

Between sobs, Greyley said, “She was always there for me, no matter what.” That’s true, She was.

Nate said, “Dear Lord, into Thine hands we commit the spirit of She.”

Greyley needed a moment.

She floated down the way, back in her natural habitat, and we were thankful that She was going back from whence she came. She was one of the good ones.

Friday night at the Sabin’s…

Do we go hear the culture of the Twin Cities? Enjoy fine dining in the many wonderful restaurants? Play with a phenomenal band? Or maybe something acoustic, just the the two of us? Have a romantic date night? Well, sometimes…but very rarely.

Friday night is Movie Night. It is a sacred tradition in the Sabin household. It is highly revered. Very little is allowed to get in the way of Movie Night.

The night usually starts on the early side…maybe 5:30 or so. We have fun food~ maybe tacos or pizza…sometimes we do courses, such as: Ants on a Log, Carrots & Dip, Crackers & Cream Cheese, Main Dish, & Popcorn.

The movie selection is a very involved process. It must be approved by all four members of the family, with heavy emphasis on the mini Sabins.

We have watched all the Ernest movies, all the Disney ones, Snow Buddies, Air Buddies, Kung Fu Panda, Alvin & the Chipmunks, High School Musical 1, 2 & yes, even 3 on an exceptional field trip movie night, any movie with talking animals, a few of the Pink Panthers, and Kung Fu Panda again…just to name a FEW. Last night’s selection was Horton Hears a Who.

It is a fun time for all. A time for bonding and snoozing, er, I mean, uh…watching quality entertainment…

The highlight of the entire night is when the credits begin rolling. It does not matter if someone doesn’t feel great or if someone dozed off during the movie. (“Mooommm!!!”) When the music begins playing, we are ALL on our feet dancing. No one is exempt~ so if any of you happen to come over on a Movie Night, you WILL be dancing. It’s a crazy good time. Boy, do we ever have some moves!

While I confess there have been teensy tiny moments when I would rather be watching something a little more…grown up…or saying “Yes!” to one of the many tempting offers that come our way on Friday nights…I am enjoying this time. There will be a day when my kids want to go their own way on Friday nights. A day when it is not so cool to cuddle in my armpits and giggle at a silly movie. A day when they’re embarrassed at my dorky moves, rather than thinking I am hot stuff. That day will come soon enough.

For now, I will enjoy every single moment of Movie Night.

Ecclesiastes 11: 7-8
Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour,
Remembering that there will also be many dark days
And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

There are a couple of embarrassing things about me that you don’t really need to know, but if I can help someone else, it was all worth it. I have what is called, “Inappropriate Response Condition,” otherwise known as IRC.

IRC is when you respond the complete opposite of what is considered “normal” or “acceptable.” Mine ranges from mild to extreme, depending on the situation.

Here are a few side effects:

I don’t cry much. At all. In fact, I could stand to cry a lot more. It would probably do me some good. I can go months without shedding a single tear. For all my male readers~ that’s not very much for a girl. But, if I’m somewhere and someone (be it a friend, family member, or a complete stranger) gets a standing ovation, my nose crinkles up and I can’t help myself. Standing O’s get me EVERY TIME.

I get teary when poor people get their ticket to Hollywood on American Idol.

I cry when the bride walks down the aisle. Whether I like her, love her, strongly dislike her…sniff.

Those are the mild symptoms. It gets worse.

The laughing. The laughing is horrific. Sometimes it is uncontrollable. The IRC takes over and I just cannot stop myself. This is where it gets really bad.

I laugh when people fall. How awful is that? It just bursts out of me and I feel terrible afterward.

I laugh when people cry hard. This has gotten me into serious trouble. One time, in particular, a friend began crying hysterically over an ill-fitted dress and I laughed uproariously, thinking she had to be joking. No, NO, she was not. And I had to go off and laugh in private. Laugh in pain, as it were. That’s the disease laughing.

This is the worst part of the disease right here: I laugh during funerals. !!! I can’t even believe I am confessing this, but it’s true. I can be in mid-cry and then get the giggles. Hysterically. It’s nightmarish and the harder I try to stop, the harder I laugh.

There are no known cures at this time, but I am going to Mexico this winter to work with their doctors. The rates to treat IRC are significantly lower in Cabo, specifically. Keep me in your prayers.

One thing that truly distinguishes me as a geek is that I love to read books on writing. OK, full disclosure here: I also enjoy books on grammar. (I know you’re probably shocked on the last one because I so obviously ignore some of the big rules!)

I have two runaway favorite grammar books. The first is Woe Is I by Patricia T. O’Conner. On a sidenote, it is full of adorable fonts~ LOVE fun fonts. The charming draw of Woe Is I is the humorous approach to what can actually be a dull subject: grammar. It fully addresses one of my pet peeves…the misuse of the word “I.” Hence the title. Love it. Great read.

The second fabulous grammar book is Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by British writer Lynne Truss. It is a little more fussy, but the author’s disdain for bad grammar is hilarious. Come on, see how changing/removing that comma in the title changes the whole meaning. Especially if you are a panda…

As of now, I have four favorite writing books. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King…yes, the very one…is excellent. It is a combined autobiography and writing guide. I never knew he was so funny. It is so inspiring to hear how he did not let rejection discourage him. His stories are poignant and his advice on writing is brilliant. My brother turned me onto this book and I treasure it.

Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle is a classic. It is a must-read for any type of Christian artist. Here’s a little sample of her excellence…see if this draws you in even a little…

The important thing is to recognize that our gift, no matter what the size, is indeed something given us, for which we can take no credit, but which we may humbly serve, and, in serving, learn more wholeness, be offered wondrous newness.

Sigh. I love that. It was a great loss to the literary world when she passed away in 2007.

Another book of Madeleine’s that I love~ like how I just act as if she’s my friend? ~ is The Circle of Quiet. She goes more in depth about her personal experiences with writing. The conflict of being a mother and writing…of letting the house go and writing…of not being considered a real writer until you get to a certain status. My copy of this book is marked on practically every page.

And my last favorite, but of no less importance…I love Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She is more well known for her Traveling Mercies fame, which is also a great book, but Bird by Bird gets down to the business of writing, so I prefer it. I love how she loves God, is shockingly foul, and full of grace all in one paragraph. It is quite the combo, but she pulls it off and makes you want to dust off your duds and write.

There you have it…full geek disclosure.