On our drive to church this morning, your dad told me he had read about a Flash Mob (actually a Flash Bow) performed here in California for the people of Japan. Now, I thought that was super cool, but, to be honest, I was a bit jealous. Nick and Ali, you know that my one New Year's resolution (yes, I wasn't exactly honest in my previous post when I wrote that I had no 2011 resolutions) was to be in or observe a Flash Mob. No one called me to be a participant in this recent Flash Bow. But, then again, we never answer our home phone.
So, Greg, Dad and I got to talking about Flash Mobs. You know, strategizing, dreaming, planning. We came up with this: I am going to organize my own! This is how it is going to happen...People will be called to be invited to join me. We will practice singing. No, dancing. There will be lots of us. And, we will take it on the road. Out to Loma Linda Dental School. Yes! We will surprise Greg as he is in between classes.
But, why not kill two birds with one stone?! All of the others involved will be women between the ages of 22 and 26. Yes! And, your dad, and you, Nick and Ali, and I will have screened them as potential candidates for Greg to date. You know..."Do you love Jesus? What do you think of a crazy San Diego family that talks about Jesus a lot, and sex, and food, and watches lots of soccer and American Idol and Modern Family on TV? What would you think about being an Army dentist's wife and living anywhere you are sent for four years? Do you like to hike? Do you know how to cook healthy meals? Do you have a sense of humor? Any mentoring on being a wife?" You know, just some basic questions.
But, Greg admitted that he wouldn't want lots of girls in this dancing flash mob. Too many to choose from. Maybe just three. So, the plan is to surprise Greg with me and three well-screened young ladies, breaking out into dance on the campus of Loma Linda! But, then, I thought that if we had questioned these girls, the four of us (not you, Greg, because this is a surprise for you!) would have picked the one! So...It really is inaccurate to call it a Flash Mob. Your dad thought of a great name! Flash Duo!
Be prepared! Could happen at any moment!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Homeschooled Wright Kids
I loved homeschooling you three! The hours of side-by-side studying of the U.S. Constitution, the discipline of a long school day, the prairie skirts and efficient, comfy shoes...Wait...That wasn't us...
But, I really did love the two years I had with each of you for your seventh and eighth grade years. I know when you were asked about your teacher during your homeschooling years, you replied that it definitely wasn't your mom...You mostly taught yourselves. Guilt...That's what I felt...Guilt of giving you all straight A's, then wondering how the heck you would make it through your freshman year at a demanding, private high school. Guilt that you spent about two to three hours a day on school/homework, while your peers at conventional schools were in class seven hours a day with three or more hours of homework. Guilt that I took you with me on errands and expected you to read while in the car. (Ali, big shock when we had our first trip in the car and I told you to get out your books and start reading, and you replied that you get carsick if you read in the car.) Guilt while I went to the gym or walked with a friend while you were home alone.
But, the joy...Seeing you study science, practicing drawing with your dad. Watching you surf while most kids your age were sitting in a classroom. Allowing each of you to explore your interests, your gifts, your dreams. Taking trips; to Canada with you, Ali, and that long train ride back home, and to New Zealand with you, Nick, (and you, Ali, because you quit SFC mid year) for a month! And, Greg, saying goodbye to you as you headed to South Africa for six weeks with your Grandma and Grandpa when you were twelve!
But, I think my favorite part of homeschooling you three for your junior high years is that you weren't around hundreds of adolescents that thought their parents were uncool. You missed that whole stage! You three have always seemed to love being around your dad and me, your family, people of all ages. I love that! It's rare, and I recognize that! Makes it all worth it! And, I love how you three have turned out! I would rather be with you, Ali, Nick and Greg (and your dad), than with almost anyone else in the world! Not at all saying that homeschooling is responsible for that, but, maybe, it didn't hurt either.
oxo-Your homeschool mom
ps~I did make sure that you read A LOT during those years and that you stayed up on math. Yep, that was about it!
But, I really did love the two years I had with each of you for your seventh and eighth grade years. I know when you were asked about your teacher during your homeschooling years, you replied that it definitely wasn't your mom...You mostly taught yourselves. Guilt...That's what I felt...Guilt of giving you all straight A's, then wondering how the heck you would make it through your freshman year at a demanding, private high school. Guilt that you spent about two to three hours a day on school/homework, while your peers at conventional schools were in class seven hours a day with three or more hours of homework. Guilt that I took you with me on errands and expected you to read while in the car. (Ali, big shock when we had our first trip in the car and I told you to get out your books and start reading, and you replied that you get carsick if you read in the car.) Guilt while I went to the gym or walked with a friend while you were home alone.
But, the joy...Seeing you study science, practicing drawing with your dad. Watching you surf while most kids your age were sitting in a classroom. Allowing each of you to explore your interests, your gifts, your dreams. Taking trips; to Canada with you, Ali, and that long train ride back home, and to New Zealand with you, Nick, (and you, Ali, because you quit SFC mid year) for a month! And, Greg, saying goodbye to you as you headed to South Africa for six weeks with your Grandma and Grandpa when you were twelve!
But, I think my favorite part of homeschooling you three for your junior high years is that you weren't around hundreds of adolescents that thought their parents were uncool. You missed that whole stage! You three have always seemed to love being around your dad and me, your family, people of all ages. I love that! It's rare, and I recognize that! Makes it all worth it! And, I love how you three have turned out! I would rather be with you, Ali, Nick and Greg (and your dad), than with almost anyone else in the world! Not at all saying that homeschooling is responsible for that, but, maybe, it didn't hurt either.
oxo-Your homeschool mom
ps~I did make sure that you read A LOT during those years and that you stayed up on math. Yep, that was about it!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Nothin'
While stopping by the Searles this evening to help celebrate Jonny's 20th birthday, my precious niece, Julia, questioned me as to why I had no new posts on my blog. You know, sometimes I just have nothing...no words of wisdom, no witty stories, no new insight...just nothing.
This has been a strange week. Maybe it's the anxiety that followed me for a few days after Kim performed the Heimlich on me at a New York midtown Italian restaurant while celebrating Mary's 50th with Ali looking on, horror in her eyes. Who knows? Maybe it's the stress of being business owners with its ups and downs. Maybe it's friends my age dealing with unstable emotions. Just can't figure it out.
With the fun of celebrating birthdays, taking dancing lessons, getting together with dear friends, comes heart ache. A friend attended the funeral of Austin Bice today. Another friend made time to visit her dad in the Alzheimer care facility. Greg and I chatted with our neighbor who unexpectedly lost his brother a few weeks ago. Japan...need I say more?
Life...precious moments alongside painful moments and disasters. So, what do I sense God speaking to me these days? He is faithful. He loves us. He feels our pain. He wants me to fix my eyes on Him. He longs for me to call out to Him, communicate with Him, listen to Him. He is okay with my weakness, because it is then that I more readily recognize that it has been His strength all along. His desire is that I live in His presence, even when I can't feel it. He is my daily Joy, my perfect Peace, my eternal Hope! He is my Life!
So, Ali, Greg and Nick. Thanks for your patience with me these past few days. Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, your laughter, your love! My prayer for you, as you journey through this thing called life, is that you cling to Jesus, live in the presence of our God, don't trust your emotions, know Whose you are and how it all ends!
I love you three dearly,
oxo-Mom
ps~Angels come down...
This has been a strange week. Maybe it's the anxiety that followed me for a few days after Kim performed the Heimlich on me at a New York midtown Italian restaurant while celebrating Mary's 50th with Ali looking on, horror in her eyes. Who knows? Maybe it's the stress of being business owners with its ups and downs. Maybe it's friends my age dealing with unstable emotions. Just can't figure it out.
With the fun of celebrating birthdays, taking dancing lessons, getting together with dear friends, comes heart ache. A friend attended the funeral of Austin Bice today. Another friend made time to visit her dad in the Alzheimer care facility. Greg and I chatted with our neighbor who unexpectedly lost his brother a few weeks ago. Japan...need I say more?
Life...precious moments alongside painful moments and disasters. So, what do I sense God speaking to me these days? He is faithful. He loves us. He feels our pain. He wants me to fix my eyes on Him. He longs for me to call out to Him, communicate with Him, listen to Him. He is okay with my weakness, because it is then that I more readily recognize that it has been His strength all along. His desire is that I live in His presence, even when I can't feel it. He is my daily Joy, my perfect Peace, my eternal Hope! He is my Life!
So, Ali, Greg and Nick. Thanks for your patience with me these past few days. Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, your laughter, your love! My prayer for you, as you journey through this thing called life, is that you cling to Jesus, live in the presence of our God, don't trust your emotions, know Whose you are and how it all ends!
I love you three dearly,
oxo-Mom
ps~Angels come down...
Monday, March 14, 2011
Abide
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."~Jesus (Matt. 11:28-29)
I am rereading Andrew Murray's "Abiding in Christ". So, that means I have yellow, green and orange highlights, underlining and comments in the margins. Love my coloring books! Wanted to share a few quotes from the chapter I read this morning...
"Rest for the soul...does it not imply deliverance from every fear, the supply of every want, the fulfillment of every desire?
...We know that all that God bestows needs time to become fully our own. It must be embraced, appropriated, and assimilated into our soul; without this not even Christ's giving can make it our own in terms of full experience and enjoyment.
...Entire surrender to Jesus is the secret of perfect rest. Giving up one's whole life to Him to rule and order, taking up His yoke, and allowing ourselves to be led and taught of Him, abiding in Him, to be and do only what He wills.
...This rest is in Christ, not something He gives apart from Himself, and so it is only in having Him that the rest can really be kept and enjoyed...The moment the soul yields itself to obey, the Lord Himself gives the strength and joy to do it.
...Consecration and faith, are the essential element of the Christian life-the giving up of all to Jesus, the receiving of all from Jesus...Surrender.
...Weary soul, come and learn this day the lesson that there is a spot where safety and victory, peace and rest, are always sure. That place, which is the heart of Jesus, is always open to you.
...Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled, taught, and led, enabling the disciple to rest in the arms of Everlasting Love."
Cool, huh?!
I really needed this today. My heart is a bit heavy. Would you three be praying for me, that I would experience the peace and rest that comes from abiding in Jesus? That I will be totally surrendered to Him? Thanks.
My prayer for you today, Nick, Ali and Greg, is that you are living in this moment-by-moment abiding in our Jesus and that you are experiencing the peace that passes understanding!
I love you,
oxo~Mom
I am rereading Andrew Murray's "Abiding in Christ". So, that means I have yellow, green and orange highlights, underlining and comments in the margins. Love my coloring books! Wanted to share a few quotes from the chapter I read this morning...
"Rest for the soul...does it not imply deliverance from every fear, the supply of every want, the fulfillment of every desire?
...We know that all that God bestows needs time to become fully our own. It must be embraced, appropriated, and assimilated into our soul; without this not even Christ's giving can make it our own in terms of full experience and enjoyment.
...Entire surrender to Jesus is the secret of perfect rest. Giving up one's whole life to Him to rule and order, taking up His yoke, and allowing ourselves to be led and taught of Him, abiding in Him, to be and do only what He wills.
...This rest is in Christ, not something He gives apart from Himself, and so it is only in having Him that the rest can really be kept and enjoyed...The moment the soul yields itself to obey, the Lord Himself gives the strength and joy to do it.
...Consecration and faith, are the essential element of the Christian life-the giving up of all to Jesus, the receiving of all from Jesus...Surrender.
...Weary soul, come and learn this day the lesson that there is a spot where safety and victory, peace and rest, are always sure. That place, which is the heart of Jesus, is always open to you.
...Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled, taught, and led, enabling the disciple to rest in the arms of Everlasting Love."
Cool, huh?!
I really needed this today. My heart is a bit heavy. Would you three be praying for me, that I would experience the peace and rest that comes from abiding in Jesus? That I will be totally surrendered to Him? Thanks.
My prayer for you today, Nick, Ali and Greg, is that you are living in this moment-by-moment abiding in our Jesus and that you are experiencing the peace that passes understanding!
I love you,
oxo~Mom
Saturday, March 5, 2011
High/Low
February...3 highs
1a) The birth of my first great-niece, Emma Rose, to Ryan and Erin Alexander!
1b) Alyssa and Jon's wedding! Perfect! Beautiful day, their love for each other so obvious, Jesus in the midst!
1c) Jessi and Josh's engagement! Ali's best friend since birth preparing to marry a great young man! Fun engagement party!
2a) Dance lessons starting!
2b) Being with sweet Mary on her actual 50th birthday! Yay!
2c) Having Jeff, who is like a brother to me, Lori, Chad, Kaitlin and Davis for dinner to celebrate Jeff's 50th!
3a) Spending the day at Carol's conference, "For this I have Jesus", and being filled up!
3b) A perfect Valentine's Day! Short day of work, appetizers and a drink in Del Mar at Sunset, Chinese food at home, being with my Valentine, no gifts, no cards!
3c) Taking a Monday off of work to hang out with Ali! Long lagoon and beach walk, lunch at Ki's, jacuzzi, dinner at Third Corner with Brian and Rebecca, frozen yogurt!
3 lows...
1) Accidentally being the first relatives to meet Emma Rose as both sets of grandparents sat in the waiting room. Greg and I are so sorry, Ken, Lori, Bill and Beverly. (Secretly, one of my "highs", but don't tell.)
2) Ali being gone 23 of the 28 days of February. But, we did get her for five!
3) Not enough time spent with friends at all of the celebrations. I'm considering adopting Lori's Westmont gang and Debbi's Biola friends!
1a) The birth of my first great-niece, Emma Rose, to Ryan and Erin Alexander!
1b) Alyssa and Jon's wedding! Perfect! Beautiful day, their love for each other so obvious, Jesus in the midst!
1c) Jessi and Josh's engagement! Ali's best friend since birth preparing to marry a great young man! Fun engagement party!
2a) Dance lessons starting!
2b) Being with sweet Mary on her actual 50th birthday! Yay!
2c) Having Jeff, who is like a brother to me, Lori, Chad, Kaitlin and Davis for dinner to celebrate Jeff's 50th!
3a) Spending the day at Carol's conference, "For this I have Jesus", and being filled up!
3b) A perfect Valentine's Day! Short day of work, appetizers and a drink in Del Mar at Sunset, Chinese food at home, being with my Valentine, no gifts, no cards!
3c) Taking a Monday off of work to hang out with Ali! Long lagoon and beach walk, lunch at Ki's, jacuzzi, dinner at Third Corner with Brian and Rebecca, frozen yogurt!
3 lows...
1) Accidentally being the first relatives to meet Emma Rose as both sets of grandparents sat in the waiting room. Greg and I are so sorry, Ken, Lori, Bill and Beverly. (Secretly, one of my "highs", but don't tell.)
2) Ali being gone 23 of the 28 days of February. But, we did get her for five!
3) Not enough time spent with friends at all of the celebrations. I'm considering adopting Lori's Westmont gang and Debbi's Biola friends!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
It's Wednesday!
On Wednesday mornings, I wake up with a smile. Not that I don't like every day of the week. But Wednesdays are different. Nick, you head off to school with Jonny, kind of like when you were three, only now one of you drives instead of Debbi or me, and Nick, you aren't crying uncontrollably. (And, you are doing quite well in college versus flunking out of preschool.) Then, after last minute rushing around, your dad leaves for work. And, here I am. Alone in our home. Now, I love having our home filled with you three, Dad, friends, family. But, these few hours alone...Sigh with a smile...
This morning is the first morning in a long time that I had the window open as I was reading and writing and coloring. For today, a hint of spring is in the air. Birds were noisy, playing in our backyard...Still smiling...
By tomorrow I will have finished "The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life". I get a bit sad when I come to the end of a book that I have been enjoying. But, near the end of this book, I underlined AND starred this paragraph. "We must be convinced that the Scriptures teach this glorious indwelling of God; then we must believe that He has taken possession, and is dwelling in us. We must begin to reckon ourselves dead, and to reckon Christ as our only life. We must maintain this attitude of soul unwaveringly. It will help us to say, 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,' over and over, day and night, until it becomes the habitual breathing of our souls. We must put off our self-life by faith continually, and put on the life of Christ; and we must do this, not only by faith, but practically as well. We must continually put self to death in all the details of daily life, and must let Christ instead live and work in us"...Smiling from the inside out...
oxo-Mom
ps~Ali, I love your blog! You make me laugh. You are insightful and deep and silly, and your cuteness comes across in your words. What a treat to have you home for five crazy, fun-filled days!
~Gregory, thank you for texting me when you make it back to school. You don't have to do that, but I love it! So glad that Dad and I got to see you dance at the wedding! Are you coming home this weekend? Just in case you forgot, I love it when you come home!
~Nick, glad you decided on the gray one. It looked great! And, thank you for dancing with me. And, Whale, you are funny!
This morning is the first morning in a long time that I had the window open as I was reading and writing and coloring. For today, a hint of spring is in the air. Birds were noisy, playing in our backyard...Still smiling...
By tomorrow I will have finished "The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life". I get a bit sad when I come to the end of a book that I have been enjoying. But, near the end of this book, I underlined AND starred this paragraph. "We must be convinced that the Scriptures teach this glorious indwelling of God; then we must believe that He has taken possession, and is dwelling in us. We must begin to reckon ourselves dead, and to reckon Christ as our only life. We must maintain this attitude of soul unwaveringly. It will help us to say, 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,' over and over, day and night, until it becomes the habitual breathing of our souls. We must put off our self-life by faith continually, and put on the life of Christ; and we must do this, not only by faith, but practically as well. We must continually put self to death in all the details of daily life, and must let Christ instead live and work in us"...Smiling from the inside out...
oxo-Mom
ps~Ali, I love your blog! You make me laugh. You are insightful and deep and silly, and your cuteness comes across in your words. What a treat to have you home for five crazy, fun-filled days!
~Gregory, thank you for texting me when you make it back to school. You don't have to do that, but I love it! So glad that Dad and I got to see you dance at the wedding! Are you coming home this weekend? Just in case you forgot, I love it when you come home!
~Nick, glad you decided on the gray one. It looked great! And, thank you for dancing with me. And, Whale, you are funny!
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