The Square Peg

"When you have momentum, you look better than you are.
When you don’t have momentum you are better than you look."

Dave Ramsey

If you're one of those people who doesn't like talking (or reading) about *ahem* 'body parts', it's probably a good idea for you to skip this post and stop by some other day.

You may have heard about the NFL players who have been wearing pink shoes and gloves during the games in support of October being breast cancer awareness month. Well, I couldn't help but wonder why there isn't a 'check-your-nuts' awareness month. I did some research and it turns out there is. Sort of.

The Get A Grip! campaign is one week long in April. I'm not sure what's up with testicles getting a week of awareness while breasts get a whole month (unless it has to do with their general size differences), but I digress. Did you know that testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men ages 12-50 and it out paces breast cancer deaths by women in the same 13-34 age group? Neither did I. This is important information that needs to be passed on!

Since a time of awareness has been instituted though, why don't women wear some type of blue item(s) to show our support? Cuz, you know, tit for tat and all that. Oh! That wasn't intentional but since I stumbled upon it, it's staying in this post! *This is part of the 'twisted sense of humor' I've told you I have.

Now, back to wearing blue for that week...there should be a blue dye exclusively created for the items. And I've narrowed my ideas down to three items that are key to a woman's life. In no particular order:

1. a single strand of pearls--earrings coming soon (because you know how we love jewelry and accessorizing)
   
2. temporary spray to paint a streak in our hair (this would, of course, provide excellent coverage for color-resistant gray--cuz I need that) and finally,
3. a purse (supportive and practical since some women carry their husband's...never mind).

The Get A Grip! marketing department totally needs to hire me as a consultant, don't you think?

Peace out, people. And whether you're a guy or gal, don't forget to check your stuff. Your life could depend on it.

Moose recently pointed out something about me I was unaware of:  I have special food requirements for specific activities. I'm not talking about having turkey at Thanksgiving or ham at Christmas; honestly, I could take either one at either holiday or during the year. I have no preference whatsoever. But a road trip just isn't right without Cheetos Puffs to go with my Diet Coke. I rarely buy Cheetos Puffs for the house, but I never go on a road trip without stopping at a gas station to buy a 99 cent bag of those crunchy, air-filled treats that leave my fingers covered in orange residue.

And last night I discovered I have a special food for Skype: popcorn.

There's no point to this post other than to share that weird tidbit with you. You may now resume your regularly scheduled life, already in progress.
Peace.

I wondered how a man could effectively write about what "the happiest and most successful women do differently", but a few pages into this book it was clear Buckingham knew what he was talking about, and I was going to reap the benefit of his knowledge.

I used to feel guilty when I couldn't effectively balance the areas of work and home life and believed my problem could be corrected with more discipline and better time management. Now I realize I was pursuing something I was never going to achieve, much less maintain. Buckingham reveals what a strong, happy woman's life actually looks like, what a weakness really is, and how intentionally creating perfect imbalance can bring peace and clarity to a stressful and chaotic life.

Taking the Strong Life Test revealed the lead role I was born to play is that of Creator and my supporting role is Advisor. After reading the descriptions of both I thought "holy cow, you mean all the idiosyncrasies I thought were personality flaws really mean something? And they're useful?!" Marcus Buckingham had just set me free somehow. This wasn't the only "aha!" moment I had when reading this book; there were several.

I plan to go back to school after we get settled in Germany next year and I've been struggling to narrow down the field of study I think I'd most enjoy. Armed with the information I gained from this book, I am confident I will make the right choice.

Who can benefit from reading this book? Stay-at-home moms/wives, homeschooling moms, women working outside the home, and the men who love them. While the book is aimed at women, almost all of what Buckingham writes is applicable to men as well. I highly recommend it.

You can order your copy here.

I was listening to Carrie Underwood's cover of Home, Sweet Home today and thinking that her voice is so pure and clear. I know studios typically 'tweak' voices when recordings are edited and all that, but she sounds pretty much the same as she did when she was on American Idol.

And then I thought about a few of the times I've heard God's voice and how clear and unmistakable it was:

• Like the time I was thanking Him for letting me survive my first marriage (it was violent), showing Ryan and me such amazing grace, bringing Moose into our lives, and for giving us an incredible testimony about His work and He interrupted me and said "that's my story for you, Eva; I have a whole different story for Ryan to tell about Me". 

• And the time I left my wedding ring in the ladies bathroom at the base hospital and spent a week calling every clinic in the place asking if it was turned in only to be told it wasn't. Four months later I was leaving the hospital after another appointment and heard "go into the eye clinic across from the ladies bathroom and ask the girl at the desk about your ring." I wrestled with a million thoughts as I walked down that hallway toward the eye clinic. Turned out that gal had my ring all four months. She was getting off work a few minutes later and I followed her to her dorm to get it.
  

•  Then there was the time I'd bought a gift for Ryan that was to be given at a Christmas party. I had asked him to do something for me that was completely unrelated, but he didn't really want to do it. He asked if he'd still get the gift if he didn't do as I requested. I responded, "Ryan, you're going to love what I got you and I'm giving it to you regardless of your behavior; my gifts don't hinge on your actions." Ryan said "OK" and walked back to his room. And I distinctly heard God say, "And that's how it is with my love, Eva. It never hinges on behavior."

After going over those instances in my mind and recalling the time I've spent worrying about how God was going to answer questions and work stuff out in my life, it's pretty clear it was all for nothing. After all, He did say I'd know His voice (see John 10). He didn't lie.

Peace.

In other news, not to sound like a weatherperson or anything, but, man, I am loving this fall weather we're finally getting! We've had the a/c off for 2 days now. Yay for lower electric bills!

Later. :D