Devastation in Haiti

My heart is breaking. The numbers are staggering. The devastation is worse than anything any of us has ever seen in our lives.

It's mind boggling, what's going on in Haiti right now. Absolutely beyond imagining that anywhere from 100,000 to a half a million people could be wiped out in one day.

And yet there are those who want to place blame. I've already ready stories about people with something less than compassion in their hearts who want to play God and tell everyone why this happened.

Why do we feel the need to speculate on why God does what He does? Really, He's God. That's all. It's His creation. His world. He can let happen what will happen.

We all do that though, don't we? We all, at one point or another, ask ourselves, "How could God do this to me?" Or to our loved one . . . or to the world.

The disciples asked the same question: "Lord, who sinned? This boy or his parents that he was born blind?" Every time I read that passage in the Bible I think, "What a stupid question."

And yet, I'm no better. A tragedy takes place like the one in Haiti this week and I find myself asking why? Or how? Or what have these people done to deserve this? I even have thoughts of thank God it didn't happen here.

But really, what we need to focus on when something like this happens is who God is. He is the Creator of the Universe. A loving God who cares for His children--all of them. He is the sustainer of life and, most importantly, a Savior for all mankind.

Yesterday during our Women's Bible Study leader's meeting we read Psalm 103 together.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:8-19

So today, rather than pointing a finger at God or at the people of Haiti, let's just remember Who is in control of the world. And let's do whatever we can to aleviate the pain of those who are hurting.

If you are able and interested, here are a few reputable charities who are already doing relief work in Haiti. Samaritan's Purse. Compassion. World Relief. Red Cross.

And pray. Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for the relief workers. Pray for the families here who are worried sick about their loved ones.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done."

Can't Keep This One to Myself

O.K. Sometimes I just have to share some of the cool things I find on other blogs.

Like today, for instance, I was catching up on some of the blogs I usually read, and the Nester has a great giveaway going. It's for a personalized sign that you can make yourself at Danielson Design Studios.

I fiddled around for a few minutes, and here's what I came up with.



Cool, huh?

They offer signs and frames for just about any occasion, and you can customize them yourself. And the best part is they're CUTE!

You can enter the Nester's giveaway yourself. And if you don't win, you can go to the Danielson Design Studios website and make one for yourself. If you use the code NEST2010, you'll even get 20% off.

I've Got Issues

Winter weather leaves me with some serious issues. Here are just a few.

- My lips are chapped.

- My fingernails keep breaking.

- My feet are chaffing.

- My nose has flakes of skin on the end of it that I am so afraid people will mistake for boogers.

- My hair is lifeless (not sure what that means, but the Pantene people would like me to think that).

- I'm itchy all over.

So what are your issues today?

Just Being Honest Here . . .

Some days I just don't want to be a parent anymore. Some days I'd rather be sitting on a beach somewhere (the Caribbean, perhaps?), underneath some palm trees (Mexico, maybe?), sipping a frothy drink with an umbrella in it (Hawaii?).

What they don't teach you in parenting 101 (you took that class, right?) is that some days you'll just feel like walking out the door for a while. Some days you'll just need to take an emotional break. Because, the truth is, parenting is hard.

My house is filled with teenage girls right now. Most of the time it's a delight, but sometimes it's not. Like this weekend when I had to act like a drill sergeant all weekend and by the end of Sunday nobody was talking to me. Or at least that's what it felt like.

It seemed like every time I turned around one of my children (definitely not our Costa Rican guests--they get the good behavior award for the weekend) had left something sitting in the exact wrong place or had not done something I had asked her to do. It felt like the weekend was filled with behavior correction and attitude adjustment.

And the thing is . . . (and I know my girls won't even believe this) . . . I don't like correcting behavior and adjusting attitudes. That is not the fun part of parenting. In fact, it's work. It's draining. And it's exhausting. The emotional toll it takes on me just plain wears me out some days.

So why do I do it? I've seen parents who have just given up, especially with teenagers. I guess they think it's not worth the fight. They just let their kid do his or her thing, figuring they've done their best and leave it at that.

But I do it because that's what I've signed up for, and my job isn't done yet. My job is to help create "productive citizens" (a little family joke there), and some weekends just happen to turn into Citizenship Boot Camp where we have to re-train and re-teach some of the lessons they should have learned a long time ago.

I also do it because it's what I've been called to do. I can't give up. Even though sometimes I look at B and throw up my hands and say to him, "I don't want to be a parent today," the truth is there is no more rewarding job.

Because after a weekend of re-teaching and re-training, I get to enjoy the benefits of some really great kids who absolutely rise to the challenge and who exceed my expectations in some very surprising ways.

And I get the benefit of playing Link's Crossbow on the Wii with my daughter who came in from a meeting, worn out and tired, but who wanted to spend some time with her drill sergeant.

So my booty will stay here in the frozen tundra, doing what I've been called to do. The view may not be so great some days, but the rewards are so much better than five minutes with a frothy drink.

Friday Randomness

I feel like I'm getting a late start this morning.

But, actually, I didn't get a late start this morning--I was up at the crack before dawn, as usual, trying to see the high schoolers before they left the house at 6:30. And then to get my two "other" daughters out the door at 7:00.

And then to welcome Maggie's buddies for our Friday morning Bible study before school which got started again this morning.

And then to drive them all to school.

And then to get to the gym.

And then to shovel snow.

So, really, at 10:30 a.m., I'd say I've accomplished quite a lot.

I really have nothing important to say today. No profundities. No silly stories. Just random thoughts running through my mind. Want to know what I'm thinking about?

First, I was going to post about a new muffin recipe I tried last night for Caramel-Banana Muffins. They looked so good in Midwest Living magazine--all ooey, gooey and delicious. But, really, when we went to eat them this morning, they weren't all that good. A little on the dry side, to be perfectly honest.

I don't know what I did wrong. I doubled the recipe, which sometimes makes a difference. I might not have used enough banana. Other than that, I haven't a clue. They should have been delicious, according to the picture in the magazine.

Sometimes a recipe just doesn't work out. Oh well. But if you're up for a challenge, you can find the recipe here. Give it a try and let me know how they turn out.

Second, what's with the whole "New Year, New You" craze? This phrase was really popular a few years back, and I'm seeing a resurgance again. Frankly, something about this phrase bugs me. I kind of liked the "Old Me" so why do I want a "New Me"? Oh, sure, there are some things I'd like to change, but really, do I have to fashion an entirely "New Me" to just improve on what I've already got going?

I don't know. What do you think about that whole "New Year, New You" craze?

Third, one thing I have been working on is my attitude about winter. I'll admit, I can get pretty crabby about winter, and if I let that attitude fester, things just go downhill until by the end of March I'm pretty much ready to throw in the proverbial towel and move to Dallol, Ethiopia--that's the warmest place on earth.

Anyway, this year I'm really trying hard to not complain about the weather--it is what it is--and I'm even trying to see the beauty in winter.

(You can hold me to that in about a month or a week when I'm sick and tired of being cold and I start to complain.)

So, in honor of the beauty all around me--and, believe me, lots and lots of beauty fell from the skies this week--here are a couple of pictures I took yesterday.

I just love this tree in my back yard. And when it's laden with snow, it's especially beautiful.


(What I don't love is that ugly electrical pole sitting behind it.)

And this little bench just sits in my back yard, next to a cobblestone path. Nobody ever sits on it--it just sits there looking cute.



So those are my random thoughts for a Friday. What are yours??

Quick! Call a Plumber! . . . or a Ringmaster

Well, I knew the adventures would be plentiful with our extra “daughters” around, but I didn’t expect this much excitement this soon.

So, on their second night here, everyone’s getting ready for bed and we hear a shout: “Mr. W!! Please come! We have a problem!”

B rushes upstairs and all of a sudden I hear a huge THUMP. And then some more rustling and excitement. And I hear something about the toilet and water and . . .

Oh no.

So instead of rushing upstairs, I rushed down to the basement to get some towels that I was sure B was going to need. On my way up the basement stairs I met up with Kate who was hysterical, running to get even more rags and towels from the basement.

“It’s overflowing! The toilet is overflowing!” she cried.

Believe me, we’ve had our share of clogged toilets in this house, but we don’t usually have overflowing toilets. So I ran up the stairs as fast as I could with the towels in my hand.

The sight that greeted me was slightly less than mayhem, but pretty darned close.

Our poor guests were peering through the bathroom door, even more wide-eyed than their first day here in America. B was standing over the toilet, its lid removed, trying to figure out what had happened. And he was wet. From top to bottom, he was soaking wet.

The bathroom floor was entirely covered in water, a few towels scattered around, and water was creeping toward the bedroom carpeting. It was obvious that we were going to need more than the couple of towels I had brought up from the basement.

Long story short, yes, the toilet got clogged, but also water had been leaking from the shut-off valve underneath it for who-knows-how-long. We got the mess cleaned up and called the plumber who fixed us up for a mere $200.

But those poor girls. I don’t think I’ll ever forget their faces as they watched B trying to figure out the situation. Because apparently the huge THUD I heard from downstairs was my dear husband, running into the bathroom without realizing how very wet the floor was and doing one of those sitcom slip-then-fly-through-the-air-and-fall-on-your-backside things they do with a banana peel.

Oh the stories they are going to have to tell when they get home.

Let’s hope neither of them has a blog.

You'd Think Three Daughters Would be Enough

But no, not for me. I had to pick up a couple more. So for the next three weeks I will be the mother of five daughters.

Thank goodness I don’t have to pay for those two extra weddings.

Anyway, I’ve acquired two new “daughters” for the next three weeks. Teenage girls. From Costa Rica. A group of kids from their Christian school came to help teach Spanish at our local Christian school for two weeks. And next summer a group of kids from our youth group will be heading down there, so it’s a nice time for all of the kids to connect. An exchange of sorts.

But most importantly, it’s a great chance for us to fill our home with more girls. I love having daughters! But can I just tell you that the hormones in this house just may be too much for one father to handle? I think that by the end of this adventure B will be calling the local Hampton Inn and begging for a room. Any room.

Oh, heck, a mat on the floor of the local homeless shelter might be easier on him than this place will be for the next three weeks.

We picked up our new daughters on Monday night and they have been wide-eyed ever since. M and L have found everything American to be “so cool” and “lovely” and “amazing.” (Thankfully they have been learning English since kindergarten, so communication won’t be a problem. They even say “like” like every teenager I know does.)

Here are just a few of the things they’ve noticed in their first 24 hours here.

Fireplaces are a necessity. Alright, I know not everyone has a fireplace, but these girls have never seen one. They think that surely everyone has a fireplace because it’s so daggum cold here.

Have I mentioned it’s cold? Really, really cold. L mentioned that the coldest weather she’s ever been in is 11 Celsius. Friends, that’s 51 degrees Fahrenheit! As I’m writing this it is 11 degrees F, which is -11 C. And over the weekend it’s supposed to get well below zero Fahrenheit which will be well, well, well below zero Celsius. Funny thing is, this doesn’t seem to scare them.

It sure scares me.

Mailboxes really do exist. The girls thought mailboxes were just something they put on American television shows, but that we didn’t really use them.

Americans actually send Christmas cards. They were very interested to see all the Christmas cards we received this year. And they were especially amazed at the cards with pictures that people designed themselves. I found it fascinating that they don’t send Christmas cards in Costa Rica, but the girls explained that if they put them in the mail their friends and neighbors wouldn’t get them until July.

So it’s going to be a fun, full, and very interesting three weeks. I’m sure I’ll have lots to write about, but if you have any questions for the girls, post them in the comments. I’ll get the scoop for you.

A Friend in Need is . . . an Idiot

So did you catch the change?

Look around. Look hard. Well, not that hard because it's hard to miss.

My blog header changed. Again. And I just want to publicly thank Darcy who did the design and cleared up my little mistake.

A few nights ago I was tucked under my down comforter, sleeping soundly, when suddenly I was awaken by a thought. "My blog header isn't right! I forgot to tell Darcy to add the subtitle when I approved the final design!"

Don't you just hate it when you start dreaming about your blog?

My eyes shot open and I laid there for a while trying to figure out what to do. (Now, for those of you who know me well, you know that things must have been bad for me to wake up at 4:00 a.m. thinking about, well, anything. I am a very sound sleeper most of the time, much to the chagrin of my sister who creeps into her family room in the middle of the night to eat a bowl of cereal. Me? Never in my life have I wandered around in the middle of the night unless I had a crying baby with me. But I digress . . . big time.)

I had options. I could 1) ignore it and pretend I never had a subtitle to my blog, 2) wait until the next redesign, whenever that would be, and include it then, or 3) admit my mistake and ask Darcy to help me clean it up, whatever the cost.

I opted for number 3 because a lot of what I write about here and what I'll be speaking on soon is taking the every day and seeing it as the adventure it is. Plus, the G.K. Chesterton quote at the top of my blog doesn't really make sense without the subtitle.

So I contacted Darcy, fully admitting my idiocy when it comes to all things technological and bloggy and explaining to her what I wanted to have done. Just a little subtitle. Could she do it?

Could she do it? Folks, she did it, and she did it with such grace that I cannot believe it. I hope you'll go visit her design blog or her personal blog and tell her how much you love her. Or tell her how much I love her. Either way.

Thanks, Darcy!!

It's All About Grace

So how quickly into the New Year did it take for me to feel like a complete loser of a mom?

Oh, about two hours.

Just a couple of hours into the year I realized I had made a huge mistake. Huge. In that I will be missing an important event that’s coming up in the life of one of my girls because I forgot to write it down on my calendar. Or because I just plain didn’t know when it was.

Needless to say, there was some miscommunication involved. And I made other plans. Plans that involve non-refundable plane tickets.

For both me and her dad.

(If it were just me missing this event, that would be one thing, but for both of us to miss it just feels . . . ugh.)

So I’ve been kicking myself about it for a few days, really feeling badly about what ultimately is my mistake. And I’ve been wondering why.

Why do I never write anything down in my calendar? Why do I make plans without consulting my kids first? Why am I so scatterbrained sometimes?

I’d like to blame hormones or the busyness of life or any number of other factors, but basically I haven’t paid attention enough. I let myself get distracted by responsibilities or the blog or just what we’re having for dinner. And that all just makes me feel like a loser. Like I don’t have it together enough to write down a simple event on a simple calendar.

Sometimes real life is just tough. It takes communication among family members. It requires paying attention when that last little thread of attention you have left would rather be focused on The Food Network than on your kids. It means admitting mistakes and asking forgiveness.

But mostly, real life requires grace. Grace to not see yourself as the loser mom you feel like and to see the thousands of other things you did well in the past year. Grace to be the husband who pointed that out to me. Grace to be the daughter who shrugs her shoulders and says, “It’s o.k., Mom.”

And grace to stop asking why.

The Burning Question of the Year

Will you call it "twenty-ten" or "two thousand ten"?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Welcome 2010: A Look Ahead

I spent a lot of time this week looking back, but today I think I'll look forward. 2010 is here, and before I know it it'll be gone. This is going to be one of those years that is going to fly.

I could choose to approach this year with trepidation, a pit in my stomach, fear, or even dread. Or I could choose to approach the year with gratitude and anticipation. I'm choosing the latter because, even though it's going to be busy, it's going to be GREAT.

This fall our Bible study looked at the book of James, and we talked about how we should not take for granted that we will have a tomorrow. Instead, we should say, "if the Lord wills" we will do this or that.

Believe me, I do not presume I will have a tomorrow. I learned that lesson a long time ago. But as I enter 2010 I do so knowing that each day is a gift from God. Whatever He brings my way, whatever may change, I will continue to hold His hand through it all.

So, knowing that all of this could change in an instant, I thought I'd share what our 2010 looks like right now. It could be fun, on December 31, 2010, to see how things actually shook out.

Won't you walk it with me?

January
We're starting the year out with a bang, adding two "daughters" to our brood. We'll have two girls from Costa Rica staying with us for three weeks. I guess that's one way to make the winter go faster.

February
Our church's Women's Retreat will be this month, and I'll be doing a little breakout session on, what else? Blogging. Hopefully by this point next year we'll have a whole lot of new bloggy friends.

March
I'll be speaking at a one-day women's retreat at a nearby church. I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do with this.

April
Abby will be turning 16 this month and you know what that means . . . a trip. Stay tuned. . . .

May
The end of the school year brings all sorts of busyness to our home.

June
Graduation! Our first high school graduation will take place in the early part of the month. Just a few days later, Abby will be heading to camp . . . for the entire summer. *sniff*

July
This will probably be the biggest month of our year. B and I, my sisters and their husbands, and my parents are taking a huge trip to the birthplace of golf. That's right--we'll be attending the British Open in St. Andrews. So nice of them to throw such a huge party to celebrate 25 years of marriage for us (and my sister and her husband) and 50 years for my parents.

August
Another big month as we send Kate off to college. So she's only going about 8 blocks away (I'll write more on that next week), but it's still a huge milestone for all of us. Family dynamics will be changing.

September
Ahhhhhh. Can you hear my sigh of relief? Kids will be safely tucked away in school, where they belong.

October
Homecoming. B and I will celebrate our 25th class reunion. And wondering who all those old people are.

November
Can you believe we have no plans for November yet? Better get on that.

December
It's my turn to host Christmas. Need I say more? I'm already excited!

So there you go. A look ahead into 2010 at the Wild house.

Tell me, what do you have planned? What are you looking forward to?

*Photo credit: Francesco Marino

2009 Recap

I'm linking up to Jo-Lynne's "2009 Blog Recap Carnival" today. Basically, I just took the first line from the first post of every month from 2009. Ahhh, a stroll down memory lane.

January
Too much . . . food . . . family . . . friends . . . fun . . . flinging of the remote controller . . . fighting the crowds at the mall . . . candy . . . cookies . . . chocolate . . . car-riding . . . Christmas lights . . . movies . . . munchies . . . merry-making . . .

A little recap of our 2008 holiday season. Fun!

February
Seems like everyone is getting into the "25 Random Things About Me" craze these days on Facebook.

My 25 random things. Come on, everybody's doing it!

March
B and I are in the throes of choosing a college.

Those college guidebooks are really funny sometimes!

April
Since we've been here, B and I and whoever wants to come have been heading down to walk the beach every morning.



Some photos from our wonderful trip to Kiawah Island, SC. Our fifth visit there did not disappoint.

May
I haven’t linked up with Jennifer at Conversion Diary for a while, but I thought today might be a good day to play “Seven Quick Takes.”

This line in this post made me laugh as I read it again: "Is Joe Biden a lunatic? Just wondering."

June
Since all two of you decided to vote on which story you'd like me to tell (I can see that my readers are an opinionated lot), here it is. I aim to please.

This is one of my funniest posts of the year, in my opinion. All about how moms embarrass their teenagers.

July
When last I left you, B and I were headed to McDonald's to get a Coke after the wedding.

Remember the Greek Wedding? This one's Part 2. To get the full story, check out Part 1 as well.

August
Ahhhhh. That's me breathing a sigh of relief and contentment to be back home from She Speaks in North Carolina.

A recap from my wonderful time in North Carolina. Whew!

September
So yesterday I mentioned that we took the girls to see Carrie Underwood on Sunday night.

Just pokin' a little fun at the hubby.

October
You may have noticed that I don't do many book reviews on here.



Here's where I reviewed Mary DeMuth's new book, A Slow Burn. Wow, what a read!

November
This week is an anniversary of sorts. For me. And for my family.

I started out November by being very, very thankful for my health. Here's where I tell the story of my unfortunate encounter with a scalpel back in 2007. I liked this post, but I really liked Part 2 better. I don't think I'll ever forget dear Marge who taught me so much.

December
This deal is just too good to keep to myself.

Sometimes blogging (or reading blogs) just pays off. Big time.

And believe me, there is more fun to be had in 2010. I'm not going anywhere (well, O.K., I am going a few places next year but what I mean is that my blogging habits will not end), so come along with me for the ride. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too.

Happy New Year!

A Look Back at 2009 Meme

I found this fun little meme at Michelle's place, "Bleeding Espresso," and thought it would be fun to do. Hope you enjoy my look back at 2009.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Got an article published in a magazine.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t really make resolutions, but I did have some goals. Some were accomplished, some weren’t. I definitely have a couple of ideas of things I’d like to do next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No. I’m kind of in that in-between stage of not giving birth but not having grandkids either (thank goodness!).

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit? I just stayed in the good old USA this year. But next year . . .

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A book contract.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Probably August when we took that trip to Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. (Read more here and here.)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not quitting my blog.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not writing more.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Again, no, thank goodness.

11. What was the best thing you bought? A car.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Maggie’s because she was in her first school play; Abby’s because she’s working hard and doing really well in school this year; Kate’s because she got into the only college she applied to.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Barack Obama’s.

14. Where did most of your money go? I have three kids. Need you ask?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? She Speaks.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? I honestly don’t listen to music that much, so, sorry, I got nothin’.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? a. Happier, of course. b. Neither thinner nor fatter—just fitter. c. Richer in experience.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Write.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Laundry.

20. How did you spend Christmas? We all (my family and my sisters and their families) met up at my parents’ house in Tucson. It was fun, but certainly not warm.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? All over again.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Probably "24," but I also liked "American Idol" and "The Biggest Loser."

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate is so unnecessary.

24. What was the best book you read? “The Help” by Katherine Stockett

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Taylor Swift (don’t laugh!)

26. What did you want and get? Published.

27. What did you want and not get? A Congress with half a brain.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? “Julie and Julia” hands down.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I went to my daughter’s orchestra concert at a local community college. It was absolutely lovely. I turned 46. *gulp*

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? To have completed that book.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Modern day housewife.

32. What kept you sane? My family.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Really?

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Oh my word, healthcare. And bailouts. And Guantanamo detainees coming to my home state. And . . .

35. Who did you miss? I always miss the ones I love who aren’t here with me—my parents, my sisters, my friends.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Oh my gosh, all the bloggers I met! Tina, Jo-Lynne, Sandy. And Lysa (even though I met her in 2008, I met her a couple more times in 2009).

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Be still, listen, and serve.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand has provided.
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.

How about you? How would you answer some of these questions? Let me know in the comments!

Christmas 2009: A Recap

In the land of

. . . cacti




. . . and citrus



. . . and mountains,



we cooked



. . . and played games



. . . (and some slept while we played games)



. . . and hugged



. . . and ate great food




. . . and WON!!!



But best of all, we made new friends.



[This is Adam who read my blog posts about the Greek wedding we attended last summer. He told my parents that if I ever came to Tucson he would cook a lamb dinner for me. On our last night there, my parents had a party for several of their friends and, true to his word, Adam brought the lamb. He also brought Greek potatoes and a noodle dish that I can't remember the name of. But it was all yummy, and Adam was lovely. I'll never forget that special meal. Thanks, Adam!]

Home Sweet Home

Hear that collective sigh of contentment mixed with exhaustion? It's coming from our house. We're just back from a great week in the frozen Southwest. (Sorry, Mom and Dad, but it was cold!)

So, I've never flown Southwest Airlines before. Have you?

I had heard stories about the flight attendants though. As in, how funny they are. How laid back they are. What a different flying experience Southwest is from other airlines.

Last night we arrived in Chicago on Southwest after a wonderful Christmas celebration with my family. As we landed, the flight attendant, who happened to be a middle-aged man with gray hair (I'm not sure why I'm mentioning that except that I've never seen a middle aged male flight attendant with gray hair), made several funny announcements. Basically, "Don't get up yet, we aren't at the gate. Sit down until I tell you to get up."

But as we were taxiing to the gate, he made one last announcement. He said, "We had a very special guest flying with us today. Today is his birthday. He's 99 years old today. And this is also his first flight ever."

Everyone on the plane clapped and cheered. We all wanted to see who this person was. Pat him on the back . . . carefully . . . and wish him happy birthday.

Then he said . . . wait for it . . . "Be sure to greet our pilot on your way off the plane."

Ba dum, dum.

He got me. He really got me.

Anyway, we're home. I have to say, we had such a GREAT time with family and I love love LOVE that we get to see each other at Christmas every year, but it was sure good to get home. Know what I mean?

Chicago got a good bit of snow while we were gone, so it was fun to drive through town, looking at the houses blanketed in white, still shining with Christmas lights. So beautiful. Our whole town looks like Christmas.

The Wonder Dog did just fine with her wonderful friend, Rob. We're so happy to have Rob in our lives--he comes to our house to take care of Thunder while we're out of town, so our dog stays home where she's comfortable and safe and she can look out of her window all day.



But she gets a little LOT lonely.

When we get home she goes a little crazy for a while, running all over the house, licking us like crazy. Thunder never does anything halfway. She's all lab. Bless her heart.

I have lots to tell you this week, and I'll get to it soon, but for now the laundry awaits. Ta!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Heading out in the early morning (who books tickets for 7:00 A.M.?--me, I guess), and I won't be around all week. Try to survive without me.

I'm actually going to get to meet a few of my readers this week, so that will be exciting! Otherwise I'm going to enjoy time with my family--parents, sisters, bro-in-laws, nieces, and, of course, the Wild fam.

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" Luke 2:10-11

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas, and praying that you experience the joy of the true meaning of this season.

Better Than Oprah

Helllllloooo, People!!!!!

Have you ever watched Oprah’s “Favorite Things” show? It’s the one just before Christmas when Oprah tells all of her favorite things from the year from CDs to computers to cars. And then she gives one of everything to every member of her audience that day.

That must be the hardest ticket to get your hands on in all of show business. In fact, I'm sure it is. I've tried.

I’ve only watched Oprah's "Favorite Things" show a couple of times, but for me those shows are the quickest way to bring out that green-eyed monster in me. I mean, it’s not like I don’t already have a washer and dryer that work just fine, but Oprah’s giving away a new set of front-loaders in Candy Apple Red, and it makes me feel like my little white top-loaders are completely inadequate.

Same with the sunglasses. Surely my cheap-o pair of sunglasses do not block the rays as well as the $300 pair she’s giving away. It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong in my life that I have to wear cheap-o sunglasses. Know what I mean?

Of course, this year Oprah didn’t even do a “Favorite Things” show—I guess the economy has hit even O the Great. (Maybe her buddy Barack will give her a bailout.)

Anyway, a couple of years ago the girls in our small group decided to do a “Favorite Things” giveaway of our own. We don’t spend nearly as much as Oprah, but we sure have a good time.

We got together this week to have lunch at Julie’s house and to exchange gifts. The lunch was wonderful, but it was the gifts we were most curious to see—what would our friends choose as their favorite thing of 2009?

In past years we’ve given each other really fun things like jewelry, ornaments, and even cake mixes (that was me—my gift is usually food related. I wonder why.). Last year, Wendy gave us each a fleece blanket that everyone in my family fights over—it’s just so soft and warm.

This year was an abundance of great stuff. Here’s a picture of the loot I came home with. . .



Becky and Jymette loved the Slatkin & Co. Fresh Balsam candle from Bath and Body Works so much that they both gave it to us. That’s never happened before. But I’m glad it did because that is one great candle. I’ve been burning them pretty much constantly since Wednesday, and every time someone comes in my house they tell me it smells great in here.

Olfactory pleasure is important, you know.

Kim gave each of us a Mac Cosmetics lip set, complete with a lip pencil, lip stick, and lip gloss that all fits into that cute pink carrying case you see in the front of the picture. Adorable, huh? My lips will look amazing at the party we’re going to on Saturday.

This year Wendy gave the food gift—all of her favorites from Trader Joe’s. I love that because I love Joe the Trader, as he’s called around here. She also tucked in a beautiful red glass ornament as which looks great on my tree.

Beth always overdoes it, and this year was no exception. Some wonderful hand cream from Park City, UT—mmmmm. And a totally cool necklace from DeDe Jaderholm (it’s hanging around the water pitcher in the picture).

I haven’t talked about DeDe here, and maybe I will someday soon, but suffice it to say that she is a friend to all of us and an exceptionally talented jewelry designer. I have too many just a few of her pieces, and every one is unique and fun and special. Plus, she lives right around the corner which makes picking up a little gift (for yourself, maybe?) very easy.

Julie went the extra mile this year to give us each a hand blown water pitcher. You may have heard the squeals of delight as we each opened ours. See it toward the left in the picture? Isn’t that just the coolest thing? Plus, what makes it extra-special is that Julie scoured the countryside looking for them at estate sales and antique shops. I love that she did that.

So I think that’s everything. I love each gift. And I love that we all put some thought into why these are our favorite things.

Oh my gift? What did I choose to give to my friends? Well, my gift was a two-part gift which came from two of my favorite stores: Williams-Sonoma and Anthropologie. AND they are food-related, sort of, because I just can’t help myself.

Red measuring spoons from Williams-Sonoma because I love red and I love to bake and I think everyone else should too. (Of course, when one of my friends who does not cook took them out of the package she said, “Now what are we supposed to do with these?” I think that might have been the best line of the day.)



And this coffee cup that I bought earlier in the year. I just love the detail on it, especially the little flower inside the handle. Isn’t that just too cute?



Plus, I love Anthropologie for gifts because they always give you the cutest ribbons and doo-dads to put on your gift. See?



So, the “Favorite Things” gift exchange goes on, and Oprah’s got nothing on us. In fact, if she ever decides to reinstate her “Favorite Things” show, I know of six girls who would gladly serve as her personal shoppers.

Call me, Oprah!

Welcome to My New Home

Don't click away! You are in the right place. This is still "Life on the Wild Side" but in a new and improved variety.

I got a little tired of the blizzard of pink and green, and I've been thinking about redesigning my blog for a while now. I finally found Darcy who is a great designer and who did a wonderful job here.

For the most part everyone around here loves it, although one-who-shall-remain-nameless thinks it looks like Christmas. Can I help it that green and red are two of my favorite colors?

But my favorite comment about the new blog design came from Maggie who said, "It looks like you live in a lake house." Which I love because, yes, the design is simple--that's how I wanted it--and I think it's calming. Which is exactly what a lake house should be--simple and calming.

So, I guess I should say welcome to my lake house. I hope you'll stay a while.

Hold on to Your Hats!

Some big changes are 'a comin' here on the old blog. Look for them soon! I think you're going to like them.

Trifecta

So last night I'm heading to bed, and I pop down to the basement to say goodnight to Abby who was watching "Home Alone 2." You know, the one where Kevin gets lost in New York City and meets a lady who feeds birds in some bell tower in a church. Or something like that.

Those "Home Alone" movies . . . such a great combination of ingenious cruelty and physical humor. I kind of enjoy them in a funny, sick sort of way.

So while I was saying goodnight, Abby asked if I wanted to watch the movie with her for a while. Are you kidding me? She could have been watching "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and I would have plopped myself in that chair. Of course, my sweet, conservative Abby would never watch "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but that's not the point. The point is that if your teenager ever asks you to watch a movie with them you do it. Because you just don't know how long it might be until you get that opportunity again.

It was near the end of the movie, so I only got about 15 minutes alone with my daughter, but that's O.K. It was a great 15 minutes.

And then I finally made my way up to bed. Which was when I got really excited because I realized it was a trifecta night.

I can't even believe I'm telling you this because it's so silly, but when I was in college my friends and I made up our "trifecta." For me, there is no other. It's when you hit sleeping perfection because you have 1) clean sheets, 2) shaved legs, and 3) clean pajamas.

It doesn't happen that often that all three hit at the same time, but when it does . . . ahhhhh, perfection. And I know that I'll have the best night's sleep ever.

And I did.

Have you ever hit that trifecta? Have you ever noticed when you have clean sheets, shaved legs, and clean pajamas you just sleep better? Go ahead, try it sometime and let me know how it goes.

Unless you're one of the two guys who read my blog. Then don't bother with this trifecta. That would be weird.

There are other types of trifectas you could try. Like the pizza, beer, and ice cream trifecta. Perfect in every way and leaves you with a perfect case of heartburn too. That's what I'd call a "guy trifecta."

I guess you could say a trifecta is a perfect storm. When certain conditions come together to create the same result every time. It might be a sweet night of sleep. Or it could be heartburn.

So I'm curious . . . do you have a trifecta? What's your "perfect storm"?