Happy Birthday to ME!!!

37 years ago I was born! It happened at 8:51 in the morning and I weighed 8 pounds and 7 ounces (exactly what Annie weighed at birth). I'm guessing my parents were as thrilled as I was when each of my children were born...it is a thrilling experience.

So in my 37 years I have learned so much but nothing more important that the following 2 lessons:

1. God loves me with abandon, I am His child and He has rescued me from a life of sin and sadness.

2. It's okay to love myself - I'm pretty great and it's good to know that and be okay with it!

Kodak Moments

My three little people!

The girls!!!

The little man!!!

The Party's Over

After yesterday's embarrassing shut-out by (my most hated NFL team) the Baltimore Ravens (boo-hiss) it is pretty much a mathematical certainty that even if the mighty Steelers win every game for the rest of the season they will not make the playoffs. Now, I wasn't expecting a Super Bowl Repeat (though I CAN dream) but this season has been such a disappointment and I'm going to give you my theories as to why the black and gold have fallen so fast and hard.

1. Bill Cowher has lost his passion. Not being able to commit (or not commit) to a contract extension before the start of the season and moving his family from Pittsburgh to North Carolina signals the end of the Cowher era. The RIGHT thing to do would have been to announce that he planned to retire at the end of this season so that the team and the coaching staff wasn't left wondering what was going to happen. As I have watched Cowher on the sidelines this season I have been less than dazzled by his seeming lack of passion and investment in his team. Where is the Bill Cowher that was running up and down the sidelines and getting in the faces of his players for both good and bad plays. I don't like this calmer, kinder, gentler Bill Cowher...we need a tiger, not a pussycat. Come back Bill...at least for the 5 remaining games of this season so that you go out (if indeed you go out) with some dignity.

2. Losing Jerome Bettis hurt more than expected. I heard the commentators yesterday say that even the Ravens (boo-hiss) were glad that Bettis had retired. Bettis was not just a power-house in the red zone and on 3rd and long plays...he was a leader of this team and that is how he is missed more than anything. Sure, no one has stepped up to take his place and our running game has suffered, but the team seems to be in disarray internally. With Cowher on the fringes (see #1) the lack of a solid team leader hurts...badly.

3. Ben Roethlisberger has been through hell. Between February 5th (that glorious day) and now Big Ben has really gone through it. The motorcycle accident: not his fault but the no helmet thing STILL has me shaking my head. He almost died that day in June and it has obviously changed him to the core. Long gone is the cocky, arrogant swagger that Ben had last year...and while this is probably a good thing for the content of his character it has not done wonders for his on-field persona. The emergency appendectomy: I can't imagine the impact this had on him. He came back from the accident quicker than anyone expected (or did he?) and then just before the Season opener he gets sidelined with this! The beating he has taken this season: Ben has not been protected this season. He is getting mauled all over the field and has taken a real beating on more than one occasion. He has suffered another concussion (in addition to the one from the accident) and gotten up slowly more times than I care to count. I guarantee you he didn't expect to be seeing so much of the turf this season. In addition to all of this he cannot seem to get the ball into the hands of anyone other than the opposing team.

So there you have it, my theories as to why the Steelers seem to be (with a nod here to the Simpson's) the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever did suck. Funny thing is, I still LOVE them like crazy. I still get all riled up watching the games and I can't wait for next week. Okay so this season might be over from a post-season perspective...but there is a lot of football left to be played and I'm going to cheer on my Steelers and be loyal no matter what. So here's to you boys...chins up and let's get ready for Tampa Bay!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It is a beautiful morning here in Pittsburgh and I wanted to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time at church last night and are looking forward to some time with friends today.

I just wanted to take a moment and wish all of our friends and family scattered far and wide a very happy Thanksgiving...we are thankful for you and wish for you God's richest blessings today and always.

What are YOU thankful for?

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. What in the world? Every year I try to think back over the last year and count my blessings so to speak. Then I try and figure out what I am most thankful for and if it is a person, I try and tell them so. I have found this exercise to be an important investment of my time because it focuses me on the ways God has blessed my life and it helps me to head into the busy holiday season in the right frame of mind.

So what am I thankful for this year???

1. My women's Bible study group
I have had really negative experiences in the past with women's groups...but this group at our church has been so amazing. There are women in different stages of life who have so much wisdom to offer one another and they are REAL. They are willing to share their lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I appreciate them so much.

2. Bill and Monica's wedding
My brother, Bill, got married this summer to a wonderful woman, Monica. Their wedding was a simple and lovely affair and my heart was so happy seeing them give their lives to one another. They are such a good match and I'm excited to see where life takes them.

3. Lisa and Ron's twins
I wrote in an earlier post about the joy I felt when my friends, Lisa and Ron, had their twins. My heart continues to be filled with joy as this family settles in and gets to know one another. I don't think I ever realized it was possible to feel SO happy for another until this happened.

4. My Dad
After my parents split up my dad and I had a very strained relationship...and in fact no relationship at all for many many years. But after Annie was born 6 years ago we reconnected and that has proven to be a wonderful thing for me and my family. I'm grateful to God for the redemption he has given in this relationship and I love you Dad!

5. My beautiful babies
My three kids are so precious and dear to me. They have shaped my life in ways that I don't even begin to understand.

6. Alex
I'm sure that everyone thinks I have to say my husband...but I don't...and I haven't always been as thankful for him as I am this year. Alex, is pulled in a lot of different directions and yet he really tries to make God and his family his top priority. He is working on lots of things to make our lives better and I am so grateful for that.

7. My Dinner Girls
You guys rock and I love you.

8. Our Home
Even thought the heating bills are killing us, I love it.

9. Mom
My mom has stood by me for so many years and watched me make choices she agreed with and ones she didn't agree with. Regardless she has loved me and supported me and taught me much about love. This is the first Thanksgiving in my 36 years that I wont' spend with her (she is going to St. Paul to be with Bill and Monica!). I'll miss you mom and I love you.

10. Angela
This year I'm most thankful for my friend, Angela. I met Angela online through a message board and she has become a more dear friend than I ever imagined. I went to visit her (in Virginia) in February and it felt like we had known each other forever. She is like me in so many ways and yet different too. She and I share an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and a love of being a mother that draws us together on a variety of levels. This year, Angela's son was diagnosed with Autism and that has been a very difficult journey. Therapy, dietary changes, doctors, tests, fights with the schools, conferences, hours of reading and research. My head spins just thinking about it. In the midst of it all, Angela found out she is pregnant with a little girl! What a gift! I know I wouldn't be able to handle it all but if there is anyone who can it is Angela. She is an amazing woman and I am so blessed to call her friend. I love you Angela and thank you for being such a wonderful friend. You are what my heart is most thankful for this year.

A Little Love for the Mighty Steelers

It's amazing how winning a football game can improve my mood. I am SO glad the Steelers won yesterday! They needed it and so did their fans. It is hard going from being the World Champs to being 2 and 6. So great job guys and keep it up!!!

Escaping the Holiday Labryinth

With the holidays being jammed down our throats earlier and earlier each year I find myself more and more stressed about getting everything done in order to "enjoy" the season. Cards (which I missed last year), gifts, baking, decorating...it gets to be a bit overwhelming. I start out in the right frame of mind; thinking what gets done, gets done and what doesn't, doesn't. But before long I fall into that familiar trap of being too busy and pushed to enjoy anything I'm doing.

Well, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf this year. I'm trying to look at the holidays as THE gift and trying to escape the maze. Have you ever seen those experiments where they put mice in one end of a maze and cheese at the other? The poor little mouse can smell the cheese but has to figure out how to navigate through the maze to get to it. The helpless creature is constantly banging into walls and retracing its' steps to get it right. All for some lame piece of cheese it is almost too exhausted to eat at the finish line.

I am that mouse. And coming off as the quintessential wife, mom, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, hostess, communicator, gift giver, and cook is the cheese. So I work myself into a frenzy trying to transform my mouse into a super-model and I keep banging my heads against walls and never get to enjoy the real spirit of the season.

The only part of my identity that REALLY matters is that of Beth, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ...child of the one true God. My worth and comfort have to come from that or else they really don't exist. I can pretty the house up, bake yummy cookies, write the best Christmas letter ever, buy everyone on my list the perfect gift and still miss the mark by a long shot.

On a day in Bethlehem long ago when a baby breathed it's first breath in the cool night air, everything changed. This year, I want to remember that. I want to remember the sacrifice that we celebrate at Christmas. And one of the ways I intend to do that is by giving some Alternative Christmas Gifts . This link will take you to World Vision's gift catalog page where you can be a part of something way bigger that the 10th anniversary of Tickle Me Elmo. You can (for not too much money) buy a share in a well that will bring clean drinking water to an entire village. You can buy a share of cattle that will provide a family with a way to make money. You can provide medication for a child orphaned by AIDS...and on and on.

Please consider doing this for at least one gift on your list this year. The big corporate toy makers won't really miss your money that much and the difference you can make in the lives of people around the world is immeasurable.

Peace.

Dogs, noses, and leaves!

Okay I admit it, my title is more than a bit strange. But those are the things on my mind these days.

1. We got a dog! We rescued a beagle...her name is Lilo (as in Lilo and Stitch). Quit laughing! Her name was Lulu but we call Lucy that so we had to change it and we wanted it to be somewhat similar. We were throwing around Lila, Layla, Lola etc and the girls decided that it HAD to be Lilo. Eh, it seemed like an easy one to let them have their way on. Lilo is a very good and mellow dog so far. I walk her every morning and the kids "love" on her. (in fact Jack has tried to ride her like a horse - yikes) The adjustment has been relatively easy and we are keeping our fingers crossed that it stays that way.

2. I finally got my nose pierced. Some of you are now rolling your eyes...and roll away. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea (sorry Mom!) and I'm okay with that. It is actually something I have wanted to do for years and I finally mustered up the courage to do it. I really like it (except for when I rubbed my nose really hard in my sleep - ouch!). Annie and Lucy think it's "cool" and Alex and I had the whole conversation about what if they wanted to do the same thing as teenagers. While I could throw down the whole "I waited until I was 36" card, I don't think I will. If it is something they really want to do then we will talk about it with them and see where that leads us. Anyway, I can't stop staring at it in the mirror...it's super fun.

3. Alex spent almost all day in the yard today raking, blowing and bagging leaves. It was sunny and warm so the kids spent most of the day out there with him and loved it. There probably won't be many more outside days before real winter hits so it was great for them to be able to run around and get some energy out.

As the last of the leaves fall from the trees I begin to dread just a bit the coming winter months. It can be so gray here in Pittsburgh and I have to admit it depresses me somewhat. When there is a seemingly endless string of gray days I feel my mood go south and my smile gets lost in the bleakness of the winter season. I wish I knew how to escape the winter blues besides going to a sunny place for weeks and weeks. Any advice out there in the bolgosphere would be appreciated!

Halloween Video!

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PSA: Petting zoos are EVIL

I have always hated petting zoos, they are gross and seem inhumane on many levels. Plus the animals never seem well cared for or happy. But now I have a very important reason to stay away and I wanted to pass it along.

I had always heard that petting zoos were ripe with bacteria and now on a message board I frequent there is a woman who was recently at a petting zoo with her children and now they are all sick. The woman contracted a heart infection and had to have open heart surgery and the girls have been suffering with a nasty fever for days with no explanation. While the doctors aren't saying that the petting zoo caused all of this they took great interest in the fact that they were there saying that sheep carry the very virus they found in the woman's heart.

So please stay away from petting zoos...they can be very dangerous to people, not to mention animals.