In Memoriam

Today there was a death in the family.

Before any of you rain all over me for idolatry or gripping too tightly to material things... please let me explain.

I loved my mP3 player. Truly. She may not have been the prettiest Pink shiny iPod or have all the latest features like video or high-capacity play. In fact, she was humbly selected from the refurbished bin on Amazon in the under $50 crowd.

She was knicked from many drops, the indicators were on the blink. I had to dig a fingernail into the side to advance the tracks. The display was almost unreadable from the scratches. She even had a slight odor to her that smelled suspiciously like my socks and a soldering iron.

But she was a gem. She was my friend and I will miss her.

She let me sweat all over her as she was lovingly clipped to the inner-waistband of my running shorts. Other than my husband and my OBGYN, nobody has been that close to me.

We covered miles and miles together. She was instrumental in my spiritual growth as I loaded hours and hours of sermons and lessons onto her trusty digital back. She was a mule - burdened by my music and my learning and never complaining. All she asked of me was to be wiped clean now and then and to be given a new battery every month.

She had seen more than 5 pairs of running shoes and countless earbuds come and go like fickle friends. She had witnessed my hysterical laughter at stuff my husband had snuck on her when I wasn't looking. She kept my secrets that I muttered aloud to God on the back trails when we were alone. She witnessed me cry as I let the stress come and over-take me in our private moments. She was spectator to my embarrassment as I was caught unaware warbling loudly and off-key to Coldplay.

Alas, I am in mourning. We cannot afford the indulgence of an iPod right now. Even another discount player is currently an expense we cannot justify in light of those who need more than us. Besides, there was a history, and a smell, that will be difficult to replace. So unless the mP3 Fairy arrives on my birthday (10/10), there will be a deep and lonely void.

May she be taken to a better place. With less sweaty B.O. and less jostling from a mildly-overpronating runner. May she be forever loaded with the messages of God's word and worship to Him. Amen.

I saw, I know, I can't deny it

Thank you to the Livesay Tribe

Picture Day

Those people at Lifetouch have a real racket going on... we have about 2 or 3 different picture days throughout the school year. UGH!

You can purchase 'picture packages' that range from the $13 "Mommy doesn't love Me" group (1 5x7 and 2 2x3s, no wallets) to the ridiculous $77 "Narcissist-in-Training" package (36 pounds of prints and keychains and bookmarks and magnets).

I told my kids they can dress how they want for the photo shoot. Livi chose a lovely little dress with big black kinder-kickin' boots. She also requested 'church' hair.

Calvin opted for regular attire but said his accessory was going to be the infamous eye-cross. Hope they don't stick like that....


Perhaps I should pay the extra $6.50 for 'retouching'...

Word of the Week

log·or·rhe·a /ˌlɔgəˈriə, ˌlɒgə-/ Pronunciation[law-guh-ree-uh, log-uh-]
1. pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech.
2. incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility.
—Related forms

log·or·rhe·ic, adjective

How I wish I had audio of my daughter this afternoon. She is in a very logorrheic phase and I am quite certain she has completely lost her ability to quiet her mouth. Whether singing, singing backwards, singing nonsense, practicing her southern accent (our babysitter is from Alabama and she loves to mimic her) or simply saying a word 15 different ways - the girl cannot quit. Today her favorite thing to repeat was 'Autobiography'. If I timed it correctly it went on for 8 solid minutes.

I have been told to be thankful, because there will come a day when she will walk in from school, not utter a word and retreat to her room until food is served.

But my ears throb, and I dare say one eardrum may be bleeding. Perhaps the main reason I like the word logorrhea so much is that it sounds like diarrhea. Grandpa's favorite expression was "That girl's got a wicked case of diarrhea of the mouth."

It is almost an Onomatopoeia (that is our next word class)

logorrhea diarrhea logorrhea diarrhea logorrhea diarrhea logorrhea diarrhea